You folks ever spend time trying to dial in different models just to realize...

Yep....literally just clued into this the other day. I've built like 6 or so presets since I got my FM9 and they all have the same basic framework - clean or edge of breakup amp, a light and heavy od, a 1/4 and dotted 1/8 delay, 2 reverbs (one always on and an ambient one), and mod of some kind (usually chorus or trem).....definitely time to try some new things haha
 
Yep....guilty....even with different guitars and different pickups.....
I must admit I also don't care to sound like someone else...
But I was somewhat over the moon when I accidentally found out that, when playing my Strats, it's very close to Blackmore. Not identical but the feel and sound is perfect for me. Exactly what I had in mind :)
 
Yes my presets are all similar, because I adjust to what I like. Use different IR’s on your presets and you may hear larger differences. Someone claimed awhile back that IR’s were a high percentage of the tone. Something like 70%. I won’t try to put a number on it but yes they have a huge impact.
 
One part of this that weirds me out is Vox vs everything else. I really like Vox tones by themselves. I like JTM, Swart, various others by themselves.

But whenever I switch between a Vox scene and anything else, there's something awkward happening with the mids. Relative to anything else, the Vox has a hole there, or a peak, or more likely, both.

It's really hard to get them to sound reasonable next to each other, and when I try, I end up moving them both away from their own uniqueness, towards that more general thing I tend to dial in on every amp.

Ring any bells?
 
Dave Merrill said:
One part of this that weirds me out is Vox vs everything else. I really like Vox tones by themselves. I like JTM, Swart, various others by themselves.

But whenever I switch between a Vox scene and anything else, there's something awkward happening with the mids. Relative to anything else, the Vox has a hole there, or a peak, or more likely, both.

It's really hard to get them to sound reasonable next to each other, and when I try, I end up moving them both away from their own uniqueness, towards that more general thing I tend to dial in on every amp.

Ring any bells?
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TO be honest, I haven't really mixed Vox or Vox-type tones with other amp types. I do a lot of Fender clean and Marshall crunch but fr some reason I think of "Vox" as being on it's own island most of the time.

I should do a video soon on this. I have 5-6 presets that I like - my two main presets based on a '59 Bassman or three flavors of Marshall, a dumble preset, an AC30, and a Deluxe Reverb. It would be fun to shoot them out and hear them in context.
 
I've managed to resist the "make them all sound the same" thing the last few years. In part it's because I have decided that for me, individual songs need their own sounds. Since I got the FM9 around 7 weeks ago, I find that I like the presets enough that I don't really tinker with them that much. That helps too - the more tinkering, the more opportunity to homogenize.

The good news for people who make all the amps sound the same is that they've found the one sound they want to run with. At that point, I say lock it in and forget about it. You won!
 
@Mark Wein It’s true that using different amps dialed in with the same IR can sound a little homogenous. The cab is the main filter in our tone affecting what we hear. It’s kinda like a filter on a camera. Whatever “style” we use puts its character on everything we see. Pictures of different things with the same filter will all have a cohesive theme to them, but using different filters on the same subject will give you a much broader variety of colors and textures.

If you’re looking for significant character diversity, changing your cabs will give you a lot of options. If you want variety within the same cab, try using some really bright IRs and dial in your amps with darker settings, or try darker IRs with brighter amp settings.

I hope this helps.
 
I agree that I have to watch that I am not "tuning" in a preset to make it sound like my "prefered" sound... Yeks guide to the amps and some sample settings does provide guidance as to looking at "artists" and user tones... makes me think out the box ... even Youtube examples and sound clips helps...
 
York Audio said:
@Mark Wein It’s true that using different amps dialed in with the same IR can sound a little homogenous. The cab is the main filter in our tone affecting what we hear. It’s kinda like a filter on a camera. Whatever “style” we use puts its character on everything we see. Pictures of different things with the same filter will all have a cohesive theme to them, but using different filters on the same subject will give you a much broader variety of colors and textures.

If you’re looking for significant character diversity, changing your cabs will give you a lot of options. If you want variety within the same cab, try using some really bright IRs and dial in your amps with darker settings, or try darker IRs with brighter amp settings.

I hope this helps.
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I think that for me, I just have a sound that I hear in my head and I just turn knobs until I get there. It's always been that way, even back when I was playing non-modeler amps. I'm also guilty of using just a few favorite IR's because I love how they feel onstage. I probably have 10-15 purchased IR packs (including 5-6 from you) and I find the on IR in each one that feels like my amp is in the room and call it a day. Almost all of my Marshal sounds are the Leon Todd LT Mix 7 IR. I use Vox and the Black-back Celestions from you and I have an A-type speaker from Celestion I like for most of my Fenders except for the Twin Reverb, which I also use a York IR for. Still need to delve into the Matchless IR's that I also ordered from York.
 
