it seems as though what i've said all along, from the pre-ownership listening to the clips phase to now, is exactly what i am experiencing with the axe.
the stereo rack effects are huge and the best i've ever personally owned.
the synth sounds are head turning.
the delays in this box are ridiculously awesome, from echoplex to memory man to 2290, probably the most accurately reproduced features in the box.
the reverb is lexicon comparable.
some of the pedal effects are great and things like compressors and dirt boxes have evolved greatly in it and the simplicity of routing these things digitally without rack interfaces, cable, space requirements are a dream come true
the amps
here's where it gets tricky. i'm getting great SOUNDS in the territories of the amp models i'm using, granted every tone i dial in has drive pedals, paraeq, cab sims, and one or more post amp effects.
their just not BEHAVING in a manner i'm familiar with. if you just bang on a rock preset it's fine, but for subtle hybrid pick players like myself, sometimes it's too flat, sometimes its too harsh, sometimes too waxy in the mids, particularly when you get to rolling of gtr volume....
like gainy said, the levels must be monitored all along the way to keep things optimized and consistent to the output. i'm doing my best to optimize each link in the chain for levels coming in and going out. maybe rather than roll of gtr volume i need to apply a volume pedal in the loop or expression pedal a precise volume parameter somewhere to obtain the rsult.
this weekend i auditioned the carol ann model next to my real carol ann and in some areas of the neck it sounded extremely accurate, but in certain areas of the neck it was a dead modeling giveaway. and pound for pound the real amp is way more inspiring to play with real compression pedals and drive pedals, and real speakers. i was going to add real delays to that list but the axe delays are so good i'd be perfectly happy using one in the axe. delay freaks really need to hear the box for that aspect.
again, every time you add a new link in the axe it is 85-95 percent of the real thing, mostly feel and response, which makes the cumulative result of a complex chain substantially off the mark, and keeps you seeking ways to restore missing elements by adding or cutting somewhere down the line.
the cae lead tone is extremely similar to what i've played and heard live on single notes but chords sound funny.
the strummed rhythms of my plexi/trainwreck tone is full and twangy but kinda dead on single notes.
the modded plexi tone is great but i want to dial the sharp presence back down into the warmth a bit, but presence control doesn't control "that" presence.
so it dawned on me for the axe that i'm going try to take a different approach i've used in the past in rack world. for each main tone i use, i'm going to set one for rhythm, one for lead, of the same basic preset, from cleans to dirty.
fender sparkly effected clean, stripped down clean lead
plexiwreck rhythm, plexiwreck lead
carol ann rhythm, carol ann lead
modded plexi rhythm, modded plexi lead
etc.
and for the cost of one speaker i can purchase a whole bunch of redwirez speakers so i figure that's worth a try to, although the computer side of the axe for me is pretty unromatic to say the least! appreciate the functionality but hate using it.
but then again when's the last time you played your guitar and switched between ej clean and a real violin?