Axe-Fx II XL+ Noise Problems

H

Hayden Craig

Member
So I’ve posted here before and elsewhere about noise from my Axe Fx II XL+. Unfortunately my problem is still not solved, and i’m gonna list off all the stuff I have ruled out or attempted and put them here, and see if anybody else has any idea, because I’m about to lose my mind.


  1. I have two guitars. An Ibanez Universe with passive Dimarzio Evolution pickups, and a Strandberg Prog 7 with active Fishman Modern Fluence pickups. Both produce the same noise.

  2. I have tried the Axe FX II XL+ by itself all over my apartment in different outlets, and just using headphones, and the noise persists, even on my low gain settings. I also turned off everything in the apartment and played it in the dark, just to rule out EMI from my monitors or lamps or whatever, and still get the noise.

  3. I am using 3 different cables to test. 2 Mogami cables and one GLS audio. All 3 have the noise on them, although mogami showed a tiny bit less.

  4. Even on a preset I play that only has an amp and cab, and the gain is only set to 1.5, the noise is still there. (The master is at like 8, but level is low.) At even medium gain the noise is egregious.

  5. My presets aren’t clipping. Even with the input level in the I/O menu in the Axe Fx set to 0%, I still get the noise.

  6. There is a slightly different noise (little deeper) happening constantly even when the guitar is unplugged, on every cable. I provide an example below.

  7. I have everything hooked up to a Furman power conditioner. I also had a ground tester and showed I have no grounding problems in my outlets, and not from the power conditioner itself. (although I’m not sure 100% if that rules out a ground loop. I don’t think so.)

  8. I do get the noise even when I am muting the strings with my palms. I guess if it is noisy, it’s at least not supposed to be noisy with your hands on the strings, at least that’s what lots of youtube videos are showing me.

  9. I have sent the axe-fx in before to have it looked at like 6 months ago and they gave it back to me saying it was perfectly fine. I thought originally it might have low output too, which is the reason I sent it back. I don’t remember if I had this same noise I describe above, back then.


My Setup:


Guitar -> Axe FX II -> Output 1 -> Input to Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 -> USB to computer / Scarlett Focusrite Outputs to monitors. Here’s a picture to help show it better:





Here are some pictures with my ground tester:









Here are some recordings of the noise I can get. I’ll include high gain and low gain, with direct recording examples and some videos to show what’s up.


Here’s some direct recordings (These were recorded about 10 feet back from my monitors and equipment just to try to reduce the noise. Apologies in advance for the bad playing.):


Universe:




Strandberg:




Or instaudio links if that’s easier for you:


https://instaud.io/3s9d


https://instaud.io/3s96



Here’s some videos showing the noise in real time:


Unplugged:


https://youtu.be/hogsAEoWmQc



Universe:


https://youtu.be/cp4NKGHwv0o - Moderate gain + drive



Strandberg:


https://youtu.be/Cnu-7_xsaZU - With Drive


https://youtu.be/tUF2OBNKDno - Just amp and cab



Also, I’ll be attaching the patches that I used for these examples as well, if you’re ultra-generous and feel like demo-ing them for me and showing them here, so we can compare. Or, just to simply point out how my patches might be created very stupidly. (remember that my recordings have the drive and compression on, however one of the videos of the Strandberg shows that I get the noise even with just amp and cab, with the gain at simply 1/10.)


Anyway, as you can see I’m going crazy, and I can’t think of what this problem could be. I have lost most motivation to record because I can’t solve this. I put everything I thought possible in this thread to rule out most stupid things. I’ve had the problem for over 6 months now. I’ve had the unit for a year and it feels like it’s low output and noisy but when I sent it in 6 months ago Fractal said it was fine. I am so desperate to get it working so I can learn to love to play again. Please, help.
 

