Using a reverb pedal to save CPU?

Tman said:
This kinda concerns me. My AX8 unit is due arrive Monday the 8th. Users are buying or using external pedals due to saving CPU power with a state of the art multi effects amp sim unit ???? Thats an Oxymoron isn't it ????[/QUOTE

There is MORE than enough in the AX8 for 99% of players. But, as a guitar player, you know, some of us always want more. I am NOT one of those. But I understand why some might. Just the nature of guitar players.
I use an expression pedal and that's it.
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I was in the exact same boat. Coming from an amplifire with h9 in the loop, I initially thought of keeping the H9 but I've found so many great sounds just from the AX8 and it seems to handle plenty of things at once.

I would try and squeeze out all you can from just the AX8 and after a little bit if you still think something is missing then look to add.
 
20West said:
I'm considering running a Strymon Blue Sky through the effects loop to save CPU and easy on-stage tweaking. Is anyone else doing this? How's it working out?
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I had purchased my big sky before my AX8 but after I got the AX8 the reverb on it sounded so good I never bothered to hook up the BS until a few weeks ago & now that its working good I might not ever miss AX8 verb but it's good to know it there if I need it. If your like me and like to incorporate reverb in many patches and plan on using lots of the other onboard effects the AX8 has to offer you will most definitely appriciate the CPU % saved using an outboard verb machine but I'd say it not a deal breaker the AX8 can offer great sounding patches all by itself...
 
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artzeal said:
View attachment 39698

Scotty tells me we will have upgraded the Enterprise for that capability before the next "Battle of the Bands" with the Romulans and Klingons.
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I think the whole "CPU issue" is a bit of a mountain out of a mole hill situation - it really is not a big deal for the majority of people out there.

Yes, I understand that for some users they can't recreate their Axe Fx II/XL presets without the use of an external reverb pedal and it is a 'must have' addition.

A big factor is understanding the limitations and differences and working around them e.g. because the bigger brother rack units have so much horsepower, a lot of people use "kitchen sink" presets and play a whole gig on the one preset. If you approach the AX8 with that mindset then you will be disappointed.

With the AX8 you need to think about breaking your presets down to a per song setup. Once you do that you can get away with much more as you only build a preset with what you actually need for that one particular song. I too thought I would need external pedals to compensate but I haven't needed anything.

The reverbs (especially in a mix) still sound incredibly good with the quality set to 'normal' and other settings dialled down a notch to save CPU. As mentioned above, the blind test thread resolved that argument as it was clearly shown that you could not reliable pick the difference on an isolated track, let alone worrying about it in a live mix. I have to admit I didn't want to dial anything down as I didn't want to lose any quality, but that thread really highlighted the age old "use your ears, not your eyes" rule.
 
well today it gets delivered and tonight hopefully i get to tinker and get acquainted with it.
For gigging I doubt it will even be an issue, i plan on using it 4CB effects only. It's in my studio when it may become an issue? I want to use some horse power of the unit !
 
20West said:
I'm considering running a Strymon Blue Sky through the effects loop to save CPU and easy on-stage tweaking. Is anyone else doing this? How's it working out?
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If it would only be the ability to tweak, connect a cheap dual switch and assign external controllers to the parameters you want to control.
 
dbun said:
I think the whole "CPU issue" is a bit of a mountain out of a mole hill situation - it really is not a big deal for the majority of people out there.

Yes, I understand that for some users they can't recreate their Axe Fx II/XL presets without the use of an external reverb pedal and it is a 'must have' addition.

A big factor is understanding the limitations and differences and working around them e.g. because the bigger brother rack units have so much horsepower, a lot of people use "kitchen sink" presets and play a whole gig on the one preset. If you approach the AX8 with that mindset then you will be disappointed.

With the AX8 you need to think about breaking your presets down to a per song setup. Once you do that you can get away with much more as you only build a preset with what you actually need for that one particular song. I too thought I would need external pedals to compensate but I haven't needed anything.

The reverbs (especially in a mix) still sound incredibly good with the quality set to 'normal' and other settings dialled down a notch to save CPU. As mentioned above, the blind test thread resolved that argument as it was clearly shown that you could not reliable pick the difference on an isolated track, let alone worrying about it in a live mix. I have to admit I didn't want to dial anything down as I didn't want to lose any quality, but that thread really highlighted the age old "use your ears, not your eyes" rule.
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Also, I'd say about 1% of the audience actually cares at all about the little things especially when it's a full band.
 
Tman said:
This kinda concerns me. My AX8 unit is due arrive Monday the 8th. Users are buying or using external pedals due to saving CPU power with a state of the art multi effects amp sim unit ???? Thats an Oxymoron isn't it ????
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I started out using a BigSky and Timeline in the loop. It really did sound great and saved a lot of CPU but it was ultimately a lot to manage. For one thing, I found that I preferred the delays in the AX8. For another, I used only like 2 settings on the BigSky. In the end, I simplified and took both of them off my board. Now it's just the AX8. I don't want for CPU nor do I miss the Strymons. There are ways to get the sounds I need without them.

So don't be too concerned. There's the conventional wisdom that says you absolutely must use external pedals to save CPU, and then there's experience. :)
 
fastgraham said:
Also, I'd say about 1% of the audience actually cares at all about the little things especially when it's a full band.
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Id say about only 50% or less of the audience even pays attention to the band in the first place at most venues. Amazes me to go to show and see people talking the whole time, playing on their phones etc. Its like why did you go to a show, pay for a ticket/cover charge, if your not going to watch/listen to what the band is doing ? If you wanted to sit around and chat your friends or play on your cellphone why not just go a coffee shop or something ?

When I go to see a band, I go to see/listen to a band. I don't want to talk to people, I don't want to mess with my phone. I want to appreciate and enjoy the performance, the nuances of their playing, listen to their tone, and since I'm a gear nerd check out their rig lol. I know I'm in the minority of todays concert-goers
 
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