Presets for the Atomic CLR

J

Jonosborne

Member
Hi everyone! I recently purchased an Atomic CLR and my initial thoughts are that the stock presets for the Axe II sound pretty terrible on it. I compared the tone of my Vox AC30C2 with the AC30 preset and the actual amp kills it in every way. I understand that it is going to take some serious tweaking to get this monitor to sound like a true amp but was curious if anyone had any presets that they have specifically dialed in with the CLR for a starting point for me. Or if anyone has any tips/tricks to getting a good tone with it I would greatly appreciate the advice. Thank you!
 
I find a lot of the stock presets sound pretty good on my CLRs.

Some would definitely be gig worthy for me.

I listen in a treated room with two CLRs on sticks. The sub mode is off. I use the Free Field CLR preset.

I use a 70's Strat with Kinman pickups, Charvel San Dimas with vintage DiMarzio's, Les Paul with WCR pickups, 70's 335 with original pickups.
 
Is you CLR at a sufficient volume? When you are comparing to an amp, make sure both are at a similar volume.
 
Jonosborne said:
serious tweaking to get this monitor to sound like a true amp
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What do you mean by this? Are you talking about setting the amp and CLR side by side? That isn't an apples to apples comparison. The CLR is reproducing a mic'd amp sound. The amp is not. They are not the same signal path. If you isolate and mic the amp and monitor that, then they will sound the same.

The factory presets (AX8 w/Quantam 2.02) sound killer through my CLR. It definitely moves some air and sounds like a killer mic'd amp.
 
The amp is at a similar level. It doesn't seem to break up at all when I dig in compared to the actual amp. It feels like it has no dynamics and sounds very thin compared to the amp. I'm using an Epiphone ES-339 P90 PRO that has an upgraded nut and has been professionally set up. Before people start saying it's the guitar I also have a Gibson LP traditional as well. I have just been using the Epiphone more these days because it plays very well. I don't think the Axe should sounds worse than a real amp just because I am using a cheap guitar. Any thoughts?
 
What style/genre of music are you playing? I play mostly clean to classic/hard rock. No metal. I have found that I do have to back the drive back a bit on the amps. I also bring the "Input Trim" down a little and that adds some of the dynamics that I'm looking for. The degree of impact will depend a bit on the guitar and how hot the pickups are. In my case, I using a humbucker with a decent amount of output. Again, it seems to sound "thin" compared next to a live amp, because the fully simulated signal path to the CLR includes the mic'd amp+cab.
 
The CLR is renowned for its flat response, so I would focus on the AxeFX presets. I use an FRFR speaker system, and from the first moment I plugged into the AxeFX, I had amazing huge tone. I recommend starting by double-checking that you have the most current firmware, then running Axe-Edit and stepping through the factory presets again. Many of the presets are good enough to use at a gig with no further adjustment. As noted above, some of the presets will have more drive than you might want (and might even cause high-pitched microphonic feedback via your P90 pickups), so you might want to dial back the drive a little. I have a Les Paul with P90s and I love the way it drives those Vox tones.
 
I also play mostly clean or slightly overdriven material. Is there any way to get a more direct, guitar amp sound out of the CLR vs a mic'ed cab sound? I upgraded this from Power Engine 60 and don't have this same issue.
 
Sleestak said:
The CLR is renowned for its flat response, so I would focus on the AxeFX presets. I use an FRFR speaker system, and from the first moment I plugged into the AxeFX, I had amazing huge tone. I recommend starting by double-checking that you have the most current firmware, then running Axe-Edit and stepping through the factory presets again. Many of the presets are good enough to use at a gig with no further adjustment. As noted above, some of the presets will have more drive than you might want (and might even cause high-pitched microphonic feedback via your P90 pickups), so you might want to dial back the drive a little. I have a Les Paul with P90s and I love the way it drives those Vox tones.
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I am on Quantum 2.05 at the moment. I haven't taken the time to upgrade to the newest one yet. The presets have not been changed from the stock presets. Maybe I was expecting too much from this CLR. I literally just got it yesterday. I am using it in the wedge position on the floor.
 
I gig with one CLR in the wedge position.

Sounds killer. Very amp like. The factory presets sound good too.

I prefer to create presets in free field on sticks. In my experience, these translate the best for me.
 
Make sure that cab emulation (if you will) is on. Have you properly gain-staged the CLR? I'm running CLR's and the sound is HUGE. I run the gamut from The Eagles to Metallica.
 
warlockII said:
Make sure that cab emulation (if you will) is on. Have you properly gain-staged the CLR? I'm running CLR's and the sound is HUGE. I run the gamut from The Eagles to Metallica.
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I have the input 1 on CLR at 50% aka noon and the master volume at 50% aka noon as well. Is that not properly staged?
 
Jonosborne said:
I have the input 1 on CLR at 50% aka noon and the master volume at 50% aka noon as well. Is that not properly staged?
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Completely depends on the output level of the Fractal if that is a correct CLR settings.

