[POLL] Do you buy or have you ever bought commercial presets?

Do you buy or have you ever bought commercial presets?

  • Yes

  • Yes but I never/rarely use them

  • No


Results are only viewable after voting.
The problem, most of the time, guys who knows how to make their own presets can't conceive that everyone is different, and that some people just can't do what they do themselves, whatever you'll teach them. I've been using multifx since 1989, at the same time than some of my friends here in Mauritius, and during all these years, even if I showed them the basics, they always relied on me for their presets. They still can't make 5 decent basic presets that would get them through a gig. One of my friend has my presets in his Axe-Fx II, sometimes he did some tweaks, and when I check his tweaks, the levels are all over the place etc... We all have different abilities ! It's like me with cooking or dancing, I have two left foot...
And I'm not even talking of the guys that could learn but don't have the time and just want to play. Many here says that presets can't work if they don't adjust them for their playing/their guitar/monitoring system etc... This is not universal either ! For many, quality third party presets works without any tweaking.

tl/dr : everyone is different, and it's a big mistake to think that your experience is universal.
 
Because of Moke, Austin Buddy, fremen, Edo, and Roby, I’m able to get the exact sounds I dream of and just play them.
I play my shitty covers with my shitty band and make shitty videos, and I love every second of it. I don’t have the first clue how to do anything with an amp besides choose random numbers, and I never, ever have to worry about it any more.
 
Honest reply.......I just haven’t got the time, patience nor inclination to build my own preset. I just want instant gratification and am willing to pay for it. I spent at lot of money on my fractal set up, I'm sure Fremen's, Moke's, and silent underground presets that I've bought work out to be a VERY small percentage of that but have transformed my fractal experience immensely.

I understand that people on the forum say it’s pretty easy to get good sounds but it’s also pretty easy to clean my house, cut the lawn, polish the windows and wash the car, but I still pay other people to do those chores.

I like paying for things I DONT like doing and that includes building presets.:)
 
The problem, most of the time, guys who knows how to make their own presets can't conceive that everyone is different, and that some people just can't do what they do themselves, whatever you'll teach them. I've been using multifx since 1989, at the same time than some of my friends here in Mauritius, and during all these years, even if I showed them the basics, they always relied on me for their presets. They still can't make 5 decent basic presets that would get them through a gig. One of my friend has my presets in his Axe-Fx II, sometimes he did some tweaks, and when I check his tweaks, the levels are all over the place etc... We all have different abilities ! It's like me with cooking or dancing, I have two left foot...
And I'm not even talking of the guys that could learn but don't have the time and just want to play. Many here says that presets can't work if they don't adjust them for their playing/their guitar/monitoring system etc... This is not universal either ! For many, quality third party presets works without any tweaking.

tl/dr : everyone is different, and it's a big mistake to think that your experience is universal.
I totally agree!
When I try to create a preset, I usually end up in the same neighborhood (soundwise). So I consider myself uncreative! There are so many people out there with incredible abilities and knowledge, willing to share their work (for free or comercial)! Thx for your work!
 
The problem, most of the time, guys who knows how to make their own presets can't conceive that everyone is different, and that some people just can't do what they do themselves, whatever you'll teach them. I've been using multifx since 1989, at the same time than some of my friends here in Mauritius, and during all these years, even if I showed them the basics, they always relied on me for their presets. <snip>

tl/dr : everyone is different, and it's a big mistake to think that your experience is universal.

Fremen, agree entirely. I have noticed over a similar period that while I was getting to grips with setting up amps and effects, others struggled to dial in basic tones that they wanted on the amp front panel. I have played in many bands where other musicians ask me to set the tone/EQ and drive controls for them, because they feel it sounds better when I do it for them. Does it make them any lesser musicians? Absolutely not, they are fabulous players, and they sound better and enjoy playing more when they know they have a great sound. I often feel it's as much down to critical listening skills as it is to technical ability. Occasionally if I play an amp that a friend has set up, he'll come back to it and say, "What have you just done to my amp? It has never sounded that good before", and usually it's pretty small tweaks that make the difference. Other times, with players that are getting amazing sound from equipment that I know my way around, I will always try to check what they might have done different from me. But not every player is a "tone hound", and plenty of players of all abilities choose not spend the considerable time and effort needed to figure out if they can do it. Like you, I am not sure everyone actually can do it.

What you guys that make presets to distribute to others is, to me, a lot like working as an audio engineer or producer in a live or studio environment. I applaud you for enabling people that need it, and would never criticise anyone who chooses your products and services. Keep up the good work!

Liam
 
I play lots of U2 songs with my cover band, and since The Edge is a sound wizard, these presets are sometimes quite tricky to build. Therefore I bought commercial presets from Edo (https://www.edosounds.com/) who spends years on that.

I also made the experience, that commercial presets are hard to use (Axe II) and need tweeking, but Edo's presets can at least lead the way to get the right sound for a song.
 
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I can see if it's song/album/artist specific. You're trying to mirror a particular tone (or set of) and they exist in a preset that is >90% there to your ears. THAT has absolute value, especially in a cover band situation. It's great that they're there.

Moke's presets are like that, and they sound great. I could see buying "Comfortably Numb" preset or "Cliffs Of Dover".
As far as the rest of the time, I prefer making them. I could never buy a generic "Metal" or "Blues" preset. Rather do it myself.

That's half the fun of this product. I LOVE Axe-Edit, and I want to hear/feel all of these amps and effects.
It's so simple, and it's insanely easy to get a good tone. Sometimes the tweaking can get maddening and activate options-paralysis, but you have to know when to stop.
 
I really appreciate @simeon's donation-based presets. I've lost hours exploring deep in them. I almost always modify presets to see what's possible and to tweak for my tastes, but for years that I've had various Axe's I had no clue how to get certain synth sounds, ambient effects, or other wild sound effects.

I also really appreciate the generosity of other folks who share some of their presets freely and openly like @2112 , @Burgs, @Admin M@, Chef and many others. They are great starting points to play and learn.
 
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