JoKeR III
Fractal Fanatic
That's why the settings are there, to allow for different setups and types of gear. Glad you got it sorted out.
One thing I noticed with the AX8, had it before the III, was 3rd party IRs sounded SO much better than the factory IRs. Then I'd try the AX8 live and the tone just got lost in the mix - it was very thin and weak.
I finally took an amp, loaded the "appropriate" factory IR and tried to have a more open mind about the tone. The result was eye-opening; the factory IR made the amp sound like it was supposed to. No more exaggerated high end, more mid range bite and solid bottom end.
It was completely different sounding and I wasn't sure how it would translate live but I thought I'd just trust what my ears were telling me. Tried the new preset with the factory IR at rehearsal and instantly there was a great tone that sat in the mix exactly how it should.
Unless you're doing a direct comparison between the tone you're creating and a reference tone of what you're trying to emulate, you're going by your recollection of what the tone sounded like. In other words, your ears can lie to you. My previous tones sounded nothing like the reference tones when compared side by side but on their own sounded exactly like what I thought they should and what I 'remembered'.
It's easy to become accustomed to a 'bad' tone when you're in your room tweaking away by yourself. Your ears can get used to, and want even more, of the upper frequency range and it may sound great on it's own or even playing over backing tracks. It gives the clarity that most seem to crave but in reality is very detrimental to the overall tone.
The bottom line is this; the factory IRs (non 'name brand') are every bit as good as 3rd party IRs. For me, the only real advantage of 3rd party IRs is the number of mics and placement options to choose from and I use a lot of them for that very reason. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with the factory IRs, I use a lot of them as well.
One thing I noticed with the AX8, had it before the III, was 3rd party IRs sounded SO much better than the factory IRs. Then I'd try the AX8 live and the tone just got lost in the mix - it was very thin and weak.
I finally took an amp, loaded the "appropriate" factory IR and tried to have a more open mind about the tone. The result was eye-opening; the factory IR made the amp sound like it was supposed to. No more exaggerated high end, more mid range bite and solid bottom end.
It was completely different sounding and I wasn't sure how it would translate live but I thought I'd just trust what my ears were telling me. Tried the new preset with the factory IR at rehearsal and instantly there was a great tone that sat in the mix exactly how it should.
Unless you're doing a direct comparison between the tone you're creating and a reference tone of what you're trying to emulate, you're going by your recollection of what the tone sounded like. In other words, your ears can lie to you. My previous tones sounded nothing like the reference tones when compared side by side but on their own sounded exactly like what I thought they should and what I 'remembered'.
It's easy to become accustomed to a 'bad' tone when you're in your room tweaking away by yourself. Your ears can get used to, and want even more, of the upper frequency range and it may sound great on it's own or even playing over backing tracks. It gives the clarity that most seem to crave but in reality is very detrimental to the overall tone.
The bottom line is this; the factory IRs (non 'name brand') are every bit as good as 3rd party IRs. For me, the only real advantage of 3rd party IRs is the number of mics and placement options to choose from and I use a lot of them for that very reason. But there's absolutely nothing wrong with the factory IRs, I use a lot of them as well.
