Rivertownrocker
Member
Anyone switch from QSC to Matrix or Xitone etc...? Was it worth selling qsc's did the axefx become that much eaisier to dial in your go to live and recorded tones after switching brands?
Thanks
Thanks
I must say you might be right I had great success today just running the axe through a fender mustang 3's effect return jack.River town,
I would actually recommend switching to a power amp and cab, if what we discussed in your other thread is still holding true where you can't get the AxeFx to sound like your blues Jr.
Matrix power amps are great (I own one) and sound like an amp in the room as opposed to the Qsc. FRFR and power amp and cab are two different animals and I believe with your 20+ years of experience hearing guitar amps on stage, the power amp cab solution is what you're looking for
k12Which QSC? That's a big piece of missing info...
River town,
I would actually recommend switching to a power amp and cab, if what we discussed in your other thread is still holding true where you can't get the AxeFx to sound like your blues Jr.
Matrix power amps are great (I own one) and sound like an amp in the room as opposed to the Qsc. FRFR and power amp and cab are two different animals and I believe with your 20+ years of experience hearing guitar amps on stage, the power amp cab solution is what you're looking for
Thanks for your reply curious do you use a FRFR solution or just amp cab?
I originally got the axe to work in a 3 piece where I sang and played guitar so it made sense to buy PA and run the whole band through QSC's placed behind the whole band. I got it sounding good enough but that's been around 7 firm wares back. Just dont have time to keep trying to keep the qsc's k12's up to speed and wondering if that would be fixed by selling more gear and getting other monitors.
Now I'm in a reunion band and everyone still wants to lug their monitors and amps and I just went down a worm hole of what to put behind me if I can't just put the PA there. I'm hoping the mustang 3 is gonna save the day!
I use pretty much every permutation of live gigging monitoring under the sun. I'm a working musician so, the gig dictates what I do use.
1) Power amp and Cab - I use a Matrix Gt800fx into Port City 2x12 cabs, either the oversize or the regular size. I use this method if I can "crank" on stage and don't have to worry about stage volume being an issue. Outdoor gigs, big stages, festivals etc.
2) Direct with a FRFR wedge - I'll use my own Qsc K10 facing up towards me either pointing away from the audience or across the stage like a sidefill if my band members need some ambient guitar. If I find out ahead of time that the venue/gig has wedges for the band to use, I leave my QSC at home. I don't personally care of the stage wedge quality. I can make most solutions work. JBL and QSC wedges are pretty standard in most places out here in the LA area.
3) Direct to FOH and I'll use In Ear Monitors. I have a small rack with a wireless and a Shure PSM 200 and just run direct and monitor myself through In ear monitors (JH audio 16 pros). The rest of the band can get guitar pumped through wedges or In Ear Monitors. This is for everything from a church gig to the bigger venues such as the LA Convention center, etc. I just control my volume from my bodypack if I need more "me"
There's many clients I've worked with in the past big and small and some just are used to a specific solution. There's absolutely nothing wrong with your ears, you just know what works for you. When I did Def Leppards rigs, the bassist Rick Savage will NOT use in ear monitors. He just likes hearing stage volume, even though the rest of the band is on IEM. That's just how it is, I wouldn't tell him otherwise.
You're just not used to hearing your amp miked up on stage and being sent through a wedge. Thats what that sound of the AxeFX into a QSC wedge is.
Before the axe fx came along, did you like any guitar in a stage wedge? if not, then FRFR is probably not for you
Thanks Rosh for all your help!
I have never used monitors and you are absolutely right about not being used to it.
We played a large gig at the mohegan sun 5 years back and I just went through my line 6 vetta 2x12 and another 2x12 passive and I only had the vetta on 6.
I have spent months doing my best tweaks and have learned alot...And feel ive taken the qsc k12 to the best of my ability but it needs to stop and I just need to play LOL!
