cole lewis
Experienced
What was that you said? I didn't quite catch that..Earwax blockage. Solution: bypass the CAB block.
What was that you said? I didn't quite catch that..Earwax blockage. Solution: bypass the CAB block.
Hello,
I’ve been an Axe Fx user since the Ultra days, owned the II and now the III. Been loving the units since day one! I typically just use it in the studio and always just pleased with the unit.
I recently came across a YouTube video () where Paul creates a basic tone pretty quick. Sounds great! I’m always interested into watching videos like this whether basic or advanced just cause I always end up learning something new.
That being said, I really liked the tone Paul got in the video pretty quickly so I figured I’d build the patch alongside the video to save for future use. I gotta say though, the sound I was getting was quite muddy or tubby compared to his video where I felt he had a clear/tight tone.
It made me start to check a whole bunch of things to see where my chain was different from his and went down a bit of a rabbit hole of forum posts. People mentioning about their interface, monitors, guitars, etc for what could contribute to this. My chain - I was using my 52 RI Tele, then into the axe fx, monitoring through Adam S4X’s + Sennheiser HD6xx’s. I typically run the signal through my Apollo X8 with whatever plugins, but in this case I wanted to match him so I didn’t put anything. Even plugging headphones direct into the headphone Jack didn’t change anything. Tried different headphones, same issue.
I did notice that he was on a slightly earlier firmware (fw 20.01) and I’m on 20.03 (was there a big jump there?). I have the same IR as him, put the same settings. Granted, guitars are different but would that make that big of a difference with such a low end muddy-Ness? I don’t think I have a POS Tele compared to his but I definitely know it’s not exactly the greatest either. I even reached out asking if he’s running anything after the axe Fx (EQ, Filtering, etc) which he is not.
I ended up just slapping a UAD API channel strip, rolling up the bottom end til about 80 hz and giving a little top end boost around 8k. Matched much better but still very puzzled why there was that big a difference. Any thoughts?
(Btw, I probably make it sound like this is a game changer difference and that I'm not happy with my Axe Fx, which both are far from the truth but just wanted to share my thoughts and see if I'm missing something here)
Yep, tone is in the hands! Many guys don't believe it.....but it is thereThere’s an aspect that doesn’t get brought up much but I think it’s worth mentioning; sometimes you’ve got to ’lean into’ certain amps/tones to have them deliver the tones you’re expecting from them. I think this is what hangs people up with the “this guy was using the same preset, guitar and pickups but it doesn’t sound like that when I play it.”.
I was learning a Queensryche tune this week and made a quick preset using a boosted Marshall, got it in the ballpark and started playing, realized the palm muted notes were sounding flubby and didn’t have the attack I’d expect from a boosted Marshall, but instead of tweaking my way out of it, I tweaked my picking hand/attack and it did the trick. I just had to lay into the strings a bit more and ‘work for it’.
The same holds true for actual amps. Sometimes what we expect an amp to do/sound like doesn’t meet up with how we play and it’s a marriage between the two that delivers what we’re wanting to hear.
How is anyone supposed to know without hearing a sample? Can you post one?I have the same IR as him, put the same settings. Granted, guitars are different but would that make that big of a difference with such a low end muddy-Ness?
Hello,
I’ve been an Axe Fx user since the Ultra days, owned the II and now the III. Been loving the units since day one! I typically just use it in the studio and always just pleased with the unit.
I recently came across a YouTube video () where Paul creates a basic tone pretty quick. Sounds great! I’m always interested into watching videos like this whether basic or advanced just cause I always end up learning something new.
That being said, I really liked the tone Paul got in the video pretty quickly so I figured I’d build the patch alongside the video to save for future use. I gotta say though, the sound I was getting was quite muddy or tubby compared to his video where I felt he had a clear/tight tone.
It made me start to check a whole bunch of things to see where my chain was different from his and went down a bit of a rabbit hole of forum posts. People mentioning about their interface, monitors, guitars, etc for what could contribute to this. My chain - I was using my 52 RI Tele, then into the axe fx, monitoring through Adam S4X’s + Sennheiser HD6xx’s. I typically run the signal through my Apollo X8 with whatever plugins, but in this case I wanted to match him so I didn’t put anything. Even plugging headphones direct into the headphone Jack didn’t change anything. Tried different headphones, same issue.
