Axe-Fx III Firmware Release Version 13.00 Public Beta

FractalAudio said:
Cool. The model is based on a V1. That particular model was completely done from a schematic as I don't have the actual pedal yet. It's possible that the schematic has errors. I will know when I get the actual pedal and make measurements. Or maybe it's the difference between V1 and V2.

The other big thing is the pots. Due to availability manufacturers are always changing the tapers. One run will have Log tapers, the next will have linear. Or sometimes it's just the whim of the designer. People naturally gravitate to putting the knobs at noon so the designer will tweak the taper so that the "best" sound is achieved with the knobs at noon.
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I have the exact crunch box that burgs is using in the video. if there is any info i can get you let me know.
 
@FractalAudio
Noticed something odd: LFO Output B phase reversed itself in 13.00b relative to previous. All my chorale/vibrato Rotary switches are now slow when the latching switch is bright and fast when it is dim, rather than the original way 'round. The trick with the second control switch NOT-ing the first one still works, just the output of the LFO is reversed in phase. EDIT: Would kinda prefer it stay this way, actually. :)

PRESET SAMPLE HERE

Also noticed a weirdness in AxeEdit - Control Switch "Exclusive" shows "No-Wrap" and "Wrap", even after flushing caches via "refresh after FW update". Will cross-report that there.
 
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FractalAudio said:
Cool. The model is based on a V1. That particular model was completely done from a schematic as I don't have the actual pedal yet. It's possible that the schematic has errors. I will know when I get the actual pedal and make measurements. Or maybe it's the difference between V1 and V2.

The other big thing is the pots. Due to availability manufacturers are always changing the tapers. One run will have Log tapers, the next will have linear. Or sometimes it's just the whim of the designer. People naturally gravitate to putting the knobs at noon so the designer will tweak the taper so that the "best" sound is achieved with the knobs at noon.
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Crunch box front.JPGCrunch Box circut.JPG
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
@FractalAudio
Noticed something odd: LFO Output B phase reversed itself in 13.00b relative to previous. All my chorale/vibrato Rotary switches are now slow when the latching switch is bright and fast when it is dim, rather than the original way 'round. The trick with the second control switch NOT-ing the first one still works, just the output of the LFO is reversed in phase. EDIT: Would kinda prefer it stay this way, actually. :)

PRESET SAMPLE HERE
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The phase of B relative to A is adjustable and defaults to 180º. It's configurable per-preset. I checked before and after applying the update and the phase remained at the default of 180º for me for LFO 1 and the modified value of 0º for me on LFO 2.

Before beta:
Screen Shot 2020-08-06 at 8.06.00 PM.png
After beta:
Screen Shot 2020-08-06 at 8.23.58 PM.png

Are you certain you're not just misremembering how you set up your preset?

Also, phase of A relative to B doesn't impact cycle rate -- how are you using output phase differences to alter the rate of parameters in effects blocks?

Edit: I looked at your preset and...I'm not sure what you're doing with the LFO, duty cycle and phase like that -- this is the most complicated way I've seen someone try to control the speed of a rotary block. Why don't you just assign the rate parameter directly to the control switch and have it change between your min and max value?
 
iaresee said:
I'm not sure what you're doing with the LFO, duty cycle and phase like that -- this is the most complicated way I've seen someone try to control the speed of a rotary block.
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It's a way to have one source switch to the opposite state while another source is a latching toggle. Here's the original thread where I described the setup: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...and-hold-switch-functions.152004/post-1808837

(I don't have an Axe-FX III to verify if anything changed about LFOs or how B Phase affects the B LFO.)
 
iaresee said:
Are you certain you're not just misremembering how you set up your preset?

Also, phase of A relative to B doesn't impact cycle rate -- how are you using output phase differences to alter the rate of parameters in effects blocks?

Edit: I looked at your preset and...I'm not sure what you're doing with the LFO, duty cycle and phase like that -- this is the most complicated way I've seen someone try to control the speed of a rotary block. Why don't you just assign the rate parameter directly to the control switch and have it change between your min and max value?
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It lets me assign two control switches - CS1 latching, CS2 momentary, wherein CS2 flips the state of CS1 momentarily. @Bakerman proposed the idea last summer, but until LFO Output B phase was available to be controlled, it was not possible in the III. The LFO is set to the stopped position, and is being (ab)used for its capabilities as a logic gate via the Output B Phase and Duty Cycle.

