Presets MASTER THREAD -- AustinBuddy's 200+ BASS TonePack for Axe-FX III/FM9/FM3 and Legacy AX8/Axe-FX II

Third party presets and packs for Fractal Audio products

austinbuddy

Fractal Fanatic
Vendor
The 200+ Bass TonePack for the AX8 running firmware 10.01 is now complete and ready! You get over 300+ bass sounds, spanning two bank sets.

It covers sounds made for P-basses, J-basses, Rickenbackers, Gibsons, Hofners etc. It covers sounds for both fingers and using a pick. It also covers over 100 Artist-style sounds from early 60's to modern day.

I'll get some videos up in early 2020, but this is great stuff for bass players for live gigs with an AX8, or for recording, it's truly a great resource for recording to audition different bass sounds for your song/mix.

You can buy here.


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We cover multiple basses - the main food groups of P-Bass, J-Bass (heaviest on those two) but also the Tele-Bass, Gibson Thunderbird, Hofner, Rickenbacker, and some for flat-wound strings.

We did presets organized by multiple musical genres/styles, and also a finger specific and pick specific versions, and include special Cab IRs too, etc.

Here are a few 2020 demos, all made on an AX8:

Demo #1



Demo #2







 
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Finally - a useable preset arsenal/collection for those who play bass guitar! You get two banks, and over 300+ (yes, over 300, not 200!) unique bass sounds.

This TonePack is an EXCELLENT tool for pro or home recording ready-made bass tracks, a useful arsenal of tones. GREAT tool for recording bass, or if you play bass live.

There is a 200+ Bass TonePack version specifically for the Mark II/Original (shown above), and also the XL/XL+ (not shown). Both require running ARES 2.0 firmware which is the latest firmware. There is an AX8 version (Firmware Q10) as well I'v posted about here.

Bank 1 is basics -- multiple bass amps, presets for different types of bass guitars/pickups, and Amp X/Y options for playing with fingers or a pick.

Bank 2 is artist-style presets -- runs from modern to vintage. From the 1960's Carol Kaye to today's Justin Chancellor or Doug Pinnick, we got ya covered. We'll also keep adding artist presets into future updates, and will take suggestions about what to add next from this forum thread.

Will get some video tutorials and pro demo clips up in next few weeks. Right now the pack is on sale for $79 until July 31st 2020 Austin Texas time (cyber Monday), then it will go up to the regular $99. You can learn more at my website here.

My partner in this was Scott Nelson, a pro bassist who lives here in Austin. He's been touring with Kenny Wayne Shepard lately and was for a few years the bass player on the Experience Hendrix tour alongside Bill Cox. Scott's been invaluable, because while I do play bass, I play it more like a guitar player (pretty light touch), whereas, Scott is ferocious and attacks it like pros do.

Here are a few 2020 demos (made on an AX8):

Demo #1



Demo #2




This 200+ Bass TonePack also got great reviews from some bass player beta testers we ran it by. Hope some of you who try it will post your thoughts here!

I'll post a few things soon in this thread that will be helpful in understanding the TonePack layout and concepts. Just wanted to get the news out that's now available and on sale! Enjoy!
 
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Hi everyone: Time to give the bass player some love!


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Working with Austin-based pro bass player Scott Nelson, we used the amp block layouts ABCD and other options along with some User Cab IRs, plus new compressors, to make a revised and updated version just for the FM3 and Axe-Fx III.

(Some of you will recall this 200+ TonePack has already been available for the AX8 and Axe-Fx Mark II/Original and XL/XL+).

We dialed these in on some expensive pro mixer studio ATC 25 speakers (not CLRs) but they sound great on FRFRs.


Like the LiveGold TonePack, you get all three unit versions (FM9, FM3, Axe-FX III) for one price when you buy it.

It's one preset bank, structured like this: the first half of it covers basic bass amps, covering amp models like Ampeg, Fender, Marshall, Mesa Boogies, Hiwatt, plus some others including FAS, preamps, DI signal, and Blackglass.

