Got my Axe Fx.....but not impressed so far.

Yea, the bottom line is that the axefx hasn't truly been heard yet on your end. On one hand, the Cube.. Nope. On the other hand I kind of agree with your other statement. I tried a strat through the presets and everything sounded like a can of bees, even with really good frfr speakers. I am highly confident that if you sumo,y created a nice clean tele preset with a fender style amp and a compressor you'd get on the good foot pretty quick..

Oh, and if you're looking for a kickass SRV tone maybe a tele thru a cube is the issue.

Good luck! Don't give up!
 
Perdikament said:
Ok, I'll be the one to address the big ass elephant in the room, not that I really wanna be that guy, but enough is enough already.

This fellow has flip-flopped 1,001 times before he even got the unit, had it for a few hours, realizes it's way above his head, (like we didnt see that coming) and we're still trying to convince him otherwise, while he's trying to convince himself of what I'm not even sure anymore.

The bottom line, there are literally 1,000's of VERY talented artists that swear by Fractal Audio & have NO problem dialing in some of the most beautiful tones in ANY genera of music. I do not see any of them using a Cube. Not that you couldn't but by comparison, there simply is absolutely no basis for any kind of valid argument here on earth or in this solar system, galaxy or universe, period. You can try & convince yourself all ya want, but there obviously is some other issue at hand.
Either your in over your head, spent too much for your musical abilities, (which I'm sure we've all been guilty of at one point in time), or some other issue.
You've had more than enough reassurance, guidance/advice, seen more than enough vids & heard enough clips to know the capabilities of the unit.
Don't blame the unit, when it's user error & IMO a total lack of trying, not to mention expecting it to sound great out of a Cube.
Glad ya got the monitors but ya already gave up on those? Cause you didn't sound like SRV? can ya play like him? I mean do you know how to get that SRV tone going with your pick dynamics and how you dig into the strings, heavier strings help a lot coaxing that vibe out. Just a few questions, things that I had to learn while I was buying tons of different tube amps & guitars back when I was in search of nailing that "holy grail" of blues tone back in the day. What I learned it's not really the gear, sure it makes a difference, but that tone I guarantee is in there, IF you know how to get it, but the box ain't gunna do it for ya, no gear will.
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Ummmm - yes....
If you can't find your tone with this box - I say it's user error....
 
rich2k4 said:
On the Axe I tried the typical SRV setup. 2 vibe verbs or super reverbs. one set dirtier, one set cleaner. with reverb. Basically what Tyler Grund showed in his SRV tone tutorial from a few months ago.
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i think this is the issue. a dual amp setup can be very complex and difficult to do correctly. going from a Cube 30 to a dual amp modeling setup is a HUGE jump. i think dialing tones with the Axe-Fx II is very easy these days, but a dual amp setup is difficult to do on any platform, even with the 2 real amps.

rich2k4 said:
Thing is that I don't really know what I am looking for.
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this is huge. i have a friend who did this with real amps - diezel, div/13, marshalls, fenders, you name it. lost a ton of money in the process. he bought all this amazing amps and couldn't find a "good" sound.

he ended up with a metal zone pedal into a blues jr. for him, that was his tone. it "made him sound like eric clapton." i think he finally just settled, but he just had no idea what he was looking for.

rich2k4 said:
Here is a quick 30 second noodle I did with the 1959SLP Treble amp.
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i thought this sounded good....?
 
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Played around some more. Decided to do a tone match, and actually got a pretty good result. I tried to do a tone match of John Mayer's tone from a live performance of his song Belief.

Here is the reference tone (beginning intro)



and here is the result I got from the tone match, using a Mark IIC+ amp. (ignore the glitches in the middle, it's from clipping)

 
rich2k4 said:
Played around some more. Decided to do a tone match, and actually got a pretty good result. I tried to do a tone match of John Mayer's tone from a live performance of his song Belief.

Here is the reference tone (beginning intro)



and here is the result I got from the tone match, using a Mark IIC+ amp. (ignore the glitches in the middle, it's from clipping)

Click to expand...

what inspired the Mark IIC+ selection?
 
Chris@AxeFxTutorials said:
what inspired the Mark IIC+ selection?
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I picked USA Lead preset and to my ears it already sounded somewhat in the ballpark of that tone with my guitar. It's pretty much that preset with a tone match from that video.

