Thinking about getting an Axe

PB26

Member
Been lurking recently and ever since I heard those Guitarjon Metallica patch clips, I can't stop thinking about what I'm missing not having one of these units. I'm also looking to bring my volume down some while retaining that meaty high-gain tone, which just doesn't work very well with my 100 watt tube amps.

I would use the Axe through the FX loop return of my Dual Rectifier (at least initially) out to my Mesa cab. Not a fan at all of FRFR -- tried it with the Kemper and it just wasn't for me.

I know these are very complicated units, and while I know I can handle it, I really don't want to spend too much time noodling with controls. So my question is, if I use these pre-made patches, can I sidestep most of the steep learning curve the Axe is known for and just whale away? I know my set-up will color the tone when I use my Recto cab, because I'll need to disable the cab and power amp sims, but I'm not really too picky -- as long as the tone is thick, heavy and non-fizzy, I'll be happy.

Thanks for reading!
 
Once you know the basics, it is not hard at all to dial in a great tone.
I have mine for two weeks now, and it is working perfectly.
Started with an existing patch and build further from there on.
Even with the basic parameter set you can do a lot.
Really enjoying it and learning to know it better and better everday!!!
 
You will get out of it what you put into it. I run my Axe into the effects return of a Line 6 Flextone II XL (100w 2x12 Celestions). Sounds great to my ears.
 
I agree with @Geezerjohn: You will get out of it what you put into it.

Don't expect other user's presets to work for you. That was a lesson I quickly learned when I got my Axe. I was just like you and wanting to try Guitarjon's Metallica presets. A bunch of them still sound pretty good, but firmware has changed and I don't have the same guitars so some of them sound not so hot. I got ahold of some Tosin Abasi presets and they didn't work with my setup at all.

It's very possible to use other people's presets as a starting point and tweak until they work for you though.
 
Just a comment about FRFR
With the right FRFR monitor, studio monitors or IEM's the Fractal gear sounds amazing!
Taking the time to find the right IR that works for you is CRUCIAL to your enjoyment of the unit.
 
Just a comment about FRFR
With the right FRFR monitor, studio monitors or IEM's the Fractal gear sounds amazing!
Taking the time to find the right IR that works for you is CRUCIAL to your enjoyment of the unit.
What is IR? PLease excuse my ignorance.I'm so over my head on this stuff,Could really use some advice.Thx
 
Impulse Response.

Its part of the cab block. It represents the behaviour, sound, tone of a cabinet in combination with microphone.

There are loads of combinations and variations and plenty of 3th parties that supply IRs.

With proper IRs you will be able to have a better start getting your favorite guitarhero sound as it was recorded ;)

Note: so its like a recorded or miked sound and is not the same as the sound from a cabinet. But with proper mixes and cabinet block & speaker page in amp block you can get even close to that with big frfr peakers or studio monitors.

Essentially an IR is the output of a cabinet through a microphone
 
Hi,
The only thing you'll regret is how long you took to make the aquisition. Like some of the others, I'd recommend trying frfr again as its only then you'll get the advantages of the speaker emulations. Having said that, you'll still kick arse using your cab, you'll just be limited to that sound.
Welcome!
Pauly
 
A friend of mine had the axe fx2 and bought the ax8 after that and he never even tried to program the units himself. He's just using factory presets and maybe changes some of the effects.
Sometimes it might seem that people have to understand everything about the unit to use it but in fact it's just that these people (including me) WANT to know everything about it. It is not needed especially since the factory presets work great.
If your planning to use only the amp modelling and no cabs there is also allready less to learn since your skipping some of the functions.
The axe is only complicated if you want it to be
 
Been lurking recently and ever since I heard those Guitarjon Metallica patch clips, I can't stop thinking about what I'm missing not having one of these units. I'm also looking to bring my volume down some while retaining that meaty high-gain tone, which just doesn't work very well with my 100 watt tube amps.

