Input sensitivity changes over time?

addedc

addedc

Experienced
Or maybe I have a setting wrong? I have a bunch of guitars and whichever one I played least recently is my favorite. Lately I have been playing a strat with noiseless pickups and noticed that I need to turn the instrument input up from about 50% to 100% to get it to slightly tickle the red. My other guitars are usually around 50 or so to tickle the red, but when I went back to them, I noticed I needed to turn the instrument input up from what used to be 50 to 70% or 80% to tickle the red. I have a Gretsch with Filtron pickups and can no longer get it to tickle the red.

My Main instrument input is ANALOG.
Instrumen Input 1 left select is FRONT
Input 1 mode is SUM L R

Mahalo for any help.
 
Thanks Chris,

That's a good video. I think I have actually watched it before. I am just wondering about what has changed the clipping behavior. I used to be at 50% to tickle the red, now I am at 70 or 80 with my hotter guitars and some don't get there at all.
 
not sure if anything has changed. but except for extreme low settings like 0, it doesn't really seem to matter if you can't clip it at all. it should still sound good, hopefully it does.
 
addedc said:
Or maybe I have a setting wrong? I have a bunch of guitars and whichever one I played least recently is my favorite. Lately I have been playing a strat with noiseless pickups and noticed that I need to turn the instrument input up from about 50% to 100% to get it to slightly tickle the red. My other guitars are usually around 50 or so to tickle the red, but when I went back to them, I noticed I needed to turn the instrument input up from what used to be 50 to 70% or 80% to tickle the red. I have a Gretsch with Filtron pickups and can no longer get it to tickle the red.

My Main instrument input is ANALOG.
Instrumen Input 1 left select is FRONT
Input 1 mode is SUM L R

Mahalo for any help.
Click to expand...


Set set your input mode to left only instead of sum l+R
 
addedc said:
Or maybe I have a setting wrong? I have a bunch of guitars and whichever one I played least recently is my favorite. Lately I have been playing a strat with noiseless pickups and noticed that I need to turn the instrument input up from about 50% to 100% to get it to slightly tickle the red. My other guitars are usually around 50 or so to tickle the red, but when I went back to them, I noticed I needed to turn the instrument input up from what used to be 50 to 70% or 80% to tickle the red. I have a Gretsch with Filtron pickups and can no longer get it to tickle the red.

My Main instrument input is ANALOG.
Instrumen Input 1 left select is FRONT
Input 1 mode is SUM L R

Mahalo for any help.
Click to expand...

Thank YOU!!!! That's exactly what I discovered with my Axe and Guitars, too. What is going on? Is it the Axe, the cable or what? Meanwhile I'm at 90% (first 50%)!? I already had input mode to left only instead of sum l+R. Seems that is no reason or solution.
 
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If Input has been changed to L&R sum you will lose a lot of input strength ! set to Left Only! sounds like the problem , no changes noticed here!
 
RDH said:
If Input has been changed to L&R sum you will lose a lot of input strength !
Click to expand...

I stayed always on LEFT only, even before.

With my IBANEZ Guitars switching them was no problem for the Input. As Fw14 came out I got my new LesPaul (more PU-output as my other Guitars) so I find out, that with the LP the red lights on the Axe start to tickle around 50 or so.

I think I was already on Fw15 as I used another Guitar (STRAT) for the first time since I had the LP. As expected, I notice I have to turn up the Input allot to get the red lights start to tickle (can't remember exactly, think 70 or so). As I switched back to the LP, at 50% the red lights were no more flickering. I kept the Input were it was since playing the STRAT (~ 70).

The hole thing repeated it self while switching the guitars later on. At some point it "ended" with the LP on 89,9% because with the STRAT I couldn't get the red lights on even on 100%.

I don’t understand this.
 
Liquid22 said:
Thank YOU!!!! That's exactly what I discovered with my Axe and Guitars, too. What is going on? Is it the Axe, the cable or what? Meanwhile I'm at 90% (first 50%)!? I already had input mode to left only instead of sum l+R. Seems that is no reason or solution.
Click to expand...

His problem is likely the input being set to sum l+r
 
javajunkie said:
His problem is likely the input being set to sum l+r
Click to expand...

Can you please explain. I think I don't get it right.

My settings:

Main instrument input ANALOG (IN 1)
Input 1 left select FRONT
Input 1 mode is LEFT ONLY
Input 2 mode is LEFT ONLY

I ask me two questions:
1. Is there a reason/purpose, WHY a setting on "sum L+R" leads to such "growing loss of input" like I described?
2. How do I have to change the settings to bring the Input of my guitars UP again (were it was earlier)?


