It just occurred to me that another thing could help with clarity in this situation. I haven't tried, but adding a little air parameter in the cab block might give the OP some of the clarity he is looking for.
This is a real problem and I think it has less to do with EQ settings than it does with the actual signal processing of the modeler. However, I'm open to any and all solutions including a low-end rolloff or a parametric EQ to dampen the lower note -- though I think these is a pretty crummy solutions that I'd only use as a last resort because it's not that the low note is too LOUD, it's that there's no clarity in the different notes. Plus rolling off the low-end in a mix is quite a common thing to do to make room for the bass, but I've never seen it used to change the clarity of a chord voicing.
Rolling off the low end is not a crummy solution. It is the ONLY solution that will get you the results you want if you're not willing to sacrifice gain.
The reason you have a lack of clarity and mud is because you have too much bass and a shitload of distortion. Specifically, you have too much bass BEFORE the distortion stage. You can reduce this using Low Cut in the amplifier block. Around 100hz is a good starting point when jamming solo but in a mix I usually like it up higher around 150-200hz. It will vary depending on amp type. The HBE defaults at 500hz.
You can always add the "V" EQ shape back AFTER the distortion with the graphic EQ in the amp bock if you like that bass heavy scooped type of sound. However, you need to remove bass BEFORE the distortion in order to achieve the sort of "tight" and "clear" high-gain tone that you are going for.
I am a little confused by the amp block low cut in regards to adding low end back in post.
I always thought the low cut was a blocking filter and post eq could not add back what is gone in the first place? I routinely use high pass filters when mixing and I treated the amp block low cut the same.
Richard
The low-cut in the amp block is a blocking filter before the non-linearity (distortion) is applied in the amplifier. Once the distortion is applied to the signal the frequency content has changed. So the post-amp EQ is working on a different signal than the pre-amp EQ.
that administrator is particularly crazy
I am coming to believe it is the latter more than the former although the low end isn't particularly boosted (in fact I roll it off subtly in the EQ, but obviously not enough).
I want to track mono, otherwise I would try this.
For the benefit of the less experienced, I will concur with much of this but I will also point out that it is a myth that your tone needs to sound bad in order for it to sit properly in a mix. Good tone is good tone, as recorded. I've worked with five producers and not one of them has suggested to start with anything less than a great fundamental guitar tone that sounds great on its own as it is being tracked. It will of course be impacted by multi-tracking, and will further changed both directly (by rolling off lows to make room for the bass, for example) and indirectly (by the presence of other frequencies as well as the production artifacts you reference) by what happens during the mix.
Have tried this latter suggestion and it probably doesn't hurt to do so. It makes the tone a bit tinnier to my ears but this is something that will be fixed in the mix (rather in contravention of my previous paragraph, but I'm being a pragmatist at this point)!
Rolling off the low end is not a crummy solution. It is the ONLY solution that will get you the results you want if you're not willing to sacrifice gain.
The reason you have a lack of clarity and mud is because you have too much bass and a shitload of distortion. Specifically, you have too much bass BEFORE the distortion stage. You can reduce this using Low Cut in the amplifier block. Around 100hz is a good starting point when jamming solo but in a mix I usually like it up higher around 150-200hz. It will vary depending on amp type. The HBE defaults at 500hz.
You can always add the "V" EQ shape back AFTER the distortion with the graphic EQ in the amp bock if you like that bass heavy scooped type of sound. However, you need to remove bass BEFORE the distortion in order to achieve the sort of "tight" and "clear" high-gain tone that you are going for.
Hi nvandyk,
I like your riffs. You seem to know what you want from your tone, and that's a good thing.
You mentioned that five (5) producers you worked with wanted you to have a great (to YOUR ears) starting/tracking-tone, and that (in YOUR opinion) "it is a myth that a stand-alone guitar-sound has to sound bad in order for it to sit well in a mix." To some extent, I agree with you. However, I would qualify my agreement to state: "A stand-alone guitar-sound MAY or MAY NOT sound good (while solo'd) in order for it to sit perfectly in a mix, and that would depend on many factors."
The two biggest contributing factors in whether an isolated/solo'd guitar COULD sound good by itself AND sound great in the context of a mix would be:
1.) Genre-of-music being played/recorded/mixed.
2.) The cumulative combinational-effect of all other program-material on the two-mix's guitar(s) in question!
I believe the OP (and most of the FAS-forum readers here) are very well aware of these aforementioned two points.
P.S. To the OP, in an attempt to replicate your Mesa Tri-Axis, perhaps just use your ears to pirate that sound, as it's possible that the scale of various parameters on the Axe-FX II just won't "LOOK" like the control-settings (I.E: "smiley-faced" EQ's etc.)
You have pro-skills, chops, creativity, and ears. My guess is you could NAIL a great tone if you stopped looking at what the settings "looked" like and just tweaked with your ears (as some other poster had suggested...sorry, I forget who...maybe chrisallen1988 or clarky?)
For the benefit of the less experienced, I will concur with much of this but I will also point out that it is a myth that your tone needs to sound bad in order for it to sit properly in a mix. Good tone is good tone, as recorded. I've worked with five producers and not one of them has suggested to start with anything less than a great fundamental guitar tone that sounds great on its own as it is being tracked. It will of course be impacted by multi-tracking, and will further changed both directly (by rolling off lows to make room for the bass, for example) and indirectly (by the presence of other frequencies as well as the production artifacts you reference) by what happens during the mix.
Have tried this latter suggestion and it probably doesn't hurt to do so. It makes the tone a bit tinnier to my ears but this is something that will be fixed in the mix (rather in contravention of my previous paragraph, but I'm being a pragmatist at this point)!