ASG said:
Everyone that has an Axe raves about it but I think they are all seriously deluded... even Andrian Belew! They must get caught up in the effects but to my ear over sprectrum analysed EQ'd studio monitors all demos I have heard including Adrians really had sh1te tone.
A Triaxis DI'd from record out or into a good tube power amp sounds magic without effects. Then later ad a TC Electronic or Lexicon reverb and delay and a TC chorus and it will be monsterous!
Thank you for the great laugh!!! You haven't tried hard enough to find serious axe-fx clips...Try the user cronograph or the dream theater medley in axe-fx section on netmusicians.org. Again my bowels do not stand the laughter.
I hated the triaxis DI. Mine was a second version. I hope they improved it because it sounded like the mains out but weaker with less treble. My studio preamp sounded miles better direct (and as a preamp for mark sounds he he) but to tell you the truth not soooooo great. It is characteristic that
a) Mesa advices to also give the DI out to a guitar amp input to use them as distortion boxes (which indicates that are not clearly "DIed filtered") instead of the main out
b) I applied cab modeling to the triaxis DI (which it should be compensated for) and it improved the sound. It is not supposed to.
c) My tech21 killed them both (the triaxis and the studio preamp) direct to board with drums and all. It has a harsher sound but it cut through the mix.
d) My f-30's DI out was similar to the triaxis but less worse. It also improved with cab modelling afterwards.
If you are sooooooooooooo set to use the triaxis live direct then simply put take a good modeller with you for effects/maybe different sounds but mostly take it to being able to choose a decent cab model simulation to run triaxis main out--->cab modelling through the board. And having the option to switch through cab models plus additional post eq means to better tailor the sound.
I should advice you to steer away from the pod xt/x3 though. I like the unit but whatever I put through its cab modelling got podified. I don't mean aliasing or digital cold sound, but it sounded like the pod,particularly warm and compressed.
Maybe the digitech GSP 1101 is a good option. Good effects, mark simulation (backup to the triaxis patches perhaps in case of need?) 1U and many cab models. In the future perhaps custom cab models like the axe.