Dark sounding presets

kavevester

kavevester

Inspired
Many stock presets sounds dark from the start. Know it depends on guitar
but still.

Others also hear that? Is it due to passive tone control settings? Feel like
I have to drive the treble way up before it gets ok and bright on.

Play on Fender with humbuckers on. Some please check if it sounds more or less the same on your end. My
is in the Mixdown(3) and using preset AC-20 Deluxe.sys (attached)
 

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kavevester said:
Many stock presets sounds dark from the start. Know it depends on guitar
but still.

Others also hear that? Is it due to passive tone control settings? Feel like
I have to drive the treble way up before it gets ok and bright on.

Play on Fender with humbuckers on. Some please check if it sounds more or less the same on your end. My
is in the Mixdown(3) and using preset AC-20 Deluxe.sys (attached)
Click to expand...
The preset sounds fine to me.
What model humbuckers and what Fender model?
Also how old are the strings?
 
Use the 'Tilt' EQ in the preamp EQ section of the amp and notch the gain up by 2-3db. That's what I do, it can transform a dark amp to a bright one.
 
My name is mud said:
Lol where did you see that ? Do you think that people buying an axe will play at 100 db at home ? The stock presets sound already « good » at tv volume
Click to expand...
I was just about to ask the same. Factory presets sound fine to me as well at any volume.

And to the OP- yes, how you're monitoring is a big factor.
 
kavevester said:
Many stock presets sounds dark from the start. Know it depends on guitar
but still.

Others also hear that? Is it due to passive tone control settings? Feel like
I have to drive the treble way up before it gets ok and bright on.

Play on Fender with humbuckers on. Some please check if it sounds more or less the same on your end. My
is in the Mixdown(3) and using preset AC-20 Deluxe.sys (attached)
Click to expand...
Do they sound dark when recorded? It could also be your speakers. I personally don't use any of the factory presets, it might be that you have to craft presets of your own and dial them in to your taste.
 
Many of the Factory presets may have been dialed in with a single coil guitar. In those cases, they will be dark when using a humbucker equipped guitar. You will have to tweak a bit for different guitars, some more than others, just like a real amp.
 
None of the factory presets has never sounded too dark here. Neither through studio monitors at low volume, or with headphones.

Some are darker and some brighter (depending on the guitar) but nothing abnormal that requires to drive the treble way up, as you say.

Guitar tone pot?
Bad cable?
New Axe-FX III? If it is second hand, check the global EQ or make a factory reset
Your presets, or the presets from Axechange, are they also dark?
 
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For my taste most of the presets sound a little dark too. It depends on your taste for IR´s, I guess. I like 3 Sigma IR´s, they have a lot of good AND brite sounding IR´s. ValhalIR´s are also on the bright side of life in a good way. But in the end they have to fit in the mix. Big difference between playing with headphones at home and recording and playing live.
 
I'd never played with the different IR's until yesterday, but it's been mentioned by several guys here that they play a big part in how your tone comes across, some have said as much as 50%. I found they can take your sound from one end of the spectrum to the other.
 
To me, many of the factory presets sound great right out of the box. They sound great for playing alone. To play with recorded music in the mix I might consider to cut some lows to make them fit. To play in the rehearse with the band I might consider to add some mids and highs to cut through.

They never made a jacket that works for summer and winter alltogether. You always need to grab the right clothes, the ones that fit at the time. And so are the sounds. How could they know what you use them for?
 
TSJMajesty said:
I'd never played with the different IR's until yesterday, but it's been mentioned by several guys here that they play a big part in how your tone comes across, some have said as much as 50%. I found they can take your sound from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Click to expand...

Just like speakers and cabs in the physical world. Im sure so many "this amp/guitar isnt for me i hate it" was preventable with a speaker or cab swap. But thats heavy, time consuming and possibly expensive. I prefer the IR trial haha.
 
Budda said:
Just like speakers and cabs in real life.
Click to expand...
👍 Back in school, the other guitar player bought a Marshall Plexi head, and we were all so jealous! But for the gig we had that same night, he just used the speakers in his Super Twin, and it sounded like ass after too many espressos! He wanted to return it, until he learned that he needed to use a particular brand of speaker called Celestion. So he bought 2, popped them in his Dual Showman cab, and voila! Sonic ecstasy.
 
TSJMajesty said:
I'd never played with the different IR's until yesterday, but it's been mentioned by several guys here that they play a big part in how your tone comes across, some have said as much as 50%. I found they can take your sound from one end of the spectrum to the other.
Click to expand...
BTW, I made the experience that if I like a certain factory preset it's usually because they took a good combination of the amp and the IR, not so much because of any special settings in the amp block. And so swapping the amp against a different one of the same kind also leads to good results instantly. Give it a try!
 
666was999 said:
BTW, I made the experience that if I like a certain factory preset it's usually because they took a good combination of the amp and the IR, not so much because of any special settings in the amp block. And so swapping the amp against a different one of the same kind also leads to good results instantly. Give it a try!
Click to expand...
I'll echo that, and also say, I've found presets where I like the effects, but the amp tone isn't quite what I want, but go into the amp block and turn on the Input Boost, play with some IR's, and it comes alive. I've been laying into a preset based on an Angle Severe, and it sounds great. It's got enough gain for my taste (think: Mesa high gain), but without any fizz (I can't seem to get a good Mesa tone that sounds good thru headphones), and just enough power for crunch chords. I mean, I'm a Mesa guy, and I don't even know what this amp is. Ears not eyes, right?
 
The recto sims shine with a distortion block in front with a low gain setting. That way you can add distortion while lowering the gain on the recto, which means you can lower that fizz some. At least that's how I like them.
 
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