Years ago, I was advising a band on how to track their gothic metal home recording project. They were using several "housemate-friendly" techniques, such as electronic drum pads to capture the percussion patterns and DI'd electric guitars into amp simulator plug-ins. After checking out their initial tracks, I recommended trying Toontrack's EZdrummer 2 [Tape Op #101] instead of the dull-sounding drum samples plug-in they were using, and to pick up a Tech 21 SansAmp pedal to jack into before they hit their interface's 1/4-inch DI. Results in both cases were markedly improved, and I began suggesting that others use a SansAmp (or something similar) for non-amped guitar sounds. When the folks at EarthQuaker Devices let us know about the Easy Listening analog amp simulator pedal, I knew it could be a similar tone helper for "quiet" guitar players. With a narrow pedal footprint (3.625 by 1.875 by 1.5 inches) and a single knob, Easy Listening is easy to use. Plug in after the guitar (and/or other pedals), and it can then feed either a set of headphones or be used as a mono DI output for recording. The stereo headphone output can also be used to feed two DI inputs, though the signal remains in mono. Its analog circuitry is meant to mimic the input preamp and 12-inch speaker of a classic Fender '65 Deluxe amplifier, and it does so in a very overt manner, pushing the mids forward for that limited frequency bandwidth guitar amps always offer. We did some testing with AudioHaze's Ricky Young (check out his YouTube channel) on guitar, and initially were taken aback at how midrange-y it sounded, especially compared to some fancier amp simulator pedals (which cost four times more). However, there was no denying that it was sculpting the tone, which is the whole point here. During a session a few days later, we decided to replace some existing guitars. While looking for some ethereal tones, we tried several actual amps and decided they were too brash. Then I tried the fancy amp simulation pedal into a Phoenix Audio N-8 DI [#113], and it was also a bit tonally sharp. After swapping out for the Easy Listening pedal, everyone in the room said, "Oh yeah, that's the sound!" We proceeded to track layers of guitars, enjoying the clarity and focus from the Easy Listening pedal. When I had one of the guitarists play an EBow through a Death By Audio ROOMS pedal [#140], the loud pickup output was blowing out ROOM's input. I dropped Easy Listening inline before the ROOMS pedal and slowly brought the level back up until it sounded clean but spooky – a perfect solution, and maybe not a use EarthQuaker had imagined.
In the Easy Listening pedal’s small enclosure, there's no room for a battery; a standard 2.1 mm negative polarity center barrel 9 VDC power supply (not included) is all it needs. The only feature I longed for was an actual bypass, something most people might never consider – but in the studio the ability to quickly bypass, check gain structure, and compare the sound of Easy Listening against a straight DI tone would be nice. But that's studio dork nitpicking, and I immediately enjoyed using this pedal on tracking sessions. Plus, I'll be recommending it to my clients who record at home!