I can't seem to get ANY good tones?

Sleestak said:
I also recommend going with monitors rather than headphones. Most of us are accustomed to hearing amps "in the room", moving air. The sensation of hearing guitar - especially rock tones - just through headphones takes getting used to. Even through really high quality headphones, the sound of [high quality headphone speaker very close to your ear] is a different from [speaker cabinet through a greater distance of vibrating air, to your ears]. The headphone tone can be perceived as lifeless or weirdly choked. When I record in the studio, I usually just track with my AxeFX via headphones, but I work with plenty of guys at sessions who really want to be in the room with their amp.
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Exactly this
 
I play through Event 20/20 BAS monitors and my sound is better than my Carvin V3 through a 4 Celestian speaker cabinet. I think a
good set of monitors will change everything. Good luck.
 
I can agree about the importance of monitors. I loved the sound I was getting thru my Atomic FR cab but hated what I was getting thru some otherwise decent sounding speakers or my Beyer Dynamic DT990 headphones. Upgraded the speakers to Genelec M040s and now I'm loving the tones I'm getting.
 
I use an older pair of Mackie HR824's and I don't have any complaints. Headphones don't really compare, but I also listen through some (HD 280 Pros) to get a well-rounded perception.
 
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To echo what others have already said on here. Monitors will make a big difference. That being said I have played through a few pairs of headphones and couldn't say the tone is bad.... I have a pair or Yamaha HS5's which sound a lot better and a pair of QSC10's which sound better again...
 
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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It depends on the amp. I mainly use the Angle severe 1 and set the gain at 5 and overdrive at 7.5 with saturation on 4. It's a lot of gain but I like it for heavy stuff.
 
pepsodent said:
I've tried Friedman amps through TV mix and Basketweave cabs, I've tried the USA's. Nope. All I end up with is a muddy, slightly boomy tone with weak attack.

If I manage to get something good sounding going, it's still covered in what sounds like a thick blanket and I can't seem to get rid of it with any amounts of tweaking or EQing
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I have THE EXACT same complaint. I cannot for the life of me get rid of the blanket on the HBE.

(Thread I posted on just this, my patch is at the bottom of Pg. 2 http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/peq-geq-help.119444/page-2#post-1425794)

I haven't bought a new cab pack yet, but so many people say it's the big factor. I haven't been able to lose the blanket and get the crispness w/ any stock cab.
 
Dylan Lundgren said:
I have THE EXACT same complaint. I cannot for the life of me get rid of the blanket on the HBE.

(Thread I posted on just this, my patch is at the bottom of Pg. 2 http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/peq-geq-help.119444/page-2#post-1425794)

I haven't bought a new cab pack yet, but so many people say it's the big factor. I haven't been able to lose the blanket and get the crispness w/ any stock cab.
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I don't use any of the factory cabs. On the HBE I have to turn on the bass cut switch and the bass knob down around 3 and the depth down a little.
 
Dylan Lundgren said:
I have THE EXACT same complaint. I cannot for the life of me get rid of the blanket on the HBE.

(Thread I posted on just this, my patch is at the bottom of Pg. 2 http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/peq-geq-help.119444/page-2#post-1425794)

I haven't bought a new cab pack yet, but so many people say it's the big factor. I haven't been able to lose the blanket and get the crispness w/ any stock cab.
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Go get some OwnHammer IRs. They're very bright. The factory cabs mostly use ribbon mics which are smooth and dark in comparison.
 
Dylan Lundgren said:
I haven't bought a new cab pack yet, but so many people say it's the big factor. I haven't been able to lose the blanket and get the crispness w/ any stock cab.
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FractalAudio said:
Go get some OwnHammer IRs.
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I agree about the OwnHammer IRs. The Marshall 4x12 checkerboard cabinet with the H75-PR speakers would be an excellent match.
http://www.ownhammer.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=164&products_id=372

If you can afford to spend the extra cash, then I definitely would recommend the Heavy Hitters Collection. That's been my go-to for a lot of amps. The HBE sounds really good with the V30s in the Mode 4 cabinet.
http://www.ownhammer.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=172&products_id=382
 
Dylan Lundgren said:
I have THE EXACT same complaint. I cannot for the life of me get rid of the blanket on the HBE.

(Thread I posted on just this, my patch is at the bottom of Pg. 2 http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/peq-geq-help.119444/page-2#post-1425794)

I haven't bought a new cab pack yet, but so many people say it's the big factor. I haven't been able to lose the blanket and get the crispness w/ any stock cab.
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Try using the 57 Dyn in the mic selector drop down menu in the cab block. I've found it brightens whatever cab I'm using. Also try taking out of some of the low end (bass knob) and/or using the cut switch. The bright and presence controls are also worth a shot. Lower the depth. There are a lot of ways to sharpen or remove the mud in a preset.
 
FractalAudio said:
Go get some OwnHammer IRs. They're very bright. The factory cabs mostly use ribbon mics which are smooth and dark in comparison.
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Yes they are.

Try this one.. It's included free with the 'Axe-Fx II' Firmware download
 

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Ditch the headphones. I don't find headphones sound good at all with the Axe.

I'm playing through a real 4 x 12 Mesa Traditional with V30's. It's sometimes a challenge to get a great tone and takes a fair bit of work, because playing through a real cab, means one basic cab tone...and you need to massage and massage to get great tones, but it's doable.

I have built some great sounding patches (from scratch) using Friedman, Recto Modern Red (Mesa Boogie Dual rectifier 3rd channel). Working on Marshall tones now, which prove to be more challenging for me.

Amp EQ and tone controls are your friends! Also, more advanced controls like pressure, depth, dynamic pressure, dynamic depth will dramatically change your muddy tones...and make them bite crystal clear, if that's your aim.

Master volume, cranked way up will seriously dirty your tone on some amps. I use +3-5 db max...

And like what's been said here, get a good set of FRFR's!

It's not as simple as 1-2-3 when building tones/ patches...certainly not as simple as some say, especially if you're a novice at this, like me!
 
jlynnb1 said:
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.
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This!
 
Wow, what a flood of helpful posts and insights. Very encouraging, thanks a lot guys!

I've invested in a couple of Yamaha HS80's, picking them up next week to see if the headphones really were the issue all along as many of you have pointed out. The issue seems to be pointing that way anyway. I'll be back by then to report!
 
Dylan Lundgren said:
I have THE EXACT same complaint. I cannot for the life of me get rid of the blanket on the HBE.
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I'll echo what yek said. If all the factory IRs sound like there's a blanket over them, and you can't dial it out, the IRs aren't the problem.
 
Jason Scott said:
Try using the 57 Dyn in the mic selector drop down menu in the cab block. I've found it brightens whatever cab I'm using. Also try taking out of some of the low end (bass knob) and/or using the cut switch. The bright and presence controls are also worth a shot. Lower the depth. There are a lot of ways to sharpen or remove the mud in a preset.
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Thank you for the advice. I'm very aware of these options!
 
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