GT1000FX advice... presets sound muffled

Rekster

Rekster

Experienced
So I took the plunge and picked up the GT1000FX-2U, just hooked it up tonight. I have it running to both my Mesa 2x12 recto horizontal and Marshall 4x12 1960AV cabinets. Just to clarify my set up - I'm currently using 1/4inch cables from Output 3 on my Axe FX III into the GT1000FX. And yes I'm bypassing the Cab block.

I have a few questions for those who have experience with this power amp (into traditional guitar cabs).

For starters, I notice the output level on Output 3 is by default significantly lower than Output 1.

But my real problem is that my presets sound bad. They sound muffled and dead and are lacking high frequencies. I didn't experience this when using the power amps in my Mesa tube amps into to the same cabinets.

I experimented by adding a GEQ before Output 3 and bumping 1,2,4k a little and it made significant improvements to the muffled sound. Of course I don't want to do this on every preset.

One thought I had was to pick up some XLR cables, use Output 2 (instead of Output 3) into the GT1000FX and set a Global EQ setting for Output 2 to bump the higher frequencies on all my presets. Does this make sense?

Has anyone else had this experience with the GT1000FX and if so how did you solve it? Any advice or input would be appreciated.

Thanks!
 
Do you have power amp modeling turned off? Make sure that is on...

Post a couple presets so people can take a look.
 
And, yes, Output 3/4 are optimized for a different purpose so they are lower volume. You can make them louder by turning up the level in the Output block.
 
I have Gtx1000. I'm using the out2 output. I have a guitar packet 212 connected. Modeling of amplifiers is switched on. Everything sounds great.
First, change the output to out2 and skip Cab in the preset.
 
Mystik said:
I have Gtx1000. I'm using the out2 output. I have a guitar packet 212 connected. Modeling of amplifiers is switched on. Everything sounds great.
First, change the output to out2 and skip Cab in the preset.
Click to expand...
He already said he is bypassing the cab block. There is no reason for him to change from Output 3. It will be fine... I've been using that with mine for months.
 
Thanks everyone, I've been bouncing so much between different presets, various setups (FRFR studio monitors, tube amps with cabs, SS amp with cabs) and so I think my ears are starting to play tricks on me. It sounds better tonight for some reason, maybe my ears were tired last night or maybe I'm just adjusting to things still. This stuff can drive a man nuts sometimes... Also the GT1000 was sitting on a porch in the frigid cold for 3 days straight before I was able to pick it up and hook it up. I wouldn't think that temperature could affect the sound with solid state like it does with tube amps though, right? It's just electronics... In any case I'll do some more playing around for another week and if it still doesn't sound right I'll post my presets for your opinions. I was more curious if others needed to make adjustments with this particular amp. I truly appreciate your input!
 
Ok, I did a test tonight and recorded a similar chunky riff through both the GT1000FX and then through the FX return of my Mesa tube amps (Mark V and TC-100). Nothing else changed, same guitar, same mics, same cabs, same presets. All I did was move the output on the Axe FX III between the power amps. I really want to love this Matrix amp but honestly you tell me what you think... it's not necessarily bad but it feels like something is missing with it. I'll also include the direct recording from the Axe FX III into my DAW so you can see that the preset is fine. And of course as expected the direct recording sounds the best of them all. :)

Any thoughts?

Mesa:
Matrix:
 
Well, yes, that will sound different. You should turn off power amp modeling with the tube amps and turn it on with the Matrix.
 
unix-guy said:
Well, yes, that will sound different. You should turn off power amp modeling with the tube amps and turn it on with the Matrix.
Click to expand...

Good point unix-guy, I forgot about power amp modeling - which certainly wasn't providing a level playing field. It's much more balanced now between the two amps now but the tube amps are definitely providing a brighter and more sparkly tone. I'm back to adding maybe +1 or so to 1k and 2k with a GEQ to get the Matrix to liven up a bit.

Here's my dilemma. Even if I prefer the tube amp, by disabling power amp modelling my direct/FOH tone will be affected. Which is why I was really hoping to fall in love with the Matrix. I want to have an inspiring tone through my cabinets, and also send an unaltered direct tone to FOH. I'll have to play with it some more over the weekend to get a better feel for it but I'm hoping with that small boost to the 1k and 2k frequencies on the Matrix I'll be happy with it... Again it certainly doesn't sound bad, it's just missing some highs that the tube amp was providing. Hopefully I can find what I'm looking for. Thanks for your input.
 
