Fractal Audio Axe-FX - this thing is a Monster

[visualrocker69]

I've owned three Shiva's in the past, and it was my main gigging amp for three very active years for me 2000-2003. I've also owned a Bogner Ecstasy Classic.

I don't miss them. You can get what you want out of the Axe-FX, it's no hype, no smoke and mirrors.

I'm actually contemplating making the switch from XTC 101B to Axe-FX.

I find it hard to believe that the Axe-FX can get the same kind of saggy, organic tone/feel as the XTC. Don't get me wrong - I WANT to believe it, and I think that it is conceivable... however, I've yet to hear clips to demonstrate this.

In fact, by far most of the clips I've heard are kinda dissapointing. Especially in cases where two lead notes are played simultaneously, the overlap sounds very harsh and digital judging by clips.

This is a good example of this:
http://one.xthost.info/adnaxefx/BOGNERRRRRRR.mp3

Now, I'm very eager to discount this as user error and not very representative of the Axe FX's potential, however, a LOT of clips I hear leave much to be desired.

This is the kind of organic feel I wish to achieve with the Axe-FX:

http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=12562
http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=9675

Scott, no, ANYONE! Please show me some clips that demonstrate that the Axe-FX is capable of the same quality of tone.

Thanks

[KingGuitar]

I'm actually contemplating making the switch from XTC 101B to Axe-FX.

I find it hard to believe that the Axe-FX can get the same kind of saggy, organic tone/feel as the XTC. Don't get me wrong - I WANT to believe it, and I think that it is conceivable... however, I've yet to hear clips to demonstrate this.

In fact, by far most of the clips I've heard are kinda dissapointing. Especially in cases where two lead notes are played simultaneously, the overlap sounds very harsh and digital judging by clips.

This is a good example of this:
http://one.xthost.info/adnaxefx/BOGNERRRRRRR.mp3

Now, I'm very eager to discount this as user error and not very representative of the Axe FX's potential, however, a LOT of clips I hear leave much to be desired.

This is the kind of organic feel I wish to achieve with the Axe-FX:

http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=12562
http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=9675

Scott, no, ANYONE! Please show me some clips that demonstrate that the Axe-FX is capable of the same quality of tone.

Thanks

Been there done that, ditched the 101B got the AxeFx Ultra, the Emperor had no clothes, had to go find another 101B. I dont get it with the AxeFx? Great clean tones and FX but the dirty side sounds digital to me. I realize it isn't popular the grail and bridge from real amps to simulator was not made IMO as many say it is.

Brad

[geetarman]

Been there done that, ditched the 101B got the AxeFx Ultra, the Emperor had no clothes, had to go find another 101B. I dont get it with the AxeFx? Great clean tones and FX but the dirty side sounds digital to me. I realize it isn't popular the grail and bridge from real amps to simulator was not made IMO as many say it is.

Brad

What firmware was running on your Axe-fx Ultra?

[KingGuitar]

What firmware was running on your Axe-fx Ultra?

The latest, I bought it brand new last month.

Brad

[cliffc8488]

Since you bought yours in May (not last month) you would've had version 5.14 firmware. The latest release is 5.23. The amp modeling was reworked in 5.18 and again in 5.22. Not debating your opinion, just stating facts.

[Jay Mitchell]

Been there done that, ditched the 101B got the AxeFx Ultra,Well there's your first mistake. If you really like the sound of your present amp and you're considering a change - to anything else, not just to an Axe-Fx - it only makes sense to hang on to your old amp and work with the new rig until you get close to the sound you want. Then you've got a realtime A/B reference against which to compare.

the Emperor had no clothes, had to go find another 101B.Sounds to me like an impulse purchase that didn't work out. Not everyone will be able to get what they want from the Axe-Fx (or anything else, for that matter). Had you kept your old amp around, worst case you'd now only be out the shipping cost on the Axe-Fx. Best case, you'd have gotten further along with the Axe-Fx and kept it.

I dont get it with the AxeFx?Not everyone does, and that's OK. At least you can say you tried it.

Great clean tones and FX but the dirty side sounds digital to me.Well, you're certainly entitled to your opinion, but it would appear that you stacked the deck against yourself in trying to make the changeover.

Edit: from your post on the Axe-Fx bb, you only kept your ultra for a day before trying to sell it. That's not exactly what I'd call giving it a credible effort.

[KingGuitar]

Since you bought yours in May (not last month) you would've had version 5.14 firmware. The latest release is 5.23. The amp modeling was reworked in 5.18 and again in 5.22. Not debating your opinion, just stating facts.

Hey Cliff,

No worries and you are correct it was May when I bought it from you. I may have been a little harsh with my post but it wasn't for me. Looks like I am in the minority as most people love it here.

Brad

[KingGuitar]

Hey Jay,

Fair enough on all fronts and it is cool. I played my Axe-FX for a good 6 hours and that was enough for me to tell if it was a keeper for me, I believe it was a credible effort for me or as much as I wanted to put "into" editing the gear.

That said I am not a deep edit kind of guy and granted I want to plug in and get a good tone quickly and I needed to tweak allot to get it with Cliffs unit.

The cleans were awesome as were the effects. I just couldn't get on with the models or the dirty tones. I am admittedly a tough room when it comes to overdriven tone.

Thats why they make chocolate and vanilla, of course your milage may vary. Seems like I am one of the only guys not raving about it, so maybe it's me.

Best,
Brad

[Jay Mitchell]

Hey Jay,

Fair enough on all fronts and it is cool. I played my Axe-FX for a good 6 hours and that was enough for me to tell if it was a keeper for me, I believe it was a credible effort for me or as much as I wanted to put "into" editing the gear.Had you asked on the Axe-Fx forum, the experienced users there would have warned you that you were not likely to succeed with no more time invested than that.

The cleans were awesome as were the effects. I just couldn't get on with the models or the dirty tones. I am admittedly a tough room when it comes to overdriven tone.That statement could be taken to imply that those who have gotten satisfactory dirty tones from their Axe-Fxs - including Mr. Genaro - are not "tough rooms." I consider myself a very "tough room," having played tube amps exclusively for 40 years before I was able to produce the sounds I wanted - including overdriven ones - from an alternative rig.

If you ever decide to revisit the Axe-Fx, I believe you can find everything you want with a little effort and some help from the other owners on the Axe-Fx forum. If you're completely content with the results you get from a conventional amplifier, there's really no reason to do so, however.

[HillbillySims]

Other than fewer features, does the Standard "sound" the very same as the Ultra?.. or does the Ultra have an updated engine that affects the sound quality in a positive way?

And if so, HOW MUCH difference in sound quality is there?... I'm trying to decide if I need the standard or ultra, but Im probably going to base it more on sound quality than the feature differences

ONE MORE QUESTION: The ultra has a multi-band compressor... can anyone explain the advantages & uses of a multi-band compressor (I play a lot of country so compression is typically something I'm real interested in)

[GuitarGuy510]

I haven't been over to the Axe-FX forum in a while, have there been any good high gain metal clips posted? Although I can't afford one right now I am still interested in grabbing one in the future if it can do high gain metal really well, I'm not a cork-sniffer and would gladly embrace the modeling if it could do what I was looking for (modern metal). :) Thanks for your help gents! :D

[Jay Mitchell]

Other than fewer features, does the Standard "sound" the very same as the Ultra?..Yes, and that will always be the case, per Cliff.

[dpeterson]

I haven't been over to the Axe-FX forum in a while, have there been any good high gain metal clips posted? Although I can't afford one right now I am still interested in grabbing one in the future if it can do high gain metal really well, I'm not a cork-sniffer and would gladly embrace the modeling if it could do what I was looking for (modern metal). :) Thanks for your help gents! :D


yeah there are some new clips up.. the new forum is located off fractal's site now... www.fractalaudio.com/forum (http://www.fractalaudio.com/forum)

dave

[GreatGreen]

I haven't been over to the Axe-FX forum in a while, have there been any good high gain metal clips posted? Although I can't afford one right now I am still interested in grabbing one in the future if it can do high gain metal really well, I'm not a cork-sniffer and would gladly embrace the modeling if it could do what I was looking for (modern metal). :) Thanks for your help gents! :D



The Axe-Fx is extremely good with high gain metal tones. For example, I have an ENGL Powerball, and I tried to duplicate it through the Axe-Fx using the power section of a 5150 (via the effects return) and the same cab I use my Powerball with.

The Axe-Fx's Powerball modeling, believe it or not, actually sounds better than my actual Powerball. First, I got it to sound exactly like my Powerball, and I mean exactly, then I used the Advanced tab to get it even closer to the sound in my head. Throw in some very slight adjustments with a parametric eq to iron out some frequencies I wanted less of (which were also present in my actual Powerball) and I had an even better tone than before. The only thing the Powerball was better at than the Axe-Fx was when I had my guitar volume down to about 1.5, the Axe-Fx was noisier than my Powerball (although it still managed to clean up just as well). But hey, the Axe-Fx has tons of great clean tones on tap for when you want that, or you could even set up a duplicate Powerball patch but with extremely reduced volume to the front end of the amp, simulating lowered guitar volume. Presto!

The Powerball is now sold, and I don't miss it.

It's also worth mentioning that every amp sounds and feels different. This might sound obvious, but if you've ever had experience on a Line 6 before, you know that every amp model sounds and feels pretty similar, differing pretty much only in how much gain there is, with maybe a slightly different eq curve. Not so with the Axe. Every amp feels and reacts like its real life counterpart.

I have no trouble finding great high gain tones in the Axe-Fx.

[solo-act]

I played my Axe-FX for a good 6 hours and that was enough for me to tell if it was a keeper for me, I believe it was a credible effort for me or as much as I wanted to put "into" editing the gear.:roll:roll:roll Six hours is all he wanted to spend dialing the axe-fx and was all he wanted to put into editing the gear :roll:roll:roll That's it, nothing today is going to be as funny as that.

[Ed DeGenaro]

That statement could be taken to imply that those who have gotten satisfactory dirty tones from their Axe-Fxs - including Mr. Genaro - are not "tough rooms." I consider myself a very "tough room," having played tube amps exclusively for 40 years before I was able to produce the sounds I wanted - including overdriven ones - from an alternative rig.

I kinda was wondering that...

[geetarman]

:roll:roll:roll Six hours is all he wanted to spend dialing the axe-fx and was all he wanted to put into editing the gear :roll:roll:roll That's it, nothing today is going to be as funny as that.

Well at least he was honest about it. I own a Bogner Ecstasy as well as a Axe-fx Ultra and I ain't getting rid of either one any time soon they're both valuable tools in making music.

[KingGuitar]

:roll:roll:roll Six hours is all he wanted to spend dialing the axe-fx and was all he wanted to put into editing the gear :roll:roll:roll That's it, nothing today is going to be as funny as that.

Call me crazy but I wanted to play my guitar not play my "processor" LOL! Don't take this the wrong way but I get the impression some of you guys have on the white lab coat and the pocket protector :D

Its all good, I should not have bought a product that was so deep as I tend to use about 4 or 5 tones on a continual basis. Don't get me wrong I want those tones to kill but at the end of the day its a loud club, spilled beer and crazy chicks.

This unit seems more geared towards MIT than me and thats cool!

Rock On!
Brad

[solo-act]

This unit seems more geared towards MIT than me and thats cool!Rock On!
Brad No harm intended or received. Actually I dial very simple presets 95% of the time, and I gig the hell out of the axe-fx--bars, chicks, beer (rack tops hold drinks way better than amp heads). But I need a lot of different tones.

If I needed 4 or 5 great tones, didn't mind lugging an amp, and didn't feel like exploring the world inside the axe-fx, I wouldn't have one either.

[Ed DeGenaro]

Call me crazy but I wanted to play my guitar not play my "processor" LOL! Don't take this the wrong way but I get the impression some of you guys have on the white lab coat and the pocket protector :D

Its all good, I should not have bought a product that was so deep as I tend to use about 4 or 5 tones on a continual basis. Don't get me wrong I want those tones to kill but at the end of the day its a loud club, spilled beer and crazy chicks.

This unit seems more geared towards MIT than me and thats cool!

Rock On!
Brad
I dunno about lab coat...
http://a562.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/32/l_0b55c2012dd6ddf18b81054b71cbd8f1.jpghttp://a259.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/63/l_3026dcf7df69e86ddebd42248321d68a.jpghttp://a750.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/6/l_9c80865eacff420eb5996656cb9196fd.jpg

As for spilled beer....
http://a703.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/62/l_c6902fbde524a46199cda0c9e14fa49e.jpg

[stratzrus]

Call me crazy but I wanted to play my guitar not play my "processor" LOL! Don't take this the wrong way but I get the impression some of you guys have on the white lab coat and the pocket protector :D I think I'm a lot like you rareguitar. I have a significant aversion to "going deep into a unit" in order to get the tones I want, but I recognize that it's my limitation, not the amp's.

I'm content to learn how to get the most out of the Axe FX at my own pace and am truly enjoying it in the process, but as you can tell by other comments, it's likely you were only scratching the surface after six hours.

Its all good, I should not have bought a product that was so deep as I tend to use about 4 or 5 tones on a continual basis. This unit seems more geared towards MIT than me and thats cool!I'm pretty much the same 90% of the time, but the Axe can do those 4 or 5 tones so well and they can be so different than one another...something that's a real challenge for a conventional tube amp.

Maybe not MIT, but there's no question that there's a learning curve. Many of those who have suck it out have been happy to the point of giddiness with their results.

Maybe again someday.

[KingGuitar]

I think I'm a lot like you rareguitar. I have a significant aversion to "going deep into a unit" in order to get the tones I want, but I recognize that it's my limitation, not the amp's.

I'm content to learn how to get the most out of the Axe FX at my own pace and am truly enjoying it in the process, but as you can tell by other comments, it's likely you were only scratching the surface after six hours.

I'm pretty much the same 90% of the time, but the Axe can do those 4 or 5 tones so well and they can be so different than one another...something that's a real challenge for a conventional tube amp.

Maybe not MIT, but there's no question that there's a learning curve. Many of those who have suck it out have been happy to the point of giddiness with their results.

Maybe again someday.

Fair enough and I am humble enough to admit it is most likely my limitations and patience vs. limitations of the actual unit.

Brad

[trazan]

:roll:roll:roll Six hours is all he wanted to spend dialing the axe-fx and was all he wanted to put into editing the gear :roll:roll:roll That's it, nothing today is going to be as funny as that.

You think editing for six hours is a laughable short amount of time spent on finding out if a unit is for you or not? You must spend a hell of a lot of time checking out stuff!

:JAM

[Shark Diver]

You think editing for six hours is a laughable short amount of time spent on finding out if a unit is for you or not? You must spend a hell of a lot of time checking out stuff!

:JAM

I do. When I was using heads I could spend days tweaking to get what I wanted. Some times A/Bing several different cabs, switching out speakers, trying different tubes, guitars, etc. You can spend only a few hours, but then you have to walk away and come back. Things I thought were great at some point would sound terrible the next day.

That being said I think if you really spend 6 hours with the Axe you should be able to tell if what you need is attainable, even if you need to put more time into it to get there. Not everything is for everyone. Some people love the Beatles, SRV, Metallica or Van Halen, some hate them, some are in between. The Axe is the same. Just because someone here doesn't get along with it doesn't mean it's not perfect for me - and it doesn't mean it's not great at getting tones.

But it is surprising that guys who would spend hours and major $$$ modding an amp think it's a hassle to spend the same time and no extra $$$ "modding " the amps inside the Axe.

[Scott Peterson]

Every amp I ever bought got a listening test, got the chassis then pulled out, the bias checked and a bevy of NOS tubes swapped in and out while the bias was adjusted. Then I tried different cabs, different speakers and different cords. Then I had to play test it at least a rehearsal before I decided if it was a keeper.

Now add pedals to that equation and it exponentially goes up in different configurations, routing and settings on those pedals.

Even amps I found instant bliss with, I would then break down and try every setting, every everything - including the aforementioned tube swaps and bias check and speaker cabs and... well the list goes on.

The Axe-FX does all that in one box. Add the learning curve for figuring it out and the different variables for amplifying it to actually hear it and.... well, it's no different than anything else.

Because of the depth of the box, I have felt that you'd need to really dig in for the full two weeks all you could to just get a a hold in your head of what's in there.

And in reality a lot of guys don't want to spend that time. If you have gear you know and love, and want to duplicate what you do with it and have done with it over the hours, days, weeks, years and years you've owned it - don't think the Axe-FX will step in and in a few hours you'll have your rig 'duplicated' perfectly. That's a bit of a tall order.

It's like the guy that hits the gym hard for a day and wants to look like the Guvinator. Ummm, it takes time and it's a process. It can be simple, it can be hard, it just depends on what your goals are and where you are in the spectrum.

