Convince a Skeptic - Tone Match challenge

Okay, this whole "Tone Match" business could make or break an AFX for me. I want to go into a studio with my amps, get an engineer to mic them up properly, play them at an ungodly volume, go home with the raw tracks and tone match them. That way when I record I have my "sound" ready to go in the AFX and I could gig with those sounds if I wanted to.

I suck at dialing in a tone myself on modellers so this is a way I could avoid that whole drama.

However, buying an AFX and a day in the studio is very expensive. I'll do it if I know it works, but I don't know that for sure. So I want to test this whole Tone Match thingy before I buy one. Unfortunately, since I'm in Australia, nobody down here has one.

So this is where you come in.

I've finished a recent recording project. I mic'd up my amp and got the best sound out of it (and a bedroom) that I could manage. It's not great, but for demo purposes it does the job.

I would like somebody to tone-match the guitar sound I recorded. Not that it's a particularly desirable or amazing tone, but as proof of concept that tone-matching works. I know "my sound" way better than any other recorded sound. If I can sit here and be happy with the result of the tone-matched sound, then it looks like I'll be buying an AFX II.

Make sense? It does to me :)

So with that in mind: What do you need to get this to work?
 
Did you happen to split off the direct guitar and record it to a track? That'd also help greatly, removing variables.
 
You could read through a few threads and see the overwhelming consensus that it works.
 
You do realize that, even if someone were to tone match a sound for you, their guitar probably won't sound the same as yours. Unless you find someone on this forum with the same exact guitar (with pickups adjusted to the same height), there may be some minor discrepancies in the sound.
 
A soloed .wav of a single guitar track and a little description of the gear you used.

Rightio then. I've attached 3 files to this post.

Rhythm A)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/b1xw8lynzr224hl/Rhythm A.wav
This is my Gibson Les Paul running into a TS9, then into a Mesa Single Rectifier into a Rectifier 2x12 Cab. It was mic'd with an SM57 and a Heil PR30

Rhythm B)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/4h03o17q5yepqtw/Rhythm B.wav
For shits and giggles, here is my "complete" rhythm tone. It's the same track as above, but I've also included the double-track which is an LTD Explorer. Same setup as before (TS9 -> Single Recto -> 2x12 etc.). I'm not expecting much, but I'm curious.

Lead
https://www.dropbox.com/s/m8nirdx8pewjbv3/Lead .wav
Again, my Les Paul, running into a MXR Dyna Comp, then into the TS9 -> Recto -> 2x12 etc. I've got a delay plugin running.

As I said, these aren't particularly tones I'm wanting to use or anything, but it's proof of concept :)


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Did you happen to split off the direct guitar and record it to a track? That'd also help greatly, removing variables.
Sorry, didn't think of doing that at the time. In hindsight, I wish I did and I've ordered a Re-Amp box just to do that!

You could read through a few threads and see the overwhelming consensus that it works.
Yeah, but I like to see things happen. My idea is probably going to cost me around $3000.00 so I want to make sure that it works before I spend that kind of money!
 
You do realize that, even if someone were to tone match a sound for you, their guitar probably won't sound the same as yours. Unless you find someone on this forum with the same exact guitar (with pickups adjusted to the same height), there may be some minor discrepancies in the sound.

Very aware of that. Thanks for mentioning it though. I'm not going to whinge if it's not a mirror image. However, the way that I've got everything running is the way that I'd use it. This is as close as I can get without actually getting a unit myself.
 
If/when you hit the purchase button you will also have a 15 day free return period if it doesn't turn out the way you want it
 
Very aware of that. Thanks for mentioning it though. I'm not going to whinge if it's not a mirror image. However, the way that I've got everything running is the way that I'd use it. This is as close as I can get without actually getting a Iunit myself.

If no one is able to help you out tonight, hit me up with a PM and I will do it for you tomorrow.
 
I think that the biggest benefit of the AXF is not in duplicating sounds you can already produce, but in its ability to open your mind to completely new sounds. Sure, it's cool to tone match artists you might dig to generate new tone, but I don't see the value in trying to reproduce sounds you can already generate. You might as well keep your existing gear.

Hope that makes sense.
 
I think that the biggest benefit of the AXF is not in duplicating sounds you can already produce, but in its ability to open your mind to completely new sounds. Sure, it's cool to tone match artists you might dig to generate new tone, but I don't see the value in trying to reproduce sounds you can already generate. You might as well keep your existing gear.

