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Recommendation for presets with clean sustain


RandallBSmith
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I have made presets for my Helix for mainly playing a round, warm tone through a D'Angelico Excel EXL1. For me they work very well, but I also play a PRS guitar and an Ernie Ball JP6. On those two I still have the Helix presets structured such that the base tone is warm, but would like to add a snapshot for each with clean sustain. I don't want the tone to have "crunch." Does anyone have recommendations for a preset with clean sustain, or ideas about distortion blocks or other approaches to get such a tone?

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1 hour ago, RandallBSmith said:

I have made presets for my Helix for mainly playing a round, warm tone through a D'Angelico Excel EXL1. For me they work very well, but I also play a PRS guitar and an Ernie Ball JP6. On those two I still have the Helix presets structured such that the base tone is warm, but would like to add a snapshot for each with clean sustain. I don't want the tone to have "crunch." Does anyone have recommendations for a preset with clean sustain, or ideas about distortion blocks or other approaches to get such a tone?

 

Well if you want sustain but no crunch, a distortion box won't help you. Try a compressor at the beginning of the chain. 

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Alternatively, depending on what kind of tone you're wanting, I've sometimes used the Teemah with a very low drive setting (around 1 or 2).  Still very clean but with a tiny bit of bite that allows it to sustain and stand out.  It also lets you adjust the tone for more presence.

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Finding the amp channel that gets the clean sound you want is a great place to start. Some of the amp models just clean up better than others. Sometimes setting the sag or bias differently can help to clean things up. Using the 'Channel Vol" or bumping up the level on the Output block can give you more volume but keep the tone clean.  Setting the 'Headroom' to max on the delays can help clean things up as well.

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23 hours ago, RandallBSmith said:

... would like to add a snapshot for each with clean sustain. I don't want the tone to have "crunch." Does anyone have recommendations for a preset with clean sustain...

 

There are already some great suggestions above... I'll add another approach.

  • Setup a great sounding clean up... myself, I gravitate to the Fender Deluxe Normal channel, but there are many great amps to choose. 
  • After the amp place an LA Studio Comp.... Increase the peak reduction on the Studio Comp to increase sustain yet retain a very natural tone and feel. (as you turn that up, you may also need to increase the level to compensate for any volume loss)

Something like a dyna comp or Kinky Comp in front of the amp is similar as they are "compressors/sustainers"... but they are easy to over due. I find the LA Studio Comp or the 3-Band comp after the amp is much more subtle, yet still gets the job done. 

 

 

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>> Grab it, third scene (ready for you ;) ) https://line6.com/customtone/tone/4398233/

 

That's way better than my effort with the Uber so far... I hadn't turned the preamp gain down enough and was thinking 'meh, doesn't clean up enough' (d'oh). You are right, the Uber can be made to give a great clean tone. So thanks again for the tip. That said, the Hiwatt does a nice one as well, but there's room in the world for both of them :-)

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5 minutes ago, BBD_123 said:

>> Grab it, third scene (ready for you ;) ) https://line6.com/customtone/tone/4398233/

 

That's way better than my effort with the Uber so far... I hadn't turned the preamp gain down enough and was thinking 'meh, doesn't clean up enough' (d'oh). You are right, the Uber can be made to give a great clean tone. So thanks again for the tip. That said, the Hiwatt does a nice one as well, but there's room in the world for both of them :-)

Welcome! Just saying, the Hiwatt is also great for metal! And the engl fireball awesome for clean jazz. ( Been messing with some crazy stuff out there! )

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6 minutes ago, arislaf said:

Welcome! Just saying, the Hiwatt is also great for metal! And the engl fireball awesome for clean jazz. ( Been messing with some crazy stuff out there! )

 

For sure about the Hiwatt for metal - it's got muscle in the low and mid and bite at the top. It's a monster amp, really :-) And as for the crazy stuff, this is the new world you get with modelling, isn't it? I'd have sold a kidney for this when I was 20 :-)

 

 

 

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24 minutes ago, BBD_123 said:

 

For sure about the Hiwatt for metal - it's got muscle in the low and mid and bite at the top. It's a monster amp, really :-) And as for the crazy stuff, this is the new world you get with modelling, isn't it? I'd have sold a kidney for this when I was 20 :-)

 

 

 

Honestly, not a new world for me, as i started with pod xt and flextone 3, and my 3rd guitar was a variax 700. Never had a tube amp, never will, since i get what i want (and much more !) from digital. Swapping cabs was the most common thing we get from modelers back then (2005) and trust me, I loved to pair a JCM 800 with the 2x2 mini speakers of a small fender they had back then just for the shake of it!  If L6 will implant the separate power amps (my last wish for helix), i will finally have the exact settings of my dream amp (a jtm 45 pre into the vox ac30 power amp) and will get much more crazier stuff than I already do 3:) muahahahaha

 

P.s. Sorry to hijack the thread OP

 

P.s. 2 Like my kidneys as they are, I am a failed musician and I am destroying my kindeys from the water we have onboard (seaman is my job), 

 

Just kidneying :D

 

P.s. 3 Try to run the preamp( normal) int the full version of the ac30 (fawn bright) with the greenback cabs and you will get what I mean :)

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1 hour ago, arislaf said:

Honestly, not a new world for me, as i started with pod xt and flextone 3, and my 3rd guitar was a variax 700.

 

God I feel old now ;-)

 

You kidz don't know how hard it was for us old folk back in the day :-)

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23 hours ago, codamedia said:

 

There are already some great suggestions above... I'll add another approach.

  • Setup a great sounding clean up... myself, I gravitate to the Fender Deluxe Normal channel, but there are many great amps to choose. 
  • After the amp place an LA Studio Comp.... Increase the peak reduction on the Studio Comp to increase sustain yet retain a very natural tone and feel. (as you turn that up, you may also need to increase the level to compensate for any volume loss)

Something like a dyna comp or Kinky Comp in front of the amp is similar as they are "compressors/sustainers"... but they are easy to over due. I find the LA Studio Comp or the 3-Band comp after the amp is much more subtle, yet still gets the job done. 

 

 

 

I often use exactly this approach with dual compressors. I usually put the stomp type compressor at the beginning of the chain but after any wah/touchwah effects so I don't kill the dynamics before I hit the wah, as always though rules are meant to be broken.

 

On 4/28/2019 at 3:23 AM, DunedinDragon said:

Alternatively, depending on what kind of tone you're wanting, I've sometimes used the Teemah with a very low drive setting (around 1 or 2).  Still very clean but with a tiny bit of bite that allows it to sustain and stand out.  It also lets you adjust the tone for more presence.

 

As DD pointed out the Teemah remains one of the best OD models for adding some clean punch but many of the other OD/Distortion models, particularly the less dirty ones can also be used to increase sustain, tone, and level as he recommended by lowering or zeroing out their drive settings, increasing their level, and working the tone settings.

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