Cover band folks, how do you set up presets?

How do you set up your presets?

  • Kitchen sink preset

    Votes: 28 40.0%

  • Preset per song with different amp and cab

    Votes: 26 37.1%

  • Same amp and cab all night

    Votes: 16 22.9%

  • Other

    Votes: 14 20.0%
  • Total voters
    70
2112 said:
For a typical rock covers gig I've been rolling with the 2203 high, a boost, wah, some delay and verb. Roll down the guitar volume for clean-ish tones like I would if I was playing a real amp.
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I might switch from the 1959slp to the 2203 high. I played a gig last night with the 1959slp, and it just seemed slightly bright most of the night. Or maybe it's the IR I'm using.
 
I try to minimize the amp models and use the same cab (4x12" Greenback works fine for clean and Mid Gain) for all presets otherwise the FOH guy would kill me.
I use:
Clean (Deluxe Reverb + subtle Studio Compressor to thicken the sound, sometimes adding Chorus, Phaser, Trem according to song)
Crunch (Deluxe Reverb plus Overdrive)
Mid Gain (Plexi with plenty gain)
Lead (TS808 to boost, give mid hump and cut some bass + same Plexi as above)+Dual Delay
Some Reverb, Wah and Vol Block in every preset
 
I have the Cameron models set up in individual presets to go from clean through lead. My clean is the Cameron 1A on all presets. They all use the same IR. Then I just switch presets based on the next song whether it's bluesy, rock, heavy, or metal-ish.
I do this same type of set up with other models (jumped plexis and Wrecker models). So when I do a fill in gig I cover alot of ground.
I have effects pretty much the same across all presets and use the hold function for on/off.
 
I use the songs/setlist feature and have a bunch of presets I use for several songs, some presets are for just one song. Whatever sounds best. Gapless switching allows anything now.
 
I have some kitchen sink presets that cover about half the tunes, and the rest have dedicated presets - usually because they have FX or unique routing or switching that can’t practically be covered in a generic preset.
 
I set up a couple do it all generic presets, one for rock one for country. Then I have a few presets dedicated to certain songs that might have special effects in them. I also set up some presets that kinda cover artists/genre like I have a matchless preset that I use for most modern pop/rock sounds, another preset for skynrd, etc. I use the song setlist feature to just organize everything.
 
I have for the last 10 years used small MIDI footcontrollers with 4 buttons with my modelers and from this setup I run 4 basic sounds:
1. Clean (Fender-type amp - IR is typically 1x10 or 1x12)
2. Overdrive (Vox-type amp - IR is 2x12 Vox-style)
3. Crunch (Marshall-type amp - IR is 4x12 V30 and/or Greenback)
4. Fuzz (Fender or Vox-type amp - IR is 1x10, 1x12 or 2x12)

Each preset has up to 8 different scenes that I control with the 3 buttons of the FM3.

I have a few speciality presets (synth, ½ step down) but otherwise I can cover special needs with a few scenes within a preset.

The amps and IRs can change from scene to scene in the same preset and I don't find it difficult to dial in the sound in a live situation.
I use 3 different guitars and for each guitar I have programmed a bank of 4 presets. That way I can take whatever guitar to the gig and still cover the sounds I need.
 
Least possible amount of amps and cabs, depending on guitar and song. I am currently down to a variety of 4.

Per song its own preset with scenes. The scenes are in position 1-5 on the FM9, so I can switch scenes as well as inc/dec the presets on the right side of the board. The rest of the knobs is tuner and tap tempo. I use different colors for scenes, preset ind/dec and tap/tuner.

A cool feature: I have only lighted the knobs/scenes that are actually active in the preset/song. Sometimes only 1-2 scenes, sometimes up to 5 (max). That frees me up from concentrating on anything else than playing.

And since my band started playing with clicktrack, I have the actual bpm for that preset/song dialed in and calculated the exact times for modulations/delays in the settings. No tap tempo anymore.

So I am attending and amplifying the complexity of what I do with my FM9 - I like to work on both sides of the equation.
 
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I use a real OD in front of JCM Marshall for gain tones, crunch, Rock and Solo Scene 1 clean, rock and EVH Scene 2 and tuner Scene 3 but I have a stand in switch to get to it at all times. Mostly use Scene 1 all night but we do about 3-5 songs where I use a clean tone (JTM amp)
 
Vhalen50 said:
I use the ac30 brilliant with the OH Mesa trad IR for most everything. Then a Friedman BE with the same cab for heavier songs. Using the same IR keeps me in the same sonic "signature" at least.
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Would you be cool with sharing your preset?
 
I have 6 different preset with various scenes set up and then use the Setlist feature to pick from those for a set of 27 songs.

I use the same amp and cab for every preset, but have varying effects. It keeps my tone consistent, makes sure everything fits with the band (who don't get to change their tones between songs!) and keeps the sound man happy.
 
ZenRigs Man said:
I have 6 different preset with various scenes set up and then use the Setlist feature to pick from those for a set of 27 songs.

I use the same amp and cab for every preset, but have varying effects. It keeps my tone consistent, makes sure everything fits with the band (who don't get to change their tones between songs!) and keeps the sound man happy.
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Which amp an cab do you use? I'm always curious to hear what works for everyone else. I've been hesitant to stray far from the plexi/jcm models and @2112 's IR.
 
I use one main Kitchen sink preset with only 2 amps. I like to use drive blocks for different flavors of gain.

I have only a handful of seperate presets for very specific tones for a few songs. But even those still use mostly the same core amp tones. And I only started doing that once there was gapless preset switching.

I think having separate presets for every song is just not worth it. It's too much for you to manage as the player. Having a core amp tones provides a little more consistency for the audience as well.
 
Not a kitchen sink preset, but one preset with any effects needed for the night....and one Amp/Cab for Dirty and another Amp/Cab for Clean.
Fairly simple and been running this way for many many years.
 
BBN said:
Not a kitchen sink preset, but one preset with any effects needed for the night....and one Amp/Cab for Dirty and another Amp/Cab for Clean.
Fairly simple and been running this way for many many years.
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Do you use all 4 channels of each of those amps? Or do you mean 1 clean channel and 1 dirty channel?

Do you use scenes for effects, for amp channels, neither, or a mix?
 
Ledvedder said:
I'm just curious. For the folks that play in cover bands, how do you set up your presets? Do you use different ones per song, or just ride all night with more of a "kitchen sink" preset? Do you use the same amp, same cab?

I'd also love to hear which amp models and cabs work for you.
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Kitchen sink with Brit 800 for crunch and lead, and Band Commander for cleans - this one in 2 variations. I also have a variation for a rectifier sound, and then about 14 song specific ones - a couple of them are factory - Spandex and Hairspray for "Round and Round" by Ratt.
I also use some of @Moke's presets - his Limelight one is phenomenal, as are the U2 ones I use for Pride and Streets. My kitchen sink is my own variation of @Moke's Brit 800 amp and cab, and then my own effects for everything else.

Kitchen sink has 8 scenes
Crunch+Verb
Crunch+Chorus+Echo+Verb
Crunch+Chorus+Verb
Clean+Chorus+Echo+Verb

And then lead patches with echo, and with chorus and echo, and then 2 others, one for "Mama Let Him Play" harmonies, and the other for "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" harmonies.
 
When I played in a band that had a more varied song selection I had around a half-dozen patches that I used depending on the song. Broadly speaking I had:

  • SLO100 with clean, rhythm, lead (I spent most of my time here)
  • Marshall with clean, rhythm, lead, whammy, and wah (you might be able to guess which band this was primarily for)
  • Acoustic simulator with a pushed Tubescreamer lead tone via some kind of Fender
  • Mesa Mark II dialied for stiffer, lower-gain 70s/80s studio session-type work
  • Bandmaster with a bunch of random effects out front for indie/90s stuff

As I've grown wiser and lazier I've basically replaced all of this with a single "kitchen sink"-type patch and have learned to alter my playing to accommodate a lot of these tones. I live on a single preset with a single cabinet and only two (?!) amp channels:

  • A medium-gain crunch tone with enough bass content and a dialed bright cap that has barely enough gain to do crunchy power chords that also dials back into an 8/10 clean. I use this for 75% of the evening and ride my guitar volume to get everything that I need. This is typically an SLO Crunch or some kind of 800.
  • A high-gain tone that's a bit more sculpted (fewer mids, tighter, bass, and maybe a hair more Presence) that I use for leads and heavier (Nu Metal-adjacent) rhythms.

If I need something to be pushed or "tweed" sounding I roll back volume on my crunch tone and play towards the neck pickup with looser muting. If I need something to be tighter I palm mute farther away from the bridge (instead of high-passing the bejeezus out of my guitar signal with a $300 Tubescreamer clone, but I digress). From here I build a dual-output signal path that has the amp and post FX going straight to Out2 and a Cab block with some gentle compression going to Out1. This way I can do both or one of a guitar cabinet or FRFR/FOH respectively.

