Axe-FX For The Recording Musician

This is a fantastic and very helpful guide @GlennO , thanks for the wonderful gift!! (just saw you link it in another thread) Really appreciated!
 
Newby question - i am using the Basic recording configuration setup, with a new mac book pro (M1chip), the audio output volume from the mac isnt very loud - at max volume on the output 1 control on the Axe fx 3 the level of voume is probably 40% of what normal speaker volume should be. The guitar volume thru axe fx 3 is fine. On the mac in the sound settings the volume adjustment is greyed out so the only volume control i have is thru the axe fx - is there a fix for this i am missing - or would adding an audio interface allow me to adjust the sound volume from the mac independent of the sound volume of the guitar volume - sorry is I am not stating my question well

- Brian
 
Is the volume control in the app that is playing the audio on the computer turned up? Is the the USB Input level control in the Axe-FX I/O settings turned up?
 
First time poster here. I've been making impulse buys lately and about two months ago I bought a used Axe Fx II Mark II. Turned around and then bought the latest Axe Fx III brand spanking new and she is a beaut. In researching (basically reading this forum) I got the bright idea to find a decent interface with SPDIF connections because my goal is to be fully capable of using my interface and DAW with the Axe Fx. I already had perfectly good Axe I/O (IK Multimedia) and Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interfaces, but neither had SPDIF and I went and paid over $350 for a used Antelope Zen Go Synergy Core. Then I paid another $200 for the AFX2DAW program.

Hell, I can't even get the interface to work by itself with my DAW (Reaper) lol, let alone with my Axe Fx III using SPDIF.

My questions are as follows:
  1. Anybody had any luck using a Zen Go with Axe Fx III through their DAW? I mean, without needing to be an astrophysicist.
  2. Can someone recommend an interface that will work with Glenn's setup #5 that I am begging for? Preferably for not a million bucks since I have already spent most of my retirement the last few months?

I think I may call the Zen Go a loss, I didn't research it near enough. I just really want full capability using the Axe Fx with my interface and DAW because I have also spent a small fortune on plugins etc. That, and I like to play while surfing the web and watching vids and stuff.

Appreciate any feedback and really enjoying the forum, just need to slow down on work so I can ingest more of this place.
 
First, let me say configuration #5 is #5 and not #1 because it is more complicated than the other configurations. I'd recommend only using #5 if one of the simpler configurations doesn't meet your needs. Even if you need the features of configuration #5, as it says in the guide, start with the easier configurations anyway, just to get your feet wet. Then progress to the more complex configurations as you gain confidence.

That said, a Zen Go should work fine. Antelope may not have the greatest reputation for software to accompany their hardware, but it should at least work. Can you provide any details about what's not working?

If the Zen Go is faulty and you're looking for a recommendation for an interface with spdif in and out, the Focusrite 8i6 is getting damn near the status of industry standard.
 
GlennO said:
First, let me say configuration #5 is #5 and not #1 because it is more complicated than the other configurations. I'd recommend only using #5 if one of the simpler configurations doesn't meet your needs. Even if you need the features of configuration #5, as it says in the guide, start with the easier configurations anyway, just to get your feet wet. Then progress to the more complex configurations as you gain confidence.

That said, a Zen Go should work fine. Antelope may not have the greatest reputation for software to accompany their hardware, but it should at least work. Can you provide any details about what's not working?

If the Zen Go is faulty and you're looking for a recommendation for an interface with spdif in and out, the Focusrite 8i6 is getting damn near the status of industry standard.
Click to expand...
Thanks Glenn. I have no patience, so I went ahead and already pulled the trigger tonight on the Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 3rd Gen USB Audio Interface even before your response. $300 on Amazon and will be here Saturday. The Zen Go is just too much to deal with. I'm sure it is a solid unit and I get its purpose to save on CPU, but I need a much more versatile interface that plays nicely with everything and has the SPDIF connects.

I personally think that I will be able to get your #5 to work with the Scarlett. If not, I will take your advice and start slower.

If anybody is interested in a cheap Zen Go, let me know. It's probably headed back to Reverb where I got it lol.

Thanks for the quick feedback and have a good weekend!
 
GlennO said:
Configuring an Axe-FX and a computer for recording is a frequent topic of questions on the forum, so I thought I'd write a guide to help out with answering some of
Click to expand...

