It's all about the way you set the EQ

ak301

ak301

Power User
This just popped up on the YouTubes, found it really interesting

Now I know he's not 100% with the tones, but it certainly makes you think about with the right settings all the tones you ever want are in something like a Fractal

 
ak301 said:
certainly makes you think about with the right settings all the tones you ever want are in something like a Fractal
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Ya think? (That is to say, "+1000")

Every time I see a review of a new drive pedal with a "enhanced low end tightness" or "true mid power" I cringe. I know there are those who chase tone with their wallets, but buying loads of gear instead of unlocking all that can be achieved with the combination of EQ Pedal>Drive Pedal>EQ Pedal?

Fractal Audio's products not only let you sound great, but also give you a unique "gear lab." Of course this makes it possible to learn -- but in a way that can also be a lot of fun. Compared to most pedals, our products also allow you to save your work in presets/scenes/channels. This allows instant recall of complex setups, but also provides a way to reference different points in time so you can judge whether or not you are moving in the right direction. The value doesn't need hype. It is tangible.
 
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Admin M@ said:
Every time I see a review of a new drive pedal with a "enhanced low end tightness" or "true mid power" I cringe.
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let the little people have their fun. they want to see different colored boxes light up and think they make a difference. dont pop their bubble. what are all those pedal makers gonna do for a living then?
 
i agree and even though i never see myself switching back to analog since i really got into modeling and even more since i started using fractal, there are some tempting stuff out there that i sometimes get a tingling inside my pocket to buy but then i always think "stop right there. you can do that with your axe3. put the wallet back in the pocket".
that being said there's also a lot of snake oil pedals (pun intended) by people who appeal to easily impressed users that like the casing more than the actual function or the fame of a product more than its quality.
personally i think there is future in pedals but more in the direction poly effects or something similar that eventide does with their digital stuff.
and i cant stand ppl dissing modeling when they thing they get something special from the 10.000th sd-1 or od-808 clone
 
This morning I was watching this video that compares a PRS and a Ibanez using the same pickups. It is quite obvious that the PRS has a warmer tone while the Ibanez is brighter. I engaged the Axe-FX III Output EQ (I use the Axe-FX as a soundcard for my laptop) and I could easily make the PRS sound like the Ibanez and vice-versa (for the clean tones only; I didn't tried to do that with the distorted tones because they would pobably require pre-EQ before the amp and dist pedal). So yes, a little thing like the Boss GE-7 can do wonders 🤠




If I had to go back to the analog wold, I would rather have a couple of GE-7 than several expensive boutique drive pedals
 
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One of the main reasons I stuck with FAS and went with an FM3 for my 4CM with a 3 channel tube amp is 100% the unlimited EQing options, add to that scenes and instant changes via midi.

After 20 some years tap dancing pedals, and yes I owned the Boss EQ, later I had some rack ones. The TC Electronic Gmajor and GmajorII were a step up but limited and honestly the EQ was weak.

When I bought the Axe-Fx II in 2013 it completely changed everything and I could never go back to static pedals that's for sure.
 
Piing said:
If I had to go back to the analog wold, I would rather have a couple of GE-7 than several expensive boutique drive pedals
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Mmmmm... but these two GE-7 only offer one fixed EQ curve, and it is a PITA to change it on-the-fly during a gig. I better sell them and get one of these EQ pedals with programmable presets.

Mmmmm... but it is a PITA to remember which EQ preset is for each setting, and a nightmare tap-dancing with all the other pedals. I better sell all the pedals and get a good rack FX processor and a MIDI controller.

Mmmmm... but the two channels of the amplifier are too limited to cover all the tones. I better sell the amp and the FX rack and get a modeler, a power amp, and a 4x4 CAB.

Mmmmm... this modeler is not convincing. I should add some real tube pre-amp racks: JMP-1, TriAxis, etc

Mmmmm... but the way the sound tech sets the mikes makes my tone on PA very different to how I want to sound. I better sell the power amp and the CAB and buy FRFR monitors to go direct to line.

Mmmmm... but this modeler sounds to fizzy. I am going to buy a Radtone Harmonic Converger.

Mmmmm... this is all crap. I think I should save money for one of these Axe-FX...

dejà vu, déjà vu!! Feels like I've been there before 😂 😂
 
CodePoet said:
Oh my, I remember that timeframe. Didn't buy one, but that was "the solution" at one time. Pod Pro XT->Radtone HC = the missing link. :p
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I bought it 😅 for my Boss GT-Pro. Then I realized that it was - I would not call it snake oil, because it actually did something - but nothing more than a simple passive EQ. Nothing that could magically add harmonic contents to the signal, as the Neil Diamond guitarist did claim.

After the GT-Pro I moved to the Axe-FX Standard, and I got rid of it.

There was a thread at the old Axe-FX forum where Cliff recreated the curve and the schematic with Spice software.
 
Piing said:
There was a thread at the old Axe-FX forum where Cliff recreated the curve and the schematic with Spice software.
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Interesting. I figured that one day someone would reverse-engineer it and the answer would be known. It's too bad if he was exploiting his position as an expert to sell something that was just an EQ. (that never happens in the guitar pedal world :p ).
 
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