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I reached out to Matrix and they pretty much confirmed everything I've been saying here about the high end. Here's their response:

"The amps tends to "come alive" round about 1 o clock onwards. Remember also that the amp is pretty much a blank canvas and will reproduce what you feed into it. If you used a tube power amp section power those tend to give a pretty big EQ spike at the low end and then some top end sizzle. In the modeller it should be possible to recreate that and if your patches were dialled in for a tube power section you usually have to re-tweak and add those elements back in to the sound."

What I CAN say, is that this level of support and understanding from Matrix is absolutely top notch. What a great company!!
 
Rekster said:
I reached out to Matrix and they pretty much confirmed everything I've been saying here about the high end. Here's their response:

"The amps tends to "come alive" round about 1 o clock onwards”
Click to expand...

Yep, I think I’ve seen quite a few Matrix owners here state that they run theirs at 2 o clock or so. I started running mine there when I read that, and it really made a difference.
 
Don't know if you solved you issue or not - I have the same amp. Yes - I keep the amp volume around 2:00 and use the axe for volume control.
Amp sims on.
Some amps default settings just sound dark. Not all - but some.
The Low freq res on the speaker page can help with a real cab - adjust to your cabs res freq.
I tend to turn bass way down on most patches - or use bass cut switch. Also take some more bass out in the geq page.
Also sometimes the default master volume is at 10 - I find if I dial it down a bit, that might help a little with the "Darkness".
 
Kind of. I still find any presets without modifications sound muffled. Like a heavy blanket is over my cabs. I can tweak a Graphic EQ to make things better but it's a bit of an aggravation. I recently moved the Matrix to Output 2 so rather than a Graphic EQ, I have a Global EQ instead for all presets. I also find that I can't experiment with all the built-in presets without reconfiguring. Most of the presets have AMP-CAB and then most effects after the CAB block for some reason. Which means to bypass the CAB block it requires a complete restructuring of the presets. Is there a reason why effects are being placed after the CAB block rather than before? I'm wondering if the Matrix is better off with a FRFR cabinet rather than a real guitar cab?
 
Rekster said:
Kind of. I still find any presets without modifications sound muffled. Like a heavy blanket is over my cabs. I can tweak a Graphic EQ to make things better but it's a bit of an aggravation. I recently moved the Matrix to Output 2 so rather than a Graphic EQ, I have a Global EQ instead for all presets. I also find that I can't experiment with all the built-in presets without reconfiguring. Most of the presets have AMP-CAB and then most effects after the CAB block for some reason. Which means to bypass the CAB block it requires a complete restructuring of the presets. Is there a reason why effects are being placed after the CAB block rather than before? I'm wondering if the Matrix is better off with a FRFR cabinet rather than a real guitar cab?
Click to expand...

All you have to do is go in global and turn off cab modeling - doesn't matter if the presets have a cab block - it will disable it on every preset..
Can you upload a preset that you are having an issue with ? Since I have the same amp and use a real cab as well, maybe I can help a little.
 
Jimmytwotimes said:
All you have to do is go in global and turn off cab modeling - doesn't matter if the presets have a cab block - it will disable it on every preset..
Can you upload a preset that you are having an issue with ? Since I have the same amp and use a real cab as well, maybe I can help a little.
Click to expand...

That makes sense, but in my jam space I like to record everything so I need to leave cab modelling on for one output but off for another. For auditioning presets through my cabinets that's a great idea though!

I can certainly upload it if you wanted to look at it, I always appreciate input. But Matrix support has been continuing to help me with this as well and I think they have helped isolate the problem. The low-mids (400hz) were oversaturating the highs and lows, which was contributing to the muddy and muffled sound. Rather than increase highs in GEQ settings, I simply lowered 500hz and bingo - highs and lows began to pop out.

If a moderator can mark this post as solved that would be great. Matrix support has been extremely helpful and are going above and beyond to help me. I can't say enough about how great this company is. And the amp does sound fantastic, I just needed to adjust some things for the different environment.

Thanks!
 
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