FWIW, that is exactly how mine are setup. I run the front panel output knob at noon. Presets are setup not to light the clip indicator on the Fractal.
 
Why did you buy a CLR if you don't want a mic'd cab sound ? That is exactly what the CLR reproduces so its working and sounding just like it should.

If you want the sound of a guitar amp in the room, return/sell the CLR, and get yourself a guitar cab and power amp. Run the Axe into that (with cab modeling off of course) and it will sound just like a guitar amp in the room, because for all intensive purposes it it.

On the flip side, If you went and stuck a mic in front of your Vox, either at a recording studio, or a gig with a PA system, the tone of your guitar would sound quite similar to CLR, because again, its the sound of a recorded/mic'd guitar.


For what its worth, I think the "amp in room" sound is worth jack squat these days, because no one can "enjoy" it except the person playing it. That is fine and good, but with most gigs wanting reduced stage volume these days, and more control, mic'd the amp's and using the venue PA is becoming the norm. Likewise, anytime I want to share a clip of my music the listener is going to hear a recorded guitar. As such, the recorded/cab modeled sound translates very well to recording/live.

I still remember first time I went into a studio and how much I hated my amp tone on tape (way back in the day when we had tape lol) Sounded different than how I heard it in rehersal rooms, but unless I invite the audience on stage, or invite someone over to my place anytime they want to hear my music the "amp in room" tone just isn't practical.
 
Jonosborne said:
I am on Quantum 2.05 at the moment. I haven't taken the time to upgrade to the newest one yet. The presets have not been changed from the stock presets. Maybe I was expecting too much from this CLR. I literally just got it yesterday. I am using it in the wedge position on the floor.
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Is this an April fools joke or did I miss a firmware release??? 2.05???
 
lqdsnddist said:
Why did you buy a CLR if you don't want a mic'd cab sound ? That is exactly what the CLR reproduces so its working and sounding just like it should.

If you want the sound of a guitar amp in the room, return/sell the CLR, and get yourself a guitar cab and power amp. Run the Axe into that (with cab modeling off of course) and it will sound just like a guitar amp in the room, because for all intensive purposes it it.

On the flip side, If you went and stuck a mic in front of your Vox, either at a recording studio, or a gig with a PA system, the tone of your guitar would sound quite similar to CLR, because again, its the sound of a recorded/mic'd guitar.


For what its worth, I think the "amp in room" sound is worth jack squat these days, because no one can "enjoy" it except the person playing it. That is fine and good, but with most gigs wanting reduced stage volume these days, and more control, mic'd the amp's and using the venue PA is becoming the norm. Likewise, anytime I want to share a clip of my music the listener is going to hear a recorded guitar. As such, the recorded/cab modeled sound translates very well to recording/live.

I still remember first time I went into a studio and how much I hated my amp tone on tape (way back in the day when we had tape lol) Sounded different than how I heard it in rehersal rooms, but unless I invite the audience on stage, or invite someone over to my place anytime they want to hear my music the "amp in room" tone just isn't practical.
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this x infinity....two totally different sounds/tones. the CLR will never sound like a cab, will never disperse like a cab, will definitely never fill the room like an open back 212 AC30....have you never thought about how much rear cab reflection you are getting bouncing off the walls? Diffusing high end, adding low end, natural room reverberations, phase, etc? The sound waves go through a lot of transformation before they hit your ears. Like other have said, put the AC30 in another room, mic it, listen back through the CLR....it'll probably sound a lot more like what you're hearing from the Axe...
 
Yeah... so.... like... what don't some of you who actually own a CLR, who seem to be very happy with it actually help this guy out by posting a few of your presets then? Something like a clean, a crunch, a lead etc?? I would happily, but I don't have a CLR so there's no point..

No point carrying on about this or that, whether it's a mic'd sound vs real cab, or whether it's gig-worthy with stock presets, what room you're actually playing it in, whether it's on 'sticks' etc.. Of course there's gonna be anomaly's and variables (spare of the technicalities please lol!) and yes of course there's gonna be things to bear in mind, but at least by sharing your presets with him, he should have a decent idea of what the CLR sounds like, and what the forum members like about it.. He'll figure it out once he's had a play with it.

We're all members on the same forum; hopefully we're here to share 'wins and losses' with one another.. I've found the best thing that someone can share is a preset especially if your rig and their rig is basically the same.. it's a good starting point at least.

Like I said, he'll pretty quickly figure out where the CLR stands with him and where he stands with the CLR.. trial and error.. Send a patch or two and let him try it.
 
The CLR should sound pretty decent with just a standard patch, for clean e.g. a Bassman amp and a 1*12" or 2*12" cab with nothing else done to it.
I suspect his CLR is either broken, he has cab sims turned off, he has dialled in weird settings or he just can't connect to FRFR.
 
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