Ricky Minor's tone

capnsandwich · #1 07-15-2011, 03:07 AM

I know he's a Sadowsky man but what else contributes to his tone. Does he go direct? Does he use a certain preamp? Does he use an amp on the set? I must get that tone for myself.

AcidFripp · #2 07-15-2011, 06:31 AM

I, too, have been wondering this. It's actually a pretty good tone!

Try this, not exactly what you're looking for, but it might enlighten you or something... I dunno...
Rickey Minor

Also, are you looking for his American Idol tone or his Tonight Show tone? Even among those, he switches tones sometimes.

Good luck.

capnsandwich · #3 07-15-2011, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AcidFripp

I, too, have been wondering this. It's actually a pretty good tone!

Try this, not exactly what you're looking for, but it might enlighten you or something... I dunno...
Rickey Minor

Also, are you looking for his American Idol tone or his Tonight Show tone? Even among those, he switches tones sometimes.

Good luck.

I'm looking for his Tonight Show tone. His bass cuts through like butter and is clear as a bell.

dougjwray · #4 07-15-2011, 07:59 AM

I used to wonder the same thing about Will Lee's fantastic tone on the Letterman Show, especially since bass is so often inaudible coming through your average TV. Then I started to realize that in addition to the gear and Will himself (it's in the hands, etc.), the broadcast engineers have been able to tweak the signal every weeknight for years (presumably with Will's input). That has to be considered, too.

capnsandwich · #5 07-15-2011, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dougjwray

I used to wonder the same thing about Will Lee's fantastic tone on the Letterman Show, especially since bass is so often inaudible coming through your average TV. Then I started to realize that in addition to the gear and Will himself (it's in the hands, etc.), the broadcast engineers have been able to tweak the signal every weeknight for years (presumably with Will's input). That has to be considered, too.

Yeah, that's true but Ricky's only been doing this for a little while. I also wondered this about Jimmy Earl's tone on Jimmy Kimmel. I guess I should just quit watching late night talk shows. That would probably help me to quit being so envious and help me save some money too.

Ewo · #6 07-15-2011, 08:15 AM

I'm thinking part of the reason the bass sounds so good is that the mix gives it a good amount of space. There's not a lot of competition from other instruments in the (say...) 80 to 150Hz range. Just guessing...just thinking of times I was getting a nice sound onstage, until the keyboard and guitars added a buncha mud down where my tone lived.

DWBass · #7 07-15-2011, 08:28 AM

There's nothing like having great, knowledgable engineers!

Just to sidetrack for a moment to make a point..........I went to a concert featuring several R&B acts and also Kenny G (no rebuttals please). All the R&B acts (who had bands) sound sounded like crap! Nothing but an undefined wall of sound! Then came Kenny G. The sound was so clear it sounded like a cd! Perfect!

A good engineer is a valuable asset!

neadams · #8 07-16-2011, 04:14 PM

i know that he has used aguilar amps in the past, and i'm sure he is still using them, i haven't paid attention lately

if i had to guess, he is probably using a blended pre and post eq sound. the first tone being the bass direct and the other going to an amp and being mic'ed, or some combination of that. i read an article in bass player magazine a few years back that interview mike merritt of conan's band and he pretty much had that setup.