Your guitar’s golden channel

AXE I/O Solo offers a triple-topology instrument input designed to preserve your guitar’s unique character, combined with powerful tone-shaping features to adapt to any guitar or bass, and helps you coax a wider range of sounds from any instrument.

Pick your pickup:

PASSIVE: designed to accommodate everything from low-output vintage pickups to hotter modern humbuckers with ultra-low noise and extended frequency response.

ACTIVE: bypasses unnecessary gain stages when using active pick-ups, to keep your signal path as direct, transparent and clean as possible.

Choose your channel:

PURE: a completely transparent and ultra-accurate preamp circuit that won’t color  your sound in any way.

JFET: a Class A JFET input buffer for subtle harmonic enhancement, midrange focus and warmth.

PURE mic preamp for transparent recording

AXE I/O Solo offers a high-definition, Class A mic preamp designed for transparent and clean recording. An extended, flat frequency response captures the full tonal range of your voice or instrument without coloring the sound, and best-in-class dynamic range ensures ultra-quiet recordings.

Re-amplification made easier than ever

AXE I/O Solo offers a dedicated Amp Out, a with ground-isolated design and zero-latency routing, letting you ditch expensive and confusing reamping setups.

It’s simple: connect the Amp Out to your amp, then mic it up using AXE I/O Solo’s microphone preamp. Now you can capture a clean copy of your signal while recording and feed it back to your amp afterwards to experiment with different amp, stompbox and microphone settings without re-recording countless takes.

A truly high-end audio interface for everybody

The original AXE I/O set a high bar for sound quality. AXE I/O Solo preserves the best-in-class dynamic range, ultra-low self noise and wide, extended frequency response essential to capturing the most accurate details of your performance, and for keeping your sound completely pure and transparent.

AXE I/O Solo offers separate master & headphone volume and a Monitor knob to blend direct signals and the audio from your computer for zero latency monitoring.

24-bit, 192 kHz conversion and an ultra-stable, low jitter internal clock ensures the highest fidelity, delivering truly professional-grade recordings for everyone.

Advanced digital control & routing

AXE I/O Solo also includes a powerful, convenient Control Panel application to manage inputs & outputs and assign routing & controller inputs.

In the INTERFACE tab, you can view the active inputs, enable phantom power and control the ground lift to dial in the least noise for your setup. Adjust output volume, direct monitoring routing, select the sample rate and more.

The CONTROLLER tab gives you control over the 2 controller inputs. Set behavior, MIDI channel, MIDI CC #, minimum and maximum values, and more, to dial in the best settings for any application you want to control.

The AXE I/O Solo Control Panel lets you keep focused on your work, instead of adjusting settings on the unit itself, for a faster, freer workflow.

Specs

AXE I/O Solo 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 +13.5 dBu
• Frequency response: From 1 Hz to 46 kHz within 0.5 dB (96 kHz sample rate)
• Dynamic Range: 113 dB(A)
• THD @ -1 dBFS: 0.001%
• THD+N: -103 dB(A) at -1 dBFS
• Channels 1-2 crosstalk: 112 dB(A)

Output 3 (Amp output)

• Configuration: Unbalanced, floating, with selectable ground lift
• Output impedance: 75 Ohms
• Output Level: 0 dBFS corresponds to -3 dBu
• Frequency response: From 20 Hz to 42 kHz within 0.5 dB (96 kHz sample rate)
• Dynamic Range: 106 dB(A)
• THD+N: -93 dB(A)

Headphones Out

• Output impedance: Virtually ideal source (zero Ohms) until clipping
• Maximum Output level: +9 dBu into 50 Ohms load (approx 95 mW)
• Frequency response: From 1 Hz to 42 kHz within 0.5 dB (96 kHz sample rate)
• Dynamic Range: 111 dB(A)
• THD+N: -102 dB(A)

Instrument Input

• Configuration: Multiple topology instrument preamp
• Input impedance, PASSIVE mode: Variable from 1 MOhms down to 2.2 kOhms
• Input impedance, ACTIVE mode: 10 kOhms
• Input level, min gain: 0 dBFS is obtained with a +12.5dBu signal at the TS input
• Input level, max gain: 0 dBFS is obtained with a -19 dBu signal at the TS input
• Frequency response: From 6 Hz to 42 kHz within 0.5 dB (96 kHz sample rate)
• Dynamic Range: 117 dB(A)
• THD, PURE mode: 0.002 % (-1dBFS input)
• THD, JFET mode: 0.5 %

Mic Input

• 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 +9 dBu signal at the XLR input
• Input level, max gain: 0 dBFS is obtained with a -44 dBu signal at the XLR input
• Frequency response: From 7 Hz to 32 kHz within 0.5 dB (96 kHz sample rate)
• Dynamic Range: 116 dB(A)
• THD+N: -104 dB(A) at -10 dBFS

Line Input

• Configuration: Class-A discrete differential line receiver, tip hot
• Input impedance: 20 kOhms differential
• Input level, min gain: 0 dBFS is obtained with a +26 dBu signal at the TRS input
• Input level, max gain: 0 dBFS is obtained with a -27 dBu signal at the TRS input
• Frequency response: From 7 Hz to 32 kHz within 0.5 dB (96 kHz sample rate)
• Dynamic Range: 117 dB(A)
• THD+N: -104 dB(A) at -10 dBFS

Connections and Controls

Front Panel

• One 1/4" instrument input jacks
• Two analog potentiometers for Input GAIN
• Two 5 segments input level meter (peak)
• Analog potentiometers for Z-Tone control
• Pick-Up selector (PASSIVE/ACTIVE)
• Preamp topology selector (JFET/PURE)
• +48V phantom power switch
• USB LEDS
• MIDI IN/OUT LEDs
• Monitor knob
• 1/4" headphones output jack
• Master potentiometer for main output control
• 1/4" Amp output jack

Rear Panel

• MIDI I/O 5-pin DIN connectors
• B-Type USB socket for connecting a computer (Mac/PC)
• 2 x 1/4" TRS External controllers sockets
• 2 x 1/4" TRS Balanced floating line outputs
• 1 Combo socket for MIC input and Line input (auto selecting)

Package includes

• AXE I/O SOLO
• USB A-Type to USB B-Type connection cable (1.5m/4.32ft)

Dimensions

• Size: 19.5cm x 19.5cm x 5.3cm
• Weight: 1.0kg

Compatibility

Computers

64-bit application. Requires a 64 bit CPU and Operating System.

Mac® (64-bits)

Minimal: macOS 10.11 or later. One free USB port.

Windows® (64-bits)

Minimal: Windows 7 or later. One free USB port.