I did it.....

[jcj]

Too much, for me

 

[steve_k]

Steve what firmware version are you currently running?

press the utility button on the front and arrow right to the firmware tab.

v8.01a

 

[steve_k]

Yup. I figured if I was going to give it a shot, might as well go all in and run it the way it was meant to be run....direct. As for the RCF's, they are the NSX12's @ 700W, I found a pair of them on ebay, new in the box at about half price.

Those RCF's are a great powered wedges!!
Sounds like your taking the right approach to the Axe!!

Fedex dropped off the Fractal rig today. How do you bias this thing?

Took about 5 minutes to unbox the A2 and the two RCF powered wedges, hook them up along with two DI lines to the PA. 4 hours later, I came up for air and to give my fingers a break. Without having to open the manual or touch anything in the menu functions, I cruised through all the presets and picked out several that fit me well. Of course, I had to mess around with some of the cool FX presets and clean stuff along the way. I haven't unboxed the MCF controller yet. Saving that for another day.

I feel quite sure I can make this rig work for me. Being able to drive the FOH PA with this kit just kicks ass in every way and something I am looking forward to. Getting the same quality feed to the monitors is the gravy. It will take me a few weeks probably to get down to messing with my own presets and getting hooked up to a computer for some of the IR's and sims that are out there.

 

[steve_k]

So far, I am keeping an open mind with it and the question of "does it sound like a real tube amp" - I am totally ignoring the tendency to do that. Instead, I rolled through the amp sims and picked out a half dozen or so that sound awesome without even hitting the menus. My main goal is a direct FOH feed and fortunately, I have a kick ass PA system set up in the cave with 3- Yamaha power amps, 6 cabs set up as low/mid/high from the dBx with the Mackie mixer. Output 1 is going direct there, then output 2's copied to the 2 active monitor wedges.

Some of the high gain presets in the A2 like the Uber, XTC, ENGL, Fryette D60, BE/HBE, IIC+ and Rectos just blow me away. Set up this way without cabs and power amps, you really get the goods out of the box and as a hole - sounds better than the real thing. I believe that if I was running this with a power amp and cab traditional set up, I would already be boxing it back up.

I still haven't RTFM yet or got the MFC out or even though about downloading presets. I think I will just enjoy it the way it is for a week or so, then get into it.

Steve

Fedex dropped off the Fractal rig today. How do you bias this thing?

Took about 5 minutes to unbox the A2 and the two RCF powered wedges, hook them up along with two DI lines to the PA. 4 hours later, I came up for air and to give my fingers a break. Without having to open the manual or touch anything in the menu functions, I cruised through all the presets and picked out several that fit me well. Of course, I had to mess around with some of the cool FX presets and clean stuff along the way. I haven't unboxed the MCF controller yet. Saving that for another day.

I feel quite sure I can make this rig work for me. Being able to drive the FOH PA with this kit just kicks ass in every way and something I am looking forward to. Getting the same quality feed to the monitors is the gravy. It will take me a few weeks probably to get down to messing with my own presets and getting hooked up to a computer for some of the IR's and sims that are out there.

You're fueling me

Since I've moved, I have volume constraints; tube amps are next to worthless for me, now.

Hey, Fuck both you guys! These threads scare me because I have a tendency to get side-tracked around gear very quickly

I have owned the Ultra (2X) and the Axe II and I moved-into tube amps and have been much happier and I don't ever want to go down that rabbit hole ever again ...I spent more time worrying about if my sound "was real enough" that I think I went a little nutty...(Power Amp/Cab, FRFR/Monitors? Headphone for Pete's sake?..Arrrggghhh! I tried them all and got truly insane

I am so jealous of the guys that make this work for themselves...It was just never me.

I constantly have to remind myself to PLEASE not watch any more Mark Day videos because I want to buy another every time I do) I have learned maybe eight knobs and a tube amp with one cab choice are about as deep as my brain can comprehend.

...I swear to God, if you guys drag me down that hole again it is gonna get ugly! I am really happy with my current amp situation so somebody better nuke this thread fast!

