Help Me Pick A Tone/Tone Question Thread

C

Countryclarke

Inspired
I am experimenting with a dual amp stereo setup vs one amp.

I am wondering what ya'll think sounds "better".
They are both VERY close tbh so it might not even matter and maybe I should choose the option with less CPU, but I thought it would be interesting to see what you think.
Sorry for the generic JM riff, I suck.

Option 1 w/ OD


Option 2 w/ OD


Option 1 Clean


Option 2 Clean
 
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Riccardo Ros said:
Without context I'll say my favourite is the Option 1 w/ OD.
It can clean up using the volume and I think it cuts through the mix better (Option 2 sounds a little on bass side).
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Thanks for listening. Option 1 clean and OD are the same amp setup, I just wanted to give a bit more context with the setup clean and with an OD.

I wanted to do a blind test just so there was no preconceived ideas.
 
If this was a preset for live gigs…you would be able to tell the difference…
But maybe 1 for me…
There is always next week we you decide to change again
 
Thanks guys. Option 1 was just the single ODS 100 Clean I’ve been using for a while.

Option 2 was the ODS paired with the Capt Hook A.

Is the tone too bassy? I’ve been trying to dial out the tubby-ness and recently added a low cut at 75hz in the amp block input eq section. But I struggle to find a tone that feels good to play without having that low end thump going on. Any suggestions?
 
Countryclarke said:
Is the tone too bassy? I’ve been trying to dial out the tubby-ness and recently added a low cut at 75hz in the amp block input eq section. But I struggle to find a tone that feels good to play without having that low end thump going on. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

What's your reproduction system? It does feel - to me - a bit too low-mid and low heavy, and lacking a little glass. But it may be down to WHERE you are listening.
 
dented42ford said:
What's your reproduction system? It does feel - to me - a bit too low-mid and low heavy, and lacking a little glass. But it may be down to WHERE you are listening.
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Ever since I got my FM9 in February, I’ve been monitoring using some DT990 Pro X headphones.

In the last week I picked up a pair of Kali Audio speakers and have been tweaking on that.
I’m in a fairly open, untreated room. So not ideal listening conditions, which is why I wanted some outside opinions.
 
Ok, so I think messing with the “Speaker” parameter in the Amp Block is helping me fine tune how I want the ODS 100 Clean to sound.

This is my favorite part of the Fractal units, these parameters are not found in any other modeling unit and it’s simply outstanding that Cliff was able to model this stuff.

I do have a question regarding the “Speaker Thump” parameter.

This is found on the Amp Block Wiki:
IMG_1976.jpeg

Obviously there is no “right” way to set this, but for authenticity sake - should I set this parameter to the value of 5 since I am using a 100 watt amp model?

I also realized the speaker impedance curve (SIC) was set to the 4x12 rumble instead of the G12T-100 which is the DynaCab I am using. This helped get rid of some of that low end clutter. So I’ll be experimenting in the Speaker section of the Amp Block for a bit, let the tweaking commence!

I truly appreciate the insights as I continue to explore and will be using this thread to ask questions and get others personal experiences and feedback regarding these advanced parameters.
 
After some tweaking, here's where I am now.



Id love some input with this less bassy tone compared to the original Option 1 w/ OD here:



The main difference here was changing the "Master Vol Location" from Post-PI to Pre-PI.
I am pretty sure I had changed that when monitoring with headphones to compensate for the lack of low end thump that occurs naturally through speakers in a room. Switching that back made a HUGE difference in low end.
 
Countryclarke said:
After some tweaking, here's where I am now.



Id love some input with this less bassy tone compared to the original Option 1 w/ OD here:



The main difference here was changing the "Master Vol Location" from Post-PI to Pre-PI.
I am pretty sure I had changed that when monitoring with headphones to compensate for the lack of low end thump that occurs naturally through speakers in a room. Switching that back made a HUGE difference in low end.
Click to expand...


I like that one a lot better, through my Barefoot monitors in my treated studio - much smoother, in spite of having less bass. Less woofy.

I still would dial in a bit more glass, or maybe a tad more overdrive, but that is mostly down to my tastes. It sounds good.
 
dented42ford said:
I like that one a lot better, through my Barefoot monitors in my treated studio - much smoother, in spite of having less bass. Less woofy.

I still would dial in a bit more glass, or maybe a tad more overdrive, but that is mostly down to my tastes. It sounds good.
Click to expand...
Thanks! When comparing it with the original, it really is a lot cleaner/smoother.
When you say glass, do you mean treble/presence? Besides the parameters for those in the "Tone" section of the Amp Block, are there other parameters I should look at?

Thanks for lending your ears!
 
Countryclarke said:
Thanks! When comparing it with the original, it really is a lot cleaner/smoother.
When you say glass, do you mean treble/presence? Besides the parameters for those in the "Tone" section of the Amp Block, are there other parameters I should look at?

Thanks for lending your ears!
Click to expand...

I was just messing around with that sort of sound - I can't play that riff right, so pardon the lack of sample - and I think it may come down to cab selection and Tone controls, not anything advanced. Just turn up the gain a tad, and play with the Treble and Presence blocks. I found the 4x12 Rumble 12L Dyna to be a good starting point for a cab, with a dynamic and ribbon (standard). I was using ODS-100 clean, got reasonably close with a Tele (even though it should be a strat) with only the stock controls.

You might want to try goosing the front with an Overdrive instead of turning up the gain - it will feel different. I think the Super OD would be a place to start.

