Author: james

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B500 Sampling Keyboard

The B500 Sampling Keyboard models a sampler from the mid ’80s, with 4-voice polyphony and multi-channel note memory. The audio engine and user interface are based on the Casio SK-1. Many DIY enthusiasts have taken advantage of the affordability of this synth and pioneered circuit modifications to manipulate ROM address and data outputs for a variety of otherworldly sounds; a practice that has since been coined circuit bending.

Section Details

1 Volume

Increasing volume above 50% engages speaker distortion with Internal Speaker blend greater than zero.

2 Internal Speaker

Sets blend between Direct output and Internal Speaker emulation.

3 Operation Modes

  • Normal mode is the default mode of operation, supporting 4-voice polyphony.
  • Solo modes 1 and 2 each provide separate monophonic voices, supporting different tone selection.
  • Chord mode splits the keyboard and engages 3 or 4 note diatonic chords from F3 to C5, with chord type specification from C#5 to C6. Refer to synth labeling for chord type per note which includes: major, minor, 7th, minor 7th, minor-major 7th, augmented, diminished, suspended 4th, augmented, 6th, minor 6th, and half-diminished chords. If no type is supplied, chords default to major.

All modes can be sequenced via note Memory, refer to Section 10 below for details.

4 Effects

  • Vibrato engages subtle pitch bending after an initial delay.
  • Portamento bends each note up or down to pitch depending on if an existing note is being held below or above the played note.

5 Circuit Bending

Tapping the Circuit Bending button opens a new window containing three sections corresponding to Analog, Digital, and Clock sections of the internally modeled circuit. A fixed set of bend points have been provided that can be dynamically connected or configured with a wide variety of results mimicking actual bends on a ROM-based synthesizer.

Note that inter-section connections are unidirectional with respect to the point of origin. If a bend connection is modified, wire color will change to reflect routing from the source to a new destination. This allows for independent control of analog-to-digital or digital-to-analog bends, with each direction providing a unique effect.

6 Envelope Select

Tapping the Envelope Select button highlights the currently selected volume envelope. Each accidental key on the main keyboard represents a different envelope. Envelopes are pre-programmed with each tone and can be modified and saved in a preset. The display bar above the keyboard contains visual representations of each envelope type.

7 Synthesized Tone

Tapping the Synthesized button selects the synthesized tone, which defaults to reference pitch.

Tapping the Synthesizing button opens the drawbar which overlays partial values above the specific subset of natural keys that control each partial. These keys can be tapped or dragged to change the level of each partial from values 0 to 15. Each partial is labeled based on traditional organ pipe lengths from 16′ to 1′.

Note that synthesized tones are internally generated and are not impacted by Circuit Bending.

8 Sampled Tones

What else is there to say? These sampled tones are classics, we hope you enjoy them!

Note that selecting a sampled tone loads a pre-programmed envelope, and re-selecting the same sampled tone will re-apply this envelope. Envelopes with sustain or longer decays than selected sample length will loop automatically.

9 Rhythm

Tapping the Rhythm button highlights the currently selected beat. The lower section of the drawbar shows each available beat for the specific subset of natural keys that apply. Changing the beat is instantaneous and can transition mid-measure during playback. Tapping Tempo buttons changes BPM by +/-10.

Tapping the Fill-In button plays a preset fill with custom duration based on the selected beat. Fills transition mid-measure and will play to the end of the current measure, or the next full measure when tapped within a 1-2 beat grace period at the end of the current measure.

10 Memory Sequencing

Tapping the Memory button opens a new window containing a score-based view for recording simple melodies. In Normal mode, melodies can contain four note harmony, in Multi-Channel mode (Solo 1/2, Chord), melodies are monophonic or fixed diatonic chords.

Melodies can be manually entered using Note Length and Insert Rest for composition. Melodies can also be recorded live which may provide a less accurate notation for the performance but will play back exactly. Delete removes the current or previous note based on cursor position. Clear erases the entire sequence on the selected staff.

When recording live, rhythm always plays back to provide a reference for the beat. During manual playback, Sync Rhythm can be enabled so that the beat starts during playback. Enabling Repeat sets a loop point at the end of the last measure with playable notes.

Note that after programming and/or recording a melody, the Lock icon above the title bar can be enabled to ensure further edits are disabled.

Continuous Sampling

  • Continuous sampling for realtime glitch effects
  • Sample loop editing for time and pitch manipulation
  • Single or multi-part sequencing for sample playback—combine with continuous sampling for additional chaos

Tapping the Continuous Sampling button engages a live sampling mode where the buffer used for playback is taken directly from stereo audio input. By default the buffer plays back at a normal rate, reproducing the original signal, slightly degraded by the limitations of the internal sampler. In addition to this, the keyboard or Memory sequencer can be used to trigger buffer playback at different sample rates. And in addition to that, Circuit Bending can be employed on sample buffer playback. With full stereo support.

Note that this mode is independent of the traditional internal mono sample buffer that can be used to capture and store samples for playback and manipulation.

11 Sampling

Tapping the Sampling button opens a new window containing an oscilloscope-style view for capturing samples and setting the loop point. Instructions to operate are as follows:

  1. Drag the Threshold (horizontal line) up or down to establish a reasonable threshold slightly above the noise floor
  2. If needed, adjust Gain and/or Range to set input level
  3. Engage by tapping Record which transitions to an Armed state
  4. Once the input signal exceeds the threshold an internal 1.4s buffer will fill with audio data
  5. Drag the Loop Point (vertical line) left or right to establish where sample playback will stop and/or loop

By default, Left and Right inputs are summed to a mono, however Left or Right can be selected independently. Use Monitor to listen to sounds before and/or during recording. Dir/Mic sets blend between Direct input and Internal Microphone emulation.

