BLOWN away by the FX8 mkii....X's Journey

[bradlake]

the relevant part are the drives..soon coming to an FX8 near you....
Release Notes:

AX8 V5.01 is a major enhancement release incorporating the Axe-Fx Quantum V5.01 changes. As this is a major release that effects both the AMP modeling and the DRIVE block. Please test as many amp models as possible as well as the different drive models in the DRIVE block.

Additions:
· Improved preamp tube modeling for tubes driving cathode followers. In models that use cathode followers this results in warmer distortion with smoother decay. The shape of the cathode follower distortion can be adjusted with the new “CF Hardness” parameter found on the Advanced tab in the Amp block.

· Added “Legato 100” amp model based on a certain famous Carvin Legacy 100.

· Added “Capt Hook” amp models based on a Hook Captain Classic 34. This amp uses a mu follower which yields a complex distortion with smooth decay. There are six models:

1. Capt Hook 1A: Channel 1 w/ EQ and Boost switches off.
2. Capt Hook 1B: Channel 1 w/ EQ and Boost switches on.
3. Capt Hook 2A: Channel 2 with Edge switch off.
4. Capt Hook 2B: Channel 2 with Edge switch on.
5. Capt Hook 3A: Channel 3 with Edge switch off.
6. Capt Hook 3B: Channel 3 with Edge switch on.

· Improved diode clipping algorithms in Drive block. As a result the following Drive models have been rematched:

o Rat Dist
o Super OD
o T808 OD
o T808 MOD
o Plus Dist
o Esoteric ACB
o Esoteric RCB
o Zen Master
o Ruckus

· Optimized the DRIVE block to improve run-time performance 1% - 2% (your mileage may vary).

· Fixed tone stack error in Recto 2 amp models.

· Changed Presence knob taper in Recto1 Norm and Recto2 Vntg models to match actual amps.

· Changed behavior of Amp block’s Preamp Comp when set to “Ideal” so that compression amount is roughly the same as when set to “Authentic”. If you are using the Ideal setting on a preset you may need to increase the Preamp Comp parameter value.

Last edited: Yesterday at 3:36 PM
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Embedded Systems Engineer
Fractal Audio Systems

If I want it to sound good, I hit it with a stick!

 

[Finnster]

I do have a quick question for FX8 users though:

How are you guys boosting your tube amp drive channels for lead work? My amp doesn't have a boost switch that can be accessed via the tip/ring relay.

Can I just do what I do in the AX8 where I place a EQ block after the FX loop (or post in 4-cable mode) & just raise the level?

I'd be curious to know what you guys do since this is my 1st tube amp & Fractal outing.........

Thanks in advance....

X

I also like the 5-band passive EQ in the post position with just a bump in the mids really help with solos....I put the level a .5dB and just with the mid bump it cuts in the mix very well.

Now I just need to figure out the midi switching for my 5150 III Combo.

 

[X-Mann]

Hey there all my Fractal brothers......

I've been documenting my "Tone Quest" journey this year & a few of you know it from the beginning. I had no idea that Fractal Audio was the thing I was missing & that their product line would not only give me stellar tone & FX.....but that it would simplify my stage rig & save me money in the end too.

I'm no Pro & just a weekend warrior (Dad) jamming out & playing Rockstar on the weekends.

Here are a bunch of video clips of the new FX8 mkii in action from my Black Friday gig w/ the 80's/90's & current cover band "Bad Aim Detroit".

"Paris" - Grace Potter (oh & I get to Rock out with my son Steve on this one too)


I have a separate preset for each song & they are all very simple & contain just what I need to get through the song. Most have between 1 & 4 scenes & the main drive, modulation & delay pedals on the top 4-slots. I tap tempo everything & use a 3.5 db filter Bloch boost on my solos.

"Figure it out" - Royal Blood (I tap tempo the delay to the drummer, but I have each preset labeled with the song name followed by the actual recorded BPM)


On this next one I really put the "Stereo Jet" Flanger to work for me BIG time!!!!

"I'm just a girl" - No Doubt (I'm using 3-scenes here w/ only small changes going on & the TS808 is on at all times too)


Ok......I saved the best for last...& my favorite solo of the night. The classic song "Two Princes" has double stops & all kinds of unison bends to get right here.

"Two Princes" - The Spin Doctors


There's NO TONE SUCK coming from the FX8 in 4cm & the amp channel switching is seamless & fantastic for me.

I'm a Fractal Audio fan & have everything coverd amp tone & FX wise with both the AX8 & the FX8 leading the way.....

Long live Fractal Audio..... & Peace!

X-Mann

 

[marshall2553]

Hey there all my Fractal brothers......

I've been documenting my "Tone Quest" journey this year & a few of you know it from the beginning. I had no idea that Fractal Audio was the thing I was missing & that their product line would not only give me stellar tone & FX.....but that it would simplify my stage rig & save me money in the end too.

I'm no Pro & just a weekend warrior (Dad) jamming out & playing Rockstar on the weekends.

