Axe-Fx II Technical Questions Thread

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AES/EBU

I know there were a few discussions on using S/PDIF (RCA coaxial) with the Ulta and Cliff stated his preference for the analog inputs for several reasons. Without rehashing the whole S/PDIF vs Analog debate I was curious if the same reasons hold true for the AES/EBU (XLR) digital connection? Is there an upgade with the AES/EBU over S/PDIF or it simply an alternative connection?

Thanks,

Craig
 
Cliff,

A Presence cut is a major part of many of my patches. On here it's been stated that the Presence control no longer has negative values, and only by reducing Damp to 0 can Presence then turn into a cut controller. Problem is, the same Ultra patches where I have a Presence cut, also have the Damp value set somewhere between 2 and 3. I have experimented with Damp - 0 settings on my Ultra this afternoon to see if I can compensate through the use of other parameters, without success. So I'm concerened that I won't be able to replicate the same settings on the Axe-II that are so critical to the sound.

Thanks! I hope you haven't been going too nuts with all this. ;)
 
MarcoB said:
i don't understand this question:
can't you just play a harmonic at the 12th fret?

Regards,
Marco
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yes of course and that is how I currently do it now with my bass, but I just want to know if it works normally now with open string notes for the axe fx II.

I know before, and correct me if I am wrong, it had something to do with how low the axe could track pitch for the pitch shifting/harmonizing abilities. and to extend the frequency range that low would make the pitch tracking a lot slower and take up a lot of memory, or something to that regards.

I just thought since the axe II was so much more powerful, something like that might not be too big of a deal to throw in.

just curious is all, does the tuner work for bass guitars...normally? haha

-grant
 
cobbler said:
I know there were a few discussions on using S/PDIF (RCA coaxial) with the Ulta and Cliff stated his preference for the analog inputs for several reasons. Without rehashing the whole S/PDIF vs Analog debate I was curious if the same reasons hold true for the AES/EBU (XLR) digital connection? Is there an upgade with the AES/EBU over S/PDIF or it simply an alternative connection?
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AES/EBU as an alternative to S/PDIF? Or to the Analog Output 1?

I missed the earlier discussions you referenced but if I'm recording and I have the choice of digital formats, I absolutely will opt for AES/EBU. Sync on S/PDIF is usually not as good. It was designed as a consumer interface whereas EBU was designed for broadcast professionals so this just gives you the option to connect digitally to a wider range of professional equipment.

For playing and listening, I'd go with the Analog Output because I don't have anything with nicer D/A converters than the Axe comes with. To me there's no sense in adding extra layers of A/D-D/A.
 
RussMuller said:
AES/EBU as an alternative to S/PDIF? Or to the Analog Output 1?

I missed the earlier discussions you referenced but if I'm recording and I have the choice of digital formats, I absolutely will opt for AES/EBU. Sync on S/PDIF is usually not as good. It was designed as a consumer interface whereas EBU was designed for broadcast professionals so this just gives you the option to connect digitally to a wider range of professional equipment.

For playing and listening, I'd go with the Analog Output because I don't have anything with nicer D/A converters than the Axe comes with. To me there's no sense in adding extra layers of A/D-D/A.
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Thanks for the reply. My question was geared towards the choice of digital connections and you addressed that. I have access to both a fireface 800 and a fireface ufx. The ufx has a AES/EBU connection where the 800 does not. I like the flexibility to have my monitors, wedges, or any other outputs coming off the interface where I have the routing flexibility with the total mix software that comes with RME interfaces. The RME converters are supposedly decent so I never felt I was losing much. I just play as a hobby in a home environment.
 
cobbler said:
I like the flexibility to have my monitors, wedges, or any other outputs coming off the interface where I have the routing flexibility with the total mix software that comes with RME interfaces. The RME converters are supposedly decent so I never felt I was losing much. I just play as a hobby in a home environment.
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The RME converters are not just "decent", they are some of the best in the industry in their price range (and not only there). I use a FF400 and, apart from the hardware, I think the software (drivers, Total Mix, etc) is what makes RME a great choice for the home/project studio.
 
I have to agree with The Genius Loci. The consensus among professional engineers I know is that RME is top quality at a reasonable price.
 
About the tuner and tuning at the 12th on the E string and below...

