Axe-Fx II "Quantum" Rev 5.02 Firmware Released

I just updated to 4.x right before 5.x came out.. Is there a noticeable difference in sound\clarity between 4.x & 5.x ? Has anybody put up any comparisons? I can't find any. Updating isn't too much of a chore but I just spent a lot of time tweaking my presets and I only like upgrading if the sound is improved. The one thing I do notice is lack of smoothness\clarity in the higher frequencies with cab modeling which will hopefully improve someday, it still sounds harsh to my ears after a few hours of playing that I just don't hear on a real tube amp and cab...
 
Justin Morse said:
The one thing I do notice is lack of smoothness\clarity in the higher frequencies with cab modeling which will hopefully improve someday, it still sounds harsh to my ears after a few hours of playing that I just don't hear on a real tube amp and cab...
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But you do hear it on a real tube amp that's been close-miked, which is what cab modeling is derived from. So do what real sound engineers do with a close-miked cab: low-pass it. The Cab block has a parameter that's just perfect for that.

As for whether you'll hear the improvements between FW 4 and 5, load up 5 and decide for yourself. If you don't like it, go back to 4.
 
yves vanmeenen said:
I installed Q5 a few days ago...my o my...what happened? I checked the HOOK amp....I am just blown away ...that sounds so full . Throw a ruckus infront...it becomes a beast:)
I used my les paul and I am a real cab user, so cab simulations off.

I do have a major problem now...I just can not stop playing anymore;:)
I feels like Cliff did something magic with Q5....or is it this time for real cab users only..
Or is that Hook thing so unbelievable, it allows me to make all kind of tones so easily even ones i couldn`t find before.

For those about to rock...the Q5 is simply....jihaaaaaa
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"I do have a major problem now...I just can not stop playing anymore;
Or is that Hook thing so unbelievable, it allows me to make all kind of tones so easily even ones i couldn`t find before."

This:D
 
Rex said:
But you do hear it on a real tube amp that's been close-miked, which is what cab modeling is derived from. So do what real sound engineers do with a close-miked cab: low-pass it. The Cab block has a parameter that's just perfect for that.

As for whether you'll hear the improvements between FW 4 and 5, load up 5 and decide for yourself. If you don't like it, go back to 4.
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Hey Rex - I actually just wrote a lengthy little forum response related to that exact subject, and there's a reason why I don't complain too much about it, it's really the only gripe I have. I do run a lowpass and it absolutely helps,

-Justin
 
OK thank you -I'll try that. I like my sounds very much but after a couple of hours the highs in the Preset A Day Presets, which are sounding great - getting to my ears, which I usually don't get, when I make my own presets.
 
Rex said:
What you're doing is equivalent to playing a real amp through a real cab, then milking that real cab and running the mic feed into another cab. It won't break anything, but tends to put a blanket over the sound and really narrow the spectrum.

When you try it without the Cab block, be sure to re-dial your sound for that cabless setup. If you're trying to get rid of excess highs, try making your cuts in another block.
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So if I got this right, with my 2x12 cab (although FR), i'ts better to turn the cab off?
 
jarabuandi said:
So if I got this right, with my 2x12 cab (although FR), i'ts better to turn the cab off?
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If you have an FRFR cab, then you want the CAB simulation on. If you have a traditional guitar cabinet (Mesa, Orange, Peavey, Friedman, etc), you want CAB simulation off.
 
yves vanmeenen said:
I feels like Cliff did something magic with Q5....or is it this time for real cab users only.
Click to expand...

Yep, something is going on for sure. I always had to dial in the speaker parameters in the amp in order to get it sounding and feeling right with my cabs. Not now. This is a great firmware.
 
jarabuandi said:
So if I got this right, with my 2x12 cab (although FR), i'ts better to turn the cab off?
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If it's truly full-range and truly flat-response (most 2x12's aren't), you'll probably want the cab sim on. If it's only "sort of" FRFR, you're into a grey area where you'll have to use your ears. If it's an actual guitar cab, turn the cab sim off.
 
Rex said:
What you're doing is equivalent to playing a real amp through a real cab, then milking that real cab and running the mic feed into another cab. It won't break anything, but tends to put a blanket over the sound and really narrow the spectrum.

When you try it without the Cab block, be sure to re-dial your sound for that cabless setup. If you're trying to get rid of excess highs, try making your cuts in another block.
Click to expand...

So i basically just created two of the exact same patches - one with a cab and one without. Pretty much what I found was that they both sounded great, and that I could pretty much make them sound the same. Now the one without the cab block was a little easier to dial in and would obviously save me some more cpu space and took less tweaking. I would also add that I do know a bit more now about tweaking than I did when I started using a cab block - which definitely helped me dial it in some more. I'm using a port city OS 2x12 with ev12l's and Matrix 1000.
Well - looks like my weekend just filled up - going back to re-work my patches !
 
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EV 12L's aren't really guitar speakers in the classic sense. They have cast baskets (as opposed to stamped), heavy magnets and share much of their construction with PA speakers. This gives them a more neutral sound than, say, a Greenback. As such they don't color the sound as much and you could, I suppose, use IRs with them.
 
Jason Scott said:
For many players, feel and tone are the driving force that fuel inspiration, while for me it's always been tone almost exclusively. Interestingly, it's difficult for me to fully gauge the quality of my own tone while playing. I find I'm much more objective and capable of judging tonal quality when listening via a recording either through the Looper block or in my DAW.
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Yes indeed. When you are playing some of your brain is given over to thinking about what you are doing with your hands so you can't possibly focus your full attention on your listening like you can when listening to a recording and not playing....
 
My experience:

Cab sims work quite well with EV-12Ls at low volume. They help emphasize the low end and remove the brittleness.

However, the speaker's sound changes considerably when the volume is turned up. Using a cab sim then turns it into a muddy mess.
 
ralphonz said:
Yes indeed. When you are playing some of your brain is given over to thinking about what you are doing with your hands so you can't possibly focus your full attention on your listening like you can when listening to a recording and not playing....
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I think most of it has something to do with the fact I listen at conversational volumes and I'm not only hearing the sound coming through the headphones or monitors, I'm also picking up the sound of the guitar in the room. I think It's the combo of the two that's throwing me off. I've tried different ways to eliminate and block the sound of the pick hitting the strings and the strings themselves, but it's eluded me. There's always some spillover. I don't have the same problem when playing keyboard. It sounds the same whether I'm playing or just listening.

But honestly, I've been playing so long that I frequently don't think about my hands when I'm playing. My focus is mainly on the melody, tone and feel of a song.
 
CLIFF SSSSSSSSSSSSSSTOP, dont change another a thing with the AMP BLOCK; NO MORE epiphanies, dump time brainstorming, flux capacitor add ons; This has brought me back to some earlier firmwares.. Way more Ahhh moments, Way more stopping to just PLAY. My IR's sound better, the frequencies are better, less mud, no blanket, SOMETHING worked.

I am typically not thrilled with changes, each one seemed to do the opposite of what I previously liked, so this is big news.
 
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