Conference napalm::guitar

    This month's EM has a short blurb on the unit. It uses 2 tubes (a
    matched set of something with a 12 in it, I think) and TO-3 type
    outputs.
    
    Edd
    

    
    Electronic Muscian? Geez I haven't gotten it yet....hmm time to
    check the mail again...
    
    dave

    It's the November issue, sorry....
    
    Re-reading the piece this morning, I see it has no mention of any
    TO-3s. Beats me where I picked that up...
    
    It has 2 and 4 stage gain section(s). The programs are selectable,
    via MIDI, with the optional $200 foot pedal or, concievably, by
    using a synth or sequencer...
    
    Edd

    It seems that my EM syubscription ran out....and since it was cheaper
    to start a new subscription than renew there's a time lag....off
    to a dealer to get a copy..
    
    I called ADA yesterday and talked to a sales rep, literature is
    on the way...in Maine they can be test driven at Crazy Ed's in
    Portland...supposidly he has one in stock as a demo...no production
    units yet...
    
    
    dave

    They have them at EU Wurlitzer's in Boston. I tried one last Saturday.
    It was extremely noisy in the store (the effect is set up around
    the corner from the Marshall stacks), but the ADA seems really great!
    
    It has two tubes on board, with programmable overdrive for each
    one. It also has a non-tube signal path, Programmable EQ (bass,
    mid, treble, and presence), stereo chorus, and some other stuff.
    
    I'll have to go in again sometime soon and try it.  Incidentally,
    they had some other tube preamps in a single rack space, but not
    programmable.
    
    	- Rick (who hopes that somebody does it cheaper REAL SOON!)

    
    
    Any new news on the availability of the this thing??
    
    Last night I played through an ACT preamp that is similar
    to the ADA unit.  It sounded absolutely fantastic!  
    (It was running through a 100 watt Boogie.)
    
    I never thought that I would want something like this because
    99 or 128 presets seemed like overkill.  But, I am now convinced
    and feel that I *must* try out the ADA.  Perhaps it sounds even
    better.
    
    Could I have stumbled upon the ultimate amp setup last night?? :-)
    
    frank
    

    I called Mr. C's Music in Marlboro today. He is expecting to
    get some MP1's in hopefully this week. He is willing to sell
    them for $499. This is a great pricw considering they list for
    $699.oo
    
    Still haven't demoed one yet, but hope to try one out soon.
    
    Mark Jacques
    
    

    Well I saw one last night at Friendly River Music, saw is about
    all, it *was* wrking yesterday but today it's out to lunch. I did
    get a chance to look at it anyway, I'mnot sure I really like the
    controls (membrane switches) but other than that it looks good...
    
    The footswitch on the other hand is a bit unwieldy to deal with.
    
    dbII

    Well, I've been a happy MP-1 owner for 2 months now.  It's a neat
    unit! (thanks to rick calcangi for letting me duplicate his early
    60's english marshall top!)
    
    Anyway, ADA has just released a bunch of new stuff designed with
    the MP-1 in mind.
    
    The ADA MQ-1 is a MIDI programmable graphic equalizer.  its a 2/3
    octave unit with 99 presets, and is (obviously) fully compatible
    with the MP-1.
    
    The ADA B200S bipolar power amp is a stereo 200WT 2 space unit.
    It delivers 100WTs/side into 8ohms and 70WTS into 4ohms.
    
    ADA also released its verision of the Celestion-equipped 2x12 cabinet
    which is very similar in design to the Boogie 2x12's (one on top
    of the other).  They weigh only 48bs and can handle the full output
    of the B200S.
    
    
    Sounds like a neat little setup, huh kiddies?
    
    Buck

    Yes!  Sounds like an incredibly hot setup.
    
    What are the prices on these things (EQ, amp, cabs)?  Now that the
    MP-1 has been out for awhile now, what's it's price like?
    
    gh

    
    The MP-1 preamp itself can be had for around $500.00 these days.
    The MC-1 MIDI controller goes for around $150.00
    
    I just found out about the other stuff, so no pricing info on that
    yet.
    
    Buck

    
    
    	Hey..Anyone know the price on them now?. Especially the EQ?.
    
    					Rich...
    

    
    	Yes...DOES anyone know current prices? I'm in the market for
    an MP-1, but my 'local distributor' (Portsmouth, N.H.) wants $699.00
    
    						Thanks,
    						   Les
    

    The current price was the one I got in -.* replies ago...$589. for
    the preamp itself.
    
    not too bad.

    
    	Where did they quote that price?
    
    					Thanks,
    					   Les
    

    Factory Music in Rockland, MA.
    
    I am sure EU has a competitive price.  I got mine at Performance
    Music in Woburn...they had a great price package for the Preamp
    and Foot controller at the time (last August).
    
    Buck

    
    	Buck,
    
    	Found one at a place in Chelmsford for $599...and in stock!
    
    	Amazing. Thanks for the help!
    
    							Les
    

After spending the weekend, playing with an MP-1, my only complaint about the 
unit is that there is no bypass switch. I know that a lot of guys are going 
direct from the MP-1 to a power amp, but I was testing it out by running it 
into a regular amp. And I couldn't A/B it, , or switch to just the tone of the 
amp alone, without unplugging the MP-1 from the loop. Seems to me a bypass 
would have been easy enough to install, so I don't understand why the didn't.

Other than that, I was very impressed by the unit - the sounds, ease of 
programmability, ease of the footswitch, everything!

Alan S.

    Alan,
    
    I think you can program a totally "dry" preset to call up for a bypass
    type scenario...
    
    jc

    ADA has been trying to Market the MP-1 for a while now as a players
    "best replacement for the big Marshalls".  I saw Cinderella and White
    Lion last night in concert...Vito is an ex-Marshall player, and now
    uses an MP-1 with a Steinburger guit thru 4 marshall cabs...he had a
    great guitar sound!  In contrast, the Cinderella boys are still
    Marshall players, and their guitar sounds paled in comparison to Vito's
    IMO.  Cinderella's guitar sounds lacked definition, and tonally were
    pretty un-interesting (extremely midrangey, as if the settings were
    bass-5, mid-10, treble-3, pres-0).  I think shows like that are good
    for ADA...the differences in tonal qualities were pretty apparent, and
    when the opening band has a better guitar sound than the headliners
    (and we all know how opening bands are treated sound-wise), thats a
    strong statement for the ADA company. 
    
    This sound editorial by
    wjb
    
    

    What does ol' Vito use to drive those cab's?
    
    I was hoping that ADA would send me a free MP-1, since I did a
    rather lengthy marketing analysis of the MP-1 when it first came
    out (for a graduate course) and mailed it to some dude at ADA that
    I had talked to on the phone.  Well, I never got my free MP-1, or
    even a letter of thanks, but in the ten months or so since I did
    the analysis, the price of MP-1's have dropped considerably.
    
    The guy I mailed the report to probably took all the credit and
    got promoted (probably has groupies too ;^).
    
    joe (still wanting in the MP-1 department)

Just thought I'd drop a note here to say that I'm pretty impressed with 
how pleasant ADA is to deal with on repairs.

I'd been having a periodic problem with my MP-1 not receiving MIDI signals 
and I sent it back.  Yesterday one of their repair techs, Todd, called me 
up to discuss the problem.  He was very pleasant and helpful (even though
he couldn't duplicate my problem). 

He mentioned that whenever they get one of these in for repairs, they do 
a complete update of it that includes new tubes, filter caps, all current 
FCOs (DEC term, not his) like shielded internal cabling, and a SW update.

I thought this was a nice touch...

Greg

    Todd?  Sounds like the dude who invented the thing!
    
    Cool!

You mean this guy designed it?  (and he still does repairs???)

re: Coop

Just send it in and ask for a "tune-up".  I don't know how much they'd charge.

Greg

    Hi there !
    
    I had a chance to play with an ADA MP-1 in a music store over here.
    Besides the fact that it's about 1800,-DM here (that's over 1000$) I
    noticed that this preamp doesn't have DI outs to be connected to the
    mixer (I mean an integrated DI box that simulates some speakers).
    Is this observation right and if yes, did anybody try it in conjunction
    with a mixer with or without an additional DI box ?
    Also, I don't remember that it had a compressor, does it ?
    If no, would it be ok (sound good) if I connect my SPX900 effects
    processor in the FX loop and use this (very good) compressor ? (No,
    before you ask, the SPX900 doesn't have an fx loop, it's fully
    digital).
    
    	thanks
    
    		Richard
    

    OK.  At least one of us should have replied earlier.  Sorry for the
    oversight.
    
    >>> ... I noticed that this preamp doesn't have DI outs to be connected
    >>> to the mixer (I mean an integrated DI box that simulates some
    >>> speakers). Is this observation right and if yes, did anybody try it
    >>> in conjunction with a mixer with or without an additional DI box ?
    
    You are correct.  There are 2 line outs on the MP-1 but none has a
    speaker simulator similar to the "Red Box" or Boogie Recording outs.  I
    use my MP-1 mostly straight into the mixing board where I add some
    reverb.  It's really quite versatile for my needs.
    
    I've been thinking of a Red Box-style speaker/stack simulator but
    haven't actually tried it.  If anyone else has, I'd love to know the
    results.
    
    >>> Also, I don't remember that it had a compressor, does it ?
    
    	Yes, it has a compressor but I think it's only for the "solid
    State" mode.  This means that in "clean tube" and "Distorted tube"
    mode, you'd have to rely on an external compressor if you need
    compression.  I'm hoping someone will correct me if I'm wrong about
    this.
    
    >>> If no, would it be ok (sound good) if I connect my SPX900 effects
    >>> processor in the FX loop and use this (very good) compressor ? (No,
    >>> before you ask, the SPX900 doesn't have an fx loop, it's fully
    >>> digital).
    
    	(This is a guess.)  Your idea would probably be OK.  I've tried
    running my stompbox compressor BEFORE my signal gets to the MP-1 for
    smoothing some stuff out.  I've also tried using compression after the
    signal gets to the mixing board.  It's worked fine and the final
    decision probably will come down to personal taste.  I would imagine
    that putting an outboard compressor in the effect loop would work out
    fine.
    
    Hope this answers your questions.  Not an expert but willing to try to
    find out more if you need help.  (I've got the manual somewhere in a
    stack of papers at home.)
    
    - John -

    I sold my MP-1 to go back to Marshalls
    
    Sometimes Les is more!

Hi John !

Thanks for the answers.

So you're saying that you run the MP-1 directly into the mixer and you're
satisfied. I also thought about the Red Box, but it just came to my mind that
it is mono, but the SPX and the MP-1 are stereo, so I would need two of them.
Oh my. I think I will try the Hughes & Kettner Metal Master instead (a two
channel tube pre-amp) which has a built in Red Box. Unfortunately it isn't
programmable, but only a quarter of the price....

	thanks

		Richard

    Just a couple of thoughts here...  
    
    - RE: Compression
    Don't your think that those 12AX7's provide PLENTY of natural
    compression all by themselves !?!?!?  My one complain about
    my MP1 is that there is WAY too much compression...Just wondering.
    
    - RE: SPX900
    
    Why waste a nice stereo MultiFX unit in the FX loop ?  I'd plug my
    guitar into the MP1 and come out of the MP1 into the SPX900, and out of
    the 900 into the board or power amp(s)...  We're talking stereo here
    now folks...
    
    jc

Okay ADA pukes... Check your software revisions !

I used to know how to do this, but someone (not mentioning any names, Greg)
lost my ADA manual.  BTW - I hear that this "Service Special" means new
tubes for you, along with the software upgrade; Read on.

Got a letter today from ADA...  Here's what it said:

"Dear registered MP1 owner,

	ADA's level 2.0 software is now available for your MP1.  With level
2, you can use MIDI Exclusive to save your programs on computer.  You'll be
able to create libraries of tones that you can edit on computer, and down load
to your MP1 one program at a time, or in groups.  Level 2 also has many new and
improved presets, and a unique "dictionary" feature that will make your MP1
even easier to use.

                                DO-IT-YOURSELF

	Your free update kit includes a new v2.0 PROM, release notes, and
installation instructions.  Just send $3 (check or money order) for postage
and handling to:

                                ADA UPDATE KIT
                            7303-D EDGEWATER DRIVE
                              OAKLAND, CA 94621


                               Special Service

	Get the most out of your MP1 by letting our skilled technicians give it
a complete overhaul.  They'll install your new v2.0 software, update your MP1
as necessary, precisely calibrate it to factory spec., give it a complete audio
test, and return it to you with our v2.0 release notes.  For registered owners,
the full cost is only $29.00 -- return freight included !!  Call 1-415-632-1323
and ask for customer service.  Offer expires 12-31-90.

    FWIW...I received this offer for the MP-1 software update.  Since I
    no longer have the MP-1...anyone who wants it (V2.0), is welcomed to
    it!
    
    Send mail...
    Buck

    Also, FWIW,
    
    You can see the present version of software when the machine boots,
    just before the ADA logo pops into the window.
    
    Anyone out there already have the update and want to share a review
    with us ?
    
    jc (Who won't be doing uploads to PC...Unless I can rack it! ;)

    
    
    Have any of you tried the ADA Bipolar solid state Power amp ? If so
    what do you think of it ? I'm looking to pick up a power amp now and 
    it seems like a decent unit. Lets hear some of your opinions
    				                          
                                                  Brian

    A lot of money for that pup...
    
    But I did try one.  To me power amps of 100wpc or more sound pretty
    similar...and certainly plenty loud.  I'd look for:
    
    a) weight (10 lbs?)
    b) size (how many spaces ?)
    c) reliability
    d) heat disipation
    
    Ithought the ADA sounded VERY similar to my Metaltronix SP1000, but
    weighed more...Also disipated heat better than my SP1000.
    
    jc (Who has a warm rig)

    
    
       Monday I received the ADA V2.0 upgrade and it took about 6 min. to 
    install. I'll fill you in on some of the updates.......
    
    
    1) 69 presets instead of 29. Some of the new ones are really cool ! I
       like the new presets better than alot of the old ones.
    
    2) Protection control over the presets. Once you load in the presets
       you can turn off the protection on them so you can delete them from 
       memory if you don't like them. Or you can edit them and restore them
       in the same place....something you can't do with the original ADA
       V1.0.  You can also set protection on patches you've created so
       no one else  can screw them up on you.
    
    3) You have Random access to non stored prestets. Like suppose you get
       rid of preset 42 (Crystal Chorus Frog in Blender) because you didn't
       like it.  Suddenly the new "Sonic Youths" song you want to learn
       requires that sound. Without having to restore all 69 patches to get
       the "Crystal chorus Frog in Blender" sound back you can access and
       load just that preset and put it in any location you want without
       messing up any of the other patches you've already edited and saved.  
    
	
    
    There are about 8 new features (or hidden keys as there called) in
    total. These are the ones I remember best and use. Some of the features
    pertain only to computer loading and downloading .... ect.
    
    For 3$ though I think it's really cool to have all these features. I
    don't know I'd spend 50$ on them though. But it definite was worth the 
    3 bucks. By the way .... I'm someone who gets ZAPPED changing a
    lightbulb... The upgrade was east to do all you need is a philips head 
    screwdriver, a really small flat headed screwdriver, and about 5 min.
    
    						
    							Brian 

    Yo Greg, 
    
    The new presets are waiting, memory resisdent, in my rack .8273 miles
    from your guitar room.  Wait til you hear them.
    
    I took my rack to a band audition the other night where the other
    guitarist had a Marshall 50wt JCM900 (Model 2500 ?).  My rig shredded 
    his.  He was all cuts and bruises by the time I was done with him.
    Sorry Marshall fans.  ;)  I used one preset all night.  The "Hyper-
    Marshall 50wt Humbucker" preset.  The guy was ready to trade right on
    the spot.
    
    BTW - The "band" s*cked... I think I'll stay away rather than be seen
    in public with those dudes...
    
    jc (Who sez: The new ADA presets are awesome!)

    >I took my rack to a band audition the other night where the other
    >guitarist had a Marshall 50wt JCM900 (Model 2500 ?).  My rig shredded 
    >his.  He was all cuts and bruises by the time I was done with him.
    >Sorry Marshall fans.  
    
    I'll believe it when I hear it!
    
    B., whos HAD an ADA (thank you)

    The upgrade chip is where it's at.
    
    Best $3 I EVER Spent !  Everybody will be tryin' to get that "ADA Tone"
    now...  ;)  ;)  ;)
    
    jc

    I've heard the "upgrade chip"...I'll agree, it sounds great!
    
    
    but you can only hear it when you play by yourself!

    The new presets cut like a knife...
    
    jc (Who's spent a year perfecting his ADA preset programming...)

    	Cooper I tryed your presets but I still have the old chip 
    I have to find someone who sold their ADA and still has the reciept.
    		Oh ya!! I'll send you the presets I have tob write them
    down and will be on the way to starting the ADA club!
    			       (ADA)American DECnoters Accocation for the 
    			Ballesy CRUNCH!!
    		Now I need the larger rack,The 3 space does'nt cut it!
    Pierre Who's going to see Mark Clement Friday Nite @ the Battle of the
    Bands!!				P.I.

    
    
    re .-1
    
    I bought my ADA used......No receipt......no warranty.....
    
    I just sent a letter to ADA with a 3$ check and asked for the upgrade.
    I received it 2 weeks later. 
    
    Don't worry about the reciept or warranty card.....just drop them a 
    friendly little letter and ask them for the upgrade....I didn't have a 
    problem.........
    
    Brian Kalinowski

    So what does the MP1 have for recording purposes?  Anything direct?
    