By default, playback is normalized to A4, however Tune can be adjusted +/- 12 semitones to extend range or assist with tuning.

Audio Unit Operation

  • Section 9: Sync DAW Tempo

In addition to the specified controls above, a new button is made available when running SynthStamp as an audio unit. The Sync DAW Tempo button is provided which enables continuously tracking DAW BPM rates so that rhythms can be synchronized with DAW recording and playback.

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5001 Analog Synthesizer

The 5001 Analog Synthesizer models a dynamically patchable, semi-modular, monophonic analog synthesizer from the late ’70s. The audio engine and user interface are based on the ARP 2600. The front panel and extension panel on the keyboard present a majority of the controls and I/O from the original synth. The layout has been slightly modified for conciseness and to support stereo audio input. The drawbar in between the keyboard and the front panel can be dragged up or down to maximize either view for ease of use.

Getting Started with Normalled Connections

If you’ve never worked with a synth like this before, or if you need a refresher, each control input is internally connected to an output as labeled on the synth without having to make any additional patches. Historically, this conserved patch cables for relatively frequent connections, allowing for more experimentation if cables were limited as well as kept the visual layout of a patch much simpler by avoiding unnecessary clutter. In a software incarnation with virtually unlimited patching normalling also serves as an effective starting point for learning the instrument. If you’re not sure how to begin or if you want to get to a usable sound fairly quickly, start by creating a new preset with no default patches, turn up some sliders, and start playing. Note that we’re using the term patch to refer to an individual connection between inputs and outputs as well as a generic term for the whole preset once all patches have been made, e.g. a patch can refer to either a single connection or the preset itself made up of multiple connections.

Key sliders to getting initial sounds include:

  1. Section 8: Mixer Slider No. 2 (VCA)
    • Start here, enable output to speakers
  2. Section 7: VCA Sliders No. 1 (VCF), and No. 3 (AR)
    • Next, enable output from VCF
    • Control volume with AR triggered by keyboard input
  3. Section 6: VCF Sliders Nos. 1-3 (VCOs)
    • Route VCO square/saw outputs through VCF
    • Increase Initial Filter Freq. for brighter sounds

During step #3 you should begin to hear sound when playing the keyboard as you increase the VCO input levels to the VCF. Note that the keyboard input alters oscillator pitch, adjusts filter frequency, and triggers the volume envelope all at the same time! This simple patch produces a filtered combination of the three VCOs, tuned to the same pitch by default, without involving any patching. The sound is gated by playing the keyboard via the VCA and AR envelope generator. From here you can begin to alter tuning, modify filter cutoff for different timbres, and adjust envelope attack and decay for dynamics.

Section Details

1 Stereo Preamplifier

Use the audio input selector in the app toolbar to choose Left and Right input channels: tap to assign L, double tap to assign R. Left and Right assignments can be the same channel for mono routing flexibility. With mono input buses, L/R automatically share the same channel.

2 Envelope Follower/Ring Modulator

The envelope follower generates a control voltage based on the amplitude of the supplied input signal. Note that the input is normalled to the sum of the Left and Right input channels (which is the same channel for mono input buses).

The ring modulator is a four quadrant multiplier producing the multiplication of two supplied inputs. Note that polarity is preserved such that phase can be inverted when supplying a negative input signal. The DC/AC switch inserts or removes DC blocking capacitors at each of the inputs. Select DC when multiplying control voltages, AC for strictly audio inputs.

3 Keyboard CV/Multiples

The keyboard control voltage (CV) is normalled to the VCOs and VCF, and is provided as an output here for additional routing.

The four multiples dynamically reconfigure based on their connections and can provide 1 input to 3 outputs, 2 summed inputs to 2 outputs, or 3 summed inputs to 1 output. Both voltage control and audio inputs are supported.

4 VCOs

The voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) have a range of 0.1 Hz – ~20 kHz, and 0.01 Hz – 30 Hz in low frequency (LF) mode. Frequency control has a range of +/- 2 octaves, fine tuning control has a range of +/- 1 semitone.

5 VCF

The voltage-controlled filter (VCF) has a range of 20 Hz – 20 kHz. Fine tuning control has a range of +/- 1 octave. Increasing resonance can cause self-oscillation near maximum.

6 Envelope Generators

There are two envelope generators producing either attack, decay, sustain, and release (ADSR) or attack, decay (AR) envelopes. They are normalled to the keyboard gate/trigger and have a manual control that can be tapped to trigger the envelope cycle. Additionally, an external source can be selected for gate/trigger which disables keyboard input. The keyboard gate/trigger are also made available here for external routing.

7 VCA

The voltage-controlled amplifier (VCA) supports two audio inputs and two control inputs. The initial gain can be used to “open” the VCA and set a default volume, applying additional control signals is additive.

8 Mixer/Reverb

The mixer section has several components related to system output. The Mixer sums two inputs to mono and provides a Mixer Pan control for the mono output. In addition to the mono output, the summed signal is routed to an internal Spring Reverb with separate Left and Right volume controls. Both the Mixer and Reverb outputs are made available for additional routing purposes.

In addition to the Mixer and Reverb outputs, a stereo Aux Input is provided as well as the full stereo System Output.

9 Internal Speakers

The Left and Right channels are routed through internal speaker emulations. Each channel can be separately blended between Direct and Speaker emulation outputs.

10 Noise Generator

The noise generator has two controls for spectrum (white, pink, etc.) and level, with one output. Increasing the spectrum control produces more high frequency energy by increasing the cutoff of the internal low pass filter.

