TM40D --Volume difference from Clean to Crunch

New amp owner here. I love the sound, but I have a question.

I play w/ a loud punk band, and use the amp at 40 watts. I have the Crunch channel master at 12-1 oclock, but I have to have the Clean channel master all the way up, and at that point, i sort of lose the bell like chime of the (almost totally) clean sound that i would like. And then, i have my guitar volume all the way up, so the Clean channel starts to saturate more than I would like.

Any tips on how to have the Clean keep up w/ the overall volume of the Crunch?
Thank you!

Hi OP. I just replied telling you how to go about doing this with the GM40D/36 so I've deleted that and will post again, hopefully more sensibly this time.

Each channel has its own master volume control so you can keep them set to balance between channels with the Clean set almost full up, at least just before the point where you start to lose that chimey tone you want. Bear in mind what I said before about the input buffer and its secondary job as an inbuilt overdrive/distortion pedal. This happens automatically with the level of input signal so keep the signal level from your guitar or any previous pedals low enough to keep that stage clean, you can just do that by ear, and you may be able to squeeze more gain out of the Clean channel before it distorts too much.

Another trick is to set the Clean channel up with the Power Soak at 40W to give maximum power but the Crunch voice at 20W where you will get less overall volume, (not by much in truth), so you can hit the Crunch volume control harder. I believe in the TM series the Power Soak settings are also stored and called back up specific to each voice/channel. I should know that but its so long since I used my own TM36 I can't remember. If you're playing everything at 40W you must be Hellish loud, but then you did say you were a punk band of course, but can you match up with the rest of the band with a 20W Crunch or Lead channel?

I will certainly try NOT pounding the amp input w/ a hot signal from my multi FX board. I'm sure that will keep my clean ch. CLEAN.
You replied to Yordio on another post and between these methods, I'm sure i will find what I'm looking for. One thing I didn't even think to try was controlling the TM40 w/ midi, with the soaks at differening settings. Iwill spend a Saturday trying to figure that one out. Any basic tricks for telling the amp what i wanna program?
Thank you for your time and expertise with this. I appreciate it!

We would need to know what controller setup you will be using to help with that.  My experience with my own TM36 is that it was pretty restricted in terms of MIDI control, I never got round to doing it fully through not having the experience earlier with other setups.  It seemed to be pretty restricted to me at that time and that was one of the reasons I bit the bullet and grabbed a GM36 to work alongside it.  I found the new high degree of control made it such that I didn't ever go back to the TM, I just kept it as a backup which has never been needed.

Being a lot wiser in that respect nowadays and looking into it again, there are a lot of third party controllers and 'all in one' pedal boards which will perform the necessary control functions once they are told what to fire out.  There may be other members who have actually done this with a TM and their help would be invaluable as opposed to mine where I would be working from supposition.  The limited set of parameters you can control compared to a GM is:  One of the 3 channels CLEAN, LEAD, CRUNCH; FX-LOOP on/off; REVERB on/off ; POWER SOAK stages 36W, 18W, 5W, 1W or Speaker Off.  That's it!  That said each channel has its own Master Volume control of course and the Clean and the Crunch/Lead have separate tone controls so it is still pretty flexible.

What would your preferred box for controlling it be?  The FSM432 is a great piece of kit but in my honest opinion it represents overkill for the TM, unless the TM40D has expanded on the TM36 settings it offers up for control.



EDIT: Nope, just looked at the TM40D manual and it has exactly the same function set controlled by MIDI as its older sister.

Hahaha! Just checked out your other post and seen you use a Boss GT100. Any of you guys out there have experience of this pedal or one in the family?

Thanks again for your input.
Yes, I use a Boss GT 100 w/ the 4 cable method. It took the better part of a day to make sure I was sending and appropriate level to the input of the TM (the Boss is great in that respect-separate send and receive levels for the internal loop).
I find myself using 40w for the clean channel, w/ the master dimed and the gain about 12 oclock. (to get my (loud) bell-like clean)
I'm getting a MIDI cable to connect to the Boss to set up signal controls that will let me keep my pristine clean at 40w, then my crunch at 20w, so I can just about dime that master. Cuz as it sits, the crunch channel master is at 12 o'clock to be at the same level as the clean.
Fortunately, the Boss can assign it's pedals to do just about whatever needs to be done, and still kick it's own FX in/out.
I bought the footswitch, but I'm really trying to have only the Boss at my feet. (wish it were so at my job). So, it's a lot to set up beforehand, but super for the gig, and less tap dancing, while I'm thrashing a punk song.
I'll update..and prolly beg for help again, somewhere alonmg the way.

A lot of work...but the TONE!!!!!!

After much pondering I've settled on a solution. I use a MIDI cable to choose a channel and a power soak level. This is done by making 3 identical patches on the GT100, one for clean at full power, the next patch in line crunch at 20 watts and the next in line is lead at 20 watts. I only have to hit one button and still get whatever FX that are built into the patch. Patches are labeled with Cle,. Cru or LED at the end of their name.

So for this particular combo of gear, I think I have the most versatile yet simple way of using both pieces to their utmost, with only one controller at my feet.. Comments appreciated.

That's pretty much how I would have imagined it OP. Glad it is doing what you need.

You also have another option here if you can be bothered with a little bit of diy. A volume control, (just a plain small plastic box with a single pot in it and two flying leads ending in jacks, not necessarily anything as exotic as a pedal), fitted into the Fx Loop if you don't use that for too much else can offer you a second volume setting so each of those voices you have programmed can be duplicated with a lower volume. That can be useful when you just want a single sound for a whole song at rhythm and Lead levels.

I've just finally submitted to the inevitable and sold my TM36 so I'm down to the GM36 now, (as well as the two Marshalls and the Vox ). I'm actually missing it now. It sounded absolutely great when the buyer came round to try it out, much better than I remembered it. He's already posted that he loves it. Damn him!!!! Mind you, I have always said that these things are made to be used and having them just sitting around is a waste. I hope he gives it a good home.