Trying Hard To Get This Heavy Tone

mlancaster1

mlancaster1

Member
Ive had the Axe-FX 3 for about 3 weeks so far and at first I was pretty disappointed with every preset I heard. I watched a lot of videos on youtube of people demoing the stock rectifier tones, Friedman HBE, and 5150 and it sounded amazing but when I tried it I was very disappointed until I started tweaking the eq and swapping out IR's, and using drives in front. I started with a 5150 block letter and eventually got it to a point where I was pleased. I finally got it sounding better than the profile I was using on the Kemper and also found a lot of luck with Own Hammer IR's. Then I tried downloaded some of the gift of tone presets and was absolutely surprised how much I did not like them.

I tried the Deven Townsend, Jason Richardson, and Phil Collen preset and didnt understand how it sounded so badass on youtube but sounded awful on my setup. Its like the preset had very little gain to it. Im running from output 1 left and right into a universal audio Apollo x4 and have KRK monitors for reference. I then tried a preset from this youtube video here, which is a tone I am trying to achieve and its like the same thing with the Deven Townsend preset, I just don't have the saturation on my end and the videos sound amazing but complete opposite on my end. With my 5150 preset I am using a drive pedal and gain at about 6 and input trim at 1 and the saturation is decent but I haven't been able to really get any of the sounds I am hearing that led me to buying this. I do have great luck running it through my vht power amp and 4x12 and also creating tones using the matchless preset with my strat, but the super saturated type tones, I just don't know the trick and apparently its not supposed to be hard.

All my levels are set correct, power amp modeling is active and using pretty good IR's and a-lot of them. Im only tweaking the tone, ideal, and speaker options for the most part. Any help or recommendation on some presets would be appreciated
 
mlancaster1 said:
Ive had the Axe-FX 3 for about 3 weeks so far and at first I was pretty disappointed with every preset I heard. I watched a lot of videos on youtube of people demoing the stock rectifier tones, Friedman HBE, and 5150 and it sounded amazing but when I tried it I was very disappointed until I started tweaking the eq and swapping out IR's, and using drives in front. I started with a 5150 block letter and eventually got it to a point where I was pleased. I finally got it sounding better than the profile I was using on the Kemper and also found a lot of luck with Own Hammer IR's. Then I tried downloaded some of the gift of tone presets and was absolutely surprised how much I did not like them.

I tried the Deven Townsend, Jason Richardson, and Phil Collen preset and didnt understand how it sounded so badass on youtube but sounded awful on my setup. Its like the preset had very little gain to it. Im running from output 1 left and right into a universal audio Apollo x4 and have KRK monitors for reference. I then tried a preset from this youtube video here, which is a tone I am trying to achieve and its like the same thing with the Deven Townsend preset, I just don't have the saturation on my end and the videos sound amazing but complete opposite on my end. With my 5150 preset I am using a drive pedal and gain at about 6 and input trim at 1 and the saturation is decent but I haven't been able to really get any of the sounds I am hearing that led me to buying this. I do have great luck running it through my vht power amp and 4x12 and also creating tones using the matchless preset with my strat, but the super saturated type tones, I just don't know the trick and apparently its not supposed to be hard.

All my levels are set correct, power amp modeling is active and using pretty good IR's and a-lot of them. Im only tweaking the tone, ideal, and speaker options for the most part. Any help or recommendation on some presets would be appreciated
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Can you post a clip so we can hear the tone your getting
A 5150 w a drive block should be pretty saturated
Is it just the amount of gain or saturation that you think is missing
What was your rig prior to the AX3?
 
Budda said:
Probably fine to use 1 IR not a bunch. What is the apollo being used for?
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Probably to not have to power up your axe fx for whatever things you want to listen to with your computer . Having the studio monitors plugged in the axe is a « no » to me too. My monitors are plugged in a mixer . In this mixer I have the computer, the soundcard that I power on only to record, I can plug my Roland v drum … If I want to listen to music with my computer I don’t want to power on the axe for that, the work flow is way more easier with an external soundcard
 
None of my Strats sounded very good with higher gain patches until I put some higher output pickups in. I'm not talking modern high output metal pickups, just higher output than the stock single coils.
 
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Try the Atomica High and dime it out on Drive. I kind'a felt the same way as you until I found that amp. And yes the IRs need to be swapped around.

I ended up using this method instead of an IR. To me it sounded better.


