ART Power Plant - How Bad Could it Be?
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- Опубліковано 22 сер 2024
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No cloaking device
0/10
This got me!
@kenny hintz Just curious where you heard that. I'm not saying it didn't happen but I have never heard it before.
@@LeonTodd The problem with the tone is.. this preamp was designed for recording, and to be used with three outputs combined in the recording, according to the designer! One goes to a guitar amp, one to a poweramp, and one straight into the mixer. The ART Power plant was designed by N.S.”Buck” Brundage, and was a favorite of producer Max Norman! But if you don't use it as it was intended, then the results will be equally disappointing! Which is why it didn't last long, most who bought one had no clue how to use it properly!
@@kennyh5083 interesting. That's a very, very niche use case if that was the original intent. Big fan of Max Norman.
@@LeonTodd Not to mention this was a secret weapon of recoding studios for decades just like the Tech21. Over %90 of the guitar on Ozzy's Ultimate Sin album were recorded using the ART Powerplant! HELLO! How's that for "How Bad can it be?" Pretty damn Bad if ya know how to use it properly I'd say!
Back in the days it was used and advertised by the producer Max Norman (Savatage, Ozzy, Megadeth, Y&T, Lynch Mob etc.) as a studio DI recording tool!!! I had one straight into a Marshall JTM-45 with a 4X12 Celestion Greenbacks cab. The sound was huge!!!
Back in the mid 90s I had a ART SGE Mk II effects unit in that glorious color scheme.. Im not sure what inspired them to copy Dee Snider's look from 1984, but here we are. haha.
I had it too. Sold it when I bought a Digitech TSR24.
Bought one in early 90s. Couldn't get a hard rock sound that was passable. Boxed it back up and returned it. Back to my 100 watt Marshall Jcm 800 with 4x12 cab, 10 band eq and Boss SD1 overdrive & delay/chorus. Crank it up and all is good!
@kenny hintz I bought it because I saw the ad in guitar player magazine with Jake E. Lee using it. It was Jake not Ozzy choosing to use this device on the Ultimate Sin album. Best guitar sound ever. Jake has always been one of my all time favorites along with millions of other fans. That was in the days of huge guitar rack systems. Nothing wrong with it, it just didnt work for me. Rock on brother!
Ozzy scrutinizes everything used on his albums, everything and his line of techs! Nobody uses sh*t unless they approve it! Ozzy even forbid his band to go out on the town when he toured! And Eddie Van Halen also owned a few PowerPlants as well, as did many top guitarists of the 80's tons of them! and they ALL did rock with them! the only other unit like this used by most all recording studios in the world was the Tech 21 PSA 1 which produced tons of different amp tones as well used for recording hit songs and albums of all genres! (and I saw it with my own eyes!) Rock-On!
Back in the 80s, there used to be these small amps called Gorilla Amps. They had a really mild overdrive on them. The overdrive on this Art rack unit sounds just like that amp. I haven't thought about either one of these items in 30 years.
I remember the Gorilla amps! Should try hunt one down...
Awesome! I have the SGX2000.
Have you ever messed with different tubes for it ?
Had one in the Early 90's and gigged with it until 2000. I quit playing, so I offed this with a lot of other stuff I never should have sold...
Now I have another of these and love. Prefer to dial the mids down on the Overdrive channel. It cleans up well when you back off the guitar volume.
I still have an ART Midi controller with those awesome pink splash graphics... can say what they want about the sounds, but they made some pretty stout gear back in the day.
I saw one a few days ago in a Pawn Shop out here in West Texas.
I have one of those somewhere. The MIDI jack is a bit loose though.
@@jameslane9537 old ones don't have midi. Model 410
I've been trying to find at least a picture of a 100w ART Pro Audio guitar amp released in the 90s. Amp with built in single speaker. It was the most compact 100w guitar amp around at the time. Sweet looking little MONSTER! They brought out a 100w rack amp at the same time that looked just like this power plant but it had build in effects and I think a tube preamp.. I believe it was the 'FX' range - Art FX... Same hot pink graphics. All the guitar mag reviewers loved it and it was cheap for the specs.
I still have an ART SGE Mach 2 purchased new when it came out. Admittedly it doesn't get much use these days but for years it lived in the fx loop of my Marshall. X15 midi foot controller too.
Would love to see you play the art sgx pre amp. So many 80's tones! I reckon you'd bee in your element
Oh yeah!
I actually had a stereo ART power-amp running with s gsp-21 Pro in stereo back in the day.
That would have sounded huge!