A guy walking into this box with no prior knowledge at all of how to dial up sounds past spinning knobs on an amp is going to have to get to understand the the thing before he can make the thing work for him. This isn't Line 6.

I've no problem with the guy that could not get his Bogner tone out of the box after 6 hours and sent it back. That's cool. I'll say that I would not have been able to do that either coming into it either. Now? Maybe I could. I have a Bogner preset I did that I like fine. I owned three Shiva's and an Ecstasy Classic, three Bogner 212's and a Bogner 412. I know that sound, and if that's your flavor it's a good one for sure. I'm happy with the box, doesn't mean you will be.

It might take you months to understand what's all there and how to use it; that's not a joke. You can keep it simple and learn as you go with it, but this isn't Line 6. In oh so many ways.

Peace.

[stratzrus]

...I think if you really spend 6 hours with the Axe you should be able to tell if what you need is attainable, even if you need to put more time into it to get there. If the settings you use are not compatible with the amp and speakers you are using, or if the amp and speakers are not suitable for the task, you can tweak until you're blue in the face and the results will still be less than stellar...and that's just one example of how you can end up with less than desirable tone.

Conversely, if you load some of the best IRs and use a QSC monitor and your presets are proprely designed to produce what you want to hear, the results can be spectacular. Unfortunately for some, myself in particular, six hours was just not enough time to get there.

A week into it I was much happier than I was after the first day.

I personally found I liked the results going through a 100 watt 6L6 amp and a 4x12 much more than through a combo or even an Atomic Reactor 112-50. It may take some experimentation with amplification and speakers (let alone creating/tweaking presets) before you find the setup that really works for you.

I think it's worthwhile to at least use the entire trial period to familiarize yourself with how the various parameters effect tone, but some may discover very quickly that creating presets by scrolling through pages is just not for them and they don't really want to spend any significant amout of time doing it.

Fair enough.

[gag halfrunt]

I think Scott and Stratrzus hit the nail on the head. Amps are easy to dial in decent tones with quickly. For me, the Axe was not. I got one made in December of 2007, and it had the original firmware, which had some very average presets. In short, it DID NOT sound great out of the box.

And I was such a 'menu' noob that it took me seemingly FOREVER to figure out this complex unit. I knew NOTHING about MIDI, and so was learning several new things at once. Heck, I knew tube amps and pedals. I could barely edit a POD. It was like being a home builder, then trying to design a skyscraper.

But I recognized how much time and effort I had spent in tweaking my amps and pedalboards in the past, and was prepared to spend that kind of time to give the Axe a fair shake. It was WORK, boys, plain and simple. The learning curve was pretty steep :o, but one day it clicked, and I found myself flying through the menus, setting up presets, editing them during set breaks, etc. The amp world, as I knew it, had changed forever.

As goofy as it sounds, it reminds me of that scene from The Matrix after they pull Neo out of his tank:

"I can't go back, can I?"

"If you could, would you really want to?

[gtr37]

So if I have read the manual correctly , pretty much if you can figure out what the freq and character of a specific amp is you have the tools to build a sim .

For Instance if I wanted to get say a Blackmore Engl .I could then take the Powerball change the tonstack to a JCM800 and turn up the master and warmth to get closer to the El34 voicing.

Or Perhaps Use a Hiwatt tone stack into a higher gain model ,tweak the focus so its tight and percussive and voila VHT'ish tone .Dry ,Tight..

Great idea Lego for Guitarists ...

[Jay Mitchell]

I dunno about lab coat...Damnit man, you gotta get outta the lab and into the real world with the pipples.:roll

[dmbandtimmy]

Jay, I need to get more of your presets. That Blooze preset of yours just rocks! I love it for matchbox 20 type of stuff. Upload some more :)

[visualrocker69]

No one is answering my question! :bkw

Once again (I'M BEGGING YOU!) can ANYONE provide clips that demonstrate that the Axe FX is capable of tones that are as organic/natural sounding and feeling as the following?

http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=12562
http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=9675

Thanks!

[Shark Diver]

No one is answering my question! :bkw

Once again (I'M BEGGING YOU!) can ANYONE provide clips that demonstrate that the Axe FX is capable of tones that are as organic/natural sounding and feeling as the following?

http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=12562
http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=9675

Thanks!

I've owned both those amps and the Axe does these well. I don't have clips sorry. Nice tones by the way. I have seen some good YouTube clips like this, I think clips have been posted that show this, not sure were they are anymore. Just try one and play around with it, there is a trial period. ;)

[Scott Peterson]

No one is answering my question! :bkw

Once again (I'M BEGGING YOU!) can ANYONE provide clips that demonstrate that the Axe FX is capable of tones that are as organic/natural sounding and feeling as the following?

http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=12562
http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=9675

Thanks!

IMHO, sure it will. I don't have time nor inclination to invest the time and effort to do seek these tones and record them for you though personally. Sorry. I've no stake in selling the Axe-FX to you. You'll have to decide for yourself.

Post this up on the Fractal forum and see if any else is though. You never know until you ask.

[Jay Mitchell]

Once again (I'M BEGGING YOU!) can ANYONE provide clips that demonstrate that the Axe FX is capable of tones that are as organic/natural sounding and feeling as the following?

http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=12562
http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=9675

Thanks!To my ears, the guitar in those clips is so buried in time-based effects that you could get the same end result with a lot of modelers. To me, it's anything but "organic" in the sense that I use the term. I'm sure the Axe-Fx can do that, but I'm not interested in trying to prove it myself.

[mtmartin71]

I'm really pondering trying this out but struggling with some things...I'm more of an amp guy with sparse effects, if any, but the appeal of the Axe-FX is the ability to jump between different tones from heavy stuff down through clean stuff. How does it hold up vs. a tube amp for non-effected sounds? My dilema is do I buy an Axe-FX at $1500 and then the stuff to amplify it but with a lot of effects I'll never use, or do I spend $1500 or so on a full-featured tube amp like a Roadster or a JVM to give me a lot of core amp sounds to cover the wide variety. I have a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special today and it covers some ground but falls short on the heavier stuff. Again, I don't have as much need for effects. Anyone have this very set of choices to make and how did you come about parting ways with your dollars?

Secondly, is there a good post/thread that points out the pros and cons of the different setup choices for an Axe-FX to amplify it? My leaning is to pair it with a power amp and just run it through my existing 2x12 (Marshall 2061cx) or an Avatar 1x12. On the power amp, tube vs. solid state?

Thanks in advance...

[9-Pin]

I'm really pondering trying this out but struggling with some things...I'm more of an amp guy with sparse effects, if any, but the appeal of the Axe-FX is the ability to jump between different tones from heavy stuff down through clean stuff. How does it hold up vs. a tube amp for non-effected sounds? My dilema is do I buy an Axe-FX at $1500 and then the stuff to amplify it but with a lot of effects I'll never use, or do I spend $1500 or so on a full-featured tube amp like a Roadster or a JVM to give me a lot of core amp sounds to cover the wide variety. I have a Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special today and it covers some ground but falls short on the heavier stuff. Again, I don't have as much need for effects. Anyone have this very set of choices to make and how did you come about parting ways with your dollars?

Secondly, is there a good post/thread that points out the pros and cons of the different setup choices for an Axe-FX to amplify it? My leaning is to pair it with a power amp and just run it through my existing 2x12 (Marshall 2061cx) or an Avatar 1x12. On the power amp, tube vs. solid state?

Thanks in advance...

Visit the Axe FX forum and lurk there for a while and do a search at the old forum. You will find a ton of information there, as well as in this thread.

The different type of set-ups you can use all have their positive and negatives. It is up to you to determine which of these can you live with. I currently run mine in the effects loop of a JMF Spectra. It runs on 6L6's and then I pump that through a 2x12 with two Emi CR's. I have the cabinet sims off, but the power amp sims on. The Emi's add their own character and I don't mind the sound at all, but I plan on saving up to run a full FRFR rig to make full use of the speaker sims.

If you aren't sure if it is the right unit for you, I would run it through an existing cabinet that you have and either use the loop of one of your amps, or get a cheap SS power amp to use with it. Once you understand where you want to go, you can decide what to keep and what to sell.

[Plague Dog]

Okay, I have to ask, what the hell is an FRFR?

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people who ask questions.

[Brian G]

For anyone just coming to the Axe FX, and wanting to figure out if it's for you, I think there's a couple of key things that don't receive enough attention.

1. In a relatively short amount of time (and if you're just getting familiar, a day is short, once you know your way around, it's different), you have be looking for potential to satisfy your wants, not a polished final result. You don't have to go into deep editing to get good sounds, but if you're being pretty critical, you have to know that what you're seeking is very personal to you, and that you may need to understand the more advanced adjustments to get there. So determining potential is key. Do the adjustments you've made make significant differences? Do they move you closer to your objective in a good way?

2. In terms of what you output it through, the AXE FX is a different paradigm from a guitar head or combo. It introduces the prospect of an FRFR output amp / monitor, not an option that exists with traditional guitar rigs. You can use a guitar cab, but you absolutely have to defeat the cab sims. (And sometimes the amp sims, depending on how driven and how colored the amp stage is.)

If you initially go for guitar cabs, it simplifies things to compare the Axe FX as a preamp to your existing. That's the only way to ensure you're not lost in variables. You can get some very bad sounds out of a very good box by not understanding the different paradigms of use.

If you try it with FRFR and hope to form absolute opinions on how good it can sound, you can't shackle it with mediocre monitors (and the vast majority are mediocre, because they're not neutral enough).

I'm not promoting the Axe FX here - no reason it has to be for everyone. Only pointing out what I believe are key differences.

Brian

[Craig Walker]

Okay, I have to ask, what the hell is an FRFR?

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people who ask questions.

A speaker that doesn't color your sound = full range, flat response

[Gasp100]

No one is answering my question! :bkw

Once again (I'M BEGGING YOU!) can ANYONE provide clips that demonstrate that the Axe FX is capable of tones that are as organic/natural sounding and feeling as the following?

http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=12562
http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=9675

Thanks!

I will agree that the clips (while nice) are too "effected" to see the true organic nature of that rig. I bet it sounds killer in the room where you are recording the dry tracks though.
I think your post is a little heavy-handed. Your basically asking someone to spend the time and energy to try and duplicate your beloved rig (without having the rig sitting next to them for comparison sake), record it and try to prove to you that the AxeFX can hang.
The only other compadre that seems to agree (or at least is making you think) that the AxeFX CAN'T duplicate your Bogner is a guy who tried it for 6 hours over one day, sent it packing because he didn't want to be bothered with having to tweak, and proceeded to slam (on the fractal forum and in this thread) the Axe, then slowly backed off his initial posts.
I think you need to ask yourself this:
"What is missing from my current, super sounding, organic rig that is making me consider the AxeFX"?
"If I already have a killer rig that fulfills everything I need, why would I even consider anything else?"
"Will I HAVE TO sell my super rig to finance the AxeFX"?
"If so, will I have to do it BEFORE I purchase the AxeFX sight/sound unseen/unheard"
"Will I be able to invest the time and energy to learn how to use the AxeFX to it's full potential"?
"Will I be willing to invest MORE $ if I determine that the AxeFX requires a "better" monitoring setup (ie. FRFR, QSC HPR 122i)"?
"Is 15 day trial period enough to make a sound, solid decision"?
"If not, can I flip this thing and not loose to much cash"?

I'm not trying to be condescending at all, I just think if you run through all of those questions above and answer them honestly you'll have a MUCH better idea if this thing might be for you or not. Simply begging someone to build a patch for you and create a clip that blows your mind is ridiculous. Also, dismissing others people's clips of the AxeFX <probably many of which you haven't even heard> is pretty lame imho.
People are spending WAY too much time in this forum, in this thread conjecturing when they could be doing research on the AxeFX forum and hey... maybe even trying the damn thing themselves. My 2 cents, ymmv, yada, yada, yada
:dude

[joemesser]

AND even if someone DOES create the clip that satisfies you, you STILL won't know until you try it yourself.

[mtmartin71]

For anyone just coming to the Axe FX, and wanting to figure out if it's for you, I think there's a couple of key things that don't receive enough attention.

1. In a relatively short amount of time (and if you're just getting familiar, a day is short, once you know your way around, it's different), you have be looking for potential to satisfy your wants, not a polished final result. You don't have to go into deep editing to get good sounds, but if you're being pretty critical, you have to know that what you're seeking is very personal to you, and that you may need to understand the more advanced adjustments to get there. So determining potential is key. Do the adjustments you've made make significant differences? Do they move you closer to your objective in a good way?

2. In terms of what you output it through, the AXE FX is a different paradigm from a guitar head or combo. It introduces the prospect of an FRFR output amp / monitor, not an option that exists with traditional guitar rigs. You can use a guitar cab, but you absolutely have to defeat the cab sims. (And sometimes the amp sims, depending on how driven and how colored the amp stage is.)

If you initially go for guitar cabs, it simplifies things to compare the Axe FX as a preamp to your existing. That's the only way to ensure you're not lost in variables. You can get some very bad sounds out of a very good box by not understanding the different paradigms of use.

If you try it with FRFR and hope to form absolute opinions on how good it can sound, you can't shackle it with mediocre monitors (and the vast majority are mediocre, because they're not neutral enough).

I'm not promoting the Axe FX here - no reason it has to be for everyone. Only pointing out what I believe are key differences.

Brian


OK, so if I'm kind of reading this right (and another opinion), I should try it through my Mesa Boogie's power amp section into it's cab or my 2x12? That will at least give me a view of how it stacks up as a "traditional" style amp and it will have the possibilities to do FRFR where the cab sims come into play.

Thanks,

Matt

[stratzrus]

OK, so if I'm kind of reading this right (and another opinion), I should try it through my Mesa Boogie's power amp section into it's cab or my 2x12? That will at least give me a view of how it stacks up as a "traditional" style amp and it will have the possibilities to do FRFR where the cab sims come into play.I'd try it through the Lonestar, but I suspect that the wattage is too low and the EL84s & speaker are too "colored" to produce the best results.

I'm running mine through the 100 watt, 6L6 powered effects return of my Rivera KHR 100 going into a 4x12 with two EV SROs. While still colored, it is relatively neutral for a guitar amp and I can still get it to sound like many different amps.

With that said, it may still sound good at volumes where the power amp is not driven into distortion; I'd definitely give it a try.

[electronpirate]

....Post deleted by author....

[trazan]

A speaker that doesn't color your sound = full range, flat response

Doesn't matter much, but full range frequency response makes more sense to me. Common expression too. Or...Fido rubs fat rats, maybe :YinYang

[visualrocker69]

Sorry, but the fact that the lot of you are getting so defensive (bashing the clips that I found - and are NOT mine btw - as well as my question/request itself) merely suggests that there are no such clips of the Axe-FX to be found. I wasn't trying to be outrageous with my request, but simply assumed that such clips were readily available only I couldn't find them.

Simply begging someone to build a patch for you and create a clip that blows your mind is ridiculous. Also, dismissing others people's clips of the AxeFX <probably many of which you haven't even heard> is pretty lame imho.

Unfortunately, for most rare/boutique items, mind-blowing clips ARE the bottom line. There would've been no chance in hell from me to try out a Triaxis, CAA OD-100, or Bogner XTC just based on my location and situation, so if I didn't buy based on forum-based research and clips, I would've never made those purchases at all.

As for my dismissing other people's clip... if I found what I heard to be dissapointing, I'm going to say it. If you wish to take offense... well, not much I can do about that.

The fact is, I'm GOING to get an Axe-FX. I kinda have to. Being a student and having near-future study abroad plans prevents me from moving a Bogner rig around without it becoming a terrible expense. So, I'm determined to make this Axe-FX thing work for me.

It just saddens me that I had a lot of faith in it and the community - and when all I wanted was to put my mind at ease with a satisfying clip, I'm met with this hostility. Oh well.

[Ed DeGenaro]

Sorry, but the fact that the lot of you are getting so defensive (bashing the clips that I found - and are NOT mine btw - as well as my question/request itself) merely suggests that there are no such clips of the Axe-FX to be found. I wasn't trying to be outrageous with my request, but simply assumed that such clips were readily available only I couldn't find them.



Unfortunately, for most rare/boutique items, mind-blowing clips ARE the bottom line. There would've been no chance in hell from me to try out a Triaxis, CAA OD-100, or Bogner XTC just based on my location and situation, so if I didn't buy based on forum-based research and clips, I would've never made those purchases at all.

As for my dismissing other people's clip... if I found what I heard to be dissapointing, I'm going to say it. If you wish to take offense... well, not much I can do about that.

The fact is, I'm GOING to get an Axe-FX. I kinda have to. Being a student and having near-future study abroad plans prevents me from moving a Bogner rig around without it becoming a terrible expense. So, I'm determined to make this Axe-FX thing work for me.