I did notice that he was on a slightly earlier firmware (fw 20.01) and I’m on 20.03 (was there a big jump there?). I have the same IR as him, put the same settings. Granted, guitars are different but would that make that big of a difference with such a low end muddy-Ness? I don’t think I have a POS Tele compared to his but I definitely know it’s not exactly the greatest either. I even reached out asking if he’s running anything after the axe Fx (EQ, Filtering, etc) which he is not.
I ended up just slapping a UAD API channel strip, rolling up the bottom end til about 80 hz and giving a little top end boost around 8k. Matched much better but still very puzzled why there was that big a difference. Any thoughts?
(Btw, I probably make it sound like this is a game changer difference and that I'm not happy with my Axe Fx, which both are far from the truth but just wanted to share my thoughts and see if I'm missing something here)
The Axe-FX is not muddy by itself. Start by installing the same firmware as him, use the same components as him, play with the same technique, and you should get the same results. The only variable in this equation that doesn't change is the Axe-FX hardware.
On one occasion people commented that Leon Todd presets didn't sound the same as his YouTube videos, even using the same guitar. Leon shared the raw tracks of his guitar for reamping, and then they admitted that it was exactly the same tone. It was his playing that made the difference!
yes! A few dB too low will turn any great sound into fizzy garbage. Also applies to physical amps. It's all about the presentation.I will say this. When I monitor at home at low volumes, my presets all sound dull and lifeless. When I play these presets out, they sounds fine. Listening volume has quite a bit to do with how we perceive sound and frequency response.
Randall
You may already be using this feature without even knowing it.Whats the Q on the cut? Is it a hard cut? I'd never cut so high unless its just a couple dBs and I'd probably look for a surgical Q to just affect the problem frequency. Granted thats where the mud lives, but all the balls in heavier tones and the warmth live there, too.
I honestly never even look at the input EQ, if I ever adjust anything beyond the amp controls I gravitate to the 5 band mark style EQ and that’s rare. I tend to pepper with amp controls as well as high and low cuts in the cab block. If something here sounded muddy, I’d probably start with a low cut in the cab block there.You may already be using this feature without even knowing it.
Example - select the JMP1 - OD1 amp....go look at the default Input EQ that is set.
I assume Cliff defaults it this way because there is something in the actual amp (or rack, in this case) that is enabling that same high cut.
Thank you for taking the time to do this! Sorry I haven’t been back to my axe Fx to experiment any further. It looks like you arrived at the same conclusion.We are all
I've started following the steps of that video.
At 3:00 he checks the direct tone of his guitar. Just a IN block directly to OUT block. My S540FM sounds as good as his. Different character compared to his Tele, but not lacking clarity or brilliance.
At 3:35 he plays with a default Amp (Dirty Shirley) and a default CAB (Factory1). That's where my tone doesn't sound even remotely like him. It is really muddy. There must be something different at his settings or he must have tweaked the preset, because it sounds totally different from what I get here.
At 4:40 he selects User CAB YA MRSH 412 M25 57vOA-1. I select the same. My tone is still dark. Muddy and nasal
I am not following that video further from there because I do not want to waste time. There is something weird.
You have been using the Axe-FX since the Ultra. You should know how to move forward without the need to follow that particular video, which is also very basic for an experienced user. There are many other good videos and good presets there
I attach the basic preset, as made at that video
I was curious and I tried this today.
With a Telecaster (I had to borrow one) it does sound similar to the YouTube video when I listening to my Studio Monitors or Headphones.
Note that some presets might be dialed in to sound good at band volumes so they won't sound right at low volumes.I've gone back to that, and I got the same result: a muddy tone. Your concern was totally legit, although the formulation was a little bit confusing.
So, the accurate questions of this thread are: Are the Axe-FX III AMP/CAB default settings muddy? and Why do these AMP/CAB default settings sound good at that YouTube video but not at our Axe-FX III?
Not a big issue, but big curiosity