# Official Axe-Fx Q&A thread!



## JohnIce

There are a lot of questions flying around on this board regarding the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx, so to make everything easy for people speculating about whether or not it's worth dropping the cash for one of these, here's a place for you to ask specific questions and get direct answers from those of us who own the unit and have first-hand experience with it.

I really hope this thread isn't redundant, Mods 

Anyway, I'll start out with some FAQ:

*Q: Does the Axe-Fx really sound like a tube amp?*
A: This one is obviously the most relevant qustion, but it's also very subjective and hard to answer. In my opinion: yes. Some bands you can check out that use an Axe-Fx are: Periphery, Animals as Leaders (Live, not on the record), Devin Townsend, Dweezil Zappa, Cynic and Meshuggah, and some guys who use the Axe-Fx but not exclusively are Jeff Loomis, Chris Broderick, Adrian Belew (King Crimson), Vernon Reid, Greg Howe, Marty Friedman and many others. For some statements from these artists, head over here: Artists using Fractal Audio Systems and Atomic Amplifer Products

Some examples of the Axe-Fx, used in a professional mix or settings:

(this one might be seen as file-sharing, please let me know and I'll take it away. Soryz bulb )










And... um... one of mine 




*Q: Is the Ultra model that much superior to the Standard, and would I regret buying the Standard?*
A: This is also a matter of opinion, but at least we can pinpoint what it is in the Ultra that costs the extra money. First of all, _ALL_ the amp, cab and mic sims are exactly the same in both the Standard and Ultra models. You're not missing out on _any_ of that when buying a Standard. What the Ultra offers is primarily more memory and CPU, meaning you can put more effects and routings etc. in a patch before you run out of CPU. That said, running dual amps and dual cabs on the Standard, along with a few effects like a compressor, delay and reverb, is no problem on the Standard. Some argue that, due to the continuous firmware updates from Fractal Audio, which constantly add more amps and stuff to the Axe, there may come a point in the future when the Standard's memory can't hold any more stuff. We're not there yet, but it may happen. However, the Standard already has 50+ amp models, and they won't sound any less good just because the firmware updates stop. But it's worth keeping in mind.

The Ultra also offers a multi-band compressor, synth effects, a vocoder, looper and a routable noise-gate among other things. The routable noise gate is, in my opinion, kind of redundant because the amps in the Axe-Fx don't add any noise on their own like regular amps do, so having the noise gate at the start of the signal chain (as it is on the Standard), works as good as having it anywhere else.

For those wondering if it's possible to still make som wild effected tones on the Standard model, check this out:




In conclusion: If you're more of a guitar-into amp guy who likes a lot of versatility both live and in the studio, I'd say the Standard is fine. If you're a studio guy who wants the extra mastering tools and OTT effects of the Ultra, or you play in a U2 cover band, get the Ultra.

*Q: Is it easy to dial in a good sound?*
A: The interface is very easy. But getting a good sound is mostly up to how much experience or knowledge you have about studio tools and sound engineering. Remember, the Axe-Fx doesn't just simulate guitar amps, it simulates guitar _recordings_. So dialing in a tone on the Axe-Fx can be most easily compared to recording and mixing a guitar tone on a record. However, the Axe-Fx is also a great way to _learn_ about EQ's, compressors, filters etc. My studio skills went through the roof after getting the Axe-Fx . So it can work both ways. In short, the more time you spend learning and reading about what each parameter does to the tone, the easier and quicker it'll be to dial in good tones.

*Q: What do I need to buy extra to use the Axe-Fx live?*
A: In essence, nothing . You can plug the Axe-Fx straight into the PA, listen back through the monitors, and switch patches by flicking the large, round knob on the front of the Axe-Fx. When I first got mine, I did some shows like this. I pretty quickly bought a midi controller though, to be able to steer it with my feet. Pretty much any midi controller will do, I bought a Behringer FCB1010 which is about as cheap as you can go but it's a reliable pedal and works well with the Axe-Fx.

Some people, especially those who have a lot of experience playing live with a tube halfstack behind them pumping air at their asses, like to run the Axe-Fx through a power amp and cabinet. This way, the Axe-Fx only acts as a preamp, and when doing this it's very easy (and recommended) to shut off the power amp and speaker sims on the Axe-Fx. This can be done on a -per patch basis, so you can have a set of patches for live use, without power amp and speaker sims, and another set of the same patches for studio use with the power amp and speaker sims on.

It's also common to use powered monitors with the Axe-Fx. The reason for this is, for example when you have a loud drumset and maybe the other guitarist in your band plays a half stack, they send a lot of volume from the stage, so if your guitar sound only comes through the PA which sometimes sits above the first few rows in the audience, it makes it hard for them to hear you. By using powered monitors (placed behind you, facing the audience like a regular amp), you even out the stage mix and can also free up some space in your monitor mix. You also get a much more exact representation of what your actual tone sounds like through the PA, as you get the exact same tone through your powered monitor. If you use a power amp and cab, it might sound awesome where you are standing but through the PA it might sound like crap and you don't notice. Either method works though and it's completely up to personal preference.

*Q: There isn't one at my local Guitar Center, how will I ever buy one?*
A: American buyers can order directly from the company here: http://www.fractalaudio.com/purchase-fractal.html, and european buyers can easily buy from G66, the only european distributor afaik: http://www.g66.com/. These guys have excellent customer service btw. Aside from the Axe-Fx, they sent me their own "n00b manual" to get started making patches, a hand-written thank you note and a box of chocolates  That's how you run a business, boys and girls!

Any more questions, and I'm sure both myself and the other Axe-Fx users on this board will be happy to help! 

Cheers! 

- edit - Btw, please don't come into this thread to bash the unit or modeling in general, or tell us all how much better you think tube amps are, or that the GSP is better value or whatever. This thread is meant to be helpful to those considering buying the unit, so unless someone specifically asks for a comparison between the Axe-Fx and a another amp that you may have experience with, please take it somewhere else. Play nice.


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## ralphy1976

i vote for this being a sticky. what do you guys / mod think?


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## Customisbetter

oh god please yes. so many AxeFX questions. sticky this


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## El Caco

This will not become a sticky, there is one master sticky for all of these threads so that this section does not become cluttered with sticky threads. In future if you find any thread that you would like added to that list for quick reference please post a link in that thread and I will add it to the original post as I have done with this thread.

Great thread


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## JJ Rodriguez

Here's a handy page for the feature comparison between the Ultra and Standard models - Feature comparison - Axe-Fx Wiki

Another thing worth mentioning is that if you're going to use the Axe FX as just an effects unit like I do, then you might want the Ultra for the sole purpose of the routable noise gates. The Standard only has the gate on the input. This doesn't affect anything when you're using the modeling though because there's no noise generated after the model if you gate at the input, so it works just as well.

The gate on the Axe FX works like an ISP Decimator, it tracks at the input, and apprently uses the same algorithm if I understand it correctly (downward expander).


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## TomAwesome

JJ Rodriguez said:


> The gate on the Axe FX works like an ISP Decimator, it tracks at the input, and apprently uses the same algorithm if I understand it correctly (downward expander).



Not quite. The Axe-FX's gate is effective enough that I haven't used my Decimator in over a year, but the way it tracks is different. The ISP's gating varies from tight to loose depending on how quickly the signal it's tracking is decreasing in volume. If the signal level falls quickly, it gates harder with a larger reduction ratio. If the note is sustained and decaying naturally, the reduction ratio is smaller. So at a given input level that is below the threshold, the gating will be more apparent with a rapidly decreasing input than with an input that is allowed to decrease naturally. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly sure the Axe-FX will just gate the same at a given input level under the threshold regardless of how rapidly the input goes down to that level.


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## Soopahmahn

After reading/watching the Tosin Abasi interview with Guitar Edge, I got super interested in the Axe-Fx. It's been a heavy debate over at the Boogie Board and somewhat around here for at least a year. I have about as many reservations as anyone, but I'm completely open to the idea that some day (maybe that day has already arrived), digital modeling for all _practical _purposes will be 100% interchangeable with "old-school" guitar rigs. I am tempted, like Tosin, to "sell everything I had" and buy one of these with a little rack setup. Currently playing a boosted Mark IV combo with a 2x12 Recto cab for reinforcement.

A few questions:


Is there _nowhere _to audition the unit other than Tone Merchants in Orange, CA?
Can anybody report the difference between using, say, a Carvin DCM1000L transistor-based power amp (PA style) and a tube power amp such as a Mesa Boogie Stereo 2:Fifty or Carvin TS100?
Can anybody report the difference between using a traditional guitar cab (sans amp/mic modeling) and running through a full-range passive "PA-style" speaker unit such as the Atomic monitors or a Carvin/Mackie monitor? Perhaps a tube amp + guitar cab is a good combo, and a PA-amp and PA-monitor are a good combo, but mix and match is a ?
Can anybody comment on overall durability? I can repair a tube amp and swap tubes out if something goes silly on stage; I can't repair an Axe-Fx and would probably cry if something happened at a gig and I had no real backup.
How does tuning work? Can I onstage tune?
Recommendations for foot controllers? Behringer always scares me, Rocktron has a "Midimate"...
If you live in the Philly/Brandywine valley area and wish to make a friend, I wish to try your Axe-Fx rig  I'll bring cold chocolate or beer to your preference.


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## JPhoenix19

Q: Is there any delay in switching patches? If so, is there a difference between the Standard and the Ultra?


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## Soopahmahn

JPhoenix19 said:


> Q: Is there any delay in switching patches? If so, is there a difference between the Standard and the Ultra?



In this interview, Tosin praises the fast switching. I believe there should be no difference in switching between the models - the faster processor and extra memory in the Ultra would not accelerate that function noticably, but allow you to run more simultaneous effects. Unless the Standard is woefully underspecced, which I am doubting.


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## Customisbetter

Soopahmahn said:


> A few questions:
> 
> 
> Is there _nowhere _to audition the unit other than Tone Merchants in Orange, CA?
> Can anybody report the difference between using, say, a Carvin DCM1000L transistor-based power amp (PA style) and a tube power amp such as a Mesa Boogie Stereo 2:Fifty or Carvin TS100?
> Can anybody report the difference between using a traditional guitar cab (sans amp/mic modeling) and running through a full-range passive "PA-style" speaker unit such as the Atomic monitors or a Carvin/Mackie monitor? Perhaps a tube amp + guitar cab is a good combo, and a PA-amp and PA-monitor are a good combo, but mix and match is a ?
> Can anybody comment on overall durability? I can repair a tube amp and swap tubes out if something goes silly on stage; I can't repair an Axe-Fx and would probably cry if something happened at a gig and I had no real backup.
> How does tuning work? Can I onstage tune?
> Recommendations for foot controllers? Behringer always scares me, Rocktron has a "Midimate"...
> If you live in the Philly/Brandywine valley area and wish to make a friend, I wish to try your Axe-Fx rig  I'll bring cold chocolate or beer to your preference.



Keep in mind i have never played an axeFX, but i have seen all of these questions answered over time so ill give you quick answers before the experienced show up.

-Axe Palace in MA

-Some say the tube power amp adds to the tube-feel of the tone.

-you can turn the cab modeling off and use a guitar cab if you wish. you can also use the cab modeling and go through a PA.

-can't comment 

-i saw tosin tuning on stage so im going with yes.


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## TomAwesome

Soopahmahn said:


> Can anybody report the difference between using, say, a Carvin DCM1000L transistor-based power amp (PA style) and a tube power amp such as a Mesa Boogie Stereo 2:Fifty or Carvin TS100?



I've used mine both with a Carvin DCM1540L and a Peavey Classic 50/50. I prefer the solid state power amp. I generally think that tube power amps are really beneficial to modelers, but I found the Axe-FX's power amp modeling to be good enough that a real tube power amp wasn't necessary, and using the DCM gave me a much clearer tone than the Peavey, which is by no means muddy and is actually fairly transparent. Some people still prefer to use tube power amps with them, though.



Soopahmahn said:


> Can anybody report the difference between using a traditional guitar cab (sans amp/mic modeling) and running through a full-range passive "PA-style" speaker unit such as the Atomic monitors or a Carvin/Mackie monitor? Perhaps a tube amp + guitar cab is a good combo, and a PA-amp and PA-monitor are a good combo, but mix and match is a ?



They both sound good, but it's just a bit different. Running through a power amp and into a guitar cab will make it sound like there's an amp on top of a cab in the room with you. Using cab sims and monitoring through FRFR makes it sound like there's an amp on top of a cab in an isolation booth in the next room that you're hearing through a mic and monitors.



Soopahmahn said:


> Can anybody comment on overall durability? I can repair a tube amp and swap tubes out if something goes silly on stage; I can't repair an Axe-Fx and would probably cry if something happened at a gig and I had no real backup.



I haven't beaten it around much, but it seems as dependable as about any other well made digital effects unit. It's made in the USA, except that I think the processors themselves are made in Canada. It seems pretty sturdy, and apparently the seal is damn near air tight, so I don't even worry about dirt and dust getting into it.



Soopahmahn said:


> How does tuning work? Can I onstage tune?



Yeah, it has a built in tuner, though I've heard the calibration is a little off. If you're particular about being really in tune, you might want to get a separate tuner.



Soopahmahn said:


> Recommendations for foot controllers? Behringer always scares me, Rocktron has a "Midimate"...



Any MIDI controller should work. The Liquid Foot is really popular (but expensive), and Fractal is working on their own controller for the Axe-FX that I think may be in the final development stages.


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## Soopahmahn

Thanks Tom! Excellent answers. What styles are you playing and how does the unit treat you compared to your old school rig?

One more question and I'll shut up for a while and stop hogging... does anybody else think a rack bag is a bad idea? It seems to me with all the heat generated between an Axe-FX and a power amp, it would be best to have a hard rack with 1-2 spaces between the units to let them breathe. Heat is the #1 enemy of electronics, after all. That, and water. Yes, the two primary enemies of electronics are heat, and water, and dust. Ah yes. Dust. The three, _three _primary enemies of electronics are...

Love Monty Python


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## TomAwesome

Mostly metal, but I mess around with all kinds of sounds, and I've even been using my Tele a lot lately. It sounds fantastic for everything. I'm probably not the person to ask when it comes to comparing directly to real amps, because the real amps I've owned haven't been that great. My last rig was a POD X3 Live into a Peavey Classic 50/50, which worked great for metal. I can say, though, that I'm pretty happy with its capabilities, and my amp and effects GAS is pretty much cured at this point.

A hard rack case is probably the way to go.


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## Uncle Remus

Is the noob manual available upon special request from G66 ? Sounds like something i'll need


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## JJ Rodriguez

It's called the Fractal forums and the Axe Wiki  So much knowledge there on how to program it and get weird shit done.


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## JohnIce

Uncle Remus said:


> Is the noob manual available upon special request from G66 ? Sounds like something i'll need


 
They send it out to everyone who buys an Axe-Fx, as far as I know, so no worries  As JJ mentioned, the Fractal forums and Axe wiki are incredibly useful for pretty much anything you want to know about the Axe, and there are also some tutorials on youtube that are good. Our very own thinkpad20 from these forums made a great one on dialing in a modern metal tone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXgr6CFkdFIhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXgr6CFkdFI


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## mattofvengeance

Yeah, I just got mine, and it completely dominates. I haven't had much time to tinker, but I've got a very usable tone with the VH4 sim. The only issue I have is that the QSC power amp I have now makes it sound thin, like its missing something. This will soon be remedied by a tube power amp. I need to print off that entire Axe Fx wiki for assistance on making brutal metal patches!


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## JohnIce

Fuck yeah, Matt!  Glad you're digging it!


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## Soopahmahn

mattofvengeance said:


> Yeah, I just got mine, and it completely dominates. I haven't had much time to tinker, but I've got a very usable tone with the VH4 sim. The only issue I have is that the QSC power amp I have now makes it sound thin, like its missing something. This will soon be remedied by a tube power amp. I need to print off that entire Axe Fx wiki for assistance on making brutal metal patches!



You using the power amp simulations? Cabinet sims? What cab/speaker are you running through?

We're gassing for the same things right now


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## mattofvengeance

Soopahmahn said:


> You using the power amp simulations? Cabinet sims? What cab/speaker are you running through?
> 
> We're gassing for the same things right now



I'm using the power amp sims, but no cabinet sims. I'm using an oversized Mesa 4x12 for the time being. Perhaps an Orange or Diezel cab are in my near future.


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## Soopahmahn

PS: Awesome playing, JohnIce. I just watched your video - very catchy, great tone, killer solo... 

What do you guys think of something like this instead of getting a rack mounted power amp and running through a guitar cab or passive FRFR? Is 450w in a 2-way enclosure enough strength/dispersion to not only use as a stage monitor, but use alone at smaller metal gigs?

Buy Mackie SRM450 v2 Active Loudspeaker Factory Restock | Powered Cabinets | Musician's Friend


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## Andromalia

Some people swear by the direct out to a FRFR speeaker, but have advised that you need a good one not to gimp your axe fx. Not sure a 500$ speaker will do.


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## JohnIce

Soopahmahn said:


> PS: Awesome playing, JohnIce. I just watched your video - very catchy, great tone, killer solo...
> 
> What do you guys think of something like this instead of getting a rack mounted power amp and running through a guitar cab or passive FRFR? Is 450w in a 2-way enclosure enough strength/dispersion to not only use as a stage monitor, but use alone at smaller metal gigs?


 
Thank you, good sir! 

I use FRFR monitors in that exact way, although I do most of my tweaking through my studio monitors. The most important thing is that it's got a flat respose, which it should have as FRFR stands for flat response, full-range. But all FRFR speakers aren't totally flat, especially cheaper ones. But I have a pair of Mackie's in that price range that sound fine to me on a loud live-stage.


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## Soopahmahn

JohnIce said:


> Thank you, good sir!
> 
> I use FRFR monitors in that exact way, although I do most of my tweaking through my studio monitors. The most important thing is that it's got a flat respose, which it should have as FRFR stands for flat response, full-range. But all FRFR speakers aren't totally flat, especially cheaper ones. But I have a pair of Mackie's in that price range that sound fine to me on a loud live-stage.



What model Mackies? Do you point say one at yourself and one at the rest of the band? How many RMS watts? 

I just found this, could be helpful to others with such questions:
Fractal Audio Systems &bull; View topic - Buying and using full range speakers: A few basics


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## JohnIce

Soopahmahn said:


> What model Mackies? Do you point say one at yourself and one at the rest of the band? How many RMS watts?
> 
> I just found this, could be helpful to others with such questions:
> Fractal Audio Systems &bull; View topic - Buying and using full range speakers: A few basics


 
Wow... I'll have to ask my singer's other drummer, he bought them  I'll get back to you on that one, mate!


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## mattofvengeance

Any of you Axe dudes using an Orange? I'm GASin for one pretty bad.


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## maccayoung

JohnIce said:


> *Q: Does the Axe-Fx really sound like a tube amp?*



This is the clip that sold me on how realistic the axe can get. No super saturated effects laden sounds. Just the volume knob and a bit of reverb.


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## Prydogga

Bastard John, jsut as my GAS for the Axe Fx had subsided a little bit, you had to make this damn thread.  Now I MUST get it, but thank you for making me a little less hesitant about going Standard, I'll have plenty of saving time to decide which.


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## maccayoung

I'd be interested to know what poweramps (if any) people are using with their axefx. From what I've read most people are going VHT for tube and Art for solid state.


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## Soopahmahn

JPhoenix19 said:


> Q: Is there any delay in switching patches? If so, is there a difference between the Standard and the Ultra?



From the Wiki:
* What is the patch change time for the Axe-Fx?*

Preset switching time is around 20-25 ms with delay spillover off. With delay spillover on, it's around 25-30 ms. 



So: no.


Maccayoung, people are using all kinds of amps. The two you mentioned are very popular. Carvin, QSC, Crown, and Engl are other popular choices. See the Wiki here.


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## Syrinx

I'm using a Mesa 2:90 with mine but I'm seriously thinking about selling it to get something smaller and cheaper like the ART.


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## Soopahmahn

Syrinx said:


> I'm using a Mesa 2:90 with mine but I'm seriously thinking about selling it to get something smaller and cheaper like the ART.



The Fractal Wiki has a section on a good trick to emulate the "deep" setting on a 2:90. I'm pretty sure I'm going to order a Carvin DCM1000, 2U instead of 1U but a bit cheaper.


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## JJ Rodriguez

Just look at power ratings for you guys buying the DCM power amps. Make SURE you have enough headroom when you connect it to your cab. The DCM1000L seems like it would be a good deal....until you factor in it's only 1000W bridged at 4 ohms. Up that to 8, and it's 700W, up it again to 16 ohm and it's 400W. 400W is getting dangerously close to something I wouldn't want to use to gig/jam with a drummer. I was looking at getting back into using the Axe as a pre-amp again, and looked at the DCM1000L, but my cab is 16 ohm...and I want a minimum 500W headroom (general rule is 5 times the wattage of a tube amp to get the same clean headroom).

400W will do you 90% of the time, but when jamming, I don't want to have it maxed out. If your cab is 8 ohm, 700W is more than enough for anything.


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## Soopahmahn

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Just look at power ratings for you guys buying the DCM power amps. Make SURE you have enough headroom when you connect it to your cab. The DCM1000L seems like it would be a good deal....until you factor in it's only 1000W bridged at 4 ohms. Up that to 8, and it's 700W, up it again to 16 ohm and it's 400W. 400W is getting dangerously close to something I wouldn't want to use to gig/jam with a drummer. I was looking at getting back into using the Axe as a pre-amp again, and looked at the DCM1000L, but my cab is 16 ohm...and I want a minimum 500W headroom (general rule is 5 times the wattage of a tube amp to get the same clean headroom).
> 
> 400W will do you 90% of the time, but when jamming, I don't want to have it maxed out. If your cab is 8 ohm, 700W is more than enough for anything.



That's a good data point man, thanks!  I've only ever used tube amps - 80-120w is all one ever needs - and I just used 400w as a reasonable number since 300-400 seems to be what most serious solid state heads come equipped with. I have a 2x12 8ohm cab and 700 seems like more than enough. Most FRFR cabs are 8 ohm right?

Anyway that's why I didn't want the SLA-1 or SLA-2, plus the Carvin is a bit cheaper, has a good warranty and reputation and is built in the US instead of China, and I don't want to go with class D (though a 10 lb. amp would be nice...)


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## JJ Rodriguez

I'm sure you'd get away with 400W.... I'm just of the mind better safe than sorry. It also has to do with how much it costs to ship stuff to me in Canada, and how much of a pain in the ass it would be to return it for a 1540L, which is what I opted for the first time.

I know 200W wouldn't do me any good. When I got my 1540L and was jamming with my drummer, I had the 1540L up about half way.


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## BrainArt

Prydogga said:


> Bastard John, jsut as my GAS for the Axe Fx had subsided a little bit, you had to make this damn thread.  Now I MUST get it, but thank you for making me a little less hesitant about going Standard, I'll have plenty of saving time to decide which.



This.  Though, I think I'll still go with an Ultra, because c'mon, Ultra is such a swanky word.


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## Andii

Can you load your own impulses onto these? If so what are the details/requirements/restrictions on that?

I think I remember hearing that there is not usb on these devices. Maybe that was referring to it not acting as an interface like the pod(most likely). What kind of wire is used to connect it to a computer if it isn't USB?


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## TomAwesome

Andii said:


> Can you load your own impulses onto these? If so what are the details/requirements/restrictions on that?



Yes. It requires trimming it down to 1024 samples (I think) and converting it to the proper format. There's a tool for this that's probably on the wiki.



Andii said:


> I think I remember hearing that there is not usb on these devices. Maybe that was referring to it not acting as an interface like the pod(most likely). What kind of wire is used to connect it to a computer if it isn't USB?



MIDI


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## Soopahmahn

Ordered my Carvin DCM1000. For the record, they're discontinuing them and will only have the lightweight DCML series Class D amps, so the DCM1000's are on a hefty sale and won't be back.


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## JJ Rodriguez

Personally I'd shell out the extra coin for the light weight ones. Nothing beats having a 6u rack case you can carry in one hand. I miss those days, now I have a fucking 82 lbs rack case


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## Soopahmahn

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Personally I'd shell out the extra coin for the light weight ones. Nothing beats having a 6u rack case you can carry in one hand. I miss those days, now I have a fucking 82 lbs rack case



I absolutely hear you on the weight issue. My problem is that I've yet to see an amp with a switching power supply manage to make a low-distortion high-frequency signal. As subwoofer amps they're amazing, but getting into the midrange frequencies and beyond their output is ratty. I've listened to hi-fi brands like Rotel and their Class D amps just don't cut it compared to a good old-fashioned Class A/B design. This would be *much *more important when run into an FRFR system which will create the airy 10kHz+ overtones, which I plan to do in the future. Guitar cabs aren't making much output by 10kHz.

My God, I'm no better than a common tube whore  I expect that as the power supply switching freqency increases from ~120kHz up to say 300kHz or better, they'll sound much nicer. That day will come but I don't think it's here yet. My rack will be <50 lbs I estimate...


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## Customisbetter

damn i gotta weigh my rack when i get home.


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## Soopahmahn

Back to the spirit of the OP, I have a real question.

Axe-FX Wiki on Ultra vs. Standard features
Axe-FX Wiki comparison of MIDI footcontrollers

Standard does not have "10-tap delay," "10-tap rhythm-tap delay," and according to the Fractal product page it calls these "rhythmic delays."

The MIDI footcontrollers chart also has a row for "Tempo Tap/Indicator."


Does the Standard allow you to program the tempo of delay repeats, ala a Boss DD-5 etc.? You set it to be in eighth-notes, eighth-note triplets, quarter notes etc., then tap the controller to set the tempo. Delay time is thusly set. Actually I'm not even clear on whether the Ultra does this.
Does the MIDI footcontroller have to score a "Yes" on the "Tempo Tap" row of the chart to be able to send this information to the Axe-FX? Or can any button be programmed to set tempo in a delay block?


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## JohnIce

Soopahmahn said:


> Back to the spirit of the OP, I have a real question.
> 
> Axe-FX Wiki on Ultra vs. Standard features
> Axe-FX Wiki comparison of MIDI footcontrollers
> 
> Standard does not have "10-tap delay," "10-tap rhythm-tap delay," and according to the Fractal product page it calls these "rhythmic delays."
> 
> The MIDI footcontrollers chart also has a row for "Tempo Tap/Indicator."
> 
> 
> Does the Standard allow you to program the tempo of delay repeats, ala a Boss DD-5 etc.? You set it to be in eighth-notes, eighth-note triplets, quarter notes etc., then tap the controller to set the tempo. Delay time is thusly set. Actually I'm not even clear on whether the Ultra does this.
> Does the MIDI footcontroller have to score a "Yes" on the "Tempo Tap" row of the chart to be able to send this information to the Axe-FX? Or can any button be programmed to set tempo in a delay block?


 
1. Yes, you can do that on the Standard.
2. This one I don't know, as I'm yet to use the Tap function. I think you can program any button to do anything but don't quote me on that.


----------



## mattofvengeance

JohnIce said:


> 1. Yes, you can do that on the Standard.
> 2. This one I don't know, as I'm yet to use the Tap function. I think you can program any button to do anything but don't quote me on that.



I haven't used the tap function either, but if I recall correctly, this video talks about how to assign that function into one of the preset banks.


----------



## Soopahmahn

Would anyone here consider going with relatively high-power/flat speakers such as the EVM-12L, Celestion Classic Lead 80 or Eminence Legends as replacements for the V30's in a Mesa Recto cab? My thought is the more neutral the speakers are, the more the different amp sims will sound instead of taking on too much color from the cabinet.

I feel like it would be easier to add in some "V30 crunch" via parametric EQ for heavy tones than it would be subtract the same quality when I'm trying to cop a Hendrix sound. Obviously, compared to an FRFR setup, the cab is a big coloration on the tone, but this would be halfway between the two solutions, no?


----------



## TomAwesome

Eh, I'd say pick one or the other. I don't imagine trying to do what you're describing would work very well.


----------



## Andromalia

Money is getting nearer so I'm gonna start asking my useful noob questions.

My rack is currently way too big for a home studio: I have a 2U preamp, a 1U poweramp, a 2U speaker emulator, a 1U...blablablah.
I'm tempted to go axe-fx just to have a 4U with the axe and my sound interface.
I'm pretty worried about it being able to reproduce my current mesa pre+mesa 20:20 tone though. If it can do that I'll likely be sold. Most of the clips I've heard are of "modern" metal of non metal related at all.

And given my current job etc, any live application wouldn't be a worry for me for quite some time.


----------



## BigPhi84

Andromalia said:


> I'm pretty worried about it being able to reproduce my current mesa pre+mesa 20:20 tone though. If it can do that I'll likely be sold. Most of the clips I've heard are of "modern" metal of non metal related at all.



Which Mesa Pre?


----------



## Soopahmahn

TomAwesome said:


> Eh, I'd say pick one or the other. I don't imagine trying to do what you're describing would work very well.



So you'd rather have V30s in a Recto cab than say EVM-12L's? Other than weight, what do you think the downside would be? Cabinet muddiness? I have one in my open-back MkIV combo and LOVE it.


----------



## TomAwesome

I mean, if you want to use a guitar cab, use a guitar cab, and if you want to go FRFR, go FRFR. Trying to make one guitar cab sound like another guitar cab probably won't sound as good as either.


----------



## Andromalia

BigPhi84 said:


> Which Mesa Pre?



Oops. Studio preamp.


----------



## Daggorath

I hate this thread. And the fact that us Brits have to pay out the ass for anything like this. Bastards.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Soopahmahn said:


> I absolutely hear you on the weight issue. My problem is that I've yet to see an amp with a switching power supply manage to make a low-distortion high-frequency signal. As subwoofer amps they're amazing, but getting into the midrange frequencies and beyond their output is ratty. I've listened to hi-fi brands like Rotel and their Class D amps just don't cut it compared to a good old-fashioned Class A/B design. This would be *much *more important when run into an FRFR system which will create the airy 10kHz+ overtones, which I plan to do in the future. Guitar cabs aren't making much output by 10kHz.
> 
> My God, I'm no better than a common tube whore  I expect that as the power supply switching freqency increases from ~120kHz up to say 300kHz or better, they'll sound much nicer. That day will come but I don't think it's here yet. My rack will be <50 lbs I estimate...



All of the Carvin DCM power amps are FRFR, they don't colour or add anything to the tone. If you're going to go the route of a clean power amp, might as well go with the light weight one


----------



## Soopahmahn

JJ Rodriguez said:


> All of the Carvin DCM power amps are FRFR, they don't colour or add anything to the tone. If you're going to go the route of a clean power amp, might as well go with the light weight one



The class operation of an amplifier and its frequency response are unrelated. Any tube amp would be considered FRFR as well. It's the speaker design that dictates whether we are _evenly_ covering the sonic spectrum - guitar cabs are the biggest offender here.

The problem with class D is distortion in the upper frequencies, which will sound harsh to the ear (not a good combo with a horn driver).

Cliff @ Fractal Audio does not recommend inexpensive class D or *shudder* class H amps for FRFR Axe-FX bliss. This is not to say a class D rig sucks - but it's the reason I'm not going that route. I'll lug the extra 10-12 lbs.

EDIT: Link to a power amp discussion.


----------



## JPhoenix19

Soopahmahn said:


> So you'd rather have V30s in a Recto cab than say EVM-12L's? Other than weight, what do you think the downside would be? Cabinet muddiness? I have one in my open-back MkIV combo and LOVE it.





I'd pick the 12L's, but for the reason you proposed. While it's true that the 12L's will color your tone less than the V30's, it being 'middle of the road' between FRFR and a regular guitar speaker may actually be a bad thing. If that's the case, better to stick with FRFR if you're wanting to do cab modeling.

I like the 12L's for their clarity at high volumes.


----------



## Soopahmahn

JPhoenix19 said:


> I'd pick the 12L's, but for the reason you proposed. While it's true that the 12L's will color your tone less than the V30's, it being 'middle of the road' between FRFR and a regular guitar speaker may actually be a bad thing. If that's the case, better to stick with FRFR if you're wanting to do cab modeling.
> 
> I like the 12L's for their clarity at high volumes.



I see what you mean. I think when I say, "middle of the road" what I really mean is that I would _not _use cab modeling in the Axe-FX, but I feel that the cab would be more versatile in terms of the tones it would make based on the amp and power sim models. I'm not sure if that's accurate at all.

My 2x12 will be the heavies if I put those damn things in there  but it will have 600w power handling


----------



## right_to_rage

I was wondering which power amp choice is the best for using the axe-fx live? I don't think that an extra $1000 is worth it to go tube, aside from the Carvin TS100 which is in my price range for >$600 . The solid state poweramps I was looking at the Carvin200L or the ART SLA-2. Overall I'm really confused about power amps, but I'm pretty sure I want a GFlex 2x12 cab. The Genz-Benz is 75w stereo, 150w mono, so does this match up with those power amps?


----------



## SnowfaLL

Soopahmahn said:


> The class operation of an amplifier and its frequency response are unrelated. Any tube amp would be considered FRFR as well. It's the speaker design that dictates whether we are _evenly_ covering the sonic spectrum - guitar cabs are the biggest offender here.
> 
> The problem with class D is distortion in the upper frequencies, which will sound harsh to the ear (not a good combo with a horn driver).
> 
> Cliff @ Fractal Audio does not recommend inexpensive class D or *shudder* class H amps for FRFR Axe-FX bliss. This is not to say a class D rig sucks - but it's the reason I'm not going that route. I'll lug the extra 10-12 lbs.
> 
> EDIT: Link to a power amp discussion.



Actually I believe I read, maybe from Cliff or at least on the Fractal forums, that altho "Class D sounds worse in upper frequencies".. It is like MUCH higher frequencies than Guitar usually has, therefor for guitar applications, its not an issue. Maybe if you have a tweeter/horn on your PA, sure, but for something like the Axe-FX into a guitar cab, a Class D should be perfectly fine.

Im using a class D with my Digitech GSP1101 and it sounds just as good as when I was running a tube poweramp. I wont know if it has the SS issue of not cutting thru in a band as im not in one atm, but that would be my only concern with Class D amps/SS poweramps in general.

Its the same as everything, a cheaply made Class D amp will suck regardless, but a good one will be good, which those Carvin DCM ones are. Dont settle for anything under 600W though, you will suffer on the headroom if you get lower than 600W imo.


----------



## Soopahmahn

NickCormier said:


> Actually I believe I read, maybe from Cliff or at least on the Fractal forums, that altho "Class D sounds worse in upper frequencies".. It is like MUCH higher frequencies than Guitar usually has, therefor for guitar applications, its not an issue. Maybe if you have a tweeter/horn on your PA, sure, but for something like the Axe-FX into a guitar cab, a Class D should be perfectly fine.
> 
> Im using a class D with my Digitech GSP1101 and it sounds just as good as when I was running a tube poweramp. I wont know if it has the SS issue of not cutting thru in a band as im not in one atm, but that would be my only concern with Class D amps/SS poweramps in general.
> 
> Its the same as everything, a cheaply made Class D amp will suck regardless, but a good one will be good, which those Carvin DCM ones are. Dont settle for anything under 600W though, you will suffer on the headroom if you get lower than 600W imo.



Yeah I've said it several times, guitar cabinets don't output much above maybe 8 kHz, even open-back designs, so it shouldn't be an issue at all.

A guitar run into an FRFR system however will certainly have overtones all the way past human hearing (20 kHz) so having that top octave clean is a good goal. But I will say again that I've listened to some of the very best class D amps and wasn't impressed in that regard. The technology will improve as there is demand for lightweight amps.

I'm with you on the power issue too. I think what I got is a minimum - 700w into 8ohms. I liked the sound of the ART SLA-2 or the Rocktron Velocity 300 but having the extra 3dB of clean headroom is perfect. I didn't care about the 2RU size.

FWIW I think the TS100 @ $550 would be a killer choice too but I'm just sick of tubes.


----------



## Soopahmahn

right_to_rage said:


> I was wondering which power amp choice is the best for using the axe-fx live? I don't think that an extra $1000 is worth it to go tube, aside from the Carvin TS100 which is in my price range for >$600 . The solid state poweramps I was looking at the Carvin200L or the ART SLA-2. Overall I'm really confused about power amps, but I'm pretty sure I want a GFlex 2x12 cab. The Genz-Benz is 75w stereo, 150w mono, so does this match up with those power amps?



Get something that is bare minimum 300w into the rated impedance, and as high in quality as you can afford. Set it and forget it.


----------



## right_to_rage

So a carvin DCM1000L, 1000w SS is good? That is about the most I can spend cause I'm getting a whole new rig with an Axe-Fx Ultra, GenzB cab, and a Ground Control Pro and I'm already dipping into the savings hommie lol


----------



## Hollowway

OK, so this may be a stupid question, but I have powered monitors and if I get the Axe-FX can I just run it right into the monitors, or do I have to run it through my mixer first? (FWIW, I have Event 2020bas and they have XLR and 1/4" ins).


----------



## AK DRAGON

This pretty much sold me on an Ultra and a pair of FR's


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

right_to_rage said:


> So a carvin DCM1000L, 1000w SS is good? That is about the most I can spend cause I'm getting a whole new rig with an Axe-Fx Ultra, GenzB cab, and a Ground Control Pro and I'm already dipping into the savings hommie lol



It won't be 1000W unless your guitar cab is 2 ohms. It should be good though, unless you have a 16 ohm cab, and crank it up a lot.


----------



## JohnIce

Hollowway said:


> OK, so this may be a stupid question, but I have powered monitors and if I get the Axe-FX can I just run it right into the monitors, or do I have to run it through my mixer first? (FWIW, I have Event 2020bas and they have XLR and 1/4" ins).


 
Yup, you can use them without a mixer, I do all the time


----------



## Soopahmahn

right_to_rage said:


> So a carvin DCM1000L, 1000w SS is good? That is about the most I can spend cause I'm getting a whole new rig with an Axe-Fx Ultra, GenzB cab, and a Ground Control Pro and I'm already dipping into the savings hommie lol



DCM1000L bridged mono output = 1000W @ 4 ohms, 700W @ 8 ohms. Not recommended bridged into 2 ohms to my knowledge, even though you can run 500W x 2 @ 2 ohms. That's more than enough juice to run a half stack (heck probably a full stack) at full volume while keeping some good headroom. Remember that most SS guitar heads are like 100-400W @ 8 ohms, so you're doubling down on top of that.


----------



## right_to_rage

Soopahmahn said:


> DCM1000L bridged mono output = 1000W @ 4 ohms, 700W @ 8 ohms. Not recommended bridged into 2 ohms to my knowledge, even though you can run 500W x 2 @ 2 ohms. That's more than enough juice to run a half stack (heck probably a full stack) at full volume while keeping some good headroom. Remember that most SS guitar heads are like 100-400W @ 8 ohms, so you're doubling down on top of that.



So, are your saying that its too much wattage? Because the G-Flex 212 has a 16 ohm mono jack, a 4 ohm mono jack on the right side, and the option to run 8 ohms in stereo. This is what musicians friend says, "150W RMS handling when run in mono, 75W/side RMS in stereo". I'm sort of new at this, I've only ever owned combo amps, but what would you recommend?

Heres the cab manual if it helps: http://www.genzbenz.com/img/manuals/gb/GB212GFLEX.pdf


----------



## snuif09

i think that its 150 watt for tube amps wich is louder then a 1000watt ss amp but maybe im wrong and you do need a higher watt cab.


----------



## right_to_rage

From what I gather the general rule of thumb is that if you want to compete in volume with a tube power amp you have to get a solid state that has five times the wattage. So I figured that a 1000 solid state power amp will match a 200 watt tube amp using this rule.
I would get the Carvin TS100 which is pretty much the cheapest and most transparent tube power amp on the market (I like tube sound/*affordable tube sound*), but I don't know if its going to be loud enough or have enough headroom? I don't think I'm going to need to turn up to 11, seeing as the Axe-Fx plugs into the P.A, but I'm still confused
edit: I got my info from JJ


JJ Rodriguez said:


> The DCM200L MIGHT be loud enough, but the general rule is you want 5 times the wattage for clean headroom in a solid state power amp compared to tube. So if you want the same headroom as a 100W tube amp, you would need at least 500W. I'd probably go to the 1540L personally. That's what I have and what I'm selling to CentaurPorn, and that thing will go as loud as you would ever need it, and you will never run out of headroom.



I'm starting to get the feeling that the TS100 is going to be the right one for me, cause lots of people are using these to run dual 212's in stereo, and even 412's in stereo with great results...


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

right_to_rage said:


> From what I gather the general rule of thumb is that if you want to compete in volume with a tube power amp you have to get a solid state that has five times the wattage



Not volume no, headroom.

Just means you won't be clipping anything, since things get real ugly when you start clipping solid state stuff.

The TS100 should be loud enough for you bridged. As for powering 2 full stacks, are you in a band that will be playing stadiums?  If you're looking to power that many cabs, you should be looking at a VHT 2/90/2, since the cabs will be a huge investment, so the cost difference between that and a TS100 should be negligible 

EDIT: Should also mention that I heard that rule at the Fractal Audio forums. Whether it's true or not, I have no idea. I've also heard 3 times the wattage, and 4 times. I think you just want to get as much wattage for the money that you can. The thing about solid state wattage is that you can't have too much, but you have have too little. It's not like buying a 300W tube amp, because you would need to turn that up to retarded volumes to get it to sound decent. With solid state, you can run it on the lowest setting possible, and it will sound just as good as when you have it cranked up (or better if you're clipping it).

It's better to have too much and not need it than it is to not have enough and need it.


----------



## Soopahmahn

JJ Rodriguez said:


> It's better to have too much and not need it than it is to not have enough and need it.



This. 

I can gig my office cubicle with a million watt amplifier as long as I keep the gain down enough. I can't gig the local bar with 10W and no mic.

All this talk about multiples of tube amp power equating to SS power recommendations is silly. For whatever cabinet(s) you're going to use, figure out how much the total power handling is and consider doubling that to be a healthy minimum for your amp. Doubling wattage gives 3dB of clean headroom, which is plenty for the dynamic peaks present in guitar signals. Going higher does not hurt anything, it just runs your amp less hard in fact, which is only good for longevity. You do NOT want your SS amp to start clipping, which conversely is EXACTLY what you want tube amps to do to "get loud."

I recommend 300w RMS minimum for your cabinet in mono operation, keeping in mind that you should add more juice if you add more cabs. Since you have 2x 75W 8 ohm nominal drivers, 150-200W x 2 @ 8 ohms would be perfect for stereo operation. The DCM1000L fits that bill perfectly, and running the Axe-FX in stereo, especially with that slight baffle angle, will be awesome.

If you want tubes, get the TS100. If you want SS, get the DCM1000L or similar.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Soopahmahn said:


> If you want tubes, get the TS100.



Or a VHT/Fryette 2/90/2 

But that multiple of tube power is just a general rule that a lot of the Fractal guys say. Given that I ran my 1540L on about half bridged, and my Axe FX output at a bit more than half, I still want a lot more than 300W, then again, I had a 600W cab. My current cab is only 200W though, so maybe 300W solid state would do it, who knows 

I'm back to tubes so it's not really an issue for me.


----------



## Nights_Blood

AK DRAGON said:


> This pretty much sold me on an Ultra and a pair of FR's





I'm confused. If those are FRFR then why is he using a power amp?


----------



## orb451

Nights_Blood said:


> I'm confused. If those are FRFR then why is he using a power amp?



It might be because he's using the FRFR Atomic Wedges that are passive. I believe there's 2 models. One active (power amp + speaker cab together) and passive (speaker by itself, bring your own power amp).


----------



## right_to_rage

Thanks for the help guys, I have decided that I want tubes so I'm going with the TS100 to power the G-Flex 2x12.

Just when I thought I was done spending money, I started to notice that everyone has a power conditioner in their rack. Now I know that its a smart idea to have this type of protection, but I have a power strip (can't recall the brand) that looks identical to this Monster MP PRO 800 Amazon.com: Monster MP PRO 800 with Clean Power Stage 1, Surge Protection, and 8 Color-Coded Outlets High Performance Pro PowerCenter: Electronics . It literally has the same layout, and input functions. Is this all I need to protect my stuff?


----------



## Syrinx

orb451 said:


> I believe there's 2 models. One active (power amp + speaker cab together) and passive (speaker by itself, bring your own power amp).



That is correct


----------



## El Caco

right_to_rage said:


> Thanks for the help guys, I have decided that I want tubes so I'm going with the TS100 to power the G-Flex 2x12.
> 
> Just when I thought I was done spending money, I started to notice that everyone has a power conditioner in their rack. Now I know that its a smart idea to have this type of protection, but I have a power strip (can't recall the brand) that looks identical to this Monster MP PRO 800 Amazon.com: Monster MP PRO 800 with Clean Power Stage 1, Surge Protection, and 8 Color-Coded Outlets High Performance Pro PowerCenter: Electronics . It literally has the same layout, and input functions. Is this all I need to protect my stuff?



What type of protection does it offer? Keep in mind that your gear can go down from a surge even with protection and it can be a case of you get what you pay for. If your power strip is one that has an unlimited lifetime warranty and the small print states that they will replace the power strip as many times as needed in your lifetime and cover any of your damaged gear up to its current market value if it is damaged while connected properly then I don't think you need any additional protection. If you don't have that then you might want to consider looking for one of those or a Furman that might have better filters but only 1 year replacement warranty.


----------



## right_to_rage

Sorry, the power strip says "Ground" with a green light that doesn't turn on and beside that "Surge Protection" with a red light that is always on. I've decided that its worth the extra money to get a good power conditioner, which is safer than plain surge spike protection. A Furman that does all of the good stuff starts at like 50$ and thats rack mountable. It's basically cheap insurance if something goes wrong at a venue, which is a precaution that I should be taking seeing as all of the venues in Ottawa are d-u-m-p's.


----------



## ralphy1976

my turn to be a pain in the neck.

If i buy an axe-fx (based on axe Wiki) and plan on using it in house, can i simply use it with Headphones as output (stright from the Axe-Fx)

I am thinking that the answer is "yes" since it has got all the modelling, but i'd love to be enlightened by your knowledge guys.

Thanks


----------



## JohnIce

ralphy1976 said:


> my turn to be a pain in the neck.
> 
> If i buy an axe-fx (based on axe Wiki) and plan on using it in house, can i simply use it with Headphones as output (stright from the Axe-Fx)
> 
> I am thinking that the answer is "yes" since it has got all the modelling, but i'd love to be enlightened by your knowledge guys.
> 
> Thanks



Sure you can! But make sure the headphones are really good then, because otherwise it could be like getting a Ferarri just to drive around in the back yard with... I've tried my Axe with my headphones (some sort of Sony beefcake phones), and it sounded very processed and Line6-ish.


----------



## ralphy1976

cool..i have been looking at the fractal reactor cab this morning. sounds like a good idea for in-house playing!!!

my excel spreadsheet is telling me it is going to be an expensive upgrade from a Roland Cube20X!!!! !!!!


----------



## ristoCoC

Hey,

How do i connect my Axe-Fx to my laptop?


----------



## Soopahmahn

ralphy1976 said:


> If i buy an axe-fx (based on axe Wiki) and plan on using it in house, can i simply use it with Headphones as output (stright from the Axe-Fx)



Definitely, but I would recommend hooking up the Axe-FX to a home stereo system or dedicated headphone amplifier (e.g. Grado RA1) and then monitor through a good set of headphones (e.g. Sennheiser HD595). Plugging the headphones directly into the line out from the Axe-FX will not sound great as it outputs a line level signal, not an amplified signal that a headphone set will need to sound properly. I think the only way that you can get away with it is because the Axe-FX can output +18 dB over reference, which is enough to drive headphones to make some noise.

Still, that's the only way to use headphones with it properly. Think of it like a CD player or DVD player in your home stereo setup - you don't just plug the disc drive directly into the speakers.


----------



## Soopahmahn

ristoCoC said:


> Hey,
> 
> How do i connect my Axe-Fx to my laptop?



With a cable 

What do you want to do?


----------



## PnKnG

So I finally decided that I also will jump onto the bandwagon and get myself an Axe-Fx. Most likely the Ultra.
Right now I'm still in the money saving phase but in around 6 month I should have the money together to get myself one.
I also plan on getting a audio interface and a Midi controller while I'm at it.
Now I would like to know if you guys think that the M-Audio Fast Track Pro ( M-AUDIO FAST TRACK PRO - Svensk International Cyberstore ) is a good audio interface to go together with the Axe-Fx and keeps the audio quality up?
Or does anybody has any better suggestion for a better interface around the same price?
As for the midi controller I was thinking about the Behringer FCB 1010 ( BEHRINGER FCB 1010 - Svensk International Cyberstore ). I have heard about a so called "UnO" Mod (changeing the chip inside the FCB). Is the Mod worth it? And is there a guide out there for how to program the FCB with the Axe-FX?
I hope you guys can help me


----------



## ristoCoC

Soopahmahn said:


> With a cable
> 
> What do you want to do?



Where on the laptop i plug in and what? I would like to upload a new firmware to my axe fx


----------



## Necrophagist777

JohnIce said:


> Sure you can! But make sure the headphones are really good then, because otherwise it could be like getting a Ferarri just to drive around in the back yard with... I've tried my Axe with my headphones (some sort of Sony beefcake phones), and it sounded very processed and Line6-ish.




Same here, I have a pair of decent Audio Technica phones and it sounded god-awful. I say just get a decent pair of reference monitors (what I use when I record or practice at low volumes), and if you really need to be silent get a REALLY REALLY good pair of headphones.


----------



## Soopahmahn

The best headphones on the planet will sound like poop if you don't use some kind of headphone amplifier.


----------



## Soopahmahn

ristoCoC said:


> Where on the laptop i plug in and what? I would like to upload a new firmware to my axe fx



As usual, the Axe-FX Wiki holds the answers.


----------



## Necrophagist777

Soopahmahn said:


> The best headphones on the planet will sound like poop if you don't use some kind of headphone amplifier.



Well I have the axe fx going into my M Audio Fast Track Pro, then into my mixer and then out to my monitors/headphones. But I never use the headphones cuz like I said, they sound like poo lol


----------



## orb451

PnKnG said:


> As for the midi controller I was thinking about the Behringer FCB 1010 ( BEHRINGER FCB 1010 - Svensk International Cyberstore ). I have heard about a so called "UnO" Mod (changeing the chip inside the FCB). Is the Mod worth it? And is there a guide out there for how to program the FCB with the Axe-FX?
> I hope you guys can help me



Congrats on taking the plunge! I can't comment on your choice of audio interfaces, I use a cheap-o Lexicon unit and it works fine for me. As far as the FCB1010 is concerned, I have one and I have it UnO chipped. I bought the FCB from American Musical Supply online. I got the UnO chip by digging around online too. I want to say I paid about $8 for it from some guy in Spain or something random. Sorry, I really didn't keep good details. But I got it, opened up the FCB and popped it in with no issues at all.

I use RipWerx software with it and if I could find the damn websites that had good tutorials, I'll PM you. If not, definitely look at the Fractal Forums. Under MIDI controllers subforum there's a sticky thread for the FCB1010. I think it was a guy named Voes or someone else that had awesome tut's on how to set it up, configure parameters to map to FCB buttons, etc.

Hope that helps and good luck, once you get it set up it's not too bad, but the first steps can be hairy. Also, my advice, take a good while to get your Axe dialed in. Get really comfortable with some or all of your sounds, then start re-arranging your banks, THEN get your FCB plugged in and tweaked to taste.


----------



## SnowfaLL

I've been wanting one of those Lexicon R1's, but I keep missing out on the great deals for them. They look like the best option for the price though, usually around $100-125.


----------



## ristoCoC

$$


----------



## PnKnG

orb451 said:


> Congrats on taking the plunge! I can't comment on your choice of audio interfaces, I use a cheap-o Lexicon unit and it works fine for me. As far as the FCB1010 is concerned, I have one and I have it UnO chipped. I bought the FCB from American Musical Supply online. I got the UnO chip by digging around online too. I want to say I paid about $8 for it from some guy in Spain or something random. Sorry, I really didn't keep good details. But I got it, opened up the FCB and popped it in with no issues at all.
> 
> I use RipWerx software with it and if I could find the damn websites that had good tutorials, I'll PM you. If not, definitely look at the Fractal Forums. Under MIDI controllers subforum there's a sticky thread for the FCB1010. I think it was a guy named Voes or someone else that had awesome tut's on how to set it up, configure parameters to map to FCB buttons, etc.
> 
> Hope that helps and good luck, once you get it set up it's not too bad, but the first steps can be hairy. Also, my advice, take a good while to get your Axe dialed in. Get really comfortable with some or all of your sounds, then start re-arranging your banks, THEN get your FCB plugged in and tweaked to taste.



Thanks for the reply 

I haven't brought it yet but will do so once I have the money (aka. once the status of my funds in my sig is all green).
Thanks again for giving your insight onto the FCB1010.
I did some digging myself, did you mean these 2 links:
Where to buy the UnO chip: FCB1010 UnO firmware
Guide and other helpful tips and explanations: fcb1010 - UnO - Index
Guess that settles which Midi controller I will be using until I have the money for the official controller (MFC101) and when its finally out (if ever ).


----------



## PnKnG

Anybody else has something to add.
Mostly about the quality of the M-Audio Fas Track Pro.


----------



## MSalonen

It looks like I've also been sold into getting an Axe FX. Just need to sell off a bunch of my gear to help fund it.

What I was wondering though, was how to go about using it in a recording context, directly into the computer. Right now I use a Line 6 POD directly into my computer and record with Garageband, using Guitar Rig as an amp modeler. Would I need to buy anything else to use the Axe FX?

My biggest concern is dropping a lot of money on something like this, and with it being a complicated electronic device (much moreso than an amp head, I would imagine), it being more subject to breakage than an amp head. Through no fault of its own, but just by nature of its own design and it being what it is.


----------



## Soopahmahn

MSalonen said:


> It looks like I've also been sold into getting an Axe FX. Just need to sell off a bunch of my gear to help fund it.
> 
> What I was wondering though, was how to go about using it in a recording context, directly into the computer. Right now I use a Line 6 POD directly into my computer and record with Garageband, using Guitar Rig as an amp modeler. Would I need to buy anything else to use the Axe FX?
> 
> My biggest concern is dropping a lot of money on something like this, and with it being a complicated electronic device (much moreso than an amp head, I would imagine), it being more subject to breakage than an amp head. Through no fault of its own, but just by nature of its own design and it being what it is.



Agreed - what are people's recommendations here? All I have is a Boss Micro BR. I already think I need to get a MIDI audio card for my computer to download firmware updates and patches, right?

I'm also wondering if Periphery recorded their new album with the Axe-FX. Anybody know? (This isn't a Periphery thread, keep it OT plskthx )


----------



## Uncle Remus

Soopahmahn said:


> Agreed - what are people's recommendations here? All I have is a Boss Micro BR. I already think I need to get a MIDI audio card for my computer to download firmware updates and patches, right?
> 
> I'm also wondering if Periphery recorded their new album with the Axe-FX. Anybody know? (This isn't a Periphery thread, keep it OT plskthx )


 
All you need to transfer files and update firmware is one of these:

about $50 

E-MU Systems - Xmidi 1x1 - USB MIDI Interface

And yes AFAIK the new album used the AFX


----------



## Soopahmahn

Uncle Remus said:


> All you need to transfer files and update firmware is one of these:
> 
> about $50
> 
> E-MU Systems - Xmidi 1x1 - USB MIDI Interface
> 
> And yes AFAIK the new album used the AFX



Thanks dude!

Is anybody out there using the Atomic Reactor full-range cabs, either passive or active versions? I am tempted to try them in stead of my Mesa 2x12 which I've been contemplating loading with EVM-12Ls instead of V30s, but they look so "Fendery." Some swear by them, however.


----------



## Joeywilson

Q: Would anyone like to donate their axe-fx to me?

A: Probably not....


----------



## TomAwesome

MSalonen said:


> What I was wondering though, was how to go about using it in a recording context, directly into the computer. Right now I use a Line 6 POD directly into my computer and record with Garageband, using Guitar Rig as an amp modeler. Would I need to buy anything else to use the Axe FX?



It doesn't have USB, so you'll need an interface. Anything with XLR, 1/4", or S/PDIF will work.



MSalonen said:


> My biggest concern is dropping a lot of money on something like this, and with it being a complicated electronic device (much moreso than an amp head, I would imagine), it being more subject to breakage than an amp head. Through no fault of its own, but just by nature of its own design and it being what it is.



I'd think it would probably be a lot more durable and reliable than a tube head, especially since it should be in a rack case. There's not much about it that can break without a nasty fall being involved.


----------



## Necrophagist777

Soopahmahn said:


> Thanks dude!
> 
> Is anybody out there using the Atomic Reactor full-range cabs, either passive or active versions? I am tempted to try them in stead of my Mesa 2x12 which I've been contemplating loading with EVM-12Ls instead of V30s, but they look so "Fendery." Some swear by them, however.




The atomic reactors sound good on their own but they don't cut in a band mix at all. Not very much headroom either. I'd say go with a nice tube poweramp and keep the mesa 2x12.


----------



## Soopahmahn

Necrophagist777 said:


> The atomic reactors sound good on their own but they don't cut in a band mix at all. Not very much headroom either. I'd say go with a nice tube poweramp and keep the mesa 2x12.



Did you use cabinet sims while using them? They sound good on paper but I don't want to order one or two and then have to return them if I'm disappointed... :-/

EDIT: I'm going to sell the cab anyway and either get a new Avatar/Lopoline cab or the Reactors.


----------



## Customisbetter

TomAwesome said:


> It doesn't have USB, so you'll need an interface. Anything with XLR, 1/4", or S/PDIF will work.



NO FUCKING WAY

2 grand and you don't get USB out? You've got to be shitting me.

i never knew about this. 

EDIT

how long does it take to transfer an impulse WAV to it through midi?


----------



## Syrinx

Customisbetter said:


> how long does it take to transfer an impulse WAV to it through midi?



Transferring is very quick


----------



## Andromalia

TomAwesome said:


> I'd think it would probably be a lot more durable and reliable than a tube head, especially since it should be in a rack case. There's not much about it that can break without a nasty fall being involved.



I'd say the risks are different. All of us computer users can relate to some hardware horror stories.


----------



## Necrophagist777

Soopahmahn said:


> Did you use cabinet sims while using them? They sound good on paper but I don't want to order one or two and then have to return them if I'm disappointed... :-/
> 
> EDIT: I'm going to sell the cab anyway and either get a new Avatar/Lopoline cab or the Reactors.



I tried them out at Tone Merchants, with the Cab Sims on, you wanna use them just like you would reference monitors or a PA. I played 4 of them at once and that sounded pretty good, but just 1 or 2 was nothing to write home about. I vastly prefer the tone of my VHT and avatar cab. And it cuts much better in a mix because the atomics have a weird rolloff in the high mids.





Customisbetter said:


> NO FUCKING WAY
> 
> 2 grand and you don't get USB out? You've got to be shitting me.
> 
> i never knew about this.
> 
> EDIT
> 
> how long does it take to transfer an impulse WAV to it through midi?



I don't really see the point of usb out anywho because anyone who is getting one has a decent usb/firewire interface, at least everyone I know does.

And You can't transfer an impulse wav directly, you convert with a utility. The transfer is pretty much like 2 seconds then though.


----------



## MSalonen

What's a good and cheap usb/firewire interface to use? Particularly with the Axe FX, as right now I just use a POD.


----------



## mattofvengeance

MSalonen said:


> What's a good and cheap usb/firewire interface to use? Particularly with the Axe FX, as right now I just use a POD.



Here ya go. Check out this thread on the Fractal Forum, bro. 

Fractal Audio Systems &bull; View topic - Interfaces working /not working with the Axe-FX


----------



## Necrophagist777

I use an M-Audio Fast Track Pro, works great for me.


----------



## Soopahmahn

Necrophagist777 said:


> I tried them out at Tone Merchants, with the Cab Sims on, you wanna use them just like you would reference monitors or a PA. I played 4 of them at once and that sounded pretty good, but just 1 or 2 was nothing to write home about. I vastly prefer the tone of my VHT and avatar cab. And it cuts much better in a mix because the atomics have a weird rolloff in the high mids.



Hey Necro, did you try any other FRFR setups? I know you said you've stuck with your guitar cabs now, but lots of people at the Fractal boards use active QSC K10/K12 speakers, higher-end JBLs, etc. Just wondering if you did and how they compared to the Reactors.


----------



## Necrophagist777

Soopahmahn said:


> Hey Necro, did you try any other FRFR setups? I know you said you've stuck with your guitar cabs now, but lots of people at the Fractal boards use active QSC K10/K12 speakers, higher-end JBLs, etc. Just wondering if you did and how they compared to the Reactors.



I never had the chance but almost pulled the trigger on the QSC K10's. They sound really nice from what I've heard. I do play direct a lot at lower volumes with a pair of Studio Monitors, and it sounds great. I just wanted the versatility to do whatever I needed to do. Whether that be direct to FOH or a small gig with just the rack and cab. If playing a gig at a good venue with a nice PA I would always go direct with my cab/cabs to add some airpushin power on stage, it just sounds so much better out in the crowd. But every sunday I play out and don't have that luxury and just use my cab and rack and it sounds great too.


----------



## JohnIce

Customisbetter said:


> NO FUCKING WAY
> 
> 2 grand and you don't get USB out? You've got to be shitting me.
> 
> i never knew about this.
> 
> EDIT
> 
> how long does it take to transfer an impulse WAV to it through midi?


 
I've read a lot of the reasoning behind that choice, but I'm not too technical and thus I'm not quite convinced... seeing as how a USB port can transfer Midi data, paying a few bucks extra to get one on the Axe-Fx seems reasonable to me. But well, it CAN be done with just Midi, so USB would just be a luxury more than anything.

But again, Cliff and the Fractal team are pretty damn tech-savvy guys, I'm sure they gave this issue just as much thought as every other part of the unit.


----------



## Customisbetter

I guess i had this idea of having a 2U case with an AxeFX hooked directly up to a macbook above as a perfect mobile recording platform. I guess that market is reserved for the RP-Pods.


----------



## orb451

Customisbetter said:


> I guess i had this idea of having a 2U case with an AxeFX hooked directly up to a macbook above as a perfect mobile recording platform. I guess that market is reserved for the RP-Pods.



Until the next hardware iteration I think that's pretty much it. I too wish the Axe had a direct USB output but there had to be *some* compromises in an otherwise near perfect unit.


----------



## MSalonen

mattofvengeance said:


> Here ya go. Check out this thread on the Fractal Forum, bro.
> 
> Fractal Audio Systems &bull; View topic - Interfaces working /not working with the Axe-FX



Thanks!

So for direct-in recording, you plug it into something like an M-Audio interface?


----------



## Necrophagist777

MSalonen said:


> Thanks!
> 
> So for direct-in recording, you plug it into something like an M-Audio interface?



Mhm, that's what I do.


----------



## 7slinger

Customisbetter said:


> I guess i had this idea of having a 2U case with an AxeFX hooked directly up to a macbook above as a perfect mobile recording platform. I guess that market is reserved for the RP-Pods.



you can get a single channel firewire or USB interface with a line in that's the size of a stomp box...would sit in the back of a 2 space rack easy 

btw I'm gassing hard for one of these


----------



## JohnIce

Customisbetter said:


> I guess i had this idea of having a 2U case with an AxeFX hooked directly up to a macbook above as a perfect mobile recording platform. I guess that market is reserved for the RP-Pods.


 
With that setup, you'd only be able to record the Axe-Fx anyway... why not just throw in something like a 1-space Firepod in there and you could record a full band with it? Although to be fair I've never really seen the appeal of recording via USB instead of regular XLR or 1/4" cables anyway...


----------



## Nights_Blood

Necro, how long ago did you try it out at Tone Merchants? Did they only have the FRFR setup, or did they have a power amp to try it with?


----------



## Customisbetter

Eh.. Im trying to dissuade myself form getting one.  I already have a 1U USB interface, though its ancient, doesn't have proper drivers, and i can't seem to get anything less than 180ms of latency. 

I figured if the Axe acted as its own interface, it would be optimized and have minimal latency.


----------



## right_to_rage

Does anyone know what the bottom line price with shipping, customs and all of that would be to get an Ultra sent to Ontario? I'm really budgeting hard.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Depends on if they ship it USPS or not, how much of a risk you're willing to take, etc.

$1850 US for a used Ultra, you can bet they'll charge you AT LEAST $50 to ship it, and then you have 13% sales tax on that once it crosses the border. If they send it UPS, tack on another $70-125, depending on the declared/insured value.

You can always get them to declare/insure it for less if you want to try and save cash on the customs fees, but that's a pretty big risk if it gets fucked up in shipping.

All and all, I paid about $2500 CAD for my Ultra by the time it got to my door, used. That was however when the dollar was REALLY shitty (like 80-85 cents US). I'm guessing you could get a used one to your door for roughly $2200, if it ships USPS.


----------



## Necrophagist777

Nights_Blood said:


> Necro, how long ago did you try it out at Tone Merchants? Did they only have the FRFR setup, or did they have a power amp to try it with?



They have EVERYTHING!!! They have about 6 Atomics in there, and all the vht poweramps and cabs you could shake a stick at. 

Personally I tried it with just the Atomics, because that is the route I was first planning to go. It's literally a fever dream of gear at that place, nothing but the best of the best. 

It's by appointment only except on Saturdays when it is open to the public I believe.


----------



## Wiz

My questions of the day!

1) I like my ENGL, but supposedly you can get a lot better results out of an AxeFX if you do a lot of in-apartment playing/practicing. A good tube amp is likely to get you evicted if you want to get the best sound out of it, but an AxeFX can simulate a cranked tube amp without the volume know at 11, right?

2) Say I still want to use my physical tube amp, can I use the AxeFX as a sick sick effects processor? Is it easy to make it stop simulating amps/cabs with literally no change to my tone (except for the effects of course), when put on the effects loop?


----------



## Necrophagist777

Wiz said:


> My questions of the day!
> 
> 1) I like my ENGL, but supposedly you can get a lot better results out of an AxeFX if you do a lot of in-apartment playing/practicing. A good tube amp is likely to get you evicted if you want to get the best sound out of it, but an AxeFX can simulate a cranked tube amp without the volume know at 11, right?
> 
> 2) Say I still want to use my physical tube amp, can I use the AxeFX as a sick sick effects processor? Is it easy to make it stop simulating amps/cabs with literally no change to my tone (except for the effects of course), when put on the effects loop?



1) Yes, the axe fx and a decent pair of reference monitors and you have the best practice rig around.

2) Ask John Petrucci, that's apparently what he is doing now.


----------



## Wiz

Necrophagist777 said:


> 1) Yes, the axe fx and a decent pair of reference monitors and you have the best practice rig around.
> 
> 2) Ask John Petrucci, that's apparently what he is doing now.



Part 2:

So reference monitors and not my cab? Is that basically because I would need a poweramp to give the AxeFX enough juice to power the cab? Why not that?

Can you put it on the FX loop of the amp and then somehow magically record that to the PC without a mic through the AxeFx itself? Or it doesn't really work that way?


----------



## Necrophagist777

Wiz said:


> Part 2:
> 
> So reference monitors and not my cab? Is that basically because I would need a poweramp to give the AxeFX enough juice to power the cab? Why not that?
> 
> Can you put it on the FX loop of the amp and then somehow magically record that to the PC without a mic through the AxeFx itself? Or it doesn't really work that way?




Well...you were talking about playing at low volumes, a poweramp and cab would usually pump out a good amount of volume. Now with a solid state poweramp you could do pretty good at low volumes but the reference monitors would do a better job at bedroom volumes IMO.

2. No you couldn't in conjuction with the amp but you can always of course record direct with just the axe fx. (I'm having a hard time understanding the question though, so I might not be getting what your going at.)


----------



## right_to_rage

AXE EDIT - Fractal Audio Systems / Atomic Amplifiers - Software Editor/Manager for the Axe FX Guitar Pre-Amp / Effects Processor

For those who are thinking of getting one, just take a look at the editing software. I had no idea what it was capable of until I started exploring this software. It was a massive epiphany, I realize that I don't *need* the Ultra to do what I need it to do! (my savings account breaths a deep sigh of relief)

Quick question; I'm looking at the CPU usage meter in the top right, what percent of CPU usage will the Standard overload at? I keep racking up some heavy presets, dual amp stuff and getting up around 80-90% lol.


----------



## Wiz

Necrophagist777 said:


> Well...you were talking about playing at low volumes, a poweramp and cab would usually pump out a good amount of volume. Now with a solid state poweramp you could do pretty good at low volumes but the reference monitors would do a better job at bedroom volumes IMO.
> 
> 2. No you couldn't in conjuction with the amp but you can always of course record direct with just the axe fx. (I'm having a hard time understanding the question though, so I might not be getting what your going at.)



What I meant was use the amp, redirect it through AxeFX applying all of the effects I want, and have AxeFX connected to the PC for recording. Possible?


----------



## Cadavuh

Say I hypothetically switched from my standard rig to an axe fx FRFR rig. What would be the best choice for a powered monitor? One that would be loud enough to play at band practice as well as shows where there is no micing involved? Would i have to get 2? or possibly a powered and a passive. If you have 1 powered can it power a passive?


----------



## Wiz

Say I get the reference monitors that you guys recommended for the AxeFX home-use. Any ones in particular you would recommend? Can I use them without any additional poweramps, straight from the AxeFX?


----------



## snuif09

right_to_rage said:


> AXE EDIT - Fractal Audio Systems / Atomic Amplifiers - Software Editor/Manager for the Axe FX Guitar Pre-Amp / Effects Processor
> 
> For those who are thinking of getting one, just take a look at the editing software. I had no idea what it was capable of until I started exploring this software. It was a massive epiphany, I realize that I don't *need* the Ultra to do what I need it to do! (my savings account breaths a deep sigh of relief)



huh i have dowloaded it too so i could look at the effects/amps in such but i didnt get any sounds out of it i tought that was normal lol how did you do that?


----------



## JohnIce

Wiz said:


> What I meant was use the amp, redirect it through AxeFX applying all of the effects I want, and have AxeFX connected to the PC for recording. Possible?


 
Well, if you want to record the tone from your amp (not the Axe-Fx) through your cab (still not the Axe-Fx), with only the FX from the Axe-Fx, without using mics, then no.

What you can do is use the Axe-Fx to make a replica of your regular amp rig, and use that patch for recording. So you wouldn't be using your amp or cab at all. Periphery did this for example, they use their tube rigs live but on the recordings the only used the Axe-Fx, simulating their actual rigs.

If you want your regular amp setup with just the effects from the Axe-Fx, while still having the Axe-Fx plugged into your recording interface bypassing your amp rig... sure. Just make a few patches with no amps or cabs on the Axe-Fx, leaving only the effects you want, then make a couple of patches for recording, with all the amp models and cabs that you want. It might require switching some cables around between recording and using your regular rig, but it should be a quick job. I haven't personally tried this and I think it seems like an unnecessary hassle, but whatever works for you, mate! 



Wiz said:


> Say I get the reference monitors that you guys recommended for the AxeFX home-use. Any ones in particular you would recommend? Can I use them without any additional poweramps, straight from the AxeFX?


 
Reference monitors = Studio monitors. The idea is that you plug your Axe-Fx into your recording interface, and play it back with whatever speakers you use for recording with. This can be anything from cheap PC speakers to a line-array of the finest monitors you can buy, your budget sets the limits. Studio monitors are generally powered by plugging into the wall, simple as that. So no, you wouldn't need any additional poweramps.


----------



## Necrophagist777

Wiz said:


> Say I get the reference monitors that you guys recommended for the AxeFX home-use. Any ones in particular you would recommend? Can I use them without any additional poweramps, straight from the AxeFX?



Yes, the monitors are powered so you don't need a poweramp. There is a huge range of options price wise. The Krks or M-Audio Studiophile aren't bad. If you are gonna record at home, they are a necessary tool anyway, might as well get them now haha.

EDIT: John beat me to it and answered the questions so much better........I fail at life.......


----------



## JohnIce

snuif09 said:


> huh i have dowloaded it too so i could look at the effects/amps in such but i didnt get any sounds out of it i tought that was normal lol how did you do that?


 
To get sounds, you kinda have to buy an Axe-Fx, man  The editor is a good tool to see if the Axe is capable of modeling the amps you want and doing the signal chains you want, but it doesn't make any sound on its own.


----------



## snuif09

JohnIce said:


> To get sounds, you kinda have to buy an Axe-Fx, man  The editor is a good tool to see if the Axe is capable of modeling the amps you want and doing the signal chains you want, but it doesn't make any sound on its own.



yea already thought of that haha but i have heard somewhere you can use it as some sort of trial is that true?


----------



## JohnIce

snuif09 said:


> yea already thought of that haha but i have heard somewhere you can use it as some sort of trial is that true?


 
Fractal are working on a plugin version of the Axe-Fx, but it doesn't have any official release date. So far, you need to have the actual Axe-Fx box to get to any of the sounds. If the editor had the same capabilites as the actual Axe-Fx, it would be a pretty damn massive-sized download and it'd require a very good computer to run it.


----------



## JohnIce

Necrophagist777 said:


> EDIT: John beat me to it and answered the questions so much better........I fail at life.......


 
Aw, no we all like you anyway man!


----------



## JPhoenix19

Another question:

From what I gather, it's possible to process two seperate signals at the same time? For instance, let's say I have a friend over to jam/record and we want to both use the same Axe Fx at the same time. I plug my guitar into rear input one, he uses rear input 2. I make a patch routing my input into amp model A and route input 2 into amp model B. I then route them each to their respective output and into a stereo power amp, one channel to one cab and one channel to another. Although I realize this would require lots of processor power, and that the rear inputs are optimized for line level signals, generally speaking the example I gave would work?


----------



## JohnIce

JPhoenix19 said:


> Another question:
> 
> From what I gather, it's possible to process two seperate signals at the same time? For instance, let's say I have a friend over to jam/record and we want to both use the same Axe Fx at the same time. I plug my guitar into rear input one, he uses rear input 2. I make a patch routing my input into amp model A and route input 2 into amp model B. I then route them each to their respective output and into a stereo power amp, one channel to one cab and one channel to another. Although I realize this would require lots of processor power, and that the rear inputs are optimized for line level signals, generally speaking the example I gave would work?


 
Yup


----------



## snuif09

tiny question  does the axe-fx standard have the intelligent harmonizer?(please say yes lol)


----------



## JohnIce

snuif09 said:


> tiny question  does the axe-fx standard have the intelligent harmonizer?(please say yes lol)


 
Yes


----------



## snuif09

JohnIce said:


> Yes



o hell yea saves me 500 bucks =) cause thats pretty much the only fancy effect i want xD


----------



## sportlov

Hi, I'm not a very avid user of effects at all, but rather I just plug my guitar right into my amp and play.

Now finding out about the Axe FX Ultra I've of course become very interested in what you can actually use it for, so I thought I'd see if you could shed some light on this unit.

The Axe FX Ultra has a pretty hefty price tag on it, but considering what it would seem you could use it for, I'm considering getting one. First I'd have to know a couple of things though.

Firstly, I'm using a Mesa Boogie Mark V amp right now, and I've gotten used to and really like the way it sounds, so of course I'm going to want to keep it as well. So can I hook up the Axe FX Ultra with the Mark V and use all parts of the Mark V together with the Axe FX Ultra? With this I'm considering the following:

1. Using both the pre-amp and power amp parts of the Mesa amplifier and using the Axe FX for effects.
2. Using effects and maybe even the cabinet simulator part of the Axe FX Ultra unit to avoid dragging a 4x12 to smaller venues or such.
3. Using a patch with a modeled amp together with my Mesa amplifier to emulate a stereo effect using 2 different amplifiers.

And also, if this is at least partly plausible to use the Axe FX Ultra for, what would I need more than a MIDI controller to control patches from the Axe FX Ultra together with channelswitching from the Mesa amplifier.

I'm thankful for any answer to these questions, and even though I'm sure they've been asked before I've had very little luck getting these things sorted out.

Cheers,

Erik


----------



## JohnIce

sportlov said:


> 1. Using both the pre-amp and power amp parts of the Mesa amplifier and using the Axe FX for effects.
> 2. Using effects and maybe even the cabinet simulator part of the Axe FX Ultra unit to avoid dragging a 4x12 to smaller venues or such.
> 3. Using a patch with a modeled amp together with my Mesa amplifier to emulate a stereo effect using 2 different amplifiers.
> 
> And also, if this is at least partly plausible to use the Axe FX Ultra for, what would I need more than a MIDI controller to control patches from the Axe FX Ultra together with channelswitching from the Mesa amplifier.


 
Sportlov? Vafan äru svensk lr? 

1: Yeah, tons of people do it this way. One that springs to mind right now is JJ Rodriguez who's posted a lot in this thread, I'm sure he'd be happy to tell you about any details. Another, less notable guy who does this is John Petrucci...

2: This I don't know... this would require sending the signal out of your head into the Axe-Fx, which sounds pretty dangerous to me. Maybe there's some re-amping tools you could use though, like some sort of interface that turns the signal from the head into a line-level signal. I'm sure it's possible in some way, I just haven't tried it. TBH, if you want to keep the weight down for smaller venues I'd ditch the head altogether and just use the amp modeling on the Axe-Fx... it models a Mark IV, Mark IIC+, Triaxis and a bunch of Rectos. Given all the tweakable parameters in the Axe I'm sure one or more of those could get you your Mark V tone.

3: The easiest way to do this would be to use a stereo guitar cable or a signal-splitting box, and send your guitar signal into both your amp+cab aswell as your Axe-Fx, with your Axe going direct to the PA while your amp is mic'd. If you want both the amp and the Axe to send out just one stereo signal then you'll have to elaborate, as I'm not sure what kind of setup you're talking about.

About Midi, I assume the Mark V is Midi switchable, so in that case you should be able to steer the whole rig with just Midi. However, I only use my Axe-Fx alone without any amps, so I'm not the right guy to ask. Again, ask John Petrucci, he uses a Mark V with the Axe-Fx 

Welcome to the forums btw


----------



## Triple7

So I have decided to pull the trigger and order an Axe- Fx Ultra this weekend. I was wondering, how are the noise gate modelers? Should I use the noise gate I already have or sell it?


----------



## TomAwesome

I wouldn't say it's a gate modeler. It's just a digital gate. And it's pretty good. You may as well wait to sell the gate you have now until you make sure you like the gate on the Axe-FX, though.


----------



## Sepultorture

hey, any ontarions here willing to let me try out the axe fx for a week?


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Come to NB for a few days and you can try my shit out all you want


----------



## Triple7

TomAwesome said:


> I wouldn't say it's a gate modeler. It's just a digital gate. And it's pretty good. You may as well wait to sell the gate you have now until you make sure you like the gate on the Axe-FX, though.



Thanks Tom, definitely looking forward to checking this thing out, it looks pretty intimidating


----------



## Metalus

Im surprised no one has posted this video yet. This is by far one of THE BEST Axe-fx tone vids ive ever heard.


----------



## fallenz3ro

^^Pretty nice comparison vid! I just wish the gain was rolled back a ton. Though, the camera is probably adding lots of distortion


----------



## Wiz

This guy seems to have really great tone in all of his videos. Post-processing?


----------



## Andromalia

It's too bad all the axe fx demos usually revolve around someone chugging on a tuned to A or lower guitar. 
Clips of old school metal are lacking.


----------



## Syrinx

Wiz said:


> This guy seems to have really great tone in all of his videos. Post-processing?




Nah no post-processing. He uses a mix of direct from Axe-FX into ProTools, some from the Edirol camera and mic, and I think maybe a small % from mic on cab, but most of it is direct.


----------



## xtrustisyoursx

Any Axe-fx users within 100 mile radius of Nashville? I'm dying to try one out


----------



## Necrophagist777

TomAwesome said:


> I wouldn't say it's a gate modeler. It's just a digital gate. And it's pretty good. You may as well wait to sell the gate you have now until you make sure you like the gate on the Axe-FX, though.



I love the gate on it too, feel no need to invest in an external one.


----------



## Wiz

Syrinx said:


> Nah no post-processing. He uses a mix of direct from Axe-FX into ProTools, some from the Edirol camera and mic, and I think maybe a small % from mic on cab, but most of it is direct.



Whatever he's doing, it sounds absolutely massive.. Are you saying it's hard to get that with just direct?


----------



## JohnIce

Andromalia said:


> It's too bad all the axe fx demos usually revolve around someone chugging on a tuned to A or lower guitar.
> Clips of old school metal are lacking.


 
Then definately check out Mark Day (samhillband) on Youtube. Not sure what you mean by old-school metal but he uses a very crunchy, saturated tone for a lot of Van Halen/Queensrÿche/Lynch stuff.

And if it's any help, one of mine...


----------



## Necrophagist777

Wiz said:


> Whatever he's doing, it sounds absolutely massive.. Are you saying it's hard to get that with just direct?




No it's very possible to get a big sound direct, you just have to know what you are doing.

BTW, loving that video John! This makes me wanna put up some vids noodling with my axe fx.


----------



## JPhoenix19

Metalus said:


> Im surprised no one has posted this video yet. This is by far one of THE BEST Axe-fx tone vids ive ever heard.




I messaged Ola over Youtube and asked him if he planned on making an Axe-Fx/Recto comparison. He said he thought it was a good idea and I hope he follows through. The tone he got with his ENGL savage/recto comparison was SICK!


----------



## fallenz3ro

Because i'm such a noob, you can use any midi switch with the axe right? Like this 4 button randall footswitch?

Randall RF4 MIDI Footswitch | Sam Ash Music 1-800-4-SAMASH


----------



## Necrophagist777

fallenz3ro said:


> Because i'm such a noob, you can use any midi switch with the axe right? Like this 4 button randall footswitch?
> 
> Randall RF4 MIDI Footswitch | Sam Ash Music 1-800-4-SAMASH




Yea i guess it would work, but I don't know why you want too, 4 switches kind of limits what you can do, I'd say just get a rocktron midi mate, for what it does it's a great deal.


----------



## Syrinx

Wiz said:


> Whatever he's doing, it sounds absolutely massive.. Are you saying it's hard to get that with just direct?



As someone else mentioned it is possible to get that direct. I think Mark mentioned in a vid that his tone on the vids is 80-85% direct .

Seeing that reminds me that I need to download his latest patches and check them out


----------



## fallenz3ro

Necrophagist777 said:


> Yea i guess it would work, but I don't know why you want too, 4 switches kind of limits what you can do, I'd say just get a rocktron midi mate, for what it does it's a great deal.



I would get it just as a live footswitch. I just don't like lugging around larger stuff. for live, i just have a clean and distorted sound. no solo/volume boost/other effects/etc. Just looking for something simplistic


----------



## Triple7

Would a Carvin DCM 600 be loud enough for live shows?

I am ordering my Axe-Fx Ultra this week, and I was on ebay and saw a Carvin DCM 600 for a good price so I picked it up. Originally I was going to use a Carvin TS100 but since that was more than double the price I figured I would start out with the DCM 600. I have read a lot of good things about these amps, and I know a lot of people use them, I was just curious if I will have any volume issues using it live.


----------



## snuif09

Triple7 said:


> Would a Carvin DCM 600 be loud enough for live shows?
> 
> I am ordering my Axe-Fx Ultra this week, and I was on ebay and saw a Carvin DCM 600 for a good price so I picked it up. Originally I was going to use a Carvin TS100 but since that was more than double the price I figured I would start out with the DCM 600. I have read a lot of good things about these amps, and I know a lot of people use them, I was just curious if I will have any volume issues using it live.



600 watt @ 4ohm and 450 watt @ 8 ohm would be more than enough for live shows


----------



## Triple7

Thanks dude, that's what I was reading I just wanted to make sure!


----------



## Sepultorture

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Come to NB for a few days and you can try my shit out all you want



you using that Axe-Fx with the Fryette 2/90/2?

if not anyone else tried that combo and can tell me what it was like

think i might build my own cab this summer and load it with EVM12L's, me thinks that would sound pretty sick with an Axe Fx and a 2/90/2


----------



## Necrophagist777

Sepultorture said:


> you using that Axe-Fx with the Fryette 2/90/2?
> 
> if not anyone else tried that combo and can tell me what it was like
> 
> think i might build my own cab this summer and load it with EVM12L's, me thinks that would sound pretty sick with an Axe Fx and a 2/90/2



Not exactly the same thing but I use it with a 2/50/2 and a VHT 2x12 or Avatar 2x12......or both haha. Pretty savage and versatile rig, can't really see ever going back to a traditional rig, just too many good and diverse tones at my disposal.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Sepultorture said:


> you using that Axe-Fx with the Fryette 2/90/2?
> 
> if not anyone else tried that combo and can tell me what it was like
> 
> think i might build my own cab this summer and load it with EVM12L's, me thinks that would sound pretty sick with an Axe Fx and a 2/90/2



I'm using it as an effects processor only with my rig, haven't fucked around with the models with the 2/90/2, because I can't be bothered to fuck around with models anymore.


----------



## Vigil87420

Here's a question. Is there any reason to ever use an ISP decimator prorackg? Or does the axe fx's noise gate pretty much handle everything already?

The other guitarist in my band just got an axefx ultra and when I plugged my guitar into it, it would actually get some feedback even though the treshhold was cranked all the way up.

Does anything think that would be eliminated with the Decimator?


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

No. If the noise was coming through even with the noise gate block, you either had something set up wrong (ie the noise gate block was bypassed) or the noise was coming from the power amp or something.


----------



## Vigil87420

JJ Rodriguez said:


> No. If the noise was coming through even with the noise gate block, you either had something set up wrong (ie the noise gate block was bypassed) or the noise was coming from the power amp or something.



Hm. Well, when HIS guitar was plugged in, there was absolutely no feedback whatsoever. Not until I plugged my guitar in. His guitar has lundgrens in it and mine has bareknuckle painkillers in it. I don't know if that matters at all.

I don't know how it could have been setup wrong. He had guitar -> axe fx ultra -> ART SLA-2 poweramp -> vader 4 x 12". Pretty simple setup.


----------



## snuif09

Vigil87420 said:


> Hm. Well, when HIS guitar was plugged in, there was absolutely no feedback whatsoever. Not until I plugged my guitar in. His guitar has lundgrens in it and mine has bareknuckle painkillers in it. I don't know if that matters at all.
> 
> I don't know how it could have been setup wrong. He had guitar -> axe fx ultra -> ART SLA-2 poweramp -> vader 4 x 12". Pretty simple setup.



could have been because your control cavity isnt shielded


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Vigil87420 said:


> Hm. Well, when HIS guitar was plugged in, there was absolutely no feedback whatsoever. Not until I plugged my guitar in. His guitar has lundgrens in it and mine has bareknuckle painkillers in it. I don't know if that matters at all.
> 
> I don't know how it could have been setup wrong. He had guitar -> axe fx ultra -> ART SLA-2 poweramp -> vader 4 x 12". Pretty simple setup.



I mean the patch could have been setup wrong, ie the gate being applied to something other than your row, etc.

If you're talking the gate on the input, then I have no idea, but the fact it was only on your guitar should rule out the Axe if it acted normally on his guitar.


----------



## JohnIce

Sounds like the gate was setup wrong, or you had way too high input volume maybe. Although this should cause clipping more than feedback, but you never know.


----------



## Necrophagist777

I run with my gate around 9 o clock on the threshold, not much at all and I never get any feedback or noise. Dead Quiet. So i think there is something wrong with his setup/rig/guitar situation


----------



## buffa d

Hi! 
I'm just about to update the firmware for the first time.

So what I need to know is, do I have to save all of the presets to the bank A and B.
Or how does it work?


----------



## Nights_Blood

It looks like i'll be going to tone merchants today to give the axe a try. 

Any tips for tweaking the thing, or which amp models sound particularly good? I ask because all the owners on here say the presets aren't really indicative of what it's capable of. The consensus seems to be that the Mark IV model stands out.


----------



## Necrophagist777

Nights_Blood said:


> It looks like i'll be going to tone merchants today to give the axe a try.
> 
> Any tips for tweaking the thing, or which amp models sound particularly good? I ask because all the owners on here say the presets aren't really indicative of what it's capable of. The consensus seems to be that the Mark IV model stands out.



If rob is there, let him dial you in, he knows what he is doing. Great experience when I bought my Axe Fx at tone merchants. My favorites are the Mark IV, IIC+ and VHT Models. The soldano sounds pretty sick for leads too.


----------



## Wiz

I just got my studio monitors this morning and I've been playing with them since, trying to set them up right.

I connected the monitors to my M-Audio MobilePre USB with a couple of 1/4" to XLR balanced cables, and that worked out great. Then I tried to connect the AxeFX to the interface, first with unbalanced 1/4" cables. What I noticed is that increasing the channel volumes makes the noise really perceptible. I also noticed that the quality of cable I use between the AxeFX and the interface also matters, as the cheapo ones make noise perceptible at maybe 25% volume, whereas the better ones around 60%.

So I thought, let me just use those XLR to XLR cables I have, from the XLR output to the XLR mic input of the interface. That doesn't seem to work too great. There's tons of noise, and it becomes too loud even at 10% volume. I'm guessing you're not supposed to go from AxeFX XLR output to interface XLR Mic input, are you? It sounds like the solution is to get a pair of 1/4" balanced cables and use those between the AxeFX and the mobile pre.


----------



## markzero

What is the best thread or way to get a djent / bulb sound from the axe fx? 
Also where is a good place to read about all the parameters on the axe fx?


----------



## CentaurPorn

markzero said:


> What is the best thread or way to get a djent / bulb sound from the axe fx?
> Also where is a good place to read about all the parameters on the axe fx?



Fractal audio forums and the Axe wiki


----------



## right_to_rage

markzero said:


> What is the best thread or way to get a djent / bulb sound from the axe fx?
> Also where is a good place to read about all the parameters on the axe fx?



I recall from another thread that he was digging the FAS Modern amp, so that might be a good place to start.


----------



## TomAwesome

Please don't let this thread turn into a "Hao doez I make DjEnT?" thread.


----------



## ristoCoC

Hey,


What do you guys think, should i buy active studio monitors or active wedge for dialing sounds with axe?

thanks


----------



## JohnIce

Nights_Blood said:


> It looks like i'll be going to tone merchants today to give the axe a try.
> 
> Any tips for tweaking the thing, or which amp models sound particularly good? I ask because all the owners on here say the presets aren't really indicative of what it's capable of. The consensus seems to be that the Mark IV model stands out.


 
I'd say that the first thing you should do is tweak the Global EQ to a point where the presets start to sound alright. When they do, it means you've dialed in whatever sound system you're playing through to sound close to what they used in the Fractal factory, and this in turn will make all the amp sims and cabs etc. sound the way they were intended to, thus making it much easier to dial in good sounds.

Before I used the Global EQ (when I first got the axe), I'd sit there tweaking a patch for hours to make it sound good on my system. Now that I have the Global EQ tuned to my system, I can set up a great sounding patch in 5 minutes


----------



## Necrophagist777

Wiz said:


> I just got my studio monitors this morning and I've been playing with them since, trying to set them up right.
> 
> I connected the monitors to my M-Audio MobilePre USB with a couple of 1/4" to XLR balanced cables, and that worked out great. Then I tried to connect the AxeFX to the interface, first with unbalanced 1/4" cables. What I noticed is that increasing the channel volumes makes the noise really perceptible. I also noticed that the quality of cable I use between the AxeFX and the interface also matters, as the cheapo ones make noise perceptible at maybe 25% volume, whereas the better ones around 60%.
> 
> So I thought, let me just use those XLR to XLR cables I have, from the XLR output to the XLR mic input of the interface. That doesn't seem to work too great. There's tons of noise, and it becomes too loud even at 10% volume. I'm guessing you're not supposed to go from AxeFX XLR output to interface XLR Mic input, are you? It sounds like the solution is to get a pair of 1/4" balanced cables and use those between the AxeFX and the mobile pre.



I use XLR to my interface and don't have a problem, sounds great to me


----------



## Nights_Blood

Necrophagist777 said:


> If rob is there, let him dial you in, he knows what he is doing. Great experience when I bought my Axe Fx at tone merchants. My favorites are the Mark IV, IIC+ and VHT Models. The soldano sounds pretty sick for leads too.



I think it was Dave who was there, pretty much set it up and left me to my own devices. I think he was in the middle of a family guy session, though.

The Mark IV was very good, even the presets. The IIC+ was good as well, very aggressive. The only VHT models i noticed were the 2 D60 models. Were there any Pittbull models?





JohnIce said:


> I'd say that the first thing you should do is tweak the Global EQ to a point where the presets start to sound alright. When they do, it means you've dialed in whatever sound system you're playing through to sound close to what they used in the Fractal factory, and this in turn will make all the amp sims and cabs etc. sound the way they were intended to, thus making it much easier to dial in good sounds.
> 
> Before I used the Global EQ (when I first got the axe), I'd sit there tweaking a patch for hours to make it sound good on my system. Now that I have the Global EQ tuned to my system, I can set up a great sounding patch in 5 minutes



Oh man, this probably would've helped me out quite a bit. 


Anyone had a chance to use the Atomic wedges live as your primary sound source (not just as a monitor)? They sounded great, but didn't seem like they had TOO much volume, even when I cranked the volume. A good amount, but not something I would feel safe with if I had to use them as my speakers. 

Then again, that could have been because the master on the axe was less then halfway the whole time


----------



## Wiz

Necrophagist777 said:


> I use XLR to my interface and don't have a problem, sounds great to me



What I was trying to say is that it's possible that those XLR inputs were only meant for microphones and not something like an AxeFX. Are the XLR inputs you use called microphone inputs or line inputs?


----------



## Necrophagist777

Wiz said:


> What I was trying to say is that it's possible that those XLR inputs were only meant for microphones and not something like an AxeFX. Are the XLR inputs you use called microphone inputs or line inputs?




On my interface it has a switch to go between line level and instrument, I use line for the axe fx.


----------



## Metalus

I apologize if im hijacking but here goes:

How much does a power amp affect the Axe-Fx?

Ive been wondering this for awhile. I plan on getting both an Axe-Fx and a power amp down the line, and i was wondering how much the Axe-Fx is "affected" (no pun intended ) by a power amp.

I have my heart set on getting a Mesa simul class 2:90 because i like the Mesa sound, but if i can get something cheaper like say the ART SLA2 that will deliver what i need, then i might as well get that and save some money.

So what are your thoughts? Solid state power amp? tube power amp? Or just a cheap power amp in general? 

Thanks in advance in guys


----------



## snuif09

well i never used a poweramp and i dont have an axe fx but alot of people use the art sla2 with the axe fx


----------



## TomAwesome

Your power amp choice will affect the Axe-FX just as much as it would affect a preamp. If you want that "Mesa" sound, there are Mesa amp sims in the Axe-FX.


----------



## Sepultorture

Carvin tube power amp i heard is pretty good with the AXE FX, also been wodnering about the Fryette power amps.

it's really a gamble unless you can go and try it with these power amps in person mate, so it's really gunna come down to trying shit out or just blind buying


----------



## Necrophagist777

Sepultorture said:


> Carvin tube power amp i heard is pretty good with the AXE FX, also been wodnering about the Fryette power amps.
> 
> it's really a gamble unless you can go and try it with these power amps in person mate, so it's really gunna come down to trying shit out or just blind buying



Trust me you won't be disappointed with the VHT/Fryette Power Amps, I have never experienced better tone across so many styles than with my setup now.


----------



## biggness

Andromalia said:


> It's too bad all the axe fx demos usually revolve around someone chugging on a tuned to A or lower guitar.
> Clips of old school metal are lacking.



Sir, you clearly haven't been in the game that long...


----------



## Andromalia

Note: european distributor decided he had nothing better to do than jack up the already bloated import price of the axe-fx, arguing the dollar went down....
Funny how prices never decrease when the dollar goes up.


----------



## Sepultorture

well for us in canada it does

some of the guitars and gear went down in price at steve's music when the dollar went up


----------



## Marmaduke

Andromalia said:


> Note: european distributor decided he had nothing better to do than jack up the already bloated import price of the axe-fx, arguing the dollar went down....
> Funny how prices never decrease when the dollar goes up.




That frustrates me so much. I'm gradually saving up for an ultra (more likely standard though to be honest haha) and occasionally I check the prices on g66. Every single time they go up and it's so annoying because my pay isn't going up by the same amount haha


----------



## Triple7

Finally ordered my Ultra on Friday 

Should I update the firmware before I start playing around with it?


----------



## BigPhi84

Triple7 said:


> Finally ordered my Ultra on Friday
> 
> Should I update the firmware before I start playing around with it?



The last firmware was release in March, so your new system should have this latest update pre-installed. Welcome to the Axe-FX Ultra brotherhood.  EDIT: Awesome post count number, BTW.


----------



## ristoCoC

*Hey guys,

I'm wondering whether it's possible to set up a patch with two amps that can be switched (via midi control number) to give the effect of a multi channel amp. The nett result I'm after is a rhythm/lead tone in the one patch.

thanks
*


----------



## JohnIce

ristoCoC said:


> *Hey guys,*
> 
> *I'm wondering whether it's possible to set up a patch with two amps that can be switched (via midi control number) to give the effect of a multi channel amp. The nett result I'm after is a rhythm/lead tone in the one patch.*
> 
> *thanks*


 
I can't see why you'd want to do that, as you could just program two patches and tailor both to exactly what you want them to sound like without compromise, but yeah, you can shut off/on any of the blocks in the signal chain on the Axe-Fx. If you'll need to press one button or two, I don't know. But like I said, programming two separate patches would only reqire one press, and I can only see advantages by doing that.


----------



## Necrophagist777

JohnIce said:


> I can't see why you'd want to do that, as you could just program two patches and tailor both to exactly what you want them to sound like without compromise, but yeah, you can shut off/on any of the blocks in the signal chain on the Axe-Fx. If you'll need to press one button or two, I don't know. But like I said, programming two separate patches would only reqire one press, and I can only see advantages by doing that.



+1


----------



## Xifter

I have a few questions since I have finally saved up enough $$$ to take the plunge into buying an Axe-Fx Standard:

1.) I live in the USA... How long does shipping take from when you pressed the order button to when it arrived at your home? The reason I am asking is that I wanted to gauge an approximate date of arrival for my unit and make sure that I would be in town when it arrived.

2.) I am super-noob when it comes to ohms and cabinets and wanting to run stereo etc. I have a VHT Fat Bottom 4x12 cabinet. I want to run stereo so I can have Left side 1 amp model / Right side another amp model. Can I do this with a VHT 4x12 Fat Bottom Cab or do I need to have something like alot of you run where it is 2 sets of 2x12?

3.) This partially relates to question 2. What are users refering to when they say they are bridging an amp(again I already stated I am not very knowledgeable about ohms etc)? I need to know this so I can properly determine what poweramp to buy from carvin to handle running stereo and if I HAVE to "bridge" my amp to do this/how to bridge it ?

I apologize for my ignorance with these concepts but would greatly appreciate any and all feedback to my questions. Thanks.


----------



## orb451

Xifter said:


> I have a few questions since I have finally saved up enough $$$ to take the plunge into buying an Axe-Fx Standard:
> 
> 1.) I live in the USA... How long does shipping take from when you pressed the order button to when it arrived at your home? The reason I am asking is that I wanted to gauge an approximate date of arrival for my unit and make sure that I would be in town when it arrived.
> 
> 2.) I am super-noob when it comes to ohms and cabinets and wanting to run stereo etc. I have a VHT Fat Bottom 4x12 cabinet. I want to run stereo so I can have Left side 1 amp model / Right side another amp model. Can I do this with a VHT 4x12 Fat Bottom Cab or do I need to have something like alot of you run where it is 2 sets of 2x12?
> 
> 3.) This partially relates to question 2. What are users refering to when they say they are bridging an amp(again I already stated I am not very knowledgeable about ohms etc)? I need to know this so I can properly determine what poweramp to buy from carvin to handle running stereo and if I HAVE to "bridge" my amp to do this/how to bridge it ?
> 
> I apologize for my ignorance with these concepts but would greatly appreciate any and all feedback to my questions. Thanks.



Shipping times are probably going to depend on where you live in the US. To my knowledge Fractal is based out of and ships from New Hampshire. You could check UPS' site to get an idea of shipping times. I ordered mine from Fractal and had it shipped UPS ground to California. Total time, IIRC was about 6 business days.

With respect to your cab question, I don't know. I don't know how those cabs are wired. I think the wiring will dictate whether or not you can run two inputs into them and get "stereo" like you're talking about.

With regards to your poweramp question, most power amps are rated in watts depending on how they are used. So 500W stereo *should* mean 500 watts to each channel (left and right). To "bridge" the outputs would mean toggling a switch or using an output on the power amp that takes both those 500 watts of power and outputs them to one cab, speaker or output. In effect, giving you 1000 watts. A mesa simulclass 2:90, to my knowledge, gives you (2) channels, 90 watts each. I don't know if you can run it bridged, or in mono, but if you could, I'd imagine the wattage to be 180 watts.


----------



## Xifter

orb451 said:


> With regards to your poweramp question, most power amps are rated in watts depending on how they are used. So 500W stereo *should* mean 500 watts to each channel (left and right). To "bridge" the outputs would mean toggling a switch or using an output on the power amp that takes both those 500 watts of power and outputs them to one cab, speaker or output. In effect, giving you 1000 watts. A mesa simulclass 2:90, to my knowledge, gives you (2) channels, 90 watts each. I don't know if you can run it bridged, or in mono, but if you could, I'd imagine the wattage to be 180 watts.


 
Thanks! So bridged means using a cable that uses both outputs of the poweramp and feeds then into 1 input correct? This would give you mono as opposed to stereo where both outputs of a poweramp are sent to 2 different inputs?

Thanks again for the clarification on this question.


----------



## orb451

Xifter said:


> Thanks! So bridged means using a cable that uses both outputs of the poweramp and feeds then into 1 input correct? This would give you mono as opposed to stereo where both outputs of a poweramp are sent to 2 different inputs?
> 
> Thanks again for the clarification on this question.



Yup, that's the way it works to my knowledge. Don't know if it's an output on the power amp or a toggle switch you need to flick to put it in "bridged" mode but the idea is the same. And yes, your description sounds right to me. The trick comes into ohms and whatnot. I believe a power amp rated to say 500W stereo into 8 ohm would be 1000W bridged at 4 ohms but someone with more experience can correct me on what determines ohms/wattage, etc.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

It depends on the power amp. I've heard of people using those Y cables to bridge before, but I would DEFINITELY not recommend it. If you're using a solid state power amp, usually there's a button to bridge it like orb said. If it's a tube power amp, generally, you use a stereo cab, 2 cabs, or you just leave the second channel in standby. The only tube power amp I can think of off the top of my head that you can bridge is the Carvin TS100.


----------



## Xifter

JJ Rodriguez said:


> It depends on the power amp. I've heard of people using those Y cables to bridge before, but I would DEFINITELY not recommend it. If you're using a solid state power amp, usually there's a button to bridge it like orb said. If it's a tube power amp, generally, you use a stereo cab, 2 cabs, or you just leave the second channel in standby. The only tube power amp I can think of off the top of my head that you can bridge is the Carvin TS100.


 
Thanks for the replies. I am debating between an ART SLA-2, Carvin DCM1000, and a Carvin DCM1540L.

I have heard people say not to clip a SS or it is bad news. For playing over a drummer at practice will all of these options suffice? I want to be able to eventually run 2 sets of 2x12's in stereo.


----------



## orb451

I think JJ or someone else can comment on whether or not those would work. I've seen a lot of talk about them on the fractal forums:

Fractal Audio Systems &bull; Index page

You could check over there under Amps/Cabs and get some more information.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Personally I'd go with the 1540L, more headroom than you'll ever need, and it's light as hell. Looking at the specs of the SLA-2, it will do 560W at 8 ohm's bridged, or 200W per channel at 8 ohm. Depends on the load of your cabs I guess. For a 16 ohm cab, I definitely wouldn't use the SLA-2 since your total wattage drops significantly, and then you lose headroom. Wattage in SS power amps is only there for clean headroom, not volume.

When I was using the modeling on the Axe, I had the 1540L and carrying my rack around was nice and easy. I kind of miss it, since my rack is up to 82 lbs now  My old one is for sale in the classifieds by CentaurPorn for $400 shipped.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-for-sale-trade-wanted/119733-carvin-dcm-1540l.html

The DCM1000 would work as well, but it weighs a lot more. Some people say the class D transformers they use for the light weight power amps have brittle or harsh high end, but personally I never noticed it


----------



## Soopahmahn

Xifter said:


> Thanks for the replies. I am debating between an ART SLA-2, Carvin DCM1000, and a Carvin DCM1540L.
> 
> I have heard people say not to clip a SS or it is bad news. For playing over a drummer at practice will all of these options suffice? I want to be able to eventually run 2 sets of 2x12's in stereo.



Yes, these will suffice.

Feel free to be greedy with watts, however. No disadvantage to having power on tap and the marginal cost of extra watts is pretty low.

EDIT:


JJ Rodriguez said:


> The DCM1000 would work as well, but it weighs a lot more. Some people say the class D transformers they use for the light weight power amps have brittle or harsh high end, but personally I never noticed it



He's talking about MEEEEEE! 

I'm an audiophile douche, so just go with his recommendation. The 1540L is a perfect choice.

And I bought the last new DCM1000, so


----------



## zephyrkillz

The Axe Fx has a left output and a right output. Should I be sending both the right and left output into my interface???


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Depends if you're doing stereo effects and stuff. You can do stuff like sending different amp models out the left and right outputs, etc, or stereo delay. If you're just using a very basic setup, I wouldn't bother.


----------



## Xifter

Soopahmahn said:


> Yes, these will suffice.
> 
> Feel free to be greedy with watts, however. No disadvantage to having power on tap and the marginal cost of extra watts is pretty low.
> 
> EDIT:
> 
> 
> He's talking about MEEEEEE!
> 
> I'm an audiophile douche, so just go with his recommendation. The 1540L is a perfect choice.
> 
> And I bought the last new DCM1000, so


 
Rofl! You took the last one  Well, I guess 1540L it is  <---Just kidding! Thanks for the responses and help guys. I tossed the Rep around to everyone(if people care about that).


----------



## CentaurPorn

I just listed my 1540L today.  It sounds amazing with the AFX.


----------



## technomancer

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Depends if you're doing stereo effects and stuff. You can do stuff like sending different amp models out the left and right outputs, etc, or stereo delay. If you're just using a very basic setup, I wouldn't bother.



There's also a setting that can route both the right and left signals to a single output. If you're running mono turn that on otherwise for stereo delays and such you're losing half the signal.


----------



## Xifter

CentaurPorn said:


> I just listed my 1540L today.  It sounds amazing with the AFX.


 
Do you not use your Axe Fx any more? I am curious why you are letting go of the 1540L?!


----------



## Andromalia

Some people at the fractal forums are very happy with the new 300W rocktron, will likely give it a try too, but I must sell something before I can afford it, buying the axefx sort of left my wallet quite thinner.
Axefx is in the post atm, will try it with my current mesa 20:20, will likely be good for mesa sounds and not-so-good for the rest.


----------



## CentaurPorn

The only reason i am letting go of the 1540L Is because I want to give the Fratomic FRFR setup a try and selling what i have is probably the only way to get the girls approval on the purchase. I have a feeling I am not going to like it but I just want to give it a shot to try out some of the redwirez cab models etc.

If not Happy I will probably go back to a 1540L as I can not think of any other Power amp that would work better for my situation. I have no complaints about it at all and I am very happy with my sound. I am also a whore and like to explore new things.


----------



## Metalus

TomAwesome said:


> Your power amp choice will affect the Axe-FX just as much as it would affect a preamp. If you want that "Mesa" sound, there are Mesa amp sims in the Axe-FX.



Im looking for a poweramp mainly for live use which is why im considering the Mesa 2:90.



Sepultorture said:


> Carvin tube power amp i heard is pretty good with the AXE FX, also been wodnering about the Fryette power amps.
> 
> it's really a gamble unless you can go and try it with these power amps in person mate, so it's really gunna come down to trying shit out or just blind buying



What are the pros and cons of Carvin tube power amps? I have no idea how they r 



Necrophagist777 said:


> Trust me you won't be disappointed with the VHT/Fryette Power Amps, I have never experienced better tone across so many styles than with my setup now.



Can they do the whole "chugga chugga" type of tone well? In the vein of Loomis' solo album or Killswitch Engage?


----------



## Necrophagist777

Metalus said:


> Im looking for a poweramp mainly for live use which is why im considering the Mesa 2:90.
> 
> 
> 
> What are the pros and cons of Carvin tube power amps? I have no idea how they r
> 
> 
> 
> Can they do the whole "chugga chugga" type of tone well? In the vein of Loomis' solo album or Killswitch Engage?



Oh yea dude it will nail that for sure. I know it seems hard to believe but really anything is at your disposal as long as you learn the unit. I mean just the ability to add your own cabinet impulses into the unit adds tons of flexibility to the unit.


----------



## Metalus

Necrophagist777 said:


> Oh yea dude it will nail that for sure. I know it seems hard to believe but really anything is at your disposal as long as you learn the unit. I mean just the ability to add your own cabinet impulses into the unit adds tons of flexibility to the unit.



Awesome thanks man. Im gonna be spending countless hours tweaking the fuck out of that thing when i get it


----------



## Larrikin666

Does anyone have any good recommendations for interfaces that work well with the Axe-FX? I've seen the list of ones that work well on the Fractal forums. I have the garbage Fast Track sitting around, but I'd really prefer something that would enable me to use the digital outputs of the Axe-FX.


----------



## TomAwesome

If there's already a list on the Fractal forum, why are you asking here? Anything that has a S/PDIF input should work well for what you want to do.


----------



## Larrikin666

TomAwesome said:


> If there's already a list on the Fractal forum, why are you asking here? Anything that has a S/PDIF input should work well for what you want to do.



The list on Fractal is just "Works" or "Doesn't work". I wanted addition incite from SS users about their good or bad experiences using their Axe with different interfaces.


----------



## orb451

Well FWIW, I use the Lexicon Omega. Probably not the greatest interface out there, but it works for me. I use it w/ Cubase LE and run stereo out of the Axe into it with no issues.


----------



## Necrophagist777

I use a M-Audio Fast Track Pro, midi on it works great with axe-edit. Sound good enough. I do wanna get a bigger interface with more ins/outs someday though.


----------



## Cadavuh

Is only one of those 50W Atomic monitors enough to play at practices and shows? Enough to cut/be heard over the drummer etc...


----------



## Triple7

So I got my Axe-Fx Ultra today and I'm dying to set it up and start playing with it. I have a question though. 

I plan on using the Axe with a Carvin DCM 600 power amp, and a Peavey XXX 4x12 cabinet. The power amp has the option of running in stereo or mono, originally I had thought that my cabinet was just mono, but apparently it has the option of stereo as well. So should I run stereo or mono, and how do I do so?


----------



## TomAwesome

Cadavuh said:


> Is only one of those 50W Atomic monitors enough to play at practices and shows? Enough to cut/be heard over the drummer etc...



Should be.



Triple7 said:


> So I got my Axe-Fx Ultra today and I'm dying to set it up and start playing with it. I have a question though.
> 
> I plan on using the Axe with a Carvin DCM 600 power amp, and a Peavey XXX 4x12 cabinet. The power amp has the option of running in stereo or mono, originally I had thought that my cabinet was just mono, but apparently it has the option of stereo as well. So should I run stereo or mono, and how do I do so?



Do you have any reason to run it in stereo? If not, run it in mono.


----------



## Triple7

TomAwesome said:


> Do you have any reason to run it in stereo? If not, run it in mono.



Not as far as I know, I will be using it for live shows but as far as I know mono is what people do.

If I am setting it up mono, on the back of the Axe-fx there is the section Output 1 which has left and right, which one do I go out of, and which input do I go into on the back of the Carvin?

Sorry I know these are probably really obvious questions but I am a total noob at this, and don't want to mess either the power amp or the axe fx up.


----------



## TomAwesome

Either output since they're both the same, and probably input 1 on the Carvin. You should probably flip through the manual to be sure, though.


----------



## Triple7

The manual for the Carvin?


----------



## TomAwesome

Yes.


----------



## Triple7

Sweet, I will have to find it online since I bought it used. Thanks for all your help Tom, it's true what they say, you really are Awesome


----------



## TomAwesome




----------



## JohnIce

Triple7 said:


> If I am setting it up mono, on the back of the Axe-fx there is the section Output 1 which has left and right, which one do I go out of, and which input do I go into on the back of the Carvin?


 
The industry standard is that mono=left. On most stereo devices, if you only want to run mono you plug out of the left channel, unless it says otherwise. I don't think the Axe is any different, I use the left output with no issues so even if the right channel is fine too you might aswell make a habit out of using the left output.


----------



## Necrophagist777

JohnIce said:


> The industry standard is that mono=left. On most stereo devices, if you only want to run mono you plug out of the left channel, unless it says otherwise. I don't think the Axe is any different, I use the left output with no issues so even if the right channel is fine too you might aswell make a habit out of using the left output.



If you are running mono go to I/O and Select L+R Sum instead of Stereo on Output 1. It adds the left and right sides together and sums them out to each output.


----------



## Ola Englund

Here you can listen to some Axe FX clips from an upcoming album with the band Scarpoint.

Producer/mixer Jocke Skog from Clawfinger:

Scarpoint - Done by me. Axe-FX content. - Ultimate Metal Forum


----------



## Necrophagist777

Ola Englund said:


> Here you can listen to some Axe FX clips from an upcoming album with the band Scarpoint.
> 
> Producer/mixer Jocke Skog from Clawfinger:
> 
> Scarpoint - Done by me. Axe-FX content. - Ultimate Metal Forum



+1 that's some savage tone and music


----------



## Metalus

Necrophagist777 said:


> +1 that's some savage tone and music



+1

Btw does anyone know if the Axe-Fx works with the Mbox 2? Would I be able to connect it via S/PDIF? Or would I have to connect it via it's XLR outputs?


----------



## Ola Englund

Metalus said:


> +1
> 
> Btw does anyone know if the Axe-Fx works with the Mbox 2? Would I be able to connect it via S/PDIF? Or would I have to connect it via it's XLR outputs?



I would recommend using the XLR outputs.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

I would recommend the SPDIF. Less DA/AD conversion.


----------



## Ola Englund

JJ Rodriguez said:


> I would recommend the SPDIF. Less DA/AD conversion.




Quoted from Cliff at Fractal Audio:

"SPDIF sucks anyways. You get more noise and distortion due to clock jitter and cheap SRC chips than analog. Any Asian mixer is going to have the cheapest SRC chips that can be found and those typically have lousy distortion specs.

Staying digital would be desired in a synchronous system. However, in the OP's configuration the system isn't synchronous. The mixer is running at one sample rate and the SPDIF in must be matched to that rate. Even if the rate is the same (i.e. the mixer is 48 kHz) it's not synchronous and therefore requires sample rate conversion (SRC). In this case the SRC would, for example, be 48.001 kHz to 47.999 kHz. The point being the clocks aren't locked.

Once you put an SRC chip into the equation you start getting all kinds of potential nasties. First of all you have jitter on the recovered clock which will degrade the SRC performance. Then you have the actual performance of the SRC itself. No consumer or pro-sumer mixing board is going to be using, say a Burr-Brown SRC chip. Most likely an AKM or even worse. Add to that that most Asian companies don't seem to understand proper grounding and shielding and use the cheapest PC boards they can get away with and you have a recipe for PLL clock jitter in the SPDIF receiver.

A good SRC chip costs more than a good A/D. So if you go analog into a digital mixer at least you don't have clock jitter problems since the A/D in the mixer is running off the mixer clock.

SPDIF is so bad that the (I forget the name of the consortium, AC '97 perhaps) ruled in favor of abandoning the standard for modern computers. Yeah, it's convenient but the clock jitter typically degrades the quality more than an equivalent analog connection. On my PC here I have a SoundBlaster X-Fi and (to me) the analog inputs sound much better than the SPDIF input. So I use the analog."

end quote


----------



## MF_Kitten

how about the s/pdif on an external sound card though? i have an M-Audio firewire sound card, and it has two of those big s/pdif inputs/outputs (not the mini-jack ones on computers). my pod x3l has s/pdif just like it.

is this crap in the same way, or is he talking about the mini-jack computer ones? (i´m guessing he is, as i´ve had a Creative sound card in my pc that had an s/pdif digital input that was just another mini-jack, and not a proper plug)


----------



## Necrophagist777

I always use XLR, never liked the tone I got with SPDIF. Now in a super high end interface it might be a lot better but I'm happy with xlr right now.


----------



## technomancer

So is there an advantage to using XLR over the 1/4" outs?



MF_Kitten said:


> how about the s/pdif on an external sound card though? i have an M-Audio firewire sound card, and it has two of those big s/pdif inputs/outputs (not the mini-jack ones on computers). my pod x3l has s/pdif just like it.
> 
> is this crap in the same way, or is he talking about the mini-jack computer ones? (i´m guessing he is, as i´ve had a Creative sound card in my pc that had an s/pdif digital input that was just another mini-jack, and not a proper plug)



It's the same signal regardless of the plug size so the same issues would apply.


----------



## orb451

technomancer said:


> So is there an advantage to using XLR over the 1/4" outs?



XLR output will be a few db louder. I believe it's 3db but I could be wrong. XLR's should also in theory (if properly wired) be quieter and less prone to noise/interference than an unbalanced 1/4" connection.


----------



## Triple7

JohnIce said:


> The industry standard is that mono=left. On most stereo devices, if you only want to run mono you plug out of the left channel, unless it says otherwise. I don't think the Axe is any different, I use the left output with no issues so even if the right channel is fine too you might aswell make a habit out of using the left output.





Necrophagist777 said:


> If you are running mono go to I/O and Select L+R Sum instead of Stereo on Output 1. It adds the left and right sides together and sums them out to each output.




Thanks guys, my cab is in my practice space but I have band practice tonight so I will take it home afterwards and hopefully get it up and running


EDIT: I also need to hook this bad boy up to the computer, which I see is the current topic of discussion. My audio interface at the moment is a Line 6 Pod Studio UX2, on the back it has s/pdif. Would I be able to plug my Axe Fx in there, or do I need to purchase something else?


----------



## Andromalia

> My audio interface at the moment is a Line 6 Pod Studio UX2, on the back it has s/pdif. Would I be able to plug my Axe Fx in there, or do I need to purchase something else?



No clue but stay tuned, I'll tell you when my axe fx arrives, as I have an UX8 interface I'll try using the SPDIF for midi if it can save me having to buy another interface. The thing should be there in two or three days tops, tracker still shows it in germany though.


----------



## Triple7

Andromalia said:


> No clue but stay tuned, I'll tell you when my axe fx arrives, as I have an UX8 interface I'll try using the SPDIF for midi if it can save me having to buy another interface. The thing should be there in two or three days tops, tracker still shows it in germany though.



Awesome dude thanks, if I get a hold of a cable first I will let you know how that goes!


----------



## technomancer

Andromalia said:


> No clue but stay tuned, I'll tell you when my axe fx arrives, as I have an UX8 interface I'll try using the SPDIF for midi if it can save me having to buy another interface. The thing should be there in two or three days tops, tracker still shows it in germany though.



You can't use SPDIF for MIDI... SPDIF is audio, MIDI is, well, MIDI


----------



## Andromalia

I wasn't sure, as I was having a look at various interfaces and saw this for exemple (see attachement): there is a plug labeled MIDI *and* s/pdif.

So I gather this wouldn't be a good one to use the axe fx with ?


----------



## TomAwesome

It looks like that MIDI/SPDIF port uses a breakout cable.


----------



## technomancer

Andromalia said:


> I wasn't sure, as I was having a look at various interfaces and saw this for exemple (see attachement): there is a plug labeled MIDI *and* s/pdif.
> 
> So I gather this wouldn't be a good one to use the axe fx with ?



That's a non-standard port, so I would guess there's a breakout box that connects to that with separate MIDI and SPDIF ports. Just a guess though 

EDIT: OK, I looked it up (checked out the manual for that interface) it does come with a breakout cable for the MIDI and SPDIF connectors


----------



## SnowfaLL

Im sure its been posted somewhere but How is the power tube emulation? Does it actually.. emulate them good? Anyone got any clips comparing a patch WITH and WITHOUT power tube emulation?

Anyone have issues with say an Axe-FX + Carvin DCM in a live band setting vs a halfstack + tube head (like a Mesa or something).. Any issues cutting thru?

What im considering doing if I have issues there with a SS poweramp, is getting the Hughes & Kettner "BATT".. which is a 1U halfrack preamp that has an EL84 inside to give some power tube saturation into the mix.

(the reason I cant use a normal tube poweramp is because I need to play bass thru the rig also, 50 guitar tube watts wont cut it for bass)


----------



## TomAwesome

The power section simulation is largely what makes it, so yeah, it's pretty good. I run through a DCM, and my rig works well for both guitar and bass.


----------



## JohnIce

NickCormier said:


> Im sure its been posted somewhere but How is the power tube emulation? Does it actually.. emulate them good? Anyone got any clips comparing a patch WITH and WITHOUT power tube emulation?
> 
> Anyone have issues with say an Axe-FX + Carvin DCM in a live band setting vs a halfstack + tube head (like a Mesa or something).. Any issues cutting thru?
> 
> What im considering doing if I have issues there with a SS poweramp, is getting the Hughes & Kettner "BATT".. which is a 1U halfrack preamp that has an EL84 inside to give some power tube saturation into the mix.
> 
> (the reason I cant use a normal tube poweramp is because I need to play bass thru the rig also, 50 guitar tube watts wont cut it for bass)


 
The poweramp section is quite extensive, with controls for Prescence, Depth, Damp, Sag, Master and Volume, plus advanced settings that include bias, transformer match, B+ capacitance, thump, warmth and a gazillion others. There's a learning curve to it for sure but most of the stock settings work very well with the amp models they come with.



technomancer said:


> So is there an advantage to using XLR over the 1/4" outs?


 
In theory, yes, XLR is balanced, thus a little quieter, a little louder etc. However, I A/B'd the difference between going into my interface with a George L's 1/4" plug compared to a ProEl XLR cable, and the 1/4" sounded superior to my ears. This resulted in me, the other guitarist in my band and the bass player recording our whole album into the soundcard with a 1/4" plug.

SoundClick artist: Rhinestone - page with MP3 music downloads

Sounds good to my ears.


----------



## Triple7

Here are the specs for my audio interface, a pod studio ux2. Can I connect my axe-fx to this or do I need to buy something else?

-1/4 inch guitar input (normal or padded)
-2 balanced XLR inputs with mic preamps
-Gain Knobs
-Phantom Power
-1/4 sstereo monitor input
-Two 1/4 inch line inputs
-Two 1/4 inch ballanced line outs
-S/PDIF digital out

Also if I do need to buy something else, do you have any suggestions?


----------



## Larrikin666

You should be able to use either the 1/4" guitar input or the XLR


----------



## PirateMetalTroy

Here we go, another question about solid state watts, ohms, and their relation to the axe-fx.

I have a 16 ohm 2x12 cab rated to 240w rms. From what I have gathered, pretty much all solid state power amps have fixed resistance, and as such, murder my headroom since I'm using a 16 ohm cab. I could potentially re-wire it for 4 ohms, but I wanted to use the new rocktron velocity 300. The manual says not to use the bridged output @ 4 ohms, or at least, that it is not recommended. 

170w @ 16 ohms bridged. 

Is that gonna be enough power? If it were a tube amp, I'd be able to tell, but apparently solid state works differently, and apparently this new rocktron works differently than older solid states, plus the new reactance control which makes it sound more tube like? I got nothin...

I've read a lot of stuff in the last few hours, most of which I don't fully understand. Anyone wanna lay this out real simple for me?


----------



## Triple7

Larrikin666 said:


> You should be able to use either the 1/4" guitar input or the XLR



Awesome thank you, I can't wait to start recording with this beast, and I also want to download the editor to make constructing patches easier.


----------



## Soopahmahn

Well let's put it this way, 170w (150?) isn't bad. I think you'll end up running it pretty hard in a full band pirate metal situation, without truckloads of headroom left over. However, going from 300w to 150w only loses you 3db of loudness, so... it's pretty much like having to turn the power to 10 in order to get the perceived loudness of 9, know what I mean? Not a mind-blowing difference.

8 ohm bridged would be ideal, but 16 ohms will be fine. If it's not loud enough, I'd say buy a considerably larger amp like a Carvin 1540L, or add a speaker.

EDIT: DO NOT bridge it at 4 ohms. You'll fry the sucker.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Honestly, I prefer programming right on the Axe itself.


----------



## PirateMetalTroy

Soopahmahn said:


> Well let's put it this way, 170w (150?) isn't bad. I think you'll end up running it pretty hard in a full band pirate metal situation, without truckloads of headroom left over. However, going from 300w to 150w only loses you 3db of loudness, so... it's pretty much like having to turn the power to 10 in order to get the perceived loudness of 9, know what I mean? Not a mind-blowing difference.
> 
> 8 ohm bridged would be ideal, but 16 ohms will be fine. If it's not loud enough, I'd say buy a considerably larger amp like a Carvin 1540L, or add a speaker.
> 
> EDIT: DO NOT bridge it at 4 ohms. You'll fry the sucker.



My beef is I want it to be small. I need a 1U power amp that will provide the necessary loudness @ 16 ohms. It'd be a pain in the ass to buy something and have it be wimpy and quiet, then have to go buy something bigger. better to get it right the first time and save the hassle.

Any suggestions as to a 1U poweramp that WILL have enough balls?


----------



## Soopahmahn

PirateMetalTroy said:


> My beef is I want it to be small. I need a 1U power amp that will provide the necessary loudness @ 16 ohms. It'd be a pain in the ass to buy something and have it be wimpy and quiet, then have to go buy something bigger. better to get it right the first time and save the hassle.
> 
> Any suggestions as to a 1U poweramp that WILL have enough balls?



Sorry dude but there are only so many watts you can squeeze in there. You've got one of the highest power-density amps out there. ART SLA-2 is the only one with more that I can find. You get *280 x 2 @ 4 ohms*, or 560 bridged @ 8, so you probably would get 250-300W bridged at 16 ohms (not rated but perfectly safe).

FWIW plenty of people are happy with the Rocktron.

ART SLA-2 Studio Power Amplifier and more Studio Power Amplifiers at GuitarCenter.com.


----------



## Larrikin666

+1 on the Art. Just sold mine today. Worked very well with the Axe-FX. Couldn't win when stacked against my 2/90/2 though. It puts out quite a bit of volume for a 1U. It is deceivingly heavy though.


----------



## PirateMetalTroy

Larrikin666 said:


> +1 on the Art. Just sold mine today. Worked very well with the Axe-FX. Couldn't win when stacked against my 2/90/2 though. It puts out quite a bit of volume for a 1U. It is deceivingly heavy though.



I was looking at the carvin DCM200L. apparently only 4lbs and can output 200W at 16 ohms according to the little chart on the back.


----------



## right_to_rage

Larrikin666 said:


> +1 on the Art. Just sold mine today. Worked very well with the Axe-FX. Couldn't win when stacked against my 2/90/2 though. It puts out quite a bit of volume for a 1U. It is deceivingly heavy though.




Yeah buddy, cant wait . I'm lifting weights in preparation of my 4U rack, but the Axefx Ultra will be the heaviest thing in there figuratively


----------



## Soopahmahn

PirateMetalTroy said:


> I was looking at the carvin DCM200L. apparently only 4lbs and can output 200W at 16 ohms according to the little chart on the back.



200W is absolutely identical in real terms to 150W or 170W or whatever. If you want to experience a difference, start at 500W and go north.

Pirates don't skimp on power. 

EDIT: I've got a DCM1000 (same basics as DCM1000L power-wise) and I expect it will be perfect when I finally get my damn Axe-FX. The DCM1540L would be crushingly authoritative.


----------



## Xifter

Soopahmahn said:


> EDIT: I've got a DCM1000 (same basics as DCM1000L power-wise) and I expect it will be perfect when I finally get my damn Axe-FX. The DCM1540L would be crushingly authoritative.


 Just snagged a DCM1540L based on the advice from y'all on the forums. Now I am just awaiting arrival of both Axe and DCM. I can't wait!!


----------



## Soopahmahn

Xifter said:


> Just snagged a DCM1540L based on the advice from y'all on the forums. Now I am just awaiting arrival of both Axe and DCM. I can't wait!!



Some guy on the Fractal forums complained that the 1540L was weak and thin-sounding, and that he was only happy when he upgraded to the DCM3000L. The thread unanimously agreed that he was both a) deaf and b) too loud on stage for any venue. 

PS, speaking of Fractal...  I have another question. Their online store lists Axe-FX prices as $1750/1800 (they show both ) MSRP/*$1500 sale price* and $2300 MSRP/*$2000 sale price*, respectively.

Are these actually "sale prices", as in, "they will cost more when the sale ends sometime months from now", or are those just the regular prices and they shouldn't be going up?


----------



## Larrikin666

Nothing actually sells for the MSRP. It's a creative marketing technique used to convince consumers that they are getting a great deal.


----------



## Soopahmahn

Larrikin666 said:


> Nothing actually sells for the MSRP. It's a creative marketing technique used to convince consumers that they are getting a great deal.



Know what MSRP is do I. 

I'm 99% sure these prices haven't fluctuated at all, but I almost seem to remember that the Standard used to be like $1800? So that's why I'm asking. Did they ever go "on sale" as a permanent price drop a long time ago?

It's taking too long to sell all my gear


----------



## fallenz3ro

Hey guys, i tried running my rig today with poweramp sims off. I assumed this would be just going into the global control and turning off the poweramp.

However, i still noticed that the presence control on the amp settings still affects the sound. Is this right? is the presence supposed to still "work"?

Thanks


----------



## right_to_rage

fallenz3ro said:


> Hey guys, i tried running my rig today with poweramp sims off. I assumed this would be just going into the global control and turning off the poweramp.
> 
> However, i still noticed that the presence control on the amp settings still affects the sound. Is this right? is the presence supposed to still "work"?
> 
> Thanks



" The power amp simulation in a preset can be defeated by turning the SAG
control in the Amp block to zero or globally via the Power Amp Bypass switch (in the GLOBAL MIX menu). "

So I guess the SAG control is actually *the* function that controls the poweramp sim: 
" SAG controls how dynamic the power amp simulation behaves. Higher settings simulate higher power supply impedance and thus more droop in the tube plate voltages which leads to a more compressed feel. "

So I guess the answer is yes, the presence control along with the rest of the power amp controls still function when the power amp sim is turned off globally.

Hope that helps


----------



## JohnIce

^ ...and the remedy to that would be to turn those dials to 0, I suppose.


----------



## noob_pwn

somebody needs to sticky this thread


----------



## JohnIce

^



s7eve said:


> This will not become a sticky, there is one master sticky for all of these threads so that this section does not become cluttered with sticky threads. In future if you find any thread that you would like added to that list for quick reference please post a link in that thread and I will add it to the original post as I have done with this thread.
> 
> Great thread


 
That should explain that  Glad you like the thread though!


----------



## XxXPete

This thread is EPIC!


----------



## technomancer

Soopahmahn said:


> Know what MSRP is do I.
> 
> I'm 99% sure these prices haven't fluctuated at all, but I almost seem to remember that the Standard used to be like $1800? So that's why I'm asking. Did they ever go "on sale" as a permanent price drop a long time ago?
> 
> It's taking too long to sell all my gear



That was back when there was a waiting list... Ultras were listed high too. But when your number came up on the list you got a "discount code" that knocked the price back to what it is now. So the price really hasn't changed at all.


----------



## Richardscuro

I finally have all my money together for my Ultra and when I went online to order I found out that they just sold out this morning. They will have more available by next wednesday and they're suppose to contact me when they're available. I guess I can wait until then but dammit I want it now!


----------



## JohnIce

Richardscuro said:


> I finally have all my money together for my Ultra and when I went online to order I found out that they just sold out this morning. They will have more available by next wednesday and they're suppose to contact me when they're available. I guess I can wait until then but dammit I want it now!


 
I had that same problem when I bought mine  There's clearly a pretty huge demand for these things... the Atomic stuff is also sold out a lot of the time. Let's just hope they keep building the units to the same quality as before and don't start to skimp out just to make more efficient production to meet the demand. That would suck


----------



## Richardscuro

JohnIce said:


> I had that same problem when I bought mine  There's clearly a pretty huge demand for these things... the Atomic stuff is also sold out a lot of the time. Let's just hope they keep building the units to the same quality as before and don't start to skimp out just to make more efficient production to meet the demand. That would suck



I think the reason why they continue to have issues with selling out is probably because they continue to refuse to compromise........Atleast I hope so.


----------



## Larrikin666

Holy shit! The FAS Modern model peels fresh from bone. I may never use the Recto or 5150 models again.


----------



## migreeni

Question: Do I really need a power amp between the axe and my cab, or can the axe simulate the power amp too? (I know it can, but don't know if it includes the cab sims). I got just about enough money to get an axe-fx and a fatbottom cab


----------



## velvetkevorkian

You need to have something to drive the speaker- you can record using the power amp and cab sims but you need an amplifier (be it a rack power amp, an active FRFR monitor, or something else) if you want it to make noise. Axe-FX+ normal guitar cab alone= no noise.


----------



## migreeni

Ok thanks. I'm all new to this rack stuff, so could you guys recommend me some nice affordable power amps? And cab suggestions are also very welcome! The rig must handle an eight string and I play mostly metal.


----------



## Richardscuro

You can get a Mesa 2:90 for a reasonable price used on ebay or craigslist most of the time. That's what I will be using. I don't have my Ultra yet (as you can see from my post above) but everything I have every used with that thing has sounded amazing.


----------



## rasse

Im kind of in the same boat as migreeni. Just about to pull the trigger on a standard and am thinking what I need to have with the axe for home recording and playing. Is it possible to have the speakers set up for your computer and the axe at the same time? So I'll be getting an affordable speaker system and an affordable power amp with the axe then? Im also new to this whole digital/recording stuff.


----------



## Andromalia

Strictly for home use and recording, all you need is: 

-Axe FX
-Recording interface (count 400$ for a good one, half of that for an ok one)
-Monitoring actives speakers (count 300$ for a decent pair)
-A PC
-DAW software. (ranges from free to thousands of dollars)
That's it.
You absolutely don't "need" a power amp and cab or FRFR monitor, which would then require you to actually mike them back into the recording interface, meaning you'd have to play loud and have adequate recording room dynamics.


----------



## rasse

thanks for the quick answer. any recommendations on the recording interface and/or speakers? I have no clue on this kind of stuff since I've just lately started looking at the possibilities and looking at the selection now is kind of intimidating.


----------



## Andromalia

Primary selection for interface is whether you want USB or firewire as a link to your PC.
I'd advise USB as Firewire is now obsolete and a legacy tech.

Second is whether you want MIDI in/outs. I'd advise a heavy YES since your Axe-FX can get some use of that (using the axe-edit and updating firmware directly withoutthe need for another cable)

So, using the thomann web site, we're left with (euro prices but you'll get an idea): 

Search Results - Page 1 - Irish International Cyberstore

You can then select how many input/outputs you need, I'd advise at least 4 since one day you'll want to reamp signals through your axe-fx and won't want to spend your time plugging/unplugging cables. Then pick according to your budget. ^^

As for monitors, I'm currently using Alesis M1 but they're WAYYYY too bassy. 
I need to buy some more transparent ones, I've heard lots of good of the rokits.

If I had to buy one today I'd go with 
http://www.thomann.de/ie/motu_ultralite_mkiii_hybrid.htm

Edit: if for whatever reason you want to use protools, keep in mind only Digidesign interfaces will work with it.


----------



## rasse

Im not entirely sure if I want to spend 500 euros on that interface because I probably cant use it to the fullest since Im not that experienced with this stuff at all. I know that it's not advisable to try to go cheap on gear if your tone to be good, but M-AUDIO FAST TRACK PRO - Irish International Cyberstore seems to be pretty simple and usable. though it doesnt have as many inputs and outputs as the motu ultralite but I can't think of a good argument why I'd need that many. 

with some quick googling about the rokits they seem to be pretty nice for the price. specifically I was looking at the RP5 ones since I think I wont need 140W.


----------



## Marmaduke

If you're just starting out with home recording then a cheap M-Audio interface will be great for your needs. For recording the Axe fx you will want to connect it to the interface using S/PDIF which will give you better sound quality because it bypasses the interface's A/D converters which will be crappy 

Also I have recently bought some KRK Rokit RP6 monitors and they are great, very neutral and well suited to general home mixing. KRKs are generally very reliable


----------



## JohnIce

migreeni said:


> Ok thanks. I'm all new to this rack stuff, so could you guys recommend me some nice affordable power amps? And cab suggestions are also very welcome! The rig must handle an eight string and I play mostly metal.


 
You definately don't need to get a cab or a poweramp! I use the Axe-Fx live and I don't have a cab for it. I run it direct into the PA (with cab simulations from the Axe), and sometimes I run the second output to a powered monitor. So I'd suggest you try this route first before shelling out cash on a poweramp and cab, because you don't know whether you'll even want those once you've got the Axe-Fx.


----------



## LordOVchaoS

Joining the club soon  Ultra on the way!

I think I'm going to try a single, inexpensive powered monitor first. Probably get a second one later. I plan on going straight in to the computer at home (My computer sound system is 400 watts of JBL  ) and plugging straight into the PA at my drummer's house or at gigs if I ever get back out there  

It boggles my mind seeing guys spend ~$2000-$3000 on a set of monitors!!! That's all good and well... till you play out and plug into a cheap PA!!! I don't know if it's just in my area but most gigs I've played, the place has a Behringer system! Or something else close to the same price. Only at the Blue Note did I play through a very professional system.

What I'm getting at is this. You tune your Axe-FX to sound good through your high-dollar monitors then it's going to sound like shit when you plug into a cheap PA at a gig!!! Make that shit sound good on cheap shit at home, and sound good everywhere!


----------



## TomAwesome

Ah, so that's why you're selling your Digitech rig!


----------



## LordOVchaoS

TomAwesome said:


> Ah, so that's why you're selling your Digitech rig!





Everything's sold now. That combined with a couple pedal sales, the laptop and a few other items I sold on ebay bought me an Ultra and gave be about $500 to get my house ready for the incoming baby! 

My goal is to never buy tubes again, I hope it works out for me!


----------



## TomAwesome




----------



## right_to_rage

Should be getting my Axe Fx Standard tomorrow afternoon!!! I can't wait to spend every moment of my life playing through it. FACT


----------



## Necrophagist777

Marmaduke said:


> If you're just starting out with home recording then a cheap M-Audio interface will be great for your needs. For recording the Axe fx you will want to connect it to the interface using S/PDIF which will give you better sound quality because it bypasses the interface's A/D converters which will be crappy
> 
> Also I have recently bought some KRK Rokit RP6 monitors and they are great, very neutral and well suited to general home mixing. KRKs are generally very reliable



With my experience the S/PDIF sounds noticeably worse than with either xlr or 1/4". 

I thought I even read a post by the guys at fractal saying that S/PDIF in most foreign made interfaces are crap and pretty much useless and to just stick with the xlr/quarter in outs unless you have a very high end interface.


----------



## pirateparty

I've been looking around on the wiki, but I cant really get a straight answer on how to plug an Axe-fx straight into a PC via USB. I know you can plug it in through a recording interface, but can the Fx act as an interface itself? I have plenty of really nice software I just want an all in one unit for live and studio use.


----------



## orb451

pirateparty said:


> I've been looking around on the wiki, but I cant really get a straight answer on how to plug an Axe-fx straight into a PC via USB. I know you can plug it in through a recording interface, but can the Fx act as an interface itself? I have plenty of really nice software I just want an all in one unit for live and studio use.



Not at the moment. You can't go straight from PC -> AxeFX. You need *some* kind of interface between them...


----------



## Winspear

I won't be able to get hold of one of these in 2010, but nothing to stop me dreaming about my set up.

I'm hoping to run a stereo rig with two 2x12s quite a distance apart. I was just wondering about recording - Would I get better results with a mic on each of these cabs or should I just go DI from the Axe?


----------



## orb451

EtherealEntity said:


> I won't be able to get hold of one of these in 2010, but nothing to stop me dreaming about my set up.
> 
> I'm hoping to run a stereo rig with two 2x12s quite a distance apart. I was just wondering about recording - Would I get better results with a mic on each of these cabs or should I just go DI from the Axe?



My layman's understanding is that you should be going DI from the Axe to your recording interface. With dual stereo outs (as well as digital outs) you can run 2 cabs stereo and still run direct stereo as well, which is exactly what I run, but not into two 4x12's, I run into 2 QSC K10s and a separate set of outs direct to my recording interface (Lexicon).


----------



## rasse

I have one last question before I'll be ordering the whole set. Im not entirely sure about how the connections go if I'd like the axe to be connected to the PC (for recording, this involves the fast track pro?) and the PC connected to the same speakers the axe would be using (krk rokit rp5). I tried looking it through the wiki but Im still not 100% sure how it goes, so could anyone tell me how do I connect everything together and with what cables? I know it's a really noobish question but I just want to be sure 

The help and recommendations so far have been great!


----------



## orb451

rasse said:


> I have one last question before I'll be ordering the whole set. Im not entirely sure about how the connections go if I'd like the axe to be connected to the PC (for recording, this involves the fast track pro?) and the PC connected to the same speakers the axe would be using (krk rokit rp5). I tried looking it through the wiki but Im still not 100% sure how it goes, so could anyone tell me how do I connect everything together and with what cables? I know it's a really noobish question but I just want to be sure
> 
> The help and recommendations so far have been great!



Not sure about the fast track pro, but I'm using the Lexicon Omega and for the sake of simplicity let's just say it has Stereo Outs and Stereo Ins. What I run is AxeFX Output 1 L+R -> QSC K10s (via XLR) AxeFX Output 2 L+R-> Lexicon Omega Input (via XLR) Output of the Omega L+R -> Rokit RP5. Of course my PC is hooked up to the Lexicon as my main recording interface and I also have a Korg PadKontrol that is hooked up to the AxeFX's MIDI In/Out for use with the Axe-Edit program. 

So basically you'll need 2 XLR or 1/4" cables to go OUT of the Axe and into your Cab/PowerAmp/FRFR monitors and/or to go straight into your audio interface. If you want to run both simultaneously (Cab + Studio Monitors) you'll need more cables. Either XLR or 1/4". I prefer the XLRs in my setup as there's less noise. And note that if you're running both, you'll need 4 cables. Or in my example 6 audio cables and two MIDI cables, plus 2 USB standard A-B cables.

Hope that helps

EDIT: Fuck, I'm confusing myself with this shit. Just get the Axe and at least 2 XLR or 1/4" cables and you should be fine. Just go OUT of that and into your audio interface (which should then go out to your monitors). There must be some kind of "mix" or equivalent on that interface and that is where you'd balance between dry input and Axe sounds.


----------



## victim5150

I'm seriously thinking about getting one. I was going to shell out $2000 for another amp to have as a back up to my main amp but after thinking about it I'm leaning towards buying an Axe-FX Ultra and having the ability to have multiple amp sounds and the ability to have a much smaller rig and still keep my main amp setup that I use now if I feel like lugging it out for bigger shows. Anybody know how long the wait is if I wanted to order one? I saw on their site that the Ultra is not available right now.


----------



## Triple7

victim5150 said:


> I'm seriously thinking about getting one. I was going to shell out $2000 for another amp to have as a back up to my main amp but after thinking about it I'm leaning towards buying an Axe-FX Ultra and having the ability to have multiple amp sounds and the ability to have a much smaller rig and still keep my main amp setup that I use now if I feel like lugging it out for bigger shows. Anybody know how long the wait is if I wanted to order one? I saw on their site that the Ultra is not available right now.


 

If I'm not mistaken they were supposed to have more as of today


----------



## rasse

orb451 said:


> Not sure about the fast track pro, but I'm using the Lexicon Omega and for the sake of simplicity let's just say it has Stereo Outs and Stereo Ins. What I run is AxeFX Output 1 L+R -> QSC K10s (via XLR) AxeFX Output 2 L+R-> Lexicon Omega Input (via XLR) Output of the Omega L+R -> Rokit RP5. Of course my PC is hooked up to the Lexicon as my main recording interface and I also have a Korg PadKontrol that is hooked up to the AxeFX's MIDI In/Out for use with the Axe-Edit program.
> 
> So basically you'll need 2 XLR or 1/4" cables to go OUT of the Axe and into your Cab/PowerAmp/FRFR monitors and/or to go straight into your audio interface. If you want to run both simultaneously (Cab + Studio Monitors) you'll need more cables. Either XLR or 1/4". I prefer the XLRs in my setup as there's less noise. And note that if you're running both, you'll need 4 cables. Or in my example 6 audio cables and two MIDI cables, plus 2 USB standard A-B cables.
> 
> Hope that helps
> 
> EDIT: Fuck, I'm confusing myself with this shit. Just get the Axe and at least 2 XLR or 1/4" cables and you should be fine. Just go OUT of that and into your audio interface (which should then go out to your monitors). There must be some kind of "mix" or equivalent on that interface and that is where you'd balance between dry input and Axe sounds.



Yadayada about the Fast track pro.

EDIT: I decided to do a last minute change and get the Omega Lexicon instead. I guess you are using XLR/TRS cables for the Output 2 since it looks like the Axe FX has only 2 XLR plug ins?


----------



## orb451

rasse said:


> Yadayada about the Fast track pro.
> 
> EDIT: I decided to do a last minute change and get the Omega Lexicon instead. I guess you are using XLR/TRS cables for the Output 2 since it looks like the Axe FX has only 2 XLR plug ins?



Yes, 2 XLR's out to my K10s and then 2 TRS 1/4" out to my Lexicon.


----------



## pirateparty

I found this diagram on the Axe FX wiki






So am I right in thinking if I turn the Gain all the way down on my 5150 and just use the Post as the volume, I can use the Axe FX as a preamp/effects unit and a 5150 as the poweramp?


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Yup. Would be a few bucks ahead though if you sold the 5150 and got one of the old Peavey Classic power amps.


----------



## TomAwesome

pirateparty said:


> I found this diagram on the Axe FX wiki
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> So am I right in thinking if I turn the Gain all the way down on my 5150 and just use the Post as the volume, I can use the Axe FX as a preamp/effects unit and a 5150 as the poweramp?



The better way to do that would be to wire it up like this:

guitar -> Axe-FX input
Axe-FX output -> 5150 effects return

Or if you wire it up as shown in the second diagram, you can go back and forth between using the 5150 preamp and a preamp from the Axe.


----------



## JohnIce

^Nah you'll still need some gain, without gain you don't get any signal into the amp at all.


----------



## pirateparty

^Ahh forgot about that, but I think a mix of FX and 5150 tone will sound awesome on the high gain channels with the right cab. I'll probably use only the Axe on the clean channels though, thats the 5150's only fault in my opinion.


----------



## scottro202

pirateparty said:


> ^Ahh forgot about that, but I think a mix of FX and 5150 tone will sound awesome on the high gain channels with the right cab. I'll probably use only the Axe on the clean channels though, thats the 5150's only fault in my opinion.



You'll wanna do the 4 cable method, like the diagrams above then. That way, you can use the preamps for both 

How you switch between them is beyond me, hopefully somebody more in-the-know will know


----------



## iff

TomAwesome said:


> The better way to do that would be to wire it up like this:
> 
> guitar -> Axe-FX input
> Axe-FX output -> 5150 effects return



Probably a dumb question, but in order to run it like that, do you have to take the 5150/slave amp off standby? Or can you just power it on, but leave it on standby?


----------



## right_to_rage

So, I finally got my Standard and it's an amazing unit but, I can't get Axe Edit to receive my Axe Fx. I'm running two midi cables from the Axe Fx to an Edirol UA-25, and the "Midi IN" light on the Axe Fx is blinking. I tried switching cables around so both cables work through the midi in. I've set the midi channel to 1, and sysex to 125, double checked that with the I/O menu. So right now midi input and output are displayed as "EDIROL UA-25" in Axe Edit 0.9.15. I'm operating Mac OSX 10.5.8. What should I try next?


----------



## Larrikin666

I had alot of issues getting mine to work at first. I had to reinstall the midi drivers a few times.


----------



## right_to_rage

Thanks, but I've definitely reinstalled the UA-25 drivers at least six times now lol and it still doesn't work.


----------



## right_to_rage

Ok, it looks like rockkato over at the FAS forums had the same issues as me.

"I have everything connected up (undoubtedly) correctly.
I can see the midi activity light on the Axe-FX.
I CAN load a preset file (the one included with Axe-Edit), using a Bank file as the source, and change presets on the AXE-FX (all good!)
I can turn knobs on the screen and I see (virtual) knobs changing on the Axe-FX (Still all Good!)

Here's the problem..... I cannot select Axe-FX as the source ... all i get is the check Audio/ Midi settings message.
Midi Test Times out in MIDI LOG

When selecting BackUp or Sync Operations I get the No Hardware found message! Crap!
When Visiting the Preset Manager I get no source found Sysex ID 125."

He was using a MOTU Microexpress USB-Midi interface, with literally the exact same symptoms


----------



## migreeni

I justa uploaded the latest firmware and now I can't get any sound out of it :/ I can hear the tone very briefly, less than a second, when I turn it on but then there's total silence.. The input LEDs on the front panel are jumping but the output LEDs are not. 

What to do..?


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Redo your patch from scratch and see if that works.

Sometimes the firmware update will fuck with an effect block.


----------



## migreeni

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Redo your patch from scratch and see if that works.
> 
> Sometimes the firmware update will fuck with an effect block.



Didn't help. I think it fucked up the I/O settings somehow.


----------



## BigPhi84

migreeni said:


> I justa uploaded the latest firmware and now I can't get any sound out of it :/ I can hear the tone very briefly, less than a second, when I turn it on but then there's total silence.. The input LEDs on the front panel are jumping but the output LEDs are not.
> 
> What to do..?




Which firmware did you have previously?


----------



## migreeni

BigPhi84 said:


> Which firmware did you have previously?



This was the first time I ever upgraded and the unit is more than a year old.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

I'd say try reinstalling the new one, or a slightly older one, and see if that helps.


----------



## BigPhi84

Ah, Check this out first (I had this problem once.) http://www.fractalaudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=3582


If that doesn't work, check this out. Firmware 8.01 Release NOTE: This firmware release does not support presets created with firmware prior to Version 6.10. If you are upgrading from 6.09 or earlier upgrade to 7.18 first and run the &#8220;Update All Presets&#8221; function in the utility menu to convert your presets to the latest protocol.


----------



## migreeni

Ok somehow i got it working now. It seems like the real problem is in my Mbox2 mini (wtf). It doesn't produce any sound.. But this is a Fractal thread so I'll leave you to it. 

Btw, it sounds AWESOME when it's upgraded


----------



## Ola Englund

bump.

recorded my axe through my mesa 2x12 roadster cab:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3423189/axe-paxe-snax.mp3


----------



## LordOVchaoS

Ola Englund said:


> bump.
> 
> recorded my axe through my mesa 2x12 roadster cab:
> 
> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3423189/axe-paxe-snax.mp3



Awesome as always


----------



## right_to_rage

right_to_rage said:


> Ok, it looks like rockkato over at the FAS forums had the same issues as me.
> 
> "I have everything connected up (undoubtedly) correctly.
> I can see the midi activity light on the Axe-FX.
> I CAN load a preset file (the one included with Axe-Edit), using a Bank file as the source, and change presets on the AXE-FX (all good!)
> I can turn knobs on the screen and I see (virtual) knobs changing on the Axe-FX (Still all Good!)
> 
> Here's the problem..... I cannot select Axe-FX as the source ... all i get is the check Audio/ Midi settings message.
> Midi Test Times out in MIDI LOG
> 
> When selecting BackUp or Sync Operations I get the No Hardware found message! Crap!
> When Visiting the Preset Manager I get no source found Sysex ID 125."
> 
> He was using a MOTU Microexpress USB-Midi interface, with literally the exact same symptoms



I've still got the same problem, but now I know that the Edirol UA-25 isn't receiving MIDI IN data. I'm not sure if its broken or...


----------



## right_to_rage

right_to_rage said:


> I've still got the same problem, but now I know that the Edirol UA-25 isn't receiving MIDI IN data. I'm not sure if its broken or...



Surprise! I managed to borrow my buddies Tascam US-122L, and guess what? It works MIDI IN, and my while my Edirol still only works MIDI OUT. How embarrassing. 

Is there any real reason why both units insist on messing up? I tried alternating cables. Guess what does work? Hooking up both units, AXE FX MIDI OUT - > TASCAM MIDI IN and AXE FX MIDI IN - > Edirol MIDI OUT.... This is insane


----------



## LordOVchaoS

Welcome to the club! Exact same problem here.

I'm hoping it gets solved in a few days when I get a new midi/digital bus for my 1010lt  Seems I've lost it...

Found a new one for 6 bucks!

Right now I'm using a cheap midi>USB adapter and I'm hoping it's the problem. Kind of a pain in the ass. It does work in spurts, but not long enough to take advantage of it  If I keep hitting "test" in settings eventually it will load my Axe-FX but as soon as I try to load the Axe as the source it fucks up.


----------



## biggness

Ola Englund said:


> bump.
> 
> recorded my axe through my mesa 2x12 roadster cab:
> 
> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3423189/axe-paxe-snax.mp3



Dude, nice Machine Head riffage. 

and as always, where the heck are the patches? Quit being so got dang stingy!!!


----------



## Ola Englund

biggness said:


> Dude, nice Machine Head riffage.
> 
> and as always, where the heck are the patches? Quit being so got dang stingy!!!



It's more of a not being able to save the patches to my computer of a problem.


----------



## mattofvengeance

I tried the Broderick settings that Biggness posted in the Broderick/Axe Fx thread, and it sounds pretty fucking mean. Different from what I'm used to, but I'll definitely be tossing it in the rotation for when I get tired of my current sound. Thanks Axe, for being the true GAS killer


----------



## biggness

Ola Englund said:


> It's more of a not being able to save the patches to my computer of a problem.












 Get to it. 

One man's "nothing fancy" is another man's "ahh sh!t my head hurts from all this"


----------



## Ola Englund

biggness said:


> Get to it.
> 
> One man's "nothing fancy" is another man's "ahh sh!t my head hurts from all this"



come on! you want me to sit and write down every setting by hand?


----------



## right_to_rage

Turns out that I'm just gonna borrow this interface until I get a new one.

Anyways, has anyone else tried putting an envelope on the amp block's gain and master knobs? Man, it really adds a new dimension to the feel of each amp. Basically when ever I play soft the gain goes low, and it increases when I pick harder. The master envelope is cool too because when I pick hard the amp goes just a little further into overdrive. Cool eh?


----------



## LordOVchaoS

right_to_rage said:


> Turns out that I'm just gonna borrow this interface until I get a new one.
> 
> Anyways, has anyone else tried putting an envelope on the amp block's gain and master knobs? Man, it really adds a new dimension to the feel of each amp. Basically when ever I play soft the gain goes low, and it increases when I pick harder. The master envelope is cool too because when I pick hard the amp goes just a little further into overdrive. Cool eh?



I just now, after reading this post, figured out how to do this  There is SO much shit you can do in this unit!!!

I can't find any picks this morning though  Can't play right now


----------



## biggness

Ola Englund said:


> come on! you want me to sit and write down every setting by hand?



Yes. AND put them in an envelope and mail them to me, along with some of those chewy red fish candies you swedes have.  



LordOVchaoS said:


> I just now, after reading this post, figured out how to do this  There is SO much shit you can do in this unit!!!
> 
> I can't find any picks this morning though  Can't play right now



When you find a pick, dial up this patch.  It is beyond awesome, how it interacts with your playing and volume knob. 

http://fractalaudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=15880


----------



## Ola Englund

Might aswell share a demo of a new song I'm doing a demo on. But I'm using the Axe FX for sound:

http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3

remember it's just a demo so don't bash it.


----------



## orb451

Ola Englund said:


> Might aswell share a demo of a new song I'm doing a demo on. But I'm using the Axe FX for sound:
> 
> http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3
> 
> remember it's just a demo so don't bash it.



Sounds like a Brittany Spears song. I can hear her screaming "FUCK ME!!!! FUCK MEEEEEEE!!!! YOUR MOTHER SUCKS COCKS IN HELL!!!" whilst her head spins 360 degrees and she pukes green vomit. 

Christ man, that's some heavy shit. Well played good sir, well played 

I don't suppose, once again, that you'd like to *share* your recipes????


----------



## Zugster

LordOVchaoS said:


> Everything's sold now. That combined with a couple pedal sales, the laptop and a few other items I sold on ebay bought me an Ultra and gave be about $500 to get my house ready for the incoming baby!
> 
> My goal is to never buy tubes again, I hope it works out for me!


 
I've been meaning to ask you - - - - - what went wrong with your 1101 rig that you sold it? I remember how you raved about it in the dim dark past of a few months ago.


----------



## Triple7

Ola Englund said:


> Might aswell share a demo of a new song I'm doing a demo on. But I'm using the Axe FX for sound:
> 
> http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3
> 
> remember it's just a demo so don't bash it.



That sounds awesome dude. Killer tone, how many guitar tracks do you have stacked up?


----------



## MF_Kitten

Ola Englund said:


> Might aswell share a demo of a new song I'm doing a demo on. But I'm using the Axe FX for sound:
> 
> http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3
> 
> remember it's just a demo so don't bash it.



oh fuck, maaaaan! that sounds so ridiculously "in the room" that i had to lower my headphone volume for a bit to see that i wasn´t accidentally playing it through my speakers!

really nice and LARGE!


----------



## Ola Englund

Ok guys I uploaded the track with new guitars.

Only one left and one right guitar!

http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3


----------



## LordOVchaoS

Zugster said:


> I've been meaning to ask you - - - - - what went wrong with your 1101 rig that you sold it? I remember how you raved about it in the dim dark past of a few months ago.



I LOVED it and it did everything I needed it to do through a tube power amp and cab but... The direct tones didn't do it for me  With a new born, I needed good direct tones. I have to be quiet because I only really get to play when everybody else is asleep. I've spent some time with an Axe-FX before but without the editor and I HATE tweaking it with the front panel controls so I didn't really give it a fair chance. I love it now. SO much you can tweak and the ability to load custom cab IRs makes it a winner. If it were possible to do this with the Digitech I wouldn't have sold it. GREAT preamp!!!


----------



## technomancer

Ola Englund said:


> Ok guys I uploaded the track with new guitars.
> 
> Only one left and one right guitar!
> 
> http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3



So what amp models etc are you using in the patch?


----------



## Triple7

Ola Englund said:


> Ok guys I uploaded the track with new guitars.
> 
> Only one left and one right guitar!
> 
> http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3



Damn that's sweet, your tone is so thick it sounds like you have each track doubled


----------



## maccayoung

Ola Englund said:


> Ok guys I uploaded the track with new guitars.
> 
> Only one left and one right guitar!
> 
> http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3



Jesus, that sounds huge!!!
Is that recorded direct or miked up? Tube power amp, or solid state?


----------



## biggness

*Version 10.00 Released*

Fractal Audio Systems &bull; View topic - V10 Ultra .... come and get it!


----------



## Variant

Okay, kiddies, I'm about to have myself a firesale here so I can get my cult robes on order to join up:









Just a few questions that I don't really see any answers to, here, or on the Fractal wiki:

At least for a while here, I plan to use the unit strictly for direct studio recording, as that's our gig:



*1. Ola mentioned that the S/PIDF's are a junk way to pass audio, and added even Cliff @ Fractal supposedly said so. If so, why the crap have them on there instead of, say, FireWire?!  I'm using a Line X3 Pro now USB direct, and I'm not too keen on dropping a bunch of dough on a separate interface if I don't need it (my other guitar player has a 002 that he keeps with him, but is not at my place 24/7, should we need traditional multi analog ins). Frankly, I love the way the X3 buses the eight separated out signals (raw, full mix, tone 1 left, tone 1, right, etc.), not to mention it makes it REALLY easy to go back through for reamping, or interfacing my VSTs with my cool-ass outboard gear.  Should I just hold out for a version with a real interface BUS on it, or is that not happening any time soon?*


*2. A lot of what I'm doing right now, and most certainly in the future (not to mention is becoming somewhat of a standard these days) is recording direct raws for reamping. Is the Axe-FX worthy of doubling as a DI box (wither through an alternate output into an interface, or through the aforementioned S/PDIF) or am I going to need to get something like a Radial JDI to "route around" it to an open channel in (again) a separate interface. Furthermore, is it an easy gig to reamp back through the unit? Obviously, if its the bees knees so far as digital modeling goes, reamping back through it is an absolute must. The X3 (and DigiDesign Eleven, for that matter) are dialed in for this sort of thing. How does the Axe-Fx fair in this department?*


*3. How is the effects loop configurable? Can the L/R be tapped off any locations in the tone path, or is it limited to one side or the other (like in the X3 Pro )? *


*4. The harmonizer. How good is it really? No Fractal Cult bullshit: How does is sound, and how does it track? I need to know if my Eventide Pitch Factor goes into the firesale lot or not. *


I guess that's all I have for now. Sorry to be so long winded.


----------



## LordOVchaoS

biggness said:


> *Version 10.00 Released*
> 
> Fractal Audio Systems &bull; View topic - V10 Ultra .... come and get it!



Word... got it!!! Still don't have any picks  Going to the store today after work!!!


----------



## Triple7

I want it!!!

Right now to use the Axe Fx through my computer I use a 1/4" into the guitar input of my POD Studio UX2. 

How would I hook it up to the computer properly to receive the firmware updates?


----------



## HANIAK

Midi cable, dude!


----------



## Triple7

So I would have to see if the POD has an input for MIDI then, or are you talking about a MIDI to USB cable?


----------



## HANIAK

The UX2 does not have a midi in/out, so the cheapest way to go would be buying a Midi in/out to USB cable, indeed. 
But beware that some midi-usb cables do not support sysx midi messages (the ones you need to send to the AxeFX yo update your firmware), so choose carefully.


----------



## Triple7

HANIAK said:


> The UX2 does not have a midi in/out, so the cheapest way to go would be buying a Midi in/out to USB cable, indeed.
> But beware that some midi-usb cables do not support sysx midi messages (the ones you need to send to the AxeFX yo update your firmware), so choose carefully.


 

Awesome, thanks for your help dude. I had seen some people give mixed reviews about the MIDI to USB cables so I wasn't sure if they were the right way to go.

What about the MOTU Fastlane USB MIDI interface? Does anyone know if that would be good to get?


----------



## rasse

So the Axe finally arrived and I've been reading tips, tweaking the shit out of everything, playing the presets etc, the basic stuff that you do when you get it.  I also ordered a Swissonic midi/USB cable from Thomann with the cables, speakers and audio interface. Now it seems that this Swissonic 1x1 cable belongs to the infamous bunch of midi/usb cables that cant send sysex data. Does anyone else have the same (http://images6.thomann.de/pics/bdb/185425/1453683_800.jpg) cable or am I just doing something wrong? 

Though my computer actually did recognize the connection when I first did it, but after a while it just didn't do it anymore. I could edit the presets in Axe Edit but couldn't import them into the Axe. I don't know if this would've been fixable with some reinstallation etc but I didn't have the time to actually try to fix it because the blinking light on my Axe just stopped blinking after I flicked the power switch off and on again.

Also, I have my whole setup currently like this:

Guitar -> Axe FX -> KRK Rokit rp5 (XLR output 1) 
------------------> Lexicon Omega (TRS output 2) -> PC (USB)

The problem here is that I can't get my computer to notice my guitar signal well. I can only see small bumps on the recorded tracks but nothing audible. If I connect my guitar straight to the Omega it just gives me a clean channel without the axe.


----------



## orb451

rasse said:


> Also, I have my whole setup currently like this:
> 
> Guitar -> Axe FX -> KRK Rokit rp5 (XLR output 1)
> ------------------> Lexicon Omega (TRS output 2) -> PC (USB)
> 
> The problem here is that I can't get my computer to notice my guitar signal well. I can only see small bumps on the recorded tracks but nothing audible. If I connect my guitar straight to the Omega it just gives me a clean channel without the axe.



Welcome to the club! I think somewhere under I/O or system menus is the option to mirror output 1 to output 2 - I may have that backwards though. You should check in there and see that you are in fact sending out the same signal from the Axe to your RP5's AND your Lexicon. 

An easy way to check would be to unplug the lines going from the Axe to your RP5s and just plug them straight into the Lexicon. If you have sound, you should be good to go. Also note that on the Lexicon, at least for me, I have it set to 100% wet. That is the wet/dry mix knob at the bottom next to the front input jack on the Lexi is set 100% clockwise, to about 5 o'clock or whatever it is. 

Hope that helps!


----------



## right_to_rage

biggness said:


> *Version 10.00 Released*
> 
> Fractal Audio Systems &bull; View topic - V10 Ultra .... come and get it!



When does the standard version come out? Fractal's site isn't loading for me...


----------



## orb451

right_to_rage said:


> When does the standard version come out? Fractal's site isn't loading for me...



They really need a better web hosting solution. Usually firmware for the standard comes out a day or two later (sometimes more, sometimes less).


----------



## teqnick

I'll be taking the axe-fx plunge sometime within the next week or so. I've done a fair amount of reading, but I know for sure there's tons more ground for me to cover. I'm not going to be running a power amp for now. I intend on my setup looking like this. Please let me know what's wrong with it, if there is anything wrong with it !

Guitar--> Axe-Fx--->Firewire interface---> Computer

I intend on using studio headphones and powered monitors. Where in this chain do the powered monitors go? Also, the midi to USB goes from the axe into the interface right? and then the Firewire goes from the interface to the PC?


----------



## orb451

teqnick said:


> I'll be taking the axe-fx plunge sometime within the next week or so. I've done a fair amount of reading, but I know for sure there's tons more ground for me to cover. I'm not going to be running a power amp for now. I intend on my setup looking like this. Please let me know what's wrong with it, if there is anything wrong with it !
> 
> Guitar--> Axe-Fx--->Firewire interface---> Computer
> 
> I intend on using studio headphones and powered monitors. Where in this chain do the powered monitors go? Also, the midi to USB goes from the axe into the interface right? and then the Firewire goes from the interface to the PC?



I think the layout you have will work. As far as the powered monitors go, I think it depends on your firewire interface. It must have some kind of monitor out (besides headphones) no? If it does, that's where you'd plug in your monitors. That or a separate mixer somewhere in the chain. And yes, to my knowledge, you'd go from the USB MIDI to the axe (and back) depending on your setup...


----------



## LordOVchaoS

For the record, you CAN update your firmware and edit patches with any cheap USB to MIDI cables. I updated mine this morning and have been editing patches for a week. You just can't get the computer to read what's on your axe-fx, you can't recall a patch from your axe-fx using the software. 

PROBLEM SOLVED though! Got the new breakout cable for my 1010LT just now and Axe-Edit is fully functional! 

If anybody is interested in the cheap adapter cables I have two sets  one unopened!


----------



## teqnick

Thanks Orb! Its almost beginning to make perfect sense. I have to do some interface shopping, but i'm leaning towards a profire610 by M-audio. I don't have any doubts that this whole setup won't work. It's just a matter of making sure it will before I go out and purchase everything haha


----------



## BigPhi84

Variant said:


> *4. The harmonizer. How good is it really? No Fractal Cult bullshit: How does is sound, and how does it track? I need to know if my Eventide Pitch Factor goes into the firesale lot or not. *




Hello, my Core-free brother. I recorded these for gameboypdc from this forum. Keep in mind that this was in December of last year and the Axe-FX has gone through a couple firmware upgrade since. I think these still sound good. Let me know if you want to hear something else.


----------



## TomAwesome

LordOVchaoS said:


> PROBLEM SOLVED though! Got the new breakout cable for my 1010LT just now and Axe-Edit is fully functional!



Really? Were you able to update the firmware with the 1010LT? I spent months trying to figure out why I couldn't update my firmware, but when I got a new PreSonus interface, it worked flawlessly, so I assumed the M-Audio card just wasn't compatible with the Axe-FX for firmware updates.


----------



## teqnick

Tom, which PreSonus interface did you end up going with?


----------



## TomAwesome

Firestudio Mobile.


----------



## LordOVchaoS

TomAwesome said:


> Really? Were you able to update the firmware with the 1010LT? I spent months trying to figure out why I couldn't update my firmware, but when I got a new PreSonus interface, it worked flawlessly, so I assumed the M-Audio card just wasn't compatible with the Axe-FX for firmware updates.



I just hooked it up and it worked 

Haven't used it for firmware, I used the USB cable as that was all I had this morning. I don't see why it wouldn't work though!? Truth of the matter is... the Axe is just screwey when it comes to midi.


----------



## teqnick

Will the firestudio having a MIDI I/O be able to handle the duties of lets say a Midisport 2x2? I need to be assured that i can update firmware and edit/upload patches via Axe-Edit with the FireStudio!


Thanks!


----------



## TomAwesome

I'm not familiar with the 2x2, but I already pretty much said in my post that it works just fine for Axe-Edit.


----------



## rasse

orb451 said:


> Welcome to the club! I think somewhere under I/O or system menus is the option to mirror output 1 to output 2 - I may have that backwards though. You should check in there and see that you are in fact sending out the same signal from the Axe to your RP5's AND your Lexicon.
> 
> An easy way to check would be to unplug the lines going from the Axe to your RP5s and just plug them straight into the Lexicon. If you have sound, you should be good to go. Also note that on the Lexicon, at least for me, I have it set to 100% wet. That is the wet/dry mix knob at the bottom next to the front input jack on the Lexi is set 100% clockwise, to about 5 o'clock or whatever it is.
> 
> Hope that helps!



I switched the copy out1 to out2 mode to ON from the I/O settings but that doesn't affect anything. When Im plugged straight into the Lexicon it gives me all the flickering lights and stuff you're supposed to have but when I try to record anything it just gives me a straight line with nothing. And if I have the guitar connected straight into the Axe it only lights up the lowest light of the four on the front panel of the Lexicon. The peak light stays unlit. Monitor mix knobs are fully turned to Direct and Line 3 knob is at 5 o'clock.

I think it's about my computer not recognizing the Lexicon. The driver options you get with the Lexicon are not working I think. If I try to open the options for it nothing happens. I guess I'll reinstall everything and see if that helps.

Edit. Also in Cubase LE 4 (the one you get with the Lexicon) when I try to switch the VST Audio System from the Devices setup from ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Driver to Omega ASIO it shows an error message that says mon Files and just switches back to the original setting. What the hell?


----------



## orb451

rasse said:


> I switched the copy out1 to out2 mode to ON from the I/O settings but that doesn't affect anything. When Im plugged straight into the Lexicon it gives me all the flickering lights and stuff you're supposed to have but when I try to record anything it just gives me a straight line with nothing. And if I have the guitar connected straight into the Axe it only lights up the lowest light of the four on the front panel of the Lexicon. The peak light stays unlit. Monitor mix knobs are fully turned to Direct and Line 3 knob is at 5 o'clock.
> 
> I think it's about my computer not recognizing the Lexicon. The driver options you get with the Lexicon are not working I think. If I try to open the options for it nothing happens. I guess I'll reinstall everything and see if that helps.
> 
> Edit. Also in Cubase LE 4 (the one you get with the Lexicon) when I try to switch the VST Audio System from the Devices setup from ASIO DirectX Full Duplex Driver to Omega ASIO it shows an error message that says mon Files and just switches back to the original setting. What the hell?



Ahhh yes, the joys of setting up Cubase. I remember those days. OK, here's my setup, this is what works for me and my Axe/Lexi/PC. Hope it helps:

1. I'm running Win XP Pro SP3
2. Under the "Device Manager" in Windows, my Lexicon is recognized as: "Lexicon USB MIDI Device (Port 1) and another device labeled "Lexicon Win USB Audio 3-4"
3. Under Cubase's VST Connections, I have ONE Bus, labeled Stereo In (Left & Right), speakers are stereo, Audio Device is ASIO4ALL v2, device port is Win USB 3-4 In Only1 (mapped to Left) and WIN USB 3-4 In Only2 (mapped to right)
4. I have it saved as a Preset as AxeFX-LR so it's easier to swap around when creating projects, etc
5. Under Device Setup, I have ASIO4All v2 selected as my ASIO Driver. Input/Output latency is 9.00ms
6. All other device option settings are left to their defaults. I didn't tweak, add or change any other settings, other than the ASIO4ALL v2 software driver, where I dialed the sliders around till I got to the 9ms latency. In a perfect world, there probably wouldn't be any latency, but whatever. It's something you have to live with and you want it low, sub 10ms if at all possible. Just know that if you dial it too low (the ASIO driver I mean), it will not work, or work very well. DEFINITELY look up the ASIO4ALL v2 driver and download it. I stopped using the factory Lexi driver immediately because of high latency and hassles.
7. I have both Output1 and Output2 mirrored.
8. On my Lexi, for stereo sound, I have my axe plugged in (into the XLR MIC input 1 & MIC input 2). And then for the KRKs, I go out Line-Out L-R.
9. On the front of the Lexi, I have Mic 1 & Mic 2 trims at about 10 o'clock. The USB assign button is pushed so that GREEN LED is lit up under 3-4. On the next row down, I have that USB assign button pushed so that the RED LED is lit up under 1-2. The rest of my trims are at 7 o'clock and none of the buttons are pushed in or selected/lit-up, save for the Meter Assign which is lit up blue, on the LEFT. Monitor mix is 5 o'clock and Output level is 10 o'clock.
10. In Cubase, with this setup, I create a MONO audio track and select whichever Left or Right channel I want to record. If I want a stereo take, say because I'm lazy or some shit, I'll create TWO mono tracks, then pan them hard Left and Right, and select their inputs as Stereo in Left and Stereo in Right respectively.

So to summarize. Get the ASIO4ALL drivers. If you don't already have them. Double check Windows' device manager to see if/how the Lexi is recognized by your system. Select the ASIO4ALL driver in Device Setup in Cubase, be sure you have everything plugged in properly. Be sure to set that front panel on the Lexi like I have mine and it *should* work.

That's how I do it anyway, not saying mine is the right, or even best way, but that's what works for me. 

Hope that helps


----------



## LordOVchaoS

TomAwesome said:


> Really? Were you able to update the firmware with the 1010LT? I spent months trying to figure out why I couldn't update my firmware, but when I got a new PreSonus interface, it worked flawlessly, so I assumed the M-Audio card just wasn't compatible with the Axe-FX for firmware updates.



Ok Tom you're not crazy 

Just tried to update to 10.01 and... FAIL!

Used my $5 USB>MIDI adapter and it worked fine 

I don't get it... the 1010LT works great for everything else and the cheap adapter is almost unusable in axe-edit... but the 1010lt won't do firmware upgrades and the cheapie will 



LordOVchaoS said:


> Truth of the matter is... the Axe is just screwey when it comes to midi.


----------



## TomAwesome

I hope I don't sound like an ass when I say that on some level I'm glad you failed, too. 

There's a 10.01 already? Shit, that was quick. I guess that's what happens when firmware gets leaked before it's ready to be released officially, though.


----------



## rasse

orb451 said:


> Ahhh yes, the joys of setting up Cubase. I remember those days. OK, here's my setup, this is what works for me and my Axe/Lexi/PC. Hope it helps:
> 
> 1. I'm running Win XP Pro SP3
> 2. Under the "Device Manager" in Windows, my Lexicon is recognized as: "Lexicon USB MIDI Device (Port 1) and another device labeled "Lexicon Win USB Audio 3-4"
> 3. Under Cubase's VST Connections, I have ONE Bus, labeled Stereo In (Left & Right), speakers are stereo, Audio Device is ASIO4ALL v2, device port is Win USB 3-4 In Only1 (mapped to Left) and WIN USB 3-4 In Only2 (mapped to right)
> 4. I have it saved as a Preset as AxeFX-LR so it's easier to swap around when creating projects, etc
> 5. Under Device Setup, I have ASIO4All v2 selected as my ASIO Driver. Input/Output latency is 9.00ms
> 6. All other device option settings are left to their defaults. I didn't tweak, add or change any other settings, other than the ASIO4ALL v2 software driver, where I dialed the sliders around till I got to the 9ms latency. In a perfect world, there probably wouldn't be any latency, but whatever. It's something you have to live with and you want it low, sub 10ms if at all possible. Just know that if you dial it too low (the ASIO driver I mean), it will not work, or work very well. DEFINITELY look up the ASIO4ALL v2 driver and download it. I stopped using the factory Lexi driver immediately because of high latency and hassles.
> 7. I have both Output1 and Output2 mirrored.
> 8. On my Lexi, for stereo sound, I have my axe plugged in (into the XLR MIC input 1 & MIC input 2). And then for the KRKs, I go out Line-Out L-R.
> 9. On the front of the Lexi, I have Mic 1 & Mic 2 trims at about 10 o'clock. The USB assign button is pushed so that GREEN LED is lit up under 3-4. On the next row down, I have that USB assign button pushed so that the RED LED is lit up under 1-2. The rest of my trims are at 7 o'clock and none of the buttons are pushed in or selected/lit-up, save for the Meter Assign which is lit up blue, on the LEFT. Monitor mix is 5 o'clock and Output level is 10 o'clock.
> 10. In Cubase, with this setup, I create a MONO audio track and select whichever Left or Right channel I want to record. If I want a stereo take, say because I'm lazy or some shit, I'll create TWO mono tracks, then pan them hard Left and Right, and select their inputs as Stereo in Left and Stereo in Right respectively.
> 
> So to summarize. Get the ASIO4ALL drivers. If you don't already have them. Double check Windows' device manager to see if/how the Lexi is recognized by your system. Select the ASIO4ALL driver in Device Setup in Cubase, be sure you have everything plugged in properly. Be sure to set that front panel on the Lexi like I have mine and it *should* work.
> 
> That's how I do it anyway, not saying mine is the right, or even best way, but that's what works for me.
> 
> Hope that helps



This right here folks is the reason why I love this forum so much. The help and in-depth assistance you get here is unmatched. I will go through this first thing tomorrow morning!

Edit: also the tone on Enditol's newest songs is just unbelievable. The tone is so tight it makes me want to cry. I do know that the guy is registered on the forums but does anyone have any insight info on what kind of amps or cabs he used whilst recording the songs on his myspace? (http://www.myspace.com/ENDITOL) Im sure that most of the people here agree that the tone is really, really good.

I did everything you told me to and all the lights flicker on the Lexicon like they're supposed to but I just cant get my computer to get the audio signal in. The Lexicon stuff is enabled in Device Manager, VST Connections are like they're supposed to etc. The latency is quite high (15-ish) but I dont think that's the reason for it not working. God this shit is infuriating. On top of all this fiddling my cheap desk microphone stopped working.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

hey guys, i just downloaded the AXE EDIT and its basically a software version of the axe fx interface right? 


anyways i began making patches for the hell of it (i dont actualy own the axe fx yet) and to get an idea of how much stuff you can do i ran 2 amps and 2 cabs and a bunch of effects, to see how much i could do before i filled up the CPU... so my question is is the CPU on the axe edit modeled after the axe fx standard or ultra?


----------



## LordOVchaoS

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> hey guys, i just downloaded the AXE EDIT and its basically a software version of the axe fx interface right?
> 
> 
> anyways i began making patches for the hell of it (i dont actualy own the axe fx yet) and to get an idea of how much stuff you can do i ran 2 amps and 2 cabs and a bunch of effects, to see how much i could do before i filled up the CPU... so my question is is the CPU on the axe edit modeled after the axe fx standard or ultra?



You can switch between the two in settings. I think it is Ultra by default.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

LordOVchaoS said:


> You can switch between the two in settings. I think it is Ultra by default.



i switched it to stnadard and the CPU load didnt decrease one bit 

thanks


----------



## Wiz

I asked this question on the AxeFX forums, but either nobody has the answer or they don't feel like sharing 

I got myself a Yamaha FC-7 expression pedal the other day, and it's recognized just fine by the AxeFX. I wanted to try it out as a wah pedal with a random patch, and the wah is indeed activated by it. Unfortunately only about 10% of its movement range really affects the way, and the remaining 90% of the pedal range baaaarely makes a difference. It seems like it's just no using the whole range equally.

I already calibrated it, but that never seemed to make a difference. Has anybody dealt with this before?


----------



## Necrophagist777

Wiz said:


> I asked this question on the AxeFX forums, but either nobody has the answer or they don't feel like sharing
> 
> I got myself a Yamaha FC-7 expression pedal the other day, and it's recognized just fine by the AxeFX. I wanted to try it out as a wah pedal with a random patch, and the wah is indeed activated by it. Unfortunately only about 10% of its movement range really affects the way, and the remaining 90% of the pedal range baaaarely makes a difference. It seems like it's just no using the whole range equally.
> 
> I already calibrated it, but that never seemed to make a difference. Has anybody dealt with this before?



Can't say that I've had that problem.........my Mission Engineering Expression pedal works just fine.


----------



## teqnick

Got everything up and running. The axe is going into my firestudio mobile , and that's going into my computer. I'm running into the issue where in axe editor, the status is always "Check Midi settings". Thanks to this , I haven't been able to update to 10.0 , or even start working with patches through the software. I've read a bunch of fixes for this, but they involve getting totally different interfaces?


----------



## technomancer

Stupid question, but did you check your midi settings to be sure the midi devices, sysex id, and channel are set correctly? Also always double check your wiring, as I have at least once been 100% sure I plugged it in correctly only to discover I crossed cables.

If both of those are yes, check the midi buffer size under editor settings. I had to drop mine from the default 256 to 128 to get the firmware update and impulse uploading to work (though this doesn't sound like your problem, as I was able to change patches etc).


----------



## Bevo

Guys

One thing I love about my Mesa is that powerful palm muted thump and the power it has behind it.
Does your AXE and a SS amp still do that for you?
If so how much watts?
I am thinking Adcom or Brystrom (sp?) in 200w per channel.

Thanks


----------



## Marmaduke

Thank you everyone for this thread


----------



## PirateMetalTroy

Pulling the trigger! Going with the new Carvin DCM200L, simply because it outputs 200w @ 16 ohms, and only weighs 4 pounds. Keeping this bitch as light as possible is going to be all kinds of fucking KEY. It's looking like the racks going to end up in the 60-65 pounds range once it's finished. This is AWESOME since I can actually lift the bastard, and it's being run through my awesome little 2x12.

I'm still unsure about which model to get. If I get the standard, All the amp, and cab sims are the same, but I don't get a few things. One that bothers me is the complete lack of a noise gate in the axe-edit's "standard" setting, but there is one in the "ultra" setting. Anyone care to explain why i don't see an option for "noise gate" in the axe-edit?i know the ultra has a couple "gate/expander"s that the standard does not. Is the noise gate physically on the axe-fx?


----------



## orb451

PirateMetalTroy said:


> Pulling the trigger! Going with the new Carvin DCM200L, simply because it outputs 200w @ 16 ohms, and only weighs 4 pounds. Keeping this bitch as light as possible is going to be all kinds of fucking KEY. It's looking like the racks going to end up in the 60-65 pounds range once it's finished. This is AWESOME since I can actually lift the bastard, and it's being run through my awesome little 2x12.
> 
> I'm still unsure about which model to get. If I get the standard, All the amp, and cab sims are the same, but I don't get a few things. One that bothers me is the complete lack of a noise gate in the axe-edit's "standard" setting, but there is one in the "ultra" setting. Anyone care to explain why i don't see an option for "noise gate" in the axe-edit?i know the ultra has a couple "gate/expander"s that the standard does not. Is the noise gate physically on the axe-fx?



Congrats on jumping off the cliff! I'm sure some will argue that you don't *need* all the extra stuff the Ultra comes with, but it my book, it's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. My advice, get the Ultra. It's worth the $500 and you never know if/when you'll feel the need to create some crazy patch that maxes the standard, or Cliff releases some new amp/cab/effect that won't run on the Standard. I know it hasn't happened, but you never know...

The gate you're talking about is loaded with every patch, page 3 -> over from name / move effect. To my knowledge it is "pre" everything else. You can dial it up as needed or turn it off entirely and use a gate in your chain of effects, or go without a gate altogether.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

The thing is if you're using models, the models don't generate any noise by themselves since they're digital, so you don't need to put the gate AFTER everything. It works just as well where it is, directly after the input.


----------



## boltzthrower

PirateMetalTroy said:


> Going with the new Carvin DCM200L,



I've been lookin' into trying a decent solid state power amp myself.

I've got a Behringer EP2500 which I normally use for my PA, it has 500 watts per channel at 8 ohm, but it kind of sounds like turd, it's incredibly dark sounding, you have to boost the high mids insanely to make it sound decent for guitar. Has anyone else had this same experience when using power amps that are intended for PA use?

Are the Carvins voiced better? I keep reading that the ART SLA's are very transparent. Gotta wonder about these new light weight Peavey amps as well Peavey.com


----------



## Zugster

I actually had a brand new DCM200L... for a few weeks before trading it in for a TS100.

My 2 cents: If you're going solid state for cost, weight, simplicity, etc., get a higher wattage 2 rack space unit. You always want to be using only a fraction of the available power to stay far far away from any solid state distortion. Extra solid state power is relatively cheap.


----------



## Thor1777

Ola Englund said:


> Might aswell share a demo of a new song I'm doing a demo on. But I'm using the Axe FX for sound:
> 
> http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3
> 
> remember it's just a demo so don't bash it.


awesome...badass as usual


----------



## iff

Bevo said:


> Guys
> 
> *One thing I love about my Mesa is that powerful palm muted thump and the power it has behind it.
> Does your AXE and a SS amp still do that for you?*
> If so how much watts?
> I am thinking Adcom or Brystrom (sp?) in 200w per channel.
> 
> Thanks



I'm curious about this as well.


----------



## PirateMetalTroy

Zugster said:


> I actually had a brand new DCM200L... for a few weeks before trading it in for a TS100.
> 
> My 2 cents: If you're going solid state for cost, weight, simplicity, etc., get a higher wattage 2 rack space unit. You always want to be using only a fraction of the available power to stay far far away from any solid state distortion. Extra solid state power is relatively cheap.



I REALLY don't want a 2 space power amp. Nor do I want to have it weigh a million pounds. The Carvin seemed like the best choice as far as price, weight, and size. I looked at the velocity, but my cab is 16ohms, which makes finding a power amp for it a MAJOR pain in the ass. The carvin outputs the highest power I can find @16 ohms. Along with being a single rack space, and only 4lbs.


----------



## Metalus

Bevo said:


> Guys
> 
> One thing I love about my Mesa is that powerful palm muted thump and the power it has behind it.
> Does your AXE and a SS amp still do that for you?
> If so how much watts?
> I am thinking Adcom or Brystrom (sp?) in 200w per channel.
> 
> Thanks



I would like to know this as well


----------



## Zugster

PirateMetalTroy said:


> I REALLY don't want a 2 space power amp. Nor do I want to have it weigh a million pounds. The Carvin seemed like the best choice as far as price, weight, and size. I looked at the velocity, but my cab is 16ohms, which makes finding a power amp for it a MAJOR pain in the ass. The carvin outputs the highest power I can find @16 ohms. Along with being a single rack space, and only 4lbs.


 
Believe me, I understand the desire for a small light rig. I have a GSP1101 which is also only 1 ru. With my power supply I was using just 3 ru in a 4 ru shallow case. I think it was like 27 pounds total. Hard to get much lighter and smaller than that in rack gear.

Wattage ratings can be a tricky thing. It's a number at a given thd (total harmonic distortion). If you compare the specs on a Carvin DCM200L with a DCM1000 for example, you'll see the larger unit delivers a cleaner signal.


----------



## iff

Has anyone been able to set up some nice Neurosis/Isis kind of tones with the AxeFX?


----------



## zephyrkillz

Alright guys, I've been having problems updating my firmware via midi through my Firepod. The Axe Edit software doesnt recognize it nor can I select a MIDI in or out in the audio connections/MIDI setup. If anyone could walk me through the steps or if anyone has a similar setup, help would be greatly appreciated. Also, would I need two midi cables for this, or just one for the out on the axe fx?

Thanks!


----------



## Cadavuh

With the Atomic Monoblock do you still run the power amp sims even though its tube?


----------



## ZXIIIT

Ola Englund said:


> Ok guys I uploaded the track with new guitars.
> 
> Only one left and one right guitar!
> 
> http://www.oep.se/audio/57-test.mp3




Fuck, that is huge, clean, crisp, brutal, tasty sound right there.


----------



## TomAwesome

zephyrkillz said:


> Alright guys, I've been having problems updating my firmware via midi through my Firepod. The Axe Edit software doesnt recognize it nor can I select a MIDI in or out in the audio connections/MIDI setup. If anyone could walk me through the steps or if anyone has a similar setup, help would be greatly appreciated. Also, would I need two midi cables for this, or just one for the out on the axe fx?
> 
> Thanks!



For the Axe-FX to communicate back and forth with the software, you'll need two cables.



Cadavuh said:


> With the Atomic Monoblock do you still run the power amp sims even though its tube?



Yes. It's a tube power amp, but it's still designed to be flat.


----------



## Cadavuh

TomAwesome said:


> Yes. It's a tube power amp, but it's still designed to be flat.



Is it loud enough for band practice/gigs? 50W seems like it might not cut it.


----------



## Andromalia

50W is what, 10% less loud than 100 ? It's plenty enough if you don't play arenas with a 20 meters deep stage.


----------



## PnKnG

Andromalia said:


> 50W is what, 10% less loud than 100 ? It's plenty enough if you don't play arenas with a 20 meters deep stage.



Fully cranked its around 3 dB less than 100 W. So the 50 tube block should be more than enough.


----------



## Harry

Cadavuh said:


> Is it loud enough for band practice/gigs? 50W seems like it might not cut it.



The issue is headroom, not volume.
For band practice and gigs, even 20 watts would probably be enough.
It's just that 100 watts stays tighter under more volume and will distort less.


----------



## Wiz

So I got myself a mission SP-2R pedal, one channel used for wah and the second channel used for volume.

I read that there's supposedly a way to integrate a wah and a volume block into each one of my patches globally so I don't actually have to edit each patch individually to fit them in. Is that true, and if so how do I make it work?


----------



## JohnIce

Just felt I needed to post this... for anyone who thinks the editing window on the Axe is too small


----------



## All_¥our_Bass

^Ooh man is that COOL!!!!


----------



## AlexWadeWC

I'm going to be picking up an Ultra fairly soon and I've been doing alot of research, my question is is the Art SLA-2 bridged 560 watts mono @ 8 ohms going into an 8 ohm Mesa cab going to be powerful enough?

Currently I run an EVH 5150 III at about 3 on the volume and it has 4 6L6 power tubes and I would like to get the same "thump" and feel from my cab on stage that I do with my EVH.

Can the Art provide that at 560 SS watts or should I go for a higher powered Carvin? I just really like the idea of having a light weight 1 space rack power amp to cut down on the rack weight.


----------



## Larrikin666

The ART actually isn't super light. I was surprised at how heavy it was when I had one.


----------



## PirateMetalTroy

I'm actually REALLY frustrated with fractal right now. My credit card company won't give me a limit increase for even one purchase, and fratcal has been completely unhelpful in finding me a workaround. It's almost as if they don't even want my money...

I'm so frustrated I'm seriously considering picking up a ts100 and an engl e530 and calling it a day.


----------



## Zugster

PirateMetalTroy said:


> I'm actually REALLY frustrated with fractal right now. My credit card company won't give me a limit increase for even one purchase, and fratcal has been completely unhelpful in finding me a workaround. It's almost as if they don't even want my money...
> 
> I'm so frustrated I'm seriously considering picking up a ts100 and an engl e530 and calling it a day.


 
Fractal is a music gear company. They're not in the finance business. No offense dude, but that part of the deal is you're problem.


----------



## PirateMetalTroy

Zugster said:


> Fractal is a music gear company. They're not in the finance business. No offense dude, but that part of the deal is you're problem.



A music gear company that won't take cheques, money orders, cash, or bank wire transfers...


----------



## orb451

PirateMetalTroy said:


> A music gear company that won't take cheques, money orders, cash, or bank wire transfers...



You can blame the thieves of the world for that. If it weren't for assholes like them, the above listed forms of payment would *most* likely still be acceptable. Since those are ripe for abuse, it's harder and harder to get anything of substantial value using those methods. Not only that, Fractal is a small company, I'd guess they have less than a dozen employees, they may not have the man power to sit there and baby sit every possible transaction and ensure there's no fraud going on.


----------



## Triple7

AlexWadeWC said:


> I'm going to be picking up an Ultra fairly soon and I've been doing alot of research, my question is is the Art SLA-2 bridged 560 watts mono @ 8 ohms going into an 8 ohm Mesa cab going to be powerful enough?
> 
> Currently I run an EVH 5150 III at about 3 on the volume and it has 4 6L6 power tubes and I would like to get the same "thump" and feel from my cab on stage that I do with my EVH.
> 
> Can the Art provide that at 560 SS watts or should I go for a higher powered Carvin? I just really like the idea of having a light weight 1 space rack power amp to cut down on the rack weight.



You should be alright Alex. I have no experience with the Art, but I am using a Carvin DCM 600 (bridged at 8ohms puts out 450 watts I think), and I have no problem getting it to thump

I know that the guitarist from Circle Of Contempt uses the Art SLA-2 in his live rig and he posts here, so maybe you could shoot him a pm and see what he thinks of it. I think his username is RistoCoC


----------



## Andromalia

orb451 said:


> You can blame the thieves of the world for that. If it weren't for assholes like them, the above listed forms of payment would *most* likely still be acceptable. Since those are ripe for abuse, it's harder and harder to get anything of substantial value using those methods. Not only that, Fractal is a small company, I'd guess they have less than a dozen employees, they may not have the man power to sit there and baby sit every possible transaction and ensure there's no fraud going on.



They actually endup having to anyway.
I purchased mine from G66 in Europe, and there was absolutely no other way than paypal to pay on the site. I actually had to phone them to get a VISA payment done. (Which was handled promptly and without hassle by the G66 personnel)
I just suggested you should be able to at least use VISA cards like 99% of commercial websites.
End of story, the company can handle CC orders, but their website can't. 
For most of us who don't ebay frequently and mostly use commercial websites, paypal is just an additional hassle when buying.


----------



## silentrage

I hate paypal with a passion, I'm never using them again on principle.


----------



## JohnIce

I bought mine from G66, and all I had to was a bank transfer  I don't have VISA or PayPal or anything.


----------



## KoenDercksen

Once I have enough money I'll be buying an Axe Fx Ultra.

However (yes, haha), I'm wondering about some things.

1. It is really quite pricey to go with the Atomic Reactor active cab, I'm going to need more than 3000&#8364; for that and I really can not afford that. I can't afford the AxeFx just yet, but that'll come with time. Will it sounds worse when I use a poweramp+regular guitar cab? Do volumes matter with that setup? How much money would I be using on that? Doesn't nessecarily have to be a 4x12...

2. For recording, I currently have a Line 6 UX2. I record using PodFarm. Could I also use the UX2 as my recording device with the AxeFx? Is there anyway to feed one output of the AxeFx into the UX2 for recording, and the other through a cab or something to hear what I'm playing? Since input monitoring via USB has a waaaay too long delay.

3. I currently have a stereo system (amp+speakers, no monitorspeakers though) hooked up as audio output of my UX2. Could I use the stereosystem as a sort of cab to hear the AxeFx? 

Thanks in advance for the answers! This is really quite expensive for me, seeing as I make about 250&#8364; a month and am 16


----------



## Andromalia

You can absolutely use an UX2, I own an UX8 and It worked so I don't see a reason why an UX2 should fail.
That said, UX2 is lacking MIDI ability, so I ended up changing my interface anyway.
What you'll miss with the UX2: 
-Firmware upgrades
-Downloading other people's patches.

Given that some firmware upgrades include entirely new amps from time to time, I decided I needed the MIDI and keep the UX8 for rehearsal recordings.


----------



## KoenDercksen

Well, I could get a midi to usb cable for that stuff, right?


----------



## Triple7

Andromalia said:


> You can absolutely use an UX2, I own an UX8 and It worked so I don't see a reason why an UX2 should fail.
> That said, UX2 is lacking MIDI ability, so I ended up changing my interface anyway.
> What you'll miss with the UX2:
> -Firmware upgrades
> -Downloading other people's patches.
> 
> Given that some firmware upgrades include entirely new amps from time to time, I decided I needed the MIDI and keep the UX8 for rehearsal recordings.


 

Out of curiousity, what did you upgrade to. I currently have the UX2 and I was thinking about upgrading as well. I still need the latest firmware for the Axe Fx.


----------



## bronz79

A crazy idea comes to my mind a couple of days ago:
sell my Eventide eclipse an buy on Axe fx ultra,

-i tame a second version of the eclipse coming out and i don't want price drop.
-with the axe i can use only fx with my herbert and amp sim when i'm 
not with my amp/amps.
-i'm not goiing to use any 4 cable method..too many hum.hiss..ground loop
with g-system in the past and i don't need nearly nothing preamp exept for a wha sometimes.

I don't know i must test fx quality and deep of editing
I must admit my dreams setup will have an h8000fw for amp rack and a axe fx standard for mobile setup.


----------



## PnKnG

bronz79 said:


> A crazy idea comes to my mind a couple of days ago:
> sell my Eventide eclipse an buy on Axe fx ultra,
> 
> -i tame a second version of the eclipse coming out and i don't want price drop.
> -with the axe i can use only fx with my herbert and amp sim when i'm
> not with my amp/amps.
> -i'm not goiing to use any 4 cable method..too many hum.hiss..ground loop
> with g-system in the past and i don't need nearly nothing preamp exept for a wha sometimes.
> 
> I don't know i must test fx quality and *deep of editing*
> I must admit my dreams setup will have an h8000fw for amp rack and a axe fx standard for mobile setup.



This you can easily do by downloading the Axe-Edit.
Axe-Edit - Editor for the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx (Beta)
You won't be able to make any sounds with it but you can test and try out the possibilities and depth of the editor.


----------



## Andromalia

Triple7 said:


> Out of curiousity, what did you upgrade to. I currently have the UX2 and I was thinking about upgrading as well. I still need the latest firmware for the Axe Fx.



I got a Lexicon Omega. It's not so much an upgrade as something different. It has a lot less I/O than the UX8 but has MIDI. Works fine for the purpose of recording the axe at home.


----------



## Triple7

Andromalia said:


> I got a Lexicon Omega. It's not so much an upgrade as something different. It has a lot less I/O than the UX8 but has MIDI. Works fine for the purpose of recording the axe at home.



Awesome, that's basically what I would need it for.


----------



## KoenDercksen

Has anyone got some answers for the other questions in my previous post (#433)?
Also thinking about selling my UX2 and buy another interface, but can I actually sell the UX2?  Like with the PodFarm registration being computer related and stuff... I don't really know lol.


----------



## orb451

KoenDercksen said:


> Has anyone got some answers for the other questions in my previous post (#433)?
> Also thinking about selling my UX2 and buy another interface, but can I actually sell the UX2?  Like with the PodFarm registration being computer related and stuff... I don't really know lol.



If you're talking about using a regular home stereo as a way to hear the Axe, provided you've got the cables you'll need, yeah, it'd probably work. Might not sound all that spectacular, but I'm sure it can be done. 

As for the cab advice, again, it's subjective. It might be just fine for you, using a 1x12, 2x12 or 4x12 cab instead of the Atomic Reactors. I mean *eventually* you'll probably want to get something else, but with all the ins/outs on the Axe, you can pretty much use whatever you want. Will it sound great? It might sound great to you, just depends on your style and taste. You could get a couple of cheap 1 or 2x12 cabs (for stereo) and a solid state (or tube) power amp and be fine. Just depends what you're going to use it for, i.e. gigging, recording, low-volume bedroom jams, etc...


----------



## Varkatzas

Has anyone just tried to run an Standard and use a 6505+ as a power amp through a 4x12?


----------



## KoenDercksen

orb451 said:


> If you're talking about using a regular home stereo as a way to hear the Axe, provided you've got the cables you'll need, yeah, it'd probably work. Might not sound all that spectacular, but I'm sure it can be done.
> 
> As for the cab advice, again, it's subjective. It might be just fine for you, using a 1x12, 2x12 or 4x12 cab instead of the Atomic Reactors. I mean *eventually* you'll probably want to get something else, but with all the ins/outs on the Axe, you can pretty much use whatever you want. Will it sound great? It might sound great to you, just depends on your style and taste. You could get a couple of cheap 1 or 2x12 cabs (for stereo) and a solid state (or tube) power amp and be fine. Just depends what you're going to use it for, i.e. gigging, recording, low-volume bedroom jams, etc...


 
I'm planning to use it as my regular amp, so for recording and bedroom/drummer jams mostly. Sometimes I'll have a gig, might be more frequently in the future...

How about the Atomic reactors, do they provide enough volume to be on a stage without further (PA) amplification?

I was thinking I could also just get a powered full range monitor and use that as a speaker/cab instead of those expensive AR's... But it'd probably not sound as good


----------



## orb451

KoenDercksen said:


> I'm planning to use it as my regular amp, so for recording and bedroom/drummer jams mostly. Sometimes I'll have a gig, might be more frequently in the future...
> 
> How about the Atomic reactors, do they provide enough volume to be on a stage without further (PA) amplification?
> 
> I was thinking I could also just get a powered full range monitor and use that as a speaker/cab instead of those expensive AR's... But it'd probably not sound as good



Can't speak to the Atomic reactors as I don't have them. My understanding from reading others reviews is that they're great, fine with most drummers and decent with a gig depending on the size of the venue. That is, the bigger the gig size, the more of em' you'd need to really fill things out. I'd check out the Fractal forums for more info, they have a section on there for amps/cabs that has a lot of good information:

Fractal Audio Systems &bull; View forum - Amps and Cabs

Personally, I use 2 QSC K10's for my speakers and subjectively, to my ears, they're plenty loud and sound great. But again, that's just to me... Everyone's different so my advice is to try to get an idea as best you can, of what these different pieces of gear sound like first hand if at all possible. That is, try them out through music stores or friends if you can...

When I first got my K10s I thought they sounded like ass, and I'd made a huge mistake, but after dialing in my patches, it's become a lot easier to get sounds I'm happy with. From high gain, to no-gain and everything in between.


----------



## xschuldinerx

how should i set the input and output volumes? and how do i make it so every preset is at the same volume? im using a peavey 6505+ as a poweramp right now


----------



## Triple7

xschuldinerx said:


> how should i set the input and output volumes? and how do i make it so every preset is at the same volume? im using a peavey 6505+ as a poweramp right now



The input volume should be set at about between 12 and 1 o'clock, the output volume should be set appropriately to where you are playing. 

In order to get every preset to sound even, you will have to go into each individual preset and adjust the master volume and the level on the amp.


----------



## Andromalia

Input will heavily depend on the pickups you use. Ideally you want the input to go in the red but not to the top when you are using the most output you can produce. (ie, usually downtuned palm mutes or compressed cleans)


----------



## HailStan

Hey guys this is my first post, sorry for the noob question, I know it's basically been answered but I'm kinda looking for some reinforcement. I've read most of this thread and I've been looking into the axe fx for a while. I would mainly use it for bedroom practice and jamming with drums/other guitars. Would the 50w atomic active monitor be suitable for this?


----------



## Customisbetter

^It would be perfect!

Also Welcome.


----------



## BrandonARC

got an issue, cant find a used standard anywhere, so should i just bite the bullet and get a new one with a warranty? or hold out for a used one.


----------



## Triple7

BrandonARC said:


> got an issue, cant find a used standard anywhere, so should i just bite the bullet and get a new one with a warranty? or hold out for a used one.


 

Bite the bullet dude. A solid warranty is a good thing to have, especially with a piece of equipment this expensive.


----------



## BrandonARC

sounds like a good idea. a used one is like 1300 to 1400 anyways. so ill just do that. Any idea how long fractal takes to ship?


----------



## Taylor2

After pondering buying one for a long time, I went to buy one today, and they're F**KING SOLD OUT.


----------



## BrandonARC

Not in the US


----------



## BrandonARC

one more thing, why can you buy an atomic amp with paypal but fractal doesnt do paypal for the axe fx? now i gotta transfer funds, which sucks.


----------



## Taylor2

BrandonARC said:


> Not in the US


 
How can they be sold out for Canada but not for the US?


----------



## Zugster

BrandonARC said:


> sounds like a good idea. a used one is like 1300 to 1400 anyways. so ill just do that. Any idea how long fractal takes to ship?


 
Unless I can save like 40% used, I dont' see it as worthwhile and I'll buy new. I'm always amazed when I see people on ebay willing to pay $1300 for a used item that they could have new for $1500.


----------



## xschuldinerx

Hey, how would i hook up an Art sla2 poweramp and axefx ultra with an 8ohm cab? i dont see where i would hook up the cab to and stuff. im recording with my band tommorow so help would be wonderful!!


----------



## Larrikin666

xschuldinerx said:


> Hey, how would i hook up an Art sla2 poweramp and axefx ultra with an 8ohm cab? i dont see where i would hook up the cab to and stuff. im recording with my band tommorow so help would be wonderful!!



You'll need a banana lead to 1/4" speaker cable to go from the SLA-2 to the cabinet.


----------



## James_E

PirateMetalTroy said:


> I'm actually REALLY frustrated with fractal right now. My credit card company won't give me a limit increase for even one purchase, and fratcal has been completely unhelpful in finding me a workaround. It's almost as if they don't even want my money...
> 
> I'm so frustrated I'm seriously considering picking up a ts100 and an engl e530 and calling it a day.



Would putting cash onto your CC (thereby creating balance in your favour) work? Example:

If the bill to fractal is $2000, and your CC limit is $1500 do this:

PUt $500 cash onto your credit card. The balance is now technically OWED to YOU by the CC company. Then, go buy the ultra. The total that you actually will now owe the CC company is $1500... your CC limit. So... you never actually exceed the limit. Would that work?


----------



## xtrustisyoursx

James_E said:


> Would putting cash onto your CC (thereby creating balance in your favour) work? Example:
> 
> If the bill to fractal is $2000, and your CC limit is $1500 do this:
> 
> PUt $500 cash onto your credit card. The balance is now technically OWED to YOU by the CC company. Then, go buy the ultra. The total that you actually will now owe the CC company is $1500... your CC limit. So... you never actually exceed the limit. Would that work?



No, that wouldn't work


----------



## Charles

Axe FX question!

I'm wanting to switch over, but only if it's ultra portable. I'm not questioning the sound quality, because that definitely speaks for itself.

Can I get a cabinet with a power amp in it? I know some of you may be laughing at me for this question but I know little about such things.

What I want is a really small cabinet with the Axe FX on top, then a foot controller. That'd be such a sweet little setup.


----------



## cradleofflames

Charles said:


> Axe FX question!
> 
> I'm wanting to switch over, but only if it's ultra portable. I'm not questioning the sound quality, because that definitely speaks for itself.
> 
> Can I get a cabinet with a power amp in it? I know some of you may be laughing at me for this question but I know little about such things.
> 
> What I want is a really small cabinet with the Axe FX on top, then a foot controller. That'd be such a sweet little setup.



There are no guitar cabs like that to my knowledge.

Otherwise that's what a powered monitor is. I don't know what's available where you are but people who aren't using the Atomics seem to like the QSC K12 or the FBT Verve 12MA.

If you want to use a guitar cab a small ported cab like a Thiele, Bogner Cube, Ear Candy Sovereign, or Port City Wave depending on what sound you need and a small power amp like a Carvin DCM150 in the rack with the Axe FX would be nearly as portable.


----------



## Charles

Can a powered monitor literally just be a speaker with a plug out the back?


----------



## PirateMetalTroy

xtrustisyoursx said:


> No, that wouldn't work



This is correct. If your limit is $1500, you CANNOT under any circumstances make a purchase exceeding $1500.

I'm having the same problem. my credit limit is $1000 and I can't even ASK of an increase for another 6 months. I've been asking all my friends if they've got higher credit limits than me. so far, no luck.


----------



## Andromalia

Charles said:


> What I want is a really small cabinet with the Axe FX on top, then a foot controller. That'd be such a sweet little setup.


What you can have is a small FRFR speaker with the axe on top. Different than a guitar cab, but as interesting. Picture it in your head as a PA monitoring return instead of a cabinet and you'll get the picture. 
If you play live you'll use the speaker as a return and handle the sound guy an XLR to plug into the mixer direct from the axe instead of miking.


----------



## xschuldinerx

so how do i hook the sla2 axe fx and cab? what outputs and what inputs etc. thanks guys!


----------



## eventhetrees

I need to stop going on this forum. I'll never get an Axe FX if I keep posting here. Should be renamed GAS forum from SS.ORG...

and I've bookmarked this thread, very good info


----------



## ykcirj

xschuldinerx said:


> so how do i hook the sla2 axe fx and cab? what outputs and what inputs etc. thanks guys!



Larrikin answered on post #460


----------



## Winspear

When I get an Ultra, I wish to use it for several different applications.
I have not yet looked into pedalboard options but I'll get something that can control all my different patches.

Now - I'm going to have it set up with around 15 different guitar patches that I want all available to me while playing. I guess this is easily possible...

However, I also want to use it for bass and maybe vocals, and also as an external unit when mixing. I can obviously save all these presets that I'm going to want very easily, but is there a way to have 'master presets' or something?

I.e. when playing bass my footswitch would control all the bass patches and the guitar/vocal stuff would be out of the way.

Basically like having a seperate Axe FX for each application.


----------



## JohnIce

EtherealEntity said:


> When I get an Ultra, I wish to use it for several different applications.
> I have not yet looked into pedalboard options but I'll get something that can control all my different patches.
> 
> Now - I'm going to have it set up with around 15 different guitar patches that I want all available to me while playing. I guess this is easily possible...
> 
> However, I also want to use it for bass and maybe vocals, and also as an external unit when mixing. I can obviously save all these presets that I'm going to want very easily, but is there a way to have 'master presets' or something?
> 
> I.e. when playing bass my footswitch would control all the bass patches and the guitar/vocal stuff would be out of the way.
> 
> Basically like having a seperate Axe FX for each application.


 
You could set up different banks for different instruments... I have a Behringer FCB1010 which has 10 presets per bank, and I have it set up with 2 banks per band I'm in. That means all the sounds are tailored to the guitar(s) I use with that band aswell.

So when, as an example, I play with my cover band I go to bank 5 and have only my cover patches there and nothing else.


----------



## Winspear

JohnIce said:


> You could set up different banks for different instruments... I have a Behringer FCB1010 which has 10 presets per bank, and I have it set up with 2 banks per band I'm in. That means all the sounds are tailored to the guitar(s) I use with that band aswell.
> 
> So when, as an example, I play with my cover band I go to bank 5 and have only my cover patches there and nothing else.



Banks - yeah. That's what I meant but wasn't sure if the word applied here.

Perfect, thanks a lot


----------



## deathjazz89

I can't wait till I get an Axe Fx rig. I already sold everything else that is of value to me in order to get it. Too bad I have to pay the mortgage with all the money now.


----------



## KoenDercksen

^Dude that sucks really much haha

I can't wait either... When I get this months salary I'm at about 1.4, maybe 1.5k...

Long way to go  Since I'm planning on AxeFx Ultra + Atomic Reactor + FCB1010 + rack for the AxeFx... Will put me at 3200&#8364; at least I think. I don't even have half yet


----------



## Cadavuh

how often do they restock? i emailed them with no response and ive been trying to order a standard for a few days now.


----------



## All_¥our_Bass

Does it model a VH140C?
Does it have a ring modulator effect?


----------



## Soopahmahn

Check out the Axe Wiki for full features list. 

I was hoping this thread hadn't died.


----------



## S-O

All_¥our_Bass;2130452 said:


> Does it model a VH140C?



No, but it has the Soldano x99, which is grindcore heaven.



All_¥our_Bass;2130452 said:


> Does it have a ring modulator effect?



Yes. How else would I make the transformer noise?


----------



## getaway_fromme

Cadavuh said:


> how often do they restock? i emailed them with no response and ive been trying to order a standard for a few days now.



They were in stock yesterday and went out of stock again today. Dear god, this is gonna be difficult for some...

EDIT: Nevermind! They're still there...For now.


----------



## Cadavuh

Gah no standards for 2-3 weeks!!! My band has a show before then, I think i'm gonna have to buy one used.


----------



## Larrikin666

I know these are everyone's least favorite issues to help with, but I'm ready to throw everything out the window. I'm getting the same connection: check midi settings error that everyone seems plagued with. It's been months since I picked up my Ultra. I had to do some crazy installing and removing of my midisport 2x2 drivers to get everything to connect to my laptop running Windows XP SP2. It eventually worked, so I never needed to mess with it much.

I convinced a friend to pick up an Ultra. He just got it in today, but his firmware was 5.19. He couldn't wait to play with it, so I lent him my unit while I worked on getting his up to date. I feel like I've tried everything. I also tried installed the Axe-edit newer version on my desktop running Windows 7 64-bit. No luck with that either. My midi channel 1 and sysex id 125 are definitely set correctly.

I noticed that if I constant click the "test" button the midi in light on the Axe-FX will eventually click on for a second, but the software still isn't seeing it.

I'm ready to pull my hair out.


----------



## jl_killer

Cadavuh said:


> how often do they restock? i emailed them with no response and ive been trying to order a standard for a few days now.




Keep trying, after pushing that button for two weeks i finally ordered one tonight! WOOP!


----------



## getaway_fromme

jl_killer said:


> Keep trying, after pushing that button for two weeks i finally ordered one tonight! WOOP!



Ya, do NOT wait to receive an email. You should Be checking up on that button at least 5 times a day, or it's another 3 weeks.


----------



## Sepultorture

Larrikin666 said:


> I know these are everyone's least favorite issues to help with, but I'm ready to throw everything out the window. I'm getting the same connection: check midi settings error that everyone seems plagued with. It's been months since I picked up my Ultra. I had to do some crazy installing and removing of my midisport 2x2 drivers to get everything to connect to my laptop running Windows XP SP2. It eventually worked, so I never needed to mess with it much.
> 
> I convinced a friend to pick up an Ultra. He just got it in today, but his firmware was 5.19. He couldn't wait to play with it, so I lent him my unit while I worked on getting his up to date. I feel like I've tried everything. I also tried installed the Axe-edit newer version on my desktop running Windows 7 64-bit. No luck with that either. My midi channel 1 and sysex id 125 are definitely set correctly.
> 
> I noticed that if I constant click the "test" button the midi in light on the Axe-FX will eventually click on for a second, but the software still isn't seeing it.
> 
> I'm ready to pull my hair out.



another fine reason why they should have a dedicated USB port for updates and AXE edits


----------



## LordOVchaoS

Larrikin666 said:


> I know these are everyone's least favorite issues to help with, but I'm ready to throw everything out the window. I'm getting the same connection: check midi settings error that everyone seems plagued with. It's been months since I picked up my Ultra. I had to do some crazy installing and removing of my midisport 2x2 drivers to get everything to connect to my laptop running Windows XP SP2. It eventually worked, so I never needed to mess with it much.
> 
> I convinced a friend to pick up an Ultra. He just got it in today, but his firmware was 5.19. He couldn't wait to play with it, so I lent him my unit while I worked on getting his up to date. I feel like I've tried everything. I also tried installed the Axe-edit newer version on my desktop running Windows 7 64-bit. No luck with that either. My midi channel 1 and sysex id 125 are definitely set correctly.
> 
> I noticed that if I constant click the "test" button the midi in light on the Axe-FX will eventually click on for a second, but the software still isn't seeing it.
> 
> I'm ready to pull my hair out.



Have you tried Midi-OX?

MIDIOX

Also, I CAN NOT get firmware updates to work with my M-Audio 1010lt. Tried everything. I had a CHEAP ($5 or so) midi-USB converter laying around that I got on ebay and though it doesn't work worth a shit for editing patches, it sends firmware just fine! I have another one if you want it.


----------



## Larrikin666

LordOVchaoS said:


> Have you tried Midi-OX?
> 
> MIDIOX
> 
> Also, I CAN NOT get firmware updates to work with my M-Audio 1010lt. Tried everything. I had a CHEAP ($5 or so) midi-USB converter laying around that I got on ebay and though it doesn't work worth a shit for editing patches, it sends firmware just fine! I have another one if you want it.



Yeah. I tried Midi-OX and Sendsys as well. My Mbox 2 Pro is useless until my pci firewire card shows up this week. I'm hoping that will fix the issue. I had heard nothing but good things about the Midisport 2x2 previously.


----------



## LordOVchaoS

Larrikin666 said:


> Yeah. I tried Midi-OX and Sendsys as well. My Mbox 2 Pro is useless until my pci firewire card shows up this week. I'm hoping that will fix the issue. I had heard nothing but good things about the Midisport 2x2 previously.



Well if you need this little $5 jewel, let me know! I won't charge you anything for it. It's sitting here doing me no good!


----------



## InAbsentia_

Any chance that this is a marketing scheme? 'We're selling so many of these we've run out, holy shit!!' etc?


----------



## LordOVchaoS

InAbsentia_ said:


> Any chance that this is a marketing scheme? 'We're selling so many of these we've run out, holy shit!!' etc?



Lol no, just a small company keeping up with a large demand.


----------



## Larrikin666

LordOVchaoS said:


> Well if you need this little $5 jewel, let me know! I won't charge you anything for it. It's sitting here doing me no good!



I'll let you know. I'm gonna try loading everything up on a friend's computer to see what happens. Fractal said it's the computer 90% of the time. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.


----------



## JohnIce

Alright, a simple question that for some reason I can't find the answer anywhere online, probably me being dumber than average...

Anyway, Axe-Edit users: Which cables go where when connecting to a PC?

The weird thing is that I managed to update the firmware... with a MIDI>USB adapter, I connected the IN cable to the IN on the Axe-Fx, the editor said it couldn't find the hardware but I sent the firmware update anyway and it worked! This was after I set the SysEx ID in the editor to 00 01 7d, and the ID on the Axe-Fx to 125.

After doing the update, the SysEx ID on the Axe-Fx had been changed to 00 01 74, and can't be edited anymore (it used to go from 0 to 127). So I switched the ID in the editor to that aswell, as is recommended on the Fractal site.

I tried (or think so, anyway), plugging the IN and OUT cables to both the IN, OUT and THRU inputs on the Axe-Fx, in various combinations, and with the THRU switch on and off on the coverter plug... and the Axe-Edit just keeps saying I need to check the Audio/Midi settings.

Any help, dudes?


----------



## TomAwesome

JohnIce said:


> Alright, a simple question that for some reason I can't find the answer anywhere online, probably me being dumber than average...
> 
> Anyway, Axe-Edit users: Which cables go where when connecting to a PC?
> 
> The weird thing is that I managed to update the firmware... with a MIDI>USB adapter, I connected the IN cable to the IN on the Axe-Fx, the editor said it couldn't find the hardware but I sent the firmware update anyway and it worked! This was after I set the SysEx ID in the editor to 00 01 7d, and the ID on the Axe-Fx to 125.
> 
> After doing the update, the SysEx ID on the Axe-Fx had been changed to 00 01 74, and can't be edited anymore (it used to go from 0 to 127).
> 
> I tried (or think so, anyway), plugging the IN and OUT cables to both the IN, OUT and THRU inputs on the Axe-Fx, in various combinations, and with the THRU switch on and off on the coverter plug... and the Axe-Edit just keeps saying I need to check the Audio/Midi settings.
> 
> Any help, dudes?



You're thinking about it wrong. The signal that goes OUT of your interface goes IN the Axe-FX, and the signal that goes OUT of the Axe-FX goes IN the interface. That's how they communicate back and forth.


----------



## JohnIce

TomAwesome said:


> You're thinking about it wrong. The signal that goes OUT of your interface goes IN the Axe-FX, and the signal that goes OUT of the Axe-FX goes IN the interface. That's how they communicate back and forth.


 
Indeed, I figured that and so says the manual for the converter plug... but I've tried that aswell, unfortunately. And it was when the IN plug went to the IN input that the Firmware got updated (I checked, the Marsha and Citrus etc. are now in my Axe-Fx).

Either way, I assume the THRU contact on the Axe-Fx is never used for connecting to the PC, at least?


----------



## TomAwesome

Oh, weird. The Axe-FX is picky about interfaces, so maybe it just doesn't like yours. The THRU port just takes what it gets from the IN port and sends it back out again. That's just for using one controller to control multiple devices at the same time.


----------



## JohnIce

Hmm, maybe... I'll have a go at it again, making sure I go IN from the PC and OUT of the Axe-Fx, but I don't have high hopes at the moment. My converter plug is a Cakewalk UM-1G, haven't heard anyone having issues with that.

Should the SysEx ID be 00 01 74 on both the Axe-Fx and the Editor? No other settings in need of changing?

Thanks for the help in either case though, sent some rep in your general direction!


----------



## TomAwesome

The SysEx ID defaults to 125 in my Axe Edit, and it works fine like that. I didn't have to change anything there.


----------



## JohnIce

According to Fractal, the latest Firmware changes that because of some compatibility issues with the MFC... it says that for 10.02 and later it should be 00 01 74, and for 10.01 and earlier it should be 00 00 7d... when I updated to 10.02 though, to make matters more confusing, the editor was set to 00 00 7d and the Axe-Fx set to default 125, like yours... now it defaults to 00 01 74 though, and it can't be changed at all anymore.

Axe-Edit - Editor for the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx (Beta)


----------



## orb451

JohnIce, did you recently upgrade your AxeFX's firmware? Did you upgrade your editor software too?

That sysex ID, from Cliff's release notes on 10.02 firmware says (in part):
I think that's where that change from 125 to 00H 01H 74H is coming from.


_"10.02
http://www.fractalaudio.com/Documents/V ... a10_02.zip

*******************************************************************************
10.02
SysEx Header now incorporates new permanent Manufacturer&#8217;s ID (00H 01H 74H) assigned by the MIDI Manufacturer&#8217;s Association.
*******************************************************************************
10.01
Fixed early reflections not audible in reverb block.
*******************************************************************************
10.00
Added value checking to MidiSendName() to prevent illegal MIDI sysex values which are present in some presets created with old editor.
Reworked Euro Uber model.
Added &#8220;Shiver Cln&#8221; and &#8220;Shiver Ld&#8221; models.
Added &#8220;Marsha BE&#8221; and &#8220;Marsha HBE&#8221; models.
Added &#8220;Face Fuzz&#8221; and &#8220;Master Fuzz&#8221; drive models.
Improved Presence control algorithm in amp block. The new algorithm more accurately models the resulting response of the power amp and speaker coil interaction. Increasing the Presence control will now produce more &#8220;bite&#8221; and a more pronounced attack.
New slew-rate algorithm in Drive block. This algorithm is an exact model of the op-amp slew-rate limiting.
Fixed amp block popping when turning power amp simulation on/off._"

EDIT: Ninja'd


----------



## LordOVchaoS

Is it one of those cheap ebay interfaces?

Try installing this driver: http://www.emu.com/support/files/storage/EmmP_PCDrv_L6_1_01_04.exe


----------



## JohnIce

^ Definately not, it was $60-something... will try that though, thanks!


----------



## JohnIce

Well fuck me... it works now, all I had to do was bring my laptop back to the studio, plug everything in and re-start the editor and it worked.

It also turns out the cables weren't actually marked IN and OUT, but "Connect to IN" and "Connect to OUT"  Which explained a lot of things about why they were doing the opposite of what I thought they would.

And although I'm late to the party, yeah these latest firmware updates has definately brought new life to the Axe-Fx! There's a loss in prescence on my old patches but overall everything sounds much better.


----------



## hxcdeathcore

A few questions
Does the Axe FX have a built in power amp?

So I can just buy it, plug it into computer moniters and listen back? And simply plug it in a PA and the sound will come out of both the PA speakers and moniters? Any specific cables I need for this?


----------



## orb451

hxcdeathcore said:


> A few questions
> Does the Axe FX have a built in power amp?
> 
> So I can just buy it, plug it into computer moniters and listen back? And simply plug it in a PA and the sound will come out of both the PA speakers and moniters? Any specific cables I need for this?



Built in power amp sim, so yes, with powered monitors (computer/studio) you can plug it in and play. Same with powered PA speakers. You'd need 1/4" or XLR cables (or a combination thereof) to plug everything in.


----------



## JohnIce

hxcdeathcore said:


> A few questions
> Does the Axe FX have a built in power amp?
> 
> So I can just buy it, plug it into computer moniters and listen back? And simply plug it in a PA and the sound will come out of both the PA speakers and moniters? Any specific cables I need for this?


 
The things you mentioned don't require a power amp. And no, the Axe-Fx doesn't have one.

What you'd need a power amp for is if you want to use the Axe-Fx with for example a guitar cabinet or passive monitors, any kind of speaker that doesn't have its own power supply. In the case of passive monitors, if they're used in the context of a PA they will get their power from the sound tech's power amp, so you wouldn't need to bring one.


----------



## Cadavuh

Just snagged a standard off ebay! Finally!


----------



## mattofvengeance

Cadavuh said:


> Just snagged a standard off ebay! Finally!



Congrats! Welcome to the club.


----------



## slapnutz

Question,

If youre dialing in say a Mesa Trip Rec or Peavey 5150 tone. Once you have it matched.... if you adjust the eq, does it still behave like those amps.

i.e. does it match a specific "knob setting" for an amp... or it matches the Basic amp first and then if you adjust gain/eq/etc... in the axe... it mirrors the sound of the amp its trying to model.

Hope this question makes sense.


----------



## Beast

I am contemplating getting the axe fx ultra, but since I am not very tech savvy, would this work: guitar > zed10fx mixer > QSC k12s. 

If I love the axe fx, I will eventually get the fryette 2/90/2 and either a 4x12 or two 2x12s to go with it, but for now, I am wondering if the barebones setup will be sufficient. This is a solid thread too, I read the whole thing.

Thanks guys!


----------



## Larrikin666

It definitely sounds pretty good through the K12s. I think you'll be happy with it for a bit until you get the rest of the rig together.


----------



## Cadavuh

Has anyone A/Bed the Fryette power amps with the Atomic Monoblock? If so, verdict?


----------



## mikernaut

Anybody else have issues with the "value" knob skipping when trying to change patches? Mine is really bad and skips back and forth and is a total pain in the ass to get to the desired patch location. I can't believe how bad this dial reacts considering how great and expensive the rest of the unit it. I really can't wait until I have a footswitch for it.


----------



## Larrikin666

Cadavuh said:


> Has anyone A/Bed the Fryette power amps with the Atomic Monoblock? If so, verdict?



I would ask Misha about that since they're using both in Periphery right now.



mikernaut said:


> Anybody else have issues with the "value" knob skipping when trying to change patches? Mine is really bad and skips back and forth and is a total pain in the ass to get to the desired patch location. I can't believe how bad this dial reacts considering how great and expensive the rest of the unit it. I really can't wait until I have a footswitch for it.



That's not something I've experienced. Mine works pretty damn well, but I don't think it's the greatest way of moving through patches.


----------



## Cadavuh

Larrikin666 said:


> I would ask Misha about that since they're using both in Periphery right now.


 
Iight. I wanted a tube power amp but the VHT was wayyyyyy too expensive so i went with the monoblock. I havent been able to play through it yet though because the axe hasnt gotten here >_<.


----------



## Larrikin666

Cadavuh said:


> Iight. I wanted a tube power amp but the VHT was wayyyyyy too expensive so i went with the monoblock. I havent been able to play through it yet though because the axe hasnt gotten here >_<.



It sounded great when Misha posted a video of it. You definitely can't beat the weight and price. The VHT poweramps weigh a ton.


----------



## technomancer

Cadavuh said:


> Iight. I wanted a tube power amp but the VHT was wayyyyyy too expensive so i went with the monoblock. I havent been able to play through it yet though because the axe hasnt gotten here >_<.



IIRC Misha gave the monoblock to one of the other guitarists and bought himself a VHT 2/50/2 for his rig.


----------



## Larrikin666

technomancer said:


> IIRC Misha gave the monoblock to one of the other guitarists and bought himself a VHT 2/50/2 for his rig.



You remember correctly.


----------



## AliceLG

After reading question for 11 pages I've decided I have a 55% change of asking a n00b question that hasn't been asked/answered yet. PREAMBLE: I don't have an AxeFx  and I'm not planning to buy one in the near future, too expensive for my cheapass wallet hehe

I have the following scenario in mind: I have a gig in which I'll play 15 songs, and I have a set of presets for each one of them (I am that picky and spend that much time in front of my computer playing with presets). With the AxeFx, can I organized all the presets as a setlist, with a bank for each song? Does it depend on the foot controller?


----------



## Larrikin666

AliceLG said:


> After reading question for 11 pages I've decided I have a 55% change of asking a n00b question that hasn't been asked/answered yet. PREAMBLE: I don't have an AxeFx  and I'm not planning to buy one in the near future, too expensive for my cheapass wallet hehe
> 
> I have the following scenario in mind: I have a gig in which I'll play 15 songs, and I have a set of presets for each one of them (I am that picky and spend that much time in front of my computer playing with presets). With the AxeFx, can I organized all the presets as a setlist, with a bank for each song? Does it depend on the foot controller?



Definitely. A good midi controller makes that pretty darn easy.


----------



## Cadavuh

technomancer said:


> IIRC Misha gave the monoblock to one of the other guitarists and bought himself a VHT 2/50/2 for his rig.



Because the VHT was rack mountable or because it sounded better? or both?


----------



## fallenz3ro

I'm going to start recording with the axe, and am looking for a simple recording set up. What kind of interface do i need between the axe and my PC?


----------



## slapnutz

slapnutz said:


> Question,
> 
> If youre dialing in say a Mesa Trip Rec or Peavey 5150 tone. Once you have it matched.... if you adjust the eq, does it still behave like those amps.
> 
> i.e. does it match a specific "knob setting" for an amp... or it matches the Basic amp first and then if you adjust gain/eq/etc... in the axe... it mirrors the sound of the amp its trying to model.
> 
> Hope this question makes sense.



No takers?


----------



## Sepultorture

slapnutz said:


> No takers?



i know this may sound odd to you, but try to make your amp sims sounds like recorded versions of those respective amps

in other words try to get your tone as close to a polished recorded guitar tone as you can, as apposed to a raw guitar amp sound

and i imagine the answer to your questions is yes, the structure of tone will change much like they do on the amps they simulate


----------



## JohnIce

mikernaut said:


> Anybody else have issues with the "value" knob skipping when trying to change patches? Mine is really bad and skips back and forth and is a total pain in the ass to get to the desired patch location. I can't believe how bad this dial reacts considering how great and expensive the rest of the unit it. I really can't wait until I have a footswitch for it.


 
Yes! That is the exact same problem as I have. I've finally got around to hooking it up with Axe-Edit so it doesn't bother me that much anymore, but still, if you find a solution let me know!


----------



## nojyeloot

On a tangent... I'm scrambling to fund an AFX Ultra. I'm debating on selling my Randall V2 head. 

Question is, can I use my Randall V2 head (as is) for a power amp (instead of a Freyette or Mesa 2/90, etc)? If so, how would that work? (ie, through my clean channel??)


----------



## MaxOfMetal

nojyeloot said:


> On a tangent... I'm scrambling to fund an AFX Ultra. I'm debating on selling my Randall V2 head.
> 
> Question is, can I use my Randall V2 head (as is) for a power amp (instead of a Freyette or Mesa 2/90, etc)? If so, how would that work? (ie, through my clean channel??)



You would route the output of the AxeFx into the amp's effects return for the loop. That would bypass the preamp of the Randall completely.


----------



## Cadavuh

UPS just delivered. Fuck yes axe is in!


----------



## Ola Englund

MOD EDIT: This is a thread for questions about the Axe-Fx. If you want to post clips and aren't sharing the patch as well post them in the Recording or General Music sections.


----------



## leonardo7

Anyone know why the spillover works only when switching to certain patches? Shouldnt a delay spillover into whatever patch I switch to next? Maybe I missed it but I didnt see it in the manual.


----------



## Cadavuh

Question on EQing the axe: Ive gotten pretty close to the tone I want but there still is a little bit of a midrange snarl/grit I want to turn into smooth buttery goodness while still retaining that awesome upper mid clarity. Also I would like a like a little bit more clarity on the low end/ low mids. Also some smoother highs which will get rid of a bit of that grit. I want 100% smooth and 100% clarity.


----------



## trickae

Are there any distributors in Australia? Do any aussie members have one where we can try it out?


----------



## Ola Englund

ah screw it then. no more posting on sevenstring.org


----------



## PnKnG

Ola Englund said:


> ah screw it then. no more posting on sevenstring.org



surkuk


----------



## technomancer

Ola Englund said:


> ah screw it then. no more posting on sevenstring.org



As you wish 

If it's too hard for you to post in the correct section or answer questions people ask you, we don't really need you here.


----------



## IbanezJ2GA

Has anyone heard anymore on the axefx plugin? I thought they were bringing one out..


----------



## orb451

leonardo7 said:


> Anyone know why the spillover works only when switching to certain patches? Shouldnt a delay spillover into whatever patch I switch to next? Maybe I missed it but I didnt see it in the manual.



The spillover only works if *both* patches have that effect in them. So if you want a delay to spillover from one patch to the next, they *both* have to have the *same* kind of delay (to the best of my knowledge). Also, you can tweak the bypass parameters for an effect so that you get your spillover, without having to have that effect *on*.

I heard the AxeFX plugin/VST has taken a back seat to an FX only AxeFX pedalboard/rack unit. Not sure of the veracity of the rumor though, so take it with a grain of salt. I'm sure the plugin is coming, slowly but surely...


----------



## leonardo7

Word! I shall see. Thank You.


----------



## Andromalia

After much tweaking, I thought I'd just share my basic patch building routine since It was quite painful to get there by myself.
I ended up using this chain: 

-Compressor (Pedal)->Filter->PEQ->Drive->Amp->Cab->EQ-> eventual delay or reverb for live patches.

I have put the compressor first and it works better for me than putting it after the highpass filter and PEQ. I've tried using the studio compressor at the end of the chain but either I'm doing it wrong or the result is just plain horrible. 
Going for a death emtal sound the PEQ is *slightly* scooped, bands 1-5 are blocks and 2-4 provide a slight scooping (+094db at 397hz, -1.70db at 748 and 1095) 

Drive is T808, drive at 0.87, tone at 1.50, level and mix at full.
Used recto new as an amp, and 4x12 recto2 for a cab, what did really cut it was the GEQ after the cab at the end of the chain that helped tame the low end and add again some mids that were removed earlier. (-9 at 63, -5 at 125, +2.9 at 500, -0.5 at 2K).
All this is only 67% of the CPU on a standard.

Using this with a passive equipped guitar results in something I'm pretty happy about, especially sicne I found a pretty good bass sound to go with it, using the SVT for a clean bass sound coupled with a...JCM 800 for saturated bass.

Happy to see the work start to pay off, advice I'd give to beginners like I was is "Don't give up".


----------



## Larrikin666

That's a good starting ground for a patch. It's definitely rough the first few times. You may want to give the FAS Modern amp a shot for death metal. It has a little something extra that I prefer to the Recto models for rhythm. I love it.


----------



## Cadavuh

PROTIP: Turn the drive down to 0 in the amp block and use a separate drive block in front of the amp block with the non-modded 808 sim. Drive set to 2~, level set to 8~, and tone set to 5~. Works WONDERS oh em gee


----------



## Andromalia

Just tested it, not so good for me, remember that the drive settings are heavily user dependant, notably because of pickups. I' dont' go overboard with the gain (setting is at 5 on the amp block for me) but your setting doesn't give enough for me with the guitar I'm currently using. Guess those settings of yours would be better with a high output T500 style pickup.


----------



## angelo

both are supposed to be in stock next week. i know this subject has been discussed several times. here's my dillema. i'm getting up in years. i haven't played out in over 20 years. i have what i consider a great amp (mkv). however my set up seems overkill for what i need. i'm really intrigued by all of the ax-fx' capabilities. and am definitly gassing. so, will i be happy saving 500.00 and getting the standard? or, will i be pissed at myself down the road for being cheap. and not getting the ultra? is there a noticable difference between the two? i don't mind on missing out on a couple of fx, and i do plan to record.


----------



## Customisbetter

Axe-Fx Wiki


----------



## MaxOfMetal

I'd say get the Ultra if you have the cash. If it turns out you don't need those extra effects (the difference is listed here: Feature comparison - Axe-Fx Wiki) after playing around with them, then it's REALLY easy to sell the Ultra, and typically you won't be loosing any cash on it, especially when they go out of stock again.


----------



## loktide

i have the ultra and don't miss any of the features that would be present in the ultra.


----------



## Customisbetter

loktide said:


> i have the standard and don't miss any of the features that would be present in the ultra.



Fixed


----------



## S-O

I think if you are not all effects crazy, then the standard will do great, I personally wanted all the options, so if/when I need them, they are there.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

The biggest difference I think is if you're using it for effects only with an amp, or by itself with a power amp. If you're using as effects only (which is what I do) then you will want the Ultra for the routable noise gate. If you're using it as your preamp, then if you don't need the extra shit (synth, etc) then the Standard will do just fine.

I know it seems ass backwards to get the more expensive one and do less with it  But if you don't have a routable noise gate, you'll be stuck having to buy another piece of gear. Sure, a noise gate won't run you the $500 difference, but it also probably won't be MIDI programmable so you can easily shut it off when you want to do other shit, or have different settings for different patches.

That's my take on it anyways.


----------



## angelo

first off thank you for all the help and input. if i get it i'll be using it as a preamp with the sla2 for now. cabinet wise i've got a genz-benz g-flex that i'll give it a try with. effects are important to me but , i really want to mess with all the awesome amp sims most of all. and if i can actually figure it out it should work awesome with recording. 
last question: i'm not sure if this is the correct term but is there any noticable latency with the standard due to its processing power as compared to the ultra
'


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

None whatsoever.

The only difference is the lack of some effects (listed in the Wiki article posted), as well as not being able to create as complex patches.


----------



## Andromalia

You really need to overdo it to need the CPU power of the standard, ie, you want to emulate The Edge. even a feature-heavy patch with 2 amps, cabs, EQ, 1 delay and 1 reverb will hold in the standard. Now if you want multitap cascading reverse stereo delays dancing the hula-hoop, ok, the ultra might be needed.
Other than that, it's a need/don't need the additional features as said above.


----------



## OrsusMetal

I have the standard. I enjoy the hell out of it, but I'm now beginning to wish that I saved a little more and got the ultra. My standard seems to run out of CPU pretty easily when creating some patches. I am also very curious and want to mess with the other effects. 

Regardless, the standard is great and I have no regrets. I'll probably never upgrade to the ultra as I really don't need to, so it isn't a priority.


----------



## Gameboypdc

Ultra!


----------



## 7slinger

MaxOfMetal said:


> Feature comparison - Axe-Fx Wiki)



I actually didn't realize there were that many differences between the 2, I thought pretty much the only difference was the routable noise gate thing...


so is there no gate at all on the standard?


----------



## technomancer

The standard has a gate on the input, it's just not routable and there is only one.


----------



## JJ Rodriguez

Yeah, only the gate on the input. If you're using it with the 4 cable method, you need the routable noise gate so you can kill any noise coming from your amp. Logic would suggest that you would also want the routable noise gate to put after the amp model, but since the models are digital, if nothing goes in, nothing comes out, so the gate on the input works just as well.


----------



## angelo

thanks, everyone. i'm thinking it's going to be the ultra for me.


----------



## loktide

Customisbetter said:


> Fixed



 i didn't even notice that when i was typing it


----------



## Roo

I've trawled the Axe Fx bits of the site and I've narrowed down my question, (so please mods don't shut me down for asking another Axe Fx related question)

I think I want an ART SLA 2, but will that give me the clean "headroom" with an ENGL standard cab (412) which is 8 ohms stereo/ 16 mono. 

What about the SLA 4?

Help!

*MOD EDIT: Next time PM one of us before making a copy of a moved thread, if you don't believe the move was right. All questions concerning the AxeFx are going here, and if the fairly steady traffic of views and comments is any indication, you'll question will be answered, often quickly. *


----------



## MaxOfMetal

The 2x200 watts at 8ohms per channel, or 560 watts when bridged at 8ohms will get VERY loud before clipping. You shouldn't have any headroom issues.

As far as the SLA-4 goes, unless you're hooking up an expansive speaker array, or your current speakers have a specific ohm load that needs to be catered to, the SLA-2 will work just fine.


----------



## ShadyDavey

How does that stack up against the Rocktron Velocity 300? Admittedly the Rocktron isn't as powerful but in terms of tone, features and headroom?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

*Did some merging, and some cleaning. 

Carry on. *


----------



## Roo

Roo said:


> *MOD EDIT: Next time PM one of us before making a copy of a moved thread, if you don't believe the move was right. All questions concerning the AxeFx are going here, and if the fairly steady traffic of views and comments is any indication, you'll question will be answered, often quickly. *




Sorry lads, my bad, I didn't see that it had been moved so I assumed that I had actually failed to post it, so I posted it...again. Silly me! It was no disagreement, just a bit tired! Thanks for your tolerance

Cheers man, I'm totally out of my depth with solid state so glad I know where to ask the questions! ART SLA 2 it is!


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Roo said:


> Sorry lads, my bad, I didn't see that it had been moved so I assumed that I had actually failed to post it, so I posted it...again. Silly me! It was no disagreement, just a bit tired! Thanks for your tolerance
> 
> Cheers man, I'm totally out of my depth with solid state so glad I know where to ask the questions! ART SLA 2 it is!



No harm no foul. 

With solid state, you typically want anywhere from 200 to 400 watts if going mono and around 2x150 or 2x200 if going stereo in a live, band format. In theory you can have even bigger wattages (tons of guitarists I know have used Crown and QSC amps in excess of 1500 watts), but it's just useless power that you'll really never need. 

As for the SLA 2 itself, it's very transparent. It'll work wonderfully if you plan on using power amp and cab sims.


----------



## Andromalia

Well I have pretty much nailed my guitar tone now, still not really there but I have a good idea of what's needed and I'm more at the minute adjustment style. (changing the gain from 5 to 5.2 etc)
My main problem now is that I use it also to record bass, and I have NO CLUE of where I should be going. I have watched videos and countless posts, I'm fine up to the "make it sound shit" Fearedse Mel gibson video but...I'm stuck there and it still sounds bad in a mix. Either too much or not enough. :/ (Oh and the tuner doesn't handle low tuned basses properly,shame.)


----------



## getaway_fromme

Haha yea, the tuner doesn't hold low 7 string tunings either, but neither did any other tuner I've used.... For a low F#....Get used to tuning by octave


----------



## waynesworld91

This is a big leap for finally getting that new amp/tone I've wanted so it comes down to these two...

Do I get an Axe-FX/Ultra, if so is it just that into a cabinet or am I to buy a power amp as well to get the right sound kinda thing...

or do I get a Mark V [pricey] and add to it with pedals and such. Leaning towards the Axe as the price is watered down in comparison and at least I'll be willing to add more to it. Any comments that will help in this process of purchase? Thoughts on each/personal preference?


----------



## JPhoenix19

waynesworld91 said:


> This is a big leap for finally getting that new amp/tone I've wanted so it comes down to these two...
> 
> Do I get an Axe-FX/Ultra, if so is it just that into a cabinet or am I to buy a power amp as well to get the right sound kinda thing...
> 
> or do I get a Mark V [pricey] and add to it with pedals and such. Leaning towards the Axe as the price is watered down in comparison and at least I'll be willing to add more to it. Any comments that will help in this process of purchase? Thoughts on each/personal preference?



Which is more important to you, authentic tube tone or extreme versatility and having all your effects in one package? If the former, then the Mark V is the way to go- since the core tone is your focus, you can ad effects later. If the latter is the most important, than having a really good modeler that will get you great tones while having just about everything else you could need (as far as effects) would be the way to go.

As for me, I chose the authentic tone 

It's also worth noting that you will need a power amp and cab (or a set of powered monitors) unless you plan on running direct into the house system all the time. From what I've seen, the best tonal results for live situations are procured when you run an Axe-Fx into a tube power amp and then into your cab. This way, you don't have to depend on the house PA unless you want to.


----------



## Cadavuh

waynesworld91 said:


> This is a big leap for finally getting that new amp/tone I've wanted so it comes down to these two...
> 
> Do I get an Axe-FX/Ultra, if so is it just that into a cabinet or am I to buy a power amp as well to get the right sound kinda thing...
> 
> or do I get a Mark V [pricey] and add to it with pedals and such. Leaning towards the Axe as the price is watered down in comparison and at least I'll be willing to add more to it. Any comments that will help in this process of purchase? Thoughts on each/personal preference?



Axe Fx IMO. Once you learn all the tweaking curves you can get any tone you could get out of the Mark V plus more!


----------



## Andromalia

If you want to record, it's not really a choice, except if i addition to the mark V you want to buy effects, noise gates, compressors, mikes, cables for all the stuff.


----------



## JohnIce

waynesworld91 said:


> This is a big leap for finally getting that new amp/tone I've wanted so it comes down to these two...
> 
> Do I get an Axe-FX/Ultra, if so is it just that into a cabinet or am I to buy a power amp as well to get the right sound kinda thing...
> 
> or do I get a Mark V [pricey] and add to it with pedals and such. Leaning towards the Axe as the price is watered down in comparison and at least I'll be willing to add more to it. Any comments that will help in this process of purchase? Thoughts on each/personal preference?



First of all, you don't have to run the Axe-Fx into a cabinet... but if you want to, you have to get a power amp. Because the power amp is what powers the speaker cabinet, hence the name "power amp"  So it's not really a matter of getting the right sound or not, it's a matter of getting ANY sound.

Either way, I really recommend the Axe-Fx simply for the reason that it's a 2-space rack unit that can easily replace a large rig with multiple tube amps, cabinets, pedals and outboard rack gear... so you can take the subway or bus to a gig if you want. I carry my whole rig on my back now. And on the Axe you can even do things that are impossible to do with a real amp, such as putting effects and EQ's _after_ the cab... normally you could only do that in the studio, or on the mixing console. Hell, you can even run a distortion pedal straight into a cab on the Axe-Fx for interesting tones


----------



## ryanvegas

can i get good full sounding chuggie breakdowns out of the axe fx im thinking of getting one.

btw breakdowns like oceano,after the burial, etc


----------



## JohnIce

ryanvegas said:


> can i get good full sounding chuggie breakdowns out of the axe fx im thinking of getting one.
> 
> btw breakdowns like oceano,after the burial, etc



Google tells me that ATB use Axe-Fx's... I don't play breakdowns at all but I don't see why you couldn't.


----------



## Metalus

ryanvegas said:


> can i get good full sounding chuggie breakdowns out of the axe fx im thinking of getting one.
> 
> btw breakdowns like oceano,after the burial, etc



The Axe-Fx was used on the newest ATB album. Heres an example


----------



## Metalus

MaxOfMetal said:


> No harm no foul.
> 
> With solid state, you typically want anywhere from 200 to 400 watts if going mono and around 2x150 or 2x200 if going stereo in a live, band format. In theory you can have even bigger wattages (tons of guitarists I know have used Crown and QSC amps in excess of 1500 watts), but it's just useless power that you'll really never need.
> 
> As for the SLA 2 itself, it's very transparent. It'll work wonderfully if you plan on using power amp and cab sims.



What would u say would be the difference in tone with the SLA vs the VHT 2502/2902?

I would love the get an SLA because its so cheap, but i dont want it sounding too "digital" i guess 

Also, is it true you can use more then one amp model at a time in a single chain on the Axe-Fx?


----------



## teqnick

Got an axe fx again , but ran into some problems this time..

My midisport uno isn't being recognized in Axe Edit. I'm getting "Check midi settings"

I'm also having problems getting an drivers for the midisport, but i don't think that's an issue as i'm only using it to transfer patches etc.

otherwise, i'm so happy with this thing thus far.


----------



## Andromalia

Metalus said:


> Also, is it true you can use more then one amp model at a time in a single chain on the Axe-Fx?



Well, you can do input-[whatever]- amp-amp- [whatever] yes. Note that the "more than one" is restricted to two, actually. I don't really see the point of it in the axe but it can be done.
You can use two amps/cabs in parallel chains and have them sent to the same output, however, which is likely what you meant but I'm not really sure. 

Tegnik: there's a list of compatible MIDI stuff on Fractall forums.


----------



## damiandred

Ive got axe fx here with me now

i have an agile 6 string with the stardard EMG 81 copies.

has anybody got a great setting i can start my tone with ?

i realize it wont sound the same, but at-least it will give me a reference point to go from.

im after that sexy fierce Chimp Spanner-esque warm, bulging steamy 8 string sound.

i have my 6 tuned to the odd sikth tuning. with the low E tuned to A.

give me some shit!


----------



## Kurkkuviipale

Ever heard the band called 'Periphery'?


----------



## feeleuphoria

this youtube guy fearedse has some awesome tones and some of the axe ones have presets


----------



## Psyy

Can anyone give me a moderately detailed explanation for how they hook up their Axe-Fx to a computer for direct input recording? 

I'm pretty terrible with figuring it out so far, but I'm looking for a way to hook it up without using SPDIF, as I've heard of some issues with it so far. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


----------



## Taylor2

Psyy said:


> Can anyone give me a moderately detailed explanation for how they hook up their Axe-Fx to a computer for direct input recording?
> 
> I'm pretty terrible with figuring it out so far, but I'm looking for a way to hook it up without using SPDIF, as I've heard of some issues with it so far. Any help would be greatly appreciated!



Hey man!


I run an XLR cable from Output 1 Left directly into my Firepod input 1.
Simple as that.


If you are talking about using the Axe-Edit, you would have to have an interface which has MIDI capabilities, and run two cables from the interface MIDI input and Output, into the Axe's MIDI input and output.


----------



## cataclysm_child

damiandred said:


> Ive got axe fx here with me now
> 
> i have an agile 6 string with the stardard EMG 81 copies.
> 
> has anybody got a great setting i can start my tone with ?
> 
> i realize it wont sound the same, but at-least it will give me a reference point to go from.
> 
> im after that sexy fierce Chimp Spanner-esque warm, bulging steamy 8 string sound.
> 
> i have my 6 tuned to the odd sikth tuning. with the low E tuned to A.
> 
> give me some shit!



I have chimps patch for the POD


----------



## emperor_black

teqnick said:


> Got an axe fx again , but ran into some problems this time..
> 
> My midisport uno isn't being recognized in Axe Edit. I'm getting "Check midi settings"
> 
> I'm also having problems getting an drivers for the midisport, but i don't think that's an issue as i'm only using it to transfer patches etc.
> 
> otherwise, i'm so happy with this thing thus far.



Throw the Uno in the trash can and get a Midisport 2x2 anniversary edition. Works like a charm. And its the recommended one by Fractal.


----------



## Rook

I'm sure this may already have been answered, what input voltage are the Standard units rated at? A lot of purely Solid State units like this will say 110-250V or you have to change a fuse or something. Basically, is there a US and EU version, or are they all the same?

Anybody in the EU got an American unit? (haha, unit)


----------



## emperor_black

If I remember correctly, mine says 110 - 240V. All you'd need to do it change the plug ends.

Ultra rear pic


----------



## Rook

Cheers, emperor, rep+!

There's one on eBay UK at the moment, a mint standard model for 1495. I've been debating it but that seems a little steep, I was thinking more £1k-1250 :-S

Am I way off the mark?


----------



## emperor_black

I've seen standards go on the forums for around US $1300 - $1400. $1495 is a bit more but if its in MINT condition, and if you're desperate enough go for it  

Some news from the fractal HQ... they are moving to a bigger facility and so all updates, products, etc. is terminated until after the move which could take anywhere from 2 weeks to a month.


----------



## Cadavuh

I paid $1450 for mine used. But then again it did come with 2 XLR cables, 2 instrument cables, a midi cable, and one of those $60 midi to usb interfaces.


----------



## Rook

Nonononono

£1495, that's about $2500.

I'll hold out and get a USA one for that in $ lol! 


PS More rep!!! Haha.


----------



## Cadavuh

Question. Why, on my high gain patch, do I have to use a lowpass and highpass filter, drive, compressor, a paraeq scooping out a shitload of high end after the lowpass filter, and a graphic eq at the end? This is all without any effects. Do you guys go to this end for your patches? Although I am very happy with the tone, it seems a bit overkill to have all of that.


----------



## emperor_black

I've done that. Sometimes you boost something too much. Then you need all sort of other effects to take away either low end or high end.

Put a drive block with 0 gain and level at 8, add a GEQ with mids boosted to taste and level at least 5 - 8 , then select a high gain amp like Euro uber, 5150, Das metal or Fas modern. This should give you a great metal tone to begin with. If you have too much fizz, use another GEQ and lower the 8 K to taste. 

Also, using a Redwirez IR really really helps. I've learnt so much from the AXE, I approach the tone in my head in the opposite direction; the cab first, then the amp.


----------



## Guitarholic

emperor_black said:


> Also, using a Redwirez IR really really helps. I've learnt so much from the AXE, I approach the tone in my head in the opposite direction; the cab first, then the amp.



Yeah, I use all of the Redwirez IR and they do really, really help! I can only recommend them to any of you. Nolly and Misha use them as well. 

Red Wire Impulse Responses | High quality guitar speaker cabinet IRs for use with convolution plugins


----------



## emperor_black

...and recently, Redwirez gave away some Marshall 1960A cabs for free. I'm using them and they sound really good. So, if anyone's still on the fence, nothing beats free.  

Link to the free IRs


----------



## pwilldabeast14

anyone, can you run a preamp just to a power amp or do you need a cab?!


----------



## iff

pwilldabeast14 said:


> anyone, can you run a preamp just to a power amp or do you need a cab?!



That would make no noise and would mostly likely blow the poweramp since you have no load on it. Or you could always just think: no speakers - no sound.



Has anyone been able to make a good patch for Isis or Neurosis kind of stuff?


----------



## deathjazz89

I want mine so bad.


----------



## Andromalia

pwilldabeast14 said:


> anyone, can you run a preamp just to a power amp or do you need a cab?!



If you want to use a cab (ie, a passive designed specifically for guitar speaker assembly) you need a power amp, which will send enough juice to move the speakers. Said juice without a speaker will stay in the power amp: bad.

Basically what you can use is: 

Axe->studio interface->powered studio speakers
Axe-powered monitor
Axe-poweramp-unpowered monitor/guitar cab

Basically the level of sound going out of the axe is too low to get heard other than through an amplifying device or directly to a recording console/PC which is designed to handle those low signals.

Put it more simply, "what speakers do you plan to use ?"


----------



## Varjo

Hi guys,

a quick question of the Axe-FX since it's burning my mind. I know that you can use a MIDI footswitch to control banks and such, but can I use a simple channel a/b stompbox-type footswitch? With a regular 1/4" jack? Or is MIDI a must?

I know that for a MIDI fs the Behringer would be great and cheap, but it's got way more buttons then I need. Size is somewhat of an issue, and those regular small channel-switching stomp boxes for amps are so much smaller and would do fine. So I'm not saying I'm against MIDI, but I am somewhat disinclined to buy something big when what I need is small.


----------



## Semi-pro

^ i'm curious about that too, although i'll probably end up getting a MIDI board (can't say that i haven't been looking for the smallest ones though.
The Midi Mouse, seems to be quite compact.

Damn, i'm one eager little focer right now; ordered the Standard and made the payment already, but now i've to waith 3-6 weeks for G66 to get them in stock. Can't waiiit!!

Some clarification for this dummy though; i've got a 4x12 powered by a Rocktron Velocity 120. Would the Axe-Fx sound better with this setup (poweramp sim off) or a pa-poweramp such as the ART (poweramp sim on)? I know that the ART would have more headroom, but i'm mostly curious about the sound, not output power.

I think i'll use my wait effectively and prepare the rack completely, kinda like some ppl do with the rooms of a new baby


----------



## emperor_black

Varjo said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> but can I use a simple channel a/b stompbox-type footswitch? With a regular 1/4" jack? Or is MIDI a must?
> 
> I know that for a MIDI fs the Behringer would be great and cheap, but it's got way more buttons then I need. Size is somewhat of an issue, and those regular small channel-switching stomp boxes for amps are so much smaller and would do fine. So I'm not saying I'm against MIDI, but I am somewhat disinclined to buy something big when what I need is small.


No. you cannot use a simple A/B footswitch because the patch changes are all controlled by MIDI vs a relay in a real tube amp for example.

Yes, the Behringer can be intimidating. But do what I did. Get a Roctron Midi Mate for $100. What's cooler is that you can plug the Midimate's adapter at the back of the AXE FX and power the midimate with a 7 pin MIDI cable. How cool is that? Only one cable running all the way from your pedal to the AXE to control everything? 

Also, you can program the MM such that in a patch you can turn on/off up to 5 effects like delay, chorus, etc. 



Semi-pro said:


> ^ i'm curious about that too, although i'll probably end up getting a MIDI board (can't say that i haven't been looking for the smallest ones though.
> The Midi Mouse, seems to be quite compact.
> 
> Damn, i'm one eager little focer right now; ordered the Standard and made the payment already, but now i've to waith 3-6 weeks for G66 to get them in stock. Can't waiiit!!
> 
> Some clarification for this dummy though; i've got a 4x12 powered by a Rocktron Velocity 120. Would the Axe-Fx sound better with this setup (poweramp sim off) or a pa-poweramp such as the ART (poweramp sim on)? I know that the ART would have more headroom, but i'm mostly curious about the sound, not output power.
> 
> I think i'll use my wait effectively and prepare the rack completely, kinda like some ppl do with the rooms of a new baby



the power amp sim in the AXE is supposed to be turned off only for a tube power amp. Not for SS power amps like your velocity or the ART. The power amp emulation in the AXE accounts for the damp, sag, depth, etc. of a traditional power amp. If you're using a tube power amp, those characteristics are already inherent in the tube power amp and hence redundant to have them on in the AXE.

Short answer, leave them on.


----------



## right_to_rage

Im just wondering about the Power amp sim actually, what does the thump parameter do exactly? I've messed with it, and read the extremely technical blurb in manual but I'd like to know how it is affecting my tone sonically.


----------



## scottro202

Damnit, wrong thread.


----------



## emperor_black

right_to_rage said:


> Im just wondering about the Power amp sim actually, what does the thump parameter do exactly? I've messed with it, and read the extremely technical blurb in manual but I'd like to know how it is affecting my tone sonically.



It sort of tightens up the bass frequencies. That's the best I can explain it. Too much thump according to the word "thump" should be good. But, its actually the opposite. Too much thump seems to give it a compressed lack-luster effect to the bass. I usually like it below 4 or 5. Sometimes I turn it completely off.


----------



## Semi-pro

emperor_black said:


> Short answer, leave them on.



Awesome, thanks!


----------



## Semi-pro

More about MIDI controllers:
I've been reading the Axe-Fx Wiki lately, and also checked out the chart about the MIDI controllers, but _the ones that can display the tuner_ are all impossible to find around here (and too expensive).

Can anyone tell if either one of these could do the trick?
IK MULTIMEDIA STEALTHBOARD - Thomann Verkkokauppa
Moog MP-201 Multi Pedal CV/MIDI foot pedal controller | DV247

Otherwise i'm gonna get me a Midi Mate and use the Boss tuner pedal (or run back and forth between the rack and pedal). It would just be so cool to have it all in one.


EDIT: i just realised how retarded it is to post in a row. I really gotta start using the Edit button more. Wait, i'm doing it right now - awesoome!


----------



## emperor_black

Your best bet would be to post your question in the factal forums. From what I've read, the liquid foot pro seems to be the only one that displays the tuner.


----------



## NaYoN

Hi guys! I had just saved up some money to buy some new gear, and an Axe-Fx was among them, but now when I go to their site and try to add one to my cart, it says: 
"The Axe-Fx Effects Processor is not currently available. Please contact us for availability of this item."
Anyone know what's going on?


----------



## Semi-pro

^^^ They're sold out most of the time, so you've to either pay in advance (if there is such an option where you're about to get one) or have a very good timing

Kind regards,
Justmadeabankwiretransferandrealisedthatihavetowaitforthemtorestock


----------



## Allen1uk

Just joine the Axe-FX Ultra club, Will get it Tuesday next week 

Bye bye equipment (X3 Live, H&K Bass head, Warwick Bass cab)


----------



## JohnIce

Allen1uk said:


> Just joine the Axe-FX Ultra club, Will get it Tuesday next week
> 
> Bye bye equipment (X3 Live, H&K Bass head, Warwick Bass cab)



Congrats! Be sure to post clips when you've dialed it in!


----------



## Allen1uk

JohnIce said:


> Congrats! Be sure to post clips when you've dialed it in!



Ill do my best, havent got a interface yet, trying to get a mbox so it shall work with my PC and Macbook


----------



## Steve_Kozlowski

Hey everybody. What are some of your favorite amp models on the Axe-Fx?


----------



## getaway_fromme

Steve_Kozlowski said:


> Hey everybody. What are some of your favorite amp models on the Axe-Fx?



Right now? Totally in love with Boosted Dual Rec orange + boosted Mk IV in stereo. Just amazing for lowtuned mayhem.


----------



## Andromalia

Everybody's gonna have a different one, mainly because the axe is one of the most sensitive to pickups piece of guitar equipment I've owned. I have patches that sound great with Pickups X and like poodoo with pickups Z. Maybe this is exacerbated by low tunings, too. I've been primarily using the recto new, for myself.


----------



## JohnIce

I've noticed the Soldano is really cool for most applications. It's responsive withput needing tons of gain, so it's very articulate and thumpy.


----------



## Triple7

My latest patch was using the FAS modern, pretty solid amp for the "djent" stuff. But tonight I have to work on a new patch for some more progressive death metal stuff, curious to see which works best.


----------



## GtrEnthusiast

I request nerds who are very much familiar with the Axe-Fx and Tube Amps and use them very often, to help me out with this...
After hearing the videos and all, I think that getting a good tone from Axe is not a big deal...but does it Feel like a real tube amp...
Obviously it can never be 100% close but is it comparable to the "Real" thing? 
coz in my bedroom I would never be able to get a real tube amp even at 15%... so what's better?? a Real Tube Amp at extremely low volume or Axe-Fx??
and minding that I already have one Hi-Fi audio system...but I don't have any power amp, preamp and cab...


----------



## emperor_black

GtrEnthusiast said:


> I request nerds who are very much familiar with the Axe-Fx and Tube Amps and use them very often, to help me out with this...
> After hearing the videos and all, I think that getting a good tone from Axe is not a big deal...but does it Feel like a real tube amp...


A loud resounding mega-phone loud YES! 


> Obviously it can never be 100% close but is it comparable to the "Real" thing?


Yes, it is 100% there. You can back off the guitar volume and it cleans up beautifully just like a tube amp. 


> coz in my bedroom I would never be able to get a real tube amp even at 15%... so what's better?? a Real Tube Amp at extremely low volume or Axe-Fx??


you and a million others out there. 


> and minding that I already have one Hi-Fi audio system...but I don't have any power amp, preamp and cab...


You can run the AXE through almost anything. You can tweak patches to suit your hi fi audio system and once you get a decent poweramp/cab or Full range, you can tweak the patches back.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

hey guys, im about to pull the trigger on an axe fx... i have some questions, and i apologize if these have been answered already in the thread but I didnt read through 25 pages.

first off, given my budget, i can afford the carvin 100 watt tube power amp or the atomic amps 50 watt power amp. i have heard mixed reviews about the carvin, but ive heard nothing bad about the atomic amp. also jake and bulb say some good things about it on their youtube channel. so im leaning towards that currently.

to use the axe edit software and interact with the computer with the axe, what is the best way to connect it? my computer doesnt have midi. 

i would love to get some help with this ASAP because im planning on ordering tomorrow or maybe even tonight


----------



## emperor_black

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> to use the axe edit software and interact with the computer with the axe, what is the best way to connect it? my computer doesnt have midi.
> 
> i would love to get some help with this ASAP because im planning on ordering tomorrow or maybe even tonight



The M-Audio Midisport 2x2 works very well. Get a pair of 5 pin MIDI cables and a USB cable and you'd be all set.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

emperor_black said:


> The M-Audio Midisport 2x2 works very well. Get a pair of 5 pin MIDI cables and a USB cable and you'd be all set.


 
i have a presonus firestudio with firewire, will that work too?

EDIT: could i just run a midi cable from the axe into this midisport and would that work as an interface as well?


----------



## JohnIce

Just found this little gem from Larry Mitchell (who some of you may know from Ibanez clinics/ads):


----------



## emperor_black

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> i have a presonus firestudio with firewire, will that work too?
> 
> EDIT: could i just run a midi cable from the axe into this midisport and would that work as an interface as well?



Sorry, I am not familiar with that Presonus device. But you could give it a shot.

The 2x2 has 2 pairs of MIDI devices and so you'd choose one of 'em. Connect one MIDI cable from 'out' of 2x2 to AXE's MIDI IN. And one from MIDI Out of the AXE FX to the 'in' of the 2x2. Finally connect the USB cable from the 2x2 to any USB port in your computer. Start up the AXE Editor after installing the drivers for the MIDI sport and you should be able to get it running.

While the AXE in itself is a very solid device, many people do not prepare you for the headaches the MIDI devices/connections the AXE presents. It can be very very frustrating and no one seems to be able to help you. All you need is patience and a LOT of reading up on the axe fx forums. On the other hand, you could get lucky and it'll all start working at first attempt. Not trying to scare you, but just preparing you for the ordeal.


----------



## JohnIce

Holy shit you guys! [/cartman voice]

Ever since updating from 7.4 to 10.2 I've had trouble getting my patches to sound as punchy and stinging as they used to without causing fizz. Lead tones have worked fine drenched in reverb and delay but not so much the rhythm tones.

Turns out the HF Resonance knob in the advanced amp settings is pretty much a fizz regulator  It's set to 5 by default, but at 2.5 it's a world of difference.

Try it out if you haven't!


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

emperor_black said:


> Sorry, I am not familiar with that Presonus device. But you could give it a shot.
> 
> The 2x2 has 2 pairs of MIDI devices and so you'd choose one of 'em. Connect one MIDI cable from 'out' of 2x2 to AXE's MIDI IN. And one from MIDI Out of the AXE FX to the 'in' of the 2x2. Finally connect the USB cable from the 2x2 to any USB port in your computer. Start up the AXE Editor after installing the drivers for the MIDI sport and you should be able to get it running.
> 
> While the AXE in itself is a very solid device, many people do not prepare you for the headaches the MIDI devices/connections the AXE presents. It can be very very frustrating and no one seems to be able to help you. All you need is patience and a LOT of reading up on the axe fx forums. On the other hand, you could get lucky and it'll all start working at first attempt. Not trying to scare you, but just preparing you for the ordeal.


 
yea i knew that its not too simple to get everything up and running... im just trying to find out what products and other things i need to get and to make sure i dont get the wrong stuff... thanks for the help


----------



## emperor_black

JohnIce said:


> Holy shit you guys! [/cartman voice]
> 
> Ever since updating from 7.4 to 10.2 I've had trouble getting my patches to sound as punchy and stinging as they used to without causing fizz. Lead tones have worked fine drenched in reverb and delay but not so much the rhythm tones.
> 
> Turns out the HF Resonance knob in the advanced amp settings is pretty much a fizz regulator  It's set to 5 by default, but at 2.5 it's a world of difference.
> 
> Try it out if you haven't!



yeah, with 10.01, I had to use a PEQ at the end of the chain to block freq's over 8kHz because at loud volumes, they were very irritating. With the 10.03 update, there is no need to do it because its naturally gone! 

however, if you've worked your patches using the HF resonance as an important part, then you'll be disappointed because its now pretty much useless or does very little. However, the presence is more like a real-amp's and cuts through the drums very well.


----------



## JohnIce

emperor_black said:


> yeah, with 10.01, I had to use a PEQ at the end of the chain to block freq's over 8kHz because at loud volumes, they were very irritating. With the 10.03 update, there is no need to do it because its naturally gone!
> 
> however, if you've worked your patches using the HF resonance as an important part, then you'll be disappointed because its now pretty much useless or does very little. However, the presence is more like a real-amp's and cuts through the drums very well.



Thanks for telling me, I had no idea that 10.03 was out  Fortunately I'd only made one patch with the HF res tweaked, but it took me about 2 months of shrill top-end before I realised what was wrong 

Updated to 10.03, it really does sound a lot better and my old patches sound more like they used to. And for the first time since getting the Axe over a year ago, I now have a Recto patch I like!


----------



## GtrEnthusiast

emperor_black said:


> A loud resounding mega-phone loud YES!
> 
> Yes, it is 100% there. You can back off the guitar volume and it cleans up beautifully just like a tube amp.
> 
> you and a million others out there.
> 
> You can run the AXE through almost anything. You can tweak patches to suit your hi fi audio system and once you get a decent poweramp/cab or Full range, you can tweak the patches back.



Well Thanks mate... Right now I've made my mind for the Ultra unit..
but let's see what happens...


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

hey i have another connection question. my computer doesnt have a midi connection, would i be better off with a M-Audio Midisport 2x2 or could i get a midi PCI express card?


----------



## JohnIce

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> hey i have another connection question. my computer doesnt have a midi connection, would i be better off with a M-Audio Midisport 2x2 or could i get a midi PCI express card?



The simplest solution is to just get a midi>usb cable. I use the one from Cakewalk and it seems to work just fine.


----------



## mhickman2

Hey guys. I've been searching forever trying to find a step by step process of restoring all the factory presets on the Axe-Fx Ultra. I've just updated it to the latest firmware and I'd really like to see what presets are on there. I just downloaded the Axe Edit software, but I'm pretty green to it. Could someone possibly point me in the right direction?


----------



## emperor_black

mhickman2 said:


> Hey guys. I've been searching forever trying to find a step by step process of restoring all the factory presets on the Axe-Fx Ultra. I've just updated it to the latest firmware and I'd really like to see what presets are on there. I just downloaded the Axe Edit software, but I'm pretty green to it. Could someone possibly point me in the right direction?



Presets (both yours and factory's) are stored in a separate memory from the firmware. So, no. You don't get any new presets. Its the same ones that you already have. 

Which firmware version did you update your unit to? If its 10.02+, you HAVE to use the latest Editor version because of the sysex id change. 

have you made all the MIDI connections? If yes, then it should be as simple as making the selection in the Audio/MIDI settings page about which USB/MIDI device to use.


----------



## rasse

All the default presets are on the Fractal site. Just below the manuals Fractal Audio Systems Support - Axe-Fx Latest Firmware, Manuals, Downloads, Axe-Edit Software, and more


----------



## JoeMalov

How many Ultra users here use the looper feature? I am trying to get into it, and every time I record a loop, it plays back but there is a period of silence before it loops again, so what am I doing wrong? Or am I just not strategically timing the pressing of the record button well enough?


----------



## trenolds39

I've been looking around about this, and I thought it may just be easier to ask here. What are the pros and cons of using Rockit Monitors vs the Atomic FR cab? I like that you can use headphones with the monitors, and generally operate at lower volumes, but I was curious how well they sound in comparison to a proper FR cab like the atomic?


----------



## emperor_black

JoeMalov said:


> How many Ultra users here use the looper feature? I am trying to get into it, and every time I record a loop, it plays back but there is a period of silence before it loops again, so what am I doing wrong? Or am I just not strategically timing the pressing of the record button well enough?



I use the looper from time to time. I guess its in your timing, cause I dont hear any pausing. 

however, its a very very basic looper and many guys use several other looping devices. If you use it a lot, then that would be my best suggestion - to get a dedicated looper like the Boss RC-2 or RC-50.


----------



## EcoliUVA

So I'm looking to get my act together and get a home setup that's half decent for some basic recording and playing. My POS Spider III practice amp into terribad headphones through my FastTrack ain't cutting it anymore.

I'll be buying an Axe-Fx sometime in the next 6 months, and I'm curious what else I need to get right offhand to set things up the way I want. Right now I'm using an M-Audio FastTrack USB with Pro Tools 5. I'd like to make sure my setup is capable of decent sound quality and playing without any delay, and I'm not sure the FastTrack with my crummy audio card will do the trick...

Any recommendations on a soundcard (running WinXP SP3 if that makes any difference...), moniters/headphones, and interface to get me rolling with the Axe-Fx? At some point I'd like to either upgrade ProTools or switch DAWs, but for now I guess I'm limited to M-Audio? I'm very new to recording in general...I'd like to buy things that will be useful for a while (hence the Axe-Fx), so budget isn't TOO stringent. I've been scouring the Fractal forums for ideas and thought it was time to pose the question to you fine folks


----------



## orb451

trenolds39 said:


> I've been looking around about this, and I thought it may just be easier to ask here. What are the pros and cons of using Rockit Monitors vs the Atomic FR cab? I like that you can use headphones with the monitors, and generally operate at lower volumes, but I was curious how well they sound in comparison to a proper FR cab like the atomic?



I haven't run the Atomic FRFR cab (powered or unpowered) but I do run the Rokit 5 monitors. You're talking about the KRK's right? At one point they were *all* that I used for the AxeFX and that was around firmware version 7.0. I then got a pair of QSC K10's. The difference in sound is ENORMOUS. Patches I had made that I thought sounded decent on the Rokits, sounded like ASS on the K10s and vice versa. That was before and after subsequent firmware upgrades (now running 10.3). 

I think with most studio monitors you can probably dial the Axe to sound good, but don't be surprised if your patches sound different if/when you get an FRFR system, no matter which one you get. And the same applies in reverse.

I think the Pros with studio monitors is potentially lower cost (for the Rokits at least), a patch dialed in on them will sound good recording/playback. So those are the two biggest pros. The cons, they weren't designed to be *proper* guitar amp speakers. That is, in theory, the monitors job is to reveal flaws in the sound/mix of a recording. The FRFR's job is to reproduce the full band of frequencies with full response. *But* each FRFR solution will sound different. So my K10s are designed for PA use or what have you, not necessarily "guitar tone" as their primary focus. Whereas with something like the Atomic cabs, they should in theory, be designed for FRFR, but with guitar-centric tones in mind. They should sound more *real* and perhaps be more forgiving in tone than a studio monitor would. You'll be able to turn them up considerably louder as well.


----------



## orb451

EcoliUVA said:


> So I'm looking to get my act together and get a home setup that's half decent for some basic recording and playing. My POS Spider III practice amp into terribad headphones through my FastTrack ain't cutting it anymore.
> 
> I'll be buying an Axe-Fx sometime in the next 6 months, and I'm curious what else I need to get right offhand to set things up the way I want. Right now I'm using an M-Audio FastTrack USB with Pro Tools 5. I'd like to make sure my setup is capable of decent sound quality and playing without any delay, and I'm not sure the FastTrack with my crummy audio card will do the trick...
> 
> Any recommendations on a soundcard (running WinXP SP3 if that makes any difference...), moniters/headphones, and interface to get me rolling with the Axe-Fx? At some point I'd like to either upgrade ProTools or switch DAWs, but for now I guess I'm limited to M-Audio? I'm very new to recording in general...I'd like to buy things that will be useful for a while (hence the Axe-Fx), so budget isn't TOO stringent. I've been scouring the Fractal forums for ideas and thought it was time to pose the question to you fine folks



Mixer - Mackie (Optional - whatever has enough ins/outs for you and your needs)
Monitors - Adam A3X or A5X
Interface - Stick with the M-Audio FastTrack
DAW - If PC, I use Cubase... YMMV

I wouldn't say you're *limited* to the M-Audio, but if it does what you need, I'd stick with it. Same with your DAW. If it gets you by for the moment, then that's fine. You'll need in/out cabling if you don't have it already for the monitors and AxeFX. The cool thing about the Axe's ins/outs is that you can run direct into your soundcard interface for recording and take a separate set of outputs straight to your monitors for delay-free monitoring during recording. 

I use a Lexicon Omega, which is kind of "meh" after a couple of years of using it, but my routing setup is:

AxeFX OUT1 -> Lexicon Omega -> KRK Rokit 5's

AxeFX OUT2 -> QSC K10's

So for playing around I can listen through the K10s and if I want to listen to how it sounds through the Rokits, I just turn the wet/dry mix on my Omega. So long as your monitors support two inputs, and I think most do, you can monitor your recordings and play through them latency-free.


----------



## trenolds39

Thanks for the advice. 

I'm mostly interested in the Axe for versatility, and that I can manage decent tone at lower volumes. I assume then that I can achieve decent tone out of the atomic fr cab at lower volumes, but does power amp distortion come into play with it considering it is still tube? It is listed as having a high amount of headroom which would lead me to believe that it shouldn't for the most part. I think the cab would be my best option considering I don't think I'd be pleased with smaller powered monitors, but don't feel like spending $2400+ on dual Mackie monitors when I haven't even used the axe before.

Also I was curious as to what the differences between the cab and wedge would be? I can guess that the wedge would give a better representation of what the sound coming from the PA would be, but if I use this in a bedroom situation with mainly just practice and recording, the cab would sound more "natural" compared to the wedge pointing the speaker directly at you, correct? 

Finally, to record directly to my computer, all I would need is an interface, a sound card to support the interface (X-FI extreme music in my case), and a recording program on my computer, correct? If I go the Atomic FR route, is there still a way to play through headphones direct out from the Axe (i.e. through an interface)? 

Finally finally, has everyone come to a consensus as to what the best sort of power protection for the axe-fx is? I'd be more concerned with home power vs. venue power, but I assume it would be best just to get one sufficient for venue use.





orb451 said:


> I haven't run the Atomic FRFR cab (powered or unpowered) but I do run the Rokit 5 monitors. You're talking about the KRK's right? At one point they were *all* that I used for the AxeFX and that was around firmware version 7.0. I then got a pair of QSC K10's. The difference in sound is ENORMOUS. Patches I had made that I thought sounded decent on the Rokits, sounded like ASS on the K10s and vice versa. That was before and after subsequent firmware upgrades (now running 10.3).
> 
> I think with most studio monitors you can probably dial the Axe to sound good, but don't be surprised if your patches sound different if/when you get an FRFR system, no matter which one you get. And the same applies in reverse.
> 
> I think the Pros with studio monitors is potentially lower cost (for the Rokits at least), a patch dialed in on them will sound good recording/playback. So those are the two biggest pros. The cons, they weren't designed to be *proper* guitar amp speakers. That is, in theory, the monitors job is to reveal flaws in the sound/mix of a recording. The FRFR's job is to reproduce the full band of frequencies with full response. *But* each FRFR solution will sound different. So my K10s are designed for PA use or what have you, not necessarily "guitar tone" as their primary focus. Whereas with something like the Atomic cabs, they should in theory, be designed for FRFR, but with guitar-centric tones in mind. They should sound more *real* and perhaps be more forgiving in tone than a studio monitor would. You'll be able to turn them up considerably louder as well.


----------



## orb451

trenolds39 said:


> Also I was curious as to what the differences between the cab and wedge would be? I can guess that the wedge would give a better representation of what the sound coming from the PA would be, but if I use this in a bedroom situation with mainly just practice and recording, the cab would sound more "natural" compared to the wedge pointing the speaker directly at you, correct?



I think someone who owns either the wedge or the cab should comment on this. I *think* they're both designed to sound the same and give the same sonic representation of your AxeFX but in different form factors. The Wedge for personal monitoring on-stage or at home, versus the cab where the sound is blowing at the backs of your knee-caps. But I could be wrong. Any Atomic-specific questions should be directed to those that have them (either here or on Fractal's forum).



trenolds39 said:


> Finally, to record directly to my computer, all I would need is an interface, a sound card to support the interface (X-FI extreme music in my case), and a recording program on my computer, correct?



Correct, barebones and straightforward. Don't forget monitors/cab of some kind, but yeah, that's essentially it.



trenolds39 said:


> If I go the Atomic FR route, is there still a way to play through headphones direct out from the Axe (i.e. through an interface)?



Not to my knowledge. You'd need a headphone output on either your soundcard/computer or ??? But none that I know of directly out of the AxeFX.



trenolds39 said:


> Finally finally, has everyone come to a consensus as to what the best sort of power protection for the axe-fx is? I'd be more concerned with home power vs. venue power, but I assume it would be best just to get one sufficient for venue use.



Can't say what the consensus is. I run mine through a Middle Atlantic rackmount surge protector/conditioner. Though not as fancy as some of the Furman or Monster dealios, it gets me by and hasn't failed yet. YMMV.


----------



## Winspear

AxeFX with a FRFR setup...

I'm not looking to use the AxeFX outside of my home studio when I get one. I purely want it hooked up for my recording rig.
I am going to go the FRFR route, but wondered if I really need to get some speakers for this.
Could I just use my audio monitors? Afterall, they are meant to be FRFR too. 
I'm thinking it will 'feel' very different to play out of monitors and not so real, though.
What do you think?
Maybe go a midway route and get some professional big main monitors for both my DAW and the Axe?


----------



## orb451

EtherealEntity said:


> AxeFX with a FRFR setup...
> 
> I'm not looking to use the AxeFX outside of my home studio when I get one. I purely want it hooked up for my recording rig.
> I am going to go the FRFR route, but wondered if I really need to get some speakers for this.
> Could I just use my audio monitors? Afterall, they are meant to be FRFR too.
> I'm thinking it will 'feel' very different to play out of monitors and not so real, though.
> What do you think?
> Maybe go a midway route and get some professional big main monitors for both my DAW and the Axe?



Yes you can play the AxeFX through the monitors you already have. Will it sound good/real/etc? That really is up to your ears. I played through monitors at first and they worked fine, but patches I created on them, sounded VERY different when I finally got my QSC's. It really is up to your ears though and what you're happy with.

I wouldn't recommend going the other route you mentioned. If you're going to do any kind of recording, you want to monitor your mixes on something as transparent and "flaw revealing" as possible. That would be your standard 3/5/6/8" near field monitors. If you check the amp/cab section on the Fractal Forum they have some recommendations for ridiculously cheap FRFR monitors. I believe they were around $250ish for a PAIR and were powered wedges. Can't remember the name brand, but came in 1x12" packages and apparently sounded decent. I think they were available at MF or GC online...

Point being, stick with near field monitors for your mixes/recording. Play the Axe through them if you want/need to, but don't ditch them. And maybe just pick up a super cheap set of those wedges I mentioned to hold you over...

Sorry I can't remember the name, but if you search that amp/cab sub-forum on Fractal's site you should find the name


----------



## Soubi7string

just wondering, and idk if it was stated or not so mercy please.
-are noise gates/suppressors in axe-fx?
-if its digital then how come it gives off hum or hiss whenever in high gain or anything of the like?


----------



## emperor_black

Soubi7string said:


> just wondering, and idk if it was stated or not so mercy please.
> -are noise gates/suppressors in axe-fx?
> -if its digital then how come it gives off hum or hiss whenever in high gain or anything of the like?



The standard has one noise gate while the Ultra has that in addition to a Gate/Expander which is more than a simple noise-gate. 

Digital/Analog has nothing to do with hum. Hum is usually the orphaned child of ground loops/bad-wiring/bad-pickups, etc.


----------



## JoeMalov

I've got another one for you guys.

If I am going to go the route of using Output 1 to connect to FOH board and Output 2 to go to my cabinet for monitoring, is it best to use the balanced output for Output 1? And can I just get an XLR cable to do that? Or am I missing a piece of the equation here?


----------



## jl_killer

JoeMalov said:


> I've got another one for you guys.
> 
> If I am going to go the route of using Output 1 to connect to FOH board and Output 2 to go to my cabinet for monitoring, is it best to use the balanced output for Output 1? And can I just get an XLR cable to do that? Or am I missing a piece of the equation here?



Well it would be preferable to use the balanced output for the FOH send, if you're not using a DI box in between, but remember that it will be a line level signal so it should go into line input on the board (or be padded on the input depending on the mixer). But more than likely you will want to use a DI box to connect to the audio snake and/or FOH, so you could use the unbalanced output and avoid buying XLRs, and the DI will convert it to a balanced signal anyways.


----------



## JoeMalov

jl_killer said:


> Well it would be preferable to use the balanced output for the FOH send, if you're not using a DI box in between, but remember that it will be a line level signal so it should go into line input on the board (or be padded on the input depending on the mixer). But more than likely you will want to use a DI box to connect to the audio snake and/or FOH, so you could use the unbalanced output and avoid buying XLRs, and the DI will convert it to a balanced signal anyways.



So if I used the balanced output, I wouldn't need a DI box then?


----------



## jl_killer

JoeMalov said:


> So if I used the balanced output, I wouldn't need a DI box then?



No you could go without one, as long as the sound person can accomodate the line level signal into the board. If the XLR/snake run is really far to the mixer then the line level signal can be more susceptible to picking up noise/interference along the way, in which case a DI would most likely help eliminate that. Depends on the venue and/or sound company but most should be able to provide a DI for you anyway.


----------



## JoeMalov

jl_killer said:


> No you could go without one, as long as the sound person can accomodate the line level signal into the board. If the XLR/snake run is really far to the mixer then the line level signal can be more susceptible to picking up noise/interference along the way, in which case a DI would most likely help eliminate that. Depends on the venue and/or sound company but most should be able to provide a DI for you anyway.



Thanks dude! Repped


----------



## mattofvengeance

orb451 said:


> Mixer - Mackie (Optional - whatever has enough ins/outs for you and your needs)
> Monitors - Adam A3X or A5X
> Interface - Stick with the M-Audio FastTrack
> DAW - If PC, I use Cubase... YMMV
> 
> I wouldn't say you're *limited* to the M-Audio, but if it does what you need, I'd stick with it. Same with your DAW. If it gets you by for the moment, then that's fine. You'll need in/out cabling if you don't have it already for the monitors and AxeFX. The cool thing about the Axe's ins/outs is that you can run direct into your soundcard interface for recording and take a separate set of outputs straight to your monitors for delay-free monitoring during recording.
> 
> I use a Lexicon Omega, which is kind of "meh" after a couple of years of using it, but my routing setup is:
> 
> AxeFX OUT1 -> Lexicon Omega -> KRK Rokit 5's
> 
> AxeFX OUT2 -> QSC K10's
> 
> So for playing around I can listen through the K10s and if I want to listen to how it sounds through the Rokits, I just turn the wet/dry mix on my Omega. So long as your monitors support two inputs, and I think most do, you can monitor your recordings and play through them latency-free.



This post is very informative. I'm about to start my home recording setup, so this helps me out a bunch. What I really wish is that I had two Axe Fx's, so I don't have to bring it back and forth to the jamroom


----------



## horacexgrant

Noob question, but I need to know:
If I buy this Axe fx, what do I run it through to get the good quality sound?
Can I run it through my 30 watt Crate combo amp? Can I connect it directly to my computer's speakers? Or do i need to buy something solely for the complement of this Axe Fx? 

thank you.


----------



## Nights_Blood

horacexgrant said:


> Noob question, but I need to know:
> If I buy this Axe fx, what do I run it through to get the good quality sound?
> Can I run it through my 30 watt Crate combo amp? Can I connect it directly to my computer's speakers? Or do i need to buy something solely for the complement of this Axe Fx?
> 
> thank you.




To be honest, buying an axe-fx to play through either of those doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If you are planning on using it live, chances are you won't be playing it through that 30w crate, which means that you're not going to be able to accurately dial in tones. If you are using it for recording, your computer speakers are going to severely color the sound as well (unless you are using some good studio monitors).

If you have a PA, you can run the Axe through that. This is what a lot of people like about the Axe - you can take it anywhere and run it straight into the PA. If not, you could look into buying a powered monitor, like the Atomic Reactor wedge, or others like the QSC K12. This would give you pretty true tones, as well as being able to use as a stage monitor at gigs.

The other route people take is to buy a power amp and cabinet, and use the axe-fx as the preamp. This is mostly for the people who prefer the feel of a real amp onstage. Depending on the power amp, and if you already have a cab or not, this can be a bit cheaper than a good powered monitor, or a good deal more expensive.


----------



## horacexgrant

Nights_Blood said:


> To be honest, buying an axe-fx to play through either of those doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If you are planning on using it live, chances are you won't be playing it through that 30w crate, which means that you're not going to be able to accurately dial in tones. If you are using it for recording, your computer speakers are going to severely color the sound as well (unless you are using some good studio monitors).
> 
> If you have a PA, you can run the Axe through that. This is what a lot of people like about the Axe - you can take it anywhere and run it straight into the PA. If not, you could look into buying a powered monitor, like the Atomic Reactor wedge, or others like the QSC K12. This would give you pretty true tones, as well as being able to use as a stage monitor at gigs.
> 
> The other route people take is to buy a power amp and cabinet, and use the axe-fx as the preamp. This is mostly for the people who prefer the feel of a real amp onstage. Depending on the power amp, and if you already have a cab or not, this can be a bit cheaper than a good powered monitor, or a good deal more expensive.



Thank you. These methods seem like they'd require a pretty penny. The Axe Fx already costs a lot, so I wouldn't want to kill my wallet even more with whatever is outputting my sound. *So, what is the absolute cheapest way of getting the Axe Fx to do its job? * I only record at home, so performing and whatnot is not really in my world right now. Please help. thanks.


----------



## gunshow86de

horacexgrant said:


> Thank you. These methods seem like they'd require a pretty penny. The Axe Fx already costs a lot, so I wouldn't want to kill my wallet even more with whatever is outputting my sound. *So, what is the absolute cheapest way of getting the Axe Fx to do its job? * I only record at home, so performing and whatnot is not really in my world right now. Please help. thanks.



Get a USB or firewire interface and a pair of studio monitors or headphones.


----------



## Nights_Blood

horacexgrant said:


> Thank you. These methods seem like they'd require a pretty penny. The Axe Fx already costs a lot, so I wouldn't want to kill my wallet even more with whatever is outputting my sound. *So, what is the absolute cheapest way of getting the Axe Fx to do its job? * I only record at home, so performing and whatnot is not really in my world right now. Please help. thanks.



If you're only using it for recording, i'd say check out a pair of decent studio monitors like these:

Buy KRK Rokit Powered 5 Generation 2 Powered Studio Monitor (Each) | Powered Monitors | Musician's Friend


Of course, if you're absolutely set on getting the Axe, try recording with it with your current setup first. If your current speakers don't hinder you too much, great. If they do, then check out some monitors. On the other hand, if you're still deciding whether or not to get one, ask yourself why you'd be willing to drop $1500-$2000 on it, and whether or not a Pod HD or GSP1101 would be more up your alley, since you would be able to get one of those with a power amp + cab or powered FRFR monitor for the same price.

I don't really know your situation, so i'm just trying to cover all the bases here.


----------



## emperor_black

horacexgrant said:


> *So, what is the absolute cheapest way of getting the Axe Fx to do its job? * .



Absolute cheapest is to get a $20 headphones from Bestbuy/Walmart, get a Y-adapter with 2 mono plugs on one end and a stereo plug on the other and listen using headphones. You can use either output 1 or output 2 (after setting copy out 1->out 2 on the AXE). After the 10.03 update, patches sound great through headphones as well. However, I'm using a cheap Behringer mixer in between the AXE and a pair of $75 Sony Headphones. 

Once you have enough money, get a pair of Behringer Truth monitors. Those have some good tones supposedly. However, they are still cheap. The FBT verve 12ma's have the best reviews. That's what I'm using and it sounds enormous. However, I paid $850 for one. 

However, to make full use of the AXE's tones, you need quality gear. Its like saying "I have enough money to pay for a ENGL SE but will plug into a Epiphone 1x12". yeah, it'll do the job, but is it doing justice to the amp head?


----------



## gunshow86de

While we are on the subject of interfaces, I would like some suggestions from you fellas.

I need an interface that meets the following criteria;

1. Small/Portable
2. Needs to be USB (I don't think the work laptop supports firewire)
3. Lets me run the Axe-Edit (duh)

I'm going to be bringing my Axe on business trips, and I want to be able to access the Axe-Edit and cut rough demos. I'm willing to spend a little more for a quality unit, but this isn't going to be my main recording setup (ie, doesn't need to be "top-of-the-line"). Since it's on my work laptop, I'll only be running a very basic recording setup (Reaper, Superior Drummer, 2 or 3 guitar tracks max).

I appreciate any help!

Also, what cable do I need to run from the Axe to the interface?


----------



## orb451

gunshow86de said:


> While we are on the subject of interfaces, I would like some suggestions from you fellas.
> 
> I need an interface that meets the following criteria;
> 
> 1. Small/Portable
> 2. Needs to be USB (I don't think the work laptop supports firewire)
> 3. Lets me run the Axe-Edit (duh)
> 
> I'm going to be bringing my Axe on business trips, and I want to be able to access the Axe-Edit and cut rough demos. I'm willing to spend a little more for a quality unit, but this isn't going to be my main recording setup (ie, doesn't need to be "top-of-the-line"). Since it's on my work laptop, I'll only be running a very basic recording setup (Reaper, Superior Drummer, 2 or 3 guitar tracks max).
> 
> I appreciate any help!
> 
> Also, what cable do I need to run from the Axe to the interface?



You want to run out of the Axe and into the interface's line input(s). So you'd typically use something like XLR -> 1/4" or just straight 1/4" -> 1/4" or some combination depending on your interface.

I use the Lexicon Omega interface (USB), it's small and fairly portable. The smaller brothers Alpha and whatever the hell they call the middle child would probably suffice too. To be honest, I've never run AxeEDIT through the Omega though. I'm sure it can probably be done, seeing as it has MIDI in/out but I've never done it. I use the Korg PadKontrol for that. I connect it to my recording laptop via USB and connect the MIDI in/out from the Axe to the PadKontrol and AxeEDIT works great. The downside is, the PadKontrol is large. Not huge or anything, but it might be a bit bigger than you need...

Just putting that out there though as an option. I'm sure others can give you better ideas of portable/USB/works-with-AxeEDIT.


----------



## gunshow86de

I've got another noob question (sorry, I've only ever recorded with guitar straight into the interface);

When the Axe-FX is hooked up to the recording interface, do you connect your monitors to the interface's outputs? Or to the Axe's outputs?


----------



## orb451

gunshow86de said:


> I've got another noob question (sorry, I've only ever recorded with guitar straight into the interface);
> 
> When the Axe-FX is hooked up to the recording interface, do you connect your monitors to the interface's outputs? Or to the Axe's outputs?



I won't say "typically" but for me, yes. My Omega out -> KRK Rokit 5's. Most monitors I've seen have two sets of inputs, albeit in different form factors, so you should in theory be able to have your interface feeding one monitor input and the axefx feeding another monitor input (on the same physical set of monitors).


----------



## horacexgrant

Nights_Blood said:


> If you're only using it for recording, i'd say check out a pair of decent studio monitors like these:
> 
> Buy KRK Rokit Powered 5 Generation 2 Powered Studio Monitor (Each) | Powered Monitors | Musician's Friend
> 
> 
> Of course, if you're absolutely set on getting the Axe, try recording with it with your current setup first. If your current speakers don't hinder you too much, great. If they do, then check out some monitors. On the other hand, if you're still deciding whether or not to get one, ask yourself why you'd be willing to drop $1500-$2000 on it, and whether or not a Pod HD or GSP1101 would be more up your alley, since you would be able to get one of those with a power amp + cab or powered FRFR monitor for the same price.
> 
> I don't really know your situation, so i'm just trying to cover all the bases here.



Thanks a bunch for the help. But I'm a frickin noob at these gear terminology, so could you quickly explain what exactly a power amp is? And how would that combine with a cab? What's a powered FRFR monitor? 
Right now, I'm leaning towards the HD500 since it's cheaper. Thank you


----------



## veils chris

Hi Guys, 

Just a quick one, I have an axe-fx and a motu ultralite which i want to connect via midi to use axe edit. Will a 5 pin cable do the job to let them talk to one another and update firmware/edit patchesor do i neeeeeeed the 7 pin?


----------



## orb451

veils chris said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> Just a quick one, I have an axe-fx and a motu ultralite which i want to connect via midi to use axe edit. Will a 5 pin cable do the job to let them talk to one another and update firmware/edit patchesor do i neeeeeeed the 7 pin?



5 Pin should be fine. 7 Pin connectors are for when you want to run a pedalboard minus the wall wart or plug, the extra 2 pins supply the power.


----------



## orb451

horacexgrant said:


> Thanks a bunch for the help. But I'm a frickin noob at these gear terminology, so could you quickly explain what exactly a power amp is? And how would that combine with a cab? What's a powered FRFR monitor?
> Right now, I'm leaning towards the HD500 since it's cheaper. Thank you



Power Amp in laymans terms "amplifies" the sound of your preamp. A classic guitar layout might be: Guitar -> Amp Head -> Cab. Where the "amp head" has both a pre-amp (bass/mid/treble/gain) and the a power amp (master volume/sag/etc). 

A powered FRFR monitor in layman's terms is just a powered speaker. It's your "cab" + a "power amp" in one convenient package. The FRFR part, again in layman's terms, means it's supposed to be "relatively" neutral in sound reproduction. In other words, it's not supposed to color the sound too much and the goal is to give a full frequency representation of what's going into it. In reality though, they each have their own color and tone.


----------



## Default_M

This might have already been answered but I've not got time to read through the whole thread and I tried to search but found nothing.

What do the power amp simulations in the Axe FX Ultra do? Does it mean that I don't have to buy a separate power amp and I can hook up the ultra straight to my cab? I somehow doubt it, but at least I've got some powered monitors to run through already.


----------



## Customisbetter

Guys I need help. Convince me to continue saving for an Axe rather than splurging on an upgraded GSP2101.

The credit card is shaking in my hands.


----------



## OrsusMetal

Customisbetter said:


> Guys I need help. Convince me to continue saving for an Axe rather than splurging on an upgraded GSP2101.
> 
> The credit card is shaking in my hands.


 
Save and buy the AxeFx. It's definitely worth it over the Digitech, imo. I haven't looked at another amp since I got mine and I used to have FRANTIC amp gas over EVERY Engl and others. I even owned some of those. Just save for it. You'll be happier that you did in the end.


----------



## OrsusMetal

Default_M said:


> This might have already been answered but I've not got time to read through the whole thread and I tried to search but found nothing.
> 
> What do the power amp simulations in the Axe FX Ultra do? Does it mean that I don't have to buy a separate power amp and I can hook up the ultra straight to my cab? I somehow doubt it, but at least I've got some powered monitors to run through already.


 
The power amp simulations mean that it simulates the sound of the poweramp. So if you are using the Axe with a PA or something that is completely uncolored, it won't sound all thin and fizzy like you are just running a preamp. It gives you the sound of a poweramp. You only have the option of turning it off if you want to run with a tube poweramp or something and don't want to simulate a poweramp while actually running through one.

So basically to answer your question, you will still need a poweramp if you want to run through your cab. The only way you won't need one is if you are running through a powered cab.