It just saddens me that I had a lot of faith in it and the community - and when all I wanted was to put my mind at ease with a satisfying clip, I'm met with this hostility. Oh well.
Here ya go...this is what mine sounds like DI into the board...
Fun starts about half way through...
http://eddegenaro.com/album/confirmwalkfwd722.mp3

Caveat...this is ot meant to cop the sound of either the Diezel or Bogner in your clips, but is what I wanted for this tune.

[javajunkie]

Sorry, but the fact that the lot of you are getting so defensive (bashing the clips that I found - and are NOT mine btw - as well as my question/request itself) merely suggests that there are no such clips of the Axe-FX to be found. I wasn't trying to be outrageous with my request, but simply assumed that such clips were readily available only I couldn't find them.



Unfortunately, for most rare/boutique items, mind-blowing clips ARE the bottom line. There would've been no chance in hell from me to try out a Triaxis, CAA OD-100, or Bogner XTC just based on my location and situation, so if I didn't buy based on forum-based research and clips, I would've never made those purchases at all.

As for my dismissing other people's clip... if I found what I heard to be dissapointing, I'm going to say it. If you wish to take offense... well, not much I can do about that.

The fact is, I'm GOING to get an Axe-FX. I kinda have to. Being a student and having near-future study abroad plans prevents me from moving a Bogner rig around without it becoming a terrible expense. So, I'm determined to make this Axe-FX thing work for me.

It just saddens me that I had a lot of faith in it and the community - and when all I wanted was to put my mind at ease with a satisfying clip, I'm met with this hostility. Oh well.

Actually I was going to make a comment that I've heard some of Alex Flouros's stuff before and I like it.

You can vet thru quite a few clips of various styles and skills levels here:

http://www.setbb.com/axefx/viewforum.php?f=3&mforum=axefx

[AndrewSimon]

No one is answering my question! :bkw

Once again (I'M BEGGING YOU!) can ANYONE provide clips that demonstrate that the Axe FX is capable of tones that are as organic/natural sounding and feeling as the following?

http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=12562
http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=9675

Thanks!

Nice tones.
This is not my type of music so I can't help.

Albert is more close to this type of music.
You can ckeck out his clips below (there is a Vai tune there)
http://guitarlogic.org/axefxclips/

Probably not exactly what you are looking for but.....

I use the AXE-FX for almost a year now, I know that if you master it
you can get the tones you want with the all the feel, touch sensitivity and so one...... what ever you want - it can be done.... and probably you are the only one who can do it to your complete satisfaction.

:AOK

[trazan]

what ever you want - it can be done....

A tad bit bold, maybe? ;)

What ever you want. It's a bit harder to tell what others want...

[visualrocker69]

Now THAT'S what I needed to hear! Btw, do you know what Albert's recording rig is like? Is it direct?

[AndrewSimon]

Now THAT'S what I needed to hear! Btw, do you know what Albert's recording rig is like? Is it direct?

The Vai tune was recorded via S/PDIF (digital output) directly into the computer sound card.
I don't know about the other clips but I assume they were recorded the same way.

:)

[Fezziwig]

Check out some of Marinblues' clips on YouTube too. I found those to be fairly cool and they were examples of the Axe-Fx direct.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RMZlh7Vwgc

[electronpirate]

It just saddens me that I had a lot of faith in it and the community - and when all I wanted was to put my mind at ease with a satisfying clip, I'm met with this hostility. Oh well.

Maybe I was pre-coffee this morning. My post deleted.

My point is there are SO many clips, SO much information now, that most new folks want to ask the same questions. Overreacted I did. Apologies.

EP

[visualrocker69]

It's cool, I can relate. When I was a Boogie fanatic, I was about to explode if I heard ONE more redundant question about the Mark IIC+ ... haha ;p

[Gasp100]

I don't feel I was being hostile at all. I think if most people ask themselves the questions that I posted they will be able to determine if the AxeFX is right to at least try.
It seems all you wanted to hear is someone say they can cop the tones and that was enough so, good deal.
You also mentioned that you are moving around and carting your Bogner is not an option, so that explains A LOT (which you didn't even mention in your initial post) and makes the AxeFX (imho) a no brainer.
You've found a way to afford some kick ass gear, buy before you try. Unfortunately I'm forced to do the same. Why is buying the AxeFX to try it any different? As a matter of fact, I think the AxeFX new is cheaper than all of those amps you mentioned USED! Does Bogner give you a 15 day trial period to send back the amp if you don't like it? (I dunno, just asking).
So, this whole thing was pretty pointless...lol!
Have fun with the AxeFX if you get it.
:AOK

Oh yeah, in your paraphrasing of my reply to your post you forgot to include:
"I'm not trying to be condescending at all, I just think if you run through all of those questions above and answer them honestly you'll have a MUCH better idea if this thing might be for you or not."

And the fact I actually commented the tones on the clips stating that they probably sounded incredible in the room, pre FX. But when you start cloning your Bogner you are going to really want to hear the organic nature of the tones, sans FX.

[javajunkie]

Now THAT'S what I needed to hear! Btw, do you know what Albert's recording rig is like? Is it direct?

Go to the link I posted above. Alberts clips plus a lot of others are there. There were quite a few good ones.

Also, some real good ones are popping up at the new axe-fx forum here:

http://www.fractalaudio.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=19

[Scott Peterson]

Here's something I posted on the Fractal Forum that I feel bears repeating here on this thread because I think's important.

The 'debate' was that one member interpreted a thread I started as divisive in approach to the Axe-FX being able to go further than a standard amp/cabinet. He feels that there are two 'camps' that approach the Axe-FX - one wants an open toolbox to create tones, the other wants them hand-delivered out of the box via presets. I feel that he misses my point and replied thusly:


I'll still disagree with you on the 'two camps' to approaching the Axe-FX. There are no 'camps' here, just different approaches. That's the beauty and the weakness of the Axe-FX rolled into one. It's not delivered on a platter, it's a toolbox to understand and learn to get what you want... but not ready-made. It's like walking into Whole-Foods for the first time after being at fast-food resturants (aka Line 6 and others) or at fine themed restaurants (aka high end tube amps that specialize in one thing or another). You can make the finest foods you've ever had with the right ingredients, but you have to invest a lot of yourself into doing it.

If you want it all done for you, you need to look at your choice of tools with more scrutiny than simply damning 'Whole-Foods' for not delivering everything already cooked and on a platter. See if that metaphor works better for you.

What I was saying with the original post is that you can go past what is already done in the world and go further with the toolbox the Axe-FX is.

That isn't hyperbole (as I am accused of using a lot by brain21), that isn't divisive in any way (aka no 'camps' of approach in some battle to the death); it's simply a statement of fact.

You see most guys approaching the Axe-FX with the question, "can it do this or that tone that I use now?" and my point is that you can but you'll have to understand how to get there first. And the pay-off is that often you can go beyond it because you control not only your base tone and cabs and power amp inside the box, you can control your effects and everything from the mic to the final tone ready to deliver to FOH. As raw or polished as you want.

The 'cookbook' to do so is an individual pursuit that is informed by collective experience and opinion. It's enhanced by it, not restricted to one 'camp' or another.

[Shark Diver]

If you try it with FRFR and hope to form absolute opinions on how good it can sound, you can't shackle it with mediocre monitors (and the vast majority are mediocre, because they're not neutral enough).



This was definitely an issue for me. I know a lot of guys use the QSCs, but I didn't like them. I ended up spending about $1,700 on each monitor I got. (I was running stereo for a while, don't now so my singer now enjoys the other monitor) Made a world of difference to me in what it could handle and what "artifacts" the lesser monitors added at higher volumes became apparent. Cost wasn't really an issue for me when comparing the total rig cost to say a Bogner or Diezel 4x12 rig. Actually cost me much less.

[Rod]

No one is answering my question! :bkw

Once again (I'M BEGGING YOU!) can ANYONE provide clips that demonstrate that the Axe FX is capable of tones that are as organic/natural sounding and feeling as the following?

http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=12562
http://www.musicv2.com/listen.php?m=9675

Thanks!

I've owned many great amps, and have heard many clips, and not once did a sound clip sound like the real tone of the amp in real life..Go read what Scott Peterson has said about the AxeFX, then just go buy the unit...If you don't like it, you can always sell it and get your $$ back..

[Craig Walker]

Doesn't matter much, but full range frequency response makes more sense to me. Common expression too. Or...Fido rubs fat rats, maybe :YinYang

Just pulled that out of my head, youre prob right.

[gag halfrunt]

...
You see most guys approaching the Axe-FX with the question, "can it do this or that tone that I use now?" and my point is that you can but you'll have to understand how to get there first. And the pay-off is that often you can go beyond it because you control not only your base tone and cabs and power amp inside the box, you can control your effects and everything from the mic to the final tone ready to deliver to FOH...
Scott, I completely understand/agree with this.

As I began to try to match some of the tones in my head with the Axe, I learned so many things that helped me towards creating other very cool tones. Unlike other devices, the Axe is so nuanced in its settings, that along the way to one tone, you are constantly hearing great sounds that you can use for other apps. It's a cascading effect, and that's where the enjoyment/usefulness of the Axe increases exponentially.

[Craig Walker]

Mine will be here Monday according to tracking. :dude


I don't really know too much about it, other than reading on forums.....

How does tap tempo work with it? Do you assign the tap button to a button on a midi controller, or what? Separate footswitch?

Can you set one patch that has the Edge-type delay going? i.e. one delay dotted eighth, one delay 1/4s and the tap controls both tempos?

[dk_ace]

Mine will be here Monday according to tracking. :dude


I don't really know too much about it, other than reading on forums.....

How does tap tempo work with it? Do you assign the tap button to a button on a midi controller, or what? Separate footswitch?

Can you set one patch that has the Edge-type delay going? i.e. one delay dotted eighth, one delay 1/4s and the tap controls both tempos?

You need to read through the wiki and the manual before Mon. so you can take full advantage of it.

The tap can work off a CC button on a MIDI controller or a seperate footswitch. I use a cheap keyboard sustain pedal, and it works brilliantly. Yes, you can have numerous delays controlled by the same tap.

D

[GuitarGuy510]

The Axe-Fx is extremely good with high gain metal tones. For example, I have an ENGL Powerball, and I tried to duplicate it through the Axe-Fx using the power section of a 5150 (via the effects return) and the same cab I use my Powerball with.

The Axe-Fx's Powerball modeling, believe it or not, actually sounds better than my actual Powerball. First, I got it to sound exactly like my Powerball, and I mean exactly, then I used the Advanced tab to get it even closer to the sound in my head. Throw in some very slight adjustments with a parametric eq to iron out some frequencies I wanted less of (which were also present in my actual Powerball) and I had an even better tone than before. The only thing the Powerball was better at than the Axe-Fx was when I had my guitar volume down to about 1.5, the Axe-Fx was noisier than my Powerball (although it still managed to clean up just as well). But hey, the Axe-Fx has tons of great clean tones on tap for when you want that, or you could even set up a duplicate Powerball patch but with extremely reduced volume to the front end of the amp, simulating lowered guitar volume. Presto!

The Powerball is now sold, and I don't miss it.

It's also worth mentioning that every amp sounds and feels different. This might sound obvious, but if you've ever had experience on a Line 6 before, you know that every amp model sounds and feels pretty similar, differing pretty much only in how much gain there is, with maybe a slightly different eq curve. Not so with the Axe. Every amp feels and reacts like its real life counterpart.

I have no trouble finding great high gain tones in the Axe-Fx.


Thanks man, that information really helps answer my question! :AOK I have an Engl Invader and recently played my buddy's Powerball and liked that as well. :) If it can nail tones in that gain level I think I would be happy with it.

[Craig Walker]

You need to read through the wiki and the manual before Mon. so you can take full advantage of it.

The tap can work off a CC button on a MIDI controller or a seperate footswitch. I use a cheap keyboard sustain pedal, and it works brilliantly. Yes, you can have numerous delays controlled by the same tap.

D

Will do. Thanks.

[electronpirate]

If you want it all done for you, you need to look at your choice of tools with more scrutiny than simply damning 'Whole-Foods' for not delivering everything already cooked and on a platter. See if that metaphor works better for you.

What I was saying with the original post is that you can go past what is already done in the world and go further with the toolbox the Axe-FX is.

That isn't hyperbole (as I am accused of using a lot by brain21), that isn't divisive in any way (aka no 'camps' of approach in some battle to the death); it's simply a statement of fact.

You see most guys approaching the Axe-FX with the question, "can it do this or that tone that I use now?" and my point is that you can but you'll have to understand how to get there first. And the pay-off is that often you can go beyond it because you control not only your base tone and cabs and power amp inside the box, you can control your effects and everything from the mic to the final tone ready to deliver to FOH. As raw or polished as you want.

The 'cookbook' to do so is an individual pursuit that is informed by collective experience and opinion. It's enhanced by it, not restricted to one 'camp' or another.

I didn't read through where this happened on the Axe-FX board, but I'll respond here...

I HALFWAY agree with you. I have stated that I feel a MAJOR selling point for mass market appeal here is/are the presets. For instance, if the Axe came with no presets, just a box and a manual for creating your own amps, I think over half would be on they're way back to Fractal within the week. If you couldn't turn it on, crank it up, and listen to a great tone out of the box, doesn't it severely buzzkill your new purchase? How many posts of disappointed people who have purchased other amps with huge learning curves have we read? Yes, many get over it, but many don't either.

(...For purposes of brevity and avoiding rancor, example amps deleted...)

Continueing...Cliff has created a palette of presets that will probably appeal closely to 90% of those who say 'Tone in my head'. For instance, I spent most of my time at band practice with only 2 amp models tonight (Cliff's presets): the 'Class A' model, and the 'Basic JCM 800'. Pickup selection and volume knob, and I covered almost everything. Clean was a preset without all the FX (Blackface with FX I think), and Metal was a Recto patch changed over to a SLO model ('cause I like that thickness more than the Recto's...no other changes but a new model.) And it all did SO well.
Here's the rub: I had loaded all the *new* presets at 4 this afternoon, picked 5 of what I needed, put them in a location, added a drive boost for solos, made sure MIDI would toggle on/off what I needed, saved everything, turned it off, jumped in the car, got to practice, plugged into my FRFR, and wailed. Under that time crunch, I could have never built great presets that quickly unless I had a deep knowledge of the box, and I think there are many who DON'T WANT to spent hours spinning the wheel trying each parameter with each amp. Great tone. Now.

While I agree that you HAVE to learn your way around the AFX, I'll argue that if you have more than adequate presets, you don't NEED to learn every little nuance and parameter. Simple changes can be so effective. If you find you have the time and the inclination to find out how to tighten up the low end, kill a spikey high on a model, make it more squishy, whatever, lots of information (now) out there.

Bottom line: There is an ample population that wants the 'Easy' button. That is NOT the same as the 'Lazy' button. Yes, this is a professional piece of equipment, but last time I checked, many great guitarists don't know that much about perfect signal chains, just know 'what they like'.

IMO.

EP

[Scott Peterson]

EP, I've never had a problem with presets; they are just not for me. I don't have a problem with what you are saying or for what even Jenni/Jake had to say about that. This isn't a debate about "either/or" or arguing against presets.

If it was, I would not share my presets on Axechange.net nor discuss them.

I think presets are important in coming to understand what *is* in the box and how to use it to get where you want. For the folks that simply use presets and roll, my point to them is to not simply hear the presets (which did not appropriately 'show off' the box up until Cliff redid them) and decide that was it. Like it or not, you are going to have to 'get into' the box even to simply use the presets as YOUR presets and tweak them.

In fact in the many - and I'm not exaggerating it when I say MANY - phone conversations, PM conversations and email conversations with folks considering the Axe-FX - if you take the presets as a 'sampler' of what the unit can do; take notes about things you hear that you like - an effect here, the amp/cab sound there - and then start from scratch and create your own preset starting with the default values on your chosen amp/cab block - you indeed can create and craft a preset that is tailor made for you.

Look, if you go the store and buy your suits and have them tailored to fit you and are happy.... then be happy. But don't forget that you also go to the same suit store and create a suite that is absolutely perfectly fit for you in every way and 100% bent to your aesthetic preferences with the Axe-FX.

My point is inclusive of all approaches. It's not just exclusively aimed at telling folks that there one way to approach the Axe-FX. I am saying you can even take presets that work for you and with a little time working on it make it work even better. Go beyond what 'is'. That's the point. You admit that you bend the effects levels, turn this on or off, etc.. That's exactly my point. Jake/Jenni was arguing that we should have it perfectly setup for all our personal subjective tastes right out of the box and that's simply not realistic whatsoever. Taking presets into consideration and learning from them, about what works and doesn't work is exactly the path I used to 'get inside' the box and understand how it worked.

