New to Fractal...looking for AX8 rig advice

M

Miseria

Member
Howdy folks -

Looking to build a rig from scratch around the AX8. I'm primarily a home player, but want to be able to jam with friends and play the occasional small bar gig. Maybe some church usage as well. I play (not well, but hey) all kinds of music from metal to country. From my research the AX8 really sounds like it will give me the versatility I crave and be an awesome tool for using with my Apollo Twin/Logic for recording.

My question - I don't know WTF to do re: FRFR or power amp and cap.

Lately I've been playing through amp sims in my Apollo Twin with studio monitors half the time and also through a 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb + tons of pedals the rest. I vastly prefer the feel from the Deluxe - though I get better recordings when using UAD sims.

Are any of the FRFR solutions similar in feel to a amp in a room? Maybe the Friedman or the new Line 6 powered cab? How do these work when jamming with a bassist + drummer when no PA is present (I want a big, full heavy tone)?

Or would I be better off getting a power amp and an Orange 2x12 or something similar?

Thanks in advance!
 
Search the forum for "amp in the room"... There's a lot of discussion on this topic (although the term should really be "cab in the room").

Ultimately there is really no feasible way to get a real cab in the room sound from FRFR, but you can still get great tones from them. Some people prefer one, some the other.

If you like the sound from your studio monitors, you'll be fine with FRFR.

The biggest downside to using a real guitar cab is that you lose the option to use different IRs.
 
How do the products like the powered Friedman cab or Line 6 powered cab perform? These claim to capture the amp in a room aspect but I'm curious if that is marketing talk or reality.
 
Miseria said:
How do the products like the powered Friedman cab or Line 6 powered cab perform? These claim to capture the amp in a room aspect but I'm curious if that is marketing talk or reality.
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Anything that is actually FRFR and used to play back sound using an IR is, in general, the same.
 
If you want versatility based on all your different genres you are probably better off with a powered speaker FR solution. The ASM is great and does a pretty decent cab in the room if dialed in well. Easily keeps up with a loud drummer.
 
Miseria said:
Howdy folks -

Looking to build a rig from scratch around the AX8. I'm primarily a home player, but want to be able to jam with friends and play the occasional small bar gig. Maybe some church usage as well. I play (not well, but hey) all kinds of music from metal to country. From my research the AX8 really sounds like it will give me the versatility I crave and be an awesome tool for using with my Apollo Twin/Logic for recording.

My question - I don't know WTF to do re: FRFR or power amp and cap.

Lately I've been playing through amp sims in my Apollo Twin with studio monitors half the time and also through a 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb + tons of pedals the rest. I vastly prefer the feel from the Deluxe - though I get better recordings when using UAD sims.

Are any of the FRFR solutions similar in feel to a amp in a room? Maybe the Friedman or the new Line 6 powered cab? How do these work when jamming with a bassist + drummer when no PA is present (I want a big, full heavy tone)?

Or would I be better off getting a power amp and an Orange 2x12 or something similar?

Thanks in advance!
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The two big differences between a Power Amp and Cab and an FR solution is 1, coverage 2, versatility!

I will say based on polls that have been done here in the past the majority of people here use FR including myself. I haven't played through a guitar cab in over 10 years. I feel the tones I get from the AX8 using I/R's with FR are just fine.

Weather you run CLR, Xitone, Freidman or ? each have their own uneek differences. I would highly recommend demoing monitoring solutions first before you settle on one.
 
I've been running ax8/axe2 through power amp and cabs for a few years now. The only frfr experience I have is through studio monitors. I've absolutely loved the hell out of this setup, but I pretty much only play metal (including the various clean and mid gain type tones ... Not just high gain). That said, I've decided recently to give frfr a shot and ordered a passive xitone this afternoon. I don't play with a drummer but I do play with another guitarist running a Mesa though a 4x12. I'll definitely be putting the xitone through the ringer comparing it to my own cabs and to keeping up with his, so I'll have a more well rounded experience to share hopefully soon.

I do think that traditional cabs get a bad rap here, especially with regards to versatility. Sure they might eliminate the millions of different ir's you could use frfr, but a lot of people here seem to imply that one cab can do one sound and you're just stuck with a one trick pony, which is ridiculous IMHO.
 
ChainOfThought said:
I do think that traditional cabs get a bad rap here, especially with regards to versatility. Sure they might eliminate the millions of different ir's you could use frfr, but a lot of people here seem to imply that one cab can do one sound and you're just stuck with a one trick pony, which is ridiculous IMHO.
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I wouldn't say they get a bad rap but rather their shortcomings are exposed! as to versatility it is what it is. With the plethora of I/R's I will agree with you their! It's a vast sea of tones that for the most part have slight differences for a lot of them. I only use 3-4 I/Rs and pretty much ignore the rest. Truth be told a V30 is never going to sound like a Blue.