My personal setup is AxeFx > Firestudio Mobile > Powered studio monitors. No need for a poweramp since my monitors are powered. But, I'm also not gigging out or anything. My rig is just a recording/practice at home rig currently. Someday I'll get another poweramp so I can run it through my cab.


----------



## jl_killer

Default_M said:


> This might have already been answered but I've not got time to read through the whole thread and I tried to search but found nothing.
> 
> What do the power amp simulations in the Axe FX Ultra do? Does it mean that I don't have to buy a separate power amp and I can hook up the ultra straight to my cab? I somehow doubt it, but at least I've got some powered monitors to run through already.



You're right, unfortunately you would still need a power amp to power your cab. The amp simulations simply simulate the tone of the amps, but the output is only line level. It's more meant to use with your powered monitors, since it has amp and cab simulations. If you want to use your cab, you can disable the cab sims and connect the axe into the power amp input of your amp head,( or effects return.)


----------



## Default_M

Thought so; that's unfortunate.
My amp seems to have broken so I was going to get an Axe FX so that I'd have something to replace my Pod for recording and that I could gig with too, but I don't have a power amp and I can only afford the Ultra.


----------



## OrsusMetal

Default_M said:


> Thought so; that's unfortunate.
> My amp seems to have broken so I was going to get an Axe FX so that I'd have something to replace my Pod for recording and that I could gig with too, but I don't have a power amp and I can only afford the Ultra.


 
Get the Standard and then you'll have money left for a poweramp. 

You could do a solid state one or a Carvin TS100 for around that. Or find something used.


----------



## TomAwesome

Customisbetter said:


> Guys I need help. Convince me to continue saving for an Axe rather than splurging on an upgraded GSP2101.
> 
> The credit card is shaking in my hands.



As someone who owns both, I urge you to hold out for the Axe.


----------



## Default_M

OrsusMetal said:


> Get the Standard and then you'll have money left for a poweramp.
> 
> You could do a solid state one or a Carvin TS100 for around that. Or find something used.



I suspect I'd still end up wanting the Ultra though so it's probably best just to get what I want straight away.
What are the common alternatives to the VHT power amp that don't cost quite as much?


----------



## Sepultorture

Default_M said:


> Thought so; that's unfortunate.
> My amp seems to have broken so I was going to get an Axe FX so that I'd have something to replace my Pod for recording and that I could gig with too, but I don't have a power amp and I can only afford the Ultra.



you could DI your Axe FX straight to the FOH console

or yes, go for the standard instead of the ultra and buy a power amp with the rest of your money. although you will lose some versatility and options with the standard


----------



## Sepultorture

Default_M said:


> I suspect I'd still end up wanting the Ultra though so it's probably best just to get what I want straight away.
> What are the common alternatives to the VHT power amp that don't cost quite as much?



Rocktron Velocity 300

Rocktron - Velocity 300


----------



## gunshow86de

Default_M said:


> I suspect I'd still end up wanting the Ultra though so it's probably best just to get what I want straight away.
> What are the common alternatives to the VHT power amp that don't cost quite as much?



I believe I read somewhere that Cliff (owner of Fractal) uses the Carvin DCM's. I know there are quite a few users who also have them.

Carvin.com - Guitars, Amplifiers & Pro Audio: Professional Power Amps

I think you would still use the power-amp sims, since it's a solid-state power-amp.


----------



## Sepultorture

gunshow86de said:


> I believe I read somewhere that Cliff (owner of Fractal) uses the Carvin DCM's. I know there are quite a few users who also have them.
> 
> Carvin.com - Guitars, Amplifiers & Pro Audio: Professional Power Amps
> 
> I think you would still use the power-amp sims, since it's a solid-state power-amp.



if you use a power amp and cab, you have to turn off the power amp and cab sims or it will (aparentely) sound like shit


----------



## gunshow86de

Sepultorture said:


> if you use a power amp and cab, you have to turn off the power amp and cab sims or it will (aparentely) sound like shit



I think the idea with the solid-state power-amps is that they don't color the sound like a tube power-amp (sort of like when you are using powered studio monitors). So you could leave the power-amp sim on and have it sound like a tube power-amp. And yes, you would definitely turn off the cab impulses if you are using a real cabinet.

I haven't tested it, nor do I plan to. I'm going to buy a QSC K10 (maybe the K12) to act as my poweramp and cab. 

Buy QSC K10 10" Powered PA Speaker | Powered Cabinets | Musician's Friend


----------



## emperor_black

You'd turn off the power sims only if you're using a tube power amp. The axe's power amp sims like damp, sag, etc. are already there in a tube power amp and so would prove to be redundant.


Sepultorture said:


> if you use a power amp and cab, you have to turn off the power amp and cab sims or it will (aparentely) sound like shit


----------



## Gameboypdc

I had a question directed towards anyone that could help. I am planning on picking up a AxeFX Ultra here shortly and I wanted to know if it would be a worthy investment to purchase a powered atomic cab for the purpose of studio recording? I am not to sure what the benefits are from recording when using a mic up to the speaker cab versus direct recording and playing thru powered studio monitors. Also I was wondering about an iso cab and a atomic power amp? Would that be the better option in terms of traditional recording? Is the traditional method even worth using with the AxeFX? Logically speaking I assume the mic/cab method for recording is a open gateway to outside sounds such as room noise...etc. Where as an iso cabinet would eliminate that for the most part. I'm still not sure if the quality will be enhanced or degraded when preforming this method. I'm also aware that a good power amp combined with the AxeFX will allow me to use other speaker cabs and combinations for recording. I'm also curious to know how the AxeFx impulse cab sims compare to the actual speaker cab it was modeled from. Regardless of the versatility of one method my priority is set on recording so if a power amp and cab is the best option for doing so then it's just a bonus that this method can be used live. Also in this case the cost is not an issue and the goal is to achieve a top notch professional quality recording.

Thanks!
Gus


----------



## Default_M

Sepultorture said:


> Rocktron Velocity 300
> 
> Rocktron - Velocity 300



Thanks for that, it's certainly more around the price I could afford, and if I have to upgrade later I won't be too bothered.

Being in the UK I think it would be quite difficult to get my hands on the Carvin power amp (especially if the dealers mark them up like they do the guitars) though I have heard good things.

I've always liked the idea of going direct in to the PA, but the problem with that is if you're playing a venue that doesn't have monitors then you're not going to be able to hear yourself for the whole gig so you still need an alternative really.


----------



## Wiz

I'm puzzled by my AxeFX wah. Basically I take Studio Lead, one of my favorite patches, and slap a wah in front the rest of components in the chain, and then set it to use my external controller, a Mission Engineering pedal, with Auto Engage off and Off Val 5.0%.

Basically whenever the pedal is under 5%, it should be off, but what happens is that it completely thins out the tone of the whole chain making it sound completely different. What am I doing wrong?

Update: I think I figured it out. Auto Engage must be on fast, off value on 95% (since I do toe down for off) and when using AxeEdit it actually takes a good 10 seconds for those new settings to make it to the device before they're applied.

Now, how do you make the transition between wah off and on smooth? The tone jumps violently from thin to fat as soon as the wah is off rather than transitioning smoothly. Auto Engage slow only seems to make you wait longer for the switch off.

Update 2: Fuck the editor in general, it makes everything easier but from the point of view of editing controllers, it feels buggy.


----------



## Default_M

Does anyone know the G66 email address? I found 2 and sent a message to each one but 2 days later I've had no reply.

I just want to know if the warranty is transferable if the unit was bought through them? Also does the 2 week money back guarantee exclude postage costs (ie if I sent it back would I have to pay the postage), and when the unit arrives in the UK is there any chance of me incurring any taxes or additional charges?


----------



## gunshow86de

This is going to sound like a dumb question, but how many rack spaces does the Axe-FX take? I'm pretty sure it's 2, but I want to make sure before I buy my rack case.


----------



## Semi-pro

^^
The one that i've received all my emails from is sussi @ gee double six dot eu (<-no blaming me for spam, haha!)

^
The size is 2 rack units, yep.


Shieeeeeet, i just got a mail that they've sent my Axe, and -just like with my custom guitar a while ago- i'll be in Spain by the time it arrives... I guess it's the best way to get stuff delivered -leave the country... 
I'm stoked anyway though!!


----------



## gunshow86de

Another question here;

When I go back to Missouri, I only want to bring my Axe-FX and headphones. I know that since it doesn't have a headphone out, I should run a mixer between the line-outs and my headphones.

Would something like this work? Buy Behringer MICROMIX MX400 4-Channel Line Mixer | Unpowered Mixers | Musician's Friend

Also, do you think I would be okay just running a Y-adapter? Or could that possibly damage the headphones (or my ears, for that matter)?


----------



## Revan132

One thing I am wondering right now as I am almost ready to buy me one of these units; why are there so many on Ebay right now for over 2000 dollars (Some are 2300 dollars used) if they are in stock at Fractal? I went through a mock purchase without putting in my credit card info and they appear to be in stock. What gives? Also I thought it was funny that there is almost 10 units units on Ebay right now, that is a rarity indeed. Market saturation rules.


----------



## emperor_black

gunshow86de said:


> Also, do you think I would be okay just running a Y-adapter? Or could that possibly damage the headphones (or my ears, for that matter)?


Yeah, you can use just a Y adapter with mono plugs on one end and a stereo jack on the other end and listen to the axe fx. I've done that a while back. It will not damage your hearing or the headphones because the AXE gives you all the saturation of a tube amp at bedroom levels. 

However, don't use something like ipod earbuds. I've read somewhere that the ohmage has to be high. So any studio/monitor headphones that go over the head should be fine. Especially if you've done the 10.03 update, it sounds stunning through headphones with no extraneous fizz.


----------



## Andromalia

Revan132 said:


> One thing I am wondering right now as I am almost ready to buy me one of these units; why are there so many on Ebay right now for over 2000 dollars (Some are 2300 dollars used) if they are in stock at Fractal? I went through a mock purchase without putting in my credit card info and they appear to be in stock. What gives? Also I thought it was funny that there is almost 10 units units on Ebay right now, that is a rarity indeed. Market saturation rules.


Likely has to do with people thinking the buyers got their christmas money and it's the good moment to sell. Besides, "in stock" at fractal is often relative.
The axe FX isn't necessarily for everyone, and people buying it because it's trendy can be disappointed.


----------



## Default_M

Semi-pro said:


> ^^
> The one that i've received all my emails from is sussi @ gee double six dot eu (<-no blaming me for spam, haha!)



Thanks, it worked and I even got a reply on Christmas Day! haha.

I know in Europe we end up paying pretty much double what people pay in the USA (2199 euros vs $2000 wtf?) but at least we're getting what appears to be some great customer service.

I was told that there's a 2 year warranty which includes all shipping costs for repairs etc, the warranty is transferable and if you decide that you don't like the Axe then you can send it back for a full refund in the first 2 weeks and all you have to pay is 20 euros shipping.

It's still a lot of money over here in Europe compared with the USA but I've no worries that if something went wrong I'd be taken care of hassle free.


----------



## tubiux

Hi everybody!

I'm new here as a poster but I've been following this forum for quite a while. I've read through most of the posts in this thread but I don't feel that the Q I'm about to ask has been properly addressed yet even if there's been some talk about it.

I don't care too much for modelling as I get really nice sounds from my Fender, Lone Star & Stiletto. I'm much more interested in the FX part of the unit. I understand that the modelling is quite unique but what I need/want is a unit to replace a suitcase full of pedals (Memory man etc.). I tried a few of those multieffect units some years ago but I thought they're all pretty lame so I forgot about them until I stumbled across this unit. I realize that it's a very expensive multi FX unit and that perhaps in some sense Eclipse might be better suited to my needs but I'd like you guys to elaborate somewhat on the FX part and forget about amps and cabs for a second. Please.

Happy new year!


----------



## Metalus

tubiux said:


> Hi everybody!
> 
> I'm new here as a poster but I've been following this forum for quite a while. I've read through most of the posts in this thread but I don't feel that the Q I'm about to ask has been properly addressed yet even if there's been some talk about it.
> 
> I don't care too much for modelling as I get really nice sounds from my Fender, Lone Star & Stiletto. I'm much more interested in the FX part of the unit. I understand that the modelling is quite unique but what I need/want is a unit to replace a suitcase full of pedals (Memory man etc.). I tried a few of those multieffect units some years ago but I thought they're all pretty lame so I forgot about them until I stumbled across this unit. I realize that it's a very expensive multi FX unit and that perhaps in some sense Eclipse might be better suited to my needs but I'd like you guys to elaborate somewhat on the FX part and forget about amps and cabs for a second. Please.
> 
> Happy new year!



The effects on the Axe-Fx are some of the best on the market hands down. Just watch any (good) youtube video of it and im sure you will be convinced hands down. That being said, if you are only interested in the effects part of the unit I would wait until Fractal releases the "effects" only version of the Axe-Fx. I heard thats supposed to come out sometime this year.


----------



## tranqx

Hey guys, thinking about ordering my Axe-FX Ultra and Focusrite Saffire Pro 40 this weekend (or very soon), just wanted to know a few things.
-Was there a different interface I should maybe look at? One that is similarly (~$500) priced?
-I'm playing on a Schecter C7 Hellraiser which has the EMG 707's and when playing through PODFarm I noticed I have to run the noise gate pretty hard... is the noise gate on the Axe prety good? Eventually I'm going to build a whole new guitar with passives (BKP's) so hopefully the noise will almost completely go away, but with the 707's will the gate get rid of most of it?

Thanks guys! Can't wait!


----------



## emperor_black

The Ultra has 3 Gates. One is the standard gate which works for the input only and two other gate/expander blocks which you can use anywhere in the chain. So, yeah, you can get as tight as you want and as much gating as you want.

I don't use any guitars with active pups...I was under the impression active EMG's are supposed to be dead quiet? ...or at least much quiet than hot passive pups?


----------



## tranqx

I must be doing something completely wrong then haha, not sure how though... maybe it's just the amps in PODFarm that add a lot of noise, cause I seriously have to crank the noise gate and then my signal just starts dying cause of how high the gate is.

Thanks for the answer though man, I appreciate it; anyone have any suggestions on the interface?


----------



## nateb

tranqx said:


> I must be doing something completely wrong then haha, not sure how though... maybe it's just the amps in PODFarm that add a lot of noise, cause I seriously have to crank the noise gate and then my signal just starts dying cause of how high the gate is.
> 
> Thanks for the answer though man, I appreciate it; anyone have any suggestions on the interface?



Well, one thing that you can try (assuming that you get the ultra) is using the gate/expander block after the amp block but using the front input as your reference. This allows the gate to be working off the guitar output as the reference but, gating everything after the amp. I am not sure if the gate/expander block is available on the standard but, the axefx noise gate is pretty nice.


----------



## ROAR

If anyone else facepalmed hard after not pushing the button on their
Midisport 2x2, I'm with you.

I'm starting to become afraid of technology.

On a serious note has anyone checked out all the Redwirez cabs?
They seem tempting...


----------



## Sepultorture

ROAR said:


> If anyone else facepalmed hard after not pushing the button on their
> Midisport 2x2, I'm with you.
> 
> I'm starting to become afraid of technology.
> 
> On a serious note has anyone checked out all the Redwirez cabs?
> They seem tempting...



i've checked out a fair few of the big box collection, but i'm not an AXE FX owner, mostly use em in the revalver app, great stuff though, many options for each cab and good sounds, mostly into the ENGL, Mesa, Orange, Bogner and Marshall's, haven't touched any of the vintage ones TBH


----------



## ROAR

Sepultorture said:


> i've checked out a fair few of the big box collection, but i'm not an AXE FX owner, mostly use em in the revalver app, great stuff though, many options for each cab and good sounds, mostly into the ENGL, Mesa, Orange, Bogner and Marshall's, haven't touched any of the vintage ones TBH



Thanks man, I may try out the ENGL and Bogner's.
I wasn't a big fan of the Marshall or Orange amps but
with a little tweaking I may.


----------



## Nialzzz

I do have a quick question.

At the moment I'm running a Diezel Herbert + cab as my main rig live and having to make do with recording via mic using the same rig. Personally, the amp sounds insane, but, it falls very far below the mark during recording (at home I'm not able to burn the amp at great volumes).

For a while last year I had a pod x3 and it was great, but my studio setup wasn't set up for recording guitar, so I got rid of it.

I'm unfortunately in a bind financially at the moment, which precludes me from picking up an ultra without selling my Diezel, which is something I'm not sure I really want to do.

Can I ask opinions? Which direction do I take?
1. Trade the Diezel for an ultra and save to pick up an engl poweramp + cab.
2. Keep the Diezel and pickup another Pod X3 Pro.

Additionally, can anyone explain what the patching custom Impulse Responses really does for Axe-FX, I mean, I know what IR's are, but what effect does this make to the actual Axe-FX.

Does anyone feel the ultra really stands up in the live environment compared to a super high gain amp?


----------



## Jzbass25

Nialzzz said:


> I do have a quick question.
> 
> At the moment I'm running a Diezel Herbert + cab as my main rig live and having to make do with recording via mic using the same rig. Personally, the amp sounds insane, but, it falls very far below the mark during recording (at home I'm not able to burn the amp at great volumes).
> 
> For a while last year I had a pod x3 and it was great, but my studio setup wasn't set up for recording guitar, so I got rid of it.
> 
> I'm unfortunately in a bind financially at the moment, which precludes me from picking up an ultra without selling my Diezel, which is something I'm not sure I really want to do.
> 
> Can I ask opinions? Which direction do I take?
> 1. Trade the Diezel for an ultra and save to pick up an engl poweramp + cab.
> 2. Keep the Diezel and pickup another Pod X3 Pro.
> 
> Additionally, can anyone explain what the patching custom Impulse Responses really does for Axe-FX, I mean, I know what IR's are, but what effect does this make to the actual Axe-FX.
> 
> Does anyone feel the ultra really stands up in the live environment compared to a super high gain amp?



This interests me since Diezels are sweet and Im sort of having the same dilemma.


----------



## Kurkkuviipale

I'm sure these PA things has been discussed a million times in this thread but I'm still willing to ask. So, my bands synths player has a pair of mackie SRM 450 and since my axe should arrive in a few days I wanted to ask if I am able to play with him so that everything in my playing and his playing would be audible. Or, should I just get a set of PA of my own or should we do something like guitars to the right and synth to the left. In the last case either one of us could't use any cool stereo (delay etc.) effects.

Don't know if i made my point clear but I hope it was clear enough.


----------



## Metalus

Considering synths and guitars are both midrange instruments I would get my own PA to not only distinguish yourself clearly in the mix, but to also achieve the stereo effects you want


----------



## Metalus

I was hoping someone could explain to me what the difference is between some of the low cost furman power conditioners. Ive seen the prices vary from $40 to $80. Which one is the best for the money?


----------



## NaYoN

YES! My Axe-Fx standard was just shipped.

Now, I have a question. I want to buy something to use the Axe-Fx live and in band practice, but I have no idea as to what to buy, a cab, PA, or whatever. I'm not well versed with this kind of stuff, because in Turkey stages and band practice studios (that you rent by the hour) already have that stuff set up for you, so I never learned.

It's different now that I'm in the USA though, so I need help.


----------



## ROAR

NaYoN said:


> YES! My Axe-Fx standard was just shipped.
> 
> Now, I have a question. I want to buy something to use the Axe-Fx live and in band practice, but I have no idea as to what to buy, a cab, PA, or whatever. I'm not well versed with this kind of stuff, because in Turkey stages and band practice studios (that you rent by the hour) already have that stuff set up for you, so I never learned.
> 
> It's different now that I'm in the USA though, so I need help.




Go for a powered monitor. You can model the amps with mics and etc
so going through a powered monitor like a Mackie or the like is gonna
give you the best sound for those modeling processes. 
Unless you don't want to use those cabs, then just get a Power Amp and
guitar cabinet and you can run the axe fx as a preamp.


----------



## Metalus

ROAR said:


> Go for a powered monitor. You can model the amps with mics and etc
> so going through a powered monitor like a Mackie or the like is gonna
> give you the best sound for those modeling processes.
> Unless you don't want to use those cabs, then just get a Power Amp and
> guitar cabinet and you can run the axe fx as a preamp.



This


----------



## NaYoN

ROAR said:


> Go for a powered monitor. You can model the amps with mics and etc
> so going through a powered monitor like a Mackie or the like is gonna
> give you the best sound for those modeling processes.
> Unless you don't want to use those cabs, then just get a Power Amp and
> guitar cabinet and you can run the axe fx as a preamp.



Could you tell me what Mackie product are we talking about? Is it one of these: Mackie Loudspeakers ? Which product(s) would be adequate for a live setting? They seem to be too small to be enough for a live situation (excuse my ignorance, I have no idea I'm just going based on looks)


----------



## Gameboypdc

I'm sure some of this information has been posted already, but I'm unable to find a direct response to my question so please excuse me.

I'm wondering what is the ideal way to setup the Axe Fx Ultra for DAW recording purposes? The reason i'm asking this is because my current audio card *Presonus FireStudio Tube* does not have SPDIF and I noticed a lot of people using SPDIF for DAW recording. Now I can purchase a Firestudio Project and chain that unit into my FireStudio Tube so I can utilize SPDIF on the Axe, but would that be a wise or worthy decision? What are the pro's and cons? I have read a bit about this subject yet I seem to get mixed messages because some like analog and some like digital. If anyone knows any information in regards to this subject I would greatly appreciate your help.

Thanks!
Gus


----------



## ROAR

NaYoN said:


> Could you tell me what Mackie product are we talking about? Is it one of these: Mackie Loudspeakers ? Which product(s) would be adequate for a live setting? They seem to be too small to be enough for a live situation (excuse my ignorance, I have no idea I'm just going based on looks)



No apologies for ignorance, we all have questions!
AND! Yes those loudspeakers would be the best choice.
HD Mackie's are what I'm currently saving for though I'll
try them out first. You can just go somewhere and A/B all
of them to see what suits you best. But I suggest going
with powered speakers like those because you are supposed to
get the best tone with that setup.


----------



## Metalus

Can anyone help me with setting up Axe-Edit with the Axe-Fx. I cant get Axe-Edit to connect to the Axe-Fx. Midi is being received by it but my Mbox is not getting any midi. The sysex ID is correct and I have the Mbox midi out connected to the midi in of the Axe-Fx and the midi out of the Axe-Fx hooked up to the Mbox midi in. Am I missing something?


----------



## Andromalia

Gameboypdc said:


> I'm sure some of this information has been posted already, but I'm unable to find a direct response to my question so please excuse me.
> 
> I'm wondering what is the ideal way to setup the Axe Fx Ultra for DAW recording purposes? The reason i'm asking this is because my current audio card *Presonus FireStudio Tube* does not have SPDIF and I noticed a lot of people using SPDIF for DAW recording. Now I can purchase a Firestudio Project and chain that unit into my FireStudio Tube so I can utilize SPDIF on the Axe, but would that be a wise or worthy decision? What are the pro's and cons? I have read a bit about this subject yet I seem to get mixed messages because some like analog and some like digital. If anyone knows any information in regards to this subject I would greatly appreciate your help.
> 
> Thanks!
> Gus



Cliff pretty much said in an earlier post a few months/years ago that SPDIF was actually the worst way of doing it. (Why is getting technical about clock rates, it boils down to: SPDIF in sound cards use low grade components)
Most people use good ol' patch cables with mono jacks or XLR cables, your current sound card likely has both as inputs, no need to buy something else.


----------



## JohnIce

Gameboypdc said:


> I'm sure some of this information has been posted already, but I'm unable to find a direct response to my question so please excuse me.
> 
> I'm wondering what is the ideal way to setup the Axe Fx Ultra for DAW recording purposes? The reason i'm asking this is because my current audio card *Presonus FireStudio Tube* does not have SPDIF and I noticed a lot of people using SPDIF for DAW recording. Now I can purchase a Firestudio Project and chain that unit into my FireStudio Tube so I can utilize SPDIF on the Axe, but would that be a wise or worthy decision? What are the pro's and cons? I have read a bit about this subject yet I seem to get mixed messages because some like analog and some like digital. If anyone knows any information in regards to this subject I would greatly appreciate your help.
> 
> Thanks!
> Gus



After much A/B testing I personally find that 1/4" cables (George L's in my case) sound the best between the Axe and sound card. Granted I haven't used any significantly expensive XLR cables, but to me regular teles give a nice warm, natural tone whereas XLR and SPDIF give a fizzier high-end.


----------



## Kurkkuviipale

Hey again you Axe-FX knowledgers. I've seen alot of Furman Power conditioner used with Axe-FX (And apparently with other gear too) and would now like to know the benefits of it. I live in Finland and use a non-grounded 230V power.


----------



## ROAR

Kurkkuviipale said:


> Hey again you Axe-FX knowledgers. I've seen alot of Furman Power conditioner used with Axe-FX (And apparently with other gear too) and would now like to know the benefits of it. I live in Finland and use a non-grounded 230V power.



Same question here. 
BUMP.
Someone with experience in power conditioners
give us some info!


----------



## Sepultorture

ROAR said:


> Same question here.
> BUMP.
> Someone with experience in power conditioners
> give us some info!



a power conditioner i somewhat like a glorified power bar, but also not quite just a power bar. 

aside from supplying you with many outlets for single plug and wall warts, and a plug in the front for whatever you need. it also provides lighting for the front of your rig, or the back for easy tweaking or fixing of any issues.

now conditioners aren't JUST outlets and lights. they are menat to protect your gear from power surges or sags, which can blow components in your gear, or burn out fuses, which is annoying. also power conditioners are also used to help keep the power coming into your gear regulated so you don't get extra buzz or hum added to your gear.

so essentially it's mainly for protection of your gear, cleaning up drity power so it doesn't show in your tone, and providing you with extra outlets and lights for stage use.


----------



## Kurkkuviipale

Does "power surges or sags" appear in for example European countries?


----------



## emperor_black

Sepultorture said:


> so essentially it's mainly for protection of your gear, cleaning up drity power so it doesn't show in your tone, and providing you with extra outlets and lights for stage use.



Many regular gigging artists on the AFX forum say they don't use one. But better safe than sorry. 

However, cleaning up dirty power so it doesn't show in the tone does not apply to digital units like AFX IMO. I'm not an electrical engineer, so correct me if necessary.  In a tube amp, the most important component is the transformer and its performance directly affects the tone. In that case, clean power could equal to cleaner tone. But not in the AFX. The transformer in the AXE would just be a step-down transformer.


----------



## NaYoN

I've just obtained my Axe, and it's awesome! But it's far more complicated than I'd imagined, does anyone have a bunch of good tutorials? Also how do I transfer tones from my PC to the Axe?


----------



## orb451

NaYoN said:


> I've just obtained my Axe, and it's awesome! But it's far more complicated than I'd imagined, does anyone have a bunch of good tutorials? Also how do I transfer tones from my PC to the Axe?



Here's a good place to start:

Tutorials and How-Tos - Axe-Fx Wiki


----------



## JohnIce

NaYoN said:


> I've just obtained my Axe, and it's awesome! But it's far more complicated than I'd imagined, does anyone have a bunch of good tutorials? Also how do I transfer tones from my PC to the Axe?



http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/142313-axe-fx-tone-tips-patch-exchange.html


----------



## Andromalia

Kurkkuviipale said:


> Does "power surges or sags" appear in for example European countries?



That is dependant upon both the general elctric network and your home cables. If the elecrtic stuff hasn't been redone in your house in 50 years...^^
After that I suppose it depends which country you live in, I haven't had any broad power issues in western europe that I can remember. But if you're a touring musician, better safe than sorry, as you likely won't be able just to grab another axe fx to finish your tour as you could any amp head on the market.


----------



## Semi-pro

Kurkkuviipale said:


> Does "power surges or sags" appear in for example European countries?



I'm afraid they can happen anywhere if the electricity is poorly done or there are devices that cause enough interference. I live in a flat built in the 70's, and i guess since there's no grounding in the plugs, i sometimes get weird tingling sensations (very weak but i don't like the fact it happens) on my fingers if i've the rack (samson power conditioner, axe-fx, rocktron velocity 120) + midi pedal on and use the mouse pad of my mac book while touching the strings...


----------



## Semi-pro

Ok here's a question (didn't get clarity on this although i searched from the Fractal forum and from the Axe-Fx wiki):

How can i map to some of my own presets, which are saved to 256 and onwards? I understand that i could just overwrite some of the first 128 presets with my own ones, but is there a way to go around that if i wanna keep all the factory presets in the Axe?

Cheers!

EDIT: i'm using an old Digitech Control 8 and currently not able to use the Axe Edit (had bought Midisport Uno without knowing about the compatibility issues, returned it, and still thinking about the other options)


----------



## Andromalia

The factory presets are available for download, just put your stuff in 0-127 and put the two preset banks 128 onwards. You *will* need MIDI for that though. ^^
The hard way is copying the presets one by one to free slots and copying your own back to what has been saved.


----------



## Semi-pro

Ok, i guess i'll just do that then once i get my the MIDI interface. Thanks!!


----------



## Omrat

JohnIce said:


> After much A/B testing I personally find that 1/4" cables (George L's in my case) sound the best between the Axe and sound card. Granted I haven't used any significantly expensive XLR cables, but to me regular teles give a nice warm, natural tone whereas XLR and SPDIF give a fizzier high-end.


 
Can You describe exact Your connection between Axe FX and audio interface ? ( how many cables, which inputs and outputs and so on ).
I have some wierd noise issues with new audio interface and I'm suspecting that something is wrong with the connection.

Thanks,
Omrat


----------



## Parametric Funk

Using a powered cab eliminates the need for a power amp, right? If so, has anyone used used both setups and have a preference for either?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Parametric Funk said:


> Using a powered cab eliminates the need for a power amp, right? If so, has anyone used used both setups and have a preference for either?



Yes

Your preference really depends on whether you want to use real guitar speakers or the Axe-Fx cabinet simulations. Having a separate power amp lets you choose between tube or solid state. Most, if not all, powered speakers (cabs) have built-in SS power amps, not tube.

Hope that helps you. 

My preference is powered speaker. Compact, simple, and I use cab sims.


----------



## JohnIce

Omrat said:


> Can You describe exact Your connection between Axe FX and audio interface ? ( how many cables, which inputs and outputs and so on ).
> I have some wierd noise issues with new audio interface and I'm suspecting that something is wrong with the connection.
> 
> Thanks,
> Omrat



Out of output 1 either in mono or stereo, into any input on the sound card that accomodates a 1/4" plug. I've tried both instrument inputs and line inputs but can't really hear much of a difference.


----------



## Parametric Funk

LeviathanKiller said:


> Yes
> 
> Your preference really depends on whether you want to use real guitar speakers or the Axe-Fx cabinet simulations. Having a separate power amp lets you choose between tube or solid state. Most, if not all, powered speakers (cabs) have built-in SS power amps, not tube.
> 
> Hope that helps you.
> 
> My preference is powered speaker. Compact, simple, and I use cab sims.



Thanks! 

It seems like the powered speaker option is both cheaper and offers a wider range of options for tone. From what I've gathered, it seems like Mackey is a pretty good brand for speakers. Do you have any preferences or suggestions? What sizes are good for what locales?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Parametric Funk said:


> Thanks!
> 
> It seems like the powered speaker option is both cheaper and offers a wider range of options for tone. From what I've gathered, it seems like Mackey is a pretty good brand for speakers. Do you have any preferences or suggestions? What sizes are good for what locales?



I use a PP1202A from www.onlyfactorydirect.com for my DigiTech RP500. Not the best speaker, but better than a lot of the others that cost about twice the price (which were JBLs).

The almost undisputed king of Axe-Fx FRFR (Full-Range Flat-Response) PA speakers is the *QSC K series*. The K8, K10, and K12 are $650, $700, and $800 respectively however they all feature the same inputs and outputs and all have 1000 watts of power . The K10 is usually the best for weight (32lbs.) and you still get a lot of bass despite just a 10" speaker thanks to QSC over-excursion prevention technology. In English that means it keeps the speaker from blowing because of too much bass . 
The K10 is what I would get if I were making the decision and I would get 2 if I wanted stereo effects.


----------



## Omrat

JohnIce said:


> Out of output 1 either in mono or stereo, into any input on the sound card that accomodates a 1/4" plug. I've tried both instrument inputs and line inputs but can't really hear much of a difference.


 
Thanks for the info


----------



## getaway_fromme

Parametric Funk said:


> Thanks!
> 
> It seems like the powered speaker option is both cheaper and offers a wider range of options for tone. From what I've gathered, it seems like Mackey is a pretty good brand for speakers. Do you have any preferences or suggestions? What sizes are good for what locales?



I'm gettig a pair of Jbl Prx635's, and eventually add a sub or two. I'm also going for mackie's 802-vlz3 so its basically a sick band PA as well as my power and speakers  Man, I can't WAIT to mic the kick drum. So dope.....


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

hey guys, just wondering. one of the other guitar players in my band just picked up a sonic maximizer, completely just ballsed up the tone, i was wondering if it is necessary to run one with the axe fx in a live rig through a power amp and cab. the way i see it, i can dial in anything with the axe but does the sonic maximizer really do something that i cant replicate with the axe? also since hes got one and the bassist has one too. the singer wants me to get one.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

oh, im going to be ordering an ultra tomorrow, im most likely going to be getting the rocktron velocity 300 as a power amp. it seems to be getting alot of love here so for the price, is their really anything better than that i could get? i cant spend more than 400 on one though. its either this or the QSC ones but i like the tone controls that the rocktron has.

also are vader 4x12's good companions for the axe?


----------



## themike

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> hey guys, just wondering. one of the other guitar players in my band just picked up a sonic maximizer, completely just ballsed up the tone, i was wondering if it is necessary to run one with the axe fx in a live rig through a power amp and cab.



I'd say no - the BBE will appear to make a sonic difference on tube amps, but when it comes to modeling I think it would actually hurt your tone more than improve it. 





6Christ6Denied6 said:


> oh, im going to be ordering an ultra tomorrow, im most likely going to be getting the rocktron velocity 300 as a power amp. it seems to be getting alot of love here so for the price, is their really anything better than that i could get? i cant spend more than 400 on one though. its either this or the QSC ones but i like the tone controls that the rocktron has.
> 
> also are vader 4x12's good companions for the axe?




Your cab is your cab - there really isn't such a thing as a bad match to me as long as its decently built which yours is. Your obviously going to have to fiddle a little bit with settings to get it to a tone you like but thats the case with any piece of equipment. 

The power amp question depends on your taste. People like the clean power from a solid state power amp while I tend to prefer a tubed power amp, especially if its a solid state preamp. If you were to consider looking into a tube poweramp I'd recommend checking out a used Carvin TS100, or even a used Mesa power amp should fall in your budget.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

th3m1ke said:


> I'd say no - the BBE will appear to make a sonic difference on tube amps, but when it comes to modeling I think it would actually hurt your tone more than improve it.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Your cab is your cab - there really isn't such a thing as a bad match to me as long as its decently built which yours is. Your obviously going to have to fiddle a little bit with settings to get it to a tone you like but thats the case with any piece of equipment.
> 
> The power amp question depends on your taste. People like the clean power from a solid state power amp while I tend to prefer a tubed power amp, especially if its a solid state preamp. If you were to consider looking into a tube poweramp I'd recommend checking out a used Carvin TS100, or even a used Mesa power amp should fall in your budget.



alright. i dont really want to buy a BBE if i dont have to. you know what i just thought about? i can just throw one of theirs on the axe when i get it then i can make my decision.  dont know why i didnt think about that before... anyways, i think ill be better off with solid state, i want transparency, what do i have to loose, some punch maybe? ill just dial some in with the axe.


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

hey guys..... just ordered an ultra unit


----------



## Omrat

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> hey guys..... just ordered an ultra unit


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

holy shit, its here already... it only took 2 days!

anyways i need a little help getting started, i was recommended that SPDIF was the best way to connect the axe to my presonus firepod. and i know ill need some MIDI cables to use axe edit and to update firmware and bla bla. now i was also told to hear myself through my computer i would need to plug some monitors into the firepod. 

anything else?


----------



## Cabinet

I'm somewhat of a noob with effects, I was wondering if the Axe-Fx could replicate atmospheric/electronic sounds? I'd love to use my guitar to create some sort of relaxed spacey backing track, would the Axe-Fx be able to create music along the lines of this?


----------



## themike

Cabinet said:


> I'm somewhat of a noob with effects, I was wondering if the Axe-Fx could replicate atmospheric/electronic sounds? I'd love to use my guitar to create some sort of relaxed spacey backing track, would the Axe-Fx be able to create music along the lines of this?


 
Yeah for sure. The delay work on this thing is ridiculous. You might even find some stock presents that you'd be happy with let alone the customizability. Keep in mind though that as a n00b you will have to learn the ways of tweaking and learning the AxeFX


----------



## Semi-pro

Yo Christ!
This is just a guess, but i've always lived under the impression that the Sonic Maximizer is working kinda like a multi-band compressor that's locked in a sweet spot for a guitar like instrument. Now that you've got the Ultra, you might wanna fool around the multi-band/expander that it has to beef up whatever you want.

Personally i don't really know how to make things sound awesome with such a thing, but i've been around in studios and seen the C4 multiband plugin being used on almost every album that's currently been in the works... Just an idea


----------



## themike

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> holy shit, its here already... it only took 2 days!
> 
> anyways i need a little help getting started, i was recommended that SPDIF was the best way to connect the axe to my presonus firepod. and i know ill need some MIDI cables to use axe edit and to update firmware and bla bla. now i was also told to hear myself through my computer i would need to plug some monitors into the firepod.
> 
> anything else?


 
SPDIF would be one of the ways to connect although I've heard the quality difference is barely, if at all, noticable between using any other methods (1/4 or XLR) - just make sure you use high quality cables. 

Are you on a Mac or PC? If your using a Mac, in Logic's preferences, I have my MBox 2 as my In Put and my Out put is "On Board Audio" or "Built In Output" so it plays through my normal computer speaker system. I can't imagine Windows based DAW's would be much different? I plan on getting some nice KRK Rokit's though because they have seperate imputs so you can run your computer through them using the 1/4's, but also run the AxeFX directly into them using XLR's! 


Also your AxeFX has the latest Firmware on it (I ordered mine a week before you and mine has the newest so yours should)


----------



## 6Christ6Denied6

th3m1ke said:


> SPDIF would be one of the ways to connect although I've heard the quality difference is barely, if at all, noticable between using any other methods (1/4 or XLR) - just make sure you use high quality cables.
> 
> Are you on a Mac or PC? If your using a Mac, in Logic's preferences, I have my MBox 2 as my In Put and my Out put is "On Board Audio" or "Built In Output" so it plays through my normal computer speaker system. I can't imagine Windows based DAW's would be much different? I plan on getting some nice KRK Rokit's though because they have seperate imputs so you can run your computer through them using the 1/4's, but also run the AxeFX directly into them using XLR's!
> 
> 
> Also your AxeFX has the latest Firmware on it (I ordered mine a week before you and mine has the newest so yours should)



im on a PC, i dont have a working recording sorftware...i hope i dont need one just to hear my self play, i have my axe, some studio monitors and a firepod in front of me, i want to just be able to have some way of listening to myself. and i heard you can do that in axe edit.


----------



## Andromalia

You just need to put the speakers on the monitoring outs of your firepod. No need of anything else, that's not what axe edit is for.
Not familiar with the firepod, just make sure you are on the appropriate channel where the axe fx output is going I guess.


----------



## trenolds39

Hey guys, I've got a few questions regarding hooking up my ultra to an atomic powered wedge. If I understand correctly, the proper (or at least valid) connection chain would be

guitar --> instr. input --> output (unbalanced left) --> input (atomic fr wedge)

I've been reading around and for the connection between the axe-fx and the cab could I use any 1/4" to 1/4" cable (such as an instrument cable) or should it be a speaker cable? 

Finally, as dumb as I feel asking I need to hear it directly. Can any harm be done by turning on the axe-fx when it is not connected to any output? I would imagine it is safe to turn on the powered cab without an input as the connection between poweramp and speaker is internal and no flyback voltages would be possible, but I just have to hear it from someone else, lol.

Thanks in advance


----------



## orb451

trenolds39 said:


> Hey guys, I've got a few questions regarding hooking up my ultra to an atomic powered wedge. If I understand correctly, the proper (or at least valid) connection chain would be
> 
> guitar --> instr. input --> output (unbalanced left) --> input (atomic fr wedge)
> 
> I've been reading around and for the connection between the axe-fx and the cab could I use any 1/4" to 1/4" cable (such as an instrument cable) or should it be a speaker cable?
> 
> Finally, as dumb as I feel asking I need to hear it directly. Can any harm be done by turning on the axe-fx when it is not connected to any output? I would imagine it is safe to turn on the powered cab without an input as the connection between poweramp and speaker is internal and no flyback voltages would be possible, but I just have to hear it from someone else, lol.
> 
> Thanks in advance



Yes you should be able to use 1/4" -> 1/4" with no problems (1/4" MONO cable). You could use 1/4" -> XLR or even XLR -> XLR if the Atomic Wedgie supports it... it's all up to you. Just know that the XLR's are typically a few dB louder than the 1/4" connections.

And no crazy voltage issues that I've ever heard of. If nothing is connected, you can turn it up as loud as you want, there should be no issues. Not sure why you'd do that, but I wouldn't worry about it.


----------



## trenolds39

So essentially it is idiot proof? I've read through the manual and the wiki faqs, ect and I'm just trying to make sure there is no way to accidentally break either one, haha.


----------



## ROAR

Went to Guitar Center yesterday and tried out various monitor's to 
see what I should get. The guy helping me checked the inventory for
Mackie's and personally went back, found one hidden amongst other shit,
then set it up for me to try out and A/B amongst other monitors. If you haven't
done this... DO IT. You have no idea how fucking amazing those Mackie's sound.
I played through every monitor and then came down to two and was A/B'ing them
until I kept talking about a Mackie and this guy brought me one. I'm buying it next
month. And then my rig is complete. 
Whoever else does this setup, you are a smart man.
Now I see why Tosin kept running them.


----------



## DC23

Did you happen to try out any QSC speakers? I have an Ultra and am going the FRFR route, but I do not have an opportunity to try any out since the music stores here suck


----------



## Sepultorture

DC23 said:


> Did you happen to try out any QSC speakers? I have an Ultra and am going the FRFR route, but I do not have an opportunity to try any out since the music stores here suck



i feel your pain brother, when it comes to Monitors it's all yorkville sadly, even though they do deal in mackie and QSC

the QSC K and KW series are good, so are the Mackie HD sereis, but don't put a whole lot of stock in that as i don't have an AXE FX yet and haven't even tried these out yet, just heard them in person


----------



## ROAR

Yes, I tried out a QSC and thought it was awesome.
I narrowed my decision down to some $600 monitor
and a $1300 QSC and AB'd those for a while.
The QSC and this other one were miles apart.
Then the guy helping me brought out the Mackie...
That's game fucking over. 
It blew the fuck out of the QSC. By far.
Not saying the QSC isn't great, because it was.
Until that HD 1531 got set up.


----------



## Sepultorture

ROAR said:


> Yes, I tried out a QSC and thought it was awesome.
> I narrowed my decision down to some $600 monitor
> and a $1300 QSC and AB'd those for a while.
> The QSC and this other one were miles apart.
> Then the guy helping me brought out the Mackie...
> That's game fucking over.
> It blew the fuck out of the QSC. By far.
> Not saying the QSC isn't great, because it was.
> Until that HD 1531 got set up.



i'm thinking the HD1531 will end up being my setup when i do buy an AXE FX


----------



## Triple7

So a bit off topic but I have a question for all you Axe Fx users out there


In my band my other guitar player has a Vetta II head, and sometimes he uses the detune effect and gets that "Danza" sound. Now I searched through the effects in the Axe because I will need that sound as well, and I don't have anything called "detune". 

So my question is, how do I create that sound with the Axe Fx? Can I?


----------



## ROAR

Yea, man there's actually a patch that does it already built in haha.
It's actually really good sounding!

MOAR QUESTIONS:
anyone have info on what Born of Osiris are
using in their Axe for the new album?
I really love the rhythm tone, and the solo patches
they have... I'm so jelly.


----------



## JohnIce

Triple7 said:


> So a bit off topic but I have a question for all you Axe Fx users out there
> 
> 
> In my band my other guitar player has a Vetta II head, and sometimes he uses the detune effect and gets that "Danza" sound. Now I searched through the effects in the Axe because I will need that sound as well, and I don't have anything called "detune".
> 
> So my question is, how do I create that sound with the Axe Fx? Can I?



It's called "pitch" on the Axe-Fx.


----------



## TheGuitarPit

I'm sure this has been covered in this thread, but I couldn't find the answer.

Simple Axe-FX question: Why do some people prefer a tube power amp and a guitar cab over the monitor speaker solution? Are the cab simulations just not great? Or does the tube power amp let the Axe-FX cut the mix and sound like a real amp a bit more? Is there anything you lose out on by using a tube poweramp? For example, does a regular guitar cab have the range to do some of the more "wacky" effects that the axe-fx is capable of?

If I go to the tube power amp route, will I still have to have the volume fairly high to get good tones? I need this to work at bedroom volumes, so maybe the active Atomic FR cab is the best solution?

One last question, I promise! How does an powered Atomic cab compare to a QSC K series speaker (or behringer truth/etc)? They should be very similar, other than tube vs. solid, correct? Any recommendations here, considering the similar price range? Does one blow the other out of the water?


----------



## Triple7

JohnIce said:


> It's called "pitch" on the Axe-Fx.



Thanks John!


----------



## trenolds39

I've been reading around about getting started with setting up the axe-fx and atomic fr to sound right, and was hoping someone here could give me a tutorial on setting up a simple metal sound with something like the energyball or recto sim. 

Straight out of the box the sound is very muffled and this is probably due to the flat response of the cab. I've got cab and power amp simulation turned on, but if I go to any particular preset with gain it sounds very muffled and not tube-like at all. What settings should I change to improve the sound the most? I'm still getting used to navigating the interface and would like to be able to get at least one patch to sound good so I can convince myself that I will keep the atomic cab.


----------



## orb451

ScumTricycle said:


> Simple Axe-FX question: Why do some people prefer a tube power amp and a guitar cab over the monitor speaker solution?



Depends on their ears man, some people just *prefer* that tube sound and others prefer the FRFR sound. It really goes back to the individual... and the most important question is not what other people prefer, or why, but what *you* prefer. What sounds good to your ears is what matters most, it's your money and your gear. Choose wisely! 



ScumTricycle said:


> Are the cab simulations just not great? Or does the tube power amp let the Axe-FX cut the mix and sound like a real amp a bit more?



I think the stock cabs are pretty good starting points. Between those choices and the choices you have for EQ, etc, you've got a *lot* of ground covered. The trick is to tweak with your *ears*, not your eyes. Don't dial up a RectoNew sim and Recto2 cab on the axe and think you're done... that whatever forum x, y or z says you should dial a *real* recto to, will get you there on the AxeFX. More often than not, it won't. But there's Wikis, tutorials, the Axe forums and YT for sharing/creating patches. I use 2 QSC K10s and while some will say they're not the *best* option, I'm happy with the way they sound. To me I can get *tube* sounds and feel from stock cabs and these monitors. YMMV.



ScumTricycle said:


> Is there anything you lose out on by using a tube poweramp? For example, does a regular guitar cab have the range to do some of the more "wacky" effects that the axe-fx is capable of?



I don't know of any *loss*, maybe others could comment... I think it's the job of the speaker/cab/monitor to reproduce frequencies, not sure how much special sauce could be *missing* from a tube power amp. To most folks, if anything, the tube amp *adds* that special sauce. But again, it's up to you to decide.



ScumTricycle said:


> If I go to the tube power amp route, will I still have to have the volume fairly high to get good tones? I need this to work at bedroom volumes, so maybe the active Atomic FR cab is the best solution?



Hopefully someone else will field this one. My understanding is that no, you don't have to have them cranked at all, as they are adding some of their own flavor to the mix, but most of the *ooomph* is still coming from Axe and how it is dialed in. The patches will definitely sound different at low and high volumes, but to my knowledge there's no prerequisite that it be *cranked* to really shine when playing solo or jamming... 



ScumTricycle said:


> One last question, I promise! How does an powered Atomic cab compare to a QSC K series speaker (or behringer truth/etc)? They should be very similar, other than tube vs. solid, correct? Any recommendations here, considering the similar price range? Does one blow the other out of the water?



That's a whole can of worms. Despite being at similar price points, and having similar goals, I think *how* they accomplish that is what makes them very different. I don't think they'll sound similar, nor should they. I don't know which one is *better*. I use the K series and like it. Maybe I'd like the atomic cab more if I tried it... don't know until I do. Same with you, you're gonna need to get the box and pick a route and hopefully get some ideas along the way (clips, forums, etc). You might find that the Atomic is more suited to you, or might find the opposite. The plus side is that no matter which way you go, if you just buy *one* and try it out, you can get *some* of your coin back should you opt to sell it.

Good luck


----------



## TheGuitarPit

orb451 said:


> Good luck



I really appreciate the answers. I guess since the price point is the same, I'll give the active Atomic FR a shot first. That way I can get a tube power amp and FR speakers all in one box. 

Worst case, I doubt I'll have much trouble selling it.


----------



## trenolds39

Sorry to bump this so soon, but it's driving me insane that I can't get any of the gain amps to sound decent; they all sound like a ss crate amp with a blanket over them. I've got power amp and cab sim active with a passive tonestack. I've messed with the global eq, boosting some of the higher frequencies and dropping some of the lower but the muddyness is still there. I've played with the tweeter setting on the cab but it doesn't really help either. 

I'm using the recto new amp with a 4x12 recto1 cab in the signal chain to keep things simple for troubleshooting. I've read that they suggest putting a param eq after the cab when using a fr cab, but I didn't want to mess with that right now. I realize this isn't supposed to sound exactly like a tube amp in the room, but currently it sounds like a muddy solid-state amp and I can't seem to figure out what settings need to be changed for a proper sound using a powered fr cab.



trenolds39 said:


> I've been reading around about getting started with setting up the axe-fx and atomic fr to sound right, and was hoping someone here could give me a tutorial on setting up a simple metal sound with something like the energyball or recto sim.
> 
> Straight out of the box the sound is very muffled and this is probably due to the flat response of the cab. I've got cab and power amp simulation turned on, but if I go to any particular preset with gain it sounds very muffled and not tube-like at all. What settings should I change to improve the sound the most? I'm still getting used to navigating the interface and would like to be able to get at least one patch to sound good so I can convince myself that I will keep the atomic cab.


----------



## emperor_black

Is your input level high enough that when you play a chord, the red light should lights up for a second and goes off? 

Trying adding TS808 Mod in front of amp with gain all the way down and level around 8. 




trenolds39 said:


> Sorry to bump this so soon, but it's driving me insane that I can't get any of the gain amps to sound decent; they all sound like a ss crate amp with a blanket over them. I've got power amp and cab sim active with a passive tonestack. I've messed with the global eq, boosting some of the higher frequencies and dropping some of the lower but the muddyness is still there. I've played with the tweeter setting on the cab but it doesn't really help either.
> 
> I'm using the recto new amp with a 4x12 recto1 cab in the signal chain to keep things simple for troubleshooting. I've read that they suggest putting a param eq after the cab when using a fr cab, but I didn't want to mess with that right now. I realize this isn't supposed to sound exactly like a tube amp in the room, but currently it sounds like a muddy solid-state amp and I can't seem to figure out what settings need to be changed for a proper sound using a powered fr cab.


----------



## trenolds39

emperor_black said:


> Is your input level high enough that when you play a chord, the red light should lights up for a second and goes off?
> 
> Trying adding TS808 Mod in front of amp with gain all the way down and level around 8.



Yes, I calibrated the input so that it barely touches the red when I strike a chord hard. I went through Yek's faq on the axefx wiki and couldn't find a direct answer. I've also tried using an overdrive in front as you suggested and it doesn't help relieve the muffled sound


----------



## orb451

trenolds39 said:


> Yes, I calibrated the input so that it barely touches the red when I strike a chord hard. I went through Yek's faq on the axefx wiki and couldn't find a direct answer. I've also tried using an overdrive in front as you suggested and it doesn't help relieve the muffled sound



Alright man, here's some settings from some patches I use. Not saying they're *right* or even *good*, just how I do things and I don't hear any muffling... if anything, these settings rip my fucking ears off at high volumes. I am using them with QSC K10's, and I realize those are different than your Atomics, but hopefully the ideas will carry over:

Preset1


Settings:

Gate: Thresh: -40
Att: 10ms
Hold: 100ms
Rel: 100ms
Ratio: 2.01
Scsel: None
Lowcut: 10Hz
Highcut: 20,000Hz
Level: 0db
Bal: 0
Byp Mode: Thru

Amp1: Global: Off
Type: Euro Uber (boost on)
Drive: 7.01
Bass: 7.01
Mid: 5.98
Treble: 7.09 (bright on)
Pres: 7.01
Depth: 0
Damp: 4.49
Sag: 2.01
Master: 2.99
Level: -11.50db
Input: Sum L+R
Warmth: 0
Thump: 0
Low-Cut: 20.3Hz
High-Cut: 8006Hz
Bright Cap: 0.502nf
Tonestack: Passive
Tonestack Freq: 650Hz
Tone Loc: Post
Pres Freq: 1497Hz
Bias: 0.350
B+: 4.65
Transformer LF: 40.4Hz
Transformer HF: 17938Hz
LF Res: 2.60
HF Res: 7.20
Speaker Res: 95Hz
Stabilizer: Off
Pres/Depth: Passive
Level: -11.50db
Balance: 50.0

Cab1: Mode: Stereo
Air: 35.0%
Air Freq: 3494Hz
CabL: Recto2
Mic: None
CabR: 4x12German
Mic: None
Link: Off
LevelL: 0
LevelR: 0
PanL: 0
PanR: 0
DriveL: 2.05
DriveR: 2.05
Level: 0db
Bal: 50.0

Amp2: Global: OFF
Type: DasMetal (boost on)
Drive: 4.06
Bass: 7.05
Mid: 7.05
Treble: 9.06 (bright on)
Pres: 8.03
Depth: 5.00
Damp: 7.52
Sag: 4.02
Master: 2.99
Level: -17.75db
Input: Sum L+R
Warmth: 0
Thump: 0
Low-Cut: 100.0Hz
High-Cut: 6988Hz
BrightCap: 1.000nf
Tonestack: Passive
Tonestack Freq: 599Hz
Tone Loc: Post
Pres Freq: 3010Hz
Bias: 0.350
B+: 5.67
TransformerLF: 20.3Hz
TransformerHF: 20,000Hz
LF Res: 4.02
HF Res: 5.00
Speaker Res: 70Hz
Stabilizer: Off
Pres/Depth: Passive
Level: -17.75db
Bal: -50.0

Cab2: Mode: Stereo
Air: 35.0%
Air Freq: 3494Hz
CabL: User1 (substitute 4x12 V30)
Mic: None
CabR: 4x12 30W
Mic: None
Link: Off
LevelL: 0db
LevelR: 0db
PanL: 0
PanR: 0
DriveL: 0 (because custom cab, otherwise set as Right)
DriveR: 2.05
Level: 0db
Bal: -50.0

GEQ: 63: -8db
125: -5.5db
250: -3.0db
500: 0.0db
1K: -1.0db
2K: 1.0db
4K: -3.5db
8K: 0.0db

Delay: set however you want, just added for some added texture.

Enhancer: Also not necessary, but if wanted
Width: 13.0%
Invert: Left
Pan Left: -50.0
Pan Right: 50.0
Bal: 0.0

General Axe settings:
Input Source: Analog Front
Audio: Input 1 Select: Left Only
Input 2 Select: Left Only
Output 1 Mode: Stereo
Output 1 Phase: Normal
Output 2 Phase: Normal
Copy Out1 to Out2: ON

Global: Config:
Power Amp: ON
Cabinet: Active
Default Tonestack: Passive
Spillover: Both
Out1 EQ: Flat
Out2 EQ: Flat

Some other tips are, like the other guy mentioned, throw an OD pedal in front of your amp(s). Start with a blank preset, add 1 amp and 1 cab, select the amp you want, tweak with your EARS, not your eyes. Default "metal" cabs might be: 4x12 V30, Recto2 and some others. Start with either of those though. Make sure your global settings match what I put above. I can't think of a reason why it should sound like someone threw a blanket over the speaker, maybe your Atomic is defective? More likely it's just some setting somewhere that needs to be tweaked. 

Also check clean presets, are *any* of them bright and chimey? You should find several stock clean presets that are pretty bright... if they sound alright, it might be the way you have your high gain amps dialed in. Always select an amp and start with the defaults, that's why it's better to create a blank preset with nothing in it, and add just the amp and cab first. No eq, nothing else. Get things in a *ballpark* and then start screwing around with GEQ's, ParaEQ's, multiband compressors, etc.

The preset above is just a reference, feel free to swap in and out different amps to see how they behave *stock* before editing anything else. Just to get ideas/direction.

Hope that helps


----------



## Andromalia

Also remember, as I'm happy enough to have many guitars, that the axefx really makes it known to your ears you have switched pickups...that means some presets will sound good and some really bad when used with the same guitar.
If it's any consolation to you, it took me roughly three months to really know what I was doing with the stuff. 

Rule 1: it should sound decent with amp-cab and nothing else. EQing and such should remove small issues, but won't fix bigger ones. (Well, they can fix them, but they woud create others...)

Try to get your hands on some untreated recordings of single guitars to know where you want to aim.


----------



## trenolds39

orb451 said:


> settings



Thanks for taking the time to post all that. I actually went through and set it all exactly to that and the overall problem remains. I'm having a difficult time properly describing what is exactly wrong with the tone as terms like "muffled" and "muddy" don't tell much. I'm baffled because although the tone I can hear sounds decent, it sounds like I am taking it and running it through an old cassette player, or as if the speakers themselves are in a different room or facing the floor. I realize that using the frfr won't sound exactly like a tube amp in the room, but the sound I am getting is in no way representative of any clips I have heard of the axe thus far, direct or mic'd through a cab (or whatever people are doing when not going direct).

I even ran the axe through my DSL100 and 1960a cab last night to see if it was the atomic cab, and although it did sound slightly different the same issue with no clarity still remained. I also found it odd that it sounded signficantly better with power amp and cab simulation on when running through an actual power amp and cab.

I understand that I shouldn't simply be able to plug my guitar in and get the perfect tone with stock settings, but I am very discouraged at how poor the audio quality is compared to my tube amps, even my crate ss amp at this point. I've played with seemingly every setting and eq and can't seem to figure out why this issue still remains. I'm probably going to keep the axe as I will probably figure it out and can't really use a 100w tube amp anymore, but I'm debating whether or not I should send the atomic cab back this week as I received it last Monday and have 15 days to decide (I think). I really don't have any other things to run the axe off of for testing, nor do I have anything to input audio to the atomic cab for testing that either. I've just heard numerous people with great results using the atomic cab and am wondering if there is a better option for someone who prefers the "in the room" sound as that is what I'm used to, but considering I was still having the same issue doing just that with my Marshall I truly am at a loss as to what the issue might be.

Thanks again.


----------



## orb451

trenolds39 said:


> Thanks again.



No problem. Start with the basics, amp + cab (nothing else) and see if you can get *anything* close to what you're looking for. Remember, tweak with your ears, not your eyes. Also, it's not completely unheard of to run a power amp (and cab) and *still* have power amp and cab sims turned on. If that started to get you part of the way there, go back to it and try it again, and this time keep tweaking those knobs till it gets closer and closer to the ball park you're looking for.

And if not, you can return them... Also, is there any way to get to a GC nearby or something equivalent with *any* powered PA speakers? Even if they're not FRFR, but something close, it might be worth it to take the Axe and a guitar down and plug them in as well. If they sound like complete ass too, it might be something in the axe... If not, it could be those Atomics.

Good luck


----------



## JP Universe

Currently I have a single rectifier and a mesa 2x12. After finally going to my friends place and trying an Axe FX through small active studio monitors I was blown away . Come July (tax return) I'm thinking of selling my current gear and making the upgrade as i'm not currently playing live (been about 3 years now).... 

I also want to get some speakers for my mini home studio set up, I have electronic drum kit (Alesis dm10) and a zoom mrs 16 track. I use my boss GT 6 for effects and amp sims (AXEFX to replace)

There are a couple of options to consider...

1. Sell the head and my Boss GT 6 and keep the 2x12 and buy a power amp, also buy some relatively cheap Studio monitors for the drums and studio. (Leaning towards this option)

2. Sell the 2x12 with the head and buy some powered speakers (K 10s or something?) to use for the AXE, Mixing and my drums

3. Keep everything and buy more gear.


What would you do? (I've got 4 - 5 months research to do anyways but just curious to hear your thoughts)


----------



## trenolds39

There's a music store here that may have some. I can take it in within the next few days and check it out. Unfortunately, being located in Kansas there aren't many people that probably use rack units, although I do know of a few members here that are in KC and have the unit. I'm probably coming off as bashing the unit but I can actually hear good tone, it's just buried underneath some crap. I can't really see how the unit could be defective to cause something like this but I'm truly stumped as to what could be causing it. Whatever the case, I intend on using the axe in the future as I've heard some excellent tones from other people and I'll hopefully achieve that as well in the future. 

In the event I do end up returning the atomic, what are some good monitor(s) in the same price range roughly? I'd like something that can give a response similar to a guitar amp, but more importantly something I can use at bedroom volumes. I've been looking at the KRK Rockit 8's as they would fall under my price range and would have more uses than just a guitar amp. I can tell that the atomic can definitely feel like a guitar amp, but it's ultimately too much for my needs.

While I'm on the topic of stuff I don't need, I've got some Beyerdynamic DT770 headphones that would probably work for going direct into an interface. I've heard some things about the M-Audio fast track pro mobile interface; what interface would you recommend for an asus laptop running windows? I'm really just looking for an interface that I can use for recording on my laptop and playing with headphones, as well as being update to update firmware and patches on the axe-fx.



orb451 said:


> No problem. Start with the basics, amp + cab (nothing else) and see if you can get *anything* close to what you're looking for. Remember, tweak with your ears, not your eyes. Also, it's not completely unheard of to run a power amp (and cab) and *still* have power amp and cab sims turned on. If that started to get you part of the way there, go back to it and try it again, and this time keep tweaking those knobs till it gets closer and closer to the ball park you're looking for.
> 
> And if not, you can return them... Also, is there any way to get to a GC nearby or something equivalent with *any* powered PA speakers? Even if they're not FRFR, but something close, it might be worth it to take the Axe and a guitar down and plug them in as well. If they sound like complete ass too, it might be something in the axe... If not, it could be those Atomics.
> 
> Good luck


----------



## Sepultorture

trenolds39 said:


> There's a music store here that may have some. I can take it in within the next few days and check it out. Unfortunately, being located in Kansas there aren't many people that probably use rack units, although I do know of a few members here that are in KC and have the unit. I'm probably coming off as bashing the unit but I can actually hear good tone, it's just buried underneath some crap. I can't really see how the unit could be defective to cause something like this but I'm truly stumped as to what could be causing it. Whatever the case, I intend on using the axe in the future as I've heard some excellent tones from other people and I'll hopefully achieve that as well in the future.
> 
> In the event I do end up returning the atomic, what are some good monitor(s) in the same price range roughly? I'd like something that can give a response similar to a guitar amp, but more importantly something I can use at bedroom volumes. I've been looking at the KRK Rockit 8's as they would fall under my price range and would have more uses than just a guitar amp. I can tell that the atomic can definitely feel like a guitar amp, but it's ultimately too much for my needs.
> 
> While I'm on the topic of stuff I don't need, I've got some Beyerdynamic DT770 headphones that would probably work for going direct into an interface. I've heard some things about the M-Audio fast track pro mobile interface; what interface would you recommend for an asus laptop running windows? I'm really just looking for an interface that I can use for recording on my laptop and playing with headphones, as well as being update to update firmware and patches on the axe-fx.



i could reccomend QSC K and KW series or Mackie HD series, but i dunno if they would fall to your price range.

studio monitors would be excellent for home use, i had a good go with the KRK rockit 8's

as for the atomics, from what i've heard they have a preamp tube in them, i'm not fully sure never looked into it, the tube type dynamics, feel and response couploed with the axe fx may be introducing this muddy effect, so it probably sound like you MIGHT have a defective atomic, who knows, but heck experiement if you can with different FRFR solutions long before you give up on the axe, travel far if you must, i sure would to find the right setup


----------



## orb451

JP Universe said:


> Questions...



If you can stomach it (or your wallet can), keep everything until you've got all the kit. Then sort out what is redundant and/or not needed any longer and sell it.

I have the QSC K10's, I would *not* recommend them for mixing/monitoring. They're fine for playing around and whatnot and in theory *should* be OK as studio monitors. I wouldn't go this route if you don't have to. Get some cheapie studio monitors (Rokit 5's or something along those lines - MAudio BX5's maybe?) And then later on decide what amp/cab/FRFR solution you want to roll with.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

How close can the Axe Fx get to Protest the Hero(Fortress)/Necrophagist(Epitaph) tones?


----------



## JP Universe

orb451 said:


> If you can stomach it (or your wallet can), keep everything until you've got all the kit. Then sort out what is redundant and/or not needed any longer and sell it.
> 
> I have the QSC K10's, I would *not* recommend them for mixing/monitoring. They're fine for playing around and whatnot and in theory *should* be OK as studio monitors. I wouldn't go this route if you don't have to. Get some cheapie studio monitors (Rokit 5's or something along those lines - MAudio BX5's maybe?) And then later on decide what amp/cab/FRFR solution you want to roll with.


 

All good, after doing some research last night i've decided that I am going to sell the rect head and get an AxeFX and some decent studio monitors. This will keep me going at home till I join a band or whatever again in which I can get a power amp and a midi controller and I will be all set for home and live use. Will keep the GT 6 as a backup and it's multiple uses that if offers. (not worth selling it)


----------



## emperor_black

drawnacrol said:


> How close can the Axe Fx get to Protest the Hero(Fortress)/Necrophagist(Epitaph) tones?



Depends on the ear/skill/patience/time/gear of the person trying.


----------



## StatutoryGape

Soo after months and months of saving and such, the day finally had come to order my ultra....yup their sold out. whoomp whoomp


----------



## gunshow86de

StatutoryGape said:


> Soo after months and months of saving and such, the day finally had come to order my ultra....yup their sold out. whoomp whoomp



I've seen a few in the classifieds in the last week or so, don't know if they are still available but keep checking 'em.


----------



## Galzai

Hi guys, In a couple of days my Axe-Fx is going to get here, and I wanted to know if there really is a significant difference between Usb and Firewire interfaces for recording the Axe-Fx, I currently have an M-Audio fast track pro, will it be sufficient enough to get good results with?
Thanks!


----------



## trenolds39

It's me again, haha. I've not had the chance to try the axe through any other monitors, but I have also tried it through my Marshall DSL100 as well as Peavey 5150 and I have the same complaint. However, I think it is a case of me not understanding how to eq the axe, as well as not being directly in front of the wedge while playing. I noticed that I have to be sitting right in front of the wedge looking at it to clearly hear what I am playing. Although this makes sense considering it is a wedge shape so that it can be right in front of you, but I don't think it's the best option for bedroom playing unless I want to be facing it constantly.

Although it would save me money to go with Rockits or smaller monitors instead, I'd rather not sacrifice the dynamics I get with a setup like the atomic although I may get some in the future. I'd be willing to get a Mackie monitor (HD1531?) if the general consensus is that it sounds better overall than the atomic. The more I play with the axe, the better it sounds but I'm still not satisfied with the sound compared to my tube amps.

Long story short, should I send the atomic back and shell out the $350 or so to get the mackie monitor instead? Which Mackie is the best for under $1200? The HD1531?


----------



## Mehnike

StatutoryGape said:


> Soo after months and months of saving and such, the day finally had come to order my ultra....yup their sold out. whoomp whoomp


Just to let you know they have come back in stock. I was super bummed as I basically went through the same face slap of disappoint when I found out a couple days ago.

If you haven't already, go and order one now. Ordered mine yesterday, cant wait!


----------



## ROAR

Long story short, if you're going FRFR:
BUY A MACKIE HD1531.

/debate


----------



## DC23

How about 2 Mackie HD1221s??


----------



## ROAR

^Nope. 1221 is a 2-way response.
You want a 3-way response.


----------



## DC23

Any smaller 3-way response frfrs?


----------



## ROAR

There are, but I tried out every loudspeaker Guitar Center
had and A/B'ed them too. Eventually it came down to a QSC
until the Mackie HD came out from the back. That speaker is
a dealbreaker.


----------



## DC23

I hear great things about it. It's just massive lol! I was trying to streamline my set-up and use two smaller monitors....damn!


----------



## ROAR

I'm sure you can do that. It's up to your own ears.
You can probably find some good cheap 3-way speakers,
but keep in mind you want 3WAY speakers.


----------



## atticmike

Anybody here who is in possession of the axe fx standard and can share an quantum of experience based on the sum of effects you can line up one after another?


----------



## Andromalia

You can have 2 occurrences of each effect in a chain. placed wherever you want. 2 reverbs, 2 delays, 2 whatever. I have yet to do a patch that tells me I'm out of computing power, so unless you're into crazy delays you're setup.
The most complicated effects chain I've used so far is: 

-Comp ->Filter->Amp-EQ-Cab-chorus-EQ-Delay-reverb-enhancer and had no CPU issues whatsoever. (I since go with simpler patches as I get the hang of the stuff better)


----------



## Vigil87420

I ended up with a QSC K12 as it is the best sounding speaker I've heard so far. The Mackie wasn't bad but after hearing so many complaints about the quality of them (people having them go out within 15 minutes of buying it, tosin having his go out 3 times on one tour, etc) as well as how hard it is to get it replaced if it DOES go out due to mackie having a hard time keeping them in stock... i dunno. That was was enough for me to go with the QSC. Not to mention how portable it is (only 40 lbs), the 6 year manufacturers warantee, almost every guitar center having them in stock if it goes out, and the ability to lay it down as a wedge basically made the decision for me.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Andromalia said:


> You can have 2 occurrences of each effect in a chain. placed wherever you want. 2 reverbs, 2 delays, 2 whatever. I have yet to do a patch that tells me I'm out of computing power, so unless you're into crazy delays you're setup.
> The most complicated effects chain I've used so far is:
> 
> -Comp ->Filter->Amp-EQ-Cab-chorus-EQ-Delay-reverb-enhancer and had no CPU issues whatsoever. (I since go with simpler patches as I get the hang of the stuff better)



With the Axe-Fx Standard can you do this dual amp setup?

Graphic EQ > Drive > Amp > Cab > Filter
Graphic EQ > Drive > Amp > Cab > Filter

If not, can you do it if you take off the 2 Drives?

Thanks


----------



## atticmike

How long does the axe fx last if kept in a good condition and environment? In addition, would you say the sound of the axe is something to be considered in a momentary glimpse or will it provide me with a contemporary sound for the next 5 years? Talking about live and recordings. 

If you haven't heard, born of osiris has recorded their new record purely on axe-fx tunes (guitar-wise). Couldn't say I'm that fond of their song-structres and the shouts though they know how to sound good.


----------



## Sepultorture

atticmike said:


> How long does the axe fx last if kept in a good condition and environment? In addition, would you say the sound of the axe is something to be considered in a momentary glimpse or will it provide me with a contemporary sound for the next 5 years? Talking about live and recordings.
> 
> If you haven't heard, born of osiris has recorded their new record purely on axe-fx tunes (guitar-wise). Couldn't say I'm that fond of their song-structres and the shouts though they know how to sound good.



the axe fx will give you whatever you are looking for tone wise however your tastes are and will change along with your tastes as time goes on


----------



## Andromalia

LeviathanKiller said:


> With the Axe-Fx Standard can you do this dual amp setup?
> 
> Graphic EQ > Drive > Amp > Cab > Filter
> Graphic EQ > Drive > Amp > Cab > Filter
> 
> If not, can you do it if you take off the 2 Drives?
> 
> Thanks



Yes, it can. And you'd still have 2 parametrics EQs left, you can actually have 4 EQs in total. ^^

Note that you can even route the patch so you have two amps in one cab, one amp on two cabs, you can link the two chains wherever you want, have one chain left and one right in stereo, or blend them for mono output...
Basically all that could really overload a standard is...the stuff that is only in the ultra: synth, multirepeating delays etc.



> How long does the axe fx last if kept in a good condition and environment?


Like any well built piece of computer equipment without moving parts: practically forever. I have no clue about the lifespan of the LCD screen but it should be long enough. I guess the axe will be obsolete and worthless except as a collector's stuff long before this becomes an issue.



> will it provide me with a contemporary sound for the next 5 years? Talking about live and recordings.


It can provide any sound I can think of, but it will NOT dispense you of mixing heavily to achieve modern tones. what you get is an amp tone, you have tools (multiple EQs, studio compressor) that can go a long way to make mixing simpler, but you will not get a "CD guitar sound" in one go. You will get a "recorded amp raw tone" to work with.
As for live, opinions vary on what method is best, but those varying methods are used by hugely successful artists and all work. whether you go FR/FR or power amp+cab depends on your habits, what gear you already have available, etc.


----------



## emperor_black

Sepultorture said:


> the axe fx will give you whatever you are looking for tone wise however your tastes are and will change aoing with your tastes as time goes on



i don't know about that man. nowadays, everybody's doing so much of multi-tracking that there is no longer two amps being used. In that respect, the axe maxes out at 2 amps and might no longer meet the needs of the later generation. I have never tried one, but probably with software like pro-tools, you can have more than 2 amps at once? 

In the latest Slayer concert I went, I heard that KK was running 3 of this signature heads at the same time.  Needless to say, the tone was monstrous.


----------



## Andromalia

If you're multitracking you're playing the track more than once anyway, so you can switch amps.
Very few bands use multiple amps live, if only because it's not practical. Rich bands with roadies can do it, but in these cases it's mostly different amps for different tones, not playing many amps at once.
About KK, given the "subtility" of his tone, I guess his heads are a simple way to have 2 outs and a backup, I'd bet the second one is slaved to the first and not using different EQ as a standalone.


----------



## Galzai

I got my Axe-Fx around two days ago,when I play it through the monitors it sounds great, but when I try to record it, it sounds very fizzy and pretty weird, Im using 2 XLR cables from the axe into an M-Audio Fast track pro, anyone have any idea how to solve this?


----------



## gunshow86de

^

What are your input and output levels at?


----------



## Galzai

gunshow86de said:


> ^
> 
> What are your input and output levels at?


Input at around 2 o'clock and output at around 8 a'clock while recording ( I try to get the output in the DAW to peak at around -12dB), theres no clipping or anything and it sounds great while I just run it through the sound card into the XLR inputs, but it gets fizzy and weird played back


----------



## gunshow86de

^

Hmm.......

If it plays through the sound-card/interface correctly, then I don't think it's a hardware problem. There must be some "mis-communication" between the Fast Track and your DAW.

Reinstall the latest drivers for your Fast Track, and make sure your DAW is up to date (also make sure there isn't a 32-bit/64-bit mis-match). Other than that, you may need to explore your DAW's manual; it could be a buffer setting or something.


----------



## Galzai

gunshow86de said:


> ^
> 
> Hmm.......
> 
> If it plays through the sound-card/interface correctly, then I don't think it's a hardware problem. There must be some "mis-communication" between the Fast Track and your DAW.
> 
> Reinstall the latest drivers for your Fast Track, and make sure your DAW is up to date (also make sure there isn't a 32-bit/64-bit mis-match). Other than that, you may need to explore your DAW's manual; it could be a buffer setting or something.



I just reinstalled them today, and I think all the setting are properly placed, Ill try to explore this further, thanks anyway


----------



## StatutoryGape

I just got my ultra yesterday and Iv got it all rigged up via the 4CM. BUT I have an excessive amount of background noise which makes some of the high gain amp sims (Das Metal, etc....) almost intolerable. as far as power goes its plugged into a monster surge protector (furman on the way) and being run with an invader. if anyone has any ideas as to why this plz get at me


----------



## gunshow86de

^

Silly question; did you turn the noise gate on?


----------



## StatutoryGape

I probably not but to me it sounds unnatural. I guess for lack of a better explanation it just doesnt sound right. I'll try the noise gate but even on clean presets there's a lot of background noise. it's my first processor so Im pretty lost. I know it's got to sound better then it does. I'll try the noise gate but something tells me there's something else going on...


----------



## atticmike

Andromalia said:


> It can provide any sound I can think of, but it will NOT dispense you of mixing heavily to achieve modern tones. what you get is an amp tone, you have tools (multiple EQs, studio compressor) that can go a long way to make mixing simpler, but you will not get a "CD guitar sound" in one go. You will get a "recorded amp raw tone" to work with.



That I'm aware of the importance of later eq and mixing as well as compression  I just don't want to end up switching the gear soon, this should last for the next possible 5 years if it lasts that long, subject to the condition that it really doesn't break that time 

I'm not in the position to spend an aggregation on amps hence this would be my only one along with an orange v30 4x12 cab powered by an atomic 50. For the shredding my MMJPX6 does its job too. So the choice has to be firm and well-thought-out. So far...


----------



## WishIwasfinnish

Sorry if this has been answered but I haven't found the answer to this question yet: Does the axe fx ultra come with computer software to make patches?


----------



## ROAR

The computer software is available on the fractal website.
Axe-Edit.


----------



## atticmike

Why is it that people from the us take advantage of international buyers and exploit them with a price that is more than they actually payed for the piece? Sure the economy is fucked up but people tend to fall in line the same way


----------



## Andromalia

The same reason I buy guitars and amps from the US: it's cheaper even with freight and taxes than the distributor price in europe, thanks to the dollar plunge with the Fed printing so many of them.


----------



## Default_M

It doesn't really work out that much cheaper though after the added costs are factored in. Its maybe £150-£200 cheaper but you get absolutely no warranty so if anything goes wrong then you're screwed.
I'd rather pay the extra from G66, I just wish they'd get some in stock.

Does anyone know why it is that G66 have been sent no units for something like 4 months running, yet Fractal sell them in the USA constantly? Aren't they the exact same units and it should just be a case of sending them over to G66?


----------



## atticmike

Default_M said:


> It doesn't really work out that much cheaper though after the added costs are factored in. Its maybe £150-£200 cheaper but you get absolutely no warranty so if anything goes wrong then you're screwed.
> I'd rather pay the extra from G66, I just wish they'd get some in stock.
> 
> Does anyone know why it is that G66 have been sent no units for something like 4 months running, yet Fractal sell them in the USA constantly? Aren't they the exact same units and it should just be a case of sending them over to G66?



Why wouldn't you have any warranty? How long is the warranty? What if it goes on the fritz sometime? Who will repair it for you?


----------



## Larrikin666

atticmike said:


> Why is it that people from the us take advantage of international buyers and exploit them with a price that is more than they actually payed for the piece? Sure the economy is fucked up but people tend to fall in line the same way



How is it taking advantage? They're still saving quite a bit of coin. I sold one for $2770 to someone, and they were still very happy with the price compared to the $3500 they would have had to pay to import a new one.



Default_M said:


> It doesn't really work out that much cheaper though after the added costs are factored in. Its maybe £150-£200 cheaper but you get absolutely no warranty so if anything goes wrong then you're screwed.
> I'd rather pay the extra from G66, I just wish they'd get some in stock.
> 
> Does anyone know why it is that G66 have been sent no units for something like 4 months running, yet Fractal sell them in the USA constantly? Aren't they the exact same units and it should just be a case of sending them over to G66?



The warranty is 100% transferable. Fractal honors the length of the warranty even if the ownership changes.


----------



## atticmike

Larrikin666 said:


> How is it taking advantage? They're still saving quite a bit of coin. I sold one for $2770 to someone, and they were still very happy with the price compared to the $3500 they would have had to pay to import a new one.




No matter how you put it, in the end it is still exploiting since you sell it for more than you bought it.

I don't give a crap about people, buying the piece for more than it is worth. There is a market price and selling it for more than that falls always under the category of redundancy which means a high price-elasticity and abnormal buyers. Usually, you find this for brands such as gucci or ed hardy. The higher the price, the higher is the demand of those people. In economics we call them abnormal buyers causing unreasonable price elasticity.

Don't forget that Fractal Audio hasn't done delivery to G66 for quite a while with no reason so ever. How would european people get a hold of it then? Anyways, it is just wrong and I feel lucky for you and your successful business you did with selling the axe fx. Hope you can please more people with prices like this and may find a niche to start a business with it 

The way fractal audio treats european customer, they should sell it custom and bto.

I'm an angry bird today and wish I had wings to take a dump on their headquarters.


----------



## gunshow86de

It's simple supply and demand. Europe has no supply right now (for whatever reason), and there's a limited amount of used Axe-FX's being sold. When I had mine up for sale, I actually had members from Europe offering more than my asking price. It may not be fair, but used gear is a free market.


----------



## getaway_fromme

Hey all. The axe fx wiki is down. Can someone here guide me as to setting up a patch with 2 guitars running simultaneously? I know you need two paths running parallel, but I don't know how to place the FX loop blocks. Any help?


----------



## Mehnike

gunshow86de said:


> It's simple supply and demand. Europe has no supply right now (for whatever reason), and there's a limited amount of used Axe-FX's being sold. When I had mine up for sale, I actually had members from Europe offering more than my asking price. It may not be fair, but used gear is a free market.


Beat me to it. Supply and demand will dictate the used market value over there.

Although it may seem greedy to some, I'll admit that if I could some how convince myself to get rid of my axe, I would definitely not turn down an offer to sell for more than I paid. If the buyer is willing to buy, I assume that he believes he is getting something of higher value to him than the money he is trading for it. In turn, both of us are coming out positive on our ends and the trade is fair. Pretty much how I view the situation.

It just so happened that all the import shit ramped up prices. Just one of those things we don't really have control over.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Does it matter that much what the EQ of your pickups are when using the Axe-Fx? If I had a pickup with too many high-mids could I use the Axe-Fx to re-EQ the pickup so it had less of those but more low-mids? If I had a pickup with too much bass, remove some of that and add some highs? With all the EQ options it should be possible right? I hope so, as it would make more sense than having a bunch of guitars just because of different EQed pickups.


----------



## Andromalia

I have found that basically I needed custom patches for each of my guitars. Patches done with one usually sound like shit with another, because although all my guitars are mahogany, they all have different pickups. My two favourites these days are EMG 81s and Duncan Full Shred and I absolutely cannot use the same patches with both. It likely also has something to do with these guitars not being used in the same tunings though, as I'm using the EMGs for Eb stuff and the FS for low tunings.

You have a lot of EQing in the axe if your pickup isn't voiced as you like it, but that won't offer the same result as a pickup voiced the way you want it.


----------



## Default_M

Larrikin666 said:


> The warranty is 100% transferable. Fractal honors the length of the warranty even if the ownership changes.



I asked them myself by email a few weeks ago and they replied with this:

From: Fractal Audio <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Warranty
To: ..........

Warranty is not transferable.


 *From:* .......
*To:* [email protected] fractalaudio.com
*Sent:* Tue, December 21, 2010 10:58:16 AM
*Subject:* Warranty

Hi, is the warranty for the Axe FX ultra transferable? I have the opportunity to buy a brand new one that the guy hasn't even received from you yet so the warranty card won't have been filled out or anything (if there is a card).

Thanks,
Chris


----------



## atticmike

This is the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard from a company... Why wouldn't I be able to adopt someone's warranty by buying it? Seriously, most 
ridiculous general business terms I have ever heard of... 



Default_M said:


> I asked them myself by email a few weeks ago and they replied with this:
> 
> From: Fractal Audio <[email protected]>
> Subject: Re: Warranty
> To: ..........
> 
> Warranty is not transferable.
> 
> 
> *From:* .......
> *To:* [email protected] fractalaudio.com
> *Sent:* Tue, December 21, 2010 10:58:16 AM
> *Subject:* Warranty
> 
> Hi, is the warranty for the Axe FX ultra transferable? I have the opportunity to buy a brand new one that the guy hasn't even received from you yet so the warranty card won't have been filled out or anything (if there is a card).
> 
> Thanks,
> Chris


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Andromalia said:


> I have found that basically I needed custom patches for each of my guitars. Patches done with one usually sound like shit with another, because although all my guitars are mahogany, they all have different pickups. My two favourites these days are EMG 81s and Duncan Full Shred and I absolutely cannot use the same patches with both. It likely also has something to do with these guitars not being used in the same tunings though, as I'm using the EMGs for Eb stuff and the FS for low tunings.
> 
> You have a lot of EQing in the axe if your pickup isn't voiced as you like it, but that won't offer the same result as a pickup voiced the way you want it.



So as long as I shoot for the general EQ that I want, I should be okay then right?

I do know however that you are going to want a pickup with the right harmonic content, tightness, dynamics, response, etc.

Reason I ask is because when I finally get my rig together I might try a set of Bareknuckles in a guitar. I just don't want to buy two sets though. I had the Aftermath set and the Painkiller set in mind. I think I'd like the mid spike that is present in the Painkiller, but if need be I wanted to know if I could switch it towards low-mids.


----------



## Andromalia

No clue, never owned any of these pickups.



> This is the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard from a company... Why wouldn't I be able to adopt someone's warranty by buying it?



Because G66 prices are inflated, so transferring the warranty would just bypass the EU distributor in practice. With the dollar plunge G66 must make a killing with their inflated euro prices. I do have to admit their customer service is top notch, though.


----------



## Default_M

Its the fact that G66 prices are so ridiculously over inflated that people will happily pay $2200 or more on ebay for something that Fractal just sold for $2000.
Now that G66 aren't getting any units at all this makes even more people run to ebay and I can't help wondering what's going on and exactly why Fractal aren't sending any units over.


----------



## Mehnike

Orb 451,

Really appreciate your settings post. Helped me get broken in to the axe nicely.  I do have a question though.

In your settings, it says to set the balance to 50.0 for amp 1 and cab 1, and to -50.0 for amp 2 and cab 2. I'm assuming this should split up each amp and their cabs with one going to the right output and one to the left. Whenever I set mine like this I only get output into my left monitor. Of course, when I set all the balances to 0.0, I get output from left and right, but the amps are combined equally in both monitors. 

I would like to get amp 1 and cab 1 only coming out of the left output and amp 2 and cab 2 coming only out of the right. What am I doing wrong?

All my global and i/o settings seem to be identical to whats in your post except for the "copy out1 to out 2" option. I have that set to off because I am currently only running it into my desk monitors.

Any help appreciated, many thanks.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Does anyone know when was the last time somebody got a unit from G66?


----------



## atticmike

Doesn't Fractal Audio intend to make money with the axe fx? Why wouldn't they just distributed it themselves worldwide from the us so people don't have to fight for a fucking unit? Moreover, I'm thinking of changing my mind on the axe fx and look for something else instead of supporting a seemingly inept developer. Doesn't make for a good future I guess with not performing the most basic rule of em all, the distribution


----------



## DC23

Although I am the first one to say that I definitely have disagreed (and still disagree) with some of Fractal's business practices, I think we've gotta remember that Fractal is still a relatively small company. The amount of MFC units that get shipped out per day depends on how many units can fit into the back of a car . 

Worldwide shipping of a very in demand product is quite a lofty task. I wouldn't let distribution of a product necessarily overshadow my opinion of the products themselves...And I'm in Canada (we get nothing easily over here!) haha.

Sure there are downsides to small companies, but the upside is that consumers get heard. Fractal is awesome for support and free firmware updates, etc.


----------



## emperor_black

The wait/delay, etc, etc is totally worth it!


----------



## gunshow86de

atticmike said:


> Doesn't Fractal Audio intend to make money with the axe fx? Why wouldn't they just distributed it themselves worldwide from the us so people don't have to fight for a fucking unit? Moreover, I'm thinking of changing my mind on the axe fx and look for something else instead of supporting a seemingly inept developer. Doesn't make for a good future I guess with not performing the most basic rule of em all, the distribution



How is he inept? G66 is just the distributor for Europe. They have to buy the units from Fractal. Maybe G66 is having money problems?

Cliff and Fractal seem to be doing fine. They've even expanded their product line so that now you can have an entire rig using all Fractal hardware. The support for the Axe is as good or better than any major company; new firmware releases, the wiki and forum (where Cliff himself will answer questions).

The business plan he's using is working well for him. His inventory turnover is quick, and he is able to replenish the inventory in a reasonable time frame. There are plenty of people in the market willing to pony up the cash for one.

When I was selling mine, you sent me a PM questioning my asking price of $1,900. Before I could finish typing the response I had 3 offers come in, one of which was offering more than the asking price.


----------



## Default_M

I don't think its that G66 is having money problems and can't buy the units because when I spoke to them they said they were expecting them in February, then I chased them up on it and they said they'd just been told that they wouldn't be getting any units in the month of March and they seemed surprised and confused by this.

I know that doesn't say anything for certain about why they aren't getting them, but I'd say you can rule out the fact that they haven't paid because generally I don't expect to be receiving something if I've not even paid.


----------



## Pat_s1t

Hey guys! Got my Axe from a local guy abut a week ago (Beardyman on these boards), and I'm wondering what all you dudes would recommend for a MIDI/USB interface for recording and updating firmware. Also if applicable, how to use the Axe for vocals and acoustic guitar along with whatever interface I get and an SM 58.


----------



## DC23

I use an M-Audio Profire 610 for recording and updating firmware. Works like a charm.


----------



## Mehnike

Any of you guys in here ever get one of those cheap-o china usb to midi cables to work? I got mine the other day in the mail and cant get windows to recognize it. Paid less than $5 so its not much of a loss...


----------



## orb451

Mehnike said:


> Orb 451,
> 
> Really appreciate your settings post. Helped me get broken in to the axe nicely.  I do have a question though.
> 
> In your settings, it says to set the balance to 50.0 for amp 1 and cab 1, and to -50.0 for amp 2 and cab 2. I'm assuming this should split up each amp and their cabs with one going to the right output and one to the left. Whenever I set mine like this I only get output into my left monitor. Of course, when I set all the balances to 0.0, I get output from left and right, but the amps are combined equally in both monitors.
> 
> I would like to get amp 1 and cab 1 only coming out of the left output and amp 2 and cab 2 coming only out of the right. What am I doing wrong?
> 
> All my global and i/o settings seem to be identical to whats in your post except for the "copy out1 to out 2" option. I have that set to off because I am currently only running it into my desk monitors.
> 
> Any help appreciated, many thanks.



Hey man, sorry I missed this post. I think it might be related to the copy out1 to out2, but if not, something else must be missing. Settings-wise I mean. I'll have to relook at my settings and see if there's a mixer or other block that might be separating the signal left from right.


----------



## Larrikin666

Mehnike said:


> Any of you guys in here ever get one of those cheap-o china usb to midi cables to work? I got mine the other day in the mail and cant get windows to recognize it. Paid less than $5 so its not much of a loss...



They work for updating firmware but not connecting to Axe-edit


----------



## Revan132

How would I upload redwirez impulses to the Axe FX in Axe EDIT?


----------



## Metal_Maniac

I'm looking at getting an Axe FX Ultra this year, does anyone know if they plan on bringing in a newer updated model? I dont want to buy one and then have a new version come out. Is the Axe FX Ultra something that will be replaced with a new Axe FX any time soon?


----------



## DC23

I dont think Fractal intends to come out with a new model anytime soon. The ultras and standards are only gaining in popularity, and honestly, even if you bought one now and wanted to sell it, fractals products have the best resell value I've ever seen!


----------



## orb451

Metal_Maniac said:


> I'm looking at getting an Axe FX Ultra this year, does anyone know if they plan on bringing in a newer updated model? I dont want to buy one and then have a new version come out. Is the Axe FX Ultra something that will be replaced with a new Axe FX any time soon?



This is a legitimate concern with a lot of manufacturers, but the issue is, from a manufacturer's standpoint, they're not going to come out say exactly *when* they'll release something new. They can hint at development and whatnot, but I wouldn't expect them to come out with a press release over their next release until it's time to release it. That could be next week, next year or 3 years from now...

The AxeFX has been out for a few years already and is still going strong sales-wise. Hardware-wise, my understanding is that it's built for the long term and not meant to be revised every 3-5 years like other PC or commodity hardware. Point being, I think you're safe buying one now. Eventually they will release a new hardware version but I think that's still a ways away in the future.


----------



## Revan132

Any idea what the best MIDI foot controller for the Ultra's are (Besides the MFC's) ?


----------



## DC23

Ground Control Pro's are good. I just upgraded from it to an MFC....love it! Liquid Foot Pro, Liquid Foot Jr, and Rocktron All Access are popular too


----------



## ROAR

I use the VooDoo lab and don't really feel the need
to upgrade. Though I plan on running my Axe Fx 
really basically. I'd like to try out one of these
Fractal midis.


----------



## Revan132

Isn't there an insane waiting list for them though?


----------



## Roo

Just received my MFC101 the other day and have been programming away but have come across a bit of a snag

I've set stomps 1-10 as my patch select switches with the intention of have stomps 11-14 as the looper control. So I've set 11-14 as "NONE" on the IA and now I have no idea of what to do....can anyone help me?


----------



## Andromalia

However awesome the fractal midi board is just waaay too much for me. I wish they'd done something simpler and smaller. I really don't need that army of buttons.


----------



## emperor_black

for the 5 - 10 patches I like to use, the Rocktron MidiMate works just fine for me. I got it used for $100 with a 20 ft 7 pin MIDI cable to remotely power it.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Revan132 said:


> Any idea what the best MIDI foot controller for the Ultra's are (Besides the MFC's) ?



A good basic one is the Rocktron MIDI Mate so I've heard. Less than $200.

EDIT: Ahhh, didn't see the last post emperor black beat me to it! Darn.


----------



## Revan132

I have to thank both you guys for that because you saved me a LOT of money when I am going to be using 5 patches tops for the moment when playing live!


----------



## emperor_black

LeviathanKiller said:


> A good basic one is the Rocktron MIDI Mate so I've heard. Less than $200.
> 
> EDIT: Ahhh, didn't see the last post emperor black beat me to it! Darn.



LOL. Sorry about that mate. 

Some other cool things I've got going with the Midi Mate - I set up one rhythm patch with 'loop on', and the next lead patch with 'play on' and I can play a rhythm and when I hit the lead patch, it starts looping. These things can easily be done with the MFC but the MM does not cost $799 either.


----------



## Metal_Maniac

orb451 said:


> This is a legitimate concern with a lot of manufacturers, but the issue is, from a manufacturer's standpoint, they're not going to come out say exactly *when* they'll release something new. They can hint at development and whatnot, but I wouldn't expect them to come out with a press release over their next release until it's time to release it. That could be next week, next year or 3 years from now...
> 
> The AxeFX has been out for a few years already and is still going strong sales-wise. Hardware-wise, my understanding is that it's built for the long term and not meant to be revised every 3-5 years like other PC or commodity hardware. Point being, I think you're safe buying one now. Eventually they will release a new hardware version but I think that's still a ways away in the future.



Thanks much!


----------



## Revan132

emperor_black said:


> LOL. Sorry about that mate.
> 
> Some other cool things I've got going with the Midi Mate - I set up one rhythm patch with 'loop on', and the next lead patch with 'play on' and I can play a rhythm and when I hit the lead patch, it starts looping. These things can easily be done with the MFC but the MM does not cost $799 either.



Is the Midi Mate easy to program?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

emperor_black said:


> LOL. Sorry about that mate.
> 
> Some other cool things I've got going with the Midi Mate - I set up one rhythm patch with 'loop on', and the next lead patch with 'play on' and I can play a rhythm and when I hit the lead patch, it starts looping. *These things can easily be done with the MFC but the MM does not cost $799 either.*



It's like buying a $1500 television and then spending another half that amount just for the remote!  Nuts, price is nuts.


----------



## Cadavuh

So, I have been playing through an Axe standard for about 6 or 7 months now. My setup is an Atomic-MB50 through an Avatar 4x12 with V30s and K100s. For the first time this weekend I was able to hear the Axe Fx direct at a great studio. Some pretty nice pre-amps were being used and the monitor system was great as well(I don't remember what monitors nor what pre-amps were being used but I do recall Yamaha subs). 

Overall I would say I was really let down by the studio tone, comparatively speaking. I messed with my main patch for a good amount of time and I wasn't able to compensate for what was lost when making the switch. The tone was thinner, fizzier, and mushy. The response and dynamic weren't nearly as substantial(and I'm using Bareknuckles!).


----------



## orb451

Cadavuh said:


> So, I have been playing through an Axe standard for about 6 or 7 months now. My setup is an Atomic-MB50 through an Avatar 4x12 with V30s and K100s. For the first time this weekend I was able to hear the Axe Fx direct at a great studio. Some pretty nice pre-amps were being used and the monitor system was great as well(I don't remember what monitors nor what pre-amps were being used but I do recall Yamaha subs).
> 
> Overall I would say I was really let down by the studio tone, comparatively speaking. I messed with my main patch for a good amount of time and I wasn't able to compensate for what was lost when making the switch. The tone was thinner, fizzier, and mushy. The response and dynamic weren't nearly as substantial(and I'm using Bareknuckles!).



If you're talking about the difference between going through your Atomic and Avatar speakers to high quality studio monitors, I get what you're saying. When you say "good amount of time" I think that's kind of relative right? That is, did you spend a few days there? Or weeks? 

In all fairness you probably shouldn't have to spend *that* long tweaking patches you already created but in reality you will need to spend a good deal of time. That time is relative though, might take some people a few hours and others a few days or weeks. I went from ho-hum studio monitors to QSC's at home and the difference was night and day. Patches that sounded decent on the monitors sounded like ass through the QSC's and I've found the same applies going in the other direction. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but that's been my experience. Took me a few days tweaking existing patches that sounded good to my ears before I realized I had to tear it all down and start from scratch.

Point is, if you want to be wowed in a studio environment with top notch gear, you have to rebuild your patches from the ground up, one block at a time, slowly dialing in your sound. And since creating good sound shouldn't be a race, that can take a while and requires breaks in between to give your ears a rest.

So no, I'm not surprised at all that you came away with that let down feeling.


----------



## petereanima

There has been mentioned a few times now that the prices of G66.eu are inflated - just wanted to give somethings to think about (also to the folks mentioning why Fractal doesnt distribute in Europe themselves):

Please keep in mind that things may look more expensive at the moment due to the EUR:USD exchange rate (almost 1,40 today), but they if tomorrow the exchange rate drops to 1,25, the price in EUR is still the same and G66 carries the difference. He sold the units for the same price when the exchange rate was 1,18 (which we had that year already).

And its a logical thing to do - most customers arent gamblers. G66 could of course sell with the price based on the current exchange rate, but would you order? F.E.: I'm in the electronics branche, jobwise, we sell US and Taiwan parts, and due to the heavy changes in the exchange rate, i offer prices BASED on the exchange rate, with the clause that all prices will be adjusted if the exchange rate changes more than +/- 2%. Its fair for both sides (because i purchase in USD, so the margin in % is still the same), but of course, you are paying in EUR and can always end up paying WAY more than you thought you would. If you are lucky, it gets cheaper. But how often is that?

You want that? Or do you prefer a fixed price? To be competitive you MUST offer fixed prices, private end-customers dont accept anything else.

And lets face it - its not that we are talking about _that_ much of a difference. Lets calculate it - current US sales price of the Ultra is 2000,- USD. Seen over the last few months, we have an average exchange rate of 1.30, so 2000 USD = EUR 1540,-. Add ~ 100,- for shipping = 1640,-. Add 20% VAT = EUR 1.968,-. Add customs duties and clearance, lets say 5% = EUR 2.066,- total.

As said, we had 1.18 already this year, which would than have been a total of EUR 2.260,- - already higher than G66's price.

G66 also automatically changes the fan inside of the unit after arrival, before shipping to the customer, adding latest firmware, AND you have support on hand. If something goes wrong, your unit brakes, shipping-damage or anything - G66 orders the courier service to pick it up, no costs for you. Normal procedure for OVERSEAS orders is that you pay 1 way, so its propably another 100,- right away, even if its not your fault.

In the end: they are running a business, OF COURSE they are making money - thats the whole point. Would you work free of charge?

And also keep in mind: Wheny ou order via G66, you dont pay anything until the unit is really ready to ship - there are almost no other companies offering that. Common is "you pay, then we start with the order-process".

For the current delivery time: According to Jacques/G66 - Fractal is waiting for chips needed to finish the next bulk. Beeing in that kidna businnes, i can tell you that within the last 2 years the electronic-component market, ESPECCIALLY for chips, broke down, and many high-end solutions have waiting times for up to 50 weeks. And thats "express" already with 200% surcharge. I'm not kidding.

And of course - Fractal wont ship unit by unit, to keep prices stable, there needs to be a bulk of a specific quantity. Guessing that G66 receives them per airfreight, do the maths yourself: You pay 300,- for the shipment of 1 pc., or 400,- for a shipment of 50 pcs...


I dont want to be the wise-ass, just relativize a few things regarding distribution.


----------



## Revan132

I also love how Fractal chalks up their construction on the MFC as "Rugged 16 gauge steel chassis designed." It's comical because I am a metalworker, and 16 gauge steel is not only incredibly cheap, it's also fairly weak in terms of strength.  
For 800 dollars they could have manufactured them out of T6 Aluminum, making it lighter, and MUCH MUCH stronger!


----------



## Cadavuh

orb451 said:


> If you're talking about the difference between going through your Atomic and Avatar speakers to high quality studio monitors, I get what you're saying. When you say "good amount of time" I think that's kind of relative right? That is, did you spend a few days there? Or weeks?
> 
> In all fairness you probably shouldn't have to spend *that* long tweaking patches you already created but in reality you will need to spend a good deal of time. That time is relative though, might take some people a few hours and others a few days or weeks. I went from ho-hum studio monitors to QSC's at home and the difference was night and day. Patches that sounded decent on the monitors sounded like ass through the QSC's and I've found the same applies going in the other direction. Maybe it shouldn't be that way, but that's been my experience. Took me a few days tweaking existing patches that sounded good to my ears before I realized I had to tear it all down and start from scratch.
> 
> Point is, if you want to be wowed in a studio environment with top notch gear, you have to rebuild your patches from the ground up, one block at a time, slowly dialing in your sound. And since creating good sound shouldn't be a race, that can take a while and requires breaks in between to give your ears a rest.
> 
> So no, I'm not surprised at all that you came away with that let down feeling.



Understandable. I really expected a more consistent transition that, well, yielded a corresponding tone. I spent around 2 hours tweaking(mostly cab sims and para/graphic eqs) and if I had the time I would have built from scratch.


----------



## atticmike

It took me a while but I just realized that the axe is nothing but a computer to process vst / aust plugins fractal audio programmed. First, I thought that they had developed some sort of particular hardware to run these effects but the more I researched, the more my eyes were opened and if I happen to look for something that swims aside of my acquired "real amp sound" then I will consider the axe. Hope prices will have dropped by then...


----------



## mikernaut

Anybody have any issues updating their firmware to 10.05 from 10.01?

I can't seem to get it to work. I'm using a M Audio midisport uno and the Midi-OX program . EDIT- hmmm I am getting the "Badchecksum" message now. Maybe I'll have to ditch the Uno and get another unit although it worked last time for updating.

Also I'm pretty darn sure the cords are hooked up properly. typed in the settings in Midi-OX like suggested-

Low Level I/O Buffers: size - 256, number - 16
Milliseconds between buffers: 90


----------



## Kali Yuga

If I purchase an Axe FX Standard, would I be able to create a patch that allows use with a poweramp and cabinet, while simultaneously going out to the PA, or is that something only the Ultra can do?


----------



## mikernaut

Cool, figured out my issue- got the 10.01 systex id from the Axe unit's I/O button menu which was 125 for version 10.01.

typed that into the "pre 10.02 firmware decimal ID" slot in Axe Edit's midi settings and the unit was found and I could update the firmware to 10.05


----------



## Andromalia

Kali Yuga said:


> If I purchase an Axe FX Standard, would I be able to create a patch that allows use with a poweramp and cabinet, while simultaneously going out to the PA, or is that something only the Ultra can do?



You can. You can route to two separate outputs and have two entirely different chains in a single patch. Meaning, one chain with cab and power amp sims on to the PA and another one with them off to your power amp.
The standard can handle this with no problem if you don't go ultra crazy with effects.

Btw with there were talks of Fractal designing a sound interface, any news about this ?


----------



## Kali Yuga

Andromalia said:


> You can. You can route to two separate outputs and have two entirely different chains in a single patch. Meaning, one chain with cab and power amp sims on to the PA and another one with them off to your power amp.
> The standard can handle this with no problem if you don't go ultra crazy with effects.
> 
> Btw with there were talks of Fractal designing a sound interface, any news about this ?


Thanks for the reply. I knew it could be done with the Ultra, but wasn't sure if the smaller processor in the Standard would complicate things. I typically run standard single amplifier and cabinet setups, with an occasional boost o EQ and reverb/delay, but not much fancier than that. I wouldn't really push the Ultra to it's full potential. However, Axe FXs resale for nearly as much as the new price, so it wouldn't be much problem to resale the Standard and grab an Ultra in the future if I need more.


----------



## Andromalia

Depending on how you set it up and the tone you get, you'll likely have to run two near fully separate chains as you'll need two amps, one with the power amp on and one with the power amp off. Since they usually are pretty early i the chain everything after it will have to be doubled.


----------



## Triple7

Revan132 said:


> Is the Midi Mate easy to program?


 

Yes. I have been using the midi mate for a couple months now, and I find it really easy to program. There is also a tutorial video on Youtube that shows you how to get started.


----------



## mikernaut

I'll have to check out this Midi mate myself, My value knob is completely borked on my Axe making it a nightmare to scroll thru patches and rename them.


----------



## nojyeloot

On a similar topic, I'm trying to update to the 10.05 firmware on my buddy's AFX right now. The Midisport UNO absolutely sucks. Keeps disconnecting on 2 different powerful win7 PCs on multiple USB ports. I've given up on the UNO... it's really poor. Looking to get a new USB to MIDI Interface. Found the following info below. Which are considered the best/most reliable?

Interfaces working /not working with the Axe-FX



> Interfaces working /not working with the Axe-FX
> I've rescued this information from the old forum. Please help us to complete the list.
> 
> Interfaces reporting problems with the Axe-FX (at least for one person):
> 
> - Alesis io|2
> - Alesis IO-26
> - Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe Motherboard MPU403 Midi Port
> - Asus xonar d2x sound card on windows 7 64bit
> - Behringer BCF series
> - Emagic AMT 8 and Mac OS X 10.5.3
> - EMU 1616
> - ESI M4U XL
> - Infrasonic Sonic
> - Midisport UNO problems on Dell PC running XP <- SUCKS
> - Midisport 2x2 not working on MacBook Pro
> - MOTU Fastlane
> - SwissSonic USB Midi interface
> - XMidi 1x1 ​


 
*In other words, what do you guys use as an interface for your AxeFxs?*

*I'm leaning towards the Midisport 2x2, unless it's not recommended*


----------



## ROAR

^I use and can confirm the MidiSport 2x2 works.
It's a cool little box.


----------



## nojyeloot

ROAR said:


> ^I use and can confirm the MidiSport 2x2 works.
> It's a cool little box.


 
Cool. That's what I really needed to hear. MUCH appreciation ROAR.


----------



## ROAR

Anytime sweetheart.


----------



## nojyeloot

ROAR said:


> Anytime sweetheart.


 
 I like that


----------



## nojyeloot

SUCCESS! Downloaded the latest win7 x64 drivers for the UNO from M-Audio.com, and finally (after 7+ attempts ) was able to upgrade to firmware 10.05.

M-AUDIO - Drivers

Midisport UNO still sucks (disconnects out of nowhere), but it worked this time.


----------



## nojyeloot

I'm running 10.05 (Ultra). Regarding patches found on Fractal forums: Why do some patches load up fine while others aren't even recognized when it's apparent that OTHER people are able to use _said_ patches?


----------



## orb451

nojyeloot said:


> I'm running 10.05 (Ultra). Regarding patches found on Fractal forums: Why do some patches load up fine while others aren't even recognized when it's apparent that OTHER people are able to use _said_ patches?



I don't know, but if/when you find out, please let us know. I've wondered that same thing and haven't been bothered to research it. I'd guess that's it's something to do with the version of the editor you use but who knows


----------



## sessionswan

I've had my Ultra for 3 days now and this thing is just beyond belief, quite an upgrade from Amplitube in both sound and CPU resources 

I can't imagine how much better it gets once you get comfy with it.


----------



## Andromalia

Since I can't record these days I've been tweaking the axe some and got surprising results with tweaking the drive block, mostly with the drive EQ knobs which I had up to now never touched.
I also found a sweet spot with the input level/noisegate settings that gives me quite a bit of control of distorsion with controlling the pick attack and the results are surprising.
OF COURSE these settings work with only one of my guitars. That's the difficult stuff with the axe, it's so sensitive that I don't have a patch that can fit all. All the patches as for one guitar only, plugging another sounds from not as good to just plain bad.


----------



## Sepultorture

Andromalia said:


> Since I can't record these days I've been tweaking the axe some and got surprising results with tweaking the drive block, mostly with the drive EQ knobs which I had up to now never touched.
> I also found a sweet spot with the input level/noisegate settings that gives me quite a bit of control of distorsion with controlling the pick attack and the results are surprising.
> OF COURSE these settings work with only one of my guitars. That's the difficult stuff with the axe, it's so sensitive that I don't have a patch that can fit all. All the patches as for one guitar only, plugging another sounds from not as good to just plain bad.



i wonder if using EMG's in every guitar would eliminate that problem

as EMG's seam to have just about the same character no matter what you put them in thanks to the preamp in them


----------



## Andromalia

Possibly, can't test, I only have 1 guitar with EMGs. ^^
I think I shuld add at that point that not all of my guitars have the same tuning, which might just compound the issue, as I play stuff from B to E standard.


----------



## ROAR

Alright somebody help me out on power conditioners.
I've seen a few people with Power Factor pro's etc etc
and I just need to know which one I should be looking at and why.
I hav an Ultra running through a Mackie HD1531.
Thanks for the help if anyone can lend a hand.


----------



## nojyeloot

orb451 said:


> I don't know, but if/when you find out, please let us know. I've wondered that same thing and haven't been bothered to research it. I'd guess that's it's something to do with the version of the editor you use but who knows


 
I think it has something to do with either the Axe-edit version, or more likely the firmware version. 

I did, however, have a victory last night. I used the 4 Cable Method to use the power section of my V2 to power the AxeFx on my rig. This was VERY helpful (right side diagram):







HOWEVER, I did notice some sag on a patch that I found on the Fractal forums that I modified. Anyone have a clue on how to rectify sag? It's NOT pitch shifted

Patch found here:
http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/32939-Acacia-Strain-Djenty-guitar-tone-song-in-the-works!/page2?highlight=acacia+strain


----------



## Sepultorture

ROAR said:


> Alright somebody help me out on power conditioners.
> I've seen a few people with Power Factor pro's etc etc
> and I just need to know which one I should be looking at and why.
> I hav an Ultra running through a Mackie HD1531.
> Thanks for the help if anyone can lend a hand.



Furman PL PLUS C

all you need, decently priced too


----------



## orb451

nojyeloot said:


> Anyone have a clue on how to rectify sag? It's NOT pitch shifted
> 
> Patch found here:
> http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/32939-Acacia-Strain-Djenty-guitar-tone-song-in-the-works!/page2?highlight=acacia+strain



Sag? As in power amp sag? As in the patch feels spongy or the bass feels loose and flabby? I didn't download this patch/song so I'm not sure what you mean, that's why I asked. If it's too spongy or loose, I turn the sag down, turn the master volume down and let the preamp do the work. Also turning down the power tube bias and B+ can also help tighten things up but the trade off is that they take a lot of "life" out of the patch if you get too crazy with them.

If that's not what you're talking about, feel free to disregard this


----------



## WishIwasfinnish

Does anyone know when more Ultras are going to be in stock? I just saved up for one and now there are no more, but the fractal guys said monday, and still none.


----------



## Sepultorture

WishIwasfinnish said:


> Does anyone know when more Ultras are going to be in stock? I just saved up for one and now there are no more, but the fractal guys said monday, and still none.



just keep haunting the page brother, couple times a day till some are for sale and click BUY as fast as effing possible


----------



## Mehnike

Quick Question: One of the main reasons I'm ordering a furman power conditioner is to be able to turn my axe and poweramp on with one switch. Will I be fine leaving everything in my rack on and just using the furman as the master power? There shouldn't be any spikes in power that would hurt anything right? I'm definitly not complaining that it takes too long to flip another switch, I just want it for convenience sake.

Also any of you guys notice cascading grey lines and such in the menu screen? I've had my axefx on my desk for a month and never noticed because I wasn't looking straight on to the screen. Just set it up on top of my cab in a rack and now if I am sitting down lookin at it straight on or a little downwards from it, I see alot of grey lines flowing down the screen. I already know I'm insanely picky, but want to make sure its not just me, and just the angle of viewing the screen.


----------



## Andromalia

I leave my axe and power amp on and switch them with the power conditioner and never saw any adverse effect. The button is on the face anyway so it's not as painful if you want to do it manually than, say, with my ada MP2 and its backpanel power switch.  (Which is what got me to leave it on always in the first place, habit just carried on to the axefx afterwards)


----------



## Zenerith

Hey, i just started to wonder if i could use my old Engl E315 Gigmaster 15 head as a power amp? I'm really n00b with these technical things so this might be a really stupid question,sorry. 2800 for the ultra and mb-50 is kinda hefty price :S


----------



## nojyeloot

nojyeloot said:


> I think it has something to do with either the Axe-edit version, or more likely the firmware version.
> 
> I did, however, have a victory last night. I used the 4 Cable Method to use the power section of my V2 to power the AxeFx on my rig. This was VERY helpful (right side diagram):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HOWEVER, I did notice some sag on a patch that I found on the Fractal forums that I modified. Anyone have a clue on how to rectify sag? It's NOT pitch shifted
> 
> Patch found here:
> http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/32939-Acacia-Strain-Djenty-guitar-tone-song-in-the-works!/page2?highlight=acacia+strain


 


Zenerith said:


> Hey, i just started to wonder if i could use my old Engl E315 Gigmaster 15 head as a power amp? I'm really n00b with these technical things so this might be a really stupid question,sorry. 2800 for the ultra and mb-50 is kinda hefty price :S


 
According to my previous post and the pic (below) showing the back of your head, YES:


----------



## right_to_rage

So does anybody have some good tips and tricks for nailing a solid bass tone on the Axe? I have the redwirez 8x10 impulses and am dying to try them out, but what about drive settings and amps? Do you have any go to blend settings for dual amps, or specific compression concepts? My problem is generating a tone that is both audible and even, so that high notes don't sound too thin, and low notes are clear and defined.


----------



## Zenerith

Thanks for the help =) this thing has been wondering me for a while now but not anylonger, thanks to you!


----------



## Andromalia

right_to_rage said:


> So does anybody have some good tips and tricks for nailing a solid bass tone on the Axe? I have the redwirez 8x10 impulses and am dying to try them out, but what about drive settings and amps? Do you have any go to blend settings for dual amps, or specific compression concepts? My problem is generating a tone that is both audible and even, so that high notes don't sound too thin, and low notes are clear and defined.



What kind of bass tone are you looking for ? 
Steve Harris or th3 mod3rn Stuff ?


----------



## WishIwasfinnish

The Ultras are back in stock! Just ordered one! WOOOO....can't wait. 3 day shipping is not fast enough


----------



## right_to_rage

Andromalia said:


> What kind of bass tone are you looking for ?
> Steve Harris or th3 mod3rn Stuff ?



aha th3 modz mostly. I really love the tone of the bass on Protest the Hero's newest release, Tool's bass tone on 10,000 days, and I also love the tone on On The Virg's "Serious Young Insects". Clear, fat, and punchy with a bit of grinding distortion. I have an Ibanez SR785 bass. Definitely want more low end than Iron Maiden


----------



## emperor_black

If you're looking for a guitar patch that sounds like a bass guitar, look elsewhere. I've been asking the folks at the Fractal forums and so far, to my knowledge, no one has nailed it yet. 

If you want patches for bass guitar, do a search for 'Yek's live patches'. He has some patches that sound great out of the box. There is one other guy, I forget his name, who has great bass patches also for download on the fractal forums. Check them out.


----------



## Saber_777

Alright, I am sure this has been asked, but I have a few questions... 
- Is it worth it?
- Is it better than the 6505? I am a player who doesnt just stick to distortion but I am really happy with it. Bands like All Shall Perish, Rose Funeral, Animals, BOO, 
- I have a 94 Crate GX - 130c with matching 2 2X12 in cabs. It does have a FX loop so I am covered, but how much does my current head and cab work the Axe, I am more worried about head being affected than the cab.
- Do I have to buy any presets and tones? I used a a Line 6 Spider 3 and it was kindof tricky.
- Do I need to throw away my pedals? 
Just a few I can think of right off, if anyone can answer this ole cow poke would be much obliged, soot me a PM if you answer any?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

All_Shall_Rot said:


> Alright, I am sure this has been asked, but I have a few questions...
> - Is it worth it?
> - Is it better than the 6505? I am a player who doesnt just stick to distortion but I am really happy with it. Bands like All Shall Perish, Rose Funeral, Animals, BOO,
> - I have a 94 Crate GX - 130c with matching 2 2X12 in cabs. It does have a FX loop so I am covered, but how much does my current head and cab work the Axe, I am more worried about head being affected than the cab.
> - Do I have to buy any presets and tones? I used a a Line 6 Spider 3 and it was kindof tricky.
> - Do I need to throw away my pedals?
> Just a few I can think of right off, if anyone can answer this ole cow poke would be much obliged, soot me a PM if you answer any?



- Well, all the people who own one and plan on keeping it think it is worth it. That question has very debatable answers. 

- I'm sure it will give you the some tone your 6505 does, and more but without the hassle of tubes, weight, etc..

- Not sure what you mean by that question?...

- No, but you have the option of buying different cabinet models if you wanted something more specific that doesn't come on the Axe-Fx. (i.e. RedWirez)

- You don't have to but you may want to if you find that the Axe-Fx is capable of all that your pedals did.


----------



## Andromalia

- Is it worth it?
Oh yes it is.

- Is it better than the 6505? 
No clue, never owned one. what I can say is, it is usable and believable both as a direct recording tool, as a preamp with effects and a power amp. didn't test frfr myself.

- I have a 94 Crate GX - 130c with matching 2 2X12 in cabs. It does have a FX loop so I am covered, but how much does my current head and cab work the Axe, I am more worried about head being affected than the cab.

Er...I don't understand the question 

- Do I have to buy any presets and tones? I used a a Line 6 Spider 3 and it was kindof tricky.

No.

- Do I need to throw away my pedals? 

I don't see why you would keep them.


----------



## JP Universe

Someone needs to buy this asap.... Fractal Audio Axe-FX Ultra preamp (AxeFx Axe Fx) | eBay


----------



## JP Universe

And it's gone.... 1400 buy it now for a used Axefx Ultra.... If it had international shipping it would have been mine!!!!!!!!


----------



## WishIwasfinnish

So, my Ultra will arrive Thursday and I want to use the Axe-Edit software. However, I am unclear about how to connect it to the computer. I have heard that I need to get a USB to midi interface like this: 

Amazon.com: M-Audio Midisport 2x2 Anniversary Edition - MIDI adapter - USB: Musical Instruments

and two midi cables to connect to the axe fx, and then I've also heard that all I need is a USB to midi cable to plug right into the computer. I just don't want to waste my money on some gear I don't need.

Also, my computer is a Mac Pro running OSX 10.6

Edit: I also found this: 

http://www.amazon.com/Manhattan-Ada...cal-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1300825586&sr=1-4

Which seems to cover what I need, since it has one usb input and midi in/out inputs. So, is that interface box really necessary or will that cable do the trick?


----------



## msalazar

Can someone explain the 4 cable method to me. I just ordered my standard and was thinking i would just hit my 6505's return. Whats the benefit of the 4 cable method?


----------



## nojyeloot

nojyeloot said:


> I think it has something to do with either the Axe-edit version, or more likely the firmware version.
> 
> I did, however, have a victory last night. I used the 4 Cable Method to use the power section of my V2 to power the AxeFx on my rig. This was VERY helpful (right side diagram):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> HOWEVER, I did notice some sag on a patch that I found on the Fractal forums that I modified. Anyone have a clue on how to rectify sag? It's NOT pitch shifted
> 
> Patch found here:
> http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/32939-Acacia-Strain-Djenty-guitar-tone-song-in-the-works!/page2?highlight=acacia+strain


 


msalazar said:


> Can someone explain the 4 cable method to me. I just ordered my standard and was thinking i would just hit my 6505's return. Whats the benefit of the 4 cable method?


 
You just have to look 1 page back bro. Or simply google it. 

4 Cable method allows you to bypass your current amp/head's preamp section and use only the power section for your axefx. Look at the above diagram.


----------



## nojyeloot

WishIwasfinnish said:


> So, my Ultra will arrive Thursday and I want to use the Axe-Edit software. However, I am unclear about how to connect it to the computer. I have heard that I need to get a USB to midi interface like this:
> 
> Amazon.com: M-Audio Midisport 2x2 Anniversary Edition - MIDI adapter - USB: Musical Instruments
> 
> and two midi cables to connect to the axe fx, and then I've also heard that all I need is a USB to midi cable to plug right into the computer. I just don't want to waste my money on some gear I don't need.
> 
> Also, my computer is a Mac Pro running OSX 10.6
> 
> Edit: I also found this:
> 
> Amazon.com: Manhattan 6 ft. USB to MIDI Adapter Cable, USB A to 2 DIN-5 MIDI-IN and MIDI-OUT Connectors.: Musical Instruments
> 
> Which seems to cover what I need, since it has one usb input and midi in/out inputs. So, is that interface box really necessary or will that cable do the trick?


 
Both will work.


----------



## WishIwasfinnish

nojyeloot said:


> Both will work.



Thanks man


----------



## nojyeloot

WishIwasfinnish said:


> Thanks man


 
NP, I'd go w/ the 2x2 since more people have had success with it. Also, make sure you get the LATEST version of Axe-Edit. I'm no pro, but I immerged myself in it about 2 weeks ago for my other guitarist's needs. Took me a bit to get my bearings, but I figured out how basically to navigate and such, so PM me if you need help.


----------



## msalazar

nojyeloot said:


> You just have to look 1 page back bro. Or simply google it.
> 
> 4 Cable method allows you to bypass your current amp/head's preamp section and use only the power section for your axefx. Look at the above diagram.



Yeah, I checked that out, but what is the advantage over just putting the axe into the return?


----------



## Mehnike

Hey can a get a quick survey of how deep the rack cases you axefx guys are using? (I mean depth in inches)

I just got an skb case and I have about 8 inches of unused space. Didn't realize there would be so much extra room. I don't need to store anything in there so I was thinking of downsizing while I still have the return period on it.


----------



## ROAR

^I think mine's a 6 space.
But only my Axe is in it right now.

AND just put my VooDoo Lab GC Pro on CraigsList.
Saving for the Fractal Ground Control now.
Decided it was ultimately the best GC for me.


----------



## nojyeloot

msalazar said:


> Yeah, I checked that out, but what is the advantage over just putting the axe into the return?


 
Advantage is, that when you use the 4 cable method, you can use your AxeFx's AMP sims not just the effects. Think about it for a sec... if you use just the loop and you have your actual head on the gain channel and switch the AxeFx to a gain preset, it's most likely going to sound like garbage. Now if you replace Amp/Head's preamp section with the AxeFX, then you get ALL of the AxeFx's features but now amplified, since it's "powered" by your amp/head. Make sense?


----------



## emperor_black

nojyeloot said:


> Advantage is, that when you use the 4 cable method, you can use your AxeFx's AMP sims not just the effects. Think about it for a sec... if you use just the loop and you have your actual head on the gain channel and switch the AxeFx to a gain preset, it's most likely going to sound like garbage. Now if you replace Amp/Head's preamp section with the AxeFX, then you get ALL of the AxeFx's features but now amplified, since it's "powered" by your amp/head. Make sense?



hmm, not sure if you're saying it right, but its the other way around. With the 4 cable method, you can USE your amp's preamp INSTEAD of the AXE's. That way, you are using your fav amp's preamp but also using the AXE's cab's, recording outs, effects and what not. 

here's how the 4 cable method works

1st cable - connect guitar to the axe's input. Bypass amp sim in the AXE
2nd cable - send of AXE to Amp's input . Now you get to use the OD sims on the axe
3rd cable - send of AMP to Return of AXE. This means you're only using the 6505's pre amp and not its power amp. 
4th cable - out of AXE to Return of AMP 

I *think* I got it right. If not, please correct me.


----------



## nojyeloot

emperor_black said:


> hmm, not sure if you're saying it right, but its the other way around. With the 4 cable method, you can USE your amp's preamp INSTEAD of the AXE's. That way, you are using your fav amp's preamp but also using the AXE's cab's, recording outs, effects and what not.
> 
> here's how the 4 cable method works
> 
> 1st cable - connect guitar to the axe's input. Bypass amp sim in the AXE
> 2nd cable - send of AXE to Amp's input . Now you get to use the OD sims on the axe
> 3rd cable - send of AMP to Return of AXE. This means you're only using the 6505's pre amp and not its power amp.
> 4th cable - out of AXE to power amp (if not using cab) or to FRFR if using cabs on the AXE
> 
> I *think* I got it right. If not, please correct me.


 
 Well crap... now I'm confused , what you're saying makes sense, *emperor_black* . Sorry *msalazar* if I (evidently) told you wrong. 

How then does one bypass the preamp section and just use the power section to power the AxeFx?


----------



## emperor_black

I just made one small correction to the 4th cable. LOL.

To bypass the preamp section, just connect the output of the AXE to the 'Return' of the AMP.


----------



## msalazar

yeah, running a single cable from the axe out to the 6505 return should be all you need to bypass the pv pre


----------



## poopyalligator

By any chance does anybody know the wait on these things as of now?


----------



## nojyeloot

Phantom Power Question:

What else, *besides *the Voodoo Pedal Power 2, can I use to power the Ground Control Pro through the AxeFX's Phantom Power/7-pin MIDI cable?

Boss adapter is no good.

Pls, anyone?


----------



## emperor_black

Did the GCP come with an adapter? If the pin size is right, you can just plug that in at the back of the AXE. My Rocktron Midimate's stock adapter fitted just perfectly on the back of the AXE and I can power my MM with a 7 pin MIDI cable.


----------



## nojyeloot

emperor_black said:


> Did the GCP come with an adapter? If the pin size is right, you can just plug that in at the back of the AXE. My Rocktron Midimate's stock adapter fitted just perfectly on the back of the AXE and I can power my MM with a 7 pin MIDI cable.



No , buddy bought the GCP used. 

So in theory I can use a comparable adapter for the GCP to transfer power through the axefx's phantom power input... question is, what are the specs on that adapter?


----------



## emperor_black

nojyeloot said:


> No , buddy bought the GCP used.
> 
> So in theory I can use a comparable adapter for the GCP to transfer power through the axefx's phantom power input... question is, what are the specs on that adapter?



From americanmusical...


Voodoo Lab GCP Ground Control Pro Specifications
Dimensions (W x D x H): 17.5 x 10.5 x 1.75 inches
Weight: 9 lbs
Chassis: 14g steel
Included power supply: *500 mA at 9VAC to a 5.5mm x 2.5mm barrel connector*


----------



## WillDfx

Hey guys

I just got in on a local deal I just couldn't pass up, needless to say I scored an Axe-Fx standard for 1/3 of the price new. It still had the original box with all manuals and such. So anyways, I've never used rack gear at all, nor pedals for that matter. Which means I am completely lost on how to hook this thing up properly. What I'm looking to achieve is using my Laney VH100r as a power amp only, and getting all sound, tone, distortion and effects from the Axe-fx. I've looked up the 4 cable method, but the VH's effects loop confuses me greatly. Basically there is two loops, one for channel A and one for channel B, also there is a Return for A+B which I have no idea what it means. Plus there is an Insert with a Send and Return with a level knob and a three way switch, selecting either Bypass, Insert or Chain. So if someone could please tell me how I can use the Laney as a poweramp only and the Axe-fx as my main sound, and also tell me how and which ins and outs I should use. I would appreciate it greatly.

Thanks


----------



## WillDfx

Here is the setup of the VH100R

http://line6.com/community/servlet/...g;jsessionid=FDBBBC4DEE3A075F6BE7A9A8C569A18D


----------



## Winspear

Azure Haze said:


> Here is the setup of the VH100R
> 
> http://line6.com/community/servlet/...g;jsessionid=FDBBBC4DEE3A075F6BE7A9A8C569A18D



Plugging the Axe into the Return A+B from the Axe output 1 should do it  Infact, return A and return B should give the same results too.


----------



## WillDfx

EtherealEntity said:


> Plugging the Axe into the Return A+B from the Axe output 1 should do it  Infact, return A and return B should give the same results too.



So I would go:
guitar>Axe input
Axe Output 1>Return A+B

Is that all?
also does this jeopardize the sound quality more so than say using the 4 cable method would? Also how would I rig the 4 cable method with my Laney and Axefx?

Thanks


----------



## Winspear

Azure Haze said:


> So I would go:
> guitar>Axe input
> Axe Output 1>Return A+B
> 
> Is that all?
> also does this jeopardize the sound quality more so than say using the 4 cable method would? Also how would I rig the 4 cable method with my Laney and Axefx?
> 
> Thanks



Yes, that is all. You would be using your Axe for amp and effects, with the cab sims disabled. Using the poweramp of your Laney and the speaker as your cab. Similar to guys who run Axe>Poweramp>Cab

The 4 cable method is different.

Guitar>Axe input, No amp sim on the Axe, Overdrive pedal sims go here
Axe send>Amp in
Amp send>Axe return
Axe out>Amp return

So the one cable method is to use the Axe FX for ALL your sound except the cab.
The four cable method is to use the Laney as the preamp, poweramp, and cab, and the Axe as your OD pedal before the Laney, and your effects. Basically the four cable method can be thought of as just using the Axe for "effects pedals" that go before your amp and in your amps loop.


----------



## WillDfx

EtherealEntity said:


> Yes, that is all. You would be using your Axe for amp and effects, with the cab sims disabled. Using the poweramp of your Laney and the speaker as your cab. Similar to guys who run Axe>Poweramp>Cab
> 
> The 4 cable method is different.
> 
> Guitar>Axe input, No amp sim on the Axe, Overdrive pedal sims go here
> Axe send>Amp in
> Amp send>Axe return
> Axe out>Amp return
> 
> So the one cable method is to use the Axe FX for ALL your sound except the cab.
> The four cable method is to use the Laney as the preamp, poweramp, and cab, and the Axe as your OD pedal before the Laney, and your effects. Basically the four cable method can be thought of as just using the Axe for "effects pedals" that go before your amp and in your amps loop.




Awesome man! Thank you very much!
And then just hook my Laney Cab up as normal, and turn the cab sims on the Axe Fx off and I should be good to go.


----------



## Zenerith

Trying to choose between 2 power amps for my axe fx ultra...art sla-2 and atomic mb-50 amps both seem to sound good but it's hard to choose between those. Also, (this is probably common knowledge) there will be a rackmountable version of the mb-50 coming out in about 4-5weeks. Atleast that's what g66.eu here in europe told me yesterday when i asked them about it =) It's going to cost about 999 :S Sorry for my bad english


----------



## Arterial

Hey guys,

Sorry you must be sick of being asked this but...

I've taken the leap and bought myself an axe fx ultra.

I've been told that all i'll be needing is a power amp...is this true? and if so, ive read around that if im on a budget the Peavey 50/50 is fine, but if ive got more money the VHT 2/90/2 is better?

Can anyone enlighten me on this?

Thanks.


----------



## Metalus

Its more of a subjective thing. The VHT is definitely more popular; hell even Cliff (Axe-Fx creator) uses one. A lot of big names have used the VHT as well. Tosin and Bulb to name a few.

I cant imagine going wrong with the Peavey 50/50. Its a good power amp for the money.


----------



## Metalus

Anyone got any tips for using the Energyball sim? Ive messed around with it and it sounds so good. Can I get any extra advice from Energyball users?


----------



## Cabinet

As far as recording with the Axe-FX goes, what equipment is preferable for using it? I have a guitar cable to USB device so I can record directly into my computer, would that suffice for recording?


----------



## emperor_black

yes. Just plug one of the line outs to the guitar in on your unit and record away.


----------



## pstol

Zenerith said:


> Trying to choose between 2 power amps for my axe fx ultra...art sla-2 and atomic mb-50 amps both seem to sound good but it's hard to choose between those. Also, (this is probably common knowledge) there will be a rackmountable version of the mb-50 coming out in about 4-5weeks. Atleast that's what g66.eu here in europe told me yesterday when i asked them about it =) It's going to cost about 999 :S Sorry for my bad english



I just got my SLA-2 and so far I'm pretty satisfied. I'll be taking it to practice to push some volume this weekend, if you want I can let you know how that sounds as well. You can also get a SLA-2 for around $200USD if you're patient enough.


----------



## pstol

Metalus said:


> Its more of a subjective thing. The VHT is definitely more popular; hell even Cliff (Axe-Fx creator) uses one. A lot of big names have used the VHT as well. Tosin and Bulb to name a few.
> 
> I cant imagine going wrong with the Peavey 50/50. Its a good power amp for the money.



Periphery goes straight to FOH for live now, I believe Tosin has started doing this as well.


----------



## Zenerith

pstol said:


> I just got my SLA-2 and so far I'm pretty satisfied. I'll be taking it to practice to push some volume this weekend, if you want I can let you know how that sounds as well. You can also get a SLA-2 for around $200USD if you're patient enough.



That would be awesome thanks =) 200dollars? it costs 395euros here, pfffft. Why does everything have to be so expensive over this side of the lake X.X


----------



## Curt

I was looking at power amps earlier...

my question is should I wait for them to make more monoblocks, or would a Rocktron Velocity or similar poweramp sound good enough?


----------



## Andromalia

Zenerith said:


> That would be awesome thanks =) 200dollars? it costs 395euros here, pfffft. Why does everything have to be so expensive over this side of the lake X.X


At this price, if you have a guitar cab, you might as well get a Rocktron Velocity 300.


----------



## Zenerith

Andromalia said:


> At this price, if you have a guitar cab, you might as well get a Rocktron Velocity 300.



Hey thanks, I hadn't even considered that amp yet! I need to meditate this


----------



## bigswifty

Such a noob question..
Got an axe-fx ultra, worked. took it home, plugged it in and it wont boot up.
wtf?


----------



## Zenerith

Opeth21 said:


> Such a noob question..
> Got an axe-fx ultra, worked. took it home, plugged it in and it wont boot up.
> wtf?



Did you accidentally hit or drop it somewhere on your way home by any chance? If you still can't boot it, just take it back to the shop and ask for a repair or refund.


----------



## iff

Zenerith said:


> Trying to choose between 2 power amps for my axe fx ultra...art sla-2 and atomic mb-50 amps both seem to sound good but it's hard to choose between those. *Also, (this is probably common knowledge) there will be a rackmountable version of the mb-50 coming out in about 4-5weeks.* Atleast that's what g66.eu here in europe told me yesterday when i asked them about it =) It's going to cost about 999&#8364; :S Sorry for my bad english



Where did you hear this? I'd love if there was a rackmount Mono Block.


----------



## Zenerith

nomop said:


> Where did you hear this? I'd love if there was a rackmount Mono Block.



I was just wondering if Fractal will ever release a rackmountable version of the mb-50 so I emailed G66 - Home asking about it and they said that such unit will indeed be available in a few weeks (they said 4 weeks back then.) So i think the information is genuine =) Just a bit expensive unit in my opinion. Sorry my bad english


----------



## Zenerith

This will probably sound amusing (and sad -.-) but as i don't know i might as well just ask and be done with it. 
Can i blow up my guitar cabinet if i use wrong power amp with the axe-fx ultra?? I currently use a Harley Benton Vintage 212 cab (2x 12" Celestion Vintage 30 speakers, 120watts/8ohm, 2x 60watts/16ohm, mono/stereo (switchable).). I'm going to choose between art sla-2,rocktron velocity 300 and atomic mb-50 (or maybe something else if there's a better choice available!).

My ultra should be arriving in about a month and i only just now started to wonder this. If you're not rolling over the floor laughing, could you help me out ? Sorry my bad english and thanks for the help and understanding =)


----------



## emperor_black

yes you could. However, you'd have to try really hard to do it. The SLA-2 is 560 Watts Mono (or some huge no. like that). If you were to turn up the level on the SLA-2 completely, then its possible to damage your cab. But again, there is really no need to do that.


----------



## Zenerith

emperor_black said:


> yes you could. However, you'd have to try really hard to do it. The SLA-2 is 560 Watts Mono (or some huge no. like that). If you were to turn up the level on the SLA-2 completely, then its possible to damage your cab. But again, there is really no need to do that.



Awesome, thanks for the quick reply! =)


----------



## Andromalia

Your ears will likely break before the speakers. ^^

A totallu unrelated question: does anyone know what pickups wer eused to dial the presets in ? I can't for the life of me get good tones with some pickups. EMG 81 and DActivators are ok, but getting good tones with a Duncan Full Shred is waaaaay more difficult with lower tunings. :/


----------



## emperor_black

Andromalia said:


> Your ears will likely break before the speakers. ^^
> 
> A totallu unrelated question: does anyone know what pickups wer eused to dial the presets in ? I can't for the life of me get good tones with some pickups. EMG 81 and DActivators are ok, but getting good tones with a Duncan Full Shred is waaaaay more difficult with lower tunings. :/



Something I learnt the hard-way...the axe is very sensitive to pickup/guitar changes. Don't modify a preset that was originally created with another guitar. If you're wondering why the guitar with the full-shred does not sound good on a preset created with the guitar with EMG's then that's one of the reasons. 

all my presets were created with Dimarzio humbuckers so I cannot give you first-hand information.


----------



## Zenerith

I think i'll go with the art sla-2(or rocktron!! so hard to deside >_<). I've read that it can get really loud, hopefully i can get good sounds out of it in smaller volumes. And to answer your question, yes, i buy a milliondollar equipment just to play and record in my small apartment .


----------



## emperor_black

The newer Rockton has some Resonance or Resistance or some feature like that which many on the AXE FX forums say brings it closer to a tube power amp. You might want to read up more about it.

I had the SLA-2 and thought it was really transparent sounding. But after a while, you'll definitely want to make use of the AXE's cabs and ability to add more cabs and what not and go the FRFR way like I did.


----------



## bigswifty

It works, it was a fault power cable I was just tripping out 

Anyways, in order to play the Axe through headphones and be able to record via USB, what would be my best option? 
I want to upgrade to a Mac and Firestudio 2626 soon, but for now I have to settle with some sort of M-Box. Can anyone outline the requirements for that for me please?

(I've got the Axe, my PC and some Sennheiser HD280 Pros, what cheap/stable M-Box/Cables would I need?)

/end noob questions?


----------



## Andromalia

Sapphire 6.  
Midi for axe exchange, headphones outs, monitoring outs, usb powered, cheap, good quality.


----------



## trenolds39

Andromalia said:


> Sapphire 6.
> Midi for axe exchange, headphones outs, monitoring outs, usb powered, cheap, good quality.



I've also been looking for one and wasn't quite sold on the M-Audio. This looks like a good investment. However, is the fact that you would be running the unbalanced output from the axe into the interface rather than balanced xlr connectors an issue?

Edit: Actually I just noticed it has Midi in. So you would connect the axe output to the midi in? I'm a bit confused as to the difference in use between midi and just regular output. This is something I could use to update the axe and install impulses, correct?


----------



## Andromalia

MIDI is just a communication protocol. The midi in/out are used with the axe fx midi out/in to communicate with software via the sound card, or plugged in a foot controller, etc.
You still take the line out to the line in of the sound card.


----------



## trenolds39

Andromalia said:


> MIDI is just a communication protocol. The midi in/out are used with the axe fx midi out/in to communicate with software via the sound card, or plugged in a foot controller, etc.
> You still take the line out to the line in of the sound card.



So just for clarification, you would only use the midi for either updating firmware/using axe-edit or using a foot controller? So you would be running the unbalanced 1/4" output from the axe into the Saffire 6 and this is the only input method?


----------



## emperor_black

trenolds39 said:


> So just for clarification, you would only use the midi for either updating firmware/using axe-edit or using a foot controller? So you would be running the unbalanced 1/4" output from the axe into the Saffire 6 and this is the only input method?



First things first. 

MIDI out of AXE -> MIDI in of Device
MIDI in of AXE -> MIDI out of Device

With this, you can use the AXE EDit software to modify/rename patches as well as update firmware, etc.

Then, to connect the foot controller, you need only one MIDI cable connecting the AXE in to Pedal's MIDI Out.

To connect BOTH AXE-Edit and the Foot controller, you need a Midi merger device. I have not purchased it yet and so cannot exactly comment how its supposed to be used.

Hope that helps

Sam


----------



## avenger

JP Universe said:


> Someone needs to buy this asap.... Fractal Audio Axe-FX Ultra preamp (AxeFx Axe Fx) | eBay


 FUUUUCK


----------



## themike

avenger said:


> FUUUUCK


 
Yeah someone definietly got a good deal


----------



## Frogman

I am thinking about getting a power amp built from Ciaratone for the Axe FX (when I get one)

Therein lies the option of Stereo or Mono. 

Would I really need the Stereo amp? 
I would really only need to power 
one cab, and sent the other output from AxeFX to the PA for live use. 


I was thinking 50w or 60w, with KT88's, Level and Presence controls. 


Benefits? Cons?


----------



## Triple7

Frogman said:


> I am thinking about getting a power amp built from Ciaratone for the Axe FX (when I get one)
> 
> Therein lies the option of Stereo or Mono.
> 
> Would I really need the Stereo amp?
> I would really only need to power
> one cab, and sent the other output from AxeFX to the PA for live use.
> 
> 
> I was thinking 50w or 60w, with KT88's, Level and Presence controls.
> 
> 
> Benefits? Cons?


 
Stereo definitely comes in handy when you are using effects such as delay, and what not. So keep that in mind if you do.


----------



## thrashcomics

does anyone know if you can use the native instruments rig kontrol as both a controller AND midi interface for the axe?


----------



## avenger

I have a question about the standard vs ultra that I can never seem to fidn the answer I am looking for.

What is the differance in terms of number of singal path processings? Can I run one signal through two head/cab models to one fo the outputs on the axe and then just run one dry to the second output on the axe with a stadard model?

I was lookign at the axe edit software vids and ont he ultra vids it looked like you have a 4x12 block pattern to paly around with. Is this the same on the standard or is it a 2x12 block pattern? For some reason I thought that was one of the big differances. 

Am I being nooby?


----------



## Andromalia

They are the exact same on both units, whose differences have been explained in here alreasy many times.


----------



## avenger

got it, thanks


----------



## Arterial

Hey all, sorry I don't know where to put this and I didn't feel like I should have made a thread, but does anyone have any general settings for:

BTBAM tone (alaska-colors)
Gojira tone (from mars to sirius-the way of all flesh)
Necrophagist tone
August Burns Red tone (Constellations)

for gojira and BTBAM, I tried using the same amps and such as what the bands use, and im not quite getting the tone i'm after...

thanks guys =)


----------



## Larrikin666

Arterial said:


> Hey all, sorry I don't know where to put this and I didn't feel like I should have made a thread, but does anyone have any general settings for:
> 
> BTBAM tone (alaska-colors)
> Gojira tone (from mars to sirius-the way of all flesh)
> Necrophagist tone
> August Burns Red tone (Constellations)
> 
> for gojira and BTBAM, I tried using the same amps and such as what the bands use, and im not quite getting the tone i'm after...
> 
> thanks guys =)



BTBAM tones would probably work best with the Recto orange model. They seem to have moved towards more of a crunchy rhythm tone.

I'd blend the 5150 and Recto Red amp models to get the Gojira tone.

I've using a mix of the DAS Metal and Recto New model lately for tech death stuff. Not exactly the same tone as Necrophagist, but it might be a good start place for you.


----------



## Arterial

Thanks alot Larrikin. I'll give em a shot when I get home...

previously, for the btbam tone, I tried everything by the book;

Recto Red (although youve just mentioned orange now), mesa 4x12 cabs, sm57s, ts808 OD, noise gate, compressor...

gojira I tried: two 5150s with 4x12 recto 2 with ts808 MOD


----------



## Larrikin666

Arterial said:


> Thanks alot Larrikin. I'll give em a shot when I get home...
> 
> previously, for the btbam tone, I tried everything by the book;
> 
> Recto Red (although youve just mentioned orange now), mesa 4x12 cabs, sm57s, ts808 OD, noise gate, compressor...
> 
> gojira I tried: two 5150s with 4x12 recto 2 with ts808 MOD



BTBAM has been running much less gain lately, so I wouldn't be surprised if they should boosting the orange channel for their rhythms

Gojira recorded with a mix of a 5150 II and Dual Rec last album, so try to find the right balance of the two. I'm not sure which amp was used for their main rhythms.


----------



## Curt

This is probably not the proper forum... but does anyone know if they EVER plan on restocking the monoblock's?


----------



## Larrikin666

Curt said:


> This is probably not the proper forum... but does anyone know if they EVER plan on restocking the monoblock's?



Totally the right forum. They have the countdown going right now for a big announcement, so the monoblock might be getting replaced with something new that is rackmount.


----------



## Andromalia

Larrikin666 said:


> Totally the right forum. They have the countdown going right now for a big announcement, so the monoblock might be getting replaced with something new that is rackmount.



I doubt they'd made a countdown for something as "just" a new packaging for the monobloc, as interesting as it would be. It's probably in the works though, demand is there.


----------



## Larrikin666

Andromalia said:


> I doubt they'd made a countdown for something as "just" a new packaging for the monobloc, as interesting as it would be. It's probably in the works though, demand is there.



I'm expecting more than one announcement. I wouldn't be surprised if the monoblock got phased out. Cliff supposedly still really prefers using a Fryette 2/50/2 himself, so I'd be pretty excited if they managed to come out with something new that could rival the Fryette poweramps.


----------



## Curt

if they make a rack-mount version of the monoblock, as i've been hoping for, then that will be great.

If not... would the carvin TS100 fare well enough?


----------



## Andromalia

I don't think the monoblock is a huge success either. Most guitarists looking into the axe fx have a spare power amp or twelve to try it with. I haven't ever tried FRFR or atomic products because I just don't need to and it would be an additional expense. Maybe it would be better, but I'm happy with what I get with my power amp and cab.

an axe FX 2 wouldn't make any sense from a marketing point: Fractal is still the high end top dog and sell all the units they produce. If they have better, they should wait more to release it, until someone actually threatens their market.
Going down and offering either an entry level axe fx or an effects only unit doesn't cut it: first scenario would have them compete with Line 6 whose HD 500 is very good for the price, second scenario would make them compete with the plethora of effects products on the market.

I guess it would be somethign to use in addition with the current axe, either a sound interface allowing easy reamping, a real power amp (but, honestly, that kind of defeats one of the axe fx purposes), or something entirely new.
I don't think a modeling guitar is it, cliff would become crazy with the "but I want ebony", "misses X strings", "argh 22 frets", "where is the floyd rose", "I can't stand kahlers" and "floating trems are evil" comments.
Modeling pickups are just a daydream of mine.  (And would likely bankrupt both Dimarzio and SD if they can have enough output to meet the demand)


----------



## Curt

Curt said:


> if they make a rack-mount version of the monoblock, as i've been hoping for, then that will be great.
> 
> If not... *would the carvin TS100 fare well enough?*



Can anyone help me out here?


----------



## Curt

Andromalia said:


> Sapphire 6.
> Midi for axe exchange, headphones outs, monitoring outs, usb powered, cheap, good quality.



I was actually just looking at this on musicians friend and was about to come back and ask about it. Good thing I read the last couple pages before asking. 

thanks for the recommendation(sort of).


----------



## Zenerith

emperor_black said:


> The newer Rockton has some Resonance or Resistance or some feature like that which many on the AXE FX forums say brings it closer to a tube power amp. You might want to read up more about it.
> 
> I had the SLA-2 and thought it was really transparent sounding. But after a while, you'll definitely want to make use of the AXE's cabs and ability to add more cabs and what not and go the FRFR way like I did.



What would be a good FRFR setup?  I don't really know much about these things (i just know that frfr stands for full range, flat response but that's just about everything i know about the subject). My Ultra hasn't arrived yet, got an email from g66 yesterday saying that it will arrive at the end of this month so i still have time to choose what i'll be running the machine through  I'll mainly be recording at home with the ultra so i don't need huge cabinets with a 10000000w ultrablastkillyourneighbours-poweramp or anything.


----------



## Winspear

^ Well, FRFR means you can use cab simulation and have it sound how it's meant to, rather than being limited to the cab you are using.

For recording at home you can just use your computer monitors, which are FRFR but for the studio instead of a PA system.
Usually FRFR refers to speakers for a PA system. You can get passive ones, which require a power amp before them, or active ones which plug in and contain their own amp. Your recording monitors should be fine to use at home but if you want something to feel more like sitting infront of a cab, get some FRFR PA speakers. As for specific models, I don't know, but there are the Atomic ones from Fractal and many other options depending on price range.
If you're gigging, you could use them as a cab / your own monitor but you might aswell just run the Axe straight to the venue PA.


----------



## gstacey1

Hey guys! This has probably been covered before but I'm having a lot of trouble setting up my rocktron midi mate with my axe fx. Can any of you guys give me a step by step guide to setting it up or point me in the direction of a guide. I tried that video on youtube but it didn't work.


----------



## VILARIKA

Boy oh boy...Axe-FX II.


----------



## Zenerith

VILARIKA said:


> Boy oh boy...Axe-FX II.



and suddenly there's this new GAS that wasn't there yesterday


----------



## Metal_Maniac

VILARIKA said:


> Boy oh boy...Axe-FX II.


GOD DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I JUST BOUGHT AND RECEIVED AN ULTRA!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Zenerith

Metal_Maniac said:


> GOD DAMN IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I JUST BOUGHT AND RECEIVED AN ULTRA!!!!!!!!!!!!



How long time ago exactly? I think there's a 30-days moneyback-quarantee or something?


----------



## Metal_Maniac

Zenerith said:


> How long time ago exactly? I think there's a 30-days moneyback-quarantee or something?



Just Received it Today and found out after opening it that there was an Axe FX II


----------



## Zenerith

Metal_Maniac said:


> Just Received it Today and found out after opening it that there was an Axe FX II



from Shipping & Returns

_*Returns Policy*_*You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).
*
* 
If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

*Maybe you should call them and try to reason with them,atleast that's what i would do. After all, you want to buy the axe-fx II from them so i'm sure they'll understand


----------



## emperor_black

Metal_Maniac said:


> Just Received it Today and found out after opening it that there was an Axe FX II



i read this quickly and thought "lucky bastard! he got an AXE-FX II" 

Hey, but don't worry. You're safe. just return it. Unless you got a B-stock. Those are supposedly non-returnable. However, be warned that AXE-FX II's are not shipping out yet. You'll just get on the waiting list. Unless that's changed.


----------



## Zugster

Oh the gas!

So, the new unit has a USB interface. Cool. So as a current Digitech GSP1101 user, I'd like to know if I can use my Control2 USB foot controller with the AFXII. Anyone out there have a clue?


----------



## themike

Zugster said:


> Oh the gas!
> 
> So, the new unit has a USB interface. Cool. So as a current Digitech GSP1101 user, I'd like to know if I can use my Control2 USB foot controller with the AFXII. Anyone out there have a clue?


 
My guess is no because in the PDF overview there is a warning saying that it is intented for the MFC device only and other controllers should use the Midi port.


----------



## VILARIKA

emperor_black said:


> i read this quickly and thought "lucky bastard! he got an AXE-FX II"
> 
> Hey, but don't worry. You're safe. just return it. Unless you got a B-stock. Those are supposedly non-returnable. However, be warned that AXE-FX II's are not shipping out yet. You'll just get on the waiting list. Unless that's changed.


 
I read that there were no waiting lists for the II? I could be mistaken.


----------



## trenolds39

Anyone have any experience with the Focusrite saffire 6 usb interface? I was having problems with noise, which I eliminated by removing the external power from my laptop which isn't the best solution but it seems to work. I'm running my Beyerdynamic DT770's through the headphone jack and can't seem to get any higher than moderate volume without clipping distortion. Is it better to run the headphone out from my laptop using a DAW rather than the headphone out from the interface? 

Also, I have no experience with DAWs but I hear good things about Reaper. Can anyone direct me to a link to explain how all that jazz works?

Thanks


----------



## emperor_black

VILARIKA said:


> I read that there were no waiting lists for the II? I could be mistaken.



g66 for sure announced a waiting list. According to some Admin on the forum, all presently on the Ultra waiting list will be automatically moved to the Axe II waiting list. If you want to be added, you'll need to mail support and figure out how to get on one.


----------



## VILARIKA

emperor_black said:


> g66 for sure announced a waiting list. According to some Admin on the forum, all presently on the Ultra waiting list will be automatically moved to the Axe II waiting list. If you want to be added, you'll need to mail support and figure out how to get on one.


 
I guess for the US...

"There will be NO reserve orders! The product will retail for $2199"


----------



## themike

VILARIKA said:


> I guess for the US...
> 
> "There will be NO reserve orders! The product will retail for $2199"


 
That doesn't mean there wont be a wait - it just means he's no longer hasseling with the list. Its in stock, its in stock - its not, its not.


----------



## JP Universe

th3m1ke said:


> Yeah someone definietly got a good deal



Did they? lol


----------



## Zenerith

JP Universe said:


> Did they? lol



Ultra for 1400$ is a good deal still, i would definitely buy it and resell it in finland for 1700...If i chose not to keep it that is  *omgprofit*


----------



## LeviathanKiller

trenolds39 said:


> Anyone have any experience with the Focusrite saffire 6 usb interface? I was having problems with noise, which I eliminated by removing the external power from my laptop which isn't the best solution but it seems to work. I'm running my Beyerdynamic DT770's through the headphone jack and can't seem to get any higher than moderate volume without clipping distortion. Is it better to run the headphone out from my laptop using a DAW rather than the headphone out from the interface?
> 
> Also, I have no experience with DAWs but I hear good things about Reaper. Can anyone direct me to a link to explain how all that jazz works?
> 
> Thanks



Funny that you bring this up because I just had to tell someone in the POD HD Thread the same solution.

"Plug your computer into the wall using one of those 3 prong to 2 prong adapters. Costs less than $3.
I do it all the time to get rid of interference hum. If that is the same kind you're talking about.
"

This is what I do to take care of it without having to disconnect wall power.


----------



## emperor_black

LeviathanKiller said:


> Funny that you bring this up because I just had to tell someone in the POD HD Thread the same solution.
> 
> "Plug your computer into the wall using one of those 3 prong to 2 prong adapters. Costs less than $3.
> I do it all the time to get rid of interference hum. If that is the same kind you're talking about.
> "
> 
> This is what I do to take care of it without having to disconnect wall power.


Its not a wise thing to remove ground. If there's a power surge, then the adapter will be toast. 

Why not use this device hum-eliminator?


----------



## iRaiseTheDead

I would search to see if this has been answered. but I wouldn't know the correct terminology or whatever for some of it.

could you run this through any cab/head combo?

and is it just the rectangle? because every youtube demo I've watched they've had the rectangle processor inside a giant square like box with other buttons

-sorry if that made no sense, like I said I don't know exactly what to ask


----------



## ThisWorldIsOurs

Hey everyone, Im looking to get a used ultra and It turns out that this Ultra unit was shipped in a axe standard chassis because they Ultra Chassis was not ready yet? Does anyone know about this? I do not doubt what I have heard but I just wanted to get everyones opinion on this because it is a little out of the ordinary. It has all the ultra settings and motherboard, etc. etc. But it just does not physically say ULTRA on it because the Chassis wasnt ready yet and it would have been awhile before they would ship with them. I think it was one of the first ones to ship. If anyone can respond with some feedback on this it would GREATLY appreciated as I am going to possibly buy this unit tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks!


----------



## JP Universe

Zenerith said:


> Ultra for 1400$ is a good deal still, i would definitely buy it and resell it in finland for 1700...If i chose not to keep it that is  *omgprofit*


 
Yep, still pretty good..... Ahhh I have an opportunity to get an Axe Ultra and Foot controller for 2000 Aus. I'm tempted to bite


----------



## Zenerith

JP Universe said:


> Yep, still pretty good..... Ahhh I have an opportunity to get an Axe Ultra and Foot controller for 2000 Aus. I'm tempted to bite



Here in finland people are now selling their 3 years old ultras for 1900&#8364; (over 2500aus) which is kinda silly  so the 2000 aus for ultra AND foot controller is a really nice offer...would probably hit that myself
Edit: Is it the Fractal Audio midicontroller btw?


----------



## JP Universe

yep, the MFC101.... i'll offer him 1800 for both lol STEAL!


----------



## Zenerith

JP Universe said:


> yep, the MFC101.... i'll offer him 1800 for both lol STEAL!



lol you're evil  Don't overdo it or the seller will tell you to sod off (don't know if that's a real word or if it makes any sence )...I've been struggling for days between ultra and axe-II, Ultra is still an awesome piece of gear even tho some people say it's "out-dated" now.

the 1000th reply of this thread btw wooo, i feel special and my virtual penis just got one inch taller to a grand total 1.5!


----------



## jarrhead

Haha. I was laughed at for mentioning USB on an Axe.



> *Axe-Fx II/Computer Integration with Onboard USB*
> 
> An Audio Class 2.0 compliant USB interface is provided for both audio streaming and remote control/communication. You can record the Axe-Fx II main outputs on your connected PC or Mac, and on USB 2.0 systems, simultaneously capture a 3rd "dry" track for re-amping later. You can also monitor or process computer audio tracks with the Axe-Fx II, and high speed MIDI-over-USB eliminates the headaches of 3rd party legacy MIDI interfaces for remote control, backup and restore, or Axe-Edit sessions.


----------



## Zugster

jarrhead said:


> Haha. I was laughed at for mentioning USB on an Axe.


 
For someone dumb on such things like me, why is a usb interface laughable for an Axe?


----------



## jarrhead

Zugster said:


> For someone dumb on such things like me, why is a usb interface laughable for an Axe?



Apparently "MIDI is plenty fine. USB is slow and unreliable. If you can't spend $50 on a USB-MIDI adapter, then Cliff isn't marketing to you."


----------



## Zugster

jarrhead said:


> Apparently "MIDI is plenty fine. USB is slow and unreliable. If you can't spend $50 on a USB-MIDI adapter, then Cliff isn't marketing to you."


 
The $50 isn't an issue to me, but the added complexity might be. USB seems so easy.


----------



## emperor_black

Not only that, the AXE even though superior in modelling algorithms, is very primitive when it comes to MIDI. When I bought the AXE, it was a nightmare to get the thing to communicate with the computer. I saw a friend using Midisport UNO and it was perfectly fine for him, but it never worked for me. When I got the Midisport 2x2, it would work fine as long as you dont reboot the computer. then it'd go into this endless loop of reinstalling the drivers. If that is fine, sometimes the axe just won't respond.

very recently, even with a "Pro" device, forget what it is, I could not update the firmware 11 unless I mess around with the MIDI buffer. I had a Boss gt-8 and a early 90's JMP1 and both worked flawlessly with MIDI.


----------



## themike

ThisWorldIsOurs said:


> Hey everyone, Im looking to get a used ultra and It turns out that this Ultra unit was shipped in a axe standard chassis because they Ultra Chassis was not ready yet? Does anyone know about this? I do not doubt what I have heard but I just wanted to get everyones opinion on this because it is a little out of the ordinary. It has all the ultra settings and motherboard, etc. etc. But it just does not physically say ULTRA on it because the Chassis wasnt ready yet and it would have been awhile before they would ship with them. I think it was one of the first ones to ship. If anyone can respond with some feedback on this it would GREATLY appreciated as I am going to possibly buy this unit tomorrow afternoon.
> 
> Thanks!


 
That sounds very fishy - I dont think Cliff would let any product out of his factory subpar like that. I mean he even though tabout throwing away the set of chasis' whose input labels were off by an inch during the printing process. I would steer clear


----------



## emperor_black

if you can add a gate/expander block, then it could be an ULTRA. As well as Multi Band Compressor. those are two things ultra-specific I can tell off the top of my head.


----------



## Zenerith

ThisWorldIsOurs said:


> Hey everyone, Im looking to get a used ultra and It turns out that this Ultra unit was shipped in a axe standard chassis because they Ultra Chassis was not ready yet? Does anyone know about this? I do not doubt what I have heard but I just wanted to get everyones opinion on this because it is a little out of the ordinary. It has all the ultra settings and motherboard, etc. etc. But it just does not physically say ULTRA on it because the Chassis wasnt ready yet and it would have been awhile before they would ship with them. I think it was one of the first ones to ship. If anyone can respond with some feedback on this it would GREATLY appreciated as I am going to possibly buy this unit tomorrow afternoon.
> 
> Thanks!



Sounds like a scam to me...why would they release an ultra in standard box? I worked in a beerfactory (yeah NOT the same thing as FA factory but hear me out) and there has been countless times when they have destroyed tons and TONS of beer because the beercans had "wrong colourhue (if that's the right word, my english sucks)"...a hue which you couldn't see but the computer apparently saw it. If they are so strict about cheap beer...do you really think they would release an expensive product like Ultra in standard chassis and not wait a little longer for the Ultra chassis to be made ready?? When buying second hand things, always remember this:
if it sounds too good to be true, it's probably too good to be true (tho in this case it doesn't sound good at all )
Btw have you tried the machine yourself and recognized it as Ultra or does the seller just say that it's an ultra in standard chassis? 
I don't know if this helped at all but i hope so =)


----------



## Sepultorture

the USB for me will definitely make it easier for updated firmware and using Axe Edit.

afte thingking about it, i will stick with my firewire interface for regular recording, so i won't use the new axe as an interface. but i defintely see the USB as the best way to go for updates and doing patches on Axe Edit, as you will no longer see the widespread MIDI issue from before


----------



## JP Universe

Zenerith said:


> lol you're evil  Don't overdo it or the seller will tell you to sod off (don't know if that's a real word or if it makes any sence )...I've been struggling for days between ultra and axe-II, Ultra is still an awesome piece of gear even tho some people say it's "out-dated" now.
> 
> the 1000th reply of this thread btw wooo, i feel special and my virtual penis just got one inch taller to a grand total 1.5!


 

The Axe was sold 2 hours after he put it up apparantly...... oh well the search continues....


----------



## ThisWorldIsOurs

Zenerith said:


> Sounds like a scam to me...why would they release an ultra in standard box? I worked in a beerfactory (yeah NOT the same thing as FA factory but hear me out) and there has been countless times when they have destroyed tons and TONS of beer because the beercans had "wrong colourhue (if that's the right word, my english sucks)"...a hue which you couldn't see but the computer apparently saw it. If they are so strict about cheap beer...do you really think they would release an expensive product like Ultra in standard chassis and not wait a little longer for the Ultra chassis to be made ready?? When buying second hand things, always remember this:
> if it sounds too good to be true, it's probably too good to be true (tho in this case it doesn't sound good at all )
> Btw have you tried the machine yourself and recognized it as Ultra or does the seller just say that it's an ultra in standard chassis?
> I don't know if this helped at all but i hope so =)



Thanks for the reply! Ok I'll explain the whole thing. I got it on craigslist for 1500 bucks. I live in Mass, and the FA factory is in Plaistow NH! The guy I met with knows cliff, and I emailed FA and they validated his statements were true. I guess what happened was that he got one of the first ultras, and cliff just threw the ultras guts into the standard chassis. The other chassis wasnt available or something and this way he wouldnt have to wait. I can confirm that I can put a synth, gate/exp/ and I played the violin patch, and also when it turns on it says axe fx ultra and it is now on firmware 11. Everything panned out so well. The guy was so cool and he let me try it out for 2 hours and showed me a lot about it and answered all of the questions I had! I even got a ton of Redwirez and I'm still figuring that all out. This thing is so good, when I A/B my pod x3 with this, its like vastly different. The pod sounds digital ( not bad if your going for that sound) and the axe sounds organic and just like a mic'd tube amp, its unreal. So all in all it is an axe fx ultra, the company verified the seller name as a friend and that all his statements are true! It was such a good buy and Im pumped to start recording with it now! Thanks


----------



## Zenerith

ThisWorldIsOurs said:


> Thanks for the reply! Ok I'll explain the whole thing. I got it on craigslist for 1500 bucks. I live in Mass, and the FA factory is in Plaistow NH! The guy I met with knows cliff, and I emailed FA and they validated his statements were true. I guess what happened was that he got one of the first ultras, and cliff just threw the ultras guts into the standard chassis. The other chassis wasnt available or something and this way he wouldnt have to wait. I can confirm that I can put a synth, gate/exp/ and I played the violin patch, and also when it turns on it says axe fx ultra and it is now on firmware 11. Everything panned out so well. The guy was so cool and he let me try it out for 2 hours and showed me a lot about it and answered all of the questions I had! I even got a ton of Redwirez and I'm still figuring that all out. This thing is so good, when I A/B my pod x3 with this, its like vastly different. The pod sounds digital ( not bad if your going for that sound) and the axe sounds organic and just like a mic'd tube amp, its unreal. So all in all it is an axe fx ultra, the company verified the seller name as a friend and that all his statements are true! It was such a good buy and Im pumped to start recording with it now! Thanks



Ah ok  i'm happy to hear everything went well!


----------



## Andromalia

Yup, the ultras in a standard case are legit, well, don't know about plural but there is at least one of them accounted for on the fractal forums.

that said, I have looked at the docs, is there a full list of available effects someplace ? The amps I found, but the effects, no, mainly, are all the utlra goodies in ? (MBP, synth etc)


----------



## Zenerith

JP Universe said:


> The Axe was sold 2 hours after he put it up apparantly...... oh well the search continues....



I'm pretty sure the Ultra prices are going to drop even more once they actually start selling Axe-Fx II...hmmm i would probably wait a few weeks and check ebay and ss.org marketplace every day!


----------



## Strauss

Hi to all of you,
I'm quite new with it. I don't have too much information about the Axe Fx.
In case you didn't understand me correctly, I haven't bought the Axe Fx already, I'm just researching for it,
and I think you are the best people to ask them these questions.

1 ) First of all, how do people listen to them?
Do Fractal Audio have a store or something that the customers can listen to your products?

2) The second question I want to ask is how have people bought the Axe Fx so far?
They've just bought it from the internet ?

3) I have been thinking seriously for a while about buying the Axe Fx,
and yesterday my parents informed me that we are going to fly to United States in August 12th.
What it means for me, that the Axe Fx's cost will be a lot cheaper.
So how can I buy the Axe Fx II ?
I will be In New York,New York, Manhattan for 10 days.

4 ) There is a chance that The Axe Fx II will be available in August 12th - August 22nd ?

If you can tell me the whole information about payments options, warranty, how can I listen to it,
and how can you send me it when I will be in New York, I will be thankfull.​


----------



## jarrhead

Strauss said:


> Hi to all of you,
> I'm quite new with it. I don't have too much information about the Axe Fx.
> In case you didn't understand me correctly, I haven't bought the Axe Fx already, I'm just researching for it,
> and I think you are the best people to ask them these questions.
> 
> 1 ) First of all, how do people listen to them?
> Do Fractal Audio have a store or something that the customers can listen to your products?
> 
> 2) The second question I want to ask is how have people bought the Axe Fx so far?
> They've just bought it from the internet ?
> 
> 3) I have been thinking seriously for a while about buying the Axe Fx,
> and yesterday my parents informed me that we are going to fly to United States in August 12th.
> What it means for me, that the Axe Fx's cost will be a lot cheaper.
> So how can I buy the Axe Fx II ?
> I will be In New York,New York, Manhattan for 10 days.
> 
> 4 ) There is a chance that The Axe Fx II will be available in August 12th - August 22nd ?
> 
> If you can tell me the whole information about payments options, warranty, how can I listen to it,
> and how can you send me it when I will be in New York, I will be thankfull.​



Fractal Audio Axe-Fx and Atomic Amps Sound Clips, Samples, Demos, Audio, Experience, Listen to the Axe-Fx, Axe-Fx Sound Samples

People buy from the internet, yes.

Don't think it's in stores yet. 

also, more media.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

emperor_black said:


> Its not a wise thing to remove ground. If there's a power surge, then the adapter will be toast.
> 
> Why not use this device hum-eliminator?



cause I ain'ts gots the moniez! 
I know it's risky but I take the chance.


----------



## emperor_black




----------



## JP Universe

Zenerith said:


> I'm pretty sure the Ultra prices are going to drop even more once they actually start selling Axe-Fx II...hmmm i would probably wait a few weeks and check ebay and ss.org marketplace every day!


 
Decided i'm gonna go for the AxeFX 2. I know if I settle i'll have this burning gas inside of me so fuck it!


----------



## trenolds39

So this is essentially a ground loop isolator? I found out (as you stated) that the hum is coming from my laptop's adapter and currently I am running the ghetto version of a 3 to 2 prong adapter as my power strip is loose on certain connections. I ordered one from MF, but I should probably look into a new power strip while I'm at it...

By the way, that image has the most massive html tag I've ever seen.

A nonrelated question: When using headphones is it better to run through my interface's headphone jack or run through my laptop and listen through the daw? The clean tones I through the interface are fairly decent and similar to what I hear through my monitor, but the distorted tones are really buzzy and unpleasant. 



emperor_black said:


> Its not a wise thing to remove ground. If there's a power surge, then the adapter will be toast.
> 
> Why not use this device hum-eliminator?


----------



## Zenerith

JP Universe said:


> Decided i'm gonna go for the AxeFX 2. I know if I settle i'll have this burning gas inside of me so fuck it!



Haha same here  i'll have to wait until july before i get my axe-fx II tho..IF I'M LUCKY >_>


----------



## slapnutz

Hey guys I was wondering if anyone created such a video as described below.....

Single AxeFx unit being played through
Sim'ing 2 different amp models in Stereo (e.g. recto - L channel ... 5150 - R channel)
Each channel is slightly delayed from the other.

Pretty much mimicking "double tracking" a rythmn track.

Tried looking on youtube without any luck.


----------



## trenolds39

For anyone with the same problem, I just got one of these today and it completely solved my problem. Thanks for the heads up on it.



emperor_black said:


> Its not a wise thing to remove ground. If there's a power surge, then the adapter will be toast.
> 
> Why not use this device hum-eliminator?


----------



## emperor_black

Glad it helped.


----------



## BrandonARC

i just got my standard today. wondering if anyone has any good patches to share. Most in the patch library are for the pods. thanks.


----------



## afireinside3241

I just got an Ultra recently and am looking into power conditioners. If I run it into a Carvin DCM1450L at 8 ohms bridged at 1500 watts will that be enough headroom in venues that don't mic guitars? it'd be going into a Mesa 4x12.


----------



## Andromalia

I've done a bit of tweaking recently to visit the new amps with 11.0, OD808+SOLO 100+ 4x12 GT75+ B standard+ SD Full Shred = some very serious win. Lowering the bass is enough to remove all the boominess, no need for high passes, filters and all that stuff anymore.


----------



## emperor_black

yeah, in many patches with lot of filter blocks, it did not sound that good with the firmware 11 update. But then some of my very basic OD->Amp->Cab presets sound incredible! Now its even easier to get some great tones with just a few blocks! Anyone who can snag a ULTRA sub $1500 = WIN!


----------



## JP Universe

sweet, just bought an Ultra.... now the waiting begins. More excited about getting this piece of gear than anything else!!!


----------



## cwhitey2

Hey all i was contemplating on getting a *Standard *or an *Ultra *since the 2's have come out. My question is, I really only need the unit for the amps sims for and maybe at the most 2 effects (comp/whatever the other maybe). What would be a better choice? I know they are maxed on their processing power but i'm not going push it to the max, i just want 20 some high gain heads a button a way.


----------



## Zenerith

cwhitey2 said:


> Hey all i was contemplating on getting a *Standard *or an *Ultra *since the 2's have come out. My question is, I really only need the unit for the amps sims for and maybe at the most 2 effects (comp/whatever the other maybe). What would be a better choice? I know they are maxed on their processing power but i'm not going push it to the max, i just want 20 some high gain heads a button a way.



I think the Standard is a pretty obvious solution for your problem  first i was going to buy axe-fx ultra, then axe-fx II but now i might just go for the standard myself as i just don't need all the stuff axe-fx II offers. And axe-fx standard has all the same amp models as ultra so there you go  i hope this helped


----------



## TaylorMacPhail

If I got a cheap M-Audio interface, could that act as a soundcard for my laptop too, because right now when I go to input microphones or our mixer, my laptop doesn't read the inputs so my band can't record with my laptop so we have to lug down our desktop. It's a huge pain


----------



## JP Universe

Get the Ultra... it sounds better. Seriously though the standard will be fine


----------



## getaway_fromme

Axe Fx 2 now available. No one has bragged about ordering one yet?

EDIT: nvm, it only shows up on the order page, damn. I was excited for a minute there...


----------



## Larrikin666

getaway_fromme said:


> Axe Fx 2 now available. No one has bragged about ordering one yet?
> 
> EDIT: nvm, it only shows up on the order page, damn. I was excited for a minute there...



I have mine ordered. Brad from Rig-Talk started taking deposits for the 36 he's getting from Fractal when they're released.


----------



## emperor_black

looks like it'll be at least a couple of months before anyone else can get their hands on one.


----------



## Andromalia

Depends, maybe Fractal will honor their european preorders too...You have a long, long long list in the EU since there weren't any ultras for sale for a long time.


----------



## biggness

Larrikin666 said:


> I have mine ordered. Brad from Rig-Talk started taking deposits for the 36 he's getting from Fractal when they're released.



I'm in on the first run too. 

NEXT WEEK!!!


----------



## emperor_black

biggness said:


> I'm in on the first run too.
> 
> NEXT WEEK!!!



Is it more of a curiosity (and availability of funds of course) that encouraged you to drop cash on the new beast or do you seriously think you could get better tones with it than the Ultra? 

The Ultra has so many features and options that I don't think even Cliff can manage to try out each and every combination.


----------



## JP Universe

I bet the 2 technically will sound better..... will I notice the difference..... no.


----------



## JP Universe

Zenerith said:


> I think the Standard is a pretty obvious solution for your problem  first i was going to buy axe-fx ultra, then axe-fx II but now i might just go for the standard myself as i just don't need all the stuff axe-fx II offers. And axe-fx standard has all the same amp models as ultra so there you go  i hope this helped


 
I went from going to buy an Ultra, then the 2, Standard then finally decided to buy the Ultra


----------



## Zenerith

JP Universe said:


> I went from going to buy an Ultra, then the 2, Standard then finally decided to buy the Ultra



I really want to buy a standard or ultra but the problem is that IF it blows up after a while, i'll just lose a lot of cash as there most probably won't be any warranties left X.X so i'm forced to stay in the axe-fx II line...but from what i've heard of it over the FA forums, it's pretty neat =)


----------



## emperor_black

Zenerith said:


> but from what i've heard of it over the FA forums, it's pretty neat =)



Don't sweat it out based only on their reviews. I remember all the hoopla for the MFC. within a few weeks of getting their hands on one, I started seeing them up for sale in the classifieds. Hope people like their II's after all the drama its been through.


----------



## Larrikin666

emperor_black said:


> Is it more of a curiosity (and availability of funds of course) that encouraged you to drop cash on the new beast or do you seriously think you could get better tones with it than the Ultra?
> 
> The Ultra has so many features and options that I don't think even Cliff can manage to try out each and every combination.



I honestly believe there will be an improvement in the sound. If you've talked to Cliff, then you know he's in this to make the best product possible. He really cares about what he's doing. If he was just looking to make money, then he wouldn't have bothered releasing a new product yet. The Axe-FX Standard and Ultra were both selling out incredibly fast as soon as they went into stock. His manufacturing costs for those two likely went down over the years, so his margins were probably quite good at this point. I'm quite sure he won't be making the same margins on the II for a long time, so if he's releasing it, then it must be because he truly believes me made something he's proud of. 

Also......I will never have to screw with the PC/midi interface nightmare again.


----------



## Zenerith

emperor_black said:


> Don't sweat it out based only on their reviews. I remember all the hoopla for the MFC. within a few weeks of getting their hands on one, I started seeing them up for sale in the classifieds. Hope people like their II's after all the drama its been through.



There's also a few videos about it and it does sound pretty good  But it might just be the placebo-effect which usually comes with the hype xD Most of you have probably already seen these videos but i'll leave them here in case someone hasn't 



and


----------



## emperor_black

Well, youtube clips can only say so much. I've (and most others) have heard incredible sounding clips of the Ultra/Standard as well. Well, I love my Ultra and I'm gonna pass on the II. But good luck to anyone who is waiting/wanting for one.


----------



## biggness

emperor_black said:


> Is it more of a curiosity (and availability of funds of course) that encouraged you to drop cash on the new beast or do you seriously think you could get better tones with it than the Ultra?
> 
> The Ultra has so many features and options that I don't think even Cliff can manage to try out each and every combination.



It's more of the updated features that addressed some of my concerns that I am interested in, such as USB, real knobs for on the fly tweaking, graphic eq added between the pre and power amp stages, headphone jack on the front, and a slew of other features. Try as you might, you will never have those features on the Ultra. Not to mention, who knows what kind of goodies(amps, effects, cab IR features, synths etc) will be added in later on with firmware updates. I had my Ultra for a couple years and it was the best piece of gear I have ever had, it just needed some improvements. 

As for the question if I think I can get better tones, of course I do. Take for instance the amp graphic eq, it will let me hone in better on the Mark series tones, possibly mimic some VHT Pittbull series tones and and a slew of other amps. Keep in mind that I loved the Ultra, and if it _only_ as good as the Ultra, it will still be worth the upgrade for all the added features.


----------



## oliviergus

Hello guys!

Can I run only a Axe Fx->cabinet? 

Becuase ive been reading alot of cabinets and poweramps with Axe Fx.
And that costs a whole bunch more..

How is the live sound with it btw? Sound authentic?


----------



## Zenerith

oliviergus said:


> Hello guys!
> 
> Can I run only a Axe Fx->cabinet?
> 
> Becuase ive been reading alot of cabinets and poweramps with Axe Fx.
> And that costs a whole bunch more..
> 
> How is the live sound with it btw? Sound authentic?



Axe-Fx doesn't have a power amp in itself so you need to amplify the sound coming out of your Axe-Fx with a power amp. Also, You can use an active cabinet which has a power amp built inside =)

As for the live sound questions i can't answer you as i don't know. Nonetheless i hope this helped even a little bit


----------



## oliviergus

Thanks for the reply, cleared up some things
Too bad that the Orange PPC412 isnt active then...
Then my money isnt enough.


----------



## TaylorMacPhail

Here's some info on the Axe Fx II taken from the Fractal site. Introducing the Axe-Fx II


----------



## cwhitey2

Zenerith said:


> I think the Standard is a pretty obvious solution for your problem  first i was going to buy axe-fx ultra, then axe-fx II but now i might just go for the standard myself as i just don't need all the stuff axe-fx II offers. And axe-fx standard has all the same amp models as ultra so there you go  i hope this helped



Thanks  


Thats all i needed to hear


----------



## oliviergus

Simple question.
What is the best for playing at home, recording and live.

Axe Fx or ENGL Fireball II 100w?

I play in a deathcore band with some djent influences. So i want to keep it heavy but still get that djent going. 
My biggest worry is fuzz in digital stuff. And that it isnt so much power in it, I wanna feel the power blasting behind me on stage!


----------



## Zenerith

oliviergus said:


> Simple question.
> What is the best for playing at home, recording and live.
> 
> Axe Fx or ENGL Fireball II 100w?
> 
> I play in a deathcore band with some djent influences. So i want to keep it heavy but still get that djent going.
> My biggest worry is fuzz in digital stuff. And that it isnt so much power in it, I wanna feel the power blasting behind me on stage!



I think the power and balls comes (atleast partially) from the power amp  and axe-fx is a lot more record-friendly as you don't have to crank it in order to make it sound good! This way you can make awesome recordings without killing your neighbours ears. 

I don't know much about the fuzz thing but it's probably just a matter of turning the settings right...please somebody correct me if i'm wrong


----------



## emperor_black

Line 6 = untamable fuzz!
AXE FX = NO FUZZ! Period. 

I've owned several digital modellers - zoom, Boss gt-8,pod, pod 2, pod xt, spyder, etc. this one is not even in the same league as the others. The difference is night and day.

with firmware 11, the learning curve also has reduced a LOT IMHO. Its very easy to get great tones at all volumes.


----------



## Rook

Hey Axe FX elders, I'm hoping I'm gunna have a bit of cash in the next month and I'm thinking of incorporating the Axe into my setup.
At the moment I basically have:
Guitar - Pedalboard (OD, volume pedal, tuner) - Mesa Roadster (with a Delay in the FX loop) and then cab.

I'm considering getting the Ultra, but I'd want to use it for two things:

Live: 4CM with my amp, not using amp modelling really but also getting an Amp Gizmo and foot pedal to switch everything at once. Is there any alternative to the Amp Gizmo for universal switching? What Midi pedals are people using? I really don't want the Behringer FCB1010.

Recording/Jamming: I'd love to be able to just grab something if I'm going to play with a friend or to do some recording. I assume it's not difficult to have some different presets so I could literally at short notice just unplug the Axe from my rig, take it to where I'm going and hook a line out to either a PA, computer or FX return of an amp and use it for everything. Is it literally just a case of having some different presets for that?

Cheers!


----------



## themike

Yeah, you would just save it as a different preset. I have ones I use for live marked like "5150 (LIVE)" so I know because when you play through an amp your going to keep things like cab simulation and sometimes poweramp simulation off yet when your going through a PA both of those will be engaged.


----------



## Rook

Cool thanks  rep+!


----------



## themike

Fun111 said:


> Cool thanks  rep+!



Ha no problem man, glad I could help!

Premiere Guitar just uploaded a the video of the II from the NY Amp Show last week. I know a bunch of people wanted to see it.


----------



## themike

Just posted all the Axe FX II videos in the other thread here


----------



## msalazar

I really need some settings for the gate. I cant seem to find a good balance, its either choked or squealing. What ratio, attack, and release are you guys using?


----------



## themike

FractalAudio said:


> *Shipping Should Start This Week - *that is all


​


----------



## Rook

Hey folks I have some more queries!

People tell me you can't just plug headphones into a main output, why is that? Does it really sound so bad/quiet that you need a headphone amp, or is it just an impedance matching thing?

Also, I like the idea of putting my Roadster in the loop (4CM) and think it'd be great if I go guitar->Axe->Roadie->Axe then two outputs. One without power amp/cab sims going into the power stage of the Roadster then into my cab, then another with power amp/cab sims going into the desk or for recording, am I right in thinking this'll work?

Finally, control. I assume a footswitch exists that allows me to turn different pats of my virtual signal chain on and off (say noise gate, chorus, booster, whatever) as well as changing between different presets and different channels (with an RJM gizmo)... What kind of foot controllers are people using? I basically want to be able to switch from boost->gate->Roadie CH4 w/Delay to compressor->Roadie Ch1 w/flanger and delay but also be able to switch individual effects off.


----------



## themike

Fun111 said:


> Hey folks I have some more queries!
> 
> People tell me you can't just plug headphones into a main output, why is that? Does it really sound so bad/quiet that you need a headphone amp, or is it just an impedance matching thing?
> 
> Also, I like the idea of putting my Roadster in the loop (4CM) and think it'd be great if I go guitar->Axe->Roadie->Axe then two outputs. One without power amp/cab sims going into the power stage of the Roadster then into my cab, then another with power amp/cab sims going into the desk or for recording, am I right in thinking this'll work?
> 
> Finally, control. I assume a footswitch exists that allows me to turn different pats of my virtual signal chain on and off (say noise gate, chorus, booster, whatever) as well as changing between different presets and different channels (with an RJM gizmo)... What kind of foot controllers are people using? I basically want to be able to switch from boost->gate->Roadie CH4 w/Delay to compressor->Roadie Ch1 w/flanger and delay but also be able to switch individual effects off.



-The output of the Axe-Fx is intended to be "line-level", it may not be hot enough to drive your headphones or it might be too much of a load, really depends on what headphones you're using. What audio interface are you using to record/connect your Axe FX because chances are it has headphone capabilities

-I've never heard of anyone running both set ups in the same rig - while I think you might be overly ambitious, give it a shot! Doesn't hurt to be the guenia pig 

-Any midi foot controller will work for changing channels but if you want to turn on and off certain effects I think your best bet is to look into something like a Voodoo Ground Control Pro or the Fractal Audio MFC 101.


----------



## electricred

So, are there any 8-stringers in here playing through FRFR rigs? I'm looking into the Mackie HD1531 that has been getting popular, since it can be used as backline for places that don't have optimal house PAs. I'm concerned with the weight though, because one of the most attractive reasons (IMO) for going FRFR is the weight reduction and quicker setup, not to mention sound consistency. I was also considering getting a couple powered floor wedges for personal stage monitors, such as the FBT Verve 12MAs, although those are slightly more expensive than the initial budget. I reason that if a 212 guitar cabinet is enough for most small venues, then a pair of 12" floor wedges (which have a much wider sound dispersion) should have no problem being heard. Any advice, opinions, or suggestions for someone diving headfirst into FRFR?


----------



## themike

electricred said:


> So, are there any 8-stringers in here playing through FRFR rigs? I'm looking into the Mackie HD1531 that has been getting popular, since it can be used as backline for places that don't have optimal house PAs. I'm concerned with the weight though, because one of the most attractive reasons (IMO) for going FRFR is the weight reduction and quicker setup, not to mention sound consistency. I was also considering getting a couple powered floor wedges for personal stage monitors, such as the FBT Verve 12MAs, although those are slightly more expensive than the initial budget. I reason that if a 212 guitar cabinet is enough for most small venues, then a pair of 12" floor wedges (which have a much wider sound dispersion) should have no problem being heard. Any advice, opinions, or suggestions for someone diving headfirst into FRFR?


 


The Mackie HD speakers are great, really let 100% of the AxeFX's capabilities shine by using cab impulses and what not live. Like you said it is heavy, but so is an AxeFx in an ATA case with a power amp and a cabinet. I think you're just going to have to weigh in on which is more important to you - mobility or sound. At the end of the day if you cant run direct at the venue because the PA sucks, no matter what you do your bands sound is going to be off since direct or not your going through the PA one way or another. 

The two wedges is also up to you, its a big investment to get 2 wedges, not to mention a pain to carry. You said they would be loud enough for people to hear but honestly you shouldn't use wedges to project your sound enough for the crowd, it wont work. You would need to run a flatfaced cab. I mean I've dealt with shitty monitors at clubs but at the end of the day its really only to hear where I am in the song, not once have I ever though "Wow, I wish I sounded better in the monitors....maybe I should bring my own from now on" hah But maybe you have, so thats another question you have to ask yourself. 

Have you considered doing a single cab and single wedge from Atomic?? They are both available in active and passive so you should be able to chain them together and that seems like it would solve you issues.


----------



## electricred

I've read comments online that the Atomic Reactor monitors aren't great for low-tuned guitars, and I would rather not deal with their tube power sections. I could find an ART or Matrix solid state poweramp and a couple of passive wedges though, but that's more rack space and weight. I would prefer personal monitors and playing through the house PA, but because I sometimes play small bars with bad PAs, I need something that can serve as a backline. It looks like the Mackie HD1531 is the best option for the price, if I can handle the weight, but I'm going to keep looking.


----------



## themike

electricred said:


> I've read comments online that the Atomic Reactor monitors aren't great for low-tuned guitars, and I would rather not deal with their tube power sections. I could find an ART or Matrix solid state poweramp and a couple of passive wedges though, but that's more rack space and weight. I would prefer personal monitors and playing through the house PA, but because I sometimes play small bars with bad PAs, I need something that can serve as a backline. It looks like the Mackie HD1531 is the best option for the price, if I can handle the weight, but I'm going to keep looking.



For sure, thats why I still use the poweramp + cab set up. I can't rely on local venues for quality PA or FOH guys. You should have an ATA case with casters made for the mackie - that would rule!


----------



## electricred

I'm in pain even thinking about lifting one of them suckers in an ATA road case!


----------



## themike

electricred said:


> I'm in pain even thinking about lifting one of them suckers in an ATA road case!


 

Lifting in and out of cars > lifting and carrying it everywhere. The few seconds of discomfort are nothing compared to having the ability to roll it in the parking lot and in the venue


----------



## Larrikin666

So I've started tinkering with the FRFR route again. I picked up an Atomic passive wedge a few weeks ago and haven't touched it. I owned the active cab a few months ago, and I never bothered giving it a fair shake. I was really surprised to hear how much I actually liked how it sounded while being power by my ENGL e840. I know some people had issues with lower tunings, but I had zero issues playing in A standard. 

I'm wondering how everyone uses their FRFR rigs live. I'm probably going to make the final upgrade and get the Mackie HD1531. My other guitarist was asking me how I planned to run that rig, and I didn't really have an answer. Are you guys running amp, cab, and mics sims and going direct into the PA? Maybe just running the amp/cab sims and mic'ing the FRFR cab? Just wanted to know who has really gone nuts and experimented with everything.


----------



## Heywood_Jablowme

There are a couple of videos on Youtube of Alex Lifeson's guitar rig, and there at the very bottom of one of this racks is an Axe-Fx Ultra. But he doesn't actually use it -- it's just a "backup" in case there's a problem with his main rig.

That's how you really know that you are a rich rock star --  -- you've got a $2k preamp and it's just your "spare".


----------



## PrestigeKing

Can any1 provide me with stores/websites selling axe fx internationally cheers, damn hassles of living on the other side of the world


----------



## Sepultorture

PrestigeKing said:


> Can any1 provide me with stores/websites selling axe fx internationally cheers, damn hassles of living on the other side of the world



order from their site if you can, the only other place to order from is G66 in Europe, and they jack the price way too high and their take forever getting anything in.

you'd be better off even making a trust worthy frined in the US have them buy it on your behalf and ship it to you


----------



## fallenz3ro

For the guys using the mackie hd1531...how loud does that setup get? Can it play in show situations with no PA, and a loud band?

Also, it's a long shot but does anyone in northern VA have an FRFR rig that they'd like to hang out and let me hear? I really want to hear that setup in person.


----------



## Andromalia

History repeats itself.
Fractal has setup a waiting list and the first axe 2 appear on ebay with inflated prices since supply isn't following demand: 

*NEW/RARE FRACTAL AUDIO AXE-FX II / TWO LATEST FIRMWARE | eBay


----------



## Speculum Speculorum

Yeah well fortunately there is no reason for me to buy one until my BRJ gets here - which heaven only knows when that is going to happen. Probably investing in one in early 2012. Hopefully some of the heat will die down by then. But, if someone is going to buy it, and pay a price that is far, far too much for it, then so be it.


----------



## Andromalia

Posting this here as its the most relevant topic.
I got a message from the bass player I teamed with in Ireland back then, congratulating me on getting an axe-fx when he saw the pics on facebook. He didn't even notice I wasn't using a tube amp back then when I played the axe FX during our rehearsals.


----------



## Metalus

Sorry dont mean to hijack the thread but what would you guys say are the best clean tone amps in the Axe-Fx? Ive heard great things about the USA Clean, Double Verb, and the Shiver Clean. Any setting or patch suggestions?


----------



## SnowfaLL

JJ Rodriguez said:


> Yeah, only the gate on the input. If you're using it with the 4 cable method, you need the routable noise gate so you can kill any noise coming from your amp. Logic would suggest that you would also want the routable noise gate to put after the amp model, but since the models are digital, if nothing goes in, nothing comes out, so the gate on the input works just as well.



Clarification on this if anyone can help me; So the Standard DOES have a gate in the front.. and if you are running just the Axe-FX into a poweramp, there should be no need for the routable noisegate?? (since im not going into the loop of another amp) ..

Anyone have a Standard and can comment on the noisegate?? Any issues with noise? I want to have everything obviously in one box, not having to need an ISP decimator in my rig also.. and the noisegate is my only concern on the Standard from reading the "differences" chart..


----------



## emperor_black

The standard's noisegate is more than sufficient. Just don't run the gain on your patches crazy high. 

However, the Ultra's routable noise-gate (Gate/expander block) is more than just a gate. Its a reverse compressor. While a compressor will quieten loud notes, this one will expand on quiet notes. It sort of gives a little bit more sustain which a noise gate usually tends to kill. I used to use a gate/expander in most of my high-gain patches but after re-wiring my guitars and using a couple with active pups, I don't need that block anymore.


----------



## Andromalia

The axe fx standard into a poweramp is running dead silent, no problem. A guy I bought my MF280 from was wondering if it was off when I wanted to try the cab. 
-No, it's not off. *big low B chord*
The guy jumped  (and borderline didn't want to sell the cab anymore as it sounded really good with the axe+mesa combo)


----------



## emperor_black

if not for the noisy cooling fan, the axe-fix is a dead-quiet beast.


----------



## BrandonARC

im about to sell my cab and buy a powered amp. Ive read great things about the qsc k10 and k12 but cant decide between the two. Any other suggestions would be appreciated as well. Im new to the whole frfr thing. what experiences do you guys have with the k10 and 12?


----------



## Decipher

I'm seriously looking into the Axe-FX Ultra now..... but only for effects (Rivera's here to stay period). I've come to this conclusion as I really want an Eventide Space (solely for the Black Hole and a couple of other extreme reverbs) and when I add it to what I already have..... it would make moar sense to just get the Axe-FX (financially speaking) providing it can work the way I need it to work: virtual stompbox.

_I hope the following is clear enough for someone to answer._

What I love about my current setup of pedal/loopers is the flexibility of being able to access any pedal (IA switches on my VL GCPro) at any time. Can the Axe-FX do this or is it at all limited by it's effect blocks (I found the GSP1101 extremely limiting as Whammy/chorus/phase all share the same effect block)? I don't really want to use presets for everything (hence the Instant Access). And to get even MOAR precise, the Whammy. I use my Whammy quite frequently and would want to have it as an IA. Is that possible? And if so, would I have to run my Expression Pedal cable into the Axe or does the MFC-101 alleviate that?

Also, for anyone who's used the Black Hole preset (I believe it's called Event Horizon in the Axe-FX Ultra??), is it comparible to the Eventides?

Thanks in advance


----------



## kevinarich

fallenz3ro said:


> For the guys using the mackie hd1531...how loud does that setup get? Can it play in show situations with no PA, and a loud band?
> 
> Also, it's a long shot but does anyone in northern VA have an FRFR rig that they'd like to hang out and let me hear? I really want to hear that setup in person.



The hd1531 is loud enough. Mine was never out of the noon position on the back and was louder than the rest of the band. No PA required with one of these.


----------



## themike

Just noticed that the audio in the new live Trivium video is all Fractal. You can see there racks without amps and only Ultras throughout the whole thing, but you can see the meter's on Matt's AxeFX moving during 4:17-4:19. Obviously the live tracks were edited in post, BUT it still sounds amazing.


----------



## Metal_Maniac

th3m1ke said:


> Just noticed that the audio in the new live Trivium video is all Fractal. You can see there racks without amps and only Ultras throughout the whole thing, but you can see the meter's on Matt's AxeFX moving during 4:17-4:19. Obviously the live tracks were edited in post, BUT it still sounds amazing.




Yeah they both use the Axe FX Ultra Direct to FOH


----------



## horacexgrant

Quick question, can I use my HD500 as a MIDI controller/footboard for the Axe Fx 1 or 2? Thanks.


----------



## emperor_black

yes. I believe you can. I just did a search on the fractal board and there are a lot of threads with info pertaining to your enquiry. I'd suggest you hit the fractal board for more details. 

Sam


----------



## somniumaeternum

I've been searching around here and other forums but I can't seem to find direct answers / experiences.. sorry if this was asked already. 

I need to prepare to do some gigs with my AxeFx. I was planning on just going direct to the PA but now I'm hearing from everyone around my area that it'll most likely suck - we don't have a great sound situation in most of the venues here. So I'm trying to come up with a cab setup. I have a power amp already that I used in another solid state rig that I can use in the mean time (i'm looking at the 2/90/2 when I get some money) but I'm really having issues narrowing down the (passive) cab.

Things I'm unsure about (I'm hoping that now people have had a couple years experience with this):

*Q*: After all the different options and possibilities do most people just go with a set of studio & live patches? I'm really, really trying to get away with only having 1 set of patches here but I'm not sure how realistic that is. The issue (other than laziness) is that if I'm using the cab as a stage mon and also going to PA, I don't want the tones to be different (although, in the venues, you probably can't tell to THAT extent the tone quality anyways...). To me, if you don't have FRFR it kind of ruins a lot of the coolness of the AxeFx since I love tweaking the amp sims, etc.

*Q*: 4x12 have a bit better bass response than 2x12 imho.. is this just as important with the AxeFx is can you get away with smaller cabs?

*Q*: Are the Atomic ones worth it? I can't really try before I buy and there's a waiting list. (By worth it I mean I wouldn't have to tweak patches between the live cab and recording situations). I haven't really seen any specific info regarding accuracy, which specific speakers they use (although some speculation), response compared to others, etc.

*Q*: The Tech21 stuff sounded promising but they have a built in PA and supposedly aren't fully FRFR. The celestion kind of points to this.. anyone know who "off" these are to, say, studio monitors or other FRFR solutions? Looks like a lot of people are adding extra tweeters and bits to brighten the top end...

Q: I'm almost thinking of saying fuck it and just build my own cab with keyboard FRFR speakers or similar.. has anyone tried this? I'm a bit doubtful of the results - true FRFR would be hard to achieve without different engineering cycles, etc. (and I don't want to do that )


----------



## Andromalia

Fractal Audio Axe FX II Axefx2 AxefxII | eBay

lol.


----------



## Cabinet

Thank God for this thread because I have a pretty dumb question.
Does the Axe FX II have a volume control?


----------



## Larrikin666

Cabinet said:


> Thank God for this thread because I have a pretty dumb question.
> Does the Axe FX II have a volume control?





The input volume pots are all digital now and can be accessed in the menus.


----------



## TheDivineWing22

I just bought an Ultra off ebay last night

I was thinking of going the FRFR route and found a pair of QSC K10s for $900. Has anyone used these and can tell me how they sound?


----------



## Joelan

TheDivineWing22 said:


> I just bought an Ultra off ebay last night
> 
> I was thinking of going the FRFR route and found a pair of QSC K10s for $900. Has anyone used these and can tell me how they sound?



I will be able to chime in about this tomorrow, for that is the day I receive my Ultra, which will be promptly blasted through a K10.


----------



## bigswifty

I've got a couple questions.. For the Tone programming fanatics here!

- when I run a blank preset on my ultra with something basic, lets say just a FAS Modern run into a Recto 4x12, the tone really lacks balls and punch. Is drive in front almost always the best desicion in crafting a heavy tone?

- is there an amp model that directly serves as a 5150 or 6505+?

- as I understand it, drive, compressors and parametric EQ's are pretty common and reliable to use in a lot of tones, is this correct?

And also, if anyone would like to share some insight to making *great* tones with the Axe-Fx with me (and the rest of the forum!), please go to town!
I'm all ears,
and cheers


----------



## Larrikin666

Opeth21 said:


> I've got a couple questions.. For the Tone programming fanatics here!
> 
> - when I run a blank preset on my ultra with something basic, lets say just a FAS Modern run into a Recto 4x12, the tone really lacks balls and punch. Is drive in front almost always the best desicion in crafting a heavy tone?
> 
> - is there an amp model that directly serves as a 5150 or 6505+?
> 
> - as I understand it, drive, compressors and parametric EQ's are pretty common and reliable to use in a lot of tones, is this correct?
> 
> And also, if anyone would like to share some insight to making *great* tones with the Axe-Fx with me (and the rest of the forum!), please go to town!
> I'm all ears,
> and cheers



1. Boosting an amp is always a plus for tight articulate high gain tones
2. PVH 5105 is a block letter 5150
3. Yes, use all of the tools they offer you. It will make a big difference when shaping your ideal tone.


----------



## Joelan

TheDivineWing22 said:


> I just bought an Ultra off ebay last night
> 
> I was thinking of going the FRFR route and found a pair of QSC K10s for $900. Has anyone used these and can tell me how they sound?



Sounds pretty good to my ears. Of course, I haven't used the Axe-FX with anything else. I'll be playing it with a band tomorrow competing against a head+4x12 so we'll see how that goes.

Still learning how to use this thing as well . Really gotta get a midi interface so I don't have to do my tonesmithing on that tiny screen.


----------



## mattie

Hi, I am planning on getting me an Axe fx 2, and I have some questions and thoughts about the unit and my playing situation and if someone could help me out it whould be appreciated! 

As I'm no longer in a band it feels that my current gear isnt the best way for me to go, even though I LOVE my gear and tone! I write, record and play music at home in my appartment only. But with a miced Engl Invader 100 thru a Engl pro 212" with v30's and various pedals, it is way to loud. All I need at the moment is a easy and versatile way to record guitars, but I dont want to compromise tonewise.

I think that if I sell my head, cab and pedals I can afford both Axe FX 2 and a couple of decent monitors. Maybe even a couple of good headphones too, I know my two roomates whould appreciate it ;-) But the first thing that comes into my mind and concerns me abit is the whole "feeling" of that setup, with volume/tone knob and picking attack/pick technique. People are saying great things about the axe unit and that it feels almost identical to a tube amp. But is that through a poweramp/cab or even thru monitors? Does it matter either way? I have no experience at all with none of those setups and have never played or heard an axe fx live. Though I have read alot about the unit and heard lots of clips, but to be honest I dont know if some of those where with miced cabs thru poweramps or direct recorded.

Is it any good idea for me to not sell my cab or any of my pedals? does the Axe fx pedals work just fine alone? My current pedals: keeley 4knob compressor, ibanez ts808, ISP g-string, mxr zw chorus, mxr carbon copy, holygrail reverb plus. Is there any pros or cons for me for saving my cab and saving up for a poweramp? Even though I'm not in a need to play live or at any higher volumes. I dont know how good or bad the cab/mic sims are on the axe unit. But in theory, to me it sounds better to go with mic/cab sims with a couple of monitors rather than poweramp/cab. All I know is that it whould be nice to skip the physical mic positioning on the cab, and occasionally stumbling upon the micstand whenever I'm in a hurry or tipsy, and have to do it all over again.  

Edit: Or is the Atomic cabs worth it somehow for my situation? Can the Atomic cabs replace the monitor setup?

Let's say I'll go the Axe FX 2/monitors way, is there any other gear that I need to acquire to get the job done? I allready own an pod x3 live that I could use for midi if I need. I think thats it for now, any suggestions and tips are welcome  

Also, if anyone in Sweden is interested of buying any of my gear send me a pm.


----------



## VILARIKA

Somebody else could probably give a better answer, but i'll put in my 2 cents.

If your not planning on playing live shows and are looking for a simple and efficient recording setup, I would say to get the Axe-Fx II and a good set of studio monitors. It seems like it would be the most practical, in your situation. You can go directly from your computer into the Axe-Fx with the USB port, so you won't need an interface. That setup can get the job done for recording purposes, but you can always buy a solid power amp and keep your cab for live performance. Or, go FRFR so you won't have to deal with mic placements and such live, but that's personal preference.


----------



## fallenz3ro

Hey guys, i'm looking for a set of speakers that I can play my axe fx through directly. Nothing glorious, just something cheap.

Would it work if I used a pair of powered studio monitors? Could I just plug in the axe directly into them?

Thanks


----------



## Larrikin666

fallenz3ro said:


> Hey guys, i'm looking for a set of speakers that I can play my axe fx through directly. Nothing glorious, just something cheap.
> 
> Would it work if I used a pair of powered studio monitors? Could I just plug in the axe directly into them?
> 
> Thanks



Yup. That'll totally work for playing at home. That's what I've been using instead of my 1000 watt monitor.


----------



## fallenz3ro

Larrikin666 said:


> Yup. That'll totally work for playing at home. That's what I've been using instead of my 1000 watt monitor.



Awesome! Thanks, I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to anything outside of traditional guitar/amp setups.


----------



## Larrikin666

fallenz3ro said:


> Awesome! Thanks, I'm a bit ignorant when it comes to anything outside of traditional guitar/amp setups.



It's nice to have so many options with the Axe-FX. I think I've tried pretty much every connection method at this point. Just experiment and see what works best for you.


----------



## Joelan

Hey guys, looking for a little advice for an Axe-FX setup.

II've been rehearsing with my Ultra running into a QSC K10, with another guitarist running a H&K half stack. When I play by myself it sounds pretty sweet, but it's fairly boomy and it gets lost at rehearsals (I guess it just clearly isn't loud enough). It also seems to feedback a lot. There is an Ampeg valve poweramp and VHT cab at the rehearsal space which I plugged the Ultra into (still with all the presets running poweramp sims and cab sims) and all of a sudden, it sounds fucking _amazing_. I'm sure it would sound even better with properly tweaked patches.

Basically, now I'm thinking I need to go buy a poweramp and cab, but at the same time I've only had the Ultra for a few weeks and haven't given FRFR much of a shot. I really like the benefits of an FRFR setup, and if I could get it to sound as good as it does through the Ampeg I would rather buy a Mackie HD1531 than a poweramp and cab. Would the Mackie get as loud as a typical 50-100W halfstack?

Any advice for getting the Axe-FX to sound organic and chunky through FRFR?


----------



## getaway_fromme

I'd definitely say with some near 1000w FRFR, you can get the same perceived volume as a tube amp and cab. I can't say much for the heavier FRFR's like the Mackie HDs, but with my JBL Prx 612m's, I put them on speaker stands right behind me, so I have it blasting to me EARS, and not to my knees.

Perceived volume  Shit sounds chunky as fuck too. Just tried them in a medium sized venue without being mic'd or getting anything from FOH, and we got some great chunky tone. I love me those small JBL's, SO MUCH EASIER to lug around than a half stack. And my tone is better. Granted, I sort of know how to dial in my tone now.


----------



## buffa d

Does anyone else have problems with their axefx being laggy? 
I've had a couple of occasions where the unit just "freezes" and doesn't make a sound.


----------



## getaway_fromme

buffa d said:


> Does anyone else have problems with their axefx being laggy?
> I've had a couple of occasions where the unit just "freezes" and doesn't make a sound.



Not yet! Fingers crossed.


----------



## buffa d

Well, I have the standard version and I think the memory is starting to be full. 
Maybe I should do the latest firmware update and delete all of my unused patches.


----------



## Nesty

Ah fuck the Axe FX II is giving me serious GAS.

To sell all of my gear to fund fractal or not to sell? That is the question..


----------



## oliviergus

Okey.. I got alot of unanswered questions about the Axe FX (The first one). 

* How will it sound together with a Rocktron velocity 300 and a Zilla cabinet? Will the sound be like 90% sounding of a real amp? Will the cheap power amp ruin the sound so it doesnt sound real?
*How important is the power amp? What is the difference?

I'm not that good at tweaking. Will it sound okey even if its not that a good tone? Ive been playing with my Pod XT. And if I buy something digital for like 1000&#8364; I dont wan't it to sound digital.. Becuase thats the same price of an used ENGL or 5150.


----------



## Nesty

oliviergus said:


> Okey.. I got alot of unanswered questions about the Axe FX (The first one).
> 
> * How will it sound together with a Rocktron velocity 300 and a Zilla cabinet? Will the sound be like 90% sounding of a real amp? Will the cheap power amp ruin the sound so it doesnt sound real?
> *How important is the power amp? What is the difference?
> 
> I'm not that good at tweaking. Will it sound okey even if its not that a good tone? Ive been playing with my Pod XT. And if I buy something digital for like 1000 I dont wan't it to sound digital.. Becuase thats the same price of an used ENGL or 5150.



I'm not to knowledgeable on the power amp bit but zilla cabs are fantastic. Nolly on here has an awesome video showing the axe fx and zilla cab in action.

How can something sound good if it doesn't have good tone? Take a listen to previews of the axe fx in action. Periphery, Animals as Leaders, Chris Broderick, Trivium and many more have used the axe fx. Hit up their albums and judge for yourself.

It's a fantastic bit of gear although I'm getting the impression you're kinda in way over your head in regards to what it can give you. It's a lot of money to go out and buy something like this, you gotta be 100% this is what you need otherwise, like you said, maybe an amp like a 5150 or an ENGL may suffice for your needs.


----------



## oliviergus

That about a good tone.. I mean, you can get a okey tone from just tweaking a few minutes on a 6505 combo. And I doubt that you could to the same thing to a Axe FX...?

I'm like 70% sure. I just want to know if I can get the real power/sound from it in a live situation. I want it to blaaast behind me, and get the reaaal heavy sound while chugging that 0 and 1 (I play deathcore, okey). 

My situation is this: I'm probably moving next year, and I will probably live in a student apartment. So a 5150 is a nonono there. 
If I had a Axe FX I could play with headphones in the apartment, and at the same time focuse on recording of my own music.


----------



## Nesty

oliviergus said:


> That about a good tone.. I mean, you can get a okey tone from just tweaking a few minutes on a 6505 combo. And I doubt that you could to the same thing to a Axe FX...?
> 
> I'm like 70% sure. I just want to know if I can get the real power/sound from it in a live situation. I want it to blaaast behind me, and get the reaaal heavy sound while chugging that 0 and 1 (I play deathcore, okey).
> 
> My situation is this: I'm probably moving next year, and I will probably live in a student apartment. So a 5150 is a nonono there.
> If I had a Axe FX I could play with headphones in the apartment, and at the same time focuse on recording of my own music.



You want the axe fx paired with a cab and power amp if you want it to blast behind you.

Granted I haven't played the Axe FX I'm sure the presets are great although tweaking is a vital part of any sound, especially in the axe fx. Why spend so much money if you aren't willing to spend the time tweaking it to sound the best? Also, do you need so much versatility if you're looking to play deathcore? Most of those bands play peavey 5150s with active pickups on their guitars. There isn't really much musical and tonal diversity.

I'm not trying to put you down, by all means buy it because it's fantastic although I'm getting the feeling you're buying it because the fact it's an axe fx and not necessarily what is practical.

Why don't you buy the peavey for the gigging situation and something like the Pod HD series or the eleven rack for recording within your apartment? Best of both worlds IMO.


----------



## oliviergus

I will tweak later on. I just want it to sound alright.
However, I play in a deathcoreband. But that doesn't mean that i'm binded to that genre. Sure, I play more -core sounding things. 

But i'm a huge fan of progressive metal, vildhjarta/periphery/meshuggah. And I want a great sound to fit those styles also - which Axe FX can give me. 
I would also like a shivering nice clean sound, TesseracT sounding. Which Axe FX can give me. 

Right now I got a Pod XT live. Which I use for recording, its alright I guess. But the Axe FX is better to record with. I look at the Axe FX as best of both worlds. 

The practical things is: 
I can play with it in a apartment without disturbing neighbors. 
I can record with quality. 
Easy to carry. 
Versatility.


----------



## Nesty

Fair enough, hope it serves you well dude


----------



## oliviergus

Nesty said:


> Fair enough, hope it serves you well dude



 Will be doing more research about it.

I got one more question. How important is the power amp? 
What is the power amps task? I don't even know why I have to get one while using with a cab...


----------



## Nesty

oliviergus said:


> Will be doing more research about it.
> 
> I got one more question. How important is the power amp?
> What is the power amps task? I don't even know why I have to get one while using with a cab...



The Axe FX itself is a preamp. It doesn't contain enough signal for you to play in a gigging situation. Essentially a power amp is used to amplify the signal of the axe fx.

I'm sure there's a difference between the solid state and tube powers amps, how much if effects the tone of the axe fx, I don't know. Hopefully someone else can fill you in on the rest..


----------



## Andromalia

> The expected August shipment is being picked up in the USA today and should arrive here beginning of next week. The shipment is not as large as we were expecting and the missing units should be ready for us in roughly two weeks time.
> Your unit is not in this shipment and due to the delay we cannot say for sure how many Axe-Fx IIs we will be receiving in September.
> 
> For this reason it is not possible to provide accurate delivery dates at the moment. As soon as we know more about the September shipment we will inform you.
> 
> Many thanks for your patience and understanding.


That is starting to get annoying....I'ù thinking of ordering one in the US now via a friend, the premium G66 ask for their services is not warranted with this kind of permanent bump back of orders. Maybe, maybe, maybe. I don't really appreciate them dangling a carrot this way for months on end and pulling it back each time.
Oh and hello we're in september already. That's not an August shipment lol. -_-


----------



## getaway_fromme

Andromalia said:


> That is starting to get annoying....I'ù thinking of ordering one in the US now via a friend, the premium G66 ask for their services is not warranted with this kind of permanent bump back of orders. Maybe, maybe, maybe. I don't really appreciate them dangling a carrot this way for months on end and pulling it back each time.
> Oh and hello we're in september already. That's not an August shipment lol. -_-



Dude I feel you. I'm not getting an Axe Fx II for a good long while because of shit like that. I love my Ultra, but their pricing and distribution are just atrocious. Hike the price up 400 dollars for those who want to pay more, but make everyone else stay on a waiting list for the "actual price?" I've never seen that before.

AND they've discontinued both the Standard and Ultra. Now there's only one unit? I'm sorry, that's retarded. Fractal, but you're pissing alot of people off with bad business practices. I'm keeping my Ultra for a good long time.


----------



## getaway_fromme

Sorry to double post here guys, but quick PA question. Going out of Output 1 balanced XLR, do I need a DI box to plug into a PA?


----------



## clockworksam

No valve maintainence required = No worries


----------



## emperor_black

getaway_fromme said:


> Sorry to double post here guys, but quick PA question. Going out of Output 1 balanced XLR, do I need a DI box to plug into a PA?



Nope. I have O/P 1 connected to a FBT Verve 12ma using a regular XLR cable. 

For me personally, AXE II is a blessing. If I ever get back to band/gigging, I can buy a Ultra for cheap and use it as a backup. They can fight/wait all they want for the II, but for me the Ultra is golden.


----------



## Andromalia

Most of the II upgrades are studio-oriented anyway.


----------



## TheDivineWing22

Maybe someone can help me out here. I've had the axe-fx ultra and a pair of QSC K10s for a few weeks now. I'm very happy with the sounds I'm getting. 

The problem is with my high gain patches. They sound good to my ears except for a prominent hiss/hum noise toward the end of low notes. So, say I hit a palm muted B power chord it sounds good but has the sound fades there is a strange hissing static-y noise.

My setup is pretty simple. Guitar > Axe-fx > pair of QSC K10s using unbalanced speaker cables. Any suggestions as to what I can do?


----------



## Andromalia

Try filters, a low pass might just be what you need.


----------



## TheDivineWing22

Cool deal, I've messed with high passfilters to tighten things up but haven't messed with low pass filters. I'll give that a shot

Where should I place it in chain and what frequencies should I be messing with?


----------



## Joelan

I use a K10 with my Ultra, and I've found that a lowpass filter with a cutoff at around 6-7k (I've found it depends on the amp) placed at the end of the chain works very well to remove fizz. I also put a GEQ after the amp/cab and back off on the 8K a dB or 2. This is just what I've found in my 3 weeks of owning it though, maybe there are better ways to do it


----------



## oliviergus

So after alot of research.. Ive finally made up my mind. 
I will go with this (and some extra things for midi/recording):

* Axe-Fx Standard
* Rocktron Velocity 300
* Zilla Fatboy 2x12 (30v)

So how do I connect all those 3 things together? What cables is needed?


----------



## walleye

oliviergus said:


> So after alot of research.. Ive finally made up my mind.
> I will go with this (and some extra things for midi/recording):
> 
> * Axe-Fx Standard
> * Rocktron Velocity 300
> * Zilla Fatboy 2x12 (30v)
> 
> So how do I connect all those 3 things together? What cables is needed?



guitar - 1/4" to front axe fx input
axe fx - output 1 left to rocktron input 1
rocktron out 1 (speaker cable) - zilla input

so really just 2 1/4" cables and 1 1/4" speaker cable. double check the rocktron and the zilla to see if there;s something funny about them i.e. if they don't have 1/4" sockets or something. cant imagine why though


----------



## oliviergus

walleye said:


> guitar - 1/4" to front axe fx input
> axe fx - output 1 left to rocktron input 1
> rocktron out 1 (speaker cable) - zilla input
> 
> so really just 2 1/4" cables and 1 1/4" speaker cable. double check the rocktron and the zilla to see if there;s something funny about them i.e. if they don't have 1/4" sockets or something. cant imagine why though



Thanks.

But how about stereo/mono? Whats better, and could I use stereo on the Zilla cab with the rocktron?


----------



## Winspear

The rocktron can be used in stereo, yes. 
If you wanted to do that you would add a cable from axe fx out 2 to rocktron in 2, and rocktron out 2 to the second Zilla input (presuming the cab is has stereo in)

If you don't know why you want to use stereo, use mono. Stereo is for things like having delay pan left and right etc. and cool effects. Dual tones, an amp model on either side etc.
Usually used with multiple cabs, wouldn't be ALL that effective with a single 2x12 with speakers right next to eachother.


----------



## Rook

Just bought an Axe FX Ultra (woop) but I undrstand you can't just plug headphones into it.

Would a mixing desk with a headphone out be ok? How compact a headphone amp can one get?

Why can't you just plug headphones in?


----------



## Sepultorture

Fun111 said:


> Just bought an Axe FX Ultra (woop) but I undrstand you can't just plug headphones into it.
> 
> Would a mixing desk with a headphone out be ok? How compact a headphone amp can one get?
> 
> Why can't you just plug headphones in?



i imagine if the headphone amp had a line inyou could

if i got a standard or ultra i would just plug that into my interface and use the interfaces headphone out


----------



## thrsher

so im looking to get the axe fx my self, do you run the unit through an fx loop in a head (powerball) or direct?


----------



## Winspear

^ Depends what you want to do. In an FX loop you would just be using the effects on the Axe, because your tone is from the powerball preamp. 
If you want tones from the Axe then yes direct.


----------



## thrsher

^ thank you


----------



## TheRealSam

I don't know if it's the right place to post this, feel free to move the thread if you think it is misplaced.
Here's the thing. I recently bougth a Tascam US1800, which works like charm except for one thing. I just can't manage to plug my AxeFx Ultra into my PC (XP, SP3) using Axe Edit. I've got two MIDI cables plugged in (one from the Axe's MIDI in to the Tascam MIDI out, and the other from the Axe's MIDI out to the Tascam MIDI in), and even get some interaction between the soft and the hardware (tempo changes are detected, as well as when I try to sync both of them, I get a "Dumping in progress" message on the Axe, then nothing).

I also already tried to reboot my computer, triple checked the wiring, changed the sysex ID, nothing seems to be working. It might be something very stupid that I forgot but honestly I don't see what.

Could you please help me out? I'd really like to update my Axe's firmware, as well as use Redwirez Impulses and upload my patches.

Thanks in advance!


----------



## op1e

Hows the latency on the US1800, instant? Having problems using my GSP, hoping to record/monitor in real time. You may have to just get a midi to usb cable in order to get the AX to communicate with your pc. I think having the Tascam as a middle man is the problem.


----------



## TheRealSam

Damn, I thougth this interface would do the trick, seems like I'll have to spend some extra cash... again ahah
Well the latency is quite good, didn't have any issues so far. I've been recording and monitoring in real time with around 15 tracks each having effects and didn't have any important latency issues.

You're talking about a MIDI to USB cable, I've seen there are some devices which work well and others don't, what do you recommend I should buy?


----------



## op1e

I've never had to get one yet, they're all pretty much universal. Just read the reviews and get the cheapest one that doesnt suck. Should be able to get away under $30 I would hope. What software are you using to record? I wanna make sure that I can seperate each input into its own track using Audition 3.0.


----------



## TheRealSam

I'm using Cubase but I haven't tried to record several tracks at the same time for now :/ Yet I think I shouldn't be a real problem.


----------



## Phreeck

I'm sure this is in here somewhere but I've searched and can't find the answer.

Got myself an Ultra, buying the Focusrite Saffire 6 USB to use as an interface. (Focusrite Saffire 6 USB)

What connections are reccomended for best quality?

Axe Balanced XLRs > XLRs on front of interface?
Axe Balanced XLRs > 1/4" jacks on rear of interface?
Axe 1/4" jacks > 1/4" jacks on rear of interface?

I heard that S/PDIF was not great for recording?

Cheers!


----------



## op1e

I read that its doable on another forum, I think. I just dont understand how it would work. The Daw would have to recognize each IO as an individual interface. I once recorded with two different interfaces into separate tracks, but they both still came thru on the 1st track somehow. I think its a windows thing.


----------



## Joelan

Cliff has said himself that the analogue outputs sound better than the S/PDIF output, even though it would seem that it should be the other way around (less A/D and D/A conversions).

I would assume all the analogue outputs would sound the same, but I may be wrong. I'd be curious to hear if the case is otherwise.


----------



## TheRealSam

I can't really help you there, but go check youtube, I've seen some videos over there where it is shown that the US1800 can record several tracks at once. I think you just need to add a different bus for each I/O, or something of the kind.


----------



## technomancer

TheRealSam said:


> I don't know if it's the right place to post this, feel free to move the thread if you think it is misplaced.
> Here's the thing. I recently bougth a Tascam US1800, which works like charm except for one thing. I just can't manage to plug my AxeFx Ultra into my PC (XP, SP3) using Axe Edit. I've got two MIDI cables plugged in (one from the Axe's MIDI in to the Tascam MIDI out, and the other from the Axe's MIDI out to the Tascam MIDI in), and even get some interaction between the soft and the hardware (tempo changes are detected, as well as when I try to sync both of them, I get a "Dumping in progress" message on the Axe, then nothing).
> 
> I also already tried to reboot my computer, triple checked the wiring, changed the sysex ID, nothing seems to be working. It might be something very stupid that I forgot but honestly I don't see what.
> 
> Could you please help me out? I'd really like to update my Axe's firmware, as well as use Redwirez Impulses and upload my patches.
> 
> Thanks in advance!



Try changing the Midi Buffer Size to 128... I haven't used the interface you have but this has fixed the problem you're describing on several other interfaces, my Alesis included.

Also, merged with the Axe QA thread


----------



## TheRealSam

Thanks! You mean the buffer size in Axe Edit? Seems to change nothing for me :/ I really don't know what I'm doing wrong, and the strangest thing is that I can manage to trigger the tuner using axe edit, change the tempo and start the sync, but only on the axefx, as if only the midi in of the axefx was working :/

Edit: so yeah, there's definitely a problem in the connexion between the Axe's in and the Tascam's out as I get the same results (response from the axefx) when I unplug the cable and leave only the one from the axe's in to the Tascam's out. I trully hope it doesn't come from the axe, as I already switched the cables (so it doesn't come from any of them). :/

EDIT2: reinstalled the audio drivers of my Tascam and did the loopback test (plugged a midi cable directly from the In and Out of the Tascam). It passed. Meaning that there's nothing wrong with the Tascam. Yet when I still get no response from the axefx to axe edit. Damn :/

EDIT3: FINALY! Bought a Roland UM-One today and it works fine. I also tested a Prodipe USB-MIDI interface, which was a complete failure. I'm so relieved right now ahahah, thanks a lot everybody who helped!


----------



## Rook

Anyone using a Mesa 2:90?

I know the VHT 2/50/2 is a popular choice but I've always been a big fan of the 2:90.

Also, I really don't understand all this updating stuff, what hardware do you eed to update the Axe and use Axe Edit?


----------



## Joelan

You need a midi interface for your PC. I'm using literally the cheapest one I could find and it works just fine:

USB to MIDI Cable with 16 MIDI Input/Output Channels (1.8-Meter) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme

And that's all!


----------



## Cadavuh

FUCKING AXE FX


HOW DOES IT WORK?


----------



## Cadavuh

Seriously though, I'm trying to build a new high gain patch from scratch and I can't decide which amp model to use. I'm going for tight and clear with some really punchy mids. I've been using the FAS modern, any other recs?


----------



## Larrikin666

Cadavuh said:


> Seriously though, I'm trying to build a new high gain patch from scratch and I can't decide which amp model to use. I'm going for tight and clear with some really punchy mids. I've been using the FAS modern, any other recs?



I like the FAS Modern blended with the VH4 or 5150 sims. The 5150 is really clear but the VH4 has a lot of balls.


----------



## emperor_black

I created a quick patch the other day with the ENGL and Diezel models. The ENGL has high end + high mids and the Diezel has low-mids + low-end and I find that combination works really well. however, like most of my patches, I still felt the need to use a PEQ at the end of the chain.


----------



## xfilth

Anyone knows what the european shipping status is like??


----------



## Andromalia

Yes. Borked.


----------



## ACE IT UP

Hey guys, I play guitar in the band A Distant Calm, my rythm guitar player and I are looking into making the switch to using Axe Fx for our live and practice sound. I currently run a Mesa Boogie Roadster head through a Mesa 4x12, then use an assortment of fx and tone pedals to get what I want out of it... after about a year of playing live shows however, as heavy as it may be, I've decided it just isn't quite there.

I've heard nothing but good things about the Axe FX and figure now would be a good time to snag a deal on the Ultra, possibly standard. My questions are how do you guys run channel switching and what midi footboard are you using to do that? Also is DIing into the PA really the best way to go for live sound? And is it really necessary to run a pre-amp? 

Thanks for all your humble comments and suggestions!!


----------



## Winspear

I don't own one and can't comment on the channel switching.

DIing to the PA is surely very convinient - more stage space, less gear to lug around, a clear sound every time that does not rely on the cab and mic. However, you lose stage sound if that's important to you, and rely entirely on the venues monitoring system.
By not running a cab and using the venues full range speakers, you can choose any cab+mic sim you like on the Axe FX.

Running a preamp? I think you mean poweramp. The Axe-FX is the preamp. A poweramp is needed to power passive monitors/spakers should you use them. Passive meaning they don't have a power supply. Like a guitar cab or most live monitors. You must run a poweramp before them (the venue will have a poweramp powering their speakers so you only need to worry about this if you wish to run into your own cab/passive monitor). You can also use an active monitor if you wish to have your own (that's one that you plug into a power strip).

The AxeFx into active monitor setup is fairly popular. You'll retain your stage sound, have freedom of cab choice on the AxeFX because the monitor you buy should be full range flat response, and you wont need to buy a poweramp. This seems like the best solution to me, because you can rely on your on stage monitoring system and have it there for stage sound if the venue PA turns out to be awful. I'd still tell the sound guy to take a DI rather than mic up the monitor, because that's only extending the signal chain and degrading things unnecesarily. 
This way you also have your own monitor to jam with at home/practice.

So a pair of AxeFxs and a pair of active monitors will be all you need for that setup. The monitors can get pretty expensive though, but they are smaller than cabs and you'll have your own PA system should you want it at any time.


----------



## ACE IT UP

Thanks for all the info! That was very helpful. And yes, I did mean to say poweramp. Should I choose to continue using my cab as a monitor, what poweramp(s) would you recommend?


----------



## Joelan

For your floorboard question, I can recommend the FCB1010 if you don't want to spend $500 just on a controller. It's a cakewalk to program, there are plenty of switches, and you get two expression pedals (although the pedals feel quite cheap). Aside from the pedals it definitely feels built to last. It's the cheapest option I know of that has an expression pedal(s) and more than 2 switches.

Right now I have it set up just so all the switches select different presets, with say, 5 presets per song and I have a different bank for each song. You can use the expression pedals for pretty much anything, but I just have one dedicated to volume and the other on a per-patch setting, such as wah or fading in other effects.

If you spend an extra $20, you can get a new firmware chip which opens up a few possibilities, such as the ability to use the top row of switches to activate single stompbox sims in the Axe-FX, while the bottom switches select presets.

If you were wanting to use your Mesa for the basis of your tone and needed to switch channels, as long as it has a midi in I'm sure you won't have any problem with it.

All midi controllers basically work the same way, you're just paying for features/quality.

I'm also running the Axe-FX through a powered speaker, and I'm really liking it this way. If you play live with another guitarist using a traditional amp+cab, a poweramp+cab may be better for you as it will help with getting a consistent sound on stage. A lot of guys here like VHT/Fryette poweramps, and I see the Mesa 50/50 a lot as well. I only have personal experience with an Ampeg that I don't even know the model of.

Hope that helps.


----------



## walleye

i was playing ultra > art sla 2 power amp into my friends 4x12 mesa cab the other day and holy shit it was amazing. makes me want the mesa cab. i think coming from your roadster setup this might be the best for you. the art sla 2 is fantastic and crystal clear (and cheap for you americanas). also this is a great place to start because programming the axe for power amp into 4x12 is easier than going the DI option (less to worry about). 

don't let the solid statedness of the art sla 2 fool you into thinking it'll sound shit. it doesn't. this is the first caveat of your reeducation


----------



## walleye

also i would be wary of using the axe fx output into return slot on your roadster because i've found taht mesa heads (don't know much about their inner workings) but their power amp sections have their own voicing (as opposed to a studio power amp which is relatively transparent sounding), whilst sounding good with the mesa preamp it limits your options if you want to use the other 60 amp models. if you're using mesa amp sims (there's 8 of them i thinhk  ) i don't see why it wouldnt sound awesome that way. i used an amp head as a power amp for a few months and it felt like a waste of space considering how little of the amp i was using.


----------



## Eaten

xfilth said:


> Anyone knows what the european shipping status is like??



At least they're in Europe now, I saw this:


----------



## Rook

^I disagree slightly.

I'm using my Axe through the power amp section o my Roadster at the moment, and sure you always get that very chimey 6L6ness to it, but I love that. I turn power amp and cab sims off and run into my Mesa 412.

When I get a power amp for the Axe I'll get a Mesa 2:50 or 2:90, because I love the added tube feel in the power stage which from experience the Axe 'models' to a reasonable degree, but it's definitely noticeable as a player (less to a listener lol).

Also, it's easy to use the left and right outputs of the Axe to have a preamp signal going to your stage power amp and cab, and another signal with power amp and cab sims going straight to the desk.


----------



## walleye

i saw your thread directly after writing those posts 
that's how i set it up for a few months worth of gigs (with a marshall head) before making the switch to art sla 2. i was happy with the switch, to eat their own and all that.


----------



## Larrikin666

Man. I blew my 2nd powered EV monitor after our show on Saturday. Looks like I'm finally gonna have to upgrade to something higher end. I really want to avoid the Mackies if possible. Anyone have any experience with the Yamaha DSR or JBL PRX stuff?


----------



## emperor_black

i have a FBT verve 12ma. The level behind the speaker is at 0 and the AXE's o/p is at 9 o'clock. It so freaking loud the windows in my guitar room were rattling when I was playing yesterday. I've had it for over a year now and I am very pleased with it. but its pretty pricey. ~$750.


----------



## Larrikin666

emperor_black said:


> i have a FBT verve 12ma. The level behind the speaker is at 0 and the AXE's o/p is at 9 o'clock. It so freaking loud the windows in my guitar room were rattling when I was playing yesterday. I've had it for over a year now and I am very pleased with it. but its pretty pricey. ~$750.



I'm still playing next to a guitarist with a 100 watt ENGL and a drummer is ridiculously loud. I was already having issues keeping up with them playing through two 1000 watt monitors. I need something in the 1300-1800 watt range.


----------



## Sepultorture

emperor_black said:


> i have a FBT verve 12ma. The level behind the speaker is at 0 and the AXE's o/p is at 9 o'clock. It so freaking loud the windows in my guitar room were rattling when I was playing yesterday. I've had it for over a year now and I am very pleased with it. but its pretty pricey. ~$750.



QSC K series or FBT Verve are definitely win for the Axe FX


----------



## Joelan

Larrikin666 said:


> I'm still playing next to a guitarist with a 100 watt ENGL and a drummer is ridiculously loud. I was already having issues keeping up with them playing through two 1000 watt monitors. I need something in the 1300-1800 watt range.



Wow, how loud do you guys practice?

I manage just fine in my bands rehearsals with a single 1000W QSC K10 with the other guitarist on a 100W H&K. Are you using speaker stands for your monitors?


----------



## Larrikin666

Joelan said:


> Wow, how loud do you guys practice?
> 
> I manage just fine in my bands rehearsals with a single 1000W QSC K10 with the other guitarist on a 100W H&K. Are you using speaker stands for your monitors?



We practice pretty damn loud. Mike hits really hard since he's a big dude. I keep my monitors on top of my amp/rack case, so the sound sits up at a pretty audible level.


----------



## walleye

Larrikin666 said:


> We practice pretty damn loud.



i knew taht from the excessive power stance in your pic


----------



## ACE IT UP

Thanks guys for all the info! I'm leaning towards the art sla 2 route, it would save me a lot of $$ and I'm not sure if I'm ready just yet to ditch the cab. 

So what's the main difference here between something like the art sla 2 power amp and say something like a $1,500 Freytte poweramp?


----------



## ACE IT UP

Anyone?..


----------



## loktide

i own an AxeFX std for almost 3 years now and i've experimented with various poweramps (SS and tubes) and setups since then. 

IMO, the best sounding rig you'll get with the Axe is going straight into the PA/FOH. Out of the power amps i've tried, the VHT 2502 sounded the best, but still it lacked some of the oomph and punch you'll get from a 100W hi-gain tube amp. 

Also, tweaking your live sound with the Axe is a bitch: option paralysis. 
Here's an example based on my own experience: you have your patches set up and they sound amazing at rehearsals. Even against your bandmates 100W tube head, you sound great and have no problems cutting through. Then, during soundcheck at venue X you notice you have too much bass and that your tone is muffled playing through the provided mic'ed cabs. With a regular tube head, you'll tweak a few knobs and have matched the sound. With the Axe, you can start tweaking the depth/presence controls at your poweramp, at the Axe. The global EQ or any of the EQs in your patch, or the amp sim's EQ. Every one of these options has different benefits/drawbacks and you won't have the time to figure this out live. 

If you're playing straight into the PA, your tone will always be the same as you set it up since you're not dealing with a real cab+mic+room. What comes out of the FOH will be in the hands of the local sound engineer anyway. This is mostly the weakest link shaping your live tone people will actually hear.

this said, i just sold my VHT 2502 and if i should be using the AxeFX live again, it will be through the PA with in ear or stage monitors.


----------



## iron blast

ACE IT UP said:


> Thanks guys for all the info! I'm leaning towards the art sla 2 route, it would save me a lot of $$ and I'm not sure if I'm ready just yet to ditch the cab.
> 
> So what's the main difference here between something like the art sla 2 power amp and say something like a $1,500 Freytte poweramp?



Tube vs transparent solid state is the biggest difference. I would turn off cab sims and stuff with the Vht/ Freyette tube amp and leave them on with the art sla 2. Both will sound good just different Imho. Check out the axe fx mega thread for more rig ideas. The boys of Rings of Saturn and Alex of Whitechapel just snagged an ultra too. Alex has this sweet patch bay idea you should checkout.


----------



## walleye

axe > art sla 2 > 4x12 recto is an awesome rig. i would recommend just going for it. art slas are cheaper than tube power amps so that would be the logical place to start i think.

also i would disagree with the poster above. even with a tube power amp i would still have power amp sims on from experience. but worry about that after you buy something


----------



## loktide

i also (mostly) ran the poweramp sims on with the VHT 2502. it depends on the amp sim, though


----------



## walleye

yus
its because power amp sections of real amp heads have a voicing. studio power amps are voiced to be transparent, so if you disable power amp simulation in teh axe fx you lose some of the real amps quality that you're trying to model. you dont have to do whats "real" though, but its a good place to start


----------



## getaway_fromme

Larrikin666 said:


> Man. I blew my 2nd powered EV monitor after our show on Saturday. Looks like I'm finally gonna have to upgrade to something higher end. I really want to avoid the Mackies if possible. Anyone have any experience with the Yamaha DSR or JBL PRX stuff?



I've been using 2 Jbl prx 612m's. One for myself, and one for my other guitarist. They get pretty damn loud. I really wanted the 635's but they were out of stock everywhere. I really don't see why you would need something more than 1000w.


----------



## getaway_fromme

Larrikin666 said:


> Man. I blew my 2nd powered EV monitor after our show on Saturday. Looks like I'm finally gonna have to upgrade to something higher end. I really want to avoid the Mackies if possible. Anyone have any experience with the Yamaha DSR or JBL PRX stuff?



I've been using 2 Jbl prx 612m's. One for myself, and one for my other guitarist. They get pretty damn loud. I really wanted the 635's but they were out of stock everywhere. I really don't see why you would need something more than 1000w.

Anyway!!!! The JBL's sound dope and I would imagine the 3 way 635's to sound better.


----------



## F0rte

So, anyone got an Estimated wait time on the Axe FX 2 after being added to the waiting list?

I was just told 3 months by someone, but for some reason that seems like a TERRIBLY long wait.
I hope that it's not true


----------



## ROAR

^Accept that. I should be added to the list around July 5th I guess, and I've been waiting.
Probably will be for a good 2-3 more months.


----------



## Gameboypdc

^ Really the waiting list is that long? I could have sworn that a week ago I saw the Axe II in stock and available for purchase. Shoot if this is true, and that I should expect a few months wait maybe I should go ahead and grab a few other pieces of gear while I wait.


----------



## ROAR

^They can be in stock and you can try to get one for like 2600 I think it is,
and when people have coupons those stocks decrease pretty quickly.


----------



## Phrygian

I've been on g66's(europe) waitinglist for 5 months now(since early may), and i just heard back from them today i might get mine in november when they receive their september shipment.

I'm glad it might be on its way, but 6 months is somewhat longer than the estimated 8-12 weeks i got in may. oh well, i hope it really does come in november!


----------



## Andromalia

G66 has been full of bullshit since day one, like "next month"...


----------



## NickB11

Can anyone give me some advice on my Axe II. I am getting killer tones, especially since the new software upgrade. However, I am still having problems with a very boomy and resonating low frequency when i hit certain notes, B and C notes seem to cause it, on the low E and A strings if tuned in standard. I'm running through Mackie MR5 monitors and people on fractal forum said that was the problem combo'd with my room . I have tried EQs, filters, etc and nothing seems to get rid of it. I am getting power amp soon, so I will be able to see if it affects my Mesa Recto cab as well or if it is just the monitors. Any advice or thoughts? Thanks!


----------



## bigswifty

^ I cant help you out there but I'm interested to hear what people say.

I've been wondering this and cant find an answer anywhere, so I'm gonna throw it out there. 
That tone, second verse of Under A Glass Moon. How the fuck do I achieve it?
The super clean crystaline tone. 
If you can explain it to me please go for it.
Youll get mad reps


----------



## walleye

NickBen said:


> Can anyone give me some advice on my Axe II. I am getting killer tones, especially since the new software upgrade. However, I am still having problems with a very boomy and resonating low frequency when i hit certain notes, B and C notes seem to cause it, on the low E and A strings if tuned in standard. I'm running through Mackie MR5 monitors and people on fractal forum said that was the problem combo'd with my room . I have tried EQs, filters, etc and nothing seems to get rid of it. I am getting power amp soon, so I will be able to see if it affects my Mesa Recto cab as well or if it is just the monitors. Any advice or thoughts? Thanks!



you can try multiband compressor. i use this on a few presets. its good for curbing some of the boomy low notes


----------



## Larrikin666

NickBen said:


> Can anyone give me some advice on my Axe II. I am getting killer tones, especially since the new software upgrade. However, I am still having problems with a very boomy and resonating low frequency when i hit certain notes, B and C notes seem to cause it, on the low E and A strings if tuned in standard. I'm running through Mackie MR5 monitors and people on fractal forum said that was the problem combo'd with my room . I have tried EQs, filters, etc and nothing seems to get rid of it. I am getting power amp soon, so I will be able to see if it affects my Mesa Recto cab as well or if it is just the monitors. Any advice or thoughts? Thanks!



I've found a parametric EQ works at the end of the chain. I just shave off the low end and a bit of the highs.


----------



## oliviergus

So... I'm finally at the point where i'm getting a Axe-Fx Ultra. Feels really great. 

I'm getting the Focusrite Saffire as interface (how is the sound quality on that thing?). So what cables am I going to need to:

* Record with this chain - Axe Fx->Focusrite Saffire->MacBook
* Connect the Axe to change some presets in the computer via midi?


----------



## JonL

I'm pretty much at the same point as this guy ^. I guess I am completely noob when it comes to recording with this thing. I'm used to recording straight USB with a Digitech pedal in Windows with Sonar. What exactly would I need to start recording with the AXE-FX? I know I need an Interface of some sort, but have no idea what to look out for.


----------



## ROAR

I'm about to just say fuck it and buy another Ultra. 
I've been waiting for the II forever now.


----------



## Joelan

oliviergus said:


> So... I'm finally at the point where i'm getting a Axe-Fx Ultra. Feels really great.
> 
> I'm getting the Focusrite Saffire as interface (how is the sound quality on that thing?). So what cables am I going to need to:
> 
> * Record with this chain - Axe Fx->Focusrite Saffire->MacBook
> * Connect the Axe to change some presets in the computer via midi?





JonL said:


> I'm pretty much at the same point as this guy ^. I guess I am completely noob when it comes to recording with this thing. I'm used to recording straight USB with a Digitech pedal in Windows with Sonar. What exactly would I need to start recording with the AXE-FX? I know I need an Interface of some sort, but have no idea what to look out for.



You need a recording interface to record, and a midi interface to use Axe-Edit. There are interfaces that combine both into one box, such as the M-Audio Fast Track Pro, and it also appears that the Focusrite Saffire has a midi interface in it. There are also very cheap midi interfaces on DealExtreme.com for under $10 (I'm using one, works fine).

To connect to a recording interface you will need an XLR cable or standard instrument cable depending on the interface, most should take both. If you get something like the Fast Track pro you'll need some standard midi cables to use the midi interface. If you get the cheapo DealExtreme midi interface or something like the M-Audio Uno, that is all you will need to get Axe-Edit working.


----------



## Speculum Speculorum

Well, I got the Axe-II a while back, but have only been screwing with it for the past week-and-a-half or so. I finally got the USB cable yesterday (been moving into the apartment), so I downloaded axe-edit and updated my firmware.

When I was tweaking pre-update, I thought to myself "man, this is going to be a lot of work to sculpt a great workable tone". And then last night, after rebooting the Axe, my jaw just dropped. All my clean tones have a great deal more body. It's clear I'll probably have to rework some of my high gain tones, but everything responds and sounds amazingly better. I am super stoked, and am looking forward to getting the rest of my gear installed and getting going on recording.

Granted, I'm still using my strat to attempt the modern high gain stuff... Waiting for about a month longer on my BRJ... but it can kind of get me where I want to go... I just know it will sound that much better when I bust a move with the Jekyll 727.


----------



## Maniacal

I have a stupid question:

When I play through my Orange cab with the Axe FX, I get some nice tones but when I try to record directly into my Mbox it sounds like crap. 

I turn off cab and power amp emulation when going into the cab and turn it back on when trying to record. 

What can I do to make my direct sounds the same as my cab sounds?

Any help would be great.


----------



## walleye

how are you powering the orange cab? are you using the fx loop of an amp head? if so this is where a lot of the tone you're hearing is coming from and you'd have to program the axe fx to emulate the amp heads power section when going direct


----------



## Maniacal

I am going through a yamaha power amp.


----------



## deathjazz89

I got my coupon yesterday! 
Sent my email on the first day at 4:46 PM PST.
Bad news, I got maybe ten percent of what I need at the moment. 
I hoped that this day would come much later when I had the money.


----------



## Sepultorture

deathjazz89 said:


> I got my coupon yesterday!
> Sent my email on the first day at 4:46 PM PST.
> Bad news, I got maybe ten percent of what I need at the moment.
> I hoped that this day would come much later when I had the money.



i wouldn't even bother trying for a coupon until i had every red cent, even the money for the customs taxes and duties


----------



## Rook

I just got on the 2 list today, I have half the money now and apparently the wait time is 4 months. When my slot comes up I'll be selling my Ultra and my Roadster (can't believe I just said that) so I should be grand.

I genuinely can't wait, the Axe seems so perfect for me.

To any II owners, the thing I'm hoping to get out of the II that I don't get out of my ultra is there's something about the feel of the gain stages when playing through transistor amps/monitors/headphones, it seems a little blunt or fizzy, first do you know what I mean by that? Second the the II sort that?


----------



## ROAR

If you heard 4 month wait then I should be getting my e-mail soon.
This is month 4 for me.
Better start getting some money in order haha


----------



## Larrikin666

Fun111 said:


> I just got on the 2 list today, I have half the money now and apparently the wait time is 4 months. When my slot comes up I'll be selling my Ultra and my Roadster (can't believe I just said that) so I should be grand.
> 
> I genuinely can't wait, the Axe seems so perfect for me.
> 
> To any II owners, the thing I'm hoping to get out of the II that I don't get out of my ultra is there's something about the feel of the gain stages when playing through transistor amps/monitors/headphones, it seems a little blunt or fizzy, first do you know what I mean by that? Second the the II sort that?



I know exactly what you're talking about. I feel like Fractal improved that to an extent, but it was definitely still present out of the box. The help get rid of that a bit by adding the EQ block into every amp sim now. I've just got into the habit of cutting out the highest and lowest frequencies to negate the boom and fizz.


----------



## Rook

^lol, yup. It sounds fine played back an EQ'd, it just feels totally weird to record.

Live it sounds amazing. I do Pre and post Amp EQ'ing on every patch now anyway, lol, I gave up on just using un-tampered with Amp sims fairly early on.

Cheers bro!

EDIT: I have to rep someone else before I rep you again apparently


----------



## AEP531

I've been using a Mesa/Boogie Mark V head for a few years now.
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this head and wish to keep it in my live rig, but the tones I've been able to make with the Axe-FX Ultra are too good not to have live.

That being said, I'm wondering if anyone can tell me how to run the Axe-Fx through my Mark V and what the best method of doing so is. 

As far as quick solutions go, I can either run it in front of the amp, through the fx loop, or both. However, I'm not sure how I'm going to switch channels on both the Axe-Fx and the Mark V simultaneously without having problems.

I also know that I can bypass the preamp in the Mark V and just use it as a power amp, but that's a $2,000 head and I'd rather not have to hack into it.

I've looked all over for details on what John Petrucci does with his rig. I found how he plugs the unit into the head, but it doesn't say whether he actually uses the Axe-Fx for his main tone or just for effects, which is obviously a crucial factor when it comes to researching what to do.

Any light that can be shed on this matter will be greatly appreciated!
Thanks!


----------



## Rook

Ok, a couple of things.

1) You don't have to hack anything, to use just your Mark's power amp for your Axe, you jus plug left output 1 into your amp's FX return, make sure the FX loop is on on the amp and make sure you start with the volume down, job done.

If you don't know which you prefer, use 4CM. Basically you run output 2 left into your Mark's input at the front, the Mark FX send into input 2 left on your Axe FX and then output 1 left into your FX return on the Mark as above. When you're using usual presets with amp sims etc, it'll bypass you mark V's preamp and just come through the power section. If you make a patch with an 'FX loop' block in place of the amp sim (and obviously don't use cab sims) it'll send your signal through the mark's preamp, so your Mark becomes the amp block. You can then put FX before and after it. To change channels on both at the same time you need a midi controller (pedal, like a ground control or something) and an RJM Amp Gizmo.

Forget what John Petrucci does, find what works best for you


----------



## Speculum Speculorum

Okay guys. I'm really starting to dig into the Axe-fx II now, and I am definitely starting to get the hang of getting a workable - hell, even nice - tone from this beast-of-a-machine. Now that Cliff has announced upgrading the triode modeling to pentode we will start seeing how ridiculous this thing can get. Some of the beta testers are saying that the tones they are getting out of a Recto setting are simply better than the amp itself. I don't, for one, doubt it.

After spending a day researching all of the advanced amp parameters and getting a much nicer high gain tone with the Das Metall amp, I started toying around with select filters and PEQ settings. Basically, I put in a HP filter as the first block in my chain to get the mud out of my incoming signal (somewhere around 60 Hz). After the speaker block, I've inserted 2 PEQ's and started surgical cuts on the most offensive low/mid/sibilant frequencies, using the last band in the 2nd PEQ as a LP at about oh... just over 12k. I am pretty happy with where I am getting. But my question: 

Do you prefer to record a raw signal w/o any EQ from the Axe and then go back and start cutting once you get to mixing? Or do you make your EQ's to get a generally good sound and then do more EQ work as you find where it needs to sit? 

Some guys say that you should be able to get a great sound from just an amp and cab. Some say that if you can't just slap a LP and HP filter and be on your merry way, you are doing it wrong. I am getting a workable tone, but the addition of the EQ seems to really clean things up a lot. I am wondering if I am doing too much work right at the beginning to only look back and realize I've wasted my time. So, what's your method?


----------



## SilenceIsACrime

Hey guys - not to alarm anybody, but according to Fractal the II's are In Stock right now O_O

The Axe-Fx II - Preamp / FX Processor - Order Online


----------



## F0rte

Hey everyone. I've had my Axe FX II for about a week now and have not stopped experimenting with it since I opened it.

I'm looking for that really quick muted sound that Volumes has in their guitar tone, what setting generally determines that on this unit? That tight sound is great in my opinion.


----------



## Larrikin666

LolWotGuitar said:


> Hey everyone. I've had my Axe FX II for about a week now and have not stopped experimenting with it since I opened it.
> 
> I'm looking for that really quick muted sound that Volumes has in their guitar tone, what setting generally determines that on this unit? That tight sound is great in my opinion.



There's a noise gate built into the Axe-FX. Just page over to it while you are in the layout screen and adjust your rate and threshold. If that's not enough, you can add a second gate somewhere else in your chain to cut more noise.


----------



## F0rte

Larrikin666 said:


> There's a noise gate built into the Axe-FX. Just page over to it while you are in the layout screen and adjust your rate and threshold. If that's not enough, you can add a second gate somewhere else in your chain to cut more noise.



Thanks mate!


----------



## Crank

I'm also a Fractal Axe-Fx Ultra user! Really love it and I was really happy to say goodbye to the standard heads and rigs which weight was counted in tons


----------



## anne

I just got my Axe II and the fan noise is KILLING me... Like, you couldn't use the Axe as your interface to record an acoustic guitar because you'll pick up the fan too. WTH?

Also, I don't know how people can say Pods have decent cleans but hate on the gainy stuff. Fractal cleans are miles ahead too. It's really amazing.


----------



## Rook

What midi controllers are people using?

The ones I've found so far are the Voodoo Labs stuff, Rocktron, Liquid Foot, Roland, Behringer and G-Lab...

Nothing seems to be quite what I'm looking for. I pretty much want the original Ground Control (not Pro) but apart from the Midimate, there's nothing like it and I can't find one of the originals.

The reason I haven't jumped on the midi mate is apparently you have to program the nuts off it, it doesn't do anything automatically, which I think will just annoy me.


----------



## Larrikin666

Fun111 said:


> What midi controllers are people using?
> 
> The ones I've found so far are the Voodoo Labs stuff, Rocktron, Liquid Foot, Roland, Behringer and G-Lab...
> 
> Nothing seems to be quite what I'm looking for. I pretty much want the original Ground Control (not Pro) but apart from the Midimate, there's nothing like it and I can't find one of the originals.
> 
> The reason I haven't jumped on the midi mate is apparently you have to program the nuts off it, it doesn't do anything automatically, which I think will just annoy me.



I finally have a Fractal MFC-101 coming tomorrow. Power and communication all through an Ethernet cable? Yes please.


----------



## Rook

Dude! You're just Mr 'y'know that gear you want/wanna try? I have/have had it', lol.

MFC would be the obvious choice, but £600? I think not. GCP please... If it helps, I'm not bothered about the stomp box type functionality, I'll just have lots of similar patches for the lolz. Hence why the original Ground Control looks good.

I guess I'll just have to wait for one to come up 

EDIT: The original Ground Control seems pretty abundant in the USA, I'm now trying to convince someone selling one on ebay to send to the UK!


----------



## Larrikin666

Fun111 said:


> EDIT: The original Ground Control seems pretty abundant in the USA, I'm now trying to convince someone selling one on ebay to send to the UK!



If you can't get someone to go for that, then PM me. I helped another user on the site get his Axe-FX by shipping it to me first. I can just forward it to you after that.


----------



## Rook

Man that would be amazing. I'll PM you when I get home maybe I can PayPal you the money, you buy it off eBay and just forward it to me when you get it?

Waiting to hear back from the seller but I'll be in touch, thanks bro.


----------



## Andromalia

I'd do a bank transfer if I were you, the paypal fee for something the price of the axe2 is going to be a bit much I think.
I'm starting to get tempted by that solution too, as G66 has gone silent, no news about the "september shipment" and we're in november already.
Paying the import taxes and VAT will be cheaper than ordering from G66 anyway. :/


----------



## Rook

Not an Axe II, a $120 ground control, lol.

EDIT: The guy said he'll ship to the UK, so once he's got a quote I'll pay him and it'll be on its way. Thanks though man, I really do appreciate the offer


----------



## deathjazz89

Gonna order mine hopefully in two weeks.


----------



## Winspear

A very cool interview with Cliff:
Guitar Messenger &#8211; Cliff Chase Interview (Fractal Audio)

Some stuff on the VST in there as well. Personally I'm really hoping for it in by 2013 or so.


----------



## Rook

Got an EMail from G66 today, apparently they're doubling manufacturing capacity or something?

I dunno, they seemed to be indicating I was gonna get my Axe II sooner but at the same time saying 'we're not saying you're going to get your II at some specific point because there keep being hold-ups etc, but you should get it sooner than you think'.

Most vague Email ever, but if I get it in January, that's when my birthday is, I'd be WELL pleased.


----------



## Default_M

Could I use my Axe FX 2 with my laptop and monitors to play music through windows media player like I can with my Mbox 2?

I'm thinking hook up the axe to the laptop by usb and then put the monitors in to the axe. That way I can sell the Mbox as thats the only reason I'll ever use it, but are there drivers for axe 2/windows 7 that will let me do it?


----------



## Rook

Yes, it should be pretty straightforward, you just need to go through your system setting and make the Axe your default audio output device and plug the monitors into output 1.

I believe the idea of the Axe II's USB is to make it interface free. You should be able to use it as a MIDI interface too.


----------



## Default_M

Ah thats good news.
Is connecting the Axe to monitors the same as with the Pod XT? Guitar in to the front input and then there is a left and right output; one for each monitor?


----------



## Rook

^That's what I do.

You can do it via interface too if you're gonna get your computer involved. Even when I get my 2 I'm gonna keep using my saffire so I don't have to change the drivers every time I bring the Axe in, my interface will always be by the computer though. I'm gonna get some Mackie MR5's, I wanna be able to listen to music with them.

But yes, left out is the standard for mono stuff, XLR or TR out


----------



## brutalwizard

so i was thinking, an axefx is just a down syndrome computer/guitar interface. and all there tone algorithms had to have been made on a computer, and tested in some kind of comp friendly way as a computer interface software before creating the hardware for it.

so how come the creator's haven't released this as a software interface for computers, or how has NOBODY in the world back-engineered the software into a vst or something?


----------



## deathjazz89

It's coming soon to that and a floor-based model, brah.


----------



## walleye

brutalwizard said:


> so i was thinking, an axefx is just a down syndrome computer/guitar interface. and all there tone algorithms had to have been made on a computer, and tested in some kind of comp friendly way as a computer interface software before creating the hardware for it.
> 
> so how come the creator's haven't released this as a software interface for computers, or how has NOBODY in the world back-engineered the software into a vst or something?



becayuse that would be a silly marketing strategy. fractal are selling 100 units a day, if axe fx was available on torrents they would probably sell 5 a day. its hard to backengineer hardware like a fractal. also they would have to employ an army of IT minions to try and keep piracy to a minimum, why bother?

having said all that apparently they are planning on such a release, which is stupid IMO, so go figure


----------



## brutalwizard

good i am glad to hear this haha


----------



## Winspear

Brutalwizard, he discussed that on this interview
Guitar Messenger &#8211; Cliff Chase Interview (Fractal Audio)

No signs of it any time soon. Personally I think they should use the hardware as a dongle for the software - though I don't know if even that could be cracked.
The fact that it exists but I can't buy it makes me a sad panda.


----------



## Andromalia

Fun111 said:


> Yes, it should be pretty straightforward, you just need to go through your system setting and make the Axe your default audio output device and plug the monitors into output 1.
> 
> I believe the idea of the Axe II's USB is to make it interface free. You should be able to use it as a MIDI interface too.



Actually the whole axe II is a sound interface. Cliff stated he listened to his MP3s on it. It's just a sound interface with muchas options. 
...that I can' buy because G66 still didn't get enough ones to fulfill demand. 
4 months wait my ass.


----------



## Phrygian

yeah, i'm on my 6th month waiting, and i just recently got a mail saying that its still not on the way and im not getting an estimate this time. Still, im looking forward to the day its on its way!


----------



## Default_M

I originally ordered an Ultra on January 20th and was told it would be a 1 month wait.
10 and a half months later mine is finally on it's way and I didn't even have to touch the savings account I set up especially to pay for it .


----------



## mikemueller2112

EtherealEntity said:


> A very cool interview with Cliff:
> Guitar Messenger  Cliff Chase Interview (Fractal Audio)
> 
> Some stuff on the VST in there as well. Personally I'm really hoping for it in by 2013 or so.



Thanks for this, good read on how he started this thing.


----------



## Weimat01

What would be more useful for using an axe-fx at home for playing and recording, Awesome monitors like the Adam A7x or reasonable monitors plus a Mackie HD1221 for playing?


----------



## Winspear

I'd use studio monitors so you can mix on them too. I don't know a technical reason why mixing on live FRFR monitors would be a bad, but I don't like the idea.


----------



## Rook

Weimat01 said:


> What would be more useful for using an axe-fx at home for playing and recording, Awesome monitors like the Adam A7x or reasonable monitors plus a Mackie HD1221 for playing?



I have an HD1221 and I'm gonna get some MR5's soon.

The 1221 is really great for getting an 'amp and cab' feel when playing in a room, and I have played with a friend of mine who has a dual rec into a 412 and when playing with a drummer I had no problem being heard. The reason I think stems from the FRFR nature of the 1221, meaning you get plenty of lows, the massive power and the broad dispersion, compared to the Recto cab's laser beam direction.

No trouble at all.

The reason I'm getting the MR5's is for playing at quieter levels and for recording. I'll probably use them for most of my playing at home in the evenings etc.

No joke, I would happily gig my Axe with the 1221 alone in a full band even without a PA. With a PA, it's guitar sound consistency on a whole other level.

My answer's a little vague, so if you have any specific questions, shoot 


As for the Axe FX mix in FRFR situations, it's totally down to EQ'ing as with any amp. I have no trouble cutting because I get completely carried away with mids and I don't over-gain it.


----------



## eurolove

*warning question full of noob* i have ordered an axe fx standard from the us (i live in the uk) and i was wondering if i need to buy some kind of power transformer in order to plug it into the mains safely in the uk? thanks.


----------



## walleye

^ no


----------



## Joelan

Just steal a power cord from your kettle and you're good to go


----------



## Andromalia

walleye said:


> ^ no



True, but just make sure the button is properly setup at 220-230v as if its a US one it is likely on 110 by default.


----------



## Rook

^Button?

I have a USA Axe-FX, plugged it straight into the mains with the first UK power lead I found, pressed no buttons, changed no settings, works fine and always has.


----------



## s5470Pro

So these things blew up, have been out for a while and after im sure many users have had some time to tinker with it and have opinions. What do you guys think? Worth the money? Pros and Cons?

I have no xp with these, im guessing its like a line 6 HD type but better?

I use a VHT Pitbull and love it extremely, but I should be able to dial in almost anything with the Axe fx right?


----------



## TaylorMacPhail

If you explain what your situation is regarding touring/gigging in a band, home playing, styles of music you play, etc, we can certainly help point you in the right direction, but at the end of the day, it's which ever you prefer (try one out!); to each their own


----------



## Andromalia

Fun111 said:


> ^Button?
> 
> I have a USA Axe-FX, plugged it straight into the mains with the first UK power lead I found, pressed no buttons, changed no settings, works fine and always has.



I assumed there was a switch on the axe 2. ^^


----------



## L1ght

Will any of the Axe-Fx's work on a peavey 6505+ combo amp? And I mean just straight up connect it to the amp through the effects loop and tweak away? Or do I need some other 3rd party interface or connector, etc..


----------



## Rook

^It will work with anything, there are tonnes of connectivity options.

I'd suggest putting the input to your head in the FX loop of the Axe FX, the FX send of the head going to FX return of the Axe, and plug your guitar straight into the Axe FX. That way you can have FX before your head and in the FX loop of your amp.

You can even use some presets that bypass your amp's preamp altogether for cleans for example.


----------



## L1ght

Exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks alot dude.


----------



## eurolove

hai gais, got my axe fx, loving it so far, found a good tone with zero effort. i have a few questions though:
Its making a whirring sound while running, nothing extreme, wouldn't say its louder than a desktop pc, is this normal?

If i want to use it with stereo headphones, what output settings are reccomendable and what output jack is best suited to headphones?

Any help is greatly appreciated, thank you in advance.


----------



## emperor_black

yeah its got a lot of fan noise. very common. 

For headphones, its best to use an external audio interface. Search for axe fx and audio interface and you'll come up with tons of threads.


----------



## Larrikin666

http://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/firmware+presets/axe-fx-2/3.0/axefx2_3p00.zip


----------



## NickB11

New firmware is awesome...this is identical to the feel of tubes amps I have owned in the passed. Absolutely incredible! When I first got the Axe II I was very impressed, but it still didn't have that "tube" feel. After firmware 2.00 it was there, and now with 3.00 its spot on.


----------



## eurolove

nother noob question, will and old usb midi cable do for using axe edit?
thanks.


----------



## Larrikin666

eurolove said:


> nother noob question, will and old usb midi cable do for using axe edit?
> thanks.



It will only work for updating firmware....not editing patches.


----------



## emperor_black

NickBen said:


> New firmware is awesome...this is identical to the feel of tubes amps I have owned in the passed. Absolutely incredible! When I first got the Axe II I was very impressed, but it still didn't have that "tube" feel. After firmware 2.00 it was there, and now with 3.00 its spot on.



...and have we heard this one before?  

With every firmware update for the AXE, people would say "its much better" and now for the axe II which was supposed to be an improved feel right out of the box, you're saying it wasn't and after 3 updates, NOW you think its spot on? Not dissing you, Bro, but its just an indication people love change and will convince themselves that something's better.


----------



## Andromalia

Larrikin666 said:


> It will only work for updating firmware....not editing patches.



USB isn't enough with the axe fx 2 ?  You still need MIDI to the computer ?


----------



## Sepultorture

Andromalia said:


> USB isn't enough with the axe fx 2 ?  You still need MIDI to the computer ?



i think he was talking about the standard/ultra


----------



## eurolove

Sepultorture said:


> i think he was talking about the standard/ultra



i was indeed. argh i hate to be a pain but, i have tried searching for the answer to this question but all searches are swamped with axe fx II stuff. So, what stuff/cable do i need to use my axe fx 1 with axe edit?


----------



## emperor_black

eurolove said:


> i was indeed. argh i hate to be a pain but, i have tried searching for the answer to this question but all searches are swamped with axe fx II stuff. So, what stuff/cable do i need to use my axe fx 1 with axe edit?



Audio midi interface. This is what I use: M-Audio Fast track Pro. 

You'll then need 2 MIDI cables - Audio interface out to AXE's IN and one from IN to AXE's OUT. 

Also, 1 regular USB cable to connect audio interface to computer for recording. The MIDI's don't transmit audio, only signals for communication between axe-edit running on computer to AXE. 

Don't get the cheap ones available on eBay or the M-audio UNO. 90% of the folks dont have success using them.


----------



## eurolove

emperor_black said:


> Audio midi interface. This is what I use: M-Audio Fast track Pro.
> 
> You'll then need 2 MIDI cables - Audio interface out to AXE's IN and one from IN to AXE's OUT.
> 
> Also, 1 regular USB cable to connect audio interface to computer for recording. The MIDI's don't transmit audio, only signals for communication between axe-edit running on computer to AXE.
> 
> Don't get the cheap ones available on eBay or the M-audio UNO. 90% of the folks dont have success using them.



thank you! man im so confused, so there is no simple cable way to connect axe fx 1 to axe edit? it seems so weird that you have to buy and audio interface not even made by fractal to connect to axe edit.


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## Phrygian

you can find a cable that is usb -> midi 1 & 2, i have that and it works decent enough with my ultra.


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## eurolove

Phrygian said:


> you can find a cable that is usb -> midi 1 & 2, i have that and it works decent enough with my ultra.



apparently



> It will only work for updating firmware....not editing patches.



i want to use axe edit.


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## Phrygian

im no expert but my cable sure works with axe-edit, i'm editing a patch with this cable as we speak


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## NickB11

emperor_black said:


> ...and have we heard this one before?
> 
> With every firmware update for the AXE, people would say "its much better" and now for the axe II which was supposed to be an improved feel right out of the box, you're saying it wasn't and after 3 updates, NOW you think its spot on? Not dissing you, Bro, but its just an indication people love change and will convince themselves that something's better.



Well considering I never owned the Ultra or Standard, I can not compare it to having an improved feel out of the box. I was comparing this to my Mesa Roadster, which I have sold since getting the II. I am no fanboy of the Axe II, I bought it without ever hearing one and was definitely impressed. However, these last two updates have blown me away, and I don't think you can knock a company who continually improves their product. Sounds incredible and like I said I sold my Roadster, so it must be doing something right


----------



## NickB11

emperor_black said:


> ...and have we heard this one before?
> 
> With every firmware update for the AXE, people would say "its much better" and now for the axe II which was supposed to be an improved feel right out of the box, you're saying it wasn't and after 3 updates, NOW you think its spot on? Not dissing you, Bro, but its just an indication people love change and will convince themselves that something's better.



Well considering I never owned the Ultra or Standard, I can not compare it to having an improved feel out of the box. I was comparing this to my Mesa Roadster, which I have sold since getting the II. I am no fanboy of the Axe II, I bought it without ever hearing one and was definitely impressed. However, these last two updates have blown me away, and I don't think you can knock a company who continually improves their product. Sounds incredible and like I said I sold my Roadster, so it must be doing something right


----------



## emperor_black

Trust me, I am not knocking down the company at all. I sold my beloved Mark IV and am too lazy to sell the Uberschall yet.  I've sold all my pedals and cabs as well. Since you're new to this, you probably are confused by my post but if you've been through firmware updates like i've been for the past 2 yrs or so, you'll see what I'm talking about. But hey, the Ultra is the amp/pedals GAS killer and I've got no complaints. Enjoy your AXE II.


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## TaylorMacPhail

eurolove said:


> thank you! man im so confused, so there is no simple cable way to connect axe fx 1 to axe edit? it seems so weird that you have to buy and audio interface not even made by fractal to connect to axe edit.



Two reasons really mate 1) You need some sort of soundcard, the Axe Fx doesn't act as one (but the Axe II does) and 2) computers don't have MIDI inputs so you need an adapter to convert it from MIDI to USB, hope that was helpful!


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## mikemueller2112

Woot, finally got to order one today, hopefully here next week. I will be running through my MKIV to use it's power amp section. Is the best way to do this using the 4CM? I think I may purchase a rack power amp for portability reasons, since I don't really plan on using the MKIV's preamp the majority of the time.


----------



## the red rocket

I just got an Ultra today, i'm so psyched 

i'm having some trouble making it sound good though, no matter what i do the distorted tones sound thin and glassy

anyone else had any problems like this? any tips for a new axe owner?


----------



## Rook

^got a cab sim switched on?

What's your signal chain (where's the axe and what's it plugged into) and what blocks are you using on the Axe itself?


----------



## the red rocket

^right now i'm just running the axe into the clean channel of my amp

i've tried mixing and matching a FAS Modern and Rectifier simulator, with the metal 4x12 and recto 4x12, i've also tried adding a T808 in front of them, and par eq behind, can't seem to get it sounding very good though...which is frustrating because i know what the axe fx can sound like when set up properly


----------



## Sepultorture

the red rocket said:


> ^right now i'm just running the axe into the clean channel of my amp



wait yer running the axe fx into the FRONT of your amp?

i'm assuming that by the line you have there, it should be run through the poweramp of your amp, you don't want any preamp unless yer looking at using just eh efx


----------



## Rook

Yeah you want to be running into your amp's FX return and use output 1 as your volume control. You're probably clipping the hell out of your amp's preamp section.


----------



## mikemueller2112

So I've been thinking to get a power amp to use my Axe-FX in live situations. I've been looking at the VHT/Fryette 2/90/2 or 2/50/2 and the Atomic 50 50. I obviously want a pretty transparent power amp, otherwise I'd just run it through the FX loop in my Mark IV. There's a big price difference between the VHT/Fryette and Atomic, has anyone had experience using both of these, and what were your opinions?


----------



## Rook

The Atomic and 90 Watt VHT are the most transparent. The ENGL E840/50 similarly so and cheaper I think.

You can almost go for whatever you like the look of, they're all great quality and all combine transparency will tube compression very nicely.


----------



## mikemueller2112

Fun111 said:


> The Atomic and 90 Watt VHT are the most transparent. The ENGL E840/50 similarly so and cheaper I think.
> 
> You can almost go for whatever you like the look of, they're all great quality and all combine transparency will tube compression very nicely.



Nice, I may look into the ENGL, never considered that before. I'd love to snag a VHT/Fryette, but they cost a pretty penny. Thanks man.


----------



## Default_M

I have an All Access and an Axe Fx II and I've connected both using a Rocktron 7-pin midi cable.
I went through the All Access manual and set up the all access so that buttons 1-5 are for changing presets and the rest of the buttons are for switching effects on and off within the presets, but that's as far as I can get.
Buttons 1-5 do change between presets 000-004 on the Axe, but when the All Access is connected the only sound coming out of the Axe is a very dull and low volume clean signal, so if I press button 1 preset 000 is called up like I want, but there is no sound from it.

Does anyone know what the problem might be? I have already performed a factory reset on the All Access but can do so again if need be to start over again.


----------



## GTailly

Hey guys just a lil' question,

Just bought a Presonus audiobox USB with some MIDI cables to use with my ultra but after installing everything the axe-edit just does not seem to get the connection.

Is it possible that midi cables are no good for this type of use? I am asking this because the midi In led on the ultra just won't stay open when midi is plugged in from the back of the processor to my audiobox. It kind of lights up at irregular times but never stays lighten...

I just don't get it. The axe-edit sees the presonus unit but when I click test the connection it just says it is not connected...

Please help.


----------



## omninaught73

probably the 750 billionth time this was asked. but just between the fryette 2/50/2 and the fryette 2/90/2. which should i get to push the axe fx 2 through my orange cab. i know folks are switchin to powered monitors and running to front of house. but i just love havin mah cab . the 2/50 ive heard has better voicing and coloration where as the 2/90 has wattage. i do like el34s...but will i be lacking in volume if i go 2/50. i mean tosin used it. nolly and petey g. bulb and others....but i ams just deh curious


----------



## Rook

Inhaler - I'd check you have all your drivers installed and that your computer is recognising the box as a MIDI interface. Your Axe is clearly communicating with the interface but for some reason your computer isn't. Also make sure in your I/O menu, MIDI is set to Omni, but this shouldn't make any difference...

What OS are you on? Mac or PC?

omninaught73 - the 50 is more coloured in sound, you hear the tubes more, and you get breakup at sensible-ish volumes, closest to your average 100W tube head really. Make sure your Orange cab has two inputs and can be run stereo when making these comparisons.

The 90 has much much higher headroom and is more hi-fi. You'll hear the tubes less and you'll have to go quite a bit louder to get tube distortion.


You don't gain any volume between the two, they're both plenty loud enough, BUT it'll cost a LOT more to retube the 90, but it is a lot more hi-fi (more linear, like a digital amp), you'd go for the 50 if you wanted to have some of that spongier, richer, tube feel.


----------



## GTailly

Fun111 said:


> Inhaler - I'd check you have all your drivers installed and that your computer is recognising the box as a MIDI interface. Your Axe is clearly communicating with the interface but for some reason your computer isn't. Also make sure in your I/O menu, MIDI is set to Omni, but this shouldn't make any difference.




I finally found what the problem was.
Turned out my ultra was using a much older firmware version and I did not know about the SySex ID that needed to be changed to 125 in that case.

Now everything works perfectly! 

Thanks for your answer anyways much appreciated!


----------



## DraggAmps

I play in a gigging band with my father that plays pretty much any kind of 60's-80's and even 90's rock hits. I need great cleans but also need great low and mid gain tones as well as high gain solo and rhythm tones for Van Halen covers and such. Alternately, my own music is very low tuned and/or 7 string djenty stuff as well as more prog styled stuff and even ambient clean stuff that's heavily delay based, etc. I haven't found any single amp that covers all of these tones (minus the effects since most amps don't have good onboard effects), although the Fryette Sig X and Mark V and several others do a decent job, but only a great job at one or two styles (actually the Sig:X is damn near perfect if I was playing loud all the time). 

Aside from the gigging rock band, I play a lot at home and like to keep the volume reasonable. Plus, I like to play at night and record a lot and haven't been able to get a great sound by mixing a cab, especially at low volumes. The best setup I've achieved is with a Fryette Memphis 30 and about $3000 worth of pedals. This is the only way I've been able to get a super versatile sound, but it still sounds much better with a lot of volume and it still aint very easy to record consistently, cleanly, and tonefully. I realized that I could pretty much sell my amp and pedals and have more than enough for a complete Axe setup. 

SO... I just bought an Axe Ultra (not here yet). Based on needing all of these different types of sounds and effects and wanting to be able to gig, rehearse, and practice at low volumes as well as get killer recorded tones, I think it was probably the best choice I could have made. What do you guys think? Even if there's a setup that can sound as good or better for any style, nothing else is really going to sound as good at low volumes and for direct recording, right? 

And my main reason for posting is because I still haven't decided how I want to power it. If I go the tube power amp route with one of my cabs (probably a Fryette power amp), will I still get a great very low volume home practicing tone? I do want to maintain the tubey amp in the room type feel and sound, which is why tube power appeals to me, but I'm wondering if solid state power amp plus a cab or even an FRFR setup like the Atomic option is better. Knowing the styles I play and my uses for the setup, what would you guys recommend for power? Keep in mind I do want a self sufficient rig. I want to me able to use a cab at gigs as opposed to direct into a P.A.

Thanks for the help.


----------



## Rook

I'd say go for a power amp and a wedge or something.

There aren't really any advantages or disadvantages for either of the two setups you mention. If you already have a power amp and cab then you can plug into that, you know that whenever you go to a gig there'll almost definitely be a cab there and you'll have the familiar feeling of all that air blowing at the back of your legs.

The main advantage of FRFR in my opinion isn't just the expanded use of the cab and power amp modelling, but more the fact that using my single (600W RMS) Mackie HD1221 I always have a very good, reliable monitor wherever I go, its very light and portable and is amp and speaker in one and it loud enough that if I had to, I could sit my Axe atop it and use it like an amp and cab with a mic in front.

Seriously portability, convenience, consistency (apart from a little more depth in the low end as you increase volume, the HD1221 is almost completely linear, it also has a ridiculously wide dispersion angle so it sound the same wherever you stand), reliability (no tubes to fail/change) and no temperamental components - tube amps for example will react and feel different between different mains voltages. USA, your mains voltage could be anywhere from 105-125V, a massive near 20% band that will have a huge impact on the overall responsiveness of the amp.

This is why I made the decision I did and have just sold thousands of £ worth of tube amps for the Axe FX.

If you want a bit of both of the traits I just outlined, consider an Atomic powered wedge, its 50W valve power and you can use the wedge as a passive cab with a different power amp if the mood strikes. It's basically a 212 but you can use it as a monitor or whatever really.

Unfortunately we can't tell you what's right for you, but you'll know fairly early on how you feel about it. If you're gonna run it into a power amp and cab when you get it, make sure you press 'global' and turn of cab sims, consider turning of power amp sims too if you're gonna be turning up the volume a bit.


----------



## Tom MAF

I just bought a Marshall 50/50 power amp to go with my axe-fx and I was just wondering anybody has any experience with one of these and knows how to get the best tone out of one? I've got my first practice with it on monday and my first gig friday. Also it's going into an Orange 4x12.

Cheers guys!


----------



## walleye

just put one amp block in the axe fx and nothing else. choose an amp type. without changing much play around a bit, then in advanced settings of the amp block turn the Sag knob down to zero ( at zero it will say P.A. off) meaning power amp simulation off, play around a bit more and decide whether you like it more with sag at 0 or with sag above 0. that's probably half the battle


----------



## Tom MAF

Ok man, I'd probably turn the power amp section off globally.
Surely you don't want or need effectively two power amp sections?


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## walleye

i wouldnt rule it out, thats why i think you should do it manually with the Sag, sometimes it can sound really good


----------



## DraggAmps

Fun111 said:


> I'd say go for a power amp and a wedge or something.
> 
> There aren't really any advantages or disadvantages for either of the two setups you mention. If you already have a power amp and cab then you can plug into that, you know that whenever you go to a gig there'll almost definitely be a cab there and you'll have the familiar feeling of all that air blowing at the back of your legs.
> 
> The main advantage of FRFR in my opinion isn't just the expanded use of the cab and power amp modelling, but more the fact that using my single (600W RMS) Mackie HD1221 I always have a very good, reliable monitor wherever I go, its very light and portable and is amp and speaker in one and it loud enough that if I had to, I could sit my Axe atop it and use it like an amp and cab with a mic in front.
> 
> Seriously portability, convenience, consistency (apart from a little more depth in the low end as you increase volume, the HD1221 is almost completely linear, it also has a ridiculously wide dispersion angle so it sound the same wherever you stand), reliability (no tubes to fail/change) and no temperamental components - tube amps for example will react and feel different between different mains voltages. USA, your mains voltage could be anywhere from 105-125V, a massive near 20% band that will have a huge impact on the overall responsiveness of the amp.
> 
> This is why I made the decision I did and have just sold thousands of £ worth of tube amps for the Axe FX.
> 
> If you want a bit of both of the traits I just outlined, consider an Atomic powered wedge, its 50W valve power and you can use the wedge as a passive cab with a different power amp if the mood strikes. It's basically a 212 but you can use it as a monitor or whatever really.
> 
> Unfortunately we can't tell you what's right for you, but you'll know fairly early on how you feel about it. If you're gonna run it into a power amp and cab when you get it, make sure you press 'global' and turn of cab sims, consider turning of power amp sims too if you're gonna be turning up the volume a bit.



Thanks a lot for the detailed response! I've heard that FRFR setups like that sound more like an recorded amp tone, which I might, won't know until I try and find out if that's even true, but I'm just a little worried that playing with another guitarist who's using a tube amp, it might sound a little weird or just won't mesh well. I also kind of feel like a tube power amp and standard guitar cab will give me more of the sound and feel I'm used to, although it will probably limit the versatility of the Axe to some extent. I've always used tube amps and I even build tube amps. I'm also into analog boutique pedals so I'm probably somewhat of a "purist" and it's kind of a big step for me to even buy an Axe. So going all solid state is kind difficult to think about for me, but I know some people get the best results that way and I'm trying to keep an open mind. 

However, I realized one thing that kind of makes the decision easier. While I might like the Mackie or Atomic or other FRFR setup, I think I definitely will have to go with a Axe + separate power amp setup because I play at a rehearsal studio and some gigs where I have a cab already there and I keep things easy by throwing my amp on the cab and only lugging a cab with me on occasion. Whether I go with a light, space saving solid state power amp or a tube power amp is kind of what I need to decide. Maybe I'll change my mind later but I do like the option to just bring an amp and use a cab that's already there. I'm guessing solid state will give me a less colored tone and will probably sound better at bedroom volumes, but a tube power amp might sound better to me for rehearsal and gigging and might have a sound a feel that blends better with the other guitarist who uses a tube amp. 

It seems like the popular solid state power amp choices are the ART and the Matrix. The Matrix costs about as much as a used Fryette/VHT power amp. Is there actually a big tonal difference in solid state power amps that make the Matrix worth much more than the ART, for instance, or is the only reason the Matrix is so expensive because it's extremely light and high quality?


----------



## ExousRulez

I'm either getting an axe fx or a gsp1101 for christmas, I would like to know if you guys think i'd be happier with just playing them/it through the effects loop of my combo or should I get something like a rocktron velocity 300 and then a cab?


----------



## mikemueller2112

ExousRulez said:


> I'm either getting an axe fx or a gsp1101 for christmas, I would like to know if you guys think i'd be happier with just playing them/it through the effects loop of my combo or should I get something like a rocktron velocity 300 and then a cab?



What is your combo?


----------



## ExousRulez

mikemueller2112 said:


> What is your combo?


 Blackstar stage 60, I believe it uses el34 and the ISF switch that shifts from american to british. I'm pretty interested about this too, like if its not just effecting the preamp but the poweramp too.


----------



## mikemueller2112

ExousRulez said:


> Blackstar stage 60, I believe it uses el34 and the ISF switch that shifts from american to british. I'm pretty interested about this too, like if its not just effecting the preamp but the poweramp too.



Well, putting the Axe-FX through the FX loop in your amp is going to bypass the preamp. The poweramp will colour the tone of the axe-fx, to what extent, I'm not sure as I've never played with any Blackstars. You will also be limited to the speaker configuration of the combo, and whether it is open or closed back. Not to mention it's not overly portable. 

Getting yourself a power amp and a cabinet can lead you to some more possibilities with the Axe-FX. Getting a power amp (tube or SS) that is a little more neutral (not going to stamp it's tonal footprint over the Axe-FX) will allow you to use more of the poweramp sims in the Axe-FX. If I were you, I would play around with the Axe-FX in the Blackstar and see how much you like it, and then branch off from there.


----------



## jjcor

I currently use one qsc k12 with my axe fx but its not cutting through the mix like I want it to. So I'm thinking about buying another or selling it and buying one mackie hd 1531 or even a qsc k153. Any opinions on this? I'm looking for LOUD!!! haha


----------



## hassmo

I'm a noob trying to make some patches in the axe editor, and everything is working fine EXCEPT there's no sound, no input or output.

YET the tuner and tempo has synced with the axe fx. 

I think I've set it up properly though.

Could need some good piece of advice and maybe pics, cause this shit is getting on my nerves


----------



## Rook

This should be in the AFX Q&A at the top.

Either way.

How are you connected? What are the input (1, left) and output (1, left) of the Axe connected to?


----------



## Rook

ExousRulez said:


> Blackstar stage 60, I believe it uses el34 and the ISF switch that shifts from american to british. I'm pretty interested about this too, like if its not just effecting the preamp but the poweramp too.



ISF has no effect on poweramp, it's just an active parametric, single band EQ at the end of the preamp.


----------



## Rook

A 15 won't cut better than a 12 necessarily, it's pretty much everything else that matters.

If it's not cutting, I'd suggest playing with your EQ settings a bit. My HD1221 cuts just fine and is a similar spec to your QSC.

It is just a monitor don't forget, I wouldn't expect a single speaker of any size to hold up too well against a full band setup with 'normal' amps and a drum kit and the like. Maybe consider buying a second of the same? That'll double your volume straight off the bat, could be all you need.

Definitely play with your EQ though, and less gain helps. I use boost modes on the amps and the gain doesn't go past 2-2.5 and I found this goes a long way for a bit of extra clarity in the mix.

Also cutting out high end so you can boost the volume (without killing your ears) more will help. My setup is deafening with the volume anywhere past about 9 oclock on the Axe.


----------



## hassmo

They are not connected to anything, I've just connected midi in and out to an M-audio midiman and to the computer. According to fractal's manual that is all you need


----------



## jjcor

Well actually its not the cutting part Im worried about. Its really the volume issue. Its just not loud enough. The acoustics in our jam room are horrible so we have to crank to hear our stuff. I just dont wanna blow this speaker by pushing it by itself. Ive just always heard the mackie cranks like a 412 cab so I thought maybe that would solve my problem.


----------



## Rook

That QSC has a massive amount of power on tap, I'd be amazed if you could even get close to overdoing it.

I'd seriously consider buying a second. The Mackie's are insanely clean and loud, but I think even the 1221 would be enough. I tried the 1221, 1521 and 1531 and the 1221 did it for me with all things considered. The 1531 is quite big and weighs a lot too.


----------



## Rook

Not if you want audio 

Midi doesn't do sound, you still need to connect the audio output to either the audio in of your interface and through your computer for recording and such or into a power amp and speaker or straight to a powered monitor for live sound.

The Axe FX 2 will act as an audio interface, the ultra or standard will not.


----------



## Larrikin666

I generally bring one EV ELX112 and the other guitar brings one QSC K10 to a show. We've never had any issues being heard at practice or at shows. Our drummer has his kicks trigger all the time through our PA too. This really seems like a settings/tone issue rather than power or volume. I'm gonna have to agree with Fun. Less gain for sure. If you want it to sound closer to a traditional amp/cab rig at practice, then try turning off the mic sims in the cab block. That's how I can things when the other guitarist still played through a tube amp and cab. It made us blend better.


----------



## ExousRulez

Fun111 said:


> ISF has no effect on poweramp, it's just an active parametric, single band EQ at the end of the preamp.


 Oh ok thats good to know, I thought it effected the poweramp by switching from an 6l6 type sound (american) to a el34 sound (british)


----------



## Sepultorture

stick with your K12 and get a second, should provide plenty of volume to compete with the rest

if you really want a mackie i would stick with the 1221 too, there is a little more low end character to the 1531 but it won't be noticeable ina band setting


----------



## OrsusMetal

Yeah, definitely tweak your axefx settings. My other guitarist runs that exact same setup and it is crystal clear. CRYSTAL. He also has more volume than would ever be necessary. He runs the K12's volume at around 2. Not 2pm, but 2.


----------



## DraggAmps

Axe Fx arrived today. I'm blown away so far and all I've really done is scrolled through all the presets! I'm using the tube power amp in my Sunn amp while I make up my mind about the power amp. I can get a Mesa for a couple hundred less than a VHT/Fryette. Is it really _that_ colored of a power amp? It's just hard for me to imagine that I'd get a bit of Mesa flavor on all of my settings. But if the Fryette is that much more transparent, then I'll have to go that route. There's also the Matrix solid state PA that isn't too expensive either. I just can't decide. I don't know if I'm ready to go entirely solid state yet but if I can really get the same amp in the room with a regular cab, maybe I will. I don't want my sound to get much more "recorded" sounding, though. I need to mesh well with other guitarists using tube amps. Feel free to comment if anyone has any advice.


----------



## brutalwizard

never thought of this


----------



## Rook

^lol, really? My guitar buddy stopped bringing his kit when I got my Axe, it works nicely.

It'd work better still if I had a second monitor but it sounds fine having both through the one system surprisingly.


----------



## Rook

DraggAmps said:


> Axe Fx arrived today. I'm blown away so far and all I've really done is scrolled through all the presets! I'm using the tube power amp in my Sunn amp while I make up my mind about the power amp. I can get a Mesa for a couple hundred less than a VHT/Fryette. Is it really _that_ colored of a power amp? It's just hard for me to imagine that I'd get a bit of Mesa flavor on all of my settings. But if the Fryette is that much more transparent, then I'll have to go that route. There's also the Matrix solid state PA that isn't too expensive either. I just can't decide. I don't know if I'm ready to go entirely solid state yet but if I can really get the same amp in the room with a regular cab, maybe I will. I don't want my sound to get much more "recorded" sounding, though. I need to mesh well with other guitarists using tube amps. Feel free to comment if anyone has any advice.



The 2:90 is quite coloured PA. It's not exactly gunna add a Mesa feel to everything, this comes from the preamp more than anything. It will be noticeable though.

The Fryette amps are more transparent, as is the ENGL E840/50 and the Atomic 50/50.

I go straight into a powered monitor (feel like I keep saying this, LOL), and having come from a Mesa Roadster, I've never felt like I'm losing feel. It just feels like you're playing a different amp.

Not using extreme settings and making use of the sag and dampening in the power amp options contribute to the this, and not using noise gates excessively helps keep that real amp and cab feel.


----------



## FadexToxBlack81

hey guys, I will be getting an Axe-FX Ultra in the near future and plan to use my carvin V3 head as a power amp. that being said, do you guys know what effects loop would be better to run it through? I have a parallel loop and a series loop. I'm assuming the series loop but I would love to hear everyone's thoughts!


----------



## luca9583

DraggAmps said:


> Axe Fx arrived today. I'm blown away so far and all I've really done is scrolled through all the presets! I'm using the tube power amp in my Sunn amp while I make up my mind about the power amp. I can get a Mesa for a couple hundred less than a VHT/Fryette. Is it really _that_ colored of a power amp? It's just hard for me to imagine that I'd get a bit of Mesa flavor on all of my settings. But if the Fryette is that much more transparent, then I'll have to go that route. There's also the Matrix solid state PA that isn't too expensive either. I just can't decide. I don't know if I'm ready to go entirely solid state yet but if I can really get the same amp in the room with a regular cab, maybe I will. I don't want my sound to get much more "recorded" sounding, though. I need to mesh well with other guitarists using tube amps. Feel free to comment if anyone has any advice.



I have an Axe II which i run with a Marshall EL34 50/50 rack tube amp. It sounds fantastic and the feedback/sustain sounds very musical and organic. I like the colour of the EL34s but any tube power amp with 6L6s would be a good bet.

I just run all my presets with both power amp and cab sims off and it sounds awesome through both my cabs. I edit my sounds at home with the sims on, and then bring it to life with the power amp..absolute godsend!!!!

I also ran the Axe II through the fx return of my Marshall JVM head which also sounded massive, especially with the amp's own presence and resonance controls.

It's a simple concept..digital preamp into tube power amp..sounds killer.

This is more versatile than going direct into the PA because you can actually do both simultaneously (not sure about earlier models but the AXe II has this capability)..go into the power amp _and_ take a direct out to the soundguy for more options.


----------



## luca9583

FadexToxBlack81 said:


> hey guys, I will be getting an Axe-FX Ultra in the near future and plan to use my carvin V3 head as a power amp. that being said, do you guys know what effects loop would be better to run it through? I have a parallel loop and a series loop. I'm assuming the series loop but I would love to hear everyone's thoughts!



Either loop would work well..if you were to use the parallel loop then obviously mix would need to be 100% wet.

I've done both on my Marshall JVM with an Axe II and give or take a little difference in volume depending on the loop..it sounds gigantic


----------



## Bekanor

I bought an axe fx ultra out of the classifieds a couple of weeks ago. It turned up yesterday and the first thing I did was upgrade the firmware to take advantage of the power amp sims.

My question is, how the hell do I do that? 

I'm working in axe edit and there doesn't seem to be any page in the "Amp" section of any given patch to assign one of the power amp sims. Have I gotten my wires crossed in thinking that this functionality was given to the Standard/Ultra in the most recent firmware?


----------



## Andromalia

Bekanor said:


> I bought an axe fx ultra out of the classifieds a couple of weeks ago. It turned up yesterday and the first thing I did was upgrade the firmware to take advantage of the power amp sims.
> 
> My question is, how the hell do I do that?
> 
> I'm working in axe edit and there doesn't seem to be any page in the "Amp" section of any given patch to assign one of the power amp sims. Have I gotten my wires crossed in thinking that this functionality was given to the Standard/Ultra in the most recent firmware?



Power amp sims settings are in the "amp" section, there isn't a separate poweramp block. The power amp sim upgrade upgraded some amp block parameters, that's all. (Ok it was a BIG upgrade)


----------



## Bekanor

Andromalia said:


> Power amp sims settings are in the "amp" section, there isn't a separate poweramp block. The power amp sim upgrade upgraded some amp block parameters, that's all. (Ok it was a BIG upgrade)



I've seen the screenshots of the "power amp" sub-page of the amp section but it's not there in my axe edit. I probably need to reinstall the firmware.


----------



## DMONSTER

Another question regarding going Axe Fx>QSC K12 or K10 

I was just wanting some opinions on how well this setup works in a live situation or in a band rehearsal/practice/jam because i am considering selling my rig and going all axe fx, anyone care to share more knowledge?


----------



## Joelan

I use my Ultra with a K10 in band rehearsals. It is surprisingly more than loud enough to work with a drummer and another guitarist using a 412 half stack. You will need a stand though to get it off the ground.

Live, I just go DI. I've used the K10 as my own floor monitor a few times but usually I just use the venues gear for monitoring. I imagine it would be loud enough for a small gig without FOH though. It also has a very nice spread.

I think it sounds fantastic btw. It's also a very hassle free set up.


----------



## DMONSTER

Joelan said:


> I use my Ultra with a K10 in band rehearsals. It is surprisingly more than loud enough to work with a drummer and another guitarist using a 412 half stack. You will need a stand though to get it off the ground.
> 
> Live, I just go DI. I've used the K10 as my own floor monitor a few times but usually I just use the venues gear for monitoring. I imagine it would be loud enough for a small gig without FOH though. It also has a very nice spread.
> 
> I think it sounds fantastic btw. It's also a very hassle free set up.



Thanks  I think I know what I am saving for now


----------



## oryphic

i'm going to get a 2/90/2 vht soon for live (i like have an amp live) but my questions is if i get the vht, in my studio could i plug my Ultra into the vht into my fast track? i figured it would be way better than the sim on the axe fx.


----------



## Andromalia

Try page 2, but it's not labeled poweramp. You sure you didn't see an AxeFX2 screenshot ?


----------



## Bekanor

Andromalia said:


> Try page 2, but it's not labeled poweramp. You sure you didn't see an AxeFX2 screenshot ?



It probably was an Axe 2 screenshot.

The pages I have are "Basic", "Advanced", and "Amp Geek". None of which provide an option to change the power amp sim.


Also thanks to whoever moved my posts here, forgive my derpiness in not asking these questions here to begin with.


----------



## MetalThrasher

Thinking of picking up a used Axe FX Ultra. Never had or used a processor before. Here's my dumb question. What else do I need to buy in order to use to Axe FX. I have amp heads and a cabinet. Do I need to get a power amp? Can I just buy a PA speaker and run it through the Axe Fx? What do you suggest I get.


----------



## Andromalia

You can send it through the effect return of one of your heads and play with a cab. For you it's the cheapest option: nothing else to buy. I'd try it first and try something else only if it doesn't work out for you. Some solid touring bands use that setup (say, Moonsorrow I saw recently, axe ultra->engl powerball->vader cab)


----------



## Rook

^That's what I did when I got mine.

For a while, I plugged it into the CD in of an old Marshall MG series for quiet practice and it worked perfectly well.

A friend of mine (I say friend...) plugs his into his computer speaker setup (active) for quiet practice and it works perfectly fine. I just got some powered monitors and they sound fecking epic.

There are loads of ways of doing it


----------



## petereanima

For those of you who play live on a regular basis and go direct to FOH:

How do you compensate the levels? I was under the false impression that the XLR-outputs deliver Mic-levels - obviously they dont, its line-level. Do you use DI boxes or do you lower the db in the general mixer view or...?


----------



## Phrygian

I either go direct with line levels if the FOH has line inputs (usually dont) or use DI. Either way all the Axe FX's have seperate output volume knobs so you can easily manage the output yourself as well.


----------



## petereanima

Phrygian said:


> I either go direct with line levels if the FOH has line inputs (usually dont) or use DI. Either way all the Axe FX's have seperate output volume knobs so you can easily manage the output yourself as well.



Yeah, but even with the output knobs at below 9:00 (clockwise), it was clipping the input of the FOH.

Of course, if the FOH has line-level ins, all is good - but usually I am with my band in the "in between" position in a live setting, somewhere between the opener and the headliner, so we usually have already no time for setup, and all cables going to FOH are fixed - the standard situation will be, that I have to unplug the mics from the fixed backline-cabs, and plug them into the Axe...and they wont rearrange that to Line-Ins on the FOH jsut for one band out of 5 (for example)...

I need to get me a good DI then...two actually, I want to go stereo...oh, you money...


----------



## Phrygian

Yeah, DI seems to be the way to go for you. Never a bad idea to bring your own DI either way! inhouse DI's are usually crap. 

I am usually lucky enough to have a sound guy that is very easy to work with and has spare DI's if he doesnt have line in. 


OT: your band sounds good dude!


----------



## petereanima

Thanks man!!


----------



## refried bean

Yo guys. How would one go about hooking up an axefx to a mbox 2?

That's all I got at the moment.

Thanks.


----------



## Sepultorture

refried bean said:


> Yo guys. How would one go about hooking up an axefx to a mbox 2?
> 
> That's all I got at the moment.
> 
> Thanks.



no offence mate, and i really mean that, but go read the manual. this 4 cable method and how to hook this and that up has been covered more times than anyone can remember and it's all in the manual anyhow

go to AXE FX WIKI and you shall find your answers there


----------



## refried bean

None taken, but I don't have a manual. Bought it used...but thanks for the redirect to the wiki anyway.


----------



## walleye

Bekanor said:


> It probably was an Axe 2 screenshot.
> 
> The pages I have are "Basic", "Advanced", and "Amp Geek". None of which provide an option to change the power amp sim.
> 
> 
> Also thanks to whoever moved my posts here, forgive my derpiness in not asking these questions here to begin with.



most of the advanced and amp geek parameters are power amp parameters


----------



## Bekanor

walleye said:


> most of the advanced and amp geek parameters are power amp parameters



Oh ok so I can't mix and match preamp and power amp sims (for example the uberschall preamp into the usa lead power amp), not sure how I got that in my head. Guess I got a bit confused by some of the documentation, mystery solved.


----------



## DMONSTER

Really noobish question, but i was looking in the manual and couldnt find an answer exactly, but if Im running axe -> acrive frfr speaker, what kind of cable do i need and which output do I use? the unbalanced or balanced? XLR or 1/4? Just a bit confused


----------



## walleye

Bekanor said:


> Oh ok so I can't mix and match preamp and power amp sims (for example the uberschall preamp into the usa lead power amp), not sure how I got that in my head. Guess I got a bit confused by some of the documentation, mystery solved.



you can though! just write down all the power amp parameter values for the usa lead and set them the same for the euro uber, that's the same thing


----------



## insaneshawnlane

This is more of a power amp question but I'm using an Axe FX with the power amp so I figure it fits in this thread 


I've always been told that your amp wattage should never exceed you cab wattage. It seems that a lot of people are using 1000 + watt power amps through normal cabs which kind of worries me . 