Easy to accomplish with a pair of SPDT switches. Electricians use the trick to control hallway and stairway lights from two switches.

And, yes, I am 100% sure it flipped the phase, as I just got done setting them all up so that the light being bright meant 'fast' and the light being dim meant 'slow' on the latching switch. I fixed it in one preset, then pulled the same preset from the pre-upgrade backup into an empty slot next to it, and the one from the backup is backwards. I actually prefer it the way it is now, as it allows me to set the min value to the low number and the max value to the high number and have the switch's lights correspondingly show dim for slow and bright for fast....
 
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Tommy Tempest said:
I know we all have different taste, but I got stuck on the Jam Ray for over an hour into a clean Marshall tone. Gain on 6, dropped some bass and man did it sound great! I hardly use pedals and get the gain from the amps. But I may rethink some presets, because just this pedal alone convinced me to use some pedals.
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I'm using the Jam Ray on the Matchbox D-30 EF86, it's amazing.
 
I love the sound of the Vibroverb amp with Drive full cranked. But my main clean amp is the Deluxe Verb. So, I use the Jam Ray to achieve a similar sound as that Vibroverb with the Deluxe.
 
Thenewexhibit said:
What in the heck did you do, Cliff?????? These not only sound smoother, but they stack better too!!! How am I supposed to get along with this???? haha

All joking aside, this really takes drives to a new level. Everything feels more fluid, less grainy, and more realistic. Thank you sir!!! The 12.14 update with the speaker compression whatever goodness feels great too (Just getting around to hearing that)!!! It seems like the amps respond in a more even and natural way! Thanks again, Cliff!!!
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I noticed that right away. I use stacked drive pedals for a lot of what I play. Also, using the volume on the guitar seems to be easier to dial in. The changes to the tone and bass focus make dialing the pedals in for various guitar/amp combo much easier. For me, this has been the best drive update in the history of the Axe-fx.
 
javajunkie said:
I noticed that right away. I use stacked drive pedals for a lot of what I play. Also, using the volume on the guitar seems to be easier to dial in. The changes to the tone and bass focus make dialing the pedals in for various guitar/amp combo much easier. For me, this has been the best drive update in the history of the Axe-fx.
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FM3 P&W player drooling.
 
FractalAudio said:
Looking at the schematic for the Pinnacle it's nothing like a Crunchbox. It's a FET-based amp-in-a-box pedal. Three gain stages with a tone stack.
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I bought a Pinnacle Plus 8 or 9 years ago, because I didn't own a drive pedal, and my band played a few guest spots with other people's band equipment - sitting in, so to speak. Imagine trying to play Metal Health with a clean amp and only a TS808 for a tiny bit of grit! Researched a bunch of dirt pedals after that fiasco, and got this one! I've used it a dozen times in these situations and it's been great every time.
I've been playing Fractal gear since 2011, but this pedal has me covered when playing without my own rig.

@FractalAudio - if you are interested, I'd send this in for you to model, since others have brought this up.
 
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Thank you Cliff and the FAS team, I really like this update a lot. Many helpful exciting changes in the drive block, it is clearly an immense improvement, to my experience and ear.. It will take some time to explore it all, but for what I have heard, it's just kick-ass..
 
As a guitarist and Fractal user, I absolutely love your relentless push to make these units even better. And can't wait to see what comes next.

As a vendor that just spent easily over a hundred hours, spread out over months of many late nights after work, finally almost finishing (again) updating my Axe-Fx III presets for the free firmware matched updates... I hate you!.. LOL;):mad:o_O:cool:

Can't wait to dig in and check out the improvements and the new models.. The already improved Amps, Flangers, Phasers, and Compressors have been awesome!
 
Been playing with it more.

Can only echo all the comments. Thank you. The improvements in the Fet Boost, 808 and KoT are insane.
 
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