What's all the hype about Axe Fx?

[quiksilver]

Counterpoint

That's a very good idea. I'm surprised someone doesn't offer a rack in a vintage-looking head case. I'd guess 3 spaces or so would fit, and I think it would appeal to guitarists.

COUNTERPOINT ON THE AXE FX
As a bit of counterpoint, the Axe FX isn't for everyone. I bought an Axe FX Standard and ended up selling it and going to a Splawn head and a G-Major, and I am much happier. Here's my cautionary tale:

I have been engaged in a long-running effort to get a few great sounds. First and foremost, EVH, hot rodded Marshall.

As distant seconds, I'd like a nice clean sound, an SRV sound, and maybe a Shadows Fall, uber-heavy tone, just for grins. I could actually do without these, but they'd be nice.

I dropped $1500 on a new Axe FX Standard with the idea that I could get all of these in a convenient, high quality package, and maybe better than I've been able to do with lesser gear in the past, since guys like EVH do use nice gear (e.g., Eventide effects, etc.), and I liked the idea of being able to walk in with a small rack and a powered speaker and knowing that all of my sounds would be on tap. (Incidentally, I am NOT anti-modeling. I've had almost all of them - way too many to type here).

I read the Axe FX manual before it arrived and also read up on the forum and wiki. When I got it, I ran my Axe FX through Mackie SRM450s or, alternately, into a Marshall 9100, into a G-Flex 2x12. It sounded good. The effects were very nice. It was logically laid out, but still kind of a pain to work with, with lots of little details to work out, e.g., resetting the MIDI preset counter so that your MIDI pedal will match up with the AFX's display (I have the world's easiest MIDI pedal - the Tech 21 MIDI Mouse, which has required no configuration whatsoever on other gear I've used, e.g., my $200 G-Major).

Overall, I got the impression that the AFX is a beta. Lots of things felt undone or left out. It doesn't have a headphone jack, which is a PITA when you want to just set it on the coffee table and jam late at night. As a Mac user, I had to struggle to figure out how to get the AFX Mac software working (no instructions were included, so I had to ask around on the forum, run Google searches, etc.), and once I did, I found out that their Mac software is in beta and doesn't actually do anything yet. Also, if you are going to get one, get the Ultra. I bought the Standard, because I didn't need the extra features offered by the Ultra, but I didn't realize until after I got it that on many factory presets, the Standard goes into CPU overload. And I don't understand the deal with the lack of a user preset library to share. I wasted a lot of time on the AFX forum reading about how there used to be an online preset library, and there should be one again someday, but the guy who runs the company is too busy, so for now, could anyone direct me to Patch X, etc.? I guess the last straw was when I played a gig with it and the other guitarist, who had a POS Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Tone Bone something or other, sounded better and cut through way better than I did with my Axe FX running stereo through a pair of SRM450s. Incidentally, I later played the same venue with the same band, but that time I brought my little Marshall Haze 1x12 combo with a Tech 21 GT2, and the other band members told me how much better that sounded, with an air of relief. I had to reluctantly agree, and I sold the AFX at a loss.

Overall, for $1500, I was underwhelmed. There should be instructions in the box for how to make the computer connection work, and once connected, the software should actually do something useful (that includes AFX's Mac software). There should be a headphone jack. Fractal should fix it so the Standard doesn't go into CPU overload (lots of easy ways to do this, e.g., create 2 versions of presets, one for the Standard and a different one for the Ultra, etc.). There should be an online database of patches for users to share. You should be able to name your user cabs once saved in the AFX, instead of having to make a cheat sheet of which cab is which.

I have found that my G-Major offers effects of similar quality and is easy to use and program, and my Splawn (used but like new) and G-Major together cost about the same as the AFX Standard. If you're a ham radio/tinkerer type, you might like exploring the mysteries of the AFX, but for me, this setup is superior.

[Chad]

No, it's not for everybody.

