Presets MASTER THREAD - AustinBuddy's 1400+ NAKED AMPS TonePack for firmware Cygnus X2

Third party presets and packs for Fractal Audio products
It will sound different, some a little, some a lot. Depends on amp and I can’t tell you for 283 models what is what yet.

i hope to get Live Gold Bank 1 Marshalls done by May and do partial release of that for everyone to enjoy before I get Banks 2 and 3 done later this spring. Remember, I have to reset every amp model and dial it back in — that is over 1200 unique scenes so it can take some time.

So be aware - if you go to Cygnus now instead of firmware 15, stuff is going to change.
What about the Naked Amps? Are they getting the Cygnus updates?
 
So, here is my Tonepack Update schedule...Naked Amps will get update to Cygnus, but because I just did the firmware 15 update, it's going to take longer to get to it/get it done.

If you have some Naked Amps presets you love made under firmware 15 and want to use under Cygnus, maybe I can give some tips here in this thread on how to adjust them to get them close to how they sounded under firmware 15?

Just want to be helpful, but plowing through updating and carefully checking 2500+ presets and re-leveling them just takes time, no way around it. "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time..."



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Honestly, I think it’s somewhat of a fool’s errand to attempt to update like this...we will probably be on FW 20 by fall.
I think you should tell us what parameters you think can be tweaked in each amp style to get them I to peak performance.
 
Honestly, I think it’s somewhat of a fool’s errand to attempt to update like this...we will probably be on FW 20 by fall.
I think you should tell us what parameters you think can be tweaked in each amp style to get them I to peak performance.
There is a way to do it. Find the FracTool thread - there is a very specific procedure to follow @AlGrenadine lays out, or it won't work right.

I think I posted there about what LiveGold/Naked Amps parameters to "Freeze" that I fool with (things like speaker compression, input dynamics, output compressions speaker impedance curve, saturation levels, amp boost db amount, etc - a long list I can't recall all at this sitting) else they get reset by Cygnus update in some cases from what was there before.

One useful trick that will help you though convert your firmware 15 presets to Cygnus: for the Marshalls anyway, under LiveGold, one thing I found is under Cygnus, add 0.50 to the firmware 15 (prior) Master volume level when going up to firmware 16/Cygnus. If the Master Volume is at 10 already, then add 0.50 to the drive/gain amount. Now I have not done Banks 2 and 3 so it may not hold for other amps.

Also, you still have re-level the amp under Cygnus most of the time. Most of your presets after being reset will be quieter than under firmware 15 (at least the Marshall styles I went through for Live Gold were). That leveling is still an art. I can have a preset that sounds horrible and cloudy at low volume, but when I hit the volume sweet spot Level wise, it magically sounds glorious. High gain amps especially are tricky like this.

Level wise, some amp models needed no adjustment, some needed to be turned down, but so far in Marshall styles I found most needed to be turned up by 1 or 2db from firmware 15 prior settings settings. No hard and fast rule there.

Cygnus changes the power amp scaling compared to prior firmwares somehow, so all the numeric places our eyes are used to setting for past many years for certain amp's master volumes etc. are different now to get that tone we had before (and still want). But it is there!

If I get time this weekend I'll try to find that post about updating amps with FracTool and link it here. But you'll still need to check everything directly. Hope this helps!
 
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Honestly, I think it’s somewhat of a fool’s errand to attempt to update like this...we will probably be on FW 20 by fall.
I think you should tell us what parameters you think can be tweaked in each amp style to get them I to peak performance.
Normally, I might agree. But so much time and effort was spent on Cygnus over the last five months, that I believe we are unlikely to see any massive FW changes that again alter the landscape so thoroughly in the next five months. Hopefully, we're in for a lot of usability upgrades and added features, as opposed to wholesale sound revamps.
 
is there a video that show you how to use the softwear version 16.05 im on windows 10.and i have a fc12 which i cant configure.i have the newest live gold
 
is there a video that show you how to use the softwear version 16.05 im on windows 10.and i have a fc12 which i cant configure.i have the newest live gold
Hey skip:

Go to about 35 minutes into this video and watch for a few minutes.

