Fractal Noob

L

Lefty5221

New Member
Hello all, I am new to this forum and I wanted to get some honest opinions from you Axe II users....

What do you dislike about your Axe II and what bugs keep poppin up? Also is it pretty much "play right out of the box" or is there a learning curve?

I have a TC G system with a VHT GP3 preamp and 2-90-2 power amp (plus pedals and RJM effects gizmo). Although it sounds great, I get A LOT of humming from the lead channels. I've seen the Fractal demos and the unit seems flawless, but then again so did the G Sys...

I just want to know what I'm getting into before I sell my gear and get the fractal and MFC-01 Thanks for any help /advice you can give me.
 
There is a definite learning curve. I use none of the factory presets, so I've either acquired presets from other users or built my own.

I presently use 75 presets and need to build another 20, which as you can imagine, is a long process.

Other guys are happy with using 4 OEM presets and they are good to go, so this is really a question more about you and what you want from it.

Axe Edit has always been a problem, however a totally new one is being built from he ground up to resolve, when and if, it works as advertised, is yet to be seen.

It's a great product and community, if you elect to be a positive contributor.

I have two complete Axe II & MFC setups and I am very happy with them, even though I had my share of frustrations and growing pains along the way.
 
No dislikes from me.
The axe (I and II, but especially the II) is the best music-oriented purchase I have ever made in my 20+ years of buying and selling equipment.
It completely cured my GAS for amps, preamps, effects etc and I can finally say that I can have the sound I hear in my head (well, except the voices lol) EVERYTIME I turn on the black magic box and at ANY volume too.
As for the learning curve, well, if you are used working with any kind of preamp rack (like the TC), I'd say that it won't give you any problems.
Sure, you'll have to study the manual and wiki a bit if you want to go really deep, but that is not mandatory as you can easily get amazing sound with just basic tweaking (as you would do with a normal amp).
I'd say go for it. It does need some time to get to know the black box if you are used to very simple setups (amp+cab + stomps and especially if you want to go deep editing) but when you get to know it, you'll never go back.
I know I haven't and I never will.
 
I used to be a g system user as well - save for the loop switching, pedal power and shiny lights, there's not much else the axe can't do better.

I'm one of the few users who found that using the axe was pretty easy - having used cryptic units like those from TC and eventide, figuring out the ins and outs of the axe was a piece of cake really. I'm still learning new tricks everyday tho ;)

My only gripes would probably be with axe edit (I hardly use it tho), and the fact that there are not enough knobs and buttons on the front panel (I'm a hardware guy - I like knobs and buttons).

That's nit-picking tho, and I've learned to use the existing front panel, even though I prefer more knobs/buttons.
 
"What do you dislike about your Axe II and what bugs keep poppin up? "

this is really subjective.. what I like and dislike about anything at all is only really applicable to me..
things I like others may dislike.. and the other way around..

the only 'reoccurring bug' as such is to do with the integration between Axe-Edit and the Axe
but word from FAS is that this is getting a major overhaul



"Also is it pretty much "play right out of the box" or is there a learning curve?"

it really depends upon your needs..
in my case no, but then my needs are highly specific so absolutely no unit would be 'out of the box ready' for me..
my needs are rather complex so yes, I had to get the manual out.. but this is absolutely no different to any other piece of kit I've ever had..
so as with everything...
if you're serious about getting the best out of your kit to 100% meet your needs then there's learning to be done and time / effort to be invested..
but this is not specific to the Axe... it applies to absolutely everything...
the more you put in, the more you get out...
and if you're not up for a little effort / experimentation and just want to plug'n'play.. that's fine... the Axe will sound great..
that said.. you will not be doing the Axe and yourself justice and will be falling short of unlocking the full potential..
that said, the factory presets seem pretty ok to me
I only played through them once.. that was on day 1 and was just a curiosity trip.. not touched them since..
however.. there are those that love them and use them often..



"I have a TC G system with a VHT GP3 preamp and 2-90-2 power amp (plus pedals and RJM effects gizmo). Although it sounds great, I get A LOT of humming from the lead channels. I've seen the Fractal demos and the unit seems flawless, but then again so did the G Sys..."

there's a ton of reasons why you could be getting hum..
could be something in your kit.. could be your environment.. could be your config / application choices..
you could take an Axe home, cable it up and config it, then find you have the same problems for the same reasons..
you need to be systematic and find out were the hum is coming from
the Axe is very good in this area... however, bad cables / config / earth loops etc etc will make anything sound bad.. no matter what it is..

"I just want to know what I'm getting into before I sell my gear and get the fractal and MFC-01 Thanks for any help /advice you can give me"

I wouldn't buy anything without trying it out first and also having read the manual to make sure that it can felly meet my requirements...
a buy with no try is two things:
- a leap of faith
- a risk

personally, I'm not up for either...

you need to find a store / Axe owner pal that'll let you have a try..
in my case it was a good pal that let me spend a day with his Axe... it made all the difference..
 
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If I absolutely had to pick something that I'd change, I'd like it if headphone out volume wasn't tied in to the Out 1 volume. Even that's pushing it because I run analogue to an Ensemble and if I ever have a need for headphone monitoring I can just get it via that instead.

I don't use Axe Edit so on a personal level the issues don't impact me really, but I completely get the annoyance the software is causing those that do use it. There is a solution on the horizon though.

In terms of presets, I don't use the factory ones but they are good and you'll no doubt find stuff you like in there.

I think the most important thing is take the time to learn the unit, it's a big investment and the returns you get will be directly proportional to the level you educate yourself about the machine.
 
Yes there is a curve, as with anything... can be huge or little depending on how much you like the presets. I'd also suggest learning from the panel not axe-edit first. Reason being if you are at a gig without a laptop, you can frustrate yourself not being able to adjust something if you need to.

Only thing i dont like is that it feels like i'm in an endless tweaking cycle. Most every new firmware does something to my tones, and i have to re-tweak. All the new amps add tons of choices, and makes me second guess other amp choices, which leads to more tweaking.

In the end, choice is good, but personally I need to draw a line in the sand.
 
I can't recommend dumping your stuff without trying it first, it's a huge can of worms you're opening. That's the blessing and the curse.

Edit: Check your 12ax7a pre amp tube in the VHT if Clarky's advice didn't solve your problem. They get real noisy in high gain situations depending on the age/quality.
 
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I absolutely love the Axe, but if you're even closed to being as obsessed with tone as I am, prepare for many long hours of tweaking. It's not that it takes that much tweaking to get a good, usable sound. Many of the factory presets sound pretty good. It's just that I'm a perfectionist and am constantly striving to make my presets even better.

The difference between the Axe and other equipment that I've tried is that with the Axe I get a decent tone immediately. With hours of tweaking, I get a nearly perfect tone. With other equipment, it takes hours of tweaking to get just a decent tone and achieving a nearly perfect tone is next to impossible.

One thing I'll warn you about is that your tone with the Axe is EXTREMELY dependent on what you're playing it through. I've tried it through 5 sets of medium to high quality headphones, 2 sets of studio monitors, and a power amp/cab setup and it sounds vastly different with each. It would be very easy to dismiss the Axe altogether if you didn't try it on different types of equipment. In my experience, it sounds best through equipment that has the flattest frequency response possible.
 
Der JD said:
I absolutely love the Axe, but if you're even closed to being as obsessed with tone as I am, prepare for many long hours of tweaking. It's not that it takes that much tweaking to get a good, usable sound. Many of the factory presets sound pretty good. It's just that I'm a perfectionist and am constantly striving to make my presets even better.

The difference between the Axe and other equipment that I've tried is that with the Axe I get a decent tone immediately. With hours of tweaking, I get a nearly perfect tone. With other equipment, it takes hours of tweaking to get just a decent tone and achieving a nearly perfect tone is next to impossible.

One thing I'll warn you about is that your tone with the Axe is EXTREMELY dependent on what you're playing it through. I've tried it through 5 sets of medium to high quality headphones, 2 sets of studio monitors, and a power amp/cab setup and it sounds vastly different with each. It would be very easy to dismiss the Axe altogether if you didn't try it on different types of equipment. In my experience, it sounds best through equipment that has the flattest frequency response possible.
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It's interesting to hear that, as i've suspected as much. So far i've tried mine through the Fx returns of a Mark IV, Mark V, and a Princeton Chorus. It's left me wanting to hear a great FFR system.
 
Everyone before has already pointed out the good things so I'll just mention my one gripe and that's the delay when changing patches. It may or may not be an issue for you depending on the type of music you play and the delay is tiny, but if you're e.g. on clean and want to hit the dirty patch on the downstroke you will notice it. Unless your timing is so good you can press the button approx. 20ms before the patch change is needed.

Anyway, when I hit this I had to totally rethink my approach to patches, X/Y was a lifesaver in this case but I still don't have the flexibility I expected. All said though the Axe II is still the best piece of music gear I've ever owned period.

Cheers.
 
Guys...thanks a million for all your help and replies..I was able to figure out the G sys so I can tweak and devote time to the Axe II, I just didn't word my post correctly. You did answer my questions, though, the fact that the presets are good 'starting' points although not precisely finished says a lot because the G's presets are pretty useless IMHO...they sound nothing like the Axe II's presets I've heard. I also realize that what I 'like' or what is 'good' is subjective, I just wanted a general consensus. Almost everyone complains about the G's hum, nothing to do with cables, etc.

I will take your advice and try one out before purchasing, thanks again
 
Btw, if you go to the recordings section you can find videos with all the factory presets (banks A,B,C) so you can have a listen.
 
I build all my own patches. There are 4 or 5 that I have liked to mess with,
and only 2 that have ever made it on to my II.
All that being said, I like that it works AMAZINGLY.
I dislike that other people want to know what I dislike about it. :lol jk
I dunno, it doesn't make me sandwiches. I dont like that it wont
comfort me when I flub a sweep live. I dont like that it always
sounds so damn good and my finger tips hurt. I dont like way
other guitarist wont stop telling me how good I sounded tonight. <-----really JK
I hate that I can setup in about 1 minute. Sucks when I want it...
ECT ECT ECT!

