Axe-Fx II Firmware 18.01 Released

Rex said:
I'm not sure what you mean by tight, but in my experience, it's easier than ever to achieve a good tone.

Look at the changes you made in the past to achieve a good, tight tone, and consider undoing them. :)
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Hahaha yeah... well everything sounds good but its different. I was trying to update my live tone for BLOODHUNTER and I found more hard to get the right amount of drive in the lowend and not too much for the highs. Palm mute sounds good but very different haha I like it by the way but I have to fight a little more with this fw.

I would like that somebody talk us more about the Saturation parameter. Is the same switch that was in the main amp page before? I activated it and I get lost haha

Is the noisegate improved? Everything sounds more clean. I removed some gate because I didn't need it.
 
I'm really looking forward to that G3 FAS Bass amp.

Do I have to save my presets when updating? And then when putting back in, the same preset is working with the new specifications?
Sorry for the lame question, when I bought it it was FW16, but 17 already out. So...
 
I guess I don't understand the big deal with the presets.

I "learned" on Fremens presets a few years ago and have been making my own pretty much ever since. EXCEPT for some of the very cool ambient presets some post or some that just sound outrageously good.
 
Gregmang said:
I guess I don't understand the big deal with the presets.

I "learned" on Fremens presets a few years ago and have been making my own pretty much ever since. EXCEPT for some of the very cool ambient presets some post or some that just sound outrageously good.
Click to expand...

Not a big deal man... at all! I can carve my tones and I'm happy with my sounds!
But a factory preset... now with the G3... is the best starting point about the "right" sound supposed for each amp with the nu technology!
That's all
 
  • Enabling it decreases power amp smoothing which results in meaner distortion. This switch is enabled by default in certain models such as Cameron ch. 2 amp. Try it with amp types such as Plexi, JCM800, Friedman and Mesa Mark.
  • Cliff: "It switches in a zener diode clipping stage right before the tone stack. This is the so-called Jose Arrendondo Mod." Source
  • Cliff: "The Sat (saturation) circuit is located between the preamp and power amp. If the model doesn't have much preamp gain, e.g. 59 Bassguy, then the sat switch will have little effect. A real amp would exhibit the same behavior. Amps like this get all their distortion from the power amp." Source
  • Firmware 15.01: Amp block Sat Switch now has three settings: Off, On (Auth) and On (Ideal). On (Auth) replicates authentic saturation circuit behavior and will lower the volume out of the virtual preamp. On (Ideal) replicates the idealized behavior present in Version 14.xx and earlier firmware.
  • Firmware 18: the parameter Sat Drive controls the amount of "saturation" when the Sat Switch is on.


AMP parameters - Axe-Fx II Wiki
 
I have two XLs and I upgraded one to firmware 18. Here is what I noticed...

1. Amp tone control (that was way cool) is missing... not sure what it was called but you could select Warm, Modern, Vintage, etc.
2. A preset using the 5153 Blue amp that had the "Warm" setting... now muffled with too much low end thump.
3. A preset using the 5153 Red amp that had the "Modern" setting... now way too much treble like am radio static.

Which brings me to the BIG PROBLEM I see with Fractal and these updates...
Everybody talks about how they love the tone consistency from venue to venue, night after night. What about the tone consistency from update to update? Seems like at some point Fractal would address this and solve it. I mean really... we tone chase, we have the perfect tool to get that unique sound, and it's gone with an update. The chase starts over. Sure we love the added "whatever" that the new update brings, but at what cost? Why would we want to find the tone we love, then have to chase it over and over?

I would love it, if when you ran these updates, the firmware would adjust everything so that the general sound would be close to where you had it. Like a tone match of what you had previously, only instead of a block it would effect the actual controls. As a matter of fact, I wish tone matching in general could have the "added option" of simply applying the EQ adjustment to the controls/eq settings of an amp block, and then not having to use the tone match block once they were applied. This would make the tone matching more powerful IMO.

Please someone chime in on this.
 
JeffHester said:
I would love it, if when you ran these updates, the firmware would adjust everything so that the general sound would be close to where you had it.
Click to expand...

the definition of change though means that it will sound different.

lately the updates have focused on the amps. he is changing the amps, therefore the tone will change. but it's almost always been for the better.

i've said this over and over, but with each update, i am tweaking less and less (therefore playing more and more!).

when 17 hit, i only did the Basic page (bass mid treb, gain, master) and the Graphic EQ in the amp block, maybe 1 or 2 advanced parameters. now with 18, i only touch the basic page. that's it. barely touch it too. just set the gain and master for the distortion quality, balance the level... done.

if we update for change, yet put the settings exactly back where we had it, why update?

and of course you don't HAVE to update. if you are set with 17 and it is great and amazing for you, then you can stay there as long as you like. it didn't get any worse. besides, you'll update to 18 and want the old sound anyway. this is not said with any spite or sarcasm at all.

i work with clients all the time who check the forum maybe 3 times a year or so. they are busy playing, working, touring. one guy just finished a tour on FW12. loves it. swears it is as good as an amp and all that. we just got him going with 18 and he is completely blown away with how far it's come since 12. yet, 12 still sounded amazing to him the whole time while others were enjoying 17, 18, etc.

good tone sounds good. a new firmware doesn't immediately make an old firmware suddenly sound bad.

yet change means things will be different. don't want different? don't change. if you do want to update, be prepared for some change.

it really is that simple. its why people use the same exact real amp for years and years, even though its 30+ years old or whatever. that's their tone. do they buy a new model of that amp and wonder why it sounds different? of course not. treat the axe the same.
 
