# Fractal Axe-Fx



## Josh Lawson (Jul 17, 2008)

So I've seen this processor on the Fractal website. It appears to be a very high end preamp modeling preamp/processor. So has anyone in here owned one or know anything more about this product?


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## ohio_eric (Jul 17, 2008)

Christopher and jacksonplayer both own one and seem very happy with it. jacksonplayer even cut his CD with his. I wouldn't mind owning one myself.


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## sakeido (Jul 17, 2008)

On this forum, Enditol (lead guitarist in Divinity) and Tymon (guitarist in Cynic) both have them as well. Enditol uses his for effects only, and it replaced an Eventide Eclipse. He hasn't looked back. Tymon and the other guy from Cynic are using theirs 100% on tour and cut a lot of tracks on the album with them. 
They sound absolutely fantastic! Have you listened to the clips on the Axe FX forum yet?


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 17, 2008)

sakeido said:


> On this forum, Enditol (lead guitarist in Divinity) and Tymon (guitarist in Cynic) both have them as well. Enditol uses his for effects only, and it replaced an Eventide Eclipse. He hasn't looked back. Tymon and the other guy from Cynic are using theirs 100% on tour and cut a lot of tracks on the album with them.
> They sound absolutely fantastic! Have you listened to the clips on the Axe FX forum yet?


For 2 grand these thing had better be good!!


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## sakeido (Jul 18, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> For 2 grand these thing had better be good!!



they are really, really, really good. And they are updated all the time too. When I first looked into them about a year ago, the modeling was pretty poor, but now they sound great. Still a little digital, but they are way, way ahead of anything Line6 or Digitech has done, and the effects are on par with the Eventide Eclipse (and those things are REALLY expensive). Listen to clips! You will be sold on one very quickly, I think.


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## loktide (Jul 18, 2008)

omg, GAS!


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## John_Strychnine (Jul 18, 2008)

The other guitarist in the band (Acle le TesseracT) has one. It's probably the best sounding piece of effects/modelling i've heard! 

Can't wait to get one myself.


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## Splees (Jul 18, 2008)

The sounds that can be heard from those units are amazing. Every couple of months I think about selling most of my stuff off to get one.


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## Salvation (Jul 18, 2008)

I was allowed to spend a week with one through my guitar teacher.
It is easily one of the best pieces of gear that you will spend your money on...

There are just a ridiculous amount of features to the Axe Fx that make it incredible.
The modeling is near perfect, allowing you to sound just like, or even better than almost any amplifier that exists, even if the amp itself isn't in one of the presets.
The effects are at least as good as the best eventides/ TC electronics/ Lexicon effects (including the harmonizer!).
Midi = Epic Win
Things that would cost thousands upon thousands of dollars, such as employing effects after the amplifier itself (after both preamp and poweramp stage) is done internally and done with extremely high fidelity (if that makes sense)

The list goes on and on and on. It's the next piece of gear of 1k that I am picking up for sure. And btw if you get on the waiting list, you will be given a discount so it will be about 1400 for the regular version when you are able to buy it.


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## Christopher (Jul 18, 2008)

Yep, I own one. I bought one very early in production after hearing about it on Huge Racks Inc. to replace my Vetta II. I was completely blown away. 

I went to the Vetta in the first place because the bulk of my playing is in low volume situations and I needed EXTREME versatility. I hated the feel of it and it sounded fake to me but it was better than lugging multiple tube heads to a gig and not getting to crank them up.

I've since started doing loud friendlier gigs and I'm still not going back to tubes. I don't miss my Rectos, Mark IV's, Triaxis, Randall MTS, Triple XXX, 5150, etc.

I always laugh when I hear people complain about it's price because of what it is capable of replacing in a rig. When you start adding up what I've actually got into my current rig, I spent much more on many of the rigs in the past.


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## Used666 (Jul 18, 2008)

Another owner here. Ive only had it about a month or so but i cant say enough about it. It may sound like theres an echo in the room but these guys are all right in what they've said so far. It has unmatched modeling/routing and tone shaping capabilities.

A few key points of it :

-Models amps/cabs/mics/effects, most of which are stereo and can be routed pre or post
-Accepts IR's 
-Amazing quality

I too was a tube guy and have since sworn off that i wont need to buy another tube amp out of necessity now because the axe fx goes above and beyond any amp that ive previously owned (ive owned some VERY high end stuff and was a long time mesa guy : Mesa roadking/stiletto/dual recto/rectoverb, Peavey : JSX/Windsor, Carvin : V3/Legacy)


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## megalex (Jul 18, 2008)

how are the high gain sounds? anything ENGL ish?


