Axe-Fx Ultra in 2017

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EDIT: I've found a way to use the Ultra's Tube-Pre for a pseudo tube power amp sim with my tube preamps which now sounds as good as the Torpedo's, and here are the details...

a) I set my tube preamp's tone stack as flat as possible (typically bass and mid up, treble down, but it varies). The Seymour Duncan Tone Stack Calc for Windows works well for this!

b) I then instantiate a amp block with the Tube-Pre, and then pick a tone-stack for my rather flat sounding tube pre. I set the Tube-Pre's gain to zero, Master Volume to ten.

c) I then turn on the Tube-Pre's power section by turning Sag up from zero, and while leaving the Tube-Pre's tone stack flat, adjust the various power amp parameters to what I need considering the gain structure and tone of the tube preamp, and the selected tone stack in the Tube-Pre (I'll look at the modeled amp's power amp settings for ideas and tweak from there etc).

Leave the Tube-Pre's gain at zero and make up gain elsewhere as needed (Level, FX Loop etc, you;ll need quite a bit).

I've tried it with relatively clean through edge-of-breakup Fender/Vox, to pushed mid-gain modded Marshall/Mesa type tones with good success.

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wow!
I used this technique yesterday with some of my preamps (TriAxis, ENGL E580) and I'm mind blown!
Great tips!
This should be on the Axe FX Wiki page or in another topic with a more appropriate title so people could find it! :)
 
I would avoid the Ultra simply due to the lack of USB MIDI.

The midi function of the Ultra causes a lot of headaches and is the reason why this weekend I can not proceed with a project I need to complete.

I started another thread about that so wont go into it here but yeah. Avoid. Other than that the Ultra sounds fantastic.
 
Hi !

I planning a long time to join to fractal family,and I thinking about to buy an Ultra because It is in good price. Yeah I know the Axe 2 is way better,But i don't have any chances to save more money. So what do you think guys,Is it worth i in 2017? Or go and buy a Line 6 Helix?

I bought my Ultra "late to the game" and I love it regardless. It's leaps better than just using plugins or amps (if you don't have unlimited access to great studio collections).
 
I just stopped by and found this post. I am still very happy using my Ultra in the studio and for live gigs. There is just so much I can do with it, for all styles of music ( I have only gotten deep into about 30% of the amps and fxs, so I still have much to experiment with). I have had it since 09. I use it as a wet/dry/wet rig...any my set up continues to evolve. I had been using a tube pre to warm up the signal going in (UA 610 solo). My #2 output is my dry, now going to a Fryette Power Station and #1 oputput is my wet going to 2 FRFR speakers. Something new I tried this week: I removed the UA610 because I was getting some digital distortion on the FX side, and only in some frequency spots...so while I work that out I hooked up a Sarno Steel Guitar Black Box ( with 1 NOS RCA 12ax7 ). This is for warmth and feel...no added gain. BUT, then I thought of putting a boost pedal before the Sarno to push the tube a bit. This combination was magic! I tried a Lovepedal Lil China and an RGW Bad Bob. The Lovepedal ( with the gain almost off ) fattens the notes and reacts with you guitars volume to go from clean to grit. The Bad Bob give touch sensitivity with pick compression and clean note articulation. Both to be on all the time affairs. Just to be clear...its one boost plugged in at a time. My rig is in a 4U space rolling Gator rack case. The pres/Sarno/&boost sit on top with a Roland Sonic Cell interface. Just vary the pedals gain knob a bit. You may have to adjust the AF input knob a bit to keep off the red. This acts like a Pre-Gain knob on a Carol-Ann. BTW, I have a Two Rock, Carol-Ann, Bruno and Alessandro that dont see much action because of how good my Ultra set-up sounds...and at reasonable volumes! Give it a try....experiment.
 
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Hi !

I planning a long time to join to fractal family,and I thinking about to buy an Ultra because It is in good price. Yeah I know the Axe 2 is way better,But i don't have any chances to save more money. So what do you think guys,Is it worth i in 2017? Or go and buy a Line 6 Helix?
Hi, I am new to the forum, but I just bought an AXE FX ULTRA and really can't believe how good it is, I paid 690.00 total for mine, It absolutely smokes the ROCKTRON PROPHESY. I am using a MESA 2:90 power amp, make sure to turn the SAG counter clockwise all the way, that way you are using the dynamics of the tube power amp. Steve
 
Hi, I am new to the forum, but I just bought an AXE FX ULTRA and really can't believe how good it is, I paid 690.00 total for mine, It absolutely smokes the ROCKTRON PROPHESY. I am using a MESA 2:90 power amp, make sure to turn the SAG counter clockwise all the way, that way you are using the dynamics of the tube power amp. Steve
Welcome to the club, @steve kennedy ! And I agree. Compared to the Prophesy, there is no comparison. :)
 
When I purchased my ultra I ignorantly though, plug and play. Well I’m extremely disappointed, not had much success get sound out of it. Certainly isn’t what I expected.
 
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See my response in the thread that you started about this issue. Please respond there so as not to hijack this thread. :)
 
I was in the same boat and got an Ultra. The AX8 may be "newer/latest and greatest" but it's less flexible and powerful in a lot of ways, and I honestly think the Ultra sounds better . I have no regrets.
I recently bought an Ultra and a few days later I had the chance to purchase an AX8. I'm using Ultra more, it's sounding better, I feel more connected to it, as if the AX8 had a delay.

Did anyone else have this feeling? 🤔
 
I recently bought an Ultra and a few days later I had the chance to purchase an AX8. I'm using Ultra more, it's sounding better, I feel more connected to it, as if the AX8 had a delay.

Did anyone else have this feeling? 🤔
And I feel that my old (2004) Tonelab LE, has more Mojo than both. 🤔🤔
 
I recently bought an Ultra and a few days later I had the chance to purchase an AX8. I'm using Ultra more, it's sounding better, I feel more connected to it, as if the AX8 had a delay.

Did anyone else have this feeling? 🤔
Delay? None in my AX8 here.
 
Delay? None in my AX8 here.
The right word would be latency, not that I notice 2ms latency, but I feel like my fingers are not connected to the sound, I miss the Ultra attack. No way. I will get rid of the AX8, I just found it disaponting, and feel like asking you, good people.
 
The right word would be latency, not that I notice 2ms latency, but I feel like my fingers are not connected to the sound, I miss the Ultra attack. No way. I will get rid of the AX8, I just found it disaponting, and feel like asking you, good people.
Understood. I’m just saying that I’ve never felt any latency in any of the Fractal modeling products I’ve owned: the Ultra, Axe-Fx II, Axe-Fx III, AX8, or FM3.
 
Have an Ultra, had an AX8 2 or 3 year and while a great unit I was not hable to reproduce 100% my Ultra signature sounds with it, finally sold it.
I have a kemper, best Roland units, used Helix... but I will not let go my Ultra, it sounds beatiful, all of it amps and effects.
If FA will do a software vst version of it I will purchase inmediatelly.
 
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