The new MATRIX GT800FX. THE amp for THE Axe-Fx

Stringtheorist said:
On a related note regarding the Axe in general, I have now come very close to being fired from my band because of the friction being caused during soundcheck and performance over my inability to balance my preset/amp block levels.
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Seems to me like a major priority realignment is in order. It also seems to me that your gear is more a symptom of a problem than a cause.

Mucking about with my Axe during performance is now having an impact on my playing and I'm making schoolboy errors all the time because I'm fretting about my sound instead of focusing on playing.
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There's more evidence of the priority problem. When the music starts, the sonic OCD has to stop. Your sound on the gig will never perfectly match your idea of what it "should" be. You've got to get over that and play.

I have been given an ultimatum to strip back my sound set to 3-4 sounds or get a normal amplifier... or else I'm going to be let go because the other band members (and myself) can't take the stress of inconsistency and unreliability any more. :(
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From your account, it appears to me that the "inconsistency" that bothers them is inconsistency of execution as much as (or more than) inconsistency of tone. This is self-generated, and you have the capability to fix it, if you choose to do so.

As a long-term consideration, if you can't get the sounds you want from the gear you're using, it doesn't matter how good the gear is. You've got to have a rig that is comfortable for you to use. If that rig doesn't include an Axe-Fx, that's what you gotta do. Just keep in mind that you will have the same issues with any rig: your stage sound will never be "perfect." When you're on stage, you've got to let all that go and perform.
 
I think Stringtheorist might be better off with a single-channel tube amp, and a few pedals. Even if he uses the Axe for FX only he'll be drowned by his OCD. With pedals you don't have that much knobs or tweaking options, and have to accept them by what they are/sound, and after you get 3 great sounds, just focus on playing. I don't know your repertoire, but for a classic rock band, you don't need no giant pedalboard. As I await my Axe II, I'm having lots of fun with my pedalboard (will be my backup if I ever need it) and amp. A Fender Princeton Reissue with 12" Weber speaker (sounds LOUD, I assure you). Some pedals - Eventide Modfactor - you get all modulations/wah in one box, saving pedalboard real state; Timefactor (can be overkill unless you play Pink Floyd, U2 stuff), Kingsley Jester (the best OD pedal ever - you can stack it with others and go from crunch to hi-gain - if you dont need the boost switch get a Minstrel, smaller but same circuit), Toptone DG-2 (Cornish G2 clone - covers fuzz stuff and cuts in a live mix, better than traditional fuzzes - can get LZ1 tones to Gilmour, just stacking with Jester), and Plexitone (maybe overkill...). I'd add a Diamond compressor. The nice stuff about Fender old amps is that they make awesome pedal platforms... and you get a great clean tone.
If you're going power amp route, get those Egnater modular preamps.
I think you'd be better off with something like that... Anyway, just my $.02
 
I've been on both ends of this situation and I either quit or let go of the guitarist in question.. If I'm being paid to entertain people then me and my band better sound tight. I have a very personal attachment to playing music and I take it seriously. If I'm just jamming with friends or at some kind of open-mic jam then who cares and its all about fun.. I suppose music should be a source of enjoyment, but when you depend on your gigs for a good part of your yearly income then it's a job and when the lights go down it's business and not personal. I used to gig with an Orange Rockerverb 100 and a Marshall 4x12 loaded with greenbacks and celestion blues and rarely did I find a gig I couldn't adapt to with basic, solid tone. I moved to an Axe-Fx about year ago and it was a major learning curve to where I almost sold the unit, but I stuck with it and did my homework both reading this forum and experimenting and couldn't be happier nowadays. I will not sell my Axe Standard until I have my Axe 2 programmed to sound exactly like my standard and if I can use the extra power of the 2 for even better patches then awesome. Tweaking should be done at practice, in between practice, but definitely not on stage. If you don't like your tone during a show- suck it up and play your part. Most in the audience won't know anyways. Showmanship and stage presence....
 
rUsirius said:
I've been on both ends of this situation and I either quit or let go of the guitarist in question.. If I'm being paid to entertain people then me and my band better sound tight. I have a very personal attachment to playing music and I take it seriously. If I'm just jamming with friends or at some kind of open-mic jam then who cares and its all about fun.. I suppose music should be a source of enjoyment, but when you depend on your gigs for a good part of your yearly income then it's a job and when the lights go down it's business and not personal. I used to gig with an Orange Rockerverb 100 and a Marshall 4x12 loaded with greenbacks and celestion blues and rarely did I find a gig I couldn't adapt to with basic, solid tone. I moved to an Axe-Fx about year ago and it was a major learning curve to where I almost sold the unit, but I stuck with it and did my homework both reading this forum and experimenting and couldn't be happier nowadays. I will not sell my Axe Standard until I have my Axe 2 programmed to sound exactly like my standard and if I can use the extra power of the 2 for even better patches then awesome. Tweaking should be done at practice, in between practice, but definitely not on stage. If you don't like your tone during a show- suck it up and play your part. Most in the audience won't know anyways. Showmanship and stage presence....
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My experience is more or less the same as yours.
 
