Axe-FX III Setup with Atomic CLR Active Wedge (FRFR)

Recker

Member
I have just purchased the Axe-FX III and am currently setting it up...

It's running via a Furman PL-PLUS CE Power Conditioner, to an Atomic CLR Active Wedge NEO Mk II (FRFR) speaker.
Mogami Gold Studio XLR connection between them (AXE-Fx Out 1 Left to CLR Input 1) and Mogami Platinum Guitar Cable running to an ESP M-II Neck-thru Guitar.

Installed USB Driver, Axe-Edit III and Fractal-Bot. Updated the firmware to 16.02 and applied the "Axe-Fx_III_ALL_BANKS-v16p02b.syx" factory presets.

Any setting suggestions?

So far the settings are...

Power Amp Modeling: On
Cabinent Modeling: Active
Tone Control Display: Authentic
AC Line Frequency: Changed this to 50Hz (default was 60Hz, but I live in New Zealand and believe that is 50Hz?)

What should I be using for the Output 1 Configuration? Currently...

Mode: Stereo (but I only have a single Atomic CLR speaker setup mono via XLR connection?)
Output Level: -10 dBV (but my FRFR speaker could support +4 dBu, will that affect the quality of sound or just how loud it gets?)
Phase: Normal

What are the best presets available for this setup?

Either free or paid for bundles. I would like some high quality rock and metal tones. I'm wondering if presets work best for certain setups, such as the firmware, guitar, pups and amp used?

Is Silent Underground Studio any good as it mentions Cygnus firmware and FRFR on their Brit bundles, which sound like what I want?

Would Austin Buddy Live Gold or Naked Amps be different / better or worst? Do they take over all the default preset locations on the AXE-FX?

Freeman Metal and Rock pack?

Finally is there any way of selecting your favourite presets into a list on the AXE-FX in order to quickly go back to each of them? That would be ideal rather than scrolling through thousands each time.
 
I have just purchased the Axe-FX III and am currently setting it up...

It's running via a Furman PL-PLUS CE Power Conditioner, to an Atomic CLR Active Wedge NEO Mk II (FRFR) speaker.
Mogami Gold Studio XLR connection between them (AXE-Fx Out 1 Left to CLR Input 1) and Mogami Platinum Guitar Cable running to an ESP M-II Neck-thru Guitar.

Installed USB Driver, Axe-Edit III and Fractal-Bot. Updated the firmware to 16.02 and applied the "Axe-Fx_III_ALL_BANKS-v16p02b.syx" factory presets.

Any setting suggestions?

So far the settings are...

Power Amp Modeling: On
Cabinent Modeling: Active
Tone Control Display: Authentic
AC Line Frequency: Changed this to 50Hz (default was 60Hz, but I live in New Zealand and believe that is 50Hz?)
50Hz is correct for New Zealand, though I don't 'hear' any difference whether or not it's set to 60. I set it to 50 anyway since I live in NZ.
What should I be using for the Output 1 Configuration? Currently...

Mode: Stereo (but I only have a single Atomic CLR speaker setup mono via XLR connection?)
Output Level: -10 dBV (but my FRFR speaker could support +4 dBu, will that affect the quality of sound or just how loud it gets?)
Phase: Normal
I use one Atomic CLR @+4dBu with output 1 set to Summed L+R since it's a Mono setup. I'm about to add a couple of Redsounds for a W/D/W setup so will keep Output 1 the same but set Output 2 to Stereo.
What are the best presets available for this setup?

Either free or paid for bundles. I would like some high quality rock and metal tones. I'm wondering if presets work best for certain setups, such as the firmware, guitar, pups and amp used?
The new Factory presets are all anyone needs at least in the beginning IMHO. There are plenty of excellent tones covering a myriad of styles. I have Austin Buddy's Naked Amp set and they are great. However they have not been upgraded for Firmware 16.02 yet, though I believe he is in the process of doing so. As time goes by, I think you'll find that the best presets are those you create for yourself because every-bodies perspective and gear along with playing style is different. There is no one preset fits all solution, again IMHO.
A good trick is to listen to other peoples presets and pick the eyes out of them by adding specific blocks into your block library where they can be recalled and tweaked for a more personal fit into a new preset of your own. I'm now finding that starting from scratch is yielding far better results for me though.
Is Silent Underground Studio any good as it mentions Cygnus firmware and FRFR on their Brit bundles, which sound like what I want?

