Its a combination of factors.
Firstly Ive always known what tones I want to hear - I just had a real problem finding amps/pedals that would make the right noises.
Secondly, Ive had my Axe 2 years, and I do know what parameters I need to/tend to tweek to get what response - and which to leave well alone.
Thirdly, Its about knowing the amp sims and there generic tones. Not the real amps, but the sims. Too many people try to get a typical fender tones for instance by using a fender sim. Quite often what they're actually after is a modded Fender tone, or a Fender tone with other factors like a drive box, compressor or something else and a different amp sim is a better starting point. For instance I think the best Old Marshall tones in the Axe are actually achieved by the Buttery sim, not the Plexi which I find too mid heavey without the cut.
The trick is to know the Axe, what sims make what noises, with what guitars and use the relevant one. Dont just use the sim you THINK you need - quite often the right tones come from other sims. If you DO use the amp you think you need, but its not right - rather than tweek it to death -find a sim thats closer to your starting point, and dont be afraid to use sims that you wouldnt either use normally or think wouldnt suit because often then do. If you know that (for instance) a driven Brownface is a touch more brittle, with slightly hollow mids when compared to the Orange RV - and the Orange has a tighter bass but more gain, then using the Orange with low gain may well be the tone you need for a fat fender tone - as in the case of my clip.
And finally - yes, a lot of people make things too complecated. They tweek too much trying to nail the tone. Get the feel right and the tone follows.