No one is asking for an utterly blank slate. No one's ever said that presets should not be there or be useful. At least not I.

A lot of folks will see the point I am trying to make as exclusive to ALL other approaches, and that's simply not the case at all. It seeems that no matter how many times I point out that there is no one exclusive way to do anything with the Axe-FX that somebody simply literally reads what I write and interprets it as some self-involved blubbering that excludes all other ways of approaching the box. I'm not. I make it a point to constantly say the flexibility of the Axe-FX is exactly it's strength and it's weakness; it's like handing race care drivers the ability to create cars from scratch with fully loaded garages with virtually unlimited parts and expense accounts. So guys used to just driving the cars are all of the sudden allowed to also be design crews, builders and pit crews and race car drivers all at once.

If you simply want to build your race car from presets offered with the box and get to racing out of the box, you are still going to have to 'get inside' the box to change levels and adjust things to taste. Even the finest 'classics' set of presets are going to be individually tweaked and there is no way around that learning curve. And once you start down that road, once you get the lay of the land inside the box, you can go beyond what 'is' and simply replicating what's out there now and come up with things that surpass the finest rigs going for your style and your taste. No matter what that is.

I hope that explains it better.

[stratzrus]

the presets...did not appropriately 'show off' the box up until Cliff redid them...A quick question:

Do you get the new presets with a firmware update or do you have to go to Axechange.net to get them?

Thanks.

[Scott Peterson]

A quick question:

Do you get the new presets with a firmware update or do you have to go to Axechange.net to get them?

Thanks.

You can download them from Fractal's site, the Wiki or from the Forum. I'd get plugged into the forum over there, it's a wealth of folks that truly know the box and can help out in a lot of ways.

[electronpirate]

Hey Scott:

As I said right off the bat, I was more argueing the other side, not that I disagreed with you. Just that there will be a whole set of folks who'll never know or care about the effects of Tonestack location in their chain. Those who really want to make the Showroom floor model into a race car have the opportunity to do so, but those who get the BMW and never get it over 75 MPH still have the enjoyment of a finely tuned machine...

Enough analogies! Just trying to show a slightly different view.

EP

[stratzrus]

You can download [the new presets]from Fractal's site, the Wiki or from the Forum. I'd get plugged into the forum over there, it's a wealth of folks that truly know the box and can help out in a lot of ways.Thanks Scott.

[Scott Peterson]

EP - I sent this to you, but think it warrants discussion here:


Everyone starts from presets, that's how I learned to make my own. My point is to not only look at your guitar idol's amp settings and copy them, but then to monkey with them from there to make them even better for you.

I am trying very hard to make the point that you can indeed get most any tone, but trying to help folks see that they don't need to stop there.

[Craig Walker]

So, how are the presets??

:hide

[Scott Peterson]

So, how are the presets??

:hide

I've not tried them. A lot of guys that have LOVE them. Have a blast and don't depend much on my opinion or anyone else's - use your own ears and tell us what YOU think.

[stratzrus]

I think there are many, like myself, who would have loved to have had a bunch of giggable presets right out of the box, but I think there's little question that any Axe FX owner is much better off learning how to use the unit and the best way to do this is by building personal presets from scratch.

After that, downloading presets created by others and tweaking them to taste should be much less of a challenge. Doing both should provide a wide range of options.

[Shark Diver]

I think there are many, like myself, who would have loved to have had a bunch of giggable presets right out of the box,

I've never had anything that was giggable right out of the box, including guitars. Everyone is so different, and run things so differently, and using guitars and rigs that are so different that I think that would be almost impossible.

[stratzrus]

I've never had anything that was giggable right out of the box, including guitars. Everyone is so different, and run things so differently, and using guitars and rigs that are so different that I think that would be almost impossible.Of course, that's why I said "would have loved to have had" not "expected to have". Who wouldn't want to open the box and have your dream tones come out.

I think your point that everyone is so different is key.

[mtmartin71]

Hope this hasn't already been answered somewhere I didn't see...One of the noted weaknesses of the Line6 stuff has been to separate the components to better suit your rig i.e. the compromises of how you handle the speaker sims, mic placement, etc. unless you're going FOH or FRFR. I've been reading and many state how great the Axe sounds with FRFR systems and all of the parameters on. I may get there but cost wise, I'm thinking my starting point is to basically create a small amp-rack head of the AxeFX standard paired with a Carvin DCM150 and run that to a few existing cabs I have. My expectation is that I could, without tone compromise, get that to sound as good any tube amp head such as the 2061x I run through those cabs today. Of course my limitations will be the cabs and how the speakers and cab are voiced. But, I'm just curious to know if the setup I'm proposing will behave like a tube amp in tone and response vs. a klugey compromise like the Line6 stuff i.e. selecting certain EQ compensations for specific cab configs.

Other question. I run the aformentioned 20W Marshall head and a 30W Mesa Boogie Lonestar Special. The Special will probably go if I bond with the AxeFX. In both cases, I can't get any louder than between 30-40% master volume in both of my band applications. Will the 60W mono on the DCM150 match up power wise with these amps? I know that if I needed more power, I could bridge for 150W solid state if I ever needed it. Just curious on your thoughts. Thanks for the responses so far.

Matt

[jeffinaustin]

Had one since Monday. I'm already a believer in this thing. Wow...

[gtr37]

Im kind of on the fence of going for the Axe .

I currently have a Rivera K55 which is a great crunch head but im just tired of the miles of cables , pedal boards , hum , tube care ..etc etc .

Has anyone checked out those Rocktron 112 ported cabs?
I would think the response would be fairly flat .and they are like $139.

I was also looking at the DCM Carvin's like the above poster. I dont think a 150 would be enough power ...Am I wrong.?

From all I've read it can take 8X the power to match a 50 watt head. probably why the Line6 stuff is 300 watts

[Shon Kornfeld]

got mine on Sunday, i feel the same way... amazing box!

Had one since Monday. I'm already a believer in this thing. Wow...

[PacoCasanovas]

Got mine yesterday! This is really a monster!!!! Many thanks Scott Peterson for the inspiration (many of you name it G.A.S) what convinced me to buy such a device (Axe FX Standart).

Yes...the presets are over processed....i don't have a problem with that...that's normal! I remember when i unpacked my PODxt two years ago, funny device all kind of sounds but nothing hit me from the first moment on. So i digged deeper, and after a while i found the sound i loved to work with.
Listen to my Mini-Debut-Album "Room for a sheep" here: http://www.pacocasanovas.ch/paco1.html this was recorded with a Fender Strat direct into the PODxt, no Effects added later (except a Lexicon PCM70 for Reverb and an old Alesis Midiverb2 for Modulation while recording! Not when mixing!!!)...everything else comes out of the POD....unbelievable? No....it's just my own sound, my own programming! The same will be with my new Axe-Fx. I'll find my own presets. i'M not going to buy such a device to reproduce famous amps or famous artist signature sounds. That's fun too, but not for me.....
The Axe is just the perfect tool to find my own sound trying out different stuff in an awesome quality with almost no latency, with much sound possible from a digital device and i'm able to play in the middle of the night or can move my rig to a small gig without carry big stacks and heavy equipment.
Lots of Pro's against a few con's (i didn't found them yet...)

Have fun with the axe!

greeets
Paco

[Plague Dog]

That may be true, but if the 50 watt head wasn't too loud for gigging than there would be no reason to get an Axe FX.
Stage volume is ultimately the problem 90% of the time. Even with a guitar player using a modeler like this there is still the problem of Drums and Bass, being way too loud, but usually the guitar player is the culprit.


I understand the unit is much more than the limited purpose i am listing here

[mtmartin71]

That may be true, but if the 50 watt head wasn't too loud for gigging than there would be no reason to get an Axe FX.
Stage volume is ultimately the problem 90% of the time. Even with a guitar player using a modeler like this there is still the problem of Drums and Bass, being way too loud, but usually the guitar player is the culprit.


I understand the unit is much more than the limited purpose i am listing here

I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at when you say if a 50W head wasn't too loud, then no need for an Axe FX. I agree that I'm trying to live with stage volume and select the right amp for lower volume playing, but with room to move otherwise. Let me ask my question a different way...if I want to match the equivalent of 20-30W of tube power, based on what the other post mentioned, I'd be looking at 160-240W of solid state power, correct? How is that going to translate on my speaker load? Do I back my way down to that in the other direction? Both of my cabs are rated to 60W. One is a Vintage 30 in a 1x12 and the other is (2) G12H30s which are 30W each.

[KHAN]

My Standard will be here Friday.

Oh boy. Here we go. :)

[Plague Dog]

From what I've read here you can have some luck with guitar speakers/cabinets as long as you leave your speaker sims turned off. Others are reporting the best luck with high quality PA gear.
as far as how much SS power would you need? Your speakers will react better to an amp capable of delivering smooth power than an undersized power amp that spikes when it clips. I would think a 60 watt guitar cab wouldn't have a problem if you hooked up a 400 watt SS amp, as long as you don't try to push the amp to full volume. I believe a 400 watt (per ch) power amp at full volume is going to be too loud regardless.

[mtmartin71]

From what I've read here you can have some luck with guitar speakers/cabinets as long as you leave your speaker sims turned off. Others are reporting the best luck with high quality PA gear.
as far as how much SS power would you need? Your speakers will react better to an amp capable of delivering smooth power than an undersized power amp that spikes when it clips. I would think a 60 watt guitar cab wouldn't have a problem if you hooked up a 400 watt SS amp, as long as you don't try to push the amp to full volume. I believe a 400 watt (per ch) power amp at full volume is going to be too loud regardless.

Thanks for the info. Don't know if you meant it this way, but when you say "luck" in the beginning, it makes it seem like a crapshoot on getting good sound compared to a traditional tube amp. I wanted to know if it was possible to get uncompromised results using the AxeFX and a power amp in place of a traditional tube amp head. If the answer is you can only get uncompromised results from a PA-type unit and that using a guitar cab is a compromise and EQ tap dance (kind of like the Line6 stuff), then that changes my thinking because a quality FRFR seems to be a lot more expensive than a Carvin power amp.

[Jay Mitchell]

I wanted to know if it was possible to get uncompromised results using the AxeFX and a power amp in place of a traditional tube amp head."Uncompromised" is probably not the best choice of words here. The compromise you'll be making is that you will always have the sonic signature of the guitar cab(s) through which you are playing. That makes the speaker sims in the Axe-Fx redundant, and it will be best to turn them off.

Unless you're willing to do a lot of experimentation with EQ, you're limited with this setup to one speaker sound: the sound of your actual speaker. With a neutral FRFR system, you can easily get the sound of any of the factory cab sims, plus the sound of any custom IRs that you upload to the Axe-Fx. Quite a few Axe-Fx users happily play through SS amp/guitar cab combinations.

[mtmartin71]

"Uncompromised" is probably not the best choice of words here. The compromise you'll be making is that you will always have the sonic signature of the guitar cab(s) through which you are playing. That makes the speaker sims in the Axe-Fx redundant, and it will be best to turn them off.

Unless you're willing to do a lot of experimentation with EQ, you're limited with this setup to one speaker sound: the sound of your actual speaker. With a neutral FRFR system, you can easily get the sound of any of the factory cab sims, plus the sound of any custom IRs that you upload to the Axe-Fx. Quite a few Axe-Fx users happily play through SS amp/guitar cab combinations.

I see what you're getting at and understand that. I guess what I'm saying is that if I'm using the same cab (my own) and I dialed up a 20W Marshall (if it's in there), could I get it sounding the same as my current 2061 head through the same cab? With the Line6 stuff, you had to use these compensation settings and they only had a 2x12 or 4x12 compensation, and even then, some said they still sounded better with the sims off or on. It was a crapshoot in my experience. To me, if this thing really emulates a tube amp, then I should be able to dial up a number of like sounding amps that would normally sound great through my existing cabs (understanding that my cabs probably fit a vintage sound and therefore need vintage amp sims).

I guess I will look at things and see what makes sense. I see the point here is that by getting one FRFR cab, I can have the sound coming out of a bunch of different mic/cab setups vs. the limitations of just my current cabs. For cost reasons, I may just start with the power amp option and use models that complement my current cabs. Thanks for all the info so far.

[Jay Mitchell]

I guess what I'm saying is that if I'm using the same cab (my own) and I dialed up a 20W Marshall (if it's in there), could I get it sounding the same as my current 2061 head through the same cab?In my experience, you would be able to get it as close as another example of the same model (or your amp after retubing) is likely to be.

With the Line6 stuff,There's no comparison between what you can get from the Axe-Fx and any budget modeler, Line6 included. 'Nuff said about that.

To me, if this thing really emulates a tube amp, then I should be able to dial up a number of like sounding amps that would normally sound great through my existing cabs (understanding that my cabs probably fit a vintage sound and therefore need vintage amp sims).You will be able to do that.

[electronpirate]

I see what you're getting at and understand that. I guess what I'm saying is that if I'm using the same cab (my own) and I dialed up a 20W Marshall (if it's in there), could I get it sounding the same as my current 2061 head through the same cab? With the Line6 stuff, you had to use these compensation settings and they only had a 2x12 or 4x12 compensation, and even then, some said they still sounded better with the sims off or on. It was a crapshoot in my experience. To me, if this thing really emulates a tube amp, then I should be able to dial up a number of like sounding amps that would normally sound great through my existing cabs (understanding that my cabs probably fit a vintage sound and therefore need vintage amp sims).


Closest one I've found is the Class A model. Nice and clean on volume knob, crunchy on dig in. Don't think that a Hiwatt model is going to sound like a perfect Hiwatt through your cab. Won't happen. Compensation settings? Uh, KIND of, but the bottom line is you can probably adjust to whatever is out there given enough knowledge of EQ and parameters. Won't be simple tho...expect that. Power amps and speakers have a specific voice.

The real question it seems your asking is dynamics. Its there.

[mtmartin71]

The real question it seems your asking is dynamics. Its there.

I guess you're right. If that's there, then it should behave like any other amp I'd attach my cabs to so that answers my question. Thank you.

[Turbo Gerbil]

To me, if this thing really emulates a tube amp, then I should be able to dial up a number of like sounding amps that would normally sound great through my existing cabs (understanding that my cabs probably fit a vintage sound and therefore need vintage amp sims).

IMO it's EASIER to get great AxeFx sounds immediately by going into guitar cabs rather than FRFR. FRFR adds more variables and the ability of your chosen FRFR in particular handling the midrange crossover and smoothness of the highs goes a long way towards how much you will like the FRFR sound. OTOH, plugging into a poweramp or the return on a tube amp and going into guitar speakers that you know will lead to much more satisfactory immediate results, and will be that up front and forward tone you expect sitting in front of an amp rather than the effect of monitoring a mic'd cab. Get the AxeFx, turn off the cab sims in the global section ( I leave the poweramp sims on so I can play with cranked power section sounds), and start running the presets. When you find something interesting, hit the layout button and start bypassing effects sections to get to the raw amp sound and then go play with the amp controls. You can also just go to a preset and turn everything off but the amps and just start cycling through the different amps and playing with them. This to me really gave me a much better sense of what the AxeFx was all about, rather than playing through FRFR.

I'm currently running the Axe Fx using the 4 cable method with my Boogie IIC+. This way I can put the AxeFx's efxloop module in a patch to use the Boogie IIC+, or leave the efx loop out and use an amp emulation, and the result is amplifed via the IIC+'s power section into a Mesa Cab. Sounds fantastic, and I have full control over whether efx are in front of the Boogie or behind it, or whatever.

[HillbillySims]

I've got a solid state amp that is ULTRA clean.. it has always reminded me of a PA in a box or a steel guitar amp, its a Yamaha G100-III 2X12 version.

It shines in the department of producing VERY loud sound while staying totally clean & having huge bottom end. In terms of volume & clarity, I feel it will blow a Fender Twin off the stage.

Due to these characteristics, I wonder if this would be a good platform for the AXE-FX?

[Scott Peterson]

I've got a solid state amp that is ULTRA clean.. it has always reminded me of a PA in a box or a steel guitar amp, its a Yamaha G100-III 2X12 version.

It shines in the department of producing VERY loud sound while staying totally clean & having huge bottom end. In terms of volume & clarity, I feel it will blow a Fender Twin off the stage.

Due to these characteristics, I wonder if this would be a good platform for the AXE-FX?

It's worth a try for sure. You have a 15 day trial period to find out with the Axe-FX.

[HillbillySims]

I'm about $400 bucks away from making the purchase.. just trying to sell off some stuff that I am NOT going to want back one day... anything that I like & that is hard to replace Im not selling.

THE FREAKIN PROBLEM IS ABOUT EVERYTHING I HAVE I LIKE & IS HARD TO REPLACE!!! ha ha

I have about 5 tele's signed by Merle Haggard...I never play them, but I cant stand the thought of selling them either. If I ever have kids or grandkids it would be neat to hand stuff like that down

[Scott Peterson]

I'd wait then. Fractal isn't going anywhere but up; and don't sell things you love.

