Official Axe-Fx Q&A thread!

[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]

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]

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]

fw20.02 is live.

Just a public beta 2 atm.

 

[budda]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

I did and it works great
View attachment 111083

well, I ordered it, thanks for convincing me!