AMT Pangaea - how best to set up? (inc Amps, Jettenuator, multi fx, etc)

thecolourbox

So I took an impulsive punt (quite pleased with than pun!) on the Amt Pangaea that @John_A was selling in the classifieds, and I was wondering how best to set it up, and get some other ideas as to how other people would try using it. For those that don't know what it is, you load IR speaker impulses onto it to use it as a speaker (and I presume therefore also microphone) simulator.

For quite some time I've fancied an option to get the "feel" of tube amps, but the sound to be more like a recorded tone like what you get with modellers. Then get a modeller! I hear you cry. But I don't feel like they feel the same when playing and I like my amp, and I like to use drive and fuzz pedals which my Zoom g3/pod/Blackstar ID Core experience has suggested is much better into a proper amp.

So my intended set up was going to be something like:

Guitar & pedals => Amp* => Jettenuator set as a dummy load, line out (not emulated) to => Pangaea => Zoom G3 for reverb and post amp effects => headphones/monitors/computer for recording etc etc

*Main squeeze for cleans is a 68 PRRI, but I also currently have a Marshal JTM1 for crunchy sounds, this one may be changed though for something else

Would that be the best way around? Would the G3 be better before the cab sim? Though then I’d need to have something probably post Pangaea for headphone/monitor/interface, I guess a mixer.

One other variable I had considered was to trade off the crunchy amp and replace it with a guitar preamp like the Mesa or a Vox Over The Top Boost pedal into the cab sim

I’m hoping it sounds better than what I tried last night, which was the amps into the jettenuator then using the cab sim XLR output into a mixer into headphones. Didn’t sound much cop to me but that could be the mixer/headphones/both

Thanks all

digitalscream

I would strongly recommend getting a decent reactive load instead of the Jettenuator (which is a resistive load).

YMMV, but I've found resistive loads to put a fuzzy sheen on the low end, and the ones I've tried made all my amps sound the same (Soldano Decatone, Jet City JCA22H and JCA50H and a Victory Kraken).

thecolourbox

Oh right I see, I don't really know enough about them to know about that, I literally ought the Jettenuator because my Pro Junior was too loud and hissy, and it was the cheapest attenuator available with quick delivery...

Last night when I tried it with the cab sim into my mixer and then into headphones (also via the G3) it sounded bad, really nasty. Not so much a fuzzy sheen on the low end as utter scratchy crap

digitalscream

Well, yes - the cab sim is shocking. That's what you've got the Pangaea for

thecolourbox

Lol true, it really hurt my ears! It even made the Princeton sound awful.

Just fiddling about online now looking for some free IR's to get started with

thecolourbox

Hmm just trying it out with some I got for free and it's incredibly bassy on my Princeton, not sure I quite understand what I'm doing though

thecolourbox

Bit of a necro bump but where else am I able to vent about this!

I've just spent an hour, or rather wasted an hour, trying to get this bloody thing set up in my room and it is impossible. I bought a load of those Redwirez speaker Sims and put them all on various different preset things so I could do as folks have said and try loads of them one after the other to choose a sound I like.

Setup was guitar, Kingsley Squire preamp, Pangaea, zoom g3 for reverb then headphone out to HiFi

Thank god I didn't do it to headphones as I would now be deaf in one ear. Firstly they don't sound very good but I'm sure that could be user error and that I need to fiddle around a bit too get a sound I like.

But most importantly I keep getting horribly loud blasting noises through it, mostly when playing bass strings but not always. Really fecking loud.

So now I'm convinced the unit is a dud so I can't even sell the useless piece of junk.

Am I doing something stupidly wrong here?

All I want is to be able to use my pedals into a preamp, then speaker Sim and reverb, and here it from my HiFi (the room is too small to use my amp really) likewise I'd just use a modelling thing like the g3 (which sounds a million times better than the Kingsley and Pangaea at the moment but I just can't use my drive pedals with it which I want to do)

So frustrating!!!

steamabacus

It sounds like you may have too high a level into the Pangea causing digital clipping. Also, possibly , from the Pangea out clipping the G3 (although I would suspect that would clip more gracefully). I've heard huge 'digital fart noises' on a mate's recordings when he clips the input of his Focusrite Scarlett audio interface and that seems to be on resonant bass notes.

