Triaxis vs Axe FX

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shark diver

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I am pretty tired of waiting to get an Axe Fx in and already have a Two Notes Live for IRs. I need to down size since I tore my Achilles and my wife will be hauling my rig for me for a while.

So, I'm thinking a TriAxis -> Two-Notes LIVE -> FX -> Board/FRFR.

I would probably grab an Eclipse or GForce or Lexicon PCM92 as well. So, 3 spaces for a Mesa rig vs 2 for the Axe. And a little more 4 for the Mesa/fx - but real tubes.

But I can't remember if the TriAxis can touch on Marshall, Soldano, Hiwatt, etc type tones. Is it just Mesa, so that's that?

Not looking for an answer on which to get necessarily, but more of a Triaxis experience opinions. :)

P.S. which version/mods come from the factory these days - or are available?
 
The Triaxis will do most Mesa tones like nobody's business.

I'm not too sure about current mods, but I know newer units have a Recto "channel" while older ones don't.

If you want "organic" liquid gain, Mesa delivers like no one else.

However, if you want tons of versatility, the Axe FX will trump any other stand-alone rack unit.

I've never played through a Fractal unit, but have seen many live gigs where they were used and have seen countless videos.

The Axe FX's tones can be very convincing and will sometimes pass as the real thing even in A/B tests-they are almost indistinguishable in live performances with a full band.
 
It obviously depends how picky you are, but in my opinion, the Tri is perfectly capable of producing an acceptable tone for any situation. It has many modes and is capable of classic rock tones, smooth leads, fuzzy cleans - even some rectifier heavy tones if you get the right version of the Tri. It may not be exactly like those amps you mentioned, but it will stand in their place with a voice of its own. You just have to spend some time tweaking your patches.
 
mandoismetal said:
The Triaxis will do most Mesa tones like nobody's business.

^ This. Regarding Recto tones, I was able to play a Recto and tried to recreate the tone using Lead 1 Red (non-fat), and it was almost the same as the Modern mode.

Regarding "other" tones... the Lead 2 Red can do a very convincing driven Marshall-esque tone if set right, I'm not sure about the others, never played a SLO or Hiwatt.
 
ive got a v2 triaxis without the fat mod.. the recto mode just doesnt do it for me...i have a recto recording pre...and use it for those tones. the triaxis sounds exactly what it is...90's not exactly modern anymore, but not vintage either. i would also say it can sound thin at times. but that also keeps it sounding tight and responsive. adding deep mode on my 2:90 add the low in back in...but takes away some of the immediacy and responsiveness.

the axefx will probably be way more versatile over all, the triaxis will sound...like a triaxis...almost a recto...almost a mark IIC+, almost a markIII...

i think alot of the TA's voicing is compensated...or possibly complimented by the 2:90...they were voiced for each other...as such, when i take the live output from my TA and run it into a pc and put an IR on it...it sounds really flat and raw...compressed to crap. and thats with the RedWirez IRs

i am curious about the two notes though....ive heard good things...and the torpedo live looks cool, though i'd like to be able to use more than 1 mic at a time....but i'd like to hear my TA/2:90 through it before i purchase.
 
sendep7 said:
ive got a v2 triaxis without the fat mod.. the recto mode just doesnt do it for me...i have a recto recording pre...and use it for those tones. the triaxis sounds exactly what it is...90's not exactly modern anymore, but not vintage either. i would also say it can sound thin at times. but that also keeps it sounding tight and responsive. adding deep mode on my 2:90 add the low in back in...but takes away some of the immediacy and responsiveness.

the axefx will probably be way more versatile over all, the triaxis will sound...like a triaxis...almost a recto...almost a mark IIC+, almost a markIII...

i think alot of the TA's voicing is compensated...or possibly complimented by the 2:90...they were voiced for each other...as such, when i take the live output from my TA and run it into a pc and put an IR on it...it sounds really flat and raw...compressed to crap. and thats with the RedWirez IRs

i am curious about the two notes though....ive heard good things...and the torpedo live looks cool, though i'd like to be able to use more than 1 mic at a time....but i'd like to hear my TA/2:90 through it before i purchase.


thanks guys. Lot's to chew on.

