it's so awesome we get such good photos of tom's guitar rig. i remember hunting the holy grail that was Tom's '04 setup until the japanese guitar magazine interview was found, but it's so cool we have justin giving this modern information to the fans
Since i'm not the one carrying the cabs and amps I wish they still have then on stage. It's sooooo much cooler and badass when you see a an old pic with 3 8x10 ampeg cabs, a rack with 3 SVT heads and at the other side those classics Mesa cabs for Tom.
I get how cool they look but for touring sake I can’t blame them for going with amp sims, it’s gonna make travelling a lot easier and it will probably decrease costs a bit cuz they don’t have to lug around a ton of cabs and amp heads from city to city
I don't see much point in those two NEVE microphone preamps either. But I do know that they have a sponsorship agreement with the band for concerts, so perhaps it is part of the agreement that NEVE equipment must be seen in the racks. Another option is that TOM's guitar signal that goes to the mixer is a stereo signal that they send "amplified" to avoid losses. It could be that with those NEVEs they amplify the instrument signal to a line level signal. If you look closely, both channels are set up identically. Fantastic video!
@@dylanburton4955I doubt it is a backup channel. Most delay effects are stereo. @EstudioDurango it’s not just a sponsorship, they obviously use the Neve designs hence the sponsorship. They use those preamps in the studio and it’s used to get the same color live.
@@NeilPundick Why though, when the signal is already digitally made before getting to the speaker? You could add all that digitally with the amp sim itself, I'd have thought. A pre amp on a digital amp sim circuit seems pointless but I'm genuinely curious.
@@dons1932They may be running the guitars into that preamp for color. A lot of people will use physical pedals in front of amp sims or they’ll run the output of the amp sim into some sort of hardware. Like an eq or a compressor or a preamp. I know they ran the output of the Axefx through a Manley Pultec Eq for the last Blink / AVA record. Jerry Finn used to use them for recording guitars all the time. Albeit with a much larger signal chain but same idea. In terms of why, it’s difficult to figure if you have never been in a studio or produced a song. But simply, Tom or his tech likes the sound of it paired with the Axefx.
Let’s gooo! I hope you all enjoyed the episode! Although some of this is pure speculation it was fun to look at Toms back-line rig in some detail. Thanks to people for confirming my suspicions that that was the Shure SBRC-US charging station! Just to add Tom’s FC-6 floor controller can also control patches. And override the MIDI programming if he needs to. 🖤🤘🏻
As a guitarist and Axe-Fx user, the Axe Fx is great and you can’t tell the difference by sound, plus having real amps and cabs are heavy and will break easily so I totally understand why Tom has gone down this road. Great photo guys
I don’t know if this has been answered already, but the mystery piece of gear on the bottom right hand side is a Shure SBRC. It is a modular unit that you can change out to charge different types of batteries for Shure wireless. This is most likely used for all of his AD1 packs for his AD4Q that he’s using for all of his guitar wireless
All I’m saying is if I was in a massive band, and had millions like they did, I’d 100% have real amps and cabs on the stage. Part of their audience remembers the iconic days of the Ampegs and Mesa and idk it’d just be cool to see and hear. I personally have been using a helix for my own bands shows so I totally get the ease of use aspect and cost, but I’m not in a multi million dollar band haha. If I was I’d for sure run it through a cab at least to have some stage volume and presence there. It’s annoying when you’re front row watching a band that doesn’t have any stage volume. I get it’s easier for the engineers without it etc. Also all I’m saying is the production of sound in their mixes has declined in the new stuff. Could it be correlated with not using real amps/analog stuff? Idk. Could just be a mixing issue I know Jerry was obsessed with those aspects of his production and was meticulous, and now that little production magic seems lost in their sound. When I saw them live I could hardly hear Tom’s guitar riffs :/ Also, there are ways to run midi commands and patch changes with analog gear too. They already have racks to house it. It’s just more they prefer the modelers now days for ease of use and cost reduction, but I wish they still used their old amps.
