Why do patches I download sound like crap?

Any ideas will be welcomed. When I download patches they are always way to hot with heaps of clipping and they just dont sound anything like the recordings I hear. Now I understand that there will be differences in guitars and pups but yeah not sure whats going on. I'm thinking it must be a level issue somewhere.

Thanks in advance
 
Is the Axe-Fx itself clipping, or something else in your chain? And what are you monitoring with?
 
I have a simular experience.

Sometimes I think ' that sounds great' but when I download the patch it sounds nothing like what I heard.
It usually has way to much top end.
I also wander why that is.

Phil.
 
Thanks for your reply. No the axe is not clipping, Im going from my axe fx 2 output 2 left into a presonus Audiobox 44vsl into logic pro 9. Is it normal for in the utility status levels l1 r1 l2 r2 to be registering signal? Cheers
Is the Axe-Fx itself clipping, or something else in your chain? And what are you monitoring with?
 
Oh yeah monitoring through KRK rokit 6
Thanks for your reply. No the axe is not clipping, Im going from my axe fx 2 output 2 left into a presonus Audiobox 44vsl into logic pro 9. Is it normal for in the utility status levels l1 r1 l2 r2 to be Ohregistering signal? Cheers
 
Also when I play with the Axe connected to the Mesa Power amp the output 2 clip light comes on sometime even though I'm not using it.
 
When you say not using it - is it turned down on the Axe, or do you mean youve just not plugged anytinng into the OP jack.
 
could it be that the recorded version of the preset you hear is being treated in some way in the studio / DAW??

if you heard the presets I reamp with alone I'm certain you'd hate them..
but when I reamp a performance through a pair of presets and do all the studio 'stuff' to them they sound utterly amazing...
 
I posted this thought in a different thread:

I know not to edit sounds with AXE EDIT, but when you select audition. should it not send the preset directly to the AXE-FX buffer without altering the preset?

Also, how are users saving their presets and now posting here if they're not using AXE EDIT?
This certainly makes me wonder the integrity of the posted presets possibly not matching the intended sound?

Hopefully, everyone is using a different MIDI utility (MIDI-OX....ect..) and just dumping raw sysex from the AXE-FX II to their computer.

I have a feeling that many presets posted here are done with AXE EDIT which does not work well with current firmware. It's probably the cause for the presets not matching the original intended preset.
 
Q - are you saying that when you create a preset from the front panel, and then save it via Axe-Edit, that the tone is altered????
 
Q - are you saying that when you create a preset from the front panel, and then save it via Axe-Edit, that the tone is altered????
Axe-Edit is risky for editing or saving presets. Fractal advises not to use it for those purposes until the new version comes out. It's okay for firmware updates, and Axe-Manage (within Axe-Edit) is considered safe.

@everybody else: I'll respond later, when I have more time.
 
I've never downloaded a preset that sounded good right away. Ever. People save presets that sound good with their particular setup (hands, guitar type, picks, pick technique, pickups, strings, cable, monitoring, etc.), and unless you're a perfect clone in all respects, tweaking will be required.
 
^^ There seems to be a lot of variation in setups that can make levels between shared patches an issue. A quick fix for me is to just go into the output tab in the layout menu and reduce the patches overall output level. As for high end I suspect that not only different pickups are a factor, but I wouldn't be shocked if some people didn't have their global EQ setup to cut some low and high end. Used to be a lot more prevalent in the Ultra days so some may still do that.

But I've never downloaded a patch that I didn't end up dialing in for me in some manner.

I've also been making my patches a bit gainier and brighter and then adjust for taste on the guitar itself. A tone pot can only go one way and I like having a little bit of extra juice on tap than not enough if that makes any sense.
 
I've never downloaded a preset that sounded good right away. Ever. People save presets that sound good with their particular setup (hands, guitar type, picks, pick technique, pickups, strings, cable, monitoring, etc.), and unless you're a perfect clone in all respects, tweaking will be required.

This.. assuming the use of Axe Edit is not causing some issues (which it very well could be), there's a ton of variables that will likely not match up. My patches so dramatically different between guitars to the point that I am tweaking them for each guitar. Never mind someone else's hands, technique, guitar, etc. Monitors used, IR's..

I'm still learning all this Axe stuff and far from a power user like some of the players posting here, just FYI.
 
Metal. Just as a point of reference here is a link to one of David Wallimans presets that was a simple "plug and play awsome results without any tweaking whatsoever patch" for me.

Its a lead patch that put a huge smile on my face, big sounding/loud without clipping anything internal to the unit. My output on my axe is set at noon as well as the mixer it goes to prior to my digital interface (I go analog to the interface). I play this through studio monitors at ~100db and WOW 8)

I only use midi-ox to load presets now as I want to take Axe-Edit out of the equation. (maybe auditioning only works fine, dont know, dont care)

I wish all my lead tones I create could have the presence /clarity/volume this patch has (Thanks again to David!). I think this preset would be plug and play for most users and you should give it a shot. Let me know how it worked for you =)

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Wallimann Prog Lead - by Wallimann
 
If you loaded with AE....check the CAB. I loaded Javi's beautifull recent AC30 preset via AE and ver9.0 ( i know......dont use it ) whatever, don't know any other way to load presets. Anyhow, sounded wrong per his recording, the CAB type was wrong on the AXEFX, after looking at the patch in AE and setting the cab type correctly, a quick correction, Voila !
 
could it be that the recorded version of the preset you hear is being treated in some way in the studio / DAW??

if you heard the presets I reamp with alone I'm certain you'd hate them..
but when I reamp a performance through a pair of presets and do all the studio 'stuff' to them they sound utterly amazing...

Clarky makes a good point but it also makes a case for either posting unvarnished recorded examples or full disclosure in the posting of what and how it was treated in post so there are fewer disappointments when sharing patches I would think.
 
No the axe is not clipping, Im going from my axe fx 2 output 2 left into a presonus Audiobox 44vsl into logic pro 9.
Then where is the clipping happening? You could be sending a signal that's too hot for your Audiobox to handle.
 
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