Psychology & Patch Construction

Variable

Variable

Inspired
So, I've been eyeing a Bogner Goldfinger 45 SL as sort of a plug and play amp to compliment my Axe for those times when I just don't feel like dealing with that inner voice that says "Hey, have you tried XYZ model / effect yet?!"

That got me thinking about the psychology of patch construction in the Axe. There are some studies that show people can run into "choice overload" when presented with tons of options. That's certainly happened to me in the Axe... my most recent patches were built around an amp type, such as a Friedman patch with scenes for the different Friedman amps, and a Bogner patch with the Shiva and XTC. I would try to cram as many different amps as possible into the scenes in the patch.

The problem is, when I'm on those patches, I find myself switching between the scenes with sort of an ADD thing going on in my head. However, when I'm on an actual tube amp, I usually find myself sticking to a particular channel and going to town. When I have 8 scenes that can all be a totally different amp and signal chain, I often find myself thinking that the grass is greener on a different scene.

This certainly isn't a criticism of the Axe modeling as 3.01 takes me to a whole new level; rather, I offer this personal insight in the hope that maybe it will help others avoid some of the crazy that I've encountered when building patches and trying to "get everything in" like I have.

TL;DR: Sometimes creating a super simple patch without all the Axe bells and whistles is the way to go.

...and I may still buy the Goldfinger, because the Axe hasn't modeled it yet :)
 
Just as easy to get a craving for a new hardware amp really. Then you go spend time watching reviews, search reverb, eBay etc

I find the Axe actually saves a bit of time because I get a desire to try soemthing, I turn a knob and have it. No reading forums asking about it, trying to try in person, shopping and returning etc
 
lqdsnddist said:
Just as easy to get a craving for a new hardware amp really. Then you go spend time watching reviews, search reverb, eBay etc

I find the Axe actually saves a bit of time because I get a desire to try soemthing, I turn a knob and have it. No reading forums asking about it, trying to try in person, shopping and returning etc
Click to expand...

That's one of the reasons I own the Axe. Saves me from buying a lot of amps.

Of course, I did end up pulling the trigger on that Goldfinger since there isn't a model in the Axe...
 
i think this is a point often mentioned, yet often overlooked.

one of the main thoughts i see shared when people get an axe or talk about one, is "i spent $xxx, i should use every single block in all my presets to get my money's worth." i've also had comments on my youtube videos like "why do you need an axe-fx for that clean-chorus sound - you can do that with a real amp and real chorus pedal."

well of course you can. but the axe is creating that tone, direct, without a real amp. that's the point.

at base level, the Axe-Fx replaces an amp, a loud speaker, uncertainty of mic positioning, amp dials/settings, tube condition, and much more. and it's all direct, no open mics, controllable volume in the room, and more advantages too. personally, i think it sounds the best in class, and many others do as well.

that is the reason to get an Axe, or you might say just that is reason enough. the core amp/cab tone with direct connection (no mics). from there, you can add other effects, emulate your analog rig to the T, and so forth.

but people tend to take it way beyond that. "i have an 'expensive' device now, i have to show it off, or use every bit of it, or it's a waste." i disagree completely. if i just used the amp and cab tone at a gig, and didn't change presets or scenes all night, it's still doing its job. you aren't "wasting" money by not using crazy reverb or modulation effects and changing scenes every 5 seconds.

something i and others always suggest to new users is to use only what you know. it really simplifies things. people see 200+ amps, thousands of cabs, blocks/effects they've never even heard of. and for some reason, they think "wow i have to learn ALL of this stuff."

*I* don't even know what all of the stuff is in the axe. i don't understand every single advanced amp parameter - i'm not an amp designer or engineer. i don't remember what every single type in every single block sounds like or does. and that's ok! it HAS that stuff if you want to use it. but if you don't know what it is, really just don't touch it.

we also tend to suggest setting up your presets to emulate what you already use and know. is your real rig a marshall style amp, with a drive pedal and delay? then just do that, at first anyway. find a marshall amp, add a cab that seems familiar (4x12, 2x12, etc.), put a drive block, put a delay block. done!

assuming a live performer, our job is to provide a sound/tone and perform at a gig. the Axe is a tool that helps us do that. people don't buy a power drill that has a flash screen that says different messages and shoots a light show when they screw a board into the wall. chefs don't buy an oven that plays nyan cat on the glass. we buy tools to help us work. use the features that you need to get the job done. focus on that, and the Axe becomes so much easier immediately. of course this translates to studio work or any other work.

