FW10 / Gain Enhancer Reflections

jlynnb1

Axe-Master
After spending some time with FW10 and the gain enhancer, I really DO feel like this a pretty big step forward. It's not necessarily a sound/tone thing....it's a feel/response thing.

Before I'd use an always on/first stage OD to get the feel response I wanted from an amp, but more and more over the last couple of weeks I've found myself leaving them off and the clean/cleanish amp is responding the way I'd expect a loud amp too.

I don't know if that makes sense, but it's something that's become increasingly apparent to me. YMMV
 
After spending some time with FW10 and the gain enhancer, I really DO feel like this a pretty big step forward. It's not necessarily a sound/tone thing....it's a feel/response thing.

Before I'd use an always on/first stage OD to get the feel response I wanted from an amp, but more and more over the last couple of weeks I've found myself leaving them off and the clean/cleanish amp is responding the way I'd expect a loud amp too.

I don't know if that makes sense, but it's something that's become increasingly apparent to me. YMMV
I feel you. The gain enhancer is exceptional. I use it in all my presets as standard. And you don’t need to add much. About 2 is heaps for me.

FAS is always raising the bar with Firmware updates and tweaks, but the gain enhancer was like a revelation from nowhere which made a huge step forward IMO. That and the new FASPICE - oh man XD
 
Agreed. To me it increases the dynamics between the volume knob and the modeled amp. Fractal does well with this but this makes it even more apparent. I found Kemper and Headrush to be able to go from really distorted to fairly clean without losing a ton of volume better than others and the gain enhancer seems to help replicate this. I don't know if it's "real" or not but it's really useful.
 
Agreed, I sold my Axe8 last week, got my new III fired up yesterday and have had a few hours of importing/tweaking my existing presets (mostly clean/edge of breakup) and the Gain Enhancer is adding something nice to every amp I've tried it on so far. It will take a bit of live playing and adjustment to dial it in exactly (so far in rehearsal space, I'm finding between 1.0 and 2.0 for amount to be right, depending on amp). But it's now an integral part of the sound for all of my presets.
 
Understood. Interestingly, our gig volumes are quite low, usually small pubs and venues, so to be able to get that cranked amp sensation at very low volumes is great when we do a song that requires it.
 
Am I the only one that goes nuts with the gain enhancer? Seems like everyone uses just a little of it. One of my favorite presets is a clean setting that I can crank the gain enhancer from 0 up to 10 with a pedal and actually have a serviceable lead tone. Throw in a drive pedal and it's just amazeballs. And sure as shit as you move the pedal it sounds and feels exactly like cranking up the volume on a real amp in a room. It's more noticeable on a clean sound actually. I don't use nearly as much of it with other presets, but it's a ton of fun to have a preset or two that you can go over the top with. It's surprisingly still very useable even cranked all the way up.

Is it overkill? Yeah. Is overkill fun? Yep.
 
Am I the only one that goes nuts with the gain enhancer? Seems like everyone uses just a little of it. One of my favorite presets is a clean setting that I can crank the gain enhancer from 0 up to 10 with a pedal and actually have a serviceable lead tone. Throw in a drive pedal and it's just amazeballs. And sure as shit as you move the pedal it sounds and feels exactly like cranking up the volume on a real amp in a room. It's more noticeable on a clean sound actually. I don't use nearly as much of it with other presets, but it's a ton of fun to have a preset or two that you can go over the top with. It's surprisingly still very useable even cranked all the way up.

Is it overkill? Yeah. Is overkill fun? Yep.
Gotta do what works for you and your ears! I've also been happy turning this up and currently digging it on around 4 for both clean and dirty tones. It's fab :)
 
I've tried it with the gain enhancer on high values, and I like it a lot! I prefer lower the gain and crank the enhancer. Have only tried it at moderate volumes yet, but as the volume increases I'd definitely want to lower it....just like reverb

If anyone gets a chance to play with it cranked up at gig volumes, let's hear your feedback! I'd love to leave it cranked as much as possible haha
 
Does the gain enhancer behave differently in stereo vs mono?
I haven't tried it yet but it sounds interesting!

I track and prefer stereo but live usually play mono so there is less risk of things going wrong in the chain outside my control, is why I ask.
 
I'll have to try lower gain and higher gain enhancer. I don't need the amps to be djent tight but seems like it could get a bit fuzzy with high gain.

Does the GE feed back into the amp model gain? Or is it some kind of generic clipping overdrive?
 
At gig volumes you probably don't need any Gain Enhancer. It's designed to simulate the acoustic reinforcement of playing loud. But there are no rules so try it.

I haven't delved into this. We play at about 95-100 db in the mains, but with no live amps on stage - everyone using in-ears. So, even though it's a gig, I think it's the perfect solution, because I have no sympathetic amp vibrations to my strings. I will check this out shortly.
 
I prefer lower the gain and crank the enhancer.

Yeah, totally agree. I think this is really what its intended to do. If you use the gain enhancer, you should reduce the amp gain. I don't get much from it at vaues of 1, I usually go between 2 and 3.5. But I might try it with even lower amp gain & even higher gain enhancer to see what happens.

BTW, I have been reducing input trim, trying to keep the eq balance the same.
 
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