NASD - DSM /Humboldt Simplifier MkII

Keefy

New Amp Sim Day. And yes I did mean to post it here as this forum's title is 'Digital & Modelling', not 'Digital Modelling'.

I use analog amp sims for home recording (getting the sound outside the box rather than inside), and more recently for 'ampless' gigs i.e. where there is no backline. At home I have been using a RevivalDrive into a Two Notes Torpedo CAB (digital - uses IRs) with great results, and for live that has settled down to the RD Compact and CAB to give a mainly clean sound sitting somewhere between a Vox and a Tweed Deluxe. On the CAB I set up a small number of presets with different volume and reverb levels. The attraction of the Simplifier MkII was the chance to replace two pedals with one much smaller one, although I will need to achieve the reverb and volume level changes in different ways.

These are very much first impressions, as it only arrived this morning:

• It's tiny! About the same size as a boss compact pedal, but with 12 knobs, 7 switches, 4 1/4in jacks, 2 mini-jacks, and 2 XLR outs. Although the control labels are too small for me to read without my specs, the logical layout makes it easy to remember what all the controls are.
• After plugging in a Strat and going through the controls, twiddling knobs to see what they did, I tried to set up a just-breaking Vox sound and didn't like the result at all, especially compared to my RD/CAB setup. Hmmm...
• I went through the example settings. I had high hopes for Crispy AC but no, still not what I was looking for. Then I tried Clean MS - bingo, that was the place to start! The lesson here is to listen with your ears, not your eyes. I'd been convinced that a Vox emulation was what I needed but it turned out that a clean Marshall into a 4x12 was what floated my boat. There's a harmonic complexity in the top end that I always look for, in a guitar and/or amp, and this does it with a 'warm' preamp into a 'comp' power amp. It's in the RD too when I have it set how I like it. It's impossible to make a direct comparison with the RD though because the latter needs a speaker sim into a PA or whatever.
• I tried a few other guitars with different kinds of pickups and they all sound great too. As set per the picture below, the lower-output single coils barely break up when hit hard; the pokier LP humbuckers start to sing in the clean/not clean way that a pushed valve amp can.

This is going on my ampless board. I'll need to re-wire it but that's all part of the fun...

TheBigDipper

@Keefy If you run in mono, you can take the R unbalanced o/p and defeat the cab sim using the little micro switch next to it - if you really want to A/B the MK ii against the RD into the CAB. 

Keefy

TheBigDipper said:

@Keefy If you run in mono, you can take the R unbalanced o/p and defeat the cab sim using the little micro switch next to it - if you really want to A/B the MK ii against the RD into the CAB. 

You're quite right! My curiosity might not let me move on without trying that...

EDIT: They're quite different through the same CAB speaker sim, but then I have them set completely different. I'd say the Simplifier has more body, in the way that a real amp has. If I whack up the LOWS on the RD, the gap reduces.

jhumber

I got one of these recently and am running it almost identically to yours. If you flipped the preamp to USA (but kept power amp on MS Brit) and pushed the preamp dial to 2pm, that’d be it. I got that setting from a Sweetwater video with the designer who showed some of the sounds he liked.

Really impressed with it overall, I’m running into a QSC CP8 and it’s sounding great for live work. Genuinely can’t fault it for the price / size / feature set. 

Keefy

jhumber said:

I got one of these recently and am running it almost identically to yours. If you flipped the preamp to USA (but kept power amp on MS Brit) and pushed the preamp dial to 2pm, that’d be it. I got that setting from a Sweetwater video with the designer who showed some of the sounds he liked.

Really impressed with it overall, I’m running into a QSC CP8 and it’s sounding great for live work. Genuinely can’t fault it for the price / size / feature set. 

Ooh, going to try that. I’ll look up that video too.

Woodandwires

I have the Simplifier dlx, which is effectively the two channel version, footswitchable, it’s still early days but I have been using a Revival Drive Compact on the channel I have set for clean, effectively giving an edge of breakup sound so three different sounds. Still not 100% happy more tweaking to do. The dlx has way more controls. I like that it is analogue and when I have had a modeller in the past it has been option paralysis. This is definitely about using your ears to get the sounds you like. The different controls have a fundamental impact on achieving that sound but not always in an obvious way. Having said that I am closer than I have ever been to getting two/three sounds that really inspire me.

Keefy

jhumber said:

I got one of these recently and am running it almost identically to yours. If you flipped the preamp to USA (but kept power amp on MS Brit) and pushed the preamp dial to 2pm, that’d be it. I got that setting from a Sweetwater video with the designer who showed some of the sounds he liked.

Really impressed with it overall, I’m running into a QSC CP8 and it’s sounding great for live work. Genuinely can’t fault it for the price / size / feature set. 

Tried that, like it. Somewhat less aggressive and takes drive better.

daviesj

How does the Simplifier deal with higher gain pedals and fuzz going into it? I was toying with getting the Friedman ir-x as I like the higher gain Marshall sound but would the Simplifier and the Friedman be-od pedal be a more flexible solution?

jhumber

I’m running various gain levels in front of mine, and all are working well. Unit 67 for clean boost, Lightspeed for low gain, Browne Atom for medium gain, and Mad Professor Mighty Red for high gain…also running a Spark mini in the loop for solo boost. Really can’t fault it.

