I
inyarak74
Well-known member
Word
Donnie B.
Banned
Well-known member
Be aware in the beginning that this (and messing with 3rd party IRs) can become a rabbit hole that will get as deep and as time consuming as YOU allow it to. Most tube amps you get 6 variables with the amp itself. Minor tweaks to gain, volume, and EQ are quick. With digital amps it's very easy to get carried away and/or confused because you have so many ways to approach a 'tweak' (including with FX).
I found that drawing a line between what's 'good enough' and constantly trying to better something was tricky sometimes.
Just remember that the audience is not going to notice 99% of the little things you'll find yourself doing it home with
headphones on when it's quiet. You have to try to not take your home tweak routines on stage. Once you're in the ball-park
live all you need to know is if your volume is good and if you're cutting through the mix.
If you're ever in front of a crowd and find yourself wondering if maybe you should increase the digital bias on your digital EL34
output tubes, you're in BIG trouble.
cardinal
Well-known member
Yeah key to a modeler is knowing when it's good enough and just leaving it alone.
I've never played an amp that I thought was always perfect, but there are some that I love all the same and just use the darn thing as best I can. Same with a modeler.
It's fun to tinker with it, but really with any of these, it takes just a few minutes to get something that's fine and then just go play the thing.
I've never played an amp that I thought was always perfect, but there are some that I love all the same and just use the darn thing as best I can. Same with a modeler.
It's fun to tinker with it, but really with any of these, it takes just a few minutes to get something that's fine and then just go play the thing.
R
rm5153
Well-known member
I don't play live but I have a AXE 3. I am getting rid of my tube amps finally as my AXE 3 sounds and feels better to me and is more inspiring. I got the AXE 3 to pretty much clone my real Friedman BE 100 Deluxe. To echo what Chris6870 said, when I play my AXE 3 I have it going through a poweramp which powers real 412 cabinets. I also have 2 Friedman FRFR cabinets which are self powered and I send these 2 cabinets the IRs. To go along with what he is saying, my FRFRs can be say the house PA which you hear the IR's coming back at you but in the background you have a real 412 or cabinet of your choosing to give you that feel on stage of air moving. Metallica is all digital now and James Hetfield still have a real 412 on stage just so he can get a good reference tone and feel. With the tools available today there are so many options to give you what you want tone and feel-wise. Just depends on how creative and crazy you want to take it.
Emg77
Well-known member
Ive tried to do the modeler live it just doesn't do it for me. I feel naked onstage. Another option if your going IE is get one of the active load ir product. Suhr, UA etc. Ditch your cab. Save you some time of dialing in patches etc. Because it is a rabbit hole!!
cardinal
Well-known member
IRs seem like the weakest link, though. If you do with an IR load box but with a real amp without a cab, you have two things to lug around and lose the flexibility of the various eq adjustments a modeler can make.
Emg77
Well-known member
Well, you're essentially replacing a 2x12 with box an 1/8th the size. Much easier manage. Also, he mentioned using Ie's because of tinnitus. So, I was just suggesting utilizing his tube amp that he is already familiar with. Set and forget kind of rig in lieu of entering the world of modeling.
cardinal
Well-known member
Yeah, I get the reluctance to totally move to modeling. I'm just swooning over an AFXIII I got a few weeks ago. Had an AFXII that I hated but the III is killer. Not sure if it was user error with the II or if it's gotten that much better.
PBGas
Well-known member
There is no way I would ever buy profiles....especially from Choptones. I mean, the prices those guys charge for what....something that is already there in the box that you can do yourself? Their BE-50 profiles were an absolute joke for what you would pay for them. No way. Sorry. I had my amp right beside me to compare at the time and I got way closer doing it on my own. Just take some time to do things yourself and learn the unit properly. I do realize that some folks do not have the time, etc. Fine...then do what you have to do but this isn't rocket science by any means. Listen with your ears and adjust from there.
I did buy a few York Audio IR packs and really, they are very cheap for what you get and honestly, they sound great. I combine the stock ones in the Axe III/FM3 with the York Audio ones and they sound great together.
I did buy a few York Audio IR packs and really, they are very cheap for what you get and honestly, they sound great. I combine the stock ones in the Axe III/FM3 with the York Audio ones and they sound great together.
cardinal
Well-known member
I've been playing with IRs in the AFXIII. It lets you run four at a time, which seems really great. I've been using two near-field IRs (one 57 and one 121 a few dBs lower) and two room IRs of the same speaker (usually several dBs lower than the near-fields). And the AFX let's you run them a tiny bit out of phase, which is a neat trick to smooth it out a bit.
I can't believe that I've been enjoying playing through headphones as much as a cab.
I can't believe that I've been enjoying playing through headphones as much as a cab.
Zachalou
Active member
Super happy with my helix, I ran it for a while with the Duncan power stage 170 powering it though my Mesa 4x12, had more volume than I ever needed for live. Recently switched out the power stage for the fryette ps2 which I could not be happier with.
J
Junk Yard Dog
Well-known member
how does that work exactly? What’s the routine look like; what cables go from where on the Helix to where on the PS?
also, since you are using a real cab, you don’t use IRs or the cab blocks, right?
J
jski59
Active member
I also use a Ps170 into a 2x12 while simultaneously running another output with ir’s to FOH...being able to run dual output paths is one of the beauty of modelers.
Generally you’ll assign one output (1/4”) to bypass the cab block/ir and wire that output into a poweramp (ps170) then into your cab.
You’ll then take another output out of your modeler (usually xlr) that’s been assigned to a cab block/ir so it has speaker simulation and run that into foh, a frfr monitor or both.
the key is you can assign in your patch (or sometimes globally) what physical outputs use an ir.
Chris6870
Well-known member
As far as paid presets, I have never been pleased with a preset created by someone else. Even if It sounds good on Youtube and I download it, I always seem to have to tweak it so I never bothered purchasing them. With Fractal i think a lot of the amps sound great right out of the gate, so it's a matter of choosing an IR, then add whatever effects are needed and it's done. Nice and simple sounds best to me. If anything, I would suggest watching some of the better known guys on Youtube go through building presets.
SDMF38
Active member
I’ve got a split path on mine that just has an IR block. It still gets everything before I just split it off at the end and designated xlr output, and it works great.
Chris6870
Well-known member
I have all my presets set so one output has an IR that i use for FRFR or FOH and one has no IR that I can run to power amp with cab.
Zachalou
Active member
Instrument cable from Helix L/mono output into fryette PS2 line in, then spkr out of ps2 into my cab. I don’t use IRs or cab blocks because I like the sound of the Mesa enough. Personally I don’t mind lugging a cab around, the helix and ps2 fit in my backpack easily.