Tracking down my first II - anything I should know?

M

misterpete

New Member
Hey guys

I'm on the hunt for my first Axe Fx product. I've wanted one for ages and now the time has finally come.

I'm just curious if you can give me some advice as a first time fractal owner as to anything I should know going into the unit.

I know there's tons of stuff you can edit and fiddle about with. So what advice would you give for tone crafting? Are the super deep options worth fiddling with or is it more a case of "get it good with the basics and run with it"?.

My only points of reference for the unit are clips on the internet and albums recorded with it, which I know aren't the best of references...but that being said, i've never heard an Axe Fx clip that I thought sounded bad.

Are impulses essential, or are the stock cabs just fine? Will it kill my desire for tube amps?

Apologies if these are fairly obvious questions. But coming from Line 6, the fractal stuff is a whole new world, and i'd just like to know exactly what i'm getting in to.

Cheers for any help :)
 
You can get really great tone just using the basics! Just use it like you would a real tube amp and you should be fine. Playing with the advanced parameters is like having a tube amp modified, you can do it but most people don’t buy an amp wanting to take it apart and modify it.
Also, the factory IRs are great! The only reason to get aftermarket IRs is if you aren’t happy with the VARIETY of the factory cabs. The quality is top notch!!!
 
Hmm. Big question.. Still in the process of getting more in debts with the perfect sound...
The IR's is in my opinium 50% or more of getting there and that is a big world out there when it comes to IR's. Here I prefer IR's from Moke, Celestion.

The Axe it self I would go slowly on the parameters especially when it comes to the Amp block. Read carefully about the interaction between the Gain, Trim, Master vol before moving onto other parameters. These controls have some interesting interactions between them.

To know the characteristics of all the Amp's are quite difficult and one have to try here and there but a great help is the Wikipedia linked from the Forum page. Here all the amps are listed and good advice to settings and characteristics . Brilliant work here.

Go on YouTube and to go through different examples making your first preset..

From there it's a long journey but the joy of the sound is in your face almost from the first hour. From there it's a voyage into new territory and that's whats taking 90% of the time - you just want more and more...
 
Some points for someone new going into it:
1) Don't expect it to be a magic box that will make you sound good. It might be easier to get better results, but for the most part, you will sound like you. It's not a substitute for guitar skill, or a good ear or tone shaping skills. It's basically just a bunch of amps and mic'ed cabs in a small box. How you deal with them is up to you.
2) The axe will sound like *a* real thing, but not like *the* real thing. Some things that real amps do naturally (Like, the Amp-cab interaction), have to be dialled in manually in the axe fx, and you can only do it by ear. Though the default values will sound good/"real" too, they can not be completely accurate to the real thing (authentic). This control is more than any other modeller can offer.
3) A cab IR is almost more important than the amp you've selected. It can make or break your guitar tone. All amps sound good in their own way (for the things they are designed), so if the tone is crap - it's the cab IR.
4) To get good results quickest, For the most part, treat the axe fx like a real amp. Most amps only have, like, the basic EQ, drive, master. If you don't like the sound using only these controls, this amp is wrong for what you are trying to achieve. Choose another. Do not try to fix the wrong amp with the advanced settings. Keep them for when you feel adventurous and have a lot of time, or want to make small tweaks after you've found the amp you like.
5) The axe will only be as good as the method you use to monitor it. If you are used to the tone of a 4x12 in the room, and expect the axe to give you the same sensation through your headphones at home, you'll be greatly disappointed. If you want the same feel, use the axe with a power amp, through that cab.
 
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If price is a deciding factor, you should consider jumping on the current sale! I purchased the XL 3-1/2 years ago and love it. There are some growing pains for reasons previously described by other forum members here, but you'll be getting a unit with firmware tweaks that are light years beyond the point when I first purchased, you'll have fun acclimating!
 
I went from a POD XT Live to an Axe-Fx II, and the transition was pretty easy, and VERY satisfying. I seriously doubt you'll be unhappy with the switch. I've been using the AFX for about 3 years now, and I still very rarely feel the need to tweak the deeper parameters...the basic settings tend to get me where I want to go. I've purchased one Cab Pack (the Obot pack), but I'd say 95% of my presets are still using the factory cab IRs. As has been said upthread, what you use to monitor your sound is also important. At home I use a QSC powered speaker (K10 or K12, depending on which one I feel like taking out of the case), and run no onstage speaker other than the K10 wedge in front of me that has the whole band running through it. I like using the FRFR approach, since that opens up so many possibilities for variety in sound. I play in a cover band, so it's useful for me to have access to lots of different amp/cab combinations.
 
First things first. Don't judge the capability of the unit based on the stock presets. That should be stated up front.

Second, no, you don't have to tweak the advanced controls. For someone who's just coming to grips with the unit, I don't recommend it. Get comfortable with the basic controls first. A lot of users rarely touch the advanced parameters. You certainly don't have to in order to create something that sounds awesome.

This brings up a third point. IR's will have a far bigger impact on your tone than the amp model you choose. IR's are one of the single biggest factors that shape tone.

Download Yek's Amp Model Guide. It'll help familiarize you with the amp models and provide some helpful suggestions.

Third party IR's will expand the units sonic palette, however the stock IR's are sufficient for creating awesome tones.
 
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Will this unit be for home/quiet use or live performance/loud band use? Will you be playing thru an amp/speaker or FR system? Large FR system or desktop monitors?
 
If you haven't already, then go for it. I think (as has been said above) you will be happy with the transition from line 6 to fractal (you might want to try the Helix pluggin just to be sure.) I remember the day my XL+ arrived, I spent about 2 hours just playing three chords on factory preset number 7. lol it blew me away. Happy days :)

I mainly use the Ac30 amps with either stock IRs or a couple from a cab lab pack. And IMHO since FW7 I just don't feel any need to deep edit parameters in the amp block. Just typical B,M,T drive and high cut settings, its great.
 
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