stewblack Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 Spent a while fiddling with these three knobs and three switches. Something is going on but I'm not sure what! I know some people have modded theirs but I'm intrigued by the standard set up. Anyone provide a CTM for Dummies guide? Sometimes the sound alters dramatically and sometimes not in any discernable way. If I could understand what's happening I could tweak things in a less random fashion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 I think that the CTM is a passive tone control EQ, so 'flat' response something like bass, treble and mid settings at '2-10-2' rather than the 'all settings at noon'. I would accordingly start on the 2-10-2 setting and work from there. Also, the gain and master settings are essentially another layer of EQ, as some EQ settings will sound great on one gain setting but sound horrible on another at a different volume. The settings and features on the CTM are eerily similar to those of my Trace Elliot V6. On the V6, if I dramatically change the mid setting it can also change the character of the bass and treble entirely. It sounds like it might also be the case with the Ashdown. On the V6 I find that the best tone is to just ignore the 'Bright' and 'Deep' switches altogether. With the V6 it is pretty much trial and error for me. It is either the 'charm' of an all valve amp, or evidence of why smaller lightweight 'flat response' amps are now so popular! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted November 21, 2019 Author Share Posted November 21, 2019 47 minutes ago, thodrik said: I think that the CTM is a passive tone control EQ, so 'flat' response something like bass, treble and mid settings at '2-10-2' rather than the 'all settings at noon'. I would accordingly start on the 2-10-2 setting and work from there. Also, the gain and master settings are essentially another layer of EQ, as some EQ settings will sound great on one gain setting but sound horrible on another at a different volume. The settings and features on the CTM are eerily similar to those of my Trace Elliot V6. On the V6, if I dramatically change the mid setting it can also change the character of the bass and treble entirely. It sounds like it might also be the case with the Ashdown. On the V6 I find that the best tone is to just ignore the 'Bright' and 'Deep' switches altogether. With the V6 it is pretty much trial and error for me. It is either the 'charm' of an all valve amp, or evidence of why smaller lightweight 'flat response' amps are now so popular! Yes, and I really want to persist with it for those reasons! Thanks for what you said about different gain settings altering the tone, I thought I was going bonkers. It's so changeable and there are so many variables with each control seemingly acting on the other. Lovely amp regardless of whether I know how it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted November 21, 2019 Share Posted November 21, 2019 3 hours ago, stewblack said: Yes, and I really want to persist with it for those reasons! Thanks for what you said about different gain settings altering the tone, I thought I was going bonkers. It's so changeable and there are so many variables with each control seemingly acting on the other. Lovely amp regardless of whether I know how it works. Yes, not the types of amp for people that think that 'all settings to 12 o'clock' is correct and that EQ should only be used to suit the room. I like those types of amps, but the V6 is not one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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