Fuzz FX blocks and ... virtual 'buffering'?

spaceranger

Member
Obviously, the actual physical inputs of the unit are an inherent buffer, and perhaps that makes the entire question here moot, but I'm just curious about how the internal virtual signal chain works, really. Is it relevant to say that the virtual connections between FX blocks are inherently virtually 'buffered'? When you put a wah block in front of a fuzz block, would the impedance of that virtual connection be expected to work just like a similar physical wah->fuzz chain? Is this actually a moot question, when it comes down to it?
 
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This kind of question comes up from time to time about the fuzz face model. The physical FF pedal is unbuffered and the sound is greatly influenced by various characteristics of the input signal and the power source. That's why rolling off the volume on the guitar going straight into a FF pedal has such a profound impact on the tone.

None of that happens with the model in the AxeFX.

Personally, I'd like to see a control on the FF based drive models that allows you to simulate the effect of rolling off the volume on the guitar (or putting some other kind of pedal, like a WAH, in front of it), and I'd like to see it assignable to a modifier so that it can be attached to an expression pedal. But in any event, you wouldn't be able to have it directly respond to rolling off the volume on the guitar.

I think the direct answer to your question is "no", I think. The models don't interact with each other the way that you seem to be asking.
 
You can also play with using the dynamics modifier on the drive and tone controls in the fuzz face block so that the heavier you hit the strings or the more the wah is swept, the more bloom you get.

Most of my presets in my cab packs have one example of how to set this drive block modification up. Check my signature.
 
Awesome, thank you! These are all answers I was looking for. I'll have to go play now with the Input-Z feature, and using a dynamics modifier is a wonderful idea. In hindsight, it seems obvious I suppose, that's what it's for, really.
 
Pretty much all the top quality wah pedals these days have buffer circuits to solve that very fuzz into wah, vs wah into fuzz, connection issues, so its a case of the 'real world' pedals actually behaving like the virtual blocks in the Axe these days

Also for what its worth, I agree the roll off of the volume pot on the Axe fuzz block just doesn't behave like a proper Ge fuzz would. What I've found best as a work around though is tweaking the fuzz settings, and rolling the volume off a bit. Volume alone won't clean up well enough, but you can just use a scene 2 settings, x/y block etc, so when you do roll the volume back a bit, you switch to the lower drive setting, touch more bass et al., and it sounds quite similar.

Or, one could just always stick a fuzz in front of the Axe and have the real pedal interaction. I've actually bought a few fuzz pedals of late, and they work well in front of the Axe, with the obvious volume and tone interactions that is hard to model with the Axe
 
Or, one could just always stick a fuzz in front of the Axe and have the real pedal interaction. I've actually bought a few fuzz pedals of late, and they work well in front of the Axe, with the obvious volume and tone interactions that is hard to model with the Axe

This.
 
You can simulate the effect of a guitar into a Fuzz-Face using the Input-Z feature. But you can't simulate something like a Wah into a Fuzz-Face because the virtual connections between blocks are "buffered".
I can't find the Input-Z feature.

I have never liked the sounds of the fuzzes so I'm hoping this can make a difference.

EDIT: I found it in the Input Gate section but there seems to be nothing in the Manual about it. I have no idea what these values refer to.
 
Experiment! That's where the fun lies (well that and playing, too). :)
 
Um what is buffering?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffer_amplifier

Free-Shipping-Super-Mini-Guitar-Effect-Pedal-Zero-Loss-Clean-Buffer-Pedal-Guitar-Effect-And-True.jpg
 
Use input impedance in noise gate block and set at 90k and the fuzz will feel and work better

To me it is noticeable compared to the default “Auto” Impedance setting.
 
I find it changes the tone for the positive, however, the volume pot interaction still can’t be modeled correctly.

It’s very linear on the drive models, while a real pedal generally will have that significant cleanup over a small range of the volume pot

For example, I can get from wooly fuzz at 10 to edge of breakup at 9, and by 7 it’s spanking clean, with lots of in between tones

On the drive models there is hardly any change from 10 to 7, and if you back off more it just gets quieter and kind of muted sounded, none of that sparkling clean

You can turn the gain down and the level up, along with the volume pot back and get in the ballpark, but you can’t do that trick where you have a set worth of tones with just slight tweaks of the volume pot
 
I find it changes the tone for the positive, however, the volume pot interaction still can’t be modeled correctly.

It’s very linear on the drive models, while a real pedal generally will have that significant cleanup over a small range of the volume pot

For example, I can get from wooly fuzz at 10 to edge of breakup at 9, and by 7 it’s spanking clean, with lots of in between tones

On the drive models there is hardly any change from 10 to 7, and if you back off more it just gets quieter and kind of muted sounded, none of that sparkling clean

You can turn the gain down and the level up, along with the volume pot back and get in the ballpark, but you can’t do that trick where you have a set worth of tones with just slight tweaks of the volume pot
Damn, I'm just gonna plan to stick my pickle into the front of my axe
 
I did a deep dive into the Tonebender - Fuzzface - Buzzaround world several years ago and ended up with several boutique clones that sound and respond the way they should. As everybody here knows, the Fuzz in the FM9 does only about one of the 5 or so sounds that a physical one does when loaded by a guitar.

How challenging would it be to create a new block that duplicated the effect of the Guitar Pickup Simulator - https://www.muzique.com/lab/pickups.htm ?
I would imagine the resistive element could be modified with either a knob - Performance page - or a controller pedal.

Putting that in front of the fuzz block should provide the expected load to the input of the fuzz, and also have it be adjustable on the fly as it can be in the real world.
 
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