Axe Fx II and Bose L1 Compact

M

musicist

New Member
hello,

Does someone have a experience with the association of the Axe Fx II and Bose L1 Compact for live situations or homeworking ?
 
the L1 is not really a flat system. it's hyped in the high and low end, and lacks in the mids.

Don't take my word for it - read up on it or try it out at a store and see if it works for you. If you want it just as a monitor onstage, it might work fine for that, but I won't advise dialing patches on that. Take that advice as you wish.
 
If you plan on doing coffee shop work, then the L1 will handle it.
You need about THREE of them to do a decent bar gig.
Forget it for anything outdoor that needs a real PA.
 
I have played a number of gigs with the L1 Model II. It works fine in small venues but is not as amazing as the Bose folks would have you believe. We have 5 of them, typically use 4 live, and I use 2 for the Axe FX (one as master, the second slave on the opposite side of the stage). That provides a nice spread sound. The bass modules are critical -- each of us (bass, drums, guitar) have 2. I don't think the Bose compact will work very well with the Axe unless you are looking for acoustic / clean tones in a coffee shop type setting. Don't think the Compact has enough muscle to really push the heavier sounds. Happy to discuss further; would love to hear about others' experiences using these setups.
 
Hmm, not the compact, but with the model 1.

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-fx-ii-reviews/46704-bose-l1-w-5-0-thoughts-picture-2.html


Musicist - these days, I'm starting to really enjoy the Axe II through the L1, though it hasn't always been this way (See above link for my review). I've been complimented several times that my tone could be heard clearly throughout the venue. I use the L1 when the venue we are playing has a crappy PA system or lazy engineer. Although I'm starting to miss when I don't bring the L1 to a gig even with a nice PA setup. Since firmware 5.0+ the Axe sounds fantastic through the L1! Having an L1 tower for each band mate really brings you into a different soundscape. Instead of the floor monitor providing feedback only on yourself and critical instruments, you hear everything! The best analogy that comes to mind is: listening to music in stereo vs mono. Everything sounds more rich, full, detailed, and clear. However, I will say that distorted sounds @ low volume do sound unconvincing. Although notching up the dBs to gig level - I put it on par with any PA system in its class. That being said, cleans, synths, reverbs, FX's are truly amazing at any volume level.

As Scott always says - your mileage will/may vary. It's been a journey with the L1 but man oh man... I'm starting to unlock it's potential... and loving it!

Jon - I find that the tones I create on the Bose L1 translate transparently to a traditional FRFR PA system. As with any speaker system / venue you play, there are minor tweaks to be made. However, this is the best proof to me that these systems are truly FRFR.
 
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I've used various Bose oddments over the years, my overriding impression is that they do well for things like bars and restuarants, but put them next to a decent PA and they just can't keep up.

The "I put it on a par with any PA system in its class" ... well, most decent PA systems are not in that class, they are way above it. To be fair, for what the Bose kit is designed for (conferences, weddings, corporate sound reinforcement) its fine, but put any serious bass through a Bose rig and through a proper rig running say, double 18" bins on each side and a few kw behind it and the Bose stuff won't keep up. I find the top end harsh and lacking in detail.

Many years ago I was told Bose stood for "better get another sound engineer", I've yet to hear anything to convice me thats not true.
 
Try HK Element if you want something small. Much better mids. More power to. But you can't compare Bose or the likes to any PA with 2 x 18" on each side. The point is that these systems are line array. You don't have to play so loud to reach to the audience in the back. I personally don't like it when the sound reaches 125 dB. I've fuc.... up my hearing on those levels. The sound is punchy, but gets to muddy and messy at really loud levels. Most places with bands are not build with that in mind, so there are to many reflections going on. Lower the levels and get really good sound. With the right gear it gets punchy without getting to loud.

I've tried a lot of small PA systems. Hk sound better than most of them IMO. I think they have a new system on the way... Called Hk Nano, i think... My 2 cents....
 
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