HiWatt help

[scorch]

I came to the forum just to ask if there is a problem with the Hipower (HiWatt) amp. I've doing a total make-over of my Axe III, changing lots of things and came to an amp I used in the past but haven't played in a good while, the Hipower.

I can't get any treble out of this amp. Any of the AXE varieties. I don't remember it sounding like this.

I noticed the bright cap is not functional at all. From 10pf to 10000 pf, no change.

So I'm asking...is my firmware corrupt, is this a bug? Is the bright cap vacant because the real amp didn't have one? If it didn't it sure needs one.

I've heard a lot of great sounding HiWatts and this just doesn't sound right.

So, is the problem in my device? Is the problem in my head ( I've wondered this a lot lately). If this is the way it was designed, can the bright switch be re-enabled?

Can you give it a listen and see what you think?

 

[Budda]

Attach a preset.

 

[Dave Merrill]

I came to the forum just to ask if there is a problem with the Hipower (HiWatt) amp. I've doing a total make-over of my Axe III, changing lots of things and came to an amp I used in the past but haven't played in a good while, the Hipower.

I can't get any treble out of this amp. Any of the AXE varieties. I don't remember it sounding like this.

I noticed the bright cap is not functional at all. From 10pf to 10000 pf, no change.

So I'm asking...is my firmware corrupt, is this a bug? Is the bright cap vacant because the real amp didn't have one? If it didn't it sure needs one.

I've heard a lot of great sounding HiWatts and this just doesn't sound right.

So, is the problem in my device? Is the problem in my head ( I've wondered this a lot lately). If this is the way it was designed, can the bright switch be re-enabled?

Can you give it a listen and see what you think?

Not at my Axe, but the way most bright caps work is that they bypass the gain control at high frequencies. So, if gain is near max, it does nothing, there's nothing to bypass.

Might that be there case here?

Doesn't explain a general decrease in brightness though just the bright cap doing nothing.

 

[DLC86]

The hiwatt has no bright cap, that's why it's not working. I've had real hiwatts (and still have a small 20w) for the last 15 years and the axe model is spot on.
The normal channel is quite bassy (that's why a lot of bass players use them too) so I'd avoid using only that channel for guitar, use the brilliant or the jumped version. If that's not enough change IR

PS: also check your master volume setting, the sweet spot for a strat is around 6-7 with input channel(s) at around 6-7 as well

 

[scorch]

The hiwatt has no bright cap, that's why it's not working. I've had real hiwatts (and still have a small 20w) for the last 15 years and the axe model is spot on.
The normal channel is quite bassy (that's why a lot of bass players use them too) so I'd avoid using only that channel for guitar, use the brilliant or the jumped version. If that's not enough change IR

PS: also check your master volume setting, the sweet spot for a strat is around 6-7 with input channel(s) at around 6-7 as well

I used all of the Hipower amps trying to find the problem. Lack of a bright cap can be part of it but my confusion is that I don't remember this with earlier firmwares... going all the way back to the Ultra.

I'll try the Brilliant version again to see if I can make it work, but even it sounded dark and bass heavy. The whole reason I was looking for a bright switch.

And I don't like really bright amps...go figure.

 

[DLC86]

I used all of the Hipower amps trying to find the problem. Lack of a bright cap can be part of it but my confusion is that I don't remember this with earlier firmwares... going all the way back to the Ultra.

I'll try the Brilliant version again to see if I can make it work, but even it sounded dark and bass heavy. The whole reason I was looking for a bright switch.

And I don't like really bright amps...go figure.

Hmmm.. I still haven't checked my hiwatt presets with the latest firmware, will do tomorrow and let you know

 

[dicXjonesify]

The hiwatt has no bright cap, that's why it's not working.

Amps that’s don’t have one won’t have it on the Authentic page but should still work on the ideal page, right?

 

[DLC86]

Amps that’s don’t have one won’t have it on the Authentic page but should still work on the ideal page, right?

In the past it worked like that but iirc the cygnus release changed that

 

[zedeloc]

I'm not getting a particularly dark tone here. Granted, I'm using jazzmaster pickups at the moment.

