WICKED WIKI 19: defaulting the AMP block

yek said:
WICKED WIKI 19

“Defaulting the AMP block”

View attachment 38807

A recurring question on the forum is how and when the AMP block parameters are or should be defaulted.
Especially when new firmware has been released. This post aims to explain what happens and what to do.

1 — Loading a new amp type (= soft reset = deselect-and-reselect)
When a new amp type is selected within the AMP block (on hardware or in the editor), that amp type is loaded with its default parameters. Meaning: the default parameters applying to that specific amp type.

But not all! The basic gain and tone settings are left untouched. These are:
  • Drive
  • Overdrive
  • Bass
  • Mid
  • Treble
  • Output Level
Plus some other parameters mentioned below.

This method of defaulting is referred to as "deselect-and-reselect" or "soft reset".

So if you set Bass to 3.00 (default is 5.00), and you switch to another amp type, Bass will still be set at 3.00. Most other parameter values will be (re)set to default settings. The list below lists which parameters will be affected, following the order of the tab pages of the AMP block on the hardware.
  • PRE: Input Trim, Cut/Fat/Brt switches, Bright knob,
  • PWR: everything except Output Level
  • SPKR: everything
  • EQ: all sliders and EQ Type
  • PWR DYN: everything except Comp Type and Speaker Comp (Quantum 9).
  • PRE DYN: everything except Output Level
  • DYNEQ: everything except Char Type, Char Q
  • ADV: everything except Input Select
  • TREM/MIX: Trem Depth
So Master Volume gets defaulted as well when you deselect-and-reselect an amp type. This is important to realize, because it may make your presets louder or softer!

2 — Resetting the entire AMP block
If you want every parameter in the AMP block to return to its default value for the selected amp type, you need to reset the block, on the hardware or in the editor. This loads the default parameters for that specific amp type, including the basic tone and gain controls.

This is referred to as a "(hard) reset".

Personal note: it's built into my "system" to always reset any block that I add when creating presets. This makes sure that I have a clean start. Others may call it OCD.

3 — Other methods
Over time various firmware versions provided other methods. Including entries in the Global menu and AMP block that enabled us to different modeling versions. And an option in the Utility menu to apply default values to AMP blocks in all presets at once.

The software editors also let you reset an individual parameter. But be aware that the editor does not poll the hardware for the specific value for the current amp type. So the chosen default value may not be the correct one!

4 — What to do when new firmware is released
When new firmware brings changes to the amp modeling, these are often implemented under the hood. As an user you don't need to do anything, unless the firmware release notes instruct otherwise.

Sometimes the firmware can't (or won't force) enforce fixes or improvements and leaves it to the user to implement them. In those cases the release notes will tell you to "deselect-and-reselect" a specific amp type in existing presets.

And when major changes to the modeling have been implemented, such as with firmware Quantum 7, deselecting-and-reselecting every amp type is advisable, as noted in the release notes. It's a chore, but necessary to take advantage of improvements.

5 — How to save and re-apply your current settings
So you have dialed in a perfect-sounding amp by tweaking some advanced parameters. And now comes a new firmware update that you can't let pass by. But you don't want to lose that sound.

Your current presets with their amp settings are connected to your current firmware version. They may change when upgrading to later firmware, when the firmware includes changes to the amp modeling.
  • Fractal-Bot lets you save and load entire banks of presets, and firmware.
  • The editor lets you export (save on disk) a single preset, and load a single preset (including ones from a bank).
  • You can use Recall Effect to load the values of an AMP block from one preset into another.
  • On the Axe-Fx II, you can save AMP block settings to different instances of a global block.
But: re-applying "old" amp block settings often is not the best choice. New defaults have been implemented for a reason, and may also be linked to changes in algorithms in the firmware. Using the same tweaked values may not result in the same sound. Adopt and adapt!

6 — When you're using a power amp and guitar cab
Some default amp settings are not optimal for users of power amps and guitar cabinets. You may want to change these after a soft or hard reset of the AMP block.
  • Spkr Drv: users of traditional guitar cabinets need to set this at 0.
  • Low Freq: this is a pre-set frequency at which the virtual amp resonates with the cab model. When using a real cabinet, you'll want to replace this with the real resonant frequency.
  • Speaker Comp (Quantum 9): default value is 3, but if you use a tube preamp or a traditional speaker cab, you’ll want this set to zero.
7 — More information in the wiki
Wiki.png
Click to expand...


Thank you very much mate, very much appreciated!
 
h.c.e. said:
He doesn't mention the 'Bypass button' by name, no, but he does say, "If you want every parameter in the AMP block to return to its default value for the selected amp type, you need to reset the block, on the hardware or in the editor". Double clicking the 'Bypass' button IS how you reset the block on the hardware. I believe later when he says bypassing the block doesn't "affect the parameters" that's in response to being asked if bypassing and reengaging the amp block achieves that, which, as he states, it does not. At any rate, "bypassing/engaging" would be clicking the 'FX Bypass' button twice, not double clicking 'Bypass' button while editing the amp block. If you: go into the layout screen, select the amp block, hit edit, then click 'Bypass' twice in a row, that will reset the amp block to all default setting. That is definitionally an affect, you will see it happen if any of the parameters on the page you're on while editing it not at default already.

I think there's a whole lot of unnecessary tumult going on over whether a reset is "required" or not. What resetting offers is an assurance that all settings are returned to default. Some think that provides magic, I think it... provides an assurance that all settings are returned to default. ;)

If you've got "cruft" from old firmwares' values (or old tweakings) that are no longer ideal for updates to the algorithm, then yes, I could see how that might "magically" make an amp sound unbroken on a given firmware, but if you're mostly just tweaking BMT and volume, it might be of diminishing returns. Not something you have to do to avoid complete protonic reversal or anything, just something you might want to do if you're concerned about having all the latest default settings for an amp in a patch. At any rate, the suggestion stands, if you wants to reset your amp to default, edit the amp block on the hardware and double click the 'Bypass' button. If you want to do it from Axe-Edit software, select one of the block reset options from the menus, or hit the keyboard shortcut.

An easy way to test out what resetting does or doesn't offer for yourself is to copy X to Y on the amp, reset X, return: BMT, Presence/Depth, Volume/Drive/Level, and any Bright/Cut/Boost switch to match what they were before. Now compare X and Y. If X sounds loads better, the new defaults are better for that amp, if it doesn't, or you can't hear the difference, than maybe it's not worth the effort to reset amps in every patch. Try it out see what you think, ya know, for science. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you. That is all much clearer.
 
I'm coming to this late in the thread, so maybe this has been addressed... In Yek's post on resetting the amp block with a HARD RESET, there's is no explicit idiot's guide in step #2 of how to do that. I did figure it out on Axe-Edit, but not on the hardware, at least not yet...
 
plyall said:
I'm coming to this late in the thread, so maybe this has been addressed... In Yek's post on resetting the amp block with a HARD RESET, there's is no explicit idiot's guide in step #2 of how to do that. I did figure it out on Axe-Edit, but not on the hardware, at least not yet...
Click to expand...

Navigate to the amp block, press EDIT, then double-click the BYPASS button on the front panel.
 
Thanks for the response! Rings a bell too. Maybe that sentence could be pasted into the Wiki to avoid idiots like me asking every two years... ;)
 
plyall said:
I'm coming to this late in the thread, so maybe this has been addressed... In Yek's post on resetting the amp block with a HARD RESET, there's is no explicit idiot's guide in step #2 of how to do that. I did figure it out on Axe-Edit, but not on the hardware, at least not yet...
Click to expand...

I added it to the OP.
 
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