New AFX owner need your help!

N

nicoroy123

Member
Hi friends, I received my AFX few days ago for Christmas but for now it is a little bit of a disappointment so I need your help! Here is my little story...

I currently own a Mesa Boogie Mark V which I like A LOT, both for home practice and live gigs. Unfortunately I can't crank the amp at home because of the neighbours so home recording is the only aspect I can't cover with the amp. I have tried almost all modelling apps like Guitar Rig or Amplitube and both of these can produce very nice tones when used properly but none of them "feel" right when playing through them. So this is where I started to be interesting in the AxeFX, since so many tube amp owners were highly talking about the "feel" and dynamics properly reproduced by the Axe. So I took the plunge and bought one.

Now here we are. I hooked the unit to my puter through an RME9632 and outputing through a pair of Tannoy Reveal 6D FRFR monitors. Since then, high gain patches that I load feels very digital. I I tried them with custom IRs from different sources and still the same thing. I have the impression that I am missing the big "tube feel" button somewhere. I have heard so many good recordings from the Axe, and so many people have sold their entire tube rig just to get the Axe so I have the impression that I am missing something somewhere!

Because for now, even if the effects are stellar, clean tones are very very nice, but for high gain stuff, specially for lead sounds, it sounds kind of "synthetic".
So am I missing a magic button somewhere?

Any help would be appreciated.

Regards
 
not owning an axe yet the first thing i woi;d do in your shoes is skip the computer hookup and just hook your monitors directly to the monitors
 
nicoroy123 said:
Hi friends, I received my AFX few days ago for Christmas but for now everything has been a huge deception so I need your help before I send to unit back! Here is my little story...

I currently own a Mesa Boogie Mark V which I like A LOT, both for home practice and live gigs. Unfortunately I can't crank the amp at home because of the neighbours so home recording is the only aspect I can't cover with the amp. I have tried almost all modelling apps like Guitar Rig or Amplitube and both of these can produce very nice tones when used properly but none of them "feel" right when playing through them. So this is where I started to be interesting in the AxeFX, since so many tube amp owners were highly talking about the "feel" and dynamics properly reproduced by the Axe. So I took the plunge and bought one.

Now here we are. I hooked the unit to my puter through an RME9632 and outputing through a pair of Tannoy Reveal 6D FRFR monitors. Since then, every patch that I load feels digital and even fizzy! I I tried them with custom IRs from different sources and still the same thing. I have the impression that I am missing the big "tube feel" button somewhere. I have heard so many good recordings from the Axe, and so many people have sold their entire tube rig just to get the Axe so I have the impression that I am missing something somewhere!

Because for now, even if the effects are stellar, clean tones are very very nice, but for high gain stuff, specially for lead sounds, it sounds unnatural, not organic and not really better than GRig and Amplitube. None of them come close the tone and feel of my amp.

So am I missing a magic button somewhere?
Please help! Because I won't be able to justify a 2K$ invesment for such a small improvment...

Regards
Click to expand...

Are you connecting the Axe to the RME using the digital out of the Axe in to the digital in of the RME or using the analog out of the Axe in the analog in of the RME?
 
There is no deception. Lack of knowledge perhaps.

Wiki?
Did you try turning amp sims on - cab sims off? (follow global instructions above)
How is it hooked up to the RME?
 
How exactly is a product with a 15 day "no questions asked" return policy a "deception"?...sheesh...

If you're running into the RME and then your studio monitors you are in fact running through an FRFR system. You should have CAB and AMP sims BOTH ON.
 
Guys, thanks for answering.
First I must apologise, english is not my first language. In french "déception" means disappointment. So disappointment is what I meant in my first post and not "deception" in the english meaning. :)
The 15 days policy is indeed very generous and honest, I dont see any problem about it.

That being said, here are a little bit more details about my setup:
I tried both digital and analog connections. I have the same impression with both but with perhaps a little bit more warmth with analog. I have to test both again to make sure...

Both Power Amp and Cabs are on in the Global menu. I think this is what I need for an FRFR scenario?

I have connected the Axe direclty to my monitors to see if the PC/RME9632 may introduce any artifact that could modify the sound in a bad way, but it doesn't help.

Next step will be to use the power amp and cab of my MKV, to see how it feels.

Thanks again
 
My apologies...that was definitely a case of "lost in translation"! Your English is quite good! I wouldn't have known...lol
 
Hi, nicoroy123 and welcome!