I believe I read one of your threads on the Fractal forum and I still don't understand why you expect the software to function perfectly when it is fully disclosed as being in beta with bugs and so forth. I don't even mess with the software and get along fine. I'll wait until it's out of beta and ready for prime time....but actually I do fine with editing from the front panel.

I'll agree with you about the User Cabs not being nameable. It is a pain, but once a person gets their amp/cab combinations all setup it's not that big of a deal.

I have an Ultra and have never overloaded it. I didn't think the Standard was that low on resources....how many blocks did you have setup? I do wonder if the Standard's retirement is nearing.

As far as the MIDI counter, do you mean the 0 or 1 offset? That's actually a feature that allows flexibility.

I never play with headphones, but I know a lot of people do, so I agree that was an oversight, but I believe other folks have worked around that issue with external gear. I'll add that a USB connection would have been nice as well.

But nothing is perfect. Overall, I love my Ultra, but it's not perfect and not for everybody.....just like every other item of gear out there.

[quiksilver]

Chad, as to your queries: 1. I don't expect Fractal's latest beta software to be bug-free, but I do expect some kind of basic, working software, along with instructions to use it; 2. I am not surprised that your Ultra hasn't suffered CPU overloads; that was my point when I suggested to get an Ultra, as the Standard does suffer from them; I don't know how many blocks were being used; the offending patches were provided by Fractal; 3. Yes, I was referring to the MIDI counter offset. I have no doubt it is useful to someone, but it was just another annoyance for me; 4. I agree that nothing is perfect - that includes my Splawn and G-Major, even though I am really digging them. The AFX is a nice piece of gear, and I think Fractal seems like a good company. I am not interested in slamming them or praising them; my experience was as I indicated, and I offered it as food for thought for people who may be similarly situated. YMMV.

[Matt_B]

As a bit of counterpoint, the Axe FX isn't for everyone.

Nothing is for everyone.

I guess the last straw was when I played a gig with it and the other guitarist, who had a POS Fender Deluxe Reverb and a Tone Bone something or other, sounded better and cut through way better than I did with my Axe FX running stereo through a pair of SRM450s. Incidentally, I later played the same venue with the same band, but that time I brought my little Marshall Haze 1x12 combo with a Tech 21 GT2, and the other band members told me how much better that sounded, with an air of relief. I had to reluctantly agree, and I sold the AFX at a loss.

...then you didn't dial in the sound you needed or wanted.

Overall, for $1500, I was underwhelmed. There should be instructions in the box for how to make the computer connection work, and once connected, the software should actually do something useful (that includes AFX's Mac software).

As you know, the editor is in beta as it is. I won't even bother with it until it's out of beta. Making the computer connection is easy though.

There should be a headphone jack.

Eh, I don't miss it but I wouldn't mind if it was there.

Fractal should fix it so the Standard doesn't go into CPU overload (lots of easy ways to do this, e.g., create 2 versions of presets, one for the Standard and a different one for the Ultra, etc.).

You should suggest that if someone already hasn't.

There should be an online database of patches for users to share.

Personally, I never bothered with any patches but the ones I've made myself. There are way too many variables, besides the processor, to make someone else's user patch work for me.

You should be able to name your user cabs once saved in the AFX, instead of having to make a cheat sheet of which cab is which.

I don't use usesr cabs but I agree.

I have found that my G-Major offers effects of similar quality

I've owned a G Major and the Axe-FX effects are better quality and much more flexible. The G Major is a great deal for the money but it's not the same class the Axe-FX, which is more like an Eventide Eclipse or TC Elec M2000.

[hippietim]

Chad, as to your queries: 1. I don't expect Fractal's latest beta software to be bug-free, but I do expect some kind of basic, working software, along with instructions to use it; 2. I am not surprised that your Ultra hasn't suffered CPU overloads; that was my point when I suggested to get an Ultra, as the Standard does suffer from them; I don't know how many blocks were being used; the offending patches were provided by Fractal; 3. Yes, I was referring to the MIDI counter offset. I have no doubt it is useful to someone, but it was just another annoyance for me; 4. I agree that nothing is perfect - that includes my Splawn and G-Major, even though I am really digging them. The AFX is a nice piece of gear, and I think Fractal seems like a good company. I am not interested in slamming them or praising them; my experience was as I indicated, and I offered it as food for thought for people who may be similarly situated. YMMV.

