Fractal Audio - Atomic CLR - RCF NX - Tannoy VX - Matrix - YouTube Video

Scott Peterson

Global Moderator
Moderator
Vendor
This is presented just as it was done. I shot a lot of video to go with reviews of gear and ended up just stringing all the guitar performance stuff together for relative reference out of curiosity. I am posting it because it is relevant to a lot of the questions I've seen and that are sent to me off the boards about a few topics of interest, especially concerning the Atomic CLR. I am in a review period with it and am thus far enthusiastically impressed, but have much more to do yet before I do my in-depth review of it.



******EDIT**********

Here's the same phrase (which is an original song called "725" I did back in 2000 and is on my "Rainshine" CD) recorded direct (same preset, same guitar):



No conclusions, no commentary, no nothing but a lot of me doing similar types of playing specific passages with different speakers as the only variable.

This started as various footage for a review on the Luxxtone El Machete 22 guitar and the various speaker cabs I'm also reviewing. I cut similar types of playing, used the same preset, moved each speaker out/in to the same location and angle and level checked before I hit 'record' to be as objective as possible in at least the relation between the four different speakers. Everything is recorded 'live' in the room with my Zoom Q3HD (which does have built in compression/limiting for loud signals) only. No post processing. What you hear is exactly what the Zoom did to it.

All recorded with one preset, levels equaled from each speaker relative to each other before recording. My home studio is a treated room and this was done at a relative volume of about +110db.

Guitar: Luxxtone El Machete 22
Processor: Fractal Audio Axe-FX II
Monitors (in order of appearance):

Tannoy VX12 (Powered by Matrix GT1500FXBD) (Starts at 0:00)
Tannoy VX12HP (Powered by Matrix GT1500FXBD) (Starts at 3:23)
RCF NX 12-SMA (Starts at 7:12)
Atomic Amplifiers CLR (Starts at 11:15)

This isn't scientific, it is not conclusive, it isn't anything but an interesting data point (with a whole lot of needless pentatonic wankery by me) and uncomfortably close shots of my ugly mug. LOL.

This was all done with one preset and no changes were done to change the tones except on the guitar (though you'll hear a Flanger and some delay for one short take on the intro to Barracuda somewhere in there). The idea was to show the dynamic behavior of the Luxxtone and its Motor City pickups working with the very dynamic Fractal Audio Axe-FX II JCM800 tone I tend to gravitate to.

I realize right up front that this is a LOT of what it is and could be whittled down to one minute of each speaker (or less). This wasn't going to be a 'release' video but the emails and PM's from a lot of people caused me to check how this worked out and I am just posting in essence the raw performance stuff in it's entirety.

I've found that each of these combinations presented here are pro level in terms of what they deliver. All are expensive solutions relative to what many people are comfortable spending when approaching direct-to-FOH/FRFR setups initially; but I've been comfortable and enjoying direct-to-FOH/FRFR based rigs since 2007 and have worked with/reviewed/owned literally dozens and dozens of solutions to building a rig around this paradigm.

I'm hoping with this to add a data point in the discussion and hopefully better inform at some level the journey that many guitarists that are looking into FRFR setups are considering.

***********EDIT************

Courtesy of Chris@KatsuKuriMedia - here is a quick snippet to better isolate the differences. THANK YOU CHRIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 
Last edited:
I was trying to skip around in the vid to try to get a manual A/B from vid. Could you play the same riffs clean/Dirty and switch to next unit? (Maybe all in a 1 minute vid)
 
I was trying to skip around in the vid to try to get a manual A/B from vid. Could you play the same riffs clean/Dirty and switch to next unit? (Maybe all in a 1 minute vid)

Yea, at some point. I freaking hate editing videos though and have to get out the individual videos per each review yet so it's not a priority.

Please note: this is just a data point and I did post this on a whim. There's no intent other than to offer something as a relative data point relative to itself. Nothing more.
 
16:28
thumbsup.gif
 
Hey Scott - just watched the whole thing, and it was great - thanks for posting the vid and taking the time to make it!

now - a question - of the 4 cabs, what was your preference if you could choose one? or in order of preference?
 
Hey Scott - just watched the whole thing, and it was great - thanks for posting the vid and taking the time to make it!

now - a question - of the 4 cabs, what was your preference if you could choose one? or in order of preference?

Keep in mind, The Zoom does no favors on the higher gain stuff - please take that into consideration when watching/listening to this. It clamps down pretty hard.

For my taste and in my opinion (given sitting here in the room and not watching a video of speakers on other speakers on the web as recorded through a $300 Zoom recorder) ;) : Thus far given the four here, I'd rank the CLR and Tannoy VX12HD as 'best', the RCF right there (it is slightly scooped and has a bump in the 130hz range) and the VX12 right below that (it isn't as 'robust' sounding as the RCF, VX12HD or CLR).


But I'll also say this - I'd choose any of these over most other configurations I've heard/used/owned/worked with in the past 6 years running FRFR.

Gotta get a Mac man. iMovie makes it pretty easy and almost enjoyable.

The process and software I have are easy; I just don't like looking at myself for hours. LOL! iMovie can't fix that. ;)
 
Scott, love the response to the pickup volume you get with the Axe! I don't own one of these yet but have been following threads, and have huge anticipation to see one at NAMM! I use an Egnater M4 Pre with tube modules, sounds great but I think the Axe could be the new device going forward, just so much diversity! First purchase is new speakers so this thread is very helpful thank you!
 
Is that a VX12HP perchance???

gOOgle doesn't seem to have heard of an VX12HD except for the thread here and at TGP.
 
thanks for taking the time to do this Scott , I know a lot of people are chomping at the bit to
finally hear FRFR options as they become available to us. (myself included LOL! )
I noticed the RCF sounded a bit more "distant" than the other speakers
is that due to a volume difference in the room or the narrower projection of the RCF

di you try running any of them in stereo ?
1 from out 1 and another from out 2?
I'm sure mixing any of these would just kill :)
 
Last edited:
What's the street price on the VX12HP?

Contact Mike Pyle - my full review will be up shortly on the Tannoy's. The VX12HP is over $1K from Mike, and notably higher elsewhere if you are in the USA.

thanks for taking the time to do this Scott , I know a lot of people are chomping at the bit to
finally hear FRFR options as they become available to us. (myself included LOL! )
I noticed the RCF sounded a bit more "distant" than the other speakers
is that due to a volume difference in the room or the narrower projection of the RCF

di you try running any of them in stereo ?
1 from out 1 and another from out 2?
I'm sure mixing any of these would just kill :)

All were orientated in a similar manner (though not scientifically so). All were about 30 degrees off axis, so that isn't the difference. The RCF just sounds like that; these speakers (especially the CLR and VX-12HP) make the RCF sound scooped. (IMHO, that's accounting for your description of 'distant'). All the speakers were volume matched by my db meter prior to recording the take on it.

Heck yea, I've tried stereo and ran all four at once. More is more... and more is gooder. ;) :D
 
Nice guitar BTW.

Judging from the footage I like the Tannoy and CLR best too.
 
Back
Top Bottom