4cm Axefx III users : Are you still using real drive pedals even if they're modelled?

[Elan Vital]

I still use real amps, and I still have a ton of real pedals. I am LOATHING the idea of having to use some archiac switching system on my rack at $300 per 8 devices plus the floor switcher for $350 plus all the time programming it. Some problems that dissuaded me from this around the time of ARES (which as I understand it, included the SPICE update).

• My MXR Modified OD blew the SD1 model out of the water, and I couldn't replicate it.
• The "rat" was no RAT.
• I still felt like it didn't respond as nice.

What really motivated me to sell it was when I used a real OD pedal in front of the axefx, and it just played and sounded better than keeping it in the box.

I just got more "bloom" out of the real pedal and things sounded better. Eventually when I went with Syngery rack gear, I stopped using modellers except for the absolutely sexy digital reverb in the FX8.

Curious to hear if anyone has overcome this recently or if it's still a thing. I am a fussy purist!

 

[Machinated]

No axe fx here, but I use a kemper, helix, plugins as well as tons of real amps and overdrive pedals. I like all of them pretty equally. The pedals can be very fussy with impedances and what's plugged before or after them in the chain. Sometimes they'll be quite noisy or pick up weird shit. The SD-1 drives me mad as it bleeds wet signal when its off. Also some pedals have very low impedance inputs which can dull the tone in a way I don't like. Several off my RAT's and fuzz pedals can't really go on my pedal board as they sound wrong without being first in the chain and with a guitar driving into them. Digital emulations can get around these (especially when they have switchable impedances). You can do weird combinations without so many drawbacks. Sometimes they sound identical to my real pedals, sometimes they sound way off, and other times they are more useful.

I'd suggest keeping hold of anything that you like the sound of and get inspiration from. I'd try to lose the mindset of "this can replace this" or "this is always better than this". We're so spoiled for tools now, I think its great to be able to have the best of everything. I pretty much always use the real deal pedals, I think the interactions that happen between gear is where a lot of magic is, and using physical gear is just more fun and interactive. Very happy to have the emulations on hand too