Welcome! You'll find you're in a great community, and many of us have had similar experiences learning to get the most out of the AxeFX for our individual applications.The WIKI is a great resource as well.
Using the AxeFX is a joy. It also takes a little adjustment, and in order to ramp up smoothly on the platform, consider a few recommendations:
(1) Don't attempt to start from scratch. Make use of the presets as a starting point. Find tones that are "in the ballpark" for you, and tweak them. Use these as your initial user presets as you become familiar with the AxeFX.
(2) Each session when you are practicing / programming with the AxeFX, spend a little time experimenting with alternate amps and cabs. Take those initial presets you stored for your own use, and see how they sound with different amp heads / cabs. Switch out the mics. Most of us are pretty familiar with effects, but also experiment with them as well.
(3) Make sure you explore options for parallel processing. Split your signal path to two amps, and use separate effect chains on them. Mix them together at the end of the signal path.
(4) Every so often, spend time trying to build a preset completely from scratch. At first it'll be daunting. Once you've done it a few times, you'll start to get a sense of which amps / combos and signal routing is most favorable for you. Compare that with the signal routing in the presets, too. The signal path design is a big part of your preset, so leverage the great sounds that are provided in each new update.
(5) When working with in-ears, stereo is your friend. A mono feed may not give you any sense of spatialization, and some users actually get dizzy / nauseous from a mono in-ear feed. Remember : the stereo soundfield won't move when you move your head around, and you may take some time getting accustomed to it. I always recommend practicing the way you'll play : stand up, use your same rig, and same feeds.
Enjoy the ride! I *love* my AxeFX. I tour and record with the AxeFX as my complete platform, and I have never been happier with any piece of equipment.