I love the two-Notes LIVE. I highly recommend it. Good info on the TA without the 2:90. :D
 
the axe fx will NEVER substitute for what real tubes can do with your sound......and yes you can tell the difference between the two.....
just my 2 cents..... :wink:
 
Most of your audience does not care about your gear or if you use tubes. Just get the equipment that sounds good to you. The more you like hearing yourself the more you practice, and the better you get.
 
slybird said:
Most of your audience does not care about your gear or if you use tubes. Just get the equipment that sounds good to you. The more you like hearing yourself the more you practice, and the better you get.
I agree tone is the most important .... but feel can be equally important. Tubes feel very different than the other ways....
 
stephen sawall said:
slybird said:
Most of your audience does not care about your gear or if you use tubes. Just get the equipment that sounds good to you. The more you like hearing yourself the more you practice, and the better you get.
I agree tone is the most important .... but feel can be equally important. Tubes feel very different than the other ways....


Agreed. If I go with an AXE FX I have thought about going into a Manley tube pre first before the Axe.
 
shark diver said:
stephen sawall said:
slybird said:
Most of your audience does not care about your gear or if you use tubes. Just get the equipment that sounds good to you. The more you like hearing yourself the more you practice, and the better you get.
I agree tone is the most important .... but feel can be equally important. Tubes feel very different than the other ways....


Agreed. If I go with an AXE FX I have thought about going into a Manley tube pre first before the Axe.

Fryette on their Youtube page has 4 videos talking about this subject.
I believe it is this one where he gives the most detail about the differences.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43Xk6aT09LU

I have mixed feeling about the entire digital thing.... So far it looks like the Two-Notes stuff is the closest to what would be right for me. Right now I can use any amount of dB's pretty much any time I want. But this is going to change soon. So I need to find other ways....

David Torn recommended using a Fryette SAS pedal / He is into the Kemper .... I have a SAS & very much like it for various uses. I have seen them at GC for $99... so it would be light & inexpensive way to accomplish this.

I posted this for everyone for reference .... hope you heal soon there D....
 
I currently own both the AxeFx II and Triaxis (V2 - no fat mod) and I really like both units. I've also owned other Mesa's in the past (Mark IV, Road King II). There really is no comparing the two IMO. The Triaxis is an awesome unit and the one Mesa I ended up keeping because it pretty much nailed all of my favorite tones from my Mark IV and Road King. Paired up with a 2:90 it is extremely versatile. I have it racked up with the 2:90 along with an RJM switcher, some pedals and a G Major II. It's definitely a killer rig and sounds amazing running in stereo with a pair of Recto 4x12's. The only real downside is that the rack is heavy, and somewhat large (10 space).

Now, the AxeFx II is truly a fun unit. I had a Standard a couple of years ago and really didn't care for it. I traded up for a II a little over a year ago and really didn't like it at first. In fact, it's really only begun to shine for me since the latest firmware was released and it now sounds unbelievable. For Mesa tones, I'd take the Triaxis any day of the week - especially for any Mark series tones. It's way too much work to dial those in on the AxeFx IMO. The EQ just doesn't react quite the same or sound as sweet to me (I'm talking the 5-band graphic eq here). It does Recto tones fairly well. But if you want Marshall, Soldano, Fender's, (etc) it does those very well. The effects are really nice as is the portability. I've been playing with it through my 2:90 and it really sounds good, although I'm interested to try it out with a Matrix power amp and see if that sounds any better. But I mainly just have it running through my studio monitors so I can play at lower volumes (and still have great tone) with the newborn sleeping in the house. You can also run it straight into your DAW via USB to record which is nice. It's definitely a fun little box.

