FBT 12MA woes....

[set theorist]

man im really close to pulling the trigger on a verve sale but threads like these are scaring me ;(

I think sixstring is right. I mean, there are a whole bunch of factors I need to consider before I go blaming the Verve...although, if it turns out to be a matter of EQ, that will be very disappointing because I really think a $1000 plus powered monitor should be able to handle ANYTHING the Axe-FX can put out in terms of frequency....and again, the tones I'm using are completely standard.

 

[youngmic]

I notice something similar (though very subtle and only noticeable as notes fade out) with my own Verve 12ma and it seems to be independent of the guitar. High-gain settings make the phenomenon easier to hear, but it wouldn't be a stretch to assume it is always there, made more or less apparent depending on the settings in effect on a particular preset.

This description sounds exactly like what I was experiencing on the JBL PRX12M's I took back (I did take them back). I bought a pair of them, heard a noise like you're describing, took it back and exchanged it - the new one had the noise as well, albeit less pronounced. The sound was either very digital or mechanical. It did not sound like distortion but rather either something wrong with the actual physical diaphragm of the horn driver or some DSP related issue. The sound from the first speaker was louder than the second, but it was the same sound. I tried different cables and tried the same speaker on different channels. The sound followed the speaker. Overall, i played through 3 JBL's. Two of them had the sound (one worse than the other), the third had no trace of the sound whatsoever. The one thing I did not do and now wish that I had was try both the speaker that showed no trace of the sound and one of those that did with different cables on every output of the Axe Fx to absolutely rule out anything but the speaker.

Still, based on the fact that the two that had the sound did so with different levels of severity seems to confirm that it was the speaker that was the cause. (In the end, the fact that the new unit I received in exchange still had the noise sealed the deal on them both going back.)

zslane's description of the sound being audible only when the notes fade out caught my attention. That was exactly the case with the JBL's. The only other thing I would add in the case of the JBL's is that there seemed to be some frequency movement in the noise - like a phased effect or something as it trailed out. The noise was audible on both clean and overdriven patches.

The similarity of descriptions here, and the possibility that this could be related across different speaker brands makes me wonder if there is a possibility of it being Axe Fx related. I wish gendefect had done his recording test on all channels of the Axe Fx:

I put an SM57 right in front of the FBT and recorded the left channel of the Axe being played out of that, while running the identical right channel through the the Presonus, direct into Logic. I recorded both at the same time. Listening back, I can hear that metallic kind of sound on the track that mic'd the FBT, but not on the track that was recorded direct. I did this comparison monitoring with the Dynaudio monitors.

I'd really like to hear this one resolved fully before I buy another FRFR solution. And I now also wish that I had recorded the sound as well.