Axe Fx N00b pointers

Spawn2031

Inspired
Hey guys, I am expecting Axe FX II to be showing up in the next few days. I have read through the manual front to back and have been doing some reading on other various topics that I can think of that I need to be aware of, like the input impedance and noise gates. Does anyone have any links / pointers / advice that a FAS n00b should be aware of? I'm not new to modelling, I'm coming from a POD 500x, so I get the concept of how things work but I know these are two very different beasts.

Thanks in advance!
 
http://axefxtutorials.com/
http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/axefx2/index.php?title=Axe-Fx_II_Wiki_Home
The 'Search' button here for specific topics.

I can guarantee that everything you will ask is there someplace.

Welcome.
R

Yeah there for certain is a massive wealth of information there and I will be searching it quite regularly I have no doubt. What I am asking about though is topics that I should look into that might not be so obvious. Things that might be unique to how fractal does things that someone used to only Line 6 products might not think to ask or search for.
 
Gain staging.
Clipping
Gain leveling
output volumes and levels
USB volumes

But mostly yeah just watch all the tutorials from Chris, Cooper and that Scott Peterson cat and you'll be pretty much set.
 
I am STILL very new with the Axe-FX... Definitely the suggestions given to you already are great starting points, which also served me well BUT, as "noob" as well, these 10 "noob rules" worked great for me (and they are based in my own experience):

1. if you are buying used, MAKE SURE you RESET all parameters.
2. Set up your input gain to the LOUDEST of your guitars
3. Update to the LATEST firmware.
4. Upload ALL the Quantum Presets and use them as starting points.
- 4A. Alternatively, get Fremen's presets, they are outstanding.
- 4B. Other option: Erase ALL presets and just copy what you think you would need.
5. Learn to use BOTH the front of the panel of the Axefx AND Axe-Edit!
6. If you start building presets, BACK THEM UP!
7. Tweaking is your friend, but learn WHERE to tweak based on what you are trying to achieve (SOMETHING I am still STRUGGLING with)
8. Are you recording? figure if you want to use USB, spdif, or analog outputs to your interface.
9. Figure out HOW you are going to connect your AxeFx to your Cab/frfr monitor and to the FOH (if applicable). Learn to use BOTH outputs.
10. Most important ONE: HAVE FUN and DON'T be AFRAID to ask questions.

Good luck!

Omar
 
I created an excel spreadsheet for my setting when setting up my Axe and the MFC-101.
This way if I make any changes, I can keep track of them. Check out Chris on the Axe Fx Tutorials.
He has a wealth of knowledge!
 
The best thing I ever did when I got my axe fx this past july was purchasing cooper carters class at creativelive.com. Hours of video with tips and tricks. I think there is a beginner one and an advanced one. I would recommend that route to anyone.
 
The best thing I ever did when I got my axe fx this past july was purchasing cooper carters class at creativelive.com. Hours of video with tips and tricks. I think there is a beginner one and an advanced one. I would recommend that route to anyone.

agreed, they are great to get a new person up and going.
 
For me, look at and possibly invest in some third party IR's - they made my unit 'breath' and absolutely come alive (not that it sounded bad in the first place!)
 
I am STILL very new with the Axe-FX... Definitely the suggestions given to you already are great starting points, which also served me well BUT, as "noob" as well, these 10 "noob rules" worked great for me (and they are based in my own experience):

1. if you are buying used, MAKE SURE you RESET all parameters.
2. Set up your input gain to the LOUDEST of your guitars
3. Update to the LATEST firmware.
4. Upload ALL the Quantum Presets and use them as starting points.
- 4A. Alternatively, get Fremen's presets, they are outstanding.
- 4B. Other option: Erase ALL presets and just copy what you think you would need.
5. Learn to use BOTH the front of the panel of the Axefx AND Axe-Edit!
6. If you start building presets, BACK THEM UP!
7. Tweaking is your friend, but learn WHERE to tweak based on what you are trying to achieve (SOMETHING I am still STRUGGLING with)
8. Are you recording? figure if you want to use USB, spdif, or analog outputs to your interface.
9. Figure out HOW you are going to connect your AxeFx to your Cab/frfr monitor and to the FOH (if applicable). Learn to use BOTH outputs.
10. Most important ONE: HAVE FUN and DON'T be AFRAID to ask questions.

Good luck!

Omar

Thanks a ton for the replies guys. Yes, this is a used Axe FX and I believe it has already been reset, updated and had the factory presets put back in it. If not, where can I get the factory presets to put back in? I figure messing with them first will be my best starting point before I try to strike out and make some stuff of my own. I have been reading about Fremen's presets as well and definitely plan to check them out as well (my wife isn't gonna see me for awhile, lol). I plan on using this running direct into two FRFRs through the XLR outs.

It's the truck for delivery today so I am all fired up! Too bad the controller doesn't come for another few days, oh well. Now I get see just how fast I can sell off my POD... ;)
 
For me, look at and possibly invest in some third party IR's - they made my unit 'breath' and absolutely come alive (not that it sounded bad in the first place!)

