Axe-Fx II & Rocktron Banshee 2 Talkbox

earthday

Member
Hi all,

I picked up a Banshee 2 last week, and have an Axe II, which I inherited from my brother... this is what caused me to start learning guitar, but I'm still a novice, particularly on the technical side of things. I practice every day though. Sorry if what's below is frustrating - I'd genuinely appreciate any help.

I've Googled and read various forums, but can't work out how to get this thing (Banshee) to work. I read on a different fractalaudio thread to set it up as follows:

guitar > banshee input > banshee output (called 'To Amp') > Axe front input (called 'Instr')

I'm not using the FX Loop, though have seen some posts that discuss this, and maybe I should. The tube of the Banshee is right next to my mic (which is an Audio Technica AT2020). I get signal from the mic in Cubase, so that part seems fine. My mic is running directly into my interface, which is an Audient iD14.

I wonder if my problem is caused by any of the following:

1) I'm meant to be using a certain preset/chain within the Axe - I have seen some 'Talkbox' presets within Axe Exchange. So far I've just been trying it with the stock presets that come with the Axe.

2) My routing (inputs to outputs) is all wrong - from what I've read, the sound of the guitar should come through the tube, (and I'm sure this sounds ridiculous) but I'm not getting any sound through the tube, which is why I'm not getting the talkbox effect. I live in an apartment, so write with headphones, though I do have KRK Rockit 5 speakers which I rarely use. Normally I just write with the headphone jack plugged into the interface.

3) (This one is highly unlikely given my limitations) There's some problem with Banshee - when I click the on/off metal foot button/stub, the Banshee doesn't actually turn on or off... and when I turn the Gain, Tone, Output knobs, nothing changes - all I hear is a white noise/static type sound.

Any help/advice is HUGELY appreciated, and thanks for reading this far.
 
seems there's something wrong with your guitar, cable or the banshee itself.
check everything without the axe. you don't even need the tube, since the banshee is a "guitar-amp" itself.

TEST the following:

ONLY Guitar and a Lead into the Input of the banshee.
NO OTHER cable or equipment.
(Perhaps you connected to the "External Speaker" Jack?


EDIT: Reading the manual I believe it is the EFX Button! Check that!
 
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Does the guitar into the AXFXII produce sound? What are you using for amplification and speakers? Did you plug in the Banshee to an AC outlet? There is a power supply that must be connected to 115VAC in order to work. Sometimes it's the simple things. Answers will come and as you solve each problem you will gain knowledge.
 
Does the guitar into the AXFXII produce sound? What are you using for amplification and speakers? Did you plug in the Banshee to an AC outlet? There is a power supply that must be connected to 115VAC in order to work. Sometimes it's the simple things. Answers will come and as you solve each problem you will gain knowledge.

It's a Banshee! It doesn't need amplification ;-)
He also said it produces a white noise. So it has power.
It is most likely the EFX Button (and send).
 
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Thanks for your suggestions, much appreciated.

I took the guitar lead out of the front (INSTR) input on the Axe, and put it in the INPUT of the Banshee. I hear nothing when I do this, i.e. the guitar isn't being amplified through the Banshee. Just to be clear, the only cable connected to the Banshee (other than the power) is the guitar > INPUT of Banshee - there's nothing in the 'To Amp' or Ext Speaker'.

I adjusted the Output knob etc up to 5am, but still couldn't hear anything.

I turned the EFX Loop button on and off, and still nothing.

Strangely, this morning, the white noise faded down after about a minute, despite there being power the whole time. Last night the white noise was audible for as long as there was power running to the Banshee.

Thanks again.
 
After doing more research, I think the problem might be electrical, and that I've probably destroyed the Banshee... I'm in Australia, so need to use a converter on the Banshee power adaptor that came with it. I used the converter, but stupidly, didn't consider using a stepdown transformer, which I now realize I should have. Our wall sockets here give out 240V, but the Banshee is 120V.

Anyway, when I turned it on, within a couple of seconds the safety switch in the house tripped, and there was a slight burning smell coming from the power adaptor, though not the Banshee. I have a separate 9V adaptor, which I was using yesterday and noticing the problems. Is it even worth me buying a new adaptor? I took the Banshee power adaptor to the local electrical store, and they said they can order an equivalent in.

What lead me to believe that my Banshee is completely cooked is just that it has an amplifier, yet when I plug my guitar into the Banshee input, all I hear is white noise, when I should be hearing the guitar sound. The other weird thing is that the silver foot pedal/knob doesn't do anything - I'd have expected that when I push it, the Banshee turns off, but it doesn't nothing happens when I push it. And nothing happens when I turn the Gain/Tone/Output knobs etc.

