Video: Fractal Audio Axe-Fx in a bass guitar application

[JGR]

I've been meaning to do this for a while. Here's a clip of the Axe-Fx used in a bass guitar application. This preset uses a the Big Muff into the FET clean boost into the SVT amp model into a parametric EQ. No cab sim or external processing is used. A Mission Engineering control pedal is used to control the mix parameter on the Big Muff to blend in varying levels of fuzz. The Axe is running into an SWR Power 750 into a pair of Bag End S15-D's. The bass is a Warmoth Koa P-J with SD hot pickups.

If you also play guitar, I would highly recommend this unit. If you only play bass, I would hold off until they get some more bass amps modeled as the unit is pretty pricey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHZXeuGOIng

[JimmyM]

pretty cool. will be sweet when they get it more built up.

[GrowlerBox]

Useful video, thanks. I understand the SVT is currently the only bass-specific amp model currently programmed, but what are the other effects like for bass? And I didn't catch it -- was it a MIDI pedal you were using, or will standard expression/volume pedals work?

Nice playing, too!

[JGR]

There are two 1/4" inputs on the back of the unit for expression/volume pedals, which is what I was using. I don't have a foot controller for it yet.

I haven't delved into it too much for bass, they only things that really present any issues for bass are the tuner and pitch shifting since the tracking is optimized for guitar. Everything else works just fine. There are a ton of great effects - pretty much everything you could want.

[Jarrett]

Here are some clips I did back when I had my Axe-FX and was using it for bass. All clips are direct to computer:

http://www.plaidfaction.com/mp3s/Myc...02/bigbass.mp3
http://www.plaidfaction.com/mp3s/Myc...wnsyndrome.mp3
http://www.plaidfaction.com/mp3s/Myc...2/mutronic.mp3
http://www.plaidfaction.com/mp3s/Myc...phaseebass.mp3
http://www.plaidfaction.com/mp3s/Myc...etsunbass1.mp3
http://www.plaidfaction.com/mp3s/Myc...etsunbass2.mp3

This was all done with the Axe-FX recorded direct:
http://www.plaidfaction.com/mp3s/Myclips/AxNoise.mp3
You can hear my bass cello patch towards the end of it.

[Plays_For_Dog]

Originally Posted by GrowlerBox

Useful video, thanks. I understand the SVT is currently the only bass-specific amp model currently programmed, but what are the other effects like for bass? And I didn't catch it -- was it a MIDI pedal you were using, or will standard expression/volume pedals work?

Nice playing, too!

JESUS! I about messed my chair when I scrolled past your avatar! My wife has a death fear of clowns. She can't see them on TV without getting up and leaving the room. I'm don't rear them, but unexpected creepy ones that catch me off gaurd may get a fist to the face.

[Indicahound]

Are we at the point of digital to make muzack with fractals and have actual self producing music-like boxes? Or was it done before?

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Plays_For_Dog

JESUS! I about messed my chair when I scrolled past your avatar! My wife has a death fear of clowns. She can't see them on TV without getting up and leaving the room. I'm don't rear them, but unexpected creepy ones that catch me off gaurd may get a fist to the face.

is that a problem in your life where unexpected clowns catch you off guard? do you live in sarasota?

[ChrisPbass]

Originally Posted by Indicahound

Are we at the point of digital to make muzack with fractals and have actual self producing music-like boxes? Or was it done before?

the fractal is quite the hit in the guitar community.

[GrowlerBox]

Originally Posted by Plays_For_Dog

JESUS! I about messed my chair when I scrolled past your avatar! My wife has a death fear of clowns. She can't see them on TV without getting up and leaving the room. I'm don't rear them, but unexpected creepy ones that catch me off gaurd may get a fist to the face.

It's from the Mingus album cover.

[Indicahound]

So wait. Guitarists don't care about any shred of integrity and just want to play cool sounding things as easy as possible with minimal emotion. I never liked the ease of recording things anyway but now I'm just getting angry... If it is easy to make all kinds of sounds then they would still need to learn When to make them, and when not too. But wouldn't the attitude of the "Diy" crowd shun this?(this as in minimal emotion and sincerity) And they tend to like effects pedals(albeit as close to analog as technology will allow.) which guitarists are also willing to pay for.

