Zendrive + AC15TB

philipacamaniac

philipacamaniac

Fractal Fanatic
Here's a fun preset using a Hermida Zendrive ("Zen Master") into an analog-style delay, into a Vox AC-15 Top Boost ("Class A 15W TB") amp / Morgan AC-20 1x12 cab (factory #119).

I programmed two scenes:
  • Scene 1: Lead/Chime. This has some thick delays, Multidelay Plex Shift and reverb.
  • Scene 2: Rhythm. Main delay turned off. A scene controller brings the mix and feedback down in the other verbs/delays/etc.
Here's a sample recording using 4 layers all from this preset. The lead part is the humbucker in my Godin SD SSH on Scene 1, the chime is pup position 4 also on Scene 1. The chunky parts are back to the humbucker and Scene 2, using a couple different real-world drive pedals to boost the Zendrive.



And here's the song that inspired the patch:

 

Attachments

  • Zendrive + AC15TB.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 382
I'm loving this one. What s the reasoning for breaking off the reverb and multi down another path. I'm pretty new to the device and I'm just curious why this is done. I imagine it washes out the guitar signal less. Am I right.
 
WorshipGuy said:
I'm loving this one. What s the reasoning for breaking off the reverb and multi down another path. I'm pretty new to the device and I'm just curious why this is done. I imagine it washes out the guitar signal less. Am I right.
Click to expand...

Yes, the reverb and MultiDelay are in parallel with the main signal. That is mainly so that the reverb can be at 100% mix, and I can feed the Multi directly into the reverb. That setup diffuses the Multi and makes it sound like a second, very ambient reverb block.

The parallel setup also makes it so that the dry guitar volume doesn't change (indeed, "it washes out the guitar signal less").

The takeaway from this preset for me: I want to use a boutique Class A model like the Trainwreck or Morgan, but this AC-15 model was easier and quicker to dial in the sound I hear in my head.
 
jlynnb1 said:
sounds great! you ever given the DC30 a run, i can't remember if you have or not.
Click to expand...

Jason, could you share one of your DC30 presets sometime please? I've never been able to get the same kind of tones out of it that you do. Don't want to hijack this thread tho...!
 
philipacamaniac said:
Here's a fun preset using a Hermida Zendrive ("Zen Master") into an analog-style delay, into a Vox AC-15 Top Boost ("Class A 15W TB") amp / Morgan AC-20 1x12 cab (factory #119).

I programmed two scenes:
  • Scene 1: Lead/Chime. This has some thick delays, Multidelay Plex Shift and reverb.
  • Scene 2: Rhythm. Main delay turned off. A scene controller brings the mix and feedback down in the other verbs/delays/etc.
Click to expand...

@philipacamaniac, would you mind saving the blocks and uploading them in a zip file to this thread please? Reason I ask is because I have an AFX XL, so I can't import the AX8 preset.
 
chucma said:
@philipacamaniac, would you mind saving the blocks and uploading them in a zip file to this thread please? Reason I ask is because I have an AFX XL, so I can't import the AX8 preset.
Click to expand...

Here you go. I also included a CSV so you can check values, as I've noticed some block values don't translate correctly when transferring between different devices.

The core tone can be found in these screenshots (bearing in mind the firmware modeling differences).

Amp page 1: I only adjusted controls from the original amp (as best as possible and as far as I know).
Screen Shot 2016-03-05 at 9.29.04 AM.png

I didn't adjust any other amp parameters except the speaker resonance.
Screen Shot 2016-03-05 at 9.29.22 AM.png

The Zendrive is "modded" quite a bit, I messed with clip shape, tone, low and high cut, slew limit, and bias until I found the sound I wanted.
Screen Shot 2016-03-05 at 9.28.42 AM.png
Screen Shot 2016-03-05 at 9.28.53 AM.png

And the cab:
Screen Shot 2016-03-05 at 9.29.42 AM.png
 

Attachments

  • Zendrive + AC15TB.zip
    7.8 KB · Views: 78
Remember also that for the "crunchiest" tones you're hearing on the sample recording, I was using a real world Timmy (on the left) and a real world Soul Food (on the right) to goose the Zendrive and provide different tonal flavors. You can just increase the drive on the Drive 1 block or possibly on the amp. There isn't enough CPU to add a second drive block.
 
philipacamaniac said:
Remember also that for the "crunchiest" tones you're hearing on the sample recording, I was using a real world Timmy (on the left) and a real world Soul Food (on the right) to goose the Zendrive and provide different tonal flavors. You can just increase the drive on the Drive 1 block or possibly on the amp. There isn't enough CPU to add a second drive block.
Click to expand...

This is awesome, thanks so much for all the info and the files! I absolutely love the tone you got out of that Zen! Very nice work dude!
 
@philipacamaniac, spunds really good, but is it me, or is scene 1 and 2 crazy loud. I had to crank the output level way down to not drown out the whole band.

...or are my other presets set at very low volumes?
 
chrisjnyc said:
@philipacamaniac, spunds really good, but is it me, or is scene 1 and 2 crazy loud. I had to crank the output level way down to not drown out the whole band.

...or are my other presets set at very low volumes?
Click to expand...

Adjust the amp block level to taste. This preset was made pre-2.02, so that might have some effect.

I'm pretty sure I leveled it with the VU to be a bit over 0db since the part in mind was a lead. It isn't anywhere near clipping which is my main concern, and it matches my other presets, which my secondary concern. :)
 
philipacamaniac said:
Adjust the amp block level to taste. This preset was made pre-2.02, so that might have some effect.

I'm pretty sure I leveled it with the VU to be a bit over 0db since the part in mind was a lead. It isn't anywhere near clipping which is my main concern, and it matches my other presets, which my secondary concern. :)
Click to expand...

Curious how you matched the levels. I have used the VU utility, but it jumps around and hard to gauge how loud any preset is. Whats your secret?
 
It involves a lot of eyeballing and earballing. The main idea is to assess the average while you're strumming full chords. I like to play at three different levels (loud, medium, soft) and see where they land, and I try to have the louds average just over 0dB.
 
philipacamaniac said:
It involves a lot of eyeballing and earballing. The main idea is to assess the average while you're strumming full chords. I like to play at three different levels (loud, medium, soft) and see where they land, and I try to have the louds average just over 0dB.
Click to expand...

I just checked your Zendrive on my AX8's VU meter... it is hitting 7-8db for scene 1. The Ac15 amp is set to -3db. Is that what you see on your side?
 
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