@FractalAudio, thank you for commenting.
For this, I have no excuse. I saw the dropdown menus for the tube choices. I saw the Tube Hardness parameter react to different tube choices. And, I believed that I must have been mistaken to think the Jazz 120 was was solid-state. I should have at least pulled up a schematic to check before jumping to that conclusion.
I see now that the amp model is pretty unresponsive to changes in Tube Type and Tube Hardness. I suppose this is because the tube models are not in use. Again, I can't be sure of that. But, that would be a reasonable guess.
I have no problem with being called out for my errors.
That can only educate me and save time.
I only wish it would happen sooner, more often, and in more detail.
SS amps clip MUCH harder than tube amps.
I do understand that SS devices clip harder than tubes. However, I don't hear any hard SS clipping in the better SS Bass amps -- certainly not in most Jazz Bass sounds. My understanding is that SS Bass amps are designed with more than enough headroom and massive PSU's in an effort to specifically avoid hard clipping. And yet, SS Bass amps do produce overtones. Not in the same amount as tube amps -- but still enough to be noticed. My understanding is that overtones are created by various nonlinearities in a circuit, not just tubes and SS devices.
To me, with nothing else to compare it to, these other collective non-linearities sound like clean tube harmonics that stay clean.
But, isn't that the purpose of MIMIC and Tone Matching? To capture small discrepancies in frequency, non-linearity and dynamics? Discrepancies that are particular to an amp -- and even required to make that amp model sound realistic?
All I am saying, is that while the "discrepancies" between SS Bass amps are not big, they are still noticeable enough to be required for a realistic amp modeling experience.
And, that possibly, the differences between many of these SS Bass amps are small enough that just one SS bass amp model "blank" could support numerous Tone Match files from a wide variety of SS Bass amps?
Cliff, I have no doubt that you have chosen your company's development priorities very carefully. And, that you have serious personal money in play as a result. I have no interest in manipulating your corporate priorities.
All I want to do is to attempt to methodically tweak the Jazz 120 guitar amp model into a usable SS Bass amp model for Jazz, Fusion, Funk, etc. And then -- if I can arrive at a useful SS bass amp model -- I would like to see if a SS Bass amp Tone Match would produce results that would satisfy a player who specifically prefers a particular SS bass amp.
Perhaps, I will fail, or just get it wrong. But, then again, maybe I will get a few decent results, get a few things right, and learn something.
I am extremely aware that I am a self-taught amp-hacker and not a trained engineer.
That means, I need and appreciate as much help and information as I can get.
Unlike modifying an analog amp, I can't get my questions answered by using LTSpice.
I do some reading in the Fractal Wiki everyday.
But, I still miss some things and misunderstand others.
I very much appreciate useful honest corrections. They save me time.
On a personal note, I have to say, being told that SS devices clip much harder than Tubes did sting a little.
That is kind of square one in the realm of amp hack-dom.
And, it hurt that you would think I might be that ignorant.
Or, that I might think that SS clipping was an important part of the sound in a SS bass amp.
Really, even the idea that the only non-linearities that ever matter are tube clipping or SS device clipping
is a little off-putting. The last time I believed that was in the 1970's.
However, I do understand why, I might appear to be that dull.
Believing that the Jazz 120 was modeled with tubes simply because the UI showed a reaction to Tube choices was stupid on my part.
Jumping to that conclusion without at least checking a schematic first was stupid.
And then, developing a paragraph of hypotheticals based on a guessed conclusion was pretty much the stupid-trifecta.
So, I do understand why you would think that I might not know that SS-devices clip harder than Tubes.
Or that, I might believe that SS clipping was a factor in a SS Jazz bass amp's sound.
My early bias against tube modeling was not because I thought that tube circuits were too complicated to be modeled in realtime.
It was because I thought that all the other non-linearities in these old-tech circuits would be too complicated to be modeled in realtime.
Not just the variations in values of RC circuits in crucial positions. But also the materials and impurities that were used to make the dielectrics and the resistors.These differences are small as individual cases. Noticeable, at best, by a quick A/B comparison -- when you know exactly what you are trying to hear. But, as a collection of effects, they do become noticeable. Even a fairly naive listener can often notice the collective difference -- even if, they can't usefully describe the sum result as anything other than "mojo."
It appears to me, that you also recognized this and solved for it with your MIMIC technology -- as a summary effect.
And, that you acknowledged that it was an important difference.
And, that it had a significant effect, on the realism of the model.
Comparing a collective sum of small overtones to the subtle effect of the overtones produced by a clean tube may not be an accurate simile. But, that was the best I could do to provide a description of these other collective overtones.
Anyway, please feel free to mercilessly correct me. I am too old to get my feelings hurt much anymore. And, I have no interest in simple being "right." I get plenty of things wrong. I just want to learn as much as I can, as quickly as I can, while I still can.