Don't buy an Apex Preamp. | Apex Preamp VS Ceres Preamp
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.ย. 2024
- It should be better, you deserve better, and there are better things available for cheaper.
Pedals are running through the return of the black spirit, out of a torpedo captor, into IR's in my helix.
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My god you are a life saver. This is the exact video I was in need of. Thank you!
Hey dude. Please check out my channel for a bunch more apex comparison videos. I very much still agree with this one, but it IS the worst sounding demo I did lol. I blame the black spirit return for this. But yeah, unless you use it as a distortion pedal, the apex gets blown up by a lot of stuff.
I was about to pull the trigger on thr apex lmfao and before i did i said to myself im gunna look it up first and im so glad i did hahaha
@@atmosphere559 What did you end up getting?
Thanks for your videos. I have just become a fan of the "pre-amp on a pedalboard" format and you've helped me avoid some terrible purchases haha. I appreciate the work you are doing !
THANK YOU for this. I don't think any of the more established youtube reviewers wanna talk any shit about Misha since he seems like such a nice guy.
This particular Apex sounds straight up *broken*, like something inside came loose and the input got shorted, letting unaffected signal bleed into the output. Did you ever try a different example?
The apex sounds like a lofi intro and the ksr sounds like the main riff just after.
This ^ so true.
Another excellent video dude. There are so many hidden gems in your older content.
Honest comparison. I had the apex for about a year and i had to eq the hell out of everything I recorded with it cuz it was so dark. And the cab sim might as well have been left out imo .. I liked it but I decided to sell it to help fund my 5150 !! Much happier now 🤘😝. 😎👍
Combo of EVH 5150 pedal and Horizon's precession drive sounds great .
Your videos made me order the KSR Ceres, and I’ve enjoyed the heck out of it ever since. It runs beside a host of other preamps housed in 19” racks, and goes into Marshall/Mesa/Peavey poweramps. This allows me to compare it to known goods, and it holds it’s own every time.
If I’ve discovered anything about the KSR, it’s unique voice, is the prominence of top end, or focus on that area and overall distortion. It is selected over the others for that reason, all of which have their own 4-6k voice. I use it all the time for the modern nasty! 😊
I’m only scratching the surface, as there are many modes and assorted channels yet to be tried. Thanks for the great videos!
Thanks a bunch dude! Yeah man, the Ceres is definitely a champ!
This is eye opening
Jesus Christ. What have you done ? And why is there not more views on this awesome video. Bro you absolutely nailed it.
Wow, that Apex Preamp sounds like dookie in a Suzuki.
😂😂
No idea how you managed do make it sound bad. I have all the settings nearly at 12 o'clock and it sounds awesome. Just added the precision drive for the perfect tone (in my point of view that is)
Im running it through the clean channel of my amp1 mercury edition.
See this is how you politely state that you don't like the style of music my be playing thank you for being adult about it and understanding that it is a very subjective thing with many variables I mean even then amount of humidity in his room to yours can make a difference when it comes to how gear sounds to someone else youre a good dude man props , I like my man Terrance here did not like the sound of the apex when I tried although I did find some things about it to like I preferred using my evh 5150 pedal to it , however I think both the precision drive and the nano attack are awesome pedals however I do notice alot of similarities in tone when comparing the nano attack to the sugar drive and the precision drive to the SD 805drive but I think every individual pedal has its strong points and it's weak points that being said I'm still gonna keep my apex because there are things I would use it for but for me personally I don't think it delivers the periphery tone that it's subliminally marketed to deliver but again that's just me
Side note how crazy can the mercury get on its own , I have my eye on either the iridium or the mercury have you mayhaps tried both of them and would reccomend one over the other ?
@@joehertel8846 thanks lad. I play metalcore so both the amp1 and apex+pd are just perfect for me. The mercury on it's own is also pretty solid. It has a lot of high output, for many people it might be a little too much. Unfortunately the Iridium came out after I bought the mercury.
