jon
Fractal Fanatic
Got a gt-10B a few days ago. Before I got it, I scoured the web for answers to the questions I had, and found only few. Hopefully I'll be able to answer some of the questions others have in relation to the two.
I KNOW the axe fx is not in the same category as the gt-10, pricewise, modeling wise, and otherwise. I got the gt-10b for LIVE use, so I'd be able to leave my ultra in the studio, and still HOPEFULLY have good tone. So I'm not going to try to make unfair comparisons, just ones that I think are relevant and useful. ANY audio product is going to be used live and in studio by MOST users, so I think it's fair to make some comparisons there as well. I know most of the guys/gals on the forum here use the axe live-I don't, but I play live a LOT with MANY different groups/styles, as well as do a lot of session/studio work, so I'm fairly knowledgeable about what both require.
That said, let's get started
Sound: Axe wins.
Duh, no compare there. However, I was able to get very convincing tones out of the gt, good enough to not discount the gt here. So good in fact, that I don't think the audience will be able to tell much of a difference live, which is why I got it in the first place.
Presets - Axe wins hands down.
I rarely use any stock presets, I like to make my own sounds/noise. However, I know that this is a major topic for a lot of users, so I'll say that the gt presets SUCK. They're all boomy and muddy, and not fun at ALL! The synth presets ESPECIALLY SUCK!!!! :S What WERE they thinking?!??! Now the axe has some very good presets, but the majority aren't anything to write home on either, but again, stock presets are not my thing. Even so, the first thing I do is play thru all the factory presets before I start tweaking, and I know a lotta users do the same. I HATE the fact that you can't overwrite factory presets in a lot of the processors. Gimme the space for my own sounds!
And have the stock presets available online so if anyone wants them again they have easy access! Geez! I love that about the axe, everything is for YOU, not some sort of 'our presets are your holy grail, so you have to keep them'.
Outputs - Axe wins
Both offer XLR and 1/4 inch outs, as well as send/return loops. That's a BIG plus on BOTH units! Note that the guitar version, the gt-10 has NO XLR!!! That sux SOOOO BAD!!! ANY live gear should have XLR people!!! Now the gt has a headphone option, the axe doesn't. That's a little bit of an irksome thing for me, I use headphones most of the time. I have several different types, some audiophile, and some flat studio one I use for tweaking and mixing. The axe needs a headphone option. I run the axe thru a mixer, so I'm ok, but if I didn't and wanted to use headphones, I'd have to get another piece of gear to do so....so cliff, plz put a headphone jack on future axes! The axe also has options for line level gear in stereo! The gt doesn't, and doesn't need it for it's application. I must also mention the gt has an annoying power adapter,while the axe is just a power cable. I prefer the power cable.....I'm fed up of misplacing adapters, or having them go bad on me and then not being able to get another because the product is discontinued....MAJOR suck factor!
Route-ability - Axe wins.
Both have routable fx loops, but the axe also lets you pretty much put anything ANYWHERE, so you can have parallel or series loops, or mixes of wet/dry, and all that goodness! WONDERFUL!!! The gt is OK. You can move fx all over, but you only have 2 parallel chains. The axe you have double that if you want it. Also, you can double up on amps and cabs in the axe easy, and that's ALWAYS a good thing!
Amps/cabs/fx - Axe wins
Not even a question, I don't think ANYONE can touch the axe! But again, don't discount the gt, it will fool you in a live situation! Not as much for guitar, but for bass, you might not be able to tell!
Tweakability - Axe wins
You can tweak almost EVERYTHING in the axe, which is just the way I like it! Again, don't discount the gt, because it has a LOT of tweakability! More than a lot of users may need, so you can imagine how good having an axe-fx is!
