Axe-Fx II "Quantum" Rev 1.00 Public Beta

Awesome - i went Quantum as soon as i got the info and it is again all the way better.
Fractal makes sense in the name so much.
Each time you give us a major update you kind of open a new dimension of refinement...

Thanks sooo much :)
 
i am no audiophile, but i can tell a difference. i put on the double verb and can 'feel' the acoustic vibrations through my fret hand. i know it makes no sense, but i can.
 
I loaded this up before practice last night and noticed a major difference in feel while playing with the band. As Chris mentioned, "immediate" seems like the most appropriate way to describe it.

I kept making mistakes and had trouble keeping rhythm in some sections of songs I've played hundreds of times before without issue. I think it was because I was hearing my guitar just a tiny fraction of a second faster than I was used to, and it was throwing me off. After about 30 minutes of playing with the band, I finally adjusted and it felt great. I had the other guitar player in my band plug in and he noticed the change in feel right away. His first comment was "Woah. That feels just like an amp now". He had played my Axe a few months prior and commented on how something didn't quite feel natural to him, but this time he thought it was just right.

I noticed the bass response was much improved. I suddenly lost all of my boomy, overwhelming bass that I've had trouble with (particularly when using heavy reverb and delay). My patches didn't seem to cut through the mix as well after the update, but that's probably easily fixable with a couple minor EQ tweaks.

Overall, I like it. It's definitely different from any firmware we've had before. I'm looking forward to sitting down and going through the Axe again this weekend. Haven't had a chance to dive too deep yet.
 
G'day Cliff,
Thanks so much for sharing this with us - It's amazing! Like you suggest, the realism is staggering.

Pauly


FractalAudio said:
This is a public beta of our new "Quantum(TM)" tube modeling technology.

The firmware is 1.00 PB1 (Public Beta 1). It may have bugs. It may mess with the sound of your presets. It may cause a
There are no release notes at this time. Treat this like you've just opened the box and plugged in

Updated Axe-Edit, FractalBot, etc. will be available shortly.
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steadystate said:
My main question concerns the timetable for official release with Axe Edit support.
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I may be wrong here, but it seems like the major components of this quantum leap (so to speak) are not really associated with new parameters which require interface changes. So all one would not have available in AxeEdit would be the features new to the f20.betas? Seems like a tradeoff I'm happy with; lots to play with before worrying about adding de-phase, for example. Or for that, you could pause AE and adjust de-phase from the front panel, then return to AE.

Like I say, I may be missing something, but this massive evolution seems almost instantly available without additional software support...
 
I upgraded to Quantum from 18.08 and noticed that with TUBE DRV stompbox anddrive at 0, there is no sound ? Other stompboxes dont have this issue ? ALsi the MIX knob is very strange, like upside down, with mix at 100% there is no sound.

thanks
 
acev said:
I upgraded to Quantum from 18.08 and noticed that with TUBE DRV stompbox anddrive at 0, there is no sound ? Other stompboxes dont have this issue ? ALsi the MIX knob is very strange, like upside down, with mix at 100% there is no sound.

thanks
Click to expand...

I think it's been like this for while. Put it on 0,1
 
I already did, but the gain level is much different. I dont know what would be equal to 0.0 on fw18....
 
bongo said:
I may be wrong here, but it seems like the major components of this quantum leap (so to speak) are not really associated with new parameters which require interface changes. So all one would not have available in AxeEdit would be the features new to the f20.betas? Seems like a tradeoff I'm happy with; lots to play with before worrying about adding de-phase, for example. Or for that, you could pause AE and adjust de-phase from the front panel, then return to AE.

Like I say, I may be missing something, but this massive evolution seems almost instantly available without additional software support...
Click to expand...

We won't know for sure until official release, with release notes. I'm content to adjust De-Phase from the front panel. But I am looking forward to the official release, with release notes and updated Axe Edit. It's entirely possible that parameters may be added, or even deleted.
 
So here I am, commenting on a firmware's beta. I hardly do it (Have I ever? No idea! Probably not!), because well ... Most of the time I cannot give a +1 to all those applauding comments about how drastically better one firmware is compared to all lower versions. I always liked how the Axe sounds, but it was never as good as a tube amp, at least in my experience. Especially the bass has always been too much. Not as bad as with the Gen1 Axes, but well, my cab (no frfr, I'm traditional on this) always almost exploded because the bass was just too much.

So now I'm right back from a rehearsal. I've been trying and using this new firmware from day one at home over headphones, where it sounded great, but the difference to 20b1 wasn't THAT drastic. Sure, cleaner bass and nicer highs etc, but headphones just don't show you all of it, it lacks the feeling. But when I plugged my Matrix into my guitar cab and turned up the volume knob, I IMMEDIATELY felt, that THIS is it! This firmware might still have issues, which will be resolved with coming firmwares, sure! But this is actually the first time I had the feeling "What I'm hearing is a tube amplifier".

So Cliff, whatever you discovered, whatever you did, big congratulations!!! I don't like this marketing blabla about "quantum" etc, to me this is just FW21, but that's not really important, because in the end all I care about is tone and this firmware REALLY sounds amazing.
 
