No. 1981976·hard-rock·4 blocks

Stargazer

Blackmore's most ambitious solo, cut at Musicland in Munich in February 1976 with Martin Birch and 28 members of the Munich Philharmonic. The rig is deceptively simple: a scalloped Olympic-white Strat into an AIWA TP-1011 reel-to-reel used as a preamp and echo, then into a 200-watt Marshall Major. That tape preamp is the secret -- it boosts and saturates before the amp, which is how a Strat sustains like that over two chords of A minor and G.

Rising coverRising
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 9 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Fender Stratocaster (1974, Olympic white)
Pickups
SSS
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Deluxe Comp
Kinky Boost
Scream 808
Brit Plexi Brt
4x12 Greenback 25
Transistor Tape
Chamber
Tilt
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compression
Dynamics
Threshold
-32dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
55ms
Release
300ms
Mix
32
Level
0dB
Kinky Boost
← AIWA TP-1011 tape preamp (boost stage)
Distortion
Gain
6.5
Tone
6
Level
7.5
Scream 808
← Modern lead boost (alternate)
Distortion
Gain
3
Tone
6
Level
7
Brit Plexi Brt
← Marshall Major 200W (modified)
Amp
Drive
5
Bass
2.5
Mid
6
Treble
8
Presence
6
ChVol
7
Master
10
Bias
5.5
BiasX
5
Sag
6
Hum
5
Ripple
5
4x12 Greenback 25
← Marshall 4x12 (Celestion-loaded)
Cab
LowCut95Hz
HighCut7500Hz
Resonance
5
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Transistor Tape
← AIWA TP-1011 echo section
Delay
LowCut200Hz
HighCut3800Hz
Time
320ms
Feedback
22
Mix
18
Level
0
Chamber
← Musicland studio ambience
Effect
LowCut150Hz
HighCut6500Hz
Mix
20
Decay
1.8s
Predelay
30ms
Level
0
Tilt
← Global tilt EQ
EQ
Tilt
0.5
CenterFreq
1000Hz
Level
0

What we checked

Computed by a program, on this recipe, every time this page is built. How this works

Preset files — 0 of 3 complete
  • Helix 1 block missing from the file
    Which ones

    Not in the file: Chamber. The recipe calls for this block, but we have no verified model ID for it on this platform, so the preset is written without it. Add it by hand using the settings above.

  • Quad Cortex 5 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Studio Comp, Tape Preamp Boost, Plexi 100, 4x12 Greenback, Chamber Reverb. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

  • Katana 1 block missing from the file; 4 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Not in the file: Reverb. The recipe calls for this block, but we have no verified model ID for it on this platform, so the preset is written without it. Add it by hand using the settings above.

    Replaced with a stand-in: Crunch, Booster, Delay, Reverb. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

Helix DSP
67.5% of one chip — fits
Sources
4 cited, 1 from publications that do original gear reporting
Attribution
Not yet rated — This recipe predates the attribution-confidence field and hasn't been reviewed for it.
What we didn't check
  • Nobody played this through a real amp. There is no human listening test behind any number on this page.
  • The settings are reasoned from the sources below, not measured off the record.
  • No audio has been rendered for this recipe yet, so you cannot hear it before you load it.
  • 3 platforms on this page (TONEX, Kemper, Fractal) get a model pointer, not a preset file — nothing was built or checked for them.
The mic in this chain

Shure SM57

Still made, still the studio default. The cheapest part of this chain to get right.

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The mic is listed because the chain uses it, not because anyone paid for the placement.

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