11 Voltage Processors

There are four voltage processors. From the top, 1 and 2 are summed. The summed output and 3 have additional inverted outputs. And 4 is a lag processor, adding ramp and decay time to supplied control signal inputs. 1 and 3 are normalled to +10V which equates to the highest possible control voltage. 2 is normalled to Keyboard CV. And 4 is normalled to the Envelope Follower output.

Note that this section can be used to provide extra multiples if needed, as well as Keyboard CV inversion for interesting effects.

12 Sample & Hold/Switch

The Sample & Hold is driven by a clock signal provided internally or overridden by the External Clock input. The input, which is normalled to the Noise Generator output, is sampled based on the frequency of the clock signal and the sampled voltage is produced at the output. If supplied internally, clock speed is controlled by the second slider. Output level is controlled by the first slider.

The Switch is a bidirectional switch that reconfigures based on applied connections. The configuration can be either switching between A/B inputs to C [A | B >> C], or switching between A/B outputs from C [C >> A | B]. Switching is based on the same clock signal supplied to the Sample & Hold which can be overridden by the External Clock input.

13 Drawbar

The drawbar is provided for additional flexibility and can be used to resize the ratio between the front panel and the keyboard. This allows for more focus on patching or playing with smaller screen sizes.

The Keyboard

  • Highest-note priority
  • Note memory
  • Tuning options

The keyboard is automatically routed to the VCOs and VCF via KBD ON switches, as well as provided in Section 3 with KBD CV output, with the Gate and Trigger provided in Section 6. The keyboard produces a monophonic output with high note priority and note memory, i.e. highest note wins, after releasing the highest note, control voltage remains present at the output.

14 Keyboard Controls

Keyboard controls include toggling between Variable (0.5x-2.0x) and Fixed (~0.8x-~1.2x) interval tuning, as well as selectable Tuning (+/-12 semitones) and Portamento (0s-0.5s) controls.

Note that the Tone Interval controls (Variable, Fixed) adjust pitch spacing relative to Middle C (C4). Increasing these values spreads notes further apart, decreasing brings notes closer together, enabling crude microtonal tunings.

Audio Unit Operation

  • Section 3: DAW Clock Out

In addition to the specified controls above, a new output is made available when running SynthStamp as an audio unit. The DAW Clock output is provided in Section 3 which continuously tracks DAW BPM rates and re-syncs with measure playback so that rhythmic effects can be achieved in synchronization with DAW recording and playback.

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Welcome to SynthStamp!

We hope you enjoy this app as much as we do.

Mac, iPad, and iPhone

SynthStamp can be used across all of your devices including Mac, iPad, and iPhone. You can launch SynthStamp as a standalone app for dedicated playing, or as a plugin inside of any DAW that supports Audio Units. SynthStamp is made available as both an Instrument and Music Effect audio unit.

Audio Unit

Loading as an Instrument (“SynthStamp”) provides dedicated sound generation with MIDI support. Note that as an Instrument, audio processing is limited to mono sidechain input. The sidechain input channel can be selected inside of DAW settings.

Loading as a Music Effect (“SynthStamp FX”) provides stereo audio input processing with MIDI support. Note that as a Music Effect, MIDI input is not typically recorded inside of DAWs like GarageBand or Logic Pro.

Stay Tuned!

It bears repeating that we’ve launched release 0.9 to get these synths out there and in your ears. We’re seeking some early feedback and will be rolling out an official 1.0 release shortly. This will include additional features like sequencing and, of course, more synths. Let us know what you think and what you want to see next!

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Announcing SynthStamp™

We’re excited to announce our new app, SynthStamp!

The Vintage Synth Playground You Can Take Anywhere

SynthStamp is a celebration of the history of electronic music, featuring fully modeled engines and familiar user interfaces behind some of the most desirable synthesizers. Tap and drag to patch, save your patch as a preset, and export presets to share across all of your devices including Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Yes that’s right, iPhone. Take your sound anywhere.

Choose Your Adventure

There’s a lot to dig into, we know you’ll have fun creating some inspiring sounds. Key features for this initial release include:

  • Stereo audio input for realtime effects processing
  • Model 5001 based on the ARP 2600–finally on mobile
  • Circuit-bendable model B500 based on the SK-1–we haven’t seen one either

Stay Tuned for New Gear

We’re launching release 0.9 to get these synths out there and in your ears. We’re seeking some early feedback and will be rolling out an official 1.0 release shortly. This will include additional features like sequencing and, of course, more synths. Let us know what you think and what you want to see next!

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Ride the Lightning Tone: The Best Sounding Marshall in Denmark

“…there was this guy in some band that had a great-sounding Marshall that we used. We dubbed it the ‘Best Sounding Marshall in Denmark.’ We used his head for the majority of the album.” – Kirk Hammet1

Let’s take a moment to revisit one of the all time classic metal tones from Metallica’s second album, Ride The Lightning. In a previous post, we found an extremely convincing tone with our Mesa/Boogie Mark II C+ model, positing that the band got their Mesas earlier than we thought. However, a recent photograph from the Master of Puppets re-issue book gave us something new to think about. That, and the fact that we just launched the EQ200 Dual Parametric Equalizer has really changed our take on this tone. Before we dive into Kirk’s revealing quote above, let’s review some history.

Early Days

While the Marshall 2203 (Master Volume) amplifier remains a classic to this day, we came across an interesting observation about the cat-and-mouse game between service technicians and the engineers working at Marshall. For a select few technicians who knew about amplifier design and could translate the concerns and complaints of their customers into actual modifications, they would become legends in the industry. It all started with a simple request to make amplifiers louder to accommodate performing in larger spaces. Eventually, many realized that they liked the sound of their amplifiers on full blast but couldn’t take that extra volume into smaller venues like rehearsal or recording studios. Enter the concept of a Master Volume control.