    BTW - I've been hearing knocks on the MP1 for live use.  How does your's
    hold out Coop?
    
    Mike

    >BTW - I've been hearing knocks on the MP1 for live use.  How does your's
    >hold out Coop?
    
    You been talkin' to Buckley again ??
    
    :)
    
    Seriously though, yep - a lot of people will knock the Mp1 for 
    live stuff.  Personally, I've noticed it also, but with some careful
    tweeking, I got some presets that work GREAT live.  People rarely
    have a problem hearing ME, thats for sure. :)  ;)  :)  Ask Alan
    Starr what it's like to stand in front of my rig.  it *H*U*R*T*S.
    Thank god for UNI directional marshall clones.  :)
    
    It's all in the compression.  The compression on the ADA (if not
    programmed correctly) will take ALL dynamics out of your signal.
    If your in a band with a Marshall and have too much compression
    -poof- you'll never be heard.  I've posted my presets in the PRESET
    topic.  You may need to change the EQ on them, but it's the V1, V2 and
    MASTER ratios that are the make/break for the Mp1 (for live use).
    
    As for recording, I didn't really care for the sound "direct"...  A Red
    Box would do the job for sure (Errr, at least I'd think.  I've never
    tried one).  I got a SUPER sound on the last song I recorded - too bad
    I have no lyrics for it.  Damn!
    
    FWIW, you can compress ANY AMP/PREAMP/whatever to a point that dynanics
    disappear.
    
    jc (-Co-resident Mp1 freak-)
    

>    You been talkin' to Buckley again ??
    
    Well I remember him saying it too ;-)
    
>    It's all in the compression.  The compression on the ADA (if not
>    programmed correctly) will take ALL dynamics out of your signal.
>    If your in a band with a Marshall and have too much compression
    
    I went back and took a quick look at some of your presets in here.
    Is OD2 the compression setting?
    
>    -poof- you'll never be heard.  I've posted my presets in the PRESET
>    topic.  
    
    this is said topic ;-)
    
    >You may need to change the EQ on them, but it's the V1, V2 and
>    MASTER ratios that are the make/break for the Mp1 (for live use).
    
    MASTER ratios to what?
    
    Mike

    The ratio between the Master volume, and the two preamp volumes.
    
    IMHO, people generally get sick of perfecting/programming the Mp1
    for the perfect tone.  I'm suprised I didn't.  I stumbled on "that
    tone" (for me) after about 6 hours of serious fiddling.  Now it's
    importalized forever.   ;)
    
    RE: V1, and V2 (which is compression).
    
    Umm, well the docs are real sketchy on this so I called ADA and
    bitched to them... Also wrote a letter to them which I'll post in a
    bit.  At anyrate, which control is compression depends on the signal
    path (or "voice" your using - there's three Solid State, Clean Tube and
    Distorted Tube).  I could go on for pages, but you probably see what I 
    mean.
    
    There is another thing about the Mp1 I don't like, which is a slightly
    audio to LOUD audio (depending on how much gain your using) glitch 
    when you switch from a preset using DISTORTED TUBE to CLEAN TUBE.
    ADA assures me (didn't make ME feel any better) that it's normal
    and is just the caps discharging (shunting I think is what they called
    it) to ground.  Kinda a little Whhhhaaaaaaa<switch>WHHHHAHaaaaaa...
    See what mean ?
    
    The Mp1 certainly ain't perfect, but there is a definate reason it's
    the hottest preamp on the market.
    
    jc

						27 November 1990

						Jeff Cooper
						PO Box 4199
						Woodland Park, CO 80866

ADA 
7303-D Edgewater Drive
Oakland, CA 94621

Dear ADA Folks,

Thanks for making Level 2 software available for us MP-1 owners !
It's really convenient that this unit is upgradable.  Please send
mine ASAP.

Some feedback for your R&D types:

The MP-1 is a great unit, and as far as I'm concerned, it's the best
unit on the market.

My only complaint is that it's a rather noisy unit.  I find that I have to set
my master level really low in order to do away with the noise.  While the noise
isn't a problem in live situations (for me anyway), in the studio it's a pain
in the butt.

I use my MP-1 with a Metaltronix/Perfect Connection SP1000 stereo power amp.
It has 125 watts per channel (into a four ohm load), so I don't have a problem,
but many users have smaller power amps and aren't able to take full advantage
of MP-1 without getting a lot of noise.   Also to alleviate this problem, I use
a Rocktron Hush IICX stereo noise reduction/noise gate.

I also own a KittyHawk Quattro Tube Preamp.  The old advertisements for this
unit toted "Insane Gain".  They obviously hadn't heard the MP-1 yet... Perhaps 
there is a way to get more gain out of the MP-1 ?  I use the Kittyhawk when I 
want not-so-gnarly gain levels, and also want that "vintage" sound.  You might 
note that Kittyhawk is out of business, but the design from the Quattro
is now marketed as the Soho Preamp by LPMG.  It's a non-MIDI device, and is
pretty quiet, even at "high gain" levels... I'd say SOHO is on your tail
inthe market place.

Also, for studio work a Speaker Emulator type circuit would be excellent.
Running direct would be very convenient for us multi-track users.

One last thing.  The compression is ungodly.  I have a hard time being heard in
live situations because of this.  It seems to take all the natural dynamics
out of my playing style.  Great for studio, bad for live applications. 
I've spent a LOT of time programming for a "work around", but I think you
should be aware of it (if your not already).

At anyrate, I love my MP-1.  Keep up the GREAT work.  But should you release
a new unit, please keep the above suggestions in mind.

Thanks for the upgrade chip.

Sincerely,

Jeff Cooper (unknown guitarist - non-extraordinaire)

PS - I never got any of the "ADA Trends" newsletters.  Could you send all
the volumes published and add me to the mailing list ?  
                   

    The GP-8 suffers in some of the same ways - no pop between presets, but
    there is a *slight* lag going between a sappy clean tone and a double
    OD thrash preset.  And too, the factory presets inhale - after you
    build your own, it's a whole new unit.
    
    I've heard some negative *talk* about MP-1's, but everyone I've heard
    live sounded great.  Joe Blow public doesn't care about the nit-picks
    of tone.  Remember that ....   8^)
    
    
    Scary (who has spent days altering presets and nobody in the band or
    the crowd could tell .... duh ...)

                    "ADA MP1 MIDI prgmbl tube preamp, $325
                                              714-964-3666"











             Poor guy probably just heard his first Quattro!  *8')

    How does the MP-1 do on clean patches ?  I know it's got the "overdrive that
    drives 'em crazy" (it's what the add says !), but will it simmer as
    well as vaporize ....
    
    
    Scary (who might be joining the club ...)

    It does clean, compressed things pretty damn well.  It does "fender"
    tube clean only pretty good, and the overdrive that drives em crazy?
    Well it drove me back to Marshalls, so...

    I guess it's a matter of prefference - looking back over some of your
    notes in the MP-1 topics, at one point you *loved* that unit.  Just
    like all of us, things change.  As far as truckloads of gain/overdrive/
    distortion, I don't need that much anyway, so this unit could probably
    give me way more than enough.  I know from hearing Coop's (before the
    upgrade) that I'd be backing off those presets a bunch, a big bunch.
    
    Scary (who's already got a stack of presets, now if Greg will just
    hurry up, answer his mail, and send me the damn thing !!!)

    I think you'll like it better than the M1 ;-)  The M1 is great for
    blues.  If you ever need the insane gain not too many preamps will 
    do it like the MP1.
    
    Mike

    I've either got incurable GTS or a brain tumor ... my current setup
    sounds fine overall, but is lacking in a few minor spots.  When Greg's
    MP1 lands (can you fax it ?) I can A/B the two rigs and see who wins.
    
    Hopefully the MP1 will do blues too ...  8^)
    
    
    Scary

    Scary,
    
    The Clean (solid state) is pristine.  Almost too clean and Wicked
    compressed.  The Clean Tube ain't so clean, and MOST of *your* 
    presets will come from the Clean Tube state, IMHO.  I know your taste
    pretty well, and I think your tone is to be found in the Clean Tube
    Voice.
    
    As for the Marshall/ADA debate ?  I'd like to say no comment.  But
    y'all know I'd never do that.  I've got both.  The Mp1 shreds
    Marshalls.  'Nuff said.  The Marshalls obviously do *the* Marshall tone
    to perfection...And it's a good tone...But it's just ONE FREAKIN' TONE. 
    Even if you have 2 channels.  You get your clean Marshall tone, and you
    get your dirty Marshall tone.  Thats it. EOS - End of Story.  You own a
    Marshall, you get the Marshall tone.  You own an Mp1, you get that and
    more.
    
    FWIW, I love the Marshall tone.  But I love the Mp1's tones AND it's
    versatility.
    
    jc  (Tone Doctor)

    I think the tumor does all my reasoning though ... better leave it
    alone I guess.  
    
    Coop's probably right about the tone I'm looking for.  On the GP-8, I
    use the overdrive and back it way down on my clean patches, just to
    give it some warmth.  Probably have to do the same trick with the MP-1.
    
    Scary (who's gonna go pick up his Lace Sensor after work !) 

>  -< Where's the Peavey preset though ... >-
    
    Sorry dude, it doesn't have a "Cheezy" voicing, just "Dist. Tube",
    "Clean Tube", and "Solid State"...
    
    ;^)

    I dunno then, can't play country without a Peavey tone ... maybe I can
    pull one of the tubes out and put some Red Man in the socket ...
    
    Scary

    
      Scary...if ya want the country sound and smell, I'll ship ya down
    some fresh field cow-doooooo top stand in!
    
                      R.B.

    RE: Coop
    
    >MP-1 shreds Marshall
    
    Yeah, in versitility, definitely.  But IMHO, the Marshall sound (yeah,
    taht one sound...the dirty sound) blows doors on ANY of the MP-1 dirty
    sounds.
    
    The EQ is just not there.
                             

    Well see, if you want that marshall sound, ya gots to have a marshall.
    (see latest entry in MARSHALL topic where JC purchases marshalls).
    However, I am not happy with the marshall all the time.  I play way too
    much of a variety of stuff to have only one tone...
    
    But when I wanna make with the Priest tone, I plug into Marshalls.
    
    RE: GP8 Chorus.
    
    GK chorus rules.  :)
      
    jc
    

    no Roland/Boss chorus rules!  I haven't heard the GP8's chorus, but if
    it is like the CE-300 it can't be beat.
    
    Mike

    I'm not gonna get in a "my ____ is bigger than your ____" contest - if
    you're happy with your rig, mo' powah to yah !   8^)
    
    
    Scary (who's not as good as he once was,but as good once as he ever was
    ...)

    I own a GP-8 but I don't use the chorus much.
    
    Why?  Because I also own a Roland JC-100.
    
    I can tell you only this - no chorus that isn't run in stereo can
    compete with the JC-100.   In stereo, you achieve a true
    psycho-acoustic effect that makes it sound much "wider" and spacey.
    
    I'm not sure if the GP-8 chorus is true stereo (like the JC or the
    CE-300, or the RCE-10).  If it is, and you can run it in stereo,
    it's hard to imagine a better chorus sound.
    
    I've heard the GK chorus for at least one of their amps... Yawn....

    I like the ADA chorus too.  Very nice, and analog too...

    	Well, I myself am taking the switch over to the Mesa-Boogie Studio
    Preamp and the Mosvalve!! The ADA Dist. channel kind of bites the
    biggie, compaired to the Boogie. Selling the Laney too,if your int.
    Buck. HA HA hA!!!
    				Pierre who seen the Light!!
    

    Pierre,
    
    You've been hanging around with JazzMark too much!!
    ;^)
    
    I think you'll like that better than the Lamey, though! (and not, I
    don't want it!).

This is what I do.

The poor man's stereo chorus solution


                   CE-2 chorus    +----------------------+
                    +---+         |                      |
               +--->|   |-------->|  marshall normal     |     /|
               |    +---+         |                      |  +-  |
               |                  |                      |--|   |
               |                  |                      |  +-  |
      pre amp  +-optional-patch-->|  marshall bright     |     \|
        |\     |                  |                      |
   ~ ___| \____|                  +----------------------+        
        | /    |                                                  put ears here
        |/     |
               |
               |                  +----------------------+     /|
               |                  |                      |  +-  |
               +----------------->+  another amp         |--|   |
                                  |                      |  +-  |
                                  +----------------------+     \|
    

    	Buck, Aack!! is needed for the Mark II,III. I don't think the
    sound of the head compair to the Studio Preamp with the Mosvalve as the
    power amp. Hey Buck how about a Multi-Verb II or A Hush IIBX in your 
    rack O' Doom!!!!
    
    Pierre who will be backing up Fahrenheit on the 18th of April @ Hendi's
    Lounge on the Lowell,Chelmsford line.
    

    There's an interview with Nuno in the new Musician's Friend catalog. 
    He says his basic onstage setup is:
    
    ADA MP1 (said the factory programs were mid heavy and pulled out all
              the mids)
    ADA power amp
    Ampeg V4 cabs
    Roland MEP-5 effects pedal
    
    Mike

    I gotta agree with Nuno...  The factory presets ARE mid heavy,
    especially if you like a metallic sound.  I pulled down all the
    mids on my presets.
    jc

    Nuno forgot to mention his MP-1 runs out into a sep eq unit!

    I ran mine thru a seperate EQ for a long time.  It's useless.
    The Mp1 has a GREAT EQ section, IMHO.  The EQ I had (which Buck now
    has) was overkill for the Mp1 and just added something to the rack
    which could cause problems.
    
    jc

>    I ran mine thru a seperate EQ for a long time.  It's useless.
    
    I completely disagree.  This is the only way I'd run an Mp-1 live
    (listening Jerry?).  While I think the EQ in the Mp-1 is good, it's
    virtually impossible to compensate in realtime with the unit.  An
    external EQ would allow you to tweek the sound to fit the room you're
    playing in without having to screw up the EQ on the patches you've
    worked so hard to get "just the right sound" in.  A good external EQ
    will allow you to fix little things without affecting the overall sound
    and tone.
    
    After playing out one time without an EQ which could be easily adjusted
    in real time in the signal path and having MAJOR feedback problems, I
    will never again play in public without having some way of easily
    correcting that.  
    
    Admittedly it was probably the worst possible room to play in as far as
    feedback went (unfinished basement of a house with bare concrete walls
    and floor), but it was totally frustrating and I ended up having to
    play at an extremely low volume and lost all my tone.  Many people
    commented later that they couldn't hear me at all.  In any case, there
    are lots of smaller clubs with odd shaped rooms that need a little EQ
    for things to sound right and not feedback in them if you play at any
    appreciable volume.
    
    Greg

    	Oh,So True Cooper! Sunday I must say the TONE was there without the 
    Rockman EQ and the Multi-Verb II ! Yes Very DRY!! OH YA!! But Still the
    Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp and the Mosvalve are on the Buying List!!
    
    Buck, Steve has shown me the LIGHT!!!
    
    Pierre who can't wait til practice tonite. 23 days til the 18th!
    

    The Mosvalve rooolz ....
    
    RE: Seperate EQ ... next on my shopping list, not because I think I'll
    need it, but because I have an empty rack space (which is against the
    law in SC)

    Well, after a couple extended 1 on 1's with the little beast, I think
    it's gonna suit my needs to the letter.  Sure it's a screamin' demon,
    but you can go for less and get a real nice tube amp simulation
    (Rogaine, yes, mogain, no ...  8^).  I messed around with the presets
    that had been posted in here, and for the most part the "clean tube"
    voice will be my main ammo.  The "distorted tube" set for tame instead
    of mame is pretty good too - haven't even tried anything use the "solid
    state" voice.  I was pleasantly surprised by the chorus - nice indeed,
    it can't hold a candle to that of my GP-8, but it's still very
    pleasant.   I think the MP-1 coupled with the Mosvale can successfully
    simulate *any* tube amp made - I know I nailed *my* interpretation of a
    Marshall, Fender, Kittyhawk, etc.  So as not to start a war, no, it
    wasn't *exactly* the same - but to Joe Blow club goer and most sensible
    musicians, nobody would be able to tell the difference.
    
    One thing I was concerned about reading a few replies here, was the
    noise.  One thing I learned real quick - you crank both OD's and the
    Master Gain, for sure you'll get noise !!!  BUT, if you let the power
    ampo give you your volume (what a concept), she's as quiet as you're
    gonna get a tube amp.  
    
    All I gotta do now is get the MP-1 and the DSP-128+ talking to
    eachother, and I'll be in business.
    
    
    Scary (who's got your Marshall, right *here* pal !)

    These things work GREAT for direct recording with a bass guitar !!!
    

    
       After test drivin' my newly acquired MP-1 last night, I can safely
    say that for this instant in time this is the ultimate and only pre-
    amp I will ever need!
    
                           R.B.

    See what happens ??
    
    This the start of a very bad disease Randy...
    Wait until you discover MIDI THRU.  :)
    
    ;)

    
        jc,
    
           I thought about all the possibilities last night....let's see
     how many MIDI units I can stack/rack/and whack before I totally lose
     it?
    
                                  R.B.

    > <<< Note 405.93 by BTOVT::BRONSON "I can't sing but I can guzzle!" >>>
    >                     -< Another satisfied customer! >-
    >
    > 
    >    After test drivin' my newly acquired MP-1 last night, I can safely
    > say that for this instant in time this is the ultimate and only pre-
    >          ------------------------
    > amp I will ever need!
    >       --------------
    
    Well said! I couldn't have thought of a better description of the
    dilemma of the modern electronic musician.
    