The build in boost is also insane and has to be used carefully
@@SMCAndre good to know sounds like it would be right up my alley
Because you're using it as a distortion pedal in front of the amp instead of a preamp which is what it's advertised as.
Thank you! Saved me $$$, looking for that dimebag tone and gonna go buy the better for my pre amp
I think the Apex is designed to go ibe plugged through the front input of an actual clean amp or at least a power amp with EQ. (Seymour Duncan Powerstage perhaps).
It works BEST that way, for sure. But if you listen to all these ads with Misha telling people how great it is...he doesn't say any of that. They present it as an all in one solution, which is my biggest issue with it, outside of price.
it literally has a cabsim knob
@@whatskraken3886 which sounds like ass xD
@@alxdrksoul exactly
Woah that is like a night and day difference.. crazy!
Well, shit.
At the time, thought the Apex looked pretty dope. I was sold by Keith Merrow's demonstration and ended up getting one.
Now I'm seeing this, you've inflicted some heavy buyer's remorse in me lmao
Hey man lol sorry to hear that....I've got a couple more recent videos up that may make that a tad worse 🤣 it's really, REALLY close to the 5150 OD
@@PariahVSGear 5150 has a thud-ish/fat pick attack, instead of glassy tube-ish vibe. I hate it, not that amp-like at all.
@@ibzmav agreed!
Dude I am so glad I found this video. I was about to pull the trigger on the apex but holy shit it sounds awful.
It sounds okay into a clean amp. As a preamp though, not so much.
New fan. Great content
Thanks! Glad to have you man!
Man, this hits the nail in the head.
Yes but you'd have to buy a noise gate also which would cost you an extra 250 if you're going for the decimator like most ppl do.
What? Decimater clones are 30 bucks. Joyo gate of Khan is a better gate than a decimater and it's like 50-60 bucks. Beringer also makes a boss NS2 clone for like 30 bucks. You need to shop around lol.
Would like to Hear KSR vs Victory Kraken v4 pedal amp
All these distortion comparisons would be much closer if you EQ the pedals to have the same response. I have never seen anyone try that. Buy the least noisy distortion with the gain and type of distortion you want and then trow an EQ pedal in there. You would be amazed at the possibilities a good EQ can make.
1: I agree that both pedals didn't sound great here. I'm inclined to blame the black spirit for that.
2: I've done multiple comparisons of these pedals now, and agree with the premise that the Apex is not what it was advertised as. It just sounds pretty decent into a clean channel. If you like that sound, you can get 90% there with an EVH 5150 pedal.
I got mine about 3-4 weeks ago. Im still trying to beat the dead horse, for a sliver of hope.
Edit: Hopefully they'll make a much better and worth it Apex 2.0
There's more 'presence' in the KSR but I feel it comes with an added 'brittle-ness" to the tone. And personally its kind of taking me out your riffs. Would love to see you pull back the high end/treble and see if the KSR couldnt give you a warmer tone with that same clarity/punch
Hey man!
Yeah, I chalk that up to some combination of the black spirit power amp and the IRs I used here. I've revisited this comparison a few time now and got sounds I like better out of both..but with similar results haha.
Thanks for checking it out and commenting.
Dont know what these are but the KSR one sounds better.
Dude, first you need to learn how to tune your guitar...
Lol. Okay. Just buy your overpriced pedal and go.
But...do you hear how the Apex sounds next to the Ceres? They seem to be in totally different leagues.
That's like me saying the Apex doesn't even have a clean channel. It's not really the purpose of the video
@Mike Graham that's fair, I definitely should have turned it off just for the comparisons sake...but I very much stand by this still. That gate isn't making the Apex sound significantly worse here
@@TheJohnnyboy445 you're just wrong man. I play chords all over this video that sound just fine.
The tone coming out of the Apex just sounds like trash.
