Axe-Fx II "Quantum" Rev 1.00 Firmware Release

Then I would assume you have never had an update drastically improve your sounds either? This all ties into the conversation we're having...
there's a difference between things improving and OMG I HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH NOW!! But no, it's never a drastic thing, I've always said as much. Just a sweetening. It can be a big improvement in terms of feel and response and not be a big change in overall tone.
 
There's no issue with differing opinions. If you don't hear a difference, you can freely say so. I can't speak for the forum moderators, but from my perspective, your post came off as being more about sniping at people who do hear a difference, and calling out Quantum as a phony placebo, than about voicing your opinion. I'm guessing that wasn't your intention, but that's how it came off.

I can say that Quantum is no placebo, this shit is hot, "Quantum feels like a virgin on her first night, it's tight, right, and out of sight!!!!!!"
 
there's a difference between things improving and OMG I HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH NOW!! But no, it's never a drastic thing, I've always said as much. Just a sweetening. It can be a big improvement in terms of feel and response and not be a big change in overall tone.

This has been experience as well. It gets better or even feels better but never have I had to do any massive changes only subtle changes are required.
 
there's a difference between things improving and OMG I HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH NOW!! But no, it's never a drastic thing, I've always said as much. Just a sweetening. It can be a big improvement in terms of feel and response and not be a big change in overall tone.

Sorry, but this appears to be a total contradiction in terms ~ OMG I HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH NOW!! seems very drastic... far from a sweetening. Again, we are trying to minimize any placebo effect.

And this seems pure crap: I can say that Quantum is no placebo, this shit is hot, "Quantum feels like a virgin on her first night, it's tight, right, and out of sight!!!!!!"

I will also echo the chorus of posts that have gone before me "This is the greatest improvement in all modeling history" etc.

I love my AFX II, and am very excited about updating to Quantum ~ I suspect it will be the best sonic platform I have yet experienced, but my ears must always be the deciding factor, not my expectations nor the surrounding hype...

In fairness, I feel I should give an example of how this might play out:

"You load up the new software update, but when you listen to the favorite presets you have been using, they don't sound very inspiring (too bright, too dull, too much gain, too little bass, etc). So now you set about tweaking these presets, and sure enough, they end up sounding much better! The hard part is knowing if they really are better than before, or if you are just wowed by the before & after comparison, or if your own tweaking skills have improved enough to have made a significant difference. This is in no way to minimize all the amazing work Cliff and the Team are doing (free of charge, no less) ~ Only to say that the differences/improvements are harder to recognize/substantiate when the 'playing field' has been somewhat re-arranged."
 
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there's a difference between things improving and OMG I HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH NOW!! But no, it's never a drastic thing, I've always said as much. Just a sweetening. It can be a big improvement in terms of feel and response and not be a big change in overall tone.
it depends on the amp models used - the Rectos have been redone on a few firmwares and each time a start from scratch was necessary. Although they were improved, the Plexis never needed that. Etc.
 
This is the first update in a long time that I'm honestly looking forward to. My Axe MkII is still on 17.4 FW and my XL+ is on 18.4. I'm hoping I won't have to totally re-do my tones but it appears that may be the case as I know a lot has changed since then. If the results sound good from the start, it's worth any time I have to put in really. My biggest issue is actually success with older FW to the point of not needing to update....if you would even call that an issue? LOL! So this isn't meant to be a negative post....I've gotten what I've needed out of my Axe MkII since FW 15 really and they kept on getting better until 18xx for me. That just never impressed me nor did 19. No offense, honest. The tones just didn't work for me and after tweaking the hell out of mine for a week, I just chalked those FW's up as "not for me". Heck, I hate that I can't use FW 17.4 on my XL+ lol!

I know it's not possible, but I often wish we could update partially getting the newer options minus our current tones being affected. Those of us like me that don't update because we're happy, also lose out on all the cool creature comforts/additional options Cliff and company have given us. I wish I had the time to constantly re-tweak my tone every time a major update came out....but I'm gigging and I'm working in the studio. So I need to have consistency as well as great tone at all times. Besides, at my age now, I'm really tired of tone chasing. Ever just want to play? LOL! I've tone chased as much or more than I've practiced. ;) After tweaking since I started playing nearly 40 years ago, I think I've had enough. Hahaha! But I never get enough of the creature comforts and other cool stuff that gets added. I just wish some of these insane updates didn't effect my tones and gave me the cool other additional options that aren't tone specific, ya know? But anyway....backing up my sounds and looking forward to trying Quantum.

