Tone Match help

andyp13

andyp13

Power User
My main guitar sounds great in my axe with a shiver clean and the AC overdrive. Could I tone match that sound to have my spare guitar sound like this?.
could I plug the output of the Axe into the input to capture the guitar solo sound, and then play my spare into the tm the same way and match it etc... I don’t want to mic up a cab, and I also find when recording it to my DAW the sound changes....
I only want the ‘solo’ sound matching as i’m happy with the clean sound on my spare guitar.

thanks.
 
andyp13 said:
Could I tone match that sound to have my spare guitar sound like this?
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Yes, but results will vary, esp. with different PU types and output levels. Matching similar HB to HB or single coil to SC can work.

After capturing your reference (main) guitar, adjust AMP input trim for your spare guitar so the gain (structure) is similar.

For tone matching, you could play the same solo stuff for both guitars, or it might be better play chromatic notes in the normal range of your solos. Increase the averaging time if needed (the effective sampling window is 4-5x this).


https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/axe-fx-2/Axe-Fx-II-Tone-Match-Manual.pdf

 
yyz67 said:
Yes, but results will vary, esp. with different PU types and output levels. Matching similar HB to HB or single coil to SC can work.

After capturing your reference (main) guitar, adjust AMP input trim for your spare guitar so the gain (structure) is similar.

For tone matching, you could play the same solo stuff for both guitars, or it might be better play chromatic notes in the normal range of your solos. Increase the averaging time if needed (the effective sampling window is 4-5x this).


https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/axe-fx-2/Axe-Fx-II-Tone-Match-Manual.pdf

Click to expand...


What he said and I’ll add that the difference between passive and active instruments makes a big difference. Believe it or not most passive pickup systems produce more volume than active. Active systems give more tone shaping but rarely more volume.
 
Tried tone matching but it didn’t work unfortunately. The guitar I wanted to tone match has a humbucker with a mid-range boost, when used with overdrive it sounds awesome and the sustain is awesome... the other guitar is a PRS and though the clean sound is great it just sounds so much weaker when used with overdrive... on the EMG’s the drive is around 50% but when used with PRS the drive needs to be 100% to get somewhere near, but still it’s not ballsy and as fat and certainly doesn’t sustain...I’v tried (and still trying) the Peq but just can’t get that roundness or sustain...hence why I thought I would try to tone matching.
I was wanting to use the ‘spare’ if I snap a string on the main and carry on with a similar sound.....
 
Maybe try a filter near the beginning of the chain to boost your PRS signal before hitting the drive/amp in the chain. Get the level up so you effectively don't have to change drive in DRV/AMP.
 
yyz67 said:
Maybe try a filter near the beginning of the chain to boost your PRS signal before hitting the drive/amp in the chain. Get the level up so you effectively don't have to change drive in DRV/AMP.
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yes I will try that today, I guess the only way to tone match is by using a DAW as it doesn’t work going direct, I guess it’s just finding that mid range that’s there in the EMG but is missing on the PRS.... clean sound is great 😎
 
it’s an old 85 Jap strat with EMG’s fitted in 86... iv tried a few strats and put exactly the same pickup config etc and they haven’t even sounded close. My new guitar is a PRS custom 24 Piezo. The clean sound is great but the solo sound is a bit weak, and thin - it just doesn’t have the balls or mid range growl of the strat. I guess it’s just a case of messing with a graphic and switching it in with the lead sound etc... been messing with it tonight but lose focus and seem to get nowhere, trial and error `I guess.
 
It wont sound like a strat, its mahogany and 25". Round peg, square hole.

Another strat with the same EMG set should at least ballpark - and used strats are plentiful.
 
Try tone matching the dry signals, and also set the tone match block output to boost the level to closer match the EMGs. At the very least, the tone match will show you where the differences are, and give you a better idea of where to manually tweak.
 
Moke said:
Try tone matching the dry signals, and also set the tone match block output to boost the level to closer match the EMGs. At the very least, the tone match will show you where the differences are, and give you a better idea of where to manually tweak.
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‘this is what I wanted to do originally but i guess to do it I would have to set up a DAW system as it can’t be done any other way... I tried doing it directly just using the Axe but it didn’t workI got an awful washed out sound etc... I’ll look at setting up a DAW over the weekend 😒
 
andyp13 said:
‘this is what I wanted to do originally but i guess to do it I would have to set up a DAW system as it can’t be done any other way... I tried doing it directly just using the Axe but it didn’t workI got an awful washed out sound etc... I’ll look at setting up a DAW over the weekend 😒
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You don't need to use a DAW if you have both guitars on hand. Set the Tone Match block as follows....
  1. Put it first in the chain. (dry guitar)
  2. Reference source - Block In
  3. Mode - Off-Line
  4. Averaging Time - 10.000 (or higher) Experiment a bit..
  5. Play something that covers as much of the frequency spectrum as you can.
  6. Play the same exact musical part as closely as possible. Dynamics, pick attack, pinch harmonics, etc...
  7. Play with the Amount and Smoothing parameters to reduce any 'phasey' sound.
  8. Like I said, at the very least, the tone match will show you where the differences are, and give you a better idea of where to manually tweak.
 
Moke said:
You don't need to use a DAW if you have both guitars on hand. Set the Tone Match block as follows....
  1. Put it first in the chain. (dry guitar)
  2. Reference source - Block In
  3. Mode - Off-Line
  4. Averaging Time - 10.000 (or higher) Experiment a bit..
  5. Play something that covers as much of the frequency spectrum as you can.
  6. Play the same exact musical part as closely as possible. Dynamics, pick attack, pinch harmonics, etc...
  7. Play with the Amount and Smoothing parameters to reduce any 'phasey' sound.
  8. Like I said, at the very least, the tone match will show you where the differences are, and give you a better idea of where to manually tweak.
Click to expand...

thanks for the info, I actually tried this and the match didn’t work (nothing happened) and the sound was really badly out of phase... I guess I must be doing something wrong as it certainly didn’t work 😳
 
andyp13 said:
thanks for the info, I actually tried this and the match didn’t work (nothing happened) and the sound was really badly out of phase... I guess I must be doing something wrong as it certainly didn’t work 😳
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I've had mixed results with tone matching pickups or songs. Every once in awhile nothing happens and I need to push the match button again...don't know if I didn't press it hard enough, lost focus or ??? IF it doesn't sound good, start again and I bet you'll find something you like. For what it's worth, I don't like the sound of a tone match by itself, but when used in conjunction with a cab....
 
andyp13 said:
it’s an old 85 Jap strat with EMG’s fitted in 86... iv tried a few strats and put exactly the same pickup config etc and they haven’t even sounded close. My new guitar is a PRS custom 24 Piezo. The clean sound is great but the solo sound is a bit weak, and thin - it just doesn’t have the balls or mid range growl of the strat. I guess it’s just a case of messing with a graphic and switching it in with the lead sound etc... been messing with it tonight but lose focus and seem to get nowhere, trial and error `I guess.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you need the PRS Tremonti Signature edition. ;)
 
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