Here's my tribute to the mighty and devastating heat-ray sound created by Joe Partridge on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds. Special thanks to Phil Shiell for laying down a very nice bass line on this track. Fuzzed guitars are recorded using my Mercury vacuum tube fuzz and Tube Drive pedals.

Thunderchild  - guitar solo

Sound sample by Anthony Stauffer founder of StevieSnacks Blues Guitar Lessons using a SRV Strat with Zexcoil pickups into a VAC 40 Series 2 amplifier with a single SM57 just off center. A small amount of reverb was added post recording using EpicVerb VST plugin. Find out more about Stevie Ray Vaughan's playing technique on Anthony's excellent website: http://steviesnacks.com/

Fire Bottle - Texas Flood (SRV)

Recorded (on an iPhone!) by Adrian in his hotel room in Crowne Plaza Hotel St. Louis overlooking the Mississippi (October 2013) – which I’m sure helps with the authenticity of his tone! Gear used: ZT Lunchbox Junior and his regular small travel board with the PC-2A compressor. Find out more about Adrian here: http://adrianlegg.com/

Toot Toot - Adrian Legg

This sound clip was kindly made by John Fairhurst. You can really hear what the Tube Drive is capable of in terms of raunchiness and ‘balls’ about 30 seconds into this track – although I have to give John some credit too for his playing! More info can be found about John on his website: http://www.johnfairhurst.com/

Shake 'em on Down

Here’s a take on a blues standard to demonstrate the smoothness of the Tube Drive at medium gain settings and show how it produces all those nuances. I was aiming for the tone Buddy Guy had on the album ‘Damn Right I’ve got the Blues’ although a bit of B.B. King creeps in here and there. The backing chords were just straight Deluxe Reverb.

The Sky is Crying

Slow and deep Leslie setting – Speed: 2 o’clock; Intensity: 4 o’clock; Volume: 12 o’clock; Classic and Chorus modes. Equipment used: Telecaster into a Laney Lionheart L20 mic’ed with a Shure SM57. Thanks to Bjorn Riss of Gilmourish for recording this sound sample. More info can be found on the Gilmourish website: http://www.gilmourish.com/?p=4515

Us and Them (David Gilmour)

Blackbird clean channel – blues (Tristan Klein) – The setup used: Les Paul 56 VOS -> Blackbird Vacuum Tube Preamp -> Torepdo CAB -> Mbox pro and Pro Tools. Evidence Audio cables and Lava Blue Diamond patchs. Thanks to Tristan Klein for this sound clip. You can find more info about Tristan on his website: http://www.tristanklein.com/

Blackbird - clean slow blues

Blackbird drive channel – creamy mode (Tristan Klein) – The setup used: Les Paul 56 VOS -> Blackbird Vacuum Tube Preamp -> Torepdo CAB -> Mbox pro and Pro Tools. Evidence Audio cables and Lava Blue Diamond patchs. Thanks to Tristan Klein for making this sound clip. You can find more info about Tristan on his website: http://www.tristanklein.com/

Blackbird - creamy blues

Blackbird clean channel – jazz (Tristan Klein) – The setup used: Les Paul 56 VOS -> Blackbird Vacuum Tube Preamp -> Torepdo CAB -> Mbox pro and Pro Tools. Evidence Audio cables and Lava Blue Diamond patchs. Thanks to Tristan Klein for making this sound clip. You can find more info about Tristan on his website: http://www.tristanklein.com/

Blackbird - clean and jazzy

Blackbird drive channel – classic mode (Tristan Klein) – The setup used: Les Paul 56 VOS -> Blackbird Vacuum Tube Preamp -> Torepdo CAB -> Mbox pro and Pro Tools. Evidence Audio cables and Lava Blue Diamond patchs. Thanks to Tristan Klein for making this sound clip. You can find more info about Tristan on his website: http://www.tristanklein.com/

Blackbird  - Classic Mode

Okay, just one more RUSH cover! The Blackbird is in ‘Classic’ mode with the ‘Drive’ knob set low at about 10 o’clock and the ‘Bias’ switch is in the center position (12AU7 biasing), which is hot biasing the 12AX7 tube for a softer, warmer drive tone.

Kid Gloves (Lifeson)

Recorded from the Blackbird's transformer output using the lead channel to create rhythm and lead lines. EQ and reverb was added using Mixcraft’s standard VST plugins.

