My First Gigs With My New AX 8

Willis

Inspired
AX8 Floor.jpg

I had my first two gigs with my new AX 8 this past weekend and I couldn't have been happier.

We (FireHouse) had the pleasure to do a couple of gigs with Winger. The first show was just outside of Chicago at The Arcada Theater, and the second was just outside of Minneapolis at The Medina Ballroom.

I do mostly fly dates, and the entire rig fit in my backpack, completely eliminating any stress from checking gear underneath the planes.

My Oakley backpack, loaded with my AX 8, fit easily in the overhead compartments of the 757s and CRJ planes that Delta flew me from home to ORD, ORD to MSP, and MSP back home.

As for performance, the AX 8 is a dream come true. My tone is exactly like that of my AXE FX II (which I LOVE and have been using for over 2 years). I only changed one thing to lighten my load: Now, rather than using an expression pedal to turn up and down my delay level, I got a latching footswitch and it turns my delay on and off.

The rig was set up in under 5 minutes. Teardown was about 2 minutes. No buzzes, no noise, no mics, no hassle, just the sound and feel I was looking for and an ear to ear smiling sound engineer.

Output 1 (stereo) goes XLR directly into the snake for FOH & monitors. Output 2 (stereo) goes 1/4" into the effects return of a pair of rental JCM 900s.

If you don't have one of these AX 8 boards yet, get one! You'll be glad you did. No doubt about it.

HUGE thanks to Fractal Audio Systems for making the greatest guitar gear of all time... Bill Leverty / Firehouse
 
Great review Bill : I used to practise some licks of yours / Firehouse...it was one of those VHS video tapes ..hahahah
Nice to have you around here :)
 
If you don't mind me asking, what was the general layout of your presets for that setup? Cab and FX Loop block at the end in parallel?
 
That's killer. Just got my AX8 and hope to have it on stage soon. It's fantastic to see it being used to such success by pros.
 
Sounds like the perfect rig. Would you be willing to share presets? Or discuss in general terms the amps/effects you use and how you set the switches? It will certainly help newbs like me learn to use the AX8.

Thanks
 
Also curious as to what you rely on most for your on stage sound...the monitor feed or the Marshall's?
And if you send output 1 to FOH and monitors, why are the Marshall cabs mic'd?
 
I think the Marshalls are Bills stage monitors ?

Here's what he said above: Output 2 (stereo) goes 1/4" into the effects return of a pair of rental JCM 900s.

The mics were probably placed by the sound guy before he realized that the AX8 could give him a separate Stereo feed ....
 
I think the Marshalls are Bills stage monitors ?

Here's what he said above: Output 2 (stereo) goes 1/4" into the effects return of a pair of rental JCM 900s.

The mics were probably placed by the sound guy before he realized that the AX8 could give him a separate Stereo feed ....
Correct, those mics were there for Reb.
 
Back
Top Bottom