axe fx II not fat enough?

Der JD said:
I have a Dimarzio Crunch Lab in one of my guitars too (not loving it for the Axe, but that's another story) and I can't go over 30% on the input without hitting the red too much. It's a really hot pickup. Are you sure yours is installed correctly?
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that would suck. i paid a professional to install them. i imagine they would be great as is.

Does anyone have a link to any custom cabs? i only have one.

Im trying to modify the petrucci rhythm which on its own sounds weak. trying to give it more power.

EDIT: http://soundcloud.com/soleparadigm/slap-sample that's a sample of what im working on. Was recorded before i started this adventure.
 
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muleskinner said:
Sound like you're overdoing it to me, especially with a double track panned hard left/right AND a stereo imager. Those stereo imagers (and sometimes simply doubling tracks) can often do weird/phasey things with the input which could be draining your tone of the 'oomph' you're looking for.

I'd get the tone right in mono first, then try adding stuff to get a 'wider' sound if that's what you want.
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+1. The way stereo imagers work is through Phase manipulation. It is probably filtering out your "Fatness". You should try two radically different amp/cab combinations for the 2 recordings (left and right). This will inevitably give you slight time shifts in the signal on top of the timing differences of two different performances. I've used either a USA 2 or a VH3 for pass 1 and the VH4 for pass 2 and I get an extremely fat and wide heavy tone. I'm going after a TOOL type heavy sound so I use "NO" reverb. Just some room ambience on one of the cabs and not the other (for variety). Not sure how much reverb you use, that can take away a high gain rhythm gtr sound's bite/and punchiness.
 
MetalGarret said:
that would suck. i paid a professional to install them. i imagine they would be great as is.

Does anyone have a link to any custom cabs? i only have one.

Im trying to modify the petrucci rhythm which on its own sounds weak. trying to give it more power.

EDIT: SLAP Sample by Sole Paradigm on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free that's a sample of what im working on. Was recorded before i started this adventure.
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Here are my suggestions...

1) Go get yourself the Redwirez Mesa Recto Vintage 30 impulses. Do a little research as to how Petrucci mic's his cabs and mimic this with the impulses within the Axe FX.

2) Make sure your guitar is set up well and you've got pickups capable of delivering the tone you're expecting. Make sure your levels are set properly within the Axe FX as previously stated.

3) If you're not getting enough gain within the Axe FX, you have a few options to try. Modify the input gain, play with the boost and fat buttons, or place a drive block in front of the amp to tighten the bass.

If all the main elements are in place, cabinet impulses, well set up guitar, input levels, good monitoring system etc... Tweaking the amp controls should be a breeze. It's really not brain science. Just realize the Axe can do just about anything. It's up to you to have the right gear to complete the puzzle, but it is totally capable of realizing your dreams.

You're right to work on your sound in mono first, but just realize that a mono sound will never sound as big and as huge as double tracked panned guitars will. You'll also find that you probably won't need nearly the amount of gain in the end either.
 
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MetalGarret said:
that would suck. i paid a professional to install them. i imagine they would be great as is.

Does anyone have a link to any custom cabs? i only have one.

Im trying to modify the petrucci rhythm which on its own sounds weak. trying to give it more power.

EDIT: SLAP Sample by Sole Paradigm on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free that's a sample of what im working on. Was recorded before i started this adventure.
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Dude. Listen to that clip in MONO. THe guitar drops by about 12 dB and the sound is completely different. As a mixer I've learned to always check things in mono. You obviously have a lot of phase cancelation going on. Forget the wide thing for now. Just work on getting a killer mono sound, as muleskinner suggested,. Once you have that sounding good then try altering your patch for variety. As an example what I do is my left side amp has waaaay less gain and is more of an overdriven crunch sound, for clarity. Then the right sound is a really high gain setting, not like a squealing feedback type of drive but a crisp distorted kind of thing. This will give you definition in your sound and you will have a heavy distorted sound as well. Mix to taste.
 
Tonemeister said:
How does placing a drive block in front of the amp "tighten the bass"? More distortion = less detailed bass.
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FYI... Many people who place a drive block before the amp use it with a gain setting of ZERO.

