What's all the hype about Axe Fx?

[beachjammer]

I guess I opened up a can of worms! HA HA!

Sounds like everyone has pretty strong opinions about them and mostly for the positive. I'll have to look into these a little more then. Hopefully somebody locally will get one in that I can try out.

For those of you that own them it sounds like the general consensus is that you use powered monitors for practice and run direct when playing with band or live. Has anyone tried one of these through that new Bose column PA rig?

[DonP]

Where do you find a price on an ulta? Ball park figure?

[Newc]

Matt,,,I've been a hardcore Digitech rack supporter for years(TSR24, 2101/LE, multiple 2120's) You would not be disappointed ,,this sounds sooooo much better in every way...like the next step in evolution

MOSHON
DAVE

Newc - the fx are eventide quality. They smoke and burn anything digitech has ever put out. The A/D converters are much better than anyone elses, and he also uses expensive op amps instead of whatever Line 6 or Digitech could grab in bulk for pennies a pound.

Pete, delurking for a few

Thanks

Then again, I have to ask myself if I would use the effects? To be honest, all I'm using the TSR12 for these days is tone-shaping EQ to do my own form of "amp modeling". If I need Chorus or Reverb or Delay I usually do it in Audition with various filters and layering effects and playing with time offsets.

Part of that's due to the Rolls line mixer being easy to overload - a touch of Chorus sends the unit into Clippingtopia. About the only thing it doesn't seem to mind is the pitch/synth effect patch.

I dunno. Lemme see what comes up in the next few months.

[horns666]

What's goin' on..??

Uberschall...??

My pud..??

vagina..?

goo..?

OH, Tim said Jeff Loomis.

Cool..

..

[Leo Chang]

This right here is all that interests me. I've been running dual signals for 20 years - 2 sets of pedals (homemade Y-box splitting to two separate distortion>modulation>amp chains), then dual racks when I moved up.

Even now I'm still using 2 preamps - ADA MP-1 and Line6 AM-4 - panned at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock in the mixer.

However, unless the effects do something truly awesome compared to my Digitech TSR-12 (and I'm not talking about subjective sound-quality differences which will be buried in the full mix), it's not worth the money to me. If they do a preamp-only version (amps, EQ, etc - everything but the modulation and time-based effects) for under $700, I might look into it.

Rumor has it that Fractal has a series of spin-off products planned... so eventually they might have something like what you want.

They are definitely in the process of developing a software only plug-in for DAWs, that much has been confirmed.

I think I also read on the Axe Fx Forum that there might be a floor based version of the Axe Fx in a few years. Not sure about this though.

- Leo.

[Leo Chang]

to play devils advocate here you have to ask yourself... if this thing is so good, how come the pro's playing live don't use it? Heck.. for that matter, how come the pro's playing live most of the time use traditional tube amps? I have been to tons of arena shows over the last 3 years and I haven't seen a single band playing a modeler or a software driven modeler or anything like it.

Dweezil Zappa is using it, and posts regularly on the Axe Fx forum.

There was one live video of him playing Eruption recently... he was using the Axe Fx Ultra on that show.

Of course, he is just one man... but I think it's just a matter of the Axe Fx being relatively very new. Sooner or later we'll see more big name pro guys using it.

I mean, now we are finally seeing more big name pros playing conventional modelers (Boss GT series or Line6), and they've been around a long time... so I think a few more years, it'll be a lot more popular.

Just my opinion

- Leo.

[hippietim]

I know what you are saying but IMHO.. nothing will ever replace straight up Marshall, Mesa, Bogner etc.... live. I am a huge fan of modeling and software driven tone. I just don't see it live. I think the hype for the Axe FX is mainly studio and home players. Personally.. I thought that many pro's were gonna jump on the Vetta 2 bandwagon or the Boss GT-10 but that never happened. Nothing will ever replace mic'd up stacks of tube amps live. Axe FX is enjoying the same exposure and hype as Line 6 did when they came out with the Vetta.

Quite frankly the GT-10 sounds like canned ass direct. The speaker modeling in the Boss products blow donkey balls. The GT-10 sounds very good through guitar cabs.

The Axe-FX absolutely KILLS at cabinet modeling - you can literally sample your favorite cabinet and download the impulse response into the Axe-FX. There are many hundreds of impulse responses available around the net. Some clever folks have taken impulse responses of acoustic guitars and used those as a "cab" for piezo acoustic style settings to give them "body" - I've been meaning to try this with my Parker.

And the Vetta is not in the same league as the Axe-FX either. I've owned two Vetta's - it's not even close.

[hippietim]

to play devils advocate here you have to ask yourself... if this thing is so good, how come the pro's playing live don't use it? Heck.. for that matter, how come the pro's playing live most of the time use traditional tube amps? I have been to tons of arena shows over the last 3 years and I haven't seen a single band playing a modeler or a software driven modeler or anything like it.

Dweezil Zappa, Pete Thorn, Greg Howe, Adrian Belew, Jeff Loomis, Ty Tabor are all using the Axe-FX.

The product is still relatively new and unknown - they only started even advertising in the guitar mags in the last couple months.

Relative to other modelers, the Axe-FX kicks the shit out of a POD or Boss GT system - no contest.

The Axe-FX is my rig now - I run it into an FBT Verve 12ma FRFR active speaker (PA style). It kicks ass. I send a direct feed to FOH and life is good and simple.


To give you an idea of what I think of it, the rig sitting sadly unused next to it consists of:

• Bogner Fish preamp
• Boogie 2:90 power amp
• Eventide Eclipse
• Eventide Timefactor
• Klon
• Fuchs Plus Overdrive
• MXR EVH Phaser
• Voodoo Lab Analog chorus
• Port City V30 loaded 4x12 or Gold loaded 2x12

[Twisteramps]

to play devils advocate here you have to ask yourself... if this thing is so good, how come the pro's playing live don't use it? Heck.. for that matter, how come the pro's playing live most of the time use traditional tube amps? I have been to tons of arena shows over the last 3 years and I haven't seen a single band playing a modeler or a software driven modeler or anything like it.

Dweezil Zappa does. Here's a clip of him plugged into a fractal, then the fractal out to the PA...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiVV3sb36aY

I have a fractal standard, I love it. Also have an SLO, a Bogner XTC, '92 Mesa rackmount recto, about 20 other tube amps... and the fractal. I don't see it as an either or, I enjoy them all equally and actually use the fractal more than the tube amps. The fractal emulates the SLO, Bogner and Mesa well enough that I could sell the 'real' amps if I wanted and I wouldn't miss them much.

Newc - the fx are eventide quality. They smoke and burn anything digitech has ever put out. The A/D converters are much better than anyone elses, and he also uses expensive op amps instead of whatever Line 6 or Digitech could grab in bulk for pennies a pound.

Pete, delurking for a few

[jgcable]

Because they have a road crew, larger budget than the average layman, and they don't need the versatility of the AxeFx. If a person is a pro making big bucks and they only need a handful of main sounds and regularly play in arenas, then yeah, the big tube amps are fine.

As far as pros using the AxeFx........Dweezil Zappa is a huge name and he replaced a truckload of gear with a couple Ultras. Last I heard that was only for his overseas shows where transport of the monster rig was a problem, but I wonder if he'll go Axe all the way eventually.

Other notables:

http://www.fractalaudio.com/artist.html

I know what you are saying but IMHO.. nothing will ever replace straight up Marshall, Mesa, Bogner etc.... live. I am a huge fan of modeling and software driven tone. I just don't see it live. I think the hype for the Axe FX is mainly studio and home players. Personally.. I thought that many pro's were gonna jump on the Vetta 2 bandwagon or the Boss GT-10 but that never happened. Nothing will ever replace mic'd up stacks of tube amps live. Axe FX is enjoying the same exposure and hype as Line 6 did when they came out with the Vetta.

[MOSHWITZ]

Unless I need to gig, I'm just running through my PC (w/ a pair of M-Audio powered monitors) for recording/practicing or through a pair or Edirol powered monitors for the "playing TV" rig. I've been running direct-only for a few years now (modified MP-1s and ADA Ampulators) so it's not a switch for me as far as amplification goes.

ETA - I'm going to get an Ultra and if it works out, I'm going to get a second one so I have one upstairs and downstairs.

I think your gonna like it bro

I have been running mine strait into my JBL LSR's and been having such a great time, I haven't even felt the need to run it into my cabs yet, I'm sure I'll get around to it sometime


Matt,,,I've been a hardcore Digitech rack supporter for years(TSR24, 2101/LE, multiple 2120's) You would not be disappointed ,,this sounds sooooo much better in every way...like the next step in evolution

MOSHON
DAVE

[Matt_B]

What are you going to run yours through Matt_B?

Unless I need to gig, I'm just running through my PC (w/ a pair of M-Audio powered monitors) for recording/practicing or through a pair or Edirol powered monitors for the "playing TV" rig. I've been running direct-only for a few years now (modified MP-1s and ADA Ampulators) so it's not a switch for me as far as amplification goes.

ETA - I'm going to get an Ultra and if it works out, I'm going to get a second one so I have one upstairs and downstairs.

[Matt_B]

However, unless the effects do something truly awesome compared to my Digitech TSR-12 (and I'm not talking about subjective sound-quality differences which will be buried in the full mix), it's not worth the money to me.

I can tell you on paper that the effects are light years ahead of the TSR-12. Read the manual (available online) and see for yourself).

[Chad]

to play devils advocate here you have to ask yourself... if this thing is so good, how come the pro's playing live don't use it? Heck.. for that matter, how come the pro's playing live most of the time use traditional tube amps? I have been to tons of arena shows over the last 3 years and I haven't seen a single band playing a modeler or a software driven modeler or anything like it.

Because they have a road crew, larger budget than the average layman, and they don't need the versatility of the AxeFx. If a person is a pro making big bucks and they only need a handful of main sounds and regularly play in arenas, then yeah, the big tube amps are fine.

As far as pros using the AxeFx........Dweezil Zappa is a huge name and he replaced a truckload of gear with a couple Ultras. Last I heard that was only for his overseas shows where transport of the monster rig was a problem, but I wonder if he'll go Axe all the way eventually.

Other notables:

http://www.fractalaudio.com/artist.html

[Chad]

I've already sold 2 of my 3 Digitech 2120's, I have a Boss GT-PRO in the classifieds, and even my ENGL Savage 120 can hit the fuckin road when I get around to listing it, cause the Ultra gives me all I need and what I've been looking for.

I've sold a few thousand $ of gear and still have more to go.