Off Topic - Fractal Amplification

[tommydude]

Has anyone had a chance to try one of these out? Let's hear your feedback !!


Fractal Audio and Atomic Amps - Axe-Fx Ultra and Standard - The Atomic Reactor Series - Axe-Edit Editor

 

[hbucker]

My friend has an Axe FX Ultra and I've played through it.

It's not the kind of thing I ever see myself buying. BUT...

It is the real deal. I sounds very nice and the the models are quite impressive. The effects are good too. We had a hard time dialing in a good flanger whooooooosh, but I'm guessing that was user error and not a problem with the unit.

My friend is a big fan of the Edge, therefore he needs access to as many fx and patches as possible. That is what the Axe FX best at, but you don't sacrifice tone in the process. You guys who are going to post that there's no way digital can sound as good as tubes need to know in advance that I think you're probably wrong about this one. Especially if you run it through a tube power amp.

My issue with it is that I don't need 100 different amp tones. I like knobs instead of buttons. I don't like adjusting digital stuff on the fly at rehearsals and gigs because it's a pain. And as good as it is - it's digital so over time it will become obsolete (people argue about this but I don't personally think it's debatable).

For a serious home studio, the Axe FX would be an amazing tool. It would also be very useful in a variety of live situations. But in a home studio is where it is a homerun every time IMO.

It's a great product but as is the case with everything, it has it's niche. Whether you fit that niche or not is up to you.

 

[ProtoChicken]

It's the real deal. Sold my Bogner and all my other gear as well. No need for it now. There are actually a bunch of folks on this board who have them. Some use FRFR some do not, some use guitar poweramps and disable the poweramp sim, others use poweramps geared towards pro audio applications and don't disable the poweramp sims. You'd be better off getting your info on the Fractal forum, there's a ton of useful info and posts there.

Also the models and algorithms are constantly updated (for free), they have maybe the best CS in the industry, and Cliff, the designer is very active on the forums.

I know a lot of people disagree with me on this, but I don't think it's one of those things that you can just plug into and get a great tone without any work. It takes some tweaking, and there are so many things you can do to dial in the sound you are looking for that it can take some time to get the hang of. But I don't think there's a sound it can't get. And if you buy some of the RedWirez IR's you can expand your options 1000x.

 

[bkrumme]

Pretty sure JP has one of these in his "B" rig. And I know Dweezil Zappa uses 2 Ultras for his main rig.

 

[ProtoChicken]

Pretty sure JP has one of these in his "B" rig. And I know Dweezil Zappa uses 2 Ultras for his main rig.

Chris Broderick of Megadeth is now using it in his main rig as well. He's even got his settings for the amp sim he uses posted on a youtube video.

 

[beej]

It looks like a lot of guys are using them in their fly rigs too- so light given all the functionality.

I'm dying to try one, and every sound sample I hear is extremely convincing. I think I was burned years ago buying the early wave of digital rack gear (Rocktron/Digitech stuff). Wasn't great sonically, and the value went to zero pretty quickly. (I always assumed tube amps and analog gear would hold its value better over the long term.) The current generation of technology is a long way from there and the market has certainly changed.

 

[tommydude]

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the input

I have been burned on the earlier stuff too. Right now, I have a Line6 Bogner (1st generation).

Wife having baby in early September, so just weighing up options...

 

[bbake1]

I sold my Splawn, Marshall, and Metropolis amps with 4X12 with Scumbag speakers, TC G-System and pedals to go to the Axe-FX and Verve 12ma FRFR speakers. For my application it works great. Any tone I want is there and I don't have to crank it to get it. While I miss the air movement of a 4X12, this is a much more usable set up for me. Infinitely customizable as well. I'm well into 2 years with the Axe-FX and not looking back. Add my 25th Axis', E & Eb, and I'm set.

 

[matty]

I've had an Axe-fx for over two years and it's everything it's cracked up to be. A Silhouette Special and the Axe are all I need.

There's lots of good information and recordings at the Fractal forum as well.

matt

 

[Ventanaman]

I have had an Ultra for over a year and it replaced my Mesa MKIV, Marshall 2203 and all of my pedals. Took about 6 months to really get the feel for everything it has to offer (and I am still learning).

There is also some other player, I think his name is Vai. He uses a AxeFx Ultra as well.

 

[fatoni]

devin townsend, cynic, opeth, jeff loomis and adrian belew use the thing so chances are its good enough for you. i was going to buy a roadster to supplement my mark iv. instead, i sold the mark iv with no regrets

 

[sandmannn69]

Like the previous posting users say, it is the real deal. I have all my amps up for sale, have already sold most of my effects. I have basically dialed up every sound I've ever wanted or gotten out of any amp or effect I've previously owned/used. The best thing about the Axe-fx is the tube amp feel I get when playing thru it, never got that out of a solid state device before. The effects are the best I"ve ever heard, let alone played.

 

[Lou]

I've had mine for a year and a half (Ultra). Sold off every amp/rack (triaxis) I had. Don't miss em a bit. They sound even better with the Atomic amps IMO.

 

[73h Nils]

I must try one of these; if it promises to be what I've heard about it/heard from it, an Ultra will be my next big gear purchase, for sure.

 

[Josh O]

I run my Axe-Fx with a QSC power amp and a Mesa Recto 2x12, disable the cabinet models, it's a frreakin monster.

 

[telemike]

I'd love to try one. I would go with some high quality wedges from EV,JBL, Meyer or EAW. I really like the EAW LA212 wedge ($1300)

 

[Craiguitar]

Had my Axe-Fx for over a year now, and yes it does live up to the hype sound-wise. Yet theres something else, a few people have pointed out that its complicated to use. I'd disagree completely. I suppose I've grown up using multi effects units, so im familiar with scrolling through menu's etc, which does help. I still maintain it is by far the easiest unit I have ever dealt with. Whenever I try using another rack effects unit now, they all seem SO difficult to use, mainly because you stumble upon the things it cannot do. The Axe-Fx tends to let you do just about anything you want routing-wise. Superb.

 

[bbake1]

I would say not complicated, but it does have a steep learning curve due to all of the parts of each amp and effect that can be manipulated. Once you gain the understanding and what sounds best to you, you've made it. Then it is super easy to navigate and tweak away to any tone out there or make your own. Married to my 25ths this is my perfect setup.

 

[ProtoChicken]

I've had mine for a year and a half (Ultra). Sold off every amp/rack (triaxis) I had. Don't miss em a bit. They sound even better with the Atomic amps IMO.

+1 on the Atomics. I run two of them powered by an ART-SLA2. Just sold of the last of my guitar cabs this weekend. It took me a while to warm to the idea of FRFR, but I can't see ever using a guitar cab again.

 

[ProtoChicken]

I would say not complicated, but it does have a steep learning curve due to all of the parts of each amp and effect that can be manipulated.

I agree with this. The thing is a bit of research on the Wiki, and checking in with the Fractal forums and using it's search engine really help.

There are so many things that you would probably never discover by yourself. For example, Cliffs High Gain Filter tip makes a huge difference for some models, or the settings to use the parametric EQ to precisely copy both the frequencies and Q of the Meas MK series 5 band graphic EQ in the classic V position. Little gems like that, make a huge difference, especially the tips Cliff himself gives. The more you time you put in with the manual, Wiki, and forums the less steep the learning curve will be.