Axe-Fx II "Quantum" Rev 7.02 Firmware Release

I am not seeing the usual monumental number of accolades that are found in previous updates. The forum seems to indicate that this is by far the best FW ever created AND that is is also rather difficult to find the so-called sweet spot for many presets (and time consuming). Is this an accurate summary? I rely on you astute professionals to guide me in this process. That is, if it is difficult for you masters then it will likely be a fruitless endeavor for someone with little experience. Then again, perhaps many are on spring break. Please, this is not a criticism so spare the ammunition. I sincerely love ALL of my Fractal equipment (2 XL+; Mark II; MC-101; and that old favorite) and I wish to have the answer from the wizards and masters of the Fractal universe...
My take on it......
  1. The Amp distortion has more 'grit?' almost leaning towards 'Fuzz?' More accurate I guess? As Cliff said 'Spitty'
  2. There is more bottom end 'thump', But in a good way. I used to have to dial out the lows to keep it from getting flubby. But now the lows are bigger but less flubby. I still dial it back to stay out of the other instruments space, but not as much.
  3. Less need to mess with 'Advanced' parameters.
  4. Amps sound less similar.
  5. I like way more Amp models than I did before.
 
I'm no wizard, but your question has me a bit puzzled.


I am not seeing the usual monumental number of accolades that are found in previous updates. The forum seems to indicate that this is by far the best FW ever created...
You're saying two very opposite things here. :)


...AND that is is also rather difficult to find the so-called sweet spot for many presets (and time consuming). Is this an accurate summary?
This firmware release has wide sweet spots that are easy to find. It just takes a minute to find them. If you have 200 presets that you're keeping current, then those minutes add up to hours, and that's a chunk of time. Same as it ever was. :)


Try this: back up your Axe. Then load the new firmware and see what you think of it, in the context of your presets. If you like it, keep it. If not, reload your last firmware version and restore from your backup files.
 
I am not seeing the usual monumental number of accolades that are found in previous updates. The forum seems to indicate that this is by far the best FW ever created AND that is is also rather difficult to find the so-called sweet spot for many presets (and time consuming). Is this an accurate summary? I rely on you astute professionals to guide me in this process. That is, if it is difficult for you masters then it will likely be a fruitless endeavor for someone with little experience. Then again, perhaps many are on spring break. Please, this is not a criticism so spare the ammunition. I sincerely love ALL of my Fractal equipment (2 XL+; Mark II; MC-101; and that old favorite) and I wish to have the answer from the wizards and masters of the Fractal universe...

Probably b/c people can't stop playing it enough to give it a review. I know that's my experience. Motor drive has changed my life.
 
My take on it......
  1. The Amp distortion has more 'grit?' almost leaning towards 'Fuzz?' More accurate I guess? As Cliff said 'Spitty'
  2. There is more bottom end 'thump', But in a good way. I used to have to dial out the lows to keep it from getting flubby. But now the lows are bigger but less flubby. I still dial it back to stay out of the other instruments space, but not as much.
  3. Less need to mess with 'Advanced' parameters.
  4. Amps sound less similar.
  5. I like way more Amp models than I did before.
I agree with all five points.

The low end is less "tubby", but still as powerful. Same for the highs....the attack is more pronounced without being piercing in any way. The entire spectral "tilt" for lack of a better term has changed for the better. More separation between notes in a chord.

Various amp models are even more distinctive from one another. The attack, grain of distortion, eq, "knock", "squish", and all other useless terms are unique to each model. Compared to the II, the Ultra models all sound very similar. IMO, the II no longer has a "sound of its own".

Advanced parameters are not as necessary. I previously used Character (among others), but find I no longer need to use it to accentuate the attack. I still need to fine tune some of my presets, but the improvements are well worth the effort.

The Triaxis modes freaking SMOKE now. I'm not sure if the power amp used on the Boogies has changed, but I love the power amp breakup on the cleaner models.
 
As an XL + KPA and Helix owner ..... maybe .... just maybe ..... some of the totally over-the-top 2nd-coming-of-Jesus-hyperbole with 702 is turning some off (?) .... to that end .... see this thread .... took all of 2 secs to find

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/roll-back-or-not-undecided.69557/ <= 4 years ago

Replace the FW 9 comments with pre- Q702 comments and the FW10 comments with the current 7.02 / Motor Drive comments and ..... well ..... it could be any thread in this current Q702 discussion ... now ... 4 years and probably dozens of Alpha / Beta / Final FW's later.

Sure Ive gone to 702 and default motor drive settings etc..... its all good ..... yes it -is- differnet .... most notoicably at gigs via my CLR ....... used it for probably 4 shows so far .... no better / worse than 6 .... bit differmet ...... but its all good.

But honestly .... to quasi-quote the ST Nigel interview ......... " if you start gushing at 11 with every FW update " ...... what are you going to say when Cliff has his next epiphany on, say, "tube-crytsal-latticing" [ :) ]

Not havng a go at anyone or anything, but man .... this 702 " biblicisation " has just gotten stupid.

Ben
 
If any firmware is a significant improvement for me, I'll sing its praises. IMO Q702 is a significant step forward. Not just different...better. Calling this "biblicisation" is stupid....not to have a go at anyone.....

I understand your point, but this firmware is one of the few that stands out to my ears and hands. I made detailed recordings before updating to directly compare the 6 and 702, and the difference is not subtle.
 
...this firmware is one of the few that stands out to my ears and hands. I made detailed recordings before updating to directly compare the 6 and 702, and the difference is not subtle.
This. 7.02 is noticeably thicker/richer/better to my ears and hands. @ben ifin , what's your take on 7.02? Not based on how many modelers you own or what was written in earlier threads, but based on the evaluation of your own hands and ears?
 
