Axe-Fx II "Quantum" Rev 7.02 Public Beta

I don't join the congratulatory/thank-you circle J after firmware releases. I monitor the forum to make sure I'm aware of everything going on but I don't post.

The last FW update (7.01) and the motor drive beta (7.02b) are different; Different enough that I'm joining the group grope. These updates are great and bring an awesome speed-of-attainment to the tone chasing we've all been doing since we first picked up an electric guitar. High gain amps have carried the day for years on the AXE FX because in heavy distortion a lot of sins are covered. The most recent updates have favored the other half and have provided damn near perfection in recorded electric guitar sound.

Fractal team and Cliff: I've never said it after a firmware update but congratulations, you've enabled professionally mastered guitar sounds with what can be characterized as ease.

best,
m
 
I went back and forth between putting it in the amp block and putting it in the cab block. The advantage of being in the amp block is that it could be before the final Level control so it would be independent of the Level. With it in the cab block if you change the output level of the amp block it will affect the amount of compression and you need to readjust. The disadvantage is that with it in the amp block you have to remember to turn it off when using a real guitar cabinet. In the end I just felt it was best to put it in the cab block as this would reduce the number of "my Axe-Fx sounds compressed when run through an amp and guitar cab"..

Would it not be possible to "side-chain" it?
Feed the Motor Drive with a pre-Level signal from the Amp block?
 
I went back and forth between putting it in the amp block and putting it in the cab block. The advantage of being in the amp block is that it could be before the final Level control so it would be independent of the Level. With it in the cab block if you change the output level of the amp block it will affect the amount of compression and you need to readjust. The disadvantage is that with it in the amp block you have to remember to turn it off when using a real guitar cabinet. In the end I just felt it was best to put it in the cab block as this would reduce the number of "my Axe-Fx sounds compressed when run through an amp and guitar cab".

Many decisions nowadays are related to support. You'd be surprised at some of the questions we get and how much time is devoted to support. As such we're trying to dumb things down when possible.
By being in the CAB Block it also gives the user the option to have it present in the signal that goes to FOH and not present in the signal that goes to your power amp and cab, when using the FXLOOP block and both outputs of the AxeFX. This is true, right?
 
By being in the CAB Block it also gives the user the option to have it present in the signal that goes to FOH and not present in the signal that goes to your power amp and cab, when using the FXLOOP block and both outputs of the AxeFX. This is true, right?
yep.
 
Correct.

Even better for power amp/cab users would be separating Speaker Drive and the Resonance settings from the Amp block, but that's probably not possible.
 
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I tried the new motor drive last night with the Plexi 100W, greenback from the Player's Pack and a Les Paul. What I found was I liked a little, but not a lot. Maybe it's because the Plexi is already a fairly compressed, mid-focused amp. It just felt like if I got much above 3 the dynamics were squashed too much, along with losing some openness in the highs and lows.

I'll have to try other amps today.
Ok, so I found that I had the amp drive set too high. Once I brought it down to around 5 things started sounding much better, with or without motor drive, but mostly with. Motor drive does seem to enhance the mids somehow, which actually allowed me to raise the low pass frequency in the cab block. I had it set around 8k, but with motor drive up around 6.5 I preferred the low pass set to 10k (12dB/oct).
 
Ok, so I found that I had the amp drive set too high. Once I brought it down to around 5 things started sounding much better, with or without motor drive, but mostly with. Motor drive does seem to enhance the mids somehow, which actually allowed me to raise the low pass frequency in the cab block. I had it set around 8k, but with motor drive up around 6.5 I preferred the low pass set to 10k (12dB/oct).
6.5 was also exactly where my "cutoff" was, where I thought the effect became too much. A bit below that and with certain rhythm stuff, exactly the right amount of singing happening.
 
I went back and forth between putting it in the amp block and putting it in the cab block. The advantage of being in the amp block is that it could be before the final Level control so it would be independent of the Level. With it in the cab block if you change the output level of the amp block it will affect the amount of compression and you need to readjust. .

That was the first thing I checked. IMHO I like where it is... Thanks FAS

PS I also love the complexity of the AxeFx Please don't dumb it down to much...:)
 
This is amazing for tones that SHOULD be played loud. Think AC/DC etc, who played a fairly low-gain amp turned up so loud they used to turn the cab backwards (pointed towards the wall). A lot of the "magic" is everything in the chain except the amp distorting, and Motor Drive and Speaker Drive nail those aspects.

The only thing I imagine being more useful would be some means of separating these parameters out from blocks entirely (don't ask me how...), so that they can have envelopes attached, or at least side-chain based on signal... having the Motor Drive bounce up with harder playing and soften down with quieter playing, a la what a real amps does, would be perfect.

At any rate this damn thing is magical, and I love playing now just to hear it.
 
Oh man, finally got a chance to play around with this update for a few hours, and it's THEE one... somewhere between 4 and 7 on the Motor Drive is really where that thing eats for me. Unfortunately I don't even have the luxury of playing by pushing actual air, but it sounds super good through my monitoring headphones, I imagine anyone with FRFR and some volume is gonna love this one. Q7.0.2 will need to come with a warning: "Warning: Product will produce uncontrollable bouts of 'guitar face'". Loving all the Q7 work, so so good. Thanks again FAS!
 
I don't quite follow why Speaker Drive is in the Amp block, but Motor Drive is in the Cab block. Both model the effects of signal on the speaker?
 
I don't join the congratulatory/thank-you circle J after firmware releases. I monitor the forum to make sure I'm aware of everything going on but I don't post.

The last FW update (7.01) and the motor drive beta (7.02b) are different; Different enough that I'm joining the group grope. These updates are great and bring an awesome speed-of-attainment to the tone chasing we've all been doing since we first picked up an electric guitar. High gain amps have carried the day for years on the AXE FX because in heavy distortion a lot of sins are covered. The most recent updates have favored the other half and have provided damn near perfection in recorded electric guitar sound.

Fractal team and Cliff: I've never said it after a firmware update but congratulations, you've enabled professionally mastered guitar sounds with what can be characterized as ease.

best,
m
You are spot on, higher gain sounds have been more forgiving, nailing really great edge of breakup tones is more elusive. Looking forward to giving the motor drive a go!
 
I guess it's a draw as far as the placement of Motor Drive. Being a non-cab user, I'll just dial Motor Drive once I've set my amp level and master volume, then adjust the cab level if needed. I really can't wait to try it. I wish my girlfriend would leave. I'm to the age where my motor drive is more important than my sex drive.
 
I also love the complexity of the AxeFx Please don't dumb it down to much...:)
Yeah, I sure wouldn't want it dumbed down much, but I'm all for minimizing what you have to keep in your head to make it dance.
 
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