It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Subscribe to our Patreon, and get image uploads with no ads on the site!
Base theme by DesignModo & ported to Powered by Vanilla by Chris Ireland, modified by the "theFB" team.
Comments
I have both units in front of me right now..
switching between them..
the Helix tones are great.. The Axe tones are great too [a little more polished to my ear].. for me it's the feel..
the Axe feels nicer to me..
I actually want the Helix to be able to meet my needs in all respects..
I'm not trying to pull it apart or discredit it.. no "well this is better than that" or any other such silly sht
the nice fella that loaned me the unit gave me until early Sept..
I've tried to make the most of this [despite some session work getting in the way for a week - jeez..]
but seriously.. I'm trying to make this unit succeed for me..
I had exactly the same experiences with the Axe as you..
but once I worked out where my personal sweet spot was, I stopped searching and noodling around..
- tone morphing
- seamless preset changes [no chopping ambient fx trails]
- immediate tone changes [no empty gaps]
2120:
fx layout: 2 stages, 1st is analogue [overdirve, compressor etc], 2nd is digital. Not fx chain as such, rather it have 'algorithms' to choose from that are essentially a variety of series and parallel chains
ease of use: easy.. there was no editor and to be honest it never needed one.
tone: awesome.. it's not a modeller.. it's real valve.. and the fx are top drawer studio quality
morphing: only has min/max settings.. but I managed to make it work. Every single parameter can be assigned to control.
seamless transitions: 100% seamless during preset changes.. you can even control the spillover time of the ambient tails
scenes / snapshots: No. However the seamless transitions means that a scenes like feature was not needed at all.
VG-99:
fx layout: 2 chains that both feed into a mixer. the mixer has EQ and reverb to [which is a huge bonus]
ease of use: via the edit it's an absolute dream
tone: not exactly amazing but good enough.. you have to work at it to get it to sound and feel right.. tone is the VG-99's weakest point
morphing: has min/mid/max values which enables even greater control. every single parameter can be assigned. The control side of things is superb
seamless transitions: No. there is a spillover feature, but there are limitations to it. There are gaps in preset changes whilst the DSP's load.
scenes / snapshots: No.
Axe-FX:
fx layout: 4 x 12 grid which is immensely powerful
ease of use: takes time getting to know both for tone and setup. The editor is great and really helps
tone: top drawer and I've yet to find a unit that beats is tonally or feel wise
morphing: immensely powerful because you can shape controller curves. Never seen anything else like it. The X/Y feature is a massive bonus too..
seamless transitions: Only via scenes. It will spillover during preset changes but there are limitations.
scenes / snapshots: Scenes overcomes all of the preset transition difficulties.
No I actually agree with you, I was referring more to the fact the chap seemed to think there was a difference between the two Fractal platforms.
I've played with an AX-8.. and although the modelling and FX are the same as the Axe, there's a chunk of functionality that falls short in the control and config areas..
enough for me to know that in a live situation I it'll not meet my needs..
which I think is a crying shame..
if they did a full-on Axe-II inside an MFC floor unit I'd get one in a heartbeat
Even more so if it had an integrated power amp...
some folks play at home, others in small bars and clubs, and others in much larger places..
the power amp should be for the user to decide because it's 'needs' based
Then you'd just need to fly with your laptop to load stuff up.
there's a gotchya..
I have Axe-FX II mk1 and MFC-101 mk1
the only new units available are Axe-FX XL+ and the MFC-101 mk3
due to internal hardware differences the firmware loads for the two different versions of Axe-FX and MFC are not cross compatible..
even if unit hire was an option.. I think I'd need to upgrade both units.. major ££££££££
I will however be making enquires with G66 prior to the tour in Norway
if they could sort me out I could mail them my config and they could provide the Axe, MFC and Matrix
I'd only need guitars, FV-500's, some cables, a toothbrush and a spare sock [in case one of my other two socks went wrong