I haven't really found anything that closely resembles any type of Two Rock Custom Reverb, Dumble Steel String Singer, or something similar to what JM uses live.
 
rich2k4 said:
I picked USA Lead preset and to my ears it already sounded somewhat in the ballpark of that tone with my guitar. It's pretty much that preset with a tone match from that video.

I haven't really found anything that closely resembles any type of Two Rock Custom Reverb, Dumble Steel String Singer, or something similar to what JM uses live.
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have you tried the Two-Rock Jet 35 model?
 
5150 said:
Monitoring is critical. Running a $2500 modeler into a practice amp is going to make it sound like a practice amp.
.
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F@cking A... So much this. How could someone not understand that a rig is a system that only works as well as the weakest link. The axe is awesome as the cornerstone of a rig but it is not a turd polisher. I LOLd when you said the Aux input on your practice amp must be flat.

Also it takes a bit of time to get your head around and just understand the options I have been running FAS gear since 2010 and I am learning new stuff every week, still.
 
rich2k4 said:
welp. The studio monitors helped a little but I'm still not satisfied. Ultimately I feel like this modeling, FRFR stuff isn't for me. I plugged in direct to the roland cube, and got a much better tone that way than through the axe. I think it is the amp in the room feel that I like. With the Axe and the monitors, It feels like the sound isn't really there if that makes sense. And I guess that's correct since it is simulating a mixed amp in another room.

I am thinking that I will return the Axe. $2000+ is a lot of money and for me and what I like to hear it's not justified. kind of sucks because I will be losing money on all of this. The monitors have a 15% restocking fee. I bought some XLR cables that cannot be returned, and I will lose out on shipping with the Axe, and perhaps the rack case.

It will be an expensive lessen for me to not believe the hype, listen to your heart when it comes to how you typically use gear, and if you have something that already sounds good, don't try to fix it.
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I use the Axe fx with a matrix 800w amp and real guitar cabs (2 1x12) and it sounds fantastic..... FRFR is also not for me, sounds like you are doing something wrong or have made up your mind without giving it a real go.
When I first bought my Axe I just used the 4CM with my boogie combo and eventually got the matrix amp etc etc all the time experimenting with it at home.
 
When I compare my day one (cheap studio headphones and stock presets) versus today (great sennheiser headphones + yamaha HS7 monitors & crafted presets), not even talking about the jump between FW18 and FW3.03...The difference is huge !

It's a fact, that if you plug professionnal expensive gear into crap, it will sound like crap, there is no turn around to this.

There are two things that must be considered on day one :
-The axeFX has a learning curve, even if you tweak basics, you'll feel a difference over time
-The axeFX replicates a micced sound, just play on a mp3, then on the backing track, and you'll be bluffed by the studio like sound.

I wondered, coming from a markV amp about the real amp feel, the "thump" etc...But venue-wise, you and the crowd will not hear your amp or the air moving, why bother ??? Better have the greatest micced sound :)
 
Another option I am going to try when I get home from work today is to plug the Axe into the power amp of my Hot Rod Deville.
 
rich2k4 said:
Played around some more. Decided to do a tone match, and actually got a pretty good result. I tried to do a tone match of John Mayer's tone from a live performance of his song Belief.

Here is the reference tone (beginning intro)



and here is the result I got from the tone match, using a Mark IIC+ amp. (ignore the glitches in the middle, it's from clipping)

Click to expand...


I did the exact same thing about 3 weeks ago!
I didn't get close to the results you got though so good job.
The Axe FX isn't plug and play unfortunately and I'm still learning.
If you can visualise in your head what sound you want then that's a start. I have an idea but I'm a way off finding it. Either the pick attack isn't there, or the IR I'm using is too bright or when I palm mute the sounds mushy. It's hard, but I believe it's there, inside this box waiting to come out.
I'm not a fan of the presets in general. They're someone else's tone, not mine. Made on different guitars with different monitors with different ideas in mind.

Can I have your preset for the tone match?

Try the band commander amp :)
 
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Going into the hot rod deville, I believe you will want to disable the power amp and speaker modeling on the axe fx. This is a perfectly fine way to run the axe if it works for you. If I'm not mistaken, the HRD has an effect loop which means you might also try the 4 cable method.