from there, we have many blocks and effects and possibilities. so for the bedroom guy, of course you can take the time and spend hours finding new combinations and tones. this is called inspiration.

i see people buy the axe, then get frustrated immediately trying to learn it all. as i've said already, stick to what you know. start with amp/cab only. play with that for a while. then add ONE block at a time. learn that block, turn the dials. stay away from dials you don't know at first. honestly, the default settings really work for many people. they just have this sensation of "this is expensive, defaults can't be right, i need to turn all the knobs."

with the explosion of tech and the availability of free and stolen software, it's too easy to take things for granted. the Axe-Fx isn't just "another thing" - it's special. so is Kemper. so is Bias. so is Helix. these are all detailed platforms with thousands of hours behind them. we are so lucky to have so many choices. yes, it's "just" gear. but people took the time to make them sound as good as they do. we should appreciate that.

use what you know. the axe is amazing. you don't need to use all the blocks at once.
 
Not long after I got my first AFX II, I set up a 4-amp/5-scene template with all the bells and whistles and used that as a starting point for most of my per-song presets. When I got my XL+, I copied all those presets over and for the most part, continued that trend. But over time I found that for each song, I was really only using one or two amps and a small handful of effects, and at the most, three scenes. I was playing presets that had far more options than I needed. When it's all said and done, I'm really only using about 6 or 7 amp models -- a few Fenders, a Vox or two, and a few Marshall-style models. Same with cabs (and effects, for the most part).

Just this week I've got my AFX III and FC-6 up and running, and I've decided to start over from scratch on all my presets. I'm going to simplify the vast majority of them, and just use the amp(s) and effects I need for that particular song. I also plan to use more global options in an effort to reduce the amount of tweaking necessary every time new firmware is released.

My current analysis paralysis is with the FC-6. I'm still trying to decide how I want to set up my layouts to streamline live performances. I'll likely experiment around for a while before committing to any particular approach. I'm in no rush, though. Thankfully, I still have my XL+ and MFC-101 for gigs in the meantime. And about 60 bloated presets, lol.

It's real tempting use everything available to me, but experience has taught me that in reality, simple is better. YMMV, of course.
 
Last edited:
TG3K said:
My current analysis paralysis is with the FC-6. I'm still trying to decide how I want to set up my layouts to streamline live performances. I'll likely experiment around for a while before committing to any particular approach. I'm in no rush, though. Thankfully, I still have my XL+ and MFC-101 for gigs in the meantime. And about 60 bloated presets, lol.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what happened to me when I first got my Liquid Foot Jr+. You can do anything with that controller, but I ended up settling on the buttons I knew I would need and formatting it like I would a typical amp: Clean, Crunch, and Lead (with a scene for each). I then had patch up/down, Boost, Tuner, and an FX submenu if I wanted to hit some IA action for my scene. It worked pretty well, though I haven't gotten around to making all that work with my Axe3 yet since I'm not playing out and can do most everything from the front panel / Axe Edit.
 
Variable said:
That's pretty much what happened to me when I first got my Liquid Foot Jr+. You can do anything with that controller, but I ended up settling on the buttons I knew I would need and formatting it like I would a typical amp: Clean, Crunch, and Lead (with a scene for each). I then had patch up/down, Boost, Tuner, and an FX submenu if I wanted to hit some IA action for my scene. It worked pretty well, though I haven't gotten around to making all that work with my Axe3 yet since I'm not playing out and can do most everything from the front panel / Axe Edit.
Click to expand...

For me a lot of the challenge is figuring out how to distill the 17 buttons on the MFC into 6 on the FC-6. I'm looking at which buttons I use on every song, and which ones are only used occasionally, and can be more appropriately placed on a second (or third) layout. In many cases I think I'll be using scenes instead of IA switches to add/remove individual effects. I primarily use my AFX for live performance, so I have lots of motivation to get it all figured out, lol.
 
When I'm tinkering around on my Axe III I always try different amps and see if I can incorporate them into my setlist.
To me it's like I've got over 200 amps sitting around in my room, why would I just want to play with one?
 
slinky005 said:
When I'm tinkering around on my Axe III I always try different amps and see if I can incorporate them into my setlist.
To me it's like I've got over 200 amps sitting around in my room, why would I just want to play with one?
Click to expand...
But that’s trying things out.

Some think they have to understand ALL the amps before using the thing live. Which you don’t.
 
Last edited:
I've been spending the past few nights going through Austin Buddy's Dream Rigs preset pack (which so far is amazing!) but I'm not spending a lot of time tweaking. I'm auditioning presets and removing or swapping out blocks for my needs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom