I try to get as close as I can to the original tone. I play in a 90's alternative cover band and this is the reason I got the AX8 in the first place, because I now could dial up all the different amps to match the different bands we cover. In the beginning, I did make the mistake of trying to have a preset for each song, which got very cumbersome very fast. So now I just have a preset for a particular band and if I know another band sounds close or if I know they used the same type of equipment, I'll use that same preset. Most bands of that era and genre pretty much used the same few different amps/cabs that were available at the time, so it's not so difficult to emulate. I agree that the audience probably pays more attention to the groove and the singing more than anything, but when I listen to a cover band I am pretty nit picky about it being authentic and as close to the original as possible, but that's just me and what I like and I try to achieve with my own covers. If I was playing my own original music it would be a different story. I think, whether the audience knows it or not, there are particular tones associated with the songs in their heads and if I can unlock this at a show, then we will stand out to them.