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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
- How do I make my TriAxis sound like the Pro's I
hear ?
- Where can I find .TriAxis Downloads?
- Why doesn't the TriAxis Download program work on my
PC?
- Who is Tony McKenzie?
- What is Tube Biasing?
- When are the TriAxis Downloads being Updated ?
It's a good question with many answers!
FIRSTLY - the TriAxis can be set up with many different sounds - make sure that
the sounds within the unit are what you like - a simple statement, but unless
you know how to change them with memory dumps, then it's twiddle time on the
front controls. Unfortunately that is probably NOT the way to do things - the
sounds you hear will be dependent on the other items in your rack including the
amp used.
So what's the answer? Follow these steps to Nirvana sound (and I don't mean the
band!)
- Buy the right Power amp for your sound - the best with the TriAxis is
the Mesa Boogie 2:90. Most people get along fine with this overall sound,
but you may not... but I guess you would. I have also tried various other
amps including the massive Marshall 100/100, but that sound was more like a
Marshall amp on steroids. Other amps like combo's etc dont really hack it.
- Download the sound uploader from HERE and
install it on your computer. This program was for win 95 - some people
complain that it will not work on XP - but if you set it up correctly in 95
emulation mode it probably will work ok. Setup the midi cables to the
TriAxis. Now download some presets HERE and
upload them to the TriAxis. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SAVED THE OLD SETTINGS FIRST!
- Now listen, listen and listen again to the sounds from the TriAxis. Find
the ones you like best - there are literally hundreds to go through and all
are worth the listen. I developed my own - and these took 3-4 months of work
to get the sounds that I think are killer - do it the easy way - download
from tonymckenzie.com and choose the pro sounds you need.
- Use the speakers you intend to use live when evaluating the downloaded
sounds - the difference can be amasing. For example, I always use two cabs
of the 1x12 250 watts type closed backs - this gives me a good lead sound
live, but it may well not be your sound - remember smaller cabs = less
bottom end!
- One last thing - it's unlikely that you will sound exactly like your
favorite guitar hero, but you will come VERY close.
TriAxis downloads are saved sound files that you can use to upload to your
TriAxis preamp. It's not a new idea - but saves you months of work in developing
sounds from scratch - the TriAxis IS complex. See the previous question for more
info.
The TriAxis program was written many years ago when Windows 95 was the flavor
of the month - but things in the computer world move on at an alarming rate. We
saw Windows 98, then Windows Millennium, then Windows 2000 and now Windows XP -
Bill Gates really does have something to answer for here - most of these
operating systems are incompatible in one way or another. For the program to
work on XP systems you MUST set the program to run under Windows 95 emulation
mode - or it simply will not work. Checkout
www.microsoft.com about how to do this - it's not difficult, but I don't
have the inclination to support Bill - he does not pay me!
Tony McKenzie (not Richieblackmore.com, vai.org.uk, jimipage.org.uk,
yngwie.org.uk or many others) owns this website. You might have found your way
here by 'searching' for one of the other names associated with this website -
and for that we make no apologies! This site - tonymckenzie.com, triaxis.co.uk,
bigdan.com (and others) is visited by many thousands of visitors - because of
these names and often because people who visit this site come back to it time
and time again. It's rather like finding something by accident (well nearly) and
deciding that your find was rather good - and with links to other sites from
here you will be interested in some of the info available.
Tony Mckenzie has operated this site since early 2000 or thereabouts and when
the site was launched it used to get about 50 hits a month! But these days the
site is enjoyed by many and is even sometimes recommended by Mesa Boogie (so
we're told).
Because Tony Mckenzie is a technical guy, you can benefit from his
experiences of how he applied his ability to problems he encountered with
different products while he was building his sound canvas. You can also listen
to Tony's music on this site and hopefully you will like it - but if you don't -
nobody minds either way. Remember if just 1 person in 1000 likes the music
- Tony would be a household name - and so would you!
Tube amps are a very old technology and are difficult beasts to handle -
especially if you don't know what you are doing. Inside the power amp is
typically voltages ranging from just 12 volts to 440 Volts+ in DC - which will
easily kill you - especially if you get electrocuted with both hands. You will
see the 'old' Television guys working with one hand in their pocket - it's not
because they enjoy themselves - it's to stay alive!
So - inside the power amp is a thing called a tube - or in the UK a valve.
Actually there's probably at least two, four, six or eight tubes. Each 'pair' of
tubes works (in the simplest way of describing) like a route to the next pair -
or in a push-pull mode of operation.
But these tubes need to have a particular voltage set to the most efficient
to drive the tube correctly - this is known as the Bias voltage. Often there is
a small adjuster to change the bias voltage - not enough bias voltage and the
tube runs cold and does not distort well, too much bias voltage and the tube
will distort early (in a less musical way) and reduce the life of the tube. So
it's IMPORTANT to get it right.
There are many amps out there, and the bias voltages are often very different
for each amp - so a guess is not usually a very good idea. Other problems exist
- for example Mesa Boogies don't use a pot or adjuster for bias voltage change -
instead they use a resistor. Mesa say that by using their tubes you don't need
to set a bias for the amp - just buy the tubes as matched pairs or sets, plug
them in and away you go (and away they go with your money - they cost the earth
in the UK).
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Of course, there are amps which are easy to set - such
as the Marshall TSL series - these amps have a adjuster on the back of
the amp. You will need some way of measuring the voltage - and the best
method (and safest I have found) is to use a bias master from
www.tubeampdoctor.com - this will save you hours and be completely
safe if you follow the instructions. This unit Measures BIAS current
of any 6L6GC, 5881, KT66, EL34, KT88, 6550 etc. in your amp. Includes
4 octal probes (2x BMA2) and operation manual.
Last time I checked this unit cost about £100.00, but you can use it
over and over again - and they sell just the sockets themselves (shown
here is a quad set) so that you can use a simple volt meter to check
your voltages of the bias of your amp.
It's a good idea to check out the bias reasonably often to ensure the
correct sound from your power amp - the difference can be amasing.
Tube Amp Doctor also sells TAD Tubes - in my view these are as good
as it gets - put them in a marshall amp and the amp is so different -
it's radically better!
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Remember - the tubes themselves vary in quality - Tony only uses TAD tubes in
his Marshall amp - check them out below.
Now there's a question - TriAxis downloads updates! Sometimes guys contact us
and want to offer their own sounds to be offered free from this site - and we
always accept these files for re-distribution. We don't get as many these days,
but if you have put time behind the presets, and have saved them with the
utility, we would be happy to help - just email them to
info@tonymckenzie.com with info about
the presets - and about you and hey presto - they will make it to this site.
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