A

[666was999]

If I only started from scratch, I would have missed many examples of amps & effects that are now in my presets.

I also look into other guys presets how they combined a certain amp and a certain cab and how they set up crazy effects, I guess that's what everybody is doing.
But when I build my own presets for live use, I always use a similar template, my template, and I import the ideas from other's presets into my structure. That way I never risk to loose the overview in stuffed up complex presets and I know my stuff and I have a solid ground to improve from there.

 

[State of Epicicity]

I’m very bare bones when it comes to tone; my ideal is just an amp. I’ll add an OD if necessary, but I like to avoid it haha; because of this one thing I love to do is to look at high quality YouTube demos of amps and quickly to dial in my own version of what I hear. I don’t at all follow their settings, or even their cabs and mics, necessarily, just the overall sonic impression. My guitar is its own beast and does not act like others’, so this approach really works, and it’s so fun.

 

[JWDubois]

I’ve purposely matched my guitar, a superstrat, with lower output PAF style pickups, and almost anyone else’s presets sound like crap when I go through them. I tried out a set of really high output humbuckers for a few days, and nearly every factory preset sounded godly. I went back to my low outputs because I love them, but it does mean presets that other people make will consistently sound bad. And that’s fine!

I have pretty much the same experience. My highest output pickup is a Duncan 59. I can get some pretty great sounds, but any high gain preset I've ever tried just doesn't work with my guitars. Most of the clean presets sound fantastic.

One of these days I'll try out a high output pickup just to see.

 

[RevDrucifer]

I wonder if some people are just more fluent in the language of frequencies
and knowing how to boost/cut accordingly.

Of course. The majority of what I do to dial in presets is taken from what I’ve learned about mixing in the studio and live audio. Think of the inexperienced bedroom player who adds a ton of distortion, cranks the bass and treble and drops the mids, they then go play live and find they can’t hear themselves, nor can the audience. I know I certainly did that in my teens. But after a while you figure out how to dial stuff in to work for different applications. The same thought can be applied across different amps as some require the need to be dialed in differently than you normally would to get what you’re going for, like Mesa’s. My first time playing through a Mark IV I thought it was broken.

I think optionitis overtakes a lot of people and they see all the parameters that CAN be adjusted and think “I have to touch those, too” or if they aren’t utilizing everything, they’re underusing it. I know there’s still a lot of lingering “That stuff is hard to dial in” which might give oncoming users the idea that they also have to dive into that stuff.

 

[skolacki]

I've downloaded a bunch of presets myself. Also bought the AB Gold pack on sale awhile back. And I can say that these obviously don't sound the same on my setup as they do on demo videos for some of the presets. I'm on the FM3 and a Headrush 112. I am getting some great tones out of this setup and I love the FM3. Mostly I'm using my own presets. I think they all need to be dialed in for your personal situation. So I don't judge other peoples presets. If I uploaded some of mine, maybe they would bad to some people because they have different speakers, guitars, room etc.

 

[Digitalnoob]

I’ve never owned a real amp. I started with plugins, then a Digitech RP 500, Boss ME 80 and finally switched to Fractal. Then i bought many vendor presets which were descent but not perfect for me. I find I often start with Austin Buddies and modify to taste. They’re simple but sound good to start with.
I’ve learned with experimentation how to get the sounds in my head, without going down the rabbit hole using simple tweaks. I do find a difference using different speakers. And I’m fussy as i often try to copy many cover song tones.
Final words:
As many others have mentioned, you need to do the work yourself. Have patience grasshopper

 

[rrhoads17]

Hey guys, I’ve had the axe fx 3 since launch and I (somehow) only recently started downloading presets for it. Most of them are originally for the axe fx 2, but still, for some reason pretty much all the presets I download sound TERRIBLE, like extremely terrible, I get people have different rigs but some of these have me seriously questioning if the people who made them are mentally well, even some the high rated presets on axechange are pretty much unusable. Am I doing something wrong on my end? This seems very odd to me. Also, why does no one include the cab in their tone match presets?

For starters, Axe 2 presets won't sound right on the Axe 3 due to the updates. And your best bet is to just create presets from scratch or modify the stock presets to your liking. Using other people's presets rarely sounds good on your own rig. That being said, the Steve Stevens artist presets sound very good. But I find if I use other people's presets, like Leon Todd's for example, it just doesn't sound right with my hands, guitars, monitors/headphones, etc. I am dying for Def Leppard to put out some artist presets or release their settings but it probably wouldn't sound right on my rig because they use 12 or 13 gauge strings and Phil Collen uses a metal pick, etc.

 

[Jumpback]

My experience with SinMix, Austin Buddy, and one other has been really good.
I didn't like all of the presets but damm some were beyond my expectations, but I think a big part of it is the IR's they use.

 

[Lkdog]

Spend $100 and get an Austin Buddy pack with thousands of excellent professionally developed presets.
The stock Fractal factory are mostly very good also.
I have never had much luck with the Axe Exchange and have been doing this for years with every Fractal model.

And and as others state, build a preset with an amp you have used in real life and figure it out. It's not hard.

