AX8 Victory!

AJ Vargas said:
It could be only an amp and cab block and still sound better direct to FOH than a MESA, Marshall, Orange head and cab mic'ed onstage. It's not how the patch looks like, it's about how you dial it at stage volume and still then, it would be very subjective.
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I agree with that 100%; this is all subjective and unique to each individual player and setup.

AJ Vargas said:
I've downloaded presets from guys with monster tones on videos/mp3's that ultimately did nothing for me....
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This....!! That goes to show that their presets are highly individual to their touch, gear, and setup. I've experienced the same thing many, many times too when auditioning other users presets.

The most useful thing I get out of other user presets is how they setup their FX. I've learned a ton of interesting and useful things from guys like Fremen, Simeon, and AdminM@ (along with many other members) here who do wonderous things with delays, flangers, synth blocks, etc.

AJ Vargas said:
Instead of asking for a patch, I would better ask for some audio/video of the gig and then discuss from it. :)
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Yea, they hired a pro-film crew and they shot the entire weekend. I'm going to try and get the footage when they get it all sorted. If it's not too horrible I'll maybe put some up heh.
 
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Brian Coonan said:
That's awesome. Every show I've had guys come up and ask me what I'm using - they can't believe it's not an amp. Sound guys too - they LOVE it, not only for the tone but for the ease of running it.
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Nice!!!! Doesn't that absolutely rock when guys run up to you and ask "what are you running? You sound great..." and you tell them it's not an amp?

Over the last decade using Fractal gear many soundmen have made the comment about how easy it was to get the guitar tones right thru the mains and how effective and awesome the tones are. Many were shocked to find a modeler going direct could sound that good. Have made believers out of quite a few skeptics.
 
Stratoblaster said:
Nice!!!! Doesn't that absolutely rock when guys run up to you and ask "what are you running? You sound great..." and you tell them it's not an amp?

Over the last decade using Fractal gear many soundmen have made the comment about how easy it was to get the guitar tones right thru the mains and how effective and awesome the tones are. Many were shocked to find a modeler going direct could sound that good. Have made believers out of quite a few skeptics.
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Yeah - totally does. I was completely skeptical because of trying other modelers throughout the years. Thought I would try this 'Fractal thing' and see if they REALLY could do it right. :) I've been blown away since the first day I turned it on and plugged in!
 
Totally missing my point...

I'm not looking to replicate your tone, I'm just curious about your rig setup. You know like Les Paul into AX8, one of the Freidman amps and a Greenback cab IR would do.

john in san diego
 
slowjoecrow said:
Totally missing my point...

I'm not looking to replicate your tone, I'm just curious about your rig setup. You know like Les Paul into AX8, one of the Freidman amps and a Greenback cab IR would do.

john in san diego
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My basic, most used tone/preset for my HSS guitar (pickup is a slightly hotter PAF humbucker) uses the Capt. Hook 2B amp (I'm pretty sure it's the "2B" vs the "2A" but am not anywhere near the AX8 at the moment) and an Ownhammer Greenback IR (from the OH Fractal CabPack). This all goes to an FRFR monitor (CLR) and direct into the PA.

A similar IR is the factory "F103 4x12 Basketweave TV Mix" cab; the Ownhammer I use is a little more richer in the mids, a bit fatter...but has a similar character.

I find an IR that I like, audition a few amps until I find one that works with a desired tone goal, tweak it to taste at rehearsal volume, and that's it.

Once I find an IR I can work with I commit to using it and stay away from the IR rabbit hole. Life is easier that way (although I'm always fiddling with IR's, amps, etc. on the AX8).

I also use an expression pedal connected to the "Input Drive" control to dial in a wide range of distortion textures using a single amp. While I do use the guitar volume control a lot, I'm really digging how controlling the gain of the amp itself sounds and has been working for me. I can raise or lower the drive with the pedal. A lot of flexibility here....

I have two types of lead settings in scenes in my presets....one uses a Drive (in "Y") and one uses the Saturation Control connected to scene controllers. They sound and feel different and are interesting options.
 
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Stratoblaster said:
Nice!!!! Doesn't that absolutely rock when guys run up to you and ask "what are you running? You sound great..." and you tell them it's not an amp?
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I love the ones that ask this and after telling them it's direct have them say, "no, really - what are you using?" and start looking around for the amp.
 
