Even some of the most steadfast traditionalists have made the switch from real amps to digital alternatives in recent years – and , we’re looking at you – but for many making the leap, it can be a daunting experience. Neural DSP's , for instance, hinges its sales pitch on the prospect of “limitless sound design possibilities”, with 90+ amps, 100+ effects, and an IR count comfortably into the thousands. For guitarists who are used to a two-channel tube amp at most, it's easy to get lost in those endless realms of tonal choice.
Speaking to retailer Thomann, Polyphia virtuosos Tim Henson and Scott LePage helpfully revealed their cheat sheet for navigating these extremely versatile machines. “We were children getting the [Line 6] POD Farm,” Henson recalls. “It's pretty user-friendly and it goes hard, but going from the POD Farm to the [Fractal] Axe-Fx Ultra – you can change the tubes of the amp.
There were so many details you could change that you really needed to know what the hell you were doing.” LePage underscores that the “moral of the story is, 'Don't overthink it,'” as both maestros learned to trust presets and the boffins who took the time to make them. “User error is what happened when we tried to get in there and do all the details.
.. [but] they already did that for us – that's why they made presets,” says Henson.
“So many of our songs [use presets]. Like I think it was recorded on preset 41 [of the Axe-Fx Ultra]. It was just called ‘Bo.
