Off Topic Fractal Audio Axe-FX Ultra

[tm21]

Not sure if this has been posted before (it probably has), but what are your thoughts on this? I read on the FA boards that the company was only able to secure a hotel room at NAMM, but had some extremely impressive gear. Unveiling a footswitch and a new amp (Atomic). What are your experiences with this piece of gear? The options seem limitless from what little I've read. However it also seems like you'd need a degree in computer science to actually get your money's worth ($2000+ price tag).

 

[ProtoChicken]

Not sure if this has been posted before (it probably has), but what are your thoughts on this? I read on the FA boards that the company was only able to secure a hotel room at NAMM, but had some extremely impressive gear. Unveiling a footswitch and a new amp (Atomic). What are your experiences with this piece of gear? The options seem limitless from what little I've read. However it also seems like you'd need a degree in computer science to actually get your money's worth ($2000+ price tag).

The Atomic has been out for months and the MFC controller has been in the works for 2 years.

The Atomic is a great solution if your looking for an all in one FRFR setup geared more towards guitar than a normal FRFR. I have one and am thinking of grabbing a second to run the Axe-Fx Ultra stereo. At 50 watts you may want two for metal purposes.

If you don't understand rack gear, don't like reading manuals, and don't want to get into understanding, mixing, and maybe even paying for the 3rd party RedWire IR's I'd think twice before buying an Axe-Fx. You also need to have a compatible midi device (some work, some don't) in order to update the firmware and use the editing software as it is not USB compatible. It is not a plug and play unit, and the settings are very deep and at times complex.

I'm sure the MFC will be great too, though it will most likely come in at the $500+ price range much like the Liquid Foot.

Use the search function and you'll find this has already been discussed.

 

[fatoni]

ive got the axe fx and an atomic. its crazy versatile but imo the atomic can make the bottom end a little boomy. its probably me though as the axe fx has many advanced parameters. either way i sold my mark iv and have never looked back. the bottom line is get one. you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want. it took me about an hour to be happy with the tone but it just keeps getting better as i tweak.

as far as the price goes, its not expensive for what you get. 60 amp models and the best effects youll find. whats hard to quantify is how tube like it feels.

i think atomic has new stuff like wedge monitors both powered and passive and a power amp. if it doesnt have tubes i think ill pick one up

 

[bbake1]

I have the Ultra and agree with ProtoChicken that you have to willing to up your education in the midi world, have patience, and willing to tweak. The FA forum is awesome like this one with extremely knowledgeable and helpful people when times get tough and tones are elusive. I couldn't be happier. I have a ton of very useful tones to be had with the one guitar I have chosen as best for me. I run it FRFR with two QSC HPR 122i's. Great thump, crunch, and harmonics jump from the Axis'

 

[ProtoChicken]

ive got the axe fx and an atomic. its crazy versatile but imo the atomic can make the bottom end a little boomy. its probably me though as the axe fx has many advanced parameters. either way i sold my mark iv and have never looked back. the bottom line is get one. you can make it as simple or as complicated as you want. it took me about an hour to be happy with the tone but it just keeps getting better as i tweak.

as far as the price goes, its not expensive for what you get. 60 amp models and the best effects youll find. whats hard to quantify is how tube like it feels.

i think atomic has new stuff like wedge monitors both powered and passive and a power amp. if it doesnt have tubes i think ill pick one up

Fatoni, if you've updated your firmware to 9.0 you can turn both the thump and warm settings off in your amp models in the Axe-Fx. Cliff himself said they are no longer needed. That should take care of the boomy quality. If not you should be able to dial it out fairly easily.

 

[bbake1]

Fatoni, if you've updated your firmware to 9.0 you can turn both the thump and warm settings off in your amp models in the Axe-Fx. Chris himself said they are no longer needed. That should take care of the boomy quality. If not you should be able to dial it out fairly easily.

+1. I love 9.0 and yes I did pretty much remove the warmth and thump from my settings.

 

[fatoni]

yeah ive got 9.0. ive been meaning to do that...is it everything id ever imagine

 

[matty]

I've had a Standard for around 2 years. For me the Axe-fx combined with my Silhouette Special is all I need. It's that good - it's versatile and keeps getting better. For my "gigging" situation I usually go direct. Around the house I use a Tech 21 power engine.

