Why the Obsession with FRFR Solutions?

in case it's about choice and / or need

I have little choice but to use 4x12 cabs because I'm limited as to what I can carry on a plane..
and I play in a wide range of venues from small clubs to open air arenas and everything in between
and I can't expect venues to provide anything unusual or exotic, so my tech rider asks for something readily available [a pair of Marshall 4x12 cabs]

however.. this limits the cabs I can use in the Axe to zero..
with FRFR you have the ability to use whatever cabs you wish in the Axe - which of course offers you more tonal diversity..

most folk only play domestic gigs and drive to the gig with their own backline / monitoring
and maybe they don't need / want to lug around the traditional 'big box' cos it's heavy and you'll need a bigger car / van to transport it..

so your choice is a combination of:
- your live needs
- your tonal needs
 
Scott Peterson said:
You can get decent FRFR with the Alto stuff for a few hundred bucks. Great gear? No. Okay on a budget? Sure. I did a video on that and all this has been discussed - with zero contention, arguing, issues, put-downs, defensiveness or name calling from the OP or anyone else on any of those threads - years ago here and as recently as months ago. No one called anyone else stupid on this forum. Until now. No one attacked you Laz. Not me or anyone else. :(
Click to expand...

Scott - how about posting the links to these videos and other information?

This is a useful discussion for me, and I'm grateful to LVC for it. His phrasing of the question has led to a good response.

I'm not however interested in lectures about this being the internet, and school-teacher comments. So along with others, I'd be grateful for those links please.
 
Hugomack said:
Scott - how about posting the links to these videos and other information?

This is a useful discussion for me, and I'm grateful to LVC for it. His phrasing of the question has led to a good response.

I'm not however interested in lectures about this being the internet, and school-teacher comments. So along with others, I'd be grateful for those links please.
Click to expand...

RCF NX 12SMA vs. Alto SXM112a | Fractal Audio Axe-FX II - YouTube

FWIW, I call it like I see it and I don't lecture. I also don't get into name calling and hissy-fits passing as acceptable either.
 
This was a serious thread yesterday you know... IMO, of course.

This is, again, looking like something my 10 year old son and his friends would do. My wife read this and thought the same thing.

So please stop and get back to the OP.

Do this on PM, phone or somewhere else.
 
Depending on what else is in the mix, the house wedge system can get congested sounding to me.

Having my own FRFR wedge dedicated to guitar (and my vocals) sounds clearer depending on the gig.
 
At a few occasions I had to deal with a slight latency from monitors while having my direct amp sound in the back. Extremely disturbing. For security I always use a direct linked backup. Expensive ? I use a Traynor K4 since 2 years; allthough it has a real "amp" look, unfortunately it happens to be very heavy so as soon as I have the buck available I'll switch to a dB technologies flexsys FM12. I agree that some solutions seem a bit overkill, but howbeit, what more is it than a matter of taste and priority ?
 
barhrecords said:
Depending on what else is in the mix, the house wedge system can get congested sounding to me.

Having my own FRFR wedge dedicated to guitar (and my vocals) sounds clearer depending on the gig.
Click to expand...

This stuff is all new to me and thankfully this forum has provided a lot of guidance.

I am still experimenting (6 back to back gigs since I got the AXE). Eventually I will settle on the right mix that works best for the style of music I play and the size of the venues I play in.
 
I think it would be really great if we could get this discussion back on topic. Scott and LVC, the last person to post between the two of you did not win the internet argument... just drop it.

Back to the topic: Quality matters, but only matters to the point you want it to. You're not playing a $200 guitar into a $100 Peavey Rage 158 are you? You're likely playing a medium - High end guitar into an Axe FX II, so why wouldn't you want a good quality FRFR monitor? How much you value the sound coming out of the monitor matters when settling on a price. Everybody should find a balance between how much you NEED to spend vs how much you CAN spend. It's like buying a car. Do you NEED all wheel drive? Do you NEED a long truck box? It comes down to what you're using the vehicle for and FRFR is the same thing. Buy the proper tool for the use. For uses, refer to my post on Page 3.
 
