What's all the hype about Axe Fx?

[toxikdeth]

I hate to say it guys but this is the same hype and action that threads got when the Vetta first came out. Everybody wanted one, threads were active as all heck, there were forums everywhere regarding modeling and especially the Vetta. Then... the honeymoon was over and everybody went back to tube amps or whatever.
Same thing is gonna happen with this software amp.
I am the first one usually sucked into new technology. Luckily.. this software amp is just too expensive for my tastes.
Most players aren't going to play string patches through their guitars, most players don't need multiple amp sounds.
What most players want is this....
A good to great clean tone with tons of headroom. This clean tone usually has some reverb or delay and some chorus on it.
A good to great rhythm tone that is either based on a Mesa or a Marshall. It needs to be tight and articulate and react well to palm muting.
A nice saturated lead tone that is basically a boosted rhythm tone with more mids and some effects like delay,reverb or both.
The amp needs to be able to push air through a basic cabinet loaded with basic quality Celestion speakers. Most players use either V 30's or T75's.
The amp needs to react well to volume differences on the guitar.
So... thats 2 tones and a volume boost. For effects.. thats delay, reverb and chorus.
Why am I listing the above? Its because having a software driven modeling amp like a Axe FX or a Vetta or any other modeling rig turns a player from a player to a tweaker. You spend so much time tweaking you are barely playing. Once you get all your patches set at home you feel like you can conquer the world. Then.. something aweful usually happens. You take your kick ass rig with your kick ass patches to rehearsal or to a gig and you wind up having tweak all your patches all over again while your bandmates get pissed off. They say.... "John, you only use a few basic tones.. and your last amp sounded great. Just a few pedals on the floor and you were good to go. Why do you need a rig that can give you any tone on the planet when you only need a few". My response was because it sounded cool and tweaking is fun. After spending hours retweaking my rig during rehearsal only to find out that I would have to retweak it if I used different cabs pushed me away from software driven modeling amps.
There really is something to say about a good guitar amp, a good speaker cabinet and minimal effects in a live setting.
I do think that this Axe FX craze is just that.. a craze. Sounds like an incredible technology to have in the recording studio though.
Another point to ponder is this... if the Vetta and the Vetta 2 were that good.. how come most players that bought one ended up selling them.
Now.. if you respond " because they really weren't that good" I understand , but the Vetta was getting the same rave reviews that the Axe Fx is getting now.
All I am saying is don't be so quick to sell all your high end amps and effects for something that you can only hear clips online of. I want to hear one live in a club setting with a real band banging it out. Thats the true test.

Everything you said is true. I keep on getting sucked into the modeling stuff instead of buying a tube amp. At one point I has a carvin v3 and liked it, was the only tube amp I ever boght. I eventually sold it for more modeling stuff sure they soundeed good and I thought it was a smart decision at first but then relized that they dont react like a tube amp and are not as warm. I am in a position where I am redesigning my rig and started thinking about an axe fx instead of a good tube amp but you helped mee realize that for my needs wich is basically what you have listed clean channel with various effects, dry rythem, and lead with some delay a tube amp and g major would work better

[jgcable]

I hate to say it guys but this is the same hype and action that threads got when the Vetta first came out. Everybody wanted one, threads were active as all heck, there were forums everywhere regarding modeling and especially the Vetta. Then... the honeymoon was over and everybody went back to tube amps or whatever.
Same thing is gonna happen with this software amp.
I am the first one usually sucked into new technology. Luckily.. this software amp is just too expensive for my tastes.
Most players aren't going to play string patches through their guitars, most players don't need multiple amp sounds.
What most players want is this....
A good to great clean tone with tons of headroom. This clean tone usually has some reverb or delay and some chorus on it.
A good to great rhythm tone that is either based on a Mesa or a Marshall. It needs to be tight and articulate and react well to palm muting.
A nice saturated lead tone that is basically a boosted rhythm tone with more mids and some effects like delay,reverb or both.
The amp needs to be able to push air through a basic cabinet loaded with basic quality Celestion speakers. Most players use either V 30's or T75's.
The amp needs to react well to volume differences on the guitar.
So... thats 2 tones and a volume boost. For effects.. thats delay, reverb and chorus.
Why am I listing the above? Its because having a software driven modeling amp like a Axe FX or a Vetta or any other modeling rig turns a player from a player to a tweaker. You spend so much time tweaking you are barely playing. Once you get all your patches set at home you feel like you can conquer the world. Then.. something aweful usually happens. You take your kick ass rig with your kick ass patches to rehearsal or to a gig and you wind up having tweak all your patches all over again while your bandmates get pissed off. They say.... "John, you only use a few basic tones.. and your last amp sounded great. Just a few pedals on the floor and you were good to go. Why do you need a rig that can give you any tone on the planet when you only need a few". My response was because it sounded cool and tweaking is fun. After spending hours retweaking my rig during rehearsal only to find out that I would have to retweak it if I used different cabs pushed me away from software driven modeling amps.
There really is something to say about a good guitar amp, a good speaker cabinet and minimal effects in a live setting.
I do think that this Axe FX craze is just that.. a craze. Sounds like an incredible technology to have in the recording studio though.
Another point to ponder is this... if the Vetta and the Vetta 2 were that good.. how come most players that bought one ended up selling them.
Now.. if you respond " because they really weren't that good" I understand , but the Vetta was getting the same rave reviews that the Axe Fx is getting now.
All I am saying is don't be so quick to sell all your high end amps and effects for something that you can only hear clips online of. I want to hear one live in a club setting with a real band banging it out. Thats the true test.

