V11b preset clipping

craiguitar

Power User
I know the issue of clipping is a well trodden path, and is covered in many threads. Still, I thought I'd mention this. After updating to V11b (Which I am very happy with by the way!) my loudest presets, which I use for solo's etc, are now clipping quite a bit from output 1. They previously were not doing this, but I guess they were pretty close to the clipping point and V11 has pushed them over the edge. The clip light comes on, although there is only a slight audible clip.

My solution for this is the well known one: To reduce the amp block level in these presets until the clipping stops, so in this case, about 3db to stop the clipping. Then, I reduce the amp level in all my other presets by 3db to balance them all out against each other. So far, so good. Then I increase the OUT 1 knob on the front panel to bring the overall level back to roughly where it was before. Still good, and no more clipping.

But as I check the levels of MY presets against the levels of similar factory presets, mine are really quiet, and the factory ones are enourmously loud. Beforehand, I had it so all my presets were pretty good level-wise against the majority of factory presets. Is this something anyone else has noticed and is it 'wrong'?
 
Nothing wrong; the factory presets are MUCH louder than the presets I do for myself, much for the same reasons you do.

Imagine a guy buys the box, gets it and feels the presets are too 'quiet'; then you'd have posts about that.

It's a delicate balancing act for Fractal because too loud and you can get clipping. Too quiet and you'd get lots of newbies (not you) but true newbies with 'wimpy output levels', 'no volume', 'no feel', 'no balls' and all sorts of issues related to presets being too quiet.

One thing I try to teach people right away is to get the range of their own presets sorted so they don't run into too quiet or too loud presets. Relative balance between all your tones is one essential and elusive thing to master.

My acoustic (Variax) stuff is at +20db and my clean electric stuff is somewhere around -10db; my electric stuff is around -14db just as random examples (every preset is different in real life, just posting as examples). I set it up so my quietest preset stuff is properly gain staged for solos for FOH from the snake when I am at about noon on the physical Output 1 knob. I do that so I have the most lee-way up or down if any FOH has issues with the level (most do not). Everything else is balanced to that.

It's a great conversation to have though. It's very important.
 
Thanks Scott, provided it's not wrong, then I'm happy enough. It's the first time there's been an imbalance between my presets and the factory ones as significant as this, but as you say, it is definately worth mentioning.
 
Not sure if you actually "updated" the amp block on your own patches for 11b by switching from then back to the model, but Cliff said that doing so resets the master volume (along with a few other params, such as the new bass cut). If you did this for your own patches but not all the presets, this could also account for the volume difference.
 
You might be right there...Actually I didn't update the amp blocks, as the MV levels in them are specific, and Also I had read Cliff said it wasn't necessary to do that anyway. Upon testing my presets after the update, I found they all benefitted anyway, so I left them alone, despite one or two of them appearing louder, no doubt due to the tighter bass response.
 
I use a digital mixing board and play with backing tracks so levels between guitar, voice, tracks don't change. Thanks to axe-fx increment/decrement I noticed most of my patches need to go down around 2db. Some as much as 4db.
 
If presets are clipping, then it has nothing to do with "volume difference" and master volume etc.

Clipping is clipping. If you saw my video about preventing internal clipping, I explained that you need to lower your rhythm volume presets to make the headroom for your lead sounds.

We are using a digital device which has its absolute limit of volume. But we know that the Axe can produce +20 dB at its outputs, so it's all about gain staging.

Most of the factory presets are all close to the max - like a lead tone would be. My presets are very quiet compared to factory ones, again, because I built in the dynamic range necessary for playing live.
 
i guess i need to look at the gain stages and check clipping on my unit since 11b. when i roll back my guitar volume and clean it up, it gets clean.....but as i roll the volume back up a little, instead of that good slight breakup, i get a harsh nasty distortion. i will roll back to 10.12 and see if i can determine where the problem lies.
 
when i roll back my guitar volume and clean it up, it gets clean.....but as i roll the volume back up a little, instead of that good slight breakup, i get a harsh nasty distortion. i will roll back to 10.12 and see if i can determine where the problem lies.

That's a tone issue and not related to the clipping being discussed.

It's most likely due to Master volume or Drive settings in the amp.

But this is a beta and cliff is still adjusting things, so don't put too much time into it just yet.
 
Back
Top Bottom