Dummy load/cab simulator for guitar heads......

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therecordingart

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 1, 2004
Messages
508
Location
Chicago, IL
I'm moving into an apartment and have a few guitar heads that I'd still like to use, but I'm selling my cabinets.

I'd like to build a unit that I can plug the guitar head into and then run that into a cab simulator and then into my DAW. I've been told not to run a guitar head without it being connected to a cab...hence...I need something!

I saw something similar called "The Motherload" but I can't afford anything close to that.

Any ideas?
 
I ´m not sure but the gi100 behringer has an atenuator and a good speaker emulator. I don´t know if you can use it as dummy load.
 
How about approaching the whole subject afresh ? I'm playing the devils advocate here, but for late night homerecording I've been relatively impressed by what DSP can bring. So how about not making that amp sweat but using DSP in the form of the usual suspects ? Or some amp-emulation inside your DAW ?

Not as cool looking, but might give better results (under those circumstances) than sweating amp & dummy load & an 'analog' speaker-filter...
 
how about amp head into dummy load into DAW with Antares Mic Modeler. you can select no source mic and choose a modeled mic, proximity, tube saturation, etc. i use mic mod quite a bit and quite like what it does to softsynths and DI'd bass.
 
[quote author="Mlewis"]how about amp head into dummy load into DAW with Antares Mic Modeler. you can select no source mic and choose a modeled mic, proximity, tube saturation, etc. i use mic mod quite a bit and quite like what it does to softsynths and DI'd bass.[/quote]

That's a great idea. So are there any schems out there or ideas on how one would build a dummy load?
 
IIRC there is one at aikenamps.com somewhere in the tech info section which emulates the impedance vs. freq. curve of a typical guitar speaker.

HTH
;Matthias
 
http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/2987/speaker.html

http://aikenamps.com/spkrload.html

http://www.runoffgroove.com/condor.html

http://www.pat2pdf.org/patents/pat4937874.pdf
 
you can build a dummy load with some 100-200 watt power resistors and a big heat sink. get 8 or 16 ohm puppies or some 32's and run them in parrallel. ohms law stuff. just match your amp's speaker load selection and make sure the transformer and tubes have these resistors to dump into.
 
Why don't you try something like this. I haven't used one but I love the concept. I've read that they sound pretty good.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/IsolationCab/

Matt
 
I think all of these solutions are flawed because they fail to consider that the speaker's interaction with the guitar strings is a fundamental component of the instrument we call Electric Guitar. If you could put the guitar strings inside that isolation cabinet with the speaker, you'd be well on your way. Distortion and transfer characteristics can be emulated, but this kind of feedback can't.
 
a lot of times the guitar player is on a diferent room that the speaker cabinet.

and you always can emulate the feedback if you put your guitar near of the audio monitors(if there is not a phase problem)

the big problem is that speaker emulators just simule the frecuency response not the dinamic response , Sebastian Tepper (aron forum)design a speaker saturation emulator using the tape simulator of this forum (I can´t remember who design it).

another problem is the power stage simulator the push pull section add some rich distortion to the sound. maybe someone can build a half watt push pull stage or something like that.

here is a record of my tube preamp with the marshall speaker simulator. (guitar-preamp-speakersimulator-soundcard-cubase)
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=1F14677C0C3F400A
 
Keep the cab´s, and build one of the many low-watt tube design found all over the web. If you want "classic" rock guitar sound, you gotta move some air. :thumb:
 
[quote author="ulysses"]... the speaker's interaction with the guitar strings is a fundamental component of the instrument we call Electric Guitar
Distortion and transfer characteristics can be emulated, but this kind of feedback can't.[/quote]

and that was the reason behind using a pickup as a transducer to drive the strings ... ala ebow/sustainiac

lots of room to experiment with the circuit that drives that transducer
EQ/comp/delay ... reverb etc

you could even use it as a weird vocal effect
 
Ok.

I'd like to build one of these...

http://www.aikenamps.com/DummyLoad.pdf

Where would I hook up an output jack to go to a cab sim? How can I match the impedance of a mic pre?

Sorry for the dumb questions.
 
[quote author="therecordingart"]Anyone? I'd really like to build this circuit with a line out, but I'm not sure how.[/quote]

I'd use a mic to pick up the final sound, however if it is the right amp with a proper speaker cab. Otherwise, output from pre would be better than from speaker wires.
 
[quote author="RogerFoote"][quote author="Wavebourn"][quote author="therecordingart"]Anyone? I'd really like to build this circuit with a line out, but I'm not sure how.[/quote]

I'd use a mic to pick up the final sound, however if it is the right amp with a proper speaker cab. Otherwise, output from pre would be better than from speaker wires.[/quote]

Where di you get that assumption?
[/quote]

Frtom my own experience.

Pres NEVER sound right to me direct into a recording channel.

And to me they never sound as rich as good guitar cabs. However, I don't mean pres designed especially for guitar recording and/or for transistor power amps.

A proper speaker tap, or load simulator being driven by an output tube/OT always wins over a preamp only signal.

Where did you get this belief? :grin:

Then mic the cabinet as well.

I prefer to mic the cab, otherwise line out from pre, at least the sound will be clean, without unpleasant sharp distortions. Or use a specially designed pre, it is much better. ;)

Last year I sold on ePay a power amp I built with couple of 6L6, that gave 10W maximum of undistorted power, and a Magnavox 12" speaker (15W max power). That combination sounded good, but not so loud like big Marshall amp, just right for recordings.
 
[quote author="RogerFoote"]You should hear my amps, ClassA, not PP. I don't use old hi fi spks though. I drive either a 2X10 Eden cab for bass or a 4X10 MojoTone cab for guitar.

Been recording rock since 1969 and never liked direct outs, never will.[/quote]

Me too. But sometimes it sounds better than some amps from dirty speaker out. ;)
 
I think there may be a little need to enhance the language used here

Mic pre-amp
Guitar Pre-amp

and I think most would agree that a guitar into a DI then a Mic-pre can be ordinary and only useful in a few situations
but
A bass guitar into the same as above can often be very useful.

there are various devices used in recording all types of guitar music
some are interchangeable and some are not

I generally do prefer to use guitar , guitar amp and mic or multiple mics,
were possible.

Sometimes there is good reason to record (noiseless or direct)

guitar amp into a dummy load with DI output
guitar amp into a dummy load with speaker simulator and DI output
guitar pre-amp into a standard DI
guitar pre-amp into a specialised speaker simulator DI
standard instrument DI into a Mic-pre

and other more specialised ways that may include Pod styled or DSP based gear

there are all different and guitar itself is also a big influence on the final result as is the style of music

BUT
as a direct answer to the topic for ... the for the therecordingart

this pdf has a number of very basic dummy load options using simple 50W power resistors.

Where would I hook up an output jack to go to a cab sim? How can I match the impedance of a mic pre?
It probably needs to be parallelled with the dummy load input jack ... this will be at speaker levels

so this could be a problem
which cab sim are you wanting to use ?

Matching the impedance of a mic pre may be the least of your problems
but as long as the output can handle a 500 to 1K load without changing too much AND the levels aren't extra high as could be with the above
... it should be easy to rig something

just to us help , paint the picture
which guitar ?
which amp ?
which cab sim ?


and before people jump on me and say Kev is being stupid
let me give a really stupid answer to my questions
Nylon String Guitar with DIY piezo pickup.
The biggest tubed lead head you can think off.
Tom S styled Rocktron line level cab sim.
:roll:
I 'spose I can think of a way of wiring that up with the above Aiken dummy load.
 

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