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## Christopher (Jul 18, 2008)

megalex said:


> how are the high gain sounds? anything ENGL ish?



There is a Powerball model in the Axe Fx. The thing is, you can get almost any out there on the Axe Fx because of the depth of tweaking available. You can virtually go in and "mod" an existing amp model to make another. In fact you can pretty much create amps that don't exist yet.


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## megalex (Jul 18, 2008)

ok thats it im getting one too..


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## djpharoah (Jul 18, 2008)

This stuff sounds great - but where can you get some nice metal clips of it in use? I tried youtube but almost everyone is doing a U2 cover with it.


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## megalex (Jul 18, 2008)

djpharoah said:


> This stuff sounds great - but where can you get some nice metal clips of it in use? I tried youtube but almost everyone is doing a U2 cover with it.



LOL yeah seems to be very famous for U2 covers which is scary.. hehe


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## Drew (Jul 18, 2008)

$2k is in line with a very nice tube head - if it's any good it's worth it, I guess.


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 18, 2008)

Christopher said:


> There is a Powerball model in the Axe Fx. The thing is, you can get almost any out there on the Axe Fx because of the depth of tweaking available. You can virtually go in and "mod" an existing amp model to make another. In fact you can pretty much create amps that don't exist yet.


This might seem like a series of stupid questions but what would is the preferred rig to run after this pre? A tube or SS power amp? FRFR? Is this thing mostly geared for a one piece recording solution? Direct into the PA?


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## Used666 (Jul 18, 2008)

djpharoah said:


> This stuff sounds great - but where can you get some nice metal clips of it in use? I tried youtube but almost everyone is doing a U2 cover with it.



http://www2.hku.nl/~tymon/mp3/Tymon - Moody Axe Metal.mp3

Axe-FX :: View Forum - Axe-FX Recordings


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## megalex (Jul 18, 2008)

HOLLY SHIT !! HOLLY SHIT>> THAT SOUNDS FUCKING INSANE . 



Josh Lawson said:


> This might seem like a series of stupid questions but what would is the preferred rig to run after this pre? A tube or SS power amp? FRFR? Is this thing mostly geared for a one piece recording solution? Direct into the PA?




Same question over here.. If it already models power amps and speaker cabs.. should i just get a cheap solid state amp?


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jul 18, 2008)

Used666 said:


> http://www2.hku.nl/~tymon/mp3/Tymon - Moody Axe Metal.mp3


 
 :eargasm: THAT SOUNDS FUCKING AMAZING!!!!


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## The Dark Wolf (Jul 18, 2008)

Wow. That does sound amazing. Doesn't sound like modelling at all, to me.


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## Used666 (Jul 18, 2008)

Heres another 

http://www2.hku.nl/~tymon/axe/PolyAxe.mp3

(not me btw)

Tymon=Guitarist for Cynic as far as i know


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## Salvation (Jul 18, 2008)

megalex said:


> HOLLY SHIT !! HOLLY SHIT>> THAT SOUNDS FUCKING INSANE .
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Whatever you do, do NOT get a cheap solid state amp to go with the Axe Fx, it will ruin its nuances and tonal qualities. 

There are plenty of configurations for the Axe. The regular preamp - poweramp - cabinet, is a nice one if you've got a nice poweramp and cabinet (plus if you feel there is ANY sterile-ness in the Axe at all, which you shouldn't if you are using it properly, a tubed poweramp and cabinet remedy it fairly well). I recommend something like an atomic reactor combo for this, but you can use whatever you like. Make sure when you do this though you turn the cabinet models OFF, from there you get the beef from your poweramp and cab rather than the axe itself.


However, if you want NO coloration, then run it through a PA or HIFI system, or some sort of FRFR amplifier like a keyboard amplifier. My mentor runs it solely through the PA at his venues and it sounds amazing that way.


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 18, 2008)

Now guys, don't take this the wrong way, but does anyone else smell a hint of Digitech all over this product? Who is Fractal? Where did they come from? I'd be amazed if there is not a connection between Harmon and Fractal, somewhere...on some level. Not that this is a bad thing, and I'm really not trying to start a flame war, just a paranoid hunch, I guess.


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## technomancer (Jul 18, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> Now guys, don't take this the wrong way, but does anyone else smell a hint of Digitech all over this product? Who is Fractal? Where did they come from? I'd be amazed if there is not a connection between Harmon and Fractal, somewhere...on some level. Not that this is a bad thing, and I'm really not trying to start a flame war, just a paranoid hunch, I guess.