If I run a Carvin DCM1000L (at 8 ohms 650 watts) through my 240 watt, V30 loaded 4x12, it should be fine.......right?

I assume it'll be ok, seeing that others do it without problems.

Thanks for the help!


----------



## oliviergus

What cables do I need for this chain:

Axe-Fx->Rocktron velocity 300->2x12 cabinet?


----------



## Sepultorture

insaneshawnlane said:


> This is more of a power amp question but I'm using an Axe FX with the power amp so I figure it fits in this thread
> 
> 
> I've always been told that your amp wattage should never exceed you cab wattage. It seems that a lot of people are using 1000 + watt power amps through normal cabs which kind of worries me .
> 
> If I run a Carvin DCM1000L (at 8 ohms 650 watts) through my 240 watt, V30 loaded 4x12, it should be fine.......right?
> 
> I assume it'll be ok, seeing that others do it without problems.
> 
> Thanks for the help!



Isn't the total wattage divided by side A and B?


----------



## Bekanor

walleye said:


> you can though! just write down all the power amp parameter values for the usa lead and set them the same for the euro uber, that's the same thing



I thought of doing that but I probably won't bother getting too experimental until I get a set of monitors or something. Very few models don't sound like ass through my compy speakers.


----------



## insaneshawnlane

Sepultorture said:


> Isn't the total wattage divided by side A and B?



It would be if I were to run it at 4 ohms stereo, but I'm just going to do a mono setup.


----------



## Rap Hat

Bekanor said:


> I thought of doing that but I probably won't bother getting too experimental until I get a set of monitors or something. Very few models don't sound like ass through my compy speakers.



This isn't the same as choosing a different poweramp, but you can choose a different tonestack to go with whatever amp to get different sounds, letting you use the Uber with the USA Lead tonestack or whatever. It can make a huge difference in sound, and allows you to combine qualities of various amps.

It's located on the Amp Geek page, under the Tonestack Type dropdown.


----------



## DraggAmps

insaneshawnlane said:


> It would be if I were to run it at 4 ohms stereo, but I'm just going to do a mono setup.



It's still only half the wattage per side, at least with all power amps that I know of. I guess the Cravin could be different but generally power amps are half the total wattage per side, even if you're just using one side. So you're getting 500 watts in mono. This is why they often say something like "1000 watts bridged". Because you can bridge the two sides by using a Y cable to get the 500 watts from each side and combine them through one cable.


----------



## oryphic

can someone tell me the difference between having the power amp simulator on "no thump" and just "on"? all i can tell is they are in fact different, but can't hear what it is exactly. but the patch i'm working on sounds much better with it just "on" and i need to know why haha.


----------



## Mordecai

So i downloaded a patch i found that someone else made, but when its in the axefx the volume of the patch is really low. was it designed to be that low or am i just being a n00b not knowing how to properly boost the volume? (mind you i only have about less than 2hrs of axefx use ever.) just curious.


----------



## oliviergus

Mordecai said:


> So i downloaded a patch i found that someone else made, but when its in the axefx the volume of the patch is really low. was it designed to be that low or am i just being a n00b not knowing how to properly boost the volume? (mind you i only have about less than 2hrs of axefx use ever.) just curious.



Uhm, the first thing that comes to mind for me is, have you checked the Axe output/input controller? 

Otherwise, just check the amp level/master or if there is anything in the chain that brings the volume down.


----------



## Milo

Tossing up whether I sell my H&K Triamp mk2 for an axe fx? Has anyone ever had extensive time with both?


----------



## Mordecai

oliviergus said:


> Uhm, the first thing that comes to mind for me is, have you checked the Axe output/input controller?
> 
> Otherwise, just check the amp level/master or if there is anything in the chain that brings the volume down.



i will try that tonight, thanks man.


----------



## AEP531

Does anyone here have any idea how to record a direct track while simultaneously recording a dry track with the Axe Fx Ultra? I know I read somewhere that it can be done, but I can't find information on how.


----------



## oryphic

i'm using a m-audio fast track ultra connected to my axe fx via spdif out, which is how i record my tracks. i've been tying to connect to my computer forever but only succesfully did it one time and never again with a m-audio uno(ive heard they're very problematic, so i figured that's why i've never gotten it to work again on my mac OR pc), but i've never been able to get ANYTHING accomplished by trying to get a midi response to my mac through my fast track. havn't tried the fast track on my pc, but i'd like it to work on my mac. my questions are A) has anyone gotten their axe's connected via midi input on a fast track ultra? B) if so, would me using the xlr's on the axe into my FT have anything to do with absolutely no midi response? i've tried connecting without them plugged in and failed, but 99% of the time i'm hooked up xlr so i can see that being a potential problem. THIS IS FRUSTRATOIN AND A HALF. if i had one wish right now, any wish in the whole world, it would be to peek around the back of my rack mount too see usb inputs. 

please help!


----------



## Joeywilson

Hey guys! First off, happy holidays!

I've just got a quick question that I was hoping someone with experience regarding my dilemma could chime in. Now, it seems the standard for live use with and Axe-fx is to run it through a VHT (or Fryette I guess). These have two channels though. What I'm hoping to do -and am most of the way finished- is to build build a compact and easy to use live rig for myself and the other guitarist in my band. What I'm hoping to do is is keep it to one power amp, but I'm worried that this won't be enough power for live and band practice. There isn't enough room in my 12 space rack to safely hold all of these things + another 2/50/2.

Thanks!


----------



## 0 Xero 0

Does anyone know where a list of all the amp sims available for the axefx std and ultra can be found? I've been to the wiki page, but it seems like the list they have their is only for the axefx II.


----------



## oliviergus

0 Xero 0 said:


> Does anyone know where a list of all the amp sims available for the axefx std and ultra can be found? I've been to the wiki page, but it seems like the list they have their is only for the axefx II.



List of amp simulations - Fractal Audio Systems Wiki


----------



## 0 Xero 0

^ So this list is correct for the ultra and std? I was under the impression that this was the list for the axe fx II. If not, then thanks!


----------



## Norstorm

I've got this Mission Engineering SP1-R pedal I'm trying to calibrate with the Axe FX Ultra, and I just can't get it to work..

Strangely enough it responds to the freq on I/O - CTRL, but when I try to calibrate, it's like it's not even there.
I'm using one or two stereo cables.

Anyone else had this prob.?


----------



## Hirschberger

I'm pretty sure it belongs in this thread, but i asked in the AxeFX II thread as well.

Can someone please tell me how long it took for them to receive their AxeFX II upon ordering it? I'm moving out in a little bit and want to make sure I can order it now and have it arrive before I leave.


----------



## JoeyBTL

I just got my Ultra and am trying to hook it up to play through my computer. 
Im using a Midisport anni. 2x2 and have everything hooked up properly (midi in B to Axe midi out, midi out B to Axe mdid in)
Axe Edit recognizes the midisport, all the patches show up on the computer and the tuner works as well. But im not getting any sound or any input activity from my computer when I try and play. Input 1 is getting plenty of response on the Ultra and like I said, I can even tune via Axe edit, but do not get any sound when I try and play.
I don't know if they are related but when I open the settings on my computer it isn't recognizing the midisport as an input and I do not see it as an input option in Logic either.
Help would be appreciated.


----------



## Larrikin666

JoeyBTL said:


> I just got my Ultra and am trying to hook it up to play through my computer.
> Im using a Midisport anni. 2x2 and have everything hooked up properly (midi in B to Axe midi out, midi out B to Axe mdid in)
> Axe Edit recognizes the midisport, all the patches show up on the computer and the tuner works as well. But im not getting any sound or any input activity from my computer when I try and play. Input 1 is getting plenty of response on the Ultra and like I said, I can even tune via Axe edit, but do not get any sound when I try and play.
> I don't know if they are related but when I open the settings on my computer it isn't recognizing the midisport as an input and I do not see it as an input option in Logic either.
> Help would be appreciated.



Sounds isn't transferred through midi...just communication.


----------



## JoeyBTL

Larrikin666 said:


> Sounds isn't transferred through midi...just communication.



I thought that through researching, but I see in this video the person is getting input through axe edit. Would I just have to use some sort of interface the way I did with Amplitube or Guitar rig and then set that up under the Monitors tab as my input?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5y1k_lrppc&feature=fvsr


----------



## Larrikin666

JoeyBTL said:


> I thought that through researching, but I see in this video the person is getting input through axe edit. Would I just have to use some sort of interface the way I did with Amplitube or Guitar rig and then set that up under the Monitors tab as my input?




Pretty much. When I used my Ultra, I would run everything through my Mbox 2 Pro since it also had the ability to do midi and audio in/out.


----------



## ACE IT UP

Just an update on my current rig here!

I went with the ART-SLA 2 and the thing is BEAST!

Everything sounds good, I'm actually running 2 guitars with 1 AXE Standard right now while my Ultra is getting here in the mail. We can run separate chains from the outs of the AXE into the two separate channels on the poweramp and get them going through 2 different cabs, it's amazing what this thing can do!

Now to just figure out how this Behringer MIDI footboard works...


----------



## Rook

Nice! Despite my previous post, I went FRFR and just use a Mackie HD1221 at the moment (at the moment meaning I might buy another but haven't needed to yet).

For Midi I use a Ground Control (not pro).

Midi is universal, you should be able to just plug it in and provided your Axe is set to omni in the channel setting on i/o menu (omni meaning all channels) it'll take signals from your behringer no trouble.


----------



## DMONSTER

I have a question for those of you running the axe into a power amp and cab:

How exactly are your patches set up?

Does it take long to get a good sounding patch? (For high volume levels AND low levels)

And if anyone could comment which is easier to get a better sound from (FRFR vs Power amp and cab) I would greatly appreciate it


----------



## luca9583

DMONSTER said:


> I have a question for those of you running the axe into a power amp and cab:
> 
> How exactly are your patches set up?
> 
> Does it take long to get a good sounding patch? (For high volume levels AND low levels)
> 
> And if anyone could comment which is easier to get a better sound from (FRFR vs Power amp and cab) I would greatly appreciate it



It depends on the power amp. I run an Axe II into an EL34 Marshall Power Amp and this means running all the amp and cab sims off. This setup allows you to get some warm sounding patches form clean to high gain but you need to roll off a lot of presence on the Axe. This means that some amps, like the Plexi models, aren't really usable because they depend on the Axe's modelled power stage for their tone and output, but most of the amps sound good like this.

If you go for a neutral power amp (tube or solid state) then you can use the amp sims and make full use of all the modelling features.

I've never run an FRFR setup but many players seem to like it. If you already have an amp head you can try both by putting the Axe into the fx return of the head, so you can compare setups.


----------



## DMONSTER

luca9583 said:


> It depends on the power amp. I run an Axe II into an EL34 Marshall Power Amp and this means running all the amp and cab sims off. This setup allows you to get some warm sounding patches form clean to high gain but you need to roll off a lot of presence on the Axe. This means that some amps, like the Plexi models, aren't really usable because they depend on the Axe's modelled power stage for their tone and output, but most of the amps sound good like this.
> 
> If you go for a neutral power amp (tube or solid state) then you can use the amp sims and make full use of all the modelling features.
> 
> I've never run an FRFR setup but many players seem to like it. If you already have an amp head you can try both by putting the Axe into the fx return of the head, so you can compare setups.



So, with your experience with going power amp into cab, how does it sound? I mean does going through the different amp types that the axe fx has, do they sound different from each other? (In regards to the high gain amp models mostly) Have you used it in a band situation? How does this kind of setup compare when playing with another guitarist using a tube amp?


----------



## luca9583

DMONSTER said:


> So, with your experience with going power amp into cab, how does it sound? I mean does going through the different amp types that the axe fx has, do they sound different from each other? (In regards to the high gain amp models mostly) Have you used it in a band situation? How does this kind of setup compare when playing with another guitarist using a tube amp?



It sounds great but you need to spend time tweaking and finding your tone, especially after a new firmware update is released.

If the other guitar player is using a tube amp then def get a tube power amp to go with the Axe, maybe something with 6L6 tubes. 

With cab sims off, the amp models sound pretty much like tube preamps when running through a tube power amp....you'll find that the clean models all sound quite similar, same with crunch and high gain models, because the power stage is not being modelled, but you have subtle differences in eq.

The high gain models sound great either way, particularly tight with the onboard noise gates, but you need different eq settings for each setup, so i would make different patches for power amp and FRFR setups.

With all the sims on for an FRFR setup, the amp blocks all have their own distinct sound and you have control over every single component of each amp.

In a nutshell, if you're running the Axe as a preamp only into a tube amp that has it's own character like an EL34 Marshall, it feels like you're running a "Fractal tube preamp" that happens to have a huge range of tones. With a neutral power amp, you have more versatility.

If you run FRFR with sims on, it sounds like a massive collection of amps.


----------



## Andromalia

Dialing tones is much easier since 11.0 on the first gen units. Can't speak for the 2 until a few weeks.


----------



## DMONSTER

luca9583 said:


> It sounds great but you need to spend time tweaking and finding your tone, especially after a new firmware update is released.
> 
> If the other guitar player is using a tube amp then def get a tube power amp to go with the Axe, maybe something with 6L6 tubes.
> 
> With cab sims off, the amp models sound pretty much like tube preamps when running through a tube power amp....you'll find that the clean models all sound quite similar, same with crunch and high gain models, because the power stage is not being modelled, but you have subtle differences in eq.
> 
> The high gain models sound great either way, particularly tight with the onboard noise gates, but you need different eq settings for each setup, so i would make different patches for power amp and FRFR setups.
> 
> With all the sims on for an FRFR setup, the amp blocks all have their own distinct sound and you have control over every single component of each amp.
> 
> In a nutshell, if you're running the Axe as a preamp only into a tube amp that has it's own character like an EL34 Marshall, it feels like you're running a "Fractal tube preamp" that happens to have a huge range of tones. With a neutral power amp, you have more versatility.
> 
> If you run FRFR with sims on, it sounds like a massive collection of amps.



So based on this, a solid state power amp would give me somewhat more versatility and more tone characteristics because it is colored less than that of a tube power amp?


----------



## luca9583

DMONSTER said:


> So based on this, a solid state power amp would give me somewhat more versatility and more tone characteristics because it is colored less than that of a tube power amp?



Yes but i would get a neutral sounding tube power amp, not solid state.


----------



## DMONSTER

Another question, how difficult would it be to get a good Gojira worthy tone with say a rocktron 300 or a matrix power amp through a mesa rectifier 2x12? Does it take long to make good sounding high gain patches with a setup like this?

Edit: Actually any input on people's processes of setting up a patch for power amp and cab rigs would be VERY appreciated


----------



## jjcor

> Another question, how difficult would it be to get a good Gojira worthy tone with say a rocktron 300 or a matrix power amp through a mesa rectifier 2x12? Does it take long to make good sounding high gain patches with a setup like this?


Not at all. I actually leave my poweramp and cab sims ON. All you would need to do is brighten up the tone just a little. 



> So based on this, a solid state power amp would give me somewhat more versatility and more tone characteristics because it is colored less than that of a tube power amp?


If you go with a solid state go with the matrix gt 800. Doesnt color your tone much at all and gets SUPER fucking loud!!! Im running a matrix with the axe fx standard(soon to be the 2 in 2 more days!!!) with a custom 2 12 pine wood cab with 2 EVM 12l's and it gets ear bleeding loud! Thats just my opinion though.


----------



## jjcor

> Another question, how difficult would it be to get a good Gojira worthy tone with say a rocktron 300 or a matrix power amp through a mesa rectifier 2x12? Does it take long to make good sounding high gain patches with a setup like this?


Not at all. I leave the poweramp and cab sims ON and just brighten the tone a little.


> So based on this, a solid state power amp would give me somewhat more versatility and more tone characteristics because it is colored less than that of a tube power amp?


And if you go solidstate get a matrix. I have one running through the axe 2 and a custom 212 cab with evm 12l's and it fucking CRANKS!!! Doesnt color your tone much at all.

EDIT: sorry for posting the same thing twice. I thought the first one didnt post cause the internet crashed on me. lol


----------



## Larrikin666

DMONSTER said:


> Another question, how difficult would it be to get a good Gojira worthy tone with say a rocktron 300 or a matrix power amp through a mesa rectifier 2x12? Does it take long to make good sounding high gain patches with a setup like this?



I just blend the 5150 and Dual Rec sims to get good Gojira tones. Stay pretty light on the gain.


----------



## Hirschberger

I'm sure this question has been asked a million times, but I cannot for the life of me get my Axe-FX 2 to connect to my Macbook Pro via USB. I downloaded the driver and all of that good stuff, but Axe-Edit isn't recognizing my AxeFX II. When I go to Settings > Midi Settings > Midi I/O, there is no option for AxeFX 2, but only <<<none>>>. What the hell do I do to fix this?


----------



## JoeyBTL

What are people in here using as far as FRFR monitors? I'd like to get a Mackie HD1221 but one of my main questions is how loud they can be on their own for something like band practice. I assume one of them would be good for on stage monitoring but I'm wondering if I will have to crank it louder than intended in a smaller room with my band since I'd be using it instead an amp/cab. 

Also, is there much of a downside to only having one instead of two for stereo?

Another question to go with this, if I just have one HD1221, and then going to FOH (or just going direct without a monitor), do people usually have the I/O Output 1 mode to stereo, sum, or copy?


----------



## Andromalia

Axe fx 2 in the post from G66 tomorrow


----------



## Rook

JoeyBTL said:


> What are people in here using as far as FRFR monitors? I'd like to get a Mackie HD1221 but one of my main questions is how loud they can be on their own for something like band practice. I assume one of them would be good for on stage monitoring but I'm wondering if I will have to crank it louder than intended in a smaller room with my band since I'd be using it instead an amp/cab.
> 
> Also, is there much of a downside to only having one instead of two for stereo?
> 
> Another question to go with this, if I just have one HD1221, and then going to FOH (or just going direct without a monitor), do people usually have the I/O Output 1 mode to stereo, sum, or copy?



I have a single 1221.
-it is loud enough to play with a drummer but the tweeter doesn't have particularly wide dispersal so it might sound a little grumbly unless you're getting it straight in the face. Volume absolutely isn't an issue. I've played for a while with a drummer and a guitarist with an engl and 412 and had no trouble. I am considering a second and I'll explain that in a sec.
-The advantages of having two are that you can point them in different directions and get a wider dispersal for a bit more consistency around the room. You can stack one on the other so it'll act more like a guitar amp and 'travel' like you'd expect it to. You also don't have to drive either one as hard to get the same volume and you get a bit more volume to play with. 600W FRFR is no joke though... 
-For stereo, obviously you have to have two. If you don't want stereo as volume isn't a problem then you don't need two. 
-FOH, I use Output 2 set to stereo, output 1 goes to the HD1221 (balanced XLR only on the HD1221) which at the moment is just set to left only because I only have 1. You then have to select 'copy output 1 to 2' in the IO menu.

There are tonnes of ways of doing it, and it'll change from venue to venue depending on what feeds I can get from FOH an how decent their monitors are. Try everything, see what works best.


----------



## Hene

I just got my Axe fx and I don´t know can I use the edit software with axe fx plugged into computer with this: MIDITECH MIDILINK MINI - Thomann Verkkokauppa


----------



## oliviergus

Midi out to midi send on the axe fx, midi send to midi out on the axe fx.
Then just go with the flow I guess.


----------



## Rook

Andromalia said:


> Axe fx 2 in the post from G66 tomorrow



When did you get on the list?


----------



## Larrikin666

+1 on the HD1221s. Tonight will be my first gig using the pair instead of my EV ELXPs. They're insanely loud. I used to keep my EVs at 3'clock to keep up with the drummer. Wednesday at practice, I only needed a single Mackie at 11 o'clock, and I was still very loud. They sound awesome.


----------



## jam3v

Hey, Fun111... Jamming, at home, with the HD1221.. How close to jamming with a real amp does that sound? People complain about not having that "amp in the room" sound with the AXE FX, but I generally chalk that up to not pushing enough air. The HD1221 seems more than capable of pushing air, though.


----------



## Rook

^I think this has a lot to do with the crossover, because obviously the high and low ed are coming through different speakers. A lot of people also use completely OTT settings with boosts, gates and EQ which I think has a massive impact on feeling like an amp. I tried a couple of monitors out that felt like I was playing a recording but I didn't get this from the HD1221. Weirdly, I get my best 'home alone' sounds using my HR624's, they just sous fantastic.

Anyway. Using non ridiculous settings that actually sound like real amps feel exactly the same as plugging into that amp. There's an enhancer on there too that has a bizarre impact on stereo settings that really makes particularly clean sounds pop.
The other thing is positioning delays and reverbs properly. As standard, the presets come with delay and reverb after the cab, but having them pre cab feels much more familiar.

I've never understood the 'doesn't sound like an amp' thing, nor people saying they sound too digital. My setup sounds and feels just like any ordinary guitar amp, and as you say the 1221 can certainly push some serious air. It's not discreet at all. My friend's powerball and 412 was having trouble being heard in the mix against me and my two little boxes


----------



## Andromalia

Fun111 said:


> When did you get on the list?



According to my emails, the 10th of May.


----------



## Sepultorture

Andromalia said:


> According to my emails, the 10th of May.



holy effing crap


----------



## Rook

^That!

They told me 4 months in October, I just lost hope.


----------



## walleye

jam3v said:


> Hey, Fun111... Jamming, at home, with the HD1221.. How close to jamming with a real amp does that sound? People complain about not having that "amp in the room" sound with the AXE FX, but I generally chalk that up to not pushing enough air. The HD1221 seems more than capable of pushing air, though.



i have moments of not having the "ampinroomfeel bs" with my axe ultra. i think the remedy is re choosing the IRs used; a combination of far field (1 metre even) and close mic'd IRs change the feel. when you use a real cab, your ear isnt 0.5" away, its a few metres


----------



## ACE IT UP

Alright guys, brace yourselves...

My band (selfless plug insert here) A Distant Calm, just got done playing our first live gig with the Axe Fx. We are a 5-piece progressive metal band so the instruments being described here will be stage right guitar, stage left guitar, bass, and stage right vocals. We're running 2 sources through each Axe Fx (Yes, this can be done, and the Ultra does it well! Here is a link to the topic I made on the fractal audio forums on how to do this if anyone's interested!) Now let me explain how we're setting things up...

Our stage left Axe is running guitar through Input 1 / UNBALANCED Output 1 and Bass through Input 2 / UNBALANCED Output 2. (left input/output)

Our stage right Axe is running guitar through Input 1 / UNBALANCED Output 1 and Vocals through Input 2 / UNBALANCED Output2. (left input/output)

The UNBALANCED outputs are what we're sending to the front of house mixing board.

Here is a diagram of the back of the Axe so you can see what I'm describing.



Now the live show went off without a hitch... sorta. The sound guy had asked if we had our own DI Boxes to run all this and we said no (I didn't think we needed them). Fortunately he had everything he needed to make the live show still work. 

I've been learning the difference between balanced / unbalanced, mic level and line level signals, but I still am not exactly sure how to efficiently run my outputs directly to the board for a live show. My questions are... 
Is it best to just have 4 DI Boxes ready, that way every signal coming out of the Axe is the same and ready to go for any live situation? And is there some sort of reasonably priced rack mount DI rig that may simplify things?... Or can I use a set of the Balanced XLR outputs on the back of each Axe and only I have to get 2 DI Boxes instead of 4?

I just want to make things as simple as possible for the sound guy... Information on this particular setup is scarce so I'm looking to you, gear wizards, for some guidance and counseling!! 

Please lend some insight if you have any! Thanks!!


----------



## Baelzebeard

Typically the audio lines from the stage that go to the mixing console go to the mic inputs, and that means it wants to see a certain level, impedance and a balanced signal. The DI corrects your unbalanced, instrument level outputs to an appropriate signal for the mic preamps on the console. So you will need a DI for each of this type of output.

If you use the balanced outs the sound tech can try to plug right in with XLR cables and likely it will work fine with proper gain setup at the console(may even need a pad), but leave that to the sound tech, but make sure you let him know that you do NOT need or want phantom power.

As a sound tech myself this is something that any sound tech should not have trouble helping you out with. It's probably easier than mic'ing a guitar cabinet.

But, the one thing you would have me and most other sound techs not wanting to do is having your vocals run through on-stage processing. You may not want to hear that, but the sound tech is in a better position to balance the wet/dry ratio for vocal FX. I try to be very non-confrontational when artists want to do stuff like this, but IMO quality always suffers.

If you are dead set on using your processor for vocal FX, find out if the sound tech can patch one of the console aux sends/returns to/from your AXE so that he can blend the FX level, and maintain the proper gain for the vocal mic. 

It would flow like this: vocal mic>console mic input
and
console aux out>AXE FX in>AXE FX out>console aux return

And, try to let the sound guy know what you need in advance if possible.

I hope that makes sense.

And they do make multi channel rackmount DI's. 
Check out the Rapco SL-4 http://www.rapcohorizon.com/p-17-sl-4.aspx,
the Proco DB4A Pro Co Sound - DB4A,
and the Whirlwind Multidirector MULTIDIRECTOR - Catalog - Whirlwind

good luck.


----------



## ACE IT UP

Exactly what I needed to hear, Thank You!


----------



## ACE IT UP

One last quick question please! 

Say I did want to run vocal fx using the consoles aux send/return into and out of my Axe. Will that be a quarter inch connection or xlr?.. Meaning will I be able to plug the aux connection straight into the 1/4" input 2 of the back of my axe and out of the DI Box I will provide for output 2, or will this need to be an xlr connection and will I need some special adapter to make it work with my 1/4" input?

Very helpful, thank you!


----------



## PineappleExpress

Hi, I've recently bought an axe fx ultra, and just got the apogee ONE interface, I cant seem to record to garageband from it. i do not know where to put the XLR cable, there are 3 slots at the back of the axe fx. also, are there specific MAC and AXE FX settings i need to consider. my only aim is to plug the axe through and record through the apogee into the computer. thanks


----------



## Baelzebeard

@ ACE IT UP

The connection will depend on the console and snake connections. It will be line level, but could be balanced xlr, 1/4" trs, or unbalanced 1/4" ts connections. Get some adapters to keep in your kit. And you would only really need the DI if the sound tech wants to send your fx back to a mic in channel(that's what I would likely do). HTH


----------



## DMONSTER

Alright, question .... today I had the chance to run my axe fx through the power section of my 5150 into a bugera cab (not the best i know) but first of all WOW I was absolutely amazed by how it sounded my favorite models were the recto red and das metal, I had the sag set to like 0.8 cus I thought it sounded better than when I had power amps completely off but main question here:

I loved the way it sounded so essentially would it sound the same or have the same general body to it as would running the axe into a power amp like a carvin ts100 or a matrix poweramp?

On another note, I thought that my axe fxs models sounded LOADS better than my 5150 by itself like wow I am in awe of this magic black box


----------



## DMONSTER

To put it simply: will it sound the same through a power amp as it does through the power section of my 5150?


----------



## Larrikin666

DMONSTER said:


> To put it simply: will it sound the same through a power amp as it does through the power section of my 5150?



Probably not. Every poweramp is going to color the tone in a different way.


----------



## DMONSTER

Larrikin666 said:


> Probably not. Every poweramp is going to color the tone in a different way.



But what if I got say something like the carvin ts100 and put 6l6's in it like my 5150 has, would it be "close" to it? Im just looking for a simpler and somewhat lighter setup than the science experiment it is to hook the axe up with the 4 cable method to the 5150, and still have that tube feel without breaking my wallet


----------



## kmanick

PineappleExpress said:


> Hi, I've recently bought an axe fx ultra, and just got the apogee ONE interface, I cant seem to record to garageband from it. i do not know where to put the XLR cable, there are 3 slots at the back of the axe fx. also, are there specific MAC and AXE FX settings i need to consider. my only aim is to plug the axe through and record through the apogee into the computer. thanks


 
XLR outputs One L/R go to you interface inputs
Output Two would go to a Power amp(how I run mine) or secondary output source (atomic reactors , Mackie etc)


----------



## Larrikin666

DMONSTER said:


> But what if I got say something like the carvin ts100 and put 6l6's in it like my 5150 has, would it be "close" to it? Im just looking for a simpler and somewhat lighter setup than the science experiment it is to hook the axe up with the 4 cable method to the 5150, and still have that tube feel without breaking my wallet



It's not going to be exactly the same. It might be better...it might be worse. That's going to come down to preference. The 5150 power section is sort of bizarre with it's crossover distortion in the power section. It has a unique characterestic. You should just try out some different power amps and see what suits you best.


----------



## Hene

What cable should I use to connect my Axe Fx Standard to M-Audio Fast Track Pro?


----------



## Sepultorture

Hene said:


> What cable should I use to connect my Axe Fx Standard to M-Audio Fast Track Pro?



xlr or 1/4 connector type, take your pic


----------



## VILARIKA

I thought some of you might be interested in this, Chris Broderick selling his Axe-Fx:

Fractal Ultra's - Ultimate Metal Forum

EDIT: Includes his own personal presets with purchase


----------



## Rook

^Good price too

How are people here connecting to HD1221's an the like? I'm just going straight out1 XLR to the input wondering if there are any other methods people are using.


----------



## Larrikin666

Fun111 said:


> ^Good price too
> 
> How are people here connecting to HD1221's an the like? I'm just going straight out1 XLR to the input wondering if there are any other methods people are using.



Exactly the same.


----------



## Amerikhastan

Just got my coupon! Got on the waiting list in October so it was a pretty quick response. Currently trying to sell off some of my gear to fund it haha. Anyways, I was wondering what studio monitors would some of you recommend to use with the axefx in a home studio setting?


----------



## Rook

I use a pair of HR624 mk2's, and they sound better than anything else I've plugged into this far, including tube poweramp and can setups and my HD1221, works perfectly. I bet the 824's would be better still but they're just too big.


----------



## ZeeW

Axe Fx II on its way to me in the next weeks - totally stoked. Cannot wait to hook it up to the HD1221 I have just sat here waiting


----------



## Levi79

Hey guys. I got myself my first Axe-FX last week and I absolutely love it. This box can seriously do anything. Only upgrade amp/effect wise I can see in my future now is an Axe II.
Here's my NGD thread. I compare it to the Eleven Rack and Pod HD I've owned etc. in there if anyone has interested in reading that.
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/184160-ngd-i-stole-axe-fx.html


----------



## cyb

I really regret selling my axe standard. I put myself on the Axe II waiting list today. Time to start selling my internal organs...


----------



## mikemueller2112

Firmware 5.0 is up!

5.00
NOTE: THIS FIRMWARE MAY CHANGE THE SOUND OF EXISTING PRESETS. YOU SHOULD AUDITION ALL YOUR PRESETS AFTER INSTALLATION AND CHECK FOR PROPER OPERATION AND TONE. AN AMP MODEL CAN BE RESET BY TEMPORARILY CHANGING THE AMP TYPE AND THEN CHANGING BACK TO THE DESIRED TYPE. THIS WILL LOAD THE MODEL WITH DEFAULT PARAMETERS.
WHILE THIS UPDATE HAS HAD A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CHANGES, HOWEVER, THE OVERALL SOUND OF YOUR PRESETS SHOULD NOT BE DRASTICALLY ALTERED. ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS SHOULD BE REQUIRED.
Changed USB outputs so that it is always Out 1 L/R and Input L/R rather than whatever is on digital outputs and Input L/R. The Digital Outputs are still selectable but the USB outputs are fixed.
Added Block Left and Block Right options to Sidechain Select in Compressor block.
Much improved grid modeling in Amp block preamp and power amp stages. New modeling very accurately replicates grid conduction and resulting bias excursion. This results in a more dynamic, thicker and bouncier tone. The power tube grid conduction parameters are exposed to the user in the GUI. The Bias Excursion parameter controls how much the grid voltage droops when the grids conduct. The Excursion Time and Recovery Time parameters control the time constants associated with the excursion.
Added dynamics processing to Amp block. A new tab, &#8220;DYN&#8221;, in the amp block, allows adjusting various parameters of the dynamics processor along with several other parameters related to amp dynamics. The Dynamics parameter controls the amount of dynamics processing and models the interaction between the power amp, power supply and loudspeaker under high power-level conditions. The Dynamics Time parameter (ADV tab) controls the time constant of the associated processing. The Level parameter is duplicated on the DYN page for convenience.
Simplified Hi-Frequency Resonance controls in the Amp block. There is now a single HI FREQ control. The value of this parameter sets the &#8220;corner frequency&#8221; of the impedance rise due to voice-coil inductance (technically this is a &#8220;semi-inductance&#8221. The actual impedance seen by the virtual power tubes is then internally calculated based on the transformer and power tube parameters. Typical guitar speakers have a corner frequency between 1 kHz and 2 kHz. This value is preset based on the model but the user can override the value as desired. Many speaker manufacturers publish impedance data for their drivers which can be used as a reference point. Lower values give more midrange emphasis. For convenience, the transformer low-cut and high-cut frequencies are now present on the SPKR page and their influence on the open-loop response is reflected in the impedance graph.
Added speaker motor modeling to Cabinet block. This models the effect of high power levels on the tone of the speaker. The Motor Drive parameter controls the relative drive level and, therefore, the intensity of the effect.
Improved Enhancer block. The new Enhancer uses multi-band techniques for a much more natural effect. Also, the effect is mono-compatible with no phasing problems when summing to mono. The effect both widens stereo signals and &#8220;stereoizes&#8221; mono signals. Low-cut and High-cut parameters allow control over the region of influence. Note that it is NOT recommended to use the Enhancer if just using one side of a stereo output as phasing effects may be encountered.
Improved noise gate. New gate uses dynamic filtering in addition to downward expansion.
Reworked nearly all amp models based on new &#8220;amp matching&#8221; algorithms.
Fixed B+ Time Constant in amp block not being transmitted to slave DSP.
Fixed Gate Bypass Mode knob bug.
Fixed look-ahead delay still running if Compressor block is bypassed.
Fixed lost data on MIDI Thru if sending large amounts of data to MIDI In.
************************************************** 

http://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/firmware+presets/axe-fx-2/5.0/axefx2_5p00.zip

Won't be home for a couple weeks so I can't even try it out.


----------



## Rook

Anybody tried v5 yet? I get my 2 today so will be posting clips with v5 and my ultra together 

Also ZeeW, when did you get on the list? I still have a spot with g66, I might bounce the 2 I have for the new one depending on timing.


----------



## ZeeW

Fun111 said:


> Also ZeeW, when did you get on the list? I still have a spot with g66, I might bounce the 2 I have for the new one depending on timing.



I got on the list 12 May last year.


----------



## Andromalia

I installed 5.0 bt I've had my axe 2 for a few days only and didn't really have the time to have a valid opinion about the difference.


----------



## eurolove

I hate to be a massive pain but. How do i go about connecting axe fx standard to M-audio fast track pro with XLR leads? how many leads do i need? Do i but balanced or un-balanced lead(s). also, can i play regular music off itunes through it into my hi fi? because at the moment i have my aux lead plugged into the headphone out on the fast track and nothing is coming out. Thanks in advance for any help.


----------



## Winspear

^ XLR's are balanced. Balanced means stereo. I.e an XLR or a TRS jack cable. 

You can use just the one unless you have patches with stereo delays or amp setups then you want one for L and one for R.


----------



## eurolove

EtherealEntity said:


> ^ XLR's are balanced. Balanced means stereo. I.e an XLR or a TRS jack cable.
> 
> You can use just the one unless you have patches with stereo delays or amp setups then you want one for L and one for R.



ok, so i plug the one into the right unbalanced out on the axe fx and then into the fast track? and i get mono signal? or do i use the digital xlr out?


----------



## Rook

Is there any way of connecting output 2 to my 1221 without a mixer?


----------



## Bekanor

Can anyone recommend a Midi > USB converter? The one I have seems to cause constant crashing in Axe Edit.


----------



## JPMike

^M Audio Midi Sport Uno


----------



## Rook

Why will Axe Edit NEVER see my Axe 2? I got it working once, and never again since.

It worked fine with my Ultra, but it really doesn't like my 2 at all.


----------



## kmanick

New version of Axe edit is up and Firmware 5.01 is also up
Installeed both today with all new presets and in process of re-doing my patches.
Very minor tweaking needed so far.
the Lonestar clean is amazing, the JVM feels much more alive now,
but my Recto patches suddenly sound a little "fizzy"
Gonna need to twaek those a bit I guess.


----------



## engage757

Ok guys, diggin into my Standard for the first time today. Total Newb. Any advice? trying to get a chevelle/Mark IV-ish tone. any tips and tricks are appreciated.


----------



## Rook

USA lead 2 FTW, gain sounds better with boost on and gain turned down (rather than getting the same amount of gain without boost), I always have bright on too. 
Prepare to EQ out fizz with a GEQ block between amp and cab,
If you get used to a cab sound then change, pretty much anything you change to will sound weird so don't give up straight away, if you think a cab should sound right, go away an come back with fresh ears and it'll probably be fine
Don't use unrealistic settings to begin with, don't even use boost pedals if you can avoid it, and leave the power amp sims alone until you're painstakingly close to the sound you want, otherwise you get into the habit of over-processing the sound and you lose the natural feel the axe is so good at
Having different cabs in left and right channel has a cool effect. When I quad track guitars I go Recto 1 cab panned on the far left and far right channels and recto 2 in the middle l and r channels as its more open and slightly scoopy.
Don't overdo presence, even leavin it at 5 is usually more than enough
I usually leave deep at zero
You don't need as much gain as you think
Leave gating til last cos it'll skew your perception of the tone and feel while tweaking
Have a clear picture of what you're aiming for or you'll be tweaking for days


----------



## Hirschberger

I think I need a better guitar for my Axe-Fx II. My shitty MIM Strat sounds garbage on anything but the cleanest of cleans. I know it's not the Axe-Fx II, haha.


----------



## Andromalia

The axe II (and even moreso the axe I) actually is quite discriminating about pickups, meaning usually you will have to make patches for a specific guitar Using patch A with guitar B usually isn't a really good idea.



> and leave the power amp sims alone until you're painstakingly close to the sound you want, otherwise you get into the habit of over-processing the sound and you lose the natural feel the axe is so good at



Actually, the two new 5.0 settings are something everyone should look into, they aren't just minute adjustments.


----------



## Rook

^i was saying leave it til last, or their effects won't be clear

I completely agree with what you're saying.


----------



## ZeeW

Well the Axe Fx 2 is in the room... think its darn amazing, but I really need to know how to get the best out of my patches.


----------



## Hirschberger

ZeeW said:


> Well the Axe Fx 2 is in the room... think its darn amazing, but I really need to know how to get the best out of my patches.



It doesn't happen instantly for most people, including myself. Hell, I'm still learning to do a lot of stuff on it, just because there is SO much you can do with it. The best thing to do it just keep messing around with it so you get a feel for it.


----------



## ZeeW

Hirschberger said:


> It doesn't happen instantly for most people, including myself. Hell, I'm still learning to do a lot of stuff on it, just because there is SO much you can do with it. The best thing to do it just keep messing around with it so you get a feel for it.



Your right it doesn't happen over night BUT the stock patches are a bloody good starting point as are some of the patches I've downloaded.

Seriously enjoying this bit of kit


----------



## iamdunker

engage757 said:


> Ok guys, diggin into my Standard for the first time today. Total Newb. Any advice? trying to get a chevelle/Mark IV-ish tone. any tips and tricks are appreciated.



The geq block after everything will change drastically the sound of any amp sim. Screw around with the geq and you will get there.


----------



## Rook

5.04b released, not sure really what the point of it is lol.


----------



## Sepultorture

Fun111 said:


> 5.04b released, not sure really what the point of it is lol.



probably some minor fixes


----------



## Larrikin666

*******************************************************************************
5.04b
Changed remote patch dump protocol so that presets are synchronized with Global blocks.
Fixed Global Patches so that corruption does not occur if parameters were added in a firmware upgrade.
Improved power tube saturation modeling. This results in a smoother tone when the virtual power amp is driven hard.
Added Air Freq parameter to Cabinet block. This allows adjusting the cutoff frequency of the mixed signal.
*******************************************************************************


----------



## coffeeflush

how many inputs can you use simultaneously in the Axe Fx II at a time ? 
For example, recording a guitar (stereo) and bass together or a guitar, a bass and a guitar stereo. Is it possible ? 

Sorry for the poor wording


----------



## Rook

Apparently the Carvin Legacy was added in 5.02 or 5.03, and I'm on 5.01 so there should be a new amp to play with too, whoop!


----------



## Andromalia

Maybe it will soften my pick attack a bit, which at that point wouldn't be a bad thing.


----------



## Scrubface05

I have an Ultra, and I can't decide whether I should spend the money for a good tube power amp, or pick up something like an Orange Dark Terror and kill two stones with one bird. I'd have the ability to play live with both, and be able to switch. Reasoning is, I'm possibly joining this band very soon, and need a live rig. I have a 4x12 cab already as well.

Would the Dark Terror work? Since it doesn't really have a clean channel persay, would running it through the FX loop it has work?


----------



## walleye

Scrubface05 said:


> I have an Ultra, and I can't decide whether I should spend the money for a good tube power amp, or pick up something like an Orange Dark Terror and kill two stones with one bird. I'd have the ability to play live with both, and be able to switch. Reasoning is, I'm possibly joining this band very soon, and need a live rig. I have a 4x12 cab already as well.
> 
> Would the Dark Terror work? Since it doesn't really have a clean channel persay, would running it through the FX loop it has work?



yes it would work. the amp sims will all sound different through the fx loop and not necessarily how they were intended to sound. they won't necessarily sound bad though. you'll still have huge versatility doing it that way


----------



## eugeneelgr

Guys check out the download link for the caruso lead patch in the description.I loaded it into my axe and it doesnt work.Went through the chain but nothing seems disconnected,no gaps.Was wondering if you guys are able to chime in on this.Cus that lead tone is amazing as fuckkkk.


----------



## Scrubface05

I'm debating what to do. I can't think of any other heads that will do what I want and still have an Fx loop without being too expensive.


----------



## walleye

eugeneelgr said:


> Guys check out the download link for the caruso lead patch in the description.I loaded it into my axe and it doesnt work.Went through the chain but nothing seems disconnected,no gaps.Was wondering if you guys are able to chime in on this.Cus that lead tone is amazing as fuckkkk.




there might be a parameter somewhere that he controls with an expression pedal, and might be in the off position initially. look for a vol/pan block as well


----------



## Metal_Maniac

Maybe he has a custom user cab? I've downloaded patches on my Ultra in the past and found patches didn't work until i realized it had a custom cab which i switched to a regular cab and the patch worked, give it a try


----------



## Andromalia

5.04b: crazy pick attack with trebly tones is GONE. \o/


----------



## Ruined Soul

Just bought myself an Axe Fx Std and need some advice of what I need to use for the Axe, for live shows.

Recommended stuff to use are these, so far:

QSC PLX1602
Mesa 2:90
Matrix GT800FX

What do you recommend?

Also, I have Peavey 6505+ cabinet... anyone tried the Axe through this cabinet? What do you think of the sound?
I know a lot use a Mesa cabinet.

Thanks a lot in advance!


----------



## xeonblade

Axe is preamp, you need poweramp only. I'd suggest Carvin TS100 for poweramp because it's more transparent than Mesa 2:90 but it's more personal opinion.


----------



## WarriorOfMetal

Fryette


----------



## Adrian-XI

+1 for the Matrix


----------



## Geognosy

If you want tubes, I recommend a VHT 2/50/2 if you want to spend money, and a Peavey Classic 50/50 as a good value. A lot of people get the 2:90 and then end up selling it because it's just too much power and they don't like the voicing. I have a Rocktron Velocity 300 that's great: 1U and it has some presence/reactance controls that let you adjust the sound easily.


----------



## DC23

I just picked up an Atomic Mono Block MB50. I'll let you know how it sounds when it gets here. If you need more power, I'd recommend the Atomic 50/50. Pretty light, has tubes, 2U rack space.


----------



## Ruined Soul

Thanks guys!

The biggest issue is always the money.
More recommendation's for today was all of the products you guys wrote.

The 2 I'm am thinking about for now is the Matrix and the Rocktron.
The Rocktron is a cheaper option and I found it here: ROCKTRON VELOCITY 300 - Thomann Cyberstore Sverige

What do you guys think about running the Axe through a Peavey 6505+ cabinet... good?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I'd say spend the extra few bucks on the GT800FX. From reviews I've seen, it trumps the Velocity 300. 

And the 6505 cab should do good for now.


----------



## Andromalia

Cliff today on the fractal forums said in addition to amp profiling there will be a tone profiling mode to profile single guitar tracks....


----------



## Andromalia

I have used both a mesa 20:20 and a 2:50 with my axe standard, they aren't exactly transparent but the tones were good so who cares except maybe if you're in a cover band and want to sound like the originals.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Andromalia said:


> Cliff today on the fractal forums said in addition to amp profiling there will be a tone profiling mode to profile single guitar tracks....



Great time to own an Axe-Fx 2!!!! I love watching the hype jump around the last few weeks from product to product. Next week Behringer V-amps will be back in or something

Also after some hours of playing around today I've discovered that:
TS 808 + PVH 6160 + Cali 4 x 12 + Hi/low pass
is awesome for tech metal/Swedish Death metal. I will post a patch when I EQ out all the notches I don't like.


----------



## Ruined Soul

Alright... can the Matrix only be bought from their site? I haven't found it anywhere else.

By the way, if I'm going to use the Axe for recording. Do I need something else that the Axe itself?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Ruined Soul said:


> Alright... can the Matrix only be bought from their site? I haven't found it anywhere else.



By the looks of it. GT 800 FX


----------



## Andromalia

yeah the 6160 is awesome for that. I made an AA patch that ended up with way more gain than planned (even though gain is at something like...3 on the amp) but I suck at using paraEQs though.


----------



## amarshism

The Mesa power amp won't sound as good as say a fryette because it is designed for use with a mesa pre. It has a very unique design. The PV cab is shithouse. Sell it and get something like a mesa stiletto or, buy a mackie 1531 or whatever it's called and solve both your problems.


----------



## Ruined Soul

I don't want a shithouse, so that cab need to go .
Well see... maybe I sell my whole PV6505 rig and invest in a Mesa cab.



amarshism said:


> The Mesa power amp won't sound as good as say a fryette because it is designed for use with a mesa pre. It has a very unique design. The PV cab is shithouse. Sell it and get something like a mesa stiletto or, buy a mackie 1531 or whatever it's called and solve both your problems.


----------



## Sepultorture

Andromalia said:


> yeah the 6160 is awesome for that. I made an AA patch that ended up with way more gain than planned (even though gain is at something like...3 on the amp) but I suck at using paraEQs though.



takes a lot of time to truly master a parametric EQ, but once you know where all the undesirable shit resides, you can cut it out, and then boost the parts of the spectrum that boost your tone to where you like it


----------



## Ruined Soul

Hey folks!

I guess I need a Midi foot controler if I'm going to switch sounds when I play live with my Axe Fx.
I've found this one: MFC-101 MIDI FOOT CONTROLER
Is there any cheaper foot controler that you could recommend?


----------



## Sepultorture

Ruined Soul said:


> Hey folks!
> 
> I guess I need a Midi foot controler if I'm going to switch sounds when I play live with my Axe Fx.
> I've found this one: MFC-101 MIDI FOOT CONTROLER
> Is there any cheaper foot controler that you could recommend?



Ground Control Pro

FCB 1010


----------



## Ruined Soul

These?
Ground controler Pro - VOODOO LAB GROUND CONTROL - Thomann Cyberstore Sverige
FCB1010 - BEHRINGER FCB1010 - Thomann Cyberstore Sverige

I guess that the GCP is prefered. But it was more expensive.


----------



## ZXIIIT

There's a video on YouTube of some dude who modified a Line6 FBV Longboard to work with the Axe FX, that would be the ideal pedal as it has 2 expression pedals and tons of switches, but apparently, nothing came out from that video :/


----------



## Geognosy

I use a Rocktron Midimate. It's easy to get caught up in the idea that you need an ultimate floorboard, when in reality you will probably just use 10 patches and turn on and off a few effects. The bad part is that you have to program it manually, but once you get used to how it works that's not a major problem. One nice aspect (bad aspect for some people) is that the buttons don't resist much or make a sound when you press them. This is great for some situations where you don't want a lot of clicking (studio, home, quiet stage), but some people like the tactile feedback of a GCP. I don't personally like the FCB1010 - the rocker pedals were not great for me and the buttons weren't great either.


----------



## Wookieslayer

add the Rolls MidiBuddy to that list... i think that would be the cheapest option new too.


----------



## Rook

I use a Ground Control (v1) and Voodoo have just sent me the kit to upgrade it to have the all access switching.

I think it cost mer about £100, less than an FCB and its a tried and tested pedal.


----------



## Winspear

I got a FCB1010 recently for different reasons but it's a nice pedal - very flexible! It's programming has bad reviews but once it clicks it's incredibly simple. If you get one and need help, chuck me a PM.


----------



## Ruined Soul

How did it sound?
Listened to the Atomic 50/50... sounded really nice!



DC23 said:


> I just picked up an Atomic Mono Block MB50. I'll let you know how it sounds when it gets here. If you need more power, I'd recommend the Atomic 50/50. Pretty light, has tubes, 2U rack space.


----------



## Ruined Soul

Guys... what do you think about Mesa 20/20, experience?


----------



## Rook

^not enough headroom

You don't need much in the way of tube breakup with the axe fx, and if you want some 20W a side would give you it too early.


----------



## Andromalia

Ruined Soul said:


> Guys... what do you think about Mesa 20/20, experience?



I have used one with a standard for some time. You will get some breakup yes, but that amp is plenty loud enough to be played at 25% at a rehearsal so it is very manageable, maybe not if you want the driest of all tones, but 90% of metal tones will be fine.


----------



## Ruined Soul

Alright, got an offer to buy a Mesa Boogie 50/50... any good?
How is the marshall 8008?


----------



## Rook

5.07 out today, which includes the removal of 4x12 Metal cab.


NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I hope Ultra 30W is the same/similar, I'll be gutted otherwise.


----------



## petereanima

Fun111 said:


> 5.07 out today, which includes the removal of 4x12 Metal cab.
> 
> 
> NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
> 
> I hope Ultra 30W is the same/similar, I'll be gutted otherwise.



I thought the same. fortunately:

4x12 Metal being removed solution. - Divisions

get it there. its the ENGL_XXL_MT103_01_v6 in the zip file.



EDIT: if you dont want to register at that forum, second source:

http://www.voes.be/temp/IRs.zip


----------



## Lorcan Ward

^ Thanks dude!!! I just made a patch using the Metal 4 x 12 so I really didn't want to have to start again.

Its a shame how it had to be removed. The whole situation wasn't handled very well between Cliff and Jocke. 

WOW!!!! Just downloaded the zip file and their are hundreds of impulses. I was having trouble trying to convert Catharsis's IRs to SYX. Thanks again dude!


----------



## kmanick

Ruined Soul said:


> Alright, got an offer to buy a Mesa Boogie 50/50... any good?
> How is the marshall 8008?


I run mine out to a Mesa 50/50
works very well, but it does add a touch of a Mesa flavor to all of the patches.
I'm a Mesa guy so it's not an issue for me , the Mark/Recto patches sound great.
the Marshall type of model do sound a little differnt thatn wehn going thru my monitors though, but no biggie. If you can score one for a good price
it's definitely a good option.


----------



## Rook

My G66.eu slot has come up and I can't afford to take it (I have a used 2 that I got at a good price anyway, thought I'd get in line and wait for a new one anyway but the prices went up etc...).

I have no use for it, if anyone wants it I'm sure we can work it out.

I didn't post a classified ad cos I'm not selling anything, I don't want any money, I'll just tell G66 that my friend's taking my spot and forward the emails etc.

EDIT: Nobody? I'm surprised haha


----------



## petereanima

drawnacrol said:


> ^ Thanks dude!!! I just made a patch using the Metal 4 x 12 so I really didn't want to have to start again.
> 
> Its a shame how it had to be removed. The whole situation wasn't handled very well between Cliff and Jocke.
> 
> WOW!!!! Just downloaded the zip file and their are hundreds of impulses. I was having trouble trying to convert Catharsis's IRs to SYX. Thanks again dude!



No problem mate!

And yes, the IRs in that ZIP file are all syx-files for the Ultra. To convert them to Axe II syx, get this little helper:

OwnHammer.com - Axe-O-Matic


----------



## ChaNce

Hi everyone, 

I searched around, and didn't really find anything. 

Has anyone heard or seen a thread about how long people are waiting on the wait list for an Axe-FX 2? I'm trying to decide whether to just get one off of Ebay or wait it out. 

Thanks, 

C


----------



## mwcarl

I put my name on the wait list early January and got my coupon today. So I'd say right now about 2 months.


----------



## HighGain510

Much shorter waits times it seems, I got in on the 2nd or 3rd day after the announcement and I didn't get my email until October!  Lucky for the guys who are just deciding to get on now!


----------



## Rook

My eu slot came up 4 months to the day after I got on the list, so USA should be no time at all,


----------



## ang3

put my name in at december and got it at end of feb.


----------



## bigswifty

I put my request in around November/December and got mine mid-February this year. Not as long as you might think!

Though I can't afford one right now 

My Ultra still slays though


----------



## jfb

06-21-11 - Emailed for wait list.
12-29-11 - Received a coupon.


----------



## flint757

I signed up in October and got an email in January, but decided not to get one.


----------



## mikemueller2112

The waiting list thread - Page 335

Follow this thread, usually a good gauge of waiting times. Surprised to see the waiting times are still fairly hefty, though, not nearly as bad as the summer.


----------



## ChaNce

Thanks, ill follow that thread. I think I got on the list at the end of Dec. Sounds like it should be any time. 

Thanks, everyone. 

C

EDIT: Oops, Jan 30 for my confirmation


----------



## petereanima

<- 10 months. :-/


----------



## DslDwg

Signed up Dec 5th - got coupon Feb 15th. I'll admit I did wait a week to order - arrived Monday the 5th of March.


----------



## AliceLG

Ordered in April, got the holy email in December... Sadly I didn't have the money anymore


----------



## Ill-Gotten James

I'm having trouble updating my firmware from 10.03 to 11.00 on my axe fx standard. I'm using a profire 2626 for the midi connection between my mac mini and the axe fx. When ever I try and update the firmware, the update fails and an error message occurs telling me (not word for word), to check my hardware and connections.

To my knowledge all of the connections are correct and the drivers for the profire 2626 are up to date. 

I read on another post of someone who was using another m-audio interface, that the buffer size had to be adjusted in order for the firmware to be installed properly. Could this be the potential issue that I am having? 
- How would I go about altering the buffer size and also, what buffer size should I be using?

Thanks


----------



## Andromalia

Fun111 said:


> EDIT: Nobody? I'm surprised haha



Well it's still a hefty sum of money. the people that can afford it are either real pros who can justify it or people like me who aren't but have their decent paying job and for whom the axe 2 is merely an expensive toy. (so are guitars, in fact)
Those two categories are likely already having one.


----------



## bigswifty

Quick question for you guys,

With my Ultra, I've got it plugged into both my Audiobox for recording (MIDI and XLR) and into my Mackie HD1221 for live. When I play through the Mackie I use the output 1 know to controll the volume, but when playing louder looking up at my Audiobox I see that it is clipping. 

Also, my input knob is quite low. Input know its at about 8 oclock while Output sits around 10-11 oclock.

I can play with the dials all day on the Audiobox and I always find the same results. When I record as well it's very sensitive to adjustments on the Axe-FX and can clip pretty easily. 

I'm asking because I feel like I should be able to up the Axe-FX Input/Output knobs a fair bit more than this without clipping through the Audiobox or harming any speakers/headphones etc.

Comments?
Cheers.


----------



## FadexToxBlack81

Quick question for you guys! Just got my Ultra and I plan on using it live. currently I am using my V3's power amp to power the unit but I am looking for a power amp. I am selling the V3 so I'll have 650 to spend. I am looking into the Carvin TS100 and I am pretty sure I will end up getting one. what are your recommendations?


----------



## HighGain510

FINALLY brought home my Axe-Fx II!  Question for those of you running the Axe-2 into a VHT 2/50/2 + cab setup, do you guys find the tones more suitable when running the power amp sims on or off? It was late by the time I was able to get everything racked so I couldn't play with much volume at all and only got about 20 minutes in last night but I went back and forth and from what I could tell it sounded thicker/bigger with the power amp sims turned on and speaker sims off. Any tips for how you like to run things with the same (or similar) setup?


----------



## kmanick

HighGain510 said:


> FINALLY brought home my Axe-Fx II!  Question for those of you running the Axe-2 into a VHT 2/50/2 + cab setup, do you guys find the tones more suitable when running the power amp sims on or off? It was late by the time I was able to get everything racked so I couldn't play with much volume at all and only got about 20 minutes in last night but I went back and forth and from what I could tell it sounded thicker/bigger with the power amp sims turned on and speaker sims off. Any tips for how you like to run things with the same (or similar) setup?


 
just like that ...Power amp sims on Cab sims off, you can also take the sag down to zero on the amp block (I forgot which tab it's on) and that also turns off the Power amp , so you just get the preamp tone)
with some amp models it sounds good that way with others it doesn't.
time to Experiment Matt


----------



## tank

hi guys, can anyone give me a good tight metal preset? 5150/vh4


----------



## Scrubface05

I've been having a lot of trouble getting a decent tone on my Ultra. I've gone on youtube and dialed in tones exactly like other people, but it sounds completely different. Any ideas why? Also does anyone know where I can download some patches to tweak?


----------



## Aceshighhhh

Scrubface05 said:


> I've been having a lot of trouble getting a decent tone on my Ultra. I've gone on youtube and dialed in tones exactly like other people, but it sounds completely different. Any ideas why? Also does anyone know where I can download some patches to tweak?



A good place to start that really helped me out is with the FAS Modern amp and the Metal 4x12 cab. You can also throw in a T808 OD in there to help tighten it up


----------



## Scrubface05

Yeah I've used that combo in a few patches. 
Here's a clip of my friend doodling on one patch, not mastered or anything but it just doesn't sound good enough. 
Formosawesome by Lolzroyce on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


----------



## Aceshighhhh

Scrubface05 said:


> Yeah I've used that combo in a few patches.
> Here's a clip of my friend doodling on one patch, not mastered or anything but it just doesn't sound good enough.
> Formosawesome by Lolzroyce on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free



Are those drums guitar pro? >_>

The guitar sounds really low and muffled, seems like something wrong in the signal chain. You're recording the Axe DI via usb right?


----------



## DMONSTER

So, been running a power amp and cab setup for a while, was just wanting some good tips or maybe just some ideas as to how everyone else has their settings on the amp blocks in their patches like this?

Ive got a decent one i like now, still trying to dial out that little bit of harshness. Im running RG7621>axefx>matrix gt800fx>avatar contemporary 2x12

DOne ALOT of searching on this and would love some pointers on this


----------



## Aceshighhhh

DMONSTER said:


> So, been running a power amp and cab setup for a while, was just wanting some good tips or maybe just some ideas as to how everyone else has their settings on the amp blocks in their patches like this?
> 
> Ive got a decent one i like now, still trying to dial out that little bit of harshness. Im running RG7621>axefx>matrix gt800fx>avatar contemporary 2x12
> 
> DOne ALOT of searching on this and would love some pointers on this


 
Make sure you have the cab sims off, and try the power amp sim off/on to taste. 

You'd probably have a lot more luck with this question at the Fractal forums.


----------



## DMONSTER

Well just though I'd post this cus it surely just took away LOADS of the harshness I was experiencing: 

On my high gain patches I turned the master down to about 5.5 and the damping down from where I usually have it (really high) and its waaaayy better, so if anyone else hasn't tried that, do so


----------



## Scrubface05

Aceshighhhh said:


> Are those drums guitar pro? >_>
> 
> The guitar sounds really low and muffled, seems like something wrong in the signal chain. You're recording the Axe DI via usb right?



Drums are superior. Using my Axe through a Tascam US-144 MKII interface. It's the patch, trust me. Not the way we're recording haha. Because we've recorded my friends Ultra the same way, and got this,
This recording sounds MUCH better. 
Demo of things to come... by Lolzroyce on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


----------



## Seanthesheep

drawnacrol said:


> Its a shame how it had to be removed. The whole situation wasn't handled very well between Cliff and Jocke.



Wait, what happened?


----------



## Sepultorture

Seanthesheep said:


> Wait, what happened?



they removed a CAB IR from the AXE, dunno what they replaced it with, but you can find it online still if you want it back


----------



## Seanthesheep

Sepultorture said:


> they removed a CAB IR from the AXE, dunno what they replaced it with, but you can find it online still if you want it back



But why did it get removed? i had already knownthat cab was pulled in the latest update


----------



## Andromalia

It was designed by Jocke Skog who was ok for it to be included as long as he got credit on the manual, which Fractal didn't do. So he hasked it was removed, it's still available on his site for free, he just wanted a deserved recognition.

So that said, I discovered the looper in my axe 2 and it's an invaluable tool to tweak without playing and without having to do a dry track, my V1 was a standard so I didn't even think about using it for this. 
Started on what was my main tone problem, ie, the bass guitar, and got good stuff in minutes.


----------



## mikemueller2112

Fuck, accidentally overrode my dirty preset just now. Hadn't backed it up. I'm so stupid.


----------



## TaylorMacPhail

FadexToxBlack81 said:


> Quick question for you guys! Just got my Ultra and I plan on using it live. currently I am using my V3's power amp to power the unit but I am looking for a power amp. I am selling the V3 so I'll have 650 to spend. I am looking into the Carvin TS100 and I am pretty sure I will end up getting one. what are your recommendations?



http://forum.fractalaudio.com/sale/48404-fs-carvin-ts100.html


----------



## mcleanab

Hi all...

Forgive me if this has been asked before, but I'm curious about the Ultra or even the Standard... is it possible to turn "off" the amp models and keep the cab models going?

For instance, let's say I like my ISP Theta preamp and would love to run that into the Ultra or Standard and use all the cabs and effect but not the amps... is that possible?

I just found out it's not possible with the HD Pod Pro (which is disappointing). I think it's possible with the Digitech GSP, but not sure...

Any and all info greatly appreciated... thanks!


----------



## Seanthesheep

I think cab blocks are seperate from the amps on the Axe II but not aure about the ultra.....


----------



## Scrubface05

Scrubface05 said:


> Drums are superior. Using my Axe through a Tascam US-144 MKII interface. It's the patch, trust me. Not the way we're recording haha. Because we've recorded my friends Ultra the same way, and got this,
> This recording sounds MUCH better.
> Demo of things to come... by Lolzroyce on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free



What do you guys think of the way this patch sounds?


----------



## Joelan

mcleanab said:


> Hi all...
> 
> Forgive me if this has been asked before, but I'm curious about the Ultra or even the Standard... is it possible to turn "off" the amp models and keep the cab models going?
> 
> For instance, let's say I like my ISP Theta preamp and would love to run that into the Ultra or Standard and use all the cabs and effect but not the amps... is that possible?
> 
> I just found out it's not possible with the HD Pod Pro (which is disappointing). I think it's possible with the Digitech GSP, but not sure...
> 
> Any and all info greatly appreciated... thanks!



Yes it is possible on the Standard and Ultra. The amp block is separate from the cab block. If you're not running any amp sims and don't need a guitar synthesiser, the Standard should be more than enough.


----------



## FadexToxBlack81

TaylorMacPhail said:


> FS Carvin TS100



thanks a ton dude! messaged him now


----------



## mcleanab

Joelan said:


> Yes it is possible on the Standard and Ultra. The amp block is separate from the cab block. If you're not running any amp sims and don't need a guitar synthesiser, the Standard should be more than enough.



Then my quest for a Standard or Ultra begins!


----------



## DMONSTER

Anyone willing to post some tips or anything in regards to setting up power amp and cab patches? I love my setup to death but sometimes feel i have to just "settle" with the tone i get, it sounds weak sometimes, yet somedays i love it....anyone got any pointers as to how they setup their amp blocks?

My gear: Axe Fx Standard, Matrix GT800FX, Avatar contemporary 2x12 w/ hellatone 60s


----------



## Rook

^What are you trying to get out of it?

I found when I first got my first Axe FX I kept taking settings to the extreme and forming very unrealistic sounds - using boosts, filtering all the lows off (ALL) before the gain stage then EQing a load back in after to get it really really tight, turning damping up sag down, and so on. In the end I found this really defeated the point of the whole thing.

Once I got all the OMGICNTBLVICNDOTHT out of my system I started to think about the sound I was hearing and not the controls I was turning or where I was turning them to. I started to be more conservative with settings, allowing the Axe's natural touches to come through more and very importantly I made loads of patches with loads of different amps and cabs and didn't just boost straight away and so on. I allowed myself time with pretty much all of the amp models to get used to it and enjoy it like an amp again.

Unless you have a specific sound you're after I can't really make any reasoned suggestions, but try not to do anything out of habit (I used to flip the bright mode on on every single patch without fail just to find myself dialling presence and brightness out making it feel too compressed).


----------



## DMONSTER

And i think thats my problem too now that I think about it, I pretty much approach each amp the exact same way...I think i need to treat them as each their own.

But another question, do you typically tweak anything in the advanced paramater page? If so, what?


----------



## vedoggie

i use axe fx ultra with 2 2x12 carvin cabs with celest 30s a carvin t100 pwr amp .tryed pa speakers and cab sims but they didnt feel like real amp.tube pwr amp is great but feels like a real amp with vol at least 1/2 way up.also there is a hard learn curve,manual instructs you to go online for answers?still cant get my exsp pedal to program to my midi board (3rd board) i was mesa user untill i found that axe fx a/b with real amp cant tell diff,or many other amps as well .every one who heard us play (cooper tribute band the nitemare),has been jealus of tone.i need to find beeter online help ,cant dowload or use my laptop with it .you have to be good with computers and be a tweeker or forget it.its difficult but its inthere check out clips on utube out of detroit mi.i owned 10 diff mesas and switched to this sound is there but feel im working on,i was never satisfyed with one amp ,exspencive multiple channel types but tone suffered from adding effects,and noise .axe fx is quiet cranked is exspensive but all in one solution


----------



## vedoggie

tryed conecting laptop to it following instructions,and have spent 10 hrs in fustration ,just use altered patches with midi mate,my ground control plus cant download to be footpedal type i get 9 tenths thru then it dosnt work.prob me not being great on computer,but damn wish it had knobs and a save button,hate digital menues.unfortunatly im not an itt grad.but i had no prob with line 6 boards and programing,fustrating but ill keep trying .noone mentions how hard it is to learn to use it .


----------



## Andromalia

Uh, not wanting to be a dick, but it would help if you started by making a decent effort to write, a forum isn't your mobile phone.
you have to get USB drivers from the fractal site, install them and plug the axe that's all. Then install axe-edit and you're good.

(Yes, I read it all, my eyes bleed now)


----------



## Erra

I have but two questions, I won't need a good sound card in my computer if I go ahead and buy the Axe-FX II? Should be enough to just connect it to the PC through USB and record through Reaper or w/e?

Thanks!


----------



## kmanick

Erra said:


> I have but two questions, I won't need a good sound card in my computer if I go ahead and buy the Axe-FX II? Should be enough to just connect it to the PC through USB and record through Reaper or w/e?
> 
> Thanks!


that's correct load the Axe II driver (ASIO) and then you can just plug into a USB 2.0 port and record directly into Reaper.


----------



## Erra

kmanick said:


> that's correct load the Axe II driver (ASIO) adn then you can just plug into a USB 2.0 port and record directly into Reaper.



That is awesome, this means I'll have to get a job so I can buy one asap and start recording my crappy songs 
Thanks for the quick answer!


----------



## Andromalia

Me want 6.0 nao.


----------



## vedoggie

ive bought 2 diff kinds of equipt i wouldnt ask qest on thread if i havnt tryed,no one mentions difficulty of these aplications,what if you didnt have a computer?manual often refers you to website.ill keep trying,is there suport to walk you thru these things,other than asking strangers on a thread?seems like fractal should have a help geek squad for price of this thing,it sounds great and theres so much more it can do than how im using it for. is the answer buy there pedal board ,thats not cheap eighter, cost double that of others,no one in my area that i know has one .ive tryed walking thru some vids on utube but they skip steps or asume your an itt tech,is there pedal board plug and play/do i need to sell my gcp and buy the mc101/?


----------



## vedoggie

can i factory reset and start from scratch?


----------



## vedoggie

is boy in a band the website the best way to learn to use ultra/?


----------



## Rook

@DMONSTER:
No, generally not unless there's something specific about a setting I want a little more of AND I know exactly how to get it. I also had a play around with them on the PVH model to copy a mod I know somebody had on theirs (real head). Unless you know what you want I wouldn't bother, there's no hidden treasure in there. It's good for tweaking the feel of the amp more than the sound or making the presence control less hissy though.

@vedoggie:
Man, your posts are so hard to read!

If you're having trouble with the GCP, maybe consider going for the MFC101 isn't a bad idea if you can afford it, it's plug 'n' play and design for the Axe FX.

Yes you can reset and start again, its in the Utility Menu. You'll have to reload your firmware update though, it'll go back to whatever it was shipped with if you reset it.

Boy in a band is OK, i find it kinda irritating though. I found best way to learn was to do, and to know exactly what you're aiming for when you start a patch rather then randomly noodling.

If Boy In A Band works for you, then great.


----------



## engage757

Alright guys, here is a dumb one for you. Can you hear the guitar whilst making patches in axe edit? I am trying to make patches and nothing is coming out. I know there must be a way to monitor in real time what I am building.


----------



## Rap Hat

engage757 said:


> Alright guys, here is a dumb one for you. Can you hear the guitar whilst making patches in axe edit? I am trying to make patches and nothing is coming out. I know there must be a way to monitor in real time what I am building.



What AxeFX do you have? I have an Ultra, and it works just fine. I have MIDI in & out going to my PC and audio going to my Fireface. You have to select SOURCE "Axe-FX" or whatever it's called, that got me at first. If you don't the PC won't be communicating with the Axe.

E: Sometimes it'll lose sync, if that happens go to RECALL and "Refresh from Hardware" and it'll update to whatever the AxeFX is at.


----------



## engage757

Rap Hat said:


> What AxeFX do you have? I have an Ultra, and it works just fine. I have MIDI in & out going to my PC and audio going to my Fireface. You have to select SOURCE "Axe-FX" or whatever it's called, that got me at first. If you don't the PC won't be communicating with the Axe.
> 
> E: Sometimes it'll lose sync, if that happens go to RECALL and "Refresh from Hardware" and it'll update to whatever the AxeFX is at.




I have an Ultra and a Standard. This is the Ultra.


----------



## Rap Hat

engage757 said:


> I have an Ultra and a Standard. This is the Ultra.



Alright.

To add what I said before, sometimes if I have the Axe started before I turn the PC on it won't recognize the MIDI, so I always start it after the PC is fully loaded. I've also had issues with there being a huge delay while editing on AxeEdit, but that may be due to my MidiSport 2x2, as a restart of the MidiSport fixes it.

Hope you can get it working, editing without hearing sounds tough


----------



## straightshreddd

Hey, guys. I need a little help. I was gonna post a new thread but figured I'd get better results here. I've been researching active monitors lately for the Standard I should be receiving in the mail next Monday and I'm finding it really hard to decide. 

I've been looking at everything from Mackie, ElectroVoice, to Behringer. My budget is about $500 and I've read some good reviews on different models but I have no experience with PA's so I don't really know where to start.

I want great quality and versatility. I use all types of settings from squeaky clean to tight, clear high-gain but primarily the latter so I'd like them to be able to handle all applications but excell in high-gain and cleans(primarily for jazz). I realize with $500, I can't expect the best in the world but I'd like to hear intelligent suggestions from experienced Axe Fx users who know their shit. I also realize that because monitors are flat response, they will probably have no bearing on the tone? Please correct me if I'm wrong. I regularly read completely different opinions on FRFR set ups so I'm kinda stuck and would like to hear opinions and suggestions direct, feel me? So, yeah, please help me find a great quality, affordable powered monitor for my Axe Fx.

This will help me alot and I'd like to get the monitors before the Axe gets here so I can have something to play through. Thanks, guys.


----------



## Mason Vickers

I NEED HELP, AND QUICK!

I bought an Ultra and a Rockrton Midi - Mate on Ebay (In one lot) and just got in in today. Everything seemed okay, but I went to set it up with my computer for Axe-Edit, and I went to I/O to change my midi settings. I went to page over... and neither of the page buttons work. Does anyone know a way around this or why this might be happening?


----------



## Weimat01

I just got an axe FX II and have 2 questions:

1) I have a balanced 1/4 inch to XLR (male) cable that went from my audio interface into the balanced input on my monitors. At the moment i have the 1/4 inch unbalanced outputs on the axe fx plugged into the balanced xlr on my monitors. Should I buy balanced XLR to XLR cables and use the balanced output or just leave it as it is? 

2) I have my computer audio coming out of the axe FX (so that it goes to my monitors), which means the axe fx is always going to be powered on when I am at the computer. Is it ok to have the axe fx running all the time, or is it at risk at overheating or wearing out or something


----------



## bigswifty

I've got an Axe-FX Ultra and I'm feeding it into a Presonus Audiobox for recording purposes using an XLR. Right now its feeding right Axe out into line 1 on the Audiobox.

Every time I rig up and jam, I notice that my Audiobox is clipping so I have to turn the headphones right off (I jam through my Mackie) to avoid damaging the headphones via clipping. Also, when I jam using the headphones, I need to lower the output of the Axe right down to avoid clipping on ANY patch.

I pretty much have all the Axe knobs at 9 oclock, and when I turn up the input for volume to jam louder, it just clips out of control.

Am I doing something wrong here, because even with all of the knobs turned off on the Audiobox, it still clips.

Pretty dodgey.. Hopefully it isn't damaging anything.

I had to ask again, since my post got buried a couple pages back


----------



## Mason Vickers

Rap Hat said:


> Alright.
> 
> To add what I said before, sometimes if I have the Axe started before I turn the PC on it won't recognize the MIDI, so I always start it after the PC is fully loaded. I've also had issues with there being a huge delay while editing on AxeEdit, but that may be due to my MidiSport 2x2, as a restart of the MidiSport fixes it.
> 
> Hope you can get it working, editing without hearing sounds tough


 
Could you define huge delay? how long exactly? I've been having a similar problem.


----------



## Rap Hat

Mason Vickers said:


> Could you define huge delay? how long exactly? I've been having a similar problem.



There would be a 15-20 second delay between changing a patch or setting and the AFX recognizing it. Absolutely unusuable. If it's that bad for you, try turning off the Axe, turning off the MIDI interface, turning the MIDI interface back on, then turning the Axe on (in that order). Sometimes it would take doing that twice, but after that it would be back to the standard 50ms or so delay.


----------



## Mason Vickers

Rap Hat said:


> There would be a 15-20 second delay between changing a patch or setting and the AFX recognizing it. Absolutely unusuable. If it's that bad for you, try turning off the Axe, turning off the MIDI interface, turning the MIDI interface back on, then turning the Axe on (in that order). Sometimes it would take doing that twice, but after that it would be back to the standard 50ms or so delay.



With me, it just won't come on at all, sometimes it does. And if a patch DOES load, if I change the amp/cab/anything, it stops working completely. (as in the whole patch)

So much for getting stoked after over a year of waiting.


----------



## Manhell

Hello,

I have an axe fx that goes throught a mesa 50/50 without the deep mod,
my question is:

Should I use the power amp sims or not and should I do the deep mod on the 50/50?

hgz


----------



## Tyler

My personal opinion is to just use the deep mod. That would be your best bet when using an actual power amp with the unit


----------



## Manhell

I think you didn't understood, the deep mod is doen to the mesa boogie 50/50 power amp and not to the fractal. it was introduced after the triaxis came out


----------



## Andromalia

Use whatever sounds best. Using the poweramp sim and cabs won't damage your power amp in any way so try and see what you like.  On some patches I use them, on some others not. There's no "you should do it" or "you shouldn't do it" rule.


----------



## cardinal

Yeah, definitely try it a few ways and do what you like most. I've played that setup briefly and liked it power amp sims on, cab sims off. I don't think the 50/50 had the deep mod, but it gave plenty of low end using an Orange 4x12, IMHO.


----------



## Augminished

How much do you guys mess with the power section (the bias and sag) and the pre amp plate freq? I have tried to play with them a bit and found it takes away some of the "realness" of the Axe II. 

Anyone do this?


----------



## HighGain510

Manhell said:


> Hello,
> 
> I have an axe fx that goes throught a mesa 50/50 without the deep mod,
> my question is:
> 
> Should I use the power amp sims or not and should I do the deep mod on the 50/50?
> 
> hgz



I asked this question to a few other long-time Fractal gents and they responded "try it with and without and see what sounds better. It also varies based on the patch." Some folks think certain amp models sound better without the power amp modeling. I'm running my rig through a VHT 2/50/2 and I'm finding I like the sound better WITH the power amp models turned on globally. It's a taste thing, but I found a lot of the amp models sounded fizzy with the power amp models turned off. Now if you're running through monitors you'll want them on for sure, that seems to be universally agreed upon in the Fractal world.


----------



## kmanick

I run mine thru a Mesa 50/50 no deep mod and I leave the power amp sims on and the cab sims off.


----------



## DMONSTER

Anybody have any tips for tightening up tones for lower tunings?

For a while i have been trying to get the BWOOW out of when i play in tunings like A standard and such. I have tried lowering the master volume, raising the damping, etc but it is difficult at times, just when i think I have a patch i like, give it a bit, and it seems the bottom end just kinda poops out and its frustrating

Im running Ibanez RG7621 w/ dimarzio d activators > Axe FX > Matrix GT800fx > Avatar 2x12 with Hellatone 60's


----------



## Rook

You want less bass before gain stage (use boost and bright on the amp thing) so maybe try using a boost like the T808MOD and turn the low freq cutoff up a bit, tone up, drive off and level to taste. Use less gain from the amp, if I want über tight I usually use Fryette D60M, boost, bright, gain about, treble just over half, mid about half, bass just over. Cab I use the 412 Metal but that doesn't really matter.

That produces a really really tight, dry sound.


----------



## DMONSTER

I almost always use a boost and I've even tried putting a filter before the amp to cut out some lows and still it just doesn't help much I'm wondering if its my guitar maybe but I have not other guitar to really compare it to


----------



## DMONSTER

Update:
K so I tried running with the cab Sims on and no mic on my patches and it really smooths everything and even defined my low A a bunch, but it is a tid bit muffled sounding since its a guitar cab trying to model a guitar cab, so is there a good way to dial in the amp block without the cab sims to achieve the same smoothness that I'm getting with the cab sims turned on? Because it sounds GREAT at lower volumes, but once I start turning up it doesn't sound quite right (cab modeling a cab part  )


----------



## squid-boy

^Try playing with the 'q' value of the filters and play with the mids/low end at the same time. Try different 'q' values for different mid/low frequencies. Find something that fits your taste and go from there.


----------



## MetalThrasher

Preparing for the AX2? I should be able to order one very soon! What else do I need? I need to upgrade my laptop? What should I get? As far as speakers go I am going to run it FRFR. About to buy a EV112P or EV115P. Which one? I want to get into recording as well. I don't gig but I do play in my basement in a band with a loud drummer. Would just one EV112P or EV115P work? I was leaning towards the 12 but for some reason the 15 gains my interest. Opinions please


----------



## Augminished

^I don't know what laptop you have so can't help on that part. It should be fine as long as the USB ports work.

I prefer a 12" speaker to a 15" inch speaker. I find the 15 inch get a bit boomy for guitar. One should cover a drummer. If not you can always purchase another. When you get the II take it to a store and try both and see which one you like better.


----------



## MetalThrasher

Augminished said:


> ^I don't know what laptop you have so can't help on that part. It should be fine as long as the USB ports work.
> 
> I prefer a 12" speaker to a 15" inch speaker. I find the 15 inch get a bit boomy for guitar. One should cover a drummer. If not you can always purchase another. When you get the II take it to a store and try both and see which one you like better.


 
It looks like I am going to get an EVX112P. What are the best cables to run the speaker FRFR? I need a 20ft cable. As far as headphones go what is good one under $80? It's time to upgrade my laptop. Here's the $64,000 question? What should I get if my buget is $800?


----------



## Sepultorture

MetalThrasher said:


> It looks like I am going to get an EVX112P. What are the best cables to run the speaker FRFR? I need a 20ft cable. As far as headphones go what is good one under $80? It's time to upgrade my laptop. Here's the $64,000 question? What should I get if my buget is $800?



short runs you can just use unbalanced 1/4"

for long runs of cable go Balanced 1/4" or XLR

other than that it doesn't matter, just don't buy ultra cheap cables but also don't buy expensive cables either


----------



## Augminished

MetalThrasher said:


> It looks like I am going to get an EVX112P. What are the best cables to run the speaker FRFR? I need a 20ft cable. As far as headphones go what is good one under $80? It's time to upgrade my laptop. Here's the $64,000 question? What should I get if my buget is $800?



I would use XLR cables just because they fit tighter and the is no hum. 

Headphones there are two options I like for under $80:

1: the Audio-Technica ATH-M35
2. Sennheiser HD 212 

Does it have to be a laptop? I say this because you could build a brilliant desktop for that money.


----------



## Aftermath1

Does anybody know if Nolly releases his patches? Looking for his tone on the Cipher video.


----------



## VILARIKA

Aftermath1 said:


> Does anybody know if Nolly releases his patches? Looking for his tone on the Cipher video.



He releases some, head over to the Fractal forums and search up his name 

EDIT: http://forum.fractalaudio.com/search.php?searchid=1310166


----------



## MetalThrasher

Augminished said:


> I would use XLR cables just because they fit tighter and the is no hum.
> 
> Headphones there are two options I like for under $80:
> 
> 1: the Audio-Technica ATH-M35
> 2. Sennheiser HD 212
> 
> Does it have to be a laptop? I say this because you could build a brilliant desktop for that money.


 
Thanks for everyone's input. I just ordered the EVLX112P speaker, Livewire XLR cables and a Audio Technica ATH M35 headphone. As far as the computer goes, I would like to get a laptop. Is my budget of $800 for one good or do I need to spend more? Please give me some ideas of what laptop to look for? All I need now is for my name to come up on the waiting list which I think will be very soon.


----------



## Augminished

I honestly don't know. I have a mac book pro and I love the thing. I upgraded the processor and the thing works like a charm. A bit more than $800 though. 

Dell?


----------



## mikemueller2112

I posted this in the Fractal Audio forums, I'll post here and see if one of you can answer it as well:

I'm looking for the best option to suit my needs in connecting the Axe-FX II to my computer. Right now, I'm using the Axe-FX as my main interface. Keep in mind, I also use the Axe-FX when playing/bypassing the computer in my room for practice/tone hunting. This works out pretty well, I can plug and play, recording is a sinch, as is re-amping. My issue is essentially coming from getting a headphone mix. Can't really do it properly with the Axe-FX since there is only 1 stereo output. I have my old interface (M-Audio Fast Track Pro) which is connected to the rear input 1 of the Axe-FX (in case I want to use the inputs on the M-Audio). This interface is USB powered, so it's connected to the computer. 

I had installed ASIO4All, and thought I solved my problems since I basically created an aggregate device with both the Axe-FX and M-Audio inputs and outputs. I noticed I was having some latency issues that I couldn't quite overcome. The big annoyance was in re-amping though the Axe-FX USB. It would re-amp alright, but would be set back in time due to the latency issues. Also/sidenote: When re-amping with the Axe-FX, does the first bit of the track always get cut off/tapered? I've noticed this happen after my whole issue.

With ASIO4All, I was able to get my headphone mix routed to the output in the M-Audio, which essentially did what I wanted too, but was far too delayed.

What I was thinking, was picking up an interface and run my Axe-FX through it. My concerns are that I still need to do re-amping, and would like to do this through the Axe-FX. It would be ideal not to have to switch my audio device everytime, and obviously I don't want the latency issues I've described above. I also would like to be able to just turn my Axe-FX on and play through my near-field monitors for practice. I only have one set of monitors, so I would have them plugged into the outputs of this new interface. Not sure if there's some way to connect the Axe-FX to the interface, and still have live monitoring like when you have the monitors hooked up to the output 1 of the Axe-FX, and still have minimal delay in signal. 

tl;dr: Is there some way to hook the Axe-FX through another interface, and still be able to hear it live through the same set of monitors?

*Got some feedback on Fractal Audio Forums, recommended mixer. Now I've got the trouble of how to set it up so I can have:
*
1) Live monitoring
2) Re-amping ability
3) Ability to record wet and dry tracks simultaneously
4) Use my interface as main audio device

This is what I posted as a reply there:

Alright, didn't think of the mixer route. How would I go about re-amping with the mixer? I would essential have this setup for my system with the mixer, correct?:

Guitar > Axe-FX (Output 1) > Mixer (Stereo input) > Soundcard (inserts on soundcard?) > Computer

Or should I have my monitors hooked up to the mixer? Output from soundcard, to mixer, to monitors?

And with re-amping now, instead of using the USB, I could have the signal routed to say output 1/2 from the soundcard, which would go to the mixer, then to the rear inputs in the Axe-FX?

Sorry if I'm making an easy problem more difficult that it needs to be.

Edit: And I like being able to record the wet and dry signals (1/2 and 3/4) simultaneously, so can I do this by sending the Output 1 and Output 2 to the mixer, or is it even possible any more?


----------



## Seanthesheep

Ok so Ill prolly buy myself an axe fx soon but for now I may be getting a good deal on a mesa 2:50 poweramp. Should I pull the trigger? i have a mesa thiele 112 with an EVM that Ill use the rig with. And untill I get an axe I can run my POD through the power amp for fun

Or should I pass on the poweramp and buy myself a powered PA wedge onstead?


----------



## Augminished

How good of a deal? Such a good deal you could flip it no problem (or for a profit)? 

I have used mine with a VHT power amp and liked it but I prefer going direct. But, if it is a good deal I say pick it up and if you don't like it sell it.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Well potentially it couldve been just for some d gear I dont use but now the guys asking 500$. Not sure what they go for new but the 2:90 seems to go for 800$ used so It seems like a decent deal. 

And Id probably run direct to the PA for FOH but use this for stage sound and such or for cases where there isnt a PA


----------



## Augminished

I think they previously went for around $1200 new (could be wrong). I think they are also discontinued (could be wrong here too) but I have not seen them listed anywhere in a while. 

Honestly, I would think about going FRFR if you plan to go direct most the time.


----------



## engage757

VILARIKA said:


> He releases some, head over to the Fractal forums and search up his name
> 
> EDIT: Fractal Audio Systems Forum




Am I the only one that can't get membership activated there?


----------



## engage757

what foot controllers is everybody having good experiences with besides the mfc?


----------



## Seanthesheep

So I finally have the rig planned as well as the prices that Ill be getting it for

Axe Fx Ultra (1400$, possibly less)
Presonus firepod/studio or focusrite saffire pro40 (400$ tops)
KrK Rokit5 (300$ for a pair)

And those are the major components. down the road Ill add a MiDi controller, a wireless and a powered PA speaker or two (probably when I rejoin a band). Ill probably use this oppritunity to learn to do proper recordings too


----------



## Scrubface05

I love my Rokits. I got a pair of the 6's for the same price as the 5's, which was awesome. The ferrari set is baller


----------



## Augminished

engage757 said:


> what foot controllers is everybody having good experiences with besides the mfc?



A friend of mine just picked this up: Tech 21 MIDI Mouse Pedal | Musician&#39;s Friend

He bought it used for $40. It is really simple but he really digs it.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Scrubface05 said:


> I love my Rokits. I got a pair of the 6's for the same price as the 5's, which was awesome. The ferrari set is baller



Should I go for the 8s or are the 5s more than enoygh?


----------



## Sepultorture

Seanthesheep said:


> Should I go for the 8s or are the 5s more than enoygh?



you'll have better bass response with the 8's, with the 5's you might find yourself compensating the bass by adding more, which can translate badly to standard stereo audio systems (i.e. anything not monitors)


----------



## Seanthesheep

Ok then Ill have to demo both out i guess 

Btw any other mobitors worth checkig out in the same price range?


----------



## Sepultorture

hs50's are pretty sweet monitors, you can get those for $199 a monitor, so it's about 100 more for a pair but well worth it, and i find the mixes come out much more balanced with them as compared to the rockits. but for decent quality and the rockit 5's for the price can't be beat.

others will chime in with some reccomendos soon


----------



## Seanthesheep

Ill check them out, thanks. And yea Im still open to anymore suggestions


----------



## Aftermath1

Despite the new samples on the Axe FX 2, is there any point in getting it for recording over the Ultra. I mean for pure practicality. The only thing I can think of as a plus is the USB and headphones. But then the USB isn't a huge advantage as you'd still need an interface for monitors.


----------



## Andromalia

you don't need an interface for monitors, there are L/R monitor outs on the axe 2.


----------



## Aftermath1

Andromalia said:


> you don't need an interface for monitors, there are L/R monitor outs on the axe 2.



But then when I'm playing back a recording would it still come through the monitors. I guess it would because it counts as an interface itself?


----------



## electricred

I suggest passing on those Rokit 5s. The HS50Ms are a HUGE upgrade. I wouldn't touch the Rokit series. Yes, I've owned both sets, so I'm speaking with experience. I have HS80Ms now, and honestly the HS50Ms represented guitar sounds much better. You aren't going to overcompensate with the HS50Ms. If you are dialing in guitar sounds, you are likely going to be filtering out most the extended range that the HS80Ms represent better, and the HS50Ms have a more pronounced midrange that the HS80Ms lack. Get the HS50Ms, they're great for Axe FX, and cheap. Also, if you're planning on keeping monitors on top of a desk, 8" monitors can get kind of ridiculous.


----------



## electricred

VILARIKA said:


> He releases some, head over to the Fractal forums and search up his name
> 
> EDIT: Fractal Audio Systems Forum


IIRC, he doesn't post there anymore because he got into an argument over the fact that he wanted to keep patches to himself instead of sharing. He wanted to reserve them for professional work. IMO, that's ridiculous, and sharing some sounds isn't going to threaten his work, but they're his to share or hoard. There was a patch of his on another message board though, maybe over on metalguitarist.org, but I can't remember.


----------



## Augminished

Agreed about the HS80M's being better but they are more expensive (for the 8"). There is a reason why I use them whenever I record.

I disagree about the I wouldn't touch the rokits. I use them for my keyboard and they sound great! If you are thinking of buying a set demo both of them and pick which one you like more.


----------



## Sepultorture

Augminished said:


> Agreed about the HS80M's being better but they are more expensive (for the 8"). There is a reason why I use them whenever I record.
> 
> I disagree about the I wouldn't touch the rokits. I use them for my keyboard and they sound great! If you are thinking of buying a set demo both of them and pick which one you like more.



also true, it comes down to preference really my buddy Dan went to audio recording school same as me and he loves the Rockit 5's, i had Rockits and didn't like how my mixes translated to other mediums

it's like all things music, you either like it or you don't


----------



## Sepultorture

Aftermath1 said:


> But then when I'm playing back a recording would it still come through the monitors. I guess it would because it counts as an interface itself?



also true, it's an interface aswell and anything being played back from your DAW will come through the usb, to the axe to the monitors, been thinking about MAYBE using the AXE 2 as my interface when i get one, dunno, will see how i feel about it when i get one


----------



## electricred

Augminished said:


> Agreed about the HS80M's being better but they are more expensive (for the 8"). There is a reason why I use them whenever I record.
> 
> I disagree about the I wouldn't touch the rokits. I use them for my keyboard and they sound great! If you are thinking of buying a set demo both of them and pick which one you like more.


I was saying the HS50Ms (5") are actually better for Axe FX use, even more so than the HS80M (8"). The Rokits are plain ol' not flat. They do sound 'good', and that's precisely the problem with them. Too much bass, not enough high-end, mushy mids. The HS50Ms are 400 for the pair, possibly even cheaper after shopping around, while the Rokit 5s are 300. For the amount of money spent, the HS50Ms are leaps and bounds better for a reference monitor. Although, if he's simply wanting to plug into something to play along, then the Rokit 5s will do the trick.


----------



## DMAallday

I have a quick question for axe fx users!!! I'm looking into getting an ultra or 2 and I was wondering if I could use my peavey 6534+ as a power amp, if so easily? sorry for the noob question ha trying to figure out if the switch is worth it!


----------



## Larrikin666

DMAallday said:


> I have a quick question for axe fx users!!! I'm looking into getting an ultra or 2 and I was wondering if I could use my peavey 6534+ as a power amp, if so easily? sorry for the noob question ha trying to figure out if the switch is worth it!



Yup. Just plug the Axe-FX into the effects return on the Peavey.


----------



## Seanthesheep

DMAallday said:


> I have a quick question for axe fx users!!! I'm looking into getting an ultra or 2 and I was wondering if I could use my peavey 6534+ as a power amp, if so easily? sorry for the noob question ha trying to figure out if the switch is worth it!




Just get rid f the peavey, I got rid of my 6534 over the weekend (finally) could be happier, now its just a wait for my axe II


----------



## DMAallday

Larrikin666 said:


> Yup. Just plug the Axe-FX into the effects return on the Peavey.



does that mean I can only use effects though? like delay, reverb, etc?


----------



## DMAallday

Seanthesheep said:


> Just get rid f the peavey, I got rid of my 6534 over the weekend (finally) could be happier, now its just a wait for my axe II



if you don't mind can you explain why? is buying a power amp better for the sound?


----------



## Larrikin666

DMAallday said:


> does that mean I can only use effects though? like delay, reverb, etc?



No, plugging directly into the effects return bypasses the Peavey preamp. You'd the utilizing the poweramp and cabinet only, so you can use the preamp and effects from the Axe-FX.


----------



## DMAallday

awesome!!! is that a good way to do it? or should i just invest in a preamp! also since ill be running this through a orange 4x12, I shouldn't use amp sims correct? thank you for the help!


----------



## mwcarl

DMAallday said:


> awesome!!! is that a good way to do it? or should i just invest in a preamp! also since ill be running this through a orange 4x12, I shouldn't use amp sims correct? thank you for the help!



It's a perfectly fine way of going about using your current amp as a power amp in conjunction with the Axe FX 2. In that configuration you'd likely want to turn power amp and cab sims off on the Axe FX 2, but that's to your taste. 

Using your amp head as a power amp is a bit of a waste since it's heavy and you're only using a small amount of its capability. It does mean you don't have to buy another piece of equipment, and you can still use the amp head whenever you want instead of the Axe FX 2 preamp. Whether or not a separate power amp would sound better depends entirely on which one and what your tastes are.


----------



## Seanthesheep

DMAallday said:


> if you don't mind can you explain why? is buying a power amp better for the sound?



A dedicated poweramp would be smaller a lighter but other than that theres not much of an advantadge, just really didnt get along with my 6534, although the best sounds Ive ever heard frpm it was through prange cabs sooo


----------



## Scrubface05

I'm having a really difficult time dialing in a good tone. All the ones I dial in have this bright metallicy sound and I can't get rid of it no matter which guitar I try out or which parameter I change. 

The first one labeled Axe fx patch test is the one I'm talking about.
http://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Updated amp models in FW 6.0 according to Cliff. SWEET!!!!!



> "All the Bogners have been totally redone, sorry LOL. Almost every amp model has been "matched" to its real-life counterpart. This was an exhausting, pain-staking, ordeal that involved matching the gain and tone-control response and then doing a distortion and EQ match and saving all that data into the model"
> http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...0#post12876960


----------



## Andromalia

yeah been waiting for 6.0 for quite a few weeks now, I want it NAO. Looks like it's a very serious software update even exluding the tonematch stuff.
that's part of why I went axe II after the axe 1: Fractal's followup on software is just phenomenal.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Yea Ive been reading about how epic 6.0 will be. Glad Im on the wait list


----------



## MetalThrasher

YES! My name finally came up on the list and I ordered yesterday. I already have an EV ELX112P, XLR cable, headphones, and speaker stand ready to go! The only thing missing is a laptop. I have never used or played a guitar processor before as I always played tube amps. I want to get into recording which I have zero experience with. I am in a band but we just jam in the house. I would like to record full songs and maybe down the road make a cd of them. I was looking at the 13 inch MacBook Pro with the i5 processor with the 4GB memory. Is this a good choice for what I want to try and do? Thanks everyone. BTW I'll more than likely start posting a lot once I get it. I'm just starting to read the manual now.


----------



## Aftermath1

Andromalia said:


> yeah been waiting for 6.0 for quite a few weeks now, I want it NAO. Looks like it's a very serious software update even exluding the tonematch stuff.
> that's part of why I went axe II after the axe 1: Fractal's followup on software is just phenomenal.



Being lazy here, but when does it come out?

I've finally joined the Axe Fx club


----------



## Andromalia

Soon©


----------



## walleye

Scrubface05 said:


> I'm having a really difficult time dialing in a good tone. All the ones I dial in have this bright metallicy sound and I can't get rid of it no matter which guitar I try out or which parameter I change.
> 
> The first one labeled Axe fx patch test is the one I'm talking about.
> Lolzroyce's sounds on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free



sounds like you could be using a "bad" cab sim. see if you can find a 4x12 V30 SM57 cone 4", you might be able to download one from somewhere


----------



## jdecaire

Can anyone suggest a cheap pair of powered monitors? I was looking at the M-audio AV30's they're only $99 (I don't really want to spend over 200 at the moment) I only need them for playing at home. Has anyone used them with their axe-fx?


----------



## Aftermath1

How do I see on the Axe FX 2 which firmware I'm running?

Edit: Found it!


----------



## Scrubface05

Honestly, if you can get the extra $100 go for a pair of KRK Rokit 5's. I use the 6's with my Ultra and I love it. They're extremely accurate.


----------



## Metalus

MetalThrasher said:


> YES! My name finally came up on the list and I ordered yesterday. I already have an EV ELX112P, XLR cable, headphones, and speaker stand ready to go! The only thing missing is a laptop. I have never used or played a guitar processor before as I always played tube amps. I want to get into recording which I have zero experience with. I am in a band but we just jam in the house. I would like to record full songs and maybe down the road make a cd of them. I was looking at the 13 inch MacBook Pro with the i5 processor with the 4GB memory. Is this a good choice for what I want to try and do? Thanks everyone. BTW I'll more than likely start posting a lot once I get it. I'm just starting to read the manual now.



Is there a specific reason you went with the EV ELX112P?


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Scrubface05 said:


> Honestly, if you can get the extra $100 go for a pair of KRK Rokit 5's. I use the 6's with my Ultra and I love it. They're extremely accurate.



I've heard several people complain about using Rokit 5s with the Axe-Fx.

I use Rokit 6s aswell, their awesome!


----------



## TheProgWay

New Ultra owner! Loving it!!!


----------



## FadexToxBlack81

very very broad question so I am sorry for the "noobieness"

so I am running my Ultra through a Carvin ts100 into a cab. I am working on a live tone and right now I just have an overdrive pedal in front of the amp block and then the amp block. I have a general eq following that. (I play death metal btw)

what other effects/features of the ultra do you guys think I am missing in my chain? I feel like for a rythem sound I am being to simplistic with the unit. I am generally happy with my tone but everyone knows that can be improved.


----------



## Aftermath1

drawnacrol said:


> I've heard several people complain about using Rokit 5s with the Axe-Fx.
> 
> I use Rokit 6s aswell, their awesome!



I've got Rokit 5's coming later today so I'll let you know how it goes!


----------



## Bekanor

FadexToxBlack81 said:


> very very broad question so I am sorry for the "noobieness"
> 
> so I am running my Ultra through a Carvin ts100 into a cab. I am working on a live tone and right now I just have an overdrive pedal in front of the amp block and then the amp block. I have a general eq following that. (I play death metal btw)
> 
> what other effects/features of the ultra do you guys think I am missing in my chain? I feel like for a rythem sound I am being to simplistic with the unit. I am generally happy with my tone but everyone knows that can be improved.



The dual amp feature is really good, maybe you can come up with some awesome combinations. Though my best results with my axe have come from running 2 blocks of USA Lead.


----------



## jeb

Hey guys!! very long time I didn't post here... what an idea to have 2 kids 

Anyway!! I just make the jump and I'm wainting my axe-fx ultra in 2 weeks.

I saw a video of a guy who run is electric guitar with piezo in the axe fx. I use an input for the electric side and the other for the piezo.. One output for is power amp, and an other output how goes to the pa for the acoustic sound. With the patch builded for that like a row with some blocks for the piezo and another row with blocks for the electric sound.

I'm wondering if I can do the same thing but I would like to work like this and I don't know if you guys can confirm that I can do this exact thing :

Input one ----- Magnetic pickup
Input two ---- Piezo pickup

Hook up the axe fx in stereo to my marshall 9200 power (patches without cab and power sim)
Hook up the axe fx to the PA in mono (using same patches splitted with the power and cab sim to ON)
Hook up an other output to the PA for the piezo sound

I'm pretty sure I can do this kind of setup by using the 9200 in mono with the axe in mono but using it in stereo will be a little plus hehe

Thanks!!
Jeb


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Aftermath1 said:


> I've got Rokit 5's coming later today so I'll let you know how it goes!



Cool, would love to know if theirs much of a difference.


----------



## Aftermath1

drawnacrol said:


> Cool, would love to know if theirs much of a difference.



Well I don't know the differences between the 5 and 6 since this is my first pair but I'll let you know what I think anyway.


----------



## FadexToxBlack81

Bekanor said:


> The dual amp feature is really good, maybe you can come up with some awesome combinations. Though my best results with my axe have come from running 2 blocks of USA Lead.



I have alot of trouble fine tuning the sounds of the second amp. Do you mix the level of the second amp lower than the first amp?


----------



## Aevolve

Anyone have any success with or know of any decent MIDI to USB adapters that I could use with my Axe Ultra until I have the cash for a decent interface?


----------



## MetalThrasher

I just got my AXE FX2 on Tuesday! Never played a unit like this. Always a tube guy until now! Only played on Tuesday for a few hours as work calls. I took off tomorrow so that I can play around with it. So far this is awesome! I have it hooked up to an EVLX112P speaker and it kicks. I can play at reasonable levels yet crank it and keep up with my drummer.  I tried to run the firmware update to 5.07 and when I hook the unit up to my macbook it shows that is is running but I know something is not right. Please help me with this update process. I have the download in my computer but yet it does not seem to work. BTW I haven't even played with tweaking and so far my favorite presets are 22, 29, 33, 35, 37.


----------



## MikeH

Just received my Standard yesterday. I have a lot to learn.  I basically just have it running through two stereo speakers at the moment (which I've used for all of my recording), and it seems fine. I'm waiting on my MIDI to USB cord to get here. Will that be a good enough method to record digitally with? I know the majority of people use audio interfaces, but would the MIDI to USB work just as well?


----------



## mwcarl

You can't use MIDI to record, you need an audio interface. One of the reasons that people are stepping up to the AXFX2.


----------



## MikeH

So what's my most inexpensive option, without getting something pure shit?


----------



## eugeneelgr

Midi to usb is good enough.Besides the quality of your recordings really depend on what your audience/online followers are listening it through.


----------



## Andromalia

6.0 is tentatively scheduled for the 23 along with an axe edit and MFC update. Can't wait to test it I have some sound files ready for tonematching.


----------



## mikemueller2112

^ Awesome, I've got the day off too.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

TODAY feels like "VERY SOON" to me - Page 9







Its updates like this that justify the price of the AxeFX for me.


----------



## mikemueller2112

drawnacrol said:


> Its updates like this that justify the price of the AxeFX for me.



No doubt. The constant improvement is great, especially with digital technology since it can lag behind relatively fast. Cliff definitely wants the Axe-FX to be ahead of the curve.


----------



## MikeH

eugeneelgr said:


> Midi to usb is good enough.Besides the quality of your recordings really depend on what your audience/online followers are listening it through.



I ordered this.





That should at least be able to get Axe Edit to work, right? Obviously there's no audio connection to my computer so I can't record any sound. I'm just curious if there's a cheaper option to be able to use it on my laptop to record instead of spending $250 on an audio interface like a PreSonus interface. For instance, could I use something like this to just get the audio signal from my Axe-FX to Cubase?

EDIT: Nevermind. Regardless, I need help.


----------



## MetalThrasher

Awesome just got mine Tuesday I have 5.06 I can't figure out to update but I will by the 23rd


----------



## mwcarl

MikeH said:


> I ordered this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That should at least be able to get Axe Edit to work, right? Obviously there's no audio connection to my computer so I can't record any sound. I'm just curious if there's a cheaper option to be able to use it on my laptop to record instead of spending $250 on an audio interface like a PreSonus interface. For instance, could I use something like this to just get the audio signal from my Axe-FX to Cubase?
> 
> EDIT: Nevermind. Regardless, I need help.



I'd post at the Fractal Audio forums (see also their wiki for tips and howtos) to figure out what USB to MIDI adapter will work. You'll probably also get more Axe FX related help there, if your questions haven't already been answered there. I recall that some don't support certain messages that Axe-Edit requires. I've done almost no recording before, but I'm under the impression that you don't have to spend $250 to get an audio interface that sounds okay/good. Maybe around $100 for an M-Audio Fast Track?


----------



## Larrikin666

MikeH said:


> I ordered this.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That should at least be able to get Axe Edit to work, right? Obviously there's no audio connection to my computer so I can't record any sound. I'm just curious if there's a cheaper option to be able to use it on my laptop to record instead of spending $250 on an audio interface like a PreSonus interface. For instance, could I use something like this to just get the audio signal from my Axe-FX to Cubase?
> 
> EDIT: Nevermind. Regardless, I need help.



I got one of these originally with my first Axe-FX. I was able to use that for updating firmware, but couldn't get it to work when using Axe-edit. It just wouldn't ever connect. The Midisport Uno is the cheapest alternative I found.


----------



## MikeH

Ah. I see. Well, I did find a package deal from PreSonus that includes an AudioBox USB, an MXL 990 mic, two Fostex PM0.4 monitors, mic stand, monitor cables, and a mic cable for $320. Sounds like a decent deal to me, no?
PreSonus Audiobox USB Recording Package | Musician&#39;s Friend


----------



## Andromalia

Tomorrow when I get the release I'll do a 2 minutes to midnight tonematch test, the intro riff should be enough I hope just before the drums come in.
I just need to find myself a passive guitar tuned to E....


----------



## Larrikin666

MikeH said:


> Ah. I see. Well, I did find a package deal from PreSonus that includes an AudioBox USB, an MXL 990 mic, two Fostex PM0.4 monitors, mic stand, monitor cables, and a mic cable for $320. Sounds like a decent deal to me, no?
> PreSonus Audiobox USB Recording Package | Musician&#39;s Friend




I wouldn't even bother with that package. Those are shitty monitors. You're better off buying the interface by itself, then getting some decent monitors separately.


----------



## Scrubface05

I wish I had a 2..Think I finally dialed in a pretty decent tone as well though.
If anyone feels like listening,
Formosawesome 4/22 midsection by Lolzroyce on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


----------



## Rook

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-f...-controller-101-firmware-version-2-01-up.html

It's up!

First on SSO to download, readysteadygo!!!


----------



## Lorcan Ward

First!!!! Time to run through all the updated amps


----------



## maximummetal288

YES! Time to play with v6.0! 

This bit has me REALLY excited: "Improved tuner with strobe tuner accuracy and detection down to G0."


----------



## Andromalia

here's a 6.0 guitar take, bass and drums are original, guitar is NOT tonematched...yet (I used the mark IV)

SoundClick artist: Vaestmannaeyjar - page with MP3 music downloads


----------



## Rook

Fractal Audio Axe FX II V6 Demo v2 by Praxis111 on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

My new patch.

The kicks clipping the crap out of it for some reason, my bad. 

You probably don't get the full effect from that but it feels fantastic and my strings are totally different. The controls feel fantastic, particularly as a long time die hard Mesa user.

My Mark patches have lost a little bit of cut, but gained a real authentic sponginess with higher master levels and the mid gain and FAT additions go a long way to filling the sound out in a way it never did before. I haven't tried out any others yet, just the ones I mostly use but they all felt new.

EDIT: Updated my clip, mix is a little fuller and you can more prominently hear my mistakes


----------



## Larrikin666

Fun, you need to email that patch. I like the dynamics you have going on there.


----------



## Rook

Sure thing, PM me your email addy 

Only cos it's you


----------



## xfilth

After 2 minutes of playing with the new tone matching:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6017642/Match test.wav


----------



## Rook

Holy shit that's amazing!

Care to trade patches?


----------



## Andromalia

I'm back home, gonna fetch the new axe edit and play some tonight


----------



## Rook

....aaaaand I've worked out how to make an inverse microphone.

Ok.

Set the local input of the tone match to sum L+R (standard) and make one without the mic just on whatever cab you have setup. I've been doing this mono by the way.

Then set the Ref source to whatever row your signal chain is on and switch on a mic in the cab block. In my case this was an SM58 because I own one (a real one haha).

Do the reference match and save the impulse as (for example) SM58.

Record your favourite real amp tone with an SM58. Put the tone match after the amp, and a cab block with the mic impulse after it and it removes the mic.

Done.


----------



## xfilth

Fun111 said:


> Holy shit that's amazing!
> 
> Care to trade patches?



Sure, you can mail me at [email protected]


----------



## kmanick

xfilth said:


> After 2 minutes of playing with the new tone matching:
> 
> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6017642/Match test.wav


 
Holy crap that sounds spot on
can you do Damage Control?


----------



## Lorcan Ward

The tone matching block is a really nice feature. I was able to match 4 of Petrucci's rhythm tones in a few minutes.


----------



## xfilth

kmanick said:


> Holy crap that sounds spot on
> can you do Damage Control?



I realize my mutings are different/looser than the original, but the tone itself is pretty good  

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6017642/Match%202.wav
 
EDIT: In case those links don't work: 
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6017642/Match.mp3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6017642/Match 2.mp3


----------



## Aftermath1

When I download someones patch it overwrites the preset I was on, is there a way to quickly revert back to the old preset or move it to a different preset number?


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Aftermath1 said:


> When I download someones patch it overwrites the preset I was on, is there a way to quickly revert back to the old preset or move it to a different preset number?



Go to the "Save as" drop down menu in Axe-Edit and click save to new location.
From there you can choose what preset to save over.

I am really digging the Diezal Vh4 now. Before I found myself constantly switching amps and cabs but its much easier to home in a tone now.


----------



## mikemueller2112

Got a Matrix GT800FX on the way now. Haven't used the Axe-FX through the cab yet, pretty excited.


----------



## Larrikin666

This firmware is awesome. I cannot freakin wait to get some patches from people who profile their amps. There's already a guy on the Fractal forums doing his ENGL Savage. I'll break into his house and steal that patch if I need to.


----------



## Andromalia

I'm trying to do a decent Amon Amarth take but the best and longest solo guitar track I found was the intro to Hermod's ride to Hel, if someone has a better idea or better (and longer, more varied) source.  
The result as of now is not bad, though. I'll try to record something tomorrow.


----------



## petereanima

So, finally got me the new firmware, but won't have time until next week to try everything out with a little bit of time...

But I will so tonematch SunnO)))


----------



## Augminished

petereanima said:


> So, finally got me the new firmware, but won't have time until next week to try everything out with a little bit of time...
> 
> But I will so tonematch SunnO)))



I was thinking about doing the same thing 

I will get to it this weekend but it should be epic.


----------



## themike

Andromalia said:


> I'm trying to do a decent Amon Amarth take but the best and longest solo guitar track I found was the intro to Hermod's ride to Hel, if someone has a better idea or better (and longer, more varied) source.
> The result as of now is not bad, though. I'll try to record something tomorrow.


 
Open "Pursuit of Vikings" mp3 in your DAW. Cut out the begining riff (solo'd guitar). Then in a new session, paste that clipped section a few times over and voila - an isolated Amon Amarth track long enough to tonematch


----------



## Andromalia

I'll try it too, not sure how a B chugging riff will translate well, one note doesn't seem a lot to make an EQ filter across the whole range ^^ Asator also has a few seconds of single guitar.


----------



## xfilth

Okay, this feature is pretty awesome. Matching the tone from Stengah. This time I exported the first match as a cab and then matched again and it's really that much more precise! Still, the process itself is a breeze and it took no more than 2-3 minutes.

This clip is the original from 00:00-00:05 and my match starts from the long note at 00:05. This time I'm truly having a hard time telling the difference!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6017642/Stengah TM.wav


----------



## Andromalia

Exporting as a cab gives a really different result from the tonematch for me, is that more or less WAI ?


----------



## MetalThrasher

I just updated to 6 last night. I really want to make the most of this. I want to replicate my orange thunderverb 50 and my Mark III. What do I need to get in order to do this? I love the upgrade the stock sounds are good. Really digging 33! About clipping.... when I am playing the two bars hit the red once in a while is that ok? I very seldom see the clipping light go on below the bars.


----------



## mikemueller2112

MetalThrasher said:


> I just updated to 6 last night. I really want to make the most of this. I want to replicate my orange thunderverb 50 and my Mark III. What do I need to get in order to do this? I love the upgrade the stock sounds are good. Really digging 33! About clipping.... when I am playing the two bars hit the red once in a while is that ok? I very seldom see the clipping light go on below the bars.



The red lights should be "tickled". Basically you want them only flickering on the hardest strums, adjust the instrument input level until you get there.


----------



## cyb

has anyone tried matching dino's demanufacture tone?


----------



## xfilth

Andromalia said:


> Exporting as a cab gives a really different result from the tonematch for me, is that more or less WAI ?



If you export as a cab, you have to either disable the TM block or Tone Match again including the cab


----------



## Aftermath1

MetalThrasher said:


> I just updated to 6 last night. I really want to make the most of this. I want to replicate my orange thunderverb 50 and my Mark III. What do I need to get in order to do this? I love the upgrade the stock sounds are good. Really digging 33! About clipping.... when I am playing the two bars hit the red once in a while is that ok? I very seldom see the clipping light go on below the bars.



Hopefully this helps, this guy is awesome!


----------



## ROAR

If someone could help me out with my Axe II:

I have it connected to my Macbook via USB,
and out through the Left XLR output of my Axe II 
it goes to a Mackie HD 1531.
I changed my system preference sounds so the Axe Fx is my
Output and Input. But when I play songs through iTunes it
only sends out the left channel, how can I get it to play
both channels?


----------



## MetalThrasher

Thanks Aftermath for the tone match video. Can you please help me get this tone from Nolly both the rhythm and lead. I have no idea where to start. Here's the clip I would really like to get the tone of. https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=humbuckers&sub=contemporary&pickup=aftermath

It's the death metal clip.


----------



## Aftermath1

MetalThrasher said:


> Thanks Aftermath for the tone match video. Can you please help me get this tone from Nolly both the rhythm and lead. I have no idea where to start. Here's the clip I would really like to get the tone of. https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/pickups.php?cat=humbuckers&sub=contemporary&pickup=aftermath
> 
> It's the death metal clip.



I'm not able to do it right now (not at my PC) but to do it you'll need to open up the track in your DAW and mute everything over than the rhythm when matching that. Then the lead when doing that. Could be a bit of a pain to do, I'll have a look when I've got some time free


----------



## MetalThrasher

Thanks Aftermath! Please mind my questions as I am new to all this stuff. I'm still trying to figure out how to use garage band as I just got a Mac last week and that is new to me as well lol. Once I get the hang of it I am going to get logic.


----------



## Aftermath1

MetalThrasher said:


> Thanks Aftermath! Please mind my questions as I am new to all this stuff. I'm still trying to figure out how to use garage band as I just got a Mac last week and that is new to me as well lol. Once I get the hang of it I am going to get logic.



No worries man, I'm still an Axe Fx noob as it goes anyway. We're all here to learn and enjoy!


----------



## Metalus

I keep hearing that the Alto TS115A wins in this department, while Ive heard other people suggest Electro Voice. What do you guys recommend?


----------



## brutalwizard

Axe-Fx II Tone Matching Tutorial - YouTube

Just saw this, looks like there is no reason to get a kemper anymore. I mean it demonstrates the technique on an recorded song but i can only imagine all the crazy amps people will profile with this.


----------



## Larrikin666

Metalus said:


> I keep hearing that the Alto TS115A wins in this department, while Ive heard other people suggest Electro Voice. What do you guys recommend?



I just got rid of my EV EXP112P. They sounded okay, but they really get boomy for anything tuned below B.


----------



## Sepultorture

brutalwizard said:


> Axe-Fx II Tone Matching Tutorial - YouTube
> 
> Just saw this, looks like there is no reason to get a kemper anymore. I mean it demonstrates the technique on an recorded song but i can only imagine all the crazy amps people will profile with this.



don't really wanna jack the trhead away from AXE FX goodness, but the Kemper is still cheaper and better distribution all around, not needing it ANYMORE< i don't see that happening. I can get a Kemper for $1600 Canadian, in store, downtown Toronto. the AXE FX 2 is $2200 with coupon, and then add shipping, taxes and duties for it coming into Canada.

it's still a far cheaper product for Europeans and Canadians, and still cheaper for US residents. and many have said that they can get a tone from a mic-ed amp and tweak it easier than trying to tweak something good sounding out of the AXFX.

we shall see with time, but i think i'll still go Kemper. Why tweak for days from stock or others patches when i can mic up my fav sounding head and cabs with the mics i like and even further tweak the profile of the sound i like.


----------



## Seanthesheep

The difference between the 2 IMO comes down to what you have acess to. 

If you dont have consitent ascess to nice amp that you can profile, the axe provides more options in the box and is a bit more flexible. 

But if you already have acess to lots of good amps and just want a library of tone, then the kemper seems to be a better buy


----------



## ROAR

Kempers cool, if you own a studio and have access to
all the things the Axe already offers.


----------



## Aftermath1

Second part to the first tone matching video I linked, just come out.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

I posted a ton of tone-matching tips/tricks on the fractal forum:
Tone-Matching Tips & Tricks: Double Tone-Matching/Blending etc

Enjoy!!!


----------



## Sepultorture

ROAR said:


> Kempers cool, if you own a studio and have access to
> all the things the Axe already offers.



it has EQs, effects, amp models provided, plus you can download amp profiles from anywhere on the internet. and is it really that hard to go to a friends house and mic his rig and get some of the tones, all free (cept the kemper of course)

i beleive with time the axe fx could def give the kemper a run for it's money with tone matching and maybe one day it's own full form profiling. and let's be honest the axe already has a massive headstart on the kemper.

i don't see limitations on the kemper like some do, you don't need to have a studio (although it's nice), you can snag profiles from anywhere, and there will be more as popularity grows, and many have said they like how much simpler it is to tweak something to their liking that with the axe fx


----------



## Andromalia

the axe actually requires less and less tweaking. Presets sound better out of the box over time and updates, and the matched knobs make it way easier to dial in for someone used to amps and not so much with digital equipment.
Patches are becoming simpler, you don't have to pile EQs, blocks, filters etc anymore to get a good sound. A simple cab+amp setting and you're halfway there. Using the advanced parameters is less and less necessary, some people still do it out of mere habit.

Not to say its better than the kemper or anything, especially since I nver tried a kemper myself. but the Axe II isn't the tweaking nightmare some people say, except if you're one of those persons anal retentive about that bump at 6842hz using two multitap delays at once.


----------



## Sepultorture

I can dig that Fractal is making their product more and more user friendly, over time it could vary wel come down to just price between the two, who knows.

even if the two were exactly the same, i think i'll go with whats cheaper and more accessible (still waiting on them coming to stores here though)

if i could afford it i would be all over an AXE FX 2 in a mere heartbeat, i've always wanted one. just can't fathom footing another $600, even before shipping and taxes, when i can get what i want already local and cheaper. really probably just gunna come down to price between the two really

Anywho i'm not gunna keep posting in the axe fx thread this whole Kemper Vs Axe Fx thing, this space is for the Axe fx and i shall keep it as such.


----------



## Az_Spirit_Crusher

Andromalia do u have any interesting presets of your own to share by any chance?  if yes, gimme a PM.


----------



## BerriedAlive

This was recorded with my Axe FX Ultra.


----------



## Scrubface05

Did a cover of Born of Osiris's "Ascension" if anyone feels like checking it out. Was playing one of their songs the other day and realized my tone is kind of ridiculously similar hah, so I decided to cover one. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBFMu5xJw4Y


----------



## MetalThrasher

Larrikin666 said:


> I just got rid of my EV EXP112P. They sounded okay, but they really get boomy for anything tuned below B.


 
I just got an EV EXP112P two weeks ago and I am running straight into the Axe Fx2. Mind you all this is new to me but so far I think this kicks. I'll know sometime next week when I get my Carvin DC 700 setup down a whole step. I wanted to get a Mackie but a got I good deal on the EV.


----------



## Weimat01

Hey guys, My macbook pro has stopped connecting to my axe FX II. The axe fx works fine on its own, but the midi inputs don't show up on the mac in the system preferences anymore. I just updated the firmware, so that might have something to do with it. Any ideas?

Edit: Reinstalled mac drivers and it works fine now


----------



## MetalThrasher

Does anyone have a good death metal patch that they mind sharing? I would really appreciate it. If so, can you please pm me. I am tweaking and getting some decent tones but I would like to see how others are creating patches so that I can learn. I will definately share some patches once I feel I have made some good ones.


----------



## Rook

I have one that I use for that sort of thing here

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/195869-axe-fx-ii-v6-0-demos-patches.html

But I don't know how closely it sticks to what one would call a death metal tone, I just do what I like haha.


----------



## Andromalia

I'll share mine soon, presidential elections over here quite a busy day.


----------



## Scrubface05

It seems like nobody discusses the standard or the Ultra in here anymore, and it's mainly just the two. Since patches are incompatible, should there perhaps be another thread made specifically for the two?


----------



## Rook

What do you want to know?


----------



## tank

sorry guys, any good rithm 5150 patch for the ultra?


----------



## Rook

Fractal selling 'new' ultras for $1600 on their site?

That's gunna kill used prices completely!


----------



## getaway_fromme

Fun111 said:


> Fractal selling 'new' ultras for $1600 on their site?
> 
> That's gunna kill used prices completely!



Thank god. The used prices for fractal were ridiculous.


----------



## Seanthesheep

#HOLYSHITJUSTGOTMYCOUPON


----------



## Sepultorture

Seanthesheep said:


> #HOLYSHITJUSTGOTMYCOUPON



WOOT, now let me come over and wank yer new axe fx ,when you've come down from your high of course


----------



## Seanthesheep

Well im not ordering it till the 18th but still soooooo happy 

Btw your in oshawa. Do you know a local band called denied existenece?


----------



## pvtcornflower

Anyone that ordered the Axe-FX II, how long were you on the waiting list before they contacted you?


----------



## Aftermath1

Anyone got a decent Parkway Drive patch? Being lazy here..


----------



## Seanthesheep

pvtcornflower said:


> Anyone that ordered the Axe-FX II, how long were you on the waiting list before they contacted you?



I joined the list march 9th and got the coupon may 7th so thats 2 days short of 2 months for the north america list


----------



## pvtcornflower

Seanthesheep said:


> I joined the list march 9th and got the coupon may 7th so thats 2 days short of 2 months for the north america list



Cool, man. Thanks! I'm pretty excited to finally be taking the leap. I have been looking at these forever. The $800 coupon sold me.


----------



## dmg470

Hi Guys,

I know there is a lot of topics on the Ernie Ball pedals but I can't seem to find a answer for the problem I'm having on any of the topics. I've also tried on the Fractal forum but I'm not getting much luck.

Currently, I've been using one of the expression pedals on my Roland FC-300 to control the volume but today I was given a Ernie Ball Stereo 25k Pedal and really like the feel of it, so I'd like to use it as my volume pedal instead of using the the FC-300.

Here's a link for the pedal I have;

Ernie Ball UK - 25K Stereo Volume Pedal for use with Active Electronics or Keyboards

The problem I have is I can't seem to get my Axe FX Standard to even recognize the EB pedal. In the I/O menu, when using the learn feature on external 1 it picks up nothing, I then set the external 1 to pedal 1 which I'm guessing it should be but still nothing. The patch has external 1 set as the source and I've also tried the various volume tapers and still nothing. I've wired it up to the pedal 1 jack at the back of the Axe FX using a 1/4" TRS to 2 1/4" mono jacks which then go into the in and output of the EB pedal. I've also tried the EB pedal connected to my Roland FC-300 MIDI board as an external expression pedal, I also setup the input on the MIDI to for it to be an expression pedal, but once again no response.

Is there something I'm missing?

I've checked all the cables with a multimeter and they are all fine, I've also checked the EB pedal as part of the signal chain to check if it works and it works fine too.

One thing I have noticed though which maybe a irreverent is that when I tap one of the cables when their not plugged into the EB pedal it opens the volume and if I tap it once again it closes it. 

If you could help me with this problem then that would be great






Thanks in advance,

David


----------



## noUser01

What are my options for a cheap, temporary MIDI switching unit for my AxeFX 2 (Which should arrive tomorrow )? I'm leaning towards the one Behringer makes because it's only $150 and has two expression pedals as well. This is only if I need to use it live in a pinch or so the guitarist in my band can use it if he wants to.


----------



## incinerated_guitar

Rocktron Midi Mate, or just save a few more bucks and get the Voodoo Labs GCX and never buy another switcher for it again


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Go ahead and go with the Behringer if you want the expression pedals. Look used and you can probably find one for under $100.

Oh, and check this out. May help you QUITE a bit:
FCB1010 UnO Firmware


----------



## noUser01

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Go ahead and go with the Behringer if you want the expression pedals. Look used and you can probably find one for under $100.
> 
> Oh, and check this out. May help you QUITE a bit:
> FCB1010 UnO Firmware



Cheers man, that's a great find!

I'll look into the Rocktron as well, thanks!


----------



## Winspear

Not an Axe user but I love my Behringer. People complained about the programming..Took me a day to get my head around but it's very easy. I didn't even use the software, that should make it a lot easier!


----------



## Rook

I thought the ext things were for MIDI?

To make a volume pedal work as an expression you need only to connect one mono cable from the output of the pedal to the expression pedal jack. There are probably pedal jacks on your floor unit, which you may have to calibrate or something like you do on my ground control, or you plug it into the back of the axe. The pedal jacks on the back of the axe are designed for expressions, so of you allocate it to an ext block I imagine it'll be treated as a momentary switch.


----------



## Rook

I got my ground control used for less than that.

Just sayin'


----------



## illimmigrant

Got on the list on March 28. Received my coupon this morning.


----------



## Winspear

I don't know how it relates to the US, but my friend got on the list for G66 and they emailed him saying it would only be a month, he wasn't ready and asked them to delay it!


----------



## illimmigrant

similar deal here. The code in the e-mail is valid for 30 days. If you don't buy it whithin that period, you can e-mail them when you're ready to buy an they'll send you a new code. No need to ask for an extension.


----------



## Winspear

That's cool  They said to him though, that if he missed this shipment and there wasn't another before he was ready, that they would have one kept with his name on it from this one.


----------



## Imbrium998

So then based on wait times, if I wanted one for Sept/Oct, I should put in somewhere about June/July? Does that sound right? Still finishing off paying my 2 guitar builds heh


----------



## Seanthesheep

I went on march 9th got the coupon may 7th. 

Thats for canada


----------



## flint757

By July I imagine it will be significantly easier to get one.


----------



## Scrubface05

Anyone else use the Behringer FCB1010? I ordered one from the store I work at so I'm excited to try it out. I've heard awesome things considering the price.


----------



## noUser01

About 2-3 months for me.


----------



## 3074326

/waitlisted


----------



## Eclipse

I got a used GCPro for $175.


----------



## noUser01

Never thought about looking at the used market. Thanks fellas, I might try and grab a GCX or something for cheap. I still have to get separate expression pedals but at least it would be a more permanent footswitching unit.


----------



## xeonblade

Behringer FCB 1010 +1


----------



## Joelan

Scrubface05 said:


> Anyone else use the Behringer FCB1010? I ordered one from the store I work at so I'm excited to try it out. I've heard awesome things considering the price.



I do, it works just fine. The board itself and the switches feel nice and solid, but the expression pedals are a little flimsy feeling. It's surviving gigs though!

I have the UNO firmware chip on the way as well, so I can use the top row of switches like stompboxes, should make it even better.


----------



## Depths

If you're not doing much patch changing, I used a rocktron midi xchange, was the cheapest I could get and never had a problem with it


----------



## Rook

ConnorGilks said:


> Never thought about looking at the used market. Thanks fellas, I might try and grab a GCX or something for cheap. I still have to get separate expression pedals but at least it would be a more permanent footswitching unit.



GCX is a physical switching unit, it goes in a rack and turns loops or switches on and off.

You'll have some trouble finding a ground control if you search GCX


----------



## Krucifixtion

I got on the wait list early in February and waited like 2.5 months. It's def worth the wait. Considering I waited for a whole year for something that never came out, a couple months flew by


----------



## noUser01

Yeah I know, but in stores up here if you want EITHER product you have to ask for a GCX, so I've just taken to calling the whole system that, heh.


----------



## MobiusR

tech 21 midi mouse also?


----------



## Wookieslayer

MobiusR said:


> tech 21 midi mouse also?



Simplest and cheapest lol. I just picked one up myself.


----------



## right_to_rage

2-3 months for me too, came up yesterday. Might have to post pone too, which is also an option once you get the ticket.


----------



## N1h1l1ty

I have nothing but great things to say about my FCB1010 - Ive used it both to do all the switching on my Axe Standard, and used it with a custom cable that I made for my Peavey JSX and 5150. Its really flexible in terms of what kind of rig you want to use it with!


----------



## noUser01

Hey guys.

So I just wanted to know what the best idea would be as far as setting up the AxeFX 2 to use live. More importantly, what GEAR I should go with to make it work.

Before I start, do I need a power amp if I'm NOT using a guitar cabinet?

Anyways. I was thinking the best idea would be to run Output 1 to the board via BALANCED XLR cables (I'm assuming no DI is needed), and somehow I wanted to buy my own FRFR monitor (so my monitor sounds exactly the same as my KRK's at home, no need to tweak tones at venues as much) but I want to have the same mix that the rest of the band is getting.

So yeah, any recommendations on how that setup works gear-wise or, other setup options, I'd like to hear what you guys do. Thanks!


----------



## Kristianx510

I think if you want to run it FRFR all you need is the Axe FX


----------



## noUser01

Kristianx510 said:


> I think if you want to run it FRFR all you need is the Axe FX



Thanks man. So basically Output 1 > PA and Output 2 > FRFR monitor? Only issue is how do I get the band in that mix... I'd need to snag the Sound Guy's mix somehow, and send it through my monitor.


----------



## cyb

yeah you wont need a power amp if you are using an active FRFR monitor. You will probably still have to tweak because FRFR monitors won't sound exactly like KRK monitors. (in my experience at least)


----------



## noUser01

cyb said:


> yeah you wont need a power amp if you are using an active FRFR monitor. You will probably still have to tweak because FRFR monitors won't sound exactly like KRK monitors. (in my experience at least)



Yeah I assumed they'd just be pretty close, but not spot on. Plus in a bass heavy room like mine... =/


----------



## Scrubface05

Glad to hear all the good things about the FCB1010! Haha. Can't wait to get mine.


----------



## Rook

If you want to get the monitor feed from up front, you just need to buy a little mixer. You run your monitor feed from the axe into the mixer, take the monitor feed the sound guy would be sending to your monitor into the mixer and output with your own monitor mix to your own monitor.

You probably don't need your own monitor tbh, it'll sound pretty similar through house monitors however I have one so I can not only play at home or with a drummer (and without PA) but also so I can sit it at the back of the stage facing out should the need for a little more be there.


----------



## walleye

i would disagree, i think you need your own monitor


----------



## Rook

^based on what?

Everywhere I've played (mostly shit venues) have decent monitors. If you're going to have your own monitor just to put everybody else through it anyway it's sort of redundant.

As I have my own monitor, I'd have everybody else's feed separate and use mine just for me. It won't give any better a representation of the FOH sound though because the changes of FOH using £800 a time HD1221's is pretty slim.

I'm not arguing with you, but you made a statement and didn't give any reasoning.


----------



## 2ManyShoes

Scrubface05 said:


> Anyone else use the Behringer FCB1010? I ordered one from the store I work at so I'm excited to try it out. I've heard awesome things considering the price.



I have one. I use it to control my TC rack stuff. You can also channel switche amps as part of a preset, which is nice. Haven't gigged it in a while (haven't gigged at all in a while), but it was rock solid when I did.


----------



## 2ManyShoes

Sorry if this is old news, but I was checking the waitlist thread at Fractal (I should get my code in about 2 or 3 weeks, I think) and noticed that the MFC-101 foot controller is also sold out and waitlisted now. In other words, to get the FX-II and the foot controller, you need to be on *two *lists.

Here's the link if you're interested. 

MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller - Order Online


----------



## Seanthesheep

Yea I noticed. What happened thatcaused the mfc to spike in sales?


----------



## flint757

nothing they regularly have them in stock. The waitlist is for $100 off...or it least that was what it was about before.


----------



## 2ManyShoes

flint757 said:


> nothing they regularly have them in stock. The waitlist is for $100 off...or it least that was what it was about before.



I tried to put one in my cart and it told me they are out of stock.


----------



## flint757

Well yeah they probably are, what I meant was that they come in stock pretty regularly as in they restock periodically.


----------



## Seanthesheep

And the waitlist is to actually buy one, there is no coupon discount. Says right on the MFC's product page


----------



## flint757

Well like I said I hadn't checked in awhile. Just 6 months ago when I was interested the waitlist was only for the discount. Ya know I appreciate Cliff for what he does, but he really needs a better work model because it just doesn't work anymore. it's kind of selfish, he knows the demand is un-waivering so its almost like he refuses to increase cost and expand. He can be a bit of a douche in his own forum too.


----------



## nojyeloot

FYI from Cliff over at the Gear Page:



> 6.01 is in beta test. The testers are raving about the new Leslie sim, the new amp models and the new drive models.
> 
> I am out-of-town until next Monday so it won't get released until I get back.


----------



## Seanthesheep

I saw that too. Does that mean this mondy coming up or a week from that monday?

All 3 channels of the 5153 plus possibly new diezel sims


----------



## 2ManyShoes

Arg! wish my code would hurry up and get here!


----------



## Seanthesheep

just ordered my axe fx ii. Nbd


----------



## Aftermath1

nojyeloot said:


> FYI from Cliff over at the Gear Page:



Damn I haven't even messed with 6.0 for longer then an hour yet!


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Pic and an explanation







My power amp is completely split between left and right channels. I will not get output on both channels if they both dont have a cable going into them. Now, my Axe FX will only send a signal out one of the unbalanced outputs. How to I get it to send out both outputs so I dont have to use the splitter anymore?


----------



## Larrikin666

Go into the I/O menu. There should be an option to copy output 1 to output 2.


----------



## leftyguitarjoe

Larrikin666 said:


> Go into the I/O menu. There should be an option to copy output 1 to output 2.




YEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!! 

Thank you immensely.


----------



## Seanthesheep

UPS, why do you suck so much


----------



## hellraizer84

ok first off sorry for not putting this in the massive axe fx thread,i had a look through as much as i could take haha so i put this here in hope that someone may be able to help..

ok i fully understand the differences between the standard and ultra but it is the difference between the standard and 2 im interested in

i know all the extra features the 2 has but my question is this...

if i dial in a tone on the standard will that same tone sound different/better on the 2?

i just cant afford the 2 or ultra right now but might be able to stretch to the standard on ebay,but im worried i wont get the tone im after (which inevitably as may have guessed is a dirty djent tone haha)

iv heard the 2 in action doing periphery ect but iv never heard the standard do the same thing exactly....

sorry this whole djent+misha+axe fx thing is cropping up again haha,hope someone can help.cheers


----------



## hellraizer84

yeah...i should have put this in the axe fx Q+A...sorry guys me noob


----------



## flint757

mail in general dude...USPS is shipping one of my packages back because of a "wrong" address.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Seeing as the AFX standard doesn't come with a noisegate...how usable is the high gain stuff at louder volumes? 

For reference I don't use a noisegate when using my recto at band practice and we use quite a bit of gain.


----------



## Kristianx510

I don't have an Axe FX, so my opinion wont be the best out there. But I have watched/listened to demo after demo of the Axe standard/ ultra and 2, so I can tell you that even thought the standard doesn't have as much to offer as the 2, it can definitely nail almost any tone you want.


----------



## walleye

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Seeing as the AFX standard doesn't come with a noisegate...how usable is the high gain stuff at louder volumes?
> 
> For reference I don't use a noisegate when using my recto at band practice and we use quite a bit of gain.



i think the standard does have a noisegate at the input. the ultra has that plus one extra one you can put anywhere in the chain. i'm sure you'll be fine with the standard and its input gate


----------



## hellraizer84

Kristianx510 said:


> I don't have an Axe FX, so my opinion wont be the best out there. But I have watched/listened to demo after demo of the Axe standard/ ultra and 2, so I can tell you that even thought the standard doesn't have as much to offer as the 2, it can definitely nail almost any tone you want.



thanks for the reply man,good to know,ill keep digging!


----------



## hellraizer84

hope that someone may be able to help..

ok i fully understand the differences between the standard and ultra but it is the difference between the standard and 2 im interested in

i know all the extra features the 2 has but my question is this...

if i dial in a tone on the standard will that same tone sound different/better on the 2?

i just cant afford the 2 or ultra right now but might be able to stretch to the standard on ebay,but im worried i wont get the tone im after (which inevitably as may have guessed is a dirty djent tone haha)

iv heard the 2 in action doing periphery ect but iv never heard the standard do the same thing exactly....

sorry this whole djent+misha+axe fx thing is cropping up again haha,hope someone can help.cheers


----------



## Dores

The Standard will give you all the tones you want. The 2 is easier to tweak.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Get the 2. I only owned a pod hd before jumping up and man is it confusing. I can get good tones but its so frustrated if i had gone with an ultra instead which is harder to tweak


----------



## bigswifty

^ Speaking of the Ultra supposedly being harder to tweak;
I've had some real trouble making tones that really shine lately, and it affects my playing. I was wondering if anybody could offer some tips or suggestions to starting out a new tone from scratch. For any type of tone.

I've been trying to find a good website/source for gear used during X album recording type stuff so I have a basis to go off of when making a new tone.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Try to keep things simple. 

I dont know how well itd work on an ultra but try amp cab and maybe a boost/noisegate. Tweak that utill your almost completly satisfied then use an EQ after te amp


----------



## Weimat01

I just got a FCB1010 with the uno chip and I'm trying to set it up with the axeFX II. Can anyone tell me how to assign presents to the switches?


----------



## hellraizer84

just to ask this agin more clearly,does the axe fx standard SOUND different to the axe fx 2?

i know it has loads extra features ect and additional sounds but do the "regular models" sound the same on both or better on the 2?cheers


----------



## Winspear

Weimat01 said:


> I just got a FCB1010 with the uno chip and I'm trying to set it up with the axeFX II. Can anyone tell me how to assign presents to the switches?



http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/197575-behringer-fcb1010-roland-sp404.html


----------



## Kristianx510

I have seen quite a few people set up their Axe FX's at home with nothing but the unit plugged into a computer, and I know it sounds good DI in the studio or at home, but how does it sound live?


----------



## Seanthesheep

AMP DEMOS 1 by seanthesheep on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

CLIPZ!


----------



## Demiurge

Devin Townsend runs his direct live and sounds damn good.


----------



## Adeamus

It sounds good enough that I sold a Mesa 4x12, a VHT fatbottom and a VHT 2:90:2 poweramp to flip over to just playing direct.

Here is my band live about a month ago, its slightly blown out, but literally everything is direct other then the vocals and drums. All guitar and bass are AxeFX2


----------



## Underworld

MFC-101 - is it worth it? (pairing with an Axe-Fx II) Considering I could use the Rocktron midimate I already own?


----------



## Augminished

^ Wondering this too. Also does anyone know how long the wait list is for the MFC?


----------



## Larrikin666

Underworld said:


> MFC-101 - is it worth it? (pairing with an Axe-Fx II) Considering I could use the Rocktron midimate I already own?



It really depends on what you need to do with the midi controller. If you're just going to do basically patch changing, then you don't need it. The MFC is awesome in Axe-FX mode though. I learn how to do something new all the time.


----------



## Underworld

Larrikin666 said:


> It really depends on what you need to do with the midi controller. If you're just going to do basically patch changing, then you don't need it. The MFC is awesome in Axe-FX mode though. I learn how to do something new all the time.


 


What more can you do with it? Please share you experience with us


----------



## Larrikin666

This sums it up better than me.



Basically, I love being able to kick on delay or compression within a patch instead of changing to a different one. It's simple things like those options that make my day.


----------



## Aevolve

Howdy guys- I'm getting a Matrix GT1000FX to run my Ultra through in the next couple weeks. Just out of curiosity (as I imagine one of you guys have used your Axe with a Matrix poweramp)- what method should I use to connect it? Just normal 1/4" cables? And if so, what cable(s) would you recommend?


----------



## Rook

It almost doesn't matter, its just a line level signal which are quite high impedance, loading issues associated with cheap cables are a non issue. Any decent, hardy patch cable will more than suffice.


----------



## hellraizer84

hellraizer84 said:


> just to ask this agin more clearly,does the axe fx standard SOUND different to the axe fx 2?
> 
> i know it has loads extra features ect and additional sounds but do the "regular models" sound the same on both or better on the 2?cheers



anyone?thanks


----------



## Mazzy

Yes, the standard and ultra use a completely different modeling "technology" than the Axe FX II uses.


----------



## flint757

^^^I don't think that is true, it has newer hardware which allows for the software and algorithms to be more complex helping you get more realism, but at the core they are the same tech. The only difference is software, more of everything (amps, effects, etc.) and the headphones and interface aspect of it which are absent on the earlier models.


----------



## j_m_s

I don't think the MFC 101 has a wait list per se.. At least it didn't when I got it.. I just waited around and checked the site daily.. One day i saw the add to cart button on the MFC and i clicked it and then a week later it arrived here in sunny Singapore. (They don't ship direct here so I had to use a forwarding company).

Great unit, well worth the coin in my opinion.


----------



## flint757

Apparently they are officially waitlisted because of demand and his slow ass build process. He put a note on the shopping page about it. He really needs to kick things up a notch, but c'est la vie.


----------



## walleye

flint757 said:


> ^^^I don't think that is true, it has newer hardware which allows for the software and algorithms to be more complex helping you get more realism, but at the core they are the same tech. The only difference is software, more of everything (amps, effects, etc.) and the headphones and interface aspect of it which are absent on the earlier models.



no, he was right, the axe 2's models are completely reworked from the ground up. they then found that the reworked models wouldnt fit on the ultra so they brought out a new box to accomodate them.


----------



## 2ManyShoes

Finally got my code! 

Got on the list on 4/19, got the code last night (5/29).


----------



## 2ManyShoes

Woohoo, it shipped already!


----------



## Uziel




----------



## Seanthesheep

Oh my god, the Vox AC30 and AC15 sims are kicking my ass 

EDIT: OH THE ENHANCER BLOCK. made my day


----------



## Mazzy

I am diggin' the new 5150 III red channel model.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Oh my god yes. And Im really digging the tweaks to the transformer match parameter. Everything is sounding alot more "open" and clear


----------



## getaway_fromme

Mazzy said:


> I am diggin' the new 5150 III red channel model.



The blue channel channel boosted. Sounds so good. My new favorite rhythm tone.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Btw quick question. I hear alot of people complaining about the high gain amps being to fizzy or bright. I actually have the opposite problem. Almost all the sims are inherently dark sounding. I can tweak them to sound great so it isnt ne essarily a problem. Thing is Im only running headphones. Could the impedance of the headphones be causing this darkness?


----------



## Mazzy

I could never get headphones to sound right. The sims are definitely bright, especially when cranked.


----------



## Chris Feener

So, my Axe-Fx Ultra is SHOT. It makes a distorted, fuzzy interference type of sound on any channel with remotely high gain. I've tried different power cords, different 1/4" guitar cables, removing it from my rack, running through my power conditioner and also directly into the outlet, different XLR's, monitors, etc. I've pretty much narrowed it down to being the actual Axe-Fx unit itself. Help?

A quick video demonstration of what I'm hearing...


----------



## getaway_fromme

Chris Feener said:


> So, my Axe-Fx Ultra is SHOT. It makes a distorted, fuzzy interference type of sound on any channel with remotely high gain. I've tried different power cords, different 1/4" guitar cables, removing it from my rack, running through my power conditioner and also directly into the outlet, different XLR's, monitors, etc. I've pretty much narrowed it down to being the actual Axe-Fx unit itself. Help?
> 
> A quick video demonstration of what I'm hearing...




Email fractal. That sounds terrible.


----------



## 2ManyShoes

Hey, UPS just dropped off my Axe-FX II! 

Too bad I'm at work. Hmmm ... maybe I'd better whip out the Steinberger Spirit I keep hidden under my desk . . .


----------



## 2ManyShoes

Can you get acoustic (Larsen-effect) feedback from the FX-II?


----------



## Aevolve

Welp, got my GT1000FX today!
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/200168-nad-keanu-reeves-loads-blinky-lights.html

Hooked my Ultra up to it and got to hear it for the first time... Cleans are unbelievable. Gonna take a bit of tweaking to get my high-gain the way I like it, but I can see that the potential is there. Any tips on how to get rid of fizziness and make patches sound more organic?


----------



## Ajaydizzle

hey guys, i need some advice. 

so I should be recieving my axefx ultra in the mail shortly, and i have been looking for a decent midi foot controller to go along with it. unfortunately the Mfc-101 is a little out of my price range. i looked into the voodoo lab ground controller which is substancially cheaper. although i am looking for something a little cheaper for the moment. are there any other substitutes or would going cheaper be a bad decision in the long run?
ive also checked into another foot controller, the keith McMillen soft step.
Keith McMillen Instruments SoftStep USB/MIDI Foot Controller FREE NEXT DAY AIR! | eBay
could anyone with experience with midi controllers and the axefx weigh in on this? 
much appreciated!


----------



## flint757

Behringer seems to be the go to if people can't afford the ground control or something more expensive. 

Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Footcontroller | Musician&#39;s Friend


----------



## Mazzy

welp fellas i posted my axe fx 2 in the sale section i guess im out of this boat... been a fun ride and no real complaints about the product, im just a simpler kinda guy.


----------



## Aevolve

Anyone had any luck making a patch for something like a SiKth tone?

I have an Ultra, btw.


----------



## noUser01

For those who own an AxeFX, where do you dial in your tones? Headphones at home? PA? Studio monitors? What kind of environment should I be using to make my patches and tones in?


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

I would dial my tones in wherever/however I intend on using them. If you're running it into a poweramp live with a real cab it will sound nothing like when you use it with your computer/through FRFR setups, etc...

But you already know this


----------



## noUser01

Heh. Yeah my problem is I use them live direct into a PA, at home on studio monitors and headphones, and in the studio on different monitors.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

I guess you'd have to do different patches? Even playing at a different volumes throws things off usually :\


----------



## noUser01

Yeah, it's just a pain to create my own patches, let alone create 3 different version of all of them. ):


----------



## walleye

you have to dial them in at the same volume that you perform with them at otherwise they will be nearly unrecognizable when you crank them up later on. so, unless your studio monitors can reach 110db then i wouldnt recommend using those to dial them in. i'm in a similar problem myself; no safe haven


----------



## getaway_fromme

You'll be getting different results with different venues anyway, so why worry? You seem to have the usual setup...if you don't want to depend on FOH for your monitoring, then you need to bring your own like everyone else! Otherwise, don't fret about it.


----------



## Rook

I have 2 recording patches, a number of patches I just play with through my ref monitors, 5 'live' patches and a couple of loud live patches.

It's just the nature of it.


----------



## Seanthesheep

So im gonna have the chance to get a jbl prx612m, an EV EXP thing (the new 600$ 1000w wedge) pr the alto ts112 a or 115a

112a 300$
115a 350$
EV 600$ taxes in
JBL 800$ taxes in

This will be mainly for my axe II. The jbl is got me gassing hard but is it really worth the price of a K10?


----------



## oryphic

I'm currently running an maudio fast track ultra, but connecting anything midi while one my Mac seems to be problematic, as well as my UNO. The maudio UNO is just bad, unless you're just using a keyboard for simple beat making and what not - but I expected more from the fast track. My question is for all the Mac users, whats the best bang for your buck midi interface for what I need? I'm really just looking to be able to use axe edit from time to time... With it not being a pain in my ass to get working every time. Thanks!


----------



## Aevolve

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Anyone had any luck making a patch for something like a SiKth tone?
> 
> I have an Ultra, btw.



Bumping for an answer to this? One and only bump, then I'll go back to tweaking.


----------



## Rook

^Seriously boosted Marshall 800 into Mesa cab. I think I tailed of some very high end and boosted around 1-2k just a little bit.

Try the 808 mod boost with the gain off, tone pretty high and level on half to start. Get the Marshall 800 set up with the bass quite low, mids quite high and trebl to taste but above half way. Mesa can darkens it a little and gives it the slightly modern EQ shape too. Bright mode will help the Marshall bite a little, and I THINK that was one of the amps I switched on 'boost' and had the gain about 2-2.5. Adjust the level of the 808 mod to get the gain were you want it.


----------



## Aevolve

I don't go FRFR so I don't use the cab sims..


----------



## Francis978

Here is my question since I was too lazy to read this thread at 1:30 Am XD

How much does the Axe-FX II cost? And what else would I need with it to be content? I assume you don't just buy that one thing.

Thanks all


----------



## flint757

I believe it $2200

you'd need power amp and cab/passive monitor or active monitor

That is probably about as bare minimum


----------



## Seanthesheep

I got my axe II with the waitlist coupon and it waa 2650$ after shipping and taxes to canada. 

Realistically youd be fine with just headphones but a a PA speaker and MiDi cpntroller are super helpful


----------



## Spaceboy

The Axe FX II, especially with high-gain, sounds dreadful with headphones.


----------



## Underworld

My Axe-Fx II is on it's way! I should get it on monday, june 18th! CAN'T WAIT!


----------



## Francis978

So the axe fx ii is near 3000 dollars (rounding it up) and how much is the midi foot controller? And that monitor the comment above spoke of? Would it be ideal for live? Or would I rather a real amp more in the end
If anyone doesn't mind (and wont kill me for asking) what's the difference between the keeper and axe fx? Pardon my ignorance. I just wanna know.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Spaceboy said:


> The Axe FX II, especially with high-gain, sounds dreadful with headphones.



Mines been working fine. Ill probably loose my shit when I run it through a PA or something for the first time though


----------



## Seanthesheep

Francis978 said:


> So the axe fx ii is near 3000 dollars (rounding it up) and how much is the midi foot controller? And that monitor the comment above spoke of? Would it be ideal for live? Or would I rather a real amp more in the end
> If anyone doesn't mind (and wont kill me for asking) what's the difference between the keeper and axe fx? Pardon my ignorance. I just wanna know.




A cheap one to only chance channels can be as cheap as 100$ (behringer fcb1010 or tech 21 midi mouse) and apparently a good and cheap powered PA speaker is the alto TS112A for 300$ plus a rack case. 

So all in all budget out 3200-3500$ to get a full axe fx rig at minimum


----------



## youshy

Guys, quick question - is there anyone with ultra/II and orange rockerverb to do side-by-side comparison?


----------



## 2ManyShoes

2ManyShoes said:


> Can you get acoustic (Larsen-effect) feedback from the FX-II?





Never got a response--does anybody know?


----------



## 3074326

Got my coupon today.. put myself on the list on May 11th. The wait is getting shorter! 

SO FUCKING EXCITED THOUGH HOLY SHIT


----------



## Francis978

Goddamn, waitlist must suck XD Knowing its coming

Anyone ever play the kemper though?


----------



## 3074326

Francis978 said:


> Goddamn, waitlist must suck XD Knowing its coming
> 
> Anyone ever play the kemper though?



Slowest month ever.


----------



## flint757

I have a kemper and Ultra. Kemper sounds awesome and is fairly simple to use. I don't know how close the amp models included are because I haven't played most of them, but it was able to encode my Mark IV and it sounds exactly like it plugged into my monitors which is pretty damn cool. I intend to do as many profiles of my Mark as I can and then I am going to sell it.

Having both is cool because the models in the axe are awesome as well and there are way more effects. Kemper stuck with the basics there.


----------



## Seanthesheep

3074326 said:


> Slowest month ever.



Couldve been 2


----------



## Francis978

Can you actually download patches for the kemper? Or do you need to plug into an amp and make the profiles yourself? I am not too sure how a kemper works, I understand the axe fx to a basic extent, I only know axe is a modeler and a kemper is a profiler


----------



## 3074326

Seanthesheep said:


> Couldve been 2



I expected to wait longer.. I'm definitely not complaining!


----------



## Francis978

When they come back in stock how many are usually in stock :O


----------



## flint757

You can download profiles off the web and upload them via a USB stick. Same way you do firmware updates.

Yes it is a profiler, but in all actuality it is just a modeller with the ability to capture other amps as well. The profiling is easy, adjusting settings is easy. The only complaint I have is it takes a minute to start up and only has Distortion/overdrive, phaser, chorus, wah, delay, reverb, flanger, compressor and EQ. So in other words no crazy effects and possibly no looper (haven't tried). There may be more effects, but I can't recall.

That is where the axe takes the lead IMO.


----------



## Francis978

So in other words the axe is MUCH more versatile. I keep hearing "Kemper is cheaper and does the same thing" of which it made me think, well why does everyone still go for the axe? I personally think the axe looks much better


----------



## flint757

Well yes and no. Interms of basic tone I'd say Kemper is more versatile, but there are more things you can adjust in axe fx while kemper does all the leg work there.

In terms of effects it includes all the essentials and has a wide variety. The good news for both is free updates. The kemper very well may get more effects in the long run.


----------



## Francis978

Which is more Ideal for live performances? 

With the axe fx it looks like you can punch in tone after tone to your hearts content. and you can share patches and tone match and everything.

The Kemper, can you do the same? Or do you need o actually plug into an actual amp to profile it, i am very ignorant to how the kemper actually works


----------



## flint757

They can do similar things you don't actually need an amp at all for either. For live use you will need active monitors, passive monitor with a power amp or power amp and cab for either one.

I'd say Axe fx is better for live use because of start up time, reliability, and form factor, but they both work fine for live use. The start up time is the only real deadly issue because if the power glitches it takes awhile to get things back up and running. Most people agree it is perfect for studio use though. There are more similarities than differences. The main difference is IMO Kemper is more realistic (true to the amp it models), axe has more (maybe better undecided on that one so far) effects, and axe fx fits better in a guitar rig since it can be rack mounted. However once they come out with either a rack version oor the power amp that can slide in the back they will both be pretty convenient. I'm not going to be very useful with your decision since I bought an Ultra and the Kemper at the same time because I couldn't decide. :

I will say that the Kemper is far easier to get used to out of the box and is easier to interface with even without a computer application. The computer application is a must for the first gen Axe fx units, no clue for the 2 though.


----------



## Francis978

Ive been wanting an axe fx, but the kemper just looked promising as well, can you share patches like the axe fx?


----------



## flint757

Francis978 said:


> Ive been wanting an axe fx, but the kemper just looked promising as well, can you share patches like the axe fx?



Yep there are a ton on Kemper's website, but you have to register your product to download them. I haven't actually done it as of yet, but I've heard it is incredibly easy.


----------



## Francis978

Gah, the fucking choices, dunkin donuts doesnt give me that kind of moneyyyyy -.-


----------



## 3074326

What's the deal with the mods/chips and whatnot for the FCB1010? It can be used without any of that stuff with the Axe II right?

I may or may not have a NGD coming up with a few new toys, and I can score one of those FCB1010s, but it's factory stock.

EDIT: I feel like such a dumbass for asking this. Just making sure before I spend any more money. Haha...


----------



## Francis978

That's actually a question I've been wondering about too. Thank you for asking xD


----------



## Seanthesheep

I think it does, but ive heard its hard to program and unmodded your realistically only gonna get patch changes. 

Im just holding out for a ground control pro


----------



## flint757

The chip is because the firmware update has to go on an eprom chip and it can't be updated via midi. So people buy or download the firmware onto an eprom chip and just install it. It is literally a firmware update. They all do different things though there is Uno which gives you customizability and makes it easier and there is Eureka which apparently you can buy with your specific product in mind to make it an instant connect kind of thing, however this will not work well with Axe since Cliff won't release certain info they'd need to make it work. So for now the Uno chip seems to be the best option. Again it is just a firmware update, but because you can't connect to it to upload the firmware you have to directly download it to the chip. The firmware itself is free, but you have to have the proper equipment and most people don't so they spend $20 to buy one pre-installed.


----------



## Francis978

Gah, so much to think about o.o my feeble mind XD


----------



## wizbit81

GAS plus Axe 2 possibility = Overdraught.


----------



## flint757

Right now I'm going to sell my gear for the gt1000fx power amp and 2 verve 12m passive monitors and probably ground control pro with mission engineering pedal. This will take some time as I have to save some mulla and sell some shit. 

This will be the last time I buy and sell my gear I swear


----------



## Francis978

Oh money, how i need you XD


----------



## Aevolve

flint757 said:


> Right now I'm going to sell my gear for the gt1000fx power amp and 2 verve 12m passive monitors and probably ground control pro with mission engineering pedal. This will take some time as I have to save some mulla and sell some shit.
> 
> This will be the last time I buy and sell my gear I swear



It's a great power amp man, you won't regret it.


----------



## Levi79

So I finally decided I'm selling my Ultra in favor of a II. I've thought about it basically since I bought my Ultra in January, but didn't think the upgrade was worth it to me. With the new firmware and the tonematch feature I decided it's now worth it. I'm selling my Ultra tomorrow. I put my name on the wait list a few months ago just in case, so I have a code ready to go. However I wasn't prepared to pay almost $400 for shipping.... I understand I'm in Canada and it's going to be a little pricier, but if a guitar in a hard case costs $60 to ship here I don't understand why it should cost me $400 for an Axe-FX. I'd rather wait a couple extra weeks and save $300, but I guess most people who buy Fractal stuff aren't pizza delivery boys  What did it cost everyone to get their Axe II shipped to them? Anyone know of a possible way around that cost? I know if it was through USPS it would be a whole heap cheaper.


----------



## Phrygian

400$ sounds way excessive, I paid a mere 30&#8364;(40$?) from g66 in Europe. If they can't give you a better shopping quote have it shipped to Someone you know in the States and have them ship it to you.


----------



## Masc0t

Tomorrow my long awaited Axe 2 comes in and I feel that I'm adequately prepared for it.
I'm coming from a FRFR Pod Hd500 setup with 2 Alto Ts112a monitors.

For awhile I've had two rigs, a 5150 with Avatar 2x12 and my Pod FRFR setup.
I've had my 5150 rig at my drummer's house for quite some time and I realized I didn't miss it very much. Right at this time the 6.00 firmware came out and I got to looking into it and it just seemed like the next step. Now with the frequency of updates (5150 III!) I figured it was time.

So I'm selling off most of my rig but I have one question that has probably been discussed already. Is it worth keeping my HD500 around as a Midi controller, or is it a lot more complicated than that?


----------



## Levi79

Phrygian said:


> 400$ sounds way excessive, I paid a mere 30(40$?) from g66 in Europe. If they can't give you a better shopping quote have it shipped to Someone you know in the States and have them ship it to you.


Yeah maybe I'll give them a call tomorrow and see what they can do.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Levi79 said:


> So I finally decided I'm selling my Ultra in favor of a II. I've thought about it basically since I bought my Ultra in January, but didn't think the upgrade was worth it to me. With the new firmware and the tonematch feature I decided it's now worth it. I'm selling my Ultra tomorrow. I put my name on the wait list a few months ago just in case, so I have a code ready to go. However I wasn't prepared to pay almost $400 for shipping.... I understand I'm in Canada and it's going to be a little pricier, but if a guitar in a hard case costs $60 to ship here I don't understand why it should cost me $400 for an Axe-FX. I'd rather wait a couple extra weeks and save $300, but I guess most people who buy Fractal stuff aren't pizza delivery boys  What did it cost everyone to get their Axe II shipped to them? Anyone know of a possible way around that cost? I know if it was through USPS it would be a whole heap cheaper.



My shipping was 163$ and Im in the GTA in ontario. So depending on how remote in alberta you live Id believe that. I think shipping is so expensive because its a 2-3 day rush, mine went on a couple airplanes too. 

But yay! Another convert! 

And are you gonna make money flipping your ultra? I remeber you got it super cheap


----------



## Levi79

Seanthesheep said:


> My shipping was 163$ and Im in the GTA in ontario. So depending on how remote in alberta you live Id believe that. I think shipping is so expensive because its a 2-3 day rush, mine went on a couple airplanes too.
> 
> But yay! Another convert!
> 
> And are you gonna make money flipping your ultra? I remeber you got it super cheap


I wouldn't have it any other way  Getting $1550 for it.
I just don't understand why they don't have shipping options. I'd much rather have cheap shipping and wait a couple more weeks than pay out the ass. I'm going to contact Fractal tomorrow and see what they can do. I live in a smaller town, but it's right between the two biggest cities so not too remote.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Levi79 said:


> I wouldn't have it any other way  Getting $1550 for it.
> I just don't understand why they don't have shipping options. I'd much rather have cheap shipping and wait a couple more weeks than pay out the ass. I'm going to contact Fractal tomorrow and see what they can do. I live in a smaller town, but it's right between the two biggest cities so not too remote.



Yea, they usually respond quickly so hope you find out soon


----------



## Seanthesheep

Ok so theres a couple mackie HD 1521s locally going for 900$ for the pair. The guy says the tweeters need to be replaced. I know mackiea have some reliability problems but I can prolly snag on for around 400$. How much is the tweeter replacement/is it worth the risk?


----------



## Levi79

Well I got nowhere on the shipping and I don't really know anyone in the states so I just bit the bullet and got it ordered! I'm so stoked. I haven't been this stoked for a new piece of gear for so long! I have to use a piece of shit ion practice amp till it gets here unfortunately 
Going to try out some VST stuff too and see how that works out. I think any latency is going to bug me alot though.


----------



## MrPepperoniNipples

How long is the wait for the Axe fx II, say I ordered one today?

I'm in Tokyo and visited 3 guitar shops

all 3 of which had the unit for around $3150

one of them even let me demo it and choose what power-amp to use with it


----------



## Levi79

MrPepperoniNipples said:


> How long is the wait for the Axe fx II, say I ordered one today?
> 
> I'm in Tokyo and visited 3 guitar shops
> 
> all 3 of which had the unit for around $3150
> 
> one of them even let me demo it and choose what power-amp to use with it


Shoot Fractal an E-mail. They literally got back to me in minutes.


----------



## 3074326

Hoping for a quick answer here.. trying to get this shit figured out before I go to bed. 

NGD will be coming once I figured out how to record shit. 

Anyways.. trying to use the Axe II as an interface. I'm not getting any sound from my computer when I have the Axe hooked up via USB. I am getting signal into the computer, because Axe Edit is working fine/allowing me to tune my guitar. 

All I want to do is use the Axe as an interface, basically. Play along with songs/hear my DAW tracks. I'd also like to record. I think I can figure out the settings in my DAW once I get the sounds going from one system to the other. I'm usually pretty good at troubleshooting this stuff. I have my audio playback/recording settings set to the Axe. The level monitor on my PC is showing that music is actually making noise. Just not getting any sound. 

Thanks in advance.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

That's weird they have them lying around in shops in Tokyo, I thought Fractal didn't have any dealers?


----------



## 3074326

3074326 said:


> Hoping for a quick answer here.. trying to get this shit figured out before I go to bed.
> 
> NGD will be coming once I figured out how to record shit.
> 
> Anyways.. trying to use the Axe II as an interface. I'm not getting any sound from my computer when I have the Axe hooked up via USB. I am getting signal into the computer, because Axe Edit is working fine/allowing me to tune my guitar.
> 
> All I want to do is use the Axe as an interface, basically. Play along with songs/hear my DAW tracks. I'd also like to record. I think I can figure out the settings in my DAW once I get the sounds going from one system to the other. I'm usually pretty good at troubleshooting this stuff. I have my audio playback/recording settings set to the Axe. The level monitor on my PC is showing that music is actually making noise. Just not getting any sound.
> 
> Thanks in advance.



Can't get it to work.. I've asked the Fractal forums.. so frustrated! Love the unit, but fuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. I just want to record some shit.


----------



## flint757

Did your DAW playback before is it new as well?

If the Daw after you've added it in are showing playback, but you don't hear anything then the track or the whole thing is attempting to be played back elsewhere. Adjust your playback/record settings.


----------



## 3074326

flint757 said:


> Did your DAW playback before is it new as well?
> 
> If the Daw after you've added it in are showing playback, but you don't hear anything then the track or the whole thing is attempting to be played back elsewhere. Adjust your playback/record settings.



I'm using it with Reaper, which works fine with the old POD I have. It lags like crazy when I plug in the Axe. Won't even record. But there's no sound coming out even when I play the metronome. The sound on my PC is set to the Axe, and the sound in Reaper is too. I'm at a loss. 

A friend is bringing his interface tomorrow to see if it works with that. I can get those at dealer cost so it's no big deal if that works fine. I have this much invested, fuck it, might as well go a couple hundred more. Haha


----------



## flint757

Well that is all I got 

I do remember someone having similar problems involving reaper so i suggest doing a forum search.


----------



## 3074326

flint757 said:


> Well that is all I got
> 
> I do remember someone having similar problems involving reaper so i suggest doing a forum search.



It's doing the same thing in Fruity Loops. I know, Fruity Loops isn't a DAW exactly, but I set the input/output to the Axe just to see if it was Reaper and the same thing happened. Really laggy, no sound. There has to be something I'm just missing.


----------



## 3074326

It's working now, and I have no fucking clue why. I plugged it into my laptop and downloaded the drivers to see if it would work (it still wasn't on the desktop). It worked on the laptop. Then I plugged back into the desktop and it was fine. No idea, but I honestly don't give a shit. All is good, I can now enjoy this thing to its full potential.


----------



## Rook

I'd consider using an interface anyway tbh, the Axe isn't amazing as an interface haha.


----------



## 3074326

Fun111 said:


> I'd consider using an interface anyway tbh, the Axe isn't amazing as an interface haha.



I'm only using it for guitar/bass recording, is there any benefit to having an interface if that's all I'm going to be doing? 

I'm pretty clueless when it comes to interfaces.


----------



## walleye

3074326 said:


> I'm only using it for guitar/bass recording, is there any benefit to having an interface if that's all I'm going to be doing?
> 
> I'm pretty clueless when it comes to interfaces.



depends how serious you are taking the recordings. if its just for demos/fun/sharing ideas then make do with what you have and don't hemorrhage money for the sake of it like most guitarists do


----------



## Levi79

Today is the day! UPS is supposed to be bringing me my Axe-II. However, it's 2:15 and I work at 3:30.


----------



## tbshreddin

3074326 said:


> It's working now, and I have no fucking clue why. I plugged it into my laptop and downloaded the drivers to see if it would work (it still wasn't on the desktop). It worked on the laptop. Then I plugged back into the desktop and it was fine. No idea, but I honestly don't give a shit. All is good, I can now enjoy this thing to its full potential.




You said you had the Axe set as your playback device? Did you have speakers plugged into the Axe itself then? If not, there's your problem. It's attempting to send the sound to the output of the Axe, to which nothing is hooked up. If you want to just hear the Axe through your computer speakers, try setting your DAW setting for the input to be from the Axe and output to your basic output.


----------



## jjcor

Has anyone here used an axe fx ultra with a high gain amp 4cm? I'm wanting to use one with my engl invader but kind of worried about the hiss people complain about. If so what amps do you use with it?


----------



## Seanthesheep

Finally got to play me axe II through a PA system today for thw first time as a posed to my headphones 

Sustains realy nicely and spunds very different. Not mind blowing but deff worth the money IMO


----------



## Rook

I used my previous Ultra 4CM with a Mesa roadster, getting the levels sorted was marginally tricky but once that was done it was perfect.

I don't know what hiss you're talking about


----------



## Rook

I read a really good thread on fractal forums about making a PA sound like a cab, and just using a few tips completely changed the way my Axe sounds n feels through my 1221. I'll link the thread here if I can find it.


----------



## flexkill

I have seen many people with the AXFX and 4CM. Should be ideal.


----------



## moshwitz

Sup? 

I used mine with my Engl Savage 120 when I still had it.. worked great. Like fun111 Said,, get your levels right first,,,also pick what effect you put where wisely If you get it set right it can be very righteous.

MOSHON
DAVE


----------



## 3074326

tbshreddin said:


> You said you had the Axe set as your playback device? Did you have speakers plugged into the Axe itself then? If not, there's your problem. It's attempting to send the sound to the output of the Axe, to which nothing is hooked up. If you want to just hear the Axe through your computer speakers, try setting your DAW setting for the input to be from the Axe and output to your basic output.



I had studio monitors. It's working now anyways. I plugged it into my laptop to see if it would work, and it did. Then I plugged back into the desktop and it was fine. Not sure what the problem was, but I had all the settings on my PC correct. Didn't change a thing when it started working. I had unplugged the USB and plugged it back in about 40 times, I have no idea what plugging it into my laptop did.. but I don't care. Haha

Loving the unit! Will make a NGD soon with a recording or two.


----------



## Metalus

CNB RB-600 2-Space Rack Bag - RondoMusic.com

VS

Gator GRB-2U Padded Rack Bag GRB2U Audio Rack Bag GRB 2U Rackmountable NEW | eBay

Im gonna be using it to take from and to practice, since I use it at home for recording. Im also gonna be using it live, but its gonna be placed in a 6 space rack that I will leave at our practice space. So my question is, should i spend the extra cash for the Gator, or will I be ok with the one from Rondo.


----------



## jjcor

I was just reading that alot of people with high gain amps get some kind of hiss that is due to output 2. At least thats what it says in the manual. I was just wondering if anyone has experienced this first hand. Do you guys still use it this way or did you completely switch over?


----------



## moshwitz

Sup? 

Never had any hiss issues. I always used it like you would if it was a bunch of pedals,,all the comps, boosts, filters + eq's before the head for boost and shaping, and all the delay's chorus, reverb, pitch + some more eq's in the loop. but I did make use of both noise gates in the Ultra. the Main for the front end, and one in the chain for the back end both keyed off of the ultra input to keep it dead silent.


I am all Axe-Ultra now.

MOSHON
DAVE


----------



## schecter77

Hey guys I do not yet have an axe-fx but im looking into it and i just wanted to know some things..

Well for starters i play stuff from Avenged Sevenfold style to stuff more like Animals as Leaders and Born of Osiris kind of style.

so how much money am i looking to spend with buying the unit, the midi controller, an midi expression volume/wah pedal and anything else i would need?

any suggestions for anyone looking to purchase one of these badboys for the first time?


----------



## Spaceboy

Metalus said:


> CNB RB-600 2-Space Rack Bag - RondoMusic.com
> 
> VS
> 
> Gator GRB-2U Padded Rack Bag GRB2U Audio Rack Bag GRB 2U Rackmountable NEW | eBay
> 
> Im gonna be using it to take from and to practice, since I use it at home for recording. Im also gonna be using it live, but its gonna be placed in a 6 space rack that I will leave at our practice space. So my question is, should i spend the extra cash for the Gator, or will I be ok with the one from Rondo.


The Axe FX II isn't going to fit in either of these bags.


----------



## Rook

^Sure it is, 2u, an the Axe is 12" deep, they're both deeper than that


----------



## Spaceboy

The Axe FX II is 14" deep.


----------



## xfilth

My Axe II just died as well :/

First it froze with a blank screen and all the lights on. I tried to reboot and I hear a loud pop from the unit itself (not the speakers) and it's totally dead. 

Here's hoping G66's customer support is as stellar as I hear 

E: And a new power supply is en route from Germany  Hope that solves everything


----------



## Rook

Ah you're right I was looking at the ultra, fail 

I thought the ultra was shallower than that so god knows what that number is.


----------



## MetalThrasher

I just started listening to them and I am really digging them. I am going to buy the new album tomorrow. Anyway, I need a starting point on what amp and cab I should use in the Axe FX2. Also, what tuning do they normally play in? Thanks.


----------



## bigswifty

Could anybody please share with me some tips for getting a great sounding hi-gain patch for recording? I have endless patches that sound fantastic live, but as soon as I roll the volume back and try and record them it just sounds lacking and like shit really


----------



## Larrikin666

MetalThrasher said:


> I just started listening to them and I am really digging them. I am going to buy the new album tomorrow. Anyway, I need a starting point on what amp and cab I should use in the Axe FX2. Also, what tuning do they normally play in? Thanks.



I'm not 100% sure what amps they used on the new album. Way of all Flesh is a mix of the 5150 II and Dual Rec. I've had great success matching their tone blending those two amps. TS808 in front. Low bass and gain on both amps. Keep the mids crunchy.



dbrozz said:


> Could anybody please share with me some tips for getting a great sounding hi-gain patch for recording? I have endless patches that sound fantastic live, but as soon as I roll the volume back and try and record them it just sounds lacking and like shit really



Are you double tracking everything?


----------



## Rook

Fun111 said:


> I read a really good thread on fractal forums about making a PA sound like a cab, and just using a few tips completely changed the way my Axe sounds n feels through my 1221. I'll link the thread here if I can find it.



I started here, searched some stuff and found more, but this is mostly the stuff I use now:

best tips for "amp in the room" tone with FRFR

It makes a huge difference. My HD1221 is literally like having a 112 cab that sounds like a 412, particularly with the volume up. Solved the dispersal problems I had with the 1221 too.


----------



## bigswifty

Larrikin666 said:


> Are you double tracking everything?



Yes, you bet - hard L and R. It might be a gain issue as I haven't yet reduced it for recording. But I recall the gain on the patches being quite low as is.


----------



## Larrikin666

dbrozz said:


> Yes, you bet - hard L and R. It might be a gain issue as I haven't yet reduced it for recording. But I recall the gain on the patches being quite low as is.



Hmmm.....I think the key to Gojira's ridiculously thick and awesome tone is each guitarist double tracking with the low gain. I'm always amazed with what they put out. Jean-Michel's gritty bass tone helps add a lot of the balls to the mix.


----------



## Rook

^That, the bass is crucial. Its a really scooped centre channel and two very dry, low gain guitar channels left n right.


----------



## bigswifty

Thanks for the input guys 
I will drop that gain and see what I can do!


----------



## flint757

Yeah gain is the enemy for recorded tone


----------



## Levi79

So. Axe-FX II is awesome.


----------



## Lothar

Levi79 said:


> So. Axe-FX II is awesome.



So is also Standard and Ultra


----------



## TheDivineWing22

My coupon code for the Axe II came today. It came faster than I thought it would and I still haven't sold my Engl SE yet to pay for it.


----------



## flint757

TheDivineWing22 said:


> My coupon code for the Axe II came today. It came faster than I thought it would and I still haven't sold my Engl SE yet to pay for it.



credit card


----------



## Weimat01

My axe fx II spontaneously decided to be annoying. Whenever I adjust the volume (output level 1) there is a delay of about 20 seconds before it changes. There is also a delay when pressing buttons e.g. tuner, up down etc too. Has anyone else had this problem?


----------



## flint757

^^^My only suggestion is to just reformat it and download another firmware file.


----------



## Weimat01

flint757 said:


> ^^^My only suggestion is to just reformat it and download another firmware file.



I did both and it's still the same. It took a good 30 mins to do it. I had to press the across arrow like 100 times and before it would change the page/do anything. I can still use axe edit to change patches etc. I think I might have to ask fractal support for help.

EDIT: Now working correctly. Turns out I still had a midi cable connecting midi input to midi output from when I was performing a loop test (to get ripwerx/fcb1010 working) and it was the cause of the problems.


----------



## Omar Devone Little

Okay, sorry to be "that guy" but I'm too lazy to read anything past the first five pages or so. So I'm positive that this question's been asked and answered before. However, here's the thing:

I'm considering getting some new gear and upgrading to a big boy amp. I love the sound of real tube amps, to be honest I hate the sound of solid state amps and really love that thick, warm, and meaty tube tone. However, I also recognize that the Axe-FX can do lots of really bad ass stuff. Most of the music I play is metal, but most of the music I listen to is house. I'm still a total metal head, but I also like some of the electronic sounding stuff. I also "play" bass and keys. So here's what I'm looking at: 

I'd like to get a 5150iii because they sound absolutely mean, and I love the tube amp sound. I was planning on getting a 50watt 5150iii and a 2x12 since I'm not James Hetfield or Dave Grohl I don't need 100 watts of tube power going through a 4x12. That, and I can't fit a 4x12 in my civic and cabs and heads that big are heavy. I also noticed Bulb running Axe-FX through a 5150 as a power amp and I watched Rusty Cooley's video of Axe Fx running through a tube amp as a power amp and an actual cab and it sounded fucking filthy. However Bulb was using the 100 watt 5150 and I think out of a 4x12. I realized that I haven't asked a question yet but my question is two fold:

1.) What's the difference between Axe-FX and a Line 6 Pod HD or a Rocktron Ultra?

2.) Can I use the 5150iii (50 watt) as a power amp and run the Axe FX through a 2x12 and still get a good sound? 


I basically want to use the 5150 as my main amp, but use the Axe-FX as sort of an effects processor and also to get some strange sounds I'd need like a thousand different pedals to get. I also heard that Axe-FX works with bass too...can I plug my bass into my proposed rig and get a good sound?


----------



## Lukifer

So the axe-fx bug bit me. Im tired of my Pod XT Live and want to move into the big leagues. My main purpose with it will be recording on my PC but I want to be able to jam on it as well. I will have to sell my head and cab and probably a guitar to get a standard. 

My question is do you all think a good set of monitors would be loud enough for jamming on with a bass player and just playing in my music room?? I need monitors for proper mixing and recording anyways so if it will be loud enough to jam out on I wont worry about getting an external power amp and trying to keep my cab or get a small cab.


----------



## Aevolve

Omar Devone Little said:


> 1.) What's the difference between Axe-FX and a Line 6 Pod HD or a Rocktron Ultra?
> 
> 2.) Can I use the 5150iii (50 watt) as a power amp and run the Axe FX through a 2x12 and still get a good sound?
> 
> I also heard that Axe-FX works with bass too...can I plug my bass into my proposed rig and get a good sound?



1.) Essentially features and versatility. The Axe-Fx is generally considered to have higher-quality models and effects. The Axe-Fx is also far more powerful than either one, and has a spectacularly vast memory bank.

2.) Yes, most definitely. Periphery ran the Axe 2 through the power section of a 5150 III to record Periphery II.

As far as the bass goes, you'd need a different cabinet- but the Axe can handle bass just as well as guitar, so yes.


----------



## Omar Devone Little

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> 1.) Essentially features and versatility. The Axe-Fx is generally considered to have higher-quality models and effects. The Axe-Fx is also far more powerful than either one, and has a spectacularly vast memory bank.
> 
> 2.) Yes, most definitely. Periphery ran the Axe 2 through the power section of a 5150 III to record Periphery II.
> 
> As far as the bass goes, you'd need a different cabinet- but the Axe can handle bass just as well as guitar, so yes.




1.) Alright, thanks.

2.) Will 50 watts be enough to do it? Also does the power amp effect the tone? The Rusty Cooley demos sounded way heavier than some of the standard stuff I've seen. 

3.) As far as the bass goes I know I'll need a new cab but will I need a different power amp? Or can I still use a 5150? 

4.) How does Axe-FX respond to different pick ups?


----------



## bigswifty

Omar Devone Little said:


> 1.) Alright, thanks.
> 
> 2.) Will 50 watts be enough to do it? Also does the power amp effect the tone? The Rusty Cooley demos sounded way heavier than some of the standard stuff I've seen.
> 
> 3.) As far as the bass goes I know I'll need a new cab but will I need a different power amp? Or can I still use a 5150?
> 
> 4.) How does Axe-FX respond to different pick ups?



2) Not too sure about this one.

3) I'm sure the 5150 poweramp section will be fine running bass. You'll be using the bass cab/amp sims on the AxeFx so essentially the 5150 is just pumping the juice.

4) Surprisingly honest. I swapped in some BKP's from my older pups into my guitar and my Ultra sounded vastly different. It's good grounds to work with when trying to hear differences in pickups.


----------



## Omar Devone Little

dbrozz said:


> 2) Not too sure about this one.
> 
> 3) I'm sure the 5150 poweramp section will be fine running bass. You'll be using the bass cab/amp sims on the AxeFx so essentially the 5150 is just pumping the juice.
> 
> 4) Surprisingly honest. I swapped in some BKP's from my older pups into my guitar and my Ultra sounded vastly different. It's good grounds to work with when trying to hear differences in pickups.



2.) Yeah I really don't want to drop an extra grand on a 100 watt 5150, the 100 watt version would be nice because the rhythm channel and the clean channel share the same EQ in the 50 watt version and the separate EQ would be nice on the 100 watt...but 100 watts is just too damn loud. To get into the power tubes instead of the pre-amp tubes I'd need to play it way too loud. The 50 watt version fixes that, but hey...nothing's perfect right? I just hop 50 watts is enough power.

3.) It was more back to question two...is 50 watts of tube power enough to pump enough juice into AXE-FXii through for bass? I can get bass cabs, so how would the cab sim work with an actual guitar and bass cab? 

4.) Great. I love the way the 81 sounds with scooped distortion. Eric Peterson has some awesome tone.


----------



## Rap Hat

I've gotten so used to the Axe I'd totally forgotten how "samey" the earlier amp modelers made different pickups. It's sort of a curse though; with my GT6 I could make one heavy patch and have it sound relatively consistent among my HB-equipped guitars. Now I have to create patches for each guitar - some will need way more gain, a much higher gate threshold, less bass, etc.


----------



## Rook

Ahahaha just found this:



Without trying to sound like a total child, I'd love to hear someone 'prefer the tube amp' from some daft reason from those recordings


----------



## bigswifty

^ Just found and watched the same video this morning and completely agree!
The quality of amp modelling and tone matching in the Axe2 are just incredible. I'm GAS'ing so hard.. strongly considering a gear shift to make room for a II


----------



## 2ManyShoes

dbrozz said:


> ^ Just found and watched the same video this morning and completely agree!
> The quality of amp modelling and tone matching in the Axe2 are just incredible. I'm GAS'ing so hard.. strongly considering a gear shift to make room for a II



I did last month, and I'm so glad!


----------



## Levi79

To be totally honest, in that video those tone sound super awesome and similar, but I downloaded all of those tonematches and was rather displeased with the tone I was getting from them. He does alot of post EQ and such on those.

However, tonematch is quite impressive. I've done quite a few already.


----------



## Rook

I have to say the tube amps I've tried recently have been rather underwhelming. They haven't had the same clarity as my Axe settings, I've noodled with an Über, Recto, Mark V, JVM, Series One, all of them have been just a little mushy, not to mention they hide my mistakes haha.

It's mad, every tube amp I've tried I'm finding myself dialling the gain right back to like 2 (out of 10)  The axe has changed how I dial in sounds completely, and for the better IMO.


----------



## Seanthesheep

2ManyShoes said:


> I did last month, and I'm so glad!



I did too and it was so worth it, wouldnt trade it for anything 

It just nails the tones I want/need and I know if I ever need to do something I probably can


----------



## Shask

Seanthesheep said:


> I did too and it was so worth it, wouldnt trade it for anything
> 
> It just nails the tones I want/need and I know if I ever need to do something I probably can


I have an Axe-FX Standard on the way  Looking forward to joining the Fractal world. 

I want to see if it changes my world and makes me forget about tubes...


----------



## Lukifer

So the axe-fx bug bit me. Im tired of my Pod XT Live and want to move into the big leagues. My main purpose with it will be recording on my PC but I want to be able to jam on it as well. I will have to sell my head and cab and probably a guitar to get a standard. 

My question is do you all think a good set of monitors would be loud enough for jamming on with a bass player and just playing in my music room?? I need monitors for proper mixing and recording anyways so if it will be loud enough to jam out on I wont worry about getting an external power amp and trying to keep my cab or get a small cab.


----------



## 3074326

Lukifer said:


> So the axe-fx bug bit me. Im tired of my Pod XT Live and want to move into the big leagues. My main purpose with it will be recording on my PC but I want to be able to jam on it as well. I will have to sell my head and cab and probably a guitar to get a standard.
> 
> My question is do you all think a good set of monitors would be loud enough for jamming on with a bass player and just playing in my music room?? I need monitors for proper mixing and recording anyways so if it will be loud enough to jam out on I wont worry about getting an external power amp and trying to keep my cab or get a small cab.



Depends on how loud you plan on jamming. Studio monitors are still pretty loud, so I think you'll be fine. It's more about the monitors than the Axe, though.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Studio monitors are made for a near field listening. Im not sure this would translate well if everyone is spread out in a practice space. 

Btw what are the go to studio monitors for axe users under 500$ im trying to snaf some used yamaha hs80m's but they dont come up often


----------



## Lukifer

Its gonna be in a room in my house. I have no plans on being in a full band, just one of my old buddies plays bass and we drink and jam sometimes. Otherwise its gonna be for my own personal pleasure and recording.

BTW does the Axe-fx have a USB or do you have to use an interface to record??


----------



## Seanthesheep

The axe II has USB and it works great IMO


----------



## Lukifer

What about the axe-fx standard??? Im cheap.


----------



## j_m_s

Nope only the II has USB. The Ultra and Standard use MIDI. So you need a MIDI interface for those. Having moved from an Ultra to a II, I must say that the improvement is HUGE. The Ultra was already mindblowing but the II takes it to a whole other level!


----------



## Lukifer

I was just going to go with a Standard for money reasons. Now that I Know I need the biggest nicest monitors I can afford and a midi interface definitely gonna have to go with the Standard.


----------



## Alex6534

Hey guys, I've heard a few people say the sims on the axe 2 on hi gain sound similar, is this true? I'm looking at upgrading from a Peavey 6534+ for a used axe fx 2. Also, If I do go to the `dark side`  what would be the best way for me to get that "in your face" sound but still keep the sound guy happy? I'm thinking wedges......


----------



## j_m_s

Lukifer, that works too. I used the M Audio Midisport 2x2 with the Ultra, cheap and worked great.

@Alex6534, wedges are great.. or you can check out the other monitor solutions available. another option is that you can run into a poweramp and cab for stage volume. that's what I do. I send my output 1 XLR to the FOH and output 2 to an amp on stage for stage volume. I do also have in ear monitors to hear the feed to the soundboard + other band members as well.


----------



## Alex6534

^Oh, that sounds tasty haha. Might need to give that a go in a few months when I've got the £ to get it all together.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Alex6534 said:


> Hey guys, I've heard a few people say the sims on the axe 2 on hi gain sound similar, is this true? I'm looking at upgrading from a Peavey 6534+ for a used axe fx 2. Also, If I do go to the `dark side`  what would be the best way for me to get that "in your face" sound but still keep the sound guy happy? I'm thinking wedges......



Lol, I sold my 6534+ to get an axe fx II. 

Do it man, to me it was so worth it and so much better. The high gain patches can sound drastically different so it works great for me. 

Wedges would be best if youre playing live IMO or studio monitors if youre at home alot


----------



## Alex6534

^HAha! Shit thing is prices on the 6534 have went down so having to sell my 4x12 and pedals too -_- but I'm HOPEFULLY getting the axe fx 2 and mfc 101 for £1.4k or around $2.2k. I love the Peavey, but I want versatility and brootalz


----------



## Seanthesheep

Alex6534 said:


> ^HAha! Shit thing is prices on the 6534 have went down so having to sell my 4x12 and pedals too -_- but I'm HOPEFULLY getting the axe fx 2 and mfc 101 for £1.4k or around $2.2k. I love the Peavey, but I want versatility and brootalz



When i sold my peavey i hated it, I also did well on it, bought for essentially 1000$, used it for just over a year then sold it for 960$ 

Im not sure if Im gonna get the MFC though, I could get a Ground control pro and a line 6 G50 wireless for the same price 

Also, if you need a 2u rack case, check out the 2u skb wireless mic rack case  its deep enough, sturdy, and awesome with lots of storage pouches, and only 130$


----------



## thekingmaker

I'm sure this question has been asked and answered, but I need some personal input.

Is there any way to run two guitars simultaneously through an original Axe FX Ultra? The rig is an Axe FX ultra, Rocktron 150watt power amp, and two 4x12 Vaders. Obviously the goal would be to have one guitar coming through each cab.
I know it's possible with the Axe FX II, but trying to figure out a way to work with what I got.

Thanks all


----------



## Rook

Very easy, all you need to do is plug your second guitar into INPUT 2 (not the right input of input 1) assuming your first is either into the front or into left of input 1 (remember to select 'rear' in I/o menu if you do that) and booths FXL block becomes the source of your second guitar signal. Simply place the FXL block into a patch (not connected to anything relating to guitar 1) and connect it to and amp and cab and then connect the cab all the way to the right. Simply pan the cab for your existing guitar 1 all the way to the left and the cab block for guitar 2 all the way right and you have a side of your power amp for each guitar. Below is a crappy diagram of what the layout should look like

IN]---------Amp1---cab1------------[OUT
] FXL---Amp2---cab2-----------[
] [
] [

Note FXL (guitar 2 in) isn't connected to the main IN at all. Amp 1 and cab 1 are for input 1 guitar, amp2 and cab2 for input 2


----------



## jsl2h90

Hope you guys can help with this question:
I'm trying to record direct via USB with the Axe Fx 2 through Reaper on a PC. But for some reason everything I record sounds like its skipping, and all chopped up. I'm completely new to recording and to the axe fx 2, so please dumb down any technical responses. I downloaded audacity as well and got the same results. All I want to do is record...  Help!


I've included myself playing a Death song so you guys can hear what I'm hearing, please excuse the crappiness.
flattening of emotions by Kylan McNichols on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free 

I'm currently upgrading to the newest firmware 6.02 to see if that helps, and I'm going to try swapping my USB cable.


----------



## Rook

I'd remove any Axe FX drivers you have, download the very latest of the support page and reinstall. I had to do this when I got mine, for some reason the first install just never settled. I was getting cracking and ticking noises on recordings, all gone.


----------



## jsl2h90

Fun111 said:


> I'd remove any Axe FX drivers you have, download the very latest of the support page and reinstall. I had to do this when I got mine, for some reason the first install just never settled. I was getting cracking and ticking noises on recordings, all gone.


You sir, are awesome. It worked! Feels great to be able to record after 2 weeks of fiddling around with terrible results!


----------



## Seanthesheep

SoundCloud Mobile

New little groove I wrote that Im prolly gonna use for one of my projects. Axe fx ii isb into reaper. Done really quick with some dj headphones so the tone and playing arent perfect


----------



## Shask

Axe-FX Standard received last week 

So far, I am very impressed. Way better than my POD HD.... still seeing how it compares to the few tube heads I have.

I figured out how to use it pretty quickly. I think I will work on trying to set up the HD500 to be a MIDI controller now....


----------



## noUser01

Hey guys! Question: I've dialed in a metal (djent) patch that I really dig, but I'm just not getting the fundamental note to come through as strong as I'd like. I've got lots of midrange, lots of bite, tight low end, great note clarity, but I really want to hear more of the actual NOTE if that makes sense. I'm thinking taking off some of the high end would help, but I like the bite I have. Ideas?

EDIT: I am not using a lot of gain for the record, so lowering it isn't the answer.


----------



## Seanthesheep

lol I always had that exact problem with my 6534+. especially with my 7 in Bstandard.

what ended up working was switching speaker cab ( or listening source). Ive never had the problem sicne with my Axe Fx II but that doesnt really help i guess


----------



## Lothar

Seanthesheep said:


> SoundCloud Mobile
> 
> New little groove I wrote that Im prolly gonna use for one of my projects. Axe fx ii isb into reaper. Done really quick with some dj headphones so the tone and playing arent perfect



Better work more on Your tone and playing, bro.


----------



## Winspear

Omar Devone Little said:


> 2.) Yeah I really don't want to drop an extra grand on a 100 watt 5150, the 100 watt version would be nice because the rhythm channel and the clean channel share the same EQ in the 50 watt version and the separate EQ would be nice on the 100 watt...but 100 watts is just too damn loud. To get into the power tubes instead of the pre-amp tubes I'd need to play it way too loud. The 50 watt version fixes that, but hey...nothing's perfect right? I just hop 50 watts is enough power.
> 
> 3.) It was more back to question two...is 50 watts of tube power enough to pump enough juice into AXE-FXii through for bass? I can get bass cabs, so how would the cab sim work with an actual guitar and bass cab?
> 
> 4.) Great. I love the way the 81 sounds with scooped distortion. Eric Peterson has some awesome tone.



Bit late but I don't think it will be loud enough. Aren't bass amps like 300-400 watts instead of 100, for example?


----------



## Seanthesheep

Lothar said:


> Better work more on Your tone and playing, bro.




Yea figured as much, I normally use an enhancer block and
It sounds epic through stereo headphones, I just havent figured out how to get the epic stereo-ness to translate over into reaper, so I just turned it off for recording


----------



## Lothar

Seanthesheep said:


> Yea figured as much, I normally use an enhancer block and
> It sounds epic through stereo headphones, I just havent figured out how to get the epic stereo-ness to translate over into reaper, so I just turned it off for recording



Well, I didnt mean the stereo thingy.
What kind of sound is your goal? Cause this one sounds awfully overgained and unfortunately - kinda messy.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Its kind of hard to describe, mostly a 5153 kind of vibe for the most part is the tone Im going for. Lots of mids aritculation and clarity as well as some percussiveness. 

Im gonna do some testing with reaper some more because the more i listen to that clip, I know something didnt come out right. But you are right, I am probably using too much gain


----------



## Omar Devone Little

EtherealEntity said:


> Bit late but I don't think it will be loud enough. Aren't bass amps like 300-400 watts instead of 100, for example?





Yes, but they're solid state. 50 watts of tube is like 300 of solid state. Look at the Orange Tiny Terror and see how loud that little tube amp can get.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Omar Devone Little said:


> Yes, but they're solid state. 50 watts of tube is like 300 of solid state. Look at the Orange Tiny Terror and see how loud that little tube amp can get.



Ive seen SS bass amps go up to around 1000w. 200w and up is pretty normal for a tube bass amp


----------



## Zugster

Omar Devone Little said:


> Yes, but they're solid state. 50 watts of tube is like 300 of solid state. Look at the Orange Tiny Terror and see how loud that little tube amp can get.


 
A common misconception. A watt is a watt regardless of how it's produced.

Yet there is truth in the assertion that one might use a 50 - 100 watt tube power amp or a 200 - 1000 watt solid state power amp for the same application. The reason is distortion. We can push a tube amp hard and be satisfied with the results because tube type distortion sounds natural to our ears. Sold state distortion sounds harsh and crappy. Clipping is what it's often called. So, when using a solid state amp it's better to run well below it's rated power output so you're no wheres near it's maximum distortion.

Also, the reason bass amps tend to be large wattage solid state affairs is because it takes more power to get lower frequencies amp'd up nice and loud, and high wattage tube amps (> 200 watts or so) get really big, heavy and expensive.


\mini-rant


----------



## Hyacinth

I'm thinking of picking up an Axe Fx Standard (or ultra, I haven't decided). I'll probably end up going with the standard because it's cheaper and I'm not a studio guy, really. I want to be able to plug into my computer, but I'd also like to use it as a preamp, and buy a poweramp. I'm not sure which poweramp would be good for an Axe Fx Standard. Could anybody point me in the right direction?


----------



## flint757

You need an audio interface for standard/ultra. Many good power amps VHT 2/5/2 or 2/90/2, matrix gt 800 or 1000, velocity 300, atomic 50 watt, or even just powered monitors.


----------



## Omar Devone Little

Zugster said:


> A common misconception. A watt is a watt regardless of how it's produced.
> 
> Yet there is truth in the assertion that one might use a 50 - 100 watt tube power amp or a 200 - 1000 watt solid state power amp for the same application. The reason is distortion. We can push a tube amp hard and be satisfied with the results because tube type distortion sounds natural to our ears. Sold state distortion sounds harsh and crappy. Clipping is what it's often called. So, when using a solid state amp it's better to run well below it's rated power output so you're no wheres near it's maximum distortion.
> 
> Also, the reason bass amps tend to be large wattage solid state affairs is because it takes more power to get lower frequencies amp'd up nice and loud, and high wattage tube amps (> 200 watts or so) get really big, heavy and expensive.
> 
> 
> \mini-rant




Well we've found the smartest guy on the forum. 

I'm aware that a watt is a watt and all I really know is the basic stuff that I remember from an engineering physics class, which to be honest isn't as much as I should have remembered. However, to my question is a 100 watts of tube power enough to power the bass pre-amp mods in Axe-FX? A 100 watt head is pretty fucking heavy as is and I can't imagine fitting a 200 watt amp in anything less than an old rape van let alone lugging it up a flight of stairs. That's not really anything I really thought about before regarding bass amplification. 


Side question: do you have a degree in anything like this?


----------



## Omar Devone Little

Seanthesheep said:


> Ive seen SS bass amps go up to around 1000w. 200w and up is pretty normal for a tube bass amp



1000w bass amp? Jesus Christ, who the fuck needs that besides Rob Trujillo? I use a 350 watt Fender Rumble and it's plenty loud.


----------



## Andromalia

Rule of thumb I follow for bass amps is 3 times the wattage of the guitar amp, it doesn't exactly cover volume issues as watts aren't volume, but that rule has served me well up to now.
If you intend to play bass live with that rig I'd advise you to go to the velocity 300


----------



## Rook

Depends on the cab. If you're going for a small cab like a 115 you need high power handling and 600W min I'd say, if you're looking more at driving a big bass can you could get away with 450W and still have loads of headroom. Sure you can carry off 300W but I've always preferred more power for more clear operation at high volumes in the low low end.

I'd say 600W is a good rating, and fairly easy to find. I'd rather have too many watts than too few, I've never understood people turning their nose up at high power.


----------



## Zugster

Omar Devone Little said:


> I'm aware that a watt is a watt and all I really know is the basic stuff that I remember from an engineering physics class, which to be honest isn't as much as I should have remembered. However, to my question is a 100 watts of tube power enough to power the bass pre-amp mods in Axe-FX? A 100 watt head is pretty fucking heavy as is and I can't imagine fitting a 200 watt amp in anything less than an old rape van let alone lugging it up a flight of stairs. That's not really anything I really thought about before regarding bass amplification.
> 
> 
> Side question: do you have a degree in anything like this?


 
I don't have any experience playing bass through a 100watt tube power amp (into say a 4x10 cab), but my guess is it would be enough to gig with in medium venues. For bigger, I would think you'd prefer a 300 - 1,000 watt solid state power amp - which is what a lot of bass rigs have.

You're certainly right that anything bigger than 100watt in a tube amp is just too damn big and heavy, which again is why bass amps tend to be solid state.

I guess you're asking this because the 100 watt tube amp would be good for the guitar model in the Axe. I happen to have a ts100 for my GSP1101. I'd love to trade up to an Axe some day myself.

To answer your question, yes I happen to have a mechanical engineering degree - not that that qualifies me as any kind of an expert on sound engineering or makes me smarter than anyone else. But I do know some basic things about power, etc.


----------



## Tsmith678

ConnorGilks said:


> Hey guys! Question: I've dialed in a metal (djent) patch that I really dig, but I'm just not getting the fundamental note to come through as strong as I'd like. I've got lots of midrange, lots of bite, tight low end, great note clarity, but I really want to hear more of the actual NOTE if that makes sense. I'm thinking taking off some of the high end would help, but I like the bite I have. Ideas?
> 
> EDIT: I am not using a lot of gain for the record, so lowering it isn't the answer.



Are you talking about trying to get more of the actual note definition in a recording sense or in a live setting?


----------



## Andromalia

For those like me who just read the fractal forum from time to time, go read the topic about the speaker low res freq, it just changed my view of the axe II who went from awesome to godlike.


----------



## Tsmith678

Andromalia said:


> For those like me who just read the fractal forum from time to time, go read the topic about the speaker low res freq, it just changed my view of the axe II who went from awesome to godlike.



Link?


----------



## flint757

Yeah more than one thing pops up during search so link would be nice.


----------



## Seanthesheep

I saw the post but didnt try any of it yet, Im probably going to get really into it once I have studio monitors or a PA wedge. Seems like it could be amazing though


----------



## Andromalia

here: 
Time to Release the Monster - Speaker Resonance Page


----------



## xchristopherx

As for the bass/ wattage question I just wanted to chime in. I've owned a couple 1000w+ solid state bass amps. The svt4pro and a carvin r1000 come to mind first. Neither were as loud as my SVT classic which was 300w of tube power. ( tried running and SVT 2pro as well, for whatever reason it also wasn't as loud as the classic. Although on paper they look like the same components)

Other factors come into play. Like the efficiency of your cabinet, and how well they compliment one another. I was able to get absurd volume from a hartke 3500 (350w SS) into an Eden 410 and 115, both of which were ported. But it wasn't nearly as loud plugged into an 810e sealed cab. On the other side of that the ampeg b2r plugged into anything but the sealed 810 sounded weak and cloudy. But plushing that svt810e I was able to get really punchy focused tones that could really move a lot of air. For a head that I got for free it really became my favorite amp for some time. 

The reason I'm posting this here is because I'd really like to have the ability to have a versatile rig that I can play both bass and guitar with. I'm going to sell my 5150 and road case and do the 2/90/2 with the axe fx (most likely the two, unless I can find an ultra for cheap). My goal is to have everything in one rack case, so i need only bring one "amp" and the correct cab and instrument. 

I actually had a situation where I played a vht 2/90/2 into a fatbottom cab with nothing but my jazzbass and a bddi and it was beautiful sounding. On top of being ridiculously loud.


----------



## Alex6534

Hey guys, got a question for you. I should be picking up either an ultra or a II in the next month. My band are planning on using an IEM system live/rehearsals, so what [email protected] thinking is: Is it right that I won't need a PA monitor e.g. qsc k10 when rehearsing/playing live this way, as I'll be getting a direct signal from the board to my IEM? Or will I still need some sort of powered PA monitor for stage volume? Sorry, level 1 noob when it comes to this


----------



## Seanthesheep

how reliable are the mackie HD1221s? I can get a fairly new used one at a good price and maybe picking it up soon


----------



## Rook

I've not heard of a 1221 going wrong, the issues were with the 1531's which are now resolved. That said all the usual buyer precautions apply, try it first if you can, as with any PA type speaker, tweeters go first in any sign of trouble. Reliable or not, tweeters are often what's broken on used PA.


----------



## bigswifty

Seanthesheep said:


> how reliable are the mackie HD1221s? I can get a fairly new used one at a good price and maybe picking it up soon



The HD1221 is built like a TANK. I find mine to be super reliable and very awesome


----------



## Seanthesheep

Ok awesome. And tweeters are something that are very obvious if not working, right?

Im super pumped for this ecause the price ill be paying for the 1221 will be less than a new ELX112P here


----------



## Rook

Yeah, you'll be missing everything between 2-5k and up hahaha


----------



## Seanthesheep

ok so it will be very noticeble then, awesome


----------



## Aevolve

Alright- a bit of a noob question here, but I need to get some clarification to double-check things with my patches. 

I'm running my Ultra through a Matrix GT1000FX poweramp (it emulates valves, but lacks any) and in to an Orange PPC410 cabinet.

What exactly needs to be on/off?
- Should I have a cabinet block? (I thought not, but I may be wrong?)
- Should I have poweramp sim on or off? (considering my poweramp doesn't have valves)
- What should I do with my damp and sag parameters?

I'm looking for a high-gain tone with a pronounced midrange, a LOT of note definition and clarity, with a thick low end.

Somewhere between this: Nolly Black Hawk 7 Alnico Ceramic Reamp by Shaun O on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free
And this:


Any answers/advice associated with the questions above would be appreciated, as would any tone advice. Thank you guys.


----------



## flint757

As for what I can answer no need for cab block and yes you'd need a power block since that power amp is transparent.


----------



## Adrian-XI

Yeah. Cab sims off, power amp sims on.

Well that's how I run it anyway.


----------



## Aevolve

Alright, thanks guys.  Anyone who can answer the other questions be free to chime in.


----------



## AndreasD

Probably going to be getting a Standard in a couple of weeks, got some questions.

Can it actually do everything? I usually play djenty stuff (and I'm obviously not worried about it not coping with that) but occasionally I play some Gojira, Lamb of God, Mastodon and sometimes even Dying Fetus and other (tech) death. Can it handle all of those?

Can I use simple Ultra patches with it? (Nolly, Ola etc)

Also, I'm going to be bringing it back as hand luggage in a plane in a soft case. I guess I won't have any problems? I'm mostly worried about it getting damaged by the scanners or something like that.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Well if theres no noise gate with the standard then maybe not?


----------



## Alex6534

So, what's peoples' views on the Alto TS115A with the axe fx II? Seriously considering getting one once I get the axe fx.


----------



## Larrikin666

AndreasD said:


> Probably going to be getting a Standard in a couple of weeks, got some questions.
> 
> Can I use simple Ultra patches with it? (Nolly, Ola etc)



If any of their patches use the extra noise gate or the multiband compressor, then no. If not, then you're good to go.


----------



## hellraizer84

anyone out there got any cool axefx2 patches?im specifically looking for this clean sound used by bulb/periphery



cant for the life of me get these effects going!any help much appreciated!


----------



## 4Eyes

just mess around with multitap delays and modulations. there is nothing special about it


----------



## Aevolve

hellraizer84 said:


> anyone out there got any cool axefx2 patches?im specifically looking for this clean sound used by bulb/periphery
> 
> 
> 
> cant for the life of me get these effects going!any help much appreciated!



Not sure if the same model is on the Axe2, but on the Ultra there's a preset called "Serenity Now!" that's nearly identical to that tone, other than some different modulation.


----------



## Genome

I'm seriously considering getting one and replacing my Mark V... while I love it, all the testimonials, videos, live bands using the Axe FX, have all sounded amazing and it's so much more convenient than lugging a head, rack, and cab around to gigs, and in my case a step down transformer for my Mesa as it is a US model.

I have a noob question about using the Axe-FX live, which I'm sure has been answered somewhere in the thread, but there are 80 pages. =P If I wanted to use it with a cabinet, would need to turn off the cab sim on the Axe FX, but then feeding it direct to the PA as well, wouldn't that cause the tone to be incredibly fizzy through the PA?

I would just go direct with the cab sims and use a monitor for myself, but I'm worried about losing that "tube amp off the stage" feel, or is that negligible?

Edit: I've just read that it has two outputs, so I assume I just turn the cab off for the one going to the power amp, and leave it on for the FOH. Although the FRFR setup is beginning to look more appealing/cost effective... if I got one monitor. Are 2 necessary if I wouldn't really be using stereo effects?


----------



## Aevolve

You're correct regarding the first part. And 2 isn't _necessary_, but it might sound better as far as projection, etc. goes.

Look into the Alto stuff- sounds great from what I've heard, durable, and crraazzzyy cheap.


----------



## Genome

Damn, you're right. I can't really afford £700 on a K12 (especially not two of them...) is there a particular Alto model that's notable?

This looks good? 
http://www.dv247.com/pa-systems-and-live-sound/alto-sxm112a-pa-stage-monitor--83397

Or this one for a little more?

http://www.dv247.com/pa-systems-and-live-sound/alto-ts115a-active-pa-speaker--83388


----------



## nojyeloot

Axe-Fx II Firmware Version 7.00 Public Beta

Some highlights:



> Added Dizzy amp models based on a Diezel VH4.
> Added Friedman Dirty Shirly amp model.
> Added Division13 CJ amp model based on Divided by 13 CJ11.
> Added Solo99 Rhythm amp model based on Soldano X99 Crunch channel.
> Added Suhr Badger amp model.
> Added Spawn Fastrod amp model based on Splawn Quickrod.
> Added Prince Tone 2 based on a Fender AA964 Princeton. This particular amp is an early CBS Silverface but still using pre-CBS design and components.
> Replaced the Brit 800 Mod model with Brit Super based on a Marshall AFD100.





> Added six new cabinet models from the excellent Kalthallen collection. Please visit Kalthallen Mixing & Mastering Studio to download more and please donate to the maker if you enjoy these.



etc...


----------



## 3074326

I'm really liking the VH4 models..


----------



## hellraizer84

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Not sure if the same model is on the Axe2, but on the Ultra there's a preset called "Serenity Now!" that's nearly identical to that tone, other than some different modulation.



hmm ill try find it,if its not on the axefx2 do you have this patch possibly????thanks man for the help

i asked the man himself and he told me it was a secret....really.....


----------



## Rook

7.0 (not Beta) is actually amazing, this thing feels better and better with every update.

I simply swapped the amp in my current go-to preset for the 'Herbie' and I had to be dragged away from the unit.

I've not played amps that feel as good as this.

Clips to follow...


----------



## jsl2h90

nojyeloot said:


> Axe-Fx II Firmware Version 7.00 Public Beta
> 
> Some highlights:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> etc...


Thanks for bringing this to my attention! That link doesn't work though, here's the updated link to the non-beta. 

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-f...xe-fx-ii-firmware-version-7-00-available.html


----------



## AndreasD

Larrikin666 said:


> If any of their patches use the extra noise gate or the multiband compressor, then no. If not, then you're good to go.



Cool. Can anybody help with my other questions? Mainly worried about how well it does Mastodon tones and if it's safe to take on a plane


----------



## jsl2h90

Fun111 said:


> 7.0 (not Beta) is actually amazing, this thing feels better and better with every update.
> 
> I simply swapped the amp in my current go-to preset for the 'Herbie' and I had to be dragged away from the unit.
> 
> I've not played amps that feel as good as this.
> 
> Clips to follow...


I agree. I fiddled with v7 last night and the changes were subtle but everything feels more realistic with this update. And as an added bonus axe-change is up!

Axe Change -The Official Site for Fractal Audio Presets, Cabs and More

My only question now is when is there going to be a new axe-edit? Maybe i just need to re download mine but all the new features are showing up on my axe fx, but not in axe edit. ie i have to manually select the new amp models and cabs and whatnot as if axe edit doesnt recognize them. And does anyone else experience about a one second delay when switching presets or is that just me?

EDIT: there is in fact a new version of axe edit released on the 6th, that explains my previous issue. I know what im doing on my lunch break.


----------



## nojyeloot

I'm DYING to try it out, but I'm playing at my church this Sunday, and don't dare chance my patches. Looks like Sunday afternoon is going to be the time to update.


----------



## j_m_s

^ That's exactly what I'm doing LOL! Don't want to mess up my presets, but I am dying to try all the new features in the firmware v7!


----------



## jsl2h90

Alright so i gave axe change a try for the first time and i cant figure out why most of the user presets i try sound like absolute crap. I was messing with djedi, swedish death metal and an acoustic preset among others. My setup is simply my axe 2 through a tsalto115 and ive been using the frfr presets. I'm also lost on how to load user cabs. I loaded some using axe change but ive been having issues. How do you guys load ir's and user presets? When loading user presets do you simply load them or do you have to find a corresponding IR every time? I loaded that djedi preset and it didnt sound like a preset anyone would have uploaded and meant to be taken seriously. So i know im doing something wrong in axe-edit. Sorry for the bombardment of questions but ive only owned my axe about a month so im still pretty new to everything.


----------



## Augminished

^ If you are running the new firmware (7.0) then that could be one of the issues. I noticed whoever posted "djedi" was using 6.02 firmware. The same goes for the preset "swedish death metal". I am guessing that this is part of it. I have not messed to much with other users firmware so this is pretty much speculation. 

How I loaded the present, djedi, was I went to the bypass in Axe Edit, then went to recall and selected from the drop down menu "Import from preset file" found it on my computer it loaded and sounded like shit too  

Have you played with any of the presets that were contain the new firmware?


----------



## jsl2h90

haha thanks. i should have noticed the firmware difference, you're probably right about that being the culprit. And I load my presets the exact same way as you, just confirming I was doing it right. How do you go about loading your IR's? I want to load them and then save them neatly into the User IR slots but I failed miserably last night.

I did use the acoustic preset and it sounded pretty awesome but loading the corresponding acoustic IR's proved a bit more of a challenge.


----------



## Augminished

I just have been dragging and dropping them. I don't know if this is right but I download the file then take that file and drag it into Axe Manage under user cabs and drop it. I then send the selected file to the axe fx. It works for me but I am not sure if its the correct way or not.

Edit: It seems that is not working fuck me. Let me play with it a bit or if someone else could chime in.

Edit 2: Okay so dragging and dropping worked for me for awhile but now I get this error on every one of the user IR's saying "unknown" where the name of the cab would be. Going to take a crack at it tomorrow but I was wondering have you guys ever had this happen? It really weird because on some of them it displays the names of the IR's but no sound will go through the cab block. Damn glad I have all of my user IR's backed up.


----------



## mikemueller2112

Can't wait to get v7.0 on my Axe-FX. Been busy with work and shit and haven't been able to play around with it for a month or so, I'm due for some tweaking. Gonna have to finish tracking a song then play with some of the new amp models and re-amp it through one of them.

The team at Fractal keeps amazing me. I don't think I've ever owned a piece of gear that keeps improving like this.


----------



## Alex6534

This seriously is NOT helping my GAS


----------



## jsl2h90

Augminished said:


> I just have been dragging and dropping them. I don't know if this is right but I download the file then take that file and drag it into Axe Manage under user cabs and drop it. I then send the selected file to the axe fx. It works for me but I am not sure if its the correct way or not.
> 
> Edit: It seems that is not working fuck me. Let me play with it a bit or if someone else could chime in.
> 
> Edit 2: Okay so dragging and dropping worked for me for awhile but now I get this error on every one of the user IR's saying "unknown" where the name of the cab would be. Going to take a crack at it tomorrow but I was wondering have you guys ever had this happen? It really weird because on some of them it displays the names of the IR's but no sound will go through the cab block. Damn glad I have all of my user IR's backed up.


Pretty much sums up the problem I've been having loading IR's. I loaded one the other day to the first slot in axe manage and it showed up in slot 10 on my axe fx. I've been having the same problem where some user IR's give me no sound at all as well.


----------



## Augminished

Then I am guessing it might be a bug? I was messing around some more and still can't get it to work. Loading IR's might have only worked for me on 6.02 and not on 7.0, looking back now.

I am not happy you have the same problem but I am glad its not just me.


----------



## XxSilverburstDiezelxX

Is it a general consensus that power amp sims should stay on? I've recently received the axe fx ultra. I'm getting some decent clean and hi gain patches. But my power amp sims are off globally. Things get really woofy with these settings when I flip the PA on. 

Should I do some rearranging? Maybe turn the sims on? 
Just trying to go in the right direction for superior tone. 

Axe fx ultra > Yamaha HS80m > Computer (Reaper)


----------



## jsl2h90

Augminished said:


> Then I am guessing it might be a bug? I was messing around some more and still can't get it to work. Loading IR's might have only worked for me on 6.02 and not on 7.0, looking back now.
> 
> I am not happy you have the same problem but I am glad its not just me.


I was thinking you were right about the pre v7 presets being incompatible but I was just trying to load a couple of the v7 user presets and I came up with quite a few that give me no sound whatsoever, all 3 of the holdsworth presets did this to me. I got the YYZ and Mayer Gravity ones to load just fine though... idk what the deal is.


XxSilverburstDiezelxX said:


> Is it a general consensus that power amp sims should stay on? I've recently received the axe fx ultra. I'm getting some decent clean and hi gain patches. But my power amp sims are off globally. Things get really woofy with these settings when I flip the PA on.
> 
> Should I do some rearranging? Maybe turn the sims on?
> Just trying to go in the right direction for superior tone.
> 
> Axe fx ultra > Yamaha HS80m > Computer (Reaper)


The best advice I can give is its all about what sounds good to you. Don't feel like you "have" to keep the PA sims on, some amps/setups sound better with them off. It's all up to your ears.


----------



## Augminished

XxSilverburstDiezelxX said:


> Is it a general consensus that power amp sims should stay on? I've recently received the axe fx ultra. I'm getting some decent clean and hi gain patches. But my power amp sims are off globally. Things get really woofy with these settings when I flip the PA on.
> 
> Should I do some rearranging? Maybe turn the sims on?
> Just trying to go in the right direction for superior tone.
> 
> Axe fx ultra > Yamaha HS80m > Computer (Reaper)





jsl2h90 said:


> The best advice I can give is its all about what sounds good to you. Don't feel like you "have" to keep the PA sims on, some amps/setups sound better with them off. It's all up to your ears.





But, I will say that I leave the power amp sims on every preset on my axe II. Just trust your ears.


----------



## petereanima

Man, does Cliff ever sleep or something? I am 2 weeks away, and when I come back i find this new firmware...

The new VH4 models do now actually really sound like a VH4. Oh, and if all goes well I will have some A/B record smaples next week, Diezel Herbert vs. Axe II Herbie...


----------



## Genome

I'm getting one very soon, should I go straight to v7.0?


----------



## j_m_s

It depends.. I guess there's no harm in doing so! Unless you want to try presets made by other people.. not everyone has jumped on the 7.0 bandwagon yet and not everyone has updated their presets.. 

So when you download patches on Axe Change, see which FW version it was tweaked on


----------



## 3074326

Genome said:


> I'm getting one very soon, should I go straight to v7.0?



Might as well. I haven't had any issues with it, and I like the new changes/additions.


----------



## Genome

Cheers for the info,

Yeah I saw a few patches on the Fractal forums and some really brilliant tone matches I'm dying to try out but they were done before 7.0, and I've heard some teething problems with it.


----------



## kmanick

Axe Edit is playing games with the Cab Ir positions, seems kie it's shitfted User cabs off by 4. Once re saved all is well.
I've got to say with V 7.0 I have dialed in the best freaking Mark IV patch to date.
I was a 'real' mark IV player before going Axe so it's important to me to be able to keep that one amp as close to my real one as I can. This version just nails it
I actually think it sounds better thtn my Studio pre/50/50 rack I have sitting right next to it.
The Vh4 3 amps sim just f'n kills too, great with a 7 string.
the new MAarshall super lead is like 80's hair metal in a box what a blast to play.
got a real close "Operation Mind Crime patch" all set up in about 15 minutes.
Cliff is really nailing these days 
Kpa coming on the scene was one of the best things to happen for Axe users  It's turned him into a driven machine, does this guy ever sleep?


----------



## petereanima

So, after hours of recording yesterday, I thought "Ah, fuck it, I might as well try it out now", and upgraded to V 7.0

holy. fucking. shit. now, for the first time since I ahve that thing, I actually really am impressed. I always read comments ala "Wow, what a difference that firmware made" with every release...and never found that for myself. I noticed the changes almost every time, but never found anything to be that spectacular. Yesterday, my jaw dropped. Not did instantly sound my rpesets like utter shite (  ), but when I freshly built some patches (Herbie 2+ , Dizzy 3, ...), there was instant awesomeness...

This will be fun, cant wait for the weekend.


----------



## Genome

I am now part of the Axe-FX family :-D

G66 are going to test it and upgrade it to 7.0 for me, before they ship it, which is nice of them. I'm impressed with their customer service, they emailed me personally literally five minutes after I ordered to let me know.


----------



## Genome

Hello! 

I've just ordered an Axe-FX II, and I wanted to go through possible options for playing live with it. I'm a bit of a n00b to the unit.

I will be going direct and buying an FRFR monitor.

- Now, being the only guitarist, I'm thinking I could run a patch that has one tone L and another R that compliment each other - and delaying the signal between each of them by a little bit and then run it stereo to the PA. Is this feasible/possible and would it present a significant difference between just running one patch mono?

- We run backing tracks, but they are in mono in order for our drummer to get a click. Would this cause a weird effect if the PA was running my guitars stereo?

- If so, is it possible to run the same thing (two patches) but mono (minus the delay) to get a 'bigger' tone?

Now, onto monitoring:

- Would I need to buy two FRFR's for proper monitoring, or would running it mono in front of me be alright? I'll be using it just for monitoring, I'd like to keep stage volume as clean as possible. I don't need to worry about venues with no PA as a) there are good venues around here and b) the backing tracks are very important to our set.

Apologies if this seems a little confused. (I am)

Thanks in advance.

Edit: I meant to post this in Live Performance and Stage Sound, so if a mod could move it that would be great


----------



## Scrubface05

Axe Change is back up! 
You guys should upload some Ultra patches 
Axe Change -The Official Site for Fractal Audio Presets, Cabs and More


----------



## themike

Genome said:


> Hello!
> 
> I've just ordered an Axe-FX II, and I wanted to go through possible options for playing live with it. I'm a bit of a n00b to the unit.
> 
> I will be going direct and buying an FRFR monitor.
> 
> - Now, being the only guitarist, I'm thinking I could run a patch that has one tone L and another R that compliment each other - and delaying the signal between each of them by a little bit and then run it stereo to the PA. Is this feasible/possible and would it present a significant difference between just running one patch mono?
> 
> - We run backing tracks, but they are in mono in order for our drummer to get a click. Would this cause a weird effect if the PA was running my guitars stereo?
> 
> - If so, is it possible to run the same thing (two patches) but mono (minus the delay) to get a 'bigger' tone?
> 
> Now, onto monitoring:
> 
> - Would I need to buy two FRFR's for proper monitoring, or would running it mono in front of me be alright? I'll be using it just for monitoring, I'd like to keep stage volume as clean as possible. I don't need to worry about venues with no PA as a) there are good venues around here and b) the backing tracks are very important to our set.
> 
> Apologies if this seems a little confused. (I am)
> 
> Thanks in advance.
> 
> Edit: I meant to post this in Live Performance and Stage Sound, so if a mod could move it that would be great


 

- What I would do in this situation is that since you are a single guitar player situation, route you input into 2 outputs. Output 1 would be one amp, and output 2 would be the 2nd amp. That way the sound guy can literally mix and pan you like a normal 2 guitar player band with one amp on each side. Its super easy to do in Axe edit - you'll see once you play with it. 


- What I would do is get a stereo splitter, that way the sound guy is only getting a pure feed of your backing track and can center it through both speakers. You can get them at your local electronics store for like 2 bucks. 







- If you are only using it for stage volume, one willl be fine.


----------



## Ryan-ZenGtr-

@Genome

Should sound really good. ADT should be around 10-50 ms (milli seconds).

When are you playing in London, I might get a chance to hear it!


----------



## Genome

th3m1ke said:


> - What I would do in this situation is that since you are a single guitar player situation, route you input into 2 outputs. Output 1 would be one amp, and output 2 would be the 2nd amp. That way the sound guy can literally mix and pan you like a normal 2 guitar player band with one amp on each side. Its super easy to do in Axe edit - you'll see once you play with it.
> 
> 
> - What I would do is get a stereo splitter, that way the sound guy is only getting a pure feed of your backing track and can center it through both speakers. You can get them at your local electronics store for like 2 bucks.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> - If you are only using it for stage volume, one willl be fine.



Ah, ok, so instead of panning it in the Axe FX, I would just send it to him via the two outputs? Would I not have a spare output for my FRFR though?

With regards to the splitter, yeah we've got that one figured out. MP3 player with a splitter coming out of it, left channel going to desk and the right channel going straight to the drummer's ears. We are experimenting with getting a small mixer actually, and sitting it next to him so he can control the amount of backing track in his ears as well.

@ Ryan I will let you know, shouldn't be too long!


----------



## themike

Genome said:


> Ah, ok, so instead of panning it in the Axe FX, I would just send it to him via the two outputs? Would I not have a spare output for my FRFR though?



Output 1 has both XLR balanced outs and 1/4 unbalanced outs so you could hook up 2 seperate outputs to output 1.


----------



## Rook

I wouldn't send one out to out 1 and one to out 2, I'd send them both to out 1 and copy to out 2, then give the sound guy out 2 and send one side of out 1 (ideally not the delayed signal) to your monitor from out 1.

Also, for the delayed second signal, I'd keep it close to 10ms, most people use 5-7. Any more and it'll stat to sound like a delay.


----------



## Genome

That sounds good, but in an ideal world I'd like to be able to monitor both tones - is there a way to "bounce" them both together and send it to my monitor?

And also, wouldn't I rather want to send a balanced signal to the FOH?


----------



## Rook

Sounds like you want a mixer.


----------



## jsl2h90

I'm officially in love with 7.0. I found a Framus Cobra patch today and started tweaking and I haven't been this happy with my sound since the first time I plugged into my ENGL SE.

Now I am extremely new to the Axe Fx, so forgive me for the dumb question but how do you send computer audio (not from a DAW, say... iTunes) through your Axe Fx and out of your monitors? I know its possible but the Axe Wiki hasn't been much help and I wouldn't mind playing along to some backing tracks.


----------



## Genome

Fun111 said:


> Sounds like you want a mixer.



Perhaps, but I've heard the Axe FX can do a "Sum L+R"?

My plan was,

Output 1 L+R -> Desk via XLR
Output 2 L (mono signal with both tones) to my monitor

Is this possible? Only concern is phase cancellation and if running in stereo would fuck with our mono backing track.


----------



## kmanick

jsl2h90 said:


> I'm officially in love with 7.0. I found a Framus Cobra patch today and started tweaking and I haven't been this happy with my sound since the first time I plugged into my ENGL SE.
> 
> Now I am extremely new to the Axe Fx, so forgive me for the dumb question but how do you send computer audio (not from a DAW, say... iTunes) through your Axe Fx and out of your monitors? I know its possible but the Axe Wiki hasn't been much help and I wouldn't mind playing along to some backing tracks.


are you on a Windows machine ? if yes just set the palyback device to your Axe/speakers it will show up as a playback option if the Axe is on.
You need to do this for tone Matching to work too.


----------



## Rook

Genome said:


> Perhaps, but I've heard the Axe FX can do a "Sum L+R"?
> 
> My plan was,
> 
> Output 1 L+R -> Desk via XLR
> Output 2 L (mono signal with both tones) to my monitor
> 
> Is this possible? Only concern is phase cancellation and if running in stereo would fuck with our mono backing track.



I still think if you're gunna have a virtual biamp setup with a delay between the two you won't want both of them coming through your monitor, it'll screw up your timing and feel laggy and unnatural.

As for the monitor, a lot of them only have balanced XLR IN so you may need to use Out 1 for you monitor unless you have a mixer. 

I wouldn't worry about phase cancellation, fractal have thought about all that already.


----------



## Polythoral

Just spent 2 hours trying to get a mildly Baroness tone. 

The entire time:


----------



## Genome

Fun111 said:


> I still think if you're gunna have a virtual biamp setup with a delay between the two you won't want both of them coming through your monitor, it'll screw up your timing and feel laggy and unnatural.
> 
> As for the monitor, a lot of them only have balanced XLR IN so you may need to use Out 1 for you monitor unless you have a mixer.
> 
> I wouldn't worry about phase cancellation, fractal have thought about all that already.



My monitor accepts balanced or unbalanced jacks, as well as XLR. But good point on the first one... I'd just be a bit worried about how the other amp is sitting if I couldn't hear it at all.


----------



## jsl2h90

kmanick said:


> are you on a Windows machine ? if yes just set the palyback device to your Axe/speakers it will show up as a playback option if the Axe is on.
> You need to do this for tone Matching to work too.


Yep, I'll give it a try. thanks.

EDIT
That did the trick... I just blasted myself with some Autotheism not realizing how high I had the volume turned up... my ears are bleeding


----------



## petereanima

weird stuff is happening with V7....I made new presets, and now they sound completely different each time i switch on the Axe...

not good, I am in the final stage of recording...


----------



## Larrikin666

petereanima said:


> weird stuff is happening with V7....I made new presets, and now they sound completely different each time i switch on the Axe...
> 
> not good, I am in the final stage of recording...




Are you using Axe-edit?


----------



## Andromalia

Any point in upgrading to 7.0 if I'm not into the new amps ? I'd like to avoid retweaking patches as I'm in the middle of a recording these days.


----------



## Genome

Going by what I've read about the need to tweak all your patches, I would probably refrain from upgrading firmware if you're close to gigs and/or in the middle of recording.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Polythoral said:


> Just spent 2 hours trying to get a mildly Baroness tone.
> 
> The entire time:



Haha this is exactly how I feel when I start trying to tweak the advanced parameters.


----------



## Andromalia

Genome said:


> Going by what I've read about the need to tweak all your patches, I would probably refrain from upgrading firmware if you're close to gigs and/or in the middle of recording.



Right, I'll wait a bit then since I really don't want to have to tonematch what I've already recorded, would be a bit awkward.


----------



## Scrubface05

Pretty excited, might be selling my Ultra for $1500 and then trying to buy a 2. Think I have a chance of getting one for like $2000?


----------



## Hyacinth

I've got an Orange PPC-212c with two 16 ohm speakers in it. What kind of power amp would I need in order to use my cab with an axe fx?


----------



## Genome

Ooh yeah, Axe FX 2 arrived this morning!

This Dizzy VH4 is the one that caught my attention first and foremost, lovely smooth distortion, using it with the 4x12 Recto and a 421 Mic (all stock) and I think a Fat Rat in front. Also, the interface is way easier than some people make out. I haven't even bothered with AxeEdit yet. 

Only been using an hour max so far and I've already dialed in a more than useable tone!


----------



## jsl2h90

Is it possible and/or less realistic to tone match using only a pre recorded track and the axe fx 2 going direct without any mics or user IR's? Id like to just send some audio through the axe and then match a similar amp to the best of my ability and be done from there. Everything i see seems to involve capturing IR's or mic'ing something and i dont want to invest in a mic.


----------



## 3074326

jsl2h90 said:


> Is it possible and/or less realistic to tone match using only a pre recorded track and the axe fx 2 going direct without any mics or user IR's? Id like to just send some audio through the axe and then match a similar amp to the best of my ability and be done from there. Everything i see seems to involve capturing IR's or mic'ing something and i dont want to invest in a mic.



You don't have to capture IRs or mic anything to tone match. I have literally never done either of those things, but I've tone matched plenty with great results. Just have an isolated guitar track and match away.

tl;dr - yes


----------



## jsl2h90

ok, the good 'ol axe wiki makes it seem a little more complicated. where do you get decent quality isolated tracks, or how do you isolate your guitar tracks?


----------



## Winspear

You just have to find a song where the guitar is on it's own for a moment. Or use a solo clip somebody has uploaded on soundcloud or something (Nolly would be a good idea)


----------



## jsl2h90

I re-read the actual tone matching manual and with the tips from you guys I think I have a pretty good grasp of the TMA block now. I spent 3+ hours trying to match the end of Go Off! by Cacophony. I think the biggest problem is that 90% of my files are lossy and 128k... but it was still enough to make a tone that was in the ballpark. Imo tone matching actually added a little more realism and life to the original tone I dialed in for the matching process. I wouldn't say I've nailed any tones yet but it really is incredibly addicting seeing what you can come up with. I love my Axe Fx!


----------



## kmanick

anyone using the Axe II needs to grab the "special " Irs from this page
NEW IR CAP from my Rectifier Oversized Cap with v30 and g12 k100 - Page 2
and the page 1 of that thread.
Me and Nick spent about 3 hours today at his place playing with these irs and these kick some serious ass


----------



## mm66554

Hi, thinking about getting this...

USA price: $2199 = £1386
Europe price: 2299 Euros = £1816

Since when is the Euro digit higher for the same product than dollar? Was expecting it to be £1600 max but this is rediculous.

Are there any downsides of buying it in the US and using in UK? Obviously you need to get a suitable power adaptor but is that it?

Would rather use the £500 left over for holiday/more gear.


----------



## Larrikin666

Fractal won't ship international. They have EU distributors solely for that reason. Everyone outside the continental US gets murdered on that price.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

mm66554 said:


> Are there any downsides of buying it in the US and using in UK? Obviously you need to get a suitable power adaptor but is that it?



Yep downsides will be import Tax and Duty, no warranty and no option to return it within 30 days to G66 if you don't like it. Your not really going to save anything once you pay shipping and Import duty.

Cheers Nick for the link to the impulses!


----------



## mm66554

Well by "downsides" I meant with actual use, like will it run on UK outlet or do I risk burning it? And do I simply need to purchase a new AxeFX power adaptor or a whole separate converter box?

I will have the product sent to a family member, and they will bring it over in person, so import tax and warranty issues are irrelevant. I did this with my Jeff Loomis sig and saved £320.


----------



## Levi79

The firmware update ruined all of my favorite patches 
But after some fooling around it's definitely an improvement overall. I just have to make new patches. I'm having fun with Axechange and the tonematch feature got sooo much better.


----------



## Genome

mm66554 said:


> Well by "downsides" I meant with actual use, like will it run on UK outlet or do I risk burning it? And do I simply need to purchase a new AxeFX power adaptor or a whole separate converter box?
> 
> I will have the product sent to a family member, and they will bring it over in person, so import tax and warranty issues are irrelevant. I did this with my Jeff Loomis sig and saved £320.



No - Axe FX II is universal voltage so you don't need a step down transformer.


----------



## jsl2h90

Augminished said:


> Then I am guessing it might be a bug? I was messing around some more and still can't get it to work. Loading IR's might have only worked for me on 6.02 and not on 7.0, looking back now.
> 
> I am not happy you have the same problem but I am glad its not just me.


I've been loading mine through Axe-Manage and my problems seem to be remedied. As far as the presets on Axe-Change that I was getting no sound from (the holdsworth patches among others) its usually a case of a modifier being added ie "Volume/Pan attached to Ext 1" in which case you have to go in and take the modifier out so the preset doesn't think you're connected to an MFC or footswitch. Annoying, but I'm glad I figured it out.


----------



## Hyacinth

I'm torn between the Ultra and Standard. I'm not much of a studio guy, but I would still like my guitar tracks to sound like they're album-quality. Would I still be able to get those awesome recordings with the Standard?


----------



## walleye

MatthewLeisher said:


> I'm torn between the Ultra and Standard. I'm not much of a studio guy, but I would still like my guitar tracks to sound like they're album-quality. Would I still be able to get those awesome recordings with the Standard?



hard to say really. if the patches are fairly simple, then the standard and ultra will sound identical. the ultra gives you a little bit more functionality. i use an ultra, if i was made to swap it for a standard i'd be fine with it but i would miss the multiband compressor the most.


----------



## Nialzzz

MatthewLeisher said:


> I'm torn between the Ultra and Standard. I'm not much of a studio guy, but I would still like my guitar tracks to sound like they're album-quality. Would I still be able to get those awesome recordings with the Standard?



As above I would miss the compressor. As I'm predominantly a 'studio guy', I try to make use of most sounds available through the ultra, but whether that's used to record with is a different story. Haha. 

I would say got to the www.wiki.fractalaudio.com and check for the comparison. Going by what you need it for, think about the main application of the ultra/std in your setup and you'll more than likely find the standard is more than capable. 

Also, work out your most complex signal chain and ask someone with a standard on here to dial in the chain. This'll let you know if it will allow the processing you need. I.e: "U2" delay?... Even the ultra struggled. Ha.


----------



## Shask

MatthewLeisher said:


> I'm torn between the Ultra and Standard. I'm not much of a studio guy, but I would still like my guitar tracks to sound like they're album-quality. Would I still be able to get those awesome recordings with the Standard?


I recently got the Standard mostly because I got a great price on it and the Ultra wasn't worth the $400ish difference. If the difference were less than $200 I would get the Ultra.

Only thing I notice that I miss is the second gate. So many people use a gate->compressor or OD->gate->amp type setup that you can't do on the Standard. 

Also, it can be annoying if you find patches online for the Ultra, because you have to open them up and "re-write" them if they include things the Standard don't have. I pretty much quit trying to find patches and just learned to tweak it myself.

Other than that, I love it. It pretty much does anything I want it to and sounds awesome in the process while not costing me a ton of cash...


----------



## Hyacinth

I'm probably going to use it equally for recording and performing. I think I'll go with the ultra, if I can find someone to trade me for my DC800.


----------



## Alex6534

Anybody read/tried this?

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-f...rial-incl-preset-template-tested-valid-3.html

I don't have an axe fx 2 YET but when I do, this is going to be high on my list to try


----------



## MetalThrasher

Currently running an EV112 FRFR on my Axe Fx2. Thinking of trying a Mackie. Has anyone made the switch from an EV to a Mackie and thought it was worth it?


----------



## Larrikin666

MetalThrasher said:


> Currently running an EV112 FRFR on my Axe Fx2. Thinking of trying a Mackie. Has anyone made the switch from an EV to a Mackie and thought it was worth it?



Yes sir. I don't regret it a bit.


----------



## MetalThrasher

I'm starting to look at foot controller's for the Axe Fx2. I was thinking of getting the MFC 101, but I think that might be a little over kill for what I need. My needs are basic. I just need to ability to change presets with my foot that's about it. I was looking at the KMI Soft Step. Has anyone used the Soft Step with their Axe Fx2? Also, what other controllers are out there that you would recommend under $400.


----------



## LolloBlaskhyrt

Behringer FCB1010!! Less than 200&#8364; and you have 10 banks with 10 presets each bank and 2 expression pedals.


----------



## Genome

If your needs are basic - then get an FCB1010. Works straight out of the box (although I set the display offset on the Axe FX to 1 so the numbers match up), and if you want to use it for more advanced things then it can be modded.


----------



## Krucifixtion

Cheapest option is the Behringer, but I personally hate Behringer stuff. You could get a Rocktron Midi Mate or if you want something that's heavy duty enough to stand up to abuse I would go with an ENGL Z-12.

Engl Z-12 MIDI Footcontroller | Musician&#39;s Friend

Plus it looks awesome! Haha. Luckily I have an ENGL Z-9 for my Invader so I just use that with my Axe-Fx.


----------



## Rook

I got my DMC Ground Control for £70, definitely the cheapest and simplest option


----------



## Genome

Krucifixtion said:


> Cheapest option is the Behringer, but I personally hate Behringer stuff. .



I've found the FCB1010 to be an excellent addition - sure, some of Behringer's other stuff is suspect but think of it as the exception the proves the rule.


----------



## noUser01

If your needs are very basic and you have some patience, the Behringer FCB1010 is your best bet. Cheap MIDI controller with some aftermarket software that changes the way it functions and how your program it apparently. Supposed to be good.

The next up is something like a Rocktron MIDI Mate. Basically a little step up from the FCB, being good for changing patches/pedals/banks.

If you want more options go with a Voodoo Labs Ground Control. For the size though it's a pain in the butt. 

The MFC101 is the best functionality for the size, I must say. Especially for the AxeFX, and having the tuner display on it. I'm saving up for the MFC101 because functionally it is fantastic, and it's designed for the AxeFX so you have way more features.


----------



## jsl2h90

Axe Fest!
Axe-Fest - West Coast Event


----------



## PrestigeRS4

Rocktron All Access is a little more expensive but will last forever.


----------



## MetalThrasher

GAS hit me. Just ordered a Mackie 1221. Would it sound bad if I run it in stereo with my EV 112P? Gonna do a comparison test when it gets here in a week or so. Also got a foot controller!


----------



## Shask

I am selling a Rocktron Midimate for $120 if you are interested....

Anyways, about any MIDI controller will work if all you want to do is switch presets. You just have to decide how many you want to see at once. A small Tech 21 Midi Mouse would for for just a few presets, where the Rocktron would instantly give you your choice up to 10...


----------



## Winspear

Genome said:


> I've found the FCB1010 to be an excellent addition - sure, some of Behringer's other stuff is suspect but think of it as the exception the proves the rule.



+1
You can't go wrong - it's midi, not like sound quality matters.

It's a sturdy unit with fully flexible programming.


----------



## Seanthesheep

MetalThrasher said:


> GAS hit me. Just ordered a Mackie 1221. Would it sound bad if I run it in stereo with my EV 112P? Gonna do a comparison test when it gets here in a week or so. Also got a foot controller!



Not gonna wait for the mackie DLM 12?


----------



## MetalThrasher

Seanthesheep said:


> Not gonna wait for the mackie DLM 12?



I got a really good price on a new HD1221 so I figured why not. I also have an FCB 1010 on it's way!


----------



## jsl2h90

Not sure where to put this as I've never seen a preset exchange thread around here, but I think I've finally nailed the lead sound I have in my head and thought I'd share. (Cliff and co = )
I've been after a nice shred tone for a while, the only thing even mildly out of the ordinary about my setup is i've got Dactivators in my RG2228. Its a pretty straightforward patch but it screams. Let me know what you guys think.

Axe-Change - Download Preset - The Legacy - by jsl2h


----------



## christheasian

I'm selling my Mackie HD 1221 because I'm not using it in live sense anymore and it's a little too loud for the bedroom. Plus, the extra cash sounds nice right now.
So it's pretty self explanatory. What is the best set of monitors I can buy for the money? I want to keep it relatively cheap because I won't be making any money until tour in November.


----------



## McBonez

I'd suggest using the search function. You'll find some great information in that sense 

But, a lot of the guys from what I read are recommending the Alto TS112a/115a as a viable FRFR option, especially in a price friendly manner.


----------



## mortbopet

I would also recommend the Alto TS112a - and if you want to explore another dimension of your sound, buy 2 of them and put them in stereo. It sounds amazing!


----------



## christheasian

I'm not really looking for something that big...


----------



## Bevo

If its just for quiet practice see if you can find a small cheap keyboard amp. The can be found dirt cheap so two would not be expensive..

That or get a small SS power amp and two passive wedge's.


----------



## Rook

When I'm at home I pretty much exclusively use my nearfield monitors, I have a pair of Mackiue HR624 mk2's and they suit my use really well.

If the HR's are a little too much money the MR5's or even 8's are great these days. There's also Adam if you can spend a little more (but I prefer them for acoustic sort of stuff, nice crisp top end), KRK if you want to spend less and Yamaha if you're on a real tight budget.

It was honestly having these monitors and a decent DAW that got me into producing, its totally vhanged how I play and write, best change I've ever made to my guitar playing stuff.


----------



## flint757

Okay this has never been truly addressed IMO. For price:quality my understanding is the Alto's are amazing, but do they genuinely (excluding cost obviously, the less bias the better) offer the quality and transparency that Verve and others in the $400+ range. (Verve is what I'm actually considering ATM)


----------



## Aevolve

Just needed to come here and vent a bit.

I'm visiting home (where my Axe is) this weekend after being at school for 3 weeks. I plugged my guitar in enthusiastically, and immediately my face dropped.
Not happy with my patches. At all.
Holy shit do I love this thing but it's so frustrating.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Hey guys, got a big show tommorow and want to double check something:

My axefx is setup to copy L to R for the outputs, for practices and stuff ive been using L to go to my monitor but for the show Im also gonna run direct to the PA by running an XLR out of R. 

That should work right?

But lets say it doesnt, how could I on the fly send the signal that goes from input 1 to output 1 also to output 2 without changing anything?


----------



## Joelan

Yes, that's exactly how I use my Axe-FX live.


----------



## MetalThrasher

Just got my FCB 1010 and a Mackie HD1221 over the weekend. I haven't had time yet to set the FCB 1010 up yet but I did hook up the Mackie and wow what a difference between this and the EV112P. The Mackie sounds so much better. Look like I might be selling or trading the EV. You guys have any suggestions on where I start to hook up the FCB 1010 to the Axe FX2?


----------



## jsl2h90

Just thought I'd share this with all of my fellow v7.0 fanatics, made my day that Cliff's already working on v7.01:

give us a hint about 7.01


----------



## Seanthesheep

^ I saw it already and am super pumped for IMART, presence control tweaks, other pitch block tweaks and the TMA block tweaks


----------



## khobi64

hey, i am extremely new to the whole concept of a axe fx, and stuff. But i was wondering if you could also use a axe fx as a guitar interface to your computer?

cheers


----------



## Adrian-XI

Hi khobi, and welcome to the internet. 

Should I do the LMGTFY thing or??...

TL;DR Axe fx II, yes.


----------



## TomAwesome

Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx II Guitar Processor, Preamp, effects processor, amp modeler, guitar effects


----------



## Seanthesheep

khobi64 said:


> hey, i am extremely new to the whole concept of a axe fx, and stuff. But i was wondering if you could also use a axe fx as a guitar interface to your computer?
> 
> cheers



Yes. I have my axe fx ii acting as my computer soundcard. My guitar goes into the axe fx ii input, have my headphones plugged into the headphone out on the axe fx ii and have the usb cable running to my laptop. The way its set means that all laptop audio is forced out to the axe fx and out to my headphones as well as the processed tone. This is how I normally practice at home. The standard and ultra cant do this without an audio interface though


----------



## shadowvault

Can i use the axefx without any power amps and stuff live?
Why do i want a poweramp for axefx? (dont know anything about racks so...)
Can you make a complete lists of things that are needed to be bought if you have an axefx?


----------



## walleye

shadowvault said:


> Can i use the axefx without any power amps and stuff live?
> Why do i want a poweramp for axefx? (dont know anything about racks so...)
> Can you make a complete lists of things that are needed to be bought if you have an axefx?



axe fx is a preamp
there are 3 things that are needed for sound: preamp, poweramp and speaker

3 possible setups:
axe fx > power amp > guitar cab
axe fx > powered full range monitor
axe fx > power amp > unpowered full range monitor

it depends on how you want to play the axe fx


----------



## shadowvault

walleye said:


> axe fx is a preamp
> there are 3 things that are needed for sound: preamp, poweramp and speaker
> 
> 3 possible setups:
> axe fx > power amp > guitar cab
> axe fx > powered full range monitor
> axe fx > power amp > unpowered full range monitor
> 
> it depends on how you want to play the axe fx



I thought i could maybe just plug my guitar and then plug the axefx intro a pa/console thing ut anyways 
Thanks for the reply!


----------



## Alex6534

Hey guys should be getting an axe fx 2 in the next month or so, question. Would you buy used? There's loads of II's around my price range and one in particular is including the mfc 101. The only drawback here is that the person selling it lives a couple of hundred miles away  so wondering if it's worth it? All around my area the only ones people are selling are the Ultra's, an I'd much rather have a II for not much more money.


----------



## flint757

Alex6534 said:


> Hey guys should be getting an axe fx 2 in the next month or so, question. Would you buy used? There's loads of II's around my price range and one in particular is including the mfc 101. The only drawback here is that the person selling it lives a couple of hundred miles away  so wondering if it's worth it? All around my area the only ones people are selling are the Ultra's, an I'd much rather have a II for not much more money.



I got the Ultra for $1400, how much are the II's going for used? I can't see them going for less than $1900 which would still be a $500 disparity. 

If it is still cheaper with shipping go for it.


----------



## kmanick

walleye said:


> axe fx is a preamp
> there are 3 things that are needed for sound: preamp, poweramp and speaker
> 
> 3 possible setups:
> axe fx > power amp > guitar cab
> axe fx > powered full range monitor
> axe fx > power amp > unpowered full range monitor
> 
> it depends on how you want to play the axe fx


 

or output one to FRFR (FOH)
output 2 to power amp -> cab which alot of guys seem to be doing lately.
7.0 really sounds and feels good thru a power amp


----------



## j_m_s

For what its worth.. Firmware version 8 is OUT!


----------



## Alex6534

^ axe fx 3 for may 2013?


----------



## Lorcan Ward

That guy just doesn't sleep. I've barely scratched the surface with V7 and now there is a V8.


----------



## nojyeloot

j_m_s said:


> For what its worth.. Firmware version 8 is OUT!



Yup!
Axe-Fx II Firmware Version 8.00 Up



Alex6534 said:


> ^ axe fx 3 for may 2013?


Nope!



drawnacrol said:


> That guy just doesn't sleep. I've barely scratched the surface with V7 and now there is a V8.



Yup!


----------



## Scrubface05

With the amount of money they've been making off the Axe FX's, I'd imagine they want to spend as much time as possible giving updates haha.


----------



## walleye

shadowvault said:


> I thought i could maybe just plug my guitar and then plug the axefx intro a pa/console thing ut anyways
> Thanks for the reply!



you can do that for sure, but most people would advise against it. also how are you going to practice with it at home? 

edit: advise against doing that without any of the other things i mentioned above at the same time


----------



## nojyeloot

Scrubface05 said:


> With the amount of money they've been making off the Axe FX's, I'd imagine they want to spend as much time as possible giving updates haha.



That's a really good point. However, I honestly think a big reason why they do it is simply for the love of it.

EDIT: ^comment meant as a piggy back, not disagreement


----------



## Genome

WTF 

*sigh*

Firmware 8 here I come.


----------



## shadowvault

walleye said:


> you can do that for sure, but most people would advise against it. also how are you going to practice with it at home?
> 
> edit: advise against doing that without any of the other things i mentioned above at the same time



Well i was thinking putting it to my pc and play with monitors there os sth.Well the problem is money so i am trying to find a cheap solution for the time and then buy all the other things


----------



## Rook

Got firmware 8. The difference isn't obvious, haven't played with he pitch stuff yet though.


----------



## Genome

I wish they would fix the Axe-Edit bugs though. It's crashed my unit twice now, I'm going to stay away from it.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Fun111 said:


> Got firmware 8. The difference isn't obvious, haven't played with he pitch stuff yet though.



the pitch shifting stuff took alot of tweaking from my old setting but now Im using it to down tune from Drop C to Drop G# and it finally feels right, other than that its pretty subtle in differences


----------



## jsl2h90

Version 8.01 is up!
http://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/firmware+presets/axe-fx-2/8.0/axefx2_8p01.zip
I'm starting to feel like the Fractal guys are trolling us with updates...


----------



## Seanthesheep

WAT


----------



## AxeHappy

jsl2h90 said:


> Version 8.01 is up!
> http://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/firmware+presets/axe-fx-2/8.0/axefx2_8p01.zip
> I'm starting to feel like the Fractal guys are trolling us with updates...




No kidding eh? 

I don't think I even finished updating my patches from 7.0-8.0 and 8.01 is out.

8.01A was just released...


----------



## Genome

I think it's just minimal bug fixes. Nothing really to get excited about.


----------



## AxeHappy

Yes, 8.01 and 8.01a are minimal bug fixes. 

However, compared to the way a lot of companies (of all types work) I value that!!


----------



## MetalThrasher

Would anyone mind sharing a patch or two for leads? I play thrash / death metal and I have a great rhythm sound using a blend of a rectro and 5150 III. I can't seem to get a decent semi clean lead tone for soloing. If someone could PM me a patch I would really appreciate it. Also, what is a good starting point as far as an amp and cabinet for what I am looking for?


----------



## Scrubface05

Enjoy buddy,

Axe Change -The Official Site for Fractal Audio Presets, Cabs and More


----------



## flow

I'm just curious what you guys are using in the amp block(s) on your axefx std, ultra, or II. I know i am constantly tone questing through new amp models and never really settle on one specifically. 
Right now i'm using the spec od 2 for my crunch, and the IIC+ for my lead channel. I also mess around with the recto new, and the uber from time to time.


----------



## nostealbucket

In my axe ll, I'm running: 
Cleans:
Bogner Shiva (clean leads)
Fender bassman 
(Various others)

Leads/crunch:
Diezel Herbert ch3 (patch called "Gus Fring". He'll kill your family.)
Diezel VH4
5150 iii 

I experiment with different amps for cleans, but for distortion patches, the Diezels destroy.


----------



## Koop

In my Axe Fx II, I'm usually using the fender models for cleans.

For my main distortion, I'm using the Marshall JVM OD1 patch with a few modifications to the amp settings and OD pedal. It sounds huge.


----------



## Augminished

Shiva and USA for Clean stuff.

Higain is either Friedman HBE or VH4


----------



## AxeHappy

Shiva and Jazz for Clean. 

And right now the Dizzy 4 for my lead and Energyball and Mesa Vintage Red Channel (mixed together) for rhythm. 

Now that my MFC has shown up I'm going to get a lot more involved with shit though.

If you find yourself really getting into tweaking, instead of changing a preset you already like, just do a new preset. There are plenty on the Axe!


----------



## j_m_s

Using an axe fx II. I love the shiva cleans. Also use the bassman for cleans or the vox depending on what flavour im after. I usually run the vox with a little bit of gain with it. 

High gain for metal and heavier stuff my go to amp is the FAS modern. For other stuff I love the USA lead stuff, JVM and the Citrus.


----------



## Genome

Channel 3 of the Diezel VH4 (Dizzy VH4 3) is, for me, the best high gain amp sim. Fryette Deliverance is very good too, and somewhat underrated.


----------



## cardinal

With the AFX II, I used the Plexi for clean and crunch, the JCM 800 for high gain, and for the heavier stuff, either a boosted JCM800 or the Deliverance (I liked the saturation switch on for the Deliverance). The boosted JCM was great for signing, sustaining leads, too. Couldn't get along with the Das Metal sim, but I suspect I'd like the Dizzy VH4 Ch 3 sim.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Fender twin reverb for cleans

Vox ac30 for midgain

5153 red, 5153 blue, fas 6160, bogner uberschall, and deizel herbert for high gain


----------



## Alex6534

I'm really interested in trying the 5153 sim, heard some mixed comments. I love the real amp so how does the axe's one compare?


----------



## 3074326

Alex6534 said:


> I'm really interested in trying the 5153 sim, heard some mixed comments. I love the real amp so how does the axe's one compare?



Well, it sounds like the real deal. Pretty much every comment I've read on the 5153 model has been glowing. It is my favorite amp on the Axe.


----------



## Scrubface05

Anyone good at making their tone less muddy with some more clarity? I have an awesome tone, but it's just got too much extra eh.


----------



## flint757

EQ. When I roll down the bass on my external parametric EQ things instantly clear up and the mud disappears.


----------



## Scrubface05

I'll post a quick tone test in a few


----------



## ROAR

I'm loving this Suhr Badger amp.
With some tweaking I may never go back to the Friedman.


----------



## Seanthesheep

hey, so should I get a stand alone audio interface to run my axe fx ii into? will it help out with tracking and stuff from a simplicity view? Id look at one of the smaller saffire/focusrite interfaces. or should I just save my money?

btw I have a feeling I posted something similar earier here but I cant find it/am not sure if I actually did, so sorry if I did lol


----------



## flint757

I've heard the quality of the direct recording isn't as good as a standalone AI.


----------



## Rook

I've had a couple of funny lag issues using the Axe FX as an AI, but nothing more than that, and IMO it outweighs the advantages of using the Axe straight in - stuff as simple as levels always being matched left and right and the extra cables...

Never noticed a lack in quality running direct.


----------



## Genome

flint757 said:


> I've heard the quality of the direct recording isn't as good as a standalone AI.



Where did you hear that? If anything, it would be better as a standalone AI would have to make an extra AD/DA conversion?


----------



## flint757

It lacks basic features that you can get on a standalone AI and only goes to 48K. Not to mention if you use it for more than just recording it is less of a hassle to have everything hooked up separately. 

Me, personally, I'm not a fan of USB interfaces either. I like firewire and PCI.

The effects of conversions is minimal when related strictly to guitars and even so if everything else in your line up is not high quality the effect overall is nil IMO. YMMV

Driver quality is more important than AD/DA conversion and the quality of said converters. Most people can hear the difference between 16 bit and 24 bit, but I'd be willing to bet the majority of people wouldn't be able to hear much of a difference between a cheap AD/DA converter and a high quality one.

All that being said re-amping is a hell of a lot easier (less gear necessary) with just an Axe FX 2 and overall probably less problematic.


----------



## j_m_s

Finally completed the rack!

Got my Vafam sound custom rack panel and installed it today. VERY good workmanship and communication. Hans @ Vafam is HIGHLY recommended. I might record a video review and all soon. Really enjoying this! Also got my Lavacables for my G90 wireless today!
http://www.vafamsound.com/


----------



## Scrubface05

Posted the other day about making my tone have more clarity. It just doesn't seem right, and I can't figure out how to fix it. 
Here's a clip of me doing the intro to "Passenger" by Periphery, so you guys can hear my tone.
I know it's not perfect, but help with the tone, not my playing haha.
https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/passenger-demo


----------



## Aevolve

Scrubface05 said:


> https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/passenger-demo



Honestly it sounds pretty close to me. I would probably give it a bit more treble to open it up, but I'd say the lack in clarity may come from the playing itself.


----------



## Seanthesheep

I was going to say the same thing, sounds pretty good, any final impovements are probably made best with adjustments to the pickups or technique


----------



## Scrubface05

Ive been working on my technique, hopefully I can stop sounding like such a sloppy knobhead at some point! Haha. Thanks guys, Ive been really down about my tone, this makes me feel a bit better about it.


----------



## tranqx

Hey guys, what would be the best way to connect an Axe FX II to a Focusrite Saffire Pro 40?


----------



## j_m_s

I'm just using 1/4" cables from the outputs to the front inputs of my Pro 40.


----------



## tranqx

Does that allow for recording dry and wet signals? So I can reamp later? Or do I need to use SPDIF? I ordered a bunch of different cables last night haha, got a midi, a spdif, and a couple trs coming tomorrow!


----------



## AxeHappy

I just use the XLR out(s) into Pro Tools, but I don't actually know what inputs your interface has.

Cliff advises against using spdif so I wouldn't go that route. And I don't think you can actually record "music" using the midi cables?

If you have an interface I would use XLR. Both if you want stereo OR a wet and dry signal. You can have it set so that Out 2 is just a dry signal. 


I think, I haven't had mine for too long and still feel like a fucking newb. Haha.


----------



## flint757

Did he say why spdif was bad?


----------



## AxeHappy

Yeah, I think he did, but I don't remember the specifics. I'm sure enough digging in this thread or the Official FAS forums will yield results.


----------



## tranqx

Haha well I wasn't meaning I was planning on RECORDING with the Midi cables  got it because I thought to do updates and use Axe Edit you needed a midi connection, but realized also theres a usb port... no matter though, I'll just use my midi cable for when I get my Alesis DM10 Studio haha. 

Thanks for the response!


----------



## AxeHappy

When I record I use:

USB->Computer for Axe Edit
XLR Out 1 -> Mbox input 1 

Works fine.


----------



## migouel

Is there anyone re-amping by doing a s/pdif loop between the Axe and the Interface? Dry track from interface via s/pdif to the Axe, then wet signal back to the interface via s/pdif? 

I'm using Pro tools M-powered, i have a M-Audio Fast Track Pro and because it needs multiple i/o's simultaneously it wont let me doing it in 48K.. so it doesn't work... Any chance that the M-Audio Fast Track Ultra does work in this scenario? Or anyone has been successful doing so with any othet audio interface?


----------



## bigredmetfan

A question.

Say you are recording in the studio with ax-fx, and you have done 4 guitar tracks, with 4 different amps, and 4 different cabs. 

Can you save the track (with all the 4 different amps and cabs) to your ax fx then play that wall of sound you recorded at a show?


----------



## Scrubface05

I would say yes you can. Just bounce it all out as one track and trigger when you need to when you're playing live from a laptop or something


----------



## SSK0909

Has anyone A/B'ed the Kemper and Axe-Fx II 7.0 or higher?

I've read a couple of places that the Kemper sounds more like the real thing than the Axe II, but thats mostly pre 7.0 versions of Axe II. No idea how similar they sound now.


----------



## Rook

PM Larrikin666


----------



## Augminished

SSK0909 said:


> Has anyone A/B'ed the Kemper and Axe-Fx II 7.0 or higher?
> 
> I've read a couple of places that the Kemper sounds more like the real thing than the Axe II, but thats mostly pre 7.0 versions of Axe II. No idea how similar they sound now.



The Axe has certainly stepped it up and is very close to the kemper but the kemper still is a bit more real sounding. They are both really close and they are both really great but the effects on the Axe are much better then the kemper. It depends on what you need. They are both really close and you have to really sit down and try to here it. Even then, my mind just might be fucking with me


----------



## Larrikin666

Fun111 said:


> PM Larrikin666



or I'll just answer here. 

I've had a Kemper for a few months now. I've also had my Ultra for 3 or 4 years and my II since the day they came out. The effects in the Axe-FX are top notch. I've never used anything that compares to the quality and the ease of use in that regard. 

However, there's always been something about the "feel" of the amp sims in the Axe-FX that bothered me. That slight delay that occurs between when you pick and when the sound actually comes out throws me off a lot. I know people swear up and down that no one can notice that, but I remember articulating the problem before Fractal even admitted that it existed. Don't get me wrong, I freakin LOVE what Fractal did. I forget about that delay if I only play the Axe-FX II to a few weeks, but it's IMMEDIATELY apparent to me if I play through my Kemper or a real tube amp.

I'd strontly recommend at least trying a Kemper though. There's just something about the feel of the dynamics that hits home. It requires little or no tweaking the majority of the time. It's very user friendly. It's entirely possible that it might not be your thing though. I was incredibly skeptical up until the second I downloaded Keith Merrow's 5150 rig. I was immediately sold after that.


----------



## SSK0909

Larrikin666 said:


> or I'll just answer here.
> 
> I've had a Kemper for a few months now. I've also had my Ultra for 3 or 4 years and my II since the day they came out. The effects in the Axe-FX are top notch. I've never used anything that compares to the quality and the ease of use in that regard.
> 
> However, there's always been something about the "feel" of the amp sims in the Axe-FX that bothered me. That slight delay that occurs between when you pick and when the sound actually comes out throws me off a lot. I know people swear up and down that no one can notice that, but I remember articulating the problem before Fractal even admitted that it existed. Don't get me wrong, I freakin LOVE what Fractal did. I forget about that delay if I only play the Axe-FX II to a few weeks, but it's IMMEDIATELY apparent to me if I play through my Kemper or a real tube amp.
> 
> I'd strontly recommend at least trying a Kemper though. There's just something about the feel of the dynamics that hits home. It requires little or no tweaking the majority of the time. It's very user friendly. It's entirely possible that it might not be your thing though. I was incredibly skeptical up until the second I downloaded Keith Merrow's 5150 rig. I was immediately sold after that.



Interresting... 

Since I'm absolutely not an FX guy i might end up selling the Axe since it's twice the price of a Kemper here.

I'm just concerned that i will never be 100% happy using someone elses amp profiles. I'm afraid i'll always have this "It would probably have sounded more like MY tone if i had captured the profile myself" thought in my head 

And since I sold everything amp related when I went Axe, I'm not in a position to make my own profiles


----------



## Larrikin666

SSK0909 said:


> I'm just concerned that i will never be 100% happy using someone elses amp profiles. I'm afraid i'll always have this "It would probably have sounded more like MY tone if i had captured the profile myself" thought in my head




Yeah. I totally get that. My II is a few days from heading out the door. I'm keeping my Ultra for the time being since the effects are second to none. The extra amp goodness in the II doesn't do me any good since I've head over heels in with the Kemper now.

I really wouldn't worry about the profile thing. I had that same fear, and then I noticed people making 20+ profiles of an amp with everything conceivable setting. It might not ending up being for you. Luckily, buying a Kemper online comes with a 30-day return policy through most dealers.


----------



## flint757

SSK0909 said:


> And since I sold everything amp related when I went Axe, I'm not in a position to make my own profiles



You could always rent or borrow


----------



## 3074326

I was worried I was never going to find a tone I liked more than my 5153 red tone, then I spent an hour or so with the Dizzy V4 4 amp. I have a new favorite. 

So much stuff in this thing, I've had it for months and it still gives me goosebumps.


----------



## Genome

I prefer the Ch. 3. Feels a little smoother to me.


----------



## tank

bass presets for the ultra?


----------



## Lorcan Ward

I'm surprised this hasn't been posted yet:
OwnHammer Speaker Cabinets Public Beta (free stuff inside)

Sounds very promising, will try them out tomorrow.




SSK0909 said:


> Has anyone A/B'ed the Kemper and Axe-Fx II 7.0 or higher?
> 
> I've read a couple of places that the Kemper sounds more like the real thing than the Axe II, but thats mostly pre 7.0 versions of Axe II. No idea how similar they sound now.



I'm struggling to decide which one I like better. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. I find myself wishing the Kemper had more parameters and in-depth controls while I wish the Axe had a lot less. If I was just playing clean/jazz style guitar I would choose the Kemper and never buy another amp ever again but for hi-gain tones I feel I'm really missing out by not having any amps to profile my own tones. 

The ownhammer IRs sound very promising so I'll try their beta pack and see if I can come to a conclusion.


----------



## Rook

tank said:


> bass presets for the ultra?



Are you asking?

In which case, try a biamp setup, I use SV bass into a 810 and recto into recto cab. 
Compression before the SV, lots of low end, big cut at around 500 Hz and make sure you don't have a lot of presence or brightness.
Mid Han setting on the recto, use all the bright and boost options to make it tight and controlled meaning you'll end up with the gain about 1.5-2. Take out all the low end and have a slight cut around 500 and take off the very high end (5-6k+) because there will be loads of it. 

Then turn the recto down until you just end up with a normal bass sound with a rumble low end but a broken up, snarly upper mid. If you get the balance right it works great. I have used a second SV with a DRV in front instead of a recto too but I couldn't get a very clear high end.


----------



## Seanthesheep

drawnacrol said:


> I'm surprised this hasn't been posted yet:
> OwnHammer Speaker Cabinets Public Beta (free stuff inside)
> 
> Sounds very promising, will try them out tomorrow.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I'm struggling to decide which one I like better. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. I find myself wishing the Kemper had more parameters and in-depth controls while I wish the Axe had a lot less. If I was just playing clean/jazz style guitar I would choose the Kemper and never buy another amp ever again but for hi-gain tones I feel I'm really missing out by not having any amps to profile my own tones.
> 
> The ownhammer IRs sound very promising so I'll try their beta pack and see if I can come to a conclusion.





holy crap lol, down loaded it and theres so many impulses. id love to try them but I dont know where to start. plus axe edit keeps crashing


----------



## baptizedinblood

Scrubface05 said:


> Posted the other day about making my tone have more clarity. It just doesn't seem right, and I can't figure out how to fix it.
> Here's a clip of me doing the intro to "Passenger" by Periphery, so you guys can hear my tone.
> I know it's not perfect, but help with the tone, not my playing haha.
> https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/passenger-demo



Honestly, that tone sounds great. It could use a slight cut in the high end, maybe around 12/13k? Once you place it in a mix, it'll be a lot easier to figure out the weak points in it.


----------



## Rook

Fun111 said:


> Are you asking?
> 
> In which case, try a biamp setup, I use SV bass into a 810 and recto into recto cab.
> Compression before the SV, lots of low end, big cut at around 500 Hz and make sure you don't have a lot of presence or brightness.
> Mid Han setting on the recto, use all the bright and boost options to make it tight and controlled meaning you'll end up with the gain about 1.5-2. Take out all the low end and have a slight cut around 500 and take off the very high end (5-6k+) because there will be loads of it.
> 
> Then turn the recto down until you just end up with a normal bass sound with a rumble low end but a broken up, snarly upper mid. If you get the balance right it works great. I have used a second SV with a DRV in front instead of a recto too but I couldn't get a very clear high end.



Here's a clip of what this sounds like

Riff5 by Praxis111 on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free

It's just a loop so probably not worth listening to the whole thing, but you get the idea.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

New ownhammer impulses mixed with Firmware 8 is incredible. I haven't played my Axe-II much since firmware 6 but they've really ironed out the things I didn't like with it. The palm mutes are a lot punchier and the response is a lot more even across the fretboard on a 7 string. Its a lot easier to dial in now and the OH impulses take EQ really well.


----------



## Rook

Does anyone have the 412 Metal IR for download? I can't find one that works :S


----------



## Lorcan Ward

PM me your email address and I'll send it to you


----------



## YoshieF200

On the Fractal Axe-fx, is there a point in running a compressor first in the chain using a high gain amp? And should i use the input gate, or a gate block post drive, amp, and cab and not use the input gate? I was wondering how to make these two work together without totally cutting my sustain while adding some thickness and clarity. becuase i have my chops n rythem set very well with fast gate, but if i play leads it tends to chop the gain n sustain off higher notes.


----------



## XxSilverburstDiezelxX

Most of the high gain tones are going to be naturally compressed already. There isn't much of a need to add compression, unless you are going to do final compression on the patch and not in your DAW or mastering process.


----------



## Larrikin666

I used the multiband compressor pretty frequently. I'd turn the amp gain way down to improve the note clarity then use the compressor to help with the feel I was accustomed to when I had the gain high.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Larrikin666 said:


> I used the multiband compressor pretty frequently. I'd turn the amp gain way down to improve the note clarity then use the compressor to help with the feel I was accustomed to when I had the gain high.



Do you use the multiband comp in front of the amp or at the end of the patch? I use a normal comp before the amp just to help notes sustain a bit longer. And also help me dig in a bit better when playing more techinical riffs


----------



## subject aftermath

hey guys Im thinking of getting an Axe fx and I've found a pretty good deal.
However, the guy is saying the unit is an axe fx ultra but in axe fx standard case and that he got his units motherboard upgraded by g66.com. Ive never heard of that happening and I wonder if thats actually possible.

Heres the ad for the item:

AXE-FX Ultra in Liverpool | Studio & Live Music Equipment for Sale | Gumtree.com


----------



## Lorcan Ward

^ Thats odd. I would PM G66 and get confirmation of the upgrade. Also get him to post a pic/video of him showing some of the Ultra effects on the screen that wouldn't be on the Standard.


----------



## flint757

I call bullshit, but that's just me. It'd be hard to tell if he was lying or telling the truth, I'd be concerned that he flashed the OS of the Ultra somehow on to a standard so the hardware wouldn't be nearly as nice. Contact G66 to see if that is even possible.

As for the OS though when you turn it on it would flash Axe Fx Ultra.


----------



## Valnob

Hello,

I've a question about the axe-fx.

Can you plug your Axe-fx (ultra or II) directly in your PC without needing something else ? (like a cab, a head...)

Also what are the prices for each models ?

Thanks


----------



## ArrowHead

Valnob said:


> Hello,
> 
> I've a question about the axe-fx.
> 
> Can you plug your Axe-fx (ultra or II) directly in your PC without needing something else ? (like a cab, a head...)
> 
> Also what are the prices for each models ?
> 
> Thanks



Yes, you can run it direct to your PC via an interface, or simply using the Axe FX as an interface via USB.

Second question I don't understand? The models don't cost any extra, it's not like a Kemper.


----------



## flint757

Only the II can be used via USB, the Ultra and Standard you have to use Audio Interface.

The price for a standard is probably between 1000-1300, Ultra 1300-1500 and II 1800-2200.


----------



## ArrowHead

flint757 said:


> The price for a standard is probably between 1000-1300, Ultra 1300-1500 and II 1800-2200.



Ohhhh... models. Duh, I thought he meant amp models. That makes a lot more sense now.


----------



## Seanthesheep

ownhammer IR's, oh how I love you. especially the new free bogner 412 IR


----------



## JonL

I want to use the expression pedal on my FCB1010 to swell the volume of this preset. I added a volume block and set the pedal to control it but it cuts the sound out entirely. I'd like to achieve that swell effect like when I turn the volume down on the guitar. Any ideas?


----------



## flint757

Even with my analog volume pedal the same thing happens with distortion as it only affects the intensity, not the volume. Can you set the volume block at the end of the chain, that may make a difference. Then it'd function as a master volume instead of guitar volume.


----------



## JonL

flint757 said:


> Even with my analog volume pedal the same thing happens with distortion as it only affects the intensity, not the volume. Can you set the volume block at the end of the chain, that may make a difference. Then it'd function as a master volume instead of guitar volume.



It's currently set at the very end of the chain unfortunately. The problem is, that is functioning as the master volume and cuts the sound entirely. I want the delays and whatnot to ring out when I swell the volume down. I've also tried putting the block in the beginning, middle, end.


----------



## flint757

Hmmm I'd fiddle around with mine, but I've got a test in the morning. If no one has figured it out by then I'll see if i can't figure it out.


----------



## Seanthesheep

hey guys, got a dilemma here.

a Carvin DCM150 popped up on EBay for 100$ that Im thinking of hopping on. after shipping and any potential taxes Id probably be closer to 200$ but still a pretty decent deal right?

another option is the EHX 44 magnum which I can probably get a new one for a similar price.

Id be running this into a mesa thiele 112 with an EVM12L or I could sell the cab and buy an alto. 

either way, I need something to power my Axe Fx II for band practices, home playing and stage monitoring for shows.

opinions?


----------



## Rook

Does anyone have the 412 Metal impulse they'd care to share? I deeply miss that cab.


----------



## Aevolve

Anyone have any suggestions for a recording interface <$300 that plays nice with the Axe-Fx Ultra?


----------



## flint757

Do you want firewire or USB? Or rather do you even have a firewire port?


----------



## Sepultorture

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Anyone have any suggestions for a recording interface <$300 that plays nice with the Axe-Fx Ultra?



if you go firewire the M-Audio Firewire Solo will do it real nice

USB, can't really comment


----------



## Shask

PeachesMcKenzie said:


> Anyone have any suggestions for a recording interface <$300 that plays nice with the Axe-Fx Ultra?


I use a Presonus 22VSL


----------



## flint757

Just make sure whatever brand you go with has a good track record involving drivers. Bad driver release history (or just bad drivers) means problems later on.

There are some companies that drop support for products upon the release of the next gen.


----------



## Aevolve

I don't have a Firewire port. I'm trying to find something that I'd be able to go USB with so I could use my laptop in my dorm room for some potential recordings and Axe-Edit.
I've got a Lenovo Y580 20994HU, if that helps.


----------



## Genome

Look into the Focusrite Saffire series. I've got the 6 USB and it's not had one problem in the year and a half I've had it.

Very stable and very nice preamps to boot.


----------



## tank

Fun111 said:


> Are you asking?
> 
> In which case, try a biamp setup, I use SV bass into a 810 and recto into recto cab.
> Compression before the SV, lots of low end, big cut at around 500 Hz and make sure you don't have a lot of presence or brightness.
> Mid Han setting on the recto, use all the bright and boost options to make it tight and controlled meaning you'll end up with the gain about 1.5-2. Take out all the low end and have a slight cut around 500 and take off the very high end (5-6k+) because there will be loads of it.
> 
> Then turn the recto down until you just end up with a normal bass sound with a rumble low end but a broken up, snarly upper mid. If you get the balance right it works great. I have used a second SV with a DRV in front instead of a recto too but I couldn't get a very clear high end.




thanks a lot Dude


----------



## Seanthesheep

Fuck i think my axe fx is broken 

Today i got to band practice and plugged my axe fx ii into the normal setup and found out midi doesnt work, so my fcb1010 doesnt change patches and also, the metronome is always on, and comes through the amp, even when the metronome is turned off, and the click speed changes if i adjust the metronome speed. Im gonna be shooting FAS an email amd asking over at the fractal boards too but ill be super pissed if it has to go in for repairs. 

Doesnt help that my band has an important show this weekend


----------



## ShadowAMD

For those who don't know, you can get a version 9.0 FW public beta on the fractal audio forums.


----------



## kmanick

Rook said:


> Does anyone have the 412 Metal impulse they'd care to share? I deeply miss that cab.


For the II? I'm pretty sure I have it, I'll check when I get home


----------



## Rook

^yes

You legend


----------



## ArrowHead

ShadowAMD said:


> For those who don't know, you can get a version 9.0 FW public beta on the fractal audio forums.



Did people miss this? It's kind of a major release. I haven't tried it yet - only owned my AF2 for a few days. I want to get a feel for it before I install the new version, so I can see if I notice the improvement everyone else did.


----------



## Rook

Most noticeable change since 6, huuuuge difference. It makes version 8 sound dead haha.

Seriously, massive difference.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Im kinda pissed I have a show sunday, Im not gonna risk running beta firmware for a big show but I wish I could 

gonna download it monday or tuesday and see though


----------



## ArrowHead

Seanthesheep said:


> Im kinda pissed I have a show sunday, Im not gonna risk running beta firmware for a big show but I wish I could



Fractal forums are full of people doing it right before gigs. It's a pretty stable release.


----------



## AxeHappy

Yeah, lots of people have been saying you don't even have to tweak your presets they just sound, "better." 

I'm still waiting for Axe-Edit to be fixed/released with..."The New Paradigm."


----------



## Rook

^exactly, I've not changed anything they just suddenly had all this extra body and felt better.

It's great! I could see this being the FW that moves periphery to the 2 for live use


----------



## kmanick

Rook said:


> ^yes
> 
> You legend


pm'ed brother I got it!


----------



## Genome

I thought you guys would enjoy this.

This was taken from a report from an "Axe-Fest" meeting in the US, where Cliff, some other Fractal guys, and a number of musicians did presentations and performances for the attendees.

As you know the Axe-FX is all-encompassing and attracts musicians from all genres. So obviously, the message board is full of members who don't necessarily play heavy stuff.



> *Tosin Abasi:* So in walks this guy who to me looked like he was 20. He is actually 29. I am not sure what style you would call his as I haven&#8217;t ever heard anything like it before. Maybe a progressive metal-jazz-fusion-rock. I really don&#8217;t know. I do know this though. After I pulled my chin off the floor I looked around and saw everybody else had the same &#8220;what just happened here&#8221; look. He played an 8 string out of his Pearl City cab to the accompaniment of a backing track (created by him) over the PA. He answered a few questions the first of which was &#8220;what planet are you from&#8221; and then played a couple more tunes. Again, looking over the audience of about 100 people all I saw was shock and disbelief. You will see of what I speak in the videos. His fingers on BOTH hands were a blur and I am not exaggerating. And yet again, Tosin is one of the most friendly and warm hearted persons you will ever meet. It was truly a pleasure to do so. Thank you so much Tosin!!!!


----------



## Phrygian

Man I'm just not able to achieve the tone I want with the Axe FX.. *shock and awe ensues*

Idk, it sounded great at pre-production, crisp and clear - but at home it sounds like dead strings and not very authentic. And that's the same patch! recorded through USB in both places. Anyone have an idea what's going on?


----------



## TBF_Seb

Phrygian said:


> Man I'm just not able to achieve the tone I want with the Axe FX.. *shock and awe ensues*
> 
> Idk, it sounded great at pre-production, crisp and clear - but at home it sounds like dead strings and not very authentic. And that's the same patch! recorded through USB in both places. Anyone have an idea what's going on?



I take this for a good opportunity for my first post here... 
So, hi guys!  (and some gals, I hope )

Phrygian, how was the "playback situation" at both locations? 
Let me guess, at home you played either very quiet or even with headphones?
If so, there are two major things:
1. You perceive sound differently depending on volume level. Look up "Fletcher Munson". Essentially you perceive a lack of high & low end at low volume. 
2. Your guitar sounds quite different when it's able to resonate from decent volume from your amp/monitor. That's the reason why a recording with decent volume (causing the guitar and its strings to resonate) sounds well through headphones while playing the same patch through headphones (no sound travelling to the guitar) sounds dull and lifeless.

I'm a long time owner/user of Axe-Fx Ultra/II so I know my way around those units. 
Cheers to all!

Seb


----------



## Phrygian

Welcome dude, and thanks for the input! 

The setup with the good result was Axe FX 2 -> USB -> pro tools -> headset. 
The setup with bleh results was Axe FX 2 -> USB -> Logic Pro -> mackie blackjack onyx -> Mackie mr5mk2 at decent volume. 

I have been an Axe FX user for two years now, but I still can't get _that_ tone I want. I hear people getting great results with the two, some really authentic sounding tones, but everything I do sounds dull and undefined in comparison. It's like every singe cab IR is super noisy? I'll try to get some clips recorded so you can hear what I mean.


----------



## flint757

Is your room acoustically treated? Listening through headphones and monitors is going to give vastly different results especially if you don't have any bass traps at your early reflection points.


----------



## TBF_Seb

Phrygian said:


> Welcome dude, and thanks for the input!
> 
> The setup with the good result was Axe FX 2 -> USB -> pro tools -> headset.
> The setup with bleh results was Axe FX 2 -> USB -> Logic Pro -> mackie blackjack onyx -> Mackie mr5mk2 at decent volume.
> 
> I have been an Axe FX user for two years now, but I still can't get _that_ tone I want. I hear people getting great results with the two, some really authentic sounding tones, but everything I do sounds dull and undefined in comparison. It's like every singe cab IR is super noisy? I'll try to get some clips recorded so you can hear what I mean.



That's strange, as my experience is the opposite most of the time: "meh" with just headphones, but great at decent volume through my nearfield monitors. 

Anyway, those listening situations are very different, so there's no way around dialing the patch differently to accommodate for that. 
Clips should help as words go only so far in describing hearing or taste.

Seb


----------



## Syrinx

Seanthesheep said:


> Fuck i think my axe fx is broken
> 
> Today i got to band practice and plugged my axe fx ii into the normal setup and found out midi doesnt work, so my fcb1010 doesnt change patches and also, the metronome is always on, and comes through the amp, even when the metronome is turned off, and the click speed changes if i adjust the metronome speed. Im gonna be shooting FAS an email amd asking over at the fractal boards too but ill be super pissed if it has to go in for repairs.
> 
> Doesnt help that my band has an important show this weekend



If its only connected to a foot controller and not a computer there's a USB interface mode that needs to be turned off or it will freak out. There's a boo boo cliff missed that's causing this to happen.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Thanks dude but i already fixed my issues last week, was some midi issues and personal stupidity


----------



## Hybrid138

Hey guys, I'm considering getting an Axe-Fx Ulta(used of course) in the near future for recording and a possible back-up rig. There are tons of pages (and I searched) and I'm sure it has been addressed before but for my purposes, should get a good deal on an Ultra or save and get a II? I know this is quite opinion based so if someone care direct me to a video/audio comparison between the two that would be great. I've only found one on YouTube with the dude that compares the 11rack, Axe-Ultra, and Axe II.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Hybrid138 said:


> Hey guys, I'm considering getting an Axe-Fx Ulta(used of course) in the near future for recording and a possible back-up rig. There are tons of pages (and I searched) and I'm sure it has been addressed before but for my purposes, should get a good deal on an Ultra or save and get a II? I know this is quite opinion based so if someone care direct me to a video/audio comparison between the two that would be great. I've only found one on YouTube with the dude that compares the 11rack, Axe-Ultra, and Axe II.



When i was thinking about thw switch I couldve gotten an ultra for a little under 1400$. I decided to go with a II because of the constant updates. 

Like seriously, my axe fx II arrived in may with FW 5.0.7 and since then. Were already up to FW9.0 and the unit still have enough memory to last a few more years apparently


----------



## AxeHappy

If money was no issue I would absolutely say go for the II. I saved up for it. 

And the constant stream of new amps, tweaks and features are pretty insane. FW9.0 added some crazy features and everything sounds better than ever too.


----------



## ArrowHead

Got a II about a week ago. In that time, he released a new beta firmware with a handful of new amps. In addition, he says there will be a full release by week-end with even more new amps.

That's more updates and new amps in a week than I got in two years with my Pod HD.


----------



## jsl2h90

If that wasn't enough, Axe-Edit is right around the corner. Mac beta just went up on the project server with a Windows version to follow. Cliff says it's the home stretch, so we're definitely getting close.


----------



## epsylon

Hey guys, I'm about to hit the order button on an axe-fx 2, and I am going for the monitor setup. I was thinking of getting Adam's, and I'm currently torn between A5X's and A7X's.
I'll be playing at decent volumes (neighbours -_-) and I'm not sure whether I should spend 250 euros more for the A7X's. Do the A5X's sound "good enough" ? I'm pretty sure they're plenty loud for my needs, but do they have enough low end bite ? I recently sold my amp+cab (a V3m and an Orange PPC212) and I fear that I'll miss the basses from the 2x12.
I would gladly spend the 250 euros on something else (a MIDI keyboard, and other guitars ), but I'd like to be sure the A5X's are fine for what I want from them.

Thanks !


----------



## flint757

How big is the room and is it treated? Monitors can get loud, but that isn't really the point. If you want loud I'd go for stage monitors/PA. Unless you are saying you aren't going to be loud then never mind.


----------



## epsylon

Room isn't treated, and I don't need the monitors to be too loud. I just need enough punch in the low end when I'm playing guitar (maybe because I want to compensate my small penis  ?).
For example, I had a Blackstar HT-5 a while ago, and, while it was loud enough for most of my purposes, I hated it because of the lack of punch. I've fiddled a bit with playing guitar and bass on my computer (through a pod studio gx and tiny cheap M-Audio monitors) and if I don't feel my thorax vibrating when chugging palm muted power chords, it just feels dull. It's the same reason why I hate playing with headphones.


----------



## flint757

How big is the room they would be going in?


----------



## ShadowAMD

If I wanted to sell my Axe 2, how much do you think it's worth second hand?


----------



## Genome

ShadowAMD said:


> If I wanted to sell my Axe 2, how much do you think it's worth second hand?



No-one knows, as no-one has ever tried...


----------



## Rook

I also couldn't tell you, I bought mine used and porbably overpaid, but others have sold since for a similar price so...

These things are difficult to judge, they're new, hyped and high quality, they're also computer based so go in and out of fashion a little. Though in my honest opinion, the Axe 2 is so good I don't see what they're gunna do to compete with it soundwise in future.

Anyway, they're readily available from Fractal now so we're probably getting a little closer to their actual value now. If I were looking for a 2 now, I wouldn't flinch at spending £16-1800 when they're about £2200 new.


----------



## Genome

I bought mine new for £1800 in August. Who's charging you £2200?


----------



## Alex6534

On Gumtree they're going for around £1300/£1500 used, hopefully getting mine next year!


----------



## ShadowAMD

I was just wondering, would never sell it for £1400 or there about's.

Well it's getting used a fair bit anyway, I just can't stop gear lusting HA .

Also really like my ENGL..


----------



## ArrowHead

ShadowAMD said:


> I was just wondering, would never sell it for £1400 or there about's.
> 
> Well it's getting used a fair bit anyway, I just can't stop gear lusting HA .
> 
> Also really like my ENGL..



Two just sold in our area. Both went for $2000. I wouldn't settle for any less than that if your unit's undamaged and unblemished.


----------



## Rook

Genome said:


> I bought mine new for £1800 in August. Who's charging you £2200?





You're right, the exchange rate was very different when I got mine a year ago!

EDIT: you must have paid on a good day, even with the rates as they are you'd be looking at closer to £1900...


----------



## ShadowAMD

ArrowHead said:


> Two just sold in our area. Both went for $2000. I wouldn't settle for any less than that if your unit's undamaged and unblemished.



Agree on that, I do like my AXE a lot though.. Just spend more time tweaking than actually doing anything


----------



## ArrowHead

Speaking of tweaking, just finished setting this up for scene changes:







15 banks of 5 presets each, with banks 0,5,10,and 15 as a scene control bank with tuner/bypass and pedals for scenes 2-5. (scene 2 is the initial preset). 

That's 75 presets with 5 scenes each preset. That ought to cover me.

Top row controls comp, drive, mod, delay, and reverb stomps globally, with the exception of mod which can be programmed to control anything I want per-patch. For example in one patch it turns a flanger on and off. In another a chorus. In a third, it turns on a rotary effect, phaser, and chorus. Pretty handy. Expression pedals (cut off in picture) control Volume, and Wah. 

Labels were printed out on adhesive shipping label paper.


----------



## ShadowAMD

Very sweet, I'd just settle for a decent tone HA!.. It is harder to get what I want then a thought.. A deep, clear powerful sounding mesa tone with a chugg that drops into the mix and sounds like it came from a LOG album..

Not asking for much


----------



## Rook

^sounds like what I use, and I got a tone I'm really happy with.

What are your settings?


----------



## Seanthesheep

finally!!!!

really sounds like the alto stack up, IMO especially the ts115a. the biggest difference I notice is clarity and detail in the tones


----------



## flint757

The only issue I have is all the speakers are in different locations and they didn't move the mic or the speakers so like in the ts112a's case it was all the way to the left of the mic.


----------



## Seanthesheep

yea, its for sure not perfect but its probably one of the most varied comparisons out there


----------



## flint757

It was a nice comparison for sure and I understand why they didn't as it would have been a pain in the ass.


----------



## Weimat01

There is a 4x12 engl pro cab in my local store (australia) that is 70% off until tomorrow. Do you think a 4x12 engl pro cab + some kind of power amp would be better than a Mackie HD1221/similar for axe fx II. The cab is about $650 + power amp cost vs hd1221 normally 1500 aud. The only catch is that I'm mostly into playing at home and small gigs, so I don't really need the best gear I can get & I wasn't planning on buying anything soon, but I thought this was a pretty good deal. Any advice would be appreciated.


----------



## Atomshipped

Hmmm anyone know where I can find some good Ultra patches? Axe-Change seems to be flooded with II patches and there're only about 20 for Ultra. I've went through the Fractal forums and found a *few* good ones, but in general there seem to be almost none. 

Out of the few I've found and even fewer I've downloaded, only three presets really sound good to me. "Andromeda Lead" is a great lead tone, I love that. I downloaded a patch off these forums as well that is decent. Fearedse's Uberschall sounds okay, but I really like his cab IR thingy (that plus the R121 mic = every high gain patch sounds way better).


----------



## flint757

Having the same problem.


----------



## kmanick

Weimat01 said:


> There is a 4x12 engl pro cab in my local store (australia) that is 70% off until tomorrow. Do you think a 4x12 engl pro cab + some kind of power amp would be better than a Mackie HD1221/similar for axe fx II. The cab is about $650 + power amp cost vs hd1221 normally 1500 aud. The only catch is that I'm mostly into playing at home and small gigs, so I don't really need the best gear I can get & I wasn't planning on buying anything soon, but I thought this was a pretty good deal. Any advice would be appreciated.


 
If you're only playing at hoem I'd get the Mackie, it's cheaper and they sound really pretty good and you get the full use of the Axe (Cab IR's)
if you go thru the Engl alot of your patches 9especially the high gain ones) will all sound very similar.
I had that issue with my mnesa 50/50 and my 2 X12 cabs tht's why I sold them and wnet with the RCF 12NX sma (killer wedge BTW)


----------



## ShadowAMD

Rook said:


> ^sounds like what I use, and I got a tone I'm really happy with.
> 
> What are your settings?



So I tried a couple:

Tube OD > USA > Recto cab w U87 / German 4X12 w Sm57.

FAS6160 > CALI 4X12 w Sm57 

Newest one I'm playing about with is:

FAS Modern / German 4X12 w MD421 / Hi-power V30 w Sm57.


----------



## Shask

kmanick said:


> If you're only playing at hoem I'd get the Mackie, it's cheaper and they sound really pretty good and you get the full use of the Axe (Cab IR's)
> if you go thru the Engl alot of your patches 9especially the high gain ones) will all sound very similar.
> I had that issue with my mnesa 50/50 and my 2 X12 cabs tht's why I sold them and wnet with the RCF 12NX sma (killer wedge BTW)


Interesting. I typically play my Axe-FX and HD500 through a Power Amp and Cab because my monitors just don't have that in the room sound of an amp. Maybe I will have to play with it more since I seem to have the "sameness" issue.


----------



## Brill

Axe fx ultra or 2 for home recording?


----------



## ShadowAMD

Loxodrome said:


> Axe fx ultra or 2 for home recording?



All depends on what you want to do with it..

Periphery stuff, was fine with the first Axe..

You want something more realistic? Axe 2 would be my suggestion!.


----------



## Andromalia

Axe 2 is more user friendly. If you can afford it, get one instead of an ultra, which has a much steeper learning curve.


----------



## Jako21530

What's the cheapest anybody has seen an Ultra go for?


----------



## Shask

I would say around $1300. 

The Standard is a good deal these days. I finally picked one up now that they hit $1000 or so....


----------



## Jako21530

I think I've seen a few just a tad bit lower. I'm really ready to get one but I don't know if I should wait just a bit longer and see if they drop any farther. I feel like they have been creeping down to $1300 average for a while now.


----------



## Rook

ShadowAMD said:


> So I tried a couple:
> 
> Tube OD > USA > Recto cab w U87 / German 4X12 w Sm57.
> 
> FAS6160 > CALI 4X12 w Sm57
> 
> Newest one I'm playing about with is:
> 
> FAS Modern / German 4X12 w MD421 / Hi-power V30 w Sm57.



I go T808 Mod - USA Lead 2 - Recto 412

The 808 I have to turn the lo cut and hi cut up a bit to get more brightness and less rumbly low end. OD at zero, tone at 6 or 7 (really depends on the guitar) volume half way.

USA Lead 2, no boost, try bright. Treble very high, 8 or 9, bass about 3, mid at about 4 (again depends on pickups). Master half way, depth zero, presence depending on your setup. I'd use the EQ to get a bit of a V in the sound but boost lower mids more than bass and treble. Get treble from the presence control and only add bass if you need. Cut 500Hz about 2dB.

The cab, go without a mike while setting up your sound, I just add a mic when I know what mix I'm trying to get it to sit in.

If you're on a 2 I can give you my patch.


----------



## Atomshipped

Anyone know where to get a few good Ultra patches?


----------



## getaway_fromme

Hey Guys I need your help. I just posted this on Fractal Forums but if there is anyone here who can chime in w/ Pro Tools background please help me with Re-amping!

I am trying to re-amp using DI tracks into Pro Tools 9 through an Mbox 3 pro via Axe's analog outs as I do not yet want to utilize USB or SPDIF. I record the DI track using the front input then re-amp by using the rear input. The DI track seems to be recording into PT perfectly, but routing it back into the axe fx sounds like a dead active pickup battery or a broken/dirty guitar input jack. In other words, nowhere near enough gain. My routing seems to be ok because the axe is definitely picking up the signal, but I am really stumped as to what I'm doing wrong. To note, right now I'm not at all interested in recording wet signals into the DAW as I really don't need them since I monitor through my own amp/cab.

My preset has the FX loop at the end of the chain since that is my default recording out. I simply move it from the DI route back to the Wet route when ready to re-amp. I monitor through output 1 into a poweramp/cab as my default. 

Routing as follows:

Axe FX Output 2 (FX Loop) ------> Mbox inputs 1-2
Mbox output 3 (DI send) --------> Axe input 1 rear
Axe fx output 2 (FX loop)-------> Mbox inputs 1-2

No matter how much I adjust the input gain it still sounds far too low. WTF am I doing wrong? Can it be a setting in Pro Tools or is there something in the Axe that I am just completely forgetting? I've done a ton of research the past few days and no video or forum post has helped : ? /

Thanks in advance for your help.


----------



## ShadowAMD

Rook said:


> I go T808 Mod - USA Lead 2 - Recto 412
> 
> The 808 I have to turn the lo cut and hi cut up a bit to get more brightness and less rumbly low end. OD at zero, tone at 6 or 7 (really depends on the guitar) volume half way.
> 
> USA Lead 2, no boost, try bright. Treble very high, 8 or 9, bass about 3, mid at about 4 (again depends on pickups). Master half way, depth zero, presence depending on your setup. I'd use the EQ to get a bit of a V in the sound but boost lower mids more than bass and treble. Get treble from the presence control and only add bass if you need. Cut 500Hz about 2dB.
> 
> The cab, go without a mike while setting up your sound, I just add a mic when I know what mix I'm trying to get it to sit in.
> 
> If you're on a 2 I can give you my patch.



Thanks for that, will give it a try


----------



## ShadowAMD

I think I'm going to stick mine up for sales, good unit got some cool results from it.. But not for me..


----------



## Sepultorture

ShadowAMD said:


> I think I'm going to stick mine up for sales, good unit got some cool results from it.. But not for me..



Which unit?

Standard, Ultra, II?


----------



## Lorcan Ward

I spent a good few hours with my Axe-Fx II today and managed to recreate what I like about my Kemper's Hi-Gain tones. It takes a lot of tweaking though.

Bareknuckle Nailbomb Test by drawnacrol on SoundCloud - Create, record and share your sounds for free


----------



## ShadowAMD

Sepultorture said:


> Which unit?
> 
> Standard, Ultra, II?



Axe FX 2


----------



## Rook

Let me send you some patches, PM me your email


----------



## Seanthesheep

ShadowAMD said:


> I think I'm going to stick mine up for sales, good unit got some cool results from it.. But not for me..



yea Idk. I like mine a lot but I just dont think I need all that it has. maybe when I move out for school, might sell it for a POD HD500 and buy a 5153 mini or mini rec to go with my cab I still have. like my Axe Fx is amazing but I just don't think Im putting it to as good use as it could be. and anyways, once its in a band mix and through a house PA its true awesomeness is kinda washed out. Idk its a tough decision for sure


----------



## ShadowAMD

Seanthesheep said:


> yea Idk. I like mine a lot but I just dont think I need all that it has. maybe when I move out for school, might sell it for a POD HD500 and buy a 5153 mini or mini rec to go with my cab I still have. like my Axe Fx is amazing but I just don't think Im putting it to as good use as it could be. and anyways, once its in a band mix and through a house PA its true awesomeness is kinda washed out. Idk its a tough decision for sure



I've got some decent tones out of it.. Done a few recordings, from playing about it is the best modeller I have ever used and sounds quite realistic. But it was supposed to make things quicker and better sounding than a select few vintage engl and mesas I bought which is unrealistic I know .. For me it hasn't quite got me there, between excessive tweaking and messing around with impulses I've not actually done much recording, plus I need a new car 

Granted it sounds good at a wide selection of fx and tones.. But I dont need it all.


----------



## Winspear

How many independent signals can the Axe FX II process and output?

I know all Axe-Fxs could do two guitars at once with two different signal chains.

I see on the back of the Axe FX II there is Input 1 L /R, and Input 2 L / R.

With most audio equipment that would imply 4 different signals i.e. 4 guitars can be routed at once...


----------



## flint757

I think just 2 and input 1 and 2 are the same inputs just in different locations. If you were to process 2 guitars I believe they'd have to just be in separate channels, so one left and one right. Never tried, though, so could be wrong.


----------



## Winspear

Yeah I saw a video explaining two guitars but he only used input one. Set one amp chain input to "Input 1 L" and one to "Input 1 R" or something like that. Input 2 was never mentioned so I wondered if you can do the same there. And of course route them to 4 different outputs.


----------



## flint757

You might be right. Might run out of juice for 4 things though, plus things cancelling out in the output. Using 2 works simply because there are only 2 outputs so you can split that signal as well, keeping it clean. With four, 2 instruments are going to the same speaker and if they are in the same range (like 2 guitars) then I imagine it won't sound very good.

Does the II have 4 independent outputs? My Ultra has 4, but it is unbalanced and balanced and I think one replaces the other pending on the circumstance.


----------



## Winspear

Yeah processing power could be a concern, was asking more theoretically I guess haha. Though if I ever did get one for 4 signals it would be purely 4 amp blocks and nothing else which I expect would be ok. And it would not be going to the same speaker or anything like that  
There is output 1 L R and output 2 L R on all units as far as I know. Output 2 generally being intended for FX send. Theoretically everything is there, I just don't know how it all hooks up


----------



## Seanthesheep

flint757 said:


> I think just 2 and input 1 and 2 are the same inputs just in different locations. If you were to process 2 guitars I believe they'd have to just be in separate channels, so one left and one right. Never tried, though, so could be wrong.



theoretically you could do 4 guitars, or 2 guitars and 2 basses, but could only use 2 different tones.

but theres 2 stereo signal chains, so you could use the two amps, set them to recieve stereo inputs, and have the amp sims output in stereo to different sources for a total of 4 or have the outputs combiind for 2 different outputs.

