Consistentcey

andyp13

andyp13

Power User
Hi guys
Does anyone else suffer from a lack of consistentcey in their sound?
I have the Axe fx xl, I use it with a Boogie MK V head and two 1x12 cabs. I use the BB drive for my lead sound.
Sometimes I have a great lead sound, some time it sounds awful. I'm really getting frustrated with this, I never got this inconsistency when I used pedals, but now It doing my head in.
I have the AXE setup in the 4CM though lastnight during the break I rewired it to go straight in front of the amp - unfortunately it made no difference. Last time I played this venue I had a fantastic sound, and I was set up in the same spot.
Does anyone else suffer from this lack of consistency in their sound?
My overdrive went from thick and creamy to thin and weedy with the reverb and delay distorting slightly.
I have not changes anything?

Any help advice would be greatly received.
 
Chris@KatsuKuriMedia said:
the axe-fx has been the most consistent tone generator i've ever used. if you don't change your preset, it should sound the same with the same guitar and playing technique.

analog gear is more prone to being inconsistent, especially tube amplifiers.
Click to expand...

Have to concur with Chris on this one.

I can do fixes after live shows and it is perfectly the same tone as I recorded live. That is one big advantage to a modeler. You can perfectly drop in over dubs and fixes a long time after the original recording without spending an entire day trying to get your tube rig to sound the same as it used to.
 
So, you guys reacon it's the tube amp?
I did borrow a stereo amp (can't remember the make) but couldn't get the sound of my boogie, it sounded too gassy and the treble was too shrill and it made the overdrive sound to metallic, the type of sound I want is that Robben Fordish type sound, a good up front lead sound and a nice clean sound when the guitar vol is backed off. with the boogie I use the clean channel only and the BB drive on the Axe for the lead sounds ....... maybe I should try again?
 
using different gear won't automatically sound good :) if your tones are EQ'd and set for the Boogie clean channel, they probably will sound completely different through a power amp that sounds completely different than a Boogie clean channel.

it may or may not be the tube amp. all i was saying is that a digital device will put out the same result every time. it is most likely another part of the signal path causing inconsistency.

but without any of us being there, and with only the text you've provided us, we can only guess.
 
My tone always sounds inconsistent and its got nothing to do with the gear, and everything to do with my perception and mood. When I dial in a new tone, and I'm inspired to jam, it sounds amazing. When I go back the next day, never sounds as good as I remembered.

This is pretty true with most things in life. That beautiful beach didn't look quite as beautiful the next year, your favorite restaurant wasn't quite as good as you remembered, and the girl you wake up with sure doesn't seem as hot as she did at the bar.

Newness always makes things sound better. I've bought so many pedals over and over, thinking fondly how great they used to sound, just to get it and then go "hmmm, this really wasn't worth $195", but the way it sounded in my mind was sure great.

Unless Cliff takes modeling to another level, your just not going to get huge component value drifts in a digital device like the Axe, your not going to get virtual tubes going bad etc over time.

If your tone isn't sounding so great on a given day, its likely your perception of it, your mood etc, not the gear
 
Since going to the Axe Fx my tone is the same week in week out. I run direct to FOH and every time I plug in I sound exactly the same as last time.

Compared to my amp rig where every time I played it always seemed different, fussing over getting the mic(s) in the right position etc.
 
Lots of good insight and advice in this thread. It could be your tube amp, it could be your mood. A big factor is the stage and room that you are playing in.

One of the main reasons that I have been using an FRFR setup for so long now is that for me the sound of my traditional guitar amp/cab setup was very inconsistent from gig to gig. It's not that the amp's sound was inconsistent, but that it relied on the room to help shape the tone. In my limited experience (many gigs, only a few amps/cabs) in the right room at the right volume level a given amp might sound great, but the next gig on a different stage I might be fighting it all night long.

Now that I'm using my CLRs I can get consistently good sound whether I'm in a small reflective room, a big absorbent environment, or even outside on a concrete stage. That's one thing that has been really satisfying about this setup.
 
andyp13 said:
So, you guys reacon it's the tube amp?
I did borrow a stereo amp (can't remember the make) but couldn't get the sound of my boogie, it sounded too gassy and the treble was too shrill and it made the overdrive sound to metallic, the type of sound I want is that Robben Fordish type sound, a good up front lead sound and a nice clean sound when the guitar vol is backed off. with the boogie I use the clean channel only and the BB drive on the Axe for the lead sounds ....... maybe I should try again?
Click to expand...

I am 99% sure it's not something the Axe FX II is doing unless you are telling it to.

How does the amp sound all by itself? Bias ok? Tubes ok?
If good, then check your cables INCLUDING THE SPEAKER CABLE!!!!!
If good, then check settings ---> amps get bumped, and the Mark V has a shitload of knobs and switches on both front and back..
If still good, then check out the Axe. perhaps you accidentally saved a change you didn't want to. it happens... that's why we backup.
 
When I used a MK V my sound was never consistent. The Axe (for me) always sounds the same. In your situation it may be levels. Make sure you're not overloading the input to the axe and check you fx loop levels on the boogie and the axe. Maybe (for example) set the MK V send/return levels to noon and adjust the send/return in the axe accordingly. If the send/return on the MK V get's inadvertently change from when you programmed things it'll mess with you.
 
Definately tube amp. That's why I don't use tubes anymore. I can go to sleep now not worrying my tone pulled an all nighter and performed bad the next day. HA!
 
As well as ears, humidity and mood changes, power fluctuations can reek havoc on sound. Power fluctuations can change the way an entire PA responds.
 
R@ndy said:
The only thing that is inconsistent for me is my playing :/
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I love the honesty here. LOL!
Thanks for sharing Randy.
Im gonna be honest too. My playing is also inconsistent . lol those god dam sweeps are always inconsistent!!!!:mad:
 
andyp13 said:
My overdrive went from thick and creamy to thin and weedy with the reverb and delay distorting slightly.
Click to expand...
Sounds like inconsistent levels. If you're running the Axe through a "real" amp, you need to keep those output knobs in exactly the same spot night after night. Just one reason it's recommended to run them wide open when you aren't using the Axe's amp models
 
andyp13 said:
So, you guys reacon it's the tube amp?
I did borrow a stereo amp (can't remember the make) but couldn't get the sound of my boogie, it sounded too gassy and the treble was too shrill and it made the overdrive sound to metallic, the type of sound I want is that Robben Fordish type sound, a good up front lead sound and a nice clean sound when the guitar vol is backed off. with the boogie I use the clean channel only and the BB drive on the Axe for the lead sounds ....... maybe I should try again?
Click to expand...

Could also be your ears. Happens to all of us. You jam on a patch you really dig just to come back to it later and find it shrill/boomy/etc.
 
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