Amp It Up – Page 4 – HomeToneBlog.com

2nd January 202330th December 2022

Studio Diary #37: Can I Use The Axe-FX 3 As A Power Amp For My Synergy Rig?

I’ve had a lot of success – and a lot of joy – using my Axe-FX 3 to record guitar pedal audio demos. Heck, it sounds so good, it’s my go-to pedal platform all the time now.

Can I do the same with my Synergy rig? Instead of running my Synergy modules through the SYN-5050 power amp + attenuator, can I run them straight into the Axe-FX 3 instead? Can the Axe-FX 3 add a bit of that power amp tonal magic?

I’m going to experiment, and find out.

31st December 202226th December 2022

2022 Review: Home Studio Gear

Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m doing a rundown of what home studio gear I’ve used this year, and why.

Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021]

27th December 202217th December 2022

2022 Review: Pedal Platform Amps

Rather than do a ‘best of’ style post, every year I’m going to do a rundown of what amps I’m using for pedal platforms, and why.

Previous years: [2019] [2020] [2021]

29th October 202228th October 2022

Studio Diary #36: Why Does My Fryette Power Station Squeal?

For the last couple of months, I’ve been dealing with a problem with my Fryette PS-100 Power Station: it emits an awful squeal.

I’ve figured out why: it was caused by a ground loop. Read on if you want to know the whole story.

26th July 202225th July 2022

#TweedTalk 4: Recording A Real Tweed Deluxe Amplifier

#TweedTalk is my occasional Tuesday column, where I talk about all things related to tweed amps and tweed-tone pedals.

This time around, I share my notes on how I’m capturing the sound of my Tweed Deluxe amplifier, and my thoughts on the experience.

15th June 202212th May 2024

First Impressions: Axe-FX 3 Mark 2 As An FX Processor

I recently bought a Fractal Audio Axe-FX 3 mkII rack unit, for use at home.

Why did I get it, and how am I getting along with it so far? Read on for my First Impressions.

14th June 202211th June 2022

TweedTalk #3: Mad Professor’s Little Tweedy Drive

Over on Twitter, my friend Alessandro asked for opinions about Mad Professor’s Little Tweedy Drive.

https://twitter.com/archeteer/status/1514520614270287873?s=20&t=BNtqZblmqcteuFbi4NBsVg

Yes, I have opinions about this particular pedal. I wasn’t a fan when I first got this pedal. Will that change, when I take a second look at the Little Tweedy Drive? Read on to find out.

30th May 2022

Studio Diary #31: Attenuators Colour The Sound

This photo shows the front panel of my Fryette PS-100 Power Station attenuator. To one side, we can also see a glimpse of my Two Notes Captor too. — The Two Notes Captor and Fryette PS-100 Power Station

Attenuators are one of the reasons we can enjoy valve amps at home without upsetting the neighbours. I’ve never really thought about how they affect the overall tone … until now.

In this blog post, I’m going to look at the two attenuators that I have – the Two Notes Captor and the Fryette PS-100 Power Station – and work out what they sound like. And I’m including some sound samples, so that you can hear the differences for yourself.

22nd April 202221st April 2022

Short Term Review: Fender 57 Custom Deluxe (aka Tweed Deluxe) Re-Issue Amplifier

The mighty Les Paul with my Tweed Deluxe amp.

Last summer, I bought what is probably the bucket list amp for me: a re-issue of Fender’s legendary Tweed Deluxe amplifier.

Nine months or so later, how am I getting on with it? Was it a good decision, or do I regret paying the perceived Fender tax for an almost 70-year-old amp circuit that’s been heavily cloned?

18th April 202216th April 2022

Short-Term Review: The Fryette Power Station PS-100

Last summer, I bought a Fryette Power Station PS-100 as an emergency purchase, so that I could use my Tweed Deluxe at home volume levels.

Nine months later, how am I getting on with it? Would I buy it again if anything happened to it? And would I recommend it to you? Read on to find out.