ADA MP-2

GREAT SOFTWARE, EASY TO USE, VERY LOGIC EDITING.

MY AXE IS A JACKSON COSTUM SOLOIST WITH AN EMG 81 HUMBUCKER, & 2 EMG SL SINGLES, PLUGED IN TO A DBX 166 COMPRESSOR, ALESIS 133 EQ, LEXICON MPX-1 PROCESSOR, FURMAN PL-PLUS POWER CONDITIONER & A TRIPLE RECTIFIER MESA BOOGIE AMP.
BEST DISTORTION I'VE EVER HEARD ( BEFORE THE MESA TRIAXIS).
WITH A LITTLE WORK, U CAN GET ANY DISTORTION U WANT.

IT BEEN DOING ME SOME PROBLEMS LATELY, SO I USE A TRIAXIS BACK UP.

N\A.... USE YOUR MUSICIANS FRIENDS...

I PLAY METAL THE MOST, ABSOLUTELY WOULD BUY IT AGAIN, WISH IT HAD A NICE REVERB.

I JUST BOUGHT IT ABOUT A WEEK AGO ! AND HAVE FOUND SOME GREAT TONES! AND DISTORTIONS! BUT IM WONDERING IF IM GETTING THE MOST OUT OF IT
SEEMING AS I DIDNT GET A MANUAL WITH IT!
IF ANYBODY COULD STEER ME TO ONE ! I WOULD GREATLY
APPREACIATE IT? PLEASE SEND TO mo_rage@prodigy.net

the distortions on this unit are great ! it seems to have alot of features .that i havent explored as of yet !

i just got it from a friend that said he would never sell it!
how ever he just got a boogie traxis and a couple of weeks later
he said wanted to buy the unit back ! and after that never gave me the manual he promised me he would look up! so i guess he liked the mp2 better than his new boogie after all! so far so good!

im a devout metal head ! i have been using a zoom 9151 gsp
processor !. lopped thur a dimebag signature model randall
a/ b switched to ada mp2 looped with a ada s1000 into an ada pre amp ! thur two 4/12 25 watt celestion cabnets and it sounds killer !!! no noise

The unit worked great for me. It was quiet, versatile, reliable till it started making the hum. I use a PRS, and Les Paul. I used a Peavey Classic 60/60 amp through 2 Marshall 4X12 cabs with it. I had a huge sound. Kinda like an Alex Lifeson sound. I have the Pod Pro and it sucks! It is noisey and does not have any good clean sounds. I am desparate to get this repaired. If anyone can help pleas contact me.

I need someone to fix my unit! It has an intermittent hum. It is not a bad ground. If anyone can help or would like to sell their's e-mail me. Please!

I use a sh*tload of guitar sounds, from Mr. Clean to Captain Crunch to Fuzzy Ferret to Molten Metal. I thought this unit would certainly do the trick. I was WRONG! It makes GESTURES at these sounds, but that's it. This over-priced, over-hyped unit is tragic. It has what must be the most lifeless, character-less sounds I have ever heard. ZERO dynamics, and even though there are 10 basic sounds to choose from, they really aren't that versatile. Hard to describe, but this thing has no feel to it; it's like plugging a guitar into a homogenizing box--they all come out the same. The distorted sounds, when high gain, are way too compressed and buzzy. The cleanest cleans have no sparkle. I am an audio engineer in a studio, and when of the players had this at the heart of his rack, I spent 4 hours explaining to him why he shouldn't use it. He was pissed...but the tape didn't lie. For metal-heads, this preamp would be okay. If you want TONE, not sound, and CHARACTER, not caricature, look elsewhere. This thing is a one trick pony, and there are MANY other units that do that trick better for a LOT less money.

Features are well spoken for already.

I have no idea.....it stayed with me for 3 days before I gave up and took it back.

Didn't deal with ADA. In the past they have been decent about things.

I would compare this unit to having about 6 cheap distorto-pedals at your disposal. You would be better off with a Line 6 POD, a Rocktron Piranha (if you can find one), even a Marshall JMP-1 (which I don't even like). Hell, the old Crate TDP from 1991 or so was better than this thing, at 1/4th the cost. I have been playing for 13 years, working in the studio for 4. Unless that spider guy has one hell of a modification (I hope he doesn't just swap tubes...that wouldn't do enough to change my mind about this piece of dung), this is for metal guys ONLY.

I never cared for MP-1...but that is a FAR better preamp than this one.