 

[Ventura]

Some of the high gain presets in the A2 like the Uber, XTC, ENGL, Fryette D60, BE/HBE, IIC+ and Rectos just blow me away. Set up this way without cabs and power amps, you really get the goods out of the box and as a whole - sounds better than the real thing.

Uncle Mo is worried about you man

 

[pstar]

Uncle mo, I cannot be quiet any longer.
Waiting patiently... Lalalalala.... Does it do americano lattes ?
Quick Curl hair dreadlocks ?
Ok I know 4 of the amps I want from u, am ready what's your PayPal

"Doin it better than the real things.".. Help me ... Here we go again .. Another toy to the list
Another write-off for studio, my accountant has had many therapy lectures at me.

 

[pstar]

Some of the high gain presets in the A2 like the Uber, XTC, ENGL, Fryette D60, BE/HBE, IIC+ and Rectos just blow me away. Set up this way without cabs and power amps, you really get the goods out of the box and as a whole - sounds better than the real thing.

Uncle Mo is worried about you man

 

[steve_k]

OK, to be clear Mo - when ran direct....

Some of the high gain presets in the A2 like the Uber, XTC, ENGL, Fryette D60, BE/HBE, IIC+ and Rectos just blow me away. Set up this way without cabs and power amps, you really get the goods out of the box and as a whole - sounds better than the real thing.

Uncle Mo is worried about you man

 

[Ventura]

Naaaaaaaaaaaaah, Stevie, I figured as much. Biggest bitch with traditional set up is the miking. It's not a surprise.

Just a quick question though, you said you're running it split to FOH and then second to monitors without cabs and amps parameters on. So, are you adding the thump and EQ at the board? Or are you sending the whole signal - including amps and cabs signal chain - to the FOH as well as your stage monitors?

Peace.
Mo

 

[Mizati20]

Not trying to derail the thread... just wanted to post a recent experience as it seems there are many guys in here curious about this piece of gear and what it is actually capable of from someone who isn't a Fractal fanboi...

I think most people here know I am a HUGE Diezel Fanboi and I love my tubes amps... I have gone back and forth between the Axe (Ultra) and amps several times... but this most recent time with the Axe II and the most recent firmware (FW 7 and on) this unit just does it for me... I had previously owned the Axe II very early on and I just didn't hear much difference between it and the Ultra... so off it went...

Last night my old band had the great opportunity to play a HUGE show with some very popular national acts... since we were playing on a very large stage with an absolutely monstrous PA setup... I decided for the first time to do something I have always wanted to do since owning the Axe... I put JUST the Axe into a tiny 2 space roadcase... packed up my guitar and my backup... my small Tech 21 MIDI Moose controller, and my backpack I refer to as "the goody bag" that has just about everything you'd need if any of your gear goes sideways at a show... that was IT... I considered putting my cab on stage just for looks... but I really wanted to see how LITTLE of gear I could get away with using and what the result was going to be... regardless I still had my cab and my singers 6505 as a backup just in case as I always do...

Let me start by saying at the end of the evening the sound crew, and the guitar players from the other bands were completely floored by the unit... I'll explain a bit more into detail as I know you guys love reading about this stuff...

We were just opening the show since we are local and it was my old band that is just more of a side project for me now... so I show up... the other 4 bands had already backlined (stage was HUGE... really deep as well so despite this I still had tons of room up front) and I hop up onto the stage with my small amount of gear and begin setting up...

The sound guy eventually makes his way over... as many of us are familiar with he was standing there with mic and stand in hand getting ready to check out my rig and decide where to mic me up etc...... for a moment he stands there... and since I have my tiny little setup on top of one of the other band's roadcases his first question was "Oh are you sharing rigs with one of the main acts?"... I politely said no to which he was curious "Where do you want me to mic you up?"... I asked if he had any experience with the Fractal gear to which he replied no, so I asked for an XLR line that will run me direct to FOH.... he just kind of stood there in shock as he simultaneously realized this tiny roadcase with a small black piece of rack gear was my "rig" and was what I was going to be plugging the XLR cable into... he was actually even hesitant as he "Didn't like running guitars direct because it sounds like shit"... I politely reassured him and asked for a direct line... he handed me an XLR cable with an almost condescending "It's your problem if you want to sound like shit" kinda of laugh/chuckle and walked away.... first let me state that the guys at JET sound are ALL incredibly nice guys... I'm making this guy sound like an asshole of sorts... that's definitely not the case...

...anyhow... my rig consist of a good 30ft cable plugged straight into the front of the Axe II... a MIDI cable running from the front of stage to the back of the Axe... and the direct line out.... soundcheck starts....

....can I get the kick....check... toms....check.... can I get the bass please.... ok check.... main vocals....got it.... OK can I get that guitar............. the sound booth was a good 50-60 feet away from the stage and even with the stage lights shining in my face I could still see their jaws on the floor... I simply told him to set his EQ flat and let me know how much of a level he wanted me to give him... the house monitors were incredible so I just ran off of those... and that was it... done and DONE...

Before I can even set my guitar down and walk off the backstage stairs 3 of the sound guys were already there with dumbfounded looks on their faces... tons of questions followed to which I was happy to answer... keep in mind I'm sure a large part of them loving it was how easy it was for them, but that's besides the point... also keep in mind there are 4 other bands there with totally top notch gear... nothing cheap... period... and this little black box just put everything to shame... my favorite comment of the night was actually from the main acts guitar player... we were BS'ing after soundcheck talking shop, and he had some questions as well... with a confused yet impressed look he simply stated... "Man I was standing here during your soundcheck, and I'm hearing what's coming through the PA... but I'm staring at that tiny black box on top of my rig... and it just doesn't make sense that THAT is what's making the sound"... I thought that summed things up pretty well

I also want to point out that I haven't had this Axe-II very long this time around... there wasn't some insane amount of tweaking that needed to happen for this setup... I simply set aside about an hour the night BEFORE the show and setup my patches so that every single patch has the ability to run a line to FOH with cab modeling enabled... while also having the ability to run a line to my traditional poweramp/cab setup... or actually do both simultaneously should I feel the need... I didn't want to have an entire separate bank of patches for "Direct" and an entire other set for "Poweramp/Cab" since my MIDI Moose is fairly simple and is a bit of a pain to do all kinds of bank switching, so it's easy to get lost... the Axe II has enough power to basically do ALL of this within a single patch... and both of the outputs are simply controlled by the level knobs on the front of the unit... I could even go a step further and have the FOH feed be stereo if I'd like... but I haven't gotten that deep into it...

This post isn't to brag by any means... I know there are a tons of guys in the thread salivating while waiting for steve's response and experiences with the unit... so I figured I would just post mine from last night... I would also like to say that I am in no way trying to initiate a debate about the Axe versus... well any piece of gear really... I am by no means a Fractal Fanboi.... I LOVE my tube amps... and I've owned the Kemper as well, and truly believe for direct RECORDED tones that there is nothing better than that unit... but for live use and after using this thing the way I did last night and achieving the results I did... the Axe is just king of the hill for me for live use...

Lastly... for anyone thinking about going the "Digital" route... you can't go into it with the intentions of making these units sound EXACTLY like a tube amp... it simply ISN'T a tube amp... if you love your tube amps so much... it seems a bit silly to me to buy a digital piece of gear and WANT it to be something it's not... that was my frame of mind the first time around with the Ultra... and obviously it didn't last because if that....

...you have to view these pieces of gear as just another tool to achieve an amazing sound... just think of it as yet another item in your arsenal that will deliver incredible tone... I promise you as soon as you stop trying to make the unit a tube amp, or something it's not.... your experience will be much more pleasurable...

Glad you are digging the unit steve... it definitely seems like you are going at this thing with the best possible frame of mind... you aren't trying to make the unit something it's not... you were taking it for what it is and utilizing it to get the results you want... I was actually like you in the beginning... not even really interested in 95% of what the Axe can do... hell I'm not even a big effects guy... but I will definitely say as things have progressed this unit has completely changed my writing process... I use sounds and things I would have never incorporated into my music before... simply because I just didn't have the outboard effects or pedals to mess with... enjoy the hell out of the unit and get to know it well... but DEFINITELY don't be too hesitant to really dig deep and start messing with some of the crazier stuff... I can say with ease this unit has had a huge positive impact on my writing... and myself and both of my bands are far better off because of it...