I was running 2 guitars through one amp sim the other day at my bands other guitarists house, while we were writing, so Im almost positive you could extrapolate the idea to input and output 2 for an additional 2 instruments. confusing but Im 99% sure its possible


----------



## Winspear

Here we are, from Fractal: 
[FONT=Candara, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]
_*"Yes it is possible (to have 4 separate ins/outs), but there are only 2 blocks of most effects. They would each have to have an amp block (or share one). There are 2 amp block available and amp blocks are mono. Many of the other effects are stereo."*_

This seems to conflict with you saying that the amp sims output in stereo? When you were running two guitars, were they separated to left and right on output? 

Please, don't put too much thought or effort into this - it's highly unlikely that I am going to be buying an Axe Fx for this reason - it was just an idea 
[/FONT]


----------



## Rook

You can process 4 signals at once but it depends how far you wanna go and what you wanna do. It is actually possible to confuse the buggery out of it.

You can only have 2 amp blocks at a time though, and I think you're right, they're still mono. If any one of those four signals is clean however, you can manage without one of the amp blocks just fine.


----------



## Bakerman

EtherealEntity said:


> [FONT=Candara, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica]
> This seems to conflict with you saying that the amp sims output in stereo? When you were running two guitars, were they separated to left and right on output? [/FONT]



They sum to mono so the signals would get blended and generally sound pretty weird/bad with any drive. 4 independent chains are possible but only 2 could use an amp block. If you wanted drive on the other 2 there's still the option of 2 drive blocks.


----------



## Scrubface05

Thoughts on my tone?
Drums and bass will be coming soon.
https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/numero-uno-finished


----------



## early_grave

Hi!
First of all,I'm big gear noob who just got an axe fx ultra! I have a Line6 Spider IV 75 now, but I'm going to change it to speakers in the near future. Until then, I want to use them together if it's possible. So I plugged the spider into the axe fx (outbalanced left output), and the guitar to the axe fx (I both tried the front and the rear input) and it sound's pretty weak with almost any presets. Am I doing something wrong? 
The second question. I'm planning to buy KRK rokit 6's . Should I buy active or passive speakers?(Yeah, one more n00bish question)


----------



## Musza

I made a reamping in this clip using an Axe for the right channel. It's a tone based on a Ola Englund Powerball preset. I used it with a Catharsis (awesome 3) impulse and did some changes in the preset - add another HP/LP, surgicaly cut some highs, reduced the gain.


----------



## Winspear

That was intense!


----------



## Nonapod

Stupid question probably, but can .syx files created for the standard and ultra be adapted to work in the II?


----------



## Andromalia

No, they can't.


----------



## TGN

V9 has been released ...


----------



## Andromalia

> We'll be back in a few minutes. Firmware 9.0 has been released on our web site and the servers are groaning under the weight of thousands of visitors. Thanks! (I think...) [email protected]



lolmao


----------



## Lorcan Ward

After playing with the new FM for about an hour I can really hear and feel a difference in palm mutes, pinch harmonics and pick attack(dynamics). I'm guessing its largely down to these new updates.



> New power amp modeling with improved dynamic response. This new modeling features improved transformer/plate interaction modeling resulting in better feel and a punchier response.





> Greatly improved cathode follower modeling. The cathode follower modeling now varies the amount of distortion in addition to compression. This results in a more dynamic attack, improved feel and more &#8220;punch&#8221; and &#8220;thunk&#8221; (since this also creates low frequency energy into the power amp).



Edit: I love how he modeled the Pic Attack parameter from the Kemper...........but a LOT better. It works really well with clean sounds.


----------



## Rook

Fractal Audio Systems Support

I agree, some of my more realistic models suddenly really punch with every stroke, the Recto particularly, feels wonderful. Can't wait til practice now.


----------



## flint757

If you can't be the best, copy the best. 

I kid, I kid. Great for all you II owners. 

In the meantime I'm happily stuck with my Ultra and Kemper. C'est la vie.


----------



## kmanick

I love my Axe II but I would also love to have a Kemper and be able to go back and forth between the 2 as needed.
I'm sure one is better than the other at some specifics and vice versa.
having both would be a lot of fun.


----------



## Scrubface05

I don't always model amps using my Kemper, but when I do I model after the Axe Fx. lol


----------



## Andromalia

I'd like to try a Kemper, but can't really justify buying one while already having an axe II atm. That's 4K&#8364; worth of gear we're talking about here.
Maybe I'll try a Kemper if I sell my axe (in the classifieds atm but new patch will likely have me keep it a little more)


----------



## flint757

Well admittedly it is a lot of scratch when there is quite a bit of redundancy involved.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

kmanick said:


> I love my Axe II but I would also love to have a Kemper and be able to go back and forth between the 2 as needed.
> I'm sure one is better than the other at some specifics and vice versa.
> having both would be a lot of fun.



After owning both for a few months they are two very different pieces of equipment. Both have their strengths and weaknesses and I've been literally struggling to decide which one to keep. I'll make a neutral post some day detailing my findings and some comparison clips. 

With this latest FM update the Axe-Fx has replicated nearly everything I liked about the Kemper and that was missing from the Axe. Cliff's almost religious devotion to his product and customers is evident since its clear he has been reading every Kemper vs Axe-fx thread, finding out what people liked more about the Kemper and then replicating it on the Axe.


----------



## mac n cheese

I've considered buying the axe fx ii and want to know if the voodoo labs foot controller will be able to use the scene function.


----------



## Rook

^Yes.

It takes a little setting up but it's very easy and totally custom which is really cool.

I use a ground control (not pro) and I use an all access type setup - I have bank up and down, patch 1,2,3,4 and 6 stomp type buttons. The FX are all set up on a scene by scene basis, I then have one button that bypasses reverb AND delay, one that bypasses compressors and drives (because I never use the two together), scene up, scene down, tuner and tap tempo. Couldn't ask for more as that's all I'd ever use.


----------



## Nonservium

Would any of you be able to hook me up with a v.8 firmware for the Axe-FX II so I can roll back? I updated to 9 when I picked mine up last night before I caught the sticky warning that it doesn't work right with Axe-Edit.


----------



## ArrowHead

Nonservium said:


> I caught the sticky warning that it doesn't work right with Axe-Edit.



Neither does 8.


----------



## ArrowHead

For the record, using the front panel only sucks for about an hour. It get's easy pretty quick after that, and it's useful to know.


----------



## Nonservium

8 worked fine for the little time i messed with it last night  I guess 7 was the last to work right? Meh, fuck it. I'll stick it out.


----------



## ArrowHead

Nonservium said:


> 8 worked fine for the little time i messed with it last night



That's the initial issue. It LOOKS like it works fine, but then it screws up all your patches. 

I bought mine just before the public beta for 9 came out, and even then the forum was filled with complaints of AE not working with firmware 8.


----------



## Seanthesheep

anyone notice axe fx ii Is very flabby for highgain with headphones? Im using sennhieser HD205s and they've been great untill now but with the new firmware, Im really struggling......


----------



## 3074326

I don't really like the sound of it in general with headphones at all. I've tried many headphones with it and it seems to lose something. It's really my only problem with the unit.


----------



## khobi64

Question... I just got my axe fx 2 a few days ago, and ive been using it on my computer, etc. all just fine. today i went to play with it with my amp. Now since the beginning i had in mind i would use my tube amp as a power amp, but when i plug it in, i am met with unbearable feedback, and high pitch squealing of sorts. I am not very good at all this techy stuff, so please don't crucify me. butcould anyone give me any pointers, or should i just save up and get a proper power amp


----------



## redstone

hey, I guess you already turned the sag down to zero and tried to lower the amp block level ?


----------



## khobi64

im not going to lie i dont really know what that means...i did say i wasnt very good at this stuff


----------



## flint757

Did you turn the cab and power amp off within axe fx and are you plugging it in the proper place on your amp? I'd avoid the input jack if you can. If you are plugging it up front then put it on the cleanest setting you got.


----------



## khobi64

ye im plugged into the fx loop of the amp, by turning the cab off, do you mean just taking out the cab part of each preset??


----------



## flint757

There should be a way to do so universally just to test, but if you are going through a power amp and cab then having a virtual cab and power amp will sound funny even if it doesn't squeal. I own the Ultra so no idea though. Try adjusting your volumes too.


----------



## khobi64

i would like to keep my tube amp for a while, i guess ill try turn the sag down and stuff


----------



## ArrowHead

3074326 said:


> I don't really like the sound of it in general with headphones at all. I've tried many headphones with it and it seems to lose something. It's really my only problem with the unit.



With headphones, crank the room level. It's typically that "something" guitarists miss when they put headphones on.


----------



## Nonapod

So I guess a new super awesome version of Axe Edit is coming in 2013? Hope it's soon, I'm tired of my cab selection looking like Egyption hieroglyphs.


----------



## mikemueller2112

ArrowHead said:


> For the record, using the front panel only sucks for about an hour. It get's easy pretty quick after that, and it's useful to know.



This is true. I pretty much started with Axe-Edit as it made more sense making patches and adjustments with a mouse. It's really simple once you can fly around on the actual Axe-FX and super convenient if you're not at your computer.


----------



## Seanthesheep

ArrowHead said:


> With headphones, crank the room level. It's typically that "something" guitarists miss when they put headphones on.



Ive been doing that for a while, really helps fill things out, but with the new firmware I just cant get the mids and lows where I want them without being overly fizzy or shrill. finding that thump under palm mutes I used to have is like impossible now too 

cant wait to buy an alto for my bands next run of shows though


----------



## 3074326

ArrowHead said:


> With headphones, crank the room level. It's typically that "something" guitarists miss when they put headphones on.



Huh, never thought about that. Will certainly try. Thanks for the suggestion.


----------



## AxeHappy

mikemueller2112 said:


> This is true. I pretty much started with Axe-Edit as it made more sense making patches and adjustments with a mouse. It's really simple once you can fly around on the actual Axe-FX and super convenient if you're not at your computer.




Definitely true. I've only really gotten into using the Front Panel since Axe-Edit Cliff specifically said not to use Axe-Edit anymore. 

And it's really not pretty straight forward. I will say that patch management (order and whatnot) is easier to do in Axe-Edit though.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

An Axe-Edit compatible with firmware 9 won't be released until January


----------



## Andromalia

argh


----------



## Rook

I couldn't care less about Axe Edit, v9 is the biggest thing for the Axe for me, I'm so soooo happy with it right now.

It even sounds better through some of the cabs I've been randomly using. Even if it never gets updated again, I can't see ever using an amp instead of this. Maybe as well, if love a Recto, Mark or Morse Head (particularly the Morse as it hasn't been Axe'd) but only because I like owning things.


----------



## Nonservium

Since I just got mine Saturday, what change are you happiest about? I was pretty excited to see the addition of a BadCat and a Fuchs model. I've spent the last two days playing with both as much as I can.

Learning the interface isn't as hard as it was on the HD500, that was a pain in the ass. I still have a long way to go though.


----------



## Rook

Its always sounded good, I can't remember ever playing it (I've had it since v2) thinking 'i wish it sounded more....' or 'if only .... was better', but somehow every update, I listen (I never read release notes ) and think 'ah the low end feels much more natural' or 'ah this sounds much less fizzy' or 'this responds much more like I'd expect it to'. I have to do less and less advanced tweaking with each update, its steadily getting more plug and play. I can flip onto an amp model and instantly get a sound that I think 'yeah that's what I thought that would sound like' without entering my ridiculous settings that I know make it punchier or less compressed etc.

I also find with each update that high master settings in the amp block sound more and more like you expect them to. Looking back, I always used to keep the master right down because up it just got uncontrolled and flabby.

I'm a big Recto fan, and thats a hard thing to model, but now the model is just as irritatingly awkward to tweak as the real thing and I couldn't be happier


----------



## Genome

I've seen and noted all the warnings about using Axe Edit - how would I go about updating the firmware without it via USB?


----------



## Nonservium

Genome said:


> I've seen and noted all the warnings about using Axe Edit - how would I go about updating the firmware without it via USB?



I was able to update via Axe-Edit. That part works fine, it's the presets that don't work nearest I can tell.


----------



## Nonservium

Rook said:


> Its always sounded good, I can't remember ever playing it (I've had it since v2) thinking 'i wish it sounded more....' or 'if only .... was better', but somehow every update, I listen (I never read release notes ) and think 'ah the low end feels much more natural' or 'ah this sounds much less fizzy' or 'this responds much more like I'd expect it to'. I have to do less and less advanced tweaking with each update, its steadily getting more plug and play. I can flip onto an amp model and instantly get a sound that I think 'yeah that's what I thought that would sound like' without entering my ridiculous settings that I know make it punchier or less compressed etc.
> 
> I also find with each update that high master settings in the amp block sound more and more like you expect them to. Looking back, I always used to keep the master right down because up it just got uncontrolled and flabby.
> 
> I'm a big Recto fan, and thats a hard thing to model, but now the model is just as irritatingly awkward to tweak as the real thing and I couldn't be happier



That seems to be what I read from most people about it. I've been through every preset and have yet to hear one thing that sounds like shit. Some of them seem useless to me but bad sound isn't something I'd say fits any of them lol.

The BadCat I've been playing on is fucking magnificent. I feel like a kid in a candy store.


----------



## Andromalia

I went from 6.?? to 09.01 yesterday using axe edit and it worked fine for updating. Used the midi program they advise to update the banks, I'm doing a total preset wipe with this version.

Most of the reports of an axe sounding bad come from bad I/O setup and the fact that most people don't know you should set your DAW at 48Khz sample rate when recording through USB. (that is the native axe fx rate and can't be changed)
For their defense, the manual isn't very clear about this and just lists options, people have to find out which is best for their own practices. And to top it all, the default settings aren't the best ones for everyday use home recording. Yek made a topic on the fractal forum where he gives the ones that gave me the best result.

Only had a bit of time to fiddle yesterday, the badcat indeed seems interesting. Just parsed presets, I will likely make a new one from scratch in the next few days


----------



## Dabo Fett

Sorry if it has been covered but I've must have read 50-60 pages of this and haven't found too much info. Obviously this thing slays at higher gain super aggressive tones, but what about more fuzzy, mastodon esqe tones?

Also, although I've found a few, anyone know of a good tube power amp with a 16ohm out? I'm interested in the engl and vht/fryette ones, but they're quite expensive, even used


----------



## Nonservium

Dabo Fett said:


> Sorry if it has been covered but I've must have read 50-60 pages of this and haven't found too much info. Obviously this thing slays at higher gain super aggressive tones, but what about more fuzzy, mastodon esqe tones?
> 
> Also, although I've found a few, anyone know of a good tube power amp with a 16ohm out? I'm interested in the engl and vht/fryette ones, but they're quite expensive, even used



Just from fucking around with it the last few days Mastodon tones are totally doable. In fact they are on my list of shit to try and recreate as I learn the thing. Baroness has an overdriven fuzzy tone to them that is similar and just from the small amount of tinkering I've done so far I've managed to come close to the blue record.


----------



## Nonservium

Andromalia said:


> Used the midi program they advise to update the banks, I'm doing a total preset wipe with this version.



I was unable to get this done following the limited instructions on their site. What operating system are you running to accomplish this?


----------



## 3074326

Dabo Fett said:


> Sorry if it has been covered but I've must have read 50-60 pages of this and haven't found too much info. Obviously this thing slays at higher gain super aggressive tones, but what about more fuzzy, mastodon esqe tones?



It does everything well. It might actually be best at clean sounds. We hear about metal on ss.org, but the rest of the stuff is just as good.


----------



## Andromalia

Nonservium said:


> I was unable to get this done following the limited instructions on their site. What operating system are you running to accomplish this?


Windows 7. I just followed the insturctions and that was it. To send you must right click IN the window with the hexadecimal stuff to get the sysex send option. In, like right over the numbers in the text, not in a menu.


----------



## Rook

Dabo Fett said:


> Sorry if it has been covered but I've must have read 50-60 pages of this and haven't found too much info. Obviously this thing slays at higher gain super aggressive tones, but what about more fuzzy, mastodon esqe tones?
> 
> Also, although I've found a few, anyone know of a good tube power amp with a 16ohm out? I'm interested in the engl and vht/fryette ones, but they're quite expensive, even used



My high gain sounds tend to get me compliments; my mid gain, pushed Marshall-esque and clean sounds are what make people say _wow_. A lot of people try out the high gain stuff and are surprised a black box rated by the speed of its processors rather than its wattage sounds and feels so usable, but it's always my Marshall Super Leas, Mesa Lonestar and Fender Twin patches that actually convert people.

More direct answer, yes 

As for the amp, I have a Matrix GT1000-FX, it's an absolute godsend. It lets the Axe FX do all the hard work, sounds and feels great pushed hard (presumably because its letting the Axe do the hard work...), has no tubes, weighs nothing, is hand-built in the UK and costs less than all the amps you mentioned. It's deafeningly loud and can power 4 8 ohm cabs (or 2 4 ohm) cabs to boot.

Trust me, put down the tubes and back away from your preconceptions, this amp is all you ever need.


----------



## Hybrid138

Just ordered an Axe2 today... stoked!


----------



## 3074326

Hybrid138 said:


> Just ordered an Axe2 today... stoked!



Congrats! Be prepared to have your expectations blown away. Nothing does it justice until you have it and can sit down with it for a few hours.


----------



## Nonservium

Andromalia said:


> Windows 7. I just followed the insturctions and that was it. To send you must right click IN the window with the hexadecimal stuff to get the sysex send option. In, like right over the numbers in the text, not in a menu.



Yeah I went through the instructions they have posted but it will not allow me to complete this step:

"_Make sure there is only a single route between MIDI-OX Event Port and Axe-Fx II MIDI In._"

I can't even get those two to connect.


----------



## bigswifty

Hey lads, quick question.

I run my 2 Mackie HR624 monitors into my Axe-Fx II, and use the Axe-Fx as the primary audio driver when recording in Reaper. Sometimes I'll notice that the Axe's red overload LED lights up from time to time - and when using tones that require about 90%+ of the Axe's CPU the whole system sort of locks down. 

I avoid using the CPU heavy tones when recording for that sole purpose. But as for the occasional "overload", could this be harming my Axe-FX? Or is this completely safe and normal? How else could I run my monitors so that I can playback and record with the Axe-FX running through them?

Cheers


----------



## Andromalia

Nonservium said:


> Yeah I went through the instructions they have posted but it will not allow me to complete this step:
> 
> "_Make sure there is only a single route between MIDI-OX Event Port and Axe-Fx II MIDI In._"
> 
> I can't even get those two to connect.


At this point yop should have a diagram thingy showing 3 points with lines between them. click on lines to make them appear/disappear and rstablish/cut connections. You should have only one line between the aformentioned event port and axe midi in.


----------



## Hyacinth

I found one for a good price but it's a 1st generation. I was just wondering if they had any problems I should be aware of. Thanks guys.


----------



## Rook

Never heard of a single ongoing issue with a particular revision of any Axe. Firmware v11 is extremely stable too


----------



## Rook

dbrozz said:


> Hey lads, quick question.
> 
> I run my 2 Mackie HR624 monitors into my Axe-Fx II, and use the Axe-Fx as the primary audio driver when recording in Reaper. Sometimes I'll notice that the Axe's red overload LED lights up from time to time - and when using tones that require about 90%+ of the Axe's CPU the whole system sort of locks down.
> 
> I avoid using the CPU heavy tones when recording for that sole purpose. But as for the occasional "overload", could this be harming my Axe-FX? Or is this completely safe and normal? How else could I run my monitors so that I can playback and record with the Axe-FX running through them?
> 
> Cheers



I assume you mean the red Out 1 Clip light? This is normal and harmless.

This is digital clipping, not like analogue, analogue causes distortion, sometimes really horrendous distortion, digital clipping can show up just like a limiter, when it's harder that's when it gets nasty.

If it sounds find it almost definitely is.


----------



## ArrowHead

Rook said:


> I assume you mean the red Out 1 Clip light? This is normal and harmless.
> 
> This is digital clipping, not like analogue, analogue causes distortion, sometimes really horrendous distortion, digital clipping can show up just like a limiter, when it's harder that's when it gets nasty.
> 
> If it sounds find it almost definitely is.



Wholly inaccurate.

Analogue distortion adds "warmth" and compression, and is actually quite sought out in studios.

Digital clipping is never good, as it creates harsh, awful sounds and artifacts, even the slightest bit. 

Meanwhile, the red input clip lights are set to go red at -6 db, so if you're just lighting it up a little it's still not putting you in danger of clipping your input on the axe fx. Your output LED, however, should not be turning red at all. If it does, turn the volume down IN your patch.


----------



## Dabo Fett

Another question, how easy (or hard) is it to max out the CPUs power witha patch? And how durable are these? I understand that if its not in a good solid rack it's not made to take shots at, and it's not like I'm going to throw it around, but can it hold up to touring conditions? And I don't mean nice bus and roadies setting up gear touring, I mean 4 broke dudes in a shit van touring haha


----------



## Andromalia

If you keep with a 1 amp 1 stero cab configuration you can go wild with effects all you want. If you go crazy with2 amps and 4 cabs then yeah you can be limited. But there's not really a point to do that.


----------



## Dabo Fett

Andromalia said:


> If you keep with a 1 amp 1 stero cab configuration you can go wild with effects all you want. If you go crazy with2 amps and 4 cabs then yeah you can be limited. But there's not really a point to do that.



I was planing on running stereo on stage, but with real power amp and cabs. Would this cut down on CPU usage enough that I could run two amps with effects?


----------



## bigswifty

ArrowHead said:


> Wholly inaccurate.
> 
> Analogue distortion adds "warmth" and compression, and is actually quite sought out in studios.
> 
> Digital clipping is never good, as it creates harsh, awful sounds and artifacts, even the slightest bit.
> 
> Meanwhile, the red input clip lights are set to go red at -6 db, so if you're just lighting it up a little it's still not putting you in danger of clipping your input on the axe fx. Your output LED, however, should not be turning red at all. If it does, turn the volume down IN your patch.



Thanks for the input!
My patches never light up the red output LED - it's more of an issue when I playback a recording using my Axe-FX as the primary audio driver, so the signal passes through it. The solution then tends to be just to turn the master vol fader down a notch in Reaper, but I'm curious as to if the Axe-FX would receive any harm from having that happen/playback through it. 

Cheers


----------



## markgov

Hey guys I was wondering if you guys could help me out with this one...
So I am trying to set up this rig with the following equipment right now...

Furman power conditioner
Axe Fx 2
Peavey 6505+ Head
Marshall Jvm 210H Head
Orange PPC412 Cab
Behringer FB1010

So what my original plan with this rig was to do it like this...

GTR > Axe fx > Axe fx out > FX return of either head > Cab
So with this setup, it makes it pretty easy to switch between patches as the axe fx is the preamp. The only thing with this setup is even though the two heads give me different power amp sounds I feel as if I might as well just buy a power amp and not have all this extra bulk with me....

The other setup that I was thinking of would be

GTR > either Amp head > FX Loop Axe fx > Cab

So with this setup I feel as if I would get a better sound since im using the full potential of the amp heads but I was wondering if I could use the axe fx as the tubescreamer and other fx for the current amp head I would be using ( Basically could I put it both before and after the preamp section of the head.
The issues I see with this setup is I dont know how I would switch between a clean and a distorion tone with one switch on my footboard.

Anyway let me know what you guys think : )


----------



## 3074326

Why'd you buy the Axe FX? If you bought it for the effects, use the second option. If you bought it as a preamp, use the first. 

When/if I gig again, I'm buying a power amp and not using a head with it. I feel like using a head with it for any reason other than as a power amp defeats the purpose of spending so much money on an Axe. My recommendation - get a power amp and use the amp models that are made to sound like the amps you have. They're close enough that having the heads will be rather pointless. My opinion, of course.


----------



## Nonservium

Andromalia said:


> At this point yop should have a diagram thingy showing 3 points with lines between them. click on lines to make them appear/disappear and rstablish/cut connections. You should have only one line between the aformentioned event port and axe midi in.



Oh I know how it works lol, it just won't draw the connection between the two that are listed.


----------



## ArrowHead

Andromalia said:


> If you go crazy with2 amps and 4 cabs then yeah you can be limited. But there's not really a point to do that.



With scenes, a lot of people are doing just that. Running 2 amps parallel with separate amps for X/Y. That way they have access to 4 completely different amps in a single preset via scenes.


----------



## ArrowHead

Nonservium said:


> Oh I know how it works lol, it just won't draw the connection between the two that are listed.



I don't have any diagram with lines.

I simply open Midi OX, select "midi devices" from the options menu, and make sure that ONLY the midi in of the Axe FX is selected. Not the midi out.

Then go to view/sysex. A new window pops up. From there, select command window/load file. Load your Axe FX sysex bank. Now simply go to Command Window/Send Sysex.

Not sure how well this gels with the step by step on the Fractal forum. I've never read their how-to.


----------



## Rook

ArrowHead said:


> Wholly inaccurate.
> 
> Analogue distortion adds "warmth" and compression, and is actually quite sought out in studios.
> 
> Digital clipping is never good, as it creates harsh, awful sounds and artifacts, even the slightest bit.



Both depend entirely on the system, many transistors, while analogue, do not clip 'warmly' at all, many digital system s are designed when approaching clip to limit like the Axe FX. It's difficult to make the Axe FX actually clip, you'll find. I admit I was talking more about attempting to overload a digital system rather than actual digital clipping, so yeah you're right lol.

EDIT: that's my way of saying you're right, I'm wrong btw, just explaining what I was getting at...


----------



## Lorcan Ward

I wish Axe-Edit would come out soon. The front panel is such a pain to use.


----------



## nojyeloot

drawnacrol said:


> I wish Axe-Edit would come out soon. The front panel is such a pain to use.



Patience. 

January


----------



## Rook

I've always loved the front panel, mostly because I hate using computers to do anything despite my reliance on them to do so much haha.

Weird. Different strokes for different folks I guess.


----------



## Andromalia

Front panel is good for tweaking as you have knobs, but doing a layout is a pain.


----------



## Shask

I usually use the front panel of my Standard because I don't feel like hooking it up to the computer. 

I find the complaints funny about using the front panel of the Axe-FX..... Did you guys never use anything made in the 80's? My God! The Axe is child's play compared to some of that stuff! The Axe is very friendly IMO!


----------



## Lorcan Ward

After using the Kemper the Axe's front panel is just really awkward for me. I constantly end up pushing the wrong button or parameter. Looking forward to Axe-Change going live and seeing how some of the pros like Wes Hauch dial in there tones.


----------



## Andromalia

Axe change is still available AFAIK. you don't need axe edit to use it it's a website.


----------



## Hybrid138

UPS has come by twice and twice no one has been home... muh GAS!!!!


----------



## Hybrid138

getting some hissing when I listen through headphones while recording... is this normal?


----------



## Hyacinth

I recently bought an Axe Fx Ultra and up until this point, I always figured I would buy a power amp and use my Orange PPC-212C, but now I'm wondering if I should just forgo the power amp and get an Alto TS115A. 

I'd appreciate some advice from some of the Axe Fx owners floating around on SS.org. These are just the pros and cons I can think of at the moment, I'd love some of you guys to weigh in.

*Pros of the power amp + cab*
- The feel of a traditional amp head + cab setup.

*Cons of a power amp + cab*
- Stuck with the voicing of the speakers loaded in my cab.
- Heavy and cumbersome.

*Pros of an FRFR setup*
- Lightweight, easy to load in to venues.
- Lowering stage volume and mic bleed.
- Utilizing the versatility of different cab sims.

*Cons of an FRFR setup*
- Lack of that traditional amp head + cab pumping air behind you I spoke of earlier.

Everyone feel free to chime in with your own pros and cons!


----------



## somniumaeternum

Hey there, I've also dealt with this and had a lot of different setups with different modelers and amps - so I have some experience with the outcomes of different possibilities here. I actually posted a vid yesterday that talks about some of these points, so link at the bottom if you're interested.

To talk specifically about your question though, I'm seeing basically 2 decisions: 

FRFR vs traditional cab
Power speaker vs separate power amp
(ok, then there's solid state vs tube power amp...)

I ended up going with FRFR powered monitors (QSC K12s - the 12s seemed to have a bit more body / bottom than the 10s... but other manufacturers would be similar). The main thinking behind it is that:

1. It increases portability of the guitar rig since the main rack piece is much lighter, i can decide to take only 1 speaker or both depending on what I'm doing, venue size, etc. 
2. Powered speakers work great for other things (backing tracks, vocals...) so it's a great investment (2 birds with one stone kind of idea).
3. The AxeFX line in particular has fantastic power amp modelling; my mindset here is why be stuck with 1 power amp feel / sound? You're basically chopping off some of the magic of the unit. IMO it's better to use the modelling, than have a neutral power amp circuit per speaker that doesn't color it any more (solid state PA circuits are best here, then you have to choice to have it as a separate rack unit or in the speaker enclosure itself...)
4. A huge thing for me: since everything is modeled, it'll sound the same at any volume. Live playing will be the same sound as your recorded tone, and the same thing between venue vs. bedroom playing! (ok, there's natural attenuation curves that occur in different frequencies that different in different volume levels, but I'm talking bout not having to crank a head to 11 just to hear the sweet tone...). Adding hardware components that fluctuate on loads (speaker breakup, tube saturation, and so forth) lowers this consistency.

Keep in mind that the head / cab look is almost an image thing nowdays in live environments. First, at a venue you need to work with the desk since the cab will most often than not be mic'ed. Secondly, you want to work with separate monitors anyways to hear it properly and consistently in the mix. Having a half stack behind you does work, but separate monitors have been preferable to me in the past. 

Direct to the desk into the venue's PA works great - as long as the venue's PA doesn't sound horrible. If so, you're not really any worse off since you should bring your speakers anyways and maybe choose not to go direct in the board. You're certainly not worse than a standard head / cab rig. 

The one thing that might make it or break it though is whether you think the modelling is good enough to give you the feel that you want. I've heard some people say that they need some tube power amp to give them 100% realistic feel. To be honest, I've always been a solid state guy so I actually try to get my patches that feel more responsive and solid-state-y so i can't really help here. 

Lastly, between FRFR and guitar cabs I'd always go with FRFR solution. They sound better (they reproduce more frequencies so you can tailor the sound better - synths, eqs, etc), are way more versatile, and if you really want to get a specific cab sound you can get a custom IR for it and use it in your axe-fx patches.. 

Anyways, hope that helps a bit. Let us know what you end up with. 






MatthewLeisher said:


> I recently bought an Axe Fx Ultra and up until this point, I always figured I would buy a power amp and use my Orange PPC-212C, but now I'm wondering if I should just forgo the power amp and get an Alto TS115A.
> 
> I'd appreciate some advice from some of the Axe Fx owners floating around on SS.org. These are just the pros and cons I can think of at the moment, I'd love some of you guys to weigh in.
> 
> *Pros of the power amp + cab*
> - The feel of a traditional amp head + cab setup.
> 
> *Cons of a power amp + cab*
> - Stuck with the voicing of the speakers loaded in my cab.
> - Heavy and cumbersome.
> 
> *Pros of an FRFR setup*
> - Lightweight, easy to load in to venues.
> - Lowering stage volume and mic bleed.
> - Utilizing the versatility of different cab sims.
> 
> *Cons of an FRFR setup*
> - Lack of that traditional amp head + cab pumping air behind you I spoke of earlier.
> 
> Everyone feel free to chime in with your own pros and cons!


----------



## Ryan-ZenGtr-

@somniumaeternum
Convincing argument, focusing on practicality; Great post!


----------



## ZXIIIT

The whole "pumping air" thing is so "dumb", I've been using an iPad and a powered PA speaker for a while, compared to my old 4x12 rig, the only difference I feel is the extra space around the stage, equally as loud and extremely more defined.


----------



## Shask

I tend to prefer using a poweramp and guitar cab. Why? Because that setup sounds like an amp.... not like a recording of an amp. I simply cannot get into that "recording of an amp" sound.

If I played out I would probably use the direct outs into the PA for the audience and overall sound, and a poweramp and guitar cab for "me".


----------



## redstone

Keep the pros and get rid of the cons.


----------



## boltzthrower

My FRFR high gain death metal patch doesn't sound half as good as the patch I use with a real power amp and cab. I'm running the FRFR patch through a pair of Alto TS112a's. Axe FX standard, btw.

Anyone care to try my patch and offer suggestions for improvement or hook me up with what you're rockin'?


----------



## Hyacinth

How would I hook up one Alto ts115a to the Axe Fx Ultra? Left and right XLR outs on the Axe Fx into input 1 & 2 on the alto?

I'm going to try one out tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I'll need to bring an adapter or what haha


----------



## boltzthrower

MatthewLeisher said:


> How would I hook up one Alto ts115a to the Axe Fx Ultra? Left and right XLR outs on the Axe Fx into input 1 & 2 on the alto?
> 
> I'm going to try one out tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I'll need to bring an adapter or what haha



The Alto's have two inputs for XLR or regular instrument cables.


----------



## nicktao

Sorry if this has been asked before/silly.
What is the best way to hook up an AXE II, a pair of monitors, and an RME Babyface, so that I can use Reaper to hear both processed guitar and the music tracks in reaper through my monitors?


----------



## Hyacinth

Any tips on getting a BTBAM type tone with the Ultra?


----------



## Rook

Recto red modern, use bright to get it to feel right, recto cab, use:
Gain about 5 (half)
Bass about 6
Mid about 4
Treble about 6
Hi Cut about 4

If it still doesn't feel right, turn on boost and turn the gain down to about 2. That should do it.


----------



## Hyacinth

This might be a dumb question, but does a distorted guitar loose it's fizziness in a mix? I've EQ'd as much as I think I can out to try to get rid of the fizziness, but there's still a bit there that is stubborn and won't go away. 

Anyway, what's the best way to get the fizz out on the Axe Fx Ultra?


----------



## Shask

I don't think a mix ever "loses" the fizziness, I think you just don't notice it with the cymbals and singer and such going over the top of it....

We tend to be over-critical when listening to the guitar track alone....


----------



## vinniemallet

Any ideia which amp and effects to use to get a clean like this? I'm tweaking for more than 5 days trying to get a clean like this one to use in some tracks we're recording, btw I'm using axe-fx ultra, help me axe-fx nerds geeks! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1OxuBsnGis


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Cliff is already posting firmware version 10 previews. That guy just doesn't sleep. All the amps will be re-modelled in this update. Hopefully its paired up with the Axe-Edit release.


----------



## Hyacinth

vinniemallet said:


> Any ideia which amp and effects to use to get a clean like this? I'm tweaking for more than 5 days trying to get a clean like this one to use in some tracks we're recording, btw I'm using axe-fx ultra, help me axe-fx nerds geeks!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1OxuBsnGis



It just sounds like a standard clean tone with a lot of delay and some reverb. He's also using his neck pickup and picking VERY gently. (Simple, but a lot of people overlook it)


----------



## Rook

He's using a multitap delay with a detune on the delays, there's a preset with that continuous, roomy reverb on it on the ultra, for that kind of tone I'd start with the Jazz 120 and cab, settings don't really affect 'tone' so muh wit that amp so just EQ it how you like. Also I believe he's using the middle position on his switch, but may be wrong.


----------



## TGN

nicktao said:


> Sorry if this has been asked before/silly.
> What is the best way to hook up an AXE II, a pair of monitors, and an RME Babyface, so that I can use Reaper to hear both processed guitar and the music tracks in reaper through my monitors?



I have a different interface but what I use is 

- guitar > Instr input on Axe > output on Axe (digital or audio) > input on interface (digital or audio) 

- monitor ouput on interface > monitors

- computer connection on interface > computer

This should work with pretty much any DAW (I have Reaper, PT10, and am now trying Studio One free a bit).

Hope this helps.


----------



## MetalThrasher

How many of you are running version 9? I'm still running 7 and I am happy with what I have. Should I update to 9 or should I just hold out till 10 comes out?


----------



## Sepultorture

MetalThrasher said:


> How many of you are running version 9? I'm still running 7 and I am happy with what I have. Should I update to 9 or should I just hold out till 10 comes out?



it's all up to, but if yer happy with what ou have and what it does right nwo, why budge. keep in mind any updates might fudge things a little and some re-tweaking might be needed.

up to you mate


----------



## TGN

MetalThrasher said:


> How many of you are running version 9? I'm still running 7 and I am happy with what I have. Should I update to 9 or should I just hold out till 10 comes out?



The reason to stay with 7 would be if you want to use Axe-Edit, otherwise I would recommend upgrading to 9.


----------



## Guitarjon

After years of waiting I finally decided to sell my Les Paul Custom to get an Axe Fx II mk II.
I got it in the mail a couple of days ago and I couldn't be happier!
I've read mostly good stories and reviews but some of the things I read on the web made me worry about getting good high gain patches.
Well, it is really easy to get many really awesome high gain tones!
Everything sounds so great and clear.
For example doing EQ on a guitar sound works soo much better than with other modelers/cab-models.
It just sounds natural!
So far I've made a great 8-string meshuggah-esque patch for my Schecter sls8.
If the new editor comes out I will share this patch.
I've also quite successfully made a Stephen Carpenter inspired patch with the JMP1 model, sounds great!!
Anyway long story short, the Axe Fx II is a great unit, and perfect for me as a modeler/fx fanatic!!! Just great.

Ok, but there are some questions that came up.
I posted one in the FA forums but so far didn't get a good answer so maybe someone here can help?
This is the post:

_I got my Axe Fx II a couple of days ago and I'm loving it!
Today I made my first song in cubase and I started the mix right after.
When it came to mastering I made sure the levels of the master fader never went over -0.3 db.
I put a mastering limiter on the mix to make it loud, and cubase isn't clipping.
The strange thing is that the Axe Fx's output 1 led is lighting up, clipping.... mostly at snare hits it seems.
I checked the levels again but nothing in cubase is going over -0.3 db.
When I turned the master fader down it still clips with snare hits etc.
Is this normal?
If this isn't good, how do I fix this?
Also what is the best way to control the independent levels for the instrument input vs. the usb levels of my cubase sessions?
Sometimes my patches are to loud vs. the levels coming from cubase but I don't want to record my guitars too soft to achieve the best noise ratio.
The manual didn't seem clear on this to me so help would be appreciated!
Thanks! _

Some other questions:
-Is it possible to use the flangers/phasers as a frozen effect that doesn't move? as a kind of filter? I really like this function on the Electric Mistress flangers, it has a button that makes the flanger 'static'.
-Wich user impulses do you guys use? I own all the RW impulses?
Are there any 3rd party impulses out there that could add something to the stock IR's?


----------



## Rook

Answer to question 1: The red 'output 1 clip' light comes on at either -6db or -3db, you'll know if you're actually pushing the axe too hard because it limits hard then distorts HORRENDOUSLY 

Answer to question 2: You could do this with a parametric EQ much more easily. Either way, I though you could simply put the frequency on a modifier [press enter] and fiddle with the settings there so it stays where you want it.

Answer to question 3: I like the recto cabs, but actually have made use of most of them at some stage, its the best way to totally change the flavour. Similarly using the same cabs all the time gives good consistency when you're recording and want to use lots of different amps but them to all work together well. I find its best to find a couple of cabs you like that cut well and give a tone you want and keep them as a constant when trying out new things like different amp models. Getting used to the sound of an impulse means you can listen more to the tone of the 'amp' you're playing with, rather than being distracted by new impulses all the time. One breakthrough I had for making pro(isn) sounding recordings was blending different cabs with different qualities, micing them up differently and getting huge spreads across the frequency range so that I can dial exactly what I want out later when its in an actual mix.

Answer to question 4: Do you? Well that's good.

Answer to question 5: Look up Godscab. It's a little overwhelming but its a great way to realise what the hell impulses actually are and can produce some crazy recording tones.


----------



## SSK0909

Can you guys recommend me a midi controller for my Axe II?

I'm not much of an FX guy, so I primarily need it for preset switching, easy programmability and easy acces to bank switching would also be nice. I also want a quality product that wont get destroyed by my huge feet 

The MFC-101 would be the obvious answet, but here in Europe it's nearly twice as expensive as most top quality midi controllers. I.e. the Voodoo Lab ground control and the Diezel Columbus both cost half of the MFC and the Rocktron midi mate costs 1/3.


----------



## Kristianx510

I decided it's time to get myself an Axe FX, and need help with deciding which one to get. I think even if I got the Ultra I would be happy but the guitarist for my band is pushing for me to get the 2. So who here still owns an ultra and can reassure me I will be okay with choosing that over the 2? Or should I really just fork out the money for the 2? I wouldn't say money is an issue, but I am definitely not made of money so if I got the 2 I would probably be running it through a cheap FRFR for a good while.


----------



## kmanick

there's nothing wrong with the ultra, it depends on how cheap you can score one
(that would be my deciding factor)
I've got the II and love it but I know people who have the Ultra and love that too


----------



## Shask

I love my old basic Standard!! It is still way better than anything else out there besides the $2000+ stuff!!


----------



## geofreesun

i had the ultra for a while but i realized i am not into tweaking, so i sold it. i am sure the ultra is fully capable of producing great tones to please most people. but i just prefer a simpler setup, with fewer knobs to tune.


----------



## SpaceDock

The ultra is more than capable of creating anything a gear freak would want, the two has some upgrades, but at the end of the day 98% of folks won't notice. I had one for a few years and sold it to go back to a simpler tube and pedal setup. I think the fractals take a lot of tweaking to sound good and I do not have the patience when I sit down to play. It is a great tool for producers and tweakers not so much for straight forward rockers.


----------



## noUser01

I think it still sounds great. Yes, the AxeFX II is better but... so what? Just because something new and fancy comes out, doesn't make the old one any less than it is. It's the same reason why people are using vintage guitars, or rackmount gear from the 80's. 

The Ultra still sounds awesome, and even though I have the II, if I ever found one for $800 I would be all over it for a backup or one to keep at home.


----------



## Fenrisulfr

*I attempted to use the thread search function.. but I feel rather daft in not being able to return any proper results. So I do apologize for what may be an over asked series of questions.*

Currently I'm getting back into purchasing my entire new rig for playing live/recording. I had to go through a gear purge about 3 years ago and have found that I have enough funding to get my 7, amp, and necessary components together for full use!

I'm wartorn though. My favorite amp of all time is the ENGL Powerball I v.2 that I owned back in 2009, and I find myself looking to get one again. Going with the old standard head and orange cab combo. Playing a lot of similar styles to that of Parkway Drive, Acacia Strain, and Like Moths to Flames. Chuggy, punchy, and demanding on the low end. My buddy recommended I look into getting an AXE FX II.

What are your thoughts on a moderately seasoned studio guitarist getting into this unit? Is the learning curve extreme? I've always had trouble dialing in tones with Line 6 styled emulators (like the POD XT and HD) but have heard amazing things about the Axe Fx.

As far as live set up would go.. would I just need a Poweramp and a couple of Powered Monitors for the unit? I only ask this for the FRFR Set up that I've read up on. I was quite pleased with the ENGL Powerball for just about every use, but having an Axe Fx for personal studio use would be fantastic.

ENGL - $1500ish
Cab - $1100

Axe Fx II - $2000-2200
Speakers - ?
Power Amp - ?

Will I see a much greater benefit from getting into the Fractal world? I do indeed hope to start doing my home recordings soon for personal exposure.


----------



## 3074326

I haven't looked back since buying my Axe FX II. I'd say go for it. Don't sell your stuff yet if you don't have to. If you don't like the Fractal, send it back after a couple weeks. I think you'll love it. 

It's an entirely different animal than the PODs. I'm an ex-POD user. I love them for what they are. But this is a different type of love. The POD is like a pretty decent girl you met and wanted to have fun with for a while. The Axe FX is like the hottest girl on the planet you can marry. And she'll make you dinner, do laundry, let you watch sports, etc. 

A power amp and cabinet or powered monitor will work fine. I use mine directly into my computer and hook it up to some studio monitors. 

The learning curve is as steep as you want it to be. You can plug in and dial in a great tone without going into the depths of the unit. The unit really shines when you start tweaking all the subtle parameters. I usually just get a tone I'm happy with in 15-20 minutes and tweak it over time. 

And I'll end this simply - it's the greatest recording tool I've ever encountered.


----------



## Fenrisulfr

3074326 said:


> I haven't looked back since buying my Axe FX II. I'd say go for it. Don't sell your stuff yet if you don't have to. If you don't like the Fractal, send it back after a couple weeks. I think you'll love it.
> 
> It's an entirely different animal than the PODs. I'm an ex-POD user. I love them for what they are. But this is a different type of love. The POD is like a pretty decent girl you met and wanted to have fun with for a while. The Axe FX is like the hottest girl on the planet you can marry. And she'll make you dinner, do laundry, let you watch sports, etc.
> 
> A power amp and cabinet or powered monitor will work fine. I use mine directly into my computer and hook it up to some studio monitors.
> 
> The learning curve is as steep as you want it to be. You can plug in and dial in a great tone without going into the depths of the unit. The unit really shines when you start tweaking all the subtle parameters. I usually just get a tone I'm happy with in 15-20 minutes and tweak it over time.
> 
> And I'll end this simply - it's the greatest recording tool I've ever encountered.



Sounds quite convincing. Like I said previously, I don't own any gear at the moment! I'm just bidding on a PowerBall head and looking to get back into my gear. So going straight into the Fractal range would be a big jump for me. Seems like it's well worth it so far though.

The Axe FX II had a price drop and still sits around 2200. Would you recommend that or the Ultra? I'm not sure how much more I'm getting when I get the II, but it seems promising.


----------



## Thyrif

The II does have the usb audio interface so its super easy to record at home! (afaik the ultra doesnt) That still prevents me from buying a nice 2nd hand ultra and hoping for some money for the II..
If you don't want to record at home that much, or have another good recording option, just go with the ultra, it still kicks some serious ass!


----------



## Rook

I'd go 2. The Ultra's great, particularly if you're willing to get fully into modelling anyway, I think the 2 is a much easier start for someone getting into it, with FW9 a lot of amps sound how you expect them to right out of the box.


----------



## Exit Existence

My local store got in a used ultra for $1,199+Tax (so like 1300) I played it today, my first time ever playing an axe fx and it was awesome!

Only thing holding me back....it is one of the one's that have the bad faceplates that tarnish and turned all brown and smudgy. Idk if that's a turn off or if it makes it look super cool.

Would that bother you guys?
Looks pretty much like this one:


----------



## Phrygian

^I think that looks really cool and unique to be honest, I'd love to have that unit!


----------



## Rook

I too think that looks pretty cool tbh


----------



## Elric

I have an Ultra and am not shopping for anything. They can get any tone under the sun. Good tone is good tone and I haven't found a single type of sound I've wanted to get with it that I was not able to achieve with excellent quality. Just because Fractal created a new model doesn't diminish what the Gen1 units sound like. Sort of like a Mesa Mark IV doesn't suddenly suck because there is now a Mark V.

There are some nifty upgrades in the 2: more cab slots, USB capability, easier to dial in (reportedly), more amp models, dual DSP, newer firmware, etc. So it is a worthwhile unit, and is certainly worth the extra $$$ for some. And if you really need those features consider spending the extra dough. But judging solely on tone, there is really almost nothing a properly dialed AxeFx Std/Ultra can not achieve with the proper supporting rig (power amp, cabs, monitors, etc) and the existence of some competing unit (Kemper, PODs, new Fractals) does not change the fact that what is coming out my speakers is MONSTROUS!  They're a STEAL at their current used prices in the US, IMHO.


----------



## Valbert

Hey guys,

I have the chance to get a used Axe-FX Standard for exactly 995 &#8364; (shipping and everything incl.). Is that a reasonable price for a Standard?

I've been saving up for an Axe-Fx for more than a year now and it's been quite a struggle, I don't wanna wait any longer.
Originally, I wanted to go for a II, but I'm only halfway there...
And how does the Standard compare to, let's say, a POD HD Pro? I mean, it's already seven years old.


----------



## Khoi

I have an Ultra, and I'm not looking to upgrade any time soon, unless they release an Axe-FX III that's significantly better.

The Axe-FX II wasn't quite the upgrade to the Ultra I was hoping for. As of now, I'm 100% happy with the Ultra.


----------



## Kristianx510

Thanks everyone. This definitely helped me make my decision. Can't wait to get my hands on an Ultra soon!


----------



## AndreasD

I've only had my Standard for 2-3 months and although I haven't done much tweaking I'm 100% satisfied with it and I can only see room for improvement.


----------



## Valbert

AndreasD said:


> I've only had my Standard for 2-3 months and although I haven't done much tweaking I'm 100% satisfied with it and I can only see room for improvement.



Nice, what did you pay for it?


----------



## AndreasD

^Around 900&#8364; inc. shipping, but it has a faulty value dial which lowered the price quite a bit.


----------



## SnowfaLL

I might have a chance to pick up a Standard for a really good price IMO ($900 CAD local) so Im just curious on something.. I know the Standard doesn't have the double-gate of the Ultra, but is it still enough to get the ultra-tight metal rhythm stuff?? Barring using that "word".. I dont play that style much but it'd be nice to be able to every once in awhile.

So far, the main issue I see with the Standard is the noisegate.. I don't think I need crazy synths or dual-amp setups.. Anything else im overlooking?


----------



## nangillala

Valbert said:


> Hey guys,
> 
> I have the chance to get a used Axe-FX Standard for exactly 995  (shipping and everything incl.). Is that a reasonable price for a Standard?
> 
> I've been saving up for an Axe-Fx for more than a year now and it's been quite a struggle, I don't wanna wait any longer.
> Originally, I wanted to go for a II, but I'm only halfway there...
> And how does the Standard compare to, let's say, a POD HD Pro? I mean, it's already seven years old.


Hey,
I recently thought about upgrading my standard to a II so I looked up completed listings on ebay. It seems like an Axe Std. can be had for under 800 these days. 
Although I wasn't able to test the Axe and the pod in the exact same setting I would say the Axe is a pretty different animal. Sounded better to me and you can do so much things with it (if you know how, that is...). 
Don't forget, that the chips used are still good ones and the firmware got updates until the II was launched.



NickCormier said:


> I know the Standard doesn't have the double-gate of the Ultra, but is it still enough to get the ultra-tight metal rhythm stuff?? Barring using that "word".. I dont play that style much but it'd be nice to be able to every once in awhile.
> 
> So far, the main issue I see with the Standard is the noisegate.. I don't think I need crazy synths or dual-amp setups.. Anything else im overlooking?


I can't really help you with the gate, I can just say that I never missed a second one on my standard. There is a Djent preset I have loaded on my unit and it is pretty tight. I couldn't really imagine why you would need another gate, but I guess some people do need it...

Don't underestimate the Dual Amp setups btw. This is amazing, especially for recording. Or to add clarity to an overdriven amp by combining it with a clean(er) one. 

One other reason you might consider: When you want to use the MFC or another midi-board in a pedal-board fashion (i.e.: one button assigned to delay, one to drive, etc) then you might need the ultra because you might want to add all those effects to just one patch. And they need the CPU even if they are bypassed. If you like to change patches on the other hand, you should be fine.

Cheers!


----------



## kmanick

the only reason I have a II is becuase I got lucky and scored one from a friend for a signifcant savings, otherwise I'd have an ultra.
the patches that I've heard thru Nicks (Zimbloths) Ultra sound amazing. and as someone said above just because the Mark V is out doesn't mean the IV suddenly sucks. Before the II came out the Ultra was the benchmark for Modeling processors.
It's still an awesome unit.


----------



## boltzthrower

NickCormier said:


> I might have a chance to pick up a Standard for a really good price IMO ($900 CAD local) so Im just curious on something.. I know the Standard doesn't have the double-gate of the Ultra, but is it still enough to get the ultra-tight metal rhythm stuff?? Barring using that "word".. I dont play that style much but it'd be nice to be able to every once in awhile.
> 
> So far, the main issue I see with the Standard is the noisegate.. I don't think I need crazy synths or dual-amp setups.. Anything else im overlooking?



I have the Standard and the one gate is plenty sufficient. It's the quietest rig I've ever owned, and I used to have a setup with a rack mounted ISP. Having the second gate would be useful if you plan on running outboard gear through the physical effects loop, or if you're using the Axe FX with another amp with the 4 cable method, etc. - while using the Axe FX on its own I don't see why you would ever need more than the one input gate.

With the Standard, I haven't yet tried running two amps with an FRFR setup (power sim. on), but it definitely works through a traditional power amp & cab (power sim. off). I don't like using two different amps while rehearsing or playing live, but I can see how it would be useful for recording.


----------



## Exit Existence

I pulled the trigger! Decided to buy it at my local place, very happy right now XD Still trying to learn everything but I have the basic patch making down. This was my first test making a basic recto/ts patch:
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/48100488/Other Stuff/First AxeFX test.mp3

The "weathered" streampunk look is growing on me, Im actually kind of glad I got one of the ones that turned this color. Looks brutal!









I still have to learn how to split the outputs so one has cab modeling and one does not. I want to keep it hooked up to both my interface and my power amp, so I can play through my cab or through my studio monitors. So far I am a happy man!


----------



## Valbert

Nice, man! The steampunk look rocks! 

I also made my decision - I'll be getting the Standard next week. Can't wait!


----------



## MF_Kitten

Honestly, the worn brown is cool as FUCK.


----------



## Elric

Exit Existence said:


> I pulled the trigger! Decided to buy it at my local place, very happy right now XD Still trying to learn everything but I have the basic patch making down. This was my first test making a basic recto/ts patch:
> https://dl.dropbox.com/u/48100488/Other Stuff/First AxeFX test.mp3
> 
> The "weathered" streampunk look is growing on me, Im actually kind of glad I got one of the ones that turned this color. Looks brutal!



Congrats on the score, man. Looks and sounds pretty darn metal to me!


----------



## Shask

boltzthrower said:


> I have the Standard and the one gate is plenty sufficient. It's the quietest rig I've ever owned, and I used to have a setup with a rack mounted ISP. Having the second gate would be useful if you plan on running outboard gear through the physical effects loop, or if you're using the Axe FX with another amp with the 4 cable method, etc. - while using the Axe FX on its own I don't see why you would ever need more than the one input gate.
> 
> With the Standard, I haven't yet tried running two amps with an FRFR setup (power sim. on), but it definitely works through a traditional power amp & cab (power sim. off). I don't like using two different amps while rehearsing or playing live, but I can see how it would be useful for recording.



I have a Standard and have not had an issue with noise or anything either. The onboard gate pretty much does it all.

I have played with the "make kind-of-a ISP Decimator" trick by attaching a LPF to the envelope. That does seem to work pretty good, but I usually dont even need it, so I dont do that very much....


----------



## Seanthesheep

NickCormier said:


> I might have a chance to pick up a Standard for a really good price IMO ($900 CAD local) so Im just curious on something.. I know the Standard doesn't have the double-gate of the Ultra, but is it still enough to get the ultra-tight metal rhythm stuff?? Barring using that "word".. I dont play that style much but it'd be nice to be able to every once in awhile.
> 
> So far, the main issue I see with the Standard is the noisegate.. I don't think I need crazy synths or dual-amp setups.. Anything else im overlooking?



last time I checked (last may  ) the standards and ultras hadn't gone down in canada as much as i wanted yet ( standards were still 1000-1200 and the ultra was 1400-1600 CAD) so thats why I went II 

but tbh I couldve been as happy with an ultra, I was still happy with my pod hd bean untill I heard the axe fx in person for the first time


----------



## SnowfaLL

Seanthesheep said:


> last time I checked (last may  ) the standards and ultras hadn't gone down in canada as much as i wanted yet ( standards were still 1000-1200 and the ultra was 1400-1600 CAD) so thats why I went II
> 
> but tbh I couldve been as happy with an ultra, I was still happy with my pod hd bean untill I heard the axe fx in person for the first time



well the responsible/adult thing to do, would be pay off my custom guitars first and avoid the Standard and buy another HD500 to keep me held over until everythings paid off then maybe look again in June.. but Im not very responsible lol

But I've played the Ultra many times, and its good but honestly I didnt feel a dropoff with my HD500 too drastically. The only thing the HD500 is severly lacking is ability to load your own impulses in it. 

Just $900 for an AxeFX Standard.. damn good price. Local too, delivered to my door! ugh wish my pay wasnt messed up this month; Im missing $1200 they owe me =/


----------



## kmanick

Exit Existence said:


> I pulled the trigger! Decided to buy it at my local place, very happy right now XD Still trying to learn everything but I have the basic patch making down. This was my first test making a basic recto/ts patch:
> https://dl.dropbox.com/u/48100488/Other Stuff/First AxeFX test.mp3
> 
> 
> I still have to learn how to split the outputs so one has cab modeling and one does not. I want to keep it hooked up to both my interface and my power amp, so I can play through my cab or through my studio monitors. So far I am a happy man!


I run mine like this (Output 1 to my RCF/Monitors output 2 to the return loop in my JSX combo)
set an FX loop block on a lower row before you get to the Cab block and connect to it, this will route the signal with no cab IR out to output 2.
I like tho add a GEQ or PEQ in fornt of the FX loop blck so I can fine tune it to sound as close as I can get it to the Cab IR.
this will kill any revrb or any other effects that come after the Cab
I run it this way so my Output 1 is wet and 2 is dry.
Congrats lots of fun to be had with this little black box


----------



## Exit Existence

Thanks a bunch! I got it to work great using your method! When using a power amp/ cab do you guys turn the global power amp modeling off? I tried turning it off and it sounded pretty thin compared to with it on. I am using a SS power amp with no presence or resonance controls though... Still have to try it through my 6505's fx return!


----------



## kmanick

I levae power amp sims on all the time, the Fx loop block will kill the cab sim out to the powr amp if you place the bridge to the FX loop block before the cab.
I think turning the power amp sims off makes the amp models sound very anemic.
You should really like it through the 5405 pwoer amp , I'd turn the precese all the way down and tweak it from there (if at all)
I find with the JSX power amp I can leave the presence down all the way on most if not all of the amp sims. the low res, I crank up a bit and turn down as the volume goes up.
the guys over on the Peavey forum told me that most of the Peavey power amp sections are pretty flat, the tone comes primarily from the preamp stages so it should sound pretty kick ass thru the 6505.
if you can grab th enew Faceless patches that are posted on the Axe Exchange site, the "riff" one sounds great thru the JSX (and thru my RCF with the cab sims on)


----------



## Shask

Poweramp sims on, cab models off....


----------



## Atomshipped

Does anyone know how to make a decent sounding patch to simulate an acoustic guitar for the Ultra, or if there's one available to download anywhere? I would greatly appreciate it.


----------



## Rook

You may do well using the synth for that, not tried myself.

Give Axechange a visit.


----------



## Exit Existence

Edit: Never mind. Fixed the issue. I was trying to load axe fx II impulses onto my ultra. Feel like a dumb ass. derp.


----------



## guy in latvia

based purely on the effects, how is the axe fx standard different to an axe fx 2?


----------



## Andromalia

Well, it is more limited on CPU power meaning you can't go overcrazy with delays and such, plus some effects are found on the 2 only. (Multitap delay, etc).
If you're just planning to use a plate reverb you won't really notice a difference. It's easier to replicate a specific pedal in the axe2 due to some added parameters though.


----------



## guy in latvia

does it have a harmonizer/pitch shifter?


----------



## Valbert

guy in latvia said:


> does it have a harmonizer/pitch shifter?



Yup, though there are some differences to the Ultra. Look up the full Standard/Ultra comparison here: 

Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx Ultra and Standard Guitar Processor / Preamp / FX Processor

---

btw: my Standard will arrive in the next few days. So stoked!


----------



## Shask

The Standard has 1 pitch block, the Ultra has 2. The II has improved pitch detection.

I have been happy with the effects in my Standard. It is better than pretty much everythng out there except the II...


----------



## User Name

saw that this was the official effects thread, so wondering if anyone has tried out the new sovereign distortion from wampler? i heard from some its total crap for the price, and others that its the best distortion pedal they own. what do you guys think about it. has anyone tried one out or own one?


----------



## 3074326

User Name said:


> saw that this was the official effects thread, so wondering if anyone has tried out the new sovereign distortion from wampler? i heard from some its total crap for the price, and others that its the best distortion pedal they own. what do you guys think about it. has anyone tried one out or own one?



This isn't the official "effects" thread, it's the official thread for a unit made by Fractal Audio called the "Axe-FX." 

But no, I have not tried that pedal.. I do, however, like everything I've tried from Wampler.


----------



## Rook

I see what happened there


----------



## guy in latvia

how do the axe fx effects compare to any other rackmount effects processors, say g-major 2?


----------



## Valbert

guy in latvia said:


> how do the axe fx effects compare to any other rackmount effects processors, say g-major 2?



I don't own a G-Major, but you can't really compare the Axe-Fx with the G-Major. First off, the G-Major costs you about 500 bucks whereas a used Axe-Fx Standard starts off at about 1200-1300 bucks.
But they're totally different units. The Axe-Fx offers you the overall highest-quality all-in-one package, the G-Major is "just" an effects processor. As far as I know, they're both high quality. I don't have any tech data at hand that could prove the Axe-Fx to be better than the G-Major or vice versa. You could probably look that up. Also, Google spits out a lot of threads concerning this topic.

Some famous guitarists use the Axe-Fx (the II, that is) solely for effects - John Petrucci, Steve Vai, ...
But afaik even more use it as the all-in-one unit it is - Devin Townsend, Periphery, ...

After all, it really depends on what you want and what you need for your music. And on your budget, of course. 

I know what I want, and that's why I grabbed an Axe-Fx


----------



## flint757

G- major II has many limitations in comparison to the axe-fx (effects, in's and outs, no OD/Distortion and no amp modelling, and probably a few more), but if you don't care or need those type of things/level of parameterization then the effects in the g major, so I'm told (never played one), are top notch.


----------



## guy in latvia

i doubt im ready to let go of my tube ring, considering that for the first time in years i got exactly the sound i like, im just looking for top class effects. used axe fx standards are not too expensive, im just curious to find out if it makes sense to get one over a dedicated fx unit like the g-major. so far i have not seen such an argument.


----------



## flint757

Well the routing options, parameters and number/type of effects or more extensive on the axe-fx so the first step for you would be to pull the manual on the g major and see if it is good enough. If it is it will save you a pretty penny.


----------



## nangillala

guy in latvia said:


> how do the axe fx effects compare to any other rackmount effects processors, say g-major 2?


While I haven't played a G-major 2 yet, I can tell you a bit about effects:

I sold the following stuff after(!) I got the Axe. I A/B tested everything and the Axe was just as good or better:

Eventide Pitchfactor
Line6 Dl-4
Vox Timemachine Delay
Toadworks Deathrattle
MXR ZW Distortion

and I still want to sell my ZVex Box Of Metal. So I think you wont be disappointed in the Axe-effects (haha) at all.


----------



## redstone

Axe-FX Ultra's limits - YouTube

I recorded this today to exhibit as clearly as possible the AFX Ultra limitations in term of metal tones. No hide-in-the-mix-and-effects content or crap/dark sounding patch, just the honest truth.


----------



## Valbert

redstone said:


> Axe-FX Ultra's limits - YouTube
> 
> I recorded this today to exhibit as clearly as possible the AFX Ultra limitations in term of metal tones. No hide-in-the-mix-and-effects content or crap/dark sounding patch, just the honest truth.



Nice tone, how did you build up that patch exactly? I wanna see if I can get close to that tone with my Standard.


----------



## redstone

Well, first there's a basic drive-amp-cab part (808-vh4-messiah impulse) ; then the 2nd drive block, which is a (the?) crucial element actually, hard to get right but it can open the sound a lot ! Then a GEQ to make some subtle corrections whenever needed ; then 4 notch filters in // of the main signal to get rid of the most audible strident frequencies, and finally the 4 PEQs. The PEQ part is planned first in my DAW, using a spectrum analyzer, the DAW EQs and some mono/multitrack samples. Then I copy the result by hand in the axe, or sometimes I just use the 2nd Cab block to run a custom IR that sums all the required post-EQs and notches. Totally possible with the standard


----------



## stringzoffury

This is probably a stupid question, but do you NEED a rack case and power conditioner for the axe fx if you are pretty much only playing at home? I want to buy an axe fx II later this year and it seems like everyone has one has it in some kind of rack or case but I am more concerned about just getting the thing as soon as possible without having save for other potential necessities.

I was thinking of just putting it on my desk under my monitor maybe (not sure how sturdy the frame of the unit is).


----------



## flint757

No, you just need a powered speaker or a power amp and cab. If going direct to the computer then you don't even need that much I don't think. The case and conditioner are to just protect your investment from falls and power surges or other problems.


----------



## Rook

stringzoffury said:


> This is probably a stupid question, but do you NEED a rack case and power conditioner for the axe fx if you are pretty much only playing at home? I want to buy an axe fx II later this year and it seems like everyone has one has it in some kind of rack or case but I am more concerned about just getting the thing as soon as possible without having save for other potential necessities.
> 
> I was thinking of just putting it on my desk under my monitor maybe (not sure how sturdy the frame of the unit is).



I own a rackbag to take it out but it's so bulky, the whole time I'm at home it sites out of the case on my desk lol. It'll be fine.


----------



## Scrubface05

Hey guys, finally tweaked my ultra patch to something I'm actually happy with (Impossibruu, right?)

Thoughts?
https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/numero-uno-finished

I know everyone posts their links to their tones, etc.. So if you want you can just call me a dick and be on your way.


----------



## Genome

I just nailed the perfect Boogie Mark series heavy tone. It's so awesome!


----------



## redstone

Scrubface05 said:


> Hey guys, finally tweaked my ultra patch to something I'm actually happy with (Impossibruu, right?)
> 
> Thoughts?
> https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/numero-uno-finished
> 
> I know everyone posts their links to their tones, etc.. So if you want you can just call me a dick and be on your way.



If you still have a free filter, there's a strident frequency that you should notch, I think it's 1120hz or so.. Type=Notch, Q=10, in parallel of the signal, level=to taste. It'll bring some clarity.


----------



## 3074326

stringzoffury said:


> This is probably a stupid question, but do you NEED a rack case and power conditioner for the axe fx if you are pretty much only playing at home? I want to buy an axe fx II later this year and it seems like everyone has one has it in some kind of rack or case but I am more concerned about just getting the thing as soon as possible without having save for other potential necessities.
> 
> I was thinking of just putting it on my desk under my monitor maybe (not sure how sturdy the frame of the unit is).



You clearly aren't cheaping out on the processor, so don't go the cheap route and not get a power conditioner. I've never had an issue with my power, but I bought a power conditioner because I'd rather spend an extra hundred or so dollars compared to blowing an Axe II and the money that went along with it.


----------



## Sepultorture

if he wanted to get the axe fx 2 right away but not have to save for a rack and power conditioner before getting the axe 2, he can get a pro power bar with surge protection for pretty damn cheap

with that he can get power conditioners from ART pro audio for dirt cheap and they work well to protect your gear, all for under 100 bucks


----------



## Exit Existence

Scrubface05 said:


> Hey guys, finally tweaked my ultra patch to something I'm actually happy with (Impossibruu, right?)
> 
> Thoughts?
> https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/numero-uno-finished
> 
> I know everyone posts their links to their tones, etc.. So if you want you can just call me a dick and be on your way.



Sounds great!!! You are only a dick if you don't share the patch.......jk.....but seriously....plsss


----------



## eurolove

I was wondering if i someone could help me with a problem i have with my axe fx 1 standard. I run it into a m-audio fast track pro, the problem is i can't turn the input and output levels past a quarter on my axe without the fast track clipping, i think this is why most hi gain patches sound like ass. anyone know what could be the problem here?


----------



## Andromalia

Not familiar with your card but you should be able to lower the input there ?


----------



## Hyacinth

I'm having a hard time with annoying fizz. I've tried blocking upwards of 6k with the para eq, i've tried turning down the hf resonance, i've tried turning down the highest band in the global EQ but nothing seems to work. It's just pretty noisy and I'm at my wits end.
I'm playing a carvin dc727 with crunch lab and liquifire pups into the axe ultra which goes to one alto ts115a via left and right balanced outs.


----------



## AdamCook

eurolove said:


> I was wondering if i someone could help me with a problem i have with my axe fx 1 standard. I run it into a m-audio fast track pro, the problem is i can't turn the input and output levels past a quarter on my axe without the fast track clipping, i think this is why most hi gain patches sound like ass. anyone know what could be the problem here?



Are you running the Axe-FX into a mic-pre on the Fast Track? If so, turn down the gain or set it to "instrument" instead of "mic" if possible. 

The Axe-FX is capable of putting out plenty of signal level without the need for gaining it up at the audio interface.


----------



## wlfers

Hey guys, what 3rd party IRs have you been digging most?

I picked up an ultra 4 days ago and I was already able to get a close match to my Engl 570 preamp if I ran the ultra through my vht 2/90/2 and cabinet. In this manner it sounds killer: my picking dynamics are preserved, palm mutes have the right amount of grit and thunk, and playing chords on higher registers whether muted or unmuted ring out openly.

However I've been having issue with cab sims going direct, there feels like a delay, a kind of squish that compresses and strips out the dynamic between muting a large chord or strumming it open to ring out. 

Any tips or suggestions for IRs? I've been working with the filters and peqs, I also read the manual 2-3 times before it arrived at my house (I have a habit of doing that ) so I've tried many of the helpful hints in the tips section.


----------



## eurolove

AdamCook said:


> Are you running the Axe-FX into a mic-pre on the Fast Track? If so, turn down the gain or set it to "instrument" instead of "mic" if possible.
> 
> The Axe-FX is capable of putting out plenty of signal level without the need for gaining it up at the audio interface.



I am indeed running it this way, i have 'inst' selected instead of 'line' if thats what you mean. i seemed to have solved the problem by pressing in the pad button and then turning the gain level up to compensate, i can run the axe at the appropriate input and output levels now and it sounds a lot better.


----------



## Hyacinth

MatthewLeisher said:


> I'm having a hard time with annoying fizz. I've tried blocking upwards of 6k with the para eq, i've tried turning down the hf resonance, i've tried turning down the highest band in the global EQ but nothing seems to work. It's just pretty noisy and I'm at my wits end.
> I'm playing a carvin dc727 with crunch lab and liquifire pups into the axe ultra which goes to one alto ts115a via left and right balanced outs.



Here's a clip of my tone. It's that annoying noise that seems like it sitting on top of all the notes. https://soundcloud.com/burytheking/fizz-demo


----------



## Scrubface05

Exit Existence said:


> Sounds great!!! You are only a dick if you don't share the patch.......jk.....but seriously....plsss





redstone said:


> If you still have a free filter, there's a strident frequency that you should notch, I think it's 1120hz or so.. Type=Notch, Q=10, in parallel of the signal, level=to taste. It'll bring some clarity.



I'll be sharing it in a bit when I get home, going to try what redstone suggested first.
I also created another little wicked patch I think you guys might like


----------



## redstone

MatthewLeisher said:


> Here's a clip of my tone. It's that annoying noise that seems like it sitting on top of all the notes. https://soundcloud.com/burytheking/fizz-demo



It's not fizzy, just uneven. Needs some more EQ work to flatten the top-end. Also, it won't cure your problem but you might wanna notch that annoying frequency at &#8764;1660hz (same procedure as above)


----------



## AdamCook

MatthewLeisher said:


> Here's a clip of my tone. It's that annoying noise that seems like it sitting on top of all the notes. https://soundcloud.com/burytheking/fizz-demo



A short and incomplete list of things to help reduce fizz:

1. Turn down Presence in amp block.
2. Turn down hi freq cut in ADV tab of amp block. 
3. Turn down triode hardness in ADV tab of amp block all the way. 
4. If using 3rd party user cabs such as Red Wirez or Ownhammer, try some IR's where the mic is not right on the cap. The closer to the center of the cap the more highs get through. 
5. Use a mic IR with smoother highs.

It's also worthwhile to note that real amps have this "fizz" too. It can be perceived as overly emphasized by the Axe-FX II amp modeling depending upon different factors like the cab IR, mic IR, amp settings, etc.


----------



## asmegin_slayer

At the 11 minute mark, dweezil states that the fractal at times has limited processing power. Because of this he adds a few pedals to the rig.

Have you guys had this issue?


----------



## wlfers

athawulf said:


> Hey guys, what 3rd party IRs have you been digging most?
> 
> I picked up an ultra 4 days ago and I was already able to get a close match to my Engl 570 preamp if I ran the ultra through my vht 2/90/2 and cabinet. In this manner it sounds killer: my picking dynamics are preserved, palm mutes have the right amount of grit and thunk, and playing chords on higher registers whether muted or unmuted ring out openly.
> 
> However I've been having issue with cab sims going direct, there feels like a delay, a kind of squish that compresses and strips out the dynamic between muting a large chord or strumming it open to ring out.
> 
> Any tips or suggestions for IRs? I've been working with the filters and peqs, I also read the manual 2-3 times before it arrived at my house (I have a habit of doing that ) so I've tried many of the helpful hints in the tips section.



Just a bit of update: I started approaching the cab sims from a different angle, picking the one that I like the response of then eqing it to taste. The onboard ultra cabsim I've been liking the most is now the jm2000 but still tell me your favorite 3rd party IR!


----------



## redstone

I'm digging the Messiah IR, but the best results I get come from the Two Notes PI-101 

https://soundcloud.com/humanseeming/creepingtorp101

(chain is drive-amp-pi101-lowpass)


----------



## mlancaster1

Ok so Ive been trying to think about updating my 6505+ to a evh 5150 head but I keep getting sucked into the axe direction also because it has the 51503 patches in there already and I can have one hit switching. Does anyone have any sound clips of the 51503 patches available?
Also If I went the axe direction I would be running it through my 6505 power amp and out of my mesa cab. Does this thing seriously sound as good as the real deal when going through the power section of a tube head? I saw a band last night and the main dude was running an axe fx 2 through a crate head into a beringer 4x12 but the tone sounded like shit and hard to hear. I basically want this axe fx for the versatility and convenient switching but I just want to make sure how it responds through a cab.


----------



## Shask

mlancaster1 said:


> Ok so Ive been trying to think about updating my 6505+ to a evh 5150 head but I keep getting sucked into the axe direction also because it has the 51503 patches in there already and I can have one hit switching. Does anyone have any sound clips of the 51503 patches available?
> Also If I went the axe direction I would be running it through my 6505 power amp and out of my mesa cab. Does this thing seriously sound as good as the real deal when going through the power section of a tube head? I saw a band last night and the main dude was running an axe fx 2 through a crate head into a beringer 4x12 but the tone sounded like shit and hard to hear. I basically want this axe fx for the versatility and convenient switching but I just want to make sure how it responds through a cab.



An Axe-FX II into a Crate and Behringer is just wrong on SOOOOO many levels...


----------



## flint757

Well Behringer is like the shittiest cab brand and is mediocre for anything else. Crate as the power amp would be kind of meh as well. Given his setup iI'm guessing he ran it through the input which would make it even worse.

Point:

Do not let that be the determining factor in your decision. 

If you are running it properly through the loop in an amp and into a cab then it sounds fine as long as you turn power amp and cab sims off and the quality of that gear is good as well. You might even be able to get away with leaving the power amp sim on.


----------



## mlancaster1

Thanks for the replies. Yeah I was hoping that was the case. Does anyone have any good clips of the 5153 patches or and clips of some distorted tones ran through a power amp into a cab? I think I should have the opportunity to try an axe fx 2 at my buddies studio through the peavey head so I can finally see what the hype is all about.


----------



## SnowfaLL

If all goes well, tomorrow I pick up an Ultra.. Im excited =] Crossing my fingers nothing changes in 24 hours, cause its a friggin insane deal.


----------



## SnowfaLL

Deal done. Axe-FX Ultra + 4U Gator Case for $1100 CAD.. I got really lucky on this one =] Little rack rash and input jack on front is messed, but still fine.

Its pretty good, but I understand the talk about the fan now. It is pretty loud. But hopefully it'll work out for me in the end.


----------



## flint757

Cheap and easy to remedy. I replaced the fan.


----------



## XxSilverburstDiezelxX

I understand "Axe Edit" has always been buggy. But it didn't give me a single issue in firmware 8.01a. 

I upgraded to 9.02 tonight. 
I didn't receive the new Splawn amps. 
The Quickrod and its new gears and the Nitro are not there for some reason. 

But onto the real problem. If I touch ANY block in axe edit, my sound instantly scoops out and starts clipping the axe fx HARD. Even when not playing. Strange noises and transients that would have probably blown my HS80's had I not turned the Axe Fx II off..

Anybody know what the deal is?


----------



## 3074326

Axe Edit isn't built to work with the last few firmware updates. The new version should be out (in beta form) any day now..


----------



## Tyler

Thats strange, 9.02 has been working perfect for me. Lucky for you though, the next huge FW update is right around the corner with axe edit.

Hopefully they'll release some more details soon


----------



## Krucifixtion

I gave up on using Axe-Edit long ago. I only ever use it to update Firmware and occasionally load and save patches and back everything up, but most of my editing now is just done on the front panel. Every now and then I will use AE, but never for any hardcore patch editing. When I do I am overly cautious and make sure I save and then disconnect the USB. 

I would ask the Fractal Forum instead of here, but yeah everyone is basically waiting for the new Axe-Edit to finally come out and be stable for once.


----------



## XxSilverburstDiezelxX

Thanks for the heads up on the new Axe Edit! Really appreciate the info. I really loved AE and found it so counter intuitive to do things via front panel. I work 6 days a week. So workflow is crucial for me.


----------



## 3074326

XxSilverburstDiezelxX said:


> Thanks for the heads up on the new Axe Edit! Really appreciate the info. I really loved AE and found it so counter intuitive to do things via front panel. I work 6 days a week. So workflow is crucial for me.



I can use the front panel, but I spend much less time tweaking with AE. And I also work a lot. So I share your frustration. Luckily for us, ANY DAY NOW HOPEFULLY! Haha


----------



## noUser01

You really need to start paying attention to the Fractal website, man. The issues with Axe-Edit, firmware updates, not to mention the Fractal Forum where you can report your bugs are all over there, not here. We're always happy to help, but asking over there is going to be more beneficial to you.


----------



## petereanima

ConnorGilks said:


> You really need to start paying attention to the Fractal website, man.



Or Fractal could start paying attention to bring out FWs and AEs that actually work together how they are supposed to.


----------



## bondmorkret

I'm on the ever stable Kemper profiling amp 
But to be fair, the Axe FX is absolutely amazing


----------



## Andromalia

Well, it had the benefit of me learning how to use the front panel, actually learned a few things doing that. Turning a knob isn't exactly the same as entering numbers or using the mouse.


----------



## MassNecrophagia

XxSilverburstDiezelxX said:


> But onto the real problem. If I touch ANY block in axe edit, *my sound instantly scoops out and starts clipping the axe fx HARD*. *Even when not playing. Strange noises and transients* that would have probably blown my HS80's had I not turned the Axe Fx II off..
> 
> Anybody know what the deal is?


----------



## Genome

Learn the front panel! It's easy once you know your way around it.


----------



## Rook

^Exactly

The axe fx is wonderfully stable and there are signs and warning everywhere saying AE doesn't work with 9.xx yet.

The stupid thing about everyone complaining - people couldn't wait for 9, FAS said we're going to release 9 with new AE, everyone wanted it NAO so they said ok we'll give you 9 now but there won't bean AE til it's ready and everyone slates their FREE UPDATES AND SUPPORT SOFTWARE and NEW FEATURES despite the fact they were warned.

Want Axe Edit to work? Go back to 8 and wait like FAS told you to.

/rant

OP it is just that, AE isn't ready for 9 yet so just get used to the front panel, the regulars on FAS Forum are expecting the new AE to drop any day now.


----------



## Krucifixtion

At first it's seems way faster and easier to use AE, but once you really get a good feel for the front panel it's easy. I was intimidated when I first got the II and was using AE for editing, because the manual way seemed confusing, but now I can fly through editing and I find I tweak more like a real amp. When I was just using AE I was always paying attention to numbers too much and tweaking far too much. 

It also helped me when I use my Axe live, because I'm not gonna have a laptop with me...so if I need to tweak a patch or some settings fast to adjust for a live setting I gotta be quick on the front.


----------



## Speculum Speculorum

Shit man AE hasn't worked for me since like FW 6. The ship over to the front panel sailed long ago, and I couldn't be happier. To be frank, it gave me a better understanding of how the unit functioned, and I don't feel like a slave to a computer system that may or may not work from time to time.

It will be nice if they ever get Axe-Edit functioning, but the cynical part of me says that there are problems involved with it that just simply won't go away, especially due to hassles with the USB functions combining MIDI and audio communication. And now that Cliff is off on FW 10 "epiphanies", I'm wondering if AE hasn't been put on a serious back burner. I mean, they did say they'd have a public beta up by the end of January, and it's January 29th, so I'm not getting my hopes up. 

That's pure speculation, by the way.


----------



## Krucifixtion

But....to answer your questions

Your only solution is to 

A. Re-install Axe-Edit and drivers and see if that helps at all.

B. Roll back to an older FW version, but FW9+ kicks ass

C. Don't use Axe-Edit until they fix bugs


----------



## Genome

Also, learning the front panel is very useful for "troubleshooting" and identifying any tone problems while gigging. It can't be very fruitful if you turn up and your tone is shrill/unpleasant or whatever and you have to spend ten minutes scrolling through the menus to find the right parameter to adjust.


----------



## XxSilverburstDiezelxX

I know how to work the front panel on my Axe lol. I also double post in the Fractal forums to increase my odds of success. I wouldn't spend $2,300 on a unit to have it look pretty in my rack..

But thank you guys for chiming in and letting me know whats up about the new Axe Edit. 
I work so much that I barely get time to be on here, let alone on the Fractal board.


----------



## noUser01

petereanima said:


> Or Fractal could start paying attention to bring out FWs and AEs that actually work together how they are supposed to.



Considering up until now at least 90% of users have had no issues with either, I don't think it's a huge issue.

It's not a matter of paying attention, they are well aware of the issues and are trying to fix them. They are human beings just like you with social lives, families and other events that also take up their time, their entire lives are not dedicated to serving you. Not to mention the week they had to take off for NAMM, probably more if you factor in all the time they spent planning their flights, schedule, accommodations and such. In the mean time they've started supplying us with artist patches, which I think is very kind of them, so we can have something to mess with in the meantime, take the edge off the wait.

You also only have two people really working on the inner workings of the unit, not a team of 20 guys.

I see your point and to an extent I agree, their products _should_ work together, but you're pointing fingers without doing as much critical thinking and research as you should. Take a minute to think about their reality, not just your own. And weigh the good against the bad before whining about it. When something goes wrong, everyone wants to point fingers and bitch about how terrible the guys are at their job, completely forgetting everything that's gone extremely well up until that point, and all the awesome things they've given to us. Keep in mind they don't have to do these firmware updates, nor do they have to do them FOR FREE.


----------



## SnowfaLL

well I do agree after 1 night of playing around with the Axe-Edit (ultra 11.0) I find it comical how bad their editors/connections/etc stuff like this is for Fractal/Kemper when Line 6, Digitech and Zoom can all do it great. At this point, even though the Ultra is better sounding (but not by a MASSIVE margin) I might settle with the Pod HD Pro again, the editpr was amazingly easy to use, everything worked 100% of the time, no dropping of connection, and it sounds pretty good too. The only thing deterring me from the Pod HD seriously is no loadable impulses; that makes a drastic difference; as I have owned a Kemper and Ultra now and honestly amp sims, are not worth $1500 more than the HD.

With that being said its only been 5 hours on the Ultra so far. I'l give it another month or two before I make the final decision.


----------



## SnowfaLL

ConnorGilks said:


> Considering up until now at least 90% of users have had no issues with either, I don't think it's a huge issue.
> 
> It's not a matter of paying attention, they are well aware of the issues and are trying to fix them. They are human beings just like you with social lives, families and other events that also take up their time, their entire lives are not dedicated to serving you. Not to mention the week they had to take off for NAMM, probably more if you factor in all the time they spent planning their flights, schedule, accommodations and such. In the mean time they've started supplying us with artist patches, which I think is very kind of them, so we can have something to mess with in the meantime, take the edge off the wait.
> 
> You also only have two people really working on the inner workings of the unit, not a team of 20 guys.
> 
> I see your point and to an extent I agree, their products _should_ work together, but you're pointing fingers without doing as much critical thinking and research as you should. Take a minute to think about their reality, not just your own. And weigh the good against the bad before whining about it. When something goes wrong, everyone wants to point fingers and bitch about how terrible the guys are at their job, completely forgetting everything that's gone extremely well up until that point, and all the awesome things they've given to us. Keep in mind they don't have to do these firmware updates, nor do they have to do them FOR FREE.



Fractal didnt goto NAMM. Why give them excuses? Its a friggin expensive product.


----------



## noUser01

NickCormier said:


> Fractal didnt goto NAMM. Why give them excuses? Its a friggin expensive product.



That is worth the money, in my opinion. Like I said, there have been issues, but I've had none whatsoever, and the vast majority of people haven't. And they did go to NAMM, look at their Facebook page.


----------



## SnowfaLL

lol what a guy Cliff is.. Literally Jan 19th before NAMM, on the TGP he posted this

"We've never gone to NAMM and we aren't making any excuses (sad or otherwise). . The expense isn't worth it as we aren't looking for dealers as we sell direct. Perhaps this will change someday but, for now, we're sticking with this policy. We prefer to concentrate our expenses on product quality and R&D, rather than marketing.

Thanks,
CC"

lol. but I dunno if that guy you posted is Cliff, I dont really care to know what he looks like in person. Just that he himself said Fractal doesn't goto NAMM.


----------



## Shask

NickCormier said:


> lol what a guy Cliff is.. Literally Jan 19th before NAMM, on the TGP he posted this
> 
> "We've never gone to NAMM and we aren't making any excuses (sad or otherwise). . The expense isn't worth it as we aren't looking for dealers as we sell direct. Perhaps this will change someday but, for now, we're sticking with this policy. We prefer to concentrate our expenses on product quality and R&D, rather than marketing.
> 
> Thanks,
> CC"
> 
> lol. but I dunno if that guy you posted is Cliff, I dont really care to know what he looks like in person. Just that he himself said Fractal doesn't goto NAMM.


That is not Cliff...


----------



## dimok89

I have axe fx stnadard and I upgraded the firmware to 11.0 but I still don't have any option to choosed tone match in the layout
is the standard capable of tone matching?


----------



## flint757

Nope. Just the Axe-fx II.


----------



## SnowfaLL

dimok89 said:


> I have axe fx stnadard and I upgraded the firmware to 11.0 but I still don't have any option to choosed tone match in the layout
> is the standard capable of tone matching?



You can use other programs to essentially tone match the same way as the II.. look up youtube video by Clark Kent on tone matching with the ultra.


----------



## petereanima

Rook said:


> The axe fx is wonderfully stable and there are signs and warning everywhere saying AE doesn't work with 9.xx yet.



I'm still on FW 6 or 7, and yes its stable for me (one of the reasons why I haven't updated yet). But for some (many) it's not. I never had Win98 crashing on me, tough I wouldn't state anywhere that it was totally stable.



ConnorGilks said:


> Considering up until now at least 90% of users have had no issues with either, I don't think it's a huge issue.



Pretty cool, where you got these numbers from?



> It's not a matter of paying attention, they are well aware of the issues and are trying to fix them.



Cool, but I thought there are none?



> They are human beings just like you with social lives, families and other events that also take up their time, their entire lives are not dedicated to serving you. Not to mention the week they had to take off for NAMM, probably more if you factor in all the time they spent planning their flights, schedule, accommodations and such.



Oh, awesome, is this now an acceptable excuse when I can't get my job done? Good to know, tough I'm not exactly sure how my customers would take that..."Sorry that our products dont work as they should for months now, but I was on vacation last week and I have a life and stuff..."



> I see your point and to an extent I agree, their products _should_ work together, but you're pointing fingers without doing as much critical thinking and research as you should. Take a minute to think about their reality, not just your own. And weigh the good against the bad before whining about it. When something goes wrong, everyone wants to point fingers and bitch about how terrible the guys are at their job, completely forgetting everything that's gone extremely well up until that point, and all the awesome things they've given to us. Keep in mind they don't have to do these firmware updates, nor do they have to do them FOR FREE.



One forgets pretty fast that the FW updates (and also Axe Edit) are a huge selling point. Don't think that the unit would be the success it is without them. It's the complete "package" the customer buys.

Oh, and excuse me, but where exactly did I whine? I did not complain about anything, just stating they should get this fucking thing to work. I for myself am still on FW 6 or 7 (I don't really know because I actually use it only as audiointerface and for practice anymore; however - I think I _will_ update once more when there is a working FW+AE available. I wouldn't even had responded, but that typical Fractal-Forum bitch-attitude some guys, including you, are rbinging here, can't go uncommented. "Something does not work? Dude, how could you miss that we discussed this on page 357 of the 1000page megathread, this is totally your fault, you can't expect that all parts of the package you bought do actually work together." Yeah, folks at Fractalforums are helpful, as long as you praise the unit like your new god - as soon as you aren't 100% sold, you are the asshole. Oh, I think I know now why people over there think there are >90% satisfied users - because no one cares enough any more to post the misbehaviours there. I feel lucky not having problems, but whenever I lurk for anything new there, the behaviour of the fanboys there towards the folks with units not working as they should is unacceptable imho. But of course, I can see why the mods there don't delete such stuff, because it keeps the "satisfied user rate" over 90%. Cool tactics.

And don't get me wrong - it IS a cool unit, but it's neither perfect nor does it work properly for everyone. Cliff obviously DOES know that, it would be time for the users to stop the self-defense mode of "OMG I spent all my money on this thing, how dare you say it doesnt work for you?".


----------



## Brill

Is the axe-fx 2 usable right out of the box, or do i need to hook it up to the internet?


----------



## Andromalia

It is usable out of the box. You only need internet to download new firmware or patches from axe-change.
Since they are usually shipped with the latest firmware available, you shouldn't need the absolut latest one to get good sounds. Apart from nitpicking or very specific things, you really only need to update if you want an amp/feature that's been included in a firmware release.


----------



## noUser01

petereanima said:


> I'm still on FW 6 or 7, and yes its stable for me (one of the reasons why I haven't updated yet). But for some (many) it's not. I never had Win98 crashing on me, tough I wouldn't state anywhere that it was totally stable.
> 
> Pretty cool, where you got these numbers from?
> 
> Cool, but I thought there are none?
> 
> Oh, awesome, is this now an acceptable excuse when I can't get my job done? Good to know, tough I'm not exactly sure how my customers would take that..."Sorry that our products dont work as they should for months now, but I was on vacation last week and I have a life and stuff..."
> 
> One forgets pretty fast that the FW updates (and also Axe Edit) are a huge selling point. Don't think that the unit would be the success it is without them. It's the complete "package" the customer buys.
> 
> Oh, and excuse me, but where exactly did I whine? I did not complain about anything, just stating they should get this fucking thing to work. I for myself am still on FW 6 or 7 (I don't really know because I actually use it only as audiointerface and for practice anymore; however - I think I _will_ update once more when there is a working FW+AE available. I wouldn't even had responded, but that typical Fractal-Forum bitch-attitude some guys, including you, are rbinging here, can't go uncommented. "Something does not work? Dude, how could you miss that we discussed this on page 357 of the 1000page megathread, this is totally your fault, you can't expect that all parts of the package you bought do actually work together." Yeah, folks at Fractalforums are helpful, as long as you praise the unit like your new god - as soon as you aren't 100% sold, you are the asshole. Oh, I think I know now why people over there think there are >90% satisfied users - because no one cares enough any more to post the misbehaviours there. I feel lucky not having problems, but whenever I lurk for anything new there, the behaviour of the fanboys there towards the folks with units not working as they should is unacceptable imho. But of course, I can see why the mods there don't delete such stuff, because it keeps the "satisfied user rate" over 90%. Cool tactics.
> 
> And don't get me wrong - it IS a cool unit, but it's neither perfect nor does it work properly for everyone. Cliff obviously DOES know that, it would be time for the users to stop the self-defense mode of "OMG I spent all my money on this thing, how dare you say it doesnt work for you?".



Relax for a minute. I think you're missing what I'm saying, because reading this post I don't see anything that I disagree with, nor anything that disagrees with my actual points.

The number is simply an estimate that was posted on the forum by Cliff in one of the threads regarding firmware updates. Who knows how accurate it is, it's just the most accurate info we have to go on, and since he heads up the company I'm assuming it's not 40% off the mark.

I hope you're not saying that I was claiming there were no issues... clearly there are issues, as you can't go to the Fractal Forum without seeing at least a couple threads about the new firmware or Axe-Edit, not to mention the Bugs subforum. Again, the point is that they are aware of the issue, and "paying attention" was not the issue, that's all. If you're going to fault them for taking a long time, fine. But don't fault them for not paying attention when they clearly are, that's all.

I hardly think it's an "excuse", I'm just saying even Cliff and Matt have lives and other _commitments_... they probably planned NAMM before the Firmware 9/Axe-Edit issues started occurring. Considering the trip isn't 100% pleasure and there is a lot of business to be done at NAMM - with or without a booth - I don't see why they would cancel that trip to work on Axe-Edit when you can still create and upload patches without it. There's very little you can't do without Axe-Edit, though I say that with the understanding that many people need those few features a lot more than people such as myself. Should they hurry up? Maybe, but honestly I think the only reason people are angry if because of their own demands of Cliff and Matt. It's not like they said "January 1st, new Axe-Edit" and then didn't follow up on it, they aren't breaking promises here, they're just busy trying to deal with the issue and are going to take as much time as they need. And why shouldn't they? They screwed up, so I'd rather they take their time getting it right than just pushing out something that wasn't checked over thoroughly, then we'd just have the same issue. But listing NAMM was just me putting a somewhat poor example out there of my point about having other commitments, I don't know what goes on in their lives.

I'm not saying they aren't a selling point, I'm just saying once you buy the unit they don't have to keep updating it for you if they don't want to. They do it because _they do want to_, not because you have to pay them for updates.  They charge you for the unit and the unit only, but they keep updating it out of the acknowledgment that these updates are important to people.

Oh no, sorry. I wasn't saying you personally were whining about it, the "you" was supposed to be a general "AxeFX II users", as you are one of the few who hasn't just bitched and whined about it all over the Fractal forum, as far as I know... so kudos. 

You're saying I've got a "bitch-attitude" like all the other Fractal users, but none of things you went on to say are things that I've said or done. 

My bottom line is that there are issues, some have them some don't, but I think people are generally making it a _much_ bigger deal than it really is whenever something goes wrong. My issue is not that people complain, if you have a dead pixel on your $3000 unit then you have a right to complain, you shouldn't have those issues after dropping that much cash, let alone issues like the current firmware/Axe-Edit ones. My issue is with the people who do nothing but constantly bitch and whine on the forums as if they have nothing better to do with their lives, not understanding that more of these complaints and immature prodding and whining will not get things done any quicker, and will only agitate all involved. Again, I am _not_ pointing the finger at you.

*NickCormier:* It's not Cliff, it's Matt.


----------



## kmanick

Ya aCliff didn't go to Namm Matt did.
Cliff has been working on FW 10.
Cliff doesn't work on Axe Edit (which I think is part of the problem).
I used to be a slave to Axe Edit but since I oved to 9.02 I've gotten really good using the Front panel.
But I would much prefer to have a working axe Edit. I think we were almost there but when Vai wanted scenes added I think it threw
the Axe Edit developers for a big loop (Cliff has pm'ed me directly and 
has given me reason to believe that it may still be a ways off), but since I'm just a home player it's not killing me.
If I owned a studio though I'd be pretty miffed at this pont.
I've done some experimenting however and found that Axe edit still works for a variety of things.
I can Audition patches and save them to my Axe II, and I can update firmware.
I use Axe O matic to audition cabs though (which is a great utility everyone should own that owns an AxeFx)
All we can do at this point is wait it out and hope that when it does become available the thing actually freaking works


----------



## kmanick

and it's official , Axe Edit is still not ready and won't be released today as originally planned ( a public beta anyway)


----------



## 3074326

For those complaining about not having Axe Edit: would you rather have a shitty Axe Edit now, or a better one later?


----------



## flint757

It's already shitty now.


----------



## 3074326

flint757 said:


> It's already shitty now.



Exactly! I'm willing to wait for a better one. In the end it'll be worth it.


----------



## SnowfaLL

Still on the edge of possibly selling the Ultra and going back to a Pod HD Pro... tough decision. Axe-edit is a joke compared to the Line 6 software, and the Ultra requires more tweaking to get a good tone where the Pod HD literally sounds great just with an amp block alone. Sure, the Ultra sounds better, but its not $1000 better IMO, so Im not sure. With the Kemper and Ultra, the main difference im hearing over the cheaper modellers is just a more "rounded" out tone, and on the lows and highs they sound a lot less artificial, but I could definitely (and did for 3 years) gig with the Pod and be happy with my tone.. The HD I actually didnt notice any drop-off from my real tube amps, but the Zoom G3 I do feel slightly lacking.. IMO Anyone can get a great tone from the HD or 11R and above, thats all you "need", anything else is more a luxury.

I do really like how the front panel has input and output volume knobs though, thats very awesome. If I can get axe-edit to actually work with a new interface (right now it only worked one day barely, and hasnt connected since Monday last week) then I'll consider keeping.. Just a shame such hype around these units to be dissapointed when you actually get to spend more than an hour with it


----------



## Shask

I just made some comments about this in the POD HD thread. I tweak my Axe-FX Standard WAY less then the POD HD. The POD HD has a lot of weird crap going on inside it that drives you crazy that just works on the Axe-FX. Internal clipping of effects and the dual path thing is a big part of that and getting crappy sounds easily.

My first advice would be to learn to tweak the unit itself without a computer. It is not that hard to use. My second advice would be to use an old version of Axe-Edit. I use 1.0.307 and I have no problems at all. I tried the new one recently and it froze up constantly, but there is no reason to have the new one since you don't have an Axe-FX II


----------



## SnowfaLL

Tried like 6 different versions of axe-edit, all pretty much sucked. Basically, apparently the USB-midi cable I have is garbage?? yet it worked the first day then just hasnt worked since. So, who knows.


----------



## Shask

You cant blame Axe-Edit if you have a shitty cable 

I used to use an M-Audio Audiophile 2496 PCI card, and now I use a Presonus 22VSL USB Interface. I have no issues at all.

Actually, I have the Presonus connected to my HD500 which is connected to the Axe-FX which is connected back to the Presonus. I turn it all on and it all works every time.


----------



## SnowfaLL

The fact is, even when the program worked it was garbage; Read the fractal forums and theres like at least one person a day who has issues with axe-edit. Its stupid to pay SO much for a device then have such piss poor software for it, when Line 6 puts out great software on their $300 devices. I'd feel mightly ripped off if I spent the $2000+ on the ultra like most people did back in the day, thankfully I got a good deal on it now. But I shouldnt/didnt expect much from a company led by Cliff. 

Cable shouldnt be the problem cause it works with midiox and like I said, some days apparently it works with the axe-edit and others it doesnt. Worked on the other 2 midi programs I tried too.


----------



## AxeHappy

Use the front Panel? Axe-edit was provided as an extra bonus. Not worth getting pissy about.

I'm not pissed at all and I spent around 3.5 grand all in getting the Axe and MFC shipped up to Canada.


----------



## SnowfaLL

Gotta love fanboys.

Accept it; Axe-FX has some flaws, as does EVERY unit out there. When someone comes to point them out, dont get so insulted.


----------



## ArrowHead

NickCormier said:


> Gotta love fanboys.
> 
> Accept it; Axe-FX has some flaws, as does EVERY unit out there. When someone comes to point them out, don't get so insulted.



I'm disappointed too, but I'd be embarrassed if I were carrying on the way some people are.


----------



## Shask

I view the software as an optional accessory 


We have been programming guitar processors for 20 years, and it is funny that software and USB is now suddenly required  The Axe-FX works just fine without it...


----------



## Rook

^Yeah, it's fine. The front panel is part of the £2000 Axe FX 2 and works just fine, Axe Edit is a free resource. You can even read the blurb for Axe FX 2, no mention of Axe Edit. They're treated as two independent products.

Petereanima: What you talkin about man?  I said the unit is 'wonderfully stable', implying that I find its level of stability - whatever that is - 'wonderful'. Stable it is, largely. Faultless, no, but they do have a very high reliability rate from what I hear.


----------



## kmanick

it's funny to me how people get so defensive over modelers
I don't think I've ever seen people carry on like this with a marshall VS mesa debate
axe edit sucks Kempers better, kemper sucks, blahblah blah.
I find it quite amusing.
I wish Axe edit worked too, but it made me learn how to use the front panel a whole lot better, still there are a few things I like to do that I 
can't do without Axe Edit so it does kind of suck not having a fully functional one.


----------



## 3074326

NickCormier said:


> Gotta love fanboys.
> 
> Accept it; Axe-FX has some flaws, as does EVERY unit out there. When someone comes to point them out, dont get so insulted.



Calling people fanboys and then telling them not to get so insulted seems productive. Anyways, the Axe FX doesn't change if you don't use Axe Edit. It's the same thing whether it's on or not. I paid for the Axe FX. I have no issues with it. 

Axe Edit isn't great, but that's not what I bought. I'll use it when a good version comes out, but it's not what anyone paid for. I think it's hilarious that people spent over $2k on a processor and didn't figure out how to use it properly. _It's not that hard to use. _


----------



## getaway_fromme

3074326 said:


> Calling people fanboys and then telling them not to get so insulted seems productive. Anyways, the Axe FX doesn't change if you don't use Axe Edit. It's the same thing whether it's on or not. I paid for the Axe FX. I have no issues with it.
> 
> Axe Edit isn't great, but that's not what I bought. I'll use it when a good version comes out, but it's not what anyone paid for. I think it's hilarious that people spent over $2k on a processor and didn't figure out how to use it properly. _It's not that hard to use. _



Ok, lets get something straight, a good amount of people DID purchase this unit for axe edit. I am one of them. It was a major selling point for me. Maybe not for you, but for me. It makes editing presets go by literally 10 times faster and is a far better interface for me. Some like knobs, some like computers. No one can call someone else out for "not knowing how to use it". Everyone has their reasons, so you shouldnt get annoyed because someone is annoyed. That's just dumb. 

I DID spend $2200 on a processor that I expected to work well with axe edit. I think many other people did, too. Optional or not, it helped de-mystify editing on the axe fx and has given the ability to do everything on one screen, defeating the many, many pages you have to scroll through just to change one parameter or move an effect. The axe fx is extremely complicated for some and just telling people they are stupid and don't know how to use it "properly" is also, downright insulting. Just because I want to be able to edit easier doesn't automatically make me inept. I think it's fucking retarded to be forced to use the front panel. It's incredibly inefficient in comparison. 

I am a fan boy and I just want axe edit to fucking work. Without it, I'm discouraged to even tinker. YMMV. 

All this bitching aside, I'm gonna go tinker with the front panel.


----------



## Brill

I'm still debating with my self alabout buying an axe-fx 2. Im not gigging, all i need is a set up to practice and record. I am looking for a job as a musician (hopefully some sort of composer) but i do have a passion to play in a band at somr point. I have enough money to buy it, i just don't know if i should get it or something cheaper?


----------



## Rook

It's a great solution for that kind of thing, works well with a nice flat power amp. I bought mine for a similar reason; want to do some recordings, want to play live and want to be able to adapt to lots of different scenarios and now that I'm used to it I couldn't rely on anything else to keep up with me the way my Axe FX 2 has.

If you're worried about it feeling not 'real' and like a modeller, the one thing everyone has said about my Axe is it feels great, and now if you're a bit daunted by dialling the thing in, since v9 it's been infinitely more plug n play - pick an amp you like the sound of and there will be a good tone with a few adjustments of the usual bass, treble and mid controls.

The bitching in this thread aside, I don't recommend the Axe FX to everyone, but your description sounds a lot like mine, and I love my Axe FX.


----------



## OWHall

Hi everyone, this has probably been asked before on here but im sure you can appreciate that i cant search every single page haha.
With regards to actual rig set up, is it possible to just run the unit straight through a cab and use that or are there other components necessary? 
I see a lot of folks using power amps at some stage in the rig. (noob question alert) what are these, what do they do and are they needed?
Id really appreciate a few examples of how people are using the units in their rigs as well.
Thanks a lot


----------



## Rook

There are two kinds of amps (sort of, but for now it'll do haha); voltage amps and power amps. Voltage amps turn a signal of one voltage to another but not necessarily adding current. Power is [voltage x current], impedance is the ratio of voltage to current [voltage / current]. 'Line level' signals are higher impedance than 'power' signals, and lower power. Axe FX is a preamp - a voltage amp - and outputs a Line Level signal.

What this means is: Axe FX isn't susceptible to impedance overloading or weird filtering effects and the like - the things that make guitar pickup tones so tricky - but if you plugged into a speak it wouldn't be very loud.

This means you need a power amp which both steps up the voltage and adds current allowing it to drive a speaker.

One thing to consider is that Axe FX, particularly the 2, models the power amp section of the amps it models extremely well (despite it being itself a preamp - a voltage amp  ) so works great with a power amp that's what we call 'Full Range Flat Response', 'FRFR' or just referred to as a 'Flat Amp' or 'Full Range Amp' or any other combination thereof. Some will say that they don't feel as good as tube amps, but like everything some are better than others. I for one use the Matrix GT1000FX, it's a MOSFET amp (solid state, no tubes). I use it with a cab, so the amp is FRFR but the cab adds a lot of colouration.

This is good for me because its hugely loud, very light, not sensitive to different speaker cab impedances and has no perishable parts like tubes.

Some people go totally FRFR and use a full range amp AND a speaker that has a big range and flat response - like a HiFi or PA system. This means you can turn up to a venue, use the Axe FX's cab modelling and essentially turn any PA into an extension of your rig. No cabs on stage, just the same tone coming out of your axe into the PA and your monitors.

Other popular amps for Axe FX are Mesa 2:90 and VHT 2:50:2 which are tube amps. This reduces your ability to use the Axe FX's power amp modelling - great for making Marshall models sound 'British' and Mesa models 'American', but immediately and undoubtedly bring the t00b feel.

But all the usual tube amp stuff applies; impedance matching, tube maintenance and lots of weight. Worth it? Give some stuff a try, you decide, people on forums will gladly tell you their opinion like its gospel at the end of the day you're one of 7 billion unique individuals on this earth so enjoy liking whatever it is you do.

You do need an amp if you plan on using a cab though. I went FRFR for a while but sounding better or not, cabs are more fun.

To me anyway.


----------



## noise in my mind

I know people have different experiences with modelers ect. but it all comes down to skill, knowledge, and the applied purpose of the modeler. Freeware amps, pods, and the axe fx can all sound amazing.


----------



## OWHall

Rook said:


> There are two kinds of amps (sort of, but for now it'll do haha); voltage amps and power amps. Voltage amps turn a signal of one voltage to another but not necessarily adding current. Power is [voltage x current], impedance is the ratio of voltage to current [voltage / current]. 'Line level' signals are higher impedance than 'power' signals, and lower power. Axe FX is a preamp - a voltage amp - and outputs a Line Level signal.
> 
> What this means is: Axe FX isn't susceptible to impedance overloading or weird filtering effects and the like - the things that make guitar pickup tones so tricky - but if you plugged into a speak it wouldn't be very loud.
> 
> This means you need a power amp which both steps up the voltage and adds current allowing it to drive a speaker.
> 
> One thing to consider is that Axe FX, particularly the 2, models the power amp section of the amps it models extremely well (despite it being itself a preamp - a voltage amp  ) so works great with a power amp that's what we call 'Full Range Flat Response', 'FRFR' or just referred to as a 'Flat Amp' or 'Full Range Amp' or any other combination thereof. Some will say that they don't feel as good as tube amps, but like everything some are better than others. I for one use the Matrix GT1000FX, it's a MOSFET amp (solid state, no tubes). I use it with a cab, so the amp is FRFR but the cab adds a lot of colouration.
> 
> This is good for me because its hugely loud, very light, not sensitive to different speaker cab impedances and has no perishable parts like tubes.
> 
> Some people go totally FRFR and use a full range amp AND a speaker that has a big range and flat response - like a HiFi or PA system. This means you can turn up to a venue, use the Axe FX's cab modelling and essentially turn any PA into an extension of your rig. No cabs on stage, just the same tone coming out of your axe into the PA and your monitors.
> 
> Other popular amps for Axe FX are Mesa 2:90 and VHT 2:50:2 which are tube amps. This reduces your ability to use the Axe FX's power amp modelling - great for making Marshall models sound 'British' and Mesa models 'American', but immediately and undoubtedly bring the t00b feel.
> 
> But all the usual tube amp stuff applies; impedance matching, tube maintenance and lots of weight. Worth it? Give some stuff a try, you decide, people on forums will gladly tell you their opinion like its gospel at the end of the day you're one of 7 billion unique individuals on this earth so enjoy liking whatever it is you do.
> 
> You do need an amp if you plan on using a cab though. I went FRFR for a while but sounding better or not, cabs are more fun.
> 
> To me anyway.


Thanks a lot man, really comprehensive response. That pretty much summed up everything ive been wondering!


----------



## Rook

Got a bit carried away with that one, glad you got something out of it!


----------



## redstone

For those who still have a standard/ultra and $5 to spend : 

Axe-Change - Download Preset - REDSTONE STAGE - by redstone

Critical Cabs | Cabinet Impulses | Professional Mix-Ready Speaker IRs

https://soundcloud.com/humanseeming/axe-fx-messiah-ir-patch


----------



## theo

Does anyone have any tips for me on getting my axe fx 2 heard better at band prac? The other guitarist is using a dual rec with a mesa OS 4x12. My axe fx is going straight into a mackie HD1221. I'm going to try also going into the PA at our rehearsal space next practice, But the stuff they have there isn't great TBH.

Right now I'm set up opposite our drummer with my mackie vertical on top of two milk crates pointed straight at the drummer. I have cut my lows and put in a boost at about 3K but some other ideas would be swell.


----------



## redstone

Yeah, four mackies or a 4x12. Not kidding, an axe-fx makes no miracle, 1x12<4x12 .. you're just no match for his cab. Just my  though.


----------



## petereanima

Has anyone actually managed to create "feedback" with the axe in a recording situation? Like "at the end of the solo, the last tone stands and clips into its overtone..." kind of feedback?


----------



## Andromalia

yeah, some of my patches do that. They have a _lot_ of gain though. It's harder to do with a rythm tone with more moderate gain.


----------



## AxeHappy

theo said:


> Does anyone have any tips for me on getting my axe fx 2 heard better at band prac?



I just run straight to the PA works fine. 


@Feedback:

On some of my older patches it was hard to not get feedback. Crank the Gain and Master.


----------



## redstone

You can't get a real (pickup/speakers loop) feedback in a silent recording situation but if you play in front of your wedge or cab, loud enough, it's just like a real amp.


----------



## ArrowHead

redstone said:


> You can't get a real (pickup/speakers loop) feedback in a silent recording situation but if you play in front of your wedge or cab, loud enough, it's just like a real amp.



Correct. However there was a patch shared over at Fractal's forum that used trickery and an expression pedal to create realistic feedback on demand. I don't remember who posted it, but I do remember Cliff himself posting how cool he thought it was.


----------



## petereanima

Thanks ArrowHead, I will search for this one then. Expression pedal makes sense, I thought about something like this with pushing the overtones with a filter/EQ via expression in front...(but no time to try currently; and there is no way I'm going to buy a wedge just for recording).


----------



## ArrowHead

Here it is:

Feedback Simulator


----------



## guitarplayerone

Hey guys I have kind of a strange question.

I play on getting an Axe FX II in a few months, and using it as my interface with my laptop (i7 2.4 quad core, 6gb ram, so worth the effort). 

Can I use a Firestudio 2626 to chain into the Axe FX (as in use it's mic pres, converters etc), via ADAT (or something else?) and then go via usb into my laptop?

So the chain is mic with phantom power -> firestudio -> adat -> axe fx ii -> usb -> cubase

Without too many technical details yet (as I don't have the unit yet so it doesn't matter), is this feasible?

I could hypothetically rip out my wifi card in my laptop and use that pci-e slot for a firewire card, but that isn't guaranteed to work anyway (and loses my wifi). I don't have an expresscard slot (this laptop was purchased for other uses)


----------



## SnowfaLL

Asked my mom to ship my interface express so I dont have to wait another month til they come visit me (4 hours away) - so finally able to get axe-edit to work. Still buggy as hell, but better.

Also picked up a EV SX300A in a trade which sounds much better with the Axe.. Good temp "FRFR" until I figure out if Im going with Xitone or another company for my custom setup. Can't wait to finally get the rig 100% complete, hoping by June. The best part, its a 2U that can be switched out, so if I dont dig the Ultra I can go back to the pod HD pro, or alternatively if I really dig it, upgrade to the II.


----------



## Rook

theo said:


> Does anyone have any tips for me on getting my axe fx 2 heard better at band prac? The other guitarist is using a dual rec with a mesa OS 4x12. My axe fx is going straight into a mackie HD1221. I'm going to try also going into the PA at our rehearsal space next practice, But the stuff they have there isn't great TBH.
> 
> Right now I'm set up opposite our drummer with my mackie vertical on top of two milk crates pointed straight at the drummer. I have cut my lows and put in a boost at about 3K but some other ideas would be swell.



I wouldn't say you need 4 as somebody said, but you at least need a pair stacked atop one another to have a chance, I had a similar problem.

I just decided to go power amp and cab, just means I have to use house monitors but can adjust to more situations more easily.


----------



## theo

Thanks Rook. I only actually use the monitors at practice right now, Live I just go straight to the desk. Although I've been thinking having my wedge as well as FOH. I don't really want to shell out a further $1000 for a second mackie that I'll only be using at practice.


----------



## Rook

If its for practice try some SRM450's or something maybe? Half the price and they're loud as ferk. Thought you could get 15 inch drivers too but can't find em. That might be the 'SLAM' series or whatever the hell they're called...


EDIT: 'Thump' series.


----------



## theo

Just had a look, the SRM450 are selling for $950 here, retail is $1250.
This shit is just unreasonably expensive in Australia.

EDIT: Just had a look at the thump series and they're only $550 each. Could be a viable option.


----------



## Watty

This is going to be a STUPID question, but it's worth asking...

I'm currently running an Ultra into an Apogee One and then into my RMBP. I'll be pulling the trigger on a 2 in a week or so and want to know whether or not it'd be worth keeping the Apogee around as an interface. I know it's got "nice converters," but is that a moot point being that both connections (with and without) would ultimately be running via USB 2.0? (Or is the Axe 2 USB 3?)


----------



## Aceshighhhh

Watty said:


> This is going to be a STUPID question, but it's worth asking...
> 
> I'm currently running an Ultra into an Apogee One and then into my RMBP. I'll be pulling the trigger on a 2 in a week or so and want to know whether or not it'd be worth keeping the Apogee around as an interface. I know it's got "nice converters," but is that a moot point being that both connections (with and without) would ultimately be running via USB 2.0? (Or is the Axe 2 USB 3?)


 
The Axe Fx 2 is USB 2.0, although it doesn't have a mic pre - so if you plan on recording any vocals or anything that requires a mic, keep the Apogee. 

If you're only recording guitar, ditch it.


----------



## Watty

Thanks, appreciate it!


----------



## Rook

I've recorded mic's using Axe 2, it's not ideal but works just fine, can easily be tweaked to sound perfectly good.


----------



## Hybrid138

What are some cheap footswitch options for the Axe-FXII?


----------



## flint757

midimate and fcb1010


----------



## theo

What advantages does the mfc101 have to offer over them? Obviously it has a screen and is fairly plug and play, but is there much else?


----------



## flint757

Those are fairly low on the functionality from what I've gathered. Comparatively the GCP is a closer match, but for all of those will require programming and lots of it. I've heard the FCB can be a pain to program as well. The mfc101 will surpass them all, functionality wise (only barely for the GCP though), and is stupidly simple from what I've heard.

The only catch there is it is significantly more expensive than the midimate and FCB1010 and a couple hundred more than the GCP.


----------



## theo

I've seen a GCP for sale locally for $300, Which is pretty good compared to a new mfc101 for about a thousand. I just want the simplicity of the MFC101 really, and the fact that I get a tuner onscreen etc. Plus it's fractal.. That's gotta help my tone right?


----------



## flint757

For that price difference I'd just go with the GCP if you got the scratch. That's what I bought a little while ago for my Ultra. Haven't had any free time to program it though. 

I personally don't think the difference is $700 worth. Never used it though so for all I know it could be like the second coming of Jesus or something.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Is anyone rocking a Yamaha DXR12 with their axe? Real curious to see how users are getting on with this powered speaker.


----------



## Rook

theo said:


> I've seen a GCP for sale locally for $300, Which is pretty good compared to a new mfc101 for about a thousand. I just want the simplicity of the MFC101 really, and the fact that I get a tuner onscreen etc. Plus it's fractal.. That's gotta help my tone right?



I think you can get the tuner on the GCP display.

I have a non pro ground control and its perfect for what I do, the only thing it doesn't do is tuner on screen, it cost me £70 so no complaints here.


----------



## Hybrid138

Is the GCP user friendly to setup?


----------



## theo

On a slight tangent, Finally got a high gain tone I'm really happy with on my axe fx 2.
The HBE is a seriously rad amp. Thinking about trying the cornford in parallel just to see how it goes.


----------



## Rook

Hybrid138 said:


> Is the GCP user friendly to setup?



Very, it's not plug and play but you can basically make any button do anything.

On my non-pro for example, I assigned a pedal to tuner, one to tap tempo (because it doesn't have pre allocated buttons for this), one scrolls up a scene, one down, one up a bank one down, presets 1-4 on each bank (mine uses banks if 4, fyi) then one that turns on or off all drives or compressors and one that turns on or off all reverbs or delays because I never have comp and drive in the same preset and I use delay and verb together.

Anything more than that I doubt I'd ever need to do on the fly and my pedal is really practical.

The non-pro cannot display text or tuner from the axe, but it's longer, wider button design makes hitting the buttons with your big floppy rabbit feet quite a simple, imprecise task. The GCP and MFC I can't help but feel I'd constantly be hitting the wrong buttons.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

With Axe-edit broke how are you guys uploading presets from Axe-change?


----------



## Webmaestro

Question:

About a year ago, when I was first in the market for an Axe Fx II, you had to get on a waiting list to eventually be issued some kind of coupon. Ultimately, I ended up buying a HD Pro to hold me over. That's served me well, but the Axe Fx II has always been the ultimate goal.

I re-visited their site recently, and it seems you can now buy directly from their site... no waiting.

Is this true?


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Webmaestro said:


> Question:
> 
> About a year ago, when I was first in the market for an Axe Fx II, you had to get on a waiting list to eventually be issued some kind of coupon. Ultimately, I ended up buying a HD Pro to hold me over. That's served me well, but the Axe Fx II has always been the ultimate goal.
> 
> I re-visited their site recently, and it seems you can now buy directly from their site... no waiting.
> 
> Is this true?



Yeah, they caught up on the wait list in like spring of 2012 or something like that. My number came up in dec. 2011 but didn't have the scratch at the time and still haven't pulled the trigger. Something else always comes up in life......like the deck my wife wants to put on the back of the house....damnit!


----------



## Webmaestro

TheShreddinHand said:


> Yeah, they caught up on the wait list in like spring of 2012 or something like that. My number came up in dec. 2011 but didn't have the scratch at the time and still haven't pulled the trigger. Something else always comes up in life......like the deck my wife wants to put on the back of the house....damnit!



Heh, I'm in the opposite situation. I had the $$ back when I was first looking, and now that they're readily available... I don't


----------



## kurviak

TheShreddinHand said:


> With Axe-edit broke how are you guys uploading presets from Axe-change?



the axe edit is ok for preset upload and download, but is broken for editing.

You can also use a general sysex tool like midiox


----------



## Webmaestro

As if some higher power was listening... shortly after making my last post, I got notified I'd be getting a raise 

So, just ordered mine (ordered the t-shirt too, because I know I'm gonna love it enough to wanna represent).

Now I have to wean myself off the POD HD Pro thread and start eating the solid food of the Axe-Fx thread. I have a lot of reading-up to do...


----------



## ArrowHead

You'll find you don't need the Axe FX thread nearly as much as you did the Pod HD thread. The first difference you'll notice is how much easier things are to dial in out of the box. No Meambobbo required.


----------



## theo

I read the basic stuff in the handbook, then just jumped in and started mucking around. Now if I ever run into a problem or lack of knowledge I look it up. But most stuff is really easy to find/use/implement.


----------



## Shask

ArrowHead said:


> You'll find you don't need the Axe FX thread nearly as much as you did the Pod HD thread. The first difference you'll notice is how much easier things are to dial in out of the box. No Meambobbo required.



Yeah, I load up default settings on my Standard and it sounds pretty good. I play with the settings constantly on the POD HD. I tweak the Axe WAY less....


----------



## Ramsey

Giant Axe-Fx Ultra Newb coming through. Bare with me guys as I have some really dumb n00b questions about how to set this up and I need specific answers. I wasn't ready to go through 103 pages (one hundred and three!) pages of thread to find what I wanted so I hope you guys don't mind! Ready? Ready: 

1. Is the current best way to connect an Axe-Fx to your computer to record (I have no power amp or cabinet or whatever) through an interface of some sort via S/PDIF? 

2. So taking balanced out into my Fast Track Pro is going to be worse right, because then the audio would have to be converted more times than one would like, correct? (Guitar -> Axe -> Fast Track -> Computer, with spdif its just Axe to computer? I think? :/) 

2. That is, I am running two coaxial S/PDIF (kind of like rca cables) from the "DIGITAL I/O" to the in and out of my Fast Track Pro? And my computer picks it up via USB from the FTP?

3. Does this result in loss of quality because its a Fast Track Pro? It doesn't really have great A/D convertors but to my understanding, I am totally bypassing A/D convertors when I go S/PDIF, correct? The interface just works to relay the info to the computer which converts the audio? Gah or am I just totally wrong here? Do I need a better interface? Maybe if I was going line in with the axe right or micing it up perhaps? 

4. What does the latency become like? Does it change? Low/high? Do i still have that control panel with the buffer size and a slider (lol)? Or is a whole different thing? 

5. What about monitoring? I have my monitors hooked up to my PODX3 with two unbalanced cables, so that when I play I can hear my patches on my PODX3 on my monitors and my track gets recorded as a dry track---then I can reamp for effects, so essentially latency becomes negligible because I just use the pods internal latency to record.... Can I do this (I am assuming I can) with an Axe-Fx? How does it work?

6. I haven't picked up my ultra yet, but I have been considering the standard for less price. as far as signal chains go, for a better metal tone do you think I need the extra processing? I know it comes down to me but what has been your experiences? Am I going to be totally satisfied with a standard or does having an ultra make that much of a difference in gaining a nice full tone in terms of cleans and distortion? Is it overkill? I'd like to save the extra cash. 

Thank you and I'm sorry for the really really awful questions. Just want to be safe here.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

kurviak said:


> the axe edit is ok for preset upload and download, but is broken for editing.
> 
> You can also use a general sysex tool like midiox



Thanks!

And congrats Webmaestro! Post back when you get it and have a chance to play around.


----------



## Webmaestro

TheShreddinHand said:


> Thanks!
> 
> And congrats Webmaestro! Post back when you get it and have a chance to play around.



Thanks. Just got my shipping notification from Fractal. Unfortunately, they're shipping it via UPS. UGH! UPS has damaged more stuff of mine over the years than FedEx and USPS combined. I pray that Fractal packs it very, very well.

When ya'll say Axe Edit is broken... is this because of the latest firmware update? I thought I read on the Fractal forums that it's basically kaput until the next firmware update or something.


----------



## theo

If you run firmware 7 I believe (although it may be 6) then you will have no problems with axe edit. However the firmware has been updated faster than axe edit has recently which has given us an unstable relationship between the two. I've been using axe edit with firmware 8.02 still, But sometimes it locks up, refuses to do certain things and just behaves weirdly. Once I had to power cycle my axe 2 and it the unit itself still wouldn't work until I unplugged it from the usb and the power cycled again. *There have been numerous people who have had presets wiped etc because of this.*

However front panel editing is really intuitive and easy.


----------



## Gilbertsgotbrootz

I have had a axe fx standard and a alto ts 112a speaker for over a year . It sounds great but doesn't feel great . Given it was sounded like shit I played a 6505 today through a 412 and it just had a real feel to it . My question is there anything I can do to make the axe fx sound more like a real amp . I am wondering if I got a second alto if that would help . Since a 1x12 speaker cab doesn't sound even close to a 2x12 speaker cab . Is there any tips or anything I can do to get that 150w triple rec in your chest feel ?


----------



## noUser01

Playing through an FRFR speaker is NOT the same as playing through a cab and you WILL NOT have the same feel.

Go ask on the Fractal Audio forums, this issue has been addressed numerous times and you will definitely find lots of good information on the topic.


----------



## Gilbertsgotbrootz

Yeah haha all the dudes over there are like spend 10k on a mackie or qsc rig .


----------



## noUser01

Gilbertsgotbrootz said:


> Yeah haha all the dudes over there are like spend 10k on a mackie or qsc rig .



I have definitely seen lots of better information over there than that. And a Mackie rig will cost you more like $1,200 - $1,400 if you get two HD1221's.


----------



## Shask

Gilbertsgotbrootz said:


> Is there any tips or anything I can do to get that 150w triple rec in your chest feel ?



I run mine into a Triple Recto


----------



## flint757

Has to do with the nature a cab and speaker projects plus volume. A PA will sound relatively similar if you move around, but a cab will sound vastly different if you move which contributes to the inherent differences people will hear. Most people when they talk about the chest pounding feel they are comparing a 1x12 PA to a 4x12 cab. I imagine if you got 4 PA's and stacked them together and then cranked the volume you'd get a similar chest feel (since that is just air moving and vibrations that does that). That has to do with feel, but a cab will also alter the tone and you may or may not like the cab sims on the axe-fx as well.


----------



## Hyacinth

I thought the Axe Fx didn't sound "real" for a while, then I put a stereo cab in my chain with a mic on the cap and the cone and now when the volume gets loud enough there's definitely that "chest thump" people talk about. I'm running my Axe into an Alto TS115a, but I hardly think 3 inches is going to make a whole world of difference. What does your signal chain consist of?


----------



## boltzthrower

Gilbertsgotbrootz said:


> I have had a axe fx standard and a alto ts 112a speaker for over a year . It sounds great but doesn't feel great . Given it was sounded like shit I played a 6505 today through a 412 and it just had a real feel to it . My question is there anything I can do to make the axe fx sound more like a real amp . I am wondering if I got a second alto if that would help . Since a 1x12 speaker cab doesn't sound even close to a 2x12 speaker cab . Is there any tips or anything I can do to get that 150w triple rec in your chest feel ?



Yeah, your 1x12 is competing size-wise with a 4x12 cabinet, so pay extra attention to the low end EQ to compensate. While I haven't been able to make my two Alto TS112a's sound quite like my 4x12 cab, I've gotten a lot closer by finding the right low end frequencies to boost - this can prove difficult when trying to retain the proper mids. Also, where are putting your 1x12? You'll get dat bass better if it's on the floor.

My FRFR setup still isn't cutting through the mix half as good as my tube power amp & 4x12's, and I'm starting to think that it has more to do with what guitar speakers do for you (vs FRFR) as opposed to the tube power amp vs modeled poweramp.


----------



## theo

So last night I plugged my right output into the PA at our rehearsal room and left into my mackie HD1221.. PERFECT! everyone could hear everyone. Although our vocalist didn't make practice last night, So I'll see how it goes next week with both vox and myself in the PA.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Cabinet IR Packs -

402 IRs for $2. Absolute Bargain!


----------



## Rook

^Are 390 of them total crap or very specific though? I've got IR packs before and so many of them are totally random mics and configurations and I ended up using 2 out of the 200 and didn't even like them as much as the ones I had


----------



## Augminished

^ Same experience. Even at $2 I just don't want to go through that many either... Lazy I know  



From the site:



> 134 x RAW (unprocessed) Mic positions
> 134 x FILTERED (Hi and Lo passing applied) Mic Positions
> 134 x FILTERED + EQ (Hi & LO pass + Waves VEQ3 and VEQ4) Mic positions
> - 402 Total Mic positions -



Guess its not just a bunch of random micing positions.


----------



## concertjunkie

hoping another member has had a similar issue, im waiting for replies from people on the fractal forum about this. 

Just bought an ultra from a friend who is getting an axe 2.

im using mac, he was using PC. I am trying to use a EMU XMIDI Tab 1x1 USB cable to connect the ultra to my laptop , but axe edit is still showing "not connected"

ultra firmware v11
latest version of axe edit (tried an older version too)
verified the sys ex ID 00 01 74
made sure the channel was set right
reset global settings

anyone else have luck using the EMU and Ultra on a mac???


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Rook said:


> ^Are 390 of them total crap or very specific though? I've got IR packs before and so many of them are totally random mics and configurations and I ended up using 2 out of the 200 and didn't even like them as much as the ones I had



To be honest I'm the typical customer who buys something like this and will barely get through a fraction of these impulses before saying screw, pick a random one and start tweaking. I find 99% of third party IRs don't sound good with the Axe. The on board cab and Mic sims match up with the amps much better. 

I'll try them out later and see what they are like but I'm my bet is the incoming Ownhammer IRs will be a lot better.


----------



## kmanick

anyone who has not grabbed the latest beta Ownhammer Irs really should , they are free (for a very short period) and his Live n Loud IRs (made specifically for , well playing live and loud) sound tremendous. His other IR's (SM57) also sound really good , but the LNL ones really kick ass


----------



## theo

I downloaded them as soon as they came up on the fractal forums. Haven't tried them yet though


----------



## Rook

concertjunkie said:


> hoping another member has had a similar issue, im waiting for replies from people on the fractal forum about this.
> 
> Just bought an ultra from a friend who is getting an axe 2.
> 
> im using mac, he was using PC. I am trying to use a EMU XMIDI Tab 1x1 USB cable to connect the ultra to my laptop , but axe edit is still showing "not connected"
> 
> ultra firmware v11
> latest version of axe edit (tried an older version too)
> verified the sys ex ID 00 01 74
> made sure the channel was set right
> reset global settings
> 
> anyone else have luck using the EMU and Ultra on a mac???




Just to confirm; you're using two midi cables, right? 

When you have em all hooked up you need to go into midi settings in axe edit and select 'EMU MIDI OUT' and 'EMU MIDI IN' or similar, it works fine my friend has the exact same setup. Axe edit can be chosey about when it wants to connect though...


----------



## reckoner

I'm pretty close to making the switch to Axe Fx. I'm currently running an EVH 5150 III into an Orange 4x12. 

I plan on either buying a used Ultra and running it through the EVH power section with a Voodoo Labs Ground Control...

OR 

Just going all rack and selling the EVH, running the Ultra through a Mesa Simul 2:90 with a Ground Control. 

Any thoughts on these two setups? Also should I keep my ISP Decimator or will I not need it anymore? If I make the switch I pretty much have to sell my pedals to help fund it.


----------



## Aceshighhhh

I already posted this in the recording forum, but here is my latest mix with the Axe. 

Guitars and bass are all Axe-Fx II

https://soundcloud.com/aceshighhhh/zyborg

thoughts?


----------



## SnowfaLL

concertjunkie said:


> hoping another member has had a similar issue, im waiting for replies from people on the fractal forum about this.
> 
> Just bought an ultra from a friend who is getting an axe 2.
> 
> im using mac, he was using PC. I am trying to use a EMU XMIDI Tab 1x1 USB cable to connect the ultra to my laptop , but axe edit is still showing "not connected"
> 
> ultra firmware v11
> latest version of axe edit (tried an older version too)
> verified the sys ex ID 00 01 74
> made sure the channel was set right
> reset global settings
> 
> anyone else have luck using the EMU and Ultra on a mac???



Sadly, as I bought the EMU XMIDI 1x1 also, it just doesnt work. Axe-edit is really unstable, so I really think the only way to get a somewhat consistent connection (fingers crossed!) is with the Midisport 2x2. Thats what I am running now and its finally working, but man is it ever a pain (especially after buying the EMU, realizing I wasted $40)

PC though, but im sure its the same situation for MAC


----------



## Rook

reckoner said:


> I'm pretty close to making the switch to Axe Fx. I'm currently running an EVH 5150 III into an Orange 4x12.
> 
> I plan on either buying a used Ultra and running it through the EVH power section with a Voodoo Labs Ground Control...
> 
> OR
> 
> Just going all rack and selling the EVH, running the Ultra through a Mesa Simul 2:90 with a Ground Control.
> 
> Any thoughts on these two setups? Also should I keep my ISP Decimator or will I not need it anymore? If I make the switch I pretty much have to sell my pedals to help fund it.



The decision I made - because I started off with an Ultra and Recto setup - was that instead of taking full advantage of what the Axe has to offer in terms at least of its amp modelling and its practicality, carrying it round with a whole tube head which you may very well end up barely using just felt unnecessary. My Axe setup now is 3u of rack space and 100+ amp models exactly as Mr Chase intended.

My biased recommendation is go for a rack power amp, if you're feeling really brave try the Matrix because its so light, compact and LOUD. Particularly with the Matrix, but with a rack power amp you start to take full advantage of the Axe FX's design and features. It sounded great through my recto but no better than with my amp.


----------



## Pfalz

Sorry if this is a noob question, I'm a traditional cab and head kind of guy and I don't know anything about stuff like this. I know when playing live you can plug this straight into the PA, and if you're practicing by yourself you can hook it up to an audio interface and use a headphone jack. But would would you do during a band practice or if you wanted to just jam with someone?


----------



## baptizedinblood

Pfalz said:


> Sorry if this is a noob question, I'm a traditional cab and head kind of guy and I don't know anything about stuff like this. I know when playing live you can plug this straight into the PA, and if you're practicing by yourself you can hook it up to an audio interface and use a headphone jack. But would would you do during a band practice or if you wanted to just jam with someone?



1. Yes, you can go direct into PA with just the Axe-FX. That's it. Nothing else needed. 

2. The standard/ultra will require an interface, but the II can act as an interface as it has USB functionality.

3. I personally just use a small monitor (alto ts112a) when I jam with a couple friends. Whatever gets the job done for you is your best bet


----------



## Pfalz

baptizedinblood said:


> 1. Yes, you can go direct into PA with just the Axe-FX. That's it. Nothing else needed.
> 
> 2. The standard/ultra will require an interface, but the II can act as an interface as it has USB functionality.
> 
> 3. I personally just use a small monitor (alto ts112a) when I jam with a couple friends. Whatever gets the job done for you is your best bet


Wow, I'm even more conviced by the Axe-FX II now, how does the interface on the II compare to say an RME Fireface 400?


----------



## Watty

Just pulled the trigger on a 2! Anyone got a suggestion of a really "clean" looking rack that'd be good to set a computer stand on top of? (i.e. no SKB "X" shaped thingys).


----------



## Rook

Pfalz said:


> Wow, I'm even more conviced by the Axe-FX II now, how does the interface on the II compare to say an RME Fireface 400?



I've done hundreds of recordings using the Axe as an interface, nobody has ever said anything like 'hey your toone's great but it you can hear how crappy the interface is' 

It works more than well enough as an interface.


----------



## Ramsey

Hey guys, I just received my Axe-Fx standard last night and spent most of the night getting it to work with my gear. I finally succeeded with a lot of help from a forum member here....

My question is, I would like to record dry and be able to use Axe Edit to reamp, kind of like how I could record dry with my POD X3 and reamp via Pod Farm. Is this possible at all? If so, how? I currently have the axe fx plugged in two ways into my fast track pro, one way via spdif, and also via the line in from the rear xlr outputs of the Axe. I'm using Cubase. How would I go about doing this? 

Thanks for all the help.


----------



## MikeSap

May or may not have beenn answered, and it is probably a super noob question, but is there any way of converting axe fx II patches to be able to be use with an ultra?


----------



## Phrygian

MikeyENGL said:


> May or may not have beenn answered, and it is probably a super noob question, but is there any way of converting axe fx II patches to be able to be use with an ultra?



No. 

But you can open a II-patch in axe edit and copy the settings to your ultra, but the result is going to be drastically different.


----------



## TheGuitarPit

Right now im using a pair of Equator Audio D5's. I think it sounds pretty good, but I was curious about adding a sub. Is that a terrible idea? If not, any recommendations on a sub that would be a good match and under $600?


----------



## flint757

Pending on room size, shape, treatment and just the general stuff in your room a sub could be a terrible idea. IMO without bass traps a sub in an average sized room would probably just make the bass muddy not better.


----------



## Ramsey

Ramsey said:


> Hey guys, I just received my Axe-Fx standard last night and spent most of the night getting it to work with my gear. I finally succeeded with a lot of help from a forum member here....
> 
> My question is, I would like to record dry and be able to use Axe Edit to reamp, kind of like how I could record dry with my POD X3 and reamp via Pod Farm. Is this possible at all? If so, how? I currently have the axe fx plugged in two ways into my fast track pro, one way via spdif, and also via the line in from the rear xlr outputs of the Axe. I'm using Cubase. How would I go about doing this?
> 
> Thanks for all the help.



Anyone? This is the second time a question of mine in this thread has been ignored. Am I missing something?


----------



## flint757

Axe-edit isn't a DAW. I'm sure it is possible (I've never tried so I don't actually know), but Axe-edit serves no function other than an easier way to organize and setup your Axe-fx. If it is possible you'd have to use something else to accomplish it.

To re-amp you'd need either a DI box or setup a left and right signal in the Axe-fx, one with your effects and the other dry, splitting them inside your DAW. Other than that I've got nothing.


----------



## TheGuitarPit

flint757 said:


> Pending on room size, shape, treatment and just the general stuff in your room a sub could be a terrible idea. IMO without bass traps a sub in an average sized room would probably just make the bass muddy not better.



Thanks, that was basically what I was looking for. It doesn't sound bad right now, but I think I was hoping for that "thump" you get with higher volumes. I don't usually blast my setup in my bedroom, so it can sound a little flat at lower volumes.


----------



## feilong29

Just got my Axe Fx Std today! I'm glad to be part of the 'family' now  Now, I just need my guitar out of the shop and my midi interface to put her to work. 

Question: I looked thru the manual but there wasn't anything about putting all presets back to factory; I put the parameters back to factory but, is there a way to do all presets?


----------



## Ramsey

flint757 said:


> Axe-edit isn't a DAW. I'm sure it is possible (I've never tried so I don't actually know), but Axe-edit serves no function other than an easier way to organize and setup your Axe-fx. If it is possible you'd have to use something else to accomplish it.
> 
> To re-amp you'd need either a DI box or setup a left and right signal in the Axe-fx, one with your effects and the other dry, splitting them inside your DAW. Other than that I've got nothing.



Lol. I never said Axe Edit was a DAW  . I'm asking if I could use it as a plugin WITHIN my DAW like Pod Farm. Anyways, thanks for the help. :|


----------



## flint757

Well the answer to that is no.


----------



## Volteau

Dudes, dudettes, and well... dudes... Problem: My Axe-Fx and my Axe-edit don't seem to syncing up the preset numbers. Meaning, when my Axe-Fx is, say, in preset #10, the Axe-Edit is in #9, and so on. Is this normal or is my Axe-Edit just not able to keep up with the awesomeness that is the Ultra?

I thank you all.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Ramsey said:


> Lol. I never said Axe Edit was a DAW  . I'm asking if I could use it as a plugin WITHIN my DAW like Pod Farm. Anyways, thanks for the help. :|



After the next firmware Cliff is going to start looking into this. In fact I think I saw something on facebook or the Fractal forum a while ago looking for for a VST/AU programmer. It is on the cards but it might be a while away yet since the upcoming Axe-Edit has set them back a while.

It will be a DAW insert that works with your Axe-Fx's interface for reamping. Not a standalone program like Pod Farm or Guitar Rig.


----------



## Ramsey

drawnacrol said:


> After the next firmware Cliff is going to start looking into this. In fact I think I saw something on facebook or the Fractal forum a while ago looking for for a VST/AU programmer. It is on the cards but it might be a while away yet since the upcoming Axe-Edit has set them back a while.
> 
> It will be a DAW insert that works with your Axe-Fx's interface for reamping. Not a standalone program like Pod Farm or Guitar Rig.



That would be great. Are you sure about this? Anyways, thats what I was hoping for when I bought my standard, too bad its not like this but good to know that they're working on it. Also because I just got my Standard I wasn't able to find any download links for Axe-Edit. Do I just wait until they're up or is there some other way to get Axe-Edit? 

Thanks for the help so far.


----------



## flint757

They took it down because it didn't play well with Axe-fx II from what I gather. Kind of a dick move for all us other users.

Wouldn't hold your breath about the integration at the pace everything else has gone too.

PM me your email and I'll send it to you...


----------



## 3074326

flint757 said:


> They took it down because it didn't play well with Axe-fx II from what I gather. Kind of a dick move for all us other users.
> 
> Wouldn't hold your breath about the integration at the pace everything else has gone too.
> 
> PM me your email and I'll send it to you...



If they put up a download link, Axe FX II users who don't know about the problems with AE will download it and get pissed off. They'd return their units. 

Because for some reason people are spending well over $2k on the Axe FX and getting pissy about the free software. The unit isn't that hard to use! You spent all that money, learn how to use it! This isn't directed toward you (or anyone in particular, really).


----------



## flint757

Well he could say something along the lines of don't use it if you have the II.  If people choose to ignore that AND return it they are dumb asses...

Taking it down completely, alienates all the customers who have the firmware versions it worked on and Ultra/Standard users. I understand the why, but it doesn't make it any less retarded (on both the supply and customer side). 

Managing my Ultra isn't as easy as the II. While it is doable it is not quicker, I need the application to make the most of my time.  I have a copy so it isn't a big deal, but for those who don't...


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Joining the club on friday - any advice for running into a poweramp/cab setup?


----------



## Rook

1.Buy a power amp and cab (check)
2. Plug em all in 
3. Go.


But seriously methlab, turn cab sims off, keep power amp sims on (using your velocity right?) and go. I can send you some patches if you want.

Don't do what everyone else does, which is:
1. Scoop the shit out of patches, it works on recordings but if you want to use it like a 'real' amp, you have to treat it like one. The flexibility of AFX allows you to get crazy tight, crazy gates, a crazy scoop blah blah blah, just don't be tempted to extreme ALL the settings lol
2. Learn how to use the Master and Level controls right. When going through an amp and cab you'll find high master settings, particularly very high settings, just don't always sound quite right at low volumes, however if you want your sound to be consistent as you go up decide on a master setting and use level.
3. In a similar way to 1, don't expect your live settings to translate perfectly to recording settings and vice versa.

That's all I can think of now but that's basically what I try to have in mind. I've used power amp and cab, FRFR, recording setups, FOH only setups, basically everything so far and it's not as perfectly seamless as people will have you think, but only a little effort and it will be damn close.


----------



## Webmaestro

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Joining the club on friday - any advice for running into a poweramp/cab setup?



Welcome to the club. Now, go create an account over on the Fractal forums too


----------



## baptizedinblood

Let me restate this for everyone who _still_ insists on using Axe-Edit...

[obnoxioustext]

_*AXE-EDIT IS CURRENTLY BROKEN FOR ANY FIRMWARE PAST 6.00. 

THERE ARE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF BUGS WITH AXE-EDIT ON ANY FIRMWARE PAST 6.00.

STOP USING IT.
*_


[/obnoxioustext]

Expect Axe-Edit to be released with FW10.


----------



## flint757

The guy who asked about it is on the standard and I'm on the ultra, but a warning that should definitely be heeded.


----------



## baptizedinblood

flint757 said:


> The guy who asked about it is on the standard and I'm on the ultra, but a warning that should definitely be heeded.



It was more-or-less a general statement, not directed towards anyone specific, but as soon I just see "Axe-Edit" and "issue" in the same sentence and 

Axe-Edit works fine on Std/Ultra, but if you have a II, don't even bother messing with it.


----------



## Andromalia

Axe edit worked fine for me up to 7.0.
then cliff decided to ump update after update and the programming of axe edit fell behind.
It was working pretty well outside of an occasional freeze now and then.

That said, 10.0 is sure long in coming.


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

how does the warranty work if you buy a used afxii? Not transferable?


----------



## flint757

He really needs to even his stepping or hire more people. It's going to be the death of him when company's like kemper are fully fledged and as a consequence have far fewer hiccups. He needs some serious restructuring. Adapt or die.

I mean if this is such a minor factor in the gear one would expect the solution to also be simpler (and it has apparently been an issue for awhile). As someone already said some people were mad enough to return it and he is obviously concerned otherwise he would have left the software up.


----------



## Paul Reed Shred

searched the thread and did not see the response I wanted, apologies in advance for beating a dead horse.

I have a relatively budget Egnater Tourmaster 212x Cab, and i'm planning on cashing in the rest of my tube gear for a Axe Fx II, Carvin DCM1540L SS power amp, and some sort of rack case. As long as i'm using the onboard power amp modeling, will I still get impressive tones out of it with a SS amp and decent cab? I don't have the money to buy a recto 4x12 or an orange right now, and I don't want to spoil a 2.5k plus rig with a subpar cabinet while I make due.


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Stealthdjentstic said:


> how does the warranty work if you buy a used afxii? Not transferable?



Not transferable. Only original owner and only if bought from fractal or distributer direct. Not ebay!


----------



## theo

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Joining the club on friday - any advice for running into a poweramp/cab setup?



Methlab, I recommend you start with your favourite amp and set up your own patch from scratch. A lot of the presets really don't show off the axe 2's capabilities.

The Xformer match setting is incredibly powerful.


----------



## Volteau

Volteau said:


> Dudes, dudettes, and well... dudes... Problem: My Axe-Fx and my Axe-edit don't seem to syncing up the preset numbers. Meaning, when my Axe-Fx is, say, in preset #10, the Axe-Edit is in #9, and so on. Is this normal or is my Axe-Edit just not able to keep up with the awesomeness that is the Ultra?
> 
> I thank you all.



Bumpage to this question.


----------



## waroftheancients

Has anyone tried running effects pedals through the effects loop of the Axe FX II? I'm wondering how my rig will sound running through this amp modeler. It will not necessarily make-or-break my decision to buy one if they don't sound good, but it would definitely be a huge plus.

I want to run Strymon Timeline > Strymon Mobius > Neunaber WET reverb > Strymon Bluesky into the effects loop. Has anyone tried it out?

Apologies if this has been answered before, but I'm not skimming through the dozens and dozens of pages of this thread on my phone.


----------



## asher

Volteau said:


> Bumpage to this question.



Is it because the Axe starts at 0 and Edit starts at 1?

Although that's not the order I'd then expect.


----------



## Volteau

asher said:


> Is it because the Axe starts at 0 and Edit starts at 1?
> 
> Although that's not the order I'd then expect.



Yeah. Thought about it, but if that's the case then I find it kinda lame I can't hear as I edit. :S I guess I'll stick to editing through the Axe itself then.


----------



## asher

Volteau said:


> Yeah. Thought about it, but if that's the case then I find it kinda lame I can't hear as I edit. :S I guess I'll stick to editing through the Axe itself then.



Oof. I'm assuming you've gone through the 'play with all your connections' and stuff, because it doesn't seem like it should be normal. I haven't actually used Axe-Edit yet though...


----------



## Rook

There's a midi program number offset in the I/o or control menus I think change that's and it'll line up.


----------



## walleye

Volteau said:


> Yeah. Thought about it, but if that's the case then I find it kinda lame I can't hear as I edit. :S I guess I'll stick to editing through the Axe itself then.



you should be able to hear as you edit. do you have both midi in and midi out connected from the axe to the midi interface youre using?


----------



## Webmaestro

EDIT: Deleted my post/question. Shortly after posting, I found the exact tutorial I needed \o/


----------



## jsl2h90

Does anyone get a popping sound when listening to music using the axe fx 2 as a usb interface? I've replaced the cable, reinstalled the driver, etc etc more than once. It's only when I listen to music on itunes or watch videos on youtube through my wedges with the axe fx. And I'm running windows 7 with an intel i7 processor. Very annoying.

In other news... Javier Reyes' presets are up on Axe-Change.


----------



## asher

jsl2h90 said:


> Does anyone get a popping sound when listening to music using the axe fx 2 as a usb interface? I've replaced the cable, reinstalled the driver, etc etc more than once. It's only when I listen to music on itunes or watch videos on youtube through my wedges with the axe fx. And I'm running windows 7 with an intel i7 processor. Very annoying.
> 
> In other news... Javier Reyes' presets are up on Axe-Change.



Nice! Except I can't use them with my Ultra.


----------



## Seanthesheep

sweet about the javier reyes presets!

any news on FW10 or axe edit btw??????

also, finally getting a PA wedge for my axe fx on thursday!!!!!!


----------



## Rook

jsl2h90 said:


> Does anyone get a popping sound when listening to music using the axe fx 2 as a usb interface? I've replaced the cable, reinstalled the driver, etc etc more than once. It's only when I listen to music on itunes or watch videos on youtube through my wedges with the axe fx. And I'm running windows 7 with an intel i7 processor. Very annoying.
> 
> In other news... Javier Reyes' presets are up on Axe-Change.



It's a clock thing, try it with all your other USB devices unplugged and use the shortest cable you can.

Also WWWWWWWAAAAAAT


----------



## jsl2h90

Seanthesheep said:


> sweet about the javier reyes presets!
> 
> any news on FW10 or axe edit btw??????
> 
> also, finally getting a PA wedge for my axe fx on thursday!!!!!!


what kind of wedge?

Hey Rook what did you mean a "clock" thing? I'll try getting a shorter cable I have a 10 footer at the moment.


----------



## Dawn of the Shred

Im in the Axe-Fx II club now. Love it but still learning how to use it lol.


----------



## Rook

jsl2h90 said:


> what kind of wedge?
> 
> Hey Rook what did you mean a "clock" thing? I'll try getting a shorter cable I have a 10 footer at the moment.



 There's your problem! USB has its limits!

if you send digital signals, every so many bytes, 8 bits, there's a clock number: so zero would be something like

1000000000000000000000000000000010000000000000000000000000000000

Because different processors process information at different speeds, if something is going to buffer it so that it plays at the speed we want it has to have a 'clock'. It's how your interface knows what order to put all those 1's and 0's in to make them into music. The DAC doesn't know what music is it just puts out what it gets and every now and again checks for the clock bit (or bits) to make sure it's in sync. Running long cables for what is actually a very low voltage, low power signal in probably a very average cable, bits can get 'blurred' nd your DAC can lose track of what goes where until the next cycle where it finds a clock bit.

Purely out of interest, try like a 2ft cable, see if you have any improvements.


----------



## jsl2h90

Rook said:


> There's your problem! USB has its limits!
> 
> if you send digital signals, every so many bytes, 8 bits, there's a clock number: so zero would be something like
> 
> 1000000000000000000000000000000010000000000000000000000000000000
> 
> Because different processors process information at different speeds, if something is going to buffer it so that it plays at the speed we want it has to have a 'clock'. It's how your interface knows what order to put all those 1's and 0's in to make them into music. The DAC doesn't know what music is it just puts out what it gets and every now and again checks for the clock bit (or bits) to make sure it's in sync. Running long cables for what is actually a very low voltage, low power signal in probably a very average cable, bits can get 'blurred' nd your DAC can lose track of what goes where until the next cycle where it finds a clock bit.
> 
> Purely out of interest, try like a 2ft cable, see if you have any improvements.


You rule man! I have had this problem since June last year and just thought I'd have to deal forever, I've asked how to fix this on the Fractal forum as well to no avail. Got a 3 footer in the mail today and voila. No more annoying pops. So simple.... why didn't I think of it?!


----------



## Rook

Glad it worked out for you man! Post that long I'd look a total tard if it didn't 

Seriously though, I'm pleased you're pleased.


----------



## FireInside

Hey fellas, very proud to finally be a part of the Fractal family!

I got an AXE FX Ultra yesterday:

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/231170-ngd-amazing-understatement.html#post3461708


----------



## Seanthesheep

Awesome man 

I just picked up an Alto TS115a today and its awesome! Will post pics and maybe a NgD after I get more time with it, and use for a band practice. 

But off the bat, I can say it does thump like a real cab!


----------



## MetalThrasher

Haven't been active here or the Fractal Audio forum for a while..... been busy with work and fishing. Any news on firmware update 10?


----------



## theo

I read that as work and fisting. Cliff has about 12 amps left to redo and then it's done.


----------



## Rook

Busy with fisting, TMI IMO

I think it'll be a week or two for 10, there's an Axe Edit coming too.


----------



## Andromalia

Rook said:


> Busy with fisting



Someone's going to claim that as a signature, be careful


----------



## MetalThrasher

Rook said:


> Busy with fisting, TMI IMO
> 
> I think it'll be a week or two for 10, there's an Axe Edit coming too.



LOL! It's spring time in NJ and I'm a big time bass fisherman! Fishing takes over my guitar playing time during the warmer months!


----------



## theo

Stink fisting fishing? 


Or the less hilarious term... noodling?


----------



## asher

Slightly OT: Guys with an HD1221, between the monitor, normal, and contoured settings, which one do you use using the Mackie as your cab?


----------



## theo

Normal. That's the flattest setting. Although I find my 1221 adds Bass to my patches.


----------



## Rook

I used contour at low volume, normal with the volume up. I also had the input gain turned up at low volume, it takes out some of the stiffness, and turned it down as you increase output from Axe FX. That knob on the back is not a volume control so experiment with it!


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Sold my axe fx ii without ever hearing it. I feel kind of bad but its not like they are rare i guess. 

Do you guys feel the II is worth it over the ultra? Im not too concerned with recording. Just playing through a poweramp/cab setup


----------



## AxeHappy

I did, when I was doing my research I felt the extra power and the continuing updates were worth it. Threw my name on the wait list and snatched it up the second it was available. 

Lots of people love their Ultra though, I just don't see any reason if you were to buy new to choose the ultra over the 2 aside from money issues.


----------



## Rook

Stealthdjentstic said:


> Sold my axe fx ii without ever hearing it. I feel kind of bad but its not like they are rare i guess.
> 
> Do you guys feel the II is worth it over the ultra? Im not too concerned with recording. Just playing through a poweramp/cab setup



Having been back and played my ultra recently (my friend owns it) I'd say so. I paid almost £800 extra for my 2 and I don't regret a single thing, it feels infinitely more natural and sparkly and lush and lovely yumyumyumyumyumyumyum

tl;dr yes


----------



## Stealthdjentstic

Ahhhh i hope one pops up in Canada then


----------



## Seanthesheep

Idk, I may be trading in mine soon for an amp again


----------



## khobi64

Question: Im just about to start gigging with my axe fx 2, and i need a pedal board. I know the fractal one is fair better, but i really only need to change from bank to bank and preset to preset, can i use the voodoo lab switcher, without the voodoo lab rack mounted unit?? basically can i just usb chord to the voodoo switcher, from the axe fx?

thanks, 

p.s. i am a gear noob, so go easy


----------



## flint757

If you're talking about the ground control pro then yes, it is a standalone unit.


----------



## jordanky

Has anyone ever tried any of the Peavey IPR's to power their Axe? Our shop has a bunch of IPR1600's, as well as IPR1600DSP's in stock and I could try one fairly easily. I just figured I would get some opinions here before pulling one out of storage and firing it up.


----------



## asher

So I'm starting to actually go into custom tweak mode, after only having so much time lately to log what came on here and decide what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to trash. The biggest thing I've noticed (running Axe-Ultra -> Mackie HD1221) is that while the high gain stuff sounds pretty good, it also sounds... boxy, is the best way to describe it. My friend suggested this might be an impulse selection issue, while I was wondering if it was not EQing for the Mackie properly. Is this something other people have experienced?


----------



## JohnnyClaiborne

jordanky said:


> Has anyone ever tried any of the Peavey IPR's to power their Axe? Our shop has a bunch of IPR1600's, as well as IPR1600DSP's in stock and I could try one fairly easily. I just figured I would get some opinions here before pulling one out of storage and firing it up.





I work at Guitar Center so I've had the chance to shoot out the peavey amps vs the crowns and qsc's and such. If youre on a budget, the peavey amps are pretty sweet, lots of power and a really clean sound. If you can shell out the extra cash I'd recommend going with a QSC power amp such as the GX5.. but like I said the peaveys are great for the price.


----------



## Genome

A great tutorial for reamping in the mix without USB:

How-to: Basic Re-Amp with an Axe-Fx II and Reaper


----------



## Musza

Me trying an Axe Fx II for the very first time. Sory for a random (shit) riffs content:


----------



## Seanthesheep

dude, Im like crying laughing at that audio intro 

and cool riffs! what do you think of the Axe fx ii?


----------



## dudeskin

looks like V10 will be out in a week!!


----------



## Rook

He said 'by the end of the week' didn't he? Meaning tomorrow?!


----------



## Syrinx

Rook said:


> He said 'by the end of the week' didn't he? Meaning tomorrow?!



Yes, THIS week.


----------



## PineappleExpress

I don't know if I'm posting in the right place. But I'd like someone to tell me how to get a djent tone on my axe fx ultra without having to download any bodys presets. Cheers.


----------



## Alex6534

May be joining the fractal family in the next few weeks . It will only be an ultra, however I'm having trouble finding some good patches, or any place where there's a collection of patches. Can anyone help out? Looking for a KSE style rhythm, Recto/IIC+ lead etc


----------



## cgraci

Hey can someone please help me . I was considering an axe fx but I have a couple of questions. 1. Will it sound better than my triple rectifier?2. Will it fizz like my triple rectifier?3. And can it hook up to a triple rectifier or do I have to buy a separate amp


----------



## theo

cgraci said:


> Hey can someone please help me . I was considering an axe fx but I have a couple of questions. 1. Will it sound better than my triple rectifier?2. Will it fizz like my triple rectifier?3. And can it hook up to a triple rectifier or do I have to buy a separate amp



1. That's not really a question anyone here can answer. Your opinions on 'better' are entirely that, Yours. Better is subjective.

2. You can make it fizz, or you could dial that out.

3. Could you run it in 4cm with your triple rec, or you could go in to the axe fx, then have the axe fx feeding the power amp section of your recto by plugging in to the loop return.

You could also buy a dedicated power amp and play through your guitar cab OR you could get a powered FRFR monitor.


----------



## theo

PineappleExpress said:


> I don't know if I'm posting in the right place. But I'd like someone to tell me how to get a djent tone on my axe fx ultra without having to download any bodys presets. Cheers.



There are lots and lots of tutorials for this all over the internet, Just do a quick google search.


----------



## cgraci

Thanx. I have been looking through tutorials but they don't really get into using a triple rectifier as a power amp. I'm just afraid If I buy one it wond sound as good as my amp.


----------



## cgraci

I keep trying to get my amp to sound clear but to do that I sacrifice gain. It seems everyone that uses an axefx gets such a clear sound.


----------



## theo

Less gain is definitely the way to go for a clear and present sound. If you're boosting you should need a decent bit less than halfway on your gain knob.


----------



## Syrinx

The firmware 10 updated patches and Fractal-Bot have been released.


----------



## Northern

So I have just ordered a stereo poweramp for my AxeFx Ultra, and what I want to do is to run my guitar through either two different patches or two different amps in one patch but separate the signals so I can run them through the 2 channels of the poweramp and have one cab for each. For example I want to have a distortion patch coming out one of my cabs and a clean patch out the other.

Is this even remotely possible?

Apologies if this has been asked or if it is a stupid question or whatever.


----------



## cardinal

This probably will get moved to the mega-AFX thread. Pretty sure you can't run two patches at once, but at least on the AFXII I had for a while, you can run one guitar through two separate signal chains each to a separate output. You just have to be mindful of the CPU power.


----------



## Andromalia

The FW 10 is up. AFK.


----------



## Syrinx

Firmware 10 has been released


----------



## asher

You can definitely set up two chains in a single patch and set one to go out L and one to go out R.


----------



## Hybrid138

Is the new Axe edit up?


----------



## Andromalia

Not AFAIK.

I'm not usually prone to superlatives, but, DAT 5153 RED, seriously.


----------



## Syrinx

Hybrid138 said:


> Is the new Axe edit up?



There is a 1.9 beta that works only with fw10 but its still not the true re-write of edit but at least we have something that works again.


----------



## Andromalia

Ok, spent a few hours with the thing. Favourites so far are the euro red, euro uber and, again, DAT 5153 RED. Yes, the plain stock patch. Instant Amon Amarth typed tone with my Les Paul. With EMGs in standard in my ESP it was just extatic too.
The jump is maybe as important as the one from the axe 1 to the axe II. I'm not kidding. I'll record a quick clip tomorrow.


----------



## Seanthesheep

hey quick question. I want to upgrade to V10 but my bands in the middle of doing our studio album using my axe fx. we have a studio tone dialed that we dont want to change.

if I download V10, and in global settings switch back to V9, Ill be good still, right?


----------



## Rook

I think so, just don't reset the amp in the amp block.

To be honest I think your tone will largely be maintained, the output level may change though. It will however feel different and should pop more.
I'm in a similar position and the tone is the same, the amp just feels and sounds more alive.


----------



## Seanthesheep

just updated.... and holyshit 

the Block letter 5150 reminds me so much of my old 6534, but in a better way. and with the new modelling and my Alto, it thumps SOOOOO much like a real cab

and the new EVM12L 412 is killer!!!


----------



## 3074326

5153 Red was my favorite amp before, and it seems to sound better now. Just got a new toy to use on the Axe II and they're working out well together. NGD coming soon, after I get something recorded. 

Very pleased with this update. Nice having Axe Edit too. I wasn't one of the ones bitching about not having it, but it is much easier than the panel.


----------



## kmanick

I updated to 10 on Friday night
there is definitely more of a "realism" with the amps now.
Resetting the amp blocks really changed quite a bit on the mesa amp models, so I had to "re dial" those in a bit. this is a pretty monumental upgrade for this company I think it seriously narrowed the gap between real and modeled amps sound wise and feel wise.
I sold my JSX combo today and the guys who came to get i had never heard an Axe FX II in person. They were pretty blown away by mine (through an RCF NX 12) (I'm getting an Atomic CLR to run in stereo with my RCF)
the Axe Edit beta works but, I've gotten so used to using the front panel that this was a secondary thing for me, I actually don't trust editing through the Axe Edit anymore so I use it sparingly. the 5150 models really sound and feel authentic now and the new Studio cab IR's they shot are really good.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

New update sounds awesome so far. 

The main thing I noticed is how much tighter the hi-gain amps are. Before I had to cut some of the bass before hitting the tubescreamer to keep things from getting muddy but now I don't have to do this anymore. Palm mutes are much more dynamic aswell and on par with the Kempers 3D feel now.

I really hope this is the last major update so I don't have to keep dialling in all my patches from scratch again.


----------



## Genome

I really think they have nailed it now. 

Axe Edit is still rubbish though.


----------



## kmanick

Genome said:


> I really think they have nailed it now.
> 
> Axe Edit is still rubbish though.


 
we'll get a 'real" Axe Edit soon , at least this one "somewhat works"
I don't trust it though, I'm still using the front panel for editing.

TriAxis yellow into the Petrucci Producer cab IR is supposedly making a lot of Boggie fans happy (turn the sag on it's off by defualt)
I needto try this one tonight when I get home


----------



## AdamCook

Axe-Edit 1.9 is definitely not what we were hoping it would be at this point. But we felt it was better to release something that is at least still usable for most basic functions than release nothing at all. 

We have a new software team working on the REAL new Axe-Edit. We are incredibly excited to see this version through to completion and get it out to you guys.


----------



## cgraci

hey can someone help me out? Im picking up my axefx ultra today and im connecting it to my mesa triple rectifier and I have a mesa 2x12 cab. Do I use the 4 cable method? and if I do am I supposed to bypass the cab and amp sims? im guessing I cant raise my mids then right. Or can I still select other amp sims. I know the cab has to be bypassed. pLease help.


----------



## flint757

Are you intending to use it for effects only? If not why would you need to turn amp sims off? There is a pre, power amp and cab block so if you want to use your amp and cab then just turn power and cab off.


----------



## cgraci

Hey whats up man. thanx. do you advise blocking the cab and amp. I want to get a really djenty tone out of it but im afraid if I block those then I cant raise my mids or shape settings. I kinda wanted to use other amp sims but im afraid my amps tone will clash with it.


----------



## cgraci

hope that makes sense


----------



## cgraci

do I have to use 4cm


----------



## flint757

To use your amp's pre and the axe-fx amp sims, yes you would have to use 4CM.


----------



## cgraci

thnx man


----------



## theo

You could always run your guitar into the axe fx and then run the output of your axe fx into the effects loop return on your boogie. That way all the boogie will be doing is making your axe fx louder. You still need your cab and power amp simulations off though(Not sure exactly how this applies to the ultra, I'm only a 2 user).


----------



## flint757

He wants to use his amp as well though it sounds like.


----------



## cgraci

hey guys I finally got to bypass my triple rectifier. It sounds insane and I made my first patch. I have a question. So I bypassed my preamp and im using the mesa as a power amp. My mesa has kt88 and kt66 tubes. I was considering selling it and using a vht 2/50/2 or a friend has a mes2:90 . Should I just keep the triple rectifier b/c the tubes? also im not using the 4cm im using the effects loop . just the output to the return.


----------



## cgraci

also I hope Im not doing anything wrong that can damage anything am I?


----------



## flint757

Just going into the return is perfectly fine, the 4CM is just so you can use your amp as well as the axe-fx. Either approach is acceptable and completely safe.

As for selling your amp that is a personal choice. If you intend on hauling a rack around getting a rackmountable power amp probably wouldn't be a terrible idea (many good options available). That being said the convenience is minimal (still carrying heavy shit around ).


----------



## cgraci

Thanx man. I was wondering of I'm sacrificing sound by using it this way. Only one side of the LEDs light up. Do u think I will get better sound from a vht 2/50/2 or r my mesas kt88s/kt66 better


----------



## flint757

Well as long as you're going through a power amp and a single cab the sound is going to be mono. If you wish to play in stereo then you will need a stereo power amp and 2 cabs so that the left and right signal each have their own path. If it isn't an issue for you currently then I wouldn't worry over it much. You're only sacrificing a few stereo effects.

All of the power amps you described/have will color your tone a bit too. Whether that is an issue for you...


----------



## cgraci

Great thanx man! You guys are big help


----------



## Genome

If you would prefer a power amp that doesn't colour your tone, I would highly recommend either the Matrix GT800FX or the GT1000FX. Very flat response and very popular with Axe users. 

Some people prefer a bit of coloration, however. It depends whether you want the power amp to contribute to the tone or just amplify the signal.


----------



## Rook

The advantage of the Matrix is it doesn't deaden the feel and it lets the Axe FX do the power amp modelling, and very well I might add. It packs a serious punch which lets all of that dynamic come through in all its glory. Point being it doesn't sound 'flat' like running a boss multi fx into a flat amp used to, it sounds alive and like its coloured because it doesn't impede the Axe FX's modelling if that makes sense.

I'm very happy with my very cheap, very light, very loud, very compact Matrix amp


----------



## wlfers

cgraci said:


> Do u think I will get better sound from a vht 2/50/2 or r my mesas kt88s/kt66 better



If you're worried about missing the KT88s, grab the VHT 2/90/2 instead of the 50. I've been considering ditching my vht for the matrix but mainly because it would take a few dozen pounds off my back.


----------



## Phrygian

I actually prefer my matrix over the VHT 2/50/2. Yes, really. I may be really biased because of the wwight, but it sounds ridiculously good!


----------



## cgraci

Shit I bought 2/50/2 . I couldn't fin the 2/90/2 and I didn't know anything about the matrix! I hope I'm not disappointed. I think using my triple sucks. It's way to powerful and the sound actually breaks when I use cleans. I just don't want my sound to be fuzzy. I HATE FUZZ!!!!!


----------



## cgraci

Quick question though. Can someone explain how to use the eq. I have the mids lowered. I think they call it scooped. The mids go into the negative area. If I raise them then it will sound very flat bc I raised the mids everywhere else. Can you guys tell me how you run your eqs . R u doing the same . I'm trying to get that veil of maya tone.


----------



## Off_The_Heezay

I dunno if this has been answered, and I'm nowhere near buying one anyway, but I'm intrigued to know...

Obviously, the AxeFx can be used in 4CM. And I know that a lot of people run two amp sims blended together. So... Is it possible to do both? Essentially use the preamp of your actual amp blended with one of the AxeFx amp sims?


----------



## cgraci

I tried it on my triple rectifier and sounded like stool.


----------



## Hybrid138

Got version 10! Nice. Tweaking time.


----------



## Kryaxysa

Hey guys. Lately I've been trying to see what all I can really do with the axe-fx, instead of just using it for high gain applications. So I've been trying to work on more medium gain tones. I'm having trouble trying to mimic a certain sound: (listen to the guitar at the beginning)



I've tried a couple different things, with the closest being the orange RV50 model and the AC30 top boost model, but I can't exactly get it to sound quite as full and crunchy without having too high of gain, then I'm sort of losing the clarity and the whole point of doing this. Does any one have any recommendations? I'm using a Carvin DC727 with stock pickups.


----------



## gamber

Hey there, Axe fxs are awesome arent they? Well heres an idea, use two amps one totally clean and another a tad distorted. Blend them accordingly, also use reverb sparingly. As for the over all tone your going for warmth. Keep your bass around 12 oclock for starters and modify it accordingly. Obviously you want a good helping of mids; for the clarity. Treble to taste. Also lower your sag to where the P.A is almost off


----------



## Kryaxysa

gamber said:


> Hey there, Axe fxs are awesome arent they? Well heres an idea, use two amps one totally clean and another a tad distorted. Blend them accordingly, also use reverb sparingly. As for the over all tone your going for warmth. Keep your bass around 12 oclock for starters and modify it accordingly. Obviously you want a good helping of mids; for the clarity. Treble to taste. Also lower your sag to where the P.A is almost off



I tried mixing the twin reverb model with the RV50, and Im getting closer. I'm just not sure how to replicate the warmth very well, mine sounds more brittle.


----------



## gamber

try different amps and cabs, specifically the german 4x12. that tends to be my go to cab. If you could post some sound clips i can better help you dude


----------



## theo

cgraci said:


> Quick question though. Can someone explain how to use the eq. I have the mids lowered. I think they call it scooped. The mids go into the negative area. If I raise them then it will sound very flat bc I raised the mids everywhere else. Can you guys tell me how you run your eqs . R u doing the same . I'm trying to get that veil of maya tone.



For veil of mayas tone I wouldn't be scooping your mids anywhere. I've you've raised them in other areas I'd probably leave the EQ flat.


----------



## Dawn of the Shred

Anytime i go lo gain i like to add mids to it and blend with a clean and roll the highs back a lil.


----------



## Kwirk

https://soundcloud.com/axiong427/mid

Not 100%, but pretty close. I used the Plexi sim with a T75 and Recto2 mixed. Turn the gain on the amp way down and crank the master. Also split your coils if you can, that's really the key part.


----------



## Kryaxysa

Kwirk said:


> https://soundcloud.com/axiong427/mid
> 
> Not 100%, but pretty close. I used the Plexi sim with a T75 and Recto2 mixed. Turn the gain on the amp way down and crank the master. Also split your coils if you can, that's really the key part.



Damn, I thought I got close but this is much closer. I ended up settling for the RV50 sim with pretty low gain and cranked master, with the twin reverb mixed in. I didn't actually expect someone to get this close, this is awesome. What model axe-fx is this on? I didn't split my coils because I know the actual guitar has a fender tornado with humbuckers, but I could definitely see how I could cheat and split my coils. Is there any way you could be slightly more specific on your settings? specifically the cab settings you have. Did you use any mics? I can figure out the EQ on my own, since that would be a lot more specific to my guitar.


----------



## Kryaxysa

Here's my attempt using the plexi model:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23873874/baaotest.mp3


Still feel like it lacks the warmth and fullness.


----------



## Rook

Cutting mids doesn't mean you have no mids just means you have less, trust your ears.


----------



## gamber

actually lower your presence and use a condensor mic


----------



## Kwirk

Kryaxysa said:


> Damn, I thought I got close but this is much closer. I ended up settling for the RV50 sim with pretty low gain and cranked master, with the twin reverb mixed in. I didn't actually expect someone to get this close, this is awesome. What model axe-fx is this on? I didn't split my coils because I know the actual guitar has a fender tornado with humbuckers, but I could definitely see how I could cheat and split my coils. Is there any way you could be slightly more specific on your settings? specifically the cab settings you have. Did you use any mics? I can figure out the EQ on my own, since that would be a lot more specific to my guitar.


Idk, it has a really single coily sound to it. Maybe it's P90s on the original recording?

I'm using an Ultra. I had mics in it originally, but I took off the mic sims. I'm sure if I messed around with the mics more, I could have gotten close but it was literally a 5 minute dial in. Chain signal was amp > cab/cab > out. I had the highs/presence cranked as well as the bass/depth.


----------



## Kryaxysa

Kwirk said:


> Idk, it has a really single coily sound to it. Maybe it's P90s on the original recording?
> 
> I'm using an Ultra. I had mics in it originally, but I took off the mic sims. I'm sure if I messed around with the mics more, I could have gotten close but it was literally a 5 minute dial in. Chain signal was amp > cab/cab > out. I had the highs/presence cranked as well as the bass/depth.



I guess I can't really know for sure, they could have used anything in the studio. I just know what he uses live. But thanks for the help, after a little more time I've got something pretty dang close


----------



## BenSolace

Am I the only person who won't sell his Axe FX Ultra for an Axe FX II?

This doesn't mean to say I don't GAS for a II every single damn day, but as I no longer have *any *analogue guitar amp gear and I gig quite a bit, part of me thinks that I need to own both eventually - one for use as a main, the other as a backup (I'm sure you can guess which way round these would be!).

Has anyone else just saved and bought a II instead of selling their Ultra/Standard? Financially, I'm absolutely miles away from affording a II, and the constant updates and rave reviews don't help, but I still can't bring myself to even contemplate selling my Ultra for one!


----------



## Konfyouzd

Nahh... I think there are even *some* who prefer the Ultra to the II. Now the keeping one as a backup, I'm not sure how other feels about that. I know a lot of folks say the tones are slightly different from one to the other.


----------



## BenSolace

I know the tones would be slightly different, but the presence of the Axe FX II doesn't automatically make the Ultra sound bad. No different to using a slightly different amp as a backup...


----------



## redstone

BenHughesDS said:


> Am I the only person who won't sell his Axe FX Ultra for an Axe FX II?



Nope ! After seeing how Cliff introduced the 2, I will never buy an axe-fx again. 
I'm way too afraid to read one month later "even though we insinuated that the axe-XXL had room for many firmwares till the last week, here's the new axe-XXXL, the XXL is actually full (enough), no possible hardware upgrade, no discount, no exchange, nada, you're fucked, hurry and sell your old crap to buy the real deal."


----------



## flint757

BenHughesDS said:


> Am I the only person who won't sell his Axe FX Ultra for an Axe FX II?
> 
> This doesn't mean to say I don't GAS for a II every single damn day, but as I no longer have *any *analogue guitar amp gear and I gig quite a bit, part of me thinks that I need to own both eventually - one for use as a main, the other as a backup (I'm sure you can guess which way round these would be!).
> 
> Has anyone else just saved and bought a II instead of selling their Ultra/Standard? Financially, I'm absolutely miles away from affording a II, and the constant updates and rave reviews don't help, but I still can't bring myself to even contemplate selling my Ultra for one!



By the time you get the dough a III will be released. 



redstone said:


> Nope ! After seeing how Cliff introduced the 2, I will never buy an axe-fx again.
> I'm way too afraid to read one month later "even though we insinuated that the axe-XXL had room for many firmwares till the last week, here's the new axe-XXXL, the XXL is actually full (enough), no possible hardware upgrade, no discount, no exchange, nada, you're fucked, hurry and sell your old crap to buy the real deal."


----------



## redstone

Great minds think alike


----------



## BenSolace

flint757 said:


> By the time you get the dough a III will be released.



You know, that's kinda what I was thinking! I can't say that I'm left wanting with my Ultra, and having never tried the II/heard it in person, I can live without it for now.

My only concern is that if anything ever happens to my Ultra and it needs repairs, I have no backup at all and all gigging/recording has to go on hold for as long as it takes to repair 



redstone said:


> Nope ! After seeing how Cliff introduced the 2, I will never buy an axe-fx again.
> I'm way too afraid to read one month later "even though we insinuated that the axe-XXL had room for many firmwares till the last week, here's the new axe-XXXL, the XXL is actually full (enough), no possible hardware upgrade, no discount, no exchange, nada, you're fucked, hurry and sell your old crap to buy the real deal."



I actually bought my Ultra from Fractal direct while I was on holiday in the US, and they told me to reconsider as the II was being shipped shortly. As I wasn't going to be in the USA much longer, I couldn't really afford to wait, so I stuck with the Ultra. Even if I did have any sort of moral opposition to FAS and their marketing strategies, my entire stage rig/recording rig is built around it as the key component, and there is nothing else on the market that will do what it does with such grace


----------



## ryanlikesbutts

was wondering why on here and other places the axe fx ii is more expensive used than brand new from fractual with no waiting list... o.o

The Axe-Fx II - Preamp / FX Processor Mark II - Order Online


----------



## Dabo Fett

because it isnt always available directly from fractal. supply and demand, when fractal is out of stock, people charge stupid prices


----------



## troyguitar

Price is higher outside USA.


----------



## jbab

Shipping outside of US is ridiculous. Ordering an Axe in Canada is about $2600, and I'm not including what the customs will charge you

EDIT: Which is why I went for a Kemper


----------



## AxeHappy

Between the Axe2 and MFC it was close to 3.5ish-4 grand to get it up to Canada.


----------



## kmanick

I know several people who are long time users of the Ultra and like it better than the II for recording.
for live use ...well that's a different story, that is still up for debate.
if the Ultra is working for you I'd stick with it.


----------



## tedtan

In short, because people will pay it.


----------



## Larrikin666

I was selling used Axe-FX Ultras for $2700 on eBay back before the II came out. It's still cheaper to buy one used at that price than deal with G66 for one new.


----------



## Sephael

because Fractal isn't allowed to ship to every country yet ifaik


----------



## Seanthesheep

jbab said:


> Shipping outside of US is ridiculous. Ordering an Axe in Canada is about $2600, and I'm not including what the customs will charge you
> 
> EDIT: Which is why I went for a Kemper



axe fx ii in canada, doesnt have import taxes because its made in the US. you just pay shipping and provincial sales tax


----------



## Seanthesheep

ok, is it just me or is my Alto fucked? (sorry if this is the wrong thread) Its just not that loud. gets lound enough for lound practice, but I cant seem to get loud enough for band practice without clipping. Is it just that I thought the Alto would be louder than it actually is or is mine somehow not 100%?


----------



## Rook

^Its just one speaker. That's about 500W through a single 12 inch, similar to using a 150W tube amp like a triple recto through a 112 or something, you wouldn't do it with a band, would you?

It's probably more than loud enough in itself but it won't carry cos it's just one. Consider getting another perhaps, or running into the desk and using the PA.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Rook said:


> ^Its just one speaker. That's about 500W through a single 12 inch, similar to using a 150W tube amp like a triple recto through a 112 or something, you wouldn't do it with a band, would you?
> 
> It's probably more than loud enough in itself but it won't carry cos it's just one. Consider getting another perhaps, or running into the desk and using the PA.



its actually the 15" version but I get your point. the only reason im concerned is because for practices our normal PA isn't even strong enough to get vocals loud enough, but for shows I always run direct so its never a concern then. Also probably shouldve noted that a fender frontman 212 combo amp that I was previously using the our other guitarist now uses with his GSP is wayyyy louder, but again it might be the projection thing again with 2 drivers VS 1 slightly larger one


----------



## andyjanson

Hey, sorry if this has been covered (I have searched) but does anyone know exactly how much an Axe fx II is in GBP from G66? It's listed in euros as 2349 which is roughly £2006 - is this it, or is the UK price different? I've heard stories of them going as low as the 18 hundred zone which would be smashing


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Is it just me or have the hi-gain models all gotten a lot fizzier. They sound much more dynamic and its easier to get a hi-gain tone now but there seems to be a lot of hiss in the high frequencies.

Edit: According to Cliff that what amps actually sound like haha. Some small Parametric EQ cuts got rid of it. This update sounds amazing.


----------



## redstone

Breaking news : real amps have a top end which is expected to be audible when being recorded.


----------



## Forge Hawk

Hey guys. So, I am undecided whether to purchase the Axe FX II or the Ultra. I have an Agile Intrepid Pro 828 EB 8 string guitar and an Aria IGB-35/5 5 string bass. I want to do both recording and live performance with both, at the same gig, switching between both. I'm not too fussed tones for the bass, I'm sure which ever model I purchase will have what I need. But as for the Agile. I have that downtuned to EADGCFad. I am after a sound between the following two links. Both rhythm guitar sections.

 - 3:30 - 4:00

 - 0:15 - 0:30

I will be running the Agile and Axe into an Alto L-16 mixer with 2 Roland SRS-120 8" dual speakers powered by an Alto Mac 2.2 Stereo Power Amp with a 200watt Y118PW Yorkvill 18" Subwoofer.

Any help on this topic would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thanks! 

Ben.


----------



## Yo_Wattup

AxII how is this even a question. Like asking if youd like to sleep with Mila Kunis or sleep with Mila plus a BJ later.


----------



## Quitty

^not sure if Mila agrees with your statement 

XFX II will keep the upgrade-needs away, if you're a GAS man -
The way i see it, if you're debating old vs. new and improved - you'll probably be better off with the new and improved 
AAL's album was recorded with an ultra IIRC, but the XFX II can do much more than that.


----------



## Forge Hawk

Thanks guys. I have read up multiple forums and everything has different views which confuses me. Also the fact no one has requested the same tone with the same instruments that I have. I thought I should show some tones of what I am after. Thanks guys!

Now to save up that little bit extra cash for the II 

Edit: What is better about the II than the Ultra? In terms of what I am after.


----------



## Krucifixtion

At this point you should really try to get the II. It's still being upgraded and getting better and better. Re-sale will also be much better than an Ultra if and when they come out with another Axe-Fx. I'm sure an Ultra could achieve the tones you want, but the II also has more features now.


----------



## IronGoliath

Something tells me this isn't supposed to happen, eh? I'm sending it into New Hampshire this week. Seems the LCD gets jumbled only when used with the Axe-Edit software.. this is a brand new unit (less than a month old) updated to all the latest Firmware shenanigans. Here's hoping it is an easy and quick fix. Right in the middle of album tracking and your main unit dies? Not cool brah.







Also, this is probably the highest quality picture of a fail ever. I didn't realize it was an uncompressed image until I uploaded it, so sorry to the 56k users who cry out in hatred.


----------



## Seanthesheep

hopefully at the worst its a bad LCD which Im pretty sure you can fix yourself with parts from Fractal 

btw you still on FW9 and using axe edit? thats a big no no


----------



## sage

Aaaaaannnnndddd... that's my worst fear in going with a high end modeler. What the hell am I supposed to do if it bails at a crucial time? Still gonna do it anyway and I'll probably end up picking up some older rack mounted Pod or something that I can mimic all of my settings with and hopefully control with the same controller for live use, but, ugh. That sucks, bro. I hope it gets sorted out quickly for you.


----------



## edsped

Axe Edit is still glitchy. The latest beta was released only to appease those who kept pining (understandably) for a working Axe Edit.


----------



## IronGoliath

This couldn't be a problem with software as it would have hopefully been resolved after switching to firmware 10 which I said I already had done in my initial post.

Edit: I'm sending it to them this week and hoping beyond belief it isn't something too bizarre..


----------



## Krucifixtion

IronGoliath said:


> This couldn't be a problem with software as it would have hopefully been resolved after switching to firmware 10 which I said I already had done in my initial post.
> 
> Edit: I'm sending it to them this week and hoping beyond belief it isn't something too bizarre..





Something similar happened to mine not too long after I had purchased it about a year ago. It started acting weird and certain patches would start disappearing and I would get garbled text and symbols. Basically it was some sort of memory issue. They fixed it and had it back to me pretty quickly. I wasn't too pleased that they never refunded me on shipping though. I didn't really have the unit more than a couple months before I had the issue. Haven't had a single problem since. I am always weary of Axe Edit though. I try not to use it a lot.


----------



## edsped

IronGoliath said:


> This couldn't be a problem with software as it would have hopefully been resolved after switching to firmware 10 which I said I already had done in my initial post.
> 
> Edit: I'm sending it to them this week and hoping beyond belief it isn't something too bizarre..



The new Axe Edit is a beta and was released as a stopgap, basically. People are still reporting issues with it, even the release notes warned that it would probably be glitchy. But if the guy above me had the same problem then returning it would probably be the best bet.


----------



## 3074326

Yup, the latest version of AE is a beta version and that can't be emphasized enough. I have issues with the cabinets in the software, but not on the unit.


----------



## theo

So aside from the scrambled screen, is your axe fx working ok?


----------



## Webmaestro

Hell, I've never had Axe Edit. I got my Axe-Fx II about 2 months ago and have gotten so good at using the knobs, I'm not sure I'll even use AE when it does finally come out *shrug*

Aside from a more visual (and probably more intuitive) interface, what are the advantages of using AE vs. just using the knobs on the unit?


----------



## theo

None.


----------



## Syrinx

Webmaestro said:


> Hell, I've never had Axe Edit. I got my Axe-Fx II about 2 months ago and have gotten so good at using the knobs, I'm not sure I'll even use AE when it does finally come out *shrug*
> 
> Aside from a more visual (and probably more intuitive) interface, what are the advantages of using AE vs. just using the knobs on the unit?



A lot easier to manage patches


----------



## cgraci

Hey can someone please give me their advice. I bought a vht 2502 on eBay and got ripped off so I sent it back. In my cloud of mystery bc all the shit I have to go through I made a quick decision to buy a matrixgt1000fx. I heard a lot of good things about it and a lot of people trading in their vhts for the matrix please tell me I made a good choice!


----------



## cgraci

Mysery not mystery lol


----------



## Phrygian

Yup, you did good.


----------



## cgraci

Oh thanx man! I can't wait!


----------



## kmanick

cgraci said:


> Hey can someone please give me their advice. I bought a vht 2502 on eBay and got ripped off so I sent it back. In my cloud of mystery bc all the shit I have to go through I made a quick decision to buy a matrixgt1000fx. I heard a lot of good things about it and a lot of people trading in their vhts for the matrix please tell me I made a good choice!


 
I don't think I've seen more than one negative review of their power amps. 
most people who use these with their Axe II's seem to love them .


----------



## cgraci

Oh great! I actually saw after the burial and asked about Justin Lowe about power amps and he said the same. Also this band called glass cloud uses itas well. I cantwait


----------



## theo

Anyone got tips on getting the recto red modern to sound tight? The other guitarist in my band uses a real life recto with a matching cab and it sounds great. I can't get a tight controlled, yet aggressive tone.


----------



## theo

I'm doing the usual high and low passes to cut below ~100hz and above 15000hz.
But even with the bass control rolled back I'm getting so much flub. Boosted with the usual ts808 method.


----------



## Rook

I probably wouldn't do the low pass filter, if turn your input trim up a little on the amp and with your T808 turn the drive off, tone just above half, level all the way up then on the next page turn the Lo-cut up a bit. In the amp bloc just have gain no higher than a half and get extra distortion using the pedal or input trim.

Also I have the Matrix GT1000FX and couldn't be happier, can't remember if I already said that


----------



## Genome

A nice trick for reducing flub and tightening up a high-gain amp,

Use a Filter block before the drive and amp block, set type to High Pass, scroll down to Freq and hit enter, highlight Source and scroll along to "Envelope" then reduce "Max" to around 250 hz.


----------



## theo

Thanks for the trick Genome! 

Got sick of trying to tweak the mesa into something it refused to be. 
The Corncob rules. Tight and aggressive.


----------



## theo

Rook said:


> I probably wouldn't do the low pass filter, if turn your input trim up a little on the amp and with your T808 turn the drive off, tone just above half, level all the way up then on the next page turn the Lo-cut up a bit. In the amp bloc just have gain no higher than a half and get extra distortion using the pedal or input trim.
> 
> Also I have the Matrix GT1000FX and couldn't be happier, can't remember if I already said that



I was doing all of that, had the gain well below half, I think it was at 3.5 or 4.
Still flubflubflub. This isn't even for super low tuning, just B standard on my 7.


----------



## Genome

Check the depth control too. On the Mark models for some reason it's defaulting to 7 which is way too high, flub central. I'm not sure what it's set to on the Recto's.

Normally to get rid of flub, roll the bass control back, roll the master volume back to no more than 4, reduce depth to around 2-3, raise the low cut freq, raise Damping a bit*, then the filter trick. You can also cut back on the GEQ in the Amp block, and the low cut in the Cab block. 

If all else fails, maybe take a look at your pick up height. If it's a bit low you will get increased bass response. Similar to the proximity effect when micing a cab.

*If you do this, "Hi-Cut" will turn into a Presence control (I prefer this, even if it might not be how the amp actually works, I'm not sure)


----------



## Rook

What strings you using, guy-who-quoted-me? Pickups?


----------



## Nix_94

So, the Axe-Fx presets are based on actual amps and cabs, yeah?
And so are the effects, right?

I've been wondering if someone with a lot of patience and knowledge of these presets could calculate/has calculated the total costs of buying all of these separately. If no-one's up for a challenge, I'll take one for the team, but I'll need a list with their real-life counterparts. There is no point to this but curiosity has gotten the better of me.


----------



## Andromalia

You have an amp list in the axewiki. Considering there's a Dumble in V10 it starts pretty high. ^^
Modulation effects aren't modeled after real units, some people have made some research to get the settings to sound like reverb X or compressor Y though. Drive pedals are modeled after their own model.


----------



## SSK0909

Nix_94 said:


> So, the Axe-Fx presets are based on actual amps and cabs, yeah?
> And so are the effects, right?
> 
> I've been wondering if someone with a lot of patience and knowledge of these presets could calculate/has calculated the total costs of buying all of these separately. If no-one's up for a challenge, I'll take one for the team, but I'll need a list with their real-life counterparts. There is no point to this but curiosity has gotten the better of me.


 
That would be really cool  But i forsee some difficulty in conducting such a list. Many of the amps arent available in stores anymore and prices on the older amps vary a lot depending on condition and original parts. But then again, just a somewhat specific list would still be awesome to see


----------



## theo

I'd love to see a rough estimate of this. Cabs and mics will help stack that cost up pretty quick!


----------



## SSK0909

When conducting the list. You must also comment on what region the prices are based of. Mesa amps cost nearly twice as much in EU compared to US, and European amps such as Marshall costs more in the US due to shipping costs


----------



## theo

And then there's Australia....


----------



## Eclipse

What's the best pedalboard for housing a Fractal MFC? 

For example. I would need space for the MFC pedal and two Mission Engineering Expression Pedals. (SP1 and EP1) One on each side of the MFC. 

Looks like this:

Mission Pedal Fractal MFC. Mission Pedal

Thanks!


----------



## olli576

Had my first play with an Axe-fx II yesterday! I played through a mates cheap pair of monitors
At first i wasn't really impressed at all and i straight away noticed a strange frequency in all the high gain amps, Has anyone else noticed this? :/
After about 5hrs i was fairly happy with the patch i was working on but not AMAZED
Was really hoping to be blown away by this thing, been looking forward to playing one for sooo long, It might've been the cheap monitors or my lack of experience tweaking on it that put me off but yeah!

EDIT: I also noticed i found it reallyy hard to get even a half decent noise-gated tone when blending two amp heads and the axefx picks up guitar noise (floyd springs etc) ALOT more! was i doing something wrong? o:


----------



## SSK0909

olli576 said:


> Had my first play with an Axe-fx II yesterday! I played through a mates cheap pair of monitors
> At first i wasn't really impressed at all and i straight away noticed a strange frequency in all the high gain amps, Has anyone else noticed this? :/
> After about 5hrs i was fairly happy with the patch i was working on but not AMAZED
> Was really hoping to be blown away by this thing, been looking forward to playing one for sooo long, It might've been the cheap monitors or my lack of experience tweaking on it that put me off but yeah!
> 
> EDIT: I also noticed i found it reallyy hard to get even a half decent noise-gated tone when blending two amp heads and the axefx picks up guitar noise (floyd springs etc) ALOT more! was i doing something wrong? o:



What firmware version was the Axe-fx?

Since firmware 9, the buttons on the amp simulations behaved almost exactly like the real ones, and with firmware 10 theyre spot on. So 5 hours to set up a patch sounds extremely weird to say the least. Dialing in a good sound shouldnt take longer than dialing in the real amp. 

Perhaps power amp simulation was disabled if it is set up to go through a power amp and cab live. 
Anyways, getting a usable/good tone on a firmware 9-10 axe-fx should take minutes, not hours.


----------



## kmanick

SSK0909 said:


> What firmware version was the Axe-fx?
> 
> Since firmware 9, the buttons on the amp simulations behaved almost exactly like the real ones, and with firmware 10 theyre spot on. So 5 hours to set up a patch sounds extremely weird to say the least. Dialing in a good sound shouldnt take longer than dialing in the real amp.
> 
> Perhaps power amp simulation was disabled if it is set up to go through a power amp and cab live.
> Anyways, getting a usable/good tone on a firmware 9-10 axe-fx should take minutes, not hours.



^ this 9-10 has made it much easier now even with controls at noon a lot of the amp models sound really good now.
cheap monitors will help ruin the experience...............for sure


----------



## redstone

SSK0909 said:


> So 5 hours to set up a patch sounds extremely weird to say the least. Dialing in a good sound shouldnt take longer than dialing in the real amp though a same cab or cab sim.



Fixed for the sake of clarity.


----------



## olli576

SSK0909 said:


> What firmware version was the Axe-fx?
> 
> Since firmware 9, the buttons on the amp simulations behaved almost exactly like the real ones, and with firmware 10 theyre spot on. So 5 hours to set up a patch sounds extremely weird to say the least. Dialing in a good sound shouldnt take longer than dialing in the real amp.
> 
> Perhaps power amp simulation was disabled if it is set up to go through a power amp and cab live.
> Anyways, getting a usable/good tone on a firmware 9-10 axe-fx should take minutes, not hours.



v10 Firmware!

I'll actually ask him if he had power amp simulation turned off cos he does run through a powerball and cab i'm pretty sure, plus when we were playing around with the patches they were really quiet unless cranked and by then the axe was peaking :/ 

the chain i had if anyone is wondering was: gate - overdrive - gate - compressor - 5153 red + 6160 II - boutique 2x12 - param eq

If the poweramp simulation actually was disabled, what kind of difference would it have made if it were on? like would the amps sound actually better or just louder?

EDIT: turns out the poweramp sim was indeed off


----------



## SSK0909

olli576 said:


> v10 Firmware!
> 
> I'll actually ask him if he had power amp simulation turned off cos he does run through a powerball and cab i'm pretty sure, plus when we were playing around with the patches they were really quiet unless cranked and by then the axe was peaking :/
> 
> the chain i had if anyone is wondering was: gate - overdrive - gate - compressor - 5153 red + 6160 II - boutique 2x12 - param eq
> 
> If the poweramp simulation actually was disabled, what kind of difference would it have made if it were on? like would the amps sound actually better or just louder?
> 
> EDIT: turns out the poweramp sim was indeed off



Poweramp sim will make a huge difference. Glad you solved the mystery 

Poweramp sim effects tone different from amp to amp. I.e. older Marshalls get their distortion from the power amp section. So it's not easy to say exactly how the poweramp effects the tone, but most of the time when people talk about an amps sweet spot, they talk about the point where the master volume has been increased enough for the power amp to kick in 

If you have a second go at the Axe i recommend the following:

- Start out with a simple amp-cab layout. No dual amps or fx gallore.
- While choosing cab sim, try running in stereo and pan both cabs to center
- Choose cab sims from the new list of mix packs "I like to combine the John Petrucci cab mix + one of the Kalthallen V30's"
- Pick an amp sim you're familiar with, adjust master volume to taste and the use the level parameter to even out volume (Master volume affects tone from the power amp, level is just loudness/volume, which means you can have a kranked amp without going deaf).

Once you get a good sound this way you've got a good basic platform from which to build more complex patces, just remember to start simple, every human must learn to crawl before they can walk


----------



## olli576

SSK0909 said:


> Poweramp sim will make a huge difference. Glad you solved the mystery
> 
> Poweramp sim effects tone different from amp to amp. I.e. older Marshalls get their distortion from the power amp section. So it's not easy to say exactly how the poweramp effects the tone, but most of the time when people talk about an amps sweet spot, they talk about the point where the master volume has been increased enough for the power amp to kick in
> 
> If you have a second go at the Axe i recommend the following:
> 
> - Start out with a simple amp-cab layout. No dual amps or fx gallore.
> - While choosing cab sim, try running in stereo and pan both cabs to center
> - Choose cab sims from the new list of mix packs "I like to combine the John Petrucci cab mix + one of the Kalthallen V30's"
> - Pick an amp sim you're familiar with, adjust master volume to taste and the use the level parameter to even out volume (Master volume affects tone from the power amp, level is just loudness/volume, which means you can have a kranked amp without going deaf).
> 
> Once you get a good sound this way you've got a good basic platform from which to build more complex patces, just remember to start simple, every human must learn to crawl before they can walk



Thanks mate, yeah i started out fairly simple but I was tweaking the same patch for over several hours haha
would the poweramp sim being off be the reason for the lack of tightness in the amps/ridiculous amount of guitar noise coming through aswell? I'm not sure when i'm going to be able to have a try at the axefx again which sucks haha! now i'm happy that there's more to it than what i heard but bummed that i haven't been able to hear it at it's real potential


----------



## Weimat01

I just got a pair of sennheiser TR130 wireless headphones given to me with two (red and white) RCA connecters on the end. Can I plug them into the S/PDIF in/out on the AXE FX II to use them or won't that work?


----------



## DestroyerD

does anyone have a preset for firmware v10 that is like the acacia strain guitar tone? thinking wormwood or death is the only mortal. any help would be nice. i cant dial it in =/


----------



## baptizedinblood

Try blending a 6505 with a dual rec.


----------



## Overtone

noob question but what is the best/cheapest way to connect my imac to an Ultra? I've been looking at midi to USB cables and reading a lot of reviews saying the drivers don't work on mac anymore and they can't find new drivers, or that there are other problems. I don't want that. At the same time I prefer to avoid spending $50ish for a proper midi interface that is only going to be used when I run axe-edit


----------



## getaway_fromme

Overtone said:


> noob question but what is the best/cheapest way to connect my imac to an Ultra? I've been looking at midi to USB cables and reading a lot of reviews saying the drivers don't work on mac anymore and they can't find new drivers, or that there are other problems. I don't want that. At the same time I prefer to avoid spending $50ish for a proper midi interface that is only going to be used when I run axe-edit



This has been covered MANY times before. Search the thread


----------



## flint757

Overtone said:


> noob question but what is the best/cheapest way to connect my imac to an Ultra? I've been looking at midi to USB cables and reading a lot of reviews saying the drivers don't work on mac anymore and they can't find new drivers, or that there are other problems. I don't want that. At the same time I prefer to avoid spending $50ish for a proper midi interface that is only going to be used when I run axe-edit



I used the UNO (I think that's the name), but I have no idea if it works on Mac's or not.


----------



## Rook

^It does


----------



## Overtone

Cool. I was looking at that. A lot more expensive than the $6 USB-Midi cables, but M-Audio makes sure their stuff WORKS and keeps the drivers up to date so it's probably worth it to avoid constant headaches. I still want to look into something else... which is if I can use the midi keyboard controller sitting on my desk as both a midi router (it takes USB from the comp but has midi ins and outs) and to control parameters on my settings... it would be great to set it up so that all the knobs and sliders are used for EQ, gain, output level, FX, etc. If I succeed at that I will definitely be reporting on how it was done!

Another nooby question... digital out vs. analog out? I am going into an Ensemble w/ an iMac w/ 8 gigs of ram so I think both will probably have good results, I just imagine that skipping an extra stage of D-A followed by A-D would be preferable.


----------



## Overtone

NVM this time I WAS able to find an answer quickly using the search function, quoted from Cliff at Fractal. This is the kind of thing my buddy was telling me about for why I want an expensive DAC for my stereo when using any kind of streaming (I haven't done it though... I listen to CDs through a good player most of the time and my mp3s are mostly 192 so I don't feel like it's worth it)... that basically the transmitting of the digital signal can pretty often be lumpy and degrade the sound. I'm guessing that the clock and SRC and all that on an ensemble are not bad but probably not as good as their A-D. Still seems handy for reamping if one doesn't want to use a reamp box! (Edit: oh yeah.. forgot about the line level inputs... no need for that either!)

"SPDIF sucks anyways. You get more noise and distortion due to clock jitter and cheap SRC chips than analog. Any Asian mixer is going to have the cheapest SRC chips that can be found and those typically have lousy distortion specs.

Staying digital would be desired in a synchronous system. However, in the OP's configuration the system isn't synchronous. The mixer is running at one sample rate and the SPDIF in must be matched to that rate. Even if the rate is the same (i.e. the mixer is 48 kHz) it's not synchronous and therefore requires sample rate conversion (SRC). In this case the SRC would, for example, be 48.001 kHz to 47.999 kHz. The point being the clocks aren't locked.

Once you put an SRC chip into the equation you start getting all kinds of potential nasties. First of all you have jitter on the recovered clock which will degrade the SRC performance. Then you have the actual performance of the SRC itself. No consumer or pro-sumer mixing board is going to be using, say a Burr-Brown SRC chip. Most likely an AKM or even worse. Add to that that most Asian companies don't seem to understand proper grounding and shielding and use the cheapest PC boards they can get away with and you have a recipe for PLL clock jitter in the SPDIF receiver.

A good SRC chip costs more than a good A/D. So if you go analog into a digital mixer at least you don't have clock jitter problems since the A/D in the mixer is running off the mixer clock.

SPDIF is so bad that the (I forget the name of the consortium, AC '97 perhaps) ruled in favor of abandoning the standard for modern computers. Yeah, it's convenient but the clock jitter typically degrades the quality more than an equivalent analog connection. On my PC here I have a SoundBlaster X-Fi and (to me) the analog inputs sound much better than the SPDIF input. So I use the analog.""


----------



## Overtone

Ok ONE more (  ) 

If I want to record wet/dry would a good way to do it to be to make one row completely dry and pan it's output hard right, and have the processed row's output panned left, then treat them as 2 mono signals going into my DAW (ie pan them both center and mute the dry signal)? The only issue I guess is not having stereo effects on the wet signal.


----------



## Rap Hat

Overtone said:


> Ok ONE more (  )
> 
> If I want to record wet/dry would a good way to do it to be to make one row completely dry and pan it's output hard right, and have the processed row's output panned left, then treat them as 2 mono signals going into my DAW (ie pan them both center and mute the dry signal)? The only issue I guess is not having stereo effects on the wet signal.



You could do that, or maybe try using both outputs and having out1 be dry and out2 wet. This should let you use stereo for the wet mix. I have an Ultra as well but haven't really messed with multiple outs for recording. Mainly what I do is have out1 going into my FireFace800 via XLR and out2 going to my PA so I can get good feedback while recording/allow band jams to be recorded easily.

I would be using the digital out even with the jitter (as perfectly balancing XLR levels on the FireFace is nearly impossible - levels don't match with both FireFace inputs all the way down), but it's broken . I got my Ultra used and the guy I bought it from had apparently abused the shit out of the inputs and outputs so the spdif broke within a month or so and now the front input jack is shorting out or introducing tons of noise unless it's perfectly still .

I'm really not looking forward to having to buy a new one - it's a lot of money I don't have. Not sure if I can get it fixed either since it's so old now.


----------



## Overtone

Ouch! I didn't know they can take such a beating. Mine is going to be mostly a pre-production/practicing tool as well as outboard processing to get some unique fx on vox/keys/whatever so I think I won't be plugging/unplugging a whole lot. 

But that's a good call about just using the second set of outputs. I think I got confused by the 4 cable method into thinking you typically use both at the same time if you want to have the signal going out to another piece of gear, then back in, then to the main output but I imagine it's a simple enough thing to set up the blocks so one is dry and one is wet!


----------



## Andromalia

No axedit yet ? Bored of checking the fractal site every week...


----------



## IAMLORDVADER

Fractal Audio Systems - Axe-Edit Software Editor for the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx Guitar Processor

Heres a link for 1.9, the latest version for use with V.10, seems to work but i'm to used to using the front screen after the lack of Axe-edit


----------



## Andromalia

Tried this one already, crashes a lot especially when in the cab block. :/


----------



## cgraci

Hey can someone give me some advice. I met a professional guitarist that uses two amp sims on his axe fx. Can you guys recommend two amps that would create a great sound. I tried looking it up but can't find anything. I currently use fas modern but I'm open to other amps. I'm just learning so I would appreciate any advice.


----------



## cgraci

Btw I have an axe fx ultra with matrixgt1000fx if that helps


----------



## DropTheSun

Does any of you Axe FX owners use pod hd500 as a pedalboard with Axe FX? I know that it is possible to do, but how easy is it to program to work?

I'm considering to get axe fx2 during this summer and i would like to use pod hd500 as a controller.


----------



## MesaENGR412

Ok, so I have searched and didn't really find the answer or perhaps it hasn't been asked. But, when updating the Fractal Firmware, is it ok to skip some updates to go to the newest one? My situation is I seemingly missed update FW 10.03 and just downloaded 10.05. Will the updates from the previous update be in the 10.05 download, or are they all separate and need to be installed in succession? Thanks!

-AJH


----------



## flint757

With almost anything skipping firmware updates is typically okay.


----------



## MesaENGR412

Cool. Thank you. I just wanted to make sure. New to the digital realm of gear. "Firmware updates" on my previous equipment involved new tubes or a new pedal 

-AJH


----------



## TheShreddinHand

Does the length or cost of the USB cord make a difference in quality for recording? I see one's on amazon ranging from 6 to 16 feet and for as cheap as $3-$5 bucks. Seems almost too cheap to me!


----------



## Shask

kake said:


> Does any of you Axe FX owners use pod hd500 as a pedalboard with Axe FX? I know that it is possible to do, but how easy is it to program to work?
> 
> I'm considering to get axe fx2 during this summer and i would like to use pod hd500 as a controller.



I do. It is not too hard and there are presets out there for the HD500 to make it easier.

The only "problems" are you have to duplicate the patch on the HD500 to make the lights match if you use the top row to turn on/off effects, and everything is different per patch. What I did was make one master preset and copy it 64 times.


----------



## SSK0909

TheShreddinHand said:


> Does the length or cost of the USB cord make a difference in quality for recording? I see one's on amazon ranging from 6 to 16 feet and for as cheap as $3-$5 bucks. Seems almost too cheap to me!



Nope.

Since its a digital cable it only knows 0 and 1 which equals to signal or no signal.

But a lot of manufactureres want you to believe otherwise of course. Just look at hdmi cables


----------



## Rook

^Yeah that's not quite true.

Yes it's digital so 'it's only 0 or 1', but there are a number of effects in running cables of any great length that can degrade or interfere with digital bitstreams, bearing in mind sure it's just 1011101001011101010000100111001010 but at a rate of thousands or millions (or billions now) per second. Signal degradation and capacitances can slow the reaction time of the cable enough that digital systems can lose synchronicity or 1's and zero's can blur into one another (inter-symbol interference).

There are several people I know of who've run 10'+ USB cables and gotten weird artefacts or pops and clicks in recordings or lost synchronicity altogether which just turns the sound output into indistinguishable crap.

So actually yes it does make a difference. If your computer actually receives the signal, it'll be perfect quality, but artefacts and pops and clicks could be present most notably if the cable is too long.

My recommendation is to keep the cable as short as possible. If you have to run a longer one make sure it's decent but I mean actually decent (£10 instead of £5) not OMG GOLD PLATED TIPS THAT DO NOTHING £10000 PLEASE.

Length is by far the dominant factor, so instead of trying to balance out length with quality, just go as short as you can. Making a quality digital signal cable is easy and doesn't cost much from a manufacturer's perspective so won't cost barely anything anyway.

EDIT: This pic demonstrates what I'm talking about well, similar principles apply for a RZ (return to zero) signal as NRZ (non) such as this


----------



## Watty

cgraci said:


> Hey can someone give me some advice. I met a professional guitarist that uses two amp sims on his axe fx. Can you guys recommend two amps that would create a great sound. I tried looking it up but can't find anything. I currently use fas modern but I'm open to other amps. I'm just learning so I would appreciate any advice.



Try DL'ing Hauch's tone from AxeChange. He uses the Conford and Brit something models blended. IMO, it sounds pretty good and it's pretty easy to tweak if you play around with the drive parameters. I liked it as a starting point as it's got some inherent depth in the tone.


----------



## Rook

^That's a 2 patch, cgraci has an ultra.


----------



## SnowfaLL

welp.. with my ultra selling last friday.. I finally bit the bullet and bought the II. Never bought a piece of gear worth $2700 before (thats what shipping into Canada cost me) so hope its worthwhile.

Now need to find a good FRFR solution. I have a Matrix Q12 which I have mixed reviews on so far, but thats without a Matrix poweramp running it so maybe that is what makes the drastic difference??


----------



## Seanthesheep

Congrats on the axe fx ii man! Shipping and taxes to canada suck, yea mine ended up costing me 2650$ too

Id say uprgrade to a matrix poweramp if you want to keep a poweramp in your rack but either way I dont recommend the altos. Mine isnt loud at all and its pretty ....ing huge and heavy. Im switching back to a fender frontman 212 combo for my band and im gonna get some studio monitors for home


----------



## shawnt3

Complete dumbass question here, but I too am a new Canadian Axe FX owner and im wondering, can you connect the Axe to Aux computer speakers? Id like to use them for home playing/recording purposes and have not found a method of hooking them up yet.

Thanks!


----------



## Tyler

shawnt3 said:


> Complete dumbass question here, but I too am a new Canadian Axe FX owner and im wondering, can you connect the Axe to Aux computer speakers? Id like to use them for home playing/recording purposes and have not found a method of hooking them up yet.
> 
> Thanks!



you could have the aux run into a 1/4 cable and plug into the headphone jack


----------



## shawnt3

nellings6 said:


> you could have the aux run into a 1/4 cable and plug into the headphone jack



Would sound quality still be solid through this method?


----------



## Seanthesheep

shawnt3 said:


> Would sound quality still be solid through this method?



yes, if you have decent headphones it sounds great through the headphone jack. btw congrats on the axe fx!


----------



## shawnt3

MIDI Foot Controller Question:

I apologize again if this has been answered already...there are so many pages in this thread and I do not know where I would begin looking for this answer.

I am looking for a suitable MIDI Foot controller for my new Axe FX...and the consensus for best price/quality seems to be the Behringer FCB1010

So upon researching I have found that many people have been upgrading their FCB1010 with the Uno chip.

What I want to know is:
What do you gain by using the chip? I don't want to get too technical with my pedal, all I want it for is switching delay/reverb effects on and off, and creating the compression effect for pre-breakdown riffs. I don't see myself caring too too much about the expression pedal.

Would I still be able to do these things without upgrading to the UnO chip???

Thanks!


----------



## Seanthesheep

I use my FCB1010 for patch changing only. if I wanted to do more interms of foot control, Id get a Voodoo labs ground control pro


----------



## Jrec

Beautiful instrument!


----------



## olli576

Hey guys i'm having an issue with bottom end flub/overtone with any high gain amp i use with basically any cab :S it usually comes out the worst with palm muted chugs

i'm using a pvh 6160 atm with the 2x12 boutique + 412 german cabs, both the amp head and cabs have generous high passes on them but this annoying fizzy flubby sound is still coming through whether i play it through the mackie or record it through the computer and play it back? Poweramp sim is on this time yes haha


----------



## Rook

What guitar and pickups are you using?

For flubby low end try using a clean boost like Esoteric RCB and turn the Lo-cut up on page 2

For the high end fizz, it's more likely the 212, try the hi cut in the cab block. Also try turning presence down.

I generally find the 6160's fizzy anyway, I don't use them.


----------



## olli576

rga72tqm - with the stock LOz3 pups
usually they don't sound too bad and can keep up with other pickups like emg!

i have my mates guitar here which is a jackson with emg 81/85s and that too has a similar overtone in the chuggs

Where can i find the clean boost? (this is my 2nd day with the axefx sorry the lack of knowledge)

it was still there and sometimes more present with both 412s also even just with a 412 and powerball it was present, i tried going into the global settings and turning down the amp gain cos it's pretty constant with most factory presets but that didn't do much

EDIT: i'm using the FAS 6160 sorry


----------



## Rook

Ok lots to talk about there haha.

First, the lo-z's have sort of a flubby low end to them, but that's not a problem, we can sort that.
Second, I would strongly advise against turning doing global amp gain, I suggest you put that back to where it was and just use the gain in the amp block on your preset.
Next, if you're new to the Axe FX it's pretty wise to start with a cab you sorta like the sound of and just try lots of amps and setting out with that, otherwise you end up trying to balance more and more variables. Start with one, the German say, reliable cab, then once you're close to your sound if you think another cab will help we'll come back to that.

So start with

FAS6160-German

And that's it.

Set all the controls on the FAS6160 to stock (change away from the amp and back again) then set the tone controls to 12 oclock. The EQ is post-gainstage so turning up the bass mid or treble won't make the sound tighter or looser or whichever, you have to do that before the amp. Good settings for the FAS 6160 would probably be mid about 6 or 7, bas about 5 or 6, treble at 4 or 5, leave presense at half way for now.

Have a little play with that and get used to it then read on.

If you're not happy with it because it's flubby or fizzy, either or both problems can be solved with a clean boost. Put a drive block before the amp and put 'type' to 'Esoteric RCB' (really clean boost). Turn the drive all the way down and leave tone and level at 12 o'clock for now. Then go to page 2. Turning the lo cut up will make the sound tighter, turning the hi cut down will make it less fizzy. Adjust those til you think you've eradicated flubbiness or fizziness then go back to page 1 and turn the level control up until you're back to the gain level you want.

Let us know how you get on


----------



## olli576

Okay i'll try this when i get home later today thanks mate!

I forgot i put up a clip yesterday that i can use to show you the 'flubby' chuggs
https://soundcloud.com/olli576/tone-test-xoxo

at 0:10 i'm just palm muting a 3rd fretted bar chord and you can hear this overtone that's overpowering the actual note!


----------



## Genome

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/115990-offical-axe-fx-q-thread-112.html

Scroll down halfway on this page, some good tips for flub here.


----------



## olli576

okay so i tried the clean boost at the front of the chain and it cleaned up ALOT of the flubby/fizziness, sounds really tight and cab like now through the mackie, there's still a hint of overtone in the chuggs but i am yet to just try a plain boost-amp-cab patch yet as i was having too much fun playing the other patch haha  thanks for the help!

Im thinking it might be the guitar not having any foam to dampen the spring noise in the floyd and the string being a little too big for the saddle (i use 14-68 in drop Bb)

This is the result btw https://soundcloud.com/olli576/chugchugchugchugchug


----------



## Alvin Mejia

Nix_94 said:


> So, the Axe-Fx presets are based on actual amps and cabs, yeah?
> And so are the effects, right?
> 
> I've been wondering if someone with a lot of patience and knowledge of these presets could calculate/has calculated the total costs of buying all of these separately. If no-one's up for a challenge, I'll take one for the team, but I'll need a list with their real-life counterparts. There is no point to this but curiosity has gotten the better of me.



All of the amps aren't bought.if you have one you can send it in to fractalaudio and they'll model it with MIMIC.


----------



## Andromalia

You remember the old Ola's 5 second patch he released at the AxeII beginnings ? Well, I took it out again and tried it with the new mix cabs. Pretty much the quintessential recto "rock" tone, think Load, Reload & stuff, with more hatred.


----------



## redstone

olli576 said:


> okay so i tried the clean boost at the front of the chain and it cleaned up ALOT of the flubby/fizziness, sounds really tight and cab like now through the mackie, there's still a hint of overtone in the chuggs but i am yet to just try a plain boost-amp-cab patch yet as i was having too much fun playing the other patch haha  thanks for the help!
> 
> Im thinking it might be the guitar not having any foam to dampen the spring noise in the floyd and the string being a little too big for the saddle (i use 14-68 in drop Bb)
> 
> This is the result btw https://soundcloud.com/olli576/chugchugchugchugchug



Save some time : try with my IR (and never look back)

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/238580-axe-fx-g1-redstone-monster-patch.html


----------



## Rook

How do you quantify a 'good' impulse, exactly?


----------



## shawnt3

*Question:*

When I use my Axe FX at home with my computer speakrs, I model a 6505+ and a Mesa Rectifier through my computer speakers.

When I am at band rehearsal, and am running it through my REAL 6505+'s poweramp into my REAL Mesa Cab, do I turn cab modelling off? As it is going through a real cab, and therefore does not need to model one?

And if so, how do I go about doing this?

Thanks!


----------



## redstone

Rook said:


> How do you quantify a 'good' impulse, exactly?



A good impulse reflects your real amp settings and how it sounds through a similar cab, the right tightness, clarity, balance and absence of strident frequency peaks in the 1K-5Khz area you shouldn't hear in front of the cab, while retaining the characteristics and position of the mic. You can quantify it with your ears, basically. And your eyes eventually... The less post-EQs needed to reflect your amp settings, the better.


----------



## Rook

Tightness and clarity and stuff are all amp-related more than anything as IR's are static, 'balance' is down to the tone you're after and you can't _quantify_ anything with your ears.

You say less EQ to reflect your amp settings... Am I the only one that thinks about amp _and_ cab settings together? The cab for me isn't some transparent thing that just allows me to tweak amp settings it's a whole other element of the sound.

I'm not like calling you out or trying to start an argument, just wondered why you recommend a random cab out of nowhere, it's all taste man surely.


----------



## redstone

Rook said:


> Tightness and clarity and stuff are all amp-related more than anything as IR's are static, 'balance' is down to the tone you're after and you can't _quantify_ anything with your ears.



I can't believe someone used to record guitar amps can think that way.



Rook said:


> You say less EQ to reflect your amp settings... Am I the only one that thinks about amp _and_ cab settings together?



Read again, the full sentence this time. 



Rook said:


> I'm not like calling you out or trying to start an argument, just wondered why you recommend a random cab out of nowhere, it's all taste man surely.



Are you afraid to put my IR in your axe or ...

Alright, here you can hear the IR in 2nd position.

https://soundcloud.com/humanseeming/two-notes-audio-engineering-pi

The last part, the generic IR, has the same EQ balance, yet sounds muffled, distant, harsh, and no amount of treble and presence can change that, only heavy post EQing. Muffled IRs sound muffled... for everyone. Everyone will agree the 2nd IR is clearer than the 3rd, yet if you analyze it, it's pretty much the same amount of top end, middle and bottom. It's very basic knowledge.


----------



## olli576

i tried changing to a deizel amp (i think the herbies are deizel aren't they?) and put a high pass filter right at the end of the chain around 65hz and got this result, sounds a fair bit more clearer but that might just be the gain from the herbie

https://soundcloud.com/olli576/highpass-tone-deizel

btw thanks Redstone i'll try your IR later today!


----------



## Rook

redstone said:


> Are you afraid to put my IR in your axe or ...



Ah that must be it.

I disagree, but that's fine. 

EDIT: I just want to clarify, from an electrical and signal standpoint, my standpoint as an electrical engineer, all a cab impulse does is EQ a signal. That's it. Clarity and all these other terms musicians like to throw around aren't physical quantities that you can improve by turning something up. Muffling is the effect of a dip in high end, a muffled signal and a non-muffled signal can't have the exact same spectra and people in the past have tried to show they do then referred to 'just 3db difference' like its a small change. Unless of course it's just that, and you're getting clarity by just turning 10+kHz up by 3-5dB, more that doubling the signal power and referring to the increase in bandwidth as clarity. 

To clarify further, if your amp sound is tight all round, whatever can impulse you use is gunna sound tight, if part of it is loose (lower frequencies are clipping or the clip is quite slow) then simply turning that down with post EQ won't make the sound tight as much as just quieter the looser parts of the spectrum. What you said to me sounds a little bit like putting your fingers in your ears when someone's talking to you, doesn't mean they aren't saying anything. Hence my 'mostly' (_mostly_, not completely) amp comment, which I stand by. Just wanted to give my perspective without being patronising. 

I'm also not trying to get anyone to download my stuff.


----------



## redstone

Since you know IRs are EQs and any EQ can be turned into another EQ, how can you think the amp parameters are flexible enough to save a dark sounding IR, when such so-called darkness is a matter of fine tunings. The less fine tuning needed to clean up the IR, the better, that's how I quantify a good IR. Cleaning up entirely a generic axe IR requires about 50 PEQs, whose half are tight notches. Mine only needs a low-pass, that's a fact.

I don't get the last sentence. I give my best IR for free so.. what ? So you're right and I'm wrong ? Or I'm eer.. suspect ? Sure, the only way to denigrate its qualities is to ignore them. You don't want to give it a try, whatever. I'm stopping that pointless, insidious argument.


----------



## Rook

This isn't an argument and it isn't pointless or insidious?!

With regards to dark IR's sounding dark, don't use dark IR's? There are plenty in the axe that aren't and that's what the mic blocks are for 

I just bring this because you're making these blanket statements about IR's, I have no idea why you're saying you have all these complicated EQ adjustments to make IR's sound 'good' when that's entirely subjective, that's all. I use different IR's for different tones and only ever high pass and suck a little 500Hz out of them to open it up a bit, that's it. I have plenty of decent sounds out of them. A lot of people's core tones are defined by the IR's they use and how.

I don't know I just disagree with your 'one good IR' notion, questioning you on it has apparently annoyed you though 

I apologise if you feel this comes across as me being bored at home deciding to just troll some guy on SSO, but your sweeping recommendation of you IR as a 'good' one, like there's some objective, quantitative factor that you can define that by that makes it so, struck me as a bit off. I haven't been sitting here trying to start an argument but you do seem to be getting on the defensive somewhat ending sentences with things like '..basic knowledge' like its my intelligence that's the problem, or telling me I'm too scared to try your random IR. I understand slightly better what you're saying but I still disagree, like I said before, that's fine. 

I'll repeat one more time for my sanity, I'm not looking to call you out or start an argument about anything, certainly not an 'insidious' one.

EDIT: Just to make double sure, this is all said in the calmest tone of voice, its curiosity, I don't live to shoot people down on the internet and I lack both the intellect and interest to do so


----------



## DropTheSun

Hi guys!
I just got my Axe FX II today and was wondering, that what is your way of organize the presets? For example, do you put many clean sounds in a row and after that same thing with High gain amps etc. or what?


----------



## Rook

At the moment I have random presets laid around all over the place 

I found naming is far more important that ordering.

For live use however, my footswitch has instant access to four presets so I put the four patches I'm mostly to use live in spots 1-4, then another set of four in 5-8. I then make use of the stomp box capabilities for everything else.


----------



## asher

Whatever makes sense to you, really!

When I got my Ultra I sat down with Excel and actually logged the spot, name, amp, and a quick description of every patch already on there. All 385 or so  but it means I can check where everything is and browse faster. It's easier to see everything laid out like that. Ideally, I will keep it updated (and my Surface is easy to throw in my rack bag) as I tweak and move stuff around.

As far as arranging for live, I just put things in an order that made sense for my pedalboard, an FCB1010. So I had clean stuff on the left (pedals 1, 2, 3, and 6), high gain on the right (4, 5, 9, 10) and midgain stuff in between, and then swapped things around on the Axe to make them fall where they needed.


----------



## Genome

kake said:


> Hi guys!
> I just got my Axe FX II today and was wondering, that what is your way of organize the presets? For example, do you put many clean sounds in a row and after that same thing with High gain amps etc. or what?



I use a Behringer FCB1010, which uses 10 presets per bank, I order them like this:

1: BYPASS (completely blank preset so I can mute everything with one hit, use it for tuning and if I get a nasty noise or something)
2: Clean Tone 1 (usually chorus)
3: Clean Tone 2 (usually phaser/flanger)
4: Crunch Rhythm
5: Crunch Lead
6: Hi Gain Rhythm 1
7: Hi Gain Lead

And then 8, 9 and 10 are usually song dependent tones, slightly more unique. That's all I really need for my current band's stuff.


----------



## DropTheSun

Second day with Axe FX II. Time to make a tonetest:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25064384/Axe FX II/icarus FX.mp3


----------



## Rook

Nice bass tone, that AFX2?


----------



## DropTheSun

thanks. yeah, the bass is AFXII.


----------



## Rook

Care to share?


----------



## DropTheSun

Sure Rook. The Bass preset is Nolly's (periphery) bass preset, that i found from the net. 

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25064384/Axe FX II/p001015_NollySmackyBass.syx


----------



## Ghillie-Up

I apologies in advance for another question about the Fractal power-house.

I have the chance to trade my Peavey 6505 and Engl Fireball for a unused still boxed Axe-FXII Mrk1. (Not the Mrk2).

After Googling about I can see the differences between the Mrk1and Mrk2 are extra ventilation and an updated MFC conector for the foot-switch. 

I was just curious to ask:

1. Was there much of a cooling issue or overheating problem between the 2 units that Fractal needed to address the Mrk2 with extra vents? Should I be worried? Anyone with the Mrk1 had any problems with heat?

2. I assume that the MFC-101 is still compatible to be used with a cat5 cable (for powering the unit) using the mrk1? 

Many thanks guys.


----------



## SnowfaLL

I would do it just on the fact you probably would be able to sell the II fast, where as it'll take forever selling amps like that.

I dunno much about the Mark I thing; I have a Mark II.. I doubt its a massive deal though, unless maybe you plan on using the MFC (I dont care at all for it)


----------



## Ghillie-Up

NickCormier said:


> I would do it just on the fact you probably would be able to sell the II fast, where as it'll take forever selling amps like that.
> 
> I dunno much about the Mark I thing; I have a Mark II.. I doubt its a massive deal though, unless maybe you plan on using the MFC (I dont care at all for it)



Thanks for the feed back. I do think the re-sell value would be worth the trade even if I decide the Axe-FX way is not for me. 

I do plan on using the MFC as the main reason for selling the two tube heads is to get rid of my stomp-boxes and get everything off the floor and in to once place. (as well as all the other benefits of the Axe-FX).


----------



## Genome

Ghillie-Up said:


> I apologies in advance for another question about the Fractal power-house.
> 
> I have the chance to trade my Peavey 6505 and Engl Fireball for a unused still boxed Axe-FXII Mrk1. (Not the Mrk2).
> 
> After Googling about I can see the differences between the Mrk1and Mrk2 are extra ventilation and an updated MFC conector for the foot-switch.
> 
> I was just curious to ask:
> 
> 1. Was there much of a cooling issue or overheating problem between the 2 units that Fractal needed to address the Mrk2 with extra vents? Should I be worried? Anyone with the Mrk1 had any problems with heat?
> 
> 2. I assume that the MFC-101 is still compatible to be used with a cat5 cable (for powering the unit) using the mrk1?
> 
> Many thanks guys.



Not really. I have a Mark I and while it does get a bit warm to the touch (warm is the most I would describe it, not hot) it's never been a problem.


----------



## Rook

^That, it was mostly because people complained about the fan, there's no major advantage to the 2 over the 1.

I use mine every day, most days for 5+ hours as it's also my interface, no overheating, not even a single hitch, fault or freeze.


----------



## olli576

could someone have any idea what kind of amp/cab sims these guys would be using? I know they use axefxII with bareknuckle aftermaths and blackhawks but its so interesting how much high end smooth sizzle i'm hearing, i really like it!

Masks | Stories


----------



## redstone

Rook said:


> EDIT: Just to make double sure, this is all said in the calmest tone of voice, its curiosity, I don't live to shoot people down on the internet and I lack both the intellect and interest to do so



Ok, no offense then. I wish I could find an IR that is clean enough by itself, and I really, really tried. Cleaning up IRs and miced cabs isn't deforming them, it's mostly removing strident frequencies and is necessary to sit in a clear mix. The IRs keep their character, I don't turn them into the same one. Of course a clear mix isn't mandatory and up to the artist.


----------



## DropTheSun

Is there a big difference between 9.x and 10.x firmware presets. I mean, if i download a preset, that is done with 9.x firmware, will it sound a lot different when my Axe is on 10.x firmware?


----------



## olli576

kake said:


> Is there a big difference between 9.x and 10.x firmware presets. I mean, if i download a preset, that is done with 9.x firmware, will it sound a lot different when my Axe is on 10.x firmware?



From what i've heard, it will sound the same until you change the amp head to a different model then back to the original again, it then changes to the v10 version


----------



## Rook

redstone said:


> Ok, no offense then. I wish I could find an IR that is clean enough by itself, and I really, really tried. Cleaning up IRs and miced cabs isn't deforming them, it's mostly removing strident frequencies and is necessary to sit in a clear mix. The IRs keep their character, I don't turn them into the same one. Of course a clear mix isn't mandatory and up to the artist.



Now I understand


----------



## Ghillie-Up

So it's my understanding that you can simply record in to ***Insert recording software here*** via the USB on the Axe-Fx instead of using audio interfaces such as the Apogee ONE that I use at the moment. Would this be correct?

Are there any benefits of running the Axe-Fx output in to my Apogee ONE then in to Logic? Or would this just be a pointless extra step?


----------



## Rook

1. Yes exactly, I works as an interface

2. Possibly higher sample rate but that's unnecessary IMO, otherwise it's just another variable to worry about.

3. I'd say pointless, but others may disagree.


----------



## olli576

I'm thinking of doing a factory reset on my axe, I must have some settings wrong, any presets such as bulb or nollys patches just sound muddy and crap until i do so much tweaking that it's not even close to their original sound anymore haha, and i'm finding it nearly impossible to get a satisfactory bass tone! global gain is default, poweramp sim is on.

Btw how does one load user IR's into the list?
I went axemanage, found the IR, dragged it into slot 1 and it's now called unknown but doesn't translate into any actual sound when put into the cab selection :S

EDIT: Just did a system reset in utilities then redownloaded nolly and mishas patches, got the same thing, just sounds crap D: what am i doing wrong?


----------



## TheShreddinHand

olli576 said:


> I'm thinking of doing a factory reset on my axe, I must have some settings wrong, any presets such as bulb or nollys patches just sound muddy and crap until i do so much tweaking that it's not even close to their original sound anymore haha, and i'm finding it nearly impossible to get a satisfactory bass tone! global gain is default, poweramp sim is on.
> 
> Btw how does one load user IR's into the list?
> I went axemanage, found the IR, dragged it into slot 1 and it's now called unknown but doesn't translate into any actual sound when put into the cab selection :S
> 
> EDIT: Just did a system reset in utilities then redownloaded nolly and mishas patches, got the same thing, just sounds crap D: what am i doing wrong?



Periphery presets were done with FW9, are you on FW10?


----------



## DropTheSun

Yeah, i downloaded those periphery patches and they sound like poop in fw 10.5 to me. For example Fremens fw 10 bank files (A, B, C) have some super nice patches. 

So it seems that patches, that have been done with earlier fw, don't sound that good in fw10?


----------



## olli576

TheShreddinHand said:


> Periphery presets were done with FW9, are you on FW10?



Yes i am!...
To the guy above me sorry for giving you an incorrect answer haha


----------



## TheShreddinHand

kake said:


> Yeah, i downloaded those periphery patches and they sound like poop in fw 10.5 to me. For example Fremens fw 10 bank files (A, B, C) have some super nice patches.
> 
> So it seems that patches, that have been done with earlier fw, don't sound that good in fw10?



Well, one thing you can do with presets created on earlier firmware versions is just reset the amp block. So go to the layout screen of the preset, hit edit on the amp block and go to the 'type' page. Just change off of the currently selected amp and then right back to it. This should reset it and you can tweak from there.

For me though, I have better luck just building presets from scratch starting with amp and cab blocks. And the old 808 OD in front of amp to tighten up.


----------



## DropTheSun

New Firmware is out guys! 

Firmware Version 10.06 Now Available


----------



## Rook

FAS Modern II - A *tighter* version of the FAS Modern.

Holy shit balls batman.

So many goodies.


----------



## SnowfaLL

Yeah the FAS Modern II is pretty awesome; jammed on it for about an hour tonight.


----------



## kmanick

NickCormier said:


> Yeah the FAS Modern II is pretty awesome; jammed on it for about an hour tonight.


ya I did too, sounds great , even with the stock OH V30 cab (which is what I used) sound good thru the MAtrix->cab too


----------



## Hyacinth

Still using the Ultra (god damn wallet, why don't you have more money in you?) I notice that in my metal patches (FAS Modern into a stereo cab Redwirez Mesa rectifier cap edge 1 inch and cone 1 inch) that there's a bit of hiss in the tone. I have a PEQ with bands 1 and 5 set to blocking. Low cuts off at about 80hzs and high cuts off around 7khz but there's still a bit of fizz to it. Otherwise I really like my tone, it's mid-rangey and thick and present. the hiss isn't obnoxious but I don't want any hiss/fizz in my tone. Is some hiss to be expected in a live metal tone? Will this go away in a mix?


----------



## Rook

The Ultra's known for it if you're talking about what I think you are, it should die down in a mix.


----------



## redstone

MatthewLeisher said:


> Is some hiss to be expected in a live metal tone?



Depends on the source..

The aliasing fizz : a frequent problem with amp simulators, it occurs at almost 10khz, just put a tight "notch" filter at 9800hz right after the amp, in // of the signal. 

The preamp fizz : the Ultra's preamp gain is poorly emulated, just crank the master and bias, add some thump if the bottom gets out of control, put the tonestack at the "end" and try to avoid unnecessary preamp gain.

The cab fizz : it comes from unbalanced IRs and needs to be post-EQd.

The pickup fizz : a pre-EQ might help.

The psycho-acoustic fizz : when you become so obsessed about it that you end up removing what you need to achieve a great tone.


----------



## DropTheSun

Just try this, for free. 


...and if you like what you hear:
I think Silent underground studio ir's are cheap as hell and sound awesome. I just bought V30 and G12H30 IR packs and they cost only 3 bucks and sound fantastic.


----------



## Rook

redstone said:


> Depends on the source..
> 
> The aliasing fizz : a frequent problem with amp simulators, it occurs at almost 10khz, just put a tight "notch" filter at 9800hz right after the amp, in // of the signal.
> 
> The preamp fizz : the Ultra's preamp gain is poorly emulated, just crank the master and bias, add some thump if the bottom gets out of control, put the tonestack at the "end" and try to avoid unnecessary preamp gain.
> 
> The cab fizz : it comes from unbalanced IRs and needs to be post-EQd.
> 
> The pickup fizz : a pre-EQ might help.
> 
> The psycho-acoustic fizz : when you become so obsessed about it that you end up removing what you need to achieve a great tone.



Pretty much this, this is why I got into stupidly low gain distortion tones.


----------



## Hyacinth

redstone said:


> Depends on the source..
> 
> The aliasing fizz : a frequent problem with amp simulators, it occurs at almost 10khz, just put a tight "notch" filter at 9800hz right after the amp, in // of the signal.
> 
> The preamp fizz : the Ultra's preamp gain is poorly emulated, just crank the master and bias, add some thump if the bottom gets out of control, put the tonestack at the "end" and try to avoid unnecessary preamp gain.
> 
> The cab fizz : it comes from unbalanced IRs and needs to be post-EQd.
> 
> The pickup fizz : a pre-EQ might help.
> 
> The psycho-acoustic fizz : when you become so obsessed about it that you end up removing what you need to achieve a great tone.



Well I cut everything past about 9k so that 10k frequencies shouldn't even be there anymore, right? Also I read that turning the master up on amp sims like Recto New and FAS Modern is a bad idea and makes the low notes all farty.


----------



## redstone

You can't cut everything past 9K with the axe, its filters aren't that efficient. Moreover, the cab fizz issues start way lower, around 5Khz.

It's possible to crank the master on all high gain sims and keep a tight low end. Increase the thumb past 5 if it farts, increase the low cut or use a pedal boost if necessary. My main patch was a cranked recto new, I -> shared <- it before selling the axe.


----------



## MesaENGR412

New Fractal Bot allows the Fractal to both send and receive MIDI commands via USB. 

Fractal Audio Systems - Fractal-Bot MIDI Utility for the Axe-Fx II and MFC-101

-AJH


----------



## Hyacinth

redstone said:


> You can't cut everything past 9K with the axe, its filters aren't that efficient. Moreover, the cab fizz issues start way lower, around 5Khz.
> 
> It's possible to crank the master on all high gain sims and keep a tight low end. Increase the thumb past 5 if it farts, increase the low cut or use a pedal boost if necessary. My main patch was a cranked recto new, I -> shared <- it before selling the axe.



I'll experiment with turning the master up tomorrow when I can turn up a little louder. Should I go through with a notch filter and see if I can locate the hiss frequency or should I use a PEQ block to try to find it?


----------



## olli576

MatthewLeisher said:


> I'll experiment with turning the master up tomorrow when I can turn up a little louder. Should I go through with a notch filter and see if I can locate the hiss frequency or should I use a PEQ block to try to find it?



gave recording a go with metal foundry tonight, can anyone give me some tips on improving my bass tone? or guitar tone if you think it's lacking something

https://soundcloud.com/olli576/metamorphosis-full-mix-cover-1

If you can, take the time to download it please so you get the full quality as soundcloud kinda screws with the reverb and bottom end!


----------



## shawnt3

Just saying that new FAS Modern II sounds awesome! 
Jammed on it for a good couple of hours last night


----------



## redstone

MatthewLeisher said:


> I'll experiment with turning the master up tomorrow when I can turn up a little louder. Should I go through with a notch filter and see if I can locate the hiss frequency or should I use a PEQ block to try to find it?



You might need way more than one filter if your IR is the problem. Try fixing it with your DAW first, imo..


----------



## Seanthesheep

anyone finding dialing high gain patches a real pain? I dont know, everything is always too flubby, no matter what I do. and when I finally get it right, its too thin sounding.  EDIT: NVM. I just found out the 4x12 Cali with a U87 mic on it clears up the low end so much!

also finding across the board that any clean tone I dial or hear is way too dull, I go for a bell like chimey tone and my old presets from like FW5/6 are the only things that come close


----------



## vinniemallet

Sup guys! I'm thinking about getting an Axe-Fx 2 (I've been using Ultra for some years), but I'm kinda broke with cash, can you guys tell me how much they usually are going for sale used on Europe? If it's possible to find for 1750-1800&#8364; it might be inside my budget.


----------



## jephjacques

Could someone please explain how to set up useful noise gates on the AxeFX II? I can't seem to dial in a good setting.


----------



## Hybrid138

Can you reamp in Garageband? I can't figure it out.


----------



## DropTheSun

jephjacques said:


> Could someone please explain how to set up useful noise gates on the AxeFX II? I can't seem to dial in a good setting.


 
On Axe fx II manual page 71 explains how the gate block works. That might help? 

I use pretty tight gate on my higain patches:
Trsh -55
Ratio 3
Att 1
Rel 1
Hold 7,50


----------



## Runander

I borrowed an Axe-Fx II from a friend and I've been fooling around a bit with it today. I hated it for the first half of the day and then I hit the sweet spot. I'm normally a POD user and I love my patches from my POD, but this one, the patch I used on the Axe-FX II (5153 patch, I think), it sounded so much fuller and more solid. Could be because of better cab sims in the Axe.

Definitely a piece of gear to look more into. I'm gonna try and get a hold on a Kemper too so I can compare that one as well.

Anyway, the quest for gear goes on


----------



## DropTheSun

Here are my main rhythm tones:

They sound like this:
http://soundcloud.com/mediumplayer/axe-fx-ii-dual-rectifier-evh

You can download them here:
http://axechange.fractalaudio.com/s...ropthesun&fields=username&products=0&setups=0

Edit:
Fixed broken link


----------



## theo

Broken link dude


----------



## sochmo

> Originally Posted by Ola Englund
> ah screw it then. no more posting on sevenstring.org
> 
> technomancer:
> As you wish
> 
> If it's too hard for you to post in the correct section or answer questions people ask you, we don't really need you here.



WOOOW this dude banned freaking OLA ENGLUND from sevenstring, I bet the chump doesnt even know who he is....


----------



## ALAN_C

Hi everyone , I'm ready switch to AXE-FX II soonly , anyone had some great tips and tricks for beginner ?


----------



## FireInside

Save your money and buy one? What are you looking for specifically?


----------



## Rook

^

Pretty much!

But yeah, the Axe II is more plug and play now than ever before, my best tips are try EVERYTHING


----------



## asher

sochmo said:


> WOOOW this dude banned freaking OLA ENGLUND from sevenstring, I bet the chump doesnt even know who he is....



What the hell does that have to do with anything?


----------



## Shask

10.10

Fixed Level parameters not modifiable in Custom Shift mode of Pitch block.

Improved Reverb algorithm. This new algorithm has a smoother tail response and a more natural sound. A new reverb type, &#8220;Studio&#8221;, has been added which models classic digital studio reverb units.

Increased maximum modulation depth of Reverb block. This results in more intense modulation effects at high Depth settings.

Improved WahWah block. Improved transfer function yields more authentic and fatter tone. The Wah block now features selectable models of actual wah pedals. The &#8220;Taper&#8221; parameter selects the sweep response. The &#8220;Fat&#8221; parameter modifies the &#8220;pedestal&#8221; of the transfer function which can be used to fatten the response. These parameters are set to default values when a model is selected. Currently available models are:
FAS Standard &#8211; Equivalent to the &#8220;Bandpass&#8221; setting in earlier firmware.
Clyde &#8211; Based on an original Vox Clyde McCoy wah.
Cry Babe &#8211; Based on a Dunlop Cry Baby.
VX846 &#8211; Based on a Vox V846-HW handwired wah.
Color-Tone &#8211; Based on a Colorsound wah.
Funk &#8211; Modeled after the &#8220;Shaft&#8221; sound.
Mortal &#8211; Based on a Morley wah/wolume pedal.

Note: existing presets that use the WahWah block should be reset by selecting or reselecting the desired wah model.

The Amp block now differentiates amps that have both Input Drive and Overdrive controls, i.e. Mesa Mark series, Dumble, etc. When a model is selected for amps of this type, the menu shows both controls. For other types the menu shows only the Input Drive control (which was formerly called simply &#8220;Drive&#8221. The Overdrive control defaults to noon when amps with this control are selected. As such, any presets based on these amps may need to be updated as this control was not present previously and the amount of drive may differ now. Note that these two controls are applied to the appropriate point in the circuit for the amp being modeled, i.e. for Dumble-style amps the Overdrive is prior to the last triode stage, in Mesa Mark amps the Overdrive is applied prior to the third triode.

The Boost control has been added to the Advanced tab of the Amp block menu as this control position is used for the Drive control for certain models (see above).

Transformer distortion modeling is now independent of transformer match value. Before the amount of distortion was also dependent on the match value making adjustment more difficult.

Added Classic mode of Carol-Ann TripTik amp model. The previous model has been renamed &#8220;TripTik Modern&#8221;.

Added TripTik Clean amp model based on Carol-Ann TripTik clean channel.

Added two custom &#8220;Thordendal&#8221; amp models built to Fredirik Thordendal&#8217;s specifications.


----------



## theo

&#8220;Thordendal&#8221; amp models... 

I'd love to know if these are modeled of the DAR amps or something else.

Either way, SUPER stoked to try them out.


----------



## sochmo

asher said:


> What the hell does that have to do with anything?



Ola was helping someone out on this thread and got banned for posting a video or something on here....


----------



## flint757

Not quite what happened bro.

Also, he didn't get banned because of his actions or lack of action, but because he said he wasn't going to post here anymore. When you're already in trouble with the mods they don't take that lightly. You ask for a dirt nap, they give it to you . 

'Celebs' don't get special privileges around here and honestly I'm grateful for that. Nothing worse than a bunch of prima donnas running around who are 'above the law'.


----------



## DropTheSun

theo said:


> Thordendal amp models...
> 
> I'd love to know if these are modeled of the DAR amps or something else.
> 
> Either way, SUPER stoked to try them out.



From axewiki:
Cliff: "It's not a DAR model. It's a custom model based on input from Fredrik


----------



## Lorcan Ward

I bet his main request while designing the amp was that he actually gets to play this one.


----------



## theo

fuarkkkkkkkkkkkkk, I had literally a 10 second play of it before band practice last night. My UV70P with Blaze pickups and everything set to stock was a bit too bassy. Going to try to make time tonight to try again.


----------



## Andromalia

That Mark drive stuff is interesting. Will have to try this


----------



## Shask

Andromalia said:


> That Mark drive stuff is interesting. Will have to try this



It is just how the actual amps are. The VHT Deliverance also.


----------



## DropTheSun

Put your groovesocks on and go listen this:

https://soundcloud.com/mediumplayer/balls-out-this-is-going-to

Eightstring and Axe FX II in action.


----------



## Rook

Andromalia said:


> That Mark drive stuff is interesting. Will have to try this



The Mark IV and D60M have benefitted HUGELY from it, it've always struggled to get the mark really wet and singing like it is IRL, this has nailed it totally.

It's crazy, I can't wait to try my new guitar with it next week.


----------



## Andromalia

Didn'y notice a big difference with the mark honestly, as I nailed it pretty well before that, I still use the old axe1 EQ block after the amp trick. Will try the D60 tonight, I love this amp.


----------



## Shask

Rook said:


> The Mark IV and D60M have benefitted HUGELY from it, it've always struggled to get the mark really wet and singing like it is IRL, this has nailed it totally.
> 
> It's crazy, I can't wait to try my new guitar with it next week.



I notice the D60M is MUCH more like the Deliverance D120 head I had. Definitely made me feel less sad I had to trade it away.


----------



## BenSolace

After nearly 2 years of it being on the market, I've finally ordered one of these, should be with me on Tuesday. Excited isn't the word!


----------



## DropTheSun

BenHughesDS said:


> After nearly 2 years of it being on the market, I've finally ordered one of these, should be with me on Tuesday. Excited isn't the word!



Happy times!


----------



## BenSolace

kake said:


> Happy times!



I suppose I should specify that I mean the Axe II - I've had the Ultra since 2011 but all this talk about FW10 is just too hard to ignore!


----------



## Rook

Oh man, you're gunna appreciate it even more then!


----------



## combustion

what's a way I can get a sub-octave E (string is a .190) on my Dingwall Combustion to sound full without making it sound clicky? I'm using the Axe II (newest update) with a Darkglass B7K into headphones.


----------



## Seanthesheep

So quick axe fx question that I dont think deserves its own thread. 

Im thinking of updating my rig a bit. Right now Im doing my axe fx II straight into my alto ts115a. My band is starting to do bigger shows where we can only bring amp heads and not go direct. Wierd and kinda sucks but thats what we have to deal with. So because of that Im looking to ditch the alto and go with an SS poweramp. The Carvin DCM1540L is what I think Im going to go with but its 1500w and mainly it would go into a 120w 2x12. I know it wont blow easy but with that big of a gap, is it too much regardless?


----------



## theo

Why can't you go direct at the bigger shows?
If they're willing to mic a cab they should have no problem receiving a direct signal.
Worst case scenario, Pretend you're adjusting the mic, unplug the cable and plug it into the rear of your axe fx 2.


----------



## Seanthesheep

theo said:


> Why can't you go direct at the bigger shows?
> If they're willing to mic a cab they should have no problem receiving a direct signal.
> Worst case scenario, Pretend you're adjusting the mic, unplug the cable and plug it into the rear of your axe fx 2.



lots of bands and switches between sets, also they set out the half stacks so they dont have to put out DI Boxes or anything like that. Plus I personally avoid doing things that can be considered "....ing with the sound guy" because they can .... with your sound way worse, like we all know.

ALso the whole DI thing just hasnt been THAT great except for recording so for live its either do this or pick up a tube head


----------



## BenSolace

Just got my Axe FX II yesterday. All I can say is wow! I'm absolutely loving the Triaxis modes and the 5153 red channel 

Quick question though, after running for about an hour, mine gets really hot. I know the temperature has been up where I am recently, but it gets about as hot as my RME Fireface 800 (which I think is known to get quite hot). It's not hot enough to burn if you touched it, but I can't say it's miles off!

Anyone else experience this?


----------



## theo

That's not normal from my experience. Did you buy it new?


----------



## ALAN_C

Just got the Axe today ! But why my axe sound so strange when using the cable to my little mixer and go to monitor ?(i using the cheap instrument cable (L&R) to mixer) ...


----------



## BenSolace

theo said:


> That's not normal from my experience. Did you buy it new?



Yes, got it from G66. As I understand it, they had only just received the unit last month from Fractal before sending it out to me. I have spoken to G66 tech support who have said that not only has there never been an Axe II related failure due to heat, but that running warm was normal. Still worries me though, seeing as no-one else has reported it running hot, but their tech did say that what might be "warm" to one person may be classed as "hot" to another.

I'll have to find some way of getting a temperature reading off the case after about an hours use. I hope it's just me, I don't want to have to send it back and wait for a replacement after saving for all this time


----------



## theo

I'd swap it right away if I were you.


----------



## Genome

Is it uncomfortably hot to the touch?


----------



## theo

Is there any other equipment close to the axe fx which could be a source of heat?


----------



## Shask

I played my new Axe II today for about 5 hours and it wasnt warm at all. I keep a towel on top of it so I felt it under the cloth. This is in a room with AC and a ceiling fan though.... the powered monitors I was playing it through were MUCH warmer....


----------



## BenSolace

Genome said:


> Is it uncomfortably hot to the touch?



No, it doesn't burn you at all. It's just warmer than I remember my Ultra running at, though since I had to send that in for repair I gotta admit I'm in super paranoid mode with the Axe II. I plan to measure the running temperature this weekend and send it off to Fractal for their official diagnosis. It would be just ....ing typical that my Ultra breaks down and then the Axe II I order after saving for ages is faulty 



theo said:


> Is there any other equipment close to the axe fx which could be a source of heat?



No, it's currently in a 4U rack, mounted directly in the middle. It was going to be mounted with my old Ultra directly below it in the same rack, but now I'm scared that it will overheat and break both units


----------



## Genome

It's normal for the II to get fairly warm, mine does. I have no experience with the Ultra, but unless it's very hot then I think you're OK. The power supply is mounted directly behind the LCD screen. Normal running temperatures are around 40-45c in a fairly hot room with other gear going (think: gig).

It will be a good idea to take a reading and email Fractal though, just to be sure.


----------



## BenSolace

Genome said:


> It's normal for the II to get fairly warm, mine does. I have no experience with the Ultra, but unless it's very hot then I think you're OK. The power supply is mounted directly behind the LCD screen. Normal running temperatures are around 40-45c in a fairly hot room with other gear going (think: gig).
> 
> It will be a good idea to take a reading and email Fractal though, just to be sure.



Thanks for the info Genome  I have emailed Fractal suport and opened a ticket, just as a precursor to providing the actual temperature (should they ask for it). The heat does start out mainly in the LCD area, but eventually spreads throughout the rest of the chassis (normal for heat transferrence in metal I guess). The area around the LCD is always warmest.

Like I say, I could just be paraniod after the situation with my Ultra. I'll have that back from repairs in a few weeks so I can test that, as TBH I didn't really keep track of its operating temperature before.

I'll post here with info on however this ends up, as there doesn't seem to be a lot of heat complaints going around and it might be useful for other concerned souls!


----------



## Genome

Good luck!


----------



## kmanick

I've had the MAtrix GT1000FX for a couple of months now and I run it into an Avatar Vintage 2X12 (hellatone60s, got a Celestion CL80 today I'm going to try in there too) I thought it was pretty sweet...................until I scored a Fryette 2/50/2 last week. 
IMO the Fryette destroys the Matrix (or anything SS for that matter (I've tried a few)
I just recieved a quad of KT-77's that I'm going to throw in there so I can get a bit more of a neutral tone from the Fryette, but so far ....no contest.
I've also tried the Carvin TS100 (or Tl100 which ever is the tube amp) a Mesa 50/50 and a Marshall 9000.
the Carvin was sterile and lifeless, the Mesa sounded great but fought the amp sims in the Axe so only the Mesa models sounded good with it, same with the Marshall, the Marshall based sims sounded great with that, the Fryette sounds great with all of the amp models.
The Matrix sounds great at lower volumes, and works really well with FRFR passive wedges, here's the thing though, as you crank it up (and it does get pretty loud) it starts to sound "cardboard-ish (this is with the real cab)) the girth and harmonic overtones that you get with a tube power amp aren't there. I didn't even realize they weren't there until I plugged in the Fryette.
there may be a way to dial some of that in with the Axe II advanced parameters, but with the Fryette , it's just there.
We are doing an FRFR shoot out at my house on Sunday, but I'm pretty sure the Fryette and my 2X12 are what's going to come out on top (for me anyway) We are testing the latest Xitones, the Atomic CLR and the RCF NX12sma.
We will drive the Xitones and the 2X12 with both the Matrix and the Fryette to get every possible combination out of the gear we have at hand and see
"who rules" 

I've already got the xitones here, not bad at all. (for FRFR that is)




Seanthesheep said:


> lots of bands and switches between sets, also they set out the half stacks so they dont have to put out DI Boxes or anything like that. Plus I personally avoid doing things that can be considered "....ing with the sound guy" because they can .... with your sound way worse, like we all know.
> 
> ALso the whole DI thing just hasnt been THAT great except for recording so for live its either do this or pick up a tube head


----------



## ALAN_C

I just got my Axe Fx II few days ago , it's so amazing !! 
Any tips and tricks for setting ? I saw the Axe-Fx Wiki said put the filter and Eq in front and back of the amp can get more better sounds . 

Any suggestions ?


----------



## Rook

I wouldn't have said that's necessary at all these day.

Just try everything and do lots of experimenting, I get my favourite sounds from places I'm not expecting.


----------



## Shask

I recently got my Axe-FX II also 

After having a HD500 and Axe-FX Standard, I would say you really don't need to tweak the II. I basically just throw up an amp model, put an OD in front of it, and that is about it for basic tones. Anything else is because I am trying to find something specific...


----------



## SnowfaLL

ok I must be going insane.. but does EMG's open up the AxeFX II for you guys??

Since I got the II, I havent played my Agile 7 with EMGs which sounded so good with the Ultra (received a new Carvin DC727).. so I was wondering why the II didn't quite sound as good as the Ultra.. It must of been the settings, but I messed around with it a lot. Then I decided to try the Agile 7 again just for fun (its listed for sale even) and holy shit, same detailed, clarity in the low end that I missed.. I don't know how its so drastic; Its a top notch Carvin DC727 with BKP Nailbombs (or Painkillers, I forget) - but the EMGs won out..

Anyone else ever experiment with the difference on EMGs vs passives for the Axe-FX? Am I just crazy or should I go buy 5 sets of EMG's for all my guitars now as long as I keep the Axe FX? (I normally hate EMG's for tube amps, but this is different.. Actually this Agile is first EMG guitar i've owned since 2006)


----------



## theo

Do you change the instrument input level for the carvin and the agile?
If you don't you should definitely experiment with it.


----------



## 3074326

I actually haven't been too happy with the tones I've made with guitars I have/had with EMGs. Not a big EMG guy though, admittedly.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Ive had no poblems dialing tones with EMGs on my axefx II. Even mid gain and clean tones come out great for me


----------



## Rook

Yeah, most people's disagreements with EMG's come from how they feel, their sound is just as much a taste thing as any other pickup.


----------



## SnowfaLL

don't get me wrong, I hate EMGs for real amps and *CABINETS* but using the Axe-FX and FRFR, thats a whole different bag of worms. Yes, I messed with the input level of my passives multiple times, still was unhappy with the tone.

Its a tough choice, cause If I do switch to all EMGs, Im basically stuck with this setup cause if I go back to real cabinets, I dislike EMGs. Oh well, I don't see myself going back to cabinets anytime soon. I am keeping the set of BKP Mother Milks in my new strat thats coming in a few weeks though, something about EMGs in strats is wrong (even if Gilmour does it). Good thing I dont play anything heavy on that.


----------



## BenSolace

I've always philosophised that the Axe should ideally see the most neutral pickups possible due to the massive range of sounds within. Unless you go for a particular tonal quality on EVERY patch you make (e.g. BKP BRAINkiller high mid spike), you will end up EQ'ing this out of every patch that you don't want it in. With a neutral pickup, I think you could probably add a similar effect in when needed, but otherwise retain a flat response.

Of course, I have struggled to find pickups that are truly flat, so I just went with a set of the new EMG 57/66 which I hope to receive by the end of the month. They sound pretty balanced from most reviews, but I have yet to hear them. Perhaps I'll post some stems when I get them.


----------



## SnowfaLL

Yea. The DC727 I have right now has Painkillers, and I definitely feel that. Its not bad though, but the EMG's just work more for me.


----------



## Shask

I dont notice them being good or bad, but I can definitely tell the patches with EMGs dont normally have a dominant sound. I mainly use a Crunchlab and an EMG 707, and the Crunchlab always gives the Axe a super exaggerated mid spike, where the EMG sounds more neutral.


----------



## SnowfaLL

Yeah thats what I've been struggling with; my two "main" guitars right now have a BKP Painkiller 7 set, and a Dimarzio Crunchlab/LF set lol.. Going to the EMG's neutral-ness after that, is quite different.


----------



## Rook

BenHughesDS said:


> I've always philosophised that the Axe should ideally see the most neutral pickups possible due to the massive range of sounds within. Unless you go for a particular tonal quality on EVERY patch you make (e.g. BKP BRAINkiller high mid spike), you will end up EQ'ing this out of every patch that you don't want it in. With a neutral pickup, I think you could probably add a similar effect in when needed, but otherwise retain a flat response.
> 
> Of course, I have struggled to find pickups that are truly flat, so I just went with a set of the new EMG 57/66 which I hope to receive by the end of the month. They sound pretty balanced from most reviews, but I have yet to hear them. Perhaps I'll post some stems when I get them.



If you actually want flat pickups, you want some Lace Alumitones, however there's more to an EQ than straight boost and cut at different frequencies. They're reactive so there's phase to think about, different pickups don't feel or sound different just because of the peak and even if something's flat (lowQ) there will also be a phase/frequency variation.


----------



## FireInside

Shask said:


> I recently got my Axe-FX II also
> 
> After having a HD500 and Axe-FX Standard, I would say you really don't need to tweak the II. I basically just throw up an amp model, put an OD in front of it, and that is about it for basic tones. Anything else is because I am trying to find something specific...



Just wondering...are you using FRFR or power amp and cab? I have similar results with my Ultra through a Velocity 300 and Mesa Oversize cab. I do a bit of tweaking but not as much as I would have expected.


----------



## Shask

FireInside said:


> Just wondering...are you using FRFR or power amp and cab? I have similar results with my Ultra through a Velocity 300 and Mesa Oversize cab. I do a bit of tweaking but not as much as I would have expected.



Kind of both. I run output 1 into some M-Audio monitors, and I will play that sometimes with cab models. I run output 2 into a poweramp and guitar cabs, and I play that with no cab models. I kind of flip back and forth depending on my mood.

I never tweaked my Standard NEARLY as much as my HD500, and now I tweak the II even less. I am probably not as neurotic OCD as some people, but to me it basically sounds good on about everything normal settings.


----------



## 3074326

Seanthesheep said:


> Ive had no poblems dialing tones with EMGs on my axefx II. Even mid gain and clean tones come out great for me



I will say that my comment about not being happy with EMG tones from my Axe was referring to the distortion sounds.. I actually really liked the cleans I was getting with them. But with the high-gain patches the tones were either too saturated or not saturated enough. Couldn't get the happy medium I've been able to get with my guitars with Crunchlab/Liquifire combo and JB/Jazz combo.


----------



## olli576

Hey guys i've been playing with the mackie 1531 for a while with the axefx (about 1month) and just recently i played along side it with a real amp/cab and instantly noticed how much more mids the real amp had, aswell as a lot louder.

I put my ear up against the grill and found the top tweeter then as i went down it was basically no sound until i got to the sub, the 6" horn (middle speaker) should be fairly noticeable/present with mids shouldn't it? instead of just a distance sound which mayeswell just be the tweeter from a low point

would this mean the middle speaker just isn't connected right or has a faulty wire? i'm going to take the grill off soon and get a closer look/listen but i just wanna see if anyone else has had this issue for a better direction to go in.

Please help! your responses are much appreciated.


----------



## BenSolace

Rook said:


> If you actually want flat pickups, you want some Lace Alumitones, however there's more to an EQ than straight boost and cut at different frequencies. They're reactive so there's phase to think about, different pickups don't feel or sound different just because of the peak and even if something's flat (lowQ) there will also be a phase/frequency variation.



I've no doubt you understand the technical side of things more than I do, all I have on the subject is what I've tried in the past. I've pretty much given up on my theories, so now I'm back to trawling the pickup world to try and find something I like!

On a different note, I finally got my response from Fractal USA regarding the heat issue. Didn't exactly get the answer that I wanted ("this is normal") but they did say that the Axe II runs *much* hotter than the Ultra, which I remember to only get slightly warm. I suppose that's something though


----------



## SnowfaLL

BenHughesDS said:


> I've no doubt you understand the technical side of things more than I do, all I have on the subject is what I've tried in the past. I've pretty much given up on my theories, so now I'm back to trawling the pickup world to try and find something I like!
> 
> On a different note, I finally got my response from Fractal USA regarding the heat issue. Didn't exactly get the answer that I wanted ("this is normal") but they did say that the Axe II runs *much* hotter than the Ultra, which I remember to only get slightly warm. I suppose that's something though



So there wont be any issues with damage for running hot? I didnt notice it before reading your post but yesterday my axe was super hot, while I was dialing in from the front panel (tonematching) - I dunno if its always like that though, yesterday was an abnormally hot day here.


----------



## BenSolace

NickCormier said:


> So there wont be any issues with damage for running hot? I didnt notice it before reading your post but yesterday my axe was super hot, while I was dialing in from the front panel (tonematching) - I dunno if its always like that though, yesterday was an abnormally hot day here.



The weather has been quite hot where I am recently. Like I've mentioned, it doesn't get too hot to touch, but warm enough to make your hand instantly sweat if you rest it on the chassis over the screen. Neither Fractal nor G66 seem to be worried, so I'll have to trust them. If not, at least I've got a full 2 years warranty period ahead of me and an Ultra for backup


----------



## DropTheSun

Stephen Carpenter from Deftones is a great dude!
Fractal Audio Systems - Stef Carpenter Deftones Artist Preset Pack Released


----------



## Lorcan Ward

^That is really cool of him!!


----------



## Poltergeist

I don't even have an Axe Fx II and I'm excited about Stephen Carpenter uploading his KNY presets...Can non-owners of an Axe-Fx still download Axe-Edit and view presets within the community?


----------



## Sean1242

@Poltergeist : You can.


----------



## Winspear

Is anyone using a tube poweramp into passive frfr or does that kind of defeat the point of frfr (I.e. wanting to hear only the axe fx with its cab sim and any poweramp modelling)


----------



## Rook

Cab sim into tube amp would be a bad idea, you wouldn't wanna drive a phase inverter tube with a signal with next to no high end compared to the un-cabbed signal.

Tube-> guitar cab
SS/FRFR amp->FRFR Cab IMO


----------



## kmanick

When we had all of the cabs here at my house last weekend the Xitones were passive.
we ran them with the Matrix GT1000FX and my Fryette 2/50/2.
with cab sims on it's much harder to tell the difference between a tube amp and a solid state. With a regular guitar cab it's much more evident.(way better with a tube amp)
If I was going to run passive FRFR (which I think is a bad idea) I'd use a SS power amp.

why do I think it's a bad idea?
here's why 
having the Atomic CLR and the RCF NX12SMA side by side with the Xitones being driven by the Matrix, the difference in overall volume and 'space" taken up by the 3 wedges was quite noticable. Even Asking Tom at Atomic he will tell you the Active on board amp has some "mojo" to it, so does the on board PA of the RCF. they are matched up for that specific cab/wedge. I understand the whole "flexibility side of it) but passive FRFR cabs are not much cheaper than the active versions. The DSP crossover is all matched up for the onboard amp. it will sound the best that way.

Unless you go Matrix power amp and Matrix passive FRFR cab/wedge, at least those are matched for each other.


----------



## taysil11

So how long do these epic monsters last? Do they have any of the "decay" in quality that say, a PC would have over time? I know they're relatively new, but would one last as long as a durable amp head (tube)? 

Thanks!


----------



## xCaptainx

Might be a question worth asking the volumes of continued Pod XT, X3, Vetta, HD147 and spider users? 

Digital is a series of 1s and 0s, it's near on impossible for your signal to 'decay', it would simply stop working altogether.


----------



## Shask

People are still using quality rack units from the 80's, which are over 30 years old now.

So, that should give us ideas about how long the Axe-FX should last....


----------



## TheKindred

A pc is continually getting updates and required to run ever more advanced software resulting in the degradation of the whole system (as weak as the weakest component anyways.)

An AXE is only getting upgrades specifically made for it and almost certainly no 'bloatware' that would negatively affect it.


----------



## axxessdenied

Tube amps reliable? Tell that to my wallet!


----------



## Given To Fly

Fractal has released a new model of the AxeFX every 2 - 3 years which lines up pretty well with the rest of the digital processing world. This doesn't mean the older AxeFX models aren't any good, but it does mean there is something better available and the marketing world will be sure to let you know.


----------



## noUser01

Put it this way... I have a kickass gaming computer. Would I ever use the computer I had 3 years ago? Hell no. It was good then, but not now.

I have a kickass AxeFX II. Would I ever use an Ultra? Hell yes. Still as good as ever.

This difference between an AxeFX and a computer is that music is not getting more demanding for digital processors. Computers become out of date because they don't have the processing power for newer games or operating systems. That issue doesn't apply to digital modelers because we don't have issues with them exploding because people play to many notes through them. Digital modelers sound the way they sound, and that's it. If it sounds good, it's going to sound just as good from that day forward. Is the next thing that comes out going to sound better? Probably, but that doesn't mean what you used before isn't just as good as it was from day one.


----------



## axxessdenied

BTBAM tours with Ultras


----------



## 7 Dying Trees

I still have a pod xt pro from 2003. I still love it for what it does.

You're buying a sound, not a specification, so to that end it'll still sound the same in 10-20 years time!


----------



## Leuchty

Once djent dies out the Axe Fx will become useless.


----------



## morethan6

CYBERSYN said:


> Once djent dies out the Axe Fx will become useless.



Yet the Kemper will live on... Totally buying a Kemper.

I love the sound of the Axe FX but it seems to me to be all about that particular style i.e. super tight low end distortion. I like the idea that the Kemper is more organic.

Dunno, just me opinion. Let's face it, the real reason is that the Kemper is half the price and I'm a cheapskate...


----------



## Runander

7 Dying Trees said:


> You're buying a sound, not a specification, so to that end it'll still sound the same in 10-20 years time!



This may be the reason why I'm considering getting an ENGL again. I want THAT sound


----------



## shanike

morethan6 said:


> I love the sound of the Axe FX but it seems to me to be all about that particular style i.e. super tight low end distortion. I like the idea that the Kemper is more organic.



perhaps the majority of Fractal users on this forum gives you that idea, but make no mistake, Axe-fx is heavily adapted by pretty much all genres outside 'djent'.


----------



## Shask

morethan6 said:


> Yet the Kemper will live on... Totally buying a Kemper.
> 
> I love the sound of the Axe FX but it seems to me to be all about that particular style i.e. super tight low end distortion. I like the idea that the Kemper is more organic.
> 
> Dunno, just me opinion. Let's face it, the real reason is that the Kemper is half the price and I'm a cheapskate...



The Axe-FX II can do WAY more than that, it is just popular for that style. I was trying to decide recently and I went Axe since I feel like you get a lot more for your money, and I like the workflow better. In the US there is only a $250ish difference between them...


I find it amazing how much the Axe has changed the world of guitar forever. I have never seen such a huge shift as the last 5 years in terms of touring rigs. For that alone you will see the Axe-FX in rigs for MANY years to come....


----------



## myampslouder

if you're questioning the durability of the axe fx I'd say they are most likely just as rugged and any well built solid state amp.

If your worried about how long it will be around I think the axe fx will be around for a long time but at the end of the day it's still a digital preamp. Just like all the best digital preamps there will eventually be something new and better and everyone will jump on that bandwagon and it will become a fun little gadget you scored on guitar center used for a few hundred bucks. That's just how the market is with digital preamps and modelers. Look at all the pod pros, digitech 2101 and other digital gear that was hailed as revolutionary and is now just a novelty. 

I do understand that the axe fx is on a whole different level compared to its predecessors but at the end of the day as new upgraded versionsncome out and the market becomes more competitve you will see prices drop and diminishing resale value.



That said, I still fraking want one!


----------



## Shask

myampslouder said:


> if you're questioning the durability of the axe fx I'd say they are most likely just as rugged and any well built solid state amp.
> 
> If your worried about how long it will be around I think the axe fx will be around for a long time but at the end of the day it's still a digital preamp. Just like all the best digital preamps there will eventually be something new and better and everyone will jump on that bandwagon and it will become a fun little gadget you scored on guitar center used for a few hundred bucks. That's just how the market is with digital preamps and modelers. Look at all the pod pros, digitech 2101 and other digital gear that was hailed as revolutionary and is now just a novelty.
> 
> I do understand that the axe fx is on a whole different level compared to its predecessors but at the end of the day as new upgraded versionsncome out and the market becomes more competitve you will see prices drop and diminishing resale value.
> 
> 
> 
> That said, I still fraking want one!



Eventide, TC Electronic, Lexicon, etc.... all have units 25 years old that STILL are worth $1500, $2000, + because people want them for their sound. They were high end to begin with and still sound good to this day. I think this is how the Axe will be. I don't think it will ever end up in a bargain bin like a Digitech or Zoom. Obviously they will be worth less, but they are worth far from nothing.



Actually, the Axe COULD be one of the last hi-end major hardware units we see before everything goes iPad format. That alone could keep its worth up..... never know


----------



## morethan6

Shask said:


> The Axe-FX II can do WAY more than that, it is just popular for that style. I was trying to decide recently and I went Axe since I feel like you get a lot more for your money, and I like the workflow better. In the US there is only a $250ish difference between them...
> 
> 
> I find it amazing how much the Axe has changed the world of guitar forever. I have never seen such a huge shift as the last 5 years in terms of touring rigs. For that alone you will see the Axe-FX in rigs for MANY years to come....



Very true - I think it's incredible, and I currently use a modeller rig (POD HD500 into poweramp/cabs). it's a shame there's no UK distributor for Axe in the UK (unlike Kemper) so the difference in price is a lot more. AXE FXII - £2000. Kemper - £1329. That's what makes it a harder choice to go for the Axe for me.

TBH I'd be using it mainly in the studio, so I guess it's a slightly different choice. I think live the Axe is a no-brainer win.


----------



## kmanick

firmware 10.12 was released yesterday with major updates for Axe Edit 3.0,
so apparently this is not vapor ware any longer


----------



## Rook

The new GEQ settings are perfect for the Mark Amps, I finally am getting really authentic Mark tones.

FINALLY, it's what I bought the Axe for originally!


----------



## Given To Fly

Shask said:


> Eventide, TC Electronic, Lexicon, etc.... all have units 25 years old that STILL are worth $1500, $2000, + because people want them for their sound. They were high end to begin with and still sound good to this day. I think this is how the Axe will be. I don't think it will ever end up in a bargain bin like a Digitech or Zoom. Obviously they will be worth less, but they are worth far from nothing.
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, the Axe COULD be one of the last hi-end major hardware units we see before everything goes iPad format. That alone could keep its worth up..... never know



I don't think anybody is paying $1500 - $2000 for anything made by Eventide, TC Electronic, or Lexicon 25 years ago. The Eventide H3000 Harmonizer can be had for $900 or so. You are right, people still use it but more because its a "classic" piece of studio gear, not because of the modern sound quality; they have have the H8000FW for that.


----------



## Shask

I gotta update it soon so that I can try the new Graphic EQ's!


----------



## noUser01

Here's your answer:

will the FX3 come out as soon as i buy the Fx2 - Page 4



> There won't be an Axe-Fx III anytime soon.
> 
> Version 11.00 firmware, however, will make the II feel like an Axe-Fx III



Also...



> It is cool though. I've finally solved the last piece of the puzzle. It has taken me five years to figure this out.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Firmware 11 is coming soon according to Cliff. Hopefully Axe-Edit 3 is out by then.


----------



## Andromalia

Whaaaaaaaaaaaa ?
Since he just redid the cab, we can assume it's somethign to do with the power amps again, as he stated preamps were pretty much done and spot on already ?


----------



## Andromalia

Rook said:


> The new GEQ settings are perfect for the Mark Amps, I finally am getting really authentic Mark tones.
> 
> FINALLY, it's what I bought the Axe for originally!


Like, no need to go and fiddle with the parametric ?
I get tones all right with the Para EQ as a replacement for the amp EQ, but dialing new tones will sure get easier if just the graphic will do it.


----------



## 7 Dying Trees

Hmmmm.... I've found myself more and more attracted to getting an axe and seeing what all the fuss is about, problem is, they're rather expensive!


----------



## Andromalia

Says he who played a Mesa roadster at some point if I remember well.


----------



## Chris O

Not gonna bore anyone trying to "convert" them, but for me, the Axe has been far & away the best guitar purchase I've ever made. I finally saw the light and went FRFR as well, and with God as my witness, I'll never go back to tube.

..until I find something tube I like better... 

Seriously though, I love the thing. My amp gas hasn't gone beyond moderate at BEST since I got this setup dialed in. Once integrated, it's really hard to beat.


----------



## Eclipse

Axe-Fx forever!


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> People are still using quality rack units from the 80's, which are over 30 years old now.



thanks for making me feel old


----------



## theo

Man.. I'm excited for FW11. But at the same time I really don't like having to redo all my tones haha.


----------



## Shask

Andromalia said:


> Like, no need to go and fiddle with the parametric ?
> I get tones all right with the Para EQ as a replacement for the amp EQ, but dialing new tones will sure get easier if just the graphic will do it.



I messed with this a little bit today. The 5 band EQ definitely reminded me of my Mesa mark III!


I also like the 7 band EQ, reminds me of the Boss EQ pedal I used for years!


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> thanks for making me feel old



I am right there with you, lol! Young in spirit and music preferences!


----------



## iron blast

I was of the axe fx is just good for djent and heavy crowd as well until I heard a band called starkill demo the ultra live for me. Even those are super versatile. I would love to tweak a axe II for black metal tones and hear what it can really do.


----------



## Beeftron

axxessdenied said:


> Tube amps reliable? Tell that to my wallet!



This.


----------



## Krucifixtion

morethan6 said:


> Yet the Kemper will live on... Totally buying a Kemper.
> 
> I love the sound of the Axe FX but it seems to me to be all about that particular style i.e. super tight low end distortion. I like the idea that the Kemper is more organic.
> 
> Dunno, just me opinion. Let's face it, the real reason is that the Kemper is half the price and I'm a cheapskate...



Axe-Fx is def not just a Djent thing. Some of the best tones I have heard out of it are more low/mid gain stuff. Considering Cliff is not really a "Djent" player it's not like he made it just for that. I'm sure the Kemper is awesome too, but I have never been able to play one. I'm still happy I went with Axe-Fx II, cause it just keeps getting better and better with all the updates. It still has tons of processing power so it's not gonna be obsolete anytime soon and it's miles ahead of the Line6 stuff still and people have used some of those products for many years.


----------



## mongey

I have no doubt the axe units will have a good shelf life. 

But it is like any piece if hardware. It will pale in features to the models after it. 
But like someone said if it sounds good now it will still sound good in 5 years. Maybe not as good as axe 4 or Kemper 3 or whatever is new at the time but its not like a computer where benchmarks go up and you can't use new software with it at a point. 

Everything has up keep costs. I just retubed my recto for the 3 rd time in 4 years. It all costs $ to be in the game


----------



## Andromalia

The fragile parts in a computer are either those with mechanical movement (ie, hard drives) or those submitted to very high performance pressure (ie, graphic cards).
AFAIK the axefx has no mechanical parts aside of the knobs, and the power consumption is nothing like a 400W video monstrosity.
Also, remember most "burnign" issues come from the computer parts being submitted to electicity spikes and come from an old/defective power feed.

I guess you'll be looking for AxefxII replacement knobs well before the axe stops working. (Of course, statistically, _some _will stop working. But very few of them)


----------



## BenSolace

Rook said:


> The new GEQ settings are perfect for the Mark Amps, I finally am getting really authentic Mark tones.
> 
> FINALLY, it's what I bought the Axe for originally!



Ditto. The Triaxis preset I made on day one sounds so much more like my old rig (Triaxis into VHT 2/50/2) with the new GEQ!


----------



## Rook

drawnacrol said:


> Firmware 11 is coming soon according to Cliff. Hopefully Axe-Edit 3 is out by then.



Oh my _f_uck shit wank piss balls dick jesus penis.


----------



## Shask

They have a Ver 11 Beta up on their forum now. Early reports are saying that the dynamics and dynamics to guitar volume knob changes are much better.


I havent tried it (Just got 10.12, lol), but if the Beta is out, that must mean it is pretty soon. They also said Axe-Edit 3.0 is almost done, so I assume Axe-Edit 3.0 and Ver 11.0 will come out together....


----------



## Shask

Andromalia said:


> The fragile parts in a computer are either those with mechanical movement (ie, hard drives) or those submitted to very high performance pressure (ie, graphic cards).
> AFAIK the axefx has no mechanical parts aside of the knobs, and the power consumption is nothing like a 400W video monstrosity.
> Also, remember most "burnign" issues come from the computer parts being submitted to electicity spikes and come from an old/defective power feed.
> 
> I guess you'll be looking for AxefxII replacement knobs well before the axe stops working. (Of course, statistically, _some _will stop working. But very few of them)



The only major problem I have read about several times is the power supply going out. It seems most common in Europe (Where the wall voltage is twice that of the US), and you can replace the power supply for like $40 or something. Swap the board out.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Rook said:


> Oh my _f_uck shit wank piss balls dick jesus penis.



Oh my Flip, brownie making, banana scrubbing, tinkle, gonads, shlong, Petrucci, purple-headed warrior the beta is out!!

Get Yer 11.0 Beta Here!


----------



## Rook

OH MY BALLSPLOSION

LORCAN I LOVE YOU

I'm at work humping my desk right now, no joke.


----------



## Andromalia

I read about V11 when downloading 10.11 XD
Will wait for official release. That's just going too fast for me


----------



## Semi-pro

Hey guies! Any idea if I can use an IR made for Axe II with my Axe Standard? I just checked out the Steph Carpenter pack and it's neat. So fun to read his notes and dig the pics! (That red tele 8 with a floyd is outrageous! )

Axe wiki said that Standard/Ultra cabs need to be converted for Axe II but said nothing about the other way around...

I know I can't use the patches (obviously) but I thought I could at least check out his cab IR. But now when browsing the files with Axe-Edit, it shows a red slash on the cab icon which I guess means it can't be opened cos I've the Standard model. Is it so or am i just n00bing around? I've never imported cabs to my Axe and would like to check out some badass cabinets, feel free to pm me some or share a link. I like sounds that have a bit of that "air" or feel of space/openness in it... The German and Cali have been good but needed a bit too much of eq (that bump around the 130Hz in the cali is crazy!)


----------



## 7 Dying Trees

Andromalia said:


> Says he who played a Mesa roadster at some point if I remember well.


 well played, i still play a roadking II, so yeah...

I just find I am not sure I can justify the amount on a unit I'll only use at home :/ 

On the other hand, my pod xt has lasted 10 years and it is time for an upgrade...


----------



## Andless

ConnorGilks said:


> This difference between an AxeFX and a computer is that music is not getting more demanding for digital processors.



Tell that to Native Instruments and other virtual instruments/sample makers. 

Capturing and processing a guitar signal might be seeing some diminishing returns by now in digital-realm improvements, but I'd say there will always be the GAS for something that can do more with less latency.

Nevertheless, I do agree that for guitar sound processing, I can't imagine replacing my Kemper for the foreseeable future, not for lack of sound quality nor latency, it would be for a completely different reason. 

And I suppose that would be true for all the Axe FX owners too.


----------



## Shask

Native Instruments has changed music forever 


What I see also, is everyone is wanting what Fractal and Kemper are doing. What I mean by that, is owners of other products want the same treatment. New things like Fractal's Scenes are becoming a standard, and I am sure other companies will follow. usually being a trend setter is a key to longevity.


----------



## Chilean rager

Hi, I recently bought an axe fx ultra and I can't connect it to the axe edit even though my pc recognizes it, are there any steps that I could follow? I used midiox to see if it was connected and it seems to send midi signals all the time, even if I'm not doing anything with the axe, also in Axe edit I choose the midi input and output to the ones coming from the axe fx but I't says that i check the MIDI I/O, and those cables are well conected, what can I do?


----------



## Genome

Firmware 11? I'm still on 10.02.


----------



## Shask

Chilean rager said:


> Hi, I recently bought an axe fx ultra and I can't connect it to the axe edit even though my pc recognizes it, are there any steps that I could follow? I used midiox to see if it was connected and it seems to send midi signals all the time, even if I'm not doing anything with the axe, also in Axe edit I choose the midi input and output to the ones coming from the axe fx but I't says that i check the MIDI I/O, and those cables are well conected, what can I do?



Make sure your cables are crossed.... midi out on the computer goes to the midi in on the axe and the midi in on the computer goes to the midi out on the axe.

Also make sure you are using an old version of axe-edit.


----------



## Shask

Genome said:


> Firmware 11? I'm still on 10.02.



He put up the 11.0 beta yesterday. It seems to be more dynamic than 10.12...


----------



## SSK0909

Firmware 11 beta really is a big improvement.

I'm not hearing a huge difference on my recordings, but the feel/dynamics seem greatly improved and through my atomic cab it sounds more like a real amp than before, it kinda fills out the room better and has more of a 3d sound. Difficult to describe, but i recommend everyone to give it a go, it doesnt affect your v. 10 presets that much, at least not mine


----------



## Shask

That is what I notice. I don't really HEAR a difference, but I can FEEL a difference...


----------



## Syrinx

SSK0909 said:


> Firmware 11 beta really is a big improvement.
> 
> I'm not hearing a huge difference on my recordings, but the feel/dynamics seem greatly improved and through my atomic cab it sounds more like a real amp than before, it kinda fills out the room better and has more of a 3d sound. Difficult to describe, but i recommend everyone to give it a go, it doesnt affect your v. 10 presets that much, at least not mine



Just run FractalBot before upgrading and make a backup of all your preset banks to be safe.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Noob question (probably already answered): Will this bad boy be sufficient for Axe Edit on an AxeFX Standard? Amazon.com: USB MIDI Cable Converter PC to Music Keyboard Window Win Vista XP, Mac OS X: Musical Instruments

I only have one set of MIDI in/out on my interface and they're already in use.


----------



## Shask

Konfyouzd said:


> Noob question (probably already answered): Will this bad boy be sufficient for Axe Edit on an AxeFX Standard? Amazon.com: USB MIDI Cable Converter PC to Music Keyboard Window Win Vista XP, Mac OS X: Musical Instruments
> 
> I only have one set of MIDI in/out on my interface and they're already in use.



Usually those cheap ones give you all kinds of problems.

What is already in use? sometimes you can daisy chain them together using MIDI thrus....


----------



## Konfyouzd

Shask said:


> Usually those cheap ones give you all kinds of problems.
> 
> What is already in use? sometimes you can daisy chain them together using MIDI thrus....



Basically I have one in and one out on my interface. The in is being used by my keyboard. Can I work this out with splitters maybe?


----------



## combustion

how would I go about using my Harke halfstack (HA5500 head, AK 4x10 cab) with the Axe Fx II (as in what do I connect)?


----------



## Shask

Konfyouzd said:


> Basically I have one in and one out on my interface. The in is being used by my keyboard. Can I work this out with splitters maybe?



Does you keyboard have an out or thru or out/thru port?

EDIT: Oh, a MIDI "splitter" is called a MIDI Merger, and is about $80 for the cheapest model....


----------



## Konfyouzd

I'll have to look at my keyboard when I get home and get back to you. For what its worth I seem to remember my keyboard having 3 ports at least but I could be wrong.


----------



## Rook

NB anyone thinking of trying 11b, if you go back to another other firmware it wipes clean any preset you've used or even scrolled through on 11. I didn't save anything on 11, decided I wanted to download some newer patches for 10, everything I'd been anywhere near was empty.


----------



## Rook

combustion said:


> how would I go about using my Harke halfstack (HA5500 head, AK 4x10 cab) with the Axe Fx II (as in what do I connect)?



Do do what? Just amplify the Axe? Ad FX to your head?


----------



## Shask

Rook said:


> NB anyone thinking of trying 11b, if you go back to another other firmware it wipes clean any preset you've used or even scrolled through on 11. I didn't save anything on 11, decided I wanted to download some newer patches for 10, everything I'd been anywhere near was empty.



Interesting. I haven't tried that because I don't go backwards


----------



## SnowfaLL

11 does seem to feel better.. Although I still keep my firmware on the menu screen as V9 (V11 isnt in there)


----------



## guitarforlife

sorry for another post here but i need to ask one more question,

so if i get an axe fx and the foot controller for it can i have it set up so one button goes to a clean with a compressor effect then another button will have a 5150 sounding amp setting ( i think its called a patch, never used an axe fx before ) with a od pedal with my eq settings, then a 3rd button for the same as the rhythm but with an added delay pedal, and have a 4th button for a nice crunch?

the reason im looking at the axe fx is because now im running a peavey 6505+ and to do all this i would have to get a midi controller and some rack gear and some special cable to let me switch channels on my amp on turn effects on and off with one button push, and to be honest the axe fx sounds more compact and easier to use, and sounds almost just as good IMHO, because ive heard some massive tones out of that thing


----------



## Shask

Yeah, pretty much. Each preset (or patch) you save any settings you want, and when you go to a different preset it is all different settings you saved.


----------



## noUser01

Andless said:


> Tell that to Native Instruments and other virtual instruments/sample makers.



That's not what I'm referring to at all, read the rest of my post before taking that out of context. I'm talking about the difference between a computer and an AxeFX II. A computer doesn't _just_ handle software that processes a guitar signal. Computers go out of date much quicker than a unit like the AxeFX because computers do so much more than that, and have thousands of companies that develop for computers each with their own thing they want their computer to be able to do better. The information going into the AxeFX II is the same thing (generally) that's been shooting out of guitars for decades. We have a lot less goals for the AxeFX than we do for a standard computer, because it's focused on a specific thing. This also allows updates to come much faster when there's fewer things to do on the checklist than a computer. And, like I said, the _music_ is not getting more demanding for the _AxeFX II _to process.


----------



## Ocara-Jacob

^nailed it, but you can also program footswitches on a midi controller to turn on and off effects within the same patch, so yeah.


----------



## guitarforlife

awesome, so do you guys know of any videos where i can inform myself more on this unit? like a youtube video for a newcomer


----------



## drgamble

The only thing that I would worry about are actual physical components. Knobs, buttons, displays etc. do go bad and really depends on the amount of use. The thing about tube amps is that a lot of the parts are interchangeable and are available widely. The tuner button went out on my PodXT and it was a little tough to come by the little micro switch to change it out. It wasn't really too hard to find, but is one of those components under continuous improvement. At some point, if you don't do electronics work these things aren't worth fixing and I would imagine there are a lot of rack units from the 80s that have buttons and knobs that don't work. I do repairs myself, so I'm not worried about having to take a unit somewhere and get charged $150 just to troubleshoot a $.50 part. Sadly, with tvs, DVD players, and the like it just makes most electronics throw aways if they need some kind of repairs.


----------



## lewstherin006

combustion said:


> how would I go about using my Harke halfstack (HA5500 head, AK 4x10 cab) with the Axe Fx II (as in what do I connect)?



Couple of ways: if you want to use the Axe-fx has a effects only unit, just run it in your effects loop. If you want to use the power section of your head and use the premamp (amp modles) with your head, plug the axe-fx into the return slot of your head.


----------



## Scythe

Figured I'd ask the AXE thread... I'm currently running an AXE II to a Mesa cab and am considering moving to a FRFR setup... simply because I love my IR's. There is a lot online, circa 2011, about the Mackie HD1531 but I'm wondering what everyone is into these days? Much thanks to anyone who comments.


----------



## theo

The atomic CLR seems to be getting a lot of love over on the fractal forums. I'm using a mackie hd1221 with great results


----------



## Tyler

Scythe said:


> Figured I'd ask the AXE thread... I'm currently running an AXE II to a Mesa cab and am considering moving to a FRFR setup... simply because I love my IR's. There is a lot online, circa 2011, about the Mackie HD1531 but I'm wondering what everyone is into these days? Much thanks to anyone who comments.



alto ts115a. I run two of them and will never look back


----------



## theo

Wow.. those are CHEAP! I could sell my mackie and get 2 of those :/
How long have you been using them for?


----------



## Tyler

a little over a year now with heavy use. They still get the job done perfectly fine


----------



## theo

Hmm. I'm just skeptical of them at that price I guess


----------



## theo

All I use the mackie for these days is a secondary foldback monitor for at gigs. Might consider getting an alto or two.


----------



## Rypac

I can second the Alto as well. It punches way above its price range.


----------



## flint757

theo said:


> Hmm. I'm just skeptical of them at that price I guess



I've heard nothing, but good things about the Alto speakers too.


----------



## Seanthesheep

I dont reccomend the altos at all. I have the TS115a and for band volumes it cant keep un with 100w solid state practice amps. I will be soon selling mine for a poweramp and cab. Might check out the matrix or atomic cubes if the price is right but I may stick to a traditional cab too


----------



## theo

Yeah see all I ever use an FRFR speaker for is live foldback. At home I play through studio monitors and at rehearsals I play through the PA.


----------



## Seanthesheep

well at home I play through headphones and live I run direct whenever possible, so I bought the alto for band practices mainly and thats where it fails the hardest


----------



## insanenasni

Hey, sorry if this is a noob question but I'm trying to set up my AxeFX ULTRA with my computer for the first time and my problem is that Axe-Edit doesn't recognise my AxeFX as a source and reads 'check MIDI settings', so I go to MIDI settings and the sysex ID and MIDI channel are correct, if I press 'Test' then the MIDI IN light flashes on my AxeFX so the cables work and everything... advice?


----------



## Rook

I had to restart Axe EDIT several times with my Ultra, it was a nightmare. I never did work out the system, I just had to keep trying til it worked. It wasn't easy...


Sorry, that wasn't very helpful!


----------



## Andromalia

I think I got my mark IV patch done, I'll share it soon.


----------



## Hybrid138

Has anyone tried using the Boss GT-10 as a footswitch for the Axe-FX II?


----------



## SnowfaLL

Scythe said:


> Figured I'd ask the AXE thread... I'm currently running an AXE II to a Mesa cab and am considering moving to a FRFR setup... simply because I love my IR's. There is a lot online, circa 2011, about the Mackie HD1531 but I'm wondering what everyone is into these days? Much thanks to anyone who comments.



that Mackie is pretty solid, but its super heavy/large compared to new-age FRFR type setups (Matrix, Atomic CLR, Mackie DLM12, etc) - If its for a good price though, cant go wrong.. I believe they are wooden construction so have more of a real cab like tone.

But man, I never realized how picky the AxeFX II is for pickups.. I restrung my old Carvin bolt/strat that has stock Jay Turser pickups, and its sounding great.. Yet my pimped out Carvin DC727 with BKP Painkillers is rough.. Guess it's time to swap some pickups around.


----------



## combustion

Does anyone have any experience with the Behringer FCB1010 footswitch with the Axe Fx II and if so how do I go about setting it up. Also does anyone have any good 8-string patches? (Rook I already got yours they're great)


----------



## Genome

combustion said:


> Does anyone have any experience with the Behringer FCB1010 footswitch with the Axe Fx II and if so how do I go about setting it up. Also does anyone have any good 8-string patches? (Rook I already got yours they're great)



I use one and it's really good. Meshuggah also use them I believe, or did. Not packed with features like the MFC although you can mod it, I hear. I just use it to switch between patches so I don't really need anything extra right now. Does the job.


----------



## theo

with the FCB1010 footswitch, Can I use it to swap scenes, patches and also assign certain buttons to be momentary? For example when holding a certain button down it would activate my pitch block and as soon as I release the button my pitch block goes back to a bypassed state?


----------



## Meridian

So I'm sure this has probably been covered somewhere in the 100+pages of this thread, but I'm just gonna ask anyway. What are peoples thoughts on running the Axe direct into the house PA?


----------



## Webmaestro

EDIT: Nevermind. I'll let the experts with actual experience answer


----------



## theo

It's excellent. Do it.


----------



## Webmaestro

Alright, I went ahead and did it: added myself to the waiting list for an MFC-101. After thinking long and hard about it (and looking for cheap alternatives), I just decided that none of the cheaper options would do what I wanted (namely, scene switching... beyond just simple up/down).

Anyone else joined the waiting list? If so, how long have you been waiting?


----------



## theo

The Behringer FCB1010 does scene switching?


----------



## Webmaestro

theo said:


> The Behringer FCB1010 does scene switching?



It does, but only straight increment/decrement. In other words, the only way to go from scene 1 to... say... scene 5 would be to press the increment pedal 4 times. Then, you'd have to press decrement 4 times to get back to scene 1. Not what I want.

Otherwise, the FCB1010 is a *great* footswitch for the AFXII.


----------



## ArrowHead

Webmaestro said:


> It does, but only straight increment/decrement. In other words, the only way to go from scene 1 to... say... scene 5 would be to press the increment pedal 4 times. Then, you'd have to press decrement 4 times to get back to scene 1. Not what I want.
> 
> Otherwise, the FCB1010 is a *great* footswitch for the AFXII.



This is completely incorrect. The FCB1010 will switch scenes with no issues. The above is flat out wrong. I have mine set up with a control bank which has stomps on the top row, and the bottom row containing a pedal for tuner, then scenes 1-8 on pedals 2,3,4,and 5. One could, if they so chose, even set up a scene per pedal. 

I use the Uno Eprom in my 1010, which allows that top row to remain a persistent stompbox row. Otherwise, the stock unit can do all the above.


----------



## Webmaestro

ArrowHead said:


> This is completely incorrect. The FCB1010 will switch scenes with no issues. The above is flat out wrong. I have mine set up with a control bank which has stomps on the top row, and the bottom row containing a pedal for tuner, then scenes 1-8 on pedals 2,3,4,and 5. One could, if they so chose, even set up a scene per pedal.
> 
> I use the Uno Eprom in my 1010, which allows that top row to remain a persistent stompbox row. Otherwise, the stock unit can do all the above.



Sweet! Glad someone finally chimed in... because I watched tons of videos and tuts, and nothing specifically addressed the ability to assign individual scenes to separate pedals. You just saved me a LOT of money.


----------



## 3074326

So I've had the Axe FX II for about 14 months now. Plugged it into the effects loop of my Rectifier the day I got it and wasn't sold on the tube sound through the power amp. So, since then, I've just been running into studio monitors with ridiculous amounts of success. No complaints whatsoever. 

I just moved into a place where I can actually crank the half stack. The firmware updates since I last plugged into the power section of the Mesa have drastically improved the unit. I went from "when I gig, I'll use my Recto" to ".... the Recto, I have the greatest tone ever with the Fractal." I was sold a year ago when I was just recording direct. I feel like I rediscovered it. Sold again.


----------



## ArrowHead

Webmaestro said:


> Sweet! Glad someone finally chimed in... because I watched tons of videos and tuts, and nothing specifically addressed the ability to assign individual scenes to separate pedals. You just saved me a LOT of money.



I'm rusty, as I programmed it and forgot all about it after I got it doing what I needed. But I _believe _that scene selection is by giving a cc/pc#, and a VALUE alongside it. Many of the controllers used for the axe fx are in-fact unable to transmit a value, or can only transmit 2 different values, thus the "can only go up and down scenes". The FCB does not have this limit, as you can assign the value of 0-7 needed to change scenes. 

What I'd recommend is grabbing a copy of one of the software editors you'll need to program the FCB anyway. Play around with it, so you can get an idea of what you can do with it. If you're familiar with editing midi controllers, it's only mildly confusing. If you're not familiar, it borders on painful.

My own setup, right now, is to have typical banks where the bottom 5 pedals are 5 presets, and the top 5 are a constant Drive, Comp, Mod (wildcard), Delay, and Reverb controls. To use this correctly, as the 1010 doesn't receive info from the a-fx, you need to program each preset so that it knows which effects are in on/off state. Otherwise the lights on the pedals won't match up correctly.

So with this setup, I then set up every fifth bank (0,5,10,15) as a control hub. So once I select my patch, say in bank 3, I would hit bank up twice to be in bank 5, my control setup. From here I can access tuner/bypass, scenes 1-8 (single and double tap on pedals 2,3,4, and 5), while still having control of my pedal bank on the top row. I even have tap-tempo linked, I believe to the initial patch selection.

I found with this setup that I have one, maybe two presets that cover every single sound I need at any time. So I might abandon the entire preset bank concept, since one preset gets me where I need to be. So instead, I'll set up each bank as a single preset, with all the aforementioned controls assigned to each pedal. That way even less tap-dancing.

The wildcard pedal is especially cool. I assign it as a controller, so I can assign it to something different in every patch. Flange on one, Chorus on another, etc...


----------



## theo

What software editors do you guys use to program the fcb? 
I just bought a secondhand one over the weekend. ordering the UNO today.


----------



## Konfyouzd

So... I'm new to the AxeFX party... 

I'm getting some decent tones, but they always have this harsh edge to them that I can't seem to get out of them. Whenever I try to use the parametric EQ I always end up making it sound muffled. 

I'm running an Ibanez RG8 through the 5150 sim with I believe the Cali 4x12 (this is all from memory so I could be saying some of this wrong) and a tube screamer before the amp.

Any tips on what I could do? 

If I need to post clips or pics of my signal chain I can do that when I get home from work.


----------



## Andromalia

Cali is a very scooped cab which imho is only good for getting 80es thrash tones and goes well with Mesa amps.
Try the 5153 and matched cab it should be better.


