anyone still use their microcubes?

[jjpistols]

how are they for quick home recordings?

[cratz2]

Some folks get good results but to my ears, the Vox DA5 sounds about eleventy times better.

 

[jjpistols]

Some folks get good results but to my ears, the Vox DA5 sounds about eleventy times better.

 

 

 

 

what stands out as the differences between the two?

 

 

 

I'm thinking of a small desktop amp to park next to the computer for recording - I still like amps and mics, although I probably should use the computer and amp sims, like I do for my keyboard, or a pod type deal or something

 

 

 

I just dig the guitar coming out of a speaker

[slvrsrpnt]

I have my microcube still - it's more convenient than cranking out the ENGL...but I record riffs and whatnot with my Guitarport

[kirs]

Love the MC for apartment playing. Use Vox Tonelab ST for recording.

[isuck]

I use a digitech pr355 next the the computer. works great with head phones and if you want "live" sound just run it through a powered speaker. Plus it's usb for easy recording.

[ChrisGansz]

Hey JJ - I still use my MicroCube - it's a great asset here because I live in an apartment and it gives me great low volume tones without pushing the limits - don't know if it's "better" or "worse" than anything else, but it gets the job done for recording and such. I had tried it direct to my friend's recording board and it worked well! - Chris

[PunkKitty]

I love my Microcube! It's a great little amp.

[bdegrande]

Some folks get good results but to my ears, the Vox DA5 sounds about eleventy times better.

 

As one who owns both, I strongly disagree. In particular the Brit Combo and Classic Stack models at lower gain settings are better sounds than anything I can get out of the DA5, although it has some effect combinations that the Microcube doesn't.

[Deadbeat Son]

For home recording I really liked my Tech 21 Trademark 30. I realize this doesn't have anything to do with your question, but I think they can cop some great tones without taking up much space or annoying the neighbors.

[cratz2]

 

As one who owns both, I strongly disagree. In particular the Brit Combo and Classic Stack models at lower gain settings are better sounds than anything I can get out of the DA5, although it has some effect combinations that the Microcube doesn't.

 

 

I hear ya... I had the Micro Cube for a little over a year. It just didn't really do it for me. I bought it as something basically to take to sell guitars so I wouldn't have to meet at my place and it served that purpose. Kept it about a year, didn't have one lick of a problem with it other than I felt it had consistently lackluster tones. Not bad, just not very good. The Marshall model wasn't bad and the Fender was like 1/50th a Fender tone.

 

The DA5 sounds great, esp the Fender and Marshall tones. The Marshall tones are OK, the Boogie is pretty decent with full gain but I'm mostly a Fender kinda guy and if I compare a clean Fender tone with a decent amount of reverb, to me there is zero comparison. I thought the DA5 was decent with the stock speaker, but I replaced it with an ceramic 8" Weber Signature 8S which adds quite a bit of bottom end and makes the amp sound bigger... to the point that it doesn't sound very good to my ears with the back on so I always leave it off.

 

I have nicer amps around, but I often play the DA5 through a cab with an Electro Voice 12L.

 

But lots of folks are happy with their Micro Cubes.

[steve_man]

yup, I've had both a microcube and a da5. Both were not bad, but the small speakers just sounded too thin and brittle to me. Even plugged into a system through the headphone out, it just didn't do it for me.

 

Tonelab is amazing...sounds worlds better plugged in, and you can find the used desktop models for $100 or less.

[Jkater]

I have the Microcube and the coolest thing about it is how I could put in a bicycle bag, put the guitar on my back in a gigbag and ride to rehearsal. It was loud enough for that purpose (guitar-sax duet).

 

As for recording, the only time I used it for that was for the yardbird suite vid and the recording was done with a Zoom H2 and later sync'd. I have little experience with its recording capability other than that.

[jjpistols]

thanks for the replies - sounds like I'm probably better off just keeping things the way they are for now

 

 

 

I've seen a couple of these priced pretty reasonably on CL and thought it might be cool to have, and since I'm not really planning to travel with it much, I think my bases are covered

 

 

 

I've owned some small amps before, like the 9v Marshall and Dano, and a Smokey, and after the novelty wore off (about 15 minutes) they really didn't see much play - I'm worried the micro wouldn't be any different in the long run

[csm]

I use mine for (a) home practicing, and (b) for acoustic gigs where there's no PA If there IS a PA, I run my resonator or a Fender into the 'Cube and then out the back (via the 'headphone' socket) into said PA.