[Matt_B]

At home, I used a pair of Edirol (Roland) MA-15Ds for my "watching TV" rig. They work nicely because they have a digital input and (2) line inputs, one of which I plug my iPod into for accompaniment.

Upstairs, in the recording room/den, I used a pair of M-Audio AV-30s which are fed by the analog outs on my audio card (the Axe-FX feeds the SPDIF in on the sound card).

I wanted to used relatively flat powered speakers (e.g. recording monitors) so when I created my patches, I wouldn't have to worry about the speakers I was using coloring the sound that much, if at all.

[beachjammer]

Okay, this is far from normal guitar playing, but this is one of the most interesting AxeFx YouTube vids I've seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68y1gjEHiBM

Close your eyes and it sounds like a real violin/cello!

That was freaking cool!!! I'd like to hear Yngwie on one of these!

[Flatpicker]

Cool,
I'm looking into 12ma's for travel, but I mostly wanted this for home recording and low volume tones. I don't play out besides the occasional get together/jam session anymore.

The basement/studio is still unfinished, but, i've been telling myself to have it completed for 3 years already. I have it worked on whenever I have some available funds.

[hippietim]

your home stereo should be fine.

[Flatpicker]

Here's a question for the group.
I realize that I have to use some kind of powered speaker for use out of the house, but, if I'm home I don't want all the extra speakers in the living room.

Can I patch into the home stereo and use the speakers I have at home?

I have the atomic for now, but I want to move that back into the basement/studio area.

[nateb]

I hope this Axe FX really takes off because I would like to get another Vetta 2 eventually and it will knock the price down a ton on one.

Check out the Axe forums... Last time I checked there, there was a few of them being dumped off.

-Nate

[hippietim]

My old Boss GT-8 had an outstanding strings patch. I used it all the time.

I'd have to hear the GT-8 again then. Because neither the GS-10 or GT-10 have anything that sound anywhere near as good as that patch. The synth sounds on the GT stuff sound like a cheap Casion going through an AM radio.

[jgcable]

I hope this Axe FX really takes off because I would like to get another Vetta 2 eventually and it will knock the price down a ton on one.

[jgcable]

Actually, it is. There is nothing I know of from Roland that let's me plug in a normal guitar and sound like that. I can get close with a VG-99 with a GK divided pickup. And of course using a MIDI synth.

My old Boss GT-8 had an outstanding strings patch. I used it all the time.

[hippietim]

Thats nothing that Boss or Roland hasn't done before.

Actually, it is. There is nothing I know of from Roland that let's me plug in a normal guitar and sound like that. I can get close with a VG-99 with a GK divided pickup. And of course using a MIDI synth.

[jgcable]

Wow... imagine playing Paganini Caprices with that patch... (or any neoclassical metal stuff)


- Leo.

Thats nothing that Boss or Roland hasn't done before.

[Leo Chang]

The axe fx looks promising hows the hot rodded marshall tone. Is the axe fx good for thrash and shred

There are some very good user recorded clips in those styles on the Axe Fx Forum: http://www.fractalaudio.com/forum/

- Leo

[Leo Chang]

Okay, this is far from normal guitar playing, but this is one of the most interesting AxeFx YouTube vids I've seen:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68y1gjEHiBM

Close your eyes and it sounds like a real violin/cello!

Wow... imagine playing Paganini Caprices with that patch... (or any neoclassical metal stuff)


- Leo.