Sorry for the long post... just wanted to share one of my experiences... and maybe push some guys over the edge that can't decide to give this thing a try... you may love it... you may hate it... I will say one of the nice things about the Axe is you WILL not lose money on it if you decide to sell it, which can't be said for most gear these days in this economy... hell if you are willing to ship overseas you may even make a few bucks... if you DO love it just don't blame me for opening pandora's box for you!!!

Cheers fellas!!!

 

[LP Freak]

...guys were completely unanimous in opinion that my guitar sound was by far and away the best at the venue that night... and even one of the better sounding guitar rigs they had ever heard... but unfortunately we were the opening band so my guitar was so buried in the mix that nobody was able to hear my awesome tone.....















Just kidding. Cool story.

 

[Mizati20]

...guys were completely unanimous in opinion that my guitar sound was by far and away the best at the venue that night... and even one of the better sounding guitar rigs they had ever heard... but unfortunately we were the opening band so my guitar was so buried in the mix that nobody was able to hear my awesome tone.....















Just kidding. Cool story.

::sigh::

 

[Metlupass2]

Steve try the beta version of 9 they have out. More amps and now each preset has 8 different programmable scenes. It's cool shit.

 

[Mizati20]

Steve try the beta version of 9 they have out. More amps and now each preset has 8 different programmable scenes. It's cool shit.

Are you using it personally? Been thinking about upgrading but am pretty happy with what I have.... is it one of the FW updates that changes the sound of all your presets? Would really appreciate your opinion!!!

 

[Metlupass2]

Well I went from 7 to 9 and it sounds great. I did no tweaking to any of my presets and they actually sound better. I love the new Splawn models, all 3 gears of the QR and a Nitro. The scene thing is great too since my guitars with EMGs sound different than my passive guitars so for instance I can use my Mark IV preset and program scene 1 for one guitar then tweak scene 2 for another while staying in my Mark IV preset. You can do the same with effects, one scene no fx then another scene you can add whatever. The main screen looks different now and instead of scrolling through the different amp types one by one they're all in a giant list so you can read them and scroll to them much easier.

Just keep in mind its still the beta so when they finally officially release v9 it might be a little different.

 

[stephen sawall]

Ed D always told me being able to get a consistent sound from the Ax made it worth it using it live or recording from venue to venue. As we all know different nights the rig just sounds different when using a traditional guitar rig.

 

[Ventura]

Great story Mizati - thanks for taking the time to type it out and share it with us

As for FW9x, I had no idea 9 was already out? Wasn't there some fabled notion that after 4 upgrades, the unit would be coming out in a newer iteration? I can't imagine there's already an Axe-III on the horizon. I should hope there isn't....

I better chalk up on my FAS newsfeed, I'm still waiting for AE, and maybe it's already out

 

[Metlupass2]

They released the beta version of 9. They don't usually do that to the public. Axe edit stil needs to be updated, not sure what the hold up is but you can still use it to upgrade.

 

[Zer0th]

Great story Mizati - thanks for taking the time to type it out and share it with us

As for FW9x, I had no idea 9 was already out?

Beta... a comment from M@ suggests that the scenes feature may well be enhanced based on beta feedback. I expect a firmware update for the MFC will also be in the works to make 'scenes' more plug 'n play.

Wasn't there some fabled notion that after 4 upgrades, the unit would be coming out in a newer iteration?

Based on the notion that because the Std/Ultra ceased development at FW 11, the II would also.

I can't imagine there's already an Axe-III on the horizon.

A couple of years at least. Though the CAT-5 connector is now an Ethercon jack, as of a few days ago. Ditto the MFC, a few weeks back.

I better chalk up on my FAS newsfeed, I'm still waiting for AE, and maybe it's already out

Maybe not [yet].

 

[Metlupass2]

From the Fractal board ......


During Axe-Fest, Cliff said he could still add thousands of amps in the two. Not sure what you can extrapolate from this.