@@PariahVSGear and by the way, yes being in tune with shitty tone still sounds like garbage. But your making it sound more like garbage with it out of tune, especially on a chord you fall back to a lot. Use your ears.
I didnt know how much I would need this video before watching lmao
Thx
Pariah VS Gear you saved my money, I've bought CERES KSR
You're gonna love it!
This guys 100% right. I did preorder the apex preamp. There drive is pretty dope but the preamp…………. lol not the biggest fan. lol especially for the price.
You have done the world a fine service. You shall be rewarded in this life, and the next 🤣
Here's hoping 🤣
If you're not on stage or a serious recorder it's not worth buying the ksr it will cost you more than the horizon to get it running sweet but it's worth if ur dedicated to music .
Dude I really want the Ceres now. Is the direwolf used at all in this video?
It's damn good!
And yeah I pop on the Direwolf for a bit around 3:33
Man I miss your reviews. I hope you come back one day my man
Probably not in the same way, but I'll be back doing some stuff man. Possibly soon haha
Dude I have two AP and mine do not sound like that. Your amp sounds weird, sounds so dark, flabby and grainy. That KSR had a lot of options, so it’s going around your amps problems. I have all the Friedman pedals and Revv pedals and the AP is the best. I’m not knocking the KSR bcs I want to try it, I almost feel like it sound even better through something eles. I guess you just use what you got.
I have an Apex, and am having a similar experience. It's quiet, the cab sim sucks, and it feels boxy.
Yeah, I've done much better videos on this now, but I still agree that it's not good as a preamp.
Sounds pretty decent as a distortion pedal into a clean channel though
The Precision Drive infront of the Ceres sounds pretty sick.
New follower, great content man! Had this pedal for a hot minute and sold the next day. Nowadays I use the SNK VHD chained into a Grindstein (it's rad). Have you ckecked out Aviator or Carillion guitars? Would be interested on your opinion on them compared to your #1 Skervesen (whick looks stunning btw!). Best regards.
Hey thanks dude, glad to have ya!
No chance to try aviator or carrillion yet...but maybe one day!
I'm looking for a preamp pedal to use with a powered cabinet I have and unfortunately I can't get the Ceres. I'm in Europe snd the thing will cost me way too much(vat, shipping,import fees and customs)Do you have any other recommendations for a preamp?
Definitely the Victory Kraken V4!
th-cam.com/video/LIZhB8bprO4/w-d-xo.html
If you want something a tad cheaper, I recommend you check out the Revv G3/G4 and the Airis Effects Nemesis. The Friedman BE-OD deluxe is also pretty great
@@PariahVSGear I can't get the nemesis unfortunately. I'm talking with the guy that has pepper pedals to build me a preamp modeled after the fireball or the 5150.
You should ask that APEX thing if it would like some Nyquil or Tamaflu cause that thing sounds sick, literally, not in a good way.
Winner. 🤣
Do you think the Ceres needs an overdrive? Have you tried the Ceres into the return of the effects loop of a solid state amp? What is your favorite overdrive? thanks for the responses friend!!!
Hey man! The ceres is one of the sounds I've found that really doesn't need any kind of help from an OD. It sounds and feels great on its own.
You're technically hearing it through a solid state return here! No tubes in the black spirit 200.
My favorite overdrive changes by the day. My favorite one that you can still buy pretty easily today is the Highwind Direwolf.
Thanks for the comment and for checking this out!
Any thought of getting the quad cortex?
Uh..i think you've gotta set it right at its sweet spot.
Every piece of gear's knob sweep wouldn't be the same
it's weird that you can't even hear the treble sound that is being tweaked in the Apex preamp, I'd suggest to do a separate pedal routing between the two to hear more justification of each sound instead of putting in side by side in the pedal loop... just saying...
Check out the video I released yesterday.
I might just be saying this in order to justify not feeling buyers remorse right now. But it sounds like the two are used for completely different application. I bet if you ran the Apex preamp through One of the Neural DSP plugins, Soothe and one of the various SSL Logic VST's out there. You could easily achieve a similar sound.
