Axe-Fx II with Atomic CLR active cab

Consider the possibility that you’re clipping somewhere in your audio path. With both of your CLR’s knobs turned up almost all the way, your Axe-Fx is capable of producing ear-splitting amounts of volume. You could be overdriving the CLR.
 
jlynnb1 said:
there are not tricks, and it's very easy "dial in". did you bother to read the manual on gain staging for the CLR? if it's gain staged properly, that's literally all you have to do, It's one of the flattest speakers around and only puts out what you put in
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Yes, I did read the manual but it never worked properly.
 
Rex said:
Consider the possibility that you’re clipping somewhere in your audio path. With both of your CLR’s knobs turned up almost all the way, your Axe-Fx is capable of producing ear-splitting amounts of volume. You could be overdriving the CLR.
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It sounds indeed, maybe not exactly as overdriven but overboosted somewhere in the signal chain. I don't know where. I've messed with the Axe FX input, it's certainly not clipping there. Than the presets are tickling only the mark in the middle of the VU meter, so it's not clipping there too. When I record, it has enough headroom in the DAW.

What I've noticed recently is that the gain knob or the channel knob on the CLR adds this coloured unpleasant boost. Until the first mark, which is probaly some 10% of the volume, it works. I just turn the master knob almost all the way up to 90% and Axe FX on 12 o'clock and it sounds great. But when I turn the channel louder, cause I need some more dB, it crosses suddenly some point from warm and organic into too much presence and shrill, with strings becoming very sensitive. It literally hurts me when I touch them.

Somehow I don't believe it's Fletcher-Munson, this change is too sudden. Presets just don't get that useless with some extra volume. You might have to adjust them but they don't sound so terribly wrong then.
 
It's pretty easy to find out if the input of the CLR is clipping, just check if the clip LED on the back is lighting up when you play.
For reference, if I set input level at 10 o'clock on my CLRs I can run the ax8 output level at max without clipping it and I have plenty of volume.

Anyway I once had an issue with my CLR, it suddenly started sounding nasty and overdistorted even at low input/output levels, I thought something was broken. But after a while I realized that the link select switch (the one with 1-2-X settings) got stuck in an in-between position, I just had to move it to solve the issue.
 
DLC86 said:
It's pretty easy to find out if the input of the CLR is clipping, just check if the clip LED on the back is lighting up when you play.
For reference, if I set input level at 10 o'clock on my CLRs I can run the ax8 output level at max without clipping it and I have plenty of volume.

Anyway I once had an issue with my CLR, it suddenly started sounding nasty and overdistorted even at low input/output levels, I thought something was broken. But after a while I realized that the link select switch (the one with 1-2-X settings) got stuck in an in-between position, I just had to move it to solve the issue.
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Thanks, I'll check this out.
 
Rex said:
From the CLR manual:
I think that's what you have going on.
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I agree. Please read the gain staging part in manual again. You can even do it with output volume (on CLR) turned to zero if volume where you practice is a problem. Strum as you turn up input volume (on CLR) until red light starts flashing, then turn it down some. My AX8 and AXFx3 both get extremely loud through CLR without clipping if you set it up correctly.
 
Thank you all for your advices. I've RTFM again and I ended up with CLR input on 1 o'clock again, like a few of you wrote too. This didn't solve my problem.

But I did take one of my usual presets and started tweaking all over, this time with a lot of volume. I'm surprised where it took me, MV a way way up than before, input gain/overdrive reacts more sensitive, so it is really a small range where the sweet spot lays within. Then spv mentioned the 3 lowest EQ bands - this helps a lot, as same as reducing the highest bands too (I tested this in the amp block instead under global).

I guess, I have to try more next time with a band. You gave me some ideas to work with. Thanks again.

I'm just surprised that these live settings demand so much dialing. I thought that after cutting in the cab block only some adjustment of the tone stack compensates for louder levels and not that I'll have to slide almost every band in the EQ.

Just one last question, do you all do heavy EQ-ing in all of your live presets? Or maybe just mid/high gain presets? Or do you have other IRs more suitable for live playing than you would use for recording?

Much appreciated.
 
Heavy EQing is rarely necessary. You may want to start from scratch, dialing in a new preset at volume. Pick an IR that gets you close to the sound you want. I think you’ll find that you don’t have to do that much EQing after all.
 
Rex said:
Heavy EQing is rarely necessary. You may want to start from scratch, dialing in a new preset at volume. Pick an IR that gets you close to the sound you want. I think you’ll find that you don’t have to do that much EQing after all.
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Great, I suspected this approach to be better. Thanks!
 
I do almost zero eq, definitely nothing advanced with extra eq or the graphic eq's.

there is still an issue somewhere in what you are doing that is not at all related to your CLR unless you have a defective unit. I'll say it again, they are one of the flattest speakers you can buy, and only put out when you put in. If you're hearing something undesirable either you still haven't properly gainstaged the CLR, you're gain staging in the AxeFX is jacked up or your preset isn't good.

You should upload your most problematic preset and let someone test it, there are tons of CLR users around here.
 
The only eq I use (in addition to the hi-cut) is the 3 band console type in the amp block, I find it the most musical and the easiest to quickly shape my tones.
I usually boost the mids and cut the highs just a touch.
 
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