Axe VS real. Are Controls matching?

Clockwork Creep

Power User
Cliff posted a while ago that the number 1 user error is that they think that the master knob works exactly like on the real amp, and it doesn't: Real amp value ~2-3 is ~5-6 in axe fx. I get the logic behind doing so (Linear change) but I'm not very fond of these kind of differences.
What about other controls? Bass mid treble? Do they work the same as on the real amp, or are these different too?
This question came because I saw that on most Mesa Boogie dual rectifier youtube reviews I've seen, people keep the bass setting at arount 12-1 o'clock. Setting it like so in Axe FX results in kind of an overwhelming amount of bass that overpowers everything (indipendant of what IR is used)... But the amp demos sound just fine... balanced and clear.
Cliff mentioned in the wiki "Roll off the bass to the bottom", but it appears that this is not what people actually do on the real thing so I'm confused and I don't know why I get such results.

EDIT: By default, Negative feedback is 0, inscreasing it fixes the low end. Weird... Any explanations?
 
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There are so many different variations of the Mesa Dual Rectifier in real life also. Some are usable with bass at 12 o'clock and some are not. The way I would advice you to make the bass usable would be to raise middle higher than treble and bass rather than lowering the bass knob. That simulates the different Dual Rectifiers types like f.ex. Mesa Roadster better. And even though some people advice you to have the master level quite full IMO that's not "the Recto sound". The Recto 2 sounds like a Roadster with the master set around 2 and I've done many A/B comparisons with the real thing. Also set the presence really low to sound like a Roadster.. like 0.5.
 
There are so many different variations of the Mesa Dual Rectifier in real life also. Some are usable with bass at 12 o'clock and some are not.
Not only that, the tone controls on a Recto are highly interactive. The value of the bass knob is meaningless in isolation - you need to check and match the values across the entire tone stack's TMBP knobs. You can't match the bass knob and automatically get the same amount of bass unless the other knobs are matched also. This is how the amp is designed.

As far as negative feedback, this is a large part of what gives the Modern setting its aggressive raw character. It's wild and bone crushing but poorly controlled. This is how a Recto sounds. Dialing this all up is tricky and it's partly why so many people boost these things. For a point of comparison, try turning NFB down on the SLO and see how the two models sound.
 
I own a dual and I run the knobs fairly close to how I run the model on my XL.

As promit said on the real amp the gain , presence and B M T knobs are very interactive of each other. If you push the gain too high bass over 12 o'clock is a ton of button end on the real amp too
 
Also set the presence really low to sound like a Roadster.. like 0.5.

This was super helpful for me, made my recto patches sound way better. The high end was always too nasty, but 0.5 seems like the sweet spot for me too.


I own a dual and I run the knobs fairly close to how I run the model on my XL.

As promit said on the real amp the gain , presence and B M T knobs are very interactive of each other. If you push the gain too high bass over 12 o'clock is a ton of button end on the real amp too

Just out of curiosity, how do you think the master controls differ? I always set it at about 2 on the model, but I haven't played a real recto in so long, I can't remember what I set anything at.
 
What i have find is that all those control knobs working about same like Original amps do ,but difference comes when you try match same settings like you did have for your Original amps. Those Axe FX II control knobs values are not always same like Original amps have ,lets say if you have some amp and your Original amp bass knob is set to 09:00 oclock and gain knob 12:00 oclock. Then you try match and get exactly same settings for Axe FX II amp sim ,you need to set Axe FX II amps sim bass knob to 12:00 oclock and gain knob to 09:00 oclock this is example only.

Would be nice if some day there will be 1/1 values for all knobs compare to Original amps ,but if i remember right Cliff did mention that taper thing and that why its impossible to code unfortunately. I have notice that if you reset amp block and set all knobs to noon ,it will be very close to Original amps noon settings but not working for all Amp Sims IMO. And when you are converting those control knobs values for Axe FX II amp sims ,then comes to tricky parts and you need to use ears to match settings to be same like Original amp you did have not 1/1 values for knobs.

But then comes also that all amps sound little bit different and that why its hard to match same settings whit two individual amps ,but speaking some Marshall and Boogie amps if i set same settings like i did use in past whit real amps i get always close enough that tone what i`m looking for two individual amps.
 
Just out of curiosity, how do you think the master controls differ? I always set it at about 2 on the model, but I haven't played a real recto in so long, I can't remember what I set anything at.

cliff recently posted about the master. i believe he said the Master taper is the same for all models in the Axe, simply because the real amps are all over the place and "juiced" so that there is a big change at lower knob settings, but once you hit 5 or so (for example), there is very little change above that. it's so one amp can appear "louder" than another when comparing knobs.

knobs in general are misleading. i don't care if i'm setting a knob to 10 or 0. whatever sounds good, is good. sure, having a reference point based on experience on the real amp is cool, but don't ever lock yourself to that.
 
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I see a lot of confusion about the numeric values vs. knob position.

For example, vintage Fender amps, the potentiometers are not labeled 0-10. So if you get a numeric setting from a vintage Fender amp, you have to scale it 0-10 on the Fractal.

Also, pots gets shifted sometimes so the actual pot position is not absolute with the surround label.

Fractal is precise though, 2.0 means 2.0 :)
 
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