Distorted tone help

[discondition]

@Oshin It's a shame that not everyone is supportive. Your latest preset is sounding way better btw
Like others have said, "less is often more" with boosts / gain / eq curves etc.

Learning to really dial-in good tones is an art for sure.
What's worked the best for me so far, is to pick a track that I really love the guitar tone on, and literally A / B it with my guitar.
Often I do a quick recording of the riff in my DAW as a DI track and reamp it, looping it next to the riff in the track I am trying to copy.
It really helps me to focus on the tone as I change things, rather than playing the guitar between tweaking.

Best of luck with it

 

[State of Epicicity]

I always suggest posting a matching DI with playing samples / preset in this sort of situation because it provides the forum a way to take that DI/preset, tweak the preset, and present a revised output back to the requestor. Without a DI, it always almost seems fitile to me to guess beyond the typical culprits (just too many variables and inability to hear through someone elses room, monitors, ears), what the issue could be. I know it probably sounds tedius at this point in the thread after a lot of back and forth already, but making that matching DI available really does provide others a way to remotely play your guitar back to you with your hands on your monitors while tweaking your preset with proposed changes. You've already posted samples, preset, and reference music - matching DI would be the last piece (sorry if it is already there / I could not find it (long thread).

Yes, this is totally right. I should've posted this idea earlier.

With A DI posted, someone may have time to create a preset for you, so you can see maybe a different path to a good tone.

To expand on my earlier suggestion, two mics out of alignment make a powerful EQ, and it's the only way I make a preset. Really, that's all I did before I got an Axe-FX III. I like to set the second mic between 50-75ms out from the first, going by ear until the tone isn't harsh, then messing with the mic placement to get the right midrange and using the amp to control control the highs and lows. I don't use any actual EQ these days.

I agree that you will be able to get the best tone possible out of your Fractal unit. Y just have to find the right way, and posting a DI may be the way to get there. Best of luck regardless!

 

[jayjay347912]

Sorry to have to revive this but I am still no closer to getting better distorted tones. I wiped everything and packed it away for about a month and just played acoustic. Set it up again, dialled in a clean preset from scratch in a few minutes which sounded amazing, played for hours on it. The next day tried a high gain tone and still uninspiring. I am so frustrated and don't know what to do anymore, if I can't get it sorted I will have to sell it because it is killing my playing.

Hi there,

Since updating to FW 26 I am having trouble getting my distorted tones sounding right, there is this unpleasant low end build up as well as strange harsh hi end. Overall my tone is lacking punch and definition to me. My go to is the 5153 100watt blue with a YA Mesa OS V30 57/121 mix. I used to use a YA Friedman 57/121 mix for second guitar but they are too shrill now. Axe FX 3 is used as interface with Yamaha HS 7 monitors.
Things I have tried. Reinstalling FW 26 several times, resetting everything, restoring to factory settings, deleted user cabs and reinstalled, hi and low cuts in the amp and cab blocks, watched a heap of videos especially Leon Todd's, checked input monitoring is not on in my DAW, checked leads, gave my ears a break for a few days, changes strings and checked intonation on my guitar and tried a different guitar.I have been using Fractal since the Ultra, not sure what's going on, am I possibly missing something in the settings? Also no global EQ's being used.

Any ideas would be appreciated, thank you.

The input/pre eq. in the amp block set from 800-1000hz with a "round" q helps a lot in some cases. Careful not to q it too surgical and narrow though, then you will get that "quacky" mid honk. That's all I do on some of my presets and no other boosts are needed.Not sure what others have said but the master volume is a game changer for high gain. Lower settings just below the "clipping" meter can open an amp up MASSIVELY. The built in boosts on the amp block are kickass, but sometimes it's ok to back off the 12db "default" because it's a tad too much and mushes stuff up. All of my chugga presets have enough high end to sizzle but not fizz, enough mids to cut but not "quack", and enough bass too flap but not flub..not to mention the clarity and punch are godly. And my FrFR is so embarrassing... that I would get hung around here if these fellas found out what type it is. There has to be something simple that is hiding from you. If anything since beta 2 I use less if any pre/post eq than ever before.Best of luck though