The goal of a Master Volume control was simple: get the sound of an amplifier running at full volume without the loudness. Despite the simplicity of the concept, different approaches really changed how an amplifier could sound. First and foremost the preamplifier needed to be boosted in order to provide more volume and with that came a decision about how and where to boost, as well as frequency compensation choices to avoid undesirable characteristics. Variations for boosts included adding additional tube stages at the input, cascading Normal and Bright channels if available, or even repurposing tubes from tremolo circuits to get some extra gain. Once the preamplifier was blazing it was time to add a second volume control, but this also came with a choice as placing a volume control before or after the Phase Inverter didn’t sound the same. Taking things one step further, some technicians even created (famously) resistive loads that could take the full output of an amplifier on blast down to line level for re-amplification into a second amplifier, effectively placing the volume control after the power stage, capturing the theoretical “true” output of an amplifier.

Model 2203

The team at Marshall had to be aware of what their customers we’re doing, because in the mid-70s it appeared that they attempted to capitalize on these advancements by developing the model 2203: a master volume amplifier that essentially cascaded the Normal and Bright channels of it’s predecessor, with a pre-Phase Inverter master volume control. And history was made.

But customers and techs didn’t stop there. They continued to experiment with new modifications to the 2203, including shifting to a post-Phase Inverter volume control and adding clipping diodes for even more distortion. Additionally, a true line-level output was pioneered and served as a much safer way to employ post-processing when compared with previous attempts using resistive loads at the output of the amplifier.

JCM 800 Series

And so what did the engineers at Marshall do? They listened to their customers (and technicians) and introduced the model 2210. Note, the model 4210 actually came first and was a combo amplifier in the same series. While Marshall had already incorporated a second volume control in their now famous 2203 model, they attempted to incorporate the latest trends with their newest model. This included clipping diodes, an effects loop, and reverb. The effects loop was likely a compromise to a line out since running the output of effects back into the amplifier was more economical than requiring players to purchase a second amplifier. Again, it appears that this was Marshall’s answer to the community of techs that were making names for themselves offering enhancements to their stock factory products.

Ride the Lightning

But back to the main story, let’s take a look at that photo! This provides some insight into what Metallica and producer Flemming Rasmussen might have done during the recording of Ride the Lightning.

From Metallica | Back to the Front (p. 65), by Taylor, Matt, 2016. Copyright 2016 by We’re Only In It For The Music and Moonrise Media LLC.

On top of the amplifier, connected in series, we see two T.C. Electronic Dual Parametric Equalizers. While we know the Aphex PEQ-1 was used on later albums, it had not occurred to us to try this out with Ride The Lightning. Of course, these pedals are from a different company but the effect is the same—parametric equalization. With the recent updates to the VG408D Amplifier, we created the Lightning II preset in a 2203-style configuration with the EQ200 Dual Parametric Equalizer and the results are nothing short of amazing. Lowering the gain from the amp to match the capability of early master volume revisions combined with more drive from the OD101 Overdrive, you can hear the unmistakable metallic chunk on those muted power chords.

We also see an Ibanez Tube Screamer, and a Stereo Box. The latter likely used as a splitter though it’s not clear how. The splitter might have been used to record both direct and mic’d sounds for the guitar, slightly blended to provide more top end in the mix. Also, it’s worth noting that this is could possibly be a cascaded amp configuration. With AmpStamp, we decided to take advantage of the FX Loop with the VG408D Amplifier as opposed to running two amplifiers in series, for convenience.

Preset: Lightning II

Lightning IIDownload

The classic tone. It’s just sounds more… metallic! The treble shines through and though this tone would be abandoned on later records it’s place is cemented in metal history.

Preset: Lightning IIb

Lightning IIbDownload

An alternate take on this updated tone, with less treble and more resonance. This tone seems like it was used on Fight Fire with Fire before things got dialed in on subsequent tracks though ultimately we’re not sure of the tracking order.

Take a listen! We think the resulting tone speaks for itself. Apparently lightning does strike twice.

Notes

1 Metallica’s Kirk Hammett Talks ‘Ride the Lightning,’ Cliff Burton and Taking Guitar Lessons from Joe Satriani | Guitar World. https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/metallicas-kirk-hammett-talks-ride-lightning-cliff-burton-and-benefits-taking-guitar-lessons-joe-satriani. Accessed 2 April 2025.

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Hendrix Woodstock Tone

Re-re-re-re-re-re-visited. Needless to say, we’ve been after this sound for some time now. It’s one of the first tones we debuted with, and this is now the sixth iteration in our quest. We’ve got something new to share, take a listen.

First Rays of the New Rising Cabinet Drive

With the release of AmpStamp 1.10, we introduced Cabinet Drive, meant to simulate speaker distortion when running amps at louder volumes. The effect ranges from adding subtle bite helping guitars stand out in a mix, to blurring and distortion almost like a fuzz pedal. We found the sound Hendrix conjured for Woodstock to be somewhere in between. His Marshall amp was running loud, but maybe not at full bore.

Active Bypass

Another interesting find that we haven’t directly spoken about before is that Hendrix was using the heel of his UniVibe foot pedal to cancel the effect. This was certainly not true bypass, the effect of pushing down on the heel of an original UniVibe pedal disables modulation, which in turn moves the swirling filters out of audible range. In their resting position these filters still have some impact on the guitar signal. We’ve provided this feature in the PH100 Phaser, in fact several of our pedals offer this capability though it may not be obvious. In this case, it’s critical!

