what is so powerful about creating patches - arent there enough presets?

[Marshall30thAnn]

i am just asking. there are so many (all be it sometimes weird) presets....is the work worth it to make patches?

Im just a cover band guy. I do need a variety of sounds ,but am not trying to redfine the way the guitar sounds like steve vai or any of those guys.

Is it a matter of optimization? matching guitar charictoristics?

IS AXE-EDIT the way to go?

AXE UI is cumbersome.

 

[randombastage]

Each set up is unique as is each player's taste. think of it as buying an amp with no tone, volume, gain, etc. controls...You wouldn't like it most of the time. Creating the preset for your taste and gear is crucial to get the best from the device.
doesn't mean you won't find a few keepers in the factory set up though.

Start with an empty preset (copy the bypass preset over a couple of weird ones you won't use) and put just an amp block and a cab block and enjoy the changes you can make just like a real tube amp. You'll quickly appreciate it. then just add like you would buying pedals...stick a delay on the end or a reverb...maybe a drive in front of the amp block...

I don't use the editor (the preset manager and any attempt to back up hates me) and although I'm jonesing for the new version using the front faceplate controls is pretty quick once you get used to it.

 

[antcarrier]

To get the best from your axe you will need to make your own patches, or perhaps modify existing ones. While many of the presets are very good, they won't all be suited to your guitar or your playing technique, or may have more FX than you would actually want to use. Download axe-edit and try it out. It makes preset creation much faster and easier.

 

[Sixstring]

+2 one what has been posted an you can add the type of amplification you are using as well. FR or amp and cab will need different things to get it to sound the way you want, EQ's cab sims etc.

To me factory presets of any processor are like the plastic on the outside of the box. It makes everything look real shiny and pretty but it doesn't let you see what's really inside the box until you take it off .

 

[jm417]

If Fractal Audio didn't want you to experiment with different sounds and create your own patches, they wouldn't have been able to sell any of them. I don't really take the presets as them saying "this is what this is supposed to sound like". I see them more as "this is what this thing can do, now let's hear your's". I agree that even though the factory presets sound killer, (sometimes ridiculous, like Clockwork Banana) nobody is going to find a use for all of them. By making your own presets, you are fully in charge of what each patch will sound like. If you want to run a Diezel VH4 into a 1x8 cab from a Fender Champ, you can do it without blowing anything up. You can do things with it that would be ill advised in the real world. Also, I don't find editing presets on the UI to be that difficult at all, in one 2 hour period I created the basic sound structure for a dozen patches, and had no problem navigating the screens. And I'm a complete noob to all things involving digital processing, only having the Axe-FX for a little over 3 weeks. The major hangup I had was setting up MIDI program changes, and even that gets easier once you figure out the terminology and your limitations for that particular controller.

 

[Rex]

i am just asking. there are so many (all be it sometimes weird) presets....is the work worth it to make patches?

Chances are, every piece of guitar gear you ever bought has knobs and switches that let you tweak the sound to get it the way you want it. And chances are, you've actually tweaked those knobs and switches to get the sound you want. "Making a patch" just means saving your tweaks so you don't have to fiddle around with those knobs and switches again to make it sound like that. So yeah, it's worth it.

 

[NeoSound]

There are several ways to have fun with the Axe Fx

1. Play Live
2. Recording
3. Practice
4. Creating patches
5. Downloading patches (just like little Christmas gifts)
6. Talking about the above

 

[DonPetersen]

all great guitar tones were found by experimentation, malfunctions or 'improper' use.
distortion itself was originally 'undesirable' and the Maestro Fuzz just a messed up channel strip IIRC.
there are no 'truths':
metal can be played on a solid state amp (Dimebag), 2 overdrives in a row may sound great (SRV) and a bassamp can be a wonderful guitar amp (Bassman)
the only thing that matters is: what works for you?

and how could that ever be covered in a preset?

 

[zenaxe]

i am just asking. there are so many (all be it sometimes weird) presets....is the work worth it to make patches?

In your case? No, not all. I think you, specifically, should only use the presets that came with the device. Do not attempt to adjust it in any way, in fact.