Advice for a total beginner (power amps, power cabs, FRFR speakers etc.)

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Bill_Pap

Member
I know it's been discussed before but since I'm a total beginner ( I just got the Axe FX III today) I need some basic advice.

I connected the axe fx straight to a keyboard amp and it sounded horribly. What do I need to make it sound properly? Do I need both a power amp and a power cab/monitor speakers? Do monitor speakers/ power cabs by themselves suffice? Can I simply connect Axe FX to a guitar power cab like Laney LFR 112 or line 6 powercab instead of getting a power amp+power cab?
 
Bill_Pap said:
I know it's been discussed before but since I'm a total beginner ( I just got the Axe FX III today) I need some basic advice.

I connected the axe fx straight to a keyboard amp and it sounded horribly. What do I need to make it sound properly? Do I need both a power amp and a power cab/monitor speakers? Do monitor speakers/ power cabs by themselves suffice? Can I simply connect Axe FX to a guitar power cab like Laney LFR 112 or line 6 powercab instead of getting a power amp+power cab?
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Yes , your best starting point would be a powered FRFR or monitor (s) like the l6 power cab , no separate power amp needed unless you are driving standard unpowered guitar cabs.
 
bradlake said:
Yes , your best starting point would be a powered FRFR or monitor (s) like the l6 power cab , no separate power amp needed unless you are driving standard unpowered guitar cabs.
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Thank you very much!! The aforementioned guitar cabs( laney 112 and Line 6 power cab) seem to be very popular, in the forums here too, if anyone has experience of using them with the axe fx III I would be glad to hear recommendations
 
bradlake said:
Search FRFR or powered monitor here on the forum and you will get more recommendations than you can handle.
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One more question, I 've noticed there is a matrix fr12 cab which fractal recommends. Does it need a power amp or do you simply connect the axe fx to the cab and you are ready to play?
 
Do some research and take a little time to choose the FRFR speaker/monitor. CLRs, XiTones, Friedmans, Matrix are all powered and also have a passive product. If you you're really itching to try it out, run up to Guitar Center and buy a Yamaha DXR10. You can return it within 30 days or keep it if you like it. It's a really good FRFR speaker that is priced nicely. And it's unbelievably loud. If you own a guitar amp with an FX loop, you can also turn off the pwr amp in the Fractal unit and run into the FX return.
 
Bman said:
Do some research and take a little time to choose the FRFR speaker/monitor. CLRs, XiTones, Friedmans, Matrix are all powered and also have a passive product. If you you're really itching to try it out, run up to Guitar Center and buy a Yamaha DXR10. You can return it within 30 days or keep it if you like it. It's a really good FRFR speaker that is priced nicely. And it's unbelievably loud. If you own a guitar amp with an FX loop, you can also turn off the pwr amp in the Fractal unit and run into the FX return.
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Thanks a lot! Unfortunately I live on a greek island and I can't try anything, I'm forced to make a blind choice judging by reviews and youtube videos. So far the laney LFR 112 active cab seems the most affordable and comfortable solution. For the time being I need something for my personal pleasure at home, I'm not into live performances.
 
Ah.. I see. I haven't had any experience with the Laney. I saw there is a thread dedicated so hopefully it's what you're looking for. Fortunately you have the most premier tone shaping piece of gear available. Between EQs, PEQs, and the IR options available I'm certain you'll find the tone you seek.
 
If it's just for home playing then a couple of decent studio monitors might be the best solution. With those you can hook up your PC/DAW via the AxeFX as a sound device and record or play along with tracks and other sound files etc. Probably more practical in the long run.

A lot of the tutorial demos you see on YouTube etc are done using Studio Monitors as the players monitoring source.
 
You also do have the option of running a power amp and traditional guitar cab. For at home use that's my bread and butter. I just don't get along with frfr the same way I do with a guitar cab, particular for high gain metal stuff.

If you have any other guitar amps/cabs at home already then you can probably rig something up to get a pretty good idea of how this would sound/feel.

I have a 2x12 cab with a matrix gt1000 and then also a passive XiTone wedge at the practice space.... The XiTone just collects dust unfortunately. It's an amazing piece, it just didn't really do anything for me considering I don't do anything live and just want the best in the room tone/feel.
 
Guys, I got myself a line6 powercab 112 (not the plus model) and I'm disappointed with the result... I tried some metal and a few clean factory presets and all I get is a muddy sound, nothing sounds close to what I've been hearing on YouTube. What is strange is that every preset sounds very much alike to each other. Either I'm doing something wrong, or the axe fx III sounds horribly in my ears. I could post a video sample of my phone, the quality won't be top, still I would like to hear opinions.
 
Bill_Pap said:
Guys, I got myself a line6 powercab 112 (not the plus model) and I'm disappointed with the result... I tried some metal and a few clean factory presets and all I get is a muddy sound, nothing sounds close to what I've been hearing on YouTube. What is strange is that every preset sounds very much alike to each other. Either I'm doing something wrong, or the axe fx III sounds horribly in my ears. I could post a video sample of my phone, the quality won't be top, still I would like to hear opinions.
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Are you using the cab emulation on the Power Cab or FRFR (flat) mode?

If you're not using the flat mode, you either need to disable the Cab block in each preset or turn off the Global Cabinet Sim emulation.

I'd suggest using the flat mode first since the default setup for the Axe Fx will work best with that.
 
unix-guy said:
Are you using the cab emulation on the Power Cab or FRFR (flat) mode?

If you're not using the flat mode, you either need to disable the Cab block in each preset or turn off the Global Cabinet Sim emulation.

I'd suggest using the flat mode first since the default setup for the Axe Fx will work best with that.
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Yeah, I tried the FRFR mode straight away but the results were disheartening. I've been thinking all day how I will sell both . By the way, my intentions here are not to bash these pieces of hardware. I may be the only person on planet earth who was disappointed with AXE FX III on first trial. I mean there must be something wrong I'm doing, it can't sound perfect in YouTube and suck only in my ears in my room.
 
Hmm... I would try doing a factory reset to make sure there isn't a problem with one of the system settings.

Have you tried different guitars and cables?

What kind of cable are you connecting to the Power Cab with?
 
unix-guy said:
Ok.

Try the factory reset.

Also, do factory presets sound muddy with headphones?

The 1st couple presets should be really spanky.
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Hmm, I haven't tried headphones to be honest, I don't have any right now. I will try in the following after Christmas days and report. Thanks for the tips
 
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