AustinBuddy Naked Amps Tone Pack (still) Rules! ... New Website up...FM3...coming soon(ish)

That Badger has a WIDE tonal range depending on where you set the drive AND the master. And it likes pedals! I like the 18 watt Badger on Scene 2 with a tele bridge and a Klon drive (FET) -- wow.
 
This is accurate, but I will say there were maybe 5 or 6 amps - mostly Modern ones I think (like the Splawn Quickrod Plexi) in there that just sounded perfect/gorgeous as it should with default BMT all at "5", and I couldn't make them sound better in twisting those, so I left them at "5" for the base tone in Scene 1, just dialed in drive. So don't think I skipped them if you run across those! ;)


I've met Scott Splawn at his shop in NC and he told me he specifically made the Quickrod set to 5. It's the design.
 
The AX8 TonePack version will not have any microphone assignments like the XL or Mark II does
AustinBuddy, this sounds like a very interesting tone pack. I'm puzzled however, by your use of Axe-FX microphones. I think we're at the point now where the colour imparted by the microphone is part of the capture for all the factory speaker IR's. I'm curious about why you've added mic colouration in the speaker block. Was there a philosophical or technical reason, or did it just "work" from a tonal point of view?

Thanks - Terry.
 
Not all the Factory IRs have a specific mic; many were shot with a neutral mic and adding a mic helps the sound or tone to be more of the definitive amp sound. There were some amps in my judgment where the mic sounded better. One interesting example is the Marshall JMP-1 preamp. I happen to like the sound of the MD 421 on them, makes them mid-range focused. AX8 users won't get a mic option though/not available.
 
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AustinBuddy, this sounds like a very interesting tone pack. I'm puzzled however, by your use of Axe-FX microphones. I think we're at the point now where the colour imparted by the microphone is part of the capture for all the factory speaker IR's. I'm curious about why you've added mic colouration in the speaker block. Was there a philosophical or technical reason, or did it just "work" from a tonal point of view?

Thanks - Terry.
Purely Tonal reasons... i reached for a mic when it made the amp sound better than without! It also demonstrates how much the mic contributes to the amp sound. The MD421 for example does not work on all of them but it can push mids when you need to and chop a little low and high off. I really wanted all these to be "recording ready/sit in a mix well"
 
I've purchased your naked amp pack and played thru some of them I'm absolutely blown away,I haven't been at all happy with my Axe fx till now thanks so much for such a great job.
For my noob question,how would you recommend I setup for a lead patch ?
I've noticed there is a fx loop in your presets could you explain the purpose of this where would I put for example delay,after the cab or after loop
 
I've purchased your naked amp pack and played thru some of them I'm absolutely blown away,I haven't been at all happy with my Axe fx till now thanks so much for such a great job.
For my noob question,how would you recommend I setup for a lead patch ?
I've noticed there is a fx loop in your presets could you explain the purpose of this where would I put for example delay,after the cab or after loop

So glad you love them! I think everyone who has a Fractal should have these; it really demonstrates the amazing variety of tones one can get. I believe in "the democratization of great tone." ;)

As I explain in my blog post here, the FX Loop is NOT the traditional EFX loop like you have on a cab. I put it in there for people who only use the Fractal with a power amp and real external guitar cabinet. That way they too can at least hear the naked amps into their own real-life cab of choice (bypassing the Factory Cab). Yek is the one I got the idea from.

I investigated, and right now, there is NOT a way to turn that FX Loop block off in across all Naked Amp TonePack presets using the freeware FracTool (but please do donate to support it, because it is great, and future version may add that feature!), but it will make no difference to leave the FX Loop block on for most, unless you also use Output2 for something in your rig setup.

As far as a classic and great lead tone, I have to say that you can't go wrong with grabbing FAS Lead 1 preset to start! Put in a wah, maybe a FET drive block (my Klon "clean boost emulation" is to set this to drive about 4.7, tone about 4.7, switch type to germanium, add 0.9db to the mid EQ, and then set the level output knob in drive block to between 6 and 8 to taste) and the a stereo tape delay set to your taste, and away you go!
 
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Again, I love all of the patches in this collection. However, something happens that changes the patch sound, when I start adding effects (even without enabling the effect block) to the patches (ex. wah, compressor, delays, volume pedal, etc.). It's almost as if the added blocks by themselves change the patch sound, without being enabled (note: I'm no where near maxing the cpu).

Any idea as to why this happens and what I can do to enable the patch original eq/sound, while adding effects. Also, any advice for using the patches in our own custom patches? Thanks.

