Hi guys. I’m a looking for some advice. Just bought the tone king preamps to run through the fx loops of my quad cortex. However I noticed they sound fizzy when run through the quad cortex as opposed to how they should sound if I run through directly to my Genelec monitors. I am using decent xlr cables. I am a novice with this stuff so am hoping for some guidance.
can you show us your grid if anything else is running in series with the preamps?
You are using an FX Loop block to route the preamps onto the grid; have you adjusted the Send and Return levels of the FXLoop block?
FX Loop Send Default- is Line level/unity gain. For un-amplified devices (preamps/pedals, etc) you need Instrument Level, so lower the QC FX Loop Send Level accordingly (-5dB is usually sufficient)
The chain is as follows:
Compressor > overdrive block>fx loop>reverb
The overdrive block is only used when needed. This happens even when it’s not on.
I’ll give you tips a try.
does that preamp have built-in IRs/cabinet emulations? If so, are you using them? (if not, you’ll want a Cabinet Block on the grid after the preamp in the Loop)
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It does have in built irs and so far that’s all I’ve been using.
The QC is most likely boosting your signal into the preamp pedal. This is partly because the FX loop boosts the signal by at least 4db. This could overload the front end of your preamp pedal, or mean you should adjust the settings on it to compensate for more input signal.
You should check the I/O menu to make sure your signal isn’t clipping with the FX Loop. If the meters for the FX loop are hitting red, then you’ll need to adjust the input or output. It’s very possible your gain staging isn’t set correct, and the compressor + overdrive block are boosting the signal.
Another idea is the way your compressor block is set. Maybe try bypassing it. Honestly, I see tons of people adding compressor blocks to their chain because they think they need to. It’s the easiest way to kill your dynamics, and not realize it. It does not need to be always on. If you you look at the setup for many guitarists you’ll see they don’t always have a compressor on, OR they know how to set it properly for their sound. Just adding a compressor will easily neuter your sound, or boost it unintentionally.
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Is the loop set for 100% mix? If not, some signal will be feeding thru without a cab, that’s usually the cause of a “fizzy” tone.
Try experimenting with a Cab Block just to compare (bypass the TK IR)
What % of the mix would you ideally let through? Or is it a case of what your ears like?
It needs to be 100%
Yeah, definitely 100% if you’re shooting for a guitar amp tone. Mixing in the dry signal with no cab/IR will really fight with that sort of tone