But then with how far the amp sim technology’s come, there isn’t really any need for them to use real amps cuz it doesn’t make the biggest difference, when I saw blink in Manchester I was right at the front and was still able to hear all the guitars without issue And while they’re a multimillion band it’s probably still far easier for them not to have to lug around a ton of cabs and amp heads. Plus it makes it easier for the sound engineer and techs cuz they don’t have to worry about the sound changing due to venue etc so every night they play its always the same sound and setup so that probably makes things a lot smoother and easier to make sure everything keeps up night after night
i get it man! their new album is good, but nowhere near as good sounding as previous albums. Guitar tones sound generic. Live sounds ..well they dont sound great. Like listen to pepsi smash i miss you. That outro!! No one can say they sound better. They are singing better for sure. Marks bass doesnt even sound like marks signature sound. Either way im glad they are happy and playing. Imagine if Jerry was alive to produce and guide the engineers for one more time album. Fuck man, that would have been gold on gold.
So if the entire show is programmed and synced to midi, how did that all work a few weeks ago when Tom was sick and they changed up the setlist on the stage, even asking the crowd which song they'd rather hear? Is it a case of the crew running about like crazy trying to sort it all out as quick as they can or is there simply an override function where they just have to trigger everything manually?
I imagine they have the set. And saved scenes from songs that they’ve added and changed in over the tour and various shows. So they could possibly only change it to things that they’ve prepared! But as Rob says, they can communicate the changes with the FOH & crew. But I’m sure they can override things and do it manually if they needed to SULLY
I think the MIDI programming of the show has made Tom a bit lazy when doing the interludes in songs like stay together for the kids, and also I noticed during ghosts on the dance floor, he played the verses very lazily
Tbh though I don’t blame him for stepping back in the verses of Ghost on the dance floor, the riff on the recording is cool but it is a bit difficult to play that riff properly and sing at the same time so I don’t really care that he doesn’t play that riff anymore cuz it meant he could focus more on singing And he still plays cool riffs during Stay together the kids but that section in particular he’d look out at fans and interact a bit, when I saw them I was right near Tom’s side and having him look out right at us and interacting during moments like that made it such a cool moment He still does plenty of cool riffing and has not gotten lazy when it comes to that, but he has moments during the show where he does step back a bit to interact with the crowd more and I think the little bits of that made seeing them for this reunion tour all the more memorable compared to when I saw them in 2014
@@dylanburton4955 I’ve seen blink since the pop disaster tour, with the exception of the untitled tour, his little improvising movements were always a cool thing that made those interludes something else in the live setting Being a guitar player myself, the ghost verse riff is easy to play and sing, I personally get the sense that these guys are out there just having fun, after all they really have nothing to prove anymore, back when they did DED it felt like they were still trying to prove something
it's so awesome we get such good photos of tom's guitar rig. i remember hunting the holy grail that was Tom's '04 setup until the japanese guitar magazine interview was found, but it's so cool we have justin giving this modern information to the fans
Completely agree!
Guitar player magazine had a sick blink rig feature in the back of the issue around 2004 when blink released their untitled (self titled?) Album
Since i'm not the one carrying the cabs and amps I wish they still have then on stage. It's sooooo much cooler and badass when you see a an old pic with 3 8x10 ampeg cabs, a rack with 3 SVT heads and at the other side those classics Mesa cabs for Tom.
Yeah, some bands even have dummy cabs to still have that aesthetic. Although on the new circular stage that rotates, I think going cabless works 🤝
I get how cool they look but for touring sake I can’t blame them for going with amp sims, it’s gonna make travelling a lot easier and it will probably decrease costs a bit cuz they don’t have to lug around a ton of cabs and amp heads from city to city
I remember an 8×10 Ampeg bass cab Fat Mike had at a warped tour painted like Neopolitan ice cream... coolest cab rver!
