jbaumeister
New Member
So, like many here I have been using the EP as a front end to the AX8. It does something that I like better on than off. So I decided to break out the tools and measure what was going on. It turns out that in Unity Gain and Flat EQ mode it is nothing of the sort. What I found was that the EP (knob all the way down) is actually a low pass filter with some gain in the pass band. The actual readings were +2.4dB in the pass band with a cutoff frequency (-3dB) at about 4.8kHz. In the vintage mode (still unity gain knob all the way down) the gain is 2.2 dB with a cutoff of 1.9kHz.
I'm using the FET Boost drive block because I wanted to keep a FET driven preamp and these settings capture the what the EP is doing:
You could probably do this with an EQ but it's so easy this way and you get the FET Boost model to boot. You can also tweak to output level if you normally add gain but these values match up at min gain.
I've now removed the EP from my chain and only have one box between guitar and amp.
P.S. Many have asked, and I can't find in the manual, what the output level should be set to for AX8 unity gain and that is 41% (about 1:00) for the 1/4" outputs.
I'm using the FET Boost drive block because I wanted to keep a FET driven preamp and these settings capture the what the EP is doing:
EP with Unity gain, knob off, "flat EQ" mode:
use the FET Boost as is with Output Level = 5.79 and cutoff frequency = 4800 (it rounds to 4799)
EP, Unity gain, Vintage mode:
Output Level = 5.75 cutoff frequency = 1804
I did not adjust the gain as I wanted it to be clean so I tweaked the output level of the Block. use the FET Boost as is with Output Level = 5.79 and cutoff frequency = 4800 (it rounds to 4799)
EP, Unity gain, Vintage mode:
Output Level = 5.75 cutoff frequency = 1804
You could probably do this with an EQ but it's so easy this way and you get the FET Boost model to boot. You can also tweak to output level if you normally add gain but these values match up at min gain.
I've now removed the EP from my chain and only have one box between guitar and amp.
P.S. Many have asked, and I can't find in the manual, what the output level should be set to for AX8 unity gain and that is 41% (about 1:00) for the 1/4" outputs.