Watchtower

Special thanks to Scott Rabinowitz for recording this demo. All guitars were recorded through the Effectrode Blackbird SR-71 pedal into an Emery Sound Microbaby amplifier using a Shure SM57 to Logic via a Metric Halo ULN-8 using its stock mic pres. Guitars are as follows: Telecaster panned hard left using the classic channel gain at around noon into a Mr. Black Eterna reverb pedal for a touch of reverb. PRS Custom 24 panned hard right using the creamy channel with gain around 2 o’clock into a Mr. Black reverb pedal. During the quieter measures a PRS Custom 24 was used panned around 10 o’clock using the green/clean channel of the Blackbird and a touch of reverb from the Mr. Black Eterna pedal. Lead guitar was the PRS Custom 24 on the classic channel of the Blackbird with gain set around 2 o’clock and panned right at roughly 1 o’clock into a Providence Chrono Delay and Mr. Black Eterna pedal. Bass is recorded direct with a little compression. Drums are from Spectrasonics Stylus RMX. Synthesizers are Spectrasonics Omnisphere. The only processing on the demo is with Slate Digital VCC (Virtual Console Collection) on each channel plus master bus along with T-RackS Black 76 compressor plugin along with the Slate Digital VTM (Virtual Tape Machine).

The Bird Takes Flight

Rhodes Mark 7 passive with Delta-Trem (((STEREO))) – Johann Sebastian Bach Preludio in do min. BWV 999. Rhodes Mark 7 passive is played by Margaret Penn. ColourfulTone Recording®. Copyright ©2013 EM Productions.

Preludio in Do min (BWV999)

Sound samples demonstrating the PC-2A in action – Using subtle and light compression here to fatten and smooth out my Strat. Backing rhythm guitar is Strat with Phaseomatic phaser pedal on it.

Once Upon a Time in the West

Sound samples demonstrating the PC-2A in action

Warm piezo (acoustic guitar)

Here the PC-2A tube compressor is being used to tame a 5-string active Status bass. The Status has a phenolic resin neck and this coupled with active onboard preamp gives it a bright and powerful punchy sound that can be challenging to record. Special thanks to Phil Shiell of ‘BantabaX’ for recording this sound clip. Find out more about BantabaX here: http://www.bantabax.de/band.html

Broken Wings (bass)

Sound samples of the Fire Bottle tube booster pedal.

Fire Bottle clean

Fire Bottle overdrive

Thanks to Carl Fiadino for playing and recording this sound clip.

Little Wing

Vibe kicks in about a third of the way through this track.

Sound sample by Jack Zucker

 Demonstration of recording guitar direct to the computer with the Tube Drive and PC-2A compressor pedals. The PC-2A is placed after the Tube Drive in the signal chain to provide some gentle leveling and smoothing of the sound. A little equalisation and reverb were added post recording using Kjaerhus Audio and Glaceverb VST plugins. I also used Poulin LeCab VST speaker cabinet emulator to take some of the high end ‘fizz’ off and smooth the drive tone. Guitar used: Fender Strat fitted with Kent Armstrong pickups. Cable: Van Damme Silver Series Session Grade Hi-Cap 125. Thanks to Phil Shiell for playing bass on this clip.

Another, Another Brick in the Wall Guitar Solo by Phil!

Here's a Hendrixy rock style clip with Fender Strat into Morgan PR12. Rhythm Strat: neck pickup; all Tube Drive knobs at 12:00; toggle switches set to 'Bright', 'Bass Boost' - off. Lead Strat: Tube Drive 'Volume' 12:00; 'Tone' 10:00; 'Drive' 1:00; toggle switches set to 'Mellow', Bass Boost' - on. Morgan PR12 amp set clean. Thanks to Mike Hermans for making this sound clip.

Tube Drive - Strat

Thanks to John Verity for this guitar solo excerpt from the track ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. John is using a Fret King Black Label Corona ‘JV’ Guitar with custom wound vintage voiced single coil pickups into the Blackbird. This is going into an 18 Watt VTR/Verity head driving a cab fitted with 2 x 10″ and 1 x 12″ Tayden loudspeakers. To find out more about the gear John utilises to get his incredibly rich, bluesy guitar tones check out http://www.johnverity.com/

While My Guitar Gently Weeps 1

Maximum resonance and a slow to medium sweep rate. The Phaseomatic is pre-distortion (Tube Drive) so as not to cause severe filtering of the harmonic content.

Spirit of Radio (intro)

Again using lots of resonance (feedback) to sharpen up the notches for a smooth wah-like effect.

Cop Chase

An external expression pedal is being used to control sweep width whilst the Phaseomatic is slowly sweeping up and down the spectrum.

