" Amp Master Volume " => whats your "optimum" level to keep your low end nice and tight ?

ben ifin

ben ifin

Experienced
Hi all !

Thread title pretty much says it all.

Wth [most] real amps I have found that once I get the MV past about 10.00 o'clock / 11.00 o'clock that I dont get much more "volume" but I do get more power amp drive and [usually] with this I get an audibly "looser" low end.

So I'm curious ...... at what level do most people here tend to run the Amp M.V at ?

Ben
 
ben ifin said:
Hi all !

Thread title pretty much says it all.

Wth [most] real amps I have found that once I get the MV past about 10.00 o'clock / 11.00 o'clock that I dont get much more "volume" but I do get more power amp drive and [usually] with this I get an audibly "looser" low end.

So I'm curious ...... at what level do most people here tend to run the Amp M.V at ?

Ben
Click to expand...

Axe-Fx works the same way. If you turn the MV up you'll notice it doesn't get much louder but gets more distorted and looser.

The MV taper on the Axe-Fx is the same for all models (I forget the exact taper). On real amps the taper varies. Some amps have a linear taper and the power amp will start to distort at very low settings. Other amps have various log tapers and the onset or power amp distortion will occur at higher settings.

The key is to simply use your ears and find the sweet spot. There is no single value that will work with all models just as there is no single value that will work across all real amps.
 
The looper block is your best friend for this kind of thing. Play a riff with some meaty palm mutes and listen for the sweet spot where you get that organic power and grit, but your low end stays tight. Like Hellbat said, it varies from model to model. For instance, Marshall style models can handle higher MV settings and retain low end tightness whereas the Mesa models tend to need much lower MV values to keep the low end from getting too flubby.

I hope this helps.
 
jlynnb1 said:
or if you're like me and use non-mv amps almost exclusively, you don't have to worry about it, lol!
Click to expand...

Ah, but who's to say they might not sound better to you with the master set below 10? Try it, you might like it! ;)
 
FractalAudio said:
Axe-Fx works the same way. If you turn the MV up you'll notice it doesn't get much louder but gets more distorted and looser.

The MV taper on the Axe-Fx is the same for all models (I forget the exact taper). On real amps the taper varies. Some amps have a linear taper and the power amp will start to distort at very low settings. Other amps have various log tapers and the onset or power amp distortion will occur at higher settings.

The key is to simply use your ears and find the sweet spot. There is no single value that will work with all models just as there is no single value that will work across all real amps.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^

Thanks all and Fractal.

Just quickly re-did my presets and found that somewhere ranging between 3.5 <-> 4.0 on the M.V was ideal for my set up.

I use my Axe with a CLR and a Tele and use mainly " voxy " / " marshally" type amps.

Ben
 
ben ifin said:
^^^^^^^

Thanks all and Fractal.

Just quickly re-did my presets and found that somewhere ranging between 3.5 <-> 4.0 on the M.V was ideal for my set up.

I use my Axe with a CLR and a Tele and use mainly " voxy " / " marshally" type amps.

Ben
Click to expand...
you run a Voxy amp with the Master that low?? this makes me sad...lol
 
ben ifin said:
whats your "optimum" level to keep your low end nice and tight ?
Click to expand...

itdepends.jpg
 
The Looper block is invaluable. I find when dialling in at low/medium volumes at home the acoustic string noise affects what you are hearing, so I do a quick dial in to get the "feel" right then loop a riff and put my guitar down, and finish dialling in. It's particularly useful for finding the right IR.
 
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