Regarding the AxeII; It's different. It's clearly a different beast; the in-the-room thing with the higher resolution IR's from the cab block and the deeper amp algorithms equate to an added depth, complexity and 'sing'. It's inspiring - like the finest amps - and will make you smile as you play.
This not just an Ultra on steroids with some physical features thrown in. This is a fully realized and different beast. The G2 (Gen 2) modeling is a head turner. The response to dialing down the guitar's volume is stunning - it still sings and is full of 'juicy goodness' like ripe fruit. The sweet spots for dialing up amp/cab tones is honestly simpler with the new modeling and the addition of physical knobs (five of them; the big value knob too!) makes it as fast to dial up stuff as it is in the editor. It is just 'more' goodness. The new effects are stunning. The whole experience is a different thing. It takes all the strengths of the Standard and Ultra, builds upon them and makes it simpler to both work with and faster to get the 'sweet spots' zeroed in.
That's no hype, no BS. I will be posting in far more detail sooner than later.
Although this isn't the correct sub forum for this discussion I will reply by saying the countdown stated "no one will be disappointed", clearly this is not the case.
Reality is people will always be disappointed. Am I disappointed? Ultimately I will decide whether or not to buy the Axe II. If I had disappointment it would stem from
whether my current product the Ultra continues to be supported and enhanced further if possible. It was the reason I bought it over the Standard to begin with and now
wonder if the both are going out to pasture at the same time. They either will or won't. Still great products and one of the very best I have ever put my hard earned money
into.
Unfortunately this new release seems to be taking the Fractal community from "all for one and one for all" to "us and them". It's a shame if it continues in that direction.
The way to announce the countdown, and the lack of clear response, are what make this trend.
"real tone and feel to the next level" are fractaladmin's (Cliff?) words http://forum.fractalaudio.com/axe-fx-ii/35907-introducing-axe-fx-ii.html
G66 is (please correct me if I'm wrong) Fractal Audio's exclusive distributor in Europe, and they are using Line6-like strategy to sell the Axe II. Please don't misunderstand me, Scott, I'm very happy with my Ultra as it is and with the latest (great) firmware, I just think this kind of marketing goes against what Fractal Audio represents for me and (I'm sure) many other users, and it is unnecesary, the Axe II doesn't need that, it isn't Pod x3.
Cliff has redone the poweramp section. He is claiming that he taken his already outstanding modeling to another level. As is stated here:
Originally Posted by dupere11497
Simple one! How would you compare the realism of the amp sims of the ultra vs. Axe 2. Let's say Ultra was like 85% there, is the Axe 2 that much different, do we compare a Ford to a Rolls Royce here? Thanks!"
Cliff responds:
100%. Seriously.
The G2 (Gen 2) modeling is a head turner. The response to dialing down the guitar's volume is stunning - it still sings and is full of 'juicy goodness' like ripe fruit.
That's no hype, no BS. I will be posting in far more detail sooner than later.
An incredible amount of work went into the amp modeling. I spent three years refining the algorithms. Heck it took months just to figure out how to model an output transformer.
The Ultra is a great unit. The Axe-Fx II is better. I wish I could retrofit the new algorithms into the Ultra but they won't fit. My latest modeling algorithms simply need a more powerful platform and that's why I developed the II. I listened to the users and developed a product based on their feedback.
The hardware in the Axe-Fx II is really good. Still using all film caps on the I/O. The D/A converters are now buffered with instrumentation amps for improved S/N when doing the 4CM. The circuit board is controlled impedance with gold-plated pads. The layout is "partitioned" and uses EMI filtering between partitions which achieves an incredibly low noise floor. The self-noise is so low that I can barely measure it with my audio interface.
There is a ton of RAM and FLASH for future expansion. There's a 200K gate FPGA that offloads tasks from the processor. Etc., etc., etc.
The Axe-Fx II is the finest hardware I've ever created in my 25+ years as a designer and I've designed probably over 100 circuit boards in that time.
How many days off in the past 3 years?
Thanks, we are all so happy!! (at least once the current dust settles everyone will be very happy Im sure)
I haven't had a vacation in 7 years.
I haven't had a vacation in 7 years.
This could definitely feed the trolls that Yek was talking about.
Trolls will be trolls. I could care less about placating them.
The G2 (Gen 2) modeling is a head turner. The response to dialing down the guitar's volume is stunning - it still sings and is full of 'juicy goodness' like ripe fruit.
That's no hype, no BS. I will be posting in far more detail sooner than later.
I haven't had a vacation in 7 years.