Played my new RM100 and not digging it. Any suggestions?

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Hi,
I just got my RM100 Head and connected it next to my Mesa Boogie F-100 in a 2x12 stereo cab. Mesa on one side and Randall on the the other to do some AB tests. On day one I am not feeling the Randall ,every module feels "sticky"

I have a blackface, Plexi, XTC, and Ultra Module. With an SG standard.

Blackface- I found pushing the output and then using the gain to dial in my volume yielded best results. Singe note surf guitar riffs sounded really nice. Playing some ska I found that the tail end of my notes didn't have the sparkle and sustain that I am used to.

Mesa Boogie-Single note surf sounded a little weak in comparison, however full chords had a natural decay and sounded more natural.

Overall I could be perfectly happy with the Blackface and it did sound much better than expected.


Plexi, I had this totally cranked on the gain just to get in the ballpark of what I like from an actual marshall. I thought it sounded a little thin, and again the tail end of my rhythm playing sounded a little dead. I played a Guitar wolf song (Jet Generation), Ramones, and Fifteen (Petroleum Distillation) AC/DC riffs sounded all right.

Cranking up the clean channel on the Mesa Boogie F-100 had more give when palm muting and a nice round decay, again my notes had a more natural decay.

XTC, I am not a fan of actual bogner amps but I was surprised that I actually liked this module. Only played a few minutes since it was the last one I tried and I didn't want to wake up the neighbors.


Ultra, I was seriously disappointed with this. I expected to be my primary tone, and it sound like a thin chainsaw. I will take it to band practice and i'm sure it will cut through the mix but at what cost? I was expecting more thick liquid sound. palm muting sounded good for metal but didn't have the touch response that I get from my mesa. Oh and it was super noisy, will need a noise gate.

Mesa Boogie F-100, channel 2 contour on, Gain at 100%. This is a beast of a tone, super thick, compressed, sustain for days, and forgiving when I flub a note. The only reason I wanted the randall is because at these settings the Mesa is not very reliable, the volume maxes out at about 50% and then the amp blows through tubes or powers down. I have owned 2 F-100's and 1 F-50 and they all had the same technical issues. Mesa Boogie claim I play out of spec. I was hoping to find something with more gain on tap so I don't have to push the whole amp so hard.


Should I consider getting a modded module? I was looking at some jaded faith, but I am not really sure which one. I like the idea of the 6550 but if nothing can get the roar, sustain, and attack of the mesa than this might not be the amp for me and I am thinking of returning it for a 5150 III.
 
It's interesting you found the ultra too thin. My stock ultra was much too loose on the bottom end. Not a huge bottom end, but muddy nevertheless.

Are you playing at insanely loud volumes? The combination of driving the power section / speakers hard plus the way your ears react to high sound pressures can make some modules thin out. For me there are definitely sweet spot combinations of gain and volume. Have you got the ultra on max gain? Try backing it off a bit and crank the master more.
 
you have to put the volume of the mods past noon and more toward 2pm minimum and adjust your gain from there other wise it sounds thin. these amps need to push air. Try a drive pedal if that's too loud but try to open the module volume as much as you can

try swapping power tubes or pre tubes.

Modded modules are far above the stock. I know it sucks to think you've got money in already and need to send off your modules but it is worth it.
 
Agree with the above. I run my rm100 with each module volume around 4-5 o'clock, with gain to suit. I also use a drive pedal extensively (a TC Nova Drive, since it's midi programmable like the RM). Also, I'd suggest installing a foglifter or mda board. I hated my RM when I first got it as it sounded like a blanket was over the speakers. Foglifter solved that problem. They're like $40-$50, and easily installable.

Oh, and jumper your parallel loop and run the loop level about 1-2 o'clock. Really wakes up the RM.

Btw, I run the power section master at only about 9 o'clock. With all the module volumes pretty much maxed, it's insanely loud there already...
 
1. I'll agree with the others about setting the module levels "properly" I think Rob from jaded faith actually stickied a cool post on here about it somewhere.