Scott Peterson said:
Hearing myself well, enjoying it and being inspired by it makes me play better, allows me to enjoy performing and inspires those moments when you let go and live in the moment playing in a band with other musicians.... instead of fussing, worrying about or being preoccupied with substandard gear.
Click to expand...

got to violently agree with this....
it's your own tone on stage that puts you in the zone...
and for whatever reason, if you're tone is not happening [speaking for myself really] it can send you into a bit of a tailspin

I think tone, confidence and performance are all linked..
break one of them and the rest follow
 
Exactly. I bring my own gear because I've spent the time working on its sound and I know how to use and and that it sounds good to me. People do that all the time with their guitar, setup the way they like it, pedals amps etc. Why not do that with the speaker/sound too?
 
I've played so many gigs with crappy wedge foldback speakers, I can survive without immaculate tone.

But if its logistically possible I bring my own wedge speaker.

Especially for vocals, its a lifesaver sometimes.
 
LVC said:
Got it! Sorry for the mix up on the post.

Although I primarily speak English every day, English is not my native tongue either. Today I had family over and we spoke Spanish all day. What happens is

1. First In am speaking in Spanish but thinking in English
2. After a while I get back in the grove and I am speaking and thinking in Spanish

Then I switch back to English and I am speaking in English but thinking in Spanish.


It gets very confusing!
Click to expand...

I wish I had this problem...
I think in English, speak Spanish like a child, miss / misunderstand 50% of the conversation and then switch back to English.. lmao
one day I'll be able to hold a meaningful conversation with half my family...
but it ain't today.. lmao
 
  • Like
Reactions: LVC
ahh.... bailing out of this thread before it gets needlessly silly...

my parting thought is....

monitoring, FRFR or traditional... in fact anything.. guitars, FX, FX-units... studio kit.. etc
I guess you could say you generally get what you pay for [putting the "paying over the top for the name" thing aside]
the expensive high end stuff is generally better than the budget stuff...
but it don't mean all budget stuff has to be junk.. some of it actually punches above it's weight and can be surprisingly good...
we all have limits.. but we all want what we think is best for us...
so we just try to get the best stuff we can with the available funds..
and most folk - me included - have at some point had to make do with something lesser than what we originally wanted just so we can get up and running in the short term...
and then we upgraded at a later time...
more often than not, years later...
 
  • Like
Reactions: LVC
LVC said:
why do you need an expensive FRFR speaker if you intend to use the Axe live and not in a studio or home setting?
Click to expand...

To hear myself and other instruments as accurately as possible. I certainly could do without the "expensive" part but as I mentioned in another thread, it's expensive at the moment because we bought into the traditionally "expensive" stage monitoring market. As FRFR recognition increases, I think some more inexpensive options will become available through mass production. I could be wrong but I think Atomic, Matrix, and Xitone are the first manufacturers targeting guitarists. What will happen if we get a Coax wedge from Line6 or Mackie? Hopefully it will be less expensive and more durable (all debatable of course).

LVC said:
Wouldn't be better (and cheaper) -- just to either plug into your PA or one of your PA speakers to dial in your Axe?
Click to expand...

Absolutely but it's kind of hard to create tones with flown arrays in my bedroom... I think one has to trust or hope that the PA is reasonably FRFR or can be adjusted using eq gear to be so at the venue. With that assumption, your best bet is to also use FRFR for reference but not necessarily the same one due to practical reasons. I think the converse to your question is also valid... why not use your FRFR as your PA.
 
Scott Peterson said:
images
Click to expand...

I just shat my pants....
 
grape said:
Absolutely but it's kind of hard to create tones with flown arrays in my bedroom.
Click to expand...

Why don't you use your garage then? :lol

Anyway this FRFR thing with PA is a fairly moot point, isn't it? Surely the important thing is that (I'm sorry if this has been said before, but I do tend to turn off during bickerfests) you get the sound you like inspiring you, and the sound-guy gets a sound he can work with. Once it's left your AF2 for the desk it is no longer your problem, so don't worry about it.

Am I over simplifying this?
 
NiceChris said:
Why don't you use your garage then? :lol

Anyway this FRFR thing with PA is a fairly moot point, isn't it? Surely the important thing is that (I'm sorry if this has been said before, but I do tend to turn off during bickerfests) you get the sound you like inspiring you, and the sound-guy gets a sound he can work with. Once it's left your AF2 for the desk it is no longer your problem, so don't worry about it.

Am I over simplifying this?
Click to expand...

+1

The FOH engineers will do their thing... don't worry.. be happy :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom