This video along with Ethan Brosh’s video helped me in my decision to purchase this unit. I really like it. ISP is really smart in having Michael And Ethan present this unit. Both of them are excellent songwriters and guitar players and give a good demonstration of sweat this unit can do.
This sounds killer live! I saw Stryper in 2018 at Diesel concert Lounge and swore there was a real amp in the mix on his tone. Nope, just the theta. Wow!
Thanks @Michael Sweet for that demo. Definitely not boring! The only concern at the moment is about getting one of those unit in Europe... $1300 is not cheap especially when compared to the competitors that offer more bells and whistles but at least I have found a pedalboard that's not packed with zillion of features and PC connectivity I won't ever need.
You are missing the point on the price. The point of this unit is that it's HIS tones and the Stryper sound. Sure you can go with another company, but again this is fine tuned that you are not going to find in any other system. You may get close, but I there is a definitive Stryper sound that has been around over 30 years. I think $1300 is a steal for what you are getting. On a side bar. So many complain when a piece of gear endorsed by a big name musician is high priced. Well there is a reason. Marketing and sales. You have to live with that notion.
I finally got an ISP Theta Pro Michael Sweet. Thing sounds amazing, reminds me of my old ADA + Alesis rig from back in the day. I regret not buying one sooner, but I went down the modeler rabbit hole; the ISP is exactly what I wanted and didn't realize it. On top of that, Michael Sweet is one of the most talented musicians in rock and most underrated too. IMO I hope ISP comes out with a V2 of the this, Michael Sweet edition, I'll buy it; heck, I'll preorder it without even hearing it! Buck and Shell are making great gear @ ISP, I'm blown away by how good this sounds! I also got the ISP Stealth Pro amp, and ordered a Mission Engineering expression pedal. This is the centerpiece of my gig rig.
This is an amazing piece of gear. I love the Stryper sound and have since the 80s. It is pure ear candy. I'm not a guitar player, I'm a bass player but I'd get this and a guitar just to have an epic sound!
Thank you Mike for sharing the secrets of your "SWEET" sounding tone...lol!! I've always wondered what made your sound so different than everyone else playing Marshalls, Boogies, Soldano's and the rest. I see that Pre-EQ is the key and I've followed that mindset myself for years. You'll never bore me talking gear because I'm just as much of a "Tweaker-Tone Ranger" as you are. My band mates aren't as enthused because it drives them nuts because I'm always adjusting my settings. I own a LINE6 HD500X and I love it. The Theta looks like an awesome unit and it sounds great!
I just found out about these I'm definitely buying one it's just a matter of when. So the yellow version is just a little more updated and newer then the red one is that the deal? Thanks for this video
Michael you said Line 6 at the beginning. Then you said Lab Series they were killer I had a L-11 I think. The L-5 was a combo.... Awesome sound , this rig is killer. Are you using it for recording to? Love your sound....
I just bought the MS Washburn Flying V from Sweetwater and got the 24 month interest free financing. I would have added this pedal but ISP only allows 6 month, but I will buy this pedal very soon {:-).
Yes very good pickup!! i notice that too but maybe as he has said before he pretty much uses sweet dry preset all night so maybe its in the back and they may switch? I have one of these and they sound INCREDIBLE so im sure he does use it
@KEN5423 yes I agree with your previous comment over 30 years for me buying so many boutique amps and racks and this is the best sound I have ever heard. At least the tones I prefer. I know he uses this live all the time and the Amps on stage are just clean power for monitors but I was surprised to hear in a recent interview that for the album God damn evil he said in the studio he used the tech 21 paradriver into different amps like tech city, mesa, splawn etc but did mention he used ISP theta live. Wonder why he doesn't use this on the album? I swear when I record with this it sounds better and less fizzy than even some of his sounds on this album? Why not use the Theta in the studio?
hey michael, love the sounds from this pedal. were you running this into the front of a marshall or whatever amp on the cruise show or into the effect return of the amp?