*UPDATE*
Just as I anticipated, the pedal sounds great DI'd into an interface through Archetype: Nolly and GGD Zilla.
Is it practical that you have to purchase those two plugins to make this pedal sound good? No. Do most of horizon devices followers probably have both plugins? Yes.
Anyone skeptical about this plug-in who wants to record on it should definitely go ahead and buy it because it sounds awesome
csr is more expensive where is the deal?
Hey I just realized that amp is sitting in front of my face right now methinks I'm gonna go plug my nemesis into the loop and see how that sounds lol
that little Nemesis is awesome
@@apoplexiamusic I LOVE the nemesis I'm so glad I got one before they discontinued it
@@joehertel8846 and I’m happy i found mine for $100 CAD less than the regular price! I just got a Parallel Drive last week and it’s pretty cool!
@@apoplexiamusic I have the parallel drive (cloud) the parallel tubescreamer the nebula advanced overdrive tight pre tight screamer savage drive v3 savage v4 the nemesis and a parallel hm2 eq from airis , they are superb pedals I'm currently saving to buy the parallel v2 and when it comes out the savage ultra I'm really hoping he does another preamp or distortion pedal oh and I'm about to buy an hm2 clone from his poor boy line
I've also gotten most of mine for significantly less than list price I jump on his blem pedals when he puts them up , bc he has such a high standard for his pedals that you will never be able to tell the difference between a perfect one and a blemished one
Oh man thats horrible, I seen two other youtubers say the same thing about the Apex, while Ola , Misha, and Reaba Mashaad, make this this thing sound epic. I guess the saying is true"Tone is mostly in the Fingers". Thanks for saving me some money. What do you think about the Horizen Precision Drive? I think I might go for that.
Yeah..it's mostly about how you choose to use the gear I think, but of course how you play matters too.
The precision drive is actually really nice if you just want to make your current amp sound and feel tighter.
@@PariahVSGear alright cool thanks. Yes I want to use the precision drive as boost into a dirty channel.
I have that apex and I heard it from ola. Personally I love it!
Not familiar with the Apex, but the Precision drive is awesome to an already driven amp, it adds shape and character without coloring the sound, it only needs to be used in subtlety...The BE overdrive, does it all,
And doesn’t color the sound...The KRS has an amazing distortion, drive and thick dirt, HOWEVER! IMO it absolutely sucks tone...and after playing on one I hear it even in the videos, this lost of high end and low end clarity and leaving the tone with this brighter color to it...The Vx Kraken pedal IMO, does not color the tone, rather it maintains it and performs as well as the KSR 👍🏼...I demoed them at a nearby guitar store, I’ve been wanting a BE overdrive, but I think I will be going back for the Kraken pedal. ✌🏼
I know what you mean about the KSR, but I think it's just designed to not be as thick, and to really cut. I love how it sits in a mix without much work. But the BE OD and the Kraken are definitely great too. I enjoy the precision drive as well.
I always thought the horizon sounded terrible
Honestly I feel the same way about this pedal and was not really happy with this or the other pedal.
Well that reflects my impression as well. Im not a fan of the invective, jst mm is a total bummer and the apex pre is super dull. I love the precision drive, the juggernaut pus from bareknuckle and the old protone bulb pedals...dont know how the quality can differ that much.
Yeah man..I mean, gotta realize that these are all different products, made by different companies..Misha has just put his name and face to them. Can't expect the exact same level of quality from them all. Apex is definitely a low point for me
You get what you pay for. The Ceres is $100 more than the Apex, which runs at $300. I bought it, and its alright. But you can save $700 and get a 20w peavey invective that makes all this look like child's play. It even goes direct into an interface if desired. One of the best modern amp heads out there.
