Still can't seem to find a use for Scenes. Please enlighten me.

Stringtheorist

Stringtheorist

Fractal Fanatic
Ever since I owned the Ultra I've been managing effects changes within a single preset just fine using modifiers attached to expression pedals. Whether I'm panning between two different amps, bypassing effects blocks or altering parameters within an effect using a pedal, this method works for me. I don't have to worry about hitting the wrong switch with my clumsy feet, changes are smooth instead of abrupt and therefore a mistimed kick of the toe is less noticeable than if I were using the latching switches to dis/engage effects.

I like the idea of scenes but even if I were to use them to achieve the same result, there would still things be things I could only achieve using modifiers, so what's the benefit of scenes? Impressed as I was by Cooper Carter's recent in-depth class on using the Axe-FX on CreativeLive, I still don't see what I can do with scenes that I can't manage without them. What am I missing?
 
Last edited:
Different strokes for different folks.

I use them all the time, I have a main preset which has a Dumble amp as the main tone. Scene 2 has two scene controllers modifying the input trim and input drive. Scene 4 is my ethereal where a have a multidelay setup, for a long delayed reverb kind of thing. It goes on and one. I wish we could get more scene controllers, they are some pretty cool things indeed.
 
Say you wanted to switch between two reverb types, change the amp's gain, engage or disengage delay, and modify your output volume all with a single control. Scenes can do that, all with no switching delay.
 
I use them same as scottburrow, and to change several effects in or out at the same time, avoiding the pedal dance
 
Hellbat said:
Say you wanted to switch between two reverb types, change the amp's gain, engage or disengage delay, and modify your output volume all with a single control. Scenes can do that, all with no switching delay.
Click to expand...

I can do that with one kick of an expression pedal, with the advantages noted above (OK, not modify the output volume but there are other ways to achieve similar) so I still don't see the benefit. Not dissing anyone for using scenes if it works for them; I just don't see any advantages except the ability to switch an FX block's X/Y state (which is pretty cool, I admit).

Just curious whether there's something really useful in Scenes that I've overlooked... :/
 
Last edited:
Stringtheorist said:
I can do that with one kick of an expression pedal, with the advantages noted above (OK, not modify the output volume but there are other ways to achieve similar) so I still don't see the benefit. Not dissing anyone for using scenes if it works for them; I just don't see any advantages except the ability to switch an FX block's X/Y state (which is pretty cool).
Click to expand...

An expression pedal like you describe it would be like having two scenes that you can blend between. But if you sometimes wanted to increase the drive without engaging/disengaging the delay, and sometimes you did wanted to engage/disengage the delay that would likely be difficult with an expression pedal only. And different strokes for different folks as scottburrow pointed out.
 
Well I guess the advantage to scenes then is you have 8 different ones versus two x/y states. I just use scenes because I find setting them up very intuitive and simple with axe edit. Plus it lets me have a "default" setup.

Scene one - clean or lowest gain
Scene two - boost/OD/fuzz
Scene three - atmospherics such as chorus/multi tap delay, etc.
Scene four - solo/lead - usually volume boost+OD+ducked delay
 
My scenes are usually -> GIMME MORE OF EVERYTHING!! I don't have to specifically remember what do I get more on scene 2 or 3, it just know it's good since I've painstakingly set it up beforehand. :) In short, the easiest method for multiple FX changes in one click, and sometimes amp/cab too.
 
I was a big preset guy, I had a clean preset a rhythm preset and a lead preset for every kind of music and amp type. I was creating so many presets that I had a hard time getting from end of my bank to the other. Then I figured out scenes. I use two amp blocks and have scene 1 as my main rhythm patch then I use scene 5 for solos which is still amp 1 but in it's y state plus a delay kicking in, then I can go directly to scene 2 which is a clean sound and has perfect delay spillover with no patch delay.

So I was able to cut my presets way down and manage everything for one performance within a preset or 2.
 
I'm not a fan of many effects on guitars (Yes, I am aware of the irony given the heavy delay/fx usage in the song in my signature ;) ), but I use scenes to keep track of the effects setting I use through out a show. I have set up my axe fx, so that each song I play has it's own preset w 5 scenes. #1 is typically intro or theme sound, #2 is verse, #3 is chorus, #4 is either middle 8 or any other strange setting I might need in the specific song for a break or something like that. #5 is lead or effect. I have it set up this way, even if there is no difference between eg a verse and chorus of a song. This way I never have to think about what settings comes next in any given song. For instance in the song below #1 is riff w dual delay and eq, #2 is verse with dual delay, 3# is chorus w doubler effect (14ms between L&R i think), #4 is richer sound for middle 8 and #5 is like one, but with hi- and low cut, where the frequensy is controled by an expression pedal.