Here are a bunch of video clips of the new FX8 mkii in action from my Black Friday gig w/ the 80's/90's & current cover band "Bad Aim Detroit".

"Paris" - Grace Potter (oh & I get to Rock out with my son Steve on this one too)


I have a separate preset for each song & they are all very simple & contain just what I need to get through the song. Most have between 1 & 4 scenes & the main drive, modulation & delay pedals on the top 4-slots. I tap tempo everything & use a 3.5 db filter Bloch boost on my solos.

"Figure it out" - Royal Blood (I tap tempo the delay to the drummer, but I have each preset labeled with the song name followed by the actual recorded BPM)


On this next one I really put the "Stereo Jet" Flanger to work for me BIG time!!!!

"I'm just a girl" - No Doubt (I'm using 3-scenes here w/ only small changes going on & the TS808 is on at all times too)


Ok......I saved the best for last...& my favorite solo of the night. The classic song "Two Princes" has double stops & all kinds of unison bends to get right here.

"Two Princes" - The Spin Doctors


There's NO TONE SUCK coming from the FX8 in 4cm & the amp channel switching is seamless & fantastic for me.

I'm a Fractal Audio fan & have everything coverd amp tone & FX wise with both the AX8 & the FX8 leading the way.....

Long live Fractal Audio..... & Peace!

X-Mann

That Runt 50 sounds great!

 

[X-Mann]

That Runt 50 sounds great!

Thx Marshall, it's a very good amp & the best I've ever owned!

X

 

[X-Mann]

I'm totally in LOVE with the "Clyde" wah inside the new FX8 mkii unit.

Here's an extended wah solo over Paramore's hit "Ain't it Fun"......

I'm using the FX8 in 4cm w/ the TS808, a filter boost, Clyde wah, analog delay....& medium reverb......& lots of wah faces too!

 

[PRSfreak4]

Here's an extended wah solo over Paramore's hit "Ain't it Fun"......

X - sounds amazing man, loving that tone & Clyde wah! Can't wait to try on my AX8 once I update the FW.

Curious for your future videos (whoever is recording), have you considered getting a GoPro Session with a stability arm then record using the GoPro smartphone app? The GoPro live audio recording is phenomenal and obviously more well balanced than a smartphone mic. Not harpin' on ya man, just want the best balanced representation for your bands vids!!

I live over in Grand Rapids and would love to swing over to the east side sometime to hear you guys rock! Thanks for the sweet reviews and videos dude, FAS makes it easy for us

 

[X-Mann]

X - sounds amazing man, loving that tone & Clyde wah! Can't wait to try on my AX8 once I update the FW.

Curious for your future videos (whoever is recording), have you considered getting a GoPro Session with a stability arm then record using the GoPro smartphone app? The GoPro live audio recording is phenomenal and obviously more well balanced than a smartphone mic. Not harpin' on ya man, just want the best balanced representation for your bands vids!!

I live over in Grand Rapids and would love to swing over to the east side sometime to hear you guys rock! Thanks for the sweet reviews and videos dude, FAS makes it easy for us

Thank you for the tip & I may look into that.

This is not smartphone audio & a professional guy that does video/audio for heavy duty military vehicles took all of these videos. To me they sound really great & there's no clipping going on at all. Put a good pair of headphones on or play this through your studio speakers.......& it really comes alive.

My main goal with all of these videos is to just take you guys on the journey with me.......& provide more then just a talking opinion or reference. This sounded even better in the room & the Friedman Runt/FX8 combo really cuts through & is very detailed & clear in the mix of a 3-piece band w/ vocals.

The fact that Adam was walking around did affect things a bit....like when he stands right in front of my loud amp too! I wanted to capture this for my documentation & because my sons were there.

I have a full rig run through (in process) that goes over these presets....& I show some of these tunes without all of the other instruments present......&...Um........much more......

More to follow........for all 2 of you guys that is!

Peace! X

 

[X-Mann]

Ok boys, here's the last one for a bit......& the FX8 doing some PANAMA!

That preset has the TS808 in front & the analog delay in the loop w/ little chorus & reverb.

Later on you can hear "Everlong" by the Foo Fighters & the Analog (mono) delay on the clean (RC Boost) section is nothing short of glorious!!!

PANAMA, Lump, Santeria, My Own Worst Enemy, Hash Pipe, EVERLONG, Last Night & The full version of Ain't it Fun w/ Mrs Rebecca......oh & there's an amazing moment with my son Steve & I captured on video as well here too.



Long live the FX8 & happy Friday!!!!! \m/

X

 

[yek]

Great tone and playing.


P.S. Male singer needs to get rid of the music stand! ;-)

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Great clips X!
I didn't realize you had an FX8, lol You're everywhere!

 

[X-Mann]

Great clips X!
I didn't realize you had an FX8, lol You're everywhere!

Hey Ray!!!!

I'm not everywhere, just at the fun places & hanging with the cool kids!

