How is Axe-FX 3 Used

wmartin714 said:
@AnrdrewJay I have some old power amps that I used in the past. My old setup was the following: I used to run a preamp (low-level) signal out to my effects rack, then the output of the effects rack went into some Crown power amps, and the output of the power amps went to the speaker cabs.

I'm just trying to simplify my setup and weight reduction would definitely be a benefit.
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If you are familiar with that, then the Axe FX really isn't that different. The Axe FX in this case is the effects pedals in front, the preamp, and the post effects all in one. From there, it is business as usual, the Axe goes into a power amp then into the cabs.

As far as simplification goes, the Axe is very simple to hook up as it is an all in one unit (aside from the power amp). Programming it however, can be as simple or complex as you need it to be, but not difficult necessarily. With regards to the weight of the rig, I would suggest a solid state power amp. Newer ones can be fairly light and relatively cost effective versus using a tube power amp. There are some considerations with which style you choose, but I highly suggest that if you still have your Crown power amp, try that first.
 
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AndrewJay said:
No problem. This forum is a fantastic community full of people ready to help out.
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Yes. That definitely seems to be the case. I didn't expect so much help. I come from an era where guitar tone and gear setup was highly classified, top secret information. Thanks again to everyone!
 
wmartin714 said:
@AndrewJay Thanks for the welcome. I'd like to be able to pump the awesome tone from the Axe-FX into four 4x12 speaker cabinets.

Here's a quick question: Is the Axe-FX designed to replace the amp head or supplement the tone coming out of the amp head?
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A traditional amp head has two sections, pre-amp and power amp. The Axe-FX can be used to model either of these or both.

If used to model both the pre-amp and power amp then it creates the "tone" of these sections (including clipping/distortion). However, the output of the Axe-FX cannot be connected to a traditional guitar cabinet. This is because it models the sound of the power amp section of a traditional amp head, but it does not actually amplify the signal. Therefore you need an amplifier connected between the Axe-FX and the speaker.

This separate amplifier can be:
1) Traditional PA system (typically in live scenarios this is the FOH system)
2) Powered monitors (typically used on stage in live situations)
3) Dedicated power amp (not a guitar amp) and passive speakers (also typical for live/rehearsal situations)
4) Powered studio monitors (typical for playing at home or in studio)

Some prefer to have the Axe-FX just model the pre-amp and not the power amp section and then connect it to the return of the effects loop of a traditional guitar amp. Some use the Axe-FX only for effects (no pre-amp modeling, no power-amp modeling) and connect it into the front of a traditional guitar amp or use the four-cable method to connect some effects in front of the guitar amp and others in the effects loop of the guitar amp.

There are so many possibilities given the I/O on the Axe-FX, but the one thing you cannot do is go directly from the Axe-FX directly into a traditional guitar cab (e.g. 4x12).
 
@scarbodave Thanks for the detailed explanation. I understand everything that you said. It's very helpful! For me, I would prefer option 3. For live shows, my preference is to have my guitar coming out of speaker cabinets. For me, you just can't beat the sound coming out of 4x12 speaker cabinets.
 
wmartin714 said:
@scarbodave Thanks for the detailed explanation. I understand everything that you said. It's very helpful! For me, I would prefer option 3. For live shows, my preference is to have my guitar coming out of speaker cabinets. For me, you just can't beat the sound coming out of 4x12 speaker cabinets.
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You're welcome. Others would be better able to make suggestions on which power amp to pair with your cabs. I see lots of mention of matrix amps and fryette powerstations, but I'm sure others will chime in with recommendations.
 
wmartin714 said:
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'll spend a few more hours of research.

@Toopy14 I've seen that video. It just talks about parameter adjustment. It doesn't talk about how to get the awesome FX tone into some speaker cabinets for playing live gigs.
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Are you sure you watched this video? I made it to show the various ways to connect the Axe-Fx III to the outside world. Everything from headphones to recording to onstage usage.
 
Nothing beats the 4x12 (2x4x12”) feel. Nothing beats direct to PA desk and in-ears for convenience and absence of slipped disk hernia.
 
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DougB415 said:
Are you sure you watched this video? I made it to show the various ways to connect the Axe-Fx III to the outside world. Everything from headphones to recording to onstage usage.
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My initial post was incorrect. I erroneously thought it was a video that I previously watched. I made a second post shortly after realizing my mistake. The video is awesome! As you said, this video does show the various ways to connect the Axe-FX III.
 
As a beginner you should start by hooking it up in this manner...

Guitar > Input 1
Headphones into the headphones jack.

Start at preset 1. Open the preset menu and pin it.
Scroll for a day or so.

