Gigged with axe fx 2 for first time... Not what I expected... :(

[clarky]

Nope. The OP is using a flat/neutral power amp. This makes it possible to use a single chain, with a FXL block to feed FR/FOH. Many, many players do this.

but the cab is not FRFR..
so the signal going to the Marshall must be 'pre-cab block' and the signal to the FOH must be 'post cab block'

 

[Ravaya]

You seem to know exactly where I'm coming from....some of the stuff you mentioned was very interesting, I'm going to take some of your advice...I'll try what you said... thanks man...I'll let you know how it works out. cheers!

?Man I'm glad I could help. Please let me know how it works out and if you have any more questions please don't hesitate. Cheers

 

[TommyB]

If you are not using FRFR then you are going to have to tweak a lot. I am using a combo amp set to as flat a response as possible(n0 brainer). However there is some good response from using the Axe that way as well. I had a dozen people ask me how I get that sound out of my Mesa. I proudly showed them my Axe FX 2. Anyway, my point if anyone is interested is that you can get a really nice sound from your rig. Perhaps not perfect but not a whole lot of people are going to know. If you need the perfect sound to play live them Cant help you there. Enjoy what you have.

 

[animal]

Why not make an impulse of your Matrix+Marshall and use it with your FOH signal? This way it should be similar to what you're hearing with your cab.

/\this

I'm shocked at the mention of ditching cab/what speakers etc
I think a marshall cab is one of the most proven pieces of equipment to date and I would say if you can't get it to sound decent well its time to quit

As long as OP is doing what others eg Yek said with the routing it should be fine

Don't be afraid to mess with the individual global eq's as well.

 

[Severed]

When I bought my Axe FX II a couple months back, I too thought I could just use it as a Preamp, who needs modeled amps and cabs when I have the real thing? I promptly rewired my rack and tried it in many a different configuration, including power amp inserts in my 2 Marshall 100 watt heads, I tried a few different SS power amps, but it always sounded the same because of the Marshall cabs. Tone matching didn't translate AT ALL, and the amount of tweaking required.... forget it......

I didn't really understand the concept as I have been a Marshall full stack guy for 25 years. I spent many hours just trying to dial in a couple basic tones and yes I got some ok tones, but it wasn't until I started renting some FRFR powered wedges and using Amp Sims and Cabs PROPERLY did I see what the Axe FX was all about. Finally all those video you see on youtube with those fantastic tones, using FRFR I now was able to get the same awesomeness with 100% consistency.

I've now gigged with a single Yorkville NX55p for the last seven shows and it's a game changer. no longer is there the "cone of deaf" when standing in front of my 4x12 full stack, no longer do I need to mic and hope the settings on the board are great, as I am sending the exact same feed to FOH and because I am using an FRFR speaker, the translation out of FOH is nearly identical and it sounds amazing, clear, punchy, and best of all cuts through the mix perfectly and has ZERO muddiness.

2nd, all the powered wedges in this range have a built in mixer with 2 inputs so I use one for the Axe FX and the other for the vocal mix from the board. I am really enjoying it and while the Yorkville isn't the best out there it definitely holds it's own. I am now on the waitlist for Atomic CLR active wedges, and I think I will be set from there.

I am not saying you should ditch your Marshalls, but just have an open mind, and if you can rent a powered wedge in $850 - $1000 range, rent one for a month. you will see. Pretty much any of the commercial brands (JBL, EV, QSC, MACKIE, YAMAHA, YORKVILLE, ETC) out there in this price range offer the same specs and performance. Rental for my Yorkville is about $35 for a month.

 

[Casper]

Did your sound checks on cleans and dirty come out ok? It may take some experimenting to get all the bands EQs and levels right, especially if this is the first time in the venue.