Axe-Fx III Firmware Release Version 12.05

Genghis said:
I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I just don't get the desire to be authentic vs the desire to do what sounds good to my ears. I mean the whole, which drive sounds like the real amp vs which drive sounds like the sound I have in my head that I'm trying to get. I prefer to use my ears to go after what I want and I'll tweak plenty of things that the real amps don't have in order to get there. Maybe it isn't authentic, but that's probably why I'm getting better sounds out of the emulated TC than I got out of my real one {which was one of the best real amps I ever owned).
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For me it is a point of reference. For instance, I have been listening to a lot of RHCP's recently and spend some time looking at the gear rundowns to see if I could find some amps and effects that would get me in the ballpark. Given the level of support FAS has expressed for your idea (+10^infinity), hopefully they will add one amp with every conceivable parameter and range exposed and you (edit: and @chris) could tweak away at that till you find your sound(s).
 
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Genghis said:
I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I just don't get the desire to be authentic vs the desire to do what sounds good to my ears. I mean the whole, which drive sounds like the real amp vs which drive sounds like the sound I have in my head that I'm trying to get. I prefer to use my ears to go after what I want and I'll tweak plenty of things that the real amps don't have in order to get there. Maybe it isn't authentic, but that's probably why I'm getting better sounds out of the emulated TC than I got out of my real one {which was one of the best real amps I ever owned).
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This has been my approach since day 1.

For many though, they want to spend $2000 and have the unit do all the work for them. They want to plug in any guitar, go to the “van halen preset” and immediately sound like that van halen song without any additional work. to them, that’s what $2000 should do.

the truth though is that no audio device can do that. There are so many variables - the guitar, the pickups, the strings, how you play and fret and how hard you press - and that’s before we even get to the amps and cabs.

this desire is why the “authentic” thing keeps coming up. And it’s understandable. I worked with a doctor who said he comes home after a 36 hour shift and just wants to disappear in guitar heaven for 15 minutes before going to sleep. But instead of plugging in and playing, he feels he needs to turn knobs for those 15 minutes and then doesn’t play.

again, understandable, but nothing really can 100% “force” your guitar and skills to sound like your guitar hero.

people want the gear to have easy knobs and switches to be authentic for lack of time to adjust things. Not always out of laziness. They just want to get to the exact tone ASAP. But that’s just not how guitar gear works.

these people may be surprised to learn that even if they get the exact same physical gear... exact same settings.... they still won’t sound like their hero.

so even knowing the exact tube screamer settings to use for the new TC, you may not sound exact. some people though just want the idea or possibly illusion that it’s the right thing and they’ll be satisfied knowing they have the exact setting.

music is emotional, and emotions can get in the way of logical or factual thinking.

set the 808 to 1.467 and it will be exact ;)
 
It's just the way guitarists are.. in order to truly let go of tubes it has to sound exactly like "XXXX", if not it's digital garbage. Sad but true.

Back when I started "digital" amps like crates and gorillas and all that low hanging junk were what kids could afford, so we all wanted tube amps to sound better.... anything would probably sound better than that garbage.

Newer generations are truly starting to push boundaries and developing new tones instead of chasing van halen 1.
 
many don’t want new things though. To them guitar represents memories or moments in their life, and they want to recreate the old for sentimental or other similar reasons. It’s understandable for sure. Gear just doesn’t work that way. It can’t force “any guitar” to sound exactly like some recording.

I’m not sure anyone can tell someone else “don’t go for old tones because it’s 2020.” Some are just starting guitar today at the age of 60 and want to catch up on all they’ve missed, so that means the desire to capture specific sounds from 1970 or whatever.

The axe CAN do that of course, but it’s just a bit more work than plugging in, on any gear. However, it is also true that their lack of experience and trained ear might make them think it is not close to the tone when it really is. People have tone matched accurately then played the tone and were like omg this is super thin and nothing like what I thought it would be. They listen to the stem of that guitar and it’s exactly the same thin sound, mixed for the rest of the band.

So there are a lot of variables and desires here. Know that the axe can get you there, but it’s just not automatic.
 
Ideal + innovation = moving past the "past", and into something fresh, that sounds stellar, and unique.
How about chasing a future tone, instead of the past?
 
chris said:
many don’t want new things though. To them guitar represents memories or moments in their life, and they want to recreate the old for sentimental or other similar reasons. It’s understandable for sure. Gear just doesn’t work that way. It can’t force “any guitar” to sound exactly like some recording.
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Very True.
I think we have the entire past in the box, and it only gets better by the day. Not including an SSL and Ted Templeman, of course
 
If I'm choosing an amp it's because I'm looking for a certain sound. IRL, I don't have the capability to change resistors, fiddle with preamp bias, modify impedance curves, etc... so the authentic page is "home base", if you will. If I can't get close to what I'm looking for there, I move on because chances are, anything I do to the amp in the deeper parameters will likely stray from the amp's core tone and is as likely to go the wrong direction, than the right direction, if I'm the one twisting the knobs, haha.

On amps I know well, like the Matchless DC30, I'm comfortable twisting knobs and going into the deeper parameters... but that's because I've owned the real amp for almost 6 years and it was my #1 for almost that long. I'm intimately familiar with what my amp sounds like mic'd with an SM57 and monitored through IEMs. That comfort level, and knowledge of that amp, has allowed me to do some minor tweaks under the hood - like bright caps, preamp bias, etc... to get the model to sound almost identical to my real amp.
 