Thanks Glenn for your efforts will be very helpful - looks like #5 is my way to go
 
I am trying for the first time to use the Axe FXIII MkII Turbo as an audio interface. Using the #1 simple method from @GlennO 's wonderful PDF (thanks GlennO, very helpful). Was able to get the DAW (Cubase 12 Pro) up and running and recording. I then wanted to adjust some things in Axe Edit, but when I open it, it does not show connection. What am I doing wrong? Here is what I did in the installation:

1. Installed latest fractal bot standalone (v 3.0.16)
2. Installed latest USB onto FX and rebooted, confirmed using front panel that I am now on 1.15
3. Installed latest USB Drivers (Windows 10) including necessary restarts of Windows machine (on v5.57 now)
4. Updated to latest Editor (About screen in Axe Edit III verifies I am on 1.13.00)

FW on Axe is 21.04.

Any help appreciated!
 
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Moondog Wily said:
I am trying for the first time to use the Axe FXIII MkII Turbo as an audio interface. Using the #1 simple method from @GlennO 's wonderful PDF (thanks GlennO, very helpful). Was able to get the DAW (Cubase 12 Pro) up and running and recording. I then wanted to adjust some things in Axe Edit, but when I open it, it does not show connection. What am I doing wrong? Here is what I did in the installation:

1. Installed latest fractal bot standalone (v 3.0.16)
2. Installed latest USB onto FX and rebooted, confirmed using front panel that I am now on 1.15
3. Installed latest USB Drivers (Windows 10) including necessary restarts of Windows machine (on v5.57 now)
4. Updated to latest Editor (About screen in Axe Edit III verifies I am on 1.13.00)

FW on Axe is 21.04.

Any help appreciated!
Click to expand...
@unix-guy wrote up something recently to help people solve their Axe-Edit connection problems: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...-the-editor-help-is-here.194108/#post-2415697
 
Switching USB ports on Windows box seems to have resolved the issue for me. I will write back if I find any other details. Thanks for the quick feedback!
 
For awhile now I've been using a modified version of setup 5, with my guitar plugged directly into the axefx/FM9 instead of the interface. I would like begin using setup 5 i.e. plug my guitar cable into the interface because 1) it will be easier to record DI tracks, and 2) it requires less patching when I take the FM9 out of the house because the guitar cable will stay connected to the interface instead of being bundled with the IEC, USB, and SPDIF cables.

I have the SPDIF I/O routed in my interface's software and working perfectly, gain at 0, input set to instrument, etc. The only problem is that the resulting tones from the instrument input on my interface sound different enough (brighter) from the FM9's input 1 (darker) that I wouldn't feel comfortable dialing in tones this way at home and then switching to FM9's input 1 live.

I did some research and found that the two inputs have different input impedances:

Interface instrument impedance: 1.5 Mohm
FM9 input 1 impedance: 1Mohm

Could this explain the difference? Any tips for making them sound more equal? Can record clips if necessary. I use all passive pickups. If it matters, I use a wireless live and I have never noticed a difference in tones between the wireless and the 10ft cable I use at home connected to the FM9's input 1, though I've never actually done a direct A/B. Would be willing to try the wireless into both inputs to compare if necessary since that would eliminate the impedance issue.
 
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strabes said:
I have the SPDIF I/O routed in my interface's software and working perfectly, gain at 0
Click to expand...
Did you adjust the input levels? I ask that because you'll generally need to turn up the gain at the interface input (and then down at the FM9 as described in the instructions).
 
GlennO said:
Did you adjust the input levels? I ask that because you'll generally need to turn up the gain at the interface input (and then down at the FM9 as described in the instructions).
Click to expand...
On my interface the gain at 0 on the instrument input gives the same level as the FM9's input in terms of the gain staging of my preset, so I never experimented with the levels because I didn't think I needed to. Will try messing with the levels and report back. Where would you recommend the dry guitar input meter in my DAW? Should the FM9 SPDIF input level setting roughly be the inverse of the DI level difference before/after adding gain from the interface? i.e. if I add 15dB of gain from the interface, should I set the FM9 SPDIF input to -15dB?

2023-05-13 09_47_35-Axe-FX For The Recording Musician _ Fractal Audio Systems Forum - Brave.png
 
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