Sound tinkering but not playing...

[Chris Martin]

You ever spend an unnecessary amount of time creating sounds TO PLAY but never end up PLAYING lol? The new Line 6 Helix update 3.5 came out and its great! But I sometimes have that realization that "you dumbass you just spent 2 hours tinkering with cab and amp sounds and you didn't actually play anything". Moral of my own thoughts are I should play more and tinker less. Also the new Cab/Mic models in the Helix are excellent.

 

[ScottR]

You ever spend an unnecessary amount of time creating sounds TO PLAY but never end up PLAYING lol? The new Line 6 Helix update 3.5 came out and its great! But I sometimes have that realization that "you dumbass you just spent 2 hours tinkering with cab and amp sounds and you didn't actually play anything". Moral of my own thoughts are I should play more and tinker less. Also the new Cab/Mic models in the Helix are excellent!

Yeah, “option paralysis” is real. I usually set-up 4-5 pre-sets 2 or 3 for my HB, the rest for single coils. If I get bored, some days I tinker to find other tones/set-ups that I like, but I don’t have a Helix or another M/E unit at the moment. Only a little Spark 40 practice amp, which is overwhelming enough for me. But hey…I’m a simpleton.

 

[Warmart]

Bah, don't feel bad about a little tinkering - seems like a massive update to the Helix platform and 99.9% are blown away by it. I'm thinking of picking up an HX Stomp to toy with, bored with my Kemper and the fact that since I started using Omega Amps own Kemper profiles that I can't stand anything else. Blew a bunch of money lately on profiles trying to find something and just come away unimpressed.

 

[Chris Martin]

Yeah, “option paralysis” is real. I usually set-up 4-5 pre-sets 2 or 3 for my HB, the rest for single coils. If I get bored, some days I tinker to find other tones/set-ups that I like, but I don’t have a Helix or another M/E unit at the moment. Only a little Spark 40 practice amp, which is overwhelming enough for me. But hey…I’m a simpleton.

Your absolutely right on the "option paralysis" bit. Thankfully I usually have a few go to presets for noodling most the time. A nice AC-30, and Divided by 30 one.

 

[Chris Martin]

Bah, don't feel bad about a little tinkering - seems like a massive update to the Helix platform and 99.9% are blown away by it. I'm thinking of picking up an HX Stomp to toy with, bored with my Kemper and the fact that since I started using Omega Amps own Kemper profiles that I can't stand anything else. Blew a bunch of money lately on profiles trying to find something and just come away unimpressed.

Yeah honestly I've never owned the other modelers BUT I haven't regretted buying the Helix one bit. And my poor tube amps just sit and collect dust because for live playing and even just the different sound options modeling is just so much more convenient. Also "SNAPSHOTS" are a life changer lol

 

[László]

I've achieved that mythical "tone I hear in my head" that guitar players talk about, having spent many years experimenting, tinkering, and listening.

Was it worth the time spent? Absolutely! When it comes to artistic expression, why have it any other way than your way?

There are times I'll still experiment with a piece of gear to come up with something that might please a client, and have stumbled onto cool stuff that works in the context of what I play, but it's always a matter of refinement, not reinvention.

The search for tone isn't a waste of time that could be otherwise spent playing. The effort is rewarding. YMMV.

 

[FragileThunder]

The number of times "tinkering" has lead to Inspiration tells me it's worth it. Granted, that may not be the usual outcome but as long as you're having fun, who cares!

 

[Mike J.]

I use a Pod Go. At first, I did endless tinkering in order to find a base sound to build from. Bought a LOT of amp/cab models but it's like they say, the end justifies the means.

After zeroing in on and trying about 6 different amp/cab models I finally found the amp, cab and effects models that work best for what's needed when I play at church and I get nothing but compliments on how well it sounds. Cool! The tinkering paid off!

Yes, Snapshot mode is the way to go! Snapshot 1 is for the bridge pickup, 2 is for the middle, 3 is for the neck and 4 is for those ambient sounds/swells. Works great! I also use my Strymon Big Sky into the Pods effect loop.