Smells more like bullshit to me...


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## Used666 (Jul 19, 2008)

Ya i dont even distantly see a possible connection......


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## Spinedriver (Jul 19, 2008)

I'd say that if there was some kind of connection, there wouldn't be a 4 month or so waiting list to get one. (I've heard more than a few times that if you want a brand new one, it can take up to a few months to get one because of the backlog).

I seem to recall on the Fractal webpage that it's just a guy who saw what direction all the other major companies (Line 6, Digitech, etc..) were headed with their modeling technology and he said 'all they have to do is this'... and he built the Axe-Fx, leaving all of the others in the dust as far as quality goes. Granted it costs more than twice what a Pod X3 Pro goes for but as many have said, the effects on this are even better than the Eventide processors so if you want the best, you're gonna have to pay for it.


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## Zepp88 (Jul 19, 2008)

I've been reading up on the AxeFx a lot lately and it seems interesting, but as a bit of a tube snob I'm skeptical. I'm gonna listen to those clips when I get home.

If there was a Digitech connection don't you think that Digitech would have just bought them out and hired the team to design and release it under the Digitech brand? That idea doesn't make sense to me.

I've read all of the stuff on the website and everything in the manual, and the method they use does make a lot of sense. I've also seen recently how good amp emulation has gotten from hearing ReValver III which shocked me and my co-guitarist Nate.

Besides Cynic is anyone else in a major band using it?

Line6 has gotten very close with the SpiderValve, but it still sounds like a Line6, and with the AxeFx apparently being worlds above them I find this very interesting. 

About the wait times, looks like the backup has been cleared on the regular models, but there's still a 2 to 4 week wait on the Ultra version.


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## Used666 (Jul 19, 2008)

Zepp88 said:


> I've been reading up on the AxeFx a lot lately and it seems interesting, but as a bit of a tube snob I'm skeptical. I'm gonna listen to those clips when I get home.
> 
> If there was a Digitech connection don't you think that Digitech would have just bought them out and hired the team to design and release it under the Digitech brand? That idea doesn't make sense to me.
> 
> ...




I gotta be honest, try an axe fx and you'll see exactly how close they really got which in this case isnt close at all.


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## Zepp88 (Jul 19, 2008)

Used666 said:


> http://www2.hku.nl/~tymon/mp3/Tymon - Moody Axe Metal.mp3
> 
> Axe-FX :: View Forum - Axe-FX Recordings



Holy fucking shit.

That is unbelievable.


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## Christopher (Jul 19, 2008)

megalex said:


> LOL yeah seems to be very famous for U2 covers which is scary.. hehe



U2 guys seem to be attracted to the AF because it does so many fx in one box. I'm not a big Edge fan myself but apparently his tone and fx use is pretty respected.


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## Christopher (Jul 19, 2008)

Drew said:


> $2k is in line with a very nice tube head - if it's any good it's worth it, I guess.



What you have to remember here is that the effects alone in this thing are on par with an Eventide Eclipse or a TC G Force which are both what $1500?

Basically what you get with the AF is a monster processor plus the best amp modeling I've ever seen / heard / used for a little more than the Eclipse or G Force.

IMHO, the modeling itself is worth the price alone. I hear people complain about the price but when you break it down it's not bad at all.

My last rig was a Vetta II head ($1700 new), and an FBV ($300 new). I went with the Axe Fx thinking that even if the modeling was even on par with the Vetta that the fx upgrade would be worth it for sure. The modeling is so much better it's not even on the same level. I don't even think of it as a modeler anymore.

My second favorite live rig ever was a Mesa Mark IV ($1200 used), a Mesa Rectoverb ($800 used), a TC G Major ($250 used) into a Mesa Recto Cab ($800) new with a Midi Mate out front doing the control ($100 used).

I'm using the same cab and controller but I replaced that monstrosity with my Axe Fx ($1500) and a Carvin DCM 600 ($225). I don't miss it at all.

Hell my Triaxis / 2:90 / G Major rig cost a lot more too and the Axe kills that rig.


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## Christopher (Jul 19, 2008)

Salvation said:


> Whatever you do, do NOT get a cheap solid state amp to go with the Axe Fx, it will ruin its nuances and tonal qualities.
> 
> There are plenty of configurations for the Axe. The regular preamp - poweramp - cabinet, is a nice one if you've got a nice poweramp and cabinet (plus if you feel there is ANY sterile-ness in the Axe at all, which you shouldn't if you are using it properly, a tubed poweramp and cabinet remedy it fairly well). I recommend something like an atomic reactor combo for this, but you can use whatever you like. Make sure when you do this though you turn the cabinet models OFF, from there you get the beef from your poweramp and cab rather than the axe itself.
> 
> ...