I've found that I tend to gravitate towards the similar tones in whatever I use, which is why I tend to not use prebuilt presets. They don't sound the way I would do them, so I just make my own. But I also think that's a good thing. I've developed my own style over the years and that includes my amp tones and guitars I like. Now I do create tones for specific artists I like, but again they're tweaked to my liking. For my live rig I setup cleans, crunch, more rock like and heavier tones that fit me. That way I like them all but I can use them for whatever type of song I'm doing. I've never had someone tell me my tone doesn't sound like the record.
 
Mark Wein said:
that you're making them all sound the same because thats the sound you hear in your head?

I have some pretty good live presets but I wanted to build a library of different versions built around different amps...sort of like bringing a pedalboard to a gig with a different amp. After building a batch of these presets I realized that regardless of amp type they all kind of sounded the same with just a slight difference in flavor.
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Mark,

You've opened a new chapter in my journal for me. Part of this involves how rigid my mindset towards presets has been recently. That many presets sound similar.

The chapter addresses the versatility of the FM9, our individual preferences, and the flow of time. In many respects, we often overthink a process and try to solve how we can get "this" sound, instead of using a scientific method of experimentation where observation, theory, trial, and proof are utilized in succession.

What I'm saying is, given a certain amount of prior knowledge of your subject, it's comparatively easy to observe and theorize what will happen if specific parameters are adjusted. One may not even need adjust parameters, but merely begin with a fresh canvas and let your imagination take its due course. All of this requires asking yourself "What will happen if I combine this with that?" Consider that many scientists did the same thing centuries ago in order to discover certain chemical compounds that were used in both industry and medicine.

Perhaps the way to think outside of the box is to experiment with several amps and cabs you may not be familiar with and get to know them better. Kind of like striking up a new friendship with someone not of your usual circle of friends. While it may be unwise if you were to treat your friends like test subjects, the analogy still holds.

This way, you get to learn about something you've not experienced usually and you've successfully stepped out of your comfort zone and been able to explore the larger FM9 ecosystem, without leaving the comfort of your own home.

In fact, this is what my intention and purpose is: to try something different and not be locked into a mindset which doesn't allow for greater freedom of thought.

A wise person once said, "You can't ever go home again." Pish. As adults, most of us work dayjobs and give our benevolent overlord bosses our best each day. What many people fail to realize is that with units like the FM9, we've been given much more than we ever might need, and have yet to discover the scope of each facet of our FM9s.

Speaking for myself, I can say that I'm vastly thankful for the variety, the innate beauty, and marvel at the design of the FM9. The greater world we live in is also like this, if we only take the time to see it for ourselves, instead of plunking ourselves in front of the TV and foolishly wasting our valuable time on insignificant pursuits. Take the time to get to know what FAS has created, and you build an appreciation for this. AND, I can almost guarantee that with the flow of time, you'll discover something new that will change your perspective of what you usually prefer for presets.
 
Very interesting thread. My tones end up basically in three categories: clean/edge of breakup, crunchy Marshally rhythm and Mesa style scooped high gain.
Dialing in one of those 3 categories, I do end up coming back to a very similar tone even with different amps and IRs. It seems once we hear a certain “ideal” tone in our head it’s hard to break away from that.
 
The keys for me in creating presets that sound different is to take a break between presets and have a solid reference for each tone. Even if I'm just practicing or playing, there's no way I can create a completely different sounding preset immediately after playing through a different preset. The original tone is still in my head, I found that my ears need to 'recalibrate'. It can take as little as an hour or it can require waiting until the next day so I'm not influenced by any previous tones.
 
Gtrsolo350 said:
seems once we hear a certain “ideal” tone in our head it’s hard to break away from that.
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I strongly think this is based on the type of lines we try to play. For example, I frequently “Marshall-ize” all my presets because that is often what works best for the types of licks or lines I play. You really have to change the material you’re learning, playing, and even listening to, to allow room for other tones to manifest. Just in my subjective experience anyway. I’ve been digging a lot of country solos and SRV stuff lately, but the trusty overdriven Marshall/EVH tones don’t really optimally work for that stuff. Sure they will work in theory and fit to some extent, but it doesn’t help me understand how I’m supposed to mold my playing to fit other tones and vice versa
 
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