But let me reassure you that the axefx can deliver truly organic tube amp in the room sounds, without using any tube equipment. For recording, using ir's and monitoring with descent studio monitors (I use yamaha hsm8's) will get you great results. I also use the EV speakers that have been mentioned when I need full range monitoring. They have a tonal shape similar to the yamaha monitors and work very well live. I also use real cabs (with a variety of speakers) with solid state amps, and sometimes I plug into the power amp of my roland jazz chorus. I also have an old 4x12 that my marshall sits on. And I have also used the in ear monitor thing (my least favorite). All of these methods, while different, yield great results. From a silent stage setup to standing right beside a real marshall tube amp; it is all there in the axefx my friend. You must provide the power and speaker for the axe. Choose wisely and be rewarded greatly!!!
 
HarrySound said:
I'm not a fan of the presets in general. They're someone else's tone, not mine. Made on different guitars with different monitors with different ideas in mind.
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This is spot on. I've never had a preset work for me... You need to start from scratch, with an amp and cab. Check the motor drive in the cab section, and while you're at it set the mic to null so you can control the bottom with the proximity knob. The cab choice is most of the feel and texture of your amp/cab combo, these days I'd say it's even slightly more important than the amp block choice. Pick an amp that is 90% there on default settings and then cycle through cab options. It's probably worth it to drop 5 bucks on a few IR's of your favorite speakers from ownhammer too.

With the amp block, when going for blues or classic rock, you really need to know that the bright switch changes the feel of the distortion, and you might want it engaged even if a "bright" tone isn't what you're after, you can mellow out the treble with many other options down the chain. 2nd thing is the master volume, spend as much time as you can getting that set right, it's the sexiest gain and compression control and probably the most important sweet spot to locate in the whole chain for a tone like this.

The Fender Supers, Vibrolux, and the Bandmaster are obviously great places to start, but don't forget the Dirty Shirley, Tucanna, and even the Smallbox when it isn't dimed. They maybe aren't flawless for tricking a SRV fan into thinking you've pieced together his exact rig, but boy can you lose a few hours to jamming and smiling nonetheless.

There's just too many people who say this black box is the best musical purchase they've ever made in their life, can't assume that all of them have lower standards for tone than you. It's the workflow that's going to make or break your axe experience imo.

Edit: As for your monitoring, check and see if your home theater receiver has an aux in that your axe can use. It's likely to have much more bass than a typical musical rig, but it's going to be closer to full range than a Cube.
 
I echo the others in saying to ditch the Cube 30. It's not going to give you a true representation of the AxeFX. You'll want to invest in a pair of quality studio monitors or a quality floor monitor. What you get will be driven in large part by your needs and desired tone/feel.
 
I didn't like it at first either. I went for a SS power amp and real speaker cabs. See if you can borrow a good set of monitors and see if that works for you. See if you can use it through a power amp and guitar cab. We all have different ears, and most of us can find our dream tones inside this box. Maybe you can't...and that's OK too! But, try other possibilities before you decide.
Good luck!
 
Caveat... I didn't read this entire thread.

Many people have pointed out how you can monitor better. I agree. Get some decent low end near field monitors (KRK or Yamaha for example). Use decent studio grade headphones (inexpensive ones from Shure and Sony for example). Get a decent 1x12" FRFR speaker. The EV has been mentioned several times and is probably the best entry level option.

Make sure you have on the latest Firmware with the latest preset banks (presumably you already do since you just bought it but verify and upgrade if necessary).

That said on my guitar the majority of the presets don't sound good at all. All of the tones I use I created in Axe-Edit, some of them with 3rd party custom IRs (though you can easily get by with only factory cabs). It took me a long time to get good useable tones. Just spend some time tweaking and you'll get there. There are videos you can watch on how to tweak presets. Also, download the presets from Axe-Change and try them as well. Sometimes they make a better basis for your preset than the stock presets. I was frustrated with my Axe-FX for a long time but I'm pretty happy now. It is not an "insta-magic" device. Even pros can sometimes take a long time to get good tones, sometimes even with weeks of help from Matt or other experts. Good luck and have fun.
 
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