2. I'd probably experiment with power tubes to better suit your tonal/feel preferences

3. In the amp itself trying a 5751 in the phase inverter spot instead of a 12ax7 and a couple of good quality 12ax7 in the other two slots (v2 isn't as critical unless you try the effect loop trick mentioned above)

4. A foglifter/mda board can make a pretty noticeable difference as well

5. Consider getting your modules "upgraded" I know that base mods from Rob can make a huge difference and aren't quite as expensive as the full on mods. Plus with a base mod he can pretty much give you whatever your heart desires of course within the confines of the MTS platform but Rob at jaded faith has shown us that a lot can be done.

6. New module tubes just be sure that the tube on the right is a Chinese or JJ tube as this position is a cathode follower and a lot of current production tubes like those from New Sensor tend to be prone to failure in that position

Some other food for thought is while the cab/speakers you have may work great with your Mesa every amp is different sometimes certain things work better with certain amps/modules than others. I find that speaker/cabinet selection can be one of the crucial aspects to attaining a particular sound/feel from any amp not just in MTS.

In any event as discouraging as some of this might seem don't give up just yet on MTS while it has its drawbacks it also has some major advantages and can really be dialed in to a multitude of different tones and settings.
 
Its getting a little late but I wanted to thank you guys for responding.

I am going to give this amp another go at practice, I had been lusting for the modular for a long time.

To answer a few of the questions,
1)Yes, I figured out really quick that volume on the modules must be at least 3-4 O'clock. Which to me makes sense for how the amp is designed.

2) I probably will never use a boost pedal. Although I aim to write really heavy riffs and I know alot of metal guys swear by boost pedals I am pretty much just playing punk venues/houses and anything on the floor will get soaked in beer and stomped on so I choose to avoid the whole pedal thing.

3)I had considered a fog lifter right away, and yes stock there seems to be something off about the interplay between depth and presence.

4) and last I have 6L6 power tube which I have always preferred to EL84, so I don't think its a power section. I actually picked this head because it already had a full set of new 6L6'S
 
I know this post is a little old but how did it work out? I was having a similar problem with an RM50 head, turns out my power tubes just werent biased properly. The plate voltage was a little too low. Once its was in spec it was like "wow, ok...thats were all the low end comes from."
 
I dunno how you guys run your channel volumes past noon. I do that and they just go full R.... and feedback. And thats with my master on like 2. Definitely need to do at least base mods or get the C3 cap done in those. The only one I can deal with stock is the SL+.
 
op1e said:
I dunno how you guys run your channel volumes past noon. I do that and they just go full R.... and feedback. And thats with my master on like 2. Definitely need to do at least base mods or get the C3 cap done in those. The only one I can deal with stock is the SL+.

Turn down your gain knob
 
op1e said:
I dunno how you guys run your channel volumes past noon. I do that and they just go full R.... and feedback. And thats with my master on like 2. Definitely need to do at least base mods or get the C3 cap done in those. The only one I can deal with stock is the SL+.

Only two possibilities here. 1) as was said, your running your gain WAY too high, or 2) there is something wrong with your amp or tubes.

I always run all of the module volumes at near max, gain anywhere from 9 o'clock to 2 o'clock, and master to suit for volume (can get anything from bedroom level to ripping the paint off the walls). Sounds fantastic this way at all volumes.
 
I run my gain just below noon and boost with a Maxon 808. If I gotta turn the gain down that low its probably gonna be way too weak but I'll try it.
 
op1e said:
I run my gain just below noon and boost with a Maxon 808. If I gotta turn the gain down that low its probably gonna be way too weak but I'll try it.

Depending on the module I have some of my gain's set at 9 op1e. I have 1 module that I need to turn the gain all the way to the max, but most of the "high gain" modules are set closer to 9-10. I put a compressor in the front to boost it a little, and I also use a BBE to boost it on the backside.

You'll find that if you turn the gain down to where the feedback goes away it usually doesn't change the tone as much as you would expect.

Also get a good noise gate that way you can turn the gain up just a little more. I have one for sale if you're interested.
 
