Looks like this is one of those times where i missed this trick! In a way I guess! I genuinely didn’t know the history behind this module. I actually assumed it was an old school amp of some kind that was really good for tone tweaking! I suppose It means I came at this demo without any preconceptions as to what it’s used for and had a my own first time experience with it. My take away was it’s not great for modern metal. I didn’t say any metal haha. But in terms of the tones I found tweaking, it didn’t come across as an amp/module like that. Sorry to all those out there that were expecting something different! Hope you enjoyed the tones anyway! Rabea
Honestly, I still thought the tones you got out of it were great... regardless of tweaking it uncharacteristically as in, how this amp was designed to behave. The Mark series is an odd beast, but it's been huge for the Boogie line and the C+ got it's place in history before Soldano. Crazy amounts of gain in that amp... Once you get used to how it's tweaked, that EQ layout is incredibly flexible also.
Thank you so much for following up on our comments. You probably don’t have the time to produce a short video but if you still have the module and can afford an hour’s worth of your personal time play around with it some more, assuming you haven’t already tried a Mark V, JP-2C or the real deal.
I haven’t tried any of that stuff, to be honest Mesa stuff isn’t in abundance around where I am. Even Andertons don’t really have tons of the stuff out there available to plug into, and in terms of just getting Mesa amps to try, it’s not so easy here. I’m thankful I had no idea to be fair. Just came at it like another amp/module to try. It was great, and i still have it so I’ll probably Check it out again now I know more about it.
Hi Rabea, Actually Andertons has a video (the video) with John Petrucci. He explains how to dial in his amp ;-). His amp is a mark amp, based on a C+. Basically Bass down, gain up and the eq with a V-Shape. Then go from there. All the other youtubers testing this also didn't get it right. :-) But no worries, everything you touch sounds amazing, because of your playing.
Rabea, please please please revisit this demo. You have amazing chops and this module will make them shine. Set it up like you would set a Mesa Mark amp where the EQ voices the gain stages. Use a fair amount of input gain and treble. Treble adds gain so work them against one another. Use very little bass to keep it tight. Dial the middle to taste, though the higher you run the treble the less effective the midrange control is. Use the lead drive to dial your desired level of gain/saturation. Run the EQ as a V., though I like 6600 a little lower than 2200, the shift and presence will allow you to tweak this area as well. The mid shift is pre-gain, work it against the treble control. I don’t know where in the chain the presence acts, but run it against the 6600 slider to add sparkle.
Yeah all of this, I agree 100%. Rabea, you have to set Mark amps differently, and though you got some amazing sounds from this, really look at some of the videos by Mesa with Petrucci or some of Leon Todd’s Mark amp videos and revisit this. The preamp is capable of so much more.
yeah... you and me both... we both treated this like any other amp... I NEVER fully took the bass down. THAT is the trick... Bass all the way down and Treble all the way up and then the graphic EQ and that is where the Metallica and Petrucci sounds are... who new... well... not you and certainly not me! Next time then....
If it’s like the real amp then with gain you needed to turn down that bass control a lot and add bass with the EQ. The original amp has the knobs as pre-gain eq and the 5-band is post-gain. So if you boost the bass knob it makes the gain flubby with slow attack. Also things like treble and mid interact with the gain too and presence knob and the 5 band can be powerful to get a more metal style tone. I have a JP-2C and it took awhile to get used to how the controls react.
Agreed, Rabea admitted not being familiar with the IIC+ and that showed. A IIC+ should be plenty tight, chuggy and djenty. Especially boosted. He should have cut almost all bass (10 o'clock at most), mids below noon and treble higher at 2 o'clock - max. Because the tone stack is pre-distortion stage, the treble also works more like a gain control. Then add thunk and more sizzle from the graphic EQ, scoop 750 Hz to taste. Also, he had some sag on from the Synergy, not sure how much that contributed to the softness of the tone. Anyway, this module sounded nothing like a IIC+ in the video.
@@eeroniemela8137 Yeah good point, treble and gain are definitely tied together in more ways than a usual amp. I think my manual for the JP-2C even suggests not turning treble up past 2 if you have gain high.
Just see the bass/mid/treble controls as an EQ pedal in front of your amp (including boosting the signal with the treble knob), and see the 5band-EQ as your normal amp's bass/mid/treble controls :).