Often multiple bass cabs are used for tonal variation (from 1X15 to 2x10 to 2x12 to 4X10 to 4x12 to 8x10), making use on-board factory cabs but also 14 provided User Cab IRs that go into User1 Cab slots 51-64, including two IRs I mixed from a @dr bonkers collection of an 8x10 Marshall cab included with his permission (thanks Mike!). It also includes a few effects.


Each basic preset has 8 scenes. The first four scenes are basic bass amps in various gain stages:

1. Clean

2. Warm
3. Gain
4. Driven

Scenes 5-8 follow the above format (clean to driven), BUT scenes 5-8 will add a compressor (acting as a Limiter) AND add your bass DI signal to the overall signal chain.

Scenes 5-8 split the mono signal into a stereo output that is also in phase, so you can put your bass amp signal and DI signal side by side on faders (using stereo outs from Out1 or Out2) into a DAW, side by side mono tracks, and mix the sound in the DAW using the blend of faders, as done in most pro studios for recording bass.

The second part of the preset bank are artist-style presets, and these go from 1960s' to modern day. We had a lot of fun making these! These come with a style guide that specify what bass we used, fingers or pick, what pickups and volumes and tones where used and other notes to get the artist tone.

Randomly, some (not all shown) of the artist styles covered include an Acoustic Bass Emulation, tones inspired by the Who, LedZep, Rush, Tool, Flea, Rage Against the Machine, Primus, Metallica, King's X, Nine Inch Nails, Jane's Addiction, Nirvana, U2, Bootsy Collins/funk, Jaco Pastorius/Jazz fusion, lots of classic rock, Texas Blues, NY session guys, LA session guys, early 60's and 70's session guys, etc.

Here are two demos of that (note that these two demos were made using the original 200+ TonePack on an AX*, they sound evenr better on the new hardware!). Make sure you are listening with good speakers, not ear buds or computer laptop speakers!:

Demo #1



Demo #2





There are over 400 unique tones in here, and by using your EARS to hear all the tones (over using your eyes just looking at preset names), I'm sure you bass players or home studio recording guitar players will find lots of clean to warm to driven to outrageous bass metal tones to love!

The 200+ Bass TonePack was created on and is available now for Cygnus X2 firmware 4.01 for FM9, 6.02 for the FM3, and firmware 22 for the Axe-Fx III (earlier firmware versions for both units remain available/are included).

I've made a quick multi-part tutorial on what the 200+ Bass TonePack includes and how to install it on my YouTube Channel.

Here's the first of several tutorial videos about what's in the TonePack (see
YouTube playlist):



You can buy it at www.austinbuddy.com.


This preset thread is where I can answer your questions, and will share forthcoming demos, and you guys can post your own demo clips, etc.

Thanks, and enjoy the tones!
 
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No questions for you yet -
Just wanted to say - this bunch of presets is the best thing I've seen for bass since I started purchasing Fractal gear. Thanks Austin, you are now my buddy.
Pauly
 
Asked this in the other topic as well. But is there an exact preset list?
Any more sound examples?
 
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No questions for you yet -
Just wanted to say - this bunch of presets is the best thing I've seen for bass since I started purchasing Fractal gear. Thanks Austin, you are now my buddy.
Pauly

Hey pauly! Shared your nice comments with Scott Nelson who played bass throughout (I am not a bass player by training- but smart enough to get a REAL one to work on this, who play while I dialed in), and he was thrilled to hear it - made his day, so thanks!
 
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Asked this in the other topic as well. But is there an exact preset list?
Any more sound examples?

Hi @Bodde
Have to watch for trademark issues (naming amps or artists etc.) but go watch the first tutorial video (of five) for 200+ Bass TonePack tutorial here, and for roughly 30 seconds starting at 1:13 on to 1:42 I walk through overall bank preset organization and you'll see the preset names/lists on screen.






The artist styles will have up to four scenes per preset. So one "90's" artist preset may cover several bands like Crue, GNR, STP, etc.



There are a few Slap-ready bass presets in here. One is called Slap, plus a Flea one, Larry Graham... We are getting some of the artist style
clips together (videos that were actually shot with the AX8 version of this TonePack) and hope to have those up in a few weeks.
 