----------



## Konfyouzd

Will do! Thanks


----------



## Webmaestro

Konfyouzd said:


> Will do! Thanks



Also, the AFX's cab and mic selections (and further, mic placement and whatnot) have a dramatic effect. You've probably already experimented with those, but thought I'd throw it out there.

I use the R121 and D112 mics almost exclusively, because I too hate my tones (especially leads) to be too bright and ice-picky. That said, these two mics seem to be great for warmer, more rounded tones in that regard.


----------



## Konfyouzd

*mental note*

Thanks!


----------



## theo

I was about to chip in with exactly what Webmaestro said. I also sometimes prefer mic emulation to be turned off. Am I the only guy who does that?


----------



## Shask

I am not a fan of the 5150 amp sims in general, except for the 5153. Try a less harsh amp sim


----------



## Alphanumeric

With the ultra, when recording, what levels are you setting stuff at.

Volume on the 5150 at 3.50 as cliff recommends and this is pretty much the same volume you record real 5150 with,

the ouput control on the front is at about 9'oclock, and this keeps the level JUST underneath clipping my preamp.

I'm feeling that the ouput dial is low, compared to everything else their ouput is way above mine.


----------



## Andromalia

theo said:


> I was about to chip in with exactly what Webmaestro said. I also sometimes prefer mic emulation to be turned off. Am I the only guy who does that?


You're not alone. ^^


----------



## Syrinx

theo said:


> I was about to chip in with exactly what Webmaestro said. I also sometimes prefer mic emulation to be turned off. Am I the only guy who does that?



Not at all, especially with the mix IRs and the new ownhammer stuff.

Also axe edit 3 and firmware 11 were released today.


----------



## theo

Cannot wait to get home after work tonight! 
Just got a copy of trilian too. So much fun will be had.


----------



## Webmaestro

Syrinx said:


> Not at all, especially with the mix IRs and the new ownhammer stuff.
> 
> Also axe edit 3 and firmware 11 were released today.



You know, I've never used Axe Edit... because when I bought my AFXII a few months ago, there were all these notices and warnings not to use it. Not sure what the problem was, but I thought it was version 9.x or something like that.

Whatever the case, are we in the clear now? I've been using the front panel for so long now, I'm used to it.


----------



## jephjacques

Shask said:


> I am not a fan of the 5150 amp sims in general, except for the 5153. Try a less harsh amp sim



The 5153 is really nice but I prefer the 6505, especially for darker guitars.


----------



## Syrinx

Webmaestro said:


> You know, I've never used Axe Edit... because when I bought my AFXII a few months ago, there were all these notices and warnings not to use it. Not sure what the problem was, but I thought it was version 9.x or something like that.
> 
> Whatever the case, are we in the clear now? I've been using the front panel for so long now, I'm used to it.



Yep, AE3 and FW11 are all good.


----------



## Webmaestro

Syrinx said:


> Yep, AE3 and FW11 are all good.



Finally! As good as I got with the panel, I'm looking forward to the visual UI.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

I'm so glad we have a working Axe-Edit again. Finally able to dial in tones again without having to pull my hair out.


----------



## theo

I never really minded front panel, it was just a bit slower and a lot of swapping pages back and forth. VERY glad to have axe edit back though 

Who else is loving V11?


----------



## Shask

Hopefully I will have time this weekend to try it.

Is the sound that much different from 11b?


----------



## theo

I never got on the beta so I can't chime in. I do notice a nice difference from 10 though. It's hard to put my finger on what the difference actually is. Everything just feels smoother. Playing dynamics feel a little more realistic and something about the low end has changed in a good way. Not sure what though.


----------



## Velokki

I'm a fresh Axe FX II owner and have to say... it is pretty damn good. We did an A/B between a real AC30 and the Axe with FW10. They were nearly identical, but the Axe took the prize with being able to tweak the sound however you want. I mean, it's ridiculous when you can just change speakers, mics etc. with the flick of a switch.


----------



## Syrinx

Shask said:


> Hopefully I will have time this weekend to try it.
> 
> Is the sound that much different from 11b?



Not a big diff from the beta. The nice change from beta to final are more amps.


----------



## Shask

Syrinx said:


> Not a big diff from the beta. The nice change from beta to final are more amps.



I finally got to update EVERYTHING last night. My first impression is that it sounds pretty similar to 11b. I am not really noticing much of a difference. I don't really like Plexis, so I forgot there were new amps 

Having Axe-Edit back is nice.


----------



## theo

My god V11 is lovely! I didn't try the beta first so it was a clean jump from 10 to 11 for me.
Here's a little improv jam I did this afternoon, hope you dig.


----------



## Hyacinth

Konfyouzd said:


> So... I'm new to the AxeFX party...
> 
> I'm getting some decent tones, but they always have this harsh edge to them that I can't seem to get out of them. Whenever I try to use the parametric EQ I always end up making it sound muffled.
> 
> I'm running an Ibanez RG8 through the 5150 sim with I believe the Cali 4x12 (this is all from memory so I could be saying some of this wrong) and a tube screamer before the amp.
> 
> Any tips on what I could do?
> 
> If I need to post clips or pics of my signal chain I can do that when I get home from work.



I'm in the same boat. I've had my Ultra for a while now, but I can't seem to get the harsh edge out of my tones without them sounding undefined. I'm using A FAS modern with a BB Pre boosting it into the Redwires Mesa Rectifier w/ V30s with the mic on the cone at 1 inch. What else can I do to get my tones to sound clear, but not too harsh and fizzy?


----------



## Shask

MatthewLeisher said:


> I'm in the same boat. I've had my Ultra for a while now, but I can't seem to get the harsh edge out of my tones without them sounding undefined. I'm using A FAS modern with a BB Pre boosting it into the Redwires Mesa Rectifier w/ V30s with the mic on the cone at 1 inch. What else can I do to get my tones to sound clear, but not too harsh and fizzy?



Put a parametric EQ right in front of the amp and start dialing back the high-hi's. Turn it down until the tone is not as harsh on the top, but not muffled either.

I think if you attack it before the amp instead of after you can get more of a subtle effect...


----------



## Tommy Deaks

Hi guys, 

Apologies if this has been asked 1000000000 times before. 

Can I run an axe-fx directly into an active cab such as the Atomic CLR, or some studio monitors (ie SE Munro Eggs) without having to buy a seperate power amplifier?

I'm a complete newb with regards this, so I do apologise!


----------



## Syrinx

Tommy Deaks said:


> Hi guys,
> 
> Apologies if this has been asked 1000000000 times before.
> 
> Can I run an axe-fx directly into an active cab such as the Atomic CLR, or some studio monitors (ie SE Munro Eggs) without having to buy a seperate power amplifier?
> 
> I'm a complete newb with regards this, so I do apologise!



Yes


----------



## Scrubface05

Ahhhhh tweaking controls my life. I'm never happy with my patches. Anyone else run into this problem? I'm sure a lot of you do..the Axe-Fx causes it.
Either the patch doesn't have enough life to it, not enough sustain, not enough clarity, or just sounds like shit. 
At one point I had a tone that sounded awesome, friend accidentally saved over it one day and it was gone forever. https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/numero-uno-finished

I know some people in here asked for that patch, so I'm really sorry but I can't give it to you anymore 
Maybe someone with an Axe FX 2 can tone-match it haha


----------



## theo

If you can provide me some detail about what your patch looked like and shoot me the highest quality version of the file you have I'll tone match it for you.


----------



## getaway_fromme

Scrubface05 said:


> Ahhhhh tweaking controls my life. I'm never happy with my patches. Anyone else run into this problem? I'm sure a lot of you do..the Axe-Fx causes it.
> Either the patch doesn't have enough life to it, not enough sustain, not enough clarity, or just sounds like shit.
> At one point I had a tone that sounded awesome, friend accidentally saved over it one day and it was gone forever. https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/numero-uno-finished
> 
> I know some people in here asked for that patch, so I'm really sorry but I can't give it to you anymore
> Maybe someone with an Axe FX 2 can tone-match it haha



Try re-amping? Tweak as you go!


----------



## theo

Record a DI signal into your DAW and then set the AXE input to USB (assuming you record via USB). I like to just loop a riff for a while and tweak my tones that way.


----------



## Webmaestro

theo said:


> Record a DI signal into your DAW and then set the AXE input to USB (assuming you record via USB). I like to just loop a riff for a while and tweak my tones that way.



I do this all on the Axe itself... with the looper. I'll tweak while my recorded riff is looping.


----------



## Hyacinth

Okay so this is my main patch for my six string. I want it to sound more like Paul Waggoner's tone on The Parallax 2, more specifically his tone on Telos.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/iyj0h0zi2npwnbp/6 String FAS Modern.syx

Can you guys give me some pointers? I put a looper in the beginning of the chain so I could record a riff then tweak in real time. I'm trying to reduce the amount of hiss in my tone without making it muddy and I want it to be as clear as possible. Thanks for the help guys. The patch is for the Ultra/Standard btw.

EDIT: To elaborate a little more, it's this omnipresent hiss and I'm not sure where it is in the frequency spectrum. It's REALLY noticeable when I hit a chord and let it ring out, it almost seems like it's more hiss than tone. Maybe the higher frequencies, but I'm not sure. As I said, I've tried looping a riff and going through with a notch filter with a pretty narrow Q, but I still can't pinpoint it.


----------



## putnut77

Just picked up an an axe fx II. Trying to figure this out as I go. Any beginner tips?


----------



## Webmaestro

putnut77 said:


> Just picked up an an axe fx II. Trying to figure this out as I go. Any beginner tips?



At first, don't go nuts with the "deep" settings, or you may find yourself lost or overwhelmed. Just stick with the basic settings you're familiar with on real amps and stompboxes, and ignore the myriad of advanced settings that are available. You'll be able to get some pretty kick ass tones with just those basic settings, and once you're comfortable with that, then dig into the advanced settings.

Same goes for the signal chain overall. You can do just about anything. At first though, just pick an amp, a cab (one cab, in mono hi-rez mode)... and maybe add a pedal and reverb. If you dive right into trying to add a bazillion effects, eq's, etc. you could get frustrated. Then again, you may dig that sort of thing, but my suggestion would be to start with the basics.


----------



## putnut77

Thanks! I'm getting the hang of editing on the unit itself, gonna dive into axe edit soon. Can you use axe edit while the unit it connected to your computer and then sort of play as you edit?


----------



## lewstherin006

putnut77 said:


> Thanks! I'm getting the hang of editing on the unit itself, gonna dive into axe edit soon. Can you use axe edit while the unit it connected to your computer and then sort of play as you edit?



yeah you can. I do it all the time.


----------



## putnut77

lewstherin006 said:


> yeah you can. I do it all the time.



YES! This is awesome! Thank you.


----------



## kmanick

Having Axe Edit back is cool, but I did notice something yesterday. 
You cannot run a Daw (Reaper in my case) if the Daw is using the Axe Driver , it locks up Axe Edit 
this is through USB of course
just an FYI


----------



## Syrinx

putnut77 said:


> Just picked up an an axe fx II. Trying to figure this out as I go. Any beginner tips?



The axe wiki has lots of good info.


----------



## Webmaestro

Syrinx said:


> The axe wiki has lots of good info.



That, and I found YouTube incredibly helpful. Just search there for something like "Axe Fx tutorial" and you'll find tons of stuff. Some of it is getting dated now, but most of it is still applicable.


----------



## FireInside

Hey guys, i have an Axe FX Ultra and I am thinking about upgrading from my Behringer FCB to the Ground Control Pro. 

Thoughts? The Axe can power it right? Does it display the patch names? How hard is it to program? 

Any pros/cons would be appreciated. Thanks.


----------



## Andrew

how does one switch between headphones and monitors on the axe fx? a lot of times i want the monitors off when i'm using headphones. i'm using reaper..


----------



## theo

Personally I just leave the monitors on when I use headphones, But I only really use them for bass referencing. I can see why you'd want only headphones if it's late at night etc.

My first thought it just switch the monitors off or unplug them. Alternatively, you could use output 2 for your monitors and have output 1 copied to 2, then adjust monitor volume with the output 2 knob. You'd need a TRS -> XLR converter jack for each side though.


----------



## Syrinx

FireInside said:


> Hey guys, i have an Axe FX Ultra and I am thinking about upgrading from my Behringer FCB to the Ground Control Pro.
> 
> Thoughts? The Axe can power it right? Does it display the patch names? How hard is it to program?
> 
> Any pros/cons would be appreciated. Thanks.



With the GCP you have to program all of the patch names manually.


----------



## Rypac

Webmaestro said:


> I do this all on the Axe itself... with the looper. I'll tweak while my recorded riff is looping.



That is such a good idea. I'm definitely going use the looper technique from now on.


----------



## Webmaestro

Rypac said:


> That is such a good idea. I'm definitely going use the looper technique from now on.



Hearing the same riffage over and over (and over) starts to get a little tiresome, so give your ears a rest every 2-3 minutes.


----------



## FireInside

Syrinx said:


> With the GCP you have to program all of the patch names manually.



I thought so. Thanks.

Anyone else want to chime in? I also considered getting a Pod HD500 for control but it looks like the Pod has the same number of switches as the Behringer.

***edit: also looking at the Rocktron Midi Raider.


----------



## ArrowHead

FireInside said:


> hime in? I also considered getting a Pod HD500 for control but it looks like the Pod has the same number of switches as the Behringer.



Don't do it. Much clunkier than the FCB1000. I use the FCB1000 with Uno EProm. Before that I tried in vain to use my HD500 as a controller, but it's tedious. It's not a proper midi controller, so use involves setting up dummy amps, etc, and using those controls.


----------



## FireInside

Thanks for the input.^ definitely sounds like more trouble than its worth.


----------



## Shask

I used a HD500 for a controller for a while. It does work well, but it is time consuming. You do have to set up duplicate patches on the POD if you want the lights to match.

Thinking about getting a FCB1010, but not too worried about it. I havent had a controller for a few months now and just plug an expression pedal into the back of the Axe.


----------



## theo

I'm running a stock FCB1010 and it's pretty damn sweet. 
My 2 live patches are rhythm with exp 1 blending in delay, 3rd harmony and a slight volume boost and exp 2 blending in just delay and slight boost and I have a separate lead patch with more volume and mid.


----------



## Hyacinth

Is hiss just inherent in distorted patches? I've been trying to dial out hiss from my patches but it doesn't seem like there's anything I can do. Is some hiss to be expected if you're playing through a higher gain amp sim like the Recto New? I hear a lot of people's mixes and I don't hear any of the hiss that I'm getting, does it go away in a mix or what?


----------



## theo

My patches are dead quiet, Do you use noisegates at all? 
Try adjusting the input gate until it just closes when you're not playing.


----------



## Hyacinth

It's not noise between notes, my gate makes it silent when I'm not playing. It seems like it's in the high frequencies, but I've tried everything in the book to get it to go away but nothing works.


----------



## theo

What's your setup look like?


----------



## bioniczero

I'm building a dual amp patch for the first time. It's a chuggy/bouncey sound (think Volumes/Northlane). I'm using the FAS Modern II as the first amp, and the Quick Rod as the second and like the results, but any other suggestions for the second amp?


----------



## Hyacinth

Here's a clip of it, it's that annoying hiss that just kind of sits on top of everything. It's especially noticeable when letting a chord ring out. I don't know if I'm just obsessing over it and it's normal or what, but it's been driving me crazy. https://soundcloud.com/burytheking/axe-fx-hiss

My setup is an Agile AL-3001 w/ D Activators (Or Ibanez RG8 w/ D Activators, or Carvin DC727 w/ CL/LF) into the Axe Fx Ultra. the patch is: *Input Gate* (Thresh -66.1, Ratio 2.42, Release 100ms, Attack 10ms) *Drive Block* (Drive 0, Level 10) -> *Amp: Recto New* (Drive 0, Boost On, Bass 2, Mid 5, Treb 3.9, Bright On, Presence 0, MV 3.5) -> *Cab* (4x12 V30, R121 Cond) -> *PEQ *Bands 1 + 5 set to blocking. 1 Blocks below 70, 5 Blocks above 9k) Then it goes into a delay, reverb and pitch block that are bypassed.

I've tried blocking much lower than 9k but it's still there, I've tried turning presence down all the way, still there. Tried Treb down all the way, still there. Tried turning HF Freq down, no dice. Turning MV up seems to help a little bit, but it's still there. I've tried sweeping through with a narrow notch filter to find it but I seriously tried for like 30 minutes with a riff looped and couldn't find it. No matter which knobs I tweak it won't gtfo. I've been trying to get rid of it for like 9 months lol I thought maybe it was interference from my TV because my Axe was right below it, but I moved it and it's still the same.


----------



## Scrubface05

It's kind of similar to what I get. Like me, you might be obsessing over it a little too much. It will sit better in a mix though!
Have you tried a compressor in the signal chain? It'll tighten up the sound and maybe help eliminate some of what you're talking about.
My tone for reference,
https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/numero-uno-finished


----------



## Hyacinth

Scrubface05 said:


> It's kind of similar to what I get. Like me, you might be obsessing over it a little too much. It will sit better in a mix though!
> Have you tried a compressor in the signal chain? It'll tighten up the sound and maybe help eliminate some of what you're talking about.
> My tone for reference,
> https://soundcloud.com/lolzroyce-2/numero-uno-finished



Dude, first off, that was ....ing awesome. Secondly, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one in this predicament. I think I'm just going to not let it bother me any more and get on with writing.


----------



## Webmaestro

FWIW, I didn't hear any excessive hiss in either of your tracks. Granted, I'm at work right now, so I'm using my consumer-grade 'phones (Bose QuietComfort 15's, which have active noise canceling that may be throwing me off). I'll give them another listen at home tonight through my Sennheiser 'phones. Those are actually studio phones, so it should be a little easier to hear if anything's there.


----------



## Watty

Accidentally deleted all of my patches when making the change to 11.03 (tried to backup without knowing exactly how)....but then I discovered the modeled version of Petrucci's Rhythm tone. 

*glass half full*

Also, FW 11.


----------



## Shask

Do you sit too close to the computer? Weird lights plugged into the same outlet? Could be some sort of electrical interference.


----------



## Seanthesheep

anyone know any good 6u cases? just got a G90 and power conditioner and will probably get a poweramp for my Axe fx II so Im gonna need to upgrade my 2u case and there isnt much on kijiji right now...


----------



## theo

SKB roto racks.


----------



## SnowfaLL

FW 11 actually makes all the presets sound great.. Little tweaking (mostly just changing to a IR) and they are amazing. Good times finally being had (I hated FW 10, almost considered selling it for a Pod HD again seriously)


----------



## SDSM

Yo dudes! Have just realized that Stephen Carpenter from The Deftones has released his Axe-Fx presets! Problem is...I dont have one, and have the POD HD.

So....could anybody with an Axe-Fx maybe have a look at the patches and share with me the settings so I could have a go at replicating them with the pod?

Fractal Audio Systems - Stef Carpenter Deftones Artist Preset Pack Released


----------



## Syrinx

SDSM said:


> Yo dudes! Have just realized that Stephen Carpenter from The Deftones has released his Axe-Fx presets! Problem is...I dont have one, and have the POD HD.
> 
> So....could anybody with an Axe-Fx maybe have a look at the patches and share with me the settings so I could have a go at replicating them with the pod?
> 
> Fractal Audio Systems - Stef Carpenter Deftones Artist Preset Pack Released



I don't think you will be able to properly replicate them with the pod. They all make use of tone matches and an impulse capture of his cab.


----------



## Seanthesheep

theo said:


> SKB roto racks.



yea I couldnt find anything else, so I ordered a 6u Rotorack the other day


----------



## Eclipse

This is more of a misunderstanding. 
I'm building a home studio so I'm not spending money on floor wedges anytime soon. I need to know if I can play my Axe Fx through a pair of studio monitors (MAudio bx5 d2) without a DAW or a computer because I haven't built it yet.


----------



## xCaptainx

Of course. I do this with an axe fx 2 and some studio monitors all the time. I have a powered monitor for live use and the axe fx 2 sits on my desk with the monitors for 'home' use.


----------



## Eclipse

Does anyone have experience with the BX8 D2 monitors and the Axe Fx? Are they good monitors?


----------



## Rook

SDSM said:


> Yo dudes! Have just realized that Stephen Carpenter from The Deftones has released his Axe-Fx presets! Problem is...I dont have one, and have the POD HD.
> 
> So....could anybody with an Axe-Fx maybe have a look at the patches and share with me the settings so I could have a go at replicating them with the pod?
> 
> Fractal Audio Systems - Stef Carpenter Deftones Artist Preset Pack Released



Download axe edit and the patches, you don't need an axe fx to read the settings off of patches. It very likely won't be anything like it though I'm afraid to say.

Worth a shot though.


----------



## elnyrb10

so ive been saving up for a while for an axe fx and it looks like ill only be able to afford a use ultra at best, so since the ultra doesnt have a usb output, which i would be using to record, i was wondering what the next best thing to do instead of a usb output insofar as recording? I have an avid mbox mini but whenever i run my pod hd pro (which i use now) through that interface it never sounds as good as the usb output because i never know what to set the input game on the channel as. So should i upgrade to a better interface or just run the axe with a midi output or something


----------



## Scrubface05

I'd say get a decent interface and just run it through that.
It'll make you happier in the long run in case you ever decide to record rough vocals or recordings of other instruments down the road. Even still, it's just nice having a decent interface that will have high quality audio.


----------



## elnyrb10

Scrubface05 said:


> I'd say get a decent interface and just run it through that.
> It'll make you happier in the long run in case you ever decide to record rough vocals or recordings of other instruments down the road. Even still, it's just nice having a decent interface that will have high quality audio.



thats what im leaning towards. but when running the axe through one of the channels on the interface, what do i set the gain on that channel as? thanks dude


----------



## Scrubface05

It depends on what interface you get.
I'm running a Tascam US-144 MK2. It's got switches for mic or line in, you can record vocals and multiple guitars at once if you really need to. I have the Axe FX set up with an XLR to 1/4", interface running into the computer and also to my Rokit 6"s. It's pretty simple and only cost me about $100 new. 
I use the input/computer dial to change the mix when I have the axe fx set up so I can hear my playing and the recorded material well. Main line out dial is for overall sound to speakers/monitors. Has phantom power, mono/stereo. Pretty sweet little device for the price.


----------



## Webmaestro

Not sure if this is exactly the right thread but...

For those AFx owners in the U.S. using Matrix products, where did you buy them? Directly via their website? If so, how long did shipping take? Or, is there a U.S. distributor that would be better?


----------



## Hyacinth

I'm going to be getting a Ground Control Pro soon and I'd like to have two expression pedals to go with it, one for wah/pitch/shit like that and one for volume. Will any expression pedals work or do I need to buy a certain one?


----------



## Seanthesheep

Ok so my band is tracking our album on FW9. Our studio tones are dialed for FW9 so that cant change. But Im really curious to try FW11 for my other patches. I know jumping back works with the older FWs but I heard 11 is a big update even from 10. Is there going to be a problem updating now and jumping back later on?


----------



## SSK0909

I've heard that the D/A converters in the Axe-II aren't the greatest. Would it improve sound quality if i run the Axe direct into my RME Babyface audio interface? 

And how would i do it best? Jack out from the Axe and into the instrument direct jack on the RME?


----------



## flint757

If there is optical or SPDIF (or any other digital output that is compatible with your interface) that'd be best. As soon as your guitar hits the Axe-fx it has gone through an AD conversion so keeping the signal digital is going to be the most optimal thing to do.


----------



## SSK0909

flint757 said:


> If there is optical or SPDIF (or any other digital output that is compatible with your interface) that'd be best. As soon as your guitar hits the Axe-fx it has gone through an AD conversion so keeping the signal digital is going to be the most optimal thing to do.



Wouldnt it be just as easy to go straight to usb then?


----------



## flint757

Indeed.


----------



## FireInside

You guys hear about the new Mark III MFC that's coming out?

From the Fractal forum:



FractalAudio said:


> Well I suppose I can disclose this now instead of this weekend:
> 
> Introducing the MFC-101 Mark III
> 
> Main features:
> - Solid-State switch technology. No moving parts except a spring "actuator". Switching is fully electronic and silent with no switches to wear out. Mechanical lifespan 1 million actuations.
> 
> - "FASLINK" jack. FASLINK is our new, proprietary communications link that features bi-directional MIDI and power over a standard XLR microphone cable. Cable runs of hundreds of feet are possible. FASLINK adapters for the Axe-Fx II will be available to complete the link. Additionally there will be FASLINK adapters for Mark I and II MFC-101s.
> 
> Stop by the Fractal Audio room at the Amp Show this weekend to see a prototype in action.




http://forum.fractalaudio.com/other-midi-controllers/75916-silent-liquid-foot-switches.html


----------



## Webmaestro

FireInside said:


> You guys hear about the new Mark III MFC that's coming out?
> 
> From the Fractal forum:



Thank god. I've been on the MFC waiting list forever.

EDIT: Having trouble finding that thread on the Fractal forums. Mind PM-ing me the link?

EDIT EDIT: Nevermind! Found it


----------



## FireInside

Sorry I meant to post it originally. Totally spaced it. 

Here it is for anyone else that may want it:

Silent Liquid Foot Switches


----------



## elnyrb10

this is real i believe. i stole it form amp porn on Facebook. they are saying that its a prototype and that the final product will be in a 4u rack unit with a new front layout. anyone heard anything else about this?


----------



## Lorcan Ward

If its real awesome for us and not so awesome for the guy who is about to get fired from FAS headquarters. 

I wouldn't buy it though. One of the things I love about the Axe and other guitar processors is that they don't have tubes which need to warm up or be replaced.


----------



## elnyrb10

but its awesome for people (like me) who dont have an axe fx and have been waiting for the next installment to come out so that i can finally buy an ultra for a sweet price


----------



## Syrinx

I don't see that being real.


----------



## Webmaestro

elnyrb10 said:


>



Hmmm... I'm calling Photoshop on this one (and a pretty good job, at that). But hey, who knows? Let's see what pops up in the coming months...


----------



## Lorcan Ward

elnyrb10 said:


> but its awesome for people (like me) who dont have an axe fx and have been waiting for the next installment to come out so that i can finally buy an ultra for a sweet price



You can get Ultra's for really good prices nowadays, especially since your in the US.


----------



## 3074326

Why would they make an Axe FX with tubes when they have one without tubes that sounds as good as the tube amps it emulates?

Not real, just doesn't make any sense.


----------



## VBCheeseGrater

Webmaestro said:


> Hmmm... I'm calling Photoshop on this one (and a pretty good job, at that). But hey, who knows? Let's see what pops up in the coming months...



Its convenient that we can't see the actual sockets. could be real pic, just tubes sitting in the chassis to make a controversial pic


----------



## elnyrb10

drawnacrol said:


> You can get Ultra's for really good prices nowadays, especially since your in the US.



oh trust me i know its just being a full time college athlete with no source of income makes that sometimes difficult


----------



## theo

I'm calling fake, Super ultra extremely fake. 

It looks to me like someone opened their two and placed the valves in there and took a photo. I cannot imagine Cliff putting a valve power section into an axe fx, a product which is about having ridiculous levels of control over everything. It seems to me that to have something such as that in there would go against the whole idea of the unit. 

Just my thoughts.


----------



## FireInside

No way. I don't believe for a minute that is real.


----------



## theo

I&#8217;m not allowed to reveal anything specific. But I&#8217;ve just had confirmation that this is not a hoax from someone pretty important. There&#8217;s more details that haven&#8217;t slipped yet and those are the really exciting ones. You guys are going to loose your minds, this is a WAY bigger step than between the ultra and the 2!


----------



## Seanthesheep

If its a powersection for the axe fx, Ima be pissed. just ordered a 6u case for a dedicated power amp 

but either way, having tubes in axe fx doesnt make sense to me


----------



## Syrinx

theo said:


> Im not allowed to reveal anything specific. But Ive just had confirmation that this is not a hoax from someone pretty important. Theres more details that havent slipped yet and those are the really exciting ones. You guys are going to loose your minds, this is a WAY bigger step than between the ultra and the 2!



Let's just use this response from Cliff..



> Wow, I can't believe how gullible people can be.


----------



## 3074326

theo said:


> Im not allowed to reveal anything specific. But Ive just had confirmation that this is not a hoax from someone pretty important. Theres more details that havent slipped yet and those are the really exciting ones. You guys are going to loose your minds, this is a WAY bigger step than between the ultra and the 2!



Ask your dude why Fractal would make an Axe FX with tubes. It goes against everything that company has done to this point.


----------



## AxeHappy

It's ....ing faker than when a whore says, "You're the best I've ever had," after.


----------



## Syrinx

New firmware out. We now have two modes of the Bogner Fish


----------



## Omrat

Finally new FW 11.01 for Axe FX Standard/Ultra users:


----------



## SnowfaLL

So, I finally bought the Ownhammer Studio Modern IR pack.. and I will say, the hype is real. I fought it for months, but due to how much of an outstanding guy Ownhammer is, I figured I owed it to at least try them, and they literally changed the AxeFX II for me..

Before, I was seriously considering selling the II and going back to the Ultra (esp when factoring in the cost) but these IR's complete everything for me. Its by far the best rig I've ever heard in person now. I dunno how these IR's make such a difference, but it gave that smooth balanced "polish" that the Ultra had, but with the increased feel of the II. 

Now.. to wait for a floorboard model in the next 4 years which can load these IR's in.. and I doubt I'll ever buy another rig after that.


----------



## Webmaestro

I've finally ventured into the land of IR's and bought the OwnHammer "Modern Speaker Collection." Awesome stuff, and I wish I'd checked these out a long time ago.

My question: is there a way to bulk-upload all the different IR's to my AfxII? Currently, I'm just uploading them manually with FractalBot... one at a time... and it's making me want to injure myself. So tedious.

Any suggestions?

EDIT: Disregard! I found my answer(s): http://www.ownhammer.com/free/aomdsp/ or http://forum.fractalaudio.com/news/76041-announcing-cab-lab.html


----------



## boltzthrower

Omrat said:


> Finally new FW 11.01 for Axe FX Standard/Ultra users:


What? 
Link or false.


----------



## theo

I bought a framus dragon 2x12 loaded with scumbacks and a matrix GM50 last night. Oh boy this is fun! I think I might sell my mackie hd1221


----------



## victim5150

]New Axe owner. Picked up a new Axe 2 and a Matrix GT 1000 2u last week. Running into my 2 EVH 2x12 cabs or my 2 EVH 4x12 cabs for right now. Would like to pick up some kind of FRFR speaker setup. Atomic or Mateix perhaps. I picked up an Alto 10" powered speaker but I think I'm gonna take it back. Any other suggestions?


----------



## Seanthesheep

any way to get the inputs set up so that the front one by default overrides the input 1 left?

right now I got a new rack case and have my wireless plugged into the back, but for practicing at home I plug into the front. I can go into the I/O menu and toggle it back and forth manually but is there a way to easily automate this so that if nothings in front it uses the back input and if theres a cable in the fron it will default to that?


----------



## theo

I use a wireless live plugged into the back and cable to front panel at home too. I just switch my I/O from front to rear and vice versa. A priority thing would be cool though.


----------



## taliababa

I'm considering jumping into the AxeFx pool. Currently, I'm leaning towards the Ultra. The reason being, it's only going to be used for it's effects. It'll be hooked up using the 4cm to my Mark V. As it's only going to be used for effects, does the Ultra provide a safe middle ground between the standard and II? Or would the standard be sufficient for what I need?

The effects I primarily use are a delay, chorus, and wah. I'll keep me wah pedal and just use the AxeFx for delay, chorus, flanger, phaser, and distortion on channel 1 of the MKV. Any suggestions?


----------



## Rook

Ultra and standard are for all intents and pruposes the same, there's just some extra processing power for some of the more complicated effects. Everything otherwise sounds and feels exactly the same. For just effects, you wouldn't notice the difference between standard and ultra except for the lacking few extra effects that appear on the Ultra and not standard.

Going from Standard to II isn't a slope, it's a discrete step.


----------



## axxessdenied

Rook said:


> Ultra and standard are for all intents and pruposes the same, there's just some extra processing power for some of the more complicated effects. Everything otherwise sounds and feels exactly the same. For just effects, you wouldn't notice the difference between standard and ultra except for the lacking few extra effects that appear on the Ultra and not standard.
> 
> Going from Standard to II isn't a slope, it's a discrete step.



Glad I didn't bother with the Ultra and went straight for the II


----------



## blessedadversary777

I just got an Axe Ultra rig and am trying to find the cheapest way for me to hook up to AxeEdit. I really dont want to spend a ton of money. The guy I got it from used an Elevenrack but I know theres a better/cheaper method. Your input is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.


----------



## Michael T

I use the M-Audio Uno, it works good for me but some people have had issues. 


M-Audio UNO | Sweetwater.com


----------



## FireInside

That's what I use with my Ultra, works perfectly.


----------



## blessedadversary777

Thanks guys. So how does it hook up? Midi out?


----------



## Michael T

IN to the IN, OUT to the OUT, USB to PC

The MIDI end labels are a little misleading.


----------



## blessedadversary777

Michael T said:


> IN to the IN, OUT to the OUT, USB to PC
> 
> The MIDI end labels are a little misleading.



And, you sir, are a gentleman and a scholar! Thanks man!


----------



## Shask

blessedadversary777 said:


> And, you sir, are a gentleman and a scholar! Thanks man!



Usually you connect the MIDI cables backwards. So, OUT of the Axe to the IN on the interface, and the IN of the Axe to the OUT of the interface....


----------



## blessedadversary777

Shask said:


> Usually you connect the MIDI cables backwards. So, OUT of the Axe to the IN on the interface, and the IN of the Axe to the OUT of the interface....



That makes sense because i tried it the other way and it didnt seem to work like it should thanks to all of you for your much appreciated input! U rawk!


----------



## Lach Rae Dawn

Quick question about Axe FX II.

I am under the impression it has extremely flexible routing options.

I want to be able to hook it up to pc, (usb) then have studio monitors out the xlr balanced back of the Axe FX II.

I want to be able to record my guitar (into the DAW dry) but be able to monitor (with models+effects) without latency through the xlr outputs, at the same time my DAW is playing through the XLR outputs. 

I basically want to hear my wet monitored guitars (without latency), with my main mix from my DAW out of the same studio monitors. 

The recorded dry track will be muted before its routed back to the main outputs, after it is recorded. 

I also assume that I will be able to use it basically as an external plugin. Meaning i can use the usb to send sound from my DAW, into the Axe FX, process the sound with whatever FX, and send it back into the DAW processed (as well as re-amp, all through the USB connection)? With no other audio interface? 

If so does the Axe FX II output in 24 bit 44.1k, up to what 96k, or maybe even 192? How are the A/D/A converters?
Does it have any pre-amps for mics? I guess they would hook up to the balanced 1/4 inputs if so?

The Axe 2 is somethign I am considering, but I just wanted to ask a few things to some actual Axe FX II users while I was thinking on it.


----------



## Rook

To answer your questions in order:
All the USB stuff and routing you mention is by default how it'll work when you use it with a DAW. Your processed guitar signal will come out of output one (and output 2 if you chose), so will your DAW (no out 2 option) and your input to the DAW will be the USB (digital) out from the Axe.

Reamping is possible with Axe 2, yes, it's in the manual. You set the output from the computer as a dry, unprocessed guitar signal, and you just go to the I/O menu on Axe FX and set input to USB. Hit play/record and boom.

The Axe FX is 48kHz, 24 bit I believe. If its possible to change the clock speed of the Axe I certainly haven't figured out how. 

The AD conversion is exactly as good as it needs to be, it makes amp models feel like amps, no problems.

The DA conversion... It's fine, but it's not mastering level quality, I use external products for all my DA conversion, and actually now that I have that I use it's AD conversion as well and the Axe FX is essentially in a pseudo digital-to-digital effects loop for my ADA (interface). 

No, no mic preamps, another reason why I use mine with an interface anyway, but you really don't need to.

No balanced inputs of any kind, no. Only thing balanced is Output 1, which I use to line into my active monitors.



Michael T said:


> IN to the IN, OUT to the OUT, USB to PC
> 
> The MIDI end labels are a little misleading.



It definitely isn't in to in, where would be the sense in that?


----------



## Lach Rae Dawn

On the back It shows Input 1 of having a balanced left (mono) and right inputs. This would be more for keyboards though right?

K so output 1 can carry the DAW signal, and my processed guitar tone (without latency) to the monitors simultaneously. 

As far as the ADA converters, I am currently coming from a Line 6 Pod x3 (bean) as my audio interface, so I expect to notice an improvement with the Axe FX II unit, in comparison.

If I need better DA converters in the future I may look into it, But I suspect the Axe FX II to handle it fine.


----------



## Michael T

Rook said:


> It definitely isn't in to in, where would be the sense in that?



Thats why I mentioned the UNO labeling is a bit misleading. see pic below. The midi in says "to midi in" the out says " to midi out" the traditional or normal way of hooking midi is backwards from this hence why I pointed it out to pay attention to the hookups.


----------



## FireInside

Got on the waiting list for the new MFC-101 MKIII.  The wait is killing me all ready!


----------



## rg7420

I've been on since September. Waiting sucks.


----------



## victim5150

Waiting myself. Hurry up Fractal!. Picked up a brand new Ground Control Pro for dirt cheap though to tide me over till then.


----------



## FireInside

I keep hearing the end of November. I only recently got on the list so I worried I may have to wait until around the first of the year.

Until then I am stuck with my Behringer FCB. Totally not a bad controller at all but I need more!


----------



## Scrubface05

Went from Dimarzios to Bareknuckles in my JP7, now my tones sound like complete ass.
Tweaktime!


----------



## HerrWolfe

Hey all, just ordered axe fx 2, trying to pick out monitors now for the bedroom. I'm liking the Maxkie MR8's and the MR10 Sub, but how do I connect all three? I want a monitor on each side for stereo and the sub to cover everything. I'm using a baritone 8 string and literally don't know what to do, or the best config to plug all three in. Thanks in advance guys and gals.


----------



## Andrew91

It'll probably be this time next year before I manage to get one of these, but I have a few noobie questions and whatnot.
No shame!

Basically, I'm sure this is what I want in the modeling/tone world, seeing as though I want to control every aspect of my tone and I spend a lot of time tweaking, even with practice amps!

1. What's the UI like? Is it sludgy, slow? Are there folders inside of folders inside of subfolders of bigger folders? Navigating a menu, is it fast and responsive like something physical, or more clunky like certain games, etc..

2. What is the life cycle? I saw what happened to the ultra. I don't want to buy a II if, as soon as I do, I'm stuck on firmware X forever.. No bueno. At this point, should I stick it out and try to wait on a III? Will there be a III? :S

3. Responsiveness to playing. Someone told me that his was returned because it just didn't *feel* like a real amp, something was lacking. Any input on this?

That's all, folks!


----------



## BenSolace

Andrew91 said:


> It'll probably be this time next year before I manage to get one of these, but I have a few noobie questions and whatnot.
> No shame!
> 
> Basically, I'm sure this is what I want in the modeling/tone world, seeing as though I want to control every aspect of my tone and I spend a lot of time tweaking, even with practice amps!
> 
> 1. What's the UI like? Is it sludgy, slow? Are there folders inside of folders inside of subfolders of bigger folders? Navigating a menu, is it fast and responsive like something physical, or more clunky like certain games, etc..
> 
> 2. What is the life cycle? I saw what happened to the ultra. I don't want to buy a II if, as soon as I do, I'm stuck on firmware X forever.. No bueno. At this point, should I stick it out and try to wait on a III? Will there be a III? :S
> 
> 3. Responsiveness to playing. Someone told me that his was returned because it just didn't *feel* like a real amp, something was lacking. Any input on this?
> 
> That's all, folks!



Please note these are all my *opinions*. I have been mystified with the Axe Ultra and II (I own both currently) and no longer own any tube amps/cabs, so naturally I am a little biased;

1. Snappy, even on the Ultra. Lots of screens (lots of paramaters!) but Axe Edit makes short work of this. After all, you don't *need *to go into the advanced parameters (I rarely do).

2. If you fall into the "Apple trap" as I call it, you'll never buy anything! If the Axe FX II sounds great now, it will still sound great when the next iteration is revealed. There are still people using iPhone 3GS' would you believe!

3. In my mind, it's either psychosomatic, or not giving it enough time to overcome the learning curve. But then again, I didn't like the sound/feel of my Ultra when it was hooked up to my VHT 2/50/2 (PA sims off) and Orange PPC412, but love it (and the II) direct, through an FRFR system, or through an SS power amp and real cab (with PA sims on). So, maybe I just never really fell for the tube "feel" that others go crazy for


----------



## Elric

Rook said:


> The Axe FX is 48kHz, 24 bit I believe. If its possible to change the clock speed of the Axe I certainly haven't figured out how.


Correct, it is fixed at 48KHz. Any sample rate conversion would be done in software.



Rook said:


> No balanced inputs of any kind, no. Only thing balanced is Output 1, which I use to line into my active monitors.


This is just straight up incorrect. All the rear inputs are balanced and accept line level signals. Some people use the AF as an FX only unit so it'd be crazy not to have balanced inputs anywhere on it.

From the Manual:


> New I/O Capabilities and Less Noise
> All rear analog inputs are now balanced like the onboard XLR outputs. The ¼" unbalanced outputs feature our new Humbuster&#8482; technology, which senses and subtracts the ground noise of equipment connected with a simple stereo-to-mono cable. This can provide up to 20 dB reduction in ground noise without resorting to dangerous "cheater plugs" or expensive isolation transformers.




That said, the advice regarding the need for a preamp to use a mic still stands, so unless you have a stand alone preamp, you will probably want an audio interface regardless of whether the connections are balanced or not.


----------



## Syrinx

FW 12 is out


----------



## lewstherin006

Syrinx said:


> FW 12 is out



Just downloaded it!!!! going to try it out!!!! FYI you can change your FW version now with this update!! So you can go back to 11 if you want!


----------



## Seanthesheep

lewstherin006 said:


> Just downloaded it!!!! going to try it out!!!! FYI you can change your FW version now with this update!! So you can go back to 11 if you want!



can you go back to 9? Itll be another full week before I ca update


----------



## Syrinx

lewstherin006 said:


> Just downloaded it!!!! going to try it out!!!! FYI you can change your FW version now with this update!! So you can go back to 11 if you want!



Don't install the update and you're already there?


----------



## FireInside

Cab Lab is out too:

Cab-Lab - Axe-Fx II IR Mixer for Mac and Windows


----------



## taysil11

AxeFX n00blet here, so just to clarify... it's sounding like the AxeFX requires a poweramp with a cab, but not with a PA.

AxeFX => PA
AxeFX => poweramp => guitar cab?

is this correct? there's no native poweramp on the unit?


----------



## Rypac

taysil11 said:


> AxeFX => PA
> AxeFX => poweramp => guitar cab?
> 
> is this correct? there's no native poweramp on the unit?



Yep, you've got it.


----------



## 3074326

Correct. Speakers have to be powered, or you need a power amp.


----------



## HellGamer666

So, when it comes to the Ultra, what do I need to run headphones with it? I don't plan on gigging any time soon and my ideal setup would be the Ultra and a decent pair of headphones. Do I NEED a headphone amp, or will one of the outputs work well enough?


----------



## Hyacinth

Quick question. If I hook up my Axe Fx to a power amp + Cab do I need to crank the power amp as I would with a traditional tube amp or can I still play a relatively low volumes and still have it sound good?


----------



## FireInside

HellGamer666 said:


> So, when it comes to the Ultra, what do I need to run headphones with it? I don't plan on gigging any time soon and my ideal setup would be the Ultra and a decent pair of headphones. Do I NEED a headphone amp, or will one of the outputs work well enough?



Yeks How Tos - Fractal Audio Systems Wiki




MatthewLeisher said:


> Quick question. If I hook up my Axe Fx to a power amp + Cab do I need to crank the power amp as I would with a traditional tube amp or can I still play a relatively low volumes and still have it sound good?



Depends. With a tube power amp I tend to push it like I would a tube amp (because it is) and play at higher volumes. Solid state power amps tend to sound fine (to me) at just about any volume.


----------



## FireInside

Just a heads up for the. Behringer FCB Axe Fx users, EurekaSound has released a new EPROM. It has specific modes for the Axe Fx.

FA: Fractal Audio Systems - EurekaSound!

Pretty cool. If I wasn't already waiting for the MFC I would probably be all over this....still might.


----------



## Tisca

If I buy an Axe Fx Standard, what am I missing out on compared to the newer models (features, updates etc.)? What's the 2nd hand going price today (EU or other)?


----------



## Shask

I would say you are missing quite a bit. I had a Standard and did a lot to move up to an Axe-FX II.

The Standard is a great sounding Unit, but the II is something special indeed


----------



## FireInside

Tisca said:


> If I buy an Axe Fx Standard, what am I missing out on compared to the newer models (features, updates etc.)? What's the 2nd hand going price today (EU or other)?



With the Ultra you would be missing out on the looper function and quad chorus. Maybe a bit more too but I can't remember at the moment. Do a google search for standard vs ultra if you are interested.


----------



## Rypac

FireInside said:


> With the Ultra you would be missing out on the looper function and quad chorus. Maybe a bit more too but I can't remember at the moment. Do a google search for standard vs ultra if you are interested.



There is a Looper function built into the delay module on the Ultra. It only records for 16 seconds though so I don't think it is as advanced as the looper in the II. Still very handy.


----------



## FireInside

Still a looper in my book. I was comparing the Standard to the Ultra not the II. I would assume (and hope) the looper on the II is at least a bit better than the one in the Ultra but I use it all the time.


----------



## Rypac

Sorry man, my bad. I read you post as Ultra vs. II.

I didn't realise the Standard was missing the looper function. I've found it really helpful when fine tuning patches.


----------



## cgraci

Hey can anyone recommend some good pa speakers for my ultra? I have a choice of yamaha dxr15, mackie hd 1221, or jblprx700 series. Can someone please give me advice


----------



## Soilent

I have an Axe Fx standard, but I'm looking to buy a II. What is the going price/what should I sell my standard for?


----------



## Shask

Soilent said:


> I have an Axe Fx standard, but I'm looking to buy a II. What is the going price/what should I sell my standard for?


$800-$1000


----------



## NickVicious24

Hiya guys,

Quick question regarding the Axe-fx and Kemper. Since July this year I am using an Kemper profiling Rack with the Matrix GT800FX poweramp and a Bogner 4x12 cabinet. 
This all works fine, one of my goals was to get a simpler set-up so I don't have to do the tapdancing anymore on a huge pedalboard etc etc.

However.. Soundwise i'm still not there yet.. Leaving aside the fact that I don't use the profiling capabilities at all (only presets/profiles), i'm missing the quality and quantity of the available effects.
On top of this I still haven't made peace with the high-gain sounds wich I have used and am using right now (have used free and commercial profiles).

Some time ago I had the pleasure of trying out an Axe-FX 2, and I have to say, from the first moment on there was a connection. Something that I didn't had with the Kemper at all. This moment has got me thinking for the last month or so to switch from kemper to Axe-fx.

Any tips/ideas on how to get this done? You think it's a good deal to trade an unpowered Kemper Rack for an Axe-fx 2 with some cash on the side?

Or maybe sell the kemper seperatly and then add some cash for a new axefx unit?

Ideas are welcome 

thanks in advance,

gr,
nick


----------



## hikizume976

NickVicious24 said:


> Hiya guys,
> 
> Quick question regarding the Axe-fx and Kemper. Since July this year I am using an Kemper profiling Rack with the Matrix GT800FX poweramp and a Bogner 4x12 cabinet.
> This all works fine, one of my goals was to get a simpler set-up so I don't have to do the tapdancing anymore on a huge pedalboard etc etc.
> 
> However.. Soundwise i'm still not there yet.. Leaving aside the fact that I don't use the profiling capabilities at all (only presets/profiles), i'm missing the quality and quantity of the available effects.
> On top of this I still haven't made peace with the high-gain sounds wich I have used and am using right now (have used free and commercial profiles).
> 
> Some time ago I had the pleasure of trying out an Axe-FX 2, and I have to say, from the first moment on there was a connection. Something that I didn't had with the Kemper at all. This moment has got me thinking for the last month or so to switch from kemper to Axe-fx.
> 
> Any tips/ideas on how to get this done? You think it's a good deal to trade an unpowered Kemper Rack for an Axe-fx 2 with some cash on the side?
> 
> Or maybe sell the kemper seperatly and then add some cash for a new axefx unit?
> 
> Ideas are welcome
> 
> thanks in advance,
> 
> gr,
> nick



If you're missing the effects, aren't that happy with the tones, and felt a connection with the axe, why keep the kemper?

People out there are getting amazing results with both units anyway, if you're not feeling one, try the other!


----------



## NickVicious24

hikizume976 said:


> If you're missing the effects, aren't that happy with the tones, and felt a connection with the axe, why keep the kemper?
> 
> People out there are getting amazing results with both units anyway, if you're not feeling one, try the other!



Thanks for your answer, and indeed that is exactly what im after.
I was only wondering if I have any chance of succeeding on trading an kemper for an axe-fx 2. Maybe some people with experience on this?

Unfortunatly i'm still quite a few posts away from being allowed to post in the "gear for sale" section. So trying to find out as much info as possible in advance,

cheers ,


----------



## Konfyouzd

Guys I recently started having some problems with Axe Edit.

I'm using the AxeFX Standard. I had it connected to my interface (M-Audio Midisport 4x4) and it was working fine for quite some time. The past few times I've attempted to run Axe Edit it doesn't even seem to acknowledge my interface.

When I do into the device manager for my computer it still says all the drivers are up-to-date and it doesn't seem to indicate that there are any problems with the device.

I have not yet checked to see if my DAW sees the interface; somehow it slipped my mind.


----------



## molsoncanadian

MatthewLeisher said:


> Quick question. If I hook up my Axe Fx to a power amp + Cab do I need to crank the power amp as I would with a traditional tube amp or can I still play a relatively low volumes and still have it sound good?


Not sure if you are using a dedicated poweramp (ex ART SLA2) or running through a tube amp, however

I owned an ART poweramp and I ran it in stereo with 2 cabs. You can crank the output on the poweramp, and then use the output knobs on the axe to attenuate the signal, or you can just keep both levels low. My setup was reallllly quiet if need be


----------



## Webmaestro

Konfyouzd said:


> Guys I recently started having some problems with Axe Edit.
> 
> I'm using the AxeFX Standard. I had it connected to my interface (M-Audio Midisport 4x4) and it was working fine for quite some time. The past few times I've attempted to run Axe Edit it doesn't even seem to acknowledge my interface.
> 
> When I do into the device manager for my computer it still says all the drivers are up-to-date and it doesn't seem to indicate that there are any problems with the device.
> 
> I have not yet checked to see if my DAW sees the interface; somehow it slipped my mind.



What version of AxeEdit are you using? Are you on the latest version, or have you been sticking with an older version? The reason I ask is because, at some point, companies sometimes decide to move on and stop supporting "older" hardware. Translation: the latest version of AxeEdit may not work with the AFx Standard anymore.

That's the only thing I can think of, and it's a total guess. When I hear that something involving hardware and software suddenly stops working, it's often the result of updating the software.


----------



## Eviga

If want to use the Axe Fx with a Power Amp and 2x12 cab, which output and cable should i use.


----------



## andyjanson

Eviga said:


> If want to use the Axe Fx with a Power Amp and 2x12 cab, which output and cable should i use.



Depends on the amp man. It may have an XLR input (balanced) or 1/4 inch (unbalanced). Either way you want to run either a standard XLR cable (sometimes called mic cables) or regular 1/4 inch jack - jack cable from output 1 of the axe fx into the amp, and then a speaker cable from the amp to the cab. If you are using just the one 2X12, use output 1 left.


----------



## Metal Guitarist

Do most guys run the Axe FX through a PA or with a rack mounted power amp?


----------



## Primedog

It wouldn't let me post in the market place I'm located in Sydney Australia if anyone wants to sell a standard or ultra pm me I'm very keen. Thanks all.


----------



## Primedog

I want to buy a standard but it's never been updated can I still get all the old firmware updates only can find. 11


----------



## Konfyouzd

Webmaestro said:


> What version of AxeEdit are you using? Are you on the latest version, or have you been sticking with an older version? The reason I ask is because, at some point, companies sometimes decide to move on and stop supporting "older" hardware. Translation: the latest version of AxeEdit may not work with the AFx Standard anymore.
> 
> That's the only thing I can think of, and it's a total guess. When I hear that something involving hardware and software suddenly stops working, it's often the result of updating the software.



Ha! Yea I went through some of that getting it to work in the beginning. I'm using an older version for exactly the reasons you stated. It used to work and only recently stopped. 

It recognizes one of my interfaces but not the midi interface [anymore].


----------



## lewstherin006

Primedog said:


> I want to buy a standard but it's never been updated can I still get all the old firmware updates only can find. 11



That is the highest the standard will go. They actually updated it not too long ago which is awesome for a unit that is older.


----------



## Eviga

I heard that it's possible to down tune a guitar with the pitch shifter of the axe fx.
So, f.e. I can play with my drop D tuned guitar and hear it like in drop C?

How does it sound compared to a real down tuned guitar?


----------



## theo

Yeah you sure can,

https://soundcloud.com/theo-goslett/djashoogz
https://soundcloud.com/theo-goslett/bwaw-bwaw-boaw

Both of those little clips are a 7 in B standard. Mixing isn't the best but you'll get an idea. (No Bass in there either, just guitar and drums)
I placed the pitch block absolutely first up in my chain, lowered the pitch with mix set to 100% and then normal signal path after that.


----------



## NickVicious24

Metal Guitarist said:


> Do most guys run the Axe FX through a PA or with a rack mounted power amp?



Dunno the numbers, but I myself run it together with an Matrix GT800FX poweramp and bogner 4x12 cab


----------



## lewstherin006

NickVicious24 said:


> Dunno the numbers, but I myself run it together with an Matrix GT800FX poweramp and bogner 4x12 cab



Both. I have a Matrix GT1000FX power amp that I run to my cab, but I also run my axe to the front of house. Periphery does the same thing. They have cabs or monitors on stage and run to FOH.


----------



## theo

I also do both, output one goes to FOH, output two goes to my matrix and then framus 2x12.


----------



## Seanthesheep

well Im about to pickup a Carvin DCM1540L and run that with my axe fx ii to do FOH + onstage cab


----------



## FireInside

Just a heads up for everyone waiting for the MFC-101 MKIII. They are back in stock and invites are being sent out in order of those on the waiting list. I have been on the list since Oct. Hoping my name comes up soon!


----------



## Webmaestro

FireInside said:


> Just a heads up for everyone waiting for the MFC-101 MKIII. They are back in stock and invites are being sent out in order of those on the waiting list. I have been on the list since Oct. Hoping my name comes up soon!



Just ordered mine 

I'd been on the wait list for months and got my email today.


----------



## FireInside

Congrats dude. 

Let me know what you think of the new switches. When did you get on the waiting list. I signed up in October. Hoping my name comes up soon but I'm not so sure...


----------



## Webmaestro

FireInside said:


> Congrats dude.
> 
> Let me know what you think of the new switches. When did you get on the waiting list. I signed up in October. Hoping my name comes up soon but I'm not so sure...



Gosh, I don't remember, but I think it might've been either August or September. I think you'll be getting your invite soon.


----------



## RichIKE

I'm on 10.10 and afraid to upgrade because I don't want my patches/sounds ruined that I use with my band. Can anyone talk on how big of a leap it is from ten to twelve?


----------



## Katash

Big 
No one can really tell you how much has to be redone, but as things are getting changed I always take my time and reset the amp block and dial it in again. If many changes were made I write them down to kinda "revert" back to them but with the new internal data.

How many patches are you using?


----------



## RichIKE

Katash said:


> Big
> No one can really tell you how much has to be redone, but as things are getting changed I always take my time and reset the amp block and dial it in again. If many changes were made I write them down to kinda "revert" back to them but with the new internal data.
> 
> How many patches are you using?



about 7 for my band, but they are all variants on similar sounds, i have to have them all in patches because i use an FCB1010


----------



## theo

Shouldn't be too hard then RichIKE.


I'm using an FCB1010 too. Does anyone know if you can control scenes with it? 
I have the stock EEPROM right now, would upgrading to UNO etc give me more control over scenes if it's not available as standard?


----------



## Webmaestro

WAHOO! This just arrived...


----------



## spilla

theo said:


> I'm using an FCB1010 too. Does anyone know if you can control scenes with it?
> I have the stock EEPROM right now, would upgrading to UNO etc give me more control over scenes if it's not available as standard?



Not sure if using a modded eeprom will be better/easier but you can control scenes with the stock FCB. Theres a few ways to do it.. 

1. assign the 8 scenes to different pedals on the fcb 
2. assign 2 scenes to each pedal (ie. scenes 1 and 2 on pedal 1. Doing it this way has some down sides)
3. have ascending and descending scenes on different pedals. (ie. pedal 1 ascends and pedal 2 descends) 





> MIDI CC: the MIDI CC for Scene Select (default 34) with values 0 to 7 to select scene 1 to 8 within the current preset. Values higher than 7 also select scene 8. Values higher than 63 will step through the scenes, wrapping at the limits. Also, there are dedicated MIDI CCs to increment or decrement the current scene. If you don't specify a value, the switch will switch between scene 1 and 8.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Im thinking about buying some IR packs for my axe fx II. what are some good all around metal IR packs?


----------



## Elric

theo said:


> I also do both, output one goes to FOH, output two goes to my matrix and then framus 2x12.


My rig is similar:
Out1 Direct, Cab Emulated
Out2 No cab, Clean SS Power Amp->Avatar 2x12.


----------



## Elric

Seanthesheep said:


> Im thinking about buying some IR packs for my axe fx II. what are some good all around metal IR packs?



The Ownhammer packs are considered by many Axe Fans to be the current state of the art. Believe it or not I really like the old stalwart Redwirez package, still. I just know the library well and find it easy to match them appropriately to the amp. etc.


----------



## andyjohnson2402

I had a question about using a power amp with my Axe Fx 2, would it be safe to power my Marshall 1960A with a matrix gt1000fx? searched the thread and couldn't find an answer.


----------



## Seanthesheep

andyjohnson2402 said:


> I had a question about using a power amp with my Axe Fx 2, would it be safe to power my Marshall 1960A with a matrix gt1000fx? searched the thread and couldn't find an answer.



yes, as long as you dont max out the amp, and pay attention to how the speakers sound when you turn up, apparently it is very obvious in terms of sound if you are pushing the speakers too hard.

And Im waiting on a Carvin DCM1540L which is a 1500w amp to run into a 240w mesa cab 

btw, how friggen long does it take carvin to ship an in-stock item? Mine has been "Processing" now for like a week and a half


----------



## Shask

I have always been curious about that Carvin 1540L. Seems like it is the next best thing out there next to the Matrix GT1000FX.

I have an Art SLA-2 , and always think about upgrading to one of these 2....


----------



## Seanthesheep

Shask said:


> I have always been curious about that Carvin 1540L. Seems like it is the next best thing out there next to the Matrix GT1000FX.
> 
> I have an Art SLA-2 , and always think about upgrading to one of these 2....



yea, I need a poweramp right now, been curious about the carvin and nothing else besides the matrix stuff has what I need (and cant afford matrix) so I figured Id go with carvin. Ill be sure to post what I think when I actually get the amp and pickup the cabinet


----------



## Shask

Seanthesheep said:


> yea, I need a poweramp right now, been curious about the carvin and nothing else besides the matrix stuff has what I need (and cant afford matrix) so I figured Id go with carvin. Ill be sure to post what I think when I actually get the amp and pickup the cabinet



I have read that the Carvin sounds the same as the Matrix, but the feel is more immediate. More stiff. The Matrix has a slower response which is more like tubes....


----------



## kmanick

I had an Art SLA2 and a Matrix GT1000FX, the Matrix blows the Art out of the water, if you can afford to upgrade, do it. I have not tried the Carvin but have heard nothing really negative about it.
I personally stick to tube power amps as I felt that even with the Matrix when playing lead there was some squishy, bouncy response missing. But if you're more a a rhythm player than a shred wanna be (like me  ) you won't notice any difference and it will get the job done nicely.


----------



## blessedadversary777

Do yourself a huge favor and get a tube power amp. Makes a world of difference!


----------



## RichIKE

Can you downgrade in firmware?


----------



## lewstherin006

RichIKE said:


> Can you downgrade in firmware?



On 12.02 update you can go back to the 11 firmware but that is it. The toggle is in the global menu.


----------



## Shask

kmanick said:


> I had an Art SLA2 and a Matrix GT1000FX, the Matrix blows the Art out of the water, if you can afford to upgrade, do it. I have not tried the Carvin but have heard nothing really negative about it.
> I personally stick to tube power amps as I felt that even with the Matrix when playing lead there was some squishy, bouncy response missing. But if you're more a a rhythm player than a shred wanna be (like me  ) you won't notice any difference and it will get the job done nicely.



Sometimes I will use my Triple Recto as a power amp, but usually use the ART. Being able to run in stereo (with 2 cabs) vs mono and one cab usually beats out the advantages of the tubes.


----------



## Elric

Honestly, the Axe 2 is doing the modeling of both the preamp and the power amp and doing it accurately. So as for the power amp discussion, you only need a power amp that can operate linearly with a flat frequency response at the desired output power level for your application. 

As such, there are a lot of products out there that can hit that requirement. Jay Mitchell did an analysis of the Matrix and found nothing special about it with regard to frequency response, etc, it was just a good, flat, SS amp. 

So, IMHO, there is nothing special about the matrix amp and there is no need for a tube power amp unless you want to turn off the Af2s power amp modeling and use it as a traditional preamp.

Cliff, the AF2's developer, uses an old SS Carvin power amp (F1200) most of the time, BTW. If I have to buy a new power amp, the Carvin DCM1540L would be my first choice of consideration.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Carvin Amp arrived today! Im going home to pick it up this weekend and Im also picking up a mesa recto 4x12 if all goes well!


----------



## pathos45

How long are usual waiting lists for out of stock axe fxs?


----------



## andyjohnson2402

pathos45 said:


> How long are usual waiting lists for out of stock axe fxs?



Also would like to know.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Ok, so I got the carvin amp and got it all hooked up. Probably going to return it, the fans are rediculously loud, trips my powerbars way too easily and the unit itself has already started smoking up twice. 

As much as I like my axe fx for home, it looks like I will be back to using a real amp for my band.


----------



## blessedadversary777

Seanthesheep said:


> Ok, so I got the carvin amp and got it all hooked up. Probably going to return it, the fans are rediculously loud, trips my powerbars way too easily and the unit itself has already started smoking up twice.
> 
> As much as I like my axe fx for home, it looks like I will be back to using a real amp for my band.




Sounds like the carvin was a turd. Get a Mesa or a Fryette and solve all your problems!


----------



## Seanthesheep

blessedadversary777 said:


> Sounds like the carvin was a turd. Get a Mesa or a Fryette and solve all your problems!



dont have the money for one  the more I read into it, the more it seems like my unit might be a lemon. I will probably email carvin tomorrow to see what thy can do


----------



## JD27

Is $849 for an Axe FX Standard a good price?


----------



## ElasticPancakes

Hi guys, getting some hum/static sounding electrical noise through my headphones and my Mackie speaker.

Now before someone points me too google I have ready a ton of forums but haven't actually seen many resolutions to the issue that have helped me.

Okay so I have my axe fx connected to a lexicon alpha sound card with a 1/4" cable, which is connected to my laptop. My laptop is a few inches away from the axe and my monitor is sitting on top of it. My Mackie speaker is connected via XLR to balanced out 1 on the axe.

I'm getting sound out of it fine enough, sounds great... except for this constant hum... even when the axe fx is switched off. I also get noise after a palm muted chug that slowly dies as the gate kills it.

These are some observations I've made ( might not be useful at all..):

1. When recording, the gate pretty much kills any noise until I start playing. If I hold down my killswitch or roll off the volume or unplug my guitar there is dead silence.

2. When playing through my Mackie I also get a hum/ static /electric noise. HOWEVER when I shutdown my laptop it seems to get much better. Still a tiny hiss though. This leads me to believe there is interference from my laptop?

3. When I unplug the 1/4" jack from the back of my axe that connects to the lexicon, any hiss disappears. Could that mean my soundcard is being overloaded or something? Maybe its just a shitty interface?

4. I live in quite an old house with old wiring, so maybe a little noise is attributed to old crappy wiring?

Anyway I'm no expert on electronic noise etc. so any help would be appreciated. If anyone needs more info, please let me know. It's extremely difficult and annoying to try and record and just get hiss when I slightly graze the string...let alone play anything. 

Much thanks


----------



## Alphanumeric

Sit further from your computer screens for a start.


----------



## ElasticPancakes

StateOfSerenity said:


> Sit further from your computer screens for a start.



Yup I do that, I discovered that the closer I get with my guitar to the Axe the louder the noise gets. Thanks man.


----------



## straightshreddd

I used to have a similar problem, but I attributed it to living right next to several cell phone dealers or the wiring(as you did). It disappeared sometimes until I realized that I had the input level way too high. 

I know that very reliable sources say to keep the input level high enough to where the light indicator barely reaches red occasionally, but I've found that backing it off more substantially reduced the problem. Now, I never encounter the problem.

Maybe try it out? Good luck, man. I know how annoying that shit is. If the problem persists, try copping one of those hum eliminators. That's what Fractal told me when I emailed customer service about the issue.


----------



## Syrinx

pathos45 said:


> How long are usual waiting lists for out of stock axe fxs?



There's no normal case to compare to honestly. The owner did make a post last week that they underestimated the Xmas season demand and they wouldn't have new AF2 units until first week of Feb.


----------



## Andrew

anyone use a focusrite vrm successfully with the axefx?


----------



## ElasticPancakes

straightshreddd said:


> I used to have a similar problem, but I attributed it to living right next to several cell phone dealers or the wiring(as you did). It disappeared sometimes until I realized that I had the input level way too high.
> 
> I know that very reliable sources say to keep the input level high enough to where the light indicator barely reaches red occasionally, but I've found that backing it off more substantially reduced the problem. Now, I never encounter the problem.
> 
> Maybe try it out? Good luck, man. I know how annoying that shit is. If the problem persists, try copping one of those hum eliminators. That's what Fractal told me when I emailed customer service about the issue.



Thanks man. Yeah I'll def try that out.

I have discovered now however, after moving it around, unplugging everything, switching rooms etc. That everything works 100% fine when I unplug my laptop.

If the laptop is unplugged and just on battery power, there is dead silence. So for now I'm attributing it to my laptop. Maybe it has sub par components that aren't handling the current well? Or maybe there is an issue with my laptops power and my cheap shitty audio interface. Either way if I record I guess I'll have to unplug my laptop for a while.

I'll be investing in a new audio interface anyway because I want the midi option for Axe Edit, so I'll see if that helps. 

I'll update this thread when that happens in case that solves it.


----------



## Ocara-Jacob

Sounds like an issue regarding power supply grounding/shielding.


----------



## theo

ElasticPancakes said:


> Thanks man. Yeah I'll def try that out.
> 
> I have discovered now however, after moving it around, unplugging everything, switching rooms etc. That everything works 100% fine when I unplug my laptop.
> 
> If the laptop is unplugged and just on battery power, there is dead silence. So for now I'm attributing it to my laptop. Maybe it has sub par components that aren't handling the current well? Or maybe there is an issue with my laptops power and my cheap shitty audio interface. Either way if I record I guess I'll have to unplug my laptop for a while.
> 
> I'll be investing in a new audio interface anyway because I want the midi option for Axe Edit, so I'll see if that helps.
> 
> I'll update this thread when that happens in case that solves it.


Laptops are powered with switchmode power supplies which are notoriously loud in an EMF sense. I have the exact same issue as you. 

You can get some ferrites to put over your cables, they should filter out a decent bit of that interference and are super cheap.


----------



## jeffofadyingbreed

I'm curious if there are guides out there somewhere for emulating effects pedals using the axe fx. I've seen some tutorials for matching overdrives but I'm specifically looking to replace my Boss DD-7. I'm mostly interested in emulating the "Mod" setting. Thanks


----------



## ElasticPancakes

theo said:


> Laptops are powered with switchmode power supplies which are notoriously loud in an EMF sense. I have the exact same issue as you.
> 
> You can get some ferrites to put over your cables, they should filter out a decent bit of that interference and are super cheap.



I didn't know the terminology but I suspected it had something to do with the laptop cable and how it's different to a normal pc cable.

Luckily I have some of those ferrites that came with a television. Awesome.

Thanks mate, you have taught me some new words lol.


----------



## ElasticPancakes

Just an update to my above post. The ferrites worked a treat!

After I researched a bit about them on google I came across a post that mentioned if you loop the cord a few times and then attach the ferrite core it's way more effective than just one at each end. Lo and behold that helped a ton. I actually used 2 Ferrites in this way with 3 coils per ferrite core and it helped like crazy. I imagine if I even went and got another ferrite core it would help even more.

Not 100% gone, but way more manageable, barely audible and I can practically get rid of it all together with my interface controls.

So for anyone dealing with an interference problem, locate the source, (in my case, my laptop cable) and ferrite the shit of it!

Thanks again theo!


----------



## theo

jeffofadyingbreed said:


> I'm curious if there are guides out there somewhere for emulating effects pedals using the axe fx. I've seen some tutorials for matching overdrives but I'm specifically looking to replace my Boss DD-7. I'm mostly interested in emulating the "Mod" setting. Thanks



If you have a look on the fractal forum there are (I think) two megathreads devoted to effect pedal emulation. One of them is titled something along the lines of "The mother of all effect pedal emulation threads", Might not be that word for word but similar.



ElasticPancakes said:


> Just an update to my above post. The ferrites worked a treat!
> 
> Thanks again theo!



I'm really stoked it's helped so much for you! I love ferrites and I preach their goodness to ALL WHO LISTEN!  hahaha

Cheapest and most painfree way of drastically reducing unwanted noise.


----------



## mnemonic

theo said:


> I'm really stoked it's helped so much for you! I love ferrites and I preach their goodness to ALL WHO LISTEN!  hahaha
> 
> Cheapest and most painfree way of drastically reducing unwanted noise.



I don't have an axe-fx but I do have similar noise issues on occasion. I just ordered a ton of ferrites on amazon, am I good to use them on any and all cables around my computer, or are there certain things I should not add a ferrite to? Google doesn't help much for this question, which makes me think they're fine for anything.


----------



## theo

They will not harm anything, safe to use on any signal line.


----------



## SamH678

Got my axefx 2!
here's a tone test and I'm down to share tones if anyones interested.
https://soundcloud.com/samheilman/bare-knuckle-aftermath-tone


----------



## FireInside

What's got two thumbs and just ordered a new MFC-101 MKIII???

This guy! 

Been waiting since October. Now I can sell my UNO FCB1010.


----------



## EcoliUVA

For those unaware: Axe Edit 3.0 is out and compatible with Windows 8! I am excites. Did a new PC build recently with Win8 and was pissed to find I wasn't able to use Axe Edit. No idea how long it's actually been out, I could be significantly behind the times, but I just found out and am beyond happy to go home and actually be able to talk to my Axe-Fx again. I will whisper sweet nothings into its USB.



Seanthesheep said:


> Carvin Amp arrived today! Im going home to pick it up this weekend and Im also picking up a mesa recto 4x12 if all goes well!



Well darn. I was hoping to hear something positive from you about the Carvin + Recto 4x12. I'm currently strongly considering the exact same setup (I have the cab already). I've only heard good things about Carvin quality, and my other options are the significantly more expensive Matrix GT800 or mixed-reviews Rocktron V300. This decision is eating me alive, even more than the axe/kemper before I picked up the axe II.


----------



## asher

I've gotten Axe-Edit (the old one for Ultras) to work as well as it was working on 7 (aka not very) with 8.1, but sweet. I probably can't use it though since I bet it's the new version 

So I FINALLY got a USB midi interface and I'm kind of itching, soon, to sit down with getting better cabs into my Axe. I run with a Mackie HD1221 and have been more and more noticing the gain feeling kinda.. boxy. At some point I acquired a giant pack of RedWire impulses, with shittons of microphone variations - way too many to try to compare. Do people have good recommendations?


----------



## Syrinx

EcoliUVA said:


> For those unaware: Axe Edit 3.0 is out and compatible with Windows 8! I am excites. Did a new PC build recently with Win8 and was pissed to find I wasn't able to use Axe Edit. No idea how long it's actually been out, I could be significantly behind the times, but I just found out and am beyond happy to go home and actually be able to talk to my Axe-Fx again. I will whisper sweet nothings into its USB.


It's been out for a couple months now. Rumor has a new version that brings Axe-Manage back should be here soon.


----------



## Andromalia

Topic has been pretty silent for a lot because, for the most part, we get what we want from the axe II now. For myself I don't need anything more. Amp X or amp Y would of course be nice, but the unit is technically good enough that tech progress wouldn't really make an audible difference.


----------



## Shask

I haven't tried 12.03 yet, but I am wanting to check out that "preamp sag" control he said he added today. A lot of high gain players seem to not like 12.03 as much as 12.02 and this control lets you turn off the new stuff.


----------



## taysil11

basically what i want to use an axe-fx for is a substitute for an amp head. So i would go [axe-fx] => [power amp] => [cab]. 

my question is, how exactly do you plug the axe-fx into a power amp? most of the power amps i see have a single input, and it looks like the axe-fx only has stereo output. does it have a mono unbalanced output somewhere?


----------



## theo

The outputs on the axe fx are split into left and right sides.

I just send the left side of my patch to my poweramp and cab.


----------



## Kristianx510

So I recently got an Axe FX Ultra and have a small question. It seems pretty pointless, but I'm curious. So I'm plugging I to the front input, and whenever I play something the input 1 levels go up only on the left side. Is that normal? The reason I ask is because my friend recently came over, and when we used his guitar it came up on the left and slightly on the right side.


----------



## Shask

Yeah, that is normal when you plug into the front yourself.


----------



## theo

I have only owned an axe fx 2. But on that there is the option on the input for L only, stereo or L+R summed I think. I personally just use L only.


----------



## Seanthesheep

Second Carvin amp is a dud. Im getting my money back and buy a 5153 or 6505 unless the Fryette LXII ever happens


----------



## HerrWolfe

Hey all, just ordered axe fx 2, trying to pick out monitors now for the bedroom. I'm liking the Maxkie MR8's and the MR10 Sub, but how do I connect all three? I want a monitor on each side for stereo and the sub to cover everything. I'm using a baritone 8 string and literally don't know what to do, or the best config to plug all three in. Thanks in advance guys and gals.


----------



## Syrinx

HerrWolfe said:


> Hey all, just ordered axe fx 2, trying to pick out monitors now for the bedroom. I'm liking the Maxkie MR8's and the MR10 Sub, but how do I connect all three? I want a monitor on each side for stereo and the sub to cover everything. I'm using a baritone 8 string and literally don't know what to do, or the best config to plug all three in. Thanks in advance guys and gals.



You would probably have to run the two monitors through output 1 L+R and then add the fx loop block to route the same signal path to output 2 and connect the sub through there.


----------



## pathos45

If im not mistaken the sub should have inputs for the two monitors and then has outputs to go to the axe or even a interface. I know when i looked at the yahmaha sub for my hs's it had inputs and outputs on the sub.


----------



## asher

Hey guys,

So I _finally_ got a Midisport Uno to hook up my Ultra, and just got the right version of the software installed. So it sees the interface, finally sees the Axe when I tell it to look. Great.

When I select the Ultra as the source, the program almost immediately goes nonresponsive.

I'm running W8.1 if that has any relevance (it was buggy before, too). Is this game-ending or normal initial behavior of the software being overloaded by all the data on the Axe? I can't think of a way to connect it but circumvent this, and I'd _really_ like to manage my patches this way...


----------



## theo

Guys...


Announcing Axe-Fx II XL


----------



## DropTheSun

Here is a little 12.04b headbanging:
http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/261048-bloody-groovy-djent-axe-fx-ii-8-string.html

(includes preset download)


----------



## lewstherin006

theo said:


> Guys...
> 
> 
> Announcing Axe-Fx II XL



It looks pretty cool! And I mean you can never have enough axe fxs can you?


----------



## Rook

This is evidence enough to me that there won't be an Axe FX 3 any time soon, Fractal are literally hunting for stuff they can add to improve the unit. They can't make it sound any better, tbh, it's overpowered for the DSP as it is, all we're gunna see from here is newer UI's maybe, and practical things like smaller boxes, more memory etc.

The Axe 2 is gunna be a classic, it's here to stay, and any future paradigm will only be a shift in practicality I'm sure.


----------



## mnemonic

Bare with me for a second guys, I have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to computer hardware...

So by 'more memory,' does the Axe-FX II XL (what a mouthful) just mean more presets? Is there anything about the XL that would make it supported for longer than the current Axe-FX II mark II? 

Just wondering if something about the XL's description would mean firmware updates would cease sooner for the mark II than for the XL. Like how they stopped for the Standard and Ultra a while back.



*edit-* found my answer. In case anyone else was wondering as I was, straight from the horses mouth:



Semih Yanyali said:


> 1) what is double capacity preset?
> 
> 2)is there a DSP and MODELLING capability difference between mark 1 and 2 ?





FractalAudio said:


> 1. Each preset holds twice as much data. This allows more complicated presets that contain more parameters. Since each block that has X/Y capability has twice the parameters than if it didn't have X/Y this allows for more blocks with X/Y capability. So I've added X/Y to the Parametric EQ, Graphic EQ and Pan/Tremolo. This also allows for more instances of effects, like Drive blocks. It also leaves room for future expansion.
> 
> 2. The DSP and modeling are identical. Firmware shares the same code base so firmware updates apply to both equally.



Announcing Axe-Fx II XL - Page 2


----------



## lewstherin006

mnemonic said:


> Bare with me for a second guys, I have no idea what I'm talking about when it comes to computer hardware...
> 
> So by 'more memory,' does the Axe-FX II XL (what a mouthful) just mean more presets? Is there anything about the XL that would make it supported for longer than the current Axe-FX II mark II?
> 
> Just wondering if something about the XL's description would mean firmware updates would cease sooner for the mark II than for the XL. Like how they stopped for the Standard and Ultra a while back.



The II and the XL will run on the same firmware so the update will be the same for both. It has more RAM and storage I believe. This will allow for more user IRs to be stored/more Ultra Res IRs. The II and XL will be updated for a very long time. Only reason the Ultra and Standard stopped being updated it because the resources on them were tapped out.


----------



## psychok7

hi guys. i am thinking of buying an axe fx 2. I just heard the news that and axe fx 2 XL is coming out.

What does this mean in terms of prices? will the price for the normal axe fx 2 drop significatly?? 
Should i wait for it to happen or just buy the axe fx 2 now?

cheers


----------



## mnemonic

I highly doubt the new price of the axe II will drop, as none of the hardware will be any cheaper to make.

Used price may drop though, if thats what you're talking about.


----------



## pathos45

psychok7 said:


> hi guys. i am thinking of buying an axe fx 2. I just heard the news that and axe fx 2 XL is coming out.
> 
> What does this mean in terms of prices? will the price for the normal axe fx 2 drop significatly??
> Should i wait for it to happen or just buy the axe fx 2 now?
> 
> cheers



your gonna have to wait a few weeks if your not on the waiting list. Ive been on since the day they were outta stock and still no email yet.


----------



## jd267

Guys will my bogner uber rev blue run a axe fx threw my cab?


----------



## lewstherin006

13.0 is here for Axe fx II users!!

Axe-Fx II Firmware Version 13.00 Released


----------



## Sean1242

lewstherin006 said:


> 13.0 is here for Axe fx II users!!
> 
> Axe-Fx II Firmware Version 13.00 Released



My lawd those new bass amps.


----------



## Andromalia

lewstherin006 said:


> 13.0 is here for Axe fx II users!!
> 
> Axe-Fx II Firmware Version 13.00 Released




"Added selectable power tube types for Amp block"

Whhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaa *AFK*


----------



## Svava

Does anybody know if/when Fractal is planning to put out a major new model? Like FX 3 or whatever? I am looking to buy one in the next few months.... I will either go for an XL or if I hear news that a new one is coming out I'll wait for it... I have no indication of that though xD


----------



## mnemonic

I don't follow the fractal forum so I don't know what Cliff has said about this (if anything), but I think the recent release of the XL implies that there won't be an Axe III any time soon. The XL is essentially the same thing as the Axe II but with more preset storage and more connections and a few other things that don't really interest me so I didn't memorize them. Apart from that, the DSP and stuff is the same as the Axe II. It would make more sense to save these improvements/additional features for the new Axe III if it was at all close to launch. 

Given there were major redesigns done to make the XL, it doesn't make much sense to release a new Axe III within a year or more, I would think. Plus that would probably piss off a bunch of XL buyers, that the latest-and-greatest was only such for a short period of time.


----------



## Shask

I saw something the other day where Cliff said the II was only halfway through it's development....


----------



## jimwratt

Can't wait for the Axe VST plugin or the Axe LE. Something stripped down for those who don't have that kind of money, live the HD300 vs the 500.


----------



## Shask

jimwratt said:


> Can't wait for the Axe VST plugin or the Axe LE. Something stripped down for those who don't have that kind of money, live the HD300 vs the 500.



Just buy a used Axe-FX Standard.

I doubt there is going to be a stripped down model in the future. At least one that contains amps AND effects. I doubt a VST will ever happen.


----------



## mnemonic

VST exists, but they scrapped it due to piracy concerns if I remember correctly. There was a big thread on the fractal forum during development, pretty sure there were screenshots. 

I doubt they'd make a stripped-down axe-fx, it would likely cannibalize too many sales from the full version, and would probably need all the same hardware anyway, so the price would probably just be the same. Best I can see is _maybe_ an effects-only verison.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> VST exists, but they scrapped it due to piracy concerns if I remember correctly. There was a big thread on the fractal forum during development, pretty sure there were screenshots.
> 
> I doubt they'd make a stripped-down axe-fx, it would likely cannibalize too many sales from the full version, and would probably need all the same hardware anyway, so the price would probably just be the same. Best I can see is _maybe_ an effects-only verison.


Yeah, they were working on a VST, but that was with the old Standard/Ultra code. I doubt the code from the II would even run on a computer very well.

Yep, that is why I said a unit with amps AND effects. One DSP runs the amp models while the other runs the effects. They could never strip it down with the same sound quality with a single DSP. With the same hardware, it would cost the same...


----------



## Kullerbytta

Hello, fellow Fx:ers! I just got my Axe Fx Ultra delivered and I'm so dickin' happy about it.
I actually never thought I'd ever own one considering used Axe Fx's or Ultra's rarely pop up in Sweden but I got damn lucky  

I've been tweaking my tits of and my wrist is actually hurting from playing and spinning the knob too much  

Since this is a Q&A I figured I'd just drop off a newbie question regarding the unit and the sounds:

Right now I'm trying to find a good rhytm tone to use for recording and I figured that if I just get the right amp model, cab, mic and play around with the rest of the settings I'd be _preeeeetty_ much set for a half decent rhythm tone. Alas, I was wrong. Or even more probable: I'm _doing something wrong_
I've mainly tried the Evh 5105 and I've tried every stock cab with it, tried different mics, played around with all the different parameters that the amp and cab offers and I just find that the sound I get, whatever I do, is really really boomy and not really cutting... No matter how I eq it's like the highs are not cutting through at all. It's all low mids, and boomy lows. Treble and presence cranked + cut the mids and lows? It still sounds too fat and boomy. I've tried using my TS808 to tighten the sound, and I've tried the digital TS808 from the Axe Fx but that ain't working either... 
Might be worth to mention that ALL the factory presets are middy, muddy and boomy... The clean sounds, distorted sounds, everything. 
I run a Ibanez RGA7 with BKP Aftermath's and I'm not really feeling the ice-picky and scratchy top-end that's their (less popular) trademark.
So I looked up a guide to a typical rhythm tone on YT and followed his every instruction and ended up having a completely different sound. A really BAD sound  

I don't know if the sound I'm getting has anything to do with my clipping situation:
I plug my Axe Fx into my usb-soundcard (Steinberg CS1) and the input signal on my soundcard is at zero and it's still clipping whether or not there's any sound coming from the Axe Fx or if I run the input on the Axe Fx really low. (Sorry if I phrased that sentence completely retarded, I hope you get what I mean) 

Sorry for the wall of text and for my incompetence, but there's no other forum I'd rather ask than SSO.

Thank you in advance!


----------



## works0fheart

pathos45 said:


> your gonna have to wait a few weeks if your not on the waiting list. Ive been on since the day they were outta stock and still no email yet.



Does anyone know approximately when they should be coming into stock? I'm on the waiting list as well and this one piece of gear is all that I'm needing before I start recording my album lol. I'm excited to be able to finally purchase it, but it would be really nice to have an ETA on the new batch.


----------



## pathos45

Im hope this week lol. All i want to do is start making patches.


----------



## savanderbok

i have a quick question. i don't know if it's been answered before, i don't want to go through 100+ pages of this thread. but....

is there any way to pay for an Axe Fx over time, or is it simply something you have to buy all up front?

i mean i don't really have 2000 bones just sitting around to shell out nor will i probably be able to save up that much in the near future.


----------



## Webmaestro

savanderbok said:


> i have a quick question. i don't know if it's been answered before, i don't want to go through 100+ pages of this thread. but....
> 
> is there any way to pay for an Axe Fx over time, or is it simply something you have to buy all up front?
> 
> i mean i don't really have 2000 bones just sitting around to shell out nor will i probably be able to save up that much in the near future.



Not unless you can find a retailer (and the AFX isn't carried many places that I know of) that offers financing. I'd be curious to know whether somewhere like Guitar Center, Musician's Friend, Sweetwater, etc. could order one for you, then offer you one of their interest-free financing deals. Worth checking into.

I, myself, had to go the credit card route... but I waited till I knew I could pay it off in 4 equal payments. That way, I didn't pay quite as much interest. I ate Ramen and frozen corn dogs during those 4 months, but I made it happen


----------



## pathos45

I sold 3 guitars, a pod hd pro and my soul for the funds lol


----------



## jd267

Got my axe fx ultra today and it need a encoder. Called axe and come to find out they are 1.5 hours away from me in N.H. I took the unit apart to try and clean the encoder pot but there is no way to so I put it back together. Has any one else had this problem and what did they charge to fix it? thx


----------



## xCaptainx

You might have more luck on the Fractal Audio forum, there are already a lot of threads about that. 

https://www.google.co.nz/search?q=a....fractalaudio.com&safe=off&espv=210&es_sm=122


----------



## Shask

Yeah, I kept selling gear until I had enough in Paypal to cover it. Took several months.


----------



## jd267

Yea I checked it out man. Thanks


----------



## jd267

Shask said:


> Yeah, I kept selling gear until I had enough in Paypal to cover it. Took several months.



To have it fixed? lol its a 5 dollar part. Axe told me to drive up here and they will repair it wile I drink coffee in the office.


----------



## asher

I'm coming to need access to the looper on my Ultra for the next gig. I've got a basic FCB1010 - am I going to need an EPROM chip or something to control the looper with it?


----------



## Shask

jd267 said:


> To have it fixed? lol its a 5 dollar part. Axe told me to drive up here and they will repair it wile I drink coffee in the office.



No, lol. That was different thread that got merged that was talking about buying a new Axe-FX II....


----------



## jd267

Shask said:


> No, lol. That was different thread that got merged that was talking about buying a new Axe-FX II....




O lol!! I ordered a new encoder from fractal today was 17 bucks with shipping . I took the unit apart today and removed the board ,and removed the encoder also. Tricky to do . Waiting for the new one to show up tomorrow or the next day.


----------



## spilla

asher said:


> I'm coming to need access to the looper on my Ultra for the next gig. I've got a basic FCB1010 - am I going to need an EPROM chip or something to control the looper with it?




No need to upgrade the eeprom, the stock FCB1010 can still control the looper functions. Here are the midi CC's for the Ultra. 

MIDI - Fractal Audio Systems Wiki

If you need help programming the FCB let me know, ive got a set of instructions that might/should help.


----------



## jd267

Just removed the encoder from the board. Axe sent me the wrong one for some reason even after we talked on the phone and described it to the T. Ordered 2 of them from mouser next day. Parts 7 bucks ,shipping 37 bucks lol. Need to get a refund from axe.


----------



## jd267

Guys I read that the axe ultra fits in the gator shallow cases is this true? Thinking of selling my bogner uber and getting a mesa power amp and a gator case for them.


----------



## MaCkCiTy

Does anyone still love their Axe FX Standard? If I got one, I'd be upgrading from a Boss gt8 which I'm sure wouldn't hold a candle to it! I'm not really an effects whore, but I've been struggling to get the tight tones I want out of my new 8 string and considering they're going for like 1/3 the price of a II, I'm thinking it's not a bad way to go! Thoughts?


----------



## Paul McAleer

The Axe-Fx Standard/Ultra are still reliable and relevant with todays standards, however I feel most of the members here will suggest you to push for the Axe II (Probably should due to the standard/ultra being discontinued with no more updates after FW 11). FWIW The ultra has been in my possession for about 2 years and i'm still finding newer tones/things with it.


----------



## Shask

The Standard is a good unit. I had one for awhile before I got the II. It is still better than anything else out there besides the II, and possibly Kemper (Haven't played one).

You will just find yourself tweaking more than you would with a II, but less than with something like a POD HD.


----------



## axxessdenied

[SC]http://soundcloud.com/axxessdenied/afx2-fw-13-02b-ultrares-blues[/SC]
Here's a bluesy clip


----------



## nangillala

I own a standard and it's still a great unit!
I miss some features of an ultra or the II, but if the specs fit you, the tone will as well!


----------



## Andromalia

Standard and ultras can give you great tones. Their downfall is they are a PITA to program if you are going in blind, while the axe II is much more user friendly. (owned both and still having the II and not planning to change for a long time)


----------



## Pandaonslaught

What are some high end power amps to pair with the axe fx 2? I've seen Freyette, Engl on the Tube side, and Matrix on the SS side. Looking for options to make an informed decision. thanks!


----------



## works0fheart

Alright guys. I should be able to place my order for my MK II in a few days, but I just wanted to get some opinions. Do you guys really think it would be worth it to wait for a few weeks and drop the extra 300 dollars on the XL instead?


----------



## 3074326

Depends on if you would use the new features. Sound should be the same.


----------



## works0fheart

Basically what I've gathered is that it's just more memory for storage but I really feel like MKII should have quite a bit.


----------



## BenSolace

Pandaonslaught said:


> What are some high end power amps to pair with the axe fx 2? I've seen Freyette, Engl on the Tube side, and Matrix on the SS side. Looking for options to make an informed decision. thanks!



I would label them thusly;

Mesa/Engl/Carvin/Marshall (tube power amps) - good if you want the initial Axe FX toneshaping and effects with PA sims off. The power amp will provide a certain amount of colour to the tone, good if like me you are looking for consistency with flexibility. The different sims are still individual enough to make the unit worthwhile IMO.

Matrix/Samson/QSC etc. (solid state power amps) - good if you want more of the tone shaping to come from the Axe FX (PA sims on). Can also run cab sims on if you run straight into a FRFR speaker, but I myself prefer (again for consistency reasons) to use a regular guitar cab.

Fryette (tube power amp) - these IME are more flat than most regular tube guitar power amps, so you could look to run with either PA sims on or off. This could be useful depending on how you look at it, but one might argue that you may as well go with a Matrix or something similar to reduce the overall weight of your rig (if straight forward translation is your aim).


----------



## theo

Here's an odd one for you.

I run my axe fx 2 into a framus 2x12 (loaded with scumbacks) that has a matrix power amp built into it. I cannot for the life of me get a good tone with my cab sim on my axe fx 2 turned off. It just sounds overly fizzy and thin. Turn my cab block on and its all good... THAT'S NOT HOW IT'S MEANT TO WORK?!


----------



## taliababa

How are the overdrive effects on the Axe 2? I want to boost channel 1 & 2 on my VH4. I'm seriously considering getting one, when my tax return arrives.


----------



## theo

an axe fx 2 is overkill for just boost purposes.


The drive block is very good though. Really flexible.


----------



## taliababa

theo said:


> an axe fx 2 is overkill for just boost purposes.
> 
> 
> The drive block is very good though. Really flexible.



I'll definitely be using more effects than just overdrives. There are a lot of folks who rave about other effects, but not a lot of info on the drives. Thanks for your help.


----------



## theo

The effects are top notch. Drives included.
The amp modelling might surprise you too


----------



## taliababa

theo said:


> The effects are top notch. Drives included.
> The amp modelling might surprise you too



I might try out the preamp modeling and use the VH4 as the power amp.

Does it work well using the 4c method? After having a less than stellar experience with the TC G System (it introduced so much noise in the 4c method), I'm a little wary of going that route again.


----------



## Rokkaholic

Hey everyone, I'm getting back into guitar in a big way with a Axe-FX II purchase. I'm looking for a pair of home studio monitors to play through. I don't need top of the line of course, but I don't want to shoot myself in the foot by getting some crappy monitors. I'd really appreciate some suggestions!

Also suggestions for a DAW using the direct import would be appreciated as well.


----------



## theo

Yamaha HS50ms work exceptionally well for me. For a little extra money you could get the HS80ms too depending on your budget.

I do all my recordings with cubase, it's very axe fx friendly


----------



## spilla

Yamaha HS50's or Equator D5's but since your from the US id say get the Equator D5's... they are a great set of monitors and in the US the price is unbeatable.


----------



## axxessdenied

Hmmmm

Thinking of going with an EVH 5150 III Mini / EVH 212 Cab to run the AxeFX2 into. Thoughts?


----------



## spilla

Funny you say that as ive been thinking the same... if you do go down that road be sure to posts your results!


----------



## Rokkaholic

theo said:


> Yamaha HS50ms work exceptionally well for me. For a little extra money you could get the HS80ms too depending on your budget.
> 
> I do all my recordings with cubase, it's very axe fx friendly





spilla said:


> Yamaha HS50's or Equator D5's but since your from the US id say get the Equator D5's... they are a great set of monitors and in the US the price is unbeatable.



Thanks for the responses! I've seen a lot of positive things about the Yamaha's and Equator's around the net after some searching. I think the HS8 (the updated version) is bigger than I need since I'm mostly playing in smaller rooms, so a 5'' looks like best route for me. It looks like it will come down to HS5 vs. the D5, more likely leaning towards the D5.


----------



## axxessdenied

spilla said:


> Funny you say that as ive been thinking the same... if you do go down that road be sure to posts your results!



Just got back from the music store and ordering the set!


----------



## lewstherin006

axxessdenied said:


> Just got back from the music store and ordering the set!



Periphery did this for PII so im sure it will sound awesome!


----------



## axxessdenied

Ah.... cant wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Andromalia

Is there anyw ay to get this to work: 

Guitar in
->out with amped tone
->out with 100% wet reverb
-out with 100% wet stereo delay

I basically want to record the delay and reverb on separate tracks. All I've managed to do atm is record dry and wet at the same time :/


----------



## axxessdenied

Both outputs are stereo on the axe fx 2. You would have to have a patch with your signal split in parallel and panned hard left and hard right.


----------



## asher

So I know I'm super duper late to the party, but I've been having a hell of a time trying to dial in a good 8 string metal patch that keeps the low string sounding really nice without losing the body on the upper end. I'm probably just going to have to accept some compromise here - but what sort of EQ settings are you guys using to do this? This just seems way harder than getting a decent tone for a 6 or 7 

ed: on an Ultra.

Also, Axe-Edit crashes nonstop if I have my Axe pointed to as the source


----------



## olli576

If I had to explain my dream high gain tone for low tunings it'd have to have this steely/sizzly saturation in the top end of open notes and a really strong purr and definition in chords

I've been trying to figure out how people achieve it and whenever i ask them they don't really say there's a secret to it :S

Examples of what i'm talking about:
1:40
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFAn4INDDVM

0:50
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpHERaeUwAo

0:30
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GHQ1pE7bRB0

and even Meshuggah's live tone has it!
0:55
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obcDrjPblxs

Is it just certain pickups that do it or what am i missing? Ive tried achieving it on multiple guitars but just can't get close!

EDIT: This is probably the closest i've gotten so far haha
https://soundcloud.com/olliojestates/zyzz


----------



## Bilbone Shaggins

Just curious as to how AxeFX II users feel about the unit under low-volume conditions (through studio monitors) and even on headphones. I'm currently in a restricted noise living situation -- I'm leaning heavily towards the Kemper (as I don't enjoy tweaking), but am basing my decision in part on how people feel the unit sounds at relatively low, apartment-friendly volumes. Headphones, mid-grade studio monitors. Cheers!


----------



## theo

It's not a tube amp, sounds the same (fletcher munson curve aside) at low volumes as it does high.


----------



## Bilbone Shaggins

theo said:


> It's not a tube amp, sounds the same (fletcher munson curve aside) at low volumes as it does high.



I suppose that much should've been obvious to me -- thanks! Has it got anything like the Kemper's "space" control (which is useful when using headphones)?


----------



## theo

I have no idea what the space control is.

However there are loads of different parameters you can control when it comes to speaker simulation etc


----------



## Webmaestro

Bilbone Shaggins said:


> Just curious as to how AxeFX II users feel about the unit under low-volume conditions (through studio monitors) and even on headphones. I'm currently in a restricted noise living situation -- I'm leaning heavily towards the Kemper (as I don't enjoy tweaking), but am basing my decision in part on how people feel the unit sounds at relatively low, apartment-friendly volumes. Headphones, mid-grade studio monitors. Cheers!



This is the ONLY way I was able to play my Axe-Fx II for the first year I owned it. I lived in an apartment, so it was headphones-only for me during that time, and I love every minute of it. I didn't miss playing through and amp + speakers at all, because the modeling and cab sims are so fantastic.

Now, I live in a house and do play through amp + speakers of course, but will still occasionally use headphones.


----------



## theo

I only use headphones when referencing mixes really, But occasionally I'll reference guitar tones on them too. There's no problems at all doing it.


----------



## BenSolace

Hoping this won't be considered spam within this thread, but there's a post from Cliff on the Fractal forum confirming that the ENGL Savage will be in FW14, as well as the Triaxis LD2 red. These are two of my favourite sounds and I can't wait to try them out


----------



## axxessdenied

Anyone know any places that sell TRS to TS cables?


----------



## Webmaestro

axxessdenied said:


> Anyone know any places that sell TRS to TS cables?



Do you mean a Y cable (single TRS to two TS tips)?

EDIT: If so, check these out...

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PARKER20

... or you can also find "Stereo Y Cable/Splitter for X-Bridge and T-Bridge Pickups" cables on ebay all the time. That's what I use.


----------



## axxessdenied

Webmaestro said:


> Do you mean a Y cable (single TRS to two TS tips)?
> 
> EDIT: If so, check these out...
> 
> Pro Co PARKER20 Magnetic/Piezo Guitar Y-Cable - 20' | Sweetwater.com
> 
> ... or you can also find "Stereo Y Cable/Splitter for X-Bridge and T-Bridge Pickups" cables on ebay all the time. That's what I use.



Nope. Read the humbuster section in the axe fx 2 manual and you will see what I'm talking about.


----------



## kylea1

Hey guys, i recently bought an axe fx 2 and i cant seem to set it as an input for reaper. i installed the driver, and it works in axe edit, but when i go to preferences to select an interface the axe fx isnt there.

also it shows up in midi devices, and i selected (allow input) in that menu. i really want to use the axe as an interface but idk what to do. thanks!


----------



## axxessdenied

Just to let you guys know I found that Canada Computers | Computers, Computer Parts, Laptops, Hard Drives, PC Hardware & Accessories Sales sells TRS to TS unbalanced or balanced cables! Picked a couple unbalanced cables up we'll see what happens. I wanted to get a TRS to dual mono split as well so I could turn my volume pedal into an expression pedal but I guess I gotta hit the music store for one of those haha!


----------



## axxessdenied

They suck I'm returning them lol.

My rig is quiet except when within proximity of my PC. Oh well...

Mfc-101 has no wait list ATM if anyone wants one. I ordered mine Friday night


----------



## Andromalia

Anyone have tips for a quick and easy reggae tone ? I'm in need of that and don't have a clue where to begin XD


----------



## Kristianx510

Can anyone help me with setting up my Axe FX Ultra and a Ground Control Pro.


----------



## rifftrauma

Just wondering if anyone had received there Axe-FX II XL's yet, haven't seen any posts and am curious as to shipping/wait times?


----------



## Genome

Just got my hands on an immaculate Matrix GT1000FX for £365 used. I rule at finding good deals!

It's the 2U, I would have preferred the 1U but for practically half off RRP I shan't be complaining...


----------



## Genome

I've also just ordered a Zilla cab to go with it.

Black Taurus Tolex, Basketweave Grill Cloth


----------



## kylea1

Made a video on how to use 2 amps to get a good rhythm tone if anyone is interested.

axe fx metal tone with 2 amps


----------



## Syrinx

rifftrauma said:


> Just wondering if anyone had received there Axe-FX II XL's yet, haven't seen any posts and am curious as to shipping/wait times?



I believe Cliff made a post earlier this week that the XL's should start shipping end of this week or early next week?


----------



## Shask

Cant believe Ver 14 is out already! I will have to check this out over the weekend.

Teh Brootalz! lol


----------



## Genome

Shask said:


> Cant believe Ver 14 is out already! I will have to check this out over the weekend.
> 
> Teh Brootalz! lol



I threw together a couple of quick riffs last night on the Brootalz, it's perfect for big palm mutes. To me, it actually sounds like a Mesa but with all their annoying quirks taken out. I love it!

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/simonrobins/axe-fx-firmware-14-test-fas[/SC]


----------



## theo

Has anyone played with a rocktron velocity and axe fx?

I'd like to hear how you went if you have. Been offered one in a trade.
I'm currently using a matrix power amp module fitted into my 2x12, but this has got my attention as a potentially good backup unit.


----------



## fremen

hi guys, been registered here for quite a while but I never posted before, so...

Fremen's guitar blog: Fremen's high gain "starting pack" bank

I'm sharing a bank for hi gainers here. I will update it to V14 firmware soon, with the new amp models and the updated rectos. I already updated the bank but I want to test the second set of presets, those who use stock cabs, with other third party cabs (Ownhammer etc.) first


----------



## Shask

I will have to check these out Freman! I remember checking out your stuff back on ver 10 or 11. Lots of cool weird stuff in there, like the synth presets. I dont use much control, so I cant use a lot of it as-is, but a lot of cool ideas on how to do things in there.


----------



## Shask

With Teh Brootalz I am finding I am having better luck with keeping the boost on, and lowering the input gain. With CF Comp turned up some, I seem to get the clearest, most balanced tone for a detuned 7-string. Without CF Comp it seems like the low G note gets lots because it is not as loud as the other strings.


----------



## theo

Good to see you here fremen, Your stuff helped me so much when I was fresh to the fractal realm.


----------



## fremen

You're welcome guys ! Let me add that the new amp models are terrific, and the new versions of the Rectos too. At first I had to struggle with them (old habits), but then I understood the importance of the presence knob 

New blog post :
Fremen's guitar blog: A big thanks and some news
No preset to share this time but I will upload something soon


----------



## Rook

I like how many more of the irritating idiosyncrasies of the Rectifiers I'm experience in the models now.

This update hasn't changed my life but I'm a lifelong Recto fan, every time I get a little closer to the feel of a Rectifier the more I enjoy my unit. 

I wish they'd do the Roadster, Channel 4 particularly, but hey I'm far from complaining.


----------



## Genome

If they add the Road King's Channel 4 I will probably be set for life, haha.


----------



## Shask

Rook said:


> I like how many more of the irritating idiosyncrasies of the Rectifiers I'm experience in the models now.
> 
> This update hasn't changed my life but I'm a lifelong Recto fan, every time I get a little closer to the feel of a Rectifier the more I enjoy my unit.
> 
> I wish they'd do the Roadster, Channel 4 particularly, but hey I'm far from complaining.





It is funny because I feel like I have been liking them less lately. Then I turn on my actual Triple Rectifier and hear the exact same thing 

I have always loved Recto amps, and I definitely think they are getting closer to the real thing. What is funny is I think having all of the choices I am starting to like other sounds better.


----------



## Genome

Have they sorted out the Presence knob now? Does it behave like it does on an actual Recto from 1-10?

I remember getting confused with the Recto amps before, because the Presence knob on 5 was the Presence knob on 0 on the original amp, or something...


----------



## Shask

They re-did the tone stack on the Recto amps for this revision, so I am sure it is better.

When I dial it in vs. actually dialing in my Triple Recto head, the results are similar. I think the presence has to be higher on the Axe, but that is being picky since I have both.


----------



## redstone

Could you eventually record an Axe vs Mesa sample without the cab part, just the direct sound, if by any chance you have a load box ?


----------



## taliababa

I'm trying to determine how I would get the MFC-101 to change channels on my VH4. Ideally Here's an example of what I hope to accomplish: switch to channel 1 on the Diezel and engage a preset I made that has drive, flanger in front and chorus, delay, and reverb after the preamp. I'm using the 4 cm method.

Reading through the MFC-101 manual, it appears that I could do this using IA, but I'm not certain. If I disable Axe Fx mode, am I losing out on the functionality built into the MFC/Axe combo?

This is my first foray into MIDI. I apologize in advance for my ignorance.


----------



## shanike

anyone here uses Mackie HD 1221/1521/1531 with their Axe-Fx II? how do you setup the gain knob on the monitor / the output on the Axe-Fx?


----------



## asher

shanike said:


> anyone here uses Mackie HD 1221/1521/1531 with their Axe-Fx II? how do you setup the gain knob on the monitor / the output on the Axe-Fx?



I use an HD1221 with my Ultra. I pretty much run the knob on the Mackie right in the middle on normal and Output 1 on my Axe is between 10:00 and 11:00. It's plenty loud!


----------



## theo

I made some presets and uploaded them to axechange.
Here's the post with all the info for you guys:

V14 seriously metal recording patches.


----------



## Alex Kenivel

Okay. It took me about a week to read this entire thread. I think I want an AFX2 now...or maybe when I can afford one. After practicing, recording, playing and touring the same old Carvin MTS 3200 for almost 10 years with the original tubes in it, I think I deserve an upgrade to end all upgrades...until the next AxeFX unit comes out. Hell, maybe by then I could afford it!


----------



## theo

Two little snippets I came up with using my axe fx 2 for all guitars and bass.

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/theo-goslett/preastog-butal-menny[/SC]

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/theo-goslett/fw-v1400-tone-test[/SC]


----------



## Gumbyx

So for the Axe Fx ii I have my pair of HS808 and I want to get out of the room with it. Still newer to the unit than most. I need to get a grasp for whats out there. Now I own a Mesa 4x12 , Looking at getting a 2x12 for mobility. 

If everyone could give me a list of Good, Better, and Best also with the experience (If you have any ) to be listed. I love to play everything genre wise. But at heart Im a metal head, prog lover. 

I know matrix seems to be the best bet in terms of function to the Axe, with that being said the GT800FX has caught my eye. It seems to be fitting and powerful, and maybe also transparent to a degree where using the Axe's poweramps you can get a little more versatility than ahh a mesa power amp. 

Thoughts would be much appreciated ! thank you !


----------



## Triple7

I started out with a solid state Carvin power amp, and wasn't really feeling it. I sold that and picked up a Mesa 2:90, that's a really nice power amp. Even though I still have the mesa, I saw a VHT 2/90/2 for sale and decided to pick that up as well. I like the way the VHT sounds more than the Mesa, but both are excellent choices.


----------



## shnaggs

I play my Axe FX through a Fryette 2/50/2. Sounds great and doesnt seem to color the tone too much. I frequent the Axe FX forum and have seen lots of posts on this topic, with all sorts of differing comments. SS is great if your really wanting a tone that is just "pure" Axe fx. But it seems you loose some of the "thump" and overtones you get with a tube power amp. Plus the tube power amp helps to incorporate some of the "sag" between the amp and speaker, making the playing experience more pleasant, and more realistic.
But than there is the whole frfr route if you want to go there. Many people seem to be digging this route, even some metal players, but you need to get over the "amp in the room" sound cuase it wont be the same.
dont know if that helped or not.


----------



## kmanick

Another vote for the Fyette 2/50/2 here. I used one for a while with my II and loved it.
I had the Matrix GT100Fx before the Fryette.
sounded great .....felt like cardboard compared to the fryette.
I also do the FRFR thing (I have a CLR) some days I love it some days I hate it.
I think I prefer tube amp-> real cab over FRFR.


----------



## Scrubface05

Is there a single person in this thread who still uses an ultra?


----------



## asher

Scrubface05 said:


> Is there a single person in this thread who still uses an ultra?


 

Me, apparently, which makes it hell to get patches and tips


----------



## Scrubface05

Yeah man!
A long time ago I suggested there be two separate threads, but nobody thought it'd work for some reason.
I still think there should specifically be an Axe Fx Standard/Ultra thread, and an Axe Fx 2 thread.


----------



## asher

Scrubface05 said:


> Yeah man!
> A long time ago I suggested there be two separate threads, but nobody thought it'd work for some reason.
> I still think there should specifically be an Axe Fx Standard/Ultra thread, and an Axe Fx 2 thread.



I'm afraid an Ultra thread would be just as dead. =/


----------



## DropTheSun

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/mediumplayer/the-keymaster[/SC]

Ghostbusters, Bill Murray and Axe FX II are the diamond.


----------



## Seanthesheep

hey guys quick question, Im going to be buying some studio monitors soon and mainly using them for my axe fx for guitar/bass and quick mixing. I dont want to have to get a sub woofer but I will be dialing bass patches and mixing bass on these so I need the right bass response. 

Im mainly looking at the Yamaha HS7s and HS8s. The HS7s are a reasonable size and all but Im worried they might not be able to handle the low end well enough, and that HS8s might be overkill. But 8" monitors seem to be the way to go if you dont want a sub woofer. I dont know, any opinions on the whole 8" vs 6.5"?


----------



## theo

I use the HS50m set. They're fine for bass.
Either of the larger will be fine too.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

The OwnHammer High Gain Essentials pack is out. The clips and reviews sound very promising. 



> Hello everyone,
> 
> I am happy to announce a new set of library projects dubbed the High Gain Essentials. What is "essential" about them? They provision everything you need and nothing you don't for killer high gain tone in the studio, on stage, and at home - and, well, they sound so good you simply shouldn't be without them. I may be biased, but from some of the sound clips the beta testers have posted over in the recording forum, maybe not.
> 
> There are many, many more cabinets and speakers to come, however the first batch contains 9 single libraries, which you can find here:
> 
> High Gain Essentials: OwnHammer.com - Store
> 
> So far I couldn't recommend any one over another, the reason these are in the first run is there really isn't a bad one in the bunch. All very different sounding, and all have different sweet spots. As a recommendation for a place to start in the auditioning process, for me personally I like position 05 for the V30-CH-08, position 08 for the V30-CH-16, and position 03 for the V30-EN. Your mileage may vary. The cabs and power amp options will suit different sources and tonal aesthetics to taste.
> 
> Lastly, for those with Cab-Lab wanting to convert the .wav files to Ultra-Res, download the Axe-Fx-II.zip and the docs.zip. I have specially prepped files for this task in the Axe-Fx-II.zip as opposed to the Wave-Audio.zip. More info is in the PDF manual.
> 
> Hope everyone digs them!



High Gain Essentials : OwnHammer.com - Store


----------



## Gumbyx

Seanthesheep said:


> hey guys quick question, Im going to be buying some studio monitors soon and mainly using them for my axe fx for guitar/bass and quick mixing. I dont want to have to get a sub woofer but I will be dialing bass patches and mixing bass on these so I need the right bass response.
> 
> Im mainly looking at the Yamaha HS7s and HS8s. The HS7s are a reasonable size and all but Im worried they might not be able to handle the low end well enough, and that HS8s might be overkill. But 8" monitors seem to be the way to go if you dont want a sub woofer. I dont know, any opinions on the whole 8" vs 6.5"?



I have the HS8's I didnt pay full price, just stating that if I had to pay full price prolly woulda went with something else. But if you got the cash I say go for the HS8 Sound very good as the other HS family but they have more headroom for the low end . I find them to be perfect for the application you need. Havent had one problem with them ! Very full !!


----------



## SamH678

I just uploaded a pretty solid guitar tone and bass tone for the axe fx 2 if anyone would like to try them out please tell me what you think!

Axe Change -The Official Site for Fractal Audio Presets, Cabs and More

Also here is my sound cloud to hear the tones mixed in.

https://soundcloud.com/samheilman/bare-knuckle-aftermath-tone


----------



## Elric

asher said:


> Me, apparently, which makes it hell to get patches and tips


I have a II and an Ultra. So, I count, too.  Ultra's a beast!!


----------



## RevChristoph

I have an Ultra. I love it. The Axe-fx II was still a little new when i got it and you would have to be on a waiting list for at least 6 months. I'll wait for an Axe-fx 3 or something before I ever upgrade (and by then might be able to afford it). The Ultra does plenty for me and I'm still learning all the possibilities with it anyways. I do wish they kept up the exchange and updates for it though, I mean it's not really that old and I'm not gonna replace it with the 2 just to get updates and exchange patches.


----------



## RevChristoph

asher said:


> I'm afraid an Ultra thread would be just as dead. =/



I would frequent that thread.


----------



## TheProcessofReanimation

So I have axe fx 2 and need to put 2 guitars through it. Yes I know there are tutorials, I've watched all of them and I am so close to figuring this out. My issue is that it seems I need two identical rows of blocks since we want both guitars to have the exact same tone. I'm running a 2nd guitar thry input 2 and putting an fx loop block to go through, which i route up to the clusterf*ck of blocks and back down to a volume block so i can pan each one L/R, but what happens is the both come out left and nothing comes out right (using two seperate half stack set ups one for L and one R). I hope ive given enough info for someone to help. Ask for more clarification if needed. Thanks!


----------



## japs5607

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-equipment/115990-offical-axe-fx-q-thread.html


----------



## swollenpickle

Is this possible?


----------



## Webmaestro

swollenpickle said:


> Is this possible?



Two guitars with one Axe-Fx? Absolutely.


----------



## Trainwreck1446

I don't recommend it though. Just get another Axe FX II


----------



## Webmaestro

I'm curious, can anyone recommend some sort of carrying case for the MFC-101 (I have the Mk. III)? Sure, I can use dimensions to find something online, but was curious if anyone has a case that they really like.


----------



## Webmaestro

After being primarily a headphone player for many years--and not owning an amp + speakers--I'm now starting to play live and still trying to figure out optimal settings for stuff.

In the pic, you see the amp + AFx output settings I normally use for lower (home practice) volumes. My AFx's output knob isn't very high at all--about a 2-3. My amp outputs are even lower, at about 1-2 (anything more scares the dog). Usually, when I'm playing with other people, I put my AFX's output up to about 50%, and the power amps outputs are increased too depending on the venue.

Should I be maxing my AFX's output knob when playing live? Or, maybe the opposite? Keep the AFx's output lower and the amp's outputs higher? Or, is it 50/50-ish?


----------



## asher

I don't know what "right" is, but I decided, for simplicity's sake, I was going to leave my HD1221 (FRFR)'s knob in the middle @0db - there's a nice little resistance spot for it there - and adjust my Ultra's output to taste. I've found a pretty consistent place for it in my full band context, and it's somewhere around 10:30/11:00. Good in the room feel and plenty of space to turn up, and shouldn't be pushing at any edges of anything's range where it might possibly do something to the sound or affect frequency response.


----------



## axxessdenied

Here's a clean patch I've been working on with some effects on it 
[sc]http://soundcloud.com/axxessdenied/telecaster-blackface-noodle[/sc]


----------



## Seanthesheep

So now the current MFC is mark III, how compatible is it with the original axe fx IIs? (Mark I)


----------



## lewstherin006

Seanthesheep said:


> So now the current MFC is mark III, how compatible is it with the original axe fx IIs? (Mark I)



I believe they are; The MFC III just has the newer connector.


----------



## bschmidt

Hey guys I'm wondering if you can help me get a tone:

This is probably adding a single effect to the chain but for the life of my I can't seem to figure out how to do it. Basically I want to make a patch which is my normal rhythm patch but with the (sorta generic) grainy low-fi sound to it for song intros and guitar call and answer parts. 

and example is the start of this song: 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYkLvH3Z4Ck

My thoughts were to add an EQ block and remove a lot of the bass but it's not quite right. any suggestions?


----------



## Shask

bschmidt said:


> Hey guys I'm wondering if you can help me get a tone:
> 
> This is probably adding a single effect to the chain but for the life of my I can't seem to figure out how to do it. Basically I want to make a patch which is my normal rhythm patch but with the (sorta generic) grainy low-fi sound to it for song intros and guitar call and answer parts.
> 
> and example is the start of this song:
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYkLvH3Z4Ck
> 
> My thoughts were to add an EQ block and remove a lot of the bass but it's not quite right. any suggestions?



You could put an EQ after the amp and take out all of the bass and treble. Remove everything except from about 500hz to 1500 hz.

You could also use a drive pedal and change the "bit reduction" to make it all lo-fi sounding....


----------



## theo

Use this as your cab, It's a bad telephone impulse response taken from a CLA preset in a waves plugin.

Axe-Change - Download Other - CLA Telephone IR - by Clark Kent


----------



## asher

The GEQ on a default Ultra preset that does something close (I like messing with this one). Everything else is standard.


----------



## fremen

I do that on a preset, try "Diary of jane" in my bank A and use the expression pedal to morph between normal and "telephone" sound. Also bypass the pitch block

I also shared a preset live with another guitar player recently, Cenk Eroglu, ex-Winger member, check as from 5:54 :

He's using the Bogner Red model+Awesometime impulse, me Friedman + ThisOne impulse

My Axe was also used for a full gig by two guitar players last Friday, I tweaked a special preset for them, they were morphing from clean to drive using an expression pedal each. I panned them left/right (+30/-30) using the cab block. I will upload the preset and possibly a video soon, works very well !


----------



## theo

I'm keen to have a play with that morph block Fremen!
Love your work


----------



## TripperJ

Does anyone have a timeframe as to when the Axe-Fx II will be available again?


----------



## mm66554

I know there is probably an answer already here somewhere, I just need a quick solution. Got my Axe yesterday and have connected output 1 L to input 3 on my sound card... just read the manual and apparently it is 20Khz. I want the full 48Khz the Axe has to offer. Here is a diagram of my connections:






Red = my current connections.
Blue = what I THINK it should be.

So should I buy an s/pdif cable and use that instead? Once again sorry for the probably-already-posted question. Thanks.


----------



## Shask

Your question doesn't really makes sense. You can use either. The red is using the analog out. All devices are 20hz-20khz because that is what humans can hear.

You can also use the blue SPDIF also. That is if you want to use a digital connection. The sample rate is 48khz, but the frequency range is still 20hz-20khz.

You can use either. Depends on if you want to use the analog signal, or the digital signal. Using digital will put the signal through less AD/DA conversions, but you can also introduce more clock issues. Depends on your setup.


----------



## mm66554

Yeah I confused sample rate with frequency range. So using SPDIF will be equivalent to using Axe as a soundcard as audio interface doesn't degrade it by doinf A/D conversions? Is this what everyone is doing or are they going through the USB?


----------



## AxeHappy

There are so many options I don't there there is something that everyone is doing.

I feed the XLR out into one my interfaces pre-amps and go form there. I wouldn't recommend the Spdif connection for highest quality though. Cliff has recommened against it. And no, I'm not going to go find a link for that. You can dig this thread or the Fractal forums if you want.


----------



## Volteau

Hey guys,

So yesterday I ran into my first Axe Fx 2 mystery. I was reamping a guitar track, and everything was going fine, until I began reamping another track, when all of a sudden I started hearing this aweful static-y fizz/fuzz like sound, as if the track were horribly over-saturated (as if all the effects had a fuzz pedal in front of 'em). I tried exporting the track to see if it was the DAW messing up, and lo and behold, all the fizz was gone when playing it as a wav file. So I thought "ok, it's the DAW over-saturating the tracks (for some reason...), but since they export just fine, I'll just keep working until my ears bleed from the horrible static mess". Thing is, I bypass the Axe fx 2, and all the saturation is gone, so it's definitely the Axe II and not the DAW. This ever happen to any of you guys?

There is a pretty big qualitative difference between the guitar reamped before the horrible static and after. My guess is that it's the DAW trying to reduce the noise on the static version and by consequence makes the track sound weaker.

Here are the before and afters (they are labeled as such in the file names):

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28793505/Q.E. Before.wav

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/28793505/Q.E. After.wav

The before one sounds bigger and with more atmo. I wish I could show you guys how horrible the static is, but since it doesn't export with the track, I can't.

BTW, I checked to see if it was the CPU overloading, but it's between the 55-57% (with the effect I'm trying to reamp the tracks with, which is the ABCD=ms, FB, Jitter, Mod one). It also happens with any other patch. I use a Shiver Clean preset which was always just that, clean, and now it distorts. Should also mention it happens whenever I play a note, not when it's idle. The sadness...


----------



## Volteau

Sooo quick update. I connected the Axe straight to the computer instead of the Axe>Interface>Computer method, and now the fuzz sound is gone. I can't get the ABCD=ms, FB, Jitter, Mod preset to sound like before, since now it doesn't sound so... spacey? If anyone could help me out with some tips, it would be greatly appreciated. Would be nice if someone could PM me the preset, as I am using FW 11.05 (sounds best to my ears) and I can't for the life of me find the presets for this FW version.


----------



## Volteau

Wow. Ok, so I woke up this morning to something pretty bad. I turn on my Axe 2, the splash screen comes on, the Input lights do their little dance, I see the name of the last preset I had used, and then it just restarts again and again. Any idea what might be causing this? I don't want to cause it further damage by doing a FW upgrade while it's on, so I'm kind of stuck here.


----------



## lewstherin006

Volteau said:


> Wow. Ok, so I woke up this morning to something pretty bad this morning. I turn on my Axe 2, the splash screen comes on, the Input lights do their little dance, I see the name of the last preset I had used, and then it just restarts again and again. Any idea what might be causing this?



Try holding recall I believe it is when you are starting it up. It sounds like you have a bad preset.


----------



## Volteau

lewstherin006 said:


> Try holding recall I believe it is when you are starting it up. It sounds like you have a bad preset.



I love you. So much...


----------



## chinnybob

So I just updated to FW15, and whilst I expected it would change the sound of my presets, I'm now getting a load of extra noise on some of my high(ish) gain ones. On my go to preset I run an overdrive and a fuzz, with drive at 2 and 0 respectively, into the recto orange modern amp with the drive at 6, so nothing extreme, I've never had noise problems and now I do. If I bypass the overdrive it goes away but that's pretty important to the sound! It's the kind of thing where when I'm not playing I can just adjust the noise gate to get rid of it, but for example when I'm palm muting there's a lot of noise, the kind of thing I'd expect if I was running too much distortion... Thoughts anyone?


----------



## Shask

Global noise gate offset?


----------



## chinnybob

Shask said:


> Global noise gate offset?



Tried it, but it had the same effect as the noise gate in the signal chain. The problem arises when I start playing, particularly during palm muted sections. Messing around with the settings, it still does the same thing with just one overdrive, really starting to annoy me now. Can't find anything in the release notes which would explain it...


----------



## Seanthesheep

Im having the same noise problems and its bad, on my gain patches i have to tighten up the noisegates to -15db at the minimum


----------



## Webmaestro

Based on what I'm hearing, I think I'll hold off on updating to 15. I"m still setting at FW 13-something and very happy with it.


----------



## blckrnblckt

For someone with little experience with amps, and don't know what types of tone he likes, would an eleven rack suffice?


----------



## Seanthesheep

Webmaestro said:


> Based on what I'm hearing, I think I'll hold off on updating to 15. I"m still setting at FW 13-something and very happy with it.



yea I might go back to 13.02 because the noise that Im dealing with is ridiculous


----------



## Shask

I have not noticed any new noise since updating. Sometimes I will get more noise, but I just have to back up away from the computer when that happens. It picks up crazy noise when I get too close to the computer.


----------



## chinnybob

I've managed to mostly get rid of the noise now through a number of small tweaks. I guess it's for the best and to be expected but it's still a little irritating that the firmware update should affect my patches so drastically.


----------



## theo

What does your patch look like? I just upgraded last night and it's quiet enough that at one point I forgot to turn my gate on (using mesa 2 red modern).


----------



## fremen

No noise gate problem for me either&#8230; those experiencing this problem, did you try to reinstall the firmware again ? Apparently this can fix problems after a new firmware update. There's also the option to use a clean system file, check this page :
Resetting - Axe-Fx II Wiki
Always backup your presets before !


----------



## fremen

New presets are up guys, get them here :

Fremen's guitar blog: Axe-Fx II presets for firmware 15.02


----------



## 3074326

blckrnblckt said:


> For someone with little experience with amps, and don't know what types of tone he likes, would an eleven rack suffice?



I personally would rather have a POD HD than the 11R. The 11R is a great unit, but I had more luck getting the sounds I wanted out of the POD HD stuff. 

The Axe FX blows them all away by a factor of 10 in my opinion. Best money I've ever spent on something guitar-related.


----------



## theo

Yeah I've owned pods and tried working with VST setups only etc etc. Nothing compared to the axe fx 2. 

Don't get me wrong, everything I listed is usable and can definitely work. But the Fractal gear was just head and shoulders above everything else for my purposes.


----------



## DrShredder

New firmware is great!
Also like the new cab pack even though the newer ownhammers can be hard to beat.


----------



## Webmaestro

Just updated to 15.02 (from 13.x)... and no discernible noise issues for me (thank god).


----------



## Addie5150

noise issues could be because of the change in master volume for different amp models.
The mv on most of the hi gain amps were 3.00 earlier except the angel severe which would default at 5. Now they are different for every model , so if you are using an amp model that underwent that change it could explain the noises.
I was having the same issue i suddenly found all my hi gain patches noisier, i even did the update all amp block option. till i realized the MV change.


----------



## Andromalia

fremen said:


> New presets are up guys, get them here :



Nice job, not all of them are in my taste but the rectos one are pretty good and usable with my guitars without a lof of mods.
The acoustics are excellent, too.


----------



## Scrubface05

That moment when you're actually getting fed up not being able to dial in something that you like the sound of and want to switch back to an analog amp.
THUMBS DOWN


----------



## asher

Scrubface05 said:


> That moment when you're actually getting fed up not being able to dial in something that you like the sound of and want to switch back to an analog amp.
> THUMBS DOWN



I know that feel.

Then I remember how much I was tweaking my Mark IV...


----------



## SSK0909

asher said:


> I know that feel.
> 
> Then I remember how much I was tweaking my Mark IV...



And all the time spent switching cab speakers, trying out new fx (all with their own dials for tweaking of course), perhaps some new patch cables to improve the tone, oh "and this new boost pedal is supposed to sound much better than the one i'm currently using. Better buy it and give it a try!".

I think most of the guys who dislike the axe because it "it's all about tweaking" forget just how much bloody time they spend tweaking their analog rigs 

Somebody should make a meme out of this "Hates the Axe-fx for being complicated. Buys a Mesa Roadking and 6 fx pedals to keep it simple"


----------



## fremen

Most of the tweaking time I spent on the Axe was on finding the right IRs for me. Once it's done, it's done.


----------



## axxessdenied

I find people that make the statement about the axe fx being too much tweaking haven't even played one to begin with.


----------



## theo

I'm constantly tweaking my axe fx 2.
Not that there's anything wrong with what I get (to me at least).
I just like to try new things and ideas out.


----------



## fremen

there's tweaking and tweaking
tweaking because you're not satisfied with your sound is one thing
Tweaking just to test other amp models, other amp/cab combinations, or special effects ideas can indeed be very fun. I do that a lot. In my previous comment I was referring to the first kind of tweaking. Again, in this case, it starts with the IR


----------



## Shask

I have found it silly to sit and obsess and constantly tweak one sound to make it perfect. There is no perfect and we all hear things differently at different times. Many times I will make a sound, and 2 days later it sound horrible, and I wonder what I was thinking. I say keep it simple, and quit obsessing over every little detail.


----------



## Webmaestro

There's a psychological phenomenon where, when you give a user a bazillion controls to customize, it can make some feel like the product is never quite right. I forget the technical term. Reduce the # of controls, parameters, etc. and the opposite happens (but then you piss off the tweakers. Welcome to what I do for a career).

The only FX processor I've owned where I felt like I HAD to constantly tweak was my POD HD Pro. I could never get that goddman thing to sound just right for lead tones. Drove me nuts and I wasted hours messing with it instead of practicing.

When I finally got the Axe-Fx II, I found that I didn't *have* to do this. Shit sounded pretty damn good as-is, and then I just tweaked the top-level controls to dial it in. I keep it simple that way, but when I get the urge to experiment with sound (which I love to do as well), it's great that I'm not limited.


----------



## chinnybob

Webmaestro said:


> There's a psychological phenomenon where, when you give a user a bazillion controls to customize, it can make some feel like the product is never quite right. I forget the technical term. Reduce the # of controls, parameters, etc. and the opposite happens (but then you piss off the tweakers. Welcome to what I do for a career).
> 
> The only FX processor I've owned where I felt like I HAD to constantly tweak was my POD HD Pro. I could never get that goddman thing to sound just right for lead tones. Drove me nuts and I wasted hours messing with it instead of practicing.
> 
> When I finally got the Axe-Fx II, I found that I didn't *have* to do this. Shit sounded pretty damn good as-is, and then I just tweaked the top-level controls to dial it in. I keep it simple that way, but when I get the urge to experiment with sound (which I love to do as well), it's great that I'm not limited.



This.

I started out chucking everything into my presets and tweaking every dial, but my best patches are all pretty hands-off. Decided to try the Double Verb for cleans, loaded the amp into a blank preset and it sounded amazing without me even touching any of the controls!


----------



## mongey

new owner here. Just curious how you guys are setting up into your audio interface to record mono .changing the setting to sum to mono and use 1 xlr output seems the best way to do it unless I'm missing something ??


----------



## lewstherin006

mongey said:


> new owner here. Just curious how you guys are setting up into your audio interface to record mono .changing the setting to sum to mono and use 1 xlr output seems the best way to do it unless I'm missing something ??



Just run a XLR from the back of the axe fx from output 1 in your interface. That is it.


----------



## Genome

You guys should check out the Carol-Ann Triptik Modern for metal/high gain, I tried it out on a whim last night and it sounded huge. Might record a clip later.


----------



## lewstherin006

Genome said:


> You guys should check out the Carol-Ann Triptik Modern for metal/high gain, I tried it out on a whim last night and it sounded huge. Might record a clip later.



I hear this one sounds awesome for metal. I have been meaning to check it out.


----------



## Genome

Yeah, although this might be a strange description it _feels_ like a Mark but with a slightly more British/Marshall voicing. Much easier to dial in and more forgiving on your playing.

On a side note, my band is supporting The Agonist on Monday so I'm gonna dial a preset in with it at practice on Sunday and road test it, see how the Triptik sounds there!


----------



## Randy D

Some mod kicked my post in the effects processor section and stickied me here. 

I am rather skeptical that i will get my answers here and my question i believe was viable in both areas! but i digress.....

Are there any Axe FX Standard owners......seems like very patch and bank file is Ultra or Axe II. Can us bottom feeders get some love hear for our first gen processors. I am perfectly happy w my Stnd. I don't see needing much else yet i would enjoy more patch and bank sharing. Seems like based on production there should be allot of standards out there where the hell are you guys!!!!!!! It is frustrating that i make a good number of patches yet an active community would be cool. Maybe im the only guy left with this....lol everyone has kempers now......and Axe II Second Gen 

No but in reality anyone wanna swap some patches or just post some w/ bank files. i know there are some big dogs with a standard laying around with a bunch of old presets .....
give'm to the massses....And yes i know about most of the usual stuff on here and online....im looking for newly produced patches and banks....


I will dismount my soap box now...... Plz support this effort

Cheers

-Randy D


----------



## fremen

You can get my banks for the Standard here :
Fremen's guitar blog: Standard/Ultra presets
Ultra presets are also compatible with the Standard when they don't use too much CPU or some blocks that the Standard doesn't have (multiband compressor etc)


----------



## Randy D

So i am not sure of this issue but i have a bank file that says Ultra and when i open the bank it plays for about a couple seconds and then is silent. This is on a standard mind you. If i try to import and individual patch into a slot it is silent when i select it. They may just not be compatible yet i figured id ask the board if anyone has experienced this and if it can be remedied. 

Thnx

Randy D


----------



## Shask

Back when I had a Standard I found that I always had to import preset by preset, and normally I would have to "clean them up". Sometimes I would have to delete blocks, and connect empty spots with shunts, etc....

I could get them to work, but in the end I found it easier to just create my own.


----------



## mongey

heya

so I'm following instuctions on the fractal forum for setting up my hd500 as a midi controller . I have it working somewhat but it says to -

Set these cc# commands in AXE FX to "none":

CC# 41
CC# 43 
CC# 47 
CC# 49
CC# 56
CC# 75
CC# 83
CC# 86
CC# 90 
CC# 69


and I'm a bit confused as i have never used cc commands before . does that mean in the control page where all the functions are listed I just change those numbers to none ? the 1st one , 41 f,or expample is the chorus bypass or something .just not sure why you'd change that for preset switching ,or am I on the wrong screen ? I asked over there but got no answer


----------



## Shask

Back when I used a HD500 for switching I programmed everything on the HD500. I didnt change anything on the Axe. Maybe it is just me, but I think the controller should be set to send what the axe wants, not the other way around.

They are just saying to set the stuff you dont use to none so that unintentional commands dont happen....


----------



## Thrashman

So in a moment of temporary weakness I decided to sell my iPad mini w/ Line6 SonicPort to a friend of mine who needs a good amp modeller.. (BIAS/JamUp etc)

Would I be as happy with a Std/Ultra unit if I found one for a reasonable price?


----------



## Elric

Webmaestro said:


> There's a psychological phenomenon where, when you give a user a bazillion controls to customize, it can make some feel like the product is never quite right. I forget the technical term. Reduce the # of controls, parameters, etc. and the opposite happens (but then you piss off the tweakers. Welcome to what I do for a career).


Analysis Paralysis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Analysis_paralysis

Sometimes I will specifically say to myself, "I am only going to use this one amp, no deep params, one stomp, and a cab + verb" and build a patch. If you look back at a lot of great music, a lot of innovation and creativity is spurred by LIMITATIONS. Hendrix was constantly trying to eek out interesting things from his gear because gear/FX were SH*T when he played. Almost nothing had been invented yet and what was there no one knew what to do with it. That's what made anything he did seem brilliant.

With the AF2 you basically have everything you will EVER need for the rest of your life from a gear standpoint. Seriously. There is no tone you cannot get for the most part. There are precious few FX that cannot be achieved at stunning quality. That removal of all gear based limitations can be liberating but it can also be overwhelming. Mastering that scenario is part of mastering this generation of technology. As I said, my personal strategy is sometimes forcing myself to innovate/focus by imposing artificial limitations on a specific session with the tech.


----------



## Webmaestro

Elric said:


> With the AF2 you basically have everything you will EVER need for the rest of your life from a gear standpoint. Seriously. There is no tone you cannot get for the most part.



I tend to agree with you, but I have to admit I said the exact same thing about my ZOOM 9030 back in the 90's. Back then, I couldn't imagine ever needing another FX processor for the rest of my life. In the context of the time period, it sounded amazing... *AND SO REALISTIC!*

It's hard to image anything ever sounding better than the Axe-Fx, but it'll be interesting to see where technology is at in 20 years.


----------



## Andromalia

Tone is absolute, so once you're there, you're there. The main avenue of progress now I'd say is more into getting smaller units. I'm pretty sure in 20 years your axefx5 will be a boss sized pedal with a remote control graphic interface for convenience. The only limiting factor, but standards can change, is the in/out formats. So many XLRs can't take less room than so many XLRs.


----------



## 3074326

Elric said:


> With the AF2 you basically have everything you will EVER need for the rest of your life from a gear standpoint. Seriously. There is no tone you cannot get for the most part. There are precious few FX that cannot be achieved at stunning quality. That removal of all gear based limitations can be liberating but it can also be overwhelming. Mastering that scenario is part of mastering this generation of technology. As I said, my personal strategy is sometimes forcing myself to innovate/focus by imposing artificial limitations on a specific session with the tech.



I generally agree, but there are a couple issues I have with the unit. I hate the fuzz and overdrives for the most part. I only find one or two overdrives good and _maybe_ one fuzz. 

All things considered, I'm pretty happy though. I can just make a preset with light distortion if I want a little overdrive. But the fuzz is an issue. Haven't updated for a while, maybe it's better now.

All that being said, I still find it worth every bit of the hype and think it's the best purchase I've ever made.


----------



## synmon

The big question for me right now is, Axe FX II mk2 or XL?


----------



## Elric

3074326 said:


> I generally agree, but there are a couple issues I have with the unit. I hate the fuzz and overdrives for the most part. I only find one or two overdrives good and _maybe_ one fuzz.


I'd say that's a fair criticism. I have zero probs with the ODs but I do think the fuzzes selection is pretty spartan and are less than ideal in performance. I don't think Cliff cares that much about stompbox distortion and Fuzzes in particular, TBH.  

I have wish listed fuzzes before on the Fractal board. Maybe we should start a new thread there to see if we can get him going on it again.  I think the only people who are that into the fuzzes are people who want to cop Hendrix tones for which they have a Fuzz Face and Stoner/Doom guys (my occasional interest) but maybe we could get critical mass with a good discussion. 

Anyway, I have been meaning to try to "roll my own" fuzz on the AF using some of the deep params on the fuzzes that are there. I have heard a couple of big stomp guys say that the drives are better than you'd think if you do edit the deep params. I've also considered tone matching a pedal to see if it would work. If you have a clip of one that is interesting let me know.


----------



## crg123

Hey guy my friend is lending me his axe fx II and Mark 2 foot controller while he's studying abroad so I get 4 months to test this thing out.

First things first he forgot to give me the cat5 cable he uses before he left so I'm thinking about buying a super cheap one like this for while I test it out. Will this work?

www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000J1V...pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1688200382&pf_rd_i=507846

Secondly any tips where to start or what to avoid (aka waste time)?

Thanks


----------



## 3074326

Keep in mind that you don't have to tweak all the deep parameters to get great sounds. Match up an amp with a cabinet you like, then I like to add filters to cut unnecessary frequencies. Then I'll add the effects I like. Once I get a good feel for that setting I'll dig a little deeper and adjust the more in-depth stuff. 

I really like messing with tone stacks, assuming they're still there. Haven't updated for a few firmware releases. 

If you like spacey sounds, try the shiver clean amp with plex shift delay or mega tap delay + cavernous reverb. It gets borderline ridiculous. Haha


----------



## Genome

As an aside, I've found switching to a power amp and cab setup severely reduces tweaking time. All I really do is go straight to the Speaker Res page, match up the Low Resonance to match the speakers in my cab. That's the only deep tweaking I do. After that I just use the basic amp controls to dial in, and I'm done.

When I was purely FRFR, finding and blending the right IRs was a huge ballache for me and not particularly fun. Obviously you have a wealth of choice there to create whatever tone you like, but it was too much for me. That's just my two cents!


----------



## fremen

as I have an Ultra at home, I made a new video, comparing my presets with a Gen 1 Axe-Fx to those I use today :



Here I'm focusing on my main tones, not special effects. Some presets sounds very alike, some are quite different. Of course, this is just a part of the picture ; besides the big evolution in amp modeling between the two versions, the Axe-Fx II is much easier to tweak, have more/better effects, various useful enhancements like scenes etc AND feels/react much better under the fingers (playing dynamics, volume knob control etc).

btw, since firmware 15.02, I changed my settings for high gain, using other IRs and amp models


----------



## Webmaestro

Genome said:


> As an aside, I've found switching to a power amp and cab setup severely reduces tweaking time. All I really do is go straight to the Speaker Res page, match up the Low Resonance to match the speakers in my cab. That's the only deep tweaking I do. After that I just use the basic amp controls to dial in, and I'm done.
> 
> When I was purely FRFR, finding and blending the right IRs was a huge ballache for me and not particularly fun. Obviously you have a wealth of choice there to create whatever tone you like, but it was too much for me. That's just my two cents!



This definitely goes for those who are "headphones only"... as I was for the first year I owned my AFXII. Living in a small apartment necessitated it.

Lemme tell ya, playing through nothing but a pair of high quality studio 'phones can lead to countless hours tweaking (if you let it), due to the fact that you can hear every little nuance.


----------



## Zalbu

Is it easier or harder to dial in tones on an Axe-Fx compared to things like the POD HD, Jamup and so on? I imagine it'd be easier since the Axe-Fx sounds way better and have presets that are actually useful, but can you get decent tones without delving into every single menu there is?

I'm asking since I'm debating between the Kemper and Axe-Fx when it's time to upgrade my rig and I love post-rock, ambient, all kinds of effects and so on and many people say that the Axe-Fx is superior when it comes to those kind of things. But I don't know if I'd do enough tweaking to justify the purchase since there's like more than 100 amps in the Axe-Fx and I barely tweak on my current Jamup rig, and I've also heard that the Kemper is better for just plug-and-play'ing.


----------



## asher

You definitely can pretty quickly dial up some solid usable tones with just a drive (for metal)/amp/cab setup, especially if you take a little bit of time to grab some solid IRs ahead of time. I'm talking for the Ultra - I have a II and from everyone I've read it's much easier to do quickly on a II, but I haven't played with it yet.


----------



## Shask

I have dialed both generations of the Axe-FX much less then the POD HD I used to have. It just sounds right with default settings, then then you dial in small things. I was always messing with the HD500 I had. Seems like it always sounded "off" in some way, and it was always bugging me....


----------



## SSK0909

The Ax-FX II is definately easer to dial in than the PODs og 11R.

The key is finding the right IR, after that you can find lots of great tones with the standard eq, gain and master controls, just like on a real amp.

But some people can tweak the thing endlessly because of all the advanced tone shaping options that the Axe-fx offers. It's like starting to mod all your own amps.

I guess the short answer is that it can be as easy or as hard to dial in as you want it to be. Depends on your level of controlfreakedness


----------



## theo

I used to have a pod x3 live, Could never get a tone I was happy with.
Jamup is alright, especially with Bias. But it really doesn't compare to the axe fx 2.

It's powerful, flexible and sounds remarkably authentic.


----------



## theo

I used to have a pod x3 live, Could never get a tone I was happy with.
Jamup is alright, especially with Bias. But it really doesn't compare to the axe fx 2.

It's powerful, flexible and sounds remarkably authentic.


----------



## mongey

It is way eaiser to dial tones on the on the the axe fx then the HD500 IMHO. 

When you bring up an amp and a cab it is acutally in a usable starting psoiton that already sounds good and you make it sound better . the pod its like "well that sounds horrible, how do I fix it "


----------



## Andromalia

If you're always finding faults with the tone you get, chances are your IR isn't the one you want for the tone you want. The IR is the critical point.


----------



## flaherz09

fremen said:


> as I have an Ultra at home, I made a new video, comparing my presets with a Gen 1 Axe-Fx to those I use today :
> 
> 
> 
> Here I'm focusing on my main tones, not special effects. Some presets sounds very alike, some are quite different. Of course, this is just a part of the picture ; besides the big evolution in amp modeling between the two versions, the Axe-Fx II is much easier to tweak, have more/better effects, various useful enhancements like scenes etc AND feels/react much better under the fingers (playing dynamics, volume knob control etc).
> 
> btw, since firmware 15.02, I changed my settings for high gain, using other IRs and amp models




This comparison is awesome! I actually like almost every Ultra preset more, kind of glad I just pulled the trigger on one. Great playing dude!


----------



## Paul McAleer

asher said:


> You definitely can pretty quickly dial up some solid usable tones with just a drive (for metal)/amp/cab setup, especially if you take a little bit of time to grab some solid IRs ahead of time. I'm talking for the Ultra - I have a II and from everyone I've read it's much easier to do quickly on a II, but I haven't played with it yet.


 


Getting around to checking out other IR's rekindled my approval for the unit. lately I've been noticing how the stock cabs are lacking some special sauce in metal tones, like there's something weird about the frequencies in the cabs themselves. 

mfw: Even blending IR's from other places with the stock cabs made things nice as well, if you like something about the particular cab that you want to keep in!


----------



## fremen

flaherz09 said:


> This comparison is awesome! I actually like almost every Ultra preset more, kind of glad I just pulled the trigger on one. Great playing dude!



Thanks ! I like the presets of the II more obviously I must also stress out that most of the Ultra presets have post-cab graphic and parametric EQ to make them fatter/sweeter/whatever, and the II presets don't have those blocks, as imho they don't need them


----------



## flaherz09

fremen said:


> Thanks ! I like the presets of the II more obviously I must also stress out that most of the Ultra presets have post-cab graphic and parametric EQ to make them fatter/sweeter/whatever, and the II presets don't have those blocks, as imho they don't need them



I recently got a secondhand Ultra and it's coming this week. The II and II XL were a little out of my price range. I'm just excited to have all those tones in one box!


----------



## mongey

I picked up the ultra res 4 x 12 IR pack last week on payday and they are really great 

gonna have to grab cab lab this pay


----------



## Gemmeadia

Hey guys, thought i'd post this here! It is a 100% AxeFX tone ready to be used without any extra IRs or other files. Can be used on the Standard, Ultra or II. I will be posting more soon, so if you like this than stay tuned!





Recto Tone #1 / GEMLABS TONES

Thanks for looking


----------



## IbanezShreds

I'm in the market of getting a fractal, but I was worried about getting a used original, because I heard there are no longer firmware updates and whatnot for the unit, just the Mark II.

Is it not wise to get an older unit because of this? $800 sounds nicer than $2200 but I'm not going to compromise if the original is outdated.


----------



## Elric

IbanezShreds said:


> I'm in the market of getting a fractal, but I was worried about getting a used original, because I heard there are no longer firmware updates and whatnot for the unit, just the Mark II.
> 
> Is it not wise to get an older unit because of this? $800 sounds nicer than $2200 but I'm not going to compromise if the original is outdated.


What does "outdated" mean to you exactly? If you want something that is going to continue to receive new features and whatnot or just can't live without the latest version get the II for sure. It'll keep you from spending money on the older unit and constantly second guessing yourself about the newer piece, that peace of mind is worth a lot and can keep you from spinning your wheels and obsessing over your gear instead of using it. The II has some features the Gen1's do not as well, you should consider if those are critical to you also.

All that said, the AxeFx Gen1's are GREAT units, still. Good tone is good tone. They're extremely good for Metal, IMHO. A lot of the development that has affected sound on the II has focused on IR tech (II IRs are inherently longer and then when they added UltraRes later) and power amp emulation (some of this for feel and some of it for tone). I love the II but sometimes all the FW updates are a PITA, to be honest, too. You constantly have to redial things and I KNOW they are optional but whenever I hear people discussing the updates, I cannot resist loading the newest version. Plus there are often compelling features. So, honestly, there is no point in buying an AfX2 for the constant updates/newness/support and then saying I won't follow along with the new development.

So, for FRFR rigs, the II improvements are much more unambiguous but as a straight preamp (Axe->Guitar Power Amp->Guitar Cab) the Gen1s are good enough that they can end your tone chasing if you are not swayed by internet neophilia. I have one of each (a II and an Ultra) and run the Ultra in a power amp and cab config. I often wonder why I bothered with the II since I have it totally dialed in and never have d*ck with it. It just delivers over and over. 

I guess the bottom line is how tolerant are you of not having the newest thing because sound won't be the problem, are you willing to pay the price difference for some of the differences (tone matching, ease of use, FRFR sound improvements, IR slots/resolution), and how are you going to run it? Mostly metal? FRFR for live and recording? Live only? With a Guitar Cab?

I could build an awesome rig with either unit. In fact, I have! LOL!


----------



## mnemonic

The universe is conspiring against me.

My name has finally come up on an Axe Fx II backorder with G66, and it just happens to fall in the same month that:

My car insurance is due
My car's MOT is due
My car's road tax is due
I just upgraded my phone and bought one outright rather than pay extra per month
My roommate is moving out so my rent will be going up (and I'm going to have to buy a set of dishes) 

I'll probably buy it anyway, but damn.


----------



## Underworld

Ok I might be a complete idiot but... I just got an Axe-Fx II, and don't know how to upload a preset from my computer to the Axe-Fx! Can somebody tell me?


----------



## lewstherin006

Underworld said:


> Ok I might be a complete idiot but... I just got an Axe-Fx II, and don't know how to upload a preset from my computer to the Axe-Fx! Can somebody tell me?



2 ways: download axe bot and use that to upload it while picking a spot to upload it too (eg, spot 15 for the patches.) The 2nd way is to download axe edit, open the preset that you want to save it over, and hit import at the top of axe edit. Then you can save it. Both programs are found on fractal's site.


----------



## Underworld

lewstherin006 said:


> 2 ways: download axe bot and use that to upload it while picking a spot to upload it too (eg, spot 15 for the patches.) The 2nd way is to download axe edit, open the preset that you want to save it over, and hit import at the top of axe edit. Then you can save it. Both programs are found on fractal's site.





Thanks for the help! I will use Axe Edit, sounds easier and I could tweak the preset if needed.


----------



## crg123

So I'm borrow my friends Axe FX2 and I love it. Unfortunately I have to give it back in 2 month when he comes back (he's out of the country so im holding onto his gear). 

I need to decide wheither to take the plunge on a AFXII or if I can be happy with an ultra.

Can people who have owned both discuss the pros/cons and if it's really work 700-900 more for a used/new II versus a used Ultra (seems like they're averaging 1300 now which I could afford with some ease if I sell my rig).

I understand theres the USB and tone matching stuff but as far as quality of sound goes. I mostly play progressive death metal (Think Atheist, Necrophagist, Carcass and Beyond Creation) but I'm also really into creating lush post rock soundscapes (my favorite thing on the axe is a patch I downloaded and tweaked to near perfection of the Strymon Blue sky)

Any suggestions? The axe II blows away my gear that has taken me the last 12 years to put together (tons of pedals) in just seconds of tweaking it. So i know I just have to decide if its worth it to get the II or if I could be happy with the Ultra.


----------



## lewstherin006

crg123 said:


> So I'm borrow my friends Axe FX2 and I love it. Unfortunately I have to give it back in 2 month when he comes back (he's out of the country so im holding onto his gear).
> 
> I need to decide wheither to take the plunge on a AFXII or if I can be happy with an ultra.
> 
> Can people who have owned both discuss the pros/cons and if it's really work 700-900 more for a new II versus a used Ultra.
> 
> I understand theres the USB and tone matching stuff but as far as quality of sound goes. I mostly play progressive death metal but I'm also really into creating lush post rock soundscapes.
> 
> Any suggestions?




Get the II. It sounds better and is still getting updated unlike the ultra.


----------



## Elric

crg123 said:


> So I'm borrow my friends Axe FX2 and I love it. Unfortunately I have to give it back in 2 month when he comes back (he's out of the country so im holding onto his gear).
> 
> Any suggestions? The axe II blows away my gear that has taken me the last 12 years to put together (tons of pedals) in just seconds of tweaking it. So i know I just have to decide if its worth it to get the II or if I could be happy with the Ultra.



If you have invested that much time and effort into the gear and the II blows it away based on experience it is probably worth it to get the II; rather than roll the dice with the Gen1. As I said above, the Gen1s are awesome but you KNOW the II does what you want AND it has more features, continues to be updated, and your time and effort are valuable as well. So unless you can demo an Ultra to compare the only thing that is a sure thing is that the II meets your needs.


----------



## flaherz09

I jumped into modeling head first recently and went with an Ultra since I didn't quite have the cash for a II. I love it so far, will not be upgrading for a long time!


----------



## mnemonic

Yay, this arrived 







I'm being super critical of it, since I'm not sure I can justify having spent £1,900 on it while I'm saving for a mortgage, but I gotta say, I wasn't that impressed yesterday when I plugged it in. I guess thats what happens when you hype something up to yourself though. I was struggling to get better tones than Podfarm (which I've used for the last 5ish years) and JamUp/Bias (Had for a month or so). 

Now that its day two though, I'm starting to get my head around how it works (atleast the 1st page, I haven't ventured past there since I have no idea what the other knobs do). I'm using axe edit exclusively since the front panel is a goddamn mystery to me. So far I really dig the FAS Brootals (very reminiscent of Line 6 Big Bottom) and the Friedman HBE, which feels kinda marshally but also super tight and heavy. Running dual cabs is pretty fun too, I like how the 4x12 5153 #1 cab and 4x12 German V30 cab blend. 


*Ok so questions time:*

1.) What stock cabs do you guys like? So many to choose from, I don't really know where to start?

2.) What other impulses should I look into? I tried the free ownhammer ones but I didn't like them as much as the 5153 Ultrares cab I've been using for everything. 

3.) Is there a way to bulk import IR's? Even with .syx files, I can only figure out how to load them one at a time, which takes forever.


----------



## Double A

First for IRs, you must get these and they are free. Clark Kent's TEH Dollar Sound IR's

OwnHammer IRs are the best too but you have to be carefull with what you buy. The High Gain Essential Diezel with the the lynchbacks are amazing. You also have to make the OwnHammer irs Ultrares by converting the wave files he provides with whatever you purchase into ultrares with Cablab or something else.

Also, get cablab, it will make your life easier as will this: AxeFXSend : A tiny tool for auditioning IRs or presets

Last, if you haven't done it yet get fractal-bot (Fractal Audio Systems - Fractal-Bot MIDI Utility for the Axe-Fx II and MFC-101) and update to the latest firmware Fractal Audio Systems - Support .

You will almost always want to run dual cabs, I use Clark Kents irs in EVERY high gain patch I have ever made.

Cablab will do what you want but costs more dough, axefxsend can help you audition cabs to see what you really want to use before saving it to your unit. Also, Axe-edit has a scratch pad now that can do the same thing but... yeah.

It took me almost a year to wrap my head around this thing so be patient.

PS- Bulb's clean patch on Axechange is frigging amazing.


----------



## lewstherin006

Double A said:


> First for IRs, you must get these and they are free. Clark Kent's TEH Dollar Sound IR's
> 
> OwnHammer IRs are the best too but you have to be carefull with what you buy. The High Gain Essential Diezel with the the lynchbacks are amazing. You also have to make the OwnHammer irs Ultrares by converting the wave files he provides with whatever you purchase into ultrares with Cablab or something else.
> 
> Also, get cablab, it will make your life easier as will this: AxeFXSend : A tiny tool for auditioning IRs or presets
> 
> Last, if you haven't done it yet get fractal-bot (Fractal Audio Systems - Fractal-Bot MIDI Utility for the Axe-Fx II and MFC-101) and update to the latest firmware Fractal Audio Systems - Support .
> 
> You will almost always want to run dual cabs, I use Clark Kents irs in EVERY high gain patch I have ever made.
> 
> Cablab will do what you want but costs more dough, axefxsend can help you audition cabs to see what you really want to use before saving it to your unit. Also, Axe-edit has a scratch pad now that can do the same thing but... yeah.
> 
> It took me almost a year to wrap my head around this thing so be patient.
> 
> PS- Bulb's clean patch on Axechange is frigging amazing.





2nd all of this. I use all of these. I love clark's stuff. Clark has another set that fractal is going to release


----------



## mnemonic

Double A said:


> First for IRs, you must get these and they are free. Clark Kent's TEH Dollar Sound IR's
> 
> OwnHammer IRs are the best too but you have to be carefull with what you buy. The High Gain Essential Diezel with the the lynchbacks are amazing. You also have to make the OwnHammer irs Ultrares by converting the wave files he provides with whatever you purchase into ultrares with Cablab or something else.
> 
> Also, get cablab, it will make your life easier as will this: AxeFXSend : A tiny tool for auditioning IRs or presets
> 
> Last, if you haven't done it yet get fractal-bot (Fractal Audio Systems - Fractal-Bot MIDI Utility for the Axe-Fx II and MFC-101) and update to the latest firmware Fractal Audio Systems - Support .
> 
> You will almost always want to run dual cabs, I use Clark Kents irs in EVERY high gain patch I have ever made.
> 
> Cablab will do what you want but costs more dough, axefxsend can help you audition cabs to see what you really want to use before saving it to your unit. Also, Axe-edit has a scratch pad now that can do the same thing but... yeah.
> 
> It took me almost a year to wrap my head around this thing so be patient.
> 
> PS- Bulb's clean patch on Axechange is frigging amazing.



Cool, thanks for the tips! I'll check this all out when I get home. 

Also after spending some time figuring out how everything works, the recto models sound heavy as hell. I still haven't managed to get past the first page on the amp settings though, I have no idea what all those controls do. I've been big into modelers for the last 6 years or so, but this thing is a goddamn spaceship compared to anything else I've used in the past.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Cool, thanks for the tips! I'll check this all out when I get home.
> 
> Also after spending some time figuring out how everything works, the recto models sound heavy as hell. I still haven't managed to get past the first page on the amp settings though, I have no idea what all those controls do. I've been big into modelers for the last 6 years or so, but this thing is a goddamn spaceship compared to anything else I've used in the past.



To be honest, for the most part you leave everything else alone. You may find one or 2 that you like, but you mostly do not need to mess with the other stuff.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> To be honest, for the most part you leave everything else alone. You may find one or 2 that you like, but you mostly do not need to mess with the other stuff.



The more I play the more I realize that I don't need deep editing when the tones are already good 

I did read that the axe fx II was much more plug-and-play than the standard though.


Edit- And I thought my tone sounded good before... Just trying some of those Clark Kent TEH impulses. Damn, every one is really good!


----------



## Shask

Yes, I tweaked way more on my old Standard, which I tweaked way more than the POD HD500.

With the Axe-FX II I rarely mess with any settings or EQ.


----------



## mongey

mnemonic said:


> The more I play the more I realize that I don't need deep editing when the tones are already good
> 
> I did read that the axe fx II was much more plug-and-play than the standard though.
> 
> 
> Edit- And I thought my tone sounded good before... Just trying some of those Clark Kent TEH impulses. Damn, every one is really good!


 

that's what I love about the axe fx. you can call up any amp and it sounds good to start with and you dial it in. on my old hd500 its " ugh..thats crap how can I fix it "

on the stock IRs I like the recto new mix UR allot as an all purpose starting point for making a patch


----------



## theo

I usually to transformer drive/match and that's it.


----------



## mnemonic

mongey said:


> that's what I love about the axe fx. you can call up any amp and it sounds good to start with and you dial it in. on my old hd500 its " ugh..thats crap how can I fix it "
> 
> on the stock IRs I like the recto new mix UR allot as an all purpose starting point for making a patch



Yeah, I'm used to line 6 gear where 80%+ of the amps are useless. I keep trying new amps and they're all usable with minimal tweaks. I just tried the engl savage model, and damn, so tight and clear even without a boost

Also my new favourite cab combo for everything is the sm57 #3 from the Clark Kent TEH pack linked above, blended 50/50 with the stock 4x12 German v30.


One more question for you guys though; I noticed every amp has boost/cut/bright controls. I've deduced the 'cut' appears to reduce bass at the input, making the tone tighter, and 'bright' appears to just be a treble boost? 

Is the 'boost' just a fixed clean boost? Or is there more to it than that? I can't find it mentioned on the wiki.

Edit- nevermind, found it, apparently it's 12dB


> Sometimes enabling the Boost switch works better than turning up preamp gain. It's a clean boost so it'll increase the gain across the entire frequency spectrum. BOOST is modifiable so it can be activated remotely.
> Enabling Boost is the same as setting Input Trim at 4.



This page is really good http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/axefx2/index.php?title=Amp_parameters


----------



## mongey

mnemonic said:


> Yeah, I'm used to line 6 gear where 80%+ of the amps are useless. I keep trying new amps and they're all usable with minimal tweaks. I just tried the engl savage model, and damn, so tight and clear even without a boost
> 
> Also my new favourite cab combo for everything is the sm57 #3 from the Clark Kent TEH pack linked above, blended 50/50 with the stock 4x12 German v30.
> 
> 
> One more question for you guys though; I noticed every amp has boost/cut/bright controls. I've deduced the 'cut' appears to reduce bass at the input, making the tone tighter, and 'bright' appears to just be a treble boost?
> 
> Is the 'boost' just a fixed clean boost? Or is there more to it than that? I can't find it mentioned on the wiki.
> 
> Edit- nevermind, found it, apparently it's 12dB
> 
> 
> This page is really good Amp parameters - Axe-Fx II Wiki


 
not sure what FW you got but if your on 16.1 there is a new power amp hardenss paramater. you cant change it in axe edit yet, you need to go into the adavanced parameters on the unit. it defaluts to medium but turning to hard really tightens up as well . I pretty much changed all my high gain presets to hard


----------



## mnemonic

mongey said:


> not sure what FW you got but if your on 16.1 there is a new power amp hardenss paramater. you cant change it in axe edit yet, you need to go into the adavanced parameters on the unit. it defaluts to medium but turning to hard really tightens up as well . I pretty much changed all my high gain presets to hard



Cool, I'll have to check that out. 

Yep, I'm on 16.1, though apparently thats already out of date as it looks like 16.2 came out yesterday.


----------



## Shask

I updated to 16.02 today from 16.01. I only had about 30 minutes with it, but I was blown away! I usually do not comment on firmware updates because I feel like many of them are over-rated, but this one really did make my high gain 7 string patches sound better. They are much more clear and crisp, without sounding sterile. It is like the fizzy-fuzzies in the upper mids / treble is gone.

I didn't even have much of a chance to play with the other new toys!


----------



## mongey

they also updated axe edit same day, so the new features like power amp hardness are there now


----------



## mnemonic

I will admit I didn't hear any difference between 16.01 and 16.02. But the unit is brand new to me, so I haven't developed an ear for the nuances just yet. 


Also, decided to make a new recto patch from stock since the Recto 2 Red Modern is my favorite amp in the box, and I don't remember which knobs I messed with on my main recto patch since it was the first patch I made. 

Damn. Stock settings with 'cut' on + tight middy tubescreamer + my favorite cab combo = absolute destruction. I must have messed with some deep editing parameters on my other patch, because its not as thick yet also clear and tight as my new one. 

All these tweaking options, I kind of feel bad for not even touching the EQ.


----------



## chinnybob

I haven't read the release notes, but having updated to 16.02 (from 15.something... I don't know) it seems like the PVH6160 II model has developed an annoying honking characteristic, as if there's a wah or fuzz pedal in front of it... kind of annoying, I've switched to the block model.


----------



## theo

To anyone who hasn't yet tried. 

in 16.02 switch your input gate from classic to intelligent, you'll appreciate the difference.


----------



## Altar

mnemonic said:


> Best I can see is _maybe_ an effects-only verison.



Haha, this made me smile. Guess it's happening... Mnemonic can be our resident oracle from now on.


----------



## mnemonic

Altar said:


> Haha, this made me smile. Guess it's happening... Mnemonic can be our resident oracle from now on.



Ha! I don't even remember posting that. 

You heard it here first though!


----------



## Zepos16

Double A said:


> First for IRs, you must get these and they are free. Clark Kent's TEH Dollar Sound IR's
> 
> OwnHammer IRs are the best too but you have to be carefull with what you buy. The High Gain Essential Diezel with the the lynchbacks are amazing. You also have to make the OwnHammer irs Ultrares by converting the wave files he provides with whatever you purchase into ultrares with Cablab or something else.
> 
> Also, get cablab, it will make your life easier as will this: AxeFXSend : A tiny tool for auditioning IRs or presets
> 
> Last, if you haven't done it yet get fractal-bot (Fractal Audio Systems - Fractal-Bot MIDI Utility for the Axe-Fx II and MFC-101) and update to the latest firmware Fractal Audio Systems - Support .
> 
> You will almost always want to run dual cabs, I use Clark Kents irs in EVERY high gain patch I have ever made.
> 
> Cablab will do what you want but costs more dough, axefxsend can help you audition cabs to see what you really want to use before saving it to your unit. Also, Axe-edit has a scratch pad now that can do the same thing but... yeah.
> 
> It took me almost a year to wrap my head around this thing so be patient.
> 
> PS- Bulb's clean patch on Axechange is frigging amazing.



How did I not hear of Clark Kent's TEH Dollar Sound IRs... I just downloaded TEH Shure 57 B5 IR and it sounds amazing. Thank you so much!


----------



## Andromalia

I just tried them and they are indeed top notch. Combined with the new reverbs you can get a massive sound without that much tweaking. (Ok, I still require a bit because I'm using the IIC+ sim which is as plug and play as the original was, but if you know your way with this amp it's a breeze.)


----------



## Genome

You guys need to see this! 
fxunits.com - RAC12


----------



## mnemonic

Really cool idea, I just wish it had the ring of LED's around each encoder, like the kemper. The way that is set up, you can't see what each knob is set at. You have to move it first, then it shows on the screen. 

I can't see what my EQ looks like without changing every parameter with that. It would be easier to just click the 'EDIT' button on the Axe FX front panel to pop up the basic eq of the amp.

Missing a big part of the 'real amp feel' of a front panel if you can't just look at it and see what the settings are, imo. Maybe a pedantic complaint, but there you go.


----------



## siebensaiter

Can someone please hold my hand and walk me through the steps to remap a dry signal in Logic Pro X with my Axe FX II XL. I just got the apparatus and have no idea what I'm doing. Thank you for anyone that contributes.


----------



## drgamble

siebensaiter said:


> Can someone please hold my hand and walk me through the steps to remap a dry signal in Logic Pro X with my Axe FX II XL. I just got the apparatus and have no idea what I'm doing. Thank you for anyone that contributes.



If you are using the Axe FX as your audio interface it should be Input 3 and 4 on the Axe Fx. If you are using another interface you can set your patch up using an fx loop block and use output 2 direct into your interface.


----------



## mongey

Just bought clark kents new cab pack formt he fractal site and its pretty damn amazing I have to say. really great IR's .The IR mixes are amazingly clear


----------



## Webmaestro

mongey said:


> Just bought clark kents new cab pack formt he fractal site and its pretty damn amazing I have to say. really great IR's .The IR mixes are amazingly clear



Just ordered these myself. Can't wait to try them when I get back home.


----------



## mnemonic

Didn't realise it was out yet. I'll have to check it out

Those who have tried it, how do you think they compare to his TEH Dollar Recto oversize impulses and the ownhammer HGE mesa cab (if you've used it). 

I liked the TEH ones but I like the ownhammer HGE ones way more so I don't use the CK TEH at all. If they're in the same vein I may pass on them.


----------



## mongey

mnemonic said:


> Didn't realise it was out yet. I'll have to check it out
> 
> Those who have tried it, how do you think they compare to his TEH Dollar Recto oversize impulses and the ownhammer HGE mesa cab (if you've used it).
> 
> I liked the TEH ones but I like the ownhammer HGE ones way more so I don't use the CK TEH at all. If they're in the same vein I may pass on them.



I own the redwirez recto cab , ownhammer hge , and the ultra res recto cab set from the fractal 4 x 12 pack and I reckon this set is better for sure. 

There is a clarity I really like in them. the mixed ir's are really well done.


----------



## mnemonic

mongey said:


> I own the redwirez recto cab , ownhammer hge , and the ultra res recto cab set from the fractal 4 x 12 pack and I reckon this set is better for sure.
> 
> There is a clarity I really like in them. the mixed ir's are really well done.



Interesting, I may pick them up this weekend then. 

Seen pricy though, ownhammer packs are $9 for 105 IR's and this is $25 for 125 IR's. Still small change in the grand scheme of things though, I suppose


----------



## mnemonic

The Splawn Nitrous model... Holy shit. I was just flipping through amps and this one is so heavy and saturated. T808 Mod upfront, with the amp gain at *1.5*, perfect for metal.


----------



## Webmaestro

mnemonic said:


> The Splawn Nitrous model... Holy shit. I was just flipping through amps and this one is so heavy and saturated. T808 Mod upfront, with the amp gain at *1.5*, perfect for metal.



Yeah, that amp is a beast. I've yet to get it dialed in just right for my taste.


----------



## beavis2306

mongey said:


> Just bought clark kents new cab pack formt he fractal site and its pretty damn amazing I have to say. really great IR's .The IR mixes are amazingly clear


 
I didn't realise that you could get these from the fractal store. Thanks for posting that,I'll check them out. The ownhammer HGE diezel, engl and mesa cabs have been my go to since i got them but i'm interested in more clarity.


----------



## Andromalia

Genome said:


> You guys need to see this!
> fxunits.com - RAC12



It's a cool idea but I don't see the point. Any axefx user becomes proficient with the menus over time if he doesn't want to use axe-edit.


----------



## Shask

Andromalia said:


> It's a cool idea but I don't see the point. Any axefx user becomes proficient with the menus over time if he doesn't want to use axe-edit.



I think it would be cool for some people who like to tweak their knobs while playing live.

I dont need it, but it could be useful to some....


----------



## mnemonic

Two of Clark Kents mesa trad 412 impulses off Cab Pack 7 will be in the next firmware. 

Cliff posted release notes to fw17. I guess it will be out shortly.


----------



## beavis2306

mnemonic said:


> Cliff posted release notes to fw17. .



Where abouts lad?


----------



## gordonbombay

This is gonna seem super noob, but I'm playing a show tonight and decided to go direct with my axefx2. What cables should i bring if any to go to FOH. What is the preferred connection? 1/4inch speaker cable or xlr.


----------



## asher

More than likely it'll be XLR.


----------



## beavis2306

beavis2306 said:


> Where abouts lad?



Scratch that, found it. Cliff just keeps on giving


----------



## crg123

Its out! Axe-Fx II Firmware 17.00 Released


----------



## mnemonic

Well that was out way quicker than I thought it would be. 

I'll try it out after work tomorrow, its late here. Curious to see what these mic pre's are all about.


----------



## gordonbombay

asher said:


> More than likely it'll be XLR.



Thanks man. It was XLR. So nice and easy just bringing my guitar and rack case for a gig. Sounded great from the response I heard after the show.


----------



## asher




----------



## mongey

had a tinker with the new FAS modern 3 last night. got some good sounds, especially for 7 string . it seems like a 2 or 3 trick pony, but they are good tricks


----------



## 3074326

I haven't updated my unit for like 6 months. I need to get on this shit.


----------



## mnemonic

3074326 said:


> I haven't updated my unit for like 6 months. I need to get on this shit.



Damn you're in for a treat then. 

Check out the release notes from previous versions to see what's been added (a few new amps and fx). 

Also I think with v16 there was a change in how everything sounds for the better, so you may need to retweak your patches if you update.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Damn you're in for a treat then.
> 
> Check out the release notes from previous versions to see what's been added (a few new amps and fx).
> 
> Also I think with v16 there was a change in how everything sounds for the better, so you may need to retweak your patches if you update.



16.03 for me was a big change. The highs got much clearer without sounding harsh. You could actually crank the treble and presence without it sounding like an icepick to the ear. That was the last update I did. I usually skip the minor ones.

I will have to try 17 this weekend. I was trying to wait a few days. I usually wait for the .01 version because there is usually some bug fixes found in the first few days.


----------



## Genome

Seeing as the Mark amps were updated in FW17 and Clark Kent released his Mesa Traditional 4x12 Cab Pack, I just had to do a quick cover of the intro to Dream Theater's The Dark Eternal Night...

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/simonrobins/dream-theater-the-dark-eternal-night-intro[/SC]


----------



## mnemonic

Genome said:


> Seeing as the Mark amps were updated in FW17 and Clark Kent released his Mesa Traditional 4x12 Cab Pack, I just had to do a quick cover of the intro to Dream Theater's The Dark Eternal Night...
> 
> [SC]https://soundcloud.com/simonrobins/dream-theater-the-dark-eternal-night-intro[/SC]



Sounds really cool man.

I've never been able to get a tone I like out of the Mark amps, even though there are plenty of awesome Mark tones I've heard, I may have to give it another go with the updated amps. 

Any tips to get a similar sort of sound?


----------



## Genome

Thanks! I did a bit of research on how JP dials his amps and mics his cabs, and that got me pretty much there.

I actually treated it like a Mark V rather than a IV, according to Cliff to emulate it you have to use Usa Lead Brt+, set Overdrive to 8 and turn on Fat and Bright, then treat the Input Drive as the V's "Gain" Knob. Then I dialed it in practically identical to that Mark V video where he goes through his settings. 

Then I read somewhere that he blends an SM57 with an MD421 (or at least he used to - with the latter much lower) on his Mesa Traditional 4x12, so obviously Cab Pack 7 is a great choice as it has all of those.

Boom instant Petrucci!


----------



## mnemonic

Cool, i'll try that out tomorrow morning!


----------



## Genome

Here's the patch if you wanted it. I can't share the cab mix though, as it's from a purchased pack. Try Factory 73 and 74 (in FW17). It won't sound the same as my clip but it will sound good.

Axe-Change - Download Preset - Genome's Mark IV JP Crunch - by Genome


----------



## 3074326

Finally upgraded to 17. Tonally it's even more clear and punchy than it was, which was already impressive. I don't see it as a major tone shift (so far), but there are plenty more amps and re-workings since I last updated. I've added some cab packs and those do make a difference. 

The Friedman HBE is king.


----------



## Shask

3074326 said:


> Finally upgraded to 17. Tonally it's even more clear and punchy than it was, which was already impressive. I don't see it as a major tone shift (so far), but there are plenty more amps and re-workings since I last updated. I've added some cab packs and those do make a difference.
> 
> The Friedman HBE is king.



I never know what to even say anymore about the updates. From amazing to .... amazinger ???



Lately I have been loving Modern III and Savage Angle II.

I never got into HBE as much as others. I tend to like the JVM models and the Brit Pre. Thinking about giving the Splawn Nitrous another try. I always try to like to the basic Marshalls and Mesas, but usually tend to use neither.


----------



## asher

I got some HBE patches on my Ultra that I didn't like too much solo, but holy god did it sing in the mix somehow. I may have to revisit...


----------



## mnemonic

3074326 said:


> The Friedman HBE is king.



This is tied with the Cameron ch2 as my favorite amp in the box. So awesome.



Shask said:


> Thinking about giving the Splawn Nitrous another try. I always try to like to the basic Marshalls and Mesas, but usually tend to use neither.



Splawn Nitro is pretty awesome, so saturated. I had a thing with it briefly, but I couldn't get rid of the 'blanket over cab' sound I got, in comparison to my other patches. 

It sounded great by itself, but as soon as I compared it to my other patches, I noticed a lack of clear high end. Maybe I should be on the search for some brighter impulses to use with it.


I was using the Mesa (mostly Recto Mdrn) amps alot when I first got the unit, but now I've gravitated more toward the high gain amps that people describe as heavily modded plexi's.


----------



## Shask

I started using the Rectos a lot at first too (since I actually still won a Recto), but tend to use the 5150, Brit JVM or Pre, Savage, or one of the Diesels. I try others all the time, such as the Uber, 5150s, Triaxis, HBE, JCM800, but usually end back on one of the others. It is always so hard to chose!


----------



## mongey

I dig the nitro. it is kinda muffled sounding compared to others but is cool for that thick dark kinda tone 

HBE is indeed killer .

I've been on a clean tone kick this week. since getting the box was distracted by all the high gain for a while . been setting up some patches with scenes to use with my new mfc101 . for super clean to use with effects the carol ann and jazz120 are amazing


----------



## asher

I'm still in a really good place with the FAS Clean (or whatever they renamed it to ). Mostly because I didn't feel like spending very much time at all doing more fine tuning of the Mark IV cleans or trying to nail which Fender is right for me - we get tons of twang from the other guitarists' Tele.


----------



## Genome

New demo from my band, featuring the Axe, using a Mesa Mark IIC+ sim. Cabs are a blend of Ownhammer Mesa V30, and Clark Kent's Cab Pack 7. 

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/foemetal/flight-of-eden-vitruvian[/SC]

Really happy with the rhythm tone. Hope you listen and enjoy!


----------



## theo

Sounds pretty cool Genome. I like the bass tone a lot


----------



## mnemonic

sounds really good, guitar tone is really cool and song is great!


----------



## neoclassical85

Hey guys - New axe II user here. Im currently using my Axe as the soundcard for my computer, and recording with it all via USB. The problem is, I cant increase the recording volume going to my DAW without increasing the volume of the patch itself making it too loud through my speakers to hear the rest of my mix while recording. I hope that makes sense, but with Pod Farm I was able to adjust my amp sim volume so it matched the volume of my DAW mix, and then you could use the mixer tab to set the level you want it to record into the DAW without affecting the volume of the monitored tone. I hope that makes sense, Im pretty much stumped here, thanks.


----------



## Genome

theo said:


> Sounds pretty cool Genome. I like the bass tone a lot





mnemonic said:


> sounds really good, guitar tone is really cool and song is great!



Thanks guys! Glad you dig it!


----------



## mnemonic

People who use headphones for playing--what headphones are you using? 

Because of my living situation at the moment, I'm using headphones most of the time (some Sony MDR-v6's) but I'm looking to get something new. I was looking at the Beyerdynamic DT880 250 Ohm. Anyone use these? What do you think?

For the record, I got my dad some Audio Technica ATH-M40x's for Christmas (supposedly slightly flatter sounding than the M50's) and I think they're terrible... very hyped bass, slight mid scoop, dark top end, and a very 'in your head' kind of sound thats hard to describe. Not flat at all.


----------



## Andromalia

mnemonic said:


> People who use headphones for playing--what headphones are you using?



Shure SRH 940 here. Only downside it they can be pretty hot in summer, otherwise top gear.


----------



## Webmaestro

mnemonic said:


> People who use headphones for playing--what headphones are you using?
> 
> Because of my living situation at the moment, I'm using headphones most of the time (some Sony MDR-v6's) but I'm looking to get something new. I was looking at the Beyerdynamic DT880 250 Ohm. Anyone use these? What do you think?
> 
> For the record, I got my dad some Audio Technica ATH-M40x's for Christmas (supposedly slightly flatter sounding than the M50's) and I think they're terrible... very hyped bass, slight mid scoop, dark top end, and a very 'in your head' kind of sound thats hard to describe. Not flat at all.



I play primarily with headphones, and use Sennheiser HD380 Pro's. I've had them for about 2 years now and love 'em. I probably won't replace them till they actually wear out or otherwise fail.


----------



## TurnTheAirBlue

Just wondering if someone could advise me on the price of an Axe FX 2 MK1 and an MFC101 MK2 foot controller on the secondhand market? I have been offered both on a trade but I'd be looking to sell them if I were to take them. I'm in Europe, hoping someone can give me an idea on what I could hope to get on ebay. Would I be better off selling as a bundle or separately? Both are in near mint condition, with all cables and manual etc... There don't seem to be that many on ebay at the moment to get an idea of the price.

Thanks


----------



## mnemonic

Andromalia said:


> Shure SRH 940 here. Only downside it they can be pretty hot in summer, otherwise top gear.





Webmaestro said:


> I play primarily with headphones, and use Sennheiser HD380 Pro's. I've had them for about 2 years now and love 'em. I probably won't replace them till they actually wear out or otherwise fail.



Cheers for the info guys, I'll add those to my list of headphones to read up on. 



In other news, I've managed to wrap my head around the Mesa Mark series EQ (finally). Having never played one in real life, I was having trouble getting a tight heavy metal tone (even using Genome's patch). Having scoped out a few more youtube videos of Mark IIc+'s sounding heavy as hell with no kind of boost (particularly Petrucci's Mark IIc+ vs Mark V video, and Ola Englund's Mark IIc+ playthrough), I've finally figured how to get the sound I want. 

In Ola's video it looked like he had the Bass and Middle near 0 on the IIc+, so I tried that with the gain high and a strong V shape in the EQ, and bam! Tight and djenty sounding. Such odd EQ's, but very flexible once you get the hang of them. I'm also able to run the Master a lot higher than most other amps without it getting flubby.


----------



## Genome

What IR's are you using? It makes such a big difference to tightness and overall feel, especially with the Marks as they as really fussy (my old Mark V was fussy with cab choice in real life too let alone mics used and mic placement)

The patch I uploaded should get you in the ball park with Cab Pack 7 or the OH Mesa V30-EN pack. Of course guitar and pickups influence things too as well as loads of other factors.


----------



## mnemonic

Genome said:


> What IR's are you using? It makes such a big difference to tightness and overall feel, especially with the Marks as they as really fussy (my old Mark V was fussy with cab choice in real life too let alone mics used and mic placement)
> 
> The patch I uploaded should get you in the ball park with Cab Pack 7 or the OH Mesa V30-EN pack. Of course guitar and pickups influence things too as well as loads of other factors.



I still haven't got around to buying Cab Pack 7. Still using Ownhammer HGE Mesa English V30 cab for pretty much everything. 

Your Mark IV patch got close, but it didn't beat out my usual high gain patches. It might just be something about the Mark IV model though, I think the IIc+ Model just sounds tighter and heavier. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, because I figured the Mark IV would be tighter and heavier, but it doesn't seem to have the same 'thump.' 

Infact, your recording above with the IIc+ was what made me take another look at the IIc+ amp, as I vaguely remembered Ola doing a video with one. So cheers for the inspiration, haha. 


Still kind of blown away that a 30 year old amp with no boost can sound this heavy and tight and clear


----------



## Genome

I am with you on that, the IIC+ is definitely tighter! 

What guitar/pick ups you using? My patch was using a Crunchlab/Liquifire which suits a Mark amp really well, as that's Petrucci's main amp and they were designed for him.

I've never played a IIC+ in real life, I would love to, but I have absolutely no idea where I would go about finding one...


----------



## mnemonic

I was using my RG8 with stock pickups and my Mayones Setius 7 string (all mahogany, maple top) with SH5 Duncan Custom in the bridge and Jazz in the neck. Same patch sounds great (though different) with both of them, tbh. 

A real Mark IIc+ would be awesome, though probably less awesome for the price they go for these days. Though I do see Mark III's, DC's and F-series heads and combos pop up on Gumtree quite often for reasonable prices. I'm always tempted to pick one up, but I live in a terraced house for now so it isn't that great of an idea. Hopefully buying a detached house soon though, so I may give one of them a shot. The new Mark V:25 is also very tempting, so many great recordings out there.


----------



## Double A

The best thing about this miracle box is all the updates. Sometimes you have to adjust a bit but each firmware update makes everything sound noticeably better.

If you all still haven't gotten Clak Kents free IRs and the Clark Kent IR pack you are definitely missing out.


----------



## Lifestalker

Hey guys, is Axe Fx Send still available? The link seems to be broken.


----------



## mnemonic

Lifestalker said:


> Hey guys, is Axe Fx Send still available? The link seems to be broken.



Heres a copy I downloaded a few months ago.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/tyvnwyyn2e6r3yt/AxeFXSend.exe?dl=0

Not sure what version it is, but it worked a couple weeks ago when I last used it!


----------



## Steinmetzify

Got a lazy ass question guys.....I'm not so good with recording as of yet and I'm struggling with double tracking; a lot of the time I get into it and just jam and something sounds good, but then I have no idea what it was I played and no idea how to replicate it, and my recordings suffer horribly due to this. I realize this is only a stopgap measure and I need to learn this skill, but as I'm a hobbyist guitarist it's not really high on my list of things to do....

What I'm wondering is could the AxeII eliminate this? Will it record two separate tracks into Reaper if I want it to, one wet and one dry, that I could pan L and R for a stereo image? I'm on the FAS forum reading about this stuff, but as I don't really know the exact wording for the question I have I'm having a hard time finding the answer.

The Laney IRT studio will record two tracks at the same time in a DAW....I've seen videos where it'll do this and it's one with all the distortion etc and one plain track that you can use different VSTs on or whatever....

I'm assuming the AxeII being a $2,000 higher piece of hardware will accomplish this as well, but can it do it into Reaper via USB or is that a 'mono signal only' type of scenario? 

Also, is there some way to do this and then route it back thru the Axe to effect it, maybe just using a slightly different model for the double tracked sound instead of using a plugin, as the stuff on the Axe sounds better?

This thing is my only real source of GAS at the moment and I'm trying to gather as much info as I can to make an informed decision as to whether or not it's going to work for me and do what I want it to do. Listening to patches/presets on YT and recordings on the FAS forum it seems like it's gonna sound great and be fun to play, but I'd really like to know if these things are part of the feature set.


----------



## mnemonic

Yes you can record stereo 

You can try adding a delay set to a very low value (like .06ms) to add a small amount of variation to the left and right tracks. This can be done in the cab block. 

It can make the sound a little thicker, but there is no trick or shortcut alternative to double tracking that sounds even half as good as real double tracking. You're better off just practicing more. 

If you want a high quality recorded sound, you need to put in high quality effort.


----------



## Steinmetzify

mnemonic said:


> Yes you can record stereo
> 
> You can try adding a delay set to a very low value (like .06ms) to add a small amount of variation to the left and right tracks. This can be done in the cab block.
> 
> It can make the sound a little thicker, but there is no trick or shortcut alternative to double tracking that sounds even half as good as real double tracking. You're better off just practicing more.
> 
> If you want a high quality recorded sound, you need to put in high quality effort.



I hear you man...I know, this was more of a 'quick fix for drum jams' type of thing. So to be clear, it's one track in mono and then that same thing copied to another track, so it's NOT a true doubled track, it's pretty much the same as what I'd get if I just recorded one and then copied and pasted it on another track?


----------



## GoldDragon

A question for AXE II owners.

If you disable all the effects and just use the amp models direct to the return of your amplifier, how closely does the model match the actual amplifiers preamp? (For instance running the 5150 model into the return of a 5150?

Do the EQ controls match the function of the original amp?

My experience with the POD HD500x was that the models sound best when paired with a cabinet sim, but when the preamp model was run directly to return, it still has a bit of the idealized "rounded" modelled tone. When you turn it up it gets a bit muddy. Real tube preamps will sound sharp and some describe "fizz" when played at low volume. Can the AXE do this?

In general my experience with modeled preamps is that they are not as raw as real analog preamps, not because they can't be, but because the designer decides to round off the sharp edges. This creates problems when trying to find articulate tone that is recorded with a mic from an actual speaker.

Are the preamp models designed to be "real" or are they idealized, ballpark versions of the originals?


----------



## asher

They're pretty damn real.

Devin actually does something pretty similar atm. Check out his long rig rundown in the DT thread - he takes a channel he's using on the Recto and matches it on his Axe so he can have a wet and a dry signal (also one goes to stage cabs and the other to wedges).


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## GoldDragon

I'm sorry, I don't know who Devin is or of which thread you speak. Dream Theatre thread? Is he JPs tech?


----------



## asher

Devin Townsend?


----------



## stevexc

GoldDragon said:


> I'm sorry, I don't know who Devin is or of which thread you speak. Dream Theatre thread? Is he JPs tech?



Devin Townsend.


----------



## mnemonic

steinmetzify said:


> I hear you man...I know, this was more of a 'quick fix for drum jams' type of thing. So to be clear, it's one track in mono and then that same thing copied to another track, so it's NOT a true doubled track, it's pretty much the same as what I'd get if I just recorded one and then copied and pasted it on another track?



If you're using a mono patch, then yes. If you're using stereo effects, it will be stereo. 

You can also set it up to send something different to one output if you want. Ie; one amp to the left out, another amp to the right out, or tone with effects to one output, no effects to the other. 

Some guys use it live by sending one signal with a cab impulse in it to the FOH and then just the amp (without cab impulse) to run into their own poweramp/cab for stage sound (this is what periphery does live, according to their last rig rundown video).


----------



## Shask

GoldDragon said:


> A question for AXE II owners.
> 
> If you disable all the effects and just use the amp models direct to the return of your amplifier, how closely does the model match the actual amplifiers preamp? (For instance running the 5150 model into the return of a 5150?
> 
> Do the EQ controls match the function of the original amp?
> 
> My experience with the POD HD500x was that the models sound best when paired with a cabinet sim, but when the preamp model was run directly to return, it still has a bit of the idealized "rounded" modelled tone. When you turn it up it gets a bit muddy. Real tube preamps will sound sharp and some describe "fizz" when played at low volume. Can the AXE do this?
> 
> In general my experience with modeled preamps is that they are not as raw as real analog preamps, not because they can't be, but because the designer decides to round off the sharp edges. This creates problems when trying to find articulate tone that is recorded with a mic from an actual speaker.
> 
> Are the preamp models designed to be "real" or are they idealized, ballpark versions of the originals?



I have spent time running the Axe II into the poweramp section of my Triple Recto and mimicking the sound. It is hard to say if it is "exact" because the Axe has about 60 more knobs and ways to tweak the signal. I will say I can get it pretty damn close, if not sounding better. I can actually dial in the sound that copies the sound of using my Tubescreamer, EQ pedal, etc....


The Axe actually has about 4 different modeling modes. The older modes which are called "ideal/smooth" or something like that contain the older modeling that has that polished, smoothed over sound. The new modes called "authentic" has newer modeling that tries to capture the rawness of the actual amps better. So, there are many ways to either get that studio sound, or try to go for that more raw natural amp sound.


----------



## GoldDragon

Shask said:


> The Axe actually has about 4 different modeling modes. The older modes which are called "ideal/smooth" or something like that contain the older modeling that has that polished, smoothed over sound. The new modes called "authentic" has newer modeling that tries to capture the rawness of the actual amps better. So, there are many ways to either get that studio sound, or try to go for that more raw natural amp sound.



Of the modellers I have tried recently, the POD HD500x always had the rounded/smooth sound and did not sound right above practice volume through a real tube amp. It sounds good, but really idealized.

The Fender Mustang Floor allows me to dial out the power amp and saturation characteristics, and I am able to get it real close to the JSX tone, some would argue better but I have to use various tweaks to get it to sound the same. However after playing it for a week, I always go back to a real amp and say to myself "I can't believe I didn't hear these little differences before." The real amp just sounds a little bit bigger/fuller. Would be more than happy to plug it direct to board if I was playing out tho and would get a FR monitor for myself.

The GT100 has a raw tone on top, but the low end just does not sound right to my ears. I can get it sounding good, but not great, but haven't played with all the eq and boost options, just what is in the patch. Not worth my time to tweak when I have real amps to play.

At least with the AXE they are aware of the distinction between raw and ideal. Maybe I will get the AXE III when it comes out. I really wish it had amp knobs on the front for quick adjustment.

One of the nice things about the Mustang is that it has amp like controls.


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## Shask

I think the Axe will just continue to get more authentic as time goes on. If you read the posts of Cliff (The main Fractal guy) over time, his absolute goal is authenticity. He will change things even if it is not popular opinion for the reason of accuracy.

I think that is the only reason why there are modeling modes. There are the new improvements, and the older modes to keep the whiners about change quiet.


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## GoldDragon

Shask said:


> I think the Axe will just continue to get more authentic as time goes on. If you read the posts of Cliff (The main Fractal guy) over time, his absolute goal is authenticity. He will change things even if it is not popular opinion for the reason of accuracy.
> 
> I think that is the only reason why there are modeling modes. There are the new improvements, and the older modes to keep the whiners about change quiet.



Has anyone asked for amp controls and immediate mode editing?


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## Shask

GoldDragon said:


> Has anyone asked for amp controls and immediate mode editing?



I am not sure what you mean. The amp EQ is suppose to mimic what the real amp controls do as much as possible. He has updated it several times over the last few years to get the EQs closer to what happens on the real amp.

As far as physical controls, there is not much you can do that without a completely different unit. There are a few guys that created this thing on their own that they are trying to market:


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## GoldDragon

THats what I mean. If the redesign the front panel they could do that. Of course the models would need to work well with just knobs. (hard to controll a million things with 8 knobs.)


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## Shask

GoldDragon said:


> THats what I mean. If the redesign the front panel they could do that. Of course the models would need to work well with just knobs. (hard to controll a million things with 8 knobs.)



Yeah, I dont know how that would ever work unless you expected the front to look like this:


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## GoldDragon

Shask said:


> Yeah, I dont know how that would ever work unless you expected the front to look like this:



One of the things I like about the Mustang is that the models are designed using the amp controls you expect plus knobs for SAG and Bias. 

The master volume adds tube saturation, so if you want alot of headroom, you run that lower and the channel volume high. 

The SAG and bias are harder to explain, one of them affects the perceived loudness or forward character of the amp, the other one has an effect on the mids. They vary by type of amp.

So each amp has everything controlled by 10 knobs. While there aren't 100 different models, each one has its own character. I suppose alot of the parameters the AXE exposes are probably hard wired by model in the Mustang.

That is one of the things that amp models should aspire to, to have a set of controls that are logical, easy to adjust, and effective just like a real amp. If they have to resort to inane parameters like "Character switch a", "character switch b", "zonk", "some other made up thing", etc, then it would be better to hard wire them behind the scenes and present them as different models with unique character.

If they can get models down to 10 effective parameters like the Mustang, then it makes sense to put amp knobs on the front panel.


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## Shask

I dont see that happening. I just went through and counted. The Amp block currently has 92 different controls.

Plus X/Y Doubles that.


And Cliff's personal belief is that we should be using the technology to create new tones, not chasing the past. He wants the Axe-FX to be the premier tool box where you can create whatever you want. Not limit yourself.


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## asher

The newer the model and firmware, the further and further you can go just with the normal amp knobs. Plenty of people get great tones without adjusting tube voltage and resistor bias.


----------



## 3074326

GoldDragon said:


> A question for AXE II owners.
> 
> If you disable all the effects and just use the amp models direct to the return of your amplifier, how closely does the model match the actual amplifiers preamp? (For instance running the 5150 model into the return of a 5150?
> 
> Do the EQ controls match the function of the original amp?
> 
> My experience with the POD HD500x was that the models sound best when paired with a cabinet sim, but when the preamp model was run directly to return, it still has a bit of the idealized "rounded" modelled tone. When you turn it up it gets a bit muddy. Real tube preamps will sound sharp and some describe "fizz" when played at low volume. Can the AXE do this?
> 
> In general my experience with modeled preamps is that they are not as raw as real analog preamps, not because they can't be, but because the designer decides to round off the sharp edges. This creates problems when trying to find articulate tone that is recorded with a mic from an actual speaker.
> 
> Are the preamp models designed to be "real" or are they idealized, ballpark versions of the originals?



They're pretty real. I A/B'd my old Rectifier with the Rectifier setting on the Axe and it was close. Preferred the Fractal because I dialed out the hiss of the Recto. 

It's legit, the hype is more true than I imagined.


----------



## GoldDragon

Shask said:


> I dont see that happening. I just went through and counted. The Amp block currently has 92 different controls.
> 
> Plus X/Y Doubles that.
> 
> 
> And Cliff's personal belief is that we should be using the technology to create new tones, not chasing the past. He wants the Axe-FX to be the premier tool box where you can create whatever you want. Not limit yourself.



I wish I could try one. I am almost tempted to buy one knowing there is a 60% chance I would return it, but that wouldn't be right.

The problem with 92 parameters is what I call "overlap". If there are multiple ways to accomplish the same thing, then its just added complexity, not flexibility.

I have listened to a ton of high gain demos, people using different models, different IRs, and I presume everyone has made their own minute tweaks to the model. They all sound the same to me, with just different EQ. Some have more gain, some a little less. Nothing that would stand out and say there are 92 useful parameters.


----------



## Shask

GoldDragon said:


> I wish I could try one. I am almost tempted to buy one knowing there is a 60% chance I would return it, but that wouldn't be right.
> 
> The problem with 92 parameters is what I call "overlap". If there are multiple ways to accomplish the same thing, then its just added complexity, not flexibility.
> 
> I have listened to a ton of high gain demos, people using different models, different IRs, and I presume everyone has made their own minute tweaks to the model. They all sound the same to me, with just different EQ. Some have more gain, some a little less. Nothing that would stand out and say there are 92 useful parameters.



It is hard to say what you consider overlap. There are multiple ways to do some things, but not others. There are many controls that go beyond what a tube amp can do. For example there are dynamic filters. For example, you can have the frequency peaks change based on how hard you strum. You can make the amp have a little depth when you play light, and then have massive depth when you strum hard. There are like 20 controls related to dynamics. You cant hear the differences well, but they change how the amp feels when you play it. There are graphic EQs built in so you dont have to use separate EQ blocks. There is a tremolo built in to mimic those old Fenders. You decide how big the rabbit hole is you are going to go down. Of course, you can only use GBMT as well and make it sound good. That is the point. You can use what you want, and ignore what you want.


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## 3074326

GoldDragon said:


> I wish I could try one. I am almost tempted to buy one knowing there is a 60% chance I would return it, but that wouldn't be right.



I said the same thing, then I went through the presets and knew I'd be keeping it. 



> The problem with 92 parameters is what I call "overlap". If there are multiple ways to accomplish the same thing, then its just added complexity, not flexibility.



People view the Axe FX as a complicated machine. It certainly can be. But it isn't if you don't want it to be. I generally have an amp, cab, delay and reverb for amp/effects. I dial in the tone I want with the basic knobs and might change one or two other parameters. 

The other stuff is there for when I'm bored. I don't usually use every parameter and they aren't needed to get great tones. But it's certainly nice to have them. The Fractals are plenty flexible without complicating things. I have not once felt overwhelmed by it. It's easy to use and the parameters are organized well. If you're deciding on buying it/not buying it based on parameters overlapping, you're looking far too deep into it. It's value is in its versatility, utility and the fact that it sounds ****ing great. Not the somewhat subtle changes in the minor parameters.


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## Shask

3074326 said:


> People view the Axe FX as a complicated machine. It certainly can be. But it isn't if you don't want it to be. I generally have an amp, cab, delay and reverb for amp/effects. I dial in the tone I want with the basic knobs and might change one or two other parameters.
> 
> The other stuff is there for when I'm bored. I don't usually use every parameter and they aren't needed to get great tones. But it's certainly nice to have them. The Fractals are plenty flexible without complicating things. I have not once felt overwhelmed by it. It's easy to use and the parameters are organized well.



I am the same way. Most of my presets are pretty simple. I will play with all the controls every now then, but I basically have my top 5 advanced controls that I use. I dont mess with the others.


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## mnemonic

GoldDragon said:


> One of the things I like about the Mustang is that the models are designed using the amp controls you expect plus knobs for SAG and Bias.
> 
> The master volume adds tube saturation, so if you want alot of headroom, you run that lower and the channel volume high.
> 
> The SAG and bias are harder to explain, one of them affects the perceived loudness or forward character of the amp, the other one has an effect on the mids. They vary by type of amp.
> 
> So each amp has everything controlled by 10 knobs. While there aren't 100 different models, each one has its own character. I suppose alot of the parameters the AXE exposes are probably hard wired by model in the Mustang.
> 
> That is one of the things that amp models should aspire to, to have a set of controls that are logical, easy to adjust, and effective just like a real amp. If they have to resort to inane parameters like "Character switch a", "character switch b", "zonk", "some other made up thing", etc, then it would be better to hard wire them behind the scenes and present them as different models with unique character.
> 
> If they can get models down to 10 effective parameters like the Mustang, then it makes sense to put amp knobs on the front panel.



None of the controls in the axe fx are made up 'zonk' controls, they're controls to control parameters that are generally 'hardwired' into the amps. So we can effectively mod our amps with the turn of a knob, rather than with a soldering iron and a box full of parts. If you're looking for something with just 10 knobs and no advanced parameters, then maybe the Axe FX isn't for you. 

It may have been true in the past with the previous versions, and older firmwares, but you don't need to touch the advanced parameters. They're there if you need them, ignore them if you don't. On my main patches I haven't touched anything past the basic EQ, and my signal chain is boost -> amp -> cab, with no additional EQ's/filters/etc, because I just don't need them. 


Sometimes I do wish that the Axe FX had bass/middle/treble/gain controls on the front for ease of tweaking, (the 'quick control' A/B/C/D knobs manage this well enough) but the front panel is crowded as it is; the unit would need to be 3 rack spaces to accommodate all of that. And at that point, you might as well just buy that 1u RAC12 external controls unit and be done with it. The units front panel was designed the way it is for a reason; you need to be able to tweak every parameter in the box without having to plug it into the computer. Theres a learning curve, but its pretty logical the way its layed out once you get used to it. Axe-Edit computer program is infinitely easier to use to modify patches though.


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## GoldDragon

mnemonic said:


> None of the controls in the axe fx are made up 'zonk' controls, they're controls to control parameters that are generally 'hardwired' into the amps. So we can effectively mod our amps with the turn of a knob, rather than with a soldering iron and a box full of parts.



What are these 92 parameters? I don't need to know all of them, but would like an idea of what can be changed. Things like tube type? Diode type? Do they actually do the same thing as it would on a real amp? (Edit: I just read one of the above responses on other page.)

Revalver 4 allows you to change amp internals, is it something like that?

It would be smart to have knobs for typical amp controls and use menus for the other things that you wouldn't be tweaking on stage.


----------



## GoldDragon

3074326 said:


> People view the Axe FX as a complicated machine. It certainly can be. But it isn't if you don't want it to be. I generally have an amp, cab, delay and reverb for amp/effects. I dial in the tone I want with the basic knobs and might change one or two other parameters.



One FX box I logged serious time with in the late 90s was a roland GP100. It had amp control knobs for the cosm processors but everything else was in LCD menus. Imagine programming everything with a tiny 40 character display! I did that for a few years. It would have been a great design except that most of the COSM amps were BS. Also, it cost something like $1200, so thats probably 2000+ in today's dollars, or the cost of an axe.

It seems almost necessary to have a bank of rotary knobs to control treble, mid, bass, presence, resonance, gain1, gain2, and master. That way it ends up working like an amp. If I have to "dive" into menus for basic things, thats a rabbit hole I don't want to go down.

The pod hd, the 11r, and the mustang amps have knobs for the basic controls so they work like an amp, I personally think the axe should do that too. I know other people want it without those controls.


----------



## GoldDragon

Shask said:


> It is hard to say what you consider overlap. There are multiple ways to do some things, but not others. There are many controls that go beyond what a tube amp can do. For example there are dynamic filters. For example, you can have the frequency peaks change based on how hard you strum. You can make the amp have a little depth when you play light, and then have massive depth when you strum hard. There are like 20 controls related to dynamics. You cant hear the differences well, but they change how the amp feels when you play it. There are graphic EQs built in so you dont have to use separate EQ blocks. There is a tremolo built in to mimic those old Fenders. You decide how big the rabbit hole is you are going to go down. Of course, you can only use GBMT as well and make it sound good. That is the point. You can use what you want, and ignore what you want.



The BOSS/Roland processors do some of those things along with things like parallel chain mixing. I haven't played with those features in my GT100 yet. The parallel chain is nice because you can have one side for direct to amp and the other side set up with cabinet sim direct to board. The interface is pretty slick.


----------



## mnemonic

GoldDragon said:


> What are these 92 parameters? I don't need to know all of them, but would like an idea of what can be changed. Things like tube type? Diode type? Do they actually do the same thing as it would on a real amp? (Edit: I just read one of the above responses on other page.)
> 
> Revalver 4 allows you to change amp internals, is it something like that?



Like I said, I rarely dive into the advanced parameters because I just don't need to. I can't tell you what each control does, but if you're curious, its all answered in the axe fx ii wiki page. 

The first page of amp controls is the basic gain/bass/mid/treb/pres/resonance/master/etc. 

One page of advanced controls are specific to poweramp interaction with the speaker cab (resonant frequencies, trasformer matches, etc). Things that most other modelers ignore. 

One page is specific to the poweramp where you can choose the bias, tube type, amount of sag, negative feedback, etc.

One page has some parameters you can change such as bright cap value, master volume cap value, etc. 

great for fine tuning things you can't tweak out with just a basic EQ. 



GoldDragon said:


> It would be smart to have knobs for typical amp controls and use menus for the other things that you wouldn't be tweaking on stage.



Thats what the 'Quick Control' knobs on the front are for. Or the RAC12 unit if you want to spend some more money.



GoldDragon said:


> The pod hd, the 11r, and the mustang amps have knobs for the basic controls so they work like an amp, I personally think the axe should do that too. I know other people want it without those controls.



Have you played an axe fx before? it has basic amp controls. If you want something without extra controls, buy a real amp or buy a pod.


----------



## Shask

GoldDragon said:


> What are these 92 parameters? I don't need to know all of them, but would like an idea of what can be changed. Things like tube type? Diode type? Do they actually do the same thing as it would on a real amp? (Edit: I just read one of the above responses on other page.)
> 
> Revalver 4 allows you to change amp internals, is it something like that?
> 
> It would be smart to have knobs for typical amp controls and use menus for the other things that you wouldn't be tweaking on stage.



Amp parameters - Axe-Fx II Wiki


----------



## Double A

I am not here to convince anyone of anything and it seems GoldDragon wants to be convinced about the AxeFX one way or the other but I will say this.

It is a tool that can be as simple or as complicated as you can possibly make it. I use it for recording. I have some decently complicated patches and some dead simple patches and they all sound really good. You can just load up an amp and a cab and get great sounds and if that is your thing then more power to ya. IMO, The real magic is when you start to get under the hood and make your "ideal" sound. Great IRs really go a long way to making the axefx an incredible tool. 

When I first got my AxeFx II I was incredibly daunted so I just made simple patches and used the IRs that were in box. I made great patches. The more I use it the better and better I can make things sound. It really is fantastic.

I will uplaod some pictures of a patch I made of every page of the parameters you can use to satisfy your curiosity, Dragon. Keep in mind, I haven't used any scenes so this can all be taken a step further...


----------



## GoldDragon

Thanks that explains most of it. It appears that most of the parameters are things available in EQ or compression modules in other processors, with the exception of the speaker block. They also put input gain and drive parameters, things usually found in a boost module into the preamp.

When you use an IR, does that mean you turn off all the speaker parameters?

Also, when you load a new amp model, does it have a different basic sound, or is it just changing the exposed parameters?

I have to be honest, this is too much for me. My music output is already not enough, this would just detract more.


----------



## mnemonic

GoldDragon said:


> Thanks that explains most of it. It appears that most of the parameters are things available in EQ or compression modules in other processors, with the exception of the speaker block. They also put input gain and drive parameters, things usually found in a boost module into the preamp.



Input drive is the amp 'gain' control. The 'Overdrive' control is for if the amp has a second gain control. Its not there for most amps (like rectos, only have one gain control).

'Input Trim' is the closest you get to a boost pedal control within the Amp Block, as it is a clean gain control, so can be used like a clean boost. 



GoldDragon said:


> When you use an IR, does that mean you turn off all the speaker parameters?



No, the speaker page is just about how the virtual poweramp interacts with the virtual speaker load. In a real-life amp, the impedance curve of the speaker isn't a straight line, and this affects the frequency response, resonant frequencies, resonances of the cabinet the speaker is in, etc. 

Since the Amp block doesn't know anything about the impulse you're using, you set this manually in the 'Speaker' tab. It automatically is set to parameters close to the kind of cab that particular amp is most likely to be attached to. 



GoldDragon said:


> Also, when you load a new amp model, does it have a different basic sound, or is it just changing the exposed parameters?
> 
> I have to be honest, this is too much for me. My music output is already not enough, this would just detract more.



Changes the basic sound as well as the parameters. 


And again, just because you have all these options doesn't mean you need to use them. I have tweaked the 'Low Freq Res' in the Speaker page on a couple amps, changed the power tube types on some others, and other than that I haven't touched any of the other advanced parameters in my patches. Just the basic EQ is enough to make great sounds. Most amps sound pretty good just with the default settings.


----------



## Double A

mnemonic said:


> And again, just because you have all these options doesn't mean you need to use them. I have tweaked the 'Low Freq Res' in the Speaker page on a couple amps, changed the power tube types on some others, and other than that I haven't touched any of the other advanced parameters in my patches. Just the basic EQ is enough to make great sounds. Most amps sound pretty good just with the default settings.



This. I didn't mess with most of the stuff you see.

As for how different the amps sound. They sound like the amps they are modeled after. The 5153 sound like a 5153, the savage sound like a savage. And those are just 2 of the high gain options, this thing has tons of amps of all styles.


----------



## GoldDragon

I guess its the only game in town if you want great models and professional FX/routing.

I use a GT100 with my amps and it works great for that because of routing and diversity/quality of FX, and it's amp switching and programmable loop, but the models are not good enough for primary tones. 

I have a Fender Mustang Floor that I think has some great models, but it has poor routing and only simple effects.

The POD HDX also have great models but does not work well with 4cm or real amp channels.

Haven't played the recent Zoom or Digitech stuff, but Digitech was the leader for a long time.

The GT100 probably has the most potential, all Roland has to do is put a little bit of effort into the models. 

So my next FX box will either be a GT1000 or an AXE FX III.


----------



## Shask

GoldDragon said:


> Thanks that explains most of it. It appears that most of the parameters are things available in EQ or compression modules in other processors, with the exception of the speaker block. They also put input gain and drive parameters, things usually found in a boost module into the preamp.
> 
> When you use an IR, does that mean you turn off all the speaker parameters?
> 
> Also, when you load a new amp model, does it have a different basic sound, or is it just changing the exposed parameters?
> 
> I have to be honest, this is too much for me. My music output is already not enough, this would just detract more.



This was mentioned, but input drive is like the gain control, and overdrive is for amps that have 2 gain controls like a Mesa Mark or VHT Deliverance. The input trim is to similar the hi/lo inputs some amps have.

The extra graphic EQ is like the graphic EQ block. The compression stuff isn't like a separate compressor. It actually effects how the amp model itself works, not a separate thing like a compressor before or after the amp. 

The speaker page is how the poweramp reacts to the speaker cab, as mentioned above. The Axe is much better than other modelers about trying to capture those various interactions between different parts of the amp instead of treating each part separate.

Yes, amps sound different and have different default vales for all this stuff.

I will use around 5 of these controls. The Supply Sag can make the amp tighter and ore immediate or kind of sluggish and blur notes together. The low Res on the speaker page can bring the bass punch. The definition is good at adding some upper mids/highs to bring out clarity. Master volume changes the entire tone from tight and cutting to fat and farty. The cut switch makes the sound tighter by cutting lows before the amp. Xformer match can make the whole tone a little more scooped, or a little more mid heavy. Dynamics upper a bit can make the entire tone jump out more. Out Comp can even out the volume for recording. Negative feedback can make the whole tone more scooped and tight, and CF comp can make the whole thing more compressed, but in a clear preamp gain kind of way.

Those are the main ones I will mess with. Out of those, Supply sag, Master volume, and Dynamics are my top 3.


----------



## Elric

GD: You would love an AFX. I can tell by your posts. There is a free trial period you should pull the trigger on one and dig into it. 

You can *tell* someone who has driven Chevys all their life what its like to drive a Ferrari but they will never really *know* until they experience/try it. The only problem is it can ruin their taste for anything else.


----------



## GoldDragon

Elric said:


> GD: You would love an AFX. I can tell by your posts. There is a free trial period you should pull the trigger on one and dig into it.
> 
> You can *tell* someone who has driven Chevys all their life what its like to drive a Ferrari but they will never really *know* until they experience/try it. The only problem is it can ruin their taste for anything else.



I am intrigued. The thing holding me back is the frequency of new hardware and depreciation. I can't think of anything else in my studio that is on the same depreciation curve. Buy a used tube amp, you get the money back when you sell. Cheap consumer goods (POD, etc) that cost 200-500, its no big deal if they lost half their value over 5 years. 

They just came out with the II XL, which means the III should be out in 1-2 years, right? If I knew that future software updates would be backward compatible I would be more interested.


----------



## mnemonic

GoldDragon said:


> I am intrigued. The thing holding me back is the frequency of new hardware and depreciation. I can't think of anything else in my studio that is on the same depreciation curve. Buy a used tube amp, you get the money back when you sell. Cheap consumer goods (POD, etc) that cost 200-500, its no big deal if they lost half their value over 5 years.
> 
> They just came out with the II XL, which means the III should be out in 1-2 years, right? If I knew that future software updates would be backward compatible I would be more interested.



Cliff himself posted in November 2014 that he hasn't even begun design of the Axe FX III yet. 

Question to Cliff about his Vision of the futire of AxeFx...



> I haven't even started on the design of an Axe-Fx III. The current platform has lots of life left. We are focusing our attention on several other products at this time.



Not sure how long design takes, but I'm sure it isn't quick. IIRC, he's limited alot by the DSP chips available on the market. The Axe FX II contains two of the fastest ones available at the moment, and the market for DSP's advances considerably slower than CPU's or GPU's. I think there are one or two faster DSP's on the market, but they cost much more and supply is super limited. 

Also, look at used prices for Axe FX Standard's and Ultra's. They've remained relatively static for over a year, and the used price for an Axe FX II is not far off the new price, and when Fractal sells out, sometimes the used price is above the new price. 

In 5 years will it be worth what you spent on it? No, but neither would a new tube amp. Personally I'm not concerned about resale value since its not something I can ever see myself selling unless I was in some sort of dire financial hardship. Will I buy an Axe FX III when they come out? Maybe, if it includes something ground-breaking. But the Axe FX II sounds amazing now, and it certainly isn't going to sound any worse when the III comes out.

Those are just my thoughts on the matter.


----------



## Shask

GoldDragon said:


> I am intrigued. The thing holding me back is the frequency of new hardware and depreciation. I can't think of anything else in my studio that is on the same depreciation curve. Buy a used tube amp, you get the money back when you sell. Cheap consumer goods (POD, etc) that cost 200-500, its no big deal if they lost half their value over 5 years.
> 
> They just came out with the II XL, which means the III should be out in 1-2 years, right? If I knew that future software updates would be backward compatible I would be more interested.


Yeah, to agree with above, there is not much Cliff can do. The Axe II uses 2 of the best DSPs that exist. They are not creating new DSPs because most applications do not require the power. If there is not a faster DSP available, the only other choice is to use either 3 or 4 DSPs. At $400 each that would dramatically increase cost. I dont see him doing that either.

The Axe doesn't use the cheap $30 chips like a Line 6. Those CAN be replaced a year later for cheaper, case-in-point, the HD500X.

A better comparison is with something like an Eventide H3000. A high end digital unit that still sells for thousands even 20-30 years later.

And to counter your point tube amps do not hold the value either. You can buy a new Mesa Recto for $2200 and sell it a week later for $1000. Tube amps are not holding their value either. Everything is devaluing across the board. You said buy a "used" tube amp, but that is not comparable because it already lost its value. Nothing is holding its value these days, but the Axe II has one of the highest percentages out there.

But, I also agree with above. Buy it because you want the unit, not because it is an investment. Do you avoid buying TVs? Cars? Houses? Computers? Depreciation is a fact of life that we all live with. The money you spent was your "rent" you spent on the unit until you sell it.


----------



## Alex Kenivel

I've wanted to get an axe fx for a while now, and of course immediately thought about getting the latest and greatest axe fx model. I just can't quite justify spending the money on something I have no idea about when I've got a family to feed. 

Then I thought about maybe getting a used Ultra. Ive looked at videos, tutorials and read wiki pages before asking any questions on here, but most of the info I come across is for the fx II. Now, my plan is to get an axe fx unit, a cheaper controller pedal than the beastly MFC, and a powered speaker or two. 

Currently I have a tube amp and a slew of pedals (check my signature if you care), and I often switch from one extreme effect (or combination of effects) to another and add a lot of textures to my bands live performance. Unfortunately this requires a ton of tap dancing. I also mainly play an 8 string. On top of that, as I get older (plus the nerve damage/pain in arms and wrists) I find myself wanting to lighten my load. 

So, for the first of probably many questions I have: If I get an ultra, would I be greatly missing out on whatever a newer model has to offer?


----------



## mnemonic

Alex Kenivel said:


> So, for the first of probably many questions I have: If I get an ultra, would I be greatly missing out on whatever a newer model has to offer?



While I've never played the Ultra, I can say that people were raving about how great they were when they were new, and they certainly don't sound any worse now than they did then. From what I remember when I was reading up on them back in the day, it does take a fair amount of tweaking to get the right sounds. Apparently the II is much more plug-and-play, especially since firmware 14 or 15 (now on 17). I've only ever played the II and I can attest to it being really easy to dial in. 

This is the most recent thread on the Axe FX Forum with users comparing the II to the standard/ultra. Many of them still own both units as a backup for live, etc. Worth a read.

Axe Fx II vs Ultra


----------



## GoldDragon

The price of the AXE II+ foot controller is kinda insane. Something like $3500 for both?

I'm happy enough with my amps that I could never justify that.


----------



## Shask

Alex Kenivel said:


> I've wanted to get an axe fx for a while now, and of course immediately thought about getting the latest and greatest axe fx model. I just can't quite justify spending the money on something I have no idea about when I've got a family to feed.
> 
> Then I thought about maybe getting a used Ultra. Ive looked at videos, tutorials and read wiki pages before asking any questions on here, but most of the info I come across is for the fx II. Now, my plan is to get an axe fx unit, a cheaper controller pedal than the beastly MFC, and a powered speaker or two.
> 
> Currently I have a tube amp and a slew of pedals (check my signature if you care), and I often switch from one extreme effect (or combination of effects) to another and add a lot of textures to my bands live performance. Unfortunately this requires a ton of tap dancing. I also mainly play an 8 string. On top of that, as I get older (plus the nerve damage/pain in arms and wrists) I find myself wanting to lighten my load.
> 
> So, for the first of probably many questions I have: If I get an ultra, would I be greatly missing out on whatever a newer model has to offer?



There is a pretty huge difference. I had an Axe Standard before upgrading to the II.

The older units ARE great units, so keep that in mind. They are better than basically any other brand out there.

The II started where the older units quit. The amp modeling has gotten much more realistic and dynamic. There has been 17 versions since then. The older units had around 72 amp models, and the II has over 200. The II also has other features such as UltraRes IRs, Tonematching, Scenes, X/Y, and a ton of other things. 

For effects, the effects changed a lot. The older units just had "delay", or "chorus" or whatever. You had to dial in different types. The II has "types", meaning you have a selection such as "analog chorus, stereo chorus, digital chorus", etc....

The II has USB. You need a MIDI interface for the older ones.

I think that it is well worth it for the II, but then again I understand $1000 difference it pretty huge. I was fortunate that selling some of my tube gear and the Axe Standard allowed me to get the II.


----------



## Alex Kenivel

Thanks for the responses guys. This info, and from what I've read on the fractal forum make the II more tempting. Better go water my money tree


----------



## asher

GoldDragon said:


> The price of the AXE II+ foot controller is kinda insane. Something like $3500 for both?
> 
> I'm happy enough with my amps that I could never justify that.



You can get a Behringer FCB1010 for around $100, and it has two expression pedals on it and is completely serviceable.


----------



## guitarfishbay

asher said:


> You can get a Behringer FCB1010 for around $100, and it has two expression pedals on it and is completely serviceable.



Yep I use an FCB1010 and it works fine with my Axe FX 2 XL.

But the real point is needs and choice.

If you're happy with your amps then keep using them 

If you would benefit from the workflow and size/weight advantages of the Axe FX then it becomes a good option. 

It worked it both cheaper and more practical for me to go Axe FX than to continue to own multiple tube amps and cabinets that I could only reasonably use at certain hours of the day.


----------



## GoldDragon

guitarfishbay said:


> Yep I use an FCB1010 and it works fine with my Axe FX 2 XL.
> 
> But the real point is needs and choice.
> 
> If you're happy with your amps then keep using them
> 
> If you would benefit from the workflow and size/weight advantages of the Axe FX then it becomes a good option.
> 
> It worked it both cheaper and more practical for me to go Axe FX than to continue to own multiple tube amps and cabinets that I could only reasonably use at certain hours of the day.



If I wasnt in a house, or if I was playing out, I'm sure I wouldn't like my amps as much.


----------



## Elric

GoldDragon said:


> I am intrigued. The thing holding me back is the frequency of new hardware and depreciation. I can't think of anything else in my studio that is on the same depreciation curve. Buy a used tube amp, you get the money back when you sell. Cheap consumer goods (POD, etc) that cost 200-500, its no big deal if they lost half their value over 5 years.


As someone who has been involved in digital technology not only as a music guy but as a "computer hobbyist" since way back when a "personal computer" was a really weird idea: I hear you. 

But FWIW, based on the Gen1 units price curve, the II will not have the price fall out from under it instantly upon release of a III. High end stuff retains its value better and Fractal has maintained their premium status by not polluting the market with low end high volume gear.

Plus, good tone == good tone; these units KPA, AF are so far along the curve that they are viable indefinitely. Sure other stuff will have more features and have more functions, etc; but the current sounds and feature sets are enough to make professional cutting edge music for the rest of your life.


----------



## mnemonic

The only thing I'm worried about regarding longevity is how long the physical components will last. Though people in-the-know regarding electronics and tech workmanship that have opened one up (ref; not me) seem to be in agreement that its made to a high quality standard and built like a tank.

And I guess all modern non-p2p wired amps (almost everything for the last 10 or 20 years) are all PCB anyway, so no big difference. 

Hopefully in 15 or 20 years when something wears out, some computer repair robot can fix my vintage axe fx for me.


----------



## GoldDragon

Elric said:


> As someone who has been involved in digital technology not only as a music guy but as a "computer hobbyist" since way back when a "personal computer" was a really weird idea: I hear you.
> 
> But FWIW, based on the Gen1 units price curve, the II will not have the price fall out from under it instantly upon release of a III. High end stuff retains its value better and Fractal has maintained their premium status by not polluting the market with low end high volume gear.
> 
> Plus, good tone == good tone; these units KPA, AF are so far along the curve that they are viable indefinitely. Sure other stuff will have more features and have more functions, etc; but the current sounds and feature sets are enough to make professional cutting edge music for the rest of your life.



I've been listening to YouTube videos of the AXE for the past hour. There are alot of bad videos as well as some really well recorded and produced. 80% of the AXE videos are downtuned metal. (98% of the ones that sound authentic for their intended purpose are the downtuned metal ones.)

Also watched alot of POD HD and GT100 videos.

Its my opinion that the preamp models of all of them have arrived, when played through a tube amp you can't tell the difference. They also all track input dynamics faithfully.

The biggest influence of recorded tone is either A) Your speaker cab and mic(s) or B) The IRs or power/cab sim you are using. The preamp itself is just diode clipping and EQ.

I have models in both my GT100 and Fender Mustang floor that when played through a JSX, through a JSX cab, and multi miked, you can't tell which one is the real tube preamp. They all sound and play real. I know the POD HD can do the same.

The thing that differentiates a good from bad end result is the miking or IRs used. The AXE has an IR loader, none of the other processors I mentioned have that, although you could add a Torpedo Cab or do it in software. However I believe real mics are still going to be better and give more control than IRs. Plus you get actual tube saturation and speaker distortion. 

I hear great results from all of them. The GT100 effects, midi implementation, and routing are at least as good as the AXE, it does things the AXE cannot yet. The interface of the GT100 is better, so there are still ways for the AXE to improve.

From the perspective of someone who records with mics, there is much less value in the AXE, and (believe it or not) the other boxes have nailed the preamp models. Because I can run IRs in software using a direct feed from the power amp (which is going to be better than simulated power), I don't get excited by the AXE impulse loader.

Is having all of that in one package worth 3K? In my opinion it is overpriced, but I totally "get" it's appeal.

While the AXE is a really potent device, it is proably worthwhile to look around at the advances made by the other ones. The ivory tower may not be as white as you think it is.


----------



## asher

I'm really not sure where you're getting the $3k figure from, but


----------



## GoldDragon

Used FX II XL on ebay sells for 2500, so new it is a bit more (dont know actual street price), then you add a foot controller.


----------



## asher

You don't need an XL though... I got a II Mk I bundled with an MFC for 2250. Other II prices should be lower than 2.5k

Or you can still get most of the same capabilities with an Ultra, which can be had for 1400 tops.

Add a Behringer FCB1010 for $100.


----------



## GoldDragon

What it the street price of a new II XL?


----------



## asher

GoldDragon said:


> What it the street price of a new II XL?



Let me google that for you


----------



## GoldDragon

asher said:


> Let me google that for you



Funny. Everything I found online was send an email for a price quote. No where on the Fractal site did it show retail price.


----------



## asher

_It's right there under the page name for the second link, which is clearly to Fractal's store_.


----------



## GoldDragon

OK, $2500 for the XL. $2200 for the II. Why is it taboo to talk about the price? 

Perhaps the reason the used ones are selling for $2500 on ebay, maybe there was a delay for getting a new one.


----------



## Elric

GoldDragon said:


> I've been listening to YouTube videos of the AXE for the past hour. There are alot of bad videos as well as some really well recorded and produced.
> <edit>
> Its my opinion that the preamp models of all of them have arrived, when played through a tube amp you can't tell the difference. They also all track input dynamics faithfully.
> <edit>
> From the perspective of someone who records with mics, there is much less value in the AXE, and (believe it or not) the other boxes have nailed the preamp models. Because I can run IRs in software using a direct feed from the power amp (which is going to be better than simulated power), I don't get excited by the AXE impulse loader.
> 
> Is having all of that in one package worth 3K? In my opinion it is overpriced, but I totally "get" it's appeal.
> <edit>


If (after a full hour of youtube research) you feel comfortable concluding that there is no major quality difference in the parts that you do use (preamp modeling) and if your use case (recording with mics) nullifies a lot of advantages of the product and the remaining advantages do not provide sufficient value then sure it's not for you. Shrug. 

If you plug your GT100 into your FX loop and feel like it is giving you what you want, you keep feeling that. 

Not sure why you're still looking at an AFX given its price and your thoughs wrt the GT, then. Not everyone has to get one, there are lots of good tools out there; put an IR loader in your GTs FX Loop and put a new sticker on it if it makes you happy. LOL.


----------



## Shask

GoldDragon said:


> Its my opinion that the preamp models of all of them have arrived, when played through a tube amp you can't tell the difference. They also all track input dynamics faithfully.



I can tell you from playing the HD500 for a few years, and the Axe-FX for a few years, there is a pretty big difference when you play them. It is something that you will not hear in a recording. You have to experience it.

The Axe-FX has a much faster and quicker "quack" to the attack. Very quick attack with a very clear defined note. The HD500 has more of a sluggish feel where the notes always have more of a "blurred" sound to them. Many people say they can feel the latency in the system, so maybe this is what it is.

There is also a difference in dynamics. I always felt like Like 6 has an over-hyped feel. It is like they used an expander to make the dynamics more dramaic than they should be. Drives me crazy. I always have to use a compressor on every preset because of this. I dont notice the same thing in the Axe-FX. It is dynamic, but not annoyingly so.


----------



## mongey

GoldDragon said:


> OK, $2500 for the XL. $2200 for the II. Why is it taboo to talk about the price?
> 
> Perhaps the reason the used ones are selling for $2500 on ebay, maybe there was a delay for getting a new one.


 
yeah price goes up when there is no stock around

you seem stoked with your set up so I'd say keep on a good thing .

If I could crank and mic it up I probably wouldnt have an axe fx but I cant. I spent the cash as I wanted something the quality of my mesa in modelling form. the hd 500 I had wasnt even close to making me happy, same with all the plug-ins I tried .I also tried the amp with load box into mix ir with a bunch of commercial irs and never got results I was happy with .

the axe fx feels so much better than all of them . not sure if its the software or the hardware. but it doesnt feel flat and "modelled "

the axe fx is designed as a professional quality tool and I feel after 4 months with mine it is . i'd say it is expensive but you get what you pay for .but yeah nothing is for everyone


----------



## asher

GoldDragon said:


> OK, $2500 for the XL. $2200 for the II. Why is it taboo to talk about the price?
> 
> Perhaps the reason the used ones are selling for $2500 on ebay, maybe there was a delay for getting a new one.



Nobody's saying it's taboo, dude.

You seem pretty set on not getting one; that's totally cool. But don't justify it with silly things like implying the minimum investment is $3k, when you've apparently looked on eBay but somehow managed to miss the Fractal store, which takes less than ten seconds to find.


----------



## 3074326

GoldDragon said:


> Is having all of that in one package worth 3K? In my opinion it is overpriced, but I totally "get" it's appeal.
> 
> While the AXE is a really potent device, it is proably worthwhile to look around at the advances made by the other ones. The ivory tower may not be as white as you think it is.



Are you talking yourself out of purchasing one? What are you trying to figure out, exactly? 

It's a fantastic unit. The ivory tower is as white as I hoped it would be. I was skeptical before I bought mine. Fully intended on getting it, thinking it was good, but not great, and then returning it. Then it blew me away. It's the best piece of gear I've ever owned that isn't a guitar, and I've owned some nice stuff. I have no regrets buying it. Also the only piece of gear I've owned that I consider damn near perfect. My only issue is what I consider to be subpar fuzz tones. _That's it. _

I've played pretty much every other processor on the market and it is literally laughable to me to consider any of them on par, aside from the Kemper. I played the Kemper and bought an Axe FX. So there you go.

You say you get its appeal. Just out of curiosity, what do you think its appeal is? If top-notch tone and incredible versatility are what you think its appeal is, you are correct. Well worth the $2300 I spent on mine. Even if it were $3k, it would be worth it.


----------



## Elric

Shask said:


> I can tell you from playing the HD500 for a few years, and the Axe-FX for a few years, there is a pretty big difference when you play them. It is something that you will not hear in a recording. You have to experience it.


+1. Like I said, talking about playing feel, etc, on a forum is like trying to tell someone what it is like to drive a Ferrari. Just doesn't work.

The funny part is when someone said the equivalent of "you just have to drive one and decide" then they go watch youtube videos of a Ferrari and say "driving a Ferrari is just like driving a Camaro!" or "Ferrari's are so not worth the money".  

If that's where your head is; you are just dead set against it, it is too rich for your blood, or your current stuff floats your boat, it's all good... admit it and move on. But the rationalizations where you are trying to talk yourself out of it sound really silly to people using one daily.


----------



## mongey

I found for the 1st 2 months I had my xl I stuck to the recto tones for high gain pretty much .I have a recto so its a sound I have used in the band for years and I'm comfortable with it. 

But have been braching out and have really started to love some of the amps based on marshalls. friedman HBE, splawn nitro and even the jcm800 . thing is I have never dug the marshall thing for myself ever but having the models there has expanded the sound I hear in my head for myslef 

in the 12 months I had a hd500 it never did that for me. I felt like I spent all my time trying to be happy with the 1 amp sound yet alone a bunch of amps I didnt know .the axe fx is just so much less work to build a good sound which is what confuses me when people say its too complicated . the main amp page has everything you need if thats as deep as you want to go


----------



## GoldDragon

3074326 said:


> Are you talking yourself out of purchasing one? What are you trying to figure out, exactly?
> 
> It's a fantastic unit. The ivory tower is as white as I hoped it would be. I was skeptical before I bought mine. Fully intended on getting it, thinking it was good, but not great, and then returning it. Then it blew me away. It's the best piece of gear I've ever owned that isn't a guitar, and I've owned some nice stuff. I have no regrets buying it. Also the only piece of gear I've owned that I consider damn near perfect. My only issue is what I consider to be subpar fuzz tones. _That's it. _
> 
> I've played pretty much every other processor on the market and it is literally laughable to me to consider any of them on par, aside from the Kemper. I played the Kemper and bought an Axe FX. So there you go.
> 
> You say you get its appeal. Just out of curiosity, what do you think its appeal is? If top-notch tone and incredible versatility are what you think its appeal is, you are correct. Well worth the $2300 I spent on mine. Even if it were $3k, it would be worth it.



If it can't do better satriani diode clipping than this, its not worth the money.

SATCH BOOGIE - AXE FX 2

The top end is too polished, it doesnt seem to have a grip on what a really agressive top end sounds like with speaker distortion and tube saturation.

Heres a clip showing a better sound from a cheaper unit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=votZXnvDNjI

It also has a wah built in that you need to play this song. Not bad for 1/5th the price.

Confirmation bias - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


----------



## crg123

The axe fx is as good as how much time and effort you put to it. You have limitless IR's (there are axe specific ones that have been released) which are only getting more accurate as time goes. Tone matching helps you go from 90% to 100% accurate of the tone you're trying to achieve. Each update brings more and more accurate gain staging/ diode clipping (they update every month). The reverb/delay/ modulation fx are superb and have only gotten better with tim. Also the video you showed was from 2012  if only you knew how much more complex and amazing sounding this thing has gotten in the last 4 months 

The way this thing is built up isn't anything like a POD or like wise. Cliff models the circuit. Each component and how it affects the tone thats the end product. What you're investing in is just that being able to not only accurately model the tones you hear but have such a detailed list of options to create something real setups can not.

*I've been a tube and analog pedal guy my whole life (I'm 25 and started playing when I was 11, I'm not that old but just gives you an idea). I was a tube purist as my dad was a musician and pasted down his hatred for the digital haha. When I borrowed my friends Axe II I wanted to hate it for all the reasons you said. Why is this thing so damn expensive?! I heard people on youtube who sounded like shit with it. All of them just trying to get generic metal tones and failing. Guess what I loved it because of its versatility. I Ended up getting the XL 3 months later and selling my whole rig and don't regret it, I find the thing inspirational to be honest. *

I get your being skeptical. Its good to be but you're kind of missing the point of the device or at least how it works. Its not a static device that will sound the same through out a years worth of updates. Recently cliff just overhauled and redid the mesas from the ground up, added power amp mic simulation, overhauled the reverb, chorus, delay etc. It's not just a modeling device that similar sounds its building rigs from the ground up, which is why its worth the investment *if you deem it necessary*. Also a lot of the examples you're probably listening to are just people who don't understand how to dial in a tone that sits in the mix (ala bedroom shredders) or old clips. 

*TL;DR A lot of people who buy this thing don't know how to use it to its full potential, the way everything is modeled is ridiculously accurate if you understand how to use in depth amp modeling controls, IR's and work within a mix.*

Anyway hope that little rant helps. If you can get anything you need by using a POD HD and GT100, and that satisfies more power to you. 

Basically this


Elric said:


> Not sure why you're still looking at an AFX given its price and your thoughts with the GT. Not everyone has to get one, there are lots of good tools out there; put an IR loader in your GTs FX Loop and put a new sticker on it if it makes you happy. LOL.


----------



## Steinmetzify

This sounds better to me than the older vid posted above...NWOBHM tune, but still sounds good.



This one is badass just because I've always loved this tune and I think he did it some justice here. Crunchy ass palm mutes abound!



Same patches on both...


----------



## asher

steinmetzify said:


> Same patches on both...



omgwant


----------



## Steinmetzify

Mark Day dude....he always posts his patches. Go grab.


----------



## asher

steinmetzify said:


> Mark Day dude....he always posts his patches. Go grab.



*scribble scribble*

actually, I need to get the new update on my box first. then......


----------



## GoldDragon

crg123 said:


> Anyway hope that little rant helps. If you can get anything you need by using a POD HD and GT100, and that satisfies more power to you.



I was responding to this post:



> I've played pretty much every other processor on the market and* it is literally laughable to me to consider any of them on par*, aside from the Kemper. I played the Kemper and bought an Axe FX. So there you go.



Basically, if AXE owners are going to trash other products I think they should be willing to put up with clip comparisons.

I've played for 25 years used to be a gear tweaker, have owned and tried a bunch of digital units, and now have tube amps and the ability to record with mics. Learning how to get my sounds with mics really opened up my ears to the viability of modellers, and also what is correct and what is not. 

I am judging these modelers based on what characteristics translate through a microphone(s). There is a delicate interplay between the agressive top end, the speaker and how it distorts, and the power amp. Each modeller seems to make different choices on how to handle this. The tone matching, and IRs are basically just EQ filters, I'm listening for something else "inside" the tone. I don't care if it has the same EQ because that will change depending on the mix anyway.

The problem is that 95% of the people who are raving about the AXE don't have the ability or knowledge/experience with recording tube amps with mics. 5% of the guys running them are Pros, the other 95% are bedroom players.

The Mark Day clips above are excellent, but they have the same smoothed characteristic on the top, something just doesn't breathe, so its not perfect -- there is room for improvement. BTW, I love JP and Dio, and have been listening to their stuff longer than I have played, so I know the tones.

I've heard as many good clips from the AXE as I have from the POD and the GT; its not a runaway race for the AXE. I think the AXE has taken a grassroots approach to forum advertizing and because they are a small company they hold a certain appeal that people are willing to pay for. Its like paying twice as much for a Porsche when a Corvette has the same performance numbers. To each their own, but don't trash the other ones.


----------



## Steinmetzify

GoldDragon said:


> I was responding to this post:
> 
> 
> 
> *Basically, if AXE owners are going to trash other products I think they should be willing to put up with clip comparisons*.
> 
> I've played for 25 years used to be a gear tweaker, have owned and tried a bunch of digital units, and now have tube amps and the ability to record with mics. Learning how to get my sounds with mics really opened up my ears to the viability of modellers, and also what is correct and what is not.
> 
> I am judging these modelers based on what characteristics translate through a microphone(s). There is a delicate interplay between the agressive top end, the speaker and how it distorts, and the power amp. Each modeller seems to make different choices on how to handle this. The tone matching, and IRs are basically just EQ filters, I'm listening for something else "inside" the tone. I don't care if it has the same EQ because that will change depending on the mix anyway.
> 
> The problem is that 95% of the people who are raving about the AXE don't have the ability or knowledge/experience with recording tube amps with mics. 5% of the guys running them are Pros, the other 95% are bedroom players.
> 
> The Mark Day clips above are excellent, but they have the same smoothed characteristic on the top, something just doesn't breathe, so its not perfect -- *there is room for improvement.* BTW, I love JP and Dio, and have been listening to their stuff longer than I have played, so I know the tones.
> 
> I've heard as many good clips from the AXE as I have from the POD and the GT; its not a runaway race for the AXE. I think the AXE has taken a grassroots approach to forum advertizing and because they are a small company they hold a certain appeal that people are willing to pay for. *Its like paying twice as much for a Porsche when a Corvette has the same performance numbers. *To each their own, but don't trash the other ones.



For points that I bolded:

I'll listen to comparisons; indeed, like you, it's all I've been doing for months...and a lot of the comparisons that you've posted sound damn good. In some rare cases, even better than the Axe, but that's not the problem I was looking to solve...the problem for me is *ease of use*. Can an average dude like me take a GT-100 and make it sound as good in a mix as an Axe right out of the box without extraordinary amounts of tweaking? No, I can't. I know this because I've tried...same goes for the GSP and LePou plugins and JamUp/BIAS and a PODHD and a whole host of other things. So what the money goes for is tones + convenience...being able to get those tones with a minimal amount of tweaking...because as you so eloquently stated, I'm part of the 95% of bedroom players, anymore. I don't have the experience that you do, mic'ing up tube amps and analyzing everything that happens when you do that. I don't have to though, as they've done it for me and I can concentrate on playing...it's close enough for me that I don't mind the 6% or whatever difference. The next update, it'll get closer. Same for the one after, and the one after that, and so on. If you think in 10 years there won't be technology that has captured the exact feel/tone/sound of what you're describing, then I think you're pretty much wrong. It's almost there and getting closer every few months or so.

People that use tube amps always compare modelers to tube amps with mic'd up cabs...I've done it myself, numerous times. The reality is that none of these are ever going to sound like that....they literally can't, given that that's not what they are...I think that there's always going to be a sense of disconnection, given that you're not plugged into a box with a bunch of vacuum tubes that's shaking the room. Digital is never going to sound like analog...it can't. They're two different things, and as of right now the human ear can hear that, but that won't last long either.

For me, that's not what it's about. It's about a feel, a complexity of tones that's pretty much impossible for me to achieve with a tube amp and pedals, given my current financial situation and living arrangements. Can the Axe give me an approximation of all the tones I'd ever want in one box? Yeah, it can. Can it do it consistently and for years to come, getting constant updates to improve the UI, the tones, the quality? Yeah, it will.

I can *absolutely* trash the other ones, given that I've tried them all and found them lacking for my personal uses, and this is a guitar forum and that's what we do. 

I really didn't like the HD500 for high gain applications. I found it stiff and like Shask said, really over-hyped and dramatic to play. There were no parts of it that responded like a tube amp i.e. picking dynamics, rolling off with the volume knob, etc....

Same for the GSP, but better in a lot of ways with the c63 firmware. More 'real', more touch sensitive, etc...JamUp/BIAS was better in that regard as well, but still lacking when it came to FX and differentiating between high gain tones...meaning that a lot of the high gain stuff sounded really really similar. The closest I've come to that feel I was looking for was the Axe/Kemper generation. 

The part that you said about the 'room to improve' is the part that gets me. These WILL improve, as their owners focus on these and these alone, and constantly offer updates and improvements and will for years to come. Are any of the other modelers that you're saying are just as good still doing so? Not really...so when they get to the point that they're upgraded enough to have the same feel and tones that you say the others do, what will be your complaint then? Just the price? 

Final analogy about the Vette vs Porsche. I've owned a C2 since 94...there has never been one Vette that I've ever jonesed after....the looks, the design, the sound, the feel, etc...they just weren't there for me. I don't drive the C2 very much anymore, but it's nice to know that it's there if I want to, and it'll stick kick the shit out of pretty much anything else out there if I tell it to. Even though the Vette is kind of a dynasty and it is cheaper with the same or better numbers, you'll never see me in one. It's not my choice and never will be. The C2 has held it's value and it's performance, its looks and its iconic status. That's why I chose it; personal preference. Maybe you'd choose the Vette and a GT-100, and that's where we differ. 

I've gotten to the point in life where if a certain thing is the same price point of another certain thing, then I probably won't bother with it.....there are exceptions to this rule, but it's served me pretty well thus far. I don't like driving Ford Focuses, and so I don't really look at cars priced the same as a Ford Focus. If I didn't like the PODHD500, then I probably won't like the PODHD500X, or really any other equivalently priced unit, as there's not much room for improvement in that price range anyway...most companies set a price point and build to it....once they hit that cap, they're done. (Thanks, Shask) Fractal focuses on quality, and then sets the price point afterwards. Porsche does the same thing, unlike the Vettes, which are priced first and then built to the cap. Just different ways of running a business, and I like the 2nd way better and pretty much always have.

Someone said stick to your GT-100, and maybe you should...but with all your knowledge about mic'd amps and how things perform at certain times and ways, I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice to give up on the Axe/Kemper generation without even trying it first. 

I don't know if you're trying to talk yourself into one or out of one, but you posting in this thread about how much worse the Axe sounds compared other modelers is complete futility...there's no one who owns one or has played one extensively that you're going to sway...especially given that for all your talk, you're basing everything you say on the price and YT videos/Soundcloud tone comparisons. I should think that someone that knows as much as you do about sound waves and how they react would see the folly in that.

EDIT: I took the idea that you haven't played one extensively from responses in this thread over the last few days...if I'm wrong about it and you have extensive experience with the unit, then please disregard my last few statements and accept my apology.


----------



## 3074326

GoldDragon said:


> If it can't do better satriani diode clipping than this, its not worth the money.
> 
> SATCH BOOGIE - AXE FX 2
> 
> The top end is too polished, it doesnt seem to have a grip on what a really agressive top end sounds like with speaker distortion and tube saturation.
> 
> Heres a clip showing a better sound from a cheaper unit.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=votZXnvDNjI
> 
> It also has a wah built in that you need to play this song. Not bad for 1/5th the price.
> 
> Confirmation bias - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia





GoldDragon said:


> I was responding to this post:
> 
> 
> 
> Basically, if AXE owners are going to trash other products I think they should be willing to put up with clip comparisons.
> 
> I've played for 25 years used to be a gear tweaker, have owned and tried a bunch of digital units, and now have tube amps and the ability to record with mics. Learning how to get my sounds with mics really opened up my ears to the viability of modellers, and also what is correct and what is not.
> 
> I am judging these modelers based on what characteristics translate through a microphone(s). There is a delicate interplay between the agressive top end, the speaker and how it distorts, and the power amp. Each modeller seems to make different choices on how to handle this. The tone matching, and IRs are basically just EQ filters, I'm listening for something else "inside" the tone. I don't care if it has the same EQ because that will change depending on the mix anyway.
> 
> The problem is that 95% of the people who are raving about the AXE don't have the ability or knowledge/experience with recording tube amps with mics. 5% of the guys running them are Pros, the other 95% are bedroom players.
> 
> The Mark Day clips above are excellent, but they have the same smoothed characteristic on the top, something just doesn't breathe, so its not perfect -- there is room for improvement. BTW, I love JP and Dio, and have been listening to their stuff longer than I have played, so I know the tones.
> 
> I've heard as many good clips from the AXE as I have from the POD and the GT; its not a runaway race for the AXE. I think the AXE has taken a grassroots approach to forum advertizing and because they are a small company they hold a certain appeal that people are willing to pay for. Its like paying twice as much for a Porsche when a Corvette has the same performance numbers. To each their own, but don't trash the other ones.



Ok, then don't buy it. What exactly are you trying to accomplish in this thread other than ruffle feathers? Your Wikipedia link is insulting. 

Do you think I haven't listened to the comparisons? When I drop $2k+ I do my research, which includes actually playing the gear. You should do that. _Play the gear. _ I have played every processor I can imagine and the Axe won, so it got my money. It's as simple as that. 

I wasn't trashing the other companies as much as I was saying that I found the Fractal to be far superior. 

Please get out of here with your high horse. I don't care how long you've played or how much knowledge you may or may not have. My resume' is pretty solid is well. I've been playing for over 15 years and have worked in music stores for more than half of those years. I've owned tube amps, many of them, and still own tube amps. I've done recordings with microphones, real amps, real cabinets, sat in on the mixing process. So I could not give less of a **** how much experience you have with tube amp recordings when it seems like your experiences with modelers are based on Youtube videos. 

Go play the gear and maybe we'll take you seriously. Right now you just sound like someone who is on a mission to trash an excellent product with excellent service. I'm confused by what you're trying to accomplish, but it's getting annoying at this point.

Also, someone who can get the same sound out of a GT than an Axe doesn't exist. That person is good at mixing.


----------



## mongey

GoldDragon said:


> I was responding to this post:
> 
> 
> 
> Basically, if AXE owners are going to trash other products I think they should be willing to put up with clip comparisons.
> 
> I've played for 25 years used to be a gear tweaker, have owned and tried a bunch of digital units, and now have tube amps and the ability to record with mics. Learning how to get my sounds with mics really opened up my ears to the viability of modellers, and also what is correct and what is not.
> 
> I am judging these modelers based on what characteristics translate through a microphone(s). There is a delicate interplay between the agressive top end, the speaker and how it distorts, and the power amp. Each modeller seems to make different choices on how to handle this. The tone matching, and IRs are basically just EQ filters, I'm listening for something else "inside" the tone. I don't care if it has the same EQ because that will change depending on the mix anyway.
> 
> The problem is that 95% of the people who are raving about the AXE don't have the ability or knowledge/experience with recording tube amps with mics. 5% of the guys running them are Pros, the other 95% are bedroom players.
> 
> The Mark Day clips above are excellent, but they have the same smoothed characteristic on the top, something just doesn't breathe, so its not perfect -- there is room for improvement. BTW, I love JP and Dio, and have been listening to their stuff longer than I have played, so I know the tones.
> 
> I've heard as many good clips from the AXE as I have from the POD and the GT; its not a runaway race for the AXE. I think the AXE has taken a grassroots approach to forum advertizing and because they are a small company they hold a certain appeal that people are willing to pay for. Its like paying twice as much for a Porsche when a Corvette has the same performance numbers. To each their own, but don't trash the other ones.


 
its all good for you to think fractal gear is overpriced and overrated ,this is a gear forum eveyrone has opinions. I think the hd500 is a pretty average peice of gear after owning one for a year . I don't go into the pod thread and tell everyone to prove to me that it isnt 

I didn't read anyone trash anything at all .All I've read is people saying to you if your pulling great tones with what you have then thats great


----------



## GoldDragon

steinmetzify said:


> EDIT: I took the idea that you haven't played one extensively from responses in this thread over the last few days...if I'm wrong about it and you have extensive experience with the unit, then please disregard my last few statements and accept my apology.



I haven't played one. 

There is this thing called Cognitive Dissonance, probably you have heard about it. When someone is faced with two choices, there is dissonance, a feeling of unease, not knowing which one to choose. Once someone picks one or the other, there is no longer dissonance, and they convince themselves the choice they made was corrrect. This is where Cognitive Bias fits in. Once somone has selected one option, they then look for proof that their choice was correct. I am subject to this as well.

There is some pretty extensive bashing of the other units by the Kemper/Axe crew (and sometimes its subtle, like equating the Boss to a Ford Focus), I'm not talking about just this thread, but in most guitar forums. I think this does a disservice to many people and creates exaggerated demand. I'm providing a counterpoint against the "fanboyism".

Its interesting to me that the GT100 videos generally have a higher caliber of playing than the AXE ones (while having a similar caliber of endorsers.) Also, the most accomplished players in the AXE camp are using it as an effects device, not for its amp sims. This is software, its about the programming, not the price tag.

I've really got nothing more to add.


----------



## asher

Except that's a shitty summary of how cognitive dissonance works and stemming from the wrong source, because CD is about holding internally conflicting or downright contradictory beliefs or values.

(and's a bit off base for http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias too)

Find us this extensive bashing here that you're trying to combat, or whatever. I'm pretty sure almost everyone has been saying the other units are fine, the Axe is just better/has more options/whatever. Not to mention that a Ford Focus is an excellent value car.

Chris Broderick got MegaDave running them, and certainly ran one for himself at any rate. Top rate enough?


It's not that you're indecisive, it's that you've clearly come in with a bone to pick here.


----------



## 3074326

GoldDragon said:


> I haven't played one.
> 
> There is this thing called Cognitive Dissonance, probably you have heard about it. When someone is faced with two choices, there is dissonance, a feeling of unease, not knowing which one to choose. Once someone picks one or the other, there is no longer dissonance, and they convince themselves the choice they made was corrrect. This is where Cognitive Bias fits in. Once somone has selected one option, they then look for proof that their choice was correct. I am subject to this as well.
> 
> There is some pretty extensive bashing of the other units by the Kemper/Axe crew (and sometimes its subtle, like equating the Boss to a Ford Focus), I'm not talking about just this thread, but in most guitar forums. I think this does a disservice to many people and creates exaggerated demand. I'm providing a counterpoint against the "fanboyism".
> 
> Its interesting to me that the GT100 videos generally have a higher caliber of playing than the AXE ones (while having a similar caliber of endorsers.) Also, the most accomplished players in the AXE camp are using it as an effects device, not for its amp sims. This is software, its about the programming, not the price tag.
> 
> I've really got nothing more to add.



This is dumb, my friend. I would rather spend a few hundred bucks than a couple grand on a unit. But I wanted the one that sounded the best. I don't think that's any type of psychology other than common sense. I had no budget so I picked the best tone. I don't need to convince myself that I made the right choice. I know I made the right choice. It isn't confirmation bias. It isn't cognitive dissonance. It's my opinion and I share it with many. 

And what does the level of talent in the recorded clips have anything to do with anything? These are tone machines, not talent machines. 

I find it very hard to believe that anyone could like a processor on the market other than the Fractals. The only way it is believable is if said person is comparing Youtube clips without having played the Axe FX. 

I'm gonna move on from this debate and throw out a pro tip for Zeppelin fans.

Firstly, download the free Clark Kent IR pack. It's in this thread pretty recently if you can't find it. 

FET boost -> Hipower Jumped -> TEH Beyerdynamic M201 A1 cab with Re16 Dyn mic

It's god damn close. Set the basic tones to whatever suits your guitar. I'm running a Les Paul with coil taps active and the basic tone controls are pushing mids and treble and light on bass on the Fractal. I have the drive low on the FET and tone around 3 o'clock.

Great, dynamic tone. I modeled it after 10 Years Gone. The most underrated Zeppelin tune ever. 

Importantly, I haven't touched a single deep parameter for those who may question whether or not the Fractal can be used simply.


----------



## Shask

WAY too much thought going into this!!!

Its simple:


You like the sound and want the flexibility - Buy one.

If you dont want the flexibility and something else sounds better - Don't buy one.


Don't need a Ph.D in Psychology to figure that out....


----------



## Shask

Well Crap!

"G3" modeling technology is coming!

Maybe the Axe will play itself soon!

A bit scared to upgrade firmware


----------



## mongey

Shask said:


> Well Crap!
> 
> "G3" modeling technology is coming!
> 
> Maybe the Axe will play itself soon!
> 
> A bit scared to upgrade firmware


 

I'm waiiting for G4


----------



## Elric

Shask said:


> Well Crap!
> 
> "G3" modeling technology is coming!
> 
> Maybe the Axe will play itself soon!


Maybe it'll finally produce youtube clips on par with the renowned COSM amp modeling in the GT100.


----------



## crg123

Ninja'd. To put that into perspective G1 was the axe standard and the Axe ultra. G2 was the 2. This means that well get G3 without a new device.... Dis gonna be good!



Elric said:


> Maybe it'll finally produce youtube clips on par with the renowned COSM amp modeling in the GT100.



Dies*  you win this thread Rep for you.

Edit: still laughing at this 5 minutes later, my girlfriend wants to know why I won't stop... Ok I'm good now.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Man, I seriously can't wait to hear this.


----------



## Shask

steinmetzify said:


> Man, I seriously can't wait to hear this.



The G3 modeling technology, or the amazing GT-100 clips?


----------



## Steinmetzify

Rofl...both.


----------



## asher

steinmetzify said:


> Rofl...both.



Yeah, doesn't he need to put up some of these super baller clips of his?


----------



## Steinmetzify

asher said:


> Yeah, doesn't he need to put up some of these super baller clips of his?



No, YT clips of superior players are enough. Right? RIGHT?!


----------



## Genome

I'm kind of struggling to imagine it being hugely better in terms of accuracy... the last few firmware upgrades have taken it to pretty much spot on for me. There must be some new features. I remember Cliff talking about a "build-your-own" amp feature, I wonder if that will appear?


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> Well Crap!
> 
> "G3" modeling technology is coming!
> 
> Maybe the Axe will play itself soon!
> 
> A bit scared to upgrade firmware



I like how he just casually drops some of the biggest news in a while in a random thread, and then disappears. 



Genome said:


> I'm kind of struggling to imagine it being hugely better in terms of accuracy... the last few firmware upgrades have taken it to pretty much spot on for me. There must be some new features. I remember Cliff talking about a "build-your-own" amp feature, I wonder if that will appear?



This is what I'm thinking, I'm not sure what he could improve. Being able to swap preamps/poweramps, or just straight up build our own amps would be a super cool feature though.


----------



## mongey

Genome said:


> I'm kind of struggling to imagine it being hugely better in terms of accuracy... the last few firmware upgrades have taken it to pretty much spot on for me. There must be some new features. I remember Cliff talking about a "build-your-own" amp feature, I wonder if that will appear?


 

its all relative with technology. you can't imagine any better till it actually comes out and raises the bar. 

personally I'm not that jazzed on a build your own amp ferature. with 200 amps I dont know that I can building anything better than whats there .In fact I highly doubt I could 

one thing I wouldnt mind is some macro knobs ( I think thats what it's called) like you see in synth plug ins . like a tight knob that changes a bunch of advanced parameters at the same time or a clarity knob . 

I know its not accurate to the amps but it could be a useful feature for quickly tweaking a sound rather than trying a bunch of knobs to get what you want


----------



## mnemonic

I want to run a plexi preamp into a recto poweramp just because I can.


----------



## Genome

The first thing I (and many others) would do is Mesa Pre into a Marshall Poweramp. 

Metallica.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

> At this time I would hold off. We will be releasing our "G3 Modeling Technology" firmware *UPGRADE* soon. So it doesn't make sense to tweak everything with such a major update looming.


----------



## theo

I'm legit contemplating not upgrading any further, since 17.04 I've dialled the best sound (for me), I've ever had from the axe fx. Those preamp modelling controls are glorious.


----------



## mnemonic

For those who aren't following the thread, and/or don't want to wade through 10 pages of speculation, Cliff confirmed G3 is available for both Mark I, Mark II and XL versions of the Axe FX II, as well as this:



FractalAudio said:


> Wow, lots of speculation. This is the state of things so far:
> 
> G3 is all-new amp modeling. There are no other changes to the firmware so the effects, routing, etc. stay the same. But the amp modeling is a complete "reboot" based on this analysis thingy I wrote that learns an amp and extracts the pertinent data.
> 
> At this point I have only ported several dozen models to G3. It's a LOT of work because it involves opening each amp and doing all the measurements and then doing the analysis matches, etc. It will be several more weeks to port the remaining models.
> 
> Does it sound drastically different? No, but it does sound better. Some amps are noticeably better especially the Plexis, Rectos, 5150s and the Trainwreck. The Rectos are very good now. They're smooth yet aggressive at the same time if that makes any sense.
> 
> Many parameters have been removed as they are not compatible. Among them: PA Lowcut, PA Hicut, Character Type, Character Freq, Character Amt, Character Q, Voicing, et. al. The modeling doesn't need them.
> 
> So stop banging on your F5 key and get back to talking about deflated footballs.



G3 modeling thread - Page 7


----------



## Shask

I saw that also. Doesn't sound like a huge difference, but I am sure it will spawn something cool down the road.


----------



## theo

Far out. just when my patch was perfect.. may not upgrade


----------



## andyjanson

Eh...I'm still on 15 and I'm perfectly happy with my tones. It isn't worth the hassle of upgrading further to me yet....As for this whole G3 thing, if Cliff says it's subtle, you better believe it's going to be pretty damn subtle - I mean, I can't hear an audible difference between many parameters or amp models. I don't know what that says about me, but my tone is godly


----------



## MrYakob

Hey Guys,

I'm in a bit of a pickle here.. I am trying to program my GCP to work with my MKII, I've followed all the steps of this guide Walkthrough: Setting up AxeFX II and GCP step by step.

But now preset 1 on the footboard is 257 on the Axe and so on... Kinda panicking as my band is playing our first show on Wednesday and now my controller isn't working properly, any help would be appreciated!


EDIT: Never mind, decided to reload FW17 on to the axe and everything started to behave as expected!


----------



## VBCheeseGrater

With Axe Standard going for sub $1K prices, i'm starting to think about upgrading my POD HD, but i have a couple questions about the Axe Standard (not ultra or II) 

1. Is there a good autowah on it?

2. Can you use the pitch shifting to detune from say E down to B and still have it usable for live situations (polyphonic)?

I'm also unsure if upgrading to the Axe 1 would be worth it since i'm only using preamp models, but that's a whole additional topic I need to research/consider, especially since i'm happy with the pod's tone


----------



## Shask

VBCheeseGrater said:


> With Axe Standard going for sub $1K prices, i'm starting to think about upgrading my POD HD, but i have a couple questions about the Axe Standard (not ultra or II)
> 
> 1. Is there a good autowah on it?
> 
> 2. Can you use the pitch shifting to detune from say E down to B and still have it usable for live situations (polyphonic)?
> 
> I'm also unsure if upgrading to the Axe 1 would be worth it since i'm only using preamp models, but that's a whole additional topic I need to research/consider, especially since i'm happy with the pod's tone



1. The Axe doesn't really have an auto-wah, but you can create one. You can attach an envelope modifier to the wah, and then tweak the response to how you want it.

2. I dunno. I have never been happy with using the Pitch like this. Even on the Axe II. I didn't think the POD HD did it well either. You can use the pitch to tune down, but it is not polyphonic, and you always get some of that warble to the tones. Some people are happy with it though. I know there are some videos out there of the Axe Standard Pitch doing this.


----------



## fremen

I have no problem pitch shifting down to - 2 and it works well with chords too. I even used it once with a -4 shift. Much better than the detune of a Variax JTV guitar


----------



## theo

There's a few things you can do to make the latency less noticeable too.


----------



## VBCheeseGrater

Thanks for answering. Yes the Pod shifter is not good enough for big jumps - maybe a step down it's 'OK' but on E to B it's not usable for polyphony. Sounds like the axe is similar in that regard.

Really i should just bite the bullet and get the drop pedal, just trying to keep my rig as simple as possible - don't want extra fx boxes attached all over the place.


----------



## Elric

Shask said:


> 1. The Axe doesn't really have an auto-wah, but you can create one. You can attach an envelope modifier to the wah, and then tweak the response to how you want it.
> 
> 2. I dunno. I have never been happy with using the Pitch like this. Even on the Axe II. I didn't think the POD HD did it well either. You can use the pitch to tune down, but it is not polyphonic, and you always get some of that warble to the tones. Some people are happy with it though. I know there are some videos out there of the Axe Standard Pitch doing this.



For 1. That is what an autowah is really... So, even though you have to configure it; I think it is fair to not only say it has auto-wah but a very controllable one at that. 

For 2. Totally agree. There is no unit that will properly detune a guitar chord using standard pickups. It is not a doable thing mathematically, AFAIK. You can use it like a bass simulator in a pinch or something but nothing beats tuning your guitar to whatever you want to play.


----------



## mnemonic

Man, I love it when I try out an amp I didn't like a few months ago, and I find a tone that is goddamn awesome. 

I tried out the 5150 models back when I got the unit (FW 16.something) and I didn't really like them much at all. Yesterday I figured I'd give them another shot since I'm using a different main impulse now. Not sure if the 5150's have changed at all recently, but goddamn, heavy and awesome! Imo sounds best without an overdrive, but with the PEQ in front to cut some bottom and add some upper midrange attack. 

I do feel a bit silly modeling a $600 amp on a $2,500 modeler, but to be fair, theres no way I could play a 5150 with the master at 4 in my room without being evicted and also destroying my ears, so I guess it isn't a fair comparison.


----------



## fremen

Having fun with tonematches :



I'm not trying to deliver 100 % identical clone sounds here : being in the ballpark is enough for me ; I did this for the fun, as I love to experiment. With my cover bands I use my own presets.

My tonematching method involves capturing the "cab" of the Kemper first with the Axe-Fx II IR capture utility. Then I load this IR in the cab block, select the Axe amp model which is closer to the one in the Kemper profile, I tweak it to make it closer sounding to the profile that I can (in 5-10 minutes usually, I'm not obsessing over it), and finalize the preset with the tonematch block, using the "Amp matching template" preset. So this is a live tonematch, not an offline one.

As some of these profiles are commercial ones, from Michael Britt (the best !), Amp Factory or Michael Wagener, I'm not sharing these presets


----------



## HanSulu

I'm sure I'm breaking a rule by posting this in a second location but a really need an answer on this and where I posted it is apparently barren of regular users. Plus, maybe it fits better here anyways. 

Simplified version, my guitarist needs to be able to switch between patches (preferably to be able to select any 1 of at least 8 or so patches) on his Axe Fx ultra for live performances. Can the 1 through 10 buttons on the FCB1010 be used for this function without the UnO upgrade? Like press button 1 for a Rhythm patch, then press button 2 to switch to lead patch, etc? 




Original post:


Okay so I've tried searching for this using the forum search and google and only find post relating to using the FCB1010 for a more complicated setup so I'm sorry if this has been covered already. 



All that I need is to be able to use 1-8 or 1-10 or how ever many the board allows to simply switch between each patch in the Axe Fx (say button 1 is lead, button 2 is a clean tone, etc). Thats really all I'm looking for, I don't need to enable/disable individual blocks or anything like that. I just need a lot of different patches without tap dancing. haha The thing is I keep hearing something about an UnO upgrade or something for the FCB1010. 

is this necessary for what I'm looking for or can someone please help me be less confused about this and I will love you forever


----------



## asher

That's exactly what the FCB does by default. UNO chipping it makes it possible to do row 1-5 as patches and 6-10 is stompboxes or whatever.


----------



## HanSulu

asher said:


> That's exactly what the FCB does by default. UNO chipping it makes it possible to do row 1-5 as patches and 6-10 is stompboxes or whatever.



Thanks a ton, thats what I thought. but every thread I found only talked about modding and using the FCB1010 for the functionality you mentioned above and got me quite confused with information overload haha


Only thing my guitarist is concerned with is basic patch switching, then again with SSO nothing is ever simple. Everyone always wants MOAR!!!


----------



## Shask

Yep, just about any Midi pedal will do that. Just grab any cheap MIDI pedal 

The Uno chip is for stompbox mode, changing scenes on the Axe II, etc.... more advanced switching.

You see it so much in threads because it seems like everyone who has an Axe thinks they have to have mission control at their feet


----------



## haffner1

Just ordered the XL last night! I'm so stoked! First time in many years I have gone for the top of the line on anything. I'm usually just making do, but I expect this to last me quite a while.
I have been looking through this thread trying to piece things together as far as the FCB1010. I don't think I'm really up for the extra $800 for the Fractal interface yet. Can anyone summarize (or point to a summary) of the benefits of the Eureka Prom vs. the Uno chip?


----------



## lewstherin006

haffner1 said:


> Just ordered the XL last night! I'm so stoked! First time in many years I have gone for the top of the line on anything. I'm usually just making do, but I expect this to last me quite a while.
> I have been looking through this thread trying to piece things together as far as the FCB1010. I don't think I'm really up for the extra $800 for the Fractal interface yet. Can anyone summarize (or point to a summary) of the benefits of the Eureka Prom vs. the Uno chip?



Honestly I just use my FCB stock and program my patches on the top and scenes on the bottom and it works great.

FCB1010 Help (No Mod/No Chip)


----------



## Genome

^ I do the same, bit fiddly to set up but works just fine.

I have five scenes on the bottom row (Clean/Rhythm/Rhythm+Chorus/Lead/Lead w/ Vol Pedal) and the top five are basically different amps that I choose depending on what rig I fancy running that day! But each preset is set up and routed the same with the same effects.

I like turning up to practice and saying "you know what, I fancy playing a 5150 III today instead of my Mark V. No wait, I'll use a Friedman today." and only having to lug a 4u rack around.


----------



## haffner1

My wife called. It's there at the house waiting for me. And I still have at least one hour and 20 minutes left to work. Day seems so long!


----------



## bouVIP

Ordered an Axe FX II Mark II and should be here next Monday. Pretty excited! Probably won't know what I'm doing, but will be looking through this thread for information


----------



## Shask

haffner1 said:


> My wife called. It's there at the house waiting for me. And I still have at least one hour and 20 minutes left to work. Day seems so long!




Oh God.... I just noticed your Avatar!....


LMAO!!!!!!!!!


----------



## glassmoon0fo

EDIT: nvm, got it covered


----------



## mnemonic

G3 beta is out 

Axe-Fx II Firmware 18.00 Public Beta


----------



## haffner1

Curses! I'm about to leave and I can't take my unit with me! I'm already late, so no chance to sneak into my practice room and check out a few patches before I leave. Oh well, it will be there waiting for me.


----------



## spilla

mnemonic said:


> G3 beta is out
> 
> Axe-Fx II Firmware 18.00 Public Beta


I knew this would happen, in fact I just said to my brother 5mins ago that there was a good chance FW18 would come out soon. The reason: My pc's motherboard just died and I've lent out my laptop. Really wishing there was a way to upgrade firmware from an ipad!


----------



## spilla

Crisis averted, i managed to get an old laptop working (only half the screen works and parts of the keyboard are also not working but i was able to upgrade!


----------



## Elric

spilla said:


> I knew this would happen, in fact I just said to my brother 5mins ago that there was a good chance FW18 would come out soon. The reason: My pc's motherboard just died and I've lent out my laptop. Really wishing there was a way to upgrade firmware from an ipad!


Only a subset of the models have been updated. Honestly, I'm not even bothering with it until the whole set is ready. I don't feel like redialing my presets for a partial/beta FW update. Everyone on the AFX board has themselves so hyped they can barely think straight but I like my sounds right now and don't feel like d*cking with interim releases.


----------



## mnemonic

FW18 Rectos are so good. Like seriously. 

I've always been a Recto fan but I hadn't used them on the Axe FX since a bit after I got the unit since I could never dial the tone in just right. Now its a breeze. 

Some other G3-converted (or whatever) amps didn't change as much. The 5150 block letter I was using as my main patch didn't change a ton, it just got clearer sounding (though this may be in my head), and a bit lower gain. Funny, since the Recto and 5150 are apparently very similar circuits (though not sure how much they've changed over the years, the Recto2 model is a 3-channel recto).


----------



## Steinmetzify

Chug clip of the Recto, dude?


----------



## mnemonic

steinmetzify said:


> Chug clip of the Recto, dude?



I'll record one when I get home from work in about 8 hours. I did a quick one last night but I'm not really happy with how it came out, on playback it sounded overgained and overly bassy. Funny how a tone can sound different when you're hearing it while you're playing. 

Also the only sound source I have at the moment is my set of Sony MDR-v6 headphones which are a bit hyped in the treble and bass-light, so it will probably sound boomy through other systems no matter what. 

Now my excuses are in order you all can't complain


----------



## mnemonic

Ok heres a quick clip, just guitar, mistakes and all. 

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/theharshclimate/fw18-recto2-red-mdrn-powahchords-01[/SC]

Listening to it today, there are some things I need to tweak out, but the patch probably took like 5 minutes to make.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Ok heres a quick clip, just guitar, mistakes and all.
> 
> [SC]https://soundcloud.com/theharshclimate/fw18-recto2-red-mdrn-powahchords-01[/SC]
> 
> Listening to it today, there are some things I need to tweak out, but the patch probably took like 5 minutes to make.



I do hear some nice depth and bass punch in there!


I am hoping I get a little bit of time to try out 18 this weekend. I am thinking I am going to ditch my presets and start new ones on 18.


Interesting you are using Recto2. I usually use Recto1. My most used are Recto1, 5153 Red, Angle Severe 2, and JVM/Brit Pre/HBE (Pick the British flavor of the day).


----------



## crg123

Yea the Recto's are a crazy improvement. That was the one that really has blown me away so far. Everythings definitely better though.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I do hear some nice depth and bass punch in there!
> 
> 
> I am hoping I get a little bit of time to try out 18 this weekend. I am thinking I am going to ditch my presets and start new ones on 18.
> 
> 
> Interesting you are using Recto2. I usually use Recto1. My most used are Recto1, 5153 Red, Angle Severe 2, and JVM/Brit Pre/HBE (Pick the British flavor of the day).



Apart from my new recto preset, all my others are just lightly tweaked, so you may be able to save your existing presets. Then again I pretty much don't touch any advanced parameters, so if you do, this might not be the case as I think all of those reset. 

I did try the recto1 a while back since I heard the old 2 channel rectos supposedly sounded better, but I just preferred recto2. I should probably give recto1 another shot though, I'm sure it's better now. 

5153 improved a lot apparently, I admit I haven't tried it yet. Though I wasn't a huge fan before, I preferred 6160 Block to the 5153.


----------



## asher

Maybe I should toss this on and give this a go, Recto's been my go to high gain for a year or two.

The HBE sounds absolutely godly live in the mix though, I have no idea why because I don't like it on its own. But I used to have an amaaaaazing solo patch with it on my Ultra.


----------



## mongey

I'm not totally sold on fw18 yet. That said I have had no time to really tinker with it. 

Think I am gonna roll back to 17.4 and will upgrade to the full release when the new axe edit supports it.


----------



## crg123

It's worth it for this alone: (Requires the New Cab Pack 8, but still worth it haha)

http://www.tylergrund.com/mp3/texas_plexi_2.19.15.mp3

I fvcking love Stevie Ray Vaughan


----------



## mnemonic

heh.


----------



## FretsOnFyre

mnemonic said:


> heh.



If this is real, I want it right meow.


----------



## mnemonic

If its anything like other fractal stuff, it will be backordered for over a year.


----------



## crg123

I'm just wondering if its a full fledged Axe FX or like the FX-8 its only utilizing part of the power of the system. Maybe its just basic effects and amp modeling... then again why would he do that when he could easily sell a floor board version haha.

Either way, super cool.

Edit: Cliff Answered



> I'll just say a few things:
> 
> It is not an Axe-Fx. It won't be able to do two amps or two cabs. It won't have things like the Vocoder and other esoteric blocks. It's a stripped down floor version at an aggressive price.
> 
> It will have G3 modeling and user IR slots. It has two dual-core DSPs, one for amp modeling the other for effects. These DSPs are slower than the ones in the Axe-Fx so it won't be able to do two instance of amps.
> 
> There will be block compatibility between the Axe-Fx and the AX-8 meaning you can copy blocks from your Axe-Fx presets into the AX-8.
> 
> It has USB, XLR outs for FOH, 1/4 outputs for local monitoring and an FX loop. Four expression pedal inputs. AC powered, no wall-wart.


----------



## Shask

That looks pretty cool. Not sure I am interested as I prefer rack gear, but good to see them finally putting out something people have been asking about for years.


----------



## Shask

Finally got a chance to check 18 Beta out today. It is hard for me to say if it it sounds amazing, because, of course it sounded amazing before.



I am a high gain guy, so I was mostly just checking out some high gain amps. My first impression is that it sounds and feels much more percussive. It just has a faster more percussive attack to it. Reminds me of the feeling I felt when I went from a HD500 to the Axe FX Standard.

I agree with others that say they hear more differences between amp models. I will go further and say I can feel the differences more as well. I feel more of the tubby thump in the low end a Mesa Mark/Triaxis has, the quick thud the HBE or D60 has, or the big bloom boom a Recto has. I can tell more differences in this with 18.

Another odd thing is that I notice less difference between amp/cab and studio monitors. Almost all my presets feed both at the same time so I can chose what I feel like playing from day to day. I was always messing with the settings because it would sound good with one and not the other. The sounds were more consistent today. The sound IS different since the IRs are different than my cab, but the main amp texture was the same. I didn't have to over-correct any weird spikes in the frequencies like I had to do before. That overly-smooth "filtered sound" is disappearing more and more with each update.

So, I'm not going to say that I think it is night and day, but I definitely think it is better. Another step in the evolution of improvement. I definitely had a lot of fun just playing today. No Axe-Edit, no tweaking lots of knobs. Just flipping amp models, setting the gain, turning the OD808 on and off, and playing.


----------



## mongey

I actually got 2 hours yesterday to play with fw18 while the wife and new baby both slept and liking it more than I was. Played with the recto and got it sounding pretty decent. Have to say I spent a bunch of time with some of the cleaner amps and really Liked them allot.


----------



## Andromalia

Btw is there a way to erase ALL the presets at once ? Will likely start again from scratch in 18.


----------



## Syrinx

Andromalia said:


> Btw is there a way to erase ALL the presets at once ? Will likely start again from scratch in 18.



Either use Axe-Edit preset manager and just highlight/nuke them. Or download the preset banks from the FAS site and copy them back to A/B/C and overwrite what you have.


----------



## Itchyman

For whatever reason, my Axe FX Ultra doesn't like to load the preset files. What it does, instead, is load a preset I loaded a few weeks ago. Has anyone else had this problem? Does anyone know how to fix this problem? I can edit settings into the unit just fine. I'm using Axe Edit 1.0.191, which I understand is the latest version that supports the Ultra.


----------



## fremen

yep, Axe-Edit, manage presets, select all, CLEAR.


----------



## noise in my mind

Hey man, I think my buddy had the same problem with his ultra awhile ago, and he ended up using an older version of the editor. Remember the editor never went past beta for the ultra so you kinda have to find something that will "work" with your setup.


----------



## jjcor

So I just bought the axe fx xl and wanted to know if the cab labs are absolutely a must have, or are the factory ones good enough.


----------



## spilla

For the mean time id just use the stock cabs. Id also try some of the free ones available ie. Clarks Gift to mankind, Guitar Hacks "This One" and ASEM Recto V30 L2 are good starters. But there are a few good packs worth buying too so if your keen then do it!

While Cablab is great its not that important if your just starting out. Hell i still havnt got the newest version as for the time being i have no need to mix IR's live. Im pretty happy with hoe my patches sound. That said i will be getting it at some stage.


----------



## Shask

I only use the stock cabs and the 15 or so free UR ones they give out with the firmware updates.


----------



## fremen

You only need Cab-Lab if you want to mix IRs. You can send any IR to to the Axe using Axe-Edit or Fractal Bot


----------



## moshwitz

Sup? 

The new 18.01 firmware just dropped.....On a Sunday no less

Axe-Fx II Firmware 18.01 Released
MOSHON
DAVE


----------



## asher

I have a better idea how I'm spending my afternoon now.


----------



## FretsOnFyre

FW18 is killer so far! Whipped together a test clip to show the differences with the new G3 amps - definitely sounds better to my ears 

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/thenocturnaldawn/axe-fx-ii-fw17-vs-fw18-g3-modeling[/SC]


----------



## Steinmetzify

Sounds great man, can tell a difference. Feel different?


----------



## haffner1

I don't usually gush about customer service, but those Fractal guys are on top of things. Saturday FW 18 was released officially and the recently released Axe-Edit had a parameter on the amp settings that was not functioning. About 24 hours later (on a Sunday no less) they release an updated editor with the issue fixed. Never have I seen such a thing. I remember waiting on Digitech for ages for a simple firmware fix. Don't even get me started on Apple.... I'm only a recent user of Axe-FX so here's hoping this is par for the course with them.


----------



## FretsOnFyre

steinmetzify said:


> Sounds great man, can tell a difference. Feel different?



It's noticeably less compressed, from what I can tell. There seems to be more of a feel difference between models now.


----------



## Shask

haffner1 said:


> I don't usually gush about customer service, but those Fractal guys are on top of things. Saturday FW 18 was released officially and the recently released Axe-Edit had a parameter on the amp settings that was not functioning. About 24 hours later (on a Sunday no less) they release an updated editor with the issue fixed. Never have I seen such a thing. I remember waiting on Digitech for ages for a simple firmware fix. Don't even get me started on Apple.... I'm only a recent user of Axe-FX so here's hoping this is par for the course with them.



They are usually pretty quick. I actually usually wait a few days before updating because there is almost always a .01 or .02 version within a day or 2.

I will probably grab 18.01 this weekend, and reset everything and start over. I will probably wait for the new factory presets to come out first.


----------



## Nick

looking forward to getting this installed tonight!


----------



## Andromalia

I just noticed after 150 pages that there is a typo in the thread title


----------



## Cheap

Can anyone shed some light on what sims they're using? I just got a 2 XL and i'm having a hard time dialing in those mean mids. Everything just sounds a bit cold and sterile

Please help! I want to like the fractal more than i do so far..


----------



## SSK0909

Why dont you just tone match their guitar tone and get a pretty exact copy of the tone? 

You could also try axechange and see if theres a preset or two available for download.

But honestly, I think the coolest thing about the axe is the ability to create your own unique tone instead of making it sound like someone else. Try an amp youve never tried in real life, find a cab that compliments it well(unless you play through poweramp and a real cab), maybe smack a drive in front, and then simply play with bass, mid and treble. You might be suprised by the ammount of cool tones you can find


----------



## asher

One of the Rectos I believe, not sure which one though. But that was as of a while ago, IDK if things have changed.


----------



## Andromalia

I installed the new G3 patch tonight and I can't exactly put my finger on what changed, but some amps I didn't really like before now sound great, most notably the Marshall OD1. The rectos got a noticeable upgrade, never used them before and now they oomph properly.
Overall definitely a high gain friendly patch. I'll try to do a raw recording tomorrow.


----------



## andyjanson

Cheap said:


> Can anyone shed some light on what sims they're using? I just got a 2 XL and i'm having a hard time dialing in those mean mids. Everything just sounds a bit cold and sterile
> 
> Please help! I want to like the fractal more than i do so far..




Check this out dude - goes over some of the amps and effects they're using in the axe fx, an interesting read 

Fractal Audio Systems -


----------



## Cheap

andyjanson said:


> Check this out dude - goes over some of the amps and effects they're using in the axe fx, an interesting read
> 
> Fractal Audio Systems -



Sick thanks dood. I downloaded FW18 last night and woah.. all of a sudden I like most of the models. it's nice hearing/feeling the difference between the amps more blatantly now. Changing any of the parameters just a tick makes loads more of a difference too and the addition of more ultra-res cabs is always welcome


----------



## asher

I didn't do it on Sunday but I really gotta catch up with that soon...


----------



## Cheap

I think the difference is night and day. I wasn't expecting G3 to be _this_ good..


----------



## Steinmetzify

Ordering the XL+ next week. Friggin STOKED.


----------



## Steinmetzify

New presets for FW 18.03 out this morning...hyped to hear these...anybody grabs em throw up a quick first impression, wouldja?


----------



## Shask

Yeah, looks like 18.03 came out also.

See, I told you guys, wait 2 days.  Then grab....


----------



## Andromalia

after a few hours spent with 18, it doesn't sound better as such, it's just way simpler to achieve a good tone. Much less EQing needed. You don't have to do crazy gymnastics to make a JCM 800 sound like Slayer for exemple. I mainly used the marks before, but the new recto is exceptional. Other sims like the british pre didn't change a lot but I'm not sure it was modified to G3 yet.
On another note, I don't know if the studio A and C reverbs were there before (I hadn't updated for some time) but they kick ass.


----------



## cyb

Has anyone gone from a Kemper to an Axe 2 and preferred the Axe? I owned a kemper a year ago and while it sounded great I ended up selling it because at the time I had other things I needed to be focusing my money on. 

One thing I didn't like about the Kemper is that if you don't own any amps to profile, you are basically at the mercy of the profile creators. Sometimes the profiles sound excellent and others sound terrible. While the profiles can be further tweaked from their default state I still think I'd rather build my tones from scratch, and the Axe seems like a bitter fit for that purpose.


----------



## Steinmetzify

I haven't, but I'm grabbing an Axe next week for that very reason. I think at this point good tones are interchangeable between the units...I won't say one is better or whatever and I've heard absolutely sick recorded tones from both, but I've got friends that own the Kemper and I've heard horror stories about the bad profiles they've snagged or bought. Seems easier to me to start from scratch too...I'd rather have a basic thing I can sculpt/add to myself than be at the mercy of a string of bad profiles I paid $20 for.


----------



## Shask

I have never tried a Kemper, but one of the reasons I bought the Axe instead is because I can build and create my tone. The tools are there to sculpt what I want. I felt like with the Kemper I would endlessly be downloading and sorting instead of creating. If you are into keyboards, it reminds me of synths vs samplers. With a synth you can create any tone. You can use samples of the synth in a sampler, but it will never cover all of the subtleties that you can create with the original.


----------



## Shask

Late last night I briefly updated everything. Bot, Axe-Edit, 18.03, and Stock presets. I wiped it all and I am starting over. I only got to play for about 10 minutes with headphones, but I was already amazed at the good tones just flipping through the new stock presets. They are the same old presets, just updated, but they definitely sounded good right out of the box. I was amazed at how a JCM800 sounded like playing a JCM800. A Plexi felt like a Plexi, a Recto felt like a Recto, etc.....

I agree with the above in saying that it does sound and feel better. It is hard for me to say it is an amazing leap, because honestly, it sounded great before. However, I definitely feel like the amp models DO sound more different now, and just sound good without extensive tweaking. Even amp models like the JCM800 which I always fought with before just sounded like I would expect. The JVM was sounding awesome.

Looking forward to some quality time this weekend where I can re-create my patches and get it dialed in.


----------



## mnemonic

As someone who fought with the recto through firmware 16 and 17, it was a huge improvement for me, since fw18 rectos just sound right now. 

And as someone who isn't really a fan of marshalls, the plexi's are so fun to play now. 

Some amps didn't change too much though. my 5150 patch is still about the same. 

Next up, I'm gonna have to load the new presets and give them a go. I only really use like 5 patches, so I'll back them up, load all the new presets, and then just clear a bank or something for my own presets.


----------



## jjcor

So this guy finally came in today. 





I have to say, coming from playing the ultra 2 years ago this thing has improved drastically! No longer have to tweak the fine settings. Just the basics. It's so awesome! Great investment.


----------



## Shask

Got to spend about 3 hours with 18.03 last night. Awesome. That is it. Not much else I can say. 

Less tweaking, amps just sound "right" with minimal tweaking. I was able to create 2 or 3 amazing heavy sounds using the JVM and Cameron, and I also was able to get lost in atmospheric clean presets forever.

The best keeps getting better!


----------



## FretsOnFyre

Shask said:


> Got to spend about 3 hours with 18.03 last night. Awesome. That is it. Not much else I can say.
> 
> Less tweaking, amps just sound "right" with minimal tweaking. I was able to create 2 or 3 amazing heavy sounds using the JVM and Cameron, and I also was able to get lost in atmospheric clean presets forever.
> 
> The best keeps getting better!



Yup, the JVM has been the surprise for me. I messed with the Splawn and Friedman and wasn't really happy (call me crazy), then I loaded the JVM OD2 Red with an Ownhammer Marshall V30 IR, and with the knobs at noon it was heaven. Not exactly the brown sound, but close enough to get me busting out some VH riffs. In typical high-gain player fashion, I went straight for the last channel  I'll mess around with a few of the others tomorrow, but I like what I'm hearing! Still not enough to edge out my Mark IV patch though...that is tonal nirvana.


----------



## Mr_Marty

Loaded 18.03 and the new presets over the weekend. Got to spend some quality time last night. Speechless. Best sound I've ever heard from a modeler and I've had them all. So impressed that I'm tempted to sell my Kemper.


----------



## Gencives

Hi all,
I'd like to introduce you the RAC12 : It's a 1U rack controller dedicated to AxeFx II/XL/XL+.
It allows you to control up to 384 AxeFx parameters among every parameter of every block.
More than this, you can use it to control your AxeFX remotely in live/rehearsal situations.

More informations, videos and manuals here : fxunits.com - RAC12

Thanks


----------



## mnemonic

I've re-discovered the JVM models on FW18. I wasn't that impressed with them in FW17, but they are so heavy sounding now. My personal favorite is OD2 Red at the moment.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> I've re-discovered the JVM models on FW18. I wasn't that impressed with them in FW17, but they are so heavy sounding now. My personal favorite is OD2 Red at the moment.



Yes, I love them for a Hatebreed type of tone!


----------



## asopala

Do you guys know of anyone who gives lessons on the Axe FX? I have the Cooper Carter creativelive lessons, but they didn't seem to help. Primarily, I need help with dialing in thick, creamy, and heavy guitar tones that don't sound like farts.


----------



## fremen

asopala said:


> Do you guys know of anyone who gives lessons on the Axe FX? I have the Cooper Carter creativelive lessons, but they didn't seem to help. Primarily, I need help with dialing in thick, creamy, and heavy guitar tones that don't sound like farts.


I don't give lessons but that video may be helpful to you :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RPiT44ruSM

for a thick and creamy sound, you need the right IR, one with strong bass and low mids
you also need to boost the amp with a parametric EQ instead of a drive pedal
Of course everything will depend on the amp model you select, your guitar/pickups etc


----------



## Gencives

asopala said:


> Do you guys know of anyone who gives lessons on the Axe FX? I have the Cooper Carter creativelive lessons, but they didn't seem to help. Primarily, I need help with dialing in thick, creamy, and heavy guitar tones that don't sound like farts.



You can also check Axe-Fx & Fractal Audio Tutorials | AxeFxTutorials.com


----------



## asopala

fremen said:


> I don't give lessons but that video may be helpful to you :
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RPiT44ruSM
> 
> for a thick and creamy sound, you need the right IR, one with strong bass and low mids
> you also need to boost the amp with a parametric EQ instead of a drive pedal
> Of course everything will depend on the amp model you select, your guitar/pickups etc



I think that may be my issue, I can't find the right IR, or know how to find it. I bought Cab Pack 7, but it only made my situation worse.


----------



## Nick

Cheap said:


> Can anyone shed some light on what sims they're using? I just got a 2 XL and i'm having a hard time dialing in those mean mids. Everything just sounds a bit cold and sterile
> 
> Please help! I want to like the fractal more than i do so far..



Pretty sure there is a video on YT that Dusty goes through what patches they use on. I think they use an SLO for some stuff.

The cab is more important than the amp most of the time anyway, Id focus your attention there if i were you.


----------



## FretsOnFyre

asopala said:


> I think that may be my issue, I can't find the right IR, or know how to find it. I bought Cab Pack 7, but it only made my situation worse.



I've been using the Ownhammer V3 Mesa with excellent results.

EDIT: Still loving 18.03, I'm hooked on the Mark IV, JVM, 5150, 5153 and Plexi. Gave the Herbert a shot and liked the core tone, but couldn't get it exactly where I wanted it.


----------



## asopala

FretsOnFyre said:


> I've been using the Ownhammer V3 Mesa with excellent results.



Which speakers and mics?


----------



## FretsOnFyre

asopala said:


> Which speakers and mics?



I use one of the Precise Modern mixes, which is SM57 + Royer 121.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Did you buy it in a cab pack or just as a single? Wanna try that one out...


----------



## FretsOnFyre

I bought it as a single, the 8 ohm Mesa V30 if I remember correctly.


----------



## asopala

FretsOnFyre said:


> I bought it as a single, the 8 ohm Mesa V30 if I remember correctly.



Considering that it was only 5 bucks, it should be included with the Axe.


----------



## Mr_Marty

asopala said:


> Considering that it was only 5 bucks, it should be included with the Axe.



They are different companies. If Fractal included that cab it would be basically stealing if from OH.


----------



## asopala

Mr_Marty said:


> They are different companies. If Fractal included that cab it would be basically stealing if from OH.



Except that they have OH cabs that come standard in the Axe. The ones marked OH are from OwnHammer.


----------



## Double A

^ Which you would assume that Fractal had a deal in place with OH in order to do. OH is a different company. If Fractal wanted to put all of OH's IRs in there they would have. But why do that when you make and sell your own IRs?


----------



## Syrinx

asopala said:


> Except that they have OH cabs that come standard in the Axe. The ones marked OH are from OwnHammer.



Those are specific IRs that Ownhammer gave them permission to use.


----------



## mongey

I had bought 5 or 6 different ir packs now and to be honest I have just been sticking to the factory ir's lately. Less to choose from and sort through and there are a good number of UR ones now.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Nice to know the stock ones are good...I've been told that by a guy with a good ear for tones but it's nice to have it independently substantiated.


----------



## Mr_Marty

The stock ones are pretty good. They have a new Cab Pack 10 that is the shiznit though.


----------



## Gencives

RAC12 now ready to ship ! 






It's an AxeFX-dedicated knob controller. Every AxeFx parameter available at your hand.
Check fxunits.com - RAC12 for infos and videos


----------



## mongey

Not sure if you guys have been following but after much discussion on the fractal forum Cliff has discovered ultra res has been broken since FW 16.3
,which means I got mine with broken ultra res. interested to see how much difference there will be when fixed soon


_Well this is embarrassing.

I refused to believe that there could be that much difference as I've extensively tested UltraRes in the past. So I just ran some tests and, sure enough, there was a difference. Turns out UltraRes has been broke since Version 16.03. We made some code optimizations and moved some stuff between stack and heap and missed a variable.

Sooooo... Version 18.07 will coming soon._


----------



## Shask

That is interesting. Broken and still sounds better than anything else, lol.


----------



## asher

I've been throwing the Gift to Mankind cab onto most things and noticing an improvement from the URs, so this might explain something.


----------



## theo

link to the original thread please? Thanks for the update mongey!


----------



## Steinmetzify

They already fixed. Must have been really bothering him. Gonna update and see if I can tell.


----------



## spilla

theo said:


> link to the original thread please? Thanks for the update mongey!





Just finished reading it myself: 

Why I won't be using the cab block for recording any more


----------



## theo

Spilla! I was trying to find you a while ago for some reason. You on FB?


----------



## spilla

Kinda, ill pm you.


----------



## mnemonic

It was a pretty subtle difference in the clips that were posted, imo. 

I've upgraded from 18.03 to 18.07 and I'm not really sure if I can tell a difference. I want to say tes, but there have been other changes besides fixing ultrares between 18.03 and 18.07, as well as the placebo effect...

I guess it doesn't really matter since it still sounds good!


----------



## Steinmetzify

Man you guys...I found a stock preset for the 5150 II. This thing has got some serious balls.


----------



## mongey

havent had a chance to try 18,07 yet., got it upgraded then the baby decided she wouldnt sleep and would scream instead all night .

mistakes happen and all that but it is a little odd and a little sloppy there was a fault so many FW's ago that didnt get picked up , especially as the modelling just had a major overhaul. you'd expect a beta tester somewhere to pick up on it .

to Cliff's credit though he fixed it super fast as usual


----------



## theo

Mongey do a vai and just mimic her screaming on your guitar


----------



## Steinmetzify

5150 II + EMG 57 = badass tones. 

Really finding this pretty sensitive to pickups. There are some presets that really don't like EMGs and work better with passives. Shocked at that, as I've never owned a modeler where it actually made a difference.

EDIT: Thanks to my boy Shask, I think I found a rhythm tone. This, out of all the modelers I've tried, is the biggest I've ever sounded. Axe rules.

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/rhythmtone[/SC]


----------



## mongey

Finally got a chance to try 18.07 and I think there is a noticeable difference for the ultra res it's. Low end feels way better to me.


----------



## Shask

mongey said:


> Finally got a chance to try 18.07 and I think there is a noticeable difference for the ultra res it's. Low end feels way better to me.



It is funny because when UR came out I was blown away. That was the first time I felt like I could live with playing into monitors/FRFR/Headphones because I am more of an amp/cab guy. That was back on version 13 or 14.


Since then I assumed I just got used to that sound, because I never really noticed anything being missing. They still sounded better than the regular IRs to me.

Looking forward to spending some time with UR again to see what I didn't know I was missing


----------



## Thrashman

I'm having uncontrollable GAS for the XL unit as of late.. is there really ANY reason not to take the $2900 plunge now that G3 modelling is finally out? I can't think of any..  

Considered getting a regular II, but them being discontinued (albeit for the reason of the XL+ being released) pushes me more in the XL direction even more, just for that extra edge and the XL "only" costs $400 more anyway.


----------



## Syrinx

I'd love to have the extra memory for IR's that the XL offers right about now..


----------



## fremen

lots of clams and timing problems on the looper parts, sorry for that, I really need to start practicing again, specially the right hand 

The video focus a lot on effects but of course there are many basic presets in those banks. details here :

Fremen's guitar blog: Firmware 18.07 presets


----------



## FretsOnFyre

steinmetzify said:


> 5150 II + EMG 57 = badass tones.
> 
> Really finding this pretty sensitive to pickups. There are some presets that really don't like EMGs and work better with passives. Shocked at that, as I've never owned a modeler where it actually made a difference.
> 
> EDIT: Thanks to my boy Shask, I think I found a rhythm tone. This, out of all the modelers I've tried, is the biggest I've ever sounded. Axe rules.
> 
> [SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/rhythmtone[/SC]



Sounds awesome! Very Killswitch Engage to my ears. What cab impulse are you using?


----------



## Steinmetzify

FretsOnFyre said:


> Sounds awesome! Very Killswitch Engage to my ears. What cab impulse are you using?


 
F129 on the Recto/5153 patch and the Fractal Friedman cabs (F60 and F61) on the JVM patch. And thanks!


----------



## SSK0909

Cliff got his hands on a mint condition Mesa Mark IIC+. Can't wait for him to G3 da sunafabitch  
My old IIC+ is the only amp that I miss a little, mainly because the Axe currently doesn't model all of the pullable knobs on the original amp. Hopefully he makes a bunch of IIC+ models for the Axe now


----------



## FretsOnFyre

steinmetzify said:


> F129 on the Recto/5153 patch and the Fractal Friedman cabs (F60 and F61) on the JVM patch. And thanks!



Is it also F129 on the 5150 II patch? I didn't like it at first but I may have to give it another go.


----------



## FRETPICK

Still looks like a Betamax.


----------



## Steinmetzify

FretsOnFyre said:


> Is it also F129 on the 5150 II patch? I didn't like it at first but I may have to give it another go.



No that one is just stock. Whichever comes up when you load up the 6160 patch is what I used.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Man you guys......Fremen's new stuff for 18.07 is amazing. I grabbed and loaded these up last night and just got some free time to play around. There honestly isn't one here I wouldn't use for something....the rhythms are fantastic and so are the lead presets. Even the synths are dope! 

Even the ones with the user cabs I don't have sound fantastic with the stock UR IRs or the Clark Kent Gift To Mankind IR. 

Not to mention the fact that most of them are 60% or so on the CPU!

If you guys are noobs like me and want some seriously great patches to play with and see how the routing is done, do yourselves a favor and grab this. It's completely worth whatever you'd want to pay Fremen for them....they're that good. Donate if you can....I know dude had to throw a grip of time into these.


----------



## asher

Linky?


----------



## Steinmetzify

Ash, it's on the previous page here, 3rd post from the bottom. Try these, man. They're ....ing great....


----------



## Shask

steinmetzify said:


> Man you guys......Fremen's new stuff for 18.07 is amazing. I grabbed and loaded these up last night and just got some free time to play around. There honestly isn't one here I wouldn't use for something....the rhythms are fantastic and so are the lead presets. Even the synths are dope!
> 
> Even the ones with the user cabs I don't have sound fantastic with the stock UR IRs or the Clark Kent Gift To Mankind IR.
> 
> Not to mention the fact that most of them are 60% or so on the CPU!
> 
> If you guys are noobs like me and want some seriously great patches to play with and see how the routing is done, do yourselves a favor and grab this. It's completely worth whatever you'd want to pay Fremen for them....they're that good. Donate if you can....I know dude had to throw a grip of time into these.



He always has some pretty cool presets. I tried them back on version 13 or something.


----------



## Steinmetzify

It's interesting to me how he gets so much in there and they're still only like 60-65%. Learning a lot checking out these routes.


----------



## Shask

steinmetzify said:


> It's interesting to me how he gets so much in there and they're still only like 60-65%. Learning a lot checking out these routes.



If you dont go crazy with high quality settings on the cabs, cab preamps, or reverb, it is not hard to keep the CPU down.


I just usually crank that stuff up since most of my presets are amp and cab only.


----------



## Steinmetzify

ToneMatch of a Kemper profile...this one is a lot of fun to play:

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/axefxkemper[/SC]


----------



## ihunda

Well, sometimes it's good to report on positive stuff and not always on issues 

So since I updated my Axe FX II to firmware 18, I couldn't get the MFC 101 pedal board to talk to it no matter what I tried. I downgraded the AXE, updated the MFC, nothing worked.

In my setup, it's a RJ 45 ethernet cable that links and powers the MFC. The funny thing is that I am using a midi cable for updates and that works just fine.

Well, I was afraid, after reading the axe forum, that I may have fried the link circuitry either on the MFC or Axe but before giving up, I tried a different RJ-45 cable.... well that was it....

So basically: 

The axe software update was just a coincidence. 
My cable was good enough to power the MFC but not good enough to allow communication 

So before panicking like me, try with a different cable first


----------



## ProphetOfHatred

Is there reverse reverb or shimmer reverb in the Axe FX? Also, how good is the looper? Is there a function that freezes notes kinda like an EHX Superego, for creating pads?


----------



## mongey

steinmetzify said:


> ToneMatch of a Kemper profile...this one is a lot of fun to play:
> 
> [SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/axefxkemper[/SC]



Great tone. You up to share the patch ?


----------



## Hybrid138

So I use my Axe FX II as an interface through usb with Garageband on my Mac and after going to the latest firmware, I can no longer get output audio the way it used to? The guitar sound will come out of the speakers while I play but nothing else. None of the other instruments in the session or YouTube audio goes out. I've tried Axe FXII as input only and use built-in output form the computer and I get audio... what's the issue?


----------



## cyb

Hybrid138 said:


> So I use my Axe FX II as an interface through usb with Garageband on my Mac and after going to the latest firmware, I can no longer get output audio the way it used to? The guitar sound will come out of the speakers while I play but nothing else. None of the other instruments in the session or YouTube audio goes out. I've tried Axe FXII as input only and use built-in output form the computer and I get audio... what's the issue?



try this

USB/Computer sound is quiet or silent - Here's what to do


----------



## Hybrid138

cyb said:


> try this
> 
> USB/Computer sound is quiet or silent - Here's what to do



UGH! Exactly what I needed. Thanks! I promise I googled in my techno-rage and found nothing like this even though it's apparently a common question


----------



## ProphetOfHatred

Nevermind on my question. Just spent 20 minutes reading the Axe FX wiki. Wow..... These things can do everything.


----------



## crg123

Misha Mansoor Presets and mini-review

3 new FW 18 presets for Axe II and XL from Misha for those of you interested


----------



## asher

crg123 said:


> Misha Mansoor Presets and mini-review
> 
> 3 new FW 18 presets for Axe II and XL from Misha for those of you interested



His descriptions


----------



## Steinmetzify

crg123 said:


> Misha Mansoor Presets and mini-review
> 
> 3 new FW 18 presets for Axe II and XL from Misha for those of you interested



Grabbed and I'll give em a run-through later. Thanks!


----------



## Lorcan Ward

Firmware 18 or whatever one introduced the new modelling sounds much better than previous ones. I haven't really dug the Axe-fx since firmware 9. They nailed metal tones with that FW but went in the complete wrong direction in 10 but it sounds a lot better now.


----------



## lewstherin006

crg123 said:


> Misha Mansoor Presets and mini-review
> 
> 3 new FW 18 presets for Axe II and XL from Misha for those of you interested



Since we got patches in V9 and V18, I guess we can get new ones on V27?

It is still pretty cool that he uploaded them for all the Axe FX IIs though.


----------



## crg123

^ I was surprised about that I thought he'd use the XL for sure since that's what he uses. I guess the patches would be simple enough to swamp back to his II


----------



## lewstherin006

crg123 said:


> ^ I was surprised about that I thought he'd use the XL for sure since that's what he uses. I guess the patches would be simple enough to swamp back to his II



Well they just switched over to the II for live use about 2 or 3 tours ago and I am sure he didnt want to leave anyone left out. It isnt like the patches sound any different on the other IIs, it is just a different format.


----------



## mongey

crg123 said:


> Misha Mansoor Presets and mini-review
> 
> 3 new FW 18 presets for Axe II and XL from Misha for those of you interested


 

Nice . I need to restring my 7 tonight . may have to drop back down to drop A for some riffing to test these


----------



## crg123

lewstherin006 said:


> Well they just switched over to the II for live use about 2 or 3 tours ago and I am sure he didnt want to leave anyone left out. It isnt like the patches sound any different on the other IIs, it is just a different format.



Yea I know Haha . I have the XL (those patches allow for more x/y switching, but I doubt he used anything that complex though that). I just meant it was nice of him to convert then back to II format since he uses the XL now for studio and live. 

Like your sound on your latest cover btw


----------



## Steinmetzify

Messed around with em before work for a few minutes. Really not bad at all. All 3 are totally usable. I'll keep em in my lists.


----------



## mongey

the bulb presets are ok . dont love em 

clean is ok but nothing special , same with mid , rythtym I liked at first but on my 2nd visit didn't dig it as much . not my kind of tone I guess

that was with my 7 with cold sweat . I'll try it on my6 stirng setius with Juggs tonight ,see if I like it beter


----------



## fremen

same impressions for me... But it's cool to have pro musicians presets as a reference


----------



## mnemonic

I generally don't like the sound of other people's presets even if I like the sound of their clips that are recorded with them, and the bulb patches are no exception. 

Just too many different things in the chain I guess, different guitar, different hands, different speakers, different room.


----------



## littleredguitars2

i've been interested in checking out axe fx for a while and i see so many people dumping their Ultras for axefx IIs or other models. frankly i dont think i'll have the money for a II any time soon but i'd love to try the ultra seeing as they are relatively cheap used these days. it would only be used for home recording. is there a vast quality difference between the ultra and other models? i could even try out eleven rack. whats the best bang for my buck basically and are the any issues to watch out for?

thanks in advance!


----------



## mnemonic

I only have an Axe FX II and I haven't played an ultra so I can't compare, but I can confirm the Axe FX II is amazing. 

This thread is a good read, some good comparisons from people who still own and use both. 

Axe Fx II vs Ultra


----------



## littleredguitars2

great! i will check out that link. and sorry about making a new topic. i didnt realize there was one pinned already.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Fremen updated his banks/presets because the Mark IIC+ got G3'd. Worth updating for, they sound badass.

Didn't feel like doing a big thing, so here's a simple rhythm:

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/5150euroblue[/SC]


----------



## Steinmetzify

Going thru stuff I'd never normally look at.....this is a ToneMatch of a friggin Dumble! Drop D with my GT LP with A4s in it:

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/dumblelespaul[/SC]


----------



## beavis2306

Hey peeps, i'm having some issues with high gain patches. I've just recently updated from 18.06 to 18.12 and everything sounds like it has 2 or 3 drive blocks in front of the amp. There's a fuzzy, scratchy quality when i try and build a new high gain patch. Up until this point i'd always had the input level at 100% without any issues but hadn't made any new patches for a little while. I've since knocked it down to 40%. The input lights have always shown that they're happy but now it sounds like the input is too hot. I've reinstalled the update 3 times. 

I'm not new to the fractal and have been happily making high gain for a while just wondering if anyone is aware of anything that has changed or if i've missed a setting that would contribute to this. Thanks


----------



## beavis2306

Went back to 18.04 and it was the same so i guess that rules out corrupted fw. Maybeb18 was a big change and just have to relearn


----------



## spilla

I cant think of anything that would be doing that, have you tried the fractal forum? Those guys would be able to narrow any problems down quickly.


----------



## beavis2306

Nah, not yet, but will check it out if i don't have a win here. I had some luck messing with the drive block level knob (not gain). It's been a long time since i've done anything except add drive block in front of selected amp model, drive block gain to zero and adjust tone and bass cut to suit, so maybe just more fiddling req in that dept.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Anybody tried the Rosen IRs yet?


----------



## mongey

if anyone is interested theres a new patch on axe change thats an engl invader tonematch and its kick ass. best high gain patch I've downloaded since getting the box


----------



## Killadelphia

Hey everyone!! I love this community, its so heart warming!!! I just got my new axe fx II a couple weeks ago and its everything i ever hoped and dreamed of and more!!! 

So i have no problem making live patches, but for recording I'm having a tad bit of trouble.
I play in a progressive hardcore band, we have a lot of different influences, and I want that august burns red kinda rhythm tone, i want a clear purr tone thats also aggressive. 

What kind of amp sims would easily achieve this, and what cabs would you guys recommend (I'm having the most trouble here), do you guys blend cabs? and with what microphones! I'm playing through an all koa carvin with blackhawks into the fractal into my focusrite scarlet interface! Thank you!!


----------



## EarlWellington

mongey said:


> if anyone is interested theres a new patch on axe change thats an engl invader tonematch and its kick ass. best high gain patch I've downloaded since getting the box



You're right... that is a really nice patch!


----------



## FretsOnFyre

I finally made a high gain patch with a speaker other than V30s  Running the PVH 6160 Block with F129 (Recto Mix) and F131 (TV Mix #1) - the Greenbacks add some serious punch 



Killadelphia said:


> Hey everyone!! I love this community, its so heart warming!!! I just got my new axe fx II a couple weeks ago and its everything i ever hoped and dreamed of and more!!!
> 
> So i have no problem making live patches, but for recording I'm having a tad bit of trouble.
> I play in a progressive hardcore band, we have a lot of different influences, and I want that august burns red kinda rhythm tone, i want a clear purr tone thats also aggressive.
> 
> What kind of amp sims would easily achieve this, and what cabs would you guys recommend (I'm having the most trouble here), do you guys blend cabs? and with what microphones! I'm playing through an all koa carvin with blackhawks into the fractal into my focusrite scarlet interface! Thank you!!



The classic combo for what you're after is the Peavey 5150 (PVH 6160 on the Axe FX) paired with a Mesa 4x12. Some impulses you might want to try are the Recto Mix (F129), Recto New Mix (F130), 4x12 Ck USA Trad 57-121 (F073) and 4x12 Ck USA Trad 906-421 (F074). That should put you on the right track.


----------



## Steinmetzify

FretsOnFyre said:


> I finally made a high gain patch with a speaker other than V30s  Running the PVH 6160 Block with F129 (Recto Mix) and F131 (TV Mix #1) - the Greenbacks add some serious punch



Clip us? Or flip the patch up? Sounds like it'd be good for rhythm and I wanna try it.


----------



## FretsOnFyre

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rchhcaxvk47vs1z/PVH 6160 Block.syx?dl=0

It's not perfect yet, but it's in the ballpark. I was jamming some Periphery this morning and it's definitely close.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Tried it a couple times, but it just came up as a blank patch.....I don't know what FW I'm on but I think it's somewhere around 18.07. You past that?


----------



## FretsOnFyre

I'm on 18.12, that's probably the issue...if you want to reconstruct it on your own, it's pretty simple.

Drive (T808 Mod - Drive 0, Tone 5, Level 10)
Amp (PVH 6160 Block - Input Drive 2.00, Bass 5.00, Mid 1.00, Treb 8.00, Presence 9.00, Depth 7.00 - some fairly extreme settings but they work)
Cab (Stereo. Left is F131: TV Mix #1, and right is F129: Recto Mix. Pan both center)


----------



## Steinmetzify

Give it a shot. Thanks man!


----------



## Killadelphia

Thanks guys! I'll try it out when I get home!! Now I'm also gonna be using the fractal for bass tones! Now I hardly have any idea in making a nice bass tone. Would I record two different tracks for bass? One clean tone and one dirty? and which amps/cabs are recommended for bass? and which settings would be best to tweak for bass tones! Thanks!


----------



## Steinmetzify

FretsOnFyre said:


> I'm on 18.12, that's probably the issue...if you want to reconstruct it on your own, it's pretty simple.
> 
> Drive (T808 Mod - Drive 0, Tone 5, Level 10)
> Amp (PVH 6160 Block - Input Drive 2.00, Bass 5.00, Mid 1.00, Treb 8.00, Presence 9.00, Depth 7.00 - some fairly extreme settings but they work)
> Cab (Stereo. Left is F131: TV Mix #1, and right is F129: Recto Mix. Pan both center)



Tried it out last night. Definitely got some punch and cuts thru a mix pretty easily. Keep going!


----------



## Steinmetzify

Killadelphia said:


> Thanks guys! I'll try it out when I get home!! Now I'm also gonna be using the fractal for bass tones! Now I hardly have any idea in making a nice bass tone. Would I record two different tracks for bass? One clean tone and one dirty? and which amps/cabs are recommended for bass? and which settings would be best to tweak for bass tones! Thanks!



For me, depends on how dirty your guitars are. I have a couple I use; one cleaner for cleaner stuff and one that's just friggin filthy....I blend em sometimes. Just depends on what you want to do; try it both ways and see what works best for you.

Clean one:

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/basstonz[/SC]

Dirty:

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/basstones2[/SC]

Either one would probably work fine for you after tweaking for your setup....dirty one came off the Axechange and the clean one is a Fremen preset, so they're available.

EDIT: take my advice with a grain of salt, man....I am barely a guitarist and certainly no bassist; this is just what works for me.


----------



## mm66554

AxeFX II XL... Recording via USB. Here is the preset I'm using (Click orange "Download Now"):

Zippyshare.com - Don't Chain My Heart.syx

Here is one mono track recording:

Zippyshare.com - uyfgyg.wav

Here is two mono tracks panned left/right for stereo (both recorded same time):

Zippyshare.com - fghfgjj.wav


Doesn't matter how I record it, whether I record input 1, 2 or 1/2, still sounds nothing like what I'm hearing through the headphones out.

The sound is always reverby and distant... like chorus effect, even on other presets.

Buffer settings: 48KHz, Minimum Latency, 256 Samples.

Anyone know what I'm doing wrong? Thanks.


----------



## bluemooo

Check to make sure you have the audio sources setup correctly. If you are hearing reverb or something it sounds like the signal is being double processed, refer to the manual around page 7 for more information.

http://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/axe-fx-2/Axe-Fx_II_XL_Getting_Started_Guide.pdf

Two Simultaneous Channels of 48k/24-bit Audio from the Computer to the Axe-Fx II
Two outputs allow audio to be sent from the computer to the Axe-Fx II. Computer audio can be sent directly to the
main outputs or routed through onboard FX. (Note: Audio/MIDI ports have different names on different systems.)
To pass unprocessed computer audio through the Axe-Fx II, set the MAIN INPUT SOURCE to ANALOG (IN 1) (the
default setting) or SPDIF/AES. This allows you, for instance, to play along with backing tracks or use the Axe-Fx II
as a high quality soundcard.
To process computer audio with the onboard effects, set the MAIN INPUT SOURCE to USB. Signals received will
arrive at the grid INPUT. This allows you, for instance, to re-amp a dry track, or use the Axe-Fx II to process other
audio or plugin tracks. It is possible to simultaneously record the processed output on the computer using the AxeFx
II audio inputs (0/1).


----------



## mm66554

Went through manual... already everything on default. Changing the settings doesn't do anything to improve tone.

Can anyone download the preset and record and upload the recording to zippyshare to see how it sounds?

The only way I can get it to sound like the headphones output is record left + right, pan hard left + hard right, add a compressor to increase volume, add an eq to increase treble. I shouldn't have to do all this though should I?

Zippyshare.com - rthtfghr.wav


----------



## mongey

mm66554 said:


> AxeFX II XL... Recording via USB. Here is the preset I'm using (Click orange "Download Now"):
> 
> Zippyshare.com - Don't Chain My Heart.syx
> 
> Here is one mono track recording:
> 
> Zippyshare.com - uyfgyg.wav
> 
> Here is two mono tracks panned left/right for stereo (both recorded same time):
> 
> Zippyshare.com - fghfgjj.wav
> 
> 
> Doesn't matter how I record it, whether I record input 1, 2 or 1/2, still sounds nothing like what I'm hearing through the headphones out.
> 
> The sound is always reverby and distant... like chorus effect, even on other presets.
> 
> Buffer settings: 48KHz, Minimum Latency, 256 Samples.
> 
> Anyone know what I'm doing wrong? Thanks.


 
Im on crappy work computer speaker but I hear what your getting . much more so on your L + R panned take. 

is your patch 2 amps or cabs mixed ? sounds phasey or double processed. 

I'll try your patch when I get a chance this weekend but if it sounds fine to you when playing more likely its how its routed in your DAW. Or a audio setting on your computer. As a test if you turn off montoring and recrod does it sound the same 

to be honest using the axe via usb as an interface didnt work for me. I find it much better just to take audio into my Edirol interface . much lower latency and much eaiser for monitioring options


----------



## Steinmetzify

Anyone ever do any Down patches from Nola? This got ZERO love at the FAS forum, so I figured I'd post it here.....really digging these thicker metal tones lately. Anyone?


----------



## drgamble

I did see this on Facebook. Apparently, this was Kirk and Pepper's rig for Down back in the day. Should get you pretty close even though it's not a preset.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Thanks brother; see what I can do.


----------



## bonga

Sorry if this is ridiculously stupid question, but how exactly do you guys amplify the tones generated in an Axe-FX?

Can I just take the DI outs from the Axe and plug them into a pair of studio monitors? Can you get a good sound in this way? Also, if not this, what else do you recommend?


----------



## Sean Richardson

bonga said:


> Sorry if this is ridiculously stupid question, but how exactly do you guys amplify the tones generated in an Axe-FX?
> 
> Can I just take the DI outs from the Axe and plug them into a pair of studio monitors? Can you get a good sound in this way? Also, if not this, what else do you recommend?



Yes... Studio monitors work fine for home/studio use. You can also get a FRFR solution like a mission engineering Gemini 1 (I have one) or a atomic CLR. Either of those are gig worthy


----------



## Shask

bonga said:


> Sorry if this is ridiculously stupid question, but how exactly do you guys amplify the tones generated in an Axe-FX?
> 
> Can I just take the DI outs from the Axe and plug them into a pair of studio monitors? Can you get a good sound in this way? Also, if not this, what else do you recommend?


One great thing about the Axe-FX is you can use it in many different ways. You can take the output into studio monitors, or powered PA speakers, or into a power amp and guitar cabinet or into a guitar tube power amp and guitar cabinet, of even through the power section of a guitar head into a guitar cabinet.

It is all about how you program it for these different situations.


----------



## mm66554

mongey said:


> I'll try your patch when I get a chance this weekend but if it sounds fine to you when playing more likely its how its routed in your DAW. Or a audio setting on your computer. As a test if you turn off montoring and recrod does it sound the same



Sounds bad monitoring too. I had the same problem with Guitar Rig 5 a couple years ago... where it sounded good stand-alone but horrible through Cubase 5 - this was with a different PC too.

Must be doing something wrong? Do you guys just record into your DAW and have it sound good right off the bat? IIRC a lot on music producers attach a temporary compressor to the master track when writing music to keep individual tracks at under -6db whilst having the mix as loud as your typical mixed and mastered songs.

There doesn't seem to be that many vids on Axe FX recording on Youtube... maybe their algorhythm is messed up and they're not coming up on my searches (only finding demos).


----------



## Steinmetzify

Rough cut of something I'm working on, nothing mixed but I'm digging this tone. Sounds pretty raw and that's what I was going for.

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/rafgabmay27[/SC]


----------



## theo

Nice clip dude!

Check out what fractal posted to the soundcloud yesterday:
[SC]https://soundcloud.com/fractalaudio/golden-dual-delays[/SC]


----------



## mongey

theo said:


> Nice clip dude!
> 
> Check out what fractal posted to the soundcloud yesterday:
> [SC]https://soundcloud.com/fractalaudio/golden-dual-delays[/SC]



That's super nice. I saw the preset in axe change earlier today , gonna need to download it.


----------



## theo

OH YES! I haven't visited axechange for so long!

I AM SO STOKED TO TRY THIS PATCH. sorry for capslock, I've listened to this clip about twenty times ahaha

EDIT: AAAANNNND It's for a 2 XL +.

Could someone please post screenshots of block settings? I'm pretty desperate to try this patch out.


----------



## Syrinx

theo said:


> OH YES! I haven't visited axechange for so long!
> 
> I AM SO STOKED TO TRY THIS PATCH. sorry for capslock, I've listened to this clip about twenty times ahaha
> 
> EDIT: AAAANNNND It's for a 2 XL +.
> 
> Could someone please post screenshots of block settings? I'm pretty desperate to try this patch out.



Matt from Fractal shared the delay block itself on the forum. Should be able to drop it into the blocks folder of Axe Edit and use it on any Axe 2 but some people are getting an odd error right now saying it's incompatible wth their firmware even if they are on the same version. Possible bug with old version of Axe Edit and the beta firmware.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Finally updated; man that Invader patch is ....ing SICK.


----------



## Scrubface05

There needs to be a place for us lowly Ultra/Standard users. Or at least exchange updated patches. Axechange is DEAD for us.


----------



## silverthesky

steinmetzify said:


> Rough cut of something I'm working on, nothing mixed but I'm digging this tone. Sounds pretty raw and that's what I was going for.
> 
> [SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/rafgabmay27[/SC]



dude you need to tame that. It sounds like its clipping hard and pulsing. it has lots of potential but yea. Just my $0.434534563546


----------



## Steinmetzify

Yeah, I know. I said it was rough; was just trying to work out a rhythm to that drum track. There's a limiter in my template that I forgot about that's always on, so that's why it's pumping like that. 

Thanks though!


----------



## theo

Syrinx said:


> Matt from Fractal shared the delay block itself on the forum. Should be able to drop it into the blocks folder of Axe Edit and use it on any Axe 2 but some people are getting an odd error right now saying it's incompatible wth their firmware even if they are on the same version. Possible bug with old version of Axe Edit and the beta firmware.



Oooh I'll go looking now, thanks man


----------



## mongey

theo said:


> OH YES! I haven't visited axechange for so long!
> 
> I AM SO STOKED TO TRY THIS PATCH. sorry for capslock, I've listened to this clip about twenty times ahaha
> 
> EDIT: AAAANNNND It's for a 2 XL +.
> 
> Could someone please post screenshots of block settings? I'm pretty desperate to try this patch out.


 

If you need shots or settigns of any of the blocks let me know and I'll do some when I get a chance

also the patch is great , but it is broken on axe change. had a broken shunt that needs to be bridged


----------



## theo

mongey said:


> If you need shots or settigns of any of the blocks let me know and I'll do some when I get a chance
> 
> also the patch is great , but it is broken on axe change. had a broken shunt that needs to be bridged



You'd have my eternal gratitude if you could give me screenshots. Heaps of people are reporting the block broken when they try to use it with an axe 2 mark 2. If I could pretty please have screenshots of each of the blocks I'll give you my favourite recto patch that I dialled for v19? (best I can think of offering in return haha)


----------



## mongey

theo said:


> You'd have my eternal gratitude if you could give me screenshots. Heaps of people are reporting the block broken when they try to use it with an axe 2 mark 2. If I could pretty please have screenshots of each of the blocks I'll give you my favourite recto patch that I dialled for v19? (best I can think of offering in return haha)


 
Yeah deal. I'll try to do it when I get home from work today.


edit- I hadnt read the thread the preset was from ont he fractal forum and it seems hte broken shunt mustve been the global block he posted seperatly I'm guessing ?

damn it sounded good even without the missing block. gonna have to reload it with the block


----------



## theo

Can't wait! Thanks man


----------



## Steinmetzify

Short slow chug clip to see if I can keep this JB or not....this is Mayalvr's Mark V patch...if you guys haven't checked out his stuff yet, he's the guy that did the Invader patch awhile back; the one that went up on the exchange was his patch that someone else tweaked. The rest of his stuff is good too, especially this one...think it'd work really well for some fuzzed out doom/stoner stuff.

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/lpcriff[/SC]


----------



## dowenprs

Question for you guys, from a potential Axe FX buyer.

I'm a bit confused by all the models, but really my main question is, what are the basic differences between the XL, II, and Mark models? Is it mainly just storage? 

Basically my plan would be, Axe FX II, power amp, cab. Maybe some recording, but I mainly just want to load up some user presets, scenes ect. Not a ton of them, but a handful.


Thanks fellas!


Peace

Dan


----------



## Steinmetzify

AxeFx II Mark I and II are basically the same; I think the II has an upgraded fan. Not sure though. The XL has more storage for user cabs and presets. 

If all you're going to do is use a few presets live, grab the II. You'll never use the storage in the XL. I have a TON of custom cabs and I've barely filled half the allotted slots in the II.

Stay away from the Standard and Ultra if you ever want to upgrade the firmware; those aren't updated anymore.


----------



## dowenprs

Thank you very much, that's what I thought, but wasn't quite sure. Yeah, i'm not going to do anything crazy with it, just want to be able to load up some cabs, presets, etc, so yeah, it sounds like I don't really need the XL. 

Thanks

Dan


----------



## Steinmetzify

Just keep in mind the patches between the two aren't compatible. The XL can use the IIs presets, but not the other way around.


----------



## BryanM7

I just joined the AxeFX family and was wondering if their are cab packs that you guys recommend?


----------



## Syrinx

I would love to have the extra memory of the XL at this point over the original 2 simply for IR storage.


----------



## mnemonic

BryanM7 said:


> I just joined the AxeFX family and was wondering if their are cab packs that you guys recommend?



Depends what you are into. There are samples of the cab packs in the stock cabs list, though I forget which ones now. All I remember is that the two "CK USA" cabs are around the 70's in the cab list. They're called "CK USA 4x12" and the mic's used. Its from Cab Pack 7, Mesa Recto Traditional 412. Really good sounding, imo. 

Fun fact, he chose those two to include in the Axe stock cabs, since if you blend those two IR's together, its micing all four speakers of the 4x12. 

Ownhammer also has an 'a la carte' style assortment of cabs on his website. Basically, choose your cab, then choose your speaker, and you can download something like 90 impulses for that speaker/cab combo. You can get some interesting combos that probably aren't around in real life, like EVH Greenbacks in a Recto cab, or Mesa V30's in a Marshall cab. My personal favorite from them is the 8ohm Mesa V30 in the Recto oversized cab. He's also got some free marshall cabs too, I think.


----------



## Steinmetzify

BryanM7 said:


> I just joined the AxeFX family and was wondering if their are cab packs that you guys recommend?



I figured I would once I got one; haven't really needed to. The cabs included are really good. I've grabbed a couple but nothing like I thought I would...I really have no need for 50 IRs of the same cab...mic it up with a 57 and I'm good. 

Any of you guys grab CKs free Orange 4x12? He put it up a few days ago. That thing is badass with Rectos.


----------



## Shask

I usually tend to use the ones that come stock also. I really dont want to get stuck in the endless search that is looking for IRs. You could spend hours messing with that stuff and never playing. I am pretty good at using EQs, so I can usually just pick one and throw a parametric EQ on it to tweak until I get what I want.

The exception is that I load the free samples that come with the firmware updates. There is one in there I like a lot.


----------



## lewstherin006

mnemonic said:


> Depends what you are into. There are samples of the cab packs in the stock cabs list, though I forget which ones now. All I remember is that the two "CK USA" cabs are around the 70's in the cab list. They're called "CK USA 4x12" and the mic's used. Its from Cab Pack 7, Mesa Recto Traditional 412. Really good sounding, imo.
> 
> Fun fact, he chose those two to include in the Axe stock cabs, since if you blend those two IR's together, its micing all four speakers of the 4x12.
> 
> Ownhammer also has an 'a la carte' style assortment of cabs on his website. Basically, choose your cab, then choose your speaker, and you can download something like 90 impulses for that speaker/cab combo. You can get some interesting combos that probably aren't around in real life, like EVH Greenbacks in a Recto cab, or Mesa V30's in a Marshall cab. My personal favorite from them is the 8ohm Mesa V30 in the Recto oversized cab. He's also got some free marshall cabs too, I think.




Clark Kent's packs are really good. Even though he doesnt use that name anymore. He changed his name on the fractal forum to ML studies I believe. I bought his cap pack 7 and It is the best thing I have used and I love it. His other 2 are really good too. Like others have said you dont have to buy any. If you have a sound in mind the IRs just help you get there faster. For me cab pack 7 does the trick.


----------



## paulyrhythm

Hey everyone! Dang... I am hoping for help with some ideas about my Axe-Fx (being shipped as I type this)!!! I don't technically have it yet but I looked at the rear panel here:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/images/5/50/Ivan31.jpg

I'm really excited... but will I need to buy extra items to use this? What's the best way for me to hear myself playing (and eventually record to PC)? I'd like to use it when it arrives of course. I heard unless you have a headphone amp, the Axe shouldn't be used with headphones (have some Sennheiser headphones)?? I only have a POD X3, a smaller 1x12 solid-state amp, those headphones, and plenty of guitar cables and Redwirez/Recabinet/random impulse files. 

So could I use an 1/4" unbalanced out on the Axe and plug that into my 1/4" POD input, using the POD as an interface and ASIO in my DAW? I hear more people are using the two unbalanced outs into an interface with two 1/4" inputs. 
Or do you guys go DIGITAL I/O? I also would like to use AxeEdit eventually- I believe I need a spdif cable- but there are so many different ones to choose from it seems. Or could this do the trick? 

http://www.zzounds.com/item--HOSUSM422

And any recommendations on interfaces that work best with both AxeEdit and recording? It's probably best to save up for one that has XLRs, line, midi, and SPDIF in and outs? I want to definitely load my impulses into the Axe if it's possible.


----------



## mnemonic

paulyrhythm said:


> Hey everyone! Dang... I am hoping for help with some ideas about my Axe-Fx (being shipped as I type this)!!! I don't technically have it yet but I looked at the rear panel here:
> 
> http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/wiki/images/5/50/Ivan31.jpg
> 
> I'm really excited... but will I need to buy extra items to use this? What's the best way for me to hear myself playing (and eventually record to PC)? I'd like to use it when it arrives of course. I heard unless you have a headphone amp, the Axe shouldn't be used with headphones (have some Sennheiser headphones)?? I only have a POD X3, a smaller 1x12 solid-state amp, those headphones, and plenty of guitar cables and Redwirez/Recabinet/random impulse files.
> 
> So could I use an 1/4" unbalanced out on the Axe and plug that into my 1/4" POD input, using the POD as an interface and ASIO in my DAW? I hear more people are using the two unbalanced outs into an interface with two 1/4" inputs.
> Or do you guys go DIGITAL I/O? I also would like to use AxeEdit eventually- I believe I need a spdif cable- but there are so many different ones to choose from it seems. Or could this do the trick?
> 
> Hosa USM422 USB to MIDI Cable, 6 Foot MIDI, 3 Foot USB, USM422
> 
> And any recommendations on interfaces that work best with both AxeEdit and recording? It's probably best to save up for one that has XLRs, line, midi, and SPDIF in and outs? I want to definitely load my impulses into the Axe if it's possible.



Headphones work fine with the Axe FX II, are you talking about the II? The only time you may need a headphone amp is if you're using very high impedance headphones, like 400 ohms or higher. You may be thinking of the Ultra/Standard, which did not have a headphone output, and needed an amp. 

I use a pair of Sony MDR V6's regularly with my Axe FX II, and I never turn higher than 20% on the output. My patches aren't loud either, as I have a healthy fear of clipping the output. 


As for the best way to listen... depends on you. Some swear by FRFR, some swear by poweramp/cab. If you have a 1x12 amp, run it through the fx loop with cab modeling off to see if you like it. Running through studio monitors or a PA cab is also a popular way to run it. 

The Axe FX is preamp-only, so if you want to run it through a cab, you need a poweramp. Most studio monitors and PA cabs are powered, so this isn't an issue with them.


Regarding interfaces, the USB works very well on the II, it has high quality converters, higher quality than your POD will have, so I would just stick to the USB unless you want to have multiple things running into your computer at once.


----------



## paulyrhythm

Thank you for the quick response!

It would've been nice to scoop a 2 but I just got a really insane deal on a Standard. Decided to go for it- possibly upgrading to the 2 in time. 
But no USB out for me now with the Standard.


----------



## mnemonic

In that case I can't help, never used a standard D:


----------



## Forrest_H

Argh. Okay, I'm sorry in advance for beating a dead horse and not knowing where to look, but I'm completely stuck on making Rhythm tones. I can make stupid square wave synths all day long, but I've hit a wall while making a tone that doesn't sound like garbage 

Can someone point me to a good guide to read or watch/tone to disassemble and figure out? There are so many different options that I feel so lost whenever I open up AxeEdit. I'm going for something like Gojira or Armageddon. Thanks guys, I'm sorry for bringing up the typical "HOW TO AXE FX PLZ" questions.


----------



## Nick

Forrest_H said:


> Argh. Okay, I'm sorry in advance for beating a dead horse and not knowing where to look, but I'm completely stuck on making Rhythm tones. I can make stupid square wave synths all day long, but I've hit a wall while making a tone that doesn't sound like garbage
> 
> Can someone point me to a good guide to read or watch/tone to disassemble and figure out? There are so many different options that I feel so lost whenever I open up AxeEdit. I'm going for something like Gojira or Armageddon. Thanks guys, I'm sorry for bringing up the typical "HOW TO AXE FX PLZ" questions.



best thing to do is go on the Fractal forum and go into the Axe FX 2 recordings subforum. Look for some clips that you like the guitar sound on and see if they have posted the patch (most will on request).

when you get it, fire it up on your afx2 and look at how its constructed on axe edit, see what cabs they have used and what amp settings etc.

My advice would be that most of your tone will come from the IR. I just bought some ownhammer IRs (mills 4x12 pack from the high gain essentials) and I wont be looking back.

Get the bones of what you want set up with an amp, cab and drive (if you want one) and then just cycle through IRs till you find one you like. Ideally you can have someone else play while you cycle through the IRs.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Forrest_H said:


> Argh. Okay, I'm sorry in advance for beating a dead horse and not knowing where to look, but I'm completely stuck on making Rhythm tones. I can make stupid square wave synths all day long, but I've hit a wall while making a tone that doesn't sound like garbage
> 
> Can someone point me to a good guide to read or watch/tone to disassemble and figure out? There are so many different options that I feel so lost whenever I open up AxeEdit. I'm going for something like Gojira or Armageddon. Thanks guys, I'm sorry for bringing up the typical "HOW TO AXE FX PLZ" questions.



This is the reason I told you about the Fremen stuff....dude builds sick patches and it's cool to see how he routes them. Follow the advice above and if you don't hate the idea, go grab Fremen's patches from the Preset section on the FAS forum. It's helped me a lot, just to see how he routes things. Uses very little CPU for everything he's got going on. 

Good luck!


----------



## mongey

Forrest_H said:


> Argh. Okay, I'm sorry in advance for beating a dead horse and not knowing where to look, but I'm completely stuck on making Rhythm tones. I can make stupid square wave synths all day long, but I've hit a wall while making a tone that doesn't sound like garbage
> 
> Can someone point me to a good guide to read or watch/tone to disassemble and figure out? There are so many different options that I feel so lost whenever I open up AxeEdit. I'm going for something like Gojira or Armageddon. Thanks guys, I'm sorry for bringing up the typical "HOW TO AXE FX PLZ" questions.


 
have you been to axe change ? download mayalvr's presets. between him and fremen I have pretty much given up making tones. they do it better than me so I just just rip theirs and do a little fine tuning ,but usually not much mostly just gate settings and tweaking some bandpass 

mayalvr's invader tonematch preset is sitll my fav high gain patch I have ever loaded


----------



## Sean Richardson

Forrest_H said:


> Argh. Okay, I'm sorry in advance for beating a dead horse and not knowing where to look, but I'm completely stuck on making Rhythm tones. I can make stupid square wave synths all day long, but I've hit a wall while making a tone that doesn't sound like garbage
> 
> Can someone point me to a good guide to read or watch/tone to disassemble and figure out? There are so many different options that I feel so lost whenever I open up AxeEdit. I'm going for something like Gojira or Armageddon. Thanks guys, I'm sorry for bringing up the typical "HOW TO AXE FX PLZ" questions.



I hate to say it... but I am going to. sell the AXFX and buy a Kemper 

IMO the key to success with the AXFX is having your tone in your head and then using the multitude of amp options, cab options, routing options, EQ options, FX options and then laying out what you want and what you want to hear (I call it "painting a tone picture")... for this the AXFX is unequalled.

When you say your trying to get another bands tone, this is hard... firstly tone really does lay in the technique and hands of the player, but also the depth of the editability of the AXEFX makes this chase REALLY hard.

if you want "snap shots" or "pictures" of another players tone, the Kemper is the device you need.

AXFX - deep edits of your PATCH/PRESET = painting

Kemper - tweaks of another's PROFILE = photograph

Make sense?


----------



## mongey

Sean Richardson said:


> I hate to say it... but I am going to. sell the AXFX and buy a Kemper
> 
> IMO the key to success with the AXFX is having your tone in your head and then using the multitude of amp options, cab options, routing options, EQ options, FX options and then laying out what you want and what you want to hear (I call it "painting a tone picture")... for this the AXFX is unequalled.
> 
> When you say your trying to get another bands tone, this is hard... firstly tone really does lay in the technique and hands of the player, but also the depth of the editability of the AXEFX makes this chase REALLY hard.
> 
> if you want "snap shots" or "pictures" of another players tone, the Kemper is the device you need.
> 
> AXFX - deep edits of your PATCH/PRESET = painting
> 
> Kemper - tweaks of another's PROFILE = photograph
> 
> Make sense?



I don't disagree totally. Fractal has said they are updating axe edit to export user ir's as part of a preset. That companies will be making and selling preset packs. I think this feature will give axe users the choice to use more
Kemper style dialed presets if they choose.


----------



## Forrest_H

Nick said:


> best thing to do is go on the Fractal forum and go into the Axe FX 2 recordings subforum. Look for some clips that you like the guitar sound on and see if they have posted the patch (most will on request).
> 
> when you get it, fire it up on your afx2 and look at how its constructed on axe edit, see what cabs they have used and what amp settings etc.
> 
> My advice would be that most of your tone will come from the IR. I just bought some ownhammer IRs (mills 4x12 pack from the high gain essentials) and I wont be looking back.
> 
> Get the bones of what you want set up with an amp, cab and drive (if you want one) and then just cycle through IRs till you find one you like. Ideally you can have someone else play while you cycle through the IRs.



Thanks man, I'll check around Fractal. It seems like every time I go in looking for some metal tones, I end up snagging like a thousand ambient patches  Also, sort of related, I take it you like the ownhammer IR's? I was thinking about buying them for this exact reason  thanks nick!



steinmetzify said:


> This is the reason I told you about the Fremen stuff....dude builds sick patches and it's cool to see how he routes them. Follow the advice above and if you don't hate the idea, go grab Fremen's patches from the Preset section on the FAS forum. It's helped me a lot, just to see how he routes things. Uses very little CPU for everything he's got going on.
> 
> Good luck!



Stein, I remember you telling me to look for Fremen, and then forgot his name  I'll dig around for his patches, thanks for the reminder 



mongey said:


> have you been to axe change ? download mayalvr's presets. between him and fremen I have pretty much given up making tones. they do it better than me so I just just rip theirs and do a little fine tuning ,but usually not much mostly just gate settings and tweaking some bandpass
> 
> mayalvr's invader tonematch preset is sitll my fav high gain patch I have ever loaded



I've been on Axechange, yeah. I can't ever seem find anything I like, though  I'll take a look at Mayalvr's stuff, somehow I must have missed it. Thanks man!



Sean Richardson said:


> I hate to say it... but I am going to. sell the AXFX and buy a Kemper
> 
> IMO the key to success with the AXFX is having your tone in your head and then using the multitude of amp options, cab options, routing options, EQ options, FX options and then laying out what you want and what you want to hear (I call it "painting a tone picture")... for this the AXFX is unequalled.
> 
> When you say your trying to get another bands tone, this is hard... firstly tone really does lay in the technique and hands of the player, but also the depth of the editability of the AXEFX makes this chase REALLY hard.
> 
> if you want "snap shots" or "pictures" of another players tone, the Kemper is the device you need.
> 
> AXFX - deep edits of your PATCH/PRESET = painting
> 
> Kemper - tweaks of another's PROFILE = photograph
> 
> Make sense?



That's a good way of looking at it, in regards to the painting/photograph metaphor  I very nearly went with Kemper, but I really wanted all the effects built into the Axe. Maybe I'll pick one up down the road, as well.

And yeah, that seems to be the case here. I have a sound in my head of what I want, but I can't seem to actually get it exactly where I want to when I'm starting from scratch. The POD was easier in this regard, because usually everything sounded usable, and just needed some tweaking, but for some reason a lot of the high gain patches I found were just... ehhhh. Didn't sound good on their own, and didn't sit well in a quick 30 second mix. But I absolutely see what you're saying. Thanks man!


----------



## Nick

yeah the Mills Ownhammer IR's ones I got are great. I might pick up some of the mesa or deizel ones as well as they are supposed to be just as good. For about $5 you you get a huge variety of impulses from the speaker cabinet you choose so I certainly cant complain.

I'd also echo the Fremen comments. I recently uploaded all 3 banks and he has some great stuff. Only thing is he is also using a lot of 3rd party IRs so you cant always run his presets exactly as he does. You can usually substitute in one of the stock Recto UR cabs on his high gain patches for great results though.


----------



## Nick

also for a quick and easy high gain tone you can just choose the Mk II C+ model put it in front of the UR Recto 1 cab, put both the drive knobs to about 2 or 3 oclock, adjust eq to taste, go just below noon on the master and then work out your level to stop clipping and stick the classic Mesa v on the eq.

Work from there and you will quickly have a good high gain tone!


----------



## Seybsnilksz

I'm trying to get a reverb similar to the one in the acoustic version of Hyperdrive! that Devin Townsend plays on The Retinal Circus. It's the one that is heard in the intro and the choruses: 


I find it really hard to grasp, but it doesn't just sound like a long reverb. It has this unusual midrange quality to it that I can't seem to nail. Any tips would be appreciated.


----------



## paulyrhythm

Nick said:


> also for a quick and easy high gain tone you can just choose the Mk II C+ model put it in front of the UR Recto 1 cab, put both the drive knobs to about 2 or 3 oclock, adjust eq to taste, go just below noon on the master and then work out your level to stop clipping and stick the classic Mesa v on the eq.
> 
> Work from there and you will quickly have a good high gain tone!


Another one for me would be 808 mod > FAS modern > German 4x12 chain


----------



## mnemonic

808 mod > Recto Red Mdrn for chunky saggy high gain toans.


----------



## paulyrhythm

mnemonic said:


> 808 mod > Recto Red Mdrn for chunky saggy high gain toans.



Agreed. 

For the tone I'm chasing, there are a handful that work for me but I havent messed with that eq on the mesa


----------



## ihunda

Seybsnilksz said:


> I'm trying to get a reverb similar to the one in the acoustic version of Hyperdrive! that Devin Townsend plays on The Retinal Circus. It's the one that is heard in the intro and the choruses:
> 
> 
> I find it really hard to grasp, but it doesn't just sound like a long reverb. It has this unusual midrange quality to it that I can't seem to nail. Any tips would be appreciated.




Isn't there some synth in the background?


----------



## Seybsnilksz

Well, with the Axe you never know if there is an external instrument/playback or if it's all in the same patch


----------



## Forrest_H

Seybs, it sounds like he has a synth routed somewhere in there, or he's using that weird(but cool) crystals multi-delay effect. I think Fremen actually has a preset like this in Bank C of his presets. Check it out 

Also, guys (including Fremen), you are all the collective man. The presets I downloaded took a little bit of digging to find something I liked for high gain, and eventually the "Savage & Modern" ended up being damned near perfect. I'm going to be tweaking that, since it's the closest I've gotten to what I want out of a rhythm tone EVER.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Forrest_H said:


> Seybs, it sounds like he has a synth routed somewhere in there, or he's using that weird(but cool) crystals multi-delay effect. I think Fremen actually has a preset like this in Bank C of his presets. Check it out
> 
> Also, guys (including Fremen), you are all the collective man. The presets I downloaded took a little bit of digging to find something I liked for high gain, and eventually the "Savage & Modern" ended up being damned near perfect. I'm going to be tweaking that, since it's the closest I've gotten to what I want out of a rhythm tone EVER.



Felt the same way with Fremen's stuff; so much so that I paid him lol. Still digging em after all this time and playing em daily. Glad they worked for you, there are so many cool ones on the Axechange, man. 

For the guy looking for the Dev patch, try the Axechange as well; there are a couple cool ones on there from a guy named Kevinerror; not exactly the same tone you were looking for but could be a good starting point. I grabbed those patches the day I got the Axe and I've gone thru numerous presets for different guitars and they're still in there...one called Heavy Wash and the other Clean Wash. Really cool ambient tones.


----------



## Shask

steinmetzify said:


> Felt the same way with Fremen's stuff; so much so that I paid him lol. Still digging em after all this time and playing em daily. Glad they worked for you, there are so many cool ones on the Axechange, man.
> 
> For the guy looking for the Dev patch, try the Axechange as well; there are a couple cool ones on there from a guy named Kevinerror; not exactly the same tone you were looking for but could be a good starting point. I grabbed those patches the day I got the Axe and I've gone thru numerous presets for different guitars and they're still in there...one called Heavy Wash and the other Clean Wash. Really cool ambient tones.



I haven't tried his presets since ver 12 or something. I guess I need to again!

I usually dont check out many presets since I generally prefer to run amp/cab and most presets are set up for direct. It seems like the best stuff you find though is usually clean/ambient kind of stuff....


----------



## lewstherin006

FYI new cab pack is out. This one was made with Mikko (clark kent) and misha.

Cab Pack 13: ML USA Bulb 4x12 - UltraRes

These were made off the oversized 4x12 mesa cab, as cab pack 7 was made off the traditional 4x12


----------



## Steinmetzify

I don't know how you guys deal with the cab packs, man. Between the ones that are already in there, the freebies I've picked up and a couple I've paid for I have WAY too many going on to mess with. Add another 90 or whatever and I'd have a cab meltdown..."WHICH ONE SOUNDS BEST WITH EVERY AMP AAAAAAHHHHHGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH" <head asplodes>

EDIT: despite my best intentions, I went and checked it out anyway. TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN IRs?!?! Jesus...


----------



## Shask

steinmetzify said:


> I don't know how you guys deal with the cab packs, man. Between the ones that are already in there, the freebies I've picked up and a couple I've paid for I have WAY too many going on to mess with. Add another 90 or whatever and I'd have a cab meltdown..."WHICH ONE SOUNDS BEST WITH EVERY AMP AAAAAAHHHHHGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH" <head asplodes>
> 
> EDIT: despite my best intentions, I went and checked it out anyway. TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN IRs?!?! Jesus...



Sometimes I think about picking up a Cab Pack, but I dont for the same reasons. Just too much crap to mess with. Since Cliff keeps replacing the stock cabs with better ones, I can usually find something I am happy with in the stock cabs. There is one in the free folder that I like a lot that comes with the firmwares.


Looks like Firmware 19.00 is out. I will have to try to check it out this weekend.


----------



## Steinmetzify

The official one? The beta has been out for a minute but I usually wait for the official one.


----------



## Shask

steinmetzify said:


> The official one? The beta has been out for a minute but I usually wait for the official one.



Yeah, official 19.00 and Axe-Edit 3.2.0 today.

I saw it, but haven't had time to mess with it yet.


----------



## mnemonic

Regarding cabs, I tend to stick to the mixes only and I don't mess with individual IR's. That cuts down on the amount to sort through. Ownhammer is especially easy to navigate, as they're sorted by brightness, from 00 to 10.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Grabbed 19, I'll throw it in tonight. Updated Axe Edit as well. Thanks brother.


----------



## Steinmetzify

So 19 is cool...drive pedals are jacked on the levels a little bit. Was running my LPC with the Painkiller in it and it's kind of bright on certain models anyway; my Thorendahl patch definitely had to get fixed because of that. Actually had to take the boost and bright switches off.


----------



## mnemonic

steinmetzify said:


> So 19 is cool...drive pedals are jacked on the levels a little bit. Was running my LPC with the Painkiller in it and it's kind of bright on certain models anyway; my Thorendahl patch definitely had to get fixed because of that. Actually had to take the boost and bright switches off.



There was a tonestack change with the Thordendal amp actually, since apparently it was referencing the wrong tonestack, or something.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Interesting. I'll have to go in and see what's up.


----------



## Shask

steinmetzify said:


> So 19 is cool...drive pedals are jacked on the levels a little bit. Was running my LPC with the Painkiller in it and it's kind of bright on certain models anyway; my Thorendahl patch definitely had to get fixed because of that. Actually had to take the boost and bright switches off.



I got to check it out for an hour or so yesterday. The drives do seem to feel better, and remind me of the response of when I used actual pedals.

I also noticed that they seem to have way more volume than what seems normal. Running the OD808 cranked like you would a real one seems like way too much. I couldn't keep it over 1 oclock or so.


----------



## mnemonic

I haven't tried the drives all the way up, but now that you mention it, all my patches with an 808 now have the level at like 5.5.

Really digging the Cameron with the 808. Super tight and clear, and very focused midrange. Gotta turn off the cut and bright switches though, otherwise its just too much, even with the amp gain at 0.5.


----------



## Sean Richardson

Shask said:


> I got to check it out for an hour or so yesterday. The drives do seem to feel better, and remind me of the response of when I used actual pedals.



This ^^^ 

I have a bunch of really good drive pedals and often run them in front of the AXFX... With FW19 and the G3 drive pedals, I am rethinking this. The RAT and the TS808 mod are very very good


----------



## Nick

I've recently got an m80m and I've had the axe for a few years now but I can't seem to get anything that isn't too gainy or too dry sounding. Its difficult because listening to the albums, a lot of their distortion is on the bass I think.

I'm quite happy to emulate their sound as closely as possible as I will really only use the m80m for playing meshuggah songs.

Anyone got any tips in how to get close to their sound?


----------



## mnemonic

The bass is indeed a huge part of their guitar sound. They blend pretty well, but if you listen for it on some quality speakers/headphones, you can hear where they separate. Bass provides a lot of the grind and midrange. 

Which particular album sound are you after? 

The 'Thordendal Mdrn' model is a good place to start, but it will need a boost, like the T808 mod or something. I'm fairly certain it is based on one of the older versions of the 3 Channel Recto model. 

I get a pretty decent Chaosphere tone using the 'Recto 2 Red Mdrn' model with a TC Electronic Integrated Preamp in front of the Axe FX. Though I've got a similar sound out of the Axe FX alone by using the 'FET Boost' drive model with the low cut turned up, bass down, treble and tone up, and turning the level to 10.


----------



## lewis

Nick said:


> I've recently got an m80m and I've had the axe for a few years now but I can't seem to get anything that isn't too gainy or too dry sounding. Its difficult because listening to the albums, a lot of their distortion is on the bass I think.
> 
> I'm quite happy to emulate their sound as closely as possible as I will really only use the m80m for playing meshuggah songs.
> 
> Anyone got any tips in how to get close to their sound?



I honestly dont know why traditionally the bassist lays their recorded tone down after the guitars are done with metal. It seems more obvious to me to do the Bass guitar first to make it easier to sculpt the guitar tone too the bass, seeing as the Bass makes up so much of the overall metal tone in the end. Im guna start doing Bass first I think. Im fed up of struggling to nail guitar tone


----------



## Nick

mnemonic said:


> The bass is indeed a huge part of their guitar sound. They blend pretty well, but if you listen for it on some quality speakers/headphones, you can hear where they separate. Bass provides a lot of the grind and midrange.
> 
> Which particular album sound are you after?
> 
> The 'Thordendal Mdrn' model is a good place to start, but it will need a boost, like the T808 mod or something. I'm fairly certain it is based on one of the older versions of the 3 Channel Recto model.
> 
> I get a pretty decent Chaosphere tone using the 'Recto 2 Red Mdrn' model with a TC Electronic Integrated Preamp in front of the Axe FX. Though I've got a similar sound out of the Axe FX alone by using the 'FET Boost' drive model with the low cut turned up, bass down, treble and tone up, and turning the level to 10.



Thanks, ideally I'm looking for something like kolos or the nothing re issue. That said I should really be looking at the ophidian trek for tones, as its the only think that has the axe fx 2 recorded on it.


----------



## mnemonic

Nick said:


> Thanks, ideally I'm looking for something like kolos or the nothing re issue. That said I should really be looking at the ophidian trek for tones, as its the only think that has the axe fx 2 recorded on it.



I didn't know about that album, I'm gonna have to check it out. 

For the Nothing re-release I believe that was the Vetta, so it will be the Big Bottom amp, boosted with something, likely the TC preamp. 

You can get close to the Big Bottom sound with the Recto, imo, as long as you boost the hell out of it. 

Other amps to check out would be the FAS Brootalz, while it has a stupid name, it can also get stupid tight and 'solid state' sounding. The Engl Savage model (forget what its called) is also very good for downtuned tight stuff. 

Not sure about Koloss, they used the amp sims that come with Cubase for that (Amprack or something), and it is a very different tone than their other albums. Very middy in comparison, so something like the Recto model wouldn't really be the right place to start.


----------



## Nick

cheers yeah i know all the gear they used on other albums it was Vetta and pod. I think even when they started using axe FX ultras live they still recorded Obzen with a pod.

The Ophidian Trek is a live CD/DVD which is why its the only one with Axe FX 2 on it.

I'll give the Fet boost a go, not one I've ever tried before.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

From what I remember from their rig rundown and using the Ultra, they used the Recto models with an OD and compressor for their rhythm tones, and Fredrik's lead tones are based on the USA lead or something like that. Might wanna start from there.


----------



## Krucifixtion

The Recto model nails the Meshuggah tone. The Thordendal model is not bad either, but I feel like the Recto is the best for getting their tone, because that's what the older albums were tracked with.

Gate, Comp, Mid boosted low cut EQ, and an OD in front of the Recto1 or 2 sim. Then it's just a matter of finding the right cab/mic combo. Right now I am digging an ENGL IR with a 57 after all that and also a mid boosted parametric before or after the cab sim.


----------



## Nick

Cheers guys will give all this a try


----------



## mongey

A guy in the fractal forum did whole bunch of tone matches for Obzen and kolos if you search you'll find the thread. They are pretty good

I also think the bass is a huge part of their tone. The guitars by themselves are pretty bright and thin up top. But the bass makes this huge full sound.


----------



## Nick

Cheers yeah I have the tone matches but I find them to sound 'post produced' and its more the raw sound I'm after. Thanks forvthe suggestion though, they do sound good for capturing the album sounds


----------



## Shask

I agree with boosted Recto.


I will say though, a lot of it is how you play. It is kinda funny, but I always kind of end up with a DEI type tone whenever I play a Recto. I dont even try, but there it is  It is because of how I play. When you palm mute, kinda scrape the strings slowly from top to bottom instead of playing the entire chord at once. That will give you that sort of harsh chunk that you hear on albums like DEI.


EDIT: A trick I have found also, in the amp model turn the "Dynamics" knob up to about 2-3 o'clock. That kinda brings out that extra harshness. You can also play with putting a compressor block before the amp, and use the "Dynamics" type, and turn that Dynamics knob up to about 2-3 o'clock. This sort of does the same thing. It brings on this harshness in the highs when you palm mute heavily that sounds very aggressive.


----------



## mnemonic

Theres one IR in the unit that is like, insta-Destroy Erase Improve tone. I remember using the Recto model and blending the cab with another cab that had a bit more bottom end, and it was killer, I spent the day playing old DEI riffs. 

I don't have the unit with me or I would check, but I'm pretty sure it was either 047 &#8212; 4x12 GERMAN V30 (RW), 048 &#8212; 4x12 GERMAN BOUTIQUE, or 063 &#8212; 4x12 GERMAN. Definitely one of the German cabs. 

There was also an impulse floating around at one point called 4x12 METAL or something that had similar characteristics.


----------



## Nick

I've got closer to what I'm after by running the recto 2 red modern. I've run the gain almost at zero and the master really high to get more of a punch then boosted and got some fizz with the ts808mod. You guys are right about the engl cabs. I usually avoid them as I find them a bit scooped but they seem to work great for this.


----------



## Nick

well, here are my results so far.

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/nick-collins-7/lethargica-cover-1[/SC]

excuse the string noise in the second breakdown section. Muting an 8 string is something I have trouble with!


----------



## Forrest_H

Nick, sounds quite good for a head first attempt 

I finally got a halfway decent tone after a bit of tweaking, this is what I've come up with: 

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/forrest-hooker/opaque-axe-fx-ii-tone-test[/SC]

Still not entirely happy, and wondering if a clean bass tone would work better in the mix. MORE TWEAKAGE


----------



## Ænima

so i've got a evh 5150 50w and a 6505+ 1x12 /w Eminence Governor in it

SD 805, ISP Dec. EVH phase 90 and a boss DD7 delay

im seriously considering putting all of this on craigslist and selling it for a huge discount to buy an Axe FX for simplicity and better/more tones


my question! 

What EXACTLY do i need to set up and run an Axe FX? id prefer to run it thru a cab but studio monitors are fine and i do need new ones

please, someone school me!


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Do you plan on gigging with the Axe or just bedroom/studio use?


----------



## Ænima

home use only

edit* i have gigging gear, sry should of said this was strictly for home use, my 5150 is just too loud for my apt


----------



## Underworld

Axe-Fx and studio monitors only. As simple as that. 

However, if it is just for home use have you considered desktop/computer/mobile based solutions like POD Farm or Bias? I myself use POD Farm at home and I'm very pleased with the tones I get (I use an Axe-Fx II for band practice and gigs).


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Yeah, for home use just go with monitors or a smaller powered PA speaker, heck just go for some quality headphones even.


----------



## jonsick

I have various amp heads and 4x12 cabinets for live use.

For home, I have two setups. The PodHD500 which is mainly computer and practice based stuff.

I also have a small 8" practice amp which I use for general noodling, but want to replace out with something nicer sounding (currently eyeing up a Marshall DSL5C).

Really, if this is for home use only, I'd go for any digital modeller that takes your fancy. For me, the Axe FX didn't offer enough over the Pod HD500 to justify the price increase. For others, it does.


----------



## mnemonic

MaxOfMetal said:


> Yeah, for home use just go with monitors or a smaller powered PA speaker, heck just go for some quality headphones even.



This is it, I have headphones I use when I need to be quiet, and a 12" powered PA Speaker to use when I don't. Monitors are also a good choice. 

Bare in mind, that is for FRFR. 


Since you say you prefer to run through a cab, you'll need a poweramp, and your cab. Since its for bedroom stuff, I would not suggest tube, I would go with something solidstate. If you have a large budget, Matrix stuff is supposed to be great. If not, there are lots of solidstate used options for dirt cheap.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Like said above, I use headphones when I need to be quiet; when I want some volume I run it thru the FX loop of an older TransTube Peavey Bandit that was $100 used on GC......SS 60w poweramp and a 1x12 cab and it's LOUD.....also, going USB means the Axe turns into your soundcard, so I can load up Reaper and throw a drum track into it, and that'll come out of the speakers as well. 

Great fun to practice with when you want some volume, but sounds just as good to me using headphones.....I got used to them as I was using modelers for over a year before I got the Axe. I have a pair of AT ATH-M50Xs and they sound awesome, if a little bass heavy.

Good luck man!


----------



## Ænima

i had a pod hd500 i didnt really like it that much, it sounded great, but i really want that extra quality in sound TBH and the axe fx seems like it can do an extreme wide variety of great metal tones ( the pod hd500 required way to much tweaking IMO) which im not foreign to, im aware of how to dial in a good sound, the pod hd just need way to many eq's thrown in to make it sound optimal thru my set up

so im thinking axe fx used off ebay for about a grand, and some some of those black and yellow cone speakers everyone has


----------



## mnemonic

Ænima;4402907 said:


> i had a pod hd500 i didnt really like it that much, it sounded great, but i really want that extra quality in sound TBH and the axe fx seems like it can do an extreme wide variety of great metal tones ( the pod hd500 required way to much tweaking IMO) which im not foreign to, im aware of how to dial in a good sound, the pod hd just need way to many eq's thrown in to make it sound optimal thru my set up
> 
> so im thinking axe fx used off ebay for about a grand, and some some of those black and yellow cone speakers everyone has



The Axe FX's for a grand on ebay sound like they would be Axe FX Standards or Ultras, which IIRC don't have a USB or headphone jack, so you need a headphone amp to use headphones, and an interface to connect it to a computer. 

They still can connect to poweramps, PA speakers, studio monitors (I assume you're referring to KRK with the black and yellow speakers) in the same way as the Axe FX II though. 

Also bare in mind the Standard/Ultra is a lot different than the II. The II needs very little tweaking these days, basically sounds dead-on to most of the amps it models (or all? I couldn't really say though). The older Standard/Ultra models require more tweaking.


----------



## Elric

Ænima;4402795 said:


> What EXACTLY do i need to set up and run an Axe FX? id prefer to run it thru a cab but studio monitors are fine and i do need new ones



If you prefer a traditional cab you would want a regular guitar cab you like and a power amp. The axe is awesome in either context (run as a preamp with a traditional cab or FRFR monitors with impulse responses). 

The power amp can be tube or solid state I use a solid state amp and leave power amp modeling on in the afx.


----------



## Dead-Pan

Hey guys, 

I currently have a Kemper but have been thinking about picking up an Axe II.

Would anyone here consider reamping a small riff with their Axe so I can see how it processes my guitar etc? Signal will be pre boosted in two sections. One with OD808x and one with Boss GE-7.

What is the best way to bounce the DI out of Logic for reamping?

Thanks!


----------



## Steinmetzify

I'd be down for it but I don't have another interface. Hit up Shask on here, he's a good dude and just started messing around with reamping the last couple weeks. If he's got time he might do it.


----------



## mongey

I bought the bronze package of the amp factory bundle today. Only had time to really mess with the v30 recto patches , my go to anyway as also a recto owner , and I think they sound great. Maybe best recto patches I have.


----------



## Dead-Pan

steinmetzify said:


> I'd be down for it but I don't have another interface. Hit up Shask on here, he's a good dude and just started messing around with reamping the last couple weeks. If he's got time he might do it.



Thank you!I will try and send him a pm.

Anyone else?


----------



## Steinmetzify

mongey said:


> I bought the bronze package of the amp factory bundle today. Only had time to really mess with the v30 recto patches , my go to anyway as also a recto owner , and I think they sound great. Maybe best recto patches I have.



Interesting. Throw up an unmixed Recto clip so I could hear it? Been thinking about grabbing one of those as I always liked his Kemper profiles.


----------



## thesockmonster

mongey said:


> I bought the bronze package of the amp factory bundle today. Only had time to really mess with the v30 recto patches , my go to anyway as also a recto owner , and I think they sound great. Maybe best recto patches I have.



Link? I've been curious about their stuff for a while on youtube.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Go here:

Bundles | The Amp Factory...Sounds of the past, present and future


----------



## mongey

steinmetzify said:


> Interesting. Throw up an unmixed Recto clip so I could hear it? Been thinking about grabbing one of those as I always liked his Kemper profiles.



I'll chuck something down tonight


----------



## Steinmetzify

Thanks muchly Australian Axe brother!


----------



## spilla

Wow, those shiva presets sounded wicked. Will be checking them out!


----------



## mongey

steinmetzify said:


> Thanks muchly Australian Axe brother!



had no time last night . our 5 month old is going through some s..t this week

will try to do a riff tonight


----------



## nollyflip

Probably been asked but can't find it, but can anyone tell me the actual advantages of buying a power conditioner like the matrix for the axe-fx? I have an Axe-Fx ii XL which i use for recording, nothing live (yet). I can't seem to find how necessary they are for this situation?
Thanks!


----------



## Steinmetzify

Basic surge protection.....I really haven't worried about it. I have a wall unit that does the same thing and I use my Axe much the same way you do. If you've got steady power that would work, and I'm paranoid enough that I really don't use my Axe if there's a horrendous storm; we've only had one in the last 3-4 years that was enough to shut down power to our house, so not a big deal.


----------



## nollyflip

Thanks man. Powers always steady where I am plus I already have a wall unit surge protection so I won't spend the extra $$ on one


----------



## Shask

nollyflip said:


> Probably been asked but can't find it, but can anyone tell me the actual advantages of buying a power conditioner like the matrix for the axe-fx? I have an Axe-Fx ii XL which i use for recording, nothing live (yet). I can't seem to find how necessary they are for this situation?
> Thanks!



Usually when people say "Matrix" They mean power amp. You sure you mean power conditioner?

If you play at home, there probably isn't a huge need for a power conditioner. That is really for if you travel and you are plugging it into random places.

I have considered buying a rack power conditioner just because it would fill up my rack and look nice  I honestly dont need it though to only plug 2 things into it. Serious overkill since they usually have 8 or more sockets in them.

I have an "under the desk" giant power surge unit with battery backup that I had for my computers, so my gear is plugged into that. I would probably get at least a $15 surge protector for under your desk, but I wouldn't go crazy with a rackmount one unless you travel with it.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Scrolling thru presets just playing around. Found the Fryette D60. Holy ..... This thing is awesome. Changed up a couple things and added a Mark EQ, just devastating. Love that one.


----------



## Andromalia

fremen said:


> ...



I only fooled around with the first bank and that's some serious work, thanks for sharing.


----------



## bcolville

I've got a question for everyone:

Do you find yourself almost always going to the same amp model and cab combination when recording?

I have an ultra and I always end up using a recto and v30 412. I've tried reamping through a ton of different amp/cab combinations and post eq'd them. Always go back to a recto. Makes me think I could really go for a real one and a torpedo live since I don't use anything else really.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Not me....I do a lot of different stuff for myself and for different forums as far as drumjams go. Depends on which guitars I'm using too.....I have a couple LPs, one with EMGs and one with BKPs, a baritone, an EVH Stealth....they all have dedicated patches dialed for those guitars and none of them use the same amps.

I use Rectos blended with something else (Deliverance, HBE, whatever) for metal stuff, Two Rocks and Gibsons for blues for jams on MLP, and a whole ton of different stuff for the ambient shizz I do. I'd need a ton of different amps and FX for everything I record and jam with.

A lot of times I'll just use one amp model and use a different cab for tracking R and L, too.

If all you really use is a Recto then yeah, that sounds like a viable solution, especially if you could use that and then reamp whatever else using plugins if you wanted to, just for variety in your tracks...

Make sure whatever amp you choose matches up with the Live though....you can't change the impedance on it, and it's 8 ohms....I can't remember if you can switch it on a Recto; been a couple years since I had one last.

EDIT: just checked the online manual and they run 8 ohms.


----------



## Andromalia

Fractal issue amps faster than I can really try them anyway. I do try all kinds of weird stuff, using the Dumble with a metal zone for exemple


----------



## Shask

I dont only use 1 amp model, but I do find that I only use the same 5 or so most of the time.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Andromalia said:


> Fractal issue amps faster than I can really try them anyway. I do try all kinds of weird stuff, using the Dumble with a metal zone for exemple



Dude I totally did a clip like that; Dumble with an OD in front, using a LP with EMGs and did a metal jam. Was cool.


----------



## Shask

steinmetzify said:


> Dude I totally did a clip like that; Dumble with an OD in front, using a LP with EMGs and did a metal jam. Was cool.



That is something I want to play with more, if I ever have time.....

I want to mess with more mid gain amps being pushed hard with drive ODs.

I remember on the old PODs some of my favorite high gain sounds were made this way since the high gain stuff was sometimes


----------



## bcolville

I've had interesting results with pushing a FAS Crunch with a real TS9. Definitely has a unique gain structure. Another cool combo is blending a mid gain amp for the lows with a higher gain amp for the highs.


----------



## BillMurray

I hope this is the relevant place to pose such a question. 

I cannot afford a brand new Axe FX II, however, I might be able to purchase a secondhand one. This might be a bit of a stupid question, but will a second hand Axe FX II that's four years old not sound as good as it did when it was new?

Does the sound quality of these things deteriorate over time? Is it worth getting a secondhand one? It's been used for over 400 gigs, kept in a hard case and looks in reasonable condition. 

My initial thought on this is that the sound quality will not deteriorate as it is a digital effects processor. 

Thanks in advance for any response.


----------



## VBCheeseGrater

Like just about anything digital, it should either sound the same as when it was new, or not work at all. Of course the analog components like knobs and buttons on anything can always fail, but as far as sound quality, i can't imagine any situation where it would produce sound any differently than when new.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Yeah, dude uses top quality components. There are still Standards out there running fine with zero issues. 

I've never heard of an 'old AxeFx' issue. If you'd like to get more in depth, post that question on the FAS forum...the guy that designed it and builds them could probably set your mind at ease; he posts there frequently and would probably answer your question personally.

FWIW I bought mine used and it never occurred to me not to.


----------



## Shask

If anything, it will sound better now, because there have been a ton of firmware updates in the last 4 years....


----------



## Tyler

Hey guys, so I just got an Axe Fx II Mk II from a member on here, and everything works fine except for the output knobs dont lower or raise the volume at all. On my old Mk I they did, but I have to adjust my monitor's volume if I want to lower or raise anything. I reset all of the parameters and updated to the latest firmware and no matter what position the outpout knobs are at, nothing changes.

And Im running them balanced via XLRs to the monitors which shouldnt have anything to do with that.

Anybody have a clue to what it is?


----------



## Shask

That is kind of weird. I have never seen that happen.

I dont know about using the XLRs though. I have never used those. Use the 1/4" outs and see if it works the same. I know some units have a fixed XLR output volume.


----------



## Tyler

Hmm, yeah I'll try that. Although thats a strange thing to have if it is the case. And I havent seen any other models with this issue either which is why Im puzzled. I dont think its a malfunctioned part, but I may end up emailing fractal about it.


----------



## Shask

Tyler said:


> Hmm, yeah I'll try that. Although thats a strange thing to have if it is the case. And I havent seen any other models with this issue either which is why Im puzzled. I dont think its a malfunctioned part, but I may end up emailing fractal about it.




Also stick the FX loop block last in your chain, and try to go out output 2 and use output volume knob 2. See if you have the same problem.


----------



## Tyler

Shask said:


> Also stick the FX loop block last in your chain, and try to go out output 2 and use output volume knob 2. See if you have the same problem.



Yep still no response. All other buttons are functional though, really unsure of this issue


----------



## mnemonic

Go into the Utility menu (Utility button on the front of the unit) and page right until you get to the VU page. On the bottom right of the screen it should show in percent what the outputs are set at. Does this change when you sweep the knobs? 

I have my speaker plugged into Output 1 Unbalanced Left, and the Output 1 level controls volume. It also controls headphone volume. 

if all else fails, the knobs may just be damaged.


----------



## Shask

Tyler said:


> Yep still no response. All other buttons are functional though, really unsure of this issue



If you feel confident in opening the unit, you could open the top and see if a connector that goes to the little circuit board that output knobs are mounted on has come loose. Unplug it, and plug it back in.

See this picture. See the grey wires on the right? I am talking about those. Unplug/Plug those in snugly.








EDIT: Upon second thought, those might only be for the headphone and input jacks. Hmmm... Not sure what else. It would probably be best to Email Fractal and see what they say......


----------



## Tyler

mnemonic said:


> Go into the Utility menu (Utility button on the front of the unit) and page right until you get to the VU page. On the bottom right of the screen it should show in percent what the outputs are set at. Does this change when you sweep the knobs?
> 
> I have my speaker plugged into Output 1 Unbalanced Left, and the Output 1 level controls volume. It also controls headphone volume.
> 
> if all else fails, the knobs may just be damaged.



Just did this and Output 1 is stuck at 90% volume. Kinda bummed this wasnt listed in the sale ad, but the seller may not have known. Either way I'm gonna try to get some compensation and then probably have to send it off to Fractal and not risk voiding (if there is one) a warranty by opening it myself.


----------



## Kyleb1130

Okay, i hope to buy an Axe FX Ultra or the Axe FX II by the end of this year. No guarantee's though. I don't know a whole lot about them but i know enough to know that i want one ha. The one thing i want to know at the moment is what i can hook it up to for the audio. I have a small Marshall MG15 amp and i was just planning on using the Axe FX and using one of the amps and creating my own patch. So could i just get an Axe FX and like maybe a 4x12 guitar Cabinet or smaller and just hook the Axe Fx into the cab and not use the cab function on the axe FX and be done with it or? Im pretty much trying to go the easiest way without having to get mics and/or a mixing board and all that. 

- Thank you


----------



## Shask

Kyleb1130 said:


> Okay, i hope to buy an Axe FX Ultra or the Axe FX II by the end of this year. No guarantee's though. I don't know a whole lot about them but i know enough to know that i want one ha. The one thing i want to know at the moment is what i can hook it up to for the audio. I have a small Marshall MG15 amp and i was just planning on using the Axe FX and using one of the amps and creating my own patch. So could i just get an Axe FX and like maybe a 4x12 guitar Cabinet or smaller and just hook the Axe Fx into the cab and not use the cab function on the axe FX and be done with it or? Im pretty much trying to go the easiest way without having to get mics and/or a mixing board and all that.
> 
> - Thank you



You also need a power amp to plug it into a cab.


----------



## Tyler

Got an email from fractal saying it had to be replaced. Still waiting for the seller to get online and respond to work something out. It would be $40 to replace plus shipping both ways, which I really wish was listed in the sale description.


----------



## lewstherin006

Tyler said:


> Got an email from fractal saying it had to be replaced. Still waiting for the seller to get online and respond to work something out. It would be $40 to replace plus shipping both ways, which I really wish was listed in the sale description.



if the buyer doesnt help you out, leave him negative feed back and burn him hard. That will teach him. Even if he didnt know about it or didnt check it, it is on him to make it right.


----------



## mnemonic

Kyleb1130 said:


> Okay, i hope to buy an Axe FX Ultra or the Axe FX II by the end of this year. No guarantee's though. I don't know a whole lot about them but i know enough to know that i want one ha. The one thing i want to know at the moment is what i can hook it up to for the audio. I have a small Marshall MG15 amp and i was just planning on using the Axe FX and using one of the amps and creating my own patch. So could i just get an Axe FX and like maybe a 4x12 guitar Cabinet or smaller and just hook the Axe Fx into the cab and not use the cab function on the axe FX and be done with it or? Im pretty much trying to go the easiest way without having to get mics and/or a mixing board and all that.
> 
> - Thank you



If you get an Axe FX II, there is no need for a mixing board, or anything like that. 

Before getting into what you need, let me clarify the parts needed to make an amp. You have the Preamp, the Poweramp, and the Speaker Cabinet.

The preamp is the source of (most of) the sound. This is where the distortion comes from and where the EQ is. The poweramp makes it loud enough to hear, this is where the Master, Resonance and Presence controls are. it also imparts a certain distortion/compression/eq into the tone. The cabinet is where the speakers are, that part is simple. Your marshall MG is all of these in one (combo amp).

The Axe FX (Ultra and II) is only a Preamp. It includes poweramp modeling and cab modeling, meaning it simulates how these things affect the sound, however you still need a separate poweramp to make it loud, and a cabinet to project the sound. 

There are two schools of thought when it comes to modelers; those who use the modeler for the full chain, including preamp/poweramp/cabinet sound, and then running the Axe FX direct into a PA speaker or studio monitors. The second school of thought involves turning off cab modeling and using a physical guitar cab (1x12, 2x12, 4x12, whatever you want). The second method is easier, since you don't have to mess around with impulses, finding the one that is right for you, you just need a cab you like. It is less flexible though, as you're stuck with one cabinet sound. You can use a solidstate poweramp that doesn't affect the tone (or at least, doesn't affect the tone _much_), or you can use a tube poweramp (and turn off poweramp modeling in the Axe FX). But again, this reduces the units flexibility, since you're now stuck with all the associated downsides of a tube poweramp, like weight, the affect on the tone (one poweramp sound versus the many available from the Axe FX), the change in tone depending on the volume, etc. 


So, you get an Axe FX, what do you need to make it loud? If you want maximum flexibility, just get a Powered PA speaker. A powered PA speaker contains a solidstate poweramp (designed to be flat response) which feeds into a PA woofer and tweeter (designed to be full range). Therefore, full range, flat response, or FRFR. You may see FRFR mentioned, this is what it means. Studio monitors are also FRFR. Powered studio monitors can also be plugged direct into the output on the back of the Axe FX. 

Bare in mind, Passive PA speakers and Passive Studio Monitors do exist, you need a seperate poweramp with these. 

If you want to skip using impulses/cab models, you can get a guitar cabinet of your choice, like you said above. Guitar cabinets are not FRFR, nowhere near in fact, so you want to make sure Cab Modeling is OFF in the Axe FX. If it's on, it will make everything sound bad. Dark, muddy, rumbly, since you're essentially running one cab into another.

So where do you start with poweramps to run into the cabinet? I would recommend a solidstate poweramp so you can take advantage of the poweramp modeling in the Axe FX, and not worry about needing it to be a certain volume to sound good. I don't have a ton of experience in solidstate poweramps, but I have heard good things about Matrix (I think this is one of the expensive options), and ISP, QSC, Rocktron velocity, etc. Someone more knowledgeable in this arena can help.


Axe FX II does have additional advantages regarding inputs/outputs. The Axe FX has a headphone output, as well as a USB interface built in, so you can plug USB direct into the computer. You can record silently over USB as well as edit tones using the Axe Edit program. The Standard/Ultra has neither of these, so you need an external headphone amp to use headphones, and a USB audio interface to record direct. You can still use Axe Edit to edit patches but I think you may need a midi interface or something? I've never used a Standard/Ultra, I got on board with the II.


----------



## Elric

Kyleb1130 said:


> Okay, i hope to buy an Axe FX Ultra or the Axe FX II by the end of this year. No guarantee's though. I don't know a whole lot about them but i know enough to know that i want one ha. The one thing i want to know at the moment is what i can hook it up to for the audio. I have a small Marshall MG15 amp and i was just planning on using the Axe FX and using one of the amps and creating my own patch. So could i just get an Axe FX and like maybe a 4x12 guitar Cabinet or smaller and just hook the Axe Fx into the cab and not use the cab function on the axe FX and be done with it or? Im pretty much trying to go the easiest way without having to get mics and/or a mixing board and all that.
> 
> - Thank you


You could use just headphones and have the world's best/most expensive headphone amp. 

Seriously though, you'll probably want a powered monitor at a minimum. With a 4x12 you'd still need a power amp.


----------



## Adam Of Angels

lewstherin006 said:


> if the buyer doesnt help you out, leave him negative feed back and burn him hard. That will teach him. Even if he didnt know about it or didnt check it, it is on him to make it right.




Yeah, make sure the seller makes it right, but there's no reason to burn the seller if he makes it right. It sounds to me like something the seller wasn't aware of, or could have maybe even happened during shipping. 99% of the time, these issues are easily resolved, assuming both parties stay civil.

I actually had something similar happen to an Ultra I received from somebody a long while back. I ended up just reversing the trade with the guy, but it ended up being something goofy like a dirty contact or some other cheap fix. I don't really know anything about electronics, obviously


----------



## lewstherin006

It prolly will actually cost you more in shipping than to actually get the unit fixed.


----------



## Tyler

lewstherin006 said:


> It prolly will actually cost you more in shipping than to actually get the unit fixed.



Yeah the guy said he didnt even know it was an issue, but was aware of it. I only knew it was because I had an Axe before and remembered actively using the output knob. Havent heard from him in a few days again, so no details have been worked out for how this will be handled. It came in the original packaging and the mold, so I think it was busted from the beginning when he first got it from Fractal and he just didnt know about it.


----------



## mongey

Been trying out my xl with the band and working out best way to do it. Got to play through a qsc k12 last night and it blew me away. Wasn't sure what to expect as I haven't used a frfr before and I thought it slayed.


----------



## Steinmetzify

19.01 is up....includes a 'Dephase' parameter that is supposed to take the phase cancellation out or something? Anyone try this yet?


----------



## Mr_Marty

steinmetzify said:


> 19.01 is up....includes a 'Dephase' parameter that is supposed to take the phase cancellation out or something? Anyone try this yet?



I've tried it. It is very cool.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Don't know about upgrading just for that though. Is it a huge CPU hog?


----------



## mongey

steinmetzify said:


> Don't know about upgrading just for that though. Is it a huge CPU hog?




Yek said on the forum it adds 2% when you turn it on and play. Not too bad. 

It's interesting this has come out Same day as the kemper pure cab thing. Seems to be very similar ideas

I'm gonna install it today to check out.


----------



## mongey

so just had a play with the dephase and I like what it does .over 5 it got a little too smooth but def a great addition. at 5 it just seeks to take a little rough edge away from the IR and does give it a bit more amp in the room sound

I was only using it with my aka's so I need to pump it into the studio monitors later to really see


----------



## thesockmonster

Mesa 2:90 vs Matrix SS poweramps. Go.

I have a Matrix GT1000FX now, and I find it doesn't have the punch of my other tube amps. Comparisons/opinions?


----------



## thesockmonster

*New to recording...Axe FX II with Scarlett 2i2 low monitor output*

I'm new to recording, and my overall goal is to run this setup:

Axe FX II > Scarlett Line Input > USB to PC > Scarlett Output to 2X Yamaha HS5.

I've got VERY little latency right now, which is great. Problem is, I'm getting extremely low monitor output from the Scarlett, even with the Monitor knob almost maxed. Axe > HS5 direct is hella loud, so it's not the HS5s.

Any suggestions? Is this just how the Scarletts are, with low output? Should I try another interface?


----------



## guitarfishbay

thesockmonster said:


> Mesa 2:90 vs Matrix SS poweramps. Go.
> 
> I have a Matrix GT1000FX now, and I find it doesn't have the punch of my other tube amps. Comparisons/opinions?



Do you know your cab's resonant frequency? It makes a big difference with an SS power amp, especially to punch. Read here - About Speaker LF Resonance


----------



## Tyler

thesockmonster said:


> *New to recording...Axe FX II with Scarlett 2i2 low monitor output*
> 
> I'm new to recording, and my overall goal is to run this setup:
> 
> Axe FX II > Scarlett Line Input > USB to PC > Scarlett Output to 2X Yamaha HS5.
> 
> I've got VERY little latency right now, which is great. Problem is, I'm getting extremely low monitor output from the Scarlett, even with the Monitor knob almost maxed. Axe > HS5 direct is hella loud, so it's not the HS5s.
> 
> Any suggestions? Is this just how the Scarletts are, with low output? Should I try another interface?



sounds like your 2i2 is a dud, definitely not like that usually


----------



## thesockmonster

Tyler said:


> sounds like your 2i2 is a dud, definitely not like that usually



Figured it out, combination of a bad unit/bad cables. Switched out the unit, grabbed new TRS/XLS cables, all good now.


----------



## haffner1

Latest beta added 512 more user cab slots for XL and XL+!


----------



## Syrinx

haffner1 said:


> Latest beta added 512 more user cab slots for XL and XL+!



I think that was written out incorrectly by whoever reported it. It should be from 512->768 now so another 256 based on a post from Cliff today.


----------



## haffner1

Syrinx said:


> I think that was written out incorrectly by whoever reported it. It should be from 512->768 now so another 256 based on a post from Cliff today.



Nope. The original request was for it to match the number of presets, but he went beyond that. I have the beta installed and it shows an additional 512 on mine.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Saw a post on FAS today where Cliff said they're working on integrating AxeEdit with Axechange. Think it'd be cool as hell to have those all in there to demo whenever I felt like it.


----------



## Andromalia

That'd be pretty nice, doing that today is a bit clunky with the downloading and opening of files.


----------



## Contagion

I'm looking at getting one and I need to know if I could run it to a 100w PA speaker and have that on stage for me to hear, and also run the Axe to the FOH. Would that be sufficient?


----------



## Rap Hat

I was getting kinda fed up with my AxeFX Ultra patch-switching setup today (all I have is a single footswitch, so all I can do is go up one patch per press), so I sat down and within 2 minutes had figured out how to change patches live in Ableton Live 9! It's definitely one of the coolest things. I have my backing tracks all programmed so I can load up a song and instantly play along, it'll already be on the proper patch and all the changes are in place.

It's gonna take a while to program it for all songs, but I have my most played ones done so I can do solo coffee shop metal jams with a minimal amount of gear (guitar, AxeFX, laptop, Scarlett 2i4, and speakers).


----------



## remus1710

hi... i m new here... and i have the opportunity to trade something for an axe fx ultra... and i don't know what to do... i only play home in my little home studio... and i plan to upgrade some things to be easier to record... so i want something digital... so my question is... is the ultra still good? (with the II and the XL out) can i practice with some studio monitos (i have some yamaha hs7)... what should i watch carefully when buying an axe fx used? thx guys


----------



## EarlWellington

I've been using the Axe Fx 2 for a year and a half and recently got a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 to use with my computer and monitors.

The setup is:
Guitar > Axe Fx
Axe Fx output 1 (XLR L and R) > 2i2 Inputs (1 and 2)
2i2 (L and R) > 2 x Monitors

The issue I have is that the Left output from the Axe Fx is coming out in stereo (rather than panned left as it is setup within the Axe Fx) from the monitors, and vice versa. I have checked that the IO settings are set for stereo ouput. Previously when it was just the Axe Fx to the monitors the Left track was panned fully left, and the right fully right. Now they are blended together despite the use of two outputs to the two inputs of the 2i2. 

Any pointers?


----------



## mongey

EarlWellington said:


> I've been using the Axe Fx 2 for a year and a half and recently got a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 to use with my computer and monitors.
> 
> The setup is:
> Guitar > Axe Fx
> Axe Fx output 1 (XLR L and R) > 2i2 Inputs (1 and 2)
> 2i2 (L and R) > 2 x Monitors
> 
> The issue I have is that the Left output from the Axe Fx is coming out in stereo (rather than panned left as it is setup within the Axe Fx) from the monitors, and vice versa. I have checked that the IO settings are set for stereo ouput. Previously when it was just the Axe Fx to the monitors the Left track was panned fully left, and the right fully right. Now they are blended together despite the use of two outputs to the two inputs of the 2i2.
> 
> Any pointers?



sounds normal to me. You need to pan the patch in the axe fx or run the l and r to 2 separate tracks in your daw and pan those.


----------



## Volteau

Hey guys,

So this is odd. I'm running into a few problems with the Axe Fx 2 in relation to Reaper and also a driver issue. First off, I was recording some clean guitars with Reaper using the Axe 2, and everything sounded fine. I close the project up and come back a few hours later just to find that the clean tracks started popping. I thought that was odd, but didn't give it much thought. Then I realized something weird; when Reaper wasn't running, the clean effects in the Axe sounded just fine, but once I opened Reaper up, it started crackling and popping a bit. 

So I thought it was a driver-corruption issue. I uninstalled and installed the Axe driver, except it didn't allow me to properly install it, as it gave me an Error 125 code. I can still hear my guitar through it, but neither the Axe Edit probram nor does Axe Bot are able to read it.

Any idea what the Error 125 stands for? Anyone had this problem with Reaper before?


Thanks,

-Volt

Edit: Solved the driver issue (had to extract the install file from 7-zip and into a folder, hit on run as administrator, and it all worked fine). Reaper issue still persists though.


----------



## mongey

damn. Looks like cliff is starting again from scratch 

Axe-Fx II "Quantum" Rev 1.00 Public Beta


----------



## Steinmetzify

Mind. 

A little bit blown. 

Kind of stoked to hear this, but my stuff sounds so good right now I really don't want to mess with anything. Haven't even tried the 20 beta.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

So we are onto G4 amp modelling now? 

These updates are getting a bit much but if its better than previous firmwares then happy days. I still think Firmware 9 was the best for hi-gain.


----------



## mnemonic

Damn, G3 only just dropped and FW20 didn't even get out of beta before this update. Updates have always been plentiful, but he seems to have really picked up pace lately. 

I'm still on 18 since I haven't really been bothered to try the new features and I like my tone right now. May check out this new one later on if I get bored.


----------



## DropTheSun

I've purchased Bias Desktop and was wondering if i record my dry signal right in my daw with axe fx 2. I've made a empty preset where the input gate is OFF and the grid has only empty blocks going in to out. Is this the right way to use axe fx 2 as an audio interface for other guitar plugins?


----------



## Nick

thesockmonster said:


> *New to recording...Axe FX II with Scarlett 2i2 low monitor output*
> 
> I'm new to recording, and my overall goal is to run this setup:
> 
> Axe FX II > Scarlett Line Input > USB to PC > Scarlett Output to 2X Yamaha HS5.
> 
> I've got VERY little latency right now, which is great. Problem is, I'm getting extremely low monitor output from the Scarlett, even with the Monitor knob almost maxed. Axe > HS5 direct is hella loud, so it's not the HS5s.
> 
> Any suggestions? Is this just how the Scarletts are, with low output? Should I try another interface?



the scarletts preamps are nice for the money but they distort at a really low volume when you are running the axe fx into them. I have the same issue and just live with the fact I cant blow the windows out even though Im in a situation where I can play as loud as I like.


----------



## Webmaestro

thesockmonster said:


> *New to recording...Axe FX II with Scarlett 2i2 low monitor output*
> 
> I'm new to recording, and my overall goal is to run this setup:
> 
> Axe FX II > Scarlett Line Input > USB to PC > Scarlett Output to 2X Yamaha HS5.
> 
> I've got VERY little latency right now, which is great. Problem is, I'm getting extremely low monitor output from the Scarlett, even with the Monitor knob almost maxed. Axe > HS5 direct is hella loud, so it's not the HS5s.
> 
> Any suggestions? Is this just how the Scarletts are, with low output? Should I try another interface?



I have almost an identical setup, except I have the Scarlett 2i4 and HS8's. I'm routed exactly like you are and I can get loud enough to blow the monitor speakers if I want (in theory--never actually tried), so it's definitely not "just how the Scarlett's are."

I took a look at some 2i2 photos, and you have a couple less knobs than I do. Otherwise, I was going to ask you if you had your "Direct Monitor" set properly. Looks like the 2i2 is either on or off, instead of having an adjustment knob like mine does (mine also has a stereo/mono option toggle for Direct Monitor, so I'm no help there either).

Still though, this definitely doesn't sound right. The HS5's are powered monitors, right?

Assuming you've got the Scarlett set right, with the individual gain knobs up, I have to think there's an output setting on the AFx that's not right. So hard to say without being able to look at your setup.


----------



## DeathChord

Hey guys, I need some help and advice on how to get this doon.

I want to purchase and axe Fx Ultra and have wanted to make this move for a long time, I have the money in budget for a used unit about 1200 but considering I have never had one of these I need to ask the experts 
I spend most of my time playing at home with my headphone plugged into my GT10 and running that through my computer to record using Cakewalk. So as you can tell I like things simple, as I'd much rather spend my time playing an/or working on my tone.

So here is what I'm up against...thoughts on the Ultra and what do I need to do to get the sound to my headphones as I noticed there is no jack for that?

I don't have the cash to go out and by some $700 QSC 12 setup so and help or suggestions on how to get this done would be appreciated.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Can't help with your headphone issue, but I wanna ask...any way at all you can wait and save up another $400-$500 and grab a used II? Headphone out, USB recording with NO interface needed (which you'll need for the Ultra), updates that the Ultra doesn't have anymore.....it's really worth the wait for the functionality if you can, man. 

They're actually coming down in price since the XL+ showed out....I've seen a bunch at $1600 and a couple at $1500 over the last couple months.

Not that the Ultra isn't a good unit, but the problems you're asking about are nonexistent in the II, and I wouldn't want to see you grab something faster and cheaper when you could have something more right for you, for the long run, if you just wait a bit longer. They're going to update the FW for at least a couple more years on the II, give or take a few, and they're already done with the Ultra. Also, playing my buddy's Ultra against my II with both of us being Axe noobs, the II is a .... ton easier to dial in.

Just some thoughts. Good luck on whatever you decide.

EDIT: I'd think for the headphone issue you could run a line to an interface and run phones out of that....if you already have a decent interface then right on...if not you'd have to wait.


----------



## thesockmonster

I've got a MK I MFC that's worked perfectly since I bought it used about 6mo ago. I haven't turned it on in about 3 weeks...went to fire it up today (I only use the ethernet connection to an Axe FX II), and it's completely unresponsive. I've opened it up to ensure and verify that all ribbon cables are seated properly. No display, no LEDs. Have tried multiple CAT5 cables.

Even if it works on the wall wart, I really need the CAT5 solution...may be a bad socket. I'm working with Fractal, waiting on a response. Any ideas?


----------



## Steinmetzify

Dude that does cab packs for Fractal (Clark Kent/Mikko Logren/ML SoundLabs) designed a patch bundle with a patch and an IR built in....he recorded an album not too long ago using a Mark IV and had to reamp one of his tracks, so he just set the Axe at the same settings and used the IRs he'd shot when they mic'd the cabs. He asked for clips so I just chucked this one up. I only adjusted the level, didn't change the patch at all, so there's a ton of gain. 1 L and 1 R, same preset. Patch is totally usable; I hope he starts doing more of these in addition to the cab packs...

Used this 8 in drop E for some chug:



M8M copy by Scott Steinmetz, on Flickr

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/chug8mlmikko[/SC]


----------



## lewstherin006

steinmetzify said:


> Dude that does cab packs for Fractal (Clark Kent/Mikko Logren/ML SoundLabs) designed a patch bundle with a patch and an IR built in....he recorded an album not too long ago using a Mark IV and had to reamp one of his tracks, so he just set the Axe at the same settings and used the IRs he'd shot when they mic'd the cabs. He asked for clips so I just chucked this one up. I only adjusted the level, didn't change the patch at all, so there's a ton of gain. 1 L and 1 R, same preset. Patch is totally usable; I hope he starts doing more of these in addition to the cab packs...
> 
> Used this 8 in drop E for some chug:
> 
> 
> 
> M8M copy by Scott Steinmetz, on Flickr
> 
> [SC]https://soundcloud.com/steinmetzify/chug8mlmikko[/SC]




He is also holding a contest with his IRs. Just upload something to youtube or soundcloud and take it MLsoundlab.


----------



## Steinmetzify

That's cool, what's the prize?


----------



## lewstherin006

steinmetzify said:


> That's cool, what's the prize?



One of his cab packs for free!


----------



## Steinmetzify

Sweet!


----------



## lewstherin006

New firmware! We are back at 1!


Axe-Fx II "Quantum" Rev 1.00 Firmware Release


This is the initial release of our Quantum firmware. Quantum represents a milestone in amplifier modeling technology. Our new Real-Time Spice (RTS) algorithms offer a degree of accuracy not found in any other product. Below are the significant changes/additions from the previous non-Quantum firmware.

Added Dephase control to Cabinet block. This parameter controls a sophisticated process that removes the phasiness from IRs and can yield a more in the room experience. Note that the processing required is extreme and the control can have some lag. No extra CPU usage or audio latency, however, is incurred.

New RTS triode models. There are three new triode models based on our new algorithms: 12AX7A (default), ECC83 and 7025. The previous models are still available and may be selected with the Pre Tube Type parameter. Note that the models have all shifted and if you were using a model other than default previously you will need to adjust your preset to the desired model.

The CF Comp parameter has been renamed Preamp Comp to better explain its function.

Added new Preamp Compressor Type Comp Type parameter to amp block. There is a new menu page that contains Preamp Comp, Comp Type, Dynamics, Preamp Bias and Output Level (the last repeated from other menus for convenience). Preamp Comp Type selects between Authentic, which accurately models the compression in a tube amp, and Ideal which is an idealized distorting compressor. The idealized type is more focused and has tighter bass whereas the authentic type is bolder and looser. High gain players may prefer the ideal type due to its tight character.

Added a new mode to the Character controls in the Amp block. A Char Type of Dynamic engages an exciting new mode of tone control. This can be used to fatten or scoop the tone as a function of picking strength. For example, set the Type to Dynamic, Char Freq to 450.0, Char Q to 0.7 and Char Amt to 4.0. This will cause the tone to get fatter and thicker as you play hard but without getting honky when playing soft.

Added four JMPre-1 models based on a Marshall JMP-1 rack preamp. The existing Brit Pre model was not changed as it is used by several prominent A-list artists. Instead, four new models were added. The models with BS in the name indicate that the Bass Shift function is engaged. Note that the model defaults to the power amp simulation active. The power amp model is based on a typical Marshall 100W power amp of that era.

Added 512 more User Cab slots to XL and XL+ models.

Added 20 new Cabinet models (XL and XL+ versions only) from our Universal Noise Studios 4x12 cabinet pack. These IRs are specifically intended to be used in mixes in the box. Mix two IRs from each cab for a myriad of sonic textures.

Fixed Dry Delay Shift parameter not working in Flanger block. The parameter has been renamed to Dry Delay and works differently (and more intuitively). The parameter now sets the delay time of the dry signal as a percentage of the maximum delay time of the wet signal. For classic thru-zero flanging this parameter should be set to 50%. For interesting new sounds experiment with lower or higher values. Note that this parameter has no effect if Through Zero is set to Off.

Fixed smallest LCD font having a smiley face for left bracket character.


Did a quicktone test with my Mark IV patch. Low end is so much more responsive

[SC]https://soundcloud.com/lucaslecompte/axe-fx-2-quantum-firmware-tone-test[/SC]


----------



## asher

Real-Time Spice 

For real, I gotta check this out soon.


----------



## mnemonic

asher said:


> Real-Time Spice



spice must flow


----------



## Shask

asher said:


> Real-Time Spice
> 
> For real, I gotta check this out soon.



pspice is a well known electronic circuit simulator that is used in the design of electronic circuits. I assumed that is what the spice referred to...


----------



## Steinmetzify

Can't do it until they release a FW for it. I need the Axe Edit!


----------



## mongey

steinmetzify said:


> Can't do it until they release a FW for it. I need the Axe Edit!




Official fw is out and so is new axe edit.


----------



## asher

Shask said:


> pspice is a well known electronic circuit simulator that is used in the design of electronic circuits. I assumed that is what the spice referred to...



I'm sure there's a good reason for it, but it sure as hell sounds silly otherwise


----------



## crg123

fyi I had to do a settings> refresh after new firmware for the new tube types to show up in axe edit. 

This update is amazing. He completely redid the Diezels btw. They sound so much better.


----------



## Double A

I can't get a good tone out of the diezels for some reason. But the Savage models are amazing. This patch made some of my patches crap and some of them incredible, it is kinda weird. The dephase thing he added is pretty incredible, though.

I just picked up the ML studio Bulb irs and those are really so very good. I have loved all of the ML irs including his free ones. I don't know what he does but it is a bit of magic.


----------



## Steinmetzify

mongey said:


> Official fw is out and so is new axe edit.



Score. I'll update tomorrow morning. Thanks for the info!


----------



## mongey

How you guys feeling about quantum? I'm away on holidays till Wednesday so won't get a chance to try it till then. 

I liked the beta but I didn't rave about it as much as some.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Updated. Don't much care about the tones but admittedly I'm hammered. Don't hear much difference.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Ok......after a couple hours difference....I hear a MASSIVE difference in the low mid amps, I.E. the Mesas....which is one of the reasons I bought this motha....a.....at 19... I love tracking and playing with the AxeII...after this, I don't much care. Could I mess with the patches? Yeah.

Did I need to after 19? Nah....am I gonna stick with this? Nope. I'm going back to 19, where the Mesas ruled. It seems to me dude updates the high mids and the low mids every other update...and I ain't havin it. I don't give a sick fvck about the Marshall crap as I ain't lovin the '80s BS....to me, the '80s ain't metal and never will be.....they sound like Motley Crue in the late '80s./early 90s....and just nope. I don't care who he is or what he's done....he doesn't get to pick how I sound, no matter what his fanbois say...


----------



## mnemonic

Haha, interesting take. I haven't tried it yet, but I am super happy with my tone at the moment (I think I'm still on one of the FW19 betas) and I almost exclusively use Mesa models - mostly the recto. So I may hold off for now until I get bored, or have a spare afternoon to just mess around.


----------



## Shask

I tried QBeta, but not Q1 yet. I hope I have a little time to mess with it this weekend. Work and School kill me so much I rarely have time to play 


Honestly, the last few updates sound similar to me. I hear small changes, but not much a few knob tweaks wouldn't change. However, I do notice feel changes. It seems like each update adds a little more dynamic thump. It doesn't quite match the deep thump my Triple Recto has yet, but it is getting better.


I haven't got to try De-phase yet either. I hope to play with that this weekend. I mostly play through an amp and cab, but have to check out the cab updates from time to time.


----------



## Double A

Dephase is easily the best part of this update and it is pretty much worth it to upgrade for that alone.

I am in the meh camp with the tones though. Something happened that made all of my patches that used to be at roughly the same volume to become all out of whack so that kinda pissed me off. I retweaked my main patches and haven't touched the secondary patches I have that are screwed up volume wise.


----------



## incinerated_guitar

So I'm sure this has been asked on this page before, but I'm curious to know and don't really feel like searching through tons of pages to find it sooo...

How big of a DSP difference is there between the Ultra and the 2XL? Is the $1000 price difference justifiable by the DSP difference? I've finally decided to make the switch to an Axe FX after filling up my Pedaltrain Pro full of pedals and realizing I still needed more sounds (shoegaze guitarist lol). My typical "heavy" load in terms of DSP would probably consist of An amp block, the effects loop (love my fuzzrocious rat king, so I'd use it with the axe in the loop) a pitch block, delay block, reverb block, and chorus block. Would the Axe Ultra handle that load pretty well? I plan on sticking with the poweramp and cab setup for it, so I don't need to run a cab block, too. If anything, going with the Ultra would help ease my wallet quite a bit instead of the 2XL. I'd still like the XL, but being as this is gonna be my first initial step into the Axe world, I'm a little hesitant to drop $2k on the unit on TOP of the rest of the stuff I'm running in the rack.

Thanks!


----------



## Shask

The biggest difference is that the Ultra was "old" system and the II is the "new" system. The II has much different firmware than the old Ultra and Standard. There is a difference in DSP, but that is not the biggest difference. The programming is completely different in the II.

As far as effects, the biggest difference is the Ultra just has "Chorus", "Delay", etc... where all of the effects have a lot of parameters to get different sounds. The II has Types, so you can select "80s Chorus", or "Analog Chorus", etc.... so there are a much wider variety of effects sounds.

The amp models are not even close to the same.


----------



## incinerated_guitar

While I understand all those aspects of it, my question was more along the lines of "is it easy to overload the ultra". I know that the 2 is superior, but I still really like the tones from the ultra, too. My main uses don't expand much beyond a clean amp with lots of effects or distorted amp with my fuzzrocious making everything muddy as .... lol. So having the best tone ever isn't a huge worry. I also plan on picking up an Alesis quadraverb (for reverse reverbs). I just wanna know if the Ultra has plenty of DSP for a huge effects load. I'm still buying quite a bit of stuff for my rack, so the ultra vs 2 is the difference between a $2200 rack and a $3500 rack lol.


----------



## asher

Yup, it can do plenty thick effects loads on patches.


----------



## mnemonic

IIRC, the II now has much higher resolution effects than the Ultra, so that may be a point to consider. 

You can overload the II as well with everything set to the highest quality (Ultra res cabs, high res reverbs, high res mic preamps, multiple amps). But using the 'economy' modes (likely similar to the Ultra, I would guess, as the high res versions are fairly new, as of this year) you can fit a lot more stuff in a preset.

There are some complaining threads on the Axe FX forum since the new high res stuff has come out, as some people who try to fit all of their tones into a single preset are maxing out the DSP when they set everything to high quality. 

If you get an Ultra, you could probably resell it for similar to what you paid, also. If it can't handle as much as you want to throw at it.


----------



## Shask

Yeah, I actually find it much easier to overload the II since many things have a High Quality setting now. You use the cabs in Ultrares, the Reverb in High Resolution, the Preamps in High Quality, etc.... you can max it out without hardly any blocks.


Back when I had a Standard, I would put like 20 effects in a row and still have more CPU left, lol. I am sure the Ultra could do that even easier.


----------



## incinerated_guitar

Awesome! That's exactly what I wanted to know. Looks like I'll be going with the ultra then, thanks guys!!


----------



## Steinmetzify

Fremen uploaded his banks for Quantum a few days ago. Grabbed em tonight and they sound fantastic. I love that guy.


----------



## asher

steinmetzify said:


> Fremen uploaded his banks for Quantum a few days ago. Grabbed em tonight and they sound fantastic. I love that guy.



on axe-change?


----------



## Steinmetzify

No Ash, there's a DB link for em on the Preset Exchange of the FAS forum. 380 something presets would take a REALLY long time on Axechange lol. Try em, they're good.

EDIT: here's the link to the thread:

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-fx-ii-preset-exchange/104721-fremen-quantum-1-0-presets.html


----------



## asher

herpderp 

cheers!


----------



## Elric

steinmetzify said:


> Fremen uploaded his banks for Quantum a few days ago. Grabbed em tonight and they sound fantastic. I love that guy.



+1. They're pretty killer can definitely rip some stuff out of that collection. I spend a lot of time crafting high gain tones but like to steal other people's low and midgain stuff.

I'm generally not big on contributing to the AxeFX firmware hype that some folks seem to do with every release but I will say, at this point, I personally cannot think of anything I want improved in terms of the base technology (sounds, feel). I can think of a few new features or amp models or whatever but the unit feels and plays at the absolute high end of the spectrum at this point.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Elric said:


> +1. They're pretty killer can definitely rip some stuff out of that collection. I spend a lot of time crafting high gain tones but like to steal other people's low and midgain stuff.
> 
> I'm generally not big on contributing to the AxeFX firmware hype that some folks seem to do with every release but I will say, at this point, I personally cannot think of anything I want improved in terms of the base technology (sounds, feel). I can think of a few new features or amp models or whatever but the unit feels and plays at the absolute high end of the spectrum at this point.


 
Agreed....I geeked out on some of his more esoteric stuff last night for a couple of hours...the Boulevard of Broken Dreams he does is one of my favorites just to sit and mess with for syncopated weird rhythm stuff, and one of his Triaxis patches is my main rhythm tone with some tweaks.

Also agreed on the tech...I actually posted on the FAS forum that I didn't really like Quantum and was expecting a dogpile, but nothing happened. Was thinking of going back to 19 before I noticed his new banks. This stuff sounds fantastic and I can't imagine it any better. Favorite part of last night was the crispy top end rattiness of the Mark 2Cs...that stuff sounds almost identical and I love it.


----------



## Shask

I have been liking Quantum! I am forever trying to dial in the feel that my Triple Recto sitting next to the Axe rig has, and I quickly threw together a preset the other day that is pretty damn close. Probably the closest yet, in terms of having that low end pump/thump to the feel/sound. I am talking about into a cabinet of course, although the new De-phase is pretty cool for direct sounds.

One of the major things I find for me.... is to turn the master down! It always sounds crappy to me until I turn it down to about 2.5 or so. Then the sound is much clearer. At least on high gain Mesa models like the Recto.

Quantum to me, basically sounds the same/similar.... but the feel is getting more on point with what you expect out of a tube amp. Getting more of that chunk when you palm mute a chord versus a quick thud in the low end. To me, that is everything when it comes to modelers sounding "authentic".....


----------



## crg123

^ Some interesting things about the Master Volume on the Axe fx that I think are super helpful:



> *Fractal Audio -* The taper of the MV on the Axe-Fx does not necessarily match the taper of the actual amp. We use the same taper on every model. IIRC it is a Log10 taper. Many amps use a taper that is more abrupt than that for marketing reasons. For example, a Blues Jr has a linear taper MV. This means the amp is near full volume when the MV is at 3. This gives the impression that an amp is "loud". When the unsuspecting customer is testing the amp and it gets really loud with the MV on 2 the customer instinctively goes "wow, this amp is loud, it must be good".
> 
> Anyways we use a consistent Log10A taper on every model. In general this means you need to set the MV higher than you would on the real amp. For example if the real amp has a linear taper halfway on the model would be equivalent to 1 on the amp (assuming the amp is calibrated from 0 - 10).
> 
> The taper of a logarithmic pot has the nomenclature LogXA where 'A' indicates audio and X is the percentage of the element resistance from wiper to CCW terminal with the pot at 50% rotation. So a 1 Megohm Log10A pot would have 100K between the wiper and the CCW terminal when the pot is at "noon".



More importantly what Cliff labels #1 User Error: #1 Biggest User Error

I agree with you about the Recto MV though I tend to keep mine lower, just figured I'd share some other info so you wouldn't think it the same for the rest of the amps. You really just need to turn it up until you can hear that sweet spot where the amps sound opens up. I think the MV is more important with lower gain models especially for that edge breakup kind of sound.

Edit: Opps! I noticed that you actually commented on that thread, oh well its good info for the rest of the forum members anyway.


----------



## Shask

crg123 said:


> ^ Some interesting things about the Master Volume on the Axe fx that I think are super helpful:
> 
> 
> 
> More importantly what Cliff labels #1 User Error: #1 Biggest User Error
> 
> I agree with you about the Recto MV though I tend to keep mine lower, just figured I'd share some other info so you wouldn't think it the same for the rest of the amps. You really just need to turn it up until you can hear that sweet spot where the amps sound opens up. I think the MV is more important with lower gain models especially for that edge breakup kind of sound.
> 
> Edit: Opps! I noticed that you actually commented on that thread, oh well its good info for the rest of the forum members anyway.



Yeah, I am everywhere 

According to what he said, you should be able to turn it up higher.... but, most of the time it sounds bad to me for high gain sounds. It brings in this weird fuzzy middy-cardboard box sound that I cant stand. However, I dont like it too low or else it gets really thin. I basically dial in the cardboard box, and then turn it down until it is present, but not real audible.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I have been liking Quantum! I am forever trying to dial in the feel that my Triple Recto sitting next to the Axe rig has, and I quickly threw together a preset the other day that is pretty damn close. Probably the closest yet, in terms of having that low end pump/thump to the feel/sound. I am talking about into a cabinet of course, although the new De-phase is pretty cool for direct sounds.
> 
> One of the major things I find for me.... is to turn the master down! It always sounds crappy to me until I turn it down to about 2.5 or so. Then the sound is much clearer. At least on high gain Mesa models like the Recto.
> 
> Quantum to me, basically sounds the same/similar.... but the feel is getting more on point with what you expect out of a tube amp. Getting more of that chunk when you palm mute a chord versus a quick thud in the low end. To me, that is everything when it comes to modelers sounding "authentic".....



Hmm, interesting, I may need to update as the recto models are my main amps. I'm still on 19 right now. 

How would you say the master volume taper on the real deal compares to the model? Apparently everything else is close, I'm just curious how it compares. I run my master at about 2.0 to 2.1 on the Rectos, IIRC. Just wondering what that setting would roughly be on a real Recto. 



Speaking of rectos, I finally decided to mess around with some other amp models (been using Recto2 Red Mdrn for ages now). Tried out the Recto1 Red Mdrn again as I haven't used it in ages... hot damn, way better sounding than Recto2. I remember I last used it ages ago, thinking it didn't have the same sponginess or expansive bottom end as Recto2 (which I guess is still part right), but now that I switched to a real cab (1x12 with a mesa V30), the Recto1 sounds so much better to me. Basically sounds like what I've been trying to get out of the Recto2. Tight and clear and fat and responsive. my Recto2 patch is kinda mushy and more scooped in comparison. I can almost run the EQ flat on it, where I had to drop the presence way low (like 0.5), drop the bass, and push mids/highs kinda high on Recto2 to get the sound I want.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Hmm, interesting, I may need to update as the recto models are my main amps. I'm still on 19 right now.
> 
> How would you say the master volume taper on the real deal compares to the model? Apparently everything else is close, I'm just curious how it compares. I run my master at about 2.0 to 2.1 on the Rectos, IIRC. Just wondering what that setting would roughly be on a real Recto.
> 
> 
> 
> Speaking of rectos, I finally decided to mess around with some other amp models (been using Recto2 Red Mdrn for ages now). Tried out the Recto1 Red Mdrn again as I haven't used it in ages... hot damn, way better sounding than Recto2. I remember I last used it ages ago, thinking it didn't have the same sponginess or expansive bottom end as Recto2 (which I guess is still part right), but now that I switched to a real cab (1x12 with a mesa V30), the Recto1 sounds so much better to me. Basically sounds like what I've been trying to get out of the Recto2. Tight and clear and fat and responsive. my Recto2 patch is kinda mushy and more scooped in comparison. I can almost run the EQ flat on it, where I had to drop the presence way low (like 0.5), drop the bass, and push mids/highs kinda high on Recto2 to get the sound I want.



You know, it is hard to say. I have a Triple, so it is loud as hell, lol. I never usually run the volume over about 9 oclock. That is probably why I like the model turned low..... because I am used to hearing the real thing at fairly low volumes.

I typically use Recto 1 Red Modern.

One thing I found, that is if you try to turn up the bass, depth, cab resonance, etc.. the bass can get kinda weird. Almost like you crank the bass up, but it doesn't sound that bassy, but instead has like 1 frequency it pushes too hard which sounds horrible, but you you have to put it that high to get that same low end thickness. I dunno It always leads to me being frustrated with the bass tone because I push the bass to get more low end, but then it sounds like the bass bottoms out and clips or something. I find that I get get MUCH better results by running the bass in the amp fairly flat, and then I put a parametric EQ or Filter after the amp. Run a low shelf at about 150Hz, with the gain at +10db or so (this sounds like a lot, but it depends on what power amp / guitar cabinet you use). This seems to have a better low end depth without that weird bottoming out thing.


----------



## mongey

I like Quantum .I'm not as gushing over it as some but agree there seems to be some small improvement in feel ,especially on the mid gain stuff 

personally I'd say dephase is a more important addition then Quantum


----------



## Steinmetzify

That would explain why I wasn't as impressed with Quantum as I was 19...don't play mid gain hardly ever. Stoked that Fremen did up his banks though. Sounds better than it did before that, for sure. 

Haven't messed with Dephase much; where do you guys think it shines and are there magic numbers involved?


----------



## Shask

steinmetzify said:


> Haven't messed with Dephase much; where do you guys think it shines and are there magic numbers involved?



4-5 ish

Kinda removes some of the annoying smooth, fuzzy, high mids/highs thing that all direct sounds have that I cant stand.


----------



## mongey

steinmetzify said:


> That would explain why I wasn't as impressed with Quantum as I was 19...don't play mid gain hardly ever. Stoked that Fremen did up his banks though. Sounds better than it did before that, for sure.
> 
> Haven't messed with Dephase much; where do you guys think it shines and are there magic numbers involved?



from 4 to 5 for me most of the time . sometimes a little less 

just polishes up the sound of the IR a bit IMHO. loses a little harshness and becomes more speaker like


----------



## Steinmetzify

Right on, thanks. I'll give it a shot tomorrow.


----------



## crg123

mnemonic said:


> How would you say the master volume taper on the real deal compares to the model? Apparently everything else is close, I'm just curious how it compares. I run my master at about 2.0 to 2.1 on the Rectos, IIRC. Just wondering what that setting would roughly be on a real Recto.



The MV taper is the same for all the amps across the board. Cliff Explains why in the following quote.



> *Fractal Audio -* The taper of the MV on the Axe-Fx does not necessarily match the taper of the actual amp. *We use the same taper on every model. IIRC it is a Log10 taper. Many amps use a taper that is more abrupt than that for marketing reasons.* For example, a Blues Jr has a linear taper MV. This means the amp is near full volume when the MV is at 3. This gives the impression that an amp is "loud". When the unsuspecting customer is testing the amp and it gets really loud with the MV on 2 the customer instinctively goes "wow, this amp is loud, it must be good".
> 
> Anyways we use a consistent Log10A taper on every model. *In general this means you need to set the MV higher than you would on the real amp. For example if the real amp has a linear taper halfway on the model would be equivalent to 1 on the amp (assuming the amp is calibrated from 0 - 10)*.
> 
> The taper of a logarithmic pot has the nomenclature LogXA where 'A' indicates audio and X is the percentage of the element resistance from wiper to CCW terminal with the pot at 50% rotation. So a 1 Megohm Log10A pot would have 100K between the wiper and the CCW terminal when the pot is at "noon".


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> You know, it is hard to say. I have a Triple, so it is loud as hell, lol. I never usually run the volume over about 9 oclock. That is probably why I like the model turned low..... because I am used to hearing the real thing at fairly low volumes.
> 
> I typically use Recto 1 Red Modern.
> 
> One thing I found, that is if you try to turn up the bass, depth, cab resonance, etc.. the bass can get kinda weird. Almost like you crank the bass up, but it doesn't sound that bassy, but instead has like 1 frequency it pushes too hard which sounds horrible, but you you have to put it that high to get that same low end thickness. I dunno It always leads to me being frustrated with the bass tone because I push the bass to get more low end, but then it sounds like the bass bottoms out and clips or something. I find that I get get MUCH better results by running the bass in the amp fairly flat, and then I put a parametric EQ or Filter after the amp. Run a low shelf at about 150Hz, with the gain at +10db or so (this sounds like a lot, but it depends on what power amp / guitar cabinet you use). This seems to have a better low end depth without that weird bottoming out thing.



I never messed around with cab resonance much because of what you say. It always made the bass sound funny, and the stock settings always sounded better than whatever I changed it to. 

What I did with one high gain patch to add a more 'real' sounding bottom end (right when I switched from FRFR to guitar cab) is mix in a cab block with a low pass, mixed really low, like -15db or something, so when that signal is solo'd, it just sounds like an amp off in some other room. That little bit of bottom end rumbliness really makes it sound chunkier when playing with a small cab in a bedroom. That extra bass would probably turn to mud in a mix though, haha. 




crg123 said:


> The MV taper is the same for all the amps across the board. Cliff Explains why in the following quote.



Yeah, I remember reading that a while back. I was just wondering how Axe FX master taper compares to Mesa Recto master taper. Though I suppose given the volumes involved, its probably quite hard to tell, as shask said.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> I never messed around with cab resonance much because of what you say. It always made the bass sound funny, and the stock settings always sounded better than whatever I changed it to.
> 
> What I did with one high gain patch to add a more 'real' sounding bottom end (right when I switched from FRFR to guitar cab) is mix in a cab block with a low pass, mixed really low, like -15db or something, so when that signal is solo'd, it just sounds like an amp off in some other room. That little bit of bottom end rumbliness really makes it sound chunkier when playing with a small cab in a bedroom. That extra bass would probably turn to mud in a mix though, haha.



I have done that on headphone presets. I parallel a 1x15 cab with a standard 412 cab and low pass it, and keep it way down in the mix. More of a feel than hear thing. I tried this when I was thinking about how people use those active 1x15 cabs with their stacks.

I would actually love to go FRFR, but I have just never liked the sound enough to switch. It always sounds off to me.

To combat the muddy bass in the mix, after you do above, high pass the entire patch around 80hz. You still get chunk, but all those super low frequencies clear up.


----------



## jerrodxmichael

Alright, so.

I have a question about some routing for the Axe-FX before I take the leap and buy one.

I've been spitballing the idea of Running a 5150 iii through the FX loop of an axe fx, and then use my raw amp tone from the 5150 as my main tone with the effects/dynamics of the axe, but use the Axe FX for cleans.

My questions;

How would running direct work? I'd still like my main tone to be able to travel to the front of the house. Paired with an Orange 4x12 w/ V30's for stage sound.

Because the head has midi, would it be able to switch patches with an MIDI command change in my DAW to a click?


----------



## Flemmigan

jerrodxmichael said:


> Alright, so.
> 
> I have a question about some routing for the Axe-FX before I take the leap and buy one.
> 
> I've been spitballing the idea of Running a 5150 iii through the FX loop of an axe fx, and then use my raw amp tone from the 5150 as my main tone with the effects/dynamics of the axe, but use the Axe FX for cleans.
> 
> My questions;
> 
> How would running direct work? I'd still like my main tone to be able to travel to the front of the house. Paired with an Orange 4x12 w/ V30's for stage sound.
> 
> Because the head has midi, would it be able to switch patches with an MIDI command change in my DAW to a click?



It would be a little bit involved, but the short answer is that you could definitely do what you want with the Axe FX (any model, as far as I'm aware).

To run DI you'd have a variant of a 4 cable method, with one of your outputs of the Axe FX running a cab block and going to FoH, and the other not running through a cab block and going to the effects return of your 5150, and from there to your cab.

Something like this:

guitar-->Axe Fx-->[effects blocks]-->[Axe FX effects send]-->5150 input-->5150 effects send-->[Axe FX effects return]-->[effects blocks]-->

[cab block]-->output 1-->FoH
output 2-->5150 effects return-->5150 power section-->5150 output-->cab

For clean amps, you'd just leave out the effects send block on the Axe, effectively "ignoring" the 5150 in the effects loop. Just replace the effects blocks with an amp block. Still use the same 2 output routing deal to get the DI signal and the separate signal to the power section.

MIDI changing is not a problem. You'll just need some kind of MIDI interface. I've used a 2x2 MOTU interface that works fine.

Hope this makes sense!


----------



## crg123

Just to confirm yet again



> Fractal Audio - Today, 05:31 PM: We've spent the last couple years on the FX-8 and AX-8. We haven't even started on an Axe-Fx III yet.



Source: To buy or not to buy?
Post #14

So go get one guys! It's the ultimate tool for inspiration IMHO


----------



## Seybsnilksz

So I use my Axe-FX or both guitar and bass. For now I have a pair of Yamaha HS7. They sound great, but the lack of low end makes playing the bass quite uninspiring. So I've thought about buying either a bass amp, a subwoofer, or bigger monitors. I recently tried the Axe-FX through an EBS Session 120, and the response was surprisingly flat given that I didn't turn of the cab modeling, and it was such a good feeling to play and really feel the low end, a pretty non-existent feeling with my current setup. 

Any bass players in here? What do you use for monitoring?


----------



## mongey

jerrodxmichael said:


> Alright, so.
> 
> I have a question about some routing for the Axe-FX before I take the leap and buy one.
> 
> I've been spitballing the idea of Running a 5150 iii through the FX loop of an axe fx, and then use my raw amp tone from the 5150 as my main tone with the effects/dynamics of the axe, but use the Axe FX for cleans.
> 
> My questions;
> 
> How would running direct work? I'd still like my main tone to be able to travel to the front of the house. Paired with an Orange 4x12 w/ V30's for stage sound.
> 
> Because the head has midi, would it be able to switch patches with an MIDI command change in my DAW to a click?



I thought about doing this with my recto for a live rig then once i got the unit I decided the recto tone on the axe fx was good enough not to bother


----------



## Elric

crg123 said:


> Just to confirm yet again
> 
> 
> 
> Source: To buy or not to buy?
> Post #14
> 
> So go get one guys! It's the ultimate tool for inspiration IMHO



That is *awesome* news as far as I am concerned. I am not anxious to drop another $2K+ on a processor and there is not anything wanting in my current AF2 rig. HOWEVER, an AFXIII is about the only device I would really consider doing it on at this point and I would be tempted solely on principle/past experience to just jump right on a III in spite of having my best rig/tone ever with the II. 

Given the tech info Cliff has dished so far and the quality of the latest release for the II series, it totally feels like it has lot of legs left in it, anyway.


----------



## mnemonic

Does anyone with knowledge of DSP's know if there is even anything readily available that is more powerful than what the Axe FX II uses? Last I heard there was one DSP (made by TI i think?) but you basically couldn't get them, or something.

Unless there's a breakthrough in DSP engineering, I would think any Axe FX III would likely have other improvements rather than processing power and sound. Probably more preset/cabs, another processor so it could have a larger, color screen, improved front layout, etc.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Shask should chime in for this....he knows all this stuff. He explained it to me awhile back about why Cliff uses what he uses and it made sense but I can't remember it in detail.


----------



## Shask

Yeah, I think there might be a new TI DSP that is faster, but it is so expensive it doesn't matter if it exists or not. The TigerShark that the Axe II uses is the best "reasonably priced" one out there. They are about $200-$300 a chip, so there is about $500 just in pure processing dollars in the Axe II.

People want to try to compare DSPs to normal computer processors, but you cant compare. DSPs are not developed NEARLY as fast, and 99% of the world dont need DSPs this powerful. They are usually used for the EQ on your iPod or whatever. There is not a huge market for powerful DSPs, so they are not updated that often. A general purpose CPU is not optimized for sound like a DSP, so that is not an even comparison either.

I agree that I dont know where the Axe III would go. Maybe more RAM for cabs/presets or whatever, but I think most of the changes would be UI also. Possibly a 3rd DSP... 1 for amps, 1 for cabs, 1 for Effects? I dunno. I do know that Cliff thinks IRs are the future, so I expect that part to eventually take more and more processing.


----------



## Elric

Another thing to consider when talking about DSP/Processors is that at a certain point some processes are no longer compute bound. It is certainly possible, in fact in some sense it is inevitable, that there will be a point where no additional accuracy can be achieved by additional computing power. 

For example, if FAS is not currently dropping any terms from their equations at this point, you could triple the compute power and still not improve anything sound wise unless there is some known deficiency in your algorithms (i.e. a dropped lower order term or unmodeled parasitic effect you do not compute to preserve cycles, etc). You COULD add more features, parallel paths, FX per preset, etc, immediately but without a known deficiency/compromise you would get no immediate benefit in terms of model accuracy.

So, there is always going to be value in increased power, but some lay people seem to think that everything is processor bound and that throwing more processor at the problem will immediately bring huge, noticeable, accuracy improvements to modelers; which based on some things Cliff has said, does not strike me as necessarily true at this point in the II's evolution. This is not to say that will be the case forever, of course, only people working in that field really know the state of the art. 

I am sure that we will see new high end hardware from FAS at some point but the modern class of boxes is so good some focus may be on other features, the UI, FX, or cabinet modeling. 

There is definitely a point where throwing more CPU at something does not really do much but only insiders know how close or far we are from that point. Based on how my unit sounds it's close enough for my ears.


----------



## Shask

Considering people are saying they got a 10% drop in CPU use with the new firmware version makes me think there is still plenty of room for optimization.


----------



## Andromalia

Probably true, but I didn't, for once, see a difference in my patches with the newest version. At some point I'll stop upgrading the firmware too, because it's getting close enough anyway.


----------



## mnemonic

Dusted off the ol' PodXT and decided to compare it to my main recto patch on the Axe FX. 

Using an external boost and a guitar cab (cab sims disabled) it only took like a minute to get a pretty decent tone (I did use it for years, I know that unit like the back of my hand), but it felt like there was a cranked compressor in front of it, basically no dynamics. It almost didn't matter how hard I picked. Super djenty though, with a copious amount of bottom end (using Big Bottom model). Just as I remember. 

Not any real comparison to my Axe preset though, as it sounds much more natural/dynamic, just as heavy and tight, and has a certain 'depth' to it. I dunno, that might just be the dynamics.


----------



## Steinmetzify

In light of my recent really good VHT experience, I really wanted to get closer to that sound using the Deliverance in the Axe....I've been using it for the last month or so with a Tills R03 cab as that's my favorite lately....give it a thicker more Mesa flavor, but I was really impressed with the Pittbull and went looking for Fat Bottom IRs. REALLY not much out there, but found this thread and grabbed em....decent stuff, sounds more like the Pitbull with the P50Es than the Tills cab did. Figured you guys might dig em enough to dust off the Deliverance and give it a shot. 

Really tight, dry tone that's good for double tracking. 

VHT/Fryette FatBottom Ur IR's | Fractal Audio Systems Forum


----------



## Knight Elijah

Does anyone ever had side by side comparisons of anything between patches?


----------



## Steinmetzify

Knight Elijah said:


> Does anyone ever had side by side comparisons of anything between patches?



Explain what you need and one of us can probably get it done.


----------



## coreypla

Hey, I don't want to be a jerk. but I have a few questions about the Axe Fx XL +


I am familiar with amp modelers and such, but I was hoping anyone who owns one could tell me a bit more about it. Some specific questions I have are:

In this demo video at 2:20 this young gentleman plays a clean patch that sounds like it has a sample running with it. Is that all coming from the ace-fx at the same time? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEKZq0tlK1g 
What's going on exactly? Very ambient.

Tone Matching says it can clone an amp, rig, or recording. Does that then make it like a Kemper? Or is this only something that can be used for cab sim type modeling? Or is it saying that I can take an isolated guitar track from one of my favorite bands and catch the tone, recreate it, and use it myself? Anyone know about this? 

Is the pitch effect polyphonic? Something that could be used instead of like a Whammy DropTune? How is the latency on it?

Is the direct-in recording quality of the axe-fx really good? I have an Apollo UA Interface. Will it compare to that?

Last (for now) Is the MFC-101 foot controller huge? I can fit the Behringer FCB or the Digitech Control 2 in my dual gig bags second pouch. I imagine this footswitch is a lot larger. 

Sorry guys, I'm terribly new to Axe-Fx. Just trying to see if it's worth the upgrade for the cost.


----------



## asher

The MFC isn't as wide as the FCB1010, but definitely is thicker at the top end.


----------



## Steinmetzify

coreypla said:


> Hey, I don't want to be a jerk. but I have a few questions about the Axe Fx XL +
> 
> 
> I am familiar with amp modelers and such, but I was hoping anyone who owns one could tell me a bit more about it. Some specific questions I have are:
> 
> In this demo video at 2:20 this young gentleman plays a clean patch that sounds like it has a sample running with it. Is that all coming from the ace-fx at the same time? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEKZq0tlK1g
> What's going on exactly? Very ambient.
> 
> Tone Matching says it can clone an amp, rig, or recording. Does that then make it like a Kemper? Or is this only something that can be used for cab sim type modeling? Or is it saying that I can take an isolated guitar track from one of my favorite bands and catch the tone, recreate it, and use it myself? Anyone know about this?
> 
> Is the pitch effect polyphonic? Something that could be used instead of like a Whammy DropTune? How is the latency on it?
> 
> Is the direct-in recording quality of the axe-fx really good? I have an Apollo UA Interface. Will it compare to that?
> 
> Last (for now) Is the MFC-101 foot controller huge? I can fit the Behringer FCB or the Digitech Control 2 in my dual gig bags second pouch. I imagine this footswitch is a lot larger.
> 
> Sorry guys, I'm terribly new to Axe-Fx. Just trying to see if it's worth the upgrade for the cost.



Answer what I can for you sir. In order:

Yeah, that's all coming from the Axe-FX...there are numerous ways to create this, including pads, delays, reverbs. I have many patches that sound similar...if you snag one let me know and I'll shoot you a patch you can deconstruct to get you started on it. 

Read this on Tone Matching:

http://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/axe-fx-2/Axe-Fx-II-Tone-Match-Manual.pdf

Tone Matching on the AxeFx is different from the Kemper in that in essence the Kemper takes a 'digital snapshot' of the amp and chain at that particular moment in time, with those settings...it is adjustable, but the more you whack at those settings, the worse it's going to sound. The Axe lets you basically copy the tone and then adjust it to suit you, but you need a clean sample to do so...you can't pull a TM using a clip of your favorite band and hope to match the guitar tone; it just doesn't work that way. What most people do is find an isolated sample of the guitar tone they're trying to match, and then copy that....and I've done it and it works. You DO need to use appropriate amps, settings etc.....you can't TM a KSE tone using a Fender Twin, for example. It's got to be close enough in the first place to work, so the more you know about the tone you're trying to match, the better off you'll be.

Recording via USB is fine, with minimal latency....I use it all the time, and it's never bothered me once. I know some people prefer to use their interfaces, but for me and what I do, it works great. You might prefer to use your Apollo, and many people do the same for re-amping and what not, and just because they like it and are already used to using an interface in their workflow, but you certainly don't need it.

Ash answered your question about the size of the controller, and hopefully someone jumps in to answer you about the pitch effect. 

Good luck, the Axe is an awesome piece of gear....what would you be giving up to use it? Going to trade some stuff or just wondering if you'll make full use of it?


----------



## coreypla

steinmetzify said:


> Answer what I can for you sir. In order:
> 
> Yeah, that's all coming from the Axe-FX...there are numerous ways to create this, including pads, delays, reverbs. I have many patches that sound similar...if you snag one let me know and I'll shoot you a patch you can deconstruct to get you started on it.
> 
> Read this on Tone Matching:
> 
> http://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/axe-fx-2/Axe-Fx-II-Tone-Match-Manual.pdf
> 
> Tone Matching on the AxeFx is different from the Kemper in that in essence the Kemper takes a 'digital snapshot' of the amp and chain at that particular moment in time, with those settings...it is adjustable, but the more you whack at those settings, the worse it's going to sound. The Axe lets you basically copy the tone and then adjust it to suit you, but you need a clean sample to do so...you can't pull a TM using a clip of your favorite band and hope to match the guitar tone; it just doesn't work that way. What most people do is find an isolated sample of the guitar tone they're trying to match, and then copy that....and I've done it and it works. You DO need to use appropriate amps, settings etc.....you can't TM a KSE tone using a Fender Twin, for example. It's got to be close enough in the first place to work, so the more you know about the tone you're trying to match, the better off you'll be.
> 
> Recording via USB is fine, with minimal latency....I use it all the time, and it's never bothered me once. I know some people prefer to use their interfaces, but for me and what I do, it works great. You might prefer to use your Apollo, and many people do the same for re-amping and what not, and just because they like it and are already used to using an interface in their workflow, but you certainly don't need it.
> 
> Ash answered your question about the size of the controller, and hopefully someone jumps in to answer you about the pitch effect.
> 
> Good luck, the Axe is an awesome piece of gear....what would you be giving up to use it? Going to trade some stuff or just wondering if you'll make full use of it?




Thanks so much for all of the answers to my questions! Very thoughtful responses, I appreciate it. I also appreciate the offer for the patch sharing as well! Is there a good community for the Axe-Fx? I know you can buy patches for it, just curious if there are free patches that are good and shareable?

At this point I have some nice pieces of rack gear: Sonic Maximizer, DBX Compressor, Behringer Virtualizer with FCB footswitch and a pre and power amp, both 1u each. 

Right now I am using the Digitech GSP 1101 through a Matrix Power Amp and it all sounds great. I really like the Control 2 footswitch with the Digi, I use it in 5 patch mode where 5 buttons are used to switch through patches and the other 5 are used to turn effects on and off like stomp boxes would within a patch. Does the Axe-Fx foot controller allow this type of set-up as well? 

Altogether I really like the Digitech, just curious about the Axe-Fx. If I got one I would then be selling the Behringer Virtualizer 3D with FCB and also the Digitech with Control 2. Just trying to have some discussion about all the gear possibilities. I've made some great patches on the Digi with the Soldano amp and have some nice effects that I like to use.

About how much is the Price on the latest Axe-Fx? (I think it's the XL + ??) and the footswitch that is compatible?

Thanks so much!


----------



## Steinmetzify

Dude.....there certainly is a patch sharing community. Check this out:

Axe Change -The Official Site for Fractal Audio Presets, Cabs and More

That stuff is searchable by product, by how you set up, by artist names, by pretty much whatever....not to mention the fact that there are guys out there that build entire banks of really good patches and give them away for free. The only time I've paid for patches was because I wanted to.....dudes take donations, but you don't have to pay.

I think you can run the MFC the same way you're using the C2, but you'd have to make sure. 

As far as cost goes, check this:

Fractal Audio Systems Secure Online Store


----------



## edsped

coreypla said:


> Thanks so much for all of the answers to my questions! Very thoughtful responses, I appreciate it. I also appreciate the offer for the patch sharing as well! Is there a good community for the Axe-Fx? I know you can buy patches for it, just curious if there are free patches that are good and shareable?
> 
> At this point I have some nice pieces of rack gear: Sonic Maximizer, DBX Compressor, Behringer Virtualizer with FCB footswitch and a pre and power amp, both 1u each.
> 
> Right now I am using the Digitech GSP 1101 through a Matrix Power Amp and it all sounds great. I really like the Control 2 footswitch with the Digi, I use it in 5 patch mode where 5 buttons are used to switch through patches and the other 5 are used to turn effects on and off like stomp boxes would within a patch. Does the Axe-Fx foot controller allow this type of set-up as well?
> 
> Altogether I really like the Digitech, just curious about the Axe-Fx. If I got one I would then be selling the Behringer Virtualizer 3D with FCB and also the Digitech with Control 2. Just trying to have some discussion about all the gear possibilities. I've made some great patches on the Digi with the Soldano amp and have some nice effects that I like to use.
> 
> About how much is the Price on the latest Axe-Fx? (I think it's the XL + ??) and the footswitch that is compatible?
> 
> Thanks so much!



The MFC is incredibly powerful and should be able to do pretty much anything you'd want. It has 17 assignable buttons, so you could have 5 presets and 12 effects toggles or 13 presets and 4 effects toggles or whatever other combination you want. The Reveal switch lets you access effects toggles for the switches that are assigned to change presets too, so you can still have effects toggles for all 17 switches. I keep saying "effects toggles" but really you can do anything with them. 

Using the pitch shifter for transposing works pretty well, it's certainly "good enough." I can't compare it to the Digitech as I've never tried one, but I will say the Transpose feature on the Kemper seems better to me. Both have latency and artifacting, especially with fast stuff and softer stuff (like tapping), but it saves me from bringing an extra guitar or two to rehearsals/gigs. 

The latest Axe and MFC direct are $2250 and $650 respectively, plus $30-40 shipping for each. Read up on the differences between all the AxeFX II versions (Mark 1, Mark 2, XL, XL+) and the three MFC versions and see if you really care about any added features. You can find some really good deals on the older units, which are identical in terms of processing power and sound. I recently just jumped back to Fractal with an old AxeFX II Mark 1 because the only newer feature I really cared about is the FASLINK port on the XL+ which isn't enough to justify the extra $$$. I went with a new MFC Mark III however since the silent switches are a big upgrade IMO. 

Also, Tone Matching on the Axe is just EQ matching, not the same as the Kemper Profiling method. I also wouldn't say Kemper profiles become "worse" the more drastically you tweak them, just "less authentic" since it uses generalized EQ and gain controls instead of matching them to the amp.


----------



## mongey

After wrestling with frfr set up with the band I picked up a 2nd hand matrix gt1000 to run with my Mesa 2 x 12 and its early days but im digging it so far. 

Feels allot more natural in the room, Where I felt detached from the tones at times with frfr.


----------



## Kristianx510

I want to emulate this video as close as humanly possible. Anyone know a good way to get that? http://youtu.be/uSmub8L4CzU


----------



## TedEH

Does the Axe not have a bit crusher effect in it?


----------



## Electric Wizard

The bit crusher is under the drive block.


----------



## Kristianx510

I should've mentioned I have an ultra. Not a 2.


----------



## Nour Ayasso

Does the Ultra not have a bitcrusher...? Bitcrusher (Quantizer/Subsampler) | Fractal Audio Systems Forum
I thought after these threads and requests, Fractal started to include new features in the new updates?
Anyway, have you tried using the one in your DAW?


----------



## asher

I thought the Ultra had a bitcrusher setting on the Drive. Maybe not?


----------



## coreypla

Strange question. But I am definitely thinking about picking up the Axe Fx XL + and the footswitch to go with it. 

What does everyone think about the add-on items as well? Are the Cab Packs worth the money? I have a lot of impulses already... really a lot... What about software like the Cab Lab and the MFC-Edit-Editor? What do they do exactly?

What about the expression pedal? I don't typically use any wah or volume swells.
Can I program the Fx to do an auto volume swell or something of the like without the expression pedal?

What stuff comes for free with download for the Axe-Fx to get started? So many lame lame questions I have for all of you...


----------



## haffner1

coreypla said:


> Strange question. But I am definitely thinking about picking up the Axe Fx XL + and the footswitch to go with it.
> 
> What does everyone think about the add-on items as well? Are the Cab Packs worth the money? I have a lot of impulses already... really a lot... What about software like the Cab Lab and the MFC-Edit-Editor? What do they do exactly?
> 
> What about the expression pedal? I don't typically use any wah or volume swells.
> Can I program the Fx to do an auto volume swell or something of the like without the expression pedal?
> 
> What stuff comes for free with download for the Axe-Fx to get started? So many lame lame questions I have for all of you...



At least some of the cab packs are worth it, at least for the sake of variety. Even so, there is plenty in the box to start with. If you want to use your own IRs you will need cab-lab to convert to the syx format unless you purchased them from a vendor that provides them. I think Cab pack 1 is free now. 

Yes you can do auto swells with an LFO if that's how you want to go. I use an FCB-1010 controller which has two expression pedals already.


----------



## mnemonic

Quite a few cabs from various cab packs are included in the Axe FX's cabs list, so if there are some of them you like, you can look into those cab packs.


----------



## jawbreaker

Ultra user here. Can confirm there is no bitcrusher in the drive block.


----------



## asher




----------



## Kristianx510

I'm not recording so I won't be using a DAW. Any recommendations?


----------



## madwham

Hello,

I posted this recently on a separate thread, but realized afterwards that it would probably be more appropriate to post it here. Sorry for the noise. 


So far I've been doing fine with pedals, but I'm getting fed up with the tap-dancing. I still had a few things to buy for my pedalboard, but if instead I sell what I already have, I won't be far from having the money for a AX8 or FX8.

I'm aware of the differences between the two, at least superficially, but I'm still a bit undecided.

I have a tube amp that I love, so I don't feel that I need amp modelisation and that would suggest the FX8.

On the other hand, I don't have any experience with amp modelisation, so I may regret not having that later on... But the AX8 is more limited with effects. Here are my questions:



It seems that the AX8 can only have 6 effects simultaneously, which would be enough for me I think (right now my most effect-heavy situation is tubescreamer + tube amp distorsion + chorus + delay). Is it safe to assume a similar usage with the AX8, or will there be additional effects that I will have to use?
If I go the AX8 route, is it a good idea to keep using my current amp (a combo with FX loop), or should I get a cabinet?
Let's say I buy a cabinet. My electric guitar has magnetic and piezo pickups, and I also have a bass. Are there some cabinets that would be appropriate for all three, the instrument being played through the AX8?
I read that the AX8 can model only one amp at a time. How limiting is it, given that I don't play with stereo effects?
Any idea how long the waiting time for the AX8 will be in Europe? About a year?
Thanks for your answers, or any additional insight you may provide.


----------



## asher

1) I'm not sure if it counts the "amp" block as an actual effect or not, but no nothing extra, you could do just fine with drive + amp + chorus + delay. Depending on your setup, you may also want a cab block for the IR cabinet sim, but...
2) You could absolutely run it with your FX loop/4-cable/etc it. If you're happy with your combo, keep it! Remember too that if you want to go from the Axe to a proper cabinet, you'll also need a power amp to drive the cab. This is one advantage to using your combo, though no reason you couldn't switch down the road.
3) I know squat about real cabs, sorry.
4) Not at all. There are tons of great tones you can get with just one amp block, instead of getting fancy with blending two amps. If you really wanted to do stereo effects I'm pretty sure you can split the signal out of the amp into two(+?) different effect chains anyhow.
5) No idea, sorry! Maybe ask Cliff?



On my own issues: my MFC mk1 is being bitchy about the up scroll switch... sometimes I'll step on it and it'll act like it never fully depresses and just spins banks until I step on it again. Is this something I could fix myself..?


----------



## madwham

fremen said:


> no, much more than that



Much more than 6 simultaneous effects? I'm surprised, since it certainly can't be higher than the FX8. Here is what's written on Fractal Audio's website:



> FX8 runs up to eight simultaneous effects using the state-of-the-art algorithms made famous in the Axe-Fx II line of processors.



And the videos I watched about its use indeed showed up to 8 "boxes" that you could rearrange at will to create a signal chain.

Unless I missed something?


----------



## Double A

coreypla said:


> Strange question. But I am definitely thinking about picking up the Axe Fx XL + and the footswitch to go with it.
> 
> What does everyone think about the add-on items as well? Are the Cab Packs worth the money? I have a lot of impulses already... really a lot...  What about software like the Cab Lab and the MFC-Edit-Editor? What do they do exactly?
> 
> What about the expression pedal? I don't typically use any wah or volume swells.
> Can I program the Fx to do an auto volume swell or something of the like without the expression pedal?
> 
> What stuff comes for free with download for the Axe-Fx to get started? So many lame lame questions I have for all of you...


Just speaking of the cab packs. All of the newer cab packs are pretty good. But the ML Soundlab cab packs are excellent. Best sounding IRs I ever heard. And the ML packs he collaborated with Bulb on are damn near perfect sounding. ML has produced a ton of cab packs now but they are totally worth it imo.

Note, if you go back a ways in this thread you will see me heavily advocating finding Clark Kent's IRs. Well, ML Soundlab is "Clark Kent" only doing work directly with FAS now. The results are phenomenal.


----------



## Shask

The FX8 is suppose to be better at 4CM, so if preserving your tube amp tone with no sacrifices to the tone is more important than amp modeling, then I would go with the FX8.


----------



## Shask

coreypla said:


> Strange question. But I am definitely thinking about picking up the Axe Fx XL + and the footswitch to go with it.
> 
> What does everyone think about the add-on items as well? Are the Cab Packs worth the money? I have a lot of impulses already... really a lot... What about software like the Cab Lab and the MFC-Edit-Editor? What do they do exactly?
> 
> What about the expression pedal? I don't typically use any wah or volume swells.
> Can I program the Fx to do an auto volume swell or something of the like without the expression pedal?
> 
> What stuff comes for free with download for the Axe-Fx to get started? So many lame lame questions I have for all of you...



Why buy an expression pedal if you arent going to use it 

I have a cheap Roland EV-5. I dont use it much, but it is cool to play with sometimes. I plug it right into the back without a MIDI pedal. Yes, you can create autoswells and such, but you have to learn how to program the modifiers.

I have never bought a cab pack. It has 100-200 stock cabs, plus the firmware update folder has 20 or so more samples. There is quite a bit of variety. Plus, I hate flipping through endless possibilities. I would rather pick one or 2 cabs I like, then use parametric EQs to get different sounds than scrolling through hundreds of IRs. But, thats me. Same reason I didnt Kemper. I dont want to endlessly download and flip through an infinite amount of sounds. Cablab is to create your own custom IRs by mixing together other IRs. MFC-Edit is to edit the MFC footswitch.

Really, all you need is the unit. Axe-Edit is really optional, IMO. However, Axe-Edit is a great tool to edit on a computer. You need Fractal Bot to update the Firmware, load IRs, or Presets. Thats pretty much it!


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Quite a few cabs from various cab packs are included in the Axe FX's cabs list, so if there are some of them you like, you can look into those cab packs.



I could have swore you posted and said you got a GT1000FX to go with the Axe, but now I cant find it


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I could have swore you posted and said you got a GT1000FX to go with the Axe, but now I cant find it



Nope, I'm using a powered 1x12 cab that used to be a 1x12 PA speaker until I removed the tweeter, sealed the tweeter hole, put a Mesa V30 in it and built a grill for it so it looks like a guitar cab.


----------



## mongey

Shask said:


> I could have swore you posted and said you got a GT1000FX to go with the Axe, but now I cant find it



I posted that so maybe that's what you saw ?


----------



## Elric

Kristianx510 said:


> I should've mentioned I have an ultra. Not a 2.



Try the ring modulator effect.


----------



## fremen

madwham said:


> Much more than 6 simultaneous effects? I'm surprised, since it certainly can't be higher than the FX8. Here is what's written on Fractal Audio's website:
> 
> 
> 
> And the videos I watched about its use indeed showed up to 8 "boxes" that you could rearrange at will to create a signal chain.
> 
> Unless I missed something?


The AX8 have the same *4x12* grid as the Axe-Fx II, unlike the FX8. Oh, and I'm a FAS beta tester


----------



## thesockmonster

fremen said:


> The AX8 have the same *4x12* grid as the Axe-Fx II, unlike the FX8. Oh, and I'm a FAS beta tester



You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman.

Thanks for all your work - those Tonematch patches you sent are badass!


----------



## coreypla

Can anyone let me know a bit about the dimensions of the Axe II and XL and XL+? 

Is the depth of 14.25" including the handles? Do the handles on the front come off the unit? Or are you supposed to rack case it without being able to close it up in there? If the handles don't come off can anyone give me the distance of the depth contributed by just the handles from the front? That measurement would be really really helpful! 

Bust out that tape measurer and let me know!


----------



## Shask

I dont have an exact answer, but the front of my rack case easily fits with the handles on there. I have a SKB case.


----------



## mnemonic

I'm pretty sure most closable racks will have a space up front, otherwise the knobs would also get in the way. 

My rack bag (Gator) fits the Axe FX perfectly. 








Just measured, it measures about 14.3" from back to the front of the handles.

They aren't cast as part of the front of the unit so you could probably take them off, though you'd have to open the whole thing up to do so, as they're screwed in from the back of the front panel.


----------



## coreypla

Thank you for all the help. One more random question. Is it possible to record the Axe Fx XL into a computer with two tracks simultaneously, one wet and one dry? That would be great for recording!


----------



## Shask

coreypla said:


> Thank you for all the help. One more random question. Is it possible to record the Axe Fx XL into a computer with two tracks simultaneously, one wet and one dry? That would be great for recording!



Through the USB or through an interface?

The USB has 4 outputs if I remember right, 2 dry, 2 wet. An interface can do anything you have enough cables for.


----------



## coreypla

I meant from the axe-fx. I am really not sure how the set-up would look. I'm pretty sure I could record two from my interface but I was wondering if anyone here has used the USB or something to record one wet and one dry track (two tracks at the same time) of the guitar tracking?


----------



## Shask

coreypla said:


> I meant from the axe-fx. I am really not sure how the set-up would look. I'm pretty sure I could record two from my interface but I was wondering if anyone here has used the USB or something to record one wet and one dry track (two tracks at the same time) of the guitar tracking?



My question still stands  using the USB out of the AXE-FX II, or using the 1/4" outs through your interface.

Yes, you can use the USB for wet and dry at the same time. You could probably do it through your interface also, but you would have to set up a patch using output 2 for dry.


----------



## coreypla

hahaha. 

I guess I have no idea what I'M even saying! I was hoping to just use the Axe as an interface because I know a lot of people swear by it. I have a pretty nice interface (apollo twin solo) but I am not sure if it makes sense to run from the axe into the interface to the computer. I figured it would be tantamount to using whichever was worse (one won't clean up the signal or improve the quality from the other and vice versa) I'd be fine with using the Apollo, but I figured it would be easiest to just run from the Axe into the USB to the computer and find a way to get Logic X to split and record two mono tracks; one wet and one dry for a patch (or is it called a scene?). Whenever I hear the term Scene for the Axe-Fx I keep thinking about those kids with the cool haircuts and the plastic bows and stripey stockings and this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUO-sRLotOI


----------



## Shask

coreypla said:


> hahaha.
> 
> I guess I have no idea what I'M even saying! I was hoping to just use the Axe as an interface because I know a lot of people swear by it. I have a pretty nice interface (apollo twin solo) but I am not sure if it makes sense to run from the axe into the interface to the computer. I figured it would be tantamount to using whichever was worse (one won't clean up the signal or improve the quality from the other and vice versa) I'd be fine with using the Apollo, but I figured it would be easiest to just run from the Axe into the USB to the computer and find a way to get Logic X to split and record two mono tracks; one wet and one dry for a patch (or is it called a scene?). Whenever I hear the term Scene for the Axe-Fx I keep thinking about those kids with the cool haircuts and the plastic bows and stripey stockings and this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUO-sRLotOI



I know what you are asking, I am just not sure if you know what you want  I am sort of in a similar situation though, so that is why I was responding.

I used mine through a Presounus interface... mostly because I am lazy and my interface setup was already all set up and plugging the Axe into it was the easiest solution.

Several months back I started playing with just using the USB though. Mostly because I wanted to experiment with the dry track idea, and reamping. I spent an afternoon messing with it, and it worked great. I could record a dry track alongside my regular sound, then I could turn the knob and reamp the dry track back to the Axe to record the same track back through different amps. It was pretty cool. Using the USB made this all a lot easier. Sadly, I am busy as crap, and haven't had time to mess with it again, but I definitely think I will move toward that direction in the future. Just way easier. One thing though.... the Axe is locked at 48k for your sample rate. That may or may not be an issue for you.

If you have a large interface with multiple inputs where you also have mics and such plugged in, I would probably keep using it. If the Axe is the only thing you have plugged in, then give the USB a try.

I also have MIDI keyboards and such I use with my interface, so sometimes I still need it, but playing with the dry track and reamping could be worth switching back and forth.


----------



## hvdh

Now the algoritm for the AX-8 runs on 2 simple processors it is time this new algoritm is translated to new FW for the very capable Tigersharc in the Standard and the Ultra.

At last the FAS promis is met. Lifetime FW updates.

JUST DO IT!


----------



## Hachetjoel

Cliff said:


> "I really wish I could update the Standard and Ultra but it is simply out of memory. There are literally 1309 words left (out of 128K) in the Ultra's EPROM. That's enough room for maybe one or two amp models and that's it. IR slots are limited by the size of the SRAM which is fixed. I'd like nothing more than to bring some of the Axe-Fx II modeling to those old products but it's simply not feasible."



Sorry Bro, it's not happening.


----------



## Elric

The Gen1 units kick ass. No need for an update or try to make them something they're not. They're at the end of their upgrade cycle; so deal with it. 

I have a II and an Ultra and played my ultra with my power amp and cab rig over the holiday and it blew me away. I was sitting there thinking "Why do I even mess around with anything else when this setup is so killer?". Yes, I would take my II over it, if I had to give one up, but that said, I could easily live with the Ultra as my only preamp for the rest of my playing days if something necessitated it.


----------



## budda

They do have lifetime FW updates. They also know how to run a business, and release new models. That's how this works


----------



## Lorcan Ward

The First gen models are unsuported and have been for a very long time. When the Axe 3 comes out the same thing will happen to the 2.


----------



## mnemonic

Finally upgraded to Quantum 1.06 (from 19.00). 

Sounds good, I feel like my Recto and JCM800 patches are slightly more clear and punchy/in-your-face, but I'm not sure how much of that is just placebo effect.

Either way, still sounds great.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Finally upgraded to Quantum 1.06 (from 19.00).
> 
> Sounds good, I feel like my Recto and JCM800 patches are slightly more clear and punchy/in-your-face, but I'm not sure how much of that is just placebo effect.
> 
> Either way, still sounds great.



Yeah, its like the good gets gooder and the gooder gets gooderer.



Honestly, I rarely can tell a big difference anymore.


----------



## hvdh

My point is that the hardware of gen 1 easely can host the lighter algorithm for the ax8. In other words the lighter Firmware for the ax8 can easely run on the Gen1 units. 

I am aware of business models. BUT a promise is a promise. Customers wont forget that this promise is broken. It even resulted in legal trouble. Now is the time the company can correct this historic failure. 

Just do it.


----------



## Shask

hvdh said:


> My point is that the hardware of gen 1 easely can host the lighter algorithm for the ax8. In other words the lighter Firmware for the ax8 can easely run on the Gen1 units.
> 
> I am aware of business models. BUT a promise is a promise. Customers wont forget that this promise is broken. It even resulted in legal trouble. Now is the time the company can correct this historic failure.
> 
> Just do it.



Cliff said once the old units could run the Axe-FX II amp models, but it would take so much of the processor that you would lucky to use one effect at the same time. Since most people wont be happy with one effect at most, it has never been done.

I dont see how a promise was broken. Even if he did say lifetime updates, it was updated..... for the life of the product. The lifetime of the product ended when it went out of production.


----------



## mnemonic

Its old tech, dude. Either be happy with what it is (which is still a great modeler) or upgrade to the new unit if you really need the newest firmware. 

IMO, you come off super entitled, demanding cliff spend time and money making a firmware update (for free, no less) for old, now discontinued hardware. Fractal have probably the best after-sales updates I've ever seen, anywhere. To complain that you still don't get enough for free is kind of shitty.


----------



## BuckarooBanzai

hvdh said:


> My point is that the hardware of gen 1 easely can host the lighter algorithm for the ax8. In other words the lighter Firmware for the ax8 can easely run on the Gen1 units.
> 
> I am aware of business models. BUT a promise is a promise. Customers wont forget that this promise is broken. It even resulted in legal trouble. Now is the time the company can correct this historic failure.
> 
> Just do it.



When I was 4 years old and afraid to go in the deep end of the pool my Dad said that he'd never let anything bad happen to me and that he'd always make sure that I was safe. Last night I accidentally sliced my pinky finger open while cutting a sandwich. Even two decades later, a promise is a promise, and he let something bad happen to me. He broke his promise. It will result in legal trouble: I plan on suing him for breach of his binding oral contract. Maybe if he kisses my boo-boo to make it better he can correct this historic failure.


----------



## Elric

hvdh said:


> My point is that the hardware of gen 1 easely can host the lighter algorithm for the ax8. In other words the lighter Firmware for the ax8 can easely run on the Gen1 units.
> 
> I am aware of business models. BUT a promise is a promise. Customers wont forget that this promise is broken. It even resulted in legal trouble. Now is the time the company can correct this historic failure.
> 
> Just do it.



You're a moron. It is out of RAM and only has a single processor for everything in the unit the AX8 has two DSPs, a special coprocessor for cabs, and more memory and can still only run one amp @ a time. You can bitch all you want but it is done. The unit is end of life and received updates throughout. The product received free updates for its entire life as a manufactured product. The social security checks stop when you're dead. FAS doesn't owe you ...., you'd have to be high to think any company would update a product forever for free. Eventually you are going to hit hardware limits. You should go get a job so you can afford the newer box if if is that important to you.


----------



## Alex Kenivel

While we're wishing for miracles over here, the Sega Saturn could use some further development as well.


----------



## Metalman X

So after several years of rotating gear... which includes several modelers, most recently the Pod HD Pro X ... I went ahead and snagged a great deal on an Axe FX Ultra.

I'm no stranger at all to modeling, midi stuff, racks, and all that. Also I researched the shiznit out of this before buying as well, but I guess I'd just like to hear some tips and tricks and whatnot for fellow forumites since I know it's a popular piece of kit 'round here.

I may have some ACTUAL questions once it arrives and I get to actually tinker with it.

One thing I'm curious about is hows it's built in tuner? I have a Korg Pitchblack pro that I love, but just wondering if I'll even need to utilize a rack space on that now. I tune to C# on some instruments, and A standard on others... and I play both guitar and bass. So just wondering how it does for that stuff.

As for other stuff... mostly gonna be using this direct in for recording and jamming at home through my desktop, which has some decent monitors (M-Audio BX8's and their corresponding sub). Will be nice to hardware load IR's once again. A feature I missed going from my old GSP1101 over to the Pod X3 than HD Pro (looking back, while I still enjoy those units and they definitely have their merits, probably woulda' been cheaper to have gone Fractal like 3 years ago... ce la vie).

When I do just wanna plug in and crank up, I got an old Mosvalve MV962 to use with it, and my current cab of choice is a Genz Benze ported 2x12 I loaded with Emi Texas Heats. I also have a 4x12 Marshall I loaded with Swamp Thangs and a Behringer 4x10 bass cab, but I'm not gigging or playing with anyone ATM (work schedule sucks), so I got those tucked away for space saving reasons.

I dunno... just really psyched to get my paws on it, being the tweaker/tinkerer that I am.

Gonna have to get a MIDI board though. Looks like my L6 short board ain't compatable, and I foolishly sold off my FCB1010 over the summer (I didn't think I'd be moving away from the HD Pro anytime soon... d'oh!)


----------



## Metalman X

lol... moved. Yep... despite my "extensive research" totally forgot this thread was stickied here.

Well... it's the weekend and sobriety is long in my rearview.

That said, looks like I got my afternoon reading now, thanx!


----------



## katsumura78

Historic failure ? I hope he's kidding because this is just stupid.


----------



## Emperor Guillotine

hvdh said:


> My point is that the hardware of gen 1 easely can host the lighter algorithm for the ax8. In other words the lighter Firmware for the ax8 can easely run on the Gen1 units.


In which case, if this were hypothetically possible, you will sacrifice a lot and have to use far more simple signal chains just for the sake of better quality.

Also, you clearly have no knowledge of algorithmic programming as far as depth, compatibility, integration, etc.



hvdh said:


> JUST DO IT!





hvdh said:


> Just do it.









Is there a thread somewhere documenting the "Dumbest Posts on Sevenstring.org"? If there is, I would like to nominate hvdh's initial post that started his thread and his follow-up post to be included.


----------



## SevenSkull

Metalman X said:


> One thing I'm curious about is hows it's built in tuner? I have a Korg Pitchblack pro that I love, but just wondering if I'll even need to utilize a rack space on that now. I tune to C# on some instruments, and A standard on others... and I play both guitar and bass. So just wondering how it does for that stuff.



I have the AxeFX Standard, its tuner should be identical and I own the Pitchblack as well. 
I have problems to tune my 5-string bass to A or my 8-string guitar to the low F. Using the Pitchblack I don't have that problems.


----------



## Metalman X

SevenSkull said:


> I have the AxeFX Standard, its tuner should be identical and I own the Pitchblack as well.
> I have problems to tune my 5-string bass to A or my 8-string guitar to the low F. Using the Pitchblack I don't have that problems.



hmmm.... good to know, thanx! I keep a couple basses in A sandard


----------



## Veldar

If your basses are intonated you can just use the 12th harmonic.

I'm really close to getting an axe fx 2 for my bass effects, now before you say over kill, I'm one of the guys who has 12 pedals on a pro pedaltrain. Just wondering if I can stack 14 effects in a row with DSP maxing out?

Cheers, Sam.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Javier Reyes preset pack released:

Fractal Audio Systems - Javier Reyes releases the Mestis Preset Pack for the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II

Dig the cleans...the Eclipse patch is badass too.


----------



## Metalman X

Anybody have any insight on why I'm not getting a signal through my Ultra's loop? I know it took me a bit to figure out how to split into a stereo signal (IE: had to insert a vol/pan block in the chain, not just route it off in two spots), so I'm wondering if I'm missing something here as well.

Pedals good, cables are good (tested them, just in case), loop block inserted where I need it... alas, no sound. I bypass it, sound.

Basically, I'm wanting to split my signal for bass... have one out clean, with its own amp and cab simulation, and the other path is the driven one feeding out to its own channel in my DAW. My drive pedal of choice for bass is an old Ibanez PD7 Phat Hed. 

Alternatively... would love to figure out how to mimic/replicate the PD7 within the Axe and not have to even use the pedal and loop. Or, more precisely, what the Attack switch does to the tone on the PD7... it's like a high boost with maybe a sharp, tight scoop in the lower mids, but with something else in the harmonics. It sorta/kinda' makes it like the strings are being slammed hard at all times, even if your using a pick. But... still, kinda' it's own thing.

Gonna be doing some further experimentation, but any input would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## fremen

Metalman X said:


> Anybody have any insight on why I'm not getting a signal through my Ultra's loop?


Most common reason : output 2 is not open. Open it, it controls the send level


----------



## Metalman X

fremen said:


> Most common reason : output 2 is not open. Open it, it controls the send level



ah... will have to investigate this, thanx!


----------



## asher

steinmetzify said:


> Javier Reyes preset pack released:
> 
> Fractal Audio Systems - Javier Reyes releases the Mestis Preset Pack for the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II
> 
> Dig the cleans...the Eclipse patch is badass too.



Stealing so hard.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Right? Man the cleans are great...


----------



## asher

steinmetzify said:


> Right? Man the cleans are great...



The lead is super mega tasty I think with a bit of tweaks (mostly to the delay).

edit: the notes on Pura Nitrus says it's an HBE and a USA Clean, but it's loading as the HBE and a JCM800


----------



## Steinmetzify

Same for me....maybe he changed it after the notes...


----------



## asher

steinmetzify said:


> Same for me....maybe he changed it after the notes...



Bug, probably.

On a related note, and idea why his global EQ has gain at a whopping -9.5? Is there a decent reason to do this (more of the master out volume seems usable maybe) or is this just a weird quirk?


----------



## lewstherin006

new beta is up!

Axe-Fx II "Quantum" Rev 2.00 Public Beta | Fractal Audio Systems Forum


----------



## Steinmetzify

Nice, does Axe Edit work with it or no?


----------



## lewstherin006

steinmetzify said:


> Nice, does Axe Edit work with it or no?



I have no clue, didnt try it yet.


----------



## mnemonic

Historically, axe-edit works fine with betas or newer (technically unsupported) firmwares, but any new features aren't shown yet, and you need to adjust these directly on the unit.


----------



## Andromalia

Just when I did a few matched patches with amps/cabs. Oh, well.


----------



## mongey

Had a quick tinker with the beta yesterday. The splawn nitro sounds great. My recto patches need to be re tweaked. 

To be honest a bunch more marshals added are a yawn fest to me.


----------



## Steinmetzify

mongey said:


> Had a quick tinker with the beta yesterday. The splawn nitro sounds great. My recto patches need to be re tweaked.
> 
> *To be honest a bunch more marshals added are a yawn fest to me*.



Same here...buddy shot me a clip with the new '71 and it sounded great but I'm not a Marshall guy so I give zero *****.

I'll wait until they do the official 2 release. My patches sound great right now, no need to mess with anything for some amps I don't want or need.


----------



## Elric

mongey said:


> To be honest a bunch more marshals added are a yawn fest to me.


How does two new Marshalls constitute a 'bunch'? 



> Added Plexi Hi 2 amp model which is similar to Plexi 50W Hi 1 except the second triode stage has a 0.68uF cathode bypass capacitor. The second bypass capacitor was added in the early 70s and gives a slightly brighter tone.
> 
> 
> Added Plexi 100W 1970 based on a 1970 Marshall 1959SLP 100. This particular amp has a darker, smoother sound than earlier Plexis.
> 
> 
> Added Ruby Rocket amp model based on a Paul Ruby Rocket with the Bright switch in the down position. The existing model has been renamed Ruby Rocket Brt to reflect the state of the Bright switch being in the up position.
> 
> 
> Added AC-20 12AX7 B amp model based on an AC-20 Deluxe with the rear switch set to 12AX7 and the Bass/Treble switch set to Bass. The existing models have been renamed AC-20 EF86 B, AC-20 EF86 T, and AC-20 12AX7 T.
> 
> 
> Added Spawn Nitrous 1 amp model based on the OD-1 mode of a Splawn Nitro with KT-88 power tubes.
> 
> 
> Fixed Spawn Nitrous model broken by earlier firmware update. If you are using this model in your presets you should reset the model by deselecting and reselecting the amp type. This model has been renamed Spawn Nitrous 2 to indicate that it is the OD-2 mode (see above).


Seems pretty balanced to me. But then again, I love Marshalls.


----------



## Metalman X

hey guys... having a tough time finding out what I need to convert standard IR's to Ultra-friendly .syx files. Most info I find in the search goes back to the AFX II, despite my googling the Ultra specifically. Furthermore, what I do find for the Ultra, seems some of the stuff didnt work for the final firmware of the Ultra. I'm afraid of effing up my Ultra or something using a program that may or may not work. 

Any help?

On a related note... any places to find some free Ultra-ready IR's? I may just try out some of the Redwirez stuff, but I know theres a ton of legit shee stuff out there as well... just finding it.


----------



## thesockmonster

Metalman X said:


> hey guys... having a tough time finding out what I need to convert standard IR's to Ultra-friendly .syx files. Most info I find in the search goes back to the AFX II, despite my googling the Ultra specifically. Furthermore, what I do find for the Ultra, seems some of the stuff didnt work for the final firmware of the Ultra. I'm afraid of effing up my Ultra or something using a program that may or may not work.
> 
> Any help?
> 
> On a related note... any places to find some free Ultra-ready IR's? I may just try out some of the Redwirez stuff, but I know theres a ton of legit shee stuff out there as well... just finding it.




Fractal Audio Systems - Cab-Lab IR Mixer & Tools

Fractal just released Cab Lab Lite for free, which gets the conversion job done nicely.


----------



## Metalman X

thesockmonster said:


> Fractal Audio Systems - Cab-Lab IR Mixer & Tools
> 
> Fractal just released Cab Lab Lite for free, which gets the conversion job done nicely.



Aye, I saw that. Only says it works for the AFX II and the AX8... doesn't mention if it supports the Ultra, which I have. Unless I'm missing something?


----------



## Steinmetzify

thesockmonster said:


> Fractal Audio Systems - Cab-Lab IR Mixer & Tools
> 
> Fractal just released Cab Lab Lite for free, which gets the conversion job done nicely.



Ok, wanted to say thanks for the heads up....I just converted a ton of Rosen IRs I've wanted to use in my Axe forever, and it took all of 10 minutes. That was dope.


----------



## thesockmonster

steinmetzify said:


> Ok, wanted to say thanks for the heads up....I just converted a ton of Rosen IRs I've wanted to use in my Axe forever, and it took all of 10 minutes. That was dope.



Dang, always wanted to try the Rosen stuff. Steve, could you toss a few samples my way?


----------



## Steinmetzify

Dropped you a PM man.


----------



## laxu

Lorcan Ward said:


> The First gen models are unsuported and have been for a very long time. When the Axe 3 comes out the same thing will happen to the 2.



To be honest I expected an Axe 3 to arrive much sooner but here we are, 5 years and 20 major (and god knows how many minor) firmware updates (with the 21st in beta) later.

At this point a better user interface on the hardware is really all I want in an Axe 3. The sound is already so good that I can't really tell a difference even if Cliff says it's a big upgrade in a new firmware.


----------



## Veldar

I just want an Aguilar bass amp in there


----------



## incinerated_guitar

I know this has been asked before, but I can't for the life of me find it  Anyways, what is everybody's stance on 12" monitors vs 15" monitors? Since I'm going the FRFR route (Finally put all my gear up for sale after lagging for months!) I'm trying to decide on which route to take. The other guitarist in my project is using a pair of Alto TS115a's, and being that I like the Altos for the price point, I was debating on either a pair of the 112a's, or the 115a's. So opinions? Thoughts? Thanks!


----------



## mongey

so I jumped off the axe fx train . think its a great piece of gear but I just ended up feeling like i had way to many distractions with it . figured I'd sell the XL while the price was still good 

my playing time is limited at the moment so gonna try a torpedo live with my recto for home stuff . less things to mess with


----------



## Steinmetzify

mongey said:


> so I jumped off the axe fx train . think its a great piece of gear but I just ended up feeling like i had way to many distractions with it . figured I'd sell the XL while the price was still good
> 
> my playing time is limited at the moment so gonna try a torpedo live with my recto for home stuff . less things to mess with



Right on man, I've heard great clips from that thing and I know how much you love Rectos. Least you got to give it a shot for a good long while.

I could see myself doing the same if I could find one amp I loved the tone of as much as you seem to. Good luck with the TNs stuff, and let us know how it does!


----------



## mongey

steinmetzify said:


> Right on man, I've heard great clips from that thing and I know how much you love Rectos. Least you got to give it a shot for a good long while.
> 
> I could see myself doing the same if I could find one amp I loved the tone of as much as you seem to. Good luck with the TNs stuff, and let us know how it does!



yeah man we'll see 

felt a few pangs as the dude walked away with it but had an envelope of $100 bills that helped


----------



## Steinmetzify

LOL...I bet it helped. All to the good that they're not rare. You decide you don't like the TN stuff you can always grab another one.


----------



## Shask

mongey said:


> so I jumped off the axe fx train . think its a great piece of gear but I just ended up feeling like i had way to many distractions with it . figured I'd sell the XL while the price was still good
> 
> my playing time is limited at the moment so gonna try a torpedo live with my recto for home stuff . less things to mess with



I have considered doing this myself. I almost always only use 1 or 2 presets, so sometimes the Axe feels like a waste. I have considered the Two Notes Live direction.

I think what changes my mind is the mess. I would have to add a bunch of pedals, wires, power supplies, etc.... Doesn't seem worth it vs. the black box of wonder. That and the Axe continues to improve, so who knows what cool stuff it will be able to do in a year, or 2 years, or ??

It is hard some days though. Some times I love to just crank up the Recto and jam.

I have also considered a Freyette Power Station. Power amp for the Axe, Load box for the Recto.....


----------



## Elric

FWIW, I love the digital units and will always have one as my main rig going forward. They've arrived, IMHO, and I am addicted to the variety and sheer power/flexibility. I feel like I am making zero compromises with the AFX, right now. I can get essentially that 'grail' tone I had been chasing for years with amps and racks and it is just there and fully dialed with zero fussing, etc. Yet the same rig can get me virtually any 'experimental' sound or allow me to explore virtually any genre I happen to get 'into' for some period without buying any more stuff. It rules. I no longer build multiple physical rigs.

Of course, I may buy another amp someday, though, too... Gear is just fun to have and knock around. If I pick up another physical amp it'll surely be a lunchbox of some sort, though, not a full rig.


----------



## mongey

Elric said:


> FWIW, I love the digital units and will always have one as my main rig going forward. They've arrived, IMHO, and I am addicted to the variety and sheer power/flexibility. I feel like I am making zero compromises with the AFX, right now. I can get essentially that 'grail' tone I had been chasing for years with amps and racks for years and it is just there and dialed with zero fussing, etc. Yet the same rig can get me virtually any 'experimental' sound or any genre I happen to get 'into' for some period without buying any more stuff.
> 
> Of course, I may buy another amp someday, though, too... Gear is just fun to have and knock around. If I pick up another physical amp it'll surely be a lunchbox of some sort, though, not a full rig.





if everyone felt the same there would be way less gear forums


----------



## Shask

Elric said:


> FWIW, I love the digital units and will always have one as my main rig going forward. They've arrived, IMHO, and I am addicted to the variety and sheer power/flexibility. I feel like I am making zero compromises with the AFX, right now. I can get essentially that 'grail' tone I had been chasing for years with amps and racks and it is just there and fully dialed with zero fussing, etc. Yet the same rig can get me virtually any 'experimental' sound or allow me to explore virtually any genre I happen to get 'into' for some period without buying any more stuff. It rules. I no longer build multiple physical rigs.
> 
> Of course, I may buy another amp someday, though, too... Gear is just fun to have and knock around. If I pick up another physical amp it'll surely be a lunchbox of some sort, though, not a full rig.



You gotta admit though, it is kinda boring, lol.

Sometimes I kinda miss buying amps, pedals, etc... Now it's just like... OK, let me load up that block...


----------



## mnemonic

I feel the same way as Elric. 

Sometimes I think what it would be like if I just had one or two amps (most of my patches are 2 channel Recto anyway) but then I start messing around with other amps and I realise I would never be able to do that. 

Last month or so, I've been big into Marshall's, and my current favorite amp is the Friedman BE with a tubescreamer. Totally different sound from my usual patches, which is a nice breath of fresh air. I also made a Mark IV patch the other day that is awesome, so the next few months might be me getting way into the Mark series. 

I may use hardly any of the versatility, but it's super nice to have when I want it. This is also the only time I've ever been truly happy with my gear/tone, and I'm just playing and having a good time, instead of thinking about the next thing I want, or the next piece of equipment that should make things better. It's all guitar-related GAS now. 

Ok, gushing over.


----------



## Andromalia

The main reason for keeping the axe that I have is that it makes for a pretty tidy music corner. Not sure I'd want to deal with a pedalboard and the power cords going all over the place. My computer setup is bad enough as it is for that.


----------



## Double A

I have both. I have the Axe FX for home use and recording and my live rig for playing live. I know not everyone can do that but if push comes to shove I would never sell my Axe FX.


----------



## madwham

Hi,

It's been a while since I posted here, but after considering the AX8, I finally decided to go for an Axe-FX II XL+ and it arrived yesterday.  At the moment, I playing it through the return input of my tube amp, it's already quite nice but I do intend to go the FRFR route as soon as possible.

1) Are there some "must-have" presets/patches to download for someone who plays mostly metal? I found the Axe-Change page from the FAS forum, but there are a lot of presets, but I'm not clear how compatible with the XL+ they are. More generally speaking, any advice for a newb with the Axe? 

2) As for the FRFR monitor (I don't have any yet), I get the impression that studio monitors are usually very directional, which is not something I want. So I'm considering the Matrix Q12, explicitly appropriate for FRFR and with a wide sound-field. Am I mistaken about that? The thing is, I'll use a pair of those monitors with other sound sources than the Axe, since my TV and multimedia system are in the same room.

3) Are there any specifically FRFR line mixers, or any good (stereo) line mixer would do for routing the Axe's signal?

Thanks.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Best advice I could give a newb with the Axe is to buy Fremen's presets. That stuff rules, man. Everything you could want from clean to mean. You'll never need another preset after that.


----------



## madwham

I had a look at those presets, they indeed seem great.  Right now I'd like to force myself to do with the existing ones, in order to learn the basics but also because at the moment the Axe is plugged on the return input of a tube amp, instead of a proper speaker. I'll rectify that with next month's pay, and get Fremen's presets at the same time.


----------



## Cheap

Hey Guys,

I am going to make a transition back into the world of Fractal and I'm starting to wonder if I'll run into redundancy if I hold on to my Strymon Timeline.

I've been out of the loop as far as what effects are available with the newest Fractal firmware so I'm curious if the delays specifically will be just as awesome as the Strymon's are. 

The plan is to go from an analog rig to a mostly in the box Axe II rig so I'll be depending on amps and effects entirely from that unit for recording/playing live.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Different levels of awesome, dude. Fractal FX are top notch, and I'm a delay junkie. 

I'd say hold onto it until after you grab the Axe and see what you can do as far as making delays that stack up. I know some guys that have done Timeline delays and they sound/feel pretty good.


----------



## Zalbu

Have anybody tried using something like a Windows tablet to use as an interface for the Axe Edit? I saw a post on Reddit about somebody doing something similar and I figured that it'd probably work with the Axe-Fx too so you don't have to sit at your PC every time you want to edit patches, or am I completely lost?

https://www.reddit.com/r/Guitar/comments/479fex/geargot_a_40_windows_10_tablet_to_be_my_interface/


----------



## Catjive2

My guitar player has the ISP Stealth Power Amp rack and he swears by it. Im new to the axefx world, and I've seen a lot of people using mainly a couple of power amps i.e. Crown, QSC, Matrix, VHT/Freyette, and the ISP. Ive been told that some of these color your tone, is that true? How can that be if theyre all solid state amps?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

The only ones that would siginficantly color your tone are the Matrix and VHT/Fryette. Maybe the ISP. The PA power amps will color your sound much, much less.


----------



## demorior

VHT/Fryette are tube amps, not solid state.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

That too.


----------



## laxu

Any guitar amp will color your tone. Ideally for the Axe-Fx you want more of a PA type poweramp and a full range cab so you can use the cab impulses in the Axe-Fx. Otherwise it will still sound good but you'll lose in variety of tones.

It doesn't really even matter if it's tube or solid state. I've got the Atomic FR which is 50W tube poweramp combined with FRFR speakers. It doesn't color the tone despite being a tube poweramp, you can even try playing a song thru it from the computer and it will sound just fine.


----------



## BenSolace

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> The only ones that would siginficantly color your tone are the *Matrix *and VHT/Fryette. Maybe the ISP. The PA power amps will color your sound much, much less.



Not so with the Matrix, at least IME - I have the GT1600FX and when tested vs a completely flat hi-fi amp, the results are about the same. I hear that the Matrix has been made to *feel* more like a valve power section, but EQ wise it gives an accurate representation of the signal it's fed.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

The AxeFx is just so damn flexible you can really put it through just about anything and get great tone. That's the beauty of it.

I put it through PAs of all shapes and sizes, guitar amp power sections (head/cab and combo), and even through HiFi systems and with a little tweaking it all works. 

When it comes to power, get something light and reliable.


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime

BenHughesDS said:


> Not so with the Matrix, at least IME - I have the GT1600FX and when tested vs a completely flat hi-fi amp, the results are about the same. I hear that the Matrix has been made to *feel* more like a valve power section, but EQ wise it gives an accurate representation of the signal it's fed.



I used do have a GT1000fx with my Kemper and it was very flat, not adding much/any color. I actually prefer some tube coloration when I'm running a live cab, so I ended up selling the Matrix and now run the Kemper through the FX return of one of my amps whenever I want to play the KPA through a cab.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

Worth mentioning: the speakers you'll be running it through will matter much more than any very mild coloration added by high end power amps, especially high wattage solid state ones.


----------



## mongey

When I had mine I had a matrix gt1000 and it was a great unit

It also depends on how you want to run the axe fx. To a standard guitar can or to passive frfr ?


----------



## TamanShud

Can't go wrong with the Matrix GT1000. Headroom is probably a more important factor than colouration from the power amp IMO and the Matrix has stacks.


----------



## cGoEcYk

Probably among the most br00tal of power amps is the Mesa Coliseum 300.

I really like the power section from my Mesa Bass 400 (currently loaded 6x6550). I tend use that power section with my ISP Theta pedal and prefer it to my DR's (boomy) power section. Sometimes I plug the ISP into my TH30's power section too (4xEL84) and dig the raspy compressed sound it has.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

cGoEcYk said:


> Probably among the most br00tal of power amps is the Mesa Coliseum 300.



It's also one of the very, very few power amps that require a forklift to carry from gig to gig.


----------



## hvdh

Synergy SYN5050 - 2x50W all-tube rack mount power amp features and basic description &#8212; bij The NAMM Show.


----------



## laxu

hvdh said:


> Synergy SYN5050 - 2x50W all-tube rack mount power amp features and basic description  bij The NAMM Show.



I don't think you'd want that for the Axe-Fx. The idea is the Axe does all the modeling - amp, cab and effects and then it's pushed to a system that can output it at volume without imparting any character of its own.


----------



## RoyStukel

Can you please specify the exact requirements?
What are the specifications for your device?
Also you need only the power amp or combination of power amp with mixer etc.?


----------



## laxu

RoyStukel said:


> Can you please specify the exact requirements?
> What are the specifications for your device?
> Also you need only the power amp or combination of power amp with mixer etc.?



A neutral poweramp (so generally a PA poweramp or something like that such as the Matrix amps) into a flat response, full range speaker. Good active monitors will do as well but won't sound the same as the "amp in the room" sound most are used to.


----------



## Elric

laxu said:


> A neutral poweramp (so generally a PA poweramp or something like that such as the Matrix amps) into a flat response, full range speaker. Good active monitors will do as well but won't sound the same as the "amp in the room" sound most are used to.


Neither will an FRFR speaker such as CLR, et al. Only way to "get amp in the room" experience with modelers is to disable cab modeling and limit yourself to a legit guitar cab or cabs. Reduces flexibility but it is no more limiting than an exceptional quality 200+ channel head would be. 

Agreed with other with regard to good, clean power amp with lots of headroom. The AFX has so much control that you can dial global settings for most decent amps, as long as the just have enough push across the full spectrum at the volume you want.


----------



## Dead-Pan

Hey all, 

I am attempting to recreate a Framus Cobra sound with the Axe and looking for opinions. Here is a link to the Fractal forum with a sound clip and presets. These are for the Ax8 but if anyone is interested I could try to export the blocks.

Trying to recreate a Framus Cobra in the AX8, opinions wanted. | Fractal Audio Systems Forum


----------



## vividox

Hey guys, I've recently decided I'm ready to make the switch from analog to digital (I've gotten really tired of tubes and cables runs and pedal boards and blah blah blah and really just want to make my rig a lot simpler so I can focus on the music). I'm trying to decide between the Axe-FX II XL+ or the AX8. I know the AX8 doesn't have the dual amp/cab features and doesn't have some of the more esoteric blocks, but having never used a Fractal Audio product before, I'm not really sure how significant those differences are or if I would really miss them if I went for the AX8. Basically, I'm wondering if I should just go for broke and do the flagship model for twice the price (including footswitch) or if the AX8 really is the amazing packaged deal it looks like.

Is there anything else I should be taking into consideration (other than the AX8's waitlist)? Thanks in advance.


----------



## shpence

Wish I knew where I was on the wait list. Getting antsy!


----------



## shpence

shpence said:


> Wish I knew where I was on the wait list. Getting antsy!



Weird, got an email an hour later about my wait list spot opening up for the Axefx II XL. Couple of questions that are probably somewhere on 7s.org that I couldn't find:
-Rack recommendations (2 - 4 space) to sit on a desk
-Power conditioner needed?
-recommended accessories 

Thanks!


----------



## Andromalia

The axe itself is 2U, I recommend a 3 or 4U so you can add a rack sound card and a power distributor. that way the whole thing can be stored and moved without problems by just unplugging an USB cable and the main power.

As for accessories, a midi pedalboard and one or two expression pedals might help for live use. Other than that, nada.


----------



## shpence

Andromalia said:


> The axe itself is 2U, I recommend a 3 or 4U so you can add a rack sound card and a power distributor. that way the whole thing can be stored and moved without problems by just unplugging an USB cable and the main power.
> 
> As for accessories, a midi pedalboard and one or two expression pedals might help for live use. Other than that, nada.



Thanks man.


----------



## crg123

So who else is excited to hear how the new UltraRes 2.0 IR's are going to sound? The Description from the Cab-Lab 3.3.0 March 17, 2016 Release notes State:

- UltraRes&#8482; 2.0 is the next level of evolution for our patent-pending speaker simulation technology, with even greater accuracy than the original version. UltraRes&#8482; 2.0 cab files are backwards compatible with previous Axe-Fx and AX8 firmware supporting UltraRes&#8482; 1.0. 

I wonder when the First 2.0 Cab pack will be released or if we'll get any samples in any future Firmware releases...


----------



## Andromalia

Well, honestly, at this point, I wonder how my patches can actually get better. there certainly is still room for upgrade, but the return on investment is getting smaller and smaller.


----------



## vividox

Hey guys, I'm about to join the Axe-FX club. Is it completely frowned upon for me to ask if anyone has a coupon code before ordering? Would love to save a few bucks, but understand if it's against forum policy. Thanks.


----------



## Elric

vividox said:


> Hey guys, I'm about to join the Axe-FX club. Is it completely frowned upon for me to ask if anyone has a coupon code before ordering? Would love to save a few bucks, but understand if it's against forum policy. Thanks.


No, they generally do not give discounts. There have been a few instances where they have blown out old stock or done a holiday promo but they are quite rare and they do not generally have standing discount codes floating around like some products/services. When there is a waiting list for your products you generally do not need to motivate buyers.


----------



## vividox

Elric said:


> No, they generally do not give discounts. There have been a few instances where they have blown out old stock or done a holiday promo but they are quite rare and they do not generally have standing discount codes floating around like some products/services. When there is a waiting list for your products you generally do not need to motivate buyers.


Thanks for the info!


----------



## Steinmetzify

I don't know where you guys are at with regards to presets, but I dig a lot of them even though I'll do a bunch of my own. One gripe I think every II owner has that uses anything other than their own presets is the lack of being able to use XL/XL+ presets. Not anymore. This thing WORKS, and it works immediately. 

AxeFX II<=>XL preset converter, AX8<=>II/XL too | Fractal Audio Systems Forum


----------



## JP Universe

After buying the Ultra back in 2011 I've finally upgraded and have an Axe Fx 2 XL+ incoming


----------



## Suspicious Can Opener

Mostly a lurker but I saw this and figured people would be interested. Mint FX-8 for $1100.. Items At Sam Ash Columbus | Used Gear At Sam Ash Music


----------



## asher

Omg your user name


----------



## Steinmetzify

Dude that's hysterical!


----------



## mnemonic

Seeing all these JP-2C NGD's has got me wanting to play around with the IIC+ model again. As of a few firmwares ago, I haven't really been able to get a sound I'm happy with out of it (for metal), and today was no exception. 

I did, however, rediscover my love of the Mark IV model, fun as hell to play. Decent saturation with the 'fat' switch on. Quite refreshing to play an amp that can get tight and chunky without needing a boost.


----------



## JP Universe

Cliff had a thread on the Fractal forum recently explaining how to dial the IIC+ in just in case you didn't see that already


----------



## mnemonic

JP Universe said:


> Cliff had a thread on the Fractal forum recently explaining how to dial the IIC+ in just in case you didn't see that already



Yep, I read through it, and I also tried his settings. I still prefer the Mark IV model though. Maybe I'm broken


----------



## lewstherin006

mnemonic said:


> Yep, I read through it, and I also tried his settings. I still prefer the Mark IV model though. Maybe I'm broken



My main patch is a Mark IV patch based off mikko's settings. It slays.


----------



## Zalbu

How would one hook up the Axe-Fx so you can jam with it without any lag when it's connected to your PC? Misha is direct monitoring his Axe-Fx here but what cables and stuff would you need to do that? 

https://youtu.be/er9VhozNHNk?t=293


----------



## vividox

Zalbu said:


> How would one hook up the Axe-Fx so you can jam with it without any lag when it's connected to your PC? Misha is direct monitoring his Axe-Fx here but what cables and stuff would you need to do that?
> 
> https://youtu.be/er9VhozNHNk?t=293


No special set-up required, it's just Axe-Fx to interface, and the interface is hooked up to your computer and your monitors. With direct monitoring on, the signal doesn't go to you computer at all, it just goes from Axe-Fx to interface to monitors.

Cables would be... either XLR or instrument cables from the Axe-Fx to the interface, then monitor cables from the interface to monitors.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Zalbu said:


> How would one hook up the Axe-Fx so you can jam with it without any lag when it's connected to your PC? Misha is direct monitoring his Axe-Fx here but what cables and stuff would you need to do that?
> 
> https://youtu.be/er9VhozNHNk?t=293



I just use the USB, no lag at all. Records into Reaper just fine this way....I know some guys like to use an interface for their own reasons, but you don't need any special cables or anything just going USB (except a USB cable, of course).


----------



## Zalbu

steinmetzify said:


> I just use the USB, no lag at all. Records into Reaper just fine this way....I know some guys like to use an interface for their own reasons, but you don't need any special cables or anything just going USB (except a USB cable, of course).


Is that without AISO drivers? Even running my guitars DI through my interface into Ableton gives me small but noticable lag if I don't use AISO.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Zalbu said:


> Is that without AISO drivers? Even running my guitars DI through my interface into Ableton gives me small but noticable lag if I don't use AISO.



Fractal has built in ASIO drivers that you can select if you want to. It'll run on whatever, I just use those because I selected them one time and it worked great. No worries and no lag.

This might be a stupid question, but you know the AxeII has a built in interface, right?


----------



## Lax

Zalbu said:


> Is that without AISO drivers? Even running my guitars DI through my interface into Ableton gives me small but noticable lag if I don't use AISO.


If your interface has no driver, you should use ASIO drivers. Latency is a vast subject sometimes we encounter hardware issues or buffer ones.



steinmetzify said:


> This might be a stupid question, but you know the AxeII has a built in interface, right?


It's clear that for recording guitar, it's way better using the axe as an USB interface ! Works flawlessly and can record several tracks at once, to reamp eventually.


----------



## Zalbu

steinmetzify said:


> Fractal has built in ASIO drivers that you can select if you want to. It'll run on whatever, I just use those because I selected them one time and it worked great. No worries and no lag.
> 
> This might be a stupid question, but you know the AxeII has a built in interface, right?


Nah, I didn't know that. It's going to take a while before I'll be able to get an Axe-Fx but I want to learn as much as possible about it beforehand since it'll probably be the last piece of gear I'll ever need to buy.

It's just that I've been struggling forever now to find a way to actually jam to music playing from my PC while playing guitar along to it at the same time, since the only way to remove latency is to use AISO drivers but then you can't play music from a different source than your DAW. Does the same thing happen with the Fractal AISO drivers? 

The only way I've found that works right now is to use one pair of headphones connected to my PC and one pair of headphones connected to my interface and direct monitoring from that but that kinda defeats the purpose so I don't want to end up having to do that if I get an Axe-Fx. Otherwise I'll have to grab a pair of speakers too and run the sound from my PC through them or something like that.


----------



## Shask

Zalbu said:


> Nah, I didn't know that. It's going to take a while before I'll be able to get an Axe-Fx but I want to learn as much as possible about it beforehand since it'll probably be the last piece of gear I'll ever need to buy.
> 
> It's just that I've been struggling forever now to find a way to actually jam to music playing from my PC while playing guitar along to it at the same time, since the only way to remove latency is to use AISO drivers but then you can't play music from a different source than your DAW. Does the same thing happen with the Fractal AISO drivers?
> 
> The only way I've found that works right now is to use one pair of headphones connected to my PC and one pair of headphones connected to my interface and direct monitoring from that but that kinda defeats the purpose so I don't want to end up having to do that if I get an Axe-Fx. Otherwise I'll have to grab a pair of speakers too and run the sound from my PC through them or something like that.



That is usually an issue of the computer/Windows... not a guitar unit. The operating system will only deal with one audio stream at a time. 

Same thing if you want to plug the Axe, or any USB guitar unit, to record in. You cannot use your stock sound card to play music out. It has to re-route back through the same unit out. That is one reason I use an interface sometimes even though the Axe-FX II can be one.

If you want to jam with songs, import the entire .mp3 of the song into an audio track in your DAW. Have your guitar sound on a second audio track. Now they are using the same audio stream when you press play in your DAW.

(There are other ways, but that is the first that came to mind in the way your described your situation)


----------



## Zalbu

Shask said:


> If you want to jam with songs, import the entire .mp3 of the song into an audio track in your DAW. Have your guitar sound on a second audio track. Now they are using the same audio stream when you press play in your DAW.
> 
> (There are other ways, but that is the first that came to mind in the way your described your situation)


That's what I do when I record covers so I can play along to the song while recording, but it'll probably just be easier to grab a pair of monitors to use with the DAW and use headphones for everything else.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Seeing all these JP-2C NGD's has got me wanting to play around with the IIC+ model again. As of a few firmwares ago, I haven't really been able to get a sound I'm happy with out of it (for metal), and today was no exception.
> 
> I did, however, rediscover my love of the Mark IV model, fun as hell to play. Decent saturation with the 'fat' switch on. Quite refreshing to play an amp that can get tight and chunky without needing a boost.



Yesterday I had a little time to play, and did the same. I made 3 presets, with the IIC+ bt/dp, USA Lead+ Br (or whatever the most extreme one is called), the the USA Pre Red.

Yesterday I was really enjoying the Lead+ (The Mark 4 one) the most. It definitely had more of a modern scooped thing going on. I was on my E-tuned guitar, playing Metallica Black Album songs. It was very close. Definitely made me think about being at my dads house, playing his Mark 4  I will have to put this amp in my normal rotation of amp models I use.

One thing I noticed is the feel. People who say every amp model feels the same should play this model. After playing Rectos most of the time, I definitely notice this model has that same "smoothed over" feeling the real amp has. It was very obvious. I had a Mark III for several years, so it is cool to find one of these models I like.....


----------



## Webmaestro

mnemonic said:


> Seeing all these JP-2C NGD's has got me wanting to play around with the IIC+ model again. As of a few firmwares ago, I haven't really been able to get a sound I'm happy with out of it (for metal), and today was no exception.
> 
> I did, however, rediscover my love of the Mark IV model, fun as hell to play. Decent saturation with the 'fat' switch on. Quite refreshing to play an amp that can get tight and chunky without needing a boost.



Heh, and here I thought I was the only one who immediately started messing with the IIC+ model after that video came out.


----------



## MASS DEFECT

Fractal n00b here. just got an AX8 and im liking it very much. 

You guys have any tips or setting for making the wah sound thicker and gainy? I'm aiming for that thick and cutting Zakk Wylde sound. Should I pair it parallel to another distortion or eq block? Or tweaking just in the wah page should be enough?


----------



## asher

mnemonic said:


> Yep, I read through it, and I also tried his settings. I still prefer the Mark IV model though. Maybe I'm broken



I've never been as enamored of IIC+ tones as most people seem to be, and have always preferred the IV, both on albums and to play (using the Axe IIC+ model here, but I used to own a IV).


----------



## littleredguitars2

Guys, help me out here. I've been using an axe fx ultra for the better part of a year. I like the tones i get but i don't love em. They get the job done for the most part. How much of an improvement is the axe fx 2 over the ultra? Especially in the realism department. Thanks


----------



## lewstherin006

littleredguitars2 said:


> Guys, help me out here. I've been using an axe fx ultra for the better part of a year. I like the tones i get but i don't love em. They get the job done for the most part. How much of an improvement is the axe fx 2 over the ultra? Especially in the realism department. Thanks



The axe fx 2 is waayyy ahead of the ultra. with the last quantum update the amps are super close to the real thing. Cliff even redid some of the friedmans. Sell your ultra and get yourself a Axe fx II or a XL or XL+. All the units have the same modeling tech.


----------



## Genome

After a fairly lengthy break away from my Axe-FX (I bought a Mark V last year) I've been back on it in the last week or so, using the new Quantum, and I have to say I'm pretty stunned! It sounds and feels brilliant and is much easier to dial in than I remember.

I've been digging the Triaxis LD2 Red model in particular. Very smooth!

By the way, would the IIC+ Bright/Deep model be the closest to the way the JP2C is hard-wired?


----------



## littleredguitars2

Thanks. That's the impression I was under


----------



## thewolf49

Is it possible to run a phone in to the AX8 to play along with music? I'd have a couple monitors, what's the best way to go about this?


----------



## Alex Kenivel

I don't think there is an 8th-inch auxiliary in on this unit, so probably not, unless you can figure out a way to hook up an external player to one of the loops and try it that way. Also, I heard there was only one signal path for the ax8 so I really doubt my idea could work well. 

can you plug in two different sources into your monitors? I have some little Bose desktop speakers that i used and there are two inputs for spdif cables. one I could use for my modeler or interface, another one that comes out to an 8th-inch jack for an iPod or phone or whatever


----------



## thewolf49

I suppose I could use PA speakers instead but that'd look kind of weird.


----------



## Alex Kenivel

thewolf49 said:


> I suppose I could use PA speakers instead but that'd look kind of weird.



 I don't see how that's any kind of weird. I use a wedge almost all the time


----------



## thewolf49

I think that's my option then. I know plenty of PA speakers you can plug your phone in to.


----------



## Alex Kenivel

Yep. I run backing tracks through a PA along with my Pod and play one-man gigs. It's nothing out of the ordinary


----------



## thewolf49

Or could always buy a cheap tube amp with a good clean channel and run a Palladium into it


----------



## kootenay

So I am still on my amp quest and I have further question from you guys. I just wanted to say first off that I do appreciate all the advice everyone has provided me here. 

So I currently have an Orange Dark Terror with the 1x12. Sounds great for what it is, not great for modern metal and only really does one thing. I then thought the EVH 5153 50watt was going to be the saving grace as its multi channel, preamp out, so good for recording or playing through head phones etc. But the reason why I am hesitant on this is that I very, very rarely actually play through a cab, it just doesnt fit into my life at the moment. So my gears started turning again and of course what did I think of well an Axe FX of course. I play 96% of my time in headphones and really want to record my first full track by the end of this year. I believe this is the right way to go as it should open up boat loads on tonal possibilities for me and not limit me to the boundaries of one amp. But I have quite a few questions and keep in mind I have not yet done much research myself yet, but will after work today.

-cost is a huge factor for me, can a Standard or Ultra still be relevant? 
-if so what would you say the going price for these units are? Ebay seemed empty
-if buying used I assume I won't have access to the website and user presets?
-to get going just with headphone for now what else do I need? Anything?
-I assume I will need a power amp to run a cab at some point?
-the cab impulses are loaded right on the Axe FX? Can you use stuff like Ownhammer or Rosen?
-cant think of anything else, but feel free to pile on the info/tips!

Thanks!


----------



## Steinmetzify

kootenay said:


> -cost is a huge factor for me, can a Standard or Ultra still be relevant?



Yeah they can, just keep in mind you need an interface to record and use headphones.....neither has an interface and neither has a headphone out.



kootenay said:


> -if so what would you say the going price for these units are? Ebay seemed empty



Around $900-$1200, depending. Used IIs run around $1500-$1700, and it's worth the extra $ if what you want to do is play in headphones and record. 



kootenay said:


> -if buying used I assume I won't have access to the website and user presets?



Don't assume...Fractal support is awesome and you can use the website (forum) and presets for free, always. BUT....the Standard and Ultra are discontinued and no longer updated, so that's something to consider. There are tons of presets out there for the Standard and Ultra, but even more for the II and above, and they sound better.



kootenay said:


> -to get going just with headphone for now what else do I need? Anything?



Depends on what you buy....if you snag a II or above, then yeah just headphones.



kootenay said:


> -I assume I will need a power amp to run a cab at some point?



Yup...the Axe (all versions) is a preamp, not a power amp. I myself usually run into a Peavey Bandit Transtube (for the 2% of time I want some room volume)...SS power amp with a 1x12 cab. I have patches dialed for the speaker in that cab and it sounds awesome. $100 used on GC. Didn't see the need for anything more being that I primarily use it for headphone practice late at night.



kootenay said:


> -the cab impulses are loaded right on the Axe FX? Can you use stuff like
> Ownhammer or Rosen?



Yup, they're right there in the patches, and you can store a number of them and mix and match in patches....I think with the II it's something like 150 of them. The XL has a much larger memory and lets you store like 500-1000 of them....there's also a thing called CabLab, which lets you convert and mix IRs, like ones from Ownhammer or Rosen...there's a free version called CabLab Lite, which lets you just convert WAV (or whatever) files to the proprietary format the Axe uses, but AFAIK this only works on the II or above.



kootenay said:


> -can&#8217;t think of anything else, but feel free to pile on the info/tips!



If you already have a good interface and good headphones and know what you're doing as far as dialing in tones for what you want to record with, then by all means snag a Standard or Ultra and save yourself some $...BUT if you don't already have those things then for the money, just save and get at least a II. 

It's still updated regularly (and by regularly I mean like once every 2 weeks, no joke), there's a lot more storage, the interface is built in, there's a headphone out, and someone wrote a piece of code a couple weeks back that lets you use XL/XL+ patches so there's literally nothing about those that you can't use except for the storage space. I have no need for 500-1000 IRs so it's never bothered me, but I DID need the interface and headphone out as 99% of the time I'm practicing or recording late at night when everyone is sleeping.


----------



## kootenay

steinmetzify said:


> Yeah they can, just keep in mind you need an interface to record and use headphones.....neither has an interface and neither has a headphone out.
> 
> 
> 
> Around $900-$1200, depending. Used IIs run around $1500-$1700, and it's worth the extra $ if what you want to do is play in headphones and record.
> 
> 
> 
> Don't assume...Fractal support is awesome and you can use the website (forum) and presets for free, always. BUT....the Standard and Ultra are discontinued and no longer updated, so that's something to consider. There are tons of presets out there for the Standard and Ultra, but even more for the II and above, and they sound better.
> 
> 
> 
> Depends on what you buy....if you snag a II or above, then yeah just headphones.
> 
> 
> 
> Yup...the Axe (all versions) is a preamp, not a power amp. I myself usually run into a Peavey Bandit Transtube...SS power amp with a 1x12 cab. I have patches dialed for the speaker in that cab and it sounds awesome. $100 used on GC.
> 
> 
> 
> Yup, they're right there in the patches, and you can store a number of them and mix and match in patches....I think with the II it's something like 150 of them. The XL has a much larger memory and lets you store like 500-1000 of them....there's also a thing called CabLab, which lets you convert and mix IRs, like ones from Ownhammer or Rosen...there's a free version called CabLab Lite, which lets you just convert WAV (or whatever) files to the proprietary format the Axe uses, but AFAIK this only works on the II or above.
> 
> 
> 
> If you already have a good interface and good headphones and know what you're doing as far as dialing in tones for what you want to record with, then by all means snag a Standard or Ultra and save yourself some $...BUT if you don't already have those things then for the money, just save and get at least a II.
> 
> It's still updated regularly (and by regularly I mean like once every 2 weeks, no joke), there's a lot more storage, the interface is built in, there's a headphone out, and someone wrote a piece of code a couple weeks back that lets you use XL/XL+ patches so there's literally nothing about those that you can't use except for the storage space. I have no need for 500-1000 IRs so it's never bothered me, but I DID need the interface and headphone out as 99% of the time I'm practicing or recording late at night when everyone is sleeping.



Awesome man! Thank you soooo much for the info. I do already have an interface and headphones so no worries there. One of the big factors for me is the Canadian dollar is such a mess right now so even though the prices aren't so bad for the II etc, its at least 1/3 more for me. With that being said, I may just sell what I have now, stick with free plugins until I can save for one of the better Axe FX's.... may end being late this year, but oh well.


----------



## kootenay

Ok, so digging a little further on this one as I do think this is the route I am going to go in the end. I can't afford to own a ton of different amps, nor the space for them, nor will I need many of them more than now and then. I am not and won't be some crazy power user or will I be playing live, just a dude in his house who likes to play and wants to record some stuff. Right now my thought process to to get the lowest model that supports the newest firmware which from what I can tell is the Axe FX II. I can't see any reason for myself to jump to the XL or XL+. 

I also took a quick look at the preset downloads and was blown away by the shear amount of stuff on there and it's crazy that artists actually upload there stuff as well. Needless to say I am GASing freaking hard at the moment and I don't think it will go away. I should have around $1900CDN by the end of May, so hopefully I can snag one then!


----------



## Steinmetzify

kootenay said:


> I am not and won't be some crazy power user or will I be playing live, just a dude in his house who likes to play and wants to record some stuff. Right now my thought process to to get the lowest model that supports the newest firmware which from what I can tell is the Axe FX II.



Think this is a great option for you man, especially for the reasons you stated. I'm not a power user either, just a guy that likes to practice later at night than most people would, and I'm on another forum where we do weekly drumjams, so it's cool to have it to record with. Sounds great, easy to mix, and I have zero need for 1000 IRs....I actually only really use maybe 15-20 out of all the ones I own.

For presets, they can be hit or miss....different tastes, different pickups and guitars, etc...lot of the ones off of Axechange can be good. Also, when you score one make sure you check out some presets from a guy named Fremen.....that stuff is genius and will really cover a ton of ground from clean stuff to the most brutal heavy gain you've ever heard, plus teach you how to make the most out of building your own. Stoked for ya! Seriously the best piece of gear I've bought in the last few years.


----------



## schwiz

Just sold my POD HD Pro and I'm looking to upgrade to an AxeFX. However, I'm not sure which model. The Ultra seems to be in the $1,000 - $1,300 range, and the II is in the 2k range. What is the biggest difference between the two models? Do they have different amps loaded onto them? Is is worth spending the extra money and go for the II? Can someone school me on the differences and give their opinion on the two? My budget allows for either if need be, but would prefer to not spend 2k if I don't have to. Any insight is much appreciated. Thanks!


----------



## mnemonic

Biggest difference is the amp models. At this point, the II has many more, and in many people's opinions, they sound a lot better and are more accurate than the Standard/Ultra. There are quite a few threads on Standard/Ultra vs Axe FX II on the fractal forum, and there are lots of people there who still own both and offer pretty good views. The general consensus is the II sounds significantly better, more amps, less tweaking required, etc. Though everyone is still pretty clear that the Standard and Ultra are still great sounding units. At the end of the day, they still sound just as good as when they were new, and people raved about how great they were then. 

The standard and ultra aren't receiving firmware updates anymore as they are discontinued. The II (all versions) still gets regular updates, bug fixes, modeling improvements, new amps and effects, etc. Updates do seem to be monthly, if not more often. I usually don't bother updating unless I see a new feature or new amp I want to try. 

Some other major differences:

-No headphone out or USB out on the Standard or Ultra - you need to use an interface to record, connect to the axe editor software, or to load presets/impulses

-Higher resolution impulses on the II (if you plan to use impulses)

-More processing power - you can build bigger, more complex presets before you run out of CPU 



As for the II, there are a few different versions at this point, but they all do the same basic thing, all use the same firmware, and have the same processing power. That means if the newest one is getting firmware updates, so are all the other versions of the II. 

Versions as far as I can recall:

-Axe FX II - this is the first one

-Axe FX II Mk. 2 - this one has a quieter fan

-Axe FX II XL - this one has some 'power user' improvements, like some special connector on the back for the footswitch, more memory so you can have more presets and more impulses stored on the unit.

-Axe FX II XL+ - the screen controller was discontinued, so they had to switch to a new one. The firmware has to reference this, so a new model name was required to differentiate it from the normal XL.



I've never played a Standard or Ultra, as I started out with the II about a year or two ago. I would personally get the II, just for the ease of use, extra amps, and continued ongoing support/updates. Plus, if you intend to record, use headphones, or load patches/impulses, you'll need an interface with the Standard/Ultra. Once you price this in, the II is a lot closer in cost. And the built-in headphone amp and USB interface is of great quality.


----------



## schwiz

Great response, thank you! I think based on what you just told me it wouldn't make sense for me to go with a standard or ultra. It will be worth it to spend a little bit extra money to get the better product. I appreciate your response.


----------



## BryanM7

Do any of you guys know what happened to the Stephen Carpenter presets that fractal released? All links seem to be dead.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Looked for a long time; all that stuff was back on like FW10, so none of the links work anymore. Nobody updated them and they just disappeared. I finally gave up, because the amp models and fx are so different by now none of those would work right or sound very good.


----------



## BryanM7

steinmetzify said:


> Looked for a long time; all that stuff was back on like FW10, so none of the links work anymore. Nobody updated them and they just disappeared. I finally gave up, because the amp models and fx are so different by now none of those would work right or sound very good.



Yeah. Its kinda weird that there is no trace of those anywhere. I figured the tones would be vastly different by now. I was more interested in the pdf's that detailed how they dialed things in. Bummer. Thanks for the info!


----------



## Straponjones

Quite new to this forum (and forums in general) but I think this is the right place for this question.

Im running a Axe-FX II XL with some stereo effects (reverb/delay) through a Mesa Standard 4x12 in stereo, but most of the time I'm in "rythm mode" and want to be mono.

How would I translate this to the front of house? My band exists of a drummer, bass player, two guitarists and a singer.


----------



## Arkeion

2 part question/advice request here. I'll try to make it brief.

1. I want super portability (like, super, ya know)
2. Axe FX alternative setup that I can replace soonish with the Axe FX (unhook alternative, hook up Axe, and go, that also conforms to my super portable desires)

For point 1, what setup for the Axe II do you guys recommend for the highest form of portability? I have two setups that I'd prefer to use, and I'd love to just haul my Axe unit to and from the jam space.
-At home, I just want to play through some studio monitors and record with minimal hooking/unhooking
-At jam sessions/venues, I just want to play through a 412 with minimal hooking/unhooking. I would be leaving my 412 @ the jam space.

Sorry if there's an obvious answer here, this would be my first experience with a modeler style/rack setup.


----------



## vividox

Arkeion said:


> 2 part question/advice request here. I'll try to make it brief.
> 
> 1. I want super portability (like, super, ya know)
> 2. Axe FX alternative setup that I can replace soonish with the Axe FX (unhook alternative, hook up Axe, and go, that also conforms to my super portable desires)
> 
> For point 1, what setup for the Axe II do you guys recommend for the highest form of portability? I have two setups that I'd prefer to use, and I'd love to just haul my Axe unit to and from the jam space.
> -At home, I just want to play through some studio monitors and record with minimal hooking/unhooking
> -At jam sessions/venues, I just want to play through a 412 with minimal hooking/unhooking. I would be leaving my 412 @ the jam space.
> 
> Sorry if there's an obvious answer here, this would be my first experience with a modeler style/rack setup.



You need a power amp to play the Axe-Fx through a cab. You could keep the power amp with your 4x12 at the jam space, though (as well as all relevant cables), so all you'd have to carry back and forth is the Axe-Fx itself. 

You might also look into the AX8. It's a floor version of the Axe-Fx and even more portable. They are on a (lengthy) waiting list right now, though.


----------



## MrYakob

vividox said:


> You need a power amp to play the Axe-Fx through a cab. You could keep the power amp with your 4x12 at the jam space, though (as well as all relevant cables), so all you'd have to carry back and forth is the Axe-Fx itself.



This is exactly what I'm doing these days, it works great. I only wish I had one of those 2U rack bags rather than a 3U hard rack to transport the Axe back and forth.


----------



## Shask

vividox said:


> You need a power amp to play the Axe-Fx through a cab. You could keep the power amp with your 4x12 at the jam space, though (as well as all relevant cables), so all you'd have to carry back and forth is the Axe-Fx itself.
> 
> You might also look into the AX8. It's a floor version of the Axe-Fx and even more portable. They are on a (lengthy) waiting list right now, though.



Yeah, the AX8 would probably be the most portable Fractal product.....


----------



## crystAlex

Hey Guys,

sorry if this is not the right spot, I figured I'd have the best chance of bumping into experts here.

I'm having a hard time loading IRs into my Axe Ultra.
I've downloaded this pack a while back (on this forum, or the gearpage), and never really got around to exploring it. 
I loaded a few IRs on the spot, liked 'm, and used 'm. 

Today I figured I'd really run through 'm, fine tune, and get the best on the 11 slots. 

I don't know what it is, but this keeps happening. 

http://youtu.be/c50XtIgGDTU

I choose the IRs, load them to the slots, select 'Send to axe', and while sending, the names change, and although sometimes some of my selected cabs stay on there, they're not usable (name between brackets). 

Any thoughts? Am I doing something wrong?


----------



## Metalman X

I got my Ultra in Januarary... love it to death!

But...

I'm having the same exact issues with IR loading as well.

I've tried several different methods of loading them that I've found around the net, and same results. Good thing the existing IR's are actually nice, but was REALLY looking forward to this function built in, and not relying on plugins, having upgraded from an HD Pro X

I wonder if it's the M-Audio midi-to-USB cable I'm using? The editing and backing up and all works fine with it... but having issues with it saving the IR's (as mentioned above, it retains the names though.). Might have to try using to cables from the mini i/o on my Delta 1010lt interface. But I heard the Axe doesn't mesh with the Delta in a couple of forums, so that may not help me at least rule out the midi/usb cable

Sadly... most my searching on this matter keeps turning back to Axe FX II units, and the Ultra's being forgotten. Made it hard for me to suss this out


----------



## crystAlex

Good to know I'm not alone in this. 
Thanks for taking the time to answer...
Strangest thing is that it has worked though...


----------



## Metalman X

crystAlex said:


> Good to know I'm not alone in this.
> Thanks for taking the time to answer...
> Strangest thing is that it has worked though...



No prob... this has been bedeviling me since I got the unit in January. Been trying on and off to resolve this since week one. Read through SOOOO many threads both here and on the axe forum and others as well.

Actually took another couple stabs at it today. Updated the firmware on my M-Audio Uno. Got hopeful too when I saw the MIDI In light once or twice when attempting to load IR's, but once I turn the unit off, than on again, there gone.... same as you, can see the names grayed out on the list. So it retains that much. 

On my way home from work tomorrow gonna pick up a couple of 6' MIDI cables, hook it directly to the MIDI of my M-Audio Delta 1010lt sound card, and see if that works... maybe it's just the Uno (it works fine for saving and editing all the time. But IR's won't stay loaded. Maybe theres a problem with my Ultra's memory?)

 

Ugh.... love this box... tons. My ONLY gripe is this whole IR issue. Was one of the things I was most looking forward to when getting my Axe. If anybody can chime in with a fix, please do!


----------



## crystAlex

The funny thing is that, of the 11 cabs I try to upload, each time 1 or 2 actually 'sticks', and is usable. 
I have no issue with any other editing etc...
Also using M-audio, but it would surprise me if it's linked to their midi implementation.

By the way, I really don't think it's beneficial to move all the axe-related content to one thread anymore. 
I totally agree with this being done at a time were 50% of the newly started threads were asking general questions about the Fractal gear ("But really, is it as good as a tube amp...?"), but now the few actually 'new' questions that arise every once in a while, get buried in a miles long thread, and barely get noticed...


----------



## Kwirk

So I recently bought an Axe2 after being an Ultra user for many years. I gotta say I'm not very impressed in terms of sound or overall feel. Not saying it's a bad product, just from what I've read from 97% of users upgrading, I was expecting a world of difference and I just haven't found it. The only thing I've really noticed is cleans are a lot nicer on it. 

Also I should note I never had any issues with the Ultra not having real amp "feel". Always felt fine to me.


----------



## Metalman X

crystAlex said:


> The funny thing is that, of the 11 cabs I try to upload, each time 1 or 2 actually 'sticks', and is usable.
> I have no issue with any other editing etc...
> Also using M-audio, but it would surprise me if it's linked to their midi implementation.
> 
> By the way, I really don't think it's beneficial to move all the axe-related content to one thread anymore.
> I totally agree with this being done at a time were 50% of the newly started threads were asking general questions about the Fractal gear ("But really, is it as good as a tube amp...?"), but now the few actually 'new' questions that arise every once in a while, get buried in a miles long thread, and barely get noticed...



Ugh, I know... was hoping it wasn't gonna get merged here either. This is all mostly Axe II discussion now, and little help for Standard/Ultra owners these days. Ah well... c'est la vie

So, I got a couple of midi cables yesterday, and hooked my Ultra up directly to my Delta 1010lt card and nixed the Uno.

Good news is my the editor recognizes my Ultra almost soon as I turn it on now... that made me hopeful.

BUT....

...still the same ..... Can edit patches and change patches all day long, but none of my IR's stay loaded! 

I even monkeyed with the midi buffer value as I seen mentioned in another thread. STILL nothing!

I tried using Midi-Ox with both my Uno and the Delta direct... still nothing. Though, with this utility, when I send the file the MIDI in led will not just blink quickly when done, but stay solid for several seconds. That REALLY got my hopes up! But once I power cycled the Ax, my IR's were gone again. 

I may just have to email Fractal directly and see what they say, cuz at this point I've tried pretty much everything aside from just buying a whole different midi interface... which if their is one 100% surefire, guarunteed to work one I can snag new or used for a reasonable price, I may just do, if only for this sole application.

Arg... why is nothing ever simple?!?!?


----------



## crystAlex

Yes indeed. I mean, do we expect the actual Axe-experts to browse through this old post weekly to see who to help? 
Of course, no. 
Would they, if they saw an interesting new thread appear. Yes.
Thanks for the feedback... I'm already relieved you found your way back to the post.



Metalman X said:


> I may just have to email Fractal directly and see what they say, cuz at this point I've tried pretty much everything aside from just buying a whole different midi interface...



Please do keep me posted. 
I feel like the entire operation is buggy. I can repeat the same process, with the same 10 IRs over and over, and I'm pretty sure each and every time, another one would 'stick' in the axe. 
Lovely and not at all


----------



## Sang-Drax

Metalman X said:


> Ugh, I know... was hoping it wasn't gonna get merged here either. This is all mostly Axe II discussion now, and little help for Standard/Ultra owners these days. Ah well... c'est la vie



Another one in the same boat. It's so hard to find resources for Std/Ultra! 

It seems I'm still a step behind you guys regarding IR's. I'm still trying to find out how to convert .wav files to .syx. Any hint? 

I tried the Cab-Lab Lite 3 which is available at the Fractal site for free, but (i) it doesn't seem to recognize my wav files and (ii) I'm not sure it wouldn't convert to a different kind of .syx file. Fractal seems to go out of their way to force us to purchase the Axe Fx II by making everything incompatible with previous versions, after all.


edit: nevermind, I found out I'd need the Axe-o-Matic under this link.


----------



## vividox

Metalman X said:


> So, I got a couple of midi cables yesterday, and hooked my Ultra up directly to my Delta 1010lt card


I don't know if this is helpful or even related, but I had a Delta 1010LT and in my experience it was extremely buggy and had a lot of compatibility problems. One of the best things I did for my rig was throw it in the trash can and get a new interface. Could be a situational experience, though.


----------



## Metalman X

vividox said:


> I don't know if this is helpful or even related, but I had a Delta 1010LT and in my experience it was extremely buggy and had a lot of compatibility problems. One of the best things I did for my rig was throw it in the trash can and get a new interface. Could be a situational experience, though.



My Delta has served me well for almost a decade now. Been in like, 3 different PC's of mine, and used with both XP and Win 7 extensively, and never have latency issues so long as I tweak the drivers right. This is possibly the only instance of it letting me down... and thats assuming it is even the cause.

On a related note, I did however try a more outlandish approach today. I still have my L6 Pod HD Pro X in another rack. I hooked the MIDI I/O with the Axe through it, and tried to use it as an interface. Could change patches, but Axe Edit wouldn't load the presets, and the MIDI out didn't even show as an option... only the Line 6 MIDI In showed in the Editors options. weird, aye? And all my drivers for the HD Pro are up to date as well. And I made certain the HD Pro's MIDI 'Out/thru' was set to 'thru' in the Global settings as well. 

I'm open to suggestions in regards to a possible standalone MIDI interface for loading IR's... hopefully theirs a really good, guaranteed-to-work one for a reasonable price (like under $100, new or used). Something I'm looking into now.



Sang-Drax said:


> Another one in the same boat. It's so hard to find resources for Std/Ultra!
> 
> It seems I'm still a step behind you guys regarding IR's. I'm still trying to find out how to convert .wav files to .syx. Any hint?
> 
> I tried the Cab-Lab Lite 3 which is available at the Fractal site for free, but (i) it doesn't seem to recognize my wav files and (ii) I'm not sure it wouldn't convert to a different kind of .syx file. Fractal seems to go out of their way to force us to purchase the Axe Fx II by making everything incompatible with previous versions, after all.
> 
> 
> edit: nevermind, I found out I'd need the Axe-o-Matic under this link.



I have no idea how to convert IR's yet. But I bought 3 Redwirez packs to use with the Axe, and those come with Axe-ready versions of the IR's included. (And yes, there as good as the hype... kinda why I'd love to get them into my Axe, as I intended to before I even purchased the Ultra, lol)



crystAlex said:


> Yes indeed. I mean, do we expect the actual Axe-experts to browse through this old post weekly to see who to help?
> Of course, no.
> Would they, if they saw an interesting new thread appear. Yes.
> Thanks for the feedback... I'm already relieved you found your way back to the post.
> 
> 
> 
> Please do keep me posted.
> I feel like the entire operation is buggy. I can repeat the same process, with the same 10 IRs over and over, and I'm pretty sure each and every time, another one would 'stick' in the axe.
> Lovely and not at all



Well, haven't tried to contact Fractal directly yet, but I tried a couple other little things today, as you probably already saw above. So frustrating...


----------



## schwiz

Is anyone using the Axe FX to monitor your sound (with cabs enabled), but recording just the amp sim and effects, without the IR? I am trying to achieve this, but not sure how I can do it.

Also, one more question: What is everyone using for a power conditioner for their Axe FX and/or interfaces?


----------



## Elric

schwiz said:


> Is anyone using the Axe FX to monitor your sound (with cabs enabled), but recording just the amp sim and effects, without the IR? I am trying to achieve this, but not sure how I can do it.


That is trivial, I run this way all the time. Send one signal via output one with cab sims and then in your preset tap a line off prior to the cab block via the FX Loop. This shows up on output 2 with no cab. This works aon Both the Original series and the IIs. 

You may want to read the manual a bit for connectivity options, there are multiple ways to do things and global settings, etc, available. If you don't have a manual both the originals and the IIs have PDFs online.



> Also, one more question: What is everyone using for a power conditioner for their Axe FX and/or interfaces?


Whatever's built into that plug they have on the wall. LOL. This device is digital.


----------



## schwiz

Elric said:


> Whatever's built into that plug they have on the wall. LOL. This device is digital.



I've had issues previously with my POD HD Pro not getting clean power, and I don't want to have the same issues with the Axe Fx. Power surges happen and I'd like to prevent blown capacitors if possible.


----------



## vividox

I use a UPS (uninterrupted power supply = surge protector + battery backup). My computer, monitors, and AxeFx are all connected to it.


----------



## illimmigrant

schwiz said:


> Is anyone using the Axe FX to monitor your sound (with cabs enabled), but recording just the amp sim and effects, without the IR? I am trying to achieve this, but not sure how I can do it.



I haven't done this, but it can be done. On the Axe edit build your patch the you normally would, but put the cabs one line below or above the line with your amp sim. On your amp sim line, your amp sim would be routed to your regular outputs (Left and right, or only one of those two if you're running in mono). On the line below you'll connect your amp sim to your cab sims and your cab sims to the FX loop block. Then you can run your instrument cable(s) from the output(s) of the fx loop on the back of your AxeFx to your interface. So you'll need at least two inputs to your interface if you run both in mono. One will take the amp sim output and the other will take your amp+cab from the fx loop.



schwiz said:


> Also, one more question: What is everyone using for a power conditioner for their Axe FX and/or interfaces?


I have mine on a regular Furman power conditioner in a 3 Space rack that I use to transport my Axe FX with the Furman when I use it live.


----------



## schwiz

illimmigrant said:


> I haven't done this, but it can be done. On the Axe edit build your patch the you normally would, but put the cabs one line below or above the line with your amp sim. On your amp sim line, your amp sim would be routed to your regular outputs (Left and right, or only one of those two if you're running in mono). On the line below you'll connect your amp sim to your cab sims and your cab sims to the FX loop block. Then you can run your instrument cable(s) from the output(s) of the fx loop on the back of your AxeFx to your interface. So you'll need at least two inputs to your interface if you run both in mono. One will take the amp sim output and the other will take your amp+cab from the fx loop.
> 
> 
> I have mine on a regular Furman power conditioner in a 3 Space rack that I use to transport my Axe FX with the Furman when I use it live.



Seriously, thank you for the detailed answer. That is exactly what I was looking for. I run my Axe FX outputs (including a dry out) to my Scarlett 18i8, so this is definitely achievable. I'm just new to using AxeEdit so I wasn't sure how I could achieve this. Thanks again!.


----------



## Metalman X

So... still haven't sorted my IR uploading dilemma yet. Though, to be fair, I haven't contacted Fractal directly yet (I needed to take a breather from that issue. Got enough stress in my life).

But I DID finally get the effects loop going. Was setting it up correctly all along... BUT I didn't realize/make the connection that the Input 2 knob in the front was for the loop, and been leaving it off. D'oh! (if only my IR situation was so easily resolved)

So... now that I got the loop cookin'.... I'm thinking of routing it as a clean, direct/unaffected signal to a 3rd input on my DAW for use in potential reamping. I think I already understand how to do that (same way I saw someone make it a tuner out... just i'll be feeding it to an input on my interface), so don't think I have questions on that front, knock on wood.

So, as long as I make sure I'm not clipping anything in or out, will I need any kind of box when/if I feed the signal back to the Ultra say, if I decide I wanna redo a track with a different model, and am too lazy, baked, or tired to just play it again? Some stuff i read up on it suggests the level coming out of the interface (an M-Audio Delta 1010lt in my case) may be too low, and require a reamp box to bring it back up.

Hoping this something I can do without needing to buy anymore .....


----------



## Elric

Metalman X said:


> So... still haven't sorted my IR uploading dilemma yet. Though, to be fair, I haven't contacted Fractal directly yet (I needed to take a breather from that issue. Got enough stress in my life).


I know this is not much help, but FYI my Ultra running FW11 and using a MIDIsport 2x2 interface connected to my Windows Vista laptop has never had an issue transferring cabs. Unfortunately, it has been like two years since I last did it.  My stuff is dialed in and I can't even remember what IRs I have loaded in there, so I'm reticent to overwrite them as a test. I guess I should look at doing a back up etc at some point. If I do get around to that, I will try resending them as an experiment to see if it provides any insight.


----------



## schwiz

Which Cab Packs are worthy of purchasing? I'm mostly interested in high gain stuff.


----------



## lewstherin006

schwiz said:


> Which Cab Packs are worthy of purchasing? I'm mostly interested in high gain stuff.



7 , 13 and the one with the engl cab is pretty good.


----------



## summit101

Hey guys, thanks for letting me post here. I think I found the right place to post this, and I would like to read more on my own about settings parameters and recording as a core.

I was wondering if anyone can help me access the more "*advanced settings*" in the Periphery presets available on the Axe-Exchange website. Someone already posted images of *basic settings* for the Bulb Rhythm and Nolly Smacky Bass tone. I'd like to have access to the Bulb Lead and Clean to at very least.

Here is the link to the original thread I made in the Fractal Forum
Convert Axe-fx II presets to Ultra, HELP? | Fractal Audio Systems Forum

Im having much success with these basic settings so far. I know that some of the advanced and Amp Geek settings in the Ultra can be important to tweak that's why I'm asking for those parameters in the form of Screen Captions. 

In the future once I have transposed complete settings of these presets I will upload them for Ultra and possibly even Standard users as there is one available here locally. I wouldn't want to keep these for only myself.


----------



## Metalman X

schwiz said:


> Which Cab Packs are worthy of purchasing? I'm mostly interested in high gain stuff.



Redwirez oversived Mesa pack is sweet. Works very will with alot of the high gain amps.

They also had a pack featuring some eminence Legends speakers, and Eminence Texas Heats.... both great for high gain, but the Legends really work nicely if you want a good all around high gain tone that works with a lot if amps but isn't the more ubiquitious Vintage 30 sound. The Texas Heats have a lot of sizzle, and thump (but not exactly scooped, mind you). They cut very well, but can be harsh with certain amps, and settings... you can get a little more smoother tone with some of the 'off cap edge' or 'cone edge' IR's that are with the mic at least 3" away. Than it becomes pretty usable.

Now if only I could do more than just 'audition' these cabs on my own box....


----------



## shpence

Having trouble getting Axe-Manage to recognize the Redwirez Mesa pack I have. I select the Axe Fx folder but it won't grab any of the IRs. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 0 user cabs are found in the scan.


----------



## Steinmetzify

shpence said:


> Having trouble getting Axe-Manage to recognize the Redwirez Mesa pack I have. I select the Axe Fx folder but it won't grab any of the IRs. Any help would be greatly appreciated. 0 user cabs are found in the scan.



Need to convert em dude. They're WAV files, not syx files. Use CabLab Lite, it's free and easy, PM if you can't do eet and I'll help.


----------



## Elric

Metalman X said:


> Now if only I could do more than just 'audition' these cabs on my own box....



So, after responding to this earlier, I got inspired enough to try backing up my Ultra this weekend and redid my laptop setup for editing. I had been using the front panel only for a long time since my Ultra is dialed in and I use my II more.

Setup:
Interface: USB Midiman Midisport 2x2
Connections: USB->Computer,MIDI Out B->AFX Midi IN, MIDI IN B<-AFX Out
Laptop: Old POS. Running Win Vista, which is also a POS.

Test:
Launch Axe-Edit 1.0.191
Go to settings:
- Select MIDISPORT port B for Input; likewise output.
- Test connection. Works. Ultra 11.0
Load a Preset
Launch AxeManage
Backup Cabs:
- Drag Cabs from AxeFx Cabinets to A new folder
- Syx files now appear in folder
- Audition them. Yes, sound correct
Audition Cabs:
- Navigate in left pane to new shiny new cab area (I converted a bunch of OH IR Wavs and loaded Fractal Cab Packs 1&2 which come with Ultra files).
- Find some interesting stuff; pick a cab that sounds super different from current slot 3
- Right Click 'audition' works
- Right Click 'send to user slot', select #3 works
Leave AxeManage and got to some presets using #3
Shows up; sounds way different

So, basically it works without a hitch for me. Probably not much help.

Things of note:
1. I had the actual AxeFx fully lock up twice when auditioning cabs (I ended up doing this the whole day LOL ) it wasn't doing it constantly but it was a little surprising. 
2. In doing the back up it timed out a couple of times before it got through all three banks. I have had this happen on my II also; so it didn't bug me much.
3. There is a MIDI time out parameter or similar in the MIDI settings. I did not play with it much but wonder if tweaking it might not improve reliability of transfer.

W.r.t. Non-write on user cabs. I would consider some potential faults in order of likeliness:

1. Connections or MIDI setup in AE
2. Interface
3. Hardware fault in AxeFx (example: my Boss OD-20 pedal which is a programmable distortion pedal, lost the ability to write new presets (it stores 4) in spite of being able to hold the old ones. I reset it thinking I could fix it but that only served to erase my presets and restore the factory defaults  but to this day, I cannot write to to those slots in spite of the pedal functioning like new in other regards. I assume it is some NV-RAM fault; I had checked for an internal battery, nope).

Anyway I tried; hope this helps.

Editorial comment: Man, the Old Axe-Edit might be better than the newest one in many regards.The AxeManage functionality in .191 is epic. So much more powerful and intuitive. The ability to quickly audition and edit presets in place in Banks, Directories, and on the device is SWEET.


----------



## areyna21

When running an axe through a tube poweramp do you prefer transparency or coloring. I've been running through a peavey 50/50 and it sounds great with the power sims turned on. It doesn't sound very good with them turned off though almost thin. What is a good tube poweramp that is transparent and one that colors really well. Just gauging opinions since I still have yet to pull the trigger on a poweramp.


----------



## haffner1

areyna21 said:


> When running an axe through a tube poweramp do you prefer transparency or coloring. I've been running through a peavey 50/50 and it sounds great with the power sims turned on. It doesn't sound very good with them turned off though almost thin. What is a good tube poweramp that is transparent and one that colors really well. Just gauging opinions since I still have yet to pull the trigger on a poweramp.



What level are you running with your 50/50? If you are using a model that requires any significant degree of power amp distortion, it will probably sound thin if you are playing at lower levels. I'm not an expert on this though because I run FRFR, but there are probably a lot of guys on the fractal forum that could help out.


----------



## areyna21

I usually set patches at lower volumes then tweak them during practice. My levels are usually lower but at practice I turn it up. I like the peavey with the sims on quite a bit but like I said when they are off it sounds thin.


----------



## haffner1

areyna21 said:


> I usually set patches at lower volumes then tweak them during practice. My levels are usually lower but at practice I turn it up. I like the peavey with the sims on quite a bit but like I said when they are off it sounds thin.



IMO you would be better off with a solid state power amp. A lot of people like the matrix but I've never used one myself. A tube power amp is always going to start to compress as you turn it up, and at gig volume you are probably going to get at least some distortion from it too, even if you are using something really monstrous. This will make it very hard to get in the ballpark if you are setting your presets at home because your gain settings will come out differently once you start to turn up. Just my opinion though, and opinions are like belly buttons. Everybody has one and they're all a little fuzzy. 

Are you using your rig when you set up at home, or are you going straight to monitor? If you are using monitors to set up the presets, you might also try shooting an IR of your own cab. Then you could use it at home to set presets, and turn it off when you go through your rig and your stuff will sound a lot closer to what you originally heard.


----------



## OmegaSlayer

I'm thinking of forking out for an AXE FXII XL.
I think it's the best solution for what I do, but maybe not, so I need some suggestions.

I'm a bedroom warrior, so I never cared loads about my rig, still I grew out very annoyed of poor sounds.
At the moment my rig is a Boss GT-5 used in the Send/Return of a Peavey Bandit set on High Gain channel.
The GT-5 is used only as an compressor and noise suppressor.
The sound is serviceable, but doesn't make me happy, even because I can't crank the amp high enough to get the best out of it, because...living in a flat.

As I seem to get the Axe has no problem related to volume if you send it directly to a cab/speaker.
Am I right?
So, would it be a good solution to send the Axe through the Bandit speaker having the amp in a very neutral setting?
Or is it better to buy an amp and a cab anyway?

Thanks guys


----------



## Andromalia

If you're going to use an axefxII as a home system, just get headphones.


----------



## OmegaSlayer

Andromalia said:


> If you're going to use an axefxII as a home system, just get headphones.



Axe through headphones (or speakers) you mean?


----------



## Andromalia

No, there is a headphones out on the front panel, that's what I use, directly plugging the headphones in. As I use the axe as a sound card for my DAW it all doubles up nicely.
If you don't want headphones, just get a pair of studio monitors and hook your axe to them.


----------



## Elric

> So, would it be a good solution to send the Axe through the Bandit speaker having the amp in a very neutral setting? Or is it better to buy an amp and a cab anyway?


Let's do a thought experiment... You have a $2200 guitar processor. You are running it through a $150 practice amp. Do you think it's likely to work well? Your entire rig is a system. It's going to be limited by the weakest component. Going high end modeling you basically end up with complete rig redo (especially if you go FRFR) if you actually want it to reach its potential. 

So, really, I would advise that you buy AFX + powered studio monitors (as noted headphone out is there but really, NO ONE wants to use headphones all the time for guitar work). 

Now, if with the cost of the Axe plus the other upgrades is too much, you probably want to look at other options. For a lot of home use you can do it ALL with plugins. No it is not Axe quality but it since you are using a GT-5 literally anything is a HUGE leap forward. 

Really, I'd say first order of business is to get some studio monitors and some free plugins as a starting point. Dropping $2k+ on an Axe may not make any sense at all if you find that those sound better to you and (as I said as someone has used that era of Boss tech, it will). If you find you are REALLY digging it and want to take the plunge then you could use said monitors with the AxeFx when you get it. The Axe rules but it is not the solution for every person or problem.


----------



## Steinmetzify

OmegaSlayer said:


> I'm thinking of forking out for an AXE FXII XL.
> I think it's the best solution for what I do, but maybe not, so I need some suggestions.
> 
> I'm a bedroom warrior, so I never cared loads about my rig, still I grew out very annoyed of poor sounds.
> At the moment my rig is a Boss GT-5 used in the Send/Return of a Peavey Bandit set on High Gain channel.
> The GT-5 is used only as an compressor and noise suppressor.
> The sound is serviceable, but doesn't make me happy, even because I can't crank the amp high enough to get the best out of it, because...living in a flat.
> 
> As I seem to get the Axe has no problem related to volume if you send it directly to a cab/speaker.
> Am I right?
> So, would it be a good solution to send the Axe through the Bandit speaker having the amp in a very neutral setting?
> Or is it better to buy an amp and a cab anyway?
> 
> Thanks guys



I actually do this. I use headphones 99% of the time but when I want some volume I run a cable from the back of the Axe into the return of the loop on my Bandit set on the clean channel. It's a $100 amp, but sounds ok on its own. I've never messed with upgrading it because I use it maybe once a month, if that. I have presets dialed for that speaker/cab and just disable cab sims in the Axe. Works well enough that I have no real desire for anything else.


----------



## OmegaSlayer

steinmetzify said:


> I actually do this. I use headphones 99% of the time but when I want some volume I run a cable from the back of the Axe into the return of the loop on my Bandit set on the clean channel. It's a $100 amp, but sounds ok on its own. I've never messed with upgrading it because I use it maybe once a month, if that. I have presets dialed for that speaker/cab and just disable cab sims in the Axe. Works well enough that I have no real desire for anything else.



Thanks a lot!

The amp is what it is but the Sheffield speaker is still good.
Anyway, only in the return, you don't send signal from Amp to Axe


----------



## Forrest_H

Just recently got an FCB1010 (stock ePROM) and I've been having issues with it on the AFXII. 

Everything was working really well, until I did a factory reset after misreading an article about the UnO chip. The display on the FCB flickers when it's hooked up to the Axe-FX and stops when it's unplugged. Programming a pedal to change to "X" Preset will randomly make it go to #20, #127, #300, back to a preset that's usually off by 3. 

Do you guys have any tips? I don't really want to wait for new ePROM, but I'd REALLY like to get this thing working. Thanks guys


----------



## shaunduane

Just got my first Axe FX Ultra! I used one in my previous band but I didn't own it and haven't played with one in a couple years.

Question: I'm trying to design a modern metal sounding patch but it sounds super fizzy and terrible like I don't have a cab. When I change my cab type or mic the sound doesn't change at all. I've tried listening thru some computer desk speakers, some headphones, a small mixer and thru some actual good speakers. All of these basically sound terrible and super fizzy like I have no cab. When I plug into an actual guitar cab with the Axe FX, it sounds incredible.

What am I missing here? Is there some setting that is making everything sound terrible?


----------



## Shask

shaunduane said:


> Just got my first Axe FX Ultra! I used one in my previous band but I didn't own it and haven't played with one in a couple years.
> 
> Question: I'm trying to design a modern metal sounding patch but it sounds super fizzy and terrible like I don't have a cab. When I change my cab type or mic the sound doesn't change at all. I've tried listening thru some computer desk speakers, some headphones, a small mixer and thru some actual good speakers. All of these basically sound terrible and super fizzy like I have no cab. When I plug into an actual guitar cab with the Axe FX, it sounds incredible.
> 
> What am I missing here? Is there some setting that is making everything sound terrible?


Global cab modeling might be turned off.

If you got it used, I would probably do a system reset so that you start with a clean system.


----------



## shaunduane

Shask said:


> Global cab modeling might be turned off.
> 
> If you got it used, I would probably do a system reset so that you start with a clean system.



That worked. Thank you a lot, man!


----------



## Genome

Having big problems with flub recently, never have in the past. I'm finding the only way to tighten amps up (particularly Mesa Mark ones) is to use the Cut knob or Drive pedals and even then there's a bit there. I have the Bass on 0 for the Mark models. 

Tried running my Mark V head direct into the same IR I use in the Axe-FX and there's no flub at all, sounds tight and full. 

Anyone else having this problem?


----------



## MASS DEFECT

Is there a Boss HM2 equivalent in the Axe Fx? I need to get that Nails/Entombed/Hail of Bullets sound.


----------



## remus1710

hello... i finally got my axe fx II xl+ but i don t have an usb cable... where can i buy one... and is it a special cable or something... and i want to connect it to a pair of yamaha hs7 what do u recommend xlr or 1/4?

thx for the helo


----------



## Spicypickles

Any electronics store will have several different ones to choose from.


----------



## mnemonic

The normal type of usb cable you would use to connect a printer to a computer. Not sure if it has a specific name. Square end toward the axe fx, rectangle end in the computer. You could probably get one at any big box store or electronics store for a couple dollars, or even less if you buy one online on Amazon or something. 

Most people usually have a few floating around in their box of random cables and adapters. 

I use a pair of TRS 1/4" calbles to connect to monitors (though trs is not necessary, mono ts cables would be fine) and I've had no issues.


----------



## remus1710

thanks for the answers... i have another question... i know there are speaker cables (like the ones u use when u re connecting an amp to a cab... and there are standard instrument cables... which one should i buy?


----------



## Steinmetzify

For what? There is no 'standard' talking about an AxeFx....grab a regular USB cable and you're good.
If you're talking about running a line out to a poweramp and cab, a regular speaker cable will work.


----------



## gabesrups

hey guys quick question. My band had a show last night. we run an axe fx ultra and an axe fx 2. they are both powered by one matrix gt1600fx. we are doing a sound check and the ultra turns on but no sound is coming out. it switches channels just fine. only thing is that the LED lights go to red without the guitar being plugged in. thats the best i can explain it. both the inputs light up to red and just stay there. Any tips to fix this? thanks


----------



## mnemonic

This Metallica Mark IIC++ model is awesome. 

I've never been 100% satisfied with the metal tones I get out of Mesa Mark series in the past (real or modeled), there always seems to be something that I can't quite tweak out (I'm more of a recto guy anyway), but with the fat switch on, this amp gets closer to the tone in my head than any other Mark I've tried, and maintains that classic Mark tightness and clarity. 

I'd love to know more about the model, what specifically it is based on, if its just a tweaked version of the normal IIC+ model, or if its a model of James's own amp, but we may never be told. I suppose it doesn't really matter, as long as it sounds good, but I love collecting info.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Supposed to be James's actual amp, that he bought from Kirk and then had modded later on.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> This Metallica Mark IIC++ model is awesome.
> 
> I've never been 100% satisfied with the metal tones I get out of Mesa Mark series in the past (real or modeled), there always seems to be something that I can't quite tweak out (I'm more of a recto guy anyway), but with the fat switch on, this amp gets closer to the tone in my head than any other Mark I've tried, and maintains that classic Mark tightness and clarity.
> 
> I'd love to know more about the model, what specifically it is based on, if its just a tweaked version of the normal IIC+ model, or if its a model of James's own amp, but we may never be told. I suppose it doesn't really matter, as long as it sounds good, but I love collecting info.



I saw this conversation....

The Boogie Board &bull; View topic - Mark IIC++ Hetfield mod


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I saw this conversation....
> 
> The Boogie Board &bull; View topic - Mark IIC++ Hetfield mod



Cool, it seems that the consensus between many owners is that the only difference between the + and the ++ is a slight increase in gain. I hear a lot more difference when comparing the ++ model to the + model in the axe fx, but I guess that probably comes down to differences between 30 year old amps. They do say no two sound alike. Also James' IIC++ potentially also has a mark IV transformer. 

Also cool to see the production numbers, much more rare than I initially thought. Only 12 factory ++'s were ever built, with approximately 5 being made with a push/pull mid knob to switch between + and ++, two of which are owned by people who posted in that thread.


----------



## littleredguitars2

Guys i need help. Heres my past set up

Guitar> axe fx 2 > one xlr cable> focusrite scarlet 2i2> computer usb. Headphones plugged into Scarlett.

Today i bought some yamaha hs7 speakers. I have the xlr outputs of the axe fx going to the speakers. Where do i go now? Is there a way to not even use the scarlett? To plug the axe fx to my computer and hear what im working on through the yamahas? I want to hear my guitar as well as my other tracks in reaper through the yamahas. How would i set this up? 

Many thanks in advance


----------



## drgamble

littleredguitars2 said:


> Guys i need help. Heres my past set up
> 
> Guitar> axe fx 2 > one xlr cable> focusrite scarlet 2i2> computer usb. Headphones plugged into Scarlett.
> 
> Today i bought some yamaha hs7 speakers. I have the xlr outputs of the axe fx going to the speakers. Where do i go now? Is there a way to not even use the scarlett? To plug the axe fx to my computer and hear what im working on through the yamahas? I want to hear my guitar as well as my other tracks in reaper through the yamahas. How would i set this up?
> 
> Many thanks in advance



Plug the axe fx into the computer using a USB cable. In reaper set the axe fx as the sound card I think it's under ASIO. That should get you going.


----------



## Steinmetzify

^ What he said. I don't even use an interface, just go USB. In Windows it'll be either WaveOut, DirectSound, or you can use ASIO. Any of them will work fine.


----------



## remus1710

i have that exact setup with the hs7 so i can confirm that... xlr L+R out of the axe into the hs7 and if u have a mac u should go change the settings in sound also to recognise the axe as your main audio output... aside for what the guy above me said (the change u make into reaper)


----------



## littleredguitars2

many thanks guys! thats what i was thinking. i had started doing that before i had to take a break. so i'll continue with that. i'll just have to figure out what sound card it'll be under. when i plugged it in i dont believe it prompted to set up a device.


----------



## mnemonic

steinmetzify said:


> Supposed to be James's actual amp, that he bought from Kirk and then had modded later on.



Looks like metallica's tech just posted a thread on the axe fx forum stating that it is not a model of James' IIC++. Not sure what to make of it to be honest, if James wanted a model to use live, I'm not sure why he would want any amp but his favorite modeled for him, and if it isn't an amp of his, I wonder why it was refered to by FAS as "Metallica's IIC++".

Then again, he may just be sandbagging us, which would explain why basically no info has been given and cliff has made zero posts about it so far. Obfuscation is pretty common around gear when it comes to guitarists so it wouldnt be too surprising.


----------



## Steinmetzify

Lmao...that's awesome that he showed up. My bad, can't believe everything you read on the internet. Sorry man.


----------



## remus1710

hello! my axe fx II out 1 is clipping when i m listening to music or something... my input 1 is ok when i play... does anybody know how to solve that clipping?

help is much appreciated ! Thanks!


----------



## fremen

remus1710 said:


> hello! my axe fx II out 1 is clipping when i m listening to music or something... my input 1 is ok when i play... does anybody know how to solve that clipping?
> 
> help is much appreciated ! Thanks!



In the I/O button, the very last parameter controls the USB play level, lower it


----------



## haffner1

fremen said:


> In the I/O button, the very last parameter controls the USB play level, lower it



This, or just lower the output from the MAC or PC source. I usually set mine at about 90% and don't have any issues.


----------



## Steinmetzify

New Fremen stuff out. 51 presets, 5 scenes for each, plus a bonus preset. Check the vid for it. This stuff is good, and it's under $20.

Fremen's guitar blog: 5 scenes presets pack (Axe-FX II & AX8)


----------



## J_Mac

I've been using the Misha/ML cab pack 13 for a while now. It is immense. Over 200 cabs aimed at metal heads and the majority sound great. I have been struggling, pretty much stuck to 063:German all the time brfore I got this  Cab pack 13 kicks the ass clean off pack 7 too.

\m/ recommended \m/


----------



## Thrashman

Hey guys, this question has been asked time and time again, but anyway;

I'm looking to get an Axe sometime this fall/winter for recording, gigging and uni, but my student budget only allows me to look at used Standards and Ultras.

My question: are the Standards/Ultras worth getting today? They seem to go for about £600 here in the UK and that would be my budget pretty much. 

I've been jonesing for an axe ever since they came out but they've never been viable until now


----------



## J_Mac

Meshuggah have been using Ultras for ages. Check out their rig rundown at about 11:30 here - https://youtu.be/oAFJmgA2G5E

If Meshuggah can dial in their tone on an Ultra they must be ace. I have the 2XL, I _think_ the main differences between the older models and the 2 is the processor power and number of inputs/outputs. So as long as you don't need 15-odd FX blocks in your signal chain you should be ok. Also check the unit you're buying has the appropriate IO for your needs. I've been through a handful of tube amps in the last year or two, and it's so hard to record a decent sound with them. The Axe is just epic, plus has the benefit of being able to go back to your song after a few days and do overdubs with the same identical tone. I've never looked back 

If you pull the trigger be sure to give us a shout when it lands cos it can be a pain to get to grips with. There are hundreds of controls but, I think I'm safe in saying that, most of us use the same 15-20 dials and the old T808 mod --> AMP --> cab for recording. Bypass the cab when using your guitar cab. Or - forking out for a powered stage monitor is another popular option, if you're into DI'ing to the PA it gives an accurate monitoring with your cab sim.


----------



## Thrashman

^ Cheers man, thanks for the input! I've been using modelers for years but I have always felt a love-hate kind of thing with them because there's always a compromise (and the Axe has always been out of my pricerange  ) but they (Std/Ultra) tick all of my boxes as far as I/O goes and they sure sound good as they ever did. 

I'm not much for uing a plethora of effects but I would probably start doing that do I get an ax haha.
I've been a simple man for ages, guitar>OD>amp>cab with perhaps the occasional reverb and delay on there.. Maybe a wah or some chorus but that's about it for what I normally do. Simple is better, if it sounds good it sounds good kinda!
I'm a sucker for lush reverbs and smooth delays and whatnot however, think the more adventurous patches of Devin or bulb. 
Would I feel limited with the Standard as opposed to the Ultra in this aspect? I've read a lot of comments saying that they are -quite- limited as to what they can do compared to their bigger brother Ultra.
I'd probably never use more than one amp at a time, maybe MAYBE dual cabs but that is a stretch with all of the amazing ultra-res IR's floating around that you supposedly can convert to use in the older models.


----------



## Genome

The II doesn't just have better outputs/better processor, it is miles ahead of the Ultra in terms of how it sounds and feels and how realistic it is. 

That's not to say Ultras are bad (they are definitely worth £600) but I don't think they are in the same league as the II.


----------



## Elric

Genome said:


> The II doesn't just have better outputs/better processor, it is miles ahead of the Ultra in terms of how it sounds and feels and how realistic it is.


No. I have both and use both regularly and this is stated in far too absolute terms to jive with IRL experience. The delta very much depends on the application and is not as cut and dried as most claim. IMHO. Yes, II > I but, honestly, in some respects/uses the margin is small in others wide. Dialing time is much > on the I and is much more painful all around, though, even in areas where it is close. II can do much more in terms of features (example shoot IRs, Tone Match (love this)), etc. You just have to research it. I am really glad I kept my Ultra FWIW and could easily use it as a main rig if I was unable to afford or keep the II for some reason. I have some presets on there that are just stunning tones and tone does not go 'bad' over time.

*IMHO*


----------



## thesockmonster

Just migrated from the II to the AX8. Zero regrets.


----------



## Slippery When Wet

thesockmonster said:


> Just migrated from the II to the AX8. Zero regrets.



Whats your feel on the AX8? I gambled on the hd 500 back in the day, absolutely hated it. Are you using powered monitors, or real cab with power amp?


----------



## remus1710

hello... i m trying to get the polyphia amour sound... can anybody help me? some advice or a patch will be much appreciated  here is the track if u don t know how it sounds 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2HXuVdASjQ


----------



## J_Mac

remus1710 said:


> hello... i m trying to get the polyphia amour sound... can anybody help me? some advice or a patch will be much appreciated  here is the track if u don t know how it sounds
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2HXuVdASjQ



Sorry if I insult your intelligence here, or make any false assumptions but here's my 2 cents:

- Sounds like single coil guitars to me, so make sure you're using one, or a coil tap humbucker, etc. Maybe neck position.
- Place a drive block before the amp and set to 'T808 mod', turn the drive knob to 0 and the tone to 5.
- The slightly overdriven sound might be best served by the Friedman HBE amp, it's got a fizzy sound a bit like that track.
- Follow with a PEQ block after the amp, scoop -3dB or so around 300-500Hz to remove the mud. Gentle shelf at the top end, maybe 1.5dB with a centre around 3000Hz ish. Bass boost with a shelf a couple of dB to taste.
- No cab if you're using live amp & cab, if you're using monitors I strongly recommend cab pack 13, the Misha/ML pack. You'll struggle with the stock cabs. Otherwise I'm a fan of 063: German.
- In the amp block, click the 'speaker' tab and set the 'low res freq' to around 90Hz or a bit lower. Maybe increase the 'hi freq slope' to around 5 or 6. Hit the 'dynamics' tab and set the 'character amt' to about 2, change the frequency ('character freq') between 3000Hz and 10,000Hz to find the nice top end you're after.
- It also sounds like they have a pitch shift an octave up mixed in very gently, use the 'fixed harm' option in the pitch block I think.
- Don't forget a compressor block before all this, I pretty much just load it and leave it set as is. It'll give you that nice smoothness for all those licks.
- That nice 'flutter' sound on some notes is achieved with a floyd rose or similar. Rotate the bar so it's pointing to the tail of the guitar, hit the note and leave it ring, push the bar down and let it ping back and vibrate.

Nice band dude, thanks for the pointer \m/


----------



## remus1710

u didn t insult my intelligence at all... i have my axe for a month or so... so i m still figuring things out... thanks so much man i ll give it a try


----------



## Orionsbelt456

Looking for the best settings for running the axe through a mesa 2:90!


----------



## Slippery When Wet

Ive always wanted to try a modler preamp. Im sold on the ax8. Im looking for the perfect powered apeaker system. I dont record or play live. Looking to play at bedroom levels and be able to crank the volume. I play mostly death metal. Are their better floor monitors or powered monitors than atomic clr? How bout the Isp fs cabs? Im not just set onn a powered full range floor monitor. Anything that will give me a killer tone and get loud if i want .


----------



## vertibration

I just got an Axe FX Standard. 

I was wondering if anyone has the Deftones Koi No Yokan presets for the Axe 2, and if they could please upload some screen shots of the settings for each block (Amp, Cab, Effect, EQ).....

I just wanna see if I can replicate the presets in the Standard as close as possible. I was able to convert the .SYX file of the Impulse Response for Koi No Yokan, but I just wanna see if I can at least get close to matching the Axe 2 presets

Thanks


----------



## J_Mac

vertibration said:


> I just got an Axe FX Standard.
> 
> I was wondering if anyone has the Deftones Koi No Yokan presets for the Axe 2, and if they could please upload some screen shots of the settings for each block (Amp, Cab, Effect, EQ).....
> 
> I just wanna see if I can replicate the presets in the Standard as close as possible. I was able to convert the .SYX file of the Impulse Response for Koi No Yokan, but I just wanna see if I can at least get close to matching the Axe 2 presets
> 
> Thanks



I have those yeah  will they not import or convert into a Standard?

There is a preset for every song so I don't know if I can take screenshots of every preset. I can do you all the settings from one if you pick a song dude \m/


----------



## vertibration

J_Mac said:


> I have those yeah  will they not import or convert into a Standard?
> 
> There is a preset for every song so I don't know if I can take screenshots of every preset. I can do you all the settings from one if you pick a song dude \m/



AWESOME!!! They wont convert to standard I dont think, but I have not tried yet (I get my Standard tomorrow)

However, if you could just upload a screen of the heavy preset of leathers, and each block so I can see the settings, that would be fine. I can then sort of estimate the others from that point with my ears.


----------



## Elric

vertibration said:


> AWESOME!!! They wont convert to standard I dont think, but I have not tried yet (I get my Standard tomorrow)
> 
> However, if you could just upload a screen of the heavy preset of leathers, and each block so I can see the settings, that would be fine. I can then sort of estimate the others from that point with my ears.


Not to burst your bubble but I have an Ultra and II. There is absolutely no point in what you are trying to do. It is a waste of time. The Is and IIs are so incredibly different that presets will not translate AT ALL; you might as well be using screen shots of LOLcats holding up placards with numbers on them. 

The good news is that while the II series gets all the attention these days, the Is are still amazingly good and DEEP units. Do yourself a favor and learn the device natively rather than trying to 'port' stuff from an incompatible/different unit before you have even taken delivery of it. 

Those first generation Fractals are killer when you learn to deep edit. And they DO require more effort to learn/edit than the II; they are really more complicated than the IIs (even though the II exposes many more parameters) in that sense because you can literally use the II forever without touching ANY of it, whereas with the Standard most users are going to touch those parameters to control frequency and dynamic response. 

The good news is that they are stable, no new firmware is going to cause you to redo all your work, and they have all the tools need to make crushing sounds.


----------



## vertibration

Elric said:


> Not to burst your bubble but I have an Ultra and II. There is absolutely no point in what you are trying to do. It is a waste of time. The Is and IIs are so incredibly different that presets will not translate AT ALL; you might as well be using screen shots of LOLcats holding up placards with numbers on them.
> 
> The good news is that while the II series gets all the attention these days, the Is are still amazingly good and DEEP units. Do yourself a favor and learn the device natively rather than trying to 'port' stuff from an incompatible/different unit before you have even taken delivery of it. Those first generation Fractals are killer when you learn to deep edit. And they DO require more effort to learn/edit than the II; they are really more complicated than the IIs (even though the II exposes many more parameters) in that sense because you can literally use the II forever without touching ANY of it, whereas with the Standard most users are going to touch those parameters to control frequency and dynamic response. The good news is that they are stable, no new firmware is going to cause you to redo all your work, and they have all the tools need to make crushing sounds.



I just want to see the settings, so I can get an idea on how Steph set up his presets. I dont care if its not the same unit, or if it sounds different. I am asking purely out of curiosity.


----------



## J_Mac

No worries, here they are in a ZIP. The first load are all of Scene 1 and the last 7 are Scenes 2-8. Should make sense when you see em. Keep your eyes peeled as Scene 2 switches to Cab Y. That's the only Y I can see. Oh, and maybe ignore my 'cabinet' tab as I didn't install the Koi No Yokan custom .syx in slot 6 as advised. Never got round to it.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1936005/Deftones%20preset/AXE%20Edit%20-%20Leathers%20screen%20shots.zip

Shout back if that link doesn't work. It's a cool preset man, they way he mixes amps is cool. No idea what he does with the FX loop. Rosemary is a cool one that uses the Euro Red amp I think, very nice mix. I can shoot that one over too if you let me know when you're ready.

If you're not sure what Vertibration & I are banging on about, Steph released the actual Koi No Yokan presets to the public a few years ago. Here's a link:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1936005/Deftones%20preset/Steph%20Carpenter%20-%20Koi%20No%20Yokan%20AXE%20presets.zip



Elric said:


> Not to burst your bubble but I have an Ultra and II. There is absolutely no point in what you are trying to do. It is a waste of time. The Is and IIs are so incredibly different that presets will not translate AT ALL; you might as well be using screen shots of LOLcats holding up placards with numbers on them.
> 
> The good news is that while the II series gets all the attention these days, the Is are still amazingly good and DEEP units. Do yourself a favor and learn the device natively rather than trying to 'port' stuff from an incompatible/different unit before you have even taken delivery of it.
> 
> Those first generation Fractals are killer when you learn to deep edit. And they DO require more effort to learn/edit than the II; they are really more complicated than the IIs (even though the II exposes many more parameters) in that sense because you can literally use the II forever without touching ANY of it, whereas with the Standard most users are going to touch those parameters to control frequency and dynamic response.
> 
> The good news is that they are stable, no new firmware is going to cause you to redo all your work, and they have all the tools need to make crushing sounds.



Didn't realise how different they were dude, interesting. Maybe when you (Vertibration) get these dialled in we can both upload some samples and see how close you are getting?


----------



## Andromalia

The thing is that on the same amp, say trble at 3 will get wildly different results on a I and a II. 
The II really is a plug and play machine now. Usually you can get good tones in minutes by just picking an amp and its matched cab. I remember when I had the I it sounded good but Gods the sleepless tweaking nights trying to find what worked where....


----------



## vertibration

J_Mac said:


> No worries, here they are in a ZIP. The first load are all of Scene 1 and the last 7 are Scenes 2-8. Should make sense when you see em. Keep your eyes peeled as Scene 2 switches to Cab Y. That's the only Y I can see. Oh, and maybe ignore my 'cabinet' tab as I didn't install the Koi No Yokan custom .syx in slot 6 as advised. Never got round to it.
> 
> https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1936005/Deftones%20preset/AXE%20Edit%20-%20Leathers%20screen%20shots.zip
> 
> Shout back if that link doesn't work. It's a cool preset man, they way he mixes amps is cool. No idea what he does with the FX loop. Rosemary is a cool one that uses the Euro Red amp I think, very nice mix. I can shoot that one over too if you let me know when you're ready.
> 
> If you're not sure what Vertibration & I are banging on about, Steph released the actual Koi No Yokan presets to the public a few years ago. Here's a link:
> 
> https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1936005/Deftones%20preset/Steph%20Carpenter%20-%20Koi%20No%20Yokan%20AXE%20presets.zip
> 
> 
> 
> Didn't realise how different they were dude, interesting. Maybe when you (Vertibration) get these dialled in we can both upload some samples and see how close you are getting?



Thank you so much, I will work on this tomorrow night, and upload what I can achieve. I have good ears, so I will base it off the original song the best I can. I already converted the .syx koi no yokan impulse so that it can be used in a standard/ultra by utilizing JOJOs_Sysex and Axe O Matic. The conversion was pretty straight forward

I would love to try Rosemary as well, so when you are ready, please send that one as well. 

Thank you again


----------



## madwham

fremen said:


> Quantum 4 beta is out



... and Q4 final is out too, after the shortest beta I've ever seen.  No noticeable difference with Q4 beta, according to Cliff.


----------



## CultOfNyx-Band

I've got a Q for your &A... 
How does the Line 6 Helix stand up against the Axe?


----------



## Lax

huh ho
That's like asking on a cats thread how they feel about dogs 

The helix and AX8 can be compared
The axefx2 rack version cannot, it's the king, period


----------



## leegtr87

I am interested in buying a AX8 sometime soon and I was wondering if anyone has tried using an amp sim in the front of an existing amp. I have an PRS Archon and I would like to be able to use the AX8's amps in front of it. Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks


----------



## Smoked Porter

Put it in the effects loop return, and turn off cabs/IRs on the Fractal.


----------



## Promit

Other option is to 4 cable it, so you can switch between the Archon's real preamp and the digital preamp.


----------



## Phantom

^ this. 4cm is the way to go


----------



## JKM777

leegtr87 said:


> I am interested in buying a AX8 sometime soon and I was wondering if anyone has tried using an amp sim in the front of an existing amp. I have an PRS Archon and I would like to be able to use the AX8's amps in front of it. Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks



I just got mine the other day, i am currently running it in the loop of my 6505mh, I use a few different amp sims and have the power amp and cab simulations bypassed. I think it works really well, makes the switching really easy!!

Id asked a similar question to this and the general opinion is that 4cm is the better option, as you can still use both the pre/power section of your amp. The problem is that it may make switching tricky if your using a lot of patches; as i do not think the Archon has midi? If so you would need something to integrate the switching to avoid tap dancing!


----------



## ImNotAhab

So i am obsessed with 4x12 Recto New Mix for some reason. I keep coming back to this for almost all my distorted tones which makes me feel a bit ridiculous since there are so many other options built in.

Does any else have a "go to' cab or know if there are any IRs of a similar nature?


----------



## mnemonic

ImNotAhab said:


> So i am obsessed with 4x12 Recto New Mix for some reason. I keep coming back to this for almost all my distorted tones which makes me feel a bit ridiculous since there are so many other options built in.
> 
> Does any else have a "go to' cab or know if there are any IRs of a similar nature?



I used to use the ML Trad Recto cabs for everything back when I used impulses (two cabs, in the 70's on the list I think). Very good V30 impulses.


----------



## ImNotAhab

mnemonic said:


> I used to use the ML Trad Recto cabs for everything back when I used impulses (two cabs, in the 70's on the list I think). Very good V30 impulses.



Cheers buddy, I'm off to give these a go!


----------



## Shask

ImNotAhab said:


> So i am obsessed with 4x12 Recto New Mix for some reason. I keep coming back to this for almost all my distorted tones which makes me feel a bit ridiculous since there are so many other options built in.
> 
> Does any else have a "go to' cab or know if there are any IRs of a similar nature?



I always use one, but I forget which one... lol. I think it might be #60, the GB 412 cab.

I have a GFlex 212 cab, and that #60 sounds very similar.... and even closer if I mix it with a 115 cab with low volume in parallel.


----------



## Triple7

Went from a house to an apartment temporarily, and can't use my tube heads. So, I'm on the wait list for an XL+. In the past I've had both the Ultra, and the II. They are great machines.

Hopefully the wait isn't too long.


----------



## vividox

Not to knock the AxeFX at all, but why not just use an attenuator?


----------



## Triple7

vividox said:


> Not to knock the AxeFX at all, but why not just use an attenuator?



Because it was a good excuse to tell my wife to justify buying a new piece of gear...


----------



## Jacksonluvr636

After 178 pages I've finally decided to give it a go. Almost went Kemper but got the AX8 instead. Have much reading to do and maybe need a college course to operate.

Any quick tips or tricks I should know about?


----------



## mnemonic

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> After 178 pages I've finally decided to give it a go. Almost went Kemper but got the AX8 instead. Have much reading to do and maybe need a college course to operate.
> 
> Any quick tips or tricks I should know about?



Not really, they're pretty easy to figure out. 

I'd use the Axe-Edit program to start with, much easier than trying to navigate the front panel from the get-go. 

Apart from that, the amps are pretty plug-and-play, just stick to basic setups at first, just amp > cab, add a drive if you're into that, and stick to the basic amp EQ (gain / bass / mid / treble / depth / presence / master) until you're happy with your understanding of how the unit works.

You'll have enough stuff to mess with, given the amount of amp channels, drives, cabs (if you're using them), that there's no initial need to complicate things further with the advanced settings.



edit- not sure what the rest of your rig looks like, but make sure not to skimp on the rest of the rig. It will never sound as big through headphones as it does through decent speakers (guitar cab, quality PA monitor, or quality studio monitors). And impulses > PA Cab or Studio Monitors is a pretty different feel to a guitar cab, in my opinion.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636

mnemonic said:


> Not really, they're pretty easy to figure out.
> 
> I'd use the Axe-Edit program to start with, much easier than trying to navigate the front panel from the get-go.
> 
> Apart from that, the amps are pretty plug-and-play, just stick to basic setups at first, just amp > cab, add a drive if you're into that, and stick to the basic amp EQ (gain / bass / mid / treble / depth / presence / master) until you're happy with your understanding of how the unit works.
> 
> You'll have enough stuff to mess with, given the amount of amp channels, drives, cabs (if you're using them), that there's no initial need to complicate things further with the advanced settings.
> 
> 
> 
> edit- not sure what the rest of your rig looks like, but make sure not to skimp on the rest of the rig. It will never sound as big through headphones as it does through decent speakers (guitar cab, quality PA monitor, or quality studio monitors). And impulses > PA Cab or Studio Monitors is a pretty different feel to a guitar cab, in my opinion.



Cool thanks, I have found a few presets I want to try and between what I have and what my friend just sent me...I have entirely too many IR's.

As far as gear, in my sig. I have a Rev 2 Uberschall and a Mills cab.

I do plan to get an Alto TS212 or EV Zlx, something cheap for now. My drummer has a pretty good PA as well.


----------



## Shask

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> After 178 pages I've finally decided to give it a go. Almost went Kemper but got the AX8 instead. Have much reading to do and maybe need a college course to operate.
> 
> Any quick tips or tricks I should know about?



Not really, as mentioned above. Honestly, I always advise you to not use presets, or extra IRs or anything. Don't even save presets for several weeks. Just learn how to get the sounds you want, and dial it in every time you turn it on. Get used to finding your tone easily.


It has been pretty easy to get a good sound easy, as I am sure you have read. That is one major improvement over the last few years. Don't mess with all of the extra controls yet. Stick to the basics. Drive->amp->cab. I will say though, don't underestimate the power of the master control. Low and it sounds super tight and clear but not much dynamics. High and it is more dynamic, but gets all middy, gritty and just $hitty. Dial in the master first, then set your gain and basic EQ around that.


----------



## vividox

Triple7 said:


> Because it was a good excuse to tell my wife to justify buying a new piece of gear...


----------



## remus1710

can someone help me with this tone... i m kind of a beginner  thanks 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hmjma-8VuM8


----------



## Metalman X

Well, I DID finally get this working for myself. since earlier this year (for awhile I just said fuggit' and stayed with the stock IR's... which I do still use for several things).

Not certain what changed made the difference, but two things of note changed since this time.... I updated my desktop to 64bit, and I replaced the Midisport Uno cable with an Edirol/Roland UM-2.

However, here's where it's still a little hinky... When I power cylce the Ultra, the cabinets I loaded showed up in the list on Axe-Edit, but completely grayed out like there not not loaded or functional... however, when I select them anyway, they are clearly in there and sound great! So I'm thinking alot of this is an issue with Axe-Edits' idiosyncrasies.

But yeah.... you can spend a LOT of time choosing the right IR's here! Only ones I have that are in the right format are a few Redwirez packs... Mesa V30 cab, SVT 8x10 bass cab, and a Soldano with Eminence speakers (wanted something that sounds great with high gain, but an alternative to a v30 loaded cab for some mix variety... thinking about grabbing the Engl too. 

Got a killer, high gain rhythm tone with an (highly tweaked) MT-2 boosted Mark IIC+ model, graphic EQ, and running two IR's from all that into separate channels on my DAW. I have an Ownhammer Mesa IR panned 100% using an SM57 near the cone, and than I use the Ultras' stock JCM2000 cab with the D112 mic mixed in about 6-8bd's lower and panned 80% in the same direction. The SM57 gives me some nice cut, and the JCM2000 is for adding a little depth and dimension underneath. Even with the gain on the Mark model low (about 3.75) the tone is thick, and chunky but yet tight and not boomy.

I got a bunch more IR's from allover too but there .wav files. Is there a free and simple way of converting those? Like a got a few old Fredman impulses I loved with my old GSP1101 that I wanna throw in the mix too




Elric said:


> So, after responding to this earlier, I got inspired enough to try backing up my Ultra this weekend and redid my laptop setup for editing. I had been using the front panel only for a long time since my Ultra is dialed in and I use my II more.
> 
> Setup:
> Interface: USB Midiman Midisport 2x2
> Connections: USB->Computer,MIDI Out B->AFX Midi IN, MIDI IN B<-AFX Out
> Laptop: Old POS. Running Win Vista, which is also a POS.
> 
> Test:
> Launch Axe-Edit 1.0.191
> Go to settings:
> - Select MIDISPORT port B for Input; likewise output.
> - Test connection. Works. Ultra 11.0
> Load a Preset
> Launch AxeManage
> Backup Cabs:
> - Drag Cabs from AxeFx Cabinets to A new folder
> - Syx files now appear in folder
> - Audition them. Yes, sound correct
> Audition Cabs:
> - Navigate in left pane to new shiny new cab area (I converted a bunch of OH IR Wavs and loaded Fractal Cab Packs 1&2 which come with Ultra files).
> - Find some interesting stuff; pick a cab that sounds super different from current slot 3
> - Right Click 'audition' works
> - Right Click 'send to user slot', select #3 works
> Leave AxeManage and got to some presets using #3
> Shows up; sounds way different
> 
> So, basically it works without a hitch for me. Probably not much help.


----------



## cip 123

Can anyone help, I'm currently looking at Axe FX ultras for live playing but I am completley clueless when it comes to setting these things up. 

Lets say I wanna run it in to an Orange 1x12, V30 inside. What should I need just to get it running and have a good sound?

Completley clueless with this stuff sorry.


----------



## ICSvortex

hey guys
i just got an offer to buy an axe-fx ultra (the normal one, not the II).
And i was wondering if there is an editing software like the axe-edit but for the old axe-fx? Because i read that the axe-edit is just for the axe-fx 2 or the ax8.
This is the last thing holding me back from buying the axe-fx.

Also what are the other differences between the normal axe-fx and the II? is it just the processing speed?

Thx a lot!


----------



## ICSvortex

cip 123 said:


> Can anyone help, I'm currently looking at Axe FX ultras for live playing but I am completley clueless when it comes to setting these things up.
> 
> Lets say I wanna run it in to an Orange 1x12, V30 inside. What should I need just to get it running and have a good sound?
> 
> Completley clueless with this stuff sorry.



You either go directly into the PA from the axe fx or you need to buy a poweramp and then you can connect the poweramp your orange 1x12. but you need to turn off the cabinet simulation in the axefx.

For a poweramp you would need something like this:
https://www.thomann.de/gb/power_amplifiers_for_guitar.html


----------



## mnemonic

ICSvortex said:


> hey guys
> i just got an offer to buy an axe-fx ultra (the normal one, not the II).
> And i was wondering if there is an editing software like the axe-edit but for the old axe-fx? Because i read that the axe-edit is just for the axe-fx 2 or the ax8.
> This is the last thing holding me back from buying the axe-fx.
> 
> Also what are the other differences between the normal axe-fx and the II? is it just the processing speed?
> 
> Thx a lot!



There is an editor for the ultra, but if I recall correctly, it's not as stable as the one for the axe fx ii. I Know it's availsble on the axe fx forum, under the standard/ultra section. As there is no USB on the ultra, I believe it operates via midi, so you'll need a midi interface. 

As for differences, there are many. The II has a USB connection and a built-In audio interface, so you can plug it in via USB and just go for it, where you need a separate interface for the standard/ultra.

Standard/ultra also have no headphone jack so if you want to use headphones, you'll need a seperate headphone amp. 

Processing power is different as you said, which means different amp models. IIRC, the II has everything the standard/ultra has, plus way more amps, higher resolution cabs, and generally everything sounds better and is easier to use, more accurate to the real thing, etc. 

The II is also still supported and recieving updates. 

This isn't to say the standard/ultra are bad, but they are different. There was a thread on the axe fx forum comparing the two (there have been several over the years, actually) and there are many people who still have both and are able to compare. The general consensus was that the standard/ultra still sound great, but the II sounds greater, easier to use, more amps, and more flexible. Also more expensive.


----------



## mnemonic

Interesting post from Cliff in the newest beta firmware thread:

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threa...v-4-01-public-beta.119924/page-4#post-1426337



FractalAudio said:


> B:ASSMASTER said:
> 
> 
> 
> A little off topic. This question may have already been answered before, but is there a limit to the number of amp models that the Axe-Fx II can hold? Just curious.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Yes, but it's in the thousands. However we are approaching the firmware size limit for the Mark I/II version. This may be the last firmware for the Mark I/II because there isn't anymore space left in the boot ROM.
Click to expand...


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Interesting post from Cliff in the newest beta firmware thread:
> 
> http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threa...v-4-01-public-beta.119924/page-4#post-1426337



I saw that also. That is pretty interesting

You know though... there really hasn't been THAT many updates over the last year. Not nearly as many as previous years. I kind of wonder if the huge improvements are coming to an end. You never know what Cliff will come up with, but it seems like there has been so many major changes (G1 G2, MIMIC, Quantum, etc....) that I wonder where else it can go.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> There is an editor for the ultra, but if I recall correctly, it's not as stable as the one for the axe fx ii. I Know it's availsble on the axe fx forum, under the standard/ultra section. As there is no USB on the ultra, I believe it operates via midi, so you'll need a midi interface.



Yes there were older versions of Axe-Edit. I had a Standard for a few years before getting a II. It was pretty buggy, and was always acting weird, but it did work. They completely re-built it for version 3. It used to work without the Axe-FX being connected, but it doesn't work like that any more.

Yes, you had to use an interface, and use the MIDI IN/OUT cables to use it. Drove me crazy because I couldn't have Axe-Edit and a foot controller connected to it at the same time.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I saw that also. That is pretty interesting
> 
> You know though... there really hasn't been THAT many updates over the last year. Not nearly as many as previous years. I kind of wonder if the huge improvements are coming to an end. You never know what Cliff will come up with, but it seems like there has been so many major changes (G1 G2, MIMIC, Quantum, etc....) that I wonder where else it can go.



Yeah, since Quantum, improvements have been incremental, not really game-changing. Just little things here and there. 

What I would miss most is the occasional new amps. If this is the end of new firmware for Mk.1/2, I would probably end up getting whatever the newest one at the time is, if some amps I really want to try get added.


----------



## Andromalia

Well if at this point the axe II is "done", I'm actually fine with it. There are already more amps than I'll ever use and all the ones I want are there. I guess Fractal's next challenge will be to come up with a smaller unit next.


----------



## mongey

as much as he denies it ,they have to be working on the 3 by now 

what I think l would be a great product is something along the lines of the torpedo live or studio

A load box that can be routed 4 cm with all fractals effects and IR's built in .


----------



## mnemonic

To be fair, it has been like 6 months since he last mentioned they weren't yet working on the III. 

Not sure what they could add over and above the II XL+ with regards to performance, as I don't know if there are any significantly better DSP's on the market than the ones in the II XL+. If I recall correctly, I think even cliff said they're at the point of diminishing returns with modeling improvements, and firmware updates have slowed considerably over the last year or so. 

What I would like to see on the III is an improved/larger screen, and more intuitive control layout, including a full basic eq with LED indicators, like the Kemper and AX8 have. Luckily we have the Helix pushing forward with a great display, I hope fractal isn't content to fall behind in that department.


----------



## ICSvortex

Hey guys
Just a short question:
I just got one of the Axe FX Ultras (not the II) and i was wondering what MIDI Interface i need to connect the Axe FX to my Computer to use the old Axe Edit.
I wanted to go as cheap as possible because i already have a good Audio Interface but it doesnt have midi.
Would something like the "M-Audio Midisport 1 x 1 USB-Midi-Interface" already be enough?
And what would be the pros of getting a more expensive one?

Thx a lot!


----------



## JKM777

ICSvortex said:


> Hey guys
> Just a short question:
> I just got one of the Axe FX Ultras (not the II) and i was wondering what MIDI Interface i need to connect the Axe FX to my Computer to use the old Axe Edit.
> I wanted to go as cheap as possible because i already have a good Audio Interface but it doesnt have midi.
> Would something like the "M-Audio Midisport 1 x 1 USB-Midi-Interface" already be enough?
> And what would be the pros of getting a more expensive one?
> 
> Thx a lot!



Hi, Ive just sold my Ultra,

All you need to be aware of is that some people seem to have had problems with the drivers on the midisport from what i have read, also some people seem to not be aware that you have to get the cables the right way round! Other than that the only problem could i can think of is that, I assume the Ultra is second hand, make sure the midi setting are set to default when you start setting it up!


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> To be fair, it has been like 6 months since he last mentioned they weren't yet working on the III.
> 
> Not sure what they could add over and above the II XL+ with regards to performance, as I don't know if there are any significantly better DSP's on the market than the ones in the II XL+. If I recall correctly, I think even cliff said they're at the point of diminishing returns with modeling improvements, and firmware updates have slowed considerably over the last year or so.
> 
> What I would like to see on the III is an improved/larger screen, and more intuitive control layout, including a full basic eq with LED indicators, like the Kemper and AX8 have. Luckily we have the Helix pushing forward with a great display, I hope fractal isn't content to fall behind in that department.



That is what I think also. They already use 2 of the most expensive, fastest DSPs that exist. I thought even heard rumors they may quit making those because hardly no other application needs that much power. I don't know where else they could go other than things like an updated UI, etc....

If anything, I am curious how the AX8 is selling compared to the IIXL+. It may be more lucrative for them to stay in the <$2000 range with scaled down products. Scale down the processing and improve the UI. I could see this being where they go from here.....


----------



## Shask

I used a Presonus VSL22, and had no issues at all. These are fairly cheap, and a pretty good all-around interface if you only need a few inputs.


----------



## odibrom

I think that any USB to MIDI interface would do, given that it has MIDI IN and OUT plugs...


----------



## TonyFlyingSquirrel

Just the basics will do the job.
https://reverb.com/item/968703-usb-midi-cable-adapter-interface


----------



## Jacksonluvr636

mnemonic said:


> Interesting post from Cliff in the newest beta firmware thread:
> 
> http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threa...v-4-01-public-beta.119924/page-4#post-1426337



This explains in part why they keep pumping out new units. Can they not overwrite the old previous "unneeded" data?

Guess it does not matter. The way I look at this for me is just be sure to sell at the right time before the prices plummet and upgrade to the next if I want to keep going digital at that time.


----------



## mnemonic

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> This explains in part why they keep pumping out new units. Can they not overwrite the old previous "unneeded" data?
> 
> Guess it does not matter. The way I look at this for me is just be sure to sell at the right time before the prices plummet and upgrade to the next if I want to keep going digital at that time.



Further in the thread he says the II XL, II XL+ and AX8 all have 4x as large boot ROM, so that limitation shouldn't be an issue for a while. 

I just hope the promised Sunn Model T gets added before support ends for the Mk. I / II, as I have a Mk. II.


----------



## Shask

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> This explains in part why they keep pumping out new units. Can they not overwrite the old previous "unneeded" data?
> 
> Guess it does not matter. The way I look at this for me is just be sure to sell at the right time before the prices plummet and upgrade to the next if I want to keep going digital at that time.



They could, but people b|tch and moan that their preset sounds change. They want to update, but yet don't want anything to change..... that is why multiple modeling versions are kept..... keep everyone happy.

Plus, as the modeling gets more complicated, it gets larger in size. More and more things are modeled.... more math, more lines of code, etc.....

The new units are more just for growth.... not everyone wants a $2500 rack unit.


----------



## lewstherin006

mnemonic said:


> Further in the thread he says the II XL, II XL+ and AX8 all have 4x as large boot ROM, so that limitation shouldn't be an issue for a while.
> 
> I just hope the promised Sunn Model T gets added before support ends for the Mk. I / II, as I have a Mk. II.



This really sucks and makes me sorta sad. I may just put my Mark II up for sale and get rid of it before the price goes down.


----------



## laxu

cip 123 said:


> Can anyone help, I'm currently looking at Axe FX ultras for live playing but I am completley clueless when it comes to setting these things up.
> 
> Lets say I wanna run it in to an Orange 1x12, V30 inside. What should I need just to get it running and have a good sound?



As others have mentioned, you will need a poweramp. To add to this, you should know that this is NOT the ideal way to use the Axe-Fx. You are severely limiting the variety of tones you will be getting out of the unit. I did this for a while with the Axe-Fx Standard and noticed that the poweramp and guitar cab I used had a huge effect in the end result. Running a Vox amp sim did not sound much like a Vox and so on. All the amp sims sounded more similar through this setup.

With the Axe-Fx you should look into using something neutral sounding that allows you to use the poweramp and cab sim in the Axe-Fx. This would mean a powered PA or FRFR speaker setup or studio monitors at home/studio.


----------



## laxu

Shask said:


> They could, but people b|tch and moan that their preset sounds change. They want to update, but yet don't want anything to change..... that is why multiple modeling versions are kept..... keep everyone happy.



The current firmware supports going back in modeling all the way back to 2.00 with several 2.xx versions supported. Just dropping those and offering 4.xx and 3.xx modeling should be enough space cleared. That said I would be fine with the old modeling versions just dropped altogether. People will either upgrade and rework their patches or stay with their current firmware version, simple as that.

As it is the amp/cab modeling is becoming mature with less changes to how it sounds. I would rather see them add features that make it easier to use or stuff that is missing (like bass effects, proper tuner support for ERG/bass guitars and so on).

I have no interest in upgrading from my MKI until Fractal releases an Axe-Fx 3 with a better user interface. I'm also not that fond of the fact that they only sell the XL version which is significantly more expensive than what the Axe-Fx 2 MK I/II were originally but provides only features that benefit the real power users who need to have a ....load of user IRs and so on.


----------



## Shask

laxu said:


> The current firmware supports going back in modeling all the way back to 2.00 with several 2.xx versions supported. Just dropping those and offering 4.xx and 3.xx modeling should be enough space cleared. That said I would be fine with the old modeling versions just dropped altogether. People will either upgrade and rework their patches or stay with their current firmware version, simple as that.
> 
> As it is the amp/cab modeling is becoming mature with less changes to how it sounds. I would rather see them add features that make it easier to use or stuff that is missing (like bass effects, proper tuner support for ERG/bass guitars and so on).
> 
> I have no interest in upgrading from my MKI until Fractal releases an Axe-Fx 3 with a better user interface. I'm also not that fond of the fact that they only sell the XL version which is significantly more expensive than what the Axe-Fx 2 MK I/II were originally but provides only features that benefit the real power users who need to have a ....load of user IRs and so on.



I am good with dropping the old versions also.... but, I also dont maintain 1000 presets for a professional studio or anything.... so I can see it from both points of view.

I dont plan on updating my Mark II either, unless something major happens. I like the unit, but there is not a big enough difference to update for the cost involved. I dont mind the interface, but I would have to see some major differences..... like when I finally updated from an Axe-FX Standard to the II after version 10 or so.


----------



## mnemonic

It will be a bummer to miss out on new amps that get added, but modeling improvements have been very subtle for a while now, so I don't feel I'd miss those. The unit sounds amazing anyway, I don't feel its missing anything in that department. 

But upgrading to an XL I probably won't do, because here in the UK it would end up costing me between £400 and £600 between what I could sell my Axe FX II mk.II for, and what I can buy an XL for. 

I'm with you guys, when an AxeFX III gets released and when it offers something over and above what I currently have with the II (amazing interface and eq knobs with indicators like the AX8 has would probably do it for me), then I'll upgrade. 


Hell, even a downgrade/crossgrade/whatever to an AX8 might be on the cards, as I don't use any of the additional features the rack units have over the AX8 apart from the built-in interface. I don't really like the idea of having the unit on the ground though, I like racks.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636

Noob question but I guess this is where to ask?

What is the current Firmware that is out for the AX8? Mine was shipped with 4.0

Also is my understanding correct that the AXE FX will get an update and then it will roll over to the AX8?


----------



## Shask

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> Noob question but I guess this is where to ask?
> 
> What is the current Firmware that is out for the AX8? Mine was shipped with 4.0
> 
> Also is my understanding correct that the AXE FX will get an update and then it will roll over to the AX8?



Best place to see the latest news is the Fractal Forum:

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/forums/ax8-discussion.85/


----------



## mongey

I think its crappy for mk 1 and 2 owners but I don't think any tech company can justify removing features from the current model to keep the discontinued model up gradable. either they need to stop support for it or have a separate firmware that drops the feature from the mk1/2


----------



## Lax

mongey said:


> I think its crappy for mk 1 and 2 owners but I don't think any tech company can justify removing features from the current model to keep the discontinued model up gradable. either they need to stop support for it or have a separate firmware that drops the feature from the mk1/2


For now they removed some old presets compatibility to allow mkI/II to get quantum 5, nicely done !


----------



## phaja_

Hi, i have my axe for 5 months. I am still looking for sound and so, is here anyone, who can change any tips a tricks with me?


----------



## J_Mac

phaja_ said:


> Hi, i have my axe for 5 months. I am still looking for sound and so, is here anyone, who can change any tips a tricks with me?



What sort of sound are you looking for?

Also, are you playing through a DAW or amp & cab? I'll send you a few presets.


----------



## phaja_

J_Mac said:


> What sort of sound are you looking for?
> 
> Also, are you playing through a DAW or amp & cab? I'll send you a few presets.



I am looking for a modern progressive sound. I am using logic pro x for my home recording and i am playing through amp & cab with my band. I split my signal to 2 lines.  I have some question about frequencies of EQ, gates, comp etc. 

Thank you so much.


----------



## J_Mac

Here's what I consider to be the most important sound shaping controls. Other people will have different tastes of course.







Attached are two live presets I use with a Strandberg OS6 and a Dean ML (with EMGs) for metal. No cab blocks. Along with the Behringer pedalboard. 

And also my two main patches for recording metal and prog. I forget what state they're in at the moment, I'm always changing them. But they should be a decent start point, hopefully! I think a major upgrade for the AXE is Misha's cab pack 13, you won't regret it! I use them all the time. It contains hudreds of cabs and they all sound great. The cab selection that comes with the AXE FX is a weak point IMHO. Cab pack 13 on the AXE FX store.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636

Just a couple of questions for you AXE guru's. Hoping someone can help.

Is it possible to convert an AXE FX preset to be compatible with AX8? If so then how is this done?

For the metal guys, What is your live setup? Best FRFR Monitor? And can a single 12" keep up with a tube half stack volume wise?


----------



## Steinmetzify

Haven't checked up on it but I remember a few months ago Alex was talking about doing conversions for Fractool...I grabbed that awhile back and it worked great for switching up XL presets to a II.


----------



## Jacksonluvr636

steinmetzify said:


> Haven't checked up on it but I remember a few months ago Alex was talking about doing conversions for Fractool...I grabbed that awhile back and it worked great for switching up XL presets to a II.



Word, thanks man.

I do have the Fractool and I thought it did this but was not sure. Can't seem to find any guides. Need to scour youtube more I guess.


----------



## phaja_

J_Mac said:


> Here's what I consider to be the most important sound shaping controls. Other people will have different tastes of course.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Attached are two live presets I use with a Strandberg OS6 and a Dean ML (with EMGs) for metal. No cab blocks. Along with the Behringer pedalboard.
> 
> And also my two main patches for recording metal and prog. I forget what state they're in at the moment, I'm always changing them. But they should be a decent start point, hopefully! I think a major upgrade for the AXE is Misha's cab pack 13, you won't regret it! I use them all the time. It contains hudreds of cabs and they all sound great. The cab selection that comes with the AXE FX is a weak point IMHO. Cab pack 13 on the AXE FX store.


Thank you so much, its awesome. I have misha's pack, so i will try asap.


----------



## vick1000

So, finally took the plunge.

I traded in a bunch of gear to GC for an Ultra for $900. So what do I check when I get the bad boy? FW 11 of course, factory reset of course. Is there anything else to look out for, or to setup? I will be running into a Mesa Stereo 2:50 and Recto 412. I am coming off a GSP1101/Rectifier Rec. preamp, and play moslty modern metal on an RG852.

Will my Midisport Uno suffice to run Axe-edit, and which version is best for Win7x64?

Thanks in advance, I feel like Christmas is coming early this year


----------



## IcedCallum

I've got an Axe Fx ultra which I've recently decided to use exclusively for my side project, my valve rig being exclusively for my main band.

I've had it for years, but haven't had to dial in anything more than effects for aages (as I had it running through the loop in my valve rig up until recently). 

Clean tone, no problem, lead tones, no problem, solos? No problem

But I cannot seem to find a metal rhythm tone that I'm happy with. 

I'll probably be running it direct, but for now I am developing tones using a cab. Any suggestions or ideas anyone might have for a great metal rhythm? 

I'm the only guitarist in the project so want something fat, and relatively modern, hesitate to say 'djenty' but something like that would be a good building block as I'm on 7 string in drop A.

Any help would be appreciated! 

Cheers!


----------



## vick1000

If you are using a power amp and guitar cab, make sure the power amp simulation and cab sims are off.


----------



## EarlWellington

I've noticed some patches cause clipping (red LEDs) on my Focusrite 2i2 at low volumes but then other patches are much louder are fine. Is there a way to prevent this? It would be good to be able to level all patches to be the same volume across the axe fx automatically


----------



## vick1000

EarlWellington said:


> I've noticed some patches cause clipping (red LEDs) on my Focusrite 2i2 at low volumes but then other patches are much louder are fine. Is there a way to prevent this? It would be good to be able to level all patches to be the same volume across the axe fx automatically



I've read clipping on the output can be caused by levels on certain blocks, you have to go through them and find the culprit.


----------



## Shask

EarlWellington said:


> I've noticed some patches cause clipping (red LEDs) on my Focusrite 2i2 at low volumes but then other patches are much louder are fine. Is there a way to prevent this? It would be good to be able to level all patches to be the same volume across the axe fx automatically



Usually you control the overall volume with the level in the amp block. You need to turn that down and save the preset.

There was once a thread where people were talking about an auto-level, and I can't remember why they decided to not do that. Maybe because it changes depending on how hard you pick?

If you have an Axe-FX II, this can be done easily by using the level controls in the utility menu. Just play and turn the A knob until the level is bouncing around the line.


----------



## Shask

IcedCallum said:


> I've got an Axe Fx ultra which I've recently decided to use exclusively for my side project, my valve rig being exclusively for my main band.
> 
> I've had it for years, but haven't had to dial in anything more than effects for aages (as I had it running through the loop in my valve rig up until recently).
> 
> Clean tone, no problem, lead tones, no problem, solos? No problem
> 
> But I cannot seem to find a metal rhythm tone that I'm happy with.
> 
> I'll probably be running it direct, but for now I am developing tones using a cab. Any suggestions or ideas anyone might have for a great metal rhythm?
> 
> I'm the only guitarist in the project so want something fat, and relatively modern, hesitate to say 'djenty' but something like that would be a good building block as I'm on 7 string in drop A.
> 
> Any help would be appreciated!
> 
> Cheers!



FAS Modern amp model, and run an EQ after the amp block and scoop out a little about -5db at 450hz-500hz.


----------



## Shask

EarlWellington said:


> I've noticed some patches cause clipping (red LEDs) on my Focusrite 2i2 at low volumes but then other patches are much louder are fine. Is there a way to prevent this? It would be good to be able to level all patches to be the same volume across the axe fx automatically



Also to add to the above, some are probably louder but dont do this because they are more compressed overall. Usually the lower volume ones that clip usually have one frequency that is spiked real high. I always tend to get this around 110hz. The bass will bottom out, but the rest of the tone will be fine.

If you have an Axe-FX II, you could turn the output compressor in the amp block on/up, to level out the overall dynamics of the amp block to get a more evened out tone.


----------



## Elric

Shask said:


> Usually the lower volume ones that clip usually have one frequency that is spiked real high. I always tend to get this around 110hz. The bass will bottom out, but the rest of the tone will be fine.


Yes, great tip. I've seen this a lot and it is not always obvious what is going on; because sometimes the preset will sound softer in overall (because it is not the overall volume but one narrow range that is over limit).

With pretty much any rig I've run, I've always had this kind of stuff going on (some frequency I need to corral in an otherwise great sound) and that is one thing I love so much about the Fractal gear. It gives you so many options to control this stuff at any level of detail you want if you are really into crafting sounds or need to trouble shoot a tone.

If you are having problems with a specific frequency a notch/bandpass filter cutting with a narrow Q or even a shelf depending on the frequency range can be great. Multiband compressor can be used, also. I or II you definitely have the tools. I tend to try to focus on solutions that just affect the band that is being problematic rather than affect the entire sound... 

I actually end up doing more of this stuff with the I because it has fewer cabs and the modeling is not as quick to dial in as the II but they are both super awesome. You will need to spend some time messing with it though.


----------



## EarlWellington

Shask said:


> If you have an Axe-FX II, this can be done easily by using the level controls in the utility menu. Just play and turn the A knob until the level is bouncing around the line.



I ended up getting a level meter running in Cubase and adjusted my patches so they were around the same level. Did some reading and found people using 'pink noise' samples to increase the accuracy of the leveling. Was surprising to see the difference between some patches which I couldn't pick before


----------



## vick1000

OK, got it today (Ultra). Fired it up and the fan was hitting something. Took the lid off, and the fan was hanging by a single screw? No lose screws in the chassis anywhere. Strange for sure. Found a screw that will fit and fixed it for now. Orderd a couple of new fans to try, the stock is loud as hell.

Learning the interface now, Axe Edit works fine with the Midisport Uno. Getting some decent tones to start. One problem, when using stereo output setting on output 1, the L.channel is weaker than the R.channel. When it's set to sum or copy it's fine. Can't find anything online about it.


----------



## vick1000

OK, I have for sure got my old Tri-rec tone dialed in, works great with the Mesa 2:50. Problem is, all the high gain models sound similar through it. I think I might gat an FRFR powered speaker just to mess around with the rest of the modeling. But for a amp in the room feel, the Ultra is killing it through the 2:50.

One setting I found really improtant is speaker resonance. For some reason it really effects the tube response on the power amp.


----------



## Shask

vick1000 said:


> OK, I have for sure got my old Tri-rec tone dialed in, works great with the Mesa 2:50. Problem is, all the high gain models sound similar through it. I think I might gat an FRFR powered speaker just to mess around with the rest of the modeling. But for a amp in the room feel, the Ultra is killing it through the 2:50.
> 
> One setting I found really improtant is speaker resonance. For some reason it really effects the tube response on the power amp.



Yeah, that is why I don't just run mine through the poweramp section of my Triple Recto. Everything ends up sounding like the Recto, which defeats the purpose. I mostly run mine through a Matrix GT1000FX. It is not as diverse as a FRFR setup, but I can stand the tone, lol. I also use headphones and monitors sometimes, and I never find the "recorded tone" as inspiring to play. I will mess with it sometimes though just for something different, and to mess with the cab blocks.

The LF Speaker resonance is basically the control that dials in the output transformer to your cab. It is what finds the resonant frequency of your cab, and really brings in the low end chug and feel. You can find threads on the Fractal board about how to find the resonant frequency of your cab, and then always setting this control to that frequency. This REALLY helps if you use a solid state power amp. Tube power amps kind of do this automatically, which is one reason they have more "feel".


----------



## vick1000

Shask said:


> Yeah, that is why I don't just run mine through the poweramp section of my Triple Recto. Everything ends up sounding like the Recto, which defeats the purpose. I mostly run mine through a Matrix GT1000FX. It is not as diverse as a FRFR setup, but I can stand the tone, lol. I also use headphones and monitors sometimes, and I never find the "recorded tone" as inspiring to play. I will mess with it sometimes though just for something different, and to mess with the cab blocks.
> 
> The LF Speaker resonance is basically the control that dials in the output transformer to your cab. It is what finds the resonant frequency of your cab, and really brings in the low end chug and feel. You can find threads on the Fractal board about how to find the resonant frequency of your cab, and then always setting this control to that frequency. This REALLY helps if you use a solid state power amp. Tube power amps kind of do this automatically, which is one reason they have more "feel".



It's weird, you would think with the power simulation off that most of those settings would be disabled, but they have a major impact on the feel. Once dialed in though, I am very pleased with the effect on the response. It may not be emulating actual amps, but the tone is the best digital preamp I have heard.

I just chug while roling through the freq. and find the sweet spot. On my setup through a Mesa Trad 412 loaded with V128s, it's around 100hz.


----------



## Critical Problem

Hi guys, 


So the other day me and my friend went our to check the 
Fractal Ax8 and was quite shocked by it. My friend actually decided to sell his whole gear and bought the unit , which made me think about too. 

I love how flexible the ax8 is, how easy you can record, and have anything you need in a small box that sounds crazy good. 
Now where is the problem ? Well, it says that I would need to sell my whole set up which includes : ENGL E650, Mesa rectifeier 212 cab, strymon timeline, red panda context, mxr micro flanger, analogman chorus, moose yellow comp, crybaby, mxr 10b eq, db11 hotstone and a korff tuner . As you can assume , it took me a while to get all of this rig. 

I know that there's an option to use a power amp with the ax8 in order to run a real cab instead of IR and people say that the ax8 sounds more natural as a result. Does anybody try it? My main concern is to sound too digital after years if using tube amps. 

Would love to hear what you guys think. I believe that some of you made this change and have a better perspective on it.

Thanks and rock on!


----------



## eugeneelgr

I've tried and owned both kinds of rigs, ie. Fractal Axe 2 into Mackie Hd1221 and a blackstar ht 100 head into cab. A cab moves air and has a punch and girth that a loudspeaker for me, doesn't really mimic. However, the pure flexibility of the axe and the gazillion amp models to play around with are fantastic. I never run out of sounds to play with.