 

[unix-guy]

You don't want which firmware version you're on. That is important...

 

[WbbS]

I came to the forum just to ask if there is a problem with the Hipower (HiWatt) amp. I've doing a total make-over of my Axe III, changing lots of things and came to an amp I used in the past but haven't played in a good while, the Hipower.

I can't get any treble out of this amp. Any of the AXE varieties. I don't remember it sounding like this.

I noticed the bright cap is not functional at all. From 10pf to 10000 pf, no change.

So I'm asking...is my firmware corrupt, is this a bug? Is the bright cap vacant because the real amp didn't have one? If it didn't it sure needs one.

I've heard a lot of great sounding HiWatts and this just doesn't sound right.

So, is the problem in my device? Is the problem in my head ( I've wondered this a lot lately). If this is the way it was designed, can the bright switch be re-enabled?

Can you give it a listen and see what you think?

I agree, as I wrote on another thread, Hipower is very dark (
Thread '[partially Solved] Boomy note decay'
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/partially-solved-boomy-note-decay.181213/)

What I learned is that if people have a system (headphone or studio monitor) that doesn’t translate all of the low frequencies they won’t hear that.
Moreover you can read this other
Thread 'They all sound different (monitor dilemma) - Final verdict'
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...fferent-monitor-dilemma-final-verdict.180747/ depending on where the preset was made it will translate differently on some other system.

So someone will hear what you are saying and someone else will not.

 

[DLC86]

I agree, as I wrote on another thread, Hipower is very dark (
Thread '[partially Solved] Boomy note decay'
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/partially-solved-boomy-note-decay.181213/)

What I learned is that if people have a system (headphone or studio monitor) that doesn’t translate all of the low frequencies they won’t hear that.
Moreover you can read this other
Thread 'They all sound different (monitor dilemma) - Final verdict'
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...fferent-monitor-dilemma-final-verdict.180747/ depending on where the preset was made it will translate differently on some other system.

So someone will hear what you are saying and someone else will not.

It's more likely that your room is emphasizing those low frequencies, in a treated room and/or with a room correction software you won't hear any boominess caused by the speaker impedance low resonance, just a solid "thump".

I have a couple monitors that go down to 45 Hz, occasionally I also plug my axe fx into a Denon receiver with 5.1.2 speakers that go down to almost 20 Hz, and with none of those two systems I experience boominess, both have software room correction applied and are in moderately treated rooms.

 

[WbbS]

It's more likely that your room is emphasizing those low frequencies, in a treated room and/or with a room correction software you won't hear any boominess caused by the speaker impedance low resonance, just a solid "thump".

I have a couple monitors that go down to 45 Hz, occasionally I also plug my axe fx into a Denon receiver with 5.1.2 speakers that go down to almost 20 Hz, and with none of those two systems I experience boominess, both have software room correction applied and are in moderately treated rooms.

If you read the whole thread the recordings are direct Axe-Fx USB to Computer. No room involved
And I can hear the boomy notes both with Headphones and Monitors, as some other user in that thread experienced.

Probably your software for room corrections does a massive EQ and completely change the nature of the amp in the end removing a significant amount of frequencies. This is what a software for room/headphone correction does, applies an EQ.

 

[DLC86]

If you read the whole thread the recordings are direct Axe-Fx USB to Computer. No room involved
And I can hear the boomy notes both with Headphones and Monitors, as some other user in that thread experienced.

Have no time to read the whole thread right now, did you try to change IR? If, let's say, you load the first IR in factory bank 1 (1x4 or 1x6, don't recall the name) is it still boomy?

Anyway the fact that it's directly recorded doesn't 100% exclude the reproduction system as the issue, you still listen back to it thru speakers or headphones

Probably your software for room corrections does a massive EQ and completely change the nature of the amp in the end removing a significant amount of frequencies.

No, not at all.

This is what a software for room/headphone correction does, applies an EQ.

Yes, but that eq just flattens the output of the headphones or the monitors for a specific room and placement, so it's the other way around. You're more likely to hear an altered tone without treament and/or correction than with them.