Hi @Bodde
Have to watch for trademark issues (naming amps or artists etc.) but go watch the first tutorial video (of five) for 200+ Bass TonePack tutorial here, and for roughly 30 seconds starting at 1:13 on to 1:42 I walk through overall bank preset organization and you'll see the preset names/lists on screen.






The artist styles will have up to four scenes per preset. So one "90's" artist preset may cover several bands like Crue, GNR, STP, etc.



There are a few Slap-ready bass presets in here. One is called Slap, plus a Flea one, Larry Graham... We are getting some of the artist style
clips together (videos that were actually shot with the AX8 version of this TonePack) and hope to have those up in a few weeks.


Ok thanks for the info!!
 
What does the ^ next to a scene name mean? I didn’t see anything in the PDFs.

This is more bass sounds than I’ll ever need and they’re all fantastic. Might have to get a jazz bass now as well. They all sound great with my BTB but a jazz bass is a jazz bass.
 
What does the ^ next to a scene name mean? I didn’t see anything in the PDFs.

This is more bass sounds than I’ll ever need and they’re all fantastic. Might have to get a jazz bass now as well. They all sound great with my BTB but a jazz bass is a jazz bass.

Hey @Eliju - thanks for the kudos! Yeah, I started with just a P-Bass (G&L actually) and by the end of this got a late 70's Rickenbacker (which I LOVE, so easy to play and sounds so GOOD!) and a standard new Fender Jazz Bass with active switch, and it too sounds great!

The ^ in a Preset or a Scene name means that the preset/scene uses one of the provided User Cabs (in slots 51 to 64 you load). I did this so if someones says "I get no sound in Scene 2" - well that's because you didn't set up originally properly with the provided User cabs. Just a quick way for me/you to tell when a User Cab is in use.
 
Hey 200+ Bass TonePack fans:

I've just done an OCTOBER 2020 UPDATE for the 200+ Bass Tonepack for both the FM3 and Axe-Fx III.

Login to your account on my website www.austinbuddy.com, and you should see an October UPDATE in your "My Downloads" folder.

The October update doesn't really change the tones/sounds. But I had to fix a handful of technical things, laid out in the included one-page update/release notes.

On a few presets in the basic amp section, the DI signal chain should have been at 10 but was at 6.7. The Amp block was not always panned hard left like it should have been, which will affect the sound of Scenes 5-8 in the basic amp section. Your stereo split Scenes 5-8 will be a little hotter now too. Also, a handful of artist presets like "Enginehead" (for Lemmy /Motorhead) were leveled too hot originally.

All those changes apply to both FM3 and Axe-Fx III Versions.

More importantly, on Axe-Fx III version, it's now compatible with firmware 14. I fixed a few drive blocks (the Suhr Riot distortion) that changed after firmware 12 so those are now working.

Be aware that is you load any bank that was saved on firmware 14.x but you are running a lower number firmware number (like 12.x), your firmware 14 loaded presets will then show blank or say "empty" -- the Axe-Fx III running firmwares under 14 cannot read presets saved in higher numbered firmwares.

Enjoy the update, let me know if you have any questions!

I'm in touch with a few bass player folks who said the want to make some demos, and we filmed one from the AX8/Axe-Fx II one that will be ready soon as well.

(Next up: a firmware 14.x update of the Brit Rock Royalty #1 Tone Pack, very soon!).
 
Not there yet, still seeing the original Sept release only. I'll check tomorrow.
Thanks @madmarcus1960.

My web person is purging the cache and suggested this: "open the site and login with a private window? That could be causing the problem, as someone might be seeing an old, stored version of their account page."

My E-commerce system used to (circa 2017-2019) have no issue with adding updated files to past customer orders so you can have download access, but now seems to be finicky in 2020 E-commerce version - and my web people are looking at it.

I do know anyone who buys it NOW won't have an issue as configured/will see both available downloads, but we have to see if prior buyers can see the added update.

I can always DELETE the original version and replace it with the newer updated version, and in theory that should work for everyone -- the file name would LOOK the same but it would be an update. And not optimal for anyone who still wants access to a firmware 12 version. But we'll see...
 
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