If the Kingsley Squire is a valve preamp designed to drive a valve output stage it may well put out significantly above line level signals.

thecolourbox

There is a boss gx700 rack multi fx in cash generators that has an fX loop and speaker Sim on it, so could use that for both the speaker and the reverb and straight into the HiFi, would this be a better option and Chuck the Pangaea?

thecolourbox

thecolourbox said:

There is a boss gx700 rack multi fx in cash generators that has an fX loop and speaker Sim on it, so could use that for both the speaker and the reverb and straight into the HiFi, would this be a better option and Chuck the Pangaea?

So it could just be useless instead of faulty then? Lol because if I turn down the squire I just can't hear it at all as the g3 into the HiFi is on full volume.

It does also judder a lot on that horrible NRRRRRRRRRR noise as well

Edit: it was the same when I dummy loaded the Princeton too

thecolourbox

Just tried it with an AMT Soldano character pedal, it sounded much much better using just the Soldano with its inbuilt emulated output than it did using the non emulated output into the Pangaea.

I'm sure it must be user error because every time I've used the Pangaea it has sounded awful which others have said they do not but I can't even flog the thing on now as I know it to be potentially faulty

John_A

If it's faulty give me a shout and I'll send it back, I'm sure it's fine though

thecolourbox

@John_A  Sorry I wasn't in any way trying to reflect badly on you at all, that's very kind but I'm fairly sure it's user error I just don't feel able to sell it on just in case if that makes sense.

digitalscream

@thecolourbox - if you want, I'd be quite happy to spend a weekend with it to figure out if there's anything you're doing wrong. If one person can't get it to work, it could be user error...if two people can't get it to work, there's either a problem with the unit or the instructions aren't sufficient.

longi

thecolourbox said:

Bit of a necro bump but where else am I able to vent about this!

I've just spent an hour, or rather wasted an hour, trying to get this bloody thing set up in my room and it is impossible. I bought a load of those Redwirez speaker Sims and put them all on various different preset things so I could do as folks have said and try loads of them one after the other to choose a sound I like.

Setup was guitar, Kingsley Squire preamp, Pangaea, zoom g3 for reverb then headphone out to HiFi

Thank god I didn't do it to headphones as I would now be deaf in one ear. Firstly they don't sound very good but I'm sure that could be user error and that I need to fiddle around a bit too get a sound I like.

But most importantly I keep getting horribly loud blasting noises through it, mostly when playing bass strings but not always. Really fecking loud.

So now I'm convinced the unit is a dud so I can't even sell the useless piece of junk.

Am I doing something stupidly wrong here?

All I want is to be able to use my pedals into a preamp, then speaker Sim and reverb, and here it from my HiFi (the room is too small to use my amp really) likewise I'd just use a modelling thing like the g3 (which sounds a million times better than the Kingsley and Pangaea at the moment but I just can't use my drive pedals with it which I want to do)

So frustrating!!!

Do you know what the software version is? Mine sounded terrible until I updated the software.

thecolourbox

Thanks Mr digitalscream I shall let you know. Mr Longi I've no idea actually so I shall try that tomorrow, maybe that may help...

Thank you all

thecolourbox

I've done the upgrade this morning and on one of the models it now sounds acceptable through headphones. However several of the presets are song that horrible jarring NRRRRRRRRRRRRR sound as soon as they are selected, with the volume right down on the Preamp. I knew this because the little input/output meter thing on the display was already jumping to Max output as son as it is selected. Thankfully I had the foresight to mute the zoom every time I was changing preset otherwise once again, id have damaged my hearing. So I think what I'll try next time (god knows when) is once again removing all of the files on there and reimporting them to see whether the issue is with the files.

Hopefully that resolves it so I can then sell it

digitalscream

@thecolourbox - you have checked that you're using the right bit rate for the impulses, haven't you? I know that might sound like a stupid suggestion, but it bears asking...

thecolourbox

It's not a stupid suggestion at all as I have no idea what that means. I'll add that to the list of things to check and try

I just copied them from the red wire files

digitalscream

OK - you'll get a hell of a lot of options in the Redwirez packs. I'd suggest trying the 44.1kHz 24-bit files for whatever you want to use (personally, my favourite is the AKG C414 cap-edge 3" IR).

thecolourbox

Thank you for the help, I've no doubt ultimately it's my stupidity to be honest so anything that might work is welcome so I can make sure it's OK to sell on