Axe-Fx III Firmware 25.00 Public Beta (Cygnus X-3)

Status
Not open for further replies.
So far, I really like the FW update. The biggest thing I've noticed is on the 5E3 Tweed "Urban" amp, the fizzy high end is gone, and the amp sounds a little darker overall (using the same amp settings from FW24.04). I increased the bright cap value to 124, and pushed Presence up to around 5.4 to compensate.

My main Matchless preset sounds better than ever.
 
R.D. said:
Again w/ the 63-year-old ears ….

Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s I ran a rig w/ a MESA Mk II C+ and a Marshall 2203 Combo ….

I ran a few pedals in front of a Whirlwind Selector A / B / C pedal and then an SPX 90 in the loop of the MESA and a SDE-3000 in the loop of the Marshall ….

From what I remember …, there were nights when the Boogie would just “Sing” and the Marshall could only “Fart” …. On other nights it would be the other way around, the Marshall would just “Crush” and the Boogie would sound thin & shrill ….

It was only on rare occasions when all was right with both amps at the same time ….

And I hate to admit it, but it did affect my playing. It didn’t matter if it was a solo that was worked out and rehearsed, or it was during a song where we improvised. It did matter ….

I always chalked it up to …. Humidity, Barometric Pressure, Weather Fronts, the Crowd in the Room ( was it empty or full ), were they into it ( or not ) …, hell was my stomach empty or full …, etc; etc; etc; etc; ….

Could that be the “randomness” that Petrucci is referring to ? I don’t know, but it does kinda make sense to me ….

All that said, that’s exactly WHY I bought into the concept of the Axe-Fx way back in the Ultra days. I don’t need to have my pant legs flapping from the sound pressure of a 4 x 12 barking behind me. I’m perfectly happy with a couple of wedges by my vocal mic pointing back up at me !

My hope is that my sound WOULD be more consistent night over night and TAKE OUT all the variables I mentioned above ! Give me a reliable platform to draw my inspiration from without having to worry about any of that minutia ….

THANKS Cliff for doing what you do ! I wouldn’t be where I’m at today without you and your creative genius !

BTW – I’ve been looking for the rumble and sizzle you mentioned for a long time. I’d use a PEQ to try and add it back with limited success from time to time …. This update is one that I guess I’ve been waiting for, but didn’t really know I needed !
Click to expand...
Never trust you ears. Every day is different.
 
AlGrenadine said:
Nothing's random in anything... That's bullshit
Click to expand...
Guitarists spouting bullshit? Impossible!

Hearing a guitarist who knows absolutely zero about amplifier design or coding saying things like "chaos element" makes me cringe for them.

With several legitimate reasons to prefer a tube amp, I'm always baffled why some guitar players will pull this absolute nonsense out of their ass.
 
flyingfadr said:
Said NO Audio Engineer... Ever... ;-)
Click to expand...
I like the statement of a member who said that the ear can only compare well but quickly gets used to other sounds without comparison. A backing track is therefore helpful. I can well imagine. To compare sounds on FW25 basis is useless, because the inner algorithms are always there. We need comparisions of FW24 and FW25, but I like FW25. And always the question, was a soft reset of amp done or not. I hope Leon Todd will manage it. At the end we need to install FW25, 26, ... because everybody here wants to get future innovations. Well, lets just do it and let adapt the presets.
 
Last edited:
Sound is absolutely different depending on the day. Humidity affects how frequencies travel through air. Joe Barresi said on Pensado's Place that if you're in the studio and everything sounds like shit that day, maybe don't record your vocals.

We had an SUV when I lived in the high desert, and the stereo system sounded harsh no matter what I did. When we moved cross country to a very humid state, one of the first things I noticed as we entered the area was that the car stereo all of a sudden sounded great. It made me want to go make albums in the desert; I thought, "if it sounds good there, it'll sound even better everywhere else."

All sound is is the disruption of air. When air changes, sound does too!
 
I'm finding that with the latest round of major updates - that I'm getting more and more articulation between strings and an imporovement on the "highs" - with better clarity and separation between the lower strings. The lows are getting more and more defined and have a sense of transparency.

High gain chords are rich and full of goodness! A new playing experience each and every time!

Just keeps getting better and better!
 
TheRedDevil said:
I like the statement of a member who said that the ear can only compare well but quickly gets used to other sounds without comparison. A backing track is therefore helpful. I can well imagine. To compare sounds on FW25 basis is useless, because the inner algorithms are always there. We need comparisions of FW24 and FW25, but I like FW25. And always the question, was a soft reset of amp done or not. I hope Leon Todd will manage it. At the end we need to install FW25, 26, ... because everybody here wants to get future innovations. Well, lets just do it and let adapt the presets.
Click to expand...
Another paradigm to use is treat each new firmware like a new brick and mortar store filled with vintage amps and a staff tech on the level of Alexander Dumble, Dave Friedman, or Mike Soldano.

Each real world vintage amp through use, abuse, customization, and component value drift has a different sound. The same is true of amp models from major firmware to major firmware release.

If the sound is pleasant in your presets as is, no further efforts needed.

If the sound is unpleasant, soft reset the amp block and twiddle some knobs until you are happy.

If the sound is close but not there, switch the cab ir/mic/position.

Otherwise, play tech and twiddle advanced parameters like a tech to get what you want with no risk of explosion or electrocution.

Still not happy? Try a different amp channel/model.
 
MisterE said:
I find that, with every big step in Firmware, I need to do less to adjust for the difference between lo gain pickups and high gain pickups.
I used to have to adjust more for switching between SD JB's and SD '59's or '78's.
Click to expand...
What method of leveling different output pickups and guitars did you use? I use the Amp Input Trim to dial mine in.

I Need to experiment with this beta as I have only used my main guitar when it comes to leveling.
 
Guitarzan69 said:
What method of leveling different output pickups and guitars did you use? I use the Amp Input Trim to dial mine in.

I Need to experiment with this beta as I have only used my main guitar when it comes to leveling.
Click to expand...
Fractal made me rethink everything when it comes to pickups.

Played tube amps all my life, my HS telecaster has always been really great. Single in the neck ( virtual T) and JB in the bridge.
I could have less gain on the neck and great bump in gain and volume with the JB.

With modelers the bridge just sounded really compressed, fuzzy, overly bright. Complete different experience compared to a tube amp.

I find a really more balanced overall tone by switching the jb to a paf36.
And spend a lot of time adjusting the height of the pickups to find a great balance.

I still not have the « in your face » tone with the bridge but it’s at least clearer and more punchy.

Input trim is also really important, especially on nmv amps like plexis
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom