Lost my sound!

[sephuk]

I left my gear set up over Christmas in the studio as there was not going to be many bands in but sum C***T has been having a little play with my settings on everything now i cant find my sound
i had been tweeking for about a year and finally got a sound that cuts through the synths 3 guitars theremin and drums nicely but at the moment all i can manage is a muffled mess or some thing with to much treble

my chain is;

Fender jazz > boss tuner > hartke bass attack > boss limiter/enhancer > woolly mammoth > akai headrush 2 > boss RV-3 > AMP (ashdown)

is it best to start by getting a good sound on the amp head, then the bass attack then the limiter enhancer? Its just that the sound from the amp itself SUX without the bass attack

[Nerotic]

Get a good clean sound, and then add pedal by pedal undtil you're satisfied.

Try your new settings out in a band mix and adjust from there..

You really can't remember ANY of your settings?

[donut]

This time, write them down.

I used to stick a strip of grey gaffa tape on each pedal with the settings marked just in case they got knocked or I was fiddling to find a different sound.

[Bassnut62]

even easier than writing 'em down, take a photo of each pedal with the camera in your phone

[neuman]

Cell phone cam.

Quality may be poopie but when I hit on a tone I really liked I snapped pics of all the pedals in the chain. This also helps when changing tones so I can get back "to where I started."

I'm too old to "just remember" anymore

[scowboy]

Agree on the pedals. They are notorious for sucking tone and the cell phone cam is a good and viable solution too!

[sephuk]

i know i suck huge balls for not writing them down!

i have the rv3 - headrush and mammoth marked on them but where i was tweaking the limiter- bass attack and amp settings i never had them on there.

so wot do ya think start with amp then preamp then limiter?

[Nerotic]

Your own suggestion seems to be the most logical approach.. So yeah, go for it!

[iamdenialNJ]

I lose my tone every time I leave band practice cause I have a bunch of friends who come over to jam (pretty much everyday). I still have not written my band settings and this has been going on since I can remember buying pedals. My main tone comes from three pedals so I guess I have it easy.

[Unrepresented]

This is a good opportunity to find out what aspects contribute to your sound. Twiddling knobs can be fun and potentially rewarding, but finding out why those knobs make your sound is much more valuable. It'll help you easily calibrate yourself to new situations, new amps, quick fixes at gigs, etc. Knowing your gear will make your life much easier.

[Happynoj]

Originally Posted by Unrepresented

This is a good opportunity to find out what aspects contribute to your sound. Twiddling knobs can be fun and potentially rewarding, but finding out why those knobs make your sound is much more valuable. It'll help you easily calibrate yourself to new situations, new amps, quick fixes at gigs, etc. Knowing your gear will make your life much easier.

+1

Also, this might be a chance to get rid of unneeded gear/weight. Ask yourself questions like, 'Do I really need the preamp and the limiter?', 'What are they contributing to my sound?', 'Why do they make me sound the way I do?', 'Why do I like that sound?'

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by donut

This time, write them down.

Hell Yes!

[Mudfuzz]

Tape!

[sephuk]

Originally Posted by Happynoj

+1

Also, this might be a chance to get rid of unneeded gear/weight. Ask yourself questions like, 'Do I really need the preamp and the limiter?', 'What are they contributing to my sound?', 'Why do they make me sound the way I do?', 'Why do I like that sound?'

i defiantly need the bass attack, the amp on its owns sounds so dry and flat, the bass attack has always been the main sound i think cos when i turn it off which i never do the amps sound is so bad