Long story short, not much bad I find with it at all. And that has
been since the very first first or second firmware. I cant remember
which one it had when I got it. Love the MFC-101 too. Im no fanboy,
I just like that it works for me.
 
Lefty5221 said:
I have a TC G system with a VHT GP3 preamp and 2-90-2 power amp (plus pedals and RJM effects gizmo). Although it sounds great, I get A LOT of humming from the lead channels. I've seen the Fractal demos and the unit seems flawless, but then again so did the G Sys...
Click to expand...

Your humming problems are likely due to poor grounding. You should go through your rig and clean up the grounding. You may need some form of hum eliminators. Hum is usually not due to bad gear, but bad grounding.
 
Honestly, there isn't anything that I DON'T like about it... there is a bug with reamping via USB on Mac OS X, which is a Mac problem that will hopefully be resolved soon.

There is a WISH that I wish we could get in the the AxeFX II, would be in the Intelligent Harmonizer... if there could be SOME way to have a MIDI Controller # and modifier value somehow attached to the KEY of the Intelligent Harmonizer, so I could have ONE Lead preset that I could add a Controller and modifier value message to change the key for different songs, instead of having multiple presets just to have different keys for the Harmonizer... don't know if it's even possible, and definitely NOT a weakness... just a WISH.

Most of my presets are based off of stock presets, modified with the effects and cabs I want, maybe a little post-cab EQ to shape the tone to what i hear in my head. The Uber preset with a different cab and a little EQ KILLS !!

Honestly, it replaced a 24 space shock mounted rack that weighed 200+ pounds, and replaced it with a 4-space rack bag that I can carry in the overhead compartment of 737 and larger planes ! Just AWESOME !
 
I've had my Axe FX II for ~2mo now and I have been dissatisfied only twice. The first time was poor sound due to user error and the second time was poor sound due to late-night tweaking with no reference leading to ear fatigue and a really bad sounding patch. Now that I have several base patches that I build everything on, I'm gaining confidence with the unit and loving it more and more as I continue to learn how to tweak it. Good times!
 
FractalAudio said:
Your humming problems are likely due to poor grounding. You should go through your rig and clean up the grounding. You may need some form of hum eliminators. Hum is usually not due to bad gear, but bad grounding.
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Hello and thank you for your reply. Don't get me wrong, I am not displeased with the G and believe me it is not a bad piece of gear. In fact, it is an unbelievable piece of equipment.

it's just that a Hum Eliminator and Sunday driver are almost Pre-requisites for a proper sounding G but I was not aware of this or it's limitations as a controller until after purchase. All my cables are George L's and I tested everything as per Laird's White paper. Im even considering using a modified TS to TRS for the insert send to the preamp, which supposedly eliminates hum without sucking tone.

I guess what I meant to say or ask, was is there even a need for a Hum eliminator with the Axe II? Do the high gain settings hum like crazy or, are there other any "suggested" items that cure one ailment or another?

The general consensus from all replies is that this unit is amazing, almost perfect in most areas with the exception of the editor, which is something I can live with. Thanks again to all for your knowledge, input and assistance
 
Lefty5221 said:
I guess what I meant to say or ask, was is there even a need for a Hum eliminator with the Axe II? Do the high gain settings hum like crazy or, are there other any "suggested" items that cure one ailment or another?
Click to expand...

The Axe-Fx II has special "Humbuster" outputs that, when used with the proper cables, eliminates any hum.
 
As a former 290+gsystem user... (yes 2 hum eliminators with ts/trs cables in the proper places and maybe a DI out of your preamp would probably make it prestine)

I used it with a Triaxis- I thought the triaxis was a little tough to dial in... and overall sounded to "perfect" and less 'real'... (my old quad preamp i thought blew away the triaxis)

Anyway...
Here's my question to ask yourself in this situation...

Is the VHT preamp YOUR PREAMP, YOUR SOUND, YOUR TONE, the only tone you want- the only tone you love? and nothing else satisfies you?
If yes- Keep it and get hum eliminators, or maybe try the axe fx for effects at some point.

IF NOT> Sell everything and get an Axe II.

With my 290/triaxis/gsystem rig- i could do almost anything BUT i could only do it with one sound/amp/preamp and luckily the Triaxis has 8 modes to choose from-
The GP3 has 3 channels...
Clean/Rhythm/lead...

where as the Axe II has probably 30 clean amps, 30 rhythm channels and 30 lead amps (and its so tweakable anything you have in mind with the right movement of knobs- it can do it)

The VHT rig you're limited... no limit with the Axe II. There are some Fryette amps you might like in it- that sound great...

But if you can imagine it- the Axe can do it...

You want a Marshall Plexi but with the Tone Stack (bass/mid/treble knobs) of a Mesa Boogie Rectifier- Done...
You want to tweak the hell out of it- practically biasing the power amp section like its a real amp? one knob does it...

Is it tweakability overkill? yes-

BUT i'd rather have infinity than Clean/Rhy/Lead

I thought the II would be a little better than the Ultra- The II blew me away and in the last 3-4 months have shocked me in firmware upgrades.
 
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