I/O settings vs Input trim.

M3KVII

M3KVII

Member
I think this question will be useful for alot of new users. I'ave had the axe fx 2 xl+ for about a year now and this would have been useful to know early on. So I have two different guitars one ibanez rga121 and an ibanez prestig rx 7 string. The 7 pick ups on the 7 string are noticeably hotter than the 6 string. So when I plugged in to the INSTR input on the front of the axe fx I would get alot of feed back and noise, since I had set the "instrument in," in the I/O settings specifically for the 6 string and not the 7 string. So I plugged the 7 string into the back input and selected it from the i/o settings. reducing the input to 29.0 got it to sound nice and clean and it was no longer hitting the red in the input meter. Prior to this I was using the "Input Trim," setting to get a similar effect and adjusting it per guitar. My question is if it's better to set it per guitar per input in the I/O settings, or to just plug in all guitars in the same place on the front INSTR input, and then adjust the input trim? I'm also not exactly sure they do the same thing, in the end I get the same result it sounds clear and tight even with high gain amps, when I lower the input trim or set the input levels in I/O per guitar to never hit the red and not cause clipping. Thanks, sorry for the confusingly long post.
 
On a real amp you wouldn’t adjust anything except the gain or level so the same applies to the axe in general. Most people make different presets for different guitars.

For the Input level setting, it’s recommended to set this for the highest output guitar and leave it there. This mostly adjusts a signal to noise ratio and not actual “level” into the presets.
 
hitting the red isn't clipping, you want it to "tickle the red". If your preset is clipping, turn down to the level, as that's a pure volume control. Input trim isn't, it affects the way your amp reacts/responds.
 
There are a few ways to do this, but what I do is: use the global amp gain control to compensate for the particular guitar you're using. For example, turn it down when using your 7 string. This saves you from having to edit every preset. Don't use the Instr In for this, that does something else.
 
chris said:
On a real amp you wouldn’t adjust anything except the gain or level so the same applies to the axe in general. Most people make different presets for different guitars.

For the Input level setting, it’s recommended to set this for the highest output guitar and leave it there. This mostly adjusts a signal to noise ratio and not actual “level” into the presets.
Click to expand...

I found setting the input volume at around 35% made all my guitars sound great. The signal to noise ratio in whatever hardware is on the axe fx made everything sound pristine. I found peavey 5150 amp on default with zilla cabs gave me a dream tone almost immediately, after making the change. Also didn't have to adjust the input trim at all after that, sounds perfect. Thanks. I continue to be impressed at the axe fx, I can't conceive of how anything could possibly sound better, accept for maybe a really high end guitar. But it will be a while before I feel the need to purchase one after this.
 
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