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Author: SoloDallas

08 Sep Analog Tape Recording Basics

Posted at 22:11h in Premium, Reviews, Software Amp & Recording Modelers by SoloDallas 15 Comments
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No, I haven’t gone “crazy”. I used to have a real, analog (real tape) Studer A800, but it was hard (difficult) to use.

Today, we have (and we’ll keep on having in the future) the option of the “emulations”. One emulation I am really using extensively right now is the Studer A800 tape recording.

It’s provided in fact by Universal Audio, and it is the one I know that several professionals are also using currently. I use it for everything AC/DC related, since AC/DC recorded onto tape at least until the mid 1990s (definitely so on every early record, including Back in Black). It really adds something special, as a finishing touch.

You can see here what I used (and use regularly) recently to simulate the several aspects of a recording studio. Most of the plugins I use are from Universal Audio UAD 2

I am copying and pasting this directly from Universal Audio: (more…)

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02 Aug Ken Schaffer To SoloDallas Comic (SVDS)

Posted at 12:22h in Blog, Premium, Reviews by SoloDallas 48 Comments
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While the most pleasing email exchange continues on between Mr. Ken Schaffer and myself,

he just wrote me yesterday – I am without Internet connection where I am right now: back from Spain to my seaside house, Telecom has a broken cable there and it’s taking 10 days to repair it – and I found a way to post it for you all today.

It is a 1978 Comic published on Guitar Magazine. An AD, likely.

Besides the fact that is purely lovely, please take a moment to read and discern who were the stars that were using the Schaffer Vega DIversity at the time

(I will list it here for you in case you can’t see it well: The Rolling Stones, Van Halen, Steve Miller, Mahogany Rush, Peter Gabriel, Fleetwood Mac, Black Sabbath, Johnny Guitar Watson, Stephen Stills (Crosby, Stills & Nash), Boston, Earth, Wind & Fire, Bay City Rollers, AC/DC, Chic, America, Bob Sieger, Kiss, Thin Lizzy, The Beach Boys, and lots more: fascinating find, I’d say, don’t you think?).

[singlepic id=522 w=1024 h=768 float=none]

 

We love you Mr. Schaffer!

 

SummerTime Fil 🙂

 

PS

 

Mr. Schaffer has joined SoloDallas.net! 😀

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08 Jul While we wait, “Back in Black” Cetec Vega FRONT Boost

Posted at 15:39h in Gear Reviews, Premium, Reviews by SoloDallas 12 Comments
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Thought I’d “update” audio wise the state of our research, while we (I at least) wait for the SVDS to come to me tonight.

Since it is now known that the SVDS only boosts from the front panel – which is a different circuit – wanted to try it.

Played with the CETEC-Vega R42/T77

 

Here’s the result.

 

Back in Black Cetec Vega FRONT Boost

 

PS: Important note: recorded with an original 1960s Neumann U67. Settings are IDENTICAL (amp and recording) to the recently played YSMANL video:

 

You Shook Me All Night Long Cetec-Vega Series

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04 Jul The Schaffer-Vega Diversity System: The Original 1977 Unit (Updated)

Posted at 20:07h in Blog, Gear Reviews, Premium, Reviews by SoloDallas 98 Comments
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Another smaller but important update on the SVDS. I was able to exchange emails again with Mr. Schaffer during my Italian sleep-less night (majorly jet legged here, and so Mr. Schaffer having come back from Russia where he met his long time friend Sting of which he sent me a few pictures) and he confirmed me the following:

 

 

From what I remember (I promised: very dodgy) there was no switch per se.. . the XLR is the clean way out… the front panel “monitor” was never meant to be in line… but a lot (most?) guys used the monitor output, I guess sometimes to overdrive the front end of the amp (which the XLR output would not do).

 

You know –  you can design something with one thing in mind, but once it gets out to the user, it can turn into a whole new ballgame.   Just like writing a song –  once it’s out there, the writer has like nothing to say about it !

 

:”)

 

Ken

(more…)

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30 Jun 1970 Gibson SG Custom

Posted at 22:00h in Gear Reviews, Guitar Reviews, Premium, Reviews by SoloDallas 44 Comments
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Well,

time to get back home.

But I didn’t resist and took with me this “issue” (repainted 20 years ago, in black, rewired original pickups)) 1970 Gibson SG Custom.

Gotta love America.

 

See you soon in a couple of days,

bye from San Diego, CA,

 

Fil! 🙂

 

PS

 

Will be featuring the ORIGINAL Schaffer Vega Diversity in a few days; stay tuned!

[singlepic id=504 w=1024 h=768 float=none] (more…)

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13 Jun SoloDallas Plays a (Real) 1959 Gibson Les Paul Standard Thanks to Friend John

Posted at 04:02h in Amplifier Reviews, Gear Reviews, Performance, Premium, Reviews by SoloDallas 16 Comments
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A good Friend, invited me over here in California to try the first Real Gibson Les Pauls in my life.

Well, you know I had several conversions which are terrific, but these were the real deal.

Actually he has two: a 1959 (played in the short clip) and a 1960. Two bursts, yes.

I got to play them for quite a while, but we only recorded a very short, raw clip of one of them – the 1959 – on a Dumble Overdrive Special Silverface (I had other two amps, you’ll see them in the video, but I only recorded with one).

 

It seems my adventures keep on “happening”.

 

Love,

 

Fil!

 

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpL4WZAavp4[/youtube]

 

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