Axefx tone matching

  • I still hear the same old digitalness coming out of the axe II whether it has tone or amp match. I'm just highly skeptical right now that it will be in the realm that the kemper is. Just to give you some background on me and why I'm such a kemper fan. I had never even heard of the kemper and put my name on the list for the axe II back in december. I had started cruising the forums and researched the axe II for what seems like forever reading review after review and listening to you tube clips. I heard people mention the kemper, but dismissed it due to it being such a new device and the fact that the axe was so well known. So anyways one day someone had posted a youtube clip and I was just blown away at how much better it sounded than the axe 2 and I thought man that must just be mastered to sound good... then clip after clip showed up of incredible full guitar recordings while the axe clips on youtube were flat and stale. So anyways this whole thing sounds like an axe bash, but it's really not. I would love to see the axe achieve what the kemper has achieved. The kemper is to the point for me musically that it would be hard to buy another device like the axe... the only one up I see is all the effects the axe has, but i'm somewhat of a purist so I'm not that interested in it. If I can't make good music with the kemper I might as well quit.

    I think it's too early for anyone to judge, the clips i heard of the Youtube tone matching of course are only going to be as high quality as the source, and they sound very close to my ears, very impressive being able to do that with just the Axe itself without having to use any computer software, and also in the new upcoming firmware version, there is amp tone matching, which I'm sure they use their own method but the in the end, the results will most likely be what the KPA does, I'm excited!! I own both the Axe II and KPA, i'm kind of waiting for this release so I can profile/ tone match, whatever they'll call it, the tube amps at the same time, i have plenty of amps I can borrow for this, so only want to do it once.. :)

  • Meh the most clips that are being posted, the more they sound like arse to me. Really, I think some people have so forgotten what good sound and what an amp should sound like is. I have no dog in the fight, I have owned a snax. I just don't understand everyone dropping their jaws and pants over crappy sounding clips, I would never want to use any of those, ever. I am not saying its not a cool feature or will be useful, but at least post some great sounding clips if you are showing them off. my opinion anyway. non of those I would ever want to touch

  • Meh the most clips that are being posted, the more they sound like arse to me. Really, I think some people have so forgotten what good sound and what an amp should sound like is. I have no dog in the fight, I have owned a snax. I just don't understand everyone dropping their jaws and pants over crappy sounding clips, I would never want to use any of those, ever. I am not saying its not a cool feature or will be useful, but at least post some great sounding clips if you are showing them off. my opinion anyway. non of those I would ever want to touch


    I really think you're missing the point here, it's not that the clips are great, it's simply that they're being matched to sound like the "source" that's the reason Axe user are excited, if you take a very crappy sound amp and profile it, it should sounds as close to the crappy sound as possible which means it's doing it's job, I agree that i wouldn't use those clips, but if it can tone match a crappy sound , it should also be able to tone match a great source sound no? :)
    I don't have any stock in either company, but own both units and I'm excited about it, it means to me another way to get good sounds with either KPA or AXE II.

  • I really think you're missing the point here, it's not that the clips are great, it's simply that they're being matched to sound like the "source" that's the reason Axe user are excited, if you take a very crappy sound amp and profile it, it should sounds as close to the crappy sound as possible which means it's doing it's job, I agree that i wouldn't use those clips, but if it can tone match a crappy sound , it should also be able to tone match a great source sound no? :)
    I don't have any stock in either company, but own both units and I'm excited about it, it means to me another way to get good sounds with either KPA or AXE II.


    Well if it can tone match a great sounding recording then they should show it. I thought they didn't sound the same anyway. Why showcase crappy tone as what it can do? I can hear the axe sound in all of it. Each unit ha it's own doin. And all this hasn't convinced me to get an axe too. Actually the opposite. For me anyway

  • Well if it can tone match a great sounding recording then they should show it. I thought they didn't sound the same anyway. Why showcase crappy tone as what it can do? I can hear the axe sound in all of it. Each unit ha it's own doin. And all this hasn't convinced me to get an axe too. Actually the opposite. For me anyway


    The tone matching firmware is not released yet, not sure when it will be released, so I'm sure with time, they'll get better source amps and clips to tone match, we'll see.. as long your Kpa does everything you need than i can see why you're happy and have no interest on the Axe, for me there are still a few reasons why I prefer the Axe for live playing, my Kpa will probably just sit in the studio for now, so I'm very excited about these news.

  • Yeah for live the axe is more stable and developed. But I have yet to hear the axe do anything close to as good of a raw amp sound as kpa. I think if u use one device like the axe for so Long one can forget what a real good amp can and does sound like. There is a reason most studios are not recording direct but still usin real amps.

  • A significant number of KPA users (including me) are running into stability and reliability issues.


    Not sure about reliability issues - stability is one thing but reliabilty???


    Anyway - it's new technology and just as over time it will become more stable and functionality will increase and improve, so too will the Axe. On TGP one ass posted (about AX tone matching) that "Kemper must be turning in his grave". Idiot - Fractal only rushed at tone matching in answer to the KPA. No KPA = no Axe tone matching.


