Should I wait...?

TexasHeart, I've been told I should keep quiet; that my post in this thread would cause frustration and eye rolls from other members, and my "mood swings" were likened to an ex-girlfriend. Sorry, but all that is insulting... My crime? Suggesting I wasn't a fan of the unit straight out of the box. You can check my profile, and see all of my activity, which started a week ago. I've started 2 threads (this being one of them), and asked a question on 1 other thread. I've been very respectful to everyone.

So, I hope that answers your question about me relative to: "Perhaps you have posted in another thread? There is always one clown on a forum"
 
Rootwitch said:
TexasHeart, I've been told I should keep quiet; that my post in this thread would cause frustration and eye rolls from other members, and my "mood swings" were likened to an ex-girlfriend. Sorry, but all that is insulting... My crime? Suggesting I wasn't a fan of the unit straight out of the box. You can check my profile, and see all of my activity, which started a week ago. I've started 2 threads (this being one of them), and asked a question on 1 other thread. I've been very respectful to everyone.

So, I hope that answers your question about me relative to: "Perhaps you have posted in another thread? There is always one clown on a forum"
Click to expand...

One irrelevant post and remark? Like I said, there is always one clown. That is certainly not an indication of the the culture here and if you read through the forum yourself, you will see that clearly. Respectful? Yes that is the nature here but perhaps as others have stated you have already made up your mind about the gear and the forum? That is cool also. To make a judgment about each person based on one post by one person will certainly lead to the wrong conclusion in any forum and just doesn't fit with the reality. Don't sweat it, its just gear. I hope you enjoy your process and have fun. I'm 100% out. Cheers~
 
Hey, even though most of us love the AxeFX 2, it may in the end just not be for you. We all have tones we hear in our head. For a lot of us, the AxeFX 2 is just the ticket we need to make those tones a reality. But not everyone will be happy. If not, then you can certainly send it back with nothing lost.

I do agree that you should give it a bit of time to be sure whatever decision you make is the right one for you.
 
Last edited:
Hang in there, Rootwitch. Don't be put off by comments about eye rolling or keeping quiet or anything else. It's your tone search, not theirs.


Rootwitch said:
...it just seems that when you have to shut off speaker sims and power amp sims because you're going through real speakers and pa's... it kinda defeats the purpose of having all those features.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it kind of does defeat the purpose, but look at it the other way: Using a real cab defeats the purpose of having built-in cab sims. :)

Guitar cabs are like adding salt to your tone recipe. Either you get the "salt" from the Axe's cab sims or from a real cab. If you run them both at the same time, you get a double dose of salt, and that will ruin any dish.
 
Thanks guys. Like I said, I have new hope since plugging it direct into my PA. Now, I have a foundation to build from. I was just put off after first trying headphones, studio speakers, a SS amp with speakers, then my main amp via the effects return. None of those were doing it for me. Tex - It wasn't just one persons response, but whatever... moving on. As I sit here typing this, I actually unboxed the MFC-101 - Which I hadn't intended on doing if I wasn't interested in keep the FXII. Off to tweak.
 
good to hear, Rootwitch! you'll learn pretty quickly what comments to ignore on a forum like this :)

just know that a bunch of people are here to help, even if it includes a BIT of tough love haha.
 
Keep us posted.

A couple of things to watch out for:

The level you listen at — the Axe does a great job of recreating the sound you get when you push a tube amp's output hard. That's a sound that "real" amps can only produce at face-peeling volume. We accept that sound and dig it at high volume. At lower volume, the exact same sound can come off as a bit rude. It can be tamed if you want a more polished sound. Just remember: that rudeness is what makes a "real" amp cut through the mix. Also, you won't get the same feel at low volumes; that's just physics. :)

The mix — Listen to the tone not just by itself, but also in a band mix (live bend, backing track, whatever...). Tones that sound great in the mix can sound dull and lifeless by themselves. And tones that sound thick and rich by themselves can become a muddy smear when the band kicks in.

