Axe FX II Newbie in 2022 - Please Share Your Top Tips! :)

saintgallows

saintgallows

New Member
Hi Everyone,

This is my first post on the forum and I wanted to see what advice and tips other Fractal users have to offer. It seems like a great community with a vast wealth of knowledge!

I'm brand new to the Fractal family and I just got my Axe FX II this month. It genuinely has amazed me how this piece of kit is 10 years old yet is still able to blow my mind and compete with modern day equivalents. It may be showing it's age in direct comparisons, but this is my first endeavour into the world of modellers.

A quick bit of context. I've done some research, watching Cooper Carter's videos from G66 and other YouTubers. Heck, I'm even reading the manual! I know how to use the Axe-Edit software and have started developing my own tones. I play in a metal band but I do love some nice cleans! I have performed one show with the Axe FX II and look forward to the next.

Are there any things you remember discovering or learning about that you wish you knew sooner?

Many thanks,
Saint
 
Seems like you are off to a proper start with your new-to-you magic box. …it is indeed timeless in its excellence.
The intricate relationships between Input gain, Master Volume(if applicable) , and Output level can be daunting at times, but finding the sweet spots for your tone goals lies largely here, and using your ears rather than eyes is crucial. …but you will get sucked down numerous rabbit holes in any Case…part of the charm of the thing.
Have fun, welcome to the asylum
 
bradlake said:
Seems like you are off to a proper start with your new-to-you magic box. …it is indeed timeless in its excellence.
The intricate relationships between Input gain, Master Volume(if applicable) , and Output level can be daunting at times, but finding the sweet spots for your tone goals lies largely here, and using your ears rather than eyes is crucial. …but you will get sucked down numerous rabbit holes in any Case…part of the charm of the thing.
Have fun, welcome to the asylum
Click to expand...
It is indeed a magic box! I found setting the input gain one of the more tricky things to do so far. I must also say that the pre-sets really do vary in volume! I will take you up on the advice of ears over eyes. Thank you for the warm welcome!
 
One reason the presets seem to vary in volume is that some amps can be very compressed on big chords but super big and boomy on chugs. The level of many of the high gain presets is therefore backed down to give them more headroom in this area. Check out the "preset leveling tool" in Axe-Edit which has meters to help you level your tones. Check them under different styles of playing (chords, chugs, etc.) Ultimately, as is almost always the case, you'll also need to use your ears.
 
Admin M@ said:
One reason the presets seem to vary in volume is that some amps can be very compressed on big chords but super big and boomy on chugs. The level of many of the high gain presets is therefore backed down to give them more headroom in this area. Check out the "preset leveling tool" in Axe-Edit which has meters to help you level your tones. Check them under different styles of playing (chords, chugs, etc.) Ultimately, as is almost always the case, you'll also need to use your ears.
Click to expand...
That makes sense. You totally got me, I am prone to chugging haha. I'll give that tool a try and hopefully it helps me find more balance. Thank you for taking the time to respond!
 
saintgallows said:
Are there any things you remember discovering or learning about that you wish you knew sooner?
Click to expand...

One thing you'll quickly realize is the importance of IR's, they are easily responsible for at least 70% of your tone.

Amp blocks of course also influence tone, but just like switching cabs in real life, changing IR's will create a bigger difference in tone.

My advice is to find a handful of amps that you like and are comfortable dialing in, and focus your tone chase efforts on finding the right IR for you.
 
atyourlasthourrr said:
One thing you'll quickly realize is the importance of IR's, they are easily responsible for at least 70% of your tone.

Amp blocks of course also influence tone, but just like switching cabs in real life, changing IR's will create a bigger difference in tone.

My advice is to find a handful of amps that you like and are comfortable dialing in, and focus your tone chase efforts on finding the right IR for you.
Click to expand...
Oh yes, I understand how much IR's can affect the tone. Do you think it is worth investing in some third part IR's?

I've been using the Freidman 2018 and the Skullcrusher as the main amp blocks. I haven't had too much time to experiment further.
 
saintgallows said:
Do you think it is worth investing in some third part IR's?
Click to expand...
I would definitely check out the ultrares ir's that are in the unit first, and see if there is something there that will get you the sounds you are after.

