Ready to buy the Axe-Fx III - Do I need anything else?

D

DLW

Inspired
Hobby player for 30 yrs.
Do not gig. Gear stays at home.
As a result of a serious gear addiction I have 4 great amps and 10 decent ones. All tube. 12 guitars 10 cabs and about 50 pedals.
I do not record currently other than rhythm tracks to play over.

I am planning to add a small addition to the back of my house in the spring to finally have a proper jam room/mini studio/ late night place to jam and start getting into recording.

Keeping 2 amps 2 cabs and 5 pedals. Dumping the rest and buying an AXE FX III.
The price is right now and I no longer want a warehouse full of gear as a hobby player. Insanity!

Questions.....

1
Do I need anything more than the unit or do you need stuff like the cab simulator software and the other stuff on sale while your at it. Again. Right now I am not recording just playing. But I want it to sound the best it can but do not want to pay money where I do not need it if the extra stuff is mainly for recording. Its cheaper to buy the extras on sale and combine shipping at one time. I was wondering about the expression pedal but I already have good wah wah pedal that I can put into the unit for just that effect and dont need to change things on the fly as I do not gig for modulation effects etc.

Basically would you recommend buying anything else you feel is a must have with the unit for my uses?

2) Is it best to get FR/FR speakers and power unit or combined to get the best out of the unit for jamming mostly minimal recording or just go thru the power amp of a good 100w head into a guitar cab. I have Greenbacks, V30, 65’s for speakers.

I know there are variables and maybe not 100 perfect answers but just looking for honest opinions for my situation.

Thank you for any input! Dave
 
You can just use headphones and have fun but to get the best results, I recommend an FRFR monitor so you can really hear the amp and cab simulations. Check out the forum to learn about them and pros/cons. I use the Mission Gemini II (2x12) for live gigs. It's great but might be too much for home use. There are some good 1x12 FRFR monitor options out there.

The other way to monitor is to use a solid state amp and cab. Lots of folks use Matrix power amps and some sort of cab. That takes away the ability to use all the cab models/IRs but still sounds good. You have plenty of cabs so you could try them and see which one works best. So you would only need the power amp.

You could also use the Axe III as an effects only unit and run it through the effects loop of one of your amps or use the 4-cable method. For me, that would be a shame since the real strength of the Axe III is the great amp sims. They are spectacular so I suggest finding the best way to use the amp sounds and have fun with it.

This forum is excellent and can provide a lot of great practical info for getting the most out of the unit. Best of luck.
 
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Since this is for home/studio and not gigged/ moved, I would have to give you a nudge towards a w/d/w setup. I would get a pair of the best frfr wedges you can afford for the stereo out, and a nice power amp to power one of the cabs you already have for the dry signal. BOOM! Instant glorious satisfaction! :)
 
I am looking to get everything I can out of the unit including the cab simulators and amp models. Basically buying for the amps and cabs. The effects are just a plus on top.

I was wondering if my speakers and tube amp power sections may color the units sound. It sounds like the FR/ FR is ideal to run the unit with full capabilities and the other methods are fine but have some limitations. It seems to make sense to at least try FR/FR.

Thank you!

Is it recommended to purchase extra software and plug ins or do most just go with the stock unit?

Meaning is there any extras that you really should get at time of unit purchase? Things that you will regret not getting, that you consider a must and so worth it?

Thanks!
 
Well I am in a Home studio but I could not live without a foot controller. I only have the Ax8 atm but have owned all the axefx II,XL,XL+ in the past.
IMHO as far as cabs, extra software, plugs,etc, etc I would hold off until you are familiar with the unit. You are getting the cream of the crop, no plugs needed. Again, mo
 
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The frfr wedges would use both amp and cab modeling, and the power amp+cab would use amp modeling but not cab modeling...this is totally fine though....they can both be done at the same time, and sounds huge! This is how I use mine.

As far as buying any software or cab irs, I wouldn’t, I would see how you like the stock cabs.

While you’re at it though, I would recommend getting one of the FC foot controllers and a couple of EV-1 pedals since they integrate so well with the III.
 
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A decent set of studio monitors or FRFR is all you need to play. As far as your amps/cabs, all I can say is experiment with them. You never know, you may just stumble upon the elusive tone-in-your-head with a combination of the Axe III and what you already have. Try the Axe in your amps fx loops as well as in front; Axe III power amp sim on/off, cab sim on/off. No rules here, just suggestions based upon other's experience. Have fun and keep an open mind.

Everything you need is in the Axe III. No extra effects, plugins, sims, etc... are necessary. The Axe III is a stellar audio interface as well. Only software you'd possibly need would be a DAW if you plan on doing any recording.
 
There are better options but I get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from a pair of Headrush 108’s. I can’t imagine the higher costing ones yielding an equal return. For accuracy, I have a pair of Adam A7x’s but it’s the Headrush speakers that put the let the neighbors know who they are dealing with. ;)
 
I had enough pedals that I sold off and grabbed the III with a FC6. Zero regrets. Got the Gemini II speaker and I’m only playing at home atm. Worth it. Just do it because it sounds incredible and is so simple to use.
 
JoKeR III said:
A decent set of studio monitors or FRFR is all you need to play. As far as your amps/cabs, all I can say is experiment with them. You never know, you may just stumble upon the elusive tone-in-your-head with a combination of the Axe III and what you already have. Try the Axe in your amps fx loops as well as in front; Axe III power amp sim on/off, cab sim on/off. No rules here, just suggestions based upon other's experience. Have fun and keep an open mind.

Everything you need is in the Axe III. No extra effects, plugins, sims, etc... are necessary. The Axe III is a stellar audio interface as well. Only software you'd possibly need would be a DAW if you plan on doing any recording.
Click to expand...

sorry to hijack this thread. Im currently using a scarlett 6i6 audio interface. I have it to monitor both backing tracks from my laptop and AX8 which I formerly own. Im soon to be an Axe III owner (yippee!) and am wondering if I would still need the scarlett for the same purpose or I could using still jam along with backing track from my laptop through Axe III as my AI. Greatly appreciate you advice guys!
 
teof said:
sorry to hijack this thread. Im currently using a scarlett 6i6 audio interface. I have it to monitor both backing tracks from my laptop and AX8 which I formerly own. Im soon to be an Axe III owner (yippee!) and am wondering if I would still need the scarlett for the same purpose or I could using still jam along with backing track from my laptop through Axe III as my AI. Greatly appreciate you advice guys!
Click to expand...
You can use the Axe III in place of your Scarlett. When connected via USB and you have the Axe III setup, simply select the Axe III as the audio source on your laptop. The Axe-Fx III is a full-blown audio interface, information about the interface features are found in the manual.
 
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JoKeR III said:
You can use the Axe III in place of your Scarlett. When connected via USB and you have the Axe III setup, simply select the Axe III as the audio source on your laptop. The Axe-Fx III is a full-blown audio interface, information about the interface features are found in the manual.
Click to expand...


Awesome! Thanks so much for the info bro!
 
I have a set of Harbinger 15” powered speakers 600w peak about 200w which would have enough volume and low end but pretty sure the AXE needs something of higher sound quality to do it justice and get the most out of it. Will look further into the brands and models mentioned.

I appreciate all the info as it was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!
 
Do people ever use sub woofers with the AXE? Not sure if those frequency are even used or needed with guitar?

Asking because I was looking on Sweetwater at one of the ones mentioned above the Presonus Eris 8 and they had a 10 inch subwoofer in a package which made it like $225 off if you bought the 2 monitors and the subwoofer. I will look at all the ones mentioned though. Just wondering if people use subwoofers.
 
hi dlw and an early welcome!

1/ nothing else required except maybe a foot controller - very useful to have. Also, an expression pedal is great so you can choose what type of wah pedal you want, and for volume swells etc.

2/ in your position, I’d be looking at the best studio monitors you can afford.

i reckon you’ll have no amps or cabs in a couple of years ;-)

thanks
pauly

DLW said:
Hobby player for 30 yrs.
Do not gig. Gear stays at home.
As a result of a serious gear addiction I have 4 great amps and 10 decent ones. All tube. 12 guitars 10 cabs and about 50 pedals.
I do not record currently other than rhythm tracks to play over.

I am planning to add a small addition to the back of my house in the spring to finally have a proper jam room/mini studio/ late night place to jam and start getting into recording.

Keeping 2 amps 2 cabs and 5 pedals. Dumping the rest and buying an AXE FX III.
The price is right now and I no longer want a warehouse full of gear as a hobby player. Insanity!

Questions.....

1
Do I need anything more than the unit or do you need stuff like the cab simulator software and the other stuff on sale while your at it. Again. Right now I am not recording just playing. But I want it to sound the best it can but do not want to pay money where I do not need it if the extra stuff is mainly for recording. Its cheaper to buy the extras on sale and combine shipping at one time. I was wondering about the expression pedal but I already have good wah wah pedal that I can put into the unit for just that effect and dont need to change things on the fly as I do not gig for modulation effects etc.

Basically would you recommend buying anything else you feel is a must have with the unit for my uses?

2) Is it best to get FR/FR speakers and power unit or combined to get the best out of the unit for jamming mostly minimal recording or just go thru the power amp of a good 100w head into a guitar cab. I have Greenbacks, V30, 65’s for speakers.

I know there are variables and maybe not 100 perfect answers but just looking for honest opinions for my situation.

Thank you for any input! Dave
Click to expand...
 
HI

just got a pair of ERis E5 for small desktop usage: really great. AFX3 is clear, accurate & punchy. But I had too 12" FRFR pair+sub 12" for playback/backingtrack.
If you don't want 12" FRFR mono or stereo, then a unique pair of ERis E8 is great with AFX3. The sub usage is just for backingtrack (drum, bass, keys). the Temblor T10 is just gret. A ERis8 will give you enough lows for guitars.
 
Is there a big difference between the regular older Eris 8’s and the newer Eris 8 XT’s for ACE3 use? The price on Amazon is like double for the newer XT’s.
 
JoKeR III said:
You can use the Axe III in place of your Scarlett. When connected via USB and you have the Axe III setup, simply select the Axe III as the audio source on your laptop. The Axe-Fx III is a full-blown audio interface, information about the interface features are found in the manual.
Click to expand...

Does the iii have better i/o as an interface than the beginner stuff? I meant to look it up but havent gotten around to it.
 
Budda said:
Does the iii have better i/o as an interface than the beginner stuff? I meant to look it up but havent gotten around to it.
Click to expand...
Yes. The technical specs are floating around somewhere, but I remember everything was top of the line.
 
I am a home player as well. All you really need is a pair of decent studio monitors. I have a set of Eris 8 speakers (the older version) and they are phenomenal with the Axe III (and anything else I throw at them for that matter).

Decent studio monitors are a no brainier for home/studio use - you get high sound quality, a flat response, and stereo in one package. And you can use them for mixing/producing, listening to music or playing games to boot.

A foot controller would be nice, but not mandatory for your use case IMO. I keep tossing up whether to get one, but I just use Axe Edit in my PC to control the Axe III and it is really all you need, unless you need/want to record guitar parts with different sounds in one take. As a point of reference, I had an AX8 for years and never used the footswitches. It sat on my desk and I used Axe Edit for everything :shock:

An expression pedal or two is really handy though for wah/volume/effect control.
 
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