+1 on Rook's suggestion to build your own patch with just amp & cab, and maybe a touch of reverb/delay. Pick an amp sim that's similar to what you like, and scroll through the cabs—not just the ones you think would be good choices (cab selection makes a huge difference in tone). If you don't hit on at least one amp/cab combination that puts a smile on your face, there's probably something fundamentally amiss in your setup.
 
Thanks again guys. Like I said, my stumbling block was figuring out what to plug it into to let it reveal its potential. I think I've found that via my PA. I'm a little concerned about having to set up my PA any time I'm on a tone quest, but... I'll deal - That, or figure out the difference between what sounds good via a computer hookup and figure out how to match the two, if that makes any sense... LOL.

Second, was setting a slight global reduction in the eq at 8k, as this appeared to be the offending frequency. Much nicer on the ears now.

A special shout out to Chris@KatsuKuriMedia for all the fine video tutorials. I actually watched them before purchasing the gear, and just finished watching the MFC-101 setup video. Much appreciated.

Now, I'm off to research how to get the MFC to to turn on/off certain amp parameters - specifically the amps Boost section.
 
ok, rootwitch. mea culpa...I was in a particularly cheeky mood when I wrote my scathing "eye rolling" post, and your post with the rapid vacillation of reactions within 24 hours of axefx use sent up a red flag. Though I may have jumped the gun with my cynical assessment of your initial findings, you have to realize how many times we have seen this kind of stuff from new users historically, and it can be very frustrating for everyone. That said, I'm happy you've seemed to settle in going the full range PA speaker approach, and that you seem willing to take proper time to understand the vast flexibility of the AxeFx.

I'm far from an AxeFx cult member kool-aid drinker though I am very happy with, and support the efforts of Fractal Audio. I'm certainly no guru on this forum, but I help when I can. It's very easy to spend time here due to the constant innovations, tips, and excellent, high level advice that can be found here. I also am not beyond calling out someone if I see something that doesn't seem to add up. Call it bad form if you wish, but that's how i am, whether on this forum or face to face. Again, my bad on that. Give the AxeFx a fair and proper shake, and a proper gestation period and chances are you won't be disappointed. I just got a little edgy when I saw the "I'm impressed....I'm not impressed" reaction before you'd even had the device for a full day. Usually new users will give it more time, and express with conviction more one way or the other. Whatever. Enjoy the trip.
 
Understood, and appreciated. Perhaps I should have spent some time with it or asked questions instead of giving a real-time analyses of my findings - which is all the latter part of this thread is, really. I wasn't condemning the unit, or its users. I've gone back and forth in my 30 yrs of playing (ugh... I'm old) between real amps and sims, so I'm not adverse to either. And, I've always been a "sell me in 10 minutes" kind of buyer. And frankly, I've had pretty good success with that approach, and I'm actually known around town for my tone, to the extent that other players have even gone and copied my purchases to match my tone. I say that with no ego, because it just comes down to the fact that I'm a tweaker and I dig into manuals. Most guitar players don't... Most... When the Line 6 stuff came around, I felt it wasn't for me because IMO it never responded like a real amp - i.e.: you turn down the volume on the guitar and it didn't clean up like a real amp - it didn't "feel" like a real amp, etc. After 10 minutes of playing a Boss GT-6 (11 yrs ago), I was sold. Granted, something like that and the AE are apples and oranges, and I'm not suggesting that it was my idea of "real tone", but for my needs, it was versatile and although the presets out of the box didn't work for me, I heard its potential. With the AE, it wasn't until I went direct to the PA that I heard that.

One thing that might be nice (although, it may seem like a "dumbing down feature" on such a sophisticated unit, would be a global feature like the GT-6 had where you could define your external source - e.g.: Small amp; Large Amp, Stack; Effect Return; PA; etc... Basically, it set a global eq curve for each option. Finding that right setting for my old rig was the foundation for building somewhat realistic amp tones. Since that rig, I'd gone back to using real amps, and a variety of pedals.

Currently, I'm fairly certain I'll be keeping this unit. I like what I'm hearing through the PA. Just curious how it'll mix with the band, as we're a 3 piece playing smaller venues, and typically run off stage volume and only pump vocals through the PA. I just wonder how it'll mix with having drums and bass coming from the stage volume and the guitar pumping through the mains. I guess no different than having the vox in the mains... I guess we'll see...
 
