Axe-Fx III Firmware 24.03 Release

[Daveporter33765]

The last few updates that Cliff and the team have developed and rolled-out for my Axe Fx III Mk II Turbo have moved the goalpost that all other modelers must reach if they want to play in the big leagues with Fractal. The tones achievable with my AF3 are stunning! CabLab4 is an amazing tool that has no equal and which adds huge flexibility and additional tone sculpting capabilities to my AF3 modeler. There is no other musical equipment supplier that I have ever done business with that produces the quality gear and provides the vastly superior customer service that I have enjoyed since I became a Fractal customer, and fan-boy, last January!

 

[State of Epicicity]

Recently I've been revisiting dialing tones using a single static IR, and I've really been stuck on Factory 2 #699 4x12 Euro 121 C1 ML, with the 4x12 Euro Speaker Impedance Curve. Today I went through a whirlwind of Plexis and modded Plexi types with it, and I was just blown away by how they all sounded. The SV20H (Brit Studio 20) in front of that cab is the most badass thing, but I highly recommend any dynamic Marshall flavor with this cab. Enjoy!

 

[Phosphenetre]

I used my friend's Ecstasy for the match with his personal settings to show how accurate Fractal is. He only uses the blue channel, so that's the one we matched. We liked the Presence really high around 7-9 and then tweaked the Mid and Treble to shape the top end. I think I read that Presence tapers are authentic on all amps now (or almost all of them), and Bogners have some interesting tapers that can require some drastic settings.

The default amp settings are just starting points, so twist away until you get what you're looking for. The power amp modeling is spectacular, so the Master Volume and Presence controls might be the two most important tone-shaping knobs on any amp in my opinion.

That's great to hear! I'm new to the Fractal universe, having come in from a different modelling platform. I've been wanting to play a modeller that captures the Bogner Ecstasy for years now, and this vote in favour of the accuracy of the Fractal model is just what I needed to hear.

Out of curiosity, what revision of the Ecstasy did you and your friend match? Was it the 101B, or was it a 20th Anniversary or Classic or some other variant?

 

[York Audio]

That's great to hear! I'm new to the Fractal universe, having come in from a different modelling platform. I've been wanting to play a modeller that captures the Bogner Ecstasy for years now, and this vote in favour of the accuracy of the Fractal model is just what I needed to hear.

Out of curiosity, what revision of the Ecstasy did you and your friend match? Was it the 101B, or was it a 20th Anniversary or Classic or some other variant?

It's the 101B. We mainly focused on the Blue Channel.

 

[Phosphenetre]

It's the 101B. We mainly focused on the Blue Channel.

That's interesting, given that the 101B and Anniversary are supposed to sound quite different, from what I read (I haven't played either in the real world).

The 101B Blue Channel is one of the most coveted sounds in rock, any tips to towards matching the tonal character and feel with the Fractal's Anniversary edition model would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Randalljax]

That's interesting, given that the 101B and Anniversary are supposed to sound quite different, from what I read (I haven't played either in the real world).

The 101B Blue Channel is one of the most coveted sounds in rock, any tips to towards matching the tonal character and feel with the Fractal's Anniversary edition model would be greatly appreciated!

Agreed I have been an advocate for a while to have the Blue/ Red channels of an older 90s XTC 101b
I think there are a bunch of schematics available so maybe one day

 

[York Audio]

That's interesting, given that the 101B and Anniversary are supposed to sound quite different, from what I read (I haven't played either in the real world).

The 101B Blue Channel is one of the most coveted sounds in rock, any tips to towards matching the tonal character and feel with the Fractal's Anniversary edition model would be greatly appreciated!

We set the amp and model controls in pretty much the same place if I remember correctly. Dialing in a Bogner can lead to some interesting settings. Using the Blue channel, I'd start with the Presence high at around 8-9, crank the Gain to 10 (it gets pretty thin as you back it down), Treble around 4, Middle around 3.5, and Bass pretty high. Adjust the Master Volume to your liking... lower levels give you more top end air and less midrange while higher levels bring out more mids and taper off top end.

As with any amp, tweak it for your cab, guitar, and playing technique. Those are just some starting values. Trust your ears and twist some knobs until you get what you're looking for.