Based on our listening tests the UniVibe pedal was placed after the Fuzz Face. Though there has definitely been some debate on pedal order, we clearly hear the UniVibe modulating the distortion of the Fuzz Face. This helps create that sharp top end heard during blistering solos in the recorded performance. Additionally, the bright treble quality of the guitar, when not due to the wah pedal, is probably due to the UniVibe in cancel mode.

Setting Gain Levels

Hendrix was one of the handful of players that regularly used their volume knobs, even with the Fuzz Face engaged. It was like another version of a tone control, and you should be able to experience the same detail with this preset. Try rolling back the volume so that with the FZ102 Fuzz off, the guitar is relatively clean. Then, with the fuzz on, you should still get the same intense blast of energy even with the volume down, but the fuzz should now have more bass, a bit more hair. It’s a cool middle ground. Of course, when leads need to be ripped, you can push the volume to full blast and let your fingers dance across the fret board.

And so here it is. The latest iteration in our quest for Woodstock tone. We updated the preset switch for the PH100 Phaser to utilize the Cancel feature when off as opposed to true bypass. And we added a healthy amount of Cabinet Drive to push the guitar into sonic chaos. We left the expression pedal for the WH100 Wah, adding the ability to change the speed of the phaser via knob.

Preset: Woodstock VI

Woodstock VIDownload

The sound finishes with the VG402C Amplifier, configured for ’69 topology, and the VG 4x12A 100W ’67 Cabinet for period correct tone. We think you’re going to really love jamming on this sound, we’ve found the combination of fuzz and phase shifting to be extremely inspirational, for both clean and heavily distorted tones. It’s no wonder that one of the most memorable live performances was created from this sound. Now it’s your turn.

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AmpStamp 1.10 – Turn It Up

Get ready for a combination of metals so sweet alchemists would be proud, _the_ secret weapon amplifier, a classic distortion prime for modification, and sub-octave sounds that will rattle your brain. Let’s dig into the next release of AmpStamp.

Introducing Cabinet Drive

ATTENTION: No speakers were harmed in the making of these tones.

By the mid-1960s, amplifiers were getting louder. Concert amplification had not matured beyond public address systems previously installed in many halls, specifically tuned for voice. Guitarists were forced to use their amplifiers to adequately fill space. Amps needed to get louder. Way louder. When Jim Marshall introduced the first 100 watt amplifier to the world, combined with up to two 4×12″ cabinets, the game was on. As amplifier power sections were getting, well, more powerful, speakers could not keep up with the increased output. This would eventually force complimentary development in speaker technology, but before that could happen, many speakers saw their last days. Pushed to the edge both physically and electrically, speakers would either tear or overheat causing irreparable damage.

It’s that sound, right before untimely end, that we sought out with our new feature Cabinet Drive. Made available on specific low power speaker models, Cabinet Drive allows individual cabinets to be over-driven akin to being pushed by an amplifier that is too powerful. The effect can be dialed in to simulate subtle peak voltage effects that often happened with mismatched power specifications between peak and root mean square (RMS), or the more extreme effects of sonic destruction. Note: when Cabinet Drive is engaged, the global Master Volume control becomes interactive and can also be used to control drive level.

The Secret Weapon

Th 315B Amplifier features a unique tone circuit that covers a wide range of possibilities, from warm and mellow to bright and cutting. It was Paul McCartney’s first amplifier, and possibly used by Dave Davies of the Kinks, more on that at a later time.

Heavy Metal Starter Kit

One might suggest parametric equalization was a critical element in the birth of heavy metal, we certainly would. This effect brought scooped mids to it’s inevitable extreme. Beyond that, the tight control over all frequency ranges makes it a must-have in any toolkit. We recommend trying this on anything and everything. From fuzz to distortion, FX loops, and even clean tones, if you’re looking for variation, the EQ200 Dual Parametric Equalizer won’t disappoint.

Mod Culture

Is anything really stock? From the first recorded sounds, artists and engineers have clung to special gear, either formally modified, or hand-selected from mass-production for tonal qualities that enabled performances beyond normal expectations. Eventually wizards emerged, claiming special talents that could transform ordinary equipment into things otherworldly, and oh the tone, oh the tone. For guitar players, this started with modifications to their amplifiers for more sustain. Before distortion became the neatly packaged effect that we know of today, musicians were discussing distortion as a means to sustain notes for much longer than seemed humanly possible. Phrasing lead passages or melodic parts could now encompass note lengths previously unheard of, perhaps held only by traditional brass or woodwind instruments via breath control.

But we digress. With the CS102 Distortion, we included several popular modifications that can transform the pedal from it’s humble beginnings into a screaming monster with sustain for days, literally.

Inspired by a payphone hack, the OC104 Octave Fuzz effect never really found it’s place outside of a notable solo from Jimmy Page. Truly a one-trick pony, we’ve added a couple of features to make things more interesting. It’s a great pedal to throw into any mix, if only just to see how things react.

Aluminum, Nickel, Cobalt

Ah, the sweet sound of alloyed metals. In this case, aluminum, nickel, and cobalt. Typically lower in power than their ceramic counterparts, but with way more character. Paired with the right amp, the VG 1×12″ 15w ’63 Cabinet really sings. Hint: crank the Bass up beyond what you would normally set, this speaker takes it really well. We promise you’ll be delighted by the thump in your playing that you don’t typically hear on records these days.

207A Amplifier Update: Bass Boost

Fresh on the heels of introducing the 1×12″ 15w ’63 Cabinet, we felt it was necessary to allow for increased Bass from the 207A Amplifier. With that comes a very famous defect in tweed Fender amplifiers classified as blocking distortion. With an increase in bass, and a lack of filtering, you can now dial in the amount of blocking distortion from minimal to extreme with the Bass Boost control. Keep in mind that this also depends on where the Volume and Tone controls are set. Blocking effects will be reduced and/or eliminated at lower volumes.

