Axe-Fx III Firmware 29.01 Public Beta

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Not a bug per se, but a slight audible anomaly:

in factory preset FUZZ TWEED (Bank A), switch between scenes 2, 3 and 4.
The switch goes along with a low-frequency thump that's quite noticeable, especially at gigging volume level.
It doesn't seem to be caused by impedance switching, because I hear it on the FM3 (fixed input impedance) too.
 
yek said:
in factory preset FUZZ TWEED (Bank A), switch between scenes 2, 3 and 4.
The switch goes along with a low-frequency thump that's quite noticeable
Click to expand...
It isn't that preset per se. The thump comes from the drive block, and it can be reproduced as follows.

In an empty preset, insert a drive block and an output block. Set channel A to Face Fuzz, set channel B to Super Fuzz. If you turn up the drives and the output you will hear the faint thump when you change between the two channels. When that drive block is in front of an amp and cab, it makes the thump more noticeable.
 
Admin M@ said:
It isn't that preset per se. The thump comes from the drive block, and it can be reproduced as follows.

In an empty preset, insert a drive block and an output block. Set channel A to Face Fuzz, set channel B to Super Fuzz. If you turn up the drives and the output you will hear the faint thump when you change between the two channels. When that drive block is in front of an amp and cab, it makes the thump more noticeable.
Click to expand...
Is this also expected behavior when changing some tone stacks in the Amp block?

It’s more of a pop than a thump though.
 
My name is mud said:
With dist it is « ok » I think, don’t know with the fm3 but ... If you want a better pitch shifter, buy an external/dedicated one like many others do.. and you ll see that the « drop pedal » isn’t perfect neither …

The axe offers many great things for the price, that’s ok to want a perfect pitch shifter, but if it is not here yet, spend one hundred to have one and wait for something better in the future 🤷… there is no product that I know that got a perfect virtual capo, it is like an acoustic simulator effect : Cliff doesn’t try to do one publicly yet, because I think that this is another thing very difficult to do

Imagine pitching something polyphonic , chords etc without having weird things happening … maybe with a midi system, but just with audio that
Click to expand...
 
My name is mud said:
I have tried the Virtual Capo with at -5 context

more bass and body
maybe a little less artefacts in clean tone but still better for dist use at 100%

I have tried in Eb too, same

you lost some "hair" in the tone/ high frequencies

but in a mix in dist that's ok

so to resume, it is a bit better but still a tool
Click to expand...
The lower I go down, the more treble I add back to compensate
 
I did a comparison of the virtual capo between v26.01, v27.00, v29.00 and v29.01 beta 2, as well as comparing against Apple's AUNewPitch plugin using the following patch:
Screenshot 2025-08-12 at 6.55.03 PM.png


The same DI (attached) is used in all the cases.
  1. v26.01 Pitch block disabled
  2. DI downshifted by Apple's AUNewPitch plugin but processed by the same Axe-Fx III chain as seen above (with pitch block disabled) - Plugin latency is about 82ms
  3. v26.01, -2 capo enabled, smooth pitch tracking - latency around 25ms
  4. v27.00, -2 capo enabled, chords pitch tracking - latency around 30ms
  5. v29.00, -2 capo enabled, chords pitch tracking - latency around 25ms
  6. v29.01 beta 2, -2 capo enabled, chords pitch tracking - latency around 25ms
I do hear a slight improvement in the tremolo speed (slower) in v29.01 beta2, compared to v29, in this particular test.
 

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Conducted a general test of all of the algorithms in the new improved pitch block. Tracking seems to be working great and better than before! Thank you team Fractal! This was one of the very few and rare weaker points in the Fractalverse and this was a smart move to improve it. I hope to see a feedback algorithm added to the Pitch block one day that emulates the Digitech FreQout. That would make my life and the Fractal effects arsenal complete!! Line 6 has emulated this in their Feedbacker algorithm a couple years ago so I know it can be done. Also looked at my preset with the Optical Compressor. That was one of the biggest culprits of CPU intensity after the recent updates. So much so I had to remove it in my FM3 Mk2, FM9 MK2 presets to keep them from CPU overage. It looks like I saved about 1-2% of CPU with Optical presets. When this revision appears on the FM3 and FM9 I will be able to better test the improvement of that efficiency because those presets will likely work again with that compressor. Thank you for providing such awesome updates and service to your customers. You are absolutely the best!
 