Dialing in sounds - GT-10B wins
And here's why - this unit was designed for BASS, so it's EASY to dial in good sounds. With the axe, I have to really work hard to get a good bass tone, even tho it's easy for guitar. Again, this is because the axe is more catered to guitarists, and the gt-10b is for bassists. I was able to dial in a great bass sound in the gt-10b MUCH faster that I was able to with the axe. I don't find some of the distortions pleasing for bass in EITHER unit, but I think I kinda prefer the gt's drives a bit. Also, the gt has more knobs and buttons, which brings me to:
Speed of use - GT-10B wins
When you're live and in the studio on a session, you need results, and you need them INSTANTLY. As much as I love the axe, having 10 buttons to dial with is going to beat one big knob and nav buttons ANY day. I love my vg-99 for that, you have all the buttons at your fingertips. The gt only has 4 main tweak knobs, but it has LOADS of buttons, and sometimes that's what you need when you're dealing with an irate producer, or typical idiot sound-man. You want fx off? Done. You want some more drive added? Done. You want to dial down reverb in that stadium? Done. While nowhere near the vg-99, the gt-10b will hold it's own live because of that. If the axe has some more knobs and buttons, it might be able to beat this back easily. Next gen axe-fx should have that fixed tho.
Display - GT-10B wins
This is a big deal, especially live, and even more so for guys who are blind like hell as myself. I want a nice bright (but adjustable brightness!) BIG screen I can see what's going on at any instant in time. I know the axe has the screen small to keep cost down, but we need bigger screens, with more information. Axe has a LOT of info on that tiny screen tho, and that's GREAT!!! But live, it won't quite cut it for me. The gt buttons are illuminated too, so even from afar, you can tell if your idiot guitarist stepped on something and turned something on/off or switched your patch. Some complain the lights are too bright, but I think they're fine. You can always put some tape on them to reduce the glare, and on a dark stage, I'll prefer having bright LEDs than no lights on a unit ANYDAY!
On-the-fly global adjustments - Both just ok
With the gt-10 you have to navigate screens. Same on the axe. The axe has input and output knobs tho. The gt only has an output knob, and you have to change displays to see how much headroom you have before clipping. The axe has LEDs you can see from a distance. The axe has a nice global section to work with, the gt leaves me wanting more in the global section. I think global sections should be easy to access and quick to use. Both are just ok in terms of that. I think things like output and input signals should ALWAYS have a pot you can turn quickly, even if it's a sub out.
MIDI impementation -Both good. Tie.
I use a decent amount of MIDI, and for my use, both were good, and provided the same features I'd want - assignable parameters via midi, clock syncs, program change messages,
Time to get a great sound - GT-10B wins
I don't always have a lot of time to tweak, but when I do I get WAAAAY into it. But I like that the gt has the ez compose section for when you have a sound in your head, but not a whole lotta time to find it. This could apply to studio sessions as well. You dial in the basic sound, and you can tweak fine adjustments after. I also like that with the push of a button I can get say, reverb or overdrive instantly. Again, having more buttons helps. I might spend say, 1hr with axe fx to get a decent bass sound, and less than 5 mins to get one with the gt. Accessing parameters also takes time, as well as fx on/off A/B comparisons, as well as navigating menus. Axe is kinda hard to deal with here. I know some people say they get fast with it eventually, but in less than 5 mins after plugging in my gt-10b for the first time, I had a good sound coming out.
Ok, so hopefully this was objective enough for those of you who were interested in getting a gt-10b, or gt owners who find it hard to justify an axe-fx. Keep in mind that although you can get good sounds with the gt-10b quickly, you can get GREAT sounds from the axe if given some time. If you want to be able to tweak and adjust quickly, gt-10b is the way. If time is on your side, axe fx is the way. Also, if you want to make a good sound on the gt-10b truly GREAT, it will take some time. With axe fx, the sound is ALREADY great, so it's more tweaking as opposed to drastic sound sculpting to get a good sound. Axe fx is also geared more for guitarists, and gt-10b is for bassists. That's a fact. And as such, as a bassist, you're more likely to find quicker gratification with the gt-10b.
I didn't mention much about the foot controllers, because that's going into apples and oranges territory. One is a rack, one's a floor unit, and tho they'll BOTH be played live, I wanted to stick to comparisons that would show which is better in such a situation, not in terms of what kind of foot controller you have.
