Dialing In the Blackstar Amped 1 – What I’ve Learned (and Some Starting Points for You)

  • Thread starter Thread starter SwiftReason
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SwiftReason

SwiftReason

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Here's the thing... I think the Blackstar Amped 1 is an excellent piece of gear — but it's often misunderstood.

Most of the time, that’s because players don’t know how to really dial it in. It’s not designed to be a full-featured amp modeler or a traditional tube head — it’s a modern pedal platform that thrives when used with your pedalboard, not instead of it.

That said, I’ve been using the Amped 1 as my primary amp, and after a lot of experimenting (plus a little help from AI), I’ve zeroed in on amp voicing + response combinations and CabRig settings that make a massive difference.

What makes it special?
  • It goes direct to FOH via XLR with CabRig, while still powering a real guitar cab at the same time
  • It all fits on my pedalboard — light, compact, fast to set up/tear down
  • It reacts beautifully to a well-planned pedal chain — especially overdrives, verbs, and modulation

My Setup (for context)​

I need a rig that’s:
  • Dynamic
  • Clear with ambient effects
  • Capable of rich drive when needed
  • Still mix-friendly for live FOH

Amped 1:​

  • Voice: UK
  • Response: EL34
  • Gain: 9–10 o’clock (Vox-like edge of breakup)
  • Volume: 1–2 o’clock (Power amp saturation)
  • Bass: 10 o'clock
  • Middle: 1–2 o'clock
  • Treble: 12–1 o,clock
CabRig:
  • Cab: 2x12 Classic UK Combo (Open Back)
  • Mic: 57 - Dynamic 57, Off-center (Axis button selected)
  • Cab Level: +4.6dB
  • Lo-Cut: 3.0
  • Low: 0.0
  • Low Mids: 0.0
  • High Mids: -1.5 to -2.0
  • High: +2.0 to +2.5
  • Hi-Cut: 7.0
  • Room Type: Medium Dampened
  • Stereo Width: Wide
  • Room Level: -2.5dB

This gives me a great Marshall-meets-Vox-style pedal platform, and with my pedalboard I can shape anything from shimmering cleans to gritty leads.

The full guide is too long to post so I will reply to this with the suggested starting points for amp emulations. If you're chasing specific amp tones, these are some tested Voice + Response + CabRig combinations to get you close quickly. My replies will cover Vox, Fender, Marshall and Matchless.
 
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Amped 1 VOX Emulation Settings
Amped 1 Settings (UK + EL84)
  • Voice:UK
    • Closest to Vox’s British tone stack.
  • Response:EL84
    • Vox compression, chime and harmonics.
  • Gain:10 o’clock
    • Keeps you at edge-of-breakup with clarity.
  • Volume:1:30 to 2 o’clock
    • Boosts power amp response for natural feel.
  • Bass:11 o’clock
    • Tightens up the low end.
  • Middle:1-2 o’clock
    • Adds Vox-style midrange complexity.
  • Treble:12-1 o’clock
    • Delivers that signature sparkle
CabRig Settings
  • Cabinet: 2x12 Classic UK Combo (DC30 is a 2x12)
  • Mic: 57 – Dynamic, Off-center
  • Cabinet Level: +4.4 dB
  • Lo-Cut: 2.5
  • Low: +0.5 to +1.0
  • Low Mids: +0.5 to +1.0
  • High Mids: 0.0
  • High: +2.0
  • Hi-Cut: 6.5 to 7.0
  • Room Type: Medium Dampened
  • Stereo Width: Wide
  • Room Level: -2.0 to -2.5 dB
  • Master: 0.0dB (Unity for FOH)
​
Key Vox Traits Replicated
  • Chimey highs and vocal mids
  • Touch-sensitive edge-of-breakup
  • Tight low end with open feel
Your Setup Leans Vox AC30 When:
  • Gain is kept low (9–10 o’clock) → clean headroom
  • Volume is pushed (1–2 o’clock) → amp compression/saturation
  • CabRig cab is 2x12 Open Back → same layout as a real AC30
  • EQ is tight in the bass and lifted in the high mids/highs
You Can Push It Toward AC15 Feel By:
  • Slightly increasing Gain (~10:30–11:00)
  • Slightly reducing Volume for more sag
  • Adding more Room Level in CabRig to simulate roomier, smaller amp feel
  • Choosing a Ribbon mic (if available) for smoother response
 
Amped 1 Fender Blackface Emulation Settings
Amped 1 Settings (USA + 6L6)
  • Voice:USA
    • Gives you a scooped-mid, sparkly top-end tone reminiscent of blackface Fenders.
  • Response:6L6
    • Replicates the power tube feel – high headroom, clean bloom and spongy response.
  • Gain:9 o’clock
    • Keeps it clean and open.
  • Volume:2 o’clock
    • Gives you that touch-sensitive feel.
  • Bass: 10-11 o’clock
  • Middle: 10-11 o’clock
  • Treble: 1-2 o’clock
CabRig Settings
  • Cabinet: 1x12 Classic USA Open Back (or 2x12 Vintage Open)
  • Mic: 57 – Dynamic, Off-center
  • Cabinet Level: +3.8 dB
  • Lo-Cut: 2.5
  • Low: +0.5 to +1.0
  • Low Mids: -1.0 to -1.5
  • High Mids: 0.0 to +0.5
  • High: +2.0
  • Hi-Cut: 7.0
  • Room Type: Medium Dampened
  • Stereo Width: Wide
  • Room Level: -2.0 to -2.5 dB
  • Master: 0.0dB (Unity for FOH)
 
