Subwoofer?

Pat5461

New Member
I was wondering can you add a subwoofer to the Axe fx III? I was wanting to use it in my home setup. If it is possible how would I go about setting it up?
 
I added one but it has nothing to do with the axe fx, its attached into my ev live x speakers which have an input for a sub.
 
I use a 2.1 monitoring setup with the Axe-Fx III. The sub has stereo ins / outs specifically meant for connecting to the full range speakers. I plug out 1 into the sub and then from there to the full range speakers.
 
I'm running the Yamaha HS8S sub with my HS8 monitors set up nearfield. Listening to music, or playing synths and drums, the HS8s alone are a little thin on bass for me. Adding a little bit of sub makes a big difference.

But it can make the Axe III sound too dark and thumpy. I have to be really careful with the IR choice if I want to avoid having to add big low cuts.

So if you're only playing the Axe III and not anything else through it, I'd say you can skip the sub.
 
Keep in mind though is that those low frequencies will get in the way of other instruments like bass, kick drum, lower pitches on keyboard, etc. Might sound good playing alone but likely won't work very well in a mix or live.
 
I have the Temblor 10” with my Presonus Eris 8XT’s, and I use a Presonus Monitor Station V2 to switch it in and out. Monitor Station has 3 sets of stereo outs for Speaker A, B, C. Mains on A, Sub in B. Single button press to bring the sub in or out.
 
You could, but the crossover points aren't particularly suited for electric guitar. Not sure what the goal would be, other than to muddy up low end.

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So if you're only playing the Axe III and not anything else through it, I'd say you can skip the sub.

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If you're using it in a studio setup with other instruments (that occupy that part of the audio spectrum) then have at it, though without a treated listening environment you'll be in for a world of pain. Otherwise don't waste your money.

Bare in mind, most studio monitors are good down to 20Hz which well and truly covers the guitar range, coupled with the fact that most home studios aren't large in size so it's not as if a huge amount of air has to be moved to get good loud sound.
 
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I second the comments about the low cut. I often leave the sub turned off when I'm playing guitar. I like it for listening to full mixes.
 
Hi Pat,
Definately! It never ceases to amaze how much hi hat is in subwoofers, or bass guitar in tweeters. A lot of people tend to overdo the subwoofer thing, but if you play some music you know well while you’re adjusting the crossover point and level, and try to make it sound as real and natural as you can, it will significantly improve your listening.
thanks
pauly


I was wondering can you add a subwoofer to the Axe fx III? I was wanting to use it in my home setup. If it is possible how would I go about setting it up?
 
This /\/\



..... and this/\/\

If you're using it in a studio setup with other instruments (that occupy that part of the audio spectrum) then have at it, though without a treated listening environment you'll be in for a world of pain. Otherwise don't waste your money.

Bare in mind, most studio monitors are good down to 20Hz which well and truly covers the guitar range, coupled with the fact that most home studios aren't large in size so it's not as if a huge amount of air has to be moved to get good loud sound.

Sorry to disagree but I’ve never come across any enthusiast level near field monitors that can come anywhere close to 20Hz, maybe 50Hz or so, but even then the response is way down. Maybe if we are talking ultra high end stuff costing more than my car, but no JBL, Adam, Presonus, Mackie, Behringer, M-Audio et al., monitors are going to come close
 
My observations:

I used a subwoofer for years. Even setting the crossover to 40 Hz demonstrated to me the fact that many great guitar tones have energy down there despite conventional wisdom to the contrary. Recordings from ZZ Top, Van Halen, Rush, and countless other bands with acapella guitar intros demonstrate this. Other bands (like Boston) filter everything out. Crank up a sub for the intro of Tush, listen a few times, then turn it off. The balls disappear.

The energy down there is low amplitude, but it is vital for certain tones. It is only noticeable when the guitar is not masked. But when it isn't, the difference is monumental to me (again, for certain tones). I disagree with the opinion that it interferes with the bass and kick. The guitar's sub-lows (when balanced properly) are totally swamped by the bass and kick. I always want to scream when a FOH guy slaps HPF on my channel before he's even heard my tones.

Having said that, I got rid of my sub a couple of years ago. Phase problems made the sub do more harm than good. My JBL studio monitors have 12" woofers, so I just crank the sub-bass on my favorite commercial recordings to my liking with a universal plugin and mix my stuff from there.
 
I dont know that you add a sub to the axe...
You add the sub to your speaker set up which is of course plugged into the axe. The sub has Jack's, and it just loops into the sound system
 
Or If the Sub is Active, all it'll needs is a feed from one of the AxeFX outputs. In this scenario you'd need to setup a crossover to send the appropriate frequencies to the sub.
 
Sorry to disagree but I’ve never come across any enthusiast level near field monitors that can come anywhere close to 20Hz, maybe 50Hz or so, but even then the response is way down. Maybe if we are talking ultra high end stuff costing more than my car, but no JBL, Adam, Presonus, Mackie, Behringer, M-Audio et al., monitors are going to come close
What car are you driving?
 
Where is anyone monitoring a 20Hz wave from, the next state? It’s approx 60ft long. When I cut low end, I stop hearing at about 45 maybe 50 Hz. After that I know I’m cutting because I see the audio, but I hear zero difference. Upper limits of my hearing end around 15k or so.
fun fact: just because you can’t hear it doesn’t mean it’s not there. Recently learned the hard way when I sent an 18k sine wave thru my Adam A7 monitors. I heard nothing. I turned up the volume. Next step was white smoke. Burned my ribbon tweeters. 320 dollar screwup.
 
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