Thanks!
 
Thanks for the replies.

I had the input set to Left when I noticed the drop in levels. I changed it to Sum L+R on the incorrect guess that might increase input strength.

Sounds like it's not an issue, but it did make me wonder. And the Gretsch sounds absolutely great even with no tickled reds at 100% and a presumably less than optimal signal to noise ratio.
 
Liquid22 said:
Can you please explain. I think I don't get it right.

My settings:

Main instrument input ANALOG (IN 1)
Input 1 left select FRONT
Input 1 mode is LEFT ONLY
Input 2 mode is LEFT ONLY

I ask me two questions:
1. Is there a reason/purpose, WHY a setting on "sum L+R" leads to such "growing loss of input" like I described?
2. How do I have to change the settings to bring the Input of my guitars UP again (were it was earlier)?


Thanks!
Click to expand...

1. Because when you sum left and R, each side gets padded because it presumes the you are plugging signal both in to the left and right which would double the signal when summed (1 + 1 = 2)

2. I would start at the beginning. Reset your system parameters. Adjust Instr 1 so that your hottest guitar is just tickling the red (don't worry if that winds up being 100% - it goes that high for a reason). If you cant tickle the red, its okay, just as long as you are consistently lighting up the second green (hopefully you can get to yellow) I have no idea what things were set up for you earlier, it could be a plethora of things. What is important is the way things are now. If you cannot light up the top green light consistently, try to eliminate the variables. Start with the guitar, then cable, then the Axe-fx.

Try several guitars, if any are active change batteries. If that doesn't help try multiple short cables, If that doesn't help and you can't get a strong signal on the 2nd green light (hopefully yellow), put in a support ticket.

As Cliff has stated:
"You don't HAVE to tickle the reds. Adjust for your hottest guitar and leave it."

also,
"For a Strat, near 100% on the input level is not unusual. I run my Strat around there. It has vintage-type pickups."
 
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javajunkie said:
1. Because when you sum left and R, each side gets padded because it presumes the you are plugging signal both in to the left and right which would double the signal when summed (1 + 1 = 2)

2. I would start at the beginning. Reset your system parameters. Adjust Instr 1 so that your hottest guitar is just tickling the red (don't worry if that winds up being 100% - it goes that high for a reason). If you cant tickle the red, its okay, just as long as you are consistently lighting up the second green (hopefully you can get to yellow) I have no idea what things were set up for you earlier, it could be a plethora of things. What is important is the way things are now. If you cannot light up the top green light consistently, try to eliminate the variables. Start with the guitar, then cable, then the Axe-fx.

Try several guitars, if any are active change batteries. If that doesn't help try multiple short cables, If that doesn't help and you can't get a strong signal on the 2nd green light (hopefully yellow), put in a support ticket.

As Cliff has stated:
"You don't HAVE to tickle the reds. Adjust for your hottest guitar and leave it."

also,
"For a Strat, near 100% on the input level is not unusual. I run my Strat around there. It has vintage-type pickups."
Click to expand...


Thank you very much. I gonna reset everything tomorrow and see whathappens (also checking the cables - it's not allways the Axe). I'm pretty sure I will reach the yellow LEDs with each guitar, so everything will be fine. Although I think the sound is juiceier at red LEDs, maybe there's a way to compensate the tone in the amp setting. Also good to know that it's "common" not to reach the red LEDs with a Strat with vintage-type pickups.
 
Liquid22 said:
Thank you very much. I gonna reset everything tomorrow and see whathappens (also checking the cables - it's not allways the Axe). I'm pretty sure I will reach the yellow LEDs with each guitar, so everything will be fine. Although I think the sound is juiceier at red LEDs, maybe there's a way to compensate the tone in the amp setting. Also good to know that it's "common" not to reach the red LEDs with a Strat with vintage-type pickups.
Click to expand...

It should not sound juicier or any different. The only differerence would be SNR ratio, which would manifest itself as a slightly higher noise floor (most probably inaudible). There is nothing to compensate for. The compensation is done automatically in the axe-fx. As you turn down the input levels (before A/D conversion), the Axe-fx II compensates after the A/D conversion by increasing levels. The same is true in reverse. The net result is the Axe-fx always see the level that your guitar is putting out (like a real amp input would). If your signal is extremely low or on the other side, clipping, then you can notice tonal changes. But for the most part. Adjusting the input level should not change tone, the should be transparent. Their job is to optimize the signal levels to A/D converters to give the best Signal to Noise Ratio.
 
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