Fractal Audio AX8 - floor based modeler

Started by mchad, February 22, 2015, 02:34:36 AM

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whippinpost91850


Elantric

#51
QuoteWhat, did you get an AX8 as well!

Not in my plans anytime soon - Id miss my Axe-FXII's  USB audio interface, support for 4 expression pedals , and its nice to isolate the DSP and edit patches mid song within  arms level,  away from the vulnerable front of stage where the footswitch resides.

I carry the AXE-FX II + MFC101+4 expressions pedals and cables in this bag - I got on sale at Ebay for $100
Fusion Workstation DJ Backpack



If you want to learn more about the AX8 from real users - go here
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?forums/digital-modeling-gear.53/

Elantric

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/ax8-incoming.1650792/page-3#post-21087113
HippieTim wrote
QuoteMy AX8 arrived yesterday. Life happened and I was not able to do anything with it yesterday other than unbox it. I had the day off today though so I just got done playing it through my CLR. I recorded my out of the box session with my iPhone - it was apparently 1 hour and 29 minutes. I really didn't realize that much time went by. I need to edit the video down - trust me when I say that nobody wants the whole thing (unless you really want to hear me rustle around for things like a TRS cable).

My initial impression so far is that it is very good. Really damn ****ing great actually. In some ways it was completely predictable - it sounds the same as my Axe-FX II. The UX is good. I've used every other Fractal product so it was fairly straightforward. I did a little editing and calibrated an expression pedal - other than that it was just flipping through presets. The out of box experience for me in terms of straight up usable tones was vastly superior to any other product of this kind that I've used. I know I could gig with some of the presets if I had to.

Next I need to test it with my amp and cab. Then I need to decide if I'm going to use this direct or with my amp for my upcoming NYE gig. I'm leaning towards using it for effects only since we don't have any rehearsals between now and the show so I won't get a chance to dial in amp tones to blend with the other guitar player and full band.


Elantric

#53




Did I mention how much I like this thing....
Fender American Special Strat with Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the bridge and Fender American standard single coils

Elantric

From a new AX-8 owner

QuoteI received yesterday AX8 for test/review but I'm sure I will buy it. It is first modeler where during one evening I stopped on patch #16... It has a lot of "colours" inside only one patch. Different PUP, different guitar volume... amazing.

Spider

#55
It's me :)

Here picture for a question "Which exp pedal for it?" and "Should I sell wah and other analog pedals?"...


mchad


Thinking of getting one of these and having it and the GP10 on a board. GP10 for alt tunings and other cool tones (not cheesy synths).

Then the AX8 for amp and dirt tones plus, what I'm led to believe, are amazing/exotic/boundary pushing effects. I'm interested in the sequencer and the Adrenalinn type stuff.


DF400

QuoteThinking of getting one of these and having it and the GP10 on a board.

I would get on the waiting list now then - most have been waiting or months for availability.

I have yet to receive mine. If anyone could update who recently received theirs, curious about the date they were put on the waiting list...

BBach

I'm afraid I would step on the puppy. They should have designed the unit with the puppy on the left side.

mchad

#59
2 and a 1/2 grand for an AX8 in Australia.  :-\

I imagine it is really really good.

Edit: factoring in exchange rates and taxes/duties this comes out about right.


Elantric


Elantric


DF400

I've had my AX8 for a few days now and still exploring the amps and effects. I have not had a new Fractal product since I purchased the AxeFX Ultra several years ago, so this took some getting used to! There is a significant change in the responsiveness of this amp modeller, with a lot more dynamics so it did not sound familiar to me when compared to my Ultra - in fact, the harmonics and sponginess were a surprise and sounded much more like one of my older tube amps. I don't think the Ultra is necessarily a bad sounding unit in comparison, but definitely different.

I'm still trying to find my way around the floorboard pedals - the factory setting requires some stepping to access presets and scenes. At least for the time being, I integrated my GCP foot controller to work on selecting presets while using the AX8 pedals as effects controllers. It takes more real estate on the floor but very convenient. In fact, I use 4 of the GCP switches to select PCM sounds on my GR-55 which using the remaining 6 for amp AX8 preset selections.

The build is tank-quality - definitely road-worthy. The menu access and integration on the hardware is not initially intuitive, but like any product with time one can master getting around the menus. I have not hooked it up to my computer yet, but I am sure the Ax-Edit will be very familiar to me since I have spent years with the previous versions.

I will post some audio once I get this figured out - but worth mentioning the factory patches are very practical and I could use this live right out of the box.

Elantric


https://www.facebook.com/kicktags?fref=photo
Sukh KickTags‎Fractal Audio Users Group


Hey folks! Here's a shot of my current setup. I wanted to split my board as shown in the picture, to give me flexibility for a more compact travel board if I wanted (it's mounted on a PedalTrain 1), and also to allow me to keep my board up on my CLRs for home use (easier to access while sitting at my desk) while still being able to use the expression pedals without having to put the whole board on the floor each time.

This way, the board stays on my monitors and I keep the 'little board' with Expression pedals on just under my desk and ready to go smile emoticon

It's great to be a nerd.

