8,720
edits
Changes
m
→Patch-building Tips
I divide my tone hunt into several groups: amp selection, cab/mic selection, pre-EQ'ing, gain staging, amp EQ'ing, post-EQ'ing, amp DEP's, cab DEP's, and effects. I usually approach any patch in that order, but as the patch comes together I start jumping around and making various improvements.
I start by choosing what I think is the ideal amp model - that also clues me in to whether I want to pre-EQ the amp, and how I want to do so. For instance, I know if I want a really warm tone, I'll use a Tube Drive, and if I want it to have a nice crunch I'll use a Marshall amp. Try to familiarize yourself with how each amp is affected by pre-EQ'ing using EQ's, the Tube Drive, Line 6 Drive, Q Filter, and the Screamer effects - those are the main filter/boosts you're likely going to use, and they have more impact on tone than the Amp or Cab DEP's, post-EQ'ing, or other effects. If I'm going for an artist's tone, I try to match his rig as a starting point.
For a direct tone, if you need a lot of effects (or expensive effects like pitch shifting or spring reverb), you probably won't have enough DSP to do a dual amp setup, so you can use dual cabs. Otherwise, I recommend you try a dual cab configuration. It takes a bit more time to dial in, but the tone is worth the payoff. See here for instructions to set that up. If you are running to a real amp or using external IR's, don't worry about dual cabs, or dual amps in general.