As far as I've heard and read about that unit, it's not meant to be run in front of an amp. You either go straight into stage PA or through a Power Amp / speakers (effect return of a combo if you prefer).
how the hell do you set your presets to the recall 1 thru 4 can't seem to get them set .. I know how to copy presets but when I create my own I can't set them to recalls 1 thru 4 what's the procedure ??? anyone ????
I am Sold on this Pedal I have to get one !!! I can relate to everything that you have said Michael about Guitar tone and I have had a lot of the same stuff you have played thru and I need to get this pedal!!! I have always played thru A ISP Decimator pedal and so I know this pedal is good to go when it come to noise!!!! I am playing thru a Blackstar GUS G tube Distortion Pedal into a Marshall Head and a orange head which sounds nice but I have a lot of feedback so I can only turn it up to a point. Can you turn this pedal up loud and still control feedback? I play for JESUS too Michael in a Band called"" The Shield of Faith"" in L.A. I am going to save up my money and get this pedal and sell some gear too Thanks for your Music in STRYPER!! you are a Inspiration to a lot of Christians that gave their life to to Lord in the 1980's, and I was one of them.Thanks Bro"" Love in the Lord ""Henry Rabago
could someone tell me what's the difference between this and the red one aside from the obvious reasons that this one ia sig model. any extra special sause?
not boring, thanks so much for great demo. But you will always hear me gripe about mic recordings on demos. It's understandable, right? Line recordings, please. Can't get the full dynamic profile etc with mics. (yes technically if you put calibrated studio mics in front of great monitors, that would be good enough,lol)
Got me this a couple of weeks ago. Sounds great, but there is one thing I don`t understand. Can anyone from ISP, or someone else for that matter, tell me why the "drop d, drop c and drop b" don`t drop. The tuning on these sound stays the same. The whole point is to change the pitch, isn`t it? They just change the amount of distortion used. Hmmm...anyone?
an old DigiTech X-Series MM2 Metal Master or an old Line 6 ToneCore Series Uber Metal set to the classic voicing both easily nail this sound and anything else the Theta preamp is capable of whilst sounding better. Both can be had used as they are long discontinued for absolute peanuts. A REVV G3 modern high-gain pedal far, far superior among many others. For the money that ISP ask for their Theta Pro DSP and such devices in my extremely humble honest opinion and experience first hand FWIW one's money is far better spent on any of the following - Fractal Audio System's AXE-FX III, Kemper's Profiling Amplifier or Neural DSP's QuadCortex. All are far, far beyond superior to these devices, especially for what they retail for, Heck a Mooer GE300 delivers so much more whilst again sounding far superior can be had for less than half the retail price! YMMV of course and hey if you like yours then who am I to ever try to tell you that you are wrong, I wouldn't and am not attempting to do so here, just sharing personal experience. it is great to have so many options these days and capable of very good results at pretty much any price point. The Cab that the Theta head are designed for one another, that is very good sounding and not available anywhere else, it is all very personal and subjective though, what is one player's ideal setup can be another player's antithesis with all points in between horses for courses as guitar players we have all come across such but if we all did use the same thing and there was not as much choice available then hunting down the gear that works and delivers exactly what you want & need, well things just wouldn't be much in the way of fun and equally at times infuriating as such a life-long quest/endeavour. All the very best to all and always trust your ears and feel above anything. Dean
Yeah but Michael wasn't real interested to be w/ Jackson. And he had a good point. Jackson today is nothing like the way it was when Grover was running things. He seems very happy w/ Washburn, and his new Washburns are incredible.
Heard many you tube videos of the theta and maybe it's just me but they all sound flat, two dimensional and processed. Not raw and in your face with loads of higher order harmonics of a good tube amp.
In the era when we have big colorful displays, the editing looks extremely primitive. Also lack of labels makes it less user-friendly, as compared to the Helix.