Rootwitch said:
I like what I'm hearing through the PA. Just curious how it'll mix with the band, as we're a 3 piece playing smaller venues, and typically run off stage volume and only pump vocals through the PA.
Click to expand...
If you're liking your tone through the PA (which I do in spades), you're on easy street. The sounds in the current firmware cut through like nobody's business (just make sure you dial in your tones at rehearsal, not at home). The PA has the added benefit of giving uniform tone across a wide swath of the audience. With a traditional guitar cab, the sound to the sides is dull, while your highs cut the heads off of the people staring straight down the barrel.

If you absolutely, positively have to play on stage volume alone, pick up a reasonable-quality powered monitor. That's your backline. It's also your own personal guitar monitor when you're running through the PA.
 
Rex said:
Keep us posted.

A couple of things to watch out for:

The level you listen at — the Axe does a great job of recreating the sound you get when you push a tube amp's output hard. That's a sound that "real" amps can only produce at face-peeling volume. We accept that sound and dig it at high volume. At lower volume, the exact same sound can come off as a bit rude. It can be tamed if you want a more polished sound. Just remember: that rudeness is what makes a "real" amp cut through the mix. Also, you won't get the same feel at low volumes; that's just physics. :)

The mix — Listen to the tone not just by itself, but also in a band mix (live bend, backing track, whatever...). Tones that sound great in the mix can sound dull and lifeless by themselves. And tones that sound thick and rich by themselves can become a muddy smear when the band kicks in.

+1 on Rook's suggestion to build your own patch with just amp & cab, and maybe a touch of reverb/delay. Pick an amp sim that's similar to what you like, and scroll through the cabs—not just the ones you think would be good choices (cab selection makes a huge difference in tone). If you don't hit on at least one amp/cab combination that puts a smile on your face, there's probably something fundamentally amiss in your setup.
Click to expand...

+10000
 
Rootwitch said:
...I feel like I've mistakenly entered a cult...
Click to expand...

Rootwitch - sorry that you feel upset at me telling you to keep quiet - in fact I said "I strongly suggest you read loads on this excellent forum, keep quiet and make it work for you," and then gave you a very good piece of advice - to take a look at Yek's system and presets. His patches are carefully tuned for use as you intend - with a live band at gig volume with the option of using FRFR or guitar cabs. They work straight out of the box, and have a really excellent patch layout 'system' that allows you to control them in an amazing way. If you'd done as I'd suggested you would have learned a lot very quickly.

Instead you're now telling us about how you feel insulted etc etc. We're trying to help you. I wouldn't insult anybody on this forum - I'd just stop bothering to post in their discussion.

Load up Yek's system and patches and spend a couple of weeks learning how he does it. It will work brilliantly for your band, and then you can develop it how you want it. You won't need to post....
 
Not to belabor the point, because I'd really like to move on... and perhaps it's a cultural thing... but a grown man, on a public forum (who's simply documenting his exploration) being told to "keep quiet" is insulting...Just so you know... And, questioning me on "why didn't you stick with your existing rig?" seems rather self explanatory as well, so it came off as snarky. Why do any of us buy new gear? As guitar players, we're always seeking new tone.

If my posts leave you thinking I've got my head stuck somewhere, simply read another post. Like everyone else here, I'm starting off as a newbie to the AE. I [believe] I'm free to post my opinion on the unit, good; bad; or otherwise.

Moving on.
 
Hey - so sensitive! You waded in here saying all that stuff. And I gave you good advice which you seem to be ignoring.

But fine - you can say whatever you like. I hope you find your way with your Axe - and I'll leave you to it.
 
"You waded in here saying all that stuff."

I was expressing my experiences with trying to find a suitable external solution for using the AE live... not talking about your first born child... Let's keep it in perspective...

And I haven't ignored anything. First thing I did was search for the user "Yek" and read some of his posts, and Wiki's - Haven't come across his presets yet, but I've got my hands full right now working with the AE.

Perhaps you shouldn't assume...
 
AE is Axe Edit. WHich is best left until they sort out a few glitches - just trying to be helpful as ever.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom