Post-Gig (second gig with AM4) report...
Last week I did 2 external drives and an external Wah. This week, I decided to incorporate my HX Stomp and the external Wah.
This was much easier to use in a live situation. Every thing (except the tuner) was a single-button FS press to get to everything I needed. It also gave me many advantages of my Stomp in addition to the AM4 (better parameter control over some effects, multiple parameters incorporated into my lead sound, better in/out arrangement allowing me to control my monitor mix with a separate volume control and leave FOH feed alone, etc...). Same great tone as the first go-round, with a few exceptions. Having the AM4 in the loop of my Stomp enabled me to place Stomp FX pre- and post- AM4 which helps a lot.
I used the same amp channels as last weekend, but made a few tweaks. I think I need more low-end and need to tame the highs a bit, but other than that the AM4 was fantastic sounding.
- Always on Reverb and two Delays (a short slap-back that was always on, except for during solos, and a longer, more saturate delay that comes on with my Lead Boost).
- I used a drive in the Stomp (pre- AM4) that I think should have been EQ'd a little differently (or a different drive altogether).
- Chorus was from Stomp
- Auto-Swell was from Stomp,
- Lead boost (with midrange bump, level bump, high-end attenuation, and different delay) was from Stomp.
I DID use the AM4 amp boost feature a couple of times, i.e when coils were split, or when I needed a quick bump and didn't need the added features of the Stomp's lead boost.
Still work to do getting use to EQ'ing the AM4. One thing I've noticed... when using Helix in the past, I tried very hard to tweak OUT the "mushiness" or over-compression and soft feel. With AM4, I need to tame that a little to make it blend into the mix a bit nicer. The feel of the AM4 is other-worldly compared to other modelers I've used. It feels just like using my amps. I think I've been so used to the softer saggier feel of the HX stuff, that I am not yet used to having that immediate feedback when I play. It's better, I just have to get used to it and EQ my stuff a little differently.
A couple of pics and a 12-song 10 min video of clips from some tunes last night (bumps, warts, clams and all) to showcase the various tones.
Again, I'm using Two Rock (Two Stone J35) for Cleans and overdriven amps (Channels A and C), JTM45 for an "edge of breakup" amp (channel B), and Friedman BE (Channel D) for the heavier stuff. The drive I used on Stomp was a KoT clone (Tone Sovereign model)... I may need a bit less gain or a darker sounding drive. I'm happy with the Two Rock stuff (clean and driven), but the highs on the JTM need taming and I need a darker, less grainy tone from the Friedman. All this is for my own personal taste.
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