Set axe fx2 to other frequencies than 48khz?

Alsklaftsk123

New Member
Hi, it is my first post here! I wonder, with the newest firmware, can the axefx2 operate/ record in other frequencies than 48khz? I heard that you cant. If not, will this be added in the future? If you look away from the price, this is the biggest reason i havent got an axefx2, since all my music is in 44.1 khz, and it would be painfull to switch.
 
Welcome aboard!

The Axe2 is fixed at 48K and Fractal, IIRC, has said that this will not be changing in the future. I recall reading a comment from Cliff saying that software does a better job of bit rate conversion which is why he has not implemented support for 44K in the AxeFX.

Terry.
 
No. When recording analog the quality of the signal depends on the A/D unit in your soundcard or recording box. When recording digitally you get just pure Axe-Fx.
Think about recording and mixing in 24bit and 48KHz. That's what you get from your Axe-Fx. And this is damn good sound, really. All you have to remember, before you press your latest CD, is to sample it all down to 16bit with 44.1KHz. All audio software profits from the enhanced accuracy of 24 bit against 16 bit. And that means: better sound.
Happy mixing!
 
But wouldnt it be better to record the axe analog then?

Yes I would suggest that too. Most sound cards are 24bit/96khz. I have never used my Axe as a sound card and always record stereo directly in my sound card. If you want you can record your old songs directly with the Axe in the sound card and then for the new songs change your projects to 48hz and use your Axe as a sound card. This is not a reason not to buy the Axe fx.

Using directly seems more stable to me, especially when using Axe edit at the time. I am not sure if the sound quality of recording the Axe directly will be really better then recording through your 24bit/96khz sound card? would like to know that.
 
I'm also interested in the FX2, and have many ongoing DAW projects at 44.1, not to mention a keyboard player with his own DAW with projects at 44.1, so i'm exploring how i might use the FX analog I/O instead - If i can figure out a way to record an analog direct track for re-amping, AND a stereo processed track at the same time... AND i can overlook/accept the added noise and conversion loss (most critically in the direct signal for re-amping)... :concern:
 
All my projects are at 44.1 and I record onto them with the Axe-fx all the time. I guess my DAW is just downsampling it all automatically?

IDK. It sounds good so I don't worry.
 
I am new to recording too.
I just bought a Mac mini and want to use Logic with it.

If you record the axe2 with USB on 48 kHz can you convert it later to match a project that is done in 44.1 kHz?
Because i do want to use the axe as a soundcart but my collegue uses a different soundcart on 44.1 kHz.
And the idea was for me to record my guitar at home, send him the recordings and he can add them in the final project.

So will this work out for me or is it going to be a problem?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
All my projects are at 44.1 and I record onto them with the Axe-fx all the time. I guess my DAW is just downsampling it all automatically?

IDK. It sounds good so I don't worry.

I'd like to find out more about this. Is this something you can find in your DAW documentation?
 
Can we really tell difference if we use a different bit rate?

Depends. If you jump off the 63rd floor of a building unassisted, can you tell by the results if you jumped from a sitting or standing position? I suspect that's how little difference it makes.

48Khz is easier to do in hardware, so it's cheaper. 44.1Khz is where the Nyquist theorem says you've done as much as you can plus a little bit to prevent aliasing. Whether a manufacturer selects one frequency or the other, or something substantially higher, is probably due more to engineering costs and marketing considerations than any real world results.
 
I'm also interested in the FX2, and have many ongoing DAW projects at 44.1, not to mention a keyboard player with his own DAW with projects at 44.1, so i'm exploring how i might use the FX analog I/O instead - If i can figure out a way to record an analog direct track for re-amping, AND a stereo processed track at the same time... AND i can overlook/accept the added noise and conversion loss (most critically in the direct signal for re-amping)... :concern:


I use USB from the Axe into LOGIC PRO 9 Macbook Pro and my projects are at 44.1. Zero problems whatsoever, unless the Axe FX preset is over 87% CPU usage - then there is scratchiness embedded on the tracks I've recorded. The work around I've done is to eliminate whatever effects are pushing me too high in CPU and record the track without those effects. Then re-amp and disable the amp and cab, but leave the effects that I previously omitted from the preset, and print a new track that has all those effects on it from the Axe.

