Thinking about taking the plunge

T

trevenarj

New Member
I need some honest opinions from those on this forum about the AX8. Thanks in advance!

I currently play in a band that uses prerecorded bass and drum tracks and prefer to go direct to the PA. As I am getting up there in years, portability and reduced weight are high on the wish list. I have a first generation Quilter MicroPro 200 that sounds remarkably good but the direct out suffers significantly unless the amp is also going through a speaker. I picked up an Eleven Rack with a foot controller and expression for a good price but am lukewarm about the sounds I get. Lastly, I have an old Tech 21 Tri-AC lying around but haven't tried that yet.

For the music I play, I just need a good clean, overdrive and solo sound with minimal effects, i.e. delay, phase shifter, compression, occasional chorus and wah. My biggest gripe about modelers that I have used in the past is the amount of time that must be spent tweaking presets. The Amplifire seemed like the perfect solution but left me cold and I returned it after one gig. I don't have regular access to the PA we use and creating patches with headphones is not the way to go. I'm looking for something that is essentially "plug and play" out of the box for live use to a PA, not so much for recording. Playing around on the computer with deep menus and searching for third party IRs is not something for which I have a lot of time. Is the AX8 a solution? I'm not going to knock the unit or users if it requires a lot of time to get it right; just not my thing, so please be honest.
 
Well ... you could try the AX8 and return it within 14 days if you don't like it. That's enough time to try the presets and the stuff available on Axe-Change. Like many other modelers the AX8 is an incredible tool box. It doesn't say you don't have to learn how to use it. Many users can get decent sounds dialed in in a couple of minutes without ever leaving the basic settings pages. I'd say you have a good chance of getting what you want with slight modifications to the aforementioned presets.
 
One of the gigs I play regularly has bass and drums on backing tracks. What's awesome about the AX8 is that you can tailor the tones to the tracks, which will inevitably have different production as time goes by. My prediction is that you'll find the factory presets and factory IRs are now great starting points for your basic needs. In terms of effort, I would plan on a day or so to learn the basics and explore, then one good session to set it up, plus a few hours to adjust after your first gig. If you play in the same location with the same PA, it shouldn't require any adjustment after that.
 
I don't avoid tweaking but I don't/didn't have to do too much to get presets to sound great. I did however do a lot of reading of both the AX8 Manual and AXII Manual before I got my AX8 so I knew how to create the relatively simple presets I needed from scratch vs starting with a factory preset.
....Just one guys experience. Good luck trev. Hope you find what you're looking for.
 
Go for it !
I am a picky bastard , and for the first time with any modeler during my 30+ years of playing , found instant , usable sounds -right out of the box.

The great thing is , if you're like me and can't leave well enough alone , you can tweak til your heart's content , and constantly improve your tone and layout your pedal switching - to suit your personal preferences and needs.
...Unlike other modelers , which seem to REQUIRE tweaking just to make them usable. No regrets here , and none from my audiences or band mates.
...And I forgot to mention Fractal has the best forum and support possible.
 
I was very happy with the tones I got from my AX8 right out of the box. Learning to tweak it can be just as easy as tweaking a real tube amp since you have all the same basic control knobs right there on the front panel. The advanced settings are there and easy to learn to use but, they are certainly not needed to get some of the best amp tones out there.

I think you should at least give it a try and return it if you don't like it. Even if you go over the trial period, the resale value is pretty good.

Good luck!
 
G'day Trev,

I too tried all manner of things to get a good guitar sound & in the end had an ElevenRack which I never really liked.. though I did try to talk myself into it. Then I got the Axe FX and life changed. My advice is to just get one... Learn the basics of setting up a sound, and enjoy life. The bloody thing sounds like a real amp!

Thanks
Pauly


trevenarj said:
I need some honest opinions from those on this forum about the AX8. Thanks in advance!

I currently play in a band that uses prerecorded bass and drum tracks and prefer to go direct to the PA. As I am getting up there in years, portability and reduced weight are high on the wish list. I have a first generation Quilter MicroPro 200 that sounds remarkably good but the direct out suffers significantly unless the amp is also going through a speaker. I picked up an Eleven Rack with a foot controller and expression for a good price but am lukewarm about the sounds I get. Lastly, I have an old Tech 21 Tri-AC lying around but haven't tried that yet.

For the music I play, I just need a good clean, overdrive and solo sound with minimal effects, i.e. delay, phase shifter, compression, occasional chorus and wah. My biggest gripe about modelers that I have used in the past is the amount of time that must be spent tweaking presets. The Amplifire seemed like the perfect solution but left me cold and I returned it after one gig. I don't have regular access to the PA we use and creating patches with headphones is not the way to go. I'm looking for something that is essentially "plug and play" out of the box for live use to a PA, not so much for recording. Playing around on the computer with deep menus and searching for third party IRs is not something for which I have a lot of time. Is the AX8 a solution? I'm not going to knock the unit or users if it requires a lot of time to get it right; just not my thing, so please be honest.
Click to expand...
 
The AX8 sounds perfect.
Really, there is minimal tweaking required to get a good tone. You literally can just pull up an amp and cab and tweak the standard amp knobs to taste.

I know what you mean about previous modellers requiring extensive tweaking and even some odd workarounds to try and coax tube like tones out of them, but the Fractal gear is basically the real deal in the digital world. I build my Fractal rigs as if I would my "real" rigs - just pull up an amp + cab, add effects, tweak to taste and done.

I loved the Axe Fx II, but the AX8 has been more exciting for me because everytime I gig it I can't believe the tone I'm getting from such a compact device sitting at my feet.
 