Elantric

#64

Inside the Fractal AX8 there are 34 drive pedals!!! They each have their own unique settings and sound and are often modelled on real world counterparts from the infamous Ibanez TS9 Tubescreamer to the loved and loathed Boss MT2 Metal Zone. Boost pedals, fuzz boxes, overdrives, and distortion pedals are all represented.

In this video I've tried to give a little history of each pedal along with tips for amp combos, basic and advanced parameters and much more.

Quick Timing Links:

Question 1 A "How many are there?" - 0:42
Question 1 B "What do they do?" - 1:11
Question 2 A "What are the basic parameters?" - 1:42
Special Section "Clip Types Explained" - 4:01
EQ Section "Bass, Mid, Mid Freq, Treble" - 5:22
Mixer Section "Mix, Bypass Mode, Level, Balance" - 5:49
Tips N Tricks "Clipping & Sine Waves" - 6:26
Question 2 B "What are the advanced parameters?" - 6:57
Pedal Breakdown "Who, when, where?" - 9:19

Gear:

Guitar: Ibanez J Custom RG8527Z
Guitar: Takamine TNV460C
Guitar: Takamine TH5C Hirade

Pedal: Fractal Audio AX8
https://fractalaudio.com

Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
https://focusrite.com

Cameras: iPhone6S@1080 60fps & GoPro3+ Silver Edition@1080 60fps
Computer: Mac Mini 2011 with Samsung EVO500GB SSD, 16GB RAM, Radeon Dedicated GPU
Software: iMovie 10, Guitar Pro 6, Garageband

Follow me on Facebook:

http://facebook.com/arohaduo




X/Y switching. What is it exactly? How does it work? Why should I bother using it? The Fractal Audio AX8 has some amazing features. X/Y switching is arguably one of the most powerful features especially for live performances. In this video I will explain what X/Y switching actually is; Which fx blocks have the X/Y feature available for use; How to switch blocks from X to Y and vice versa; Why to use it and familiarise yourself with it.

Questions:

1. What is X/Y switching?
2. Which blocks/FX have/don't have X/Y switching?
3. How do you switch from X to Y and vice versa?
4. Why use X/Y?






Elantric

#65
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/yep-the-ax8-is-all-that-and-more.1737519/


I've been back and forth several times between modelers and amps, for almost 2 years the Kemper Powerhead & an FCB1010 had me happy, happy, happy... prior to that I owned the Axe Standard, Ultra and 2, but it got to be just like lugging around a head and pedalboard IMHO and it was almost 3 grand... for amps I loved the Suhr Badgers and Germinos

Then the idea of a Helix bit me, it sounded awesome in the demos, as good as the Ax8 and it had an incredibly simple workflow so I got one, I really enjoyed it for awhile, I loved lugging it around with a Power Station in the Helix backpack, great portable rig... smaller is betterer

You know the Ax8 is smaller than the Helix, so I had to try one at some point... first off I knew the effects would be great but I didn't really expect the amp models to be as AWESOME as they are, right now I'm using the FTR37, 1959 SLP, Dirty Shirley, Deliverance, BE, HBE and DC30 ... they are all I need, my faves are the DC30, FTR37 and 1959 SLP

a couple of quick points

1- it's the most volume knob sensitive rig I've owned... to be able to go from heavy DC30 drive to gorgeous cleans just via the volume knob is amazing
2- using Ax8 edit it's as easy as pie to setup, I'm not tweaking as much as when I owned the Axe2, I find a great sound and rarely feel the need to tweak it, the midrange is all their, these sounds cut live very well
3- the Ax8 sounds great through a guitar cab, FRFR and IEM's... really organic, very 'real', feels killer... sometimes I run it through a Power Station onstage via a 1x12 V30 cab while sending FOH my IR signal... more and more I'm only using IEM's, which means setup and breakdown is about 3 mins

I know you've heard and read all this before, it's a great time to be a guitar player... for the player that wants an EASY, QUICK setup with tons of GORGEOUS sounds I have to say the Ax8 gets 1st place for me these days, I can't believe this level of greatness comes from a $1500 unit...

Pete1959

I couldn't agree more with the praise of the AX8.
I received mine mid-June and couldn't be happier.

My GP10 will always have its place when required but the AX8 is much better than I thought.



mooncaine

Quote from: Elantric on December 17, 2015, 03:12:41 PM
I carry the AXE-FX II + MFC101+4 expressions pedals and cables in this bag - I got on sale at Ebay for $100
Fusion Workstation DJ Backpack

Would a VG-99 fit in there, with the stand adapter still screwed on to the back? I've been stuffing mine into an old-school laptop bag, and it's awkward jamming it in there because that adapter protrudes far enough to be a tight squeeze.





vtgearhead

That's one of the better, if not the best, live modeling demos I've seen.  Imagine!  Taking the time to show off the volume control and pick dynamics instead of blazing through one segment of lawn-mower overdrive after another.  Would love to see that repeated on a Helix for comparison.

admin

QuoteWould love to see that repeated on a Helix for comparison.

http://axefremen.blogspot.com/

JiveTurkey

The AX is my favorite modeler tonally speaking. It takes a bit of time to wrap your brain around the UI (well, for me it did  :P) but the tones are very rewarding. I am skirting the edges of CPU limits. I know Cliff and company did some optimization last update and I am hoping that trend continues. Newest FW is out for the II so hopefully that will trickle down to the AX soon. Great box indeed.