jmpatrick63
Inspired
I've owned and loved my Ultra for 3 years. I finally had a setup that I was happy with. With the Ultra, I had a short wish list of things that I could really use.
- ability to go stereo or mono on each set of outputs
- more horsepower for a larger virtual pedalboard
- USB
- headphone out
- global effects
- more controllers
When the Axe2 was announced, all of these were addressed, so I spent a couple weeks mulling it over and decided to make the move. Sadly, based on the premise that the Axe2's were going to be in plentiful supply, I sold my Ultra and got in line. 2 months went by and the Axe2's were still trickling out painfully slow. With nothing to play thru and work to be done, I sucked it up and paid the $400 upcharge to jump the list. My Axe2 showed up this week and I got down to business.
First the good news: The Axe2 sounds better than the Ultra in a couple key areas: the "in the room" feeling is there. The room mic settings are beautiful. That is one past complaint that should be put to rest with the Axe2. It's there. Secondly, the Axe2, for me, has been simplified in its increased complexity. I used to use a lot of tweaks and bandaids on my Ultra to get what I needed. PEQ's, GEQ's and Filters were needed to dial out harshness and boominess. Not with the Axe2. I'm finding that the CPU-draining fixes are not necessary. The Axe2, for me, sounds better out of the box than the Ultra did 3 years ago.
Now the quirks: I realize that every design decision is a compromise, but there's a couple that really bum me out. The 2 output level controls are useless to me. I can't bend over and quickly adjust my stage volume on a pair of wedges on the floor. Output level controls that don't take the signal all the way to silence are worthless. Worst than that, the beating noise that the pots make is way too much to accept on a professional piece of equipment. If I'm playing in church and have to dial down my monitor volume with that DC thumping, I'll be doomed. These 2 issues bug me the most...and they are something that the Ultra does better. Burning a Quick Control dial to set up a redundant output level seems silly. Personally, I'm learning that I really miss the 2 input level controls. The digitally programmable input setting sounded great when I heard about it, but I miss having that dial there to fatten up or thin out the signal a bit. I've had issues with humming and ringing. These are probably either user error or a defective unit. I'm sure that will get sorted out. Design quirks are forever.
Here's my self-inflicted dilemma: If I return the Axe2 I'm left with nothing but a lonely MFC-101. My Ultra is gone, and to buy another on eBay I'll have to pay around $1800, which is more than I sold my Ultra for.
Hmm...
- ability to go stereo or mono on each set of outputs
- more horsepower for a larger virtual pedalboard
- USB
- headphone out
- global effects
- more controllers
When the Axe2 was announced, all of these were addressed, so I spent a couple weeks mulling it over and decided to make the move. Sadly, based on the premise that the Axe2's were going to be in plentiful supply, I sold my Ultra and got in line. 2 months went by and the Axe2's were still trickling out painfully slow. With nothing to play thru and work to be done, I sucked it up and paid the $400 upcharge to jump the list. My Axe2 showed up this week and I got down to business.
First the good news: The Axe2 sounds better than the Ultra in a couple key areas: the "in the room" feeling is there. The room mic settings are beautiful. That is one past complaint that should be put to rest with the Axe2. It's there. Secondly, the Axe2, for me, has been simplified in its increased complexity. I used to use a lot of tweaks and bandaids on my Ultra to get what I needed. PEQ's, GEQ's and Filters were needed to dial out harshness and boominess. Not with the Axe2. I'm finding that the CPU-draining fixes are not necessary. The Axe2, for me, sounds better out of the box than the Ultra did 3 years ago.
Now the quirks: I realize that every design decision is a compromise, but there's a couple that really bum me out. The 2 output level controls are useless to me. I can't bend over and quickly adjust my stage volume on a pair of wedges on the floor. Output level controls that don't take the signal all the way to silence are worthless. Worst than that, the beating noise that the pots make is way too much to accept on a professional piece of equipment. If I'm playing in church and have to dial down my monitor volume with that DC thumping, I'll be doomed. These 2 issues bug me the most...and they are something that the Ultra does better. Burning a Quick Control dial to set up a redundant output level seems silly. Personally, I'm learning that I really miss the 2 input level controls. The digitally programmable input setting sounded great when I heard about it, but I miss having that dial there to fatten up or thin out the signal a bit. I've had issues with humming and ringing. These are probably either user error or a defective unit. I'm sure that will get sorted out. Design quirks are forever.
Here's my self-inflicted dilemma: If I return the Axe2 I'm left with nothing but a lonely MFC-101. My Ultra is gone, and to buy another on eBay I'll have to pay around $1800, which is more than I sold my Ultra for.
Hmm...
