A few questions before buying.

dguitar

dguitar

New Member
Hey everyone,
I've been looking at the axe fx units on and off for the last few years, but always thought they seemed like overkill for me until just recently when I started getting more serious about recording and having a more accessable live set up. I've set my sights on a standard, as I dont consider myself a real big effects junky, and the recordings I'm doing are really just my own guitar tracks.

I don't really know much about digital units in general, I never jumped on any opportunities to use one. Is it fairly simple to learn your way around the interface? Also, how does processing power in these units affect the sound/ recording ability?

Probably my biggest interest in the axe fx is its recording ability. I have heard very very good guitar tracks come from these. I guess my only concern is how well they function live (ease of use, immediate sound). I'd want to use it only as a big effects processor on stage, with most of the sound coming from my amp. Does anybody here regularly use it for that application?

Thanks and sorry for the long first post, I can be kinda stingy about spending large amounts of cash haha.
Ryan
 
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IMO the AxeFx covers all of those bases better than anything currently on the market, and will probably continue to do so for years to come due to the excellent customer support and regular release of firmware upgrades to allow for future improvement without cost to the end user.

That said, the AxeFx Standard/Ultra can be used in any number of different ways, from the bare-bones simple (Amp sim into Cabinet sim into Full Range Flat Response monitoring system), to the extreme and eclectic. You may or may not find this device to be plug and play in terms of the usability of the stock presets. Depending on your experience with programming such high end devices, you might find yourself spending a bit of time with the AxeFx.

What types of processors are you familiar with in terms of use and programming? We might be able to answer some of your questions with more focus if you can give us a bit more detail regarding the equipment you use, everything from the guitar, amps, FX, stomps, cabinets, PA, recording gear, etc.

It is generally held that the only limitation most users find with the Axe Fx has to do with the expertise of the end user.
 
Thanks for taking the time to reply!
My primary set up has always been pretty simple. I've always gone for a few high quality pieces than a lot of extra stuff. Currently my rig is a custom Stambaugh Designs guitar (small builder but awesome stuff if youre into the boutique thing!), going into an engl invader (one of the reasons I'm looking at more midi related stuff), with an Isp decimator and a delay pedal running through the fx loop. The decimator runs before and after the preamp, I'm pretty sure it would work out in a similar way with the axe fx. Also, I always used more effects in the form of pedals, but lost a few things in a move. One of the reasons I'm looking for a single effects unit is to avoid having to repurchase pedals that weren't perfect anyway.

For recording I've just been micing up my 2x12 cab with an sm57 and hooking it up to a presonus interface. Everything after that I'm using reaper, mostly because I really like the way they set up their midi editor. It can be kind of a bear to get things set up to sound any better than decent this way, mostly because I wasnt recording very much until recently, and I'm not terribly good at it yet. I'm also not a big fan of how some of the compression and reverb effects change tone in a program like this.

More or less I want to eliminate the need to buy a lot more gear over a long time period and have the axe fx take over any effects i may use live and be my primary unit to record direct with. I'm willing to put in the time to teach myself how to use it, as long as its the type of thing that will actually simplify matters once I know what I'm doing.
 
Hello Ryan
I would like to add that my needs are somewhat simple also. Mostly Blues, blues\jazzy, classic rock and R&B. I have some beautiful sounds using "only" presets that I have edited a bit to suit my needs. Most here don't use these (from the posts I have seen in the last 2 years) Some do. Guess it depends. For me the Mesa boogies, fenders, Shiva and carolann are mainly what I use and I am happy as can be. Been about 2 years with my Ultra-Lovin' it
FRank
 
dguitar, you'll obviously find a lot of users on this forum who are very happy with the Axe Fx Standard and Ultra, myself included. It sounds to me that you've already got a sound going that you're happy with, and the AxeFx would be used mostly as a means to replace effects pedals, correct? If this is the case, you must also think about the means of engaging these effects, most likely via a MIDI pedal board, of which there are quite a few, with the more sophisticated ones running into the many hundreds of dollars. This adds to the performance versatility of the AxeFx but also adds a level of complication for those who are not so well versed in programming (MIDI implementation) such devices.

Also, if you are using your Engl head running into a typical 2x12 guitar cabinet, you'll be using the AxeFx without amp/cabinet emulation, which is fine. Many use the AxeFx this way through their amp of choice. Just keep in mind that there are some excellent tube amp simulations and cabinet simulations living under the hood, which can come in real handy for everything from serious recording to live applications to quiet rehearsal.

Have you read the AxeFx owner's manual PDF, or spent any time reading the Fractal Audio Wiki pages?

http://fractalaudio.com/Documents/AxeFxManual.pdf

http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/index.php?title=Main_Page

If you are new to programming rack mount processors and MIDI gear, you will have some homework to do, and this programming can get as deep as your creativity will allow. My personal opinion, and I'm obviously not alone, is that every aspect of the AxeFx is very high quality and extremely well thought out, very professional. As an effects processor alone it has very few peers. Add to that the amp/cabinet simulations, and IMO the AxeFx is currently in a class of its own. I don't really think you can go wrong owning one. It's just a matter of coming up with the $$$ and having the commitment to understanding how to use it to its fullest potential.
 
If you get an Axe-FX, you may start out using it only for effects, but then once you realize just how good its amp and cab sims are you will never want to use a conventional amp/cab setup again. You have the world's finest amp construction set in the Axe-FX; its effects blocks are only the tip of a mighty iceberg!
 
I support zslane's opinion on this...BUT...in order to get satisfying results using the AxeFx's amp/cabinet sims (and they are excellent!), you need a further investment of time and money in a quality (and for live playing, perhaps very LOUD) FRFR speaker system. There are endless forum posts and continuing dialog regarding preferred power amps, speakers, active (powered) PA speakers/wedge monitors, studio speakers, etc.

dguitar may initially want to get his feet wet with the AxeFx by focusing on just the effects processing, but inevitably there should be some curiosity about the amp/cabinet sims as the comfort level increases with understanding the vast capabilities of this unit. Even if using the cab sims is not your "bread and butter" there are always times when the practicality of using the AxeFx will come into play as an "all in one" processing solution to your total guitar sound, especially when compared to lugging around a ton of heavy gear for impromptu live and/or studio sessions.

If you purchase the AxeFx, you'll go there...trust me. ;)
 
Links to the manuals were very helpful, thanks for those, and all the other responses.

It seems like I'm going to have a lot of work to do figuring out the midi component, but programming the axe fx itself seems pretty straightforward. I'm pretty much sold, I wouldnt consider the price tag unreasonable at all if it's as good as everybody says it is/ as it sounds recorded. Probably will stick around the forum as I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions along the way (likely about midi setup for a guy who has no idea how it should work). Might be looking for a used standard in the next few weeks as well, if anybody has one.

Thanks again for all the responses!
 
dguitar said:
Links to the manuals were very helpful, thanks for those, and all the other responses.

It seems like I'm going to have a lot of work to do figuring out the midi component, but programming the axe fx itself seems pretty straightforward. I'm pretty much sold, I wouldnt consider the price tag unreasonable at all if it's as good as everybody says it is/ as it sounds recorded. Probably will stick around the forum as I'm sure I'll have a lot more questions along the way (likely about midi setup for a guy who has no idea how it should work). Might be looking for a used standard in the next few weeks as well, if anybody has one.

Thanks again for all the responses!
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dguitar,

Welcome. On this forum, you will interact with one of the more civil and helpful groups of people that I have ever found on the internet. You can get answers about or help with just about anything here from knowledgeable people. Don't worry about MIDI. You can learn it. And, you won't need it for everything. Mostly, you'll need it to connect your Axe FX to your computer for updating the Axe, backing up your stuff, trying out other people's patches, etc. That's actually realy easy, You connect MIDI cables from your Axe FX to a MIDI interface that connects to your computer. Then, you download any number of free MIDI utlilities to your computer that you'd then use to send and receive stuff. You can use Fractal's Axe FX editor (called "Axe Edit"), Bome's SendSX, MIDI-OX, etc. People here can walk you through all of that. You may also need MIDI for using floor controllers if you play live. But, that's incredibly easy - especially if you use Fractal's MFC-101. Anyway, don't be overwhelmed by it. Just read, ask questions, and take in a little at a time as you need to do those things.

Your best friends will also be:

http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/index.php?title=Main_Page (The Axe FX WIKI)
http://www.fractalaudio.com/Documents/AxeFxManual.pdf (The Axe FX User's Manual)

Good luck if you end up buying one.
 
I also recommend going ahead and downloading the editor. That will give you an idea of what you have available to you for tweaking and setting things up. Doing it with the editor is easier, but its not too hard to do on the unit itself. Its very easy live and in the studio, especially if you just go direct to the board or to FOH.
The midi aspects aren't that complicated, if you use the MFC then you may not really need to learn any, or very little, if you get another foot controller then you basically just assign a number to a switch, and then assign some function in the axe to that number, its not very complicated once you get going.
no worries, and welcome.
 
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