    - Ram

    Here, here !
    
    Randy, easy boy...  Too much MIDI could be more of a headache than
    you need.  Remember, less is more !
    
    jc

    Exactly why I'm using the GP-8/Mosvalve and a 20' cord.  Yo Randude,
    glad ya like it ... now you gotta get a MosValve, 2 cabs, a big black
    dog with a bandana around its neck (and able to catch a frisbee while
    wearing wayfarer sunglasses ..).
    
    Scary (who needs the dog to be complete ...)

    You referencing to Ole Sinbad ??
    
    :)

    
      Well I tried the classic "Eddie Van Halen" setup last night. The only
    difference I could detect and also my SO was that he can play and I
    can't!.......The MP1 is redefining the 'joy o whackin''!
    
    
                                   R.B.

    re: Sinbad ...
    
    Bandana ?  Yes.  Frisbee cather ?  I think I saw him eat a few ...  8^)
    
    Cool dawg - shoulda got rid of your charvel and kept *him*.  8^)
    
    
    Scary 

    I had a chance to listen to an MP1 performing live for the first time
    on Saturday night and I can see what some of you have been saying about
    its compression.  I felt sorry for the guitar player because he was
    very hard to hear in the mix all night long, especially the solos!  The
    sound just disappeared!
    
    Mike

Well, don't scratch too fast - It's all in the patch editor... :)

I've been using my Mp1 exclusively with HardBall for the past couple
of months, and no one has complained about not being able to hear me 
(on stage or off) - 'Cept greg thinks our sound tech ought to bring the
entire guitar mix up a bit (I tend to agree...)...

:)

jc

>Well, don't scratch too fast - It's all in the patch editor... :)
    
    I disagree, I think the thing just sounds thin when you're using the
    "dist tube" voice, no matter what.  All you can change in the patch
    editor is EQ and gain, you can't change the basic tone and voicing of
    the "voice" you choose.
    
    If that's the sound you need, then it's probably going to work ok, but
    even though it's versatile in the sounds it'll make, I don't think it's
    very versatile as an overall preamp because of this.  
    
    Like in a two guitar band it probably works ok, because it kind of
    makes it so you *can't* get a thick sound no matter what you do and
    therefore tends to prevent the "guitar wars" kind of thing where the
    mix gets mushed out from players that refuse to set up their amps to
    sound good *together*.  
    
    Everyone I've heard that used one sounded like they were back in the
    mix, including Coop.  That's fine for what he's doing.  And it's good
    for recording because the medium seems to eliminate the thinness as an
    issue.
    
>I've been using my Mp1 exclusively with HardBall for the past couple
>of months, and no one has complained about not being able to hear me 
    
    As though someone would complain about *THAT*!  
    ;^)
    
    Nobody complained about that when I was using mine either...  It wasn't
    until later that I figured out that they didn't *want* to hear me!
    
    Greg
                           

    Hi MP-1 fans !
    
    Only 8 months after availability in the US I received the new software
    for the MP-1. I think the version number is now V2.01. I'm wondering if
    anybody made some expirience with the upload and download functions.
    
    I'm a bit confused. As part of my testing to automate my setup (see the
    CUBASE discussion in COMMUSIC) I had problems to download with
    predictable results. It sometimes worked and sometimes didn't. I used
    single sound dumps (current preset). After some operations (like
    selecting other sounds, going into edit mode etc.) it then worked for a
    few tries and then all over sudden not. Anybody got an idea what could
    be the cause of this ?????
    
    Also, I noticed that the downloaded sound doesn't get stored (ie. the
    number blinks). Now if I want to send several single sounds, how do I
    get them stored that I can switch the programs later on ?
    
    Any ideas ?
    
    	thanks and best regards
    
    		Richard

    Richard,
    
    I don't own an MP-1 so I can't be sure, but my experience with
    synthesizer dumps is that single patch dumps usually get routed to the
    unit's edit buffer, so that you can place it wherever you like in
    memory.  This is what you seem to be describing.  
    
    Bulk dumps of all patches usually just overwrite all of the memory. 
    What you would need is some sort of libraraian software, to allow you
    to organize single patches into banks to bulk dump back to the MP-1. 
    If your object is live performance, this is about your only option.
    
    What type of hardware platform are you using, Atari?  If so, you should
    consider using BUMP which you can get out of the MIDILIB library here
    on the net.  You can use it as a desk accessory and it works OK as long
    as the sequencer isn't playing (then there is contention for the MIDI
    port and the computer may crash).  You can customize BUMP to do
    specific types of sysex transfers for the various pieces in your setup.
    Of course, if you're running on a Mac, forget I said anything!
    
    							Brian

Hi Brian !

Yes, I'm using ATARI. And Cubase's Satellite seems to give the same
possibilities as BUMP. ADA's MIDI implementation only supports to send a single
dump to the edit buffer, but others allow more (like my TG55). So it seems that
the only alternative would be to send a complete dump. Which is propably not
too bad in terms of transmission time, since one sound requires only 19 bytes.

Another thing that I wanted to share with you is the fact that there is such
difference when using the front instrument input. I had used the back input so
far, because I have too many visible cables anyway, but then I tried the front
input and it seems to be so much better. 

But I assume that everybody is using the front input anyway. It's just that
nobody told ME.

	best regards

		Richard

I agree that the front input is hotter than the rear...  I wonder why??
I'll check my manual to see if there is a diff...


jc

    I thought the input on the rear of the Mp-1 was a line level input. 
    That would explain why you don't get as much volume using it.
    
    Greg

    Can't help myself.  Just HAD to re-post these...
    I especially get a kick out of the subject in .21 (below).
    
    Buck, do I see a cycle here ??
    
    :)
    
    Fickle in-DEED !
    
                     <<< CVG::WORK3:[NOTES$LIBRARY]GUITAR.NOTE;2 >>>
                              -<  Guitar Notes  >-
================================================================================
Note 405.9                       ADA MP-1 preamp                        9 of 109
MARKER::BUCKLEY "Take me down to Paradise City"      23 lines   5-OCT-1988 10:15
                      -< New MP-1 Hardware Just Released >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Well, I've been a happy MP-1 owner for 2 months now.  It's a neat
    unit! (thanks to rick calcangi for letting me duplicate his early
    60's english marshall top!)
    
    Anyway, ADA has just released a bunch of new stuff designed with
    the MP-1 in mind.
    
    The ADA MQ-1 is a MIDI programmable graphic equalizer.  its a 2/3
    octave unit with 99 presets, and is (obviously) fully compatible
    with the MP-1.
    
    The ADA B200S bipolar power amp is a stereo 200WT 2 space unit.
    It delivers 100WTs/side into 8ohms and 70WTS into 4ohms.
    
    ADA also released its verision of the Celestion-equipped 2x12 cabinet
    which is very similar in design to the Boogie 2x12's (one on top
    of the other).  They weigh only 48bs and can handle the full output
    of the B200S.
    
    
    Sounds like a neat little setup, huh kiddies?
    
    Buck

                 <<< CVG::WORK3:[NOTES$LIBRARY]GUITAR.NOTE;2 >>>
                              -<  Guitar Notes  >-
================================================================================
Note 405.21                      ADA MP-1 preamp                       21 of 109
MARKER::BUCKLEY "What happened to that electric girl?"  18 lines  28-AUG-1989 10:00
                          -< ADA shines through live >-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    ADA has been trying to Market the MP-1 for a while now as a players
    "best replacement for the big Marshalls".  I saw Cinderella and White
    Lion last night in concert...Vito is an ex-Marshall player, and now
    uses an MP-1 with a Steinburger guit thru 4 marshall cabs...he had a
    great guitar sound!  In contrast, the Cinderella boys are still
    Marshall players, and their guitar sounds paled in comparison to Vito's
    IMO.  Cinderella's guitar sounds lacked definition, and tonally were
    pretty un-interesting (extremely midrangey, as if the settings were
    bass-5, mid-10, treble-3, pres-0).  I think shows like that are good
    for ADA...the differences in tonal qualities were pretty apparent, and
    when the opening band has a better guitar sound than the headliners
    (and we all know how opening bands are treated sound-wise), thats a
    strong statement for the ADA company. 
    
    This sound editorial by
    wjb
    
    

                 <<< CVG::WORK3:[NOTES$LIBRARY]GUITAR.NOTE;2 >>>
                              -<  Guitar Notes  >-
================================================================================
Note 405.31                      ADA MP-1 preamp                       31 of 109
ICS::BUCKLEY "Marshallvergnugen!"                     3 lines  25-JUN-1990 12:22
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    I sold my MP-1 to go back to Marshalls
    
    Sometimes Les is more!

    Well, I guess I need to rebuttle Cooper's foolish posting in .62...
    
    I bought the MP-1 in AUG-88, and sold it in JUN-90.  That is almost a 3
    year stint with the unit!  I would hardly call changing one's mind
    about a piece of gear after 3 years fickle.  Now Cooper, you buy a
    guitar and sell it 2 weeks--a month later, or an amp/rack gear and sell
    it a 6 mos--a year later...now *that's* fickle IMVHO.
    
    As far as the comment in 405.21 ("ADA shines through live")...I was
    playing in DEZYNE at the time...a 90% MIDI'd/Direct-to-console band.
    Synth bass, sythns, and electronic drums.  The only REAL instrument on
    stage was the guitar.  With everything running through the mains, the
    ADA did work well in that situation.  I needed a plethora of sounds for
    that band...from funk compression to full-fuzz solos...the MP-1 did it,
    and it didn't get too much frequency bashing from the other (digital)
    instruments.  Now the MP-1 started to suck live when I switched bands
    and started playing in Jam Vac, a two guitar band with real drums and 
    bass.  The other instruments freuency power SLAUGHTERED the MP-1!!!  I
    played about 30 gigs with JAM VAC and the MP-1 and not one gig did
    anyone say they could hear me.  Another proof of this is when I used it
    with a DECjam band.  Cooper, you were AT this gig, so you should
    remember.  It was also a two guitar band (with Kev McDonough) PLUS
    keyboards.  Listen to Kev McDonough's GN tape submission of _Goin
    Down_.  ALL you can hear is Kevin's guitar playing!!!  I took the 2nd
    guitar solo on that song, and you CANNOT hear it (you all must have a
    copy of that song, so the proof is there for all [not] to hear!)!  That
    gig was one of the catalysts in my decision to dump the MP-1, as it
    really WASN'T cutting it live.
    
    Now, the MP-1 worked well in the studio recording I did with Peasant 
    Kings (renamed Jam Vac band).  Again, in a controlled environment, the
    unit worked ok, but in a live situation with loud instruments in the
    same frequency range, the MP-1 gets lost, period!
    
    I switched to Marshalls, and have been using them ever since.  JUN-90
    to DEC-91 is a year and a half...fickle?

    Re: Buck and being fecal, uh, fickle ... 8^)
    
    Gimme a break.  You used to rave about GK's a LONG time ago.  Now they
    inhale, as does everything you USED to own.  Coop's done a lot of
    wheeling and dealing, but he's been using the MP1/DSP128 based rig for
    a *LONG* time ... in a live environment, and I'm sure nobody has had
    any problem hearing him ... 8^)
    
    You gonna slam Marshalls once you get a REXX ?  Or will that depend on
    what sort of band you're in ?  
    
    Scary

>    Well, I guess I need to rebuttle Cooper's foolish posting in .62...

Cooper's foolish posting ??
Ahem.  Those were your postings dood. :)  I was adding a little (very) levity.
My whole point (off line) was you should hang onto your Marshall, because 
you'll go back to it anyway...You always do..  GK-MARSHALL-MP1-MARSHALL-KITTY
-MARSHALL-REXX-_________ ??

And regarding your tone at DECjam et.el:  No offense man, but I can't help it 
if you couldn't program the thing to crank.  It works for me.  Eeesh.  Besides,
it was Vito Bratas tone you were saying cut thru so well live.

How come everything roolz when you own it, and blowz when you dump it ?
Can't you see that some things work for some people ??  You loved the Mp1 when
you had it, now you prefer to slam it.  As Scary pointed out (quite 
effectively I might add):  I've used the Mp1/DSP/SP1000 for a long time and 
played Story Monday, Allmans, Skynyrd, Bad Co AND Metallica, AC/DC and MegaDeth
thru it - and no one EVER said they couldn't hear *me*.

Man, you can dish it out, but you sure can't take it.  Chill.

jc (Who bought his Mp1 after trying yours, remember ?)

    At least you can look back and remember some of the things you *liked*
    about the units, instead of getting selective amnesia ... 8^)
    
    RE: GP8 and line levels ...
    From my understanding (which means nothing ... 8^), I thought that
    since the GP8 was a preamp, that it *had* to see instrument level IN,
    and would only yield LINE level out.  I'm using mine into my Laney
    combo, and I had to pull the master volumes WAY down so it would match
    the instrument level in.  Once I did that, I've got a VERY nice
    sounding rig !  I wish I had taken the time to build my patches like
    this when I was gigging.  But, wtf, it sounds great now .... not $1100
    worth, but ... 8^)
    
    Scary

    Beware about using tapes done live off the board to determine these
    kinds of things.  They often lead you to the exact wrong conclusion.
    
    If you're low on the tape, it's probably because you were louder
    onstage than the other instruments and thus, needed less of a boost
    thru the PA.
    
    If you're loud on the tape, it's probably because you could NOT be
    heard without a boost from the PA.
    
    What I recollect from that gig was that Kev had a modest combo amp,
    and you had a Marshall stack.  Yours may have been generating a lot
    more onstage volume than his.
    
    But I agree with you in that I'm not a big MP-1 fan at least in terms
    of wanting one myself.  It strikes me as doing a lot of compression.
    
    	db - whose full rig includes processed and unprocessed modes

    >At least you can look back and remember some of the things you *liked*
    >about the units, instead of getting selective amnesia ... 8^)
    
    8^) my @$$!
    
    There were things I liked.  I *liked* my GK...except that the hardware
    on it sucked big time (lots of broken plastic pots and switches).  
    And, after a while, that sort of tone grated on my nerves.  One day
    I A/B'd it with an all-valve Marshall...not much more that could be
    said at that point...the Marshall obviously had the better tone!
    I need gear that can be touted around without failure.  My GKs (had
    two) were *always* breaking one way or another...hence their departure.
    
    I owned a Hiwatt Lead 30, too.  That is a head I *should* have kept
    (like Boom's 2550).  The problem was the cab I was using with it at the
    time (Also a Hiwatt...to match) was ported, and thus I hated the EQ
    repsonse from it.  It wasn't til AFTER I sold the whole rig that I
    heard a friend of mine playing that head on a (sealed) Marshall cab
    that I realized how nice that head really *did* sound!!

>And regarding your tone at DECjam et.el:  No offense man, but I can't help it 
>if you couldn't program the thing to crank.  It works for me.  Eeesh.  
    
    You also have a better power amp than I did.  I don't think I had
    trouble programming it, thank you.  It just didn't cut well in certain
    situations...plain and simple...it wasn't working for me.  Kevin was
    screaming loud on-stage...with bass, keys, and drums thrown in, I
    could barely hear myself on-stage...and this was with the power amp and
    unit cranked!
    
>it was Vito Bratas tone you were saying cut thru so well live.

    I said Vito had the better sound.  Cinderella played too loud...like
    old Priest concerts...just a solid wall of sound with no real
    distinction.  Like they had several 100WT Marshall heads on "8" or
    something!  White Lion played much softer, and they really stoked the
    guitar in the mix.
    
    
>How come everything roolz when you own it, and blowz when you dump it ?
>Can't you see that some things work for some people ??  
    
    Scary said this too..and I'll address both your comments below:
    
    If I buy something, I generally think it roolz.  I'm very picky
    sound-wise when it comes to certain things.  I might say something
    "blows" when I dump it, because obviously if I dumped it, it wasn't
    working for me, right?  I've dumped old Marshall heads that for
    whatever reason just gave up the ghost and started sounding
    shitty...when they used to sound amazing...things change!  Everything
    I have sold and then panned has been due to the equipment letting me
    down over time.  I've never panned the RG 550 guitars in the 6 years 
    I've been playing them now!  In fact, I sold them all (you should know,
    you own one!) and tried to go back to the Gibson guitars I had played
    for over 10 years, but I actually liked the sound and feel of the
    RG550s better...hence my return!  What I'm trying to say here is I feel
    I give credit where credit's due on certain equipment.
    
    If the gear is working for you...more power to ya!  (I think it's 
    
    a) great it's working for you
    b) I don't have to deal with it's BS anymore
    
    
    >You loved the Mp1 when you had it, now you prefer to slam it.  
    
    I "slam" it on certain points of the equipment which I feel it has
    inherent limitations (Ie, it's live use...mvho!).  I have always said
    the MP-1 shines through very well in a studio environment.  Look at
    Nuno...he has a rooling guitar tone on Pornograffiti with the MP-1,
    but when I saw Extreme in concert, his tone was lost in the din (and
    I was sitting right in front of him!!)!  That one point is where I
    "slam" the MP-1.  Greg House is more vocal about the unit sounding
    inherently thin than I am...I don't see you picking on him...how come?!
    
    >As Scary pointed out (quite effectively I might add):  I've used the 
    >Mp1/DSP/SP1000 for a long time and played Story Monday, Allmans, 
    >Skynyrd, Bad Co AND Metallica, AC/DC and MegaDeth thru it - and no one 
    >EVER said they couldn't hear *me*.
     
    That's great Coop...either you have a great soundman with your band, or
    you crank your sp-1000 so loud that you have enough stage volume to
    come up over the band.  I never had either of that when I used it, and
    was always lost in the mix live with the MP-1.  In fact, I remember a
    few gigs I couldn't even hear myself on STAGE with the damn setup!!
    But when you play in a band with a guitarist who uses a strat...clean,
    no fx, into a loud Twin, few people have hopes of coming up over THAT
    type of tone (and that is a fact!).
    
    ta,
    B.
    

    
    	Buck - well now I know that you realized that you didn't cut
    	thru at those DecJams.  There's no question that that was the
    	general concensus of those I spoke with.  Tho I do remember you
    	having a good sound at that first Rik Sawyer jam in his basement -
    	the one with Fred and Butch.  I must admit that I always took your
    	tone comments with a grain of salt only because of those jams.
    
    	Your note about the different tones for different bands made
    	alot of sense.  Hope this REXX "cuts" it for ya!
    
    	Tom
    

    Gee Buck ... seems like you've got an excuse for everything.   8^)
    
    If there was a p*ssing contest going on in the Fender note, would you
    want it cleaned up too ?  Sounds like most things you hear, you REALLY
    like ... buy it .. then realise `hey, these are just ol' regular
    crackers !' (thankyou Eddie Murphy).
    
    I think we ought to start taking bets on how long the REXX gear will
    roool.  What will be it's downfall ?  Tone ?  Reliability ?  Lights ? 
    Or will another awesome chunk of gear come along ... someone is always
    building a better mouse trap, or guitar toy.  Nobody ever has the best
    for long ....
    
    Scary 

    >Gee Buck ... seems like you've got an excuse for everything.   8^)
    
    Scary, stop being an arse!  I don't have an excuse for everything... I
    shouldn't be definding my opinions in the first freaking place.  But
    when people like you and Jeff Cooper choose to generalize on my notes
    and opinions in a public forum, you put me on the defensive to set the
    record stright.  
    
    PS - The 8^)'s aren't cutting it!
    
    >If there was a p*ssing contest going on in the Fender note, would you
    >want it cleaned up too ?  
    
    Funny, I didn't say that in notes...I said it in PERSONAL MAIL to 
    GUITAR Moderator Jeff Cooper!  Hey Jeff, THANX for forwarding my
    VAXmail around the freaking ENET!!!  (Some Moderator!!)
                                
    >someone is always building a better mouse trap, or guitar toy.  
    >Nobody ever has the best for long ....
    
    I guess not, Scary.  I mean, you've long since sold off that "Gorgeous
    Les Paul Studio Model...you know, the one that had the best tone..." 
    Sure was a nice lookin axe, no doubt, and you were well founded in it's
    much public praise when you first got it.  I was actually very
    surprised when I saw you selling it.  Don't worry though, I'm above
    going back through the old notes in the Gibson topic, extracting your
    notes_of_praise on the guitar, appending, then re-posting the lot, with
    a header paragraph rubbing your face in the fact that you've long since 
    sold the guitar.  That would be a pretty choldish thing to do...

    I never slammed it though ... it just didn't fit my playing style (if
    you can call it that ...).
    
    RE:  Love letters from Coop ...
    I think you're a tad paranoid pal.  Sheeesh ...
    
    RE:  8^)'s
    They weren't mean to `cut it'.  Everyone knows they have more bottom
    and mids.  Not enough highs to cut through anything.  They're better
    suited to lay a foundation for others to decorate.  Carry on ....  8^)
    
    Scary
    
    So, anybody heard anything about this REXX gear ?  I hear it's a hoot !

>    >If there was a p*ssing contest going on in the Fender note, would you
>    >want it cleaned up too ?  
>    
>    Funny, I didn't say that in notes...I said it in PERSONAL MAIL to 
>    GUITAR Moderator Jeff Cooper!  Hey Jeff, THANX for forwarding my
>    VAXmail around the freaking ENET!!!  (Some Moderator!!)

Beg your pardon ??
See note title to 405.117 (Moved from Rexx topic per your request via THAT 
note title, AND via personal mail).

Geez Buckley, take a damn chill pill.  No one is taking anything out of 
context here...  I simply re-posted some of your notes from ADA topic to 
illustrate a point that you should keep your Marshall (you had it for sale).
It was a f*cking jab - I was funnin' with you.  Whasamata which you ?  Eeesh.

WTF is goin' on here ??  I poke fun, you FREAK out, Scary makes a couple of
points, you freak some more, and quickly we move from fun to slammin'
my abilities as a moderator, my knowledge of network ethics/protocol/policy, 
and Scarys choice on keeping his guitar line static ??  No everyone is pissed 
off at everyone, and you STILL don't see the humor in it ?

WTF ??

    Geez, I take a couple of days off and look what happens...
    
    I know nobody really cares about my opinion on this (as I've stated it
    before many times), but I'm gonna inflict you with it again (just for
    grins).
    
    I believe that Buck is right in saying that what kind of amp works best
    for you differs depending on what kind of a band you're in.  I'd even
    extend that to say that it depends a lot on how you play.  My playing's
    changed quite a bit over the last few years and my tastes in guitar
    tones have also changed.
                                                       
    The story of my tonequest so far:
    
    When I started out I was using a Peavey Studio Pro 40, but I thought
    the distortion sounded too buzzy and thin so I got a Crate CR60GT.  It
    was a lot better and served me well for several years of practicing at
    home.  I picked up an old Hiwatt 100wt combo along the way and I
    thought it sucked at first, but later found it was just broken!  I
    retubed it and found a wonderful warm, clear, responsive tube sound
    that I loved.  
                                                       
    Problem was that it was just too LOUD to play comfortably.  It didn't
    get a good tone until you had it up probably 2/3 of the way and didn't
    get a great distortion until it was almost cranked.  I used a power
    soak on it and it simply SCREAMED!  I'd been looking for something that
    would make that sound at lower volumes for a long time after that!  
    
    BUT I worried that the power soak wasn't good for it and decided I
    wanted something to do distortion and efx and stuff too, so I got the
    SGE.  It was cool for about 6 months, until I happened on a deal on an
    Mp-1.  I wasn't really even looking for one, but I had some extra money
    and people in here had been raving about 'em so I bought it (before I'd
    even heard one).  I was really into the "processed" sounding guitar
    tones at the time and never really used a "crunch" sound, just blazing
    distortion or nothing.  
    
    It sounded great in my front bedroom, but it always seemed kind of lost
    in a band context.  I have never been the kind of player that would
    turn my volume way up and blow the band sound, so I just suffered with
    it, but people kept telling me they couldn't hear me well (and I
    couldn't hear myself).  I got a Kitty Hawk M3 when LPMG had their
    blowout on them because they were cheap, but the sound was SOOO much
    fuller that I ended up using it in the band I was playing in.  It
    sounded so much better then the MP-1!  But I changed bands not long
    after that and I missed the gain, so I tried the Mp-1 again.
    
    Nobody can say I didn't give it a fair chance because I messed with the
    damn thing for almost a year before finally giving up on it.  I changed
    the patches, I changed power amps, I did everything!  I used Coop's
    patchs, Vito Bratta's, Paul Gilbert's, ADA's, a million permutations of
    mine and it sounded great...as long as there was nothing else in my
    frequency range, the instant the other guitar player in my band at the
    time turned his Boogie on, I couldn't be heard.  Yeah, I could MAKE
    myself heard, by turning it up REAL loud and blowing everyone else
    away, but that's NOT my style and it made me feel bad to do that (I
    only did it once).
    
    I was still trying to play with that compressed processed kind of
    sound, so I used a GK for awhile.  It stood out better then the MP-1
    but still sounded thin to me.  Plus it didn't make a good partially
    distorted sound, which was more and more what I was looking for.  That
    was when I got the JCM900 Marshall.  It had a killer crunch and was
    able to get all the tones I was looking for without sounding thin. 
    Wish I'd gotten one years before...
    
    BTW, I did find that cool wild tone from the soaked Hiwatt again...my
    Marshall JCM800!
    
    Bottom line?  I liked a couple of the sounds from the Mp-1, the tube
    distortion voice had a real cool distinctive mega gain sound that I
    have yet to hear anything else do well.  There are many amps that have
    the gain, but they don't have that same sound.  It's not my first
    choice in high gain sounds these days, but it's interesting.  I
    wouldn't even mind having another one to use for recording, the
    compression makes it record real nicely.  I'd never try and use it live
    though, they just don't cut it for me.  I can't afford to keep one
    around just for that, so I don't have one.
    
    The only amps that I've found that fit my playing style and the sound I
    want are Marshall tube amps.  After years of searching for a sound I
    really liked, I've finally found an amp that I have absolutely *NO*
    complaints with and I plan on sticking with them.  I was just looking
    in the wrong places, I wanted a great rock & roll amp, yet I was
    trying all this trendy new technology stuff and it wasn't making it for
    me.  I finally realized that what I needed was something more
    traditional and now that I have it, I'm a happy camper.
    
    I've made a lot of changes over time, but I *seriously* doubt I'll be
    changing more after this!  All the changes I made with respect to my
    amplifiers were done in search of something and there was something in
    mind with every change (now the guitars I've gone through were kind of
    a different story...).
    
    Greg

    This is a neutral note - if anyone doesn't think it is, read it again.
    
    Look - I have NEVER bought a piece of equipment that I didn't think
    "rooled".  I don't buy it if I don't think that way.
    
    And yet I have sold lots of stuff that I got frustrated with or
    dissaspointed with.
    
    Over time you get to really know a piece of equipment.  You here it
    in lots of different situations; you try to do more things with it;
    and you see how sturdy it is.
    
    These are the kind of things you just can't foretell if you've only
    had it for a couple of weeks.
    
    I think if Buck is guilty of anything, it's probably just not reserving
    the  highest praises for (only) the stuff that you like better as
    time goes on and new equipment comes out.
    
    For Buck, that's Marshall's and RG-550's.
    
    For me, that's My Carvin DC-200 Koa and my Mesa Boogie Mark IIB (and
    my Ensoniq ESQ/SQ synths).
    
    Peace on Earth and good tone to all...
    
    	db

    Good points, db!
    
    ...and my praise is not limited to only the stuff I use.  I'm quick to
    cite that a strat and JC-120 combo is *excellent*.  I don't own either,
    but they still sound GREAT together!!  A strat and a Boogie is a GREAT
    combination, too!
    
    And I also love the tone from db's Koa Carvin.  The Kahler trem on it
    doesn't do it for me (why?  It doesn't stay in tune very well, and the
    brass rollers tend to loose a lot of string energy, making string
    harmonics somehwat tricky/difficult).  If I had the cash, I would buy a
    Koa Carvin with a Floyd in a second (Floyd trems have much better
    inherent sustain qualities regarding harmonics).

    Boy, I saw a used Carvin DC-200 Koa with a Floyd (and of course the
    M22's) that I was REAL tempted to buy as spare guitar.  I only
    have two electrics, the Carvin and a Steve Morse model which isn't
    really an ideal backup since it plays/sounds so different from the
    Carvin.
    
    Problem was what's it's always been - the Floyds stay in tune better,
    but they are always way too stiff for me.  I'm not very aggressive
    on the bar and a lot of what I do requires a light feel (like pulling
    it up or down to a particular pitch).
    
    Can Floyd's be adjusted so that the touch is VERY light - if so, do
    they stay in tune any better than the Kahlers when you do that?

    I guess this is more for the Floyd Rose note, but...
    
    The tension on a Floyd could be worked out somewhat, but not a lot.
    It's all relative to string gauge, action, and # of springs in back.
    Obviously, the more springs you have, the stiffer the feel of the bar.
    But, you need a certain amount of springs/tension to compensate for the
    string gauge you use and what kind of action you want your guitar to
    have.
    
    Buck, who uses .095's and 3 springs, and has low to very-low action.

    I've found that my guitar CAN be setup in such a way that it stays in
    tune even with aggressive use of the bar because when I get it back
    from my repair guy, it's almost impossible to knock it OUT of tune.
    
    Unfortunately, it doesn't stay that way long, and I've never bothered
    to find out how to set it up right.  
    
    It may just be a matter of string age - I rarely use my guitar for
    anything other than practice these days.  Both my bands tend to keep
    me on the black and whites.
    
    But my SO got me a 12-string for Xmas so I've been practicing a lot
    more than usual.
    
    	db

Anyone seen ADA's new *TUBE* power amp ??

It was in the latest Musicians Fiend catalog that came in the
mail last week.

It's called ADA MicroTube 200.

- Power:        100 watts per channel (into 4)
- Weight:	8 lbs (!!!!)
- Size:  	1 Rack space
- Knobs:	Volume, Presence
- Cooling:	Fan induced, front/rear vented

Now, I gotta wonder - How does ADA use 12AX7's to make a 100wpc power
amp ??  Sounds like a hybrid to me...  What say ye ??

jc

It's definately a hybrid.  I just got off the phone with Eric at ADA.
He said he'd been using one for quite a while with his rig, and he said
it's pretty smooth and creamy.  List price is $579.

Might be worth checking one out sometime !!

    
    
      Read between the lines though. Sounds like they are dumping the 
    T-100S all-tube power amp. I didn't see it listed in the recent catalog
    except for one unit in the close-out section!
      I know they had problems getting the T-100S out the door.
    
    							-B()()M-

Yeah man...  Thats cool - those things are too heavy though. 
8lbs for 100wpc is pretty impressive me thinks.

jc

    What's too heavy?  The Carvin?
    

    -1
    
    But he was the only guitarist in the band, right??

    Yeah he was, it was a power trio.  The last band I saw with an MP1 was
    too and the guy was lost in the mix.  

    IO think it makes a difference with the unit when you don't have an
    instrument in the same energy range (freq speaking) to fight with!!

It's all in the programming, Mike.    Don't beleive everything you
read/hear about the Mp1 - Just buy one and you'll see for yourself.  :)

I've gotta Ty Tabor (Kings X) patch too - It's that one I posted recently
with a slightly difference EQ curve to get along with my stratoblaster.
He's got such a sweet sound...  Since I got my strat back, I've been dorking
around with it a lot.  Sure would love to talk the doods into letting HardBall
cover a Kings X tune...  I (faith-hope)LOVE those guys, but others don't think 
they're heavy enough.  :(

jc

    I completely agree with Buck.  When I was using mine, I was playing in
    a band with another guitar player.  Whenever he played, I couldn't be
    heard.  Whenever he stopped playing, my rig sounded great.
    
    (and FWIW, I'm sick of people trying to tell me that I didn't know how
    to program the thing.  I used EVERYONE'S patches I could find and tried
    everything I could with mine to fill it out and nothing seemed to
    work!)
    
    The only time I've heard Mp-1's getting lost bad is when there was
    another guitar or the bass (or drums) getting up into the midrange. 
    How you fit it into the sonic spectrum determines whether it'll work
    for you or not.  That's why they work good for recording, because you
    can tuck and tailor things to make everything fit.
    
    Perhaps one thing to remember is that Ty Tabor (King's X) uses chorus
    almost ALL the time.  That would tend to fatten up the Mp-1's inherent
    thinness.  Problem is that it doesn't fit into all kinds of music.
    
    Greg (not into programming anymore, into plug & play)
                                                              

Inherently thin ???????

FWIW, Mike, I play in a two guitar band and have no problems being 
heard...Never-EVER !    ...and I'm not heavy handed or anything...

    I can see where the solid state stage would really lend to a Ty Tabor
    type distortion.  The guy in this band even uses the Yamaha strat model
    that Tabor does.  The resemblance was scary (not to be confused with
    Scary).
    
    If you want, I can ask him what his parameter settings are.
    
    Mike

That'd be great Mike !!

But I bet it's CLEAN TUBE voice, not SS...  SS is pristine-clean !!

jc

    Hey.... If 2 guys in the same band both used ADA's would this phenomena
    still exist? 
    
    Maybe in worst cases their sounds would totally cancell
    each other out and all you'd hear are the bass and drums 8*) 
    
    Would the guy who programmed his to sound like a Marshall  cut through
    better than guy who programmed his to sound like a Boogie ?
    
    Inquiring Minds Want to Know
    BK

>    Hey.... If 2 guys in the same band both used ADA's would this phenomena
>    still exist? 
    
    Probably not.  I suspect that could be a cool thing.  My problem was
    that the other guy had this monsterously fat sound.  I mean, he even
    tromped on the BASS!
    
>    Maybe in worst cases their sounds would totally cancell
>    each other out and all you'd hear are the bass and drums 8*) 
    
    HAHA!  Don't reverse the phase...  ;^)
    
    gh

    FWIW, I remember the other band, where the MP1 was lost in the mix,
    had a dude playing one of them keyboard thingies.
    
    Mike

High tech answer - like that !
:)

> had a dude playing one of them keyboard thingies.

:)

    just doing my best to keep them elitist snobs in line!

    	I'm running my ADA through my Boogie and into the Mosvalve and
    I can't think of more low end than at. 
    	Note that the Boogie is the Studio Preamp being ran on the clean
    channel,for that tube sound and the Boogie EQ.
    
    Cuts through like Windex through dirt on glass!!!
    
    Pierre who enjoy his sound very much!!! :^)

    
    
    
       Re: .148 
    
       Agreed, the MOSvalve has great low-end. I've tried them out with a
    few preamps and was fairly impressed. Some other guitar oriented
    power amps tend to accentuate the mid-high end more than the MOSvalve.
    I'm actually consiring one of these for my REXX 610s. 
    
      Anyone seen the new ADA Microtube power amp. It's solid state, but
    has 12AX7's on the front end of the power stage? Interesting approach!
    