Regarding high gain tones, the axe delivers in spades. For high gain stuff it just makes sense. Sounds like any high gain tone you can envision in your head. Clean tones are great as well, and I prefer them over playing thru a combo of sorts cus you get to turn the master volume up to get that warmth yet still play at bedroom volumes.

What I would suggest is to get the Ax8 and a power amp and cab if you are unsure of going FRFR.


----------



## 4Eyes

If you're touring artist and portability is your main concern - go for it. 

otherwise it's up to you. if you're happy with your rig, then leave it as it is. since your friend has it, try it for couple of hours, different settings, patches...etc. sure it sounds good, but try how it feels. if you can't tell difference between your tube amp and AX8 then you're probably good to make a switch. if you can tell the difference, then I think, when you'll make a switch, there will be still something in your head like - did I make right decission? I can still feel the difference. it doesn't play 100% as real amp and so on..


----------



## laxu

There is nothing "digital sounding" about the Axe-Fx. It does not suffer from things like aliasing issues older modelers did. So you don't have to worry about that no matter your output device.

That said, FRFR does make a big difference. With a tradional guitar poweramp and cab you have to turn off both Axe-Fx poweramp modeling as well as the cab sim or else you are stacking poweramp on poweramp and cab on cab which sound muddy. With those turned off, you are limited by your poweramp and cab. The sound will still be good, but it won't be authentic to the original amp or as varied.

For example running a VOX AC30 amp sim into a ENGL poweramp and Mesa cab won't sound like what a VOX AC30 (including poweramp sim) into a cab IR of a 1x12 Alnico Blue cab would sound like. This means that the differences between amp models are much less distinct. Especially the cab IR makes a big difference in sound and I spend probably more time picking an IR I like than messing with the amp block controls.

Also output device quality matters a lot. So don't pair it with the cheapest studio monitors or PA cab you can find.


----------



## JKM777

Hi,

I have had an AX8 for a few months now, Its a great unit and is really flexible and sounds amazing. I currently run it direct to monitors for Recording using the Bulb impulse pack to get the sounds i want. However i also run it through a 6505mh and zilla cab for jamming and live use to get the stage sound and the feeling of a cab which does make a massive difference. 

My only advice to you is i feel that the issue with the fractal stuff is the fact that playing with patches is not as intuitive as using pedals and an amp, its a much more deliberate act, especially when using the editors. I find i miss having loads of pedal to play about with sounds as i am playing and discovering something that leads to an idea. Sometimes the almost endless possibilities and setting up patches can stump creativity and i wish i had pedals to make very fast changes to rough stuff out.

If i were you id keep the rig you have and make the fractal an addition, use it for final ideas, recording and live, you will be really happy with it and its flexibility will solve you loads of problems. I feel it works best for final products, studio and live, when you know exactly what tones and sounds you need and its set to sound great and make switching as easy as possible. If anything keep your pedals!!!


----------



## budda

You don't have to sell anything.

You can wait and save.


----------



## DarthV

budda said:


> You don't have to sell anything.
> 
> You can wait and save.



That's the proper guitar forum enabling answer!


----------



## Critical Problem

budda said:


> You don't have to sell anything.
> 
> You can wait and save.



I have no need in having both in terms of place in my appartment, money ( I'm a student so saving money is kinda hard) and the simple fact that it's just overkill.. 
The reason I thoght about it is basically to simplify rig.

I also see a huge advantage in having every sound you'll ever need instead of looking for a pedal here and another amp there, and just use the money to buy other guitars. 
I Figured out that with the amount of money I'll save with sellonh my gear I could buy another guitar that I Want for a long time and still save some money.. 

Some of you have made some good points so I hope to be able to check it out with a power amp in compare to FRFR speakers. 

thanks !


----------



## Nick

I have both. Axe FX 2 and also a VHT Pitbull and Mesa Cab.

This may or may not be any help. If Im playing at home I will still 90% of the time use the axe FX. I would however, not even consider using the axe for anything but FX live, I would always use the head. 

Its not even a question on one being better than the other I just find there is an ambience to the tube amp in the room that cant be recreated.


----------



## JKM777

Critical Problem said:


> I have no need in having both in terms of place in my appartment, money ( I'm a student so saving money is kinda hard) and the simple fact that it's just overkill..
> The reason I thoght about it is basically to simplify rig.
> 
> I also see a huge advantage in having every sound you'll ever need instead of looking for a pedal here and another amp there, and just use the money to buy other guitars.
> I Figured out that with the amount of money I'll save with sellonh my gear I could buy another guitar that I Want for a long time and still save some money..
> 
> 
> thanks !




All ill say is that the AX8 will not be the quickest unit to operate (editing wise), i sometimes feel frustrated with the process of editing/creating patches its more involved than a simple pedal chain, twist the knobs, get the sound, you may simplify it physically and open new potential complexities. 

Look at alot of players, tosin, bulb etc, they seem to have jam rigs/pedals along side! i believe for being able to just sit ,play and write those rigs are really worth having. I currently have a tiny room i live in (I mean really tiny!!!) and i have managed to pack it all in!! 

What about downsizing the head to a mini one, getting a 1x12 or small 2x12, the ax/head will prob all fit on top of the cab and take up minimal space, you will also have the most bang for buck and have some money towards your ax8! IMO make it as versatile as possible, while saving as much space as possible


----------



## bnzboy

budda said:


> You don't have to sell anything.
> 
> You can wait and save.



yup hustle, save and purchase!


----------



## laxu

JKM777 said:


> All ill say is that the AX8 will not be the quickest unit to operate (editing wise), i sometimes feel frustrated with the process of editing/creating patches its more involved than a simple pedal chain, twist the knobs, get the sound, you may simplify it physically and open new potential complexities.



I totally agree. This is one of the things where Fractal fails in my book. They have stellar modeling and tons of features but the user interfaces on all Axe-Fx units are a bit annoying to operate. The software editor is great though so figuring out your patches at home or training space with it is fine.

I also recommend saving and then getting the unit. Then you can compare as well as try to replicate your current rig. You could even try to tone match your current one or make impulse responses of your cab.


----------



## Critical Problem

JKM777 said:


> All ill say is that the AX8 will not be the quickest unit to operate (editing wise), i sometimes feel frustrated with the process of editing/creating patches its more involved than a simple pedal chain, twist the knobs, get the sound, you may simplify it physically and open new potential complexities.
> 
> Look at alot of players, tosin, bulb etc, they seem to have jam rigs/pedals along side! i believe for being able to just sit ,play and write those rigs are really worth having. I currently have a tiny room i live in (I mean really tiny!!!) and i have managed to pack it all in!!
> 
> What about downsizing the head to a mini one, getting a 1x12 or small 2x12, the ax/head will prob all fit on top of the cab and take up minimal space, you will also have the most bang for buck and have some money towards your ax8! IMO make it as versatile as possible, while saving as much space as possible



You mean having both mini head and ax8? If you are, like I said before, I prefer to hold only on of them - ax8+cab\speakers or stay with my rig. 
My E650 is by far the best amp I've had so downsizing it to a mini amp would'nt sound the same for sure.. believe me, I had lot of amps until I bought it :] 

The ax8 just sounded so good and for my use, which mainly be at home, seems like a great solution. [plus, my girlfriend would love to see this giant head sent off haha]. 

As for the complex of use, after playing with my friends' ax8 for 2 hours I thought that the editor software was pretty easy to use.. just need to figure out what I wanna do. Maybe I need to make a list of pros\cons like Ross did when he couldn't decied between Rachel and Julie  [Hope there are Friends fans in the house]


----------



## MASS DEFECT

you can just use the engl power amp for the meantime with you cab. then in time buy a real clean power amp.


----------



## crankyrayhanky

I say dump it all and get the ax8. YOLO


----------



## Critical Problem

^I think that that's what I'm gonna do after thinking about it. 
Thinkin about buying the EHX Magnum 44 as a power amp to save the cab and with the money I'll save I probably buy another guitar.


----------



## JKM777

Critical Problem said:


> You mean having both mini head and ax8? If you are, like I said before, I prefer to hold only on of them - ax8+cab\speakers or stay with my rig.
> My E650 is by far the best amp I've had so downsizing it to a mini amp would'nt sound the same for sure.. believe me, I had lot of amps until I bought it :]
> 
> The ax8 just sounded so good and for my use, which mainly be at home, seems like a great solution. [plus, my girlfriend would love to see this giant head sent off haha].
> 
> As for the complex of use, after playing with my friends' ax8 for 2 hours I thought that the editor software was pretty easy to use.. just need to figure out what I wanna do. Maybe I need to make a list of pros\cons like Ross did when he couldn't decied between Rachel and Julie  [Hope there are Friends fans in the house]




Haha yh I get the friends referance! I do have both, I agree the editor is good, however you will find that you can get so obsessed with how the fractal stuff sounds that you may spend less time being creative and actually playing, I've deff had that problem!


----------



## Critical Problem

JKM777 said:


> Haha yh I get the friends referance! I do have both, I agree the editor is good, however you will find that you can get so obsessed with how the fractal stuff sounds that you may spend less time being creative and actually playing, I've deff had that problem!



I guess you right.. a few minutes with it kinda tought me that :] sometimes less is more but in this case I think it's different because you get so much more. 

How do you find the axe sound compare to your amp? [if you can mention the model it'll be great].


----------



## JKM777

Critical Problem said:


> I guess you right.. a few minutes with it kinda tought me that :] sometimes less is more but in this case I think it's different because you get so much more.
> 
> How do you find the axe sound compare to your amp? [if you can mention the model it'll be great].



Hey, the ax8 sounds great, I have a 6505mh and tbh its pretty close! I tend to only use the power amp of the peavey and then use the amp bloc in the ax8 to provide the bulk of the tone, i use the bloc 5150, Friedman, shiver clean mainly and then utilise the switching as its so easy! Id say the biggest difference is the feel of the live cab and not so much the quality of the modding, which is why i still use the tube power amp and cab instead on being FRFR.

The great thing is, that with the bulb cab pack, I basically have the IR's of my zilla 2x12 so when I turn the power amp/cab sim on for recording, i still have almost my exact rig on the ax8.


----------



## TGN

Firmware 6.02 released. "Improved speaker overdrive modeling in Amp block. New algorithm captures the throaty sound of an overdriven speaker along with the gentle compression. The Spkr Drv (Speaker Drive) parameter has been moved to the Spkr tab on the Amp menu. NOTE: If you are using Speaker Drive in existing presets you should audition these presets and adjust the parameter as necessary as the sound and behavior of the algorithm is considerably different than before. NOTE: This change affects all modeling versions as the algorithm is outside the archived modeling functions. I.e. if you change the Modeling Version parameter you will NOT get the old speaker overdrive algorithm. Improved Drive model frequency response accuracy for models based on op-amp architectures. Models now behave with near-perfect accuracy even when Drive control is set to extreme values. Added Timothy Drive model based on a Paul Cochrane Timmy. Updated BB PRE Drive model. Fixed PI FUZZ output level too low. The Drive and Level tapers have also been changed so any presets using this model should be auditioned and adjusted accordingly. Fixed wrong capacitor value in Esoteric ACB Drive model. Any presets using this model should be auditioned and the model deselected and reselected to reset the internal parameters. Fixed wrong value in Hipower Jumped amp model."


----------



## Andromalia

Guess I'll update and try the new presets while I'm at it.


----------



## chinnybob

Hey guys, I need a really basic MIDI footswitch for changing scenes on my Axe FX II, I've been looking at the Tech 21 MIDI Mouse but not sure if it will do what I'm after. My understanding is that it only send program change commands (whatever that means), but according to this bit from the Axe FX manual it should still be able to cycle through scenes?

All I need is to be able cycle up/down through scenes. Could probably even get away with only going up!


----------



## Elric

chinnybob said:


> Hey guys, I need a really basic MIDI footswitch for changing scenes on my Axe FX II, I've been looking at the Tech 21 MIDI Mouse but not sure if it will do what I'm after. My understanding is that it only send program change commands (whatever that means), but according to this bit from the Axe FX manual it should still be able to cycle through scenes?
> 
> All I need is to be able cycle up/down through scenes. Could probably even get away with only going up!


Looks like you could but I don't think the MIDI mouse is a very good choice for what you want... The PC based switching requires program numbers to be matched to scenes and the MM could overshoot the 1-8 mapping pretty easily with its 1-127 PCs. I do have a MIDI Mouse, although I don't use it with the Axe. Maybe I will play with it.


----------



## Webmaestro

Guys (and gals), I need to update my MFC Mark III's firmware, and the instructions are killing me: http://support.fractalaudio.com/ind...0/mfc-101-firmware-update-guide---fractal-bot

Here's what I've got to work with:

1. I don't have a 3rd party MIDI interface, so I'll use the Axe as my interface.
2. I don't have an AC adapter to power the MFC. Mine didn't come with one.
3. I don't own a MIDI cable (but I'll buy one if necessary)
4. I do have FractalBot

So, this kinda leaves me having to use the "Advanced" instructions, which is where I get totally lost.

Are there any newer, better, and easier-to-understand instructions out there anywhere that I can look at? I'm a technical guy, so I don't understand why Fractal's instructions are so confusing to me. I've watched several videos too, and been equally confused.

EDIT: I may have found my answer: http://support.fractalaudio.com/ind...are-update-with-axe-fx-ii-in-usb-adapter-mode

Anyone else use this method? I'll give it a try tonight.


----------



## vick1000

Not sure about the MFC, but if you need a cheap MIDI interface, look into the M-Audio Uno...

https://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Midi...F8&qid=1488003050&sr=8-1&keywords=m+audio+uno

...I know it works with the Axe FX Ultra in Windows anyway.


----------



## Petef2007

Hi guys, I thought i'd ask this here instead of starting a new thread for it. 

Basically, i'm curious if a used axe fx ultra is still a worthwhile investment. I'll be running it in 4CM with a laney IRT studio, and I have an interface to connect monitors/headphones for, to also try the axe with impulses. 

I've heard that the modelling on the axe 2 is obviously better, but with impulses the ultra bridges that gap a bit. The 2 here in the uk also costs about £2000, even approaches that new, while an ultra can be regularly had for £800 - £900.

I've also heard conflicting things about axe edit. luckily my interface has midi so i can connect axe to pc via that, but is the axe edit version for ultra stable? I'll still be able to dial in stuff without it going kaput?

For the most part, i'll be keeping things fairly simple - amp sim, impulse, couple of individual effects. I think the most complex patches will be stuff like Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time tone, with multiple FX going off at once, or some of the more ambient stuff you hear on youtube where it's literally just reverby delay things. 

There also exists the possibility of it just being FX only, as the IRT sounds pretty magnificent on its own. I figure it would just be nice to have the amp sims and not need them, rather than want to try them and not have any available. 

I'll be controlling it with an uno equipped FCB1010. 

Basically what my question boils down to is, if I get a used axe ultra, will i still be able to craft amazing tones with axe edit, use it with impules/4CM, map multiple fx to one midi button, and not risk running out of cpu on some of the more demanding stuff (I don't think this would be a huge issue as my POD could handle a SiT tone well enough)?

Sorry for the long question but tl;dr - used axe ultra + impulses, yay or nay?


----------



## vick1000

Petef2007 said:


> Hi guys, I thought i'd ask this here instead of starting a new thread for it.
> 
> Basically, i'm curious if a used axe fx ultra is still a worthwhile investment. I'll be running it in 4CM with a laney IRT studio, and I have an interface to connect monitors/headphones for, to also try the axe with impulses.
> 
> I've heard that the modelling on the axe 2 is obviously better, but with impulses the ultra bridges that gap a bit. The 2 here in the uk also costs about £2000, even approaches that new, while an ultra can be regularly had for £800 - £900.
> 
> I've also heard conflicting things about axe edit. luckily my interface has midi so i can connect axe to pc via that, but is the axe edit version for ultra stable? I'll still be able to dial in stuff without it going kaput?
> 
> For the most part, i'll be keeping things fairly simple - amp sim, impulse, couple of individual effects. I think the most complex patches will be stuff like Iron Maiden's Somewhere In Time tone, with multiple FX going off at once, or some of the more ambient stuff you hear on youtube where it's literally just reverby delay things.
> 
> There also exists the possibility of it just being FX only, as the IRT sounds pretty magnificent on its own. I figure it would just be nice to have the amp sims and not need them, rather than want to try them and not have any available.
> 
> I'll be controlling it with an uno equipped FCB1010.
> 
> Basically what my question boils down to is, if I get a used axe ultra, will i still be able to craft amazing tones with axe edit, use it with impules/4CM, map multiple fx to one midi button, and not risk running out of cpu on some of the more demanding stuff (I don't think this would be a huge issue as my POD could handle a SiT tone well enough)?
> 
> Sorry for the long question but tl;dr - used axe ultra + impulses, yay or nay?



If you can't save for, or do not want to invest more for a AX8/Axe II, then it's certainly worth getting an Ultra.

Axe Edit worked fine for me on Windows 7x64, you have to get the legacy version on Fractal's website.

The algorythms on the Ultra are different, so you don't use as much CPU for various things, and can get some heavy FX loaded presets with no issues.


----------



## Stereodude

Petef2007 said:


> I've also heard conflicting things about axe edit. luckily my interface has midi so i can connect axe to pc via that, but is the axe edit version for ultra stable? I'll still be able to dial in stuff without it going kaput?


While the software may be useable at the moment, I wouldn't rely on that for managing the Ultra. The software is not maintained by Fractal anymore, afaik.
AxeEdit for AxeFX 2 generally runs better and with less trouble. Loading IR's onto the AxeFX (you have up to 10 user IR's simultaneously on the ultra iirc) should still work. And even if the legacy version of Axe-Edit won't run on your OS anytime in the near future, you can use another Midi Software to copy the IR files to the Ultra.



Petef2007 said:


> I'll be controlling it with an uno equipped FCB1010.
> 
> Basically what my question boils down to is, if I get a used axe ultra, will i still be able to craft amazing tones with axe edit, use it with impules/4CM, map multiple fx to one midi button, and not risk running out of cpu on some of the more demanding stuff (I don't think this would be a huge issue as my POD could handle a SiT tone well enough)?
> 
> Sorry for the long question but tl;dr - used axe ultra + impulses, yay or nay?



Besides the mentioned problems with the legacy Axe-Edit software, everything you mentioned works fine with the Ultra. If you really want to use Axe Edit frequently, I recommend saving for an Axe 2.


----------



## mnemonic

I've been using boosted Recto1 Modern for a while now as my main heavy distortion amp, but felt like messing around with other stuff yesterday, and came across the FAS Modern III, which is apparently similar to the recto according to cliff. Seems to have a ton more midrange (I think I have it around 3 to be similar to my recto patch) and it also is much tighter and clearer on the low end (kinda makes my recto patch sound a bit undefined in the low end on my lowest string), but it does lack that sharp high end metallic attack my recto patch has. 

Granted I only messed around with it late last night for like 15 minutes before I went to bed. 

Does anyone else use the FAS Modern III? Anyone have any tips or tricks with that model?


----------



## Petef2007

OK guys, one more quick question. 

I think i'm going to just save like a madman and go Axe 2. It seems to have everything I want in one little box. 

My question is, if I run my Irt Studio DI into the Axe, then monitors into the Axe, and run the Axe in 4cm, will I get tube power through the monitors? Or is it sorta pointless and i'd be better off leaving the laney out of the equation altogether?


----------



## vick1000

Petef2007 said:


> OK guys, one more quick question.
> 
> I think i'm going to just save like a madman and go Axe 2. It seems to have everything I want in one little box.
> 
> My question is, if I run my Irt Studio DI into the Axe, then monitors into the Axe, and run the Axe in 4cm, will I get tube power through the monitors? Or is it sorta pointless and i'd be better off leaving the laney out of the equation altogether?



Why get an Axe FX if you are not going to use the amp and cab models? That's what makes it stand out, and the reason the price tag is where it is.

If you just want FX for 4CM, get the FX8.


----------



## Elric

Petef2007 said:


> OK guys, one more quick question.
> 
> I think i'm going to just save like a madman and go Axe 2. It seems to have everything I want in one little box.
> 
> My question is, if I run my Irt Studio DI into the Axe, then monitors into the Axe, and run the Axe in 4cm, will I get tube power through the monitors? Or is it sorta pointless and i'd be better off leaving the laney out of the equation altogether?



Honestly, I would sell the Laney and put the money towards the Axe. It won't be useful once you get the Axe; unless you're using it as a power amp.


----------



## Petef2007

Elric said:


> Honestly, I would sell the Laney and put the money towards the Axe. It won't be useful once you get the Axe; unless you're using it as a power amp.



I'm sort of considering using the Axe as the preamp and FX and the laney as the poweramp, it worked quite nicely with my pod. At least that way I can test the waters with an ultra and see if the 2 is for me...if it is, save a bunch of money, sell the whole rig and go FRFR Axe 2.

I've heard an ultra and poweramp/cab combo makes the divide between the ultra and the hi res cabs on the II a bit narrower, so who knows...the ultra might just be for me after all.

I kinda think that getting the II is an all eggs, one basket scenario and a lot of money to plonk down for someone not at all familiar with fractal stuff.


----------



## vick1000

Good FRFR is expensive too, the mid/low budget stuff is no where near the quality of a good power amp and guitar cab. Unless you just want the low SPL of mid/low priced studio monitors.


----------



## SevenSkull

Petef2007 said:


> My question is, if I run my Irt Studio DI into the Axe, then monitors into the Axe, and run the Axe in 4cm, will I get tube power through the monitors? Or is it sorta pointless and i'd be better off leaving the laney out of the equation altogether?



I've got the Axe Standard, a dust collecting Laney IRT Studio and an AX-8.
- The sound of the AX8/AxeFX2 is muuuch better than a Standard/Ultra. We're talking about 5-6 years software improvements between the units. Even good IRs won't make an Ultra sound like a II. 
- I also tried my Laney with 4CM with ok results, but it's much more flexible to use the power amp modelling and a FRFR solution or separate transistor amp+guitar cab. Are you using active monitors currently?

Why don't you get an AX-8 like me which is absolutely fine for your basic drive/amp/cab/reverb setup but costs only half of the II. And you get a foot controller as well.


----------



## curlyvice

New Firmware, everyone! 7.01
It's rad! Shimmer drive is sweet.


----------



## mnemonic

I was bored yesterday and decided to try out my overdrives in front of my axe fx, in place of the T808 Mod that I use on almost every patch. I think I like a real boost a bit more, to be honest. My Bodenhamer Bloody Murder (modded TS) is a bit clearer and tighter. 

Wish I could figure out how to copy it in the axe, but the gain character does feel a bit different.

Anyone else use external boosts or pedals?


----------



## Webmaestro

mnemonic said:


> I was bored yesterday and decided to try out my overdrives in front of my axe fx, in place of the T808 Mod that I use on almost every patch. I think I like a real boost a bit more, to be honest. My Bodenhamer Bloody Murder (modded TS) is a bit clearer and tighter.
> 
> Wish I could figure out how to copy it in the axe, but the gain character does feel a bit different.
> 
> Anyone else use external boosts or pedals?



Very interesting. I've been wanting to try this as well... because I'm so curious about it (and because there are so many cool pedals on the market).


----------



## jjcor

mnemonic said:


> I was bored yesterday and decided to try out my overdrives in front of my axe fx, in place of the T808 Mod that I use on almost every patch. I think I like a real boost a bit more, to be honest. My Bodenhamer Bloody Murder (modded TS) is a bit clearer and tighter.
> 
> Wish I could figure out how to copy it in the axe, but the gain character does feel a bit different.
> 
> Anyone else use external boosts or pedals?



I actually run one in the fx loop and place it before the amp like I would my normal OD block. I run a Fortin Grind pedal and sometimes a Ibanez TS808 to mix things up a bit. But I actually prefer them over the ones built into the axe fx as well. I've tried to imitate them with the axe but never is exactly the same.


----------



## Petef2007

Alright guys, my mind is made up. It's Axe II time. Got a bit more money than I thought. 
Guys in the UK, mind me asking what you paid if you got your axe second hand? I guess £1500 is enough for one?


----------



## fremen

My website is now online  http://fremenpresets.com/


----------



## J_Mac

fremen said:


> My website is now online  http://fremenpresets.com/




Get in!

For anyone not familiar with Fremen's stuff - it is absolutely brilliant. Awesome sounding and very inspiring patches. I learned a lot about how to use my Axe FX by studying and unpicking his patches. Tons of stuff I didn't know you could do. 

Get these on your Axe people!


----------



## fremen

Thanks J Mac !


----------



## legacy5k

So my current amp broke down, and it's time to shop for something new.

In my limited research so far, I'm feeling like the Fractal Audio AX8 is the most awesome preamp that I am aware of.

I already have a Krank 4x12 cabinet which I also love. But of course the AX8 has no power. What if I were to just buy a regular full range power amp like this, and run it to to the Krank cab?:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-...ifier-with-onboard-dsp?rNtt=crown amp&index=1

Is there any possibility of damage to the Krank cab over time, since this power amp is capable of full range? I understand that the AX8 will not be sending it full range in general, but still.

Reliability is top priority to me and I don't want to damage the cab over time. Especially since my previous amp just crapped the bed (on new guitar day too, I was so disappointed!).


----------



## TheTrooper

The Crown power amp You linked it's just a Flat power amp, no "tone" basically, just enanches the preamp you are using.

No damage gets done to the cab, it's actually a widely used method of using modelers.

The idea is to disable the Cab sim in the Ax8 and use the actual Cab.


----------



## mnemonic

That is my preferred method of using my axe fx II as I don't like messing around with impulses, and they do sound different to a cab in a room as the mic sound and positioning is 'baked in'. They are ideal for recording though. 

No issues regarding the 'range' of the power amp. Just means it will faithfully reproduce the ax8's sound. 

With this setup, leave poweramp modeling ON in the ax8, and cab modeling OFF (just leave out the cab block). If you were to use a tube poweramp, you would ideally turn poeramp modeling off, but it's down to whatever sounds best for your application.


----------



## Metalman X

Nevermind.... fixed it. I'm a dumbass


----------



## fremen

I reamped DI tracks of "Rose of Sharyn", by Killswitch Engage, through some of my Axe-Fx II presets... and played a solo on top of it  



The DI tracks are from Andy Sneap forum


----------



## Thrashman

Axe II owners - is the 1st gen still "worth it" or should I just shoot for the XL+?


----------



## Elric

Thrashman said:


> Axe II owners - is the 1st gen still "worth it" or should I just shoot for the XL+?



They are totally worth what they sell for on the used market IMHO. But note that what they sell for is less than half the cost of a II (source Reverb price guide) sometimes way less depending on model. So if price is any indication then the current model is more than 2X in value over the gen1s....

Which seems about right to me.

I own both 1 & 2 BTW love them both. The gen 1 is a bargain and the II is the best processor on the planet. Take your pick.


----------



## Thrashman

Cool thanks man.

So the Axe II mark 1 still good? Or is there a reason why they pop up for so much cheaper than the newer Mark II's and XL's?


----------



## mnemonic

Thrashman said:


> Cool thanks man.
> 
> So the Axe II mark 1 still good? Or is there a reason why they pop up for so much cheaper than the newer Mark II's and XL's?



Basically because it's the older model. Mark 1 and Mark 2 are the same apart from a different fan, XL is the same but with more memory (so can store more presets and larger firmware updates) but same processor, same models, same sound. A few more connections on the back also, I think. XL+ is the same as the XL but with a different screen controller as the previous one was discontinued by the manufacturer (needed a differentiated model name as the firmware is slightly different due to different screen controller.)

As it currently stands, Axe II mark1 sounds the same as a brand-new Axe II XL+. There may come a time when the size of the firmware update is too large to fit in the mark 1 and mark 2, and thus may stop receiving updates. This happened a few months back, but then cliff compressed the file differently or something, so it still fits in the memory of the mark 1 and mark 2.


----------



## mnemonic

I've never been 100% with the Fryette Deliverence model, it was cool but never really got the tone I was after. 

Saw someone's settings on their D60 in the VHT thread and they were quite different from what I had tried in the past so I gave them a shot... Holy shit goddamn, now that is a heavy, punchy, aggressive amp. It makes my recto patches sound downright tame in comparison.


----------



## lewstherin006

mnemonic said:


> I've never been 100% with the Fryette Deliverence model, it was cool but never really got the tone I was after.
> 
> Saw someone's settings on their D60 in the VHT thread and they were quite different from what I had tried in the past so I gave them a shot... Holy shit goddamn, now that is a heavy, punchy, aggressive amp. It makes my recto patches sound downright tame in comparison.



can we please see those settings???? or patch??


----------



## mnemonic

lewstherin006 said:


> can we please see those settings???? or patch??



I copied these settings: 



BadSeed said:


> I very happily became a member of the VHT owners club this past weekend with 2 separate but matching purchases.
> 
> Picked up the D60 from a frined of mine who had been looking to sell for a little while, I finally decided I'd take it off of his hands for him.
> 
> The cab was found through another friend of mine. He has purchased it from War of Ages who were basically just local boys at the time, but no longer needed a half stack, so I made an even trade with him for a guitar I wasn't playing. Only issue is, it has a bad P5E speaker, so I'll need to find a replacement.




not sure if these are his settings or just what the amp was set to on picking it up. I hadn't considered running the presence and depth that high before, and generally I've not run the mids above noon, so it was an interesting change. 

I put the first gain control a bit below noon though as I'm also using an overdrive in front. You may need a low pass after the amp as there is a ton of high end and gets brittle/fizzy easily.


----------



## Shask

The real amp is quite bright in an ear-splitting kind of way also. I had a D120 for awhile, and it had a killer low end punch, but the upper mids and treble killed my ear drums. If you tried to dial down the mids or treble it got a weird hollow kind of thing going on.

I have played with the model, and thought it had that same kind of clear, hollow thing going on, so it seems accurate. It doesnt have as much low end, but I had a D120, and the model is a D60. I can dial it in to sound pretty good, but has never really been a go-to for me. I tend to use amps like the 5153 Red instead.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> The real amp is quite bright in an ear-splitting kind of way also. I had a D120 for awhile, and it had a killer low end punch, but the upper mids and treble killed my ear drums. If you tried to dial down the mids or treble it got a weird hollow kind of thing going on.
> 
> I have played with the model, and thought it had that same kind of clear, hollow thing going on, so it seems accurate. It doesnt have as much low end, but I had a D120, and the model is a D60. I can dial it in to sound pretty good, but has never really been a go-to for me. I tend to use amps like the 5153 Red instead.



Yeah, in the past it has always sounded quite middy due to the settings I used, and turning down the mids made it sound kinda crap. But with the presence and depth up high it does make it sound more balanced.

And yeah, luckily we can add low pass filters in the axe fx so it isn't as ear-splitting. The high mids are super cutting though. 

I'm happy for now. I'll probably end up back on a recto model at some point, I always seem to make my way back to the rectos.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I've got a patch set up with a D60 because I saw that someone suggested it was the closest sounding to a Randall Satan. Does anyone else agree or disagree? I really like the sound Ola Englund gets from his Satan.


----------



## Mr_Marty

Wow!

Queensrÿche - Eyes Of A Stranger FULL COVER w/vocals (all AX8)


----------



## Metalman X

LeviathanKiller said:


> I've got a patch set up with a D60 because I saw that someone suggested it was the closest sounding to a Randall Satan. Does anyone else agree or disagree? I really like the sound Ola Englund gets from his Satan.



Dunno about the Satan, having no hands on experience with one. BUT I did own a Randall V2 head for about 8 years, and this model struck me as rather close to that that amps tone. That dry, tught, yet thick gain quality. It was like an oddly ideal mix of the V2's solidstate and and tube gain channels. Playing with the deeper parameters such as damping and depth, as well as adding a graphic EQ block right after the amp block, I could get it freakishly close to the V2. And I belive I was using a heavily tweaked Metal Zone model as a boost on those tones. although at the time I was tinkering with that, I may have also been experimenting with the Shred Master model as a boost.

Probably worth mentioning this is all on an Ultra, with the final firmware. I hear the current gen Axe's models sound rather different, so thats a potential factor as well.

BTW.... the VHT model with some clever tweaking makes one helluva growly bass tone. Especially with an SD-1 model in front.... and balancing the gain in a kinda 50/50 mix pedal drive, and preamp gain. I use this with a separate signal path feeding the SVt model for the clean lows. It growls like a T-Rex in heat with my Spector Rexx bass


----------



## Thrashman

So I just pulled the trigger on a used Axe II XL that I'm picking up this weekend.

I'm so excited! However, I've never even used an Axe before (I've played through a couple but never actually tweaked one  ) so does anyone know a good online resource as far as learning how to make the most out of it?

I have used various pods throughout the years (2.0, XT, X3, HD) as well as most other devices and gadgets/fidgets/blipblops so I'm not new to the whole modeling thing but the Axe is obviously a different level both sound and feature/tweakability wise


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Thrashman said:


> So I just pulled the trigger on a used Axe II XL that I'm picking up this weekend.
> 
> I'm so excited! However, I've never even used an Axe before (I've played through a couple but never actually tweaked one  ) so does anyone know a good online resource as far as learning how to make the most out of it?
> 
> I have used various pods throughout the years (2.0, XT, X3, HD) as well as most other devices and gadgets/fidgets/blipblops so I'm not new to the whole modeling thing but the Axe is obviously a different level both sound and feature/tweakability wise



I've just played through the stock presets, tried some from the Axe-Change, and read the manual when needed and feel like I'm doing pretty well with it. It's not as complicated (for me) as what others have made it out to be but I'm a software engineer so YMMV.


----------



## Shask

LeviathanKiller said:


> I've just played through the stock presets, tried some from the Axe-Change, and read the manual when needed and feel like I'm doing pretty well with it. It's not as complicated (for me) as what others have made it out to be but I'm a software engineer so YMMV.




I have never understood why people say it is so hard to use. I question how they exist in their daily life. It is fairly straightforward compared to many other things... especially the old rack units of the 90's I grew up on. I almost always edit on the unit, and really only fire up Axe-Edit when I am doing massive preset grid setups from scratch.

For the most part, ignore all the settings you dont know what they do, and focus on page 1. Learn what the others do over time, one at a time.


----------



## vividox

It's as easy or hard as you make it. If you just want to flip through pre-sets or play other people's sounds you like, it's literally just loading a sound and playing. Or if you want to tweak for days, you'll have every opportunity to do so.


----------



## ArtDecade

Ola has some downloads of his tones on the Fractal site for the FX2. Will these work on the new AX8 as well?


----------



## spilla

ArtDecade said:


> Ola has some downloads of his tones on the Fractal site for the FX2. Will these work on the new AX8 as well?



You should be able to use them if you use fractool. That said they are pretty old patches and since so much has changed since then im not sure how good they will sound now. Still worth trying though.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I've tried them and they aren't that bad really. I've tweaked them for my own use after downloading though.



Has anyone bought commercial presets?


----------



## mnemonic

Has anyone used the Fryette Power Station with the Axe FX? If so, I'd love to hear how colored or uncolored the sound is. I've heard people say it's flat response but adds tube punchiness and feel, and others say it's very colored and you need poweramp sims turned off. 

I would also be interested in hearing how it compares to FRFR solid state poweramps. 

I've got a nice new 2x12 cab coming to replace my junky 1x12, and soon the amplification will also need upgrading.


----------



## J_Mac

A post I made a couple of pages back, might be helpful for you. Link here to original post for downloading the attachment. 



J_Mac said:


> Here's what I consider to be the most important sound shaping controls. Other people will have different tastes of course.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Attached are two live presets I use with a Strandberg OS6 and a Dean ML (with EMGs) for metal. No cab blocks. Along with the Behringer FCB1010 pedalboard. I have a sysex file for that if anyone wants.
> 
> And also attached are my two main patches for recording metal and prog. I forget what state they're in at the moment, I'm always changing them. But they should be a decent start point, hopefully! I think a major upgrade for the AXE is Misha's cab pack 13, you won't regret it! I use them all the time. It contains hudreds of cabs and they all sound great. The cab selection that comes with the AXE FX is a weak point IMHO. Cab pack 13 on the AXE FX store.


----------



## Casper777

Hey guys... Just ordered an AX8. Already own a Kemper and planning to play it through the same set up, that is either my Behringer studio monitors (when I want stereo), which are surprisingly good or my Yamaha DXR10.

For fractal what do you usually recommend for both Studio monitors and FRFR powered speakers?


----------



## Elric

Casper777 said:


> Hey guys... Just ordered an AX8. Already own a Kemper and planning to play it through the same set up, that is either my Behringer studio monitors (when I want stereo), which are surprisingly good or my Yamaha DXR10.
> 
> For fractal what do you usually recommend for both Studio monitors and FRFR powered speakers?


Anything that sounds good with your Kemper is going to sound good with your AX8, too, pretty much.


----------



## Thrashman

So I picked up the Axe FX II XL yesterday - WOW. I can't believe I waited this long, I haven't touched anything and it sounds like pure magic out of the box.

Question: will custom user IR's disappear/have to be reloaded into the unit if I do a factory reset or is there a way to keep them in there?


----------



## NosralTserrof

Hey gang, 

I'm looking at the AX8 and I have a question. I'm looking to use the 4CM, but I also want to run a physical OD pedal with it. 

Since the 4CM takes up the FX loop, but only one slot, is there any way to use the other half of the FX loop on the AX8 to run a pedal into? So there could be 2 FX loop blocks in the unit, one to footswitch the pedal and one to footswitch out the amp? Hope that makes sense. Willing to give a further explanation if needed. 

<3


----------



## vick1000

NosralTserrof said:


> Hey gang,
> 
> I'm looking at the AX8 and I have a question. I'm looking to use the 4CM, but I also want to run a physical OD pedal with it.
> 
> Since the 4CM takes up the FX loop, but only one slot, is there any way to use the other half of the FX loop on the AX8 to run a pedal into? So there could be 2 FX loop blocks in the unit, one to footswitch the pedal and one to footswitch out the amp? Hope that makes sense. Willing to give a further explanation if needed.
> 
> <3



Just put the OD between your guitar and the AX8.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Thrashman said:


> So I picked up the Axe FX II XL yesterday - WOW. I can't believe I waited this long, I haven't touched anything and it sounds like pure magic out of the box.
> 
> Question: will custom user IR's disappear/have to be reloaded into the unit if I do a factory reset or is there a way to keep them in there?



Factory reset clears everything user-created. Just make a backup before resetting or export the cabs through Axe-Edit if possible.


----------



## Selkoid

I'm trying to figure out if I should take the plunge on buying an Axe FX II. Between my 5150 III 50w, a Diezel 2x12, gates/OD/Tuner its the same price as an axe FX anyway. Does playing direct through a set of monitors sound fine with the axe ii? It would be nice to be able to play at lower volumes and have the effects versatility, but for some reason i'm just hesitant to drop such a large amount of money on a piece of gear. Sell me / stop me? What was the tipping point where you knew you wanted to have the Axe FX vs a regular tube amp setup?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Wanted one ever since I heard how good it was in the hands of someone capable of using it properly. I have nothing to say to stop you really.


----------



## mnemonic

Selkoid said:


> I'm trying to figure out if I should take the plunge on buying an Axe FX II. Between my 5150 III 50w, a Diezel 2x12, gates/OD/Tuner its the same price as an axe FX anyway. Does playing direct through a set of monitors sound fine with the axe ii? It would be nice to be able to play at lower volumes and have the effects versatility, but for some reason i'm just hesitant to drop such a large amount of money on a piece of gear. Sell me / stop me? What was the tipping point where you knew you wanted to have the Axe FX vs a regular tube amp setup?



My tipping point is that I wasn't gigging and 90% of my playing was bedroom volumes (granted nowadays I can get to window-rattling volumes as I live alone in a detached house so I can do what I want), so it didn't make a lot of sense to me to buy an amp that performed best a high volume, and then never use it in that range. The versatility was cool too, but at the end of the day, I only have like 5 patches that pretty much all sound the same - heavy saturated metal tone. 

The Axe FX does sound good going FRFR through some studio monitors, but it is quite a bit different than running a 5150 III through a Diezel 2x12 in the room, even if you use the 5150 III 50w model into an impulse of a Deizel 2x12. This is because all impulses are mic'd up amps, most of which are close-mic'd. This is great for recording, which is their main purpose, but if you play guitar with these impulses, it sounds like a mic'd up guitar. This is great for some things, like gigging. More consistency, no need to mic a cab at the gig. But for playing in my room, I personally prefer the sound of a real guitar cab. 

Also, given how many impulses there are in the Axe FX to choose from, and the thousands of aftermarket ones I had downloaded, I spent more time filtering through impulses than playing, so I said fuck it, I'm just gonna get a cab. 90% of the impulses I used were Mesa V30 impulses anyway. Personally I'm really happy running it this way. Running it into a solidstate poweramp and into a guitar cab sounds like an amp in the room, because it is.


----------



## vick1000

Yeah, I went back to amp/cab, using my AX8 as pre/FX, and I am much more satisfied.

Just a heads up, if you are using the unit as a pre with an amp that is not a flat response, such as a tube power amp, turn the high and low resonance down to zero in the speaker tab of the amp block. This will eliminate the over exaggerated highs and lows.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Just filled my Axe-Fx almost completely up with SinMix cab pack IRs. These things sound freaking great.
I really want to get the OwnHammer Heavy Hitter's Collection too but I don't have any room at the moment until I sort through these and so many are fantastic so far.
For under $25, you guys gotta check SinMix's IRs out.


----------



## vick1000

8.02 is official on the AX8...

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/ax8-v8-02-released.128210/


----------



## mnemonic

Damn, I did my yearly update yesterday


----------



## victim5150

Some video of the AX8 in action. My Ozzy tribute Ozz performing Ozzy and Lita Ford's Close My Eyes Forever with our friend Steffany Johnson on vocals.
I'm using one of Freeman's ambient acoustic presets at the beginning. AX8 is direct to FOH.


----------



## mnemonic

Someone mentioned (possibly on the axe fx forum rather than here) that at some point in the last couple updates, the rectos got flubby and not good for metal. I gave them a shot yesterday, and my previously-tight patches dont sound great, and starting from a blank patch, I can't really get it that tight and clear. Definite fuzzy, flubby characteristic I can't get rid of. Hopefully that gets fixed soon. 

I am, however, super happy with the Fryette D60 model, it got way tighter, dryer, and clearer since Q3 which I was last on. A lot less gain though which is odd. Overall big improvement. 

I may try rolling back to fw18 or something this weekend if I'm bored, just to compare. I remember fw18 (or thereabouts) the rectos went from good to great for metal. The guitars and speakers I were using back then we're very different though (I was doing FRFR at the time) so it will be interesting to see what differences there are.


----------



## vick1000

Well Rectos are pretty flubby/boomy without a mid boost and hi/lo cut in front.


----------



## SevenSkull

With Rectos I always reduce the low resonance at first (from 5 to about 2.5-3). Then I start tweaking as usual.


----------



## vividox

I just don't ever use rectos. 

Sorry for the shitpost, I'll see my way out.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Someone mentioned (possibly on the axe fx forum rather than here) that at some point in the last couple updates, the rectos got flubby and not good for metal. I gave them a shot yesterday, and my previously-tight patches dont sound great, and starting from a blank patch, I can't really get it that tight and clear. Definite fuzzy, flubby characteristic I can't get rid of. Hopefully that gets fixed soon.
> 
> I am, however, super happy with the Fryette D60 model, it got way tighter, dryer, and clearer since Q3 which I was last on. A lot less gain though which is odd. Overall big improvement.
> 
> I may try rolling back to fw18 or something this weekend if I'm bored, just to compare. I remember fw18 (or thereabouts) the rectos went from good to great for metal. The guitars and speakers I were using back then we're very different though (I was doing FRFR at the time) so it will be interesting to see what differences there are.



Ya know, I noticed my patches didnt sound as good as they did 6 months ago or so. It has been frustrating to me, but I cant really tell you why. It is like the sound is boomy in the low end, yet has more of that dry thud in the mids. Weird. I dont really like ultra-tight sounds.... I go for more of a chunky chug type sound, think Master of Puppets, or Nevermore. I have been having an issue getting it to have more of a natural chug lately without sounding mushy or muddy. I do use the Recto 1 modern a lot, but have been using the 5153 more. I use the HBE sometimes also, but I definitely notice it having that super tight thuddy type of tone. All I want is some nice chuggy bass! lol!

I typically use a poweramp and cab, but considering a FRFR like the Friedman ASM-12 because it is reported as having more of a "cab in the room" type sound and feel while being a FRFR cab. I typically like a poweramp/cab better, but have been wanting to try to give FRFR a real chance. I have 8" monitors, but usually the sound bugs me. I hate that bassless thump, fuzzy mids, flat, smooth type of tone you usually get using cab IRs and monitors. However, not using the cab IRs, I feel like I am missing out on a big part of what the Axe can do, and I also feel like that puts me in tweaking hell. Using a poweramp/cab definitely seems to take more work to get a good sound.

Sadly, I have been liking my $300 Boss Katana better lately. Whatever they did in that amp just works, because it has amazing low end punch for what it is. It has a DSP in the poweramp interacting with the speaker, or something like that.



vick1000 said:


> Well Rectos are pretty flubby/boomy without a mid boost and hi/lo cut in front.



Yes, somewhat. I have a real Triple Rectifer, and while it can sound kind of sluggish without a boost, it still sounds huge. I wish I could get the same kind of low end punch out of the Axe-FX the real amp has. More bass in the Axe-FX tends to mush out, and get that weird bottomed-out sound though instead of projecting out of the cab.



SevenSkull said:


> With Rectos I always reduce the low resonance at first (from 5 to about 2.5-3). Then I start tweaking as usual.



You know, all amps I notice the bass getting that bottomed-out boomy sound in the low end lately. I used to increase the low resonance to try to get more low end punch, but lately I find myself lowering this parameter to 2-3 also, and then using an EQ to low pass the entire low end up to about 200hz to actually get more bass. It seems more balanced without the boom in the recent firmwares.

I am also finding that using the lo/hi cut trick that is used with FRFR is working well with the cab also. Use an EQ to dial out below 70hz or so, and above 13,000hz or so. That seems to control the boom and fizz somewhat, even with a real guitar cab.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I use 80 HP and 10k LP on all of my patches in the cab section parameters usually

Once I found what worked for me, it was pretty easy to duplicate it across my other patches


----------



## vick1000

If you are using a real guitar speaker, turn down the high and low speaker resonance in the speaker tab of the amp block. You may need to adjust your EQ afterward, but it is the proper base point for a rig with no FRFR speakers.

If a Recto is not sounding boomy or fat enough, it may be what you are using to amplify it. The boom and thickness of a Recto come s from the power section design. If you are not going direct to recording, chances are the monitors and power amp, are not going to get you that boominess.

I use a Mesa Stereo 2:50 and Fryette FB 412, and I can get Dual Recto fatness without issue, but still can't get a full on Tri-rec tone. You can check the negative feedback if you are using power amp sims, and make sure it is set near 1.00. That's where a lot of the recto tone comes from.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> Ya know, I noticed my patches didnt sound as good as they did 6 months ago or so. It has been frustrating to me, but I cant really tell you why. It is like the sound is boomy in the low end, yet has more of that dry thud in the mids. Weird. I dont really like ultra-tight sounds.... I go for more of a chunky chug type sound, think Master of Puppets, or Nevermore. I have been having an issue getting it to have more of a natural chug lately without sounding mushy or muddy. I do use the Recto 1 modern a lot, but have been using the 5153 more. I use the HBE sometimes also, but I definitely notice it having that super tight thuddy type of tone. All I want is some nice chuggy bass! lol!
> 
> I typically use a poweramp and cab, but considering a FRFR like the Friedman ASM-12 because it is reported as having more of a "cab in the room" type sound and feel while being a FRFR cab. I typically like a poweramp/cab better, but have been wanting to try to give FRFR a real chance. I have 8" monitors, but usually the sound bugs me. I hate that bassless thump, fuzzy mids, flat, smooth type of tone you usually get using cab IRs and monitors. However, not using the cab IRs, I feel like I am missing out on a big part of what the Axe can do, and I also feel like that puts me in tweaking hell. Using a poweramp/cab definitely seems to take more work to get a good sound.
> 
> Sadly, I have been liking my $300 Boss Katana better lately. Whatever they did in that amp just works, because it has amazing low end punch for what it is. It has a DSP in the poweramp interacting with the speaker, or something like that.
> 
> 
> 
> You know, all amps I notice the bass getting that bottomed-out boomy sound in the low end lately. I used to increase the low resonance to try to get more low end punch, but lately I find myself lowering this parameter to 2-3 also, and then using an EQ to low pass the entire low end up to about 200hz to actually get more bass. It seems more balanced without the boom in the recent firmwares.
> 
> I am also finding that using the lo/hi cut trick that is used with FRFR is working well with the cab also. Use an EQ to dial out below 70hz or so, and above 13,000hz or so. That seems to control the boom and fizz somewhat, even with a real guitar cab.



I'm using a solidstate poweramp and guitar cab also (2x12, V30 / K100 combo). I know what you mean on the boomyness or fuzzyness, it seems the rectos have got a lot boomier. I was previously on Quantum 3 until i updated to 8, and even in 3, the Modern Mode rectos were super boomy, I had to turn down the low res, or just use the vintage mode with Negative Feedback at 0.01 to approximate the Modern mode but in a less boomy way. 

I had some spare time after work today, so I loaded up FW18, which wiped all my presets so I couldn't load my Q8 presets, had to start from scratch (I did back it up before the downgrade though so nothing really lost). The Modern Mode Recto was stupid easy to dial in, took about 4 minutes to get a chunky nevermore-ish recto tone. I do feel it lacked some 'depth' that is apparent in Q8, but that may have been placebo effect. 

The Fryette D60 model was noticeably worse in FW18 than it is in Q8. It had way less depth, way less touch-sensitivity, and was way less dynamic. That 'crazy dynamics' thing people talk about with Fryette gear, how you can go from clean to high gain with the volume knob and picking dynamics, I can do in Q8 (though I haven't played the real thing yet so I'm still not sure how close it is in that regard). Definitely can't do that in FW18. The recto and D60 were similar in dynamic range, I think. The FW18 D60 also lacked a lot of the depth that the Q8 D60 has. 

I played on the firmware for about an hour or so, took a break, played some more, then upgraded back to Q8. The D60 is orders of magnitude better in Q8, and the Rectos do have a deeper feel, but like you say, kind of 'bottomed out' on the low end. Kinda boomy, not really that clear. More fuzzy, less chunky, and I don't really care to spend hours tweaking it at the moment, when I'm getting the chunk I want from the D60 anyway. 

One other thing, I thought the boost pedals might have changed lately, as I haven't been liking the T808 or T808 Mod for a while, I much prefer a real tubescreamer. Well, on FW18 they more-or-less sounded the same as Q8 (as far as I could tell, given the amp models were quite a bit different). I dunno, they just kind of have some low-end octave-like filtering that I just can't dial out. It reminds me of that atonal 'HRRRR' noise you get from a wah, but its in the low end, rather than mids/highs. 

The FAS Boost sounds way better imo, much easier to dial in, and more like my real-life modded tubescreamer than the ts models in the box. 

Sorry for the rambling, I had a lot of spare time this evening.



vick1000 said:


> If you are using a real guitar speaker, turn down the high and low speaker resonance in the speaker tab of the amp block. You may need to adjust your EQ afterward, but it is the proper base point for a rig with no FRFR speakers.



My understanding is that you would only turn those to zero or close to zero (or just turn off poweramp modeling) if you were using a tube poweramp in conjunction with a guitar cab. After all, with a solidstate poweramp and guitar cab, the solid state poweramp won't interact with the cab and cause those impedence curves the way a tube poweramp would.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I will definitely have to try that FAS Boost. I've been messing with the Micro Boost for some less harsh boosted sounds.


----------



## Shask

vick1000 said:


> If you are using a real guitar speaker, turn down the high and low speaker resonance in the speaker tab of the amp block. You may need to adjust your EQ afterward, but it is the proper base point for a rig with no FRFR speakers.
> 
> If a Recto is not sounding boomy or fat enough, it may be what you are using to amplify it. The boom and thickness of a Recto come s from the power section design. If you are not going direct to recording, chances are the monitors and power amp, are not going to get you that boominess.
> 
> I use a Mesa Stereo 2:50 and Fryette FB 412, and I can get Dual Recto fatness without issue, but still can't get a full on Tri-rec tone. You can check the negative feedback if you are using power amp sims, and make sure it is set near 1.00. That's where a lot of the recto tone comes from.



I typically use a GT1000FX, so not a cheap poweramp. Sometimes I will use the power section of my Triple Recto, but then everything sounds and feels like a Recto, and that is no fun. I usually use a Gflex 212 cab.



mnemonic said:


> I'm using a solidstate poweramp and guitar cab also (2x12, V30 / K100 combo). I know what you mean on the boomyness or fuzzyness, it seems the rectos have got a lot boomier. I was previously on Quantum 3 until i updated to 8, and even in 3, the Modern Mode rectos were super boomy, I had to turn down the low res, or just use the vintage mode with Negative Feedback at 0.01 to approximate the Modern mode but in a less boomy way.
> 
> I had some spare time after work today, so I loaded up FW18, which wiped all my presets so I couldn't load my Q8 presets, had to start from scratch (I did back it up before the downgrade though so nothing really lost). The Modern Mode Recto was stupid easy to dial in, took about 4 minutes to get a chunky nevermore-ish recto tone. I do feel it lacked some 'depth' that is apparent in Q8, but that may have been placebo effect.
> 
> The Fryette D60 model was noticeably worse in FW18 than it is in Q8. It had way less depth, way less touch-sensitivity, and was way less dynamic. That 'crazy dynamics' thing people talk about with Fryette gear, how you can go from clean to high gain with the volume knob and picking dynamics, I can do in Q8 (though I haven't played the real thing yet so I'm still not sure how close it is in that regard). Definitely can't do that in FW18. The recto and D60 were similar in dynamic range, I think. The FW18 D60 also lacked a lot of the depth that the Q8 D60 has.
> 
> I played on the firmware for about an hour or so, took a break, played some more, then upgraded back to Q8. The D60 is orders of magnitude better in Q8, and the Rectos do have a deeper feel, but like you say, kind of 'bottomed out' on the low end. Kinda boomy, not really that clear. More fuzzy, less chunky, and I don't really care to spend hours tweaking it at the moment, when I'm getting the chunk I want from the D60 anyway.
> 
> One other thing, I thought the boost pedals might have changed lately, as I haven't been liking the T808 or T808 Mod for a while, I much prefer a real tubescreamer. Well, on FW18 they more-or-less sounded the same as Q8 (as far as I could tell, given the amp models were quite a bit different). I dunno, they just kind of have some low-end octave-like filtering that I just can't dial out. It reminds me of that atonal 'HRRRR' noise you get from a wah, but its in the low end, rather than mids/highs.
> 
> The FAS Boost sounds way better imo, much easier to dial in, and more like my real-life modded tubescreamer than the ts models in the box.
> 
> Sorry for the rambling, I had a lot of spare time this evening.



Yeah, I think right around the time Quantum came about is when the heavy sounds got harder to tweak.

I had a real D120 for awhile, and the D60 model has always been OK, but I dont know if it compares without the massive low end the D120 had. Kind of the same issue as the Triple Recto. I will have to play with it some more. I have played with it off and on, but have never been a model I stick with.

I agree that everything does seem to have more depth in the newest firmwares. I have noticed it has a more 3D type feel around the notes when compared with my other digital gear, so it has improved in some ways. Hopefully he refines the low end soon. I also find I need to cut a lot at 500hz on many tones to help the low end stand out, and not sound boxy. I also find turning down the master helps control the boominess, but then sometimes there isn't much feel (watching the meter when the sag control is highlighted), so I am always playing with that balance. I also find myself turning up the preamp comp because it is almost too dynamic for me, lol. I dont like the feel when I have to slam the strings to get any saturation.

It is funny you mention the boost pedals, because I was playing with this the other day. I have been using 808Mod much more lately, but still like my actual OD808 in front of the Axe better. I have also played with Eternal, which is some sort of TS variant with more aggressive upper mids. I was kind of noticing the 808's had this weird sort of synth type sound in the lower mids, which makes mid-fretboard notes almost sound more like a synthesizer than a guitar. Kind of like a wah, like you said, so maybe you are hearing the same thing. I switched to the BB preamp the other day on a main 5153 preset. It had a nice aggression without the synthetic thing going on. I will have to play with the FAS boost. I have used it in the past as a clean boost, but didn't like it as much for the tightening effect like a TS does. Maybe dialing back some bass and treble would get it in the TS neighborhood.


----------



## Casper777

Hello guys!

For those who wonder about a bag for the AX8, I just ordered one of those!

Looks really well designed. MMight be perfect to carry the AX8, an expression pedal, a laptop, cables, Wireless system...

I'll post pics when I get it!

http://gatorcases.com/products/dj-r...roller-backpack-27-width-g-club-control-27bp/

Don't be afraid by the price I got ot for 150 EUR on amazon europe


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Would anyone be interested in contributing ~10 second DIs of their pickups for the purpose of allowing other users to tone-match their pickups to those DIs, thus giving a fairly close way to "clone" pickups.
I can post full details on the process in the thread I make but I need to see if there's enough interest first before I bother.
Here's the original thread that started the idea.
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/pickup-tone-match.77058

Here's what I have so far if you want to test run some to see if you're interested
https://www.mediafire.com/folder/20jzr4k6xijc4/Guitar_DI_Vault

Let me know if you guys are interested!


----------



## vividox

You guys have way, way, way better ears than I do. I feel like I'm throwing darts when I start turning knobs.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I agree that everything does seem to have more depth in the newest firmwares. I have noticed it has a more 3D type feel around the notes when compared with my other digital gear, so it has improved in some ways. Hopefully he refines the low end soon. I also find I need to cut a lot at 500hz on many tones to help the low end stand out, and not sound boxy. I also find turning down the master helps control the boominess, but then sometimes there isn't much feel (watching the meter when the sag control is highlighted), so I am always playing with that balance. I also find myself turning up the preamp comp because it is almost too dynamic for me, lol. I dont like the feel when I have to slam the strings to get any saturation.
> 
> It is funny you mention the boost pedals, because I was playing with this the other day. I have been using 808Mod much more lately, but still like my actual OD808 in front of the Axe better. I have also played with Eternal, which is some sort of TS variant with more aggressive upper mids. I was kind of noticing the 808's had this weird sort of synth type sound in the lower mids, which makes mid-fretboard notes almost sound more like a synthesizer than a guitar. Kind of like a wah, like you said, so maybe you are hearing the same thing. I switched to the BB preamp the other day on a main 5153 preset. It had a nice aggression without the synthetic thing going on. I will have to play with the FAS boost. I have used it in the past as a clean boost, but didn't like it as much for the tightening effect like a TS does. Maybe dialing back some bass and treble would get it in the TS neighborhood.



Agreed, I hope there are some future updates that address the low end. 

I generally don't mess around too much with external EQ's, I just use a PEQ as a high/low pass, but generally don't address individual frequencies. I will give 500 a shot through, just to see if that improves things. Who knows, maybe thats my problem and I've just been listening to it for so long that I can't tell at this point. 

Low master is definitely important. I generally have it around 2 for most high gain stuff, depending on the model. Some like it lower to keep the bottom end in-tact, and some like it higher as they can sound too sterile without a bit of poweramp compression. I know cliff said at one point that the Master control does not follow the same taper as the real life models (not sure if this is still the case, I last saw it said it a very long time ago), but watching videos on youtube with people cranking the masters up quite high on some amps, yet retaining bottom end clarity has me thinking that maybe the poweramp distortion in many models could use some work. Most of the time, getting the master up too high results in a loose, sloppy low end. The most recent time I've seen this was some Orange Rockerverb demos on youtube, there were some where they had the master up around half way, and the preamp gain quite high, and it still sounded clear. But with the axe fx set up similarly, the low end was way out of control distorted from the master being so high. 

I'm glad someone agrees with me on the low end from the 808. I first noticed it like two years ago when I used the recto model with the Cut switch disengaged. With Cut on, I didn't really notice it much at all. However as time went on, the Rectos got to the point where I didn't need to engage the Cut to have a tight, clear low end, and thats about when I switched to using the FAS Boost or an external overdrive. 



vividox said:


> You guys have way, way, way better ears than I do. I feel like I'm throwing darts when I start turning knobs.



this was me for the first few years I played electric guitar. People would talk about all sorts of nuanced things and I just didn't really notice or get them. Again, it took a while to get a feel for this stuff even when I got my Axe FX. 

Most firmwares tend to have pretty subtle differences between them, if any at all. I know I have seen a few instances of a new firmware being uploaded to the axe fx forum, people remarking how much better X sounds, then cliff chimes in to say that there were no modeling changes, it was just a bug fix or something. The placebo effect can be pretty strong. 

The difference between FW18 and Quantum 8 is like two years of accumulated updates though, and all those little changes add up.


----------



## Shask

vividox said:


> You guys have way, way, way better ears than I do. I feel like I'm throwing darts when I start turning knobs.



It definitely helps to have years of experience with gear before having the Axe-FX. I would be completely lost if I didn't understand a signal chain before having some of the digital units of today. If you have plugged in chains of pedals, with wires, power supplies, etc... you kind of understand better what each component does to the tone and feel. It takes time to understand what each piece does. Once you understand each piece, you learn to know what to listen for, and how to change it.


----------



## vividox

Thanks for the responses.

I've been playing for 17 years now, but almost all of that time has been focused on playing/technique; I was never really one to sit down and tweak knobs. Before the Axe-FX I only had one tube amp - an ENGL Fireball 100W. I mostly dialed in a pretty standard setting with minimal tweaking; again, it was all about playing it. It wasn't until I had that thing for years that I started to actually shape the tone - I got an outboard EQ, a Keeley 4-Knob Compressor, a Tubescreamer, a Torpedo Reload, then went to town trying to sculpt it. After about a year it looked like that road was turning into a GAS black hole, so I sold it all and got the Axe-FX instead. I've had that for about a year now, but mostly rely on presets. I have a feeling the solution is as easy as getting myself to tweak and train my ear, it's just never a priority for me.


----------



## mnemonic

I just did the math and I think I've been playing for about 13 years now. Time really flies!


----------



## vividox

It's really easy for me - I started playing in 2000. Very little math required, haha.


----------



## Shask

vividox said:


> It's really easy for me - I started playing in 2000. Very little math required, haha.



I have played about 30 years... maybe minus a few years when I quit playing regularly when I was in middle school.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Agreed, I hope there are some future updates that address the low end.
> 
> I generally don't mess around too much with external EQ's, I just use a PEQ as a high/low pass, but generally don't address individual frequencies. I will give 500 a shot through, just to see if that improves things. Who knows, maybe thats my problem and I've just been listening to it for so long that I can't tell at this point.
> 
> Low master is definitely important. I generally have it around 2 for most high gain stuff, depending on the model. Some like it lower to keep the bottom end in-tact, and some like it higher as they can sound too sterile without a bit of poweramp compression. I know cliff said at one point that the Master control does not follow the same taper as the real life models (not sure if this is still the case, I last saw it said it a very long time ago), but watching videos on youtube with people cranking the masters up quite high on some amps, yet retaining bottom end clarity has me thinking that maybe the poweramp distortion in many models could use some work. Most of the time, getting the master up too high results in a loose, sloppy low end. The most recent time I've seen this was some Orange Rockerverb demos on youtube, there were some where they had the master up around half way, and the preamp gain quite high, and it still sounded clear. But with the axe fx set up similarly, the low end was way out of control distorted from the master being so high.
> 
> I'm glad someone agrees with me on the low end from the 808. I first noticed it like two years ago when I used the recto model with the Cut switch disengaged. With Cut on, I didn't really notice it much at all. However as time went on, the Rectos got to the point where I didn't need to engage the Cut to have a tight, clear low end, and thats about when I switched to using the FAS Boost or an external overdrive.



I EQ everything, lol. I use EQ pedals with my tube amps, and typically throw an EQ after the amp in almost every digital gear I have owned. I have gotten to the point where I can dial in "my sound" on pretty much anything with enough EQ. 500hz is easy to do with the graphic in the amp block. I just reduce it 3-4db.

Yes, I know he says that you can raise the master higher than on the real amp because of the taper, but it still doesn't sound good to me on most high gain amps. To me it is not really the flubby low end, it is more of the gritty, cardboard sounding mids it adds to the sound. I hate that thuddy, middy sound. This usually only sounds decent to me on lower gain amps, like a Plexi.

I got to play around for a few hours today, and definitely liking the BB Preamp, and FAS Boost. I feel like they are similar, but the BB Preamp is more aggressive, where the FAS Boost is fatter, and cleaner. I have them on XY, and switching them. I do think something about the 808 is not agreeing with me lately. I recently got a PRS SE Custom 24, and I thought maybe that was it since the pickups are way different than any other guitars, but I am starting to think it is that 808. I also set up a preset today with the D60 that sounds pretty killer. Mids, presence, and depth up, cutting some 500hz on the graphic, with a low boost PEQ after the amp. Sounds pretty good and aggressive. Not as fat as my Recto or 5153 presets, but a good solid tighter chunk.


----------



## mnemonic

Good call on the Eternal Love boost, I've never tried that one, nor heard of the pedal its based on. Really tight and metal sounding. I will definitely keep that one in mind. 

I also tried dropping the 500hz in the EQ page on the amp, that works pretty good, it does clean up some slight boxiness I'm getting. I'll have to experiment more tomorrow on some fresh ears.


----------



## mnemonic

After seeing some more clips of that new Fortin Meshuggah amp (cliff pls), and seeing quite a few comments saying it sounds like a Bogner Uberschall, I decided to pull that model up as I haven't used it since around FW17 or something. 

Really awesome amp, very thick, huge bottom, very saturated with a boost. I think this amp has cured my Recto lust (as I'm not convinced by the recto models in the current firmware). It sounds saturated to a ridiculous degree to me at the moment, as I've been almost exclusively using the D60 model for a while, which is pretty dry sounding. The Uber doesn't quite have the same punchiness and presence as it is more saturated, but my god, the chuggy palm mutes.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> After seeing some more clips of that new Fortin Meshuggah amp (cliff pls), and seeing quite a few comments saying it sounds like a Bogner Uberschall, I decided to pull that model up as I haven't used it since around FW17 or something.
> 
> Really awesome amp, very thick, huge bottom, very saturated with a boost. I think this amp has cured my Recto lust (as I'm not convinced by the recto models in the current firmware). It sounds saturated to a ridiculous degree to me at the moment, as I've been almost exclusively using the D60 model for a while, which is pretty dry sounding. The Uber doesn't quite have the same punchiness and presence as it is more saturated, but my god, the chuggy palm mutes.


I have been playing with that one also, lol. Last time I was in Guitar Center I heard a guy jamming on a used Uber. I think it was the first time I had ever really sat and listened to one. It sounded pretty amazing. Big and deep, much like the Triple Rectifier I own. I actually came home and found some Youtube videos comparing the Uber and Triple Recto, and was surprised at how similar they sounded. I started playing with the model on the Axe II for a little bit after that. I need to mess with it some more. I also want to mess with the 5153 Blue more, instead of using the Red like I normally do.


----------



## vick1000

Don't like boxy mids? Switch the power tubes around. Some amp models come alive afterward.


----------



## Omega139

I've been using regular studio monitors with my axe fx 2 (KRK VXT6's), and i've been doing more research and found that I should use power speakers or even cabinets. I was wondering if anyone can help me figure out what is the best speaker to use with my axe fx 2 that is good for just jamming at home. Something the size of a 2x12 cabinet.

Thank you!


----------



## Omega139

Ouroboros11 said:


> I've been using regular studio monitors with my axe fx 2 (KRK VXT6's), and i've been doing more research and found that I should use power speakers or even cabinets. I was wondering if anyone can help me figure out what is the best speaker to use with my axe fx 2 that is good for just jamming at home. Something the size of a 2x12 cabinet.
> 
> Thank you!


Ignore. Did some deeper research and decided to get an active 1x12 cab


----------



## mnemonic

I decided to take a run at the Recto models again, as I haven't been able to get a good tone from them for a while, but I also haven't bothered touching the advanced settings, pretty much ever. 

I cranked the poweramp hardness up to 10 (apparently it goes to 10 now, last I looked it was a 1 through 5 thing) and turned the poweramp sag down to about 1.5. Then turned the master lower than I usually would, to about 1. This way seems to tighten it up a lot, more like they used to be. They need the 'Cut' switch enabled again now though. 

I'm liking the FAS Boost with it, turning the low cut up in the boost if its still too loose. 

I can get the master a bit higher in the Recto2 model before the bottom end falls apart, but these models are overall a bit fuzzier (and higher gain) than the Recto1 models. In comparison, the Recto1 models are less fuzzy, clearer sounding, but also take a bit more work to get tight enough. I prefer the Recto1 Red.


----------



## Andromalia

I haven't delved in the advanced settings for months now. Setting up amps is pretty straightforward, you just need the proper cabs for what you want, and finding them can take a long time, just because there are tons available.


----------



## narad

Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering what Axe-FX players (or ex-players) would improve about the unit. Even though I have an Axe, and probably use it for a majority of my playing (through the poweramp of one of my amps), the thought of going full-on with it just isn't appealing.

One thing I would like improved, and this is even easily doable now, would be to release like a 2/3U rack unit that could sit above/below the Axe in your rack and that's nothing but amp-like controls that behind the scenes was just a fancy midi controller, but pre-mapped to all those controls tucked away in amp block pages, etc. My real amps give me that instant access for small changes, whereas the Axe it always feels like a hassle.

What about you?


----------



## mnemonic

On a functionally point, I agree with you, I would love physical knobs. I know a company did make a 1u rack unit with eq controls that you could use, but it had no markers so you didn't know what the settings were until you moved a knob. I want one with the ring of LED's around each knob like the AX8 or the Kemper.

Second, I do see some people saying the 'thump' or 'depth' isn't quite 100% there when it comes to the sound of a big, heavy-iron poweramp like big 100w+ high gain heads (recto, etc). I have only used solidstate power so far, though I am looking for a tube poweramp right now to see what I'm missing.

Some of that I'm sure has to do with the 'speaker' page resonance stuff. Since a tube poweramp will interact with the speakers in the cab due to impedence curves or whatever (I'm not sure how it works) but the axe isn't physically connected to the speaker cab so it doesn't know what speakers are being used and what their impedence curves look like. So maybe a special fractal poweramp that can make this measurement, and feed it back to the Axe Fx would be good, if such a thing is possible.

It would be great if we got to a point where the feel was 1:1, since I think everything else is pretty much fine.


----------



## Lemons

Better user interface. More flashing lights so people are more impressed with my "tone".


----------



## Wizard of Ozz

narad said:


> My real amps give me that instant access for small changes, whereas the Axe it always feels like a hassle.





Lemons said:


> Better user interface. More flashing lights so people are more impressed with my "tone".



This all +1. The user interface is a hassle. Takes too long to tweak. And who wants to keep a laptop plugged in to tweak some settings? Might as well keep a roadie on payroll just to run it for me as well then.


----------



## exo

Not to be flippant, but: PRICE. I suppose it's honestly more than reasonably priced against both decent tube amps and it's most direct competition, but it's still ENTIRELY out of my price range.

I'd love for these to be less than line 6 HD series cost and allow the manufacturer a 50% margin.......it's not gonna happen, but a man can dream, right?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I agree with the interface. As much as Cliff complained about the Helix, it was honestly one of my favorite modelers to tweak because of how simple it was to use.


----------



## mnemonic

I bet the price could come down a lot if they used cheaper DSP (the AX8 shows we can have the same models and most of the same features with lower powered DSP) and if it were made in China rather than the USA, made out of plastic, etc. But I don't think the company is interested in budget gear, as I guess it may dilute the brand, which is known for high end studio quality gear. 

Maybe later on in the future if they don't innovate more, or if they sell the company to someone who wants to monetise.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

mnemonic said:


> I bet the price could come down a lot if they used cheaper DSP (the AX8 shows we can have the same models and most of the same features with lower powered DSP) and if it were made in China rather than the USA, made out of plastic, etc. But I don't think the company is interested in budget gear, as I guess it may dilute the brand, which is known for high end studio quality gear.
> 
> Maybe later on in the future if they don't innovate more, or if they sell the company to someone who wants to monetise.



A plastic, MiC desktop Axe would be killer. Something similar to the POD Bean. An even cheaper version of the AX8 would sell like crazy.


----------



## Wizard of Ozz

Anyone use the AX8 in place of a midi pedal for channel switching of a midi capable tube amp? Like an Engl, Diezel, etc? Any lag, latency, or other issues?


----------



## Wizard of Ozz

Shask said:


> I have been playing with that one also, lol. Last time I was in Guitar Center I heard a guy jamming on a used Uber. I think it was the first time I had ever really sat and listened to one. It sounded pretty amazing. Big and deep, much like the Triple Rectifier I own. I actually came home and found some Youtube videos comparing the Uber and Triple Recto, and was surprised at how similar they sounded. I started playing with the model on the Axe II for a little bit after that. I need to mess with it some more. I also want to mess with the 5153 Blue more, instead of using the Red like I normally do.



When Reinhold designed the Uberschall years ago... he supposedly bought/borrowed the 3 best sounding pre-500 Mesa Rectifiers Revs C-D he could find and then had them and his Uber prototype side by side in a room with a few people and went back and forth playing and tweaking until he and the group there liked the Uber as much or more than the Rectos present that day. Of note the prototype Uber and the very first few Ubers had 6550 power tubes, which were changed to EL34 shortly thereafter. The Uber is most definitely built on a Recto circuit foundation.


----------



## narad

narad said:


> Just out of curiosity, I'm wondering what Axe-FX players (or ex-players) would improve about the unit. Even though I have an Axe, and probably use it for a majority of my playing (through the poweramp of one of my amps), the thought of going full-on with it just isn't appealing.
> 
> One thing I would like improved, and this is even easily doable now, would be to release like a 2/3U rack unit that could sit above/below the Axe in your rack and that's nothing but amp-like controls that behind the scenes was just a fancy midi controller, but pre-mapped to all those controls tucked away in amp block pages, etc. My real amps give me that instant access for small changes, whereas the Axe it always feels like a hassle.
> 
> What about you?



Really poor choice to dump this from a new thread into the 230 page sea of random Axe stuff where none of it can be discussed in a targeted manner :-/


----------



## swollenpickle

Hey guys! 
So I'm having a bit of a predicament ,I want to control a 5150 ii and the Axe Fx ii at the same time with the MFC 101 but I just haven't found what I need for Cables or Midi devices etc.
If anyone has a good direction to point me in I would be really grateful ,the internet doesn't have a whole hell of a lot of info when it comes to relay switching with the axe fx and I don't want to tap dance lol

Thanks
-Alex


----------



## Elric

narad said:


> One thing I would like improved, and this is even easily doable now, would be to release like a 2/3U rack unit that could sit above/below the Axe in your rack and that's nothing but amp-like controls that behind the scenes was just a fancy midi controller, but pre-mapped to all those controls tucked away in amp block pages, etc. My real amps give me that instant access for small changes, whereas the Axe it always feels like a hassle.


Your wish has already been granted: http://shop.fxunits.com/


----------



## Andromalia

My wish for the future is a PCIE card so we can use this as a plugin. It's too bad Fractal won't release software because of piracy issues. (I completely get why, though)


----------



## Shask

Andromalia said:


> My wish for the future is a PCIE card so we can use this as a plugin. It's too bad Fractal won't release software because of piracy issues. (I completely get why, though)


I have suggested for years that they make Axe-Edit a VST plugin. Keep everything the same, but allow Axe-Edit to also be used on an instrument track with patch saving, controlling the Axe.


----------



## Elric

Andromalia said:


> My wish for the future is a PCIE card so we can use this as a plugin. It's too bad Fractal won't release software because of piracy issues. (I completely get why, though)


Yes, agreed. The Axe2 may be my last dedicated hardware modeler would love to have the FAS modeling in the plugin format.


----------



## Horizongeetar93

Hey peeps,

I'm having trouble with my Axe unit. I bought it second hand from a forum member a few months ago and for the most part it sounds and functions great...except when I get to high gain tones. No matter what high gain patch I load up, it delivers this great open sound but when I choke/palm mute the instrument I get a really weird (almost digital in nature) sound that is really unpleasant. I have a clip here that illustrates the example in question.

https://soundcloud.com/austin-saman/axe-fx-help

I'm using a PRS SE Mark Holcomb w/ SD alpha/omega's in it going straight into the axe fx. That get's sent into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. I've tried other instruments with the same result. The patch is the Misha Rhythm/Lead V18 he uploaded a while back. Firmware is the latest quantum release. Even with headphones, I receive this feedback. Even after swapping cables, same issue. I looked through all of my settings and things seem to be factory default.

I'm not sure if anyone else has had this issue that they were able to resolve, but i've browsed this and many other forums looking for something similar but to no avail. So any kind of tips or troubleshooting tricks would be much appreciated.

-Austin


----------



## lewis

Horizongeetar93 said:


> Hey peeps,
> 
> I'm having trouble with my Axe unit. I bought it second hand from a forum member a few months ago and for the most part it sounds and functions great...except when I get to high gain tones. No matter what high gain patch I load up, it delivers this great open sound but when I choke/palm mute the instrument I get a really weird (almost digital in nature) sound that is really unpleasant. I have a clip here that illustrates the example in question.
> 
> https://soundcloud.com/austin-saman/axe-fx-help
> 
> I'm using a PRS SE Mark Holcomb w/ SD alpha/omega's in it going straight into the axe fx. That get's sent into my Focusrite Scarlett 2i4. I've tried other instruments with the same result. The patch is the Misha Rhythm/Lead V18 he uploaded a while back. Firmware is the latest quantum release. Even with headphones, I receive this feedback. Even after swapping cables, same issue. I looked through all of my settings and things seem to be factory default.
> 
> I'm not sure if anyone else has had this issue that they were able to resolve, but i've browsed this and many other forums looking for something similar but to no avail. So any kind of tips or troubleshooting tricks would be much appreciated.
> 
> -Austin


Have you tried the Axe in a different location other than your house? (I presume thats where it is?)


----------



## Horizongeetar93

lewis said:


> Have you tried the Axe in a different location other than your house? (I presume thats where it is?)


I have not. Are you suggesting that there might be a ground loop issue? I had that once in a different location that i lived at, but the house i live at now does not have this issue with the podhd500 i used before. Though it is worth investigating.


----------



## mnemonic

Turning the master volume in the amp block down tames it a bit. It is really bad in the recto models as of the last few updates, I found turning the 'poweramp hardness' on the advanced tab way up helped a lot, made it much tighter and clearer. 

Also, if V18 in that patch name refers to firmware 18, then it's a pretty old patch, like two or three years, and the models have changed a lot since then. You may be better off starting over on a new patch, as even the default advanced settings are different in many amps since back then


----------



## Horizongeetar93

mnemonic said:


> Turning the master volume in the amp block down tames it a bit. It is really bad in the recto models as of the last few updates, I found turning the 'poweramp hardness' on the advanced tab way up helped a lot, made it much tighter and clearer.
> 
> Also, if V18 in that patch name refers to firmware 18, then it's a pretty old patch, like two or three years, and the models have changed a lot since then. You may be better off starting over on a new patch, as even the default advanced settings are different in many amps since back then


good points. The issue remains on other "from scratch" patches as well but i'll give the first tip a try and go from there. Thanks!


----------



## Shask

Definitely start with a new patch, and start with a default amp. Those old patches probably wont sound good. I also agree to turn down the master. You might need to decrease treble before the amp also by either turning down the tone knob in the OD Drive, or turning off the bright switch, or something, lol. Several ways to do it.


EDIT: Also, since you are running direct, be sure to use your lo and hi cut in the cab block. Lo cut about 80hz, and hi cut 10K - 14K. It will help cut out that extreme fizzy treble.


----------



## vick1000

Check you input gate settings, you may want to try a traditional gate. Also check you input/output settings, make sure they are setup for your rig and guitar. The wiki is a big help for a bunch of issues, and the official forum has actual FAS employees that can help.

A factory reset and FW/preset reload may be in order, you will lose any third party patches/IRs though.

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/
http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/axefx2/index.php?title=Axe-Fx_II_Wiki_Home

Also to add to Shask's post above, the speaker resonance freq. may need to be moved around to match the IR you are using, to get better chugging response anyway.


----------



## mnemonic

The Shred Distortion (Marshall Shredmaster, apparently) does a pretty convincing Heartwork tone when used as a boost. I've put it in front of my recto patch and its really awesome. Way oversaturated and bassy, yet decently tight.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> The Shred Distortion (Marshall Shredmaster, apparently) does a pretty convincing Heartwork tone when used as a boost. I've put it in front of my recto patch and its really awesome. Way oversaturated and bassy, yet decently tight.



Back in the day, I have read that Bill would use a Marshall Guv'nor pedal into the green channel of the 5150 back when he first got it. The Guv'nor is basically a Shredmaster without the contour mids, so that doesn't surprise me.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> Back in the day, I have read that Bill would use a Marshall Guv'nor pedal into the green channel of the 5150 back when he first got it. The Guv'nor is basically a Shredmaster without the contour mids, so that doesn't surprise me.



Cool, I've never tried a guv'nor, but I do remember briefly looking at them way back when I didn't know anything. 

I just kinda wrote it off as a blues/rock boost though. Maybe one to keep in mind for the future.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Cool, I've never tried a guv'nor, but I do remember briefly looking at them way back when I didn't know anything.
> 
> I just kinda wrote it off as a blues/rock boost though. Maybe one to keep in mind for the future.



I have been into buying cheap pedals lately, and picked up an old Danelectro Daddy O pedal a few weeks ago. It is suppose to be 99% a Gov'nor clone. It is quite interesting when I am used to Tubescreamer based pedals, but I have found a few interesting sounds into my real Triple Recto. Gives more of a sludgy, thick sound instead of the clear and tight of a 808 type.


----------



## alexanderhelling

I connected The pedal to the Fx Send/Return of the Axe fx and placed the FxLoop Block in front of the Amp/Cab Block. Output Lvl 2 is turned all the way to the right. Then i wanted to reamp my guitars using the Axe Fx as my interface. My problem is that there is no sound from the pedal. i can hear my guitars but my pedal isnt affecting the tone. What am i doing wrong and how can i reamp my guitars using the Precision Drive?

Thanks a lot!


----------



## mnemonic

I'm still experimenting with my axe fx into my Fryette 2/50/2 poweramp, I've tried with poweramp sims on and the presence/resonance on the 2/50/2 set low or off, as well as poweramp sims off with the presence/resonance set wherever sounds good. 

Unsurprisingly, it varies by amp model. The Rectos are what I mainly use and they were just too 'overdone' sounding in the top and bottom end with PA sims on. With the PA sim off, it sounds pretty cool with the presence and depth almost all the way up (which I guess would be similar to a recto poweramp in a way, since modern mode has no negative feedback) but a bit different from a recto, which isn't surprising as a 2/50/2 is a lot different from a recto poweramp, and the poweramp is where a lot of the signature recto sound comes from. 

Today I've been messing around further and I really like the sound of the 2/50/2's presence and depth set around noon, but with the high and low res in the axe fx turned down about half way for the recto model (not all the way off, sounds dull and not great that way). This is the best sounding and most natural way to run the recto models I've found so far.


----------



## vick1000

Yeah the 2/50/2 is a pretty flat power amp, so a bit of amp sim will help.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I stumbled on this video the other day and I don't feel like I have any preset close to that right now and am also having an issue making one. Does anyone here have a preset like this? It's kinda glassy but when he does the staccato parts it's definitely got some nice mids in it. Most of the stuff I have or have seen from the Axe-Change is more scooped in the EQ. I could care less about having his delay and reverb settings. Just after the main tone really.

2:32 to 3:42 section


----------



## Mike Spreitzer

Hello Everybody,

Mike Spreitzer from DevilDriver here. I've been a die-hard fan of the Axe FX II for a while and have some free presets for anybody that would like to try them. I spent some time going through every high-gain amp sim in the fractal and narrowed it down to a few favorites. As of now, my ultimate favorite is the Freidman. I love it so much I'm dying to get my hands on the real thing. But since they are a bit out of my price range I'll settle for Fractal's version. I've also included a few others in the zip file. Click on the link below and give them a test run if you'd like and feel free to give me some feedback. Happy Jamming 

https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/axefxpresets/AxeFXPromoPresets.zip


----------



## schwiz

Mike Spreitzer said:


> Hello Everybody,
> 
> Mike Spreitzer from DevilDriver here. I've been a die-hard fan of the Axe FX II for a while and have some free presets for anybody that would like to try them. I spent some time going through every high-gain amp sim in the fractal and narrowed it down to a few favorites. As of now, my ultimate favorite is the Freidman. I love it so much I'm dying to get my hands on the real thing. But since they are a bit out of my price range I'll settle for Fractal's version. I've also included a few others in the zip file. Click on the link below and give them a test run if you'd like and feel free to give me some feedback. Happy Jamming
> 
> https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/axefxpresets/AxeFXPromoPresets.zip



Awesome!!! Thanks for posting these. I'm assuming you built these patches using your signature guitar with active EMG's correct? That may sound different for me, but I'll still give these a go and report back. My favorite amp on the AxeFx is the Diezel (Das Metall)!


----------



## Mike Spreitzer

schwiz said:


> Awesome!!! Thanks for posting these. I'm assuming you built these patches using your signature guitar with active EMG's correct? That may sound different for me, but I'll still give these a go and report back. My favorite amp on the AxeFx is the Diezel (Das Metall)!



I actually switched to Fishman Modern Fluence pickups about a year ago and I'm very happy with them. I still love EMGs but I like to switch things up from time to time. These particular tones were dialed in using an ESP Eclipse. I don't use my signature V's very often when I'm doing studio work. They are a little awkward to play sitting down for long periods of time. I find Eclipse/Les Paul style guitars much easier to sit with for hours on end.

The Das Metall amp on the Axe FX II was my very first "go-to" tone when I originally got my unit and used it for a couple years. I've always loved Diezel amps and we used the VH4 and Herbert on our album Beast. After that I utilized the 5153 red channel and now I prominently use one of the Friedman amps with impulse responses from a friend in Germany named Lasse Lammert. His IR's are awesome. 

If you guys like the presets please check out my shop: http://www.audiovaultstudio.com/

ENTER THE CODE: AUDIOVAULT to receive 20% off your entire order. It expires on October 22, 2017

Feel free to hit my up with any questions. I love chatting about gear.


----------



## schwiz

Aaaah yes. The master of guitar tones. I first heard of him when he was on the URM podcast, then checked out a bunch of his videos. The guy knows his tones!

Anyways, I'll get to trying these suckers out when I get home from work!! Cheers!


----------



## schwiz

Mike Spreitzer said:


> I've also included a few others in the zip file. Click on the link below and give them a test run if you'd like and feel free to give me some feedback. Happy Jamming
> 
> https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/axefxpresets/AxeFXPromoPresets.zip



I checked out your sample patches! My favorite was definitely the Lucid Dream clean tone, but I also liked the Uber tone. The hi-gain stuff wasn't really my taste though, however I was just jamming to them on my guitar and haven't heard them in a mix context. Did you use any of these tones on your records?


----------



## Mike Spreitzer

schwiz said:


> I checked out your sample patches! My favorite was definitely the Lucid Dream clean tone, but I also liked the Uber tone. The hi-gain stuff wasn't really my taste though, however I was just jamming to them on my guitar and haven't heard them in a mix context. Did you use any of these tones on your records?


Thanks for checking them out. Super stoked you found some you like. Feel free to elaborate if you can about what you didn't like about the high-gain presets. I don't mind the constructive criticism. I know it can be hard to describe what you like and don't like about a tone.....but I like collecting the feedback. 

The Lucid Dream patch was used on the intro of a track called "House Divided" from our record Trust No One.


----------



## lewis

Mike Spreitzer said:


> Thanks for checking them out. Super stoked you found some you like. Feel free to elaborate if you can about what you didn't like about the high-gain presets. I don't mind the constructive criticism. I know it can be hard to describe what you like and don't like about a tone.....but I like collecting the feedback.
> 
> The Lucid Dream patch was used on the intro of a track called "House Divided" from our record Trust No One.


changing the subject completely Mike.
Without me knowing how your relationship with Jeff and John is these days, I just wondered what you thought of Johns new project? "Bad Wolves" Its massively different to DD but I dig it personally.
If there was a fallout after he left DD then ignore my comment as obviously online comments etc cause issues.

\m/


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Mike Spreitzer said:


> Hello Everybody,
> 
> Mike Spreitzer from DevilDriver here. I've been a die-hard fan of the Axe FX II for a while and have some free presets for anybody that would like to try them. I spent some time going through every high-gain amp sim in the fractal and narrowed it down to a few favorites. As of now, my ultimate favorite is the Freidman. I love it so much I'm dying to get my hands on the real thing. But since they are a bit out of my price range I'll settle for Fractal's version. I've also included a few others in the zip file. Click on the link below and give them a test run if you'd like and feel free to give me some feedback. Happy Jamming
> 
> https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/axefxpresets/AxeFXPromoPresets.zip





Mike Spreitzer said:


> Thanks for checking them out. Super stoked you found some you like. Feel free to elaborate if you can about what you didn't like about the high-gain presets. I don't mind the constructive criticism. I know it can be hard to describe what you like and don't like about a tone.....but I like collecting the feedback.
> 
> The Lucid Dream patch was used on the intro of a track called "House Divided" from our record Trust No One.



I've been listening to post-processed guitar tracks lately comparing them to the sounds of my existing presets and whatnot so I feel like the high-gain presets were really good but only after I turned the gain down from about 7ish to 3 for the AV RECTIFIED RED 3 CH and AV UBER STRATO DRIVER. I had to go down all the way to 1.5 for the AV FREEMAN 100 V1 and AV FREEMAN 100 V2 presets though. Seems like the gain needs to be brought down considerably on all of them. Once I did that they sounded good and seemed to be ready to be recorded with (not excluding some usual post-processing). I'm not sure why there's doubled inputs with gates that Y together in the FREEMAN presets though.

I used your Kemper profiles and they were the same way. They sounded really good but I did need to turn the gain down first. In my opinion, it's better to err on the low side because while browsing through them I can still get the idea of the preset/tone and then turn the gain up to what I need. When it's too high, it's just a mess and I'm not enticed to tweak it really because I have no idea if it will be worth it because I can't really hear the tone underneath the excess gain.

Assuming these were all made with your Fishman Fluence pickups it seems weird to think that those active pickups would require or be usable with so much gain. Nevertheless, good stuff. I'd wait for someone to second my thoughts about the gain amount since it may be that I just have really high-output pickups (Agile Cepheus set and BKP Aftermath set).


I've tried the entire *California Cleans *pack for the Axe-Fx and was super impressed with it. There were quite a few effect combos and settings that I most likely would've never have thought of myself. The base tone underneath was good too. I would maybe include duplicates of all the presets but without their effects as another folder in the pack because some people may ignore some of the really good ones just because they don't like the loaded effects on them and didn't bother to remove them to check base tones. One of my favorites was AV DEATH VALLEY CLEAN. Probably one of the most simple clean tones in there but I loved it, both with and without effects. I got lost in several presets just noodling away. haha
The only negative to this pack was that a few presets had no sound until you bypassed the VOL block. Please fix it so that sound always comes through by default. Happens with presets from the Axe-Change occasionally too and is such a pet peeve. It's fine if the VOL block is in there for those with expression pedals, but don't have it closed or enabled by default.

Awesome stuff dude! Will definitely be checking out more stuff in your store. (Really want the "YOUR TONE SUCKS" shirt you have too haha)


----------



## Mike Spreitzer

LeviathanKiller said:


> I've been listening to post-processed guitar tracks lately comparing them to the sounds of my existing presets and whatnot so I feel like the high-gain presets were really good but only after I turned the gain down from about 7ish to 3 for the AV RECTIFIED RED 3 CH and AV UBER STRATO DRIVER. I had to go down all the way to 1.5 for the AV FREEMAN 100 V1 and AV FREEMAN 100 V2 presets though. Seems like the gain needs to be brought down considerably on all of them. Once I did that they sounded good and seemed to be ready to be recorded with (not excluding some usual post-processing). I'm not sure why there's doubled inputs with gates that Y together in the FREEMAN presets though.
> 
> I used your Kemper profiles and they were the same way. They sounded really good but I did need to turn the gain down first. In my opinion, it's better to err on the low side because while browsing through them I can still get the idea of the preset/tone and then turn the gain up to what I need. When it's too high, it's just a mess and I'm not enticed to tweak it really because I have no idea if it will be worth it because I can't really hear the tone underneath the excess gain.
> 
> Assuming these were all made with your Fishman Fluence pickups it seems weird to think that those active pickups would require or be usable with so much gain. Nevertheless, good stuff. I'd wait for someone to second my thoughts about the gain amount since it may be that I just have really high-output pickups (Agile Cepheus set and BKP Aftermath set).
> 
> 
> I've tried the entire *California Cleans *pack for the Axe-Fx and was super impressed with it. There were quite a few effect combos and settings that I most likely would've never have thought of myself. The base tone underneath was good too. I would maybe include duplicates of all the presets but without their effects as another folder in the pack because some people may ignore some of the really good ones just because they don't like the loaded effects on them and didn't bother to remove them to check base tones. One of my favorites was AV DEATH VALLEY CLEAN. Probably one of the most simple clean tones in there but I loved it, both with and without effects. I got lost in several presets just noodling away. haha
> The only negative to this pack was that a few presets had no sound until you bypassed the VOL block. Please fix it so that sound always comes through by default. Happens with presets from the Axe-Change occasionally too and is such a pet peeve. It's fine if the VOL block is in there for those with expression pedals, but don't have it closed or enabled by default.
> 
> Awesome stuff dude! Will definitely be checking out more stuff in your store. (Really want the "YOUR TONE SUCKS" shirt you have too haha)




I probably should have explained my reasoning behind the double input/gates I have set up in the signal chain  The top gate is my "rhythm" gate that is set tighter to help avoid squeaks and squeals that can occur. The bottom gate is for leads and solos and set much looser to avoid the gate kicking in when I need more sustain. I always use scene 1 in each preset for my dry rhythm tone and all the other scenes are for wetter leads, solos, and clean tones. 

I also got in the habit of of putting a volume block at the very end of the signal chain to make it easier to set all my patches to an even level. I've always had problems with my presets for each song being at different levels depending on what kind of effects I have in the signal chain. Especially with the reverb, delay, and pitch blocks. In order to remedy the situation, once I have my presets set up the way I want (I have dedicated presets for each song we play live) I run pink noise out of my iPhone into the input of my Axe FX and set up a decibel meter near one of my studio monitors. Then I'll scroll through each one of my presets and adjust the volume block to make sure each preset is exactly the same level. I only do this with my dry rhythm presets on scene 1. 

As far as the gain settings.....I guess that's just a matter of taste I suppose. It's funny that you bring it up because I have my gain set around 6 with my current rhythm tone I'm using on this tour and our FOH engineer told me to turn it up a bit a few days ago. I turned it down a bit at rehearsal to around 5.25. 

Regarding the Kemper profiles, most of those were made with the gain on the amplifier set to 5 or 6 at most. But don't forget that many of those have an overdrive pedal in front of the amp. I usually set my overdrives with the gain at 0, tone at 5, and mix at 10 to start and make slight adjustments from there. When I first started profiling I was surprised to find out that the final profile in the Kemper would result with the gain set between 8-10. Which is nowhere near where the real amp is set. 

As you probably know, profiling high-gain amps can be a bit tricky when using an overdrive pedal. The Kemper will stop the profiling process and tell you to reduce the gain on the amp because it's too noisy. Luckily, my bass player was selling a Furman balanced power unit super cheap. Once I hooked that up in my studio, my noise-floor dropped considerably and the Kemper stopped giving me error messages. 

My friend at Furman informed me to run a voltage regulator first and plug the balanced power unit into that, then run all gear off the balanced power. Once I did that, the noise and AM radio I was hearing almost went to 0. I couldn't believe the difference. 

Regarding the California Cleans pack...... First off, thank you SO much for the feedback. I really, REALLY appreciate you taking the time. I'll take a look when I get home from tour and try to fix the presets that are not working properly. I really like to keep that Volume block in the chain because I fear people will like some tones better than others simply because it might be a bit louder. I'm sure everybody knows how volume bumps and brighter tones can trick our brains to think one tone it better than another. I've also tried to keep everything at 0 that's more hidden in the signal chain. Which is why I'm not using the input gate or output settings. But I'll definitely have another look and do my best to fix it. I'll also make more dry presets on my next pack. (Super good idea)

BTW......I also have a guitar loaded with BKP Aftermaths. They sound great and we used them for our main rhythms on our new covers record that's coming out next year. But for some reason I prefer the Fishmans through a real amp. The Aftermaths seem to shine more going into my Axe FX. Weird right??

Thanks again.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

If that gain is the norm, I must be aging prematurely then I suppose. haha

I'll have to check later this weekend but I think the patch I noticed that on had both gates enabled in scene 1 which was the issue. It would be nice if they had X/Y switching on GATE blocks. I'll let you know which preset it was exactly unless you happen to find it before I do.

I tend to make more compressed sounding tones on my Axe-Fx than I do on my Kemper. The capabilities of the Axe just lend it to being used for a straight to recording sound (i.e. more compressed, almost already post-processed). That could be a difference you're noticing perhaps.

Definitely going to use that pink noise trick! Man, that's going to make volume leveling the plethora of presets I have loaded so much easier.


----------



## Mike Spreitzer

LeviathanKiller said:


> If that gain is the norm, I must be aging prematurely then I suppose. haha
> 
> I'll have to check later this weekend but I think the patch I noticed that on had both gates enabled in scene 1 which was the issue. It would be nice if they had X/Y switching on GATE blocks. I'll let you know which preset it was exactly unless you happen to find it before I do.
> 
> I tend to make more compressed sounding tones on my Axe-Fx than I do on my Kemper. The capabilities of the Axe just lend it to being used for a straight to recording sound (i.e. more compressed, almost already post-processed). That could be a difference you're noticing perhaps.
> 
> Definitely going to use that pink noise trick! Man, that's going to make volume leveling the plethora of presets I have loaded so much easier.


When you're doing the pink noise trick, keep it at a volume that's a bit loud and put some ear plugs in. I find it works better. Around 90dB........ish


----------



## Selkoid

I need help guys... I've been eyeballing the axe FX for years at this point and am coming to the conclusion that i should just pull the trigger. What were some of the major selling points that really pushed you into picking up the axe fx? I have a tube rig right now (EVH 5150 III + Diezel 2x12) but I want something with a little more versatility, recording ease and something that can be a little bit quieter, which the axe seems to check off all of those boxes. How many of you guys ended up keeping your amps / cabs after getting an axe fx? 
What are your major likes/dislikes with the unit?


----------



## mnemonic

Selkoid said:


> I need help guys... I've been eyeballing the axe FX for years at this point and am coming to the conclusion that i should just pull the trigger. What were some of the major selling points that really pushed you into picking up the axe fx? I have a tube rig right now (EVH 5150 III + Diezel 2x12) but I want something with a little more versatility, recording ease and something that can be a little bit quieter, which the axe seems to check off all of those boxes. How many of you guys ended up keeping your amps / cabs after getting an axe fx?
> What are your major likes/dislikes with the unit?



What pushed me to get the axe fx years ago was that I wanted good tone, but I needed it at quiet volumes and with headphones, compact (at least more compact than a head/cab setup), and somewhat versatile. Also I was used to modellers, having used them pretty much since I started playing electric guitar, so it was a natural progression. It was perfect for all of that. 

Where I am now, however, I have no space limitations as I have a spare room for all my guitar gear, no sound limitations as my house is detached and well insulated so I can play as loud as I want whenever I want, and I don't really need the versatility as I pretty much only use the recto models these days. 

I use a 2x12 guitar cab anyway so if I was rebuying all my gear today I would probably just get a dual or triple recto and call it a day, but that doesn't mean I don't like my current setup. In fact I'm very happy with my sound at all volumes. 

I did end up getting a tube poweramp for the axe fx (Fryette 2/50/2) as I wasn't really happy with the lack of bottom end depth and the feel I was getting with the cheapo solid state PA poweramp I was using. But to be fair I never did try an actual quality solid state poweramp like a matrix. I imagine a decent solidstate poweramp would work well. Maybe the feel wouldn't be 100% as tube and solidstate operate differently and their interaction with the speaker load is just very different, but with the quality of axe fx poweramp modelling it should be close at least.


----------



## laxu

Selkoid said:


> I need help guys... I've been eyeballing the axe FX for years at this point and am coming to the conclusion that i should just pull the trigger. What were some of the major selling points that really pushed you into picking up the axe fx? I have a tube rig right now (EVH 5150 III + Diezel 2x12) but I want something with a little more versatility, recording ease and something that can be a little bit quieter, which the axe seems to check off all of those boxes. How many of you guys ended up keeping your amps / cabs after getting an axe fx?
> What are your major likes/dislikes with the unit?



I sold my Diezel Einstein and Egnater Tourmaster amps after getting the Axe-Fx. This was back in the Axe-Fx Standard days, now I own the Axe-Fx 2. For me the kicker was the authenticity of the tone and feel, I feel like I don't miss anything from those real tube amps. The difference is that with the Axe-Fx I can get that at almost any volume and never have to worry about "well I like my amp X sound but wish it had less of Y and more of Z" as it has so many amp models and settings you can make it sound exactly as you want.

What I don't like is the user interface on the hardware. It is archaic and cumbersome. If it wasn't for the very good Axe-Edit software I would have probably gotten frustrated and gone back to tube amps or something with a better UI. At the moment the Line6 Helix can sound about just as good but has a better UI on the front panel. However the software editor is not as good and the Axe-Fx 2 is more powerful and allows more complex rigs.

What you use as output devices for these top end modelers matters a lot. For recording a set of good studio monitors is a great choice. For stage use the most versatile option would be either a stage monitor or some other FRFR solution with another output going to mixer's desk. Using a guitar poweramp and cab will sound good but also limit the tones as using the cab impulses on the Axe-Fx has a huge effect on the overall tone.


----------



## Mike Spreitzer

Selkoid said:


> I need help guys... I've been eyeballing the axe FX for years at this point and am coming to the conclusion that i should just pull the trigger. What were some of the major selling points that really pushed you into picking up the axe fx? I have a tube rig right now (EVH 5150 III + Diezel 2x12) but I want something with a little more versatility, recording ease and something that can be a little bit quieter, which the axe seems to check off all of those boxes. How many of you guys ended up keeping your amps / cabs after getting an axe fx?
> What are your major likes/dislikes with the unit?


I've been using the Axe FX II for at least 5 years and I can tell you its very road-worthy and sounds fantastic. I still feel that real amps still sound better but the Axe FX and Kemper have it pretty damn close. If you've thought about going the Kemper route for live performance I would recommend against it. The other guitarist in my band has one out on the road and has had a few problems with it. They sound great, but they are not as durable as the Axe FX. Plus, I think the effects in the Fractal are far better. 

I agree with laxu about the interface. Its a bit cumbersome and there's a fairly steep learning curve to know your way around it. But the Axe Edit software editor works very well and makes dialing in tones, saving, and restoring very easy.

I still have all my amps and cabs for recording purposes. But I doubt I'lll every use a real amp in a live scenario again. Almost all the overdubs, solos, and leads I've done on the last 3 DevilDriver records have been tones from the Axe FX


----------



## Lax

I pulled the trigger on may 2015 and will never regret going modeller all the way.
The good thing nowaday is the fact that it takes less and less tweaking to get a good starting sound with the amp of your choice, and there is a vast community to help chosing IRs to get the best of it.
When I started I had a hard time dialing tones.
Come on, buy it


----------



## Kisbori

Seymour Duncan powerstage 170, is it worth try with the Ax8 ? Sounds good ?


----------



## Zoobiedood

Kisbori said:


> Seymour Duncan powerstage 170, is it worth try with the Ax8 ? Sounds good ?



I love the PowerStage 170 with my AX8, and it fits right on my pedalboard. I use whatever full range cab I have around, but it also works well into a guitar cab if you turn the cab sims off on the AX8.


----------



## Kisbori

Zoobiedood said:


> I love the PowerStage 170 with my AX8, and it fits right on my pedalboard. I use whatever full range cab I have around, but it also works well into a guitar cab if you turn the cab sims off on the AX8.


That's sounds good, i have a 112 cab, with a 8Ohm K100 speaker, so it would be fine for the power amp.


----------



## Selkoid

Pulled the trigger and bought a II... shows up today! What do you guys think are some must check out features right away on the axe fx? I'm super excited to try the modern FAS stuff, friedman models and to see how well the 5153 holds up the actual amp!


----------



## laxu

Selkoid said:


> Pulled the trigger and bought a II... shows up today! What do you guys think are some must check out features right away on the axe fx? I'm super excited to try the modern FAS stuff, friedman models and to see how well the 5153 holds up the actual amp!



Install Fractal-Bot and Axe-Edit. Flash in the 9.0 firmware beta.


----------



## Selkoid

laxu said:


> Install Fractal-Bot and Axe-Edit. Flash in the 9.0 firmware beta.



Ah darn I installed 8.02, didn't even realize there was beta firmware out... Any major detectable differences? Do I just want to be on the latest firmware so I don't have to redo patches later down the road? This thing is everything i've wanted and i've only played with it for a few hours, sounds fantastic.


----------



## mnemonic

Selkoid said:


> Ah darn I installed 8.02, didn't even realize there was beta firmware out... Any major detectable differences? Do I just want to be on the latest firmware so I don't have to redo patches later down the road? This thing is everything i've wanted and i've only played with it for a few hours, sounds fantastic.



You can check the release notes in the first post on the axe fx forum. 

From what I remember, the only difference is some change to the speaker drive setting and how it works. 

I'm still on 8.02, I usually don't update unless I see something I want to try like a new amp or something.


----------



## laxu

Selkoid said:


> Ah darn I installed 8.02, didn't even realize there was beta firmware out... Any major detectable differences? Do I just want to be on the latest firmware so I don't have to redo patches later down the road? This thing is everything i've wanted and i've only played with it for a few hours, sounds fantastic.



The 9.0 firmware changes something with the speaker drive that makes all models just sound better to me but you'll be fine with 8.02.


----------



## Shask

laxu said:


> The 9.0 firmware changes something with the speaker drive that makes all models just sound better to me but you'll be fine with 8.02.



I have not tried it yet (I usually wait for the full release), but I have high hopes. I am not a huge fan of Q8. Something changed with that motor drive stuff that made it not sound as good for high gain as Q7.

I find the Axe updates kind of like Windows releases.... it is like every other one is awesome, and every other one between those suck, lol. Q7 was great, Q8, not so much, so Q9 must be good.


----------



## Andromalia

I haven't updated my axe fx since forever, maybe a year. At that point it sounds good enough for me, I don't want to update and get a bad surprise.


----------



## mnemonic

Andromalia said:


> I haven't updated my axe fx since forever, maybe a year. At that point it sounds good enough for me, I don't want to update and get a bad surprise.



Which firmware are you on? 

I didn't update for like a year, year and a half, I was on quantum 3, updated to quantum 8. 

It was a significant change, but in the end i think it was worth it. I had to redo patches (not hard for me as I have like three) but they did sound better.


----------



## Shask

Luckily the updates are much slower these days. A year is usually only one or two major updates.

It is not like 4 years ago when a new major update was coming out every month.

I am still on 8.02. I will update eventually, lol.


----------



## mnemonic

FractalAudio said:


> Don't get too comfortable with this firmware. I had an epiphany a few days ago and have been crunching equations and coding like mad since then. I realized I wasn't adjusting the speaker impedance curve to coincide with the compression. As the speaker compresses its impedance curve changes. Makes a big difference. Tighter low end and clearer highs. The math is a bit of a bear but I finallycracked it this morning.



Looks like we might be getting a big update soon.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Looks like we might be getting a big update soon.



I am wondering if these updates will help the low end thump issues. It seems like that interaction with the speakers is thing that is still missing. That dynamic feel that happens as you chug along, that makes the low end feel and sound like it is jumping out at you.


On an unrelated note, I was playing around with the compressors a little bit yesterday. I am finding that I am liking a compressor on before high gain amps just to even things out some. I used to have to do this on Line 6 gear because I always felt like they were overly dynamic. It was like I had to really nail the strings all the time to get the right sound and feel normal so single notes weren't weak. I have been starting to find this on the Fractal also, instead of using Boosts. Maybe I just need to start using EMG pickups, lol....


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I am wondering if these updates will help the low end thump issues. It seems like that interaction with the speakers is thing that is still missing. That dynamic feel that happens as you chug along, that makes the low end feel and sound like it is jumping out at you.
> 
> 
> On an unrelated note, I was playing around with the compressors a little bit yesterday. I am finding that I am liking a compressor on before high gain amps just to even things out some. I used to have to do this on Line 6 gear because I always felt like they were overly dynamic. It was like I had to really nail the strings all the time to get the right sound and feel normal so single notes weren't weak. I have been starting to find this on the Fractal also, instead of using Boosts. Maybe I just need to start using EMG pickups, lol....



That was also my first thought, maybe this will address that low end thing where it's still not 100%.

After doing more research on how solidstate amps work vs tube, speaker interaction, etc. I'm convinced we'll never be 100% on the tube poweramp feel/sound, at least not without a totally different way of making solidstate poweramps, but if this update is what I hope it is, it might be close enough that who cares.


----------



## J_Mac

I’m going to try some of the Ownhammer IRs. Has anyone got a favourite pack for metal? Can’t decide between the bundles. The new Heavy Hitters are appealing, but Core is half the price.


----------



## Rich5150

Mike Spreitzer said:


> Hello Everybody,
> 
> Mike Spreitzer from DevilDriver here. I've been a die-hard fan of the Axe FX II for a while and have some free presets for anybody that would like to try them. I spent some time going through every high-gain amp sim in the fractal and narrowed it down to a few favorites. As of now, my ultimate favorite is the Freidman. I love it so much I'm dying to get my hands on the real thing. But since they are a bit out of my price range I'll settle for Fractal's version. I've also included a few others in the zip file. Click on the link below and give them a test run if you'd like and feel free to give me some feedback. Happy Jamming
> 
> https://s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/axefxpresets/AxeFXPromoPresets.zip



Mike great presets. I have purchased both of the packs. I even have the original one you released a few years ago. Keep it up and I look forward to more packs.


----------



## laxu

J_Mac said:


> I’m going to try some of the Ownhammer IRs. Has anyone got a favourite pack for metal? Can’t decide between the bundles. The new Heavy Hitters are appealing, but Core is half the price.



I like the heavy hitters cabs. I've only got the first pack but found it very useful for heavy tones. I generally really like OH's IRs.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Made a new patch which I'm digging pretty well. What do you guys think?
https://www.mediafire.com/file/pcg58rke7ll687z/20171104_1654.mp3


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Would love to get you guys' input on this thread here
http://www.sevenstring.org/threads/pa-speaker-for-axe-fx-kemper-nov-2017.326397/

Didn't want to pose the question in this thread since it benefits more than just Axe-Fx users


----------



## LeviathanKiller

What should I get?
Mikko's ML Sound Lab Misha Mansoor complete collection for $50 or one of the OwnHammer Heavy Hitter collections (I or II) for $50?
I don't care about whether or not they are able to be used anywhere other than the Axe-Fx so that's not a factor to consider.


----------



## mnemonic

Anyone tried this adjustment? 

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/recommended-adjustment.133602/



FractalAudio said:


> I've been working on some new methods of measuring and comparing amps the last couple weeks and came up with an improved matching technique. The crux of it all is that the default "CF Hardness" value is slightly low for a typical amp.
> 
> If you are using an amp model with a cathode follower, i.e. Marshall, Friedman, Bogner, Rectos, Diezel, etc., you may want to increase the CF Hardness parameter to around 7.5. It varies with the type and brand of tube (12AX7A vs. ECC83, Mullard vs. JJ, etc.) but 7.5 is roughly the mean.
> 
> It's subtle but you get a little bit more sizzle. Of course your ears are the most important factor and if you like it lower, then by all means, set it lower.



It seems to make my recto patches sound better, but maybe partially placebo effect.


----------



## Thrashman

Considering selling my Axe 2XL to get an AX8 instead for function gigs and whatnot. I never really use 2 amps at once anyway (only swap through XY) and the built in pedalboard saves me from carrying an external one bar an expression pedal or two.

Thoughts?


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Anyone tried this adjustment?
> 
> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/recommended-adjustment.133602/
> 
> 
> 
> It seems to make my recto patches sound better, but maybe partially placebo effect.



I haven't tried it yet because I haven't used my Axe it a bit since I have been building pedals, but plan to try it next time I play it. I haven't updated to 9.03 yet. I figure I will update next time when this becomes part of the default settings.


----------



## mnemonic

Thrashman said:


> Considering selling my Axe 2XL to get an AX8 instead for function gigs and whatnot. I never really use 2 amps at once anyway (only swap through XY) and the built in pedalboard saves me from carrying an external one bar an expression pedal or two.
> 
> Thoughts?



If you don’t use any of the features you’d lose, then it sounds like a good idea to me. You lose what you don’t need and gain a pedal board. If the AX8 was around when I got my Axe FX II, I would have bought it instead.


----------



## Petef2007

Hi guys, 

So the search was concluded and I have my self a Mark II Axe FX II. I adore it. I adore it even more running though the power amp section of a Laney IRT Studio. I do however have a couple things i'd like to explore, but not quite sure how to go about doing them.

First question is, I have a pair of powered XLR studio monitors. I'm curious if I can use the Axe and the Laney in tandem to get the preamp from the Axe, the power amp from the Laney, and then somehow use the Axe to load an impulse on to the whole thing and route the audio through the monitors, and if so how would I go about doing it? Ie. ultimately take the cab out of the equation and use impulses but still have the full Axe + tube amp tone. 

Secondly, if i'm running the Axe via 4cm into the Laney, can I use the Axe as both an FX unit and an impulse loader for the Laney? Or to accomplish this (and question 1) do I have to have some kind of impulse loader connected to the Laney itself?

Cheers for any help guys - just curious about how many options I have for sound routing.


----------



## pott

I am planning on using a Mackie 402VLZ4 with anAX8 as per the below (since I'm a mixing n00b I did most of the research etc... but wanted to confirm my understanding anyway).

I currently have an Amazon Echo Dot connected to a pair of JBL305s. I also want to use the AX8 with these speakers (for now at least), so I was scoping ways to ensure I don't always have to plug things in/out. 
One advantage of the Mixer here is that, while I can't turn inputs on/off, I can control their volumes independently to the same speakers, enabling me to play along with the Echo: great for practice!

Here's what I had in mind:
* Guitar to AX8
* AX8 to Line In 3/4 (stereo)
* Echo to Tape In
* Headphones to headphones (duh)
Which means I can then always keep the Echo on, as it is now, to the speakers, but also use it when playing through the AX8, and have both signals (or either, with the volume controls), through the headphones.

Are my expectations correct?


----------



## Volteau

Was wondering if you guys could help me out with something. I had made a song around 3 years ago or so with a preset called ABCD=ms, FB, Jitter, Mod (comes with the vanilla banks).

Problem is, with all the firmware updates, the sound of the patch changed RADICALLY (I was using 11.05 at the time)! I've downloaded the old firmwares, the old Axe edits, the old everythings trying to get the sound back, and it just isn't working. Would be a depressing to have lost that vast, spacey/ambient sound (which is the center piece for a song for my second album, which has me kinda desperate).

If any of you can help, that would be great.

Thanks!

Here's the clip:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/3uj1mwh4b8uabib/Tone Clip.wav?dl=0


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Have you used FracTool to convert the original preset?


----------



## Volteau

Huh. Haven't done that. Not sure what that is to be honest or how it's done, but hey, google. Thanks!


----------



## lewis

my bands guitarist just picked up an Axe FX II used. 

Can someone tell me how to do a dual patch where 1 side goes to a poweramp/cab and the other side goes to the P.A with a cab sound ON? Atm he is abit in awe of the unit and seems to be slightly struggling on how to use it.


----------



## Shask

lewis said:


> my bands guitarist just picked up an Axe FX II used.
> 
> Can someone tell me how to do a dual patch where 1 side goes to a poweramp/cab and the other side goes to the P.A with a cab sound ON? Atm he is abit in awe of the unit and seems to be slightly struggling on how to use it.



Have the main amp->cab preset go to the output on the right side, to the main outputs. Before the cab block, split the signal and go to the FX Loop (Put an FX loop block under the cab block). Then then use FX Loop/Out 2 to go to the poweramp/cab.


----------



## lewis

Shask said:


> Have the main amp->cab preset go to the output on the right side, to the main outputs. Before the cab block, split the signal and go to the FX Loop (Put an FX loop block under the cab block). Then then use FX Loop/Out 2 to go to the poweramp/cab.


thank you! 
I will send him this now.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Interesting...
https://www.stltones.com/pages/axe-fx-ii-stl-tones

Use my link if you would like to enter
https://wn.nr/HXJQZQ


----------



## Shask

I wonder if you guys have checked out 9.04 yet? I did briefly, and I am hearing an improvement in the low end "depth punch thunk" you hear on amps like Rectos and 5150s. Glad to hear this is finally being improved. I always thought this was one of the weak areas.


----------



## vick1000

Shask said:


> I wonder if you guys have checked out 9.04 yet? I did briefly, and I am hearing an improvement in the low end "depth punch thunk" you hear on amps like Rectos and 5150s. Glad to hear this is finally being improved. I always thought this was one of the weak areas.



You just needed to dive into the deep edit options of the power section, they just tweaked a few things. The models are very dependent on how you monitor the unit as well.

The speaker resonance frequency needs to be adjusted based on the actual monitoring speaker to get the best "thump" and "thwack" for a given model.


----------



## Shask

vick1000 said:


> You just needed to dive into the deep edit options of the power section, they just tweaked a few things. The models are very dependent on how you monitor the unit as well.
> 
> The speaker resonance frequency needs to be adjusted based on the actual monitoring speaker to get the best "thump" and "thwack" for a given model.



No, in the new update, 9.04, Cliff said he changed something in the compression interaction between the poweramp simulation, and speaker simulation. It makes the lows and highs less compressed. I can really hear and feel the difference in the low end "thunk". Something IS different about how the low end jumps out at you. The low end punch has always been a weak point, IMO, and I have tweaked this for years. Something is definitely different, and is moving in the right direction.


----------



## marcwormjim

I like it when nothing after the “no” contradicts the post being replied to.

Thanks Vick1000 for the helpful advice to do with dialing speaker resonance in with regard to the physical speakers being used. It yields results faster than waiting a month or more at a time for firmware updates to dial my gear in for me.


----------



## Shask

marcwormjim said:


> I like it when nothing after the “no” contradicts the post being replied to.
> 
> Thanks Vick1000 for the helpful advice to do with dialing speaker resonance in with regard to the physical speakers being used. It yields results faster than waiting a month or more at a time for firmware updates to dial my gear in for me.


It doesn't contradict the post. That post was a direct quote of mine talking about the most recent update. It is common knowledge to adjust the speaker resonance for this, but the most recent update has improved this process, which MANY people have asked for, for years. I have used those deep parameters for years... still doesn't change how the recent update has changed this.


----------



## vick1000

The introduction of speaker compression was in 9.03 I believe, replacing the speaker drive parameter. 9.04 just tweaked the default values of 9.03 to better match the default speaker cab/IR selection to each particular amp. You could always tweak the compression levels of the output to open up the amp range, but the speaker resonance is more critical to altering the "thump/thwak" of a given model. Changing the speaker res-freq will move the "tump/thwak" around your fretboard essentially, depending on some other factors of course.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I wonder if you guys have checked out 9.04 yet? I did briefly, and I am hearing an improvement in the low end "depth punch thunk" you hear on amps like Rectos and 5150s. Glad to hear this is finally being improved. I always thought this was one of the weak areas.



I installed it about an hour ago and while subtle, the bottom end punch does seem better. Granted it’s probably subtle for me since I use a 2/50/2 with the axe fx. I’m using the 3ch Orange Modern model. 

Pretty similar sound to running into my dual recto’s poweramp (poweramp sims off).


----------



## Shask

vick1000 said:


> The introduction of speaker compression was in 9.03 I believe, replacing the speaker drive parameter. 9.04 just tweaked the default values of 9.03 to better match the default speaker cab/IR selection to each particular amp. You could always tweak the compression levels of the output to open up the amp range, but the speaker resonance is more critical to altering the "thump/thwak" of a given model. Changing the speaker res-freq will move the "tump/thwak" around your fretboard essentially, depending on some other factors of course.



I thought the newer controls introduced over the last few firmwares (motor drive, speaker compression, etc...) all sounded pretty horrible. I usually had to turn them to zero because they all introduced some nasty cardboard lows.

However, 9.04 didn't just change defaults. It improved:

*RELEASE NOTES
9.04
Improved speaker compression modeling and interaction with power amp. This results in a more dynamic response.
Changed default cathode follower hardness (CF Hardness) to 0.75 to align better with measured values.*

The improved "interaction with the power amp" I think is what is making all the difference. Cliff also said:

*The treble didn't increase really but the compression curve changed which gives the impression of more treble. The bass and treble overall are less compressed which makes things more open and gives more thunk in the low end.*

So, something was changed with the compression curve of the speaker and poweramp interaction.

The CF Hardness default value was changed. A higher value makes the sound more aggressive, and less smooth. I can hear this in the upper mids.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> I installed it about an hour ago and while subtle, the bottom end punch does seem better. Granted it’s probably subtle for me since I use a 2/50/2 with the axe fx. I’m using the 3ch Orange Modern model.
> 
> Pretty similar sound to running into my dual recto’s poweramp (poweramp sims off).



Yeah, since you are using a tube poweramp this wouldn't be as noticeable. You are already getting that impedance/resonance/negative feedback interaction because of the tubes. However, you don't get that with solid state poweramps, so I notice something is quite a bit different using my Matrix GT1000FX.

I typically use Recto 1 Red, or 5153 Red.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Just wondering; what cabs or impulses are you guys using?

Just kinda curious to see what's being used. I've been using the Lolzgreg Recto V30 cab for years and years now, but I'm thinking of trying something different. Want something with more midrange.

Been debating on getting the Ownhammer Heavy hitters V1 pack.


----------



## Rich5150

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Just wondering; what cabs or impulses are you guys using?
> 
> Just kinda curious to see what's being used. I've been using the Lolzgreg Recto V30 cab for years and years now, but I'm thinking of trying something different. Want something with more midrange.
> 
> Been debating on getting the Ownhammer Heavy hitters V1 pack.




I bought a bunch of the Ownhammer & Axe FX cab packs, I like the Ownhammer packs more. Ive does a couple of cab lab mixes of them and they are my main go to cabs I really dig the Recto 4x12 v60 & v70 cab.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

The clips of the Ownhammer sets sound killer. I tried the ML Bulbzilla and I'm not too impressed.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Rich5150 said:


> I bought a bunch of the Ownhammer & Axe FX cab packs, I like the Ownhammer packs more. Ive does a couple of cab lab mixes of them and they are my main go to cabs I really dig the Recto 4x12 v60 & v70 cab.


Shit forgot to ask 

Did you use the Heavy Hitters pack, the 412 RECTO, or the 412 MES ST free cab?


----------



## Rich5150

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Shit forgot to ask
> 
> Did you use the Heavy Hitters pack, the 412 RECTO, or the 412 MES ST free cab?



Although i respect the effort that they put into the ML cabs i haven't gotten along with any of them yet.

I have both heavy hitters packs(the Zilla cabs are much better in the HHC-II) the Cali Duo and a bunch of the Marshal packs as well.


----------



## Elric

The Marshall OH packs are my favorite. There is one that is like the UK Cab collection and then there one that uses an old 2x12 called the Marshall Speaker Collection or something and those are my goto packs. The 2x12 pack probably the 'desert island' cab pack for me. I like the Oranges and Bogner too. I have struggled with the ML packs to find IRs I really looove.


----------



## Andromalia

I have the Heavy hitter pack, but in the end what I endup using are two stock cabs0... I think. It took me a long time to filter everything down to what I like.


----------



## Paincakes

Hi all! I'm considering an Axe FX II XL+ since they seemed to have gone down in price since the III was announced. This is a big thread, and I'm sure the topic has been beaten to death here and there, so forgive me for my ignorance. 

Questions: 

What is the best way to run the Axe FX II through a standard guitar cab (not FRFR)? I guess I'm looking for power amp recommendations.
I assume the speaker IR and mic emulation can be disabled and fed to a power amp then into a guitar cab? 
Is this application common, and most importantly, does it feel like an "amp in the room"? 
Most posts, people suggest getting a "nice FRFR" cab (I love how without fail, it's always mentioned that it has to be a "nice" one... ). Let's say I'm not a fan of FRFR, is running through a normal guitar cab a realistic idea?


----------



## Shask

Paincakes said:


> Hi all! I'm considering an Axe FX II XL+ since they seemed to have gone down in price since the III was announced. This is a big thread, and I'm sure the topic has been beaten to death here and there, so forgive me for my ignorance.
> 
> Questions:
> 
> What is the best way to run the Axe FX II through a standard guitar cab (not FRFR)? I guess I'm looking for power amp recommendations.
> I assume the speaker IR and mic emulation can be disabled and fed to a power amp then into a guitar cab?
> Is this application common, and most importantly, does it feel like an "amp in the room"?
> Most posts, people suggest getting a "nice FRFR" cab (I love how without fail, it's always mentioned that it has to be a "nice" one... ). Let's say I'm not a fan of FRFR, is running through a normal guitar cab a realistic idea?



I use a Matrix GT1000FX. That is probably the most recommended solid state poweramp that people use wit the Axe. It has a nice feel to it that many solid state poweramps dont have.

Yes, you can turn off the cab block, delete it, or run it through output 1, while not running it through output 2 so you can run that into your poweramp/cab. That is how most of my presets are set up, so I can either play through headphones/monitors, or poweramp /cab with output 1 going to my monitors, and output 2 going to my Matrix.

I would say it is fairly common. Many people like to run it through guitar cabs. I will say that it seems more fidgety to dial in this way, but it is common. I am not sure about the feel question.... I mean, it is way more of an "amp in the room" feel than using monitors, but it can be tricky to dial in sitting next to a large tube amp. I usually run it this way most of the time because I can't get into the FRFR sound.


----------



## laxu

Paincakes said:


> Hi all! I'm considering an Axe FX II XL+ since they seemed to have gone down in price since the III was announced. This is a big thread, and I'm sure the topic has been beaten to death here and there, so forgive me for my ignorance.
> 
> Questions:
> 
> What is the best way to run the Axe FX II through a standard guitar cab (not FRFR)? I guess I'm looking for power amp recommendations.
> I assume the speaker IR and mic emulation can be disabled and fed to a power amp then into a guitar cab?
> Is this application common, and most importantly, does it feel like an "amp in the room"?
> Most posts, people suggest getting a "nice FRFR" cab (I love how without fail, it's always mentioned that it has to be a "nice" one... ). Let's say I'm not a fan of FRFR, is running through a normal guitar cab a realistic idea?



Just be prepared for more limited sounds out of it when using it with a regular guitar cab. That's why many suggest the FRFR route so you can use cab sims to emulate things like small combos or huge stacks with different speakers and mics that you just can't do easily with a real cab. The cabs have a huge effect on the sound. I spend more time choosing the right cab IR than setting up the amp block.

For poweramps the Matrix units are probably the most popular but nothing prevents you from using your favorite tube poweramp either, you just need to turn the poweramp sim off in that case.


----------



## Paincakes

Delivery man is on his way. Are there any "must-have" non-stock cabs to get?
I hear "Ownhammer" mentioned a ton around these parts. Anything specific? Any other suggestions?

Main tones I typically go for are :
- Carcass / Machine Head style "5150"
- Slash / GNR style Marshall


----------



## Shask

Paincakes said:


> Delivery man is on his way. Are there any "must-have" non-stock cabs to get?
> I hear "Ownhammer" mentioned a ton around these parts. Anything specific? Any other suggestions?
> 
> Main tones I typically go for are :
> - Carcass / Machine Head style "5150"
> - Slash / GNR style Marshall


Honestly, if you are new to the Axe-FX, I would avoid add-ons for awhile. Learn the stock offerings, and learn Axe-Edit, and update the system, reset the system, and load the newest version of the factory presets. You will have 400~ish factory presets to play with. I would not look at add-ons for at least 6 months.


----------



## Elric

Shask said:


> Honestly, if you are new to the Axe-FX, I would avoid add-ons for awhile. Learn the stock offerings, and learn Axe-Edit, and update the system, reset the system, and load the newest version of the factory presets. You will have 400~ish factory presets to play with. I would not look at add-ons for at least 6 months.


Great advice. The Axe overwhelms a lot of people at first. Get to know its base capabilities and use first. It can do so much that it can feel limitless once you really learn it. Read up on the wiki and manual.


----------



## laxu

Paincakes said:


> Delivery man is on his way. Are there any "must-have" non-stock cabs to get?
> I hear "Ownhammer" mentioned a ton around these parts. Anything specific? Any other suggestions?
> 
> Main tones I typically go for are :
> - Carcass / Machine Head style "5150"
> - Slash / GNR style Marshall



Try the IRs that come with firmware update packages. They are a small sampler set that has some pretty good sounds. The stock cabs can do a lot though.


----------



## ICSvortex

Hey guys!
I have a question that seems to be really important to me, but on the interwebs i cant find a definitve answer...
So here we go!

A dude in my local area asked me if i would be down to trading my ENGL savage 120 against his Axe Fx Ultra. (Not the II)
Now i am going on tour by the end of march so i dont want to carry the savage all across 4 countries^^ and i really love the stuff i hear from the axe fx users.

Now my question is:
I know that there are 10 slots for my own cab IR's on the axe fx ultra. But it seems like you need a different data-format to import cab IR's into the axe fx. Is there a way that i can import my custom made .wav Cab IR's into the Axe fx? And is there a way also to delete the stock cab IR's on the axe fx so i can import more of my own ones?

And do you think you can still get modern tones out of this old machine?^^ Or is the Axe Fx II a must?

Thanks a lot!


----------



## Ordacleaphobia

ICSvortex said:


> Hey guys!
> I have a question that seems to be really important to me, but on the interwebs i cant find a definitve answer...
> So here we go!
> 
> A dude in my local area asked me if i would be down to trading my ENGL savage 120 against his Axe Fx Ultra. (Not the II)
> Now i am going on tour by the end of march so i dont want to carry the savage all across 4 countries^^ and i really love the stuff i hear from the axe fx users.
> 
> Now my question is:
> I know that there are 10 slots for my own cab IR's on the axe fx ultra. But it seems like you need a different data-format to import cab IR's into the axe fx. Is there a way that i can import my custom made .wav Cab IR's into the Axe fx? And is there a way also to delete the stock cab IR's on the axe fx so i can import more of my own ones?
> 
> And do you think you can still get modern tones out of this old machine?^^ Or is the Axe Fx II a must?
> 
> Thanks a lot!



I can't speak to the cab tweaking as I just got my AxeFX yesterday (!!), but do know that some guys are still pulling killer tones out of the Ultra. And if you think about, there were some huge records releasing using that thing, and it's not like you magically can't get those tones anymore. Check this guy out for example:


What I'd be wary of is how the Ultra seems to be plummeting in value now due to the AxeFX III being about to hit the public. There was one on Reverb for like $700 for....a long time. Might even still be there.


----------



## Shask

ICSvortex said:


> Now my question is:
> I know that there are 10 slots for my own cab IR's on the axe fx ultra. But it seems like you need a different data-format to import cab IR's into the axe fx. Is there a way that i can import my custom made .wav Cab IR's into the Axe fx? And is there a way also to delete the stock cab IR's on the axe fx so i can import more of my own ones?
> 
> And do you think you can still get modern tones out of this old machine?^^ Or is the Axe Fx II a must?
> 
> Thanks a lot!


You have to convert the .wav files to .syx files. No, you cannot delete stock cabs.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Okay, time to throw out another question. 

Anyone here still using Alto speakers? I remmeber the TS series used to be all the rage, but I don't see as much hype for them anymore. I was gonna check out the Alto TS210 or TS212. If not, I was gonna splurge and get the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P.

Right now I'm using an old crappy Harbinger 15'' powered speaker... Don't like it. Too boomy, too harsh, too scooped, not very loud...


----------



## vick1000

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Okay, time to throw out another question.
> 
> Anyone here still using Alto speakers? I remmeber the TS series used to be all the rage, but I don't see as much hype for them anymore. I was gonna check out the Alto TS210 or TS212. If not, I was gonna splurge and get the Electro-Voice ZLX-12P.
> 
> Right now I'm using an old crappy Harbinger 15'' powered speaker... Don't like it. Too boomy, too harsh, too scooped, not very loud...



Consider the DXR10 if available, over the ZLX. The Altos are pretty suck, but probably far better than the junk Harbinger.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

vick1000 said:


> Consider the DXR10 if available, over the ZLX. The Altos are pretty suck, but probably far better than the junk Harbinger.



If I can find the DXRs for a good deal, I'd like to check them out.

How much of a difference would 12'' give over 10''?


----------



## budda

ICSvortex said:


> A dude in my local area asked me if i would be down to trading my ENGL savage 120 against his Axe Fx Ultra. (Not the II)
> Now i am going on tour by the end of march so i dont want to carry the savage all across 4 countries^^ and i really love the stuff i hear from the axe fx users.



Do not switch to a brand new way of doing things right before a tour. That is asking for so much trouble. If you're going to do the trade (no idea about market value of each piece over there) do it *after* your tour.


----------



## mnemonic

I bought an old Matrix M400 on eBay for cheap (sounds pretty good, I imagine the new GT’s are even better) and I bought an old G12T75 on eBay for cheap, to put in an old 1x12 cab I haven’t been using. It’s a small cab and with that speaker it doesn’t sound so great alone, but with the matrix poweramp I’m running one side into my 2x12, and one side into this 1x12.

Really cool being able to blend the two cabs and control their individual volume, the small t75 cab adds some cool grind and dimension to the sound, running stereo with two cabs sure is fun.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> I bought an old Matrix M400 on eBay for cheap (sounds pretty good, I imagine the new GT’s are even better) and I bought an old G12T75 on eBay for cheap, to put in an old 1x12 cab I haven’t been using. It’s a small cab and with that speaker it doesn’t sound so great alone, but with the matrix poweramp I’m running one side into my 2x12, and one side into this 1x12.
> 
> Really cool being able to blend the two cabs and control their individual volume, the small t75 cab adds some cool grind and dimension to the sound, running stereo with two cabs sure is fun.


Nice. How do you like it compared to the VHT/Freyette?

I use a GT1000FX with mine, and I do think I sounds great, but always wonder how it would compare to something like a Freyette Power Station. I use mine with two 212 cabs, a GFlex 212 and an Avatar with V12 speakers. I use the 2 volumes on the Matrix to balance the tone. The only thing I have an issue with is the "dialing the the resonance for more realistic thump" issue, because the different cabs have different resonant frequencies.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> Nice. How do you like it compared to the VHT/Freyette?
> 
> I use a GT1000FX with mine, and I do think I sounds great, but always wonder how it would compare to something like a Freyette Power Station. I use mine with two 212 cabs, a GFlex 212 and an Avatar with V12 speakers. I use the 2 volumes on the Matrix to balance the tone. The only thing I have an issue with is the "dialing the the resonance for more realistic thump" issue, because the different cabs have different resonant frequencies.



The resonant frequency thing is tough, and it always was for me with my 2x12, I assume since it has two different speakers in it. 

I tried a sine wave sweep and I thought the resonant frequency was around 127hz, and that did add some punch, but after a while I realised it added a lot of woofiness with it set to that frequency. With some experimentation I found the best results for me were with the resonant frequency at 110hz, and then I just adjust the dynamic depth and the low sliders in the GEQ page to the desired bottom end response. That seems to be the best middle ground with it being balanced and clear but not lacking bottom end punch. 

I haven’t turned the 2/50/2 on for like two weeks I think, I’ve just been focusing on trying to get a good sound out of a solidstate poweramp. The matrix is better than the class D board I bought on eBay. I may give the 2/50/2 a try again at some point in the week. In general I got more clarity and a more hi-fi and fun-to-play sound with the 2/50/2 over that class D amp board, but the matrix does feel really good to play and Also has more thickness in the bottom end than the class D board, so it will be interesting to compare.


----------



## ICSvortex

Hey guys!

I have a question concerning the axe fx ultra and spdif:

I just bought an axe fx ultra used for stupidly cheap and now i'm asking myself how i should go about recording with it.

The other guitarist in my band has a kemper and he can choose in the output options what signal he wants to send to the R/L of the spdif. So he can send the DI signal to L and the full amp&cab etc sound to R, thus recording fully digitally.

What i wanted to know is if this is possible on the axe fx ultra, because that would make my life waaaaay easier^^


Thx a lot!


----------



## Elric

I don't think it is possible on the Ultra to do both at once via SPDIF. You can send the dry signal via SPDIF and send the wet signal to the analog out via the FX loop send/output 2 with that signal being analog, though. 

Here is an article on reamping with the Ultra that may help:

https://wiki.fractalaudio.com/gen1/index.php?title=Reamping


----------



## ICSvortex

Elric said:


> I don't think it is possible on the Ultra to do both at once via SPDIF. You can send the dry signal via SPDIF and send the wet signal to the analog out via the FX loop send/output 2 with that signal being analog, though.
> 
> Here is an article on reamping with the Ultra that may help:
> 
> https://wiki.fractalaudio.com/gen1/index.php?title=Reamping



Thanks a lot! 
A follow-up question to this: the spdif just outputs the main outs (which are stereo) of the axe fx, right? So i could have the chain with amp and everything going hard-left panned to the output and a chain with nothing on it going hard-right panned and that would give me what i want right? Because then i could route the spdif to my daw and record the stereo signal to two seperate tracks and then id have DI and processed signal both recorded digitally... 
Or am i missing something here?


----------



## Elric

ICSvortex said:


> Thanks a lot!
> A follow-up question to this: the spdif just outputs the main outs (which are stereo) of the axe fx, right? So i could have the chain with amp and everything going hard-left panned to the output and a chain with nothing on it going hard-right panned and that would give me what i want right? Because then i could route the spdif to my daw and record the stereo signal to two seperate tracks and then id have DI and processed signal both recorded digitally...
> Or am i missing something here?


It sounds like it might be worth a try to hard pan... good idea... My Ultra is running to power amp and cab so I don’t have it setup to try myself but your logic sounds totally reasonable to me.


----------



## mnemonic

Everyone go play the FAS Hot Rod model, it’s super tight and clear sounding, real cool model.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

mnemonic said:


> Everyone go play the FAS Hot Rod model, it’s super tight and clear sounding, real cool model.



Impressed. Can't believe I've never tried that one before.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Sound clip of the "FAS Hot Rod" model for the lazy

Nazgul in KM mkII
Used a T808 boost block
IR is "Mikko Lundgren Angle SM57-M160 01"

http://www.mediafire.com/file/1g11je7b52lyqb3/20180416_141742.mp3


----------



## mnemonic

^super djenty with a boost. This is one of the few models that can sound chunky and tight without really needing one. At least for the less extreme metal styles.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Yeah, it sounded almost like it had a boost before I even added one


----------



## Shask

I haven't tried Hot Rod, but I usually find most of the FAS models tend to be much tighter than the other amps. They usually dont need any sort of boost. I like the FAS Modern III.


----------



## thetourist

Fresh n00b here, am I wrong in thinking that I should use the two balanced 1/4" outputs on the AX8 to connect(via TRS cables?) to my interface so I can get a stereo sound? For context, I have a Zoom TAC 2R thunderbolt interface which has stereo monitoring.


----------



## budda

thetourist said:


> Fresh n00b here, am I wrong in thinking that I should use the two balanced 1/4" outputs on the AX8 to connect(via TRS cables?) to my interface so I can get a stereo sound? For context, I have a Zoom TAC 2R thunderbolt interface which has stereo monitoring.



I don't think they have to be balanced per se - I run my FX8 in stereo at home and just use two patch cords.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

So just throwing out there; if you need a cheap-ish expression pedal for your Axe that does a solid job, try the Moog EP-3. I just got one and played around with it, and it's super killer. 

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GG20DJ4/?tag=sevenstringorg-20

If my DIY Dunlop expression pedal doesn't cut it and I don't get the mini one I originally planned on getting, I may get a 2nd one just to have the added versatility.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

+1. The Moog is the cheapest metal pedal, whereas the M-Audio EX-P is a plastic alternative for home use (You can buy two used ones for the cost of a new Moog).


----------



## Shask

I have a Roland EV-5 that works well, and is pretty cheap.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> +1. The Moog is the cheapest metal pedal, whereas the M-Audio EX-P is a plastic alternative for home use (You can buy two used ones for the cost of a new Moog).



The Moog is actually plastic, but still very sturdy.


----------



## narad

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> So just throwing out there; if you need a cheap-ish expression pedal for your Axe that does a solid job, try the Moog EP-3. I just got one and played around with it, and it's super killer.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GG20DJ4/?tag=sevenstringorg-20
> 
> If my DIY Dunlop expression pedal doesn't cut it and I don't get the mini one I originally planned on getting, I may get a 2nd one just to have the added versatility.



Nice affiliate link. If anyone's looking for a nice 4K plasma, let me recommend:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079TSV11D/?tag=narad


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> The Moog is actually plastic, but still very sturdy.



Now I wonder which metal expression pedal I was thinking of.


----------



## narad

narad said:


> Nice affiliate link. If anyone's looking for a nice 4K plasma, let me recommend:
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079TSV11D/?tag=narad



EDIT: oh waaaait, I was trying call out JazzHands for posting an affiliate link, but this is actually SSO tagging all amazon links with their referral ID? That's super sketchy.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

narad said:


> EDIT: oh waaaait, I was trying call out JazzHands for posting an affiliate link, but this is actually SSO tagging all amazon links with their referral ID? That's super sketchy.



Holy shit I didn't even notice that. 

I was actually debating on either posting a Sweetwater or Amazon link, but I went with Amazon because Prime is common and shit.


----------



## lewis

the Axe II in the studio sounds absolutely unreal. I think I have come to the conclusion that I want to keep my Kemper for live, and try to obtain an Axe II for home/studio use.

It sounds so siiick.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Im going by clips/recorddings alone, but i feel for high gain, the Axe has something the Kemper doesn't have. I find the Kemper has a slighr edge for more vintage crunch sounds, but for high gain the Axes cant be beat. 

Also throwing this out there for another expression pedal. I found out you can mod an old potentiometer style wah pedal like a Crybaby and convert it to an expression. Literally all you need is a trs stereo jack. 

It took some fiddling with the wire placement, but i did it last night with an old dead crybaby I had and it works a treat. Now i have an expression pedal for wahs that I'm more familiar with.


----------



## Shask

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Im going by clips/recorddings alone, but i feel for high gain, the Axe has something the Kemper doesn't have. I find the Kemper has a slighr edge for more vintage crunch sounds, but for high gain the Axes cant be beat.
> 
> Also throwing this out there for another expression pedal. I found out you can mod an old potentiometer style wah pedal like a Crybaby and convert it to an expression. Literally all you need is a trs stereo jack.
> 
> It took some fiddling with the wire placement, but i did it last night with an old dead crybaby I had and it works a treat. Now i have an expression pedal for wahs that I'm more familiar with.


Pretty much any 10K "pot in a box" with a stereo 1/4" jack will work.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Shask said:


> Pretty much any 10K "pot in a box" with a stereo 1/4" jack will work.



My crybaby has a 100k but it still works fine. An old dead crybaby works imo because all you need is the stereo jack and a soldering iron. Just gut it out and connect the right posts on the pot to the stereo jack and you're golden. Heck you can also use a TRS jack and hard wire it to the pot if you wanna go that route.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Shask said:


> Pretty much any 10K "pot in a box" with a stereo 1/4" jack will work.



My crybaby has a 100k but it still works fine. An old dead crybaby works imo because all you need is the stereo jack and a soldering iron. Just gut it out and connect the right posts on the pot to the stereo jack and you're golden. Heck you can also use a TRS jack and hard wire it to the pot if you wanna go that route.


----------



## Andromalia

Still nothing from G66 and I registered on day one. 
How long can this go on ?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Andromalia said:


> Still nothing from G66 and I registered on day one.
> How long can this go on ?



Hey, at least you were registered. I sent in an email and was one character off apparently so I never got registered until last month when I sent a new email after realizing I never got a confirmation back from the first.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

They are quoting June now and will send out an email soon about the delay and price. It took months for us to get the II in the EU so I imagine it will be the same this time.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Thoughts on this?

$20 - Nektar Technology Universal Expression Pedal NX-P
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...gy_nx_p_expression_pedal_with_switchable.html


----------



## ICSvortex

Short little question:

Has anyone on here tried the Tech21 Midi Moose with the axe ultra? 
Seems like that would be a nice controller for live and you can get the midi moose for <80$
But i guess it should work anyway or am i wrong here?


----------



## Elric

ICSvortex said:


> Short little question:
> 
> Has anyone on here tried the Tech21 Midi Moose with the axe ultra?
> Seems like that would be a nice controller for live and you can get the midi moose for <80$
> But i guess it should work anyway or am i wrong here?


Shouldn't have any issues. It just issues simple MIDI program change commands which the Axe recognizes.


----------



## lewis

ok scrap my initial plan.
Im now talking to g66 about buying an AX8 instead. Using THAT for live/band practices etc and keep the Kemper for home/studio use.

the price difference between the Ax8 and the Axe II is massive. Am i wise to go for the Ax8 instead and save huge money?
(also my bands other guitarist has the II XL already so between us we are covering bases)

also, long term we were thinking of doing backing track midi amp switching on the units. Is the Axe 8 rack mountable (on say a rack drawer?) and to be used in this way?
I know that then negates having a floor controller version of it, but I dont really care. I just want the Axe FX amp/effects sounds for as cheap as possible. And it being this portable is a massive plus.


----------



## laxu

lewis said:


> ok scrap my initial plan.
> Im now talking to g66 about buying an AX8 instead. Using THAT for live/band practices etc and keep the Kemper for home/studio use.
> 
> the price difference between the Ax8 and the Axe II is massive. Am i wise to go for the Ax8 instead and save huge money?
> (also my bands other guitarist has the II XL already so between us we are covering bases)
> 
> also, long term we were thinking of doing backing track midi amp switching on the units. Is the Axe 8 rack mountable (on say a rack drawer?) and to be used in this way?
> I know that then negates having a floor controller version of it, but I dont really care. I just want the Axe FX amp/effects sounds for as cheap as possible. And it being this portable is a massive plus.



Buy the Axe-Fx 2 used. A fair number of people want to upgrade to the 3 so the 2 can be had for reasonable money, seen them go for around 1500-1800€. XL/XL+ being at the higher end and the MK I/II being cheaper. They sound the same, the XL mainly has more preset and user cab slots. XL may have better long-term support due to more firmware space but at this point it's unknown if and when Fractal will do any new firmwares for the 2.

IMO the only thing the AX8 has going for it over the 2 is slightly better quick editing on the unit. It can't handle as many fx, can't do dual amp sim setups and that Shift button thing for some common functions is just plain bad user interface design.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

laxu said:


> at this point it's unknown if and when Fractal will do any new firmwares for the 2.



I think there was one like two days ago - It added some of the III’s modeling and a JCM 800 2204.


----------



## laxu

Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> I think there was one like two days ago - It added some of the III’s modeling and a JCM 800 2204.



Yes there was and a great update it was too! But overall the future of the 2 is pretty open - will Fractal keep making updates for it. It's a great sounding unit as is of course but part of the Fractal appeal is continuous improvement.


----------



## Shask

Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> I think there was one like two days ago - It added some of the III’s modeling and a JCM 800 2204.


Yes, 10.01 sounds amazing! It is probably the best it has ever sounded. However, I would surprised if there are many more updates to follow. I can maybe see one final update, but I don't expect too much more.


----------



## lewis

only thing I would say about the used Axe II (which i did want to do originally) is lack of warranty.
I love feeling safer when buying something high end is all.

£1200 with 3 years warranty seems way more up my alley for that peace of mind.
Also, Im a real simple guy. I dont need dual amps, I dont use 3 reverbs or anything.

I literally need a 1 amp high gain rhythm tone, a 1 amp high gain solo tone with 1 reverb and 1 delay, an intentionally "shit" sounding tone, and a clean tone with compression, chorus, reverb and delay.

thats it.
Just getting access to the Axe II amps, cabs, and effects for as cheap as possible seems a winner.
PLUS... we are close to being added to a show next year in Portugal so Im thinking for fly dates, taking an Ax8 on the plane with me as carry on luggage seems so convenient.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Okay so I have this weird question about weird settings. 

So I wanna try and emulate an old talkbox, and I got really close. I have the Formant block at the very end of the chain. Only problem is that it sounds too dark, and I know it's the cab block. Because when I disable the cab and mess with it, it sounds spot on.

So I'm kinda curious if there's a way to set the auto-engage to where the cab block turns off when the Formant block is auto-engaged on?

TLDR: Is it possible to have an auto-_dis_engage of sorts?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Okay so I have this weird question about weird settings.
> 
> So I wanna try and emulate an old talkbox, and I got really close. I have the Formant block at the very end of the chain. Only problem is that it sounds too dark, and I know it's the cab block. Because when I disable the cab and mess with it, it sounds spot on.
> 
> So I'm kinda curious if there's a way to set the auto-engage to where the cab block turns off when the Formant block is auto-engaged on?
> 
> TLDR: Is it possible to have an auto-_dis_engage of sorts?



You're going to need to use a scene or have alternate tracks and use the mixer for X/Y where it outputs by using left and right channels going


----------



## lewis

Im methodically planning my Ax8 rig so I have a complete plan in place for when it arrives. I already own the massive pedaltrain board (forget the models).

Anyone know what the cheapest compatible expression pedal is that will work with the Ax8?
Literally just for divebomb effects.


----------



## Elric

lewis said:


> Im methodically planning my Ax8 rig so I have a complete plan in place for when it arrives. I already own the massive pedaltrain board (forget the models).
> 
> Anyone know what the cheapest compatible expression pedal is that will work with the Ax8?
> Literally just for divebomb effects.


M-Audio’s EXP pedal works, it is like $22 on Amazon.


----------



## Shask

lewis said:


> Im methodically planning my Ax8 rig so I have a complete plan in place for when it arrives. I already own the massive pedaltrain board (forget the models).
> 
> Anyone know what the cheapest compatible expression pedal is that will work with the Ax8?
> Literally just for divebomb effects.


I use a Roland EV-5 with my Axe II that can be found cheap.


----------



## lewis

will check em both out. Thanks guys!!!


----------



## mnemonic

I’ve pretty much never messed with effects beyond boost pedals, I guess all these years I’ve been missing out. After seeing this video and downloading the Devin Townsend patches:



I’ve been having a hell of a lot of fun messing around with delay and reverb. Especially fun on leads. Here I was, playing dry all these years.

I guess part of it comes down to not really knowing what I’m doing with the settings in reverb and delays. I just copied the ones out of those patches into my own (and reduced the mix a lot).

Those patches themselves are also super good sounding, and I rarely have any luck with other people’s patches.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> I’ve pretty much never messed with effects beyond boost pedals, I guess all these years I’ve been missing out. After seeing this video and downloading the Devin Townsend patches:
> 
> 
> 
> I’ve been having a hell of a lot of fun messing around with delay and reverb. Especially fun on leads. Here I was, playing dry all these years.
> 
> I guess part of it comes down to not really knowing what I’m doing with the settings in reverb and delays. I just copied the ones out of those patches into my own (and reduced the mix a lot).
> 
> Those patches themselves are also super good sounding, and I rarely have any luck with other people’s patches.



Cool video. I need to try that also.

I have always been the same. I mostly play with a dry distorted tone, but I have been playing around with delay and chorus lately. I have played a little bit with reverb, but not quite as much. I like how he uses it to sound more huge in this video, but yet it doesn't really stand out as an effect either.


----------



## mnemonic

Is anyone using the Behringer FCB1010 with their axe fx? Can it be set up to switch patches, and toggle scenes, or toggle individual effects on or off? 

Or are there any other affordable midi controllers I should look into?


----------



## laxu

mnemonic said:


> Is anyone using the Behringer FCB1010 with their axe fx? Can it be set up to switch patches, and toggle scenes, or toggle individual effects on or off?



Yes to all of those. You do need the Eureka ROM or UnO chip for that though but they don't cost much and are easy to install yourself as the ROM chip is socketed.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Is anyone using the Behringer FCB1010 with their axe fx? Can it be set up to switch patches, and toggle scenes, or toggle individual effects on or off?
> 
> Or are there any other affordable midi controllers I should look into?


I have always considered grabbing one of the BJ Devices MIDI Controllers. They are cheaper than some (but more than Behringer), not as huge and figiity as the Behringer. They even allow people to write their own code for them. There are some threads on the Axe-FX Boards.

EDIT: And most importantly, you can use 2 MIDI cables for bidirectional communication, so it will display patch names....


----------



## mnemonic

laxu said:


> Yes to all of those. You do need the Eureka ROM or UnO chip for that though but they don't cost much and are easy to install yourself as the ROM chip is socketed.





Shask said:


> I have always considered grabbing one of the BJ Devices MIDI Controllers. They are cheaper than some (but more than Behringer), not as huge and figiity as the Behringer. They even allow people to write their own code for them. There are some threads on the Axe-FX Boards.
> 
> EDIT: And most importantly, you can use 2 MIDI cables for bidirectional communication, so it will display patch names....



Cool cheers guys. 

Looks like the FCB1010 can do bidirectional also so it at least shows the LEDs lit for what is on. 

Looks complicated though! Maybe it’s easy once you get the hang of it. 

Those BJ Devices ones look good but are all sold out on their website. I may keep an eye out for a used FCB1010 and then get one of those eprom chips. 

Forgive the noob questions since I still don’t understand anything about midi, but is this possible with the FCB1010? This would basically have me set. 




I have a bunch of patches now for various purposes, it’s in the fx loop of one amp, and I also have outputs going into a solidstate matrix amp and into a tube poweramp, so I could, for example, set patches 1 though 5 as bank 1, that could be my eq and effects patches in the fx loop of my amp. Then patches 6 through 10 could be bank 2 which are my full amp models for the matrix amp, etc. 

I remember my pod XT live back in the day was laid out basically the same as the above.


----------



## Elric

mnemonic said:


> Is anyone using the Behringer FCB1010 with their axe fx? Can it be set up to switch patches, and toggle scenes, or toggle individual effects on or off?
> 
> Or are there any other affordable midi controllers I should look into?


I just got a Yamaha MFC10 it is extremely easy to setup, no special chip required.


----------



## Ericjutsu

Shask said:


> Cool video. I need to try that also.
> 
> I have always been the same. I mostly play with a dry distorted tone, but I have been playing around with delay and chorus lately. I have played a little bit with reverb, but not quite as much. I like how he uses it to sound more huge in this video, but yet it doesn't really stand out as an effect either.


Also remember Devin Townsend utilizes a wet/dry/wet setup. I find using this approach, you can get away with using heavy effects on a distorted tone.


----------



## Shask

Ericjutsu said:


> Also remember Devin Townsend utilizes a wet/dry/wet setup. I find using this approach, you can get away with using heavy effects on a distorted tone.


I know many people used to use the W/D/W setup, but I have always wondered how much this matters with all-in-one-units like the Axe-FX, where every effect has a mix control. I know that I have played with running blocks parallel vs. series using the mix control, and it is hard for me to tell a difference.


----------



## Andromalia

C'mon G66, c'mon, you said June.


----------



## brian_ward

Considering an Ax8 or maybe and AxeFx II. Would the extra cash to get a used AxeFx II be with the cash over an Ax8? Also what’s the difference between the different revisions of the AxeFx II?


----------



## mnemonic

I’m really liking some of the more 80’s and 90’s non-metal amps lately. Like the Cornfork MK50, x99, and Bogner Fish. 

The x99 has been one of my favourites for a while now, but I just got finished playing on the Fish model (Strato channel) and with a boost it’s pretty thick and heavy, very thick mids. It gets a real Cantrell kind of vibe. 



brian_ward said:


> Considering an Ax8 or maybe and AxeFx II. Would the extra cash to get a used AxeFx II be with the cash over an Ax8? Also what’s the difference between the different revisions of the AxeFx II?



If you buy a used II you’ll preserve more of the resale value, if that’s important to you. Any time you buy something new, you’ll be taking a hit if you then later try to sell it (unless it’s something high-demand, low-supply). 

All of the Axe II models sound the same, run the same firmware, etc. However the differences as I recall are as follows:

Mark I - first axe fx II, the oldest ones at this point. 

Mark II - next model, from what I remember it was just an upgraded, quieter fan. These models are pretty much the same. 

XL - added some ‘power user’ features, some extra connections on the back I didn’t care to look more into, and a larger memory so it can store more impulse responses, and a few other things. It can fit a larger firmware file also, there was a point where a firmware upgrade was available for just the XL models and not the I/II, until cliff compressed it in another way or something. Same DSP so same sound though. 

XL+ - same as the XL, but different screen controller since the old one was discontinued. Needed a designation since it requires a change in the firmware so the screen works. 

I think that was it...


----------



## brian_ward

Double post.


----------



## brian_ward

Thanks for the information! That’s what I needed to know. If I can swing the extra funds for an AxeFx II, would I notice an appreciable difference in performance? Im not too concerned with resale value.


----------



## mnemonic

brian_ward said:


> Thanks for the information! That’s what I needed to know. If I can swing the extra funds for an AxeFx II, would I notice an appreciable difference in performance? Im not too concerned with resale value.



It depends how deep you want to go with effects and routing. 

With the AX8 you can’t record via USB, use dual amps, and you run out of CPU power faster if you want to use a lot of high quality reverbs and delays. I bought my II Mk.2 before the AX8 came out, but if I had the choice I would have went with the AX8, as I don’t use dual amps, and I wouldn’t run out of CPU as my patches are always pretty simple, just boost > amp > reverb and delay (sometimes). 

I think there are limitations on the amount of cab impulses you can use at once also, like you can have two stereo cab blocks in the axe fx, so 4 impulses at once (I think, it’s been a while since I’ve used impulses, for a long time I’ve just went poweramp > guitar cab). With the AX8 I think you’re more limited, but at the end of the day you can blend multiple impulses into a single impulse using cablab anyway, so it’s not really an issue. 

The axe fx forum may be more use for this type of question if you do intend to use a lot of effects. 

It’s the high quality reverbs and ultrares impulses that take up the most CPU. To be fair It’s hard to tell any difference between normal quality and high quality on the reverbs and impulses.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I got my Axe-Fx III purchase invitation today. I don't know if I should order it now or skip and see if there will be a holiday discount. Thoughts? I have the Axe-Fx II and I'm not sure when I'll sell it. I need both in hand for a little while in order to recreate my patches on the III.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

LeviathanKiller said:


> I got my Axe-Fx III purchase invitation today. I don't know if I should order it now or skip and see if there will be a holiday discount. Thoughts? I have the Axe-Fx II and I'm not sure when I'll sell it. I need both in hand for a little while in order to recreate my patches on the III.



If you buy now, it’s only because you want it now. I waited _years_ to buy a IIXL+ once they were priced for clearance, because it was and is inevitable in Cliff Chase’s established planned-obsolescence model.


----------



## Elric

LeviathanKiller said:


> I got my Axe-Fx III purchase invitation today. I don't know if I should order it now or skip and see if there will be a holiday discount. Thoughts? I have the Axe-Fx II and I'm not sure when I'll sell it. I need both in hand for a little while in order to recreate my patches on the III.


They've had what? A three month long and counting wait list at the current price? I personally wouldn't expect them to discount it anytime within the next 12 months or so after getting sufficient stock to just actually have it in their store (if they even manage to do that within the year  ).

You're probably looking at Holiday 2019 or later if you are waiting for a further discount beyond the current price (which is crazy cheap for how powerful that box is, IMHO).

If you don't really want it fair enough, they'll certainly have it in stock on the regular someday like they did when the II and AX8 came out... but if you have cash in hand and are just holding out for a discount I wouldn't count on one soon enough to make it worth passing on.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

Elric said:


> discount beyond the current price (which is crazy cheap for how powerful that box is, IMHO).



Compared to what?


----------



## Decapitated

LeviathanKiller said:


> I got my Axe-Fx III purchase invitation today. I don't know if I should order it now or skip and see if there will be a holiday discount. Thoughts? I have the Axe-Fx II and I'm not sure when I'll sell it. I need both in hand for a little while in order to recreate my patches on the III.



Doubtful there will be any discounts soon. I have had my III for about 3 weeks or so. I didn't have a II, but had an Ultra back in the day. Love my III, especially with Axe Edit. If you can wait until they have them in stock without a waitlist, since you have the II, that may help curb GAS, but I am glad I pulled the trigger.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Is there a time to buy in that's the best? Doing some quick estimations I'm thinking the following...

Buy the Axe-Fx III for $2500 now and sell my Axe-Fx II XL+ for $1600 (it's less than a year old). I'm out $900 for the III.
OR I wait until much later (like near the retirement of the III)
Axe-Fx III is $1800 then but my Axe-Fx II XL+ only sells for $800 around then too (what Ultras are selling for now). I'm out $1000 for the III but it's also EOL (end of life) when bought.

I'm thinking buying in as early as possible to get rid of the Axe-Fx II XL+ is maybe the best way to go?
If I was just now buying my first Fractal product, waiting would be better but I'm try to sell a Fractal unit at the same time in this situation.
Plus, I'm really needing a controller and I'm not sure the MFC-101 MKIII works with the Axe-Fx III (this the new controllers that are coming out).


----------



## mnemonic

LeviathanKiller said:


> Is there a time to buy in that's the best? Doing some quick estimations I'm thinking the following...
> 
> Buy the Axe-Fx III for $2500 now and sell my Axe-Fx II XL+ for $1600 (it's less than a year old). I'm out $900 for the III.
> OR I wait until much later (like near the retirement of the III)
> Axe-Fx III is $1800 then but my Axe-Fx II XL+ only sells for $800 around then too (what Ultras are selling for now). I'm out $1000 for the III but it's also EOL (end of life) when bought.
> 
> I'm thinking buying in as early as possible to get rid of the Axe-Fx II XL+ is maybe the best way to go?
> If I was just now buying my first Fractal product, waiting would be better but I'm try to sell a Fractal unit at the same time in this situation.
> Plus, I'm really needing a controller and I'm not sure the MFC-101 MKIII works with the Axe-Fx III (this the new controllers that are coming out).



The Axe Fx II came out in 2011 and is only just recently end of life, so if you want to wait for the III’s end of life, you might be waiting the better part of a decade.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> The Axe Fx II came out in 2011 and is only just recently end of life, so if you want to wait for the III’s end of life, you might be waiting the better part of a decade.


Exactly. The II has been going strong for 7 years or so, so I don't see the III being replaced for a LONG time. 

Who knows, processors might be obsolete by then, and we all run gigs off of an Apple watch.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

mnemonic said:


> The Axe Fx II came out in 2011 and is only just recently end of life, so if you want to wait for the III’s end of life, you might be waiting the better part of a decade.



And that's mainly due to a component being end of life, not the unit itself.

So the Axe-Fx II XL+ goes down in value over this time just because of age (albeit gradually) while the Axe-Fx III remains the same price except for random discounts, if there ever are any. So overall, I'm thinking I should buy in ASAP if part of the purchase is contingent/benefited by the sale of my current unit which is only going to go down in value the longer I wait.

Anyone think differently?


----------



## Elric

mnemonic said:


> The Axe Fx II came out in 2011 and is only just recently end of life, so if you want to wait for the III’s end of life, you might be waiting the better part of a decade.


This. Look at the specs on the III and the lifetime of the II series; which isn't even completely unsupported yet as it just had a 10.x firmware last month. These units are not likely to be replaced in any major way quickly, I would expect them to live at least as long as the II series.

So jumping in early is probably the best bang for your buck.

I got in fairly late on the Ultras and regretted it. Fairly early on the IIs (MkII; did not regret that for a moment) and am going in even earlier on the III.

There is a decent chance the III will be my last AxeFx... not because I am not sold on Fractal but I am just not getting any younger and the II is stupid powerful already. So the stopping point on the III should be pretty mind blowing.


----------



## laxu

LeviathanKiller said:


> Is there a time to buy in that's the best? Doing some quick estimations I'm thinking the following...
> 
> Buy the Axe-Fx III for $2500 now and sell my Axe-Fx II XL+ for $1600 (it's less than a year old). I'm out $900 for the III.
> OR I wait until much later (like near the retirement of the III)
> Axe-Fx III is $1800 then but my Axe-Fx II XL+ only sells for $800 around then too (what Ultras are selling for now). I'm out $1000 for the III but it's also EOL (end of life) when bought.
> 
> I'm thinking buying in as early as possible to get rid of the Axe-Fx II XL+ is maybe the best way to go?
> If I was just now buying my first Fractal product, waiting would be better but I'm try to sell a Fractal unit at the same time in this situation.
> Plus, I'm really needing a controller and I'm not sure the MFC-101 MKIII works with the Axe-Fx III (this the new controllers that are coming out).



You could wait until any used IIIs end up on the market. Other than that, the only product you could wait for reasonably is a successor to the AX8 and that is most likely a few years off at least.

To me this is not a great time to hop onto the Axe-Fx III train. The foot controllers are not yet available and there seem to be bugs to fix in the firmware and it doesn't sound much different from the II. A year later it might so I would just stick with the 2 unless you want the improved front panel user interface or are a power user who needs all the stuff the 3 can do.

I've got an Axe-Fx 2 MK I that is still going strong and all the firmware updates over the years have been great but this time around we are talking much more diminishing returns soundwise unless Fractal manages to up the ante in a way that we don't know yet. I bought mine used around 1 year after its release, was a Axe-Fx Standard owner until then because the 2 did not sound much different at the time.

MFC-101 does not work with the Axe-Fx 3 at the moment at least except as a basic MIDI controller. It remains to be seen if Fractal manages to support it somehow but so far it seems they are going for their proprietary controller.


----------



## Shask

This is hard for me. I LOVE my Axe II Mark II. I have had it for about 5 years, and had an Axe Standard before it. It sounds amazing, does anything you could want, and I think I use maybe 10% of what it can do. The Axe III looks amazing, but the II is overkill, so the III is complete overkill for me. I find it hard to see why most people would need that powerful of a unit if they are not someone like Devin Townsend who is a professional studio and touring musician. I can see using my Axe II for many years. My only concern is the software going obsolete in the future.

I think the next Fractal product I will look at is the AX8-II, or whatever it will be called. I would have seriously considered the AX8 if it were available when I bought. I usually dont like floor units as well as rack, but a 3 unit monster rack is kind of pushing it into absurdity in the other direction.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Bought the Axe-Fx III today. Already on the waitlist for the foot controller. I need to convert all of my existing presets ASAP and then sell the II XL+ whenever I can instead of holding on to an EOL product whose value is just going to diminish. The Axe-Fx II XL+ is fantastic, don't get me wrong. There's nothing wrong with the sound imo and I'm perfectly happy with the tone. There's not much of a reason for me to upgrade but considering I was about to invest in a foot controller for the old unit, I might as well start with a clean slate by getting a product with a just-beginning lifespan. I have complaints about the II and I'm hoping they're ones that get addressed in the II (some have already even).


----------



## Decapitated

Shask said:


> This is hard for me. I LOVE my Axe II Mark II. I have had it for about 5 years, and had an Axe Standard before it. It sounds amazing, does anything you could want, and I think I use maybe 10% of what it can do. The Axe III looks amazing, but the II is overkill, so the III is complete overkill for me. I find it hard to see why most people would need that powerful of a unit if they are not someone like Devin Townsend who is a professional studio and touring musician. I can see using my Axe II for many years. My only concern is the software going obsolete in the future.
> 
> I think the next Fractal product I will look at is the AX8-II, or whatever it will be called. I would have seriously considered the AX8 if it were available when I bought. I usually dont like floor units as well as rack, but a 3 unit monster rack is kind of pushing it into absurdity in the other direction.



I completely agree. The III is completely absurd, especially for a lowly bedroom player like me. With that being said, I love it, even if I never even come close to scratching the surface of what it can do. Oh, and it sounds marvelous.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

Shask said:


> I find it hard to see why most people would need that powerful of a unit if they are not someone like Devin Townsend who is a professional studio and touring musician.



Well...This is a gearwhore site for young men who believe you can buy your way out of how you sound. Compare the threads about new dust-collectors to the number of lesson/theory threads, or even posts to do with people playing guitar - then set your expectations accordingly.

Anyway, rack-mounted overkill is what Cliff Chase is known for selling; so he’s going to work that corner up until the Axe FX that flips pancakes and rubs your balls moves fewer units than the last. Then the trajectory will change. But for now, we can expect the III XL to have a Big Gulp holder.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> Well...This is a gearwhore site for young men who believe you can buy your way out of how you sound. Compare the threads about new dust-collectors to the number of lesson/theory threads, or even posts to do with people playing guitar - then set your expectations accordingly.
> 
> Anyway, rack-mounted overkill is what Cliff Chase is known for selling; so he’s going to work that corner up until the Axe FX that flips pancakes and rubs your balls moves fewer units than the last. Then the trajectory will change. But for now, we can expect the III XL to have a Big Gulp holder.



Not just that but I love tech stuff too. I play a wide variety of stuff and I jump around with amp sounds. Axe-Fx was a no brainer. I can't settle with just a single amp and cab. Honestly, no piece of gear has made me so happy, inspired, and satisfied like the Axe-Fx has. My playing ability exploded once I got that and the Kemper. Things ALWAYS sound the way I want them to sound.


----------



## Andromalia

Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> Well...This is a gearwhore site for young men who believe you can buy your way out of how you sound. Compare the threads about new dust-collectors to the number of lesson/theory threads, or even posts to do with people playing guitar - then set your expectations accordingly.
> 
> Anyway, rack-mounted overkill is what Cliff Chase is known for selling; so he’s going to work that corner up until the Axe FX that flips pancakes and rubs your balls moves fewer units than the last. Then the trajectory will change. But for now, we can expect the III XL to have a Big Gulp holder.



Dude, the salt business is overflowing already. If you can't use an axe fx doesn't mean everybody is like you. (Thankfully)


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

Andromalia said:


> Dude, the salt business is overflowing already. If you can't use an axe fx doesn't mean everybody is like you. (Thankfully)



Please forgive both my inferred ineptitude and attempt to bring everyone down to my level of ineptitude.

I enjoy the IIXL+, seem to navigate its DEPs competently, and will likely pick up a III down the line. It’s a lovely, lovely toy.

However, my personal investment doesn’t extend past the purchase cost of the unit.

Somehow or another, I ended up not feeling obligated to pretend the toy isn’t _also_ just a fashion statement for unimaginative bedroom guitarists who only know to legitimize what, at the end of the day, is a consumer identity by buying Misha-approved gear at a cost of several thousand dollars, for the sake of loading a Misha-uploaded AxeChange patch duplicating $1200 in gear, to be proudly displayed in the background of youtube playthrough videos consisting of the original song audio only, in the hope that those unacquainted with such common youtube shenanigans will comment “Nailed it, bro. Totally nailed it. Hey can you share your patch?”

For many, that is the end-game goal/prestige of buying a unit - And most of them, realistically, won’t even achieve that.

Again: The mere state of having bought and enjoyed the toy does not oblige me to pretend that the above demographic doesn’t exist. No salt needed to describe its abundance. I made up my mind about this principle all the way back when I made my Transformers fuck each other.


----------



## mnemonic

I mean, there are probably tons of people on the axe fx forum who don’t know who misha is. 

I bought my axe fx II years ago since it fulfilled my requirements (can be used silently, small, flexible, didn’t require much outboard gear). I bought it because I wanted guitar tones I enjoyed, not because I wanted to be like someone else or have a fashionable unit. 

It’s way more flexible than I need and has plenty of features I’ve never tried but at the end of the day the required DSP to run one amp model doesn’t change, whether there are 2 amp models to choose from or 200. I would have bought the AX8 if it were around when I got my Axe Fx II, since it’s cheaper and doesn’t have the features I don’t use. And misha doesn’t even use one of those. 

Maybe you originally bought your axe fx for the wrong reasons, or maybe you’re just disillusioned from years of posting on gear forums. This is a gear forum so of course consumerism is taking the front seat here. Go post on a fashion forum if you really want to overdose on people spending real money for internet validation.

Are there posters on this forum that care more about forum hype than anything else? Sure, I could name a couple. But I don’t see it rampant here like it is on YouTube or something. I don’t even remember much surrounding the axe fx iii on this forum, apart from some people getting salty that their axe fx ii isn’t the latest and greatest anymore. 




Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> snip.


----------



## Andromalia

I dunno, your recent statements about "planned obsolescence" etc seem to indicate you do have a peeve against Fractal for some reason. I wish all "planned obsolescence" products actualy still worked after 7 years like my 1st gen axe II does.
That, and the fact that you are trying to belittle fractal customers, does show some insane levels of salt whether you acknowledge it or not.

Besides, Misha is far from the best known and famous axe owners and users. I mean, Petrucci and Metallica ?


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

I admit, it’s possible that both the planned obselescence model of consumer electronics or the demographic typical of consumer electronics-lifestyles I described don’t exist - Or at least don’t apply to this product. As far as ad hominems go, I’d rather be salt than pepper.



mnemonic said:


> Go post on a fashion forum if you really want to overdose on people spending real money for internet validation.



How far would one need to travel from sevenstring.org to find a place like that?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I don't feel like it's done out of spite. They continue improving something they've poured a lot of work into so that they can make it better where they see the potential for it to be AND to also avoid being outpaced by someone else. That's business survival. It also makes sense then that they wouldn't keep producing the old unit and that they would eventually stop devoting hours to maintain it when they could be spent on better maintaining the newer one. To me this is just following good development practice.



Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> Somehow or another, I ended up not feeling obligated to pretend the toy isn’t _also_ just a fashion statement for unimaginative bedroom guitarists


I agree this demographic DOES exist but at least it's not all Fractal users (or even the majority imo)


----------



## Decapitated

I just really like to make chug chug and pinch harmonics sounds in my Madison Square bedroom. I just happen to be lucky enough to be able to afford toys such as the III. I’m a simple man whose bank account far exceeds his playing abilities.


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

Here, here!


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Decapitated said:


> I just really like to make chug chug and pinch harmonics sounds in my Madison Square bedroom. I just happen to be lucky enough to be able to afford toys such as the III. I’m a simple man whose bank account far exceeds his playing abilities.



I think I live near you. I heard chug chugs and pinches right around the time of that post...


----------



## lewstherin006

Since I know this is going to get asked or has already been asked.


----------



## Decapitated

LeviathanKiller said:


> I think I live near you. I heard chug chugs and pinches right around the time of that post...



Guilty!


----------



## Quitty

So i pulled the trigger on an XFX-2 from G66 today.
I've been a Kemper user for ~7 years now (fuck, i'm old) and i intend to give the XFX a run for its money in the coming month and decide if i'm keeping it.

Where do i start? Is there an Axe-FX II equivalent for Sonic Drive's excellent "creating a first preset" video?
Is there a central repo with best practices for the amps?

Please help me make the most of this month...


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Quitty said:


> So i pulled the trigger on an XFX-2 from G66 today.
> I've been a Kemper user for ~7 years now (fuck, i'm old) and i intend to give the XFX a run for its money in the coming month and decide if i'm keeping it.
> 
> Where do i start? Is there an Axe-FX II equivalent for Sonic Drive's excellent "creating a first preset" video?
> Is there a central repo with best practices for the amps?
> 
> Please help me make the most of this month...



This video with the III applies to the II as well. There's not really much of a difference just yet


Here's videos specific to the II though


----------



## Decapitated

This is for the AX8 but helpful nonetheless, IMO.


----------



## lewstherin006

Also, Leon Todd's youtube channel has tones of great videos on how to build patches and to dial in certain amps.


----------



## Quitty

Awesome!
The balancing thing between low and high strings is mighty weird to me, but worth a shot.
Thank you, guys. I read a bunch, got some samples from Sinmix and found yek's guide. I think i'm good. XFX should be coming tomorrow.

I'm thinking of documenting my journey for the next poor asshole who has to do this...


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Okay, so I have this rig idea planned out, so I'm trying to see if it's possible. 

Is it possible to use the 4CM (7CM?) on a dual-amp setup with the AX8?


----------



## Decapitated

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Okay, so I have this rig idea planned out, so I'm trying to see if it's possible.
> 
> Is it possible to use the 4CM (7CM?) on a dual-amp setup with the AX8?





Not sure if this helps, but worth a watch.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

The "Stereoizer" Enhancer type that just got added to the Axe-Fx III is killer guys. I'm sure it has uses for being apart of the actual tone of a preset but for me it's REALLY GOOD for playing with headphones. It gives you more "distance from the amp in the room". I can't really describe it that well sadly. I might record a comparison clip late tonight or some time tomorrow to let you guys test on headphones. It gives me a big smile whenever I kick that on when needed. Helps prevent that quickened set-in of ear fatigue you get from headphone use.

Anyone switching from older FAS units, FracTool (that preset converter) is good-to-go. I successfully converted all of my Axe-Fx II XL+ banks last night and loaded them onto the III. 



Some hings I've noticed so far on the Axe-Fx III:

Editing is SOOOO much easier on the unit now
Scene volumes were taken away in the III but I believe Cliff is about to add those back by putting Scene volumes in the Output block. (Output block replaced the FX Loop btw)
Tuner seems much better and it's nice to have the mini-tuner on main screens.
Everything loads faster when switching presets and scenes compared to the II XL+.
Input boost was added to the Amp block. A lot of people could probably get away without a drive block now if they just need a basic metal tightening boost. It lets you choose from a few drive types (some are the same as what's available in the Drive block itself) but there's no parameter tweaking.

For anyone getting a III, some things Axe-Edit still lacks (as of this post, probably will be fixed soon though):

Can't copy a channel to the clipboard yet to paste in another bock of the same type. Really need this feature for finalizing the preset upgrading
Cab manager isn't implemented just yet
Those row rearrangement slides aren't in yet either


----------



## Decapitated

Yeah...the III is just plain awesomeness. Sounds so good.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Decapitated said:


> Not sure if this helps, but worth a watch.




Yup, exactly what I'm looking for.


----------



## mnemonic

Further to some conversation in another thread about the Recto models the other day I decided to give them another shot. Also Leon Todd did a pretty good video on the rectos the other day also. I spent some time tweaking a patch but when I fired up my real recto, it didn’t really hold a candle to it. 

Spending 5 minutes tweaking the Das Metal model and it was way heavier and more saturated than I could get out of the recto model. More comparable to the real thing also, at least for the sound I’m after. 

It seems the recto models are fine for mid gain, rock, and standard tuning stuff but since I tune to A, it just doesn’t seem to work as good as the real thing. At least there are plenty of other amp models that do. 

Unrelated but I’m also glad my Mark IIC++ patch also holds up well compared to real amps. I have a tendency to get a good tone, then tweak it until it’s overly processed and weak sounding. Nice to have a reality check to real amps. 

I think the number-one difference is usually in the high end, the axe fx tends to sound more polished and smoother in the high end, where comparing it to a real tube amp, there is more fizz and treble or something. But that additional high end really makes the sound more raw and aggressive and open. It’s also very easy to add low pass filters in an attempt to address fizz, and end up neutering the clarity. 

I’ve found I tend to boost highs in the graphic eq in the amp block, or with a PEQ after the amp, and this seems to take care of it.


----------



## laxu

mnemonic said:


> Further to some conversation in another thread about the Recto models the other day I decided to give them another shot. Also Leon Todd did a pretty good video on the rectos the other day also. I spent some time tweaking a patch but when I fired up my real recto, it didn’t really hold a candle to it.
> 
> Spending 5 minutes tweaking the Das Metal model and it was way heavier and more saturated than I could get out of the recto model. More comparable to the real thing also, at least for the sound I’m after.
> 
> It seems the recto models are fine for mid gain, rock, and standard tuning stuff but since I tune to A, it just doesn’t seem to work as good as the real thing. At least there are plenty of other amp models that do.
> 
> Unrelated but I’m also glad my Mark IIC++ patch also holds up well compared to real amps. I have a tendency to get a good tone, then tweak it until it’s overly processed and weak sounding. Nice to have a reality check to real amps.
> 
> I think the number-one difference is usually in the high end, the axe fx tends to sound more polished and smoother in the high end, where comparing it to a real tube amp, there is more fizz and treble or something. But that additional high end really makes the sound more raw and aggressive and open. It’s also very easy to add low pass filters in an attempt to address fizz, and end up neutering the clarity.
> 
> I’ve found I tend to boost highs in the graphic eq in the amp block, or with a PEQ after the amp, and this seems to take care of it.



Are you comparing Axe-Fx to your Recto through the same speakers? Also note that most Axe-Fx models are default to have the master at a sweet spot setting (around 4 for most high gain models) which on the real amp would usually be way loud. Knob positions are also not 100% exact as those vary on the real amps as well due to component tolerances. Not to mention considering all the Recto models available it seems they can vary quite a bit based on year and model. I can't vouch for their authenticity as I dislike the Recto sound so I never use those models.

The Das Metal model is a Diezel VH4 built based on a schematic whereas the other Diezel models are based on an actual amp and thus sound different.

I think overall trying to do "does this sound exactly like real amp X" is not useful when the proper question is "does this sound and feel good to me". With all the options available it's pretty easy to start to over-tweak to get all the warts out of your sound.


----------



## mnemonic

laxu said:


> Are you comparing Axe-Fx to your Recto through the same speakers? Also note that most Axe-Fx models are default to have the master at a sweet spot setting (around 4 for most high gain models) which on the real amp would usually be way loud. Knob positions are also not 100% exact as those vary on the real amps as well due to component tolerances. Not to mention considering all the Recto models available it seems they can vary quite a bit based on year and model. I can't vouch for their authenticity as I dislike the Recto sound so I never use those models.
> 
> The Das Metal model is a Diezel VH4 built based on a schematic whereas the other Diezel models are based on an actual amp and thus sound different.
> 
> I think overall trying to do "does this sound exactly like real amp X" is not useful when the proper question is "does this sound and feel good to me". With all the options available it's pretty easy to start to over-tweak to get all the warts out of your sound.



Yeah I try to focus more on ‘does this sound good to me’ and it’s not that the recto models don’t sound like my personal recto, it’s that they don’t sound as good. If they sounded as good but different, I wouldn’t really care so much about that.

What sounds good to me (at least at the moment) is the Mark IIC++, Das Metal, and X99 models, those are my current favourites. Not hard to get great tones that keep up with real amps, without needing to deep-dive into advanced parameters. 

I did change the master, I had it at like 1.5 I think, from memory things get noticeably flubby over 2.

I was also playing it though the same speakers, yes. Recto > Zilla 2x12, and axe fx > matrix > Zilla 2x12.

I said it before but running the recto2 preamp into my recto (3 channel) sounds great, and pretty much the same. In fact it can easily sound better as it’s much more tweakable. It’s just the recto power amp models that I just don’t get along with.

I know about the Das Metal, it doesn’t really sound like a Diezel to me, that might be why I like it. I’m not a big fan of the other Diezel models, nor of really any real Diezel clips I’ve heard. I’ve never had a chance to actually play a real one though.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Further to some conversation in another thread about the Recto models the other day I decided to give them another shot. Also Leon Todd did a pretty good video on the rectos the other day also. I spent some time tweaking a patch but when I fired up my real recto, it didn’t really hold a candle to it.
> 
> Spending 5 minutes tweaking the Das Metal model and it was way heavier and more saturated than I could get out of the recto model. More comparable to the real thing also, at least for the sound I’m after.
> 
> It seems the recto models are fine for mid gain, rock, and standard tuning stuff but since I tune to A, it just doesn’t seem to work as good as the real thing. At least there are plenty of other amp models that do.
> 
> Unrelated but I’m also glad my Mark IIC++ patch also holds up well compared to real amps. I have a tendency to get a good tone, then tweak it until it’s overly processed and weak sounding. Nice to have a reality check to real amps.
> 
> I think the number-one difference is usually in the high end, the axe fx tends to sound more polished and smoother in the high end, where comparing it to a real tube amp, there is more fizz and treble or something. But that additional high end really makes the sound more raw and aggressive and open. It’s also very easy to add low pass filters in an attempt to address fizz, and end up neutering the clarity.
> 
> I’ve found I tend to boost highs in the graphic eq in the amp block, or with a PEQ after the amp, and this seems to take care of it.


I always find a bigger difference in the low end. Something about the natural depth and chunk a Recto has doesn't translate to models well. It is that resonance ss/tube thing we have talked about.

I agree there is something funky with the poweramp modeling. You can tell it is funky since the default setting of the negative feedback control is "0.1" to trick the software to use the modeling, but not have much effect.

One of my favorite tricks for the aggression in the highs is to turn up the "dynamics" control in the amp block to about 2 oclock. That seems to add some of the harsh upper mids/treble that is more common in other modelers. Also, turn down "Transformer Match" to about 10-11 oclock can help with this a little also. I also will sometimes boost around 2k in the amp block graphic EQ to add a little more something there. I also usually massively cut 500hz because everything is too middy otherwise, on pretty much any amp model.

I seem to have the most luck with the 5153 Red model. That one is pretty good. I also mess with the other PV 5150 amp models sometimes. FAS Modern III is good also. I have played with the Solo SLO more since our Jet City conversations, and got some good stuff out of it also. I also like the HBEs, and Angle Severe for tighter tones. I play with others, like the D60, Uber, Cameron, Mark models, etc... but I never seem to stick with them as long.


----------



## Shask

laxu said:


> Are you comparing Axe-Fx to your Recto through the same speakers? Also note that most Axe-Fx models are default to have the master at a sweet spot setting (around 4 for most high gain models) which on the real amp would usually be way loud. Knob positions are also not 100% exact as those vary on the real amps as well due to component tolerances. Not to mention considering all the Recto models available it seems they can vary quite a bit based on year and model. I can't vouch for their authenticity as I dislike the Recto sound so I never use those models.
> 
> The Das Metal model is a Diezel VH4 built based on a schematic whereas the other Diezel models are based on an actual amp and thus sound different.
> 
> I think overall trying to do "does this sound exactly like real amp X" is not useful when the proper question is "does this sound and feel good to me". With all the options available it's pretty easy to start to over-tweak to get all the warts out of your sound.


I think I find the Master to be best at about 2 on most high gain sounds... however, then you start running into having no dynamics. It is kind of annoying..... Upping the Master definitely seems to bring in this middy, cardboard, gritty, thuddy type of sound that is just not good.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Yeah I try to focus more on ‘does this sound good to me’ and it’s not that the recto models don’t sound like my personal recto, it’s that they don’t sound as good. If they sounded as good but different, I wouldn’t really care so much about that.
> 
> What sounds good to me (at least at the moment) is the Mark IIC++, Das Metal, and X99 models, those are my current favourites. Not hard to get great tones that keep up with real amps, without needing to deep-dive into advanced parameters.
> 
> I did change the master, I had it at like 1.5 I think, from memory things get noticeably flubby over 2.
> 
> I was also playing it though the same speakers, yes. Recto > Zilla 2x12, and axe fx > matrix > Zilla 2x12.
> 
> I said it before but running the recto2 preamp into my recto (3 channel) sounds great, and pretty much the same. In fact it can easily sound better as it’s much more tweakable. It’s just the recto power amp models that I just don’t get along with.
> 
> I know about the Das Metal, it doesn’t really sound like a Diezel to me, that might be why I like it. I’m not a big fan of the other Diezel models, nor of really any real Diezel clips I’ve heard. I’ve never had a chance to actually play a real one though.



I have never been a fan of Diezel models either. They always have some tubby, rubberband low end / low mid thing going on I dont like. Was the same on the Line 6 models. However, I got to play a real Herbert a few months ago, and that amp was pretty killer for the low volume, 30 minutes I got to spend with it. I have been playing with the model since, using a Parametric EQ to model the Mid Cut feature. I have gotten some interesting tones out of this also. I also did the same with a real Uber I got to check out, but I have not had as much luck with the model.

I dunno, overall, I always find the Axe to sound a million times better with some type of mid cut notch somewhere between 400hz and 600hz. I don't know if it is my setup or whatever, but -8db at 500hz just always makes the whole thing sound 1000x better.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I always find a bigger difference in the low end. Something about the natural depth and chunk a Recto has doesn't translate to models well. It is that resonance ss/tube thing we have talked about.



Regarding the recto models, I agree. Though for a while now I haven't really had a problem with the low end of many of the other models. I can get a decent deep low end chunky tone out of the Das Metal, IIC++, etc. 

The treble / dark sounding comment was more to do with just all models in general. For a while I thought it might be my poweramp, but its held true with three solidstate poweramps I've used. Not my cabs, since my tube amps don't sound 'smooth' on the top end through them. Maybe next time I feel like it needs some more of that raw treble sound, I'll try the Dynamics control. 

Thats less of a complaint and more just an observation, since its easy to deal with, either a slight treble bump in the amp GEQ, or just stick a PEQ at the end of the chain with a slight high shelf. 



> I agree there is something funky with the poweramp modeling. You can tell it is funky since the default setting of the negative feedback control is "0.1" to trick the software to use the modeling, but not have much effect.
> 
> One of my favorite tricks for the aggression in the highs is to turn up the "dynamics" control in the amp block to about 2 oclock. That seems to add some of the harsh upper mids/treble that is more common in other modelers. Also, turn down "Transformer Match" to about 10-11 oclock can help with this a little also. I also will sometimes boost around 2k in the amp block graphic EQ to add a little more something there. I also usually massively cut 500hz because everything is too middy otherwise, on pretty much any amp model.
> 
> I seem to have the most luck with the 5153 Red model. That one is pretty good. I also mess with the other PV 5150 amp models sometimes. FAS Modern III is good also. I have played with the Solo SLO more since our Jet City conversations, and got some good stuff out of it also. I also like the HBEs, and Angle Severe for tighter tones. I play with others, like the D60, Uber, Cameron, Mark models, etc... but I never seem to stick with them as long.



Good info, I gave some of these tips a try earlier, it definitely gets the recto model sounding tighter and thicker, but it still gets into that 'overly processed' range for me easy. Also I'm kinda averse to going too deep into the advanced settings nowadays, seeing as its not necessary with so many other models, it just feels like wasting time trying to make one model work when some other one is just better suited from the get-go. 

I remember not liking the recto models when I first got the unit, then they were updated at some point and they sounded awesome, then over the course of several more updates, they lost something that made them really metal and 'pissed off' sounding. I'd try and track back which firmware I was using at the time and reload it, but I don't think I care enough.


----------



## Thrashman

The low end doesn't translate well as for the recto models IMO because you need a proper cab or FRFR speaker at loud volumes for the models to come alive just like the real deal. I never liked the recto models through headphones or smaller monitors because they can't produce the frequencies properly.. YMMV of course!


----------



## lewis

anyone want to have fun?

Mention liking an Axe Fx on the Kemper FB group...

GOOD GOD!!!

Ive been chased off this planet witch burning torches and pitchforks


----------



## Quitty

lewis said:


> ...Ive been chased off this planet witch burning torches and pitchforks


That's weird. They're normally a very friendly community, and i've been there longer than i'd like to admit.
Link? I'm curious.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Quitty said:


> That's weird. They're normally a very friendly community, and i've been there longer than i'd like to admit.
> Link? I'm curious.



That does seem odd. One guy got his Kemper stolen and someone had recommended buying an AX8 even and the comment was liked by a few others I think.


----------



## lewis

LeviathanKiller said:


> That does seem odd. One guy got his Kemper stolen and someone had recommended buying an AX8 even and the comment was liked by a few others I think.


that was me and my old gigging mate Josh.


----------



## lewis

Quitty said:


> That's weird. They're normally a very friendly community, and i've been there longer than i'd like to admit.
> Link? I'm curious.



https://www.facebook.com/groups/363...tif_id=1530193547331794&notif_t=group_comment

Dude called Mike Bruce seems so anti Fractal is crazy. Me, Sinmix and like 1 other dude are trying to calm him down haha

In general, it seems there is a certain perspective that some Kemper owners have, where they and their purchase is above all.


----------



## Quitty

lewis said:


> In general, it seems there is a certain perspective that some Kemper owners have, where they and their purchase is above all.


That's one idiot you're talking about, not a general rule. I think we're an OK bunch (i currently own both).

That said, he is hilariously over the top and it's kinda funny...


----------



## LeviathanKiller

And despite whatever rules a group has on Facebook, some members will always think everything must be directly related to the title or in favor of it.


----------



## Steinmetzify

lewis said:


> In general, it seems there is a certain perspective that some Kemper owners have, where they and their purchase is above all.



@lewis dude my Kemper can beat up your AxeFx


----------



## lewis

steinmetzify said:


> @lewis dude my Kemper can beat up your AxeFx



Hahahah


----------



## Thrashman

Anyone got the ares update yet? I'm waiting for Q10 to come to the ax8 so I can try it out, it sounds way too damn good in the clips I've come across so far and have high hopes for it.


----------



## Shask

Thrashman said:


> Anyone got the ares update yet? I'm waiting for Q10 to come to the ax8 so I can try it out, it sounds way too damn good in the clips I've come across so far and have high hopes for it.


I have had 10.01 for a few weeks on my II. it definitely sounds a little better. Everything has more clarity in general.


----------



## lewis

This is why i love being new to the axe. Buy one and instantly get the very best firmware years in the making.

God someone needs to hurry up and buy my shit


----------



## mnemonic

I decided to bring up the FAS Modern III again on a whim, I think I read someone here say it’s in their top 5 (probably shask). I haven’t tried it in a long while, and I didn’t much like it then. But I don’t think I had my current cabs and poweramp or this firmware, so I guess it’s worth another shot. I’ve read it described as an idealised and tighter recto, and I’m into that. 

With not so much tweaking it sounds really good, I think this is the closest I’ve got to copying my real 3ch dual Rectifier, the feel, and general tonality seems about right (though I haven’t played my recto in like a week). I’ve set the eq up similar to my real recto also, mainly keeping an eye on the treble knob and not going over noon with it. 

It’s a lot tighter right from the start, so to get the level of tightness and saturation I like, it needs a not-that-tight, but kinda-tight boost. The tubescreamer models I think are a bit honky for this model (I’ve also kind of gone off them again anyway). The FET preamp does a good job of replicating my tc electronic integrated preamp, using the EQ controls in combination with the low-cut control.


----------



## mnemonic

I decided to bring up the FAS Modern III again on a whim, I think I read someone here say it’s in their top 5 (probably shask). I haven’t tried it in a long while, and I didn’t much like it then. But I don’t think I had my current cabs and poweramp or this firmware, so I guess it’s worth another shot. I’ve read it described as an idealised and tighter recto, and I’m into that. 

With not so much tweaking it sounds really good, I think this is the closest I’ve got to copying my real 3ch dual Rectifier, the feel, and general tonality seems about right (though I haven’t played my recto in like a week). I’ve set the eq up similar to my real recto also, mainly keeping an eye on the treble knob and not going over noon with it. 

It’s a lot tighter right from the start, so to get the level of tightness and saturation I like, it needs a not-that-tight, but kinda-tight boost. The tubescreamer models I think are a bit honky for this model (I’ve also kind of gone off them again anyway). The FET preamp does a good job of replicating my tc electronic integrated preamp, using the EQ controls in combination with the low-cut control.


----------



## lewis

Anyone know if the two notes fortin amps IRs work with the axe?

Thinking the first thing i want to do once i have my Ax8 is also get these if they do.

If not is there a way to convert Two Notes iRs so that they work with anything?


----------



## laxu

lewis said:


> Anyone know if the two notes fortin amps IRs work with the axe?
> 
> Thinking the first thing i want to do once i have my Ax8 is also get these if they do.
> 
> If not is there a way to convert Two Notes iRs so that they work with anything?



You can use Fractal's Cablab Lite to convert them to the format accepted by Axe-Fx/AX8.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

lewis said:


> Anyone know if the two notes fortin amps IRs work with the axe?
> 
> Thinking the first thing i want to do once i have my Ax8 is also get these if they do.
> 
> If not is there a way to convert Two Notes iRs so that they work with anything?





laxu said:


> You can use Fractal's Cablab Lite to convert them to the format accepted by Axe-Fx/AX8.



That depends on what the Two Notes IRs come in. I believe they have their own proprietary format.


----------



## lewis

Would it be possible for someone to try haha? Interesting.

Another interesting thing is not that long ago i asked mike if he would ever do kemper profile packs or anything digital and he was firmly in the no camp because there is no security to stop piracy on it. But then he does these for Two notes?. So maybe their IRs having their own format to make them secure would make sense.

Im waiting for my local shop to get in ax8 for me to buy so i cant try until then haha. (Supporting local companies rather than online shops etc)


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber

AliExpress is local to you? Can’t you find a multi-fx design more local than the Fractal Audio AX8 to support?


----------



## lewis

Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> AliExpress is local to you? Can’t you find a multi-fx design more local than the Fractal Audio AX8 to support?


----------



## Quitty

How do you guys set up your live sets on the XFX? Presets/scenes/modifiers and whatnot.

It was really simple with the Kemper; performance mode gives 5 sounds per song, switching is instantaneous and trails go over between presets. 
Haven't tried the XFX in that regard yet, but setting start and end and going through one way sounds like a bad idea with a lot of duplication and room for error.

What do you guys do for more complex sets?


----------



## Jbonen42

Ok coming in with a random. Do you think it would be worth it to get the original axe fx standard or the ultra?? I’m going for a low budget profile and I was debating on that or the line 6 pod pro HD. Only reason I’d be against the original axe fx is because maybe the software and updates would be out of date and whatnot. I’m all for the axe fx 2 but I might just be a lil impatient lol


----------



## Andromalia

Quitty said:


> How do you guys set up your live sets on the XFX? Presets/scenes/modifiers and whatnot.



Uh, patch 1, scene 1, done.


----------



## Shask

Quitty said:


> How do you guys set up your live sets on the XFX? Presets/scenes/modifiers and whatnot.
> 
> What do you guys do for more complex sets?


I don't play live with mine, so most of my presets are simple with 1 scene. However, I have a few favorites I have tricked out a bit more, where I have a heavy sound with only the amp/EQ for scene 1, add an OD boost for scene 2, add chorus and delay for scene 3 for a lead sound, and then scene 4 switches to Y amp for a clean sound with chorus and delay. I have never used those scene modifiers and such, as I keep things pretty simple.


----------



## Shask

Jbonen42 said:


> Ok coming in with a random. Do you think it would be worth it to get the original axe fx standard or the ultra?? I’m going for a low budget profile and I was debating on that or the line 6 pod pro HD. Only reason I’d be against the original axe fx is because maybe the software and updates would be out of date and whatnot. I’m all for the axe fx 2 but I might just be a lil impatient lol


Standard/Ultra are great units. The II is an excellent unit.


----------



## laxu

Jbonen42 said:


> Ok coming in with a random. Do you think it would be worth it to get the original axe fx standard or the ultra?? I’m going for a low budget profile and I was debating on that or the line 6 pod pro HD. Only reason I’d be against the original axe fx is because maybe the software and updates would be out of date and whatnot. I’m all for the axe fx 2 but I might just be a lil impatient lol



POD <<< Axe-Fx Std/Ultra < Axe-Fx 2.

If you can afford a used 2 I would buy that, it's just a lot better sounding now. If not, I would look at a used Line6 Helix instead.


----------



## Elric

Shask said:


> Standard/Ultra are great units. The II is an excellent unit.


And *worlds* better than any POD series unit. I've owned an Ultra and all the POD series and the Ultra is by far the better unit. I only sold mine off this year after getting a III. So killer into a guitar cab and power amp rig like I was using it. As a preamp it can hold its own against boutique tube gear and the FX have been world class since day one on the Fractal stuff.


----------



## haffner1

U.S. waitlist is over for the III, and there are units in stock!


----------



## Andromalia

So that's why I got a mail from G66.
Check your emails EU guys, looks like they're coming in a few weeks for the people who registered early.


----------



## takotakumi

Hey guys, I'm a Kemper user but I currently have an Ax8 to play around for a couple of days.
Any free presets that you guys recommend?
I downloaded the latest preset pack from the site, but would like to know if you know of any other great third party ones.

Also, currently all the rhythm high gain presets and new ones i try to make sound too digital to me, would I have to load another cab or IR?
Thanks!

PS: I am not trying to trigger anyone, I just want to learn to love it haha


----------



## Quitty

takotakumi said:


> ...


The preset thing isn't as dominant as it is on the Kemper. 
You need some good cab IRs (the stock ones aren't bad), and then instead of paging through presets, you tweak the amp controls to get there.

Kostas Charalambous has a couple of Youtube videos that have helped me a lot starting out, and Leon Todd was also recommended.


----------



## Decapitated

takotakumi said:


> Hey guys, I'm a Kemper user but I currently have an Ax8 to play around for a couple of days.
> Any free presets that you guys recommend?
> I downloaded the latest preset pack from the site, but would like to know if you know of any other great third party ones.
> 
> Also, currently all the rhythm high gain presets and new ones i try to make sound too digital to me, would I have to load another cab or IR?
> Thanks!
> 
> PS: I am not trying to trigger anyone, I just want to learn to love it haha


----------



## lewis

So happy. I just bought an Ax8. Keeping my Kemper in my home studio and taking the Ax8 on the road with me.
Win/win and im relieved too because now i can actually say im done for modelling/amp stuff.

Going to sell some stuff and trade in some stuff for the Headrush FRFR to go with it and im done.
Will post a NGD thread on weds when it arrives


----------



## Andromalia

The axe III should be in my home tomorrow.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Andromalia said:


> The axe III should be in my home tomorrow.



Are you going to start from scratch?

The editor doesn't have copy and pasting of block settings yet so it hasn't been easy to take advantage of the additional 4 scenes in presets. I still have my 512+ presets that I'm trying to condense down into less than 512. It's a LONG process considering levels and user cab location numbers have to be updated for every preset.

EDIT: Wow, I just checked the Fractal forum and *they updated it to have the copy-paste channel settings feature*. Time to get condensing! Can't wait to get home today!


----------



## lewis

Ax8 turned up. Spent a good 4 hours slaying. Other than my guitars stock pickups being dreadful, this thing is a total beast! Sitting and creating the sounds in my head is going to be amazing. And its compact size is perfect for what I wanted.

shout out to G66 too who were incredible to deal with. Excellent customer service with brilliant personal touches inside the box etc. Highly recommended.

So now im truly sorted for guitar tones inside a studio and on the road, the time is now to start getting bareknuckles in all my guitars. Its took me long enough haha


----------



## Andromalia

LeviathanKiller said:


> Are you going to start from scratch?



Probably. I actually enjoy doing patches and getting the results, plus as I've now had various fractals for close to 10 years starting with the Standard, I sort of know what goes where. 
Plus, I have my habits for effects so I sort of know how I'm going to do delays and reverbs too. I only have a dozen or so own patches on the II at the moment. I generally just use a few tones, 80es metal, modern metal, a devin townsed patch, a James Hetfield patch, one for gothic rock, a few cleans and I'm done.
I do plan to get a lot of mileage of the 8 way USB, which is the feature I'm buying. The II sounds good enough already.


----------



## mnemonic

lewis said:


> Ax8 turned up. Spent a good 4 hours slaying. Other than my guitars stock pickups being dreadful, this thing is a total beast! Sitting and creating the sounds in my head is going to be amazing. And its compact size is perfect for what I wanted.
> 
> shout out to G66 too who were incredible to deal with. Excellent customer service with brilliant personal touches inside the box etc. Highly recommended.
> 
> So now im truly sorted for guitar tones inside a studio and on the road, the time is now to start getting bareknuckles in all my guitars. Its took me long enough haha



Nice, what are you running it though? 

I got a box of German chocolates with my Axe Fx II years back when I ordered it. They were pretty good.


----------



## lewis

mnemonic said:


> Nice, what are you running it though?
> 
> I got a box of German chocolates with my Axe Fx II years back when I ordered it. They were pretty good.


at the moment, pretty much headphones and tiny little practice amp/speakers.
Ive spoken to my local music shop about Headrush FRFR monitors as i want to go that route.

oh nice!. Chocolates aye? haha. Ive given up Dairy so in a way it was lucky I didnt get them as that would have been a bummer.
Got a free T Shirt instead


----------



## mnemonic

Does anyone here own a Fryette Deliverance, or have played one? I’ve suspected for some time that there may be an error in the model reducing the gain, but after getting a Fryette GP/DI I’m more sure than ever. The GP/DI is apparently a tweaked Deliverance preamp, but in (More) mode, it has a lot more gain on tap than the D60 (More) model. The model is closer to the GP/DI in (Less) mode. 

I remember a while back (probably a year or two) there was a firmware update that drastically reduced the gain of the D60 models but it did also improve the sound and feel, so it was kind of a trade off. Nobody else seemed to mention it. 

That was one reason I was kinda worried to buy a GD/PI, I thought it might lack gain. 

Turning on the “Boost” switch in the amp block of the D60 helps get it into the right gain range. Still one of my top 5 amp models I think.


----------



## Shask

I had a D120 for a year or 2 awhile back, and I think it had more gain than the D60 More model. I always felt like maybe the model lacked something because it was a D60, not a D120. I do think it seems to have the crystal clear highs the amp has, but it definitely does not have the low end balls.


----------



## fob

I don’t have any Axe Fx unfortunately but I just found out that the song G.O.A.T. by Polyphia had the tone from Axe 2 preset Boutique Battle 1 used on it. I would really appreciate if someone could do a screen shot of the signal chain and settings so I can get a rough idea of what model and stuff to use. Thanks.


----------



## lewis

First proper tone test with the ax8 last night.

Used the Peavey 5150 block model. Fet boost infront acting as a clean fortin 33 type boost running into my Randall t2 efx return into my line 6 4x12 with V30 + T75 x pattern cab.

Straight away it sounds killllllller. Obviously i think i will prefer the sound direct with cab IRs etc into a powered monitor, but dayumn.
Thats just a 10 minute patch and quick jam etc.

Cant wait to dial and save scenes etc. Skys the limit with these.


----------



## Elric

mnemonic said:


> Does anyone here own a Fryette Deliverance, or have played one? I’ve suspected for some time that there may be an error in the model reducing the gain, but after getting a Fryette GP/DI I’m more sure than ever. The GP/DI is apparently a tweaked Deliverance preamp, but in (More) mode, it has a lot more gain on tap than the D60 (More) model. The model is closer to the GP/DI in (Less) mode.



Ask Cliff on the FAS forum maybe? He’s the only one that can fix it if there is one. He has done a pretty good job acknowledging issues when they are legit.


----------



## Milchek

Axe III user here, came in last week (well, replacement - the first one I got had issues).

Right now I'm trying to figure out a solution for when i don't play with headphones. I'm thinking a small power amp of some kind (Mooer Tube Engine or even SD PowerStage) to power my 1x12. Alternative is the Friedman ASC-12, but I'd need to go try it out to see how it sounds.

Then it will be a case of finding the right midi foot controller.


----------



## Andromalia

Why don't you just use active studio monitors ? They can be plugged right in the XLR outs.


----------



## Shask

Andromalia said:


> Why don't you just use active studio monitors ? They can be plugged right in the XLR outs.


Maybe because he already has the 112 cab?

Also, IMO, monitors never sound as good. I have some 8" monitors, but greatly prefer a 212 cab and power amp. That "recorded tone" you get through monitors is so uninspiring to play for fun. useful if you main goal is recording something, but not so much just for jamming.


----------



## Milchek

Shask said:


> Maybe because he already has the 112 cab?
> 
> Also, IMO, monitors never sound as good. I have some 8" monitors, but greatly prefer a 212 cab and power amp. That "recorded tone" you get through monitors is so uninspiring to play for fun. useful if you main goal is recording something, but not so much just for jamming.



Spot on. I tried HJ8s and HS7s and while they are amazing for final mix and all that, they're not fun to play through. I enjoy playing through a cab, but that's just me. I'm still going to try out a Friedman ASC12 and possibly the Yamaha DXR12 to see how FRFR 'feels'


----------



## Shask

Milchek said:


> Spot on. I tried HJ8s and HS7s and while they are amazing for final mix and all that, they're not fun to play through. I enjoy playing through a cab, but that's just me. I'm still going to try out a Friedman ASC12 and possibly the Yamaha DXR12 to see how FRFR 'feels'


I have been curious about the Friedman ASC-12, but I am worried it would still be FRFR~ish. I know people say it has more cab feel than the others.... but still....

I use my Axe-FX II with a Matrix GT1000FX and two 212 cabs mostly. Sounds and feels pretty good like that.


----------



## mnemonic

I understand the absurdity of using a ~$2k unit to cop the sound of a $100 plugin, but damn did this guy pull it off. I don’t think I’ve seen a tone match this in-depth and this accurate without using the tonematch eq-matching feature. 



Additionally, that patch is pretty cool. After some tweaking so it works with my guitar though my cab, it’s goddamn awesome. Puts my patches to shame for heaviness and clarity.


----------



## Paul McAleer

mnemonic said:


> I understand the absurdity of using a ~$2k unit to cop the sound of a $100 plugin, but damn did this guy pull it off. I don’t think I’ve seen a tone match this in-depth and this accurate without using the tonematch eq-matching feature.
> 
> 
> 
> Additionally, that patch is pretty cool. After some tweaking so it works with my guitar though my cab, it’s goddamn awesome. Puts my patches to shame for heaviness and clarity.




A large part of the Fortin tone is EQing before the input of a high gain amp, large cuts in low frequencies and minor boosts in upper mid/high frequencies. Cranking the master db level, volume or whatever you want to call it. That's been my experience at least!


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> I understand the absurdity of using a ~$2k unit to cop the sound of a $100 plugin, but damn did this guy pull it off. I don’t think I’ve seen a tone match this in-depth and this accurate without using the tonematch eq-matching feature.
> 
> 
> 
> Additionally, that patch is pretty cool. After some tweaking so it works with my guitar though my cab, it’s goddamn awesome. Puts my patches to shame for heaviness and clarity.




Very cool video. Does the patch work with the II, or does it have to be converted from the AX8?

He had some neat tricks, but I feel like most of it was just EQing it just right. The only thing I really noticed that was unusual for how I tweak is putting that little bit of saturation on there. I never use that because it makes me think of fizzy 80s amps, but maybe just a small blend of it like he did would work for adding some saturation without more gain.

I have been thinking about setting up some more complex patches like this now that I got the FCB1010, and can access everything.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> Very cool video. Does the patch work with the II, or does it have to be converted from the AX8?
> 
> He had some neat tricks, but I feel like most of it was just EQing it just right. The only thing I really noticed that was unusual for how I tweak is putting that little bit of saturation on there. I never use that because it makes me think of fizzy 80s amps, but maybe just a small blend of it like he did would work for adding some saturation without more gain.
> 
> I have been thinking about setting up some more complex patches like this now that I got the FCB1010, and can access everything.



I did need to convert it from AX8 to Axe FX II. I used the fractool converter.

The saturation parameter can be cool for non-80’s tone. I think the key is like you say, not overusing it. It can add high end fizz so when I use it I usually also add a dip to like 8k or whatever in the graphic eq.

Also, that pre-eq copy of the Grind works really well for other tones. I dropped it in front of the JCM800 Mod model with similar eq settings, and it got very ‘demanufacture’.



Paul McAleer said:


> A large part of the Fortin tone is EQing before the input of a high gain amp, large cuts in low frequencies and minor boosts in upper mid/high frequencies. Cranking the master db level, volume or whatever you want to call it. That's been my experience at least!



It is a good way to make real punchy tones without sacrificing the chug. I’m a big fan of this with my real-life recto, real bright, harsh, twangy, tight sound into the input (using my tc integrated preamp), then a lot of bass and saggy looseness added after the gain (which is basically just the nature of rectos).


----------



## mnemonic

Hot damn I just realised I can side chain the noise gate block with the second input, so if I’m running a noisy external boost or external preamp, I don’t have to gate after the gain with the input gate.

Basically the way the key input works on the isp decimator.

So guitar > split signal into two > one cable to input 2 on the back, the other into the rest of my pedalboard > pedalboard out to axe FX input.

No change if I’m using boosts/amps all within the axe FX, but I often like to use external boost pedals or external pedal preamps, and these tend to be really noisy. Gating now sounds much more natural, with the key input taken right off the clean guitar rather than from the already distorted signal.


----------



## Andromalia

Yeah the routing options are pretty insane all things considered. I don't get a lot of noise though, usually, as I actually have less and less stuff in my patches since you don't need a ton of stuff to make them sound good. The only time I really get noise is when I use the technique I used when I was young: a drive into a compressor into the amp.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Hot damn I just realised I can side chain the noise gate block with the second input, so if I’m running a noisy external boost or external preamp, I don’t have to gate after the gain with the input gate.
> 
> Basically the way the key input works on the isp decimator.
> 
> So guitar > split signal into two > one cable to input 2 on the back, the other into the rest of my pedalboard > pedalboard out to axe FX input.
> 
> No change if I’m using boosts/amps all within the axe FX, but I often like to use external boost pedals or external pedal preamps, and these tend to be really noisy. Gating now sounds much more natural, with the key input taken right off the clean guitar rather than from the already distorted signal.


Ya know, I haven't been using the Axe-FX as much lately since messing with pedals, the Katana, The Mooer Radar, etc.... but getting the FCB1010 recently has me really thinking about going back to the Axe-FX as #1, and getting rid of some of the other gear. It has finally devalued enough that I don't really feel bad about not selling it while the value is up, and I am finding some of the routing and recent tone changes from 10.01 has really made this thing extremely awesome, moreso than it always has been. While the cheaper gear is fun, and sounds pretty good, the Axe still has the upper edge on 3D-ness. I keep thinking about stopping obsessing over dialing in everything perfectly, and just make one mega-preset with scenes and FX toggle and such, and just leave it be. Focus on one sound, instead of trying to create 10-20, that I am always figiting with. I am almost always happy with the 5153 Red model, and a parametric EQ to scoop around 500Hz.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> I did need to convert it from AX8 to Axe FX II. I used the fractool converter.
> 
> The saturation parameter can be cool for non-80’s tone. I think the key is like you say, not overusing it. It can add high end fizz so when I use it I usually also add a dip to like 8k or whatever in the graphic eq.
> 
> Also, that pre-eq copy of the Grind works really well for other tones. I dropped it in front of the JCM800 Mod model with similar eq settings, and it got very ‘demanufacture’.
> 
> 
> 
> It is a good way to make real punchy tones without sacrificing the chug. I’m a big fan of this with my real-life recto, real bright, harsh, twangy, tight sound into the input (using my tc integrated preamp), then a lot of bass and saggy looseness added after the gain (which is basically just the nature of rectos).


It is funny, because I have used the Parametric EQ in front of the amp for years on the Axe for a similar effect. My EQ curve is not far off either.... just less extreme. Some times I find this more natural than the Drive block, since the Drive block does not seem to have the same real-life chug feel as real OD pedals.

I have never used the software much.... I dont use global blocks, download presets, dont really use the cab IRs much, heck just starting to look at X/Y and Scenes after 6 years, lol. I keep thinking I should try to use some of these features more.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> Ya know, I haven't been using the Axe-FX as much lately since messing with pedals, the Katana, The Mooer Radar, etc.... but getting the FCB1010 recently has me really thinking about going back to the Axe-FX as #1, and getting rid of some of the other gear. It has finally devalued enough that I don't really feel bad about not selling it while the value is up, and I am finding some of the routing and recent tone changes from 10.01 has really made this thing extremely awesome, moreso than it always has been. While the cheaper gear is fun, and sounds pretty good, the Axe still has the upper edge on 3D-ness. I keep thinking about stopping obsessing over dialing in everything perfectly, and just make one mega-preset with scenes and FX toggle and such, and just leave it be. Focus on one sound, instead of trying to create 10-20, that I am always figiting with. I am almost always happy with the 5153 Red model, and a parametric EQ to scoop around 500Hz.



Yeah I have either been playing real amps, preamp pedals, or the BE-OD clone as a distortion pedal into a clean model in the axe FX a lot lately, which is why this noise gate ‘discovery’ is really awesome to me. Though with all of those setups I’ve been using the axe FX for some light reverb/delay, graphic eq, and gate. 

I’m not really considering selling it now as for the price I could get, I’d end up spending most of that on other pedals to replicate the above (probably with overall lower quality). Also after tweaking that super-boosted BE patch, it’s now my favourite sound ever. 

Also one thing I have found, if you want to run some other preamp into a cab, you can use the axe fx for power amp modelling only with the ‘Tube Pre’ model. Technically you can’t disable the preamp models only in the axe FX, the the Tube Pre model is just neutral. By turning on the power amp in that model and copying over the power amp settings from some other model, you can get kind of a ‘generic tube power amp’ sound and response. I a/b’d with my 2/50/2 and after some tweaks it was not so far off. 




Shask said:


> It is funny, because I have used the Parametric EQ in front of the amp for years on the Axe for a similar effect. My EQ curve is not far off either.... just less extreme. Some times I find this more natural than the Drive block, since the Drive block does not seem to have the same real-life chug feel as real OD pedals.
> 
> I have never used the software much.... I dont use global blocks, download presets, dont really use the cab IRs much, heck just starting to look at X/Y and Scenes after 6 years, lol. I keep thinking I should try to use some of these features more.



Agreed on the drive blocks, that’s why I still have a pedalboard full of overdrive and boost pedals. 

I’m not much of a power-user either. I’ve never used scenes, x/y, global blocks, etc.


----------



## thetourist

I put this question up in the Recording studio subforum, got zero replies, figured this thread might be a better place to ask this. 

I'm looking at budget studio monitors to use with a Fractal AX8, mainly for just playing at home in a medium-ish-sized room. Would buying a cheaper two-way set like the Eris 3.5/Mackies combined with a dedicated budget subwoofer be better than say a two-way set of the usual suspects (JBL LSR305, Yamaha HS5, ADAM t5v) ? If so, what subwoofers+monitor combo might you fine gentlemen recommend?


----------



## lewis

thetourist said:


> I put this question up in the Recording studio subforum, got zero replies, figured this thread might be a better place to ask this.
> 
> I'm looking at budget studio monitors to use with a Fractal AX8, mainly for just playing at home in a medium-ish-sized room. Would buying a cheaper two-way set like the Eris 3.5/Mackies combined with a dedicated budget subwoofer be better than say a two-way set of the usual suspects (JBL LSR305, Yamaha HS5, ADAM t5v) ? If so, what subwoofers+monitor combo might you fine gentlemen recommend?


im using the HS5s with my AX8 and Kemper, and they work exceptionally well for both units and mixes!

So I endorse those through personal experiences. Cant speak on the others.


----------



## Shask

thetourist said:


> I put this question up in the Recording studio subforum, got zero replies, figured this thread might be a better place to ask this.
> 
> I'm looking at budget studio monitors to use with a Fractal AX8, mainly for just playing at home in a medium-ish-sized room. Would buying a cheaper two-way set like the Eris 3.5/Mackies combined with a dedicated budget subwoofer be better than say a two-way set of the usual suspects (JBL LSR305, Yamaha HS5, ADAM t5v) ? If so, what subwoofers+monitor combo might you fine gentlemen recommend?


No answer, but I have always been curious about this also..... 8" monitors vs. 5" monitors+sub.

I have some old M-Audio 8" monitors. I feel like they are huge, but still do not have a rumbling bass. I can't really stand playing guitar through them because they have no chunk. I always wonder if a sub would help, or if monitors are just not for me. I know for music, I have little 1" speakers and a 4" sub on my computer, and it rattles the house....


----------



## lewis

Shask said:


> No answer, but I have always been curious about this also..... 8" monitors vs. 5" monitors+sub.
> 
> I have some old M-Audio 8" monitors. I feel like they are huge, but still do not have a rumbling bass. I can't really stand playing guitar through them because they have no chunk. I always wonder if a sub would help, or if monitors are just not for me. I know for music, I have little 1" speakers and a 4" sub on my computer, and it rattles the house....


yeah the lack of thump is obvious on most small monitors.

Still dont understand why studio subs are so much money either?
overpriced by a crazy amount.


----------



## Decapitated

Love this guy’s videos and I totally agree the III is overkill for 99.99% of people. I would really like to hear his thoughts after having played through one.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I when ahead and bought one. There was actually a noticeable difference in the low end and high end. It's like everything got maximized. Or like a HP+LP filter was turned off EVERYTHING. I'd still be happy just using the 2 XL though. If you didn't like the 2, I doubt you'd like the 3, _at this point_. No clue how far they're going to take the new architecture though. There's a lot of nice features including I/O stuff that is really nice. I don't regret the upgrade at all.

The Axe-Fx III is overkill for me in some ways, but so was the Axe-Fx II in some ways.


----------



## Shask

Decapitated said:


> Love this guy’s videos and I totally agree the III is overkill for 99.99% of people. I would really like to hear his thoughts after having played through one.



That is kind of how I feel also. I love my Axe-FX II, but I don't see buying an Axe-FX III. I barely use 10% of what I have now, so I know that will be so much money at things I would never use.

Honestly, I would have probably bought an AX8 if they existed when I bought my Axe-FX II. I can definitely see going with the AX8-II, or AX9, or whatever it will be called. It will probably be the highest selling product they have had yet when it hits.


----------



## Decapitated

I look like a total fool with my Axe III in my Madison Square bedroom...but I’m a content fool.


----------



## mnemonic

If the AX8 was out before I got my axe FX II, I would have just got that. I’m by no means a power user, and even the axe FX II is overkill for me. 

I really doubt I’d ever buy a III, but maybe whatever updated floorboard version. But probably not until it advances to the point that the II has against the Standard/Ultra though. I don’t think I could be bothered with the hassle of selling my II and buying the new thing unless there is a significant sound improvement. 

That being said it’s probably more likely that in 10 years I’ll be that guy that is still using the II part time for effects with tube amps, and part time for amp modelling.


----------



## Decapitated

I was an Ultra user wayyyy back in the day. Sold it to fund a Kemper. Had it for over 6 years, sold it for close to what I paid for it to fund the III. Plan on being a III user for a loooooong time. Works for me.


----------



## Paul McAleer

Decapitated said:


> I was an Ultra user wayyyy back in the day. Sold it to fund a Kemper. Had it for over 6 years, sold it for close to what I paid for it to fund the III. Plan on being a III user for a loooooong time. Works for me.



Here I am still listed in the lonesome "still uses the Axe-Fx ULTRA" group 

Edit: I'll eventually upgrade when this unit decides to end itself.


----------



## Paul McAleer

mnemonic said:


> It is a good way to make real punchy tones without sacrificing the chug. I’m a big fan of this with my real-life recto, real bright, harsh, twangy, tight sound into the input (using my tc integrated preamp), then a lot of bass and saggy looseness added after the gain (which is basically just the nature of rectos).



After messing around with a buddies Axe FX II as well as other Modelers/SIMs I fell into my conclusion that a lot of these products have a difficult time giving that vibe and clunk factor that the rectos give off even with aftermarket IRs.

I miss my old old Triple rectifier very much


----------



## mnemonic

Paul McAleer said:


> After messing around with a buddies Axe FX II as well as other Modelers/SIMs I fell into my conclusion that a lot of these products have a difficult time giving that vibe and clunk factor that the rectos give off even with aftermarket IRs.
> 
> I miss my old old Triple rectifier very much



Yeah I’ve always had trouble getting the Recto models to sound as good as my real dual recto. I’m sure there’s good Recto tones in those models but I really can’t be bothered spending the time it takes to find them, when I can just turn on my real Recto, or use my AMT R2 into a power amp. Easier. 

I like mostly the modded-Marshall models in the axe FX these days.


----------



## Decapitated

Been down that IR rabbit hole lately - and it's deep, let me tell ya. I don't know if anyone on here has tried the Heavy Hitters II collection - but holy Moses, the 2x12 Zilla Fatboy and Super Fatboy IRs are just amazing for my setup (Yamaha HS8 monitors). Just something about them works for me - they just seem to be the best balanced for my needs. If you are familiar with the pack, there are hundreds of IRs to choose from and it can be very fatiguing auditioning them. I had previously dismissed the 2X12s and focused on the 4x12 offerings. I am glad I gave these a shot.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Decapitated said:


> Been down that IR rabbit hole lately - and it's deep, let me tell ya. I don't know if anyone on here has tried the Heavy Hitters II collection - but holy Moses, the 2x12 Zilla Fatboy and Super Fatboy IRs are just amazing for my setup (Yamaha HS8 monitors). Just something about them works for me - they just seem to be the best balanced for my needs. If you are familiar with the pack, there are hundreds of IRs to choose from and it can be very fatiguing auditioning them. I had previously dismissed the 2X12s and focused on the 4x12 offerings. I am glad I gave these a shot.



I still need to buy those. Haven't decided between the HH1 pack or the HH2 though.


----------



## Reignerrr

it is a good idea to buy an axe fx ultra?? is better than the sound of apmsims and good ir's?

is the only i can afford in my country


----------



## Decapitated

Reignerrr said:


> it is a good idea to buy an axe fx ultra?? is better than the sound of apmsims and good ir's?
> 
> is the only i can afford in my country




Of course. It's still a great unit, in my opinion.


----------



## Thrashman

So I'm about to put together a pedalboard rig centered around my AX8 (at last!) and need some tips and insight!

So my rig will consist of my AX8, 2 expression pedals, a Mooer Baby Bomb and three separate drive pedals (I know..  ), and was wondering if I could put the drive pedals through the FX Loop block in the AX8? That way I could program patches that kick them in and out without tapdancing.

Though I assume I can't put them all in separate loops, so because they'd still be sitting together I would still have to turn them on and off separately depending on which one I want to use when the loop block is activated? but can still control when they're in the chain through toggling the blocks, right? Or can I do this in a different way to achieve what I want?


----------



## Ðupui§

Paul McAleer said:


> Here I am still listed in the lonesome "still uses the Axe-Fx ULTRA" group



+ 1 member here 
Seriously, I really like the sound of my ultra through the atomic cab (haven't tried any other Axe-fx). Is there a signifiant (I mean HUGE) difference in term of sound quality?? Or it's more of an improvement on other aspects of the Axe-Fx... Just wondering if it's worth upgrading


----------



## Andromalia

It depends. The Utlra can probably still satisfy you if you play super modern metal with no dynamics, djent stuff, super proecessed tones etc.
ie, you can get album tones fine with an ultra. But live vintagey rock tones ? Much harder. BEcause if sounding like Periphery is easy with an Ultra, doing a decent Angus Young impersonation is MUCH harder...
Basically, the less processed a tone you want, the better you'll be served by upgrading.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

The Axe-Fx III really opened things up. The default frequency spectrum goes higher and lower (or is at least more present at these outer edges) than it was before (less compressed now). You can still get uber-tight uber-gain tones but for everything else, it sounds better now imo. Just a lot more natural, wider, bigger sound that is better representative of an actual amp. Previous gen Axe-Fx units sound great too, they just required more work for these types of tones and it didn't always end up natural _feeling._


----------



## lewis

LeviathanKiller said:


> The Axe-Fx III really opened things up. The default frequency spectrum goes higher and lower (or is at least more present at these outer edges) than it was before (less compressed now). You can still get uber-tight uber-gain tones but for everything else, it sounds better now imo. Just a lot more natural, wider, bigger sound that is better representative of an actual amp. Previous gen Axe-Fx units sound great too, they just required more work for these types of tones and it didn't always end up natural _feeling._



And i presume there is no way to mimic this on older units?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

lewis said:


> And i presume there is no way to mimic this on older units?



Not exactly. If you bump those frequencies up it's just artificially added. More of a "tacked on" sound and feel instead of being as dynamic as the natural amp EQ. If you were to try to replicate using the amp EQ, the amps are going to respond in weird ways at those levels like they should so it wouldn't sound right that way either. It's better to have more to work with in the beginning and whittle down than it is to try to add on correctly later. GEQ/PEQ can increase the loudness of EQ zones but you can't ever really add what wasn't there to begin with.


----------



## mnemonic

Funny how the axe FX II was ‘basically real’ sounding and there really wasn’t room for improvement or criticism.

Now the III is out, it’s even more realer, and we’re allowed to talk about the Axe II’s inadequacies. 

Maybe after 2 years of firmware updates the III will be even more realistically realer, and we’ll all talk about how artificial those early Axe III firmware updates were in comparison.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Funny how the axe FX II was ‘basically real’ sounding and there really wasn’t room for improvement or criticism.
> 
> Now the III is out, it’s even more realer, and we’re allowed to talk about the Axe II’s inadequacies.
> 
> Maybe after 2 years of firmware updates the III will be even more realistically realer, and we’ll all talk about how artificial those early Axe III firmware updates were in comparison.


Yep, that pretty much sums up Fractal internet talk for the last 11 years, lol. Every firmware gets more realer.... while each old unit that used to be awesome is suddenly crappy....


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I didn't _expect_ the III to sound better than my II XL+. I wanted it for the features, screen, and continued support. I just happened to be pleasantly surprised.

I doubt there's a discernable difference in a mix but it is nicer playing solo imo.


----------



## Andromalia

Well, basically when I fired my axe III for the first time I was "Oh, didn't realise *that* was missing". That said, as I was saying above it's only useful if you want raw unproduced tones. The true benefit of the axe III is it's I/O system which makes recording and production a breeze. (I'm using it for *all* the mixing effects too, and will give a shot at using it for the mastering soon©.)


----------



## mnemonic

LeviathanKiller said:


> I didn't _expect_ the III to sound better than my II XL+. I wanted it for the features, screen, and continued support. I just happened to be pleasantly surprised.
> 
> I doubt there's a discernable difference in a mix but it is nicer playing solo imo.



I didn’t mean my post to be a dig at you, so apologies if it came off that way. 

It’s just that the hype train has no brakes and I had to comment about how your comment is fine now, but before the III came out, you’d end up with an argument on your hands, by saying something else is more realistic or better sounding than an Axe II.


----------



## budda

Thrashman said:


> So I'm about to put together a pedalboard rig centered around my AX8 (at last!) and need some tips and insight!
> 
> So my rig will consist of my AX8, 2 expression pedals, a Mooer Baby Bomb and three separate drive pedals (I know..  ), and was wondering if I could put the drive pedals through the FX Loop block in the AX8? That way I could program patches that kick them in and out without tapdancing.
> 
> Though I assume I can't put them all in separate loops, so because they'd still be sitting together I would still have to turn them on and off separately depending on which one I want to use when the loop block is activated? but can still control when they're in the chain through toggling the blocks, right? Or can I do this in a different way to achieve what I want?



If you want to move where your outboard dirt is in the chain, the fx loop sounds like your best bet. I dont think my fx8 has a loop block . Arrange the layout so that you can hit your dirt pedals as needed.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

mnemonic said:


> I didn’t mean my post to be a dig at you, so apologies if it came off that way.
> 
> It’s just that the hype train has no brakes and I had to comment about how your comment is fine now, but before the III came out, you’d end up with an argument on your hands, by saying something else is more realistic or better sounding than an Axe II.



No, you're fine. I understand because there is a lot of hype like that where the newest iteration is somehow automatically better.

The same applies to video game graphics.
Each year new ones come out that are "sooooo realistic". But then we get next year's releases.

It takes something better to realize that what you had before was lacking in some way. I believe that not realizing there's something lacking while it's still the current gen is a very good sign. The Axe-Fx III is better technically but that doesn't mean the Axe II isn't good enough or even the Ultra and Standard models. Knowing what exists now changes your perception of the previous models and what you decide you're willing to settle with in regards to quality.


----------



## Decapitated

I had very low expectations when I bought my III. I fully expected I would keep my Kemper and return the Axe Fx. I hate the whole "ok, NOW it sounds better after firmware xxx...that's what was missing." The III just really works for me. I fell down the profile rabbit hole and it didn't work for me. Now I am in the IR rabbit hole but feel I have a much better core tone and can build upon that more easily. Just my experience so far.


----------



## Elric

Shask said:


> Yep, that pretty much sums up Fractal internet talk for the last 11 years, lol. Every firmware gets more realer.... while each old unit that used to be awesome is suddenly crappy....


Yes, I finally sold my Ultra this year after getting a III. I have a II also so I did not want three units lying around but I was getting ready to call bullsh*t on some of the hype too (as per above not directed at anyone in particular).

The Ultra can rock with full authority. It has always been a fair amount of tweaking for that generation and the IR capabilities are more limited if you run direct so it is much more work, especially if you are comparing it directly to a newer generation box but it is killer if you are not clueless... go back and read some of the first posts in this mega-thread the Gen 1 units were current back then many folks were blown away and were not noobs.

I was running it as a preamp with power amp emulation using an SS power amp and cab and it is really great in that config. The cab and speaker type improvements on the II did not come into play because I had a real cab.

And speaking of the II is just straight up ridiculous, still, of course.

I bought the III as a luxury because I could easily afford it and I wanted to enjoy their latest/greatest tech, but either of those older units can still bring the boutique tube quality tones... they were definitely pulling their weight.

There are other improvements that do merit the costs of upgrades and there are some sonic differences but this attitude a lot of FAS fanboys cop with each new generation where they act like the previous unit is just dead to them after they get the new shiny box is kind of a joke.

A lot of these high tech rigs, there is a certain expertise in getting them to really deliver and I think each generation removes more and more of the barriers there... that's where I am seeing the progress... like on the III the 4 IR mixing cab block is so awesome for direct sounds and you can have more than one of them. It is really easy to use too.


----------



## Cheap

I was worried about getting a clearance/b-stock IIXL+ after the III came out and _especially _after switching back and forth from Fractal, Kemper, Amp, Fractal, etc, but I've found that the II has been more than enough horsepower for me for a long while and I don't think I can outgrow its capabilities. It sounds phenomenal and is the 'best rig of my life' on good days and outright garbage on bad days--just like everything else--and I'm convinced it's at a point where my hands control the quality and that's a monstrous victory in my book for the technology.

I've been wrong before and I'm as much of a gearwhore as anyone else here, but I think what Fractal has been doing for a few years now is making a product that can only be classified as sounding 'bad' with an inexperienced user. In 2018 every option can rule as long as you connect with it and it gets out of your way when you create.


----------



## lewis

the thing thats the most understated thing Ive noticed is, with brand new guitar strings, the Axe's and Kemper sound unreal. Like stunningly amazing.

The second guitar strings are a few weeks old, the kemper starts to sound shit and the axe stays sounding marginally consistent with that snappiness somewhat intact. The kemper turns to horrible fuzz city on old strings.

If I were rich, I would restring once-twice a week on home practice, or before every show on tour.


----------



## Andromalia

In practice, the main difference between the II and III tonally that I could discern was, that the II was so picky about the guitars I needed separate patches per guitar, while the III is more realistic in tone changes when I switch. With the II some patches I did for my Amfisound were unusable with EMGs etc, that doesn't happen that much with the III. Probably something to do with the inputs more than the DSP or programming.


----------



## Elric

lewis said:


> the thing thats the most understated thing Ive noticed is, with brand new guitar strings, the Axe's and Kemper sound unreal. Like stunningly amazing.
> 
> The second guitar strings are a few weeks old, the kemper starts to sound shit and the axe stays sounding marginally consistent with that snappiness somewhat intact. The kemper turns to horrible fuzz city on old strings.
> 
> If I were rich, I would restring once-twice a week on home practice, or before every show on tour.


WTF are you talking about?


----------



## lewis

Elric said:


> WTF are you talking about?



Whats so hard to understand?. Once strings start to wear a little, the kemper doesnt sound as good as the axe.


----------



## theicon2125

Is it still worth buying the II XL+ or just go straight for the III? I'm considering the III even though it's way overkill for me because it will have support for a long time.


----------



## Decapitated

theicon2125 said:


> Is it still worth buying the II XL+ or just go straight for the III? I'm considering the III even though it's way overkill for me because it will have support for a long time.



Really depends on what your needs are and how much you want to spend. I got the III and couldn’t be happier. I think if I had purchased a II XL+ I would have wished I had just gotten the III. Never played through a II but the III is truly amazing to me...and yes, total overkill but I love it.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

theicon2125 said:


> Is it still worth buying the II XL+ or just go straight for the III? I'm considering the III even though it's way overkill for me because it will have support for a long time.


I would get a used II XL+ and wait for the Axe-Fx IV (4) when it eventually comes out. To me, it seems more reasonable to save some money and learn on a device that won't be changing that much from here on out THEN once you have a good grasp on things, get the newest version so you can comfortably appreciate all of the updates.

That said, the III has changed some params and the layout of different controls so maybe it would be better to learn on there since future models will resemble the III more than the II XL+.

Also, you can't easily move your presets from the II XL+ to the III. They have to be converted, they'll sound somewhat different, require adjustments, and there's only 512 slots instead of 768 so you'd have to whittle them down if you went over 512 on the II XL+.


----------



## laxu

theicon2125 said:


> Is it still worth buying the II XL+ or just go straight for the III? I'm considering the III even though it's way overkill for me because it will have support for a long time.



The biggest reason to get the 3 is the improved user interface both on the front panel and the software UI as well. The biggest reasons to not get one is that it doesn't sound all that different from II at the moment and is totally overkill for all but power users. In several years time maybe it sounds different enough to warrant getting over the 2 but right now I would get a used II, any version will do.


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## Shask

I have an Axe-FX II, but the next one I will probably buy is the next generation floor unit..... AX8-II or whatever it will be called.


----------



## theicon2125

Shask said:


> I have an Axe-FX II, but the next one I will probably buy is the next generation floor unit..... AX8-II or whatever it will be called.



Any idea how long it will be until that comes out? Because that would be ideal over the rack unit for me.


----------



## Shask

theicon2125 said:


> Any idea how long it will be until that comes out? Because that would be ideal over the rack unit for me.


Nope, no one does. I can't imagine more than a year or 2 though..... because it would be designed around the newer DSPs they are using in the Axe III. I would assume the programming for the DSP in the AX8 and Axe II is coming to an end.

I would have probably bought the AX8 if it were out when I got my Axe-FX II. It is all overkill for what I use, lol. I love the Axe II, Matrix GT1000FX, and FCB1010 rig though. It is a lot of fun.


----------



## mnemonic

Hooray, I’ve finally made a patch that justifies the axe FX II since I’m technically using two amp blocks in it. 

For a while I’ve had a patch to simulate tube poweramp only for when I want to run one of my many preamp pedals into it (when I’m too lazy to turn on and warm up my 2/50/2). It consists of the ‘tube pre’ model as the preamp is supposed to be flat, then just turning on power amp modelling (supply sag set above 0.00) and with the speaker page copied from some other amp model. Maybe some other advanced settings changed I forget now. Anyway it works really well and is just kind of ‘generic poweramp’ but it does sound decently similar to my 2/50/2. 

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the Recto models since I do dig the Recto sound but the models always were too muddy and loose and it was difficult to get them dialled in right. 

So I thought, why not turn off the power amp modelling in the Recto model and run it into my ‘power amp sim’ tube pre model? I did that and after some tweaking, it sounds really great. Stays punchy and clear, doesn’t get that ‘bottoming out’ sound in the low end, and isn’t fizzy. 

I guess I did kind of go into autistic levels of tweaking, but the end result is pretty fun. 



From what I remember the axe FX ii sounded pretty similar to the Ultra when it first came out, and it took some time to differentiate itself and improve enough to the point where there was a clear difference. I guess that’s where we are with the III.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Hooray, I’ve finally made a patch that justifies the axe FX II since I’m technically using two amp blocks in it.
> 
> For a while I’ve had a patch to simulate tube poweramp only for when I want to run one of my many preamp pedals into it (when I’m too lazy to turn on and warm up my 2/50/2). It consists of the ‘tube pre’ model as the preamp is supposed to be flat, then just turning on power amp modelling (supply sag set above 0.00) and with the speaker page copied from some other amp model. Maybe some other advanced settings changed I forget now. Anyway it works really well and is just kind of ‘generic poweramp’ but it does sound decently similar to my 2/50/2.
> 
> I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the Recto models since I do dig the Recto sound but the models always were too muddy and loose and it was difficult to get them dialled in right.
> 
> So I thought, why not turn off the power amp modelling in the Recto model and run it into my ‘power amp sim’ tube pre model? I did that and after some tweaking, it sounds really great. Stays punchy and clear, doesn’t get that ‘bottoming out’ sound in the low end, and isn’t fizzy.
> 
> I guess I did kind of go into autistic levels of tweaking, but the end result is pretty fun.
> 
> 
> 
> From what I remember the axe FX ii sounded pretty similar to the Ultra when it first came out, and it took some time to differentiate itself and improve enough to the point where there was a clear difference. I guess that’s where we are with the III.


I have never had much luck running parallel amp blocks. I have started using X/Y though lately, which is useful if you have a controller.

Yeah, I figure the III will be at an amazing level above the II in about 5 years. It took the II 3-4 years before it really differentiated itself from the Ultra.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I have never had much luck running parallel amp blocks. I have started using X/Y though lately, which is useful if you have a controller.
> 
> Yeah, I figure the III will be at an amazing level above the II in about 5 years. It took the II 3-4 years before it really differentiated itself from the Ultra.



I’ve also not had much luck with parallel amp blocks. That patch is series though, more like preamp block into a power amp block. 

I keep looking on eBay at the cost of a used Fcb1010, then I look up what I need to do to program midi, and immediately lose interest. Then I forget about it and do it again like a month later. Maybe one day I’ll give it a shot haha


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> I’ve also not had much luck with parallel amp blocks. That patch is series though, more like preamp block into a power amp block.
> 
> I keep looking on eBay at the cost of a used Fcb1010, then I look up what I need to do to program midi, and immediately lose interest. Then I forget about it and do it again like a month later. Maybe one day I’ll give it a shot haha


I have only had mine a month or 2, but I put it off also for years because of that. I figured it would be a huge PITA.

However, I found This editor:
http://host.mtnsys.com:81/faq-fcb/PCEditorBeta.htm

And that made it super easy. I can program it in like 5 minutes. You just need a plan before you do it. I tried a few different ways (presets, vs scenes, vs FX on/off, etc...), but I decided on that I have the top 4 left buttons as presets 1-4. The top button 10 is tap tempo. The 5 bottom buttons are scenes 1-5. I have the left pedal as wah, and the right pedal as delay/reverb mix. (One preset I have it as Whammy). It is a pretty simple setup, as I really only use 2 of those presets, and the other 2 are just experimental variations (for trying different amp models, etc...). The 5 scenes in a preset are basically amp, amp+OD, amp+Chorus, amp+Flanger, and Clean amp (Y state) with Chorus. I can mix in delay/reverb on any of them with the right pedal.

So, basically, the programming part is easy with the editor. Deciding on your plan of what you want it to do is harder.


----------



## laxu

theicon2125 said:


> Any idea how long it will be until that comes out? Because that would be ideal over the rack unit for me.



Most likely at least a year. They are still heavily in bug fixing mode for the 3 and even the foot controllers aren't out afaik.


----------



## lewis

ok so we have two Axe Fxs (Axe II XL and an AX8) that we are going to be gigging with.
Got the 18i20 handling backing tracks and midi. How do we setup everything so the macbook, and logic, using the 18i20, changes Axe FX presets automatically?


----------



## Andromalia

So many cabs now, I'm almost always using the same one, anyone has a stock cab they like so I can check it out on the III ?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Andromalia said:


> So many cabs now, I'm almost always using the same one, anyone has a stock cab they like so I can check it out on the III ?



The Misha Mansoor ones are all I use for right now
The Engl cab is my favorite. Named "Angle" in the packs.


----------



## narad

Is anyone actually buying a III. I feel like the II had immediate widespread adoption, and the III had almost immediate price drops and non-stop spamming me about sales. Imagining a huge warehouse full of sitting inventory somewhere.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

narad said:


> Is anyone actually buying a III. I feel like the II had immediate widespread adoption, and the III had almost immediate price drops and non-stop spamming me about sales. Imagining a huge warehouse full of sitting inventory somewhere.



There's a lot more competition now, even from within Fractal with thier AX and FX lines.

The Kemper is getting cheaper as it becomes more commonplace. The Helix has a strong following. More and more VSTs are coming out. 

There are just so many different products and form factors vs. almost a decade ago when the II first came out.


----------



## Shask

narad said:


> Is anyone actually buying a III. I feel like the II had immediate widespread adoption, and the III had almost immediate price drops and non-stop spamming me about sales. Imagining a huge warehouse full of sitting inventory somewhere.



I have kind of wondered the same thing. Although, I think their production is different now, and they can produce in larger quantities than they did back then.

I get the feeling everyone is waiting for their next floor unit. I think it will be their highest selling product when it drops. No one really knows when, but people predict mid-2019.


----------



## Andromalia

narad said:


> Is anyone actually buying a III. I feel like the II had immediate widespread adoption, and the III had almost immediate price drops and non-stop spamming me about sales. Imagining a huge warehouse full of sitting inventory somewhere.



Well, I bought one and am perfectly happy with it. But, again, it's not so much a tone thing than a stupidly easy to use piece of outboard gear, oh yeah and it's still a guitar preamp.
There's a good chance it being 3U repelled some people too.

I intend to release a few songs in May 100% DIY and I do intend the result to be professional sounding. All I'll use will be the axe III for *everything* but EQ and compression, which will be handled by the SSL plugin. What the axe III brings over the II for someone who "just" plays guitar might seem as not worth it compared to the competition Max cited.
But you can't mix and master an album with a Kemper. ^^

TLDR: the 8 way USB changes everything.


----------



## crg123

Soooooo. This happened 

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...pw86DGgbLYsc10A_-Z9i366lX98EW637kvlkxrh84SiAA

Cliff "This incorporates some of the modeling improvements from the III."


----------



## mnemonic

crg123 said:


> Soooooo. This happened
> 
> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...pw86DGgbLYsc10A_-Z9i366lX98EW637kvlkxrh84SiAA
> 
> Cliff "This incorporates some of the modeling improvements from the III."



Cool, I wasn’t really expecting another update since the last one was almost a year ago. 

There’s been a lot of whining on the axe FX II forum about firmware and it’s been ramping up lately, maybe this will shut them up. 

Anyone tried it yet? I have everything sounding the way I like at the moment so I don’t really want to mess with anything too much.


----------



## TGN

Looking forward to checking it out when I get home:

"Ares 1.00
This firmware is a partial port of the “Ares” modeling used in the Axe-Fx III.
Not all aspects of the Ares modeling were able to be ported but the most
important parts were and the amp modeling should sound very similar. "


----------



## lewis

will that firmware update work with my AX8 ?


----------



## mnemonic

lewis said:


> will that firmware update work with my AX8 ?



Gotta wait until he ports it to AX8 which I assume they will.


----------



## lewis

mnemonic said:


> Gotta wait until he ports it to AX8 which I assume they will.


ah thank you! 

Will sit on it and wait then. The most recent one for me before this was awesome and included some Axe III stuff I believe. Continued support for "older" products is really nice from Fractal.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Cool, I wasn’t really expecting another update since the last one was almost a year ago.
> 
> There’s been a lot of whining on the axe FX II forum about firmware and it’s been ramping up lately, maybe this will shut them up.
> 
> Anyone tried it yet? I have everything sounding the way I like at the moment so I don’t really want to mess with anything too much.


Yeah, and he basically said he struggled to make this one fit because the memory is out of ... memory. That is what stopped the Ultra/Standard also. I figure this is one last send off. Very cool though! I figured there would be more finalized update before the official end.


----------



## lewis

Shask said:


> Yeah, and he basically said he struggled to make this one fit because the memory is out of ... memory. That is what stopped the Ultra/Standard also. I figure this is one last send off. Very cool though! I figured there would be more finalized update before the official end.


came at a good time for me too. Ive not had my AX8 6 months from new yet


----------



## Shask

Shask said:


> Yeah, and he basically said he struggled to make this one fit because the memory is out of ... memory. That is what stopped the Ultra/Standard also. I figure this is one last send off. Very cool though! I figured there would be one more finalized update before the official end.


Yep, what I figured. One final update before the end to officially end the updates to the Axe-FX II.

"
FractalAudio said: ↑
I *will* *release* *a* *final* *version* of this firmware in a few days. That will be *the* *last* *update* (barring bug fixes) for the Axe-Fx II.
"


----------



## TGN

The II had a good run.


----------



## Lorcan Ward

That's really cool of Cliff to keep supporting the II a year after the III was released.


----------



## mnemonic

Installed the update yesterday afternoon and played around with it for a couple hours. I was gonna wait for a stable release but talk of a reworked ampeg SVT made me want to try it now. Cool amp for bass, but I still prefer the USA 400 and the Citrus Bass.

My patches didn’t really need any tweakingx except for one using the FAS Modern III, which was a bit boomier, so I just turned the bass down a bit.

I was liking my patches before the update and things still sound good. I didn’t really do an A/B test though, since I played guitar for like 10 minutes, did the update, then spent like an hour playing bass before taking a break and then going back to guitar.

I just read someone on the axe FX forum saying their Recto patches sound better, and the amp may have also been reworked, I’ll have to check them out as I tend to avoid the Recto models these days, as I find they take more work than they ought to and I can get better sounds quicker out of the FAS Modern III for example.

A couple bugs I noticed, there are two Porta-Bass models, one of which appears to be the ‘wrecker rocket’ guitar amp model, and the other is the bass model. Selecting the bass model freezes the axe FX some of the time. Also there’s a new Friedman hbe model with a name with extra numbers at the end. It does sound really good though, I usually don’t like the Friedman models without some in-depth tweaking but this one is super chunky at stock settings.

Also when switching patches sometimes there is a quiet ‘beep’ noise which I’m pretty sure wasn’t there before.


----------



## Shask

I am really curious to try it, but waiting for the final release since bugs have been found. It seems like there are a lot of good reports that it does sound and feel better overall.... however, people pretty much say that about every update, lol. I don't know if I will find it very noticeable.


----------



## Elric

TGN said:


> The II had a good run.


Yup. It's a good stopping point, too. I loaded this last one and most of my presets on the II sound great without too much adjustment. Lifetime of tones still in that box. The UI will definitely not age well but toanz is toanz for eternity.


----------



## Jason B

As someone who does all tweaking via Axe-Edit, we’ll see if I make it to the next iteration of III before upgrading.


----------



## FireInside

Super stoked to have another update. Hoping to try it out this weekend.


----------



## Andromalia

As I have a III, I'm not upgrading before the axe IV. I had a standard and II and never felt the need to upgrade to a + or XXL model when they were released.
I hope in 7 years they will make a smaller unit.


----------



## Hybrid138

I would assume this has been answered several times, but is there a new SS.org favorite for a powered PA speaker for the Axe-FX? I bought an Alto 112/115 (it's been so long I forgot which one it was) and it finally died. It worked well for me, and I'm considering just buying another. Wanted to see if there's a new fan favorite I should look into.


----------



## lewis

Hybrid138 said:


> I would assume this has been answered several times, but is there a new SS.org favorite for a powered PA speaker for the Axe-FX? I bought an Alto 112/115 (it's been so long I forgot which one it was) and it finally died. It worked well for me, and I'm considering just buying another. Wanted to see if there's a new fan favorite I should look into.


the modified Headrush version is better imo! So I would suggest that. They also just released a brand new 2000 watt 8 inch compact version that will literally fit in a suitcase


----------



## mnemonic

Those of you with II’s that haven’t yet downloaded the final firmware, I recommend it.

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-ares-rev-1-02-firmware-release.149075/

Includes the cathode follower improvements (amongst other things) that were done recently for the III.

There’s a lot of hype (as there always is for anything new on the axe FX forum), but I have to say, this does sound like one of those big updates, I’m really digging the tones.

For a long time I’ve had trouble with the Recto models, not sounding as good as my real Recto and not being able to balance tightness, clarity, and punch as easily as other models. But I just made a patch with the Recto 2 Org Mdrn and it’s pretty great, A/B-ing against my other patches and it’s holding its own.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

mnemonic said:


> Those of you with II’s that haven’t yet downloaded the final firmware, I recommend it.
> 
> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-ares-rev-1-02-firmware-release.149075/
> 
> Includes the cathode follower improvements (amongst other things) that were done recently for the III.
> 
> There’s a lot of hype (as there always is for anything new on the axe FX forum), but I have to say, this does sound like one of those big updates, I’m really digging the tones.
> 
> For a long time I’ve had trouble with the Recto models, not sounding as good as my real Recto and not being able to balance tightness, clarity, and punch as easily as other models. But I just made a patch with the Recto 2 Org Mdrn and it’s pretty great, A/B-ing against my other patches and it’s holding its own.



I've found the Recto models much more usable now too


----------



## MSS

LeviathanKiller said:


> I've found the Recto models much more usable now too



Recto red is my go to.


----------



## Lax

I've been re-discovering the recto red and it's been more fun and actual playing than the hours I usually spend tweaking the mk2c++ 
Ares rocks


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> Those of you with II’s that haven’t yet downloaded the final firmware, I recommend it.
> 
> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-ares-rev-1-02-firmware-release.149075/
> 
> Includes the cathode follower improvements (amongst other things) that were done recently for the III.
> 
> There’s a lot of hype (as there always is for anything new on the axe FX forum), but I have to say, this does sound like one of those big updates, I’m really digging the tones.
> 
> For a long time I’ve had trouble with the Recto models, not sounding as good as my real Recto and not being able to balance tightness, clarity, and punch as easily as other models. But I just made a patch with the Recto 2 Org Mdrn and it’s pretty great, A/B-ing against my other patches and it’s holding its own.


I am really curious, but I keep waiting as they keep finding bugs. It seems like most people say this really does sound better than it ever has.


----------



## broangiel

Shask said:


> I am really curious, but I keep waiting as they keep finding bugs. It seems like most people say this really does sound better than it ever has.



I think the relatively large influx of bugs over the past few firmwares were related to the Cathode Follower overhaul. A lot of the old values baked into the models were incompatible with the new algorithms or something to that effect. 

FAS raced through 5.00 and 5.01 to squash bugs. I think we’re solid with 5.02. I haven’t heard anything major, at least.


----------



## Shask

broangiel said:


> I think the relatively large influx of bugs over the past few firmwares were related to the Cathode Follower overhaul. A lot of the old values baked into the models were incompatible with the new algorithms or something to that effect.
> 
> FAS raced through 5.00 and 5.01 to squash bugs. I think we’re solid with 5.02. I haven’t heard anything major, at least.


We are talking about the Axe-FX II updates, which are suppose to be the "Final Updates" for the Axe-FX II, and include some of the modeling from the III. They have had several random bugs, like Bass amps not working, and today apparently Axe-Edit is deleting presets.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> We are talking about the Axe-FX II updates, which are suppose to be the "Final Updates" for the Axe-FX II, and include some of the modeling from the III. They have had several random bugs, like Bass amps not working, and today apparently Axe-Edit is deleting presets.



Yeah, axe edit killed my new recto preset 

I’m sticking to the front panel now to be safe. 

The last couple firmwares are probably the most bugs I’ve ever seen from fractal. That being said, there’s only been like four. 

I think the deleted presets thing is an axe edit bug, since it only happened when I upgraded to the latest version.


----------



## broangiel

Shask said:


> We are talking about the Axe-FX II updates, which are suppose to be the "Final Updates" for the Axe-FX II, and include some of the modeling from the III. They have had several random bugs, like Bass amps not working, and today apparently Axe-Edit is deleting presets.



Oops my bad. I saw the mention of Ares and forgot they adopted that for the II as well.


----------



## lewis

no AX8 yet?


----------



## lewstherin006

I saw someone on facebook saying they couldnt easily find what all the difference were between all the axe fx units, so I decided to compile all the info into one place. I go over all the units, differences, and even put a TLDW link in the description.


----------



## lewis

any word on the new firmware for AX8 yet>?


----------



## Guitarjon

The newest firmwares on the III kick ass!
Made a demo with the Herbie amp models and my Baritone EC.
Snuck in my Digitech Freqout for the feedback effects though...


----------



## LeviathanKiller

angrychair2 said:


> I also notice on Reverb some guy selling Fractal products like crazy for over the actual retail price. The funny thing is it sells.
> 
> Am I missing something here. How is this guy able to overcharge on Fractal products and get people to buy it.



Some people are impatient idiots. If I were greedy I'd do the same thing and sell one. lol


----------



## mnemonic

What midi controllers do you all use? 

I recently realised I can control scenes from the front panel with the ‘a’ quick control knob, so I made a patch with a few scenes and it’s pretty cool.

I’ve also been reading up more on midi, how cc and pc messages work with the axe FX, etc.

Now I want a controller where I can toggle between a few scenes, and also have some buttons to turn on/off individual effects. So far as I can tell, that means I would need a controller that can send CC messages with a defined ‘value’ (for the scene changes) and regular cc messages for toggling individual effects on and off (whose cc number would then have to match the effect under the ‘midi’ tab in the axe FX.)

I think the fcb1010 can do this but it’s giant. Cheap though.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I've been using the FC-12. I waited for the official controller to be released.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> What midi controllers do you all use?
> 
> I recently realised I can control scenes from the front panel with the ‘a’ quick control knob, so I made a patch with a few scenes and it’s pretty cool.
> 
> I’ve also been reading up more on midi, how cc and pc messages work with the axe FX, etc.
> 
> Now I want a controller where I can toggle between a few scenes, and also have some buttons to turn on/off individual effects. So far as I can tell, that means I would need a controller that can send CC messages with a defined ‘value’ (for the scene changes) and regular cc messages for toggling individual effects on and off (whose cc number would then have to match the effect under the ‘midi’ tab in the axe FX.)
> 
> I think the fcb1010 can do this but it’s giant. Cheap though.


I have a FCB1010 I use with mine. I have it set up so the top 4 buttons are 4 presets, and the bottom 5 are 5 scenes in each of those presets. The top right button is a tap tempo. The left pedal is wah, and the right pedal is delay/reverb mix. It is huge, but it works well, and does everything.


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I have a FCB1010 I use with mine. I have it set up so the top 4 buttons are 4 presets, and the bottom 5 are 5 scenes in each of those presets. The top right button is a tap tempo. The left pedal is wah, and the right pedal is delay/reverb mix. It is huge, but it works well, and does everything.



That sounds like a good way to do it. 

After messing with scenes, I think a lot can be accomplished in one preset. Basically you could have up to 4 amps, using amp 1 and amp 2, as well as the X and Y states for each amp block. 

I still use a pedalboard in front of the axe FX with some boost pedals that I use from time to time, so I think I would have it set up with a few presets on the top, then scenes (maybe 1, 2, and 3) then at least one pedal to toggle on/off the filter block which I use as an eq boost in front of the amp on most of my patches. It’s nice to be able to flip it off and then use my real overdrives without getting into menus.


----------



## mnemonic

So scenes are pretty cool. Working with scenes has also made me try out some dual amp patches too, since I realised I can toggle stuff on and off and toggle x/y state per scene.

So now in one patch I have scene 1 as my recto patch in mono, then scene 2 is that same Recto model panned hard left with the Rockerverb model panned hard right, and scene 3 is the Recto model left with the Fryette d60 model panned right.

Pretty fun to add some different texture. I never bothered with dual amps in the past, mainly since they were more trouble than they were worth when I ran a single mono cab (phase issues). But since I’m running a stereo power amp and two cabs, there are no problems with phase.

The rockerverb model doesn’t impress me much by itself, but it adds some real cool grindy, chunky mids to a fat Recto tone.


----------



## Spicypickles

Looking into an Axe8 or an Axe-II. Is the dual amp thing worth the extra scratch? Most everything else I won’t use much, but the dual amp intrigues me. This will be my first high end audio purchase in a long while


----------



## mnemonic

Spicypickles said:


> Looking into an Axe8 or an Axe-II. Is the dual amp thing worth the extra scratch? Most everything else I won’t use much, but the dual amp intrigues me. This will be my first high end audio purchase in a long while



Dual amps can be fun, but if you’re running a mono setup it’s more work than it’s worth and you’ll almost always have phase issues. 

If you’re going stereo and have two separate cabs (FRFR or guitar cabs) then it’s more useful. Though I’ve never really felt like it was that important, I could live without it. 

Could be useful for scenes, since each amp has an X state and Y state (which can be switched with scenes) and you can toggle blocks on/off with scenes. So you can have up to 4 amps in one patch if you were so inclined. And maybe even more if you also had some scenes that were blending them. 

All that being said, 99% of my patches are single-amp. 

The biggest difference between axe FX ii and AX8 would be, at this point, the firmware. The axe FX ii recently got some or all of the amp modelling improvements from the axe FX iii ported over to it (Ares firmware) where the AX8 is still on ‘quantum 10’ firmware. Obviously plenty of people were happy with Q10 on the axe FX ii, and plenty of people are fine with how the AX8 sounds now, but personally I think this last (and final) update to the axe ii really improved the amp models a lot. 

Previously I went back and fourth on whether I preferred my axe FX ii or my tube amps, probably leaning toward the tube amps since I always tweaked less on them, but since the Ares 1 update, I kinda prefer the axe FX. A lot of amp models (particularly the Recto models) sound a lot better. 

But it does depend on the models you’re using. Some people on the axe FX forum preferred Q10, I think some of the Vox style amps were a source of contention. 

Unknown if the AX8 will eventually get the Ares port, cliff has been silent. Granted they’re probably really busy with the new units and controllers they’re making. 

All that being said, if I were new to the fractal ecosystem I would just wait for the FM3 to be released and get that. $1,000, so probably the same price or only a bit more than a used II or AX8 (not sure what the prices look like right now) and seems pretty capable. There’s an information overload on the fractal forum right now, but as far as cpu power, it seemed to do well, one of the techs posted a pic of the most complicated patch he could make (up to like 90% cpu or something) and it was pretty giant.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

I used dual amps a lot towards the end of my time with the Axe-Fx II. It made for really nice thick and filthy tones. Those presets didn't translate at all to the III though. Now I can get the thick and filthy stuff with just one amp. I could have probably tweaked stuff more and gotten it out of one amp on the Axe-Fx II as well but it was much easier to blend imo.

TL;DR You can probably get what you want with just one amp block.


----------



## Spicypickles

Well now, what the hell is the FM3? The thing that appealed to me most was the ax8 being a floor unit, even though the likelihood of playing live is slim to none. I still like being able to swap patches and jam along to songs and I tend to write that way also, cleans into drive etc. I don’t want to have to turn a knob with my hand, and getting the floor controller would be an added expense. 

All I’m really looking to do is record some stuff, I’ve been talking abut it forever, I need to just do it


----------



## mnemonic

Spicypickles said:


> Well now, what the hell is the FM3? The thing that appealed to me most was the ax8 being a floor unit, even though the likelihood of playing live is slim to none. I still like being able to swap patches and jam along to songs and I tend to write that way also, cleans into drive etc. I don’t want to have to turn a knob with my hand, and getting the floor controller would be an added expense.
> 
> All I’m really looking to do is record some stuff, I’ve been talking abut it forever, I need to just do it



New smaller floor unit, based on the new generation (axe FX iii firmware/models) 




Announced, but not sure when they ship. 

For what it’s worth, the AX8 doesn’t have a built in interface, so you’ll need a separate interface to record. The FM3 does have a built in interface though.


----------



## Spicypickles

Is it a definite improvement over the Ax8? I have an interface so that’s not a problem. 

It looks like it will probably only have capacity for a very small amount of processing and be cheaper, based on a quick and dirty glance.


----------



## mnemonic

Spicypickles said:


> Is it a definite improvement over the Ax8? I have an interface so that’s not a problem.
> 
> It looks like it will probably only have capacity for a very small amount of processing and be cheaper, based on a quick and dirty glance.



From memory it has a bit more power than the AX8, but also has a separate processor for the display which frees up some DSP. One of the tech guys explained it on the fractal forum. 

He also posted a pic of this nonsense preset to show how much stuff you can fit in a preset (cpu meters at the top) 




Someone did the same in their axe FX iii and it was at like 50% cpu usage. 

Seems capable to me. 

Sound-wise it should be the same as the axe FX iii. AX8 is sound-wise the same as the axe FX ii, though without the most recent axe FX ii firmware update as I mentioned earlier. 

Less footswitches, but I personally like the modular approach, since you can add on pretty much any 3rd party midi controller to add more footswitches. You can even just get a one button or two button latching footswitch and plug them into the ‘pedal’ jacks on the back, adding up to 4 switches (which are fully programmable the same as the three on the unit, according to fractal). 

Is it a step up, I guess it depends what you want to do. I think it’s probably a step up in sound and modelling quality, like the III was a step up from the II.


----------



## Spicypickles

Well color me misinformed. 

This looks promising, I just want enough buttons to swap from one patch to another, and turn on and off specific effects. Guess it’s gonna be a long wait for me


----------



## c7spheres

mnemonic said:


> Funny how the axe FX II was ‘basically real’ sounding and there really wasn’t room for improvement or criticism.
> 
> Now the III is out, it’s even more realer, and we’re allowed to talk about the Axe II’s inadequacies.
> 
> Maybe after 2 years of firmware updates the III will be even more realistically realer, and we’ll all talk about how artificial those early Axe III firmware updates were in comparison.



This has been my feeling of how it's been. If tomorrow Fractal literally did nothing except change the name of the firmware from Ares to something else (insert empowering name here, like Zues or Athena or something) and then just boosted everything 1db, there would be all kinds of hype about it because of the placebo effect alone.

I love that Fractal does so much work on this but at some point the costs on this tech will come down dramatically, which is great, meaning that the sound and capabilities in less expensive units will be on par to this. Same goes for Helix and Kemper. That's just computer tech. At the end of the day this is a software product with a hardware platform, and the hardware is extremely over priced. It's the R&D from years ago that everyone is still paying for. If you had the Ares software in Standalone or plugin format for $200, like Bias or Reaxis or something like that, You would never buy a 1 or 2gb computer hardware for $2000 with a 1 year warranty to run it on.

I look forward to the future of all this kinda stuff and hope to one day be able to replace my entire rig with something like an Axe3 etc. , but with all the stuff I've been hearing, I hear this noise I can't unhear now. I never heard it, then did hear it one day. It sounds like air rushing out of a tire. It's on everything I hear now AxeII, GSP 1101, Helix, Kemper. I've went back and watched a bunch of demos and clips etc again and I now hear it, whereas I didn't before. I can't tell the difference when it's in a mix, which is great. When it's only the guitar I can hear it, if I listen for it. It's a really tight, plucky attack, with an airy smooth brittle high end and there is an anemic sense of energy in it. It's really strange. I haven't heard it for years of looking at this stuff but now I do. It's not a Youtube compression thing or something because only these modeler units seem to give that sound. Other vids and clips do not. I watched that guy that goes through every preset and it was on almost all of the sounds. Clean, dirty, heavy etc. I cna't hear it 100% of the time, but it's a lot. What I need to do is get my hands on one and really test it out over the course of a year or so. 

I have a question for people that own the AxeFx III AxeII that know tube amps well and active and passive pickups. How is the feel of the unit compared to a tube amp and to a solid state amp. Does that impedance matching circuit help at all? Is it real feeling at all? Is it like a solid state fee? I really want to like these units but my checklist is still pretty empty so far compared to my full rig. Any input is appreciated.


----------



## Andromalia

> At the end of the day this is a software product with a hardware platform, and the hardware is extremely over priced.



What makes you think you're only paying for the hardware ? You're paying for the hardware and the ability to run Fractal Audio's program, with a good 5-7 years of updates during the product life cycle. The reason why there isn't a Fractal VST would lend credence to the fact that what's really valuable is the software part.

Now the foot controllers *are* overpriced but eh, I never bought them. It's not like you have to.


----------



## c7spheres

Andromalia said:


> What makes you think you're only paying for the hardware ? You're paying for the hardware and the ability to run Fractal Audio's program, with a good 5-7 years of updates during the product life cycle. The reason why there isn't a Fractal VST would lend credence to the fact that what's really valuable is the software part.
> 
> Now the foot controllers *are* overpriced but eh, I never bought them. It's not like you have to.



Nah, I don't think that it's only the hardware people are paying for. Like I said in my post. It's the R&D. It's worth the money if it meets your needs for sure. The only thing I really don't like about any of the Fractal stuff, or almost any other product for that matter, is the warranty. For this money it should come with at least a 5 year warranty, imo. I'm not questioning the reliability, but I think the peace of mind should automatically be there. One year with a 3 year optional upcharge is not cool. Tube amps in the same price range like Mesa, Marshall etc, and even inexpensive Boss pedals all come with a 5 year warranty. The Amps are delicate and have tubes etc in them and circuit board constructions and more parts to break, and The Boss are being stepped on. I understand they have a good reliability record so why not just offer it up with the cost? 

Regarding the midi foot pedals. High priced midi pedals are normal for any high functioning midi device. I would like to see more unique midi editors on the AxeIII but it will never happen though very possible because it would destroy their midi pedal product line. Midi is midi. It's almost never changed in the last 36 years. It is literally still on version 1.0 Midi is an example of things being done the right way and being made future proof. there is finally an initiative to make Midi 2.0 for certain things. I love midi. All Fractal would need to do is make a midi mapping editor in the AxeFxIII that allways you to map any message to any other message or parameter in mass. This would make it so you could turn any simple midi controller into a very complex controller, but then everyone would just use a basic Controller and have all the power they want. I wish it was an option and then only if you wanted the controller with the scribble strips etc would you need to buy something more robust for advanced functions. Long live midi.


----------



## mnemonic

c7spheres said:


> This has been my feeling of how it's been. If tomorrow Fractal literally did nothing except change the name of the firmware from Ares to something else (insert empowering name here, like Zues or Athena or something) and then just boosted everything 1db, there would be all kinds of hype about it because of the placebo effect alone.
> 
> I love that Fractal does so much work on this but at some point the costs on this tech will come down dramatically, which is great, meaning that the sound and capabilities in less expensive units will be on par to this. Same goes for Helix and Kemper. That's just computer tech. At the end of the day this is a software product with a hardware platform, and the hardware is extremely over priced. It's the R&D from years ago that everyone is still paying for. If you had the Ares software in Standalone or plugin format for $200, like Bias or Reaxis or something like that, You would never buy a 1 or 2gb computer hardware for $2000 with a 1 year warranty to run it on.
> 
> I look forward to the future of all this kinda stuff and hope to one day be able to replace my entire rig with something like an Axe3 etc. , but with all the stuff I've been hearing, I hear this noise I can't unhear now. I never heard it, then did hear it one day. It sounds like air rushing out of a tire. It's on everything I hear now AxeII, GSP 1101, Helix, Kemper. I've went back and watched a bunch of demos and clips etc again and I now hear it, whereas I didn't before. I can't tell the difference when it's in a mix, which is great. When it's only the guitar I can hear it, if I listen for it. It's a really tight, plucky attack, with an airy smooth brittle high end and there is an anemic sense of energy in it. It's really strange. I haven't heard it for years of looking at this stuff but now I do. It's not a Youtube compression thing or something because only these modeler units seem to give that sound. Other vids and clips do not. I watched that guy that goes through every preset and it was on almost all of the sounds. Clean, dirty, heavy etc. I cna't hear it 100% of the time, but it's a lot. What I need to do is get my hands on one and really test it out over the course of a year or so.
> 
> I have a question for people that own the AxeFx III AxeII that know tube amps well and active and passive pickups. How is the feel of the unit compared to a tube amp and to a solid state amp. Does that impedance matching circuit help at all? Is it real feeling at all? Is it like a solid state fee? I really want to like these units but my checklist is still pretty empty so far compared to my full rig. Any input is appreciated.



I think this last Ares update is pretty good, it was a high note to go out on with the axe FX ii. 

For what it’s worth, Cliff in one of the axe FX iii firmware update threads (firmware 4 or 5? Whichever one included the cathode follower improvements which were ported to the ii), mentioned how he finally ‘cracked the code’ on cathode followers and at this point he can’t really tell the difference between his real amps and the modeled counterparts. 

Someone brought up how he had said the same thing about the II way back when, and even about the Ultra I think (including links). He addressed this by saying that at the time he thought he was ‘pretty much there’ but over time he started to hear and feel the differences (which I get, and experience myself as I get accustomed to a new piece of gear - it takes a while to get used to it and really hear all the nuances). 

He also stated that while he feels like he’s ‘pretty much there’ now, he has no doubt that in time he’ll start to hear differences as he gets accustomed to the new firmware, and start chasing those differences. 

I can accept that clarification, though I can’t speak for everyone. Maybe it’s just marketing, but it seemed sincere to me. 

I would dig up the posts but I’m on my phone and those axe FX iii firmware update posts end up like 50 pages long.

The problem with hype really stems from the forum I think. Too many people take cliff’s word as gospel and if he said he couldn’t tell a difference then you’re wrong if you could. And if you have an idea, doesn’t matter what it is, it’s not a good idea because fractal didn’t think of it first. There’s just something about product forums I guess, it brings out the fanatic in people. 


I guess whether you like the newest update will also depend on the amp models you use, as it doesn’t effect everything equally. From memory, some people think the Vox amps now have too much gain. 

I’m really a Recto guy at the end of the day and I have always struggled with the models. However after Ares I have no problem at all dialing them in, and I can get them to sound like my real Recto pretty easily. 

The ‘drive pedal’ modelling was updated in the iii but that was not ported to the ii. I’ve alwats kinda thought the drive pedal modelling was inadequate (you can say that on the axe FX forum now but not before the iii got an update), so I have always had a pedalboard with a few select boosts that I run into the input. 

The drive models are usable and can be tweaked to sound good, but sometimes it’s like, what’s the point, when I can just click on a ts9 and it sounds right without tweaking. 

I think the iii also has improved ad/da converters but I forget. 


So my final opinion is that I think it sounds ‘real’ right now, but who knows, my feelings may change. This is the longest amount of time I’ve used a single preset without going in and tweaking, or getting tired of the feeling or sound. I would like to upgrade to a III at some point but not for a while, maybe once prices come down a bit or something.


----------



## c7spheres

mnemonic said:


> I think this last Ares update is pretty good, it was a high note to go out on with the axe FX ii.
> 
> For what it’s worth, Cliff in one of the axe FX iii firmware update threads (firmware 4 or 5? Whichever one included the cathode follower improvements which were ported to the ii), mentioned how he finally ‘cracked the code’ on cathode followers and at this point he can’t really tell the difference between his real amps and the modeled counterparts.
> 
> Someone brought up how he had said the same thing about the II way back when, and even about the Ultra I think (including links). He addressed this by saying that at the time he thought he was ‘pretty much there’ but over time he started to hear and feel the differences (which I get, and experience myself as I get accustomed to a new piece of gear - it takes a while to get used to it and really hear all the nuances).
> 
> He also stated that while he feels like he’s ‘pretty much there’ now, he has no doubt that in time he’ll start to hear differences as he gets accustomed to the new firmware, and start chasing those differences.
> 
> I can accept that clarification, though I can’t speak for everyone. Maybe it’s just marketing, but it seemed sincere to me.
> 
> I would dig up the posts but I’m on my phone and those axe FX iii firmware update posts end up like 50 pages long.
> 
> The problem with hype really stems from the forum I think. Too many people take cliff’s word as gospel and if he said he couldn’t tell a difference then you’re wrong if you could. And if you have an idea, doesn’t matter what it is, it’s not a good idea because fractal didn’t think of it first. There’s just something about product forums I guess, it brings out the fanatic in people.
> 
> I guess whether you like the newest update will also depend on the amp models you use, as it doesn’t effect everything equally. From memory, some people think the Vox amps now have too much gain.
> 
> I’m really a Recto guy at the end of the day and I have always struggled with the models. However after Ares I have no problem at all dialing them in, and I can get them to sound like my real Recto pretty easily.
> 
> The ‘drive pedal’ modelling was updated in the iii but that was not ported to the ii. I’ve alwats kinda thought the drive pedal modelling was inadequate (you can say that on the axe FX forum now but not before the iii got an update), so I have always had a pedalboard with a few select boosts that I run into the input.
> 
> The drive models are usable and can be tweaked to sound good, but sometimes it’s like, what’s the point, when I can just click on a ts9 and it sounds right without tweaking.
> 
> I think the iii also has improved ad/da converters but I forget.
> 
> 
> So my final opinion is that I think it sounds ‘real’ right now, but who knows, my feelings may change. This is the longest amount of time I’ve used a single preset without going in and tweaking, or getting tired of the feeling or sound. I would like to upgrade to a III at some point but not for a while, maybe once prices come down a bit or something.



That's good to hear! I'm not really concerned if the models sound exactly like the actual amps or not. I know they are really close and I can't really tell when in the mix. MY main concern is the feel and finding something I really dig enough where I can not care about wanting to play my actual amp. I would likely use it as a preamp anyways and still go to my actual tube amp and use the IR's and cabs for recording ,and of course use it as an effects processor too. I can't wait to try it out someday. I've tired the Ultra and the AxeIIxL for a really shorttime period (like an hour on the Ultra and like 5-10min on the II) and I was already really impressed by it and could see the potential, but the feel was a bit solid state feeling to me. Once I can get my hands on a III I will put it through the paces and know for sure. Being I'm a guy who only really uses a clean, gritty, crunchy and heavy tone and a couple effects it's mainly to just have a compact rig with less potential for problems.

I have no doubts Cliff is really working his butt off on it and it's refreshing to know there is a company that does what he does. It will probably work out for me but it will take a good year to let go of my actual rig, because of the noticing things over time like you were talking about. These are exciting times and as guitarists we have been spoiled.

I'm also excited to use it as a studio processor as well like someone was talking about on here. Just for tools like the looper and RTA compressors, EQ's etc it looks great and even having it for bass will be nice too. It will be awhile before I get the chance but it will be nice to finally check it out once I do. By then it will probably be even more improved. The second I don't hear that weird high end thing I'm hearing and the feel and amp interaction is there, I'm probably sold on it and be convert/fanboy.


----------



## Shask

For me, I think the biggest change in Ares was to the low end. It seems like he finally started addressing that the low end did not react like a tube poweramp and speakers. That was always the thing that stood out to me. You could dial in a bunch of low end with EQs, but there was still some reactive feel thing that still wasn't there that makes palm mutes chug and shake the room. I think the final Ares update on the II improved this dramatically, which is probably why mnemonic finally started liking the Recto models.


----------



## c7spheres

Hi, I'm curious how the AxeFx II or III handle preset and scene switching in regards to dropouts and noise like pops, clicks delays silence etc. As far as I can tell by videos on editing, it will have a slight drop or hiccup when switching presets and a very slight but workable one when switching scenes. It also seems that this can vary greatly depending on what is being switched from /too. What is everyones thoughts about this regarding making it work seemlessly with no pauses, clicks, or dropout when playing a song that requires more extensive or drastic changes?


----------



## lewis

c7spheres said:


> Hi, I'm curious how the AxeFx II or III handle preset and scene switching in regards to dropouts and noise like pops, clicks delays silence etc. As far as I can tell by videos on editing, it will have a slight drop or hiccup when switching presets and a very slight but workable one when switching scenes. It also seems that this can vary greatly depending on what is being switched from /too. What is everyones thoughts about this regarding making it work seemlessly with no pauses, clicks, or dropout when playing a song that requires more extensive or drastic changes?



Yeah its BS. Its the main weakness of the units.

On my ax8 i had a rhythm tone and solo tone and that was it for the whole set.
Initially i was using one type of amp for rhythm tone and something else for lead.

Caused some huge and noticeable volume drop out swell thing between switching. Was terrible.
So THEN i changed both to being XY Scenes instead....and it STILL happened. Granted not quite as bad but it was there.

So to make sure it doesnt happen, i had to make sure what amp i was using was the same for both patches. That seems to be the only way to ensure you get truly seamless.

And thats ridiculous. Alllllll these sweet amp models in the unit and im stuck using just 1 live to make sure i get seamless switching?


----------



## LeviathanKiller

lewis said:


> Yeah its BS. Its the main weakness of the units.
> 
> On my ax8 i had a rhythm tone and solo tone and that was it for the whole set.
> Initially i was using one type of amp for rhythm tone and something else for lead.
> 
> Caused some huge and noticeable volume drop out swell thing between switching. Was terrible.
> So THEN i changed both to being XY Scenes instead....and it STILL happened. Granted not quite as bad but it was there.
> 
> So to make sure it doesnt happen, i had to make sure what amp i was using was the same for both patches. That seems to be the only way to ensure you get truly seamless.
> 
> And thats ridiculous. Alllllll these sweet amp models in the unit and im stuck using just 1 live to make sure i get seamless switching?



Axe-Fx III is near seamless now I think or is seamless? not sure exactly but I do know it's much less of an issue than it was on the II and AX8


----------



## c7spheres

Good to know about the switching stuff guys. It seems you can try to time it or something, but I'm starting to find the quirks of the unit out now before I buy it or anything. Other stuff that's a potential concern was that the impedance match thing is only on one input which probably isn'ta huge deal, but all the little things can add up to the difference of using it how you want live or just as a studio tool etc. After trying all my IR experiments, I'm also not a fan of IR's at this point, so though I'm still interested to see where all this technology goes, I don't think it's for me quite yet. Maybe with more software updates/ improvements , or more knowledge and experience from myself it will eventually happen.


----------



## Shask

I was bored the other day, so I was messing with my Axe-FX II in terms of tweaking my master preset. I decided to remove the X/Y switching, and put additional blocks and bypassed them with scenes instead (used a second block for a clean amp, etc....). I always had a dropout when switching scenes with my Behringer FCB1010.

Anyways, getting rid of all the X/Y and putting more blocks to switch between resulted in about the same dropout. I don't know where this came from, but I decided to mess with my input gate settings. I turned the threshold all the way down (off), and barely raised it until the background hiss stopped. It is barely on, like -80db or something. I found that after this I no longer had the dropout! My scene changes were continuous. I kind of want to put the X/Y back to see what happens!

I think the input gate had too high a threshold, which is what I was hearing as the gate chopped on/off between sounds. Lowing the threshold helped, and maybe using a Gate block instead might be even better. I didn't try it, but you never know. Might be worth messing with if you are getting dropouts between scenes.


----------



## PuriPuriPrisoner

Is there a big difference in the amp simulation quality between the ii xl+ and the iii? I don't really use effects other than a noise gate and boost so I don't know if the extra processing power is worth it. I can get the xl+ for $1200 locally but I kinda want a iii but I'd end up spending $800 more for one used.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

PuriPuriPrisoner said:


> Is there a big difference in the amp simulation quality between the ii xl+ and the iii? I don't really use effects other than a noise gate and boost so I don't know if the extra processing power is worth it. I can get the xl+ for $1200 locally but I kinda want a iii but I'd end up spending $800 more for one used.


I upgraded expecting there not to be almost any difference at all. I just wanted more IR space and the screen and such. I was wrong. I like the sound of the III a lot and feel it was a noticeable improvement over the II XL+ I had. I had no complaints against the quality of the II XL+ though. It was only once I upgraded that I noticed room for improvement as evidenced by how the III brought improvement. Basically, it's just how much do you want to spend. Either choice is going to be a good choice.


----------



## lewis

any talk yet about this last AX8 firmware update to match the last II update that was released?


----------



## broangiel

lewis said:


> any talk yet about this last AX8 firmware update to match the last II update that was released?



I don’t believe there’s one coming. The guy who handled all the Ax8 stuff left Fractal. That’s been part of the FM3 push—unite the code base so that doesn’t happen again.


----------



## Lax

Shask said:


> I was bored the other day, so I was messing with my Axe-FX II in terms of tweaking my master preset. I decided to remove the X/Y switching, and put additional blocks and bypassed them with scenes instead (used a second block for a clean amp, etc....). I always had a dropout when switching scenes with my Behringer FCB1010...


I was bored the other day so I redid my main preset with some IRs browsing and tho I already had zero X/Y changes, I modded my post cab effects routes (parallel delay etc) and realized that I was using it wrong, meaning some sounded wrong before and spillover and effect tails weren't complete, I felt stupid not realising that at rehearsal at full volume 

Now I'm back to the struggle of choosing between delay and reverb on clean sound, how to have a ballsy main crunch sound (I use the enhancer block) that doesn't feel weak as soon as I turn on one modulation effect on it...


----------



## c7spheres

I just saw a YouTube vid that was posted only a few days ago of a guy giving examples or seamless channel switching and spillover delays. I understand this is a weakness in the AxeFX and it discouraged me from looking further into it. This guy was giving examples and saying even though it was a very small delay it was better. Upon hearing/seeing what he's talking about, I have a new hope for this unit with this because although it was very small, it was still acceptable to my ears in a performance situation, and certainly seemed as good as any tube amp it would seems. How this performs under the scenarios I would use it under I don't know, but it seemed very usable to me. I'm still struggling with the whole IR thing. I just don't like the sounds of them. Upon hearing the far field IR's it seemed more promising, and now a second farfield IR set is coming out from what I understand. Also saw a vid on a guy mixing near and far field IR's and that seems promising too. It re-peaked my interest and I'm keeping my eyes/ears open.


----------



## Andromalia

There's a shitton of cabs in the III, and they're preeeetty good. I felt the need to buy third party ones for the II but won't for the III. And I didn't even listen to all of them. (There's *hundreds*)
It's worth checking the various 2x12, seems lot of people jump to the 4x12 directly and theyre missing a lot of good stuff


----------



## lewis

Andromalia said:


> There's a shitton of cabs in the III, and they're preeeetty good. I felt the need to buy third party ones for the II but won't for the III. And I didn't even listen to all of them. (There's *hundreds*)
> It's worth checking the various 2x12, seems lot of people jump to the 4x12 directly and theyre missing a lot of good stuff


only aftermarket cabs I bought were the official Misha djent USA pack

Been using it for ages, then last week changed my amp block for the Energyball II for a change, and decided to try the stock Orange cab (Citrus V30) and the tone is SICK
Very impressed with the stock IRs


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Yeah, if I hadn't already purchased some when I was using the II, I would probably be fine using the stock cab IRs on the III. There's sooo many and a lot of commercial freebies in there too.


----------



## Andromalia

It's made way easier by the fact that you can blend them inside the unit. I have a patch using the same cab with 3 different microphones and I just adjusted the volumes to get something that was really good. Maybe we could have a separate reference thread with recommended internal cabs.


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Andromalia said:


> It's made way easier by the fact that you can blend them inside the unit. I have a patch using the same cab with 3 different microphones and I just adjusted the volumes to get something that was really good. Maybe we could have a separate reference thread with recommended internal cabs.


An open Google Doc would probably work. Just list the one you recommend and what amp(s) you like it with.
A thread is not a bad idea it's just that having a separate one for that would get messy pretty quick and all of the good recommendations would be lost in the mix.


----------



## mnemonic

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-ares-rev-2-00-firmware-release.154149/

Surprise axe FX II firmware update


----------



## lewis

mnemonic said:


> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-ares-rev-2-00-firmware-release.154149/
> 
> Surprise axe FX II firmware update



And still no Ax8 updates.


----------



## mnemonic

lewis said:


> And still no Ax8 updates.



This is a real shame, the last update was a great improvement in my opinion. The AX8 wasn’t a thing when I got my Axe II, but if it was I would have got one. 

I hope cliff ports it to AX8, I figured after all this time that it won’t happen, but I guess we were explicitly told no more Axe II updates a while back, so who knows. 

It makes me hesitant to try an FM3, as it seems clear the flagship unit is number one, and other units are an afterthought.


----------



## lewis

mnemonic said:


> This is a real shame, the last update was a great improvement in my opinion. The AX8 wasn’t a thing when I got my Axe II, but if it was I would have got one.
> 
> I hope cliff ports it to AX8, I figured after all this time that it won’t happen, but I guess we were explicitly told no more Axe II updates a while back, so who knows.
> 
> *It makes me hesitant to try an FM3, as it seems clear the flagship unit is number one, and other units are an afterthought*.



This is why im so frustrated.
Everyone told me that Fractal are amazing with their continued support even after newer products release - therefore i picked up the AX8 thinking that level of customet service was invaluable.

Annoyingly within 6 months of me buying one new, they were discontinued and the FM3 was ushered in. Now at first i wasnt THAT worried because of what i had been told about continued support.

However since then the Ax8 has 100% become an afterthought and collected dust in this respect. I feel slightly duped tbh and had i know this would have happened i would have probably bought another Kemper instead.
These updates make a huge improvement. My band mates II sounds loads better than my Ax8 now thanks to these updates. (Initially they sounded identical)

I dunno i just feel annoyed by it all now.


----------



## fremen

It's not that Cliff don't want to update the AX8, it's that he can't - the available space/memory for the firmware is already 100% used. There's no space left to add lines of code.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-ares-rev-2-00-firmware-release.154149/
> 
> Surprise axe FX II firmware update


I was REALLY surprised by this, and thought it was fake, lol.

Have you tried it yet? I read a few people say the low end improved even more, which is great to hear. The low end was always the weak link in the "realness" of the chuggs


----------



## mnemonic

Shask said:


> I was REALLY surprised by this, and thought it was fake, lol.
> 
> Have you tried it yet? I read a few people say the low end improved even more, which is great to hear. The low end was always the weak link in the "realness" of the chuggs



Not yet, only saw it late last night and I’m in seminars for work all day today. Might not be until tomorrow when I try it.


----------



## Shask

mnemonic said:


> This is a real shame, the last update was a great improvement in my opinion. The AX8 wasn’t a thing when I got my Axe II, but if it was I would have got one.
> 
> I hope cliff ports it to AX8, I figured after all this time that it won’t happen, but I guess we were explicitly told no more Axe II updates a while back, so who knows.
> 
> It makes me hesitant to try an FM3, as it seems clear the flagship unit is number one, and other units are an afterthought.


Yeah, I would have gotten the Ax8 also if it existed when I bought my II. Oh well, it has proven to be a good piece of gear to have regardless, and never been a huge fan of floorboards since I don't travel with them.


----------



## c7spheres

fremen said:


> It's not that Cliff don't want to update the AX8, it's that he can't - the available space/memory for the firmware is already 100% used. There's no space left to add lines of code.



I never owned any Fractal units but have always had my eyes on them. I've noticed the majority of experienced users usually end up settling on a handful of thier favorite amp and cab models. It seems there would be a way for Fractal to make a variable architecture where a user who knows exactly what they want but just want to try out new stuff could erase all the stuff (like what? 80%) they never use and then load in a limited, or customizable version of the new more powerful Ares stuff. A way to basically delete stuff you don't want and add an amp or effect or two, with full Ares power, that really interest you, so you coulld try it out. It would be slower to try out all the models, but still possible and also have the older units almost become demo units for the newer stuff too. Obviously the hardware is different so even doing this might not be worrh it. It may only be worth doing it with the AxeII etc. Maybe that's why nothing yet? It would be like a limited scope user-editable firmware, because even with all the features these modelers have I'm only really interested in a few models. I'd rather have all the power dedicated to a few amp channels, more powerful IR's and effects. What if all the power in the Axe 8 or other unit say was dedicated to modelling a Recto or something with a couple pedals, but ridiculously high res or something? At what point does it not matter any more? Just a thought.


----------



## Shask

c7spheres said:


> I never owned any Fractal units but have always had my eyes on them. I've noticed the majority of experienced users usually end up settling on a handful of thier favorite amp and cab models. It seems there would be a way for Fractal to make a variable architecture where a user who knows exactly what they want but just want to try out new stuff could erase all the stuff (like what? 80%) they never use and then load in a limited, or customizable version of the new more powerful Ares stuff. A way to basically delete stuff you don't want and add an amp or effect or two, with full Ares power, that really interest you, so you coulld try it out. It would be slower to try out all the models, but still possible and also have the older units almost become demo units for the newer stuff too. Obviously the hardware is different so even doing this might not be worrh it. It may only be worth doing it with the AxeII etc. Maybe that's why nothing yet? It would be like a limited scope user-editable firmware, because even with all the features these modelers have I'm only really interested in a few models. I'd rather have all the power dedicated to a few amp channels, more powerful IR's and effects. What if all the power in the Axe 8 or other unit say was dedicated to modelling a Recto or something with a couple pedals, but ridiculously high res or something? At what point does it not matter any more? Just a thought.


What a lot of people dont understand though is that amp models are different memory than the actual modeling. You can throw like a million amp models in there and it wouldn't matter much in terms of space, because (as I understand it), they are basically a list of parameters that tell the actual modeling what to do. Removing amp models does not free up space. IRs are in different memory as well, and removing those does not free up space for more firmware. They are all different things. The core code that is taking up all the memory is all the Math that drives how the modeling is accomplished. The core Math that models how a resistor works, how a capacitor works, how a Tube works, etc.....

EDIT: Let me end with.... "As I understand it from Fractal posts through the years, I assume this is what is happening, as no one really knows other than Cliff...."


----------



## c7spheres

Shask said:


> What a lot of people dont understand though is that amp models are different memory than the actual modeling. You can throw like a million amp models in there and it wouldn't matter much in terms of space, because (as I understand it), they are basically a list of parameters that tell the actual modeling what to do. Removing amp models does not free up space. IRs are in different memory as well, and removing those does not free up space for more firmware. They are all different things. The core code that is taking up all the memory is all the Math that drives how the modeling is accomplished. The core Math that models how a resistor works, how a capacitor works, how a Tube works, etc.....
> 
> EDIT: Let me end with.... "As I understand it from Fractal posts through the years, I assume this is what is happening, as no one really knows other than Cliff...."


 That makes more sense then. I wonder how much room the Axe III really has left in it then. I guess whatever the firmware chip size minus the firmware file size. I'm sure it's a lot.


----------



## Shask

c7spheres said:


> That makes more sense then. I wonder how much room the Axe III really has left in it then. I guess whatever the firmware chip size minus the firmware file size. I'm sure it's a lot.


I dont remember the exact quote (you can search the Fractal forum, as Cliff said it in the past somewhere...), but I want to say 4x more processing power and 8x more memory.... I know it is A LOT more. Just like the Axe-FX II was MUCH more than the Ultra in 2011.


----------



## c7spheres

Shask said:


> I dont remember the exact quote (you can search the Fractal forum, as Cliff said it in the past somewhere...), but I want to say 4x more processing power and 8x more memory.... I know it is A LOT more. Just like the Axe-FX II was MUCH more than the Ultra in 2011.


- Right, I think firmware is a different chip than those too though. I don't think it even matters much anymore because these units can do so much. I'm looking for different things. 

- I made a suggestion to Cliff a long time ago when the Axe II was around a few years ago and let him know what I wanted to see in the units. He responded and said "you never know". I let him know I wasn't a big effects user but did have interest in seeing things like the Positive grid midi guitar stuff. I think the next evolution for the Axe is becoming a guitar synth type unit. Back in the 1997- 2002 era. I was really into guitar synths. I had the whole setup using Axon's and Kurzweils, pedal board midi controls, loopers etc. It was really exciting and fun, but ultimately to expensive, space consuming and sporadically littered with issues to justify keeping it all. Seeing the stuff Positive Grid, EHX, Line 6 and other companies are achieving without the use of special guitar to midi converters and special hex or piezo pickups is very promising and, imo, would really sit well with and Axe unit or even as a separate unit too by the side of an Axe. I know they are different technologies, but no more different than a computer modelling a tube amp realistically. I really miss playing grand pianos, cellos, violins, organs, sitars and analog synth sound effects on my guitar. It's really fun, but it did take away a lot of time from guitar focused sounds and songwritingdue to all the issues.


----------



## Shask

lewis said:


> And still no Ax8 updates.





lewis said:


> This is why im so frustrated.
> Everyone told me that Fractal are amazing with their continued support even after newer products release - therefore i picked up the AX8 thinking that level of customet service was invaluable.
> 
> Annoyingly within 6 months of me buying one new, they were discontinued and the FM3 was ushered in. Now at first i wasnt THAT worried because of what i had been told about continued support.
> 
> However since then the Ax8 has 100% become an afterthought and collected dust in this respect. I feel slightly duped tbh and had i know this would have happened i would have probably bought another Kemper instead.
> These updates make a huge improvement. My band mates II sounds loads better than my Ax8 now thanks to these updates. (Initially they sounded identical)
> 
> I dunno i just feel annoyed by it all now.



"
FractalAudio said:
I'm working on Ares 2.00 for the AX-8. It's difficult though since the processor isn't as powerful and I'm having difficulty getting the new algorithms to run in the allotted time. I've also been sick all week and only have enough strength to work a couple hours a day.

"


----------



## TGN

Btw, if you are looking for the AXE II update, it is on the forums:

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-ares-rev-2-00-firmware-release.154149/

The support page still seems to have the ARES 1.03.


----------



## fremen

Yes, posted on the previous page, that's what started the discussion on the AX8


----------



## Andromalia

Owning an axe FX is a PITA. You go "oh well, I"m fine with my version" and then there's a new firmware update and you ignore it. And the next few others. 
Someday on a sunday after lunch you check Fractal Forums while sipping your coffee and you go "Oh shit I missed ALL THAT ????"



> veryone told me that Fractal are amazing with their continued support even after newer products release - therefore i picked up the AX8 thinking that level of customet service was invaluable.



I luckily never had any issue with my Fractal products, but continued support doesn't mean they'll get a lot of stuff. It means Cliff will, if he can, review some stuff on the old units and update them. For free, too. 
when you buy a Fractal unit you get the 99% guarantee (meteorites do happen) that the company will support and update the product for 5-7 years if you buy the original release product, a bit less if you get an evolution (XL, XL+ etc). Again, for free. That was important in a world where Line6 sold separate amp models for updates.

And, contrary to immediate perception, axe FX is *cheap*. I've owned the various iterations over 10 years now, and all I bought on the side were 2 lunchbox amps for the fun. For the price of one mesa head, and not the most expensive one at that.
Even better, the resale value stays decent, so you cna make some money back, calculate then what it cost you to rent an axe fx for 7 years and it's cheaper than Netflix.


----------



## mnemonic

I noticed a thread on the fractal forum, cliff talking about the power tube bias. It seems the ‘power tube grid bias’ setting on the power amp page directly relates to the plate dissipation (for example setting of 0.70 = 70% dissipation).

I checked my Recto patch and it defaults to 0.45 or 45% plate dissipation. I have some figures I’ve found online of people hooking up bias probes to their rectos, and based on the plate voltage and current draw they measured using Mesa tubes, this seems about right.

However just for fun I tried turning the bias down, to about 0.26. After resetting the levels and redoing the eq, I think I like the sound more. More like my real (3-channel non-multiwatt) Recto, and my eq settings ended up pretty much the same as my real Recto also.

Overall the sound changes were more fizz, more aggressive (probably because of crossover distortion in the poweramp), and less compressed bass. 

Turning treble and presence down brings the level of aggressiveness into check, while also taming some fizz, then turning the bass down so it’s not overly boomy.

I’m gonna have to hook up a bias probe to my Recto next time I take it out, since I don’t think it is biased that cold, but who knows. I guess it is also a different Recto revision than what is modeled, so there’s also that.