I started out with a Peavey Classic 50/50 and loved it for a year. A few months ago I switched out to a Carvin DCM 600 and it actually sounds better. It has all the same vibe and 3d mojo to it but it's consistent as hell now.


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## Christopher (Jul 19, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> Now guys, don't take this the wrong way, but does anyone else smell a hint of Digitech all over this product? Who is Fractal? Where did they come from? I'd be amazed if there is not a connection between Harmon and Fractal, somewhere...on some level. Not that this is a bad thing, and I'm really not trying to start a flame war, just a paranoid hunch, I guess.



Cliff has absolutely nothing to do with Digitech or any other company. There's rumors that he's developing a product with Atomic but other than that he's independent. It's a very small company and I've been around since nearly the beginning of it. The whole reason there was a waiting list was that the company was so small and the owner / developer Cliff absolutely refuses to cut corners on quality and so he'd often have to wait for parts from different distributors.

The guy is insane about customer service too. He update the firmwares constantly and is seen regularly on the forum answering questions and working on feature requests. His company is the exact opposite of the big faceless corp.


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## Christopher (Jul 19, 2008)

Okay one more post and I'm done...

A lot of guys are using this with FRFR rigs and for direct recording with great results but I love mine the most with a power amp and cab. I can still coax better tones using it as a pre amp / processor than as a direct tool and that's the way I used it.

I do on occasion run a split signal with cab and mic sims going direct to board live and cab and mic sims off to my real amp and cab instead of micing it and it sounds pretty cool. I love that feature when I know I'm going to need to turn up my amp onstage for the usual volume war without screwing up my FOH feed.


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 19, 2008)

Christopher said:


> Cliff has absolutely nothing to do with Digitech or any other company. There's rumors that he's developing a product with Atomic but other than that he's independent. It's a very small company and I've been around since nearly the beginning of it. The whole reason there was a waiting list was that the company was so small and the owner / developer Cliff absolutely refuses to cut corners on quality and so he'd often have to wait for parts from different distributors.
> 
> The guy is insane about customer service too. He update the firmwares constantly and is seen regularly on the forum answering questions and working on feature requests. His company is the exact opposite of the big faceless corp.



This is good to read. I wondered how he got the venture capital to start a company like this. That is Why I posted the "DigiTech" theory. That and the fact that they look a bit like 2101s looked in the early '90s. When something comes out of "nowhere" like this, it makes me wonder, but like I said, I am really glad to here Fractal is independent and not affiliated to DigiTech at all, in anyway. Thanks for clearing all of this up.


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## Used666 (Jul 19, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> This is good to read. *I wondered how he got the venture capital to start a company like this. *That is Why I posted the "DigiTech" theory. That and the fact that they look a bit like 2101s looked in the early '90s. When something comes out of "nowhere" like this, it makes me wonder, but like I said, I am really glad to here Fractal is independent and not affiliated to DigiTech at all, in anyway. Thanks for clearing all of this up.



http://www.musicgearsource.com/fractal.html

An interview where he states that hes been an electrical engineer for over 20 years. They make some good dough in that field of work. I also read that hes worked for the military.


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## megalex (Jul 19, 2008)

Christopher said:


> I started out with a Peavey Classic 50/50 and loved it for a year. A few months ago I switched out to a Carvin DCM 600 and it actually sounds better. It has all the same vibe and 3d mojo to it but it's consistent as hell now.



So you recomend get a solid state like the Carvin?? does it give you good bottom end? do you use the power amp modeling on the Axe FX ? or you turn off both Cab and power modeling ?


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## Christopher (Jul 19, 2008)

megalex said:


> So you recomend get a solid state like the Carvin?? does it give you good bottom end? do you use the power amp modeling on the Axe FX ? or you turn off both Cab and power modeling ?



I love my Carvin power amp. I would recommend keeping a very open mind with the Axe Fx. There are guys that run them through PA cabs, guys who run direct to board, guys who use tube power amps and cab, solid state power amps and cabs, some guys run them into their favorite tube heads, tube combos, etc.

The Carvin gives me plenty of bottom end, but I'm sure the Recto 4x12 I'm running it through helps that a bit.

