another axefx2 xl+ newbie

Hi i just received my axefx2 xl+ yesterday. I tried some of the presets and they don't appear to sound right.
I use an american standard strat guitar with a rack mount power amp and 2 peavey 4x12 speaker cabs.
any help with setting my unit up would be appreciated. I am basically new to guitar but wanted descent equipment to start with.
I did some looking on the internet and figured this axefx2 xl+ should be fairly good for sound quality.
 
ok 1/4 inch guitar cables, guitar in front input and and running out of output one left and right into my rack mount power amp with 1/4 inch guitar cables.
 
Ok, so basicalll what the other guys are saying is don't have a cab "on" in whatever preset you are playing on. That would be like mic'ing a cab, and sending that to another cab a few feet away. Just have your amp + FX active in your preset and it should sound good.
 
i have my guitar in the front input and the level meter when i strum hard is just coming up to but not hitting the red light
You can raise the input knob, hitting the red on your loudest strums is OK and even recommended

if i disable speaker simulation will i still be able to use the cabs on the unit or no?
No, but you shouldn't if you use real guitar cabs instead of a FRFR speaker
 
Ok, so basicalll what the other guys are saying is don't have a cab "on" in whatever preset you are playing on. That would be like mic'ing a cab, and sending that to another cab a few feet away. Just have your amp + FX active in your preset and it should sound good.
ok so don't even have a cab block you are saying?
did i select descent equipment to start out with?
 
The Axe FX 2 XL+ is so good that many of the most respected guitarists in the world use it. The capability of the hardware you have isn't in question. You've certainly got good gear. Most of the questions will revolve around what you plan to do with it (what sounds do you want, styles of music, etc).

As has been said more times than I can count, read the manual. You have to know something about how the unit works to make it work like you want. The manual will tell you how to connect your system, disable cab blocks, etc, in order to match what you're using. You'll have to settle with investing as much time as you have money to get the best from your dollars. You don't have to learn all of it to get started, but everything you learn adds to your ability to build... and your ability to work through "it doesn't sound right" sort of situations.

A Strat sounds like a Strat, so if the player you're trying to emulate uses some mega-hot humbucker you're going to struggle. This is true in the regular amp world and will be true here. This box comes closer than most to making one guitar fill many roles, but there is a reason different guitars and pickup configurations are out there. Start with the one that has a history of making the sort of sounds you want and you'll be a lot closer to smiling.

Perhaps you can search out some presets from users who use a Strat and get the sounds you want. The search function here is your friend. Also, the Axe FX Wiki is a goldmine of help and information. Just Google Axe FX II Wiki and you'll find it. We had Yek canonized for his involvement there, so make sure to kiss his ring if you happen to see him. :)

Feel free to ask questions here. These folks are outstanding in their knowledge and willingness to help. Reading the aforementioned manual will help you avoid abusing their tolerance levels. But rest assured, we were all new to this once and remember well how mind-boggling the Axe FX can be. Take your time, and you'll do just fine.
 
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ok thank you very much people for your help. I will read and play. i am assuming that i can't blow anything up changing settings. have a great day and enjoy playing.
 
No sir, not at all. You won't blow up your Axe FX anyway. :) With a power amp and two 4x12s, you might blow up something else! Serious artillery there.

On the Cab blocks: what the cab block does is emulate the sound and response of a speaker cabinet. You'll notice there is just about every sort of cabinet and speaker configuration available. You can do things with the Cab blocks you would never do in real life, because wattage and such isn't an issue in the Axe FX world. But, if you're running into a power amp and speaker cabinets, they put their own sonic stamp on the sound so you don't need (and often, don't want) the cab block in the signal path.

If you are running direct to a PA mixer or set of studio monitors as many do here, you'd want the cab block in there or it sounds weak and fizzy. You can also run to both... a PA and a power amp/cabinet, but we'll get to that later.

So in your situation, best to disable the cab block or remove it altogether. The manual explains both, and it's an easy process.
 
It took me a good few days to get things to sound good. I had things plugged in the wrong places...put blocks between amp and cab without realising, forgot to add a microphone and generally matched wrong cabs with the wrongs amps. Even will go as far as saying that I didn't choose the correct amps in the first place - there are lots of variations of the same amplifier - took me a while to find MY Dual Rectifier. Then add in the cool mod type controls ('saturation' and 'cut' etc) and that's when things start cooking!!! Keep persisting!!!

I read the manual on the 3rd day. It's easy to overlook when you're excited to get playing! But reading it paid off in the end!
 
well this learning guitar is turning out to be quite expensive.. today i am going downtown to buy a couple more guitars and some full range speakers to see if that will give me a sound close to the ones i am hearing on youtube demos. Apparently my american standard strat and my gibson les paul dont cut it.
 
@Neil Willford don't rush into buying guitars...my Strat and Les Paul sound incredible through it. FRFR's may help. We really need to understand how you're setting things up to enable us to help you further and give you meaningful advice.
 
ok no problem. i have my guitar plugged into the front input, I have 1/4 inch cables running from the output one to my power amp, then of course speaker cables running from my power amp to my 4x12 speaker cabs. I have cab modelling shut off in the global menu as mentioned to me earlier. One main question i have is about the input gain knob in the general settings on the amps. is this the strength of the guitar signal or something else?
 
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