Two-Amp Setup

George Estremera

George Estremera

Inspired
Hi,

When running two amps in the same preset, are they setup the same way and just doubled to thicken the tone, or is the most common practice to have them dialed in differently (if dialed in differently, examples are appreciated if possible)? I mostly use high gain stuff (FAS Modern is my most-used amp). I guess I'm just trying to figure out what the biggest benefits of this setup are? Thanks for your help
 
There are so many ways to do this. Running two of the same amps with the same cabs and settings would double up on everything: the good and the bad. A common approach is to use complimentary tones. Maybe one bright and one dark. One dirty and one just broken up. There's all kinds of combinations that are possible.

As far as what's practical...I've never felt running two amps at once gave me anything more than additional complexity that I could do without. I'm a simple player.
 
One amp will already record in stereo - you can use a very short stereo delay w/ low mix and change the R delay time to stagger it for a wider stereo effect.

My understanding is that the bi-amp setup is to get different amps to mix into one tone, or pretending to have two guitarists playing the same part.
 
Budda said:
One amp will already record in stereo - you can use a very short stereo delay w/ low mix and change the R delay time to stagger it for a wider stereo effect.

My understanding is that the bi-amp setup is to get different amps to mix into one tone, or pretending to have two guitarists playing the same part.
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You can also use the enhancer block to give a stereo effect.
 
Last time I put two Amp blocks on the grid and setup the model types and settings identically, they sounded like a single mono amp even when hard panned. Setting the amps slightly differently will give you a better stereo effect. The more differently they're set, the more obvious the stereo effect will be.

I'd also be careful about doubling effects where the trick is that one side is simply delayed by a few ms. If the signal is ever collapsed to mono you'll not only lose the effect, your guitar will get severely phase cancelled and will sound awful.
 
For stereo live, I prefer to have 2 different amps with different gain levels and structure. Creates a wider, more pronounced stereo image in my experience.

Recording in stereo, one amp with stereo effects can work just fine. You have more control over the mix and can do things mastering post production if the guitar gets lost in the mix.
 
Jorge.Estremera said:
Hi,

When running two amps in the same preset, are they setup the same way and just doubled to thicken the tone, or is the most common practice to have them dialed in differently (if dialed in differently, examples are appreciated if possible)? I mostly use high gain stuff (FAS Modern is my most-used amp). I guess I'm just trying to figure out what the biggest benefits of this setup are? Thanks for your help
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My main preset is dual amps. Hbe and IIC++. On their own they sound great. Together.... so good, I can’t live without. One is a darker tone than the other but they just work together perfectly. I’m not a axe fx 3 pro but I found my dream tone and it’s dual amp all the way. Ymmv
 
JoKeR III said:
For stereo live, I prefer to have 2 different amps with different gain levels and structure. Creates a wider, more pronounced stereo image in my experience.

Recording in stereo, one amp with stereo effects can work just fine. You have more control over the mix and can do things mastering post production if the guitar gets lost in the mix.
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@JoKeR III
So you create a sort of dry/wet-rig? With one amp panned hard right and the other hard left and only one of these amps has the wet effects?
 
Reaper said:
@JoKeR III
So you create a sort of dry/wet-rig? With one amp panned hard right and the other hard left and only one of these amps has the wet effects?
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No, from my reading I think we was talking about two different things.

1) For live playing and getting a stereo spread, he prefers 2 amps with different tones panned hard right and left, to create a stereo spread for the audience.

2) If you're recording in stereo, then just using a single amp that has stereo effects can also sound good.
 
Reaper said:
@JoKeR III
So you create a sort of dry/wet-rig? With one amp panned hard right and the other hard left and only one of these amps has the wet effects?
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No, both amps will have the effects and hard panned. My observation has been that using 2 different amps with stereo effects live have provided a better stereo image in a live setting than a single amp or a dual amp setup with the same amp model in both blocks. I'm not suggesting 2 different amps is the best way to set up a stereo rig. If you're just wanting to thicken the tone, using dual amps with the same amp model in both blocks will do what you want. You can use the Enhancer block with a single amp to get a more full tone as well.