You will see me change the software to FC Controllers and then "Layout" for the Amp page layout I made. This is always where you can IMPORT the ALL LAYOUTS files include din LiveGold for FC12 or FC6.



To understand the CS controllers and how to turn them on/off WITHOUT an FC12 or FC6, watch this video:



If you have made your own per-presets assignments, those will override a global layout if they conflict. there are no per-preset assignments in the LiveGold presets, so you can always use this as you see fit.
 
Hey AB, could you please comment on the product segmentation between Naked amps and Live Gold? Reading the descriptions, I'm not really clear on the differences between the two. From the names, I am guessing that Naked Amps presets are just Amp+Cab and that Live Gold is effects too? Is Naked Amps more recording focused and Live Gold focused on playing live?
 
@fuzzyoctaves Good question. I talk a little about that in the LiveGold tutorial video #1 introduction on YouTube, about three or four minutes in.


Bottom line is, I tell people to get the LiveGold TonePack if they ask which one - it's my best work to date.


For the curious, a TonePack chronology may help explain the evolution and context. Below is long, I know.

2017 - (DISCONTINUED) Original 700+ Naked Amps TonePack released, firmware Quantum 8.x. Worked on Axe- Fx II, XL/XL+. 3 banks, with two amp sounds per preset. One bank was not full and just cleans. Just amps and cabs mostly, using X/Y for lower to higher gain sound. Used the Factory Cabs. A few bonus presets. I dailed this more for studio tones, so not everything was dialed in/played at gig volume. I don't sell it anymore because the next product - Dream Rigs -- totally improved on it with better sounds and Cab IR pairings. This TonePack was updated for free to fw9.x and last to fw10.x (final version). I don't sell this on my website and I no longer support it. People have to contact me direct if they bought and want the last available update for fw10.

2018 - 1000+ Dream Rigs. This was a major expansion and improvement over the 700+ Naked Amps, the amps sound better, and better cab/amp pairings, the amps have boosts attached (Input trim), plus some effects like delay, phaser, and chorus here and there.

A key difference: On this one, I dialed a lot of it in on Atomic CLRs that were 8-10 feet away and loud, rather than a studio monitor environment, since I know people wanted presets to use on stage,.

This one was originally programmed on the AX8 fw8.x (had foot-switches assigned) but also works on the Axe- FX II (you have to manually assign an MFC101 or similar foot-switches to use the effects). It is seven preset bank files (!) -- they won't all fit at once -- and covers every amp model. This one uses User Cab IRs (included in zip download) you have to install once, for many off the presets to work. This one had free updates after Quantum fw8, to fw9, fw10 for AX8 but also has a ARES2.x version for the Axe-Fx II/XL.

2019 - The Axe-FX III is launched! So I created a 1000+ Naked Amps, just for the Axe-Fx III. These presets use BOTH Amp blocks and often TWO Cab blocks, with 8 scenes per amp model type. The new Axe-Fx III allowed for ABCD channels for amp and cab blocks (not just X/Y like the legacy products). And even better - up to 8 Scenes. So, this one had two banks covering all the amps, plus a bonus preset bank (not full) - three banks total.

The Axe-Fx III was a game changer in terms of how many different amp sounds you can cram into a single preset (8!). I stacked amp blocks and cab blocks in parallel to make this one. And that is the reason there is no FM3 Naked Amps version - you don't get two amps and cabs in the FM3, only one. It can't be correctly ported over to FM3, you lose half the sounds because Amp2 and Cab2 will disappear.

Unlike Dream Rigs I only used Factory cabs in Naked Amps (because now we had 2000+ to choose form, including over 1 in 9 of the III’s factory cabs are from my own Cab Packs sold by Fractal). So, very few/no user cabs (except for a bonus Hendrix presets IR).