Your playing saved the demo but these (wrong) settings are the reason why many people sold their Mark serie .. they didn’t know how it works ,treating them as any other when it’s not ;-) it can do terrific metal :-)
Rabea, we really enjoyed your approach and take on this. Is it too much to ask to find someone with ears and chops to take a whack at something totally unfamiliar and make hay with it? We really couldn't have asked for more. Your honest, fresh and unconventional approach shows others like you that what appears as a tribute of a familiar voice to some, can be an expressive new tool for others. Well done!
This will do metal fine if you understand how it works. The three band eq knobs are predistortion. Cranking the treble and cutting the bass and mid will give you a tighter sound as if you used a treble booster or tubescreamer etc. You then use the graphic eq to shape the actual tone, usually taking out some midrange unless you want that super vocal lead sound. There is a reason why this amp was famous for thrash metal etc in the 80s
Hey Bea, really love your videos and your playing. The Mark series definitely does the metal thing but it’s important to realise that the EQ dials are before the preamp and the sliders come after, and most importantly, almost everyone by default takes the 750 slider right down. Petrucci did a really great couple of videos dialling in the Mark V amp and explains how those tones are achieved and it’s the same idea here. The Mark series in general requires a slightly different approach to standard amplifier.
It’s really cool, having watched you for so long, seeing your style change over time. You kind of started out as a bit of a shredder, and now you’re a bluesey, soulful tradesman. Cheers from the USA
Rabea and Browne dropping a demo of the same product within an hour of each other ? What. A. Wednesday! Edit: after watching both the contrast in tone is a plus for Synergy. This can djent and do overdriven rock.
The 4 band EQ sits pre-gain stage. Meaning tweaking The knobs effects the character of the gain. The traditional EQ shaping is done with the Graphic EQ. Set the mid and bass low and then use the graphic EQ to taste
The bass sounds nice and thick, which added a bit of thump and fur to the gain. Not quite fuzz, but it made the gain less tight in a good way. That said, Anthrax, Metallica, Suicidal Tendencies, John Sykes, etc. set it up with the bass low (around 7:00-9:00). The eq knobs kind of negate the need for a TS to get it tight. Instead, dial it out with the EQ. I have the module, and it's not my favorite compared to the OS (Dumble ODS style), but I think it'll get something good once I spend my time dialing it in.
I don't think he realizes it's based on the Mesa Boogie Mk2C+ lol. If he did, I doubt he'd be saying the amp can't be used in a metal context if he knew what amp its based on. It seemed like he thought it was based on some amp hes never heard of or something like that. At least, that's the impression I got from the video!
@@RabeaMassaad everyone is allowed a mix up every now and then brother , it's no biggie! 😜 Keep up the sick content man! BTW, I started getting back into skating about 2 years ago and seeing you get back into skating too around the same time was pretty sick! 😀 You're a savage on the board as well as the guitar and I respect the hell out of that!
"oh cool he'll break out his JP and play some Dream theater-esque stuff!" Bea:"yeah it doesn't really do metal or djent" "But... Metallica and dream theater 🥺"
I find that when running XLR out of my Syn-1 adding power amp sim makes a big diff. The two notes products have both power amp sim and cab sim so I use those. Even better if you have a tube amp with effects loop use that and then into your cab sim... it really adds mojo. I do this with my Fender BassBreaker. Hope it helps...
It’s interesting I’ve played a MkIIc+ before and I was surprised there wasn’t as much gain as I expected this seems to follow I’ve always heard this was one of the amps responsible for the Master of Puppets sound
volume1 (clean channel) affects the gain of of the lead channel as well, use both. And the treble control also acts as a 'gain' sort of thing (boosts the signal going further). Combine that with heavy-output pickups and you should not be needing anything more..
Poor Rabea, being given a Mesa Mark themed amp without a formal briefing. 20 years ago I tried a Mark IV, worst thing I had ever plugged into. Shop owner comes over, says, that's a Mesa, the tone stack is totally backwards, it's a pre-EQ. 5 more minutes with it I had moved on and found a Peavey JSX that I liked instantly. 20 years later I'm finally figuring out how to set these Mark series amps. It's crazy anyone ever had the patience for them in the 80s, but if you spend tons of time with them, they can pay off with great tone. I am still not quite "there" for metal, with mine, but clearly modern metal and prog was shaped with a Mark 2C+, so I know there are great tones in there somewhere 🤷♂️
You deffinitely made this sound like Rabbea. Won't go over ground others already have too much but yeah, this thing can do metal. It's all in the pre post eq setup though.