I was suggesting things to try within the Axe when your tone feels as if it doesn't have enough gain, without just turning the gain up. Shaping the tone through a drive pedal can give the feeling of higher gain simply by the way it shapes the tone even with a drive gain setting at zero.
 
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also check your pickup heights. if they're too far away from the strings, you'll get a thin sound and low output
 
Tone Test by Sole Paradigm on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

here's another test tone.

DRIVE>AMP>CAB.

Drive is a RAT DIST with 2.64 drive and 5 tone. Amp is DAS Metal with drive at 6.07, BRIGHT is on, voicing neutral, Presence at 5, Depth at 1.50, all basic EQs are nooned, EQ tab has only a -4.32 drop at 8k. Cab is 4x12 RECTO V30 OH with a R121 COND mic and proximity at 5.

My pick ups are right up to the strings.

it still feels off.

EDIT: Forgot to mention. First half of the track is mono. I doubled the track in the second half. No post processing.
 
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MetalGarret said:
Tone Test by Sole Paradigm on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

here's another test tone.

DRIVE>AMP>CAB.

Drive is a RAT DIST with 2.64 drive and 5 tone. Amp is DAS Metal with drive at 6.07, BRIGHT is on, voicing neutral, Presence at 5, Depth at 1.50, all basic EQs are nooned, EQ tab has only a -4.32 drop at 8k. Cab is 4x12 RECTO V30 OH with a R121 COND mic and proximity at 5.

My pick ups are right up to the strings.

it still feels off.
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It sounds as if you have more than enough gain to me. It sounds like you might need new strings though. This is just preference but I'm not a big fan of the RAT OD. If you're going for a Petrucci tone, try the T808 OD, I suggest turning the drive to 0, and making sure that the level or mix is 100.

Try out those Redwirez impulses as well. They make a HUGE difference.
 
MetalGarret said:
What are these and where can i grab them?
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They have impulses specifically for the Axe FX II so they are very easy to use. Just load them and select them.

Red Wire Impulse Responses | BIGBox Series

This is the cab you want...

Mesa Rectifier 4x12 • Vintage 30s • Cabinet IR Library:

I have the entire Big Box set but I believe you can purchase individual cab impulses. They have just about every mic and mic position you could imagine, so if your tone is a bit dark in your case, try using a brighter impulse. Good luck!
 
Matt Steele said:
FYI... Many people who place a drive block before the amp use it with a gain setting of ZERO.

I was suggesting things to try within the Axe when your tone feels as if it doesn't have enough gain, without just turning the gain up. Shaping the tone through a drive pedal can give the feeling of higher gain simply by the way it shapes the tone even with a drive gain setting at zero.
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Gotcha. I wasn't being a wise a$%. I was thinking of a drive pedal. You were referring to the 'drive block' where there are a lot of toneshaping pedals.
 
Tonemeister said:
Gotcha. I wasn't being a wise a$%. I was thinking of a drive pedal. You were referring to the 'drive block' where there are a lot of toneshaping pedals.
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No prob. You can add gain with a drive block/pedal, but for the rhythm tone he's going for, using the drive block in the manner I suggested I believe is more the norm. But there are no rules. You should do whatever you need to attain the tone you're after. Just trying to give some suggestions that maybe he hadn't tried yet.
 
Matt Steele said:
They have impulses specifically for the Axe FX II so they are very easy to use. Just load them and select them.

Red Wire Impulse Responses | BIGBox Series

This is the cab you want...

Mesa Rectifier 4x12 • Vintage 30s • Cabinet IR Library:

I have the entire Big Box set but I believe you can purchase individual cab impulses. They have just about every mic and mic position you could imagine, so if your tone is a bit dark in your case, try using a brighter impulse. Good luck!
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9 dollars aint so bad for that! But it requires me to make a paypal account it seems. :(

EDIT: wait. no it doesnt.
 
Interestingly, when I used the settings you had to create a patch, my tone became a fizzy nightmare. Out of curiosity, do you have another guitar you can try?
 
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