Hmmm... There should be NO change in sound when you add any kind of effect that is OFF. Not sure what is happening for you or why; first I've heard of that happening. This should be an issue across ANY Fractal preset you use if it is happening -- not something related to just these TonePack presets. That said, I don't know what kind of guitar you are using -- do you have heavy output humbuckers?

For the NON-AX8 units, the noise gate on all of these presets should be set to Auto or 1M (unless fuzz is being used, then it will be set to 90k, which to my ear works better with fuzz). AX8 users don't have the input impedance option. You may want to check the noise gate reaction to your playing? The CPU is low and less than 50% for all the Naked Amps (aside from the Bonus TonePack presets).

You can PM me if you are having other trouble and I'll try to help out. As far as your own patches, one way to approach this is this:

1. Set up a template rig (or pedalboard) of all the effects you already love, and save that in Axe-Edit as a preset -- name it something like "my favorite rig template."

2. Audition through the Naked Amp TonePack presets, and when you find an amp/cab you really love and want to use, save that just that Amp block and separately also that Cab block in Axe-Edit under the name of your choosing (in other words, "My Naked Dumble Lead Amp/Cab" or similar). If you like the drive block's setting I provided for that amp, save that as well.

3. Then, using Axe-Edit, import/ up your template rig preset in a preset slot of your choice, then load the amp block and cab block into it and save it as a preset - name it what you like. "coolest rig ever!"

4. Tweak the effects in the rig to work with the new amp and optimize to your own taste, and save.

One last thing: I always liked going through the Fractal Factory Presets and saving specific effects or amp/cab blocks I really liked, to build an effects blocks arsenal/library I could tap at anytime. This is same concept, applied to the TonePack.

ENJOY!
 
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Ok, my interest is peaked, but Im a high gainer, typically no presets or 'others' versions of high gain do much for me. Did you work much with high gain amps or to make average gain amps higher gain? Thanks.

Hey Symphx! Many (if not most) of the modern high gain amps are voiced so well to start with, they weren't too hard to dial in great and crushing sounds. But some players like even more bottom, some players like more top fizz, etc.

I went for happy middle ground. I didn't try to make those high-gain amps do anything more in the gain area than their original design, if that is your question. Used a Tube Screamer drive block (set to off) in front of amps, set to neutral usually, that you can adjust to taste.

For some of the Mesa's, my eyes said the GEQ in amp block for the highs "should be higher" -- but my ears set them lower based on what I was hearing/sounded good to me. So those can be pushed up a bit more if need be. The Mesa's also have the Fat switch on in Scene 2. The bass for several modern metal-style amps at times was so huge, in doing Modern Amp section over several weeks, the front grill on one of my Atomic Neo-CLRs actually wiggled loose from the constant super low- bass vibrations! : D Easily fixed.

A very successful composer and LA studio guitarist who is a client just shared with me an .mp3 earlier this week he just did using three modern amps: the Diezel VH4, Engl Savage 2 with countour, and Cliff's FAS Teh Brootalz. I'll ask him if I can have permission to share it with you guys here (but he may not agree, it may be for a commercial project) -- but the track is prog-metal as hell and would give you an idea.

Else check out this clip with some examples of the the Modern Amps, played by my buddy and fellow guitar geek John Finley. The amps used are in this order:

1. Diezel Herbert Rhy/Lead,
2. Rectifier 2 Orange Vintage,
3. Legacy VL100,
4. Bogner Ecstasy Red Modern (w/Boost on),
5. Cameron Atomic High,
6. Mesa Lonestar Lead,
7. Mesa Mark II Lead+ and
finally, from the Vintage bank, 8. a Triaxis Yellow Channel.

 
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Bought it

Excited to try it out !!

The bonus pack is a great addition.

Thanks @austinbuddy

Thanks for the props! The Bonus pack is really just that...a "bonus" -- and was a a labor of love for me recreating iconic classic rock and blues tones. There are some really keepers in there but you need to use the README file to get the settings right on which guitar, volume/tone knob.

The Jimi video covers how I built the basic Jimi London preset from scratch and it was a lot of fun to go song by song through his first album and make a preset for just about every track on it. I like the Led Zep live as a basic presets and I loved (with Matt Picone's technical help) doing the "Jessica" Allman Brothers guitar harmony preset. That one uses a custom intelligent scale -- so, another good future video tutorial candidate, that is a powerful and often overlooked feature. It also uses the Marshall 4x12 D120 Factory Cab, which actually sounds great with a neck pickup on a Les Paul in a fairly clean Marshall sound - the only time I use that Cab in the entire TonePack but nails it.
 
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