Burned out

[Stone]

Band Commander
Shiva Clean
Mesa Lone star
Mesa USA Lead Mid Gain
Tucanna
Roben Ford ODS
Plexi Brown
JCM 800
BE100
Cameron Atomica

These should cover everything including the Brootz

 

[fretworn]

Digging Cliff’s OG amp rolls atm …

Why limit yourself?

 

[metropolis_4]

Honestly I can sympathize. I stumble over the options quite a bit myself.

In your shoes, can you just create a super basic preset like the drive-amp-cab you described?

Do you have a real amp with an effects loop you can use for monitoring purposes, so you can isolate the amp and drive first?

Kind of. I usually start there with just drive-amp-cab and then build out the rest as needed.

My problem is mostly a “grass is greener” thing with all the options available. I see a hundred different ways I could get the sounds I need and they all work. My brain struggles to just pick one and be happy. I always start wondering what others might sound like.

I’ll build it out with a Plexi and that sounds amazing.

Then I start to wonder what it would sound like with a Fuchs and that sounds amazing too.

And down the rabbit hole I go…

 

[Jarick]

Kind of. I usually start there with just drive-amp-cab and then build out the rest as needed.

My problem is mostly a “grass is greener” thing with all the options available. I see a hundred different ways I could get the sounds I need and they all work. My brain struggles to just pick one and be happy. I always start wondering what others might sound like.

I’ll build it out with a Plexi and that sounds amazing.

Then I start to wonder what it would sound like with a Fuchs and that sounds amazing too.

And down the rabbit hole I go…

What’s your full signal chain and monitoring situation?

What are you doing for the cab block if going direct?

 

[sleewell]

9 times out of 10 i sit down to practice and never tweak anything and just play.

i do try to make some time to tweak and find different models, i think that is valuable. its cool to use the looper and setup a loop and add and replace stuff as something is playing.

 

[metropolis_4]

What’s your full signal chain and monitoring situation?

What are you doing for the cab block if going direct?

Right now just guitar -> AxeFX -> IEMs or wedge

I’m using various dyna cabs. Usually a combo of condenser cap 0cm + ribbon edge 10-14cm

I’ve mostly been using either 4x12 1960TV, 1x12 DIV13 CJ11, 2x12 LEAD 80, or 2x12 CLASS-A

 

[metropolis_4]

9 times out of 10 i sit down to practice and never tweak anything and just play.

i do try to make some time to tweak and find different models, i think that is valuable. its cool to use the looper and setup a loop and add and replace stuff as something is playing.

I have a hard rule of “No tweaking during practice time”

When I’m learning music I play unplugged, and when I’m practicing it’s either unplugged or I have a practice preset with basic tones that I just turn on and don’t touch

 

[holoholo]

I know I can build what I need, I’m just feeling tired of the process of building tones for a new show. Maybe it’s time to start saving some presets instead of building them fresh each show.

Holy cow if I had to build fresh presets for each show that would drive me insane. Saving presets is the whole beauty of digital, no?

 

[metropolis_4]

Holy cow if I had to build fresh presets for each show that would drive me insane. Saving presets is the whole beauty of digital, no?

Imagine this month you’re playing a Metallica cover show, then next month you’re playing a The Cure show, and the month after that it’s a Count Basie show.

That’s sort of what my preset needs are like.


One show I might want a clean tone that is tight and percussive with a lot of movement. The next show might want a clean tone that is smooth and round, etc. So I tend to build the sounds to fit the show

 

[ejecta]

I would buy a AC15 and keep it forever.
Always keep one favorite tube amp, if only to remind you of why you use modelers.

I agree but the last part I would amend to say I keep real amps around to remind me why I use real amps too and not just a modeler.

Leveling and option paralysis is the biggest headache with modelers…. obligatory “IMHO” for the sensitive.

 

[Jarick]

Imagine this month you’re playing a Metallica cover show, then next month you’re playing a The Cure show, and the month after that it’s a Count Basie show.

That’s sort of what my preset needs are like.


One show I might want a clean tone that is tight and percussive with a lot of movement. The next show might want a clean tone that is smooth and round, etc. So I tend to build the sounds to fit the show

What about something like an Austin Buddy pack?

