Announcing Axe-Fx III Mark II TURBO

The most complex and quality guitar presets that can be built on any single one device is with the III. It would be impossible by any other means. The mk1 has at least double the processing power of any competing brands unit. So, 99% of what was posted above is BS.
 
javajunkie said:
My presets that we on the edge of overloading showed about a 15% reduction in CPU on the Turbo.
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Trying to wrap my head around percentage reduction of a value reported in a percentage... does that mean for example, a preset that was reporting 85% usage now reports 70% or now reports 72%?
 
Mark Al said:
Playing Axe III via my monitors(Genelec as well) still sounds and feels different than the tube combo when compared side by side, and tube amps still have some extra magic responding to my fingers and ears.
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I would definitely play around with the speaker impedance curve parameters and the speaker compression knob on the speaker page, as well as the speaker impedance and transformer match knobs on the power amp page, and I think you can totally get there, where it may react even more lively than the real tube amp. :)
 
State of Epicicity said:
I would definitely play around with the speaker impedance curve parameters and the speaker compression knob on the speaker page, as well as the speaker impedance and transformer match knobs on the power amp page, and I think you can totally get there, where it may react even more lively than the real tube amp. :)
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I opened a separate thread on this a while back, I did try various things, but I don't think it's doable. I tried a few tube combo side by side with the my studio monitors, with similar levels, it's not the tone, it's the FEEL (hard to quantify and articulate unfortunately) that differs.

Personally, the feel part I felt missing from the Axe III largely lies in the actual power amplification, and it's entirely outside of Fractal's control (no, it's not the same with power amp modeling). For example, in this case, it's the class D power amp inside of Genelec 8330, it depends on what you you plug your Axe III into, e.g. pluging it into a tube amp's return, it'd feel just like a tube amp.
 
sean.e said:
Trying to wrap my head around percentage reduction of a value reported in a percentage... does that mean for example, a preset that was reporting 85% usage now reports 70% or now reports 72%?
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I just checked a couple that were at 90%. They went down to 73%. So that is ~ a 19% in DSP reduction. The % numbers went down from 90% to 73%, so -17% in reported use.



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Funny that some of the trolls here seem to think they are more experienced than everyone else. My only disappointment with the Turbo version is that I would have liked to have waited a month and purchased the Turbo. For those of us that bang our heads against CPU limitations, it's a very welcome iteration. Cheers.
 
rockstarjazzcat said:
Funny that some of the trolls here seem to think they are more experienced than everyone else. My only disappointment with the Turbo version is that I would have liked to have waited a month and purchased the Turbo. For those of us that bang our heads against CPU limitations, it's a very welcome iteration. Cheers.
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I wasn't banging my head against CPU limitation until the introduction of FullRez IRs, must have in all my headphone patches :tearsofjoy: :sweatsmile:
 
Mark Al said:
I opened a separate thread on this a while back, I did try various things, but I don't think it's doable. I tried a few tube combo side by side with the my studio monitors, with similar levels, it's not the tone, it's the FEEL (hard to quantify and articulate unfortunately) that differs.

Personally, the feel part I felt missing from the Axe III largely lies in the actual power amplification, and it's entirely outside of Fractal's control (no, it's not the same with power amp modeling). For example, in this case, it's the class D power amp inside of Genelec 8330, it depends on what you you plug your Axe III into, e.g. pluging it into a tube amp's return, it'd feel just like a tube amp.
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Those parameters, to me, are all about the feel, especially the speaker impedance curve parameters! Sorry if they’re not giving you as lively of a response; to me, those parameters made the amps just jump out into 3D. I got really into this by reading some tips from @mixermang. He might be able to offer some more insight. Best of luck on your quest; it is a more than worthy one, and I still think you can there in the Axe! 🤘🏼
 
MaVo said:
Probably a faster clocked Texas Instrument Keystone II DSP.
https://www.ti.com/product/TMS320C6672

Will there be further firmware branches for the Axe Fx 3 as with the latest firmware 17 or will there still be a common base for future software releases?
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According to the TI link, the Keystone DSP is available in three speeds. I wonder if Cliff would consider a 1.5 GHz Turbo XL+ model for an additional $200 above the Turbo model.

$2,299.99 – Axe-Fx III Standard
$2,499.99 – Axe-Fx III Turbo
$2,699.99 – Axe-Fx III Turbo XL+

Or have we reached the point of diminishing returns at 1.25 GHz?

1634227494456.png
 
Axehole said:
According to the TI link, the Keystone DSP is available in three speeds. I wonder if Cliff would consider a 1.5 GHz Turbo XL+ model for an additional $200 above the Turbo model.

$2,299.99 – Axe-Fx III Standard
$2,499.99 – Axe-Fx III Turbo
$2,699.99 – Axe-Fx III Turbo XL+

Or have we reached the point of diminishing returns at 1.25 GHz?

