Dilemma: should I return my AFXIIXL?

ok so i just cranked at the studio again today with a new patch i created last nite. Das Metall and JVM OD 2 Orange. Anyways, it literally sounds heavy and sick for rhythm and nice and tight for leads. I used the cab and power amp model both on, sounded better that way thru both my Rivera and Marshall amps.

My patch runs Das Metall dry (with 808 OD + gate in front) and the Marshall wet (chorus, delay, reverb).

But....

the problem was that it would constantly and consistently scream/squeal thru either power amp. Like if I play a chord then palm mute it would always squeal. Any idea why and how to fix that? I'm willing to give this unit a shot and not return in the first 15 days now...

and that's with a noise gate in the layout before both amps in Fractal and a decimator on the ground (foot pedal). Either way would reproduce. Can I make the patch available and somebody try to reproduce?

btw, this AFX seems damn loud. I can't even turn it up to noon with ear plugs. Even with a 1x12 combo.

oh and one more question. I'd like the dry amp to sound more prominent (louder) than the effected one. How to achieve this? Change the input levels?
 
maybe too much gain or a certain frequency since the cab and power sims are on and going through real cabs and power sims. just a guess.
 
rabies said:
View attachment 22337

fuck fuck fuck fuck i just spilled beer on my $4000 Macbook Pro

fuck fuck fuck fuck!!!!
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Are you running ir/cabs into the poweramps and real cabs???

Show a picture of the ampsims first page. (Drive, bass, mid etc)
Also show the deive settings.

My guess is way to much gain. Diezel/JVM and drive sounds like a lot, unless your drive is at 1-2 on the ampsim.

The louder you play, the less gain you need.
 
Rook said:
After a week of playing (and importantly making my own bitches from scratch) I had progressed to " Oh my god, this is the best thing ever!" And this was on Firmware 6...
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I know you corrected this but the original is far better. Don't feel bad. I call'm "My bitches" on occasion as well.
 
Kriig said:
Are you running ir/cabs into the poweramps and real cabs???

Show a picture of the ampsims first page. (Drive, bass, mid etc)
Also show the deive settings.

My guess is way to much gain. Diezel/JVM and drive sounds like a lot, unless your drive is at 1-2 on the ampsim.

The louder you play, the less gain you need.
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Yes I'm running fractal cabs into a Rivera power amp (or Marshall power amp), both via efx loop return; and I'm using a 1x12 Celestion V30 for the marshall combo amp or a Gflex 212 cab for the Rivera.

The preset did seem to have a ton of gain. I'll try to get some more pics of the preset up later tonite. Thanks for the replies.

And the Mac seems to be ok, I actually got more beer on a Microsoft keyboard actually.... and it was a nice Hefewiezen.... total waste.
 
but i'll be honest. I was very satisfied with the tone for hard rock (metallish) rhythms (very tight and focused) as well as excellent lead tones. If I can get rid of that horrible constant squealing I'd be very happy....
 
rabies said:
Yes I'm running fractal cabs into a Rivera power amp (or Marshall power amp), both via efx loop return; and I'm using a 1x12 Celestion V30 for the marshall combo amp or a Gflex 212 cab for the Rivera.
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Using the on-board cabinet modeling with actual guitar cabs will sound like poop, or at the very least strange.
 
shemihazazel said:
Using the on-board cabinet modeling with actual guitar cabs will sound like poop, or at the very least strange.
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It actually sounded very good to my ears. But I guess you're not supposed to do that. So when you're practicing/recording with headphones at home, you need the cab simulator in the layout but not for live application with tube power amp and real cab?
 
rabies said:
It actually sounded very good to my ears. But I guess you're not supposed to do that. So when you're practicing/recording with headphones at home, you need the cab simulator in the layout but not for live application with tube power amp and real cab?
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Correct. You'll of course want to tune presets accordingly for both applications, as the Cab block will likely sound drastically different from your physical cabs miced up. Or you can get more advanced and capture an impulse response from your physical cabs.

With regard to the power amp, this is where things get sticky. The power amps you mentioned are not flat response, so you'll want to experiment with the power amp simulation being on/off in the Amp block. You may get good results with both. The power section of the Axe-Fx is just so effing GOOD though, you should really get a flat response power amp like one of these to hear it in its full glory: http://uk.matrixamplification.com/rack-amplifers/gt-1000-fx-2u.html
 
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rabies said:
It actually sounded very good to my ears. But I guess you're not supposed to do that. So when you're practicing/recording with headphones at home, you need the cab simulator in the layout but not for live application with tube power amp and real cab?
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Rule #1: If it sounds good, it is good. So save that preset and use it as reference tone.

That said, it is possible to get decent tone running a cab sim into a real cab, but you have to do things like boost the treble way up to compensate for the dark cab-on-cab sound. It's way easier to get great tone with either cab sim by itself or a real cab by itself.
 
I say Return it, doesn't seem that you will be happy with it in the long term. This box is not for everyone, Cliff has said this many times over the years and it is just a fact.
 
There a very simple answer to this:

Sell the Rivera and Marshall and invest in a good quality FRFR system. That's the only way to really hear what the Axe has to offer and in turn justify your big purchase. I used my axe initially with a Fryette 2:90 and two Boogie cabs. It killed my back, sounded awesome but all my tones were "samey". I listened to the axe via studio monitors with some tasty cab impulses and sold the amp and cabs that week. I use 2 RCF monitors now in a very tasty dual amp setup that sounds HUGE!
 
Fabio KTG said:
There a very simple answer to this:

Sell the Rivera and Marshall and invest in a good quality FRFR system. That's the only way to really hear what the Axe has to offer and in turn justify your big purchase. I used my axe initially with a Fryette 2:90 and two Boogie cabs. It killed my back, sounded awesome but all my tones were "samey". I listened to the axe via studio monitors with some tasty cab impulses and sold the amp and cabs that week. I use 2 RCF monitors now in a very tasty dual amp setup that sounds HUGE!
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ok, how bout the QSC K12? Amazon.com: QSC K12 1000 Watts, 1 x 12 Inches 2-Way Powered Speaker: Electronics

I'm hesitant to completely give up on the AFX b/c it allows me to use garage band and practice way more. If I return the XL I may end up buying an AFX Ultra.
 
In fact I don't mind having a single tube head and a 2x12 ported cab. As long as there is a parallel efx loop and great note separation (high gain with jazz chords is tough to pull off with most amps). Diezel D-Moll comes to mind...
 
rabies said:
(...)and great note separation (high gain with jazz chords is tough to pull off with most amps)...
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Not to minimise the amp (model) part in this, but if this is what you are chasing make sure your guitar and pickup choice is conducive to this. Then I would recommend exploring the USA Pre sims (Triaxis).
 
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