M4 arrives....finally

It took 8 weeks but it's finally here!! Put it in the rack with my PV 50-50 and fired it up. So far, so good. I had an old Midi Buddy RFX Mp128 - hooked it up - and **** if it doesn't work fine! I'll need something else eventually, but it's OK for now.

That's all for now...gonna go play it some more I'm never gonna get to bed tonight....

Can you give a quick review of the sounds and how it pairs up with the peavey when you finally stop playing ...thanks in advance

OK...late night playing

First impressions --

Using 2 '79 Strats, both with SD Hot Rails, and a brand new American deluxe Strat HSS (stock), and a Taylor T5 thru the Avatar Vintage 2X12 cab (oversize)

Peavey Classic 50/50, set to mono - resonance and prescence at 12 o'clock. Volume anywhere from 12 o'clock down
M4 at 12 o'clock

DLX - nice clean, not much overdrive, wants to get a tad bassy but overall great

VX - this one is the SH!T !!! I love this one. Many different textures in the controls. I could almost live with 4 of these. Clean, crisp, articulate. Overdrives nicely. I do worry if this will translate in the live setting.

SL2 - nice grind on A. This is where I'll live most of the time. Seems really noisy on B. Working on it still

ERect - I just bought and returned a Roadster and have previously owned a Dual Rect. This doesn't sound anything like them to me. That's OK tho, because thats why I got rid of them - I don't like that "nu-metal" sound. This mod seems similar to the SL2, but almost more....articulate (?) Not noisy at all even on B with mucho gain.

Now, towards daylight, I put some of my pedals in front of the M4 -
Boss C-1 chorus, DD3 delay, Keely SD1 and TS9.
A little noise but not bad. I need to find an FX solution.

That's it for now. I'll be at it again after work

cool thanks for the review..

Ive heard that about the Recto. someone on another forum basically said that a recto is essentially an Slo. change a resistor couple it with a Deyoung trans and there ya go .apparently that is why Mike was so ticked because it basically an SLO tweeked to sound more modern with a bass boost.Probably why Guys like Lynch were digging the early rectos .

ImNoShredder said:

SL2 - nice grind on A. This is where I'll live most of the time. Seems really noisy on B. Working on it still

Click to expand...

I don't have the SL2, but try with another set of tubes (Since your Erect is quiet, you could try those).

I was just curious as to what brand of tubes they through in there and the modules?

trazan said:

ImNoShredder said:

SL2 - nice grind on A. This is where I'll live most of the time. Seems really noisy on B. Working on it still

Click to expand...

I don't have the SL2, but try with another set of tubes (Since your Erect is quiet, you could try those).

Click to expand...

It was the pedals into the front of the M4 making the noise - but it was only bad on ch B of the SL2. :?
Changed all the cables to Monsters - isolated each pedal - same. It's a hiss... Sucks because they give me that many more tonal options and they're paid for.
My main concern is the delays and chorus/flange/phaser. I really need those. Any suggestions for a CHEAP FX fix? My credit card can't stand another hit...

ImNoShredder said:

My main concern is the delays and chorus/flange/phaser.

Click to expand...

You have those in front of the M4? There's no way you'll get by without noise with stomps in front of a high-gain amp...

You really should use time based efx after the M4, preferable with some kinda mixer. You can of course use them in front, but it'll get noisy and sound kinda strange with high gain settings (esp delay).

Whatcha doing with chorus on a high-gain sound anyway??? Isn't that illegal?

Yes,

I beleive in Texas, chorus on a high gain sound is punishable by death, but before they execute you they give you really big hair. :lol:

Cheap effects solution for your scenario:

Rocktron Xpression, $300 new....chorus/phaser/delay/etc....parametric EQ and HUSH noise reduction, too.

Put it between the preamp & power amp, and ditch the pedals that are causing the problem. As transparent a solution as you will find without spending a whole lot more $$$ on a complex switching system.

+1 on the Rocktron Expression

It's basically the same design as the earlier Rocktron Replifex and Multivalve units. No distortions, etc but very nice sounding modulation effects...delay, chorus, flange, phase, trem, Leslie, reverb. If you use the "Pre-Hush" setting for the dry signal, it will keep your dry signal analog (no A/D conversion) throughout. The delay and reverb can both be set to spillover into the next preset for smooth patch changes. I sure wish more effects processors had these capabilities (esp. the analog dry path).