@Stringtheorist, acbarros: in Italy we say "You're using a cannon to kill a fly".

Keep it simple men! Use only two or three amps, like having a two or three channells amp/pre.

When you'll reach the limits of the "simple" configuration, then you could move a step ahead.

My 2 cents.
 
I find it hard to believe that after 3 years ST still cant ballance his presets.

TBH I find that the easiest part - but only once those partches are set. You need to dial in the patch, as you would an amp, then ballance the volume at gig levels - then LEAVE it. No more tweeking EQs because that effects the volume, no more playing with amp parameters for the same reason.

You can add/subtract FX as there easier to get to unity gain, but in all honesty you should have your patches volume ballanced by now.

ill echo Jay too - you are FAR too obsessed with your tone IMO. the audience goesnt give too hoots in general. Ballance your volumes, then when you hit the stage forget about your tone and just play. If you need to make an adjustment after the show fine - keep them small and then re-ballance your volume in needed at the next practice.

I know youve put a lot into the Axe, but after 3 years your still not happy. Not all gear is for everyone no matter how good, or how costly. If you get a good amp and can keep the Axe for FX great - it is still worth the investmant. If not just let it go man.

it doesnt help that you constantly changing your amplification method either in truth. With the Matrix your A/Bing amp/cab against FRFR. i think youve become used to how the FRFR sounds and the Matrix/cab no longer sounds right. I may be wrong but part of the FRFR thing is it IS clearer than an amp/cab - but you loose some feel (unless your playing with top top end FRFR stuff). Which is preferable is a personal choice.

Tone is subjective as Ive always said. I think the MAtrix is very very close to my VHT power amp, but have not A/Bd it against a propper amp in truth. I also find the MAtrix far clearer, with much less "blanket" than any other SS amp ive tried. I must admit I dont like an overly bright sound though. Ive turned my back on Marshalls in the past because I find them too grating (those upper mids). Deizels are great for ddrive but the cleans I find ice picky - yet I knowe of others that think the Einstein clean is fantastic.

Ultimatley If youve put time in and are still struggling. Move on.
 
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Some great advice here from people. Maybe a switch to an amp/cab or a even just a break from the Axe may be beneficial. Sometimes you just go too far down the rabbit hole with the Axe and get stuck in that cycle of tweaking. I used a Hughes and Kettner Switchblade before getting the Axe. Great amp with some very versatile tones, all storable and midi controllable. That was a P.I.T.A sometimes to get the volumes matched and still took tweaking at gig levels to get it right but when it was right, boy what an awesome sound. (must add I didnt use the crappy on-board FX but a G-system).

I gigged with the GT800 again this weekend, and the thing just kicked ass all night. I used a minimal amount of global eq all night, just a hair off the top end and the same with low end. The mids of the thing were superb, allowing my sound to cut through much better than previous gigs. Gotta admit that the Beyma 12XC30 I'm using has warmed up a little but is still fairly bright but it did have a great coverage off axis so wherever I wandered on stage the sound was there. In front of the cab the sound was very punchy. Maybe a little more tweaking on my part to get the bass in the patches a bit more focussed and "kicking" but on the whole a good warmth from the bottom end I'd not had before v11 firmware. In all honesty I thought the amp was superb, and was easily the best onstage sound with FRFR I've had since I switched from a traditional cab.

Again, after a 2 hour show the thing was cool. Just tickling the input lights at 8ohms IIRC gives you approx -9db so I was maybe pushing 50watts into the cab. Axe FX output was at 12 o clock so still a boatload of power still left under the hood. I'm 100% confident this is the best solid state amp out there at the moment for guitar. Now somebody please hurry up and design a 2x12 FRFR cab that delivers the goods without costing the same as a small African country!!!
 
