What things can an AFX do that a real amp cant?

H13

Inspired
See above.

I'm...considering going back to real amps. However the one thing that people keep saying as an argument is how versatile the AFX is in comparison.

It's an argument that seems legit in my head, but I don't know what it is yet that an AFX can do that a real amp cant. I haven't had to experience that.

SO. Educate me. What are some cool shit that an AFX is capable of that a real amp isn't?
 
I can't plug an amp straight into my computer and survive.

If you want an amp, buy an amp. Nothing wrong with wanting an amp.

I'm going to tell you something.

It's big.

A really, really, reaaallllly big...something.

You'd better sit down first.

And maybe hold on to something.

Got it?

Get a good grip, okay?

Here it goes...

...you can own both. In fact, you can use them both together.

Still there?

Glad you sat down, aren't you?

Foof.

Mind blown, right?
 
Not...really, 'cos I'd be selling the AFX to finance the amp.

I have been toying with the same idea for a while. Ive had the ultra and now the axe fx ii. I had tube amps, got rid of them, bought some back, got rid of them etc... One thing still remains though, the Axe fx. Im still wanting to buy a friedman or an EVH 5153 El34. However this would make me have to sell my axe to finance it but, we will see what happens when I am at that crossroads.

Something else thats great about the axe is when you find your setup and sound, it never changes! No more dying tubes and maintenance. I like that. Also the fact that you dont have to dance around with tons of pedals (which I dont like to do).

I will still buy either the friedman or the evh but I am quite sure I will hang onto the axe fx.
 
Sounding like 250+ amps and unlimited cabs in one box, effects, routing, standalone reamping, weighs less, easier to plug in and play, consistency, updates, super customizable signal path, tweaking the inner workings of an amp without consequences.
 
Sounding like 250+ amps and unlimited cabs in one box, effects, routing, standalone reamping, weighs less, easier to plug in and play, consistency, updates, super customizable signal path, tweaking the inner workings of an amp without consequences.

Well as I kinda posted in another thread, I only use 1 or 2 amps. I prefer my pedals to the AFX pedals.

Sure, it's got a lot of flexibility when it comes to routing, but...I haven't done anything with the routing which I couldn't achieve with pedals?

I know all this cool stuff is there, but so far if I replaced my AFX with an amp head + Two Notes...everything would work the same except I have the real amp (which has advantages).

So what's one super awesome thing you can do with routing in the AFX that you couldn't with real stuff?
 
Different routing with the FX loop and placing stuff in between amp and cab blocks. Series/parallel hybrid routing. The biggest thing for me is the expression pedal control. Being able to press one button and change delay feedback percentage, chorus rate/depth, trigger an lfo on a mix parameter at the same time is crazy. Sequencer and envelope filter too. Awesome tone for recording. Amps require very good mics, a very good room, and excellent preamps. Then a great a/d converter. Enjoy recording with headphones for hours and moving mics like a crazy person? I don't. Do you have a dog that makes noise, kids, a noisy living area? Axe FX equals no problem. Sure use a load box with your amp, you'll burn the transformer if you drive it too hard. To route like the axe you'd need a ton of inputs/outputs and a large format console with a patchbay.
 
Honestly the only pedals I find better than the axe is true fuzz pedals because of the volume knob dynamic. Modulation, delay, and reverb is not beatable by pedals. Some strymon stuff is good but if you know the axe you can do the same thing and more. The only FX I use with the axe FX is my h3000 for very specific FX(swept verb, similar to Plex delay detune mode.
 
Hi H13,
Your Marshall can never be a fender.... and so on. The amp & cab you choose will define your sound- Which is fine if you want one 'flavour' of amp/cab.

Of course there's also the squilliona of effects and reverbs etc - bt you already know that.

Maybe you could explore changing your FRFR so the sounds you are getting turn you on?

Thanks
Pauly



See above.

I'm...considering going back to real amps. However the one thing that people keep saying as an argument is how versatile the AFX is in comparison.

It's an argument that seems legit in my head, but I don't know what it is yet that an AFX can do that a real amp cant. I haven't had to experience that.

SO. Educate me. What are some cool shit that an AFX is capable of that a real amp isn't?
Hi H,
 
This is part of the reason why I always kept my Marshall. Every now and then I get an urge to smell some tubes burning, so I fire up my fav Marshall. Sadly this lasts about 5mins before I realise I actually prefer the AxeFX and I go back to that. I’d rather have a real tube amp on hand to learn this lesson than sell everything and be stuck with only 1 amp (I know financially this isn’t an option for you, I’m just giving my view).

Personally I would say, sell the II and get yourself a III (if financially possible). It has a certain responsiveness and is very satisfying to play when craving a real amp.
 
Your mind sounds made up to me. If you've already got an Axe Fx, you know the advantages already.

It's worth noting that the Axe III's modeling is better than the II's. I was really surprised. It's a ridiculously worthwhile upgrade in tone/feel, power, and utility.

That said, if you're really feeling the tube amp thing, you should probably just do that. Sometimes it's not about what's definitively better. It's more about what you want.

And yes, I think the Axe III is definitively better than a nasty old tube amp (IMHO, YMMV, etc). :p

This is part of the reason why I always kept my Marshall. Every now and then I get an urge to smell some tubes burning, so I fire up my fav Marshall. Sadly this lasts about 5mins before I realize I actually prefer the AxeFX and I go back to that. I’d rather have a real tube amp on hand to learn this lesson than sell everything and be stuck with only 1 amp (I know financially this isn’t an option for you, I’m just giving my view).

Same. I regret selling my tube amp. I wish I could just flick it on every once in a while to remind me why the Axe rules. Also they look cool.
 
NOTE: I AM PLAYING DEVIL'S ADVOCATE.

For me to go back to amps, it's gonna be a complete reconfiguration of my guitar AND recording setup. If I make that leap, I want to make sure that I've covered every possibility and angle. So I'm going to argue against absolutely everybody in this thread as a way of "testing" the ideas yeah? Don't interpret my stubborn-ness as "Well he's already made his mind up"

I haven't. I just want to make sure all bases are covered from both sides of the fence :)

With that in mind...*cracks knuckles

Different routing with the FX loop and placing stuff in between amp and cab blocks. Series/parallel hybrid routing. The biggest thing for me is the expression pedal control. Being able to press one button and change delay feedback percentage, chorus rate/depth, trigger an lfo on a mix parameter at the same time is crazy. Sequencer and envelope filter too. Awesome tone for recording. Amps require very good mics, a very good room, and excellent preamps. Then a great a/d converter. Enjoy recording with headphones for hours and moving mics like a crazy person? I don't. Do you have a dog that makes noise, kids, a noisy living area? Axe FX equals no problem. Sure use a load box with your amp, you'll burn the transformer if you drive it too hard. To route like the axe you'd need a ton of inputs/outputs and a large format console with a patchbay.

Putting stuff in between cab\amp blocks isn't something that I do. I can see why people prefer their modulation\delays there but for me it's not a big deal. Generally for recording, if I'm using a time-based effect (Delay, Reverb, Trem, Rotary etc.) I prefer to use a plugin so that I can synch it to the song. In terms of live use...eh. I don't do U2 style delays, more of a "I WANT ECHO" sorta delay and if an audience member is out there literally counting my repeats, they're not the sort of self-obsessed wanker that I care about either.

The way I've got things set up, I'm treating the AFX like I would an amp head. Guitar (Or Reamp) -> Pedals -> AFX -> Interface. What I'm thinking of doing is going Guitar -> Pedals -> Amp -> Two Notes Torpedo -> Interface. (NOTE: IF YOU WANT TO TELL ME HOW\WHY A TWO NOTES TORPEDO IS SHIT, PLEASE DO SO HERE! https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-vs-two-notes-torpedo.143958/#post-1703513). That means I've still got silent recording and all the convenience of using one of those amps (admittedly, they're still a pain in the dick to move)

Honestly the only pedals I find better than the axe is true fuzz pedals because of the volume knob dynamic. Modulation, delay, and reverb is not beatable by pedals. Some strymon stuff is good but if you know the axe you can do the same thing and more. The only FX I use with the axe FX is my h3000 for very specific FX(swept verb, similar to Plex delay detune mode.

I've found the total opposite. I've found the real works better almost every time. With effort, you can tweak the drive block to be basically identical, but it's not a case of slapping on an 808 Drive block and calling it a day. Plus there's something else that the real thing offers...

A bit of security. See, if I plug a REAL TS808 into the front of the AFX, then if there's an issue with things not sounding "right", I know I don't have to worry about the pedal (assuming it's the right pedal blahblahblah). Whereas if I'm using a drive block, maybe I don't have the mid frequency set perfectly? Should I try a different kind of clipping? There's a lot of tweaking to the drive blocks (in particular) to get them sounding right.

With the real pedal? Chuck it in. Twist the knobs. Done. Move on.

With the real amp? Chuck it in. Twist the knobs. Done. Move on. No fucking around with dynamic presence, sag or whatever.

The audio game is a game of inches. Each inch you can be certain of is one less problem down the line. While I'm pretty sure that the AFX does the job correctly, if I'm staring down the ACTUAL bit of gear I want to use, it's either right or it isn't.

Note: This approach only works if you HAVE the right amp\pedal. That's definitely one point to AFX ownership instead of real amps. I aint gonna have 200 amps.
 
From your last comment there it sounds like you have made up your mind and have a bit of G.A.S. Not saying its bad or anything. :)

Regarding the knob tweaking and such, some people like the ability to tweak every aspect of their gear, hell when I had analog gear, I would take apart my pedals and add parts/remove parts on them all the time! Now I am able to do that without making paper weights and shocking myself.

If you feel like the real amp is the way to your happiness, then do it man. None of us here will convince you otherwise. There is still a reason why 98% (random number) of musicians still use real amps.
 
For starters, I can tweak the parameters and thus the sound of the Axe FX remotely (eg. from my computer) and I can save those changes as instantly recallable presets. Those presets will sound the same 7 days a week, 365 days a year. I also don't have to worry about the maintenance of swapping tubes or consider how aging tubes will affect my tone. What's more, I can adjust parameters at the click of a mouse that would otherwise require a screwdriver and potentially pose serious risk, and in this regard the Axe FX represents an easily configurable sandbox for amps. The unit itself is also physically lighter than most real amps.
 
Last edited:
The thing is, I used a tube amp live for years and I found it sounded different almost every night, it was unpredictable. There was nothing wrong with the amp, it was factors that were out of my control (e.g. literally the climate would make a difference to my sound).

If I tried to replicate the exact sound of a pedal into my amp, I would probably not get the same result (mostly due to me not understanding all of the parameters and how they interact with each other), however, I get a MUCH better sound out of my AxeFX amp & drive block than I ever got out of my real tube amp with simple pedal combination. And to put the icing on top, it is consistent.

With my AxeFX III, I chuck an amp (and my fav cab) on, and chuck a drive on, and sometimes I don't even have to twist any knobs. There is no fussing about with advanced parameters unless if I wanted to.

I think if you were at peace with your amp/pedal combination, and you felt that you couldn't get the same sound out of your AxeFX then maybe that's all you need. But I know from my own experience that if I sold my AxeFX and reverted solely back to tube then I would definitely end up being frustrated with the same issues that plagued me before Fractal days.

Ironically, I pretty much use only 1 amp for 90% of my entire range of presets now, so I could literally by the real thing and just use my AxeFX for effects - but that would make no sense as I feel like I'm getting the real thing already.
 
Well as I kinda posted in another thread, I only use 1 or 2 amps. I prefer my pedals to the AFX pedals.

Sure, it's got a lot of flexibility when it comes to routing, but...I haven't done anything with the routing which I couldn't achieve with pedals?

I know all this cool stuff is there, but so far if I replaced my AFX with an amp head + Two Notes...everything would work the same except I have the real amp (which has advantages).

So what's one super awesome thing you can do with routing in the AFX that you couldn't with real stuff?

You definitely can do it but that'd require splitters and cables and maintaining that.

Take for example splitting a signal into an amp and a DI fuzz through just the cab and blending it in (ie - summing 2 signals between the amp and cab block). For me that has the clarity of a non fuzzed signal as well as the girth and aggression of a fuzz.

For 2 amps and a Torpedo - You'll probably spend more than an Axe and I don't think they'll sound better. If you're not a tweaker - just use the basic knobs.
 
This is kind of a silly thread, it’s essentially saying “I only use 1/10th of what the Axe can do, tell me what I’m missing”, then when people mention those things it’s like “but I don’t use those things”

Like if you had a heavy duty 4x4 that was great at hauling stuff, driving off road etc and you said you just drive it down the street to work each day, then asked why it’s “better” than a little economy car. People respond that it can tow stuff, for example, so then you say “but I don’t tow anything”, so no, for your needs, the economy car would do fine.

Perhaps the question should be why do you have an Axe in the first place ? The very reasons most people want one are seemingly things you don’t care about.

You don’t want multiple amp models, don’t care about the effects, don’t care about routing options, don’t care about instant recall, don’t care about the weight savings, don’t care about volume levels etc.

To play devils advocate right back at you, why do you own an Axe?

You want everyone to take the time to post to convince you, but maybe instead you should try to convince us why you needed the Axe in the first place ?
 
These are the advantages that the axe has over real amps, from the top of my head:
1) Less Maintenance. This thing is so sturdy, it's ridiculously less likely to break. No need to change tubes, or anything. Far more reliable.
2) The amp is just one amp. The Axe FX is a 100. When I'm bored of the Friedman, i can change to a Mesa rectifier by a flick of a switch. With real amps, you will always have this "The grass is greener on the other side" kind of a feel, and the only remedy would be buying a new amp... That also includes effects, tube choices and so on... Overall you are saving a lot of money. And that's excluding all the cab choices!
3) Unless we compare the Axe to some tiny amp solutions, it is far more portable.
4) Lots of amps inside the Axe FX cost more than the Axe FX. Especially now, when the price of the axe 2 has fallen.
5) Built in effects. No need for excessive wiring, or batteries, or power supplies. So, if you don't hear sound from your setup, for example, troubleshooting is easier.
6) Built in audio interface. You can listen to music through that, and jam with youtube videos.
7) Easy to record and reamp. You can record wet and dry signals simultaneously.
8) You can use the clean channel from one amp, and a dirty channel from another amp. Therefore, you can build a perfect dual channel amp for your taste.
9) You can easily capture IR's with it.
10) It's low volume, so you can play it at home quietly.
11) No need to buy an extra guitar tuner. Less "dongladge" overal.
12) No need to mic up a cab. Instant ideal mic tone during live shows. Also - No mic bleed, or unwanted stage noise.
13) The axe can sound better than real tube amps in the right hands.
14) You can control tones of amps in more ways than on real amps. And no need for a screwdriver.
15) You can plug more than one guitar to it. So, your band mates may not need to buy extra gear. With four mono inputs and four mono outputs, you can theoretically use four instruments on it. Tho this is kinda painful to setup on the Axe 2. This is well improved on Axe FX 3, and It may also have more than two simultanious amp blocks available in the future. So again, you are saving money.
16) The sound is always predictable.
... so on..

The advantages of real amps tho:
1) The axe doesn't have a power amp built in. I wish there was a version of the axe with a dedicated power amp.
2) Setting it up for use with a real cab is over complicated. (That includes it not having a built in power amp!)
3) It doesn't sound completely right though real cabs. Reason being: The things that real amps do naturally when reacting to a speaker, you have to set it up manually in the axe. And on top of that, there is no way to even measure these to get them right. All by ear. Also - Only the Axe FX 3 has "PA+Cab" output mode. Axe FX 2 "speaker compression" doesn't work correctly for real cabs.
4) The axe is a LOT harder to use. You need to press multiple buttons to even reach the basic amp controls, whilst these are easily reached by hand on the real amps. The UI on the unit itself is kind of awkward, and to edit stuff you have to hook up a computer... In contrast - a real amp is completely plug and play.
5) Turning real knobs is far more satisfying than turning virtual ones.
6) The Glow and smell of tubes are not there.
7) With real amps, you don't have to worry about clipping, input/output levels. It just works.
8) The Axe can sound worse than tube amps, especially in the wrong hands.
9) The control layout of a real amp is dedicated to that one amp, whilst the Axe is kinda messy in comparison.
10) No choice paralysis with real amps. That's what you have, that's what you use... So, you don't spend a lot of time auditioning a hundred cabs, or something like that...
.. so on...

Now, the choice is yours.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Back
Top Bottom