Volume Settings

[sprint]

Hi:

I'm driving my FRFR monitoring gear as follows:
- Axe FX signal path as strong as possible without clipping the AXE.
- Axe FX output as strong as possible to not clip my mixer.
- Mixer output volume as strong as possible to not clip my FRFR speaker

Generally, I try to use the FRFR volume controls to manage overall volume (so as not to reduce signal strength else where in the chain).

Does this sound generally correct?

Can I use the Axe or Mixer output volume controls without losing quality (being lazy I often find this to be the most convenient way)?

Sometimes it seams I get all this setup correctly but my FRFR will start clipping when I turn up the FRFR (I'm assuming it's because I was clipping at the lower volume and didn't notice (I have no clip light on my FRFR)). Maybe I'm worrying too much about getting maximized signal strength through out the chain up to the point of power amplification.

 

[Smilzo]

It sounds correct.

 

[reclavea]

Get your signal input to the axe-fx hot enough to the point of just barely clipping the input. The clipping led should just barely flicker.

I don't think you should clip the output 1 at all (output led below the screen) and output 2 for that matter.

Now with the axe-fx, set your outboard mixer input level to about unity gain or so. I think this gives you some headroom on the mixer for louder patches. You should not over drive the input of any mixer channel. I think you should also hit your FRFR at unity or so, depending on the venue, lower if the venue is smaller.

Signal strength before the amp as in using boost or a drive is significant in shaping the guitar/amp tone but for modulation, delay and reverb fx it is not and is actually detrimental to the tone/sound.

If all your blocks are hot and near clipping (output 1), you won't have room to adjust should you need a patch louder. I generally balance my patches with the amp level or with the mixer block or sometimes with the eq block level parameter.

Yes, don't worry about the output quality with regard to the axe-fx.

 

[Dpoirier]

Hi:

I'm driving my FRFR monitoring gear as follows:
- Axe FX signal path as strong as possible without clipping the AXE.
- Axe FX output as strong as possible to not clip my mixer.
- Mixer output volume as strong as possible to not clip my FRFR speaker

Generally, I try to use the FRFR volume controls to manage overall volume (so as not to reduce signal strength else where in the chain).

Does this sound generally correct?

Yes, that will give you the best signal-to-noise ratio. However, it means that you adjust the overall volume by adjusting the knobs on your FRFR monitor(s) which may be tedious and less practical. If you're running very long cable runs to the FRFR, or if the cable quality is low, or if there are additional factors degrading the unamplified signal between the Axe and your FRFR, then this *may* be necessary. However, it ususally isn't. Read on...

Can I use the Axe or Mixer output volume controls without losing quality (being lazy I often find this to be the most convenient way)?

Yes, absolutely. I set my FRFR speakers to a level that gives me a nice usable range when controlling the overall volume using the Axe-FX Output1 knob, and it works wonderfully. The control knobs on the Axe are high quality, and not noisy at all, so it all works really well. If you plan to use your mixer's output volume knob for overall volume control, be sure it's a good quality potentiometer, and has clean contacts (a scratchy pot through a high-powered FRFR monitor could be very nasty). But this option on maximizing the level feeding the mixer (and therefore use the mixer output volume knob for volume control) is the right choice to make if your mixer's gain staging is not as clean as the Axe-FX's gain staging.

Sometimes it seams I get all this setup correctly but my FRFR will start clipping when I turn up the FRFR (I'm assuming it's because I was clipping at the lower volume and didn't notice (I have no clip light on my FRFR)). Maybe I'm worrying too much about getting maximized signal strength through out the chain up to the point of power amplification.

Yeah, I suspect you're trying to maximize levels too much. Your mixer's input may be the point of clipping. Just wondering: why do you use a mixer at all? The Axe-FX strainght into FRFR is a killer rig... I assume you're using the mixer because you mix in other source material and feed both the Axe-FX and <whatever-else> into your FRFR?