Preset help and advice sought..

Tone_Loc

Member
Greetings All,

Had my first rehearsal with AX8 last night and I am at a loss as to how to approach this current dilemma.

Firstly, the attached preset uses the 50w Plexi Amp and utilises Scenes 1-5 to produce crunch to leads. Now when I play this at home thru a JBL PRX712, it sounds really good at stage volumes etc. however at rehearsal, it sounded extremely weak and trebley and no amount of BMT adjustment made an ounce of difference. By that I mean getting it close to how it sounds in isolation.

A bit of background, I play in a typical corporate cover band, playing the typical rock/pop songs that we all love:rolleyes:, drums, bass, keys and vocals. I occasionally battle sonically with Keys but its generally not a big issue. My main axe is a stock PRS CU24.

Unfortunately as time is a precious commodity during band rehearsal, I don't have the luxury of holding up practice so I can start editing presets, so I have a two-fold question:

1. How do you successfully translate what you program at volume, at home and knowing you will have a preset that cuts thru the mix and sounds similar to your "home" tone?

2. Achieving point 1 without being able to edit at a band rehearsal.

I'd really appreciate the input of fellow guitarists that play a lot of live gigs and can relate to my position and I dont believe a simple answer like choose a different IR is really appropriate in this case as IMHO, the tone from the attached preset is acceptable in isolation.

ATM, the presets I've been programming have been hit and miss, that is they all sound good in isolation however have mixed results in live band applications. I'm resigned to the fact that I'll never be able to achieve those isolated tones in a live environment, which is not such a big deal, although I really would like to know if there's a consistent approach to getting an isolated tone sounding at least 70% right in a live setting.

TIA
 

Attachments

  • 50w PLEXI.syx
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It sounds like we are in quite similar situations. I play pop (with a little rock) covers at weddings, birthdays, company Christmas parties etc. I even play PRSs.

The key for me was to find some monitors at home that I trust to translate well to our PA system. I use KRK RP6 G2 monitors and we play a HK Audio Premium Pro PA with a Mackie DL32r mixer (I monitor with in-ears). I have found that the patches I create at home tend to be overly trebly, so I have reduced treble on my mixer channels.

I think the best thing you can do is to go to the rehearsal space with your home monitor and compare sounds to see how your home monitor sounds translate to your PA.

Also check that you do not have some kind of limiter/compressor in your mix that kills all your transients. And finally remember the good old rule that we need more mids to make a guitar cut through a busy mix. Even to the point, where the guitar sound is almost ugly by itself, it might work very well in a mix.

I will not really be with my Ax8 today, but I might be able to give your patch a try over the weekend. I also have a few Plexi patches, you could try.
 
I listened to your preset and I think it sounds good but it's bright in comparison to my stuff. I am playing on a PRS Custom 24 and some flat response monitors. Try taking away the bright switch or backing off the bright cap.
 
if "no amount of BMT" made any difference, something is amiss, unless that was an exaggeration.

was there a way block that was accidentally engaged or something?

(don't have an AX8, so I can't look at the preset itself)

what IR were you using? any cab block edits? any eq's in the chain?
 
I agree with Dan...I downloaded your preset and it was very harsh and brittle sounding over my FRFR.
I use a CLR .
Here is a patch I used at my last gig. It sounded great at any volume.
Give it a try and see how it sounds over your setup.

Hmmm...keep getting an error when I try to upload a patch...any ideas?
 
What is your ax8 playing through at practice? direct into practice pa, FRFR personal monitor, in ears, power amp and 4x12?
 
Hmmm...keep getting an error when I try to upload a patch...any ideas?

Perhaps try in a new thread? Would like to hear this patch as well and compare it as I am working up to moving over to my AX8 from pedals and amps... :)
 
It sounds like we are in quite similar situations. I play pop (with a little rock) covers at weddings, birthdays, company Christmas parties etc. I even play PRSs.

