There is one other simple thing to always check - sometimes downloaded presets don't have the proper cab (if a cab at all!) selected.
I had a few I was testing and thought something was broken, only to dig in and see the preset was linking to a user cab slot that happened to have an acoustic IR. Yeah, that was pleasing.
Or when the cab defaults to the 1x8 pignose..

I always check that and the in/gate/out settings as well before passing judgement. :)
 
If I found a tone I liked based on a YouTube video and the creator offered the preset for download, assuming it didn't sound the same on my end, I'd simply Tone Match it. That's what Tone Matching excels at, after all. Some people spend hours tweaking and scratching their heads, when the answer is right in front of their nose.
 
A big part seems to be the guitar. For example many of the factory presets sounded like crap with my Ibanez. When I tried with a les Paul the plexi style presets sounded great. Some of the others not so much.

^^^^ THIS ^^^^

As good as the Amp / Cab modeling are ..., it should come as NO surprise to anyone that the Axe-III is just as responsive to the type of guitar you're using as any "real" amp would be !

I've purchased a crap-ton of presets from others ..., as well as downloaded almost ALL of the ones that other members have offered for free ( THANK YOU, by the way ;) ! ) .... Without exception, IF my guitar ( an H-S-S "super-strat" ) is somewhat similar to the guitar that was used building the preset ..., then 'BAM' the preset sounds the same ( or very similar ) to whatever example recording was provided ! If my guitar is quite a bit different ..., then all bets are off ..., and the preset might need major tweaking to get me back in the ballpark !

( as always ) YMMV !
 
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I remember watching a Leon vid where he was tweaking a recto model.
I used a PRS SC 250 and followed his tweaks (not his notes ;-)). It sounded very close.

With a same preset, different guitars give different results.
 
The only thing I've used someone else's presets for is to see their approach to the use of effects and which amp parameters they tweak. There hasn't been any that has sounded great without needing some tweaking on my end. That's why buying any just isn't in the cards for me.

And sorry, I've never bought or experienced the notion that the "tone", using the same rig and settings, changes when played by different players. Joe Schmoe and John Petrucci playing an open E chord, simple rhythm progression or riff would sound tonally different? Don't think so. Lack of proficiency, technique and control of the instrument compared to someone like John Petrucci would be quite evident but saying that somehow the tone changes, is "in the fingers", doesn't even make sense. If that were true, there would be no value in watching videos or listening to clips by endorsed players when researching gear because it would never sound the same when we used it.
 
Even my *own* presets sound very different with different guitars (I have about 8 different electrics I use, with different types of pickups, briges, etc). Some of them are complete garbage with some guitars but sound amazing with others. The two closest ones are my Ibanez RG8570 with an Air Norton and Tone Zone, and my Music Man JP6 with Crunch Lab and Liquifire, but I think that's because the latter are modified versions of the former. Even if I use the same presets with another humbucker guitar like my SG with Gibson pickups, or my Yamaha with Bareknuckle Abraxis, the tones sound very different. Some are borderline unusable. Now if I switch to my Jazzmaster, forget it, I need a totally different set of presets for that guitar.

Another thing that makes a *massive* difference for me that I haven't seen anyone mention is the type of pick used. I've got everything from 0.7mm dunlops to a 6mm Gravity pick and the the thickness, shape, and hardness of the pick also has a massive difference on the sound.
 
The only thing I've used someone else's presets for is to see their approach to the use of effects and which amp parameters they tweak. There hasn't been any that has sounded great without needing some tweaking on my end. That's why buying any just isn't in the cards for me.

And sorry, I've never bought or experienced the notion that the "tone", using the same rig and settings, changes when played by different players. Joe Schmoe and John Petrucci playing an open E chord, simple rhythm progression or riff would sound tonally different? Don't think so. Lack of proficiency, technique and control of the instrument compared to someone like John Petrucci would be quite evident but saying that somehow the tone changes, is "in the fingers", doesn't even make sense. If that were true, there would be no value in watching videos or listening to clips by endorsed players when researching gear because it would never sound the same when we used it.


If that were true, it would be as simple as buying a bunch of the endorsee gear and you’d sound just like them, but that seldom works.

