The Effects
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Some of the amps simulated do not have the full complement of tone controls. In those cases setting
the control to 12:00 replicates the original. For example, some early amps did not have Mid
controls. To capture the original faithfully simply set the control to ‘0’. Adjust the control as desired
to achieve new and different tones.
Be careful in setting the tone controls as extreme settings along with high gain can cause pickup
squealing or excessive noise. This is especially true with the active controls.
PRES -
Power amp presence control. This control boosts (or cuts) the upper frequencies from the
power amp simulator by varying the negative feedback frequency response. Increasing this can help
your sound “cut” through a heavy mix. This control actually has a greater range than a standard
presence control. Values greater than zero behave like a typical tube amp, values less than zero
actually reduce the high-frequency response even further.
If the Damping is set to zero this control is converted to a high-shelf equalizer at the output of the
power amp. This allows you to control the high-frequency response of the power amp for types that
don’t have any negative feedback.
DEEP -
Power amp deep control. This control boosts the low frequencies from the power amp
simulation by varying the negative feedback frequency response. Defaults to an appropriate value
when the amp type is selected but may be overridden by the user.
DAMP -
This controls the amount of negative feedback, or damping, in the power amp simulation.
Higher values give a tighter and brighter sound but can sound harsh at very high master volume
levels. Lower values give a loose and gritty sound and feel. Each amp type defaults to a its own
value but you may override the default value with this control. For example, a Top Boost amp has
no negative feedback and as a result a unique tonal character. You can override the default damping
and dial in some negative feedback to give the power amp a more “American” sound but still retain
the preamp voicing.
SAG -
This controls how dynamic the power amp simulation behaves. Higher settings simulate
higher power supply impedance and thus more droop in the tube plate voltages which leads to a
more compressed feel.
This control interacts with the Master Volume control in that at low Master Volume settings this
control will have little effect as the power amp is not being pushed. As the power amp is pushed and
draws more virtual current from its virtual power supply the Sag control will have more effect.
NOTE: Turning this control fully CCW defeats the power amp simulation. If you are using the Axe-Fx
into an external tube power amp and cabinet you may want to set this control to zero to defeat the power
amp simulation.
MSTR VOL - This, the Master Volume, is a very important control. It determines the drive to the
power amp simulator. A higher setting increases the distortion contributed by the power amp
simulator. As the Master is turned up the entire character of the amp will change, just like the real
thing. The tone controls will have less influence on the sound, and the sound will “bloom” more and
be more touch sensitive.
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