Axe-Fx II "Ares" Rev 2.00 Firmware Release

I could barely try yesterday and it definitely sounded a little meaner on my recto preset, but I think something has changed in the input level since I felt unwanted distorsion, or maybe my cable is dying lol
 
USMC_Trev said:
To the people who complain when they don’t hear a difference:
1 Your preset sucks
2 Your speakers suck
3 Your ears suck
4 Your playing sucks
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I've not heard any difference whatsoever after every upgrade since first getting the Axe II when Q.4 was the latest firmware. I've not adjusted my presets since after any upgrade. I'm willing to admit that my ears suck. Or maybe I just don't care enough. It's also possible that you suffer from confirmation bias though. It's new, I did a lot of work/spend a lot of money to make it work, therefore it has to be better. The Gear Page is basically based on that principle.

I'll update soon once I have some free time. And most likely do nothing whatsoever to retweak my presets.
 
Muad'zin said:
USMC_Trev said:
To the people who complain when they don’t hear a difference:
1 Your preset sucks
2 Your speakers suck
3 Your ears suck
4 Your playing sucks
Click to expand...
I've not heard any difference whatsoever after every upgrade since first getting the Axe II when Q.4 was the latest firmware. I've not adjusted my presets since after any upgrade. I'm willing to admit that my ears suck. Or maybe I just don't care enough. It's also possible that you suffer from confirmation bias though. It's new, I did a lot of work/spend a lot of money to make it work, therefore it has to be better. The Gear Page is basically based on that principle.
Click to expand...
Something I learned years ago is that we each listen for different things. In the pre Quantum days there were releases which people raved about, and I thought there was little difference. Then came a release which really opened up the clean sounds, and the heavy metal merchants were saying that they heard nothing.
 
Thank you so much Cliff, and all who work so hard on all of these things. I can’t wait to install this tonight and try it out.
P.S. the FAS Skull Crusher is an amazing amp model. I smile every time I play through it!
 
I had to tweak a lot after the update. I would say that there's more than just a subtle change in the sound between FWs. I had to reduce input drive on the amps on all of the first few presets. I need more time to be able to figure the impovements.

Anyhow, a big thanks to FAS for still developing their older products.
 
Did anyone noticed that the Rectis are sound like shit after Ares 2.0?
Went Back to 1.03 and everything is ok.

By the way It´s fantastic and incredible that an update like 2-0 come out...
Thanks
 
...Just popping in to express my gratitude to Cliff and Fractal. Haven't spent too much time with the latest firmware so I can't attest to the differences but the fact that this "EOL" product is still getting any updates at all is amazing. Phenomenal dedication to the user, the advancement of tech, and the all around raising of the bar.

Thanks guys.
 
Leise said:
Did anyone noticed that the Rectis are sound like shit after Ares 2.0?
Went Back to 1.03 and everything is ok.

By the way It´s fantastic and incredible that an update like 2-0 come out...
Thanks
Click to expand...

I dunno. Recto 2 Red Modern is pretty much all I ever use and I think it sounds fine.
 
Roland said:
Something I learned years ago is that we each listen for different things. In the pre Quantum days there were releases which people raved about, and I thought there was little difference. Then came a release which really opened up the clean sounds, and the heavy metal merchants were saying that they heard nothing.
Click to expand...
Exactly. This goes back to the whole thing about if you're not hearing a difference, then it stands to reason that the way your preset was built wasn't taking advantage of a part of the modeling algorithm that was affected by the changed by the update in the first place. Hence, no difference. For example if a change had a prominent effect on Recto type amps and all your go-to presets are based on Fenders, then you're not going to hear a difference. An extension of that theory is that if you don't regularly use that amp and then you go looking to hear the change, how can anyone claim to know what they're listening for vs. the player that has spend probably hundreds of hours in front of that particular model and can much better identify the subtle nuances that have been affected? It's all so highly subjective, and yet there are some people that will roll in here like a bull in a TV store and claim that the updates are worthless or they caused their "tone" (whatever that is - again highly subjective) to become worse and that they're rolling back or selling their unit and getting a Kemper. These are the people really crack me up.
 
Konstantin said:
The biggest changes have happened with my USAII++ preset. There are too much hiss and treble after updating. I had to reduce hi-cut from 10 to 5 kHz
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That is strange, I haven't noticed that on my USAII++ presets. I have input gain set to 9-10 as well, with active pickups. I think a 5khz hi cut is fine TBH though.

I think it sounds more realistic personally, whether that's good or bad. The AC30 is definitely better to my ears. It's all subjective though.
 
Upgraded Friday, gigged on Satuday. Couldn't hear much change through my IEM's, but now that i've sat down and tweaked my amp settings again, i think it's a little clearer and a bit more bass, but any update is welcome!
 
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In the models I use (mostly ac30tb and tweed deluxe) I hear some “openness” which I like, but the attack seems to be way snappier in an artificial way, which I’m not sure I like. It almost sounds like I have a hard limited on. Will tweak some advanced parameters and see how it goes..
 
I’ve only messed with the engl savage and diezel vh4 (the highest gain version I think) models enough to draw conclusions on. I also use one of the lower gain diezel models and then maybe the shiva or something, but I just don’t play a whole lot of stuff with those at the moment.

The engl I think sounded fairly similar, but felt better especially in the low end. The VH4 is one that I’ve always been amazed by the low end punch but disappointed by just about everything else. With no tweaking at all I booted up into 2.0 and fell in love with the diezel model. The top end was just so much more clear and defined, the low end lost no amount of that amazing punch and the whole thing just sounded and felt so much better. I don’t think I wound up really tweaking anything, but I might at some point just because it’s what I do.

Should also note I play through a matrix and a Vader 2x12 so I’m not commenting on anything related to frfr or the cab block interaction.
 
ang said:
which diezel model are u using blue/silver 2/3/4?
i need to give that amp another shot
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I’m pretty certain I went with silver 4 but when I go to practice later this week I can let you know. I like to use it for more of a big impact type of high gain...the engl is my go to and works better for tighter riffs and more aggressive palm muting. The diezel is just a huge kick in the chest haha. Before this latest firmware though I never could get it to where I liked it...always had this odd plastic sort of character to it that didn’t seem to stack up to other models.
 
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