Does it work hitting the harmonic? Yes, but even my pocket Korg tuner can tune a bass all the way down to the B on an open string, so this shouldn't even remotely be outside of the abilities of the Axe. Also, if someone's intonation is a bit off and you're tuning from the 12th it's going to throw off the whole lower end of the string, plus it makes it so you can't adjust the intonation properly since you can't tune both open and 12th to adjust it. This is why we need the tuner to work properly for bass all the way down.
 
DLM said:
Also, if someone's intonation is a bit off and you're tuning from the 12th it's going to throw off the whole lower end of the string,
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If the intonation is off, the node for the first overtone - the halfway point along the length of the string - won't be exactly over the 12th fret, but it will always be an octave above the pitch of the open string.

plus it makes it so you can't adjust the intonation properly since you can't tune both open and 12th to adjust it.
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You can set intonation by comparing the harmonic to the fretted note at the 12th fret. This is just as accurate as using the open string.

I'm not arguing against you getting what you're asking for, I'm just pointing out that the necessary workarounds do not compromise the accuracy of tuning or intonation.
 
True. Thanks for mentioning that. I don't usually do it that way but you're right.
 
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I imagine that if the tuner doesn't handle low E on bass, then low string pitch tracking for the pitch and synth blocks doesn't work correctly either.

If I were a bass player I'd be crying for making those work nicely, not the tuner.
 
The tuner and the pitch-tracking blocks of the Axe function off of the same global pitch detector, so addressing the source will solve both issues.

Unfortunately, as Cliff has noted previously (in a different thread), there's a necessary introduction of latency when recognizing notes below the 50Hz floor. We had previously requested a dedicated "bass tracking" mode to allow this latency to be delegated to those needing to track low pitches, but to no avail as of yet.

In fact, given the release of the II, perhaps this could go for a bump in the Wish List once more.

On an interesting note, I find that the Ultra grabs onto the E much more easily than, for instance, the F#. Also, the wobbling is much less noticeable if you play a bit more staccato.
 
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Hello,
does the new machine have a model of an amp and cabinet for acoustic instruments (guitar, banjo, mandolin...) or are you planning to include it in a next firmware release?
i think most user need it ( for example one reference model could be that real combo that was made by Roland ,the ac-100)

the second question is: do you have included a reversed wah-wah feature or are you planning to include it in a next firmware? i mean: the possibility to invert input and output of wah-wah circuit to simulate that David Gilmour mistake that allow him to discover the famous Seagull sound that you can hear in the long suite "Echoes".

thanks a lot
Dimitri
 
frondizi said:
Hello,
does the new machine have a model of an amp and cabinet for acoustic instruments (guitar, banjo, mandolin...) or are you planning to include it in a next firmware release?
i think most user need it ( for example one reference model could be that real combo that was made by Roland ,the ac-100)

the second question is: do you have included a reversed wah-wah feature or are you planning to include it in a next firmware? i mean: the possibility to invert input and output of wah-wah circuit to simulate that David Gilmour mistake that allow him to discover the famous Seagull sound that you can hear in the long suite "Echoes".

thanks a lot
Dimitri
Click to expand...

I am not Cliff so cannot comment on future developments.

But - at this point there are no amp/cabs for acoustic instruments. There are (50) fifty 2048bit user slots available for your own uses specific to your situation though.

Reverse wah - you can do this on any of the Gen1 boxes or the Gen2 box by altering the modifier curve to work in reverse.
 
Scott Peterson said:
<Snip>

Reverse wah - you can do this on any of the Gen1 boxes or the Gen2 box by altering the modifier curve to work in reverse.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing he's referring to plugging the guitar into the wah-out and plugging the wah-in into the
amp for the "Echoes" seagull effect rather than reversing the sweep...

I'm also guessing "no" for the answer, but it's early...
 
claudel said:
I'm guessing he's referring to plugging the guitar into the wah-out and plugging the wah-in into the
amp for the "Echoes" seagull effect rather than reversing the sweep...

I'm also guessing "no" for the answer, but it's early...
Click to expand...

Ok, I just misunderstood him.
 
claudel said:
I'm guessing he's referring to plugging the guitar into the wah-out and plugging the wah-in into the
amp for the "Echoes" seagull effect rather than reversing the sweep...

I'm also guessing "no" for the answer, but it's early...
Click to expand...


hmmmmm, I have a cool idea. Probably won't yeild quite the same effect but it ought to sound fun. :)

Instant car alarm :)


I think with some minor alterations it might be able to so the seagull/laughing thing, not sure.
 
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