First 3 days with Axe FX 3, I thought it was the worst sound ever (b/c I didn't read the manual)

S

Stasis20

New Member
I purchased a used Axe FX 3 that arrived last week. I also purchased a pair of Yamaha HS8 monitors to work with at home. After hooking everything up, I was getting the scratchiest, ratty thin tone I'd ever heard in my life. Every amp sounded terrible. I could not believe people were into this. On Sunday night, I broke down and started just pressing buttons, going through menus, hoping to find anything that would fix this situation. Then I discovered that "cabinet modeling" was bypassed for all patches. Presumably, the previous owner was running it through an actual guitar cabinet and didn't want the cab modeling messing with his tone.

As soon as I turned on cab modeling, the entire experiment did a complete 180. I'm getting incredible sounds from it now, and I can't wait to get off work and keep experimenting with it. That being said, are there any other big, obvious "duh!" settings that I should be on the lookout for? I definitely need to read through the manual, but there is so much going on with this thing that I'm worried I'll overlook something important.

Thanks.
 
Stasis20 said:
I purchased a used Axe FX 3 that arrived last week. I also purchased a pair of Yamaha HS8 monitors to work with at home. After hooking everything up, I was getting the scratchiest, ratty thin tone I'd ever heard in my life. Every amp sounded terrible. I could not believe people were into this. On Sunday night, I broke down and started just pressing buttons, going through menus, hoping to find anything that would fix this situation. Then I discovered that "cabinet modeling" was bypassed for all patches. Presumably, the previous owner was running it through an actual guitar cabinet and didn't want the cab modeling messing with his tone.

As soon as I turned on cab modeling, the entire experiment did a complete 180. I'm getting incredible sounds from it now, and I can't wait to get off work and keep experimenting with it. That being said, are there any other big, obvious "duh!" settings that I should be on the lookout for? I definitely need to read through the manual, but there is so much going on with this thing that I'm worried I'll overlook something important.

Thanks.
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Cabinet modeling and Power Amp modeling are the two big ones.
 
FreeMind said:
oh boy, i can imagine your reaction after spending 2K for what you thought was a fizz machine.
The next "duh" setting you should look into is whether power amp modelling was on.
But hey, if you factory reset everything, you'll get everything right.
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I was sweating just a little bit, but kept thinking "Ok, this thing sounds amazing in videos. A lot of bands I respect have switched to this. I must be doing something wrong." The weird thing is that I thought I had restored it to factory settings, but all I had done was restore the default preset tones that come with it (after backing up the previous owner's patches).

In any event, I know that this was just a beginner user error, but it was a huge sigh of relief when I figured it out.
 
stink said:
Welcome to the Fractal Community BTW and congratulations! If you're like most here, you'll discover sonic nirvana... and many rabbit holes
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I'm really pretty boring/traditional when it comes to guitar tone. I like a good Tweed, Blackface, and Vox. If that's all I ever had for the rest of my life, I would be ok. But every now and then I get the itch for something different, or I just want to experiment with effects, and that's what lead me here. The last time I tried any modeling gear was the Line 6 Flextone amp 15~ years ago. It's a completely different world now. The sound is so realistic now, but the touch sensitivity is really what has impressed me the most. That warmth and reaction is what was always missing with older modeling gear. It always felt like my playing (and even my guitar choice) didn't matter much before, because the processed signal always came out more or less the same. This feels so close to the real thing that it's a little alarming.

I'm going to settle in with the Axe Fx for a few months, but if the honeymoon phase doesn't wear off, I'll likely have more than a few amps going up for sale.
 
Stasis20 said:
I was sweating just a little bit, but kept thinking "Ok, this thing sounds amazing in videos. A lot of bands I respect have switched to this. I must be doing something wrong."
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Your humility here will reward you! Just keep this mantra in your back pocket. I still run into folks who are like "Yeah, the axefx is cool since you can switch between so many rigs so quickly, but it doesn't really sound like tube amps" and all I can think of are how at least half of "rig rundown" videos are now just looking at settings on a green screen. Look at the artist roster and tell me you've got better ears than them, tell me there aren't dudes with pitchforks out to get them if their tone isn't perfect.

