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Post by GuitarZ on Dec 30, 2021 12:27:58 GMT -7
I need a little help. Is this the sound of a Blue? Or, what is it missing, and/or what needs adjusting? Since I've had my UA Ox, I've basically been using the closed back cabinet Greenbacks. I've messed with the other closed back cabs (Creamback, Vintage 30, etc) and have been pretty happy. However, I really wanted to crank the Holy Grail of speakers, The Blue, but I couldn't warm to the UA Ox's 1x12 open back Blue. Actually, all of the open backs were simply sounding very thin to me although I was never really getting past the presets. So, I decided to ditch the presets and start from scratch. I finally found a good combo of mics and levels that sound pretty good to my ear. But, I've never played a real blue. I thought I'd ask for some help to see if I'm actually capturing the sound. The video below is a little noodling with my Ghia & Strat. I swap over to a 4x12 Greenback at the end for some reference. I do have to say that this Blue sound is fitting pretty well within a new tune I'm recording. I thank you for your feedback, ears, and experience.
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Post by adam on Dec 30, 2021 14:10:55 GMT -7
I have no idea what a blue sounds like, but I like the sounds you got.
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Post by LT on Jan 4, 2022 6:56:03 GMT -7
I don't have any experience with a Blue either, but I remember back in the late 70's when I went from a 50w Marshall half stack to a 1-12 Boogie, the speaker was the biggest adjustment I had to make. Not having the tone of that 4-12 took me a long time to get used to. My guess is it's the cab and not so much the speaker you're hearing.
I agree with Adam, the sounds are great!
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Post by GuitarZ on Jan 4, 2022 15:50:28 GMT -7
Thank you all for comments. I was wondering why I wasn't getting much input, but then I got to thinking: Probably most of us don't really fire up a Blue. They're almost 300 bucks. And, if they only handle 15 watts, most of us are probably a bit reluctant to kick the tires and possibly blow one. And, if you want to make sure you're covered for a Ghia or Maz Jr, you're now talking two Blues which ups the cost even more. I am finding I like this tone a lot. I guess "Thank You Technology" since I don't have to worry about blowing mine. Heck, I can even run my 50 watt Marshall full out into this. It would be funny if they kicked the modeling up a notch and actually had the speaker blow if you hit it too hard. That would be kind of like the old pinball machine tilt feature.
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Post by steiner on Jan 5, 2022 10:11:35 GMT -7
Agreed, it does sound good. I approached the OX from the other side. I went rummaging through the preset rigs until I found some I Really liked. Unbeknounced to me, the favorites are with the black greenbacks. When I came across this realization, I started inserting the 1X12 and 2X12 blackback cab into other rigs. Now I have a '71 Marshall 4x12 filled with blackbacks. Who knew!? I put two blues in a 100W combo. I'm always easy on them but even if they blow, it's been a good ride.. Sometimes you've got to say WTF and go for it... Risky Bussiness
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Post by GuitarZ on Jan 5, 2022 14:12:16 GMT -7
Agreed, it does sound good. I approached the OX from the other side. I went rummaging through the preset rigs until I found some I Really liked. Unbeknounced to me, the favorites are with the black greenbacks. When I came across this realization, I started inserting the 1X12 and 2X12 blackback cab into other rigs. Now I have a '71 Marshall 4x12 filled with blackbacks. Who knew!? I put two blues in a 100W combo. I'm always easy on them but even if they blow, it's been a good ride.. Sometimes you've got to say WTF and go for it... Risky Bussiness
I kind of did the same as you. I first started out trying to replicate my non-virtual setup. But, then I started messing with the presets and realized the UA engineers are more skilled than I am and started finding better sounds. I also gravitated towards the Greenbacks. However, none of the open back presets were doing it for me and they didn't sound good when I subbed the cabinets into my Greenback setups. I'm glad that I didn't give up. I finally just started messing with the mic combos and volumes and settled on what I have. The other open back cabs now sound good to me using that same setup. One other note is that the nice thing about some of the non-Ox IRs I have on my pc is that they give you a rear mic for the open back cabs. I've found that really rounds out the tone. I'd love to see the UA folks put that feature into a future release.
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Post by steiner on Jan 5, 2022 22:35:35 GMT -7
Agreed, it does sound good. I approached the OX from the other side. I went rummaging through the preset rigs until I found some I Really liked. Unbeknounced to me, the favorites are with the black greenbacks. When I came across this realization, I started inserting the 1X12 and 2X12 blackback cab into other rigs. Now I have a '71 Marshall 4x12 filled with blackbacks. Who knew!? I put two blues in a 100W combo. I'm always easy on them but even if they blow, it's been a good ride.. Sometimes you've got to say WTF and go for it... Risky Bussiness
I kind of did the same as you. I first started out trying to replicate my non-virtual setup. But, then I started messing with the presets and realized the UA engineers are more skilled than I am and started finding better sounds. I also gravitated towards the Greenbacks. However, none of the open back presets were doing it for me and they didn't sound good when I subbed the cabinets into my Greenback setups. I'm glad that I didn't give up. I finally just started messing with the mic combos and volumes and settled on what I have. The other open back cabs now sound good to me using that same setup. One other note is that the nice thing about some of the non-Ox IRs I have on my pc is that they give you a rear mic for the open back cabs. I've found that really rounds out the tone. I'd love to see the UA folks put that feature into a future release. Ah the ease of use, powerful user interface and grandiose output of the OX. Right out of the box it sounds like the best rig I've ever played. Studio quality sound right before me - love it! Rather than needing to play, I get to play. I'm not a tweaker though I have altered some presets.
UA has a forum where you can request improvements.
To address your initial inquiry, I find the OX's feel on par with the speakers I chased.
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