Official Axe-Fx Q&A thread!

[Andromalia]

Note: european distributor decided he had nothing better to do than jack up the already bloated import price of the axe-fx, arguing the dollar went down....
Funny how prices never decrease when the dollar goes up.

 

[Sepultorture]

well for us in canada it does

some of the guitars and gear went down in price at steve's music when the dollar went up

 

[Marmaduke]

Note: european distributor decided he had nothing better to do than jack up the already bloated import price of the axe-fx, arguing the dollar went down....
Funny how prices never decrease when the dollar goes up.

That frustrates me so much. I'm gradually saving up for an ultra (more likely standard though to be honest haha) and occasionally I check the prices on g66. Every single time they go up and it's so annoying because my pay isn't going up by the same amount haha

 

[Triple7]

Finally ordered my Ultra on Friday

Should I update the firmware before I start playing around with it?

 

[BigPhi84]

Finally ordered my Ultra on Friday

Should I update the firmware before I start playing around with it?

The last firmware was release in March, so your new system should have this latest update pre-installed. Welcome to the Axe-FX Ultra brotherhood. EDIT: Awesome post count number, BTW.

 

[ristoCoC]

Hey guys,

I'm wondering whether it's possible to set up a patch with two amps that can be switched (via midi control number) to give the effect of a multi channel amp. The nett result I'm after is a rhythm/lead tone in the one patch.

thanks

 

[JohnIce]

Hey guys,

I'm wondering whether it's possible to set up a patch with two amps that can be switched (via midi control number) to give the effect of a multi channel amp. The nett result I'm after is a rhythm/lead tone in the one patch.

thanks

I can't see why you'd want to do that, as you could just program two patches and tailor both to exactly what you want them to sound like without compromise, but yeah, you can shut off/on any of the blocks in the signal chain on the Axe-Fx. If you'll need to press one button or two, I don't know. But like I said, programming two separate patches would only reqire one press, and I can only see advantages by doing that.

 

[Necrophagist777]

I can't see why you'd want to do that, as you could just program two patches and tailor both to exactly what you want them to sound like without compromise, but yeah, you can shut off/on any of the blocks in the signal chain on the Axe-Fx. If you'll need to press one button or two, I don't know. But like I said, programming two separate patches would only reqire one press, and I can only see advantages by doing that.

+1

 

[Xifter]

I have a few questions since I have finally saved up enough $$$ to take the plunge into buying an Axe-Fx Standard:

1.) I live in the USA... How long does shipping take from when you pressed the order button to when it arrived at your home? The reason I am asking is that I wanted to gauge an approximate date of arrival for my unit and make sure that I would be in town when it arrived.

2.) I am super-noob when it comes to ohms and cabinets and wanting to run stereo etc. I have a VHT Fat Bottom 4x12 cabinet. I want to run stereo so I can have Left side 1 amp model / Right side another amp model. Can I do this with a VHT 4x12 Fat Bottom Cab or do I need to have something like alot of you run where it is 2 sets of 2x12?

3.) This partially relates to question 2. What are users refering to when they say they are bridging an amp(again I already stated I am not very knowledgeable about ohms etc)? I need to know this so I can properly determine what poweramp to buy from carvin to handle running stereo and if I HAVE to "bridge" my amp to do this/how to bridge it ?

I apologize for my ignorance with these concepts but would greatly appreciate any and all feedback to my questions. Thanks.

 

[orb451]

I have a few questions since I have finally saved up enough $$$ to take the plunge into buying an Axe-Fx Standard:

1.) I live in the USA... How long does shipping take from when you pressed the order button to when it arrived at your home? The reason I am asking is that I wanted to gauge an approximate date of arrival for my unit and make sure that I would be in town when it arrived.

2.) I am super-noob when it comes to ohms and cabinets and wanting to run stereo etc. I have a VHT Fat Bottom 4x12 cabinet. I want to run stereo so I can have Left side 1 amp model / Right side another amp model. Can I do this with a VHT 4x12 Fat Bottom Cab or do I need to have something like alot of you run where it is 2 sets of 2x12?

3.) This partially relates to question 2. What are users refering to when they say they are bridging an amp(again I already stated I am not very knowledgeable about ohms etc)? I need to know this so I can properly determine what poweramp to buy from carvin to handle running stereo and if I HAVE to "bridge" my amp to do this/how to bridge it ?

I apologize for my ignorance with these concepts but would greatly appreciate any and all feedback to my questions. Thanks.

Shipping times are probably going to depend on where you live in the US. To my knowledge Fractal is based out of and ships from New Hampshire. You could check UPS' site to get an idea of shipping times. I ordered mine from Fractal and had it shipped UPS ground to California. Total time, IIRC was about 6 business days.

With respect to your cab question, I don't know. I don't know how those cabs are wired. I think the wiring will dictate whether or not you can run two inputs into them and get "stereo" like you're talking about.

With regards to your poweramp question, most power amps are rated in watts depending on how they are used. So 500W stereo *should* mean 500 watts to each channel (left and right). To "bridge" the outputs would mean toggling a switch or using an output on the power amp that takes both those 500 watts of power and outputs them to one cab, speaker or output. In effect, giving you 1000 watts. A mesa simulclass 2:90, to my knowledge, gives you (2) channels, 90 watts each. I don't know if you can run it bridged, or in mono, but if you could, I'd imagine the wattage to be 180 watts.