Assuming a plate voltage of about 475 volts, the plate dissipation setting I’ve chosen would equate to about 14ma per tube, so downright icy cold bias.


----------



## c7spheres

mnemonic said:


> I noticed a thread on the fractal forum, cliff talking about the power tube bias. It seems the ‘power tube grid bias’ setting on the power amp page directly relates to the plate dissipation (for example setting of 0.70 = 70% dissipation).
> 
> I checked my Recto patch and it defaults to 0.45 or 45% plate dissipation. I have some figures I’ve found online of people hooking up bias probes to their rectos, and based on the plate voltage and current draw they measured using Mesa tubes, this seems about right.
> 
> However just for fun I tried turning the bias down, to about 0.26. After resetting the levels and redoing the eq, I think I like the sound more. More like my real (3-channel non-multiwatt) Recto, and my eq settings ended up pretty much the same as my real Recto also.
> 
> Overall the sound changes were more fizz, more aggressive (probably because of crossover distortion in the poweramp), and less compressed bass.
> 
> Turning treble and presence down brings the level of aggressiveness into check, while also taming some fizz, then turning the bass down so it’s not overly boomy.
> 
> I’m gonna have to hook up a bias probe to my Recto next time I take it out, since I don’t think it is biased that cold, but who knows. I guess it is also a different Recto revision than what is modeled, so there’s also that.
> 
> Assuming a plate voltage of about 475 volts, the plate dissipation setting I’ve chosen would equate to about 14ma per tube, so downright icy cold bias.


 That's good to know. Anything that makes it better, but in real life 14ma per tube would make me think somethings wrong. It's almost like that specific setting is inverted or something as if you just inverted that to say 85 or so then it would come out as pretty normal for hot biasing and also line up more as normal as you are saying too. I can't wait until people really start figuring out all these things in the Axe FX and even it's quirks and such and can really do things it wasn't intended to do, like a real amp and such. You know there's gonna be weird stuff discovered just lke with real amps eventually making it even cooler.


----------



## Mr_Marty

If you haven't updated to the 10.02 firmware you should. Definite improvement. I was like yeah another firmware update yada yada but was pretty shocked at how much better the amps sound.


----------



## Genome

Lowly IIXL user here - does anyone know if I should turn Speaker Compression & Compliance down to zero when running through a SS power amp and cab? Cliff said (a while back) that you shouldn't, but this doesn't really make sense to me - surely you should turn off all speaker sim stuff (expect for Resonance) when running through a real speaker?


----------



## c7spheres

Genome said:


> Lowly IIXL user here - does anyone know if I should turn Speaker Compression & Compliance down to zero when running through a SS power amp and cab? Cliff said (a while back) that you shouldn't, but this doesn't really make sense to me - surely you should turn off all speaker sim stuff (expect for Resonance) when running through a real speaker?


 I don't own one but I would think it depends what you're going for. Like Cliff saying to not turn it dowm to zero makes sense because it's a solid state amp with a speaker cab so you'd normally want to retain the character of the AxeFx speaker model, whereas you'd normally turn it down when using with a tube amp because you'd want that amps character and also have the tube amp's interaction with speaker too. SS amps are normally pretty neutral, like a PA amp and react differently than a tube amp to speakers and normally don't offer much character in that regard. At least that's my initial thinking on it.


----------



## Elric

c7spheres said:


> I don't own one but I would think it depends what you're going for. Like Cliff saying to not turn it dowm to zero makes sense because it's a solid state amp with a speaker cab so you'd normally want to retain the character of the AxeFx speaker model, whereas you'd normally turn it down when using with a tube amp because you'd want that amps character and also have the tube amp's interaction with speaker too. SS amps are normally pretty neutral, like a PA amp and react differently than a tube amp to speakers and normally don't offer much character in that regard. At least that's my initial thinking on it.


Yeah. Pretty much this... one cool thing about the Axe is Cliff will give advice on your configuration but it is always just a guideline. You can always adjust those things and ‘use your ears’ and decide. Just because something is the most ‘accurate’ does not mean it sounds or works the best. 

In some ways that is a big advantage of digital: you can easily adjust things that you could never tweak on an amp without completely rebuilding or physically modding it.


----------



## vick1000

I always turn off speaker res when using a guitar cab, regardless of power amp, especially at high volumes. To me, it makes the rest of the parameters act more amp like in the rest of the amp block. Some people think it sounds like a "blanket" over the cab, but it sound natural to me, just add some highs like you would on your amp.


----------



## works0fheart

So after having read a few pages back in this thread last week I saw that Ares is available for the Axe FX II now, so I went ahead and gave it a dl on my MKII. One thing I noticed immediately is that it made my old patch pretty quickly obsolete. Previously I was running 2 amps, each into it's own cab and I was very used to that full sound it had. Upon upgrading it was sounding a bit weird to me so I went ahead and bit the bullet and dropped my preset down to 1 amp and cab (while still using my actual cab) and it sounded great on its own. I was pretty surprised by this because a majority of the time I felt just a single amp and cab weren't quite full sounding enough before, but I'm pretty happy and relieved to see that it now not only sounds good but the simplicity frees me up a lot of space for other stuff on my patch.

Anyways, that aside, I've been debating putting up my Axe FX II MKII for sale somewhere with the intention of upgrading to the 3. However, I don't know if I'd even break 1k on trying to sell it so I'm a little put off about even beginning to bother and I'm not about to shell out 2000 on something that may not be that much of a change over what I have now. I know it's asked frequently, but has anyone here actually made the jump from the II to the III and did you feel it was worth it?


----------



## MaxOfMetal

works0fheart said:


> So after having read a few pages back in this thread last week I saw that Ares is available for the Axe FX II now, so I went ahead and gave it a dl on my MKII. One thing I noticed immediately is that it made my old patch pretty quickly obsolete. Previously I was running 2 amps, each into it's own cab and I was very used to that full sound it had. Upon upgrading it was sounding a bit weird to me so I went ahead and bit the bullet and dropped my preset down to 1 amp and cab (while still using my actual cab) and it sounded great on its own. I was pretty surprised by this because a majority of the time I felt just a single amp and cab weren't quite full sounding enough before, but I'm pretty happy and relieved to see that it now not only sounds good but the simplicity frees me up a lot of space for other stuff on my patch.
> 
> Anyways, that aside, I've been debating putting up my Axe FX II MKII for sale somewhere with the intention of upgrading to the 3. However, I don't know if I'd even break 1k on trying to sell it so I'm a little put off about even beginning to bother and I'm not about to shell out 2000 on something that may not be that much of a change over what I have now. I know it's asked frequently, but has anyone here actually made the jump from the II to the III and did you feel it was worth it?



I have a IIXL+~<%# and a friend has the III, so I've played around with both in the same room quite a bit. 

I still have my II, and while I really want a III, I haven't felt the cost to upgrade is warranted. 

The only use-case I see for immediate upgrade is if you're maxing out the II on some of the more esoteric effects and features.


----------



## works0fheart

Thanks for the reply. To be honest, I keep most of my patches relatively simple. I like a couple different amps for high-gain and a couple for cleans. I like a lot of the wacky effect stuff too just for messing around or seeing if I can get a spark of creativity from time to time as well. I guess the biggest concern for me would be the amp modeling itself. If it's not any different then I don't see any point in fixing something that isn't broken.


----------



## paladimathoz

Is it worth picking up an older Axe FX model?


----------



## fremen

If you get one for a good price, of course ! Even the first generation Axe-fx Standard/Ultra are great


----------



## Flappydoodle

So, I just realised that an Axe FX III is only $2K. I thought they were much more expensive than that. 

As a result, I hadn’t paid that much attention. So as someone who mostly does home recording and jamming using plugins, any thoughts from you guys on splurging for a new toy Axe FX III?


----------



## c7spheres

I don't own it. Want to try one out, but even with the discounts and it being currently at $2k it seems like a lot of money, but obviously worth it because of all the work that went into these units. That said, if it's a tool you actually need and will use the features for then it's hard to beat with so few other competitors. 
- I see the optional 3 year warranty is not in checkout any longer but still says it's available for after market purchase in the warranty section within one year of purchase too. Upgrades are still coming etc. The discounts just came before Christmas time. They had the entire package with foot controller for a hundred or two less than it is now even. I'm just guessing but I bet the price drops more in about year. 
- This is all about if you think you'll get your moneys worth from it. It all personal. Do you really want or need all this stuff? What do you really want to be doing with all of it? You just gott soul search. I'd take my time because the Axe ain't going anywhere anytime soon and you already got stuff to use. Maybe research it more like you're doing here.


----------



## Shask

I think if you use it as an interface, record it direct, need the routing options, etc.... then it is an amazing piece of gear. I kind of think that is a preamp only, there is other competition that you can consider, but the real strength is the variety of things you can do with it. It is a great value when you look at how useful it is in a variety of ways.

I have actually been tweaking my Axe II a lot the last few days. I have had it for like 7 years now almost. I have been getting kind of aggravated with it because I really haven't used it much, and I have been playing my tube amps more. I mostly use it with a SS poweramp and cab, and still struggle to dial it in so that it shines as good as one of my amps. Sometimes it feels like a waste because I really don't use it direct, use IRs, the cab models, etc.... or many sounds in general. It seems like I am always fighting with it being too stiff and too middy.

However, after getting a G Major 2 and Intellifex, and playing with more stereo effects in general, I have been using it in a new context... just as an effects processor for my tube amps. I have never used it that way ever, but it has been fun just focusing on the Chorus, Delay, and Reverb sounds. Sometimes I think I want to sell it, and then I think for what they are worth these days (and how much less it is worth than it was), it is still a great unit for effects, and a command station / switching system. I am not sure if I will go that route or not, but it is an interesting idea as another way it is useful.

I still think it is probably the best digital modeler there is. I think my struggle is the fact that modelers all seem to be tweaked to be best through IRs direct, instead of optimized to compete with the feel and depth of tube amps in the room.


----------



## budda

Flappydoodle said:


> So, I just realised that an Axe FX III is only $2K. I thought they were much more expensive than that.
> 
> As a result, I hadn’t paid that much attention. So as someone who mostly does home recording and jamming using plugins, any thoughts from you guys on splurging for a new toy Axe FX III?



Yes. Great tones out of the box, easy to tweak to where you want it, and the resources for getting help are pretty good too. Cliff just released an updated beta FW again yesterday.



Shask said:


> I think my struggle is the fact that modelers all seem to be tweaked to be best through IRs direct, instead of optimized to compete with the feel and depth of tube amps in the room.



But they are optimized to compete with a tube amp in the room . Carrying half the weight, consistent tone independent of weather and aging components, that is competition. I don't *want* to haul my 105lbs 412 and my 60lb head in it's 20lb road case around. So I have my 30lb rack case and 40lb powered cab instead.

The feel and depth of "tube amp in the room" is there in the III if you want it, just adjust the room and air parameters in the cab block.

But who wants to be stuck with amp-in-the-room tone when recorded tones are generally what everyone hears and references? Even a band with killer live tone is *generally* being mic'd up and that's what you're hearing at the show. This changes if you're front row, of course.

I came from playing a near-dimed JCM800 and twin on half two nights a week outside of gigs, and I'm loving the tones I'm getting from the III within two days of getting it. YMMV but if you want it to do something, it will do it.


----------



## MaxOfMetal

paladimathoz said:


> Is it worth picking up an older Axe FX model?



Depends on which model and for how much. 

I've seen old Standards and Ultras go for under $600, and at that price, it's hard to beat if you need a dedicated rack unit. 

That said, above that price, there's a lot of really good competition, some from Fractal itself.

Now that the Axe3 is dropping in price, there will be a lot of Axe2 bundles going on the used market which will lower the price floor. I've seen minty Axe2s go for $1200, which is dirt cheap.


----------



## budda

Hell, previous owner of this site has a 2 and mfc for $1250.


----------



## budda

FW12 just dropped. Excited to mess with the new stack function on reverb and delay blocks.


----------



## Cheap

budda said:


> FW12 just dropped. Excited to mess with the new stack function on reverb and delay blocks.


Jeez I forget how quick these guys move. I got my axe 3 at the beginning of the month and still haven't had much need to explore outside of the presets 

Have you seen if they've added anything new to the compressor block? I found a Distressor in there that easily beats my Empirical Labs plugin and is so easy to send audio from the DAW to so I'm holding on to hope that they may expand more past guitar sounds


----------



## budda

Cheap said:


> Jeez I forget how quick these guys move. I got my axe 3 at the beginning of the month and still haven't had much need to explore outside of the presets
> 
> Have you seen if they've added anything new to the compressor block? I found a Distressor in there that easily beats my Empirical Labs plugin and is so easy to send audio from the DAW to so I'm holding on to hope that they may expand more past guitar sounds



I don't think they did, but update anyway .


----------



## aBagel

Guys, so this may have been asked before...
If that’s the case, sorry. But how do I use the unit just to practice or play on my own and casually record some stuff. What extra items will i need? What will the signal chain look like?


----------



## Elric

But Doesn’t it Djent? said:


> Guys, so this may have been asked before...
> If that’s the case, sorry. But how do I use the unit just to practice or play on my own and casually record some stuff. What extra items will i need? What will the signal chain look like?


Download the manual and give it a look. There are like a billion ways to run/configure a modeler


----------



## budda

But Doesn’t it Djent? said:


> Guys, so this may have been asked before...
> If that’s the case, sorry. But how do I use the unit just to practice or play on my own and casually record some stuff. What extra items will i need? What will the signal chain look like?



Dont need anything besides a usb cable if you just plan to use headphones.


----------



## budda

And FW12.02 just came out, along with the Axe edit III update.

stack/hold function now on more stuff


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Fractal FM-3 purchase invitations are going out starting today


----------



## Andromalia

But Doesn’t it Djent? said:


> Guys, so this may have been asked before...
> If that’s the case, sorry. But how do I use the unit just to practice or play on my own and casually record some stuff. What extra items will i need? What will the signal chain look like?


An USB cable to the computer and headphones/a pair of studio monitors.


----------



## budda

12.04 released today. Mesa TC-100 added.


----------



## budda

And 12.05 today to fix some bugs. Gonna try said TC-100.


----------



## budda

12.08 beta up with a bunch of tweaks.

Do those guys sleep?


----------



## AboutBlank

I'm stupid:





After a short time (a few hours) I am already quite enthusiastic.
I limit myself extremely to the search for the right cab for me at the moment.

I'm basically only into Mesa OS, currently the combination used by Leon Todd (YA Recto 57/121) can convince me the most.

In general, because of the editor there is nothing I can't find and adjust in seconds.
Did not expect that it is incredibly intuitive.

My actual question is, does anyone else have a favourite for the smooth Mesa cab sound?


----------



## c7spheres

I don't own one yet (Yes, I know, I'm a tire kicker) , but even straight outta the box @Ola Englund is getting good chug tones from it in like 2 minutes.


----------



## Decapitated

Oh...it chugs. Hard.


----------



## thetourist

Sorry if this has been asked before, but has anyone managed to find/run a bitcrusher type effect on the Axe-fx? I can't find anything approaching that sound on my AX8. Nothing in the manual either.


----------



## budda

thetourist said:


> Sorry if this has been asked before, but has anyone managed to find/run a bitcrusher type effect on the Axe-fx? I can't find anything approaching that sound on my AX8. Nothing in the manual either.



Bit reduction in the drive block. It's a good time. Change the sample rate too if you want more gross.

I did this in my FX8 to simulate the dr scientist bitquest we used on the last Sparrows album live.


----------



## thetourist

budda said:


> Bit reduction in the drive block. It's a good time. Change the sample rate too if you want more gross.
> 
> I did this in my FX8 to simulate the dr scientist bitquest we used on the last Sparrows album live.



Thanks!


----------



## Obscurabeast2002

Is the Axefx2 still worth it in 2020


----------



## budda

Obscurabeast2002 said:


> Is the Axefx2 still worth it in 2020



Yes. They still sound great and they are still powerful. If you don't need the latest and greatest, it'll do you fine.


----------



## Obscurabeast2002

budda said:


> Yes. They still sound great and they are still powerful. If you don't need the latest and greatest, it'll do you fine.


I'm going to pick one up today for 900$ , the axefxiii just seems like overkill for bedroom practice.


----------



## Obscurabeast2002

Obscurabeast2002 said:


> I'm going to pick one up today for 900$ , the axefx iixl axefxiii just seems like overkill for bedroom practice.


----------



## budda

Obscurabeast2002 said:


> I'm going to pick one up today for 900$ , the axefxiii just seems like overkill for bedroom practice.



Sure but when you want to record or gig, there's no questioning it. Same to be said for the ii if it meets your needs.

I knew i wanted the updates, so I went with the iii. I have not been let down. My friend just sent me his updated EP which is all 2xl - sounds killer. That's largely due to his engineer though .


----------



## Obscurabeast2002

budda said:


> Sure but when you want to record or gig, there's no questioning it. Same to be said for the ii if it meets your needs.
> 
> I knew i wanted the updates, so I went with the iii. I have not been let down. My friend just sent me his updated EP which is all 2xl - sounds killer. That's largely due to his engineer though .


I forgot to mention it's the Mark ii, of the axefx ii. Will I be short upgrades compared to the XL?


----------



## lewis

Hell even the Ultras will work fine in 2020.


----------



## budda

lewis said:


> Hell even the Ultras will work fine in 2020.



Hell yeah. They all still sound solid and have life left in them - just gotta decide the budget and the requirements and go from there.


----------



## lewstherin006

Got the new ML Sound Lab Cab Pack for Destruction and decided to take it for a spin. It goes great with the Silver Jubilee or any of the many Slash Amps in the Axe Fx!


----------



## fremen

Improved Virtual capo in firmware 12.08 beta test :



Improved whammy test :



Same performance, without whammy :


----------



## budda

Yep, pitch upgrades are awesome.


----------



## Obscurabeast2002

*Anyone have suggestions on how to get a heavy, jazzy tone like Spawn Of Possession? mainly for rythm guitar on an AXEFX II MK2. Ive tried modding Das Metall fx by turning up the mids and gain, but my palm mutes seem to be off, they sound choppy and muddy af. Im looking for those clean palm mutes, melodic high note tones, and alternate picking clarity Bryssling gets in this album, its so clean yet heavily distorted. 

Also im playing with:

*


*

Bare Knuckle Aftermath 7 (H) neck pickup

Bare Knuckle Aftermath 7 (H) bridge pickup
*
*
*


----------



## LeviathanKiller

Obscurabeast2002 said:


> *Anyone have suggestions on how to get a heavy, jazzy tone like Spawn Of Possession? mainly for rythm guitar on an AXEFX II MK2. Ive tried modding Das Metall fx by turning up the mids and gain, but my palm mutes seem to be off, they sound choppy and muddy af. Im looking for those clean palm mutes, melodic high note tones, and alternate picking clarity Bryssling gets in this album, its so clean yet heavily distorted.
> 
> Also im playing with:
> 
> *
> 
> 
> *
> 
> Bare Knuckle Aftermath 7 (H) neck pickup
> 
> Bare Knuckle Aftermath 7 (H) bridge pickup
> *
> *
> *



Do you have a recording of what you're getting? I use the Das Metal amp almost exclusively for all of my metal tones. You shouldn't end up with a muddy sound at all with that amp given the proper EQ settings.


----------



## budda

Obscurabeast2002 said:


> *Anyone have suggestions on how to get a heavy, jazzy tone like Spawn Of Possession? mainly for rythm guitar on an AXEFX II MK2. Ive tried modding Das Metall fx by turning up the mids and gain, but my palm mutes seem to be off, they sound choppy and muddy af. Im looking for those clean palm mutes, melodic high note tones, and alternate picking clarity Bryssling gets in this album, its so clean yet heavily distorted. *



Your first issue is probably too much gain. There doesn't sound like there's a lot of gain on there. Also don't forget that when you're listening to recorded guitar tone, it's a blend of the kick drum, guitar and bass most of the time (for metal anyway). This sounds more scooped to than mid-heavy. Kind of reminds me of kezia-era Protest The Hero as far as tone goes (and that was JCM900?). I would cut treble at 10k in your amp block and lows at 150hZ. A large part of how clean this sounds is the fact that the player is really good. If you're sloppy at all, it's probably going to sound "off".

Recap:
- lower gain
- not a lot of bass, treble or mids
- low cut at 150hZ
- high cut at 10k
- practice (?)


----------



## budda

FW12.08 and latest axe edit are up. Hella pitch block improvements.


----------



## c7spheres

I see there's artists presets now being featured on the Fractal website. Pete Thorn, Devin Townsend, and now Steve Stevens! Fractal is wearing me down.


----------



## Genome

FM3 is on the way! Arriving tomorrow here in the UK.


----------



## budda

c7spheres said:


> I see there's artists presets now being featured on the Fractal website. Pete Thorn, Devin Townsend, and now Steve Stevens! Fractal is wearing me down.



And cliff released fw12.09 yesterday.

Might as well join in


----------



## budda

12.10 is live, requires an axe edit update if that's how you prefer to edit.


----------



## budda

12.11 is live.


----------



## budda

12.12 released yesterday. A modifiers' delight.


----------



## budda

13.00 beta out now. Drive block overhaul by the looks of things.


----------



## c7spheres

Hi it's me again, the tire kicker! : )
- I've noticed in the last couple updates from reading on the Fractal forum it seems they might be moving a bit to fast or something. It seems like theres been a lot of bugs popping up even in comparison to previous updates.
- I think if (when) I finally get one of these units that I'll always stay a version or two behind and let eveyone else deal with the bugs and whatnot before I do updates myself. 
- Then again, the ability to backup and rollback firmware is a huge plus. This is why I'm just gonna have to get two of them so I can experiment on one and play on the other. That's my excuse and I'm stickin to it : ) 
- I might wait until the Axe IV to comes out though.


----------



## budda

I backed up today so I can try 13. 

I don't think they are moving too fast, but I'm also not the type who has to run the latest the day it comes out. 

I wouldn't sweat it.


----------



## Elric

c7spheres said:


> Hi it's me again, the tire kicker! : )
> - I've noticed in the last couple updates from reading on the Fractal forum it seems they might be moving a bit to fast or something. It seems like theres been a lot of bugs popping up even in comparison to previous updates.
> - I think if (when) I finally get one of these units that I'll always stay a version or two behind and let eveyone else deal with the bugs and whatnot before I do updates myself.
> - Then again, the ability to backup and rollback firmware is a huge plus. This is why I'm just gonna have to get two of them so I can experiment on one and play on the other. That's my excuse and I'm stickin to it : )
> - I might wait until the Axe IV to comes out though.


A lot of the forum posted firmware updates are public betas... in fact to some degree I sort of consider all of the forum announcements of FW to be public betas... I pretty much wait for new releases to drop via Fractal-Bot instead of religiously upgrading the second Cliff posts something on the forum. Waiting for the Axe-Edit update is the other surefire way to avoid jumping on something too early. They don't release a new Axe-Edit (most but not all FWs require or drive some update to AE) until the FW is stable.

It's cool that the unit gets updated a lot but honestly, most updates I can live without until they are properly baked.

Good luck waiting on a IV. 

I've owned all three generations and still have a II and a III... Never say never because I am a gear nerd, but I could see the III being my last AxeFx/processor barring some major leap forward in modeling. Things do feel like they have pretty much arrived... I cannot reliably tell the AxeFx from a real tube amp into a reactive load in a blind test, TBH, and I find myself less and less excited about new updates or competing products because it is already so excellent that every update feels very incremental.

There are still dudes on the forum who blow a wad with every FW update and like I said the feeling of forward motion is nice but the last really major things for me were the gain enhancer and the select-able impedance curves. Those felt like notable forward steps, but most other stuff has been side to side. Back in the Ultra days and the early days of the II, every update seemed major to me, but somewhere late in the II's life modeling crossed the threshold for me on my bread and butter sounds for direct tones.

I used to login in there everyday hoping for new FW. Now I check like every two weeks or more. LOL. 

I still enjoy amps and cabs, too. I think in the FRFR realm things are at a really good point. Would love to see a fractl version of Line 6's powercab or something like that. The PC seems like a cool step but it is probably just a starting point for that kind of effort. I sort of do not trust them to get it right to be brutally honest, either. Not at the level of attention to detail that Fractal does stuff.


----------



## c7spheres

@Elric That makes a lot of sense that beta's would have issues. Good advise on handling updates. Thanks for the info! 
- Can I ask how you compare the feel and dynamics of the AxeFx III to a tube head and cab? Curious how it responds to pick attack and dynamics. Things like picking really light to really hard on a grit channel and how it responds to distortion amount and breakup etc.


----------



## Elric

The AxeFx feels pretty ‘alive’ to me... I can throw a tube unit in the loop (preamp or an amp via a Fryette PS2) and get confused as to which is which if I am not looking at the screen and they are dialed in to match up. If you are set to a light crunch on a Marshall you can pick really light and get a clean sound and then bang the strings and it sounds seriously crunchy. 

I think the big things with the modelers are:
1. FRFR vs cabs. Modelers can work in either context but most go for FRFR and that Is WAY different than a cab rig. Some can’t stand it, some get used to it, and some like it better but I think this is the deal breaker for most people that genuinely give them a fair shake but never bond with them.

2. The interface/use model. It feels a lot more like using a computer than an amp rig does. This can be really liberating if you are good with patches presets, etc, TBH. But again, some people cannot abide this. 

3. The psychology of it... people are always pushing the magical mystical aspect of tubes and it is easy to get caught up in obsessively being insecure about whether you’d be getting “better” tones with tubes or if it really sounds like the amp it models.

I have a good mix of digital and tube gear now and I don’t really see myself ever NOT having a modeler they are so good and so powerful, you can do everything with them. If I had to do a fire sale, the Axe is the last thing out the door. I could replace it with another unit or something someday, because technology, but it would have to be for a comparable unit, at this stage it is my most useful piece.


----------



## budda

c7spheres said:


> @Elric That makes a lot of sense that beta's would have issues. Good advise on handling updates. Thanks for the info!
> - Can I ask how you compare the feel and dynamics of the AxeFx III to a tube head and cab? Curious how it responds to pick attack and dynamics. Things like picking really light to really hard on a grit channel and how it responds to distortion amount and breakup etc.



They've had good dynamics and feel since the ii. Elric has nailed the frfr/cab thing. I switched and literally thought nothing of it, but some folks get very hung up.

I check the forum daily, but not for FW updates


----------



## budda

Speak of the devil, 13.00 is live.


----------



## c7spheres

Elric said:


> The AxeFx feels pretty ‘alive’ to me... I can throw a tube unit in the loop (preamp or an amp via a Fryette PS2) and get confused as to which is which if I am not looking at the screen and they are dialed in to match up. If you are set to a light crunch on a Marshall you can pick really light and get a clean sound and then bang the strings and it sounds seriously crunchy.
> 
> I think the big things with the modelers are:
> 1. FRFR vs cabs. Modelers can work in either context but most go for FRFR and that Is WAY different than a cab rig. Some can’t stand it, some get used to it, and some like it better but I think this is the deal breaker for most people that genuinely give them a fair shake but never bond with them.
> 
> 2. The interface/use model. It feels a lot more like using a computer than an amp rig does. This can be really liberating if you are good with patches presets, etc, TBH. But again, some people cannot abide this.
> 
> 3. The psychology of it... people are always pushing the magical mystical aspect of tubes and it is easy to get caught up in obsessively being insecure about whether you’d be getting “better” tones with tubes or if it really sounds like the amp it models.
> 
> I have a good mix of digital and tube gear now and I don’t really see myself ever NOT having a modeler they are so good and so powerful, you can do everything with them. If I had to do a fire sale, the Axe is the last thing out the door. I could replace it with another unit or something someday, because technology, but it would have to be for a comparable unit, at this stage it is my most useful piece.






budda said:


> They've had good dynamics and feel since the ii. Elric has nailed the frfr/cab thing. I switched and literally thought nothing of it, but some folks get very hung up.
> 
> I check the forum daily, but not for FW updates



Thanks for the perspectives guys! It helps a lot. : )

- I think what my personal "deal/issue" is, is that I've been down this road so many times with digital tech and just computers in general and I'm so jaded I find it impossible to believe the hype around these units is true, however the more I look into it and learn the more it seems that it's finally here. 

- Interfaces and learning curves don't bother me. I've been through the manual and seen enough videos on the Axe that it seems fairly straight forward. 

- From what I can surmise, the feel and behavior of tubes is there and predictable and usable, but also it seems that the most important, critical/vital thing to it all working is that it all comes down to the IR's, of which there are many good IR's it seems now. I'm hearing good results with these units now and it's very exciting. I know the sound is good on these but the feel and bio-feedback response I get is what it's gonna be all about for me.

- The main thing that interests me about the unit is the basic stereo Looper, the I/O patching and the occasional special one-off effects I could use rather than the amp and cab models. I honestly don't need all the amps and effects, but it would be great to actually be satisfied with the unit to explore them out.

- My thought process (self affirmation) is to try out the Axe III and if It's not my thing I could still gain all the other uses out of it. I've really wanted a stereo looper with proper quality and glitch free switching and midi capability for a long time now and it's not possible without spending close to the Axe's price anyways. 
- As for one-off effects it would be a god-send. I could do all these little extra unique things used on only one song and not need to buy a special pedal for it. 
- All that being said I'm stilll torn between "other" stuff/gear too, but I will take my time, kick tires, and eventually make the right choises. I'm thinking I may try this unit first however specifically because of the 15day return policy. It's really the single thing that is making me look into it. If it wasn't for that reassurance just in case I really wouldn't like to keep it for some reason then I wouldn't consider it without trying it first through the grapevine. 

- Thanks again guys. I really appreciate it.


----------



## budda

Or buy a used one and sell it for what you paid. These still seem to move.

Either way, get to trying one! 

I'm going to update after work tomorrow, provided I have energy and willpower.


----------



## budda

13.03 live today.


----------



## Andromalia

For a newcomer, I'd advise trying to get a hold of someone owning a unit, and spend like 30 minutes with axe-edit and see if you're getting sounds you like. Nowadays you don't need to tweak a lot to get usable tones.
Unfortunately, the most time consuming part is still finding the right cabinet. :/ There are now way too many and I wish they culled the bad/useless ones from the list.


----------



## budda

There were always a lot. Just start with what you know you like, or the matching cab.


----------



## Lax

I remember 2015, getting an already upgraded several time axefx2xl+, and took nearly a year to really make it sing.
I felt that latest firmwares were way more plug and play, as I stopped fiddling bias and whatever comp thing, so I imagine the axefx3 with the authentic tab of axedit must be way easier and natural to tweak than it was in the past.

PS : You have to at least read "yek's guide to amp" and same for drives, to get the minimum knowledge about how this amp is setup


----------



## c7spheres

The IR thing seems like the cumbersome aspect of it to me. Obviously you gotta search for the right one for the application so I can see why there's a 1000+ IR's in it and why it's needed though. Seems like once you get one you like you'd probably stick with it and the rest would just be for experimenting as time permits. The fact you can have 4 and mix them is what's really appealing to me as you can really dial it in for proper stereo operation straight to the tracks, not relying on post production for it.


----------



## budda

People forget that you can treat it like a real amp - one amp, one cab IR, build your effects chain and go. And yes I understand the why .

Oddly I've been way more concerned with getting a great recording bass tone than I have been worrying about guitar tones lately. Fortunately I've made good headway. For at home everything is gravy, I just want to start tracking not tweaking when I write more music.


----------



## budda

Damn, Cliff. FW14.00 is out, and he hid some new amps in there.

Also, nearly all the stickies in this section have disappeared .


----------



## technomancer

budda said:


> Damn, Cliff. FW14.00 is out, and he hid some new amps in there.
> 
> Also, nearly all the stickies in this section have disappeared .



Pretty sure Alex pulled them all, no idea why. Stupid management decision #9,987,831


----------



## budda

technomancer said:


> Pretty sure Alex pulled them all, no idea why. Stupid management decision #9,987,831



The worst part is that BMW didn't stick around very long.


----------



## c7spheres

HOLY CRAP ! Axe-Fx III Mark II now exists!

https://www.fractalaudio.com/iii/

Basically the same thing with color screen and adjustable brightness and led colors for the logo, but the main thing is increased flash memory. This $hit be crazy. Oh, and It costs and extra $100 too : (


----------



## budda

c7spheres said:


> HOLY CRAP ! Axe-Fx III Mark II now exists!
> 
> https://www.fractalaudio.com/iii/
> 
> Basically the same thing with color screen and adjustable brightness and led colors for the logo, but the main thing is increased flash memory. This $hit be crazy. Oh, and It costs and extra $100 too : (



An extra $100 seems trivial when you're over $2k, no?


----------



## technomancer

Somebody wake me when Fractal gets back to having products in stock


----------



## c7spheres

budda said:


> An extra $100 seems trivial when you're over $2k, no?


 Yeah, $100 is like an expression pedal cost or something. Nice features though and with the extra flash memory I'm thinking there will be some stuff eventually that the Mk1 won't be able to do, whatever that may be. I wonder if they'll eventually do the XL and XL+ like they did with the Axe II. Either way this thing is a must on my list.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

Only 2 years between versions? Interesting....

edit # better clarify that:

1. wonder why they need the extra memory
2. The psychology of latest version (Kemper have done well to avoid this if I recall)


----------



## budda

The Thing Upstairs said:


> Only 2 years between versions? Interesting....
> 
> edit # better clarify that:
> 
> 1. wonder why they need the extra memory
> 2. The psychology of latest version (Kemper have done well to avoid this if I recall)



Some folks asked for extra memory, and iirc the price keeps dropping as storage and speeds keep going up.


----------



## katsumura78

Cliff mentioned on the fractal forum that the extra memory isn’t for firmware updates, but added “features”. My guess is more instances of effects or scenes in a preset. Heck I had the og Axe II and they supported that as long as all the updated versions of it. Anyone with the III mkI is safe. There’s little reason to upgrade unless you really use the front panel to tweak.


----------



## Mendez

c7spheres said:


> HOLY CRAP ! Axe-Fx III Mark II now exists!
> 
> https://www.fractalaudio.com/iii/
> 
> Basically the same thing with color screen and adjustable brightness and led colors for the logo, but the main thing is increased flash memory. This $hit be crazy. Oh, and It costs and extra $100 too : (



I just saw the instagram post on this. I picked up the MkI early this year (when they had stock), no regrets. The updates are definitely nice, but not enough to make my run out and sell the MkI for the MkII. Plus, it's not like I use all of its features anyway


----------



## budda

FW 14.01. Archon has joined the chat.


----------



## c7spheres

budda said:


> FW 14.01. Archon has joined the chat.


 I saw that. He said he added multiple models. I wonder what the other are. Kinda wish he'd just tell people instead of making them seach for it, but I get it. It's all in fun. Eventually we'll find out. : )


----------



## budda

c7spheres said:


> I saw that. He said he added multiple models. I wonder what the other are. Kinda wish he'd just tell people instead of making them seach for it, but I get it. It's all in fun. Eventually we'll find out. : )



I just looked through all 288 models. I think there's 2 or 3 Archean models which would meet the "multiple" disclaimer. I don't know the list well enough to know what all got changed, but some forum folks keep a hawk eye on it haha.

I probably didn't need to update but hey, it's fun and fast. I'm sure someone will find something wild with the new modifier setup.


----------



## c7spheres

budda said:


> I just looked through all 288 models. I think there's 2 or 3 Archean models which would meet the "multiple" disclaimer. I don't know the list well enough to know what all got changed, but some forum folks keep a hawk eye on it haha.
> 
> I probably didn't need to update but hey, it's fun and fast. I'm sure someone will find something wild with the new modifier setup.


 Whoa! It's up to 288 models now?! Crazy.


----------



## budda

c7spheres said:


> Whoa! It's up to 288 models now?! Crazy.



That was my reaction. I think across all the presets I've made, I'm maybe at 8?


----------



## AboutBlank

The Archean is really nice.

Dropped right into my Überschall chain, minimal tweaking.


----------



## Spicypickles

I just got an FM3, and I’m wondering how to power this thing. Should I go power amp > FRFR cab, or power amp > 2x12 guitar cab. I’m betting the FRFR thing is the way to go, but how are the stock IR’s in the unit? Also, is there a super transparent power amp made for these kinda things? Possibly a powered PA cab?

I’m new to all this, haven’t used modelers since my podxt. I do have a podhd 500x, but it was a pain in the ass to deal with and never sounded as good so it’s been just sitting.


----------



## budda

Spicypickles said:


> I just got an FM3, and I’m wondering how to power this thing. Should I go power amp > FRFR cab, or power amp > 2x12 guitar cab. I’m betting the FRFR thing is the way to go, but how are the stock IR’s in the unit? Also, is there a super transparent power amp made for these kinda things? Possibly a powered PA cab?
> 
> I’m new to all this, haven’t used modelers since my podxt. I do have a podhd 500x, but it was a pain in the ass to deal with and never sounded as good so it’s been just sitting.



Depends what sound you want. I give 0 fucks about "amp in the room" so I went powered frfr (line 6 power cab+, then monitors). Some people crave the "amp in the room" sound which will require a power amp and guitar cab, or the effects send and return of an amp. The stock IR's are from austin buddy, ML sound labs and others plus legacy cabs.

Lotta threads on this all over the place, including the fractal forum. There's also many options. Pick your needs and your budget and go from there.


----------



## rokket2005

The stock IRs are pretty good and there's over 2000 of them. I also go frfr with mine and there are things you can do to get a more amp in the room type of thing going on with cab block filters and room/air features.


----------



## Paul McAleer

Sheesh I really only use like 10 different IRs, how does one sort through all 2000 of them? 

ps. Still a lousy axefx ultra user, haven’t found the need to upgrade yet.


----------



## broangiel

Paul McAleer said:


> Sheesh I really only use like 10 different IRs, how does one sort through all 2000 of them?
> 
> ps. Still a lousy axefx ultra user, haven’t found the need to upgrade yet.


I don’t think the point is for someone to use them all. It’s for all people to find something.


----------



## budda

Paul McAleer said:


> Sheesh I really only use like 10 different IRs, how does one sort through all 2000 of them?
> 
> ps. Still a lousy axefx ultra user, haven’t found the need to upgrade yet.



Just gotta take the time, earmark favourites. Most people probably dont go through all of them. I have no intention to.


----------



## budda

Fw update + axe edit update. Bone app the teeth.


----------



## c7spheres

Does anyone know of a YouTube vid or demo of any of the Axe units doing a basic demo of dynamic breakup on a amp channel related to picking strength? 

- I'm trying to find one but haven't been successful. I'm basically looking for something simple like someone playing an open E chord on a dirty channel at different pick pressures/dynamic etc. Trying to see/hear how certain channels respond and breakup to it. I've searched edge of breakup tones and found some stuff but not sure if people really get what that's about for some reason. I've searched for blues stuff and they all play at pretty consistent pressures too. Sometime I can catch a note here or there but still nothing obvious. 

- I've noticed with other modellers and earlier digital units that they have like 3-5 stages of dynamics and still yet to hear one do it well at low pressure dynamics. I'm thinking the Axe is probably capable or at least better than other units at it but it would be nice to hear something more obvious.


----------



## broangiel

c7spheres said:


> Does anyone know of a YouTube vid or demo of any of the Axe units doing a basic demo of dynamic breakup on a amp channel related to picking strength?
> 
> - I'm trying to find one but haven't been successful. I'm basically looking for something simple like someone playing an open E chord on a dirty channel at different pick pressures/dynamic etc. Trying to see/hear how certain channels respond and breakup to it. I've searched edge of breakup tones and found some stuff but not sure if people really get what that's about for some reason. I've searched for blues stuff and they all play at pretty consistent pressures too. Sometime I can catch a note here or there but still nothing obvious.
> 
> - I've noticed with other modellers and earlier digital units that they have like 3-5 stages of dynamics and still yet to hear one do it well at low pressure dynamics. I'm thinking the Axe is probably capable or at least better than other units at it but it would be nice to hear something more obvious.



something like this?


----------



## c7spheres

broangiel said:


> something like this?



Thanks! that helps. I saw this one and he does get into that territory, however I'm still searching for something a bit more subtle.


----------



## budda

Didnt i make one for you?


----------



## c7spheres

budda said:


> Didnt i make one for you?


 I honestly can't remember now. I'm pretty sure you made something but not sure if it was about this. Thanks though. I'll search for it.


----------



## budda

c7spheres said:


> I honestly can't remember now. I'm pretty sure you made something but not sure if it was about this. Thanks though. I'll search for it.



Remind me this weekend.


----------



## Elric

Just dial a slightly broken up preset up on yours @c7spheres and mess with with the... oh wait never mind.


----------



## budda

FW15.00 beta is live.

And the release notes are wild. New amp models, DS-1 and a 16-second delay.


----------



## FancyFish

Sorry if this has already been asked, but what would you guys pick between the Axe Fx 2 and the FM3? My invite for the FM3 just came up and am having a hard time deciding between the two. I know the 2 is at end of life status but watching and rewatching the God is an Astronaut Rig rundown is making me hesitant and I just don't know if the FM3 would be able to do those complex post rock tones.


----------



## budda

FancyFish said:


> Sorry if this has already been asked, but what would you guys pick between the Axe Fx 2 and the FM3? My invite for the FM3 just came up and am having a hard time deciding between the two. I know the 2 is at end of life status but watching and rewatching the God is an Astronaut Rig rundown is making me hesitant and I just don't know if the FM3 would be able to do those complex post rock tones.



Do you need 2 amps? Axe fx. Do you need 1 amp? Fm3.

I would go with the fm3. Many a post rock tone is 1 amp and 2 or 3 pedals stacked etc. Theres enough amps in there that you'll find what you're after.


----------



## c7spheres

c7spheres said:


> Does anyone know of a YouTube vid or demo of any of the Axe units doing a basic demo of dynamic breakup on a amp channel related to picking strength?
> 
> - I'm trying to find one but haven't been successful. I'm basically looking for something simple like someone playing an open E chord on a dirty channel at different pick pressures/dynamic etc. Trying to see/hear how certain channels respond and breakup to it. I've searched edge of breakup tones and found some stuff but not sure if people really get what that's about for some reason. I've searched for blues stuff and they all play at pretty consistent pressures too. Sometime I can catch a note here or there but still nothing obvious.
> 
> - I've noticed with other modellers and earlier digital units that they have like 3-5 stages of dynamics and still yet to hear one do it well at low pressure dynamics. I'm thinking the Axe is probably capable or at least better than other units at it but it would be nice to hear something more obvious.





budda said:


> Didnt i make one for you?





c7spheres said:


> I honestly can't remember now. I'm pretty sure you made something but not sure if it was about this. Thanks though. I'll search for it.




I've searched high and low @budda and I can't find it if it's out there. If you're still up for it would you be willing to do a quick clip like this whenever you get a chance in the coming days/weeks?


----------



## budda

Cygnus 16.00 public beta is live. Have fun!


----------



## broangiel

I posted this on the Fractal forum, so I wanted to share this here as well since @budda has converted half of this website to Fractal gear (or is steadily on his way to do so).

Hi, everyone. I would like to share the IRs I create with the Axe-Fx community. A couple notes about this "project":

I've never mic'd a cab, so I'm doing this in an effort to learn how to do that.
I am open to feedback on these IRs as this is a learning experience for me.
These IRs will all be created with a Seymour Duncan PowerStage 200 and Motu M4 - so, very vanilla stuff.
I've got a four-month-old puppy running around here, so my uploads/responses may be sporadic.
Here is the Google Drive folder, where I will continue to add my IR Captures - Link. These are also available on AxeChange - here is my profile.

To facilitate community suggestions, here is my collection of gear. Let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see/hear. I will likely go through my cabs in "stock form" before I start speaker swapping, but I'd still like to understand what might be interesting to the community.

Cabs
Mesa/Boogie Widebody 1x12
Mojotone Twin Canyon 2x12
Mojotone Grand Canyon 4x12 (en route)

Speakers
Celestion Mesa V30
Celestion Mesa MC-90 Black Shadow
Celestion V30
Celestion G12H30
Celestion G12H-75
Eminence Governor
Eminence Swamp Thang
Mojotone BV30H

Microphones
Shure SM57
Shure SM58
Sennheiser MD421-II
Neumann TLM102
Cascade Fat Head (en route)
Lewitt MTP 440 (en route)


----------



## Obscurabeast2002

Dark studio room


----------



## budda

16.00 is in final beta, woop woop.


----------



## Semetery

Cygnus is so incredibly good.

I haven't turned an amp on besides the power stage 700 since the first beta came out. The Engl, CCV, Splawns, 5153, Uber, Diezels, Marshalls and on and on. They're so satisfying to play that when I'm not playing, I just think about playing.

I play through cabs and I think it sounds killer.


----------



## budda

Semetery said:


> Cygnus is so incredibly good.
> 
> I haven't turned an amp on besides the power stage 700 since the first beta came out. The Engl, CCV, Splawns, 5153, Uber, Diezels, Marshalls and on and on. They're so satisfying to play that when I'm not playing, I just think about playing.
> 
> I play through cabs and I think it sounds killer.



I'm gonna dive in once I know my guitars for EP2 are done (I dunno if I have a timing issue on a track or not... but the bass is good ).


----------



## Semetery

Good luck! When you do get to it, I'd like to hear what you think.

It took me months to get the right setup. I nearly sold it at a point or two, but ended up sticking with it thankfully. I couldn't get what I wanted my sound to be with a cab and the power amps I'd been trying but whatever he's done has made it probably pointless for me to buy anymore amps anytime soon. I have been looking a few up but now I honestly can't find a great reason (not that one needs one, eh?) to spend 3 or 4k on them when I can get so much from the Axe. I never thought I'd feel this way.


----------



## Thrashman

As soon as I struck my first chord through my FM3 I was absolutely sold. Feels great, the treble and bass response is amazing and.. The best part about it - MID GAIN TONES ARE AMAZING.

I almost never use anything but the Morgan AC20 Deluxe model anymore as it's just so fucking good.. And I don't usually play anything with less gain than a 5150


----------



## budda

Thrashman said:


> As soon as I struck my first chord through my FM3 I was absolutely sold. Feels great, the treble and bass response is amazing and.. The best part about it - MID GAIN TONES ARE AMAZING.
> 
> I almost never use anything but the Morgan AC20 Deluxe model anymore as it's just so fucking good.. And I don't usually play anything with less gain than a 5150



Oh yeah, you can lose days with the AC20. Iirc thats my clean tone with my strat preset.


----------



## cardinal

My $0.02 for the latest Cygnus

The Recto1 is fantastic. The AC30TB really nails it too IMHO. The Brit 800 seems more "raw" (harsh and clanky are words I could use too), but it still sounds good and still is what I use most (with an SD1 for boooooost). I could never get the Ares C+ quite right, nor can I get it with Cygnus, but it certainly gives the right vibe and still is fun to blast out MOP riffs. 

Haven't spent much time with anything else. I think the Archon sim maybe sound better than the real amp. 5153 Red is instant Gojira and I love it.


----------



## Semetery

I freaking love the AC20 on it. I have never tried one in real life but dammmn. It's spiritual to play it. I've come to feel the same about the Uber, which sounds MONSTROUS. The CCV is so sharp and rich. Probably my three favorites I've never tried outside of the Axe versions.




cardinal said:


> My $0.02 for the latest Cygnus
> 
> The Recto1 is fantastic. The AC30TB really nails it too IMHO. The Brit 800 seems more "raw" (harsh and clanky are words I could use too), but it still sounds good and still is what I use most (with an SD1 for boooooost). I could never get the Ares C+ quite right, nor can I get it with Cygnus, but it certainly gives the right vibe and still is fun to blast out MOP riffs.
> 
> Haven't spent much time with anything else. I think the Archon sim maybe sound better than the real amp. 5153 Red is instant Gojira and I love it.




I agree. I haven't messed with the Recto much but on all the rest. I didn't love the Archon combo I had (!shields up!) which I'm sure is probably different, but I dig it a lot on the Axe being able to mold the sound more I guess. I did like the combo better with an external cab more than the 75 it came with (which I also do like as a speaker). The 5153 in the latest update is just incredible. I've stopped playing the Stealth 100 and have just been messing with the Axe model.

For Metallica, I've been using and tweaking on 'Tallica 1' from the Axe Exchange. I wasn't getting anywhere on my own with the amp. Sounds pretty damn good into an EVH 4x12 and with headphones I think.


----------



## AboutBlank

Yeah, the current version of Cygnus is extremely good!

At the beginning it was a bit over the top.
My sound settings have been getting closer and closer to neutral with each successive version and I've never been so happy with the sound.


----------



## cardinal

AboutBlank said:


> Yeah, the current version of Cygnus is extremely good!
> 
> At the beginning it was a bit over the top.
> My sound settings have been getting closer and closer to neutral with each successive version and I've never been so happy with the sound.



Yeah, that's been my experience with it. I had to somewhat wildly alter some settings with the first beta I loaded, and over the various others my settings have come back to about where they were with Ares.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

My III will be arriving tomorrow. I originally wanted to wait until they shipped with Cygnus, but jumped on the email when I got it. Cliff was just posting about some breakthrough he coded so Cygnus may be in beta a bit longer. 

Still, I am pumped for my III.


----------



## budda

Kyle Jordan said:


> My III will be arriving tomorrow. I originally wanted to wait until they shipped with Cygnus, but jumped on the email when I got it. Cliff was just posting about some breakthrough he coded so Cygnus may be in beta a bit longer.
> 
> Still, I am pumped for my III.



They sold out so good call.

Read the manual.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

budda said:


> They sold out so good call.
> 
> Read the manual.[/QUOTE



This x 2

I just got my III. It's my second. I don't remember the first sounding this good. A/B ing with my Roadster and it's so hard to tell which is which. The firmware just keeps getting better - I don't think it is better because it's a mk2 etc.
I'm also spending a lot more time experimenting with it and really enjoying it. I'd forgotten what a creative tool it is. I'm also really getting into scene controllers at the mo

As well as reading the manual - checkout yek's block guide and Leon Todd's videos - there's a ton of fantastic info in both


----------



## budda

Yek's amp guide too.


----------



## Deadpool_25

budda said:


> I'm gonna dive in once I know my guitars for EP2 are done (I dunno if I have a timing issue on a track or not... but the bass is good ).



Wait what? What is EP1?


----------



## budda

Deadpool_25 said:


> Wait what? What is EP1?



The link in my sig I hope


----------



## broangiel

Cygnus is live!

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-iii-firmware-release-version-16-00-cygnus.172270/


----------



## budda

It wasnt me


----------



## budda

16.01, two new reverbs amongst other things. Aw yeah.


----------



## budda

16.02 beta, delay hold is now truly infinite .


----------



## cardinal

Giving the IR, full-range thing another go. Got a pair of older Matrix Q12 cabs. Such a slog to cycle through IRs and then blend them. Cygnus seems to have helped IMHO. Got it sounding not bad but not sure it's really worth the bother.

I just hate the Recto sim with my Marshall cab and really would like to go through an FRFR to be able to accommodate the various amp sims with complimentary IRs rather than have a bunch of 4x12s stacking up in the basement.


----------



## Deadpool_25

budda said:


> The link in my sig I hope



I see no link. I’m on my phone though.


----------



## budda

cardinal said:


> Giving the IR, full-range thing another go. Got a pair of older Matrix Q12 cabs. Such a slog to cycle through IRs and then blend them. Cygnus seems to have helped IMHO. Got it sounding not bad but not sure it's really worth the bother.
> 
> I just hate the Recto sim with my Marshall cab and really would like to go through an FRFR to be able to accommodate the various amp sims with complimentary IRs rather than have a bunch of 4x12s stacking up in the basement.



Download leon todd's mesa mix IR's? They're free.


----------



## RevDrucifer

cardinal said:


> Giving the IR, full-range thing another go. Got a pair of older Matrix Q12 cabs. Such a slog to cycle through IRs and then blend them. Cygnus seems to have helped IMHO. Got it sounding not bad but not sure it's really worth the bother.
> 
> I just hate the Recto sim with my Marshall cab and really would like to go through an FRFR to be able to accommodate the various amp sims with complimentary IRs rather than have a bunch of 4x12s stacking up in the basement.



I have the hardest time finding a killer IR for Recto's. Every other amp seems to be ok, including MKIV's or IIC+ models, but it's like every IR overshoots the highs and lows to ridiculous amounts.

Edit- Using a York Audio Zilla 2x12 on a bunch of my Recto presets.


----------



## cardinal

RevDrucifer said:


> I have the hardest time finding a killer IR for Recto's. Every other amp seems to be ok, including MKIV's or IIC+ models, but it's like every IR overshoots the highs and lows to ridiculous amounts.



I find it impossible to use the AFXIII impedance curves for the Recto cabs. They make the amp a scooped, shrill mess IMHO. This was when using an actual Recto OS 4x12 or any of the IRS. 

It drives my OCD a bit nuts to not use the matching impedance curve, but I just can't do it.


----------



## budda

16.02 on my SLO-100 preset with my MC594.

Well, this is fun .


----------



## c7spheres

Dang it! They just raised the price again on everything by $200. The Axe III is now $2300. That's a $300 increase in less than 6 months. Supply and demand I suppose.


----------



## budda

c7spheres said:


> Dang it! They just raised the price again on everything by $200. The Axe III is now $2300. That's a $300 increase in less than 6 months. Supply and demand I suppose.



Wasnt it $2399 when it came out?


----------



## broangiel

budda said:


> Wasnt it $2399 when it came out?


$2500 USD


----------



## c7spheres

budda said:


> Wasnt it $2399 when it came out?


 It was $2500 then went down to $2k for the MKII came out then it went to $2100 and now to $2300. They seem to have discounts a couple times a year though so maybe it will go back down again.


----------



## budda

broangiel said:


> $2500 USD



So cheaper than it used to be, still.

If it's a big deal, buy used .


----------



## cardinal

Absolutely thrilled with the Matrix Q12s and some IRs. 

The ability to blend several IRs together and apply individual high-pass frequencies to each is just awesome. Can pick a much brighter 57 IR than I normally would but blend with a 121 to warm it up but high pass the 121 to keep a tighter/quicker pick attack. 

Ive been blending in a rear IR as well, but down very low and with a really aggressive high pass. Hard to hear it, but it just seems to add some space or something to it.


----------



## Deadpool_25

There’s a post on fractal forum about the increase. It’s due to the semiconductor prices raising substantially


----------



## Kyle Jordan

Glad I got mine when I did.


----------



## Deadpool_25

“All,

Due to the global semiconductor shortage and the resulting increased costs of manufacturing, plus increases to the costs of shipping and logistics, we are left with no choice but to increase the prices of the Axe-Fx III and FM3, effective immediately.

The Axe-Fx III is now $2299.99 and the FM3 is now $1099.99. We trust you will agree that these products still deliver incredible value, and remain backed by the same total commitment to quality and service that we have always delivered.

Sincerely,

Fractal Audio Systems”


----------



## AboutBlank

Absolutely predictable and will be so for many more products (not only from this sector).

Regarding the IR's, I actually only use the Lasse Lammert IR's from his STL Pack.


----------



## cardinal

Axe FX III, 16.02 clippage. Deluxe Reverb, added a RAT. Then Brit 800, added an SD-1. Next 5150, added an 808. Followed by the C+. Last was the Recto1 Red Modern, added the 808.


----------



## Decapitated

For Rectos, do others like Orange IRs? I like them for my setup.


----------



## budda

Use what floats your boat. I dont remember what I have on my recto preset as I dont use it much.


----------



## cardinal

I'm an awful bass player and haven't picked up the bass in a while, but wanted to do a quick tone test to see if I could get bass IRs sorted out. 

Playing is just terrible but the tone I think is pretty good


----------



## budda

16.03 has landed, some amp adjustments and some delay algorithm changes. As a delay junkie, Im excited to test this out!


----------



## budda

Weird that I can't edit a post.

Anyway:



> 16.03
> 
> Updated Amp block default Excursion Time and Release Time values as some were entered incorrectly. Existing presets are automatically updated to the new default values upon recall.
> 
> Improved Delay block algorithms and models. Improved menus by adding a basic Config page with the essential controls and an Advanced page with all the controls for that model. Added a Master Time control.
> 
> Added Compander type to Compressor block. The Transients control adjusts the transient modification. Values less than zero soften the attack, value greater than zero emphasize the attack.
> 
> Improved Amp block power amp transient response accuracy.
> 
> Fixed wrong attenuation between preamp and power amp in Class-A 30W Bright model.
> 
> Fixed Headroom meter stuck in certain circumstances when using two Amp blocks.
> 
> Fixed Amp block displaying wrong channel number when setting channel via Scene Manager in Axe-Edit.
> 
> Fixed pop when switching channels on Input block when using different gate types.


----------



## RevDrucifer

Man, I almost want to complain that it’s getting _too easy _to dial shit in. In direct opposition of my post above about not finding good IR’s for Dual Recs, I got the YA DV77 cab pack and started making some DR presets with them. I’ve got an Orange Vintage and a Red Modern that are both stock settings (everything at noon) and they sound killer. 

What’s funny is last week I was saying that no Recto should sound good with everything at noon because that’s now how they sound in real life and now I’m eating my words. 

It’s entirely possible that the absurd amount of IR’s I own is lending itself to this; but the amount of amp block tweaking I’ve done since Cygnus has come out has dropped by way more than half. 9x out of 10, I’m finding an IR and hitting the Save button because it’s done and ready to go. 

Last night I made a JTM45 preset, spent 4 minutes looking for an IR and then I was done. Everything is at noon and I’m not sure I can make it sound any better, but merely make minor adjustments to fit into a specific mix. 

As someone who thoroughly enjoyed the tweaking and “Aha!”, moments when finding something interesting, as silly as it sounds, there is a part of me that’s kind of bummed by not having to work for the tones I want.

Ah….just had an “Aha!”, moment while typing that; pretty sure that’s my self-sabotage kicking in that’s preventing me from completing my goal of finishing my fucking album.


----------



## budda

I had a band pal that had a 2ch dual and his live and recorded tone was an SG standard with amp knobs at noon. Sounded wicked for the hardcore he played .


----------



## cardinal

RevDrucifer said:


> Man, I almost want to complain that it’s getting _too easy _to dial shit in. In direct opposition of my post above about not finding good IR’s for Dual Recs, I got the YA DV77 cab pack and started making some DR presets with them. I’ve got an Orange Vintage and a Red Modern that are both stock settings (everything at noon) and they sound killer.
> 
> What’s funny is last week I was saying that no Recto should sound good with everything at noon because that’s now how they sound in real life and now I’m eating my words.
> 
> It’s entirely possible that the absurd amount of IR’s I own is lending itself to this; but the amount of amp block tweaking I’ve done since Cygnus has come out has dropped by way more than half. 9x out of 10, I’m finding an IR and hitting the Save button because it’s done and ready to go.
> 
> Last night I made a JTM45 preset, spent 4 minutes looking for an IR and then I was done. Everything is at noon and I’m not sure I can make it sound any better, but merely make minor adjustments to fit into a specific mix.
> 
> As someone who thoroughly enjoyed the tweaking and “Aha!”, moments when finding something interesting, as silly as it sounds, there is a part of me that’s kind of bummed by not having to work for the tones I want.
> 
> Ah….just had an “Aha!”, moment while typing that; pretty sure that’s my self-sabotage kicking in that’s preventing me from completing my goal of finishing my fucking album.



Ive had such a hard time dialing in the Recto1 sim, but I have a really old Tremoverb with me and I think I figured it out. Running all the controls around noon-ish except the Fractal master is super low (I have it around .75). Rolled up the input low cut to around 80. Impedance curve to Loadbox-uk was working best.

That for me is really sounding like this Tremoverb with the same settings (other than the master volume) into the same cab. And like the real amp, Orange Modern is where it's at.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

I just copied the settings from my Roadster with a recto model on the AF3 and it is more than close enough. Very pleased with it - so much so, the Roadster hasn't been used since I bought the AF3. It has become ridiculously easy to dial in (I am using eh Gaza TAE as a power amp into the cab).
What time I have spent using my A7X monitors, using IRs takes a little longer but there are so many decent IRs our there again it's not too much of a hassle. I just prefer the sound of my cab when playing home alone.


----------



## DropTheSun

I almost let the FM3 train to pass me. I had pre-ordered it, then the release went how it went (super long delay) and while waiting, Neural DSP announced the Quad Cortex.


Luckily I decided to give the FM3 a try…


I’ve had FM3 now about two weeks. I updated the Firmware to FW4 beta the first thing I got it and loaded the latest Factory presets in and was so happy how it sounded. Easily the best first experience with any unit, that I’ve had.


Now FM3 has Officially released FW4 and the new Factory Preset Banks. This might be the perfect timing to own this unit. All of the earlier bugs have been fixed and great features have been added and now with FW4 this unit sounds better, than ever!


Here is one of my own presets in action.(5153 Blue 50W)


https://soundcloud.com/mediumplayer...%2Fmediumplayer%2Ffractal-fm3-5153-citrus-50w


I really enjoy using this unit. The amps sound really REALLY good and the footswitch layout system works so great, that I don’t miss any external switches with FM3.


----------



## RevDrucifer

cardinal said:


> Ive had such a hard time dialing in the Recto1 sim, but I have a really old Tremoverb with me and I think I figured it out. Running all the controls around noon-ish except the Fractal master is super low (I have it around .75). Rolled up the input low cut to around 80. Impedance curve to Loadbox-uk was working best.
> 
> That for me is really sounding like this Tremoverb with the same settings (other than the master volume) into the same cab. And like the real amp, Orange Modern is where it's at.



That Orange Modern is sick! Though from what I remember, the Vintage sounded pretty damn modern as well, but that could have been my IR.

Definitely gotta watch the Master on those are it’s shit city. What surprised me the most was I didn’t need to turn the bass down at all. My normal shtick with Mesa’s is to just drop the bass all the down in the pre-amp and then use the Output EQ/Impedance Curve to fine tune it, but those DV77 IR’s did all the work for me.


----------



## Stephan

Hey guys and girls. Any of you know that if I transfer the new presets from fractal (block A,B,C) via the fractal bot - will it automatically delete all the presets that are currently on the unit? I just want to make sure I don‘t waste any memory capacity or delete presets I‘d like to keep. Thanks!


----------



## budda

Stephan said:


> Hey guys and girls. Any of you know that if I transfer the new presets from fractal (block A,B,C) via the fractal bot - will it automatically delete all the presets that are currently on the unit? I just want to make sure I don‘t waste any memory capacity or delete presets I‘d like to keep. Thanks!



It will replace whatever is in those slots currently. It will also ask before proceeding. Always back up before making any major changes .

Anything you have in bank D wont be touched.


----------



## budda

FW17.00 is live.


----------



## fremen

And a new version of the Axe-fx III MK II : Turbo, with 25% more clock speed for the CPU

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-iii-mark-ii-turbo.177098/


----------



## budda

FullRes is here for Mk1 owners. New pitch-shift reverb types, new megatap delay types, it's just a good time.


----------



## budda

FW17.01 is live.



> *Axe-Fx III Firmware Release Notes*
> 
> 17.01
> 
> 
> Added 10 FullRes IRs to the Legacy bank provided by Valhallir and York Audio. These are at the end of the bank. These can be loaded into the IR Player blocks or into Slots 3 and 4 of the Cabinet blocks. Note that Slots 1 and 2 of the Cabinet blocks do not support FullRes.
> 
> Adjusted Looper behavior so that when reaching the maximum recording time the behavior switches to that defined by Record 2nd Press ONLY on the first pass of a new recording.
> 
> Added dedicated Pitch Shifting to the Reverb block. This can be used to create “Shimmer Reverbs” easier than using separate Pitch and Reverb blocks (and with less CPU usage). Several new types are included to demonstrate the capability.
> 
> The Pitch Direction parameter controls the direction of the pitch shifters. FORWARD runs both shifters forward. REVERSE runs both in reverse. FOR/REV runs Voice 1 forward and Voice 2 in reverse. REV/FOR runs Voice 1 in reverse and Voice 2 forward.
> 
> The Pitch Position parameter controls the location of the pitch shifters. INPUT locates the shifters at the input of the block. MATRIX locates the shifters inside the reverb matrix. FEEDBACK locates the shifters in the matrix feedback loop. MATRIX and FEEDBACK can yield more intense effects and also helps the reverb “stick” to the notes better. FEEDBACK builds slightly slower than MATRIX. CAUTION: The MATRIX and FEEDBACK positions can cause instability at high values of Pitch Mix and Pitch Feedback. In general Pitch Feedback should be low or zero when using MATRIX or FEEDBACK.
> 
> Overhauled the Megatap block. See the updated Blocks Guide for details.
> 
> Added modulation to Diffusers in the Delay, Multitap and Megatap blocks.
> 
> Improved Auto-Swell type in Volume block. Added S-Taper to taper selections.
> 
> Added Modern Gate type to Gate block. This type is similar to the Classic Gate except the gate opens in a constant linear-in-dB manner. This naturally makes the attack slower as the gate first opens and can be used for both traditional gating and for special effects like audio swells.
> 
> Increased maximum sustain for the applicable types in the Compressor block. Existing presets are automatically updated.
> 
> Added new types to the Multitap Delay block.
> 
> Added new types to the Plex Delay block.
> 
> Added LFO for filter in Plex Delay block.
> 
> Added new types to Flanger block.
> 
> Improved accuracy of Master Volume in Amp block for low settings.
> 
> Improved accuracy of Drive block Drive control for low settings.
> 
> Fixed wrong resistor value in Solo 88 Lead input circuit. Impact is probably negligible.
> 
> Fixed wrong resistor value in USA Pre LD2 overdrive circuit. This increases gain slightly. You may need to audition any presets using these models and adjust gain accordingly.
> 
> Fixed Multitap block bandpass filters not being disabled if Master Q set to minimum.
> 
> Fixed block input not muting in bypass if Bypass Mode is Thru.
> 
> Fixed Chorus block left delay line getting unsynchronized when switching between types.
> 
> Fixed pressing Tuner button in Axe-Edit brings up Reverb UI.
> 
> Fixed Amp block power tube “kvb” not being set correctly in rare circumstances. This caused the output level of the amp block to change depending upon the previous preset used.
> 
> Fixed wrong B+ voltage for Temolo Lux amp model.
> 
> Fixed IR Capture not saving correctly if IR Type set to UltraRes.
> 
> Improved CPU usage.
> 
> Various other fixes and improvements.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

Any of you long time Axe owners have any experience using other preamps with the Fractals? I had planned on nabbing a few heads to compliment the III, but the fact is I've become spoiled by the ability to manipulate parameters to get exactly what I want. I also miss my old preamps and preferred preamp/poweramp/racks over heads, so adding a few very specific preamps appeals more to me now. 

I've seen Leon Todd's video and read much on the Fractal forum, but would like to hear from others with first hand experience.


----------



## fremen

I've tried Synergy preamps (Engl Savage, Vai, Friedman BE) with the Axe, it wasn't worth the effort compared to just using the Axe 3 models.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

^Great demos and tones! Thank you for sharing. Especially the Savage comparisons as the Severe has become one of my go to models in the III, and the Synergy module and used 570/580 are high on my list of preamps that I'm looking at. 

If I decide to still look in to this, I may stick with really rare or odd preamps or stuff not offered in the Axe like the old VHT GP3 or Synergy Ultra Lead. Loved the clarity of the Axe tones you got.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Just curious if anyone here has managed to get a Neo Vent or H&K Rotosphere rotary sim sound from their Axe 3/FM3/FM9/whatever? Tried messing around with the rotary speaker and there's so many settings that I'm not sure what to do.


----------



## cardinal

Full release 18.00 is out. I updated from 16.04 today. Sounds the same to me with my basic guitar patches; just had to re-level some things.

Apparently the compressors were redone, so I'll need to actually play some bass again to see how it is now (only use a compressor with my bass patch).


----------



## Kyle Jordan

I’ll probably update in a couple of days. I just spent the past week going as deep and crazy asI could with the USA Pre/Triaxis models and I have never been happier with a piece of gear. Plus, I found a great bonus by screwing around with a model I hadn’t touched before. The Triple Crest/Mesa Triple Crown. Both models are AWESOME! 

I hadn’t paid attention to the actual amp but I’ve been watching lots of videos about it since Thursday. Sounds unique. I thought it was supposed to be like the Stiletto and Trans Atlantic, but doesn’t sound like that to me. Cliff mentioned the Fender Tonemaster in his writings, and that’s when it clicked. The TC reminds me of the Fender Prosonic and Supersonic. Really liked both of those. 

The Axe just keeps giving.


----------



## budda

Finally someone other than me posted about fw updating


----------



## TedEH

I've been watching the firmware threads 'cause I'm hoping that the global speaker curve thing makes it over to the FM3.


----------



## budda

18.01 because Cliff noticed his math was off on something.


----------



## cardinal

Ugggghhhhhh I suppose I need to hook it back up to a computer again today and go to 18.01


----------



## cardinal

Sigh sounds like 18.02 is coming shortly. I suppose it's a good thing he's on top of bug fixes so quickly.


----------



## budda

cardinal said:


> Ugggghhhhhh I suppose I need to hook it back up to a computer again today and go to 18.01



Mine is always hooked up


----------



## Kyle Jordan

cardinal said:


> Sigh sounds like 18.02 is coming shortly. I suppose it's a good thing he's on top of bug fixes so quickly.



True. Still, I think I'm just going to enjoy the Triaxis patches I cooked up this week and revisit the update this weekend.


----------



## budda

18.02 is up.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

See y'all when we get v18.62 in about 2 weeks.


----------



## Veldar

Are you Axe FX owners ever weird about the firmwares changing amps all the time? The Pods haven't ever sounded like the amps but at least it's the same regardless of the firmware.

I couldn't imagine losing an amp sound in the constant firmware updates. Maybe in the future old firmwares will be coveted like certain year Fenders are.


----------



## fremen

It's not all the time, but it does happen from time to time. Most of the time no tweaks are needed, but sometimes, yes, there's some updating to do. It was the case with the original Cygnus firmware (16.00) but I didn't have to tweak the amp since. A few firmware revisions before Cygnus, I didn't have to tweak the amps either.


----------



## laxu

cardinal said:


> Sigh sounds like 18.02 is coming shortly. I suppose it's a good thing he's on top of bug fixes so quickly.


I just wish that they did a bit more testing so they could avoid these .01 and .02 releases that happen every single time. At this point I am not going to install a .00 Fractal release because I know something will be fixed within a day or two.


----------



## cardinal

laxu said:


> I just wish that they did a bit more testing so they could avoid these .01 and .02 releases that happen every single time. At this point I am not going to install a .00 Fractal release because I know something will be fixed within a day or two.



I don't want to complain about the free updates, but yeah. People are reporting bugs still that are causing the unit to lock up, which seems significant. 

I have such bad ears I can't tell the difference in the firmwares anyway. Ares to Cygnus I think I could. But otherwise, no.


----------



## budda

Veldar said:


> Are you Axe FX owners ever weird about the firmwares changing amps all the time? The Pods haven't ever sounded like the amps but at least it's the same regardless of the firmware.
> 
> I couldn't imagine losing an amp sound in the constant firmware updates. Maybe in the future old firmwares will be coveted like certain year Fenders are.



Why would I be? I back up before updating. If I didnt like the change, or couldnt adjust settings to compensate, I'd roll back.

Just because an update exists doesnt mean you have to install it.

I'm on 17.01


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Veldar said:


> Are you Axe FX owners ever weird about the firmwares changing amps all the time? The Pods haven't ever sounded like the amps but at least it's the same regardless of the firmware.
> 
> I couldn't imagine losing an amp sound in the constant firmware updates. Maybe in the future old firmwares will be coveted like certain year Fenders are.


Kinda sorta? The Atomica was my favorite model on the AX8, but a few years later I tried it again on my Axe 3 and it doesn't sound like how I remember it. The JMPre and JVM are my favorite Marshall amps now.


----------



## broangiel

It’s weird to me that Cliff will rip through 18.01 and 18.02 to fix things, but then there other issues that take longer to get fixed. There was the whole Herbie debacle that took, what felt like months, to fix, when all it was was a naming issue (the labels for Ch2 and Ch3 were swapped). Now, there are multiple reports of the ENGL amps causing the unit to crash if you adjust the Depth control too much. No fix for that yet after several days and many reports.

I dunno, maybe Cliff is just working on a ton of stuff at the same time, but I get whiplash from how quickly some things are patched and how slowly other things are patched.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

I love that we get regular updates - fixes and new stuff. I use axe edit so it’s always plugged in. 

just by way of a change I usually bang on about real amps and using this in 4cm but I’ve been playing my AF3 exclusively lately and it rocks. The fact that it is stable and regularly updated is the icing on the cake of awesome.


----------



## TedEH

broangiel said:


> It’s weird to me that Cliff will rip through 18.01 and 18.02 to fix things, but then there other issues that take longer to get fixed.


Doesn't seem weird to me at all. We don't know the complexity or severity of each issue/bug/feature/etc. being worked on, and as I understand it, they're a pretty small team. I've been on the other side of the general public going "but why wasn't this thing fixed that seems small and easy to address and more important that something else", and the reality is often that there's some hidden complexity to the issue that a user couldn't possibly know about, or there's some other project management reason for prioritizing things the way they are.

Most music stuff I own basically gets zero support or updates after release, so I'm happy to get anything at all.


----------



## laxu

broangiel said:


> It’s weird to me that Cliff will rip through 18.01 and 18.02 to fix things, but then there other issues that take longer to get fixed. There was the whole Herbie debacle that took, what felt like months, to fix, when all it was was a naming issue (the labels for Ch2 and Ch3 were swapped). Now, there are multiple reports of the ENGL amps causing the unit to crash if you adjust the Depth control too much. No fix for that yet after several days and many reports.
> 
> I dunno, maybe Cliff is just working on a ton of stuff at the same time, but I get whiplash from how quickly some things are patched and how slowly other things are patched.



Cliff seems to be mostly interested in improving the actual modeling (whether it's amps or effects) and does fixes for that at lightning speed. Everything else probably goes through the team which means some planning, allocation, investigating the issue and so on that is more normal for software development.

Something like a depth knob causing the unit to crash sounds to me like a big enough issue that the solution might not be immediately obvious.


----------



## cardinal

Yeah I'm surprised that hasn't been fixed yet but I assume it's not that Fractal isn't trying.

But then again, it took months to just fix the VH4 channel 2 and 3 mislabeling and they still haven't fixed the issue with the B7K (output level is so low it's basically unusable unless you build a patch with it always on and switch to a different patch with it off).


----------



## TedEH

I vaguely remember reading that the b7k output was by design because the real thing does the same. Its default settings are kinda funky - hipass is really high, etc. It does what I expect it to though.


----------



## broangiel

Spoke too soon. 18.03 fixes the ENGLs.


----------



## broangiel

cardinal said:


> Yeah I'm surprised that hasn't been fixed yet but I assume it's not that Fractal isn't trying.
> 
> But then again, it took months to just fix the VH4 channel 2 and 3 mislabeling and they still haven't fixed the issue with the B7K (output level is so low it's basically unusable unless you build a patch with it always on and switch to a different patch with it off).


I’m probably projecting, but I giggle at the idea that the Darkglass thing is a petty rebellion because Neural DSP has left a bad taste in Cliff’s mouth. “I ain’t fixing that damn pedal from _those people_.” Granted, that does hinder the final user experience for Cliff’s own product.


----------



## broangiel

TedEH said:


> Doesn't seem weird to me at all. We don't know the complexity or severity of each issue/bug/feature/etc. being worked on, and as I understand it, they're a pretty small team. I've been on the other side of the general public going "but why wasn't this thing fixed that seems small and easy to address and more important that something else", and the reality is often that there's some hidden complexity to the issue that a user couldn't possibly know about, or there's some other project management reason for prioritizing things the way they are.
> 
> Most music stuff I own basically gets zero support or updates after release, so I'm happy to get anything at all.


I get that’s a proper rebuttal for the ENGL issue, but the Herbert issue isn’t as easily dismissed.

And don’t get me wrong—I’m a Fractal devotee. I started with the Axe II, and now I’ve got an Axe III with FC12 and 2x EV2s and an FM9. My appreciation for Cliff’s work is second to none, but I do stand by my whiplash comment. Sometimes it’s not even the fixing speed, but the acknowledgment speed that stands out to me.


----------



## budda

@cardinal 18.03 is live with Engl's fixed


----------



## cardinal

TedEH said:


> I vaguely remember reading that the b7k output was by design because the real thing does the same. Its default settings are kinda funky - hipass is really high, etc. It does what I expect it to though.



He says that but I have two B7Ks and two B3Ks and all of them have sufficient level to avoid a volume drop when I turn them on. The Fractal does not.


----------



## cardinal

After getting some of the Ownhammer packs and using some reverb settings from the Fractal forum, I think I'm to the point where I maybe prefer using IRs now to an actual cab, at least when just jamming by myself. I'm kinda surprised by that. The IRs is been using seemed always a bit "pinched" or nasal sounding but the Ownhammers seem more relaxed.


----------



## RevDrucifer

cardinal said:


> After getting some of the Ownhammer packs and using some reverb settings from the Fractal forum, I think I'm to the point where I maybe prefer using IRs now to an actual cab, at least when just jamming by myself. I'm kinda surprised by that. The IRs is been using seemed always a bit "pinched" or nasal sounding but the Ownhammers seem more relaxed.



Funny, I’ve got my FM9/2x12 as my living room/live rig and it’s been AWESOME not dealing with IR’s. The cab has WGS Retro 30’s in it, which are like V30’s without the harsh upper mids. It’s crazy how many amps sound great through that cab with minimal tweak; at most I just use the Mesa 5-band in the Output EQ and drop some mids. 

I really need to shoot an IR of this cab, I think it’ll save me a LOT of time when using my III.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

cardinal said:


> After getting some of the Ownhammer packs and using some reverb settings from the Fractal forum, I think I'm to the point where I maybe prefer using IRs now to an actual cab, at least when just jamming by myself. I'm kinda surprised by that. The IRs is been using seemed always a bit "pinched" or nasal sounding but the Ownhammers seem more relaxed.



I had planned on eventually getting some cabs and speakers to make my own IRs with specific mics and speaker combinations, but I'm really starting to think I may not. And if I do, it will be much smaller than I envisioned and much more specific. 

Really happy since that's a significant cost savings and a very significant increase in ease. Can be a bit of a time suck trying a bunch of IRs and then blending them, but I've been much happier with what is already available than I thought.


----------



## cardinal

RevDrucifer said:


> Funny, I’ve got my FM9/2x12 as my living room/live rig and it’s been AWESOME not dealing with IR’s. The cab has WGS Retro 30’s in it, which are like V30’s without the harsh upper mids. It’s crazy how many amps sound great through that cab with minimal tweak; at most I just use the Mesa 5-band in the Output EQ and drop some mids.
> 
> I really need to shoot an IR of this cab, I think it’ll save me a LOT of time when using my III.


Last night and today where the first times I've switched from the IR set up to a real cab and not thought "why do I even bother with IRs?" The real cab is effortless and you know it has to sound right because how could it not? 

IRs are a pain in the ass and sneaky expensive. York Audio IRs have a Mix01 and Mix02 that generally will give the best representation of the IR pack and immediate results. The newest set of Ownhammer IRs have a mix folder and I really liked the "Even" mix and just stopped there. In general I've found that I prefer that Ownhammer set.


----------



## Steo

I've a question for Fractal owners. I had a hx stomp, but Traded it for a Mesa 50/50 power amp. I liked, but never really loved the tones, so have been running preamp pedals &boosts. Been looking at the Fractal stuff. Is it worthwhile, or just an expensive rabbit hole to go down. Not playing live at moment. I do have a cheap Mooer ge150 for headphones home practice. 
The ones I'm looking at are 2nd hand Axe fx 2's. One has a set of Owenhammer ir's included for €1000. The other is Axe fx 2 xl, with a mfc101 foot controller but that's €300 more. So pricey


----------



## FancyFish

Steo said:


> I've a question for Fractal owners. I had a hx stomp, but Traded it for a Mesa 50/50 power amp. I liked, but never really loved the tones, so have been running preamp pedals &boosts. Been looking at the Fractal stuff. Is it worthwhile, or just an expensive rabbit hole to go down. Not playing live at moment. I do have a cheap Mooer ge150 for headphones home practice.
> The ones I'm looking at are 2nd hand Axe fx 2's. One has a set of Owenhammer ir's included for €1000. The other is Axe fx 2 xl, with a mfc101 foot controller but that's €300 more. So pricey


I think it's worth it. I too had an HX stomp, but I sold it and got an FM3 and its been great ever since I got it. The only times I have considered selling it were when I was thinking of upgrading to the FM9 or Axe FX 3. I don't know what availability is like in Europe, but I would consider getting the FM3 instead of the Axe fx 2, mostly because the Axe FX 2 is EOL and the FM3 is still getting updated.


----------



## budda

Steo said:


> I've a question for Fractal owners. I had a hx stomp, but Traded it for a Mesa 50/50 power amp. I liked, but never really loved the tones, so have been running preamp pedals &boosts. Been looking at the Fractal stuff. Is it worthwhile, or just an expensive rabbit hole to go down. Not playing live at moment. I do have a cheap Mooer ge150 for headphones home practice.
> The ones I'm looking at are 2nd hand Axe fx 2's. One has a set of Owenhammer ir's included for €1000. The other is Axe fx 2 xl, with a mfc101 foot controller but that's €300 more. So pricey



Get an fm3 and see if you like the tones and how fractal works. Least expensive way to try the current sound.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

I prefer playing my axefx through a cabinet. Granted all you hear of your favourite music is the mic'd tone, but I've always played real amps into real cabs so always found IRs a chore and less pleasing playing on my own. If I played out, I'd make more of an effort.
Using it this way gives me a mean home setup because I switch in real amps using a 4CM setup and combine with the modelling. A great example is adding a Suhr Badger clean amp to my 'real' JCM800. Sounds insane!



Steo said:


> I've a question for Fractal owners. I had a hx stomp, but Traded it for a Mesa 50/50 power amp. I liked, but never really loved the tones, so have been running preamp pedals &boosts. Been looking at the Fractal stuff. Is it worthwhile, or just an expensive rabbit hole to go down. Not playing live at moment. I do have a cheap Mooer ge150 for headphones home practice.
> The ones I'm looking at are 2nd hand Axe fx 2's. One has a set of Owenhammer ir's included for €1000. The other is Axe fx 2 xl, with a mfc101 foot controller but that's €300 more. So pricey



Just pick a platform (I'd go III or FC9) and order from G66. Their customer service is absolutely off the charts good and they have an excellent returns policy. I have a III with FC6. Love it - it's my always on bit of gear.


----------



## laxu

Steo said:


> I've a question for Fractal owners. I had a hx stomp, but Traded it for a Mesa 50/50 power amp. I liked, but never really loved the tones, so have been running preamp pedals &boosts. Been looking at the Fractal stuff. Is it worthwhile, or just an expensive rabbit hole to go down. Not playing live at moment. I do have a cheap Mooer ge150 for headphones home practice.
> The ones I'm looking at are 2nd hand Axe fx 2's. One has a set of Owenhammer ir's included for €1000. The other is Axe fx 2 xl, with a mfc101 foot controller but that's €300 more. So pricey



Try to find a used FM3 instead. It's a much more pleasant experience using it from the front panel than the Axe-Fx 2. With the computer editor not much difference to Axe-Fx 2 except the more versatile channels system. FM3 also comes with an IR library so vast you have no real need to get 3rd party packs. Used FM3s at least here in Finland go for about 1100 euros so not much less than retail price.

Whether it's worth it is up to you. Most of us don't need a huge pile of amp models or a studio worth of effects. They're great units that can do an absolute ton but that comes with more complication in operation.


----------



## Steo

Thanks everyone.


----------



## budda

Leon's a madman. My kind of madman.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

^Considering a Source Audio Ultra Wave is one of the highest priorities on my list, Leon's video is a near godsend.

EDIT:

Forgot to write that Leon's preset sounds AWESOME.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Okay this is a long shot but this is for people smart with the FC6 or FC12

Is there some way to have the tap tempo flash on the FC12 without assigning tap tempo to a button? I currently have tap tempo assigned to an external momentary switch, but I'd like to still see the tap tempo blinking on one of the FC12 switches I assigned to either my delay and/or tremolo block, both of which use tap tempo for the rate.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Okay this is a long shot but this is for people smart with the FC6 or FC12
> 
> Is there some way to have the tap tempo flash on the FC12 without assigning tap tempo to a button? I currently have tap tempo assigned to an external momentary switch, but I'd like to still see the tap tempo blinking on one of the FC12 switches I assigned to either my delay and/or tremolo block, both of which use tap tempo for the rate.



Okay so I found a solution that isn't exactly a solution, but it'll work for my needs. 

I currently have two buttons on my FC12 set to preset up and preset down. I currently have a 2-button momentary switch coming in that I'm gonna map preset switching onto by using stand-in switches. That way I can put the tuner and tap tempo back on the FC12.

Something I haven't tried yet, but wanna try, is setting one of the switches to a Hold function and see if I can hold a switch to let me use the tap tempo.


----------



## TedEH

Just saw there's a new FM3 firmware out - I'm actually pretty excited for some of what's in there. Do you guys normally jump on the beta firmware, or wait for a more stable release?


----------



## Decapitated

TedEH said:


> Just saw there's a new FM3 firmware out - I'm actually pretty excited for some of what's in there. Do you guys normally jump on the beta firmware, or wait for a more stable release?



i usually wait to see if any bugs present themselves, but that’s just me.


----------



## Paul McAleer

cardinal said:


> After getting some of the Ownhammer packs and using some reverb settings from the Fractal forum, I think I'm to the point where I maybe prefer using IRs now to an actual cab, at least when just jamming by myself. I'm kinda surprised by that. The IRs is been using seemed always a bit "pinched" or nasal sounding but the Ownhammers seem more relaxed.



Im debating on trying out ownhammer IRs. I’ve had a great experience with RedWires IRs and blending Far field IRs with Near Field.


----------



## TedEH

Decapitated said:


> i usually wait to see if any bugs present themselves, but that’s just me.


That sounds reasonable to me. As much as I'm not doing anything critical with it, I don't want to bork my presets just to have to bork them again when the stable release comes out.


----------



## TedEH

Paul McAleer said:


> Im debating on trying out ownhammer IRs.


Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't some of the built-in IRs from ownhammer?


----------



## cardinal

TedEH said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't some of the built-in IRs from ownhammer?


They are, and they sound ok, but the instant gratification IRs (at least for a guy just playing alone) are the mixes that are not in the AFX.


----------



## budda

cardinal said:


> They are, and they sound ok, but the instant gratification IRs (at least for a guy just playing alone) are the mixes that are not in the AFX.



Maybe for some - the OH 212 orng were quick wins here.

Also Cliff posted that he finalized a computing process with huge efficiency gains. "Big things coming soon."


----------



## GreatGreen

budda said:


> Leon's a madman. My kind of madman.




Damn. Lotta well-deserved stank face in that video, hah.

Huge tones, wow.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Okay so I found a solution that isn't exactly a solution, but it'll work for my needs.
> 
> I currently have two buttons on my FC12 set to preset up and preset down. I currently have a 2-button momentary switch coming in that I'm gonna map preset switching onto by using stand-in switches. That way I can put the tuner and tap tempo back on the FC12.
> 
> Something I haven't tried yet, but wanna try, is setting one of the switches to a Hold function and see if I can hold a switch to let me use the tap tempo.



I know I'm talking to myself about this but this is in case someone is trying to do the same thing I am. 

But yeah setting tap tempo to an FC hold function does jack shit. Just shows you the BPM. Doesn't even blink with the BPM.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H1NQCGJ/?tag=sevenstringorg-20

So if you need a cheap 2-button momentary switch for your FC footcontroller, this thing is great so far.  Small, low profile, and does exactly what you need to do. Debating on getting a 2nd one just to have it on hand.


----------



## CanserDYI

Paul McAleer said:


> Im debating on trying out ownhammer IRs. I’ve had a great experience with RedWires IRs and blending Far field IRs with Near Field.


I loved Ownhammer ones until I tried York Audio ones, personally. Going back to the OH ones, they seem very one dimensional.


----------



## Decapitated

CanserDYI said:


> I loved Ownhammer ones until I tried York Audio ones, personally. Going back to the OH ones, they seem very one dimensional.


Agreed, I am enjoying York a lot.


----------



## Paul McAleer

TedEH said:


> Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't some of the built-in IRs from ownhammer?



fwiw, I’m still using an Ultra


----------



## thebeesknees22

Decapitated said:


> Agreed, I am enjoying York a lot.




York ir's are the best I've come across for my particular tastes.


----------



## rokket2005

Cliff dropped 19.00 beta with the new nonlinear feedback algorithm. I'll probably wait until tomorrow or saturday to mess around with it.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

So yeah I'm about to give up on the Rotary block for my needs.  Compared to the Line 6 HX rotary I'm used to, the Fractal one is too subtle and transparent, even when you add in some gain. The HX one is more present and colors the sound in a way I like it.


----------



## budda

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> So yeah I'm about to give up on the Rotary block for my needs.  Compared to the Line 6 HX rotary I'm used to, the Fractal one is too subtle and transparent, even when you add in some gain. The HX one is more present and colors the sound in a way I like it.



post to the forum and see if anyone has any ideas?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

budda said:


> post to the forum and see if anyone has any ideas?



Tempted to do that. I feel like I'm not dialing it in right because unless I dial it in with more subtle settings, it sounds less like a crusty chorus/vibe and more like a tremolo effect.


----------



## budda

Fw19 is live.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

That's a lot of power tubes to choose now.


----------



## budda

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> That's a lot of power tubes to choose now.



Gonna do a backup and install tonight. Need to de-stress.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> That's a lot of power tubes to choose now.



Can't update until tonight, but I'm really hoping there's a 7581a and KT120 or KT150 option now.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kyle Jordan said:


> Can't update until tonight, but I'm really hoping there's a 7581a and KT120 or KT150 option now.





budda said:


> Gonna do a backup and install tonight. Need to de-stress.




Can you spoiler firmware updates?  If so don't look at the picture. 
Unfortunately it seems like most of the new tubes are just different branded variants as said in the fine print.


----------



## budda

And I'm immediately gonna try the 6550's and KT88's


----------



## Kyle Jordan

^Thanks for sharing the pic. Still a nice update.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Thing with me is that I usually run the master volumes low so the change seems a bit negligible, but it's good to have more options regardless.


----------



## cardinal

Haha. I can't tell the difference in the AFX when I change from EL34 to 6550, but now the nuances are so that I can pick the tube brand too?


----------



## budda

Fairly sure it’s been stated that power tube changes a) dont do a lot (see that other thread where someone quoted Cliff) and b) less so in high gain scenarios. 

try tube swaps in the AC20 with accompanying IRs.


----------



## budda

Lawd the megatap is near glitchy goodness  (probably has been for a while tbh).

My doom tone sounds a hair clearer I think, but I dont play enough to trust that guess.


----------



## Andromalia

Funny, I don't even bother to update my axe III any longer, everything is good enough and we're deeper in the development cycle so things aren't going to radically change at this point.


----------



## Elric

Andromalia said:


> Funny, I don't even bother to update my axe III any longer, everything is good enough and we're deeper in the development cycle so things aren't going to radically change at this point.


Honestly, most of the updates are just ‘churn’ for me, too. I used to be amped for anything new but now I just load them only after they stabilize (no betas, wait a few weeks for bugs to shake out on point releases since a lot of those are basically betas, too, and some have had pretty major bugs). Been a long time since anything moved the needle noticeably.

The forum goes crazy every time Cliff releases anything it's just kind of a big circle jerk at this point. The thing sounds great for sure but it just doesn’t have much headroom left for improvement on the amp modeling for me.


----------



## budda

Good thing its got a boadload of effects that get updated too.


----------



## budda

Andromalia said:


> Funny, I don't even bother to update my axe III any longer, everything is good enough and we're deeper in the development cycle so things aren't going to radically change at this point.



what fw are you on?


----------



## Andromalia

budda said:


> what fw are you on?


12.07


----------



## budda

Andromalia said:


> 12.07



for fun, do a full backup and try 19. Dont like it? Roll back.


----------



## Andromalia

I probably will someday when I'm bored.


----------



## laxu

I find it hard to get excited for any Fractal amp modeling updates but there has been some nice stuff in newer firmwares like more shortcut functions and new types for some effects. The multidelay ones are very nice!


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

So anyone else find 5153 Blue 50w sounds a little better than 5153 Red 100? They have a similar character, but I fight the Blue 50w is ever-so-slightly tighter with more growly mids.


----------



## budda

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> So anyone else find 5153 Blue 50w sounds a little better than 5153 Red 100? They have a similar character, but I fight the Blue 50w is ever-so-slightly tighter with more growly mids.



havent tried em in a minute.


----------



## Shask

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> So anyone else find 5153 Blue 50w sounds a little better than 5153 Red 100? They have a similar character, but I fight the Blue 50w is ever-so-slightly tighter with more growly mids.


I wouldn't say better, but definitely different. The Blue is more of a Marshall type sound, where the Red is more of a 515/Recto type sound.


----------



## broangiel

For those who struggle with the B7K Bass Distortion, it has apparently been fixed for real this time.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

broangiel said:


> For those who struggle with the B7K Bass Distortion, it has apparently been fixed for real this time.



Yeah just found the thread. Turns out that both of Cliff's reference B7Ks were defective. So he's going to redo the B7K model


----------



## budda

What, no mention of his other 4 threads?


----------



## TedEH

If it means bass stuff gets some attention in Fractal land, I'm all for it.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

budda said:


> What, no mention of his other 4 threads?



I just saw it on FB what else did i miss?


----------



## budda

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I just saw it on FB what else did i miss?



3 threads on 4-way comparisons of amps and one on drive pedals.


----------



## cardinal

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Yeah just found the thread. Turns out that both of Cliff's reference B7Ks were defective. So he's going to redo the B7K model


I'm no Cliff apologist, but I have two B3Ks and two B7Ks and one of each broke. WTF Darkglass. So yeah to me cliff's explanation seems legit. 

Hope the Fractal finally gets it right. When those pedals are actually working, they sound awesome.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

Cliff seems particularly feisty lately.


----------



## budda

Kyle Jordan said:


> Cliff seems particularly feisty lately.



cliff and everybody else. 2 years of not good times.


----------



## Masoo2

help

just impulse bought an FM3 after getting fed up with issues running my plugin tones alongside virtual instruments and my normal processing chains  my i7 6700k is starting to show signs of aging 

how should I go about this? instantly update to latest firmware and just start going through the presets? any recommended videos on how to navigate the 3 footswitches? already have an expression pedal on order

plan on trying this out as my first downloaded patch once it arrives: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/allan-holdsworth-omnipatch.162624/


----------



## budda

Masoo2 said:


> help
> 
> just impulse bought an FM3 after getting fed up with issues running my plugin tones alongside virtual instruments and my normal processing chains  my i7 6700k is starting to show signs of aging
> 
> how should I go about this? instantly update to latest firmware and just start going through the presets? any recommended videos on how to navigate the 3 footswitches? already have an expression pedal on order
> 
> plan on trying this out as my first downloaded patch once it arrives: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/allan-holdsworth-omnipatch.162624/


Update to latest release via fm edit and check out leon todd tutorials.


----------



## TedEH

Masoo2 said:


> how should I go about this?


I think my use-case is a bit different than others, but I generally think you can't go wrong with making a really simple blank preset. Input -> Amp -> Cab -> Output and just play with different amps and cabs. Start with an amp you might be familiar with, to get used to how the interface works, then start swapping to different amps. The effects are good, sure, there's plenty to play with there, but the meat of the device is in the amps. Maybe add a drive if it's needed. You can dig through presets too, and the presets it ships with aren't bad at all - they do their job of showing off what the device can do. There's tons of different ways to approach how to use something like this though, and none of them are "wrong" ways to dig in.


----------



## Masoo2

budda said:


> Update to latest release via fm edit and check out leon todd tutorials.


 been watching a bunch of his over the past few weeks which made the GAS that much stronger. still remember that video of the pitch follower modifier you posted...blows my mind just thinking about it.

any thoughts on the Cooper Carter classes? Not sure if its worth it considering I'm not new to modeling as a concept (years of plugins, older PODs, etc) but some things on the Fractals like the aforementioned modifiers are infinitely more complex than what I'm used to. seems Leon delivers on many of the same niche details I'm concerned about in his videos for free so...


----------



## budda

Masoo2 said:


> been watching a bunch of his over the past few weeks which made the GAS that much stronger. still remember that video of the pitch follower modifier you posted...blows my mind just thinking about it.
> 
> any thoughts on the Cooper Carter classes? Not sure if its worth it considering I'm not new to modeling as a concept (years of plugins, older PODs, etc) but some things on the Fractals like the aforementioned modifiers are infinitely more complex than what I'm used to. seems Leon delivers on many of the same niche details I'm concerned about in his videos for free so...


Some find Carter’s class very useful, I havent needed to check it out myself.


----------



## Flappydoodle

Dumb question:

If I get an FM3 and use it as a USB interface, can I simultaneously record a DI and the processed track running through an amp+can block. 

Basically, I’d like to record a processed signal but still have the DI handy.


----------



## laxu

Flappydoodle said:


> Dumb question:
> 
> If I get an FM3 and use it as a USB interface, can I simultaneously record a DI and the processed track running through an amp+can block.
> 
> Basically, I’d like to record a processed signal but still have the DI handy.


Yes you can. It's described in the manual I think but the basic gist of it is that you set USB 3/4 source as INPUT1 and then you can record a DI signal fromt here and use USB 1/2 to get the signal that goes through your layout grid.


----------



## laxu

Masoo2 said:


> any thoughts on the Cooper Carter classes? Not sure if its worth it considering I'm not new to modeling as a concept (years of plugins, older PODs, etc) but some things on the Fractals like the aforementioned modifiers are infinitely more complex than what I'm used to. seems Leon delivers on many of the same niche details I'm concerned about in his videos for free so...


I've looked into them but haven't purchased them. I think they may have some useful advanced usage info in there but there's also bound to be a lot of stuff you know already if you have used other modelers.

The Fractal manuals are pretty good too and the wiki is a great source to reference. I think with modifiers you need to actually try them out to get the hang of them. Use Axe-Edit for that because they are kinda awful to work with from the onboard UI.


----------



## broangiel

laxu said:


> I've looked into them but haven't purchased them. I think they may have some useful advanced usage info in there but there's also bound to be a lot of stuff you know already if you have used other modelers.
> 
> The Fractal manuals are pretty good too and the wiki is a great source to reference. I think with modifiers you need to actually try them out to get the hang of them. Use Axe-Edit for that because they are kinda awful to work with from the onboard UI.


I'm sure there's useful content in CC's class, but with Leon being as prolific as he is (as Masoo mentioned), the ROI on the CC class is probably minimal.

Nothing against CC or him creating a paid-for class. If you want super-focused, specifically-ordered content, maybe that's the way to go. If you're OK taking a more DIY approach to finding the content that matters to you, just work through Leon's videos.


----------



## Flappydoodle

laxu said:


> Yes you can. It's described in the manual I think but the basic gist of it is that you set USB 3/4 source as INPUT1 and then you can record a DI signal fromt here and use USB 1/2 to get the signal that goes through your layout grid.


Awesome. I went and downloaded the manual and read a good chunk of it. 

Do you have any comments on the quality of the FM3 as an audio interface? Like latency, and the DI quality? I’m currently using an Apogee DUET which is pretty nice.


----------



## laxu

Flappydoodle said:


> Awesome. I went and downloaded the manual and read a good chunk of it.
> 
> Do you have any comments on the quality of the FM3 as an audio interface? Like latency, and the DI quality? I’m currently using an Apogee DUET which is pretty nice.


No real complaints about it as an audio interface. I don't use it for that though because for my setup a separate audio interface is more convenient.


----------



## budda

Flappydoodle said:


> Awesome. I went and downloaded the manual and read a good chunk of it.
> 
> Do you have any comments on the quality of the FM3 as an audio interface? Like latency, and the DI quality? I’m currently using an Apogee DUET which is pretty nice.


Fractal makes sure their interface spec is top quality. You wont need to use the duet unless you want a more complex setup.


----------



## budda

19.02 beta with some fun new stuff!


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

budda said:


> 19.02 beta with some fun new stuff!


Gonna wait until proper release, but it's gonna make me check out the JMPre again


----------



## Flappydoodle

budda said:


> Fractal makes sure their interface spec is top quality. You wont need to use the duet unless you want a more complex setup.


That’s great. Is the headphone out also good? The Duet one is really nice. 

And do we know if the I/O quality is the same between FM3 and FM9? 

Thanks for your help answering questions


----------



## budda

Flappydoodle said:


> That’s great. Is the headphone out also good? The Duet one is really nice.
> 
> And do we know if the I/O quality is the same between FM3 and FM9?
> 
> Thanks for your help answering questions


Im sure someone has posted a spec comparison chart - @RevDrucifer didnt you have one a while back?

I/o should be the same across all 3 with just the flexibility changing. 

Headphone out will be studio quality. Fractal does not have their following for being average.


----------



## Mathemagician

I use headphones straight into the FM3 and it’s crystal clear.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

The new and updated Bassman has my interest greatly. Still going to wait until official release though. Digging the added EQ too. Should be killer with the Marshall and derivatives. 

I think I may start a campaign to have Cliff add the clean channel of the Herbert. He seems a bit more responsive as of late.


----------



## AboutBlank

Flappydoodle said:


> Awesome. I went and downloaded the manual and read a good chunk of it.
> 
> Do you have any comments on the quality of the FM3 as an audio interface? Like latency, and the DI quality? I’m currently using an Apogee DUET which is pretty nice.



Make sure that the 48kHz fixed sample rate does not disturb or limit you.

In my opinion, this is an absolute dealbreaker for use as an interface...


----------



## laxu

It's worth reading this post (and thread) on Fractal forum about Fractal units as audio interfaces. The short version is that they clearly have some issues that may be a factor in whether you use them as audio interface or not.

My take is that having a separate audio interface is always better than trying to use a digital modeler as one. The dedicated units have better setups for controlling volumes across their inputs and outputs and are more flexible for sample rates etc. I just hook up my FM3 to my cheap Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd gen with SPDIF because that's the most convenient way to run it into my audio interface which is connected to my headphones and studio monitors.

The headphone amp on the Fractal 3rd gen units is stellar so I wish I could just use it as my audio interface. But not having dedicated volume controls for main outs vs headphone outs is a real issue as the headphone out is hardwired to Output 1. On the Axe-Fx 3 this is not much of an issue as you can just connect e.g. Out 2 but the FM3 is more limited on I/O.


----------



## Flappydoodle

laxu said:


> It's worth reading this post (and thread) on Fractal forum about Fractal units as audio interfaces. The short version is that they clearly have some issues that may be a factor in whether you use them as audio interface or not.
> 
> My take is that having a separate audio interface is always better than trying to use a digital modeler as one. The dedicated units have better setups for controlling volumes across their inputs and outputs and are more flexible for sample rates etc. I just hook up my FM3 to my cheap Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd gen with SPDIF because that's the most convenient way to run it into my audio interface which is connected to my headphones and studio monitors.
> 
> The headphone amp on the Fractal 3rd gen units is stellar so I wish I could just use it as my audio interface. But not having dedicated volume controls for main outs vs headphone outs is a real issue as the headphone out is hardwired to Output 1. On the Axe-Fx 3 this is not much of an issue as you can just connect e.g. Out 2 but the FM3 is more limited on I/O.


This is really helpful. Thank you very much!


----------



## Masoo2

Some first impressions of the FM3:

- The ability to change tones/effects live with switches and an expression pedal is such a breath of fresh air from playing exclusively within plugins for the last few years, had a smile the entire time playing today

- Clean, breakup, mid-gain, and heavily effected tones are ungodly fantastic, my favorite plugin tones (Helix, TH-U, etc) can't compete at ALL

- High gain is feels and sounds great, of course, but I've only begun to scratch the surface of amp models

- Why can't Line 6 (or any other company for that matter) make stock presets that are as excellent as these???? They sound insane, spent who knows how many hours today going through every preset/scene colorcoding my favorites

- I see where some of the limits of the FM3's processing ability come in, but it's not going to be an issue for me as even heavily effected Holdsworth/Thordendal and synth tones have been easily within limits, or pushed to the rough edge with highest resolution reverbs/multi-delays

- Maybe my tone preferences are unique or something but man I haven't found a single good rhythm tone on Axechange, yet I'm able to make a good sounding one myself in about 30 seconds

- I'm worried I'm going to be slightly disappointed when my FRFR speaker finally gets here as it'll be mono whereas many of my favorite patches so far have relied heavily on stereo effects


----------



## budda

@Masoo2 get a second speaker, enjoy stereo effects 

Also maybe an NGD thread - enjoy it!


----------



## TedEH

Masoo2 said:


> Maybe my tone preferences are unique or something but man I haven't found a single good rhythm tone on Axechange, yet I'm able to make a good sounding one myself in about 30 seconds


I've had the same experience so far. I'm the type of person to just let an amp (or model) speak for itself without stacking up tons of effects or eq or extra compression, etc., which seems to be antithetical to patch sharing in the first place I guess.


----------



## RevDrucifer

I’ve had zero luck finding presets that work for me on AxeExchange. That said, I bought Austin Buddy’s Live Gold pack and it’s been invaluable to me in the studio. At most I’m doing minor tweaks to get the tones to sit in tracks right. I got it mainly because I haven’t used the majority of amps in Fractal units in person, I’ve got no clue what they sound like, or are supposed to sound like. Austin did an amazing job at pairing them with IR’s and I even use it in my FM9, going into an actual 2x12 (cab block disabled) and get the same great use out of it there. 

I suppose it’s akin to the Kemper 3rd party capture makers who make killer sounding captures, opposed to the guys who are just sticking a mic anywhere on a cab, capturing it and calling it a day. Austin’s got good, experienced ears and regardless of the guitar/pickups I’m using (which goes a LONG way with other people’s presets) I can get killer tones from it.

I plan on making a video this week of how I’m using Live Gold in the studio. When I’m writing/recording, I work as fast as I possibly can because I don’t like losing ideas due to dialing in tones. A couple weeks ago I was tracking the final guitars for a song and needed something with a country twang to it, so I jumped into the Live Gold banks and started auditioning amps, using the split coils on my PRS. Within about 45 seconds I found what I was looking for, didn’t even tweak it and that’s what’s on the final version of the song. 

I think of it more as a utility than anything; my own presets I’ll dial in myself, but when I’m going for overdubs or something specific, I can find it within AB’s presets really quickly. His bass pack is killer as well. Really outstanding way of organizing all the amps/presets by type and the way he’s set up the scenes/presets leaves plenty of room for making them your own. A few of his Friedman presets are now what I use in my cover band, just tweaked versions of them.


----------



## Decapitated

RevDrucifer said:


> I’ve had zero luck finding presets that work for me on AxeExchange. That said, I bought Austin Buddy’s Live Gold pack and it’s been invaluable to me in the studio. At most I’m doing minor tweaks to get the tones to sit in tracks right. I got it mainly because I haven’t used the majority of amps in Fractal units in person, I’ve got no clue what they sound like, or are supposed to sound like. Austin did an amazing job at pairing them with IR’s and I even use it in my FM9, going into an actual 2x12 (cab block disabled) and get the same great use out of it there.
> 
> I suppose it’s akin to the Kemper 3rd party capture makers who make killer sounding captures, opposed to the guys who are just sticking a mic anywhere on a cab, capturing it and calling it a day. Austin’s got good, experienced ears and regardless of the guitar/pickups I’m using (which goes a LONG way with other people’s presets) I can get killer tones from it.
> 
> I plan on making a video this week of how I’m using Live Gold in the studio. When I’m writing/recording, I work as fast as I possibly can because I don’t like losing ideas due to dialing in tones. A couple weeks ago I was tracking the final guitars for a song and needed something with a country twang to it, so I jumped into the Live Gold banks and started auditioning amps, using the split coils on my PRS. Within about 45 seconds I found what I was looking for, didn’t even tweak it and that’s what’s on the final version of the song.
> 
> I think of it more as a utility than anything; my own presets I’ll dial in myself, but when I’m going for overdubs or something specific, I can find it within AB’s presets really quickly. His bass pack is killer as well. Really outstanding way of organizing all the amps/presets by type and the way he’s set up the scenes/presets leaves plenty of room for making them your own. A few of his Friedman presets are now what I use in my cover band, just tweaked versions of them.



The best presets for me by a mile are Leon Todd’s. He is amazing.


----------



## laxu

Using other people's presets rarely works out when you have different guitars and output systems.


----------



## broangiel

laxu said:


> Using other people's presets rarely works out when you have different guitars and output systems.


Generally, I 100% agree. Even Leon’s tones, which I dig in his videos, don’t translate well to my gear. His presets are always too bright for me. That said, I have found Austin Buddy’s stuff to be pretty agreeable. I don’t think our ideal tones jive all the time, and so a specific preset may not be my cup of tea, but I’ve never thought his stuff translated poorly.


----------



## RevDrucifer

broangiel said:


> Generally, I 100% agree. Even Leon’s tones, which I dig in his videos, don’t translate well to my gear. His presets are always too bright for me. That said, I have found Austin Buddy’s stuff to be pretty agreeable. I don’t think our ideal tones jive all the time, and so a specific preset may not be my cup of tea, but I’ve never thought his stuff translated poorly.



Agreed. I’ve got a few of Leon’s and use some of his IR’s occasionally. His multi-band comp settings I have saved as that has gotten some use in a bunch of my Mesa presets. 

But Austin’s are just ridiculously well done. Doesn’t matter what pickups/guitar I’m using, they’re right in the ballpark of where I want to be. They’ve saved me an incredible amount of time in the studio.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

19.02 is officially out. 

JMPre Clean is officially my new main clean ampp


----------



## budda

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> 19.02 is officially out.
> 
> JMPre Clean is officially my new main clean ampp


I will probably update and forget to check out all the new stuff


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

budda said:


> I will probably update and forget to check out all the new stuff



The differences with the JMPre OD channels is a bit miniscule. The EQ reacts about the same. But the JMPre clean channels are great. Can range from sparkly pristine JC all the way to pushed.


----------



## NoodleFace

Someone offered an axe FX ii xl+ to me, and I had some questions

1. Mainly play death/tech death. What kinds of bands in these genres are using them too? Any trouble making a tight rhythm tone? For reference I use a 6505 with an OD

2. If I wanted to use this in my rig now (4x12) I assume id need a power amp. I assume you'd want a power amp that colors the tone the least, what do people use?

3. How often do clubs let you go direct info the board as opposed to needing power?

4. Can I use my 6505 as the power amp? Assume so since Misha sorta does that

5. I have this weird fear that these amps will be obsolete one day and worthless,.whereas tube amps general keep their value. Am I being dumb?


----------



## TedEH

I can't speak to the II xl+ 'cause I've only ever used the FM3 but with my limited Fractal experience I would say:

1. I don't think there's a particular appeal to any one genre. I see zero problem finding a tight-boosted-6505-esque sound.

2. Philosophies vary on this. Fractal models include power amp modelling, so lots of people aim for power that's as transparent as possible. At the same time, I get good (if not fantastic) results running the FM3 into the return of a tube amp.

3. I've never played anywhere that they wouldn't let me go direct if I wanted - but the bigger question is whether or not you trust the PA to be of quality, and the sound guy to know what they're doing. Having a stage sound at least puts _some_ power in your hands.

4. I don't see why not.

5. IMO it's a gamble. It's effectively a guitar computer moreso than a traditional bit of music gear. Do I think it'll become obsolete in at least some sense? Absolutely. Do I think that makes them lose their value? That part's debatable. IMO if it sounds good, and what you value is the sound, then only you can decide if it loses value.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Not only can you use the 6505 as a power amp, but it's a killer-ass power amp.


----------



## NoodleFace

Thanks guys. Good to hear about the 6505 being a 0ower amp. I know Misha used his Invective as one


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

They just introduced an FC6 and FC12 MKII. The scribble strips are a lot larger.


----------



## CovertSovietBear

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Not only can you use the 6505 as a power amp, but it's a killer-ass power amp.





NoodleFace said:


> Thanks guys. Good to hear about the 6505 being a 0ower amp. I know Misha used his Invective as one


Don't know if applicable but I've also run an AxeFx through a block letter 5150 2x12 - stock speakers but loud enough. Too loud some might say.


----------



## NoodleFace

Nice man. I think at least to make band practice easier I'd just run it through my 6505 until I got a clean Poweramp

Someone wants to trade an axe FX II xl+ and $200 for my Ibanez 6570q. It's the right price, but I'm having a hard time committing.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Is it true Dizzy Silver 2 and Silver 3 are mixed up? I do find it weird how Silver 3 has a bright switch under Authentic controls yet Silver 2 doesn't.


----------



## budda

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Is it true Dizzy Silver 2 and Silver 3 are mixed up? I do find it weird how Silver 3 has a bright switch under Authentic controls yet Silver 2 doesn't.


Not sure. Rat and fat rat are swapped, no one seemed to care when i mentioned it.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Well I can see why Papa Het uses a VH4 with his Mesas.  By itself, I hate the Diezels. But blended with the Mark IV, it really comes alive and both amps help each other out.


----------



## rokket2005

A couple people have brought up the Diezel channels being switched and I thought they got fixed a couple firmwares ago, but scrolling through a couple logs I don't see it mentioned anywhere so it might still be swapped. I didn't know the rat's were swapped too though. Every so often I try using the rat as a boost and I never like it as much as when I'd boost my vht with my rat, maybe worth a try using the fat rat to see if it works better.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Well I can see why Papa Het uses a VH4 with his Mesas.  By itself, I hate the Diezels. But blended with the Mark IV, it really comes alive and both amps help each other out.



I was finally able to get the Herbert I’ve wanted since the amp came out using my III. Running my idealized Herbert 2+ channel and USA Pre Ld2 Red may be the best tone I’ve ever cooked up.

I still desperately want the Herbert clean in the Axe FX though.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kyle Jordan said:


> I was finally able to get the Herbert I’ve wanted since the amp came out using my III. Running my idealized Herbert 2+ channel and USA Pre Ld2 Red may be the best tone I’ve ever cooked up.
> 
> I still desperately want the Herbert clean in the Axe FX though.


I'm using channel 3 ATM, and yeah it rules when paired with the Mark IV Mid gain. 

Oddly I can't get the TriAxis models to sound good? I used to be able to get some great tones on my AX8 but I struggle with the III.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

In case you're wondering how the MKII scribble strips look in person, also compared to the MK1 ones.


----------



## budda

19.04 is live.


----------



## broangiel

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> In case you're wondering how the MKII scribble strips look in person, also compared to the MK1 ones.


Wow, what an improvement.


----------



## Breeding The Spawn

Finally got my power amp for my FM3. A Ritter GBA 280 pedal sized.


----------



## NoodleFace

Well the axe FX II xl+ is here. Sucked trading away such a nice guitar... But it was a 6 string. 

Kind of unsure what speaker setup I want. Right now I have a 6505+ into a Marshall 4x12 so for the immediate I'll be trying the axe FX through that. 

I kind of feel like going stereo FRFR is the way, but I might first buy a Poweramp. See lots of recommendations for the matrix gt1000fx which I can't seem to find on reverb, any others I should look at? I'd hopefully not break the bank, and I am a complete noob with this.


----------



## Crungy

Congrats on that! I wish I had something to recommend but I use mine for recording with headphones. 

Just remember to turn off Poweramp simulation if you're running it through your Peavey head.


----------



## budda

@NoodleFace try the 6505 as power amp.

Then buy two powered wedges (110's) and enjoy stereo everything.


----------



## NoodleFace

budda said:


> @NoodleFace try the 6505 as power amp.
> 
> Then buy two powered wedges (110's) and enjoy stereo everything.


Trying the 6505 tomorrow at our practice space "fuck it, well do it live!" Style


----------



## budda

NoodleFace said:


> Trying the 6505 tomorrow at our practice space "fuck it, well do it live!" Style


It’s a good quote haha


----------



## NoodleFace

Just to close the loop on this

I made some simple 5150 patches (ok I stole the nolly ones and changed some params). Sounded ok in the headphone jack but I wasn't shitting myself.

Brought it to practice and fed it into the 6505 power section. Absolute ball shaking tone. Literally. Realized I left the power amp and cab sim on so turned that off. Now the tone wasn't shaking my balls but it was so incredibly good I couldn't believe it. Wish I had an axe FX iii but the ii XL+ will be great for me. 

I'm now gonna sell my 6505+ and just use this permanently. Not sure if the power stage amps are good enough or if I want a matrix. Oh well another day. 

Do I want to go with a mfc-101 or is there something comparable ?


----------



## Kyle Jordan

^Make sure you try the Axe through amp and cab with the pre and poweramp ON from the Axe sims. It’s like a virtual slave amp rig and it’s awesome.


----------



## laxu

NoodleFace said:


> Just to close the loop on this
> 
> I made some simple 5150 patches (ok I stole the nolly ones and changed some params). Sounded ok in the headphone jack but I wasn't shitting myself.
> 
> Brought it to practice and fed it into the 6505 power section. Absolute ball shaking tone. Literally. Realized I left the power amp and cab sim on so turned that off. Now the tone wasn't shaking my balls but it was so incredibly good I couldn't believe it. Wish I had an axe FX iii but the ii XL+ will be great for me.
> 
> I'm now gonna sell my 6505+ and just use this permanently. Not sure if the power stage amps are good enough or if I want a matrix. Oh well another day.
> 
> Do I want to go with a mfc-101 or is there something comparable ?


If you can afford it, buy a poweramp before you sell your 6505 so you can try if the new poweramp delivers as good performance. My experience is that the poweramp tends to be surprisingly critical for getting satisfying tones into guitar cabs. I haven't tried the SD Power Stage or Matrix stuff.

As for the MFC, only buy if it's dirt cheap. Otherwise you can use any MIDI controller you like.


----------



## budda

Morningstar mc8 if you really need a lot of buttons.


----------



## NoodleFace

Really all I need is the ability to quickly switch to a few presets (3-4), then the ability to traverse the others for monkeying around. I'm sure MIDI is more complex than I need. I just want a clean, rhythm, and lead patch, then possibly some other ones that are similar. That's just for my band and live playing.


----------



## budda

NoodleFace said:


> Really all I need is the ability to quickly switch to a few presets (3-4), then the ability to traverse the others for monkeying around. I'm sure MIDI is more complex than I need. I just want a clean, rhythm, and lead patch, then possibly some other ones that are similar. That's just for my band and live playing.



Probably fine with 3 buttons then.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

If you need more footswitches, keep in mind you can add external switches. Up to four if you don't plan on using expression pedals (or one expression pedal and one 2-button external footswitch). I don't recall if they can act as stand-in switches, but it's something to consider. You can at least get a 2 button external footswitch and set them to preset up and down, while the 3 main FM3 footswitches can be set to your 3 scenes.


----------



## Giest

Does the Axe FX 3 still have that compressed sterile feel that the 2XL does? I like my 2XL but it's not fulfilling to play through, I don't even use it anymore for anything because of that. If the 3 solves this problem I'll look into getting one.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

BTW since I'm talking about stand-in switches with the Fractals... If you're using an 3 + FC12, you can only use stand-in switches with the 4 Switch inputs on the FC12, right? Can't use the Expression ins on the FC12 or the Axe itself?


----------



## budda

Giest said:


> Does the Axe FX 3 still have that compressed sterile feel that the 2XL does? I like my 2XL but it's not fulfilling to play through, I don't even use it anymore for anything because of that. If the 3 solves this problem I'll look into getting one.


How do you have patches on your 2xl set up that it feels compressed and sterile (amps, boosts, gain level, guitars)?


----------



## Giest

budda said:


> How do you have patches on your 2xl set up that it feels compressed and sterile (amps, boosts, gain level, guitars)?



I don't even use it anymore


----------



## budda

Giest said:


> I don't even use it anymore


Then I suggest firing it up, making sure its as up to date as it can be and making a new preset from scratch. Memory is not a reliable thing.


----------



## Giest

budda said:


> Then I suggest firing it up, making sure its as up to date as it can be and making a new preset from scratch. Memory is not a reliable thing.



it's not fulfilling to play through


----------



## budda

Giest said:


> it's not fulfilling to play through


Cant really help if I have no idea what the setup is…


----------



## Giest

budda said:


> Cant really help if I have no idea what the setup is…



I know. Fortunately I'm not asking for help with the 2XL I shelved. 

I'm just idly wondering if the high gain configurations still feel compressed and sterile on the 3, as my 2XL does. If you don't know what I'm talking about just ignore me.


----------



## budda

Given I havent really read that complain about the 2xl, gonna say they do not


----------



## Lax

Giest said:


> Does the Axe FX 3 still have that compressed sterile feel that the 2XL does? I like my 2XL but it's not fulfilling to play through, I don't even use it anymore for anything because of that. If the 3 solves this problem I'll look into getting one.


I'm not answering your question and I apologize, but speaking of high gain, I had a mesa boogie mark V with a recto 2x12 that I recorded mic'ed up and get the same result with the axefx2xl+ I replaced it with.
Long story short an axefx isn't an amp in the room, and maybe you don't like the sound of a mixed mic'ed amp.

If it's not that, try more IRs and maybe add far IRs to add room feeling, try not to cut too much high frequencies to avoid killing the overtones etc 

Cheers


----------



## laxu

I used the Axe-Fx 2 for years and never had much complaints about its sounds regardless of genre. Yes the 3rd gen stuff does sound better, but the 2nd gen is no slouch. If it feels "sterile and compressed", look for the issue in your presets, IRs or output devices.


----------



## budda

I mean they wont because they refuse to turn the unit back on to re-examine settings . Which tells me they probably wont like a iii either.


----------



## TedEH

Dunno if it's just me, but if I had any criticism of the Fractal stuff so far it's that I have a bad habit of just modelling the stuff I already have. Not to say there aren't other good sounds in there, but I've done less exploration than I thought I would. More evidence for that old advice that 90% of the time the critical element in your end result is _you_ and not the gear.


----------



## laxu

TedEH said:


> Dunno if it's just me, but if I had any criticism of the Fractal stuff so far it's that I have a bad habit of just modelling the stuff I already have. Not to say there aren't other good sounds in there, but I've done less exploration than I thought I would. More evidence for that old advice that 90% of the time the critical element in your end result is _you_ and not the gear.


I even went off modeling for a few years because I figured I kept dialing a bunch of "Fender cleans, Marshall overdrive" presets over and over.


----------



## budda

None of my main sounds use amps i owned in real life


----------



## Giest

Ok thanks for the tips, fellas, I'll give it a shot. I mean another shot, since I already used it for four years between home/practice/studio. I'm sure I just missed something, or maybe I'm doing that thing with my fingers where I overcompress the living shit out of my signal. I just thought it curious I don't have any of the same problems with any of the other solid state or software I have ever used, but who knows- not you guys apparently, but who else. 

Note to self: Don't ask the congregation if the church has authentic high gain simulation yet.


----------



## Lax

When I don't have a band I just use mesa boogie modelled amps and sound like petrucci, because it boosts my ego at home


----------



## NoodleFace

Ended up ordering a mfc-101 mk III. Price wasn't too bad and I had $200 burning a hole in my pocket from the trade. Figured I might as well do it right and go full faslink and everything. Can't wait for it to show up. 

Still shopping poweramps. I think I settled on the matrix gt1000fx 1u. Originally I was going to get the powerstage 700 because it was rack mountable, but then I read it actually takes up 1.25u. 

I could just get a bigger rack case, but lugging a 4u around feels like my max.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I still have no clue what Duncan was thinking with the PS700. Should have made it a standard 1U.


----------



## laxu

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I still have no clue what Duncan was thinking with the PS700. Should have made it a standard 1U.


Probably was never part of the design considerations. To me the SD PS170/200 is just intended to sit on your pedalboard and the SD700 on top of your cab.


----------



## budda

laxu said:


> Probably was never part of the design considerations. To me the SD PS170/200 is just intended to sit on your pedalboard and the SD700 on top of your cab.


But racks sit on cabs


----------



## Andromalia

budda said:


> But racks sit on cabs


Ashamed of having small equipment ?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

laxu said:


> Probably was never part of the design considerations. To me the SD PS170/200 is just intended to sit on your pedalboard and the SD700 on top of your cab.


Idk, seems like they designed it with rackmounting in mind as well. They have the holes pre-drilled and it comes with rack ears. Should have just gone all-out and thinned it out a bit. Sucks because everything else about it seems spot on for me.


----------



## NoodleFace

The other aspect that pisses me off are the inputs are in the front. I know I could use an angled cable and tuck it in, but it looks gaudy. My thought is the rack mount was just an afterthought after people requested it.


----------



## laxu

NoodleFace said:


> The other aspect that pisses me off are the inputs are in the front. I know I could use an angled cable and tuck it in, but it looks gaudy. My thought is the rack mount was just an afterthought after people requested it.


Yeah the inputs on front are not good design. I can understand why they ended up with that design but it's still not great.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

If they ever do a redesign MkII version that's optimized fully for rack systems, I'd be all over it.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I still have no clue what Duncan was thinking with the PS700. Should have made it a standard 1U.



I think they missed a trick with a huge chunk of the market (home players) by having the fan always on and obnoxiously loud.

Variable fan in all models and make the PS700 1u or 2u and redesign it thermally so it would be suitable in a home studio setting.

To compare - PS170 fan is louder than AxeFx by a long way and louder than the TAE fan - when that kicks in, it's not on all the time (audibly at least), even when playing a 2203 through it, the TAE is still quieter...

It's great they have input from pros like Holcomb designing these products but sometimes they need to consider non pros - at least they do if they want more revenue. I loved the PS170 sound and feel but it had to go back


----------



## laxu

The Thing Upstairs said:


> I think they missed a trick with a huge chunk of the market (home players) by having the fan always on and obnoxiously loud.
> 
> Variable fan in all models and make the PS700 1u or 2u and redesign it thermally so it would be suitable in a home studio setting.
> 
> To compare - PS170 fan is louder than AxeFx by a long way and louder than the TAE fan - when that kicks in, it's not on all the time (audibly at least), even when playing a 2203 through it, the TAE is still quieter...
> 
> It's great they have input from pros like Holcomb designing these products but sometimes they need to consider non pros - at least they do if they want more revenue. I loved the PS170 sound and feel but it had to go back


That's good info on the PS stuff. I was considering the PS700 as a stereo poweramp but I know I would be driven insane by fan noise. And probably annoyed by those inputs on the front.

My Axe-Fx 3 Mk2 is not very loud but sitting in a quiet room and being the only fan that is audible it's annoying enough that I'm going to see if I can swap the fan to a Noctua and how that performs.

It would be indeed nice if they also made sure that the units are quiet when used in low volume situations. You're not going to care if there is a fan running in stage situations where there's a lot of noisy from many sources.

I really wish BluGuitar would release a poweramp because theirs sounds great and is dead silent. It does have a fan but I haven't heard it unless I blast the amp at loud volumes.


----------



## NoodleFace

I can barely hear my axe fxs fan, at least I don't even remember hearing it. I'm not a bedroom player though. I'm in a very serious shitty band that has written one song in a year


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

With my Axe you can hear a slight hum, but it's nothing too bad. Even in a quiet room. I've had PC fans that were much much louder. 

Also yeah I've been saying Blug needs to release a power amp for a long time now. lol: Or at least make a stereo rackmount version of his Amp1s.


----------



## Elric

laxu said:


> Probably was never part of the design considerations. To me the SD PS170/200 is just intended to sit on your pedalboard and the SD700 on top of your cab.


Fryette got it right. Design a box that can sit on the cab or go into an inexpensive rack mount kit.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

laxu said:


> That's good info on the PS stuff. I was considering the PS700 as a stereo poweramp but I know I would be driven insane by fan noise. And probably annoyed by those inputs on the front.
> 
> My Axe-Fx 3 Mk2 is not very loud but sitting in a quiet room and being the only fan that is audible it's annoying enough that I'm going to see if I can swap the fan to a Noctua and how that performs.
> 
> It would be indeed nice if they also made sure that the units are quiet when used in low volume situations. You're not going to care if there is a fan running in stage situations where there's a lot of noisy from many sources.
> 
> I really wish BluGuitar would release a poweramp because theirs sounds great and is dead silent. It does have a fan but I haven't heard it unless I blast the amp at loud volumes.



I've had a mk1 and now own a mk2 (I didn't upgrade, I just had a moment of silliness and sold the mk1). Fan noise is, I think across the range, the same. It's not a problem for me and is a little reduced as it's in a rack. If it bugged me I'd switch the fan out for a Noctua. Awesome fans.

The TAE fan is slightly louder when it is on but it is not always on. It's on even less when I am using it just for the axefx. I was considering one of those EHX power amp pedals as they don't look like they have a fan. Or there's the 2U matrix.

Such a basic thing for companies to consider but they think that people only care about amplification when gigging. Everyhitng is aimed at the pro rather than the people that like nice gear but are not pros.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

Elric said:


> Fryette got it right. Design a box that can sit on the cab or go into an inexpensive rack mount kit.



I've used the PS2 (mk1 and mk2) - didn't keep them due to the fan noise. 

Another great product aimed at someone gigging rather than wanting to amplify at home or in a studio.


----------



## laxu

The Thing Upstairs said:


> I've used the PS2 (mk1 and mk2) - didn't keep them due to the fan noise.
> 
> Another great product aimed at someone gigging rather than wanting to amplify at home or in a studio.


My PS-100 is actually not too bad in terms of fan noise. The PS2 mk1 I had was worse. It's audible but not bothersome. So they have definitely improved it at least.

But with a lot of these kind of products the company that makes them has very different demands for the fans. It needs to be cheap, reliable and available in the quantities needed before the noise performance is even a consideration. Yeah they could use a nice Noctua for lower noise but the cost would be much more than what they pay for some "good enough" OEM fan.

I just looked up the fan I have in my Axe-Fx 2 Mk 2 and it's a Noiseblocker fan that at retail costs about 7 euros. An equivalent Noctua is 20.

The temperature sensor that controls the Axe-Fx 3 fan is, based on some Fractal forum post, an ambient temp sensor rather than e.g. DSP temperature. Seems to be in Fahrenheits too in the UI which is a bit of American silliness. The fan kicks in at about 90 F or ~32 C which is basically nothing compared to what a typical desktop PC puts out. My Ryzen 3700X CPU idles at higher temps than that. But this is the kind of foolproofing that companies want to use to make sure that there is no situation where nothing in the system overheats, whether you gig at a swamp on the hottest day of the summer or enjoy an air conditioned room at a studio.

On top of that fans can be temperamental. Some will get extra motor noises if they are mounted horizontal, vertical, at an angle etc or just put together with the wrong mounting, vent hole pattern, fan guard, heat sink fin width etc. I also had some resonances from the lid of my Axe-Fx 3 that I solved with some electrical tape.

I tried a bunch of fans that I've collected over the years when I was building a small form factor PC. I found that in my specific system, cheap Arctic P14 fans were better than Noctuas for noise vs cooling performance when mounted on my 2080 Ti GPU's heatsink. In some other system or heatsink it might be the opposite, my CPU heatsink uses a Noctua instead. This was evaluating not only how hot things got but also how the fan curves could be made for the sweet spot between noise and cooling. I don't mind a bit of fan noise as long as its consistent, low level "woosh". Resonances, high pitched whine, motor noises etc annoy the hell out of me.


----------



## NoodleFace

Haha I work in the US in server design and everything is in C. Almost every temp sensor program you find is in C too. That just be a clint thing that he did if he displays it as F


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

laxu said:


> My PS-100 is actually not too bad in terms of fan noise. The PS2 mk1 I had was worse. It's audible but not bothersome. So they have definitely improved it at least.
> 
> But with a lot of these kind of products the company that makes them has very different demands for the fans. It needs to be cheap, reliable and available in the quantities needed before the noise performance is even a consideration. Yeah they could use a nice Noctua for lower noise but the cost would be much more than what they pay for some "good enough" OEM fan.
> 
> I just looked up the fan I have in my Axe-Fx 2 Mk 2 and it's a Noiseblocker fan that at retail costs about 7 euros. An equivalent Noctua is 20.
> 
> The temperature sensor that controls the Axe-Fx 3 fan is, based on some Fractal forum post, an ambient temp sensor rather than e.g. DSP temperature. Seems to be in Fahrenheits too in the UI which is a bit of American silliness. The fan kicks in at about 90 F or ~32 C which is basically nothing compared to what a typical desktop PC puts out. My Ryzen 3700X CPU idles at higher temps than that. But this is the kind of foolproofing that companies want to use to make sure that there is no situation where nothing in the system overheats, whether you gig at a swamp on the hottest day of the summer or enjoy an air conditioned room at a studio.
> 
> On top of that fans can be temperamental. Some will get extra motor noises if they are mounted horizontal, vertical, at an angle etc or just put together with the wrong mounting, vent hole pattern, fan guard, heat sink fin width etc. I also had some resonances from the lid of my Axe-Fx 3 that I solved with some electrical tape.
> 
> I tried a bunch of fans that I've collected over the years when I was building a small form factor PC. I found that in my specific system, cheap Arctic P14 fans were better than Noctuas for noise vs cooling performance when mounted on my 2080 Ti GPU's heatsink. In some other system or heatsink it might be the opposite, my CPU heatsink uses a Noctua instead. This was evaluating not only how hot things got but also how the fan curves could be made for the sweet spot between noise and cooling. I don't mind a bit of fan noise as long as its consistent, low level "woosh". Resonances, high pitched whine, motor noises etc annoy the hell out of me.




I think the PS100 has a larger form factor so perhaps that helps disperse heat and it has different cooling. Both the PS2s I tried were quite loud - mk 1 and mk 2.

Agree it's all over engineered for reliability.


----------



## laxu

The Thing Upstairs said:


> I think the PS100 has a larger form factor so perhaps that helps disperse heat and it has different cooling. Both the PS2s I tried were quite loud - mk 1 and mk 2.
> 
> Agree it's all over engineered for reliability.


The PS100 and PS2 are exactly the same physical size. The internal design of both is very much the same, with the front and back panel differences. The fan is on some of the load resistors and as a side effect cools the tubes.


----------



## laxu

NoodleFace said:


> Haha I work in the US in server design and everything is in C. Almost every temp sensor program you find is in C too. That just be a clint thing that he did if he displays it as F


That's why I initially thought it was DSP temperature which gave me some alarm as running at 90-100 degrees would be pretty close to its max operational range per its spec sheet (100 C max). But turns out it's just the ambient temp and since I can't cook breakfast on the lid of my Axe-Fx 3 it has to be Fahrenheit.


----------



## Elric

The Thing Upstairs said:


> I've used the PS2 (mk1 and mk2) - didn't keep them due to the fan noise.
> 
> Another great product aimed at someone gigging rather than wanting to amplify at home or in a studio.


LOL. Put it in a f*cking rack and move the rack out of the way. That's the entire point.  My AxeFx's and PS2 are dead silent in use because they are mounted in a rack and can be moved anywhere I want. I didn't even know they had fans.


----------



## /wrists

Why is this unit so good?


----------



## budda

evade said:


> Why is this unit so good?


Give theres 3 pages on the power station, you’ll need to be more specific lol.


----------



## /wrists

budda said:


> Give theres 3 pages on the power station, you’ll need to be more specific lol.


Which Axe FX model?


----------



## budda

evade said:


> Which Axe FX model?


If that is what you’re asking about then yes. What unit do you want to know about?


----------



## /wrists

budda said:


> If that is what you’re asking about then yes. What unit do you want to know about?


You misunderstood my post haha, I just put our replies together and figured it out. 

I was asking rhetorically since I have one.


----------



## budda

evade said:


> You misunderstood my post haha, I just put our replies together and figured it out.
> 
> I was asking rhetorically since I have one.


----------



## AboutBlank

In my opinion, the fan's loudness cannot be justified, especially in this price range and since this is a studio as well as live device in equal parts.

My device is installed in the rack and despite a busy street in the immediate vicinity, the noise was audible in neighboring rooms.

Louder than my PC with much more fans.

A Noctua has brought improvement.
However, this should be absolutely not necessary with the claim to the device, no matter how you want to turn it and how well it performs in other areas.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Seriously, my Axe 3 is quieter than whisper quiet. I've never ever gotten annoyed by the fan.


----------



## budda

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Seriously, my Axe 3 is quieter than whisper quiet. I've never ever gotten annoyed by the fan.


I dont realize mine has a fan


----------



## NoodleFace

AboutBlank said:


> In my opinion, the fan's loudness cannot be justified, especially in this price range and since this is a studio as well as live device in equal parts.
> 
> My device is installed in the rack and despite a busy street in the immediate vicinity, the noise was audible in neighboring rooms.
> 
> Louder than my PC with much more fans.
> 
> A Noctua has brought improvement.
> However, this should be absolutely not necessary with the claim to the device, no matter how you want to turn it and how well it performs in other areas.


Might be an issue wth your unit? I can't even tell there's a fan in mine, even when it was on my desk for a couple days.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

budda said:


> I dont realize mine has a fan



If everything around me is absolutely dead quiet, then yeah I hear it. But I have a fan in my room that easily overpowers it.


----------



## TedEH

The fan on my FM3 is audible in a quiet room, but nothing worse than other gear.


----------



## AboutBlank

NoodleFace said:


> Might be an issue wth your unit? I can't even tell there's a fan in mine, even when it was on my desk for a couple days.



Based on many other posts, especially on the Fractal forum, I think it is unlikely that my fan was not working within its technical specifications. However, I can't definitely rule it out.

That it is a very common behavior, however, is completely indisputable based on the many discussions, and should prompt action for a perfectionist like Cliff and the sense of entitlement to a flagship device.


----------



## laxu

Yeah there are plenty of complaints about the fans on every generation Axe-Fx units.

My FM3 is silent after bootup. My Axe-Fx 3 Mk2 is not. How these things are placed and how much ambient noise from other sources there are will have an effect whether you hear it or not. Late in the evening in a room where my computer is basically silent when doing something like browsing the web, the Axe-Fx 3 is the only audible source of noise.

But this could easily be because my unit was bought used. The fan could have worn over time and gotten some motor noises that become audible. I'm picking up a Noctua A8 tomorrow from the post and installing that to see if it solves the issue. It's not a dealbreaker or anything, I just like any device to be as quiet as is reasonably possible.


----------



## /wrists

Do you guys leave your unit on all the time?


----------



## c7spheres

You don't have to worry about fan noise at all with the 2-50-2 power amps in class-a mode because they're louder than everthing until you play. They're their own noise floor! LIke a hair dryer practiaclly. Jk, not that loud,.but loud. The 2-50-2 in class a mode works great as a space heater n the winter too and as a grill too. : )


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

evade said:


> Do you guys leave your unit on all the time?



No. If I'm leaving it for more than 10 mins I turn it off


----------



## NoodleFace

My sample size is 1 and I've had it two weeks so I trust you guys. Is it just high rpm noise or a ball bearing noise?


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

It's a slight whirr of a fan similar to a PC. If you have it unpacked on the desk in front of you and are playing quietly you will notice it more. If it is a couple of meters away in a rack it will be barely noticeable

There should be no bearing noise. The sound of air should be the more audible component over the motor


----------



## works0fheart

I'm still running my AXE FX II Mk2, but I don't get any of the fan noise mentioned above, and I run it pretty regularly. I also have 2 dogs that shed like crazy and I haven't noticed any issues with it at all. 

What I actually came to post though is I think the Axe Fx has killed my urge to get other amps really. There are some I'd _like _(JC120, 5150) to have but I don't really feel the drive to get since the sounds I have access to are more than good enough. When I first got this thing I sold my other heads and sound wise I haven't missed them at all. It's kind of nice not having that nagging urge to get more amps now and I didn't even realize that was the case until recently. I've had my unit since 2013/2014 and I guess it's just done what I've needed it to do since then.

Guitars on the other hand, I may need to cut down on lol.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

works0fheart said:


> I'm still running my AXE FX II Mk2, but I don't get any of the fan noise mentioned above, and I run it pretty regularly. I also have 2 dogs that shed like crazy and I haven't noticed any issues with it at all.
> 
> What I actually came to post though is I think the Axe Fx has killed my urge to get other amps really. There are some I'd _like _(JC120, 5150) to have but I don't really feel the drive to get since the sounds I have access to are more than good enough. When I first got this thing I sold my other heads and sound wise I haven't missed them at all. It's kind of nice not having that nagging urge to get more amps now and I didn't even realize that was the case until recently. I've had my unit since 2013/2014 and I guess it's just done what I've needed it to do since then.
> 
> Guitars on the other hand, I may need to cut down on lol.


I talked about it in another thread, but I wish Fractal or Line 6 would model more obscure SS amps like Randall, marshall Valvestates, ISP theta... Or even more obscure tube amps like the Laney GH. Then I wouldn't need to buy anything else.


----------



## works0fheart

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I talked about it in another thread, but I wish Fractal or Line 6 would model more obscure SS amps like Randall, marshall Valvestates, ISP theta... Or even more obscure tube amps like the Laney GH. Then I wouldn't need to buy anything else.



I feel that. I've never tried the ISP or a Laney, but I have tried the other two. The thing is for me though, I've been able to usually sculpt a pretty good tone from a lot of the stuff there, some of which I think is original frankenstein type amps orignal to the AxeFx (FAS Brootz, FAS Modern). So while I would maybe like to see some of the other stuff like Randall's on there, tone wise I don't feel like I'm missing much.

Aside from amps though, I always have a hard time working with the effects on the thing. I have a ton of pedals and for whatever reason they just seem to make more sense to me (in most cases. The Chase Bliss MOOD is just plain weird).


----------



## laxu

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I talked about it in another thread, but I wish Fractal or Line 6 would model more obscure SS amps like Randall, marshall Valvestates, ISP theta... Or even more obscure tube amps like the Laney GH. Then I wouldn't need to buy anything else.


You can probably match the Laney GH with some Marshall based models. I feel there is very little not actually covered by the sheer volume of amp models already in the unit. You have a huge pile of tools to alter them more to your liking.

My approach to modeling is now caring much less about what exact amp is modeled and treating the models more like presets. If it's the right sound, I don't care what was modeled. I get that people like having a named preset sound for their favorite amp models but ultimately a lot of them are variations of the same sounds. I don't need my Victory VC35 modeled because it can be represented by Vox, Matchless or Morgan models already built in.



works0fheart said:


> Aside from amps though, I always have a hard time working with the effects on the thing. I have a ton of pedals and for whatever reason they just seem to make more sense to me (in most cases. The Chase Bliss MOOD is just plain weird).


I can understand that. A lot of the effects on the Fractal don't give you quick approaches. For example adding modulation to a delay on a typical pedal is a single knob, on a Fractal it's a full set of LFO params. A simplified view for many effects would be welcome. The new presets for some effects definitely help.


----------



## budda

Cliff keeps making amp dirt smoother, im gonna have to ask again how to get the grit back!


----------



## NoodleFace

Got my MFC-101 MKIII in... going to have to go back to school for a doctorate in engineering


----------



## budda

NoodleFace said:


> Got my MFC-101 MKIII in... going to have to go back to school for a doctorate in engineering


You spelled yt tutorial weird.


----------



## budda

Hey @HeHasTheJazzHands and other III users, if you wanna sludge up with 19.05 I just whipped this variation on my AD200 preset:


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

budda said:


> Hey @HeHasTheJazzHands and other III users, if you wanna sludge up with 19.05 I just whipped this variation on my AD200 preset:


Def gonna check it out. Been checking out some novelty patches (GK 250ML, Scholz Rockman, etc) so I do wanna mess around.


----------



## budda

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Def gonna check it out. Been checking out some novelty patches (GK 250ML, Scholz Rockman, etc) so I do wanna mess around.


quick'n'dirty


----------



## NoodleFace

Any of you guys use a Fryette PS-2 as a power amp?

I like the idea of it being tubed, but also has a flat settings and really like that it's multi-use. I've heard really good things, so wondering what other people's experiences are.


----------



## laxu

NoodleFace said:


> Any of you guys use a Fryette PS-2 as a power amp?
> 
> I like the idea of it being tubed, but also has a flat settings and really like that it's multi-use. I've heard really good things, so wondering what other people's experiences are.


I have owned a PS-2 and currently have a PS-100. It works great with modelers. Look into the Fryette LXII if you want stereo.

Just note that the switches on the front panel are only for the reactive load. They have no effect if you run a modeler into its line-in. The presence and depth knobs do work.

My only real complaint about the Power Stations are that they are a bit noisy at low volume due to the built-in fan. At gig levels this would not be an issue and they are light - for a tube poweramp.

I probably would not buy the Fryette PS just to use for a modeler. If you want to use it with tube amps as well then it's a great option.


----------



## NoodleFace

laxu said:


> I have owned a PS-2 and currently have a PS-100. It works great with modelers. Look into the Fryette LXII if you want stereo.
> 
> Just note that the switches on the front panel are only for the reactive load. They have no effect if you run a modeler into its line-in. The presence and depth knobs do work.
> 
> My only real complaint about the Power Stations are that they are a bit noisy at low volume due to the built-in fan. At gig levels this would not be an issue and they are light - for a tube poweramp.
> 
> I probably would not buy the Fryette PS just to use for a modeler. If you want to use it with tube amps as well then it's a great option.


Thanks for the info, appreciate it.

I have the 6505+ which I may end up keeping, as well as the axefx rig for my band. So low volume would never really be a concern for it, as practice can be loud. Originally I wanted a Matrix, but I'm liking the idea of this.


----------



## Deadpool_25

NoodleFace said:


> Thanks for the info, appreciate it.
> 
> I have the 6505+ which I may end up keeping, as well as the axefx rig for my band. So low volume would never really be a concern for it, as practice can be loud. Originally I wanted a Matrix, but I'm liking the idea of this.


After having used my AxeFX II with a Matrix, and after using my FM3 and FM9 with various tube amps, I think I’ll be sticking with using tube amps with _good_ FX loops. I’ve run the FM3 through:
- Mesa California Tweed combo
- Victory Super Kraken
- Peavey 6505
- Friedman BE100 Deluxe
- EVH 5153 50w heads (all 3)
- Peavey Invective 120

Of those the EVHs, Invective, and BE were the best. The Super Kraken and California Tweed might have been really good but I was using cabs that I don’t think were good choices (Cali Tweed combo and extension cab). The 6505s loop was the “worst” of these (which isn’t to say it was bad—just not nearly as good).

If I was to use a dedicated power amp it would be something with tubes. PS2, Mesa power amps, etc.


----------



## NoodleFace

Deadpool_25 said:


> After having used my AxeFX II with a Matrix, and after using my FM3 and FM9 with various tube amps, I think I’ll be sticking with using tube amps with _good_ FX loops. I’ve run the FM3 through:
> - Mesa California Tweed combo
> - Victory Super Kraken
> - Peavey 6505
> - Friedman BE100 Deluxe
> - EVH 5153 50w heads (all 3)
> - Peavey Invective 120
> 
> Of those the EVHs, Invective, and BE were the best. The Super Kraken and California Tweed might have been really good but I was using cabs that I don’t think were good choices (Cali Tweed combo and extension cab). The 6505s loop was the “worst” of these (which isn’t to say it was bad—just not nearly as good).
> 
> If I was to use a dedicated power amp it would be something with tubes. PS2, Mesa power amps, etc.


Thanks. I actually like it through the 6505+ poweramp, but it's not really a giggable solution for me. I'd like to just have the one rack case. That way I can just bring the rack and use a shared backline, or go full FOH, or a mix of both or whatever. The 6505+ is heavy as shit.


----------



## TedEH

This is making me want to mess with my little mini-Mark 25 again. V25+FM3 = mini rig of dooooooooom.


----------



## CanserDYI

TedEH said:


> This is making me want to mess with my little mini-Mark 25 again. V25+FM3 = mini rig of dooooooooom.


Yes, my Mark V 25 with my helix was a match made in heaven. I really wish bills didnt pile up, I kept looking at it thinking "yeah that's a few bills paid off right there." and now I miss it terribly.


----------



## RevDrucifer

I leave my III on all the time. Usually because I’ll be working on something in my studio then go grab a bite to eat, leaving it on, then pass out on the couch then go to bed when I eventually wake up, not even thinking about it. 

The only time I’ve ever heard the fan was I think during the Cygnus betas, on start up on one of them the fan cranked up pretty loud but returned to it’s normal state after. Same thing happened with my FM9 when I first loaded Beta 2, then never did it again after that first time.


----------



## works0fheart

NoodleFace said:


> Thanks. I actually like it through the 6505+ poweramp, but it's not really a giggable solution for me. I'd like to just have the one rack case. That way I can just bring the rack and use a shared backline, or go full FOH, or a mix of both or whatever. The 6505+ is heavy as shit.



I had this same weight issue with the same amp and honestly after swapping to the AXE-FX it's still not even really solved lol. Like, sure the unit itself isn't that heavy, but in my rack case paired with my power amp and power conditioner it's still a clunky pain to move around.


----------



## NoodleFace

I ended up buying a Matrix GT1000FX 1U from a forum member for a pretty good deal, so gonna try that out first. Worst case if I don't like it, they sell like hot cakes.


----------



## budda

19.06B posted to the forum. 

Say hello to setlists, songs and sections.


----------



## Axiom451

Heavily considering selling my Kemper Rack and Helix LT for an Axe FX III Mk2 or settle with an alot cheaper Axe FX II XL+ Mk2

Is the difference big between these 2 and worth the price tag? Or is the AX FX II still enough for 2022?


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

AxiomXIII said:


> Heavily considering selling my Kemper Rack and Helix LT for an Axe FX III Mk2 or settle with an alot cheaper Axe FX II XL+ Mk2
> 
> Is the difference big between these 2 and worth the price tag? Or is the AX FX II still enough for 2022?



Depends on if you want access to new amps and effects that keep coming in. The II still sounds great but if you're like me and want to stay up to date with new features...

Plus the FC12 is an invaluable tool. Such a versatile and easy to set up footswitch. Probably the biggest thing I'd be bummed about if I ever switch to another piece of gear.


----------



## budda

I got a 3 because i want relatively latest and greatest (updates). Does the II sound great? Yep! Do I keep reading about II users who are glad they traded up? Yep!


----------



## laxu

AxiomXIII said:


> Heavily considering selling my Kemper Rack and Helix LT for an Axe FX III Mk2 or settle with an alot cheaper Axe FX II XL+ Mk2
> 
> Is the difference big between these 2 and worth the price tag? Or is the AX FX II still enough for 2022?


The Axe-Fx 3 is more powerful and a lot more user friendly when using the front panel. If you want to save money, I'd buy a FM3 over the Axe-Fx 2.


----------



## NoodleFace

Anyone familiar with the matrix - just want to confirm im connecting it right. Im assuming because my cab is 16Ohms I want to use the Matrix in bridged mode, but I'm not sure what the volume drop will be if I just use it in mono.

Axe FX Output 1 (mono) -> Input A on Matrix - > Set to bridged mode -> Output X to Cab (speaker cable)

Additional question - should I be diming the axe fx volume and using the matrix as the master?


----------



## cardinal

NoodleFace said:


> Anyone familiar with the matrix - just want to confirm im connecting it right. Im assuming because my cab is 16Ohms I want to use the Matrix in bridged mode, but I'm not sure what the volume drop will be if I just use it in mono.
> 
> Axe FX Output 1 (mono) -> Input A on Matrix - > Set to bridged mode -> Output X to Cab (speaker cable)
> 
> Additional question - should I be diming the axe fx volume and using the matrix as the master?


For guitar, just one side of any of the Matrix amps should be plenty. 

I would set the Matrix volume very high and use the Fractal level to set the overall decibels.


----------



## Shask

NoodleFace said:


> Anyone familiar with the matrix - just want to confirm im connecting it right. Im assuming because my cab is 16Ohms I want to use the Matrix in bridged mode, but I'm not sure what the volume drop will be if I just use it in mono.
> 
> Axe FX Output 1 (mono) -> Input A on Matrix - > Set to bridged mode -> Output X to Cab (speaker cable)
> 
> Additional question - should I be diming the axe fx volume and using the matrix as the master?


The zone on the GT1000FX is the volume about 1-2 oclock. Then control the volume with the Axe-FX.


----------



## NoodleFace

cardinal said:


> For guitar, just one side of any of the Matrix amps should be plenty.
> 
> I would set the Matrix volume very high and use the Fractal level to set the overall decibels.


Thanks. I had read some stuff about using bridged on a 16 ohm cab, but I'll try mono first.


----------



## EarlWellington

I got unlucky with the recent patches and my patch which I have used since my Axe fx 2 and then brought across to my Axe Fx 3 last year completely changed. No idea what was different but my "sound" is gone


----------



## budda

EarlWellington said:


> I got unlucky with the recent patches and my patch which I have used since my Axe fx 2 and then brought across to my Axe Fx 3 last year completely changed. No idea what was different but my "sound" is gone


Revert to the last firmware you had on the 3 where it was correct .

I know 19.05 some people posted it was thin, Cliff found an issue and 19.06 will have that fixed.


----------



## mechanyx

AxiomXIII said:


> Heavily considering selling my Kemper Rack and Helix LT for an Axe FX III Mk2 or settle with an alot cheaper Axe FX II XL+ Mk2
> 
> Is the difference big between these 2 and worth the price tag? Or is the AX FX II still enough for 2022?


I prefer the AX8 (which is a scaled down Axe FX II in a pedal).

The III is constantly changing so if you want to keep up to date, you'll very frequently be spending time updating the firmware and tweaking your patches, not playing guitar. The AX8 hasn't had a firmware update in years.

I sold my III because it didn't sound any better (and may have sounded worse) and ate up more of my time and cost more (so I was able to sell it for a lot more).

If there's not something specific you need in the III, I would just get the II and save yourself the money.


----------



## budda

I have needed to tweak once due to an update since fw12 - not everyone needs to tweak all the time . Also updates take minutes - its not really eating into play time. Ymmv.


----------



## rokket2005

Something that no one else has mentioned either, Is it worth selling a kemper and helix for an Axe II? I feel like the difference in sounds between those units is probably negligible so either upgrade to the 3 or keep playing what you have until a more meaningful leap has been made.


----------



## NoodleFace

If I already had a Kemper I'd probably keep it. I can't imagine there's a huge sonic delta between the two


----------



## laxu

rokket2005 said:


> Something that no one else has mentioned either, Is it worth selling a kemper and helix for an Axe II? I feel like the difference in sounds between those units is probably negligible so either upgrade to the 3 or keep playing what you have until a more meaningful leap has been made.


The Kemper is unique in terms of modelers so maybe you can consider keeping it.

This all depends on what you want out of Fractal. It has better reverb/delay/modulation than either, it has more amp models, a massive IR library built in and tons of tweakability and ability to make very complex signal chains if needed. Whether that is worth it to you over what you have is individual preference.

I like Helix workflow a lot and its drive models are better than Fractal to me. I still went with an Axe-Fx 3 in the end but still like the Helix Floor a lot, I think Helix is especially great as a live setup because its footswitching is so nice to use and intuitive and its quick to work with from the front panel. My Axe-Fx 3 pretty much sits at a desk so I am using the editor software a lot more which solves the UI issues Fractal has pretty nicely.


----------



## RevDrucifer

At this point, when anyone inquires about an AxeFX VS. anything else my general reply is “Get an AxeFX if you’re interested in tweaking things to hell and back. You don’t have to, but the option is there. If you want stuff provided for you, go with something else.”

Inevitably a user of ‘something else’ will come along, taking offense to that as if I said they were incapable of tweaking something into what they want.


----------



## budda

Try stuff til you find what works


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

IMO if you can afford it, the Axe FX is a must unless you like semi-obscure solid state high gain amps like me. 

But then again like 99% of modelers still don't cover those. Still want my ISP Theta, Marshall 8100, and Peavey Bandit/Supreme/XXL models, Fractal.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> But then again like 99% of modelers still don't cover those. Still want my ISP Theta, Marshall 8100, and Peavey Bandit/Supreme/XXL models, Fractal.



+∞

250ML as well.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Kyle Jordan said:


> +∞
> 
> 250ML as well.


Truth. The closest we've gotten to that is the Beta firmware for the GSP1101 having an RG100ES model. But I want more amps, and more accurate and up-to-date modeling


----------



## RevDrucifer

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> IMO if you can afford it, the Axe FX is a must unless you like semi-obscure solid state high gain amps like me.
> 
> But then again like 99% of modelers still don't cover those. Still want my ISP Theta, Marshall 8100, and Peavey Bandit/Supreme/XXL models, Fractal.



I’ve got an XXL at home, I’m curious how well I could dial in an existing model in my III to replicate it. I’d imagine I can certainly get in the ballpark with a 5150 model.


----------



## NoodleFace

Got to finally play through the matrix. Sounds great!

One thing I can't figure out is one of my patches has a high pitch squeal going on. My patch that's just a copy does not have the same squeal. Can't figure it out. 

Also having a lot of issues with the input noise gate. I don't recall a lot of feedhack through the peavey, but through the matrix my feedback is pretty nuts.


----------



## laxu

NoodleFace said:


> Got to finally play through the matrix. Sounds great!
> 
> One thing I can't figure out is one of my patches has a high pitch squeal going on. My patch that's just a copy does not have the same squeal. Can't figure it out.
> 
> Also having a lot of issues with the input noise gate. I don't recall a lot of feedhack through the peavey, but through the matrix my feedback is pretty nuts.


Maybe some weird preset corruption? Or otherwise you have something that applies high gain and possibly a feedback loop. Check out the meters page on the front panel in the layout grid to see if the levels look off somewhere.


----------



## NoodleFace

laxu said:


> Maybe some weird preset corruption? Or otherwise you have something that applies high gain and possibly a feedback loop. Check out the meters page on the front panel in the layout grid to see if the levels look off somewhere.


Yeah not really sure. Gonna check it out some more Tuesday. I didn't notice it with the 5150 as a poweramp, so was thinking it might be the matrix but who knows.


----------



## budda

Fw19.06 up and atom.


----------



## Axiom451

After switching to Kemper from Helix I'm heavily thinking about selling both and getting an Axe FX III

I can get a solid deal on a Mark I AXE FX III but there's a Mark II and even Turbo out now.
(2000€ used Mark I instead of new Mark II 2700€)

Is the release of a XL(+) or even IV around the corner?
Is the Mark I outdated or am I good to go?


----------



## laxu

AxiomXIII said:


> After switching to Kemper from Helix I'm heavily thinking about selling both and getting an Axe FX III
> 
> I can get a solid deal on a Mark I AXE FX III but there's a Mark II and even Turbo out now.
> (2000€ used Mark I instead of new Mark II 2700€)
> 
> Is the release of a XL(+) or even IV around the corner?
> Is the Mark I outdated or am I good to go?


The only thing the Mark 1 cannot do is Fullres IRs. Well technically it can but it does not have the storage space to actually save them. It can only load them in the Scratchpad which is not practical at all. Even the Mk 2 can only save a limited amount of them (I think maybe 32 and they are usually separate left/right files) as they take a lot of space.

These are basically room mic IRs and to me they sound fantastic in home situations through headphones or studio monitors but would not be relevant for live use or recording. The feature is in its infancy because Fractal has not yet released a version of Cab Lab that can create Fullres IRs so what is available on the Axe-Fx 3 legacy bank is nearly all you have and 3rd parties haven't been able to release more of them. Axe-Fx 3 hardware can create Fullres IRs but I haven't tested this feature yet.

I have a Mark 2 and the only situation where you might want a Turbo is if you want to run a massive setup with dual amps, dual cabs with FullRes IRs, plenty of fx. Otherwise it's pretty hard to fill the Mk2 CPU to the brim. I definitely would not pay 700 extra for the Fullres stuff.

I don't see Fractal releasing another revision. Fractal is already struggling to make FM9s for sale due to component shortages. 

I also don't see an Axe-Fx 4 in the near future which is why I picked up a used Axe-Fx 3 Mk2. Looking at what DSP chips are available, they are already using pretty much the most powerful ones that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. As an example, TI does offer a version of the Axe-Fx 3 Keystone processor that is basically two of those together and it costs massively more than the one used in the Axe-Fx 3. An Axe-Fx 4 using one would be a very expensive unit. I guess that an Axe-Fx 4 could be 3-4 years away, considering the situation in the world and that they released the FM9 only recently. Even the Axe-Fx 3 came about because the processor used in the Axe-Fx 2 was discontinued.


----------



## budda

AxiomXIII said:


> After switching to Kemper from Helix I'm heavily thinking about selling both and getting an Axe FX III
> 
> I can get a solid deal on a Mark I AXE FX III but there's a Mark II and even Turbo out now.
> (2000€ used Mark I instead of new Mark II 2700€)
> 
> Is the release of a XL(+) or even IV around the corner?
> Is the Mark I outdated or am I good to go?


You’re good to go.


----------



## c7spheres

I know I've asked this before but I'll try again. Is there any way to run Axe Edit without the AxeFx III connected? It doesn't appear so yet, and It;s a real bummer because I'd like to make generic patches beforehand then load them up right after I get one (If I ever do). Just curious if this is stll the case or if it's maybe possible now. Maybe there's a way to trick it into running etc. 

- I'd like to use it to see what the parameters and value ranges are for everything in the unit beforehand .It's not in the manual, on Wiki etc, and when I've emailed Fractal about it the answer was to just get one and return if I don't like it, but I don't want one if it's not capable of what I'm looking for. and when I do try one out I wanna try it out, not sift through everything documenting if it' s capable, and there's a lot of specifics, so I can't just ask for every single parameter. I don't think 2 weeks trial would be long enough to even document it all. 
- It'd be nice if Fractal updated the manuals with a list of parameters and value ranges, but it appears if I try one out the grace period will be just a bunch of documenting and testing rather than playing it. Any help is appreciated if anyone knows of a resource etc.


----------



## Shask

c7spheres said:


> I know I've asked this before but I'll try again. Is there any way to run Axe Edit without the AxeFx III connected? It doesn't appear so yet, and It;s a real bummer because I'd like to make generic patches beforehand then load them up right after I get one (If I ever do). Just curious if this is stll the case or if it's maybe possible now. Maybe there's a way to trick it into running etc.
> 
> - I'd like to use it to see what the parameters and value ranges are for everything in the unit beforehand .It's not in the manual, on Wiki etc, and when I've emailed Fractal about it the answer was to just get one and return if I don't like it, but I don't want one if it's not capable of what I'm looking for. and when I do try one out I wanna try it out, not sift through everything documenting if it' s capable, and there's a lot of specifics, so I can't just ask for every single parameter. I don't think 2 weeks trial would be long enough to even document it all.
> - It'd be nice if Fractal updated the manuals with a list of parameters and value ranges, but it appears if I try one out the grace period will be just a bunch of documenting and testing rather than playing it. Any help is appreciated if anyone knows of a resource etc.


It used to be that way back in the Ultra days, but it caused a lot of issues with communication errors. Since the II Cliff wanted Axe EDIT to only be a remote control to the hardware. It won't work without the hardware.


----------



## laxu

c7spheres said:


> I know I've asked this before but I'll try again. Is there any way to run Axe Edit without the AxeFx III connected? It doesn't appear so yet, and It;s a real bummer because I'd like to make generic patches beforehand then load them up right after I get one (If I ever do). Just curious if this is stll the case or if it's maybe possible now. Maybe there's a way to trick it into running etc.
> 
> - I'd like to use it to see what the parameters and value ranges are for everything in the unit beforehand .It's not in the manual, on Wiki etc, and when I've emailed Fractal about it the answer was to just get one and return if I don't like it, but I don't want one if it's not capable of what I'm looking for. and when I do try one out I wanna try it out, not sift through everything documenting if it' s capable, and there's a lot of specifics, so I can't just ask for every single parameter. I don't think 2 weeks trial would be long enough to even document it all.
> - It'd be nice if Fractal updated the manuals with a list of parameters and value ranges, but it appears if I try one out the grace period will be just a bunch of documenting and testing rather than playing it. Any help is appreciated if anyone knows of a resource etc.


Unfortunately no. The way it works is that it interfaces to the device itself, then reads all the block definitions from the hardware. It used to be that both Axe-Edit and Axe-Fx needed to be updated in tandem for them to stay in sync but now for example new models can be added without updating Axe-Edit as well. The compromise is that you cannot use Axe-Edit offline in any situation.

Most parameters are simply a range from 0-10 with plenty of granularity. Obviously there's a lot of params with millisecond values and whatnot too. Are there some specific params you are interested in? Why do you feel you need to document them?


----------



## c7spheres

Shask said:


> It used to be that way back in the Ultra days, but it caused a lot of issues with communication errors. Since the II Cliff wanted Axe EDIT to only be a remote control to the hardware. It won't work without the hardware.


Dang. I'm gonna bug them again asking to update, not that'd I'd expect it to happen.



laxu said:


> Unfortunately no. The way it works is that it interfaces to the device itself, then reads all the block definitions from the hardware. It used to be that both Axe-Edit and Axe-Fx needed to be updated in tandem for them to stay in sync but now for example new models can be added without updating Axe-Edit as well. The compromise is that you cannot use Axe-Edit offline in any situation.
> 
> Most parameters are simply a range from 0-10 with plenty of granularity. Obviously there's a lot of params with millisecond values and whatnot too. Are there some specific params you are interested in? Why do you feel you need to document them?


- Thanks. I need an overview of everything to see if it's capabale. Some stuff I've already found out like max loop times etc, but for example what's the Q range on the parametric bands, what's the max delay time per side in the stereo block , what cpu power does each block take kinda of thing etc
.- I'd also need a complete list of all midi capability and parameters and ranges etc for interfacing with other gear. etc. Just ton's of stuff for situations I might use it in. I can plan for months sometimes before buying things and when I get the item I get to work on it. I did happen to find some midi info though finally.

- I know I can get answers (eventually) but I just didn't wanna have to bug everyone for the next year while I do it. I know I'd likely start getting some flack for it.
- When I see things like basic signal chains in that example deadpool gave I know that I can't have an fm3 instantly for an overall unit, only for limited things. That's good to know and I didn't even have to buy it to find out. Like with the ISP Theta Pro for example I saw in the manual it don't have even a second delay per side like my Replifex and is extremely limited in comparison overall so it's a no go as an all in one for me too. That type stuff would all be elminated if I could just mess with it even offline if it don't work just so I could see the parameters at least would be a huge help.


----------



## budda

My guy you have been on the fence for years. Just buy a used one and rock out. 

Half the tables you’re asking for have been made (for previous firmwares) by regular users who put the time in. 

Buying used means at most you lose a couple hundred bucks - consider that a rental fee. But seriously, just buy one.


----------



## c7spheres

budda said:


> My guy you have been on the fence for years. Just buy a used one and rock out.
> 
> Half the tables you’re asking for have been made (for previous firmwares) by regular users who put the time in.
> 
> Buying used means at most you lose a couple hundred bucks - consider that a rental fee. But seriously, just buy one.


- That;s probably what I'll end up doing. I've been secretly trying out other stuff first though. : )


----------



## budda

You said you were gonna get one two years ago


----------



## MFB

Bro, I've openly said in the past I didn't give two shits about ever owning an AXE; then I ended up spending 2/3rds of what used FXIIs are going for on a different unit that didn't work, and then I just bit the bullet.

If "Just buy a used 5150" wasn't already the amp equivalent to "Just buy a used Prestige" then it'd be an Axe Fx.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

I’d fallen a bit behind with my AF3 while I was playing my QC. Loaded up FW20 last week. I’d forgotten how good it is!

the thing I liked about the QC was the feel and what I thought of as better cab modelling. Found a couple of stock IRs I’d not used before and did some testing between the two. I’ve tried fullres (mk2 owner) and while it’s good, I think I prefer using the studio reverb. I need to spend more time with it.


----------



## budda

I think fullres is meant to be mixed in but I cant remember.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

budda said:


> I think fullres is meant to be mixed in but I cant remember.



thats how I did it. I had a blend of two then added it as the 3rd cab and messed with the levels. I think the key is getting the mix level right


----------



## budda

The Thing Upstairs said:


> thats how I did it. I had a blend of two then added it as the 3rd cab and messed with the levels. I think the key is getting the mix level right


Yeah. I have a mk1 and havent bothered with fullres yet because i drench my presets in reverb.


----------



## Deadpool_25

MFB said:


> Bro, I've openly said in the past I didn't give two shits about ever owning an AXE; then I ended up spending 2/3rds of what used FXIIs are going for on a different unit that didn't work, and then I just bit the bullet.
> 
> If "Just buy a used 5150" wasn't already the amp equivalent to "Just buy a used Prestige" then it'd be an Axe Fx.


It seems to me we’ve already transitioned to just by an AxeFX (or other modeler) unless the person is adamant that they want a real amp (and even then people will say to just get a modeler lol).


----------



## MFB

Despite my ability to still not read the fucking manual (because it's 200 god damn pages), I've been just trying out some more of the presets that were in the Axe 2 I bought, and finding myself using things I wouldn't normally expect to in ways that I didn't think I would; recently I stumbled onto the Gilmour patches and went down a big sort of phaser-wash-y droning passage using the low open E as the root to riff over.

Then I found the Diezel VH4 patch, and hoo boy, if that ain't some solid chunk goodness


----------



## budda

I read the manual before I even got my 3 . I knew I wouldnt retain huge chunks but its a good prep. 

Also Yek’s guides are the goods.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

budda said:


> Yeah. I have a mk1 and havent bothered with fullres yet because i drench my presets in reverb.



It's not a feature worth the upgrade cost for sure


----------



## budda

The Thing Upstairs said:


> It's not a feature worth the upgrade cost for sure


Mk1 can run them in slots 3 and 4


----------



## MFB

budda said:


> I read the manual before I even got my 3 . I knew I wouldnt retain huge chunks but its a good prep.
> 
> Also Yek’s guides are the goods.



I'll get to them eventually, my schedule is just kind of shit at the moment.

Work from 8/9 - 5, then get home at 5:30, decompress for the next half hour, then need to eat by 7PM so I can get to the gym for 8-10PM; and I do that as a 3-on, 1-off schedule, so that means during 4 of my work-days. So cramming in some of the most dull reading you've ever done next to Electrical/Plumbing codes that I've also done for work, isn't exactly jumping out at me compared to say, just playing guitar with the presets that are already there.


----------



## laxu

The Thing Upstairs said:


> thats how I did it. I had a blend of two then added it as the 3rd cab and messed with the levels. I think the key is getting the mix level right


You add the left/right fullres IRs and pan then 100% left/right and then adjust their levels. I find that about -5 dB works for me.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

laxu said:


> You add the left/right fullres IRs and pan then 100% left/right and then adjust their levels. I find that about -5 dB works for me.



thanks - I’ll check it out tonight.

Just using one I noticed about a 10% increase in CPU (I have a mk2 - only because I was daft enough to sell my mk1)


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

The Thing Upstairs said:


> thanks - I’ll check it out tonight.
> 
> Just using one I noticed about a 10% increase in CPU (I have a mk2 - only because I was daft enough to sell my mk1)



Running stock IRs in slots one and 2 and the YA full res IRs in 3 and 4 sounded cool. I preferred a more subtle -7.5-10db though. The increase in CPU was about 22% so had to take the quality of my reverb down a fair bit.
To my ear it sounds back a bit if that makes sense. More cab like but I still think I prefer it either more subtle or without. Not sure its worth the CPU to me. If I want a more cab like sound, I'll run it through my cab.


----------



## budda

Someone did also post the equivalent (give or take) with a specific reverb block setup on the fractal forum.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

budda said:


> Someone did also post the equivalent (give or take) with a specific reverb block setup on the fractal forum.


I’m a huge fan of the studio reverb block. I copied settings from a Leon Todd video when I first got it and adjusted mix to taste


----------



## laxu

budda said:


> Someone did also post the equivalent (give or take) with a specific reverb block setup on the fractal forum.


It's not the same in my experience. I've tried dialing in reverb to sound like fullres IRs and I don't think you can get anything better than "somewhat in the ballpark". Especially for headphone use I think Fullres IRs are great. But as it is the feature is in its infancy and there's no instructions how to capture them and so on.

I tried making them from my own cabs but the end results ended up way more reverberant than I heard in the room. Haven't had the time to try again.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

Do you still use fullres when using monitors?


----------



## cardinal

budda said:


> Someone did also post the equivalent (give or take) with a specific reverb block setup on the fractal forum.


If we're thinking of the same one, I actually preferred that guy's reverb settings to the hi rez cabs that I messed around with, but admittedly I didn't spend much time with the hi rez cabs and spending more time probably wouldn't have helped me because I don't know what I'm doing. That reverb block just drops in and sounds great. Done.


----------



## laxu

The Thing Upstairs said:


> Do you still use fullres when using monitors?


I think it works best with headphones but I do like it with monitors too. I would turn it down a bit more in that situation.

For recording I probably wouldn't use it except for sections where other instruments are not getting in the way. It's probably not ideal for high gain tones either.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

laxu said:


> I think it works best with headphones but I do like it with monitors too. I would turn it down a bit more in that situation.
> 
> For recording I probably wouldn't use it except for sections where other instruments are not getting in the way. It's probably not ideal for high gain tones either.



That may explain why I don't dig it. I use 800s and higher gain amps and play through monitors. Its good to have but not for me at the moment.

I've just picked up an FC12 and am now working on layouts. Fun!


----------



## MFB

Discovered two more solid patches in the recesses of my Axe - one being a 50W Plexi model that's perfect for the Zeppelin/ZZ Top "right on the edge of breaking up" sound. The other being a JVM model that has the right amount of crunch and midrange snarl for Children of Bodom/BLS/Mastodon.

At some point I'm gonna need to copy the handful of patches into a backup file so I can have them after I factory reset it and make my own


----------



## Shask

I am curious, those of you who play through monitors, what do you play through, and why?



Maybe I am crazy, but thinking about giving the monitors thing a try again with my Axe II. Maybe a sub will be the difference maker....


----------



## laxu

Shask said:


> I am curious, those of you who play through monitors, what do you play through, and why?
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe I am crazy, but thinking about giving the monitors thing a try again with my Axe II. Maybe a sub will be the difference maker....


Genelec M040. Tried it with a sub once and felt it was unnecessary.


----------



## Shask

laxu said:


> Genelec M040. Tried it with a sub once and felt it was unnecessary.


I thought the sub might help with the low end rumble feel you get when playing a big 412 cab. Something you feel more than you hear.

I recently got some of those TV Soundbars with Bluetooth subs, and it amazes me how much those little things shake the house.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

Shask said:


> I am curious, those of you who play through monitors, what do you play through, and why?
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe I am crazy, but thinking about giving the monitors thing a try again with my Axe II. Maybe a sub will be the difference maker....



Adam a7x here as recommended by one of the fractal oracles, Leon Todd. I’m really happy with them. No need for a sub, they sound perfect as they are.


----------



## Crungy

There's probably something modern that has enough low end, otherwise you might need an actual cab to get you there. 

One of the studios I recorded in had NS10's that were absolutely ridiculous for playback.... I asked the engineer if they had a sub and he said it was all NS10.


----------



## laxu

Shask said:


> I thought the sub might help with the low end rumble feel you get when playing a big 412 cab. Something you feel more than you hear.


The afore-mentioned Genelecs already cover the frequency range all the way down to a regular bass guitar. So plenty of low end as is. Adding a sub to it just made it harder to keep the sound balanced and room issues became more noticeable.


----------



## budda

New Diamond amp in second public beta fwiw


----------



## Kyle Jordan

Shask said:


> I am curious, those of you who play through monitors, what do you play through, and why?
> 
> 
> 
> Maybe I am crazy, but thinking about giving the monitors thing a try again with my Axe II. Maybe a sub will be the difference maker....


From the new Beta release notes:

"20.01

Added Speaker Thump control to Amp block. Speaker Thump models the dynamic, nonlinear behavior of a guitar speaker. A value of 5.0 roughly corresponds to an amplifier running into a speaker rated at the same power as the amplifier, i.e., a 100W amplifier running into a 100W speaker. The reset value is a conservative 2.5 which represents, i.e., a 50W amp running into a 100W speaker. Note that the majority of the response is in the subsonic region and the effect is primarily tactile. Existing presets are not affected and the value will be zero."

Pick up a used III homie.

As for the sub, I'm using the little Eris 3.5" monitors because got a great deal on them and they work fine until I make the move to better monitors for more than just the Axe.

That said, I'm thinking that if I can find the Eris sub on a good deal, I may nab it and go from there.


----------



## MFB

Does Diamond have any (known) endorsees besides Rusty Cooley? I don't think I've ever seen them on a backline besides his.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

MFB said:


> Does Diamond have any (known) endorsees besides Rusty Cooley? I don't think I've ever seen them on a backline besides his.



I know Sevendust, 311, 5FDP used them for a bit
...besides Sevendust, it's not exactly rousing endorsements.


----------



## Shask

Kyle Jordan said:


> From the new Beta release notes:
> 
> "20.01
> 
> Added Speaker Thump control to Amp block. Speaker Thump models the dynamic, nonlinear behavior of a guitar speaker. A value of 5.0 roughly corresponds to an amplifier running into a speaker rated at the same power as the amplifier, i.e., a 100W amplifier running into a 100W speaker. The reset value is a conservative 2.5 which represents, i.e., a 50W amp running into a 100W speaker. Note that the majority of the response is in the subsonic region and the effect is primarily tactile. Existing presets are not affected and the value will be zero."
> 
> Pick up a used III homie.
> 
> As for the sub, I'm using the little Eris 3.5" monitors because got a great deal on them and they work fine until I make the move to better monitors for more than just the Axe.
> 
> That said, I'm thinking that if I can find the Eris sub on a good deal, I may nab it and go from there.


It seems like the last several updates in the III have been based around the low end, and speaker impedance interaction modeling, which has always been my biggest complaint on modelers. It might be time to grab one. I could buy a III Turbo right now if I wanted to, but I don't want to buy something just to buy something. I want to make sure it has a purpose and it just doesn't sit on my desk to be turned in every once in awhile for that kind of $$. I have thought the true value of the Axe-FX is kind of wasted if you are not using it in a recording situation where you are using the cab modeling and such.

I have been considering getting some better 412 cabs, but the more I think about it, I wonder if a better studio setup would be a better investment. I mostly play at home in my office, and don't even love the sound of the big stuff in my basement, lol. I have been loving stereo much more lately for a big sound at lower volumes, and running 2 tube amps with cabs sounds awesome, but such a PITA, lol.

I was thinking about picking up a pair of the Kali Audio LP-6 V2s, and possibly a Presonus or JBL Sub. It seems like those monitors get high praises for the price. I have an old set of M-Audio monitors that I have had for like 20 years, but they never sounded great for guitar, IMO.


----------



## MFB

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I know Sevendust, 311, 5FDP used them for a bit
> ...besides Sevendust, it's not exactly rousing endorsements.



Makes sense why I had no clue who used them then


----------



## budda

Shask said:


> It seems like the last several updates in the III have been based around the low end, and speaker impedance interaction modeling, which has always been my biggest complaint on modelers. It might be time to grab one. I could buy a III Turbo right now if I wanted to, but I don't want to buy something just to buy something. I want to make sure it has a purpose and it just doesn't sit on my desk to be turned in every once in awhile for that kind of $$. I have thought the true value of the Axe-FX is kind of wasted if you are not using it in a recording situation where you are using the cab modeling and such.
> 
> I have been considering getting some better 412 cabs, but the more I think about it, I wonder if a better studio setup would be a better investment. I mostly play at home in my office, and don't even love the sound of the big stuff in my basement, lol. I have been loving stereo much more lately for a big sound at lower volumes, and running 2 tube amps with cabs sounds awesome, but such a PITA, lol.
> 
> I was thinking about picking up a pair of the Kali Audio LP-6 V2s, and possibly a Presonus or JBL Sub. It seems like those monitors get high praises for the price. I have an old set of M-Audio monitors that I have had for like 20 years, but they never sounded great for guitar, IMO.


For the cost of an axe fx, if you use 2 amps and 2 effect sounds that would cost 3x in the real world then that’s your value right there imo. Buy a used mk1, spend some time with it. If you arent won over, sell it for what you paid. Then at least you wont have to guess.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

I just looked up which Diamond they based it on, and they chose the Del Fuego. From what I can tell that's the boutique amp that's meant to emulate a Marshall 2061. Weird choice since Diamonds are more known (...well, as known as they can be  ) for their more hot-rodded and high-gain amps.


----------



## Shask

budda said:


> For the cost of an axe fx, if you use 2 amps and 2 effect sounds that would cost 3x in the real world then that’s your value right there imo. Buy a used mk1, spend some time with it. If you arent won over, sell it for what you paid. Then at least you wont have to guess.


I have had my Axe-FX II for about 10 years now, so I know Fractal well. 

I am always switching between rigs, just because. I have just been thinking lately maybe I need more smaller stuff, and less huge stuff.

I did go ahead and order a pair of Kali Lp6 V2's today, so I will start messing with my Axe II and those to see what I can get, to see if I think it would be worth the upgrade. I have been plugging it into a set of multimedia speakers with sub lately, and getting better results than I did the last time I tried it a few years ago. Using those skills I have learned doing other things, lol.


----------



## MFB

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I just looked up which Diamond they based it on, and they chose the Del Fuego. From what I can tell that's the boutique amp that's meant to emulate a Marshall 2061. Weird choice since Diamonds are more known (...well, as known as they can be  ) for their more hot-rodded and high-gain amps.



Never even heard of the 2061, but it looks like Marshall tried to make an idiot proof amp head since it's legit just a tone/volume knob control scheme. Something tells me I'd absolutely hate trying to use that head.


----------



## budda

FW20.01 is live:









Axe-Fx III Firmware Version 20.01


https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/firmware-presets/axe-fx-3/20p0/axefxiii_dsp_rel_20p01.zip A new version of Axe-Edit has also been released: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-edit-iii-1-12-04.185024/ Axe-Fx III Firmware Release Notes 20.01 Added Speaker Thump control to Amp...




forum.fractalaudio.com


----------



## fremen

Recorded with my Axe-Fx III, firmware 20.0. I made the "Yashil" presets for a friend, I recorded his death metal band, Cryptic Carnage, and am currently mixing it.
It's the demo of an Ibanez Destroyer I bought at a clearance sales at the local music shop. It probably has 10 years old strings on it, and I recorded that without doing anything on the guitar besides tuning it - I didn't even clean the strings or the dust on the head ! Backing track : "A stream of emotions" by Claudio Pietronik - apologies for all the edits but I just randomly grabbed a track that I don't know, so I just played by instinct and sometimes, it didn't go that well


----------



## MFB

Anyone have the quick on-hand version of explaining FRFR like I'm a 5 year old? 

I assume the general idea is that with FRFR you're hearing the full sound through speakers/monitors/etc, it's just that it's not pushing air through a cab like a traditional setup.


----------



## c7spheres

MFB said:


> Anyone have the quick on-hand version of explaining FRFR like I'm a 5 year old?
> 
> I assume the general idea is that with FRFR you're hearing the full sound through speakers/monitors/etc, it's just that it's not pushing air through a cab like a traditional setup.


The idea is it's like playing through studio monitors or a full range stereo system so mix things as if it's the final polished album version.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

MFB said:


> Anyone have the quick on-hand version of explaining FRFR like I'm a 5 year old?
> 
> I assume the general idea is that with FRFR you're hearing the full sound through speakers/monitors/etc, it's just that it's not pushing air through a cab like a traditional setup.


Instead of hearing the actual speaker, you're hearing what a mic'd up speaker would sound like being recorded, given that's what an impulse response is.


----------



## budda

fw20.02 is live.


----------



## laxu

budda said:


> fw20.02 is live.


Just a public beta 2 atm.


----------



## budda

laxu said:


> Just a public beta 2 atm.


Edit:
Sorry Laxu!

Speed reading after a long day at work fail. Laxu is correct, beta 2. Still some goodies!


----------



## fremen

Happy 30th anniversary to my favorite album ever ! Recorded with the Axe-Fx III of course.


----------



## budda

Ok nooow 20.02 is live


----------



## budda

Also a USB firmware update which seems like a kinda big deal?


----------



## cmpxchg

Thinking it's time to finally jump on the Fractal bandwagon and get an FX3, but I'm trying to figure out if I've got the right IO for this to work with my existing setup. 

Today, I go Little Labs Redeye DI/reamp box -> amp -> loadbox -> UAD Apollo Twin -> DAW. The Apollo has two inputs and two outputs, so I can get both my DI signal and my amp tone. 

I think for non-reamp non-amp situations I want FX3 running both amp and cab block -> Apollo with direct monitoring -> DAW. Easy.

Next option is FX3 in four-cable method with an amp, but I think this is a little trickier. I think this is

FX3 -> pedals or amp in -> amp effects send -> FX3 -> amp effects return -> loadbox -> FX3 cab bock -> Apollo -> DAW

Finally there's reamps with an amp + FX3:

DAW output -> Apollo line out -> FX3 -> pedals or amp in -> amp effects send -> FX3 -> amp effects return -> loadbox -> FX3 cab block -> Apollo -> DAW record

I think this all makes sense and seems doable, but am I missing anything that would simplify this or make it impossible for some reason?


----------



## budda

cmpxchg said:


> Thinking it's time to finally jump on the Fractal bandwagon and get an FX3, but I'm trying to figure out if I've got the right IO for this to work with my existing setup.
> 
> Today, I go Little Labs Redeye DI/reamp box -> amp -> loadbox -> UAD Apollo Twin -> DAW. The Apollo has two inputs and two outputs, so I can get both my DI signal and my amp tone.
> 
> I think for non-reamp non-amp situations I want FX3 running both amp and cab block -> Apollo with direct monitoring -> DAW. Easy.
> 
> Next option is FX3 in four-cable method with an amp, but I think this is a little trickier. I think this is
> 
> FX3 -> pedals or amp in -> amp effects send -> FX3 -> amp effects return -> loadbox -> FX3 cab bock -> Apollo -> DAW
> 
> Finally there's reamps with an amp + FX3:
> 
> DAW output -> Apollo line out -> FX3 -> pedals or amp in -> amp effects send -> FX3 -> amp effects return -> loadbox -> FX3 cab block -> Apollo -> DAW record
> 
> I think this all makes sense and seems doable, but am I missing anything that would simplify this or make it impossible for some reason?


You can just go guitar-axe-daw and set up a DI path in your preset(s) for the first one. For 4CM I havent tried it but I believe there’s a Leon Todd vid on it (manual has diagrams too)!!You’ll want to read the manual regarding reamping as well. But yeah you wont need the apollo, but you can keep using it if you like what it does out front.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

cmpxchg said:


> Thinking it's time to finally jump on the Fractal bandwagon and get an FX3, but I'm trying to figure out if I've got the right IO for this to work with my existing setup.
> 
> Today, I go Little Labs Redeye DI/reamp box -> amp -> loadbox -> UAD Apollo Twin -> DAW. The Apollo has two inputs and two outputs, so I can get both my DI signal and my amp tone.
> 
> I think for non-reamp non-amp situations I want FX3 running both amp and cab block -> Apollo with direct monitoring -> DAW. Easy.
> 
> Next option is FX3 in four-cable method with an amp, but I think this is a little trickier. I think this is
> 
> FX3 -> pedals or amp in -> amp effects send -> FX3 -> amp effects return -> loadbox -> FX3 cab bock -> Apollo -> DAW
> 
> Finally there's reamps with an amp + FX3:
> 
> DAW output -> Apollo line out -> FX3 -> pedals or amp in -> amp effects send -> FX3 -> amp effects return -> loadbox -> FX3 cab block -> Apollo -> DAW record
> 
> I think this all makes sense and seems doable, but am I missing anything that would simplify this or make it impossible for some reason?



I tried using my axefx out into my apogee SD interface and went back to using the axefx. I couldn't determine any benefit or value to using an external interface.

I use the axefx as the interface and take 3 signals. The entire signal chain, DI and sometimes a no cab no fx loop signal (should I want to do that in the daw). Monitoring I use the axefx - as latency free as it gets.

In this setup, I also have 4CM setup on my valve amps. It's very easy to do and gives amazing flexibility and, if you use hum buster cables, the lowest noise I've had from 4cm using a mfx.

With this setup, I can flick on a valve amp or my monitors Iand go from one to the other with a change of preset. The only faff is moving over the input cable and send/return if I change valve amp.

Edit - I didn't do my obligatory Leon Todd reference. I really like his axefx tutorials. 


Lots of resources online to help you but it is very intuitive and won't take long to get setup. Keep it simple to start and experiment as there are lots of ways to do the same thing


----------



## laxu

cmpxchg said:


> Thinking it's time to finally jump on the Fractal bandwagon and get an FX3, but I'm trying to figure out if I've got the right IO for this to work with my existing setup.
> 
> Today, I go Little Labs Redeye DI/reamp box -> amp -> loadbox -> UAD Apollo Twin -> DAW. The Apollo has two inputs and two outputs, so I can get both my DI signal and my amp tone.
> 
> I think for non-reamp non-amp situations I want FX3 running both amp and cab block -> Apollo with direct monitoring -> DAW. Easy.
> 
> Next option is FX3 in four-cable method with an amp, but I think this is a little trickier. I think this is
> 
> FX3 -> pedals or amp in -> amp effects send -> FX3 -> amp effects return -> loadbox -> FX3 cab bock -> Apollo -> DAW
> 
> Finally there's reamps with an amp + FX3:
> 
> DAW output -> Apollo line out -> FX3 -> pedals or amp in -> amp effects send -> FX3 -> amp effects return -> loadbox -> FX3 cab block -> Apollo -> DAW record
> 
> I think this all makes sense and seems doable, but am I missing anything that would simplify this or make it impossible for some reason?



If you are using MacOS you could try using Audio MIDI Setup to create an aggregate device of the Apollo and Axe-Fx 3 and see if that works for you in the DAW. I haven't explored this really so can't say but it should combine the two units so you can use their inputs/outputs in your DAW at the same time.

The way I run my setup is that I have my Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd gen connected via SPDIF I/O to the Axe-Fx 3 while the Axe-Fx 3 acts as the audio interface and is connected to my studio monitors. The Focusrite is mostly just for its mic preamps, extra set of headphones and easier to work with routing for regular audio in Windows.

For reamping Axe-Fx 3 already has all the tools you need. You can copy IN1 (guitar input) to one of the outputs and send that via USB as a separate DI track. No routing needed in the preset.

For running Axe-Fx 3 -> Amp -> Loadbox -> Axe-Fx 3 you can just skip the amp's fx loop completely. There is no benefit to putting fx into the amp's fx loop in this scenario. Just put all your time based effects after the input you use from the loadbox. For example your preset could be something like this:

IN1 -> Comp -> Drive -> OUT3 (to real amp input) - IN3 (from loadbox line out) -> Delay -> Reverb -> OUT1


----------



## cmpxchg

is the latency good enough on the FX for use as a general purpose interface? I thought it wasn't great, but maybe that's bogus.


----------



## laxu

cmpxchg said:


> is the latency good enough on the FX for use as a general purpose interface? I thought it wasn't great, but maybe that's bogus.


There was a recent USB firmware update for it that seems to have greatly improved the situation. I haven't had time to test it out.


----------



## fremen

I did and it works great


----------



## budda

Fw20.03 with improved drive block *and a klone.*


----------



## cmpxchg

fremen said:


> I did and it works great
> View attachment 111083


well, I ordered it, thanks for convincing me!


----------



## Shask

budda said:


> Fw20.03 with improved drive block *and a klone.*


Lol, the Klone people have been asking for since the Axe Ultra.

Maybe the HM-2 will be coming also, as it has been on the wish list for years.


----------



## budda

Shask said:


> Lol, the Klone people have been asking for since the Axe Ultra.
> 
> Maybe the HM-2 will be coming also, as it has been on the wish list for years.


Wouldnt be mad. Cliff bought a klon a while back iirc. I still want the model T in the amp block.


----------



## Veldar

So how many bass amps we go in here now?


----------



## laxu

Veldar said:


> So how many bass amps we go in here now?


Still a miserable amount.


----------



## budda

Veldar said:


> So how many bass amps we go in here now?





laxu said:


> Still a miserable amount.


On the face of it yes, but also swapping tone stacks and running things into bass cab IRs means you can still come up with a lot of bass tones. I always +1 bass amp wishes.


----------



## Veldar

budda said:


> On the face of it yes, but also swapping tone stacks and running things into bass cab IRs means you can still come up with a lot of bass tones. I always +1 bass amp wishes.


I remember reading the same thing about the axe fx 2 on talkbass 5 or 6 years ago.

Between Fractal not giving a shit about bassists and the Helix models sounding really bad I'll just stick to pre amp pedals


----------



## budda

Veldar said:


> I remember reading the same thing about the axe fx 2 on talkbass 5 or 6 years ago.
> 
> Between Fractal not giving a shit about bassists and the Helix models sounding really bad I'll just stick to pre amp pedals


They definitely have room for improvement in actual models but like I said, the amount you can twist any amp into a unique bass amp is pretty astounding. Clearly that’s not what you’re interested in so yeah dont buy one


----------



## Veldar

budda said:


> They definitely have room for improvement in actual models but like I said, the amount you can twist any amp into a unique bass amp is pretty astounding. Clearly that’s not what you’re interested in so yeah dont buy one



Yeah, playing with tonestacks could lead to great results. But having an Aguilar or GK so I can just plug and play is going to be necessary for me to pick one up.


----------



## budda

Veldar said:


> Yeah, playing with tonestacks could lead to great results. But having an Aguilar or GK so I can just plug and play is going to be necessary for me to pick one up.


People have posted tone matches etc for GK and some others. Have you checked the bass section of the fractal forum?


----------



## TedEH

I was hesitant about bass flexibility, but in practice I find the extra available tools to be more important than a heap of models. Lots of ways to overcome the lack of bass-specific models:

- Use the guitar models. Lots of guitar amps sound fine or even great for bass with some tweaking.
- There's a bajjilion ways to add drive/dirt anyway.
- The tone stack swapping is a thing.
- Having all of the DSP available to jam eqs and stuff wherever you want means you can "fix" whatever is wrong with your bass tone in the room. I find that in jam scenarios I need to play _loud_ to match 2x guys with Rectos, but real bass amps put out gobs of low end, and low end eats headroom - so I now have the option of sticking a hi-pass in the chain, which is great for protecting your cabs, but also gives you headroom back.
- You can use the "tube pre" model and flatten the speaker curve to give you the equivalent of a blank platform to jam any drive in front like you would with a preamp pedal.
- There's a darkglass model in there, which is going to be enough for lots of people.


----------



## laxu

Veldar said:


> I remember reading the same thing about the axe fx 2 on talkbass 5 or 6 years ago.
> 
> Between Fractal not giving a shit about bassists and the Helix models sounding really bad I'll just stick to pre amp pedals


Can't agree with Helix models sounding bad. I've gotten very good bass tones out of them.


----------



## Crungy

I have a question if anyone can drop some knowledge. 

Why do my tones change when switching between X and Y on my cab block with the same IR on X and Y? 

I'm making a patch with two Recto model heads one block (X is Recto 1 Org moder, Y is Recto1 Red) and one Recto cab block. It's set to Hi/Ultra Res and all settings are the same and set to default for Cabinet/Pre Drv/Room. 

Not the end of the world, just unexpected and I don't get it.


----------



## laxu

Crungy said:


> I have a question if anyone can drop some knowledge.
> 
> Why do my tones change when switching between X and Y on my cab block with the same IR on X and Y?
> 
> I'm making a patch with two Recto model heads one block (X is Recto 1 Org moder, Y is Recto1 Red) and one Recto cab block. It's set to Hi/Ultra Res and all settings are the same and set to default for Cabinet/Pre Drv/Room.
> 
> Not the end of the world, just unexpected and I don't get it.


Then most likely there is some difference. Try resetting the cab block first and rebuilding your settings.


----------



## Crungy

laxu said:


> Then most likely there is some difference. Try resetting the cab block first and rebuilding your settings.


I'll try that, thank you. I wonder if it was one thing with the editor, I've had some little quirks here and there when editing.


----------



## cmpxchg

Well, got a AFX 3 Turbo. Initial thoughts: it rules, I have very little idea what I'm doing, but it sounds great.

USB is a bit of a mess, and I think it's probably better to route other things through it. The annoying part is I don't have enough XLR cables right now to get both a DI and processed sound into my Apollo (or stereo), so more noodling than recording at the moment. But still, wow it sounds good.


----------



## budda

cmpxchg said:


> Well, got a AFX 3 Turbo. Initial thoughts: it rules, I have very little idea what I'm doing, but it sounds great.
> 
> USB is a bit of a mess, and I think it's probably better to route other things through it. The annoying part is I don't have enough XLR cables right now to get both a DI and processed sound into my Apollo (or stereo), so more noodling than recording at the moment. But still, wow it sounds good.


What do you mean usb is a mess? Should be able to do DI and effecter signal over usb.


----------



## cmpxchg

budda said:


> What do you mean usb is a mess? Should be able to do DI and effecter signal over usb.


Random disconnects (or at least unresponsive), no idea why. Never had an issue with another USB device. Need to try a different cable, but I'm using a normal USB2 cable.


----------



## budda

cmpxchg said:


> Random disconnects (or at least unresponsive), no idea why. Never had an issue with another USB device. Need to try a different cable, but I'm using a normal USB2 cable.


My experience of 3 years on the forum in the axe section is 99% of the time its the cable. You can still use the apollo but you wont need it for what you want to do.


----------



## fremen

Also, try the new USB driver, v. 1.14


----------



## cmpxchg

budda said:


> My experience of 3 years on the forum in the axe section is 99% of the time its the cable. You can still use the apollo but you wont need it for what you want to do.


Grabbing a new USB cable to see if that makes a difference, but also realized I could use SPDIF and that's fine. Also means I don't need to leave the Axe FX on--I'm surprised there's no option to turn off the screen given how bright it is.


----------



## budda

cmpxchg said:


> Grabbing a new USB cable to see if that makes a difference, but also realized I could use SPDIF and that's fine. Also means I don't need to leave the Axe FX on--I'm surprised there's no option to turn off the screen given how bright it is.


I think theres a brightness option somewhere but check the manual. You can leave it on but use a really good power conditioner.


----------



## rokket2005

20.04 is finally giving us a new amp, and it's .... another 5150. 


great


----------



## budda

rokket2005 said:


> 20.04 is finally giving us a new amp, and it's .... another 5150.
> 
> 
> great


Boost with a klon, profit.


----------



## rokket2005

Yeah, i hardly ever even make new presets anymore though. I'll mess with something for 20 minutes then go back to my trusty super od>shiva>cab797> stereo tape preset and play.


----------



## laxu

Received my FC-12 controller and have been playing with it a bit today. Seems like a good piece of kit but it's definitely larger and heavier than I expected. I still think it's way overpriced brand new but used felt it was an ok buy.

So far I've just used the default layout and just configured two switches to be tuner/master layout and tap tempo in every view.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands

Luckily them releasing the Mark II FC12 means the Mark 1 FC12s are cheaper used.  Honestly I think the FC12 is worth it. Probably the easiest and more versatile floorboard I've messed with, even moreso than the Helix. Get a couple of those Hotone 2-button footswitches for like $15 each and you got 4 extra buttons.


----------



## MFB

When it comes to power amps with a traditional cab rig, is there really anything special between them or is it just: find one with as much wattage as you feel you need + doesn't overly color your tone?


----------



## budda

MFB said:


> When it comes to power amps with a traditional cab rig, is there really anything special between them or is it just: find one with as much wattage as you feel you need + doesn't overly color your tone?


Pretty much the last bit.


----------



## RevDrucifer

MFB said:


> When it comes to power amps with a traditional cab rig, is there really anything special between them or is it just: find one with as much wattage as you feel you need + doesn't overly color your tone?



I’m just using two Class D amps (PS170 and a BAM200) to power a couple 2x12’s. I just turn the cab sims off and leave the power amp modeling on. By far the easiest setup for dialing in tones as a result of not doing the IR search. I barely touch anything outside of the Authentic tab on the amps with this rig.


----------



## RevDrucifer

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Luckily them releasing the Mark II FC12 means the Mark 1 FC12s are cheaper used.  Honestly I think the FC12 is worth it. Probably the easiest and more versatile floorboard I've messed with, even moreso than the Helix. Get a couple of those Hotone 2-button footswitches for like $15 each and you got 4 extra buttons.



After getting the FM9 I realized what I was missing out on by getting an FC6 for my III. Just having the layout switches for Effects, Scenes and Presets changes everything for me. If I weren’t just using my III in the studio, I would have gotten an FC12 by now, I just use AxeEdit to change scenes/presets more than I do the FC6 because I’m always behind a desk.


----------



## laxu

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> Luckily them releasing the Mark II FC12 means the Mark 1 FC12s are cheaper used.  Honestly I think the FC12 is worth it. Probably the easiest and more versatile floorboard I've messed with, even moreso than the Helix. Get a couple of those Hotone 2-button footswitches for like $15 each and you got 4 extra buttons.


I find the FC-12 a little bit worse than what the Helix Floor offers. While the FC is more programmable, the sheer ease of use of the Helix for doing things like swapping switches and assigning them to particular fx, MIDI etc is just much better thought out where you can do all that easily from the unit itself whereas Fractal's system is fairly clunky. Pedal edit mode of Helix is also something I wish I could get on Fractal.


----------



## Lopp

RevDrucifer said:


> I’m just using two Class D amps (PS170 and a BAM200) to power a couple 2x12’s. I just turn the cab sims off and leave the power amp modeling on. By far the easiest setup for dialing in tones as a result of not doing the IR search. I barely touch anything outside of the Authentic tab on the amps with this rig.


+1
I picked up the PS170 a couple of months ago and love it with my AX8. Turn off/don't use/bypass the cab sims and it sounds as good as any of my tube amps (Friedman BE-100DLX and Mesa Mark IV) through a Mesa 4x12.

Huge bonus is the portability. Just the AX8, the PS170, and a wireless unit on a pedal board.

Uhmmm... Then again... The 4x12 kinda defeats the portability purpose.


----------



## RevDrucifer

Lopp said:


> +1
> I picked up the PS170 a couple of months ago and love it with my AX8. Turn off/don't use/bypass the cab sims and it sounds as good as any of my tube amps (Friedman BE-100DLX and Mesa Mark IV) through a Mesa 4x12.
> 
> Huge bonus is the portability. Just the AX8, the PS170, and a wireless unit on a pedal board.
> 
> Uhmmm... Then again... The 4x12 kinda defeats the portability purpose.



Yeah, fuck portability! Using actual cabs comes with the benefit of spending all of 3 minutes dialing in a tone because you’re not searching for the best IR for that amp/tone. I’ll take that over portability any day. And the whole pickups/speaker interaction thing is one of the more fun aspects of being a guitarists.


----------



## budda

RevDrucifer said:


> Yeah, fuck portability! Using actual cabs comes with the benefit of spending all of 3 minutes dialing in a tone because you’re not searching for the best IR for that amp/tone. I’ll take that over portability any day. And the whole pickups/speaker interaction thing is one of the more fun aspects of being a guitarists.


Its a choice to spend time searching for the IR though. I didnt spend hours, I spent minutes . “Grass is greener” syndrome is a real thing. 

Im sure some people actually do try a few cabs and discover their amp doesnt sound just the way they thought it did. Its just a bigger hassle lol.


----------



## laxu

If you want you could of course make IRs of your favorite cabs, then bring some smaller than 4x12 full range system.


----------



## RevDrucifer

budda said:


> Its a choice to spend time searching for the IR though. I didnt spend hours, I spent minutes . “Grass is greener” syndrome is a real thing.
> 
> Im sure some people actually do try a few cabs and discover their amp doesnt sound just the way they thought it did. Its just a bigger hassle lol.



For sure. 

And hell, 95% of my post in regards to IR’s are to keep searching until you find the right one because I thoroughly believe 95% of people’s “I can’t get a good sound out of this” issues arise from picking the wrong IR. 

Sometimes I just don’t feel like dealing with it. Last night was one of those nights. I was trying to dial in some EJ tones on my III and after about an hour I got bored with it, went to my living room, downloaded the new FM9 beta and started dialing in EJ tones on that rig, I got so much closer in 10 minutes than I did an hour dicking around with IR’s. 

And yeah, speakers are obviously going to have a big effect on the amp tones and some believe you’re not taking full advantage of modeling by using a traditional cab. That’s true in that you lose the IR’s, but with all the EQ’s in place, there hasn’t been a tone I haven’t been able to pull off using the cabs. While I won’t go back to mic’ing a cab for recording, it’s definitely my preferred way to play with this stuff.


----------



## RevDrucifer

laxu said:


> If you want you could of course make IRs of your favorite cabs, then bring some smaller than 4x12 full range system.



I’ve tried shooting some IR’s of my cabs before, I just half-assed it to see what results I’d get using my AxeFX. It’s rather easy, but definitely requires some time to get the results ya want.


----------



## budda

I use the same 3 presets (two have two versions). Set it and forget it is real


----------



## RevDrucifer

budda said:


> I use the same 3 presets (two have two versions). Set it and forget it is real



I have a bunch that I always go back to for recording so I don’t waste time dicking around with tweaking. That and Austin Buddy’s Live Gold; if I mod any preset from there I just copy it and mod the copied one. That pack has been invaluable for recording and finding a tone I “need” right away. 

The “problem” (it’s not a problem) with my Strat is there are so many different tones to be found in it, I end up making a new preset that focuses on whatever tone I come across that day. I’ve been playing in a lot of boomer waters lately with edge of breakup tones.


----------



## MFB

RevDrucifer said:


> I have a bunch that I always go back to for recording so I don’t waste time dicking around with tweaking. That and Austin Buddy’s Live Gold; if I mod any preset from there I just copy it and mod the copied one. That pack has been invaluable for recording and finding a tone I “need” right away.
> 
> The “problem” (it’s not a problem) with my Strat is there are so many different tones to be found in it, I end up making a new preset that focuses on whatever tone I come across that day. I’ve been playing in a lot of boomer waters lately with edge of breakup tones.



My Axe 2 has three or four Gilmour presets (Shine On, Have a Cigar Rhythm/Lead, Clean) and they're some of my favorite tones that were already in it; when you hit that bend like he does and it legitimately sounds like the album? It's chilling.


----------



## RevDrucifer

MFB said:


> My Axe 2 has three or four Gilmour presets (Shine On, Have a Cigar Rhythm/Lead, Clean) and they're some of my favorite tones that were already in it; when you hit that bend like he does and it legitimately sounds like the album? It's chilling.



You’re tellin’ me!


----------



## MFB

Don't make me buy a Strat, please...


----------



## budda

MFB said:


> Don't make me buy a Strat, please...


I know a guy…


----------



## MFB

Finding one is for sure not the problem, it's that I've got other guitars that already don't get played, don't need one more that won't


----------



## RevDrucifer

MFB said:


> Finding one is for sure not the problem, it's that I've got other guitars that already don't get played, don't need one more that won't



I put that one together back in early Spring and have barely touched my other guitars since. I was a bit nervous as it was my first partscaster, but the thing was assembled, setup and intonated in 45 minutes and that included drilling holes for the claw/pickguard. I've barely even played any Floyd shit on it, I keep getting lost in classic Strat tones and pretending I can play like this dude- 



I used to hate tones like that, but I've certainly fallen in love with them recently. And this dude Aaron is a legit _Strat player_.


----------



## laxu

Everyone needs a Strat with 3 single coils. I've been using the same 1996 G&L Legacy for ages.


----------



## MFB

It's alright guys, I forgot the majority of Strats are 21 fret so my GAS is cured; fuck off with that half step shit, at least have decency to end on a whole tone.


----------



## budda

MFB said:


> It's alright guys, I forgot the majority of Strats are 21 fret so my GAS is cured; fuck off with that half step shit, at least have decency to end on a whole tone.


Mine is a 22…


----------



## MFB

budda said:


> Mine is a 22…


----------



## Kyle Jordan

MFB said:


> Don't make me buy a Strat, please...



You need to buy a Strat. It's a moral imperative.


----------



## MFB

Kyle Jordan said:


> You need to buy a Strat. It's a moral imperative.



Aesthetically speaking, if I ended up picking up something for a Strat/clean tone specifically, I'd end up going Silver Sky most likely


----------



## Kyle Jordan

MFB said:


> Aesthetically speaking, if I ended up picking up something for a Strat/clean tone specifically, I'd end up going Silver Sky most likely



If the radius were not so small, I'd be with you. The two I've played sounded gorgeous.


----------



## MFB

Kyle Jordan said:


> If the radius were not so small, I'd be with you. The two I've played sounded gorgeous.



Holy fuck, I had overlooked the radius, 8.5"! I thought my Tele was ridiculous at 12", but that one I'd definitely have to try before I buy.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

MFB said:


> Holy fuck, I had overlooked the radius, 8.5"! I thought my Tele was ridiculous at 12", but that one I'd definitely have to try before I buy.



I played the USA versions, with their 7.25" radius. Definitely play before buying if you can Haven't played an SE, but that 8.5" might be close enough to Fender's 9.5" to not really notice.


----------



## Genome

RevDrucifer said:


> You’re tellin’ me!




That guitar looks familiar...


----------



## Andromalia

Got some new toys. I've had a III since the original release, had a GAS attack but no guitar really strikes my fancy these days so I decided to complete the setup.
Pros: it works.
Cons: it's 35°C outside so I'll wait a bit to delve into this deeper, wearing my Sennheisers with that heat would be torture.I plan to have fun with wahs, Whammies and changing the modulation effects parameters on the fly. Maybe have a gain control with the more gain, the less reverb. We'll see.

Won't do a separate NGD, I suppose everybody and their mothers who wanted one already do, I'm a bit late on the bus.


----------



## budda

@Andromalia air conditioning?


----------



## Andromalia

budda said:


> @Andromalia air conditioning?


No, I have decent airflow in my place but air conditioning in France isn't really common especially in my area which is supposed to be a mild one. I'm fine but playing the guitar with wooly headphones isn't the best idea today.  I plan to get studio monitors again soon, but headphones are all I've used for years as I couldn't make any noise where I was living previously.


----------



## NoodleFace

Anyone have any good tips for making high gain 7 string tight metal tonez?

I'm doing ok in making decent tones so far. But the 7th string always ends up being very thick and bassy sounding. I'm thinking of loading some new IRs in to see if that solves it. 

Are there any tips you guys use? Cut depth to 0 and boost bass on the amp? Cut switch? Other stuff?

I really want to make a HBE tone but it's super thick. I mostly play melodic death.


----------



## budda

NoodleFace said:


> Anyone have any good tips for making high gain 7 string tight metal tonez?
> 
> I'm doing ok in making decent tones so far. But the 7th string always ends up being very thick and bassy sounding. I'm thinking of loading some new IRs in to see if that solves it.
> 
> Are there any tips you guys use? Cut depth to 0 and boost bass on the amp? Cut switch? Other stuff?
> 
> I really want to make a HBE tone but it's super thick. I mostly play melodic death.


Many ways. I believe Leon Todd has a tutorial on it. 

- low cut in cab block
- 57 mic IRs
- input eq on the amp page
- multi-band compression
- cut switch
- bass lower on eq
- set mid sweep to low mids and cut
- ts808 etc
- less gain


----------



## NoodleFace

budda said:


> Many ways. I believe Leon Todd has a tutorial on it.
> 
> - low cut in cab block
> - 57 mic IRs
> - input eq on the amp page
> - multi-band compression
> - cut switch
> - bass lower on eq
> - set mid sweep to low mids and cut
> - ts808 etc
> - less gain


Thanks, seen a few of these. I'll poke through his channel. Feel like I'm 90% therr


----------



## laxu

NoodleFace said:


> Anyone have any good tips for making high gain 7 string tight metal tonez?
> 
> I'm doing ok in making decent tones so far. But the 7th string always ends up being very thick and bassy sounding. I'm thinking of loading some new IRs in to see if that solves it.
> 
> Are there any tips you guys use? Cut depth to 0 and boost bass on the amp? Cut switch? Other stuff?
> 
> I really want to make a HBE tone but it's super thick. I mostly play melodic death.



If you want a very overkill and ridiculous option, attach the pitch follower modifier to your amp block bass knob so when you play the low strings it turns bass down.

But for most people just using the Input EQ in the amp block to cut bass will do the trick. It might sound counterintuitive but 7 and especially 8 strings tend to need more treble, less bass.


----------



## Deadpool_25

The Thing Upstairs said:


> The only faff is moving over the input cable and send/return if I change valve amp.


Get an amp switcher and tell the faff to go faff itself.


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

Deadpool_25 said:


> Get an amp switcher and tell the faff to go faff itself.



it’s on the list


----------



## NoodleFace

Found some Leon videos and some other forum posts and now my amp tones are better than ever. Thanks for the tips. 

Now I just need to make sure it sounds good through .y 4x12


----------



## D-Nasty

I'm having trouble setting up a MIDI Controller for Preset & Scene changes with the Axe-FX II. Can anybody help me?

I've read the manual & it says:











I can set "Ignore Redundant PC" to On & set "Mapping Mode" to Custom. Cool. Got that, but I'm not sure what "Select an entry for Map From Preset" & "Select the desired entries for Map To Preset & Map To Scene" means?

This is what the menu looks like. It's obviously just a number but I don't understand what it does & what the number should be...


----------



## Lopp

D-Nasty said:


> I'm having trouble setting up a MIDI Controller for Preset & Scene changes with the Axe-FX II. Can anybody help me?
> 
> I've read the manual & it says:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I can set "Ignore Redundant PC" to On & set "Mapping Mode" to Custom. Cool. Got that, but I'm not sure what "Select an entry for Map From Preset" & "Select the desired entries for Map To Preset & Map To Scene" means?
> 
> This is what the menu looks like. It's obviously just a number but I don't understand what it does & what the number should be...


Here's a wild guess and I may be way off base, as I use an AX8, but "Map from preset" would be the button on your controller and then you choose which option to apply it to.

For example:
Set mapping mode to custom,
Map from preset/button 1 on your controller you might want to select preset 1, scene 1 on your AFX,
Map from preset/button 2 you might want to select preset 2, scene 1,
Map from preset/button 3 you might want to select preset 2, scene 2,
Map from preset/button 4 you might want to select preset 2, scene 3,
etc.

Since your screenshot shows you are not using the custom mapping mode and shows a zero on your "map from preset", it is not doing the mapping.

Someone with more experience might have a better opinion.

EDIT: Revised after reading the manual better.


----------



## D-Nasty

Lopp said:


> Here's a wild guess and I may be way off base, as I use an AX8, but "Map from preset" would be the button on your controller and then you choose which option to apply it to.
> 
> For example:
> Set mapping mode to custom,
> Map from preset/button 1 on your controller you might want to select preset 1, scene 1 on your AFX,
> Map from preset/button 2 you might want to select preset 2, scene 1,
> Map from preset/button 3 you might want to select preset 2, scene 2,
> Map from preset/button 4 you might want to select preset 2, scene 3,
> etc.
> 
> Since your screenshot shows you are not using the custom mapping mode and shows a zero on your "map from preset", it is not doing the mapping.
> 
> Someone with more experience might have a better opinion.
> 
> EDIT: Revised after reading the manual better.



Thanks for the reply! I just didn't have Mapping Mode on Custom in that picture.


----------



## Lopp

D-Nasty said:


> Thanks for the reply! I just didn't have Mapping Mode on Custom in that picture.


NP.

Did that make sense about needing to set "map from preset" and a "map to preset" values?

Right now, you just have "map to scene" 1. You need to set both a "map from preset," which I assume is the preset value sent from your controller, and a "map to preset," which would be the preset on your AFX that includes the scene 1 you are mapping to.

I.e., if you want controller button 1 on your controller to map to scene 1 in preset 1 on the AFX, you need to set all of those values.

I could be wrong, but that's the impression I get.


----------



## D-Nasty

Lopp said:


> NP.
> 
> Did that make sense about needing to set "map from preset" and a "map to preset" values?
> 
> Right now, you just have "map to scene" 1. You need to set both a "map from preset," which I assume is the preset value sent from your controller, and a "map to preset," which would be the preset on your AFX that includes the scene 1 you are mapping to.
> 
> I.e., if you want controller button 1 on your controller to map to scene 1 in preset 1 on the AFX, you need to set all of those values.
> 
> I could be wrong, but that's the impression I get.


Yes, I understand what you're saying but wouldn't the values change when I want to change to a different preset & scene? This looks like a Global type setting in the I/O Menu to me. What you're saying would make sense if I was putting those values into my MIDI controller to send to the Axe-FX... or maybe I'm just misunderstanding something.


----------



## Lopp

D-Nasty said:


> Yes, I understand what you're saying but wouldn't the values change when I want to change to a different preset & scene? This looks like a Global type setting in the I/O Menu to me. What you're saying would make sense if I was putting those values into my MIDI controller to send to the Axe-FX... or maybe I'm just misunderstanding something.


Your MIDI controller is already sending some form of those values to the AFX. For example, button 1 on your controller likely sends a "1", which is the value you put into the "map from preset" field on the AFX.

If you want to change to a different preset and scene using, for example, button 2 on your controller, you set "map from preset" field to "2" to match the value from your controller and then set "map to preset" and "map to scene" fields to your desired scene and preset.


----------



## budda

Fw 20.04 dropped and new axe edit.


----------



## Elric

D-Nasty said:


> Yes, I understand what you're saying but wouldn't the values change when I want to change to a different preset & scene? This looks like a Global type setting in the I/O Menu to me. What you're saying would make sense if I was putting those values into my MIDI controller to send to the Axe-FX... or maybe I'm just misunderstanding something.


You should just ignore that entire section of the manual unless you want to use program change messages to control scenes; You would only do that if you wanted to start at a scene other than 0 when switching presets.

IMHO, easiest way to control presets and scenes on any if the AxeFxs via MIDI: Use Program Change messages to control Preset. Use continuous controller values CC34 (IIRC) to control the scene.

It is simple if your controller is flexible and you understand MIDI pretty well.


----------



## D-Nasty

Elric said:


> You should just ignore that entire section of the manual unless you want to use program change messages to control scenes; You would only do that if you wanted to start at a scene other than 0 when switching presets.
> 
> IMHO, easiest way to control presets and scenes on any if the AxeFxs via MIDI: Use Program Change messages to control Preset. Use continuous controller values CC34 (IIRC) to control the scene.
> 
> It is simple if your controller is flexible and you understand MIDI pretty well.


Yes. I've been studying the manual & I came to the same conclusion. Thank you for taking the time to reply.


----------



## D-Nasty

& just an FYI guys... I just said screw it & bought a MFC-101 MKIII today. We gotta pay to play!


----------



## The Thing Upstairs

Finally something good came from Brexit!

G66 now have a UK store!

now I’d like to checkout one of the fractal expression pedals. What are the advantages over mission pedals?


----------



## Shask

Well, I get the dumbass of the day award, lol.

I was setting up my Axe II as an effects unit running after my amp and new Fractal X-Load. It was destroying my tone and I could not figure out what was going on. I messed with it for hours, consulted the manual, etc..... I finally found that my input 1 was set to Sum L+R instead of Left Only. I was amazed at how much of a difference this made. Totally different. Even made my Axe only presets sound and feel much better. I can't even tell you how many MONTHS/YEARS this has been set this way.

I still think my Rocktron units are more transparent and will probbably work better for this purpose, but definitely check your input modes! I can not believe how much of a difference this made.


----------



## budda

@Shask just tried this in my 3 and didn't hear any difference with my eyes closed clicking away FYI. Pretty basic chain though.


----------



## fremen

Yes this should not make any difference. It doesn't here.


----------



## Shask

budda said:


> @Shask just tried this in my 3 and didn't hear any difference with my eyes closed clicking away FYI. Pretty basic chain though.


I wouldn't think it would make any difference if you dont have anything plugged into R, but it made a huge difference. It like halfed the signal so it was very weak, so I had the input controls cranked, the input gain trim cranked on the amp blocks, and it still sounded weird and weak in the lows and low mids. As soon as I clicked to Left Only, it like kicked in with double the volume and dynamics.

I was using the rear input, so maybe it is not as noticeable if you are using the front input? I dunno.


----------



## budda

Shask said:


> I wouldn't think it would make any difference if you dont have anything plugged into R, but it made a huge difference. It like halfed the signal so it was very weak, so I had the input controls cranked, the input gain trim cranked on the amp blocks, and it still sounded weird and weak in the lows and low mids. As soon as I clicked to Left Only, it like kicked in with double the volume and dynamics.
> 
> I was using the rear input, so maybe it is not as noticeable if you are using the front input? I dunno.


Yeah I only have the front input going. Sum L&R is default isnt it?

For the record I am talking the input select in the amp block - you had me looking in my input block first


----------



## Shask

budda said:


> Yeah I only have the front input going. Sum L&R is default isnt it?
> 
> For the record I am talking the input select in the amp block - you had me looking in my input block first


I am talking about in the system I/O menu. I am not sure on the III, but on the II it is when you click the I/O button on the front.


----------



## c7spheres

Shask said:


> Well, I get the dumbass of the day award, lol.
> 
> I was setting up my Axe II as an effects unit running after my amp and new Fractal X-Load. It was destroying my tone and I could not figure out what was going on. I messed with it for hours, consulted the manual, etc..... I finally found that my input 1 was set to Sum L+R instead of Left Only. I was amazed at how much of a difference this made. Totally different. Even made my Axe only presets sound and feel much better. I can't even tell you how many MONTHS/YEARS this has been set this way.
> 
> I still think my Rocktron units are more transparent and will probbably work better for this purpose, but definitely check your input modes! I can not believe how much of a difference this made.


Curious if they have a left or right only input mode. If so, that might work better if using only 1 input. - The summing if done right like on the Rocktrons should pretty much cure or contrarily accentuate any phasing before processing. Generally speaking this doubling is what happens (normal behavior) when summing equal signals though, so it seems to be working correctly.

- If you're noticing more than just volume doubling like better clarity etc that may have been phasing. My guess is the Axe is pulling the nothing input but it may have a noise floor for some reason instead of actual zero. When that happens you still get the hollow sound of phasing even though nothing is there. 
- It's like you got a brand new FX unit. You might also want to try a y-splitter to each input and go back to stereo mode too as that will usually keep it that lower volume but open it up more too. It may allow you to boost that signal into the Axe more too. It's a different openess and feel usually with this type thing so you may want to experiment to see which is best. Doing this should make it sound like the mono input you like, but with low level of the stereo one, allowing higher input level or more headroom at the same time. It depends if it's doing it in the analog realm and how, or if it's in the digital realm like the Rocktron.
- I've been messing wtih splitting and summing for awhile now and use 1:1 iso transformers to do it (Lehle P-Splits) so the results may vary if the Axe does it different or shields and grounds differently. It could also make a hum if it's not doing it proper. 
- What it comes down to is if you like the harder pushed input or the currently set one you got better, but the sound you like should be possible with both input gain staging options is what I'm saying basically. - It's testing whether the Axe is better at summing it's stereo input to mono with the proper levels or better at mono gain staging by itself. The difference will be how it handles phasing and isolation and cleaning up the signal vs limited headroom or if it essentially handles them the same based on how it does it. This is exactly why I still use two signals on my preamp to rack eq into the Rocktron even though it always sums to mono on the input anyways because it's better at that than the single mono input by just a little bit enough to be noticably better to my ears. Then I sum two Replifex's off their stereo outputs (dual stereo to single stereo) to the amp. Similar rules apply with that too but it's a little more involved.
- Just some thoughts if intersted.


----------



## Decapitated

Anyone go from studio monitors to power amp and cab? I am thinking about a Fryette PS-2 and Mesa 2x12 setup for something different. Thoughts?


----------



## D-Nasty

Decapitated said:


> Anyone go from studio monitors to power amp and cab? I am thinking about a Fryette PS-2 and Mesa 2x12 setup for something different. Thoughts?



I'm running a Fryette PS-2 with a Mesa Traditional 4X12 & a Mesa 2X12 in my home studio. It sounds great!


----------



## Decapitated

D-Nasty said:


> I'm running a Fryette PS-2 with a Mesa Traditional 4X12 & a Mesa 2X12 in my home studio. It sounds great!


Thanks! Appreciate the response.


----------



## NoodleFace

I came to ask a semi related question. 

I'm using a power amp (gt1000something) and 4x12 with the band. I want a setup for home practice mostly. Can't decide between getting monitors or just a FRFR. Benefit of monitors is I do record some stuff using headphones. Benefit of the FRFR is I can take it with me. However, I'm only looking to spend $400 max, so headrush territory. I'm studio monitor-tarded so I wouldn't even know where to look. 

What's my best bang for the buck if I'm mostly looking at JUST practicing at home (axe fx2)


----------



## budda

NoodleFace said:


> I came to ask a semi related question.
> 
> I'm using a power amp (gt1000something) and 4x12 with the band. I want a setup for home practice mostly. Can't decide between getting monitors or just a FRFR. Benefit of monitors is I do record some stuff using headphones. Benefit of the FRFR is I can take it with me. However, I'm only looking to spend $400 max, so headrush territory. I'm studio monitor-tarded so I wouldn't even know where to look.
> 
> What's my best bang for the buck if I'm mostly looking at JUST practicing at home (axe fx2)


Monitors IMO. Used set of Yamaha HS5's and go.


----------



## Decapitated

NoodleFace said:


> I came to ask a semi related question.
> 
> I'm using a power amp (gt1000something) and 4x12 with the band. I want a setup for home practice mostly. Can't decide between getting monitors or just a FRFR. Benefit of monitors is I do record some stuff using headphones. Benefit of the FRFR is I can take it with me. However, I'm only looking to spend $400 max, so headrush territory. I'm studio monitor-tarded so I wouldn't even know where to look.
> 
> What's my best bang for the buck if I'm mostly looking at JUST practicing at home (axe fx2)


I have HS8s, which new are more than you want to spend, but 5s or a used pair of 8s would work great. Stereo is amazing.


----------



## Shask

NoodleFace said:


> I came to ask a semi related question.
> 
> I'm using a power amp (gt1000something) and 4x12 with the band. I want a setup for home practice mostly. Can't decide between getting monitors or just a FRFR. Benefit of monitors is I do record some stuff using headphones. Benefit of the FRFR is I can take it with me. However, I'm only looking to spend $400 max, so headrush territory. I'm studio monitor-tarded so I wouldn't even know where to look.
> 
> What's my best bang for the buck if I'm mostly looking at JUST practicing at home (axe fx2)


I got a set of Kali Audio LP-6s recently that are really killer for how cheap they are.


----------



## Shask

c7spheres said:


> Curious if they have a left or right only input mode. If so, that might work better if using only 1 input. - The summing if done right like on the Rocktrons should pretty much cure or contrarily accentuate any phasing before processing. Generally speaking this doubling is what happens (normal behavior) when summing equal signals though, so it seems to be working correctly.
> 
> - If you're noticing more than just volume doubling like better clarity etc that may have been phasing. My guess is the Axe is pulling the nothing input but it may have a noise floor for some reason instead of actual zero. When that happens you still get the hollow sound of phasing even though nothing is there.
> - It's like you got a brand new FX unit. You might also want to try a y-splitter to each input and go back to stereo mode too as that will usually keep it that lower volume but open it up more too. It may allow you to boost that signal into the Axe more too. It's a different openess and feel usually with this type thing so you may want to experiment to see which is best. Doing this should make it sound like the mono input you like, but with low level of the stereo one, allowing higher input level or more headroom at the same time. It depends if it's doing it in the analog realm and how, or if it's in the digital realm like the Rocktron.
> - I've been messing wtih splitting and summing for awhile now and use 1:1 iso transformers to do it (Lehle P-Splits) so the results may vary if the Axe does it different or shields and grounds differently. It could also make a hum if it's not doing it proper.
> - What it comes down to is if you like the harder pushed input or the currently set one you got better, but the sound you like should be possible with both input gain staging options is what I'm saying basically. - It's testing whether the Axe is better at summing it's stereo input to mono with the proper levels or better at mono gain staging by itself. The difference will be how it handles phasing and isolation and cleaning up the signal vs limited headroom or if it essentially handles them the same based on how it does it. This is exactly why I still use two signals on my preamp to rack eq into the Rocktron even though it always sums to mono on the input anyways because it's better at that than the single mono input by just a little bit enough to be noticably better to my ears. Then I sum two Replifex's off their stereo outputs (dual stereo to single stereo) to the amp. Similar rules apply with that too but it's a little more involved.
> - Just some thoughts if intersted.


Each I/O on the Axe FX has 3 modes: Left Only, Sum L+R, and Stereo. I can't even tell you the last time I changed this. I want to say a year or 2 ago when I was messing with running it in 4CM. Using Sum L+R and only using the Left input definitely seemed like it was halfing the signal. The bass was very week, and the mids were more scratchy. It just sounded horrible, lol. It was like I took a nice tube amp sound and ran it through a clipping cheap digital converter. Setting it to Left Only definitely sounds much better, but I still don't think it is as transparent as I would like. It adds some brittleness to the upper mids. I will probably play some more with this though.

This is the first time I have used it like this. Tube Amp -> Reactive Load -> DI out to Axe -> Stereo Outputs to GT1000FX -> 2 Cabs (a 412 and a 212) in stereo. It sounds pretty amazing even at very low volumes.

Last night I put my MXR 10 Band EQ after the load (found out it can handle line level), switching between my Axe FX, Replifex, and Intellifex, and dusted off the FCB1010 and hooked it up. Pretty killer rig setup. I am debating if I want to drag the mixer back out and introduce my MPX-1 and G Major 2 also. I am also considering using a mixer to split the signal and send stereo signals to whatever effects unit I am using. I could test the Axe by using the stereo outputs from the MXR EQ pedal.

I also want to try using the Axe FX with IR cab models into my Kali LP-6 monitors. I am curious how that will sound and feel also. So far, I am loving this reactive load. I like changing up rigs often, so it is nice to just change tube amps and the rest of everything stay in place.


----------



## budda

That sounds so complicated


----------



## Shask

budda said:


> That sounds so complicated


Its really not, lol. Right now it is just amp into reactive load into axe fx into GT1000FX into cabs. It is really only 1 extra thing from how it was before just using an amp and axe fx as an effects units.

Less complicated than the 4CM that is so popular.


----------



## Genome

How many external pedals can you connect to the FM3, is it one or two? I see there's a stereo FX loop but can you use two mono pedals?

Thinking about an FM3 but I'd like to hook up a couple of modulation/reverb pedals if possible


----------



## budda

Genome said:


> How many external pedals can you connect to the FM3, is it one or two? I see there's a stereo FX loop but can you use two mono pedals?
> 
> Thinking about an FM3 but I'd like to hook up a couple of modulation/reverb pedals if possible


Is your plan to chain 4 reverbs together for example?


----------



## Genome

budda said:


> Is your plan to chain 4 reverbs together for example?


Nah, I just have a couple of pedals I really like that I'd like to keep on my board if possible (plus also save CPU power in the FM3 where necessary)


----------



## laxu

Genome said:


> How many external pedals can you connect to the FM3, is it one or two? I see there's a stereo FX loop but can you use two mono pedals?
> 
> Thinking about an FM3 but I'd like to hook up a couple of modulation/reverb pedals if possible


Any number you want. If you want them truly separate then either one stereo pedal or two mono pedals in the IN/OUT 2 jacks. But nothing stops you running something like OUT2 -> pedal1 -> pedal2 -> pedal3 -> pedal4 -> IN2 for example. Or putting pedals in front of the FM3 input.


----------



## fremen

Reamping three different Ibanez DI tracks through different Fractal Audio FM9 presets with firmware v 3.0. 



Guitars : JPM100-P1, RG520QS with Seymour Duncan pickups, RG6PCM LTD 

More details in the Youtube description!


----------



## Genome

laxu said:


> Any number you want. If you want them truly separate then either one stereo pedal or two mono pedals in the IN/OUT 2 jacks. But nothing stops you running something like OUT2 -> pedal1 -> pedal2 -> pedal3 -> pedal4 -> IN2 for example. Or putting pedals in front of the FM3 input.



Cheers! Yeah, I usually like to put pedals in separate loops so I can switch them in and out individually with one tap. But I'd only be looking at a couple of pedals to bolster the FM3 - most likely reverb pedals as the reverb block seems to take up a fair amount of CPU.


----------



## Shask

Shask said:


> Setting it to Left Only definitely sounds much better, but I still don't think it is as transparent as I would like. It adds some brittleness to the upper mids. I will probably play some more with this though.


I was messing with this tonight. I was trying the Axe FX II for only effects again. It still made the tone a little weird. Like a bit of cocked wah / mosquito tone, but not enough to be super noticeable. I turned off all blocks and it was still there. I decided to just go to a different preset and initialize it clean, and just run a path from input to output. That sounded much better! More transparent than it was. I built a new post-amp-fx preamp and now it sounds pretty good and transparent. I don't know what was going on. Preset gremlins. It was changing the tone even with no blocks on.

I even tweaked a heavy preset and a clean preset of straight Axe (no other gear) that sound great. I might even go back and start those from scratch later just to make sure I have no more preset gremlins. I cleared out all my other presets I have made, and only kept about 4.

I also found that the Left Only, Sum L+R, and Stereo modes in the System I/O DO effect the tone even if using the front input., on the Axe II. They lower the input and make it all sound weak if you only have the guitar plugged in the front.


----------



## Choop

Just got my Axe Fx II XL+ in today, it's cool! I can tell it's going to take some adjusting -- first thing I did was get it set up with Ares and started auditioning presets and amps/effects. I tried playing through headphones and I am getting a somewhat fizzy quality to the sound that could be due to apparently any number of things, so I'll be looking into that. Just EQing the high end on the amps I was using helped a lot, though it kind of sounds like clipping or something, could be an input level problem. Anyway, I ran it through my Mark III's fx loop and man, it sounds so rad running through a good power section and a real cab. I could nail pretty much all of my usual sounds that I get with the Mark using it this way, and I haven't tried to get into the weeds with the Recto but that'll be next thing. Overall I'm happy with it. I know it's not as exciting to talk about getting an older unit like this, but after playing even this one through my gear I can see how it could be a one stop shop for so many people.


----------



## guitaardvark

Choop said:


> Just got my Axe Fx II XL+ in today, it's cool! I can tell it's going to take some adjusting -- first thing I did was get it set up with Ares and started auditioning presets and amps/effects. I tried playing through headphones and I am getting a somewhat fizzy quality to the sound that could be due to apparently any number of things, so I'll be looking into that. Just EQing the high end on the amps I was using helped a lot, though it kind of sounds like clipping or something, could be an input level problem. Anyway, I ran it through my Mark III's fx loop and man, it sounds so rad running through a good power section and a real cab. I could nail pretty much all of my usual sounds that I get with the Mark using it this way, and I haven't tried to get into the weeds with the Recto but that'll be next thing. Overall I'm happy with it. I know it's not as exciting to talk about getting an older unit like this, but after playing even this one through my gear I can see how it could be a one stop shop for so many people.


Congrats on the purchase! Now that Axe IIs are slowly dipping below $1k, I honestly think they're one of the best values out there. Headphones tend to have a little more fizz that people are used to, or it could be the cab you're using. If the input is clipping, it'll consistently be lighting up the red light on the input meter.


----------



## laxu

Choop said:


> Just got my Axe Fx II XL+ in today, it's cool! I can tell it's going to take some adjusting -- first thing I did was get it set up with Ares and started auditioning presets and amps/effects. I tried playing through headphones and I am getting a somewhat fizzy quality to the sound that could be due to apparently any number of things, so I'll be looking into that. Just EQing the high end on the amps I was using helped a lot, though it kind of sounds like clipping or something, could be an input level problem. Anyway, I ran it through my Mark III's fx loop and man, it sounds so rad running through a good power section and a real cab. I could nail pretty much all of my usual sounds that I get with the Mark using it this way, and I haven't tried to get into the weeds with the Recto but that'll be next thing. Overall I'm happy with it. I know it's not as exciting to talk about getting an older unit like this, but after playing even this one through my gear I can see how it could be a one stop shop for so many people.


Output device quality matters. Most headphones are not anywhere even near flat response so they can usually benefit from correction. You can use the global graphic EQ or an EQ block in the preset for this.

See if you can find corrective EQ settings for your headphone model from here: https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results


----------



## Xaeldaren

I'm using Sennheiser HD598s with my Pod Go, and that's an amazing resource, thank you!


----------



## Choop

laxu said:


> Output device quality matters. Most headphones are not anywhere even near flat response so they can usually benefit from correction. You can use the global graphic EQ or an EQ block in the preset for this.
> 
> See if you can find corrective EQ settings for your headphone model from here: https://github.com/jaakkopasanen/AutoEq/tree/master/results



Wow, thank you for this! Mine are on there -- I have the AKG K271 MK II pair.



guitaardvark said:


> Congrats on the purchase! Now that Axe IIs are slowly dipping below $1k, I honestly think they're one of the best values out there. Headphones tend to have a little more fizz that people are used to, or it could be the cab you're using. If the input is clipping, it'll consistently be lighting up the red light on the input meter.



Thanks!  And I thought maybe that was true. Either today or tomorrow I'll hook it up to some proper studio monitors. My input meter tends to light up to yellow pretty consistently, and if I play/pick hard it can go into red. Is that normal?


----------



## budda

Choop said:


> Wow, thank you for this! Mine are on there -- I have the AKG K271 MK II pair.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!  And I thought maybe that was true. Either today or tomorrow I'll hook it up to some proper studio monitors. My input meter tends to light up to yellow pretty consistently, and if I play/pick hard it can go into red. Is that normal?


You want to “tickle” the read. Set the input for your hottest guitar. Fwiw i tickle the red at 15% with PAFs when I dig in.


----------



## Choop

budda said:


> You want to “tickle” the read. Set the input for your hottest guitar. Fwiw i tickle the red at 15% with PAFs when I dig in.



Right on, I'll adjust it later when I get a chance. Mine are at ~48% at default I think, so...probably too hot.


----------



## RevDrucifer

Choop said:


> Right on, I'll adjust it later when I get a chance. Mine are at ~48% at default I think, so...probably too hot.



It can really be all over the place depending on your pickups/pick attack. The variation of numbers I’ve seen on the Fractal forum is rather wide.


----------



## laxu

Choop said:


> Right on, I'll adjust it later when I get a chance. Mine are at ~48% at default I think, so...probably too hot.


Don't worry about what others are having for that and just set it for your setup.

Pick your hottest output guitar, plug it in direct and then strum hard. It should light up red but not be constantly red. Now you have optimized it for best signal/noise ratio. Every other guitar will fall in line.


----------



## Lax

I'm still mostly using my sennheiser hd25 sp2 headphones which are still bass heavy and a little muffled... 
But else, I have a pair of Yamaha hs7 and a hs8s subwoofer and I guarantee that my bedroom goes ride of the valkyries 
Hs7 are a great mid-size solution (the sub was nearly free so it's a nice bonus)


----------



## Lopp

Decapitated said:


> Anyone go from studio monitors to power amp and cab? I am thinking about a Fryette PS-2 and Mesa 2x12 setup for something different. Thoughts?


I've gone back an forth many times. Both sound good.

When gigging, I used the Axe-Fx Standard through a SS power amp and a 4x12 Mesa. Sounded great. I also used it through a QSC HPR122i powered monitor/PA speaker. Sounded great.

Later, I was using an AX8 through: 
a pair of HPR122i's,
a Seymour Duncan PowerStage 170 and Mesa 4x12, and
4 cable method with a Friedman BE-100 Deluxe and Mesa 4x12, sometimes bypassing the Friedman preamp for AX8 preamps.

All sounded great.

The difference is a traditional cab is going to sound exactly like an amp in the room. Studio monitors/PA speakers/etc. are going to sound like a mic'ed cab like you hear on recordings or at concerts where everything runs through the PA.


----------



## laxu

Decapitated said:


> Anyone go from studio monitors to power amp and cab? I am thinking about a Fryette PS-2 and Mesa 2x12 setup for something different. Thoughts?


I've had both and to me the beauty of digital modelers is being able to pair both the right amp with the right cab at the push of a button.

I've shot IRs of my real cabs and compared them in the room and they sound pretty much exactly like what the mic picks up at a particular position. So for me with digital modelers the superior option is using full range speakers. For me it's just a set of Genelec M040 studio monitors as that works for my home uses.

Sure, a poweramp and cab will sound great too and it's definitely easier than finding the right fullrange output system for you.

I can no longer recommend Fryette at least for non-US people. I had my Fryette PS-100 fail when I accidentally dropped it. No visible damage, audio just doesn't go through anymore. In the last two months I haven't been able to reach Fryette by phone, email, their contact form or tagging them on TGP just to get them to help a local tech here in Finland repair the PS. Being able to get something like this repaired locally instead of shipping it halfway across the world is important.

Instead I had to put the PS on my home insurance which paid enough to cover most of the repair attempt costs as well as what I paid for the unit used. I would have accepted something like "we don't share schematics" but they just refused to answer. So Fryette is pretty much dead to me and I will not buy anything from them nor will I recommend their products anymore, as good as they are when they work.


----------



## c7spheres

laxu said:


> I've had both and to me the beauty of digital modelers is being able to pair both the right amp with the right cab at the push of a button.
> 
> I've shot IRs of my real cabs and compared them in the room and they sound pretty much exactly like what the mic picks up at a particular position. So for me with digital modelers the superior option is using full range speakers. For me it's just a set of Genelec M040 studio monitors as that works for my home uses.
> 
> Sure, a poweramp and cab will sound great too and it's definitely easier than finding the right fullrange output system for you.
> 
> I can no longer recommend Fryette at least for non-US people. I had my Fryette PS-100 fail when I accidentally dropped it. No visible damage, audio just doesn't go through anymore. In the last two months I haven't been able to reach Fryette by phone, email, their contact form or tagging them on TGP just to get them to help a local tech here in Finland repair the PS. Being able to get something like this repaired locally instead of shipping it halfway across the world is important.
> 
> Instead I had to put the PS on my home insurance which paid enough to cover most of the repair attempt costs as well as what I paid for the unit used. I would have accepted something like "we don't share schematics" but they just refused to answer. So Fryette is pretty much dead to me and I will not buy anything from them nor will I recommend their products anymore, as good as they are when they work.


 That's very surprising. when I call they usally answer or get back fast. I've had nothing but great experiences with them sometimes Fryette himself even answers. How odd. Maybe leave a voice mail and ask them to email you back if you haven't already.


----------



## laxu

c7spheres said:


> That's very surprising. when I call they usally answer or get back fast. I've had nothing but great experiences with them sometimes Fryette himself even answers. How odd. Maybe leave a voice mail and ask them to email you back if you haven't already.


If they can't read their emails that's on them. The whole purpose of email is that you can reply to it when convenient for you. My tech emailed them and I contacted them multiple times. I fully expect that two months from now they still haven't responded despite having all the time to do so. This would be kinda par for the course with Fryette support for me as I have previously had trouble getting them to answer.


----------



## c7spheres

laxu said:


> If they can't read their emails that's on them. The whole purpose of email is that you can reply to it when convenient for you. My tech emailed them and I contacted them multiple times. I fully expect that two months from now they still haven't responded despite having all the time to do so. This would be kinda par for the course with Fryette support for me as I have previously had trouble getting them to answer.


 That's disappointing. I wonder if something's going on over there. It's just not like them. Two months is to long. Maybe your emails are getting filtered out or something.


----------



## Shask

I spent a ton of time this weekend comparing my effects units, including my Axe II as effects units. Mostly critically listening to transparency and using a Reverb.

I used my 5153 50W into the Fractal LB-2 Reactive Load into an effects unit, then into the GT1000FX to reamp into 2 cabs.

Using a desktop mixer, I think my Lexicon MPX-1 sounded the best. Their reverb has a way of just making things sound more 3D. The G Major 2 was OK, but I dont like their reverb as much. I used my Rocktron Replifex and Intellifex without the mixer, since they have one built in. They had a small amount of tone change, but not much. The main problem with these units is they sound great, but far more limited than anything else, especially just Reverb.

Using the Axe II without the mixer, it sounds really good, but I can definitely tell it does some sort of smoothing to the tone. It is a little less aggressive, and notes kind of blend together a bit. The funny thing is through this process I have gotten better at dialing in the Axe II alone just into the GT1000FX and cabs, and the preset I dialed in sounds (and feels) almost identical to using the loaded 5153 into it, same smoothed character and all. This is the best I have gotten the Axe II to sound in years. I went in with the goal to make the amp block sound its best by messing with all the advanced controls instead of using other blocks (EQ, Drive, etc...).

It does make me wonder if the Axe III would be more transparent in this way. I think I just keep trying to find a way to justify buying an Axe III Turbo or FM3, lol.


----------



## budda

If you have the money, grab one. If it doesnt work out, sell it. Then you know for sure.


----------



## Shask

budda said:


> If you have the money, grab one. If it doesnt work out, sell it. Then you know for sure.



Thats part of my problem, I havent sold gear in years, so it all comes here to retire, lol.


----------



## /wrists

I didn't even know this thread existed...


----------



## budda

Shask said:


> Thats part of my problem, I havent sold gear in years, so it all comes here to retire, lol.


Sell some stuff, de-clutter lol


----------



## Lopp

Shask said:


> It does make me wonder if the Axe III would be more transparent in this way. I think I just keep trying to find a way to justify buying an Axe III Turbo or FM3, lol.


Get on the FM9 Turbo waitlist. That will give you plenty of time to decide. Then you can justify buying it because you won't want to miss your chance.


----------



## Shask

budda said:


> Sell some stuff, de-clutter lol


We keep joking that I need to enjoy all the big stuff now before I have to sell it all in retirement when I have to fit inside a Tiny Home, lol.


----------



## Shask

Lopp said:


> Get on the FM9 Turbo waitlist. That will give you plenty of time to decide. Then you can justify buying it because you won't want to miss your chance.


I don't like big clunky pedalboards. I dont really switch that many sounds. I generally prefer rack units, but have a strange facination with small pedals like the FM3, or HX Stomp. I have actually considered grabbing an HX Stomp also just because I haven't owned a Line 6 product since the HD500, and I am curious.


----------



## Lopp

Shask said:


> I don't like big clunky pedalboards. I dont really switch that many sounds. I generally prefer rack units, but have a strange facination with small pedals like the FM3, or HX Stomp. I have actually considered grabbing an HX Stomp also just because I haven't owned a Line 6 product since the HD500, and I am curious.


Makes sense.

Personally, I prefer larger modeler footpedals because I often use a little more than 3 presets and like everything in a self-contained unit. I used to gig with an Axe-Fx Standard and used a Boss GT-8 to control it, but have since preferred the AX8 because it requires less units to lug around and less wiring to deal with when setting up.

I am on the wait list for the FM9 and I should get my invite in a month or so the way things are currently moving along.

Coincidentally, I do understand your fascination with smaller modeler pedals. A year ago, I picked up an HX Stomp for its portability and it definitely holds its own sound wise against my AX8. Surprisingly, its onboard UI is much better than the AX8 despite having less buttons and knobs. I personally considered that before the FM3 mainly because it is smaller. Half the price of the FM3 also helped, not to mention I was already getting great Fractal tones and effects from my AX8, like you are with your Axe II.


----------



## Shask

Lopp said:


> Makes sense.
> 
> Personally, I prefer larger modeler footpedals because I often use a little more than 3 presets and like everything in a self-contained unit. I used to gig with an Axe-Fx Standard and used a Boss GT-8 to control it, but have since preferred the AX8 because it requires less units to lug around and less wiring to deal with when setting up.
> 
> I am on the wait list for the FM9 and I should get my invite in a month or so the way things are currently moving along.
> 
> Coincidentally, I do understand your fascination with smaller modeler pedals. A year ago, I picked up an HX Stomp for its portability and it definitely holds its own sound wise against my AX8. Surprisingly, its onboard UI is much better than the AX8 despite having less buttons and knobs. I personally considered that before the FM3 mainly because it is smaller. Half the price of the FM3 also helped, not to mention I was already getting great Fractal tones and effects from my AX8, like you are with your Axe II.


Honestly, I dont play out, but if I did I would probably use an FM3 because I am lazy and dont want to drag stuff out. Leave my crazy stuff at home, lol. Maybe add a little 2 button switch if I needed another button or 2. Maybe a Tech 21 MIDI Mouse. I could easily see playing out with a small pedalboard with an FM3 and mini expression pedal on top, and a Duncan PowerStage or something mounted underneath it upside down. Keep the whole thing in a laptop bag.

Big metal pedalboards are just something for me to trip over and stub my toe on. At least the little units I can sit them on the desk like pedals.

I think part of what draws me to the HX Stomp is the fact that it is a different brand. I kinda think the Axe III would sound pretty much like the II, but better. Similar sounds. It could be fun to have something totally different, outside of that "Fractal Sound". I have fallen back in love with my II the last few weeks though. I didn't turn it on for like 6 months to a year, and getting back into it with a new perspective is paying off. Its all those Axe III tips and tricks videos I have been watching, lol. 

I had the Axe Standard back in the day also. I think I have had something from Fractal for the last 13 years or so. Before the Standard I had a Line 6 HD500. After that I said I would never own another Line 6, lol. However, it seems like the Helix family has been doing well.


----------



## Lopp

Shask said:


> Big metal pedalboards are just something for me to trip over and stub my toe on. At least the little units I can sit them on the desk like pedals.


That also might lean you towards the HX Stomp, which looks about a third the size of the FM3 and the FM3 looks more than half the size of the AX8. I.e., the FM3 is closer in size to the AX8 than it is to the HX Stomp.

Although, you may want to keep in mind the HX Stomp is much more limited in the number of blocks and arrangement of them than the FM3.


----------



## D-Nasty

Lopp said:


> Although, you may want to keep in mind the HX Stomp is much more limited in the number of blocks and arrangement of them than the FM3.



Not to mention it sounds like ass compared to the Fractal stuff.


----------



## Lopp

D-Nasty said:


> Not to mention it sounds like ass compared to the Fractal stuff.


Interesting. Not my impression. I've got an AX8 in the basement and an HX Stomp upstairs. I've never compared them side-by-side, but I've also never plugged into the HX Stomp and thought it sounded like "ass" compared to tones I've heard through the AX8.


----------



## budda

Lopp said:


> Interesting. Not my impression. I've got an AX8 in the basement and an HX Stomp upstairs. I've never compared them side-by-side, but I've also never plugged into the HX Stomp and thought it sounded like "ass" compared to tones I've heard through the AX8.


Ax8 doesnt sound exactly like the fm3 either which may be what he’s driving at. Sounds great? Yes. Current gen? No.


----------



## Shask

Lopp said:


> That also might lean you towards the HX Stomp, which looks about a third the size of the FM3 and the FM3 looks more than half the size of the AX8. I.e., the FM3 is closer in size to the AX8 than it is to the HX Stomp.
> 
> Although, you may want to keep in mind the HX Stomp is much more limited in the number of blocks and arrangement of them than the FM3.


I was reading some last night, and it sounds like the hx stuff is not very transparent either, as far as combining with other gear. Sounds like it is better as a standalone. Plus, I saw somewhere along the line it became $700 instead of $550, so that sucks.

I think next I will try the Axe II with a line mixer.

I was dialing up some fun stuff on it last night though. I was using a double tracker preset that mimics the TC Mimic pedal. Using the unit alone is definitely the most fun sandbox.


----------



## Shask

D-Nasty said:


> Not to mention it sounds like ass compared to the Fractal stuff.


Lol, I think I am just curious. I have some Mooer preamp modeling pedals, Boss Katana, some Zoom stuff, Fractal, NI guitar Rig 6, etc... many times it is more in the tweaking than the unit.


----------



## Lopp

budda said:


> Ax8 doesnt sound exactly like the fm3 either which may be what he’s driving at. Sounds great? Yes. Current gen? No.


Yeah. I was thinking that, but he literally said "Fractal stuff," so I didn't qualify my response.

And yeah, it sounds great. That was what I was thinking. Nowhere near "ass" no matter what you compare it to.


----------



## Shask

People who have had both the FM3 and Axe III, do you notice a big difference between them, other than the obvious missing stuff?


----------



## rokket2005

They sound the same outside of dual amp situations and any firmware delays that may not hit the fm3 until later.


----------



## bigcupholder

D-Nasty said:


> Not to mention it sounds like ass compared to the Fractal stuff.


I'll just leave this here rather than arguing with someone that provides no basis for their opinions
https://www.sevenstring.org/threads...vs-helix-vs-axe-fx.356202/page-4#post-5451937


----------



## Masoo2

Few months in and still loving my FM3. Amazing unit, 10/10 do recommend. However, I had the chance to mess around with a friend's small pedalboard which made me remember how much I enjoy twisting knobs every once in a while.

*Those running their Fractal with a small pedalboard - what pedals are you running and why?*

For the front, I was thinking of picking up either an HM2 clone or Swollen Pickle, one of those momentary pitch shifters like the Digitech Richocet or Boss PS-6, and maybe a noise/drone/feedback generator or synth-in-a-box.

For the loop, I've been GASing hard for some of the weird Chase Bliss stuff for a while now and also wouldn't mind one of those sort of "shoegaze/atmosphere in a box" combo verb + delay + fuzz + whatever boxes like from Noisemaker Industries or Abominable Electronics.

Not looking to add a tube screamer or anything basic, just some weirder stuff that would be difficult (if not impossible) to recreate in-the-box. Particularly, pedals designed to be toyed around with live rather than set-and-forgotten.

Any thoughts?


----------



## laxu

I've moved to the Axe-Fx 3 but with the FM3 the only extra effect I'd really add would be a separate reverb as it's one of the most demanding blocks. Which reverb, well that's the harder question. I have a Strymon Nightsky and it's maybe a bit much sometimes but does sound all kinds of glorious and can pretty nicely replicate a lot of the reverbs on the FM3 if dialed just right.


----------



## FancyFish

Masoo2 said:


> Few months in and still loving my FM3. Amazing unit, 10/10 do recommend. However, I had the chance to mess around with a friend's small pedalboard which made me remember how much I enjoy twisting knobs every once in a while.
> 
> *Those running their Fractal with a small pedalboard - what pedals are you running and why?*
> 
> For the front, I was thinking of picking up either an HM2 clone or Swollen Pickle, one of those momentary pitch shifters like the Digitech Richocet or Boss PS-6, and maybe a noise/drone/feedback generator or synth-in-a-box.
> 
> For the loop, I've been GASing hard for some of the weird Chase Bliss stuff for a while now and also wouldn't mind one of those sort of "shoegaze/atmosphere in a box" combo verb + delay + fuzz + whatever boxes like from Noisemaker Industries or Abominable Electronics.
> 
> Not looking to add a tube screamer or anything basic, just some weirder stuff that would be difficult (if not impossible) to recreate in-the-box. Particularly, pedals designed to be toyed around with live rather than set-and-forgotten.
> 
> Any thoughts?


I run the following with my FM3: a Klone, Abominable Hail Santa, HM2, JHS Chorus, Boss DD-20, EQD Astral Destiny, and Aion Fx Luna. Why? Because I like pedals and the FM3 takes pedals well.


----------



## RevDrucifer

Masoo2 said:


> Few months in and still loving my FM3. Amazing unit, 10/10 do recommend. However, I had the chance to mess around with a friend's small pedalboard which made me remember how much I enjoy twisting knobs every once in a while.
> 
> *Those running their Fractal with a small pedalboard - what pedals are you running and why?*
> 
> For the front, I was thinking of picking up either an HM2 clone or Swollen Pickle, one of those momentary pitch shifters like the Digitech Richocet or Boss PS-6, and maybe a noise/drone/feedback generator or synth-in-a-box.
> 
> For the loop, I've been GASing hard for some of the weird Chase Bliss stuff for a while now and also wouldn't mind one of those sort of "shoegaze/atmosphere in a box" combo verb + delay + fuzz + whatever boxes like from Noisemaker Industries or Abominable Electronics.
> 
> Not looking to add a tube screamer or anything basic, just some weirder stuff that would be difficult (if not impossible) to recreate in-the-box. Particularly, pedals designed to be toyed around with live rather than set-and-forgotten.
> 
> Any thoughts?



I’m on a huge Gilmour/EJ kick right now, so I’ve been picking up a bunch of fuzzes and OD’s. I got an EJ Fuzz Face and man, I might have to pick on Cliff and mention that the FAS Face Fuzz isn’t even in the same ballpark. The Pie Fuzz is pretty close and can be worked with to fit most of the variants, but it’s a different kind of fuzz.

Comparing actual vibe pedals to the FAS vibes, I’m digging pedals more as well. They just seem to scoop into the tone more. I’ve got a Dirty B.Hinds Vibe Change and a Vibe Machine V3, I’m probably going to sell the Vibe Change because the VM is stupid awesome.

If you dig reverb/delay, check out the new Andy Timmons/Keeley Halo pedal. It’s basically two delays in one; one doing 1/4 notes and the other dotted 8ths, but the way the dotted 8ths fade into each other creates a cool reverb kind of sound. I wouldn’t even use a reverb if I had that pedal.


----------



## cardinal

I'm wanting an FXIII again. I'm thinking maybe one reason I was so disappointed with the bass amps was that I'd sold my Cali76TX and tried to use the Fractal compressor, but I have the TX back and maybe I should just concede that the Fractal won't run the entire chain.


----------



## Lax

I have the axefx2xl+ since 2015 and even if I toyed around with pedals for lols, I only use two : A morpheus droptune (not always but it's nice to keep preset low on memory usage), a G-Lab wowee wah (even if the axe can do wah, it's a present and I love its tweakability and confort) and a DIY fuzz factory.
If I was to add other pedals it would probably only be fuzzes


----------



## Deadpool_25

My FM9 board has a Drop and a Halo. 

The Drop is there because you only get one pitch block and I like to use that for dual detune which is glorious in stereo. 

The Halo is on there because it's awesome and somewhat unique. It instantly became my favorite delay pedal of all time. I'm guessing I could dial in a delay on the FM9 to sound quite similar but I think it might take a lot of work tweaking modulation and diffusion and such. Also, I had room and available power for another pedal so figured I'd use it.


----------



## Ben Pinkus

^ any pics of the FM9 board. 
I'm considering upgrading my setup to FM9/QC/Helix and looking for inspiration


----------



## budda

Deadpool_25 said:


> My FM9 board has a Drop and a Halo.
> 
> The Drop is there because you only get one pitch block and I like to use that for dual detune which is glorious in stereo.
> 
> The Halo is on there because it's awesome and somewhat unique. It instantly became my favorite delay pedal of all time. I'm guessing I could dial in a delay on the FM9 to sound quite similar but I think it might take a lot of work tweaking modulation and diffusion and such. Also, I had room and available power for another pedal so figured I'd use it.


Did you see the halo thread on the forum?


----------



## Shask

Well, today is the day. After much deliberation I ordered a FM3 and EV-2 and it should be getting here soon. I think it will be powerful enough for me and it will be nice to be able to move it around easier. My Axe II / GT1000FX rack is buried in gear and is a pain to change the connections on. I am really curious to see all of these poweramp / speaker interaction updates for the chug, lol.

I have been using a trial of Helix Native for the past week. I figured that would be an easy way to check it out. I REALLY love the Badonk model, but I dont really like most of the other amps, and there is really no way to change the basic character of the amps like you can on Fractal. Effects are nice, although limited. Overall, I really love that one sound and could see picking up a cheap HX stomp for that one day. I even took some screenshots of the frequency response of the Badonk preset I made and have tried to replicate it on the Axe II.


----------



## Breeding The Spawn

Shask said:


> Well, today is the day. After much deliberation I ordered a FM3 and EV-2 and it should be getting here soon. I think it will be powerful enough for me and it will be nice to be able to move it around easier. My Axe II / GT1000FX rack is buried in gear and is a pain to change the connections on. I am really curious to see all of these poweramp / speaker interaction updates for the chug, lol.
> 
> I have been using a trial of Helix Native for the past week. I figured that would be an easy way to check it out. I REALLY love the Badonk model, but I dont really like most of the other amps, and there is really no way to change the basic character of the amps like you can on Fractal. Effects are nice, although limited. Overall, I really love that one sound and could see picking up a cheap HX stomp for that one day. I even took some screenshots of the frequency response of the Badonk preset I made and have tried to replicate it on the Axe II.


FM3 Definitely chugs and more!
I'm using a Ritter 280w power amp.


----------



## Shask

Breeding The Spawn said:


> FM3 Definitely chugs and more!
> I'm using a Ritter 280w power amp.



Sounds nice and chunky!

I have only had about 15 minutes with it into my studio monitors (which never sounds as good as a poweramp and cab...), but my first thoughts:

1. This thing is pretty big and heavy. It is a huge hunk of metal, lol. It is bigger than it looks in pictures.
2. The sound definitely seems less bloated in the low end than the Axe II, and there is a hi-def type clarity in the highs.
3. The feel definitely seems more lifelike. Not overly compressed, but also not under-compressed as many modelers can feel.
4. The presets are basically the same as the II, but I like how the Scenes are usable. Lots of cool variations. Scenes were added to the II later on and the factory presets never really utilized them past having a scene with only amp and another with 10 effects on.
5. I was able to make some edits pretty quick. It basically works like the older Axe units, only in color. It was pretty easy to understand where things are. All the new meters are nice.

Hopefully I get a lot of time this weekend to mess with it some more and install the software.


----------



## soul_lip_mike

If you had to pick one fractal cab to use which would it be?


----------



## budda

soul_lip_mike said:


> If you had to pick one fractal cab to use which would it be?


Odd question imo


----------



## laxu

soul_lip_mike said:


> If you had to pick one fractal cab to use which would it be?


Not much point to this because each amp model works best with a different cab.

If I had to pick some do-it-all cab then it would probably be one of the 4x12 Greenback ones.


----------



## Decapitated

Follow up


D-Nasty said:


> I'm running a Fryette PS-2 with a Mesa Traditional 4X12 & a Mesa 2X12 in my home studio. It sounds great!


 Follow up question. The 2x12 Vertical I wanted is going to be out of stock for the foreseeable future. It got me thinking, for bedroom use, would a Traditional 4x12 be absolute overkill or would it sound fuller than a vertical 2x12? Thanks!


----------



## D-Nasty

I use my 4X12 in a small room all the time. I think it sounds much fuller.


----------



## budda

Decapitated said:


> Follow up
> 
> Follow up question. The 2x12 Vertical I wanted is going to be out of stock for the foreseeable future. It got me thinking, for bedroom use, would a Traditional 4x12 be absolute overkill or would it sound fuller than a vertical 2x12? Thanks!


It's both.


----------



## nangillala

soul_lip_mike said:


> If you had to pick one fractal cab to use which would it be?


The 3Monkeys 4x12 for anything with gain and the 4x10 Bassman for clean. If you really want one cab for everything I would go with one of the "Rumble" (/Thiele) cabs. 
(But as others said... why...)


----------



## Lopp

soul_lip_mike said:


> If you had to pick one fractal cab to use which would it be?


Not a "fractal" branded cab, but one that covers so many bases will is ML Sound Lab's "Best IR in the World."

https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...&q=https://tinyurl.com/mlbestir&v=BI6rovO03DA
I think that link should work. If not, there is a link below the video:


Is it the "best?" No. At least not for certain specific applications where you could find better in that given context. However, I have found it to be a good cab that works great in a variety of applications. Based on this, I would pick it if I were only allowed to use one IR.

Oh, and it's free.


----------



## Decapitated

C85830-E0-6004-4-A12-B9-FE-9-E3645559-E6-F


Image C85830-E0-6004-4-A12-B9-FE-9-E3645559-E6-F hosted in ImgBB




ibb.co





That new cab smell.


----------



## GreatGreen

soul_lip_mike said:


> If you had to pick one fractal cab to use which would it be?



Easy.
Legacy cab *#103 - 4x12 Basketweave TV Mix*
It's an IR of an early 70s Marshall 1960 TV angled tall 4x12 cab.

To me, that IR is magic and works with just about everything. I always start with it as a baseline, then if I feel like something different I'll blend in other IRs along with it.


----------



## budda

Fwiw 21B dropped, cygnus-2 hours.


----------



## D-Nasty

Decapitated said:


> C85830-E0-6004-4-A12-B9-FE-9-E3645559-E6-F
> 
> 
> Image C85830-E0-6004-4-A12-B9-FE-9-E3645559-E6-F hosted in ImgBB
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ibb.co
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> That new cab smell.


Are you pleased with the results?


----------



## Decapitated

D-Nasty said:


> Are you pleased with the results?


LOVE it. Really happy and wish I had gone this route earlier.


----------



## D-Nasty

Is that a 2X12? It looks like it's slanted from the picture?


----------



## Lopp

Decapitated said:


> LOVE it. Really happy and wish I had gone this route earlier.


I hear ya. I was running an AX8 through QSC HPR122is and only using my Mesa 4x12 for my tube amps. I eventually got a PowerStage 170 (like your 200), ran the AX8 through the Mesa and was blown away at how much more I enjoyed it.

Now I have an FM9 running through the QSCs. You've given me some inspiration to run it through the Mesa. However, I am still focused on trying to find an IR that does it justice, while understanding that, based on current technology, an IR through a monitor will never sound the same as a true 4x12 in person.


----------



## Lopp

D-Nasty said:


> Is that a 2X12? It looks like it's slanted from the picture?


https://www.mesaboogie.com/en-US/Product/0.212RV.BB.F/2x12-Vertical-Slant-Rectifier-Cabinet


----------



## budda

“If you want amp in the room, you have to run an amp in the room”


----------



## Decapitated

D-Nasty said:


> Is that a 2X12? It looks like it's slanted from the picture?





Lopp said:


> https://www.mesaboogie.com/en-US/Product/0.212RV.BB.F/2x12-Vertical-Slant-Rectifier-Cabinet


Yup - 2x12 vertical.


----------



## Decapitated

I had been running the Axe Fx 3 through studio monitors for years and always wondered what it would sound like through a cab and some sort of power amp. Even for bedroom use, this setup is beyond what I could have imagined.


----------



## laxu

Decapitated said:


> I had been running the Axe Fx 3 through studio monitors for years and always wondered what it would sound like through a cab and some sort of power amp. Even for bedroom use, this setup is beyond what I could have imagined.


IMO it's not worth it. Poweramp and guitar cab can work great for louder volumes but I don't care for it at home volumes. I feel studio monitors give a better experience at more modest volume levels.


----------



## Decapitated

laxu said:


> IMO it's not worth it. Poweramp and guitar cab can work great for louder volumes but I don't care for it at home volumes. I feel studio monitors give a better experience at more modest volume levels.


I kept my Axe FX hooked up to my studio monitors as well and have a few patches that are W/D/W which sound amazing. Studio monitors sound great too, but both serve their purpose for me.


----------



## Shask

I have been experimenting with this a lot also with my new FM3. With my old Axe-FX II I always preferred it into a poweramp and cabs. Into studio monitors had that typical mushy/fuzzy thing going on.

With the FM3 into a mixer, then GT1000FX, then a 412 and 212, I have gotten some really good sounds. I always think it sounds cleaner than an actual tube amp, but still really good. However, I do think it always takes a lot of EQing. I have to cut the mids a lot, and low pass it. It always takes much more dramatic EQing than when direct.

The FM3 into Studio Monitors is way better than the Axe II I think. The low end is not as mushy, and has more of that natural ca-chunk to it. However, it still has that sort of "coming from one small place in the room" thing going on you dont get with cabs. I have been messing with running the headphone out into my computer speakers which has the desktop speakers and a sub while the main outs go into my monitors. I try to turn the speakers so I dont really hear them. I think this is helping a lot in adding fullness and that room shaking / vibration thing that makes playing an amp in the room so much more fun. Now I find myself looking at Studio Subwoofers, lol. I am hoping there will be a good Black Friday sale. This is the first time I have ever liked direct sounds though, so I can tell this new generation of Fractal has really improved this use.


----------



## Decapitated

I know one thing is for certain, playing through a real cab has stopped me from going down the “perfect IR” rabbit hole.


----------



## Ben Pinkus

Any EQ'ing tips for the power amp through cab method (obvs will vary but any rules of thumb), lets say a 2x12 with V30's for simplicity. 
I've just got the FM9 and have just about got my preset for my metalcore band, but think some general eq'ing could be improved - particularly at volume and with my F# guitar


----------



## laxu

Ben Pinkus said:


> Any EQ'ing tips for the power amp through cab method (obvs will vary but any rules of thumb), lets say a 2x12 with V30's for simplicity.
> I've just got the FM9 and have just about got my preset for my metalcore band, but think some general eq'ing could be improved - particularly at volume and with my F# guitar


Make sure cab sims are turned off, poweramp sim on vs off might depend on the poweramp you use.

If you keep poweramp sim on, try rolling through the speaker impedance curve settings in the Amp block until you find something you like. This is basically to make the poweramp sim behave like a real poweramp would connected to that particular cab. For example I use a 4x10 cab with 10" Greenbacks. For best results, the JM45 4x10 impedance curve on the Fractal made it behave closest to my real cab. It can have a decided effect on how it all feels to play.


----------



## Decapitated

Ben Pinkus said:


> Any EQ'ing tips for the power amp through cab method (obvs will vary but any rules of thumb), lets say a 2x12 with V30's for simplicity.
> I've just got the FM9 and have just about got my preset for my metalcore band, but think some general eq'ing could be improved - particularly at volume and with my F# guitar


Agree with what was said above. Depending on the amp model, the saturation switch can also affect tone. A multiband compressor can also help with palm mutes.


----------



## Ben Pinkus

laxu said:


> Make sure cab sims are turned off, poweramp sim on vs off might depend on the poweramp you use.
> 
> If you keep poweramp sim on, try rolling through the speaker impedance curve settings in the Amp block until you find something you like. This is basically to make the poweramp sim behave like a real poweramp would connected to that particular cab. For example I use a 4x10 cab with 10" Greenbacks. For best results, the JM45 4x10 impedance curve on the Fractal made it behave closest to my real cab. It can have a decided effect on how it all feels to play.


Thanks, yeah cab sim is off, but poweramp still on for my Powerstage. 

Haven't looked at the impedance curve settings so will take a look!


Decapitated said:


> Agree with what was said above. Depending on the amp model, the saturation switch can also affect tone. A multiband compressor can also help with palm mutes.


I did have a multiband in my original patch, but as I was building the scenes had to remove it, but will see if there's a way for me to shift some stuff around to bring it back in. 
Currently I have a PEQ boost for some pick attack, and a PEQ for a mid boost/bass cut


----------



## Decapitated

Ben Pinkus said:


> Thanks, yeah cab sim is off, but poweramp still on for my Powerstage.
> 
> Haven't looked at the impedance curve settings so will take a look!
> 
> I did have a multiband in my original patch, but as I was building the scenes had to remove it, but will see if there's a way for me to shift some stuff around to bring it back in.
> Currently I have a PEQ boost for some pick attack, and a PEQ for a mid boost/bass cut


Input EQ is also a good tool. I cut the lows depending on amp model. Also, maybe check your global EQ settings for the output you are using.


----------



## laxu

Ben Pinkus said:


> Thanks, yeah cab sim is off, but poweramp still on for my Powerstage.
> 
> Haven't looked at the impedance curve settings so will take a look!


With the Powerstage I would keep poweramp sim on and then try to find a good match for the impedance curve to your cab. Or just one that feels the way you like, that's fine too. The default impedance curve is usually for the "usual" speakers you would pair with an amp model like a 1x12 Jensen curve for Deluxe Reverb.

In global settings you can set the default impedance curve but this works in a stupid and unexpected way. It only gets applied if you change amp models. So for your existing presets to follow this setting you'd need to either change the amp model back and forth and then set your settings again or you would just edit the Amp block and match the impedance curve setting.


----------



## NoodleFace

I actually really like the poweramp + axefx combo, as that's what I use in my band. Of course in a live setting, I think going to FOH is great - but there is a different sound when it's running through a cab and pushing air.

For me since I use the GT1000FX, I put poweramp sim on (5150, 6505, Angle, or Friedman), Cab Sim off (experiment though, it has a different sound). I definitely have to tweak the EQ more for direct vs to a cab though.


----------



## Shask

Yeah, I find I can get a good sound with a SS poweramp and cabs, but it takes more radical EQing. After I get 'my sound' with the amp I will generally use another EQ before the output to the poweramp and cut more mids. With a graphic I will cut 500hz and 1000hz about -5db. If I use a parametric, I will do a general smile curve centered around 700hz or so. I move it around until it sounds good.

I will also use a high cut to lowpass everything below about 6000hz. I just chop off all the high end fizziness. I will also cut off the lows below about 70hz, depending on how much low end smear I am getting. I kind of end up with a "/\/\" curve before the output to the SS poweramp and cabs

It is more dramatic than what I would normally use, but it really seems to help it not sound boxy and fizzy. I dont do this with the cab block and studio monitors.


----------



## Ben Pinkus

^ Awesome thanks for those tips, will give them a go! 
Hoping to get a rehearsal in before my next gig to test everything at volume too


----------



## budda

Cygnus v2 beta4 is live.


----------



## laxu

At this point I just avoid Fractal betas because they tend to release a new one by the time I've updated to the previous one. Interested to hear how it does for the final release though.


----------



## Breeding The Spawn

I love the tones I am getting on the FM3 through my Vader cab in my room, But once I go to rehearsal with a band I am having trouble getting heard or having to balance volume. So my question is where should I keep my level in the amp section and the output knob on the fm3 at? I am using a Ritter GBA 280watt power amp.


----------



## Shask

Breeding The Spawn said:


> I love the tones I am getting on the FM3 through my Vader cab in my room, But once I go to rehearsal with a band I am having trouble getting heard or having to balance volume. So my question is where should I keep my level in the amp section and the output knob on the fm3 at? I am using a Ritter GBA 280watt power amp.


That amp level is super high. If you are sending Out 2 to the amp, make sure you change the settings so that Output 2 is at +4db level.

I made that mistake when I first got my FM3, and wondered why I wasn't getting any volume.


----------



## budda

dial in at the jamspace.


----------



## Breeding The Spawn

Shask said:


> That amp level is super high. If you are sending Out 2 to the amp, make sure you change the settings so that Output 2 is at +4db level.
> 
> I made that mistake when I first got my FM3, and wondered why I wasn't getting any volume.


This is what I have on my screen


----------



## Shask

Breeding The Spawn said:


> This is what I have on my screen


Yeah, Output 2 is at +4db, which is correct. I just don't know why you have the amp level at +20db. Keeping it around 0 should be enough volume. I always have it from around -8db to +2db or so, depending on how high the Master Volume is set. I think I keep the actual knob about half or slightly higher. Maybe you need a larger Poweramp. You can also probably use L+R Sum instead of Stereo on the Output modes if you are not running a stereo poweramp.

Also, your Input Pad is set to 18db. That is probably cutting a lot of signal from your pickups, which is why you gain is cranked. I would change that to 6db or 12db.


----------



## Shask

Breeding The Spawn said:


> This is what I have on my screen


Oh, also your Scene Volume is at -18db, but your amp volume is at +20db. Those two extreme settings are fighting with each other. I would just put both close to zero.


----------



## Breeding The Spawn

Shask said:


> Oh, also your Scene Volume is at -18db, but your amp volume is at +20db. Those two extreme settings are fighting with each other. I would just put both close to zero.


Thanks man, I'll make those changes and see what's up.


----------



## Masoo2

finally got my first pedal in years and wired it up in the loop of my FM3 - a GCI Jugendstil.

it's a fuzz with a blendable dimed HM2 EQ circuit. I haven't enjoyed the fuzzes in the drive section much and there's no HM2 model in the unit (emulated with the RAT + eq with some success) so I thought this would be the best start.

holy shit its ballsy and SO fun to play with. there's a preset on the exchange called Ampeg V4ish and it fits so nicely in the front of that setup.

I would have ran it straight into the main input but I still wanted the option to run the pitch block before the pedal, though that may change if I get around to purchasing a pitch shifting pedal or two (Whammy Ricochet + Drop maybe) and then free up the loop for some atmospheric weirdness.


----------



## budda

@Masoo2 how have you tried the fuzzes? Im no aficionado but I am digging the sounds I have been able to get.


----------



## Lax

Breeding The Spawn said:


> I love the tones I am getting on the FM3 through my Vader cab in my room, But once I go to rehearsal with a band I am having trouble getting heard or having to balance volume. So my question is where should I keep my level in the amp section and the output knob on the fm3 at? I am using a Ritter GBA 280watt power amp.


Maybe you basically a nice to the ears tone at home with lots of lows and highs and average volume... And once at rehearsal place you blast the volume, fletcher Munson fucks your sound that disappears into a flubby mess, because you lack mids to pierce the mix and find your spot. 

So my advice is find the good mid freq and push it until you hear yourself, bonus lower the bass freqs to avoid muddy sound and fighting with the bassist etc...


----------



## budda

Fw21 cygnus-2 is live.


----------



## Kyle Jordan

I'm reading things about a Herbie Mk.3?! Considering the Herbert models are some of my most used, I cannot wait to try the new one out!


----------



## rokket2005

I wish they'd make more distinctions about what gets changed in each beta release. I think I've been on 21.00 beta for a month and a half and from the release notes everything looks more or less the same.


----------



## budda

rokket2005 said:


> I wish they'd make more distinctions about what gets changed in each beta release. I think I've been on 21.00 beta for a month and a half and from the release notes everything looks more or less the same.


Well that means the betas didnt have a ton of issues lol.


----------



## rokket2005

I'd just like to know what's been updated in each. I just looked and I downloaded 21.00b on October 7th, and there were 8 betas prior to final release in that time.


----------



## RevDrucifer

rokket2005 said:


> I'd just like to know what's been updated in each. I just looked and I downloaded 21.00b on October 7th, and there were 8 betas prior to final release in that time.



You’d have to read through the beta threads where Cliff jumps in to discuss those exact things. The Speaker Drive behavior/baseline setting was adjusted a couple times in these betas. You most often see them when someone makes a post trying to get their existing presets to sound the same with a new update and Cliff points out where the target tweaking area is. 

I think a lot of it is code tweaks or tweaks to the algorithm that would only make sense to someone working with the code and I’m not surprised he doesn’t speak about that stuff publicly because the algorithm is the Coke recipe of Fractal. 

There’s been a few times he’s had to buy a pedal or an amp because the one he already had wasn’t working right, he went through two Darkglass BK7’s and I think he just bought another Herbie as a result of people not digging what was going on with one of the beta’s. That stuff doesn’t get mentioned in the first page list, but will get brought up in the thread.


----------



## Breeding The Spawn

I got my volume balancing issues figured out, and while searching for more tips on using the FM3 with a Power Amp and Cab I found Leon Todd's video about finding this low resonant frequency to match your cab very helpful. I don't know if I did it correctly but it sounds incredible at stage volume, all I had to do was turn down the low frequency in the speaker page down to 40hz.


----------



## laxu

Breeding The Spawn said:


> I got my volume balancing issues figured out, and while searching for more tips on using the FM3 with a Power Amp and Cab I found Leon Todd's video about finding this low resonant frequency to match your cab very helpful. I don't know if I did it correctly but it sounds incredible at stage volume, all I had to do was turn down the low frequency in the speaker page down to 40hz.


Try the different speaker impedance curve options instead. That was far more intuitive than trying to figure this stuff out by ear.


----------



## Shask

Breeding The Spawn said:


> I got my volume balancing issues figured out, and while searching for more tips on using the FM3 with a Power Amp and Cab I found Leon Todd's video about finding this low resonant frequency to match your cab very helpful. I don't know if I did it correctly but it sounds incredible at stage volume, all I had to do was turn down the low frequency in the speaker page down to 40hz.


40hz is extremely low. Most of them should be from about 80 to 120 or so. Somewhere in that range.


----------



## Lax

NOTE: You MUST perform a Refresh After Firmware Update if using Axe-Edit and you were using one of the 21.00 betas prior to this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Axe-Fx III Firmware Release Notes

21.00

New “Cygnus X-2” amp modeling:

Improved Amp block output transformer algorithm. New algorithm more accurately models B-H curve resulting in a clearer low end. New algorithm now also accounts for effect of speaker impedance on transformer response.
Improved power tube modeling. This yields better dynamics, improved low frequency accuracy and more accurate interaction with output transformer.
Improved cathode follower algorithm. Provides more accurate “cleanup” when volume is rolled off.
Improved triode algorithm more accurately models plate bypass capacitors.
Improved dynamic frequency response accuracy. This yields more “crunch” and less “fizz” with high gain tones, especially for detuned styles.
Various other improvements.
All amp models have been updated as a result of the aforementioned improvements.
The default values of various parameters have been updated. Existing presets are automatically updated to the new values upon load.

Improved Drive block modeling to more accurately model effects of op-amp finite open-loop gain and GBW product.

Added “Griddle Cake” Drive model based on a Crowther Hot Cake. The “XLF” switch on the pedal can be replicated by turning the Bass Response knob fully CW.

Added “Overdrive Volume” parameter to Dumble-type amp models (ODS-100, Two Stone, etc.). This is sometimes labeled “Ratio” or “Lead Master”. As the Master Volume on these amps often has a bright capacitor the Overdrive Volume control allows setting the Master Volume higher to counteract the bright cap and then lowering the power amp drive with the Volume.

Added “Plate Suppressor Diodes” parameter. This value is set automatically when the amp model is chosen but the user can override the default setting. Most amps do not have suppressor diodes but some do (e.g., Trainwreck Express). These diodes (also called “snubber” or “flyback” diodes) prevent undershoot on the power tube plates due to inductive kick and reduce upper harmonics thereby reducing “fizz”.

The Ideal amp controls have been updated.

Added Brit Studio 20 Amp model based on a Marshall SV20H.

Added Plexi 50W 6CA7 Jumped Amp model. This is simply the jumped version of the Plexi 50W 6CA7.

Added features to the IR Capture Utility. The manual will be updated with the relevant information.

Renamed USA Clean to USA Rhythm 1 to be more in line with actual amp.

Reduced CPU usage in some cases.

Changed tone stack tapers for Class-A 30W TB to vintage specs.

Fixed wrong capacitor value in USA JP IIC+ models when Presence Shift is off.

Fixed wrong coupling capacitor value in 1959SLP Treble, 1959SLP Jumped and 1987x Treble amp models.

Fixed wrong resistor value in tone stack of Solo 88 Rhythm and Lead models. Probably not audible though.

Fixed low frequency behavior of Recto2 models due to loss of precision.

Fixed wrong treble pot taper in CA3+ models.

Fixed wrong capacitor value in Friedman HBE V1 Fat model.

Fixed wrong resistor value in AC-20 12AX7 models.

Fixed wrong Depth knob taper in Archean models.

Fixed wrong capacitor value and wrong feedback network connection in Energyball model.

Fixed missing resistor in Euro Uber tone stack.

Fixed High Mid control in Drive block set to minimum when importing presets created prior to 19.01.

Various other fixes and improvements.


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## RevDrucifer

I kept up with most of the betas for this round, which isn’t something I normally do. I was waiting for the final FW to come out before starting the final tracking on some stuff I’m working on. 

Little clip of my dual amp preset, it’s a Dual Rec and a IIC++, I pan each amp hard left/right via the cab block, then when I go for the double track (what I’m doing here) I reverse the panning of the cabs so I get each amp on each side. 

Couldn’t get the video to sync up with the audio, it’s off by just enough to annoy the shit out of me and I figured it out after, but whatever.


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## NoodleFace

I've heard Miles Baker uses an Axe FX. I tried to buy his amp packs but I have a feeling his website isn't maintained and I just got scammed out of $10... so...

Anyone know which amp model might be best to try to achieve his tone here? It sounds pretty killer.


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## RevDrucifer

NoodleFace said:


> I've heard Miles Baker uses an Axe FX. I tried to buy his amp packs but I have a feeling his website isn't maintained and I just got scammed out of $10... so...
> 
> Anyone know which amp model might be best to try to achieve his tone here? It sounds pretty killer.




I’m only listening on an ipad, but the first thing that popped in my head was the FAS Modern amps, they’re Cliff’s take on the ‘ultimate’ modern high gain amp.


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## NoodleFace

RevDrucifer said:


> I’m only listening on an ipad, but the first thing that popped in my head was the FAS Modern amps, they’re Cliff’s take on the ‘ultimate’ modern high gain amp.


Thanks - I'll check it out. In some video he said he was using DAS Metal but I find that thing super unwieldy


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## RevDrucifer

NoodleFace said:


> Thanks - I'll check it out. In some video he said he was using DAS Metal but I find that thing super unwieldy



I think that’s a Diezel head? I can’t remember anymore. I have FAS Modern III set up for Fear Factory songs, no boost or anything, just an amp/gate/cab and I barely need the gate because it’s stupid tight, no boost because the response is immediate. 

And if you don’t have York Audio’s DV77 pack yet, snag that bastard because it’s a GREAT IR pack for heavy tones.


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## NoodleFace

RevDrucifer said:


> I think that’s a Diezel head? I can’t remember anymore. I have FAS Modern III set up for Fear Factory songs, no boost or anything, just an amp/gate/cab and I barely need the gate because it’s stupid tight, no boost because the response is immediate.
> 
> And if you don’t have York Audio’s DV77 pack yet, snag that bastard because it’s a GREAT IR pack for heavy tones.


I have about a million IR packs but I'm going to have to check on that. Thanks!


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## NoodleFace

Miles sent me the amps, not sure if he read my post but thanks!


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## Breeding The Spawn

So I just downloaded the newest Firmware 6, did the Firmware refresh and it seems like all my presets are really bassy and something has changed I just can't tell what it is. I'm going to have to spend time again fixing every preset all over again.


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## Atefred

Breeding The Spawn said:


> So I just downloaded the newest Firmware 6, did the Firmware refresh and it seems like all my presets are really bassy and something has changed I just can't tell what it is. I'm going to have to spend time again fixing every preset all over again.


Yeah I just upgraded too, and ootb everything sounds bassy, muted and pretty meh...


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## RevDrucifer

That’s a bit odd since this update tightened up the low end and was primarily focused on that. 

I don’t have time to dig for it now, but the areas to tweak to get back to your tones pre-update are listed on the FAS forum in a couple different spots, in the update threads. 

I think he put the Speaker Drive back to it’s original setting/behavior, but I stopped paying attention to the beta threads after downloading a couple of them. That was a big one making things sound a bit shitty.

I’ve had to adjust some presets but not all of them, mostly the high gain ones. Overall, while there’s some adjustment periods after these bigger FW updates, the amount of time it takes to hit the end goal is shortened each time Cliff comes up with a new FW. The end result is pretty much the same, it just takes me a lot less time to get there and with this one, I’m not even leaving the Tone page anymore, as where I used to hit up the Ideal page and tweak the Impedance Curves quite a bit.


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## budda

Read the release notes.


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## Atefred

interesting, without spending lots of time, I couldn't figure out how to make my existing presets sound good. Making new ones from scratch though sounds awesome. So I guess that's the way to go (also lots of fun experimenting again...)


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## Breeding The Spawn

Atefred said:


> interesting, without spending lots of time, I couldn't figure out how to make my existing presets sound good. Making new ones from scratch though sounds awesome. So I guess that's the way to go (also lots of fun experimenting again...)


I just deleted all my live presets, for some reason I can quickly build a preset for recording that I like but when it comes to building one for my Cab it's so difficult. Mostly when I turn up to stage volume It gets way too harsh. I'm starting all over again from scratch too.


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## budda

Breeding The Spawn said:


> I just deleted all my live presets, for some reason I can quickly build a preset for recording that I like but when it comes to building one for my Cab it's so difficult. Mostly when I turn up to stage volume It gets way too harsh. I'm starting all over again from scratch too.


Too harsh is usually a gain+treble+presence problem. Try less of those 3?


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## RevDrucifer

Breeding The Spawn said:


> So I just downloaded the newest Firmware 6, did the Firmware refresh and it seems like all my presets are really bassy and something has changed I just can't tell what it is. I'm going to have to spend time again fixing every preset all over again.





Atefred said:


> Yeah I just upgraded too, and ootb everything sounds bassy, muted and pretty meh...



This is the list of parameters that got tweaked, it doesn’t list in what way they were tweaked, but getting back to your original tones should be achieved by tweaking these-

Preamp Bias
Transformer LF
Transformer HF
Transformer Drive
Low Cut Freq
Hi Cut Freq
Triode 1 Plate Freq
Triode 2 Plate Freq
Negative Feedback
Power Tube Grid Bias
All Cathode Follower Params
Excursion Time
Recovery Time
MV Cap Value

Personally, I didn’t bother getting that far into it. For the most part I was just adding some treble and bass back in, as well as lowering the MV on a few. No IR changes or anything, just subtle tweaks. 

The MV is really, really touchy, for high gain stuff I rarely have it above 2.5 because it introduces power amp distortion really quickly and makes things sound shitty unless it’s a Plexi, Bassman, JTM45 kind of amp.


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## TedEH

I updated my FM3 to latest a couple days ago and..... didn't notice much difference, to be honest. I think maybe one patch using a Dizzy model is darker than I remember, but I could be imagining it.


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## NoodleFace

Fas Brootalz I was avoiding because of the name... but goddamn that amp is nuts. I know it was a bit of an accident, but I made some tones from it and finally felt like I made something nice. Then made some 5153 patches thaat are pretty solid too if I want something a little less stiff.


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## Elric

NoodleFace said:


> Fas Brootalz I was avoiding because of the name... but goddamn that amp is nuts. I know it was a bit of an accident, but I made some tones from it and finally felt like I made something nice. Then made some 5153 patches thaat are pretty solid too if I want something a little less stiff.


Along the same lines, I am kind of into Modded Marshall sounds and find the 'FAS Hot Rod' to be one of the best in the box lately. Have been using it a lot lately...

I tend to overlook the FAS models because I am pretty familiar with a lot of the IRL amps being modeled and based on what I am shooting for tend to pick an amp model that corresponds to the real amp I would reach for; but a lot of the virtual world only FAS models are awesome. 

You could really use just those and be fine... they have a lot of variants that cover a lot of bases and they really are well done across the board, it seems.


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## Breeding The Spawn

I'm only having some trouble building presets for my cab (2x12 Vader Eminence Legends) Poweramp is a Ritter GBA280, for recording it's a breeze, no issues there.
I started all over again with all the stock parameters and going from there.


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## Shask

RevDrucifer said:


> The MV is really, really touchy, for high gain stuff I rarely have it above 2.5 because it introduces power amp distortion really quickly and makes things sound shitty unless it’s a Plexi, Bassman, JTM45 kind of amp.


On my Axe II I started messing with the Master a lot and got some of the best sounds in years, and sparked me buying a FM3. Somewhere along the last 5 years or so they really changed that algorithm and I also find I usually don't like it over about 2. The funny thing is I started experimenting with this because I bought a loadbox and noticed the same thing with my actual tube amps, lol.


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## Kyle Jordan

Shask said:


> On my Axe II I started messing with the Master a lot and got some of the best sounds in years, and sparked me buying a FM3. Somewhere along the last 5 years or so they really changed that algorithm and I also find I usually don't like it over about 2. The funny thing is I started experimenting with this because I bought a loadbox and noticed the same thing with my actual tube amps, lol.



That’s part of the reason I wish there more high power amps in the Axe like a Triple Rectifier, Mesa Coliseum heads (or a Triaxis with the Bass 400 poweramp section), Deliverance 120/Ultra Lead, SSS 150, Marshall Major, etc. 

Those have a fairly wide sweet spot where the poweramp is working, but not distorting. Still huge and clear sounding.


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## Breeding The Spawn

Stupid question here, on the FM3 Edit menu, the "show available devices" the "Test" and "Scan" does that erase anything? I think I might have erased all the third party IR's that I had on there...Stupid move on my part.

Edit: NVM I got it all back! I really shouldn't drink and edit presets haha


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## NoodleFace

Those sweet patches I made sounded like shit in the band mix.. had to EQ on the fly. I hate the Axe FX 2 front panel, although I know they did what they had to do. It makes sense once you know it, but it isn't intuitive.


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## laxu

NoodleFace said:


> Those sweet patches I made sounded like shit in the band mix.. had to EQ on the fly. I hate the Axe FX 2 front panel, although I know they did what they had to do. It makes sense once you know it, but it isn't intuitive.


Yeah I always hated having to do that with the Axe-Fx 2. The current gen Fractal is at least more user friendly from the front panel. If only a bit.


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## NoodleFace

laxu said:


> Yeah I always hated having to do that with the Axe-Fx 2. The current gen Fractal is at least more user friendly from the front panel. If only a bit.


One day I may upgrade, I really like the platform.


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## budda

Kyle Jordan said:


> That’s part of the reason I wish there more high power amps in the Axe like a Triple Rectifier, Mesa Coliseum heads (or a Triaxis with the Bass 400 poweramp section), Deliverance 120/Ultra Lead, SSS 150, Marshall Major, etc.
> 
> Those have a fairly wide sweet spot where the poweramp is working, but not distorting. Still huge and clear sounding.


Go bump my wish thread then .

In the mean time, experiment with swapping tone stacks in the bass amps.


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## dmlinger

Hoping someone can give some advise on a setup question I'm having a hard time figuring out.

My daily playing rig is Axe Fx II > Matrix Power Amp > Guitar Cab
I have cab sims turned off and power amp sim on for this setup.

I finally picked up a pair of studio monitors to do some recording. I want to be able to play my setup through the Matrix and cab for daily playing, and then be able to switch to the monitors without having to do too much work turning cab sims on/off or unplugging Output 1 from the power amp and into the monitors. 

Are there any solutions for this?


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## Elric

budda said:


> Go bump my wish thread then .
> 
> In the mean time, experiment with swapping tone stacks in the bass amps.


Seems like there should be some 'deep edit' that would turn an existing amp model into a higher wattage version. That seems like the type of thing where Cliff is gonna respond with something like "You don't need a Triple Rec, just select the dual rect and then do <magic deep edit stuff> and it is essentially the same"


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## NoodleFace

dmlinger said:


> Hoping someone can give some advise on a setup question I'm having a hard time figuring out.
> 
> My daily playing rig is Axe Fx II > Matrix Power Amp > Guitar Cab
> I have cab sims turned off and power amp sim on for this setup.
> 
> I finally picked up a pair of studio monitors to do some recording. I want to be able to play my setup through the Matrix and cab for daily playing, and then be able to switch to the monitors without having to do too much work turning cab sims on/off or unplugging Output 1 from the power amp and into the monitors.
> 
> Are there any solutions for this?


Leave cab sims on, have a separate signal go to output 2 bypassing the cab block?


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## budda

Elric said:


> Seems like there should be some 'deep edit' that would turn an existing amp model into a higher wattage version. That seems like the type of thing where Cliff is gonna respond with something like "You don't need a Triple Rec, just select the dual rect and then do <magic deep edit stuff> and it is essentially the same"


I wonder if he’s said this already now that you mention it.


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## Shask

dmlinger said:


> Hoping someone can give some advise on a setup question I'm having a hard time figuring out.
> 
> My daily playing rig is Axe Fx II > Matrix Power Amp > Guitar Cab
> I have cab sims turned off and power amp sim on for this setup.
> 
> I finally picked up a pair of studio monitors to do some recording. I want to be able to play my setup through the Matrix and cab for daily playing, and then be able to switch to the monitors without having to do too much work turning cab sims on/off or unplugging Output 1 from the power amp and into the monitors.
> 
> Are there any solutions for this?


Output 1 to the monitors with a cab block. Split the signal before the cab block to an EQ and then to Output 2, which you plug into your Poweramp and cab. 

Almost all of my presets are set up this way.


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## dmlinger

Shask said:


> Output 1 to the monitors with a cab block. Split the signal before the cab block to an EQ and then to Output 2, which you plug into your Poweramp and cab.
> 
> Almost all of my presets are set up this way.


Thank you! I’ll give it a go


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## Kyle Jordan

Elric said:


> Seems like there should be some 'deep edit' that would turn an existing amp model into a higher wattage version. That seems like the type of thing where Cliff is gonna respond with something like "You don't need a Triple Rec, just select the dual rect and then do <magic deep edit stuff> and it is essentially the same"



You can do a fair amount to mimic higher power amps using the Power Tube Hardness, Xformer Match & Drive, and some of the other advanced power amp and speaker controls. 

I'm not sure it's quite the same, but those are generally what I play around with.


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## profwoot

Is Austin Buddy the best set of highly-tweaked usable presets? I'm still in early stages with my FM3 but so far it seems the early factory presets are very basic demos of each amp and the later ones are extremely specific drenched recreations of that one ambient interlude at x:xx time of that one 70s song.


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## Elric

profwoot said:


> Is Austin Buddy the best set of highly-tweaked usable presets? I'm still in early stages with my FM3 but so far it seems the early factory presets are very basic demos of each amp and the later ones are extremely specific drenched recreations of that one ambient interlude at x:xx time of that one 70s song.


I think Austin Buddy’s presets absolutely suck. TBH. Complete waste for me; people were talking them up so hard on the forum… I ended up springing for them, they felt like just more factory presets… Absolutely uninspiring... Presets are like that, though. A lot of people would tell you the polar opposite.

My advice would be don’t buy a bunch of presets to start. Dial your own stuff. It’s hardly difficult. There are bunch of free ones on the forum to check out too.

Also immediately, go check out the Fractal gift of tone series where they are giving away a bunch of presets from Artists and well known Preset authors and see if anything agrees with your tastes.

Some folks stuff will be more agreeable to you than others. For example, Fremen’s stuff has always agreed highly with my tastes and rig… But most others, I just end up tearing out individual blocks and building my own or picking up ideas from their layouts, use of controllers, etc…

In general, the ones you do yourself are gonna be best. Examples are cool… in general dialing FX etc takes some time to learn.


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## ExMachina

putnut77 said:


> This is apparently the latest rendition of his rig. Axe FX III.
> 
> No Presets but he says HBE model, with york audio IR's. Which are currently on sale. Mesa Oversize with V30's. Tons of chorus.






Elric said:


> Seems like there should be some 'deep edit' that would turn an existing amp model into a higher wattage version. That seems like the type of thing where Cliff is gonna respond with something like "You don't need a Triple Rec, just select the dual rect and then do <magic deep edit stuff> and it is essentially the same"


I'm not sure this buys you anything in the axe tbh. Unless the circuits are changing significantly I'd guess a higher wattage version would just mean more head room, but since we always have a master volume it's not really relevant.


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## Deadpool_25

profwoot said:


> Is Austin Buddy the best set of highly-tweaked usable presets? I'm still in early stages with my FM3 but so far it seems the early factory presets are very basic demos of each amp and the later ones are extremely specific drenched recreations of that one ambient interlude at x:xx time of that one 70s song.


The early presets are definitely designed to showcase different amp models. However, don't forget to switch scenes in each preset and also try going into the effects pages and turning on various effects. 

I find that a huge help is to find some block I really like in a preset and save it to the block library. Then, touching on what @Elric said, build your own presets using those blocks.


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