I'm probably going to grab an Invective MH some time soon. I have my doubts that it can blow the Ceres out of the water tonewise
I like darker tones more than bright ones. I play at low levels and mic on a PA. Louder isn't nescessarily better.
I had the same problem man with the Horizon. Glad I traded it for something else. My god. I have the Ceres also and that sound good! Also combined with the Eros. But The Horizon Devices Apex preamp? Pfffff fuck that thing! You can buy 2 great sounding pedals for that money!
I wish I had seen your video 6 months ago. I bought the Apex Preamp in Dec 2019. Really I bought into the FaceBook HYPE about it being pushed by Horizon Devices. It's an alright pedal, but it didn't give me what I was looking for (and certainly sounds nothing like its commercials!!). I stumbled upon your comparison video (after the 30 day window to return the Apex was up, of course). I took the plunge by purchasing the KSR Ceres after a lot more research. There is simply no comparison. The Ceres is a badass preamp. I'm still deep diving into it, but it I knew it was clearly the better preamp just minutes after plugging it in for a test drive. So thanks for your reviews! Like you, I've got both, but one is a crucial part of my gear setup, and the other is a lesson learned, I guess. I'll keep the Apex in my studio for options, but I just can't see putting it in my live rig when I've got the clearly superior Ceres.
Thanks for sharing! Yeah, I think most of us bought the hype..I plan to keep mine around largely so that I can help people be informed.
To be as objective as possible, I have seen some pretty darn good tones come out of the Apex. I do believe that most of them were set up in front of a clean channel however. It sounds flat as hell as a preamp compared to the distortion pedal set up. I was shocked, however, when you turned up the treble on the Apex and that terrible sound happened. It's not the end of the world when a new company makes a product that isn't a home run. Misha and the team are smart dudes. I'm sure they recognize the short comings of this pedal and will take everything into consideration for the way they run their business. The Ceres is pretty badass, btw.
Yeah man, I appreciate you actually having an informed opinion on this. I want it to be awesome too, and that will require people to actually have conversation about it. It DOES sound decent into a clean amp. By itself...not really. It feels like they've started to pivot it towards mid gain and lead playing in terms of it's marketing now..
But is it worth 320$
The Ceres KSR may sound less muffed and more brighter, but the sound lacks definition, which you can't fix with an EQ unlike the Horizon muff (can't buy either, but if I could, instead of the Horizon preamp I'd go for the Horizon Precision Drive and a Mooer preamp simulator instead).
They just screwed up calling it a preamp and adding the cab sim. I have one and it sounds nasty going straight into a clean amp. Poor marketing
Nasty as in really good haha
Agreed. I'd also say it's just a tad overpriced. It's... REMARKABLY similar to the EVH 5150 OD
Pariah VS Gear definitely overpriced but that’s all pedals new lol good thing reverb exists
@@christopherwilliams1059 bruh reverb has used pedals 10 dollars cheaper than new zzz
LoftOfTheUniverse i snagged one for 275
Will the ksr sound good straight into the amp like a pedal rather than a pre amp, might be a dumb question I’m just not sure
Not a dumb question man! Yeah it can work that way as well for sure.
Pariah VS Gear thanks man I’m really digging this pedal a lot I plan on gettin it asap, btw I love your content I wish more people made honest videos like this, because the guitar community would be way less toxic in discussions and comment sections
@@Eric-eq3jx I really appreciate that man! Hope I can keep making stuff that interests you!
Pariah VS Gear one more thing if don’t mind which pedal is honestly better kraken pre amp or ksr Ceres pre amp, I really want one of them
@@Eric-eq3jx hey man always feel free to ask away!
But you can't go wrong with either one. Kraken is plug and play, very simple.
Ceres has a LOT more options for tweaking it.
Kraken works better if you want to easily switch between it and your amp. Both sound awesome!
Can anyone asnwer this for me?
When you use a pre amp pedal what happens to the pre amp in your original amplifier?
Allow me.