Great as always, but I have a question for Rabea about reviews and reviewers. Did you guys all talk to each other before releasing the vids for this? Thorn, Nielsen, Eytsch, Leon Todd, RB&G, Rabea all released vids on this module today. I'm sure I missed a couple channels... EDIT: also Leggat, Kohlekeller... all today. Is this the new way things get done?
Typically for products content creators will get the product X amount of time before release and will have a content embargo saying that they can't post a video on the product until X date/time. When that embargo lifts everyone usually has their videos set to go live when it's allowed to be live.
Reviewers do talk behind the scenes, during embargoes, at least that is clear regarding pc hardware tech channels. I don't see why they couldn't do the same with anything else, that is of course, if the relationship they have with each other permits that kind of interaction. Then again, a massive release of videos on the same day from different reviewers just means that the product is officially launched and the embargo for reviews is lifted.
This Synergy concept is very intriguing. Rabea, I hope you can briefly clarify how exactly this works. So if I'm understanding correctly, you're running the IICP module inside the Synergy single slot SYN1 preamp. This is the unit that has the tubes in it, right? And from there you're going straight into your interface and from there to your IR? So where's the power amp stage coming from? Also, when you're going direct like that, do you have to crank the thing and play at high volumes, or does it basically work like a "bedroom/home recording viable" MESA Mark IIc+? That would actually be INSANELY awesome.
In a real live scenario... How do you change between clean and lead? Is there a pedal to control it or u need to use the toggle switches every single time?
Seems like this preamp is not so straightforward to set up. I have just been watching Leon Todd’s review on his channel. He is getting really good metal tones there. He is saying similar things others have been saying here, that the tone stack is very different from what is considered standard but is crucial for the right tone. So that’s the tone stack in the preamp not the EQ. He has the bass in the tonestack almost at 0 for thightnes.
I’ve always wondered if the synergy stuff is good. I mean steve via uses their stuff, and he is the kind of person who can have anything he wants. He could probably call Marshall, Mesa, orange, or any of the big names, or even boutique names in the industry and have a custom amp built and marketed. Yet he chooses to use this stuff. Part of me wonders if that’s even true and he actually uses expensive stuff in the studio or live.
Rabea says he hasn’t heard the original amp…. and I laughed…. If you knew Bea. You have definitely heard this amp before. John Petrucci Metallica To name 2 synonymous examples. 2C+ is legendary
@@markv7249 what does a video of a 2C+ setup completely different have to do with any of this? If you have watched any of the other videos made by guys who have actually used the real deal and can set it up correctly you would see that this module gets super close to the original.
@@Bubblegoose If you disagree with me that's ok dude. I was just showing you what a real mark 2c+ sounds like. The iicp definitely sounds like a mid gain mesa, or American. But for people looking for the preamp of the high gain 2c+, this isn't it. The synergy SLO is far more identical to the original as is the vh4, deliverence, BE, 800, ect. I'm not saying it sounds bad, just the most unlike what it was modeled after. Also both clips are straight into the amp with the same speakers so yes it is the same setup. Same power tubes different preamps.
@@markv7249 all I was saying originally was take a look at Leon Todd’s video and see what you think of it when it’s setup correctly. Or any of the other RU-vidrs who know how to set one up. Don’t judge it off the way it’s setup in this video as it just isn’t the typical way one of these would be used. And I have used the real deal 2C+‘s before. I owned a markV, triple rec and several mesa cabs over the years. I know what they can do. I’m a huge JP/DT fan, and play a lot of their stuff.
Why don’t any of you demo the product without all the gadgets on it it. You do it no justice. We don’t wanna hear your cabs or effects just the product. I can’t believe they actually let you make videos. Totally not accurate
yeah it does not metal ....only thing that this is based on mesa mark iic+ amp,that john petrucci and metallica used...better do some homework next time man
