Axe-FX II 6.0 and MFC Review

Genghis

Power User
I've been Fractalized since version 5 of the Ultra, got on the waiting list for the Axe-FX II the day it was announced and received delivery a few months later. I completed the set yesterday when UPS delivered my MFC-101. I had been on the waiting list for that as well, but last year when my name came up I opted to stick with the FCB1010 I already had. A year later, a new Axe-FX II, and several firmware updates passed and I realized I needed the real deal for a foot controller so I place my order. (Without the wait list discount I would have got if I had been smart enough to do it last year. Oh well.)

I decided maybe I'd do a quick review for those who are browsing the forum who might be considering these products. I use this for recording and jamming at home through studio monitors (KRK Rokit 10.3)

The Amps - Sound quality - This thing, as most of us here know, is extremely flexible and can sound amazing. I know there are a few threads complaining that things changed with firmware 6.0, and those threads crop up with every firmware release, but I've never once had a firmware release that didn't improve the sounds AFTER I did the footwork to change my presets. (Sometimes drastically, but it always turns out better.) With version 6.00 I found that I had to lower the master volume on nearly every preset, particularly on the high-gain sounds (which is where I'm most picky). I also noticed additional energy in the high-end so made a few small changes in the treble and presence controls. Dropping the master to about around 2 or so helped a lot in taming the highs as well.

I had to rethink how I program my lead vs. rhythm sounds a bit, but my results are much better now as well. I like my high-gain leads to have more sustain and to sound a bit thicker in the mids than my rhythm sounds. That's not to say I scoop my mids considerably for rhythm, but I do like to thicken the leads. I was setting up a master volume boost to do this and changing the level at the same to compensate at the same time by using an external controller IA from the FCB. But now with the advent of the mid shift parameter, I decided to start using the X/Y feature of the amp and take advantage of what the Axe-FX II is capable of doing. I still boost the master a bit, but I generally engage the mid shift and tweak the tone stack to get things EQ'd just the way I want. A little more work to set up, but the results are much more precise.

Cabinets - I have the RedWirez Big Box and a few OwnHammer cabs, but I find that I often use the stock cabinets as well. I've mixed IR's with the 3rd party stuff and gotten some good sounds, but there are a few stock cabs that just fit for certain sounds. A lot of times I'll use one stock cab with a mic and one of my 3rd party mixes without a mic. I like the proximity effect and the room settings if it's not overdone. Generally mixing a stock cab with a mic and a touch of proximity with a 3rd party cab gives just enough proximity to sound big and bold without getting too boomy. Keep in mind that different amps will sound better with different cabinets. I have a few favorites, but one may sound great with one amp and not-so-great with another, so you definitely want to experiment with the cabinets.

Tone Matching - Nice feature if that's what you're looking for. I've used it a bit to see how it works and it seems to be pretty accurate. I used the synth block to generate some pink noise and sent it out into my Wampler Triple Wreck into my Egnater Tweaker and then matched it using the FAS Modern and it does what it's supposed to do. That said, I don't think I'll be doing much with the tone matching myself. It's nice that it's there for those who want it, but I prefer dialing in the sounds of the various amps and just matching them up with the right cab. I might feel differently if I was in a cover band and wanted to copy a lot of different tones and be as authentic as possible.

Effects - I've never had anything that can come close to the flexibility of the effects I have with the Axe-FX II. Now, I haven't had any truly high end rack effects, but I've been doing this since the late 70s so I've been through a lot of pedals and quite a few low-to-mid priced rack setups. The level of adjustment you get with the Axe-FX is truly amazing. I like the way the Axe-FX II provides you with some starting points with the new effects type feature. Being able to pull up the parameters for a Phase 90 or a triangle chorus really saves a lot of time when trying to dial in sounds. I find that I go through these effects types to find something in the ballpark and then make a few small changes to get most of the sounds I like to use. Occasionally I'll dig into the more advanced parameters and see what I can find, but for the most part I keep it simple. And the new(ish) tape delay sounds like nothing else I've ever heard. I never had a real tape delay, so I don't have that to compare it to, but it to my ears it just works on so many different types of sounds.

Tuner - Version 6.0 really helped if you want to tune a bass or if you drop tune or play 7 string. I have a 5-string bass and this new version works even on the low B. Since I'm old school and use standard tuning it's always worked well for guitars, but it finally works well for bass.

Using it with bass - I know some will say it is limited by only having one legit bass amp, but it is a good one, and if you are creative with your routing you can get a wide variety of bass sounds. I have only one bass patch, but I built it thinking about how you would do it in the studio by mixing a direct track with an amped track. I start with light studio compression then split it to two rows. One goes through the SVT amp and the cab, the other side goes to a parametric EQ. I have the amp on X/Y so I can get a pretty clean sound and a sound with a bit of dirt. I have a couple of different stomp box distortions before it that I can kick in with just a touch more distortion. Even with the distortion I always mix in some clean direct bass, so it doesn't get too muddy sounding. The final block in the chain is a multi-band compressor to even things out a bit. A lot of guys are getting a lot of great bass sounds without getting so elaborate, but I tend to think like an engineer sometimes. LOL

MFC-101
Build Quality - Oh Yeah, this thing is well put together. The case is heavy duty and the switches seem sturdy. It's new, so time will really tell how they stand up, but it definitely doesn't feel like the cut any corners here.

Integration - What can I say? It was made for Fractal products and it integrates extremely well with Fractal products. The Axe-FX mode simplifies things immensely. I'll be using mine with mostly the default setup and it will do most of what I want to do. For solos I often like to switch several things with one button; x/y on the amp, turn on delay and a light chorus and maybe boost the front end of the amp with a parametric EQ or something. I just changed switch number 11 from volume block (which I rarely use) to None and assigned the IA to to an External IA within the Axe-FX and I have that in one button. I'm sure I'll customize a few other things as I get to know the board, but for now the default layout with this one change is probably fine.

Complete Package Ease of Use
Given the sophistication and flexibility of these two products, I rate them pretty high here. There are some who think the interface of the Axe-FX is a bit daunting, and I can see if you are coming from an amp and pedals background that it could be a bit intimidating. It's not gonna be the solution for everyone. But if you take the time to learn the controls, the Axe-FX is as deep or a simple as you make it. I'm very much into the high-tech gadgets and my day job is database programming, but I still don't often get into the advanced parameters. It's not so much that I don't understand them, but I rarely feel the need to do more than adjust the master, gain, tone stack and presence and deep controls to find a tone that works. It is nice that I can get to all that other stuff when I need to.

Overall - I'm not gonna give a 1-10 rating or anything like that here, but I just want to add that the Axe-FX has been one gear purchase that I don't regret. It has replaced most of my tube amps and sounds better for recording than most of the tracks I've been able to get with an amp. And I can play at 2AM without my neighbors even knowing that I'm up. Very glad I got Fractalized. (And sorry I went on so long.)
 
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