Just watching this almost a year later…I don’t think people appreciate how great your channel is Michael. Thanks for all of the great Mesa Boogie, Guitar Engineering, and guitar amp content.
The first-ever preamp I had was a Mesa Studio Preamp. It brings back memories of the frustration of trying to get a good tone out of that unit. I do miss the Mesa Mark sound but definitely don't miss the knob turning for hours. The IICP seems perfect for satisfying that need. Great video and killer rendition of that song! PS I would pay Leon to write another tune. It's an earworm lol
I think these synergy modules are absolutely amazing. Definitely love my Fryette UL and the my new IICP.. I’m pumping mine through the syn-1 into a PRS Archon. Lots of variety for me.
One major difference with the Studio Pre vs a IIC+ is the cathode bypass cap on the input stage isn't switchable. The IICP module (to my ears) sounds like it switches to a smaller cap in Lead mode (which reduces low end), so that's a fundamental limitation when comparing the SP and IICP. For tight high gain, the smaller bypass cap removes the bloat, giving the tone it's distinctive midrange "clank". Great video though! I'm glad to hear the IICP through a proper Mesa power amp. Sounds pretty damn good.
Yeah major différence . 15 μF does not cut anything in the guitar range . 0.47 starts around 1khz and has a 6dB cut at 82hz . Solution is Bass pot on zero and mids set low too cause their range is quite low and it alters bass a lot when bass pot is at zero . With the 0.47 you can raise them a little
Thank you for everything!! ...I’m all about the eighties glory years and such and have so very much enjoyed your content, and back catalogue, throughout the pandemic. I contest that you are the GOAT on RU-vid for guitar, and that’s saying somethin. Peace and happiness 😎👍
there are so many options when it comes to getting the mark series sound. There really isn't a need to buy a IIC+ unless you really want an original for collection purposes. Its awesome that synergy came out with this pre-amp for those that want the sound but at a more obtainable price point.
I ordered my IICP the day they were announced, I'm loving it. I don't have any experience with actual Mesa hardware, but listening to this, it sounds like the IICP does it pretty well! That gritty, grainy, grindy distortion. Ola Englund did a video on the module versus his IIC+, and he did note the graphic is a fair bit different in the module. I've been thinking of picking up the Mesa 5-band pedal, and comparing it to the module's graphic. Also, just to have it for other amps/modules.I loved your video putting it in the loop of a Marshall for those Sykes tones. Happy Thanksgiving, Michael!
It is different. Fryette mentioned Mesa uses a specific type of component which is huge, it would have never fitted on the module if they stuck to the original components.
A fine addition to the archive. For the suggestion box - get a JP-2C and spend time concentrating solely on Sykes 1987. It will blow your popsocks off.
I am absolutely biased on this, but I don't think the synergy captures the chug and honky-ness of the Mesa stuff...Both Triaxis AND Studio. I absolutely love my Triaxis. Somehow its super honky, super fat super clean and super chuggy at the same time....Its crazy.
I have a triaxis and a Synergy rig with the IICP. The Synergy can absolutely capture that clank. He doesn't have the synergy preamp quite dialed in properly here. Look at how low his treble control is. You can even hear how much more treble is in the triaxis because it's so much more squealy when he stops playing.
Always great job ..realized I hadn’t subbed and have been enjoying your stuff for quite some timed..apologies ..smart great videos u do awesome work thanks
Definately a Video for me. I never liked the rectifiers but the mark series has something quite special to me. I might have to get me a synergy system now damn.
I love the IICP…..I think it gets super close to the original…I had one for years….Brad Gillis Speak of the Devil tone in a little box….and yeah,your Vai Cab is amazing…I have a Marshall Cab from 1987 with the original V30’s…..It didn’t tour the world,but it sounds great..
the iic+ went into production in 84, long after the sotd record. If you check out his instructional video from around 85 or so, I think he still plays his mkii b simul class version. I think his memories might be a bit hazy these days 🤪🤪
That IICP sounds like my Mark2b but strangely the preamp does not. I just record with it, and you honestly end up dumping a lot of that bass. I get it back in the ir or even some post eq. However, the little eq works a lot like my amp eq.
Also, when are you gonna do the Salvation Audio demo? The Soldano- Marsh module and Custom Audio preamp look hella sick. Get me early 90s Marty Friedman Vibe on!
