Help me like my ultra

Muris_Varajic said:
AxeFx has tons of high end and presence!
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I have the reverse problem. I nearly always have to place the treble near 8-9 o'clock and the presence no higher than noon to avoid shrillness. I don't know why this should be. Nothing wrong with my ears. :/
 
dragsternj said:
Deltafit said:
Record something with your Axe and post a clip of what YOU believe to be muffled. Remember tone is highly subjective.
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That would only work if i mike the cab. Not sure if i can but will most certainly try.

What is the difference between plugging in the front versus back ?
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Please do not take this the wrong way-but did you read the manual?
 
When i had an ART sla-2 (up until firmware 9.03) i had the EXACT same problem as the OP...... especially with the recto sims. Just couldnt get the same brightness out of the axe and art combo as i did with my mesa dual rectifier. At that point i owned 4 different 4x12 cabs (orange, mesa recto, mesa trad, marshall) so extensive testing with different cabs was done. I actually ended up raising high cut in Advanced parameters to try and fix it but it never yielded natural sounding treble and "crack" (haha) with the recto sims (amongst others). Id like to believe the art was the weak link there... fact is so many people are happy with the art that either im crazy or I have a finer tuned ear. I do spend a lot of time in front of studio monitors and in the past have worked as a live sound engineer..... but even the other guitarist in my band easily described the same problem with the sound without me suggesting or hinting towards it.

I eventually sold the art and now use a Mesa 2:100 power amp with power amp sims off on the axe-fx. Apples vs oranges I know but sounds better to me.

Im still waiting for someone to discover an alternative to the art that blows it out of the water when matched with the axe-fx but from most SS amp comparisons ive read on these forums.... as long as they are above a certain standard, they differ minimally and usually can be made to sound exactly like eachother with minor global eq tweaking on the axe-fx. Unless you have on of those big boy crown or crest power amps..... and at that point they start weighing more than tube power amps.

The other day I tried a friends rm4 with a friedman modded recto and a blackface module in it and to be honest.... to me even that sounded better through my mesa 2:100 than the axe-fx's closest corresponding models (power amp sims off). The depth, harmonic content and kerrang was better.... but still not as good as a real head. After a couple of years with rack systems i have now come to the conclusion that in most cases it will be a compromise in sound vs amp heads.

That said, i am optimistic about firmware 10.01 and might have another go at FRFR..... which when you can get past the weak low end powered speakers deliver on stage compared to a 4x12, is where the axe-fx's real potential lies IMHO (that way you get all the versatility and you arent putting things in your signal path that can possibly adversely affect the axe-fx's tone)
 
Hi

i read most parts of the manual. What can there be wrong with setup? Its the axe in a SLA in a 4x12

I tried the new software update, not much difference, i tried the Marshall Plexi today and it literally sounds like a blanket over the cab even with the BBE at 7. Not able to get any treble without using EQ's. I have treble and presence at max . Is this normal, or is there a chance its not functioning properly ?
 
I dont understand the BBE- where is it in the chain? is is necessary?
I would try: guitar> amp sim and shunt thru as the only item in the preset> art sla > cabinet

strip the chain down to the shortest path and go from there.
I assume the I/0 is setup correctly? Global EQ is flat?
 
Doesn't the JVM have a direct input to the power amp stage? Why not try plugging the Axe-Fx into that input, this will eliminate the Art as the possible source of the problem.
 
If you are anywhere in North Jersey area you could stop @ my place,I'm not sure if i can help you ,but you'll like "my" Ultra for sure ;)
 
Have you checked this?

FractalAudio said:
Check your global EQ. Make sure you are plugged into the front.
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I'm proud of my brain for thinking about this aswell :mrgreen:

Edit - oops I see you have.. sorry
 
dragsternj said:
Hi

i read most parts of the manual. What can there be wrong with setup? Its the axe in a SLA in a 4x12

I tried the new software update, not much difference, i tried the Marshall Plexi today and it literally sounds like a blanket over the cab even with the BBE at 7. Not able to get any treble without using EQ's. I have treble and presence at max . Is this normal, or is there a chance its not functioning properly ?
Click to expand...