Expression pedal control

Modified Fender Champ 12 amplifier recorded direct through headphone output. Valhalla Plate reverb VST added post recording. Guitar: Fender Strat on neck pickup (Kent Armstrong) strung with Newtone 10 gauge strings.

Fender Champ 12 - clean

Modified Fender Champ 12 amplifier recorded direct through headphone output. Guitar: Fender Strat on bridge pickup (Kent Armstrong) strung with Newtone 10 gauge strings.

Fender Champ 12 - overdrive

Fender Champ 12 - clean 2

Single coil bridge pickup. Blue Bottle unity gain. Recorded using Harrison ‘Mixbus 32c’ software and Harrison Gverb small hall VST plugin. Fret King guitars into ‘Verity’ custom 18watt all tube amplifier with Tayden 10” speakers. Close microphone AKG C214. Room microphone Maroon Audio MT100. Special thanks to John Verity for recording this sound clip.

JV/Bluebottle

Slightly driven amp setting

Single coil bridge pickup. Blue Bottle unity gain. Recorded using Harrison ‘Mixbus 32c’ software and Harrison Gverb & 3D delay VST plugins. Fret King guitars into ‘Verity’ custom 18watt all tube amplifier with Tayden 10” speakers. Close microphone AKG C214. Room microphone Maroon Audio MT100. Special thanks to John Verity for recording this sound clip.

Slightly driven amp

Single coil middle pickup. Blue Bottle unity gain. Recorded using Harrison ‘Mixbus 32c’ software and Harrison 3D Slap Back VST plugin. Fret King guitars into ‘Verity’ custom 18watt all tube amplifier with Tayden 10” speakers. Close microphone AKG C214. Room microphone Maroon Audio MT100. Special thanks to John Verity for recording this sound clip.

Single coil bridge and middle pickups – played finger style at first, changing to pick. Blue Bottle unity gain. Blue Bottle unity gain. Recorded using Harrison ‘Mixbus 32c’ software and Harrison Gverb Small Room VST plugin. Fret King guitars into ‘Verity’ custom 18watt all tube amplifier with Tayden 10” speakers. Close microphone AKG C214. Room microphone Maroon Audio MT100. Special thanks to John Verity for recording this sound clip.

Here Mark Marshall is using the neck pickups with the 'Mercury's' plate starved switch on. The fuzz is all the way up. 

You can still hear the pick attack, which doesn’t happen on most fuzz pedals when maxed out. It sounds fuzzy but reacts a lot like a tube amp. This makes sense: there are tubes in it. And even though this is in the plate starved mode, it still has more of that tube loveliness than a transistor-based pedal.

Gibson 335 into the Mercury Tube Fuzz into a Vox AC15

'Mercury' vacuum tube fuzz recorded direct to computer via Palmer PDI-09 guitar DI box. The Mercury fuzz pedal records direct fantastically so just the tiniest amount of equalisation and reverb were added post recording using VST plugins. No speaker cabinet emulation was used.

Black Dog

Here Mark Marshall demonstrates how chimey the 'Mercury' vacuum tube fuzz can be. Some fuzz pedals have a ring mod overtone when playing chords or intervals. The Mercury is clear, without dissonant overtones. It works well with a Vox for arpeggiated parts you wouldn’t normally associate with fuzz.

Wanna hear some blues? Here is a cut from a session by Mark. He's using the neck pickup on his Les Paul Standard with Florance PAFs. The Mercury is in 'starved plate' mode yet there is a lot of sustain but I’m still able to retain dynamics. The Headstrong amp is at low volume—it’s at 2.

Gibson Les Paul into the Mercury Tube Fuzz into a Headstrong Lil King Reverb

In this sound clip  Mark is playing finger-style with the neck pickup. Here he wants to highlight again that even with the sound fuzzed out, there is a clarity to it. You can clearly hear the intervals, with no pesky dissonant overtones. The sound is warm but not tubby.

In this sound clip Mark Marshall is using the neck pickups, with the plate starved switch on. The fuzz is all the way up. You can still hear the pick attack, which doesn’t happen on most fuzz pedals when maxed out. It sounds fuzzy but reacts a lot like a tube amp—obviously as there are tubes in it! And even though the Mercury is in the plate starved mode, it still has more of that tube loveliness than a transistor-based pedal.

GUITAR TONE IS ROCKET SCIENCE!—Vintage, high voltage, vacuum tube technology harnessed to create radical guitar effects pedals!

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