I really don't think you can go wrong either way. But if it's Mesa tones you're after, the Triaxis is without a doubt going to do it for you. One cool thing on the Axe is that you can try for a couple of weeks and if you're not a fan you can send it back (you'll eat the shipping). So it's pretty much risk free.
 
I own an Axefx and I own a triaxis for years and I prefer the axe for the versatility, fxs, tuner, single midi cable to the front of the stage.

it's not nailing totally all the tones of a Mesa but how will notice in a live situation ?
 
D2dark said:
it's not nailing totally all the tones of a Mesa but how will notice in a live situation ?

I notice.

I am experimenting using a Triaxis into my MAC using IRs. Just to see what that would do in a live situation. Usually, I use my MARK V rig with a 4x12 cab as my monitor and a PDI-09 to the FOH. I'm not playing arenas...yet.
 
I own both units and can say that both have their place in the food chain. I got the Fractal exclusively for the studio. I use it for laying down guide and scratch tracks. I did not want to have to bother with setup and mic'ing my rig, and I wanted to get a produced sound with studio quality effects quickly. The Fractal does just that, and it does it fast. For keeper tracks, I bring my "A" rig into the studio and use a traditional set up with cabs and mics and the like. I have a bounty of Boogies at my disposal, so I can layer with any of them (the Triaxis/2:90 being the primary sound) or mix the fractal in if needed/wanted. I do not, nor have I ever used the Fractal live, but it is very live friendly both in terms of tone and portability....the other thing is that the sound from night to night is constant. Dial it in and forget it. Also to note, the foot controller give you every possible inch of control over the unit, making it a single unit silver bullet.

For a live situation, and considering physical condition, you can look at a few different sonic scenarios. I understand that you do not want a huge footprint in terms of weight and portability. I have no experience with the Two-Note Live product, so I will not comment on it's merits.

#1- Fractal direct - The AxeFx will sound great direct to the board and you are only lugging a light 2 pace system. You can use a monitor send (if you have wedges) for your on stage "amp", or you can go the route of in ear monitors.

#2 - Fractal Direct with power amp - if you got a hold of a 20/20 and a stereo 2x12 cab, you would not need your own mix and you would have a awesome tube power section in a lightweight package and in 3 spaces. You might also want to explore the Matrix power amp. Many Fractal users are turning to this British solid state power amp. It is lighter than the 20/20 if I remember correctly, and integrates with the Fractal in a live set up flawlessly. Many Fractal users shy away from tube power sections, especially the Boogies as they say it "boogifies" the sound of all the other amp models. The Matrix product is frommy understanding extremely transparent. I also see many Fractal users turning to the Fryette amp. They claim it is the most transparent of all the tube amps, but the weight would most likely put it out of your considerations. However, to me " boogifying" the sound is a good thing as a day without Boogie is like a day without love or sunshine!

#3 - Tri w/ power amp and effects unit - if you stick with the Tri, a 20/20 and a high quality effects unit, you can do a lot of damage with 3 spaces and minimal weight. Obviously, the stereo 2x12 would be a part of the rig, but you would have amazing Boogie tones. In terms of effects, a modestly priced until would be the TC G-Force. I notice many Tri users have on of these in their racks. Personally I use an Eventide Eclipse and don't consider using anything else. The Eclipse is a pro studio quality unit that can be used live too. Another plus in regards to the Eclipse is that since it is studio quality, I can yank it out of my rack, take it to the studio and use the same exact effects live and on the recording. I think having your studio sound live is awesome, it's like not having a "dual life".

In closing, I'm not going to sit here and tell you the the Fractal sounds just as good as the real thing...nothing ever is in my opinion. There are may YouTube videos featuring head to head comparisons, so please draw your own conclusions. BUT, in a live situation, the difference would most likely be minor. I can say that the Fractal is infinitely more versatile than the Tri in terms of tonal variations. A Boogie will ALWAYS and ONLY sound like a Boogie (THANK GOD), the Fractal is a slick chameleon, a pro package wrapped up in 2 spaces that allows you to sound like many popular amps and give you extremely high quality effects to boot.

