Axe-Fx II Firmware 17.00 Released

Just put up a quick blues jam with the reworked Dumble HRM model (non-Mid) in the Recordings section if anyone is wondering what it sounds like with the Tape 50us mic preamp.

In case you don't want to listen, it sounds like a Dumble. Yep.
 
I'm digging the way the new preamps soften up a hard clean.

Sometimes the amp controls lack the subtlety needed for this and you end up with too much, or the dynamics reduction isn't musical or you lose something in the process. The vintage preamp does this in an intuitive and musical way with both dynamics and frequencies.

Still figuring it out but it's pretty cool so far for a "hard" clean.
 
Quote Originally Posted by FractalAudio View Post
Here are the release notes to whet your Pavlovian appetites:

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17.00

Added preamp simulation to Cabinet block. The simulations recreate the sound of overdriven channel strips, preamps, tapes, etc. The Drive parameter controls the gain of the simulation. The Sat parameter controls the ratio of even/odd harmonics. The Preamp Mode parameter (on Page 2) allows selecting between Economy and High Quality modes. In High Quality mode oversampling is employed to prevent aliasing but this results in higher CPU usage.



Sorry if you answered this before, but if IRs already have preamp/channel saturation baked into them, would engaging this be redundant? Or is this the modeling of nonlinear characteristics of overdriven Pres?

Also would this be applied 'before' the IR or 'after'?

You cannot bake saturation/distortion (nonlinear) into an IR. So, no not redundant. This is after the IR. Think of the signal flow cab-mic-mic pre-console.
 
You cannot bake saturation/distortion (nonlinear) into an IR. So, no not redundant. This is after the IR. Think of the signal flow cab-mic-mic pre-console.

What he said.

Also, add drive and saturation judiciously. You can have fun and go nuts with it to see what happens, but for real life a little goes a long way. I did a thread in the main AFXII section on the settings I generally prefer on this.

Think of it as the 'glue' that takes all the musical timbre you have created with your amp and cab and adds that final touch that makes it both stand out AND fit the mix better. Playing this live is surreal. Trust me and try it for yourself.
 
Maybe.

I'm tired of chasing the past. It's time to create the present and the future. Everyone is hung up on recreating rather than creating. Chasing 30-year old tones. Meh.

You've got the biggest box of tools ever created for the guitarist. Every color and brush imaginable. Forget paint-by-numbers. Create your own masterpiece.

Therefore I'm not going to tell you what they are based on. Many people here need to start using their ears more and their eyes less.

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for posting this. Fer chrissakes, we listen to music, our amps, guitars and the world around us with our EARS. Tones from the past are wonderful and, even before f/w 17, we had the ability to achieve them. Now, get on with making some cool new tone with the ridiculously flexible tool FAS has created for us.
 
Thanks Scott & Sean!

I'll check it out. What I have been experimenting with is running my real amps via Torpedo Reload into the Axe-Fx input 2 and then using the Cab block then out into my interface. With the preamp and tape saturation and distortion control, I should be able to get some really harmonically rich, analog-sounding recordings....silently!

Immediately I have noticed that the High Quality setting drastically changes the sound.
 
Thank you Cliff. You make the best just get better. Just incredible. Every time I think it cant get any better you pull out some more grey matter and whip up something even more spectacular than the last.
 
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Maybe.

I'm tired of chasing the past.
It's time to create the present and the future.
You've got the biggest box of tools ever created for the guitarist.
Every color and brush imaginable.
Create your own masterpiece.
Many people here need to start using their ears more and their eyes less.

AMEN Reverend Cliff! :encouragement:

I think the Axe not as a piece of finished guitar gear... but just like a Tone Lab and even like The Mad Scientist Guitar Tool Box.
Axe is an evolving project. Your fw upgrade are not bug fixes... they are great evolving ideas!
Even from the maketing and commercial side, FAS and Axe are something never seen before!
I'm not only an happy customer... I'm proud to be part of this great story!
All the best to you Cliff and to the FAS ppl.
And... TNX!

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Preamp models are very cool for final polishing of the tone. I really like the warmth of the tape and vintage settings for old school tones. Changes to the Boogie models are pretty good so far. The presence shift behaves just like that on my real Mark IV head. Pulled is a little quieter and a little squishier, pushed is tight, bold, and in your face. Need to tweak my IIc+ preset a little more. New Flanger sounds really great. Syrupy and vertigo inducing. Analog choruses are really sweet too. VU meters are the cat's meow for leveling presets quickly. Thanks to Cliff and the team for a great update.
 
Axe-Fx II Firmware 17.00 Released


You can stop pounding on your F5 key now.


That not my F5 key. :)



This figures since I just dropped off my brand new Carvin at UPS today (shipping it back because they forgot to install something....again :roll). Guess I'll have to get out my $300 Indonesian Ibanez and make due with it.


Thanks Cliff (though your timing sucks almost as bad as Carvin's quality control ;) :lol).
 
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Maybe.

I'm tired of chasing the past. It's time to create the present and the future. Everyone is hung up on recreating rather than creating. Chasing 30-year old tones. Meh.

You've got the biggest box of tools ever created for the guitarist. Every color and brush imaginable. Forget paint-by-numbers. Create your own masterpiece.

Therefore I'm not going to tell you what they are based on. Many people here need to start using their ears more and their eyes less.

This is the single greatest post ever written on this forum.
 
To be honest, the only effects i ever used with the axe was drive, comp. and reverb. Until today. The hype is real. The new chorus and flange have blown my mind! Thank you very much Cliff. Your constant efforts to improve an already incredible device are appreciated and I will be buying the latest cab packs to show my support (and to enjoy some wicked IR's).
 
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