@@scramblesthedeathdealer that’s fucking sick! 🔥🔥🔥
@@scramblesthedeathdealer I think he still has it in Nofx' reharse space
I don't see much point in those two NEVE microphone preamps either. But I do know that they have a sponsorship agreement with the band for concerts, so perhaps it is part of the agreement that NEVE equipment must be seen in the racks.
Another option is that TOM's guitar signal that goes to the mixer is a stereo signal that they send "amplified" to avoid losses. It could be that with those NEVEs they amplify the instrument signal to a line level signal. If you look closely, both channels are set up identically.
Fantastic video!
The second ones probably a backup tbh incase the other one breaks or doesn’t work
@@dylanburton4955I doubt it is a backup channel. Most delay effects are stereo. @EstudioDurango it’s not just a sponsorship, they obviously use the Neve designs hence the sponsorship. They use those preamps in the studio and it’s used to get the same color live.
Yessiree, those neve preamps are absolutely warming up the guitar signal, adding heft and saturation to the tone
@@NeilPundick Why though, when the signal is already digitally made before getting to the speaker? You could add all that digitally with the amp sim itself, I'd have thought. A pre amp on a digital amp sim circuit seems pointless but I'm genuinely curious.
@@dons1932They may be running the guitars into that preamp for color. A lot of people will use physical pedals in front of amp sims or they’ll run the output of the amp sim into some sort of hardware. Like an eq or a compressor or a preamp.
I know they ran the output of the Axefx through a Manley Pultec Eq for the last Blink / AVA record. Jerry Finn used to use them for recording guitars all the time. Albeit with a much larger signal chain but same idea.
In terms of why, it’s difficult to figure if you have never been in a studio or produced a song. But simply, Tom or his tech likes the sound of it paired with the Axefx.
Let’s gooo!
I hope you all enjoyed the episode! Although some of this is pure speculation it was fun to look at Toms back-line rig in some detail.
Thanks to people for confirming my suspicions that that was the Shure SBRC-US charging station!
Just to add Tom’s FC-6 floor controller can also control patches. And override the MIDI programming if he needs to.
🖤🤘🏻
this is the type video that I love, two gear nerds just talking about the whole set up ❤
we need moreee
@@gals.182 thanks bro! Appreciate it🖤
Thanks for the video guys, cool to see what Tom uses. Appreciate the work you do to bring this info to light
Thanks!!
@@jarredbaca8112 🖤
YES!!! been waiting on this. Awesome guys!
As a guitarist and Axe-Fx user, the Axe Fx is great and you can’t tell the difference by sound, plus having real amps and cabs are heavy and will break easily so I totally understand why Tom has gone down this road.
Great photo guys
The mystery rack item is the Shure SBRC-US. As you guessed, it's for charging wireless packs!
Sullys as smart as he is handsome
11:50 that's exactly what it is. A Shure battery charger for their wireless systems. More specifically a Shure SBRC.
let me see those amp sims
The holy grail
In case nobody commented about the thing under the neve preamp. That is indeed the battery charger for the shure wireless batteries.
I don’t know if this has been answered already, but the mystery piece of gear on the bottom right hand side is a Shure SBRC. It is a modular unit that you can change out to charge different types of batteries for Shure wireless. This is most likely used for all of his AD1 packs for his AD4Q that he’s using for all of his guitar wireless
Thanks !
Awesome info 👌
@@samuelpaterson3303 🤝🏻
All I’m saying is if I was in a massive band, and had millions like they did, I’d 100% have real amps and cabs on the stage. Part of their audience remembers the iconic days of the Ampegs and Mesa and idk it’d just be cool to see and hear.
I personally have been using a helix for my own bands shows so I totally get the ease of use aspect and cost, but I’m not in a multi million dollar band haha. If I was I’d for sure run it through a cab at least to have some stage volume and presence there. It’s annoying when you’re front row watching a band that doesn’t have any stage volume. I get it’s easier for the engineers without it etc.
