Sovtek Big Muff settings, anyone?

hyunil

hyunil

Member
Anyone got settings for Sovtek Big Muff? I am particularly looking for Pink Floyd's Sorrow guitar tone from their studio album.

Thanks!
 
Schmokes said:
AX8 can't do muff to my satisfaction. In all honesty, there isn't a fuzz model in the unit that I'm even close to satisfied with. We've got amps galore, I'd love for Fractal to dedicate a firmware update to drives, not just a minor adjustment like the last update of the drives. IMO, they really need to scrap them and start fresh.
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I have to agree with you. I am a big fuzz and Big Muff fan, but haven't had much satisfaction with these drive models. Maybe these type of effects are meant to be analog? Well, I guess I will have to find a pedal to hook up to the effects loop of the unit :p Thanks for your input.
 
This might be a hardware limitation to some extent. Axe-Fx has a variable input impedance that can adjust based on the first block in the chain (necessary for stuff like ultra realistic Vibe and fuzzes), whereas AX8 has a fixed input impedance of 1 MOhm.
 
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philipacamaniac said:
This might be a hardware limitation to some extent. Axe-Fx has a variable input impedance that can adjust based on the first block in the chain (necessary for stuff like ultra realistic Vibe and fuzzes), whereas AX8 has a fixed input impedance of 20 MOhm.
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Makes sense. Now I want to upgrade my AX8 to an Axe-FX II XL+ even more!
 
The Fractal fuzz models are quite good compared to other digital models of them. The tone is basically there, but the way they interact with the guitar is a bit different due to the buffered input of the Fractal hardware. You don't get the same response from them when rolling off your guitar volume. That's where a lot of the unique fuzz flavors live in real pedals. I'd love to see more Big Muff versions added, particularly the early triangle or ram's head versions. The NYC reissue version the current model is based on has never really been my favorite. To me, the older versions sound more warm and crunchy and clean up better while the NYC reissue sounds more hi-fi and fizzy.
 
philipacamaniac said:
This might be a hardware limitation to some extent. Axe-Fx has a variable input impedance that can adjust based on the first block in the chain (necessary for stuff like ultra realistic Vibe and fuzzes), whereas AX8 has a fixed input impedance of 1 MOhm.
Click to expand...

So to get closer to a real pickup, try matching the pickup impedance? That can be lower then the AFX can go ATM.
 
Cliff: "The Fuzz in the Axe-Fx reacts as though there is a buffer in front of it (because there is). It's a limitation inherent to all modeling products. I modeled it using a nominal source resistance. I forget what I used for the source resistance but it was probably around 100K ohms. To really simulate it you would need a controller to simulate the changing output impedance of the guitar."
 
Yeah it's been said many times that you need to put a fuzz in front of the AX8 or Axefx for it to act right.

I've tried this with my EQD Hoof, and still there is something different and unpleasant about it compared to using the same pedal in front of any analog amp. Still trying to figure that one out.
 
mr_fender said:
The Fractal fuzz models are quite good compared to other digital models of them. The tone is basically there, but the way they interact with the guitar is a bit different due to the buffered input of the Fractal hardware. You don't get the same response from them when rolling off your guitar volume. That's where a lot of the unique fuzz flavors live in real pedals. I'd love to see more Big Muff versions added, particularly the early triangle or ram's head versions. The NYC reissue version the current model is based on has never really been my favorite. To me, the older versions sound more warm and crunchy and clean up better while the NYC reissue sounds more hi-fi and fizzy.
Click to expand...

Would I be able to have it modified with a switch to bypass the buffer? I wish there was an option to turn it off in the first place...
 
hyunil said:
Would I be able to have it modified with a switch to bypass the buffer? I wish there was an option to turn it off in the first place...
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While I'm not an engineer, your idea probably isn't feasible. Fractal Audio are digital devices which requires analog-to-digital conversion and therefore include "buffering" of some kind.
 
yek said:
While I'm not an engineer, your idea probably isn't feasible. Fractal Audio are digital devices which requires analog-to-digital conversion and therefore include "buffering" of some kind.
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You're right! That was just me brain-farting. XD
 
Schmokes said:
I've seen the excuses as to why Fractal hasn't been able to fix the fuzzes before. But the fuzz on my Hd500 and zoom MS50G are much better than Fractal's. If those companies can figure it out on their <$500 units, you'd think Fractal could do it. I understand it's not a priority, so maybe that's what they should say instead of spinning the same "hardware limitations" story.
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That's a bit of a stretch. I find the Fractal fuzz models to be much more dynamic and realistic than the ones on my old Line 6 M13, which are the same models as the HD500. Real fuzz pedals vary all over the map too. Some sound great and some sound terrible. Depends on your personal preference. Even the Big Muff model is pretty accurate to the NYC Reissue. I just prefer the other Muff variants.

Besides, Fractal isn't really saying anything. Most of this is speculation here on the forum. With some tweaking, I can dial in most Fuzz tones I'm after. The big difference for me is what takes a simple roll of the guitar volume with a real fuzz requires more tweaking on the model to get the same result. They're not quite as plug and play as the real fuzz pedals.
 
Guys, even if the sound is somewhat similar, muff is not properly a fuzz and it doesn't show the same interactions with guitar pickups. It has an input buffer but with a low input impedance (39k for most versions), not as low as fuzzes though.
So I think the statements regarding the impossibility to model fuzzes properly are not valid for the big muff.

Anyway I find that with a bit of tweaking you can match the model to the real pedal. Recently I tried to copy the sound of my friend's Cornish P1 and pretty much nailed it. Here the settings:

High cut: 7900 Hz
Clip type: variable
Clip shape: 2.20
Mid frequency: 1350 Hz
Mids: +2dB
Slew rate: 1.35
Bias: 0.500
Other parameters to taste or default
 
DLC86 said:
Guys, even if the sound is somewhat similar, muff is not properly a fuzz and it doesn't show the same interactions with guitar pickups. It has an input buffer but with a low input impedance (39k for most versions), not as low as fuzzes though.
So I think the statements regarding the impossibility to model fuzzes properly are not valid for the big muff.

Anyway I find that with a bit of tweaking you can match the model to the real pedal. Recently I tried to copy the sound of my friend's Cornish P1 and pretty much nailed it. Here the settings:

High cut: 7900 Hz
Clip type: variable
Clip shape: 2.20
Mid frequency: 1350 Hz
Mids: +2dB
Slew rate: 1.35
Bias: 0.500
Other parameters to taste or default
Click to expand...

Just tried this setting and it is very convincing indeed. Thanks a lot!
 
DLC86 said:
Guys, even if the sound is somewhat similar, muff is not properly a fuzz and it doesn't show the same interactions with guitar pickups. It has an input buffer but with a low input impedance (39k for most versions), not as low as fuzzes though.
So I think the statements regarding the impossibility to model fuzzes properly are not valid for the big muff.

Anyway I find that with a bit of tweaking you can match the model to the real pedal. Recently I tried to copy the sound of my friend's Cornish P1 and pretty much nailed it. Here the settings:

High cut: 7900 Hz
Clip type: variable
Clip shape: 2.20
Mid frequency: 1350 Hz
Mids: +2dB
Slew rate: 1.35
Bias: 0.500
Other parameters to taste or default
Click to expand...

Can you share the patch? I would bet the amp and cab would be a major factor too.

On another note... One of the Axe Fx guys mentioned to get good fuzz tones, you take out the cab block, and put in an EQ block. Anyone tried this?
 
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