AX8 Owner- One Year Anniversary

B

Bman

Power User
It just dawned on me that it's been one year since I've joined the Fractal community. I was sifting through my old posts, reading some of the newbie questions I had - we all have had. One year later I'm very happy with the small amount of presets I have created and use. And I feel that I have a pretty good command of the AX8......for what I'm currently using it for, which is direct recordings and loud jamming (FRFR). It's also dawned on my that my band buddies have all been too busy to get together this whole year and I've yet to try this thing out with a full band. My last frontier I suppose.

Anyway, to those who are initially frustrated or overwhelmed my advice is this:
  • Give in to the fact that FRFR is different than playing through your guitar cab. Although you CAN get satisfyingly the same response. Just know your listening to a model of a mic'd cab being re-amplified and possibly colored by whatever FRFR speaker you are using. I initially thought I could run the AX8 through anything and EQ or tweak to get exactly whatever tone I wanted. The good news is I can run it into my FX return in my amp and play out of my amp without much headache and it sound glorious. But I did make the leap into FRFR and so far haven't looked back.
  • Make this forum a part of your internet reading habit. I come here everyday just to see if anything interesting is going on.
  • Read the tech notes. And download Yek's Amp guide.
  • You don't have to get caught up in the IR trap. There are plenty of factory and free IR's that are close enough to the one I'm currently using, which I purchased. I'd save the IR hunt for after you have command of the AX8.
  • Make notes for yourself and also include links to threads, you tube videos etc... for later reference. I use One Note, there's hundreds of ways to do this. Even a Word doc or Excel doc will work. This has helped me capture helpful things that I can come back to later and hopefully not re-post the same question on the forum for the 100th time. Although everyone here is pretty good about not shaming anyone for doing so. You'll usually get your answer fairly quick.
  • The easiest way to get some effects your looking for is to find a preset someone else has already done the work on, load it and copy the effect into your block library and give it a name. (Strymon TD or Trower Vibe for example)
  • 2112 Videos & Austin Buddy's gain staging video. Watch. Period. (I have these linked in my OneNote Fractal book)
I found the first two or three months to be a challenge that I enjoyed. I mean I heard the tones being posted so I knew it was possible and I've always been a tone hound. So it was game on for me. I'm now at a point where I use one bank of presets to get maybe 4 or 5 base tones with different effect options. I've also got a full-time job with 2 kids a wife and very limited time to spend tweaking. But I can read the forum and take notes at work and while the kids are watching TV without any hassle. So then my time is maximized because I'll go in with a plan of what I want to tweak, with the info already queued up. But now, one year later, I do way less tweaking and lot more playing and writing which is really the goal.

I just realized reading back at what I've written this post serves no other purpose than to pat myself on the back and maybe give some hope to any newbie who's frustrated or overwhelmed....lol.
 
Bman said:
I use One Note, there's hundreds of ways to do this. Even a Word doc or Excel doc will work.
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I'm at a year also and have yet to use it live unfortunately, but couldn't be happier with it and play more guitar now than anytime in the last 10+ years. And I've definitely learned more about amps/cabs/effects in general than I ever cared to know in the past, but now find interesting and enjoyable to play with.

I'm thinking of converting to One Note for general note taking/organizing/searching as I'm a bit frustrated with multiple other methods.
 
Wigam2 said:
I'm at a year also and have yet to use it live unfortunately, but couldn't be happier with it and play more guitar now than anytime in the last 10+ years. And I've definitely learned more about amps/cabs/effects in general than I ever cared to know in the past, but now find interesting and enjoyable to play with.

I'm thinking of converting to One Note for general note taking/organizing/searching as I'm a bit frustrated with multiple other methods.
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OneNote is awesome, IMO. I use it on my phone, Mac, work PC... anywhere. It’s so easy to search and you don’t even have to really be organized to use it. You eventually will organize but just beginning you just take notes, screen shots, copy links, print to One Note.
 
I'm almost two years to the day of getting my Ax8
Still loving it.

I got a HX Stomp a while back and really impressed with it, particularly how quick it is to set up on its own
But, each time I play through it I realise it really does not sound as good as the Fractal The tones are just better, more realistic

Two years in the Ax8 is my rig. Its so good I know if its not sounding right I know it's a setup issue
I agree with keeping on here a lot as its such a great resource
 
I think I'm around 18 months in. It truly has been a GAS killer for me, at least in terms of amps.

Still, I've been dreaming about getting a 2x12 cab and an expensive power amp, but that's just for fun. Pedal GAS is also almost gone, save for some fuzzes and some more peculiar delays and reverbs.

The biggest issue I still have with the AX8 is getting to spend the time tweaking it loud with FOH. I might be able to arrange that this month, hopefully.
 
At just over two years I still agree with most of the OP's original advice. I waited to take the IR plunge until about a year and a half in and I'm glad I did. It saved be a lot of time, frustration, and money. Figure out what kinds of cabs and speakers you gravitate toward, and then research cab packs that feature what you know you already like. The biggest piece of advice I could offer is to practice creating presets from scratch once you get a feel for the effects and your signal chain. I can build a preset in next to no time now because I have done it so many times. I know what verbs I like, I know where to place my delays and modulations, and I set my cab cuts without even thinking about it because it has become second nature. If you rely too heavily on others' presets you will get frustrated because their equipment is not yours. You can learn a lot about creating a signal chain, but don't expect to sound like someone in a video that has different guitars, speakers, etc. Once you know how to create "your" sound, this machine gets a lot more fun to use. Finally, I would suggest that anyone here who is jonesing for an "AX4" or an AxeIII that hasn't taken the time to fully learn the AX8 should pump the brakes and learn this machine first. The AxeIII sounds amazing, don't get me wrong, but everything you need to sound amazing live is in this box. You just have to take the time to find it. Cheers!
 
I’ve been a Fractal user since 2013 when I bought the Axe II but didn’t start gigging one till I got my AX8 in February of 2016 so it will be 3 years in a couple of months. Best decision I ever made. Sold all my amps after the first year and never looked back. Now I have to decide to keep gigging the AX8 or start gigging my Axe III once the FC’s come out. The AX8 is just so convenient. Decisions decisions.
 
bishop5150 said:
I’ve been a Fractal user since 2013 when I bought the Axe II but didn’t start gigging one till I got my AX8 in February of 2016 so it will be 3 years in a couple of months. Best decision I ever made. Sold all my amps after the first year and never looked back. Now I have to decide to keep gigging the AX8 or start gigging my Axe III once the FC’s come out. The AX8 is just so convenient. Decisions decisions.
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I still need to come out and see you guys play. Old age has given me a weak excuse not to. I missed Lynch Mob a couple of weeks ago. I’m such a lazy bum. I’ve seen Lynch several times. I’m more interested in seeing a fellow forum member such as yourself using the same gear as me ...lol. Although I do have an old Marshall like George :p.
 
Nice! I ordered my AX8 two years ago around this time (annual bonus). I have tried a few other devices in that time (Helix, Amplifire, Headrush). Fractal definitely is the head of the class for amp modeling and effect quality. There's certainly some things I'd love to see on the next version, but it's a killer unit. I also have a young and growing family and a lot of work and other commitments, so most of my playing is late night with headphones!
 
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