Hi again. I didn't want to come off like I don't want things to be authentic, just that I see some who just obsess on it. The point was all the questions about which drive to use and how to set it to get it to sound just like the TC100 does just seem a little bit too much. My point was with something like that maybe just try some of the obvious choices and hear how they sound and just go with what sounds good vs. trying to sound like an amp that most haven't even actually tried out in person.

When I had my TC50, I ran 4-cable method with the FX8 and usually used various drives in that to get the desired effect, sometimes even with the drive engaged within the amp. So my point was more for those trying to get to know the TC100 than the guys who are a little resistant to modelers and are switching from an old fender and just want the same controls they are used to.

FWIW I do a fair amount of knob turning on the authentic tab and figure how things balance and what works best first, then listen closely to make an educated guess on what is missing before I start going to the other tabs. First things I do after are play around with different impedence curves to see what gives the character I want. Next is over to the pre-EA and post-EQ to fine tune the tightness and balance. I rarely switch up anything eynd that, but I always start with getting the most I can out of the authentic tab.

While this thing is very authentic, the real strength is in the versatility that it provides for fine-tuning things. I don't really know near as much as a lot of the people on this board about the nuts and bolts of the electronic components, but know signal path and how things sound changed before the preamp vs after, and I use that to get a very tight and aggressive sound out of the hi-gain monsters.
 
I lost all my FC layouts on 12.05, and I don't have a backup. (I know...)

Question: do I need to rebuild my FC layouts, or will my previous layouts reappear in 12.06?
 
Genghis said:
I'm sorry if this offends anyone, but I just don't get the desire to be authentic vs the desire to do what sounds good to my ears. I mean the whole, which drive sounds like the real amp vs which drive sounds like the sound I have in my head that I'm trying to get. I prefer to use my ears to go after what I want and I'll tweak plenty of things that the real amps don't have in order to get there. Maybe it isn't authentic, but that's probably why I'm getting better sounds out of the emulated TC than I got out of my real one {which was one of the best real amps I ever owned).
Click to expand...
So why have models of any real world amps to begin with? Isn't the thing all modelers have been chasing since the original POD is authenticity?
I know Cliff supported your statement, but isn't fractals complete reputation based on Cliffs never ending pursuit of authenticity?
And as you stated, not trying to offend anyone, but different people look for and want different things.
 
Pwrmac7600 said:
So why have models of any real world amps to begin with? Isn't the thing all modelers have been chasing since the original POD is authenticity?
I know Cliff supported your statement, but isn't fractals complete reputation based on Cliffs never ending pursuit of authenticity?
And as you stated, not trying to offend anyone, but different people look for and want different things.
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Authenticity is the goal. But even between 2 authentic copies of the same real amp, things can sound different at the same settings.

The basis of the amp models are authentic. The specifics of knob settings and “how much boost to add to be exact” can not be exact if the real amps themselves aren’t exact.
 
chris said:
Authenticity is the goal. But even between 2 authentic copies of the same real amp, things can sound different at the same settings.

The basis of the amp models are authentic. The specifics of knob settings and “how much boost to add to be exact” can not be exact if the real amps themselves aren’t exact.
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I agree, As someone who has owned many JCM800's I know exactly what you mean. But a default setting would be convenient.
 
Pwrmac7600 said:
So why have models of any real world amps to begin with? Isn't the thing all modelers have been chasing since the original POD is authenticity?
I know Cliff supported your statement, but isn't fractals complete reputation based on Cliffs never ending pursuit of authenticity?
And as you stated, not trying to offend anyone, but different people look for and want different things.
Click to expand...
Please read my follow up for more info. It was more about the obsession to find what specific drive to use to emulate the tight switch in the new TC100. I figure rather than drill for the exact tweaks you need to get it to sound "authentic" why not just audition a few to see what sounds good.

I do see a purpose in trying to be authentic as a good starting point. It just seems like a waste of time to obsess on little details like the one I listed when it takes about 5 minutes to audition a few drives and see how each affect the tone. I never have had a desire to try to sound like anyone else, just to try to get the tones I want, and this box gives me the ability to do more than I can with the real deal.
 
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mglemley said:
I lost all my FC layouts on 12.05, and I don't have a backup. (I know...)

Question: do I need to rebuild my FC layouts, or will my previous layouts reappear in 12.06?
Click to expand...
I had the same issue. Go to the front panel of the Ax3. Reset the FC. You'll get your layouts back. There are still a few issues being worked on. As an example, Rhythm scene with a phaser in bypass; engage the phaser. Can't bypass the phaser by pressing the scene switch again. You have to bypass the effect by pressing the switch designated for the effect. Note the FAS FC Engineers are working on a solution to the issue and could have a new FW update this week.
 
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toneseeker911 said:
I’ve never owned a Morgan, nor a cornford, nor a splawn, nor a .... If it was only about the sound in my head, I’d probably just use a plexi or a mk2c+ model, maybe a deluxe reverb.
But having all these models in there means I can discover new sounds. I really like the AC-20 for example...It is very useful to get a ballpark tone on how the amp is supposed to sound before going in and mangling it to make it sound the way I want it to.
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This. I like to hear what the quintessential version of the amp is...expands my horizons.
 
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