Tone-Matching a Pedal?

[The Aftermath]

Hey all.

I've never been a fan of the TS9 model in the AFX. To me, it adds waaayyy too much gain and a bit of murk, whereas my TS808 into my Mesa tightens things up and adds a touch of gain\excitement.

So what I've been thinking of trying is going:
Guitar -> TS808 -> AFX

The patch would have nothing on it, just a straight line from left to right, with a tone-match block at the end that would capture what my TS808 does to my guitar sound. Could I then drop that Tone-Match block in my patches instead of a drive block and basically get the sound of my TS808 into my AFX patches?

Not at home so I can't try this right now...

 

[Rex]

Tone Match matches EQ, but it doesn't match distortion. And your TS808 adds distortion. So you can't simulate a distortion pedal with Tone Match.

 

[laughyouraxeoff]

Tone Match matches EQ, but it doesn't match distortion. And your TS808 adds distortion. So you can't simulate a distortion pedal with Tone Match.

What if you set the amp to have the same distortion as the pedal, would it not then eq the TM to sound like the pedal going through that amp?

 

[Kent]

I did the following about two weeks ago in order to Tone-Match my Prescription Electronics Experience pedal to the Axe-FX:

Guitar ---> Axe-FX ---> Looper---> FX Loop Block that I'd take In & Out of Bypass ---> Axe-FX pedal that most closely matched what I was going for (also taken In & Out of Bypass) ---> TM Block ---> Reference Amp ---> Cab Block

I'd record some phrases into the Looper and then tweak the virtual pedal to be as close to the real thing as possible. I then put a TM-block in the chain and Tone Matched it.

This moved the end result to be being fairly close to the real pedal. I wouldn't say that the TM'd process can perfectly replicate a desired pedal. At least in my case, with my familiarity with the Axe-FX and my skill level, the result was not satisfying. However, it is useable.

I've managed to be able to get extremely close with a more trebly setting on the same pedal (like a Fuzz Face) but couldn't get what I was looking for in regards to a 'fat and pregnant with gain' setting.

 

[Rex]

What if you set the amp to have the same distortion as the pedal, would it not then eq the TM to sound like the pedal going through that amp?

You could set the amp to have a similar amount of distortion, but the character of the distortion will still be different from that of the pedal. As Kent said above, you might get a useable sound, but it won't be the same.

 

[shadoe]

What if you recorded the Mesa with the ts808 on and tone matched that same rig in the afx?

 

[Rex]

Tone Match matches tone, not distortion. You still need a block that generates distortion. If the distortion you want is Mesa plus TS808 distortion, you need an amp block and a Drive block.

 

[NeoSound]

Can't you A/B the real pedal against the Axe Fx model in the same preset until you get the sound matched?

 

[Rex]

Can't you A/B the real pedal against the Axe Fx model in the same preset until you get the sound matched?

That would be the most direct method.

@The Aftermath: have you tried both of the Axe's 808 models? They're pretty close to the real thing. As for having way too much gain, you can back the gain way down to almost nothing. Then mess with Low Cut, High Cut and Level.

 

[Kent]

Can't you A/B the real pedal against the Axe Fx model in the same preset until you get the sound matched?

Sort of. The Drive blocks are not refined to the degree of the Axe's Amp blocks. There is also a paucity of variety.