      							-B()()M-
    

FWIW - Tom and I switched power amps one day, and we both agreed that 
there wasn't much difference between the SP1000 and the MOSvalve.  The
SP1000 was a little louder, the MOSvalve has those cool presence controls.
We called it a tie.

Also, I think his GP16/MOSvalve rig works great - a nice combination for
sure.

Anyone seen the latest "ADA Trends" ?  It's got a cool section about trouble
shooting multi-component-rigs (ya know, ground loops, proximity noise etc...).
Cool article.  I'll type it in sometime.

jc

    
    
    Does anybody know why???
    
    
    I took a couple of presets out of this note and tried them on my MP1
    and  one of them had both overdrives and the master on 10, now when I 
    did it I got like feedback out of it, like it came from the circuitry.
    
    I mean this feedback was sterile causing..................
    
    
    
                                                              MC

    	Yaks!! Overdrives both on 10 thats what the problem is right there.
    But then again what's wrong with that kind of feedback anyway. HA!HA!
    
    Pierre who has to get rid of has high, Their a killer on the ears.

    
    
       No chit mun, I figured that was going to happen but, if someone
    wrote it in here then I thought it just might work.......
    
    
                                        Guess Snot.............
    
    
     P.S.= Isn't that suppose to be Dyna-Moe hum??????????????
    
                                                                  MC

Yike - Who posted OD1, 2 and MASTER on 10 ?

jc (Who has his presets volumes at around 2...)

PS - Watch the limit-lights man - they'll tell the story !!

    Yeah, I remember a couple of the ones posted in here totally whacked my
    Mp-1 out like that too.  You can get rid of the feedback by backing off
    either the master or the EQ settings.  Like Coop sez, you're probably
    seeing the overload indicator lights all lit up too (I know I was). 
    The thing made this freaky noise like it had a microphonic tube or
    something (and it didn't!).
    
    If you leave the EQ settings spaced the same way, it should have the
    same sound, just drop 'em all a notch or two.
    
    Greg (who "doesn't know how to program an Mp-1")  :-(

Article 6104 of alt.guitar:
Xref: nntpd2.cxo.dec.com rec.music.makers:27865 alt.guitar:6104
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers,alt.guitar
Path: nntpd2.cxo.dec.com!pa.dec.com!decwrl!mips!rtech!ingres!bonobo
From: bonobo@Ingres.COM (David Victor)
Subject: Has ADA changed the internals of the MP-1 since its introduction?
Message-ID: <1992Jul13.171116.15750@pony.Ingres.COM>
Keywords: ADA MP-1
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501
Date: 13 Jul 92 17:11:16 GMT

Does anyone know if ADA has changed the circuitry of the MP-1 guitar
preamp since its introduction way back when?  I seem to recall trying
one out many moons ago, but I wasn't too impressed.  

This past weekend, I checked out a new one in a music store, and it
really sounded nice (I was running it through one of their new
Microtube 100 amps, BTW)...

Any other preamps I should check out? (don't say ART...I've heard
nothing but bad news from former owners!).

-David Victor

    Mike, there was a followup posting to that one which had a little more
    info.
    
    To my knowledge, the Mp-1 is the same today as it's always been except
    for some little things like the style of jacks on the back.  The only
    difference I know about is the ROM chip which they give you their
    presets and the firmware in. 
    
    The followup posting said something similar.
    
    Greg

Greg is correct.

The only things I can think of thats different is that the "line" input
on the back of the newer units has been changed to an instrument level
(like on the front), and a lot more shielding on the cabling inside (plus
some smarter routing).

FWIW - If you own an Mp1, ADA (ask for Eric) will make these ECO's to your
unit, retube and adjust for $25.

jc (Who'll do it some day - I want that instrument level input !!)

PS - IMHO, the power amp is one of the more important features of the Mp1
     config - I've heard a lot of people running them into the FX returns
     of various amps, and they sound like dung.

PPS - I played an ART SGX that a guitarist we tried out had.  Ick.
 

Hi Greg !

>
>PPS - I played an ART SGX that a guitarist we tried out had.  Ick.
> 

Not being a native english speaker, I would be glad if you could elaborate on
the "Ick" (maybe even in the SGX note...)

	thanks in adavance


		Richard

    Hi Richard!
    
    I could elaborate on the SGX, but *I* haven't heard one.  Maybe Jeff
    will, though.  8^)
    
    Greg

I will - In fact, I planned on it.
:)

Uuupps, seems I mixed up some names..... bear with me....got to meet you
someday, which MAY help to remember the names.

	thanks in advance anyway, Jeff, and sorry Greg ;-)

		Richard

    My MP1 sounds great with my Ashley power amp along with a MidiVerb III.
    Some of my settings are interesting and I do get some decent cRuNcH...I
    am very happy with it and most of the guitarists that heard me play
    live with it are very impressed with the sound(s)...

    Thats my BOY !!
    
    :)

    And as far as versatility there is nothing like it on this planet. With
    the ADA Midi footswitch I can punch into any setting with the ease of
    my pinky-toe. It is effortless. Now this setup is best for live!! I
    just can't wait til I get home everynite to play. It gets me
    pumped..And if I want or feel like playing a Boogie I just play that
    too...But I do prefer the setup of the MP1 for live applications. It
    also is so easy in the studio. I've done some studio things with it to
    and it sounds great!!

    C'mon Paul, don't get him all riled up now!
    
    I'd be interested in trying Marshall's new MIDI preamp.  I'd love that
    kind of versatility, but I want my cake and to eat it too.
    
    Mike

    I guess it all depends what kind of cake you like...The Marshall does
    sound interesting though but I still can't find the flavor I'm looking
    for in one. I'm stir crazy over the "Artist" model. I mite pick one of
    those up in my days...With the right combination of gear an MP1 can
    sound smoker!!

    I want tone *AND* versatility.

dbii is also trying to find a marshall JMP-900 midi preamp to listen to, along
with an access....

dbii

    You know I have to be honest here.  We all have a good time in
    harassing Coop's rig, but I'd love to have that kind of versatility.
    I remember liking his rig when he let me toy with it, but my exposure
    to the MP1 in live situations has not been positive.
    
    When they come out with a rack unit that will rip thru the mix like a
    Marshall, under any situation or style, I'll sell the Kitty Hawk M1
    to purchase it.
    
    Mike

    
    
      RE: -.1 ... I think it's called an ACCESS! B-}.
    
    
    
    
      ...but it ain't cheap (and I'm not apologizing for my grammar!).

    RE: Mike
    
    Thanks dood, that was nice.
    
    But I gotta say - no one has ever said "TURN UP!" to me.
    It's all in the programming (IMHO).
    jc

    Same here. As a matter of fact some said that my sounds had a lot of
    crunch and that the leads cut thru nicely. I recorded it live and there
    was no loss in the mix with my amp. I can't understand. Maybe there's
    something I don't know or something...I've also heard other friends
    MP1's and there sound cuts too...Am I lost somewhere. I don't think my
    hearing is gone yet.

    Well Paul, just for clarification, I've heard an MP1 live a few times
    (local bands).  The only band where the guitar *didn't* get lost in the
    mix was a power trio arrangement.  The other bands had keyboards and
    other stuff in the same frequency spectrum and the MP1 seemed to be
    fighting a losing battle in the mix.  In the power trio, the frequency
    conflict wasn't there and the guy cut thru the mix like a Marshall.
    
    Maybe Coop's right about the programming, I don't know.  The last
    guitarist was the only time I've heard an MP1-based rig live that
    really turned my head.  The interesting thing too is that I know all of
    these guys fairly well now.  They both use the same Carvin power amp so
    that isn't the problem either.  The only differences they have are the
    efx units and speaker cabs.  The one that was lost in the mix was using
    Marshall 4x12s and the one that had a great sound used GK 2x12s.
    
    Mike

    I thought I heard that the new Marshall cabs that are or will be coming
    out are suppose to be in stereo. But, the Marshall you heard was
    probably not stereo. Maybe that had something to do with it. The GK
    cabs are in stereo. That could make a fuller sound. My Marshall 4x12 is
    wired in series parrellel. I don't have any problems...I played mostly
    alone on guitar with the band. I know that makes a difference. There
    were times when it was hard to get the right mix between the two guitar
    sounds but I think the problem was that he didn't have that good of an
    amp---the tones didn't compliment each others. There's aband out here
    that uses two ADA's together(2 guitarists) and the sound smokes!! There
    called Helen Roar (there in the guitar notes somewhere). They used
    stereo 2x12's also for cabs...

    No I said Marshall 4x12s (i.e., plural).

    Yeah well - They don't sing until you have FOUR 4x12's.  :)
    
    heh-heh-heh-heh....
    jc

    Ooooohhhh...That must be SMOKER!! I think i kind of like that
    arrangement. Would ya mind lettin me borrow some just for ha ha's...

    And then some.........

    Sure man - no problem...  Just come on over and pick 'em up
    for the weekend.  :)
    
    jc

    Most of you have probably seen ads for the ADA Microtube power amps. 
    The ads looked promising, I mean they had a 100 wpc stereo amp stuffed
    into one rack space.  I was wondering how the heck they crammed all the
    tubes in there until I got some literature and discovered:
    
    These amps are solid state!  There is a single tube (12AX7) in the
    front end of each channel, that's it.  The rest is your usual MOSFET
    power amp.  
    
    Can't say I see where there is much value here, especially if you
    already are using a tube preamp.  This one looks like hype of the year
    to me.
    
    						Brian

    I had the pleasure of playing an Mp1 thru one though.
    Makes my SP1000 sound a little wimpy.  Had a nice
    hollow tube sound to it, FWIW.
    
    I do agree though, a 12AX7 buffered transister amp does look
    like a scam.  :)
    jc

    Well to tell the truth, I've found that I prefer transistors to tubes
    when it come to bass amps. To my ears, its a snappier sound that will
    enhance the characteristics of something like round wound strings. But
    if your tone is the mellower type where maybe you would use flatwound
    strings, I can see where a tube bass amp might be more interesting.
    
    Your note on a tube amp caught me by surprise, since I thought
    the market towards bass amps was definitly aimed at the snappy sound.
    
    
    "sakman"

    Seems to me that a tube power amp is overkill if you have a tube
    preamp.  At the power stage, I'd rather have raw/clean amplification.
    
    I know all about power stage even order harmonics, but I don't buy it.
    I've heard plenty of tube preamps powered by the Carvins of the world
    and they sound very good.
    
    Besides, the expense in tube replacement would be murder on say a
    Booger 295 Simulclass in addition to the tube preamp.
    
    Mike

    One feature that seems to set a lot of amps apart from others is a
    presence circuit. My understanding is that presence circuits take
    negative feedback from the speaker and use it to boost high end.
    Since this is done post EQ, it does not effect the gain sections
    of the amp. Because presence circuits use the negative feedback
    from the speakers, it is pretty much impossible to incorporate a
    presence circuit into a preamp.
    
    Many of the more popular Tube power amps on the market use a 12AX7
    based presence circuit, in conjunction with a tube power stage. 
    All of the Mesa Boogie tube power amps have this, the Peavey classic
    series all have it, etc. The major expense associated with retubing
    a power amp is in the power tubes, not with the 12AX7. Also, the
    majority of the weight and space is consumed in the power stage.
    My understanding is the 12AX7 tube used on the front end of the 
    Microtube power amp is for the Presence circuit. The philosophy
    is to use an inexpensive 12AX7 to provide the presence, and use
    MOSFETs for raw power. It seems to work fairly well. A good friend
    of mine bought one of these about a month ago and he likes it. Of
    course your mileage will vary depending on what preamp you use
    with it. You'd never get a true tube power amp into a package this
    small or light.
    
    Personally, if I were in the market for a tube power amp to use with
    my preamp (Mesa Boogie Studio model) I would check out the Peavey
    classic series 60/60 power amp. These are VERY similar to the Mesa
    Boogie 50/50 amps for about 1/2 the price. I've heard that the Peavey
    can use 6L6 or EL34 power tubes without having to manually rebias.
    I'm not sure if this is true, but if it is, it is a significant 
    advantage. The Mesa 50/50 can only run on 6L6's.
    
    
    Mark

    re: Mike

>    Seems to me that a tube power amp is overkill if you have a tube
>    preamp.  At the power stage, I'd rather have raw/clean amplification.
>    
>    I know all about power stage even order harmonics, but I don't buy it.
>    I've heard plenty of tube preamps powered by the Carvins of the world
>    and they sound very good.
    
    I think you'd have to actually play with one yourself for awhile. 
    Maybe it's something intangible, but I feel/hear something different
    from a tube power amp.  It's a warmth.  Power tube saturation is a
    wonderful thing.
    
    Greg

    >Maybe it's something intangible, but I feel/hear something different
    >from a tube power amp.  It's a warmth.  Power tube saturation is a
    >wonderful thing.
    
    
    Hallelujah, ToneBrother!!

    I don't know.  I used to think like that too, but rigs I've been
    hearing lately have changed my mind.  My replacement in my last band
    uses an MP1 powered by a Carvin FET400 (I think that's the right FET
    model).  He sounds exactly like me on the tunes I recorded with them.
    
    Mike

    I don't think you can really tell the difference without *playing*
    through the rig.
    
    The sounds you used on that one weren't particularly "tubey" type
    sounds too.  It's like Coop with his Mp-1, it works great for him
    because the sounds he likes are basically not tube type sounds.  That
    type of music doesn't have stuff with a lot of dynamics to it, and I
    think that's where the real article shines.  The difference is the
    responsiveness of the amp to how you play and that's the tube amp's
    forte.
    
    Greg
          

RE: Greg

Damn good answer dood !!  (And he did  it without Mosquito Comments !!  :).

Mp1's are DEFINATELY NOT a dynamic preamp...I guess thats a product of the
compression and mega-gain characteristics.   Use CLEAN TUBE if you want 
dynamics (but dont' expect miracles.  :).

I agree with Gregs comments on pickups and stuff also...the major exception  
is with strats.  There is a vast difference between single and dual coil
pickups (obviously).

I would argue though, that depending on what you mean by "responsiveness", the
Mp1 is a lot less work to play than the Marshalls (another byproduct of 
compression).  You *really* have to *play* Marshalls, but, you can get more 
expression (dynamics) when you work at it.  :)


Mike - Frankly, I don't think that an Mp1 cares much about the power amp.
As long as it's got lots of horsepower !  Ergo, a 295 SimulClass power amp
and an Mp1 would probably sound the same as my SP1000, or a MosValve or
MicroTube.  If there was a diff, it'd be quite subtle.

Mp1 users get into trouble if they use weak power amps though. Keep the gains
and volumes down, else you start to generate lots of noise...As well as getting
lost in the mix and what not.  You gotta have headroom with these pups!!

jc

    I'd agree about the power amp not making a whole lot of difference with
    the Mp-1, to a degree.  Like any decent humbucking pickup in the bridge
    position is going to sound about the same with the thing, it's gonna
    sound similar through any decent mosfet or tube type power amp.
    
    Now my solid state BGW power amp didn't work well with it at all, it
    was extremely thin and wimpy sounding (in stereo or mono).  That same
    power amp is working great now, driving the nearfield monitors in my
    studio though...
    
    Greg

Multiply your BGW by a factor of 5, and you'd have been HAPPENIN' !!
Headroom is a must!
jc

    Maybe, but I don't think so, it always felt "cold" to me.  I liked it
    through the power section of the Kitty Hawk better, but it still never
    fit my style (what little of that I have).
    
    Greg

Geez Greg, stop getting down on yourself.  I'd recognize your style
from 200 yards away.  Some people have NO self esteem!!
jc

>    I'd recognize your style from 200 yards away.  
    
    "Yeah, hear all those mistakes and fluffed notes?  That's Greg!"

Shaddup, ya lop earred varmint...

Sheeesh

    I play my MP1 thru an Asley mosfet and it sounds smoker to me!!

    Well
    	On saturday night we had a friend sit in with us for fun on an
    overnight/away gig.  He plays guitar and sings great harmonies so
    we were in for a fun night.
    	I planned to let him take every solo he knew and I am glad I did.
    I play through a quadraverb gt and for some time have not been to 
    happy with the overdrive/distortion sounds and have been searching
    and playing everything in sight.
    	Well my friend has a MP1 , digitech harmoniser,and some sort of
    ART unit (gee wish I had the bucks for a rack like that) anyway
    the tone he got out of the MP1 was really great (I will avoid using
    the word awesome at this stage),he used the art for delay effects etc
    then............I'm standing out the front on the dance floor playing 
    rythmn and dancing with a girl during "stand by me" and he takes the
    solo....(first time out the front of the PA for me) and I'm thinking
    half way through his solo....mmmm.....nice tone.......then......
    he stands on the harmoniser...........I nearly dropped the guitar...
    this was a sound from heaven.......When he finished I needed a smoke
    a cold shower and had an overwhelming urge to roll over and go to sleep
    8^).
    	Three things are important in this rambling note,
    1. The MP1 may just have the drive sound I am looking for.
    2. Picking the right time to add the right effect is the mark of a good
    player.
    3.  Not overusing the effect is the mark of a good player (I would
    probably stand on the thing all night.8^).
    
    	He only used it a couple of times and it was perfect.
    The out put of the rack went to a Red box.  I would love to buy an
    Mp1 but they are imported into australia via *one* importer only.
    There fore there is no bargaining. These things retail for $1295 AUS
    which is probably $1000 US. even on the second hand market they go
    for $750 AUS.
    	How much do the go for over the pond.  How often do you have to
    replace the valves in them. Does it have a external power supply?
    Is there anything to look for when purchasing one second hand,
    is there different firmware revisions etc 
    any info would be appreciated as  I might just beg the spousal unit
    into letting me spend the bucks 8^)
    
       Now to come up with the 1500 bucks for the harmonizer.
    P.K.   (U.P  ...a fifth above 8^)

    Schwing!
    
