Artificial sound in dirty Axe FX II soundclips..

S

Stevenstrat

Member
Hey guys,



i'm considering an axe fx 2, it would be much easier than my current rig, but I haven't heard any clips that really blow me away.
Most of the drive tones have sort of an obvious artificial quality to them in the clips i've heard.

Fremen's V10 axe Fx presets - YouTube

I compare it to how vocals sound with autotune on them. it adds an unnatural layer to the original signal.
That's kind of how I hear it it in most (if not all) axe fx clips.


I keep hearing the axe only puts out what you put in, so are there any examples that emulate a very natural sounding drive tone ?

Also interesting in hearing classic sparkly Blackface clean tones.


Thanks !
 
Stevenstrat said:
Hey guys,



i'm considering an axe fx 2, it would be much easier than my current rig, but I haven't heard any clips that really blow me away.
Most of the drive tones have sort of an obvious artificial quality to them in the clips i've heard.

Fremen's V10 axe Fx presets - YouTube

I compare it to how vocals sound with autotune on them. it adds an unnatural layer to the original signal.
That's kind of how I hear it it in most (if not all) axe fx clips.


I keep hearing the axe only puts out what you put in, so are there any examples that emulate a very natural sounding drive tone ?

Also interesting in hearing classic sparkly Blackface clean tones.


Thanks !
Click to expand...

You have to take into account youtube and such services compress and run codecs on uploaded audio.

If you are critically listening, you can hear the bad affects of youtube compression and soundcloud compression.
 
Stevenstrat said:
They both don't sound very good to me. I've heard a few of these comparisons, and I never liked the tube amp's tone to begin with. I'm not very interested in a copy of an amp's tone I don't think sounds good to begin with..
Click to expand...

Wow. Not sure what you're looking for then.
 
Robben Ford "Peace On My Mind" Rockpalast 2007 - YouTube


If someone would be able to coax this tone out of the axe fx 2, that would definitely be what I'm looking for..

All of the dumble patches I've heard so far sounded more like a caricature of a Dumble. Very honky mids, little highs and lows and a lot of compression.

I hope you guys get what I'm saying ?

I really want to like the Axe 2, it would make my life much easier, but I haven't heard anything that could make me take the plunge yet.
 
Stevenstrat said:
They both don't sound very good to me. I've heard a few of these comparisons, and I never liked the tube amp's tone to begin with. I'm not very interested in a copy of an amp's tone I don't think sounds good to begin with..
Click to expand...

But you're saying the Axe 2 is adding an artificial quality to the sound. That should stand out in this clip even if it's not a tone you're after.
 
Stevenstrat said:
They both don't sound very good to me. I've heard a few of these comparisons, and I never liked the tube amp's tone to begin with. I'm not very interested in a copy of an amp's tone I don't think sounds good to begin with..
Click to expand...

You best bet would be to buy an AxeFx II and try to get your tone happening within the return period. Send it back if its not your thing.

No amount of clips can convince you if you are very particular about amp tones.

For example, I don't hear the artifacts you are talking about in a treated studio with decent monitors.

In that same room, I can definitely hear artifacts from youtube and soundcloud audio due to the nature of those services.
 
Stevenstrat said:
Robben Ford "Peace On My Mind" Rockpalast 2007 - YouTube


If someone would be able to coax this tone out of the axe fx 2, that would definitely be what I'm looking for..

All of the dumble patches I've heard so far sounded more like a caricature of a Dumble. Very honky mids, little highs and lows and a lot of compression.

I hope you guys get what I'm saying ?

I really want to like the Axe 2, it would make my life much easier, but I haven't heard anything that could make me take the plunge yet.
Click to expand...

Even better would be for you to record and post your version of that song too.

Listening to your own amp settings and playing gives a better idea of recommendations on the AxeFx for you vs. comparing it to Robben's stuff. If that makes any sense.
 
I will be blunt. I believe that at this point, almost no one can actually tell that easily between clips created with most Axe-FX amp models and with actual mic'd amps, let alone at YouTube quality. When people have posted recent A/B clips including an Axe-FX amp model and the physical amp that it was based on, the general pattern is that posters are roughly evenly split between which is the model before the answer is revealed. Sometimes, the majority have even been wrong. Some blind tests of things like expensive high-end pro audio gear and digital audio compression have found similar results; people, especially professionals, are nowhere near as good as they think at telling these things apart. With something as subjective as tone, it is very easy for any of us to fall prey to hearing what we expect to hear when we know what it is that we are hearing beforehand.

