I'll never understand what makes it so difficult...

Remember that there are people that will buy a $400 pedal, immediate post a photo on a forum or social media, and ask for “settings”

Like gimme a break plug and and move knobs.

Given, the Axe-fx is a much more complex device but it seems easier and easier to get a good sound without tweaking anything more than B/M/T and maybe gain.

🤷‍♂️
 
I find that a common explanation for this is that people thought it would include a TALENT block.
You're still going to sound like you when you plug in to great gear.

EDIT: I'd like to say that in a unique way, the Axe-Fx has actually made me a better player, because I love playing more than ever because it's so easy to sound great.
 
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In my experience, most people are trying to match a mixed and mastered recording. They choose the same amp used, but don’t think about the EQ used in the mix to fit with the band, the guitar used, pickups, other gear we don’t know about in the signal chain, cab, speakers and mics used, and most importantly, the guitarist’s technique and playing style.

I helped someone that uses a 0.35 mm pick and couldn’t match the percussive attack of a recording. They tried to get it out of the amp block. I asked if they had a thicker pick, they did, and it was instantly what they wanted.

It’s not always the amp.
 
There is a lot of people who don’t know how set things up properly too. Like some person jamming up the master volume in a patch and wondering why their sound is so compressed. Master volume is one of those controls that is mega powerful and not everyone knows that.

There’s always that person saying they like the helix better than fractal gear because it’s “easier to dial in”. My best guess for why that happens is when you activate an amp block in the axe fx all the controls go to noon. While on the helix they have like preset settings in the block that aren’t at noon. That’s my best guess. Personally I’m stunned at people thinking that but I suppose it makes sense if you really don’t have knowledge on amps like you get reading the fractal wiki. Things like a soldano for a metal sound you don’t want to crank the master volume.
 
I think the axe is by far the easiest to dial in a proper tone. I have not had any problem with it other than user errors (too much gain, wrong amp for the job etc)

New preset
  • Add Amp block
  • Add cab
  • Add reverb to taste
And then you just turn the main knobs a bit and you are pretty much done.
It just works amazingly right out of the box with any preset.

Feels like people complain a hammer is too hard to use
 
I found it pretty easy to dial in the Axe-FX, once I got an IR that was close to what I like.

At some point, how hard can it be? It's not really that different from walking into a giant music store, picking an amp head and cabinet, plugging it in and going to town.
 
What I am really liking about the latest beta is I'm not bothering much, if at all, with the advanced parameters. The clips i've been hearing on this forum where the signal chain is super minimalist and getting amazing tones speaks a lot about that. That and now the sound sculpting is less reliant on the IR's it seems so the magic of the amps are shining more.
 
chris said:
In my experience, most people are trying to match a mixed and mastered recording. They choose the same amp used, but don’t think about the EQ used in the mix to fit with the band, the guitar used, pickups, other gear we don’t know about in the signal chain, cab, speakers and mics used, and most importantly, the guitarist’s technique and playing style.

I helped someone that uses a 0.35 mm pick and couldn’t match the percussive attack of a recording. They tried to get it out of the amp block. I asked if they had a thicker pick, they did, and it was instantly what they wanted.

It’s not always the amp.
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was it Paul Gilbert? =P
 
I have no idea what to do with lots of amps in the Axe. That's also true of the real world. The higher the gain goes, the less idea I have. I don't blame the Axe. I do have some idea of what to do with Fender, Vox and other assorted low to mid gain amps. With the Axe, I do the same things I would do in the real world. Get the gain structure right for what you're trying to do. Play through a good cab(s) for the sound you're after and apply pedals, mostly drive and spacial effects as needed. Done.
 
When I got my AX8, there was a little bit of a learning curve cause it was my first experience with Fractal, but once I got it I was golden. I find that the Axe Fx III is really pretty easy to dial in a tone that I like quickly. Even more so now with Cygnus. But also, when I decided to switch to Fractal, I understood that this is pro gear and with that comes responsibility on the user to use it, experiment, twist knobs, etc. It wasn't necessarily plug-n-play but then I didn't really expect or WANT it to be. Some people want that and then complain that things are too complicated - there are a multitude of things out there that maybe will work better for them (but MAN are they missing out!! haha)
 
Surjikal said:
I think it can be tricky to find an IR that suits the tone you're looking for + that work well with the equipment you have. I had to do some forum research to find really great combos, because I don't know anything about cabs or mics. Easier with Cygnus but can still be tricky.
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good point. I can see some people being overwhelmed by the choice of IRs. Now I have a few go to IRs that I like to use in similar applications. In general I'm digging the Ownhammer IRs; the V60 and V70 Recto cabs are a great match for the various Mark series amps
 
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