The key for me was to find some monitors at home that I trust to translate well to our PA system. I use KRK RP6 G2 monitors and we play a HK Audio Premium Pro PA with a Mackie DL32r mixer (I monitor with in-ears). I have found that the patches I create at home tend to be overly trebly, so I have reduced treble on my mixer channels.

I think the best thing you can do is to go to the rehearsal space with your home monitor and compare sounds to see how your home monitor sounds translate to your PA.

Also check that you do not have some kind of limiter/compressor in your mix that kills all your transients. And finally remember the good old rule that we need more mids to make a guitar cut through a busy mix. Even to the point, where the guitar sound is almost ugly by itself, it might work very well in a mix.

I will not really be with my Ax8 today, but I might be able to give your patch a try over the weekend. I also have a few Plexi patches, you could try.

Thx Smitte.
I use the same PRX712 for both home and live so wouldn't have thought there'd be that much variation.
Good point re the mixer settings. I'm pretty sure its a clean signal from the desk but will double check.

I would love to hear your Plexi patches so plz DM me them when you can.
 
I listened to your preset and I think it sounds good but it's bright in comparison to my stuff. I am playing on a PRS Custom 24 and some flat response monitors. Try taking away the bright switch or backing off the bright cap.
Thx Dan.
The amp and cab are basically a direct copy of the factory preset, (which I found to be great) but I will try your suggestions.

Would you generally back off the brightness on all amps, as a rule? The reason I ask is that when I look at an amp like div/13 for example, my first reaction would be to add brightness to it! I know it doesn't help when you're not familiar with certain amp types however it would be good to know if there is a consistent approach to it.
 
I agree with Dan...I downloaded your preset and it was very harsh and brittle sounding over my FRFR.
I use a CLR .
Here is a patch I used at my last gig. It sounded great at any volume.
Give it a try and see how it sounds over your setup.

Hmmm...keep getting an error when I try to upload a patch...any ideas?
Thx RLD.

Could you send it DM to me plz? Would love to try it out.
 
Thx Dan.
The amp and cab are basically a direct copy of the factory preset, (which I found to be great) but I will try your suggestions.

Would you generally back off the brightness on all amps, as a rule? The reason I ask is that when I look at an amp like div/13 for example, my first reaction would be to add brightness to it! I know it doesn't help when you're not familiar with certain amp types however it would be good to know if there is a consistent approach to it.
The Div/13 is a really bass heavy amp, so my first inclination in that scenario would be to reduce the bass. Then once I get that to where I like it, I listen to the brightness and adjust from there.

I try adjust the high frequency parameters in my Fractal presets so that they sound smooth and pleasing. It's important to remember that a guitar is primarily a mid range frequency instrument, so getting the mid range right is what is going to give you the most power and ability to cut through a mix.
 
Thx RLD.

Could you send it DM to me plz? Would love to try it out.
Finally figured out how to post a preset.
Try this...it's a Dirty Shirley amp.
I set it up for nice crunchy rhythm when guitar volume knob is on 10 and I turn it down for my clean sound.
When I turn the git volume knob down I usually bring volume up via volume pedal.
Volume pedal is on exp 2, wah on 1.
Compressor on switch 1 can be used as a boost but I usually leave it on.
I have x/y setup with drives on switch 2.
Y drive is more like a boost and X is for ultimate sustain solos.
I play single coil Strats and this patch via a CLR sounds fantastic at any volume.
I can cover a whole gig with just this one preset...hope it works for you.
 

Attachments

  • MAIN SOUND 1.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 19
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Have not checked out the preset yet, but I have similar struggles. I find you need to get one "good" patch with the band, and use that as your baseline for volume. I also would suggest you bring a small laptop to rehearsals to make some on the fly tweaks. Lastly, make a couple versions of the preset, different amps, with EQ, loud, quiet, etc. It can be a little hit or miss sometimes.
 
in many case, try to double check your presets in many different sets of speakers, headphone, your car...

don't fit your preset to your reference, make a good sounding preset everywhere
 
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