And then, read the manual.
 
wmartin714 said:
@scarbodave Thanks for the detailed explanation. I understand everything that you said. It's very helpful! For me, I would prefer option 3. For live shows, my preference is to have my guitar coming out of speaker cabinets. For me, you just can't beat the sound coming out of 4x12 speaker cabinets.
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If that's the use case you're most interested in then you're going to get a plethora of different recommendations. I've honestly been through it all, tried all the different solutions for live use but found tube poweramps to be the most authentic, especially if you're used to tube heads and traditional guitar cabs. I know many people are happy with solid state PAs but for some reason I don't feel as connected. This is something for you to discover and decide. I'm very happy with running the Axe with the poweramp simulation on into my Fryette LXII which is a very linear tube poweramp but I also really like running it into my Peavey Classic Series 120 (essentially a 5150 PA which is a much more colored sound) with the power amp simulation off. Both scenarios feel authentic and I get what I'm looking for. Just to be fair with SS PAs, I have two TC BAM200s and I also have a Seymour Powerstage 170. The Axe sounds decent with both and if I've never heard a tube PA before I'd probably be happy with the tones I'm getting. I'm just not as happy with the dynamics.
And then there's the other side of this coin with FRFR and studio monitors and great headphones and everything. I also really like playing my Axe through my studio monitors which is actually what I do about 80% of the time when I'm using the Axe, not to mention my EV PXM-12MP FRFR cabs or my Fender FR-12 which is surprisingly fantastic for its price and while sound quality-wise the EVs are better, the Fender sounds more like a traditional cab than the much pricier EVs.
So like I said, it's up to you to discover and decide on all of this. Don't trust suggestions, if you have the means, try different stuff and get a feel for what you enjoy the most.
 
The two basic paradigms for monitoring guitar are:
  1. Live cab in the room
    • For modeling this means running a full amp model (preamp and poweramp modeling enabled) with the cab block disabled into a good clean power amp and real guitar cab in the room with you
  2. Live cab in another room, mic'd up and monitored through whatever speakers you're using, ideally studio monitors in an acoustically-treated room, exactly how you'd monitor any other mic'd or recorded instrument in the studio.
    • For modeling this means running a full amp model (preamp and power amp modeling enabled) with the cab block enabled into studio monitors, PA speakers, stadium line array, headphones, etc.
Two very different sounding paradigms, both equally realistic. The mistake made by many people unfamiliar with modeling is expecting #2 to sound like #1.
 
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Section 4 in the manual is like a cookbook of various common configurations. Wandering through them will show how Fractal recommends the various outputs be used and any special considerations needed in the preset to make it work.

If you've kept up with the various trends in how amps and pedal boards are connected you'll find equivalent diagrams showing how to achieve the same things. Happy hunting!
 
axes said:
If that's the use case you're most interested in then you're going to get a plethora of different recommendations. I've honestly been through it all, tried all the different solutions for live use but found tube poweramps to be the most authentic, especially if you're used to tube heads and traditional guitar cabs. I know many people are happy with solid state PAs but for some reason I don't feel as connected. This is something for you to discover and decide. I'm very happy with running the Axe with the poweramp simulation on into my Fryette LXII which is a very linear tube poweramp but I also really like running it into my Peavey Classic Series 120 (essentially a 5150 PA which is a much more colored sound) with the power amp simulation off. Both scenarios feel authentic and I get what I'm looking for. Just to be fair with SS PAs, I have two TC BAM200s and I also have a Seymour Powerstage 170. The Axe sounds decent with both and if I've never heard a tube PA before I'd probably be happy with the tones I'm getting. I'm just not as happy with the dynamics.
And then there's the other side of this coin with FRFR and studio monitors and great headphones and everything. I also really like playing my Axe through my studio monitors which is actually what I do about 80% of the time when I'm using the Axe, not to mention my EV PXM-12MP FRFR cabs or my Fender FR-12 which is surprisingly fantastic for its price and while sound quality-wise the EVs are better, the Fender sounds more like a traditional cab than the much pricier EVs.
So like I said, it's up to you to discover and decide on all of this. Don't trust suggestions, if you have the means, try different stuff and get a feel for what you enjoy the most.
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Thanks for the details and advice. I totally agree with you about the tube power amps. They are more "alive" than any solid-state amp that I've ever used! The response of the tube power amps to the notes exploding off the pick cannot be duplicated by the transistors within a solid-state amp.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
Section 4 in the manual is like a cookbook of various common configurations. Wandering through them will show how Fractal recommends the various outputs be used and any special considerations needed in the preset to make it work.

If you've kept up with the various trends in how amps and pedal boards are connected you'll find equivalent diagrams showing how to achieve the same things. Happy hunting!
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I have not kept up with the trends in amps and pedal boards. I've been using the same rig for 30 years now. I just recently happened on to some videos of the Fractal Axe-FX and the various tones that this thing can produce. That's why I'm considering it.
 
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