It just like a toy for Kids

I'm using this preamp with MY B.C.Rich Warlock(neck:Seymour Duncan Screamind Demon Bridge:Seymour Duncan Invader)and Marshall Amp.
I get this stuff before I'm using BOSS GT-3 as my preamp.
after change to ADA it sounds really getting much better.
you know.B.C.Rich's Guitar Clean sound always not good
but after change this Preamp.My warlock aslo can get
Crystal clean sound and the main part is Distortion.
it's really amagzing!very various Distortion sound I can get.
from Hypocrisy to Katatonia.also can get.
can be Thin can be Fatten sound.
no any complain for this Preamp MORE
I'm sure this preamp must be the best choice if you guys into
Metal Stuff

I just have this one for one weeks..I think cannot give too
high rate on it?

this manufacture is gone..I think no longer Customer Support rite?

I usually play Doom Metal Stuff sometime will play Black Metal,Classical.I played Guitar for 3 years.if this preamp was stolen
I'm sure I will get that guy and put him down from the cliff.
this preamp must be my last one~

Easy to modify a patch from factory preset; different thing is obtaining a sound that is still in your ears. Can someone mail me some schematics patches? I'm quite satisfied of mine but i'd like some tips to improve the sound quality since the guy spyridon give me the key of infinite good time with that mod. Good the manual, i have still an electronic one.

I've got an Ibanez FGS series with DiMarzio pick-ups and also use an acoustic Yamaha. I can have all kind of sound from that gear, from acoustic unplugged Clapton style, to EVH tapping and flying playing. Clear and bright to rough and crunchy, hard and fast.
I use a Fender Blues Deluxe with only the clear channel + a CryBaby wha + a DigitalDelayBoss. After years of experimentation i decided to reduce to minimum and find that playing technic is the difference. It depends on what kind of music you play.
I play Am-rock, blues, some metal, Allan Holdsworth, Frank Gambale, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai.
I must tell that with the mod told by spyridon that MP2 is becoming a real Blaster.......no more noise and dynamics all the time.Thanks.

Once it left me because of an electric problem in the gig. It must be stable with something.
Hope it'll live forever but i have some pedal for back up, they are NOT the same but you never know.

No cantact alt all, only downloaded the manual on line.

I owned an MP1 for three days before.....this one is the best pre-amp i never played with, no Triaxis, no Rocktron, no other. The only thing i regret is that i cannot find the original pedalboard which someone told is best.
If you have one MP2 contact the guy spyridon on this database. He's a realgood man.

I use a variety of "Strat" & "Tele" configued guitars that I have both purchased and made myself. They all have Seymour Duncan pickups in them. The typical arrangement is Lil' 59 neck and bridge with a stock strat pick up in the middle or Vintage Rails neck & bridge, stock strat in the middle and a 5-way pickup switch that allows neck and bridge pickups to be used together, real useful for me. Even though my band covers some grungy music here and there, I've never gone for that way mid-scooped sound (although there is enough EQ to do it). I've also had better results getting more sounds using pickups that are not way hot or that have accentuated mids. My whole setup consists of the MP-2, Alesis Midiverb II, ADA Microtube 200 and the foot controller. That all goes to a 1960A cabinet. I go for a while content with my settings and then will tweak for the heck of it. Something that might help other MP-2 owners, try starting out on an empty patch with one of the high gain voices, pull down the "Overdrive" level so that it's just a little "warm". This is a way I've found to create thick, sustaining patches that are a little different from the factory presets. Sounds real good on the neck pickup. Another handy use for the continuous contoller is to use it to variably control the amount of effects return. I also use the emulator outputs to go to the mixing console when we play out. I've noticed that I can get better presence/projection in the mains if my solo patches are mono(not chorused), this puts the solos in the "middle". I've got all my levels set so that I can run the output level on the preamp at 12:00 and the power amp all the way up, this seems to allow more natural feedback and maybe a little better frequency response overall. This preamp has enough range when set this way to create even clean patches that can spread from rythym to solo levels without distorting. The chorus is real good, I've gotten addicted to the stereo capabilties, I don't use the tremelo. Something I haven't been able to accomplish (although is not high on my list) is that ringy, gritty clearer distorted sound that I found in a Mesa Nomad. I was attracted to the three channels with solo funtion in each channel. I'm going to try the modification listed on this site by Spyridon, will write back.

I ordered this preamp through AMS in 1995, or so. I play in a band that does mostly rock/alternative covers and some originals. It has always been important me to be able to pull off varying degrees of distortion sounds and to be able to bump up the over-all level for solos regardless of the sound being hyper-clean or way distorted. This preamp (for me) handles this asignment well, I think the choice of power amp is critical. Some fore thought on creating patches for your live situation is prudent. I highly recommend some kind of continuous controller for using this unit, there are funtions you cannot access without one. I use the ART X-15 with one pedal being global over-all volume control and the other for various functions, depending on the patch (sort of a "poor man's Bradshaw system"). I use ADA's Microtube 200 power amp and this is probably the weak link in the chain sound-wise.

