Convince me to get an 11R instead of an Axe Fx II - ver. 11

[HwyStar]

I am so confused and on the fence about which modeler to get. Sorry in advance if I sound negative in this forum with this post. That is not my intention. I need help figuring this out!

Axe Pros:
1) MFC connectivity.
2) Corporate support.
3) Innovation, daily.
4) Very active user forum.
5) Used by big, big name pros and more are joining.
6) All the effects and able to do parallel processing.
7) The most in-demand modeler on the market today.
8) Will have shortly; a stand alone editor.

Axe Cons:
1) Too much innovation. Users sometimes cannot keep up.
2) Cost is three times more.
3) Almost to much tweakability?
4) The front panel is hard to maneuver for a while until you get the hang of it.
5) So many settings that can affect your tone.


11R Pros:
1) Cost.
2) PT 10/11. (Currently using Logic Pro X)
3) Ease of use.
4) Sound? Not even sure about this since I do not have access to either...
5) Does everything that the Axe can do - to a point.

11R Cons:
1) Avid says they support it and will in the future but I don't see Avid's "Cliff" posting on these forums.
2) No direct MIDI support. That's a pain to have to go with an outside source for MIDI = headaches.
3) I really wish this forum had more activity. Or is it just there is nothing new to say?
4) No stand alone editor.
5) It appears user base is dwindling.

I don't have access to either unit so it is really hard watching all of the videos, reading the forums and owners manuals to try and make an informed good decision.

The 11R "seems" like it's a great unit and I have read user posts that say they have gone from the 11R to the Axe Fx II back to the 11R. I don't know what the h*** to do!

Convince me to join this tribe! I really want to since I "think" I like the 11R.

Please: I do not want to offend anyone with this post and am sorry if I have.

I will be using it for recording and playing live. I will be playing through stereo Atomic CLR wedge speakers in the studio and on stage.

Thanks for your input and I am at a point of just being confused!

[albee1952]

11R pro's:
its an interface and can get you in/out of Pro Tools
It has MIDI IO(not sure what you mean when you say "go with an outside source for MIDI"
Cost (because, it starts at half of the base AXE unit, and can be found on eBay for half of retail...rather cheap, I'd say)
Use it with most any midi pedal board(Behringer, Ground Control, etc)


AXE pro's:
Absolutely AMAZING sound and feel(not that 11R is bad, but Holy (*%$&)! Is that worth the price? For a touring pro or a full-time session player, sure. For a "semi-pro", only of you have lots of disposable income.
Probably works with most midi pedals as above(not sure) and their pedal controller is another stiff expense.

I sat thru 2 demo's of the 11r and was very impressed(I am a guitarist of more years than most DUC'sters have been on the planet) and I am a tone snob, but the AXE was like YIKES!!!!(I have 2 friends that own them). In both cases, you MUST be willing to spend the time to learn and program(do NOT count on factory patches to cover your needs, only your starting points).

That's my 2 cents. Want the BEST? Pay the price. Want a very good and affordable box? 11r

[Darryl Ramm]

The Axe FX II is also a 2x4 USB audio interface and will work with Pro Tools or any other DAW, including reamping via the USB inputs. So the 6x8 capabilities of the Eleven rack are a little better, but if you are going to do much serious stuff you are going to use either of these boxes as outboard digital processors hanging off more capable interfaces. And when doing that the Axe FX II only runs at 48kHz which may or may not be an issue to you. The Axe-Edit GUI works stand alone/with all DAWs and a new improved version of that is coming out, you can download and play with it without having an Axe FX even connected (that will give you a feel for the vast configurability of that box).

The Axe FX will work with any Midi foot controller, their own MFC-101 controller is just a little more set up for the Axe FX (but it will also drive other boxes, including the Eleven Rack). It is priced competitively with similar capability controllers.

Avid's version of Cliff was Chris Townsend, he left Avid a while ago, as did apparently most of the rest of the Eleven Rack team. I doubt you will see much good new things for the Eleven Rack unless Chris is consulting to Avid to develop them, I have no idea what he is doing.

Don't forget you will likely want one or maybe a pair of nice high-power full range monitors, as well (which will cost more than an Eleven Rack, so etching like a pair of QSC K10.

For live work the Axe FX II has benefits over the Eleven Rack, it has that well integrated foot controller in the MFC-101, and more flexible signal routing/control for driving on-stage monitors and FOH.

[YYR123]

$$$$$$$$

[HwyStar]

Thanks for your input guys! It really helps. All good and valid points.

I have been talking with a former 11R owner via PM that now has the Axe using version 11b and he says it has a 3D quality that the 11R just does not have. Maybe it is the IR's that they use or that they have two DSP chips that affords the unit that openness that a tube amp has.

I am on the waiting list for the Atomic CLR speakers and they will add up to 2,000 dollars. Yikes you say! Add the Axe price with a controller and I am up to 5K... Got a gun I can use on our next bank job?

When I first met my wife she said "Use the right tools for the right job".

Thanks for your informed help!

Best regards,
Robert

[albee1952]

Instead of the Atomic speakers, why not grab a used MosValve power amp and a pair of cheap wedges, and drop a pair of Celestion Vintage 30's in(and disconnect the horns)?

[Darryl Ramm]

I would just go for off the shelf full range monitors. Both these boxes have enough smarts/control to shape the tone output of a full range speaker.

[DonaldR]

I'm a bass player and mainly use the 11R for guitar recording and jamming with friends.

The main reason that drove me to the 11R instead of other modelers was the front panel editing. I have a Rocktron Voodu Valve and always hated going to pages of menus. I really like having 11R dedicated buttons for my effects and the 6 front encoders for dialing-in the sound I want. It takes me second to adjust a parameter, it's intuitive and almost like a real amp/pedal.

Axe Fx might be better but it would have took me months to understand everything, would have me open the manual everytime I would wanted to tweak it, would have me frustrated at every firmware update, and would have took me hours/days to dial-in the sound I have in my head as there's too many parameters to choose from.

11R is coming with Protools which is the recording software I used for the last 12 years, and since I already have a Digidesign Command-8 I didn't wanted to invest into another software controller. Taking into account Protools 10 is $699 and 11R is $699 (with full version PT10) it's looking like I purchased PT10 and got a free I/O box with DSP guitar modeling that sounds really good!!!

Axe Fx might be better but it's 4x more and not coming with PT10.
Also no mic preamp on Axe Fx.

I really was looking for a Line6 DT25 with an M13 but integration was not really good. That would have been really easy to program and no searching for FRFR...

[zedhed]

Another thing to bare in mind is, Pro Tools doesn't just work on any computer so if you get the 11R assuming you can 'plug n play', you may be in for disappointment. Without knowing the specs of your computer it's impossible to know whether or not Pro Tools will run properly/or even at all on it.

[TieDyedDevil]

Originally Posted by zedhed

Another thing to bare in mind is, Pro Tools doesn't just work on any computer so if you get the 11R assuming you can 'plug n play', you may be in for disappointment. Without knowing the specs of your computer it's impossible to know whether or not Pro Tools will run properly/or even at all on it.

Yes.

Highly recommended: Download the Eleven Rack manual from the Avid web site. Read the section on setting up your computer for ProTools. Ask yourself: Do I *really* want to do this?