408D Amplifier Update: Boost Channel ’83 / ’87

With the introduction of the 408F Amplifier, we didn’t want to leave the 408D Amplifier in the dust. It was around the same time that the team at Marshall made a number of adjustments, including repositioning where the tone stack was in the Boost Channel signal chain, likely to match what had been recently achieved with the Silver Jubilee series. In this case though, the clean channel volume is noticeably louder which may have resulted in extending diode clipping to the clean channel as an option in the Silver Jubilee series. Here we’ve added a new Boost Channel option to choose the era of gain lineup, ’83 being the original release and ’87 the updated, re-positioned version. With the updated version, this will sound more like a classic Master Volume 2203 model on lower gain settings with the enhanced ability to scoop mids. With increased gain, you’re definitely in heavy metal territory which is a major feature of the 2210 model. Time to dig in.

Same Subscription, More Great Products

As always, we think you’ll find that AmpStamp has endless variations of tone to satisfy guitarists in any genre of music. If you’re already a subscriber, thank you! If you haven’t subscribed yet, hurry up! You’re missing out! Check out the Gear Shop and stay tuned for new products.

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Black Sabbath Tone Retrospective

It’s time to gear up for “Back to the Beginning,” Black Sabbath’s final concert planned for July 5th, 2025. Whether it was in the spirit of experimentation, or a desire to make each song distinct, Tony Iommi covered a lot of ground with each Black Sabbath record. This wasn’t just a case of setting up a few mics and running through the songs. With a mix of acoustic pieces and experimental passages for guitar, it’s clear the band’s vision was not just to be heavy, they wanted to take the listener on a journey. Join us as we walk through a brief history of Black Sabbath tone.

Early Days: Copy of a Copy

In the late 60’s and early 70’s there weren’t that many options for guitar players when it came to tone. Marshall had borrowed from Fender and focused on improving the loudness of their amplifiers. Maestro debuted the Fuzz Tone in 1962, and once it became popular from a Rolling Stones hit single, many seized the opportunity to make their own version of fuzz. But if you didn’t like the sound of fuzz, guitarists had to turn it up to get the sound they were looking for–the concept of a master volume wouldn’t come until the mid 70’s. And when amps were turned up, they typically got flubby from too much bass, harsh from poorly designed power amps, or even broken due to speakers that couldn’t handle loud volumes for long periods of time.

Preset: Paranoid

ParanoidDownload

Enter Paranoid, our take on the early sound of Black Sabbath. There is some photographic evidence of Iommi during the recording of Paranoid with a white SG and Laney and Vox amps.1 While it’s unclear where the Vox was used, early Laney amps were essentially copies of the first Marshall circuits, similar to the JTM45, if not the original Fender version which allegedly came from an RCA manual. These early designs were heavy in bass frequencies which created a market for treble boosters. Marshall eventually added more treble and reduced bass with their High Treble channel, later referred to as Channel I. However before that, a popular effect like the EQ100 Treble Boost would find it’s way on to several classic recordings.

With only one guitar, Iommi tended to double his parts and hard pan them left and right. With “Paranoid,” in particular, it sounds like there were different mic placements for each take. The left channel sounds more towards the center of the speaker, providing a brighter sound, and the right channel sounds more towards the edge of the speaker, providing a darker sound. We’ve mapped one of the toggle switches on the Floor Controller for easy access, aptly titled “Bite.” We also couldn’t help but include the RM100 Ring Modulator, featured during the solo in “Paranoid.” Add the WH100 Wah for tracks like “Electric Funeral”, and we think this is a really great snapshot of this early period in Black Sabbath tone history. Fire up the tritone, and let it rip.

Playing Notes: Paranoid

Something that I found interesting when taking a closer look at these classics is that my phrasing didn’t always line up with what Iommi was actually playing. It’s subtle, but take a moment and pay attention to his rhythmic style. For instance, there is a pause at the end of measure 6 in section B during the verse where I almost always add additional content to fill the empty space. It took a lot of concentration to leave that gap and then come in on the repeat with a palm-muted E power chord. I was adding accents there too! One additional note, in measure 2 of section A, Iommi lifts his fingers after each note for a staccato feel. I had previously barred the D and G strings on fret 7 which does not sound the same.

Playing Notes: Iron Man

The riff that launched a thousand bands! Made even more famous by cartoon deadbeats Beavis and Butthead. When looking more closely at this song, there is a lot of restraint in Iommi’s playing. And the rhythm of the main phrase is peculiar. I was not sliding from the D to E power chords, opting to add more stops than are present in the recording–I seem to have a heavier rhythmic strumming style. It’s definitely a challenge to try and match a recorded performance. You can learn something about your own way of playing by trying to mimic others.

Master of Reality: A Bigger, Heavier Sound

“It was part of an experiment: tuning down together for a bigger, heavier sound.” – Tony Iommi2

With their third album, Iommi made some drastic changes. In retrospect, this might have been a response to the new term being used to describe their music–heavy metal. The question being, could the music get any heavier? After experimenting, Iommi settled on tuning his guitar down to C#, and increasing the Bass level on his amplifier for added …heaviness.

Presets: SweetLeaf II, SweetLead II, Master of Reality

SweetLeaf IIDownload
SweetLead IIDownload
Master of RealityDownload

We’ve seen claims that a Laney Klipp 100W amplifier was used on Master of Reality. Let us know if you have a link to a source where Iommi states as much. While this amplifier is still on our list to explore, we had some success combining the FZ102B Fuzz and the EQ100 Treble Booster which is a more traditional approach for this tone given the information we have. We also fine tuned the cabinet selection for better results. There is definitely something heavy about this tone. It has a chunkiness that you can really dig into with palm-muted power chords …turn on, tune down, and feel the heavy.