Setting the treble and presence up that high can sometimes have the effect of over-saturating the sound, especially with high master volume levels, making it seem duller in fact. I also dont recommend using a drive in front until you have fixed your problem.... they are often used to take high end and compress the sound.

How are you connecting to the art? Stereo? One channel only? or bridged mode? For starters, make sure you are plugged into the 1st channel only and that the amp isnt in bridge mode (switch at back,cant remember if its in or out, but it is marked). Then turn channel 1 volume up and channel 2 volume all the way down.

Give that a go for now.
 
Have you checked all your cables ?

I had powered up my Ultra after last weeks gig and hooked up the Output1 to my home mixer [those usually go FOH] and was VERY dismayed when I started to hear the output levels "pulsating and muddy". By pulsating I mean that the Ultra's volume levels cycled [varying rates] from normal level to quiet and back again. And were pretty darn "muddy" as well. I thought "What the FRACK???" Is my Ultra broken already (had it a month)??

After checking everything, turns out that the cables I had in Output1 were the root cause of the problem. SAME cables I had used at my gig the day before !! Swapped out the cables and we're hunky dory again !!
 
I had the same problem initially (I even wrote a post here about "FRFR Blanket Syndrome" because all I could hear were muffled tones) but in the end it came down to a dialling in the right choice of mic, cab sim or custom IR. Once I did that I started to like the AxeFX and now I absolutely love it. Persevere because the tones are there.
 
Throw the monster cables in the trash..they ruin the sound of everything they are used on....get a set of Blue Jeans Cables.or higher end Lava Cables...that's the FIRST thing I would do.
 
cloudsplitter said:
Throw the monster cables in the trash..they ruin the sound of everything they are used on
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don't know what it is with their cables,but,i had the same problem.they make your guitars sound like mush.sounds as if they bleed off the higher freq.'s,not sure.

like cloudsplitter said,get a good guitar cable,interconnect cable and speaker cable.it may be your problem.easiest to check anyway.
 
I would help if you gave us a breakdown of your signal path, including the jacks you're connected to on the Axe FX.

Then, I would suggest trying this processs...

1. Build a preset from scratch, starting with just an amp block
2. Verify that cab sims are Off
3. Adjust the global EQ to get the best possible sound through your guitar cabs
4. Save the preset
5. Start adjusting the amp parameters one at a time to hear the effect(s)
6. When you think you've made a significant improvement, save the preset to a new location
7. Keep tweaking on the preset, saving when you have made improvements
8. Go back and compare the new preset to the originally saved preset

This will give you an idea of how the time spent has improved (hopefully) your tone.
 
I am somewhat of a trouble shooter by nature and job. You have to figure out, what is it in the chain that is holding your tone back".

Ok lets recap. You have an AXE-ART SLA-CAB. Well we all know the Axe works for most. And your Cab is fine because you play other amps with it. So Obviously it would be in your best interest to try another power amp, or try to use a different amp head instead of a power amp. I use a power amp too, but my friend goes into his Marshall Head with the front input and the fx loop and he gets a GREAT tone too !

So maybe your ART and Axe aren't friends ? Maybe something is wrong with AXE or ART itself? (a tech would know).

The only way to rule out the AXE FX is to plug it into multiple heads or amps and then see how it sounds. If all the amps you try sound bad, get your AXE serviced. If another amp gives you that tone you want, think about not using the ART with the AXE anymore. However, from what I read on these forums, people love their ART /AXE relationships.

When I plug in my Axe to my Fryette 50:50 I don't even really need to tweak. I picked the 50 presets and user presets that sound great ! Also, stick to modelers that sound like the other amps you are using as your ear is most likely NOT DEAFENED, but you are "USED TO" hearing a certain tone from your other marshalls.

It will happen, hang in there, and rework it !

...please excuse me if you have already wrote that you did all this, and I just missed it in the previous posts.
 
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