Is anyone else not blown away by the rotary speaker in the AXE?

Scott Peterson said:
Stock settings? I don't believe in stock settings for most effects.
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This^^^!

The slow rate transitions are built into the rotary block. The Low Time Constant and Hi Time Constant parameters control how long it takes the virtual horn (hi) and drum (low) to change speeds. In a real Leslie cab, the plastic horn is light and changes speeds much quicker than the larger, heavier wooden drum. It takes tweaking for sure, but it can sound spot on for many Leslie type tones.

Same goes for Univibe. With some tweaking, it sounds just as good as any Univibe clone I've used. Just like in a real Univibe, the bulb bias setting is the key to getting that uneven throb in the sweep.
 
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I was able to match, and eventually surpass the rotary effects in my 11r. I put an a/b switch in front of both units and went back and forth until I had what I wanted.

I have been using the Axe's rotary effect along with a few different Marshall models when playing B3 virtual instruments. The Axe adds a depth and warmth I can't get from the B3 patches in Kontakt or Sampletank.
 
As always, uploading your preset and providing a description of your physical setup will help the resident gurus solve your issue, usually relatively quickly.
 
It's not quite as prominent. Well, certain aspects. Doesn't sound quite as washy/warbly/deep.

Still, as I keep saying, the F.A.S. effects are great. You can get there with some tweaking and creativity.

That EHX pedal is killer. They do such a great job.
 
pima1234 said:
It's not quite as prominent. Well, certain aspects. Doesn't sound quite as washy/warbly/deep.

Still, as I keep saying, the F.A.S. effects are great. You can get there with some tweaking and creativity.
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Warble -- adjust high speaker rate to add more warble. Add variable damping.

Wash/Deep -- increase low speaker volume.
 
Ah. Of course. That makes sense.

Man... I need to spend more time with the effects. For me, it's always "sounds good enough to me, moving on". I've barely touched the capability. I'm always just so blown away by how great the amp models are, and experimenting with IRs.
 
You can get a more authentic sound by offsetting the high and low rotor rates as well. In a Leslie the high rotor is easier to spin and ramps up and down faster than the low rotor.

Play around with it. Post if you get stuck with a preset and we'll help.
 
Yeah it definitely takes time to dial it in just the way you want. It's always hard to come from a pedal that gets a particular sound with just a click of the button. Those EH pedals are fantastic. Their engineers have been hitting some home runs lately. Keep in mind though that the processing in that pedal might be the equivalent of many different Axe blocks to get the same thing. All the parameters and flexibility of the Axe's models can make it seem daunting, but keep at it. Trial and error is key since the Axe responds so much to different inputs. I think that's the primary reason other people's presets and blocks don't always measure up. Like many blocks, the Axe's rotary depends heavily on what you are feeding it. If you can get just the right amount of sparkle and overtones going in, it really brings out the shimmery, washy character of the Leslie. Experiment with block placement as well. In front of the amp, in front of the cab, after the cab, etc. They all sound unique.
 
Well, let me try to contribute.

I really LOVE the Uni-Vibe model in the AXE FX. I do not miss it as a pedal any all. Just play with the depth control, that matters: 5 is light effect, 6 is moderate, and 9 is heavy. Use it before the amp block. Add 1.5 db to it in output. Play with the bulb if you want. I can get some great throbbing Hendrixy/Trower/Doyle Bramhall II UniVibe sounds with no problem.

The Rotary block can be tricky, in some ways, because sometimes we try to emulate other rotary pedals, which is not the same as a REAL rotary Cliff modeled... (I really liked and used the Hughes & Kuttner Rotosphere, great pedal/effect, but it was not exactly like the real thing).

With the Rotary, sometimes you have to play with the mix or wet-dry blend control to dial it in to taste. I do like it after the amp block better than before it, even in mono. Some like to add a dry signal routed around the rotary block (shunt down a row, then back up after rotary block) and then keep the rotary over 75% wet.

The mic spacing control is important if you are playing in mono versus stereo, and the high rotor length has a big effect on the overall tone/sound, so play with that. Yes it would be nice to have some "presets" but it's all in there if you play with it/experiment.

I like the slow leslie sound with speed at around 0.125k myself...the fast leslie sound is best between 6K and 7.2K-ish to my ears. I like to use an expression pedal to sweep between these, with some dampening, to emulate the ramp-up and then set the curve not linear but steep, but flat at beginning and end speed settings if I want to park it there. I think the Rotary sound is one that always perks people's ears up when playing live. And you can get a pretty good Jazz organ sound from our guitar (check out the FX8 preset I designed called Jazz Organ for example).

Good luck!
 
Speed ratio on many real Leslie cabs is about 10:1 for fast to slow but it varies with model, age, condition, etc. I usually use 6.3 Hz for fast and 0.63 Hz for slow. Some models also have a brake setting that stops the motors completely.
 
I really dig the rotary. I have a rotoshphere (the best leslie sim out there IMO), and I think the rotary in the axe comes very close, if you tweak just a little bit, and dirtyfy it with a bit of overdrive. Their of course different, but I love em both! So much, that the rotary have replaced my rotosphere in my setup. Especially if you us an expresseion pedal to control the speed, the rotary becomes an awesome toy.
 
Thank you!!!

Who else was it that recommended increasing the output volume if I need more of the modulation effect?! I need to remember this stuff.

austinbuddy said:
Well, let me try to contribute.

I really LOVE the Uni-Vibe model in the AXE FX. I do not miss it as a pedal any all. Just play with the depth control, that matters: 5 is light effect, 6 is moderate, and 9 is heavy. Use it before the amp block. Add 1.5 db to it in output. Play with the bulb if you want. I can get some great throbbing Hendrixy/Trower/Doyle Bramhall II UniVibe sounds with no problem.

The Rotary block can be tricky, in some ways, because sometimes we try to emulate other rotary pedals, which is not the same as a REAL rotary Cliff modeled... (I really liked and used the Hughes & Kuttner Rotosphere, great pedal/effect, but it was not exactly like the real thing).

With the Rotary, sometimes you have to play with the mix or wet-dry blend control to dial it in to taste. I do like it after the amp block better than before it, even in mono. Some like to add a dry signal routed around the rotary block (shunt down a row, then back up after rotary block) and then keep the rotary over 75% wet.

The mic spacing control is important if you are playing in mono versus stereo, and the high rotor length has a big effect on the overall tone/sound, so play with that. Yes it would be nice to have some "presets" but it's all in there if you play with it/experiment.

I like the slow leslie sound with speed at around 0.125k myself...the fast leslie sound is best between 6K and 7.2K-ish to my ears. I like to use an expression pedal to sweep between these, with some dampening, to emulate the ramp-up and then set the curve not linear but steep, but flat at beginning and end speed settings if I want to park it there. I think the Rotary sound is one that always perks people's ears up when playing live. And you can get a pretty good Jazz organ sound from our guitar (check out the FX8 preset I designed called Jazz Organ for example).

Good luck!
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I love it. It does what I need. I use the thing sparingly but it seems fine to me.
 
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