Is my XL+ for me?

Big T

Member
Hi all.

I'm at my wits end with the above! first of all i'm not a tweaker or accomplished player, the bands i jam with play a wide variety of cover tunes and i just want some nice tones!

i can get something reasonable at low volumes however at loud/gig volumes the patches sound thin and sterile, even tried a nice acoustic tone and it could have cut thru glass!

So my question is, can i honestly get some good tones by just adjusting normal amp type knobs, have a RAC12 for this purpose, or do you need to be delving deeper to get something useable. If it's the latter maybe the XL+ is not for me and would be better off with something like a BluGuitar Amp1, i do feel that its option overload sometimes.

Many thanks for your thoughts, i just want to keep it simple and learn to play the guitar better rather than spend endless hours being distracted tweaking and going thru multiple patches, it's driving me to distraction :(
 
You need to dial in live tones at performance volume.

Read up on Fletcher Munson effect for an explanation... But the short answer is this: at low volume, our ears hear midrange frequencies much better than highs or lows so we compensate by adding highs and lows. When you play that loud, it sounds bad...

Also, elaborate on what you are playing through: FRFR, guitar cab, power amp, etc.
 
Hey. I feel you, because I've been an analog amp guy for many years and in the last 2 years made the switch to digital, and my experience with the axeFX, there is a little learning curve to make your patches sound the way you are expecting them to, particularly live, but the saving grace here, is that imo, less is usually more with the presets and my patches tend to be super simple and easy to build and thats when they sound best. My chain is usually linear and contains an amp and cab sim, a gate and a boost and some eq. Reverb, etc to taste.Thats it, really. There are a few parameters that I find that do really affect tone and are staples in my sound. Mess around with a good patch you like at live volume and play around with sag, bias and the xformer match and see if that gets you closer. Dont give up just yet. Give the slightly deeper edit stuff its due diligence and you'll blow yourself away. You dont have to be an audio engineer or mega tone snob tweaker to get killer sound, but you will need just a little adjustment to it.
 
Also in the CAB block adjust low cut and high cut frequencies. I usually have high cut at around 8-10k and low cut between 80-150.
 
Also in the CAB block adjust low cut and high cut frequencies. I usually have high cut at around 8-10k and low cut between 80-150.
Yup. The subtle shaping of the high and low extremes in the cab block really help get rid of excess fizz and flub so it's not too wide open sounding.
 
Also in the CAB block adjust low cut and high cut frequencies. I usually have high cut at around 8-10k and low cut between 80-150.
This can help sometimes when not using the cab block also. Just put a filter block after the amp block, null type, and then adjust the low cut and high cut frequencies a bit. I usually like about 80hz and 12,000hz.
 
Hi all.

I'm at my wits end with the above! first of all i'm not a tweaker or accomplished player, the bands i jam with play a wide variety of cover tunes and i just want some nice tones!

i can get something reasonable at low volumes however at loud/gig volumes the patches sound thin and sterile, even tried a nice acoustic tone and it could have cut thru glass!

So my question is, can i honestly get some good tones by just adjusting normal amp type knobs, have a RAC12 for this purpose, or do you need to be delving deeper to get something useable. If it's the latter maybe the XL+ is not for me and would be better off with something like a BluGuitar Amp1, i do feel that its option overload sometimes.

Many thanks for your thoughts, i just want to keep it simple and learn to play the guitar better rather than spend endless hours being distracted tweaking and going thru multiple patches, it's driving me to distraction :(
Honestly, it sounds like you would be happier with something like the Boss Katana head + cab. It has some options you can tweak with the computer, but overall, much fewer options, and more panel controls to dial it in like you would a typical amp. I love mine, and play it as much as I play my Axe-FX II.
 
Thanks so far for everyone’s input, just to add to my original statement I have a Matrix FRFR system, and have cut high and low frequencies, also aware of Mr Munson , use Mokes clean to mean and Austin Buddies presets so these have the necessary high and low cuts. my main problem as stated is I hate tweaking and just want to turn a few wee knobbies and pick a couple of staple everyday amps, Fender, Vox, Marshall type. Maybe I should just stick to being acoustic So again is my XL+ for me, am I just being defeatist with this great product. Guys I just need some love and comfort here or someone to give me a good talking too and tell me to just get on with it. Thanks again all,
 
HI Big T,

Do you have Austin Buddys preset pack? I ask, because his presets really do sound like real amps - Especially when turned up. If you are not a big tweaker and just want an excellent base to get real guitar amp sounds there's really no better way to do it. Also, Mokes presets standout from the bunch as well.

Thanks
Pauly

Hi all.

I'm at my wits end with the above! first of all i'm not a tweaker or accomplished player, the bands i jam with play a wide variety of cover tunes and i just want some nice tones!

i can get something reasonable at low volumes however at loud/gig volumes the patches sound thin and sterile, even tried a nice acoustic tone and it could have cut thru glass!

So my question is, can i honestly get some good tones by just adjusting normal amp type knobs, have a RAC12 for this purpose, or do you need to be delving deeper to get something useable. If it's the latter maybe the XL+ is not for me and would be better off with something like a BluGuitar Amp1, i do feel that its option overload sometimes.

Many thanks for your thoughts, i just want to keep it simple and learn to play the guitar better rather than spend endless hours being distracted tweaking and going thru multiple patches, it's driving me to distraction :(
Hi Big T,
 
Hi all.

I'm at my wits end with the above! first of all i'm not a tweaker or accomplished player, the bands i jam with play a wide variety of cover tunes and i just want some nice tones!

i can get something reasonable at low volumes however at loud/gig volumes the patches sound thin and sterile, even tried a nice acoustic tone and it could have cut thru glass!

So my question is, can i honestly get some good tones by just adjusting normal amp type knobs, have a RAC12 for this purpose, or do you need to be delving deeper to get something useable. If it's the latter maybe the XL+ is not for me and would be better off with something like a BluGuitar Amp1, i do feel that its option overload sometimes.

Many thanks for your thoughts, i just want to keep it simple and learn to play the guitar better rather than spend endless hours being distracted tweaking and going thru multiple patches, it's driving me to distraction :(

Believe me, this is an experience nearly every FRFR player who plays live music goes through.

Apply the advice given above: High Cut and Low Cut in the Amp block is simple and will get you started. Use even more extreme settings than advices above: Low Cut between 150 - 200 Hz, and High Cut down to 5 kHz. But only when playing live with a band.
 
I can relate. I ended up flipping my XL+ despite being someone who likes to tweak things. In addition to what the guys above said, there's still a lot of dialing in with your ears instead of your eyes. There's a lot of great info on the forums in terms of the effect of each parameter, but it can still be tough not be prejudiced by settings that seem extreme even despite what your ears tell you. Good luck!
 
Thin and sterile sounds like an amp model with the master vol set too low. Try that in conjunction with hi and low cut. Assuming you are routed and configured correctly via frfr, FOH, or amp cab. It will sound great once you get it dialled.
 
HI Big T,

Do you have Austin Buddys preset pack? I ask, because his presets really do sound like real amps - Especially when turned up. If you are not a big tweaker and just want an excellent base to get real guitar amp sounds there's really no better way to do it. Also, Mokes presets standout from the bunch as well.

Thanks
Pauly


Hi Big T,

I second this. I got the AustinBuddy pack and haven't regretted it. It's the base of every single tone I make, and my tones cut through the mix like a knife and sound authentic. HIGHLY suggest this pack if you aren't a tweaker.
 
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