Jarick
Rock Star
- Messages
- 3,344
This morning I decided that I'm going to purge all my gear and simplify down to just using an Axe FX 3.
I've found that the more options I have, the more time I spend comparing them, and the less time I spend playing. I've also found that gear seems to invite more gear, and a lot of the stuff I bought to "simplify" my setup resulted in making things way more complicated (such as running multiple modelers on a board with other pedals). When I only used modelers, I didn't really have the option to add those extra pieces in, so it was like a GAS buffer.
I thought about what my "dream rig" would be, and it's basically an Axe FX 3 into a quality stereo power amp and a pair of 1x12 cabs with an FC-12 controller and EV-1. I already have the FC-12 controller, so getting the AF3 gets me most of the way there.
So I found a good deal on a used Axe FX 3 and pulled the trigger this morning, and I'll be boxing up and listing my HX Stomp XL, Fractal FM3, Iridium, Simplifier, all the pedals I picked up, even the neat expandable pedal board and power supply I recently got. I'll probably pick up an EV-1 expression pedal once some of the gear funds get back up.
A few other reasons to make the switch...the Axe FX 3 gets more development love and seems a lot more future proof than the FM3. Obviously it's got loads more DSP and while I don't max out my FM3 much, I can do things like run higher quality reverbs and dual amps/cabs. Having multiple outputs will let me run out to my audio interface, powered amp/cab(s), and headphones simultaneously. Thought about the FM9, but in my new space I like keeping the gear up where I can tweak it as I primarily just use the onboard interface. Plus the FC-12 is more rugged with kids and pets running around.
Setup for now will look something like this:
Axe FX III + FC-12
-> MOTU M4 -> Genelec 8020 monitors for stereo "FRFR"
-> Line 6 Catalyst 60 (w/ Celestion V-Type) for powered cab
-> Sennheiser HD6xx for headphone monitoring
Probably not the true definition of minimalism, but a hell of a lot simpler than my current situation...
I've found that the more options I have, the more time I spend comparing them, and the less time I spend playing. I've also found that gear seems to invite more gear, and a lot of the stuff I bought to "simplify" my setup resulted in making things way more complicated (such as running multiple modelers on a board with other pedals). When I only used modelers, I didn't really have the option to add those extra pieces in, so it was like a GAS buffer.
I thought about what my "dream rig" would be, and it's basically an Axe FX 3 into a quality stereo power amp and a pair of 1x12 cabs with an FC-12 controller and EV-1. I already have the FC-12 controller, so getting the AF3 gets me most of the way there.
So I found a good deal on a used Axe FX 3 and pulled the trigger this morning, and I'll be boxing up and listing my HX Stomp XL, Fractal FM3, Iridium, Simplifier, all the pedals I picked up, even the neat expandable pedal board and power supply I recently got. I'll probably pick up an EV-1 expression pedal once some of the gear funds get back up.
A few other reasons to make the switch...the Axe FX 3 gets more development love and seems a lot more future proof than the FM3. Obviously it's got loads more DSP and while I don't max out my FM3 much, I can do things like run higher quality reverbs and dual amps/cabs. Having multiple outputs will let me run out to my audio interface, powered amp/cab(s), and headphones simultaneously. Thought about the FM9, but in my new space I like keeping the gear up where I can tweak it as I primarily just use the onboard interface. Plus the FC-12 is more rugged with kids and pets running around.
Setup for now will look something like this:
Axe FX III + FC-12
-> MOTU M4 -> Genelec 8020 monitors for stereo "FRFR"
-> Line 6 Catalyst 60 (w/ Celestion V-Type) for powered cab
-> Sennheiser HD6xx for headphone monitoring
Probably not the true definition of minimalism, but a hell of a lot simpler than my current situation...
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