Get one when you can.

[mtmartin71]

Well, with the 15 day trial, I finally bit the bullet on a standard and clicked "Buy". Hopefully the Standard sounds as good as the Ultra. My understanding is the Ultra would be good if you want to run a lot of stuff at one time. I'm more intersted in the basic amps sims with some effects here and there as needed.

[joemesser]

Got my Ultra yesterday and have a few hours on it. You can count me among the stunned and stoked. I'm getting really good initial results going through a VHT 2/50/2 tube power amp, and a vertical 2x12 with Scumnico's. I'll post more about it down the road. But the initial impressions are mind blowing. The box is truly evolutionary.

Digital that sounds and feels like analog......weird!

[Scott Peterson]

Well, with the 15 day trial, I finally bit the bullet on a standard and clicked "Buy". Hopefully the Standard sounds as good as the Ultra. My understanding is the Ultra would be good if you want to run a lot of stuff at one time. I'm more intersted in the basic amps sims with some effects here and there as needed.

They sound exactly the same. The Ultra does some effects the Standard can't and does more at once. The sounds are exactly the same.

[cliffc8488]

Well, with the 15 day trial, I finally bit the bullet on a standard and clicked "Buy". Hopefully the Standard sounds as good as the Ultra. My understanding is the Ultra would be good if you want to run a lot of stuff at one time. I'm more intersted in the basic amps sims with some effects here and there as needed.

They sound the same.

On a totally different note: where did you go to high-school?

CC

[mtmartin71]

They sound the same.

On a totally different note: where did you go to high-school?

CC

Thanks to Scott and yourself for the clarification on the difference.

I went to high school at Hillsdale in San Mateo, CA. Were you thinking from my signature that I might have went to high school in Arvada? Is that where you're originally from?

Matt

[stratzrus]

Has anyone checked out those Rocktron 112 ported cabs? I would think the response would be fairly flat .and they are like $139.

I was also looking at the DCM Carvin's like the above poster. I dont think a 150 would be enough power ...Am I wrong.?I would think that the response from your ported cab is not particularly flat, but I'm not personally familiar with that speaker.

I would definitely want more power than 150 watts SS...at least double that.

To me, if this thing really emulates a tube amp, then I should be able to dial up a number of like sounding amps that would normally sound great through my existing cabs...In fact you should.
I have about 5 tele's signed by Merle Haggard...I never play them, but I cant stand the thought of selling them either. If I ever have kids or grandkids it would be neat to hand stuff like that downHopefully your descendants will share your love of Haggard, but they may not...it's something to consider. I'd personally rather have a Tele without writing on it, even by Hendrix. It's a thoughtful jesture though...just my $.02.

[drgonzoguitar]

I have nothing to say. I just wanted to post on the longest running thread on this board.

:BEER

[HillbillySims]

Stratzrus.. the reason I dont play them doesnt have anything to do with the signatures.. I just have my favorites & thats what I play all the time.

Ok back to the AXE discussion!

[todd richman]

drgonzo, actually the Pedalboard thread is up to like 800 pages!

[stratzrus]

Stratzrus.. the reason I dont play them doesnt have anything to do with the signatures.. I just have my favorites & thats what I play all the time. Hey, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't play them either, I completely understand.

I was just thinking that maybe four might be enough and selling one could put you into the Axe a little quicker. ;)

[Plague Dog]

I have a Taylor 410C that Merl signed, I get comments on it all the time. People love it, I don't know why the guitar would be better without his sig on it?

You'd be amazed at how many rockers are into Merl Haggard.

[stratzrus]

I have a Taylor 410C that Merl signed, I get comments on it all the time. People love it, I don't know why the guitar would be better without his sig on it?

You'd be amazed at how many rockers are into Merl Haggard.It wouldn't be better. I'm just personally not into ink on the guitar...different strokes...IMO YMMV..no big. Many will pay extra for a sig by one of their favorites. I was just trying to supply some support for selling one so he could get the AXE FX. Probably poorly stated. Let's move on.

[Plague Dog]

Okay, I'm set on getting the AXE FX as soon as Noel gets them in, Ive seen some advertised used at virtually the same price as new, so I'll just wait, but what I'm wrestling with now is how I'm going to amplify it for live.

I already own tons of PA equipment, but the only thing that has a real flat response is the Mackie stuff, but I use that for FOH, I could buy more mackies, but the list of acceptable FRFR doesn't include Mackie...

I could buy the Keyboard amp suggested on the Axe FX BB, it would only really be for personal monitoring most of the time anyway.

My third choice is using the effects return on one of my amp heads into a guitar cabinet with the cabinet sims turned off. That seems like a good solution, unless I want to feed FOH directly from the unit, then the front of house won't have the same tone as what I'm hearing from my guitar cabinet on stage...

[Turbo Gerbil]

I already own tons of PA equipment, but the only thing that has a real flat response is the Mackie stuff, but I use that for FOH, I could buy more mackies, but the list of acceptable FRFR doesn't include Mackie...
My third choice is using the effects return on one of my amp heads into a guitar cabinet with the cabinet sims turned off. That seems like a good solution, unless I want to feed FOH directly from the unit, then the front of house won't have the same tone as what I'm hearing from my guitar cabinet on stage...

before you buy anything, just start by playing with what you have, which will give you plenty to work with to figure out if you prefer the guitar cab or FRFR solution the best. With the FRFR, try it both with the standard cabsims whch give the sound of a mic'd cab, and also some of the user IR's available that give you the sound of standing a distance away from a guitar cab. If you decide you like the FRFR option but the Mackies arn't doing it for you then you can go spend the bucks.

[KHAN]

My Standard will be here Friday.

Oh boy. Here we go. :)

Just my luck.

My Axe-FX arrived today. It has a bad pot on output 1.

:eek:

[Noah]

I asked a similar question on the axe-fx forum, but I thought I'd ask here...
I'm going in to record tomorrow with my axe-fx, and wondered if there would be any reason to bring the QSC monitor? Should I just record everything direct or would there be any situation where I would want them to put a mic on the speaker? Thanks

[Jay Mitchell]

I'm going in to record tomorrow with my axe-fx, and wondered if there would be any reason to bring the QSC monitor?If you're going to be in the studio, rather than in the control room, you may want a local monitor. Otherwise, no.

would there be any situation where I would want them to put a mic on the speaker?Not with a two-way speaker. There is no place to close-mic a speaker like that and get both the correct levels and responses from the woofer and HF horn. If you tried using two mics - one each in front of woofer and HF - you'd just add another set of variables that need to be optimized.

When your sounds are tweaked in advance for a neutral full-range speaker, you're much better off going direct.

[Jay Mitchell]

Just my luck.

My Axe-FX arrived today. It has a bad pot on output 1.

:eek:Out of curiosity, how is it apparent that the pot is bad?

[Bob Savage]

I got an Axe-Fx on Friday and spent about 60 minutes looking at the manual and creating the patch for this clip...

I think this thing sounds fantastic.

Axe-Fx Clip (http://bobsavage.net/misc/Axe-FxDemo1.mp3)

[dspblues]

Sounds great bob.

[jzgtrguy]

Just my luck.

My Axe-FX arrived today. It has a bad pot on output 1.

:eek:

If it is just a little scratchey that is normal. I had posted something about this when I got my Ultra back in March at the Fractal Forum. Cliff addressed it. It had something to do with a capacitor or filter cap or something. Cliff is commited to no compromise as far as tone is concerned. Personally I can live with a little scratch when I am setting up. Once I am up I really don't fool around with the out put level that much.
Maybe Cliff or someone that knows what they are talking about can jump in here.

[KHAN]

If it is just a little scratchey that is normal. I had posted something about this when I got my Ultra back in March at the Fractal Forum. Cliff addressed it. It had something to do with a capacitor or filter cap or something. Cliff is commited to no compromise as far as tone is concerned. Personally I can live with a little scratch when I am setting up. Once I am up I really don't fool around with the out put level that much.
Maybe Cliff or someone that knows what they are talking about can jump in here.

No. The sound cuts in and out randomly as you turn the knob. It can be turned up most of the way with no sound. It also feels totally different than the other input and output knobs. Routing the mains to output 2 works perfectly.

I emailed tech support, and am sure I'll hear back soon.

Thanks for the reply.

[KHAN]

Out of curiosity, how is it apparent that the pot is bad?

It's noticably stiffer to turn, and you can feel it "catching" several times as you turn it. The sound cuts out randomly. There is no problem with output 2.

Thanks.

[Jay Mitchell]

It's noticably stiffer to turn, and you can feel it "catching" several times as you turn it. The sound cuts out randomly.Ahh, that's definitely a problem. Sounds like the pot may have taken a physical hit sometime during assembly/handling.

[SouthernShred]

Any tips for setting Global EQ for running with a traditional guitar cab? I have no experience with a graphic EQ type of interface, I'm an old school Marshall knob twister so this is a bit new...I've got it running through a clean SS power amp into a closed back ported 2x12 with Eminence Cannabis Rex speakers...maybe not the best speaker choice, but it's what I have right now...so far, I'm not overly thrilled with this setup, but I'm being patient and digging...I like it much better direct, but again, working with what I have...

[AndrewSimon]

It's noticably stiffer to turn, and you can feel it "catching" several times as you turn it. The sound cuts out randomly. There is no problem with output 2.

Thanks.

Pull the knob off, then push it back in but make sure it doesn't go all the way in...... it's worth a try.

:)

[Blueswede]

Nice sound. You might want to upload that to the axexchange.

[AndrewSimon]

I got an Axe-Fx on Friday and spent about 60 minutes looking at the manual and creating the patch for this clip...

I think this thing sounds fantastic.

Axe-Fx Clip (http://bobsavage.net/misc/Axe-FxDemo1.mp3)

Cool

:dude

[Bob Savage]

Nice sound. You might want to upload that to the axexchange.

I downloaded the software but haven't checked out how to upload the patches (assuming that's what you're referring to?).

Here's a second clip: Axe-Fx clip #2 (http://junk.bobsavage.net/Axe-FxDemo2.mp3)

[FPFL]

Bob,

Yes a nice higher mid gain sound - if that makes sense. That's the gain range I live in personally. What amp and cabs did you use?

I'm a new Standard player myself with some AF tracking to do this upcoming weekend. Giving myself extra time as its a first with the AF... Pretty stoked.

Stay well!

P

[markom89]

Hey guys,

I'm trying to upgrade the firmware on an Axe ultra here that's a beta version...
I've NEVER done anything related to midi, so can someone help out?
I'm afraid the readme isn't too much help since I've never used my computer midi stuff :messedup
I've got the axe connected to my comp's usb now but don't know what else to do :confused:
Anyone feeling kind enough to do a little step by step? Me and my buddy would REALLY appreciate it as we'd like to get it all up and running tonight...
Thanks in advance!

[Scott Peterson]

Hey guys,

I'm trying to upgrade the firmware on an Axe ultra here that's a beta version...
I've NEVER done anything related to midi, so can someone help out?
I'm afraid the readme isn't too much help since I've never used my computer midi stuff :messedup
I've got the axe connected to my comp's usb now but don't know what else to do :confused:
Anyone feeling kind enough to do a little step by step? Me and my buddy would REALLY appreciate it as we'd like to get it all up and running tonight...
Thanks in advance!

Use the Axe-FX Wiki Markom.

[Blueswede]

Hey guys,

I'm trying to upgrade the firmware on an Axe ultra here that's a beta version...
I've NEVER done anything related to midi, so can someone help out?
I'm afraid the readme isn't too much help since I've never used my computer midi stuff :messedup
I've got the axe connected to my comp's usb now but don't know what else to do :confused:
Anyone feeling kind enough to do a little step by step? Me and my buddy would REALLY appreciate it as we'd like to get it all up and running tonight...
Thanks in advance!


I do believe that you will need a midi interface such as the Midisport 2x2. That's what I use with my standard. Works every time. And like Scott said, browse the wiki, as all the info you need is there. Steve

[Craig Walker]

UPS: "Out for Delivery" :dude

[HillbillySims]

Anyone know how long the current wait time for an ULTRA is?

[Scott Peterson]

Anyone know how long the current wait time for an ULTRA is?

I do not, but recall that Cliff said it was about 1 week.

A far cry from the over 1 year+ some folks waited not too long ago. :D

[Tonekat]

I'm on the waiting list for an ULTRA, at the time it was 1 - 2 weeks, and that was a week ago. :drool

[markom89]

Is there any difference at all between the ones made today and the ones made a few months back, in terms of construction or attention to detail? I ask because I've read here that Cliff isn't making them all one his own now, but rather has a 'team' building them... I'm curious.

[electronpirate]

Cliff still does all the QA on them, so if there are problems, it's probably from shipping.

As far as I know, no components have really changed...last one I remember was he used a different spin wheel, and the manufacturer of the old one wanted huge money to continue making them.

Markom89: Love the sig...hat off to harryjmic

EP

[GreatGreen]

Where should I look if I want to change the internal fan to one that's less noisy?

[Scott Peterson]

Search on the old SetBB Fractal Forum.

[mik777]

Is this not the LONGEST freakin thread ever?????

[Scott Peterson]

Is this not the LONGEST freakin thread ever?????

Not by a long shot, though it is the longest running thread in the Amp and Cab section.Take that for what it is worth, which isn't much.

[dmbandtimmy]

What's the word on the FAS FRFR?

[Scott Peterson]

What's the word on the FAS FRFR?

Rumor and speculation, no hard data yet. FAS Forum is down since Friday (it's Monday as I type this) and no new rumors that I know about. I am not the authority on rumors though!!!!!

[dmbandtimmy]

Dang Scott! I thought you would have some inside info :D

I've been holding off waiting to see what Cliff comes out with. I just wish he would say how much longer it will be or if he was even serious about coming out with something.

[Plague Dog]

Here is my idea, we should have a weekend where everyone who wants to can meet at a predetermined location to exchange ideas and expertise, maybe the guys with more experience can help out the guys who are new.

Maybe someplace, like say Los Angeles, or wait, maybe Joel at Tone Merchants, or something similar could host it... An AFX Seminar or convention as it were.

[lazymonday]

An Axe seminar would be cool. It'd even be cooler to do a webinar so that people don't have to travel to reap the benefits. Even cooler than that would to have Cliff do it with some of the top level players of the Axe!

[Plague Dog]

A webinar would be cool, but a F2F thing where people can sit and play and exchange patches and check out different set ups etc... would be too cool.

[Blueswede]

I totally agree with the Axe Seminar. I suggested that a long time ago on the original Axe Forum, but there didn't seem to be a lot of interest. I"m just curious as to how many users there are in So Cal. Steve

[HillbillySims]

OK GUYS NEED SOME HELP.

I play about 95% modern country / Brad Paisley'ish.. and about 4-5% southern rock & classic rock. Primarily louder live gigs... very little recording

I have an opportunity to buy a Dr.Z Maz38 sr...or an AXE-FX... what do you think I would be happiest with given my application?

thanks!

[Scott Peterson]

OK GUYS NEED SOME HELP.

I play about 95% modern country / Brad Paisley'ish.. and about 4-5% southern rock & classic rock. Primarily louder live gigs... very little recording

I have an opportunity to buy a Dr.Z Maz38 sr...or an AXE-FX... what do you think I would be happiest with given my application?

thanks!

Unfortunately no one can answer that but you.

My advice is Axe-FX; but you have to rethink possibly your entire approach to gear. Or not; if you plan to use it as a preamp with effects. It's really what you make it; and for a lot of guys that's just too much to think through. No slight, no knock, just bringing it up because it's a real consideration.

[HillbillySims]

well I have no issue programming effects... I've used lots of multi-effects through the years & have no problem tweaking.. even for weeks if needed...

But in the end, I was just wondering if anyone though the Dr.Z would perform better for my situation.

If I bought the AXE, I would most likely be running it with a really high power, 2X12 SS combo made by Yamaha called a G1OO-212-III. Its basically like a mini-PA...LOUD, clean & huge bottom end

[Scott Peterson]

well I have no issue programming effects... I've used lots of multi-effects through the years & have no problem tweaking.. even for weeks if needed...

But in the end, I was just wondering if anyone though the Dr.Z would perform better for my situation.

If I bought the AXE, I would most likely be running it with a really high power, 2X12 SS combo made by Yamaha called a G1OO-212-III. Its basically like a mini-PA...LOUD, clean & huge bottom end

Look at it this way, you get 15 days to change your mind with the Axe-FX.

[electronpirate]

well I have no issue programming effects... I've used lots of multi-effects through the years & have no problem tweaking.. even for weeks if needed...

But in the end, I was just wondering if anyone though the Dr.Z would perform better for my situation.

