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    Using the Fractal's reverb, as an alternative to other outboard reverbs.

    Mercenary Audio has something which intrigues me: the Bricasti M7 outboard reverb unit, whose price point is at the far outer end of my capabilities, and yet which seemingly promises some beautiful verb. In my opinion, no effect is more valuable than reverb. And yet here I have in my...
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    Axe fx 2, ultra, or standard?

    My time to jump from the Ultra will present itself when the 3 has appeared, at which time, I'll buy the 2 second hand, or the new 3 outright. Until then, I do not perceive the 2 being the salvation or the revelation that the 1 was. I believe it is an incremental improvement whose benefits...
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    Acoustic - Piezo -> Fractal -> Acousticy for recordings?

    I love acoustic guitar in my recordings. Due to ambient noise in my dwelling - two children, I've been considering foregoing a mic'd acoustic guitar in favor of a piezo. There are some high end options out there, notably the Rick Turner Renaissance, which might be best of breed. I've heard...
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    cable from XLR balanced to Axe?

    If I've got a rack effect with only balanced XLR outputs, and I want to go into the Axe, I need a balanced XLR -to- 1/4 inch unbalanced converter. This much I understand, and I recently bought one, but I was subsequently told by the rack manufacturer that the cable is unacceptable because the...
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    pre, compression, eq for bass

    The units I'm using don't have 1/4 inch inputs and outputs like that unfortunately. It's XLR. I wish the Fractal Axe had XLR inputs. The main point I'm getting at though is that I don't think there's any way a digital EQ is going to match up against a studio grade analog EQ. That goes...
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    pre, compression, eq for bass

    I've got excellent rack gear for pre, comp, and eq. And I've got the Fractal AxeFx. I don't see why I'd need to use the Fractal for comp/eq, when I have comp and eq rack units. Wouldn't it make sense to come into the AxeFX from the comp and eq rack units? And if I did that, then wouldn't...
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    Wondering about smooth lead synth voices

    Me three. Listening to the patches that shipped with my Ultra (and came darn near close to making me want to return it), it's clear the manufacturer is obsessed with effects that deal with tracking, and transforming the sound, such as playing full chords based on a single note, or 'synth'...
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    Tried using 2 amps

    I've got an Ultra and got the bug for running two amps, but .. just to help save you some money .. I realized in the end that I could really achieve all the tonal variation I could ever really require with one amp going into a cab that's got two diff cab settings.
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    which pre is for me

    This touches on the question I had: is there any benefit to using a pre for bass, for example, when going into the Axe?
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    2 years with Ultra

    My Ultra has made the impossible possible, and has paid for itself by virtue of the huge stock of pedals I could get rid of. I'm still selling my old gear, no longer necessary. Will have to buy 1 or 2 backup Ultras though, in time. Sometimes I hear a little digital artifact, but it's pretty...
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    Proximity to other units in rack

    Does anyone think it inadvisable to position the Ultra so close to another unit in the rack that it's flush?
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    Ultra for mixdown compression and eq?

    What about eq also? Is an outboard analog rack going to sound more musical as well, all things being equal?
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    Ultra for mixdown compression and eq?

    Ok, I know technically it *can* be used as outboard gear for mixdowns, ... but I'd like to know if for compression and eq, stereo mastering, whether I can rely on the Ultra, or whether I should really make the investment in some standard analog rack gear, such as API's 2500, etc.? Anyone got...
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    low pass filter a la moog

    I created this once a few months ago, but now I can't figure out where I found it. Does anyone else here remember?
  15. F

    to go into DAW digitally, or not?

    Ok, for those of you content to run 48kHz digitally, I have this to ask: Sure 48kHz is beyond the human hearing range in terms of frequencies that we can hear, but when I've read Bob Katz's book, he seems to come to the conclusion that 96kHz is still preferable, due to processing those sounds...
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    to go into DAW digitally, or not?

    What I see is that there are conversions ahead no matter what I do. If I go in digitally, the conversion happens going from 48 to 44.1 for CD. If I go in analog, the conversion happens going D/A to A/D. Which is uglier?
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    acoustic guitar -> preamp -> fractal axe (compression)

    How does that signal chain sound to you guys? It would entail a pair of xlr -> 1/4 inch converters for use with the Fractal. Thing is, I don't want to have to buy an analog compressor if I don't have to, and the Fractal is looking tempting in that role. Anyone tried it that way? It...
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    to go into DAW digitally, or not?

    Analog or digital, that is the question. Going in digitally means I don't have to invest in a pricey converter. The remaining question then is does anyone have a preference? I'm guessing those of you who don't have their DAW set for 48kHz will opt for analog in, but for those of you who...
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    Saw Chris Cornell tonight - Pete Thorn has an Axe Ultra

    They should have never broke up Soundgarden. What a waste.
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    Axe-FX as outboard eq/comp/limiter/ec

    I don't have decent converters for my DAW unfortunately. But aside from that, there's still the issue I was trying to raise. If you attempt to use the Axe as outboard gear from your DAW, to provide ambience, eq, compression, limiting, etc., then you're coming out of the DAW digitally, going...
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    Axe-FX as outboard eq/comp/limiter/ec

    Well, I would think that having a lot of conversions would not be desirable, especially if we were not converting from rates which are multiples of each other. I.e., if you are using your Axe as outboard gear, then wouldn't it make sense to choose to work in DAW sessions which are 48 or 96kHz...
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    Axe-FX as outboard eq/comp/limiter/ec

    How many of you have tried using the Axe as a piece of outboard gear, to eq/comp/limit tracks? To do so would mean that the Axe is working in 48kHz, which means that your sessions would be best off in 48 or 96kHz. But this means that your music isn't as transportable to the common CD format...
  23. F

    gain

    Sun Lion (treble booster plus fuzz), from Analogman. I'm noticing that on my input meter, it sounds best to me when only one yellow LED lights up, so that's why I'm not sure if I'm underdriving it.
  24. F

    Thoughts on a bank of basic presets

    I think Fractal has made a mistake with their presets. I nearly returned the unit in disgust after one night. It sounded similar to my $50 Zoom pedal. I don't understand. I think maybe Fractal doesn't understand what's driving people like me towards this pedal. It's NOT the effects. I've...
  25. F

    Axe for the long term

    How many years you think you can get out of a Fractal before it starts to spew? Maybe 20, or is that pushing it? My Mac has held up pretty well over the last few years, but most PCs seem to just wilt under the increasing demands of their expanding operating systems. I see they've got new...
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    gain

    The instructions say the input should be pretty strong, occasionally lighting up red. I find when I try that, it sounds like overdriven mud. I also find the only way I get that high is by pushing my treble booster/fuzz's volumes up. Anyone have similar experiences, or advise me to pursue a...
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    acoustic guitar -> preamp -> fractal axe ?

    (this is for recording, rather than live action) I've got a nice Martin HD-28, excellent mics from Gefell, and I'll be getting a Great River pre. That's over $6000 in tone making gear. With an output from this, I could go analog into ProTools and use plugins to build some...
  28. F

    48kHz sample rates

    As I'm getting slowly ready to record again, I'm planning my strategy. How to deal with the Axe-FX unless you have a good A/D converter. Fractal says to rely on the DAW's converter, but that means I've got to record to one ProTools 48kHz session, and then import it into a 96 kHz session where...
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    Axe for the long term

    I'm wondering what will most likely break first on the Axe-FX and what I can do to prepare for it. Moving parts: fan, knob. Fan: I'm not sure how many more years it will be easy to buy replacement fans that are compatible with this board. Anybody know? Knob: I live on that knob when I...
  30. F

    recording acoustic guitars direct

    Thanks guys. That actually is really good news for Mercenary Audio, because I'll be going back for a Great River pre.
  31. F

    recording acoustic guitars direct

    There are some pretty good onboard systems for Martin guitars and such, and there are implementions such as Ovation or, perhaps even higher end, Rick Turner's renaissance acoustic/elec guitars. Now it's possible to go direct via the Fractal, rather than micing a nice Martin with a matched pair...
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    rumble: rolloff, eq and amps, and fx

    Mindful of trying to avoid muddy mixes - rumble, are any of you rolling off at any of these points (eq, amp, or other fx)?
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    overs / clipping

    This may be how the Fractal works, but typically effects can clip, as well as having a cumulative clip. My experience is from ProTools, and on every effect as well as the main fader, the red stays red once you've crossed, otherwise, how in the world would you'd know you'd gone over during the...
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    AxeFX wear and tear

    Damn good question. You're right, this is a computer, not a tube amp. I've had computer parts die out from being on all year. The heat. Then again, like you say, powering on and off can be bad. I wonder if there's a right answer to this.
  35. F

    Would I regret getting a Standard over an Ultra?

    I just posted somewhere else on this topic. Going into it, and I see some of you feel the same way, you can live without some of the effects and the Standard is enough. I decided to go the Ultra route. At first, Standard would have been enough, but then, just putting together a pair of...
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    overs / clipping

    One thing I'm experiencing, a minor complaint, is that the Axe could handle overs better, to my liking. 1) when the light goes red, it should stay red until I turn it off. that way, if I wasn't paying attention while I'm playing, I'll notice later that I've gone over. Maybe this is a...
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    Full commital to the AxeFX: How long did it take you?

    I spent a day with it, and realized that it could replace my amps, and could be my long term all-in-a-box solution. It's not perfect, nothing is, but it solves my big problems admirably.
  38. F

    DAW, sample rates

    Guys ... then does this, in your mind, preclude the possibility/benefits of coming back out of the DAW, to use the Fractal for eq, compression, and room tone?
  39. F

    DAW, sample rates

    Hi all ... so, I've seen the post where Cliff described why he doesn't include a sample rate converter: that software converters are as good or better in his estimation, so he's encouraging us to use our DAW converters, or something close to this effect. OK, so, being that the case, I'm...
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    who converted from tubes to the axe ?

    I've had mine for a little over a week now. I have a Vox AC30 with Alnico blues. Naturally, I thought it was irreplaceable. The truth for me was that, just like others report, the Axe-FX sounded ungood out of the box, but with a solid day of tweaking I got (a) first the tone and (b) then the...
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    Fast forward to 2015, what's next?

    4 or 5 amps, a great room or two - rented or purchased - commuting to get to it (need a car or a big house), and a batch of mics. Plus all the effects. Wires everywhere, slipped disks. There are hidden costs. Sure, maybe in 10 years you gotta replace your Fractal Audio, like you would your...
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    Latency

    thanks guys, yes I was talking about latency not with the signal that passes through the session, but the 'direct' for monitoring. and it's a relief to know that there is indeed ZERO latency there. I'm good to go then.
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    Latency

    Separate topic perhaps, but since I'm back to playing with a modeller, and I'm going through an Mbox (the first version), I'm subject to the MBox's latency, whatever that is. Does anybody know?
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    Will there ever be an Ultra Ultra?

    I've only spent one day using it. so I may revise my opinion, but at the moment, I've come to a similar conclusion. With more than one amp, the tone loses definition, and gets flatter, muddier. With one amp and two cabs, it gains complexity without losing my articulation. (And on the second...
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    For acoustic amp or bass amp modelling, goals.

    Amp emulations for acoustic amp, and for bass guitar. What should I be striving for, when trying to model these?
  46. F

    Matching amp/cab descriptions to their real life models

    Has someone posted a listing matching the amps and cabs in the Axe, to the real names? In the manual, Cliff alludes to what the original models were that he has emulated, but I am not informed enough to get all his hints.
  47. F

    Stupid Question but I had to ask: Axe-FX as mic pre

    My next purchase is a Great River mic pre, unless someone can tell me that the Axe is miraculously a mic pre too.
  48. F

    Fast forward to 2015, what's next?

    I bought an Ultra, but for the basic ingredients, the Standard does the same job. Let's fast forward a few years. What will Cliff do to improve his product? * Let's assume that Cliff has marketed a stripped-down Axe-FX to the masses, challenging the Pod, and the Pod has responded. and now...
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    If you could do it all over again...

    I was just thinking last night, if I could go back to the 1970s with the Ultra, oh what a famous guitarist I would have been. The answer is, having spent a day fiddling with it and getting it to act like an adult and responsive amp/cab, I can't believe how much my life has hopefully been changed.
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    Would I regret getting a Standard over an Ultra?

    short answer is, I think, yes
  51. F

    Can the Axe-FX fuzz match boutique fuzzes?

    I didn't spend a lot of time on the drive unit yet, but I come away thinking that Analogman's fuzz is really one of a kind.
  52. F

    Finally made the plunge

    I didn't lurk for too long. I heard the word-of-mouth, from reputable people, I had a need, a strong need, for a solution to recording in a small noisy apartment. I'd tried other solutions that wasted years of my time, but this sounded like the real deal. After a week or two of lurking, I...
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    What DAW interface? Digital or analogue?

    I wonder how the Axe's D/A converters are. They're probably not bad. Can you think of some pros and cons to having your daw recording in 48kHz, if you chose spdif, to bypass converters? To my ears, I think I can hear a difference between 48 and 96, and I also think it's not a good position...
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    Anyone using a SPDIF to AES cable/adapter?

    but why do we need a rosetta, if the Axe does a reasonable a/d conversion and spdif? why not just go from the axe to the daw? Is it the 48kHz limitation from the Axe?
  55. F

    pro tools mbox 1 methodology, spdif vs analog

    SPDIF 1) why is Axe doing spdif i/o in 48kHz? (Clearly, 48kHz is not a good choice for music. 44.1kHz is more appropriate for mp3s, 96kHz offers more depth. Bouncing down from 48kHz to 44.1 is not a smooth transition.) 2) are you guys choosing to foresake the spdif outs, and go analog...
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