just bought an axe fx 2 xl. i play in a metal band. i was wondering what to use. matrix, CLR, Amp.
what is the best sounding if i play with the band and then live. anyone......
I recommend going with the FRFR solution for a few reasons. I started with a Matrix power amp and an orange cab. It sounded great, but was also annoying to carry around. I decided to go with a couple of JBL Eon 612's and haven't looked back since. My reasons for doing so are as follows:
1. Much lighter and easier to carry around. The JBL's weigh 30 ish lbs a piece versus a cab that typically weighs 50-100 lbs.
2. Sound guys will love you and your tone will be consistent. No more worrying about mic placement or having some mediocre local sound guy mic'ing your cab with the worst technique possible. You get to bypass all of that unnecessary stuff.
3. The JBL's or whatever speaker you decide to go with are 1000 watts and can very easily be used as a backline if you're going through a mediocre PA. I used mine as a "cab" in front of a crowd of 300+ people and i cut through much better than I ever did with a traditional cab
4. You get the full potential out of the unit because you can implement cab IR's into your tone.
5. You get your own personal monitor mix with your JBL(s), so you can always hear yourself.
6. Your tone will cut through a mix like a knife. All of my tones live through a large PA sound phenomenal and can be heard with crystal clear definition.
To sum it up, Andy from Matrix said to me when I was discussing it with him: "Using an axe fx into a cab is like driving a Ferrari with old shitty tires". and in my personal experience, Andy was absolutely correct. Not to knock guys who use power amps and cabs. If it works for you it works for you, but FRFR is much better for me.