Attachments

  • CAE 3+SE Lead.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 6
  • Hayden Lead 1.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 5
thanks for providing all that info, sorry this is happening.

have you tried the Axe plugged in straight to your monitors to rule out the interface?

something you may not want to hear, i recently moved and in the old place, in the room i made my office, i had a horrible electrical buzz sometimes, definitely coming from the electricity. i didn't change anything, yet it'd be there sometimes, and not at other times. furman, UPS, etc. plugged anywhere else, it was fine. in my current place, i have no problem with the same exact gear, just a different plug.

just saying that in case it really is just that house/outlet etc.

it will take a while for people to digest the info you gave, but i'm sure some of us will try to help.
 
chris said:
thanks for providing all that info, sorry this is happening.

have you tried the Axe plugged in straight to your monitors to rule out the interface?

something you may not want to hear, i recently moved and in the old place, in the room i made my office, i had a horrible electrical buzz sometimes, definitely coming from the electricity. i didn't change anything, yet it'd be there sometimes, and not at other times. furman, UPS, etc. plugged anywhere else, it was fine. in my current place, i have no problem with the same exact gear, just a different plug.

just saying that in case it really is just that house/outlet etc.

it will take a while for people to digest the info you gave, but i'm sure some of us will try to help.
Click to expand...

I appreciate your input. Like I said above, in point 2, I played my axe fx with nothing else, just listening through headphones, so no interface, no nothing. Just me, guitar, axe fx. Still have the noise. I just tried to test and put as much info as possible so that we can help narrow down the solution better. At this point, if I can't solve it after this, I think I just have to give up. It's either solve this or move on so I can finally play my guitar again. I guess I could also take my Axe Fx to other people's places and see how it sounds there, as another final test.
 
Hayden Craig said:
I appreciate your input. Like I said above, in point 2, I played my axe fx with nothing else, just listening through headphones, so no interface, no nothing. Just me, guitar, axe fx. Still have the noise. I just tried to test and put as much info as possible so that we can help narrow down the solution better. At this point, if I can't solve it after this, I think I just have to give up. It's either solve this or move on so I can finally play my guitar again. I guess I could also take my Axe Fx to other people's places and see how it sounds there, as another final test.
Click to expand...
oh, i missed the headphones part. ok.

definitely try plugging it into some other outlet, another house or something. that should be a relatively easy test and immediately eliminates so many other trials.
 
Hayden,

I would suggest asking whoever looked at if they checked the THD% on all the outputs and whether it is in spec. (And tested with hot and weaker signal) AudioPrecision makes fantastic test equipment that really will settle any doubt of noise coming from the unit. If the THD% was in spec then the problem lies elsewhere. Furmans have been known to create noise in certain environments.
 
Also worth noting that the THD is usually higher out of headphone outputs in most devices, never measured or looked at the fractal specs for THD on the phones or regular outs but I would guess with 1khz sine wave it could get as low as .002% on the main outs. I have an AP at work and can see the THD from my unit. I will post back with the results.
 
Hayden Craig said:
I guess I could also take my Axe Fx to other people's places and see how it sounds there, as another final test.
Click to expand...

Definitely, this. I've been dealing with the background hum/noise myself, until I found that it was the goddamn EMI emitted by my very own PC.

Also, have you tried alternating between front and rear guitar inputs of the Axe FX? Could make a difference.

Good luck my friend.
 
Hi Hayden, I'd like to offer a few things to try.

1. I'd get that Furman off of the AXEFX. Metal to metal can bring about some interesting sounds. My racks are all separated by thin sheets of cardboard in between them as well as Humfrees rack isolation tabs. Never let your racks just touch like that. Even if it doesn't fix the problem, you definitely don't want a power source sitting on your Axe.

2. I'd move that interface also. Audio cables, power cables, and midi cables touching along with a power source on top with the interface on top of that, is just asking for noise in my opinion. Rack it up or separate it if you can. Trust me when I tell you, the electronics in the interface may have something to do with it also. Add the power conditioner, cables, interface...it may just be that. If it isn't a fix, it's definitely something you want to change in the future just because.

