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* EDIT: Up-to-date information is available in Yek's Guide to the Fractal Audio Amplifier Models *
Click to see all published editions so far.
ENERGYBALL: based on Engl Powerball
The Powerball is another amp from the German company Engl. It’s a high gain amp with lots of bass, great for aggressive, drop-tuned riff work. 100 watts, 6L6 tubes.
Engl manual:
It’s a two-channel amp, with two modes per channel. Channel 1 offers Clean and Crunch. Channel 2 offers two lead modes.
The model is based on the Lead channel, so we’ll skip the first channel.
Channel 2’s controls are: Gain (input sensitivity), Bass, Mid-Open, Mid-Focused, Treble, Lo Lead Volume, Hi Lead Volume, Open/Focused switch, Lo Lead Bottom switch, Hi Lead Bottom switch, Gain Lo/Hi, Master. The Bottom switches alter the EQ by boosting the low end range. The Open/Focused switches between two mid-range (300-500 Hz) voicings. Open: looser. Focused: tighter. I think that our model is based on the "focused" voicing (but I don't know for sure).
Global controls: Presence, Depth Punch. And it has Master Volume controls. This means that the amp’s distortion is created in particular by the preamp tubes, not the power amp. The Master Volume, which works in the power amp section, is very important to the tone and feel. You have to decide for yourself what setting in the model works for you best. I think the default setting is a little high, so I decrease that.
Engl uses Celestion V30 and V60 speakers. You’ll find many V30s among the stock cabs.Cab #047 is an IR of an Engl 4x12 PRO cabinet with V30s, created by Red Wirez. Note: the Red Wirez IRs in the Axe-Fx II and AX8 have been captured using an neutral microphone, so you may want to add a mic model in the Cab block.
Click to see all published editions so far.
ENERGYBALL: based on Engl Powerball
The Powerball is another amp from the German company Engl. It’s a high gain amp with lots of bass, great for aggressive, drop-tuned riff work. 100 watts, 6L6 tubes.
Engl manual:
“A four-channel, all-tube powered head, the Powerball offers sound-shaping options unrivalled by any other amp. Designed to satisfy the exacting demands of discerning players, it delivers all the tonal hues and colors you need to paint the most vivid musical pictures imaginable. Housed inside this newly designed enclosure is a powerhouse 100-watt amp boasting 6L6GC tubes. It delivers the sonic goods you need to dial in everything from contemporary ultra-high gain lead tone to crystal-clear clean and punchy crunch sounds. An astonishing amount of gain reserves, remarkable tonal versatility, and bone-rattling bottom end have crowned the Powerball king of the heap among modern-day guitar amps. Courtesy of its ability to crank out tight, focused low end, glossy top end and jaw-dropping sound pressure levels, this amp provides the contemporary guitarist with richly detailed tone and the kind of cut-thru-the-din assertiveness that sets standards for amps of this class. And in keeping with the ENGL tradition of engineering excellence, it sports a host of hip features: a second master volume, electronic power amp monitoring, an adjustable FX loop, and a Depth Punch knob that shapes the power amp's response by beefing up the low end. But that's not the last word on this ENGL head's innovative features: You also get two different sound voicings, Open and Focused. We created these voicings to extend the range of lead sounds you have at your disposal by tweaking mid-range response to suit different playing styles and applications.”
It’s a two-channel amp, with two modes per channel. Channel 1 offers Clean and Crunch. Channel 2 offers two lead modes.
The model is based on the Lead channel, so we’ll skip the first channel.
Channel 2’s controls are: Gain (input sensitivity), Bass, Mid-Open, Mid-Focused, Treble, Lo Lead Volume, Hi Lead Volume, Open/Focused switch, Lo Lead Bottom switch, Hi Lead Bottom switch, Gain Lo/Hi, Master. The Bottom switches alter the EQ by boosting the low end range. The Open/Focused switches between two mid-range (300-500 Hz) voicings. Open: looser. Focused: tighter. I think that our model is based on the "focused" voicing (but I don't know for sure).
Global controls: Presence, Depth Punch. And it has Master Volume controls. This means that the amp’s distortion is created in particular by the preamp tubes, not the power amp. The Master Volume, which works in the power amp section, is very important to the tone and feel. You have to decide for yourself what setting in the model works for you best. I think the default setting is a little high, so I decrease that.
The Energyball can be a little difficult to dial in. To make it work for me, I have to turn down Bass a lot, turn up Gain to at least 6 and turn down the Master Volume to, say, 2.50.
Engl uses Celestion V30 and V60 speakers. You’ll find many V30s among the stock cabs.Cab #047 is an IR of an Engl 4x12 PRO cabinet with V30s, created by Red Wirez. Note: the Red Wirez IRs in the Axe-Fx II and AX8 have been captured using an neutral microphone, so you may want to add a mic model in the Cab block.
Cab Pack 19 by ML Sound contains a full library of that were captured of an Engl 4x12 Pro Straight Cabinet with Chinese Celestion Vintage 30 speakers.
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