JoelMcCreight said:
Conducted a general test of all of the algorithms in the new improved pitch block. Tracking seems to be working great and better than before! Thank you team Fractal! This was one of the very few and rare weaker points in the Fractalverse and this was a smart move to improve it. I hope to see a feedback algorithm added to the Pitch block one day that emulates the Digitech FreQout. That would make my life and the Fractal effects arsenal complete!! Line 6 has emulated this in their Feedbacker algorithm a couple years ago so I know it can be done. Also looked at my preset with the Optical Compressor. That was one of the biggest culprits of CPU intensity after the recent updates. So much so I had to remove it in my FM3 Mk2, FM9 MK2 presets to keep them from CPU overage. It looks like I saved about 1-2% of CPU with Optical presets. When this revision appears on the FM3 and FM9 I will be able to better test the improvement of that efficiency because those presets will likely work again with that compressor. Thank you for providing such awesome updates and service to your customers. You are absolutely the best!
Click to expand...

Feedback algorithm would be great while they are revisiting the Pitch block. While they’re at it, a Mimiq would be nice as well. 😅
 
Thanks - now just waiting for pitch improvement implemented in FM9T and VP4. Yea I'm an ungrateful SOB 😁

No really - love FAS and thier commitment to improving their products and us users!
 
But we guitarists/bassists are often a fickle bunch when pursuing those elusive tones in our heads😁

And sometimes we just we feel like a change…
 
BUG in PITCH block v29.01 beta

Demonstrated in attached preset.
Both Pitch blocks are exactly the same.
But the sound of each block (voices) is different, as demonstrated through scenes 1 and 2.

Never mind, see below.
 

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AlbertA said:
I did a comparison of the virtual capo between v26.01, v27.00, v29.00 and v29.01 beta 2, as well as comparing against Apple's AUNewPitch plugin using the following patch:
Click to expand...

Thank you for taking the time to assemble this extraordinarily clear presentation of the obvious progress and the current state of this block. It always helps to ground the discussion with an objective reference. I hear a marked improvement on the attack stumble/burble artifact between 29 and 29.01.

(Am I crazy or is that lilting, 3D tremolo on the 6th clip so musical that it could be an effect of its own?)
 
yek said:
BUG in PITCH block v29.01 beta

Demonstrated in attached preset.
Both Pitch blocks are exactly the same.
But the sound of each block (voices) is different, as demonstrated through scenes 1 and 2.
Click to expand...
They sound the same here; switching between the two scenes is basically unnoticeable. Could you post a recording of what you're getting?
 
Bakerman said:
They sound the same here; switching between the two scenes is basically unnoticeable. Could you post a recording of what you're getting?
Click to expand...

Well, that's weird, they do sound the same now indeed, when I load that preset.
Before this, the voices were different per block instance, no question about that.

I wiped that preset off the machine after having exported it, so I can't go back.

There may be an explanation.
I copied that block (Pitch 1) from a preset that hadn't been saved under 29.01 yet. And pasted it into Pitch 2. And then noticed the difference. it's possibly related to the algorithm change in this firmware. I remember this from the old days where we had the Recall Effect function. A similar issue could occur back then when copying a block with an older 'revision' and pasting that into a preset.
 
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I was playing last night with the VC a bit more. I had commented earlier that I was having good results at -3 steps on a preset i was messing with few days ago but last night went to an older preset of mine that had the VC and it seemed to have more noteable latency all the sudden. not sure if it was my ears or something else that changed. I removed the block and reinserted with the latest settings. There was some latency happening i didnt have the other day. The only difference I can think of right now is that last night I was going up (only 1 step) whereas the other day (with better results) was downshifting. Not sure why that would make any difference. I need to revisit these two presets later tonight to confirm....

Im sure this is also probs common...but notice better results with less blocks going...in particular any delays or esp a pitch detune and /or trem type blocks. Either way its not a massive deal to me...if i am playing a lot of songs in other tunings regularly i'll just opt to retune one of my guitars or if i'm playing along to tunes on my computer I usually just throw the song into audacity and pitch shift and save a playlist of those pitch shifted tunes
 
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