Will it sound like an amp in the room?

B

bloodninja

Inspired
I'm considering buying an AX8 and powered speaker like the Yamaha DXR10. I'm completely convinced that it will sound amazing recorded in a mix, but will it also sound good in a room by itself? If you crank it up and hit a palm muted E string, will it punch you in the gut like a real amp?
 
For me, the sound and dynamics and much of the feedback is there. But when I switch over to my 100watt head and 4x12, it makes me feel like superman. The ax8 is still a blast to play on its own, but nothing will ever give you the exact satisfaction of a cranked tube amp, earth shaking feel.
 
I have run the axe fx every way you can imagine. I can assure you that through a suitable solid state amp and guitar cab, it will sound like a real amp.
 
Thanks for the honest opinions. Looks like power amp and guitar cab would work better for me...which is great since it will be a lot cheaper.
 
bloodninja said:
I'm considering buying an AX8 and powered speaker like the Yamaha DXR10. I'm completely convinced that it will sound amazing recorded in a mix, but will it also sound good in a room by itself? If you crank it up and hit a palm muted E string, will it punch you in the gut like a real amp?
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I actually had the DXR10, it's a really good speaker. I then tried the Friedman ASM-12 and man, it sounds good. Very, very close to an "amp in room" sound. I high cut the cab block at around 8K and that does it for me. Only big difference is I don't get the awful beaminess of standard guitar cab speakers!;)
 
Running the AX8 through anything other than a FRFR is like having sex with a condom on it just doesn't feel the same.......your missing all the nuances of all those amps and IR's you have at your disposal..... kind of wasting the capabilities of that magic black box.......and now you are locked down by your SS amp and whatever cab you have....."just my opinion".....Just sayin................................I've have tried it both ways..."no pun intended" lol...and FRFR is "the bee's knees"...
 
The problem is with the same preset and same FRFR speaker, its a crap shoot as to whether or not it will sound like an amp in the room to *you*.

I use Atomic CLR's. Even with IR's created with close microphones, it's enough of of the amp in the room vibe for me. But you can read lots of posts claiming dissatisfaction with the same setup as me.
 
cyberk9 said:
Running the AX8 through anything other than a FRFR is like having sex with a condom on it just doesn't feel the same........
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..... but if it's the only option available at the time it doesn't stop you doing it either :)

Trying a load of FRFR options can be an expensive and troublesome enough experience ... especially when you live in the arse end of nowhere like I do. After buying, trying and returning a few types I've reached the point now where the FRFR cabs I've got 'will bloody well do' and I have my old conventional cabs (which have seen many years of battle and aren't exactly attractive enough to merit selling now) as an alternative with their own set of presets if I fancy a change.
 
Tone is subjective but if you turn the Mic sim off it should sound like an amp in the room. You can run it like a real amp. Just turn the speaker sim off and use your own cab or turn both the speaker sim off and the power amp sim off and run it through a tube amp and cab. Lots of options.
 
jzgtrguy said:
Tone is subjective but if you turn the Mic sim off it should sound like an amp in the room.
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No.

A lot of IR's were captured with neutral test microphones. The mic sims are a way of EQ'ing an IR and were born from those "neutral" IR's.

Today, the overwhelming majority of IR's are captured with close microphones setup like conventional close mic guitar tracking in a studio. As such, the microphone is "baked in" to the IR's.

The default for the mic sim is "None" because of this.

Disabling or enabling the mic sim will not make a preset sound like an amp in the room because the IR's are captured with microphones close to the speaker grill. The mic sim can't change that.
 
barhrecords said:
No.

A lot of IR's were captured with neutral test microphones. The mic sims are a way of EQ'ing an IR and were born from those "neutral" IR's.

Today, the overwhelming majority of IR's are captured with close microphones setup like conventional close mic guitar tracking in a studio. As such, the microphone is "baked in" to the IR's.

The default for the mic sim is "None" because of this.

Disabling or enabling the mic sim will not make a preset sound like an amp in the room because the IR's are captured with microphones close to the speaker grill. The mic sim can't change that.
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I've noticed in the factory cabs there is no option for setting or changing miss, is the reason because of what you explained above or am I overlooking something in the cab block. The ax8 is new to me so I'm still learning.
Thanks
 
bbrewster said:
I've noticed in the factory cabs there is no option for setting or changing miss, is the reason because of what you explained above or am I overlooking something in the cab block. The ax8 is new to me so I'm still learning.
Thanks
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Crazy iPad autocorrection........I meant to say "mics" I'm sure you probably got that but wanted to clarify
 
Any time I'm on a stage bigger than a club I lose the feel of an amp in a room. I'm hearing my micd amp through a wedges. And if you have ever have ever had to get used to that its no big deal.

That said I have an acoustic image amp that is a three way FR cab with a downward firing 12" that feels like an amp in the room to me with the AX8
 
barhrecords said:
The problem is with the same preset and same FRFR speaker, its a crap shoot as to whether or not it will sound like an amp in the room to *you*.

I use Atomic CLR's. Even with IR's created with close microphones, it's enough of of the amp in the room vibe for me. But you can read lots of posts claiming dissatisfaction with the same setup as me.
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I agree. With my IR's and a couple of CLR'S I like it better than my huge wall of cabs and tube Poweramp. At loud volume, to me it's amp in the room. I can also grab my whammy bar and pull a Dimebag and the sustain is for days!
 
With the good FRFR speaker, yes you will feel that punch.
Comparing it to a 4x12 it will sound different.
Thats because the guitar cab colors the sound.

The only way to compare is to put the guitar cab in a separate isolated room and a mic through your studio monitors.
Then you'll hear the same: Guitar cab + mic = PA sound = FRFR

So with an FRFR you'll hear the same what the audience will hear.
With a guitar cab, only you (and your bandmates) will hear the "guitar cab sound", the audience won't

The advantage with FRFR is that you'll hear much more of what the AxeFX has inside, because the sound is not (or minimal) colored
 
Imho. it will never be exact the same as a cranked up tube amp. But how often do you get to really crank up the good tube amp? For me not that often.

In my mind - the benefits and flexibility of the Axe and AX8 beats the roar of a fully cranked up tube amp any day.

And agree good FRFR speakers will give you a lot of good feel and a bit of punch on stage.

So for flexibility and good sound i will always go with the AX8 or Axe Fx.
 
MicMic said:
Imho. it will never be exact the same as a cranked up tube amp. But how often do you get to really crank up the good tube amp? For me not that often.

In my mind - the benefits and flexibility of the Axe and AX8 beats the roar of a fully cranked up tube amp any day.

And agree good FRFR speakers will give you a lot of good feel and a bit of punch on stage.

So for flexibility and good sound i will always go with the AX8 or Axe Fx.
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True, I rarely get the opportunity crank a good tube amp. In fact, I only even play with other people every once in a great while.

Right now I'm playing through a Peavey Vypyr Tube 60. It's not great, but it does metal rhythm pretty well and I love the thump it gives when I turn it up. I don't want to lose that.
 
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