If I bought the AXE, I would most likely be running it with a really high power, 2X12 SS combo made by Yamaha called a G1OO-212-III. Its basically like a mini-PA...LOUD, clean & huge bottom end

Sounds like you've already answered your question.

It may be a bit overkill for your SINGLE application, but look at it this way, when you need another amp, you don't need to buy another pedal or A/B with another amp.

[Shark Diver]

I totally agree with the Axe Seminar. I suggested that a long time ago on the original Axe Forum, but there didn't seem to be a lot of interest. I"m just curious as to how many users there are in So Cal. Steve

I'd be into that.

[joemesser]

OK GUYS NEED SOME HELP.

I play about 95% modern country / Brad Paisley'ish.. and about 4-5% southern rock & classic rock. Primarily louder live gigs... very little recording

I have an opportunity to buy a Dr.Z Maz38 sr...or an AXE-FX... what do you think I would be happiest with given my application?

thanks!

The Axe can change when your application changes. And it sounds *amazing*. If you had the two (Axe and Z) side by side for long enough, my bet is you could get the Axe to sound very, very close to the Z, but it will take some effort to get there.

Obviously the Z and a Tele is going to take you directly to Paisley land.

[Plague Dog]

I totally agree with the Axe Seminar. I suggested that a long time ago on the original Axe Forum, but there didn't seem to be a lot of interest. I"m just curious as to how many users there are in So Cal. Steve

I have a feeling that over the next year or two there are going to be a lot.

I for one would be happy to sit down with guys who have been using theirs for a while, learn some of the ins and outs... it's no substitute for just playing and tweaking, but it could give on hell of a head start.

[triple_vee]

ok, there are too many pages here for me to wade through...what does FRFR stand for? :D

[Plague Dog]

ok, there are too many pages here for me to wade through...what does FRFR stand for? :D

I asked the same question about 10 pages ago. I was told it is Full Range Flat Response -or- Full Range Frequency Response.

Basically it is like a PA cabinet or maybe studio monitor quality cabinet. From what I understand some people have been having a lot of success with the self powered monitors, like the QSC 121i I believe it is or the FBT MAXX 2A, Renkus Heinz CF121M...

[HillbillySims]

Anyone really worked with the compressor & multi-band compressor much?... Im wondering how good the compressor is & if it sounds more like a digital compressor.. or a analog compressor?

For country, most of like a Keeley or other similar FAT sounding compressor.

So far none of the clips I have listened to showed the power (or lack of) of the compressor.

Any opinions?

[Scott Peterson]

Anyone really worked with the compressor & multi-band compressor much?... Im wondering how good the compressor is & if it sounds more like a digital compressor.. or a analog compressor?

For country, most of like a Keeley or other similar FAT sounding compressor.

So far none of the clips I have listened to showed the power (or lack of) of the compressor.

Any opinions?

Like all things in the Axe-FX, it's what you make it. He's dialed in a mix control now that allows you to control how much of your signal is compressed. It's quite good.

[HillbillySims]

Well I just placed my order for the AXE ultra... I figured since compression was very important to me.. it would be better to get the ultra due to also having the multi-band compressor.

So.. we'll see how it works out

[Scott Peterson]

Well I just placed my order for the AXE ultra... I figured since compression was very important to me.. it would be better to get the ultra due to also having the multi-band compressor.

So.. we'll see how it works out

Well, you get 15 days to decide. Spend them well, really get inside the unit and simplify, simplify, simplify till you get the 'lay of the land' with it and then try the complicated stuff. Enjoy the journey!

[Craig Walker]

Well, to anyone who gets one, don't plug headphones into the back output jack.......very uninspiring sound. Then I read that you need a headphone amp to get a nice sound. Duh....

So I plugged into my home PA - Mackie CFX12 Mixer, EON speakers, and JRX100 sub. MUCH better. Much of the high gain stuff sounds good. I found myself drawn to the Hiwatt models [and I know "0" about those amps] and the Marshall JCM800 and Plexi tones.

Still haven't got into tweaking much, but I found some real useable tones, and a lot of 'gimmick' tones that are fun to play with. Thing is a blast to run stereo.

Am I doing cartwheels? Not yet. But I can see that this thing, with some tweaking, could replace my current setup [Marshall halfstack, and large pedalboard].

Why? I hear some good base tones. Even if I don't love them all, I would only really need 3 or 4 core tones as foundation for everything I do. With the Marshall, I have semi-clean Marshall, dirt Marshall, chorus Marshall, delay Marshall, etc.....

I currently have 3 delay pedals on my board, and find myself constantly bending down to tweak in the middle of sets, between songs. It's very attractive to me to have very high quality FX that I can change with 1 click.......i.e., if I want a 1/4 & dotted 1/8 delay combo now, I have to stop and stoop down to reset everything to get a modulated delay sound. 3 delays and I'm still tweakin on the fly. :rolleyes:

And I'm not sure why this is, but I feel like my playing is much cleaner through the AxeFX......I'm hearing and executing everything cleaner [fast runs]........not sure why. :confused:

I'm going to tweak some more, and then play through my church's PA. Interested to A/B results versus my Marshall/pedalboard.

Anyways, not gonna sell my stuff just yet, but check back in a week :)

[HillbillySims]

well my order is confirmed... how long do u think it will be before it gets here?

[electronpirate]

Am I doing cartwheels? Not yet. But I can see that this thing, with some tweaking, could replace my current setup [Marshall halfstack, and large pedalboard].

Why? I hear some good base tones. Even if I don't love them all, I would only really need 3 or 4 core tones as foundation for everything I do. With the Marshall, I have semi-clean Marshall, dirt Marshall, chorus Marshall, delay Marshall, etc.....


This is the nub of what I think most people are trying to get across. You can hear a great BASE of amp tone in there.

Don't think of it as replacing gear...just augmenting what you already have. If you find it's good enough to put a bit more cash into your pocket from selling off some gear...all good.

EP

[Craig Walker]

The FX in this sound fantastic. Worth the price just to use an an FX only box.

I *think* it could replace my current setup, but won't make that call till I A/B them through a good PA.

[haslar]

I'm getting more & more interested in the AxeFX Std, esp. now that the waiting list has gone.

Well: I'm an old Marshall freak. What I need is a system that allows me to nail JTM45, JTM50, JMP50 and JMP100 tones.
I had already asked the question a few months ago in this thread, and Scott told me the AxeFX should be able to cop these tones.
What I also need is some kind of device that allows me to get +3-6db of clean volume boost, at the tap of a toe, so I can get heard when soloing. There should be no latency.

That's it.

Assuming I buy an AxeFX, what footswitch device should I get ?
Should I buy a guitar power amp, and if so, which one? It'd then be using one or two cabs, ranging from 1x12" to 4x12"s.
Otherwise, should I just use the AxeFX as a standalone unit, plugged into some kind of powered monitor, and going FOH?

Thanks for the replies !!

[HillbillySims]

ANYONE KNOW HOW LONG THE WAIT IS FOR AN ULTRA?... I ordered mine yesterday & got the confirmation, but they didnt send me an ETA

[Dr Git]

Sounds fantastic Bob....Enjoy the heck out of her....Impressive


I got an Axe-Fx on Friday and spent about 60 minutes looking at the manual and creating the patch for this clip...

I think this thing sounds fantastic.

Axe-Fx Clip (http://bobsavage.net/misc/Axe-FxDemo1.mp3)

[Dr Git]

Thats what I'd be affraid of too. Would I have the patience for something like this..........:NUTS



Call me crazy but I wanted to play my guitar not play my "processor" LOL! Don't take this the wrong way but I get the impression some of you guys have on the white lab coat and the pocket protector :D

Its all good, I should not have bought a product that was so deep as I tend to use about 4 or 5 tones on a continual basis. Don't get me wrong I want those tones to kill but at the end of the day its a loud club, spilled beer and crazy chicks.

This unit seems more geared towards MIT than me and thats cool!

Rock On!
Brad

[Scott Peterson]

I'm getting more & more interested in the AxeFX Std, esp. now that the waiting list has gone.

Well: I'm an old Marshall freak. What I need is a system that allows me to nail JTM45, JTM50, JMP50 and JMP100 tones.
I had already asked the question a few months ago in this thread, and Scott told me the AxeFX should be able to cop these tones.
What I also need is some kind of device that allows me to get +3-6db of clean volume boost, at the tap of a toe, so I can get heard when soloing. There should be no latency.

That's it.

Assuming I buy an AxeFX, what footswitch device should I get ?
Should I buy a guitar power amp, and if so, which one? It'd then be using one or two cabs, ranging from 1x12" to 4x12"s.
Otherwise, should I just use the AxeFX as a standalone unit, plugged into some kind of powered monitor, and going FOH?

Thanks for the replies !!

ANYONE KNOW HOW LONG THE WAIT IS FOR AN ULTRA?... I ordered mine yesterday & got the confirmation, but they didnt send me an ETA

I suggest to both of you to go over to the Fractal forum and ask these questions. It's linked off Fractal's site and the wiki site.

[dmbandtimmy]

Is the forum still down? I can't seem to connect.

[SouthernShred]

seems down to me...

[javajunkie]

seems down to me...

It is

[Plague Dog]

Don't they have a new forum up?

[haslar]

I suggest to both of you to go over to the Fractal forum and ask these questions. It's linked off Fractal's site and the wiki site.

Scott, it seems the Fractal forum is down; and this other forum ( http://www.guitardojo.com/axefx/forum/ ) does not allow me to post new threads!

[javajunkie]

Don't they have a new forum up?

The new forum is the one that's down. There has been problems for days, it is completely down now.

[Anthony Gring]

Hillbillysims- My guess is a week , two at the most but again, that's just a Guess.

Yeah, bummer the NEW forum is being problematic. Been acting up for a while now. Very frustrating. Hoping for the best.

[cliffc8488]

Yahoo is inept. I'm pulling the plug on them and moving everything to a dedicated server. It will be a week or so to make the transition.

CC

[javajunkie]

The site is back up.

[Scott Peterson]

It's hit or miss with Cliff's current servers. He's moving as noted above. Expect the same on/off thing until he has it dialed down.

[HillbillySims]

Actually Its Been Shipped

[mtmartin71]

Well, it finally showed up and I've had a chance to run through it a bit now. I'm running into a QSC GX3 amp (300W per channel) and then to a Marshall 2061cx. I also tried in stereo with an Avatar Premium Vintage 1x12 w/ V30. Keep in mind these are just first impressions and I'm by no means rendering any final verdicts on the product.

I tried a Strat with BLawrence pickups first and ran through the presets. LOTS of effects laden presets. The strat sounded very harsh in the high end on some of the stuff. Like a digital harshness but I haven't played some of those amps so maybe that's the issue. It could be the guitar...more later. I proceeded to build a patch from scratch and try different amp models and was able to get to some sounds much faster. It does have a nice feel to it once you get it tuned to your guitar. I also noticed that the menu became very intuitive as I started to work with it. It can be complicated if you want, but it doesn't have to be to get a good sound although I'm not as keen on how to adjust the power amp sim. I just left them where they were at for the most part. I then plugged in my Gretsch Power Jet with TV Jones Powertrons. VERY nice. That guitar really grabbed on with many of the patches. I turned off delay and verb in most of them too and you can hear a nice thick, harmonic tone. While I'm not as much of an effects guy, I can appreciate the absolute quality of what I'm hearing. Very dimensional and full sounding with the effects. I guess I can understand some folks points that it's almost too pristine, but I don't find that to be an issue if you pull out the gates and effects and play raw. It can sound like a straight amp too.

I'm very much on the fence with this puppy but not because of the sounds. I think I heard enough from my initial 2-3 hours with it that I know I can get excellent tones. I especially liked the Marshall and Recto stuff. The USA Clean and the Class A clean were also very nice. Fact is, convincing sounds are in there and they do feel pretty good. I just don't need the effects much so it becomes a $1500 amp modeler. Then there is the issue of how to amplify it and the costs there. Plus, how to control it live. So, I'm looking at about $2000+ of net new gear for something where I may only use a 1/4 or less of the features. One thing I still want to hear is this unit through a PA. I turned on the cab sims (the volume jumps BTW) and they sounded like they might be interesting. Wish there was a FRFR solution available now that fit my stage needs. Anyhow, I have more time to make up my mind so it's all good.

Some questions...

1) Could someone link Scott P's post on how to build a patch from scratch, especially the parts about ideal input/output settings? I can't seem to remember where I read that.

2) Are there any current FRFR solutions that allow you to run cab sims with good sound AND that are constructed more like a traditional guitar cab? On many occasions, my speaker isn't mic'd for a gig and I have to carry my own sound. The other thing is stage space is at a premium in my gigs so it has to be either one cab or two smaller cabs if I went stereo.

[Noah]

I was in a popular Richmond studio recording songs for the past few days and ended up using tons of tweaked presets from my Axe-Fx ultra. Holy crap it sounded awesome! I'll post a link to the songs here on TGP when they get mixed down. I also used my Bogner XTC and a Fender Super Reverb on a few tracks, but the Axe-fx is all over my new stuff. I must have used at least 20 variations of tweaked presets throughout the recording process. Quite honestly I can't imagine how I would have finished the songs without it. I don't have a point really...I just wanted to rave a bit! :D

[stratzrus]

I was in a popular Richmond studio recording songs for the past few days and ended up using tons of tweaked presets from my Axe-Fx ultra. Holy crap it sounded awesome! I'll post a link to the songs here on TGP when they get mixed down. I also used my Bogner XTC and a Fender Super Reverb on a few tracks, but the Axe-fx is all over my new stuff. I must have used at least 20 variations of tweaked presets throughout the recording process. Quite honestly I can't imagine how I would have finished the songs without it. I don't have a point really...I just wanted to rave a bit! :DIf it's keeping up with the XTC and a Super Reverb in the studio that's quite a commendation. Thanks for posting.

[Jay Mitchell]

I think I heard enough from my initial 2-3 hours with it that I know I can get excellent tones. I especially liked the Marshall and Recto stuff. The USA Clean and the Class A clean were also very nice.I'm with you on all the above, and I'll add that I really like the Fender-based models as well. Hold that thought....

I just don't need the effects much so it becomes a $1500 amp modeler.If all you want/need is the range of sounds that are available from one physical amp, and if you don't have a use for quality time-based effects, then that one amp plus a handful of stompboxes might come in at less than $1.5k. If, OTOH, you will really use two or three of the sounds you reference above, the cost of the physical amps and cabs required to produce them, plus some stomps, will run to several times the cost of a complete Axe-Fx rig.

Plus, how to control it live.I use a Behringer FCB1010. In addition to being able to change presets and having two expression pedals, I have it set up to work like stompboxes for ten effects. $150 at MF. If you're concerned about its reliability, just buy another one for a spare.

So, I'm looking at about $2000+ of net new gear for something where I may only use a 1/4 or less of the features.Add up the cost of those features in a conventional rig, and my money says you end up well north of $2k.

[lazymonday]

I think it's comparable. Just like a full blown, stereo, FRFR speaker Axe FX fig would cost upwards of $3-4k probably, you can have a rig like mine for about $2.3k ($1500 AxeFX, $150 Behringer FCB1010, Carvin DCM150 $120 used, Avatar 1x12 G12-65 $400).

No it's not a cheap rig by anyone' standards really so I'm not trying to exclaim how much of a money saver it is.

But consider the fact that the quality of effects on there far surpasses anything else in it's price range... the grand scheme of things, you're getting one helluva rig for next to nothing. Still though. I kind of get where you're coming from. If I bought a personal jet for $300k, people would think I got the bargain of the century. Too bad I don't have $300k lying around eh?

[mtmartin71]

Jay, I agree with you. I'm leaning more towards sticking with it because of the imense possibilities. I just tried it with my Les Paul and the distortions sounded great. For those that have criticized them, I can't see why. Once I took the reverbs and delays off, they sounded nice and tight. I must qualify this by saying I've only played through a 4x12 when I owned a Marshall 6100 half stack, but I never got that thing too loud. It sounds good to me though. I'm more inclined after another guitar and test to keep it and grow with it. I can hear the difference in fidelity between this setup and my previous attempt with the PODxtl/Atomic 50. The biggest difference is the core sound of the amp without the effects. Like Scott P mentioned, I wanted to focus in the area that meant the most to me and I've found the sounds in there that I like.

I still plan to keep my Marshall 2061 half stack and my small pedal board as a backup plan if my Axe were to fail. If I can make this thing work on stage for me, my stage backup will be the venerable Epiphone Valve Jr. (w/ mods). :) Man, that would be a fall off in flexibility...but, it's got it's own thing going on.

[stratzrus]

It sounds good to me though. I'm more inclined after another guitar and test to keep it and grow with it. With familiarity you can get results that are quite unlikely to be reached during the first few days. The better you become at dialing it in, the better your results will be. This is one amp where spending some time with it can produce great rewards.

