which is a good thing - and as suggested by Leon Todd if you just want the pre sound to go into an amp or something else that does power amp simulation then just take a feed from the send.
New Friedman IR-X preamp
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Mongillo19
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How does it compare the Axe Fx Friedman models? Is it redundant?
Maybe that's what you are testing out
I didn't know if you meant using the Axe Fx for effects or comparing models
MirrorProfiles
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I’m curious about this.How does it compare the Axe Fx Friedman models? Is it redundant?
Maybe that's what you are testing out
Because while I REALLY like the concept and the tones seem cool, so far they’re all sounding a bit thin and weak in low end heft to me, compared to what I think of with Friedmans.
I’m guessing it’s more down to the power amp modelling, but I think it needs to sound as good as Fractal/Line 6/NDSP/ToneX/NAM for it to be worthwhile as all of those have the BE thing nailed down.
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Everything Dave has pretty much ever done right in a couple of sentences. I wish he would
put a Vintage/Modern switch on all of his amps and pedals. Just a basic toggle to keep all
the other features in tact but knock that damn gain back to reasonable levels.
I doubt it would cost much. All that gain impacts the feel and vibe and just leaves me wondering
why he is covering up all that great Marshall inspired cake with 5" of gained up Icing.
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How does it compare the Axe Fx Friedman models? Is it redundant?
Maybe that's what you are testing out
You mean does it sound like those bloated and farty, yet overly smooth, wanna be Marshalls??
saarangnarayan
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So I've been playing with my IR-X for a couple of hours now and it is mind-blowing how nice it sounds and just how great the tones are. Truly feels like playing through an amp. Now, I did compare the Axe FX III models for a little bit with the unit and through the same IR, they sound pretty identical. The IR-X has a tad more mids in my very quick opinion, but otherwise it sounds a lot like the Friedmans in the Fractal. I think the mids thing is down to the poweramp modelling as well, since I haven't messed with that yet in the IR-X software. I'm yet to download the software to see how the sounds change messing with the presence and thump switches, but if those are currently "off", then that might explain the mid-forwardness of the IR-X. But anyhoo, if you have a Fractal, you don't need to get the IR-X to get the Friedman sound.
saarangnarayan
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The Friedmans in the Axe sure sound bloated and farty. I keep ranting about that on the Fractal forum once in a while. But the Tight switch on the IR-X gets rid of a lot of that bloaty-ness and gives it that punch that I feel is lacking in the Fractal Friedmans (after Cygnus).
Mongillo19
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Well, which is it?!
Yeah Im not a huge fan of the Friedman models but putting a SD1 in front does wonders (as is the case for most amps)
saarangnarayan
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It's bloaty like the Fractals. Tight switch gets rid of the bloat. A TS-9 in front takes into proper modern gain territory.
Mongillo19
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saarangnarayan
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The IR-X has a pretty great range of gain if you don't push the boost switch in. Even with the boost switch, there's a lot of mid-gain territory before you get into proper high gain. On the second channel (with boost disengaged), higher gain only starts to happen after 2'o clock on the gain knob.
Jarick
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How does it compare the Axe Fx Friedman models? Is it redundant?
Maybe that's what you are testing out
That's what I'll be testing.
But I decided not to do just stock riffs and instead want to write a full song, and then I spent about an hour and a half coming up with parts and laying down tracks and all that stuff.
So it's taking longer than expected, and I actually have done all the tracking with the Axe 3 so haven't fired up the IR-X yet today. But on the plus side I've got a sweet song in progress!
With the tight switch off, it's pretty fat and bassy sounding. With the tight switch on it sounds a lot better to me and then you crank up the bass knob to fill in. Overall it doesn't sound or feel too thin to me.
Honestly I'm not too sure how critical the power amp modeling is for this preamp. I think it mostly needs to make sure the EQ is realistic. You don't want a flat and fizzy preamp only tone, but you aren't trying to get the perfect interaction of the transformer and speaker impedance blah blah blah.
To me this is kind of like an Iridium for hard rock guys. There's probably a lot of people who love higher gain tube amps but don't want to play a modeler. Or there's guys like me who use modelers and have no need for a loud tube amp, but still would like the option of something that's simple and plug and play.
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I was hovering oh so close to ordering the custom one they are offering with the Marshall styled knobs and signed by Dave, but I realized I can probably get 98% there with the crap I already have. But I do like the idea of a mini board with this, an SD1 and a Dispatch Master. 
jellodog
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I was hovering oh so close to ordering the custom one they are offering with the Marshall styled knobs and signed by Dave, but I realized I can probably get 98% there with the crap I already have. But I do like the idea of a mini board with this, an SD1 and a Dispatch Master.
Same. I watched a couple of IR-X vids last night... got all excited about the well balanced price point and features and nearly ordered in a moment of fervent frenzied GAS delerium. Fortunately it got late and I fell asleep and woke up this morning having not ordered... apparently.
Still think it's a great little device though!
paisleywookiee
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The BE sounds like shit in the Helix and Fractal. Either they're both off, or I just don't like the BE. The Smallbox in the FAS, however, isWell, which is it?!
Yeah Im not a huge fan of the Friedman models but putting a SD1 in front does wonders (as is the case for most amps)
MirrorProfiles
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I do find the BE to change in tone quite noticeably with the MV, and I think in a pedal like this, personally, I'd want to have that poweramp behaviour in there. The product is a bit too new to draw any conclusions on the tone, but I would be curious to hear it side by side with a real BE100 (for instance). I know full well that modellers can get very close to that sound - I'd really like for this pedal to sound equally close, at that point I'd be absolutely sold on picking one up. If it doesn't sound closer than digital models do, I don't think I'm really interested - I'd rather either use the real amp or a digital version.
I can vouch for them being dead on. Guessing its not your cup of tea, they're definitely not to everyones taste. I think they don't really sound exactly like what people imagine they sound like.
hemmelight
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I seem to recall that the "Cygnus" update for the Fractal stuff changed the behaviour of some amps, with many people complaining about the Friedman BE suddenly sounding boomy and bloated. I don't know what it sounded like before that big update as I hadn't tried it before that was released.
I've found that pushing the Master volume on the BE models pretty high (I go to 7) fixes this mostly, at the suggestion of some other people on the Fractal forum.
I've found that pushing the Master volume on the BE models pretty high (I go to 7) fixes this mostly, at the suggestion of some other people on the Fractal forum.
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