Later, in the firmware 15-16 update, some other fractal preset makers (Fremen, Moke, Justin York, Larry Mitchell, Leon Todd, Burgs) provided sample presets of theirs I included, and some of those had User cab IRs you had to install.

Now, I did dial the 1400+ Naked Amps more as studio sounds (on CLRs, but close to my ears, not 8-10 feet away) than for live use. These have some sculpting that cuts lows. But they can work for live, and this TonePack arguably give you more different flavors per amp.

There was an original firmware 1.x version first. Then (if I recall correctly!) I did a free update to fw5-6, then fw11-12, then in December 2021/January 2020 fw 15-16 which is the last available one. I have not updated this TonePack to Cygnus yet, planning to this fall.

I didn't originally use the CS switches for boost etc. on this TonePack, because the Fractal foot-controllers were not out, so earlier versions do not have. BUT did add them later in Jan. 2021 in last firmware update, along with a mild limiter after the amp block that "phattens" things up even more and controls bottom end better.

2020 - With the Fractal Foot controllers (FC-6 andFC12) out now, this time I wanted to use what I had learned in Dream Rigs and Naked Amps and make something designed to be played at gigs.

So that is what the 1000+ Live Gold TonePack presets are all about. It's my best work.

There are three banks in LiveGold. Each preset is an amp model channel, and the TonePack covers all the guitar amp models (but not bass). Each has four basic scenes that run from clean or lower gain to higher gain and lead. One cool thing: each preset can be used with humbuckers (Scenes 1-4) OR Single coils (Scenes 5-8) - the Scenes 5-8 add a little boost.

Each preset lets you access further amp functions (via CS controllers), like Amp Boost, Fat, Bright switch, Saturation, or Lo Cut from an FC-6 or FC-12 or the FM3 unit itself.

Each unit uses the best amp/factory cab pairing ( I spent a LOT of time on that) and may have a non-default speaker impedance curve in it, plus some other things I do in amp and cab block to me that make it sound best and realistic.

There is more bottom end on the LiveGold presets like a real amp on stage (contrasted to a mixed guitar in studio). Everything in LiveGold was dialed in at at least 92 db loudness, like a live gig. They were done on my Atomic NEO CLRs. And they were done on ARES firmware originally - on the FM3 1.x actually, then ported tor h Axe- FX III -- but now are 100% updated Cygnus 16.x (or 4.x for FM3). In the latest Cygnus update, I reversed it - I updated on the Axe-FX III then ported to the FM3.

Plus you get both downloads for the Axe-Fx III AND FM3 version together when you buy LiveGold - since they are the same presets, I thought that was very fair.

So when people ask me what to buy, I tell them get the Live Gold - I think it's the best combination of everything, versatile tones, and works well for live as well as studio ( just may need to cut/HP channel lows in your DAW when recording). There is some tonal overlap - maybe 15%-20%? with Naked Amps, but I did not just port presets over to make LiveGold, I did it mainly from scratch.

But if you want even MORE tones in their Fractal arsenal, then the 100+ Naked Amps is a great edition, but only for the Axe-FX III folks, and the Cygnus version is not ready as of August 2021 but should be later this year.

Hope that helps figure "how did we get here, what are the differences in TonePacks?"


...Along the way I also did a 200+ Bass TonePack, originally for the AX8 and Ax-FX II and XL/XL+. That is still available for AX8 and the Axe-FX II with version for the last available firmwares.

But that 200+ Bass TonePack was just revised and updated (design and sounds) to Cygnus for the FM3 and Axe- FX III -- and bass players are loving it and touring with it. Makes me happy. Having a complete bass touring rig in a portable FM3 is pretty cool!

I also did a Brit Rock Royalty #1 of the first four LedZep album tones (over 150) originally on firmware 6.x for there Axe-FX III. Those presets need ridiculous processing power to replicate studio chains and doubeleracks etc. Made a "stripped down" version for the FM3 as well, pre-Cygnus.