I'm going to keep the best tweaked QSC presets and now just add another line with just and amp, fx loop and reverb going to output two.
I guess now I'm just going to us two fender mustang 3 amps and send the axefx 2's signal from output two to both their effect return jacks. I have changed the speakers to eminance red white and blues. I'm finding it very easy to dial in tones much like the vetta was.
I have amp modeling still turned on in case I will ever have too send the out put 1 to a PA do you have a similar patch set up? anything else I should watch out for?
This is a rundown of how I use the rig. It's a little outdated as I've tweaked my tones for Quantum and the AX8 etc. But it should give you an idea
When I run a Cab + Power amp or run into the effects loop of an amp (In a backline situation). I still send Output 1 to the PA/SoundMan/FOH so I get my "direct tone" to the audience as well.
I split off using the FX Loop block to output 2.
Output 1 goes to the PA.
The audience here's my "studio" tone and I hear my "Amp and Cab tone" on stage.
I was suspecting that was going to be the case so rather than feeding the rabbit hole any further and putting yet again more cash out for more gear I'm going stereo amp cap and putting the time into playing and the cash into the guitar collection.Yeah, first you need to decide if FRFR is for you. If you do, I went from a QSC K10 to an Atomic CLR. HUGE difference. I could never go back to a prosumer powered PA cab like a QSC, JBL, Mackie etc. Tried and owned them all before the CLR. Worlds apart to my ears. I use it for my vocal monitor wedge and run the Axe into the other side of it (it has a built in two channel mixer) so I have direct control without going through the band's mixer. At my other gig I use it just to monitor the Axe since I don't do vocals in that venue. Couldn't be happier. BTW we use the CLR's for the tops on our FOH rig too. They blew the QSC K's we had away in quality, clarity and flatness. Two different worlds.
This is a rundown of how I use the rig. It's a little outdated as I've tweaked my tones for Quantum and the AX8 etc. But it should give you an idea
When I run a Cab + Power amp or run into the effects loop of an amp (In a backline situation). I still send Output 1 to the PA/SoundMan/FOH so I get my "direct tone" to the audience as well.
I split off using the FX Loop block to output 2.
Output 1 goes to the PA.
The audience hears my "studio" tone and I hear my "Amp and Cab tone" on stage.
Anyone switch from QSC to Matrix or Xitone etc...? Was it worth selling qsc's did the axefx become that much eaisier to dial in your go to live and recorded tones after switching brands?
Thanks
I did the opposite. LOL
from high end highly recommended powered FRFR monitors, to powered amp/cab solution back to tube amps and now because the band decided to go full FOH on all shows I went back to Axe-Fx last year -- . Since our PA is all QSC based (TouchMix 16 Board, K12s, K10s) -- I have a QSC k10 at home for practice/patch creation and use one a as monitor for gigs.
The number one thing you need to get used to if you are a gigging musician (who plays at least 1 gig per month) ----- is listening to you guitar in a monitor in front of you as part of a mix. Once you get past that -- then everything else becomes easier.
I make/tweak all my patches on QSC K10 at home. I have the advantage of traveling with my own PA -- however...
Last week I went to a rehearsal studio in NJ (Starz Studios if any is familiar with them). Typically I just bring my guitar and a Zendrive and use one of their amps (Deville/Twin) - this time I brought my Axe-FX XL+ and laptop. Reason was we were going to work on a couple of new tunes for the first time and I actually created/tweaked a patch for one tune and adjusted another to work on the others.
I asked the tech at Starz to set me up on a Channel on the board for AXE with effects off and EQ flat.
Let me put it this way --- these guys freaked out at how damn good the AXE/patches sounded. I actually did zero adjusting to the patches if you can believe that (just a little tweak on overall patch levels).
I have no idea what PA equipment they use at Starz (it was the large room at the end of the hall) but it sounded incredible.
Moral of the story -- a well made patch on a QscK10/12 should translate very well to other good/pro quality PA systems.