Bugera Power Soak brutal tube pumping

[Marco]

I got the bugera powersoak connected to my guitar rig. Listen how brutal it pumps your tubes. Recording was made only with my handy!

[dante]

Cool - I mean - HOT !!! Was that you playing - if so r u available for session work ?

Have you checked out BIAS Amp Pro VST ? https://shop.propellerheads.se/product/bias-amp-pro/ Its on summer sale in the propshop for $169 I'm tempted to pull the trigger on it but only if it gets the thumbs up from a reputable guitar player. eg Greg ? Also like to know if the valve glow is shred synced (eg to ure playing).

BIAS Amp Pro

BIAS Amp Pro.jpg (197.84 KiB) Viewed 5043 times

[garyb]

don't over do it with power soaks or you'll be buying output transformers.

a power soak is the thing. i remember Alan Holdsworth's early experiments. i used to sell his custom power soaks(they're nothing like the Rocktron units that bore his name). they looked like large aluminum cigar boxes with his scribbling on top. i also knew Jim Kelley and worked for the guy who helped make his legendary amps which featured a power soak as a master volume(money for nothing was probably the most famous tune using a Kelley amp). nothing sounds better than distorting power tubes. sims can't even come close. actually, all the best distortion amps i ever heard were low power(20-60 watts), a 20 watt Hiwatt with EL84s being the king...

http://www.jimkelleyamplifiers.com/home.htm

[Marco]

Hi dante, yes I played by myself, this sound was recorded by my cheap android Handy. In reality the sound of this amp with the power soak is incredible. But yes you can hear the character changes when the tubes are sweat and pumped with energetic strength and Loudness.
All the software Amps I ever heard are not so really hot. Then there is an other problem with the software stuff, you do not have real cabinets and microphones. Everything is simulated. You can try to find a good sound, but when you have real hardware, then you can work out your best sound that fits perfectly into your musical context. And yes, for many people a problem, your neighbors, I moved to a nice place between some mountains and full nature. My neighbors are some trees, a church and that's it. I can be always as loud as required.
If you need a guitar track, just let me know.

[dante]

@Marco Cool Ill upload something to soundcloud that need a solo!

@Gary I record guitar already distorted using the Digitech ValveFX. Then apply sims later. If I didn't already have the Digitech I would have got a RockTron Voodu Valve. Shame its not still in production for years now....

Rocktron VooDu Valve

11791755_800.jpg (57.11 KiB) Viewed 5020 times

[garyb]

sorry, i didn't mean to imply that there was ANYTHING wrong with your work or your choices, dante. i usually use virtual amps and mfx preamps myself all the time. i was just saying that the "best" sound still comes from amps, at least to my ears. i don't even think it's close, really. that doesn't mean that not micing amps, makes an inferior product.

there are a whole lot of factors that decide what the best choice is, including the space, time, cost, convenience...

ultimately it's the music that we want, because it's all that's left in the end. the tech is just a means to an end, imo.

[Marco]

A solo preview with the nice power soak

[Marco]

NO Distortion!

[Marco]

Again small and no distortion!

[Marco]

Crazy old lady from Italy!

[Marco]

Just listen

[dante]

@Marco - can't download MP3 on iPhone on train - will get you on SoundCloud when we collaborate. But those tracks sounded great and stylistic when I got to work.

@Gary - there IS something wrong with the way I work / I only have bedroom studio. Back in 90th I lived in house where I took over back half of garage which was brick walled from rest of garage. Here the real guitarists came to record because they didn't have their own DAWs yet, it was the 90's and they didn't have Spewbase yet !! I would take a stereo feed with left channel mic'ed on their full combo and right channel DI'd direct from pre-amp (pre cab). That way I could play around later. Those days are gone BUT it appears I now have Marco !! Who has only a few farmyard animals and a small abandoned Lutheran church to bother.

[garyb]

this is the way it used to be done(but back then we built our own). no problem with volume then...
http://www.theboxofdoom.com/

[dante]

Ya - if its cheaper than isolating the room. Also has portability.

[Marco]

This box is nice and gives you a possible way to have that super cool sound. Some crazy people want to use room informations by using additional microphones. For this technique you need urgently a room.

[dante]

Or the IR's from the room...

[Marco]

I found out for me that nature is not calculable, so all of the simulations are far away from nature. Nature is to complicated, you can hear that. If you are taking the natural room informations, you can have the best results. If you have a room and the will to experiment. For me, most simulations suck. But I am just a freak.

[dante]

Sure. But stuck in my domestic room 'studio' I like flashing valves and rotating reel to reel animations on my plugs to contribute to the illusion

[dawman]

I've got some pretty impressive power soak stuff, Bellari RP562s, Radial Space Heater with triple voltage gain switches, 30v/70v/140v...
But really impressive was a 150 dollar Lester K Pedal.
A pretty impressive Leslie 147 Pedal.
Put the brake on it and crank the drive.
Sounds grittier than the 3500 dollars worth of rackmounted soakers I first listed.

I guess it's all about the overall scenery or overall sound.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VRUSXRNLae8