Because the base sound works so well the only adjustments I now make involves effect levels.

But I do fool around with some of the other patches that I bought for things outside of church.

I've said this before. This unit was a life changer for me. I'm 69 and with a glitchy back and knees it was getting to the point where I had to lighten up the load considerably. I'm a very traditional kinda guy who's leary of some technologies. But this technology I more than welcome.

 

[Gtrbldr]

Loved my HX when I had it, but I mist admit when I got my Kemper, playing time went up, tinkering down. Eapecially after making my own profiles

 

[Alnus Rubra]

You ever spend an unnecessary amount of time creating sounds TO PLAY but never end up PLAYING lol? The new Line 6 Helix update 3.5 came out and its great! But I sometimes have that realization that "you dumbass you just spent 2 hours tinkering with cab and amp sounds and you didn't actually play anything". Moral of my own thoughts are I should play more and tinker less. Also the new Cab/Mic models in the Helix are excellent.

See this is why my Mesa is “plug & play”.

 

[Gtrbldr]

Firts time I hesr that from a mesa

*long term mesa player

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Ok, ok, 25 years of tinkering and now it is.

 

[László]

Firts time I hesr that from a mesa

*long term mesa player

I had that with my Tremoverb for about ten years, but my son wanted it, and I gave it to him. I recorded TONS of national ads with that amp. I'm sure all of you heard the amp many times, or at least if you didn't get up to make a sandwich during various ads!

But heck, I recorded plenty of ads with a Maverick, a Subway Rocket, a Blue Angel, a Stiletto, and other Mesas. All of them worked just fine for my clients. As have my Mark V, Fillmore and Lone Star. And did I mention the Bass 400+? Yeah, it's stellar, and Paul McCartney still records with his.

It's easy to achieve certain recorded tones with one of the many fine Mesa amps, though my current preference is for the HXDA and DG30.

Mesas are almost designed by the tone gods for the exigencies of recording. The only other amps that have worked for me in the same way have been Two-Rocks and PRS CAD amps.

Obviously, no amp can exemplify the tone in everyone's head, but for those who need any given number of sonic choices, they're pretty damn good. Did I mention they sound good in front of a mic?

Yeah, they have just the right amount of natural tube compression to not need much processing in a mix. Genius stuff, if you ask me (you didn't, but what the heck, I'm telling everyone anyway!).

Note that I'm not saying anything is somehow 'the best there is'. That wouldn't be true. But there is gear that works well in an awful lot of contexts, and more importantly, pleases clients with budgets that easily justify investing in great amps. Mesas simply work for that stuff.

I'm pretty sure that my Mesas helped me support my family and put three kids through college. YMMV

 

[DISTORT6]

See this is why my Mesa is “plug & play”.*

*other than the Mark series.

 

[László]

*other than the Mark series.

I'll disagree. I found my Mark V sheer simplicity to set up. Granted, I've spent 30 years plus sitting in front of recording consoles, and that makes amps seem like child's play.

Nonetheless, we are ALL different!

One person's 'this is hard' is the next person's 'whaddaya mean, this is crazy-simple'!

 

[DISTORT6]

I'll disagree. I found my Mark V sheer simplicity to set up. Granted, I've spent 30 years plus sitting in front of recording consoles, and that makes amps seem like child's play.

Nonetheless, we are ALL different!

One person's 'this is hard' is the next person's 'whaddaya mean, this is crazy-simple'!

I’m still not happy with my MarkIV. Close, just not there. This has been going on for years. It’s literally the ONLY amp I haven’t been able to dial in a tone that I’m 100% comfortable with.
Someday. Then again, maybe I’m just not a Mark guy and I’m too stubborn to admit it.

Ever try a MarkIV, Les?

 

[Chris Martin]

See this is why my Mesa is “plug & play”.

Well **** speaking of Mesas I will say I own and live my TC50 and I know it doesn’t get used as much as it should lol!

 

[Gtrbldr]

Yeah, they are not that hard to dial in, if you know what their strenghts are. Have had mark series amps as well and found them easy enough. Great, cutting tone. Even the F50 was great: it just had to be cranked. And that is the reason I got rid of it: got myself a baby daughter

 

[trisd]

I’m still not happy with my MarkIV. Close, just not there. This has been going on for years. It’s literally the ONLY amp I haven’t been able to dial in a tone that I’m 100% comfortable with.
Someday. Then again, maybe I’m just not a Mark guy and I’m too stubborn to admit it.

Ever try a MarkIV, Les?

I have stuck with my MKIVb. One thing that I have found is that running an EQ pedal such as a Boss GE7 either in front of the amp or in the loop really unlocks the full potential of the amp. I find that some very subtle EQ tweaks can make all the difference. Channel 2 is the unsung hero there are a lot of unique tones that you just can't get out of any other Mesa MK amp.

 

[Moondog Wily]

I got my Axe FXIII Turbo in December of 2021. It was the first modeler I had ever owned, and I had only owned one pedal and 3 amps prior to that purchase (I know, what a noob, right?). I spent the first 3-4 months tweaking that unit to a point where I had my 8 tones on the same preset (one footswitch for each) and I have since tweaked very little. The only time now I am tweaking is when a new firmware comes out for the AXe FXIII and then it is usually volume level adjustments on the amps (tone is generally not affected). Believe me, this was a conscious effort and decision to stop from wanting to explore! The thing I LOVE about the Axe is being able to fine tune nearly every electric component on a pedal or amp or cabinet. With basically zero years and zero knowledge of the classic setups, I now have hundreds of classic amps, pedal and cabinets at my disposal that I can tweak beyond the levels available on the original hardware versions (like putting tubes in a classic amp that normally would not fit in the physical world, on which I have spent hours playing with tube variations on classic amps)! The purists claim that they can tell the difference, and that may be so, but I have heard no talk of people taking that beloved cabinet they have used for years for their custom tube amp tone, and hooked a modeler and "non flavoring" amp together with a Axe FXIII, and still claim they can tell the difference. Most of what I have seen is people using a modeler with some powered FRFR's, and comparing that to a classic head with a 4x12 (or 2x12 or whatever). Anybody who has ever studied the physics of sound reproduction understands that 4 speakers of size/make X driven by amp Z mounted in cabinet Y is not going to sound the same as self powered FRFR's given the same signal source and amplification levels, but the Axe FXIII does a really good job of making that possible with the right tweaks. I would love to see a truly blind scientific experiment to determine whether the perceptions with the most recent Axe FXIII could be discerned from the original amp/cab setup on any reasonable level with all other parameters set to equal (especially the cabinet used to ultimately produce the waves in the room). As far as Steve Vai is concerned, the Axe FXIII is a "Monster" and the only reason he does not use the amps and cabs on that unit is classically he was not comfortable with the latency of the amps/cabs, not with them being able to faithfully reproduce the sounds. I believe a lot of that has changed over the past two years as the Fractal Audio Systems team is releasing updates almost monthly (sometimes weekly) to make everything sound better and respond faster than ever before. What if PRS had programmable pickups that they could adjust to sound like other pickups based on code changes, and they gave you updates and new pickups that could be emulated on a weekly or monthly basis, how cool would that be? Being able to swap your pickups for ones that you like better or are more suited, that is what the Axe FX is doing as a modeler. Long and short is, I LOVE my Axe FXIII as much as I love my PRSi, and that says a LOT!!!!!! If I ever have a technician to run my whole system, bring on the old tube amps, but I will be using the Axe FXIII to decide which ones I would even consider, which in itself is full payback on the money spent on one of these units! Play more, tweak less, but take advantage of the technology that will ultimately (and may already in many cases) bury the classic hardware paradigm!!! Vive la code!