The biggest reason I like FR is the coverage area, weather it's backline or a monitor or side fill. An FR cab is going to be far superior to a guitar cab in that respect.
 
ChainOfThought said:
I've been running ax8/axe2 through power amp and cabs for a few years now. The only frfr experience I have is through studio monitors. I've absolutely loved the hell out of this setup, but I pretty much only play metal (including the various clean and mid gain type tones ... Not just high gain). That said, I've decided recently to give frfr a shot and ordered a passive xitone this afternoon. I don't play with a drummer but I do play with another guitarist running a Mesa though a 4x12. I'll definitely be putting the xitone through the ringer comparing it to my own cabs and to keeping up with his, so I'll have a more well rounded experience to share hopefully soon.

I do think that traditional cabs get a bad rap here, especially with regards to versatility. Sure they might eliminate the millions of different ir's you could use frfr, but a lot of people here seem to imply that one cab can do one sound and you're just stuck with a one trick pony, which is ridiculous IMHO.
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I probably phrased my initial question poorly. I primarily play metal but like to dabble in a ton of other genres. I think being able to feel like I'm playing amp in a practice setting with drummer is more important to me than versatility. I guess my question boils down to if I can get that feeling from a FRFR or if a amp/power cab will get me there.
 
When I get my xitone I'll do my best to answer the question. So far though I just don't have any experience with the frfr side.

A power amp and cab will obviously get you there though. Basically imagine having a warehouse full of heads that you can pick out and stack on your cab... That's basically how it is with an ax8 and a real cab.
 
ChainOfThought said:
When I get my xitone I'll do my best to answer the question. So far though I just don't have any experience with the frfr side.

A power amp and cab will obviously get you there though. Basically imagine having a warehouse full of heads that you can pick out and stack on your cab... That's basically how it is with an ax8 and a real cab.
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That's what I was wondering - was thinking of getting a decent ss power amp (quilter?) and something like a Orange 2x12 with v30s in it. I could use that to jam then run any IR I want with my studio monitors for recording.
 
Yea, it's a solid way to go. I use a Vader 2x12 as my primary cab and then I've added in various other cabs for flavor but most recently I'm just running the Vader alone. I use a second output to go straight into the DAW to record at rehearsal. I don't do any gigging or anything so I don't have that aspect to deal with. My rig lives in our rehearsal space and doesn't move. I use a matrix gt1000fx and love it. People seem to really like the quilters, Seymour Duncan power stage stuff and maybe some others out there.
 
It's easier to get used to modeling one step at a time, just as another thought it is a solid choice to start with a power amp and cab, get used to that, then try a frfr speaker down the road
 
The way I did this was to use my guitar cabs and FR system and run the power amp and cab in the loop and find the I/R that sounded closest to my cab then dial in the FR tone to match. It's best to use a SS power amp to do this that way you can use the power amp sims.

Once I had done that the guitar cabs went by by.
 
Get a great FRFR like an Atomic CLR.
Atomic CLR's made it possible for me to match many of my presets to the tones of my favorite amps (vintage, boutique and off the shelf plain janes) and once matched and often bettered I sold most of the amps as I simply wasn't using them.
It's so nice to have one rig that can go everywhere and do everything.
 
Rocket Brother said:
Get a great FRFR like an Atomic CLR.
Atomic CLR's made it possible for me to match many of my presets to the tones of my favorite amps (vintage, boutique and off the shelf plain janes) and once matched and often bettered I sold most of the amps as I simply wasn't using them.
It's so nice to have one rig that can go everywhere and do everything.
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The only reason I didn't go that route straight away is that I've read many people on here say that FRFR sounds/feels weak when playing heavy music.

I'm kind of waiting to see how the new Line 6 Powercabs are reviewed - they claim to give the amp in a room vibe....not sure if it is marketing talk or not.
 
I took the plunge and ordered my AX8....going to just
ChainOfThought said:
When I get my xitone I'll do my best to answer the question. So far though I just don't have any experience with the frfr side.

A power amp and cab will obviously get you there though. Basically imagine having a warehouse full of heads that you can pick out and stack on your cab... That's basically how it is with an ax8 and a real cab.
Click to expand...

Went ahead and pulled the trigger on the AX8 unit. Will likely play through my studio monitors until I can make up my damned mind!

Strongly leaning towards they SD Powerstage and a 2x12 Orange cab BUT the new Line 6 Powercabs look very tempting....2 of those in stereo might be really cool as well.
 
Miseria said:
I took the plunge and ordered my AX8....going to just


Went ahead and pulled the trigger on the AX8 unit. Will likely play through my studio monitors until I can make up my damned mind!

Strongly leaning towards they SD Powerstage and a 2x12 Orange cab BUT the new Line 6 Powercabs look very tempting....2 of those in stereo might be really cool as well.
Click to expand...

What makes the Line 6 powered cabs look so much more inviting than say Xitone or CLR? The price difference is not that much between the two.
 
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