Fractal Audio Axe-Fx is an all in one electric guitar

Electric guitar

An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...

 preamplifier

Preamplifier

A preamplifier is an electronic amplifier that prepares a small electrical signal for further amplification or processing. A preamplifier is often placed close to the sensor to reduce the effects of noise and interference. It is used to boost the signal strength to drive the cable to the main...

/effects processor made by Fractal Audio Systems LLC., in Plaistow, New Hampshire

Plaistow, New Hampshire

- External links :* * * * * * * *...

. The processor is a two-space rack unit

Rack unit

A rack unit or U is a unit of measure used to describe the height of equipment intended for mounting in a 19-inch rack or a 23-inch rack...

. The first version, called simply Axe-Fx, was introduced in 2006. Axe-Fx Ultra was introduced in 2008. Both of these models were discontinued in June 2011 when a new unit, the Axe-Fx II was introduced. The Axe-Fx is what is considered a modeling preamp

Amplifier modeling

Amplifier modeling is the process of digitally emulating a physical amplifier such as a guitar amplifier. Amp modeling may appear as software, such as plugins for DAWs which may be aided by computer hardware accelerators, or may be part of a standalone device or amplifier...

, simulating the sound of other well known guitar and bass amplifiers, as well as including some original amplifier

Amplifier

Generally, an amplifier or simply amp, is a device for increasing the power of a signal.In popular use, the term usually describes an electronic amplifier, in which the input "signal" is usually a voltage or a current. In audio applications, amplifiers drive the loudspeakers used in PA systems to...

 sounds and designs, as well as speaker cabinets, guitar effect pedals and studio effects. The Axe-FX has gained a steadily increasing reputation through online guitar forums such as sevenstring.org and usage by musicians such as John Petrucci

John Petrucci

John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his former bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory...

, Steve Vai

Steve Vai

Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....

, Devin Townsend

Devin Townsend

Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....

 and Periphery

Periphery (band)

Periphery is an American metal band from Bethesda, Maryland , formed in 2005.- Formation and lineup changes :Periphery was formed by guitarist Misha Mansoor in 2005...

, amongst others.

Features

The Axe-FX is a digital preamplifier and effects processor for electric guitar and other instruments. The unit consolidates a collection of amplifier simulations, guitar speaker cabinet simulations, and effects into a portable hardware format that can be used for music performance, studio recording, or other applications.

The unit was originally introduced in 2006 simply as "Axe-Fx." A model released in 2008 as "Axe-Fx Ultra" contained more DSP processing power and onboard memory. In June of 2011, Fractal Audio Systems discontinued both products in favor of the "Axe-Fx II" which bundled additional upgrades and improvements, announcing that the new unit has "twice the power of the former flagship, Axe-Fx Ultra."

The programmable Axe-Fx offers flexibility through a large number of adjustable parameters and various routing capabilities.

Fractal Audio Systems also created accompanying computer-based editing software called Axe-Edit and a MIDI foot controller called the MFC-101. The graphical user interface of Axe-Edit allows users to create their own "patches" and save or share them with other users.

Notable Musicians who use the Axe-FX

Some notable guitarists and bands which use the Axe-FX include:

Steve Vai

Steve Vai

Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....

John Petrucci

John Petrucci

John Peter Petrucci is an American guitarist and songwriter best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. Along with his former bandmate Mike Portnoy, he has produced all Dream Theater albums since their 1999 release, Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory...

 (Dream Theater

Dream Theater

Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...

)

Dweezil Zappa

Dweezil Zappa

Dweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor.-Early life:Zappa was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of musician Frank Zappa and Adelaide Gail Sloatman, who worked in business. He is the second of four siblings: his older sister, Moon, younger sister Diva and younger...

Neal Schon

Neal Schon

Neal George Joseph Schon is an American rock guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist best known for his work with the band Journey. He is the only member to have recorded on all of Journey's albums...

 (Journey

Journey (band)

Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...

)

Peter Thorn (Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell is an American rock musician best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Soundgarden and as the former lead vocalist for Audioslave. He is also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1998...

)

Lincoln Brewster

Lincoln Brewster

Lincoln Brewster is a contemporary Christian musician and pastor. As a guitarist, singer, and songwriter, Brewster became a sought-after session guitarist in the early 90s. Brewster is the senior worship pastor at Bayside Church in Roseville, California.-Biography:Brewster has been musically...

Chris Broderick

Chris Broderick

Christopher Broderick is the virtuoso guitarist of the American thrash metal band Megadeth. He currently resides in Sherman Oaks, California...

 (Megadeth

Megadeth

Megadeth is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California which was formed in 1983 by guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine, bassist Dave Ellefson and guitarist Greg Handevidt, following Mustaine's expulsion from Metallica. The band has since released 13 studio albums, three live albums, two...

)

Marty Friedman (Megadeth)

Corey Beaulieu (Trivium

Trivium (band)

Trivium is an American heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. Signed to Roadrunner Records, the band has released five studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...

)

Vernon Reid

Vernon Reid

Vernon Reid is an English-born American guitarist, songwriter, composer, and bandleader. Best known as the founder and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Living Colour, Reid was named #66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.Critic Steve Huey writes, "[Reid's]...

