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What options are there for connecting 6505+ head to PC?

5K views 22 replies 9 participants last post by  Cassidy 
#1 ·
Well as much as I like my new head it is loud. Playing it through a PC so that I can use headphones or monitors would not be the worst thing in the world.

Okay I have some sort of cheap 16 bit Yamaha DI that I bought a long time ago mainly for connecting turntables to the PC. It was $100 and came with a lite version of Cubase.

Good thing I did some reading because I'm pretty sure I would have fried my computer and DI.

So

1) Does the Mesa Cabclone allow you to go head -> Cabclone -> PC?

2) What about something like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i4?

If something exists that I can plug the head into AND down the road have the option of plugging a mic and recording my actual cab that would be a bonus.

I notice some people are saying that PC based cab sims can be a bit laggy can that be mitigated with a powerful computer? It's not a beast but I have last generations i5 (second fastest one), 8 gb ram.

If there is a sticky that covers this please point me in that direction. I scanned the titles but didn't think any of them suited this question.
 
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#2 ·
Wirelessly posted

You need a loadbox between your amp head and your interface, or you'll damage your amp and probably whatever you plug it into.

That Mesa thing will do the job nicely, as will a Weber Mass or a Palmer. They can then safely send your amp's output to a recording interface, like that Scarlett or similar. You can then apply a cab impulse to simulate a cab in Cubase.

Latency won't be a problem unless you start working on very big recording projects.
 
#4 ·
I left it out because he's willing to use impulses on his PC, which renders a large part of what you're paying for with the Torpedo (the portability/lack of need for a PC) redundant. No point in spending three times what those other units cost. :yesway:

OP, if you want a unit with good speaker simulation, I'd grab the Mesa. If you're happy to use impulses instead (which would be my preferred option), I'd go with the Weber. I think you can pick 'em up pretty cheaply in the US of States.
 
#5 ·
okay so a loadbox it is. will read up on the options presented.

portability is not an issue as I won`t be gigging.

next time someone asks about 5150 or 6505 I think I will point out that the 6505+ 112 has a mic sim line which if I am reading correctly would alow one to skip the need for a load box?
 
#7 ·
next time someone asks about 5150 or 6505 I think I will point out that the 6505+ 112 has a mic sim line which if I am reading correctly would alow one to skip the need for a load box?
Does it also have a speaker mute? If so, no.

Weirdly, the best sounding speaker simulated output I've ever played, on an amp that DOES have a speaker mute, was a Marshall TSL2000.
 
#9 ·
Does it have an fx loop? What would happen if he just ran the loop to his interface, and didn't return back to the fx return? Couldn't you then load it up into a daw and run impulses? As the speaker is still connected there is still a load, but you just don't have a guitar signal going back in, so the amp will be silent. Or am I Waaay of the mark here? OP - don't take my advice here unless someone in the know chimes in!!
 
#10 ·
You can do that, but there are two things to keep in mind, which might influence whether you want to or not:

Sound is still going to come out of the cab, so noise is still an issue (I'm guessing this is the case; I've never tried it).

You're only getting preamp section of your amp, not the power amp. I've used a couple of standalone preamps into impulses, and the result is quite a thin sound. So thin, that, in my case, it prompted me to buy my first Palmer.
 
#11 ·
if its a series loop and their is no return going back to the amp shouldn't there be no sound making it back to the power amp though? you might get some amp hum etc. but i thought if there is nothing in the return it would be silent.

Cassidy, did you run an impulse that was power amp and cab simulation, or just cab?
 
#14 ·
Cassidy, did you run an impulse that was power amp and cab simulation, or just cab?
Mostly they were impulses generated with an amp head (that was essentially the only type around at the time).

OP, by all means, give Cobra Commander's/Tibernius' approach a try. You might find you're happy with the results. If not, if it sounds thin to you, look into one of those other devices.
 
#13 ·
I've been doing this with my Blackstar 104 6L6 for a while:

Amp on standby, with speaker cable set up for normal use,
Cable from FX loop send -> Interface input (a Presonus Audiobox in my case),
Input mapped to a track in Reaper, record armed and monitored,
Two Notes Torpedo WOS plugin running on the track, as both power amp sim and as a cabinet emulator.

With the interface set up properly, I get no noticeable latency on an i5-2500k rig with 8GB of RAM. The interface is the most important in terms of latency in single track recording though, and the Audiobox isn't great, if I was buying one now I'd grab one of the Focusrite Scarlett series.
 
#19 ·
Not sure I want to go the effects look route because doesn't that mean you are losing the character of the amp/head.

Someone mentioned Weber and when I went to their website it seems they sell all sorts of attenuators.

Is an attenuator the same thing as a load box?

If that is the case the attenuator/Weber would have the added advantage that if in the future I get an amp whose tone changes when you crank it I can get that tone without blowing out the windows.

Would a weber attenuator + focusrite scarlet be an option? That might give the most flexibility in that I can use different types of amps and if I decide to go the live cab route I can get a microphone. But that would still leave amp sim to the PC (for now)

MB Cab Clone probably has the biggest pro of cheapest/quickest to accomplish goal but least flexibility (in terms of other functions as mentioned above)

Luckily I have some time to decide/research as I just bought the amp. Who knows maybe the football pools I belong to will pay off and I can go crazy lol
 
#20 ·
Attenuators come in a few shapes and sizes. Some of them only offer partial reduction in power, some offer 100%. The only Weber I know of that suits your needs is the Weber Mass and its variants (they're rated for use with different wattage amps, so you'd need either the Mass or the Mass 150), but I really don't know much about their product line, so they may have others that'll do what you want.

I'm unsure if you can use them in conjunction with a speaker to reduce the power in increments. Like, put it between your amp and cab and reduce the power by like 40%, 50%, etc. It looks like you can from the pics, but I can't be sure. You'd need to check with someone else who has one.

The only product I know of that offers all of that in one box is the Koch Loadbox II. You can use that without a cab or with, and, when using it with a cab, you can choose how much attenuation it provides (in 10% increments). But, again, I'm not an expert on what's out there for this stuff. There may be other devices that'll do all that you want.

So, one of those boxes plus something like the Scarlett will definitely get you recording/playing silently with your amp head. It's a little bit of a pain researching this stuff and choosing amongst the options (there's not an awful lot of info out there, compared to shopping for something like a cab or boost pedal), but it's worth it when you get to use your push your amp at midnight but still not disturb anyone.
 
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