What's Wrong with my Setup?

wtfoley3 said:
...I have an old set of AKG studio headphones that were supposedly the Tits back in the day but they sound like crap plugged into the AXE-FX so...
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If your headphones sound good with other stuff run into them, then it's the settings on your Axe-Fx. I use an old set of AKG K271s and the Axe-Fx sounds fine through them.
 
Been following this thread - chiming in on headphones. I have used Sennheiser HD600 and Blu Mo-Fi and never had a decent tone using either. Always blows my mind when people talk about how awesome the Axe sounds through headphones. Again, it is user error of some sort I am sure, but not lack of effort. Without exaggeration I have thousands of hours of tweaking between Axe II and III.

I just ordered new monitors, so maybe throwing money at the issue will finally pay off. I have spent many times that amount on IRs.

Best luck to the OP.
 
I, too, have the same issue with every preset I've ever tried. None of them sound even remotely good, but I always use my SE846 IEM buds to monitor. They're the only thing I ever use as my band is silent stage sans drum kit. So, I've tried to acclimate to them. Our FOH engineer always tells me, "make it sound good in your IEMs and I'll fix the EQ out front." He applies a PEQ that cuts low end and boosts 2k. Typical for a band mix vs home mix. My FOH tone is stellar (5153 100w Blue).

I also use Mono and Copy L>R. That makes a significant difference in how other presets sound, too

The Leon and Mark Day presets sound amazing on Youtube using my IEMs - but those presets (along with 100's of others) are completely unusable on my unit using the same IEMs. I'm NOT complaining, my live tone is the best it's ever been on presets I've created.
 
you have to dive in and turn those knobs.
its a deep machine . i use mine mostly direct
sounds great but i also have metric halo lio-8
converters. i love that box …. i still have my amps which i also love
 
wtfoley3 said:
Have been LOVING the Axe FX-III for over 2 years now (casual in-home user). Running it through a Matrix GT 1000 FX and a pair of Mission Engineering Gemini 1-P FRFR 1x12") cabinets. Confident that I've got all the right settings going: Cabinet Modeling and Power Amp Modeling on, etc. Sounds GREAT but not as great as the many III videos I enjoy watching on YouTube (Leon Todd, Burgs, Mario Fanton, etc.). Listened to FSM's recent videos of The Complete Fractal Audio Presets the other day and sounds that never did anything for me on my rig sounded GREAT on his videos! All the stuff from these other fine folks just sounds so much more live, punchy, sizzly, etc. Even loading up their presets and playing a similarly hot guitar doesn't cut it on my rig. Any thoughts what my weak link is? Maybe the Mission Cabinets? Sure would like to have that extre SAUCE that these folks have going that I apparently don't!
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Based on my recent experiences I would get a real cab and forget about FRFR. I feel like the reason presets always suck has something to do with using IRs and FRFR. When I use FRFR I tend to think my presets sound good 1 day and the next day they sound different, so I am constantly messing with EQ or changing IRs. Through FRFR I also notice that my presets usually only sound good with the guitar I used to dial it in. As soon as I switch guitars I am back to ground zero and things seem off again. This hasn't been happening since I switched to monitor guitar using Axe-Fx->Power Station->Cab. I can dial in a patch with 1 guitar and it sounds pretty damn good with all my guitars. It sounds good whether I am on the neck pickup or bridge pickup. It might be a little bright or dark or something but it still sounds good. I just wish I had discovered this years ago, it would have saved me a lot of time tweaking and auditioning IRs.
 
I've always been puzzled by this whole discussion. Many great guitar tones (in a mix) are not so great in isolation.

If you listen to isolated guitar tracks through your headphones, FRFR, or monitor 'A'. And it sounds great. Then play your awesome preset through the same exact thing, and it sounds terrible, your preset is terrible.:confused:

If you listen to isolated guitar tracks through headphone, FRFR, or monitor 'A'. And music sounds great. Then play your awesome preset through system 'B', and it sounds terrible, your preset and/or system 'B' is terrible. How do the isolated guitar tracks or music sound through system 'B'

Apples to apples is the only way to figure it out. Apples to artichokes isn't going to cut it.;)
 
For what it is worth, I always judge my tones in some sort of mix, as well as isolated. I also never find isolated guitar tones (from commercial recordings, isolated from the mix) to be as awful as they supposedly are. Honestly, they pretty much sound like the guitar from the track to me.