I've got a similar past with my guitar gear. I owned a Mark IV and was planning to switch it for the V but then I thought it wasn't worth it. Now I switched my Mark IV into a AFX and I've got the same issue. The AFX is 1000000000 times better than any modeler I've ever tried but still the Mark-series tube amp feel isn't there. Might have something to do with the fact that Mark-series amps are loud as hell no matter what and I haven't found a way to crank my AFX yet. I've owned Orange/Peavey tube amps and they really sound like transistor amps compared to a Mark IV. Even the Roadster I used to own falls in the same category.

I do a lot of recordings and this way the AFX really nails just about every tone I want. Remember that when using a "CAB" the AFX isn't simulating an AMP and CAB. It's simulating a CAB being miced with certain mics. Using custom IR's will get you where you want to be.... check them out! There are many good free ones here: http://www.fractalaudio.com/Documents/I ... pulses.zip
 
Are you using presets or have you made your own basic patch?

I cant really get on with ANY of the presets - well a couple of low gain/cleanones maybe, and setting up your own basic patch will get you a lot closer to what you r used to hearing. Thats always a good start to get used to the Axe. You'll go off into other "tone" territory once you happy with the axe and its options.

I know it can be a bit daunting, but just create a simple amp/cab patch with nothing else. Play with the different amp options first (for High Gain go either recto, SLO, fryette M,Euro Uber, 5105 or Das Metal. you could go USA Lewad 1 or 2 as your used to Mark series amps but Im not as keen on those for High Gain.

Dont adjust anything in the advanced page except maybe high cut for now.

When you have an amp thats close, then play with the cabs ans mics - they make a BIG difference.

Once there close you can start playing with the bright cap setting in the amps advanced menu, and play with the master and sag and damp settings too. In particular the master and damp controles effect the "feel" a LOT.

All IMO of course and other will also chip in im sure.
 
Guys, thank you so much for these advises!

Clark Kent, you are right, I think I have been trying to reproduce the sound of my "live" amp instead of the sound of a "recorded" amp. Since I am in a FRFR scenario, trying to reproduce the sound of a recorded Mark IV got me closer to what I am after.

Paul, you read my mind! I am actually working on a very simple patch, Drive, Amp and Cab, nothing else, and when applying the advises below, I am finally getting there!
So for the benefit of everyone, here are few threads that may help a lot for newbs like me:

Tips for getting tight metal tones:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=10796&start=0

Tips for Mesa Mark Amps:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=11218

And finally, at the end of the chain, to reproduce the frequency range of a real guitar speaker (High-pass at 70Hz and low-pass at 6-7KHz):
Parametric EQ tip - 'Contouring your sound'
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=12374

I am getting there and it is really exiting! :mrgreen:
 
Just purchased a Standard, and am going through the same process. I can get some pretty good sounds from the Axe Fx, but am struggling with getting the "feel" of my Marshall. I've been A/B'ing them for a couple of days, and just when I think I've got it with the Axe Fx, I switch back to the Marshall and realize I don't. I'm not doing FRFR, and am currently running into 2 Marshall 4x12's. My goal was to keep my 4x12's and "clone" my Marshall with the Axe Fx. So far, what I'm missing is the fullness and the "bounce" I get with the Marshall. I'm running the Axe into a 2 channel tube power amp.
 
What model is your marshall and which of the Axe Sims are you using.

Also - turn up the damp a little, up the sag and up the master. That tends to help with the bounce feeling.
 
axel said:
Just purchased a Standard, and am going through the same process. I can get some pretty good sounds from the Axe Fx, but am struggling with getting the "feel" of my Marshall. I've been A/B'ing them for a couple of days, and just when I think I've got it with the Axe Fx, I switch back to the Marshall and realize I don't. I'm not doing FRFR, and am currently running into 2 Marshall 4x12's. My goal was to keep my 4x12's and "clone" my Marshall with the Axe Fx. So far, what I'm missing is the fullness and the "bounce" I get with the Marshall. I'm running the Axe into a 2 channel tube power amp.
Click to expand...

What tube power amp?

Realize that if you have the axe-fx power amps sims on and you are running in a guitar poweramp you are essentially running a poweramp into a poweramp (kind of like running your marshalls output into the tube poweramp). Unless it is a transparent power amp w/ a lot of headroom; it is going to color your tone.
 
Got a Marshall JVM 410H I'm trying to "emulate". I am currently using the Plexi1 amp sim (no cab sim) to try and get my low gain JVM tone. I have tweaked and re-tweaked on the Depth, Damp, Sag... all of the amp parameters. I am running the Axe through a dual channel mono-block tube stereo power amp (50 watts per side), which is a fairly "clean" amp with good low and high end response. I've tried it both with, and without the power amp sim, and can't even get close without the power amp sim parameters to adjust. I can hit chords, and it sounds decent. It's when I play soft/medium single notes that it sounds harsh compared to the Marshall.
 
No, hadn't seen that, Thanks. I do see a lot of posts regarding various IR's, but it doesn't really do someone like me, who is using guitar cabs, much good. According to Fractal, if your using guitar cabs you should not use the cab sims. So, taking the cab sims out of the equation leaves me with the amp/power amp sims and some EQ. I've stripped my Axe Fx preset down to just Amp and Parametric EQ, and consequently I'm running the JVM with the reverb off. This is helping me to hear the nuances of the JVM and try to tweak the Axe Fx accordingly. The problem is trying to identify what the nuances are, and what parameters on the Axe Fx relate to those nuances. Can be quite taxing. :roll: It would be nice to see two different forum categories, one for guys using guitar cabs and another for those using FRFR.
 
Hi folks, new Ultra owner here and this is my first post.

I bought an Ultra a couple of weeks ago. The first night I received it -- I had not read the manual nor the wiki -- it was late and I was tired and I just ran through some of the presets for about an hour. The tones I heard were very good, but not quite what I was hoping for.

The next day I read through the manual and started from scratch, exploring the various parameters and tweaking them to my liking and, over the course of the day, I dialed in the best sounds I have ever recorded. As I have gotten to know the unit since, I have liked it more and more. Today I can say that the Ultra is probably THE best audio-related purchase I have ever made. Moral of the story: as with just about every synth, effects box, or plugin I have ever used, you have to go beyond the presets and get in there and learn and tweak. In the case of the Axe FX, the rewards are bountiful.
 
axel said:
Got a Marshall JVM 410H I'm trying to "emulate". I am currently using the Plexi1 amp sim (no cab sim) to try and get my low gain JVM tone. I have tweaked and re-tweaked on the Depth, Damp, Sag... all of the amp parameters. I am running the Axe through a dual channel mono-block tube stereo power amp (50 watts per side), which is a fairly "clean" amp with good low and high end response. I've tried it both with, and without the power amp sim, and can't even get close without the power amp sim parameters to adjust. I can hit chords, and it sounds decent. It's when I play soft/medium single notes that it sounds harsh compared to the Marshall.
Click to expand...

Try a different amp sim. I like the Plexi 1, but it is a little cutting with lower gain tones and single note runs. I know the JVM is supposed to have plexi type tones in it on the lower gain settings - but it isnt a Plexi.

Good places to start are maybe plexi 2 for a different flavour and definately try the buttery. Thats based on a buddah - which is more plexi than a plexi :lol: Its also worth having a look at the euro sims. OK there generally higher gain but the XTC there based on was a Marshall tonally.

TBH the best sims to use to emulate a certain style of amp arnt always the ones you'd expect. I have emulated my VHT 50ST - and using the hiwatt got the best results.

Also - if you really want to stick with the plexi 1 (and I know youve played with several peramiters) turn the master up around 9.0 and the sag quite high. turn the damp low and turn off the bright cap (for now at least). That should give you loads of bounce with less bite.
 
agt said:
Also - if you really want to stick with the plexi 1 (and I know youve played with several peramiters) turn the master up around 9.0 and the sag quite high. turn the damp low and turn off the bright cap (for now at least). That should give you loads of bounce with less bite.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'd agree on a lot of this.

I also struggled at first because the presets just didn't cut it for me and my setup (Axe FX Ultra -> ART SLA2 Power Amp -> 1x12 Mesa cab).

The best advice has already been given. Start from scratch and build up a simple preset with an amp block and perhaps a reverb block for ambience.

I stumbled upon the CAE3 amp sim just recently and spent about half a day tweaking it and really enjoying it. There's plenty of amps to choose from depending on your mood of the moment :)


Enjoy!
 
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