To Axe or not to Axe???

Billbill

Billbill

Power User
Hello guys,
So, I've been thinking about ditching my current analog rig and switching to axe fx mainly due to the convenience of the axe fx. I have a few questions though, number 3 being the most vital (if its even possible)...
1) Could the axe fx do a tone match of my current analog rig, with pedals engaged?
2) Is the axe fx unit capable of tone matching analog pedals?
3) After everything in axe fx is set up to my liking, is it possible to use the axe-edit interface on my Mac to create or modify my tones while I listen real-time through headphones and without having the guitar in my hands? This scenario applies when I got my mac on my lap while the wife is on the other couch watching lame ass reality shows and I cannot go jam. This is pretty much setting up and tweaking a new tone to have it ready for my next jam. Is this possible within the axe fx setup? If not, it would be a cool thing for Fractal to incorporate. Sort of a real-time, jam-ready editing. Thanks for any and all input.

Billbill
 
1) Tone matching basically involves modeling an EQ curve, so it's not going to emulate pedals that involve compression, delay, etc. If you're talking about distortion, it may be possible assuming the differences are solely EQ oriented. That said, the quality of the Axe's effects are so good that you may not want to model your pedals once you've tried the Axe FX's on-board effects.

2) See #1.

3) Yes via re-amping. Basically, it involves sending a dry (recorded) guitar signal from your DAW into the Axe and then routing the processed audio back into your DAW. Re-amping allows you to make real-time changes to the processed audio.
 
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I thought like you OP, when I pulled the pin on my Axe FX II+, but after I got it...I tossed all that out the window.

I spent a few days building some basic presets/ tones...and familiarized myself with the Axe.

Modeling my prior Mesa DR rig became a non-starter for me. It just wasn't important and I was able to build tones way beyond what my Mesa delivered. I also found both the Mesa DR and the 4 x 12 cab in the Axe...and they sounded pretty much the same as the analogue setup.

I don't really use those tone too much as I have found a plethora of other amps that I like more! I eventually sold the Mesa DR but kept the one of cabs and that's what I'm now using as my daily driver with the Axe.

Couldn't be happier either!

I have spent months building and refining a few tones / presets...and I find my self playing longer and more frequently than with any of my previous analogue setups. And that's what it's all about!
 
Possibly simpler than re-amping is to add a looper pedal before the Axe Fx, or the looper block in the beginning of the chain, that will have the dry guitar tone of the section you're working on. If you go the looper pedal route, advanced looper pedals can store multiple loops so you can save different tones you're working with.
 
I'm still very new to the community and have only had my unit just over a month. I can tell you that I sold off a $3k pedalboard and several tube amps and have zero regrets. Anything and everything I could possibly want is now achievable and it far surpasses what I could have done with my previous analog rig.
 
Billbill said:
3) After everything in axe fx is set up to my liking, is it possible to use the axe-edit interface on my Mac to create or modify my tones while I listen real-time through headphones and without having the guitar in my hands?
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just put a Looper block before everything, record a loop, and then you can adjust things without playing the guitar. or use a pedal looper if you have one. or do the reamping/recording/DAW setup mentioned above.

note that you really want to create and adjust tones as close to the performance volume and setup as possible. this is for any gear. the Axe allows you to use headphones or very low volume and still get great tone, but sound is different at low vs high volumes. a preset created at very low volumes does not sound the same when it's suddenly amplified +40dB.
 
Like someone said before, tonenatching is just a complex EQ, it's not profiling Kemper-style.

You probably CAN make a very good copy of your sound using Axe FX, but it's not an automatic process, and, more importantly, not the device's main intended use. Amps, overdrive and distortion pedal combinations are most probably doable. Fuzz pedals are trickier.

Cloning sounds is more like Kemper's job.

That said, it is hard to deviate from what you get in Kemper, while Axe gives you lots of opportunities to tweak and change and create new things. Many of us started with the idea of having a specific sound in a smaller rig, but now it sounds ridiculously stupid to me when I recall how narrow my thinking was.
 
WOW!! Some really great info you guys have shared here, thank you very much. It's nice to know how supportive fellow musicians can be of each others needs and help a brudda out! I think I may switch to the Axe! Pairing that with the MFC 101 control is another beast I assume. Thanks
 
Billbill said:
WOW!! Some really great info you guys have shared here, thank you very much. It's nice to know how supportive fellow musicians can be of each others needs and help a brudda out! I think I may switch to the Axe! Pairing that with the MFC 101 control is another beast I assume. Thanks
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You could buy any other cheap midi pedalboard which will work just as well as the MFC.
Also, I'd recommend considering the AX8. It has less features, but you will get the axe fx and the pedalboard in one unit, so you'll save a hell lot. The AX8 and the Axe FX 2 sound exactly the same, btw.
 
FreeMind said:
The AX8 and the Axe FX 2 sound exactly the same, btw.
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As long as you use the same effects and the same limited number of blocks, it does. It may be sufficient for some, or most, people, and if it is the case, there may be no need to pay extra for the full package. But it's not always the case.
 
I started with an Ultra, and now have the FX. I did not sell other gear to get the Ultra, at least at first. After getting to know my way around the Fractal, I just stopped using my other gear. I preferred to play through the Fractal. Gradually, I came to realize I would not use my old gear, so I sold most of it off. I mostly build my own presets, and now have the best tone I ever had. My other gear just got older. The Fractal keeps getting better. \m/ (^_^) \m/
 
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