 (Living Colour

Living Colour

Living Colour is an American rock band from New York City, formed in 1984. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by free jazz, funk, neo-psychedelia, hard rock, and heavy metal...

)

Tosin Abasi

Tosin Abasi

Tosin Abasi is a Washington DC based virtuoso guitarist who is best known for playing in the instrumental progressive metal band Animals As Leaders. Before Animals as Leaders was formed, he was the guitarist for the technical metalcore band Reflux...

 (Animals As Leaders

Animals as Leaders

Animals as Leaders is an American, Washington, D.C.–based instrumental progressive metal band, formed by guitarist Tosin Abasi in 2007 which now includes guitarist Javier Reyes and drummer Navene Koperweis. The self-titled debut album was released in April 2009 by Prosthetic Records...

)

Misha Mansoor (Periphery

Periphery (band)

Periphery is an American metal band from Bethesda, Maryland , formed in 2005.- Formation and lineup changes :Periphery was formed by guitarist Misha Mansoor in 2005...

)

Jake Bowen (Periphery)

Devin Townsend

Devin Townsend

Devin Garret Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist....

 (Strapping Young Lad

Strapping Young Lad

Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...

, The Devin Townsend Project)

Chris Traynor

Chris Traynor

Chris Traynor is an American guitarist, bassist and studio musician. He has played with Orange 9mm, Helmet, Bush, Rival Schools and Gavin Rossdale....

 (Bush

Bush (band)

Bush are an alternative rock band formed in London in 1992 shortly after vocalist/guitarist Gavin Rossdale and guitarist Nigel Pulsford met in a London nightclub. Realising they shared a love for such diverse artists as the Pixies, Bob Marley, The Jesus Lizard, MC5, Nirvana, Hüsker Dü, and Big...

)

Dean Parks

Dean Parks

Dean Parks is an American session guitarist and record producer from Ft. Worth, TX.-Albums:Dean was member of The North Texas State One O'clock Lab Band before moving to Los Angeles to work with Sonny and Cher in 1970. Dean is best-known through his many contributions to albums by Steely Dan...

Adrian Belew

Adrian Belew

Adrian Belew is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer...

Steve Stevens

Steve Stevens

Steve Stevens is an American guitarist and songwriter.He is best known for playing for other artists and less known for his critically acclaimed solo efforts , collaborations Steve Stevens (born as Steven Schneider on May 5, 1959, in Brooklyn, New York) is an American guitarist and songwriter.He...

Ty Tabor

Ty Tabor

Ty Tabor is the lead guitarist, songwriter, and co-lead vocalist for the progressive metal band, King's X....

Larry Mitchell

Larry Mitchell

Larry Paul Mitchell was a pitcher in Major League Baseball. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 1996.-External links:...

Jeff Loomis

Jeff Loomis

Jeff Loomis is an American musician, best known for his role as lead guitarist in the progressive metal band Nevermore.-Early days:...

 (Nevermore

Nevermore

Nevermore is an American heavy metal band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in 1991, they are known to incorporate elements from styles such as thrash, power, progressive, and neo-classical metal into their songs, and also makes use of acoustic guitars and a wide range of vocal styles.-Early years...

)

Greg Howe

Greg Howe

Gregory "Greg" Howe is an American guitarist and composer. As an active musician for nearly thirty years, he has released nine studio albums in addition to collaborating with a wide variety of artists.-Recording career:...

Leroy Miller

Tommy Shaw

Tommy Shaw

Tommy Roland Shaw is an American guitarist, best known for his work with the rock band Styx. In between his stints with Styx, he has played with the supergroup Damn Yankees and Shaw Blades, and has released several solo albums....

Ricky Phillips

Ricky Phillips

Ricky Phillips is an American bass guitarist and the current bass player for the rock band Styx. He has also played in Nasty Habit, The Babys, Bad English, and Coverdale-Page....

Stephen Carpenter

Stephen Carpenter

Stephen Carpenter is an American musician known as the co-founder and lead guitarist of the alternative metal band Deftones. His guitar technique makes use of both ringing open strings and dissonant chord voicings, as well as stock power chords in polyrhythms...

 (Deftones

Deftones

Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...

)

Sergio Vega

Sergio Vega

José Sergio Vega Cuamea , better known by his stage name "El Shaka", was a Mexican banda singer. He was born in Ejido Hornos, Sonora, located near Ciudad Obregón in Mexico. On 26 June 2010, he was killed by gunfire in the Mexican state of Sinaloa after a car chase...

 (Quicksand

Quicksand (band)

Quicksand was an American post-hardcore band from New York City founded in 1990 by singer/songwriter Walter Schreifels. Their debut self-titled EP was followed by two major label albums, Slip and Manic Compression...

, Deftones

Deftones

Deftones are an American alternative metal band from Sacramento, California, founded in 1988. The band consists of Chino Moreno , Stephen Carpenter , Chi Cheng , Frank Delgado , and Abe Cunningham . Currently Sergio Vega is standing in on bass while Cheng recovers from a car accident...

)