Axe Fx 3 Volume / Tone

N

nandro48

Member
I run my Axe Fx 3 through my Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro's primarily. I also have HS8's when possible. Guitar is Schecter Hellraiser.

Facing a few issues:
  • Volume is low on both studio headphones and speakers
  • Metal presets sound good on studio monitors but are unusable with studio headphones
    • Example: Das Metal preset volume is low (factory preset) and distorts when I adjust levels, volumes, etc.
    • Best way to describe sound through headphones is "chunky" and "boxy"
I've tried adjusting Input volume, changing output to +4 db, plugged in "commercial" headphones with lower impedance (Bose), etc.

TLDR: overall volume is low; metal presets sound good on studio monitors but "chunky" and "boxy" with no sustain with studio headphones. Any help is appreciated!
 
Headphones lack room reflections and tend to make isolated guitar sound very in your face. Adding reverb or doing the full Rez IR thing should help some. A common solution is to make a tweaked version of your favorite preset(s) specifically for playing with headphones. That may entail the previous suggestions as well as some additional EQ or even adding a subtle delay to help get a sound that works well.
 
I have a pair of HS8s around here, and I can push them well in the clipping with the volume knob at noon on the AxeFX3 (running +4db). Even with just the music source routed through the black box.

Something seems off. Bad volume pot on your guitar?
 
Als
nandro48 said:
I run my Axe Fx 3 through my Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro's primarily. I also have HS8's when possible. Guitar is Schecter Hellraiser.

Facing a few issues:
  • Volume is low on both studio headphones and speakers
  • Metal presets sound good on studio monitors but are unusable with studio headphones
    • Example: Das Metal preset volume is low (factory preset) and distorts when I adjust levels, volumes, etc.
    • Best way to describe sound through headphones is "chunky" and "boxy"
I've tried adjusting Input volume, changing output to +4 db, plugged in "commercial" headphones with lower impedance (Bose), etc.

TLDR: overall volume is low; metal presets sound good on studio monitors but "chunky" and "boxy" with no sustain with studio headphones. Any help is appreciated!
Click to expand...

You can also try the AutoEQ. See https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/sonarworks-with-axe-fx-output.167772/post-2060430 and https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...d-sonarworks-reference-4.170900/#post-2061270

Basically, download AutoEQ IR for your choice of headphones (I also use DT 1990 Pro) and put it on an IR-block last in the chain. That will flatten the EQ curve in your headphones so it's easier to dial in tones. DT 1990 Pro has quite huge bump in the upper mids/highs (7-10khz) and a drastic drop off in the lows (from 100 hz). AutoEQ will counter that.
 
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Thank you so much for all the helpful replies!

I saw in the linked forum that I should download the wav files. What do I do with them once I download?

I did make significant progress since yesterday in getting adequate volume with good tone on a Lasse Lambert metal preset by:
  • Using Gain Enhancer with Out Compression at 1.3 and Input Dynamics at 4 with an amp level of 3 db as opposed to -5
  • Adjusted Cab Proximity to 2 and Smoothing to 3
  • Adjusted Output EQ by ear
Sorry for the long post, but does it normally take this much tweaking to get a good sound?

I'm also intrigued by the Full Res IRs but am running Firmware 16.05. Is it worth upgrading to 17 despite it being a Beta version?
 

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nandro48 said:
does it normally take this much tweaking to get a good sound?
Click to expand...
The short answer is not typically but not unexpected with other users presets.

As much as you've had to adjust the Output EQ, the first suggestion would be to look for another IR or IR mix. I haven't found any presets created by others that didn't require some tweaking on my end. Each person's experience is different, some players have had great success with paid presets with little tweaking. I've chosen to create my own from scratch and have had really good success. Others struggle with creating their own and the presets they bought get them what they want.

One thing I would try is creating a preset from scratch starting with an amp you're familiar with then find a cab typically used with the amp. Leave the amp settings at default values and try the different mics and mixes available for that cab.

I've found that using the Axe III is very similar to using physical amps and cabs. It can take some research to find the speakers, mics and mic positions that typically work best with certain amps. Simply choosing a 4x12 Recto, 2x12 Matchless or 1x12 Tweed cab won't automatically give you the tone you're looking for.
 
Solve your output level issues first before doing anything else. The Axe-Fx 3 should be capable of getting rather loud through studio monitors or headphones. Make sure your studio monitors are plugged in correctly and usually you'd want to set for line level +4 dB output.

Start with a preset from scratch, add IN1 -> AMP1-> CAB1 -> OUT1. Set your preferred amp and cab sims. Now you should be able to get a tone that sounds at least acceptable and can be turned up to needed volume levels from the Out 1 volume knob.

If not then something is wrong somewhere in the signal chain. Use the meters section to see what kind of input and output levels you are getting. If they look very low you have a problem.
 
In regards to the wav IR, I inserted a Cab 2 and then dragged the files into the chain. However, the volume went way down after putting it in. Did I do this correctly?
 
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