Hey Guys
Again, SO many thanks for the great vibes and kind words...
1) I am staying 100% in the digital domain in Pro Tools using S/PDIF, recording at 24 bit, 48k as the AIFF files will be repurposed for video...
2) One of the first places I start is with the input level on the amp model, and if you're finding that you're getting too much gain that is where I'd start and most likely that will get you much closer than anything else
3) For Get Killer Tone I have been meticulously documenting every facet of each setting and so on. Moving forward on the last group of clips before I give Axe back to RayRay tomorrow I will be presenting some external documentation across all three places I'm posting the clips that should be a big help in terms of where I have things set. Keeping in mind that I grew up playing in the 80s (I didn't hide my birth date here) the idea of playing clean tones on the bridge pickup was the furthest thing on my mind and now is one of the first places I go on the S470. Nice to see your kind words about the S470 CFM - the guitar was actually in the bridge on that clip, hard to kind of imagine, but totally true! Like the JEM7V that's cued up here for some Vai-isms as well as some Beck-isms, it does a lot more than people might expect and far beyond it's reputation in terms of what is't know for
4) What I tweak. This is the fun stuff. In working on Get Killer Tone I've had no less then 100 amazing amps, 100 outstanding guitars, and hundreds of effects come through here. I've grown a nice mic locker as well as some amazing loaner mics. I've placed more mics on guitar rigs this past three years than most second engineers, so I've gotten to the point where my body can feel the sound in the room and in combination with my ears I pretty much know what mic to use and where to place it. It's totally a body + ears + experience thing. What Cliff has done such an outstanding job with is equipping someone with the practical experience I have with SO much gear with the tools that I already employ. The proximity and speaker drive are key to my process with this box, because they are key to my process with real amps.
5) The great thing about Axe is you don't need your amps if you don't want them - ask RayRay - he's loaning me the one that's sitting at his place gathering dust. Need them, because I love pretty much all gear, I love to play through just about anything, so I'll keep just about anything around. I will add that I suggested to one of my endorsers that they hire me to do sounds clips for their product line JUST using the Axe-FX since it does such a great job at so much. We'll see what if anything comes from that, but if it sounds and feels great, it sounds and feels great!!!
OK, I hope I've covered most of it here. Capsule...
1) PaulyPJ nailed it - input trim HUGE
2) Mic model - HUGE
3) Proximity - HUGE
4) Motor Drive - HUGE
As much as I usually spend a lot of time attenuating EQ on Delays, I've done surprisingly little of that as things sound really natural to begin with, BUT I do mess the the delays and reverbs to create enough space for the direct signal to breathe!
Cheers and again, thanks for being cool ~ Doug