I think you will find the AX8 will fit your needs just fine. I believe you will be able to find very useable presets without much hassle and the great thing is you can go much deeper into the settings if you want to but it's not necessary to do so to get great tones. Start out with some of the presets that are close to what you want and take it however deep you want to go from there. I have no regrets at all with the AX8. I've had multiple tube amps and modeling units in the past but the AX8 is hands down the best. Set up is very user friendly with Axe Edit.
 
After reading your post, I think you could achieve what you are after pretty easily. Don't worry about an expression pedal, just hook your wah in line with your guitar at first., It'll work fine. Hook the ax8 up to your computer and make sure the editor and ax8 is up to date. Open the first bank, it has everything that you need right there. Fender clean, Vox, Marshall, with all effects you listed on each preset, or at least really close. Plus drives. Use the editor to adjust each preset with effects to taste, and save. Don't forget to save.
You could be done in less than an hour, and head off to a gig. It won't be perfect, but it's a great starting point.
Last week my "band", I use that term loosely, got together. The other guitar player didn't bring an amp and asked to use the ax8. I showed him a few banks of factory presets and how to access them. We played for about six hours straight, and he only adjusted the output volume a few times. He just tried different presets, but stuck to about three the whole time. He, and two other players, asked afterwards how much it costed and where can they get one.
Sometimes I will have problems trying to set things up the way I want. Effects drive me up the wall! But, like last week, you just have to play it. Can you make music with it? Easily? Actually, you can. And, it can make the hair on your neck stand up at band volume.
 
If you can build a rig you like from real analog gear, you can build it in the AX8. Using premade presets is not the best solution if you are looking for your own sound. At worst though, you cuold just roll through the stock IRs and find a goos tone, no doubt.
 
trevenarj said:
I need some honest opinions from those on this forum about the AX8. Thanks in advance!

I currently play in a band that uses prerecorded bass and drum tracks and prefer to go direct to the PA. As I am getting up there in years, portability and reduced weight are high on the wish list. I have a first generation Quilter MicroPro 200 that sounds remarkably good but the direct out suffers significantly unless the amp is also going through a speaker. I picked up an Eleven Rack with a foot controller and expression for a good price but am lukewarm about the sounds I get. Lastly, I have an old Tech 21 Tri-AC lying around but haven't tried that yet.

For the music I play, I just need a good clean, overdrive and solo sound with minimal effects, i.e. delay, phase shifter, compression, occasional chorus and wah. My biggest gripe about modelers that I have used in the past is the amount of time that must be spent tweaking presets. The Amplifire seemed like the perfect solution but left me cold and I returned it after one gig. I don't have regular access to the PA we use and creating patches with headphones is not the way to go. I'm looking for something that is essentially "plug and play" out of the box for live use to a PA, not so much for recording. Playing around on the computer with deep menus and searching for third party IRs is not something for which I have a lot of time. Is the AX8 a solution? I'm not going to knock the unit or users if it requires a lot of time to get it right; just not my thing, so please be honest.
Click to expand...
Hi there,
I hear you. As someone who has played direct using an TriAC for years I can tell you that it is a great tool to do what you described. I used a ADA GS3 DI at the end of my signal chain and liked what it did to my tone. If you feel aversion toward menus you can still get great tones with a SansAmp.
In my case, I recently tried an FX8 first before settling on the AX8. I need a wider range of tones than the TriAc had and decided I was not going to keep buying pedals to complement it...
Good luck!
 
The thing that I love about my AX8 is that you can tweak for days if you want and there are so many parameters that you can use to shape your tone, but it isn't necessary to get great sounds. I still have a lot to learn about mine, but I have several great presets put together that sound fantastic live. My advice would be to find a couple amp models to start with that sound good with your guitars and get you close to the sound you are looking for and work with them first. As time goes on you can explore new amps and adjust your sounds and presets accordingly. Also, spend just as much time with your IRs as you do with your amps. They have a massive effect on your tone. Many will tell you to purchase third party IRs and they definitely sound great, but I have found that with a little tweaking and experimentation, I got plenty of great sounds out of the stock cabs. Good luck!
 
I had an Eleven Rack and Helix before getting the AX8. I actually liked the sound of the 11R for higher gain but could never bond with the clean or low gain tones.

The Helix was a massive step up in every area, but I just didn't get along with the aggressive upper midrange. All the high gain patches sounded kind of nasty to me. I tried several different stock cabs and several aftermarket IR's and filters and EQ's and just never was happy.

The AX8 is a big step down from the Helix in terms of user interface on the unit itself, but the sounds were much better out of the box to me. If I didn't have access to the deep menus, it would still be better than the other units for my tastes. I do like to use aftermarket IR's but they are absolutely not necessary.

I do think at some point you'll have to dial in patches at a higher volume before gigging with the unit. You just won't know how it sounds and how the levels are otherwise. But you shouldn't have to do extensive adjustments...just playing with the amp knobs and the level should be adequate.
 
It sounds like it would be perfect for your needs. You can make it as simple or as complicated as you like. Deep editing is not required to get great tones but it's there if you want to. I use the EVH amp sim on the AX8 which is my tube amp as well so it makes it easier for me to dial in on the AX8 knowing how it should sound to my ears. I dial in my amp block exactly like it's real life counterpart. Identical. It's crazy how real it sounds. A testament to Cliff and the whole company how much they nailed the amps in this thing. The only deep editing I do is a high and low cut in the cab block that's it. Everything else is the basic tone controls in the amp block. Now I do some more complex stuff in my presets for Scenes and Scene Controllers and modifiers but that's for another post. I say take the plunge. I think you will be happy with the tones. And if not you've got 14 days to return it. Best wishes and good luck!
 
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