I know it sounds complicated at first, but as soon as I have that song down, I simply do the same switching(-isch) for the other songs stomp-wise.8)

Shameless self promo? Sure is! But if the above makes sence, there's no need to check out the song, it is just to give an example :)
 
I work with scenes for anything that requires more than one press of a switch! No tap dancing, thanks to scenes!
 
I just started using scenes and basically have it set up for 5 in a patch with 2 clean dry/wet and 2 dirty dry/wet and 1 lead. I use the X/Y amp and cabs sometimes and obviously different modulation effects for each. I'm just now getting into scene modifiers where I can set different levels for gain/trim and stuff for each scene individually. I don't know how I'd pull all of that off with one external controller and to be honest I know that my patches are pretty streamline.

But the only thing that matters is what works for you. Scenes are just one way of doing things and it doesn't mean that it's the best or only way. It took me years before I even messed with them, but once I did it simplified my layouts and workflow and now every patch is basically the same structure. It's like a template and I like having a foundation to work from.
 
I won't try to talk you into becoming a big fan of scenes, but here is an example of how I use them. I play in a David Bowie tribute band called "BowieVision". For the song "Space Oddity", I use five scenes in a single preset.
(1) For the intro : Clean amp with leslie + short delay + reverb.
(2) After the "countdown" during the intro, I use scene two for the choppy tremolo effect. I use a scene controller to reduce the reverb and delay during this part to emphasize the tremolo.
(3) During the fourth measure of the tremolo section, I kick into scene three to add more gain and an upward spiraling pitch shift. This scene adds more delay and reverb to smear the guitar sound into a spacier / trippier tone. Then I switch immediately back to scene 1 to continue the verse.
(4) For the guitar solo I kick in a second amp model with compression and more drive, and it has its own effect chain including a plate reverb. This is layered atop the scene 1 tone so I use a scene controller to disable the leslie and back off the treble of the clean amp.
(5) The last three notes of the first solo are double-tracked in the studio, in a lower octave with more distortion. I recreate this live using a pitch change effect plus additional gain on the second amp, and an EQ. Then I switch back to scene 1 to continue to the song until the second solo, for which I use scene 4, and finally switch back to scene 3 at the end of the song for the drifting spacey outtro.

Throughout these scenes, I'm using my expression pedal to adjust the speed of the leslie. All this switching around would be a lot of work without scenes.

We have about 30 songs in active rotation, and I have dedicated patches for each song. In some cases the songs only have one scene (e.g., Rebel Rebel), but in some cases the songs have five scenes (e.g., Scary Monsters, Fashion) recreate specialized sounds for various sections. Scenes and scene controllers are the only feasible means for me to deliver such complex tones in a live setting.
 
Using scenes is the ONLY way I can run my live rig without having small pauses when changing my sound. I don't think you can really do anything like that with the Ultra. You will always get a small pause when switching an effect between X/Y or when switching a preset.

F.ex. take a listen to this clip I made using ONLY ONE PATCH and one take hence the sloppy soloing:

The 1st scene I'm using has: VIBRATO - AMP 2 (clean amp) - CAB - DELAY1
The 2st scene I'm using has: CHORUS - AMP 2 (clean amp) - CAB - MULTIDELAY1
The 3rd scene I'm using has: Lo-Fi EQ and my main rhythm patch with lower gain made possible with the scene controllers
The 4th scene I'm using is my main rhythm sound so: NOISE GATE - AMP 1 (dirty amp) gain at noon made possible with the scene controllers - CAB
The 5th scene I'm using is my lead sound so more gain made possible with the scene controllers and not using a boost to ruin the tone and DELAY2
The 6th scene I'm using is my rhythm patch with lower gain once again made possible... with a Univibe in front.

And no pauses when switching between sounds so you can sound just like when you recorded your music. Impossible with the Ultra.
 
This may be a dumb question ..can you still switch scenes without an MFC. I know they can be incrementally changed up or down via midi. But what about choosing a particular scene?
 
xlb3x said:
This may be a dumb question ..can you still switch scenes without an MFC. I know they can be incrementally changed up or down via midi. But what about choosing a particular scene?
Click to expand...

What ARE you using?
 
I started using scenes about six months ago. Our mixes do sound a little cleaner as I move through the scenes as opposed to using presets. However, there are times when I run out of CPU power in an effect heavy scene-preset with lots of changes. When that happens, I usually downgrade my cab or replace a drive > amp with a different amp and no drive. That's been the only disadvantage of using scenes.

The main advantage for my set up has been volume-matching between scenes. The process took much longer when I was using song presets for different parts. Now, the volume changes are smoother and the scene changes are usually unnoticeable. That's a big help when you edit a block within the song (which is often). You don't have to jump to other presets and make adjustments and hope they're right.
 
One other "disadvantage", if you can call it that: You will forget to hit the REVEAL button. You will be at a show. There will be people watching. You'll think you changed scenes when you actually changed songs...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom