Premium Audio Interface with advanced guitar tone shaping USER MANUAL
Contents Table of Contents Contents 2 English 3 Power adapter information 3 AXE I/O 3 Register your AXE I/O 4 Front panel 4 Rear panel 6 1 Installation and setup 7 1.1 Software installation 7 1.2 Setup 7 2 Dedicated guitar features 11 2.1 Direct amplifier output & Re-Amplification 11 2.2 JFET / PURE input (only for Instrument Input 1) 12 2.3 Pick-Up selector (only for Instrument Input 1) 13 2.4 Variable impedance (Z-TONE™) control (only for Instrument Input 1) 14 2.5 Tuner 15 2.6 External control 15 2.
English Power adapter information Use only the specified AC adaptor and make sure the line voltage at the installation matches the input voltage specified on the AC adaptor’s body. IK Multimedia will not be responsible of any damage caused by usage of any AC adaptor other than the specified one. The usage of AC adaptors other than the specified one could compromise the user experience in terms of: • Safety risk • Noise performances AXE I/O Thank you for purchasing AXE I/O.
English Register your AXE I/O By registering, you can access technical support, activate your warranty and receive free JamPoints™ which will be added to your account. JamPoints™ allow you to obtain discounts on future IK purchases! Registering also keeps you informed of all the latest software updates and IK products. Register at: www.ikmultimedia.com/registration Front panel 2 3 4 1 5 6 2 7 3 13 4 8 1 10 14 9 15 16 11 12 17 1. Instrument inputs 1 and 2 - 1/4” (6.
English 11. USB LED - this LED illuminates when the unit is recognised by the computer to which it is connected. 12. MIDI IN/OUT LEDs - these LEDs illuminate when MIDI data is received from/transmitted to the MIDI port. 13. PRESET - this push-encoder allows you to browse between AmpliTube’s presets. This control can also be customized to send any MIDI CC to control other functions or other software. 14.
English Rear panel 2 3 6 4 5 7 1 8 1. Power On/Off switch. 2. Kensington security lock - secure your AXE I/O to a suitable structure if desired. 3. External DC power input - 2-pole barrel socket. 9V DC, 1.75A (max), positive on the external pole. 4. MIDI IN/OUT - standard 5-pin DIN sockets for connection of external MIDI equipment. 5. USB 2.0 port - Type B connector - connect the AXE I/O to your computer with the supplied cable. 6. EXTERNAL CONTROL - use these 1/4” (6.
English 1 Installation and setup 1.1 Software installation All software required by the AXE I/O are available for download from the IK Multimedia website (www. ikmultimedia.com/products/axeio). By downloading the “AXE I/O Drivers and Control Software” you’ll find: MAC users: the installer contains the AXE I/O Control App. Windows users: the package includes the AXE I/O Control App and the necessary drivers for the interface. 1. Using your web browser, go to www.ikmultimedia.
English 2. Connect the AXE I/O to your computer with the supplied USB cable. 3. Connect the supplied PSU to the AXE I/O and switch on the unit ON 3 2 1 4. You can connect microphones or line level signal to the back combo XLR inputs 1 and 2, or instrument signal to the front Jack 1/4” Instrument inputs 1 and 2.
English 5. Connect speakers, amplifiers or other line devices to the four line output jack 1/4” on the rear panel of AXE I/O. Out 1/L and 2/R are balanced outputs.
English 6. If needed, you can connect external MIDI devices to the physical MIDI ports (Input/Output).
English 2 Dedicated guitar features 2.1 Direct amplifier output & Re-Amplification RE-AMPLIFICATION in from MIC Among the features that make AXE I/O the definitive guitarist interface is the Re-Amplification feature. The “AMP OUT” is a fifth physical output which is independent from main Output 1-2 and 3-4. With this output, you can feed a DI recorded guitar to external analogue stomps or a real amplifier, still being able to monitor the session from main Output (1-2).
English 2.2 JFET / PURE input (only for Instrument Input 1) Thanks to the front panel selector it is possible to select two different preamp topologies for your connected instrument: JFET preamp type and Pure preamp type. The discrete JFET (field-effect transistor) circuitry adds a tiny bit of color and harmonics to the signal, giving your instruments a bit of added warmth.
English 2.3 Pick-Up selector (only for Instrument Input 1) PICK-UP AXE I/O works perfectly with both Passive and Active guitar or bass pickups, having independent circuitry that suits perfectly both topologies. Passive electric guitar pickups exhibit significantly higher output impedance than the active counterpart, among other significant tone differences, but neither of the two is “better” or “worse” than the other: indeed they have different behaviors.
English 2.4 Variable impedance (Z-TONE™) control (only for Instrument Input 1) All passive pickups (being them single coil, humbucker, split, etc..) have a certain sound character that is also determined by the loading impedance. The Z-TONE™ front control allows you to change the input impedance on the instrument input 1 therefore allowing for a very creative way of shaping the tone of your instruments.
English 2.5 Tuner 2 3 1 A built-in tuner with bright LED indicators clearly shows any tuning discrepancy. To access the tuner, just press the tuner button on the front panel. This is another feature not commonly found on audio interfaces which allows the artist to seamlessly tune their instruments on the fly without having to use external tuners or dedicated plugins. 2.6 External control Connect up to two external controller here to send MIDI control messages.
English “momentary” or “sustain pedal” type foot switch that includes a 1/4 inch connector. Both normally open and normally closed switches are supported. AXE IO also support continuous expression pedals for controlling realtime parameters like Wah, Volume, FX depth etc. Any 1/4” TRS connector expression pedal will work with AXE IO. MIDI messages associated with these controllers are freely assignable from the “Control app”. 2.
English PUSH PUSH To go back on the previous level of the preset menu, push and hold the control: PUSH and HOLD 17 ROTATE
English 3 Setup your DAW The AXE I/O is compatible with any Windows-based DAW that supports ASIO or any Mac-based DAW that uses Core Audio. After installing AXE I/O Control Software and connecting the hardware, you can start using your AXE I/O with the your DAW. It is possible that your DAW may not automatically select the AXE I/O as its default I/O device. In this case, you must manually select the AXE IO as the audio hardware on your DAW’s Audio Setup page.
English 4.2 Dynamic microphones 48V OFF XLR Before connecting dynamic microphones make sure phantom power is turned OFF. Check that the Phantom LED is turned off. 4.3 Ribbon microphones Before connecting a ribbon microphone, turn OFF phantom power and check the microphone’s operating instruction manual to see if it requires it. Most ribbon microphones don’t require phantom power, and some can even be damaged by it. If you’re in doubt just leave it OFF.
English 5 Connecting instruments INSTRUMENT IN Connect your guitars, basses or any other mono instruments to the instrument inputs on AXE I/O using an 1⁄4” plug unbalanced (TS or “mono”) guitar cable. Please refer to Section 2 of this manual for the complete description of features dedicated to the instrument input. 6 Connecting loudspeakers and headphones The 1/4” jack outputs 1/L and 2/R on the rear panel will normally be used to drive monitoring speakers.
English will require a separate stereo amplifier; in this case, the rear panel outputs should be connected to the amplifier’s inputs. Line outputs 1/L and 2R are electronically balanced and floating and will automatically compensates level when connection is balanced or unbalanced. For this reason these outputs are also ideal for use onstage, when directly feeding the FOH without any need for isolators or DI boxes.
English 8.1 Interface view INTERFACE view: Configuration section: State: This LED shows when an AXE I/O unit is connected and active. MIDI IN, OUT: these LEDs shows when there is MIDI activity on the AXE I/O physical MIDI ports. Sample Rate: Here you can set the working sample rate for the AXE IO unit, from 44.1 to 192 kHz. Remember than in most cases, DAWS and host applications will likely control this value by their end, not allowing it to be forced differently.
English “Channel 1” makes only input 1 channel to reach the direct monitoring path on both L and R sides. “Channel 2” makes only input 2 channel to reach the direct monitoring path on both L and R sides. These are useful when only one input is normally used and you don’t want even the slightest amount of noise coming from the other channel to be mixed into the monitoring path.
English 8.2 Controller tab The CONTROLLER tab gives you control over the preset knob and 2 controller inputs. Set behavior, MIDI channel, MIDI CC #, minimum and maximum values, and more, to dial in the best settings for whatever application you want to control.
English 9 Specifications Common AD and DA Resolution: 24-bit Sampling Rate: 44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 88.2 kHz, 96 kHz, 176.4 kHz and 192 kHz Host Connection: USB Type-B receptacle. USB 2.0 (High Speed). Line Outputs 1-2 (Monitor) Configuration: Electronically balanced and floating, automatically compensates level when connection is balanced or unbalanced, tip hot. Output impedance: 150 Ohms balanced, 75 Ohms unbalanced Output Level: 0 dBFS corresponds to +21 dBu Frequency response: From 3 Hz to 32 kHz within 0.
English Mic Inputs 1-2 Configuration: Class-A discrete differential microphone preamp, pin 2 hot Input impedance: 4 kOhms differential Input level, min gain: 0 dBFS is obtained with a +12 dBu signal at the XLR input Input level, max gain: 0 dBFS is obtained with a -37 dBu signal at the XLR input Frequency response: From 5 Hz to 32 kHz within 0.
English Warranty For detail on your product’s warranty, please visit: www.ikmultimedia.com/warranty for the complete warranty policy. Support and more info www.ikmultimedia.com/support www.ikmultimedia.
Regulatory FCC statement This device complies with Part 15.107 and 15.109 Class B of the FCC Rules CFR47: October 2010. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: 1. This device may not cause harmful interference. 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. Changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.
