I've never heard of an RS130. THat shouldn't surprise you, I am not an expert on mics. I am interested in how this one pans out.

Can you beg / borrow and get an SM57 and let us know what the results are like with that?

Also, does the cabinet actually sound good 2" away?

Or is it just the room...?

Get your ear in there and see if it actually sounds like what you're expecting it to sound like.

The cabinet with the metal zone sounds awesome. Its just the recording i get with the metal zone is too, whats the word im lookin for, digital? To put it in other words the way the cab sounds is not what im getting in my recording.

The A to D converters on the Mbox are mediocre at best, which
strongly effects the sound quality.

But . . . you'll probably notice a significant improvement in your
guitar tone if you can possibly get your hands on a real tube head
like Mesa boogie or Marshall or Peavey 5150 and then use two
mics to record. A shure sm57 one one speaker onto a track and
simultaneously use a Studio Projects C1 or a Sennheiser e609
on the other speaker onto another track. Then record the whole
song top to bottom. Then on two new tracks, play the
whole song top to bottom again with the same mics.
Then play back your song and pan the first two tracks all the way left
and the second tracks all the way right. On the first two tracks,
play with the volumes until you find a blend of tone you like.
Do the same with the second two tracks.

Finally, you made need to route each pair of tracks to its own aux
input (under new track in the menu) then put an EQ on each aux
input and roll off the low end below about 120hz.
Then bring the bass guitar (if there is one) into the mix and you
should have a fuller stronger guitar tone.

For an example of what this technique can sound like when
recorded through Apogee A to D conversion, check out these songs.

http://www.halftheworld.cc/music.html

Hope this helps.

I am not a big fan of the sm57 slammed up against the front of the cabinet. I tried using a Rode NT1000 large diaphram (about $200) placed 3 - 4 feet from the cabinet and was very happy with the results.
Shaun
http://www.houseofbossa.com

Just a thought.

If you have the Metal Zone's Mid scooped all the way out, and have the bass and treble boosted (like 99.9% of EVERY MT2-MZ user I have seen), that is likely your problem. It sounds like ass from the Pedal through the amp, and the mic just records this "assy" sound.

Put your ear RIGHT where the mic is (at a sensible volume) - do you still like the sound? Probably not. Try getting your amp more at ear level (or at least pointed towards your head), and this will give you a MUCH more accurate picture of what the mic is "hearing" at point-blank range. I had my guitar players do this, and their tone improved immediately (just amp and pedal tweaks was all it took).

Mic Placement and positioning will also DRASTICALLY affect the recorded sound. Even 1" or 15 degrees of movement can yeild astonishing results (especially on the extremely harsh highs that are accentuated when mic'd direclty on-axis)

Also, adjusting the amp's sound while listening to the Mic'd signal (in an isolated room) is another good way to play around with your sound and mic positioning, and tweak it until it sounds good "on tape".

You should get a reasonable reproduction of what goes into the mic - even with the M-Box. If it sounds 100% horrible and you are NOT clipping the mic pre/converter, and you are not overloading the mic's element, you are just recording what was presented to the mic in all of its crappy glory (crap in = crap out). My money is on the MT2-MZ and it's EQ (specifically the Mid Scoop and High Boost being abused).

:cool:

If you are using a non Keeley modified Metal Zone pedal then you are simply playing with a toy.