Third Party IR's are great, however, they are more abundant than ever, so it would be wise to know generally what works for you.. speaker type, cab size, mic, position, etc. etc. before you dive in.

Trust me, IR's are a massive rabbit hole.
 
Admin M@ said:
One reason the presets seem to vary in volume is that some amps can be very compressed on big chords but super big and boomy on chugs. The level of many of the high gain presets is therefore backed down to give them more headroom in this area. Check out the "preset leveling tool" in Axe-Edit which has meters to help you level your tones. Check them under different styles of playing (chords, chugs, etc.) Ultimately, as is almost always the case, you'll also need to use your ears.
Click to expand...
is "preset leveling" available in AxeEdit for Axefx II?
 
saintgallows said:
Oh yes, I understand how much IR's can affect the tone. Do you think it is worth investing in some third part IR's?

I've been using the Freidman 2018 and the Skullcrusher as the main amp blocks. I haven't had too much time to experiment further.
Click to expand...

I'd say give the stock IR's a thorough going-over to see what you like best. You could do something totally crazy like throw dice to pick a random IR for your preset and see if unconventional combinations float your boat. I've done that. It's fun!

Then if you find a variety of speaker/cab you really like, branch out into those with third-party IR packs. You can acquire an absurd number of those really easily.
 
saintgallows said:
.. what advice and tips other Fractal users have to offer.
Click to expand...
Keep it simple. With so many amps, speakers, and effects to choose from it’s easy to be like a kid in a sweet shop. Instead pick one amp that you like, one speaker, no effects, and spend a bit of time getting a sound you like. Then add or change things systematically, one step at a time. If you change too much at once you might not know why something sounds better, or worse. Individually backup the presets which you build so that you can compare, and if necessary backtrack.

Don’t be surprised if, after a couple of months, you change your mind about how you want to set things up because you know so much more than when you started.
 
All good info in here! I've had my Axe-II for 10 years and one thing I wish I had found sooner is Yek's Guides, especially for amp blocks. It's especially handy to know what parameters are on the actual amp and which control they're mapped to on the Axe-FX.
 
I had my axe fx II for awhile before I found out how to get my presets to sound the same level.....this video I downloaded from youtube was to me a great help!

In order to get all the presets to the same level you have to do each one MANUALLY...one thing I dislike about the axe fx II (I think in the 3 you can have a global setting for all the presets to have the same volume but I do not own one so I am not sure) But to do this in the Axe Fx II you have to manually set each one to a certian volume, then COMPARE each preset to each other to make sure one is not louder than the other. This is how you can easily do it from the front panel of the axe fx II. I got these instructions from a video at ax fx tutorials.com.

How to manually adjust preset sounds for axe fx II.(This was the name of the video on youtube, but I cannot find it anymore, good thing I downloaded it to my external hard drive)

1. Once axe fx II is powered on choose the preset number you want to change the overall volume on.

2.Go to the UTILITY Button on the front panel of the axe fx II.

3.Use the PAGE button to go sideways to the VU TAB.

4. You have to have Firmware 18 or above.

5. Use the A knob if it is just one amp or A and B if it is TWO amps...(Amp1 Level and Amp2 Level)
to adjust the overall volume of the preset.(It also shows to the right of the amp levels what percent of volume the amp in question is being turned up to. (EXAMPLE A: AMP1 LEVEL: -22.5 OUT LEVEL: 48% B: AMP2 LEVEL: -12.0 OUT2 LEVEL: 0

6. Above the AMP LEVEL 1+2 are two sets of meters that show a horizontal bar when you strum your guitar. Named L1 R1 and L2 R2 as well as the db they are putting out (EXAMPLE: L1+R1 may say -5.8 db and L2+R2 -5.8 db also)

7. if you have one amp (as in the EXAMPLE) turn the A knob right until you can see it move.(You can do the same with B if you have two amps)

8. What you want to do, get the horizintal bars as close to the VERTICAL line that is about 3/4 of the way to the right.(It is known as a 0db line....over the line you can go up to plus 20db but you can get trouble with distortion when it gets in the red) You want to get it to where it pretty much STOPS on that 0db line as much as you can. You use the A KNOB forward or backward to make the adjustment higher or lower volume. (Again you use the B KNOB the exact same way if you have two amps)

