Best way to connect axe fx 2 to RME babyface and reamp

C

crollbc

Member
Hi guys,

So i've been looking for the best way to connect my axe fx 2 to the RME babyface interface for basic guitar recording and also for reamping. I've looked through the wiki and just about every thread and video regarding recording and reamping over the past week but am really confused about what the best way to do it is considering my setup.

at the moment I am running 2 XLR cables from the axe fx outputs into the RME babyface inputs (axe fx set to stereo), and my Adam A5X monitors are connected to the babyface as well. I record a left and right guitar track seperately. My DAW (Reaper) is set to 44.1/24 bit recording. To me it sounds great, but i'm not really sure what the implications are of recording with this setup, especially since I don't fully understand the RME mixer "totalmixfx," any insight into this would be much appreciated from fellow RME users. From what I can gather from most threads alot of people are either using the Spdif or USB for recording via the axe fx, but i'd like to know what the implications of this are and why I may or may not be better off doing it this way.

am I better off recording Spdif and setting my session to 48k? One thread says this is the way to go but then another says USB is better. The reason I have been using XLR is because I had the cables handy and it's pretty much latency free.

I really just want it cleared up for my particular setup before I get serious into tracking guitars.

My main objective with recording is to record high quality "reampable" DI guitar tracks at home with the possibility of using the tracks as part of a studio session later on. For this reason I really just want to make sure i'm doing things the best way before I go through all the hassle of daily string changes and obscene pickiness with tuning while tracking guitars.

any help would be much appreciated.

Cheers!
 
noted, thanks for your reply...I have limited recording experience (obviously). So why is it that people prefer to record the axe fx in 48k only to be downsampled to 44.1? From reading through other threads it looks like it's to avoid AD conversion but wouldn't downsampling to 44.1 have a similar effect on sound quality to any conversion (especially through decent converters like the babyface?)

What is the best way to record Spdif, with regards to mono/stereo settings and axe fx I/O settings, as well as DAW track settings? how would you go about reamping after recording Spdif?
 
Well, it's different strokes for different folks. I like spdif connection because it gives me the purest digital sound that I can get without the hassles of using USB with mac and logic (which despite FAS's best efforts, is littered with troubles). I don't have a really nice interface. It's quite functional, but it's only a Focusrite Saffire Pro 14. The line-in preamps add tone that isn't related to the original signal. Some guys get noise issues with reamping. I cannot speak for the babyface. The analog ins may be great. I can tell you if I was working with a nicer interface I'd probably be using analog ins and outs and just leave it like that.

But then again, I don't really need a nicer interface, and spdif works without any trouble for me at all. I eventually have to send my Axe-fx II in because the spdif in doesn't seem to be working. But I'm more than happy recording with it.
 
Ah righto good to know, in that case since I have good converters I may be better off just sticking to the analog ins and outs and that way i'm not confined to 48k. Thanks for your help
 
somata said:
Those that use USB use 48k because that's what the Axe is locked into...
Click to expand...

What do you mean...My session in Reaper says its recording in whatever I set it to. Do you mean that even if this is the case and Reaper says 44.1/24 bit for example it is still recording at 48k?

also I've just realised that if I record Spdif I also have to run my studio monitors with the same cables as I have 1 interface connector with a bunch of XLR's and 1 with digital connectors.

I think I might just have to book a half day in the studio with one of the sound engineers in my area that uses RME so I can get everything sorted at once and fill in a few serious knowledge gaps haha.

Thanks for your help guys.
 
You should have a spdif connector going from the axe to the RME. You should have XLR cables going from your interface to your monitors. You won't be using the USB functions of your Axe-fx for any audio purposes. As with many others, I found that this is the most stable way to go. Any time I use USB things get dicey. Big time.

If you are connected through USB, and you are running at 44.1kHz, you are likely getting some pretty awful audio. If not, then you know some magic I do not. Or you aren't connecting via USB and your audio interface is downsampling to 44.1.

If you are running spdif, you will have to work at 48 kHz because that's what the Axe requires to function.
 
^^^^^^^

What he said.

If you're running from the XLRs into an interface, you can record at whatever rate, but the Axe is locked at 48k for it's digital signals...
 
Speculum Speculorum said:
You should have a spdif connector going from the axe to the RME. You should have XLR cables going from your interface to your monitors. You won't be using the USB functions of your Axe-fx for any audio purposes. As with many others, I found that this is the most stable way to go. Any time I use USB things get dicey. Big time.

If you are connected through USB, and you are running at 44.1kHz, you are likely getting some pretty awful audio. If not, then you know some magic I do not. Or you aren't connecting via USB and your audio interface is downsampling to 44.1.

If you are running spdif, you will have to work at 48 kHz because that's what the Axe requires to function.
Click to expand...

thanks again for your help. So how would you go about reamping in this configuration?
 
Hi all,

Could some one maybe explain things a bit more for me. I have just bought a macbook and am planning on using logic x to record / mix tracks etc.

Which is the best way to do this. I want to be able to play my guitar through my rig (mesa power amp to mesa cabs) but record into my mac and then play back etc. I'am a bit confused with which way i need to go. Can i connect an audio interface in the middle somewhere or do i need to use a combination of the axe usb and audio interface or can it all be done using the usb from the axe ?

Thanks in advance if someone could explain this for me.

Cheers
 
FWIW I use my Axe-FX II with analog connectivity with great results. I also reamp without using USB or SPDIF, but I do use a Radial JDV direct box and a Radial X-Amp reamp box (extra $$).

In the case above (NewcastleBrown), many scenarios are possible:

  • Use OUTPUT2 to feed the Mesa Gear, use USB to feed the Mac. Advantage - no audio interface needed. Disadvantage: you are locked at 48Khz sampling rate*
  • Use OUTPUT2 to feed the Mesa Gear, use OUTPUT1 to feed the AUDIO INTERFACE to feed the Mac. Advantage: use any sample rate you want Disadvantage: requires audio interface
  • " " " " " " ", use SPDIF to feed the Mac (either directly into Audio In or via an audio interface). Advantage: no D/A conversion Disadvantage: locked at 48Khz

Semih - Not familiar with the BabyFace, but if it uses an RCA connector for SPDIF, you are good to go. If it uses OPTICAL, you can buy OPTICAL/RCA converters for about $75 (or you could - I have a MIDIMan Co2 unit that does this).
 
plyall said:
I did find this converter on Amazon:
Click to expand...

That's not the right type of converter, it's SPDIF (coax or optical) to analog L/R RCA, not one form of SPDIF to another.

This should work going from Axe SPDIF to an optical input:

HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!

And for optical to Axe-FX:

HDMI Cable, Home Theater Accessories, HDMI Products, Cables, Adapters, Video/Audio Switch, Networking, USB, Firewire, Printer Toner, and more!
 
Hi guys!
I am looking for audio interface, babyface looks great, I have some questions to owners of babyface:
In spec they say: 2 x Analog Input and 4 x Analog Output. Does it mean that I can route my Axe to input 1&2, my monitors to outputs 1&2, and outputs 3&4 back to Axe for reamping purpose?
Cheers!
 
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