New Axe-FX User... Help me clone my rig?

Z

Zach Herbert

New Member
Just received my Axe-FX and am trying to figure out how to clone my existing rig. Thought I'd post here to ask advice before I do too much trial and error...

I've been looking at all the tutorials and guides on amp cloning and tone matching and I am assuming that the Axe-FX can reproduce my sound, but it looks like I might have to get creative in the setup. I'm currently using a MesaBoogie m2000 and a Line 6 Pod x3 Pro to get my sound. The m2000 has a dual pre amp (tube + solid state) which sends a mix to the Line 6 via the effects loop. The Line 6 adds a virtual SVT amp and cab and a few other effects and then returns to the power amp section on the m2000 (and then out to a Mesa/Boogie cab).

Rig.jpg

The result is that it sounds like I am playing through 3 separate amps at once and I have a lot of tone control in my hands. I love the sound but I don't love the 200lbs of rig that comes with it... Hence, buying the Axe-FX...

But I see that the Axe-FX can only add 2 amps to a preset... So how do I replicate my physical rig?

I'm assuming that I can tone match the tube+SS pre amp on the m2000 as a single tone match without issue. And I can make an IR of my cab. And I assume that the built in SVT amp and cab in the Axe-FX will crush the one from the Line 6... so I wasn't even going to run a tone match for that.

But how do I get both signal paths routed to a tone match of the m2000 power amp? Even if I combine the tube and SS pre amps, I still have [combined pre] + [virtual SVT] + [tone matched power amp]... So is it possible to to replicate my normal signal chain? Or am I going to have to simplify the path and see how close I can get?

How would you do it?

Thanks for any input!
 
I would have plugged the Axe-fx to the poweramp/cab, bypassed the cab-sim and checked out what the AXE-II have to offer.
 
Have you thought about tone matching the Slave Out or Line Out on the M2000 to match the sound of the tube and SS together? Another option is to tone match just the tube preamp and run a compressor and Parametric EQ block parallel to the Tone Match to simulate the SS preamp. Or put an Amp block and PEQ in parallel and combine them before the TMA block then Tone Match the Amp/PEQ to the Slave or Line Out of the M2000. You have a lot of options, don't get lost in your setup and remember to make music.

Where I would really start is not using Tone Match until you determine you need it - try the Axe's Amp models and cabs and see what you can get. With the routing options in the Axe you could use the same approach as your diagram.

If you determine you need tone match to get your sound you could tone match one of the Mesa channels and export it to an IR and load that in a Cab block, then Tone Match the other Mesa channel and leave that in the TMA block.
 
What if you come into the matrix, and have an amp1 in audio path 1, amp 2 in path 2, and go completely around both of those in path 3, and put a compressor and parametric EQ into that path, so that you are replicating the "solid state" part of your old signal chain, with your direct bass signal. If it were me, I would combine the amp1 and 2 into a cab, but I would continue the audio path for path 3 and not recombine it back to the main chain until after the cabinets. Then I would turn it up and down and blend your direct bass tone with the amp simulations. But I'm not a bass player, so that is all hypothetical.
 
Thanks for the suggestions! I did try matching the line out from the m2000 and got a reasonably good match, but I didn't realize that the AxeFX could only have one TMA block... so that blew Plan A.

As for Plan B, I think that I will start by matching as much as I can manually on the individual signal chains and then tone match the final output of the m2000 by micing the cab. It's also good to know that I can convert a TMA block to a CAB if I need to... Thanks for that tip!

Next question then... How does the AxeFX handle a cab IR when it does the tone match? Is each one just an eq preset that gets applied from left to right in the grid? I think I don't understand how to tone match the final output by micing the cab, and then remove the influence of the cab from the tone match block when I am done... Otherwise, aren't I doubling up on the cab if I play the new axe fx preset through the old cabinet?
 
You could export a Tone Match to an IR and load that IR in a cab block (the Axe allows 2 cab blocks) then use the Tone Match block for a second Tone Match in your setup.

If you will always be playing through your cab then an IR of that cab isn't necessary.. If you plan on using FRFR sometimes and your cab others then you can use the global cab bypass parameter when using your cab, but if you're also using a cab block to store a Tone Match then globally turning cabs off will bypass that cab too, Maybe use scenes to use/bypass the IR of your cab or a preset with the cab IR and one without.

Be open to the possibility that while shooting Tone Matches and IRs trying to replicate your rig, that you may come across an approach in the Axe that sounds better than your old rig.
 
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Why not just try building a new rig from scratch around the Axe-FX II? :?

You never know...You might find something that is a lot simpler and sounds a lot better.
 
Thanks for the feedback! I'll see what I can do. :)

As for looking for a new sound in the Axe FX... I fully intend to. But if I can clone my old rig, then I'll probably sell it.

And even if I can come up with a new sound that I like better, that doesn't mean that I'll never want to use my old sound again! ;)
 
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