Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II

The Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II is a rack-mountable digital preamp and effects processor, the company's follow-up to the original Axe-Fx Standard and Ultra models, first released in 2011¹². It packs amp modeling and a full range of effects, including overdrive, chorus, reverb and delay, into a single 2U-style rack unit, and it replaced the single-processor Standard and Ultra with two TigerSHARC processors running Fractal's G2 modeling technology, which Premier Guitar reported generates twice the processing power of its predecessors¹³.

MusicRadar's reviewer called it "one of the most talked up pieces of equipment in recent years" and found that "the amp models are some of the finest to grace our lugs"⁴. It sits in the wider family of multi-effects units; its successor is the Axe-Fx III, and Fractal also built the floor-based AX8 on the same modeling platform.

The controls

The front panel was overhauled from the original Axe-Fx, with a larger screen, four Quick Control knobs for real-time editing, and an X/Y switching mode that lets you flick between two different settings of the same model without changing patches⁴. Preset navigation is handled by a big value knob next to the screen, plus four navigation buttons that move through presets one at a time (up and down) or in increments of 10 (left and right), which Premier Guitar's reviewer found handy for jumping from, say, preset 4 to preset 54 quickly¹.

The X/Y feature is more than a convenience. In a Fractal interview, Matt Picone described assigning one of his footswitches to it so he can switch between two different versions of the same amp, with the differences assignable to boost, bias, gain and level, speaker size, mic placements or speaker sims⁸. The same interview highlighted the modifier system: "Being able to program a modifier to any parameter and assigning the controller pedal to it just opened up endless possibilities."⁸

Deep editing is often done in Fractal's Axe-Edit software rather than on the panel itself⁸, and finished rigs can be saved onto a thumb drive⁸.

Connections: USB audio, MIDI and outputs

The rear panel carries the connections that turn the Axe-Fx II from a stage preamp into a studio hub. The headline addition over the original Axe-Fx is the USB port: the original had none, and the II adds "a USB 2.0 jack for computer connectivity, which makes the Axe-Fx II a serious audio/MIDI interface with capabilities like re-amping and recording," as Premier Guitar put it⁴¹. That means a player can record the processed output straight into a DAW, and send a dry DI track back through the unit for re-amping later.

MIDI is handled by MIDI IN and OUT/THRU jacks on the original Axe-Fx II, with a single "Pedal" jack for an expression pedal⁵. The XL upgraded this to dedicated MIDI IN, OUT and THRU jacks, versus the shared OUT/THRU of the Mark II, and added a second onboard pedal jack⁹. A factory-default MIDI CC map assigns INPUT VOLUME to CC 10 across the Axe-Fx II, XL and XL+¹⁰.

For output routing, players have used it in several configurations. Chris Letchford of Scale The Summit, who uses the Axe-Fx II live, described the options: "Sometimes we put the Axe-Fx direct to front-of-house and use monitor wedges on stage. On some smaller stages where the crowd up front ends up behind the PA, we run stereo direct lines to the front of house and also run out to power amp and cabs for stage volume."¹¹ Neal Schon's 2014 rig sent a feed from the Fractal to a Roland M-120 rack mixer as well as a mono signal directly to monitors and front of house¹².

Versions: original, Mark II, XL and XL+

The Axe-Fx II went through several revisions, and Fractal's own product page lays out the differences side by side⁵:

The XL began shipping in March 2014 at a direct price of $2499.95 ($2999.95 list), and was offered in the online store alongside the Mark II⁹. Fractal described it as offering expanded memory, new I/O ports and other upgrades over the Mark II⁹.

Capture and tone matching

Beyond its stock amp and cab models, the Axe-Fx II can capture speaker impulse responses (IRs) and tone-match amps and recordings¹³. Tone matching analyzes a target sound, whether a physical amp miked up in a room or a commercial recording, and builds a preset that reproduces it. Fractal's artist community leaned on this: the first batch of presets Pete Thorn shared with Fractal users were based on two of his favorite amps, a Suhr SL68 and a Friedman BE100¹³.

What reviewers said

The two major reviews agree on the sound and disagree on nothing except the price of admission. Premier Guitar praised "exceptional sound quality and a true amp-like feel in a self-contained unit," listing a steep learning curve and the 178-page PDF manual among the cons¹. MusicRadar's verdict was similar in spirit:

MusicRadar's reasons to buy included doubled processing power that "delivers amazing performance," and its reviewer found the delay sounds particularly strong, from conventional slapback, ping-pong and tempo-sync'd delays to "long, evaporating, crystalline delays"⁴. On the learning curve, the same reviewer concluded: "It demands time and attention, but the reward comes with the sound and feel of using the real thing."⁴ The one listed reason to avoid was the daunting price tag⁴.

Players who used it

Documented users include Robin Finck, whose Nine Inch Nails show required 147 Axe-Fx II presets, programmed within three days of rehearsals with no glitches⁸, Chris Letchford of Scale The Summit¹¹, and John Myung of Dream Theater, whose rig uses the unit for overdrive, chorus, reverb and other effects processing³.

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