I'll never understand this mentality. If your patches sound bad with the new firmware, try something from scratch. It's so much easier to dial in a tone with just one amp and one cab and have it sound fantastic in seconds. I have tons of patches I've been working on for months that I've scrapped and have created better sounding ones in minutes.

If you want to do that work then just dont upgrade. No one is forcing you to do that, and frankly no one cares. Not to sound harsh but its the truth. If FW"X" sounds better to you then maybe thats just your thing.

At some point its not a person asking guidance, its more like someone who just likes hearing themselves complain. Theres constructive criticism and then there's someone just not getting it and criticising a problem in their head.. This isn't directed towards anyone in particular btw, I've just noticed this mentality since this last update and its unnerving to me.

That's just how I feel about it. Chose what you like then shut up and play your guitar. That's what its all about in the end anyway isn't it?
 
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crg123 said:
No one is forcing you to do that, and frankly no one cares. Not to sound harsh but its the truth. If FW"X" sounds better to you then maybe thats just your thing.
Click to expand...

i completely agree. i've read things where people basically said

"man, fractal came out with ANOTHER free firmware update. omg when will they just stop improving this thing and leave it how it is so i don't have to update anymore..."

haha. you really don't have to update. you don't! but because you read other people enjoy the update, you just can't help yourself and need to do it, right?

previous discussions of this topic over the past 7 years have brought up having an optional "public beta" team, where basically every firmware that we've had is a "public beta" and only very large changes would be a Public Final release. so like FW1.00 would have been the Public Final release for a while, then maybe FW6.00 - maybe a year later - then maybe FW12 another year later, then maybe FW18 due to G3 modeling, etc.

that's only 3 upgrades for the general public. while the "public beta" team had everything since then available.

but we DO already have that setup. its just that people can't stop themselves from updating. so it's really on them. :)
 
JeffHester said:
I have two XLs and I upgraded one to firmware 18. Here is what I noticed...

1. Amp tone control (that was way cool) is missing... not sure what it was called but you could select Warm, Modern, Vintage, etc.
2. A preset using the 5153 Blue amp that had the "Warm" setting... now muffled with too much low end thump.
3. A preset using the 5153 Red amp that had the "Modern" setting... now way too much treble like am radio static.

Which brings me to the BIG PROBLEM I see with Fractal and these updates...
Everybody talks about how they love the tone consistency from venue to venue, night after night. What about the tone consistency from update to update? Seems like at some point Fractal would address this and solve it. I mean really... we tone chase, we have the perfect tool to get that unique sound, and it's gone with an update. The chase starts over. Sure we love the added "whatever" that the new update brings, but at what cost? Why would we want to find the tone we love, then have to chase it over and over?

I would love it, if when you ran these updates, the firmware would adjust everything so that the general sound would be close to where you had it. Like a tone match of what you had previously, only instead of a block it would effect the actual controls. As a matter of fact, I wish tone matching in general could have the "added option" of simply applying the EQ adjustment to the controls/eq settings of an amp block, and then not having to use the tone match block once they were applied. This would make the tone matching more powerful IMO.

Please someone chime in on this.
Click to expand...

The improvements far surpass the time it takes to simply redo the patches ! They are that much better ! And really you don't need the parameters that have been removed and won't miss them once you move on !
 
Chris@AxeFxTutorials said:
i completely agree. i've read things where people basically said

"man, fractal came out with ANOTHER free firmware update. omg when will they just stop improving this thing and leave it how it is so i don't have to update anymore..."

haha. you really don't have to update. you don't! but because you read other people enjoy the update, you just can't help yourself and need to do it, right?

previous discussions of this topic over the past 7 years have brought up having an optional "public beta" team, where basically every firmware that we've had is a "public beta" and only very large changes would be a Public Final release. so like FW1.00 would have been the Public Final release for a while, then maybe FW6.00 - maybe a year later - then maybe FW12 another year later, then maybe FW18 due to G3 modeling, etc.

that's only 3 upgrades for the general public. while the "public beta" team had everything since then available.

but we DO already have that setup. its just that people can't stop themselves from updating. so it's really on them. :)
Click to expand...

We been dancin' with
Mr. CliffChase
He's been knockin'
He won't leave me alone

I used ta do a little
but a little wouldn't do
So the little got more and more
I just keep tryin'
ta get a little better
Said a little better than before
I used ta do a little
but a little wouldn't do
So the little got more and more
I just keep tryin'
ta get a little better
Said a little better than before
 
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Spoiled Axe-FX owners problems...

(In my best Samuel L Jackson Voice, which isn't very good at all...)

There's too many MF great amps in this MF update, Cliff. Every time I discover a new amp I feel a need to reprogram a patch, or two.

Honestly though, that's a problem I'm happy to have. You're doing great Cliff. Keep up the good work.
 
Hey - Regarding the cabs that are included with the firmware -
Do we need to load them manually, or is that taken care of by the firmware update?

Thanks

FractalAudio said:
Be sure to check out the new cabs.

A pretty cool combination is to use the 4x12 Fractal GB and the 4x12 Fractal V30 in stereo.
Click to expand...
 
I don't really get it... A updated firmware means that something has changed, otherwise there would be no update, and this of course means that your sound might have changed. If you don't want this to happen, don't update your firmware, easy as that. If you are curious about how the new one sounds like, back up your system, try the new firmware and in case you don't like it, roll back and enjoy what you had. Why is this starting over and over again with every firmware update...

Gesendet von meinem Nexus 7 mit Tapatalk
 
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