N00b in need of assistance....

The Raven

The Raven

Inspired
Hey everyone, i just got my Axe Fx 2 and MFC today and i feel like i am in WAY over my head. I can't seem to get the tones I am looking for. I play mostly metal/metalcore/alternative but i also play a little bit of anything else. Im trying to create patches for high gain yet i don't even know what the best amp to start with would be. Im using Monster Beats Studio headphones and honestly, a lot of the higher gain amp models sound the same to me. Help? I don't want to end up using this unit primarily as an fx processor since i just blew $3000 and the foot control with the hopes of being able to record music and have a sick and portable live setup as well. I'd really hate to think that I'd have to spend roughly another $4000 on a fantastic amp and use this only or the fx processor due to my lack of ability as I am completely new to the world of amp modeling, music production, etc. (well apart from the POD hd pro i own, but that thing sounds like a pile of fizzy, muddy garbage). Any and all help would be appreciated.
 
I'm not a high gain player, but I'd start by checking out the factory presets and the presets in Smilefans patches threads. Look for the post from Scott Peterson explaining how to set up near field and far field stereo cabs.

You don't need to tweak or even understand any of the advanced parameters in order to get excellent sounds. It's probably easiest to find something that is close and see how it was done; then you can experiment with small tweaks. You shouldn't expect to draw any conclusions on the first day; have fun blasting through the factory presets for a day or two. There is lots of information available (user manual, wiki, forum) and you can always ask for specific help on a patch here.
 
Don't freak out just yet... it's only been a day. The first thing you should do is read Yek's Wiki pages. He know A LOT about the Axe and has written/compiled vital information for new and experienced users alike. Most high gain amps... whether real or modeled... do sound similar. The bulk of the tone differences come from the cabinet you choose.

I'm a new user too... there are many helpful people here... hang tight...
 
Breathe in... Breathe out! :)

I have no doubts that you are going to me more than happy with your purchase. While not a metal or djent player, many here are and have been very successful in getting their high gain tones dialed in. As the others have already said, you are only one day in and have really just scratched the surface. Play with it some and experiment with the presets. As mentioned, read the manual, YEK's How to's, Smilefans patch threads, and Mark (there is no such thing as tooo much gain) Days posts with examples and vids.

There are also a lot of very smart, talented, and helpful members on this forum that freely give their time that will help you get where you wish. Hang in there and congrats on obtaining the new toys!
 
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A lot of high gain heads sound pretty similay as well TBH. The Cabs make a much bigger difference. there are subtle differences but HG is HG.

Dont panic :) chekc out the how to as suggested. Check out some patches from Smilefan and/or Yek - some of which are great HG tones.

If you want to mess around yourself, start with amp and cab only. No mic on the cab and stick to 4x12 cabs. Also stick to the more modern ones w- stay away from the 20/25/greenback cabs (for now).

For amp types, try the usual susspects - Messa Rectos, Deizel, Uber, Fryette, Soldano. find ONE thats the flavour your looking for on default, and start just playing with the master and gain controls. Once you find where you want to be from a gain/feel level then start with the EQs. Just have fun - the tones are in there.
 
An Amp I would recommend for High Gain stuff would be the Diezle VH4 called the (Das Metal)
Try the German Cabs or German Boutique (Red Wirez) it would say (RW)
Keep try the motor drive in the Axe Edit section of the cab at 5.00
Dynamics of in the amp section at 50%
See how that sounds. Also what LMO and 3Dhuman have said is extremely good advice.
You would gain a lot of knowledge and help from Yek's Wiki Pages.

Cheers.
 
I use the Cali leggy, Friedmam HBE , and Euro Uber, Be sure to try different cabs, mics, drive units, and eq's. Read the forum and wiki like crazy and take your time to learn, its very freaky at first but learn as much as you can and use the forum, its great help. I started with Mark Day's HBE ( patch 371 I think ) and turn up the amp and drive gain and eq'ed a little. Then adjust or bypass reverb and delay.

Good luck and stick with it I had the same trouble.
 
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Hi ! It´s hard to give advise since I don´t know if you´re using power amps and guitar cabs or if you´ll be monitoring through active monitors or something. It seems to be all talk about ir´s these days but the axe is also supposed to be used without ir´s.I think all guitarsounds sound like shit through headphones (even with real stuff , but that´s me..). Maybe one reason studio engineers and producers listens through monitors is that much things sounds the same through headphones.