    I didn't want an Axe because I didn't want to spend years creating a tone Rush tones. I wanted to profile my amps and get to use others, and that basic fundamental difference still exists between the KPA and the Axe. Each has their own strengths...........

  • Sure it's a great additional feature for the Axe. Judging from the clips I'm not excited. There's a big difference
    to the end result from the source (at least for me), so there's still a lot of space for improvements till the
    release of firmware 6. Let's see what happens, is very interesting to me as owner of both units, so I can compare them personally, when "tone match" is out. At the moment KPA is unique.

  • Meh the most clips that are being posted, the more they sound like arse to me. Really, I think some people have so forgotten what good sound and what an amp should sound like is. I have no dog in the fight, I have owned a snax. I just don't understand everyone dropping their jaws and pants over crappy sounding clips, I would never want to use any of those, ever. I am not saying its not a cool feature or will be useful, but at least post some great sounding clips if you are showing them off. my opinion anyway. non of those I would ever want to touch


    I'm with you on your opinion. I am happy for Fractal folks and I suspect this feature is, perhaps, validadion from Fractal itself that the Kemper has Mojo. If it inspires CK to turn up the wick on some future feattures for the KPA? We are winners.


    In my own opinion, which is noting other than that, I haven't heard the level of dimensionality from the AXE which a well done profile on the KPA has.


    I'm not a big fan of clips that have dimension enhancing fx included such as delay or stereo verb... Not that there's not a valid use and there's nothing wrong with fx whatsoever. I just prefer to judge a cake without the "icing". The clips I listened to were quite two dimensional despite a pretty big reverb spread. Then again, most folks post limited bandwidth for the sake of brevity and file player universality.


    In the final analysis, these products are just tools and personal preference is as valid a reason as any to work under. They are tone devices, not religious relics. :wacko:

  • I agree with you 100% that's why I mentioned earlier that it still doesn't sound good. Youtube was what made me purchase the kemper and I could still hear the dynamics of it. I used youtube to decide between the axefx and the kemper. Youtube is definitly a good source for sonic comparison.

    What I don't understand is why if youtube clips are not a good source to match tones with that Fractal keeps posting them. I have not seen one thread on Amp Matching- only Tone Matching and supposedly this update is vey close to release. And not to Axe bash but seriously, I don't think they've raised the bar sonically at all.

  • My kpa is pretty stable so I'm not real sure what you're talking about...


    Here are my main reasons why I don't use the KPA live, and probably won't any time soon, It will just be a studio tool because of it's realistic amp profiling.


    1- Can't trust the program change assignments on the KPA a few times it has crashed while assigning and lost them, can't have something like that, sometimes I need to change things at last minute at sound check, and not going to take that chance. also when changing patches sometimes there is a clicking noise thru the PA.
    2- Missing some effects I need, like the harmonizer, for a couple songs and the whammy.
    3- Need the Violin sound from the Axe II + a Flute sound for a couple songs, using the internal synth.
    4-All my gear including Axe II, power conditioner+ In Ear System and Wireless all fit in my 4 space rack, all plugged in and ready to just plug power cable and 2 XLR's to FOH, transporting and trying to incorporate the KPA in this set up won't be easy, while keeping it small.

  • Here are my main reasons why I don't use the KPA live, and probably won't any time soon, It will just be a studio tool because of it's realistic amp profiling.


    1- Can't trust the program change assignments on the KPA a few times it has crashed while assigning and lost them, can't have something like that, sometimes I need to change things at last minute at sound check, and not going to take that chance. also when changing patches sometimes there is a clicking noise thru the PA.
    2- Missing some effects I need, like the harmonizer, for a couple songs and the whammy.
    3- Need the Violin sound from the Axe II + a Flute sound for a couple songs, using the internal synth.
    4-All my gear including Axe II, power conditioner+ In Ear System and Wireless all fit in my 4 space rack, all plugged in and ready to just plug power cable and 2 XLR's to FOH, transporting and trying to incorporate the KPA in this set up won't be easy, while keeping it small.


    I use mine live (2 great gigs so far). If I didn't trust a piece of equipment it would be gone quick!


    How does the violin and flute in the axe sound? Realistic I bet :)


    YMMV I know mine does.

  • I've used my Kemper for 4 gigs without any freezing or popping and has proved very reliable...I have stayed behind the updates until the issues have been worked out...the level of real amp feel has me scratching my head and hope the future of this device continues to expand

  • I use mine live (2 great gigs so far). If I didn't trust a piece of equipment it would be gone quick!


    How does the violin and flute in the axe sound? Realistic I bet :)


    YMMV I know mine does.


    I wouldn't use the violin for classical music :) But it has a very unique tone that i love, also the cello patches and flutes, i think KPA should add some kind of synth too, if anyone can do synths well it's Kemper, judging from the Virus synths which I've used many times.

  • I wouldn't use the violin for classical music :) But it has a very unique tone that i love, also the cello patches and flutes, i think KPA should add some kind of synth too, if anyone can do synths well it's Kemper, judging from the Virus synths which I've used many times.


    Ho + 1 on this one a synth block would be great :thumbup:
    I was thinking on adding this one to the wish list...