I'm running anywhere up to 3 gates lol. I have an NS-2 in the loop switcher, the GSP 1101 and G Major on the loop side if I need it. So then the modules saturate more with the gain lower and the level up I presume? You mean 9 o'clock I'm guessing. Got practice in a couple hours, can't wait to try. Gonna also set my patch levels on the GSP 1101 all the way down to 30 or 40. With the crap loop in the RM my amp models in the 1101 can't even come close to the same level with them on 100 and the real amp on 60. Plus that will help me "Power Break" the amp a bit. I just might have to go to jj 6v6 to open up the power section in this thing. It's 20x louder than my Peavey Ultra 120.
 
Well... my opinion is that where I see this conversation going ends with me redesigning your entire rig for you LoL. So.... since I don't have time for that.. ;)

I have an 1101. I use it for speaker emulation (with the hacked firmware) so I can do direct recording out of my rig, but I wouldn't have it in my effects loop. If it didn't do the speaker emulation I'd probably give it away to some kid LoL

Anyways, yes I meant 9 oclock. The noise gate I have is an ISP Decimator ProRack G. Much better gate than any of the ones you mentioned. Let me know if you're interested.
 
You might try running the send from your Mesa in to the return on the RM100. This would at least exclude the preamp section of the RM from being the issue. You'll be able to evaluate just the power section. Do make sure the the tubes are biased properly.
 
I tried running the modules with the volume at 3/4. Honestly, the only thing I can say is the were a bit more crisp. No big deal. I went back to running them at half volume and my master volume higher so I could use my amp models from the 1101 on a different bank. At least with my amp they were lacking bottom end running them that way. The gain being down that low wasn't worth any trade off in the other direction. Maybe my head being an earlier one is different.
 
Nothing different about your head op1e

IMO w your current gear this is just what you're going to get. In other words tweak it all day, at the end of the day it is what it is.

I run my rig a bit different (and so do most of the guys around here), and most of us have other gear that you don't have.

Like I said before I have an 1101 too, but after a week of screwing around w it (several years ago) the only reason I still own it is the speaker emulation. I wouldn't use it for amp modeling or for effects. To me it just sounded really mediocre. In the end I found it was subtracting quite a bit from my tone. It had to go. It was hard to get myself to take it out of the rig. I had a lot of hope for it when I got it LoL. I tried the new FW, and the old FW. Setting it up 50 different ways.. blah blah. ...but, if it didn't do the speaker emulation, it wouldn't be in my house right now. Some guys use that GMajor. I wouldn't have one of those in my rig either. I'm a bit of a snob though lmao

I bet your rig is probably OK sounding, but with what you have and how you have it set up, it is what it is.

Just play your guitar :)

..but a quick note. I run most of my volumes about 1-1:30 not 3-4, but the point is you have to get them past noon. Before noon something gets lost.
 
Channel and Master volume balance is a matter of taste but I don't usually go below 12 o'clock on my channel/module volume

Can always try the old trick of jumping the parallel effects loop and then using the Effects blend knob on the front to add a bit more juice.

I like the extra little bit of warmth it adds....I set mine around 1 o'clock.
 
Capt_Tippy said:
Well... my opinion is that where I see this conversation going ends with me redesigning your entire rig for you LoL. So.... since I don't have time for that.. ;.

Excuse me???
My rig is fine with any of my other heads. The RM is known for a crap loop and was just asking some questions. Maybe be a little more eloquent and not run down other people's gear. Love the 1101. In our out if the loop with my switcher makes no difference and with the 8 years I've had to dial in models I can fool any tube snob. But I'll just play, fella.
 
op1e? Seriously? That was 2 weeks ago I wrote that comment. Not sure why you want to pick a fight over that. Kinda silly.

FWIW, The RM doesn't have a "crap loop". The RM just has issues playing nice w some effects. Once you figure out how to work the loops in the RM properly, they're actually pretty decent. The 1101 is probably actually able to handle being in the RM loop better than a lot of other effects processors. That being said the 1101 was a good idea, but they released it before it was ready. That guy tried to fix it, but even that hacked fw has a lot of issues. If you think it's awesome, I'll sell ya mine for the right price so you'll have a spare.

Anyways...
 
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