3. Keep all power cords away from midi cables and audio cables. Try to NEVER let them touch or run along together. If you absolutely have to let them touch and run together, something like this will prevent noise. I use these in both my live rig and my studio. The plastic coating for cables is awesome for electronics. You can get it from a car parts store like NAPA.

https://www.digikey.com/product-det...YftWC5WXuSr5Nc_X9PgTAbhdTWS5aSShoCYwsQAvD_BwE

4. Keep audio cables away from from midi cables. It doesn't always happen, but a midi cable touching just right on the right audio cable, will give you a whistle like a SMPTE time code type sound. I've had this happen to me 3 times. Sure enough, a midi cable was laying on the audio cable just right.

5. Interfaces can sometimes bring on oscillations due to certain pickups in guitars. I had an older Presonus years ago that would give me this weird artifact when I ran the buffers down to 64. I had it sitting on top of my rack not in a case. I put it in a rack, and it stopped making that sound. When you hear a noise like the one you're getting, turn the gate off and leave the guitar volume wide open. Move side to side, turn away from your gear and see if this is brought on by a certain direction you face. I used to get some nasty stuff happening to me due to all the electronics and and racks I used to run. Just facing them with a volume pot open was a nightmare. I've since had everything fixed due to building a new studio, and also got rid of most of the rack gear as it's not needed anymore, but you'll be surprised how certain things can wreak havoc and bring about weird noises.

I have both an XL+ and an MKII. My XL+ has a strange feedback about it that the MKII does not. Even running all the same settings with the same exact presets, I can't seem to figure out why this happens. I contacted Fractal support and one of the techs there wants to take a look at my unit when I'm done with a project I'm working on. Who knows, there may be something wrong with it. My noise is sort of like yours...a feedback of sorts.

Can you try two things for me? Just for the heck of it.

1. Go to the noise gate section of one of your presets where the noise is bad. In Axe Edit, click on "input*gate" located all the way to the left right before your first effect. See where it says "Input Z"? Try a few of those in the drop down box and tell me if the noise stops or changes. I run mine at 230k+cap and my noise is about 75% more tolerable. It's there, but way less of an issue using that setting. All I have to do is run a little more gate and it's not even there. If you find one of those input Z settings that works, don't forget to save the preset. :) Just see if it changes anything at all.

Try this one next:

2. Plug your guitar into the rear input of your XL+ and press I/O. Page right once and hit the down arrow button 3 times to select "rear". Just try it for me and see if you still get the noise. I'm just curious if it changes at all. Mine doesn't do the noise when plugged into the back, however, I notice a little more sizzle in my tones being plugged in back there compared to what I hear in the front input. It could be mind over matter, but there's a certain warmth I seem to get using the front input that isn't quite there when I use the rear input. But my noise seems to be gone when using rear. Just curious if you notice anything. At any rate, I hope you can sort it out. Good luck and though I can't promise you any of this will help, it's where I'd start.
 
Danny Danzi said:
Hi Hayden, I'd like to offer a few things to try.

1. I'd get that Furman off of the AXEFX. Metal to metal can bring about some interesting sounds. My racks are all separated by thin sheets of cardboard in between them as well as Humfrees rack isolation tabs. Never let your racks just touch like that. Even if it doesn't fix the problem, you definitely don't want a power source sitting on your Axe.

2. I'd move that interface also. Audio cables, power cables, and midi cables touching along with a power source on top with the interface on top of that, is just asking for noise in my opinion. Rack it up or separate it if you can. Trust me when I tell you, the electronics in the interface may have something to do with it also. Add the power conditioner, cables, interface...it may just be that. If it isn't a fix, it's definitely something you want to change in the future just because.

3. Keep all power cords away from midi cables and audio cables. Try to NEVER let them touch or run along together. If you absolutely have to let them touch and run together, something like this will prevent noise. I use these in both my live rig and my studio. The plastic coating for cables is awesome for electronics. You can get it from a car parts store like NAPA.

https://www.digikey.com/product-det...YftWC5WXuSr5Nc_X9PgTAbhdTWS5aSShoCYwsQAvD_BwE

4. Keep audio cables away from from midi cables. It doesn't always happen, but a midi cable touching just right on the right audio cable, will give you a whistle like a SMPTE time code type sound. I've had this happen to me 3 times. Sure enough, a midi cable was laying on the audio cable just right.