But it all comes down to what you like. This just happens to be what worked for me. I'm confident you'll find what you're looking for. There so many options in the Fractal that it takes time.
 
if you can provide an actual recording of your tone, it can help if it sound like a bad cable or … 😅

Concerning the gift of tones they are not « heavy tones » . The devin one is ok, and the fluff kick ass even if it is not levelled (completely in the red zone), but when you turn down the amp level of the fluff one, it sound good. But no « metal hardcore tones » yep .
 
My name is mud said:
if you can provide an actual recording of your tone, it can help if it sound like a bad cable or … 😅

Concerning the gift of tones they are not « heavy tones » . The devin one is ok, and the fluff kick ass even if it is not levelled (completely in the red zone), but when you turn down the amp level of the fluff one, it sound good. But no « metal hardcore tones » yep .
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I have not tried all the gift of tones I would have thought the Animals as leaders would have been on the heavier side no?
 
Just to rule this out…

I hope you’re using similar pickups i.e pickup type/output to the ones you’re comparing it to

Adding to that whenever you compare guitar tones to the ones in a song or mix, mind you those guitar tones in the mix have more than likely been EQ’d to the point that it’s sounds alot different than original
 
Randalljax said:
I have not tried all the gift of tones I would have thought the Animals as leaders would have been on the heavier side no?
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No, One of the lead tone is cool if I remember but for rythm nope, and the other from his guitarist is super trebly, no bass .. at the same time I never liked their tone and music so 😅. It’s confirmed with the presets 😅.

The Aerosmith ones are great for example, in another music genre .
 
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My name is mud said:
No, One of the lead tone is cool if I remember but for rythm nope, and the other from his guitarist is super trebly, no bass .. at the same time I never liked their tone and music so 😅. It’s confirmed with the presets 😅.

The Aerosmith ones are great for example, in another music genre .
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I think for the Heavy stuff I prefer periphery Marks tone on Marigold
Maybe they will have those guys next week I think they use 5150
Archon HBE , I know he has a preset in one of the AB packs
 
Do you have your input level set correctly? So that your input signal tickles the red? What is the input mode setting on the input you are using? It kind of sounds like you are getting a very weak signal into the front of the Axe FX from your guitar.
 
mlancaster1 said:
Ive had the Axe-FX 3 for about 3 weeks so far and at first I was pretty disappointed with every preset I heard. I watched a lot of videos on youtube of people demoing the stock rectifier tones, Friedman HBE, and 5150 and it sounded amazing but when I tried it I was very disappointed until I started tweaking the eq and swapping out IR's, and using drives in front. I started with a 5150 block letter and eventually got it to a point where I was pleased. I finally got it sounding better than the profile I was using on the Kemper and also found a lot of luck with Own Hammer IR's. Then I tried downloaded some of the gift of tone presets and was absolutely surprised how much I did not like them.

I tried the Deven Townsend, Jason Richardson, and Phil Collen preset and didnt understand how it sounded so badass on youtube but sounded awful on my setup. Its like the preset had very little gain to it. Im running from output 1 left and right into a universal audio Apollo x4 and have KRK monitors for reference. I then tried a preset from this youtube video here, which is a tone I am trying to achieve and its like the same thing with the Deven Townsend preset, I just don't have the saturation on my end and the videos sound amazing but complete opposite on my end. With my 5150 preset I am using a drive pedal and gain at about 6 and input trim at 1 and the saturation is decent but I haven't been able to really get any of the sounds I am hearing that led me to buying this. I do have great luck running it through my vht power amp and 4x12 and also creating tones using the matchless preset with my strat, but the super saturated type tones, I just don't know the trick and apparently its not supposed to be hard.

All my levels are set correct, power amp modeling is active and using pretty good IR's and a-lot of them. Im only tweaking the tone, ideal, and speaker options for the most part. Any help or recommendation on some presets would be appreciated
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That vid you linked is quad tracked and eq'd into a mix. I'd bet if you isolated a single track, it wouldn't be too far off from what you're getting.
 
My name is mud said:
No, One of the lead tone is cool if I remember but for rythm nope, and the other from his guitarist is super trebly, no bass .. at the same time I never liked their tone and music so 😅. It’s confirmed with the presets 😅.

