Finally figured why...

SteveW

SteveW

Experienced
...my tones always started off dark and muddy...and why I had to tweak them, always increasing mid, treble, presence and brightness.

All my IR's had the MIC's set to off. I set them to DYN 57 and some at DYN 58..and holy fuck Batman...what a night and day difference!

All my patches just woke right up. Now they sound like the real amp/ cab's they emulate - and my power chords punch right through!

The changes are dramatic, and I have dropped the mid, treble, presence and brightness controls several DB across all of my patches.

So to anyone asking about why patches sound muddy and dark initially...JUST CHECK YOUR IR's to make sure your mics are on!
 
IR's typically already have the effect of the mic "baked-in" as part of the IR creation process. Most of my IR's have folders of the respective mic or mics used, sometimes a blend of several mics.

By adding the mic setting your essentially adding an EQ curve on top of the already EQ curved IR.

Doesn't mean this is a bad thing, its simply another way to provide some tonal adjustment, but generally I think the consensus will be to set the mic settings to none or null. I know I for one haven't messed with those parameters in ages, as I simply pick an IR shot with the type of mics I prefer
 
Hey do whatever works for ya but most if not all IRs already have a mic burnt into them as part of the capturing process. Heck, Cliff has been quoted stating that the Mic parameter is essentially obsolete.

If I want a brighter or darker tone I just select a variant of the IR which is easy to do when you get a cab pack.
 
For the most part.......All commercial IRs and all of the 'Ultra-Res' Factory IRs.....

There is usually a suffix added to the IR name that indicates which mic(s) where used?
 
I agree about using mics in the cab block, sounds awesome really makes the cabs come to life. I think a lot of people dismiss it without trying.
 
If you always have to add it, then you might be using the wrong IRs or...like me, have a guitar that has less high end than most? I too find the Factory presets very dark?

Don't be afraid to crank the amp controls if needed. (use your ears, not your eyes). Or add some high end in the Amp block EQ page. Sometimes I will add a bunch of high end with the Amp block 'Basic' page and then cut it in the EQ page. And sometimes do the opposite. It's all about 'Pre-EQ' vs 'Post-EQ'
 
Different mics have different response patterns and accentuate and attenuate different frequencies, nothing more, nothing less, especially with regards to an IR which to date, is a static capture.

You could go and use of the mic models (which are IR's themselves), or you could go and insert a parametic EQ block, or use the amp controls etc and essentially get the same effect.

The one nice thing with the mic IR's is that it provides different EQ curves at the twist of a dial. Want a little more top end "sizzle" ? Try a SM57 mic model, it will give a nice upper midrange boost, so on and so forth


You can EQ things about 50 different ways in the Axe, so no one way is right or wrong, as Moke said, if it sounds good, it is good
 
I'm glad it solves your problem, but it sounds like something that would be better handled at the source... if *everything* is too dark for you, you may want to try a different guitar or monitoring set-up to make sure it's not one of those.

Nothing worse than tweaking to your delight, and then sending a soundman a tear-your-face-off bright signal because your monitors are actually really really dark.

And if you've only tried with one guitar, it could be bad wiring, dark pups, or the guitar itself.

Could also be a really long cable to the Axe, or any other "darkening" factor.
 
Glad that works for you. In my case, I don't use Mic's in Cab sims, as the whole concepts seems silly to me.
IR's are already captured with mics, so the Mic is already there.
Adding another mic would be buttery butter.
 
FreeMind said:
Glad that works for you. In my case, I don't use Mic's in Cab sims, as the whole concepts seems silly to me. IR's are already captured with mics, so the Mic is already there.
Click to expand...

In this case it's not about adding a mic for the sake of adding a mic. It's about shaping tone, and mics like the '57 & '58 are great at reducing mud and imparting clarity.
 
Jason Scott said:
In this case it's not about adding a mic for the sake of adding a mic. It's about shaping tone, and mics like the '57 & '58 are great at reducing mud and imparting clarity.
Click to expand...
Sure. And I respect that.
But when using the Axe, my aim is to get the most authentic sounding results possible. That's just what I want to do. I want it to sound like a real mic'ed amp.
Mic'ing a mic'ed signal is physically impossible.
 
electronpirate said:
Most of my cabs have no mic's. Every experience is different.

I use the CAB tricks that are outlined on the forum.
Click to expand...

I'm probably just being a dunce but are you referring to information on the forum in general or is there a "cab tricks" post I can't find? I'm happy with my sound but your comment intrigued me. Thanks!
 
How loud do you play? When I play at low volume at home, I tend to had some highs but at loud volume, the same tone would be too ear pearcing!
 
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