You should be able to reproduce the sound of *any* amp, valves or otherwise with only 16bits of resolution and 44.1kHz sampling.
I think we've already covered that and it's not entirely correct:
1) 16bit is indeed CD quality but 0,5% of the people can hear 18bit resolution. Philips electronics (who set the CD standard with Sony) actually found this out after they had written the CD bluebook, so for the later DCC standard they tried to up the resolution to 18bit, unfortunately that standard never got anywhere.
2) AD/DA on the Korg A1 is 16bit. (to be DAT compatible)
The GSP2101/2112/2112 were 18bit.
The current generation of units, including both the AxeFX and 1101, are 24bit.
3) for DSP internally the signal path needs to be much wider, this is why all Digitech machines (2101,2112 1101, DSP24 etc.) are 48bit internally. The AxeFX is only 32bit.
Toneboy said:
parameters for the amp models in the Axe-FX are:
- Bright
- Drive
(..)
again you're making the AxeFX appear better than it actually is in comparison to the 1101.
1) you're talking about parameters, but forgetting voicings, both have about 40 different amps models (from an RJC120 via a Plexi to a Legacy or Übershall.) but the 1101 has 25 cabinet models as well. In the AxeFX you will need to tweak those yourself. The AxeFx does have more parameters than the 1101's five param. But 40*25 is 1000 amp models for the 1101!
I know there are amps with more than 5 parameters, but many of these, as well as the AxeFX params, are nothing more but interactive EQ, which IS available on the 1101.
2) what the AxeFX basically allows you to do is adjust the preamp voicings, tubes, power tubes, cab m/trafo matching etc. But modifying the power section on a Bassman gets you in JTM45 or Plexi territory, modifying a JCM900 moves you towards Soldanos, etc. Why not simply choose the Plexi or Soldano preset?
Also a lot of parameters in the powersection and cabinet voicings are irrelant if you're plugging into a tube poweramp, which is still how a lot of people (me including) prefer their setup.
Some of the AxeFX' params actually simulate worn tubes or mismatched speaker impedances, which are really quite pointless.
3) Both the AxeFx and 1101 offer stompbox simulations separate from the amp model (~20 distortion types, giving 20.000 voicings on the 1101)
So if you want Vai, on the 1101 you can easily select a TS808 into a Legacy (both available) for Vai's current tone, or TS9 into JCM900 for PAW type sounds.
If you want Slash select JCM800, want Maiden, add a ProCo in front of the JCM800. Petrucci? use a distorted Mesa, Metallica? Clean Mesa with MT2 in front.
A Plexi will give you the Who, add a Fuzz Face in front and you've got Hendrix...etc.
The Fuzz Face originally only had two knobs, why would you want to tweak that with seven parameters, like on the AxeFX? The 1101 simply offers the two original controls (fuzz+volume)
On the AxeFx you can do the same things, but then you can also tweak it to get the JCM900 to sound as if it's got 6L6 tubes, or run it into 50s era paper coned 10W cabinets and you can get the Fuzz Face sound but with other op-amps, I mean come on...who asked for that?
the 1101's effects are very limited compared to the Axe-FX whose effects are in the same class as the Eventide Eclipse
I'd like to know where you got that idea from? The effects are as powerful and of the same quality, but with less tweakability. Digitech tried the full tweakability route on the 2101 and as it turned out customers simply didn't want that level of flexibility. For example the 1101 uses 6 reverb voicings with 4 parameters, while the 2101 had 7 reverbs. The most complicated of which had 23 parameters (!), it's easy to see why they dropped that.
rastachild said:
the gsp1101 is more than sufficient at $400. tone is definitely subjective, but the tone i've heard from the axe fx does not justify the price, for me at least.
Indeed, the 1101 already does way more than some find necessary (see axemanrio) it can do 99% of what the AxeFx offers, at 25% of the price.