Setup + rack

F

FrioneL

New Member
Hello guys!

I'm about to buy an Axe Fx 2 and as it is a bit expensive, I want to be sure I have everything settled. I have a couple of doubts:

1) I don't have much space in my room right now, so I was planning about putting the axe fx 2 under my screen (which is a 32" and a heavy ass one). To do this, I was looking for a rack, so it supports the weight... and I found this one: http://www.thomann.de/es/thon_rack_2he_eco_ii_compact.htm

I've never used a rack, so I'm not sure if axe fx 2 would fit in this one, the rack dimensions are "53,5 x 14,5 x 33,5mm" and the axe fx 2 are "48,3 × 8,8 × 30,5 cm", so it should work, isn't it?

2) I've been wondering about how to connect it to my computer. I've seen many people sending its audio through an external audio interface, and through it, to the computer by usb. BUT, the axe fx 2 already has support for usb... why do I need then another external audio interface?

I would really appreciate some help with these two doubts.

Cheers!!
 
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My advice is to get a rack that's a decent amount deeper to leave room for cables if you plan to take it to gigs or something. If it's a permanent fixture, you're all good.
 
Racks are racks are racks, they're universal. The axe fx takes up 2 racks spaces, so as long as the one you are buying it as least 2 spaces big, or 2u, you're golden
And yeah make sure its a deep rack, some are shallow.
 
The rack you mentioned is not deep enough.

Make sure it's deeper than 14.25 inches or 362 mm (these values are taken directly from the manual; not sure where you got the 30,5 cms from?).

If you want a THON rack (they are great, albeit a bit heavy, but no reason to pay extra if you don't expect to carry it around much), they also have 40cm versions.


Regarding USB cables:
jandjrs said:
You can use the one from your printer as I do.
Click to expand...
I tried 3 different printer cables; they all bugged the fuck out of my DAW. I often had sound glitches and driver drop-outs (once a sound glitch almost killed my speakers).
Then I tried a higher quality USB cable, now everything works fine.

Conclusion: printer cables are cheap junk you definitely don't want near your Axe. You might be lucky. But chances are you don't.
 
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Zwiebelchen said:
The rack you mentioned is not deep enough.

Make sure it's deeper than 14.25 inches or 362 mm (these values are taken directly from the manual; not sure where you got the 30,5 cms from?).

If you want a THON rack (they are great, albeit a bit heavy, but no reason to pay extra if you don't expect to carry it around much), they also have 40cm versions.


Regarding USB cables:

I tried 3 different printer cables; they all bugged the fuck out of my DAW. I often had sound glitches and driver drop-outs (once a sound glitch almost killed my speakers).
Then I tried a higher quality USB cable, now everything works fine.

Conclusion: printer cables are cheap junk you definitely don't want near your Axe. You might be lucky. But chances are you don't.
Click to expand...

Can you confirm that size? I'm trying to find it in the manual but I can't.

I saw it in the wiki: Axe-Fx II: hardware - Axe-Fx II Wiki
 
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FrioneL said:
Can you confirm that size? I'm trying to find it in the manual but I can't.

I saw it in the wiki: Axe-Fx II: hardware - Axe-Fx II Wiki
Click to expand...
You can find it under paragraph 17.1 "Axe-Fx II XL Specifications" in the user manual:

Powder coated steel chassis with anodized aluminum faceplate
Display: 160x80 dot matrix graphic LCD
Dimensions: 19” × 3.5” × 14.25” (483 × 88 × 362 mm)
Weight: 14.75 lbs (6.7 kg)
Input Voltage: 100–240 VAC, 47 – 63 Hz (universal input)
Power Consumption: <40 W
Backup Battery Life: >10 years
Backup Battery Type: CR-2032
Click to expand...

Though, I have a Gator rackbag which has a nominal depth of 14" (35.5 cm) and it fits in pretty well.

Thinking about it, I have an idea where the discrepancy stems from:
362 mm is with the front panel handles, 305 mm is without.
So yeah, if we apply that logic, the 33.5 cm rack might be enough. But you'll certainly not be able to leave cables plugged-in.
 
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fromthebark said:
Racks are racks are racks, they're universal. The axe fx takes up 2 racks spaces, so as long as the one you are buying it as least 2 spaces big, or 2u, you're golden
And yeah make sure its a deep rack, some are shallow.
Click to expand...

Racks are not universal: the size of the front is universal, but the lenght is not, as mentioned by others. And the different model of Axe FX have different size (Ultra is shorter than the 2 or the XL if I remember correctly): so be careful if you see a picture of a rack with an Axe Fx Ultra, it might not fit your AF2.

I've tried 2 racks so far with the Axe Fx XL :
- Millenium Rack Bag 3 (Thomann, 38€).
- Gator GRR-4L (~100€).

Those 2 are portable racks and that's not exactly what you seems to look at but the size are ok on both. The Millenium has an inside lenght of 41cm which leaves some space at the end for the cables (Yes, you'll have to plug cables...).
 
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Zwiebelchen said:
You can find it under paragraph 17.1 "Axe-Fx II XL Specifications" in the user manual:



Though, I have a Gator rackbag which has a nominal depth of 14" (35.5 cm) and it fits in pretty well.

Thinking about it, I have an idea where the discrepancy stems from:
362 mm is with the front panel handles, 305 mm is without.
So yeah, if we apply that logic, the 33.5 cm rack might be enough. But you'll certainly not be able to leave cables plugged-in.
Click to expand...

Well, but I'm not taking the Axe FX 2 XL, I'm getting the normal one (without XL). So probably that's why, isn't it? Or both have the exact same size?
 
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