For specific songs I'll pepper in a pitch block (anything Rage, "99 Quite Bitter Beings") or sundry other modulation ("Plush") effects but that's basically it. Unless there's a specific need for an effect based on our setlist I don't bother adding it to the preset... keeping it simple lets me focus on playing, singing, crowd interaction, etc. and I only really have one preset to tweak when things get updated.

Side note - I think a big part of the reason that some people are overwhelmed by modeling is because they feel obligated to use every single effect and Youtuber-introduced trick at their disposal instead of just building a rig analogously to how they would IRL. Ever since I've settled on the SLO being my One True Amp (influencers and forumites be damned about it "not being tight enough", "having congested low mids", etc) and having a single notional rig built around it I've spent a lot more time actually making music and less time dicking around with the hundreds of amps available in the box. JMO, YMMV, etc.

In a nutshell here are my first principles I've developed for doing cover band stuff with the Fractal after 11 years of doing so:

  • Use one preset if I can
  • Use as few amp channels as possible and go for versatility
  • Use my right hand before reaching for a footswitch
  • Use as few effects in a preset as possible
  • Build everything like I would if it were a physical rig
Thanks for coming to my TED talk.

As an aside I'm really hoping that @FractalAudio eventually releases a pedal-sized amp modeler. At the very least I'll buy it so that I can keep it in my guitar case as a backup, but if I can figure out a small multi-FX like a Zoom Multistomp (or a VP1, hint hint ;-) to pair it with then I just might ditch my FM3+FC6 setup altogether and save myself from dragging an extra case to gigs and rehearsal.
 
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alexjplant said:
When I played in a band that had a more varied song selection I had around a half-dozen patches that I used depending on the song. Broadly speaking I had:

  • SLO100 with clean, rhythm, lead (I spent most of my time here)
  • Marshall with clean, rhythm, lead, whammy, and wah (you might be able to guess which band this was primarily for)
  • Acoustic simulator with a pushed Tubescreamer lead tone via some kind of Fender
  • Mesa Mark II dialied for stiffer, lower-gain 70s/80s studio session-type work
  • Bandmaster with a bunch of random effects out front for indie/90s stuff

As I've grown wiser and lazier I've basically replaced all of this with a single "kitchen sink"-type patch and have learned to alter my playing to accommodate a lot of these tones. I live on a single preset with a single cabinet and only two (?!) amp channels:

  • A medium-gain crunch tone with enough bass content and a dialed bright cap that has barely enough gain to do crunchy power chords that also dials back into an 8/10 clean. I use this for 75% of the evening and ride my guitar volume to get everything that I need. This is typically an SLO Crunch or some kind of 800.
  • A high-gain tone that's a bit more sculpted (fewer mids, tighter, bass, and maybe a hair more Presence) that I use for leads and heavier (Nu Metal-adjacent) rhythms.

If I need something to be pushed or "tweed" sounding I roll back volume on my crunch tone and play towards the neck pickup with looser muting. If I need something to be tighter I palm mute farther away from the bridge or kick to the gainier channel. From here I build a dual-output signal path that has the amp and post FX going straight to Out2 and a Cab block with some gentle compression going to Out1. This way I can do both or one of a guitar cabinet or FRFR/FOH respectively.

For specific songs I'll pepper in a pitch block (anything Rage, "99 Quite Bitter Beings") or sundry other modulation ("Plush") effects but that's basically it. Unless there's a specific need for an effect based on our setlist I don't bother adding it to the preset... keeping it simple lets me focus on playing, singing, crowd interaction, etc. and I only really have one preset to tweak when things get updated.

Side note - I think a big part of the reason that some people are overwhelmed by modeling is because they feel obligated to use every single effect and Youtuber-introduced trick at their disposal instead of just building a rig analogously to how they would IRL. Ever since I've settled on the SLO being my One True Amp (influencers and forumites be damned about it "not being tight enough", "having congested low mids", etc) and having a single notional rig built around it I've spent a lot more time actually making music and less time dicking around with the hundreds of amps available in the box. JMO, YMMV, etc.

As an aside I'm really hoping that @FractalAudio eventually releases a pedal-sized amp modeler. At the very least I'll buy it so that I can keep it in my guitar case as a backup, but if I can figure out a small multi-FX like a Zoom Multistomp (or a VP1, hint hint ;-) to pair it with then I just might ditch my FM3+FC6 setup altogether and save myself from dragging an extra case to gigs and rehearsal.


Thanks for coming to my TED talk.
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I've been dipping my toes into the Soldano amps. I've been primarily a Marshall guy for my entire playing life. But I've been trying to step outside that box a bit. Soldano, ODS, etc. I think it just takes some time to dial them in. With Marshall type amps, I've always dialed them in a certain way.
 
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