It has never broken down, I'm flying without a net on the backup amp situation, I take real good care of it. I've been thinking about something like the Mesa V-Twin pedal for a back up.

Had a weird deal where apparently the phantom power on the console we were using was working it's way into places it shouldn't in my MP-2. It exhibited the problem when the phantom power was switched off, the input levels from the MP-2 went through the ceiling. I re-wired the cables with TRS plugs instead of XLR, no problem.

I've been playing with bands since about 1980, I also own the PA gear we use so money for sound gear gets pulled many ways. Now that these things are turning up used I'd like to get another one for backup. I also have an old Princeton Reverb that I plunk with, it's good for keeping me aware of what a REAL clean sound is. I go through phases where I'd like to really chuck the technology and play through a Nomad or something, I'm surprised more amp manufacturers don't address the main/solo volume thing.

simple and straight foward editing and i love the compare feature
that lets me hear patch before and after any changes!.
why didn't i give it a 10?, simple i love knobs and turning them!
pressing buttons is slow and menu's are hidden unless your there
and you have to document all your patches on a chart like the one
at the back of the manual to record them!, make plenty of photocopies!

actually i have to give it a 11! for sound quality.well mine at least.
Why? ,becouse its me spyridon the guy who has the mod to elliminated
the noise, but im a tone freak and it still didn't satisfie me!,
yea it was great at the metallica and mid swoop boogie sound etc,
but the clean and classic distortion sounds were ok, not great so
i got obsessed again and tested and tested and found a fix! yea i
really found a great natural tube tone ! and the gain and distortion
sounds also improved!,WoW now i'm satisfied my "NEW MOD" has turned
this king of the 80's GEM into a unit that competes and blows away
even the new gear out there today!No preamp comes close at any price!
and i have plenty of feedbacks from people that agree!,e-mail me to read some.

this baby was built right but lookout they forgot something really
important at the factory!, if you have problems or funny things
happening when yours gets "hot", you need to remove the top cover
and applie silicon heat sink grease to the top of the power supplie
heat sink plates top!.don't know why they didn't do that ,its standard
procedure with any electronic unit. i highly advise everyone to do
this to there unit!

no help from ADA there into studio gear now and guitar stuff has been
discontinued!, But if your interested in my new mod and finding out
more about it e-mail me at sse29@netzero.net!, i can also be reached
at sthero@hotmail.com , or click on the link at the bottom,
my other e-mail address at juno is not active anymore!

im into heavy progrock! and i also love playing acustic stuff and
blues, i collect guitars have a tom anderson drop top w/floyd,
brian moore c-90,a couple of MM EVH's about 4 gibsons ,68 tele,
some warmouth guitars i built with there premo parts(i'm a guitar
tech! at a sam ash!), and ibanez,kramers,ovation 12,etc. also i love
rack stuff and collecting pre-amps-got the pod pro,rockmaster,
hafler-boogner,sgx2000,digitech2101+lots more-yes im insane!
but i have to tell you the ada sounds best through a tube poweramp
or in the effects return of a tube amp ex.peavy 5150 wow what a
improvement!, i've got a backup also for experimenting and all i
can say is if your thinking about a rack or for home recording
GET ONE!, and don't forget about my mod!

I think this thing is monstorous. I have two guitars I made from warmoth parts outfitted w/ Lawrence pickups and I literally was able to replace 3 amps I was using, a Marshall VS-100H for distortion, a blackface Fender bassman, and 2x8 Roland JC-80 combo for the cleaner stuff. I've read other reviews where complaints about thin sound, tubby sound, noise, sterile distortion, flat clean sounds, and all kinds of other complaints, and my only guess can be programming errors. It IS very easy to overdrive any area of the signal path, which can cause this clanky distortion that is just plain horrid. And I've heard the funky buzz on the chorus that other people describe. But all I had to do was use the 'compare' button to make gain adjustments so my edits were no louder than the 'tube voicing' with both eq's flat.

Lots. Reverb instead of tremolo would've been nice. You definately have to 'learn' this preamp. Takes a lot of time to get around.

So far, so good.

I called ADA twice when they were just about to shut down business. I owned an Mp-1 at the time, (which I absolutely hated) and I couldn't believe how polite they were. I got to talk to one of the original engineers, and he gave me all kinds of advice. It's a shame they're not around anymore.

I've spent thousands on amps, and they were all all-tube. Started as a kid with Peavys and Crates, graduated to Laneys, Marshalls and Mesas, and then tried Trace Elliot, Kitty Hawk, and even the H&K tri-amp, and the only thing I've heard sound better to my ears was a Matchless preamp (can't remember model) that sold for almost $3000. It was such a suprise because the only reason I bought it was because it was so cheap. I was going to use it for a trade or something, and I expected to hate it as much as the Mp-1.