Keefy

daviesj said:

How does the Simplifier deal with higher gain pedals and fuzz going into it? I was toying with getting the Friedman ir-x as I like the higher gain Marshall sound but would the Simplifier and the Friedman be-od pedal be a more flexible solution?

My original motivation for developing an ampless board was for use on rhythm guitar when I dep with a Dire Straits tribute. For overdrive I have been using a Nobels ODR-1 BC with the drive about halfway up - not exactly high gain or fuzz so can’t really say atm.

Keefy

Bit of an update - I’ve now got used to the MkII. At the start I was quite aware of how different it sounds to the RD/Two Notes setup - there’s more authority to the clean settings, which is how I’m using it. I ended up with everything going into the front end of the MkII, exactly as I would with an amp.

I used it for an audition through the rehearsal room PA and got complimented on the sound of my guitar (SC Relics Thinline Tele) although I wasn’t offered the gig.

Definite win!

NickB

Just bought one from Woodandwires of this very Shire and I have to say it's very impressive through my Fryette Powerstation into a 1x12 cab with neo creamback. I have found that I like the USA setting with Power amp at 3pm, preamp at 1pm, treble at noon, mid 11am, bass 10 am. Resonance is set at 10am and presence 12:30pm. Feels great under the fingers with my Les Lius on Twin setting and at 11am. 

digitalkettle

NickB said:

Just bought one from Woodandwires of this very Shire and I have to say it's very impressive through my Fryette Powerstation into a 1x12 cab with neo creamback. I have found that I like the USA setting with Power amp at 3pm, preamp at 1pm, treble at noon, mid 11am, bass 10 am. Resonance is set at 10am and presence 12:30pm. Feels great under the fingers with my Les Lius on Twin setting and at 11am. 

Have you bypassed the cab emulation for that setup?

NickB

digitalkettle said:

NickB said:

Just bought one from Woodandwires of this very Shire and I have to say it's very impressive through my Fryette Powerstation into a 1x12 cab with neo creamback. I have found that I like the USA setting with Power amp at 3pm, preamp at 1pm, treble at noon, mid 11am, bass 10 am. Resonance is set at 10am and presence 12:30pm. Feels great under the fingers with my Les Lius on Twin setting and at 11am. 

Have you bypassed the cab emulation for that setup?

I have indeed. I think that the amp emulations in the Simplifier MKii are better than the HX Stomp. As the the Simplifier also has a thru output I might have a go at a Stereo set up with my Rift blond Bassman 

digitalkettle

NickB said:

digitalkettle said:

NickB said:

Just bought one from Woodandwires of this very Shire and I have to say it's very impressive through my Fryette Powerstation into a 1x12 cab with neo creamback. I have found that I like the USA setting with Power amp at 3pm, preamp at 1pm, treble at noon, mid 11am, bass 10 am. Resonance is set at 10am and presence 12:30pm. Feels great under the fingers with my Les Lius on Twin setting and at 11am. 

Have you bypassed the cab emulation for that setup?

I have indeed. I think that the amp emulations in the Simplifier MKii are better than the HX Stomp. As the the Simplifier also has a thru output I might have a go at a Stereo set up with my Rift blond Bassman 

I have a Simplifier and a Powerstation...but they've never met!

NickB

digitalkettle said:

NickB said:

digitalkettle said:

NickB said:

Just bought one from Woodandwires of this very Shire and I have to say it's very impressive through my Fryette Powerstation into a 1x12 cab with neo creamback. I have found that I like the USA setting with Power amp at 3pm, preamp at 1pm, treble at noon, mid 11am, bass 10 am. Resonance is set at 10am and presence 12:30pm. Feels great under the fingers with my Les Lius on Twin setting and at 11am. 

Have you bypassed the cab emulation for that setup?

I have indeed. I think that the amp emulations in the Simplifier MKii are better than the HX Stomp. As the the Simplifier also has a thru output I might have a go at a Stereo set up with my Rift blond Bassman 

I have a Simplifier and a Powerstation...but they've never met!

Seriously? Do it now! 

NickB

I have been getting some good Voxy early Beatles tones out of the MKii. Happy to share my settings if anyone is interested.

Keefy

NickB said:

I have been getting some good Voxy early Beatles tones out of the MKii. Happy to share my settings if anyone is interested.

Yes please, I didn’t get on very well with Vox-style settings on mine, might be time to revisit it.

UnclePsychosis

I love that it's called a Simplifier and has about eighteen million controls 

Keefy

UnclePsychosis said:

I love that it's called a Simplifier and has about eighteen million controls 

Yeah but they’re all… simple.

NickB

Keefy said:

NickB said:

I have been getting some good Voxy early Beatles tones out of the MKii. Happy to share my settings if anyone is interested.

Yes please, I didn’t get on very well with Vox-style settings on mine, might be time to revisit it.

Preamp 1:30pm
Power Amp 3pm
Bass 10am 
Treble 12
Resonance 10:30
Presence/Cut 11:30

Remember the mid control does nada.

These are my settings to run it though my Powerstation and Creamback Neo 1x12 cab.

Hope it helps.