I hope this helps you out and I hope you regain the strength back in your torn Achilles.
 
TriAxis6 said:
I own both units and can say that both have their place in the food chain. I got the Fractal exclusively for the studio. I use it for laying down guide and scratch tracks. I did not want to have to bother with setup and mic'ing my rig, and I wanted to get a produced sound with studio quality effects quickly. The Fractal does just that, and it does it fast. For keeper tracks, I bring my "A" rig into the studio and use a traditional set up with cabs and mics and the like. I have a bounty of Boogies at my disposal, so I can layer with any of them (the Triaxis/2:90 being the primary sound) or mix the fractal in if needed/wanted. I do not, nor have I ever used the Fractal live, but it is very live friendly both in terms of tone and portability....the other thing is that the sound from night to night is constant. Dial it in and forget it. Also to note, the foot controller give you every possible inch of control over the unit, making it a single unit silver bullet.

For a live situation, and considering physical condition, you can look at a few different sonic scenarios. I understand that you do not want a huge footprint in terms of weight and portability. I have no experience with the Two-Note Live product, so I will not comment on it's merits.

#1- Fractal direct - The AxeFx will sound great direct to the board and you are only lugging a light 2 pace system. You can use a monitor send (if you have wedges) for your on stage "amp", or you can go the route of in ear monitors.

#2 - Fractal Direct with power amp - if you got a hold of a 20/20 and a stereo 2x12 cab, you would not need your own mix and you would have a awesome tube power section in a lightweight package and in 3 spaces. You might also want to explore the Matrix power amp. Many Fractal users are turning to this British solid state power amp. It is lighter than the 20/20 if I remember correctly, and integrates with the Fractal in a live set up flawlessly. Many Fractal users shy away from tube power sections, especially the Boogies as they say it "boogifies" the sound of all the other amp models. The Matrix product is frommy understanding extremely transparent. I also see many Fractal users turning to the Fryette amp. They claim it is the most transparent of all the tube amps, but the weight would most likely put it out of your considerations. However, to me " boogifying" the sound is a good thing as a day without Boogie is like a day without love or sunshine!

#3 - Tri w/ power amp and effects unit - if you stick with the Tri, a 20/20 and a high quality effects unit, you can do a lot of damage with 3 spaces and minimal weight. Obviously, the stereo 2x12 would be a part of the rig, but you would have amazing Boogie tones. In terms of effects, a modestly priced until would be the TC G-Force. I notice many Tri users have on of these in their racks. Personally I use an Eventide Eclipse and don't consider using anything else. The Eclipse is a pro studio quality unit that can be used live too. Another plus in regards to the Eclipse is that since it is studio quality, I can yank it out of my rack, take it to the studio and use the same exact effects live and on the recording. I think having your studio sound live is awesome, it's like not having a "dual life".

In closing, I'm not going to sit here and tell you the the Fractal sounds just as good as the real thing...nothing ever is in my opinion. There are may YouTube videos featuring head to head comparisons, so please draw your own conclusions. BUT, in a live situation, the difference would most likely be minor. I can say that the Fractal is infinitely more versatile than the Tri in terms of tonal variations. A Boogie will ALWAYS and ONLY sound like a Boogie (THANK GOD), the Fractal is a slick chameleon, a pro package wrapped up in 2 spaces that allows you to sound like many popular amps and give you extremely high quality effects to boot.

I hope this helps you out and I hope you regain the strength back in your torn Achilles.

Thank you for the reply. I ended up ordering a PedalPro, and depending on how I like that - I may use it as a standalone unit, or add in either of the above. I have a Two-Notes LIVE for direct, so if the fx are as good as I've been told in the PedalPro I think the Triaxis might be a better choice. :)

Achilles is on the mend, just a long process. Thanks again, d.
 
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