Anyway, it's been an expensive learning curve; and sorry I didn't provide these details yesterday. When I got 'some' (white noise) sound while using the different power adaptor, I just hoped it was okay, and that only the Banshee power adaptor has been affected.

I'll know in future not to make this mistake, and thanks for the above suggestions.
 
After doing more research, I think the problem might be electrical, and that I've probably destroyed the Banshee... I'm in Australia, so need to use a converter on the Banshee power adaptor that came with it. I used the converter, but stupidly, didn't consider using a stepdown transformer, which I now realize I should have. Our wall sockets here give out 240V, but the Banshee is 120V.

Anyway, when I turned it on, within a couple of seconds the safety switch in the house tripped, and there was a slight burning smell coming from the power adaptor, though not the Banshee. I have a separate 9V adaptor, which I was using yesterday and noticing the problems. Is it even worth me buying a new adaptor? I took the Banshee power adaptor to the local electrical store, and they said they can order an equivalent in.

What lead me to believe that my Banshee is completely cooked is just that it has an amplifier, yet when I plug my guitar into the Banshee input, all I hear is white noise, when I should be hearing the guitar sound. The other weird thing is that the silver foot pedal/knob doesn't do anything - I'd have expected that when I push it, the Banshee turns off, but it doesn't nothing happens when I push it. And nothing happens when I turn the Gain/Tone/Output knobs etc.

Anyway, it's been an expensive learning curve; and sorry I didn't provide these details yesterday. When I got 'some' (white noise) sound while using the different power adaptor, I just hoped it was okay, and that only the Banshee power adaptor has been affected.

I'll know in future not to make this mistake, and thanks for the above suggestions.


What a shame.
I would actually try a different 9V Power adaptor first.
Just for a few seconds.
I would say it is the power supply Since that receives the wrong voltage directly.
If that doesn't help...your Banshee itself has a problem.
Good luck! I hope the cheap version is your solution :)
 
Vistalee - great news :)

As you suggested, I got a new 9V adaptor and the Banshee works perfectly - so relieved!

I took the old adaptor into an electronic store, along with the Banshee - we got it working in there. He said that while I'd burnt out the adaptor, it may be that the adaptor has a fuse in it, which protected the actual Banshee unit. The safety switch in the house may have helped as well.

At any rate, thanks for persisting with me!

At the moment I haven't worked out how to get the sound of my axe presets coming through the Banshee - I'm not using the FX Loop, but suspect I have to for this to occur, so am about to start researching that.
 
Some hours later, after researching, and trying to use the FX loop, I'm not able to get the sound from my Axe presets coming through the Banshee. I read the Banshee manual, which on p.9 suggests the following (and is what I've done):

Gtr > Banshee Input
Banshee Send > Axe Input 2 FX Return L/Mono
Axe Output 2 FX Send L >Banshee Return

(In regard to the first step, should I have my guitar going straight in to the Axe instead of the Banshee?)

So just to confirm, I have nothing connected to the 'To Amp' (left side) of the Banshee.

I tried inserting an 'FX Loop' block within the preset in Axe-Edit, but it didn't make a difference. E.g. the preset has a big delay, but I can't hear the delay coming out of the Banshee tube.

On the Banshee, I also pushed the 'To Amp' and 'EFX Loop' buttons on and off, and still I wasn't able to hear the delay through the Banshee. I'm not sure how to make the Axe FX preset sound come though the Banshee.

Sorry to burden you with more issues after such a big victory earlier today.

Thanks.

P.S. I have attached a couple of photos. FWIW and just in case it mattes (which I doubt it does) the XLR's in Output 1 of the Axe go into my Audient iD14 interface.
 

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Some hours later, after researching, and trying to use the FX loop, I'm not able to get the sound from my Axe presets coming through the Banshee. I read the Banshee manual, which on p.9 suggests the following (and is what I've done):

Gtr > Banshee Input
Banshee Send > Axe Input 2 FX Return L/Mono
Axe Output 2 FX Send L >Banshee Return

(In regard to the first step, should I have my guitar going straight in to the Axe instead of the Banshee?)

So just to confirm, I have nothing connected to the 'To Amp' (left side) of the Banshee.

I tried inserting an 'FX Loop' block within the preset in Axe-Edit, but it didn't make a difference. E.g. the preset has a big delay, but I can't hear the delay coming out of the Banshee tube.

