Admission of Ignorance

For that matter, for total technophobes, you could probably even have a 'wizard' interface in a piece of software. 'Make it warmer and less strident while keeping upper-mid punch' - that would not be accomplished via Siri-like docoding of sentences, but through an initial set of questions - and then, like in photoshop, where it will show you a bunch of varieties, based on a general setting, you could page through a bunch of options - warmer, more distorted, less, more pick sensitivity, less. This would make it easy for folks who can't even get a good sound out of a physical amp. I can never believe there are so many out there - but as a former recording studio owner, it seemed half my job in the 70's and 80's was helping spandex-clad big hair guitarists get a decent tone from one of my amps!
barhrecords said:
That certainly would be nice for AE 3.0 if not the front panel interface.

As dorky as it seems to advanced users, I still like the interfaces that mock up the analog gear. Like the UAD plugin interfaces.

They only show the controls / knobs from the original gear with the same look as the original.

The other parameters are all there... but just in a different menu.

As long as its optional and not even the default, I could see where that would have some mass appeal.
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funny_polymath said:
as a former recording studio owner, it seemed half my job in the 70's and 80's was helping spandex-clad big hair guitarists get a decent tone from one of my amps!
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Yeah behind the scenes of a lot of guitar heroes are nerdy engineers that help the talent achieve greatness with their gear for sure.

In my experience, the really talented guitarists eventually attract the amp nerds and you can tell when everything comes together and goes to another level.
 
USMC_Trev said:
Is there a primer that decodes all the stuff you guys are talking about? I bought my Axe-FX II because of how all y'all make it sound. I don't have a clue what you guys are on about. Dafuq is a tone stack? Sag? I kinda figure stuff out in the scavenger hunt of dubious information that is most of the interweb (its a series of tubes!), but I know I only have 1/1000th the picture. I'm behind the power curve in a serious way, and I know I'm not alone. I'm just willing to dime myself out so someone else doesn't have to.

So, where is the Amp Science for Dummies at?
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Are you a GBMTM guy? - Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master were in the axefx on page 1 of the amp block, that's your wanted "easy mode" - Rest is in Wiki or the user manual. Just try - and see what you get, that's what I'm doing......(and many others too). Or download a sound from axe-change and see "how it's done". Ask in here - we help you with all, well....most of your questions.

There is no science in amp technology (at least for me) - just experience!

Have fun!
Cheers
Paco
 
PacoCasanovas said:
Are you a GBMTM guy? - Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble, Master were in the axefx on page 1 of the amp block, that's your wanted "easy mode" - Rest is in Wiki or the user manual. Just try - and see what you get, that's what I'm doing......(and many others too). Or download a sound from axe-change and see "how it's done". Ask in here - we help you with all, well....most of your questions.
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PacoCasanovas said:
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I have to agree with this. And learning how to master this can be already a challenge for somebody starting to really want to find and tweak a tone they want, because, as said before, when you mess with one element in an amp, you usually change the response of other elements as well.

That's why I also tend to agree that finding a good sounding patch and tweaking it from there can be a great learning experience: you are already halfway there and just have to look for sweeter spots, whereas zeroing a patch and going from there can be daunting (I've tried to tweak a mesa amp too many times only to become frustrated with my distortion sound, that is until I started reading more and more on how to tweak it.)

This is one of the best threads I've seen on this forum this year, btw. Really helpful books and I'll take a look into them as soon as I have some time.
 
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yek said:
I think a lot of players (have to) go through a learning process after acquiring the Axe-Fx.
Things like parametric equalizers, Fletcher Munson, microphone types, different speaker types etc. were new to me in 2009.
Even though I already had used a lot of gear in the many years before that.
It was the reason I started collecting information.
There's no shortcut or easy route. Just limit yourself to the basics first. Most of the information is needed only for special purposes.
Start with Amp-Cab presets and slowly work your way through the main controls. When you encouter a hurdle, search the wiki first, then post the question on the forum.
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Hold on! Fletcher Munson? Wasn't that a movie?
 
yek said:
I think a selectable "Easy Mode" would be a valuable addition to the user interface in the future.
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My impression is that is why we are provided 'factory' presets. And why Axechange exists.

For the OP: There's no substitute or shortcut in the learning process...sorry to say. Its' better to start small, and tweak existing presets, move on to creating your own and working ONLY one or 2 amps (easy to get overwhelmed working 14 different amps...say nothing of cabs), and in that process you'll find the things that get 'YOUR tone'. I, personally have never found that others presets work for me due to a number of non-fixable situations like guitar type, pickup type, playing style, and more importantly, what YOU think sounds great.

There's some pain, but it's well worth it.

R
 
Lots of great recommendations here. I think it's easiest to start with the early presets, find things you like and tweak them with the basic controls (tone controls, gain/level stuff and cab choices). That's what you get in the "real" world on most amps. The Axe has evolved to the point where you don't have to know too much to get a really good sound, but it does help to understand how amps work in the real world.

I find gain structure, tone and cab choice will get you most of the way and sometimes all the way to great tone if you know how to play and have some idea what you're looking for. Also, having a basic idea of what amps are used for what kinds of sounds is useful. Using a drive pedal in front of an amp is also a super common thing when trying to get tones. Experiment with the drive WAY down to WAY up and compensate for the huge volume changes with drive level control. Using the gain, tone and volume knob of a drive pedal is one of the simplest and most effective ways to shape everything from a slightly pumped up clean to all out chaos depending on what drive you pick and how you set the controls.

For most people, if they had to gig with the most minimal rig they could handle, amp/cab and a good drive pedal would be it. Learning how to manage just those pieces (with maybe a little reverb and/or delay for adding space if desired) is what I'd start with.

Having the courage to admit you don't know much is good. At least that way you can be open to learning. It amazes me that people go from something like a solid state Fender straight to the Axe. It's like going from a one speed bicycle with training wheels to a Ferrari.
 
I can get great sound using the default setting for amps and a little tweaking of the drive, volume, and EQ. The other parameters are only touched when I get curious. There is definitely a learning curve but just because these controls are there that you need to change them. Cliff and his team have done a great job with the default parameters to get us started.
 
yek said:
I think a lot of players (have to) go through a learning process after acquiring the Axe-Fx.
Things like parametric equalizers, Fletcher Munson, microphone types, different speaker types etc. were new to me in 2009.
Even though I already had used a lot of gear in the many years before that.
It was the reason I started collecting information.
There's no shortcut or easy route. Just limit yourself to the basics first. Most of the information is needed only for special purposes.
Start with Amp-Cab presets and slowly work your way through the main controls. When you encouter a hurdle, search the wiki first, then post the question on the forum.
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AGREED !!!
Keep in mind that if you have no clue on how to make a "real" amp sound GOOD - be that tube or SS - then your learning curve will be that much steeper when you get the Axe.
My advice to noobs has always been.. if you can't get a good tone using the controls on the basic tab, then you have no business touching anything else in the amp block.
One should also have a good understanding of where in the chain certain effects belong BEFORE you start messing with things. Delay does not work real well in front of the amp, but placing it there and adding a compressor AFTER the cab might produce some interesting results!
 
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s0c9 said:
Delay does not work real well in front of the amp, but placing it there and adding a compressor AFTER the cab might produce some interesting results!
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People say that delay doesn't work in front, but it's just a different sound. If you're playing into a really driven amp, then it's not often ideal. OTOH I've been listening to Bill Frisell craft some of my favorite sounds ever and he never uses an effects loop. He's almost always got some delay if not more than one going into 2 Fender Deluxes (or 2 100 watt Mesa combos back in the day).
 
MikeyB59 said:
People say that delay doesn't work in front, but it's just a different sound. If you're playing into a really driven amp, then it's not often ideal. OTOH I've been listening to Bill Frisell craft some of my favorite sounds ever and he never uses an effects loop. He's almost always got some delay if not more than one going into 2 Fender Deluxes (or 2 100 watt Mesa combos back in the day).
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I agree that it's different.. but, I probably should have stated that it's not the "normal" place to put that type of effect. I picked delay as the example in most cases it goes post amp and pre or post cab, along with reverb, chorus and other time-based effects.

I was trying to illustrate that if one has no idea of how to use basic amp tone and effects to get a good tone (although placement order of effects that is out of normal/standard sequence may be perfectly valid in the Axe), then one has no business monkeying with ANY advanced settings.

*Get the basics right before you even begin to dig in!*
 
In a way, I'm glad I had to wait six months after getting the Axe before I got the MCF-101; it would have been even more intimidating to figure out both of them at once. By the time my MCF arrived, I at least had a handle on how to tweak patches the way I like them.

In many ways, I've found the MCF just as daunting as the Axe-FX II. The hardest part is deciding how I want to set it up--there's so much flexibility that I almost miss having limitations; at least with inferior, limited gear, I didn't have to make so many decisions...
 
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