HELP - can't get a decent HIGH GAIN tone

It's because he's using an Enhance block, which creates an artificial stereo spread. To my ears, it doesn't sound natural. That's why I never use it.
Yeah, I've never been able to find a good use for the Enhance block either. Just doesn't sound right for my tastes.
 
It sounds weird because you're using an Enhance block, which is supposed to provide a greater sense of width, however it sounds artificial and fake compared to actual double tracking, in my opinion. The artificiality becomes even more pronounced when you add a chorus. Aside from that, the preset contributed too much low-end to his guitar, in my opinion. After bypassing the Chorus / Enhance blocks, tweaking the Room level in the Cab block, dialing down the Bass and swapping the stock cab for an Ownhammer IR, it sounds better to my ears.

agreed, this sounds much better
 
The 50% volume pot sounds better.

Have you considered doing the 18v mod to the EMG's? It'll increase the pickup's preamp headroom, so you don't get the clipping. It's fairly easy and should only take you about 10 minutes to do.
would definitely be a good option, thanks. However, I'd be interested in trying a new set of pickups.
 
It's because he's using an Enhance block, which creates an artificial stereo spread. To my ears, it doesn't sound natural. That's why I never use it.
thx for the explanation, also thought it was something like that (had to shunt the enhance block for the reamping 'cause I thought it was buggy ).
 
It really shouldn't be that hard to get a decent high gain sound. If it takes you are a year to get a good sound either the machine is not good or you are doing something wrong. If it takes that long you would be better off with a real amp.
I have the axe fxiii and in the same rack, I have a rocktron prophecy. I hookup the fx3 and spend days trying every single sound and not a single one comes even close to the rocktrons gain. I am hearing people say how easy it is, with many of those people preferring less gain, and even people telling other people they should use less gain (which I feel is wrong to suggest to people how they should express their creativity, but leaving that aside) but still, there are people struggling all over the internet.
In some cases it's the pickups just not being hot enough, and in others its not, and there is not a good reason.

I'm one of the ones that has high gain pickups in 3 guitars, and none of them produce anywhere near close to the gain the rocktron does on the same guitars.

The clean sounds are awesome on the axe fx3 and for rhythm, there are some great sounds, but as soon as you go for leads, the feedback potential, sustain and maximization of harmonics is just gone. It feels like the sound just goes away if you aren't constantly generating sound by playing.

I would gladly pay anyone willing to help prove me wrong here.
There is no way a 15 year old rocktron preamp should blow away an axe fx iii on high gain sounds. And I am comparing the same everything here, same guitar, cables, speakers, everything. I'm just playing with the fxiii and then unhooking it and hooking up the rocktron and playing that.

As I said, I'm happy to pay anyone willing to get on the phone, or zoom or skype and help me get the sounds that have to be in the fxiii somewhere. I guess I'm just not capable of using it properly (even though I've never had this problem with any rig in my entire career)

Please help,

Trevor Chandler
 
I have the axe fxiii and in the same rack, I have a rocktron prophecy. I hookup the fx3 and spend days trying every single sound and not a single one comes even close to the rocktrons gain. I am hearing people say how easy it is, with many of those people preferring less gain, and even people telling other people they should use less gain (which I feel is wrong to suggest to people how they should express their creativity, but leaving that aside) but still, there are people struggling all over the internet.
In some cases it's the pickups just not being hot enough, and in others its not, and there is not a good reason.

I'm one of the ones that has high gain pickups in 3 guitars, and none of them produce anywhere near close to the gain the rocktron does on the same guitars.

The clean sounds are awesome on the axe fx3 and for rhythm, there are some great sounds, but as soon as you go for leads, the feedback potential, sustain and maximization of harmonics is just gone. It feels like the sound just goes away if you aren't constantly generating sound by playing.

I would gladly pay anyone willing to help prove me wrong here.
There is no way a 15 year old rocktron preamp should blow away an axe fx iii on high gain sounds. And I am comparing the same everything here, same guitar, cables, speakers, everything. I'm just playing with the fxiii and then unhooking it and hooking up the rocktron and playing that.

As I said, I'm happy to pay anyone willing to get on the phone, or zoom or skype and help me get the sounds that have to be in the fxiii somewhere. I guess I'm just not capable of using it properly (even though I've never had this problem with any rig in my entire career)

Please help,

Trevor Chandler
I’d copy and paste this into a new thread of your own, and describe your signal chain and gear as specially as you can. People will see this 4 year old thread rise to the top again and probably not pay attention.
 
I have the axe fxiii and in the same rack, I have a rocktron prophecy. I hookup the fx3 and spend days trying every single sound and not a single one comes even close to the rocktrons gain. I am hearing people say how easy it is, with many of those people preferring less gain, and even people telling other people they should use less gain (which I feel is wrong to suggest to people how they should express their creativity, but leaving that aside) but still, there are people struggling all over the internet.
In some cases it's the pickups just not being hot enough, and in others its not, and there is not a good reason.

I'm one of the ones that has high gain pickups in 3 guitars, and none of them produce anywhere near close to the gain the rocktron does on the same guitars.

The clean sounds are awesome on the axe fx3 and for rhythm, there are some great sounds, but as soon as you go for leads, the feedback potential, sustain and maximization of harmonics is just gone. It feels like the sound just goes away if you aren't constantly generating sound by playing.

I would gladly pay anyone willing to help prove me wrong here.
There is no way a 15 year old rocktron preamp should blow away an axe fx iii on high gain sounds. And I am comparing the same everything here, same guitar, cables, speakers, everything. I'm just playing with the fxiii and then unhooking it and hooking up the rocktron and playing that.

As I said, I'm happy to pay anyone willing to get on the phone, or zoom or skype and help me get the sounds that have to be in the fxiii somewhere. I guess I'm just not capable of using it properly (even though I've never had this problem with any rig in my entire career)

Please help,

Trevor Chandler
Please post one of the high gain (Rocktron) samples you're referring to in a new thread (or post a link to it if you can't post it in the thread since you're new) and I'll be glad to try and match it.
 
This is also the Axe II forum. Post in the Axe III forum since that's what you've got. You'll get a lot more eyes on it there.
 
Thanks everyone, I will record some examples and post a link here.
I can move to axe fx3 too, I just wanted to post here in case it helped anyone from this post.
I'll try to figure out how to create a new post and link it to this one so everyone can benefit.

The prophecy patch is called "Dimebag". (I'm not into panterra, but this sound has great sustain, distortion, etc... pinch harmonics are easy to hit and last long, and i can let the sustain go and it will transform right into feedback. It just feels right to me knowing my sound is there, supporting me psychologically, as opposed to my axe fx3 which in my mind I can't shake the knowing that there will be no sustain should I take my fingers off the strings and use the force, and it makes me play much harder than my typical playing, I feel like I'm abusing notes in my chords to try to get that extra out of them, etc...).

Anyhow, I will record comparisons as soon as I can and post them so people can hear what I'm sounding like here.

I really want the axe fx3 to blow away the prophecy (just like my prophecy did to my GSP2101, and the peavey rock master before, and my yamaha fx 500 before that and my crate gxc120 before that (before that I was 14 and had a 15 watt fender app and a hondo h76 electric my grandmother bought me, oops, forgot, I have a heavy metal pedal, the HM2 I believe before I got the crate (I could only play the crate on .00001 volume or my parents complained they could hear it... (and now im 50, and 4,500 gigs later))

Thanks everyone for the willingness to help me out here.

Trevor
 
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