On the Banshee, I also pushed the 'To Amp' and 'EFX Loop' buttons on and off, and still I wasn't able to hear the delay through the Banshee. I'm not sure how to make the Axe FX preset sound come though the Banshee.

Sorry to burden you with more issues after such a big victory earlier today.

Thanks.

P.S. I have attached a couple of photos. FWIW and just in case it mattes (which I doubt it does) the XLR's in Output 1 of the Axe go into my Audient iD14 interface.


Sorry....this is going to be a bit lengthy :-D

Why exactly would you want the Axe to come through the Banshee?
Typically you wouldn't use it that way. Just Banshee into a Mic and the Axe as the normal Guitar-Rig.
And then add effects to the banshee over the mic/Daw or FOH.
Exept you want to use the Axefx as ONLY EFFECTS unit through the Banshee. (No Amp-Simulation?)
If that is the case and you want effects from the axe running over the banshee then you would want to do the following

Guitar --> Banshee Input --> To Amp (NOT Ext Speaker) --> Axe Input
(Nothing else this far)

At this point please verify everything is receiving and producing sound.
i.e. only banshee - only axe - banshee and axe (to use simultaneously the TO AMP Button needs to be DEPRESSED i.e. UP)

Now you have the setup to use banshee and axe at the same time.

To now add effects of the Axe to your Banshee

Your initial Send / Return Setup is correct. Please now add the EFX Loop cables as you had them before without changing the previous setup. (Now you have what is called the 4 cable method / 4CM)
Bth. to send your effects to the Banshee....the button EFX Loop needs to be DEPRESSED i.e. UP too.

You now have to make sure that your settings in the Axe are correct.
Do you still have sound througfh everything by itself and everything simultaneously?
If yes you are ready to go. Add effects and rock.

If not....check your AxeFx settings.
Input Signals (1 AND 2) turned up?
BOTH Outputs turned up?
From now on it's a routing and programming thing.
If you still hear nothing we will have to go through your AxeFx Settings and your Patch.
Hardware should be fine now.

If you are still having problems...let me know.
I'd even be willing to skype it through with you. ;-)
 
Thanks Vistalee

I've set up the hardware as instructed above, but aren't getting any audio from the Banshee tube. I do get audio if I push the EFX Loop button down (which isn't what I'm supposed to do according to the above instructions) - but I can't hear any effects, e.g. the big delay within the preset.

I also checked the Input Signals within I/O. Both 1 and 2 are 49.8.

Output levels (on the front of the Axe) are set to 11 o'clock.

The Gain and Output levels on the Banshee are also 11 o'clock.

I've attached the preset. Within this preset, there is an 'FX Loop' block, but it's normally not activated. When I do activate it, I get sound from the Banshee tube, but no effects. (I also get an ascending high pitch noise once the guitar stops, which increases - I think this might be because one of my levels (somewhere) is too high.)

Man, your patience is incredible... thanks for helping me with all of this. I could do Skype as well.
 

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Thanks Vistalee

I've set up the hardware as instructed above, but aren't getting any audio from the Banshee tube. I do get audio if I push the EFX Loop button down (which isn't what I'm supposed to do according to the above instructions) - but I can't hear any effects, e.g. the big delay within the preset.

I also checked the Input Signals within I/O. Both 1 and 2 are 49.8.

Output levels (on the front of the Axe) are set to 11 o'clock.

The Gain and Output levels on the Banshee are also 11 o'clock.

I've attached the preset. Within this preset, there is an 'FX Loop' block, but it's normally not activated. When I do activate it, I get sound from the Banshee tube, but no effects. (I also get an ascending high pitch noise once the guitar stops, which increases - I think this might be because one of my levels (somewhere) is too high.)

Man, your patience is incredible... thanks for helping me with all of this. I could do Skype as well.


Oh no. This is getting even more complicated than I hoped for.
Think we will have to skype then.
I'm in Germany...it's 11pm here right now.
What's your time?
Would it suit you if we skype tomorrow?
At about 11 a.m. my time? Your from australi, right?
If I'm not mistaken too badly that would be about 9 p.m. your time.
If that's okay, I would be glad to help.

At this point I think it's the last step of setting up your axe patch correctly. ;-)
Unfortunately mine is at my rehersal place and I do not have quick acces to that right now...so I cannot open the patch. But if we're able to arrange a skype session we will figure everything out ;-)
 
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Just thought I would throw that diagram up as well for people following. I have yet to set mine up and this has been very helpful so far. I have a Axe 3. I don't want to f# that up.
 
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