Like a music store in a 2U rack space

aleclee

aleclee

Power User
I was just thinking about people who give up on modelers because they can't help but tweak every last parameter. Fortunately, that's not my thing but I have spent a fair bit of time lately customizing some of the factory presets on my new G2. Spinning though cab after effect after amp, it occurred to me that having an AxeFx is sort of like having a music store in your rack. For some, endless tweaking is probably like walking through the store trying everything because it's all "free". Some folks will quickly settle on a few favorite combinations and mostly ignore the rest. Others are constantly running the racks looking for a new/different combination.

While the number of available gear permutations is staggering--even before twiddling params--I'm finally making some headway towards getting my core set of 12-15 presets together. If my experience with the Ultra is an indication, after I get those patches together, I'll only tweak occasionally as I decide I want to add something new to my tonal palette. Even though I won't be running the racks all the time, it's comforting to know that my music store will be there when I want something new. :)
 
To me that is the double edged sword part of modelers. When you first get one you dive into it headlong and learn all the little tricks. However as time goes by and you get your core sounds and revert back to playing, you eventually lose some of that knowledge. Then if you ever need to make/tweak patches 6 mOnths down the road you scratch your head trying to remember how the hell you got it to sound so good in the first place lol. "Oh yeah, trim this, eq that, etc etc etc."

But what can I say, I'm a sucker for gear so a music store in a box sounds good to me!
 
Def. a double edged sword. It's up to the individual to maximize the advantages and minimize the disadvantages...or move on to a different piece of gear.

One thing that your post made me consider is the thought processes behind acquiring a modeler versus traditional gear. With traditional gear, you generally buy it for what it sounds like. I think we tend to buy modelers for what we think they can sound like. When you try a cab in a store, you know pretty well how it's going to sound when you take it home. When you get an AxeFx, you have 70 cabs to choose from (plus user IRs) and a bunch of other parameters to play with. Where the guy who bought the 1960x did his auditioning before he brought the cab home, once it's there, the audition's over unless he's considering swapping speakers. With a modeler, the pre-sale audition is only the beginning. The ability to easily change certain parameters (not to mention adding blocking PEQs) results in an audition that goes on long after the sale is complete. If you lack the critical listening skills or technical understanding of how different blocks/params affect what you hear, that's going to be an exceptionally frustrating experience.
 
Interesting thread, alecee ... I've owned my Ultra for exactly three weeks and I go to bed at night thinking, "I'm getting out; it's too much to catch up on and I'm not PLAYING my guitar; I'm tweaking freakin' knobs!" Then I wake up in the morning thinking, "Okay, so I'll check the Axe-Fx Forum and I'll get guidance/tips/tricks from there (which I usually do)."

Point is, I can see myself hanging in there until it all becomes more clear and I've finally gotten back to creating music rather than climbing the steep learning curve. One thing I've learned very quickly since joining the Forum - Hearing a cool clip or seeing a juicy preset someone has posted is really not the way to tame this beast. With all of the possible differences in setups, room acoustics, interfaces, other outboard gear, guitars and certainly playing styles and one's own ears, I believe the proper approach for me will be to start with an absolutely clean Bank of Presets and create my own from scratch. The "canned" Banks/Presets that come with the Ultra are a good place to start, but one could spend a lifetime in making them one's own. Thanks for the post.
 
Related to the Axe-FX II specifically, here's what I like about that first set of presets on Bank A. There are amps/cabs setup there that I'd never try, simply because I am not familiar with working with them in real life or they don't fit my 'personal profile' when it comes to fashioning 'my' tones. You then hear one of these stripped out tones - just turn the delay off or the mix down a bit on just that block - and spend a few moments dialing in the tone knobs, just as you would approach an amp. Wow.

I had a fellow Axe-FX Forum member (JakeL and he's a very cool guy) over yesterday, and he's a Strat into a Plexi player. Set the I/O menu A/D levels to match his hands/style/guitar. I didn't have a Plexi preset worked up for myself yet, so we just dialed up the factory preset versions. Took all of about 2 minutes to dial up some totally tasty Plexi tones for his guitar and style.

So even guys that hate tweaking, hate factory 'look what this box can do' presets and just want core tones to sample quickly and efficiently - it's in there with the 2. Could not have been simpler to do.
 
For me I spent about six months reading this board and looking at presets in Axe-Edit before I purchased a Standard. I learned a lot during that time and then learned even more when I could actually twist a knob and hear the difference. I took me a few months to really dial in presets that I liked. Since then I don't tweak very much. I have starting points now and just adjust a few things here there. I don't feel restricted anymore in getting a sound I want or need.

Before, I had to figure out if I needed a different pedal and where to put it on my board. Then I was only able to get one preset out of it. I had pedals on board that I would use for less than three minutes over 25 songs. There are no more restrictions for me. If I need something I often start with a base preset and add what I need. It sounds great and I spend less time worrying about gear, re-cabling pedal boards, and trying to figure out how to make something work. Its different way of thinking. With all the damn pedals I had my tone probably suffered more from that than anything else, outside of my playing.

Not giving Guitar Center any more of my money is just a little extra icing on the cake.
 
Scott Peterson said:
So even guys that hate tweaking, hate factory 'look what this box can do' presets and just want core tones to sample quickly and efficiently - it's in there with the 2. Could not have been simpler to do.
Click to expand...

That is one thing that really does appeal to me in the II. From all accounts it just seems easier to get where you want without all the tricks you and many others have shared. The v11 firmware helped in that department for the Standard/Ultra but I am sure it could be better. For me that is probably the one thing that really appeals to me. I like being able to turn on and go.
 
Scott Peterson said:
So even guys that hate tweaking, hate factory 'look what this box can do' presets and just want core tones to sample quickly and efficiently - it's in there with the 2. Could not have been simpler to do.
Click to expand...
I'm lookin' forward to that! Just getting back to playing my guitar. My Ultra has been a blessing and a curse. A blessing from the standpoint that I'm getting the tones that have been rolling around in my head for years but I could never achieve with the gear I've owned. A 'curse' from the standpoint that the whole modeling thing is new to me and learning this beast has been tough. Plus, I'm one of those guys that has to try everything in the 'store'. No stone unturned....sampling every cab, amp, tweak, etc. My curiosity often gets the better of me. Either way, I'm 'pot committed' and I would never go back to my old stack of gear. I love the Axe. Can't wait to get my hands on the II.
 
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