New guy thread

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Birdy5150

Member
I apologise in advance as I'm sure these threads are many and infuriate you all, but I have looked for some of these answers and come up short and so if you dont mind I would love some feedback.

Im a 48 yo guy who has promised himself the AX8 as a reward for turning a few things around in my life (weight etc). I have a couple more months to go. Initially I wanted the Axe Fx 2 but the more I look into it, I think the AX8 si what I need and the $$$$ savings is worth it for me compared to the loss of features/functionality. I have recently just given up gigging regularly in a covers band which was playing good rooms in Sydney. My guitar rig at present consists of EVH Wolfgang into a 5150 Combo with an old Boss GT3 in the effects loop (the least versatile rig in existance).The majority of what I want this unit to do is playing in a home studio and recording. Not ruling out gigging in the future though. Musical references for me are EVH, Lukather, Timmons, Gilmour, usual suspects.

Please help me out with the following:

Output - I intend to use this in my home studio, at this stage without a dedicated power amp or cab. I intend (hope) to connect the AX8 to my Audiobox USB interface via XLR cable and then to my Yamaha powered monitors. This will work?

Output Levels - I have very limited experience with modern units and Im currently using a Boss GT3 multi effects. The bane of this old unit is that if I edit anything I have to go through the whole signal chain and balance ins & outs. is this the same with the AX8? If I am using a patch and I add an effect, god forbid a drive, do I also have to go through and balance outputs?

CPU Usage - The obvious difference between the Axe Fx 2 & the AX8 is CPU power and I understand that I cant use two amps or cabs for this reason (I dont think I would miss it) and if I add too many effects it will max out but I anticipate using Amp > Cab > Chorus > Delay > Reverb. I cant imagine using more than that, maybe a drive infront for solos. Will it handle that? Will I still be able to to use the "Ultra" cabs under that Load?

General - Is it really that good, will it make my life complete? - Just kidding, I cant wait to get it.

Any help with the above would be great/
 
Q1 : Yes, it'll work.
Q2 : Unless you add blocks that increase the overall volume level you should be fine. No big problem to adjust the blocks to your needs. Has never been a problem for me so not sure why the GT3 was so much trouble for you. With just the AX8 going into the audio interface all you need to do is to adjust the output level of the AX8.
Q2 : there are many ways to reduce the CPU demand of the reverb block in case you go beyond the limit. Your example will not get you beyond that limit.
 
What he ^ said... And to answer General... It really IS that good.

Lastly, as I've found out, no one in this forum really gets irritated with questions that have been answered in the past. they're really helpful to point you in the right direction, if not answering you outright. This forum is unlike any i have ever been a part of. Very few egos here and its really welcoming...
 
Welcome Glenn...Nice Post!..The chain you mention as an example should not be an issue at all..Most of my presets are compressor\drive\amp\cab\Volume Block\chorus\delay\delay. Usually one delay and the reverb are configured parallel.
I found for my purpose, that using a small mixer makes for a nice recording setup.Certainly not a necessity though....Have fun-you will not be disappointed!
 
Get the AX8 and don't look back. You will have no regrets! And yes, I agree this forum stands out from other forums in that people here seem really interested in helping regardless of your level of sophistication with your gear. Cheers!
 
ChristThePhone said:
Q1 : Yes, it'll work.
Q2 : Unless you add blocks that increase the overall volume level you should be fine. No big problem to adjust the blocks to your needs. Has never been a problem for me so not sure why the GT3 was so much trouble for you. With just the AX8 going into the audio interface all you need to do is to adjust the output level of the AX8.
Q2 : there are many ways to reduce the CPU demand of the reverb block in case you go beyond the limit. Your example will not get you beyond that limit.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. Trouble with the GT3 was unless you manually balanced each effect, it was effectively multiple gain stages in the chain and you could get clipping from any stage. For example a delay could cause clipping because the output level of this effect would be too high. Making it worse was the unit had TERRIBLE meters that consisted of about 4 blocks that were very unresponsive. Hoping technology has advance a bit in the ensuing 20 or so years.
 
mrtheedge2u said:
What he ^ said... And to answer General... It really IS that good.

Lastly, as I've found out, no one in this forum really gets irritated with questions that have been answered in the past. they're really helpful to point you in the right direction, if not answering you outright. This forum is unlike any i have ever been a part of. Very few egos here and its really welcoming...
Click to expand...
Thank you, Im enjoying the forum already.
 
Glenn Bird said:
Thanks for the info. Trouble with the GT3 was unless you manually balanced each effect, it was effectively multiple gain stages in the chain and you could get clipping from any stage. For example a delay could cause clipping because the output level of this effect would be too high. Making it worse was the unit had TERRIBLE meters that consisted of about 4 blocks that were very unresponsive. Hoping technology has advance a bit in the ensuing 20 or so years.
Click to expand...

Technically the same could happen on the AX8 but it's very unlikely. AFAIK every block has an output level dial which I usually leave where the default is. The only exception in my case is the drive block in front of the amp and the cab block to control scene volume levels. With this approach I had never any internal clipping issues so far.
 
bishop5150 said:
Welcome. You will love it. You've taken your first step into a larger world.
Click to expand...

I'm really looking forward to it. Funny thing is its going against everything I've always thought/believed/said. Im a total tube snob to the extent I'll only but Eurotubes for my 5150 but I am craving versatility and my creativity is suffering from lack of options. I am excited about the opportunities.
 
ChristThePhone said:
Technically the same could happen on the AX8 but it's very unlikely. AFAIK every block has an output level dial which I usually leave where the default is. The only exception in my case is the drive block in front of the amp and the cab block to control scene volume levels. With this approach I had never any internal clipping issues so far.
Click to expand...

Thanks again
 
Glenn Bird said:
My guitar rig at present consists of EVH Wolfgang into a 5150 Combo with an old Boss GT3 in the effects loop
Click to expand...

Welcome from another 5150 combo user! I sold most of my old gear and what few amps I had to get the AX8 but won't part with my 5150 combo. Sounds much better than the 5150 120w head I used to have. And the AX8 sounds pretty good running through it.
 
Thanks for this post Glenn and to all those who replied.

I posted a similar question on the AFX2 thread last night. Upon looking around further (and mildly dying inside because I don't want to have to sell one of my mayonii to purchase the fx2) I noticed the AX8. I don't do any recording (yet) and am not currently gigging. For the price point and what I want out of it (great tones and versatility for the bedroom shred) this thing is a no brainer. Effects arent part of my usual routine, I'm more of a high gain amp, noise gate, compressor, EQ, guitar kind of guy but I do like delving into the psychedelic from time to time muahaha.

Just looking at the amp model list is enough to justify this purchase outright. You can get your hands on so many ridiculous amps for less then the cost of one of them.

TAKE MY MONEY
 
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