Here is a recent A/B clip that I dug up: (Anyone have more good ones? I'll start collecting them.)

http://www.fractalaudio.com/tmp/v10_preview_2.mp3

Here is a clip (created using the previous version of the Axe, no less!) that is so close to a specific original recording, it's scary:

Axe-FX Early Led Zeppelin (Heartbreaker Solo) - The Gear Page

In regards to your interest in old Fender amps, here is a great recent Vibroverb clip:

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-fx-ii-recordings/68116-v10-vibro-verb.html

Finally, here is a recent clip that shows the dynamics very well (and the gorgeous cavern reverb, which I just adore):

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-fx-ii-recordings/67150-bogner-xtc-red-channel-v10.html

One last comment; you may already be well familiar with this pattern, but even many experienced guitarists can be surprised at how different mic'd amps that have been set up to fit in a mix sound when heard by themselves from what they sound like when in the mix or when we dial them in to sound good without other instruments in the background.

I hope this was helpful. Enjoy your tone search!
 
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Based on the below, what do you have to lose? Nothing so go for it and try it...

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Stevenstrat said:
Robben Ford "Peace On My Mind" Rockpalast 2007 - YouTube


If someone would be able to coax this tone out of the axe fx 2, that would definitely be what I'm looking for..

All of the dumble patches I've heard so far sounded more like a caricature of a Dumble. Very honky mids, little highs and lows and a lot of compression.

I hope you guys get what I'm saying ?

I really want to like the Axe 2, it would make my life much easier, but I haven't heard anything that could make me take the plunge yet.
Click to expand...
Great clip!

I think a big part of that tone is the note bloom provided by the ES335 in close proximity to a cranked amp. Robben is masterfully controlling the feedback.
 
I think its worth mentioning whether or not the OP feels he could obtain Robben's tone from that clip even with the same amp and guitar?

Along the way its been an eye-opener for me just how difficult some amps and guitars are to dial into the sweet spot and play. Mesa Mark series and/or a vintage Strat for example.
 
Scrutinizer said:
Great clip!

I think a big part of that tone is the note bloom provided by the ES335 in close proximity to a cranked amp. Robben is masterfully controlling the feedback.
Click to expand...

I'm with you; taming an ES335 with a cranked amp, in a live concert with high volume is really difficult... the guitar vibe up to shaking and gets out of control easily.
 
Stevenstrat said:
Hey guys,



i'm considering an axe fx 2, it would be much easier than my current rig, but I haven't heard any clips that really blow me away.
Most of the drive tones have sort of an obvious artificial quality to them in the clips i've heard.

Fremen's V10 axe Fx presets - YouTube

I compare it to how vocals sound with autotune on them. it adds an unnatural layer to the original signal.
That's kind of how I hear it it in most (if not all) axe fx clips.


I keep hearing the axe only puts out what you put in, so are there any examples that emulate a very natural sounding drive tone ?

Also interesting in hearing classic sparkly Blackface clean tones.


Thanks !
Click to expand...

Wow, so you've been considering an Axe II since at least December? http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-f...g-axe-fx-2-who-can-convince-me-soundclip.html

Like others have said...try one for your self instead of asking people to convince you. You have 15 days to see how "artificial" it sounds. Either shit or get off the pot already. :nightmare:
 
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You've posted nearly identical threads at least 3 times in the past... It's time to make up your mind. Buy it, try it and return it if you don't like it or just stick with real amps or perhaps a Kemper.

But check out the recording forums. There's a couple fantastic clips of the Euro Blue that sound (to me) incredibly natural. If after that you still can't find anything that excites you then the Axe simply may not be for you.
 
Yeah !
The axe dumbles have their pre tonestacks bypassed.
The same goes for the fuschs amp.

I don't like that bypass-business.

Stevenstrat said:
Robben Ford "Peace On My Mind" Rockpalast 2007 - YouTube


If someone would be able to coax this tone out of the axe fx 2, that would definitely be what I'm looking for..

All of the dumble patches I've heard so far sounded more like a caricature of a Dumble. Very honky mids, little highs and lows and a lot of compression.

I hope you guys get what I'm saying ?

I really want to like the Axe 2, it would make my life much easier, but I haven't heard anything that could make me take the plunge yet.
Click to expand...
 
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