Weekend Gig Using v18.10

mrstrat

mrstrat

Experienced
Had a gig this past weekend for the first time in a while, and was using v18.10 (I know, I'm behind the times) and it sounded phenomenal! Best live sound I've ever had. (My prior rig was a Triaxis=>Gforce=>2:90) We're covering tunes as diverse as Aerosmith to Prince, Hard Rock, Funk, Pop, and Acoustic, and it covered all of them flawlessly. Damn...

We were actually opening for another band and their guitar player came up after we were done and commented that it was the best live tone he'd ever heard. He specifically commented about how "tube-like" it sounded. :lol He asked if he could come over and try it out. He was using a Mesa Dual Rec.

Anyway, just wanted to send a shout out to Cliff and team in appreciation of their tireless pursuit of perfection. Time to finally sell my Triaxis rig.

BTW, I was trying to dial in my levels across 50+ presets after my last firmware update, and discovered a cool piece of software called the Orban Loudness Meter that really made the job a lot easier.
 
Awesome to hear, thanks for the gig report!

mrstrat said:
BTW, I was trying to dial in my levels across 50+ presets after my last firmware update, and discovered a cool piece of software called the Orban Loudness Meter that really made the job a lot easier.
Click to expand...

Did you try the built in VU metering? It basically does what the Orban does, right in the box.

There was a thread long ago when discussion of the Orban and other similar plug-ins came up, and some time later, like magic, the VU metering feature appeared in the Axe-Fx II firmware. From the Wiki:

Using VU meters: another approach is to measure and match preset levels using the VU meters in the Utility menu of the Axe-Fx II.
The Axe-Fx II has VU meters in the Utility menu. The meters show the relative loudness of the channels. These readouts can be used to help set preset levels to the same apparent volume. For convenience the level of the Amp blocks can be set from this page. Also, the value of the Output Level knobs is displayed in this page for reference (note that this is only for reference and does not affect the VU meters as the measurement is prior to the Output Level potentiometers).
Cliff: "ITU-R is a standard for loudness measurement. Broadcasters use it to monitor the apparent loudness of program material and comply with regulations, i.e. making sure commercials aren't louder than the programming. The measurement includes a simple head model and hearing perception model to give a fairly accurate indication of relative volume." source
Be aware that the VU meter is offset by 20 dB, so when the meter reads 0 it’s actually -20 dB. This means that the "0" mark does not indicate clipping. This allows for sufficient headroom.
When playing you'll see the meters bounce around. The meters give you a general idea of the loudness of the current preset, to get you in the ballpark. Try strumming the strings in a consistent way. Adjust the Amp level(s), aiming for an average level around 0 dB.
 
Hi Robboman, yes, I was aware of the VU meters. I don't use them for a couple of reasons. First my Axe-Fx, speakers, etc. are across the room from my computer, where I use Axe-Edit to manage my levels, which would necessitate moving either my computer or rig to the other side of the room. (I'd love to have VU meters in Axe-Edit...wink, wink, nudge, nudge) The second reason is that I've found the "sticky" bar on the Oban software meter helps even out the dynamics a bit and makes it easier to see the average level. So for me, it's just an ease of use thing. :)
 
chucma said:
Really good to hear that mrstrat, thanks for sharing! So was your signal going directly into FOH?
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So I'm running two CLRs in backline mode, one stacked on top of the other, with my rack on top of both. That's my stage sound, and then yes, I run direct to FOH from Output 1. (I use Output 2 for my CLRs - Copy Output1 to Output2)
 
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