Fractal Audio AMP models: Energyball (Engl Powerball)

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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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This is the amp sim, that i had a big expectations when I got the AFXII and it just never delivered. Even the Quantum update haven't bring this amp sim to life. For me at least. I've found my Engl brutality from the Savage sims, that are superb.

Maybe some day the "real" Engl Fireball tone will be found inside the AFXII.
 
This is the amp sim, that i had a big expectations when I got the AFXII and it just never delivered. Even the Quantum update haven't bring this amp sim to life. For me at least. I've found my Engl brutality from the Savage sims, that are superb.

Maybe some day the "real" Engl Fireball tone will be found inside the AFXII.
Yeah there's just something about the non-savage sims that don't quite feel right. Oh well
 
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I used to feel that way too. When I first got my Axe the Powerball model was underwhelming and the Savage esp the savage 2 really hit it for me. Just now I retried the Energyball model and got some quite Brootal tones out of it -cab choice make a huge difference I used a Framus ir that was floating around the forum some time ago that did the trick IMHO.
 
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I used to feel that way too. When I first got my Axe the Powerball model was underwhelming and the Savage esp the savage 2 really hit it for me. Just now I retried the Energyball model and got some quite Brootal tones out of it -cab choice make a huge difference I used a Framus ir that was floating around the forum some time ago that did the trick IMHO.

If you happen to remember the FRAMUS IR thread. Let me know.
 
Love me some engl. pb.Gets me my Nevermore and Symphx sounds.
I really hate the Powerball, the model and real amp. Michael's tone isn't that great at all. He's just a badass player. When did Nevermore switch to the PB? I thought that they used Dual Recs, at least on the early stuff like DHIADW (which is their best album in my opinion).
 
I really hate the Powerball, the model and real amp. Michael's tone isn't that great at all. He's just a badass player. When did Nevermore switch to the PB? I thought that they used Dual Recs, at least on the early stuff like DHIADW (which is their best album in my opinion).

I'm not sure when he started, but Loomis was a devotee of the ENGL amps right up until he started using the Kemper (due in part to Keith Merrow's influence, no doubt).
 
I'm not sure when he started, but Loomis was a devotee of the ENGL amps right up until he started using the Kemper (due in part to Keith Merrow's influence, no doubt).
Right. The ENGL Savage and a rack mount unit he's used, but my question was about the Powerball.
 
I really hate the Powerball, the model and real amp. Michael's tone isn't that great at all. He's just a badass player. When did Nevermore switch to the PB? I thought that they used Dual Recs, at least on the early stuff like DHIADW (which is their best album in my opinion).

I like his tone its unique and a bit buzzy so it cuts through. IN fact he used a line 6 vetta for most of his stuff until last 2? albums. Whose tone do you actually like? It's funny I like Petrucci's tone in solo vids, and demonstrations and yet it sounds like crap on most of the last several albums. Gets lost in the mix a lot.
 
I never really got good sounds out of this model. It's one of those amps, I'll try really hard for a while to get a good sound, I'll think I've got something good, then I'll switch back to my main patch and realise the powerball patch wasn't really good.

Can anyone say how well it compares to the real deal? I have heard good tones from the real deal on YouTube.

I will try messing with the bright switch. Does anyone else have any recommendations with where to start on settings?
 
My rythem guitarist has the engl fireball and during a rehearsal I was screwing around and starting messing around with a slightly tweaked powerball preset I got from silentundergroundstudios from April I think? Anyways is sounded almost identical to his tone with the real amp which doesn't make sense because different model amp, guitar, cab, pickups etc.. but it did .I don't use cab or pwr amp sims.. I run through a mesa 2:90 into a 1960b cab with Esp with emg81 and he has engl fireball with a custom cab with v30 and a Jackson with non active pickups. ..we were like wtf? Anyways the preset sounded pretty badass and we have been tone hunters for 20 Years now playing thrash metal..and like others here I didn't have much luck with the powerball previously. .there are so many variables..apparently the moon and the stars lined up perfectly for me somehow..
 
Because it's impossible (and too expensive) to buy and model every existing guitar amp.
 
Because it's impossible (and too expensive) to buy and model every existing guitar amp.
Yek advice on how to get Faulkner’s tone on axefx 3. I tried the Severe with numerous different cabs. I’m using a DiMarzio Super Distortion in bridge. Thanks
 
Also had his settings for Powerball 2 from a video he did on YouTube. But can’t get that Firepower tone with energyball or severe. Of course I’m not that great at making tones but I bought and tried lots of different cabs. Lol.
 
Sorry, no clue. Just ask in the Preset Exchange section.
 
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