[HillbillySims]

What do you all think about using a high quality bass head (for lead guitar) with the AXE?

What made me think of this is Reb Beach of Whitesnake uses a Hartke 350 bass head for this cleans. I guess I was thinking I could set the EQ to flat, high/low/mid's at 12'Oclock...set the AXE-FX up.. then at gigs where I needed a little more/less EQ I could quickly make adjustments without digging into the menus.. plus it would be pretty easy to find something that puts out 300 watts plus.. so it should have pretty good clarity similar to a good power amp...??

Thoughts?

[dmbandtimmy]

Hey Jay, what are you running your axe through ?

[HillbillySims]

I have a ADA Microtube 200 poweramp I could use with it.. but I really like to be able to adjust high/low/mids on the fly at a gig due to different rooms sounding different & different stage volumes.

Would it really be bad to use rack line mixer with high/low/mid adjustments with this idea?

[cliffc8488]

The Axe-Fx has an 8-band Global EQ for just this purpose.

[HillbillySims]

WOW ! Thats great news, I didnt know that! I think my AXE will be here monday so I cant wait to dig into it.

Thanks Cliff!!

[cliffc8488]

There's separate global EQs for each of the output pairs as well. So you can EQ the FOH separately from on-stage if desired.

[HillbillySims]

eVEN MORE AWESOME!!!

[Scott Peterson]

That isn't even the beginning of it. :D

[HillbillySims]

Anyone know of a company that still makes the combo amp/rack setups?

I used to see them that had a 1X12 cab with built in 3 space rack on the top.. I'd kinda like to find something like that for my AXE

[Plague Dog]

KK Audio?

[Craig Walker]

I took my FX to my church, where I 'gig' weekly, and played through the PA. Crown power amps, JBL 415 mains, 418 subs, Mackie board. A quality system.

Pros:

I currently run my Marshall mono [just one amp] so the stereo sound of the FX was very cool. To stand out FoH and listen to pingpong delays between speaker, and deep chorus/reverb/delay sounds were cool.

I could get an 'in your face' sound much easier than my mic'd Marshall. Stage volume is usually pretty loud [battling acoustic drums behind shield], and the FX allowed me to dial down my volume and still hear myself clearly.

Most clean sounds were good. Very useable.

Cons:

A/Bing the FX with my Marshall, the Marshall won. I've tweaked for several hours now, changing EQs, presence settings, treble/mid/bass of the amps, warmth settings, etc.

Power chords sound good, but not the same as my Marshall. The Marshall is fatter. More 'weight' to it. But where I was really disappointed was in sustained, high gain lead playing on unwound strings...

Notes {esp when sustained} had a brittleness to them that I haven't discovered how to dial out. They don't sound as 'real'. This is when listening to FoH....walk out with my wireless. The FX produces a 'grainy' sound. Not sure exactly how to verbalize sound.

Dial down presence and treble and you lose note definition. I'm using a strat btw. Play my Marshall and it just sounds more 'correct' to me.....fatter. Smooth, yet defined.

The FX sounds much better than a POD, but it still has that thing going, and from the testimonials I've read, it shouldn't.


What magic setting am I missing? :confused:


I think the sounds I'm hearing from the FX will cut thru the band mix better. BUT when I'm playing by myself, I'm not sure I've dialed in an acceptable mid to high gain sound yet.

Please don't give me the "read the wiki/manual/keep tweaking" response...I've done plenty of that.

I've read plenty of 'it sounds and feels like a tube amp'....how did you arrive at that sound?

[trying to save myself hours of chasing my tail when it's something simple I may be missing]

I will confess that I've tweaked for probably 5-8 hours total, so I'm just scratching the surface, but where do I go from here.

Slightly discouraged...

[Scott Peterson]

Craig,

Download some other folks' presets for the same sorts of sound and look at their settings to see and hear what you might not have.

Also, it is extremely important to have your input on the Axe-FX up around 2 o'clock. Don't discount this or fear the red led on the input.

If you check my JCM800 preset I have up on Axechange.net you'll see I have the 'master volume' up at 9.49 and the level down to make it match MY clean sound volumes. That's a key.

I guarantee that if you had a few hours with me or someone that has had the box for a while, you'd go.... 'ohh! There it is!'. On your own, it's just learning. It took me two full weeks to get my first direct to FOH presets. And I mean a lot of trial and error in those two weeks. It's in there and it's not any 'magic' setting. It's just learning the entire thing inside and out until you KNOW where to go to change what you need to when you need to.

[Jay Mitchell]

A/Bing the FX with my Marshall, the Marshall won. I've tweaked for several hours now, changing EQs, presence settings, treble/mid/bass of the amps, warmth settings, etc.The cab sim you use will make all the difference in that. If you can't find a factory sim that suits you, try one of the custom IRs that have been made available.

Power chords sound good, but not the same as my Marshall. The Marshall is fatter. More 'weight' to it. But where I was really disappointed was in sustained, high gain lead playing on unwound strings...I've got that type of sound down cold. I can tell you from experience that it's in there and that it's not that difficult to produce.

Dial down presence and treble and you lose note definition.Once you get the right cab sim and the other parameters correct, you can use all the treble you want with the Marshall sims and not get a "brittle" or "grainy" sound.

I'm using a strat btw.Me, too.

The FX sounds much better than a POD, but it still has that thing going, and from the testimonials I've read, it shouldn't.It doesn't.

What magic setting am I missing?There is no magic bullet. It takes methodical pursuit of the sound you want. You might try to download some of the presets (as well as cab sims) developed by others.

And, most importantly, you should ask for help on the Axe-Fx forum.

Please don't give me the "read the wiki/manual/keep tweaking" response...I've done plenty of that.Apparently not yet.

I will confess that I've tweaked for probably 5-8 hours total, so I'm just scratching the surface,Well, you're admitting that you need to do more work with it.

Climbing the learning curve is a bit daunting to some new Axe-Fx owners, and the feeling that "it should be easier" is relatively common. Once the light comes on, it is easy, however. It's that initial immersion that some folks find frustrating. Give it some more time, ask for help where there's a knowledgeable user group, and try some other users' presets. You'll get there.

[SouthernShred]

I've had mine 15 days as of today...spent a ton of time with it...I'm not even running it FRFR, just into an ART SLA-1 power amp and a 2x12 Tone Tools cab, but I'm keeping it...the sounds and the feel are in there...you just have to ask yourself if you're willing to put in the time because it won't sound perfect to you unless you spend YOUR time digging and tweaking...some folks don't want that and I'll admit that I don't relish it all the time, but it's the most powerful piece of rackmount guitar gear that I've ever owned...and I have no qualms about replacing my tube amp setup with this...I'm anxiously awaiting Cliff's FRFR solution, but until then, I'm completely happy...

[HillbillySims]

Is the ART SLA-1 a pretty good power amp?.. I was wondering if this would be a better alternative to my ADA microtube 200 power amp

[Ed DeGenaro]

Craig, not sure what kinda tones you're after, but I can make a Strat sound fat through it no problem...patch is in th Bank C...at least I think that they use my patch...
called Stratified.
www.eddegenaro.com/audio/stratified.mp3

[zoooombiex]

I'm not generally inclined toward rack stuff for my own stupid reasons, but after fiddling around with this for a while I'm sufficiently impressed that I want to keep exploring. Everyone seems to recommend using this with a separate power amp and monitors, but I don't really have that and since I'm still just exploring the AXE I'm not quite ready to go out and buy that just for this.

So, what among the stuff I already have would likely give me the best preview of what the AXE can do? The options I can see are:

1. AXE --> front end of tube amp --> cab. I suppose it would make sense to go with a more neutral cab like a 1x12 with a Scholz rather than something like a 2x12 with blues, which would color things more heavily.

2. AXE --> FX loop of amp --> cab. The only amps I have with an FX loop are a Reverend hellhound/kingsnake (2x6L6) and a Vox AC-30CCH.

3. AXE --> stereo power amp --> stereo speakers.


I'd also add that for anyone trying one for their first time, I had that initial experience where getting used to the options and interface was a bit overwhelming (which I've seen in some reviews). But if you keep at it a little beyond that things start to make sense and fit together to where you can really start to know how to intentionally shape things. [...Then again, I'm one of those who only likes to read a manual after I've tinkered to the point where I get stuck ... so maybe if you read the manual first it goes easier? :)]

[stratzrus]

So, what among the stuff I already have would likely give me the best preview of what the AXE can do? The options I can see are:2. AXE --> FX loop of amp --> cab. The only amps I have with an FX loop are a Reverend hellhound/kingsnake (2x6L6) and a Vox AC-30CCH.I'd try the effects loop of the Reverend. I've gotten good results going into the effects return of my Rivera KHR 100 (4x6L6).

[mtmartin71]

I took my FX to my church, where I 'gig' weekly, and played through the PA. Crown power amps, JBL 415 mains, 418 subs, Mackie board. A quality system.

Pros:

I currently run my Marshall mono [just one amp] so the stereo sound of the FX was very cool. To stand out FoH and listen to pingpong delays between speaker, and deep chorus/reverb/delay sounds were cool.

I could get an 'in your face' sound much easier than my mic'd Marshall. Stage volume is usually pretty loud [battling acoustic drums behind shield], and the FX allowed me to dial down my volume and still hear myself clearly.

Most clean sounds were good. Very useable.

Cons:

A/Bing the FX with my Marshall, the Marshall won. I've tweaked for several hours now, changing EQs, presence settings, treble/mid/bass of the amps, warmth settings, etc.

Power chords sound good, but not the same as my Marshall. The Marshall is fatter. More 'weight' to it. But where I was really disappointed was in sustained, high gain lead playing on unwound strings...

Notes {esp when sustained} had a brittleness to them that I haven't discovered how to dial out. They don't sound as 'real'. This is when listening to FoH....walk out with my wireless. The FX produces a 'grainy' sound. Not sure exactly how to verbalize sound.

Dial down presence and treble and you lose note definition. I'm using a strat btw. Play my Marshall and it just sounds more 'correct' to me.....fatter. Smooth, yet defined.

The FX sounds much better than a POD, but it still has that thing going, and from the testimonials I've read, it shouldn't.


What magic setting am I missing? :confused:


I think the sounds I'm hearing from the FX will cut thru the band mix better. BUT when I'm playing by myself, I'm not sure I've dialed in an acceptable mid to high gain sound yet.

Please don't give me the "read the wiki/manual/keep tweaking" response...I've done plenty of that.

I've read plenty of 'it sounds and feels like a tube amp'....how did you arrive at that sound?

[trying to save myself hours of chasing my tail when it's something simple I may be missing]

I will confess that I've tweaked for probably 5-8 hours total, so I'm just scratching the surface, but where do I go from here.

Slightly discouraged...

Maybe a better A/B, if your Marshall is a head, would be to run the AxeFX as a head to the same cab (and set up dry)? You'd obviously need some form of power amp. In my reading so far, it seems like there is a lot more tweaking to be done for a full direct sound but the payoff is apparently a good one. Anyhow, I'm a newbie to the unit as you are.

One thing I would say is that, like you, I had trouble dialing in my Strat. I liked my HB equipped guitars much better.

[mtmartin71]

Also, it is extremely important to have your input on the Axe-FX up around 2 o'clock. Don't discount this or fear the red led on the input.


Related to Scott's comment, how do you guys run the output? I run the input with humbuckers at 2p too but could probably run flat out with my Strat. With ouput, I'm running 75% and probably could run at 100% as I'm not getting clipping indication on my amp or on the AxeFX. It does sound fuller and allows me to run the power amp lower. Just curious what you do and if running the output that high causes unintended distortion.

[Scott Peterson]

Related to Scott's comment, how do you guys run the output? I run the input with humbuckers at 2p too but could probably run flat out with my Strat. With ouput, I'm running 75% and probably could run at 100% as I'm not getting clipping indication on my amp or on the AxeFX. It does sound fuller and allows me to run the power amp lower. Just curious what you do and if running the output that high causes unintended distortion.

Not unless you hear it.

Use your ears, not just your eyes. Trust your ears.

[Craig Walker]

Craig,

Download some other folks' presets for the same sorts of sound and look at their settings to see and hear what you might not have.

OK, I'll try that...

Also, it is extremely important to have your input on the Axe-FX up around 2 o'clock. Don't discount this or fear the red led on the input.

If you check my JCM800 preset I have up on Axechange.net you'll see I have the 'master volume' up at 9.49 and the level down to make it match MY clean sound volumes. That's a key.

Don't think my input was maybe around 12 o'clock.....I'll pay attn to that. I'll check my MV vs level settings.

I guarantee that if you had a few hours with me or someone that has had the box for a while, you'd go.... 'ohh! There it is!'.

And I pretty much assumed that would be the case, but after multiple hours of tweaking, it was a bit discouraging to hear what I was getting.

But I'm encouraged to keep trying. :)

[Craig Walker]

Apparently not yet.

Well, you're admitting that you need to do more work with it.



I didn't mean to infer I had "tweaked enough...", which was obviously not the case. I just meant it didn't help to say "keep tweaking" w/o telling me where to start.

Thanks for the encouragement. :)

I'll keep trying.

[Craig Walker]

One thing I would say is that, like you, I had trouble dialing in my Strat. I liked my HB equipped guitars much better.

My Les Paul sounds better, yes.

I'll try running thru my cab too, as you suggested.

[Craig Walker]

Let me clarify something too:

I want to like this thing. It would sure make life easier. I'd love to be like several of you have said "I don't chase the latest pedal/amp/whatever.....I just play"....

Once I find just one really good base tone that I can use, I'll be sold. I did some tweaking last night even, and feel I'm closer. Now I'll use some of the input ya'll have given today.


Thanks to all. :AOK

[Den]

Something I've found makes a big difference in all of my tones ... go to the advanced page in the amp block and check the "Low Cut Freq" setting. Many start out at a very low setting which translates into a flubby bass in my rig. By taking this up over 100, I found a big difference. Some of my presets are in the 120 to 140 range while others are closer to 200. Definitely give this a try. Good luck.

[mwc2112]

By that same token, if you're finding some harshness on the high end, the hi-cut parm will help out with that. :band

[Den]

By that same token, if you're finding some harshness on the high end, the hi-cut parm will help out with that. :band
Absolutely. To dial in the high end, I usually start by taking the presence down to a lower setting and working with the tone settings in the amp block. From there I'll experiment with the high-cut as well. You can also drop in an EQ block and work with that, but I prefer to keep the signal chain as simple as possible. Sounds like a lot of tweaking, but it's really fast and easy once you've spent some time with the Axe.

[bluesmostly]

hey Craig, a question: are you A/B-ing the Marshall & Axe by listening to them thru the FOH alone? If the Marshall head/cab is the mix, then it won't be that close in some ways. The Axe is essentially a miked rig put thru a system, as if your Marshall rig were in a different room from the stage. The Axe thru monitors and PA doesn't do the same things that my head and cab do when I am standing in front of it, but for stage sound and FOH, it trumps it in almost every way for me.

[HillbillySims]

Well my AXE ultra should be arriving today or monday...I found a combo/rack & ordered it (shown below). I plan to switch the speaker out for an EVM12L.. & use an ADA Microtube 200 power amp... hopefully this works out well

DOES THE AXE NEED ANY BREATHING ROOM BETWEEN? THIS IS JUST A 3 SPACE RACK SO THERE WOULD BE NO FREE SPACE BETWEEN THE AXE & THE POWER AMP

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/HillbillySims/BritishSpecCabFront.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/HillbillySims/BritishSpecCabBack.jpg

[Craig Walker]

hey Craig, a question: are you A/B-ing the Marshall & Axe by listening to them thru the FOH alone?


I stuck my ear right up to the speaker [at lower volume level :messedup ] to block the stage volume of the cab...

The mic'd Marshall tone was better, at that point.

[bluesdoc]

DOES THE AXE NEED ANY BREATHING ROOM BETWEEN? THIS IS JUST A 3 SPACE RACK SO THERE WOULD BE NO FREE SPACE BETWEEN THE AXE & THE POWER AMP


The AF itself doesn't need breathing room. It's more a matter of the power amp. SS amps differ in their heat output and ventilation schemes. Also depends how much of its capacity you'll be using. Ie, using 80W of a 400W amp will probably be cooler than 80W of a 100W amp, etc.

jon

[gag halfrunt]

Well my AXE ultra should be arriving today or monday...I found a combo/rack & ordered it (shown below). I plan to switch the speaker out for an EVM12L.. & use an ADA Microtube 200 power amp... hopefully this works out well

DOES THE AXE NEED ANY BREATHING ROOM BETWEEN? THIS IS JUST A 3 SPACE RACK SO THERE WOULD BE NO FREE SPACE BETWEEN THE AXE & THE POWER AMP

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/HillbillySims/BritishSpecCabFront.jpg
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/HillbillySims/BritishSpecCabBack.jpg
Nice find on the rack combo!