I would use the Axe through the FX loop return of my Dual Rectifier (at least initially) out to my Mesa cab. Not a fan at all of FRFR -- tried it with the Kemper and it just wasn't for me.

I know these are very complicated units, and while I know I can handle it, I really don't want to spend too much time noodling with controls. So my question is, if I use these pre-made patches, can I sidestep most of the steep learning curve the Axe is known for and just whale away? I know my set-up will color the tone when I use my Recto cab, because I'll need to disable the cab and power amp sims, but I'm not really too picky -- as long as the tone is thick, heavy and non-fizzy, I'll be happy.

Thanks for reading!
You cannot contemplate getting an axe while having demands that you require this or that and you'll just throw it in there and everything will be all beefed up and happy. Omg you're in for a surprise if you're expecting to not tinker and tweak for hours throughout the first few months lol. It's very worth it in the end.
 
The Axe FX is an amazing piece of equipment. You have to know yourself though. If you're the type that will end up tone chasing to the point of continually tweaking, then you need to know that. Some people who fall into that category love it...the tweaking and changing is part of the fun. Others who fall into that category can get paralysis by analysis. Then, as @Stagepig said, other people can be happy using just the factory patches with just minor tweaks. I absolutely think you have to know yourself to know how you'll react to having all the options.
 
I'd like to make something clear that perhaps has not been said yet.

The Axe-FX *can* get very complicated and do all kinds of crazy things, but it is *easy* to learn. The interface was designed in such a way that you never see the complicated stuff unless you go looking for it.

For example, it's very possible to go to a new patch with a totally blank grid and just plop an amp block down and nothing else and get great tone. When you go to edit the amp block, you'll find that the only thing you're shown at first are the basic gain, treb, mid, bass controls and that's it. The more advanced stuff is hidden behind tabs that are also easy to navigate, but that you never really have to use all. Almost all of the blocks are like this. The basic stuff is shown first and the more advanced stuff is pretty well organized in other tabs.

In other words, if you're already technically savvy enough to operate a guitar amp and pedal board, you'll be fine because that's basically what the Axe-Fx feels like to use.
 
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bottom line, it only gets into a tricky workload when your trying to tweak to get someone else's tone and you will find a ton of factory presets that are a ton of fun. Some of the blocks can actually perform a bunch of tasks/effects outside of their intended use which is cool af too! Bear in mind that the machine can be MADE TO SOUND LIKE ANYTHING so it's well worth the effort.
 
I'm very new to the Fractal family (Axe FX 2 XL+) and I haven't had any trouble dialing in decent tones. I'm a guitarist first so I don't want to waste much of my practice time tweaking but if I want to play through a Friedman I can dial one up in a matter of minutes. A Fender clean? No problem.

I still don't understand aftermarket IRs or presets or how to buy them or load them but my tones sound great for a beginner. I'm having a little trouble getting some amps to feel right but again, I haven't spent a whole lot of time with it.

You won't regret picking one up. I haven't used a single factory preset since running through them after purchasing it and already have a half dozen great usable patches with multiple scenes with minimal time put in. It's very intuitive but you can make it as complex as you want.

I'll be asking a million questions on this forum but for now I just want to play. Lol
 
When I first started programming my Presets it took me way more time to understand the way some of the amp models (Boogie) work since I didn't know the real ones. If you buy a Mark V you have to understand the way the controls work.
If you use an amp you know it will work exactly like the one you knew. The axe gives you the same knobs and controls on page one.
If you buy an amp you don't know you have to try a bit before it works. With a real amp and with the axe. The difference is: The axe gives you all the amps could can think of.
 
I know these are very complicated units, and while I know I can handle it, I really don't want to spend too much time noodling with controls. So my question is, if I use these pre-made patches, can I sidestep most of the steep learning curve the Axe is known for and just whale away?

There's no straightforward answer, unfortunately. If the preset was made by someone with similar pickups, tonal preferences and monitoring, probably. If the preset was created by someone with different pickups at low volume using headphones, probably not. It depends.
 
