XT Live: Stomp effects greatly alter the tone [solved]

[NebWeb]

When I have a nice tone with the amp modelling bypassed (just going through my Roland Cube amp), most of the stomp effects detract from that tone quite a bit.

 

When I have a nice tone using the amp modelling, the tone change is even more apparent, especially when also using the cabinets/mics.
Many of the stomp effects suck all the tone out, and make my 30w/10" amp sound like a 5w amp at the bottom of a swimming pool. :)

 

So say I'm cooking with a great clean/crunchy sound, and I want to enable the stomp to get a little more energy and sustain for the chorus or solo. however, the stomp effects sound tonally different in comparison to my clean/crunch sound, and not in a good way! Therefore, instead of just enabling/disabling the stomp on that patch, I feel like I have to create an entirely new patch that has different modelling and settings, just to allow for the stomp effect.

 

I don't mind doing that, but it seems a bit convoluted. One of the reasons I bought this pedalboard was because I loved the idea of using the amp/stomp/mod/delay switches to alter the current patch slightly during a song, rather than switching to an entirely different patch.

 

Does anyone else have this problem?

[daveny5]

No. You're either doing something wrong or you just don't like the effects. Every effect can be modified to your liking, but you have to change the settings. If not, maybe it's not for you.

[NebWeb]

Thanks for your reply. I guess what I'm finding out is that many cab/stomp combinations don't work well.

 

I don't think i'm doing anything disastrously wrong. I'm using a Yamaha RGX721DG (750€ in 1999) and a 30w Roland cube (350€ in 2004).

1) Set up my clean, neutral sound with everything on the XT bypassed (tone is good enough to use for finger picking in its own right).

2) Set up an amp model. In this case: Nº1 Tube Preamp with a blackface cab. A great strumming clean with a little more grit and response than bypassed.

3) Add a little delay and reverb to thicken the sound on both the Roland and XT. Add a little compression to even out my fingerpicking/strumming.

4) Add a little EQ to roll off some of the bass below 200Hz, and add a smudge at 1.5k, just to even out the tone across the range.

Switching between the Roland clean and the XT clean is really nice. Loving it at this point.

 

Then I turn my attention to the stomp effect, wanting to set-up a crunchy overdrive that I can use to lift choruses, or a distortion that I can use for lead.

But when I do this, the tone is completely ruined and it sounds terrible, like a tiny practice amp.

I didn't expect this, because I've plugged pedals like Boss DS-1 into many different combo amps, and they always sound decent.

 

It is better when I take out the cabinet model and use just the amp model. Better still when I bypass the amp model too, and just use the Roland.

I notice that a lot, if not most, downloaded patches use the amp/cabinet setting to get their crunch/distortion, instead of using a stomp effect.

I think some of these digital effects are combining in a way that I'm not used to.

 

You don't seem to have this problem though? You can add the fuzz/distortion effects to any amp/cab model and it keeps most of the tone?

Do you have any particular method of setting up a patch, and choosing amps/cabs that go well with the stomp effects?

[daveny5]

For example, on my go to patch I use the Citrus model, with the Screamer stomp set at 35% Drive, 35% Gain and 50% Tone. A little overdrive or distortion goes a long way. 

[NebWeb]

Do you use a cabinet with the Citrus?

I guess I will just keep experimenting, and will get a better idea of what combinations of amp/cab/stomp sound good.

[guitar_lover]

does anyone know how to get slipknot iowa guitar tone on pod xt live? I'm using peavy rage 158 amp. the slipknot tone on iowa is just so crunchy and good.