    I hate to say this, but, I TOLD YA SO !!
    
    Okay, now that I've gotten that out of the way...  :-)
    
    Lemme answer some of your questions (dollars=US $$, cuz I don't know
    anything else):
    
    >	How much do the go for over the pond.  
    
    I just sold mine for $375, and split the shipping with the buyer.
    They're five bills even new (if ya shop around).  I've seen one go
    for $249 (I was bummed).
    
    >How often do you have to replace the valves in them. 
    
    I replaced mine once in four years.  FWIW - The tubes were okay, cuz 
    I used 'em in a marshall that I also had afterward, and never had any
    trouble.  I have no earthly idea why I retoobed...I'm like that. :-)
    I think I paid $12 for a set of "matched" Audio Glassic "premium"
    toobs 12AX7's.  I will say that decent toobs make a big diff in the
    Mp1 (noise wise).
    
    >Does it have a external power supply?
    
    Negative - it's internal.  I hate wall bugs...But, such is life, you
    ought to see my studio with all the bloody wall bugs (right Greg?).
    
    >Is there anything to look for when purchasing one second hand, 
    
    Noise.  Some are noisier than others...This is a big complaint about
    the Mp1 - the noise level.  FWIW - A $40 gate in the FX loop will take
    care of that.  I used a Hush IICX (stereo gate, but used mono).
    
    Look for the obvious - make sure all the switches work, and get it nice
    and hot by playing thru it for an hour, looking for thermal failures.
    Oh, and it doesn't get that hot, so look for excessive heat.
    
    >is there different firmware revisions etc 
    
    Yep - 1.02 is the original version.  2.01 is the latest...Don't let the
    revision numbers fool ya - I beleive these are the only two.  The
    differences are a bunch of presets, and "MIDI librarian" (Bulk Dump)
    feature.  No biggie.  Greg will back me upu here I think - ADA will 
    take your unit and ECO it, including new tubes, the latest software and 
    a complete checkup for like $60.  It's worth it.  The ECO, btw, is a
    shielded wiring harness thats supposed to help with the noise problem.
    
    The ADA is a great unit.  I'd recommend it to anyone on a limited
    budget, who has the illness (MRP/GTS).  However, I will caution
    you - The ADA is not for everyone (as is completely documented in this
    conference.  :-)   Also - The Mp1 has been around...Marshall has what 
    I'd call an Mp1 "plus" - it's a great sounding unit.  Perhaps you
    should try one?  It may be less expensive!  It's appropriately named 
    the "JMP-1"  see the similarity ??  It sounds that way also.
    
    Damn dood - I wished I'd have known..  I would have loved to "keep it
    in the family".
    
    jc

>    ought to see my studio with all the bloody wall bugs (right Greg?).
    
    Donno man, I don't think I've ever seen it with the stuff in there all
    hooked up.  I didn't notice any wallbugs when I was over there last
    week (but didn't see any power cords or effects either).
    
    
>    Greg will back me upu here I think - ADA will 
>    take your unit and ECO it, including new tubes, the latest software and 
>    a complete checkup for like $60.  It's worth it.  The ECO, btw, is a
>    shielded wiring harness thats supposed to help with the noise problem.
    
    More like $40 or so if you send it directly to them.  Cost me quite a
    bit more 'cause the lame store I took it too (an "authorized ADA
    dealer") charged me some extra fee to keep it for something like 3-4
    extra weeks around when they sent it to ADA.  ADA was actually very
    quick about getting it done.  I bet it'd be a pain to ship it to 'em
    from Australia though...
    
    I really didn't notice much difference in mine for what they did.  The
    new tubes helped restore a little of the high end that was getting
    mushy before, but it was still noisy and didn't have good tone.
    
    The Mp-1 makes *one* and only one good sound, as far as I'm concerned. 
    There's a smokin compressed high gain lead sound that's real good. 
    Unfortunately, the other sounds it made were pretty much lame as far as
    I was concerned.  I supposed if I absolutely couldn't live without the
    versatility, I might have considered keeping it, but I'd rather have
    less versatility and more tone.  
    
    Greg

    >Donno man, I don't think I've ever seen it with the stuff in there all
    >hooked up.  I didn't notice any wallbugs when I was over there last
    >week (but didn't see any power cords or effects either).
    
    Well - I was talkign studios in general - ya know, like I've got like
    *5* wall bugs!!  Ick!!
    
    jc
    

    Wall bugs suck, in general.
    
    Greg (who's got a few in his secondary rack...)

    Agreed!
    
    Bleck.

    Quick question
    	How is the ada controlled.....could I use a Boss fc-50 foot
    controller to controll it?
    P.K.
    

    MIDI is MIDI...Ergo, sure you can!!
    
    jc

    RE ADA AND QUAD
    	I went and played one at a store. I went into the ADA -> Quad 
    and played around for a while. I didn't really have time to
    get it happening and the ADA they had was playing up. The up
    and down arrows weren't working properly(is this a bad sign)
    so I might hire one for a weekend and give it a try.
    
    	Coop ...they also had a Triaxis in there....did not get
    a chance to play thru it ( couldn't afford it anyway) but it
    sure looks the part
    P.K.

    The guitarist in my old band uses an MP-1 based rig and I think his
    tones are fantastic.  

    >                    -< must be in the programming >-
    
    Ding!  Correct answer!!
    :-)
    
    Up and down arrows ??  Like to change patches??  Thas not what they are
    for mon!!  The up and down arrows are for selecting banks, not
    patches!!  But, FWIW, thats quit e a common misconception of the
    function.
    
    Man - bring your pal with ya - I bet he knows the ADA in person better
    than I know it around the world.  :-)
    
    jc

    RE .205
    
    I just gotta say it, even if it costs me being able to note here.
    
    
    
    secondary rack, wow!  I'm still thinking about a primary :-)
    
    Joe

    C'mon Joe, even JoJo has gone for the rack and roll sound  8^)  8^)
    
    						Pablo P.

>    >                    -< must be in the programming >-
>    
>    Ding!  Correct answer!!
    
    BUZZZZZT!  Not!
    
    How can you call adjusting 6 simple parameters "programming"?  The
    issue is the basic voicing of the thing.  If you like it's voice,
    you'll like it.  If you don't, you won't.
    
    I "programmed" the gain and tone controls on my Marshall...riiiiight.
    
    FWIW, it records better then it works live.  And it'll be fine there as
    long as nothing else is in it's frequency range.  Add another guitar
    and it vanishes unless you have the volume to the sky.  
    
    gh

>>    >                    -< must be in the programming >-
>>    
>>    Ding!  Correct answer!!
    
   > BUZZZZZT!  Not!
    
    Agreed!
    
    
    >How can you call adjusting 6 simple parameters "programming"?  The
    >issue is the basic voicing of the thing.  If you like it's voice,
    >you'll like it.  If you don't, you won't.
    >
    >I "programmed" the gain and tone controls on my Marshall...riiiiight.
    
    Exactly.  Like the ADA unit has different controls than any other
    piece of gear on the market (I mean, even peavey amps have active
    + - 15db eq controls plus dual gain stages!).
    
    
    >FWIW, it records better then it works live.  And it'll be fine there as
    >long as nothing else is in it's frequency range.  Add another guitar
    >and it vanishes unless you have the volume to the sky.  
    
    I totally agree.  I did a lot of recording with mine, and it really
    shined in the studio, becuase it was so compressed, it 'fit' right
    into a finely tuned mix.  This unit also worked well when I did my
    stint in DEZYNE (synth-dance band), cuz everything was so controlled.
    
    It washed out in Peasant Kings.  Con's strat thru a 100wt tube amp
    slayed my tone into oblivion!  It got much better after that setup
    was gone and I was using tube/hybrid amps again...

    Eye-yi-yi...
    
    It's not that ADA's have much more controls than any other amp,
    but the relationship between gain1, gain2, and master are imperative.
    With 20+ combinations for each control, it can get a little picky.
    
    But, Gregs right, either you love it, or you don't.
    
    
    

    
    Well I finally broke down and bought one.  The bummer is that I 
    am in another state on a training course (a state of confusion 8^)...)
    and wont get to play with it till the weekend....8^(.
    	It cost me a bloody fortune ...but I looked at everything else
    and could not find anything better/suitable.  The most I hope
    for is that it will work well for me in my current setup and I 
    can get 12months before GTS strikes again.
    
    I am now a fully fledged midi rake puke.
    
    
    Oh yeaH ...the spousal unit has been fantastic about this........
    what a woman.
    P.K.

    question for coop or other ada/ex ada owners
    
    	How does this effects loop send/return volume control work?
    You don't have individual control and they are ganged together.
    
    How do you set up send return levels?
    
    
    This thing must be line level output...it's pretty hot compared to
    my old Quadraverb, either that or its the red box.
    P.K.
    

    Yo PK!
    
    The pot on the back of the Mp1 is just a send level.  Return level is
    adjusted at the effects box...
    
    You know about the little switch inside the Mp1 that sets
    line/instrument level right?  There is a little hole in the
    middle of the top panel with a little slide-switch inside...
    
    jc (Who liked it HOT!)

>    This thing must be line level output...it's pretty hot compared to
>    my old Quadraverb, either that or its the red box.
    
    It better be a line level output, it's going to be feeding a power amp!
    As Coop mentioned, if you want an instrument level output, you can flip
    that switch through the hole (making your expensive preamp into an
    expensive distortion effect, with no bypass option).
                                                        
    BTW, I used mine at instrument level into another amp for awhile and it
    sounded like crap.  Really awful.  Seriously, a $40 stomp box
    distortion sounded better...  Running it at line level into a power amp
    was *much* better.
    
    Greg

    re -1 -2
    thanks
    
    
    	I thought the effects level knob thingy was more than just send
    level?  I did not know about the swith for line/mic level but...
    this thing is still way hot.... must be the red box.
    P.K.

Red boxes have a very hot output if you put them in-line between the power amp
and the speakers, very very hot, when we recorded last I couldn't pad the darn 
thing down far enough and had to (gasp) turn the amp down...

dbii

    I'm looking for a phone number for ADA. The address is in here
    someplace, but no phone number.
    I was hoping to get a schematic of the MP-1 & maybe some specs,so I can 
    look them over & decide if I want to get one.
    Does anyone out there know a phone number for ADA ?
    
    Paul
    

    FWIW:
    I spoke with a service tech (read: "marketing flunkie") at ADA the
    other day, & basically I came away with a lousy feeling about the
    company's desire to support customers. Neither of the people I spoke
    with would provide me with any useful technical information about the
    thing. They were much more interested in trying to impress me with names 
    of highly visible users/endorsers of the product, & hence, if *they* use 
    the MP-1, why *wouldn't* I want one.
    
    Would I use it if they gave me one for free ? Yes.
    Would even allow them to publish pictures of me using it ? Yes. 
    Would I trade a Boogie Tri-Axis for an MP-1 ? I don't *think* so.
    
    This whole product endorsement business does nothing for me. What I was 
    really looking for was a service department that stands behind its 
    products. Nowadays, I guess that's just too much to ask.
    
    Paul
      

    FWIW - I always dealt with Eric at ADA, and he was always very helpful
    to me...  Nice guy!
    
    FWIW - I wouldn't trade my TriAxis for an ADA either...But you could
    buy FOUR Mp1's for what a TriAxis costs...
    jc

    RE -1:
    The guy I talked to at ADA was the one who mentioned how "harsh" &
    "bright" the TriAxis sounds compared to the "warm" & "fat" MP-1. 
    
    I also mentioned the H&K Access, but neither of us had actually heard
    it. It's a lot more $$$ too.
    
    I'll try again sometime to get Eric instead, but I'm now leaning toward
    the TriAxis ... again, partly because of the noise I heard in the MP-1
    & partly because I couldn't get a straight answer or documentation from
    them.
    
    How did people survive *before* preamps ??
    
    Paul
     

>    I spoke with a service tech (read: "marketing flunkie") at ADA the
>    other day, & basically I came away with a lousy feeling about the
>    company's desire to support customers. 
    
    Donno who you talked to, but it doesn't sound like one of the real
    service techs.  One thing that impressed me about ADA was the time I
    had my MP-1 in for service.  The tech called me up (on two seperate
    days) to discuss the problems I'd been having with the unit and to let
    me know when he was shipping it.  He seemed knowledgable and
    contiencious.
    
    Unfortunately, that was one of the few things about the Mp-1 that did
    impress me.  To me it basically had one good sound (a singing mega
    compressed distortion that gave tons of sustain) and all the other
    sounds were pretty mediocre.  Plus the thing is extremely noisy (all
    that compression don't come cheap).
    
>    This whole product endorsement business does nothing for me. 
    
    I agree completely!
    
>    What I was 
>    really looking for was a service department that stands behind its 
>    products. Nowadays, I guess that's just too much to ask.
    
    Actually, my experience would say that when you really send something
    in for service, ADA does a very good job.
    
>    The guy I talked to at ADA was the one who mentioned how "harsh" &
>    "bright" the TriAxis sounds compared to the "warm" & "fat" MP-1. 
    
    What planet was he from?  I always thought the Mp-1 was bright.  You
    couldn't dial in enough bass to make it sound either "warm" or "fat". 
    
>              -< When you care enough to send the very best ... >-
    
    Triaxis: When you care enough to spend the very best...
    
    gh
                                                                          

    RE -1:
    Actually, some manufacturers do (or used to) care about supporting
    customers in the field, & it's not always obvious which ones.
    
    I just don't fit into the usual "customer survey" "multiple choice"
    type mentality very often, so unless they're serious about product
    support, they usually tip their hand fairly early in the conversation.
    
    I *hate* to "send it in so we can look at it". This takes time, costs
    money, increases down time, & risks never getting the thing back in one
    piece if at all. Most of these outfits are on the West Coast, which is
    not at all convenient for a Mass resident. Basically, if I can't hand
    carry the thing in person, I have little use for service departments. 
    
    Most of the time I can maintain, service & upgrade the units myself, &
    I'd usually prefer to do it that way. Unfortunately, there's no
    convenient "box to check" for this process, so they go scurrying off in
    a blaze of burreaucracy & phony red tape instead of providing useful
    information. 
    
    RE noise:
    I've heard a lot of good things as well as bad things about the MP-1,
    so I've been listening to them at every opportunity. So far I've yet to
    find one that's what I'd call "quiet", & that would probably be bad
    news in a direct recording situation. ADA claims that new tubes make a
    big improvement, but the brand new MP-1's I've heard are noisey (to me)
    too. I can't even get them to tell me what the noise spec. is on the
    thing. That info *can't* be "proprietary", sheesh !
    
    Paul
    
    
        

    Mp1's are noizy.  Thats the way they are.  :-)
    
    TriAxis's rule, but they ain't cheap.  thats the way they are.
    
    FWIW - To quote Guitar Player Mag:
    
    "The Marshall JMP-1 sounds like a desert sand storm next to the
     TriAxis."
    
    I think the JMP-1 is a great preamp, so I wonder what they'd say about
    the Mp1.
    
    IMHO, The Mp1 was a *major* ground breaker 5 years ago...  It served me
    well, and still serves others...  The TriAxis is just a major step up
    from the (benchmark) Mp1.  The Jmp-1 is in the middle someplace.
    FWIW - I *really* like the Jmp-1!!  It RIPS!
    
    jc

>    RE noise:
>    I've heard a lot of good things as well as bad things about the MP-1,
>    so I've been listening to them at every opportunity. So far I've yet to
>    find one that's what I'd call "quiet", & that would probably be bad
>    news in a direct recording situation. ADA claims that new tubes make a
>    big improvement, but the brand new MP-1's I've heard are noisey (to me)
>    too. I can't even get them to tell me what the noise spec. is on the
>    thing. That info *can't* be "proprietary", sheesh !
    
    The only one I've heard that was quiet was running into a noise gate...
    
    The new tubes thing doesn't fly with me either 'cause mine was noisy:
    
    1) when I got it (used, about 2 months old) 
    2) after I changed the tubes a few months later (new Mesa tubes)
    3) after ADA changed the tubes, tweeked it, ECOed it (SW/HW) and
       everything about a year or so after that
    
    gh

    
    
      C'mon - Coop wants somebody in notes to trade T-A patches with.
    
      ...I am stuck making my own patches in ACCESS land. The only Tri-Axis
    I've ever heard has been Patrucci's (Dream Theater's guitarist for
    those not in the know) and I was impressed. Not enough to trade in the 
    H&K ACCESS though (No slam intended).
    
    								-B{}{}M-

    Thats right dammit (Gumby!)...
    
    :-)

    RE .230:
    Item #3 on the list is what gives me the "heebies" about this thing.
    Even after the "pros" reworked it, it's noisey. It may be fine for many
    applications, & noise gates can extend the usefulness of such stuff,
    but it's probably not quiet enough for my discerning (spoiled) ears.
    
    Is the JMP-1 a MIDI device or just a (multi-channel) preamp ?
    
    My own personal (emotional) bias favors the Mesa Boogie stuff so
    strongly that I really want to try to keep an open mind about these
    things. At the rate this comparison shopping is going, I'll be trading
    "T-A" patches with Coop before the frost is on the pumpkin. 
    
    What's the most reliable antidote for acute attacks of GTS ??
    
    Paul 

    >What's the most reliable antidote for acute attacks of GTS ??
    
    Having your Master Card cancelled.
    
    Next best antidote is death  8^)  8^)
    
    							Brian

    RE -1:
    Then I must have a terminal case. I have no Master Card, & I'm too
    young to die !
    
    My symptoms seem somewhat different from the "classic" case. I'm really
    looking to have one nice setup that is suitable for both live &
    recording. It doesn't have to be all that complex; it just has to be
    able to get the sounds I want with minimal twiddling & do so in a
    variety of different "room environments". I don't really want a lot of
    "toys". I still have periodic bouts of MIDI pedal phobia, which I
    imagine will go away entirely as soon as I find a foot controller that
    does everything I want.
    
    I also have some chronic symptoms left over from a lifelong addiction to 
    tube amps, but I think that's under control now, because I'll only by them 
    if they're real cheap.
    
    I've been reasinably immune to "Guitar Collector's Syndrome" also,
    which I attribute partly to the fact that I'm quite happy with my main
    axe ('74 Les Paul Custom). However, this indicates to me that I may not
    be happy with anything less than a Tri-Axis, but once I have one (or
    something like one) that'll be the only one I'll need for a long time.
    
    Is there *anyone* out there that has *one* setup that they're ('90's
    politically correct grammar) really happy with & hence little or no
    desire to accumulate gadgets ?
    
    Paul  

    >What's the most reliable antidote for acute attacks of GTS ??
    
    Marriage.

     >What's the most reliable antidote for acute attacks of GTS ??
    
     >>   Marriage.
    
    Marriage doesn't cure GTS, it just forces the GTS infected spouse to
    become devious.  Before marriage, all ya had to do was convince yerself
    that you needed the new toy...that was EASY!  Post marriage, ya gotta
    convince 2 people; and only one of them (usually) has GTS!
    
    sd
        

re: <<< Note 405.236 by KDX200::COOPER "Testing my new personal name" >>>

>    >What's the most reliable antidote for acute attacks of GTS ??
>    
>    Marriage.

Hah!  It sure didn't stop Coop!

re: .237

You're right, Steve.  It's *definitely* harder to convince two people than
it is to convince just yourself! :-)

-Hal

    RE last 3:
    Forget it. My wife plays guitar too, & we record together ! She doesn't
    seem to have GTS, but I'm sure it's too easy to get a musician/spouse
    to cooperate for me to use that as a means of control.
    
    I usually try to stick to stuff "we both can use".
    
    Actually, there really is a cure, but I'm saving it for my forthcoming
    book: "How to make sure you get what you need so that eventually you can 
    afford what you want" 
    
    Paul
    

>    My symptoms seem somewhat different from the "classic" case. I'm really
>    looking to have one nice setup that is suitable for...
    .
    .
    .
> I still have periodic bouts of MIDI pedal phobia, which I
>    imagine will go away entirely as soon as I find a foot controller that
>    does everything I want.
    .
    .
    .
>  this indicates to me that I may not
>    be happy with anything less than a Tri-Axis, but once I have one (or
>    something like one) that'll be the only one I'll need for a long time.
    
    Dude, you have a *CLASSIC* case of GTS!!!!  These are the same symptoms
    almost everyone has!  It's the "If I *just* had..." scene.
    
>    Is there *anyone* out there that has *one* setup that they're ('90's
>    politically correct grammar) really happy with & hence little or no
>    desire to accumulate gadgets ?
    
    I had GTS really bad for a long time (no, marriage didn't cure it), and
    the thing that finally got me happy was 1) a Gibson Les Paul and 2) a
    Marshall JCM900 Dual Reverb half stack.  I haven't bought any more
    guitar toys since I got these two things.  It's the sound I really like
    and all that other stuff that I had before didn't cut it.  Sure, a lot
    of the stuff I had before was more *flexable* in tones, but it didn't
    make the few sounds that I *really* liked as well as this.  I can live
    with less flexability if what I'm playing makes the sounds that I use
    most really well, and this is it for me.  Been two years...
    
    Cure for GTS?  An even worse case of STS (studio toy syndrome)!!!  If
    there's anything that's a worse affliction, this is it.  It's way more
    expensive, and there are constant needs.  Leaves about no money for
    guitar toys.

    Greg

    I'm familiar with the higher cost of STS. I think that unless you're
    really into recording big time, you'll never catch up with all the latest
    developments here. I just want to be able to get a copy of ideas before
    they get away. So far it's been happening with a relatively modest
    budget.
                                        
    I think I can hold out at least until digital multitrack recording on
    CD media is "affordable". (It's almost there, just not "affordable".) 
    
    You may be right about the GTS business. I don't believe I need 8,000
    different sounds, just a couple of the right (for me) ones. I'm still
    at the stage where MIDI controllers seem like overkill, though when
    they're used correctly, you can switch a lot of stuff at once which is
    nice.
    
    Part of the problem is that I'm often working with other people's
    equipment, so I'm itching to get a good preamp. Part of the problem is
    that I have a full time job, so it always seems like I can afford it.
    Now *that's* scary.
    
    Paul (Who might have GTS & be in denial)
     

    and there's always MTS......
    
    it never ends.
    
    8^)

Face it Paul - this is TOTAL GTS.  Denial is one of the classic first symptoms!

:')   Geoff

    Luckily, I was never a "car nut", & I've never owned a motorcycle. I'm
    strictly a "functionality" kind of guy. I did go through a brief period
    of CTS (computer toy syndrome) though, that was mostly cured when
    everyone switched to Windows & memory prices went through the roof.
    
    Actually, just about any of these (& many more) things can become "life
    threatening" hobbies if you let them. You have to have a plan & a lot
    of discipline. Nowadays, there are so many options that you have to
    choose wisely because you can't possibly "have it all".
    
    The lucky ones are the ones that can manage to sell off their old stuff
    for 50% of what they paid for it (when it was *the* item to have)
    before they spend even more on the next one, (which they eventually
    will) rather than accumulate a "collection". "Vintage guitar syndrome"
    must be an expensive habit !
    
    Paul (who's regularly amazed at how many music stores stay in business) 

    The real problem, as I see it, is that most of us don't have the
    opportunity to try things out well enough before we have to buy them. 
    A 15 minute (for even 2 hour) test drive of a complex midi controllable
    preamp in a noisy music store simply doesn't give you a real feel for
    how well it's actually going to work for you.  
    
    So you drop yer two grand for that nifty new {pick the expensive preamp
    of your choice}.  What happens when you find that after a month of
    playing with it in the context of your band (or your recording, your
    kitchen, whatever...), tweekin, programmin, messin around, that it
    isn't you?  Well, you just lost about a thousand bucks and quite a bit 
    of time hunting up someone to buy it.  Tough breaks...
    
    I thought the flexability the Mp-1 offered would allow it to do
    anything for me.  But when it actually came down to it, I really only
    used about 4 sounds outta the thing (and had a few patch numbers that
    were dups with just volume differences).  And out of those 4 sounds, I
    wasn't completely happy with 3 of 'em.  Fortunately for me, I bought it
    used and was able to sell it after I found it wasn't going to work out
    for me (even after a year) for close to what I paid for it and didn't
    lose all that much money.  But what if a good deal on a used one hadn't
    been available?  What if it had been a H&K Access or TriAxis?  Those
    cost far more and are hard to find used...  I've also found that the
    more expensive something is, the harder it is to find buyers for it
    when you decide to sell it off too.
    
    What's the answer?  Not sure I have one.  It'd be really nice to have
    some place that would rent you the gear for a reasonable price, long
    enough for you to actually use it and tell how it's gonna work, but
    I've never seen anyone that did stuff like that.  I guess you could buy
    it from a mailorder place like Musician's Friend, who offers a 30 day
    unconditional money back guarantee (use it for a couple of weeks, if
    you don't like it, send it back).  Anyone got any better ideas?
    
    Greg

The rental approach is a good one if you're lucky enough to be near a
big store like E.U. Wurlitzer in Boston.  You can rent an MP-1, as well
as a bunch of other gear, at rates that will pinch but not hurt if you
have already done your homework.

Case in point, my story of buying a Quadraverb GT on Saturday, returning
it on Monday and paying $20 for a weekend rental.  I was lucky since I
hadn't set it up in advance, but it could certainly be negotiated.

You can always try negotiating either a buy now - bail out as a rental 
deal or a rent now - buy later and apply the rent to the purchase price
deal.

Yes, it would be cool if I could rent a dream rack for $20/month, but
it would be cooler if I could fly, and I can't do that either :')  Given
my experience with the QV, I will seriously consider the rental route
before any major purchases in future....

    Re -1:
    I agree. That's definitely part of the problem. It's one of the things
    that makes the lack of documentation/support such a big deal. Not only
    can you not hear these things in anything remotely resembling a "real"
    playing situation, but they won't even tell you how they work, so if
    you're some kind of electronics whiz (like me ;-) you can imagine what
    to expect. This is what infuriated me so much about the ADA MP-1 in the
    first place. This whole industry is based on GTS !
    
    The old saying "You get what you pay for." is completely useless. I've
    found price to be only occasionally correlated to "value". 
    
    Seeing your favorite "big name" performer use a gadget is almost never
    of any use either. The environment is usually quite different; they
    tend to use the "toy in question" amidst an array of other expensive
    gear; & half the time they "customize" their own stuff so that even if
    you went out & bought all the same stuff, you'd never get the same
    sounds (assuming you or I could *play* like that).
    
    Paul 

    re: .246
    
    That's the first place I've ever seen that would rent you a guitar
    preamp.  Pretty easy to get PA gear (and many effects units would fall
    into that general category), but the availability of amps and stuff
    like that is sparse.  You can sometimes rent something if you're
    desperate enough to use whatever junk they have laying around ("Here,
    have this 20 year old Peavey MACE, dude") to getcha through a gig or
    something, but I don't think I've ever seen anyplace around here that
    would rent you a new amp of your choice (unless you were friends with
    the owner or sales people).
    
    I've tried to work deals where I can return the item in a few days, but
    have gotten a *lot* of resistance, and sometimes you get the "we can't
    give you cash back, just store credit" line.  That's fine if they have
    a whole bunch of stuff you might want and you're dying to spend at
    least as much as whatever you're trying out costs, but if that's not
    the case then you could be in trouble.
    
    Greg
        

    Greg, maybe it's because of your area.  I've rented preamps locally,
    usually for a weekend, without problems.

    Anyone have it this bad?:
    
    - MTS, presently trying to restore a wrecked Yamaha FZR750
    - GTS, wanting a Boogie Simul 2:90 REAL bad...Wanting an
      LXP-15 REAL bad...
    - STS, wanting a a zillion patch cords, bays, and another LXP.
      Plus construction finishing -yike!
    - CTS, trying to restore an old mustang
    
    See, it's NOT just guitars and rigs...It's an addictive "i wanna have
    it NICE!" syndrome.  Look at the big picture - what ELSE do you like to 
    do?  
    
    jc

    Every time I think about how much time (as a percentage of my life !) I
    spend in my car, I start to rationalize having a better one with more
    features. Basically, I hate cars, so I haven't fallen into this trap ......
    yet.
    
    I guess this GTS affliction has its roots in some kind of ego trip, or
    maybe insecurity about one's ability to play. 
    
    I think it was some guy named J. Cooper (of all people) who said in one
    of these notes that he didn't feel that he was ever going to improve
    much more playing-wise. This implys to me that he's happy (content)
    with the way he plays now, which is hardly a likely candidate for GTS.
    Maybe what you "play" like & what you "sound" like are much more
    separate than it seems at first.
    
    I've overheard myself saying, "If I had a better 'sound', I'd be able
    to play stuff that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise." This might be
    a rationalization.
     
    BTW, I've also overheard myself saying, "Now that I have a guitar, I
    should probably learn how to play the f@*&ing thing".
    
    Maybe we should start a separate note just for the causes & cures of
    GTS.
    
    RE a few back:
    Don't forget, if we start a "Help ol' Paul git his sound together"
    note, I'd want to start where I left off with the "Help...Geoff..." note,
    which was a high powered stereo MIDI monstrosity !
    
    RE Coop:
    > Anyone have it this bad?
    I have considered home remodeling & rewiring for a comfortable
    rehearsal/recording studio area, but that's going to have to wait 'til
    my next house !
    
    Paul 

    {yawn}

    Hmmm....   Lesse, I expected that reply from Greg.  :-)
    
    I bet the MP-2 has less noise, a stereo FX loop, inputs front
    and rear, anna prodigious price tag.  Right??
    
    ADA should PAY me!!
    :-)

    Re: {yawn!}
    
    ...and Steve Vai endorses it!

      -- Too bad for ADA , Coop couldn't wait for an MP-2. Anyway, no
    matter what it costs or what it does, it's not going to compete
    with a Tri-Axis. 
      -- Of course I'm not in the market for another preamp either 
    (far from it), but if ADA can repeat the success it had with
    the MP-1, it should do well.
    
    							-B{}{}M-

    >>                  -< the MP-2 has just been released >-
    
    
    Damn -- where'd I put that can of OFF??

    <Smirk!>

    Well, I think there will soon be MRPs moaning about how the MP-1
    sounded better than the MP-2, etc.
    
    						Root Hog

   Retro MRPs?  :-)

   -- Sam

    Vintage MIDI Pre Amps??  Mp1 ReIssues??
    Wgagagagagaga...
    

>    >>                  -< the MP-2 has just been released >-
    
    Kinda like what happened at Jurassic Park, huh?
 
    re: Mp-1
    
    Now what we'll find is the prices on used Mp-1s will drop out the floor
    (where they probably should have been before).  I predict that you'll
    be seeing used Mp-1s selling in the $150-$200 range within a year.
    
    re: Buck
       
>    Damn -- where'd I put that can of OFF??
    
    Twice the mosquito tone, and only a few dollars more!!
    
    Greg
                                                                      

>    Kinda like what happened at Jurassic Park, huh?
    
    Clones of ancient beasts running wild and eating your tone!

    ...something went ary and they went wild, killing, maiming, and
    frightening!
    

You guys kill me. Two of the biggest MP-1 advocates (now gone on to other, 
possibly better things) are now putting down an upgraded preamp sound unheard...


according to a post on usenet this new model has some significant enhancements

I'll keep my ears open until I hear one

dbii

    >>are now putting down an upgraded preamp sound unheard...
    
    Kinda like my favorite evening drive DJ's... the nationally syndicated
    "Don 'n Mike" show.  One of their many spoofs (their entire show is a
    tongue in cheek satire of anybody and anything) is to rate the new
    movies they 'haven't' seen....these guys crack me up!
    
    8^)

    If I know ADA, the Mp2 will rool.  They ain't stoopid; I'm sure
    they identified any and all short-comings of the Mp1 and released
    a cohesive follow-on to the most popular midi controlled preamp of
    all time!!
    
    jc

re: dbII
    
>    You guys kill me. Two of the biggest MP-1 advocates (now gone on to other, 
>possibly better things) are now putting down an upgraded preamp sound unheard...

    If you mean me, I don't think the term "biggest Mp-1 advocate" applies. 
    I used mine for about a year and had *constant* problems with it.  It
    was an incredibly frustrating time for me, tone-wise.  Triggered a
    major tone quest!  I kept thinking "hey if all these people like this
    thing, why can't I get it to work for me?" when I should have been
    thinking "This thing doesn't suit my style, I've gotta get rid of it
    and get something that does!"  I challenge you to find a note where I
    had much praise for the thing (and no, I've never deleted any of my old
    notes).
                     
    I'll keep my pocketbook closed, thanks...
    
    Greg
                                             

actually I had in mind Buck and Coop, back when Buck first got his it "rooled".
Of course he later re-canted and it "drooled".

:-)

dbii

      
    
     Buck is a Peavey endorsee! He's had the 5150 for over a year!
    
       The MP-2 ad even mentions - "no mosquito tone!". Has somebody
    at ADA been reading VAXnotes?
    
    							-B{}{}M-

>       The MP-2 ad even mentions - "no mosquito tone!". Has somebody
>    at ADA been reading VAXnotes?
    
    No way!?!  Really?
    
    re: dbII
    
    Actually, Coop still like's the Mp-1, just not as much as it's more
    expensive successor...
    
    gh<

    RE: dbII
    
    I thought the Mp-1 rooled until my band moved into a reh. studio with
    a dozen guitarist who used REAL toob amps.  Then I sadly realized my
    $4K rack drooled in comparison!  ;'(
    

    RE: who used REAL toob amps....
    
    I was at an outdoor jam yesterday and I got to air out my boys (LP and
    Strat) thru a Silver Faced Fender Twin that had been modified to pre
    CBS specs;  what tone, what volume......there's no substitute for Tubes
    
    sigh
    
    8^)

    RE: Mp1's - Greg's right - For the ultimate heavy metal death tone at
    a reasonable price, the Mp1 is where it's at, IMHO.  It also does
    a wonderful clean and compressed sound... It's the tones in between
    that are it's downfall.
    
    And toobs I got...  I'm in the process of hooking up with a Boogie
    Strategy 500 power amp for my rig - Rumor has it that this particular
    amp belonged to Vernon Reid.  200 watts_per_channel of SCREAMIN' 
    molten glass.  (8) 6l6's and (4) 6550's.  Yike!!  Tie down the children
    Martha!!
    
    Fortunately for my ears it has a 1/2 drive jobbie that may tame it
    enough to be near in anyplace less than Big Mac...  :-)  This thing is
    the gnadz -  channel switching, presence and volume for each amp 
    channel (4), and three switchable voicings (that my TriAxis would love
    to talk to) .  Those being "vintage", "modern" and "deep extend".
    
