Tuning presets to guitars

M

marc0810

Inspired
So question for all you Fractal pro’s when you are setting up a preset for a specific guitar what do you think about to really dial in the sound? Beyond humbuckers have more mids than single coils and very basic stuff like that, what are your tips and tricks for really making a preset sing?
 
Most often I create a new Preset because I am checking out a different amp model. My process is to:
  1. Select the amp model on Channel A at default settings
  2. Select a cab that I think will pair well with the amp (most often a Dynacab). I play the guitar while selecting a mic and position for it.
  3. I go to the Amp block to adjust Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Bright switch, and Gain. Here I am aiming for a "somewhat clean sound" for the Neck pickup
  4. Then I return to the Cab block to tweak the position or blend of mics. Usually I have just one mic in Step #2 and at this stage may introduce a second mic if necessary.
  5. If I hear things I don't like (e.g. too much bass causing flubby bottom end) then I open the Input EQ page and adjust as necessary.
  6. Then I dial in my usual effects (Reverb, Delay, Tremolo) to taste. Often I am creating Presets from a Template which already has the blocks and I am then just adjusting the effects from the template values. Often I will change Types here also (e.g. select Spring Reverb instead of Plate when using a Princeton Amp model instead of a Plexi).
  7. Occasionally I will then dial in a different Cab Type (e.g. Greenback vs. Alnico Blue) and compare them to select which I like best.
  8. Next I copy the Amp and Cab channels (copy A to B), move to the next Scene and assign it to use Amp Channel B and Cab Channel B.
  9. Then I tweak the Amp and Cab block settings in this Scene (B Channels) to suit either a different level of gain, a different pickup, or both.
  10. I then repeat #8 and #9 until I have all of the Scenes I want. Sometimes I have just one Scene (e.g. my Tele into a Fender Deluxe Reverb using only the Bridge Pickup) and sometimes I have 5 or 6 Scenes.
  11. Last, I will (sometimes) audition different Drive block types in some Scenes, but generally I get the grit/dirt I want from the Amp block alone
I try not to think much about the specifics of my guitar or pickups (e.g. humbucker will have more mids) other than when I select the amp model in the first place and have a general sound in mind. I just listen to what I am hearing and adjust it as I see fit. Sometimes I find that the settings for one Scene are close enough to another (e.g. Clean for Neck Pickup and Clean for Bridge or Middle Pickup) that I just choose one and delete the other.
 
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I used to think a single bunch of presets would be suitable for any guitar - and let each guitar shine through with its own character.

But after months of trying to make my presets be "suitably somewhere in the middle", I gave up on that line of thinking. I now use one batch of presets with my main axe, and another set of presets for the other.

That's what works for me.
 
I almost always do better starting from scratch than adapting from one guitar to another.

Even on my tube amps I did better setting everything at noon and then grabbing the knobs and twisting over slowly rolling things back or bumping them up as I go.

If I try and subtle bump and go I never seem to like what I come back to - I fault my own ear fatigue kicking in.
 
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