Axe-Fx II 'Tone Matching' YouTube tutorial...

[TrueTone500]

This is cool, but the 'matched' tone doesn't sound like the reference tone to me. I think it lacks the lower-mids and bottom of the reference tone. What do you guys think? Has anyone used this feature?

 

[Jer]

I have no personal experience but yes I think the difference is obvious. I'm not too hung up on it though; I'm still buying a Kemper lol.

I just can't afford all the heads/cabs I want so a digital lunchbox will have to do...

 

[TrueTone500]

My idea is to sell all my amps and effects, and go with the Axe II to condense my rig down to one rack unit. Now I'm reading that players are using the Axe, Kemper, and Eleven Rack... WTH? So the Kemper and Eleven do things the Axe II cannot?

 

[lester]

You're looking at v6. They're at 10.02 already...bit different.

This guy did Dime's Walk with the newer firmware. It's pretty close. https://soundcloud.com/schlagdog/dimebag-tone-match

 

[TrueTone500]

I assumed that V10.2 would have the same option. I don't want to buy an Axe II only to find that I should have gotten the Kemper. The Axe II looks like it's way more tweakable, and the foot controller looks great! There's a guy out of Jacksonville who is selling Axe II (MK II) modelers for $2600.00 delivered.

A quote from a guy on GearSlutz:

"AxeFx II ALL DAY! Truly an amazing piece of equipment, they sound there is mind blowing right of the start. I didn't like the Kemper at all, and compared to the Axe Fx's sounds quality and tweaking ability it's really lacking. The Axe Fx is currently in my opinion the strongest piece of equipment you can buy for a guitar. No amp can match it's versatility yet it matches most amps feel and touch, add a small high end boost pedal for some extra flavour and you sound like a beast. Beside that, visually the Axe Fx looks better, fits in a rack perfectly etc'. The Kemper is just ugly, for me it's important not sure about most people but still..."

 

[ejecta]

Just wait until v11 or the 3. You wont even have to tone match.

 

[BYTOR]

I assumed that V10.2 would have the same option. I don't want to buy an Axe II only to find that I should have gotten the Kemper. The Axe II looks like it's way more tweakable, and the foot controller looks great! There's a guy out of Jacksonville who is selling Axe II (MK II) modelers for $2600.00 delivered.

The Axe-II(MK II) is only $2199 direct from Fractal with full warranty. Add about $35 for UPS ground shipping

 

[lester]

If you're in a metal band using that amount of compression and distortion the Axe is alright. I can't imagine needing to fuck around lugging amps around. Check out the Meshuggah guys and how they're using it. Killer. If you're at home giving your amps a rest, doing some recording or messing around it's great.
Use it as an effects processor like Vai and Petrucci or whatever...sweet. Some guys dig the cleans .
Cliff's a definite wizard and he does continue to amaze with this thing but I think it is still kind of on a two dimensional basis. When he can deliver the over the top dynamics, depth, presence and character of some of the great amps. He'll have crossed the line with this thing into it being spectacular. Will he get there...does it matter...it is pretty good now.
I've played mine though a pretty neutral power amp and a couple of 4x12's too and the shit I dialed up was pretty slamming. So it can do a lot of things.
Don't have a Kemper and haven't really wanted one.

 

[Shark Diver]

I assumed that V10.2 would have the same option. I don't want to buy an Axe II only to find that I should have gotten the Kemper. The Axe II looks like it's way more tweakable, and the foot controller looks great! There's a guy out of Jacksonville who is selling Axe II (MK II) modelers for $2600.00 delivered.

A quote from a guy on GearSlutz:

"AxeFx II ALL DAY! Truly an amazing piece of equipment, they sound there is mind blowing right of the start. I didn't like the Kemper at all, and compared to the Axe Fx's sounds quality and tweaking ability it's really lacking. The Axe Fx is currently in my opinion the strongest piece of equipment you can buy for a guitar. No amp can match it's versatility yet it matches most amps feel and touch, add a small high end boost pedal for some extra flavour and you sound like a beast. Beside that, visually the Axe Fx looks better, fits in a rack perfectly etc'. The Kemper is just ugly, for me it's important not sure about most people but still..."

I went with the PedalPro instead of either. Decided I wanted to stay analog. It kills. I still am getting an Axe Fx II to try. I might integrate the 2 units. But I think the PedalPro will work for a lot of the guys who don't like digital, but want a smaller multi drive/boost/fx unit.

 

[ejecta]

No amp can match it's versatility yet it matches most amps feel and touch..."

Yeah....... for me...... not so much.

 

[VESmedic]

I assumed that V10.2 would have the same option. I don't want to buy an Axe II only to find that I should have gotten the Kemper. The Axe II looks like it's way more tweakable, and the foot controller looks great! There's a guy out of Jacksonville who is selling Axe II (MK II) modelers for $2600.00 delivered.