I've always had the power amp sims turned on and the cabs turned off when running into a power amp and cab, even when I was running a tube power amp with it. The thing is, unless you're running a tube power amp loud enough to get it to start "contributing" to the tone with power tube compression and drive then you really won't get the same vibe as a Marshall Plexi cranked up.

I tried running with the power amp sims off into my Classic 50/50 and some models did pretty good while others really sounded weak and thin. Then, I'd turn them on and the one's that sounded weak and thin really came alive.

For vintage amp models that didn't have a master volume in real life you really need it be cranked up to get the sound that you know and love from them and that's hard to do with a tube power amp unless you're running it as loud as you would say a cranked Marshall Plexi and at least for me that was totally impractical.

One of my favorite features of the amp models is the depth of control. It's like modding your own amp. You can change the sag in the power section of any amp and make it act like another amp. For example, if you love the tone of a Recto but don't dig the spongy reaction time you can drop the sag control and make it as tight as solid stater, or vice versa. Want a Mark IV lead tone to be crazy spongy and touch sensitive you can crank up the sag.

When he released one of the last few firmwares he gave you the option to change out the tone stack for that of another amp. Originally the Axe Fx only had Active tone stacks to choose from and now it also has passives for each particular model. If you want to take the tone stack out of a Plexi and put it in Fender Twin, you can. You can also change the location of the tone stack either before or after the preamp gain. You can also go into the advanced menu and change values to the amp's design itself. That can come in very handy, for example you can change the shelving to tighten up the low end, etc.

The bottom line is there is so much stuff you can do before, after, around, with, etc. to your tone and it all sounds good. It may sound complex and hard to dial in but it really isn't. You can actually get a very good tone right off the bat, and just dial it in closer and closer to what you want. If you have a lot of time and love to tweak you can get frightening results in both the feel and sound of stuff.

I love it the most because I used to love playing Mesa Boogie stuff but I always played small clubs and home studios where you couldn't get stuff up and loud enough to make them really come alive but with the Axe I can get that at very modest volumes. The effects are just crazy good and I use quite a few of them.


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## megalex (Jul 19, 2008)

Thanks.. I just bought the DCM600 to run through my 4x12 with g12k-100s And I just bought the Axe-Fx .. will compare the sound to my 6505 and fireball stereo setup ..


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## S-O (Jul 19, 2008)

I wish I had that kind of cash


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## megalex (Jul 19, 2008)

S-O said:


> I wish I had that kind of cash


Don't worry im going through my mid life crisis .. everyone says I'm nutz.. I AGREE !!


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## S-O (Jul 19, 2008)

I can't wait for my mid-life crisis! If all I have to do is take a pill to get a boner but can drop the phat lewt for orgasmic gear, well fuck. I am there.

But in all seriousness, how does it compare?


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## megalex (Jul 19, 2008)

S-O said:


> I can't wait for my mid-life crisis! If all I have to do is take a pill to get a boner but can drop the phat lewt for orgasmic gear, well fuck. I am there.
> 
> But in all seriousness, how does it compare?


Will let you know when I get the Axe.. right now both amps are freaking awesome but i can only play them when my kid is awake and my wife is downstairs.. SO im looking forward to the Axe FX.. It will provably still be hard to beat these two amps together but If it comes close I might sell the 2 amps and keep the Axe. The axe will be hell of alot more portable too..


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 19, 2008)

megalex said:


> Will let you know when I get the Axe.. right now both amps are freaking awesome but i can only play them when my kid is awake and my wife is downstairs.. SO im looking forward to the Axe FX.. It will provably still be hard to beat these two amps together but If it comes close I might sell the 2 amps and keep the Axe. The axe will be hell of alot more portable too..


So how is it being a lottery winner anyway?


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## Zepp88 (Jul 20, 2008)

Does anybody know if Tymons clip is direct or not?


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## stuh84 (Jul 20, 2008)

From the Axe-FX forum

"Well thnx guys!! I recorded 4 gtrs for the metal clip. 2 new rectos and 2 soldanos, both with custom impulses. I think I used GuitarHacks impulses."

So direct with impulses


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## Zepp88 (Jul 20, 2008)

Wow that is amazing, this really makes an ultra clean solid state poweramp viable.


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 20, 2008)

Zepp88 said:


> Wow that is amazing, this really makes an ultra clean solid state poweramp viable.


With what cab? PA cabs? Powered Actives? A normal rig? People are all over the place with this one. In one forum a guy used an FRFR Traynor H4 keyboard amp. I guess if the pre really is good enough, that might be all the coloring a signal chain needs. I also read in the Axe-FX forums about some guy using a spectrum analyzer set to pink noise, though his FX return/speaker cab set up. This let him know what to set his built in parametric EQ to get the best, flattest signal from this rig. Fascinating stuff. It seems only now are we really getting into the "Brave New World" of modeling guitar sounds, in true 21st century sci-fi style.


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## stuh84 (Jul 20, 2008)

This kind of thing has been used in adjusting studio acoustics for years, I'm surprised its taking till now for it to disseminate into the world of guitar playing, especially with modelling being so prevalent nowadays.

Its getting to somewhere where tech heads like me can play for hours with the gear as well as play through it (yeah, I enjoy playing with gear as much as using it )


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## Zepp88 (Jul 20, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> With what cab? PA cabs? Powered Actives? A normal rig? People are all over the place with this one. In one forum a guy used an FRFR Traynor H4 keyboard amp. I guess if the pre really is good enough, that might be all the coloring a signal chain needs. I also read in the Axe-FX forums about some guy using a spectrum analyzer set to pink noise, though his FX return/speaker cab set up. This let him know what to set his built in parametric EQ to get the best, flattest signal from this rig. Fascinating stuff. It seems only now are we really getting into the "Brave New World" of modeling guitar sounds, in true 21st century sci-fi style.



This is where it gets really crazy! In theory, you could run it into any good cabinet or power amp (Guitar or PA) and get great results, it's mind boggling. If I get one I plan to try it through my Mesa 50/50 and Vader cab first and see what happens


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## Zepp88 (Jul 20, 2008)

stuh84 said:


> This kind of thing has been used in adjusting studio acoustics for years, I'm surprised its taking till now for it to disseminate into the world of guitar playing, especially with modelling being so prevalent nowadays.
> 
> Its getting to somewhere where tech heads like me can play for hours with the gear as well as play through it (yeah, I enjoy playing with gear as much as using it )



From what people are saying on the AxeFx forum it seems that it's good for tweakers and also people like me that just want to plug in to good tone. It seems that the deeper tweaking is an "option" over a "necessity" like in the other modelers.


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 20, 2008)

Zepp88 said:


> From what people are saying on the AxeFx forum it seems that it's good for tweakers and also people like me that just want to plug in to good tone. It seems that the deeper tweaking is an "option" over a "necessity" like in the other modelers.



I wonder if bi-amping is a possibility? One side being low centered and the other being more mids 'n highs? If this thing could do dual voicing that would also be really cool as well!


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## The Dark Wolf (Jul 20, 2008)

From what I've understood, this thing seems endlessly tweakable. Seems like it should have a filter that you can chain with the outputs to bi-amp. I bet it does.

Anyone know for sure?


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## Zepp88 (Jul 20, 2008)

You can iirc. 

There are two signal chains that can be bridged and swapped around at various points.


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 20, 2008)

Zepp88 said:


> You can iirc.
> 
> There are two signal chains that can be bridged and swapped around at various points.


IIRC? You mean the _Interactive Illinois Report Card?
GOTTA LOVE GOOGLE!!!
_


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## Zepp88 (Jul 20, 2008)

hahaha

"If I recall correctly"


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 20, 2008)

Does anyone have the ultra out there? What does it have that the std. doesn't?


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## Christopher (Jul 20, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> Does anyone have the ultra out there? What does it have that the std. doesn't?



The Ultra has more processing power and some effects blocks that the Standard doesn't have.

There is a fuckload of information here:

Main Page - Axe-Fx Wiki

For what it's worth, the Ultra wasn't even an option when I got my Standard but I haven't felt for one second that I needed any more.


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## Christopher (Jul 20, 2008)

Zepp88 said:


> From what people are saying on the AxeFx forum it seems that it's good for tweakers and also people like me that just want to plug in to good tone. It seems that the deeper tweaking is an "option" over a "necessity" like in the other modelers.



One of the awesome things about the Axe is that you can default an amp model to where most of it's settings are at noon and it's quite usable (using the Active tone stack) which is about as plug and play as you'll get. Then when you want to get crazy you can tweak til your heart's content.


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## Christopher (Jul 20, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> I wonder if bi-amping is a possibility? One side being low centered and the other being more mids 'n highs? If this thing could do dual voicing that would also be really cool as well!



I can't see any reason why you couldn't, I'm just not sure what real benefit you'd get from it. Guys are reporting that they prefer using 12" FRFR rigs rather than 15"ers because they get too "woofy".


