[video] AX8 as an amp in the room

Smittefar

Smittefar

Axe-Master
Hey I made a video, where I use my Ax8 with the EHX 44 Magnum power amp and a 1x12 regular guitar cab. That is as close to amp in the room, as you get.

It works very well, I think, but in order to get the feeling, you need to turn your speakers up LOUD.



Not only did I get the Amp in the room feel, I also got the amp in the room comments. Nobody ever mentions it, when I play my Ax8 through my studio monitors, but when I played this setup, my wife commented that she could hear me playing all the way down the street - Good or bad - I am not sure :)

I guess most of you already know the things I show in the video. Most of the demonstration is intended for non-Fractalites, but maybe you will enjoy it anyway.

At some point I say, we are (sound-wise) in AC/DC land - Let's be honest. I wasn't.
 
Smittefar said:
Hey I made a video, where I use my Ax8 with the EHX 44 Magnum power amp and a 1x12 regular guitar cab. That is as close to amp in the room, as you get.

It works very well, I think, but in order to get the feeling, you need to turn your speakers up LOUD.



Not only did I get the Amp in the room feel, I also got the amp in the room comments. Nobody ever mentions it, when I play my Ax8 through my studio monitors, but when I played this setup, my wife commented that she could hear me playing all the way down the street - Good or bad - I am not sure :)

I guess most of you already know the things I show in the video. Most of the demonstration is intended for non-Fractalites, but maybe you will enjoy it anyway.

At some point I say, we are (sound-wise) in AC/DC land - Let's be honest. I wasn't.
Click to expand...


Sounds great man :) People make fun of me when I tell them I use a 44 magnum for some reason. Morons... Morons everywhere.
 
Try a different browser and/or platform, if you can. No good for me with iPad/Safari, iPad/Chrome, or MBP/Safari, but worked OK on MBP/Chrome, iPhone/Safari and iPhone/Chrome.
 
Awesome!

How did you setup the patch? Did you used a cab sim? Did you anyway EQ the unit to compensate for a guitar speaker/cab or even the pedal characteristics itself?

Thanks!
 
Its kind of funny to post a video of amp in the room tone! There wont be any difference between amp in the room and just using an IR if you are playing both over the same speakers.
You can get the exact sound in the video by making an IR using the same mic position and playing it back using whatever you used to listen to the video.
 
bsas said:
Awesome!

How did you setup the patch? Did you used a cab sim? Did you anyway EQ the unit to compensate for a guitar speaker/cab or even the pedal characteristics itself?

Thanks!
Click to expand...

No, patch is just all FX (except reverb) -> Amp Block -> Reverb -> FX loop out -> 44 Magnum -> Cab - I didn't do anything special with the EQ. The 'real' cab applies all the EQ that we normally get from the Cab block

ChristThePhone said:
I like that barrel behind the cab. Looks like you have loads of fun in your place ;)
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Yeah, It's an old Whisky barrel that has been converted into a bar cabinet - I got from the wifey for my birthday - she was a good catch :)

lwknives said:
Its kind of funny to post a video of amp in the room tone! There wont be any difference between amp in the room and just using an IR if you are playing both over the same speakers.
You can get the exact sound in the video by making an IR using the same mic position and playing it back using whatever you used to listen to the video.
Click to expand...

You are to some extend right - But this comparison makes it equal to playing an actual amp in the room and recording it with the same microphones (I am actually sort of planning a shoot-out like that). The video does not convey any of the punches to the gut delivered by the loud amp in the room. The room has some reverberation that extends beyond that which can be handled with a Fractal Cab Block, but you could should an IR of the speaker in the room with those mics and process it in a convolution reverb in a DAW, and the result would definitely be similar.
 
Yes, indeed, I so love the sound of real cabinet.

I picked up a decent empty 2X12 combo amp shell for free from a repair shop, and put my favorite 12" Fanes in it along with a Carvin DCM150 (ss amp) where the original amp once was. The AX8 sounds like tube amps do into the same speakers. 100% amp in the room. Stereo routing from the AX8 to DCM150 to speakers is nicely 3D for rotary and delays.

Much of the time I need to work to JBL LSR308 studio monitors: decent enough for working up sounds to record and for practice at bedroom volume. Its not appropriate for all styles: but, the spread of an open backed cabinet gluing the sonic landscape together is a place I like to be.

What I've done is add a GEQ in front of the FX loop to get the real cab to approximate the IR: I find that the (real) Fanes work with a lot of the amp models - more versatile than any single IR I've come across. (Celestion A Type are also very versatile). This screen capture shows it needed a hint more air in the send to the Fanes to approximate the extensively adjusted F106 Rumble IR through monitors. A different amp model and IR will require different GEQ adjustments. As long as the sound/music has a close similarity in balance and character between FRFR and real cabinet, I can work with either (or together at the same time if needed). Or go the other way: Get an amp tone dialed in with the real cabinet, and then find an IR that comes close.

My intention was to have patches that can go to either amp & cab or to FRFR without having to futz about, and this strategy works for me: Big Ol' amp in the room from FX send = Output 2 feed to the DCM150 to 2X12. Output 1 can go to studio monitors or FOH as circumstances arise.

ODS_100_Fane_GEQ.jpg

EDIT: Another screenshot showing adjustments to get the cabinet to closely approximate the Vibrolux with F018 cab. Just to show what sort of work you're in for. Just this EQ assist widens the range of amp models this 2x12 cabinet can work really well with.

Vibrolux-82-EQ.jpg
 
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Here's the preset by the way

Screenshot%202016-10-28%2018.37.57.png
 

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  • JTM45 (44Mag+Cab).syx
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Smittefar said:
That's a pretty nice patch right there
Click to expand...
I really bond with the 6L6 clean / EL34 lead Dumble combination. Its sort of my tester patch. Scenes make it easy to try out all sorts of things just by making a copy of the patch and swapping in different blocks. Having 4 OD pedals to chose from (2 Drive blocks X&Y) is truly luxurious.
 
brokenvail said:
Isn't a power amp + cab an amp in the room?
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Yes, I agree 100%.
'Usually' when people are talking about getting 'amp in the room'....they're referring to the challenge of getting that tone with a FRFR speaker.
If you're not using an FRFR speaker (and you're using a guitar cab, like this video), then it IS an amp in the room (by popular definition).
 
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