Your preferred way to add boost to lead?

M

mranonymous

Member
I just got my Axe FX 3, and it's awesome so far. I'm still a newb to it all, as this is my first time really diving into it

I'm just curious about everyone's favorite way to add some boost/saturation to their lead patches. Do you have a "secret weapon" or something you find you use often?

So far I've played around with:

  • The Drive, Mix, and Level knobs in a Drive block
  • The Gain Enhancer feature on the Amp Block
  • Adding 2 different Drive blocks, and lowering the Mix of each

These things are all very helpful, but there are SO many features and options and I'm sure there is a lot that I am missing.

Thanks for any tips
 
Awesome, thank you! I will give that a try now. I knew there had to be some kind of quick boost like that somewhere. It may be just the kind of thing I was looking for
 
I use a Control Switch attached to the Amp block Boost (On) and Bright (Off), Saturation (Ideal) set @ 2.0, Cab block level @ 2.5 increase.
Control Switches are great because you can add many modifiers from different blocks, including their on/off state (Bypass), to a single switch.
No 'gap' or delay when activating/deactivating the switch either.

Scene controllers work in a similar fashion as far as I know. I discovered Control Switches before Scene Controllers and really haven't felt the need to acquaint myself with them.

There's a few threads floating around the different product forums discussing this topic if you want more ideas.
 
I have used input boost, per scene output level, very frequently drive pedal blocks, sometimes graphic eq, occasionally a compressor block up front. Maybe my ears are fatigued, but I'm kind of worn out by the endless possibilities. At least I did't have to buy 5 amps, 10 cabs and 20 pedals to have a troubled evening. I generally like scenes with different drive blocks so far.

Thanks for the heads up on control switches JoKeR III. I will spend time trying to get my head around the concept, it sounds good.

Liam
 
I have control switches set for input boost @ 6-8 Db on "neutral" setting and Sat set about 2-3 (Ideal). Also have a drive block set up with 4 different channels of FET boost, BB Pre, FAS Boost and SDD Preamp, sometimes others. Volume boost is programmed into the OUTPUT block on certain scenes. This gives me lots of options for boosting the base amp sounds and they all sound different, react and feel different. So many options to sound good in this box!
 
Input boost is used for me most of the time when on high gain amp patches, now I been using the precision drive a lot though. On non metal patches I pretty much try everything, using a filter set to mid boost with some level boost, any of the drives, the neutral input boost is really great for simply giving amps more gain and smoother response. Sometimes for high gain patches I go full on and use a PEQ, cut some lows, boost some mids, add some level, mess around with more specific curves to tailor the response. You can use the GEQ as well in the same way, and there is different GEQ to choose from like for example the mesa mark series EQ.

In the axe you have pretty much everything you could imagine.
 
(Using an upstream MIDI controller synced with backing tracks...) I have a GEQ just before Out 1 in all presets with Level controlled by an External Controller / MIDI CC. The upstream MIDI controller has some pre-built messages for -6dB to +6dB in various steps. I add these cuts/boosts as needed if the natural volume differences between leads, quick riffs, rhythm scenes don't do the trick. I also have a global volume pedal, but the goal is to be able to play through a song without touching it.
 
I put a filter block set to Global 1 on every preset, right before output 1. I tame a little highs and lows, and save it to 0dB boost. Then I level all presets, including lead channels, for even volume. When gig time comes, I'll bump the output of this block to 3-4dB.

Drawback of this is that, when using it with a drive pedal, that first stage (leveling the output) means that the drive pedal isn't really hitting the amp harder.
 
The great thing is there are many ways to do this and you can use them alone or in combination in the same preset. For live gigging (what is that??), I have found it's best to have 2-3 ways to boost the signal in the same preset to cut through the mix. I often use a filter set on null and get a 2.5-3.5 db clean boost. I also use a PEQ block with mids bumped and a slight db boost of 1-2 db which also works really nicely by itself or in combo with the filer boost. I also like having a drive with very low gain and level at 5 or so to bump up a slightly distorted tone. For dedicated lead scenes in a preset, I will typically use a scene controller to boost the signal for that scene only but I still have all the other boost options. That allows me to use a lead scene, roll back the volume on my guitar and then add back some boost with Filter, PEG and/or Drive block to achieve some really great tone variations and still have many ways to boost the signal. There are just so many ways to go. Try them all and let your ears guide you. If you're doing this for a live gig situation, make sure to dial in your settings at gig level (at least 92 db).
 
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