VIDEO: The power of a cab block

Thanks Danny for this! I'm so much looking forward to play with these parameters with a new approach you showed in this vid. Another great tutorial from you.
 
Thanks for the awesome video Danny! Love your logic and approach, makes things seem so simple.

Danny Danzi said:
I'll cook something up that may be able to help. I'm about out of axe fx helper videos unless someone mentions something specific. I think from here we just learn to use our ears. :)
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I've been hoping you might actually do something with the Drive block, just saying! :):)
 
well, you showed taking the blanket off the cab, but you also took the blanket off my head ... holy crap ... I am definitely a noob on the Axe Fx and even noobier on the Axe Fx II, but now I have a good bit of confidence to go in there and tweak on the cabs! Thanks for taking the time to share these nuggets with us! :)

Kevin
 
Danny Danzi said:
Hey guys,

Talked about this in another thread. Nothing spectacular and I apologize in advance for the bad playing. Operating on very little sleep and loads of stuff going on here (all good stuff) but I wanted to get this out to you as promised.

This vid just feeds your head a bit on tweaking cab blocks. I took one that I'd never use and made it into something totally usable for quite a few mid gain/classic rock to blues type amps. Hope it helps you guys.

Click to expand...

Man, I don't know what I liked more - your video demo or just listening to your noodling around while doing the demo! All good, either way!

So, I'm still a newbie at this piece of sophisticated machinery and perhaps you can steer me to the right direction or possibly have some presets that you can share. I play in an all cover band in Phoenix, AZ, doing the casino circuit, corporate events, weddings, festivals and of course, the random dive bar gigs. What are the blocks that I should be focusing on to create "tones" of certain guitar players? I probably can't recreate the exact tones but I just want to mimic and capture the essence of their tones. For example, when we play a Santana song, I want to recreate a similar Santana tone. My personal favorites are Eric Johnson and Bonamassa. I also have to capture the sounds of the 50s and surf players because we play at senior citizens, retirement and RV communities, though not very often. Is there an Axe link or site where those presets are already being shared?

Anything you can share with me is greatly appreciated! Great chops, man!

Harry
 
Thank you Danny for the video, I set up the X Y cabinet with the same cabinet and only edited the X but bounced between both cabinets to hear the difference in the adjustment I was making to the X cabinet. Your video has been really helpful in massively improving the tones I am getting out of my Axe Fx. I was adjusting only the basic amp parameters and using the stock cabinets without adjusting the cabinets.

Thanks again

Scott
 
Danny Danzi said:
Drive block eh? OK, I have some cool stuff in my mind already for that. :)
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Also it'd be cool if you made a video showing how to different things with different types of delay effects. I don't even have a understanding on how to really even dial in basic delays. I mess around with it a little but I don't know what I'm doing. It'd be cool to see basic delay settings explained going all the way into advanced "eventide type" delay settings explained and how to achieve different effects with the delays.

I am also at a complete loss when it comes to understanding how to change and use the PEQ and graphic EQs in general as well as shelving.
 
boogieman62 said:
Man, I don't know what I liked more - your video demo or just listening to your noodling around while doing the demo! All good, either way!

So, I'm still a newbie at this piece of sophisticated machinery and perhaps you can steer me to the right direction or possibly have some presets that you can share. I play in an all cover band in Phoenix, AZ, doing the casino circuit, corporate events, weddings, festivals and of course, the random dive bar gigs. What are the blocks that I should be focusing on to create "tones" of certain guitar players? I probably can't recreate the exact tones but I just want to mimic and capture the essence of their tones. For example, when we play a Santana song, I want to recreate a similar Santana tone. My personal favorites are Eric Johnson and Bonamassa. I also have to capture the sounds of the 50s and surf players because we play at senior citizens, retirement and RV communities, though not very often. Is there an Axe link or site where those presets are already being shared?

Anything you can share with me is greatly appreciated! Great chops, man!

Harry
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Thanks Harry, much appreciated. I'd say the key elements are your amp and cab block. Drive blocks, in my opinion, are amp helpers. Some amps need them, the more modern amps don't.

You have a wide variety of tones to tackle there. Why not go in as Harry with good tones and just enjoy it? Do you have to be super authentic?

I play in a rock cover band also besides the vh tribute band I'm in. We do stuff from the 70's to present. I get a few good tones and just play like Danny. A good drive tone, a good light gain tone and a good clean tone takes care of what I need to do.

The other part of it is playing the songs "in the style of" and when you do that, the tone doesn't matter as much "authenticity wise".

But if being authentic is super important to you, start off by doing some research on the players you are trying to cop to see if you can come close with the stuff in your axe. Once you get close, try to tone match the artists and you'll be a little closer.

In my cover band, we take the vh approach and make the songs sound like us. I'll give you a little sample.

