Axe Fx Effects Loop with Eventide H9 and Strymon Timeline

[boleary2]

i see your point....but sometimes I'm not worried about signing my name at the bottom of a signal flow work of art...I just want a cool tone to play with or inspire me. I can't tell you how many times the Timeline or Space would have a preset that totally inspired my playing/writing without having to do anything....wouldn't have happened, or at last not nearly as quickly, had I needed to add blocks, turn virtual knobs, etc.

there is something to be said for immediate inspiration...

I'd say this is the camp I fall into. I like some of the presets, they are definitely inspiring, but in my patch building "economy" it would be great to get everything I need from the individual block...for example, if I could have features inside the delay block that get me in the ballpark of what I could get from my timeline (similar to the timeline front panel options such as Ice/dbucket/trem pattern delay, etc), then I would be able to quickly edit the block based off a preset algorithm that would be inspiring. I have messed with advanced parameters in the delay block and it sounds great as a basic delay, but the filtering/distortion effects that I could get in the timeline or echolution deluxe I cannot seem to dial in unless I were to add additional blocks in the path...which then affects my routing since I would need to set up a parallel path to bypass using my mfc...if it were inside the block itself, I could just leave the delay in the serial path and turn on and off with a midi CC from MFC....I know some of these things can probably be done using scenes...or different presets...but I'm trying to manage somewhat like I would a standard pedalboard and I'm finding some limitations.

just my .02$.....i'm not sure if that made any sense

 

[Sixstring]

To me this seems a bit backwards. I've had units in the past that have had a number of models of existing pedals, but what I always wanted was the ability to further craft my own unique tones. Having this nearly unlimited tool, and using it to just reproduce something tons of people have already been using for decades.

When I first got my Axe I spent a lot of time trying to A/B with a bunch of pedals and get the settings exact but then I started to wonder why I'm doing that ?

Why am I trying to confine myself to matching the limitations of a hardware pedal instead of just trying to create a tone that sounds great ?

That way when someone comments on my tone and says "hey, what delay are you using?" I can say its a unique sound I created my ear, rather than just trying to create a digital model of something tons of people already have used and already made famous.

In the hardware world, there is this big market for modding pedals, to take something common and generic and try to make it a little more unique. The Axe gives us all that ability without needing to know how to solder!

All we need is our ears, an open mind, and a finger to click the mouse in Axe-Edit

It's not backwards it's just a different way of using the tool, it's all about having the options. I'm not looking for a signature effect or tone but if I want one I know I can work on it and get it with the Axe. I like the idea of being a minimalist with gear when it comes to having things in the signal chain.

If I could buy and upload specific effects that I didn't have the time to research and build not only does this save time, rack and/or floor space but the hassle of having to deal with another piece of gear.

 

[Cagey]

Last time I checked there was still no reverse reverb in the Axe. So, in that regard, my old Digitech DSP-128 is better.

Yeah, what's up with that? I used to cover Joe Satriani's "A Day at the Beach" and it really needs that effect.

Maybe there's another way to derive it using existing controls?

 

[finleysound]

In order to really nail the sound, I believe Cliff will need to work his magic.

 

[crg123]

If you get this to work you should A/B your favorite Timeline settings with the Axe and try to match them..... and if you're successful you should share them .

I also use some strymon stuff in the FXL. The reverbs in the AF2 are good, but there's no reverbs that sound like the "Bloom" or "Cloud" or octave verbs on the BigSky...I've had to use several effects on the Fractal to get close, but still none of them sound as smooth to me as the BigSky effects. I'm open to things to try though...it would be a lot easier to only have to use the AxeFX

This would be awesome. I've messed with the Bigsky a few times at my local music store and love it. Wish I could figure out some settings that would be similar with the axe.

 

[PRSfreak4]

The bigger question is why? The Axe-Fx has much better reverbs than the H9. I'm not familiar with the Timeline but I can't imagine it can do anything the Axe-Fx can't.

Cliff - I think you would dig Strymon's ideology in their designs. They're self-declared "purists" and their products concur with their statements. Their "BigSky" reverb is one of the most used reverb pedals out their today by artists and gains more attention from the product quality. The TimeLine is nice, but I agree that the AFX can reproduce the delays relatively well. The reverbs on the other hand, Strymon has a unique "voicing" to their 'verbs that make it desirable.

I would love to see a few more options in the reverb blocks that capture a similar vibe as the Strymon BigSky.

 

[claxor]

The bigger question is why? The Axe-Fx has much better reverbs than the H9. I'm not familiar with the Timeline but I can't imagine it can do anything the Axe-Fx can't.

The Axe can't do reverse reverb. The H9 can. I've tried it on the Axe. It can't do a good version. As long as this is missing, the Axe cannot replace an Eventide or an older Lexicon.

 

[fuzzyoctaves]

The Axe can't do reverse reverb. The H9 can. I've tried it on the Axe. It can't do a good version. As long as this is missing, the Axe cannot replace an Eventide or an older Lexicon.

Luckily, the Digitech Polara is a cheap way to get a Lexicon reverse reverb. Hopefully, some new FW release will allow me to simplify and sell the Digitech.

 

[Cagey]

A real Lexicon MX200 is only $200 new. Less than that on fleabay. Helluva deal. Get the real thing. They sound nice. I used to have one and loved it. Can't remember why I sold it. Wolves may have been at the door. Thinking about getting another so I can get the reverse reverb. Don't know where I'll put it, though. Wish the Axe had that effect.

 

[Voldemort]

The problem I'm having with the H9 is that -- for reasons that remain a mystery to me -- it seems to only like instrument level signals, and the FX Loop appears to be line level. Why Eventide would design a pedal full of delays, reverbs, etc. this way is a mystery. Is there any way around this using the level controls on the Axe?

 

[Rex]

The problem I'm having with the H9 is that...it seems to only like instrument level signals, and the FX Loop appears to be line level...Is there any way around this using the level controls on the Axe?

Yes. Turn down the level in the Axe.

 

[Voldemort]

Yes. Turn down the level in the Axe.

Well, I know that. :numbness:

I guess my question is whether there is a way to bring the loop down to instrument level and then back up again to line level on the way back in automatically without introducing a bunch of noise and SNR problems. Simply turning down the level control on output 2 seems to be a crude workaround, unless I'm misunderstanding how all this works.

 

[spikey]

Could be I just don't know how to set it up right, but I prefer the Fulltone MDV-2 Univibe clone to what I can get in the Axe FX II. But, that is the only pedal I use in the chain as the AFXII covers the rest pretty well for me.

 

[Rex]

Well, I know that. :numbness:

I guess my question is whether there is a way to bring the loop down to instrument level and then back up again to line level on the way back in automatically without introducing a bunch of noise and SNR problems. Simply turning down the level control on output 2 seems to be a crude workaround, unless I'm misunderstanding how all this works.

Turning down the level knob if your level is too high for your gear is no more crude than turning down the level knob if your volume is too high in your monitor.

If you absolutely don't want to touch the level knob, you can back off the appropriate LVL1-LVL4 parameter in the FX block, and crank up the block's output level accordingly. But that's a per-preset adjustment, whereas the physical level knob takes effect over all presets at once.


Or use this from the H9 manual:

Mixer Effects Return

This setup is identical to using a guitar Effects Loop. Connect the H9’s Inputs to the Mixer’s Effect Send and the H9’s Outputs to the Mixer’s Effect Return. Most Mixer Effects Loops run at Line Level so set the H9’s Input and Output Levels accordingly – See Setting Levels.