I’ve dripped probably $10k+ on Gilmour gear and I still don’t sound like him. I’ve bought all the “correct” stuff and still nada. At the same time, I’ve seen guys get a really similar tone using totally different gear, like Bobby’s Brit Floyd patches, Dave K’s stuff on Water’s tours etc. They use the “wrong” gear and sound great. I use the “right” gear and still don’t sound great. That’s life as far as I can tell...

Sure wish it were the other way around because I always find myself with more money than talent. I can buy great gear, be it guitars, amps, golf clubs etc. but no matter how much I spend I don’t get the “pro” result.

I really think tone can’t be bought, becasue otherwise I’d of already gotten it lol
 
Another thing that makes a *massive* difference for me that I haven't seen anyone mention is the type of pick used. I've got everything from 0.7mm dunlops to a 6mm Gravity pick and the the thickness, shape, and hardness of the pick also has a massive difference on the sound.
^^THIS!^^
I had no idea a pick could influence tone so dramatically until I actually did a test with about ten different pick formulas and thicknesses, MAJOR difference in tone. So much so, that I changed my favorite flavor of pick based on the test. If you're curious, they are Taylor brand picks, 1mm Ultex available on the their website. https://www.taylorguitars.com/taylorware/accessories/picks-ultex

Nice to see I'm not the only one who feels picks have a huge impact on tone.
 
There's a similar story involving EVH and The Nuge. Apparently they played together on an early tour and Ted couldn't get over the sound EVH was getting so during setup one afternoon a roady allowed Ted to plug one of Eddie's guitars into Brownie and in the end it still just sounded like Ted..
Later EVH would dump a cocktail into the Geddy Lee's boombox. lol

i tell this story often:

a friend of mine met Dream Theater and John Petrucci. John asked if he wanted to play his rig, and of course he wanted to. so John played a bit to make sure it was sounding good. he then handed the guitar to my friend.

when he played, it really didn't sound like John at all. the tone was different and not exactly the same. but it's the same guitar, same real amps, same settings, etc, yet even there it sounds different due to how people play the guitar.

so even with all the same gear, it can't sound the same. knowing that helps explain why presets won't always sound the same. different guitars, picks, and playing style really make a big difference.
 
And sorry, I've never bought or experienced the notion that the "tone", using the same rig and settings, changes when played by different players. Joe Schmoe and John Petrucci playing an open E chord, simple rhythm progression or riff would sound tonally different? Don't think so. Lack of proficiency, technique and control of the instrument compared to someone like John Petrucci would be quite evident but saying that somehow the tone changes, is "in the fingers", doesn't even make sense. If that were true, there would be no value in watching videos or listening to clips by endorsed players when researching gear because it would never sound the same when we used it.
But it is true... people don’t sound the same if they don’t play the same.

Playing an open e chord is a completely different thing. Not sure you’d do that on JP’s rig though. He’s not a “I play an e chord all night” kinda guy.
 
I am a bit curious as to why there seems to be a huge difference in sound from other presets I have tried from Axe-Exchange and on the forums here. Listening to others play via videos or sound examples they sound killer. However when I try them they are thin, fizzy, no bottom end etc. ect. I understand that everybody has their own way of using them either frfr, or through a real guitar cab. I also understand that what sounds good to you in your bedroom may not necessarily translate well to a band mix. I have experienced this myself. When I play with the band obviously it is much louder so you have the Fletcher-Munson effect and I wind up having to turn down bass and mids and boost the high end a bit. I hate that ice pick to the ear sound with lots of high end and even though I play in a heavy band I prefer a warmer tone with more mids and bottom end. But should it be such a huge difference in sound? Someone posted a preset for the Dream Theater Fatal Tragedy solo and it sounded dead on however when I tried it, it sounded as stated before thin, fizzy, no bottom end. I use two Xitone cabs btw and Majesty Guitars. I love Mark Day's videos and the sounds he gets also Leon Todd's. But it is the same thing with those presets.
Here's the Fatal Tragedy preset you were talking about without the backing track
 
But it is true... people don’t sound the same if they don’t play the same.

Playing an open e chord is a completely different thing. Not sure you’d do that on JP’s rig though. He’s not a “I play an e chord all night” kinda guy.
My point is the TONE doesn't change. Everyone's style will come through, even when playing covers, so of course each person will sound different. The better the player, the more control they have over their instrument resulting in a better sound.

