Very low noise head for recording ?

[zekmoe]

I've given up on my legacy 800 as the noise level is too much for recording . It's fine live but iim. 100% recording now.
Looking for that slightly compressed and punchy sound usually associated with an svt but don't want the weight and power. Would a V4B give me this or is it substantially different ? I'd have to order one as I don't see any stores locally that have them in stock. My goal is recorded amps not sims or direct.
Thanks for any suggestions

 

[frankie5string]

I've given up on my legacy 800 as the noise level is too much for recording . It's fine live but iim. 100% recording now.
Looking for that slightly compressed and punchy sound usually associated with an svt but don't want the weight and power. Would a V4B give me this or is it substantially different ? I'd have to order one as I don't see any stores locally that have them in stock. My goal is recorded amps not sims or direct.
Thanks for any suggestions

Does it have to be an amplifier head? I use mostly pre-amps now. I have a few different ones. One's an EBS, one's a Sansamp BDDI, and I have access to a Mesa bass preamp if I want to use that. I don't really see a need to plug my bass amp into my DAW for tone.

I don't remember the v4B being all that great sonically as a DI output.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I've given up on my legacy 800 as the noise level is too much for recording . It's fine live but iim. 100% recording now.
Looking for that slightly compressed and punchy sound usually associated with an svt but don't want the weight and power. Would a V4B give me this or is it substantially different ? I'd have to order one as I don't see any stores locally that have them in stock. My goal is recorded amps not sims or direct.
Thanks for any suggestions

This sounds like maybe you go straight to the board, and let the sound tech (engineer) get you the tone you desire.

 

[BGroovy]

I don't think you need a head at all for this. But a DI pedal might give you the tone you're looking for, you can get Ampegs in a pedal. Original Effects has some great ones.

Head wise, I've recorded with my Mesa WD800 with great results. It's DI is fantastic

 

[Wasnex]

I've given up on my legacy 800 as the noise level is too much for recording . It's fine live but iim. 100% recording now.
Looking for that slightly compressed and punchy sound usually associated with an svt but don't want the weight and power. Would a V4B give me this or is it substantially different ? I'd have to order one as I don't see any stores locally that have them in stock. My goal is recorded amps not sims or direct.
Thanks for any suggestions

I suggest you clarify if you record via DI or mic'ing a speaker.

For mic'ing, a fan noise is a factor. For DI it is not. However, the S/N ratio of the DI could be a factor.

The V4B and PF50T sound similar to an SVT but not exactly the same. My understanding is the PF50T sounds like a 50W V4B. I own vintage SVTs and a PF50T. To my ears the PF50T is sweeter and more HiFi. The SVT has what I call a low mid push, which is simply a gentle wide-band bump centered around 400hz. The way these amp transition into drive is also a bit different. Weird thing is I dislike the way the PF50T drives when I listen solo, but it seems to work really well in the mix.

A draw back of the PF50T is they tend to require a humbuster mod. Some have said Ampeg covered the mod for them. Even with the mod, mine still has a small amount of hum but it's pretty low. The PF50T has two XLR outs. One is from the preamp and the other is taken of the output transformer. The amp has a built in dummy load, so it can be run without a speaker.


The PF20T has the two XLR outs and dummy loud like the PF50T. The tone stack is more basic, power is lower, and people say it's voiced a bit more like a B15. Some complain that it does not have enough gain to push either the preamp or output into driver territory. Using a bass with a hot output or a clean boost should easily overcome this if you want drive.

If you can find one, you might consider the Ashdown CTM30 Little Stubby. It does have a fan, but it's pretty quiet. I don't even hear it unless I put my ear next to the amp. Really nice range of tube tones and the tone stack is intuitive, which is not guaranteed with all Ashdowns .

Here's a demo:


I agree with the video; the Little Stubby's Feedback control is really great. Many Trace Elliot and Ashdown tube amps have a mid shift control that you can toggle on and off. What the control does is shift the high pass cutoff of the bass control. If the bass control is turned all the way down, the mid shift has absolutely no effect on the tone. When the bass control is turned up, in one position it reaches up into the mids and in the other position it cuts off at a lower frequency. So the mid shift control basically determines the width of the amp's baked-in mid scoop.

The Feedback control seems to be a variable version of this mid shift control. It allows much more nuanced control over the sound than a pair of presets.

 

[zekmoe]

I suggest you clarify if you record via DI or mic'ing a speaker.

For mic'ing, a fan noise is a factor. For DI it is not. However, the S/N ratio of the DI could be a factor.

The V4B and PF50T sound similar to an SVT but not exactly the same. My understanding is the PF50T sounds like a 50W V4B. I own vintage SVTs and a PF50T. To my ears the PF50T is sweeter and more HiFi. The SVT has what I call a low mid push, which is simply a gentle wide-band bump centered around 400hz. The way these amp transition into drive is also a bit different. Weird thing is I dislike the way the PF50T drives when I listen solo, but it seems to work really well in the mix.

A draw back of the PF50T is they tend to require a humbuster mod. Some have said Ampeg covered the mod for them. Even with the mod, mine still has a small amount of hum but it's pretty low. The PF50T has two XLR outs. One is from the preamp and the other is taken of the output transformer. The amp has a built in dummy load, so it can be run without a speaker.


The PF20T has the two XLR outs and dummy loud like the PF50T. The tone stack is more basic, power is lower, and people say it's voiced a bit more like a B15. Some complain that it does not have enough gain to push either the preamp or output into driver territory. Using a bass with a hot output or a clean boost should easily overcome this if you want drive.

If you can find one, you might consider the Ashdown CTM30 Little Stubby. It does have a fan, but it's pretty quiet. I don't even hear it unless I put my ear next to the amp. Really nice range of tube tones and the tone stack is intuitive, which is not guaranteed with all Ashdowns .

Here's a demo:


I agree with the video; the Little Stubby's Feedback control is really great. Many Trace Elliot and Ashdown tube amps have a mid shift control that you can toggle on and off. What the control does is shift the high pass cutoff of the bass control. If the bass control is turned all the way down, the mid shift has absolutely no effect on the tone. When the bass control is turned up, in one position it reaches up into the mids and in the other position it cuts off at a lower frequency. So the mid shift control basically determines the width of the amp's baked-in mid scoop.

The Feedback control seems to be a variable version of this mid shift control. It allows much more nuanced control over the sound than a pair of presets.

Thanks. I record at home for fun and learning in what's probably an overkill setup. I have heads I was using ( exponent 500 and legacy 800), and record using an Avalon u5 and miced cabinets. Cabs I have are three boogies, 2-12,2-10 and 1-15. They are in a different room than the control room. I usually mic one cabinet with an ev Re20 and U47( Dadhman). I then try different preamps but mostly stick with an Audioscape map and run thru some comps depending on what I feel like. It lets be blend 3 signals for fun. I've been getting decent sound outside of the u47 picking up too much of the GK hiss. I don't worry about head fan noise as it's in the control room and the cabs are elsewhere.
I don't need the pure volume but I do like the mix of cab and direct sound. That's why I was thinking the ampeg 100 watt as it would be enough. Complex I know but fun.