The only drawback is that the reverb doesn't have much flexibility...no hall, plate, chamber, etc, just "reverb." It sounds quite good but if you're into tweaking reverb settings, you will find it lacking.

trazan said:

ImNoShredder said:

My main concern is the delays and chorus/flange/phaser.

Click to expand...

You have those in front of the M4? There's no way you'll get by without noise with stomps in front of a high-gain amp...

You really should use time based efx after the M4, preferable with some kinda mixer. You can of course use them in front, but it'll get noisy and sound kinda strange with high gain settings (esp delay).

Whatcha doing with chorus on a high-gain sound anyway??? Isn't that illegal?

Click to expand...

Wait a minute now boys!! :lol:

Ty Tabor = serious high gain + flanger (?) or some king of modualtion and one of the most unique, recognizable guitar sounds around - love his tone!!!

But seriously, I just use a tad of chorus to give it a bit of 'spaciousness'.

3 Mile Stone said:

Yes,

I beleive in Texas, chorus on a high gain sound is punishable by death, but before they execute you they give you really big hair. :lol:

Click to expand...

I'd take ANY hair right now!! :wink:

goldsparkletop said:

Cheap effects solution for your scenario:

Rocktron Xpression, $300 new....chorus/phaser/delay/etc....parametric EQ and HUSH noise reduction, too.

Put it between the preamp & power amp, and ditch the pedals that are causing the problem. As transparent a solution as you will find without spending a whole lot more $$$ on a complex switching system.

Click to expand...

So, would I run the M4 right into the Rocktron? That works? There's no FX loops in the M4 now. Would running the preamp directly into the inputs overdrive it too much, esp on the high gain chs??

ImNoShredder said:

I'd take ANY hair right now!! :wink:

Click to expand...

Yeah, I think they have a saying in Texas something like, "...I don't care what color it goes, just as long as it don't go..."

ImNoShredder said:

So, would I run the M4 right into the Rocktron? That works? There's no FX loops in the M4 now. Would running the preamp directly into the inputs overdrive it too much, esp on the high gain chs??

Click to expand...

Yes, the Rocktron effects units (Intellifex, Replifex, Xpression, etc) are designed specifically to be used directly between a preamp and poweramp. They can of course be used in an effects loop if one is available, but they work great when connected in serial between preamp and poweramp...it is in this configuration that the option to preserve the analog dry path is really useful.

There are front-panel input/output knobs and a -10/+4 switch on the Rocktron units that help you get the best level out of your preamp without overdriving the effects unit. I have one of Egnater's older IE-4 preamps (it has no FX loop) which I run into a Replifex and then an RT 2/50 poweramp...works great.

Thanks Beagle! Sounds like that's a good option.
I've been looking at controllers - maybe the Behringer FC 1010 to control it all?
Are there 'patches' that you can right to in the Rocktron? Then, midi from foot controller to rocktron to preamp? And set up patches?

Any other ideas out there?

Joe

I'll vouch for the Rocktron stuff. I have an older Replifex and it sounds really good. Great chorus and delays, true about the Verb, not so tweakable but I don't use it. Rotary is pretty good as well. Didn't know that about the Pre-Hush analog signal thing, I'll have to try it. I think all the Rocktron units have 128 programable patches, mine does.

And yes, you are right about Ty. Alex Lifeson has done quite well with a Chorus and a heavy sound as well.

ImNoShredder said:

Thanks Beagle! Sounds like that's a good option.
I've been looking at controllers - maybe the Behringer FC 1010 to control it all?

Click to expand...

I use a Behringer FCB1010 to change presets on my Roctron Xpression and RM4. Works fine once you get the Xpression and preamp set to the same MIDI channel.

The real advantage of the Behringer floorboard over the RFX MIDIBuddy that you already have is the Behringer's built in expression pedals. However, the Xpression has no wah wah effects, so you may in fact never use the Behringer's expression pedals. I used to use them with my old effects unit but do not with the Xpression.

Unless you want to use the Behringer's expression pedals as a volume pedal or for some advanced real time paramater adjustments while you're playing, you're probably better off just using your MIDIBuddy rather than buying the Behringer. Just run a MIDI cable from the MIDIBuddy to the Xpression's MIDI In, and another from the Xpression's MIDI Through to your M4's MIDI In.

All that said, I do prefer the wider spacing between the preset buttons that the Behringer offers.

Gary

Tommy
Are you using presets? If so, how? If not, how are you using the FX?
I've got until the 12th (next dates) to get what I need and figure out how this is going to work....

Thanks
Joe