PS: to exclude for sure that's not caused by the speakers/headphones try this:
Load a patch with just a synth block connected to the out block, set voice one as sine wave, set tracking to off and slowly sweep the frequency from 20Hz up to 150Hz.

Do you hear all frequencies during the sweep at the same level or some seem attenuated and some emphasized?

 

[WbbS]

speakers or headphones

Headphones

Yes, but that eq just flattens the output of the headphones

I know, I tried with headphones and monitor equalized with Sonarwork (written in the thread), so I know what happens.

Have no time to read the whole thread

Conclusions are: there are some amps with much more low end that translates more on some systems than the others. This is why I suggested in my thread some kind of EQ in the OUT block that does what Sonarwork do, but with a specific preset, not at global level.

Load a patch with just a synth block connected to the out block, set voice one as sine wave, set tracking to off and slowly sweep the frequency from 20Hz up to 150Hz.

I'm a studio player (based in Italy like you...HELLO MY FRIEND!!!!!! ) It's not the first gear I'm using, and in my thread I compared Fractal with Helix, Neural (plugin), UAD (Plugin). The only one with this characteristic is the Fractal.

Anyway it is not a "problem", there are thousands of walk arounds, it's just to know better what happens and then to compensate as you can. Fractal offers so many tools to EQ your signal that is definitely impossible not to find one that works for you.

 

[DLC86]

Conclusions are: there are some amps with much more low end that translates more on some systems that the others.

Yep, that's for sure, but that's probably just their nature (and of the default impedance curve) and doesn't mean there's something wrong with the model.

I'm a studio player (based in Italy like you...HELLO MY FRIEND!!!!!! )

Ciao cumpà

It's not the first gear I'm using, and in my thread I compared Fractal with Helix, Neural (plugin), UAD (Plugin). The only one with this characteristic is the Fractal.

Speaking about Hiwatt and Helix I've compared several times my real Hiwatt(s) with helix native and its sim sounds nothing like it, very nasal and lacks a lot of bass compared to my heads (also I think they modeled only the brilliant channel but even that channel has more bass on the real amp), the axe is much much closer.

Anyway it is not a "problem", there are thousands of walk arounds, it's just to know better what happens and then to compensate as you can. Fractal offers so many tools to EQ your signal that is definitely impossible to not find one that works for you.

And that's what matters in the end, if an amp model is too bassy we have all the tools to easily cut the bass and go ahead with no worries

 

[scorch]

I'm aware of all the tools, I've been using Fractal products since the Ultra. I've used them all in this amp block.

I now have the the Brilliant amp with bass on zero, treble on 10, the output EQ treble jacked up, and the input EQ on tilt with treble side up +2.5.

That's a lot of manipulation just to get a patch usable.

Can we just get our bright switch back? I use that control on almost every amp model and tweak it for every scene. It's a very simple solution.

I thought the whole idea with the 'ideal page' was to tune the amp to your liking. I frankly don't give a damn about authenticity.

I built several patches with amp that are very different from the origin. A JTM 50 for example, from a JTM 45. That amp rips and it's way different and heavily modified from the JTM 45.

 

[FractalAudio]

It's plenty bright here.

 

[DLC86]

Same for me, just checked my presets and the hiwatt sounds as good as always

 

[AndrewJay]

I always liked the Hiwatt models and while I do find them darker than other amps, I've not found myself doing much to get them to fit in a track. I made a patch from scratch with just the Brilliant model going into a reverb into the Hiwatt cab IR. I set the amp with bass on zero, treble on ten, like you, but I had the mids around 6. The Drive was at 5 and the Master was at 6. I used a very dark sounding R7 that I haven't changed out the 300k pots yet, with old strings. I pulled up a blues backing track on Youtube and played through it. After setting the levels, it sounded fine to me, ie. it fit in the track. Everything else in the Global EQ are set flat, by the way. I don't find the sound to be bass heavy at all, rather it's fairly neutral. I am using low output pickups so that helps the amp breathe a bit as well I would think.

Did anything else in your setup (outside of the Axe) change at all? You've been a long term Fractal user, so I'm assuming you checked all the internal spots already. Anyhow, there is a solution out there.