Let me preface this by saying yes i am a tube guy but i have nothing but praise for Cliff and the genius he put into the Axe-FX. So my post isnt coming from the mind of a tube snob, but someone looking to pickup a great unit to compliment my Roadster.
I've seen the 4CM talked to death and i've been pondering a different type of setup for a while now and wanted to know what you guys think, the better fit for an fx unit and other gear i'd need that i maybe over looking... i apoligize in advance for a long post.
1. Here's what i've been thinking in terms of a setup. I'm currently using a Mesa Roadster head which I love and want to run a stereo fx setup. So I'm thinking of running the Mesa as my dry signal in hard bypass mode which takes the fx loop circuit out of the signal path. By doing that i'd use the slave out into my fx unit (discussed in #2) and then use the stereo outs of the fx unit into either 2 powered speakers or a stereo power amp into two traditional speakers. In my mind by doing that i can have the Mesa running in its purest state (which i find it performs best in) and have high quality fx running in stereo and be able to mix my wet/dry to my liking naturally and not fully rely on how well the fx unit responds to my amp. Also to route my signal I use an RJM RG16 because it controls my amp channel/function switching, keeps my pedals/fx units (OCD and Maxon EQ) in loops to pull in and out of my signal path and controls the patch switching of units like the AXE-FX via midi. I mention that because the RG16 will give me tons of routing options as far as putting things like synths and wahs in front in a pseudo-4CM but will allow me to totally remove them if needed without having to worry about signal degredation through what every i put infront.
2. Now on to what fx unit. Currently I'm torn between 2: the Axe-Fx and the Eventide Eclipse. Keep in mind the first priority of this unit will be for time based fx like delay, reverb and chorus as i'm not much of a flange or phaser guy. the idea of intelligent pitch shifting is also very cool but not top priority. Amp Sims and Drive fx are an after thought but would be a nice cherry on top. I have limited experience with both... demo'd an eclipse in a studio and loved it but never really got the opportunity to really play around, especially in the type of setup i'm looking into. An aquaintance of mine (friend of a friend) bought a Standard about 6 months ago and I was able to hear it live at a show and play around with it for maybe 5 minutes while they were setting up. It sounded amazing but again not enough time on the unit and he was using it with a VHT 2:90:2 using it as his preamp and fx unit which again is different then the way i'm looking to set it up. With all of that said, especially those who have used both with a tube amp.... which unit did you find a better compliment to your amp? Again i'm into reverbs and delays more than anything else but from the clips i've heard of each on youtube and both company's websites, both seem to deliver in spades. I am a tweaker but always prefer a unit that's easy to use and doesnt necessarily NEED to be tweaked... good factory presets to work with are always a huge plus. So i believe both units have the capability, but some units work better than others with certain amps... also ignore the price difference as i'm more concerned with finding the right unit not the right price.
3. So my last question is about what other gera i might need that i havn't thought of. rack mixers gte brought up a lot but for the setup i'm looking at i'm not sure if its a necessity. Also in some of the threads i've seen mention of some Radial products to help reduce noise but since i'm not running the true 4CM do you think i'll have to worry about the noise due to the too many AD/DA conversions?
I really appreciate forums like this and from the threads I've seen there seems to be a great wealth of knowledge (recognize a few names from the ION forum from when i had my vetta).
I've seen the 4CM talked to death and i've been pondering a different type of setup for a while now and wanted to know what you guys think, the better fit for an fx unit and other gear i'd need that i maybe over looking... i apoligize in advance for a long post.
1. Here's what i've been thinking in terms of a setup. I'm currently using a Mesa Roadster head which I love and want to run a stereo fx setup. So I'm thinking of running the Mesa as my dry signal in hard bypass mode which takes the fx loop circuit out of the signal path. By doing that i'd use the slave out into my fx unit (discussed in #2) and then use the stereo outs of the fx unit into either 2 powered speakers or a stereo power amp into two traditional speakers. In my mind by doing that i can have the Mesa running in its purest state (which i find it performs best in) and have high quality fx running in stereo and be able to mix my wet/dry to my liking naturally and not fully rely on how well the fx unit responds to my amp. Also to route my signal I use an RJM RG16 because it controls my amp channel/function switching, keeps my pedals/fx units (OCD and Maxon EQ) in loops to pull in and out of my signal path and controls the patch switching of units like the AXE-FX via midi. I mention that because the RG16 will give me tons of routing options as far as putting things like synths and wahs in front in a pseudo-4CM but will allow me to totally remove them if needed without having to worry about signal degredation through what every i put infront.
2. Now on to what fx unit. Currently I'm torn between 2: the Axe-Fx and the Eventide Eclipse. Keep in mind the first priority of this unit will be for time based fx like delay, reverb and chorus as i'm not much of a flange or phaser guy. the idea of intelligent pitch shifting is also very cool but not top priority. Amp Sims and Drive fx are an after thought but would be a nice cherry on top. I have limited experience with both... demo'd an eclipse in a studio and loved it but never really got the opportunity to really play around, especially in the type of setup i'm looking into. An aquaintance of mine (friend of a friend) bought a Standard about 6 months ago and I was able to hear it live at a show and play around with it for maybe 5 minutes while they were setting up. It sounded amazing but again not enough time on the unit and he was using it with a VHT 2:90:2 using it as his preamp and fx unit which again is different then the way i'm looking to set it up. With all of that said, especially those who have used both with a tube amp.... which unit did you find a better compliment to your amp? Again i'm into reverbs and delays more than anything else but from the clips i've heard of each on youtube and both company's websites, both seem to deliver in spades. I am a tweaker but always prefer a unit that's easy to use and doesnt necessarily NEED to be tweaked... good factory presets to work with are always a huge plus. So i believe both units have the capability, but some units work better than others with certain amps... also ignore the price difference as i'm more concerned with finding the right unit not the right price.
3. So my last question is about what other gera i might need that i havn't thought of. rack mixers gte brought up a lot but for the setup i'm looking at i'm not sure if its a necessity. Also in some of the threads i've seen mention of some Radial products to help reduce noise but since i'm not running the true 4CM do you think i'll have to worry about the noise due to the too many AD/DA conversions?
I really appreciate forums like this and from the threads I've seen there seems to be a great wealth of knowledge (recognize a few names from the ION forum from when i had my vetta).