A quote from a guy on GearSlutz:

"AxeFx II ALL DAY! Truly an amazing piece of equipment, they sound there is mind blowing right of the start. I didn't like the Kemper at all, and compared to the Axe Fx's sounds quality and tweaking ability it's really lacking. The Axe Fx is currently in my opinion the strongest piece of equipment you can buy for a guitar. No amp can match it's versatility yet it matches most amps feel and touch, add a small high end boost pedal for some extra flavour and you sound like a beast. Beside that, visually the Axe Fx looks better, fits in a rack perfectly etc'. The Kemper is just ugly, for me it's important not sure about most people but still..."

Oh a quote from some dude on gearslutz?!?! Well fuck me! I guess I'll just trust him and his ears over the mega producers of the world who are using the Kemper!.... Lol sheesh...

 

[TrueTone500]

I assumed that V10.2 would have the same option. I don't want to buy an Axe II only to find that I should have gotten the Kemper. The Axe II looks like it's way more tweakable, and the foot controller looks great! There's a guy out of Jacksonville who is selling Axe II (MK II) modelers for $2600.00 delivered.

A quote from a guy on GearSlutz:

"AxeFx II ALL DAY! Truly an amazing piece of equipment, they sound there is mind blowing right of the start. I didn't like the Kemper at all, and compared to the Axe Fx's sounds quality and tweaking ability it's really lacking. The Axe Fx is currently in my opinion the strongest piece of equipment you can buy for a guitar. No amp can match it's versatility yet it matches most amps feel and touch, add a small high end boost pedal for some extra flavour and you sound like a beast. Beside that, visually the Axe Fx looks better, fits in a rack perfectly etc'. The Kemper is just ugly, for me it's important not sure about most people but still..."

I went with the PedalPro instead of either. Decided I wanted to stay analog. It kills. I still am getting an Axe Fx II to try. I might integrate the 2 units. But I think the PedalPro will work for a lot of the guys who don't like digital, but want a smaller multi drive/boost/fx unit.

Sounds fabulous!

 

[BYTOR]

This is cool, but the 'matched' tone doesn't sound like the reference tone to me. I think it lacks the lower-mids and bottom of the reference tone. What do you guys think? Has anyone used this feature?

If he turned up the depth &/or mid knob after the match was done you would hear nothing lacking.

The tone match block can get you scary close to the EQ curve of the original, but that doesn't mean you might not have to adjust a couple basic knobs after to finish the job!

 

[ejecta]

Remember it's all the tweak man..... it's all in the tweak.


Oh wait I thought tweaking ended with v10. Man it gets confusing.

 

[lester]

Cliff also happened to mention a little drawback in the Kemper - They do use IRs. They use 256 point IRs augmented with parametric EQ. This is easily demonstrated by examining the data structure of the profile and by measuring the device (or by using their IR converter which converts long IRs to 256 point IR plus EQ). What they say is "we use something more advanced" or something like that. By "more advanced" they mean they augment the IR with parametric EQ. However they must augment the IR with parametric EQ because the IR is too short to reproduce low frequencies accurately. The frequency resolution of an IR is proportional to its length: the longer the IR the better the resolution. To accurately reproduce a guitar cabinet requires at least 1000 points from my research. (Note: I'm using the term "parametric EQ" as a substitute for IIR filter since most people don't know what an IIR filter is.)

This technique has been around since the early days of modelers (I believe the Pod 2.0 was the first to do this). The impetus for this is that it uses much less processing power since the amount of processing power required is directly proportional to the length of the IR. A 256 point IR plus, for example, an 8-band EQ can be equivalent to a 512 point IR but uses less processing power. The downside is the phase response isn't the same but that is usually inaudible.

In their specific case the amplifier output frequency response and cabinet frequency response are combined into a single IR plus EQ since they aren't measured separately. See my MIMIC whitepaper for more information on frequency response, etc. You can make assumptions about the amplifier output frequency response in order to separate it from the cabinet response. In their case I believe they assume there is a 6 dB resonance at 125 Hz plus a 6 dB highshelf (incidentally this is the same power amp frequency response model that the Marshall JMP-1 used albeit using analog filters). For many amplifiers this is a reasonable approximation.

The Axe-Fx II IRs are 2048 sample (eight times the resolution) and don't require augmentation

 

[ejecta]

All the science and math doesn't mean shit to my ears and hands.

 

[Shark Diver]

I miss the days of Marshall vs Fender

They are all good products or they wouldn't be selling. Pick the one that works best for you and realize that not everyone hears the same or has the same needs.

Can't we ever talk about these things without a pissing match?

I like the info, not the drama well, a little dramas fun

 

[lester]

All in good fun my brother.

 

[ejecta]

All in good fun my brother.

yes it is.

 

[animal]

All the science and math doesn't mean shit to my ears and hands.

pretty much, I can't wait to pick up a kemper ...I waited till the last FW update and having to tweak my patches again was the nail in the coffin

I've always had better results using ozone than the tone match block anyway ....