ProtoChicken pretty much sums it up on the learning curve. I have always been comfortable around rack gear, midi and menus but some are not. There is a 15-day return period so it's worth checking out.

 

[agt]

My primary application is recording and the Ultra was one of the best gear purchases ever for me. The presets are OK, but once you get into developing your own sounds from scratch the unit's total awesomeness becomes apparent.

Regarding the technical aspects and learning curve, I find the interface very intuitive if you understand guitar amps and pedals. Having said that, I have been using midi, synths, etc. for ever, but the Axe FX interface is about as good as they come.

The midi understanding demands are light if you simply need to connect to a computer to use the software editor and preset manager -- you certainly do not need to understand midi data types and values and certainly no sysex. On the other hand , if you want to program a foot controller or pedal board, then, yes, it helps to understand midi at a more advanced level.

 

[hbucker]

A friend of mine owns the Ax-Effects. He's big into U2 & the Edge so that's why he got it and that's, more or less, my exposure to it. He runs it through the requisite AC-30.

I'm pretty much a plug & play guy. I've tried too many times to have digital pedals in rehearsals and gigs and they are way too irritating to adjust on the fly, which is always required at one time or another in those settings. The Ax-Effects seems like no exception to that difficulty, IMO. My friend plays his at home, doesn't gig or rehearse, so that makes his need to adjust on the fly very minimal.

Every time I see him he comments on how complex the settings can get, especially when you're using multiple effects with multiple parameters. Depending on your sensibilities and abilities, it could take you months to master it. Or as others said, it may take only hours.

I am always suspect of digital overdrive. Not because it alway has to sound bad, but becuase it frequently doesn't sound very natural. I've never heard an overdrive tone come from his Ax-Effects that comes even close to my PV Classic 100 or even my PV ValveKing. Not even in the ballpark. Maybe it's the unit. Maybe it's that unit running into the AC-30? Maybe it's his ability to adjust the unit. I don't know. But I'd be really, really ticked off if I'd spent that kind of $$ on overdrive that sounded so hum-drum, or even just bad.

Their ads have enough well known endorsers that the unit must have something really good going for it. All I can do is relate my impressions of my friend's. There is absolutely nothing about his that would make me consider selling my amp(s) & pedalboard of ancient technology for it.

Your results may vary...

 

[beej]

I've heard some very convincing tones from it. But if I were in the market for such a thing, here's how I'd look at it.

The quality of the effects is marvelous. You could easily replace your other rack delays, reverbs, etc with the AxeFX. It's in a similar price range. So if you run that kind of rig I would give it a serious look.

Once you're there, you've got the amp & cab sims for free. Means you've always got a backup amp handy if your main amp goes down, a great way to do direct recording and, hey, you just might prefer it to the sound of your main amp (some guys do).

Look it as a way to augment the sounds of your amp, not just replace it.

 

[ProtoChicken]

A friend of mine owns the Ax-Effects. He's big into U2 & the Edge so that's why he got it and that's, more or less, my exposure to it. He runs it through the requisite AC-30.

I'm pretty much a plug & play guy. I've tried too many times to have digital pedals in rehearsals and gigs and they are way too irritating to adjust on the fly, which is always required at one time or another in those settings. The Ax-Effects seems like no exception to that difficulty, IMO. My friend plays his at home, doesn't gig or rehearse, so that makes his need to adjust on the fly very minimal.

Every time I see him he comments on how complex the settings can get, especially when you're using multiple effects with multiple parameters. Depending on your sensibilities and abilities, it could take you months to master it. Or as others said, it may take only hours.

I am always suspect of digital overdrive. Not because it alway has to sound bad, but becuase it frequently doesn't sound very natural. I've never heard an overdrive tone come from his Ax-Effects that comes even close to my PV Classic 100 or even my PV ValveKing. Not even in the ballpark. Maybe it's the unit. Maybe it's that unit running into the AC-30? Maybe it's his ability to adjust the unit. I don't know. But I'd be really, really ticked off if I'd spent that kind of $$ on overdrive that sounded so hum-drum, or even just bad.

Their ads have enough well known endorsers that the unit must have something really good going for it. All I can do is relate my impressions of my friend's. There is absolutely nothing about his that would make me consider selling my amp(s) & pedalboard of ancient technology for it.

Your results may vary...

I happily sold my Bogner after 2 weeks with my Axe-Fx. I think it comes down to being willing to really dive into it and tweak. Though I still waver about going FRFR or running it through a solid state poweramp and traditional guitar cab setup.

The AC-30 could be playing a roll as well. You could definitely use it with that though, assuming you turned off the poweramp sims and cabinet sims. If those options weren't disabled running it through the AC-30 you'd probably have a pretty lousy tone regardless of what you tried. Though it can be placed in an amps effect loop, or even in front of the amp like a pedal, that's not how most people who are using it for more than its effect run it.

Also the 9.0 firmware update had a pretty drastic effect on the higher gain sounds.

 

[hbucker]

I happily sold my Bogner after 2 weeks with my Axe-Fx. I think it comes down to being willing to really dive into it and tweak. Though I still waver about going FRFR or running it through a solid state poweramp and traditional guitar cab setup.

The AC-30 could be playing a roll as well. You could definitely use it with that though, assuming you turned off the poweramp sims and cabinet sims. If those options weren't disabled running it through the AC-30 you'd probably have a pretty lousy tone regardless of what you tried. Though it can be placed in an amps effect loop, or even in front of the amp like a pedal, that's not how most people who are using it for more than its effect run it.

Also the 9.0 firmware update had a pretty drastic effect on the higher gain sounds.

You're probably right. Too many good players like it for me to just dismiss it... and I wasn't. I was just giving my personal experience. In addition to it not being my cup of tea, I personally haven't heard anything I could use out of it.

That obviously doesn't mean the tones aren't contianed within it though...

 

[ProtoChicken]

You're probably right. Too many good players like it for me to just dismiss it... and I wasn't. I was just giving my personal experience. In addition to it not being my cup of tea, I personally haven't heard anything I could use out of it.

That obviously doesn't mean the tones aren't contianed within it though...

I understand where your coming from and I didn't think you were knocking it. It's not all the way there yet, and some people will notice that difference more than others. I think it's really close though. I do like the ability to get my sound at a low volume when necessary which I could never do with tubes, even using attenuators.

In a perfect world I'd have both.

I should add that before I bought one a friend lent me his while he was away for a few months. My first reaction was, "well, this is crap".

 

[fatoni]

people think its not there but what i think people miss is that there isnt anything special about "there." scope out the fractal forums. people there sometimes post comparison clips of the od/amp/cab/mic sims to the actual ones. sometimes they sound identical. sometimes different, not better or worse. just different. if you think the feel is off its probably not the axe but the way you amp it.

 

[ProtoChicken]

people think its not there but what i think people miss is that there isnt anything special about "there." scope out the fractal forums. people there sometimes post comparison clips of the od/amp/cab/mic sims to the actual ones. sometimes they sound identical. sometimes different, not better or worse. just different. if you think the feel is off its probably not the axe but the way you amp it.

That's a fair assessment. You hit the nail on the head when mentioning some models sounding perfect and others sounding different, that's a much more accurate way of putting it than my "not there" comment. What's amazing is the models that are dead on are indistinguishable from the actual amp.

 

[Lou]

Perfectly happy with mine. I sold off all my other amps.

 

[hbucker]

From you guys in the know... how easy is it to make adjustments on the fly, mid song, in rehearsals, gigs and such? As easy as turning a knob on a traditional rig?

 

[ProtoChicken]

Perfectly happy with mine. I sold off all my other amps.

Lou, as you know I'm happy and sold off mine as well. I'm just slightly neurotic

 

[ProtoChicken]

From you guys in the know... how easy is it to make adjustments on the fly, mid song, in rehearsals, gigs and such? As easy as turning a knob on a traditional rig?

Not quite, you need to hit a couple of buttons. One to get into the layout screen, and then you choose which block you want to edit and hit enter, and then adjust. It's really a 5 second procedure.