The Raven said:
Hey everyone, i just got my Axe Fx 2 and MFC today and i feel like i am in WAY over my head. I can't seem to get the tones I am looking for. I play mostly metal/metalcore/alternative but i also play a little bit of anything else. Im trying to create patches for high gain yet i don't even know what the best amp to start with would be. Im using Monster Beats Studio headphones and honestly, a lot of the higher gain amp models sound the same to me. Help? I don't want to end up using this unit primarily as an fx processor since i just blew $3000 and the foot control with the hopes of being able to record music and have a sick and portable live setup as well. I'd really hate to think that I'd have to spend roughly another $4000 on a fantastic amp and use this only or the fx processor due to my lack of ability as I am completely new to the world of amp modeling, music production, etc. (well apart from the POD hd pro i own, but that thing sounds like a pile of fizzy, muddy garbage). Any and all help would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
 
From the wiki... I use this in EVERY high gain metal patch of mine.

How to get brutal yet tight metal tones

Here's a trick to tighten up the low end on high gain patches:

1. Put a filter block before the amp block. Set the type to Highpass.

2. Attach the Envelope controller to the Frequency parameter. Use default settings for the Envelope parameters.

3. Set the End to around 30-38%.

4. Set Mid to around 25-30%.

5. Set Start to around 20-25%.

This reduces the amount of low frequencies that will distort. As a result it will sort thin your sound. This is good. I prefer to say it 'tightens' your sound. Now you can boost the lows (around 160Hz for a standar tuned guitar, or around 125Hz for a standard tuned 7 string) after the amp. This can be before or after the cab. I usually put a PEQ between the amp and cab.

This should actually be updated as the modifier parameters aren't the same as in the ultra. Yek, can you update this section of the Axe II wiki? The modifier section has changed and those who haven't owned the Ultra will not know how to translate this modifier info to the Axe II.


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monster beats headphones change the EQ of the sound A LOT. very far from flat, so that might be part of the difficulty. if not, when you translate to a PA system or amp or whatever you're going to use, the sound might be completely different, so make sure to audition your patches on your live rig before the gig!
 
High gain amps i tend to roll off the gain and then pull it up to taste. You get to hear the characteristics of each amp at lower gain stages. When you bring the gain back up, then you know what your dealing with. But i agree with shotgunn's idea. I keep a real minimalistic approach it and haven't dove into the eq options in the axe.
 
In my experience, you can get most of the way there with just the basic controls, but you got take the time to understand what effects what. I can understand the too many choices feeling. My advice is start with something that you're familiar with, and then look at patches that others have done with that amp to get an idea of how they are treating it. Then, do you're own thing.

Generally, my approach to patch design has been to start from a speaker cab and a amp, then add everything else later. The fact that you can save blocks in Axe-Edit is a really useful tool. I'll use that to harvest blocks from other patches and save blocks that I am working on so I can go back later.

For any type of high gain sound, I generally follow this approach. I pick a Recto Cab or something with V30's to start with and work from there. Then, I'd pick an amp and set the drive to about 4 and master to about 5 or less, because it's easier to start within the useful range of the actual amp. An real amp at a master of 4 which is the same as about 5 on the Axe-FX would be insanely loud. Then, I follow the recommendations of the guys over ampitone and start dailing in from initial EQ settings for bass, mid, treble, and presence of 4-8-5-0, respectively, because the guitar is a mid-range instrument. Once I've got the eq dailed in, then I'll up the gain and adjust the eq. If it's too fizzy, then I'll turn down the preamp distortion(drive). If its too grainy or has too much flub in the bass, then I'll turn down the power amp distortion(master volume). If the sound is too muddy, then I'll pull back on the bass. There are a lot of other things you can do with mike placement and advanced controls, but the key is to start with a few basic variables and work up from there.
 
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Thank you all very much for the help so far. I've been messing with some settings and I am able to get tones I like (not quite at the "OMG I'm gonna use this tone for EVERYTHING!!!!" level, but it's certainly about 10 steps up). What would be good headphones to dial in studio tones, since the monsters aren't very flat? I intend on eventually getting myself an atomic cab (2 is not in the budget) but am also open to suggestions on studio moniters, since that it is a foreign topic to me as well. I'm running eveything through a MacBook pro straight to USB in logic 9, no fancy audio interface or anything. I'm a guitarist first, and a producer second, so my first priority is the tone (and I still can't produce for shit).
 
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