Have a GSP-21 with the "legend" version chip upgrade. Some of the patches don't run properly for some reason, though a few of those artist patches sound great (Vito Bratta's, Iommi's, Steve Morse's from memory). Frustrating, a lot of potential in the unit. There a couple of threads at TPG talking about it, that it might be the after-market upgrade chip or an issue with the Legend firmware not jiving. I bought it with the chip already installed, wish I could get the old one.
@@coalfacechris1336 I agree about that chip, its cool to get the extra sounds but the noise gate is not correct in comparison with the actual Legend.
Can´t believe that you have this thing. I made a setup with it some years ago with a Vox ac15, acting like a drive channel "amp like" for Vox..worked better than a lot of pedals(MIAB). Nowadays I retired this setup after take a JCM 2000 + 1960ax
"rack preamps as drives" is a good idea for a vid actually
Personally, I have never used the ART Power Plant ahead of a tube guitar amp. There is simply too much filtering and EQ that is specific to the tube environment. I make rack systems (back to the eighties!) and my favorite configuration is the ART Power Plant preamp into an ART SGE Mach II stereo effects unit (creating a wet/dry sterteo signal) and an ART SLA-1 or SLA-2 solid state power amp. Yes, the clean channel is a bit weak (working on a mod for that). Also know that the Power Plant preamps with the eighties pink graphics have lower gain than the later black & gold Power Plants from the early '90s. You can install a 10k to 15k resistor across the existing 10K (R10, middle front edge of the PC board) to bring the gain up into uber-crunch metal territory.
Man, I had forgotten about these! I wonder how many hidden treasures are out there for the cheap?
People are starting to notice there`s a lot of misused, missunderstood gear out there to be revived and finally apreciated.
@@gtrdrumsplayerduarte Exactly, sir. Guitar players not understanding how to use the stuff back in those times, contributed a shed load to rack gear's demise in popularity down the years. So much terrific gear, gets passed over in a 19" case. To be fair, back then, you couldn't get Bob Bradshaw around to dial your rig like the stars were, either. These days, all the info you need to get it running good is online.
That's what initially got me into rack gear in my teens. "why buy a DD3 when I can get a used intellifex for half the price!"
I still run my 1989 ART SGE first gen. in my effects loop on my Carvin X50B. Still has it's tricks!
Leon Todd comes to youtube to prove there`s no bad gear just bad players :)
i agree lol
nice strat, would use the ART in front vs in Effect loop and add an ART or Digitac rack delay / chorus / FX to be authentic and era correct
I run sge stereo outs to line in 5 watt crate tube amps with attenuation before speaker.. call me crazy but YRS I am😎
Well done LT! Never got to try one!
Thanks Brian for sharing!
Be Well All!
i got hypnotized by the light flashing between the preamp and the boogie.
Some kind of limiter indicator in the ART?
Yeah same is it some kind of compressor led?
Hahaha me too. I think it is probably some kind of optical compression light-dependent resistor and LED combo going on. The light was about what you'd expect to leak from one of those, and it was on whenever signal was passing.
Me too! 😜🔝
Yeah probably a cheap optical compressor circuit. The light lit the most with the palm-muted chugs, so yeah that's likely.
@@vincelupone I've seen that on bass amps, is it usual in rack preamps for guitar, do you know? It seems odd that it's just always limiting, unless I missed a button or control for it.
Kinda like some of that, Leon. Wishing there was like a rack-mount solid state only pre that stays stiff and sterile with a bunch of headroom, without the 80's vomit aesthetics. Works great when playing those "expensive" chords with a heap of 80's"shmoe". A fender valve circuit isn't always the best for that imo.
I’ve got a Rocktron sidewinder that has awesome cleans and the lead channel fuckin slays
I ran one of these in the front of my Carvin x100 as a glorified dirt box for years. You could defeat the clean channel EQ and run the channel volume at unity, the tailor the OD channel as you wished. I got tons of compliments on my tone, even though people made fun of the way it looked. 😅
Now that's an idea!!!
@@LeonTodd Worked great as I could run my time-based effects in between the preamp and amp, keep everything in a rack and just have a switcher up front. Nice and neat and nothing for the drunk bar patrons spill drinks on and destroy.
Now that I'm describing it I'm starting to wonder why I moved away from a setup like that.
I agree, the time based effects are still workable but it sounds like a blanket is covering the signal in high gain settings making it sound very dark like not enough room to breathe. Shows how far we have come by today’s standards...👍
These old racks are great for synths/samples/drum machines.
