Advice before I do something stupid. Switching to AX8 from Axe fx 2 mark 1

Should I switch to AX8?

  • Yes

    Votes: 22 68.8%

  • No

    Votes: 10 31.3%
  • Total voters
    32
darko89

darko89

Member
Soooo I'm tempted to sell my Axe fx 2 to buy the new AX8. I bought my Axe fx about 4 years ago and I mostly use it in the studio. Lately I've been wanting to play with friends more often(bedroom musician for too long) and carrying the Axe fx is not really practical. I feel like having a floor pedal will be more an incentive to go play with my gear.
  • I almost never use USB audio from the axe fx ( Fireface 400 with spdif)
  • I'm okay with running a single amp
  • Having the floor pedal from the AX8 seems nice ( currently I have the fcb1010)
  • No car :(
What do you guys think?
 
Hi!

Close situation. I received my AX8 last week. Really nice piece of gear. CPU limitation is there but I think I can go over it. Switches configuration is easy and this stuff is so leight! I'm not sure I'll keep my XL long actually: it's usefull now to convert my presets and the many presets existing on the Axe Fx (very few on the AX8) but I might not need it for long.

AX8 seems a good solution for you too!
 
Needs change, that's a fact of life. The cool thing about music, is its something you should do with other people. If the AX8 gets you out there playing more, then you have made the right decision. We have enough studio/basement musicians in the world. If the AX8 gets you out there do it. Playing is the goal. This sounds exactly like the AXE-FX, so you wouldn't be missing out on sound. I love both units and I'm keeping both. But I'm in the camp where I can afford both and I play literally every weekend, so I justify it as a backup, but which is the backup... The XL has become the backup. I hope to get another AX8 next year, I love this thing.



My 2 cents.
 
Thanks for taking the time and giving me advice. To be really honest it's a pain letting go of the axe because it's been a fantastic product. I love this thing. But right now I can afford both.
 
I have sold my Axe-Fx + MFC 101 to get an AX8. No regrets at all.
I use it only for rehearsal/live gigs.
It has exactly the features I need, and missed on my Axe. (Easy config, light and amazing footswitch assigning)
And I still have that stellar sound
 
Go for it!
Ax8 is perfect if your goal is go out and share your music.
In the meantime you can export the blocks of your favourite presets to feed your incoming AX8...
Ah, and keep a backup of your Axe2 presets and user cabs, you never know what future holds!!
 
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Yeah, I think getting the Axe8 is a good idea and you have the advantage this unit is new. So in the end it might give you a longer lifetime to play with;) You made me think about now too o_O
 
Gig every weekend but now I have Axe II rigs at each of the 2 venues and show up with my guitar and a macbook pro in the front pouch of my guitar case to update firmware and add a preset or 2. My travel rig is also an Axe II rig and I use it at home for programming and recording. That said I am very curious about the AX8 as a more simple travel rig. As for the occasional jam with friends I actually grab my custom 1x12 tube amp (Allston Overdrive Combo) - go figure!
 
darko89 said:
Thanks for taking the time and giving me advice. To be really honest it's a pain letting go of the axe because it's been a fantastic product. I love this thing. But right now I can afford both.
Click to expand...
If you can keep both for about a month, do that, it will help to migrate.
 
What I would do is check you current presets and see what CPU you would be running on the Ax8. You can do a search on the Ax8 forum and find a spreadsheet that will show how much CPU each block uses for Ax8 vs ax fx II.
In my case I would lose sound quality because I would not be able to run the verbs the way I do now. But you may not rely on verb as much as I do.
 
darko89 said:
  • I almost never use USB audio from the axe fx ( Fireface 400 with spdif)
  • I'm okay with running a single amp
  • Having the floor pedal from the AX8 seems nice ( currently I have the fcb1010)
  • No car :(
Click to expand...
With this list I would say the AX8 would suit your needs in about 80-90% of what you want. Single amp, no USB audio, more geared towards AFX-lite style usage, limited effects usage; the AX8 can handle all that.

With no car, I would look at some of the other posts on here for a rugged protective backpack of some sort. @Rick was super helpful in checking them out making sure they're ideal for travel: http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/edit-search-over-winner-mono-365-case.108302/

Hope that helps mate. Only question will be what you will plug in to for your jam out with your buddies on. Do they/you have a PA already?
 
Well I have a rackbag bag for the axe fx , It's just that carrying that , with the guitar and the pedal is kind of tiring( back problems).

Most of the jams would be either to put it in front of an amp( still have to explore the 4CM) that we get in a rehearsal space or directly into a mixer to play with headphones( electric drum setup). The second option is the one who I will use the most.

Thanks again for the response.
 
I have a Mark II and just received my AX8 last week. If you can live within the DSP limitations and without USB the AX8 is the way to go IMO. For the way I use it 90% of the time the AX8 is more ideal for me. But for someone who doesn't like limitations and likes to do crazy dual amps and many effects setups the Axe-Fx II is definitely the way to go. It is easy to hit the DSP limits on the AX8. But with some forthought I can get the AX8 to do some pretty complex tones.
 
I had an Axe FX II MkI, sold it, got an AX8, then sold it and got an Axe FX II XL+ and MFC101 :D. I'm not playing out and I found the (comparative) limitations of the AX8 a bit annoying (this is far more a problem with me than the unit in question obviously :D). The MFC101 is a bit annoying in comparison to the AX8 footswitch setting in terms of IA switching (it's hard to overstate how great the AX8 is in this regard), but the XL+ is easier to program on-unit (which I do maybe 1/2 the time nowadays) and allows me to indulge myself more in terms of cramming junk into presets.

If I was playing out, I'd get an Amplifire and use it with just the box itself, no expression pedals or external midi anything. The Amplifire sounds great (not quite as great as the current-generation Fractal stuff in my hands, but still great), is easy to program, has seamless preset switching, no CPU limitations (in the current firmware iteration anyways), and it will fit in the front pocket of my gig bag. It's also cheap enough that I would be able to get it and not have to choose between it and my current setup.

If you're not on the waitlist, this might be a bit of an academic question anyway. If you do end up having an opportunity to buy an AX8 down the road, then I would definitely recommend keeping your Axe FX and only selling it if you decide the AX8 is definitely going to get it done for you.

Didn't vote in the poll because this is a decision I think you'll have to make for yourself. Maybe Fractal should have a product picker app on their website like Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan have for choosing pickups so they could recommend the best product for any given prospective buyer? :D
-
Austin
 
I've been using my old Standard at church because I was tired of lugging my Axe II every week. I use the Axe II at home and for other gigs. When my name comes up for the AX8 I'll be replacing the standard for church with it :)
 
Also worth some weight in the consideration, the Axe FX II is the target platform for updates and new features. If you are an update junkie, the delays in the features trickling down to the AX8 may drive you crazy. That said, I think the lag between the updates will definitely decrease as time goes on.
 
to me it sounds like a step backwards
the Axe-II can do what the AX8 can, but the AX8 can't do what the Axe-II can
if you sell the Axe-II you'll be selling choice..
it may not be important today.. but may well become something you wish you still had tomorrow..
I would never go backwards where functionality is concerned..

however, if you chose to add an AX8 to your kit collection where one has a specific use and the other can do everything else, that's a whole different thing..
 
Maybe just get a soft rack bag for the Axe II, and then another shoulder bag for the MCF, should be pretty easy to transport
 
If you want to switch, give it a shot. Worst case, you'll buy another when finances are better. The plus is that you don't give up a thing in sound quality by downsizing (which sounds really weird when it is the Axe Fx you're downsizing from). For me, I am fortunate enough to keep both. I don't think you'll regret giving it a shot.
 
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