I played a gig this weekend with the new firmware and didnt have time to test it beforehand. I too experienced a very different feel and tone but some amp models like the mesa boogie sound much better but my higher gain marshall tones for the Journey songs feel squishy and kinda dead. I am going to try what cliff just suggested. Also my main clean tone isn't jumping out and cutting like it was. I am sure it is just a tweak here and there away. Now just to be clear everything still sounds amazing and I am not complaining in the least bit. The axe fx 2 is absolutely incredible.
Cliff I believe I read somewhere a little while back that there were new factory presets being created for the newer firmware. If I read that correctly is there a rough estimated date for them?
Keith, one thing I have noticed (also being a Marshall user in the AxeFx) is Cliff really got it close. So close in fact that it's squishy and sort of dead like a Marshall unless you use one of those JVM models which to me sound like the newer more modern Marshalls with the beefed up pre-amp.
But if you are using say, the Brit 800 or the Brit Mod like I use, this new update made it more realistic....and that means, it actually takes away from whatever you may have had before in MY opinion. Sometimes "more realistic" in this modeling business...can go against us. But that's not a bad thing. Here's what I do....which in MY case, the new "Cliff mod" didn't effect my sounds.
Ok, if you are not using any pedal distortion or something to slightly beef up the Marshall pre-amp side, it's going to sound dull. So try putting a distortion pedal before the amp. I use a t-808 od before the amp. Now the key here is to not run much of the pedal....you just want to drive the amp a bit so it doesn't sound so dull. My settings are:
Drive - 2.78
Tone - 6.00 (this in my opinion is what makes the amp come to life and pulls out some of the dullness)
Level: 7.98 (controlling this via expression pedal with all the above settings will keep your tone and just lower your gain if need be)
Mix - 100
Next page...not sure these are altered from some stock sound many FW versions ago...but this works for me.
Low cut: 700 Hz
High cut: 800 Hz
Clip type: SI Diode
Slew limit: 477
Bias 0.010
All the other pages in the pedal are unaltered.
As for my amp setting, not sure it will help you because I don't know what version of the Marshall you are using. But I use the Marshall mod.
Input drive: 6.04
Input trim: 1.200 (might be a bit hot for you. I use a drop tuning down to C so I need a little more gain due to the slack. Try from 8.00 to 1.000)
Bass (no cut) 8.42
Mid (no fat) 5.92
Treb (bright on) 6.81
Bright : 0.00
Pres: 2.47
Depth: 0
Tube Type: EL 34/6CA7
Neg FDBK: 2.00
MV: 3.5
Out LV: -10.5
All my other stuff I messed with deals with tweaking my tone match for the most part. I'm not even sure any of those settings above will help you...but it may get you closer to what you are looking for.
Also, before the drive pedal, I have a compressor using Pedal comp 2 for a little more push and tightness. You may or may not need that....but it tightens things up for me just having it on a little bit. I use a lot of high gain tones. Probably too nuts for what you may be looking for (Journey) but this works for me.
This is me just going through a few patches of my high gain stuff using the Marshall 800 mod amp with the settings I mentioned above.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4909348/AxeFxII_Drive_SoundTest.mp3
Quite a bit of this sound is probably due to my tone match setting which comes from me literally tone matching one of my old tones and then sweetening it up with the AxeFx. It brings my annoying pinch harmonics out a little more resembling my 12AX7 pre-amp characteristic. You know...that sort of starved plate sound. For recording this tone works really well with a little low passing to remove some of the sizzle in the high end. For live, I low pass it even more and it really sounds nice through 25 watt Greenback Celestions. Anyway, I hope some of this helps you. Just juice up the amp you are using a little bit with a distortion and a compressor and it should come right back to life for you.
Good luck!
-Danny