But this sort of sound will be wildly dependent on how you pick, as well. Since you are doing this low-volume, I might crank up some of the saggier parameters (like Supply Sag under Power Supply) - it won't be as "true", since ODS's actually are pretty stiff amps, but will feel better without that acoustic feedback of volume.
 
dented42ford said:
I was just messing around with that sort of sound - I can't play that riff right, so pardon the lack of sample - and I think it may come down to cab selection and Tone controls, not anything advanced. Just turn up the gain a tad, and play with the Treble and Presence blocks. I found the 4x12 Rumble 12L Dyna to be a good starting point for a cab, with a dynamic and ribbon (standard). I was using ODS-100 clean, got reasonably close with a Tele (even though it should be a strat) with only the stock controls.

You might want to try goosing the front with an Overdrive instead of turning up the gain - it will feel different. I think the Super OD would be a place to start.

But this sort of sound will be wildly dependent on how you pick, as well. Since you are doing this low-volume, I might crank up some of the saggier parameters (like Supply Sag under Power Supply) - it won't be as "true", since ODS's actually are pretty stiff amps, but will feel better without that acoustic feedback of volume.
Click to expand...
I like the midrange of the G12T-100 DynaCab, but there are some others that naturally give a more glassy/treble-y sound such as the Deluxe Reverb and Friedman V30. I’ll have to experiment with the different cabs now that I dialed in the amp a bit more.
I like the Ribbon/Condenser combo a bit better than the Ribbon/Dynamic combo, but that’s simply because the dynamic gives a bit of harshness to my ears and the condenser smooths it out a bit.

Right now my settings on the ODS 100 are:
Gain - 5.5
Bass - 4.5
Midrange - 8
Treble - 5
Presence - 3.2
Master - 5
Bright switch - Off

The clips I shared have a Blues OD on for the drive.

Trying to get that glassy sound without the harshness is tough. I’ve always gravitated toward a pretty dark tone but at the expense of detail. In some ways I think I try to make my PRS Fiore into a Gibson 335. But I like the direction I’m going currently with tightening up the low end and adding some more presence without sacrificing the “fullness”, if that makes sense.
 
Countryclarke said:
I am experimenting with a dual amp stereo setup vs one amp.

I am wondering what ya'll think sounds "better".
They are both VERY close tbh so it might not even matter and maybe I should choose the option with less CPU, but I thought it would be interesting to see what you think.
Sorry for the generic JM riff, I suck.

Option 1 w/ OD


Option 2 w/ OD


Option 1 Clean


Option 2 Clean
Click to expand...

Option 1 imo. Sounds just fuller and caters to the riff.
 
Countryclarke said:
I like the midrange of the G12T-100 DynaCab, but there are some others that naturally give a more glassy/treble-y sound such as the Deluxe Reverb and Friedman V30. I’ll have to experiment with the different cabs now that I dialed in the amp a bit more.
I like the Ribbon/Condenser combo a bit better than the Ribbon/Dynamic combo, but that’s simply because the dynamic gives a bit of harshness to my ears and the condenser smooths it out a bit.

Right now my settings on the ODS 100 are:
Gain - 5.5
Bass - 4.5
Midrange - 8
Treble - 5
Presence - 3.2
Master - 5
Bright switch - Off

The clips I shared have a Blues OD on for the drive.

Trying to get that glassy sound without the harshness is tough. I’ve always gravitated toward a pretty dark tone but at the expense of detail. In some ways I think I try to make my PRS Fiore into a Gibson 335. But I like the direction I’m going currently with tightening up the low end and adding some more presence without sacrificing the “fullness”, if that makes sense.
Click to expand...

I tried those settings, and I didn't like them very much at all. Sounded very stiff to me with single coils (still using the tele, can't be bothered to change the strings on my strat).

I've attached something I feel is a bit closer, with a bit less flub and a bit more crunch while still seeming smooth. Your preset is scene 1, mine is scene 2, and I added a third with a Nobels as a boost for touch-sensitive lead. It might be a tad gainy for your Fiore, I used my tele with 60's-style pickups to tweak it and they are on the lower output side. Just roll back gain on the amp just a bit if that is the case. Or roll off your guitar's volume a bit.

Basically, I ran the master up to 10, tweaked the settings to where I liked them, turned on the bright switch, changed power supply sag to 2.5, and changed the cab to 4x12 EVM12L.

Tried it with my 335 as well, settings work OK, but I'd turn up the treble a bit if I were using it with the 335.
 

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dented42ford said:
I tried those settings, and I didn't like them very much at all. Sounded very stiff to me with single coils (still using the tele, can't be bothered to change the strings on my strat).

I've attached something I feel is a bit closer, with a bit less flub and a bit more crunch while still seeming smooth. Your preset is scene 1, mine is scene 2, and I added a third with a Nobels as a boost for touch-sensitive lead. It might be a tad gainy for your Fiore, I used my tele with 60's-style pickups to tweak it and they are on the lower output side. Just roll back gain on the amp just a bit if that is the case. Or roll off your guitar's volume a bit.

Basically, I ran the master up to 10, tweaked the settings to where I liked them, turned on the bright switch, changed power supply sag to 2.5, and changed the cab to 4x12 EVM12L.

Tried it with my 335 as well, settings work OK, but I'd turn up the treble a bit if I were using it with the 335.
Click to expand...
I’ll load that up today.

The Fiore pickups are VERY bright and hifi. I can’t use this preset on any of my other guitars without changing the eq. I’m not surprised it didn’t sound good on vintage style pickups. I’m guessing your preset will sound way bright for me.

I did experiment with turning the MV all the way up and liked what it did, so I’m curious how you have the amp set.
Thanks!
 
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