1) I've never even run the Fractal editor. I used the freeware one a couple times but it was just a distraction. I never use the editors that come with these things (POD, Boss GT, etc.) - I don't want to rely on them. I've always found that I am more productive without them in the end.

2) The AxeFX doesn't suffer from CPU overload anymore than many other devices would if you were allowed to do what the AxeFX allows. You can put as many things in a patch as the CPU supports and connect them pretty much any way you can imagine. No other device on the market enables as much flexibility. Any device has limits, the AxeFX just lets you decide rather than have a canned set of configurations and predefined limits.

3) That annoyance is there because there is no standard for how patch numbers are displayed for MIDI devices. MIDI patch numbering is 0-127. A lot of manufacturers "help" you by changing that to 1-128. A lot don't. So the AxeFX has a feature that allows you to pick zero or one based patch numbering. I've owned controllers that worked both ways. There is no right choice here because there is no standard. I imagine you would really be flustered with some Roland gear where they use a group + bank + patch numbering scheme so they give you a chart that shows you that B31 maps to MIDI program #76.

4) Yeah, I've owned a Splawn and a G-Major - definitely not perfect I will say that my 1987x that Scott modded was my favorite hot rodded plexi amp ever. I wish I never sold that to buy a Quick Rod, it just wasn't as good. I'd love to get that Marshall back.

[KINGSFAN]

Notice how I said that the Mark IV sounds better though my current setup, which it does. A Mark pre amp sounds better than the Axe pre amp though the Mark power sections and mesa cabinets, IMO. The problem is the HISS, when I run the Mark pre amp though the Axe's fx loop, via 4 cable method. This is a huge weekness for me. Currently I am not using the Axe in it's fullest potential and that is understood, but it should work in a 4 cable setup and it fails miserably. Now if somebody can point me in the right direction to get rid of the HISS that would be awesome.

If your Mark IV sounds that much better to you, I question how you are dialing the Axe in...it can easily do anything that the Mark IV does, and better IMO. Have you tried it with some of the custom IRs and run it through an FRFR speaker? If not, you aren't using it to its fullest potential.

I'm not picking on you, I just see a lot of people siting "weaknesses" that don't truly exist if you learn how to dial it in properly.

[hippietim]

KINGSFAN - unfortunately there are a lot of problems with the effects loops in various Boogie amps. If you search around you can all sorts of issues over the years. The newer Boogies seem to work OK with rack effects in the loop but I've never had a Boogie work well with a four cable hookup - not even with a tube preamp. The Soldano SLO is even worse - there are mods out there for the SLO though.

[///MK]

Well, I'm sold on the Ultra. I've managed to replicate the tone I was getting with my 3TM MP-1s and ADA Ampulators. I love the Ultra so much, I'm in the process of selling all my other gear and I'm going to by another Ultra next month. I've always dreamed of an "all-in-one" box and that dream has finally become reality.

a little off the topic but any chance you can PM me your 3tm like patch for the axe ultra

[MOSHWITZ]

a little off the topic but any chance you can PM me your 3tm like patch for the axe ultra

+1,,Please Please Please I'd love to hear it.

MOSHON
DAVE

[Matt_B]

I've uploaded my MP-1 patches here..

As with any user patch, take them with a grain of salt.

[Robert Burns]

Check this dude out! This is cooler than Shit! Jackson/Axefx/metal riffs..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUqOh5w2UNQ&feature=related

[nateb]

Hey all,

Just thought I would mention this incase some of you dont visit their site. 9.0 update is OUT!

http://www.fractalaudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=272

8.09 -> 9.0 Changelist

9.00
Improved preset switching times.

Changed log tapers in Volume block to more accurately model actual audio taper pots. Also changed Amp block tone control tapers accordingly.

