Help a new Matrix owner....

Si.

Inspired
I'm not liking the Matrix amp at all...

I've been playing my Axe-FX Ultra through the power section of my Marshall jubilee while I waited to get a propper amp for it, so recently I got hold of a Matrix GT800FX. I've been trying to get it to sound decent for a few days and thought I just about had it, then I plugged the Axe back into the power section my Jubilee and it blew the matrix out of the water.. the proper valve section of my Jubilee is MUCH better sounding than the Matrix, the GT800fx sounds dull and lifeless in comparison.. very disappointed.

Are there any tips for getting the Matrix to sound better? no matter what I try to do with the global EQ I can't get it to sound decent. The last thing I want to do it be carring an Axefx and my Jubilee around to gigs, that's why I got the AxeFX in the first place

:(
 
Make sure power amp modelling is on, then focus on parameters in PWR and DYN tabs in the amp block. Especially supply sag. I pretty much always dime the master volume and use level to adjust to desired volume.
 
If you leave the power amp sims on all the time your getting the power amp sim from the the axe and the power amp from the Jubilee both colouring the sound. The jubilee is probably adding that bit of something special that you want that the Martix will never recreate. You'll never be happy with the matrix while your dumping the axe into the Jubilee too as your ears and fingers are to use to the jubilee and the coloration and feel it gives.

Maybe?
 
Your best bet is to build a preset from scratch using the Matrix as the power amp.

totally agree with this......
you cannot create a preset for monitoring situation X and compare it to monitoring situation Y and expect everything to be ok..
and you can't do this and expect to make a good judgement call..

we did the "FRFR comparison" thing at Axe-Fest UK to find the best monitor..
with one Axe, it was obvious which monitor was 'best'
then we replaced the original Axe with mine and all the results reversed..

so to be honest, most of these CFR v CLR v RFC v 4x12 comparisons are pretty useless
because the "winner" will be determined not by the best monitor, but by the monitor that just happens to fit best with the preset being used to run the test....

you need to create presets to match your monitoring situation if you want to get the best out of it...
and this is the reason I have a set of presets tuned to my headphones [for practice purposes], and a copy of these presets tuned to my backline [GT1000FX driving a pair of 1960b cabs] - which btw are also tuned / optimised for high volume usage

so.... your presets right now are tuned to your Marshall...
make copies of them, and dial these into your Matrix...
you may find that in the amp block, you need to drive the MV a little harder, and / or use a different amount of drive [in addition to EQ changes etc]

btw - what cab/s are you using with the Marshall?
and - are you using the same cab/s with the Matrix?
and.... does the Axe have cab emulation on or off?
 
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...so to be honest, most of these CFR v CLR v RFC v 4x12 comparisons are pretty useless
because the "winner" will be determined not by the best monitor, but by the monitor that just happens to fit best with the preset being used to run the test....

Yeah, on reflection, that test wasn't very scientifically done. I don't think that camcorder footage of these FRFR shootouts are truly representative either.

It was a fun day out though, and I'm already thinking about UK Axe-Fest II, with a bigger venue, and maybe camping.
 
clarky says it best- I had the same issue you're experiencing, but for me it was cabs.

I started out using conventional guitar cabs powered by my Rocktron Velocity with my Ultra for over a year, and then after with my II until I switched about 8 months ago to FRFR passives. When I switched to the FRFR passive cabs my presets all sounded like absolute shite, but I took (more than) a few days to tweak to the FRFRs and when I was done it completely blew me away. I had more balls in my driven presets, cleaner/clearer highs in my cleans and overall more punch and clarity across the board. It sounded more like an in the room amp than I could have ever hoped for, and when I switched back to the cabs those killer presets for the FRFR sounded like complete arse thru my guitar cabs!

Don't give up, just tweak tweak TWEAK for all your different toys! The sound is in there for ALL the outboard, it's just a matter of creating different preset banks tuned for different listening experiences. I've even created completely separate banks for different guitars, so each preset is optimized for each geets unique tonal output.
 
Yeah, on reflection, that test wasn't very scientifically done. I don't think that camcorder footage of these FRFR shootouts are truly representative either.

It was a fun day out though, and I'm already thinking about UK Axe-Fest II, with a bigger venue, and maybe camping.

it may not have been particularly scientific...
but it was certainly very revealing
if for no other reason than to demonstrate how useless these comparisons are...
 
it may not have been particularly scientific...
but it was certainly very revealing
if for no other reason than to demonstrate how useless these comparisons are...

I knew once we started it wasn't going to prove anything other than how much fun it would be to get a QSC 12, 2 CFRs, an RCF and a 4x12 all running together. Not grown-up, but fun all the less.
 
Si, sorry about hijacking your thread, I'm sure that Mapps will give you a good steer when you get together.
 
So to be honest, most of these CFR v CLR v RFC v 4x12 comparisons are pretty useless
because the "winner" will be determined not by the best monitor, but by the monitor that just happens to fit best with the preset being used to run the test....

Bingo... This is so important for people that plan on using multiple types of amplification systems and are not very familiar with the Axe. Amp & cab, FR, head phones, IEM's, Everyone of these are different in the way they translate sonically.
 
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