I absolutely love this video . I bet I've watched it ten times . I'm just waiting on a check to come in and I'm going to order a synergy system . I just don't know if im going to order the head or build a rack with a power station and two syn2'sl . I know I'm getting the vai module, the slo and the IIcp. I've not had luck with rack gear in the past but that was some time ago . When ever I play some place I usually go direct or get one mic any ways so I am kind of leaning against a stereo rack. Heads and pedals just work so much better for me but I think a rack with a power station would not be nearly the headache that the old digitech 2120 and artsgx2000 gave me in the past . I'm just not sure what I'll do yet but all your videos with the power station sounds absolutely killer . Right now I'm using a h&k black spirit 200 so I don't have to take my marshall 2204S out any more I use a kraken v4 pedal for drives with it . It would be kinda cool to see synergy put the kraken v4 in a module . For my style of playing I need a lot of different preamp tones because of covers with vering styles from floyd to avenge 7 fold . Then the stuff I write is either 80ish hard rock to prog metal so I really do need a 4 unit system.
Awesome video as always! Any chance of doing a video about solid state preamps like Tech 21 Sansamp PSA-1? Just got one myself and i absolutely love it! Using it mostly on metal stuff with a solid state poweramp into a v30 cab. Works great with IRS as well obviously.
What are you allergic to that treble knob on the IICP or something? 😜 Most important knob in shaping the tone on a Mark! (Aside from dumping the pre-bass, of course) Thanks for the comparison. To me it seems the IICP sits somewhere between the Triaxis and Studio Pre, which is perfect. I liked the IICP so much I bought another one to fill a syn-2. When your favorite amp designer (Fryette) does a take on your favorite amp sound, you gotta do what you gotta do.
@@BigHairyGuitars this is not only a tone consideration ,when set on 4 compared to say 7 you lose about 10dB of gain from around 2khz and up. That.’s a lot .The graphic is there to compensate . I was surprised to see the 2.2 khz maxed on your studio
I have profiles of the Mesa Studio and the Triaxis, and the Quad. The Triaxis and Studio came out great, I think maybe Triaxis pack is the best, and covers all of the ground of the IICP (in terms of Kemper) bighairyprofiles.com/item/bhp-trix-profile-pack
Neat little unit for its price. Triaxis/2:90 combo is still so kick ass! have you tried with the 5 band eq in the loop yet? Makes so much difference when compared to using the dynamic voice control. Well put together video dude, was just thinking about your channel the other day while going thru some really old guitar mags ✊
It sounds almost the same but a bit muddier. When the studio preamp kicks in it has like an extra overtone. When I had both the studio preamp and the triaxis side by side, even if they sound the "same" the difference in the room was very big. The studio had a bigger sound, same character, just more of everything. One felt like solid state and had midi. That was cool. The other felt like the real deal.
@@jakedibiase7404 Or you can say that the studio sounds bigger and more 3d and the other one lacks punchy bass. When you get off the brand bandwagon you will see that mesa are not particularly great amps though.
the quad preamp always nailed it for me together with the 395 poweramp, best sounding preamp up to date in my opinion but technical issues caused by its age sadly.
That was GREAT! Thanks for posting!! Overall, how are you liking the Synergy preamps vs the other preamps that you have demoed over the past couple of years?
Great content & collaboration again! I fell across a Studio a few months ago already. How does the 2:90 compare to the Wall of Sound power amp emulation for going into an IR?
I had decent success with the power amp simulation in WOS, but I can't say that I LOVE it. I find that it takes a lot of tweaking to get to a place that I'm happy with.
@@BigHairyGuitars Thank you! Sounds like it will be worth it to do some experimenting too with power sections after the preamp. I much prefer it with the WOS modeling than without and have been wondering about the real thing.
I agree on the 2:90. I had one for 10+ years (until one side stopped consistently working….even Mesa couldn’t figure out the issue 🤷🏼♂️)…..I always ran “modern switch only on” with my Soldano pre. Seems like the module has a slightly more modern type eq sound….is it thicker lows or low mids ? Of course I assume the studio is more tweakable, but it seems like the module is a good bang for the buck (gets close) to my ears…
Interesting video. I have no experience with Synergy but have been a Mesa guy since the 93' ordering my first real amp, MKIV direct from Petaluma because it was all direct sales back then - at least in Canada. I liked both but TBH, I don't really hear similarities that would lead me to believe they're similar (I only listened to the Studio pre comparison). Seemed to take a lot of arm wresting to get them similar which could be done with any number of amps.
The Mesa graphic EQ is SOOOOO touchy. Then on the IICP, take that touchiness, and shrink it down to a tiny graphic EQ. It gets really hard to fine tune tiny amounts. I actually think the IICP sounds VERY close to the Triaxis. a bit less like the Studio Pre.