Would Austin Buddy Live Gold or Naked Amps be different / better or worst? Do they take over all the default preset locations on the AXE-FX?
You can place presets wherever you want, just bare in mind that anything placed in the same spot as an existing preset will overwrite it.
Backing up before changing anything is always good practice so if you cock it up just re-instate previous configuration.
Freeman Metal and Rock pack?
I haven't heard this pack, but Fremen has an excellent reputation around here for creating mighty fine presets (along with many others).
Finally is there any way of selecting your favourite presets into a list on the AXE-FX in order to quickly go back to each of them? That would be ideal rather than scrolling through thousands each time.
I'll say it again, BACKUP your current state. Once that's done, it doesn't matter how you re-arrange things.
After about a year with the AxeFxIII I went through and wiped most of the factory presets I know I'd never use, having picked the eyes out of them as previously mentioned. I then moved what was left to the tail end of the Banks.
Now I build my own presets at the front end which makes it a lot easier to 'find' stuff. Everyone has their own methodology which only comes with time. Using 'Preset Manage' in Axe Edit is very useful for colour coding as well.

Make sure you have a look at Leon Todd's videos (member @2112). They are an excellent place to learn from.
I also paid for the Cooper Carter masterclass videos (a logon site) and that was money well spent!

Finally mate, it's always great to see another Kiwi around here....welcome. This is a great forum with plenty of good knowledgeable folks willing to help. You're in for a fun ride!
Cheers (I'm in Auckland btw).
 
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50Hz is correct for New Zealand, though I don't 'hear' any difference whether or not it's set to 60. I set it to 50 anyway since I live in NZ.
Are you using the Gate in the Input block with Noise Reducer or Intelligent type?

That's where it is used...
 
Thanks for your replies. I've been jamming for a while.

Atomic CLR seems to love being @+4dBu with output 1 set to Summed L+R, great suggestion thanks!

Is there a certain way to setup Active Pups? I was getting a slight digital hiss I couldn't figure out coming when idle from the guitar. With a fresh 9V battery in them, I've got a crystal clear signal. The AXE FX III instrument volume setting doesn't seem to be affected by it at all however if it's on 1 or 100. Set it to 50 currently. I wanted to make sure it wasn't clipping the input. I think it's fine, but double checking.

I got the Austin Buddy 1000+ Live Gold! preset bundle. Was extremely happy I got manage the preset bundle in Axe-Edit III and could set them where I want. Tried the "May 2021 - Partial Update - Cygnus Firmware - Bank-1-Only" so far and love them. Quality Marshall amps I really enjoy. That bundle is well worth it for what you get.

Also tried Silent Underground Studio BRIT V3 presets to add to the collection, since I was after tones like that.

Enjoying it a lot!
 
One thing I’ll add is that it’s fun to start out auditioning presets and downloading different sounds from people, but you’ll get the most out of your Axe-Fx by building your own presets from scratch. Downloaded patches never sound as good as the ones you build yourself.

Just think about how you’d build a tube-amp-and-pedals rig from scratch, and go to town! Eventually I built a couple of template patches and I just edit those and save them to a different patch when I find a sound I like.

Along those lines of building patches, one thing you’ll want to understand is, just like in real life, cabs (or as they’re called in the Axe-Fx, IR’s) affect your tone more than amps. It’s something nobody likes to hear because for most people, amps are far more interesting and fun to mess with, but it’s true. Find a good IR or combination of IR’s you like before you do anything else and the rest of your experience with the Axe-Fx will be a thousand times better. And there are WAY more IR’s you won’t like than those you will, so just keep that in mind while you search for the best ones.
 
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