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1. actually if you're trying to capture the IM meets priest meets scorpions sound, I'd say you're well on your way. Musically, you guys have the 80s metal sound quite good I think.
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I thought your recording was way more fizzy than the Maiden I've heard.
Actually, I was never a big fan of the Maiden guitar sound. When compared to Eddie Van Halen (the first Van Halen record), Master of Puppets, etc the Iron Maiden tone is quite tame sounding. A lot of that is due to the strat that one of the guys used.
I think your tone is fairly fizzy on your recording. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I like to go a tad darker so that some of the balls comes out in the tone. That's one reason the Royer R121 ribbon mic is so popular with the big boy recording guys. The ribbon ignores a lot of the fizz and focuses on the balls. I had a tendency when I first start to make my guitars overly bright, and there is really no need for this.
Rocktron Prophesy
There was a day I was torn between getting a Marshall JCM 800 (for about $600 at the time) or get the Prophesy. Like a horses ass, I thought I needed 10 different sounds for live shows. So I bought the Prophesy because I thought it sounded good and had the midi switching. Of course, I only ended up playing 4 or 5 shows with it before the band split and I jumped into recording.
Now, JCM 800s are rarely going for under $1,000 and are in high demand... why? It's not a trend. The JCM 800s are in demand because many models sound great. I really wish I had one.
Now, I could probably sell the Prophesy for $500. YUCK! Why? Because that's what it is worth. Instead of profiting $400 or more (and having a great amp for years with the JCM 800) I've lost $900 with the Prophesy and have an amp that I don't use.
I had a guy interning at my home studio last year and we did a little shootout with all my amps. It was completely obvious for distortion that the Prophesy was nowhere near the league of my Rivera, 1971 Marshall Superlead, or 5150. The Prophesy sounded more like a pedal.
I do remember that it sounded better with my VHT 50/50 poweramp all the way up, but it still couldn't compete. This was before I had my guitar fort where I could crank up my tube amps.
So, to make a long story short, this is why I'm so against buying gimmicky boxes. Digital units are not there for most of us. Now as a live guy, the Prophesy is fine. I've heard some of the nicer Line6 amps live with bigger bands and they don't sound bad. However, live is a hogwash.
In the studio world, I find the Prophesy unacceptable for what I'm trying to do. I could probably make it work if I had to, but I have better tools for the job these days.
I was about to sell the Prophesy about a year ago but decided to keep it for the effects. When I record weird guitars, I like to find something cool and track with that effect on the amp. If I rely on using plugins and stuff, I'll tinker for months.
So, the Prophesy does give a lot of flexibilty as far as effects and EQ are concerned that warrant the $500 used price tag, but the distortions are not up to the level of that of a killer guitar amp.
The value of old tube amps will always increase and the value of digital boxes (like the Prophesy) will be along the same lines as the Art reverb boxes for the 80s.
That's my opinion.
Now as for getting a better sound with the Prophesy, I have no idea what your personal tastes are. If you take a SM57 and put it on the edge of the dustcap, that part of the equation is done.
The rest is playing around with the amp until you get what you like. The power tube distortion you can muster, the better. Just remember that excessive pre-gain distortion when combined with power tube distortion equals mud. So back down on the low end and the pre-gain.
The rules of guitar are interesting. The guitars on the Pour Some Sugar On Me song (and that entire album) were direct guitars from a modified Rockman (probably to take the fizz out). This worked well for Def Leopard and most people have no clue because those are not your typical direct guitars.
This type of tone is acceptable and even desired for many. However, for some things, a real amp is simply required. So, it's up to you to determine if you are happy with the Prophesy or not and if it is capable of doing what you need it to do.
I don't think the recorded tone sounds bad, but it does sound fizzy...which makes it sound a little thin / weak.
Brandon