VOX AD

The VOX Valvetronix AD15 combo mixes digital modeling (the preamp and effects run on Korg’s REMS processor), a single 12AX7 tube, and a solid-state power amp, which gives it a pretty interesting, recognizable sound in the room. When I record it close-mic’d on the speaker, though, I find it sounds a little too digital, kind of like W.A.S.P.’s 1997 album. Either way, paired with my Ibanez Gio GRG121DX, this amp has been “my” sound for years, even though I’ve never captured it in good enough quality. Plenty of demos were recorded with it, though. Way back, I dreamed of a two-guitarist rig: this combo plus a Marshall JCM800. But in reality, we tracked all of our music with VST plugins... Here’s how the recording chain worked: the guitar went into an Alctron DI100 DI box, which split the signal to an M-Audio Mobile Pre interface (to record the DI track) and to the VOX Valvetronix AD15, the star of the show. The amp was recorded with a Fifine A8. Crank up the metal with this tone and let the speakers tear the world to pieces!