Groove Tubes SE-II Speaker Emulator

The Speaker Emulator SEII transforms the output from your tube amp into a line level signal that can be sent direct to your mixer, PA or recording device. The device uses a reactive speaker load which emulates the interactive response between the amp's output stage and a real speaker, an excellent design that is found in the more well-known Palmer speaker simulators. (Apparently, Aspen Pittman, Mr. Groove Tubes himself, sued Palmer for copyright infringement.) In essence, your entire amp, including the tone-critical power tubes and output transformer, can be used as a pre-amp.

This 1U rack device has features aplenty. Rear panel jacks/switches: input (from guitar amp), mono-send/stereo-return parallel effects loop, two speaker-emulated outputs and two mixed outputs (straight signal plus fx). Another nice feature is the "speaker return" jack, which enables you to route the signal back into your guitar amp's speaker with switchable power reduction of 25% and 50%. The front panel knobs: four level knobs (input, output, fx send, fx return) with a sweep of 0-max at 7 and 5 o'clock, respectively, eq in/out switch, and the bass, middle, treble and presence knobs with boost and cut from 12 o'clock neutral. While there are no switches for selecting simulated cab sizes or mic positions, the eq section is very powerful, acting like a mixer eq with active cut/boost, and the frequencies are well-suited for the electric guitar. I find it very flexible and intuitive, with highly musical results except at all but the most extreme settings. The power switch is on the front. The unit does not have to be on, however, to act as a load on your amp's output stage. Bravo!

To get the right sound and feel, the input and ouput levels must be properly set, but rocket science it ain't: turn up the input knob until the onset of distortion, then back it off, ditto for the output level. With my amp, a 2xEL84 Matchless Lightning 15, I set both knobs at around 3 o'clock, but I guess that the levels would be a bit lower with a 50 or 100 watt amp. I don't run any fx in the loop, but I have tested the circuit with a delay and it works very well and is dead quiet. Using the eq, you can sculpt your tone with great precision, a real plus for carving out a specific frequency niche for each mutlitracked guitar part.

Yes, the unit sounds excellent, but the acid test with amp and speaker emulators is feel, not sound. It is unrealistic to expect the same response from full-range loudspeakers as from that throbbing 12-inch driver in your combo, no matter what kind of technology is used to get there. We guitarists play our amps as much as we do our axes. That said, the SEII performs with soul: if I stand in front of the studio monitors running at a decent volume, but still much quieter than my amp would be, I can get controlled feedback effects that feel like live electricity, not digital algorithms. Very nice.

I have done some A/B tests with various miking configurations and have found the differences to be negligeable, with one caveat: the SEII delivers a classic close-miked sound. If the sound lacks "air", you'll have to add it through other means: delay or reverb, or mixing in a bit of room mic if you're using the speaker return feature (see above).

I have used this in my studio for over 6 years with nary a care. Sturdy jacks, knobs and switches all round.

I haven't had the pleasure (or pain).

I originally bought the unit because I live in an apartment building. It was the only way I could record my amp properly without incurring universal wrath for unneighborly conduct. At first, I thought it was a buttload of cash for something that didn't make my guitar sound like a helicopter or glow in the dark, but if I were to put a price tag on studio convenience, how much has it saved me? A good condensor mic, which serves the same function (getting a quality sound to the mixer), costs about the same. Of course, a mic can be used for many purposes, whereas the SEII only does guitar amps. I happen to record a lot of guitar tracks, and if you're like me, you should definitely check out this box. Convenient, quiet, hi-fi performance, rugged construction, great flexibility and feature set, and eternally consistent results.