How hard do you try???

[dwmichaels]

STUDY WHAT GOOD TONE IS. if you care enough.

I think "good tone" is immensely subjective. I hear a guitar that everyone says is a great tone and couldn't care for it. Doesn't make it bad though.

I have zero problems finding tones I enjoy on the Axe. I can't spend more than a minute without finding a good tone. They're all over - for me.

I think folks that are searching for that sound in their head may have some bigger problems finding it because it takes a lot of education, trial and error to figure out what configurations, options, etc. will alter the sound and how.

I'd modify your statement to be "study what creates tone." If you hear a sound and want to create it, then there is a lot of knowledge that has to come first and some folks may not understand that. I certainly don't have that knowledge, but I'm not looking for a tone that's in my head either. Not looking to comp artist X, Y or Z. I just play for me. Makes it super easy to get a nice tone, but it's not that way for everyone.

The bottom line is there will always be people asking questions - a lot of times the same questions, over time. If you get tired of it, ignore it. You don't have to answer every time. Hopefully, the people you have provided answers for in the past will step up.

That is of course, if the OP is insinuating that some folks aren't trying hard enough to find answers themselves before asking here

 

[larry]

I read the whole manual for my ultra after the box showed up at my door. wasn't able to completely digest every bit of information, but it was certainly more interesting than say, a western humanities textbook. anyway, the initial investment of time was about 24hrs. after that it was pretty easy to dial in things i'd liked, but then the ocd sets in and I fall into an endless loop of tweaking. even after reading the manual it's still necessary (and fun) to mess around with every possible parameter. I can easily see this box causing a few divorces, especially after purchasing an AFXII.

on average I spend about 1-3 hours developing patches. the first 15-45 minutes involves actually creating, the next hour is when time starts to slip because I start playing guitar. the intent is to see if the patch will work for me, but inevitably I end up noodling away and then 10pm turns into "oh my god it's 2:45am!! I have to get up for work in a few hours.." y'all have been there right?

to me it actually isn't hard to make patches, its more so difficult to know when to stop.

 

[Rex]

...how hard or for how long do you guys really try to get a sound you like before asking for help!?

Some people try like mad; others jump in and ask at the first opportunity.

Here's the bottom line: it takes years of experience and lots of knowledge to know good tone and really understand what makes good tone. Do they really have to put in all those years of learning before they've earned the right to as a question?

One person's no-brainer is another person's "What the heck is this?"

 

[ML SOUND LAB]

I think "good tone" is immensely subjective. I hear a guitar that everyone says is a great tone and couldn't care for it. Doesn't make it bad though.

That gets thrown around a lot. IMHO if you don't know what you're doing you'll do more damage than good if you tweak too much.

With the right IR the Axe-Fx is very plugnplay.

Also... yes beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I tend to be pretty scientific with tones. You WANT AND NEED a balanced tone. You can scoop or have more treble edge etc. but with good taste.

 

[squidz66]

It's really quite easy,
Either
1. Read and help
2. Read and don't.....

It shouldn't really affect a forum member in any way.

 

[claham]

Be gentle with us who do not have the flow, I try every day at work to be helpful and supporting to them who has more difficulties than me to cope. I have not so much to offer here but I'm very grateful to all of you who share your knowledge and findings.

 

[MNG]

Has Cliff made the amp sims that much better lately, or just made them easier to dial in for those without the patience to tweak massively? People have been saying that it replaced tubes since back in the Ultra days.

I bought the Ultra way back. It was great for recording but disappointing as an amp replacement. I continued to play real amps and use the Ultra for effects only. I was disappointed when I got the Axe II because nothing changed much for me. However, as firmware updates followed, I could see it was heading in a very interesting direction. Nowadays, I find it sounds and feels incredibly realistic. Not only that, but it is very simple to just choose an amp model and get the tone you want. I actually find it easier now to dial in than the real thing because you have so much more control over the EQ.

I do think that enforced use of the front panel actually helped me in that respect but, no doubt, it's mainly down to the big leap forwards that Cliff has made since FW 9 IMO. I've stopped constantly A/B'ing it with my amps and just see it as its own thing now. It is what it is - and it's bloody good.

 

[Rick]

I like the discussion here, and people's views on what sounds good and doesn't. To the OP, I spend what some would probably call a short time before asking. What I mean is I exhaust what I know, look where I know to look, then ask if I haven't found the answer. I don't spend hours and hours in frustration because I have learned that people here will help you if you need it, and there is always someone who has gone deeper into what you're looking at than you have (or, at least, than I have).

I've received a few short and rude replies, but the lion's share have been open, helpful, and offered in a spirit of sharing. This forum is far better than many others in that regard. As much as I'd like to think of myself as pretty tech-savvy, this box reminds me of programs like Excel (don't flame me, it's only an example!) in that there is the simple spreadsheet face of it (presets) and then a labyrinth of possibilities below if you know how to use them. Honestly, the technology is delightfully beyond me. I enjoy that.