That said, I'm reading a few had to update certain things and re-install/refresh or something....are there any specific things we need to do to make sure we hear what we're supposed to hear once all is said and done? Like is there a specific "do this, then this, and then this and you should be in good shape and hearing everything" kinda thing?

And...if I have to go backwards to one of my favorite FW versions, will I be ok to do that still? Just making sure this Quantum thing isn't permanent in the event it's not for me because I'm really happy with my tone right now. But after reading all these cool replies, there's no way I can walk away from this one. :) Thanks!
 
What does this mean?
what I meant is maybe jlynnb1 is using amp models that weren't that much affected by changes through the different firmwares, so he didn't have to re-tweak his presets too much. As I regularly update three bank of presets using probably more than 60/70 amp models, I've noted that some amps barely needs a tweak after a major firmware release, and others needs much more work, even if the changes concerns general modeling algorithms, which is shared by all the models
 
I've been jumping on every firmware since fw 7 when I got my axe fx II and 9 times out of ten I never had to adjust much at all,
it just sounded better / sweater / more feel / more dynamic right after update. Some more than others. I understand some users
find the need to tweak a lot every firmware update but I have not, it's usually just small changes and many times no changes for me.

It just sounds so good and I have often thought that it wasn't going to be any improvement but sure enough, a couple of weeks later
something new came up and changes the sound to be even better. I've been supersaticfied with this machine since day one, and I had never
in my wildest dreams thought it was possible to improve it as much as Cliff and FAS have done.

I still get a kick out of the "Double Verb" with the "reverb hold function" every day !! I can't believe how good it sounds and how easy the
"harmonics" and "bell " -like tones jumps out of it .. hmm I am sure that sentences can only be understood by guitarplayers :)

To make a long story short, I rarely have to adjust much compared to what I gain for each firmware update

:)
 
Just curious. Does anyone know if there were any winners in the describe Quantum facebook contest? I was really hoping for one of those shirts :).
 
Sorry, but this appears to be a total contradiction in terms ~ OMG I HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH NOW!! seems very drastic... far from a sweetening. Again, we are trying to minimize any placebo effect.

And this seems pure crap: I can say that Quantum is no placebo, this shit is hot, "Quantum feels like a virgin on her first night, it's tight, right, and out of sight!!!!!!"

I will also echo the chorus of posts that have gone before me "This is the greatest improvement in all modeling history" etc.

I love my AFX II, and am very excited about updating to Quantum ~ I suspect it will be the best sonic platform I have yet experienced, but my ears must always be the deciding factor, not my expectations nor the surrounding hype...

In fairness, I feel I should give an example of how this might play out:

"You load up the new software update, but when you listen to the favorite presets you have been using, they don't sound very inspiring (too bright, too dull, too much gain, too little bass, etc). So now you set about tweaking these presets, and sure enough, they end up sounding much better! The hard part is knowing if they really are better than before, or if you are just wowed by the before & after comparison, or if your own tweaking skills have improved enough to have made a significant difference. This is in no way to minimize all the amazing work Cliff and the Team are doing (free of charge, no less) ~ Only to say that the differences/improvements are harder to recognize/substantiate when the 'playing field' has been somewhat re-arranged."

it's not a contradiction, you need to slow down and read what I wrote, because you didn't get it.

I was saying things can improve without them changing so much that it turns into the OMG I have to start over moment. That things can improve in feel and dynamics without adversely or drastically affecting the actual tone itself.
 
it depends on the amp models used - the Rectos have been redone on a few firmwares and each time a start from scratch was necessary. Although they were improved, the Plexis never needed that. Etc.


100%! I'm not a Mesa guy so I've never even tried to use those amps...since they have been reworked quite extensively I can see how that might bonk someone's tones.
 
Sorry, but this appears to be a total contradiction in terms ~ OMG I HAVE TO START FROM SCRATCH NOW!! seems very drastic... far from a sweetening. Again, we are trying to minimize any placebo effect.

And this seems pure crap: I can say that Quantum is no placebo, this shit is hot, "Quantum feels like a virgin on her first night, it's tight, right, and out of sight!!!!!!"

I will also echo the chorus of posts that have gone before me "This is the greatest improvement in all modeling history" etc.

I love my AFX II, and am very excited about updating to Quantum ~ I suspect it will be the best sonic platform I have yet experienced, but my ears must always be the deciding factor, not my expectations nor the surrounding hype...