Amped 1 Marshall Emulation Settings
Amped 1 Settings (UK + EL34)
  • Voice:UK
    • Best matches the British EL34 tone stack (Marshall DNA).
  • Response:EL34
    • Iconic Marshall tube type – bold, tight, mid-heavy.
  • Gain:12-1 o’clock
    • Natural amp distortion begins here (especially for Plexi or JCM800).
  • Volume:1-2 o’clock
    • Simulates pushed power section breakup.
  • Bass:10 o’clock
    • Keeps low end punchy without mud.
  • Middle:2 o’clock
    • Marshall lives in the mids.
  • Treble:2 o’clock
    • Top-end bite – essential for cut.
CabRig Settings
  • Cabinet: 4x12 Classic UK
  • Mic: 57 – Dynamic, On-center
  • Cabinet Level: +4.8 dB
  • Lo-Cut: 3.0
  • Low: 0.0
  • Low Mids: +1.0
  • High Mids: +0.5 to +1.0
  • High: +2.0 to +2.5
  • Hi-Cut: 6.5 to 7.0
  • Room Type: Medium Dampened
  • Stereo Width: Wide
  • Room Level: -2.0 to -2.5 dB
  • Master: 0.0dB (Unity for FOH)
 
Amped 1 Matchless Emulation Settings
Amped 1 Settings (UK + EL84)
  • Voice: UK
  • Response: EL84
  • Gain: 10 o’clock
  • Volume: 1:30 to 2 o’clock
  • Bass: 11 o’clock
  • Middle: 1-2 o’clock
  • Treble: 12-1 o’clock
CabRig Settings
  • Cabinet: 2x12 Classic UK Combo (DC30 is a 2x12)
  • Mic: 57 – Dynamic, Off-center
  • Cabinet Level: +4.4 dB
  • Lo-Cut: 2.5
  • Low: +0.5 to +1.0
  • Low Mids: +0.5 to +1.0
  • High Mids: 0.0
  • High: +2.0
  • Hi-Cut: 6.5 to 7.0
  • Room Type: Medium Dampened
  • Stereo Width: Wide
  • Room Level: -2.0 to -2.5 dB
  • Master: 0.0dB (Unity for FOH)

✅ Matchless Tone Traits You’ll Achieve
  • Full, responsive midrange
  • Slightly compressed feel with great note bloom
  • Ambient effects (reverb/delay) will feel lush and controlled
 
I don’t find it difficult at all to use. It’s my main power amp for the Tonex, preamp pedals etc.
 
I’ve still got one but haven’t used it in a while . I don’t take advantage of a lot of the features it has but it’s worked great as a clean pedal platform using either the Soldano SLO pedal in the 6L6/US mode or using an AMT S1 preamp pedal in flat/linear mode. Plenty of volume too
 
hammered said:
I’ve still got one but haven’t used it in a while . I don’t take advantage of a lot of the features it has but it’s worked great as a clean pedal platform using either the Soldano SLO pedal in the 6L6/US mode or using an AMT S1 preamp pedal in flat/linear mode. Plenty of volume too
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Yes! It's great for pedals, modelers, ir cab simulators, etc! It's the full 100W through 8ohm or 16ohm. No power reduction at all.
 
angelspade said:
I tried one of these....Actually sounded pretty good for what it is.
Click to expand...
It definitely does what it is designed to do! I haven't tried the midi features on it yet because midi is an entirely different beast.
 
mbt64 said:
Great rundown.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I've been scouring the internet for detailed guides for settings but only come up with reviews and discussions from when it was first released. So I took matters into my own hands and decided to put something together that may help someone looking for answers like I was.
 
Update:

I spent some time building more presets for the Amped 1. Here is a summary of the presets. I also created actual patch files that you can load without having to put settings into cabrig yourself. All the files and a written guide with screenshots are in my google drive which I've set to share.


👉 Blackstar Amped 1 Patches 👈


Clean & Chime

1. Vox-Style EL84 Chime
Open, sparkly, and dynamic with rich mids — classic Vox tone.
Use for: Indie, worship, cinematic clean builds.

2. Matchless DC30-Inspired
Class A brilliance and chime with extra harmonic depth.
Use for: Post-rock, melodic lead, clean indie textures.

3. Fender Blackface Clean
Glass-clear highs, scooped mids, and lush low-end.
Use for: Ambient, funk, blues, clean worship.

4. Hiwatt DR103
Massive clean headroom with fast transients and punch.
Use for: Gilmour-style cleans, delay stacking, edge-of-breakup drive.


Crunch & Classic Rock

5. EL34 Vox-Punch Hybrid
Blends Vox sparkle with Marshall weight and bite.
Use for: Pop punk, alt rock, articulate rhythm.

6. Orange-Style British Drive
Gritty, mid-forward tone with fuzzy warmth.
Use for: Garage rock, indie fuzz, classic breakup.

7. Fender Tweed Deluxe
Mid-forward, saggy, vintage-style American crunch.
Use for: Early rock, blues, raw overdrive.

8. Marshall Plexi (Super Lead 1959)
Bright, loud, and aggressive — a full-stack rock machine.
Use for: Classic rock, power chords, hard rhythm.

9. Trainwreck Express
Hyper touch-sensitive amp feel with rich breakup.
Use for: Expressive lead, clean-to-mean with guitar volume.


High Gain & Boutique

10. Marshall Crunch Rock
Tight, focused mid-gain tone with vintage authority.
Use for: Alt rock, rhythm leads, 70s/80s crunch.

11. Soldano SLO-100
Smooth, fat saturation with tight low end and clarity.
Use for: Lead tones, modern fusion, 80s metal.

12. Dumble Overdrive Special
Boutique smooth drive with complex mids and dynamic bloom.
Use for: Soulful lead work, expressive chord playing.

13. Bogner Ecstasy
Modern boutique high gain — clear, tight, and wide.
Use for: Rock/metal, prog, articulate gain stacking.
 
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