Love the new tone and dynamics but this truly is a beta. My mark I keeps crashing with midi patch changes from my HD500. Im going to have to roll back.
 
Truth is that I am too.


I mess with the front panel rarely and feel like someone learning a new language :(
 
Haha same. My friend is the total opposite. He can't get rid of using physical knobs and buttons.
 
axifist said:
So now I'm right back from a rehearsal. I've been trying and using this new firmware from day one at home over headphones, where it sounded great, but the difference to 20b1 wasn't THAT drastic. Sure, cleaner bass and nicer highs etc, but headphones just don't show you all of it, it lacks the feeling. But when I plugged my Matrix into my guitar cab and turned up the volume knob, I IMMEDIATELY felt, that THIS is it! This firmware might still have issues, which will be resolved with coming firmwares, sure! But this is actually the first time I had the feeling "What I'm hearing is a tube amplifier".

So Cliff, whatever you discovered, whatever you did, big congratulations!!! I don't like this marketing blabla about "quantum" etc, to me this is just FW21, but that's not really important, because in the end all I care about is tone and this firmware REALLY sounds amazing.
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Yes! Here's what I wrote the other day on a TGP thread:

So I re-amped a few recent clips when I first got my hands on the firmware. On busy passages, things that were full volume, there was little to no difference that I could perceive and measurements showed changes to be minute for the amps and tones I was using. On passages where there were less notes, things held longer, and my guitar volume rolled back -- passages with a greater dynamic range -- the signal spikes and long tails on the signals showed a marked difference, both measured and heard.

Took it out to rehearsal the next night and, loud with the band, something felt very different. Much more different than the re-amping had me expecting. I'm trying to work out why the reamps weren't as startling as it was in the room and my theory is that, live, I was feeling the dynamic response changes and adjusting my playing to them in real time. Something a re-amp can't do, of course. Will explore more in the coming days and nights.
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I was very surprised by this.
 
laughyouraxeoff said:
I feel you man, I am addicted to the Axe Edit Like Someone On Crack LOL....
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Me, too. I use the front if I HAVE to, but I'm 90% AxeEdit. To use the front panel means I have to get off my butt, instead of sitting at the screen jamming, to reach my AFX.

The good thing, though, is as far as I can tell, you can still use the Quantum beta, and AxeEdit, just like you always have. You won't have access to the "new" features, but everything that worked before, still does. I've been using AE with Quantum with no problems, so far. So we're certainly no worse off, and can still use AxeEdit, AND appreciate the tonal advances, while we're waiting.
 
I've gone back and forth between 19, 20 beta and Quantum beta about 10 times comparing both some cleaner and some higher gain hard rock tones, without making any tweaks. I've found that I prefer Quantum quite a bit for cleaner and edge of breakup tones by a good margin. Just feels way more dynamic and alive, as I think some other people said, using those exact same adjectives.

HOWEVER, after going back and forth about 5 times using an HBE patch, I like 20 beta a little more for hard rock tones, believe it or not. Both FW's can get a great Marshall "kerrrangg" when you just hit an open chord and let it ring, which sounds amazing, but, I think I find Quantum almost too dynamic; if such a thing exist. Its amazing how well it can clean up to a lighter tough, but, I find it can almost get a little too clean for my playing style, and I have to really make sure I'm digging in hard to get the drive I want.

I mean its cool that I can touch the strings lightly and get totally clean tones, but I think for my style of playing that I liked it a little better where a light touch gives a tone with a slight edge too it still.

They certainly aren't worlds apart, but there is a difference in feel when playing them, and for me it sort of comes across as having less overall gain, because I have to dig in harder to get the same amount of breakup as I would with 20 beta.

Maybe Q is slightly more "real" than 20 ? Hard to say, but "realer" or not, I find 20 beta slightly more inspiring for rocking out, even if maybe its just a little more compressed and covers my mistakes better.

For cleans I no question enjoy how Quantum sounds and responds, to say its amp like is an understatement.


I have noticed that on the HBE with Q it goes to "authentic" tube types while with 20 its still on "short plate" by the way. I should try changing it I suppose and experiment some more, but just wanted to listen/play a bit without messing with anything, trying to make one sound like the other etc.

Will be interesting to see where it all goes with future development.

In a perfect world I'd be able to tweak a little an get the 20 beta/G3 feel for higher gain stuff while keeping the Quantum cleans and dynamics and not need to buy a second Axe-Fx to run different FW for my clean and my dirty patches
 
Today I took the Quantum leap, and it's been great so far. Tried my JTM45 Jeff Beckish patch, my Clean Shiva, revisited an Euro red patch, and tweaked my Friedman main patch.
Using the Smallbox I just readjusted the high end and gain. And it feels very very amp like (in a really scary way), dynamics are off the hook. And the way it responds to the guitar's volume knob has never felt this good.
Why did I use the word scary? Because some users that were used to and started playing with amp simulations aren't used to this level of real response and feel, believe me: This is a great thing!!!
Now I'll dig into the BE, I expect good things! Tomorrow I'll check my highgain patches and will post my thoughts.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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