Any database to sort through amps, pedals, presets, …?

Skilpad

Skilpad

New Member
The selection of amps, pedals, factory presets, etc is amazing… but it's also overwhelming and quite a pain when looking exploring a specific type of sound.

When looking for the perfect clear sound, or highly distorted lead, or whatever, there's a subset of amps that would be really relevant to explore… but I end up randomly going through amps because I have no idea what they do. Similarly, when trying to find a factory preset to learn on some hard rock riff with, I don't need to check synth and harmonizer presets.

Is there somewhere one or several databases with relevant descriptive info on the amps, speakers, presets, … to help guide the exploration? I'm not talking about data like what real life amp the model is based on, but more stuff like the type of saturation, typical warmth, etc.
 
Not really what I was looking for in terms of data and usability, but a start, with interesting feedbacks and tips. 👍
I'll definitely take some notes of what's said here.
 
I honestly have no idea. Anything that could help.

For the aspects I mentioned, I don't know how I would express them in some database, let alone have them in a table that could be sorted. I guess I would try to get some quantifiers to represent the frequency response, saturation (e.g. introduced harmonics), breakup, etc (having every parameter at noon, except maybe various gains)… but I'm not even convinced it would help me in any way. 🤷‍♀️
Or human-given scores on different loosly defined parameters (warmth, saturation, aggressiveness, … I don't know. I don't know much about how we talk about amps tbh.)

Here, I was talking about numbers because number in a table means I can sort them, look for similar numbers etc. (Although would these numbers be any relevant?) It's because I'm kinda used to treat data like that…
but I'd also be helped with some categories.

Typically, lists like “these amps are quite nice for this type of music/sound”. Or groupings of similar amps. As an example, some models are quite suited when looking for a ‘clean’ sound, and not all of them have “clean” in the name. And among them, you'll find some that are typically brighter than others. You might also not use the same “clean” amps if you want a sound that is totally clean, or if you want to be tickling the breakup point to have some distortion on the attack of your stronger notes (although you can also play with the gain in both case… so I don't know tbh).
 
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Anyway. I'd take anything that can make the list of amps a bit more organized than “here are hundreds of randomly sorted models you know nothing about”. :sweatsmile:

(Same for the presets. Some have clear names, others do not. You can find some groups, like a bunch of harmonizer-based presets together; but you'll also find high-distortion lead tones with obscure names and throughout the list of presets.)
 
You're talking about quantifying the sound of amps? I doubt that's practical. The stuff that matters is subtle, and people's impressions are so variable, I can't imagine it boiling down to a few numbers, and if it did, that they'd reliably mean much.

I second the vote for Yek's amp list. That's about as clear and comprehensive view of the amps on board as you're likely to get IMO.
 
I think sometimes the worst thing you can do is pigeonhole a given amp to a given style or sound. Sometimes an untypical amp can really surprise with a great clean from what many could call a “brutal” amp, or maybe a great lead tone can come from something you usually wouldn’t crank and hit with a drive pedal, so on and so forth.

That’s half the fun of having so many amps at your fingertips, you can try out things and stumble across a really unique sound
 
Skilpad said:
Not really what I was looking for in terms of data and usability, but a start, with interesting feedbacks and tips. 👍
I'll definitely take some notes of what's said here.
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Don't forget, if you wanted to, anyone can add to the Wiki.
And lots of amps can do many different types of tones. I lean to Mesas when going for high-gain, but a few of my favorite presets are based on other amps as well.
 
Much of what you’re describing is subjective and many of the amps in the unit have a wide range of sounds. Can you provide some real world examples of sounds you’re trying to achieve from albums or clips? There is really no substitute for putting in the time to audition several amps and cabs to find the sounds you’re after. But we can definitely help you get closer if you’ll give us some specifics and let us know what you’re playing with (guitar) and through (speaker).
 
As others have mentioned, figure out the sounds you’re aiming for to get out of the AxeFX.

Then, you’re gonna have to put in the fun work of listening to different amplifiers and cab selections to get where you want to go. Learning is a blast!

Yek’s work will enable you to go to YouTube and listen to various examples.

Some artists need to match the album toanz, while others just wanna be in the ballpark.

There is a big pool of talent here to aid your journey.
 
Skilpad said:
I honestly have no idea. Anything that could help.
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In each of the modelers’ manuals, Fractal says this:
Q: Why all the technical terminology?
A: The language of the Axe-Fx III is for the most part the universal language of professional audio. This allows the Axe-Fx III to serve very diverse communities from casual to pro players, to producers, engineers, and beyond. The terminology and concepts you will use and learn are not unique to the Axe-Fx III either. Understanding them will help you to master the craft of sound and to communicate with other pros. At the same time, the Axe-Fx III is easier than ever, with dedicated controls and a clear interface that doesn’t distract or disrupt the creative flow.
Click to expand...