In fairness, I feel I should give an example of how this might play out:

"You load up the new software update, but when you listen to the favorite presets you have been using, they don't sound very inspiring (too bright, too dull, too much gain, too little bass, etc). So now you set about tweaking these presets, and sure enough, they end up sounding much better! The hard part is knowing if they really are better than before, or if you are just wowed by the before & after comparison, or if your own tweaking skills have improved enough to have made a significant difference. This is in no way to minimize all the amazing work Cliff and the Team are doing (free of charge, no less) ~ Only to say that the differences/improvements are harder to recognize/substantiate when the 'playing field' has been somewhat re-arranged."

After every new firmware I reset the system parameters to default using the utility front panel system reset and then manually set my system parameter tweaks. For me its the input level and the midi controller assignments. I use a TC helicon voicelive 3 as my foot controller for the Fractal.

After that, I try to re-use my existing presets. If they sound worse than before, I try resetting the amp block only. If they still don't sound right, I start over with a blank preset and re-create it. This can be tricky if you use AxeEdit because it remembers the previous settings of deleted blocks. You need to be careful to exit AxeEdit, boot the Fractal while holding the recall button, then launch AxeEdit to truly start from a blank slate.

That having been said, for me, my main preset uses the Concert 6G12 amp model. That model in particular did not give me a "holy shit" moment when upgrading from 19.x to Quantum. It did not get worse, but it didn't jump out as being better either.

Some of the other Fender models though, show a remarkable improvement in feel and playing dynamics.

So for me, not every model creates a light bulb with Quantum.

I still like the Fractal pushing the envelope mentality but I have adapted my workflow to it. So I can take advantage of new features with as little re-work as possible. E.g. I don't change too many system parameters because I reset them often. etc.
 
What does this mean?

I didn't have to change anything on my 50w Plexi High patches. They just sounded better, plus they had more dynamic range right out of the gate. I did decide to give them a bit more bass, but that was because there was more clarity in the overall tone, so I could add more bass without getting muddy. However, my Engl Savage patches needed some minor basic parameter tweaks to get them sounding like what I had originally intended, but even with just sone minor tweaks I got the gain sounding more like what I was aiming for than what I had in the previous firmware.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
This has taken my Savageness preset to a new level !!
I'd like to thank you personally for this and encourage others to try it.
It's as if someone modified my amp for me - total incredible Cliff.

Added a new mode to the “Character” controls in the Amp block. A Char Type of “Dynamic” engages an exciting new mode of tone control. This can be used to fatten or scoop the tone as a function of picking strength. For example, set the Type to Dynamic, Char Freq to 450.0, Char Q to 0.7 and Char Amt to 4.0. This will cause the tone to get fatter and thicker as you play hard but without getting honky when playing soft
 
Heh. It's kind of funny that my original post sparked a conversation about the nature of firmware updates, placebo effect, hyperboly, etc - a post that got removed by a moderator ;-) For the record, I wasn't accusing FAS of indulging in hyperboly - that's all on our end. ;-) Nor was I saying the improvements weren't real; just that some of the statements surrounding firmware improvements get pretty overblown.

It was intented to poke a little fun (and maybe get such a conversation going), though being that it's the Internet and all, the humor was likely lost in translation. Anyway, it's been interesting reading the conversations.
 
I am relieved now.

I updated a few days ago, and only spent some time with it really over the last two or three days. I was, frankly, totally disappointed - everything sounded a bit weird and "off". I was not sure if something was wrong with my guitar or my hearing after all the excitement here on the forum about Quantum. So to make sure if I did not fool myself, I reverted to FW19, and indeed, it sounded much better, much more life and power in the sound. I noticed it especially on the presets with more gain. So, i tried to reinstall Quantum (did not download the file again, have no internet in the studio), but this time it must have worked, because now it's fine. Noticed it especially on my Angle Severe and Recto Red Modern presets - with the corrupt installation, they were horrible, while on FW19 they were my favourite high gain presets. Now, after the second Quantum install, they were as good again as FW19 - or even better, honestly, couldn't say yet.

I find it anyway a bit amusing - every firmware a "drastic improvement" as sometimes it is said? That would mean we have had 16 "drastic improvements" since I purchased the Axe II which had FW5 back then. If these 16 firmware updates were so drastic, then how crappy must it have been back then???? And it wasn't... it was already good on FW6. Of course it is better now, but really, the only times I noticed a significant improvement was with FW 12 and FW18. After only 5 minutes with the non-corrupted Quantum firmware, the verdict is still out on that one... ;-)
 
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