 

[Xifter]

With regards to your poweramp question, most power amps are rated in watts depending on how they are used. So 500W stereo *should* mean 500 watts to each channel (left and right). To "bridge" the outputs would mean toggling a switch or using an output on the power amp that takes both those 500 watts of power and outputs them to one cab, speaker or output. In effect, giving you 1000 watts. A mesa simulclass 2:90, to my knowledge, gives you (2) channels, 90 watts each. I don't know if you can run it bridged, or in mono, but if you could, I'd imagine the wattage to be 180 watts.

Thanks! So bridged means using a cable that uses both outputs of the poweramp and feeds then into 1 input correct? This would give you mono as opposed to stereo where both outputs of a poweramp are sent to 2 different inputs?

Thanks again for the clarification on this question.

 

[orb451]

Thanks! So bridged means using a cable that uses both outputs of the poweramp and feeds then into 1 input correct? This would give you mono as opposed to stereo where both outputs of a poweramp are sent to 2 different inputs?

Thanks again for the clarification on this question.

Yup, that's the way it works to my knowledge. Don't know if it's an output on the power amp or a toggle switch you need to flick to put it in "bridged" mode but the idea is the same. And yes, your description sounds right to me. The trick comes into ohms and whatnot. I believe a power amp rated to say 500W stereo into 8 ohm would be 1000W bridged at 4 ohms but someone with more experience can correct me on what determines ohms/wattage, etc.

 

[JJ Rodriguez]

It depends on the power amp. I've heard of people using those Y cables to bridge before, but I would DEFINITELY not recommend it. If you're using a solid state power amp, usually there's a button to bridge it like orb said. If it's a tube power amp, generally, you use a stereo cab, 2 cabs, or you just leave the second channel in standby. The only tube power amp I can think of off the top of my head that you can bridge is the Carvin TS100.

 

[Xifter]

It depends on the power amp. I've heard of people using those Y cables to bridge before, but I would DEFINITELY not recommend it. If you're using a solid state power amp, usually there's a button to bridge it like orb said. If it's a tube power amp, generally, you use a stereo cab, 2 cabs, or you just leave the second channel in standby. The only tube power amp I can think of off the top of my head that you can bridge is the Carvin TS100.

Thanks for the replies. I am debating between an ART SLA-2, Carvin DCM1000, and a Carvin DCM1540L.

I have heard people say not to clip a SS or it is bad news. For playing over a drummer at practice will all of these options suffice? I want to be able to eventually run 2 sets of 2x12's in stereo.

 

[orb451]

I think JJ or someone else can comment on whether or not those would work. I've seen a lot of talk about them on the fractal forums:

Fractal Audio Systems • Index page

You could check over there under Amps/Cabs and get some more information.

 

[JJ Rodriguez]

Personally I'd go with the 1540L, more headroom than you'll ever need, and it's light as hell. Looking at the specs of the SLA-2, it will do 560W at 8 ohm's bridged, or 200W per channel at 8 ohm. Depends on the load of your cabs I guess. For a 16 ohm cab, I definitely wouldn't use the SLA-2 since your total wattage drops significantly, and then you lose headroom. Wattage in SS power amps is only there for clean headroom, not volume.

When I was using the modeling on the Axe, I had the 1540L and carrying my rack around was nice and easy. I kind of miss it, since my rack is up to 82 lbs now My old one is for sale in the classifieds by CentaurPorn for $400 shipped.

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/gear-for-sale-trade-wanted/119733-carvin-dcm-1540l.html

The DCM1000 would work as well, but it weighs a lot more. Some people say the class D transformers they use for the light weight power amps have brittle or harsh high end, but personally I never noticed it

 

[Soopahmahn]

Thanks for the replies. I am debating between an ART SLA-2, Carvin DCM1000, and a Carvin DCM1540L.

I have heard people say not to clip a SS or it is bad news. For playing over a drummer at practice will all of these options suffice? I want to be able to eventually run 2 sets of 2x12's in stereo.

Yes, these will suffice.

Feel free to be greedy with watts, however. No disadvantage to having power on tap and the marginal cost of extra watts is pretty low.

EDIT:

The DCM1000 would work as well, but it weighs a lot more. Some people say the class D transformers they use for the light weight power amps have brittle or harsh high end, but personally I never noticed it

He's talking about MEEEEEE!

I'm an audiophile douche, so just go with his recommendation. The 1540L is a perfect choice.

And I bought the last new DCM1000, so

 

[zephyrkillz]

The Axe Fx has a left output and a right output. Should I be sending both the right and left output into my interface???

 

[JJ Rodriguez]

Depends if you're doing stereo effects and stuff. You can do stuff like sending different amp models out the left and right outputs, etc, or stereo delay. If you're just using a very basic setup, I wouldn't bother.

 

[Xifter]

Yes, these will suffice.

Feel free to be greedy with watts, however. No disadvantage to having power on tap and the marginal cost of extra watts is pretty low.

EDIT:


He's talking about MEEEEEE!

I'm an audiophile douche, so just go with his recommendation. The 1540L is a perfect choice.

And I bought the last new DCM1000, so

Rofl! You took the last one Well, I guess 1540L it is <---Just kidding! Thanks for the responses and help guys. I tossed the Rep around to everyone(if people care about that).