Suggestions on first rack mount effects unit please

[jdurso]

For about the same money, the axe-fx has more features and has better quality effects imo.

Couldnt have said it better myself... the gforce and gsystem are toys compared to the axe

 

[surferdeac]

In my experience the Axe is best suited for just effects in the 4CM

Again THANK YOU guys for both giving me your insight on this piece of equipment.

I am considering this Unit so for everyone out there don't take this the wrong way !!

it kinda sounds to me from doing research and talking to you guys that while this axe is EXTREMELY versatile, meaning you can work it into you rig, it is ideal to have certain pieces of equipment SS power amp, atomic speakers yada yada or even a really good line mixer to get it to work to its fullest. what i am getting at here is that you really have to build your rig from the ground up (to Utilize it to the fullest) with this unit, and there are so many people out there that have $$ invested in existing equipment that they like and if people were considering this they wanted it to optimally work well with their existing equipment. Again I say this because there are many people out there that are simply looking for transparency of effects from a effects processor, and not something that can do everything in the world so long as you buy the right equipment to accomodate it which will end up costing you even more GREEN.

That being said i am still considering this product

 

[ryjan]

I understand how the 4CM works... and i guess you could run them in parrellel using the axe but i cant see the blend being desirable. If anything the best way to mix them still using a amp's power section would be to get a line mixer but even then the ad/da converters while good arent THAT good. My experience thus far shows the Axe to sound inifitely better through a SS power amp and a slat sounding cab or a FRFR solution. Again if he's going to use the 4CM i would even bother with the amp models because your not getting the full use of the models by coloring them with your amps poweramp and your cab. In my experience the Axe is best suited for just effects in the 4CM or used as the source of all your tones and effects.

I totally agree that the axe fx is probably best used as a stand alone unit with FRFR monitors. And also, I dont know how it would sound to run 2 preamps parallel the out of one power amp(the Boss GT-10 does this with success however) I have only read that the axe fx has this feature if you desire. Experimentation is the key!

if you keep your tube preamp activated in the chain can you run "1" axe fx preamp preset along with your tube preamp section??

Yes, according to axefxwiki.guitarlogic.org

if i wanted the ability to change channels on my amp and i don't want to have to make an extra tap dance to engage my amp's channel footswitcher, would their be a cheaper way than acquiring something like a gcx audio switcher to tell my MIDI floorboard (DMC Ground Controll pro) to change channels on my amp seeing that the Axe fx ultra doesn't have a built in relay switch.

I'm not very familiar with amp switching products being that I still use the factory footswitch. Google is your friend.

THIs 4cm method while seeming to give you a lot of user versatility, i seem a little bit weary of it because it seems to me that many people have had issues regarding getting either ground loop noise/ excessive floor noise /hiss from this sort of set up? more so than just using the AXe fx in the effects loop, or simply avoiding using it with your tube amps preamp stage in general?

The more components you add to your signal chain, the more potential noise you are inviting. The use of the axe fx's noise gates should take care of any NORMAL noise you may get. Ive run my Mark IV with 4CM with a few processors and havn't had excessive noise. Most of the complaints you've heard could be chalked up to bad cables/connections or power source issues.
Go to the fractal home page and check out the link to the axe-fx wiki page.

 

[jdurso]

Again I say this because there are many people out there that are simply looking for transparency of effects from a effects processor, and not something that can do everything in the world so long as you buy the right equipment to accomodate it which will end up costing you even more GREEN.

That being said i am still considering this product

If your primary goal is to find a unit that has amazing TRANSPARENT effects that compliment the amp you already love and is competitively priced i think the Axe-fx is what you're looking for. I've tried all the fx processors in its price range the Axe is the most transparent and IMO has the most comprehensive quality fx out there. The fact that you dont have to dig too deep in an fx block to find a desired effect that compliments your amp is a huge plus... on top of that you still have the power to dig deep into each fx block and completely tailor that effect to your liking.

On top of that you have the best amp/cab modelling on the market if you ever wanted to use the Axe for direct recording, in a SS setup or a W/D/W rig. In my mind you wont find all of this in one package anywhere let alone at its price point.

And on top of that Cliff is completely dedicated to making this unit better and releases more new features and fixes faster than i can upload them. That to me is huge because you have a product that keeps expanding and getting better... even better is he gets these improvements from his customer base to which he is intimately connected to through the axe forum. Thats something you dont find very often. The best part is he actually listens and almost always nails the upgrades on the head meeting his customers demands and in turn making his already amazing product that much better.

 

[ryjan]

True dat.

 

[surferdeac]

have any of you two fellas ever tried to do

--------- an a/b comparison between the 4cm setup method into your "tube amp" just engaging your own amps preamp and using some standard type effects delay/reverb/chorus type effects VS. just running the axe into your amps effects loop using these similar type effects to see if one sounded better or more organic/quieter than the other to your own ears--------------????????

Thanks a whole bunch!!!!

I have been going crazy lately doing research on future scenarios for possible upgrades to my guitar rig, and last night after a two hour vamp/jam session i realized that all this extensive research i have been doing these last couple of weeks has really infringed on my playing sessions. Time to get back into putting my after work energy onto my fretboard instead of obsessing over all these different opinions on all the various upgrade scenarios i have come up with in my head

if i didn't have to work this wouldn't be a problem!!! :lol:

Once agian i appreciate all your input and taking the time to share your experiences with your equipment with me and others on the BOARD

KEEP ROCKIN!!!

 

[jdurso]

have any of you two fellas ever tried to do

--------- an a/b comparison between the 4cm setup method into your "tube amp" just engaging your own amps preamp and using some standard type effects delay/reverb/chorus type effects VS. just running the axe into your amps effects loop using these similar type effects to see if one sounded better or more organic/quieter than the other to your own ears--------------????????

Thanks a whole bunch!!!!

not quite getting the question because all the effects you listed in the 4CM part would be used in the same spot when using the axe just in the fx loop. The benefit of the 4CM is putting fx that belong in front of the amp, in front of the amp (phaser, flanger, drives, compressor, synth, etc). The fx you listed are time based and belong in your loop (not to say they HAVE to go there) and no matter which setup you use would sound BEST in the fx loop of your amp (which is where you would put them even in the 4CM).

IME the AXE sounds great in both the 4CM application and just in the FX loop, it just depends on which fx you're going to use.