AustinBuddy, I'm thinking about getting the pack. I was wondering again about the output volume info you shared. Generally when playing in a live setting, I use the output volume knob on the AX8 to control the rehearsal or stage volume. Is this sucking tone, or still acceptable when not recording direct?
Hi Murdox:
Output1 does NOT affect the tone sound at all, BUT because of the Fletcher-Munson effect (see Wikipedia) can fool you into thinking it does affect the tone as you turn it up or down.
My advice is that for people designing presets and trying to get the AX8's overall output to average around -12db into a DAW or mixer, go ahead and turn the Output1 up all the way and make it so your presets come ou tinto a DAW or mixer at -12db. The AX8 Factory presets and the Naked Amps TonePack are optimized that way. On the AX8 (but not Axe-Fx) the true internal Digital signal and XLR analog signal are BOTH controlled by Output1 -- it turns them BOTH up or down.
But that is not to say you can't use the AX8 Output at say 12:00/noon on stage, or tweak it that way -- it just means that whatever you are putting the signal into -- a powered cab, a mixer -- is going to have to be LOUDER than it would normally be if you have the AX8 Output1 maxed.
My own philosophy is to max the AX8, then control the stage loudness through the power amp or monitor volume - make them do the loudness/volume work, not the AX8. Just make sure you are playing at least 92db loud, and use the Cab block's low cut and hi cut if there is too much top or bottom through your own playback system -- that's the fine-tuning that is dependent on each person's system.
That said, yes it works if you want to control stage volume from Output1....but I would not have it set any lower than noon myself. (The problem becomes when you say 'I can't hear me" and you crank it up to 3:00 from noon and then BOOM, you blow out a speaker or your bandmates ear drums...hahaha).
Hope that helps!