The old (original?) Micro Cube. Looks kinda goofy with a microphone in front of it…
I don’t know why, but I’ve been fascinated by the Roland Cube amp series ever since I first heard about them. That fascination manifested around Thanksgiving 2006 when I purchased a Micro Cube. It’s popped up on occasional recordings – like, say, all of the Distinct Kicking Motion tracks and one batch of Christmas songs – and its ability to record in silence has proven handy. I’m a fan. So much so that when it came time to pick an amp for a more low-volume gig, I settled on one of its relatives – the Cube 40 GX.
The Cube 40GX. Lightweight and loud – perfect for low volume gigs. My dad almost threw it the first time he picked it up…
Allright, so now I have two guitar amplifiers from the same line. How about an amp showdown? I came up with a simple rock riff and recorded it a total of four times – each amp first through a Shure SM57 microphone, then through its “rec. out/phones” jack. I used the “R-fier Stack” setting and left the EQ/tone knobs as flat as I could. The results were pretty interesting – the direct line in particular shows just how far they’ve come in amp modeling sounds over the past eight years.
First up is the sound of the speakers as picked up by a Shure SM57. Micro Cube on the left, Cube 40GX on the right. Microphone was placed slightly off-center.
Next is the “rec. out/phones” jack. Again, Micro Cube on the left, Cube 40GX on the right.
There. That was fun, wasn’t it? Thanks for listening and I’ll see you next time.
P.S.: Here are the amp settings, for posterity’s sake or something. I set them up on a chair because it’s easier for microphone placement.
Cube 40GX
Micro Cube
Ed Makes Things 