I can't seem to get ANY good tones?

Same problem many people face.
The trick for me was to keep it simple . Amp and cab. You shouldn't need drastic EQ , if you do your using the wrong IR.
I might post a patch sample later for what I think is a good tone ,but we're all different and you might think it's the worst sound you've ever heard.

Point to a song or player with the kind of sound your looking for.
 
Jalevinemd said:
Maybe I'm wrong here (I'm an FX8 user). But I thought that a lot of the factory presets relied on running the unit through an effects loop to sound good. If you're going straight through the front of the amp, maybe that's part of the problem.
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not the case for the Axe....most if not all the presets are made to be used with FRFR.
 
that being said, there are plenty of factory presets that are great as is, or at least as good starting points. something isn't right somewhere, or the headphones are really bad
 
PumpkinKing86 said:
In your first post you said you're cranking the Master Volume. I think this could be the problem. When I use the Friedman models, I reduce the MV to about 3 to make them less dark and more articulate.
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and yes, this time 100...if you are cranking the master on a high gain amp it's going to be a mess. they are about preamp gain, not power amp breakup. i don't know where you read to do that but it's a no-no. the freedman's are usually good somewhere between 3-6, depending on the model, amps like the Mesa's can go even lower. Lower MV usually = tight low end, cranked mv on a high gain amp usually = boomy, muddy, harsh mess.
 
Get real monitors. Headphones that are designed for hi-fi use are seldom good for listening to any sort of raw musical gear. You'd most likely be just as displeased with those phones and your favorite tube amp mic'd in another room.
 
In the cab block you should check to see if the mic option is set to null. That can make things really bassy. Also with most of the newer factory IRs you should not have a mic selected in the cab block, start with none rather then null.
 
pepsodent said:
Thank you very much for all the advice, I'll get busy doing some research tomorrow! :)
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You should download yeks guide and read up on the amp models your using.
Even if you know a lot you might find something new.
I still love to know what kinda tone your shooting for , a more classic sounding? An ultra modern?
 
I have some good quality headphones and my Axe sounds awful through them, thin, buzzy tone. Same headphones sound great when listening to CD's though, and my Axe sounds awesome through my studio monitors, CLR etc.

Don't know why headphones sound so bad with the Axe, but they do. If I judged the unit just from headphones no way I'd keep it, but plug into basically any other playback source and it sounds amazing.
 
The best advice I can offer is to keep it simple and pick an amp and cab that are properly matched. As others have suggested, Yek's Guide to the Fractal Audio Amp Models is an excellent resource for this. I had excellent results when I started pairing amps with their recommended cabs rather than just picking both at random. It made a huge difference. Additionally, when you start tweaking an amp, try adjusting only the controls that correlate with the real-world knobs on the actual amp, at least to start. Again, Yek's guide will walk you through which controls in Axe-Edit (or on the front panel) correlate with the real-world knobs on the actual amp. If you keep it simple and tweak the amp models like you would an actual amp, you'll likely find things start opening up.
 
this question has been asked and answered countless times; I suggest making a formal 'sticky' answer, or op reading more on the forum. I know Ive answered it 3 or more times.
 
I monitor through a pair of JBL lsr308 and they sound awesome with the Axe, great mids and plenty of high and low end. I also use a set of AKG K240s just for late night playing and they are pretty damn good for the money, but having said that I make on my presets using the monitors. Have you tried a factory reset?
 
I have to use the bass cut switch for all my high gain amps and back the bass knob to 3.69 and engage the sat switch on most. I pretty much leave everything else alone and it sounds fantastic.
 
REDD said:
I have to use the bass cut switch for all my high gain amps and back the bass knob to 3.69 and engage the sat switch on most. I pretty much leave everything else alone and it sounds fantastic.
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just curious....where are you running the gain on a high gain amp if you're always using the sat switch? like .5??
 
jlynnb1 said:
just curious....where are you running the gain on a high gain amp if you're always using the sat switch? like .5??
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I can't speak for him, but I have a Diezel V4 (Slvr 3) preset that has the saturation switch engaged (sat drive set to 2) and gain set to 5.
 
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1) check the input level trim for your guitar and pups
2) put on an amp block and match the right cab block
3) check the Drive, B-M-T and presence and switches
4) check the output level (before led clip)
5) check the EQ
6) you can even do everything above with your headphones... but you'll get a good tone ONLY for your headphones!
 
Didn't have time to read the full post, but if this thread doesn't end up helping you, and you have a way to record your guitar into a computer, PM me and we can Skype and work together on this. :)
 
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