The Aerosmith ones are great for example, in another music genre .
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Fwiw; aren't those guys playing 7/8 strings? I'm betting my A440 guitars are going to sound a little bright through those presets :oops: :D
 
JiveTurkey said:
Fwiw; aren't those guys playing 7/8 strings? I'm betting my A440 guitars are going to sound a little bright through those presets :oops: :D
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A good metal tone done for 7/8 works well with a 6 strings . That’s not really a problem. The problem is that Tosin as always a plastic tone whatever he does. He make everything sound like a zoom 505

 
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mlancaster1 said:
Ive had the Axe-FX 3 for about 3 weeks so far and at first I was pretty disappointed with every preset I heard. I watched a lot of videos on youtube of people demoing the stock rectifier tones, Friedman HBE, and 5150 and it sounded amazing but when I tried it I was very disappointed until I started tweaking the eq and swapping out IR's, and using drives in front. I started with a 5150 block letter and eventually got it to a point where I was pleased. I finally got it sounding better than the profile I was using on the Kemper and also found a lot of luck with Own Hammer IR's. Then I tried downloaded some of the gift of tone presets and was absolutely surprised how much I did not like them.

I tried the Deven Townsend, Jason Richardson, and Phil Collen preset and didnt understand how it sounded so badass on youtube but sounded awful on my setup. Its like the preset had very little gain to it. Im running from output 1 left and right into a universal audio Apollo x4 and have KRK monitors for reference. I then tried a preset from this youtube video here, which is a tone I am trying to achieve and its like the same thing with the Deven Townsend preset, I just don't have the saturation on my end and the videos sound amazing but complete opposite on my end. With my 5150 preset I am using a drive pedal and gain at about 6 and input trim at 1 and the saturation is decent but I haven't been able to really get any of the sounds I am hearing that led me to buying this. I do have great luck running it through my vht power amp and 4x12 and also creating tones using the matchless preset with my strat, but the super saturated type tones, I just don't know the trick and apparently its not supposed to be hard.

All my levels are set correct, power amp modeling is active and using pretty good IR's and a-lot of them. Im only tweaking the tone, ideal, and speaker options for the most part. Any help or recommendation on some presets would be appreciated
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Check out this thread it is the 5150 w boost , do you like that tone and is it close to what you are hearing ?
Download and check it out

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...um-one-for-all-high-gain-preset.190184/unread
 
I feel your frustration. Honestly, I find 90% of other people's presets don't always translate the way I expect them to sound as provided for the reasons mentioned in this thread. Your KRK's for example will impact how you're hearing them and may need to tweak accordingly. I look at presets as springboard to get me in the ballpark. I mostly find effects blocks the most useful in presets.
 
So I find that I am using alot of gain to achieve the kind of saturation I would ideally want. I can get amazing strat tones and Im not using anything hi gain for those but for my hum bucking guitars, I use all passive, typically ceramic and a mix of alnico style pickups. The axe fx 3 is going into preamps 1 and 2 into the Apollo interface which is what I use to power my KRK monitors and record everything. I am using the preset leveling tool inside edit to get my levels set and the output knob on front I keep around 2 to 3 o'clock

So after trying out all kinds of different user presets, I find that I am using a TON of gain lol. Every-time I try a preset that sounds good to my ears on youtube or a band I like, I am hugely disappointed and feel like its missing a-lot It gives me that saturation and feeling I am going for. I typically use a 6505 and mesa cab for my analog setup and thats what I am comfortable with and typically don't boost. With that amp block selected, I am boosting with a t808 with drive at zero and I have my gain setup at about 6 or 7, and input trim is at about 0.9 or 1 give or take. I keep my master volume around 3 or 4 and level is set accordingly. I created a rectifier preset and found I was using more gain and on top of boosting the front with a drive, I was also enabling input boost with the neutral setting.

In the I/O settings I have my input 1 set up so I am barely going into the red and the input gain is something I am playing around with. Should this be set to zero? I have it increased slightly to .158 give or take. I really like the saturated type tones with alot of pick attack like Dino from fear factory type. Not trying to go for a particular artists tone but just want that saturated, quick pick attack. I love boosted Marshalls, 5150s, and rectifiers for that type of tone. So far I have a decent 5150 and rectifier tone built but like I said Its taken alot of boosting and more gain than I've seen most people use to get there. I even tried some free presets from SinMix which I loved those profiles on the Kemper but on my axe fx 3 it sounded very weak.
 
For comparison purposes have you tried bypassing your apollo and connect directly to the monitors? just to see if it sounds any different? I have an Apollo X6 and find when i go through it colors the sound vs direct into my FRFR speakers but i do it this way cuz my FRFR can take two inputs. So that way i keep my Apollo for general use when I'm not playing the Axe Fx
 
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