Axe-Fx II Tone Matching Tutorial

Here's how to use the incredible Tone Matching (TMA) block in Version 6.0 of the Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx II.

[@samheidke2354]

My fucking Man!!! I just brought the axe, for years I have never been able to get good tone due to the right equipment. I saved up for over 6 months to purchase it. just did everything you showed me & for the first time my playing matched my favourite band Tool. Thank you so much for the video & god bless the Axe

[@RafaelOliveiraBR]

Great tutorial. I've had an Axe FX II XL for 10 years but I've only used it about 10 times to date. Your video encouraged me to try this tutorial. Thank you

[@MarkLumsley]

Oh, also - when doing this (because most guitar tracks are double-tracked), make sure you choose either the left or right guitar track, mono it and THEN proceed with the tone matching algorithm for a MUCH more accurate match. You're welcome. :)

[@jamesonlondon7081]

I know Im kind of off topic but do anybody know a good site to stream new movies online?

[@leoneltrenton325]

@Jameson London flixportal xD

[@jamesonlondon7081]

@Leonel Trenton Thank you, signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there :D I really appreciate it !

[@leoneltrenton325]

@Jameson London happy to help xD

[@videomasta521743]

i laughed when he matched the tone. incredible.

[@TheChristianRiv]

Me too :D

[@schwarjm]

@@TheChristianRiv ANd it works..just created the sawtooth synths for Marmalade and S&M (Rhianna)....played a synth block along with the isolated main synth voice...pressed MATCH...undid bypass and almost peed my pants...lol...and I'm using a II ML XL....

[@TheChristianRiv]

schwarjm I’ve gotta try it! I just have the regular old II that was released in early 2012.

[@FenderStrat19711]

Listening to that tone match was absolutely amazing. My ears could not tell the difference!

[@mandrich]

You better train your ears.

[@TonyHookedonVanlife]

wow, that was amazing. I've been doing something like this for a few years now, albeit manually, by taking a frequency spectrum analysis of a guitar tone, which gave me a printout of the levels of each frequency present, then I'd - slowly - try to dial in something similar... it takes awhile, but it works. This is SOOO much cooler! hahaha

[@dr150]

Impressive. Very impressive! To the naysayers that ding the Fractal, it also may come down to every player sounding different than the guitar player on tape. No two guitar players will sound exactly the same and thus you can micro-analyze the difference and blame it on the equipment. You get 10 different esperienced musicians to blind test and you'll get an overwhelming positive consensus. The guitar player emulating the riff is awesome and the tone match is awesome. Thumbs up and rock on!

[@AnirvanRay]

I liked the Axe sound better than the original sound!

[@yonkeythedonkey]

How did you get the isolated tracks for a dream theater song in your daw like that......?

[@carlbargone3128]

If it wasn't for you guys posting your input I would be lost From a 30 year guitar player from me to you Thank you .. This is a great device and when I first turned it on I was expecting a miracle of my rhythm sounds and lead tones and it was a shock that panic set in thinking this was a hopeless task. I closed it up...regrouped and realized that I would have to tweet a preset to make it my own. So far reading taking it slow and tweaking its all coming together. Thank guys oh one thing as I am going to post videos it would help a person that likes a sound but want to know how you did it instead of playing it for 2minutes instead of showing you advanced skill in making the patch... We all know you will be a master soloist but a tutorial is a tutorial not a 2 minutes watch me play overall you guys are great and once again thank you for taking your time to show the world the ins and outs

[@LordBransty]

Great video CC! I thought it would be way too complicated for me, but managed to do it in no time. Brought my patches to life. Thank you for this!

[@prestongoulet4348]

Thank you so much! This video has just saved me hours of tinkering to match tones

[@sixstrinngmunky]

I need this...no ifs ands or buts...this just pushed it over the edge on me wanting it or not wanting it....damn you SoloAWeek....

[@seanluscombeguitar]

Right on! Your videos are super helpful and the presentation is precise. Thank you!!!

[@hellionforever1989]

I am actually impressed...

[@th3m1ke]

Yes - you can. I use tonematched acoustic patches + impulses on my solidbody electric with a piezo and it sounds unreal.

[@coopercarter]

I absolutely agree...it does somewhat reduce the importance of the long process of dialing in a tone. That being said, the telephone also reduced the important of writing letters to people about everything going on in your life. That's just kinda the nature of technological innovation.

[@MR3DDev]

It's insane how close it sounds

[@AzaelVI]

Incredible application. You really get your moneys worth out of this processor. Thanks for putting this tutorial together.

[@slothyone]

that was like the coolest thing i've ever seen. i appreciate you explaining it succinctly. i'll be getting my axe II this week and I already feel I can use the feature based on this video. would it have mattered if you left the delay on while you were doing the tone matching "local"?

[@basedgonkdroid3821]

That’s creepy good. That’s so cool. I’m sold

[@awesomejohnnet]

Thank you for sharing your experience..! Much appreciated

[@RickGuitarist94]

omg I NEED ONE! That was awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[@coopercarter]

It works for anything. The tone will translate well either way.

[@capoman1]

Sounds damn close, really damn good.

[@coopercarter]

Yes. And turning electric/piezo guitars into full bodied sounding acoustics!

[@smoovematix]

Cool guy. Thank you! I'm getting my Axe FX II this week! Can't wait to hit the learning curve running. Anybody know where I can get the MFC 101 labels somewhere in the US? Thanks!

[@Gvk795]

Back in my day...

[@coopercarter]

Search for the video Peaches in Regalia on the Axe-Fx II. The guy plays through probably thirty patch switches live during the song. No gaps or clicks or anything in effects because of spillover. There's a very, very small gap in the amp sound if it's a different amp model, like with all other midi switchers.

[@coopercarter]

I actually did this demo without knowing that I needed to switch from LR SUM to either L or R on the reference tone. Therefore, there is phase cancellation that changes the tone. The default in later firmware is to select L so that there is no phase cancellation.

[@aarongtr180]

Stuff like this is turning me into a gear geek again.

[@iamrichlol]

DT released the individual track stems for this album, you should be able to find them online

[@edwardkania142]

This guy does not blink. Intimidating.

[@LarcherESP]

Hey dude, sorry I don't know your name :( but I was in awe watching this video. I knew the axefx2 had a tone matching feature but I had no clue how to get it to work. This video definitely shed some light in that regard. however I've a question; if I were to tone match from a song (with drums, bass, guitars and vocals etc etc) how would this affect the impulse? Do you recommend doing this?

[@SYNDRONE]

i just did that tone match, im blown away. i fear that people with mixing skills will be unused soon haha let`s see..... thanks for the tutorial, was really helpful!

[@coopercarter]

I go straight into the PA. You either need to do that or get a power amp or powered monitor. It can get as loud as the amp you put it into.

[@digitalboomer]

Hey. Thanks for the great tutorials you've been doing. Really helpful on getting my hands and mind around my awesome Axe Fx II. With the MFC-101 foot massager, my Mesa Boogie, GT-10, and Boss pedals are looking pretty lonely and neglected. Like having many wives. Life is good.

[@wilz373]

so happy , cant wait for my axe fx 2 which will arrive this week !!!!!!!!!

[@anthonycosta2662]

nice job bro, i'm gonna be ordering the Axe this week, can't wait

[@JoshuaWah]

Great taste in tone

[@rweghg3]

First off, awsome playing & Tutorial video.. ;- ) Do you know if this is something Fractal Audio Systems had been planning to do at a later date when the FX II was released to the public or is it a response to the The Kemper Profiling Amplifier..99 % of the time Companies are never keen on giving the consumer something for free ..The Kemper has a sound match capture & it kind of seems like Kemper forced Fractal's hand on giving this out..Thanks

[@immortalsoloist]

That was awesome man! I love Firmware 6.0 I have oen question though how were you able to isolate the lead section from the original track?

[@coopercarter]

To make precise copies of tones you like. Not something I'll you for my own recordings and live playing, but excellent for cover bands and for getting exact tones for SoloAWeek episodes.

[@brandon9271]

From my understanding the TMA block IS the cab block. I would think its like loading a custom IR like you can do with the regular Axe FX. I wonder if you can save the TMA as a custom IR that someone could load up in the AFX standard/ultra?

[@seanpitts792]

So do you actually have to play THE riff or can you just noodle? In other words for the captured tone to be matched to your playing do you have to play the exact riff that was originally played into the tone match block or can you just play anything and still get that result?

[@AlexMcshred6505plus]

that is incredible! 0_________o that's just incredible. wow.

[@cast390]

Thanks for doing this vid,its an immense help.Would it be possible for you to do a tutorial on mimic or amp matching using a sine sweep? Many ppl believe that's a much more accurate way to tone match an amp.

[@coopercarter]

That was from phase cancellation because I accidentally set the match to L+R SUM instead of L ONLY. It has been fixed. That's what you're hearing.

[@coopercarter]

Thanks! That means a lot. For the record, though this takes no programming at all. This is a completely factory preset!

[@mortalbloke]

Awesome! on your daw, was that actual dream theater? how did you get your hands on it?

[@Jeepjones85]

That is flat out amazing my gosh

[@tlevrier]

Great video, I'm totally new to messing with the tone matching. I can't figure out to how to work reaper. Any way you can post a video on how to isolate tracks or how to do the tone matching with out isolated tracks?

[@kuni50000]

these things might very well replace actual amplifiers in the future. Not only because of their versatility and tone, but the simplicity of setting them up live (through PA). Gotta invest in one haha.

[@asgerms]

Thanx for bringing that video to my attention. Even though he certainly does switch around alot, the playing only occassionally continues through preset switches. But, in those cases, the Axe FX does seem rather fast; even taking into accound that spillover (and background music) may patch things up a bit. (still, a dedicated example with bone-dry axe-fx only, would be appreciated).

[@ozzcows]

So is it up to you to dial in the effects like delay, chorus, reverb ect? Or if you have those effect blocks in the chain will the fractal throw them in as well? I've been having alot of fun with this, there's alot of isolated tracks on youtube, and if you know a spot in the song where it's guitar only, that's what you want to try grabbing.

[@SymphonyofDreams1]

Great video! How did you get the recording of original guitar track without the rest of the band?

[@VincenzoAvallone]

so basically this tone matching is an impulse modeller module..it'd be awesome if you can export the actual wav impulse this way everyone can use the tone matched cab lol

[@guitarwahy]

That is crazy close. Also a question, does it capture effect sounds? Or do you put those in?

[@gibsonplayer8]

Great tutorial. Do you recommend using the tone match block as the cabinet or place it after the cab in the chain?

[@metalmouth13]

Lets see and hear some demos!!! I was about to buy the Pod Pro HD now putting away for AXE II.

[@ozanerkal]

Thanks for all the effort, still very helpful although the interface has changed slightly in 4 years :) I just tried to first capture the sound of my old Marshall, then i tried to tone match it. After finding a suitable amp model in the axe-fx and tweaking for a while, the result is quite satisfying compared to the captured tone. But the captured tone itself is not as good as what I really hear thru my marshall... So I'd better work more on mic'ing it in the first place... Thanks Again!

[@hugoscaramal]

Awesome feature!!!! Great video!!!

[@lilgoten808]

Just a little FYI. Majority of all petrucci's solos are done on a mark iic+ in the studio. Might get a little closer if you use the c+ sim. I know he uses the iv live so its probably minor.

[@coopercarter]

It's from the Producer's Edition of Black Clouds and Silver Linings.

[@pwnEdge1]

Great tutorial!

[@MikeStock88]

Wow that is incredible!

[@123lowp]

Wow. Very awesome. If it was cheaper, I'd buy one.

[@maxman531]

It hurts how fucking cool this is.

[@rweghg3]

I know that the AxFx ll is a superior product to the kemper hands down, so it wasn't meant to be an under handed question or a slight to fractal .You seem to have a lot of knowledge about the product & the company is why i asked..I know that it is hard to detect tone through text ( Kemper didn't force anything. ) I complimented your playing skills & thought the videos step by step guide is the best on youtube along with asking a question,with no intention to offend .Thank you for the information

[@sterlingmckeandnet]

I haven't taken the plastic cover off of mine too! haha! funny.... :) great tone match tutorial, btw....

[@CarterFilmLtd]

No. The tone matched replaced the cab because it is an EQ that simulates the sound of the cab and the EQ sound of the amplifier. You could hear what the amp sounded like alone.

[@TheG5Man]

Thank you thank you thank you!!! I can't wait to go steal some Edge tones!!! Wide Grin! :)

[@wcwdca]

Very cool, thanks for posting this!

[@SammerX]

Works great for me! Nice tutorial.

[@ElectricTurkey1]

Great video! One question: how did you isolate a guitar track from a song to use a a reference? Can this be done in reaper?

[@fretboardmaster1]

It is the original tracks separated, I believe the whole black clouds silver lining album was available like this in a special edition cd set, also you can find the songs from guitar hero games in the separate track format called .mogg or .ogg files online if you search hard enough, they used original track recordings for the games so when you miss notes you dont hear it on the game, listening to some famous bands in separate tracks is great for seeing who are good or awful players

[@ralph110281]

So basically if i get any Metallica isolated guitar track i can duplicate that exact sound????

[@ralph110281]

Victor Byrne sweet!!

[@afkaustin]

yea but the hard way is using the insane setting on a line 6 spider

[@TheJerseyNinja]

Austin Scott i don’t know how but I messed around with my spider iv settings and got basically an EXACT match to the intro to One. Had been trying to nail that tone for years and one day I just fucked around a bit more and did it. Don’t really have the money to buy a system like this unfortunately

[@sylvestermdhr6098]

Axe fx 2 is amazing

[@immortalsoloist]

Thanks for the tips man. Really appreciate it.

[@VincenzoAvallone]

thanks :D ive actually tonematched some IR with ozone 4 and a deconvolver..sounds pretty close but i think the axe fx one is better

[@immortalsoloist]

Indeed I know it's not Axe's problem. Wish a device came out for isolating tracks now :D. Thanks for the quick replies,much appreciated.

[@oldglamrocker]

We live in amazing times as guitar players. Great video, except that it added to my GAS!

[@Naldouw1]

That is just sick. I'm jellin'.

[@SYNDRONE]

haha indeed :) well i do audio engineering myself but i think with units and features like this people will more and more try to produce their own music so quality of really good mixes will decrease a lot... which tbh already happened. haha that was my actual point in the post :)

[@asgerms]

Slightly off-topic, but if one asked politely would there be any chance you could demo the Axe-Fx' ability to switch programs? Dead simple video : Hit a chord on (fx) a metal-preset and while the chord is ringin' go to (fx) a clean preset? (Clicks? pops? drop-outs? I find this rather crucial, but rarely demonstrated). Thanx!

[@firelieu596]

Does this work for isolated chords or only single notes? If only single notes (solo) does the tone translate to chords? I have to say that feature is freaking awesome. Technology has come a long way!

[@immortalsoloist]

Thanks man. But what do we do about the tracks that don't really have any isolated stems. How can we tone match them perfectly.

[@lildrummerboy80]

Awesome feature. But not always easy to get an isolated guitar tone from a song you’re trying to recreate

[@MechaChristian]

Great video! Tone Match works great but I think the original preset without the Tone Match block sounds better.

[@coopercarter]

You can. You can save it as an IR.

[@jackleyton5504]

Where did you get the pettrucci solo to capture in the first place? It sounded great. I have an axe FX 2 but have not gotten into any tone matching and I want to

[@Sandstrom765]

Thanks a lot man, this was really helpful!

[@coopercarter]

Kemper didn't force anything. Fractal users requested this, so they implemented it. It is MUCH more powerful than Kemper's technology since the tone match is paired with hyper-accurate pre and power amp modeling. That means you can actually change the tone accurately once you capture it, unlike the Kemper which gives you a snapshot that you can't change without compromising the tone.

[@01firefingers]

what is technology...amazing!

[@langestock]

if you want to get a tone that will fit into a mix with a full band, this is the quickesy way to do it. thats one use for it, there are others too

[@Bridgebain]

Brilliant!

[@MTViperGTS]

Great video - makes me want to buy AxeFX

[@AzaelVI]

What does your liking or not liking Mesa Boogies (or any amp for that matter) have to do with the subject of this video?

[@andivax]

Thank you! Can you reamp stereo double track via Axe Fx 2 inputs? 2 tracks simultaneously?

[@shlokda]

How did you get the original Count of Tuscany lead by itself, with no clean guitar behind it like on the record? Also, if you don't have a reference source with just plain guitar by itself, will this still work? I.E, a tone of a guitar that's sitting on top of the rest of the instruments.