How many presets do you use?

I use 10 presets per bank. The top 5 switches are used for IA's. I use a volume pedal and a boost in every preset. The amount of boost depends on the preset, but +2 to +4 pretty much covers it. I have 2 banks that I use for P&W at church and 3 banks that I use for my band. We don't do any covers. We perform rather complex prog rock which is why I need 3 banks for live performance.

I do use mostly just a few presets, all of which I created by using factory presets and then tweaking them, in some cases quite a bit. My live rig is really pretty simple. I use output L/R XLR outs to FOH. I use output 2 L/R out to a line 6 flextone XL. I run the Axe into the effects return of the flextone. I just use the flextone for a stage monitor so I can coax some feedback as needed.
 
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4 main presets with 3 scenes each and 4 or 5 special occasion presets. But I want all presets :) that's the biggest temptation to upgrade to the XL+ for me
 
Rockin Axe said:
Hey zecure.

I've been playing in a cover band for 30 years and I only recently bought the Axe Fx 2 XL+. I've been deciding which way to go in regards to set lits and songs - Scenes, presets, presets per song (like you) etc.

At the moment I have this:
1 = Clean 2 = Clean/Crunch 3= Crunch 4 = Dirty 5 = Metal
6 = Clean Solo 7 = Clean/Crunch solo 8 = Crunch solo 9 = Dirty Solo 10 = Metal solo

So I have the solo for each preset from 1 - 5 above it. I do it that way so then I have complete control over each preset. Scenes don't work coz I need 10 sounds, as above. I know I can use the X/Y state
in each scene but.........
I thought of doing what you mentioned you do but how do you organize your night? Do you use the 'Song Mode' on the MFC laid out as your sets are written in order?
If so, what happens if someone in the crowd or your lead singer calls out a song that's not in your set list on the night but it is in your arsenal of songs, how do you go about finding that preset in your MFC quickly?
Do you have to do a lot of tap dancing?
Thx in advance for any info.
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I just order my songs preset after preset. We usually don't play songs that we don't have programmed for the evening. But i understand in your case that could be a problem. I don't have a direct solution for it unless you know by heart on which preset that song is.
 
For the band I am in, just 2 presets.

One main preset. It's a clean-ish preset based on the Concert 6G12 amp model. I have stompbox style footswitch control of: boost, chorus, drive, mute.

The second preset is Simeon's violin preset. I use that on one song (that we don't play every show).
 
We are an all original band, in fact when we play covers, we usually make them sound like"us". We use a preset per song. It just works for how we do things.


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I'm at about 200 presets. Some songs use only one. Others use as many as three if I can't do everything with midi cc messages within a single preset.

I have a spreadsheet of each program number/name. I keep the songs in alphabetical order in my Gordius foot controller. Instead of memorizing every number for every preset, I know about where each letter of the alphabet starts numerically speaking. I punch in a number directly to get close, then scroll to the needed preset.
 
BrainalLeakage said:
We are an all original band, in fact when we play covers, we usually make them sound like"us". We use a preset per song. It just works for how we do things.


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Oh yeah, I didn't totally answer the question!

I have about 25+ presets, but some of those are for songs that we don't play live yet, and a sound check patch that's just a dry amp and cab.

We have 11 originals that we currently play live, and we are going to add 2 to 3 more originals, and probably about 6 covers to our live set, so we will be using about 20 patches live by the end of summer.


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Clean, Mesa high gain, Marshall high gain, Marshall mid/low gain and then Marshall lead. Then I have a few presets for individual songs that are unique like Rush 2112 Temples. I have one expression pedal set for gain globally. One of the reasons I went to the Axe was so I could have global wah, chorus, flanger, phaser, delay and reverb all in one patch and then I have x/y switches set up for those plus i have a global boost switch too. I have different settings for some of the effects within an individual patch like delay on clean but I keep it pretty simple. Yes I'm not using all the capabilities in the Axe in some respects but I had a Digitech GSP 1101 and a TC G major before and still had to have different patches for flanger and chorus so the Axe has allowed me to have it all in one patch.
It's interesting to see the differences in everyone's approach!
 
I use two presets. 000 Clean and 001 Dist, a piano style footswitch connected to the EXP out on the back of the AFII that switches between these two.

