Random Hero
Inspired
I bumped another thread but think this warrants its own.
So for the longest time I’ve been looking for the ideal “Plexi” tone from a modeller. I guess we all know the sound I’m referencing but I’ve posted examples of the exact type of thing I’m talking about at the bottom of this.
To preface this, and I’m saying this for context rather than any other reason, I play professionally and know my gear etc. I don’t think the issue is me, though I am more than happy to be corrected if there’s something I’m missing..! This definitely isn’t a dig as I love Fractal gear and I’m about to use my FM9 on a UK tour.
On to the point - I find the Plexis in the current firmware quite dark and congested sounding and I don’t get why.
Earlier this week I started a little voyage into this after hearing the demo of the Metropoulos MetroPlex II I posted below. To me there is a lot of all of those descriptive words we use for Plexis embodied in that clip. It’s bright, has “kerrang” and “clank” and has those snarly upper mids and so on. For whatever reason, the models in the Axe don’t quite do that to me?
So I made some comparison clips using two amps in the Fractal - 1959SLP and the 100W High - and two “amps” in the Quad Cortex - a DI capture of the Plexi channel of a Friedman Smallbox and the Neural Plexi 100 Bright amp model. Listen for yourselves but for whatever reason, I can’t get the Fractal models to sound as bright or present or sizzly or whatever, not without extra EQ whether by way of a block or the output EQ or whatever.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a depth and richness to the Fractal tones that I can’t quite get from the other unit so this isn’t a dig at all but I’m confused why I can’t get these tones without serious extra EQing? The Neurals sound closer to me in this context, EQ wise, and that surprised me.
- All of the clips above were using the same IR so it can’t be that, though I’m aware some IRs are much brighter but considering those tones exist using that IR, it’s not the IR. I also feel like once you start using overly bright IRs, something else is lost. Depth, weight, thickness and fatness.
- I’ve switched speaker impedance curves and whilst I do think it makes a difference, it’s subtle at best. It’s not night and day.
- I set the EQs on all three models (can’t control the capture EQ) to exactly the same.
I’ve also found that even when I dime them, I’m not getting as much brightness or sizzle as I’d expect, certainly not close to George Metropoulos in that clip..!
What say we? What’s the deal?
My recordings;
Same DI guitar track. Order is Fractal 100W High, Friedman Capture, Fractal 1959SLP, Neural Plexi model.
Examples;
So for the longest time I’ve been looking for the ideal “Plexi” tone from a modeller. I guess we all know the sound I’m referencing but I’ve posted examples of the exact type of thing I’m talking about at the bottom of this.
To preface this, and I’m saying this for context rather than any other reason, I play professionally and know my gear etc. I don’t think the issue is me, though I am more than happy to be corrected if there’s something I’m missing..! This definitely isn’t a dig as I love Fractal gear and I’m about to use my FM9 on a UK tour.
On to the point - I find the Plexis in the current firmware quite dark and congested sounding and I don’t get why.
Earlier this week I started a little voyage into this after hearing the demo of the Metropoulos MetroPlex II I posted below. To me there is a lot of all of those descriptive words we use for Plexis embodied in that clip. It’s bright, has “kerrang” and “clank” and has those snarly upper mids and so on. For whatever reason, the models in the Axe don’t quite do that to me?
So I made some comparison clips using two amps in the Fractal - 1959SLP and the 100W High - and two “amps” in the Quad Cortex - a DI capture of the Plexi channel of a Friedman Smallbox and the Neural Plexi 100 Bright amp model. Listen for yourselves but for whatever reason, I can’t get the Fractal models to sound as bright or present or sizzly or whatever, not without extra EQ whether by way of a block or the output EQ or whatever.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a depth and richness to the Fractal tones that I can’t quite get from the other unit so this isn’t a dig at all but I’m confused why I can’t get these tones without serious extra EQing? The Neurals sound closer to me in this context, EQ wise, and that surprised me.
- All of the clips above were using the same IR so it can’t be that, though I’m aware some IRs are much brighter but considering those tones exist using that IR, it’s not the IR. I also feel like once you start using overly bright IRs, something else is lost. Depth, weight, thickness and fatness.
- I’ve switched speaker impedance curves and whilst I do think it makes a difference, it’s subtle at best. It’s not night and day.
- I set the EQs on all three models (can’t control the capture EQ) to exactly the same.
I’ve also found that even when I dime them, I’m not getting as much brightness or sizzle as I’d expect, certainly not close to George Metropoulos in that clip..!
What say we? What’s the deal?
My recordings;
Same DI guitar track. Order is Fractal 100W High, Friedman Capture, Fractal 1959SLP, Neural Plexi model.
Examples;