Also for what it is worth, my issues dialing in tones are in no way limited to the Axe. I have basically always had awful tone - for the past 35 years or so. Can't say I have ever made a recording, just guitar or in a mix context, that I listened back to and thought "that is a good tone."

Possibly I am just mental, but don't tell the nurses, they will strap me down again
 
wtfoley3 said:
Yeah, excellent point. Hones answer is "no". Recognize that the playback device for the videos makes this a total apples-to-oranges and I probably need to do some tinkering to play back on same devices like headphones or studio monitors to isolate that variable. I have an old set of AKG studio headphones that were supposedly the Tits back in the day but they sound like crap plugged into the AXE-FX so.... I mostly listen to the YouTube videos in a high quality home theater setup so I figured that, even apples-to-oranges, my rig should sound reasonably similar but... not. ANYONE ELSE USING MISSION GEMINI FRFR CABS? If so, what's your experience?
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Maybe record yourself and play it back on your home theater rig?
 
flitz said:
If IRs are so big of a deal, why don't you try this unique method from Cliff's suggestion time ago.
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/amp-in-the-room.141579/
As it's been well illustrated also how to achieve wonderful amp and cab tone with FRFR in Copper Carter's video here
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I have spent eternities with PEQ/GEQs trying to bypass the IR rabbit hole. It just becomes a rabbit hole of its own.

Oddly, I have way less issue getting "amp in the room" sound than I do getting good recorded tone. I don't really see a big diff dialing in tones "in the room" using FRFR or guitar cabs. My issue with that has always been the same using any type of gear - "If I just stand right here and don't move at all, it sounds OK enough for me to finish practice without getting irritated and wasting everyone's time tweaking."
 
fractalz said:
Maybe record yourself and play it back on your home theater rig?
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This is a good idea I think, and something I also do frequently - record and playback on a few different systems (home theater, car, ear buds) to try and learn how what I hear monitoring will translate. I have multi gig folders full of throw away riffs where I just play the same thing over and over using different IRs. I send them to myself in an email with the IRs I used in order so I can listen on various sources and reference the IR used.

Clearly based on my posts so far, I haven't necessarily had great luck with this method - but I still think it is a good way to learn about how your tone will translate to other sources in a mix context.
 
Thanks to you all (especially Cliff!) for your kind and helpful replies. OK... so I finally got "un-lazy" and moved my M-Audio EX-66 Monitors from the floor either side of my seldom used keyboard to my desktop run right out of my AXE FX-III with the computer USB also routed through the AXE and to them so I can compare to various YouTube videos from the esteemed Leon Todd, etc. HOLY FREAKING HELL!!!! Yup. You're right, Cliff... it was the cabs. A/B back and forth between the monitors and the Mission Engineering FRFR Gemini cabinets through the Matrix amp (admittedly on the floor against a wall so not ideal acoustically. Stunned. Simply stunned. OK.... so we've now established that I'm an idiot (but a much happier idiot now). Carry on!
 
Awesome update. My Presonus Sceptre 8s were delivered today - I am down with a stomach flu, but as soon as I am back in action I plan to see if it helps me get better results. My other monitoring options, CLRs, KRK Rockits, and various headphones all definitely weren't doing it.
 
Hi @wtfoley3, before you ditch your Matrix amp/Mission cab setup, try this (I have the exact same setup in my studio, as well as a number of other powered FRFR popular here…):

It is well-documented that the Matrix amps have a ‘sweet spot’ at around 2pm. For some reason that’s really when they come alive and become a lot more dynamic, even at not-so-loud volumes. So set both Channels A and B volumes at 2pm on Matrix amp. Then adjust your preferred room volume from your Axe Out 1.

That being said, it IS true that the Mission cabs do colour the sound more than other FRFRs I’m using. In my opinion they do sound a bit more mid-heavy, similar to regular guitar cabs. So I often like to combine them with other FRFRs - e.g. Matrix/Gemini 1-p + QSC K10.2s, or + ADAM A7X, or + a CLR (I know I have too many monitors…. Also have a powered 2x12 Gemini and a Laney FR112…).

Just thought I’d share my experience,
Cheers,
Joce
 
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