 

[vika12]

I suggest making your own presets and keeping them simple at first. For example, start with a cleanish amp, a cab that matches it, and a reverb. Develop that as a "core tone" and use Preset Leveling to dial in the level to about zero. That can be Scene 1 (which you might label "Clean"). Copy Scene 1 to Scene 2 and then on Scene 2 add a delay. Once you're happy with Scene 2 (which you might label "Delay"), copy Scene 2 to Scene 3 and add a drive; etc. I find that keeping my presets simple sounds really good and you won't pull your hair out trying to mess with too much all at once. I find that many of the factory presets are not what I'm looking for, but some do provide a good base (meaning an amp, a cab and a reverb). I guess another way I look at it is to use the Fractal as I would a tube amp with a 2 or 3 pedals. I'd dial in the amp EQ and then dial in each pedal. HTH

 

[Stratoblaster]

My experience with SinMix, Austin Buddy, and one other has been really good.
I didn't like all of the presets but damm some were beyond my expectations, but I think a big part of it is the IR's they use.

Yes, absolutely....the right IR is about 90% of the battle in getting 'your tone' IMO. Without the right IR, setting up tones will likely be an exercise in frustration, and cause one to waste so much energy and time.

 

[Budda]

Yes, absolutely....the right IR is about 90% of the battle in getting 'your tone' IMO. Without the right IR, setting up tones will likely be an exercise in frustration, and cause one to waste so much energy and time.

And it goes to show that a lot of us who think we know various amps really just know those amps with only a couple speakers (if that). The modelling world lets us try IR combos that we may be able to suggest to friends using the real amp counterparts.

 

[TSJMajesty]

One of these days I'll try out a high output pickup just to see.

I've found you don't have to go super-high output to get good high-gain tones.

My first time playing through a Mark IV I thought it was broken.

I think many of us have been there. But then you get a good tone and it's like, Holy Fuck this amp sounds GREAT!

I’m fussy as i often try to copy many cover song tones.

I don't gig right now, but since that may change someday, I keep an ear out, so to speak, for when I come across a tone that sounds like a cover tune (like when I'm tweaking a preset), and I'll pause to save that tone and name it for that song. I figure if it at least sounds close, I can then do some fine-tuning in a band setting, should that opportunity arise.

 

[erockomania]

i updated my firmware right before downloading the patches... you're saying i have to update the presets thenselves...? how do i do this?

Cliff updates the presets and usually pins them in this forum. Transfer with the bot, per usual, and just tell it what to overwrite.

 

[la szum]

I've always had far more success with subtractive EQ and raising the overall volume/level, rather than boosting frequencies.

For sure!!

I do suspect we live in a culture and climate where everything has to be massive, though. Massive kick!
Massive vocals! Massive guitars! Massive mastering!!

Trouble with that is that massive doesn't always translate that well in a mix, does it?

 

[Budda]

For sure!!

I do suspect we live in a culture and climate where everything has to be massive, though. Massive kick!
Massive vocals! Massive guitars! Massive mastering!!

Trouble with that is that massive doesn't always translate that well in a mix, does it?

Not if it isnt done right.

 

[la szum]

Of course. The majority of what I do to dial in presets is taken from what I’ve learned about mixing in the studio and live audio. Think of the inexperienced bedroom player who adds a ton of distortion, cranks the bass and treble and drops the mids, they then go play live and find they can’t hear themselves, nor can the audience. I know I certainly did that in my teens. But after a while you figure out how to dial stuff in to work for different applications. The same thought can be applied across different amps as some require the need to be dialed in differently than you normally would to get what you’re going for, like Mesa’s. My first time playing through a Mark IV I thought it was broken.

I think optionitis overtakes a lot of people and they see all the parameters that CAN be adjusted and think “I have to touch those, too” or if they aren’t utilizing everything, they’re underusing it. I know there’s still a lot of lingering “That stuff is hard to dial in” which might give oncoming users the idea that they also have to dive into that stuff.

Definitely! I wonder what our experience of something like a Fractal would be
if we had owned one in year 2 or 3 in our playing? I am guessing mine would
not be good.

Sometimes more experienced folks take their experience for granted,
and don't realize that someone NOT getting stellar results is often due
to their lack of fluency.... and.... er experience.

I have 30+ years of experience playing different amps and making LOTS of
mistakes and horrific decisions. Still feel like I know less than I should. Just
so much to learn every step of the way.

 

[TSJMajesty]

Massive kick!
Massive vocals! Massive guitars! Massive mastering!!

Trouble with that is that massive doesn't always translate that well in a mix, does it?

Speaking of that..., I couldn't believe how awesome and hot the overall mix was the first time I played Petrucci's new album in my truck!

 

[la szum]

Not if it isnt done right.

For sure.

I am no expert and no one would ask for my advice, but I find a lot of modern mixes
way too crowded for my tastes. I like a mix that breathes and where there is space for
every instrument. That is just not the style or flavour in ANY kind of music now.

We can definitely hear how sonics have evolved and how everything has tended to
become more prominent and bigger in recorded music (including mastering everything to the
point that there is ZERO dynamics). Loudness wars anyone!!

I find it fatiguing after awhile. Like someone is talking at the top of their voice all the time.

I know, cantankerous old fart alert.

 

[Budda]

For sure.

I am no expert and no one would ask for my advice, but I find a lot of modern mixes
way too crowded for my tastes. I like a mix that breathes and where there is space for
every instrument. That is just not the style or flavour in ANY kind of music now.

We can definitely hear how sonics have evolved and how everything has tended to
become more prominent and bigger in recorded music (including mastering everything to the
point that there is ZERO dynamics). Loudness wars anyone!!

I find it fatiguing after awhile. Like someone is talking at the top of their voice all the time.

I know, cantankerous old fart alert.

I think there's mixes like that, just gotta find out who engineers the way you like and what they've worked on. I like to think my last bands last full length was done in the way you describe lol.