Ignite Amps NRR1 Update

I took a little more time to get this to sound how I want it, and with a little advise from the developer / instructions on how the tone stack works, I've got something I think I really like. Here's the clip:


Original: NNR1 demo

2nd try: Click Here

3rd try: Click Here

On the "2nd try" clip, I have 2 tracks, Reagate ->ts808-> NRR1-> Lecab -> ReaEQ (hi/low pass) -> verb -> Taldub III delay, both panned 86% and then into a bus track with the final Eq for a slight dip in the low mids and a slight (very small) boost in the upper mids and lower highs. This examples Ir's are the same as the first clip. I used Lecab to blend a Marshall impulse (75%, sm57 close to the cap) with an ambient room (actually a Royor 121, 12 inches off the cap) Soldano impulse (25%). Same thing on the other side except replace the Marshall with an Uberkab. The Soldano Redwirez cab is a little funny up close, but I've found a really good distances, it adds a nice little bit of mid creamyness when lightly added to the mix. The only difference between this and the very first clip is the settings on the NRR1.

On "3rd Try", the NRR1 is the same, but instead of blending the IR's, I routed the Soldano's to their own separate tracks and panned them 100%. So now you've got (soldano100%, Marshall 86%, Uberkab86%, Soldano 100%). Then all added back together in the bus track and eqed etc like above. I thought it might add a little more roomyness. I think it did add more, but it didn't quite turn out as good as I would have liked it to.

I like certain things with the "complicated" one. Like that the stereo field is a little wider or more separated when listening at optimal conditions, but it does take away from the punch a little - probably because the mids added by the Soldano cabs are now much wider. If you listen at a very low volume you can hear how it just drops out. Now I have to wonder if it wouldn't sound better with the Soldano's in the middle and the Marshall and Uber at 100%. I doubt it.

I think I'm going to stop messing with it and start tracking something with the "2nd Try" clip settings and see what happens.

Reaper Audio

Click me: Reaper Audio

A good Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) is essential to making a decent recording, along with a computer that is able to handle the load. If your machine is relatively new then you're probably ok for the most part. I use a quad core with 4 gigs of ram and it seems to work pretty well. If your machine starts to slow down you can always "freeze" or "bounce" your tracks (this lets you work with a completed .wav file, effects included, without the effects taxing your cpu). I also use an external hard drive to store my sample libraries, project files and anything else that might be used a lot, or constantly pulled from the HDD. This allows the C: drive to concentrate on running the programs while the external drive takes care of the busywork.

My DAW of choice is Reaper and it works wonderfully. With most of the same options and features as really expensive workstations, Reaper works just as well at a fraction ($60 noncommercial license, with an unlimited trial) of the price. You can easily spend hundreds and thousands of dollars on software that is, and I hate this term, "industry standard". Brandon Drury over at Recordingreview.com wrote a wonderful article on the topic - Digidesign Pro Tools: Rethinking The Industry Standard Mentality


I've never had a problem from Reaper. It performs wonderfully, accepts just about every vst I feed it, is very light on cpu, and a whole list of features that make my life easier like: a virtual midi keyboard, built in high quality vst effects, track templates, and simple to figure out controls.

While there is a learning curve with any new DAW, especially if you don't really know your way around a studio to begin with, Reaper is actually one of the easier DAW's to learn. If you understand the principals behind a simple mixing console, it won't take you long to learn how to use Reaper. What makes this even better is that on the Reaper Audio website, there is a user forum. Can't figure it out? Just ask.

How I use Reaper: I have track templates setup for everything including my guitar amps, drum sets, bass, certain vocal settings, certain tracking settings, master track etc. When I start a new project I can simply load the templates I need, arm the track, and press record. It's so simple.

I like to get some scratch guitars down first tracked with a simple drum pattern just to keep time. I then go back and edit the drum parts (more on this in a later post). I re-track guitars, bass and anything else. At this point the recording is pretty close to finished. All I need to do is add on the master track effects and tweak the mix. Because I started with a template for just about everything, and the templates came from a project I completed, the song pretty much mixes itself - with some exceptions.

My master track template takes care of the "Mastering" phase of recording for the most part. I use Stillwell's 1973 eq for a little bit of a shelving boost hear and there, Stillwell's Event Horizon limiter, Bootsey's FerricTDS for some saturation, Density Mark II for compression and Recording Review/Aradaz's Panipulator.

Stillwell Audio
Density MarkII
FerricTDS
Panipulator

Ignite Amps

Mr. Alu of the Guitar Amp Modeling forums has just released his first amp sim - NRR-1. This thing sounds and plays great. I've got a quick little (slightly sloppy) demo I threw together last night with my first attempt using it. For the speaker cabinets, I used Redwirez Marshall, Soldano, and Uberkab blended IR's. I think with a little more tweaking, I'll start using it for some stuff. And just in time as well. I'm getting ready to track guitars for my next song. Right now I'm leaning toward this for rhythm stuff and the Lextac tone I've been using for lead. Check it out for yourself.

Read more about it here: Guitar Amp Modeling Forum Thread

Check out my audio demo here: NRR-1 Demo Audio