Axe-FX Ultra....anyone know about these?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mctallica1
  • Start date Start date
(Warning - Long post :D )


Mine will be here Monday (standard version).

The actual prices are:

Standard - $1349.95

Ultra - $1799.95





Here's a few of my favorite High gain lead clips (all recorded direct):


This is using the USA Lead 2 model (Triaxis LD2 Yellow). Notice how the guitar sounds like it's on the edge of feedback, even though it was recorded with headphones.


http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/87985_axefxrolfinatorcokefloat.mp3


http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?fid=7200




(Classic Van Halen tone with the Brown amp model (VH Plexi)


http://www.fractalaudio.com/temp/brown.wma







Some quotes from owners about the amp models:




"....The big difference is the "realism" of the tone. When I first plugged mine in, the Axe Fx took my breath away instantly because it sounded "real".

I pulled it out of the box and plugged it into my Classic 50/50, plugged that into my Recto 4x12 and just went preset to preset. Within minutes I was camped out in front of my cab just noodling through the presets with USA Lead in them. It sounded as good as my Triaxis / 2:90 rig, no lie. It had all the magical things that I loved about my tube rigs. The notes from first strike through decay sounded real. The pick attack felt like the notes were hanging on a string. Dig in and get that extra oomph, lighten up and feel that spongy feel. The sound was round and warm and totally as 3D as my tube amps had been."

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------

"- The positive reviews from the other users are true: This is a Holly Grail.
Amen

- I've been testing this device through Mackie HR824 Studio Monitors, and it sounds like if you're playing through the real amps closed at a sound-proof room with high quality microphones, at the volume that you wish.

- The discussion "Real TubeThing" Vs "DigitalSimulation" is over. It has no meaning anymore to waste time with that issue. It was only a question of time, more powerful processors, and some brain spending months writing magic code.

- Cliff is a genius


EDIT:
No, I am not missing my Eventide Eclipse or my Egnater M4."

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------

"Well to answer a few questions that guys on the Axe-Fx forum asked, YES pedals work incredibly well in front of it.. damn but my od's or distortions actually work better in front of this than in front of the REAL amps. . I have loads of great tube amps here, but after 3 days now , just a few hours /day I'm getting TOTALLY into this thing... It's PERFECT. Sorry for being so friggin exact in that, but it is. The JCM800 sounds way better than any 2204 JCM800 I've had.. I still have an Egnater modded one.. I have a 1971 Superlead too , a JMP , a JTm45 , and I can get almost all those tones PERFECTLY in this... I didn't like the PLEXI model a huge huge amount as I'm so spoiled but damn , I just put a basic SD1 (really cool Backstepper modded 1 but that's beside the point!) in front of it , and damn the PLEXI turned into a MONSTER. Keep in mind you don't have to put an footpedal in front of it, as ALL of those PEDALS are built in to this under a DRIVE category, and they match with the amps great too..

The Mesa sims are better than the real thing to me too and there's a lot of Mesa sims!

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------

"1st impressions ............I'm gonna be a bit different than the other first impressions I've had of other people's posts... I liked Riffy's clips, and liked Cliff's clips and Adam's demosong was cool as hell, and liked DonGrosh's clips and especially the tune he posted.. MY 1st impression is the higher gain stuff just flat out kicks ass. The amp models are GREAT. . The POWER AMP SAG and DAMPING features are PERFECT and damn this thing feels great. I figured out how to globally turn off cab sims and plugged it into the back of an fx loop I have in an old 1971 modded Superlead and damn if the hi-gain tones aren't just perfect. FOR studio or band usage. Being that I plugged it mono into a Superlead fx loop return , it was obviously for band tones, and I'm 100% impressed.. Seriously I spent about 2 hours so far this afternoon/tonight tweaking a few hi-gain tones and that's all so far. I figured out basically how to add fx blocks and program a patch. It's similar in complexity to my Ensoniqs but maybe a bit more complicated. Of course I didn't even read the manual except for a few paragraphs, so that's probably why it's not quite as intuitive as I thought it might be. When I read the manual it'll get easier..

That's all I"m gonna post now ,but will just give some of you med/high gain amp guys something to look forward to, as I hadn't heard much about how REAL the amps FELT and SOUNDED.... They feel VERY REAL and sound great. I was mainly fooling with a few Rectifiers, the Slo100, some Bogner models (I think) and some other Boogies. I still own a POD and have had some other modelers from Boss/Roland and Yamaha,etc and this is miles above those in that the poweramp section feels very good."

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------

(From HC reviews)

"If any processor ever actually deserved a _legitimate_ HC 10 rating, this is it. Embarassingly better than any other product on the market now, and finally puts the analog vs digital argument to bed. Sound clips do not do this unit justice; it is much more than the sound, it is the FEEL. For sure that is something that digital boxes have always lacked."

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------

" Ummm...I dont know where to start. What I will say first though is that even though this review is my opinion...I have a very good ear for tone. I can hear the small details that make or break good tone.

I have only had the Axe-Fx for about 2 weeks but I have been fortunate enough to be able to play with it extensively (every day for at least 2 or more hours)...so I'm certain in my opinion that this thing is hands down the best gear purchase I have ever made. I have a pretty big collection of tube gear (multpile ADA mp-1's (3TM, 3.666, stock, Mod4 MkII), Triaxis, Engl E570, VHT GP-3 all through a VHT 2502 via multiple switchers, Bogner Uberscall, Peavey JSX, Engl Powerball, VHT 100/cl, Rivera K-Tre and a new Marshall JVM. Then there is another 20U worth of FX (Eclipse, G-Force etc.) and various support gear (Switchers, Isp ProRackG, tuner, Eq's etc.) which I have done a ton of A/b'ing with. Actually just my favorites of the bunch...3TM/2502, 570/2502, Uberscall, K-Tre and JVM. My whole reason for getting the Axe-Fx is because of all this gear. I love it all but for me it is way too much stuff hanging around doing nothing. I wanted/needed something that has a huge pallette of tones and did all of the rack crap (WIRES EVERYWHERE AAARRGH) in a much smaller set up. Well...I definately have found it. The A/b'ing left me in partial disbelief (too good to be true?) at first as I have been tweaking on a Pod for the last year or so...what a pitifull piece of crap IMO. It has some good points and potential but...bleh! Anyway...the Axe-Fx IS the right tool if you want to get rid of that massive pile of gear and simplify your life. I am in love with it. The tone is not just close...it is there. I use it with the cab/mic sims turned off into the VHT 2502 into various cabs with various speakers (not sure which one's I like best yet...all are pretty awesome)...and have only tried the direct route (cab/mic sims on) through a Carvin DCM1204/JBL 4410's a couple of times and all I can say is that it is in another dimension completely compared to the Pod. As far as through the VHT though...I have matched every tone that I loved with all my other gear with NO trouble whatsoever. It has all of the tubiness you could ever want. The feeling is THERE. The dynamics are THERE. When you want it to sing it sings, chirpy lively harmonics...THERE. The volume on the guitar WORKS and works well. The noise gate is a keeper even. As I said I have the ISP ProRackG and I thought that would dominate the Axe's gate...Nope. The ISP is fantastic and would be choice #1 if not for the Axe-Fx. In fairness The Axe's gate didn't necessarily filter any better but closed quicker. This is enough for me to shed yet another 1U. The only thing I will be keeping in the rack besides the power conditioner and VHT is a Korg DTR-2000. The Axe's tuner is fine and from what I can tell it works as well as the Korg...but I like the Korg for visual purposes...I can see it from more than 10 feet away. "
 
hey shredi, that triaxis-style clip sounds damn good, did they post a patch for it?
 
:|::QBB:
grooveHT":84f88 said:
hey shredi, that triaxis-style clip sounds damn good, did they post a patch for it?

rocketmorton52 from the Axe FX forum did those 2 clips. He has a few of his patches posted on the Axechange site (I believe he used "Explosive" on those clips):


http://www.axechange.net/



Here's the link to the Axe FX forum if anyone is interested:


http://www.setbb.com/axefx/
 
:|::QBB:
Jason_86_951":db297 said:
Just a month or so to go.......
I got on the waiting list on the 4th, they said it was around a 2 month wait.

If it's for the standard model, you better count on it being closer to 3 months.
 
Man I was on the list for the normal one since January and my name came up last month when I didn't have the $$ :(
 
:|::QBB:
shredi knight":7516d said:
(Warning - Long post :D )


Mine will be here Monday (standard version).

The actual prices are:

Standard - $1349.95

Ultra - $1799.95





Here's a few of my favorite High gain lead clips (all recorded direct):


This is using the USA Lead 2 model (Triaxis LD2 Yellow). Notice how the guitar sounds like it's on the edge of feedback, even though it was recorded with headphones.


http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/87985_axefxrolfinatorcokefloat.mp3


http://www.lightningmp3.com/live/file.php?fid=7200




(Classic Van Halen tone with the Brown amp model (VH Plexi)


http://www.fractalaudio.com/temp/brown.wma







Some quotes from owners about the amp models:




"....The big difference is the "realism" of the tone. When I first plugged mine in, the Axe Fx took my breath away instantly because it sounded "real".

I pulled it out of the box and plugged it into my Classic 50/50, plugged that into my Recto 4x12 and just went preset to preset. Within minutes I was camped out in front of my cab just noodling through the presets with USA Lead in them. It sounded as good as my Triaxis / 2:90 rig, no lie. It had all the magical things that I loved about my tube rigs. The notes from first strike through decay sounded real. The pick attack felt like the notes were hanging on a string. Dig in and get that extra oomph, lighten up and feel that spongy feel. The sound was round and warm and totally as 3D as my tube amps had been."

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------

"- The positive reviews from the other users are true: This is a Holly Grail.
Amen

- I've been testing this device through Mackie HR824 Studio Monitors, and it sounds like if you're playing through the real amps closed at a sound-proof room with high quality microphones, at the volume that you wish.

- The discussion "Real TubeThing" Vs "DigitalSimulation" is over. It has no meaning anymore to waste time with that issue. It was only a question of time, more powerful processors, and some brain spending months writing magic code.

- Cliff is a genius


EDIT:
No, I am not missing my Eventide Eclipse or my Egnater M4."

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------

"Well to answer a few questions that guys on the Axe-Fx forum asked, YES pedals work incredibly well in front of it.. damn but my od's or distortions actually work better in front of this than in front of the REAL amps. . I have loads of great tube amps here, but after 3 days now , just a few hours /day I'm getting TOTALLY into this thing... It's PERFECT. Sorry for being so friggin exact in that, but it is. The JCM800 sounds way better than any 2204 JCM800 I've had.. I still have an Egnater modded one.. I have a 1971 Superlead too , a JMP , a JTm45 , and I can get almost all those tones PERFECTLY in this... I didn't like the PLEXI model a huge huge amount as I'm so spoiled but damn , I just put a basic SD1 (really cool Backstepper modded 1 but that's beside the point!) in front of it , and damn the PLEXI turned into a MONSTER. Keep in mind you don't have to put an footpedal in front of it, as ALL of those PEDALS are built in to this under a DRIVE category, and they match with the amps great too..

The Mesa sims are better than the real thing to me too and there's a lot of Mesa sims!

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------

"1st impressions ............I'm gonna be a bit different than the other first impressions I've had of other people's posts... I liked Riffy's clips, and liked Cliff's clips and Adam's demosong was cool as hell, and liked DonGrosh's clips and especially the tune he posted.. MY 1st impression is the higher gain stuff just flat out kicks ass. The amp models are GREAT. . The POWER AMP SAG and DAMPING features are PERFECT and damn this thing feels great. I figured out how to globally turn off cab sims and plugged it into the back of an fx loop I have in an old 1971 modded Superlead and damn if the hi-gain tones aren't just perfect. FOR studio or band usage. Being that I plugged it mono into a Superlead fx loop return , it was obviously for band tones, and I'm 100% impressed.. Seriously I spent about 2 hours so far this afternoon/tonight tweaking a few hi-gain tones and that's all so far. I figured out basically how to add fx blocks and program a patch. It's similar in complexity to my Ensoniqs but maybe a bit more complicated. Of course I didn't even read the manual except for a few paragraphs, so that's probably why it's not quite as intuitive as I thought it might be. When I read the manual it'll get easier..

That's all I"m gonna post now ,but will just give some of you med/high gain amp guys something to look forward to, as I hadn't heard much about how REAL the amps FELT and SOUNDED.... They feel VERY REAL and sound great. I was mainly fooling with a few Rectifiers, the Slo100, some Bogner models (I think) and some other Boogies. I still own a POD and have had some other modelers from Boss/Roland and Yamaha,etc and this is miles above those in that the poweramp section feels very good."

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------

(From HC reviews)

"If any processor ever actually deserved a _legitimate_ HC 10 rating, this is it. Embarassingly better than any other product on the market now, and finally puts the analog vs digital argument to bed. Sound clips do not do this unit justice; it is much more than the sound, it is the FEEL. For sure that is something that digital boxes have always lacked."

-------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------

" Ummm...I dont know where to start. What I will say first though is that even though this review is my opinion...I have a very good ear for tone. I can hear the small details that make or break good tone.

I have only had the Axe-Fx for about 2 weeks but I have been fortunate enough to be able to play with it extensively (every day for at least 2 or more hours)...so I'm certain in my opinion that this thing is hands down the best gear purchase I have ever made. I have a pretty big collection of tube gear (multpile ADA mp-1's (3TM, 3.666, stock, Mod4 MkII), Triaxis, Engl E570, VHT GP-3 all through a VHT 2502 via multiple switchers, Bogner Uberscall, Peavey JSX, Engl Powerball, VHT 100/cl, Rivera K-Tre and a new Marshall JVM. Then there is another 20U worth of FX (Eclipse, G-Force etc.) and various support gear (Switchers, Isp ProRackG, tuner, Eq's etc.) which I have done a ton of A/b'ing with. Actually just my favorites of the bunch...3TM/2502, 570/2502, Uberscall, K-Tre and JVM. My whole reason for getting the Axe-Fx is because of all this gear. I love it all but for me it is way too much stuff hanging around doing nothing. I wanted/needed something that has a huge pallette of tones and did all of the rack crap (WIRES EVERYWHERE AAARRGH) in a much smaller set up. Well...I definately have found it. The A/b'ing left me in partial disbelief (too good to be true?) at first as I have been tweaking on a Pod for the last year or so...what a pitifull piece of crap IMO. It has some good points and potential but...bleh! Anyway...the Axe-Fx IS the right tool if you want to get rid of that massive pile of gear and simplify your life. I am in love with it. The tone is not just close...it is there. I use it with the cab/mic sims turned off into the VHT 2502 into various cabs with various speakers (not sure which one's I like best yet...all are pretty awesome)...and have only tried the direct route (cab/mic sims on) through a Carvin DCM1204/JBL 4410's a couple of times and all I can say is that it is in another dimension completely compared to the Pod. As far as through the VHT though...I have matched every tone that I loved with all my other gear with NO trouble whatsoever. It has all of the tubiness you could ever want. The feeling is THERE. The dynamics are THERE. When you want it to sing it sings, chirpy lively harmonics...THERE. The volume on the guitar WORKS and works well. The noise gate is a keeper even. As I said I have the ISP ProRackG and I thought that would dominate the Axe's gate...Nope. The ISP is fantastic and would be choice #1 if not for the Axe-Fx. In fairness The Axe's gate didn't necessarily filter any better but closed quicker. This is enough for me to shed yet another 1U. The only thing I will be keeping in the rack besides the power conditioner and VHT is a Korg DTR-2000. The Axe's tuner is fine and from what I can tell it works as well as the Korg...but I like the Korg for visual purposes...I can see it from more than 10 feet away. "

Damn Shredi, I'm going to have to start charging you for using my review, I keep seeing it pop up! :lol:
 
I only quote from the best. :D



Edit - I just figured out it was you deadringer. Like you probably read, my Axe FX will be here Monday (I can't f'n wait!!!), so be prepared for another onslaught of PMs with my lame questions. ;)
 
:|::QBB:
digwhisper":37076 said:
:|::QBB:

So, are you feeling a little jittery about Monday yet? :D

I just wish I could take a pill that would knock me out for the weekend so I wouldn't have to suffer through anymore waiting. What's really bad is that I know I'm going to be on the computer several times tomorrow checking UPS tracking, as if they are going to deliver on Saturdays just for me. :lol:
 
:|::QBB:
digwhisper":2fde2 said:

Basically since all the emulation is software-driven, it'd be interesting to see what kind of algorithms he used. What I'm talking about is basically transferring the software from the Axe-FX unit to a computer--something that probably in itself isn't very feasible. I know there's no chance in hell I'd be able to reverse-compile/engineer it even if I could get a dump, but it'd still be a cool hack to do. :)
 
:|::QBB:
Fl00":8769c said:
:|::QBB:

Basically since all the emulation is software-driven, it'd be interesting to see what kind of algorithms he used. What I'm talking about is basically transferring the software from the Axe-FX unit to a computer--something that probably in itself isn't very feasible. I know there's no chance in hell I'd be able to reverse-compile/engineer it even if I could get a dump, but it'd still be a cool hack to do. :)

Gotcha, I wouldn't be surprised to hear that companies like Line 6 have already ordered theirs for that very reason.
 
I could do a ROM dump I am quite sure, but I never would.
Cliff when to a LOT of TIME and EFFORT and tooling to build
this thing. Doing that would be like a slap in the face to him.
 
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