@KEN5423 processors have sounded great for over 20 years. If you know how to use them. Some pieces of gear sound great out of the box. I’ve recorded hit songs with the helix and it sounded not fart like. Hahah
Love my Theta MSX! Best investment in my tone, ever!
With the pre and post eq’s, is this thing a nightmare to tweak? That’s the only thing really holding me back from getting one lol. Thanks
@@scottlush1994 if you’re a knob tweaked, you’ll enjoy it.
Can you hook it through a smaller amplifier like the Boss Katana?
@@MrPyroguru probably. There’s no effects loop, though
This video along with Ethan Brosh’s video helped me in my decision to purchase this unit. I really like it. ISP is really smart in having Michael And Ethan present this unit. Both of them are excellent songwriters and guitar players and give a good demonstration of sweat this unit can do.
This sounds killer live! I saw Stryper in 2018 at Diesel concert Lounge and swore there was a real amp in the mix on his tone. Nope, just the theta. Wow!
It is great to hear that classic Stryper guitar tone!
Thanks @Michael Sweet for that demo. Definitely not boring! The only concern at the moment is about getting one of those unit in Europe... $1300 is not cheap especially when compared to the competitors that offer more bells and whistles but at least I have found a pedalboard that's not packed with zillion of features and PC connectivity I won't ever need.
You are missing the point on the price. The point of this unit is that it's HIS tones and the Stryper sound. Sure you can go with another company, but again this is fine tuned that you are not going to find in any other system. You may get close, but I there is a definitive Stryper sound that has been around over 30 years. I think $1300 is a steal for what you are getting.
On a side bar. So many complain when a piece of gear endorsed by a big name musician is high priced. Well there is a reason. Marketing and sales. You have to live with that notion.
it's cheaper than quite a few units. And a lot of people seem to really love these even over those units that are 1800+
It's great at what it does, well worth it. Not packed with excessive bells and whistles at the expense of making all functionality mediocre.
Just ordered one...hope it blows me away!
did it blow you away? still use it and dig it?
Buy a metal zone and a wah and you have it this sounds
I finally got an ISP Theta Pro Michael Sweet. Thing sounds amazing, reminds me of my old ADA + Alesis rig from back in the day.
I regret not buying one sooner, but I went down the modeler rabbit hole; the ISP is exactly what I wanted and didn't realize it.
On top of that, Michael Sweet is one of the most talented musicians in rock and most underrated too. IMO
I hope ISP comes out with a V2 of the this, Michael Sweet edition, I'll buy it; heck, I'll preorder it without even hearing it!
Buck and Shell are making great gear @ ISP, I'm blown away by how good this sounds! I also got the ISP Stealth Pro amp, and ordered a Mission Engineering expression pedal. This is the centerpiece of my gig rig.
This is an amazing piece of gear. I love the Stryper sound and have since the 80s. It is pure ear candy. I'm not a guitar player, I'm a bass player but I'd get this and a guitar just to have an epic sound!
Michael that is so flippin #awesome. Wow a dream come true for #tone freaks
Thank you Mike for sharing the secrets of your "SWEET" sounding tone...lol!! I've always wondered what made your sound so different than everyone else playing Marshalls, Boogies, Soldano's and the rest. I see that Pre-EQ is the key and I've followed that mindset myself for years. You'll never bore me talking gear because I'm just as much of a "Tweaker-Tone Ranger" as you are. My band mates aren't as enthused because it drives them nuts because I'm always adjusting my settings. I own a LINE6 HD500X and I love it. The Theta looks like an awesome unit and it sounds great!
This is on my wish list Michael.
God bless you
Sounds good and your bro is awesome
I just found out about these I'm definitely buying one it's just a matter of when. So the yellow version is just a little more updated and newer then the red one is that the deal? Thanks for this video
Michael you said Line 6 at the beginning. Then you said Lab Series they were killer I had a L-11 I think. The L-5 was a combo.... Awesome sound , this rig is killer. Are you using it for recording to? Love your sound....
He misspoke. The Lab Series amps were made by Gibson in the 70s. I played one, was there, can verify about Gibson on that.