Improved power amp modeling. Power amp compression is now more apparent but also more natural, especially with high Master and/or Sag settings. Improves note clarity and touch sensitivity.

New pre-amp modeling accurately simulates “cold-biased” stages. Models using this will now have much more “crunch”. Even when playing light an underlying crunch will be evident. This also has the desirable side-effect of making some high-gain models feel “tighter”.

Euro 1 & 2 models have been totally reworked.

Tweaked Depth frequency of Fryette models.

Corrected incorrect coupling capacitor value in Plexi 1 and Plexi 2 models.

Reworked CAA models and corrected incorrect bright cap value in CAA 3+ LD model.

Reworked X99 models and corrected math mistake on bright cap for Rhy model.

Fixed incorrect treble peaker value on Boutique 1&2 models. Also tweaked tone- stack for these models.

New Rotary Cabinet algorithm. New algorithm has independent motors for LF and HF rotors along with separate time constants. The LF rotor will change speed slower than the HF rotor. Rate control now goes to 0.0 allowing “braking” of the rotors. Virtual microphone positions have been changed to 90 degrees (previously 180 degrees). The new algorithm results in a more realistic and intense effect.

Added Horn Length control to Rotary block. This parameter adjusts the length of the virtual HF horn. Larger values increase the amount of doppler shift and result in a more intense effect.

Added ability to chose realtime sysex messages sent: None, All, Tuner Only or Tempo Only.

Reverb block has been reworked. Separate pre-delay and tail delay controls now allow precise control over the delay of the initial reflections and tail portions of the reverb. The reverb “tank” algortihm has been rewritten to provide a more natural sound. The new reverb algorithm has also been ported to the standard Axe-Fx.

The following parameter changes have been made to the reverb block:
- “Early Delay” parameter has been removed.
- “Pre Delay” now controls time to initial reflections and is adjustable
from 0 to 250 ms. Default value varies with type
- “Reverb Delay” sets the start of the decay portion of the reverb relative
to the initial reflections. Range is 0 to 250 ms. Default value varies
with type.
- “Echo Density” sets the density of the decay portion of the reverb. Range
is 2 to 8. Lower values result in a more sparse and coarse sounding tail. Higher values give a smoother sound.

The Spring type has been removed and replaced with a “Cathedral” type. The Vintage type has been renamed to Spring.

Fixed bug in Vintage (now Spring) reverb corrupting global vector.

***NOTE***: Presets created with firmware prior to 9.00 are incompatible with the new algorithm so the reverb block is reset upon recall. The preset will sound similar but many of the parameters will be reset by necessity. You should audition your presets carefully after upgrading as unexpected changes can occur.

Reworked Phaser block and particularly the Vibe mode. The Freq. control in the Phaser block now controls the center frequency of the sweep range (as opposed to the start frequency previously). The range of this parameter has been changed accordingly. Existing presets will probably sound the same but auditioning them is recommended.

A new Vibe algorithm has been written and accurately models the classic Univibe sound. A new parameter, BULB BIAS, has been added to the Advanced menu. This parameter allows you to control the quiescent current of the virtual light bulb used in the algorithm. Real Univive pedals have an internal poteniometer to control the quiescent bulb current. Varying this parameter controls how “lumpy” the frequency sweep beahves. Unlike a real Univibe, the Axe-Fx compensates so that the center frequency doesn’t change with the bias (the bias affect on the center frequency parameter is calculated and removed) allowing easier control of the sweep range. This parameter has no effect in the normal phaser modes.

***NOTE***: Existing presets will need to be auditioned as the sound of the Vibe mode has changed significantly. Furthermore, the LFO type is required to be SINE for the vibe mode (previously it was EXP). You can use other LFO types for the vibe mode but it will not replicate the vintage effect then. When selecting the Vibe type the LFO is automatically changed to SINE. You can override the LFO type afterwards, if desired.