I HAD ONE BACK INTO THE DAY RUNNING INTO A FENDER BLACK FACE WOTH A OVER SIZED AT THE TIME IT WAS GOOD IN A LOUD BAND MIX .IT DEFINITELY HAD AZHONKY MID FOWARD SOUND THAT KEPT ME. AWAYS HEARD. IT DID A GREAT ROBIN TROWER TONE
SYOER FAR WUTH SINGLE COIL PICKUPS. AND WITH A DIMARIZO SUPER DISTORTION. A ACE LEAD SOUND FROM KISS. THANK VEDIO BROUGH BACK MEMORIES
TOZZ
I had two ART SGX 2000 Expresses in different periods in the 90s. It did
look super cool with tons of buttons, LEDs, Fx, couple displays, etc.
and the same graphics as this one. The trouble was it simply did not do
the chugs. There is a tube in the preamp which gives it a kind of smooth
sound but no speaker simulation of any kind.
The first one had a 9 volts power out that could be used to power your
stomp boxes, the later run did not have this power out, I think they
claimed it was not safe.
When you play run to you, you bring back to me 20s my childhood ❤️❤️
what a time that would have been!
I'd love to see you get your hands on an old Peavey Tubefex preamp...
Fantastic preamp !
Loving the vids of you trying these older racks, thank you so much dude, regards from the east coast 🎵
Glad you like them!
Giant Leon Todd logo
I did not own that! Brian is a legend for a) owning these, and b) for letting you make videos with them. Killer stuff! Personally, you nailed exactly what we were doing with rack rigs back then. From these types (the PSA-1 was my last SS rack preamp until the Fractal Audio Standard in 2007) I bought a Rivera TBR-2SL. If you ever get a shot at playing through that... TAKE IT. Also, lift some weights and get strong because the Rivera tube preamps like that are... insanely heavy.
Always wanted one of these 90s Art rack units, great video!
I had one. The drive channel sounded great but had a problem where it would start making a weird high pitched noise. The clean channel was superb. It was dirt cheap to buy.
This thing kicks ass I kinda want another vid of you just jamming lol
Check out my other preamp vids if you haven't already!
Never had any ART audio gear, but I picked up an X-11 foot switch for my rig early this year. It's sooooo dated looking, but works exactly how I want it to and can be found for absolute steal pricing compared to any other comparable midi foot switch I've found. I think I got mine for like $30.
that mark iv under there is screaming "hey guy, wtf u doing with that thing? you know i got preamps too right?..."
Next round of Harmonic Superdrive is on me! *To the Zoom watering hole* Thanks for the great video, Leon!
Hey Leon - I had one of these back in the early 90's along with my first "large" amp, a Marshall JCM 900 4100 Dual Reverb. I found the PowerPlant worked better in front of the Marshall when used more like a pedal than purely a preamp that goes directly into a power amp loop like you demonstrated. Give it a try in front of your favorite old DSL!
Forgot to mention that I also had a ART SGE Mach II in the loop and a Rockman Octopus to control everything via midi!
The going direct feature set this preamp apart from the rest. Max Norman, George Lynch, Vinnie Moore, Steve Morse...do you remember anybody else, that used this? Have you tried a BBE at the end?? I suspect this to be the one Morse used for "Arena Rock" and Vito Bratta for the new version of "Broken heart" as that riff was not an ADA MP1 at all! Yes, it sound Randall-ish!! :D
great preamp !!!
I've been trying to find at least a picture of a 100w ART Pro Audio guitar amp released in the 90s. Amp with built in single speaker. It was the most compact 100w guitar amp around at the time. Sweet looking little MONSTER! They brought out a 100w rack amp at the same time that looked just like this power plant but it had build in effects and I think a tube preamp.. I believe it was the 'FX' range - Art FX... Same hot pink graphics. All the guitar mag reviewers loved it and it was cheap for the specs.
I had( and still have) an ART DRx 2100. It was their high end effects processor back in the day, and my ADA MP1 sounded awesome through it, just dripping with reverb and delays.
Got my eyes out for one of those!
Maybe I'm seeing things wrong, but it looks to me like your presence knob on your boogie is all the way down which would cause the dull sound.
I jus picked up one of these really cheap and a Rocktron Hush II/300....and the Rocktron REALLY helps bring this thing to life IMHO!
Leon food for thought, Roland GP 100. Bor Zuljan used one during the 90's and his leads were really, really good. Well he then went Mesa and his sound was just huge. Check out Sank Rock Dej bolj naglas.
That Art preamp was the one i had also! First effect unit i got and it tool a while to figure it out but some of the presets were good. Trying to dial in something good was tough though!
Clean tone is awesome
yea its not bad, or horrible.. what would it sound like behind modulation then a compressor/gate?
I actually all of them I have every single thing that they did but I have it all packed up and away because I know one day somebody’s gonna want this stuff for a pretty price 2 SGX 2000 2 Power plants I have an expander compression noise gate that’s a pretty cool unit I had a mock to add the SGX I have the nitro pretty much all of my collected everyone him since the early 90s since 90
Hey Leon, I don't suppose you would consider doing a review/sound demo of the ART SGX 2000 (Express version maybe)? If you haven't already. Thanks.
