Hi,
jb70 said:
very cool! are you planning on putting up some you tube videos or audio clips?
no. At least not yet. I have my concerns with the audio quality on YouTube and I think that one should play with this combination to find out, if it suits your style, band and everything.
Both, Atomic Amps and G66 (for Europe) offer a 15-day satisfaction guarantee, so you can try them with your band and find out if it really works for you. To me that's way better than a vid on the Tube.
m lebofsky said:
First thing I did when I saw the picture was look on the floor for a test MFC101. :mrgreen:
You can't imagine how hard I'm waiting for this one too.
paulmapp8306 said:
Most important to me - and I guess a lot of others:
Do they actually sound like a real amp?
I know thats not the main pont - but for a fair % of us, finding a solution that sounds and behaves like a real amp but with the ability to use the cab sims for more acurate "modelling" of certain sounds is the grail. Its what is NOT currently available in FRFR solutions without paying many times the price of the Atomic.
The QSCs, RCFs, FBTs etc just dont do that.
That's a good question. To me this combination of the Axe and the FR sounds like some really great amps. Not only one real amp but more like every amp I need. To me it's not the Reactor FR or the Axe-Fx, but the combination. Two of my tube amps (a Marshall JTM45 with a 4x12 with blackbacks and a Kitty Hawk Standard combo, which is poaching in the Dumble world, it's a german amp from the late 70's/early 80's with a very close look at the Dumble's interior because the builder of this amp imported the Dumbles in those days) are sitting in their cases in the room next door and they are collecting dust for more than two and a half years now.
Yesterday with the band I really had a blast with this setup. Perhaps I should add a bit more info about the style/songs we were playing.
First: No brootalz stuff! If brootalz is your world you really have to ask someone else. It would be mostly dishonest if I'd say this is a death metall guitarist dream come true, because I just just really don't know. What I can say is that they can offer an amazing amount of bass, but compared to the legacy Reactors the bass is more focussed and tighter. I'm really happy about this, btw. our bass player too, the overall sound of the complete band was simply better than before.
We played some songs from ZZ Top, Cream, Pink Floyd, Hendrix, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Stones, David Bowie, AC/DC, Tom Petty and stuff like this, just to give you a picture. And with this setup I am able to get all the sounds I want and grin like a Chesshire cat.
nobbi said:
I´m waiting for the new reactor. There will be one question for me: Now I´m playing SS-amp and cab, sure that means a new tweaking. When I tweak the axe by ear I´m standing a certain distance away from the reactor and hear the combination of the tweeter and the speaker. What do you mean. Connected to a professional PA, set to neutral, by XLR: shall I hear the same sound there like in front of the reactor? Nobbi.
Nobbi, I'm not sure if I got you right. First, you do not realize the tweeter as a tweeter. What I want to say is that you hear a well balanced, or better: a complementary sound. It's not a 12" and a tweeter in the sense that the tweeter stands out or might sound on top of it, perhaps with beeing harsh, it's one balanced sound it's very homogeneous to my ears. I tested the Reactor FR with some presets that I only use when I'm going completely direct and these presets sounded wonderful on the FRs. In fact every speaker/cab sounds different but I really think that I can use the same preset/signal for the Reactor FR and the FoH and though there might be some slight differences the tones would sound great on both systems.
Rocket Brother said:
Hi Jochen
Great to see you posting, your early soundfiles was one of the things that made me take the leap of faith and buy an Ultra sight unseen when they were first released.
Also thanks for the review, the FR Reactor is a long awaited piece for a lot of Axe users.
I´ve gone with IEM myself, but would really like to have a FRFR monitor solution available to me as well for different situations.
So I have a few questions for you (or Tom King) if that´s ok.
Some might have noticed me speaking in favour of high end FRFR monitors to get the best from of the Axe Fx and expressing concerns that the FR Reaktor is tube based. I stand by all that, but my interest is genuine and I´m not out to find weaknesses to it, more I´m interested in confirming it´s strengths.
Since the FR Reactor is FRFR it should perform all the same duties as any other FRFR monitor, right?
You´ve already answered my first potential question (does it sound good with an acoustic guitar) with a yes, but
1) How about bass? The Axe has bass amp & cab sims - can the FR Reactor handle the low end of a bass guitar.
2) Vocals? I´m thinking both spoken and singing ??
3) could a pair work as a mini PA for a duo in a small bar - small mixer with (as a example) 2 vocal mics and two guitars ?
4) Would you mind sharing what the high end monitor you used and refer to is (brand, model and price i Euros), and how you think it and the FR Reaktor compaires with regards to sound, ease of use, versatility, weight and size (ease of transportation)?
Thanks
RB
Thanks RocketBrother.
Yes, just to confirm it again, it sounded great with my acoustic, really wonderful. I'm using a Furch built Standford OM5 Vintage with a B-Band UST with my Ultra and one of the custom IRs someone made from the DTAR Mama Bear body images and the tones were wonderful and sweet.
1) and 2) I have not tried it with a bass or with vocals. I gave them a listen with some CDs and got fine results, so
3) I think that this could work really fine.
4) the powered monitors are KS CPA1, which I really love and know, we bought them a few years ago, are using them on every rehearsal and with every gig where we have to provide the sound system. We have a few of them (also subs) so we even can do open air gigs (if not too large) with them. They sound fantastic, so we often even bring them along if the local sound system doesn't look so ... good. They are small, lightweight and the system is assembled in almost no time. But the retail price for one single CPA1 is 1.739,- Euros (equals $2.500 for each cab). Ease of use, weight, transporbility are similar.
The KS is my reference point for a small, transportable sound system with a wonderful sound and enough power. If you listen to a CD with the KS and the Reactor FR the KS still has some pros, but hey, they cost twice as much.
And, I don't want the Reactor FR for CDs, I want it for my Axe-Fx and to me this combination is fantastic. I already compared the Reactor FR with the KS using my acoustic guitar and while both systems sound great, the Reactor might perhaps sound a bit sweeter. Perhaps I should do a comparative test with the electric guitars, but at this moment I'd say that I feel more comfortable with the Reactor FR, because it gives you a more "amp like" feel. If you'd asked me if I would take the KS and the Reactor FR to our next gig you'll get a "Definite YES!" The Reactor FR would be for me and the KS for for the audience if needed.
Cheers
Jochen