Each preset (I don't use scenes) has Volume pedal Exp 1 and Wah Exp 2

The Ext switch:
1 Cab X/Y
2 AMP X/Y
3 Graphic EQ 1 (set as a boost with tone shaping)
4 Wah 1

Clean: I like pristene cleans but the drive can be introduced for a bit of grit. Pretty much like having the comp, chorus and reverb.
Wah, Drive, Phaser, Flanger, Delay can be turned on (normally bypassed)

Dist: Using the Deizel 4 amp X and HBE Y, I like having a bit of reverb,
Wah, Comp, Drive, Phaser, Flanger, Delays, Pitch, GE (Boost) can be turned on (normally bypassed)

I also have a Bass preset 002
All other Bank A preset locations are mostly for checking presets shared on AxeChange.
 
I use 10 presets mainly.

Fender Double Verb, fender Deluxe, fender tweed, AC30, Fox ODS, Plexi, 800, Smallbox, HBE, 5153. 5 scenes each preset set up as 'Amp only, Amp/Dly, Amp/Drive, Amp/drive/Dly' and the 5th is something like a tremelo, flanger, or rotary based off of the amp. Each also has a vibe or compression in there as I need it (but I rarely use it...except for vibe...LOVE that sh!te) I also have roughly 10 others that are very song specific.

Sounds complicated, but it isn't. I always know which button to hit for a solo boost, Dly, or both, and really that's all I need (+ vol knob and PUP choice) during a song that I haven't played in awhile.
 
set.jpg

One for each song (cover band). A lot of the amps and cabs are the same, but I still like to see the name in case of a brain fart. I set it up in the Axe before the show when I am printing out the set lists. There is a lot going on during the show (I also play the Handsonic 20 for some songs) so I need everything real easy. I am in the process of redoing each one though because of all the great changes since I first started on fw15. I have it set up for the show tomorrow. Since we won't get past 22 songs (firework park show) I don't have to arrange everything.

I set up the scenes for each different part of the song (that requires it). I do have 2 solo scenes one at +3 and one at +5
 
Bojangles said:
You use 200 presets live??

Is that you.. the Edge
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One of the things I love most about the Axe is the huge number of user preset locations. Why not use them? The XL is over the top. If I decide to tweak a song, I don't want another song to be affected.

TBH, without the Gordius LG2, I wouldn't be so quick to use so many presets. I'd run out of foot controller memory. The XL and LG2 are a match made in heaven.

I wanted to add that, when I'm playing in my room for enjoyment, I only use five or six different presets.
 
I use 2 preset with each preset utilizing a few different scenes. Still just two main sounds. One clean and one dirty. Three scenes in the clean preset. Just variants on the delay settings. A dotted 8th note delay and a slap back delay. The dirty also has three scenes. A main rhythm sound, a boost in volume for leads and one with a filter that imitates the "quack" in the I Want to Break Free solo. Each scene here also contains variants of delay and reverb settings. Very simple. Any other sounds I use my volume and tone knobs. I barley scratch the surface with all that the Axe Fx 2 has to offer. I have said it before and I will say it again... I cannot wait for the AX8 to drop. :encouragement:
 
1 for every song. Most of them use the same 10 basic templates, but I like having a seperate copy for every song, so that any changes made for a particular song only apply to the song specific preset, not all that share the same template.
 
I use mainly one preset. Consisting in 4 scenes. First one is a midgain Dirty shirley with the RCB, second is the Friedman Smallbox with a thick crunch, then the BE for a tad more gain and finally the HBE. They have some mods that I turn on with the MFC, ext 2 controls a reverse wah (Belew style), and ext1 for wah. It's like a 4 channel Friedman. Amazing, dynamic, and all scenes really respond fabulous to rolling the volume knob down. And with the blowerswitch I installed, I dont even need to be near the MFC for clean to lead changes.


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I use a preset per each song, 4 scenes per preset in use 1 intro or verse 2 verse or chorus 3 solo with boost 4 crazy effect. All presets block are globally linked so that generally all preset sound identitical and only differences the scenes as they are song specific and those differences are are wah types reverb types delays. The boost is a geq block that is globally linked accross presets so if i find that the boost is too small or large, adjusting in one preset sorts all presets in the setlist. I also use a globally linked enhancer which i can set for the venue. And yes everything sounds and works incredibly well.
 
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