Hayden Craig
Member
So I’ve posted here before and elsewhere about noise from my Axe Fx II XL+. Unfortunately my problem is still not solved, and i’m gonna list off all the stuff I have ruled out or attempted and put them here, and see if anybody else has any idea, because I’m about to lose my mind.
My Setup:
Guitar -> Axe FX II -> Output 1 -> Input to Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 -> USB to computer / Scarlett Focusrite Outputs to monitors. Here’s a picture to help show it better:
Here are some pictures with my ground tester:
Here are some recordings of the noise I can get. I’ll include high gain and low gain, with direct recording examples and some videos to show what’s up.
Here’s some direct recordings (These were recorded about 10 feet back from my monitors and equipment just to try to reduce the noise. Apologies in advance for the bad playing.):
Universe:
Strandberg:
Or instaudio links if that’s easier for you:
https://instaud.io/3s9d
https://instaud.io/3s96
Here’s some videos showing the noise in real time:
Unplugged:
https://youtu.be/hogsAEoWmQc
Universe:
https://youtu.be/cp4NKGHwv0o - Moderate gain + drive
Strandberg:
https://youtu.be/Cnu-7_xsaZU - With Drive
https://youtu.be/tUF2OBNKDno - Just amp and cab
Also, I’ll be attaching the patches that I used for these examples as well, if you’re ultra-generous and feel like demo-ing them for me and showing them here, so we can compare. Or, just to simply point out how my patches might be created very stupidly. (remember that my recordings have the drive and compression on, however one of the videos of the Strandberg shows that I get the noise even with just amp and cab, with the gain at simply 1/10.)
Anyway, as you can see I’m going crazy, and I can’t think of what this problem could be. I have lost most motivation to record because I can’t solve this. I put everything I thought possible in this thread to rule out most stupid things. I’ve had the problem for over 6 months now. I’ve had the unit for a year and it feels like it’s low output and noisy but when I sent it in 6 months ago Fractal said it was fine. I am so desperate to get it working so I can learn to love to play again. Please, help.
- I have two guitars. An Ibanez Universe with passive Dimarzio Evolution pickups, and a Strandberg Prog 7 with active Fishman Modern Fluence pickups. Both produce the same noise.
- I have tried the Axe FX II XL+ by itself all over my apartment in different outlets, and just using headphones, and the noise persists, even on my low gain settings. I also turned off everything in the apartment and played it in the dark, just to rule out EMI from my monitors or lamps or whatever, and still get the noise.
- I am using 3 different cables to test. 2 Mogami cables and one GLS audio. All 3 have the noise on them, although mogami showed a tiny bit less.
- Even on a preset I play that only has an amp and cab, and the gain is only set to 1.5, the noise is still there. (The master is at like 8, but level is low.) At even medium gain the noise is egregious.
- My presets aren’t clipping. Even with the input level in the I/O menu in the Axe Fx set to 0%, I still get the noise.
- There is a slightly different noise (little deeper) happening constantly even when the guitar is unplugged, on every cable. I provide an example below.
- I have everything hooked up to a Furman power conditioner. I also had a ground tester and showed I have no grounding problems in my outlets, and not from the power conditioner itself. (although I’m not sure 100% if that rules out a ground loop. I don’t think so.)
- I do get the noise even when I am muting the strings with my palms. I guess if it is noisy, it’s at least not supposed to be noisy with your hands on the strings, at least that’s what lots of youtube videos are showing me.
- I have sent the axe-fx in before to have it looked at like 6 months ago and they gave it back to me saying it was perfectly fine. I thought originally it might have low output too, which is the reason I sent it back. I don’t remember if I had this same noise I describe above, back then.
My Setup:
Guitar -> Axe FX II -> Output 1 -> Input to Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 -> USB to computer / Scarlett Focusrite Outputs to monitors. Here’s a picture to help show it better:
Here are some pictures with my ground tester:
Here are some recordings of the noise I can get. I’ll include high gain and low gain, with direct recording examples and some videos to show what’s up.
Here’s some direct recordings (These were recorded about 10 feet back from my monitors and equipment just to try to reduce the noise. Apologies in advance for the bad playing.):
Universe:
Strandberg:
Or instaudio links if that’s easier for you:
https://instaud.io/3s9d
https://instaud.io/3s96
Here’s some videos showing the noise in real time:
Unplugged:
https://youtu.be/hogsAEoWmQc
Universe:
https://youtu.be/cp4NKGHwv0o - Moderate gain + drive
Strandberg:
https://youtu.be/Cnu-7_xsaZU - With Drive
https://youtu.be/tUF2OBNKDno - Just amp and cab
Also, I’ll be attaching the patches that I used for these examples as well, if you’re ultra-generous and feel like demo-ing them for me and showing them here, so we can compare. Or, just to simply point out how my patches might be created very stupidly. (remember that my recordings have the drive and compression on, however one of the videos of the Strandberg shows that I get the noise even with just amp and cab, with the gain at simply 1/10.)
Anyway, as you can see I’m going crazy, and I can’t think of what this problem could be. I have lost most motivation to record because I can’t solve this. I put everything I thought possible in this thread to rule out most stupid things. I’ve had the problem for over 6 months now. I’ve had the unit for a year and it feels like it’s low output and noisy but when I sent it in 6 months ago Fractal said it was fine. I am so desperate to get it working so I can learn to love to play again. Please, help.