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I'm both a latecomer to the AFX and an experienced user (in that I've recorded hundreds of tunes with my trio since I started using the AFX).

I'll share some history (as I interpreted it at the time; I invite others to correct my misapprehensions), my impressions and some recalled newbie experiences of my own.

Even though I didn't buy a unit until the II XL+ came out (IIRC, mine arrived with FW 18), I've had opportunities (via generous friends) to play various incarnations of the AFX since the very beginning. I mention this because, as someone who literally couldn't be happier with the sound of Q8, I still recall the conversations about dialing in early versions of the firmware to sound a particular way; lots of deep-editing advice made the rounds. In my estimation, the sound and feel of my go-to amps (Fenders) didn't justify the cost of the unit. Superb effects, even then, but the amps left me unimpressed. And I still recall the frustration while trying to dial in an amp on a borrowed unit, even with the help of the expert owner.

At any rate, I have to wonder whether nowadays the complaints about dialing-in an amp are a bit outdated. Maybe it's just my tonal preference (as I said: Fender; always clean or edge-of breakup), but I simply dial in an amp the same way I'd dial in the real thing. (I played tube amps up through 2004.)

When I first received my AFX II XL+, I took a vacation and spent *a full week* programming *a* patch (not only the AFX, but also my LF+ board). Man, I went so far down that deep-edit rabbit hole... The next week I proudly fired up my new rig, played *one* song, and swapped out the AFX for my old rig. Man, what a disaster... If you heard me play that patch alone, you might not think anything wrong. But it just didn't work, in the room or in the mix.

After that fiasco, I did a factory reset on the AFX, took a deep breath, reminded myself to try to be far less clever, and just built up a patch as if I had my favorite "real" gear on hand. NO deep-dive BS *at all*. The next weeks' session went *so* much better. After the first song I pulled up the amp page, make minor tweaks to treble/middle/bass, and have barely touched the patch since. The recorded sound is just perfect, without the hassle of mic'ing an amp or of having to wear earplugs because you can't turn the amp's volume to a sane level for a 10' x 18' room without ruining the sound. (I found that to be true even for low-wattage tube amps.)

What I'm saying is: *I* don't think there's really a need to stress about fine-tuning a patch, especially if you already have a few favorite "real" amps and effects that you like to play. Pick a familiar amp and cab, a few simple effects, maybe a bit of ambience, ... and you're done. Pat yourself on the back and dream up a more involved patch (because you can) or just play the damned thing and smile a lot.

It'll take longer if you *don't* have a reference amp in mind. The first thing you have to do is to find an amp and cab that sounds and feels as you expect. That's where forum advice is helpful. You might get lucky with a recommendation, or you might need to try a bunch of amp/cab combinations to best fit your needs. If you have to search, it's going to take some time. But it takes a lot more time to really understand the contribution of each of the deep-edit controls and their interactions with each other. You wanna be an amp designer? Go ahead. Just be warned that there's a long learning curve.

Look at it this way: the AFX is like a music store where you have an unlimited line of credit. Try whatever you like; if it doesn't work for you, spin the dial to "take it back" and get something else.

My advice: buy an AFX; it'll likely be one of the last major purchases you'll make in that category. (OK, until you feel that you *must* have an AFX III ... should that ever happen.) Just avert your eyes - at least for a few months - whenever you see a deep-edit recommendation on the forum.

If you're planning to go FRFR (and I would strongly recommend that approach), then for the love of all that's good in the world please do *not* skimp on speakers. A decent pair of studio monitors is fine for playing, um ... in your studio. If you're planning to play live and are expected to provide your own amplification (as opposed to using the venue's PA and stage monitors), then get a competent powered speaker. I have QSC K10s and a JBL EON610. The latter is about half the cost and sounds close enough that, were I to build my studio PA again I'd probably go with the JBLs.
 
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