I use the Axe in a 4u rack with a Mesa 20/20 tube amp and a Furman, and have never even been close to having a problem with the heat building up and effecting the Axe.

[markom89]

Ok, I know I asked this before and I got the "look in the axe fx wiki" answer, but that didn't help me much... I'm still looking to update the Ultra I've got here, but I just don't know how... I tried to follow all the steps in the readme but got lost on step #2 :messedup

I've got the midi & out plugged into my computer via a USB/midi interface, but now what? what's a midi librarian? This is the only reason I don't dig the axe! I know it should be simple, but I'm plain stupid w/ rackgear and midi stuff...

[AndrewSimon]

Ok, I know I asked this before and I got the "look in the axe fx wiki" answer, but that didn't help me much... I'm still looking to update the Ultra I've got here, but I just don't know how... I tried to follow all the steps in the readme but got lost on step #2 :messedup

I've got the midi & out plugged into my computer via a USB/midi interface, but now what? what's a midi librarian? This is the only reason I don't dig the axe! I know it should be simple, but I'm plain stupid w/ rackgear and midi stuff...

Mac or PC?

If PC try Bome's sendSX:
http://www.bome.com/midi/sendsx/

By far the easiest thing to work with.

:)

[Joseph Hanna]

Ok, I know I asked this before and I got the "look in the axe fx wiki" answer, but that didn't help me much... I'm still looking to update the Ultra I've got here, but I just don't know how... I tried to follow all the steps in the readme but got lost on step #2 :messedup

It's fairly easy deal once you get everything setup...hang in there. There are several midi SysEx librarians as free downloads. The first variable will be Mac vs PC. From there it's good to know that where a SysEx librarian will upload your firmware updates it will not serve as preset manager/editor but conversely the Axe-Fx editor will both edit and upload.

As a side note (for Mac) for the editor you need the correct version of Java. A shareware application form a UK company called Mandolain (sp?) is also needed and there is a $5.00 charge

For Mac I downloaded a SysEx Librarian from a company called Snoize. Once you down load the Librarian you MUST have the current drivers for your interface.

From there you will download the firmware update and load the firmware update into the Sysex librarian. You'll have to tell the Axe-Fx that your getting ready to upload firmware. I'm not in front of it now but it's in the manual. Then simply hit "play" (at least for Snoize) and the Axe-Fx will update.

Hope that helps

[OldNo.7]

HillbillySims said: What do you all think about using a high quality bass head (for lead guitar) with the AXE?

What made me think of this is Reb Beach of Whitesnake uses a Hartke 350 bass head for this cleans. I guess I was thinking I could set the EQ to flat, high/low/mid's at 12'Oclock...set the AXE-FX up.I've been waiting for an answer to this question.:)
I already have a couple Ampeg SVT heads (one with 6550 tubes, and one ss power.) with "power amp in" jacks on the back. Has anybody tried this, and how did it work out for you? I guess I'd be using a 2x10 or 4x10 cab with the tweeter.

I guess I do have one combo guitar amp with an effects loop too....

[HillbillySims]

ME TOO!! Really wanting to hear the answer to the bass head question

[Shark Diver]

ME TOO!! Really wanting to hear the answer to the bass head question

This works great. It really depends what you want. A few years ago I ran a Diezel head into a bass cab 2x10 and 15 cab. I had a relay switch that turned off the horn for gain sounds. Just amazing tones. Cleans were so full it was sick. Gain sounds deep and full.

With the Axe this is just another way to run it. A good acoustic amp works well too. If I still had the Bass cabs I would really be into trying this again. But then I would have to run a different eq setting for FoH. Which I could do with the Axe, I'm just lazy.

[HillbillySims]

Hey another question... I typically run my volume pedal at the end of my effects chain..just before going to the amp.. I like the sound better that way..

On the AXE, can I insert a volume control (controlled by expression pedal) at the very end of the effects chain?

Or will I need to just come out of the AXE... into my volume pedal... then out to the amp?

The reason I was wondering about this is because volume pedals are bad to suck tone.. I figured this would be a way to digitally control the volume with no tone suck..

Thoughts??

[joemesser]

Hey another question... I typically run my volume pedal at the end of my effects chain..just before going to the amp.. I like the sound better that way..

On the AXE, can I insert a volume control (controlled by expression pedal) at the very end of the effects chain?

Or will I need to just come out of the AXE... into my volume pedal... then out to the amp?

The reason I was wondering about this is because volume pedals are bad to suck tone.. I figured this would be a way to digitally control the volume with no tone suck..

Thoughts??

You'll have no problem inserting the volume pedal effect at the end of the Fractal's signal chain, then controlling it with an expression pedal.

I totally agree that volume pedals are one of the worst tone suckers out there.

[guitarz_dave]

I am thinking of getting an Axe FX and have a few questions.

- From the soundclips I can tell the amp models and delays are amazing, but am wondering how good the modulation effects are (are they as good in terms of dimensional sound as a Mojo Vibe, Maxon PH350, Catalinbread Semaphore Tremolo and Analogman Chorus, all of which I have)?

- How can you get the lightest and most powerful rig out of it if you want to use a 1x12 external speaker cab (which one would you buy - ie, Tone Tubby, Bogner Cube, etc) and a power amp (which would you get - ie, Carvin DCM600, Stewart World 1.2, etc)?

- How necessary is it to get a Furman power conditioner (ie, I want to save space and weight in a rack)?

- Would you likely put the Fractal midi switcher when it comes out in a rack with the Axe FX and power amp (makes for a 6 slot rack) or keep it separate in a gig bag (ie, what's the best way the simplify transport and logistics)?

[markom89]

Anyone notice the axe gets a bit of a distorted/fuzzy sound when you lower the volume w/ yer guitars knob?

[electronpirate]

I am thinking of getting an Axe FX and have a few questions.

- From the soundclips I can tell the amp models and delays are amazing, but am wondering how good the modulation effects are (are they as good in terms of dimensional sound as a Mojo Vibe, Maxon PH350, Catalinbread Semaphore Tremolo and Analogman Chorus, all of which I have)?


Try it and find out. Do some research on this board in this very thread. Modulation and boutique pedals are a VERY subjective, and at the worse, you can use the originals in the loop.



- How can you get the lightest and most powerful rig out of it if you want to use a 1x12 external speaker cab (which one would you buy - ie, Tone Tubby, Bogner Cube, etc) and a power amp (which would you get - ie, Carvin DCM600, Stewart World 1.2, etc)?


Come now. This is like saying 'The best rig ever'. The Axe-FX allows you to build what you want based on what you need. 'The best' only applies to you, so choose which way you want to go, and it can do it. You say nothing of what you're going for, Marshall, VOX, etc, so asking for a speaker choice is very open ended. Search for 'Best 1x12', and welcome to all kinds of opinions hell.


- How necessary is it to get a Furman power conditioner (ie, I want to save space and weight in a rack)?


Do you want to protect your stuff? If you trust Club and even home power, want to save both 1U and $60 to protect $2500 worth of equipment, then don't bother with a Power conditioner.


- Would you likely put the Fractal midi switcher when it comes out in a rack with the Axe FX and power amp (makes for a 6 slot rack) or keep it separate in a gig bag (ie, what's the best way the simplify transport and logistics)?
[/quote]

What are you talking about? In the rack? The upcoming MIDI floor pedal? If it's about the pedal, then if you gig fairly often, then you should have a decent size gig bag for all the incidentals you *might* and will need at a gig. Strings, some tools, duct tape, extra cables, whatever. I'd get a separate backpack for it.

Ron

[electronpirate]

Anyone notice the axe gets a bit of a distorted/fuzzy sound when you lower the volume w/ yer guitars knob?

Nope. Make sure your input knob is at 2:00 or more.

[Scott Peterson]

Anyone notice the axe gets a bit of a distorted/fuzzy sound when you lower the volume w/ yer guitars knob?

Check your input and ensure it is at about 1 - 2 o'clock - or at LEAST enough to get your red input led to light up a bit. Once that lights up, you still have 6db of headroom.

If that doesn't fix it, you have something set up wrong.

[Shark Diver]

Nope. Make sure your input knob is at 2:00 or more.

I'm at 11 o'clock. Clip any higher, with every guitar I've ever used - for over a year that way.

[solo-act]

-how good the modulation effects are...

- How can you get the lightest and most powerful rig out of it if you want to use a 1x12 external speaker cab...and a power amp...

- How necessary is it to get a Furman power conditioner...

- ie, what's the best way the simplify transport and logistics)?
- modulation effects: keep yours & try to duplicate on axe-fx. Lots of owners do that

- Highest power/weight ratio = nothing but axe-fx. Have soundman give you a dedicated powered wedge, or dedicate a wedge to only your guitar. If you don't have that, then get axe-fx+RCF 310a powered speaker = 28lbs + axe-fx. If you want separate tube amp & cab, you're completely defeating the "light" concept.

- I don't use a power conditioner

- The last question sounds like inexperienced newbie stuff. For lightes/simplest/easiest to transport, keep it simple:
1-direct (with small midi footswitch) to soundman's full range monitor
or
2-direct to your powered full range monitor (RCF 310A is most sound-per-pound). Same small midi footswitch
Anything more and you're back in tube amp land lugging a tube amp, lugging a cabinet, lugging the axe-fx in it's rack, lugging your footswitch, and probably the stomboxes you don't want to give up.

- Buy one. You'll figure out the logistics. But be prepared to read the manual and dig in on the unit if you're going to customize it to your needs.

*edit* here's a smaller/lighter pedal case to carry a midi footswitch, expression pedal, volume pedal, a stompbox or two and some spare cables http://elderly.com/accessories/items/ACRC-EFF.htm

[Shark Diver]

Check your input and ensure it is at about 1 - 2 o'clock - or at LEAST enough to get your red input led to light up a bit. Once that lights up, you still have 6db of headroom.

If that doesn't fix it, you have something set up wrong.


Bare Knuckle pups and Suhr Aldrich pups. Input set to analog front. I can hear the clip distortion if I go higher.

[electronpirate]

Bare Knuckle pups and Suhr Aldrich pups. Input set to analog front. I can hear the clip distortion if I go higher.

Sumpin' be wrong then if you be pert 'near on to 11:00 on 'da dial.

Bare knuckles aside, I've got hot pups, and I don't remotely come close to clipping that much.

Something wrong there...

[guitarz_dave]

[quote=solo-act;4599391]- Anything more and you're back in tube amp land lugging a tube amp, lugging a cabinet, lugging the axe-fx in it's rack, lugging your footswitch, and probably the stomboxes you don't want to give up.
quote]

I am refering to a 1x12 ext cab alone via a rack power amp, not + a tube amp. Here is what I don't understand for "simplicity." 1 rack with axe fx + power amp + 1 gig bag with midi switcher + either ext cab or powered monitor is more to "lug" than just a combo amp alone. So, where is the weight/simplicity savings?

[Shark Diver]

-


2-direct to your powered full range monitor (RCF 310A is most sound-per-pound).


I use the JBL VPmp12 floor wedge at 45 pounds.

1750 peak, 875 continuous

It gets LOUD. But clear, smooth, great bass response. A little pricey.


So, where is the weight/simplicity savings?


Easiest set up ever though. Drop it on the floor, guitar to Axe, Axe out to this - Done. :AOK

[Shark Diver]

Sumpin' be wrong then if you be pert 'near on to 11:00 on 'da dial.

Bare knuckles aside, I've got hot pups, and I don't remotely come close to clipping that much.

Something wrong there...



VHIIs are medium output. Not sure if anythings wrong, sounds great. Just a different setting than seems to be popular.

[Droptop]

Does anyone know how to map presets from the All Access over to the Fractal without having to move and rearrange the presets on the Fractal? Example: button 1 on the All Access can go to preset 084 on the Fractal while button 2 goes to preset 200.

[solo-act]

1 rack with axe fx + power amp + 1 gig bag with midi switcher + either ext cab or powered monitor is more to "lug" than just a combo amp alone. So, where is the weight/simplicity savings? Isn't that common sense? Of course you lug more if you add that stuff. That's why I thought it was a newbie/inexperienced question.

I thought my post was clear enough.

If you want weight/simplicity savings over a combo amp, then run axe-fx direct to the soundman's monitor, or run it direct to your own small powered monitor (like a mackie, RCF, BFT, JBL...etc, etc, etc)

If you want to reduce complexity & weight, but increase versatility, that's the best way to do it. Add what you're talking about adding and common sense says you defeat the purpose of reducing weight/complexity.

[Scott Peterson]

Does anyone know how to map presets from the All Access over to the Fractal without having to move and rearrange the presets on the Fractal? Example: button 1 on the All Access can go to preset 084 on the Fractal while button 2 goes to preset 200.

It's simple. I copy preset 40 to preset 11 for my Fender Blackface preset. Then I copy preset 54 to preset 12 for my Marshall JCM800 preset and copy preset 58 to preset 13 for my Bogner XTC preset.

I do it on the All Access, it simply copies everything from what's saved at the higher numbers in it's own memory. I get to the gig, and have my Fender at 11, Marshall at 12 and XTC at 13. On the Axe-FX it's actually changing between 40, 54 and 58 on the Axe-FX. Simple as pie. Set it up for each gig at rehearsal in about 2 minutes total for 10 presets (or less).

Easy.

[Scott Peterson]

[quote=solo-act;4599391]- Anything more and you're back in tube amp land lugging a tube amp, lugging a cabinet, lugging the axe-fx in it's rack, lugging your footswitch, and probably the stomboxes you don't want to give up.
quote]

I am refering to a 1x12 ext cab alone via a rack power amp, not + a tube amp. Here is what I don't understand for "simplicity." 1 rack with axe fx + power amp + 1 gig bag with midi switcher + either ext cab or powered monitor is more to "lug" than just a combo amp alone. So, where is the weight/simplicity savings?

If you need all that (and you might depending on your gig) then it's more stuff, yep.

But to do what you can do with the Axe-FX, you'd need refrigerator racks and amps/cabs a plenty that would make an Aerosmith backline look like a practice amp setup.

If you are going FOH, then you don't need any of that stuff. You need your controller pedal and the Axe-FX. Get your monitor mix from your sound guy and off you go.

[Droptop]

It's simple. I copy preset 40 to preset 11 for my Fender Blackface preset. Then I copy preset 54 to preset 12 for my Marshall JCM800 preset and copy preset 58 to preset 13 for my Bogner XTC preset.

I do it on the All Access, it simply copies everything from what's saved at the higher numbers in it's own memory. I get to the gig, and have my Fender at 11, Marshall at 12 and XTC at 13. On the Axe-FX it's actually changing between 40, 54 and 58 on the Axe-FX. Simple as pie. Set it up for each gig at rehearsal in about 2 minutes total for 10 presets (or less).

Easy.

I see what you're saying, but its still not mapping it from the All Access. I'm trying to get the All Access to jump around to various Presets as they are currently located on my Fractal, not orgnaize them in chronological order. I use to be able to do this with my Midimate and Replifex. There must be some kind of Custom Command.

[stratzrus]

Well my AXE ultra should be arriving today or monday...I found a combo/rack & ordered it (shown below). http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d177/HillbillySims/BritishSpecCabFront.jpg
That looks pretty nice. Who makes it, how do you order one, price?

Thanks.

[Scott Peterson]

I see what you're saying, but its still not mapping it from the All Access. I'm trying to get the All Access to jump around to various Presets as they are currently located on my Fractal, not orgnaize them in chronological order. I use to be able to do this with my Midimate and Replifex. There must be some kind of Custom Command.

Then use mapping in the Fractal; it's pretty simple there too. You tell it to go to whatever number preset on the Fractal when you step on whatever number on the All Access. You then have to program your preset name into the All Access though...

[guitarz_dave]

[quote=guitarz_dave;4599411]

If you need all that (and you might depending on your gig) then it's more stuff, yep.

But to do what you can do with the Axe-FX, you'd need refrigerator racks and amps/cabs a plenty that would make an Aerosmith backline look like a practice amp setup.

If you are going FOH, then you don't need any of that stuff. You need your controller pedal and the Axe-FX. Get your monitor mix from your sound guy and off you go.

Scott,

I guess the refrigerator racks may be good for a beer or two...but they certainly would be a bear to handle without roadies (LOL). Thanks for being gracious with how you answered my question.

How do you find the modulation effects on the Axe? I believe the processing is amazing (from hearing the delays), but am wondering if they get the dimensionality and "chewiness" like you not only hear but feel from an analog vibe pedal? Also, if you are using the looper, can you have the modulation apply only to your lead track (and keep the looped track dry)?