View attachment 90239
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Yes, they also offer a 4-core and 8-core version: https://www.ti.com/product/TMS320C6678 and https://www.ti.com/product/TMS320C6674

I can see an Axe-Fx IV, where given what they've done with the 4-core version in FM9, perhaps something similar could be done. And the 8-core version could then finally make completely seamless spillover of patches a reality, where you can have the previous patch runnning and trailing off in one set of 4-cores, and the next patch running on another set of 4-cores :)

Hah, in fact, I was imaging the same things back in 2012 too: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/new-ti-multicore-dsps.46281/#post-604180
 
iaresee said:
Troll cleanup complete. Thread unlocked. If you got caught in the cross-fire, my apologies. If you did something wrong: you know because you got a personal DM from me about it. If you didn't get a DM from me, you didn't do anything to violate rules.
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Thanks for keeping it clean, Ian.
 
iaresee said:
Troll cleanup complete. Thread unlocked. If you got caught in the cross-fire, my apologies. If you did something wrong: you know because you got a personal DM from me about it. If you didn't get a DM from me, you didn't do anything to violate rules.
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Wow, missed the drama. No idea what happened but I hope it wasn't people bemoaning technical progress. Apologies to the mods if it was my post that set it off.


AlbertA said:
Yes, they also offer a 4-core and 8-core version: https://www.ti.com/product/TMS320C6678 and https://www.ti.com/product/TMS320C6674

I can see an Axe-Fx IV, where given what they've done with the 4-core version in FM9, perhaps something similar could be done. And the 8-core version could then finally make completely seamless spillover of patches a reality, where you can have the previous patch runnning and trailing off in one set of 4-cores, and the next patch running on another set of 4-cores :)

Hah, in fact, I was imaging the same things back in 2012 too: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/new-ti-multicore-dsps.46281/#post-604180
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Thanks for the links, those processors look incredible. It's drool-worthy to think that Cliff, in all likelihood, has two of those 8-core bad boys running in his mad scientist lab as an early-stage proof-of-concept protoype of an Axe-Fx IV Mega Edition.

1634293172904.png
 
TSJMajesty said:
That's a good way of looking at it. I didn't realize this..., well, I knew there would be FW updates from time to time; I didn't however, realize just how much improvement and added features they would bring. However as I've said before a few times, I went without great effects for a long time, and the amazing amp modelling was a sort of "icing on the cake" for me, since I bought the AF3 primarily as a top-of-the-line multi-effects processor, so post-Cygnus, if the unit never received another update, I'd still be quite content with it.

I guess I choose to look at it in terms of how far the tech has come, and enjoy that, as opposed to lamenting the newer improvements that, with the advent now of the improved processor being available, I won't receive unless I upgrade.

And I'm fine with that! Even if I had a Mark I, and couldn't use FullRes the same way it can be used in the Mark II. And I'll probably just stay on FW16 for a while yet.
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Same.

Hell, the old, crusty, cast-aside-as-junk AFX2 still crushes everything currently available on the market… with maybe (big maybe) the exception of Neural DSP Quad Cortex, which is super-backordered, anyway. Jury is still out on Quad Cortex, which is why I say “maybe”. For most use cases, I’d bet good money that the AFX2 holds its own comfortably against the QC.

My natural anxiety about the possibility of obtaining improved tonal perfection (“why am I stuck with this POS AFX3 mk2 when I could own a glorious Turbo… WHY?!”) could use some perspective. Comparing my III mk2 to what else is actually available to buy on the market… yeah, I’m sitting sooooooo comfortably on top of the world. 😜
 
LanceZ said:
Same.

Hell, the old, crusty, cast-aside-as-junk AFX2 still crushes everything currently available on the market… with maybe (big maybe) the exception of Neural DSP Quad Cortex, which is super-backordered, anyway. Jury is still out on Quad Cortex, which is why I say “maybe”. For most use cases, I’d bet good money that the AFX2 holds its own comfortably against the QC.

My natural anxiety about the possibility of obtaining improved tonal perfection (“why am I stuck with this POS AFX3 mk2 when I could own a glorious Turbo… WHY?!”) could use some perspective. Comparing my III mk2 to what else is actually available to buy on the market… yeah, I’m sitting sooooooo comfortably on top of the world. 😜
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QC? Lmao
 
jin1995x said:
QC? Lmao
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Key line "form most use cases". In a real mix with other instruments? Yeah, nobody's going to pick out the QC vs AFX2.

I own the AFX3 mk2 because I can. It's not because AFX2 was inferior, or the AFX Ultra I owned before that. Each of those is more than good enough to last a lifetime. I'm just spoiled! I'm a tone chasing nerd like everyone else on here.

But in the studio or on stage... within a real mix? Yeah, the differences are soooooooo subtle that it's just us nerds splitting hairs.

If we're talking "feel"... that's different. I've never played into a QC. The reviews seem to indicate it has a great "feel". I know this AFX3 mk2 response feels fantastic in my studio. (I'm in love with 039 "The Brown Sound" right now.)
 
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