Here’s the problem… We don’t know what your lexicon is, what things you know and what words you use to describe them, so finding meaningful words to describe things to you results in a task for us that is too big and undefined. We do understand that it’s frustrating trying to decipher this stuff though.

I was a software developer by profession, among other things, and I’ve been playing for over 40 years, and fiddling with various modelers for probably 15 of them. There’s definitely a learning curve when we hit a professional-level device like any of Fractal’s, because they can do so much, whereas the units from other brands lack the depth and flexibility so they are easier to learn and navigate. The personal experience and knowledge you have with the music performance and recording/sound-engineering and amplifier and circuit design worlds that you brought to the Fractal determines how quickly you will feel at home with it.

My recommendations are:
  • Read the manuals repeatedly because the knowledge builds upon what you read before as you move from one to another.
  • Read Yek’s guides because he gathered quotes from reviews and comments about using the various amps and drives. Those will help you learn more of the lingo at your own speed at the time you want to know about a particular thing. Guide to the Fractal Audio Amp models (PDF) and Guide to the Fractal Audio Drive Models (PDF).
  • Read everything else related to guitars and amps and effects.
  • Fiddle with the knobs in factory presets because you can’t break it by turning knobs. It might make sounds you don’t like but you can always revert a preset or reload a factory preset or one you found or purchased. (Hint: get to know what the “Snapshot tool” does.)
  • Ask specific questions about specific things because that helps us give you specific answers.
 
I renamed all my presets with the amp model name in front. Then by using the A-Z menu, all presets using the same amp are grouped together. I went the extra mile and made them both alphabetically and numerically in order. Took a couple of days but it was worth it (for me).
 
Greg Ferguson said:
In each of the modelers’ manuals, Fractal says this:


Here’s the problem… We don’t know what your lexicon is, what things you know and what words you use to describe them, so finding meaningful words to describe things to you results in a task for us that is too big and undefined. We do understand that it’s frustrating trying to decipher this stuff though.

I was a software developer by profession, among other things, and I’ve been playing for over 40 years, and fiddling with various modelers for probably 15 of them. There’s definitely a learning curve when we hit a professional-level device like any of Fractal’s, because they can do so much, whereas the units from other brands lack the depth and flexibility so they are easier to learn and navigate. The personal experience and knowledge you have with the music performance and recording/sound-engineering and amplifier and circuit design worlds that you brought to the Fractal determines how quickly you will feel at home with it.

My recommendations are:
  • Read the manuals repeatedly because the knowledge builds upon what you read before as you move from one to another.
  • Read Yek’s guides because he gathered quotes from reviews and comments about using the various amps and drives. Those will help you learn more of the lingo at your own speed at the time you want to know about a particular thing. Guide to the Fractal Audio Amp models (PDF) and Guide to the Fractal Audio Drive Models (PDF).
  • Read everything else related to guitars and amps and effects.
  • Fiddle with the knobs in factory presets because you can’t break it by turning knobs. It might make sounds you don’t like but you can always revert a preset or reload a factory preset or one you found or purchased. (Hint: get to know what the “Snapshot tool” does.)
  • Ask specific questions about specific things because that helps us give you specific answers.
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I totally agree about the features side, read and learn and try to make it do what you want.

But for amp tones, you can do that some, but really, TRY STUFF!!! No manual or video is going to tell you how you'll feel about the Nuclear Tone (Swart) on 8 with your tele.
 
Cam Heiliger said:
Much of what you’re describing is subjective and many of the amps in the unit have a wide range of sounds. Can you provide some real world examples of sounds you’re trying to achieve from albums or clips? There is really no substitute for putting in the time to audition several amps and cabs to find the sounds you’re after. But we can definitely help you get closer if you’ll give us some specifics and let us know what you’re playing with (guitar) and through (speaker).
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Yes.

If nothing else, it'd help to have a list of performers/bands and what about their sound is appealing. But unless that's a short list it'll result in a lot of back-and-forths trying to define terms and dealing with the je ne sais quoi of each amp or effect's sound.
 
It’s kind of like having a blank check to build multiple rigs for different sounds and uses.
If you don’t already know how to, the blank check isn’t much help.
A lot of this stuff is trial and error. It would take a lifetime to just learn the ins outs and feature sets of just these physical amps.
 
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