My approach to my 1 preset per song strategy - levels, firmwares and video

Smittefar

Axe-Master
Possibly the longest thread title ever. But it gets worse, it will also be a long post :cool:

Ever since, I got on the European waiting list after the AX8 announcement, I was sure, I wanted to do a one preset per song strategy. I like the fact that I have every sound I need for a song ready on a scene and nothing else. It allows me to focus on the playing. Also, whenever I try to build a 'do-it-all' preset, I run out of footswitches (most often before I run out of CPU).

But the trouble is that maintaining 40+ presets with 1-5 scenes of pre-planned and pre-leveled sounds is quite a lot of work - especially across firmware updates. It has taken me until now to get to an approach that I am really happy with.

I play in a top-40 party cover band. We run a quite pre-planned show. We almost always bring our own PA, and we usually run sound ourselves using iPads to control our Mackie DL32r. This means that, ideally all my levels should be programmed into the preset to fit the band mix - I have a volume pedal in all my presets, but I consider it an emergency solution, and I hardly ever use it. I also switch presets using the iPad.(SetListMaker and QuiccoSound Midi-over-bluetooth)

At first, I did a lot of X/Y switching within the presets, and in some (not many) presets, I had problems with quite long audio gaps when switching scenes. Then I started using pre and post amp filter/EQ blocks to boost levels and frequencies to suit the different scenes. That worked, but my presets became very complicated, and I was not able to find my way around my own presets - especially on the unit, but I had presets, where even in AX8edit, I couldn't tell how they actually worked without a little investigation first.

Then came a major firmware update. As always, the sound was improved, but all my levels were all over the place, so I spent hours going over all the presets, and I had to redo the leveling at band practice.

So now, I finally have an approach that I am very happy with.

Basically, I use only two preset templates that each contain one amp model set up as a 3-channel amp using scene controllers. I show how it works and I build a preset from scratch in this video.


This has made my life a lot easier. Here are a few points that I don't mention in the video
  • Whenever there is a firmware update, I only have to update two amp and two cab blocks, then I can drop those into all presets using the block library. Then all presets should be up and running. As you can see in the video, I am still on FW9.04, I may do a video on this process as well. I am currently recording FW9.04 sound clips, so I have a reference for the sounds in FW10
  • I avoid x/y switching as much as possible. Not because of the sound gap, but because, it gives me a better overview of the preset.
  • I think of this approach as playing with two three channel amps. I have six basic amp sounds that I can dress up with effects to achieve more or less any sound I need.
  • I don't chase the album sounds. I use only two amp models and two IRs, but I know this sound palette so well that I can add FX and get what I need.
  • I have some presets that use other amps and IRs, but it is very few. If they should fall apart after a firmware update, I can re-build them using one of my two templates.
I think, this was it. Comments and questions are welcome :)

PS: Here is my old video on how to set up a three-channel amp block using scene controllers.
 

Attachments

  • AC30 Scenes.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 18
  • Brit 800 34 Scenes.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 17
  • Message in a Bott 34.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 14
Last edited:
haven't watched the vids yet, but this is a great approach, thanks for sharing the insight.

i think many get the FAS gear (or any other modeler really) and think wow i can have hundreds of sounds. and even FW updates aside, that's just a lot to remember and organize. and as discussed in other threads, maybe your guitar tone changes to match all the songs you're covering, but the rest of the band (drum tone, toms, snare, kick, bass tone and effects, etc, everything!) usually is NOT. so suddenly your guitar sounds out of place in context with the gig, band, and venue.

keeping a core set of tones that sound like you is a great approach. you mix with the band, less to organize and remember, and as you said, you can then focus on the playing.

it's easy to get a modeler with 100s of amps and want to relive your favorite recordings - hey go for it! you can truly sound like all your favorites and influences. this is a huge part of feeling fulfilled when playing guitar. that works at home, and probably for recording.