Otherwise, I can add effects in the DAW as needed too.

I've messed around with doing projects at 48K but I was file trading tracks with my band leader and his Pro Tools sessions are at 44.1, so just for simplicity I quickly abandoned my quest of doing my projects in 48K to match the Axe FX II.

And like I said, I do not find it necessary.
 
I use USB from the Axe into LOGIC PRO 9 Macbook Pro and my projects are at 44.1. Zero problems whatsoever, unless the Axe FX preset is over 87% CPU usage - then there is scratchiness embedded on the tracks I've recorded. The work around I've done is to eliminate whatever effects are pushing me too high in CPU and record the track without those effects. Then re-amp and disable the amp and cab, but leave the effects that I previously omitted from the preset, and print a new track that has all those effects on it from the Axe.

Otherwise, I can add effects in the DAW as needed too.

I've messed around with doing projects at 48K but I was file trading tracks with my band leader and his Pro Tools sessions are at 44.1, so just for simplicity I quickly abandoned my quest of doing my projects in 48K to match the Axe FX II.

And like I said, I do not find it necessary.

I'm not sure i understand. Does your DAW up-convert outgoing audio data and down-convert incoming audio data at the same time? Basically making the whole 44.1/48 miss-match invisible? :beguiled:
 
I'd like to find out more about this. Is this something you can find in your DAW documentation?
From my studio one manual:

“Sample rate” refers to the rate at which incoming analog audio is sampled per second during
conversion to a digital signal. The most common setting is the standard sample rate for audio
CDs: 44.1 kHz, meaning 44,100 samples per second.
The Studio One sample rate should match the sample rate of your audio interface, so by
default, the sample rate is set to your current audio interface’s sample rate, and changing this
setting will initiate a sample-rate change in that device. If the sample rates don’t match, Studio
One will resample all audio files to match the sample rate of the hardware, but this can cause
performance problems and should be avoided. Studio One is capable of recording at any
sample rate your hardware audio device offers.
Not all devices allow a third-party software application to change the hardware sample rate.
The desired sample rate should be set before creating a New Song.
File size is directly proportional to the sample rate and resolution. The higher the sample rate
and resolution, the larger the resulting audio file will be.
 
Thanks james.... I have considered the option of converting some reference files in my 44.1 projects to 48.0 'manually' and importing them into an 'axillary' 48.0 project expressly for Axe tracking, capturing the direct and processed USB signals as per design, then converting these files to 44.1 to be imported into the main 44.1 project.
(Then from within the main 44.1 project, you can use the (converted) digital direct signal to run to the Axe analog input for re-amping via analog if required.)

I'm starting to think that getting an audio interface with enough analog I/Os to go straight analog with the Axe for ongoing 44.1 projects, and making a clean break to 48.0 for new projects might be the best thing to do...
 
Notice that sample rates of 48k,96k and 192k are multiples of 2. They can be converted from one to another provided your equipment has the versatility to arrive at a common setting. The Axe FX, being fixed at 24bit, 48k is quite acceptable. The higher the sample rate, the purer your high-pitch notes and percussion (cymbals) will sound. Keep in mind that the all too familiar 16bit, 44.1kHz format was developed to accommodate the pocket-sized MP3 players where size, cost, and memory capacity were the main concern. High fidelity audio can't be fully appreciated with ear buds anyway. Equipment and DAW's exists that can up-sample a lower order signal, but that does not improve the sound quality. It only builds a bigger word that can be processed as a higher order sample.
 
Keep in mind that the all too familiar 16bit, 44.1kHz format was developed to accommodate the pocket-sized MP3 players where size, cost, and memory capacity were the main concern. High fidelity audio can't be fully appreciated with ear buds anyway.
As far as I remember, 16bit, 44.1kHz was developped for Audio CD in 1980 at least 12 years before MP3 was released, no ?
 
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