    Yee fackin' haw!
    
    Comes with an extra set O tubes and a 1/2 off direct-from-boogie toob
    card too.  (Whew).... with All for the price of lesser models of Boog-age.
    
    jc (I feel the need... The need for LEAD!)

>    RE: Mp1's - Greg's right - For the ultimate heavy metal death tone at
>    a reasonable price, the Mp1 is where it's at, IMHO.  It also does
>    a wonderful clean and compressed sound... It's the tones in between
>    that are it's downfall.
    
    That's actually a good synopsis of the thing.  I liked it's singing
    lead tone, which more or less doubled as it's compressed
    mega-distortion rhythm sound.  The clean sound was ok, but I don't like
    things that crystal clean.
    
>    jc (I feel the need... The need for LEAD!)
    
    Lead?  Gonna make some fishing sinkers?
    
    gh
      

    
    
      
      GTS alert - Cooper's chronic! .... anyday now!
    
     					-(one to talk) B{}{}M-

    Re: MP1's one good sound
    
    I'd need about 2 more full-time jobs if I was going to buy a unit for
    each good sound I want.

    Just buy a TriAxis...  I'm TELLING ya!!
    
    jc

>    Just buy a TriAxis...  I'm TELLING ya!!
    
    Yeah, but you raved on and on about the Mp-1...

    Yabbut, that was ions ago...  :-)  Things change!!
    
    I still say the Mp-2 would RULE!!
    
    jc

    The Mp-2 is advertised on the back cover of the new issue of Guitar
    Player (got mine in the mail yesterday, guess they don't care that my
    subscription ran out already).  It actually looks kind of interesting,
    but I'm sure the price is out the sky.
    
    Something like 10 voices to choose from, 9band graphic EQ, tone,
    compression (as a seperate settable parameter), chorus, nameable
    patchs...  Some other stuff I can't remember too, I didn't look at it
    all that long.
    
    Greg

    
    
         Anybody heard the new beast yet(Mp-2)? I'm in the market for a
    Mp-1, but if the new version is that much better I'll wait! Just
    gotta have that thrash tone!!
    
    
                                    Jeffy

    Jeffy LIKES that sound.  The Mp1 is for him!!  Maybe the Mp2 is for 
    all of us...  Who knows?
    jc

>         Anybody heard the new beast yet(Mp-2)? I'm in the market for a
>    Mp-1, but if the new version is that much better I'll wait! Just
>    gotta have that thrash tone!!
    
    If all you want is "that thrash tone", save your money and buy the
    Mp-1.
    
    gh

    Well, I dunno if I'd be so quick to judge...  
    
    Mp1's a tad noizy...
    The Mp2's have a GATE.
    
    Mp1's had a mono FX loop
    Mp2's have a STEREO LOOP
    
    Mp1's have a limited "clean voice" - Three total
    Mp2's have a BUNCH of new voices that I can't comment on cuz
    I've yet top hear 'em.
    
    I've got my TriAxis, and I love it, but I'll be the first one in 
    line to try out the Mp2!!
    
    jc
      

>    Mp1's a tad noizy...
>    The Mp2's have a GATE.
    
    Oh gee, *there's* a great solution...
    
>    Mp1's had a mono FX loop
>    Mp2's have a STEREO LOOP
    
    What difference does it make?  You can always put your "stereo" effects
    unit between the preamp and the power amp, where it belongs anyway.  If
    it's all MIDI controlled, your patch changes from the foot controller
    can trigger both the Mp-1 and the efx unit.  Most effects units that
    don't have midi control aren't stereo anyway.
    
    New voices could be a big plus, if they're any good.  But if all you
    want is "that thrash sound", who cares how many voices the thing has,
    yer only gonna use one of 'em anyway.
    
    gh
                                         

>>    The Mp2's have a GATE.
    
>    Oh gee, *there's* a great solution...

    Yeah, sorta like adding a $30 stomp box, eh?  :-)

    -- Sam

    That's a *$40* stomp box, to you bub!

    
    
              Correction, I want "that thrash tone" and some good metal
      distorsions. I'm intrested in the Mp-1 because I'v heard that it
      does thrash very well. I still want a preamp with the vesitility
      to do a few other sounds though. I'm willing to try anything, and
      would prefer to find a unit used for under $400 if possible. Any
      suggestions(does'nt have to be the Mp-1) would be appreciated.
    
    
    
    
            P.s. A Tri-Axis would be nice but lets be realistic!
    
                              Jeffy

    Personally, I think the absolute best thrash tone I've ever heard has
    come from a Mesa Boogie.  Seems like all the guys in the big thrash
    bands use 'em.  Why not try something like a Mark III head/cab or
    combo?  Get the 5 band EQ option, it helps get that sound.
    
    If you're really set on a seperate pre/power amp, you can probably get 
    a Boogie Studio Preamp for under 4 bills.  I don't think it has MIDI,
    but it sounds good.
    
    The Mp-1 does a good enough thrash sound, but I thought most of it's
    other sounds were um...compromises (I'm being polite).  Plus it has a
    tendency to sound thin, so if you've got anything else in your band
    that competes for your guitar frequency range, you'll never be heard
    unless you make yourself obnoxiously loud.
    
    Greg
    
                                                              

    
              Well, I,m not in a band at the moment, but have jammed with
    Coop a little. Thanks for the advice! If I get a chance this weekend 
    I'll hit some music stores and check it out. What would be ideal is
    a preamp with 4 seperate chanels that can be set up for dirty or clean.
    I will be using the new preamp with a DSP-128, in the effects loop of
    a Laney Pro-Tube AOR series(that I got from coop), or can I do that.
    Do I have to have a power amp to use a pre-amp? I'm new to midi racks.
    Eventualy I would like to have a pre-power-4x12 setup, similar to
    Coops' setup. But with Christmas aruond the corner I'll have to settle 
    for just a preamp.B*(  
    
                                  Jeffy

   Yes, you do need some sort of power amp when you're using a preamp.  You
   should be able to use the power amp section of the Laney as a power amp for
   whatever preamp you end up buying.  Basically your Laney is a preamp and
   power amp "in the same box".  If it has an effects loop ("send" and
   "return" jacks, usually on the back of the amp) you can bypass it's
   built-in preamp by plugging your new preamp into the effect loop return. 
   (Confused yet? :-)  Don't worry, it gets easier.)  And no, you don't need
   a power soak.

   And if what you're really after is the "four modes of distortion" thing
   you may want to check out the Soho Acoustics QTR-1 preamp that I'm about
   to put up for sale.  It has four modes from clean to megagrunge.  It's
   basically a Kitty Hawk Quattro preamp in a different package.  (See the
   Kitty Hawk topic in here for more info.  There may be a Soho topic, too.)
   I currently have my preamp in a rack with a DSP-128+, as a matter of fact,
   and am here in the Springs also.  If you'd like to check it out, even just
   to hear what it sounds like, let me know.  Though I'll forwarn you I live
   up in Woodland Park...

   -- Sam (going back to "basics")

   Oh, as an addendum:  The Soho is not MIDI controllable, but does have a
   footswitch for selecting the operating mode.  

   -- Sam

    
    
          Cool, thanks Sam!
    I'm glad I can still use my Laney for now. If you want, just send me
    some mail to comet::Laurich with a price for the Soho. Midi isn't
    important to me, sound is though. Actually, midi seems like a big
    pain in the butt.
    
                           Jeffy

    FWIW, I liked the sound of the Quattro (Soho, basically the same thing)
    better then my Mp-1.
    
    Greg

    I want an extortion box.  You know, plug into it and the audience pays
    you to stop playing.
    
    Dave

    You saying you want an Mp-1, Dave?

I just nearly hemmoraged reading about the extrotion box...

wow that's funny!

dbii

    
    I saw the ADA MP-2 on the back of a guitar rag...looks good.
    
    Anyone played one, how much dearer than the MP-1, how may band EQ
    etc etc.
    
    P.K.
    
    (who still thinks his ADA is the best he could get going DI.)

    Oh it's *much* better then am Mp-1, they cured that pesky noise problem
    by adding an onboard noise gate (guess they never heard of cleaning up
    the sound in their circuit paths...)
    
    gh

    Okay gang, here are the results of my mini-tour of Music Stores in the
    Greater Colo.Spgs/Denver Metro area:
    
    Summary:
    
    I played the GSP21...Something.  Not impressed.  Sounds like a GSP21
    with amore whistles than I need.
    
    I played a Marshall JMP-1.  Very nice sounding unit - I knew that
    already.
    
    I played and bought an ADA Mp2.
    
    Review:
    
    Before I had purchased anything, I'd narrowed my choices to a Marshall
    JMP1 or an ADA Mp2.  I just needed to get out and compare a little.
    
    The Marshall unit has a very nice sound - Very Marshall - More so than
    the 9000 series preamps that I've either owned or played with in the
    past.  I found it lacking in MIDI control though.  SImply, the marshall 
    does patch change and mapping.
    
    Over at Natl. Speaker in Denver I found and auditioned an Mp2. 
    Everyone knows I'm a ADA biggot - I had my Mp1 for a long time
    before I finally got tired of the lack of dynamics and noise levels...
    And I think I wore the Mp1 out.  If you read back thru this topic
    you'll see vigorous discussion regarding the shortcomings of the Mp1.
    And I'd passed that along to ADA also.  Plus my ravings about the 
    fabulous metal tone...Apparently they took it to heart.
    
    The Mp2 is truely an Mp1-Plus.  In addition to the Mp1s trademarks, 
    there are these following features:
    
    - Seven new 'voices' (See attached list)
    - Impressive (and SIMPLE) full MIDI implementation (CC's for
      everything)
    - Wha-Wha circuit (addressed via MIDI, or automatic)
    - Tremolo circuit for you surfcastor types.
    - Built in compressor
    - Built in Noise Reduction
    - Two mono FX loops, with digital mixer for returns (or stereo - ya
      know)
    - Bass-Mid-Treb-Pres Controls (ala Mp1)
    - Additional 9 band Graphic EQ
    - "Room EQ knob"  (moveable Q, if you will)
    - Built in Cab Emulator (ada Micro Cab), with Balanced and Unbalanced
      out and ground lifts)
    - Patch Naming Window
    
    Voices:
    Crystal Clean (From Mp1)
    Spanky Funk
    Fat Clean
    Vintage Brown (From Mp1)
    Warm Vintage
    Dynamic Vintage
    Warm Hi Gain
    Dynamic Hi Gain 
    Ultimate Hi Gain (From Mp1)
    Fat High Gain
    
    Note that the 'from Mp1' comments mean that these voices are virtually
    identical to the original Mp1 voices.
    
    
    There's more - Every parameter (all of 'em) are assignable on a
    patch-by-patch basis to 16 MIDI Continous Controller.  You plug in
    your foot controller and move a pedal and the Mp2 tells YOU what the
    controller number is, and asks where you want to assign it.  VERY
    slick.  Also has MIDI verification and error detection/correction..
    The Mp2 will TELL you if you have your channel set wrong.  Simple
    is an understatement!
    
    There are also Global assignments (like CC #4 to Stereo Volume).
    Nifty - Very little 'zipper effect' too.  Also supports SYSEX dumping
    to CakePro.  Slick!  ADA also includes a windows-based patch editor
    upon request..Done deal. 
    
    The first thing I did after strolling thru the 39 presets was program
    in one of my old Mp1 patches - It 'does' that shred-metal-sound just
    like the Mp1.  Cool.
    
    I also changed 'voices' without zeroing the paramters - an annoying
    Mp1 trait.  Gee, 'Dynamic Hi Gain' sounds like the Mp1 with dynamics 
    too.  Feature that!!  In fact all the "dynamic' voices have dynamics.
    The browns are much smoother than before also - not so gritty sounding.
    
    One thing that ADA also did was do away with the twin OD buttons.
    Now there is one for Gain, one for Overdrive and one master.  Very
    nice.  The compressor is quiet too, with adjustable threshold, ratio 
    and gain.
    
    Overall, I'm very impressed.  ADA has done it again!

    I'm sure everyone will anxious to hear how it sounds live and if it
    cuts through the mix.  Maybe you need to update the title of this topic
    too. ;-)

>    I'm sure everyone will anxious to hear how it sounds live and if it
>    cuts through the mix. 
    
    Yeah, my Mp-1 sounded wonderful by itself, pretty much disappeared
    whenever something else played at the same time.  Of course, as I once
    told someone, even Moog Taurus pedals can cut through a mix if you turn
    'em UP enough!!
    
>     Maybe you need to update the title of this topic too. ;-)
    
    It looks fine to me...
    ;^)

    gh

    *9* different voicings that all sound like a fackin mosquito!

    Not!  There IS a mosquito preset though.  I wrote it.  :-)
    
    Don't be lookin' for me to play the Mp2, I think I'm in retirement.
    I bought this beast for the studio...
    
    jc

    
      Aw, C'mon JC - retirement from gigging? We'll see how long that
    lasts. Everytime I've tried it, I'm back out playing in four to six
    months. One of these days I might give it up, but not in the next
    year or two anyways. I think your problem is that your equipment kept
    getting heavier and heavier, I betcha even the roadies complained about
    the loaded M/B Sus-4 rack! There's a reason it has four handles!
    
      BTW Coop - wanna ADA microCab for $100 to go with the MP-2 since your
    a studio rat?
    
    								-B{}{}M-
    

    
    What is the street price for the MP-2?
    
    John

     >>What is the street price for the MP-2?
    
    depends on what street, what time of night you meet the seller, and
    whether or not the serial number is still on the unit.........
    
    >:*)                

    $705 is about the best price I found for the Mp-2.
    
    RE: BoOmEr
    
    yeah, you're probably right about my retirement...  But I'm stickin'
    to it until I get another offer.  In the mean time, I'm having a 
    ball in the studio (which has suddenly become quite busy)...
    
    RE: MicroCab
    
    No thanks, the Mp2 has that built in...  I'll give it a try tonight 
    and see how it sounds.
    
    :-)

    >    Don't be lookin' for me to play the Mp2, I think I'm in retirement.

    COOOOOP and other former or present MP-1 owners.....HEEEEEEEEELPPPP!!!!
    
    
    	I sort of feel better now 8^).
    At the gig this week, I set everything up, turn everything on, No noise
    out of the ADA, I'm not talking about white noise, I mean NO noise.
    	I checked leads,channels, guitar,etc....
    After a while I started looking into each patch, and started to check
    the voicings, bingo, anything using a tube, zip, no noise, solid state
    and everything is fine.
    	Ok, I though the valves have gone, I haven't dropped the unit.
    I arrange a loner for the gig, and next day, before I plug anything
    into it I rip the top off it, and press all the connectors, power
    it on and what do you know...the valves start to glow, plug my guitar
    in and everything works.
    
    	Anyone ever had this, ohyeah small error in the flow of things, the
    valves were glowing before I pressed any connectors back in.
    
    	are the valves 12AX7's ?
    
    P.K.
    

    Yeah the tubes in the thing are 12AX7s.  I recommend a really high
    grade one for replacements since they wring so much gain out of 'em. 
    Mesa calls their low-noise, high quality replacement an SPAX7.  About
    twice the price of a regular 12AX7, but worth it for that application,
    IMHO.
    
    I never had any trouble with my MP-1 other then something with the MIDI
    patch changes a couple of times (well..that and not liking the sound). 
    ADA was really good about fixing things, and fairly prompt (too bad the
    local store I sent it through wasn't nearly as prompt...).  If I had
    any trouble with one, I'd send it directly to them, but I realize that
    may not be too feasable since you're in Oz.
    
    Greg
    
    
    
    
    
    
                                               

    The mounting of those toobs is pretty cheezy - they probably rattled
    loose.  I second Gregs comment about replacing the toobs with decent
    ones, but I don't consider Mesa toobs to be 'decent'.    Try
    Audio Glassic 'premiums'.  They're about US$8.50, and are great (quiet,
    and lots of gain).  Also, replace them puppies every 6months-1year 
    (depending on use), and keep a spare set handy.  Oh, and be gentle with 
    those sockets!
    
    FWIW - Mp1's are very noizey enough without the aid of cheap toobs
    chiming in.  Get the good stuff.
    
    jc

    I always thought the A-G tubes weren't as good?  In any case, I'd rate
    the "normal" Mesa tubes to be just average, but the SPAX7s seem quite a
    bit better.
    
    Greg
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
    
               

    RE LAST COUPLE
    
    	Thanks, I'll try and get some when I'm in the states next week.
    
    
    P.K.

    Ya gonna come visit us in Colorado????

    	I don't Think I will have the time.  Also I don't know where
    Colorado is 8^).   I am only in  California and Las Vegas.
    
    P.K.

    Well
    	I put new tubes in my ADA about 6 weeks ago and every thing was
    going fine.....do the sound check on saturday night and no BLOODY
    drive sound AGAIN..................AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGHHHHH.
    
    	I ripped the top off it and tried to see if the valves were glowing
    and I couldn't really tell as  there was too much light in the venue,
    I pushed,proded poked and did everything except kick that sucker across
    the floor ...no change, solid state  voicing OK anything with Tubes
    ,nada.
    
    	I headed off and drove around for an hour and tried to get
    something to do the gig with, no luck. Came back plugged my guitar
    in , bow'd three times to the great midi god, and it came back...
    I got through the gig ok, but I am really worried about it, If I
    lose my guitar sound being a duo we are screwed big time, I really
    dont care if we have to blow out a pub or club, but I would hate 
    that to happen at a wedding.
    
    Any ideas
    P.K.