 

[EOengineer]

Imagine this month you’re playing a Metallica cover show, then next month you’re playing a The Cure show, and the month after that it’s a Count Basie show.

That’s sort of what my preset needs are like.


One show I might want a clean tone that is tight and percussive with a lot of movement. The next show might want a clean tone that is smooth and round, etc. So I tend to build the sounds to fit the show

Ah, I see where things are going awry here.

You should play only Metallica songs.

 

[metropolis_4]

What about something like an Austin Buddy pack?

It's not a problem with getting the sounds. It's more just feeling burned out on the process of programming everything for a show because there are so many possibilities.

 

[fretworn]

It's not a problem with getting the sounds. It's more just feeling burned out on the process of programming everything for a show because there are so many possibilities.

Look … I’m gonna go all management consultant on your situation here for a second.

You’ve been doing this for decades. You have a process.

Follow your processes; learn to tune it… Heck it’s probably already optimized. You’re just not feeling the love for the process.

Why?

Bored? Predictable? Not enough information?

Where is the gap?

When I write a song lately (eg forum challenges), I use a pretty standard, repeatable process. Many many steps, but constrained by time generally.


Figure out what your drivers and constraints are, and do what you gotta do to optimize for success.

 

[metropolis_4]

I started thinking through the possibility of building something that would give me just what I need in a pedalboard where I could also swap out analog drives as needed and still run all my instruments. I came up with this:

And I love it...

But then I realized the price of this would be the same as an Axe FX III!

Feels like a stupid move to think about ditching the AxeFX for something that costs the same price but is so much more limited, and has so many more points of failure, and requires more work.

So for now the plan is to just start thinking of the AxeFX as my digital Plexi/800 amp

 

[JiveTurkey]

Tone-X is gross. Don't do it.

 

[fretworn]

Everybody always goes immediately towards solutioning and tools…

Now I have to charge you more

 

[JiveTurkey]

I started thinking through the possibility of building something that would give me just what I need in a pedalboard where I could also swap out analog drives as needed and still run all my instruments. I came up with this:

View attachment 8874

And I love it...

But then I realized the price of this would be the same as an Axe FX III!

Feels like a stupid move to think about ditching the AxeFX for something that costs the same price but is so much more limited, and has so many more points of failure, and requires more work.

So for now the plan is to just start thinking of the AxeFX as my digital Plexi/800 amp

If anything; I would treat the III as your amp and non-drive pre and post effects then build out this board with drives/wah/exp/FC6 as needed

 

[metropolis_4]

Look … I’m gonna go all management consultant on your situation here for a second.

You’ve been doing this for decades. You have a process.

Follow your processes; learn to tune it… Heck it’s probably already optimized. You’re just not feeling the love for the process.

Why?

Bored? Predictable? Not enough information?

Where is the gap?

When I write a song lately (eg forum challenges), I use a pretty standard, repeatable process. Many many steps, but constrained by time generally.


Figure out with your drivers and constraints are, and do what you gotta do to optimize for success.

Thanks, you're absolutely right. I need to do some more thinking on the "why" and "where is the gap" questions.

I feel like it's coming from a shift in my mindset. I used to really enjoy the process of crafting sounds with gear. As I'm getting older and start feeling like I have less time to devote, I find I just want to spend the time I have playing. I'm finding myself frustrated with the gear and tone chase side because it's taking up time I want to be playing.

Also I go through these cycles where I feel creatively inspired by either an abundance of choices, or a limitation of them. Right now I'm in one of those phases where I feel most stimulated by limitation of choices. Which doesn't match with a piece of gear like the AxeFX. (probably a good reason to keep the AxeFX and invest in a simple tube amp rig on the side)

Anyway, I'll figure it out. Thanks for letting me have this little public therapy session

 

[metropolis_4]

If anything; I would treat the III as your amp and non-drive pre and post effects then build out this board with drives/wah/exp/FC6 as needed

My thinking on the ToneX was just that I'd want something that gave me the best possible Marshall tones in a compact package. Just 2-3 gain levels of a Plexi to switch between.

I am thinking that I'll probably start building out an analog pedalboard. Then I could have the option of running that into the Axe like you said treating it like an amp. And step 2 would be picking up a tube amp to also run that same board through.