I am in the process of updating and re-working Brit Rock Royalty #1-- everything, all over AGAIN -- for latest Cygnus 16.x and for FM3 too -- but this time I am using my stupid expensive ATC 25 pro studio mixing monitors, and I am fixing a lot of things that were off as the firmware tonally has drifted since firmware 6.x when we first made them.

There is a Cygnus Axe-Fx III only version in there now, but that was done on my CLRs. That is going be replaced by end of August by a MUCH better and even more accurate stereo version and for FM3 too.

Then I'll turn to updating Naked Amps, maybe one final time, as I think Live Gold is organized in a better format.

Mainly, I really want to work on creating a massive effects TonePack library next, one that will work with existing TonePacks on the III and FM3, but the pace of Fractal firmware updates have prevented me from producing this (so far) uninterrupted. That's okay though!

I'm hoping next fall I can do that and maybe get it together by end of year/early next year - we'll see....
 
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Hey AB, is there anybody manning the website? I tried logging in yesterday, and no matter what password I used, it didn't work. I tried the "Reset Password" option twice and have not received anything via email.
 
Hey AB, is there anybody manning the website? I tried logging in yesterday, and no matter what password I used, it didn't work. I tried the "Reset Password" option twice and have not received anything via email.
PM your email address. The website is working fine. As stated in prior posts, if you don't use the right passwords initially, then after a few attempts the auto-security will "lock" (it thinks you are a BOT). But it resets in about four hours. I can manually send you a password reset. People have no issue the second time. You should be able to request a password, make sure my email is in your contacts, and sometimes those password reset links will go into spam or junk folders/look there since the email comes from a commercial server.
 
Okay, we are underway now -- started on 1400+ Naked Amps Bank 1, did the Tweeds and Brownfaces today.

My goal is to get Bank 1 done by Thanksgiving (and make Bank 1 available then as partial udpate) and Bank 2 done by Christmas, we'll see.

What is slowing me down is, I'd like to make an FM9-comptaible version, but to do that, the III cab block has four cab IR slots and the FM9 only has two cab slots, so I have to re-enter and move cabs around so they are in the first and second place.

The amp reset process went fine. I'll keep Speaker Comp at zero though. For each of he 1400+ scenes, I have to re-enter the db Boost amount tied to CS2 and the saturation value tied to CS5 for each amp/scene.

Then I adjust drive (the amount of gain can drift depending on map type from Cygnus to ARES15) and then re-level preset, and maybe EQ if needed, all done as I A/B between firmware 15 version and Cygnus of same preset.

A few amp models did change in Cygnus (like the Deluxe Tweed, ENGL), so some preset scenes may not be exact in Cygnus update, but I'm working to replicate the firmware 15 tone you already know and like to be the same under Cygnus, for those of you who rely on a preset scene - so hopefully it will be the same/better in Cygnus version 90% of the time.

Thanks for being patient.

The Tweed Bassman is killing me, both my Strat and SG love it. There's an example that uses 4 cab IRs and will have to pare it to two for FM9 conversion (but the III version will still all have four cab IRs intact!).

Cheers!
 
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Hey AB - I have your Live Gold pack and it's absolutely incredible. Do you recommend still picking up the Naked Amps pack once it's ready? I know the Live Gold pack is meant for...well...live use, but it seems to be a pretty solid example of each of the amps in the Axe, so I'm curious if it's worth grabbing as well. Anyone else who has both, feel free to chime in - thanks!
 
You will get more amp sound variety, and more single coil specific presets/scenes in the Naked Amps, but not all of the presets are optimized for live use the way I made LiveGold; it’s more for recording or home use. I am dialing them in on my ATC monitors, not Live FRFRs. I did add all the CS controllers to them last round so those work.

It’s just adding to your tonal arsenal. The scene labels are a little more descriptive of what the sounds do. There are more “Easter eggs” sprinkled throughout for effects. Lots of fun stuff!

If you like LiveGold, then you will like Naked Amps too. It’s not duplicative, maybe a 20% overlap if that.

That help?
 
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