Fractal Talk

[Shredder777]

I find most of this falls apart less because of lack of clarity of expression and more because people use forums and comments sections as places to merely spew out a preconceived thought they've held for a long time that a word or two in a headline trigger them to regurgitate, rather than as places to provide thoughtful comments on things they actually read in full...

They are using the internet to take out their pent up hostility on strangers.

Fact.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

They are using the internet to take out their pent up hostility on strangers.

Fact.

Some people have Sunday Football; others have bickering with strangers on the internet.

 

[Mongillo19]

Some people have Sunday Football; others have bickering with strangers on the internet.

Why not both?

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Why not both?

 

[TubeStack]

Which is why it sucks that it's genuinely hard to find examples of alternative ways to dial these things, when almost every clip online goes for that V curve metal tone. Which to be fair, the Mark series does very, very well.

But there's a lot of other flavors in there from really juicy clean channel, to thick blues leads on the MK1 mode of the Mark V, to sludgy overdrive, Plexi-ish crunch...

Mesa made some, around the time of the release of the V, so they’re pretty old. But it’s a good variety of low/mid gain rock, blues, even funk tones, if I remember right.

 

[deadpool_25]

Hm. @Shredder777 IME the Fractal models are very accurate so if you can get a sound out of them using the authentic controls, you can almost certainly get those sounds out of the real thing. I think the limitations are maybe more so based on practicality. Such as how loud will that Plexi be at max "gain"?

 

[Shredder777]

Hm. @Shredder777 IME the Fractal models are very accurate so if you can get a sound out of them using the authentic controls, you can almost certainly get those sounds out of the real thing. I think the limitations are maybe more so based on practicality. Such as how loud will that Plexi be at max "gain"?

This doesn't sound great. You can hear at 4:20 that its not a sound that anyone would choose if they had amps that can handle the gain better. It just sounds like mud.

Thats why I was surprised if someone had all the amps in the fractal, why they would choose the plexi for high gain stuff.

 

[DrewJD82]

Downloaded the new beta a few minutes ago and since I had the Patriarch already plugged in, wanted to see how close I could get to it using the Russian Big Muff and the 4-Knob Tube Screamer as Gilmour did in '94 (and is what the Patriarch was made to recreate)

First time it plays through it's the Patriarch, 2nd time is the above-



That's the 5-minute match-up, I think that's pretty obvious it could be nailed spending a maybe 10 more minutes with it.

 

[DrewJD82]

Thats why I was surprised if someone had all the amps in the fractal, why they would choose the plexi for high gain stuff.

No one would.

This is how this whole conversation started-

Note- Elric doesn't say anything about Plexi's having tight bass anywhere in his post. You came up with that all on your own.

I'm guessing somewhere along the way you saw "aggressive" and assumed we were talking about modern metal tones or something. I'm really not sure how you drew your post's conclusions to what Elric was saying though.

Anywho, this is what a Fractal Plexi sounds like, it's a jumped Superlead with this signal chain and these amp settings-

Strat w/Gilmour EMG's, just a single Ribbon mic on the 1960 cab.

 

[Shredder777]

I'm guessing somewhere along the way you saw "aggressive" and assumed we were talking about modern metal tones or something. I'm really not sure how you drew your post's conclusions to what Elric was saying though.

Yep, we covered that a couple pages back.

Aggressive is a relative term, a guitarist who has access to all the metal amps in the fractal and is using that term means something. An old man who has been gigging with a Fender Twin for the past 40 years means something else.

The example of the plexi above is not what anyone would call aggressive. There is a ton of sag. The bottom end notes have that flubby and overloaded sound like I expected. Palm mutes don't even work. Fewer gain stages sound like they are being overworked and compressing in a "non aggressive" way. I bet the eq doesn't have a suitable range of adjustment for any meaningful tone shaping. It sounds like ass.

So the question is, when you hit the Fractal plexi model with EMGs and an SD1, does it sound aggressive, or does it sound like ass. I bet it sounds aggressive. It should sound like ass.

 

[iaresee]

This post makes me go “Hmmmmmm” more than the new Drives!!!

Edit- Just noticed the Improved Tube Driver as well. Don’t we have some kind forum mod code I can invoke here to get a secret PM about secret goings on?

You know as much as I do! Which is to say: nothing at all.

But it sure is an interesting division of updates all arriving on a this great day for freedom.

 

[metropolis_4]

Yep, we covered that a couple pages back.

Aggressive is a relative term, a guitarist who has access to all the metal amps in the fractal and is using that term means something. An old man who has been gigging with a Fender Twin for the past 40 years means something else.

The example of the plexi above is not what anyone would call aggressive. There is a ton of sag. The bottom end notes have that flubby and overloaded sound like I expected. Palm mutes don't even work. Fewer gain stages sound like they are being overworked and compressing in a "non aggressive" way. I bet the eq doesn't have a suitable range of adjustment for any meaningful tone shaping. It sounds like ass.

So the question is, when you hit the Fractal plexi model with EMGs and an SD1, does it sound aggressive, or does it sound like ass. I bet it sounds aggressive. It should sound like ass.

Why are you so obsessed with the sound of the Fractal Plexi’s if you hate Plexi’s so much?

 

[la szum]

As much as I love so many amp models in the Fractal, I could probably be happy forever with nothing but the 50w Plexi

I love the 800s, but I have moved to the 50W Plexi since my Di Meola Deep Dive. It
never sounds or feels bad to me. Outside of a few songs we played last night in
drop C where I switch to the Mark IV and use the Virtual Capo I stayed on the 50W
Plexi all night. No clean channels. No edge of break up mid-gainers. Not necessary.
I bet I could do an handful of genres in a night and nail them with that amp model.


Oh, and my Tone stack is no Treble, Bass and Mids crancked. Looks dumb and sounds epic!

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

Why are you so obsessed with the sound of the Fractal Plexi’s if you hate Plexi’s so much?

And if he doesn’t have a Fractal unit?

 

[la szum]

I sat on a jury listening to an argumentative ass chock full of his own self-absorption already today.

 

[FractalAudio]

So the question is, when you hit the Fractal plexi model with EMGs and an SD1, does it sound aggressive, or does it sound like ass.

It will sound like a Plexi. Whether that sounds "aggressive" or "like ass" is subjective.

 

[DLC86]

If a plexi should sound like ass, should my ass sound like a plexi? Cuz that would be cool... And "cool" sounds a lot like "culo", which in Italian means ass. Coincidence?

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

If a plexi should sound like ass, should my ass sound like a plexi?

Farty bottom end?

 

[DLC86]

Farty bottom end?

Yes, but I hope it's not muddy too

 

[TubeStack]