Alright 10.06 high gain players - Thunk/Motor Drive - who's using 'em?

Speculum Speculorum

Speculum Speculorum

Power User
Just a quick check-in for those of us who are into the deep and the heavy. I keep going back and forth on these two parameters. At the time being, I think I like thunk at zero, and I'm finding value in turning the motor drive up to like... 3... Before hand I was keeping both basically at zero, or very very slight use of thunk and no motor drive. But it seems like pushing motor drive up with let's say... FAS Modern II gives the mids, especially when palm muting, THE BRUTAL FEELZ... or I'm just filling myself full of crap because it's hyping my sound.

So what are you guys doing with these parameters?
 
Or 65 people didn't find this interesting or have input to add. The high gainers are a minority on this forum. Ask about drive choices for the plexi 50 and you'll get heaps of replies.


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Motor drive is one of the most ESSENTIAL components of my hi gain sound. Without it, impulses sound like utter trash and one of the reasons why I hate them. When motor drive is on, it feels like a mic'd cab to me and i am in tonal euphoria. I play death metal. RAWR

P.S

In V9 something seemed to happen to the motor drive and it wasn't so effective and I never figured it out. Now V10 is here, motordrive all the way again.
 
Thanks for the reply dude! And what kind of settings are you using? Some IRs I find 3+ to be good, others things start to get really trashy past like 2. Where's your sweet spot?

And Goatlord - Yeah I know. But I also know you metal it up big time. So... what about you?
 
No problem man. The more the merrier for me, but I settle for thunk and motor drive on 5 each with a 5150 and a v30 impulse. I'll see if i can post a clip of how much I rely on it.
 
Motor drive simulates a speaker being driven by a really hot signal, is the best way I can describe it. Here:

CAB (block) - Axe-Fx II Wiki

Basically, it gives the signal some oom-pah-pah as it passes through. I don't know. I wasn't always hot on it before, but it definitely gives my high gain stuff some serious balls in 10.0 onward.
 
Hmm. I may have to give this motor drive setting a shot. I don't stray too far from the basic controls because I'm capable of messing my sound up pretty quickly when I go overboard with those alone.

Will check it out when I get home man.

I hope it doesn't make it sound too much better. Because that means I'll have to reamp my tracks AGAIN.
 
Well, sorry to break it to you duder. Because I'm pretty much loving what it's doing to my guitar tracks. I'm finding my sweet spot between 3 to 3.5 depending upon the amp. Some might go higher yet. It really makes the sound come alive. The low mids sound more focused and the highs kind of sparkle more. I seem to be finding thunk happiness anywhere from .75-1, but I can see how people who have guitars with slightly less bottom end (my guitar is an all-mahog maple capped BRJ 727 with Painkillers in it) would boost it up more.
 
Yeah, it definitely gives depth and weight to everything. Sure, it sounds a little "grittier" but I think that helps so much for sitting in the mix right. Without it, everything sounds kind of flat and sterile. I am now in love with these two parameters.
 
I use thunk all the time (just bringing up to 1-1.5 adds a lot)
does motor drive work without an IR? I've been using my rig with the matrix ->2X12 a lot lately and would love to be able to add some "ooomph"
to my high gain patches.
 
Speculum Speculorum said:
Motor drive simulates a speaker being driven by a really hot signal, is the best way I can describe it.
Thanks for the tip!!! I'll give it a go. Gotta love the forum, so good to have a community with lots of great info on this life changing bit of gear..... Well at least for guitar players.
Click to expand...
 
never use these 2 parameters but willing to give it a try,
My signal chain is usually PEQ(frown)- Drv(Rat) - AMP(Fas) - PEQ(smiley)

If drive can grit up my signal with less noise that'll be Awesome!

I could use less gate for my Dime squeals \m/
 
kmanick said:
I use thunk all the time (just bringing up to 1-1.5 adds a lot)
does motor drive work without an IR? I've been using my rig with the matrix ->2X12 a lot lately and would love to be able to add some "ooomph"
to my high gain patches.
Click to expand...

Good question. BRING ON THE CLIFF! OR THE M@! OR THE SCOTT PETERSON!
 
Depends on the IR whether I use motor drive or not. If it's a dark sounding IR, I generally do use some. For brighter IRs, no.

Thunk is a very interesting control. I don't end up using it much but I always try it with every new patch I create. Difficult to put into words what it does to the tone. Seems to vary with every patch.
 
I get what you're saying. I personally like it on bright IRs though. Kind of shapes the high end with a nicer sizzle to the air.

I was thinking about the using with an actual cab thing. I don't think you'd really need to, and I think I read somewhere that it was meant for use with IRs only. In the real, live situation, all of the things that thunk and motor drive are doing are actually happening with the speaker. Of course, if you're using FRFR with cab sims on... maybe it does have an effect.
 
I use high gain 90% of the time, and I've never touched these two parameters either... but this thread has convinced me. I'm going to give them a shot RIGHT NOW.

EDIT: Back from my test, and I'm sold on Motor Drive. I set it to 4.25 on my 6160 II lead patch and it added some nice depth. I'll be including this parameter from now on... thanks! Not sure Thunk really did anything, so I'll probably just leave that one alone.
 
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