I can't seem to get ANY good tones?

pepsodent

pepsodent

Member
Expecting to be blown away by this unit (Axe FX2), I've found myself fighting it most of the time.

I haven't found a high gain factory preset that I've liked enough to linger with, even with tweaking (laying off the gain, cranking the master, careful with highs and lows etc) and I've tried many combinations that hasn't worked out, which other people seem to love. I've played around with the FAS modern through an Uber, the Friedman amps through TV mix and Basketweave cabs, I've tried the USA's. Nope. All I end up with is a muddy, slightly boomy tone with weak attack.

If I manage to get something good sounding going, it's still covered in what sounds like a thick blanket and I can't seem to get rid of it with any amounts of tweaking or EQing and I'm starting to wonder if it's really supposed to be this hard to get a good, clear, creamy sound out of this thing - like the clips on Youtube that sold me on it.

None of the user presets I've downloaded (or bought, for that matter) that sound fantastic from the author sound the same in my unit, and I can't tweak them to where I want them. I've reset the unit to factory settings, as suggested by some. Nothing. Time to make a thread about it.

I'm playing through a PRS CE24, with headphones (a couple of old Denon AH-D750's). I have the Yamaha HS50M monitors in mind, suspecting what I really need are some good monitors.

I know the fractal community is polite because I lurk, and I could really need a helping hand here.
 
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Create a preset from scratch, amp and cab, build out. make sure the gate is not choking it, cut it off for starters. I've never used a stock preset ever. you shouldn't be having this much problem. Make sure if you bought used, stuff is setup correctly, check if cab modeling is on, check global eq's etc.
 
dpeterson said:
Create a preset from scratch, amp and cab, build out. make sure the gate is not choking it, cut it off for starters. I've never used a stock preset ever. you shouldn't be having this much problem. Make sure if you bought used, stuff is setup correctly, check if cab modeling is on, check global eq's etc.
Click to expand...

Maybe you could specify what you mean here?

Cab modeling is on! Global EQ levels are all flat. Does tweaking these settings make a big difference (and where do I start?)
 
scroll all the way to the left, the input gate is what i'm talking about.

Pick an amp, say a friedman HBE or a Recto or Plexi 50, depending on what you are looking for. Pick a cab, say something with vintage 30 or the tvmixs are good for marshalls. Start with that, defaults are pretty good with those, so you can tweak from there. What kind of tone are you going for?
 
For distorted sounds I'm aiming for a full, creamy, gain sound. Clean and cutting (not thin and screeching though), with some prominent mids. Not the Ola Englund-esque super aggressive stuff, but with bite and attack, still.

I've found the Friedman amp favorable for this stuff, yes. The problem is I can't seem to work around the mud I'm getting. Nothing's really clear, it sounds... choked somehow. Sometimes I'll think I have a good tone but it's like something is covering it up, like a blanket.
 
Hmm.. turn the bass down and treble and presence up? Work the depth knob too. Flip through some cabs. Use the eq in the amp block, boost up some highs. Odd that it's that dark. Perhaps you could upload a clip to soundcloud or something?
 
The WIKI page has some great suggestions for paring amps and cabs. Like Jlynnb1 said, headphones are not the best for dialing in your sound. When I dial in my tones using an amp in the room vs headphones, the headphones sound lame in comparison. Yek's amp list is also a great resource for learning how to pair amps and cabs. The right pairing of the amp and cab is critical to how your rig will sound. Hang in there brother. There is a bit of a learning curve, but the end result is worth it. The quest for the holy wail is never easy.
 
As annoying as this suggestion is... Try a different guitar.

For me, my ax8 sounds very good through my monitors using every pickup I have Except as it turns out, the bridge pickup in my main guitar. There will always be something missing, even with all the eq in the world.


And pay close attention to your input monitor. If you're not tickling the red, you're tone may sound flat.
 
I also recommend going with monitors rather than headphones. Most of us are accustomed to hearing amps "in the room", moving air. The sensation of hearing guitar - especially rock tones - just through headphones takes getting used to. Even through really high quality headphones, the sound of [high quality headphone speaker very close to your ear] is a different from [speaker cabinet through a greater distance of vibrating air, to your ears]. The headphone tone can be perceived as lifeless or weirdly choked. When I record in the studio, I usually just track with my AxeFX via headphones, but I work with plenty of guys at sessions who really want to be in the room with their amp.
 
jlynnb1 said:
i've never had any success tweaking through headphones, some guys do, not me.

that being said, no, it's not hard at all. I honestly feel like the unit is pretty much plug and play at this point.
Click to expand...

Totally agree - with Q 4.0, its basically pick an amp, cab - make some cuts in the cab block - and done son...


Sleestak said:
I also recommend going with monitors rather than headphones. Most of us are accustomed to hearing amps "in the room", moving air. The sensation of hearing guitar - especially rock tones - just through headphones takes getting used to. Even through really high quality headphones, the sound of [high quality headphone speaker very close to your ear] is a different from [speaker cabinet through a greater distance of vibrating air, to your ears]. The headphone tone can be perceived as lifeless or weirdly choked. When I record in the studio, I usually just track with my AxeFX via headphones, but I work with plenty of guys at sessions who really want to be in the room with their amp.
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Agreed - I have created tones using headphones, monitors, and a real cab. They all sound completely different. Tones I've created on headphones do not translate at all to a real cab or a PA FOH. There have been a few times that depending on the PA equipment being used, I've had to make some adjustments at the venue. It still sounded good without adjusting - but generally I have an idea on what my tone should sound like and I am kind of a perfectionist.
I think you need to invest in some good monitors ( if that will be your main use) or a good amp and real cabinet.
 
I've checked the WIKI, but I might have to check it out more thoroughly. I'll be patient as long as there isn't actually anything wrong with the unit!

I actually use two other guitars for this unit, but the CE24 is my main, so no problem there.

And yeah, I have the Yamaha HS50M's in mind (I was thinking the HS80M's but hopefully they'll do. Opinions are much appreciated!)
 
Maybe I'm wrong here (I'm an FX8 user). But I thought that a lot of the factory presets relied on running the unit through an effects loop to sound good. If you're going straight through the front of the amp, maybe that's part of the problem.
 
Do you use the headphone directly into the axe headphone output?

when i did this with my old sennheiser it did not sound good at all!
till i used them through a soundcard or via monitors or a real cab.
i have never used the headphone out on the axe fx from that moment onwards......
 
if everything sounds the same...factory presets and presets you've made yourself, then it sounds like there is a problem that needs to be resolved. the guitar is fine, even the headphones are fine. did you buy the axe fx used? if you did, perhaps a factory reset might be in order. in fact, it might be a good idea to do it anyway. check your input level, as others have said. the only way to fix the problem will be to rule out the variables one by one, so see if you can try it through some decent monitors. change your cable, try a different guitar, factory reset etc etc
 
I think you may be making this way more complicated than it actually is. IMO once you have an amp that will give you the range of tone youre looking for, its then crucial to pick the right Impulse Responses. Cabs make or break the tone. If you are using IR's that used a specific microphone to capture the response, but then are adding another mic on top of that, it can make the tone muddy. Honestly though, no one is going to give you the answer you are looking for, you are going to have to learn the Axe Fx and figure out for yourself what sounds good and what doesn't. Good luck sir.
 
pepsodent said:
I've found the Friedman amp favorable for this stuff, yes. The problem is I can't seem to work around the mud I'm getting. Nothing's really clear, it sounds... choked somehow. Sometimes I'll think I have a good tone but it's like something is covering it up, like a blanket.
Click to expand...

In your first post you said you're cranking the Master Volume. I think this could be the problem. When I use the Friedman models, I reduce the MV to about 3 to make them less dark and more articulate.
 
Some may disagree with me, but when I use the be or hbe I turn the depth diem to like 1 or 2 because the default setting is easy to much more end for me. Try the hbe with bass middle and treble set to noon, and turn the depth all the way down, see how that sounds, them start rolling the depth back in until it sounds like enough good punchy low end.
 
A few thoughts and repeats of what's been said:

-Monitoring is crucial. I've never had great experiences with headphones UNTIL I had a high end set. The HS80's sound very good, but it doesn't come close to the CLR wedges. IMO there is no substitution for volume. Most presets can sound like muffled cats until it's loud, then you hear what it really sounds like.
-Echo what Simeon said. It seems that if EVERYTHING sounds wrong, then a factory reset is a good place to start.
-Schwiz is also correct. Ignore the amp for the moment, the IR is by far the most critical aspect of your tone. I've struggled mightily to put the amp together with the perfect IR (for me.) Check out a few of the outstanding video's done by forum members on how to tweak a cab block...it will make all the difference in the world.

I suggest ignoring multiple presets, and find one that is *close* to where you want to go, then work though every aspect of the CAB and AMP. Don't leave that one until you can get a better understanding of what works for you (it's different for every person/solution, so no 'just do THIS' and it's all better.)

Again, there are so many tutorials out there that speeds the learning curve, so take advantage of them. Good luck.

R
 
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