Axe-Fx III 16.00 Beta 5 "Cygnus" Firmware - Public Beta #2

[LoPaN]

It’s just crazy how dynamic and real this release is, only had the Axe3 a week now coming from an Axrfx2 and it’s just stunning me every time I play through it, last night I was on one of Fremens Mesa MKIV high gain lead presets playing an ESP EII with high gain pickups in the neck position and rolling back the volume was extremely amp like, just nuts getting a sweet tone from a really gainy in your face tone. Added a short clip to demonstrate.

 

[IronSean]

I think maybe he meant to write IIC++ hasn't been verified yet?

Doubt the C++ will be verified because it's not a real amp, just a legacy model kept around at artist request.

Probably.. after of all, it's modeled after Metallica's personal modded Amp. I think he'll need to pay James and Kirk a visit

It's not, it's just the IIC+ model that existed before a new one was created with the 4 different mode combinations we have now. It does still have it's own thing going on.

It's just the original IIC+ model but with different (Mark IV?) tapers on the pots. It was called 'Metallica IIC+' in a previous firmware after the Metallica techs asked Fractal to add it back in, but isn't based on Hetfield's own amp.

That's been said in the past, but if you set all the controls to 0 or to 10 they still sound different, so there's more to it than just tapers as far as I can tell.

Yep, the same thing here, volume gets lower with Beta 5 compared to Beta 4, e.g. Mesa amps.

It seems, even the amps updated previously in beta 4 are further updated/changed in Beta 5? @FractalAudio

There were tweaks to the power amp algorithm, so that would affect everything even if no specific changes were made to the amp. But sound like the Master Volume tapers being set authentic could be a big part of it.

Since so many users have had difficulty with the MV taper being different than the real amps (primarily putting it way too high and then complaining that their tone is too distorted or compressed), I vote to keep it authentic to the real amps, no matter how wonky they are.

Better the devil you know or something. At least it would get rid of a lot of complaints, support inquiries and threads from new users.

But then all the people who are used to the tapers on the Axe are going to be confused by it not behaving. "I run the Rectro with MV at 3 and now it's not the same". It's going to cause some confusion with people either way. If it does stick around it'll hopefully be called out in the release notes so we have an easier time letting people know.

 

[guitarnerdswe]

But then all the people who are used to the tapers on the Axe are going to be confused by it not behaving. "I run the Rectro with MV at 3 and now it's not the same". It's going to cause some confusion with people either way. If it does stick around it'll hopefully be called out in the release notes so we have an easier time letting people know.

I think the long time users have an easier time adjusting than new users. We've been here long before authentic controls was even a thing anywhere in the Axe.

New users coming from real amps, don't know anything besides authentic controls.

 

[Omri Bazelet]

This is why your damned if you do damned if you don’t
you can’t/ wont please all users
but if the goal is authenticity
then i would think they should match the amps
I would also love to see the mid cut on the Herbie some day
it would be cool to have it to assign as a control switch like the real amp

Yek's amp model have a great solution with a filter block for the Mid Cut Section

 

[bishop5150]

The Master Volume control taper now matches the real amp. In all prior firmwares the MV taper was Log15 for every model regardless of what the real amp used. I will have to check those two models you are using to see if the taper is different from Log15.

I may return the taper back to Log15 for the final release. Haven't decided yet.

Ok cool. I was wondering if I should raise the master volume a bit as well as the amp level. Going to experiment.

 

[Omri Bazelet]

2 all the wayyy

@FractalAudio thanks for the amazing tone you have developed for VOX AC30

Here is a comparison of Public Beta 1 with Public Beta 2 of a VOX AC30TB in Brian May mode with just a Drive an Amp and a Cab Block with @York Audio IR pack, no reverb or effects



If the first take sounds fantastic the second one is supreme, thanks Cliff and team.

Fractal is so realistic that you get the natural hiss you get with a fully cranked amp and a treble booster, unfortunately as i reamped the track without setting nicely the levels that added a bit of extra hiss however I think this is sufficient to see the quality of the AX3.

I cannot compare with Ares as I already updated to Beta 4 a while ago.

Let me know your thoughts.

Cheers

 

[Omri Bazelet]

All the models have been updated to some degree. To make the list a model needs to be fully updated which means I go through all the parameters one-by-one. Then I compare the model to the reference amp. Sometimes there are only minor or no changes, sometimes there are more substantial changes.

Our reference amp for the Silver Jubilee is actually not a Silver Jubilee. It's a Lerxst Omega that Alex Lifeson gave me.

Holy Shut That's even way better! Appropriate Rush Tonez with Cygnus! It is a Silver Jubilee on steroids and mods

 

[Randalljax]

Yek's amp model have a great solution with a filter block for the Mid Cut Section

For sure I am just talking about full
authentic controls though if that is the end game, that real amp has
the mid cut section that is popular w players who use the amps

 

[gberto]

This one actually upsets me a bit...

All these new guitar amp models updated and still not even one. single. bass amp?!?

I wish Fractal would stop treating bass players as an afterthought...

 

[∞Fractals]

Help please... I was on 14.00 and upgraded to Cygnus b5.2 on windows

I seem to of lost all the presets and all my foot controller (FC 12) settings (1.09).

I’ve even reloaded system configurations from prior saves to get the FC 12 working partially - but resulted to manually having to set the layouts switch by switch. None of my continuous controllers (EV1) are seen.

Re presets: I was thinking about reinstalling the factory patches over the beta, but I’m not certain how to get back to “normal”. Especially the FC12

I did rebuild the kitchen sink patch quickly and it does sound incredible with the 59 baseman!

Thanks in advance!

 

[Kevinwhite338]

Since so many users have had difficulty with the MV taper being different than the real amps (primarily putting it way too high and then complaining that their tone is too distorted or compressed), I vote to keep it authentic to the real amps, no matter how wonky they are.

Better the devil you know or something. At least it would get rid of a lot of complaints, support inquiries and threads from new users.

I agree.

 

[My name is mud]

I am happy that cliff consider the accurate visual, despite all the stones that I received when I spoke about it .
this time , I will try this beta way more than 1h. Gogogo !

 

[luckymethod]

This one actually upsets me a bit...

All these new guitar amp models updated and still not even one. single. bass amp?!?

I wish Fractal would stop treating bass players as an afterthought...

I have to agree with this sentiment. As a 50% guitar player, 50% bass player, my bass playing half is only 30% happy.

 

[ales.prochazka]

Where is splash screen from beta4?

 

[My name is mud]

I have to agree with this sentiment. As a 50% guitar player, 50% bass player, my bass playing half is only 30% happy.

Same I play bass in 3 bands , but I never complained about the bass sound in the axe, the ampeg covers all my needs already !
Well this beta :
i have tried 5150 III , great !
engl savage : I never liked it in the past and now it becomes interesting .
Prs archon bright, super cool sounding for leads , the archon clean with the treble knob “on” it’s perfect .
I think we are already friends with this beta .
i don’t understand the big debate about the master volume , I let it by default and it works perfectly like that

 

[OrganicZed]

This one actually upsets me a bit...

All these new guitar amp models updated and still not even one. single. bass amp?!?

I wish Fractal would stop treating bass players as an afterthought...

I think we may have our first hat recipient!

 

[My name is mud]

He is not wrong btw. Even Trujillo is writing him a mail

 

[hhimes44]

Count me in as a Cygnus convert with this Beta update. The 5153 Red Channel, after being fixed, sounds crazy good now. More lively and responsive, along with every other amp model I've tried. Got my live high gain rhythm and leads mostly dialed in last night. Tonight I'll work on my live clean and edge of breakup tones. I'm running through a Matrix gt800 into my Orange ppc412hp 400w cab. Monster tones. Can't wait to try some of the other updated amps. Too much fun and makes me want to play even more guitar . Thanks Fractal crew!

 

[sylvainbiz]

just gonna reiterate this part in bold

The fun of biasing hot without fear of frying a tube in a middle of a gig is so cool.

 

[Greg Ferguson]

I am still confused about how to reset the amp block WITHOUT causing the bass-mids-treble and gain settings to reset to flat. When I choose a different amp and then go back to my original amp, or if I use the Tools menu to resets, the amp completely resets all settings. Is there any other way other than taking a screen shot of my original settings and re-doing them one by one?

There’s no guarantee that a knob set to the same position will sound the same. Adjust using the sound, not the position. There are many reasons why this is, but the gist is your ears are the solution.