M. Noise Gate Usage

For more details, see here.

Don't use a noise gate if you don't have to. If you do, use the Hard Gate rather than the Noise Gate effect - the Noise Gate isn't a true gate and can suck some tone out the signal. If I have to use the regular gate (for DSP limit purposes), I keep its settings low so that it's only sucking out some of the noise when I'm not playing, making sure it isn't sucking out tone when I am.

Don't set it so high that it unnaturally cuts off sustaining notes. Try to set it so the softest note you want to play opens it and a decent mute closes it. For the Hard Gate, I set the close threshold lower than the open threshold; this prevents it from jittering open and close real fast when the signal level is approximately equal to the threshold. If you don't need it to close very quickly, you can also increase the hold time off 0 ms to prevent jitter. A slight decay works well for leads or other ambient tones, but I set it to 0 ms for a tight punchy rhythm.

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N. Amp DEP's

For more detail on Amp DEP's, see the Distortion/Amp Tone Page.

Master

I tend to like this at the default 50%. Turning it up gets more compression and power amp distortion. I find I turn it up to around 65% for the J-800 model, where power amp distortion is a huge part of the tone. Most of the true high-gain amps have more headroom and turning it up just makes the tone more compressed.

Power amp distortion tends to be a little more raucous than pre-amp, so if you want the tone to be a bit edgier, you may want to try adjusting this. I've experimented a lot with this, however, and found I tend to stay close to 50%. Turning it down does get the tone closer to the pre-amp only models, which tend to be a bit smoother, but I find they're not edgy enough.

Sag

I usually leave this one alone. Turning it down can make the tone more percussive and have a stronger attack, but also makes the tone a little thinner. I generally stay within 40-60%. Outside the tone is either too thin or has poor attack (and sounds kind of unresponsive).

Hum

The main thing to take away here is that turning this up can result in ghost notes that kind of sound like an old radio. I rarely find moving this off 50% has any positive impact on tone. The one case I like to boost it is on the Uber model. Boosting a tad gets that slightly darker tone similar to a Mesa Boogie. Boosting a bit more sounds more like a 5150.

Bias

This can slightly alter the frequency response, as well as the nature of any power amp distortion you have. Boosting can get the tone to be more aggressive-sounding and more midsy. Cutting makes the tone cleaner but more scooped. This control is definitely worth experimenting with per patch.

Bias X

Controls how much the Bias floats. I tend to leave this at 50%, but I find for some models, boosting it can make notes have more of a vowel-y sound, with the tone changing as the note decays, which is necessary for a Petrucci tone. You may conversely want to set it to 0%, so the Bias stays exactly where you set it - for instance if you want to use a really hot bias and make the amp sound like it's being pummeled.

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O. Cab DEP's

For more detail on Cab DEP's, see the Cabs/Mics Page.

Low Cut

Just a high pass filter. I tend to leave this alone and use a Mid-Focus EQ instead, which gives you more control.

Res. Level

Basically how hard the cab is being pushed. I stay within 25-60% or things get weird. It can make a cab more crisp but thinner at lower settings. Some cabs vary their frequency response on adjustments. I like to boost it for the XXL to get more mids.

Thump

Controls low-end resonance. I find this control works well to control how boomy the cab is, and it offers an alternative to the amp's bass control. I often like to turn it up to dial in some punch and warmth, as it seems focused there unlike the amp's bass control which controls the entire low end.

Decay

This is very useful to thicken up a tone. I often increase it to around 60-70% if my tone is too thin or percussive. It tends to preserve the attack, working better for that purpose than a compressor or pre-EQ.

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