profiled the way I mic and dial it in with settings , speakers , tubes , etc ( not to mention there are so many different eras of the AC30 that all sound a bit different ). I was pleasantly surprised with the result . Check out my YouTube for a comparison video I did on real amps vs the Kempers at Bethel . I ran my pedalboard into real amps and my Kempers for a set and then we A / B ’ d them with Luke Hendrickson ( our broadcast engineer ) in the broadcast mix . Fun experiment !
So that kind of sparked a journey for me to venture into the digital modeling world more and see what I could get out of all these digital platforms while also making resources for fellow guitar players , so along came impulse responses ( IR ’ s ) that I captured from some of my favorite speakers / cabs / mics that I am very proud of , Line 6 and Fractal presets , etc . All of these presets , profiles , and IRs are available on my website ( davidhislop . co ) now for download , so check them out if that sounds interesting !
[ WM ] Do you like using any of the digital amp / effect modeling gear ?
[ David ] I do but also really depends on the context of use . Good modeling beats bad tube amp backline and I ’ d gladly run my pedalboard with an ACS1 / Iridium / Kempers / HX Stomp / etc running my IRs in place of a bad amp , but with that said … a good well-maintained tube amp is still really hard to beat !
There are always pros and cons like cost , maintenance , setup , stage volume , etc . I use my Universal Audio OX ’ s a fair amount when I need to track direct from my home studio , often bypassing the built-in IRs and running my own to get things closer to my actual cabs and mics . I am pretty proud of my ALL IN HX Stomp preset pack that I created . As you know , HX Stomp is a small little pedal that you can throw in a backpack and I set out to build a preset that has everything I would need to use it as a standalone rig ( Amps , IRs , and Effects ).
It was challenging due to the DSP and footswitch limits , but the result is awesome ! When comparing all of the platforms we currently have available to us as guitar players , each one has its strengths and weaknesses like DSP limits , user interface , some model amps better but are a little weak on the effects side of things or vice versa , but it ’ s really cool to see where we are with modeling and where we are going . It ’ s only going to get better and better .
As a purist , I don ’ t think tube amps are going anywhere either though … except maybe to my studio as I collect them all . Ha !
[ WM ] Are you planning on working on any original music or any music projects coming up that you ’ re excited to share with us ?
[ David ] Bethel has one or two upcoming