In late 2005, Tons of Tones !! ® started study of MFX units by the major manufacturers. The aim was
to use our existing expertise in PA Amplifiers and High Power Guitar Cabinets to bring some value to the MFX aftermarket.
We identified some MFX manufacturers to whom we could offer services to design Amplifier and Cabinet models with the
intention that they burn these into their units as their default factory settings.
It was then that we came across the new units from Line6 and DigiTech that allow end users to download new definitions
for new Models of Amplifiers and Cabinets via a USB connection to a PC.
Then followed eight months of efforts in studying the best way to input our existing data into the Patches files of these
advanced units.
We even wrote a Workbench Software System called the "Model Emulation Graphics System®" that analyses any Patch and graphically outputs the equivalent Transfer Curves and Equaliser
settings. All Patch Files we post are tested against MEGS® and
only released when our Head Engineer signs of the Model file. We are so proud of our MEGS® software for analysing Patches that we post its output along with most of the Patch files on our
site.
Besides analysing Amplifier Models, MEGS® allows us
to deep edit hidden parameters in Patch Files. For example our version of MEGS® for the GNX3000 allows access to
over 50 coefficients in Amplifier Models and over 36 coefficients in Cabinet models that are not accessible via X-edit v1.3.
During the process of studying Amplifier Models and our MEGS® software,
we made an exciting discovery quite by accident. One of our Junior Programmers was in the process of entering in data
about a particular Amplifier into a Patch File. Each Amplifier has over 150 parameters so the process streched
across his lunch break. When he returned from his lunch break, he made a mistake and entered the remaining parameters from
a different Amplifier than what he started out with.
When our Quality Control team was testing this Amplifier Model against the real thing, it was rejected at once as not
matching the target Amplifier in tone and dynamics.
But it sounded good !!
And it sounded different than all the real amps in our Labs !!
Not being the kind of person who just lets such things pass, Our Head Engineer studied this further and discovered that
our Junior Programmer had just modelled an Amplifier that only existed in our imagination.
We discussed this at length with some of the famous names in our industry. We found that Roger Linn does have many such
imaginary Amplifiers in his famous AdrenaLinn II unit ( called the "Roger Linn Design" series of imaginary Amplifiers)
Even DigiTech have already programmed Models of many non-existant Amplifiers into their Factory settings. Their US Patent
proudly mentions their ability to generate models for Amplifiers that have yet to be physically built !!
These Models use the normal rules of Amplifier and Cabinet design but can emulate Amps/Cabs that still dont exist today
due to a variety or reasons including costs, physical dimensions, limits of materials available today, limits on analog electronics.
The very reason that Effects were invented since the late 1950s was because Guitarists were interested in new sounds
and tones. They wanted to experiment, they wanted to sound different than the other bands.
In recognition of the above, we decided to pay more importance to programming in Amplifier Models based on the revered
originals but limited only by the higher technology of the digital MFX unit rather than the older technology of the original
Amplifier.
For example, an original Amplifier from the 1950s might have only a basic tone control. The DigiTech GNX series
have three different series of Parametric Equalisers leading to a total of over thirteen bands. Why use only one of the Equaliser
bands to emulate the original Amplifier's tone control when we can now use all thirteen bands to model an imaginary Amplifier
that is BETTER THAN THE ORIGINAL ?
If modern CDs and MP3's can record higher frequencies than older Vinyl's, why limit a Model's frequency response to 8KHz
like the original Amplifier ? We found that if we model all the way to the limits of the MFX unit ie 21KHz, we can sound way BETTER
THAN THE ORIGINAL !!
So there you have it, Our Models sound better than most because we push the Models to the limit of the Digital MFX modeller,
not to the limits of an original Amplifier of 1950's design.
It also helps that we enter in, on an average, over 150 different parameters into each Amplifier Model and over
120 parameters into each Cabinet Model that we release !!