Also all I’m saying is the production of sound in their mixes has declined in the new stuff. Could it be correlated with not using real amps/analog stuff? Idk. Could just be a mixing issue
I know Jerry was obsessed with those aspects of his production and was meticulous, and now that little production magic seems lost in their sound. When I saw them live I could hardly hear Tom’s guitar riffs :/
Also, there are ways to run midi commands and patch changes with analog gear too. They already have racks to house it. It’s just more they prefer the modelers now days for ease of use and cost reduction, but I wish they still used their old amps.
But then with how far the amp sim technology’s come, there isn’t really any need for them to use real amps cuz it doesn’t make the biggest difference, when I saw blink in Manchester I was right at the front and was still able to hear all the guitars without issue
And while they’re a multimillion band it’s probably still far easier for them not to have to lug around a ton of cabs and amp heads. Plus it makes it easier for the sound engineer and techs cuz they don’t have to worry about the sound changing due to venue etc so every night they play its always the same sound and setup so that probably makes things a lot smoother and easier to make sure everything keeps up night after night
i get it man! their new album is good, but nowhere near as good sounding as previous albums. Guitar tones sound generic. Live sounds ..well they dont sound great. Like listen to pepsi smash i miss you. That outro!! No one can say they sound better. They are singing better for sure. Marks bass doesnt even sound like marks signature sound. Either way im glad they are happy and playing. Imagine if Jerry was alive to produce and guide the engineers for one more time album. Fuck man, that would have been gold on gold.
So if the entire show is programmed and synced to midi, how did that all work a few weeks ago when Tom was sick and they changed up the setlist on the stage, even asking the crowd which song they'd rather hear? Is it a case of the crew running about like crazy trying to sort it all out as quick as they can or is there simply an override function where they just have to trigger everything manually?
You could hear Mark tell the crew to get organised for these changes.
I imagine they have the set. And saved scenes from songs that they’ve added and changed in over the tour and various shows. So they could possibly only change it to things that they’ve prepared!
But as Rob says, they can communicate the changes with the FOH & crew. But I’m sure they can override things and do it manually if they needed to
SULLY
Now if only we can get a tour through his ax edit axfx patches
💯
Sully was correct its the Shure rack charger
Awesome!
The secret cable drawer - you can also put your weed in there. Yeah, yeah, sure.
What are the pedals he has on stage? I guess 1 Pedalboard is the AXF controller but the other board he has at his Right what might be? 🤔
They could def make huge bank selling the patches
Can you do a tutorial of how tom plays dance with me live...guitar only😊
🤣🤣🤣
I love that flight case - anyone know what it is?
I think they custom made it
I think the MIDI programming of the show has made Tom a bit lazy when doing the interludes in songs like stay together for the kids, and also I noticed during ghosts on the dance floor, he played the verses very lazily
Tbh though I don’t blame him for stepping back in the verses of Ghost on the dance floor, the riff on the recording is cool but it is a bit difficult to play that riff properly and sing at the same time so I don’t really care that he doesn’t play that riff anymore cuz it meant he could focus more on singing
And he still plays cool riffs during Stay together the kids but that section in particular he’d look out at fans and interact a bit, when I saw them I was right near Tom’s side and having him look out right at us and interacting during moments like that made it such a cool moment
He still does plenty of cool riffing and has not gotten lazy when it comes to that, but he has moments during the show where he does step back a bit to interact with the crowd more and I think the little bits of that made seeing them for this reunion tour all the more memorable compared to when I saw them in 2014
@@dylanburton4955 I’ve seen blink since the pop disaster tour, with the exception of the untitled tour, his little improvising movements were always a cool thing that made those interludes something else in the live setting
Being a guitar player myself, the ghost verse riff is easy to play and sing, I personally get the sense that these guys are out there just having fun, after all they really have nothing to prove anymore, back when they did DED it felt like they were still trying to prove something
I messaged Tom the other day to open with Degenerate to respond to the criticism so you heard it hear first.
first
this is stupid! one of the simplest rigs out there. its all in the axefx. everything else is nonsense support