Playing Notes: Sweet Leaf

Another heavy riff from the master. And another riff where I was adding more when there should be less. The biggest difference was in the first measure/section A. I found it extremely difficult to pause between the first transition from the A to D power chords. I tend to want to add something during that eight note rest. In fact, you can sometimes hear a pick scrape from Iommi just prior to the D power chord which sounds like it’s from an up stroke getting ready to hit the next chord. There’s also a slur at the end of section A that isn’t always in time as we’ve notated, feel free to experiment when playing along with the record.

Vol. 4: A Touch of Brightness

On the next album, things are brighter. Possibly as a reaction to tuning lower and increasing Bass to try and make things heavier. Ultimately, the final mixes sounded too dark, the impact may not have been as intended. With Vol. 4, we hear new JBL speakers, the fuzz is out, but the lower tuning remains. It’s like a return to the early days, with monster riffs–possibly one of the best in the catalog.

Preset: Vol. 4

Vol. 4Download

This is a fairly straightforward tone, back to basics. The brightness inherent in the 2×12″ C 100W ’68 Cabinet shines through and helps rhythm guitars cut, especially with lowered tunings.

Playing Notes: Supernaut

While a simple song, consisting of only two riffs, it’s certainly one of my favorites. Apparently, it was a favorite of Frank Zappa’s too.3 Regardless, this song is all about slipping and sliding on the fret board. It sounds like section A is played with one finger, either the index, or middle. Try using only one finger and sliding into the D, then slurring down to B, and back up to D. The song really came into focus once I realized that, and it’s fun to play! Not to mention the monster chorus riff. Make sure to note the difference in the last chord in section B before the repeat. It’s subtle but it helps the transition to the 7th chord both harmonically and physically based on economy of movement. And one more thing, pay close attention to measure 6 in section A, there’s a slide back down to E at the beginning of the measure that’s really hard to catch.

Commercial Excess

Iommi admitted in his autobiography that as the band grew more successful, things became more difficult. There were difficulties keeping the band focused, an eventual lawsuit with management over mismanaged funds, and no shortage of party favors to keep everyone going. Nonetheless, this didn’t stop Iommi from trying to keep things interesting with each new record. With Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage, we continue to see experimentation between bright and dark passages (an acoustic chorus in a heavy metal song!?), new synthesizer sounds, all against a steady foundation of heavy riffs.

Presets: Sabbra Cadabra, S.B.S., Sabotage

Sabbra CadabraDownload
S.B.S.Download
SabotageDownload

With the next few albums, we hear a more compressed tone, similar to Alnico speakers from a Vox AC30. Being there is evidence that Vox amplifiers were in the studio during some early sessions, we queued up the 2×12″ C 30W ’67 Cabinet, however still using a classic Marshall head similar to the Laneys Iommi was using. The sound was impressive enough to share.

Playing Notes: Sabbra Cadabra

Watch out! This riff moves fast. It’s in 12/8 time, similar to 4/4 with quarter notes having a triplet feel. This is another great example of Iommi slipping and sliding on the fret board with economy of motion helping to maintain a faster tempo. In section A measures 1-2, I found it easiest to slide from E to G with the middle finger leaving the index finger free to grab the high E. Note, the initial slide from E to G is a hammer-on, not picked!

Playing Notes: Hole In the Sky

Another monster riff in 12/8. While the whole song is excellent, the best part has to be the power chord bends in section B. They sound so sinister.

Playing Notes: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

I saved “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” for last. It’s one of Iommi’s magnum opuses that successfully combines softer elements that stand in contrast to the heavier parts. The transition to a gentle, acoustic chorus, then back to heavy electric guitar is extremely effective. This helps set the mood and especially strengthens the heaviness of the riff in section D. Note, I’ve transcribed embellishments from the first chorus only which are more or less similar to the second chorus, hopefully this helps provide a range to experiment with while playing along.

In today’s landscape, it goes without saying that heavy metal guitarists rely solely on preamp distortion, keeping master volumes low for tighter bass response, and use modern speakers like Vintage 30s for balanced tone. But imagine a world before all of this was in place. Heavy metal wasn’t a concept, just heavy music. The word heavy could apply to lyrics, tone, or image. Black Sabbath seemed to embody all three. Without a blueprint to follow, what else could heavy music have sounded like?

Notes

1 Grow, Kory. Liner Notes for Black Sabbath. Paranoid: Super Deluxe Edition. Warner Records Inc., 2016, p. 8.

2 Iommi, Tony, and T.J., Lammers. Iron Man: My Journey Through Heaven and Hell with Black Sabbath. Da Capo Press, 2011, p. 98.

3 Butler, Geezer. Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath and Beyond. Deyst, 2023, p. 131.

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Punk Rock Tone

If you haven’t been yet, I highly encourage a trip to the The Punk Rock Museum. It’s jam packed with memorabilia from all eras of punk. There’s an amazing list of tour guides from famous band members that helped shape what punk rock music is today. And there’s a bunch of other stuff to keep you occupied too. What really stood out to me, outside of getting to meet a hero of mine in the flesh, was the Jam Room. It’s a well maintained stockpile of real gear that bands used to play live and record with. And you can pick up and play these instruments too. Yes, you.

I’ve seen hands-on exhibits before. Where the artist wants you to interact with their installation, or being able to make your own art inspired by another artist’s work. But I don’t think I’ve ever seen an example of an artist giving you their tools for inspection, or to actually make your own art with. I immediately took advantage of the opportunity to play through a modded 1978 Marshall JMP 2203 MKII that belonged to Chett Lehrer of Wasted Youth, thanks Chett! I did not ask what mods were done on the amp, but it’s a master volume model and it was set up with the preamp gain cranked and the master volume slightly above bedroom practice level, just loud enough to fill your ears. There was a brightness that you could already hear would cut through a mix, but it wasn’t too harsh.