My tactic is reading only the more detailed describing comments if i need a second opinion.
And i start more often from scratch, resetting my previous setups.

Rock on !
 
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My tactic is reading only the more detailed describing comments if i need a second opinion.
That's a good tactic. The detailed reports go beyond "Good job!," and give the reasons behind their opinions. Taken as a whole, they give you a pretty accurate idea of what to expect.
 
I've been meaning to post my ODS-100 Clean preset I've been playing in for a few weeks now. This firmware really opened up a bunch of new amps for me and I've been experimenting with combinations I've never thought sounded good before. Things sing in ways I hadn't noticed previously. This ODS-based preset is big without being bassy and pairs well with the new drive pedal model for light gain. I'm searching for a higher gain pedal still to pair with it, and it's looking likely I'll fall back on my old high gain TS-9 settings.

I'm absolutely addicted to playing loud. The coupling I'm getting with the ODS-100 Clean and my hollow PRS is insanely good. I can ride long sustain and easily coax controlled feedback out of the setup.

If you haven't yet, this is the firmware you want to install and then revisit all the models with; things have changed in really pleasant and unexpected ways.
 
I've been meaning to post my ODS-100 Clean preset I've been playing in for a few weeks now.


images


This should be good...
 
I agree with all five points.
The Triaxis modes freaking SMOKE now. I'm not sure if the power amp used on the Boogies has changed, but I love the power amp breakup on the cleaner models.
Could this mean a possible Axe-Fx tonematch preset for Vaughndrix? :D
 
I am not seeing the usual monumental number of accolades that are found in previous updates. The forum seems to indicate that this is by far the best FW ever created AND that is is also rather difficult to find the so-called sweet spot for many presets (and time consuming). Is this an accurate summary? I rely on you astute professionals to guide me in this process. That is, if it is difficult for you masters then it will likely be a fruitless endeavor for someone with little experience. Then again, perhaps many are on spring break. Please, this is not a criticism so spare the ammunition. I sincerely love ALL of my Fractal equipment (2 XL+; Mark II; MC-101; and that old favorite) and I wish to have the answer from the wizards and masters of the Fractal universe...

It's just great now to make presets - you can hardly make it sound bad - nice smooth and warm or hard and with bite - it's all with a few tweaks now at your hands - and sweet spots are all over the place now for me - don't worry, just do it - you won't regrett it. ;)
 
The Triaxis modes freaking SMOKE now. I'm not sure if the power amp used on the Boogies has changed, but I love the power amp breakup on the cleaner models.

It uses the Boogie Mark IV poweramp now that is almost identical as the Boogie 2:Ninety.

EDIT: You beat me Yek ;)
 
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This. 7.02 is noticeably thicker/richer/better to my ears and hands. @ben ifin , what's your take on 7.02? Not based on how many modelers you own or what was written in earlier threads, but based on the evaluation of your own hands and ears?

Hey Rex

My point about owning several modellers was simply to say that I dont have any loyalty or allegience to Fractal or Kemper or L6 .... totally platform agnostic.

Just because CC or CK or Mr L6 say or claim to have had a revelation or epiphany to take their products "reality" to the next level means nothing to me ... all that matters is what comes out of the speaker at the other end

To me, after rebuilding all my patches from scratch after 702, compared to FW 6, 702 has:-

- tighter low end in some amps - esp Dirty Shrly
- Twrecks for example sound a lot differnet but when you crank them loud / live [in my case via a CLR in a live rock band scenario] they are nowwhere near as defined / clear as before - dialling the "fitz" out of them is much harder
- it has significantly changed the way a lot of amps gain up and down
- GBMT interaction seems much more exaggerated than before - Ive owned and run a lot of amps and never had this sort of range in the GBMT
- a lower volume levels the mid-range seems good but it just gets lost as I go louder - even by compensatiing for it
- high end is smoother / less harsh than before - can be a good thing - but most real tube amps are the antithises of high-end-smooth

These are all relativley small things and im still running 702 simply because its the latest and its whats going to be worked on.

Like I said - not saying its bad or a step-back from FW6 - its just different.

And yes, I delibertly did mean the "biblical" refernce - absolutluy not to offend anyone - but to express that the almost religious evangelisation about 702 / motor drive in this thread is initially fun and cute .... but damn it gets tiresome and awkward to read after a while .... especially when I know, and you all know that once 7.1 lands or 8 lands etc..... another feature will be changed and it too will be deemd to be "the game changer" ..... hence the point I was trying to highlight but referencing that link from 4 years ago.

Ben
 
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I agree that it's different. I feel that most of the differences are improvements. 7.02, taken as a whole, is a significant step forward—more so than most firmware updates. And while most updates receive praise, words like "game changer" are usually reserved for significant improvements like this
 
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- Twrecks for example sound a lot differnet but when you crank them loud / live [in my case via a CLR in a live rock band scenario] they are nowwhere near as defined / clear as before - dialling the "fitz" out of them is much harder

Real Trainwrecks are very spitty amps. This is because the last stage heavily overdrives the phase inverter. 7.02 is faithful to the actual amps whereas previous firmwares were more idealized. As was indicated in the release notes you can dial out this behavior by decreasing the PI Bias Shift. If you set it to zero it will be like 6.xx.
 
I'm getting some unexpected behavior with motor drive in the amp block. I can crank it up all the way and the meter is only showing me about 0.5 db of compression. When I use the cab block I can easily get 4-6 db. I'm using the Brit silver and I did a deselect, reselect. Anyone else come across this or have an explanation?

I used 7.02 at BP last night and the sound quality killed! Playing a show tomorrow.

What if your master volume is set to low for the motor drive to get going ?
 
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