I made a mention to my band that I wanted to cover a Bryan Adams tune and felt like doing it my way. So I recorded it playing all the instruments to get my point across. This song sounds nothing remotely close to the original as far as tone goes, but people love it when we do it.


Old recording but you get the idea. People either hate me for ruining a song or love me for not being afraid to do it my own way. :)
 
Danny Danzi said:
Old recording but you get the idea. People either hate me for ruining a song or love me for not being afraid to do it my own way. :)
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Love the attitude. The time spent trying to really closely cop a tone is almost never worth it IMO; if you're off at all, then it stands out, and if you're perfect then you just become a replica of someone else.

There's a real power in making a song your own. I cannot name a single popular cover that sounded exactly like the original, but I can think of hundreds of covers which radically altered the sound and intention of the original, and plenty even became better than the original as a result.
 
Great video, thanks! I've not really touched these controls on the cab block before....

Can I ask why the Comp is wired up like that and what settings you use on it?
 
mak said:
Great video, thanks! I've not really touched these controls on the cab block before....

Can I ask why the Comp is wired up like that and what settings you use on it?
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To answer your question, the comp placed first assists with gain/sustain but can also be used as a traditional compressor.

If you search this forum a little, you'll see two videos on compression that I've done. They are similar but offer a few different areas to consider. I think the second one (most recent) gives a better understanding on how I use the compressor but the first one shows how to use it more for extra gain and sustain.

They both cover the gain/sustain thing, but part 2 is a little more about the compressor in both realms....gain and actual compression.
 
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Danny Danzi said:
To answer your question, the comp placed first assists with gain/sustain but can also be used as a traditional compressor.

If you search this forum a little, you'll see two videos on compression that I've done. They are similar but offer a few different areas to consider. I think the second one (most recent) gives a better understanding on how I use the compressor but the first one shows how to use it more for extra gain and sustain.

They both cover the gain/sustain thing, but part 2 is a little more about the compressor in both realms....gain and actual compression.
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Awesome, thanks I'll check those out! :)
 
@boogieman62:

I'm with Danny Danzi and Wolfenstein98k in that I'd always prefer to hear a good cover that has it's own style and artistic imprint versus hearing an exact duplicate.

It's far more fun to hear another "take", creatively done (change tempo or signature, arrangement, whatever ...) as long as it's cool and well done. That's just far more pleasing to hear and entertaining than an exact copy of the album/CD.

And the other key takeaway is that the sound of a band isn't really in matching rigs; that's a marketing trick to get you to buy gear.

As mentioned above, tone is in the fingers. As others have said here on the forum, no matter whose rig I play I always sound like me. Tone is in the fingers, whether it's Joe Bonamassa, EJ, Al Di Meola, Leo Kottke, Keith Richards, Gilmore, Petrucci, Andre Segovia, etc.

Learn to do yourself with good clean playing with the ability to cover a tune in a way that is authentic (to you) and you'll be headed in the right direction.

None of this is to say you cannot build a virtual rig like the artist you are seeking to emulate (that's a fun thing to do in the AX FX) , but just don't get too frustrated when that doesn't magically deliver the all the elements of tone you are seeking. Just because I load up a Dire Straits, EJ or Danny Danzi patch, doesn't mean I'm going to sound like any of those accomplished players.
 
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Danny Danzi said:
Hey guys,

Talked about this in another thread. Nothing spectacular and I apologize in advance for the bad playing. Operating on very little sleep and loads of stuff going on here (all good stuff) but I wanted to get this out to you as promised.

This vid just feeds your head a bit on tweaking cab blocks. I took one that I'd never use and made it into something totally usable for quite a few mid gain/classic rock to blues type amps. Hope it helps you guys.

Click to expand...


Awesome job Danny. I felt compelled to write and say there will always be someone to condemn (or give a thumbs down) no matter what you do. The ironic thing is it is usually someone who themselves are contributing nothing. But like the old saying goes, if you have no critics, you are obviously not doing anything.

Your videos are some of the best going. You have certainly enlightened me (and I’m sure several others) on some of the deeper parameter adjustments in the Axe-Fx that is seriously needed. There are so many adjustable parameters in this unit that it can be a bit intimidating and daunting, and to have someone who can not only discuss them and show examples for all to see for free is exemplary.

Bravo! Keep them coming. I know I’ll be watching, and I'm sure the vast majority of those who appreciate them will be as well.
 
These are the best 'This is what you do, and this is what it sounds like' in the most practical (and extremely effective) manner possible.

Thank you so much for doing this; and I wish they had existed when I first picked up the Axe...would have saved me days of poking and prodding...

Ron
 
I recall our conversation here some time ago, which leads me to a question - is this the kind of sound you dial in for live use or for recording?

And I'm not talking about techniques per se, but rather the tone.

Although your video about compression made me wonder - I personally have found that adding a compressor for live use with high gain is kind of dangerous...
 
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