I KNOW the axe fx is not in the same category as the gt-10, pricewise, modeling wise, and otherwise. I got the gt-10b for LIVE use, so I'd be able to leave my ultra in the studio, and still HOPEFULLY have good tone. So I'm not going to try to make unfair comparisons, just ones that I think are relevant and useful. ANY audio product is going to be used live and in studio by MOST users, so I think it's fair to make some comparisons there as well. I know most of the guys/gals on the forum here use the axe live-I don't, but I play live a LOT with MANY different groups/styles, as well as do a lot of session/studio work, so I'm fairly knowledgeable about what both require.
That said, let's get started
Sound: Axe wins.
Duh, no compare there. However, I was able to get very convincing tones out of the gt, good enough to not discount the gt here. So good in fact, that I don't think the audience will be able to tell much of a difference live, which is why I got it in the first place.
Presets - Axe wins hands down.
I rarely use any stock presets, I like to make my own sounds/noise. However, I know that this is a major topic for a lot of users, so I'll say that the gt presets SUCK. They're all boomy and muddy, and not fun at ALL! The synth presets ESPECIALLY SUCK!!!! :S What WERE they thinking?!??! Now the axe has some very good presets, but the majority aren't anything to write home on either, but again, stock presets are not my thing. Even so, the first thing I do is play thru all the factory presets before I start tweaking, and I know a lotta users do the same. I HATE the fact that you can't overwrite factory presets in a lot of the processors. Gimme the space for my own sounds!
And have the stock presets available online so if anyone wants them again they have easy access! Geez! I love that about the axe, everything is for YOU, not some sort of 'our presets are your holy grail, so you have to keep them'.Outputs - Axe wins
Both offer XLR and 1/4 inch outs, as well as send/return loops. That's a BIG plus on BOTH units! Note that the guitar version, the gt-10 has NO XLR!!! That sux SOOOO BAD!!! ANY live gear should have XLR people!!! Now the gt has a headphone option, the axe doesn't. That's a little bit of an irksome thing for me, I use headphones most of the time. I have several different types, some audiophile, and some flat studio one I use for tweaking and mixing. The axe needs a headphone option. I run the axe thru a mixer, so I'm ok, but if I didn't and wanted to use headphones, I'd have to get another piece of gear to do so....so cliff, plz put a headphone jack on future axes! The axe also has options for line level gear in stereo! The gt doesn't, and doesn't need it for it's application. I must also mention the gt has an annoying power adapter,while the axe is just a power cable. I prefer the power cable.....I'm fed up of misplacing adapters, or having them go bad on me and then not being able to get another because the product is discontinued....MAJOR suck factor!
Route-ability - Axe wins.
Both have routable fx loops, but the axe also lets you pretty much put anything ANYWHERE, so you can have parallel or series loops, or mixes of wet/dry, and all that goodness!
WONDERFUL!!! The gt is OK. You can move fx all over, but you only have 2 parallel chains. The axe you have double that if you want it. Also, you can double up on amps and cabs in the axe easy, and that's ALWAYS a good thing! Amps/cabs/fx - Axe wins
Not even a question, I don't think ANYONE can touch the axe!
But again, don't discount the gt, it will fool you in a live situation! Not as much for guitar, but for bass, you might not be able to tell!Tweakability - Axe wins
You can tweak almost EVERYTHING in the axe, which is just the way I like it!
