First of all, as you listen to these, you'll hear my rythym guitar on the left, Todd's on the right. He was our rythym git player for many of these before he left & I became the only guitar player. Gateway eventually had to change the name, so we became Prodigal Son.
So, in order of chronology, here we go.
1995: Artist/Album: Gateway / The Awakening
Unspoken Knowledge
No Repreive
I used my ADA MP2 racked up with my Digitech IPS33B and a DSP256XL. We used the IPS, but not the DSP. I had my cabs & Microtube 200 power amp hooked up, but we opted to go with using the ADA Microcab instead.
Todd used my old ADA MP1, straight into an H&K Red Box.
After leaving the Cab emulators, these guitar signals went direct into a Soundcraft Console, eq bypassed, straight into the ADAT machines. The only outboard effects used on guitar was a pair of Roland Dep 5's used to create the Ping/Pong delay for my solos, that's it.
The Engl Preamp & Mesa Boogie .50 caliber combo were not used because all involved felt that the current setup sounded great, worked well with the 2 guitar mix, and there was no need to fix what wasn't broken.
1996: Artist / Album: Prodigal Son / Endangered Species
I Stand Alone
This Is Real
The Other Side
Going Down
Too Much Time
I was on haitus from the band for a little over a year. James Schmidt played lead guitar during that time.
He tracked with a Digitech GSP1101 direct to the console, Todd tracked with a Digitech RP12 direct to the Soundcraft console, eq bypassed, direct to Tascam D88's.
1998: Artist / Album. Prodigal Son / Broken Promises, CD Single.
I had a rack with 2 Digitech Valve FX preamps, (one for clean, one for crunch) that went into an ADA Microcab. I didn't even take my cabs to the studio for this one. I used to morph between clean & crunch with the expression pedal, kinda like how you do a crossfade in the studio. Todd used his Digitech RP12.
Both guitar recordings went direct into a Soundcraft console, eq bypassed, no outboard compression, no outboard effects.
2000: Artist / Album: Prodigal Son / self titled.
Beaten
T-2
Boredom
Slave
Denial
Alex - acoustic only
UnNatural
No Shade
Red Dawg
These were tracked by myself as I was the only guitar player in the band by now. I used my Johnson Millenium J250H Amp Head, along with my pair of ADA 4x12 cabs, tracked my primary rythym guitar parts by micing one cab with an SM57 at slightly below rehearsal volume, while simultaneously sending a stereo direct cab emulation pair of signals to a Mackie 32 channel mixer with about a 80/20 mix of the emulated signal being used over the mic'd signal. No outboard compression, no outboard effects. Most of these tracks are just the stereo pair tracked simultaneously with a straight take all the way through. The only song that I sent a separate left signal & a separate right signal was on T-2, where I had the call and response "Ping Pong" thing going on during a verse section.
Of all of these recordings, I am fond of the ADA era, partly due to band chemistry, but the tone of those just rocked. I am partial to Beaten, Bordome, and Red Dawg off of the self titled release.