U2 Presets and Effect Models

Axeman

Experienced
I'm starting this thread to share my Axe-Fx II presets. I spent the last two or three months transferring my presets from the Ultra to Axe2 (not finished yet). I also spent many hours rebuilding my core AC-30 model. I'll start posting a few presets later this week. Here are some recent videos with the tone from the Axe2:

I Will Follow clip:

Upcoming U2 Guitar Tutorial.... - YouTube

ISHFWILF clip:

Part 10: I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (U2 Tutorials) - Chorus Update - YouTube

Ultraviolet cover:

Part 1: Ultraviolet (U2 Cover) - with Fractal Audio's Axe-Fx II - YouTube
 
Thanks everyone. Least I can do given how much I've learned from this forum.

Yek, how do I save just an amp model or effect block? I would like to also provide individual effects/blocks in addition to full presets.

Here is my latest ISHFWILF preset. It includes my latest core AC-30 model. Note I made a lot of changes to the advanced parameters. While the std settings for the Axe2 AC-30 model are better than the Ultra, both still have too much treble and are "ice picky." I spent a lot of time going through all the parameters and comparing the tone to some clips I had of Edge playing without the band. I smoothed it out, brought up mids, cut of some highs and used advanced parameters to take away the ice pick.

View attachment 6991

Michael
 
Your tutorial videos and your presets are amazing! Keep up the great work, and thanks for sharing your insights into the Axe-Fx!
 
Yek, how do I save just an amp model or effect block? I would like to also provide individual effects/blocks in addition to full presets.

Michael, that's accomplished by right-clicking on a block in Axe-Edit and then going to Block and select Save. It'll be saved as a SYX file (block, not preset).
 
Thanks everyone. Least I can do given how much I've learned from this forum.

Yek, how do I save just an amp model or effect block? I would like to also provide individual effects/blocks in addition to full presets.

Here is my latest ISHFWILF preset. It includes my latest core AC-30 model. Note I made a lot of changes to the advanced parameters. While the std settings for the Axe2 AC-30 model are better than the Ultra, both still have too much treble and are "ice picky." I spent a lot of time going through all the parameters and comparing the tone to some clips I had of Edge playing without the band. I smoothed it out, brought up mids, cut of some highs and used advanced parameters to take away the ice pick.

View attachment 6991

Michael


Nice. You do a great job on those tutorials.

It is interesting that you are essentially making the AC30 into a non-Class A amp. By turning up the damp parameter, you are introducing negative feedback into the poweramp section (which Ac30s do not have). In case others did not know this also changes the way the Presence knob works. With the damp at 0 the Presence act as a HI-CUT, as you turn up the high cut (what was the presence knob) you roll of the highs. As soon as you turn the damp up from 0 the HI-CUT becomes presence and as you turn it up things get brighter.
 
Nice. You do a great job on those tutorials.

It is interesting that you are essentially making the AC30 into a non-Class A amp. By turning up the damp parameter, you are introducing negative feedback into the poweramp section (which Ac30s do not have). In case others did not know this also changes the way the Presence knob works. With the damp at 0 the Presence act as a HI-CUT, as you turn up the high cut (what was the presence knob) you roll of the highs. As soon as you turn the damp up from 0 the HI-CUT becomes presence and as you turn it up things get brighter.

JJ, thx. I'm not yet experienced at how the parameters relate to the actual circuit of an amp. So this is immensely helpful. I'll try both ways and see which I like better. In many cases I find some parameters don't make much of a difference even when you turn the parameter full left or right. I'll experiment further with the damping and do more comparisons.

One thing to note is that Edge's old '60s (1964 I think) gray panel AC30TB has likely had many parts replaced. It's a "frankenamp" at this stage. Also, the AC30 circuit from the '60s is not the same as what's in the new amps. For example, many new AC30s and other Vox amps have a bright cap that gives a piercing ice-picky high. Many people do a simple mod and remove this cap and it sounds much better.

What I do is change each parameter full left and right and determine what sounds best compared to some U2 clips. I do this for each parameter. I realize that as I make each change that the first change I made may affect the tone of the most recent changes and I may need to go back and adjust the previous parameters. It's an iterative process to converge on the ultimate tone I'm looking for. I try to focus on those parameters that have a big impact on tone, dial in the best I can find and then go back and change the more subtle parameters and refine it. The damping adjustments were "random" in that I made them without knowing it's technically off in an AC30.

This is what is so great about the Axe2. You can break the "rules" and find so many great tones.

M
 
I think it's interesting that you choose different cabs instead of the RedWirez AC-30 cabs. The 2x12 brit sounds great though.

Also, is the signal path with the multidelay for shimmer? When I played around with it, the multidelay was really subtle and not pronounced in the mix.
 
Michael, I would like to join the rank of grateful fans. I have learned a great deal with your tutorials. Keep up the good work!
Dan
 
I think it's interesting that you choose different cabs instead of the RedWirez AC-30 cabs. The 2x12 brit sounds great though.

Also, is the signal path with the multidelay for shimmer? When I played around with it, the multidelay was really subtle and not pronounced in the mix.

I tried the Redwirez cabs and thought they were less clear or slightly muddled. The MTD path is shimmer. I control the input gain with an expression pedal which is not yet assigned to my Axe2. So check out the input gain and other level settings. The MTD mutes the input I think when bypassed.

M
 
I tried the Redwirez cabs and thought they were less clear or slightly muddled. The MTD path is shimmer. I control the input gain with an expression pedal which is not yet assigned to my Axe2. So check out the input gain and other level settings. The MTD mutes the input I think when bypassed.
M

Michael, maybe you know already but the 2x12 Blue aren't Alnicos. IR of a Jensen-loaded speaker cab.
 
JJ, thx. I'm not yet experienced at how the parameters relate to the actual circuit of an amp. So this is immensely helpful. I'll try both ways and see which I like better. In many cases I find some parameters don't make much of a difference even when you turn the parameter full left or right. I'll experiment further with the damping and do more comparisons.

One thing to note is that Edge's old '60s (1964 I think) gray panel AC30TB has likely had many parts replaced. It's a "frankenamp" at this stage. Also, the AC30 circuit from the '60s is not the same as what's in the new amps. For example, many new AC30s and other Vox amps have a bright cap that gives a piercing ice-picky high. Many people do a simple mod and remove this cap and it sounds much better.

What I do is change each parameter full left and right and determine what sounds best compared to some U2 clips. I do this for each parameter. I realize that as I make each change that the first change I made may affect the tone of the most recent changes and I may need to go back and adjust the previous parameters. It's an iterative process to converge on the ultimate tone I'm looking for. I try to focus on those parameters that have a big impact on tone, dial in the best I can find and then go back and change the more subtle parameters and refine it. The damping adjustments were "random" in that I made them without knowing it's technically off in an AC30.

This is what is so great about the Axe2. You can break the "rules" and find so many great tones.

M
Yep, bottom line is if it works, it works.

In the case of Damp it can make a huge difference and is interactive with other parameters (especially the master vol). It also effects the character poweramp distortion. The damp parameter is special in the fact that once you turn it to 0, it turn the presence to Hi CUT (like on the AC30). Bright cap is easy to bypass on the Axe-fx, turn of the bright cap (which you already did). The non TB version of the AC30 has this by default.
 
Michael, maybe you know already but the 2x12 Blue aren't Alnicos. IR of a Jensen-loaded speaker cab.

You mean the Fractal regular blue IR right? I didn't know that, thx! In the end I just experiment with them all and choose the one that seems most like the tone for U2 stuff. There are so many variations in the Axe it's insane.
 
You mean the Fractal regular blue IR right? I didn't know that, thx! In the end I just experiment with them all and choose the one that seems most like the tone for U2 stuff. There are so many variations in the Axe it's insane.

The blue and brit make a good combination
 
FWIW for my AC30 sim I use a RW Vox alnico silver and a Weber blue. That said, Michael's U2 tone is the best I've heard.
 
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Axeman, I tried your pre set listed on page 1 of this thread and although I Really like your tone and info/playing on the YT clips, this one sounded thin and nothing like the tone you have on YT. You did take the ice pick out but it seemed to have lost girth. I am using real cabs primarily and this may be the problem, but it would be nice to make it work. Ideas? Please post your pre set for bad or any others!!
 
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