So, it depends on how you run the pedal. In this case, (and how you normally run them with an amp) you run them into your amps FX return...the amp's Preamp is not used at all when you do this.
The amp's Preamp is only used if you go into the input
@@PariahVSGear Wow thank you for the quick response!
Whats the exact model of your guitar its so pretty
Hey thanks man. It's a Skervesen Shoggie 7 custom. I have a seven string comparison video on my channel if you want the see the exact specs of it. Easily my best and favorite guitar.
@@PariahVSGear Cool and for sure will check it out.
This the worst ive ever heard the apex preamp sound, incredible feat actually.
I wonder why the volume was so high on the apex.
All of these pedals end up have very different levels of volume. It looks high, but I just balance it to be close to where the Ceres was (both not quite clipping my input)
It's a much better tone but that's cause of the seperated noise gate pedal so for price the horizon is aight considering its good as in you won't need one cause its inbuilt with one compared to the krs but I agree its much cleaner crisper just better tone
I've been persuaded. Definitely will stop looking at the Apex immediately.
This is the video that's getting all the attention..but check out the Apex vs EVH5150 OD video I did and tell me what you think lol.
This is very subjective... not trying to be that guy but .. to start, you never really got a good tone out of either of them 😕. I wouldn't go as far to say the apex is better. But I have to disagree that people shouldn't buy it ..
can you do mxr evh 5150 overdrive next?
I did a video comparing the EVH and the Apex preamp already!
th-cam.com/video/Uovh225JlR4/w-d-xo.html
my bad I commented hastily.. i was interested with this because mxr made both pedals. no wonder they sound rather the same.
@@kow294 it's not problem haha. I wondered the same thing..that's why I made the video 😁
I didnt like any tones this guy is dialing but I also know great times can be had on both of these
Should have run them direct for a true comparison
Kraken v4 or ksr ceres???
Either! Both are amazing.
@@PariahVSGear thanks!!! Since your video on the kraken I NEED IT haha i was betwee the kraken and a mooer preamp but no more, i'm saving for the kraken BTW great and amazing playing
Can someone tell me how to use this damn thing with my amp. Had it for months and I can't figure it out.
Which one? Ceres or apex preamp?
Ceres should go into the amps FX return, apex sounds best into a clean channel.
@@PariahVSGear sorry I'm a super noob to this. Im using it with a prs mt 15, the ceres. So one cable goes to the send on the amp from the output? I guess its the cabling where I'm confused
No worries man! Do:
Guitar - Ceres in - Ceres out - mt15 FX Return
That's it!
@@PariahVSGear thanks man, now I'm really enjoying this pedal like I wanted to
Hey where do i buy this
The Ceres? Ksramps.com
I hear the difference and its massive. But you have a problem with the source of your tone.........the guitar. You need to have that thing set up correctly and sounding perfect. If you are going to disapprove and be very blunt about the fact that someone should not spend money on a product make sure your shit is in order. However you make a strong case and it is eye opening but I'm very sure this shootout would go better if you guitar had a proper setup for its tuning and use.
Maybe you don't like the sound of my playing or whatever, and that's fine. This guitar in particular is set up perfectly fine for what I want to hear and feel though.
But yeah. As long as the very obvious difference in these pedals come across, I call it a success. Thanks for the feedback though man, I do appreciate it
both sound awful. Put I have that apex on my board. It does wonders. Apex is an amazing brand and the gate on it is amazing aswell.
Good video just wish u tuned ur guitar once more before
Pretty sure you needed to turn the Cab Simulator on
Hey man.
Not the way I was using them here. I had them both going into the same cab simulation. The Ceres doesn't have cab simulation of its own
KSR is designed to go into effects loop. I am not sure about the Apex pre-amp.
Just by calling it a Preamp, it implies that it is best used in a loop.
Both of these pedals can work into clean channels too, and the results are largely the same.
Yeah KSR has a switch designed for what type of application you are using it before the amp or in the loop.
