Input level

NeoSound

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What is everyone's favorite setting for input level?

I use several different guitars and it seems that 74% works good even though not all tickle the red.
 
What is everyone's favorite setting for input level?

I use several different guitars and it seems that 74% works good even though not all tickle the red.

40%. There's no tone difference between settings, except at extreme high or low settings.
 
Maybe its just the effects of volume but anything less than 70, and the amps sound a little flat/less lively
 
Suhr Modern Satin with stock pickups, and at 80-90% here. Have to pound the strings so hard they go sharp to get it in the red.
 
What is everyone's favorite setting for input level?

I use several different guitars and it seems that 74% works good even though not all tickle the red.

My input level is at 0.8!
I have Seymour Duncan Heavy Metal Live Wire pups in my Custom Strat running on 2x 9V batteries. It's a screamer!
When I plug my other Custom Strat in with an Andy Timmons AT Dimarzio pup in the bridge I turn up the input level to 23.5.
How are you guys testing the input level? Clean preset then guitar on the humbucker/bridge for the loudest possible sound to tickle the red?
 
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Maybe its just the effects of volume but anything less than 70, and the amps sound a little flat/less lively
If you can hear a tone difference between 70 and 40, you have better ears than anyone else on the forum. :)

There is no volume change with the Input Level control except at extreme settings.
 
How are you guys testing the input level? Clean preset then guitar on the humbucker/bridge for the loudest possible sound to tickle the red?
It doesn't matter what preset you use. Input Level is at the input, before the preset even happens. :)
 
Thx Rex. So how are you testing then?
I thought that you pick a clean preset, flick your toggle on the guitar to your humbucker pup (which would be your loudest sound)
and play until you tickle the red. Is this wrong?
 
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Thx Rex. So how are you testing then?
I thought that you pick a clean preset, flick your toggle on the guitar to your humbucker pup (which would be your loudest sound)
and play until you tickle the red. Is this wrong?
There's really no testing to be done. Input Level sets the level of the analog input to the Axe-Fx itself, not the output level. And it doesn't change the volume of your output signal or how hard you hit the amp block; it just helps you get the best signal-to-noise ratio.

Just do like it says in the manual: adjust Input Level until you're tickling the reds on the input LEDs—not the output clip LED. You'll get the same results no matter what preset you're on.


Edit: Yes, you're right: use your hottest pickup when you're setting Input Level.
 
40% seems to work for me. Granted, the one Strat with Kinman blondes doesn't like it, but the rest of my pickups work well in tickling the red at 40%
 
Thx again mate - bad choice of words by me - I didn't mean testing.
I have done it correctly then. It's that my pickups are so hot and that's why the input level is set at 0.8.
As I mentioned previously - when I use my strat with conventional (not as hot) pups, I set the input level at 23.5
and that's where the reds begin tickling.
So my input set ups are correct - thx!
 
...my pickups are so hot and that's why the input level is set at 0.8.
As I mentioned previously - when I use my strat with conventional (not as hot) pups, I set the input level at 23.5
and that's where the reds begin tickling.
If you have to turn Input Level all the way down to 0.8 (less than 1%) to get the red LED to back off, you must have an insanely hot signal coming out of your guitar. That's wicked hot, even for active pickups. At settings that extreme, the Input Level knob will have a definite effect on your sound. You might want to look into how you can tame your signal before it leaves your guitar. Something's not right.
 
If you have to turn Input Level all the way down to 0.8 (less than 1%) to get the red LED to back off, you must have an insanely hot signal coming out of your guitar. That's wicked hot, even for active pickups. At settings that extreme, the Input Level knob will have a definite effect on your sound. You might want to look into how you can tame your signal before it leaves your guitar. Something's not right.

Yep the humbucker is super hot. 18V - 9v for the 2x single coils and 9v for the humbucker alone. It is right. Crazy I know!
As I said, my other strat reads higher coz the pickups are your average pups.
 
Got mine at 25.5 at the moment. I'll get a red flicker or two when I hit really hard with my Les Paul (Duncan JB).

0.8! :shock What in the world are you using for pickups, industrial electro-magnets and car batteries? :lol
 
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