How complex are your go-to presets?

[laxu]

With modelers becoming more powerful each generation, I wonder how many of you make use of all the things you can do with them?

My presets have always looked something like this, with optional things in brackets.

IN -> Comp -> Drive -> [Mod/Pitch] -> Amp -> Cab -> [EQ] -> [Mod] -> Delay + Reverb (in parallel) -> OUT

So pretty simple stuff, basically fits into a Fractal FM3 if reverb quality is reduced.

I've tried things like dual amp chains and whatnot but always abandon them as too complicated to make them actually better.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Mine are unbelievably simple. Its rare I even use a gate or drive pedal. VERY rarely is there any compression, aside for a specific tone on cleans.

Any time I use FX, they are very stylized and specific sounds and not things I jam on as a go to.

For a gainy rhythm sound:

IN -> Amp -> Cab -> OUT

For clean sounds:

IN -> [Analog Delay] -> Amp -> Cab -> [Reverb] -> OUT

I actually really cannot stand jamming on presets that have way too many FX or processing on. 9/10 compression and EQ are things that I'll do within a context (depending on the part and what is going on around them), so on their own it just feels unnecessarily processed and off.

Generally I can't stand HW modellers (although I still use them and am literally playing through an Axe FX III this very second) and much prefer plugins, where any kind of limitations were long gone years ago. Limitations shouldn't really be a reason that someone would want to pile on loads of effects IMO, but I think it can be useful in a live/setlist situation where you need flexibility.

 

[sleewell]

Pretty simple. I use octave up and downs on momentary switches. Reverb and delay a couple of times in the set, not many. I have a delay set at like 99% almost infinite repeats that I have the exp pedal control the delay time to make noise a couple of times a set. At the end I split the signal to add a speaker sim to only what goes to the XLR output. That's about it.

 

[AFKAEjay]

[gain block] [lowcut EQ block] [BD] [klon] Amp1 [compressor] [amp2] [amp3] [lowmidboos EQ] delay verb [gainblock soloboost] [gainblock volume control cabsim

Added some more complexity by having the klone do very different things depending on the selected scene. I got my cab end of chain cause I also send to poweramp/cab.

All and all a bit much “by design”, but together with “scenes” super practical and easy tweaks.

 

[BenIfin]

With the FM3 I am currently setting up, this is as complex as I get - Cab is Ultra Res - CPU sits around %68 - pretty much the same "patch-block-setup" I use in every modeler Ive ever used

Ben

 

[Stone]

Depends on what the song calls for
My current preset is like this with 4 Seperate footswitch assigned Scenes

 

[2112]

I just re-did my main FM3 live preset;

I bypass the pitch block and use sum L+R if I'm playing in mono. Reverb is mostly used to add a bit of thickness rather than for a big ambient wash and the Multiband comp is a subtle "chug tightener".

FM9/Axe-Fx III version has a few added extras like the synth for a freqout sim, Plex/Trem combo copying the Eventide undulator effect and the filter for a timed lo-fi sweep.

Most of the recording presets I use are amp-cab with the cab filters wide open.

 

[metropolis_4]

Actually, the opposite is happening for me.

Gapless switching, setlists/songlists, and the ability to assign any footswitch to do anything per preset mean I no longer need single presets that try to do everything. So my individual presets have gotten smaller.

I’ve been basing presets around core amp tones and then adding variations of effects as the songs/shows call for.

 

[laxu]

Pretty simple. I use octave up and downs on momentary switches.

In what situations do you use those? As an end of song chaos?

 

[GTR37]

With modelers becoming more powerful each generation, I wonder how many of you make use of all the things you can do with them?

My presets have always looked something like this, with optional things in brackets.

IN -> Comp -> Drive -> [Mod/Pitch] -> Amp -> Cab -> [EQ] -> [Mod] -> Delay + Reverb (in parallel) -> OUT

So pretty simple stuff, basically fits into a Fractal FM3 if reverb quality is reduced.

I've tried things like dual amp chains and whatnot but always abandon them as too complicated to make them actually better.

Pretty simple
Wah -drive—Amp—-cab—delay -rev. Live I would drop the verb

Sometime I would use a comp on cleans
I would use a flange like Van Halen unchained just to maybe add a bit of flavor

I am really not a fan of chorus on Rythm guitars

I am not a big effects guy
I really like to use them on a momentary switch so they come in a out quickly

For those I would use
A octave divider -to thicken up a riff
A pitch shift harmony for certain. Notes in a solo
A slicer or kill switch
The EVH flanger mentioned above

I favor those effects a lot more than your typical
Chorus/ phase / vibrato

 

[laxu]

I just re-did my main FM3 live preset;

View attachment 22808

Why the MultiDelay in parallel if there's nothing else to run in parallel at the same time?

 

[Rock Chalk]

Always the same preset, just swap in different drives, amps, and cabs for different flavors.

 

[sleewell]

In what situations do you use those? As an end of song chaos?

Yes but also in some riffs and breakdowns. Have you ever listened to vein.fm or car bomb? I get a lot of inspiration from them. Those super annoying quick high notes can be really cool in hardcore. The ultra lows just make the room shake and get me more in bass range amd leave some room in the mids area for vocals when like an open note hangs out



I think I'm wearing out the switches on my helix by doing it tho. It doesn't grab the note every time like it used to. Maybe it's a cleaning thing and can be fixed or something.

 

[Stone]

A octave divider -to thicken up a riff

Hmm curious where do you place that and what settings would you use to Thicken up a riff

Cheers
Mike

 

[TJontheRoad]

My recording presets are pretty basic. The most complex is my live kitchen sink preset the has 3 amp types with both clean and drive settings per scene.

 

[LCW]

I’m fairly new to modeling so my presets are still pretty simple.

IN (gate enabled) > simple EQ (to simulate a hotter pickup) > pitch shift for down tuning > distortion/OD/boost > amp > cab > EQ in case need to fine tune tone > simple Room reverb > OUT

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Only multifx I use these days is Kemper Player and it’s pretty much amp/cab-delay-verb.
When it’s on the pedal board then not even delay and verb.

In the AxeFx days it was fill it til the CPU overload makes zipper noises and take one out.

 

[Aleksi]

Now that I just play by myself, very simple most of the time. A preset that would do everything I typically play would look like this on the FM3:

Input gate -> whammy -> [wah] -> [drive] -> [preamp boost] amp -> cab -> delay -> reverb

Scenes and channels for switching from clean to chugzz and everything in between. I'll have to actually make this preset one of these days.

 

[BahamaDada]

My go to at the time (Helix) is a 3 amp preset with a Jazz Chorus, a 2203 and a SLO Lead. So clean, crunch, high gain. Not overly complicated. Just snapshots (de-)activating amps. Chain is: TS (and if activated a Noise Gate) - Amp - Cab - Room Reberb. There's some chorus, flange and delay, that can be activated, but the chorus is normally only used in clean. Delay for the lead/solo stuff or clean intros, too. Flange bc I had the space.

I basically dislike 2 things. First it's sounds that rely HEAVILY on post EQ. If the amp sounds shit and it can't be dialed out then try another amp sim. Or another cab. Second it's delay, mod and reverb effects on heavier guitars. I want my rhythm as bone dry as possible. Just some room reverb because 99% of the time I play with headphones.

 

[Jynx]

Usually one lane. Gate > OD1 > OD2 > Clean amp > High gain amp > Reverb/Delay (in parallel) > EQ

Sometimes I blend them like this.

Lane 1 > Gate > OD > High gain amp with gain set really high

Lane 3 > Gate > Crunch amp with very little gain

Lave 4 (at lower volume) - Fuzz pedal > Reverb set to 100% mix