I picked up a used theta pro for 5.0 for 500 bucks cant wait to get it . I had a headrush but i just dont need all that crap .
I just bought the MS Washburn Flying V from Sweetwater and got the 24 month interest free financing. I would have added this pedal but ISP only allows 6 month, but I will buy this pedal very soon {:-).
I'd go onstage with this over the Helix...this sounds like the best of Fractal and Kemper in a convenient package...
Why is it that every time I see live Stryper concert footage there is never an isp theta to be seen ?
Yes very good pickup!! i notice that too but maybe as he has said before he pretty much uses sweet dry preset all night so maybe its in the back and they may switch? I have one of these and they sound INCREDIBLE so im sure he does use it
@KEN5423 yes I agree with your previous comment over 30 years for me buying so many boutique amps and racks and this is the best sound I have ever heard. At least the tones I prefer. I know he uses this live all the time and the Amps on stage are just clean power for monitors but I was surprised to hear in a recent interview that for the album God damn evil he said in the studio he used the tech 21 paradriver into different amps like tech city, mesa, splawn etc but did mention he used ISP theta live. Wonder why he doesn't use this on the album? I swear when I record with this it sounds better and less fizzy than even some of his sounds on this album? Why not use the Theta in the studio?
He meant to say Lab Amp made by Gibson, not Line 6.
I just scrolled like...12 times and never once heard a guitar.
That sounds good
the Whitesnake 87 tone is really close to the original sound ...? Pkeeease. Thanks
hey michael, love the sounds from this pedal. were you running this into the front of a marshall or whatever amp on the cruise show or into the effect return of the amp?
As far as I've heard and read about that unit, it's not meant to be run in front of an amp. You either go straight into stage PA or through a Power Amp / speakers (effect return of a combo if you prefer).
how the hell do you set your presets to the recall 1 thru 4 can't seem to get them set .. I know how to copy presets but when I create my own I can't set them to recalls 1 thru 4 what's the procedure ??? anyone ????
Lab Series not Line 6, they were also a favorite of BB King
I would have loved to hear what the reverb sounds like...
Just for my curiosity ...do you have this paddle on logic or Cubas ..?
I really want to get one of this units how does it compare with Kemper or helix ?
Art Sal I have the Theta X and it makes my 5153 sound just ok. It makes the Helix, Kemper, Ax Fx sound subpar.
can u tweek the parameters?
I am Sold on this Pedal I have to get one !!! I can relate to everything that you have said Michael about Guitar tone and I have had a lot of the same stuff you have played thru and I need to get this pedal!!! I have always played thru A ISP Decimator pedal and so I know this pedal is good to go when it come to noise!!!! I am playing thru a Blackstar GUS G tube Distortion Pedal into a Marshall Head and a orange head which sounds nice but I have a lot of feedback so I can only turn it up to a point. Can you turn this pedal up loud and still control feedback? I play for JESUS too Michael in a Band called"" The Shield of Faith"" in L.A. I am going to save up my money and get this pedal and sell some gear too Thanks for your Music in STRYPER!! you are a Inspiration to a lot of Christians that gave their life to to Lord in the 1980's, and I was one of them.Thanks Bro"" Love in the Lord ""Henry Rabago
could someone tell me what's the difference between this and the red one aside from the obvious reasons that this one ia sig model. any extra special sause?
KEN5423 hey thanks for replying, it's good that you like your's. what do you not like about it?
KEN5423 yeah I remember those things. they were cool until they updated it. So glad you like your Theta.
