I. Top Ten Tweaks

1. Pre-EQ

Whether you use a distortion or EQ effect, pre-EQ'ing is the secret to getting the amp tone you want from the stock amps. You can remove mud or grit, make the tone warmer or more djenty, or draw out other nuances from the amp models.

2. Mid-Focus EQ

Using this behind the amp/mixer is great to roll-off excessive high-end and to dial in the perfect low-end. This is very helpful when using the SM57 on axis mic, or other excessively bright tones. It also works great to pre-EQ an amp - you can dial in exactly how much low-end flub and high-end grit to remove. You can also use it to set the final patch volume.

3. Res. Level Cab DEP

This really lets you fine-tune the cab tone, reducing some resonance to get more clarity and crispness from the cab, or increasing it to change the frequency response and add smoothness.

4. Decay Cab DEP

At first I wasn't sure how to use this, but now I use it all the time to thicken up an otherwise-thin tone. Turn it up to add a bit more punch to your attack.

5. Bias X Amp DEP

I find this is the secret knob to make your amp sound more vowel-y, where the notes sound like they're blooming. Turn it up for killer leads.

6. Tube Drive

Whether used as the main distortion stage, or just to warm up the tone before the amp, this effect keeps the tone sounding like a natural guitar tone. I find it can really draw out the warm mids in front of a Marshall, without causing it to lose any bite.

7. Cab/Mic Selection

While I tend to gravitate towards a few select cabs and mics, there are a lot of nuances in the cab/mic models that make them each unique. Sometimes a cab or mic change puts the patch over the top, especially once dialed in using the Cab DEP's.

8. Parametric EQ

Whether used as pre-EQ or post-EQ, this effect is perfect to dial in exactly the boost or dip you want. You can use it for small annoying frequencies, like fizz or low-end drone, or set it real wide to completely shift the frequency response.

9. Dual Cabs

The secret to how I get my tones to sound full-range yet crystal clear using the onboard cab/mic modeling is to use dual cabs. I'll use the XXL for its low-end punch and warmth and a brighter cab that has a clean midrange and high-end response. I can use the SM 57 on axis mic on both, and the tone comes out thick and full, rather than thin and fizzy.

10. Input Settings

I'm a Input 2: Variax fanboy now. For a while I just didn't hear the difference, but after some serious A/B'ing, I almost always use Input 2: Variax now. Input 2: Guitar/Same doesn't just deliver higher signal levels - it seems to have one of the signals slightly delayed, causing comb filtering and mushier tone. Using a null input like Variax gets me crisper tone. I use a mono-summing effect in front the path split to guarantee Channel B gets a signal when I have dual amps/cabs. Any Dynamic or Distortion effect should work.

As for impedance, I like to set this manually per patch. For some patches, turning it down to 230 K can dial out some grit to my tone, where I don't have the DSP necessary to pre-EQ some highs out. Also, rather than let the first effect set the impedance, sometimes I want to override it to a higher setting. For my darker guitar, I like to use 3.5 M to compensate, not 1 M which is the default for most effects when using Auto. Also, a real Tube Screamer is 500 K impedance, not 230 K which the Pod uses. So I prefer to use 1 M and trim its treble parameter rather than use 230 K.

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