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Received the Matrix today, and the first impression was not too great; the damn thing wont fit my SKB case. Screwholes don't match at all, but after some yanking I got it sticking by two screws, but I have to use 3U worth of space cause the screws on top/rubber feet under the thing use up too much space, so they're either colliding with the axe or the bottom of the case. Thus I'm left with ½U of rack space, not so convenient.. :) Anyone had a similar misfortune? Every other item I've put there fit right away. Maybe a safe way to remove the rubber feet and just use two screws? An unpleasant surprise after my Rocktron Velocity 300, which seemed to have no unwanted extension in any direction, and would fit right in. And the fans are pretty loud, my rack made absolutely no noise before, but that's not a biggie.

Wouldn't want to send it back, since it does sound as good as everyone here described it, and that's with my old Laney TF412A cab... :D Still to be tested in a band environment with a V30 loaded cab, to see if the volume's enough.

-Tuukka
 
Yep, the shiny plastic inserts inside the rubber feet are clips which hold the feet in. Just work a small flat blade screwdriver underneath and pop off and the rubber feet should come with it!!

If you need to put the feet back on then when removed, pull the plastic insert out from the rubber slightly so the flanges/petals are closed by the rubber foot. Allign back with the hole and push to pop back in.
 
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yek said:
I removed the feet, problem solved.
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Encouraged by your (quick) reply, I ripped the rubber feet off and voilá; it fits. Let this be a lesson to everyone hasty like myself! Now all I need is the Port City 2x12 OS Wave.. >:)
 
Re: balancing different presets - there is no possibility of getting equally good level matches under every likely combination of stage volume, stage acoustics, levels from the other instruments/vocals, etc. Settings that work perfectly in one scenario may be off the map the next night in another environment. The more variation you have in amp sim sounds among your presets, the greater the potential range of these discrepancies.

I've said this several times before, but I'll repeat it here. IME the only way to get the appropriate level in the moment is to be able to adjust level in the moment. I have one of the two expression pedals on my FCB1010 dedicated to this purpose. To make sure that I have enough available range of adjustment, I occasionally need to reset the output level on my Axe-Fx at the beginning of a night. Once I have enough maximum level, I can instantly set any level from silence up to that point.

In addition, having real-time level adjustment available enables each individual preset to cover a greater range of amp tonalities. For example, one option I have to get a clean sound at a relatively loud level is to use my Marshall preset (which is set for a pretty "gainy" sound), back off the guitar's volume control, and adjust the level upward as needed.

I'm with Paul on this. Three years without successfully addressing the simple issue of leveling presets strains credulity. Maybe a different rig really is in order.
 
I agree. I've started using a T-racks mastering level plug in in VST which shows me levels and loudness of each patch. That will get me in the same area for each patch but some fine tweaking at stage levels is still required.
 
I've arranged to return my Matrix, as I am preferring the RCF for now.

Regarding the Axe, I take everyone's input on board. I have already reprogrammed my whole set to be covered by just four global amps... 2 cleans and 2 drives. I am also going to take Jay's advice and program two switches on my MFC to raise/lower the amp block level control so I can adjust it easily during performance if necessary. This weekend's gigs will be the test as to whether what I have done is sufficient. If I still can't hack it I shall be looking for a traditional amp and keeping the Axe for FX only.
 
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tuux0rz

re-band volume.

Make sure you chech the Ohm rating of your cab. That 4x12 is likely a 16 Ohm cab (dont know what the V30 loaded cab is), and as such will only give you around 150W ifrom a single channel of the Matrix. This may not be enough, you may get into clipping as the cab will probably take much more power (4xv30s for instance iwill take 240W) and the Matrix will run hotter and louder than with a 4 or 8 Ohms cab.

If it IS 16 Ohms, either:

re-wire your cab from its current form (probably 2 series pairs wired in parallel with each other) into a 4 Ohm configuration (all 4 speakers independaltly connected to the IP jack - running all 4 in parrallel). It will suddenly give you 400W into the cab meaning plenly of hedroom - AND better damping form the cab.

OF

Make up a speaker cabnle with a jack at one end and a speakon at the other - wired as per the Matrix manual for bridged mode - then run the amp bridged. You'll get around 500W into the cab here.
 
Well, had an EMail from Si, as hes trying to sell his Matrix following the sale of his Axe. Well, I say try but hes not having to try hard. Apparently there are LOTS of enquiries :)

Anyway, he asked about the warentee, so I spoke to Mat. For EVERYONES information, the warentee is fully teransferable. The existing owner needs to EMail Matrix with the amps serial number and the new owners name and address. Thats it - they will change the details on their database and transfere any remaining warentee.

Notch another one up for great customer service.
 
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