Digitally you could have a whole concert online and text and stuff the whole time judging the person. But what fun is that? Damn I'm too young for this discussion. These are scary times. and the computer is the new instrument. It can do everyting, and I mean Everyting... The music world is being striped of its spontaneity and replaced with vocodors and sheet reading(of a computer screen) midi keybored men.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Indicahound

So wait. Guitarists don't care about any shred of integrity and just want to play cool sounding things as easy as possible with minimal emotion. I never liked the ease of recording things anyway but now I'm just getting angry... If it is easy to make all kinds of sounds then they would still need to learn When to make them, and when not too. But wouldn't the attitude of the "Diy" crowd shun this?(this as in minimal emotion and sincerity) And they tend to like effects pedals(albeit as close to analog as technology will allow.) which guitarists are also willing to pay for.

Digitally you could have a whole concert online and text and stuff the whole time judging the person. But what fun is that? Damn I'm too young for this discussion. These are scary times. and the computer is the new instrument. It can do everyting, and I mean Everyting... The music world is being striped of its spontaneity and replaced with vocodors and sheet reading(of a computer screen) midi keybored men.

bullcrap. last i checked, you still have to be able to play an instrument to use the axe fx. and it's just as easy to get a crap sound out of one as it is hard to get a good sound out of one. if it ain't your thing, that's cool...not really my thing either. but don't blame the gear...the gear just sits there waiting for you to do something with it.

[jasonbraatz]

Originally Posted by Indicahound

So wait. Guitarists don't care about any shred of integrity and just want to play cool sounding things as easy as possible with minimal emotion. I never liked the ease of recording things anyway but now I'm just getting angry... If it is easy to make all kinds of sounds then they would still need to learn When to make them, and when not too. But wouldn't the attitude of the "Diy" crowd shun this?(this as in minimal emotion and sincerity) And they tend to like effects pedals(albeit as close to analog as technology will allow.) which guitarists are also willing to pay for.

Digitally you could have a whole concert online and text and stuff the whole time judging the person. But what fun is that? Damn I'm too young for this discussion. These are scary times. and the computer is the new instrument. It can do everyting, and I mean Everyting... The music world is being striped of its spontaneity and replaced with vocodors and sheet reading(of a computer screen) midi keybored men.

what

[JGR]

Indicahound, please don't derail my thread with Jared Loughnerisms. The intent was simply to provide information about this piece of equipment.

[Jarrett]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

bullcrap. last i checked, you still have to be able to play an instrument to use the axe fx. and it's just as easy to get a crap sound out of one as it is hard to get a good sound out of one. if it ain't your thing, that's cool...not really my thing either. but don't blame the gear...the gear just sits there waiting for you to do something with it.

Si senor Not an easy unit to use, but if you know what you want and what you are doing, it can mostly likely get you there. The noise clip above was just thrown together for fun by me to show some of the things it can do with just a home computer, bass and guitar.

[Indicahound]

Woah slow down childun's, this town is big enough for the both of us. I didn't mean to derail anything. I just don't quite understand the fractals as a form of sound manipulation. Sorry for my ignorance but I will stand by what I say. Oh yeah, and offending people is something I do naturally, it is ingrained in my being. Also I may have gone off half cocked on this one.

Note to self Sarcasm and bulletin boards don't mix well...

P.S Where in Maryland are you at? me, I'm in the county, east.

[GrowlerBox]

Originally Posted by Indicahound

Sorry for my ignorance but I will stand by what I say.

Ignorance multiplier effect.

[jasonbraatz]

Originally Posted by Indicahound

I just don't quite understand the fractals as a form of sound manipulation.

It's a digital modeling preamp. Fractal Audio is the brand name.

[Jarrett]

Fractal Audio is the company. Axe-FX Standard or Ultra are the products. The basics are its an integrated amp modeler and studio grade effects unit rolled into one. It has the best amp modeling on the market in it and some of the best studio grade effects out there as well. The cool part is allows for routing of those things in ways you can't do with any other product. Multiple amps in series, delay after the cab, crazy stuff. You could do Dug Pinnick's bass tone in there for sure. It is a realization of what Line6 claims to be. It's the real deal, but mostly geared for guitar players but it has a couple of things in it for bass players as well.

When I swapped gigs on guitar and bass, it was my goto rig. Since I have decided to stick to bass only gigs, I sold it and just play straight bass with no effects.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by GrowlerBox

Ignorance multiplier effect.

i was trying hard to ignore it, then you had to go and point it out!



maybe i'm crazy, but i've always wanted to learn and not revel in my ignorance.