9. When you get your preset to sound as close to the VERTICAL 0db line as possible...you then need to SAVE your setting to the preset.(NOTE: if you are playing lead and not chords you can go slightly higher over the 0db line)(The line is just a gauge you can aim for to get all your presets to sound the same coming out of your Speaker or headphones. So one preset is not way louder than another)

10. You do this by pressing the STORE button the ENTER and ENTER button AGAIN (two times)

11. You simply RINSE and REPEAT the steps 1 through 10 for all the presets you want to have basically the same volume. You can check the volume on each preset once you have saved them and compare them to each other.(ALSO Note: you can have presets at slightly different volumes for say higher for leads and maybe lower if you want to fit in a band setting. It is all up to the user to decide how loud or soft they want that preset to be.)

12. This came from a video I downloaded from youtube named Using the VU Meter on the Axe-FX II to balance preset volume by AxeFx Tutorials.com
 
Last edited:
webe123 said:
I had my axe fx II for awhile before I found out how to get my presets to sound the same level.....this video I downloaded from youtube was to me a great help!

In order to get all the presets to the same level you have to do each one MANUALLY...one thing I dislike about the axe fx II (I think in the 3 you can have a global setting for all the presets to have the same volume but I do not own one so I am not sure) But to do this in the Axe Fx II you have to manually set each one to a certian volume, then COMPARE each preset to each other to make sure one is not louder than the other. This is how you can easily do it from the front panel of the axe fx II. I got these instructions from a video at ax fx tutorials.com.

How to manually adjust preset sounds for axe fx II.(This was the name of the video on youtube, but I cannot find it anymore, good thing I downloaded it to my external hard drive)

1. Once axe fx II is powered on choose the preset number you want to change the overall volume on.

2.Go to the UTILITY Button on the front panel of the axe fx II.

3.Use the PAGE button to go sideways to the VU TAB.

4. You have to have Firmware 18 or above.

5. Use the A knob if it is just one amp or A and B if it is TWO amps...(Amp1 Level and Amp2 Level)
to adjust the overall volume of the preset.(It also shows to the right of the amp levels what percent of volume the amp in question is being turned up to. (EXAMPLE A: AMP1 LEVEL: -22.5 OUT LEVEL: 48% B: AMP2 LEVEL: -12.0 OUT2 LEVEL: 0

6. Above the AMP LEVEL 1+2 are two sets of meters that show a horizontal bar when you strum your guitar. Named L1 R1 and L2 R2 as well as the db they are putting out (EXAMPLE: L1+R1 may say -5.8 db and L2+R2 -5.8 db also)

7. if you have one amp (as in the EXAMPLE) turn the A knob right until you can see it move.(You can do the same with B if you have two amps)

8. What you want to do, get the horizintal bars as close to the VERTICAL line that is about 3/4 of the way to the right.(It is known as a 0db line....over the line you can go up to plus 20db but you can get trouble with distortion when it gets in the red) You want to get it to where it pretty much STOPS on that 0db line as much as you can. You use the A KNOB forward or backward to make the adjustment higher or lower volume. (Again you use the B KNOB the exact same way if you have two amps)

9. When you get your preset to sound as close to the VERTICAL 0db line as possible...you then need to SAVE your setting to the preset.(NOTE: if you are playing lead and not chords you can go slightly higher over the 0db line)(The line is just a gauge you can aim for to get all your presets to sound the same coming out of your Speaker or headphones. So one preset is not way louder than another)

10. You do this by pressing the STORE button the ENTER and ENTER button AGAIN (two times)

11. You simply RINSE and REPEAT the steps 1 through 10 for all the presets you want to have basically the same volume. You can check the volume on each preset once you have saved them and compare them to each other.(ALSO Note: you can have presets at slightly different volumes for say higher for leads and maybe lower if you want to fit in a band setting. It is all up to the user to decide how loud or soft they want that preset to be.)

12. This came from a video I downloaded from youtube named Using the VU Meter on the Axe-FX II to balance preset volume by AxeFx Tutorials.com
Click to expand...
I forgot this! Thanks for sharing it so clearly too.
 
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