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## Josh Lawson (Jul 20, 2008)

Josh Lawson said:


> Does anyone have the ultra out there? What does it have that the std. doesn't?



Here is me answering my own question:

Feature comparison - Axe-Fx Wiki


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## Zepp88 (Jul 20, 2008)

Well, I'm becoming very dissatisfied with what I have, and I'm actually starting to envy Nates rig (SpiderValve) from the sheer simplicity and decent tone.

I'm going to have to talk to him about this thing.


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## Used666 (Jul 20, 2008)

I just bought a Carvin DCM1000 and i plan to pick up a vader 2x12 in the coming month for my axe fx


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## El Caco (Jul 20, 2008)

Holy crap good timing, I've been looking for a replacement for my X3 Live and this is it. I've been listening to clips all morning and they are excellent. It also seems to have all the features I'm looking for. Time to start saving/selling stuff.


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## fellsal88 (Oct 8, 2008)

i helped my buddie from the band *tesseract* get one. i helped him ship it to england. from what i heard from him, he really happy with it.


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## Zepp88 (Oct 8, 2008)

With any luck I'll have one soon.


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## shadowlife (Oct 8, 2008)

Man, i'm gassing for one of these bad.
Saving my pennies...


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## Zepp88 (Oct 9, 2008)

No, buy my Dual Rec!


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## El Caco (Oct 9, 2008)

Shitty Aussie dollar means it will be a while before I get one.


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## Zepp88 (Oct 9, 2008)

Just wait for our dollar to fall, then it might be easier


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## El Caco (Oct 9, 2008)

For some reason the US market crash scared the shit out of investors and then things like the interest rate cut just helped our dollar plummet, I hope people are calming down now as the dollar has recovered a little today but then everything seems to be fucked up over here. For example despite the massive drop in the price of oil the price of fuel has barely dropped, it's insanity.


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## Zepp88 (Oct 9, 2008)

We're all fucked. 

The Aussies need AxeFx goodness too!


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## DanD (Oct 9, 2008)

Does it have a noise gate, if so, comparable or better than a decimator rack?


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## Zepp88 (Oct 9, 2008)

The Standard has a gate on the input, the Ultra has a gate on the input and a gate you can place where ever IIRC.

People say it's very quiet regardless.


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## El Caco (Oct 9, 2008)

That's correct Mike.


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## El Caco (Oct 9, 2008)

I just want a good multi fx unit to use with the ENGL and the Pod X3 Live doesn't cut it for me. The AXE FX looxs to be the best value for what I am looking for but then it has so many other features which I can use and I love the idea of being able to use any cab impulse. I love my ENGL but user comments suggest that I may not have any need for it if I get the AXE FX, it remains to be seen if it is a tube replacement but if it is what people are saying it is then it is a very cool piece of gear.


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## Zepp88 (Oct 9, 2008)

I'm personally opting for the Standard, no need for me to shell out the extra cash. If I somehow encounter a problem with noise after the preamp I'll just get a rackmount Decimator or use my pedal, no big deal there.

But, considering that I'm used to the noise from my MP-1 it shouldn't be a problem, hell I might throw the MP-1 in the rack too!


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## Zepp88 (Oct 9, 2008)

s7eve said:


> I just want a good multi fx unit to use with the ENGL and the Pod X3 Live doesn't cut it for me. The AXE FX looxs to be the best value for what I am looking for but then it has so many other features which I can use and I love the idea of being able to use any cab impulse. I love my ENGL but user comments suggest that I may not have any need for it if I get the AXE FX, it remains to be seen if it is a tube replacement but if it is what people are saying it is then it is a very cool piece of gear.



Yeah, that's my deal, I have doubts that it will totally replace the MP-1, but I may be wrong.


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## charles22880 (Oct 11, 2008)

the ultra is deffintly tickeling my fancy, i want one to replace my almost dead 2101 le


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## LordOVchaoS (Oct 11, 2008)

Me SE is broken right now  I'm mad at it so I think when I get it back I will sell it off, get an AxeFX, and try to be done with tubes  We'll see. I'm not going back and reading this to see if they've been mentioned before but Severed Savior is now using AxeFX exclusively. Here's some new tunes that were tracked with it: MySpace.com - Severed Savior - SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California - Death Metal / Death Metal / Death Metal - www.myspace.com/severedsavior

Mike Gilbert went from an Engl SE rack setup to this and he seems really impressed.