Stratoblaster said:
My basic, most used tone/preset for my HSS guitar (pickup is a slightly hotter PAF humbucker) uses the Capt. Hook 2B amp (I'm pretty sure it's the "2B" vs the "2A" but am not anywhere near the AX8 at the moment) and an Ownhammer Greenback IR (from the OH Fractal CabPack). This all goes to an FRFR monitor (CLR) and direct into the PA.

A similar IR is the factory "F103 4x12 Basketweave TV Mix" cab; the Ownhammer I use is a little more richer in the mids, a bit fatter...but has a similar character.

I find an IR that I like, audition a few amps until I find one that works with a desired tone goal, tweak it to taste at rehearsal volume, and that's it.

Once I find an IR I can work with I commit to using it and stay away from the IR rabbit hole. Life is easier that way (although I'm always fiddling with IR's, amps, etc. on the AX8).

I also use an expression pedal connected to the "Input Drive" control to dial in a wide range of distortion textures using a single amp. While I do use the guitar volume control a lot, I'm really digging how controlling the gain of the amp itself sounds and has been working for me. I can raise or lower the drive with the pedal. A lot of flexibility here....

I have two types of lead settings in scenes in my presets....one uses a Drive (in "Y") and one uses the Saturation Control connected to scene controllers. They sound and feel different and are interesting options.
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You sir have completely killed me with kindness. I was a little testy and you stayed above the fray and I really appreciate this last post--very informative!

One of the first presets I created used the expression pedal to control the input drive (I must have watched a video of someone showing how to do this), it's really a great "trick." I should revisit this concept.

Thanks again for indulging me! This was an excellent post!

john in san diego
 
slowjoecrow said:
One of the first presets I created used the expression pedal to control the input drive (I must have watched a video of someone showing how to do this), it's really a great "trick." I should revisit this concept.
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Be aware that some amp models can exhibit "artifacts" if the Input Drive is manipulated while playing.
 
slowjoecrow said:
You sir have completely killed me with kindness. I was a little testy and you stayed above the fray and I really appreciate this last post--very informative!

One of the first presets I created used the expression pedal to control the input drive (I must have watched a video of someone showing how to do this), it's really a great "trick." I should revisit this concept.

Thanks again for indulging me! This was an excellent post!

john in san diego
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Thanks for the kind words and am glad you found the post useful...:cool:
 
JoKeR III said:
I love the ones that ask this and after telling them it's direct have them say, "no, really - what are you using?" and start looking around for the amp.
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I had a soundman once leave the FOH mixing area to come to the stage with the specific intent of finding out what kind of amp I was running as he was liking what he heard; he was floored when I said it was a modeler. The guy was a hard core tube amp enthusiast too; to his credit the fact that I was running a modeler simply made him go 'wow, really eh?' and opened him up to accepting them. He asked a ton of questions about the Fractal. I love guys with an open mind.

I guess that was balanced by another guitar player at a gig who was also liking what he heard and he came up to 'find out where the amp is...I don't see any'. The second I told him it was a modeler he did an abrupt 180 and said 'ahhh, well, actually I didn't think your tones were all that great'. :rolleyes:
 
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Stratoblaster said:
Doh I got this wrong and should have written "Input Trim" control; I use that vs "Input Drive" since it won't interact with the input stage to alter tone when adjusting it.
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This is an approach I have been considering. Use the expression pedal to control the drive/gain amount which will free up some buttons on the AX8 for additional effects, CS, or some combo.
 
Habuman said:
This is an approach I have been considering. Use the expression pedal to control the drive/gain amount which will free up some buttons on the AX8 for additional effects, CS, or some combo.
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I've been having good results with using the pedal to control "Input Trim" and think it's worth trying at the very least.
 
Input trim is like a gain freebie to me. But too much can be bad, distorted. Like everything in life ...too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. I can definitely see the value in having an expression pedal control it, providing the sweep isn’t too sensitive. Did you say you combine it with input drive and amp block level to keep your levels even?
 
Bman said:
Did you say you combine it with input drive and amp block level to keep your levels even?
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I don't have a large swing "+/-" from the default settings and find the "Input Trim" has more effect on distortion vs volume in general, so I don't need to compensate for that. I really like the effect of backing off or pushing the preamp in this manner, particularly on edge-of-breakup and mid-gain tones.
 
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