Axe Fx II vs FM3 (Quantum 8 vs Cygnus X-3 Audio Comparison)

mr_fender said:
From the listener perspective the difference is somewhat subtle. To the player, that extra bit of feel might be just the ticket to inspiring that perfect take.
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I agree that better feel might get you a better take.
After I spend the weekend playing more with the FM3 I’ll give my thoughts about the difference in feel.

Do you have a clip you like better?
Or is it subtle enough that you don’t have a preference?
 
Wizi said:
So which clip sounded better to you? :)




I don’t doubt you guys for a second, but I’m in the field of making records! I record guitars in the studio for myself and for others, and so the listeners don’t get to hold my guitar :)
Which clip sounded better to you?
I’d love to know! It’s all subjective anyway!
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Jeff Beck made an album using a Line 6 Pod.
Nobody knew until he mentioned it.
Buddy Guy used an old keyboard amp laying around in Hoodoo Man album with Junior Wells.
Might be best blues album ever made.

That doesn't mean that most people in actual real life use would not prefer a higher quality amp or modeler.

Anything can be made to sound usable but I don't see anyone trading and AxeFx3 for an Axe 2 or Axe8, or Pod.
 
Lkdog said:
Jeff Beck made an album using a Line 6 Pod.
Nobody knew until he mentioned it.
Buddy Guy used an old keyboard amp laying around in Hoodoo Man album with Junior Wells.
Might be best blues album ever made.

That doesn't mean that most people in actual real life use would not prefer a higher quality amp or modeler.

Anything can be made to sound usable but I don't see anyone trading and AxeFx3 for an Axe 2 or Axe8, or Pod.
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I think you got it backwards my friend :)
I did this comparison to find out if I should upgrade, not if anyone should downgrade, that was never the question.
I just thought I’d share my comparison with the class (without sharing my opinion), since I’m 1000% sure there are a lot of curios people here just like me.
So which one is your favorite? :)

chris said:
Both sound like a guitar. Mission complete.
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Can’t argue with that! ;)
Which one is your favorite?
 
Wizi said:
I think you got it backwards my friend :)
I did this comparison to find out if I should upgrade, not if anyone should downgrade, that was never the question.
I just thought I’d share my comparison with the class (without sharing my opinion), since I’m 1000% sure there are a lot of curios people here just like me.
So which one is your favorite? :)
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I never said that was the question.
And I really doubt you are basing your decision to upgrade on what people think here about your audio clip.

Of course you will upgrade eventually to better technology in a Fractal or other modeler and be glad you did.

The collective experience of thousands of users in multiple contexts is the real measure and the question has already been answered for years on these forums and by professional users.
 
Lkdog said:
I never said that was the question.
And I really doubt you are basing your decision to upgrade on what people think here about your audio clip.

Of course you will upgrade eventually to better technology in a Fractal or other modeler and be glad you did.

The collective experience of thousands of users in multiple contexts is the real measure and the question has already been answered for years on these forums and by professional users.
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I explicitly said I do NOT base my decision to upgrade on what other people think.
If I was, I wouldn’t bother to make this comparison at all!
I explicitly said I shared this because I know other people are curios.
I thought I made this clear in my original post, but I hope now it’s super clear! :)
 
Wizi said:
I'm messing with a different preset now of an almost cranked Plexi 50W 6550 model.
I've added 100% cab resonance (4x12 brit greenback, since that's what my IR is based on), still with the curve manually matched, and set Speaker Breakup to Hard.
I find that setting the Speaker Compliance to 0 makes the tone brighter, so I can smooth it out now with Speaker Drive on 2-3, and add back some Speaker Thump around 2-4.

I am still struggling with Speaker Compression however!
I'm guessing not many of you are familiar with the Motor Drive on FW Quantum 8 since it's so old, but when setting the Time Constant to 20ms-40ms it gives this immediacy and punch to the amp dynamics, really helps to convey the feeling that the amp is cranked and working hard, and "everything is loud" no matter what you're playing.
But with the Speaker Compression on the FM3 it seems to be doing the opposite, makes everything more saggy and spongey, less in your face. Which is a cool effect on it's own! Just not what I'm used to in my Axe Fx presets.
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Try reducing the Time Constant.
 
giantslayer said:
Listening on my iPhone (I know, I know), I much prefer the B sounds. A lot more depth to them vs the A sounds being flatter.
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Surprisingly iPhones can sometimes help you hear the differences between things since they’re so focused on the high mids!

giantslayer said:
Try reducing the Time Constant.
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I did :)
It’s still not the same, and even the fastest isn’t as fast, but I got pretty close together with the Thump, but without the other functions
 
I have them both, and there is simply no comparison.

I always ended up using the Axe II with tube gear as Ares was lacking to some degree, and it still works great mostly with tube preamps so the Axe II was providing the tube power amp sims, however with Cygnus and the FM3 it's now all DSP now (Cygnus made it happen for me and I'm a confirmed tube snob).

The Axe II is still a powerful platform, however it's amp modeling has certainly been surpassed through the years.
 
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The rythm sound is not my cup of tea, I would prefer B. I like both solo sounds, but to my ears B is a little warmer, so I like it a little more..
Thank you for this comparison, it is amazing, how good the Axe Fx II still is!
(But Admin M@ is right: Give me a guitar ..... )
 
To be honest, I haven't heard the clips. And I'm not going to listen to them either.
I have all the devices here in my studio.

AXE FX Ultra, FX II, FX8, AX8, FM3, FM9 and of course the AXE FX III.
I don't record either. I'm a live musician through and through with about 80-100 gigs a year. And in very different styles.

For me, the AXE FX III is worlds better in terms of sound and feel. (This also applies to FM3 and FM9).
What counts most for me is how quickly I can adjust a sound. And for that I use the knowledge I have gained over the years
with the real AMPS (and I've had 100+ tube amps in my hands).

So that's irrelevant for me. I would never again prefer the AXE FX II to the III live.
When I think of all the effort involved with the MFC101. Don't need that anymore 😅
It's quicker with the new generation of devices and I have more time to play.
Speaking of playing. I still have to write about 40 sheets for tomorrow. Temporary job. (But very well paid 😀)

But from time to time I switch on the AXE FX II again and play a bit. For the sake of the good old days.
 
The title is misleading. This is not a comparison between the IIXL+ and the III. The FM3 and FM9 do not sound the same as the III, and both of them sound better than the II XL+. The III is clearly superior to all others. In no universe does the II equal the III or even the FM. I have all of them and the differences are immediately obvious.

Manipulating the FM3 to sound like the II serves no purpose that I can see, any more than manipulating it to sound like the Ultra or Guitar Rig 1. And equating the FM3 to the III tells me that you've never lived with the III.
 
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