Currently have an Ultra...

vick1000

Inspired
I just got an Ultra from GC a few weeks ago for $900. I see that a new AX8 is only $1300 direct, and I think I may be OK with getting a refund from GC and spending the Xtra for the AX8. I have a few questinos though.

Does the AX8 have a noisey fan like the rack units? I really hate loud fans, and I am happy with the modification I have done to the Ultra to eliminate this. I tried searching for this info, but have come up dry on any cooling info for the AX8.

I know you can't have stereo cabs or amps, but you can still have multiple outs right? I currently split the signal into a PEQ and loop block to send a signal to my sub. Will this work on the AX8?

How much better would the AX8 be for home use through studio monitors compared to the Ultra? I know it's intended for live use, but I guessing the tone would be pretty much the same as the FXII through FRFR, and that much better than the Ultra.

Is the hardware just as robust as the rack units? Since it's so much more inexpensive, I wonder if the build quality is still the same. I am thinkng it may be outsourced, and I hate paying top dollar for imports. I know they all have imported parts, but in country assembly and testing is improtant to me.

Thank in advance for any info you can give me. I love the Ultra, but it looks like there is so much more to the circuit emulation on the FXII and AX8, the tweaker in me cannot ignore the differences.
 
I would definitely be going for the AX8. You will get the latest modelling algorithms that are simply outstanding. The Ultra is still good, but it is old generation modelling.

There are no fans in the AX8, so dead quite operation.
If you have an interface then the AX8 will be just as easy to use at home through studio monitors - this is how I run mine. My interface also has headphone out, so I don't notice the lack of a headphone jack.

The AX8 was designed for live use, so it is bulletproof construction - very solid.

They have only just moved to sourcing the product fully from China, so if you get in quickly you *may* get one of the USA ones.
To be honest though, I would not let that stop me from getting an AX8 over an Ultra.

The AX8 has replaced my Axe Fx II + MFC setup.
 
AX8 all the way. Even though I fancy complex settings and routings, AX8 didn't bound to disappoint me.
 
Just a detail,
But while the AX8 only supports 1 cab block, it does allow a stereo option within it, so you can load and pan 2 IRs. fyi
 
Cool.

One thing I forgot to ask. How is the output clipping on the AX8? I seem to run into it alot on the Ultra, and have to back off lots of settings that I would like to put above noon/flat. For instance, some of the power amp settings in the amp blocks, and the air setting on the cab blocks, seem to cause a lot of clipping. It seems you have to cut the output of those blocks quite a bit to get out of clipping. It just seems to create a volume loss when pushing those dynamic and lower block levels.

And finally, when the website says they are in stock, are they actually in stock?
 
Clipping issues are related to the gain levels within your preset, not a "fault" with how the device works.

The AX8 has VU meters so you can monitor things like this
 
Both amp and cab blocks have level parameters. If clipping occurs, turn down level. It will not change the sound (except that clipping will disappear.
 
I guess what I was asking was if the AX8 had more headroom before output clipping than the Ultra. So that you can crank up some of the cool amp dynamics more than the Ultra.
 
The amp level will not alter the tone or dynamics of the amp block. If you experience clipping, just turn down the level. It sounds like you might (generally) be running your presets too hot. Usually, with a hi-gain tone, I will be running the level parameter in the amp block at -12 to -18 dB. That gives you plenty of headroom.
 
I guess what I was asking was if the AX8 had more headroom before output clipping than the Ultra. So that you can crank up some of the cool amp dynamics more than the Ultra.

It doesn't work like that - it is digital processing, if you are clipping then your signal is too hot and you simply turn the level down.

It doesn't alter the tone or feel at all
 
I understand about the digital clipping. What I am asking, is whatever is the victim of the clipping, bieng the DAC on the outputs, or what have you, does it have more headroom on the AX8 than the Ultra?

On my Ultra, when I turn up certain power amp features such as bias, damping or resonance, it causes clipping and requires the amp block level reduction to compensate, causing a volume loss on the patch. The tone may be retained, but the patch is then a lower level than other patches without said features turned up. My understanding is those features increase fluctuation in the amp block levels due to dynamics, but the clipping sort of cripples them. It's not a huge deal since you can just reduce levels on other patches, but on the Ultra that's a lot of work. Also, I think it may cause the amp block to be reduced in the overall mix, making the other blocks more effective on the output.

In any case it's not a deal breaker. The clipping issue is just kind of esoteric on these things, some parameters seem to cause it on certain patches, while others are not effected at the same rate.
 
Gain staging will be the same problem with any product. if it is very dynamic the higher peaks will cause clipping if levels are to high. As already posted the AX-8 has built in meters you can use to keep all your presets at a relatively equal level which makes this easier to control then with the ultra.
 
I understand about the digital clipping. What I am asking, is whatever is the victim of the clipping, bieng the DAC on the outputs, or what have you, does it have more headroom on the AX8 than the Ultra?

Your issue has nothing to do with the Ultra not having enough headroom - you could have all the headroom in the world and still have the same issues if your gain staging and preset structure is not right.

Your presets sound like they are far too hot if you are clipping when adjusting amp parameters and not level matched between each other either. If you've had to turn a preset down to compensate for clipping, then you need to adjust all your other presets to match that level.

If you are having this issue on the Ultra, then you will have the same issue on any product as it comes down to how you are structuring the presets.

I'm not sure if the Ultra has the VU meters, but I aim to have my presets just hitting the 0dB mark. This means that I have (I think from memory) around 20dB of headroom before I hit digital clipping.

By aiming to have all the presets hit the 0dB mark it means they are pretty much the same volume regardless of how "loud" they are internally e.g if one is a cranked Marshall preset. It also means I know that I can kick on boosts and other volume boosting effects and not worry about clipping.
 
If you've had to turn a preset down to compensate for clipping, then you need to adjust all your other presets to match that level.

Or just lower global EQ gain slider. That's the easiest way to get more headroom if presets already have levels matched.
 
Well, it's official, orderd an AX8 at ~1400 hours today, paid for the semi-exhorbitant 1 day saver shipping (yes, Prime has me spoiled). UPS says it should be here tomorrow "by end of day", so way to go FAS.

About the clipping thing. I don't think my presets are any hotter than others I have seen, I used tutorials online to learn how to make them. Plus I have a general knowledge to begin with, having dealt with almost every modeling amp in history (30 years of guitar rigging). Oh well, it's a moot point now, GC has the Ultra back. But come tp think about it, the output clip LEDs did not come on consistantly unless I was trying to make them. And when they were coming on randomly, I never noticed any alaising or distortion. Who knows, anyway thanks for all the excellent info in this thread, FAS ows another sale to the forums.
 
Got it almost exactly 24hrs after ordering.

Got it hooked up to my JBL LSR305s and Yamaha sub, got AX8 Edit installed and loaded up, first impressions are mixed.

I knew about the delay between AX8 Edit and the unit, but it still suprised me. It's no big deal though, since once you get a patch done, it's done for the most part.

That's the only con I have found so far :) So the mixed impression is 99:1, the 99 is just insane fun moddng the amp block and liquid sweet tone.

The Ultra was great, really I would have been happy with it had the AX8/FXII not existed, but it DOES exist and I had to have one.

BTW, nothing about China is printed anywhere on the device, but it does say assembled in China on the box.
 
Oh, and no clipping issues at all. Of course the amp block so far is default at -12db, unlike the Ultras default 0db.
 
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