Again, don't discount the gt, because it has a LOT of tweakability! More than a lot of users may need, so you can imagine how good having an axe-fx is! Dialing in sounds - GT-10B wins
And here's why - this unit was designed for BASS, so it's EASY to dial in good sounds. With the axe, I have to really work hard to get a good bass tone, even tho it's easy for guitar. Again, this is because the axe is more catered to guitarists, and the gt-10b is for bassists. I was able to dial in a great bass sound in the gt-10b MUCH faster that I was able to with the axe. I don't find some of the distortions pleasing for bass in EITHER unit, but I think I kinda prefer the gt's drives a bit. Also, the gt has more knobs and buttons, which brings me to:
Speed of use - GT-10B wins
When you're live and in the studio on a session, you need results, and you need them INSTANTLY. As much as I love the axe, having 10 buttons to dial with is going to beat one big knob and nav buttons ANY day. I love my vg-99 for that, you have all the buttons at your fingertips. The gt only has 4 main tweak knobs, but it has LOADS of buttons, and sometimes that's what you need when you're dealing with an irate producer, or typical idiot sound-man. You want fx off? Done. You want some more drive added? Done. You want to dial down reverb in that stadium? Done. While nowhere near the vg-99, the gt-10b will hold it's own live because of that. If the axe has some more knobs and buttons, it might be able to beat this back easily. Next gen axe-fx should have that fixed tho.
Display - GT-10B wins
This is a big deal, especially live, and even more so for guys who are blind like hell as myself. I want a nice bright (but adjustable brightness!) BIG screen I can see what's going on at any instant in time. I know the axe has the screen small to keep cost down, but we need bigger screens, with more information. Axe has a LOT of info on that tiny screen tho, and that's GREAT!!! But live, it won't quite cut it for me. The gt buttons are illuminated too, so even from afar, you can tell if your idiot guitarist stepped on something and turned something on/off or switched your patch. Some complain the lights are too bright, but I think they're fine. You can always put some tape on them to reduce the glare, and on a dark stage, I'll prefer having bright LEDs than no lights on a unit ANYDAY!
On-the-fly global adjustments - Both just ok
With the gt-10 you have to navigate screens. Same on the axe. The axe has input and output knobs tho. The gt only has an output knob, and you have to change displays to see how much headroom you have before clipping. The axe has LEDs you can see from a distance. The axe has a nice global section to work with, the gt leaves me wanting more in the global section. I think global sections should be easy to access and quick to use. Both are just ok in terms of that. I think things like output and input signals should ALWAYS have a pot you can turn quickly, even if it's a sub out.
MIDI impementation -Both good. Tie.
I use a decent amount of MIDI, and for my use, both were good, and provided the same features I'd want - assignable parameters via midi, clock syncs, program change messages,
Time to get a great sound - GT-10B wins
I don't always have a lot of time to tweak, but when I do I get WAAAAY into it. But I like that the gt has the ez compose section for when you have a sound in your head, but not a whole lotta time to find it. This could apply to studio sessions as well. You dial in the basic sound, and you can tweak fine adjustments after. I also like that with the push of a button I can get say, reverb or overdrive instantly. Again, having more buttons helps. I might spend say, 1hr with axe fx to get a decent bass sound, and less than 5 mins to get one with the gt. Accessing parameters also takes time, as well as fx on/off A/B comparisons, as well as navigating menus. Axe is kinda hard to deal with here. I know some people say they get fast with it eventually, but in less than 5 mins after plugging in my gt-10b for the first time, I had a good sound coming out.
Ok, so hopefully this was objective enough for those of you who were interested in getting a gt-10b, or gt owners who find it hard to justify an axe-fx. Keep in mind that although you can get good sounds with the gt-10b quickly, you can get GREAT sounds from the axe if given some time. If you want to be able to tweak and adjust quickly, gt-10b is the way. If time is on your side, axe fx is the way. Also, if you want to make a good sound on the gt-10b truly GREAT, it will take some time. With axe fx, the sound is ALREADY great, so it's more tweaking as opposed to drastic sound sculpting to get a good sound. Axe fx is also geared more for guitarists, and gt-10b is for bassists. That's a fact. And as such, as a bassist, you're more likely to find quicker gratification with the gt-10b.
I didn't mention much about the foot controllers, because that's going into apples and oranges territory. One is a rack, one's a floor unit, and tho they'll BOTH be played live, I wanted to stick to comparisons that would show which is better in such a situation, not in terms of what kind of foot controller you have.