Sitting in a room and playing through a Marshall is something every guitar player needs to experience. There was obviously special significance with this one, it was one of the amps that inspired the music. This is exactly what the band heard back in the early 80’s, and what inspired countless songs that we consider punk rock gold today. And it goes on. The gear, the music, the personalities, the influences. It’s all right here. You can reach out and touch it. I played part of a song I wrote to see how it sounded through a piece of history. And it sounded great.

In 1978, Marshall was still stocking cabinets with 25W speakers from Celestion. It would be a few years before higher power experiments would pay off and the G12-65 would be introduced. It’s unclear why, despite being sold as a standard 25W speaker, Celestion was either forced to due to supply constraints, or decided to intentionally, change the speaker cone and the color of their magnet covers. The latter obviously has no impact on tone, but it does help with speaker dating. The result in 1978 was a “new” Celestion 25W speaker using an updated cone dubbed “Kurt Meuller” after the company who supplied them, with a black magnet cover as opposed to green. These new speakers were loud and in-your-face right out of the gate.

Preset: Fast n’ Loud

Fast n’ LoudDownload

The aggressiveness of this speaker, the way it shapes the sound of a distorted guitar amp, played perfectly into the burgeoning style of music that would later be known as punk rock. Whether the music influenced the technology, or vice versa, or non of the above, it’s unclear. What is clear is that for a while, Marshalls saw new life in the punk rock scene. With this preset, we’ve assembled the core components of this sound in AmpStamp, and added some room resonance to put you in a similar space. While you should make the pilgrimage to hear this amp for yourself, now you can rock out any time you want, anywhere you want.

The Punk Rock Museum is a celebration of the history of punk rock, but it really feels like new history is being made. Taking part in documenting and sharing this history in a way that hasn’t been done before feels fresh, exciting, and certainly new. Is this really punk though? Who cares.

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Van Halen 1 Tone – The Brown Sound

It’s safe to say that the guitar community has been trying to recreate Eddie Van Halen’s tone on Van Halen I since it’s debut in 1978. That’s over 46 years of detective work and speculation. If you’re a veteran, welcome… we’re not going to tell you anything that you didn’t already know. If you’re just getting started, counterintuitive as it may seem, this might not be the best place for you to begin. Regardless, we want to give you a chance to play through gear that actually sounds like that first record, a very specific tone not heard on later albums. In early interviews, Eddie hinted that he didn’t care for the sound of his guitar on that first record.1 In reality, it’s become one of the definitive sounds of rock guitar for many players, old and young, and though a mistake, immortalized as “The Brown Sound.”

The Magic Marshall

The main question on most people’s minds has always been, how did Eddie achieve such an extreme level of distortion out of a non-master volume Marshall? First on most lists is the Variac, used to reduce the voltage supplied to the amplifier, purportedly causing clipping at a lower volume. Next is setting the bias of the amplifier, some say high, while others say low because it might not have been adjusted post-Variac, and still some say it was correctly re-biased at the lower voltage level. Then it all gets mixed up, between EQ pedals and preamp boosts, specific brands of vacuum tubes, not to mention a resistive load placed on the output of the amplifier stressing the transformer to the point of destruction while simultaneously allowing the amplifier to be run at full tilt.

Did we capture any or all of this? No, of course not. But what we do have is an accurate model of a non-master volume Marshall that sounds like it should, with enough gain to spare. We’re of course referring to the 402C Amplifier.

The Speaker Blend

Once out of the amplifier, the next critical element is the speaker cabinet. In this case, and for many guitarists of this era, a blend of two or more speaker cabinets was used to create a distinctive tone that served as a sonic signature. Something that would be hard to duplicate and therefore set them apart on the airwaves. The predominant combination that most suggest is a blend of Celestion Greenbacks and JBL D120s. Of course, that still doesn’t narrow it down. No two speakers sound alike from the same lot, let alone those that were made years apart. And each speaker has a variety of incarnations. This was where our quest really slowed down, until now.

We managed to get a hold of a very particular speaker, the 2×12″ ’77 100W Cabinet, and when blended with the 4×12″ ’73 100W Cabinet, the whole definitely becomes greater than the sum of its parts. It was nothing short of magical when we first heard this combination of cabinets and speakers.

The Guitar

We also think it’s important to mention the guitar, because your guitar is probably not going to sound like ours. That’s one of the reasons why we make recordings, to ensure that you can hear what we hear regardless of the axe you’re using at home. And so in our case, we landed on a Strat with a beefy humbucker in the bridge position, straight not angled, with a modern two-point bridge. There is a thick quality to this tone that did not come through in the custom Frankenstrat builds that we attempted. Suffice to say, any normal Strat with a high-output humbucker in the bridge position is a reasonable starting point.

Preset: Frankie

FrankieDownload

And that’s it really, the rest is history. We’ve got the EC101C Echo, EQ110 Ten Band Equalizer, PH103A Phaser, and FL101 Flanger to fill out the minor details. To our ear, the core tone is there. No need for fancy delays or reverbs, though we didn’t shy away from using the AMB 400 Plate Reverb. We think that once you strike your first A-chord, new portals will open up transporting you to tone nirvana. The chase is over, so… what are you waiting for?

Notes

1 Rosen, Steve. Tonechaser – Understanding Edward: My 26-year Journey with Edward Van Halen, Robert Smith/API Productions.com, 2022, p. 65, 75.