5. Interfaces can sometimes bring on oscillations due to certain pickups in guitars. I had an older Presonus years ago that would give me this weird artifact when I ran the buffers down to 64. I had it sitting on top of my rack not in a case. I put it in a rack, and it stopped making that sound. When you hear a noise like the one you're getting, turn the gate off and leave the guitar volume wide open. Move side to side, turn away from your gear and see if this is brought on by a certain direction you face. I used to get some nasty stuff happening to me due to all the electronics and and racks I used to run. Just facing them with a volume pot open was a nightmare. I've since had everything fixed due to building a new studio, and also got rid of most of the rack gear as it's not needed anymore, but you'll be surprised how certain things can wreak havoc and bring about weird noises.

I have both an XL+ and an MKII. My XL+ has a strange feedback about it that the MKII does not. Even running all the same settings with the same exact presets, I can't seem to figure out why this happens. I contacted Fractal support and one of the techs there wants to take a look at my unit when I'm done with a project I'm working on. Who knows, there may be something wrong with it. My noise is sort of like yours...a feedback of sorts.

Can you try two things for me? Just for the heck of it.

1. Go to the noise gate section of one of your presets where the noise is bad. In Axe Edit, click on "input*gate" located all the way to the left right before your first effect. See where it says "Input Z"? Try a few of those in the drop down box and tell me if the noise stops or changes. I run mine at 230k+cap and my noise is about 75% more tolerable. It's there, but way less of an issue using that setting. All I have to do is run a little more gate and it's not even there. If you find one of those input Z settings that works, don't forget to save the preset. :) Just see if it changes anything at all.

Try this one next:

2. Plug your guitar into the rear input of your XL+ and press I/O. Page right once and hit the down arrow button 3 times to select "rear". Just try it for me and see if you still get the noise. I'm just curious if it changes at all. Mine doesn't do the noise when plugged into the back, however, I notice a little more sizzle in my tones being plugged in back there compared to what I hear in the front input. It could be mind over matter, but there's a certain warmth I seem to get using the front input that isn't quite there when I use the rear input. But my noise seems to be gone when using rear. Just curious if you notice anything. At any rate, I hope you can sort it out. Good luck and though I can't promise you any of this will help, it's where I'd start.
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks for all the info. I'll definitely take into consideration your first pieces of advice. Unfortunately for me it doesn't really matter now as even with/without all those mistakes, the noise is still there. When I changed the input to the rear input, I still have the noise. When I change the settings on the drop down menu of the input gate, I still have the noise. I will be testing my axe fx at other people's places soon.
 
Hayden Craig said:
Wow, thanks for all the info. I'll definitely take into consideration your first pieces of advice. Unfortunately for me it doesn't really matter now as even with/without all those mistakes, the noise is still there. When I changed the input to the rear input, I still have the noise. When I change the settings on the drop down menu of the input gate, I still have the noise. I will be testing my axe fx at other people's places soon.
Click to expand...

Sorry you're still having the issue. I was hoping something would have helped or made it less. I really do hope you can figure it out. If it does it when you go somewhere else, you may want to contact Fractal support and see what they say.
 
Don’t have time to read the responses but I read your post.
I recognise the sound your getting.
Couple of years ago I made this dumb video, maybe just maybe you could find something that might help...



I’m not suggesting it’s you guitar in perticular or you speakers or your headphones or your interface or computer or whatever but it might help to experiment with each to see if the sound changes.
 
HarrySound said:
Don’t have time to read the responses but I read your post.
I recognise the sound your getting.
Couple of years ago I made this dumb video, maybe just maybe you could find something that might help...



I’m not suggesting it’s you guitar in perticular or you speakers or your headphones or your interface or computer or whatever but it might help to experiment with each to see if the sound changes.
Click to expand...


Thanks for the suggestion. I did notice with some testing that placing them pretty close does increase the noise, however I had that noise even with my monitors and computer OFF. I get the noise even with the axe FX by itself.

Also, some bad news. I took my Axe FX over to a family's place, and tested my axe fx by itself, with just headphones, in many different outlets, with as little interference possible. It was even worse. I will post a youtube link here in a moment showing the best i can get, as it's coming through headphones.



