higher end rack FX processors.

[RJF]

Well, we covered el cheapo processors pretty well in this thread viewtopic.php?f=3&t=160389 and I am reconsidering on what to go with after buying a Lexicon mpx g2.

The Lexicon g2 is actually pretty awesome, but I am learning I am not a fan of 4 cable method setups like this, and the G system. While I am starting to learn the operating system of the Lexicon, I much prefer the simplicity of my G major 2.

My plan now is to sell the mpxg2 (hit me up if you're interested), move my G major 2 over to my Mesa stereo rig, and go with a high quality rack processor to replace my GM2 in my stereo Diezel rig.

So... what are you're guys thoughts on the Gforce, Axe FX, eventide? Something else? At first I thought "I'll go with a G Force" since I like and am comfortable with the TC layout and operating system, but it seems even the Gmajor 2 rivals the G Force now since it's a lot newer and considerably cheaper. After reading some stuff online, it seems the G force is getting old and new units like the Axe FX are superior. How easy is the Axe to use and program? I am not interested in the amp modeling and would probably want to turn that stuff off or bypass completely and only use the effects, is this possible and easy to do? How about Eventide? Seems though some of their stuff is really expensive though.

What would you go with? I'm looking for a high quality unit that is easy to use and program to match the caliber of my Diezel rig.

 

[Shask]

I love the effects on my Axe-FX II. It basically does anything and everything and sounds very clear and clean.

It might be overkill for just chorus, delay, and reverb, but maybe the new FX8 would be a good choice.

EDIT: I find it very easy to use. The front panel is pretty easy, and Axe-Edit makes it idiot-proof.

With the Axe you have a matrix, where you just connect what you want from left to right. Serial, parallel, whatever. Very easy to see the layout of what you have going on.

 

[RJF]

I love the effects on my Axe-FX II. It basically does anything and everything and sounds very clear and clean.

It might be overkill for just chorus, delay, and reverb, but maybe the new FX8 would be a good choice.

EDIT: I find it very easy to use. The front panel is pretty easy, and Axe-Edit makes it idiot-proof.

With the Axe you have a matrix, where you just connect what you want from left to right. Serial, parallel, whatever. Very easy to see the layout of what you have going on.

The new FX8 looks great, except that it's a floor unit. I want a rack unit only.

Is it very easy to completely turn off the preamp side of the Axe FX and use it strictly like an effect processor only? On the other hand that's kind of a waste, you're paying a lot for those modeling features, when considering not even using them.

The Eventide Eclipse is not much of an option for me. Sounds like it's complicated to program like the Lexicon units, no thanks.

That would be why I keep coming back to TC! What's the story on the older 2290?

 

[Shask]

I love the effects on my Axe-FX II. It basically does anything and everything and sounds very clear and clean.

It might be overkill for just chorus, delay, and reverb, but maybe the new FX8 would be a good choice.

EDIT: I find it very easy to use. The front panel is pretty easy, and Axe-Edit makes it idiot-proof.

With the Axe you have a matrix, where you just connect what you want from left to right. Serial, parallel, whatever. Very easy to see the layout of what you have going on.

The new FX8 looks great, except that it's a floor unit. I want a rack unit only.

Is it very easy to completely turn off the preamp side of the Axe FX and use it strictly like an effect processor only? On the other hand that's kind of a waste, you're paying a lot for those modeling features, when considering not even using them.

The Eventide Eclipse is not much of an option for me. Sounds like it's complicated to program like the Lexicon units, no thanks.

That would be why I keep coming back to TC! What's the story on the older 2290?

Yeah, you just chain together the blocks you want, so if you dont want to use the AMP or CAB blocks, you just dont put them in there I think you can chain together 18 or 20 blocks or something like that depending on CPU.

 

[Shask]

Here is a random picture off Google of Axe-Edit as an example. You can see the blocks in the picture. If you dont want to use the AMP or CAB, you can delete them, or bypass them.

 

[schlagdog]

I have tons of everything and use the AXEFX2 in the 4cm and it sounds awesome and the layout is easy and the effects are top notch. Its expensive as all hell but I have owned it for years now and have gone away from the amp models and use it with my 5150III 50w for just effects. I tried and tried to get rid of it because I was unhappy with it through a cab then went straight effects and back to real amps and you can't beat it.

 

[schlagdog]

I love the effects on my Axe-FX II. It basically does anything and everything and sounds very clear and clean.

It might be overkill for just chorus, delay, and reverb, but maybe the new FX8 would be a good choice.

EDIT: I find it very easy to use. The front panel is pretty easy, and Axe-Edit makes it idiot-proof.

With the Axe you have a matrix, where you just connect what you want from left to right. Serial, parallel, whatever. Very easy to see the layout of what you have going on.

The new FX8 looks great, except that it's a floor unit. I want a rack unit only.

Is it very easy to completely turn off the preamp side of the Axe FX and use it strictly like an effect processor only? On the other hand that's kind of a waste, you're paying a lot for those modeling features, when considering not even using them.

The Eventide Eclipse is not much of an option for me. Sounds like it's complicated to program like the Lexicon units, no thanks.

That would be why I keep coming back to TC! What's the story on the older 2290?

The price of the FX8 is so much you might as well buy a AxeFX2 MK1 used and get all the amp models and everything.

 

[ejecta]

I have tons of everything and use the AXEFX2 in the 4cm and it sounds awesome and the layout is easy and the effects are top notch. Its expensive as all hell but I have owned it for years now and have gone away from the amp models and use it with my 5150III 50w for just effects. I tried and tried to get rid of it because I was unhappy with it through a cab then went straight effects and back to real amps and you can't beat it.

I sure hope so they fixed the noise floor issue with the XL. when I had a II it was unusable 4CM.

 

[RJF]

Well then, I think I will be on the lookout for an early AXE FX or TC G Force.

I actually really like my G major 2, it basically does everything that I would need and to me it sounds pretty good. But..... I like variety and would like to have something a bit different for a 2nd unit. I am thinking a G Force would be a good option, since I like the G major2 so much. The G Force has to be at least as good, one would assume it's better, for that kind of money.

 

[rottingcorpse]

I had the 2290/eventide harmonizer/rev7 setup in the 90's. Spaceship rack.
Now I'd just do an axefx or kemper if I NEEDED effects.
But all I ever use is a noise gate and maybe an amp splitter. I would like a sampler tho, just for fun.

 

[RJF]

I had the 2290/eventide harmonizer/rev7 setup in the 90's. Spaceship rack.
Now I'd just do an axefx or kemper if I NEEDED effects.
But all I ever use is a noise gate and maybe an amp splitter. I would like a sampler tho, just for fun.

I used to be the same way, just strait into the amp and NOTHING else. Then it was a clean boost...had to have a TS9 or 808 between the amp/guitar.

To a certain extent I still feel the same way, I tried the 4 cable method with the MPXG2 and while the "screamer" patch is fairly authentic, I still prefer my reissue 808 instead. Lately I've gotten into bigger, stereo, midi controlled rigs. It's fun! But, I still make sure that my go to metal crunch sound is always everything off and out of the signal chain, other than a clean boost pedal. For full chording and leads, I do love me some delay, reverb or chorus mixed in though.

 

[supersonic]

I had an AxeII which I tried to use the 4CM with an XTC and Friedman Marsha. Both amps sounded worse with the AxeFX, even in bypass mode. I'm back to a pedalboard.

 

[RJF]

Looking like I'm going to be getting a TC G Force

 

[Gearhog]

Yep.

 

[tech21man]

I had the 2290/eventide harmonizer/rev7 setup in the 90's. Spaceship rack.
Now I'd just do an axefx or kemper if I NEEDED effects.
But all I ever use is a noise gate and maybe an amp splitter. I would like a sampler tho, just for fun.

I used to be the same way, just strait into the amp and NOTHING else. Then it was a clean boost...had to have a TS9 or 808 between the amp/guitar.

To a certain extent I still feel the same way, I tried the 4 cable method with the MPXG2 and while the "screamer" patch is fairly authentic, I still prefer my reissue 808 instead. Lately I've gotten into bigger, stereo, midi controlled rigs. It's fun! But, I still make sure that my go to metal crunch sound is always everything off and out of the signal chain, other than a clean boost pedal. For full chording and leads, I do love me some delay, reverb or chorus mixed in though.

you are doing w/d/w etc stereo rig or mixing amps?

 

[RJF]

I had the 2290/eventide harmonizer/rev7 setup in the 90's. Spaceship rack.
Now I'd just do an axefx or kemper if I NEEDED effects.
But all I ever use is a noise gate and maybe an amp splitter. I would like a sampler tho, just for fun.

I used to be the same way, just strait into the amp and NOTHING else. Then it was a clean boost...had to have a TS9 or 808 between the amp/guitar.

To a certain extent I still feel the same way, I tried the 4 cable method with the MPXG2 and while the "screamer" patch is fairly authentic, I still prefer my reissue 808 instead. Lately I've gotten into bigger, stereo, midi controlled rigs. It's fun! But, I still make sure that my go to metal crunch sound is always everything off and out of the signal chain, other than a clean boost pedal. For full chording and leads, I do love me some delay, reverb or chorus mixed in though.

you are doing w/d/w etc stereo rig or mixing amps?

Can't say I'm real sure what w/d/w means exactly.

I'm doing true stereo w/w. Two amps, ran together, both having effects. I used to run W/D, one amp wet and the other always dry, but together both getting effects and them coming through stereo sounds best to me.

 

[RJF]

Got my TC G Force up and running last night and woh..... sound quality is not the same with the G major 2! The G Force sounds much fuller and more 3D, especially the reverbs. It is harder to navigate though, and edit presets, but a small price to pay.

 

[mentoneman]

Got my TC G Force up and running last and woh..... sound quality is not the same with the G major 2! The G Force sounds much fuller and more 3D, especially the reverbs. It is harder to navigate though, and edit presets, but a small price to pay.

my suggestion to you is start with simple presets that only have one block
take reverb-
take each parameter in advanced mode and crank them up and down one at a time to see what the controls do
i find making the reverb big/long and listening for and removing nasty elements

i am still tweaking mine a decade later.

 

[RJF]

Got my TC G Force up and running last and woh..... sound quality is not the same with the G major 2! The G Force sounds much fuller and more 3D, especially the reverbs. It is harder to navigate though, and edit presets, but a small price to pay.

my suggestion to you is start with simple presets that only have one block
take reverb-
take each parameter in advanced mode and crank them up and down one at a time to see what the controls do
i find making the reverb big/long and listening for and removing nasty elements

i am still tweaking mine a decade later.

I went strait to the user presets. I found most of the factory presets, and especially the artist presets to be over the top. I really like the reverb in this unit, with a touch of delay. I'm making some pretty simple presets, like you said.

 

[mentoneman]

the reverb is cool for a multi effect unit

once you have a sound you like, store it with a unique name (REV1)

then learn how to edit that sound and store in a different preset position without erasing the first version to refine your sounds without losing your original version/vison

two other major components of the gforce are experimenting with the internal mixer/router and the modifier matrix

taking reverb again, you can use the revern MIX level to blend reverb to dry ratio, or you can use the internal mixer and create a dry "pipeline" pathway from input to output and create a second path for th reverb to exist on, set the reverb mix to 100 percent, and use other parameters in the reverb block to control the perceived amount of reverb

the modifier matrix is where you can select a particular controller/modifier, such as the input ENVELOPE modifier (the strength of your input signal/touch) and connect it to a parameter such as the reverb level or any other parameter available in the modifier section list, to create a ducking effect and incidentally helps "hide" negative attributes of the effect in certain instances.

once you link the modifier to the parameter in the matrix, the modifier sub menu window allows you to fine tune how the modifier control makes the parameter respond.
i can help you understand it if you run into confusion. post your questions on this thread so it might help others in your shoes understand if they read this

i highly recommend becoming familiar with those two functions of the gforce!