Hope that makes sense.

I know what you are saying.

However: I can't make these sounds in a practical format. The guitar tones I posted was my Mesa "cranked" to half volume. That was loud enough to make the walls vibrate 2 rooms away. I'm wanting to use the Axe-FX for recording convenience and also for some gigs where an Amp\Cab might not be practical.

ALSO: While it may be possible to get those sounds out of my current gear, if I get my stuff mic'd up\processed professionally, it's like I have my "best" sound whenever I want it. I don't have to worry about the amp being a bit meh on the day, whether or not the sound guy put the mic in the right spot, worry about volume or anything. It's like the "best of" my gear whenever I want it to be awesome.
 
Your asking us to do it for you.... It's up to you. Just like now with your current gear, it's for you to get the sounds you want.

That won't change if you buy an Axe - or anything else. We think the Axe makes it easier (at low vol levels etc), and I think I get better, more mixable live sounds with far more variety. For recording it's very much easier. I used to gig with an AC30. I'm very happy with the Axe' version of that, but I rapidly stopped thinking about it in terms of comparing "real" with Axe emulation.

Folks are so helpful here, but you can't expect everything to be done for you, especially before you've bought the gear! (You'll only know what help to ask for once you're using the Axe....) So pull the trigger (or not).
 
The results unfortunately won't be optimal unless you also include the re-amping track, as suggested by Scott.
Also, you should to kill the effects in the source material and play big chords around the neck.
 
Including the settings you were using on the TS9, MXR comp and Amp would help too.

I see tone match as more refining. It helps to dial in the preset before tone match as close as you can first.
 
Your asking us to do it for you.... It's up to you. Just like now with your current gear, it's for you to get the sounds you want.

That won't change if you buy an Axe - or anything else. We think the Axe makes it easier (at low vol levels etc), and I think I get better, more mixable live sounds with far more variety. For recording it's very much easier. I used to gig with an AC30. I'm very happy with the Axe' version of that, but I rapidly stopped thinking about it in terms of comparing "real" with Axe emulation.

Folks are so helpful here, but you can't expect everything to be done for you, especially before you've bought the gear! (You'll only know what help to ask for once you're using the Axe....) So pull the trigger (or not).

You're misunderstanding. I don't want everything to be done for me. The tones I'm asking people to match are *not* the tones I want to use. They're purely for proof of concept so that I can see how close it gets. Yes, I know that unless you're using my EXACT guitar, the sound is going to be fairly different. Modelling seems to be very guitar-dependent. This is just a demonstration with sounds that I know better than anything else so that I can make a very clear evaluation. I'm also aware that it will not be an exact duplication. I'm not expecting a 1-to-1 copy. I just want to see how it works out.

As I said: If the tone match thing works as good as I hope it does, I intend to go into an actual studio, get my amps professionally mic'd up, cranked to a volume that in NO WAY is practical\acceptable on anything other than a decent size stage and make sure everything sounds as brilliant as my gear possibly can.

I go home with raw guitar tracks, tone match them with the AFX, then when I want to record, it's all sitting right there. I can record even at 2AM with headphones. Plus, it looks like I'll be moving into a small upstairs apartment where I highly highly doubt that a Mesa Rectifier or a 6505 (And certainly NOT the SLO100 that I'm quietly hunting down...) will be appreciated by neighbours. When I've got a gig at a small place whereby a cranked Mesa\6505 would be unacceptable, I can rock the AFX and still sound fucking awesome. Yes, I'm aware the AFX can make things sound unique and different and that's why I'm interested in an AFX instead of a Kemper. However, as a "base" sound, my Recto\6505 is what I'm wanting to start off with.

All settings are in relation to a clock face rather than a number from 1-10
Dyna Comp settings:
Output @ 2:50
Sensitivity @ 9:00

TS9 Settings:
Drive: 0%
Volume: 100%
Tone: 11:00

Mesa Settings:
B: 2:00
M: 10:00
T: 1:00
P: 7:30
G: 12:00
V: 12:00

Edit: Yes, I used the exact same settings for all 3 tracks
 
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it would be interesting to see how close it is without tone matching. everything's already there, in the axe.

we should find out what's in the cab though. that's prbably the most important part, isn't it?

the time in the studio should be spent shooting ir's of his cabs instead of recording himself...
 
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