Head game (with clips!)

[lookiel]

I just downloaded Reaper to try it out and was fooling around with it so I decided to post a little game that people might enjoy:
I recorded 3 simple lines of about 15 seconds with different 2 different amp heads and one pedal, find out which is which.
Choices are Mesa Walkabout, VT bass and TC's RH450.
I would also be curious to know which you prefer or might think would fit better in a mix


NOTE: Answers at page 3 post 42!

[lookiel]

They're all pretty close in terms of tone but slightly different,
I tried to gain match them as best I could and the signal chain is
bass-head-firebox-reaper
Third one:

[JimmyM]

i love stuff like this!

#3 is almost certainly the mesa...i'll tell you how i figured that after you give the results, though it should be obvious to most who know how the vt and tc work.

#1 sounded a little more upper mid forward than the others, and maybe a shade behind the other two in complexity of tone. so i'll guess that's the tc

#2 sounds like a cross between #1 and #3, so i'll guess that's the vt.

all of them are highly usable tones and i could see myself using any of them for any given project. but if i had to choose, i'd probably go with 2.

btw, this will really bum me out if #2 isn't the vt

[JimmyM]

holy cow? i'm the only one who played? i thought you guys loved stuff like this...so here's a saturday nite bump so all you dateless and gigless folks (don't worry...i am, too) can play

[Ian Perge]

I think the biggest issue is that you're attempting to play Head Games without usage of The Foreigner Belt...

[FooHead]

I'd better guess quick so I'm not late for my date! Ha!

I'm gonna say that #3 is the Mesa....as for #1 and #2...not sure as I've never tried the VT pedal or a TC head. I liked the tone from clip #1 the best. Cool little groove too!

[JimmyM]

i know the answers! hah hah ha-ha hah!

geez, why are only a couple people participating? i thought everyone loved stuff like this on here. dude plays a good bass, too...i figured all you tc and walkabout folks would hop on this so you could show me how much i'm missing out on by using the vt

[beans-on-toast]

I haven't got a clue which is which. I liked them all. Which I would use depends on what else is in the mix.

Stand alone, I like the even rich tone of #2. There is more dirt in #1 but it sounded muffled in comparison to the others, #3 had more high end clarity and a wide bandwidth but seemed to lack richness in the low end.

I liked #2, then #3, then #1.
My guess would be VT, Mesa, TC

[Ronny49]

#1 sounds like the TC. i am NOT a TC fan.

#2 sounds like the Mesa w/ VT - but I could be wrong as the VT can make certain amps sound much better than what they really are.

#3 Def. the Mesa.

I actually prefer the sound of #2, but if you tell me it is the TC, I will pick #3!

HAH!

[BroKenSticKs]

I like 3 the best. No idea which is which though.

[One Drop]

I love all three tones!

Number 1 sounds a little more compressed, and seems to have a little less in the way of highs than the other two clips, and less harmonic content. Really nails certain '60s recorded tones.

The other two are also great, but more modern' sounding to my ears. I prefer Number Two for the balance of thump and clarity, but all three are perfectly usable and very sweet to my ears. I'd be happy to get any of them (nice playing, BTW).

I won't hazard a guess as I've never played a Walkabout, I don't record much, and I always get them wrong...

[KJung]

Not really that familiar with the VT, and also not really close to the tone I go for, so I would have no idea.

Clip one sounded by far the best to me though.... punchier, more natural up top, not as low end extended. I would guess that is the TC head, since that's kind of how I hear mine on the rare occasion that I dial in that sort of tone, but not sure at all. All sound pretty good, but clip 1 just NAILS that old school thing to my ear. Totally dig it.

Edit: Clip marked #3 is my least favorite... too wide, harsher/briter top end, scooped mids... that would not be a good thing in a mix. I'll guess the Mesa there.

[Surly]

I like 2.

[AMp'D.2play]

i don't know which is which, but since you also asked for a preference, i like either 1 or 2.

#3 would be a distant 3rd.

[JimmyM]

even though tests like this are fun, what's even more fun about them is that a twist of a tone knob could drastically alter your perceptions about each, and especially if you run to foh with it. i've had soundmen make the exact same rig sound like all of these tones at any given time.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

even though tests like this are fun, what's even more fun about them is that a twist of a tone knob could drastically alter your perceptions about each, and especially if you run to foh with it. i've had soundmen make the exact same rig sound like all of these tones at any given time.

+1, and of course, doing a clip without a cab really doesn't represent a live tone at all. The head/cab interaction is one of the strongest determinants of tone IMO and IME>

Fun though. There is some strongly voiced stuff like the RH450 that will always maintain its kind of mid warm voice no matter what you do, given the baked in stuff of that head.

[nemo]

After just one listening:

1- TC - a little bit dull
2- WA - certain tube "something", clarity
3- VT - over the top SVT-ishness

I own the Walkabout, hopefully I got it right

Edit: After couple more listens, I am not certain about the #2 and #3. Can be either WA or VT, depends on the EQ and gain settings.

[OmeDunk]

1: Mesa (tubish)
3: VT, because I think i recognize the upper mid grind of the VT.

So 2 must be the TC.

[Shmone]

I have no idea but I'm only going to guess that #1 is the TC.

My favorite was #3, sounded great!

[lookiel]

Cool! Thanks for the input and guesses guys!
I'll let this go for just a little longer before posting the answers.
I find it interestting how people are mostly polarized in preference between the warmer middier tone of clip 1 and the slighlty scooped grit of clip 3!