Keep in mind this is on the CAE lead preset, with just an amp and cab, and the gain is at 1. Do you hear all that noise? It's actually beyond insane. Unfortunately this either confirms the power is messed up in both our places, or that my unit is probably messed up. The best favor that can be done for me now would be for people on this forum to do a simple recording to show how much noise they are getting from their unit with the same exact preset.
 
So just so I can try and replicate the preset your using there, it's the CA3+ Lead with Input Drive on 1 with a cab block only? If that's the case then my axe is virtually silent with that patch, and I live in a noisy house (directional hum/buzz) so something certainly isn't right. I'd hazard a guess that's something is faulty with the unit.

That's the thing that makes me laugh when people say "Axe FX is great. No more worrying about tubes dying, components failing etc". Well an amp is almost always easily fixable but when your digital modeller shits itself and it's out of the warranty, you're stuck!
 
Last edited:
Hullboy said:
So just so I can try and replicate the preset your using there, it's the CA3+ Lead with Input Drive on 1 with a cab block only? If that's the case then my axe is virtually silent with that patch, and I live in a noisy house (directional hum/buzz) so something certainly isn't right. Can you share your preset so I can try it on my axe fx to see how it sounds?
Click to expand...

Sorry, had to edit this. It's not completely the same as the preset, no. I'll send it again here to show you what it is. However, I did have noise even with just the preset. I actually turned this one down and tweaked a bit, so I'll attach mine specifically so you can get a good idea.

Can you please, if you can, post a recording with it? It doesn't matter what it is, even if it's just one note. I really want this to show to support. I think I'm at about enough evidence to conclude it's the unit itself.
 

Attachments

  • CAE 3+SE Lead.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 5
Hullboy said:
Here you go Hayden,

The tone wouldn't be to my taste, way too dark and bassy/muddy, and master volume on 10? but quiet as a mouse here. Nothing untoward to note.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/el6nd6rfxqvtz0b/test for hayden.wav?dl=0
Click to expand...

I understand, I'm still trying to go about learning to create good tones myself, but I was tinkering with all sorts of things to try to get some responsive sound with no gain, since with my current predicament... you get the idea. Thanks a lot for your sample. The only thing I could request is that you just played one note all the way out so we can hear if there is like that "sizzle" that comes in and kind of cuts all the signal off. Or even better is to try the other tone, Hayden Lead 1 (which i'll upload again), and record with that, because that was hi-gain and an egregious example of just completely unplayable noise happening all the time. Again I understand if you don't like the tone itself, I'm just trying to see how noise levels are with other people's units. It's pretty hard to dial in tone when you just have this wave of static/noise all the time, to be fair.

Again, thank you!
 

Attachments

  • Hayden Lead 1.syx
    12.6 KB · Views: 3
Here you go. That lead sound was always going to have a bit of feedback/background noise as it would in real life since it's pretty high gain (drive on full, gain at 5, and master at 6). You had the noisegate set to -54db but I completely turned it off so you could hear the notes sustain. Again, nothing out of the ordinary to my ears.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpofph78jf4cq1a/hayden lead.wav?dl=0
 
Last edited:
Hullboy said:
Here you go. That lead sound was always going to have a bit of feedback/backing noise as it would in real life since it's pretty high gain (drive on full, gain at 5, and master at 6). You had the noisegate set to -54db but I completely turned it off so you could hear the notes sustain. Again, nothing out of the ordinary to my ears.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zpofph78jf4cq1a/hayden lead.wav?dl=0
Click to expand...

Thank you Hullboy. That clearly demonstrates just how much worse mine is compared to yours. I think I might have to contact support and see what they're willing to do. I think with all the evidence present that something is wrong with the unit itself. Thanks again for all your help.
 
The guys at Fractal Support are very confident that they tested my unit extensively and found nothing wrong with the unit itself. It is possible that it somehow got worse since then, but unlikely. Looks like the search continues. I still want to know why some things are happening, like noise while my cable is unplugged.
 
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