The axef has sounded "like a tube amp" since the ultra and standard, all that's changed now is that it's difficult to tell the difference between the model and the specimen it's modeled after.
 
yek said:
I certainly wouldn't mind an on-screen warning when the system detects at power-up that one or both settings are switched off.
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My damn Korg Kronos reminds me every time I turn it on that it will auto power off after 4 hours of inactivity. This is good, since I leave stuff on all the time and it gives me about 10 seconds before the internal breaker trips, turns it off, and scares my dog :D

But yeah, that'd be a good thing to have - but I don't know how you'd do it so it would help someone like OP, but not piss off someone who knows already lol.
 
yek said:
I certainly wouldn't mind an on-screen warning when the system detects at power-up that one or both settings are switched off.
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I like the general idea, but how about an indicator instead of a warning? E.g. add two icons/labels that show the status of the power amp and cab modelling in the title bar of the home screen, to the right of the mini-tuner.
 
l4mpi said:
I like the general idea, but how about an indicator instead of a warning? E.g. add two icons/labels that show the status of the power amp and cab modelling in the title bar of the home screen, to the right of the mini-tuner.
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Just open settings and look. Could not be simpler. They are top of menu items. Far simpler than many other concepts in this box.
 
∞Fractals said:
Just open settings and look. Could not be simpler. They are top of menu items. Far simpler than many other concepts in this box.
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To be fair, this is exactly what I or any other new user should do. It's my own fault for thinking I could just plug and play with something this complicated. At the same time, those very obvious menus don't exactly jump out at you when you're brand new.

But like I said, I should have been reading the book from day 1.
 
∞Fractals said:
Just open settings and look. Could not be simpler. They are top of menu items. Far simpler than many other concepts in this box.
Click to expand...
It could potentially be useful as a reminder for people like me who often switch these because they use their Axe FX in different configurations, e.g. as a PC interface with studio monitors and with a real power amp and box. Having the settings displayed in a prominent way could save a bit of troubleshooting if something's off. So I can see a use case for yek's proposed warning, but think if it should be implemented it might be better solved with indicators as opposed to a popup after booting etc.

I'd also have no problem if it's not being implemented... especially as my second Axe FX III arrives tomorrow and I won't have to haul my current one back and forth between the rehearsal room and home anymore :)
 
Stasis20 said:
I purchased a used Axe FX 3 that arrived last week. I also purchased a pair of Yamaha HS8 monitors to work with at home. After hooking everything up, I was getting the scratchiest, ratty thin tone I'd ever heard in my life. Every amp sounded terrible. I could not believe people were into this. On Sunday night, I broke down and started just pressing buttons, going through menus, hoping to find anything that would fix this situation. Then I discovered that "cabinet modeling" was bypassed for all patches. Presumably, the previous owner was running it through an actual guitar cabinet and didn't want the cab modeling messing with his tone.

As soon as I turned on cab modeling, the entire experiment did a complete 180. I'm getting incredible sounds from it now, and I can't wait to get off work and keep experimenting with it. That being said, are there any other big, obvious "duh!" settings that I should be on the lookout for? I definitely need to read through the manual, but there is so much going on with this thing that I'm worried I'll overlook something important.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

This is hands down the greatest, most complicated unit you will ever own. I have since sold every piece of gear and will never look back. Saying that, you should read the entire manual front to back, then read it again! There is no substitute for knowledge when it comes to the Axe. The good news is that if you are still confused, this is the best damn forum on the face of the planet, and everyone is here to help. Enjoy!
 
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l4mpi said:
I like the general idea, but how about an indicator instead of a warning? E.g. add two icons/labels that show the status of the power amp and cab modelling in the title bar of the home screen, to the right of the mini-tuner.
Click to expand...

Another vote for this method. Maybe a tiny amp head and speaker that are blue when these are enabled and red when disabled?
 
I can almost feel your utter disappointment in your new purchase and that horrible feeling of being crushed, wondering if maybe it was a defective unit or user error or what it could be.. lmao.. it’s all good now though! And welcome aboard!!
Stay active around here, no question will ever go unanswered but definitely read the manual and the WIKI and look at Yeks Amp & pedal guides.. & you’ll be in a great starting shape.
 
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