@@PariahVSGear and I am not sure if Apex pre-amp is designed to go in the loop
@@seek4truth hey man. A PREAMP by design is meant to go into a power amp. That's all that's happening by sending it into the return of my loop.
My apex preamp sounds nothing like this. Used in an effects loop the apex preamp sound pretty good..
Hey man. It wasn't my Mission to trash the Apex..I thought it sounded OKAY when I first got it..but putting it directly next to some other pedal, especially this one, it generally didn't hold up, especially when direct OR into a loop. It seems to work best into a clean channel, like a distortion would.
I wanted to love this pedal, just like everyone else. It just doesn't seem to be worth what it costs, and doesn't react how I would expect.
I talk about it pretty in depth here:
th-cam.com/video/pa0n6kCYdHo/w-d-xo.html
I agree with you totally. I was just pointing out to other commenters that it can sound good when used properly. Honestly I wish I had done more research before getting the Apex. That KSR pedal sounds so good.
Apex is a confirm Pariah Dog kind of gear.
Sounds like your picking hand is the problem
bruh
@@saamo1423 I have the same pedal and it sounds massive
@@thomasreuter1614 good for you, still a muddy, over priced distortion that was marketed as a preamp
@@saamo1423 I run it as a preamp, I go Fortin 33 -> Apex -> Powerstage 170 -> Hesu 212, it sounds awesome
@@thomasreuter1614 Sure thing bud
You mentioned in the comments that you ran the Apex into your amp's fx return. The instruction deliberately say to run this pedal in front of the amp, not in the fx return. Idk if that's your problem, but my Apex pedal has all kiiiiinds of crunchy gainy modern metal tone with plenty adjustment to spare. It definitely doesn't sound dull and muddy like it does in this video. I was sceptical myself first because i read a few reviews of people who didn't like the pedal, so i bought the Precision Drive pedal instead. Well, they ended up sending me the Apex instead. It's a more expensive pedal, so of course i was going to open it and give it a shot. After messing with the settings a bit, and running it into the clean channel of my amp, i got me a pretty dope ass tone.
Hey man. The instructions do NOT specifically say to just run the Apex into an input, or if it does say that now, it's been changed.
The Apex Preamp was always marketed as being an all in one solution for tone that goes EITHER: direct to interface (that's why it has a cab sim), into an FX return, or yes, into a clean channel.
I agree that the Apex sounds pretty good into a clean channel. That's not what they marketed this as.
th-cam.com/video/WQVmydoc-GI/w-d-xo.html
Do you even know what the word preamp means?
*disclaimer* I don't like Misha as a person nor do I like any of his garbage music. However, it brings me great joy to finally see other people call out his trash pedal. Y'all realize he and everyone else duped you into hyping this up right? Anyways, keep on doing what you're doing. Hopefully someone will call out his invective trash amp next.
Fair opinions I suppose haha.
I've always liked periphery, and the tones that they get..but I'm 100% sure that they wouldn't use these live or on recordings for anything serious, other than to attempt to prove a point.
No experience with the invective.
Luis Barrera I don’t like periphery, however I got a great deal on the invective. It’s a 6505+ with a crystal clear clean, 2 effects loops, gate and boost. So, while periphery sucks and misha isn’t my favorite either, they did a great job on the invective.
love it,i feel the same way as you do.
But you forgot to turn on the Cab Sim on the Apex Preamp 🤷🏻♂️
It just wasn't the focus of the video. But... definitely wouldn't have helped it's case haha
I would say that if the KSR did not need a cab sim to sound good then the Apex should not of needed it.
@@eefmydee1slideways yep.
wow that Apex sounds muddy as hell
Yeah, not that impressive when compared to the ksr. I think it would sound best into front of a good amp, all other options are a nice added feature (gate, cabsim, being able to use as a preamp), otherwise it's a solid distortion pedal. I had the mxr 5150 and it is awesome, apex is probably a modded version of that.