but i think that thought process needs to change when it comes to live playing due to the many uncontrollable factors we all experience in that situation.

regarding FW updates, many of the pro players I’ve helped over the years are wayyyyyy back in FW because they setup their show and stick with it. the same you would with... regular amps and pedals :) i helped someone update from FW 3 or something to Quantum, because at that point they wanted the new modeling. but prior to that, they loved their tone, it was dialed in, things were controlled efficiently - no need to update really. they didn’t even have Scenes (which came with FW9 in the Axe-Fx II years ago)! so if you’re a pro with a set show or performance, you probably shouldn’t update things during the show/run... and you probably already know that too :)
 
Last edited:
Thanks guys.
I think @chris really nails it. Every sound is 'my sound' just dressed to the requirements of the song. Just like before I got the ax8, when I played three channel amps (TSL100, then Koch Studiotone) + pedals.
I am not a pro, and I am way too curious about sounds to refrain from updating. I am not jumping on every beta anymore, since updating presets require some work, and I don't want to do it many times in one week.
If my new approach works as well as I hope, I may start doing betas again.
 
I like your approach, @Smittefar . I wish we could have an on-board amp block library and presets just reference these blocks. That way we would have to tweak only that block after a firmware update.
 
Yeah, that is basically what global blocks does (I think). That would make life easier indeed.

Edit:Chris beat me to it with seconds :p
 
Global Blocks could be that on-board library, but the AX8 can't support it unfortunately.

Right. It was stated that global blocks will never be made available on the AX8. I think this is rather a business decision than a technical problem. At least there's a way in AX8 Edit to live with it and I'll try to copy Smittefar's approach. So far I used to adjust amp levels to equalize preset volumes. I better throw in another null filter / volume block to do this in the future and use amp blocks from the library as is.
 
Global Blocks could be that on-board library, but the AX8 can't support it unfortunately.

Global blocks would be the answer...
At least for amp block that is the more affected one by firmware update.

I used this approach with my old Axe fix II and it was perfect..
But when I switched to AX8 I had to change strategy... I ‘ve been using the approach of the video for a while but it takes too time when you fine tune an amp because you have to copy the block through al presets.
This is why I’ve been asking to introduce global blocks for amp and cab block in AX8 firmware.
If it’s possible it would be a revolution :)
Please...
 
I'll watch them later, thanks!

I use four presets for the whole set. X/Y in Amp and OD plus pickups makes all the noises I need ;)
 
Right. It was stated that global blocks will never be made available on the AX8. I think this is rather a business decision than a technical problem. At least there's a way in AX8 Edit to live with it and I'll try to copy Smittefar's approach. So far I used to adjust amp levels to equalize preset volumes. I better throw in another null filter / volume block to do this in the future and use amp blocks from the library as is.
Why would you think that?

There is a lot of common code between the Axe Fx and AX-8, so coding would probably be minimal.

And FAS has shown us that they are willing to go the extra mile to make customers happy.

So what would be the business reason not to add Global Blocks?
 
Some people have asked for the presets, so I added them to original post. No IRs are included as they are both commercial IRs.

The added FX loop and vol blocks are just for re-amping. You can just delete those.

I just discovered (I had forgotten this) that on the y-side of the amp blocks (at least the AC30) there is the same amp block with slightly different EQ. Sometimes the hi-gain sounds benefits from being EQ'd slightly different than the clean. In case you need both clean and hi-gain in the same preset, you have to either make a choice or do x/y switching.
 
I've only watched a little bit of the first vid,.. but this is exactly how I run my AX8 as well... One preset per song, and each preset typically contains between 2-4 scenes ..

The sucky part for me is that I have quite a few guitars and a lot of the time when I'm using a different guitar I have to tweak the presets... which sucks,.. but I have some somewhat generic presets set up for different styles of guitars (LP, strat, and so forth.. ) Can' wait to really sit down and dissect these vids
 
Back
Top Bottom