... Yeah, I have heard a lot about this as well. Coming from the 500x, I never had the ability to load IRs so I never learned anything about them except the names of a few of the better companies out there. I play a lot of modern rock / classic rock and hard rock (some metal). What should I be looking at in terms of 3rd party cabs for these types?
 
What I find is that the IR has the most affect on the overall tone.
Pick an amp you like. Then start at the top and audition each IR for a moment.
You may be amazed at how different each factory IR is.
I found a couple stock ones that work well for me.
 
My suggestion would be to learn how to set up presets from scratch! It is such a big help in understanding how the axe fx works to start from scratch!!! Start with an amp, cab, verb and delay and go from there.
I would also suggest looking at the amp WIKI to find the suggested cabs for each amp. In general the suggested cabs will give expected results for amp type.
 
The best thing I ever did when I got my axe fx this past july was purchasing cooper carters class at creativelive.com. Hours of video with tips and tricks. I think there is a beginner one and an advanced one. I would recommend that route to anyone.

+1
 
For me, look at and possibly invest in some third party IR's - they made my unit 'breath' and absolutely come alive (not that it sounded bad in the first place!)

I'd not recommend this to new users.
The stock cabs, especially the Ultra-Res ones, are perfectly okay, and allow the user to get the most out of the unit immediately.

3rd-party IRs are a real treasure if you want to expand the possibilities.
 
Here are some things that I found helpful when first getting my Fractal :

1. Go through all the factory presets, figure out what you like to keep, delete the ones you will never use, amd reorganize the remaining presets so that you have plenty of blank slots in succession so thst uou don't over write a keeper.
2. When building a preset from scratch or modifying a preset, snap shots in Axe Edit are your friend, since thst is the only way yo have an incremental undo.
3. Chris has a great reference material regarding how much memory each block uses. Keep that handy if you start running out of memory in a preset.
4. Unlike a traditional setup, there are radical things you can do with block placement that will give you different shades of sound. Don't be afraid to experiment. I.e. Placing effects in parallel stems will sound different than placing them sequentially in a single stem. Placing effects before the amp will sound different than placing them after the cab, or between the amp and cab. Switching the order of effects can make a big effect on the sound too.
4. Using filter blocks or eq blocks instead of drive blocks in front of an amp block sometimes will achieve the same sound with a lot less memory usage.
5. Downloading others ' presets from the Exchange will show you how different people route effects or modify blocks to get certain sounds.
6. Use the forum or exchange search if you are looking a for particular amp or effect that is not a default selection. Odds are someone else has already figured out how to make it happen, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel.
7. The wiki and Cliff's Notes are invaluable resources to figure out how strange name parameters work.
8. When you have an effect or amp block sound that you think that you will use in multiple presets, save it as a block in Axe Edit. That will make it easier to build future presets.
9. Don't worry about the brand name of an effect or amp, instead look at what is close to it in the box to achieve that sound and you can usually get there with a bit of trial and error.
 
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I'd not recommend this to new users.
The stock cabs, especially the Ultra-Res ones, are perfectly okay, and allow the user to get the most out of the unit immediately.

3rd-party IRs are a real treasure if you want to expand the possibilities.

Holy mother of Gawd, you aint kidding about the stock cabs and presets. I dug through the first bank of them last night and I was more than amazed. I haven't had a tone really inspire me to play until my fingers hurt in a long time and I ran into several of them. I mean I knew this thing was going to be good but I had no idea it was going to be that good.... damn!

Anyway, I did pretty much what Dr. Bonkers suggested so far. I made notes of what patches I liked so far primarily so I have some good useable stuff set before I get to my next practice. So once I clear out the stuff I don't plan on using, I think my next step will loading up and playing around with Fremen's patches since everyone is ranting about how good they are. My only worry about those would be the cabs that he uses. I know from reading that some of them use IRs that I dont have yet. I guess I'll just go for it and see what I run into.

Thanks a ton for all the pointers guys. This was exactly what I was hoping to get from this thread.
 
I found that watching videos where users set up a patch from scratch was very usable, because it provides noob-necessary context that you don't get by just looking at the stock presets or someone else's presets. Fremen's videos where he explains why he sets things up are just as valuable to me -- if not more! -- than his presets.

Scott Peterson has some nice "why" vids as well, and user RoshRoslin did a "virtual rig rundown" a while ago that I found useful and interesting. Cooper Carter has a couple of vids where he builds a preset block by block and explains why he made the choices he made.

Two more things I can say that would have helped me immensely from the start.

1. Set up a blank preset, drop in an amp and a cab, and tweak it simply. For instance, if you're a Mashall guy, put in a Brit 800 or a Plexi and cab 103, perhaps a little verb and get to know it. Then swap for a Vox and see how it changes things. And so on.

2. It's tempting to start diving into all the super-advanced parameters, and I jumped right in. But I found it to be a counterproductive rat hole as a noob. I'm not saying don't learn them or tweak them! I'm just saying, for me, it was a bit of a time sink early on when I hadn't really learned what the basics could give me.

Have fun!
 
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