Preset for tube amps?

I was wondering if any of you have been in the situation where you go to gigs and there is tube amp already set up? Do you have your favorite/personal preset---just-in-case---ready to go w/o amps and/or cabs for those situations? or you just run the preset straight into the tube amp as they are...if that's the case pros-cons? (The 4C method isn't an option)
 
I have a preset I run into one of my tube amps. I shunt the cab & bypass the amp block. The dinamics (compressor & drive block) are affected greatly, so I have to tweak the gain/level of each of them. Then I save the preset. Check to not overdrive the input of the amp: I like a little of breakup, but too much and delay or reverb will be a nasty problem. :)
 
It would depend on the type of amp at the venue - if it has an FX loop then you'd probably get better results going into it's FX return - then you could leave your amp block active and maybe tweak the global EQ to try and get the best results when at the venue.

But if you've just the option to use the front input of the supplied amp then it should still be possible. It will maybe sound a bit old school 'bitty' when fx such as Delays and some Modulation FX are present in the grid but still acceptable.

So ....use an amp with conventional speakers at home, set it up to be pretty loud and set up contingency presets ready for both front input and FX loop return scenarios would be my thought. It should help save a lot of time tweaking under pressure at the venue.
 
I have a preset I run into one of my tube amps. I shunt the cab & bypass the amp block. The dinamics (compressor & drive block) are affected greatly, so I have to tweak the gain/level of each of them. Then I save the preset. Check to not overdrive the input of the amp: I like a little of breakup, but too much and delay or reverb will be a nasty problem. :)

Thank you Smilzo, I will take a look at that! How many presets do you usually have?
 
It would depend on the type of amp at the venue - if it has an FX loop then you'd probably get better results going into it's FX return - then you could leave your amp block active and maybe tweak the global EQ to try and get the best results when at the venue.

But if you've just the option to use the front input of the supplied amp then it should still be possible. It will maybe sound a bit old school 'bitty' when fx such as Delays and some Modulation FX are present in the grid but still acceptable.

So ....use an amp with conventional speakers at home, set it up to be pretty loud and set up contingency presets ready for both front input and FX loop return scenarios would be my thought. It should help save a lot of time tweaking under pressure at the venue.

You know, most of the time it's any type of Fender, but I will try to set it up with a Mesa Boogie I have at home. I could try to set it up with FX loop, but sometimes depending on the amp it might not be possible, and I just want to have a kinda standardized rig when I'm using other people/business' amps.
 
Thank you Smilzo, I will take a look at that! How many presets do you usually have?
I (try to) have one preset per band/gig. I use 8 scenes: from clean to lead to fx. I use drive block X for saturated lead and Y for crunchy. I tried the amp x/y approach to emulate 2 channel amp, but I prefer to emulate one cleanish amp sound (similar to the tone I set in my tube amps).
There are situation where I need to switch to a second or third preset, but it means I need >this sound/fx< and I have already choose if I use real amp or I go direct to PA.
Otherwise I use one-to-go preset, as one virtual pedalboard and one virtual no-channel-tube-amp. The fastest approach to set the amp is select the clean base tone. If I like the tube amp I search for a amp type that give me similar quality/tone. If I like the amp block, I set the real amp to match quality/tone as far as I can get. Then I duplicate the patch, disable amp block and save the preset. Even using similar amp tonewise the response of drive should be checked. I don't use the global setting: should the amp blow a fuse or a tube, I switch to previous preset and go direct without have to re-check the drives.
 
You know, most of the time it's any type of Fender, but I will try to set it up with a Mesa Boogie I have at home. I could try to set it up with FX loop, but sometimes depending on the amp it might not be possible, and I just want to have a kinda standardized rig when I'm using other people/business' amps.
Still better to have a few presets set up for both types of use in my opinion

For setting up some front input style presets, your Mesa Boogie clean channel shouldn't be too far off a Fender type clean channel ... the original Boogie was a modified Princeton. But any style amp should be capable of a clean suitable for pedals.

Using the FX return on the supplied amp (if a loop is present) is the least obtrusive method if say the amp is owned and set up for someone else playing it later.

Those type gigs are the worst ..... 'You have to use my rig but don't mess with the settings' ..... so using the AX8 into the return is just bypassing all their preamp and fx pedals and gives you more freedom as everything is controlled from your AX8 and ideally all you'll need to do is set the output level.

Using presets set up to just the power section of an amp via it's FX return would be my first choice/hope and using the front input my 'if I must' standby.
 
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