Many of the tones I use incorporate high levels of delay and reverb with long trails. Anyone who plays this style needs to be very careful to hit the correct notes and mute strings that must not be heard. Someone who hasn't practiced and have some proficiency with this type of control will have a difficult time sounding "good". The TONE will be the same, the resulting SOUND may not be desirable.
 
My point is the TONE doesn't change. Everyone's style will come through, even when playing covers, so of course each person will sound different. The better the player, the more control they have over their instrument resulting in a better sound.

Many of the tones I use incorporate high levels of delay and reverb with long trails. Anyone who plays this style needs to be very careful to hit the correct notes and mute strings that must not be heard. Someone who hasn't practiced and have some proficiency with this type of control will have a difficult time sounding "good". The TONE will be the same, the resulting SOUND may not be desirable.
We can disagree.

Tone is in the fingers. Yes tone. For very simple playing, like basic chords, there may be no difference.

Yet, I hand my acoustic guitar to my partner on stage through my rig, and his pick and his playing style including left hand technique makes a completely different tone. Acoustic. No effects. Different tone. It just is. *shrug*
 
How do you mean the tone won't change? I can also change my own tone when playing a particular setup, it's part of a playing style. Change the pick angle, change the force of the attack, use different dynamics, play with without a pick, or touch the string slightly with the flesh of the finger, etc.
 
How do you mean the tone won't change? I can also change my own tone when playing a particular setup, it's part of a playing style. Change the pick angle, change the force of the attack, use different dynamics, play with without a pick, or touch the string slightly with the flesh of the finger, etc.
I think he must be talking about a big picture “Tone.” Like it sounds like a mark iv boogie no matter who plays it. It doesn’t suddenly sound like a fender twin, or Marshall jvm. Maybe that’s what he means.

But the specifics of the tone definitely change among players.
 
Though I agree with Joker III above that tone is basically in the gear (a slowly strummed open E should sound roughly the same thru the same rig whether I or JP slowly strums it), a better/different player may be able to coax the character of the rig out in their playing differently than I in more complex playing, which can make the tone seem different to a degree, depending whose hands are playing it.

Going back to the orignal topic: How to take someone else's preset and make it sound the same for you? From the discussion so far, the detailed methodology that's rising to the surface seems to be:

1-Confirm no post processing on the original tone you heard (if there was, then of course you may not be able to match it without knowing what the post processing was). Recognize that some pp is unavoidable - ie what is introduced by upload to youtube.

2-Listen to the reference tone using the same monitoring environment as you will use to match the tone. IE if you listen to Leon's vid on the tv set, then try to replicate thru Axefx to your Yamaha monitors then you've already set yourself up for possible difficulty.

3-Get the exact dry track, preset, and global Axefx parameters from the author of the tone you heard in 2 above. Also, to mitigate the effect of youtube pp, get the author to send you a direct recording of the tone also.

4-Match the tone using the dry track and tone recording provided in step 3 thru your rig leaving preset parameters the same, confirming no relevant global parameter diffs, and adjusting only for differing monitoring. If you can't nail the tone at this step, then check your rig for differences before moving on.

5-Match the guitar tone. Confirm you are using the exact same guitar including all the parts that can make a difference: brand, style/model, pickups, pots, caps, wiring method, saddles, nut, strings, tuners, woods (resonance), ... The dry track in 3 above may be useful to compare your own dry tone to before moving on to the next step.

6a-Substitute your playing starting with simple chords/notes - ie if it is a heavy distortion patch, just match a few simple power chords. It may be useful to have a few simple chord strums/notes at the beginning of that dry track you got if the tone author can give you that also.

6b-Substitute your playing with original material/riff ensuring that you actually know how to play it well enough to avoid tonal differences caused by playing technique/proficiency issues.

Approaching it very methodically in this way would seem to pretty much ensure success. The guitar matching would be the most difficult step, and one of the most crucial steps given the Axe's sensitivity to different guitars (a tribute to its quality). I'm betting few go thru this type of effort which explains why this "complaint gets raised in so many modeller forums. It's not magic - there are specific reasons for any differences - a
scientific approach, however tedious, solves the mystery.

As noted above, a lot of these youtube dudes are great preset architects so just learning their preset building methods is of great value.
 
Yes, but my point is that those specifics are just as much a part of the sound as the gear. Even if you have the same amp and guitar dialed the same way and you hit all the exact same notes you won’t sound the same because of those nuances in playing technique.
 
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