Wow, you're exploring some gear I've never heard of. This is fascinating
and for some of us, this is a trip down memory lane... even if it's just remembering the magazine ads since many of us were poor teens who couldn't afford a lot of this gear until grunge hit and gear like this sold new for half MSRP or less.
If I had spent the money on one of these power plants I would have been very disappointed
Gotta love that Pantera riff from Walk. So simple yet so heavy. I will catch a lot of flack for this but another riff that is simple but heavy.... Nickelback - Burn It To The Ground
Yes on both counts!
The stock clean tone sounded like a DI into a console.
Is the blinking light a built in optical compressor?
Try a Rane 3 band parametric eq in the fx loop of the Peavey Rockmaster in the Ultra Channel!
Bit muddy with the dirt?
I've never owned an ART power amp, but my first effects unit was an ART DR-X.
I still own this fx unit.... it was killer; the only thing wrong with it at the moment is the slide line level crackles and pops when moved, better be muted when you move it.
Hi whats the chords you are using at 3:16 through 3:28. Awesome sounding chords i have tried to figure the chords out no luck thanks.
Check this out ua-cam.com/video/OrSvMBU156A/v-deo.html
Harmonic power drive sounds like a 1940s transmission for a new Cadillac 😂
This preamp even with your great playing is not that inspiring for me. 🤣😂
It's great in the rack for just looks. Love it's colors, graphics. 🤣😂..
People used to tell me ART had good effects. I don't know. I always wanted an ADA with a VHT tube power amp or Marshall tube power amp and some pedals for effects controlled by midi switching, but could never justify buying such a creature. 😂
Great video sir.
Still waiting on the Stryper 5 minutes tones. I know you're super busy and may have no interests in the same, but I bet it would be a more popular video than one might think. Plus, who doesn't love that cicked wah type tone with a Mesa boogie amo? 🤔😉💘🤟💘🤟
The art SLA amps are good clean poweramps for creating IRs.
Low key for my eye out for one of those
I still love my ART SGX2000E along side Triaxis, Mp-1 and Jmp-1...
I used to tun the SGX in the loop of my ADA MP1 for the effects, kicked ass back then!,,,,
I hated the one I had. The only good thing about it was the clean channel.
Glad that I got it for free. Even happier when I gave it away.
LOL - "having it in a rack but never turning it on." You win!
Rock solid reliability, I gigged an ART Alpha 2.0 FX unit in my rack with a Marshall jmp1 1992 to 1995, never missed a beat! I recommend you try the original rocktron Voodu valve at some point, killer distortion with parametric EQ, and intellifex effects built in, not a unit for a quick set up, but boy you can dial it in if you get to know it 😉
If you ever have to sell that jmp, I'd like to get as far up in line as possible
@@antoineleedolliole7549 Sorry dude I sold it about 10 years ago...!
Solid cleans 👍
COS WHEN THE FEELIN'S RIGHT I'M GONNA RUN ALL NIGHT
I'M GONNA RUN TO YOU
Bryan wrote some absolute rippers!
My SGE MACH II is still going strong
Man, where do toy keep getting these wonderful toys
This channel will ruin me.... I must have every rack preamp showen here. So I have bought this Art Power Plant. It was not too cheap as I can say. But it is pretty good. I have connected it directly to hifi amplifier thru equalized output and it sounds FUCKING GOOD. The sound is much better for me than in this video. Equalization have on noon. Maybe add couple of treble and bass but not much. No additional equalization / processing (except delay) needed. It just sound awesome - for leads especially. Rhytms are a bit muffled.
Because of your review, I had to go out and buy one! Cheers!
Hi Leon, can you make a video on SGX NITRO?
I remember this ...saw it in an ad in the guitar for the practicing musician magazine. Btw what is the spec of your Mac mini
Those were the days, right?
Late 2012 mini with 16gb ram and the 2.3Ghz i7
@@LeonTodd yea, i wish i kept all those old guitar mags. Guitar magazine just isnt as good now.
7:23 😂😂😂😂😂
Gear snobbery and brand bias is what destroys good companies. Anyone who can design a preamp has to be a circuit designer and manufacturer. Therefore people should stop looking at the brand on the outside of the box and start listening with their eyes closed.
Awesome
gee , i dunno?? good way to make a very expensive tube amp sound like a cheap SS..if thats your thing?
Hahaha
i own 2 of these...they both sound alot better then yours....i own 6 ART pieces...and i watch fools pay 1000s for amps and mods....
8:36 stop making them weird faces man. Every guitartuber that djents does it, there's thousands of them... it's unnatural and it looks ridiculous.
Nah