HELP - Anyone in DFW-area

For shitz and giggles I wrote a preset from scratch from the front panel at work when I had nothing better to do one day. It took some doing but I figured it out. Not nearly as easy as the editor tho.
 
Bruce Sokolovic said:
Suggesting a noob start off on the front panel is a recipe for disaster.
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No it isn't. It's how I learned..., that, and reading the manual. And I'd never used a modeler before the Axe III. But I got familiar with how the unit worked before I tried to build my own presets.

Each time I'd use it, I'd go a little further in the manual, go back and re-read parts so they'd become memorized. It's not that hard.

Once I got the hang of it, then I bought Cooper's course. But with his and Leon Todd's numerous videos, you can learn so much from them!

And I'm also not young, but I taught myself how to use computers from when they first started getting popular, Quickbooks to run my business, and a 3D CAD program. Maybe it's just my "can-do" mentality though.
 
TSJMajesty said:
No it isn't. It's how I learned..., that, and reading the manual. And I'd never used a modeler before the Axe III. But I got familiar with how the unit worked before I tried to build my own presets.

Each time I'd use it, I'd go a little further in the manual, go back and re-read parts so they'd become memorized. It's not that hard.

Once I got the hang of it, then I bought Cooper's course. But with his and Leon Todd's numerous videos, you can learn so much from them!

And I'm also not young, but I taught myself how to use computers from when they first started getting popular, Quickbooks to run my business, and a 3D CAD program. Maybe it's just my "can-do" mentality though.
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You are a clear self-starter.
I recognize likeminded people. 👍
 
Bruce Sokolovic said:
Suggesting a noob start off on the front panel is a recipe for disaster. Nothing is easier than drag and drop. A “seasoned pro” who reviewed the unit couldn’t get the front panel figured out.
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It only took me a couple days to feel comfortable enough to gig with it. If you are talking about Rhett Schull, that guy is not exactly a seasoned pro. Watching a few videos on youtube, like the ones shared above in the thread really helped. The Perform-PP is VERY helpful live. I wanted to be able to bail myself out using the front panel if I got into trouble for the first couple gigs, rather than be tied to dragging a laptop in a pinch. Worked out great. I'm no seasoned pro either, by any means. I have to concede to you that the front panel is a bit harder to get your head around compared to axe-edit, without a doubt.
 
The front panel is fantastic. I much prefer using the knobs on the unit itself really to dial in amp and drive knobs with great precision and feel. Navigating the menus and blocks is not a big deal at all. Just press edit to move forward between blocks and double-click edit to move backward. You can enter all the deep tweaking menus and get all the tone you want without Axe-Edit. It's really pretty quick even to name a preset from the front panel too, believe it or not. I know you don't know about blocks and the grid yet, but it's not difficult. And understanding how Cliff has designed this thing helps you really unlock how powerful it is.

I like to know the front panel so I'm not relying on a laptop at a gig, a session, or rehearsal. As others have mentioned, the Perform page is incredible. If I'm dialing in an overdrive in front of a Plexi, I put all the knobs I'll need on just one screen and just tweak, going entirely with my feel. Hugely intuitive.

I don't know, to me the front panel is just no big deal. The only thing I hate is that, if I save a new preset from the front panel, Axe-Edit won't show it in the list of all presets unless you have it refresh the list. That has screwed up a few times, where I've saved a preset from the front panel, then, because it looks like it's still an empty slot to Axe-Edit, I overwrite it!

That said, Axe-Edit does have particular functions that are unique to it, and very very powerful, like block libraries, for one extremely useful example.

The thing is, the Axe-FX III is truly an insanely powerful beast, and the FCs are insanely flexible, powerful controllers. You can go as deep or as shallow as you want, and it's fine also to leave a ton unexplored; it's just a matter of figuring out just enough for it to get the job done for you, because, believe me, it can get the job done for just about anyone. But it's well worth just tweaking and figuring out how far you feel like going. You'll have access to all the tone in the world, and that's the big payoff.
 
jimmynorrisjr said:
It only took me a couple days to feel comfortable enough to gig with it. If you are talking about Rhett Schull, that guy is not exactly a seasoned pro. Watching a few videos on youtube, like the ones shared above in the thread really helped. The Perform-PP is VERY helpful live. I wanted to be able to bail myself out using the front panel if I got into trouble for the first couple gigs, rather than be tied to dragging a laptop in a pinch. Worked out great. I'm no seasoned pro either, by any means. I have to concede to you that the front panel is a bit harder to get your head around compared to axe-edit, without a doubt.
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Precisely why “seasoned pro” was in quotes.

I’m assuming the OP does not have a lot of experience with digital gear. I come from the ART SGX2000 in the early 90s and dozens of noisemakers since, so navigating around a front panel is usually not daunting to me. I can understand someone with little to no experience getting frustrated after 15 min of no sound and walking away with a bad opinion. This is far more likely using the front panel IMO which is why I think NEWBS should mainly stick to the editor. It’s a better way to visualize the signal chain as well as the dizzying amount of options and fx.
 
TSJMajesty said:
No it isn't. It's how I learned..., that, and reading the manual. And I'd never used a modeler before the Axe III. But I got familiar with how the unit worked before I tried to build my own presets.

Each time I'd use it, I'd go a little further in the manual, go back and re-read parts so they'd become memorized. It's not that hard.

Once I got the hang of it, then I bought Cooper's course. But with his and Leon Todd's numerous videos, you can learn so much from them!

And I'm also not young, but I taught myself how to use computers from when they first started getting popular, Quickbooks to run my business, and a 3D CAD program. Maybe it's just my "can-do" mentality though.
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Yes, everyone’s personality is different. Read the OP, though. He keeps walking away from the fractal because it’s hard to use. If he keeps walking away from it, he’s going to sell it before giving it a fair chance. IMO the way to get up and running fast is with the editor.
 
Axe EDIT is sooo much easier to use.

There are times when I am forced to use the front panel to edit window (when Windows decides to update in the middleof something) and I find front panel editing so cumbersome that I want to throw the unit out the window.
 
dr bonkers said:
Axe EDIT is sooo much easier to use.

There are times when I am forced to use the front panel to edit window (when Windows decides to update in the middleof something) and I find front panel editing so cumbersome that I want to throw the unit out the window.
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It definitely gets easier with use. What I kept doing wrong was using the encoder knob as a push>enter. It doesn’t always function as anticipated. Also the page left-right is in addition to arrow left-right. Took some time to get used to that.

Goes to my point, the front panel is valuable and can even be fun once you learn it but the editor is instantly easy. For someone on the brink of throwing the unit out the window, just use axe edit. We all have different levels of skill when it comes to this stuff and if we’re going to be able to help the least programming skillful among us, I think we need to introduce them to the easiest paths, first. No offense to the OP, of course.
 
Kidfixer said:
I purchased my AFX3 approx 6 months ago, and I can count on one hand the amount of times I've played through it. I havent even taken the FC2 out of the box. The learning curve keeps me walking straight to my Hughes and Kettner. I cant figure out how to customize patches...it was SO easy with my Digitech GSP2101, unfortunately that unit finally went tits-up.

It just seems a shame to let this beautiful (and pricey) piece of hardware just collect dust. So is there ANYONE here in the DFW-area willing to show me how to use this fucking thing? I will gladly pay you for your time (within reason 😉).

Thanks.
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There is a bit of a curve, but trust me, put in the time and it will change your life. I have several amps, some vintage, tons of pedals, etc... and there isn't a sound I can't recreate on my Axe FX III. Watch some videos on creating presets from scratch, and practice tweaking some of the stock ones. If you read the manual it will help tremendously. You will spend a lot of your time in the Amp and Cab blocks. If you got that dialed in, the rest if just the cherry on top.
 
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