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## Christopher (Oct 12, 2008)

LordOVchaoS said:


> Me SE is broken right now  I'm mad at it so I think when I get it back I will sell it off, get an AxeFX, and try to be done with tubes  We'll see. I'm not going back and reading this to see if they've been mentioned before but Severed Savior is now using AxeFX exclusively. Here's some new tunes that were tracked with it: MySpace.com - Severed Savior - SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California - Death Metal / Death Metal / Death Metal - www.myspace.com/severedsavior
> 
> Mike Gilbert went from an Engl SE rack setup to this and he seems really impressed.



I've been trying to tell you. I don't miss my tube rigs at all.


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## Bekanor (Oct 12, 2008)

I'd like to run one of these with my Powerball just as an augmentation kind of setup to get a whole bunch of tones that the Powerball can't do.

My only concerns are it being heavily coloured by the preamp (which probably isn't that big deal as the Powerball is yet to be anything but awesome for me) and whether it can switch amp channels via relay (didn't see anything in the manual addressing this, assuming that it doesn't work that way).


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## El Caco (Oct 12, 2008)

You would need a midi switch to do that if like me your amp doesn't have midi


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## JoshuaLogan (Oct 12, 2008)

LordOVchaoS said:


> Me SE is broken right now  I'm mad at it so I think when I get it back I will sell it off, get an AxeFX, and try to be done with tubes  We'll see. I'm not going back and reading this to see if they've been mentioned before but Severed Savior is now using AxeFX exclusively. Here's some new tunes that were tracked with it: MySpace.com - Severed Savior - SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California - Death Metal / Death Metal / Death Metal - www.myspace.com/severedsavior
> 
> Mike Gilbert went from an Engl SE rack setup to this and he seems really impressed.



Oh, damn! Mike finally switched to using the Axe-FX live? Awesome. He is a huge gear whore too, so that's saying a lot.

I love my Ultra, and I'm happier with it overall than I have been with any of the amps I've owned... and I've had a bunch of amps.... Bogner Uberschall, Framus Dragon, Orange Rockerverb, Mesa Roadser, 5150 III, Cauble Omintone, etc.... The only amp I've REALLY completely loved and couldn't afford (or wasn't willing to pay for) was the Engl SE. But I'm completely content with my Ultra. It's an amazing tool... and most importantly it's very inspiring and gets the creative juices flowing. 



DanD said:


> Does it have a noise gate, if so, comparable or better than a decimator rack?



The noise gate is very, very good! And the fact that you can set it at different settings for different patches means you don't need the tracking thing the decimator pro rack g has.... for example you can back off on it for clean and lead patches so it doesn't choke sustain, but can tighten it up for your rhythm patches.

That's one of the big reasons why I love it and find it so valuable... some people have a shit ton of money in their rig used just on things like boost pedals and noisegates... the isp pro decimator rack I think is something like $400 itself!


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## Bekanor (Oct 12, 2008)

s7eve said:


> You would need a midi switch to do that if like me your amp doesn't have midi



Poops. 


I guess I'm sticking with the G Major for now.


No the Powerball doesn't have midi, but would a midi switch allow me to switch channels on a patch by patch basis like I do with the G Major?


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## El Caco (Oct 12, 2008)

Yes. It would mean having to setting up another piece of gear but what it would do is allow you to program it to switch the channels on the amp based on the midi signal you program the Axe FX to send. It's the biggest turn off to me for getting an Axe FX ATM but then maybe the Axe FX can get me the ENGL tone and I might not need the E530 anymore


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## Bekanor (Oct 12, 2008)

It sounds like a lot of screwing around, even for me and I run a dual 31 band rack mount EQ with my Powerball. 

Still, it would be nice to have that wide tonal palette in addition to what already comes out of my Powerball, and the effects sound amazing, not to mention the dual gating of the ultra (which would save me tonnes on a Pro Rack G and be more flexible).

Maybe it's not that big a screw around after all, considering the results. 


But this is all ballast, I want a new 7 more than a new amp/FX processor/doo dad.


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## DrakkarTyrannis (Oct 12, 2008)

Ya know..this does sound kinda interesting...wonder if I can run it with the DTX, I'm sure it'll take some work but I wouldn't mind if it's as good as everyone says. I wanted another amp for different tonal options anyways, and for diversity you can't get any better than the fractal..especially if I can run it with the DTX to experiment with the overall sound


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## thadood (Oct 14, 2008)

Oh god. I'm REALLY contemplating this. I .. really want the VHT Sig:X. But, part of me is saying to get this first, play with it for a bit, and if I don't really dig it, sell it later for a little cut (consider it my "rental" charge), and get the VHT. Unfffffff.


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