I always feel that synergy has less lows, or that they are too bright. In this comparison there something different in the low mids. Of course i cant tell wich specific freq. But what i feel is that the IICP is more scoope on the mids. Its always the mids with guitars uh?
After having owned this IICP module for over a year I still haven't really explored the high gain! Once I dialed in my clean sound on like day two I didn't want to touch it. Those graphic sliders are too small for human fingers and eyeballs to dial in easily!!
I won't say the Synergy sounded bad, it often sounded more modern, but to my old ears the Studio and the Triaxis just sounded better all around. Not to use too many nonsense guitar terms, but the "flub" in the Mesa "chonk" is one of the hardest things to cop for all manner of profilers / digital amps. It cracks me up because so often you will see A/B comparisons and dudes will be playing power chords on the A string or somewhere higher up on the E string and saying "it sounds just like it" but when you do some Drop tuned or even just chug away with something that goes back and forth from muted to not muted on the E string below the 5th fret, it becomes really plain to hear like it was here.
I’ve had a studio Pre and now a Quad. I have no memory of having issues getting tight, high gain out of the Studio Pre. The Quad also has an insane amount of tight gain available. I saw you setting the lead drive to 8. That would beyond overkill on my Quad or the Studio Pre 8 had. I have crushing high gain with the first gain at 8-10 and the lead drive set to 3-4. This is with medium output Alnico hum’s in a Gibson. In the iso clips I much preferred the top end on the Studio Pre for the grainier sounds. The IICP sounded a little muffled or less “alive” maybe. What I like about my quad is it gets a much better palette of in between gain sounds than the studio Pre I had. Lot’s of good edge of breakup and full on classic rock in there. But I also run it into EL34 power, not 6L6’s like in the Mesa power amp.
@@Skoora It's possible that the settings won't match up because it re-amped, and the level might have been coming into the Studio Preamp a bit quieter than if I went straight in. I only re-amped so that I could jump back and forth between them for the video. It's part of the problem with having to video and record audio. I was actually surprised that it got this metal. I always feel that the studio preamp just has just not enough gain. Once you get the gain up, it's hard to keep it tight.
Is there something wrong with the Studio preamp? It sounds like it might need servicing. My Studio gets tons of gain and can easily get that searing tight Mark series gain. This one sounded mushy and flubby.
Somehow they both sound mushy *and* fizzy on your rhythm chunking here, to such a consistent degree that I started to wonder if you accidentally had the guitar's pickup switch set to the middle position the whole time. 🤔
Anyone got advice on an ir to use with the iicp. I have it running through a revv g20 so can use 2notes torpedo. Ill be going down ir/power section/cab sim rabbit hole when I get some time tomorrow so a point in the right direction would be great. As cliche as it is I am trying for the master of puppets sound
Well, that Synergy module sounds really good... but hasn't the bite the classic preamps have. By the way, I don't get the technology behind a Dynamic IR with Torpedo Wall of Sound software Michael is praising. I mean I know what's the technology behind an IR but not behind a dynamic IR. I guess it's a software emulation at the end, not a real "screenshot" from a cabinet behaviour micing like an estatic IR is. In terms of "sound" I guess an static IR is closer from the real deal than a Dynamic IR then (but less flexible in terms of positioning the mic). Mostly because it would be impossible (huge amount of work) to get thousands of screenshots from a cabinet, like DynIR technology provide. Correct ?
There are LOTS of cabinet captures involved with creating the Dynamic IR's. It's a real screenshot. The Twonotes WOS is very functional, and easy to get what I want out of it, and it shows a cool picture of the cab.
@@BigHairyGuitars Michael, agreed, I'm not telling there's not cabinet captures within the Dynamic IRs. But we should agree it's impossible to get ALL of them, considering the WoS software provide the ability to use thousands of mic positions. So, there must be some kind of "emulated" sound generated when we position the mic in a zone where there's no IR effectively captured. For instance, If we have a captured IR for position A, and another captured IR for position B, if we chose to virtually put the mic between A and B within the software, it must be some kind of virtually generated sound (emulation) of A and B, but none of both, so it's not a real IR involved in that intersection position. Thoughts ?
@@PereRevert Yes. You very clearly stated my understanding. IMHO, when it's done right, it doesn't make it less of an IR. Since the information in the IR is still direction captured from the source... then (I'm assuming) it's averaged between 2 mic locations. BUT, I'm not a purist. I have NO problems putting an EQ on my guitar (digital or analog). So, I figure... Once I do that, I'm already cheating. :)