The MS model has a tuner and a extra parametric eq, and possibly a few more features
Very good pedal but very complicated to store effects for songs
Awsome tone, I'm a tone freak also
not boring, thanks so much for great demo. But you will always hear me gripe about mic recordings on demos. It's understandable, right? Line recordings, please. Can't get the full dynamic profile etc with mics. (yes technically if you put calibrated studio mics in front of great monitors, that would be good enough,lol)
"Line 6 by Gibson"?...I think you meant L6 Lab Series (Gibson)?
reverb.com/item/2809797-gibson-lab-series-l6-guitar-amp-1979-black
Got me this a couple of weeks ago. Sounds great, but there is one thing I don`t understand. Can anyone from ISP, or someone else for that matter, tell me why the "drop d, drop c and drop b" don`t drop. The tuning on these sound stays the same. The whole point is to change the pitch, isn`t it? They just change the amount of distortion used. Hmmm...anyone?
Yeah mine doesn't change either.
I cant tell you exactly how to use the drop tune, but there is a video that tells you how to use it
an old DigiTech X-Series MM2 Metal Master or an old Line 6 ToneCore Series Uber Metal set to the classic voicing both easily nail this sound and anything else the Theta preamp is capable of whilst sounding better. Both can be had used as they are long discontinued for absolute peanuts. A REVV G3 modern high-gain pedal far, far superior among many others.
For the money that ISP ask for their Theta Pro DSP and such devices in my extremely humble honest opinion and experience first hand FWIW one's money is far better spent on any of the following - Fractal Audio System's AXE-FX III, Kemper's Profiling Amplifier or Neural DSP's QuadCortex. All are far, far beyond superior to these devices, especially for what they retail for, Heck a Mooer GE300 delivers so much more whilst again sounding far superior can be had for less than half the retail price!
YMMV of course and hey if you like yours then who am I to ever try to tell you that you are wrong, I wouldn't and am not attempting to do so here, just sharing personal experience.
it is great to have so many options these days and capable of very good results at pretty much any price point. The Cab that the Theta head are designed for one another, that is very good sounding and not available anywhere else, it is all very personal and subjective though, what is one player's ideal setup can be another player's antithesis with all points in between horses for courses as guitar players we have all come across such but if we all did use the same thing and there was not as much choice available then hunting down the gear that works and delivers exactly what you want & need, well things just wouldn't be much in the way of fun and equally at times infuriating as such a life-long quest/endeavour.
All the very best to all and always trust your ears and feel above anything.
Dean
What really makes this different than the red box besides having Michaels presents?
the color
He says at 2:40
the Striper tone are you for real?
Too bad Jackson didnt retain you on theier line up of guitars....i rem seein stryper with jackson guitars.....made me buy one...
Yeah but Michael wasn't real interested to be w/ Jackson. And he had a good point. Jackson today is nothing like the way it was when Grover was running things. He seems very happy w/ Washburn, and his new Washburns are incredible.
Does it djent?
No because that is not music.
I believe he means a Lab Series L5 amp & not a Line 6 amp.😶
He corrected himself about 3/4 through and said Lab Series ..
In fact, at a clinic he did the Lab Series story with Crosby of Ratt ..
@@fooser77 Tis' true😁 When he first mentioned it early in the video, it threw me for a loop😨
Also not slit of people do what u do I might have to start learning how to play guitar or drums like your brother
Heard many you tube videos of the theta and maybe it's just me but they all sound flat, two dimensional and processed. Not raw and in your face with loads of higher order harmonics of a good tube amp.
Kk Kk - then you need to audition one. That's the reason why I use it, it does NOT sound processed and "digital" like every other all in one box.
Anyone know how this pedal sounds with a Rectifier?
word of warning. never attempt to play slayer tunes or non of that demonic music. ground might open and eat you.
I LOVE THIS COMMENT!! 😁😁😁😇🤴😄😄
In the era when we have big colorful displays, the editing looks extremely primitive. Also lack of labels makes it less user-friendly, as compared to the Helix.
@KEN5423 processors have sounded great for over 20 years. If you know how to use them. Some pieces of gear sound great out of the box. I’ve recorded hit songs with the helix and it sounded not fart like. Hahah
Um line 6 head made by Gibson???? No such thing bro lol
Why the sound is so crappy and Distant??? iphone??
bit pricey
Musician, and bored... bye