There are other factors that determine what I'll use. Am I the only electric in the mix? How many instruments/vocals are in the band? Are any other instruments stereo? If I'm the only electric and there's an acoustic, bass and keys, then I'll opt for two different amps for the widest stereo image. If I'm playing lead with an additional rhythm electric, I'll choose the same amp for both blocks or use a single amp with stereo effects. This adds more fullness to to my tone while pushing the stereo effects back a bit leaving room for the rhythm player. If I'm playing rhythm, I'll more than likely stick with a mono rig. It's all about knowing where you fit in the mix and accepting your role.

For recording, a single amp with stereo effects after the amp block can be sufficient but the scenarios mentioned above can still come into play. It all comes down to what the song/band needs and how do you best fill your role to make the band sound its best. If you're just recording yourself with a drum loop or backing track, do whatever sounds the best to you.
 
I thought I’d be utilizing the ability to use two amps at once a lot more than I am, but I also haven’t spent a ton of time trying to dial them in. I’ve got two presets that I’m using two amps in, both panned hard left and right. One is an HBE + MkIV and the other is 2 Diezel’s. In general, I’ll set one amp up to be more mid-treble focused with more gain and the other to be focused on the lows with less gain.

It’s time I revisit those presets. I made them when I first got the III and figured I’d gain more from getting some experience making single amp presets first. Now that I have some IR’s that I really dig and know my way around more, I’ll make those two-amp presets much more effective.

I’m not gigging or even playing in a band, but I’m writing and recording nonstop. Two amps at once gives me the ability to get variations without quad-tracking stuff.
 
I run dual amp presets all the time, but I run a pedalboard in stereo in front of the Axe III. There are a couple of scenarios to be aware of:
  • Running two of the same amp, same settings, no matter how you have them panned, will sound like one amp. If you are running stereo effects before or after the amps you'll get the stereo field from the effects. This is how I prefer to run my dual amp setups.
  • Running two different amps introduces a mixture of good and bad. You can mix to complimentary amps to add something one amp doesn't have on it's own - AC30 and a Tweed, for example. The bad part is that those two amps have very different gain structures and headroom, so you may find that the Tweed get's louder than the AC30 when you are boosting or driving the amps with pedals in front which can throw off the balance of your stereo field.
 
boyce89976 said:
  • Running two different amps introduces a mixture of good and bad. You can mix to complimentary amps to add something one amp doesn't have on it's own - AC30 and a Tweed, for example. The bad part is that those two amps have very different gain structures and headroom, so you may find that the Tweed get's louder than the AC30 when you are boosting or driving the amps with pedals in front which can throw off the balance of your stereo field.
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would a compressor block after the amps or in the hotter of the two blocks (output compressor) help to mitigate the difference in perceived loudness?
 
I use two amps quite a bit, but never on at once.

Common usage for me is to have a multiplexor which switches between them, and I have a similar sound in each of the amp blocks, but one with more gain and balanced tonally accordingly.

My foot switch then make the amp a channel switcher effectively, toggling channels on the multi
 
improb_driver said:
would a compressor block after the amps or in the hotter of the two blocks (output compressor) help to mitigate the difference in perceived loudness?
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Great question! There are a few ways you can tame the difference in headroom.
  • The output compressor in the amp block
  • Speaker compression in the amp block
  • Putting a compressor block after the higher headroom amp
  • Morphing the output level of the amp with less headroom to match the higher headroom amp (I've never actually done this one, but it should work)

I use a combination of the first two options for a preset with an DC30/Tweed. When I do, I'll use the output compressor in the amp block to "rough in" the amount of compression to match the other amp, and then I'll use the speaker compression in the amp block to fine tune it.
 
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