Atomic amp with Axe-FX

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PhilDarg

Member
Is anyone using an Atomic amp or the power head with the Axe-FX?

I am thinking about buying the 50 watt head to get a true tube preamp sound and using it with the Axe-FX.

Do these units work well together? How does the routing work in this case? Can the signal be recorded at line/XLR level still?

Thanks in advance.
 
I'm running the Reactor 50w FR Cabinet. Plenty loud, and works well for me. Send OUT1 (XLR's) to FOH and OUT2 to Atomic. COPY OUT1 -> OUT2 is ON, and I have amp and cab modeling on.. i.e. same sound goes to both places. Beauty of FR :)
 
I have the atomic powered cab and it is a great match for the Axe. I only use one since I only play at home (hobby) and it is loud enough. It has an XLR pass through that I am passing back to an audio interface for recording.
 
Thanks for the replies.

Power/volume is not a concern; I won't be plugging this into a cabinet, but just using it for direct recording.

The big question is: do the tubes "warm up" the sound? Can I send an amp'ed signal into the Axe-FX and then record from the XLR's of the Axe-FX unit?
 
I think you are misunderstanding what the atomics and the axefx actually are an can do. I'd suggest researching a bit more so that when you spend the money you have a deeper understanding of what you are buying and its capabilities.

-The atomic is not a "head" amp, it's just a power amp or a powered cabinet depending on the model.
-The atomics are not preamps, they do not send sound into the axefx, they receive it and amplify it.
-The atomics will not affect the sound that you get thru their XLR/line outputs, it's just a pass-thru.
-If you just want to record direct the atomics are of no use to you, they are used to amplify the signal or monitor yourself.
-There is no point in arguing whether the tubes in the atomics will warm up the sound as once the signal hits the tubes it will be amplified to speaker levels and you won't be able to record it direct.
-If you think the axefx needs to have its sound warmed up for direct recording maybe you don't want an axefx but another kind of product would be a better choice for you. People usually run it direct to a computer audio interface, to a monitor/PA or to a poweramp and cabinet.
 
I use Reactor FR Wedges. A truly great product. The Axe-Fx does not need to be "warmed up," but if it did you would find everything you needed to do this right in the box (add a little saturation, a high cut filter, etc.) The tubes in the Atomic provide great flat amplification and headroom.
 
PhilDarg said:
The big question is: do the tubes "warm up" the sound?
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The Axe-FX does all the work of a tube amp inside of it. It does all the "warming up" of the original guitar signal you should need or want. Further warming or coloring of the Axe-FX's output is not only unnecessary, but IMO undesireable. Sending the output of the Axe-FX to a guitar tube amp and cab--as many seem to do--betrays a profound lack of faith in the power of the Axe-FX to do what it was designed to do (and does exceedingly well, btw).
 
my only worry with the atomics is do they have the clean headroom to hand with a heavy hitting drummer without coloring the tone. I mean in the end it is a tube power amp, so at some point as the volume goes up it will start to saturate. I just want to be sure that it is after the volume you need to be at with a heavy hitting drummer.
 
Your concern makes total sense to me. It seems to me that an amp that colors the Axe-FX signal at all volume levels is likely to produce more intense coloration at the tube saturation threshold. I doubt the Atomics are somehow magically immune from that.
 
Has anyone looked at the design of the Atomic poweramp? Does it differ from a regular guitar poweramp?

I think the tones I get from the Atomic combo are different from what I get recording the Axe direct. The direct sound is more like a miced amp tone whereas the tone I get thru the Atomic is more like a regular guitar poweramp and cab in a room, except you can select which cab it is via the cab simulation. While the same settings work for both things, they are two different sounds but that has more to do by what is used for amplification (headphones/monitor speakers vs PA type speakers).
 
The fact that it has tubes doesn't mean it behaves like a guitar amp. Power tubes are used in many high-end hi-fi components for flat amplification. Personally, I have a pair and I've never experienced distortion at higher volumes. Granted, I've never had them up flat-out, but it was PLENTY loud.
 
True. But I get the impression that the Atomic amp sits somewhere between "guitar amp" and "hi-fi amp" in terms of neutral response. Far better than a guitar amp/cab, but not nearly as good as high-end reference monitor technology. The extent to which this is due to the use of tubes is open to speculation I suppose.
 
zslane said:
True. But I get the impression that the Atomic amp sits somewhere between "guitar amp" and "hi-fi amp" in terms of neutral response. Far better than a guitar amp/cab, but not nearly as good as high-end reference monitor technology. The extent to which this is due to the use of tubes is open to speculation I suppose.
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I'm not meaning to be antagonistic, but what are you basing this on? I haven't seen any analysis that would suggest this, and I haven't heard it in my product. Personally I like the Atomics very much.

KG
 
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I think Jay Mitchell has commented on the value of Atomics as a transparent FRFR solution, and I base my assessment on his reports. I've also read countless accounts from Atomic users here who have observed a less-than-neutral response, at least compared to their expectations and to other products. *shrug*
 
zslane said:
I think Jay Mitchell has commented on the value of Atomics as a transparent FRFR solution, and I base my assessment on his reports. I've also read countless accounts from Atomic users here who have observed a less-than-neutral response, at least compared to their expectations and to other products. *shrug*
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Fair enough. I have limited experience with higher-end monitors. I did a lot of tone chasing before I got the Axe-FX, and I'm tryin' not to open that door again!

KG
 
zslane said:
I think Jay Mitchell has commented on the value of Atomics as a transparent FRFR solution, and I base my assessment on his reports. I've also read countless accounts from Atomic users here who have observed a less-than-neutral response, at least compared to their expectations and to other products. *shrug*
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Jay Mitchell, who I respect, has never played an Atomic and neither have you. Why do you feel compelled to offer your "opinion" based on other's opinions when you really have nothing constructive to add? What is your agenda? Atomic's response is as "neutral" as most of the commonly discussed solutions on this board. The Reactor series amplifiers are quite linear.

-TK
 
Tom King said:
Jay Mitchell, who I respect, has never played an Atomic and neither have you. Why do you feel compelled to offer your "opinion" based on other's opinions when you really have nothing constructive to add? What is your agenda? Atomic's response is as "neutral" as most of the commonly discussed solutions on this board. The Reactor series amplifiers are quite linear.

-TK
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It isn't an opinion I am offering exactly, but rather a condensed report of the reports of others. Think of my posts (like the ones above) as an aggregation of information scattered throughout these forums for the benefit of those who haven't been reading all the relevant threads.
 
zslane said:
It isn't an opinion I am offering exactly, but rather a condensed report of the reports of others. Think of my posts (like the ones above) as an aggregation of information scattered throughout these forums for the benefit of those who haven't been reading all the relevant threads.
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Except, in this case, the information isn't correct, as Tom King states above. There is no benefit to misinformation.
 
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