Version 5 mini review

jharpersj

Inspired
All you really need to know is version 5 f*cking rocks, I struggled a bit going from ver 3 to ver 4. Version 5 took about 2 seconds to dial in. I have a gig tonight which will be a great way to test it but 1st impressions are that it is a major leap forward. Awhile back I did a big outdoor show at Uconn and used a 100W Friedman Marsha cranked to the max. It was one of the best live tones I have ever experienced. Version 5 reminds me of that tone but at any volume. It just rips. It just sounds and feels like an amp about to melt. If you have ever played through a marshall plexi dimed you will know what I mean. Also cleans up really well with the volume knob. This is major achievment for Cliff and crew !! How this majic black box keeps getting better is beyond me In case anyone cares, my tweaks were to pull the mater down a toucn, add a bit more pres and reduce the bass a tad and that was it.




Go PATS
 
Sweet!

The Cameron, Marsha, and jcm800 are just outrageous in 5. Happy as a clam here.

And here I sit, futiely tweaking my current patches in preperation for my next gig. The only way I keep myself going with another firmware on the near horizion, is that this improves my ear and patch making abilities. Cliff - your V5 clips and user reviews have me restless with excitment!
 
How does somebody with only 9 posts get the beta firmware??

(gosh I envy you...)

You know, I thought about asking to be a Beta tester. I'm a pro musician, doing 250 gigs a year, endorsing some gear and stuff. But as the Axe is my main giving rig, I'd have to have 2 of these to be able to Beta test. One for testing, one for gigging and only loading the latest version in the gigging rig when it's relatively bug free.
I'm pretty sure that, except for minor revisions, the Beta testers are the ones that have to really put the software through it's paces, on their own time, and I'm sure on their own dime. So my hat off to them all.
 
Yeah being a beta tester is like being a game tester. You don't just get to play video games, you have to try to find bugs, how controls function, possibly and probably know coding and be miserable (and probably much more that I missed). Not saying It's the same for axe fx in the misery department, but it isn't free axe fx and loligags galore. I'm sure all the beta guys paid for their axe (and if they didn't, well boohoo for me :lol). I'd wish to be a mod (or at least have the power to kill all the spambots I see) but it isn't about the power. I don't think I have the judgment or experience to be one so alas here I be... With a standard...
 
All you really need to know is version 5 f*cking rocks, I struggled a bit going from ver 3 to ver 4. Version 5 took about 2 seconds to dial in. I have a gig tonight which will be a great way to test it but 1st impressions are that it is a major leap forward. Awhile back I did a big outdoor show at Uconn and used a 100W Friedman Marsha cranked to the max. It was one of the best live tones I have ever experienced. Version 5 reminds me of that tone but at any volume. It just rips. It just sounds and feels like an amp about to melt. If you have ever played through a marshall plexi dimed you will know what I mean. Also cleans up really well with the volume knob. This is major achievment for Cliff and crew !! How this majic black box keeps getting better is beyond me In case anyone cares, my tweaks were to pull the mater down a toucn, add a bit more pres and reduce the bass a tad and that was it.




Go PATS

Thanks

Encouraging as well. I had the same experience going from 3-4.

I owned gen 1 as well (standard and ultra) and between gen 1 and gen 2, firmward 3-4 on gen2 was probably the first time for me where I prefered the older fimrware version.

Clips I have heard of 5 sound phenominal. Can hardly wait.

+1 on Go Pats!
 
While it was a bit risky to go straight to the gig with the new version it was amazing, basically as I described ver 5 intially is how I still describe it using it in a club environment. When you listen to Van Halen 1 you can hear the type of sound and feel the amps all now have (I'm not syaing I go for that VH tone but the cranked to the hilt feel and sound and vibe of that is now present in all the amps (if you want it, you can dial it out too),). Wasn't a big fan of the cameron model before but now its killer, the recto is amazing, cleans just huge warm, clear. Will be working in the studio today and report back. I can't imagine anyone not thinking this is a huge leap forward for an already amazing product.
 
Looking forward to it. I thought we already had that dimed amp sound at any volume.


I'm a high gain djent djent meedley meedely meedely type player...

Sent from my iPod.
 
Are any of the beta testers running their rig into real guitar cabs with the cab IRs bypassed? I'd love to hear some feedback on that configuration. Cheers!
 
Cool! Yeah, these Axe FX II firmware updates remind me of Pantera!! When I first heard of them it was "Cowboys from Hell" and I was like OMG..that's heavy.
Then they brought out "Vulgar display of power" and I was like holy shit, they got heavier. They can't get heavier than this!
Then they released "Far beyond driven" and I was floored!

Each Axe Fx II firmware is a really awesome gift I appreciate.... not expect!

Thanks Cliff!
 
javajunkie said:
Sweet!

The Cameron, Marsha, and jcm800 are just outrageous in 5. Happy as a clam here.

Oh man you're saying exactly what I want to hear!!! Overdriven Marshall tones are killing it. By Marsha you mean BE I take it? What do you think of the HBE now?

Remember when the Ultra got Firmware 11 and the new power section modeling where you could dime the master volume and those amps would just come to life with all the bottom end and growl of an overdriven Marshall? That alone was worth the price of admission for the Ultra. I almost kept mine around just for the BE and HBE in that version.

Can't wait to try those amps in V5...
 
The new firmware is all about dynamics. The power amp modeling was totally rewritten. If you listen to those early VH albums you can hear the amps knock and ring when he hits them hard. Lots of work went into discovering why that happens and replicating it. It's due to several factors: the power supply sagging, the bias point shifting as the supply sags, the screens ringing and power compression in the speakers.
 
Back
Top Bottom