Cem
Experienced
Hello all,
I've some problems going on and I can't seem to figure out. Maybe some ideas from you can help me, so I'm writing all. It might be a little long, I appreciate the ones who read.
The music style that I'm talking about is mostly funk, and funk-rock. Kinda jamiroquai style. Just for information I use Ownhammer IRs modern and vintage sets, and I definetely know how to use a real amp.
I'm an Axe Fx-2 user, ( that was an Ultra for mostly at home for 2years) for nearly a year. The reason I wanted Axe was for live gigs. I'm a live guitarist. Not spending that much time on recordings. I actually were gigging with a Mark V combo and a pedalboard. And that was hell of a job to carry, and after flight gigs started I wasn't able to carry it. So I wanted to upgrade my Ultra to Axe 2, set it use it and be happy.
But it didn't turn out to that. First of all, I was so happy when Axe 2 arrived. Now I see that it was the improvement from Ultra to 2. I spent a lot of tweaking, toning, listening about Axe 2. And kind of solved the 'tone' problem with axe. And I invested a lot in it, Missions pedals, I already had MFC etc.
And I started to gig with it. The FoH, was ok. I needed more than 10 mins soundcheck for just Global Eq'ing the FoH but it was ok, It was doable. But the in-stage was impossible. And I wasn't playing at low-quality venues at all. They really had decent sound systems. ( I played at the worst and nearly the best also ) I wasn't able to get the 'feel' of Hell yea that's my tone at all. I gave it time, I thought maybe I can't global Eq it well enough in-stage. I gigged, gigged gigged. Thought that It got improved gig by gig, But it didn't!
And than after some months, I played with my Mark V combo for one gig, I had to do it for some reason. I was blown away. I just thought that, I was torturing myself while EQ'in in-stage, and not getting a good result at all. ( while everybody is complimenting on my guitar sound, outside. But what does it help when I don't have the 'tone' inside? It doesn't even please me, while everyone is having orgasms outside. )
That's some important part here.
Today, an idea came out that, after seing Mark V rocking the world. I thought that maybe If I listen the Axe through Mark V's power amp and cabinet it might be good. And I did it, I bypassed cabinet and poweramp from Axe and plugged into Fx Return of Mark v. And it was incredible. I really gained the trust back to Axe. Really I was blown. The only thing activated at Axe was just amp simulation. And it was better than perfect. Really no other words. My Mark V turned into a TopBoost and than a JCM800 and than a rectifier. With same poweramp and speaker, and really noone could hear a difference. ( It's a must try! )
But than I wanted to try the Mackie studio monitors in our studio, ( I had experience with them as Stereo, far away from me, as a usual studio monitoring style ) as in-stage monitor, I've put them close to me, stood near it, and tweaked via Axe Edit. The sound was horrible after listening to it from Mark V's cabinet. Even the OH Irs were so digital sounding, so narrow. Sorry but it sounded so Crap. And I just realized that, It was what I were hearing at stage. I spent 3 hours. To get a good, loveable clean sound. I wasn't able to do it. I couldn't do it.
Now I'm coming to a conclusion. What am I doing wrong? Or am I doing something wrong?
If I'm gonna carry a poweramp and a cabinet to the gigs with my axe fx. There is no advantages for me to use it. I really would prefer my Mark V. It sounds the same everywhere. But I'm not able to carry it even to meet up the roadie ( the carrier guy? ) on halfway. It's so heavy. The reason I chose axe was portability. But I can't get it out of it. And I can get much better than it with a blues junior Mic'd. It provides the clean tones that I'm looking for better than axe + in-stage monitors.
I really don't want to sell my Axe. But I don't see any other options at this moment.
Any ideas?
I've some problems going on and I can't seem to figure out. Maybe some ideas from you can help me, so I'm writing all. It might be a little long, I appreciate the ones who read.
The music style that I'm talking about is mostly funk, and funk-rock. Kinda jamiroquai style. Just for information I use Ownhammer IRs modern and vintage sets, and I definetely know how to use a real amp.
I'm an Axe Fx-2 user, ( that was an Ultra for mostly at home for 2years) for nearly a year. The reason I wanted Axe was for live gigs. I'm a live guitarist. Not spending that much time on recordings. I actually were gigging with a Mark V combo and a pedalboard. And that was hell of a job to carry, and after flight gigs started I wasn't able to carry it. So I wanted to upgrade my Ultra to Axe 2, set it use it and be happy.
But it didn't turn out to that. First of all, I was so happy when Axe 2 arrived. Now I see that it was the improvement from Ultra to 2. I spent a lot of tweaking, toning, listening about Axe 2. And kind of solved the 'tone' problem with axe. And I invested a lot in it, Missions pedals, I already had MFC etc.
And I started to gig with it. The FoH, was ok. I needed more than 10 mins soundcheck for just Global Eq'ing the FoH but it was ok, It was doable. But the in-stage was impossible. And I wasn't playing at low-quality venues at all. They really had decent sound systems. ( I played at the worst and nearly the best also ) I wasn't able to get the 'feel' of Hell yea that's my tone at all. I gave it time, I thought maybe I can't global Eq it well enough in-stage. I gigged, gigged gigged. Thought that It got improved gig by gig, But it didn't!
And than after some months, I played with my Mark V combo for one gig, I had to do it for some reason. I was blown away. I just thought that, I was torturing myself while EQ'in in-stage, and not getting a good result at all. ( while everybody is complimenting on my guitar sound, outside. But what does it help when I don't have the 'tone' inside? It doesn't even please me, while everyone is having orgasms outside. )
That's some important part here.
Today, an idea came out that, after seing Mark V rocking the world. I thought that maybe If I listen the Axe through Mark V's power amp and cabinet it might be good. And I did it, I bypassed cabinet and poweramp from Axe and plugged into Fx Return of Mark v. And it was incredible. I really gained the trust back to Axe. Really I was blown. The only thing activated at Axe was just amp simulation. And it was better than perfect. Really no other words. My Mark V turned into a TopBoost and than a JCM800 and than a rectifier. With same poweramp and speaker, and really noone could hear a difference. ( It's a must try! )
But than I wanted to try the Mackie studio monitors in our studio, ( I had experience with them as Stereo, far away from me, as a usual studio monitoring style ) as in-stage monitor, I've put them close to me, stood near it, and tweaked via Axe Edit. The sound was horrible after listening to it from Mark V's cabinet. Even the OH Irs were so digital sounding, so narrow. Sorry but it sounded so Crap. And I just realized that, It was what I were hearing at stage. I spent 3 hours. To get a good, loveable clean sound. I wasn't able to do it. I couldn't do it.
Now I'm coming to a conclusion. What am I doing wrong? Or am I doing something wrong?
If I'm gonna carry a poweramp and a cabinet to the gigs with my axe fx. There is no advantages for me to use it. I really would prefer my Mark V. It sounds the same everywhere. But I'm not able to carry it even to meet up the roadie ( the carrier guy? ) on halfway. It's so heavy. The reason I chose axe was portability. But I can't get it out of it. And I can get much better than it with a blues junior Mic'd. It provides the clean tones that I'm looking for better than axe + in-stage monitors.
I really don't want to sell my Axe. But I don't see any other options at this moment.
Any ideas?