Is it worth it? (Axe FX)

Goddamn when are these Fractal Audio bastards gonna bring out a new hardware version?
It seems the first version hasn't totally nailed tubes, but if they bring out a second version, it might just convince me to totally ditch using my tubes, cabinet and SD-1 for recording.
But I dunno man, there's just something cool about a blaring amp and cabinet, a certain feel that you will NEVER get from recording direct through a modeler
 
Dunno if you guys have seen this video but it kinda gives you the idea on how it sounds through a cab. Not miced though..

But this talk about it not sounding tube and all that, feel free to come over to my place and I'll blow that shit out of your brain with my setup... ;)

 
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Goddamn Guitar said:
But this talk about it not sounding tube and all that, feel free to come over to my place and I'll blow that shit out of your brain with my setup... ;)
Click to expand...

It's a little far from my place, maybe one day. What's it like direct? ie with the built in impulse loader. I assume you turn these off if you're going to a real cab.

I've had serious gas for one of these for ages now. I can't realistically blast amps where I live so any contraptions that can be used at low levels always appeal to me.
 
abt said:
It's a little far from my place, maybe one day. What's it like direct? ie with the built in impulse loader. I assume you turn these off if you're going to a real cab.

I've had serious gas for one of these for ages now. I can't realistically blast amps where I live so any contraptions that can be used at low levels always appeal to me.
Click to expand...

It's all good! get it already you wont be dissapointed.
 
Ya know ... I've already made up my mind (with regards to the quality of AXE-Fx).
I dig it ... big time.
But I gotta say - I wonder what some additional big names might have to say about it as well.
I am interested in hearing some more opinions, or lack thereof.
Nobody specific in mind ... just anybody who is willing to share their thoughts.
Thanks

Scott
 
If I was a guitarist and started touring a lot, I would definitely use that, plug it through any backline amp for monitoring and send the direct to FOH, so many headaches would be solved. Hell I do it with a POD just for the sake of saving trouble, and the Axefx sounds so damn good it's even worth it for the sound
 
Waterboy said:
Ya know ... I've already made up my mind (with regards to the quality of AXE-Fx).
I dig it ... big time.
But I gotta say - I wonder what some additional big names might have to say about it as well.
I am interested in hearing some more opinions, or lack thereof.
Nobody specific in mind ... just anybody who is willing to share their thoughts.
Thanks

Scott
Click to expand...

This week I'll be getting my MB Lonestar cab. I'll record some clips with the Axe then.
 
Ive been using the AxeFx for over a year now, and it is one of my best purchases. We have two in my band, hooked up to a VHT controlled by a laptop, so we worry about putting on a good show, not changing patches and falling over at the same time.

Look at the smile it brought to our faces
5731_503472861924_273300045_76763_1302468_n.jpg


A friend of mine plays in a band called Rise To Remain, who recently went on tour with Trivium and Whitechapel. I know that Trivium have already gone out and bought some Axe's and expect to be using them on their next tour.

Here are some examples going through a tube power amp.





 
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sprack said:
I wish the AXE was a DSP accelerated SPICE modeler instead of an sound emulator. I'm still wishing someone would do that with Revalver.
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Cliff use SPICE when he models the amps. The CPU power you're talking about don't exist yet, not in a commercial format anyway. Revalver and the AxeFX are the closest. So far.
 
I found this:
I've been acquiring tube amps also just for the sake of model verification. I measure them and then measure the Axe-Fx and make sure the model is accurate. In the past I've just done verification with the SPICE model but the problem with the SPICE model is that you don't have any parasitic data. In some amps the parasitics are significant enough to cause deviation from the SPICE model. The parasitics manifest themselves as resonances and having the real amp allows me to identify them and add them to the model.
Click to expand...

I still think its possible to do, the issue is how much handcoding do you want to do on a Xilinx. A couple FGPA's would have enough oomph to get the job done, but you'd still end up hand tweaking the system model to get it closer to, like he said, the 'parasitics'. Oh well, one day.

TheDude said:
Cliff use SPICE when he models the amps. The CPU power you're talking about don't exist yet, not in a commercial format anyway. Revalver and the AxeFX are the closest. So far.
Click to expand...
 
sprack said:
I found this:


I still think its possible to do, the issue is how much handcoding do you want to do on a Xilinx. A couple FGPA's would have enough oomph to get the job done, but you'd still end up hand tweaking the system model to get it closer to, like he said, the 'parasitics'. Oh well, one day.
Click to expand...


I don't know what the hell that meant, but what does it matter when the unit sound awesome?
 
let me say that we are prouud axe fx ultra users since 2 months, and i have only scratched the surface on this thing.

the weak part is and will always be impulses. in my humble opinion this thing slays every amp out there. i think people mistake that
a louudd amp feels different than an axe fx through headphones.... guitarists often mistake the feel of an amp with sound.

feel is what you get WHILE playing (this is for the player)
sound is what gets to the listeners ears (this is for the listener)

i think both is important, but when it comes to tracking, i think its the sound that counts.

never in my life have i heard a miced amp that sounded recorded like it sounded whileplaying.
100 % of the times i was enthusiastic while playing and got discouraged when listening back to the recorded sound.
i think the roomyness and a shaking box in front of us is what we really love about playing heavy riffs ;-)
none of the above will ever make it to tape....

but not so with the axe to me . thisis exactly what i hear (feeL) while playing !!! i can finally concentrate on sound,
not being blinded by the amps movement. this has to do with us sensing "sound" as a combination of what we hear AND what we feel.

so if your looking for the ultimate experience (the zen of playing ;-) you should definately consider axe + mesa power amp + a great cabinet.
but then again you could also just buy a mark V for that money, hehe.
 
did a quick test today mixing the same preset but just slightly adjusting the attack of the envelope before the amp.

The right channel is just a little tighter and the left a little looser. I put the backing track in mono so you could hear the guitars I recorded.

Courtesy to Jocke Skog for the mix(I fucking love the production/mixing on this cd) in mono... I'm trying to replicate his tone from the new Scarpoint cd. The clip is from one of their songs. Jocke did such an awesome job on the production and mixing,

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3423189/quicktest.mp3
 
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