AxeFX + XiTone

Sleestak

Sleestak

Power User
I had two great experiences last weekend playing shows, and wanted to share some comments. My current touring rig consists of
  • AxeFX II XL
  • MFC101 Mk III with 2 Fractal EV-1 pedals, and 1 Mission EP-1
  • XiTone 1x12 wedge
  • Line6 G90 Wireless
  • Furman AR1215
I use a Sennheiser EW300 IEM system for many shows. I love the sound of my custom-molded in-ears, and that is a highly satisfactory experience for most venues. However, the point I wanted to share has to do with the combination of the AxeFX + XiTone. The only thing I put in my in-ear mix is my guitar. During soundcheck I realized the batteries in my in-ear receiver needed to be replaced, so I removed my drivers and just monitored my guitar onstage via the XiTone, figuring I'd switch back to in-ears after soundcheck. Hearing the AxeFX through the XiTone confirmed how incredible that combo is.

I just place the XiTone wedge behind me onstage. I've been playing a long time, and am accustomed to having my amp behind me in a backline configuration. Even when I use in-ears, the XiTone is behind me at low volume, and creates the guitar "presence" onstage. It also give me a way to get guitar feedback when I want it. During our soundcheck on Friday night, one of the house lighting engineers was onstage making adjustments to the fixtures. After soundcheck he commented afterward how great the guitar sounded. We started chatting and he shared that he's a guitarist in a local band. At that point, all the channels on the board were muted, including all the monitors. I handed him my guitar and he noodled around on the AxeFX for a bit. He said he'd never heard such a great range of tones, and couldn't believe all that stage coverage was just coming from a single 1x12 wedge.

I love the sound of my rig, and love that all this can be done with such a compact and reliable system.
 
Very awesome to hear and thanks for sharing! I've been hearing great things about that XiTone wedge and am thinking of biting for one myself instead of getting a Matrix GT1000fx and speaker cab.

How's the low volume on the XiTone? If I wanted to use it at home at night, can it still deliver well or should I just use my studio monitors on my desk?
 
withfoam said:
How's the low volume on the XiTone? If I wanted to use it at home at night, can it still deliver well or should I just use my studio monitors on my desk?
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It sounds great a all volumes. I'm impressed with the linearity of the XiTone's response. Even at lower volumes it delivers a very full tone. At stage volume the 1x12 wedge has great coverage, with a pretty big "sweet spot".

When I'm rehearsing / programming tones in my home studio, I use a pair of matched flat-response studio monitors. The tones translate very reliably to the XiTone. I suppose my preference would be to use the XiTone in my home studio as well, but a lot of the time, my stage gear is in our rehearsal studio, or in the truck. It's more convenient for me to carry my rack with the AxeFX with me, and use the studio monitors.
 
Sleestak said:
It sounds great a all volumes. I'm impressed with the linearity of the XiTone's response. Even at lower volumes it delivers a very full tone. At stage volume the 1x12 wedge has great coverage, with a pretty big "sweet spot".

When I'm rehearsing / programming tones in my home studio, I use a pair of matched flat-response studio monitors. The tones translate very reliably to the XiTone. I suppose my preference would be to use the XiTone in my home studio as well, but a lot of the time, my stage gear is in our rehearsal studio, or in the truck. It's more convenient for me to carry my rack with the AxeFX with me, and use the studio monitors.
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Cool. Sounds like a good choice versus the power amp/cab for me. Congrats on your awesome rig!
 
Where you playing next few months (local)? Would dig seeing you/your shows again - you do such a great performance!!
 
dpeterson said:
How do you play only hearing your guitar? Interesting.
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Most of the time, I am wearing high-fidelity earplugs onstage. We aren't horribly loud, but I prefer to protect my hearing when possible. So, when I use my wireless IEM system, all I need is my guitar signal. My in-ear drivers act as -20 dB attenuators, so it makes the rest of the stage mix pretty quiet. All I need is just a bit of guitar for monitoring, and I can hear the rest of the stage mix well enough to carry on.

In a slightly more perfect world, every channel would be available to me via in-ear, and I could adjust my own mix, but we don't currently use a board with those capabilities. I've been badgering my band about getting an X32 for that purpose.
 
∞Fractals said:
Where you playing next few months (local)? Would dig seeing you/your shows again - you do such a great performance!!
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Thanks! We just did two shows in Seattle last weekend, including our big event Friday night at the Showbox. We'll be on the road for a bit, but will be back playing local shows again in early 2017. I'll keep you apprised.
 
Sleestak said:
Thanks! We just did two shows in Seattle last weekend, including our big event Friday night at the Showbox. We'll be on the road for a bit, but will be back playing local shows again in early 2017. I'll keep you apprised.
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Thanks, sounds great! I've been on the road so I would've missed your last shows unfortunately. But I look forward to catching up with you when you have some cycles. Rock on ...:)
 
Someone just posted a shot from the crowd, from last Friday's "Night of a Thousand Bowies" event. Most of us in the band are wearing blue suits and blond wigs, evoking the "Serious Moonlight" look. But what makes it cool is that you can see my AxeFX sitting on the rack on the right side of the photo :)
 

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I've been using a XiTone for the past couple of weeks as a backline. Amazed by the power that this thing puts out for its size. I still am hearing a bit too much of the tweeter I think, I need to work on my presets a little more.
 
I've had two active Xitone 1x12s for almost two years now, and I couldn't be happier. Most of the time I just take one, and it's comparable to a Fender Deluxe Reverb in terms of volume. I bring two if I need more volume or want to be in stereo. They're very lightweight, the wedge design is great, but can also stand up like a normal cab. Sometimes I wish the Matrix had a little more headroom to it, but that's a Matrix thing and not a Xitone thing. It's the most "guitar cab" sounding monitor I've ever used. It doesn't have an excessive amount of bass frequencies like most PA speakers do when running an AxeFX through them.

The one application that I wasn't satisfied with was bass guitar. There wasn't quite enough low end and headroom, but then again, they are designed for guitar, and most guitar amps would have similar limitations for playing bass. I've thought about contacting Mick about perhaps having a bass cab enclosure made, but I have a nice Carvin bass amp that I'm pleased with for the time being.
 
I use a Xitone wedge as well, and it's great. The coverage is particularly nice--I played a gig this summer with a small PA that the sound guy didn't want to run anything through but vocals, so I just put the wedge on its end on a stand behind me and got great stage coverage and "FOH" sound from it.
 
I have an active XiTone 1x12 Wedge and am constantly amazed at how good it sounds. When friends hear me play through it they are astounded that it isn't a 4x12 stack of some kind. It has awesome punch.
 
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