Combat "too many amps" issue

ThrillGrill

ThrillGrill

Member
A neat idea I had the other day when I was feeling overwhelmed by how many options are in the AX8....

Save, then delete ALL presets. This includes factory, purchased, user presets, etc.

Then add 1-3 amps at a time. Amps that you know well will serve as a great starting point. I found that by having a clean slate (even the factory presets can be distracting), I was able to zero in on one tone at a time without being tempted to tinker. From that point, I was able to really explore each style/flavor of amp and get the most out of them.

This sounds super elementary, but I'd imagine most have their banks loaded. It was virtually impossible to get my brain to focus on 100 different options and I always felt paralyzed. Hope that helps!
 
Over time I just gravitate to certain amps. Right now Brownface, JCM 800, and PV 5150 can pretty much get me where I need to go. Behind that is a Bassman and a Badger.

I do agree. However you arrange it, simpler is better.
 
I'm having a great time using the CAE 3+SE patches (clean, rhythm, lead) I think it's bank 10, running thru the FX Return of my Fargen OD 800 MKII and 2x12 avatar cab, so I'm kind of where you are suggesting :) My other patches where optimized for FOH so I haven't tweaked them yet heh.
 
That's a great suggestion, especially for new users, but even for the more familiar. I think fear of loss outweighs fear of gain . When I first started with these things, I had a few moments of analysis paralysis trying to set up my own presets when I had to delete existing ones (that to me kind of sucked, like Poltergeist Pig), even though I knew I would never use them.
 
I keep one bank of eight "tonal palettes", each centered around one amp model and distinct effects. If a different model works better for a feel I want, it gets swapped in to an existing effects/EQ setup. At the moment I have: 1) Car Roamer, 2) Double Verb Vib, 3) Hipower Jumped, 4) ODS-100 Clean, 5) Plexi 2204, 6) Suhr Badger 30, 7) Supremo Trem, 8) USA Sub Blues. Huge variety of tone and easy to keep them leveled consistently since there are only eight patches.
 
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I have all these expensive modeling solutions and I bet I use fewer than 5 amp for the bulk of my playing. And I'd bet for 90% of that it's only two amps. Wiping out everything and focusing is a great idea.
 
Well I deleted all presets on my new AX8 and started from scratch. I mainly use four of the different 5150 in the AX8 models for high gain stuff. I also have "only" 24 presets in total for guitar and one for bass.
 
I end up using like 1 patch 80% of the time, and maybe two others the rest. I haven't even begun to tap the actual potential of the unit, I just get too caught up in playing, which is a good thing!

Apparently from a psychological perspective, the more options you have, the less likely you'll end up satisfied with the choice you make, so I think it probably helps to limit it a little bit.
 
I've definitely done this before. And feel like I'm probably due to do it again.

Have you tried saving your favorite amps or effect settings in the block library? That could definitely speed up creating patches or fine tuning things.
 
I have been using fractal for almost 9 years and have probably tried no more than 10 or 11 amps and have never even tried a factory preset. I know I have plenty of amps in the box if I ever want to go "shopping" but I found something I like and I just play it
 
I basically use one preset/amp for an entire gig.
I never had to erase all the others to avoid confusion...just picked the one that sounded good and stopped right there.
I do on occasion try other amps and user presets, but always end up back on mine.
Dirty Shirley in case you're wondering. :D
 
I used to use a lot more amps, but right now I'm playing funk/soul/r&b and really only using a few basic tones - Leon's IIC+ preset for most of the funk, and a Vibroverb for a bit fatter tone w/ a touch of bite for the r&b. I have a few others in the bank as well - but that's really it.

As I get further into the songs I'll probably have to tweak and duplicate some of the patches for some of the songs but I'm going to try to keep the same basic palette so I don't add any more tones to the mix.

But yea, from time to time I get the itch to play others - kinda like I do w/ my guitars ;-)
 
As a follow-up. I kinda started with a clean slate in that I moved all the presets away from the earlier blocks. Also, I kept about two banks of presets that I like as reference presets. Then, when dialing in my tone, I could easily A/B it with selected presets to hear if something could be improved.

It was also helpful with auditioning cabs. There are soooo many. As a result, I dialed my Boogie Mark IV settings, which I love, into a patch and then started going through selected cabs. Made it much easier to pick out preferred cabs.
 
I'm using a single patch at the moment; it started out as one of @fremen s excellent presets, but has been changed quite a bit. It now uses one of the the new Friedman models and goes form clean through crunch, to a solo boosted tone. I use a Voes midi controller to switch scenes which leaves all the other buttons free to switch effects in and out. That one patch does everything I need, although I do get a hankering for a nice Vox sound sometimes. I guess the fact that our band does not do covers anymore has a lot to do with it.

Not really understanding why having too many options is a problem. Just use it to do what you need it to do which in my case is pretty basic and I have no desire to fiddle with settings at all and I am happy in the knowledge that if I do need a particular sound, then it's all there in the box.
 
I also find it helps to reduce options and work with some limitations at times, definitely. While I check out a variety of different amps a lot, I use only a few types for my live presets. When I find an amp I like for a particular tone, I work with it a lot and really get to know it. Like a real amp, this can take time and you keep discovering things about it as you figure out its character.

Kinda like when I go out photographing for the day; the tendency in the digital age is to spray-and-pray and take 72,382 images in a day of shooting but then you're massively overwhelmed trying to edit/prune them. I pretend I've only got a single roll of 36-exposure film and limit myself to only capturing that many on an outing. Removing options and imposing limitations can be the perfect way to focus and really explore what you have in front of you.
 
IMHO, it's a question of personal style; on any amp I'd sound close to the same as also I tend to search the sounds and coloring I like on any amp; so even different amps will have a sound close "enough" in each mode (clean, dirty, rock). Some amps are just more easy to dial in to one song than others (Some girls mothers are more...than other girls mothers ahah).
Anyway, whatever amp you use, 80% of your sound is determined by the speaker IR you'll use. Strangely I may use about 6 amps; but only 2-3 cab IR's

Ciaou keep on rocking
 
blackmoreguitar said:
I'm using a single patch at the moment; it started out as one of @fremen s excellent presets, but has been changed quite a bit. It now uses one of the the new Friedman models and goes form clean through crunch, to a solo boosted tone. I use a Voes midi controller to switch scenes which leaves all the other buttons free to switch effects in and out. That one patch does everything I need, although I do get a hankering for a nice Vox sound sometimes. I guess the fact that our band does not do covers anymore has a lot to do with it.

Not really understanding why having too many options is a problem. Just use it to do what you need it to do which in my case is pretty basic and I have no desire to fiddle with settings at all and I am happy in the knowledge that if I do need a particular sound, then it's all there in the box.
Click to expand...

@blackmoreguitar no problem at all, just if you're someone who gets overwhelmed (I know that most new users do) then breaking it all down visually can be helpful, then add as you get comfortable.
 
lauke-lux said:
IMHO, it's a question of personal style; on any amp I'd sound close to the same as also I tend to search the sounds and coloring I like on any amp; so even different amps will have a sound close "enough" in each mode (clean, dirty, rock). Some amps are just more easy to dial in to one song than others (Some girls mothers are more...than other girls mothers ahah).
Anyway, whatever amp you use, 80% of your sound is determined by the speaker IR you'll use. Strangely I may use about 6 amps; but only 2-3 cab IR's

Ciaou keep on rocking
Click to expand...

@lauke-lux which IR's if you don't mind me asking?
 
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