 

Example of latter HERE. You can see the 'Cube sitting on the chair between John Sinclair and Buffalo Bill -- the speaker is automatically disconnected when you take an out from the 'phone socket, and all the guitar you hear is coming from the PA:

 

[YOUTUBE]d2Zx1sd3xIA[/YOUTUBE]

[mistersully]

plugged into my DA5 the other day for the first time in ages.... damn cool little amp... can get good tones especially if you use your volume and tone controls on your guitar

 

also has a line in and mic in at the back

 

i use it for putting ideas down when i'm not in my studio... i have a crappy old video camera i tape myself with so it's easy to see what i was playing when i watch/listen back

 

it records pretty well too... i've thrown a 57 in front of it a few times... which i prefer to it's headphone out recording (which isn't too bad either)

 

if you want i can do a quick clip of it's range of tones... let me know

[bdegrande]

 

thanks for the replies - sounds like I'm probably better off just keeping things the way they are for now I've seen a couple of these priced pretty reasonably on CL and thought it might be cool to have, and since I'm not really planning to travel with it much, I think my bases are covered I've owned some small amps before, like the 9v Marshall and Dano, and a Smokey, and after the novelty wore off (about 15 minutes) they really didn't see much play - I'm worried the micro wouldn't be any different in the long run

 

 

Not remotely in the same ballpark. Amps as small as the Smokey sound basically like a fuzzbox at any volume above a whisper. The MicroCube (and MobileCube, and DA5) sound like amps, I have played to a few dozen people using a MicroCube.

[jjpistols]

 

if you want i can do a quick clip of it's range of tones... let me know

 

 

that'd be awesome if you get the time

 

 

 

can you do them mic'd and direct as well?

 

 

the last few jams I did here I just used the built in mic on my iMac and thought it sounded great - didn't even have to plug in the snowball mic

[jjpistols]

 

Not remotely in the same ballpark. Amps as small as the Smokey sound basically like a fuzzbox at any volume above a whisper. The MicroCube (and MobileCube, and DA5) sound like amps, I have played to a few dozen people using a MicroCube.

 

 

 

yeah the Smokey was definitely a novelty item for me - I gave it to my drummer and his daughter plays her guitar through it and thinks it's the coolest little thing ever

 

she's 6, I think

[Armchair Bronco]

I used mine yesterday for a jam session w/ a friend after work. It's much easier to lug around than the Cube 30 I have stashed in the corner of my office.

 

The MicroCube works well for recordings, too, via the headphone jack.

 

As I've said before, I think the MicroCube is already iconic. Pound for pound it's just about the best small battery-powered amp ever made. I love mine and use it all the time (it's already been to Europe twice).

[xStonr]

I just got one recently for the late nights. It does the job I want it to.

[Armchair Bronco]

One other thing: I agree that the VOX offering may sound marginally better, but it's also more than 20% larger and it's a lot heavier, too.

 

Plus, it uses C-cell batteries which are bigger, heavier, harder to find and less convenient than the AA batteries used by the MicroCube. Let's face it: in a battle of small, portable amps that you can carry with a couple of fingers, a smaller and lighter amp is going to win the race 90% of the time compared to a heavier, clunkier model.

[jjpistols]

 

One other thing: I agree that the VOX offering may sound marginally better, but it's also more than 20% larger and it's a lot heavier, too. Plus, it uses C-cell batteries which are bigger, heavier, harder to find and less convenient than the AA batteries used by the MicroCube. Let's face it: in a battle of small, portable amps that you can carry with a couple of fingers, a smaller and lighter amp is going to win the race 90% of the time compared to a heavier, clunkier model.

 

 

 

 

yeah C cell batteries remind me of my {censored}ty ghetto blaster from 1987

 

 

 

{censored}er ate my RunDMC tape

[clay sails]

I've got a slightly upgraded microcube RX or Dx or whatever. Its decent for home recordings. It plays well on a few settings.

[Armchair Bronco]

yeah C cell batteries remind me of my {censored}ty ghetto blaster from 1987 {censored}er ate my RunDMC tape

 

Ah man. Those of us who were using analog technology back in the 1980's can sympathize. No worse sound than hearing your favorite casette tape getting mangled around some off-kilter spindles.

 

Then, you'd inspect the damage and find about 11 inches of mangled magnetic tape which you'd have to cut off to salvage the casette. Of course, this always happened right in the middle of an awesome Jimmy Page guitar solo.

 

Ahh, the memories. Ohh, the humanity!