Don’t like the Horizon thing at all.
I wouldn't buy a hughes&kettner either.
In all honesty, I do think running these through the black spirit effects return is a large part of why BOTH of these pedals sound worse than normal
@@PariahVSGear Running them into the FX return certainly will color them less then going through the input and the preamp. Anyway, I had a Switchblade and all I can say is that these amps really doesn't like overdrive/distortion pedals. Altough I don't really know why the power amp stage would color the tone at all. Except the master volume is too high. These high gain pedals works best with no power amp tube saturation at all. That's why many high gain amps have 150 watts, so they don't saturate even if you increase the master volume.
But then again... Not sure how the black spirit handles that since that's no tube design at all.
I missed this video when I was curious about the APEX a few years ago. I love how triggered ppl got here. It is a garbage pedal if you consider the price. Either Misha did not care or MXR screwed him but this thing should cost the same as the mxr 5150...both terrible and the same pedal basically hahaha. It does NOT have the treble response and brighteness to be a preamp. Its a grossly overpriced drive pedal that AMT destroys for a fraction of the cost.
They've started calling it a distortion pedal in ads for it now haha... that works for me. It's definitely cool into a clean channel, but it's obvious that wasn't their intent for it.
@@PariahVSGear Oh, that's good to know. I'll be able to rage less now 🤣
Look JST MM plugin and disappointed, why so badly done
I've heard people don't like it 🙁
@@PariahVSGear i dont like it, i got this plugin but its so noisy and the sound are far away from the demos sound, the mxr 5150 its another shit product, im using now the friedman be od deluxe with a cheap joyo overdrive and thats the best high gain tone that i ever heard
My bands other guitarist has the Misha Mansoor toneforge and has gotten good results..but yeah I don't plan to get it myself haha
@@PariahVSGear yeah haha the ceres its just everything that you need to get amazing tones, cheers bro keep rocking, you are amazing! new subscriber here from Mexico!
@@darthshaggy9970 cheers! Glad to have ya!
The Apex sounds like absolute garbage in this comparison. Good to know!
Pretty sure the apex is designed to go into a clean channel
Well you're wrong, Misha specifically said you can get great results just going into an interface and IR. And there's also the fact that's it literally has the word PREAMP in the name, not "Distortion pedal"
the apex needs to go to the crusher and be recycled garbage.
I feel like if you are gonna talk all that noise at least make sure your guitar is tuned
Maybe you're right.
This pedal is/was still overpriced, mismarketed, and underwhelming.
My guitar is currently in tune, and this pedal is no better than it was then lol
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Everyone always says to use any kind of pedal or preamp through a tube amp, using solid state makes it sound like butt 😂 or so I've heard
The Seymour Duncan powerstage says Hi lol. That's probably the most popular power amp for this stuff right now, totally solid state.
I did my own test of this too..I didn't notice large differences. It was mostly volume changes between different power amps
Shit, I thought it sounded good
RRRRRROTFLMAO @5:13
😅
#Bruh
Apex's sound with it really breathes, unfortunately, you can't say the same about Сeres. Yes, it's not a preamp, it's a distortion really, and the price is really high, but this pedal sounds much better than ceres preamp. It has a character and a solid sound that you can't say about the other pedal.
The main mistake of Horizon Devices is the high price and the name "preamp", otherwise this pedal is incredibly good. Paired with a Powerstage 170, it produces an extremely powerful and high-quality sound, which Ceres unfortunately does not have. Everyone chooses their own sound, and to compare a preamp with distortion is a bit incorrect.
I would call Apex Preamp is the best distortion pedal and really bad as preamp. But for me this pedal more better than Ceres.
You are smoking crack
Even marketed as a distortion, there's zero reason to get this over other options. Absolutely nothing special about it at all.
In all fairness, your tone through the Ceres sucks too.
Thanks man! Have a great day
Terrible riffs might be the problem
Okay.