Why do people think the Axe Fx 2 is worth the money? (TSE vs. Axe FX)

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scoreking81

New Metal Member
Apr 8, 2012
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I have never really understood why people buy Axe Fx 2's for studio use or better yet, why they enjoy them. I have had multiple friends with the Axe Fx and have never really heard them get any stellar tones with it.

However, everyone seems to tell me I'm full of shit and that an Axe Fx is on a whole other level compared to computer based amp sims, so I decided to do a shootout between the Axe Fx 2 and a cheap computer based VST/AU amp sim.

I have 2 clips of the same riffs playing back to back here, one is TSE x50 v2 amp sim, which was 50 dollars, and one is the Axe Fx 2. Can you tell the difference? Which one do you think is Axe and which one do you think is the cheap computer based sim?

https://soundcloud.com/winston-stevens/tse-x50-50-vs-axe-fx-2-2500
 
I like recording guitars without worrying about CPU load from amp sims. Sue me.

I also have never heard a plugin ampsim sound anywhere near as good as an Axe2 or KPA, but feel free to (try to) prove me wrong.
 
That's quite interesting but neither tones sound that impressive to me really as they are both poorly mixed. I assume you eqd matched one of them to be as close to the other as you can.

I have a Kemper and all my mixes were instantly better without even trying against the TSE plugin. There was absolutely no comparison.

I can't tell which is the TSE and which is the Axe. Neither sound different enough to be conclusive. One has slightly more treble in tone. My guess would be you set up a tone in the TSE that you liked and then matched the Axe FX to sound the same.
 
they are really close and I think the difference is pretty negligible but I would say the second one in each segment is the Axe FX.
 
I am not defending nothing but this test doesnt prove anything. You show a test with a similar tone, I could do the same if I want, I could show a test with x50 being very inferior or vice versa. All depends on what you really want achieve. You achieve that sound with axe, but there are other millions combinations that lead to a better or worse sound, that depends on your knowledge, how to use, combinations, impulses, so many shit that gives me immediately headaches!lol

And no I dont have a axe and I would never give so much money for one! Just to clarify.
 
inertia said:
That's quite interesting but neither tones sound that impressive to me really as they are both poorly mixed. I assume you eqd matched one of them to be as close to the other as you can.
Click to expand...

There is no mixing on any of this (outside of amp sim plugins) except for the drums haha.
 
scoreking81 said:
There is no mixing on any of this (outside of amp sim plugins) except for the drums haha.
Click to expand...

yeah never mind the mix! What we want to know is if you matched the Axe FX to sound exactly like the TSE :p :lol: I am very suspicious of your initial bias towards one of the most sought after and best tone units today.
 
A few points... yeah, in that particular mix they're pretty much indistinguishable, I'll give you that.

That being said, its not an accurate comparison with regard to the cost/value of each unit. You've compared a 5150 VST with (I assume) the Axe-Fx2 5150 and found that they can be made to sound close enough in a simple recording. Ok, that's probably an accurate statement and I'll agree with you that its totally possible. So, if all you need is a 5150 sim, then by all means buy the X50, it probably represents better value for you.

However, people don't usually pay $2500 for the Axe to use purely a single sim on simple recordings. They use them live, the use them for effects with their (real) amps, and they use them in studios when they need a wide range of amp and effect sounds.

You might wonder why I keep bringing up the simple recording aspect. It's because I've found that the sound of the lower end modelers just falls apart once you start adding layers and effects to a recording. Not so with mic'ed sounds, and not so with Axes, Kempers and the like.
 
"Hey, im really struggling to get good sounds out of vst's......and i want a huge tone like the axe fx brings to the table" , scoreking81 May 11th 2012 :D
 
i d like to see you gig with your x50 v2

If you don't think its worth the money, thats fine you are entitled to your opinion, just as others are entitled to theirs.
Personally I think that 1 2000$ unit that can replace $20000+ worth of individual gear IS worth it.

You see; all a matter of perception.

Everything is worth what one is willing to pay for it.
 
I've never felt the response while playing through an axe-fx was ever matched by playing through an amp-sim so there's that aspect as well.
And then there's the fx stuff which is incredible as well.

All of these things have their purpose and if ampsims make your day, that's great. But I don't have a hard time understanding why people enjoy their axes.
 
Drew ran some tests on other boards (don't think he posted them here) and it was audible that the Axe FX sounded more dynamic, even on the occasions where the plugin had a more pleasing tone. Plugins can sound good in a lot of cases, but I do think the Axe has the capability to sound better than plugins can.

Until I owned an Axe FX myself I did not realise just how different the feel was vs plugins I've used (LePou, PodFarm, Amplitube, Logic etc). I A/B'd playing Amplitube vs the Axe FX and there is a gigantic difference in feel. The amp sims I've tried feel very static next to playing the Axe.

I use my Axe FX with my band, the control options with it are killer. I use a volume pedal a lot, and when I ran a Dual Rec (which I do miss playing through, but don't miss moving or operating my rig) I had to turn off my boost, turn on my delay, and reduce volume by feel to get my low gain ambient sound. On the Axe FX I can easily set minimum volume (so I can't mess it up) and design the curves so that the boost switches itself off, and delay fades itself in in a pleasing way as I reduce the volume, and also I've added in an EQ to give a clearer lower gain tone. That is just scratching the surface - you could do a hell of a lot more than that, but so far I'm just using it with music I wrote using an oldschool workflow. Now that I've got more possibilities open to me I'm going to explore them as I write more music.

Honestly, they are really expensive, but if you'll use the control options, or the recording options, it makes a lot of sense. I'd love to try mine through a tube power amp one day but for now I've got a 3U Gator rack case that weighs less than my flightcased pedalboard did, and does the business for playing with a band or recording (I go direct via USB currently). I'm using a POD HD500x for my switch, and backup, and having compared the two the Axe is significantly better than the Pod too IMO.
 
This is one thing I don't understand:

Surely commercial developers (Amplitube, S-Gear, Guitar Rig) have a Kemper and Axe as part of their R&D and have been analysing and comparing their sims against them, along with mic'd amps that are modelled, and must have some quantitative idea where their sims depart from the real thing / Kemper / Axe. There is nothing the Kemper or Axe is doing that an Intel i7 couldn't do. It's only a matter of time before they catch up - and I think x50 and S-Gear have.

Now, the Axe is using cabinet IRs, the same as amp sims, so when Mr Developer runs a sine sweep through his sim and the real thing/Axe/Kemper of an equivalent amp (or VST analyser equivalent), surely it's clear as day where the discrepancies are. I mean, if you're not prepared to be the best at what you do, why bother? And the way to be the best is to understand how your competitors' products are (or perceived) to be better than yours.

I'm not a developer of amp sims, but I'd like someone to chime in who is to tells us exactly where they think the weakest link in amp sims are.

I refer to amp and cab sims, not FX units, which I'm aware the Axe excels at.
 
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