Are you getting a new FX8 to go with your new Kiesel Guitar? Then you'll need a Friedman amp after that too!

X

 

[Phil_Niedjaco]

X very nice tone and playing. I run a 5150 iii 50 watt and FX8 MK1 and have been looking at the Runt 50 head and cab and you might have just moved me... Looks like a fun band too!

I might have missed it but what are you running that is on top of the head?

Phil

 

[X-Mann]

X very nice tone and playing. I run a 5150 iii 50 watt and FX8 MK1 and have been looking at the Runt 50 head and cab and you might have just moved me... Looks like a fun band too!

I might have missed it but what are you running that is on top of the head?

Phil

Hey Phil, whatzzzzzzz up?

Ok, I had the EVH 5153 head & matching 2x12 cabinet & LOVED the Blue Channel, liked the Green Channel & thought the Red channel was just meh......& the volume issue killed it for me.....

The AX8's Friedman amp models MADE me buy/try the actual Friedman Runt 50!!! #damnyoufractal

I'm beyond BLOWN away at BOTH channels of this amp!!!! It's everything I never knew that I always wanted & more!!!

It sounds better in person, but if you put some good headphones on for my videos, it's close.

Yea, Bad Aim Detroit is a fun band that I'm very proud of.

Good catch on seeing my "Juice Box" attenuator that I ONLY use at sound check to mute the 2x12 & set the XLR volume.

The FX8 is making me a tube amp guy because it takes care of all the amp switching & the FX are jaw dropping!!!

So yea....I'm currently in love with 3-companies now, Fractal Audio, Friedman amps & Kiesel guitars.....& every time someone mentions my name on a purchase, I get a whopping $0.00 & I'm totally ok with that!

Thx & peace! X

 

[Phil_Niedjaco]

X thanks for the detailed response. I love my 5150 and the FX8 lets me compensate for the volume drop on the green channel. However, I'd prefer to not have the shared eq. The runt just sounds stellar... ORDERED! Friday delivery from Sweetwater... should be a fun weekend coming up!

 

[X-Mann]

X thanks for the detailed response. I love my 5150 and the FX8 lets me compensate for the volume drop on the green channel. However, I'd prefer to not have the shared eq. The runt just sounds stellar... ORDERED! Friday delivery from Sweetwater... should be a fun weekend coming up!

I'm truly excited for you Phil!!!!! Let me know what you think of it....& I can send you a few of my FX8/Friedman presets too!

X

 

[crankyrayhanky]

Hey X,

I've had the FX8 for about a year now (sold the Kemper at that time to fund it).
I just upgraded to the newest update and those ODs are waaaay improved!

I'm one step behind you with a 5150 50w. I had the dual gain/volume mod done as well as lower gain tubes to tame the Red. It was uncontrollable before, but now is super inspiring!

I had a Friedman modded Ampeg VL a few years ago that was smokin hot.
Never tried a true Friedman, would love to!

 

[Phil_Niedjaco]

I'm truly excited for you Phil!!!!! Let me know what you think of it....& I can send you a few of my FX8/Friedman presets too!

X

Thanks X... I might take you up on some of your FX8/Runt patches! She is here and is a beast... sounds awesome and I can wait to really dig in with it. I do have one problem that I might need to talk to Sweetwater about... the presence knob is very scratch when moving it. It's not the end of the world, of course, but it shouldn't be doing that. It's an awesome amp! The touch sensitivity on this thing is really really good.

 

[X-Mann]

Thanks X... I might take you up on some of your FX8/Runt patches! She is here and is a beast... sounds awesome and I can wait to really dig in with it. I do have one problem that I might need to talk to Sweetwater about... the presence knob is very scratch when moving it. It's not the end of the world, of course, but it shouldn't be doing that. It's an awesome amp! The touch sensitivity on this thing is really really good.

Hey Phil, congrats & PM me your e-mail address & I'll send you a few song specific "X" rigs that are used in my live band videos......

No, there should be NO scratchy pots at all....& call them, they will fix it.

You could spray a very small amount of contact cleaner in the pot while the amp is off & unplugged, work it in......wait a few minutes, then give it a try. That's as far as I'd go trying to fix this myself.....

The Runt 50 amp is making me a better player & a cleaner player too! The amount of clarity on the gain channel is da bomb too!

Here are my settings from the videos.

Clean-X (get it):

& Dirty-X:

The boost (aka more gain) switch is active, but I only run the gain at 2 O'Clock......

I hope this helps....& what cab are you running?

X

 

[X-Mann]

Here's the full version of my favorite song to play at a live show.

The bouncing analog delay on the semi clean, RC Boosted opening gives me shivers when playing this tune......

Everlong: Foo Fighters (FX8+Friedman)


I can't say enough about Fractal Audio & the guys that run it.....They don't seem to mind my constant nagging & questions....& are always there to help a simple Man like me! Best customer service anywhere & Kiesel guitars treats me great, so that says a lot about the Fractal team! #iloveyouman

X