PRODUCT REVIEW
like Garbage traveled with this setup, and the
sound was the best I’d heard in years. It’s a
little different and may take some getting used
to, but in the right circumstance it can make all
the difference in the world.
higher than before (obviously) but considering how loud the amp would be without the
Silent Sister, it was a comfortable level. You
could talk over the volume; it was about the
same as watching a football game in your
entertainment room with a couple of the
guys. Once again I popped the lid open and
got a blast of what was happening inside the
box. Big, big difference.
Some good news for players preferring a different speaker: it’s merely two solder joints
away from replacing with your favorite speaker
choice. Of course, you will always need to be
aware of the power ratings and how much
you are pushing—nobody wants to blow their
Celestion Blue by cranking a Dual Rectifier
through it. Be careful and use the same common sense you would with a 1x12 cab and
your favorite head.
The Final Mojo
Rivera has a winning product with the Silent
Sister. Whether you’re a studio cat that doesn’t
have a separate iso room, a player with more
high-powered amps than understanding
neighbors, or just somebody looking for high
quality and real-world mic’d amp tones for
your next project, the Silent Sister delivers. Is
it 100 percent silent? No. But pulling 30dB out
of a blaringly loud amp is no small feat without
the use of an attenuator or master volume,
and the guys at Rivera have done it in style,
and without losing the ability to pull off killer
recorded tones. It’s expensive if you compare
it to the price of a single 1x12 speaker cab,
but cheap if you consider the cost of building
a room that would allow you to accomplish
what the Silent Sister does. Thanks Rivera, you
just made my recording life a lot better. Now,
where’s my Super Lead!
This is not the setting you’d want to have
with the family sleeping in the other room.
Although it’s named the Silent Sister, it
should be pointed out that it brings down the
volume significantly but does not eliminate it.
For a chore like that you’d need a lot more
mass, weight and size. Just look in any major
studio construction, and you’ll quickly see
how much work and money goes into keeping things quiet.
The next and most important part of the tests
came with actually recording various amps
to check out the tone inside the box. As I
mentioned, the Silent Sister comes with two
goosenecks and connections for two mics. This
is great for those of us who like to blend mic
combinations for a wider range of tones. With
the JCM800 still plugged in, I hooked up an
SM57 and ran it through my Chandler LTD- 1
preamp and straight to Pro Tools. Opening up
a track and listening through my studio monitors with the Silent Sister in the other room, I
was treated to a stunningly open, bright and
full sound. Impressive. The sound was instantly
familiar. There was no stuffiness or boxy quality
to the sound, and it didn’t exhibit the congested tone of other iso cabs I’ve used. Tone
is subjective and a matter of preference, but
to me, it sounded very much like a close-mic’d
4x12 with 75s inside.
It’s what’s inside that counts
Over several weeks I recorded a Carol Ann
OD2r head, various Marshall Super Leads,
a Mesa Dual Rectifier and an Engl Ritchie
Blackmore signature head, all with terrific
results. Standing next to the Sister and hearing
the low woofy sound coming through it can
be deceiving. More than a few times I found
myself pulling the bass down and cranking the
treble and presence on the amp to accommodate for the outside sound, only to realize how
bright it was in the recording. Don’t let the
outside sound fool you; it’s a byproduct of the
way it attenuates the signal. It’s what’s inside
that counts, and that sound is about as close
as I’ve ever heard to a speaker being mic’d up
in a pro studio environment.
For solution-minded gigging guitarists who
are sick of being told to turn down by the
sound tech, the Silent Sister is a must-have.
Being able to set up your tone with the mic
positioned just the way you like it—so you
can plug right into the mic pre of the house
mixer—is probably the best way to get predictable results and a killer tone at every gig.
You’ll make friends with the club and sound
great in the process. I’ve seen bands that
have used iso cabs to great success on the
concert circuit. As far back as the ‘90s, bands
you need to record loud amps in
volume-sensitive locations.
Buy If...
Skip If...
you tour with Deep Purple and three
stacks of Marshall Majors is just
enough power to be heard.
Rating...
4. 5
ONTHEWeb
Click here to hear sound samples
of the Silent Sister in action at
premierguitar.com
Rivera Amplification
Street $999
rivera.com
