Could someone explain how Axe FX 3 sims work?

O

oacikgoz

Inspired
Might be a stupid question....

Is an amp sim a collection of all the specific parameter choices under amp block? Or are there hidden parameters which users don't have access to that gives an amp sim its unique character?

Simply put, if I take Amp B, tweak all parameters to that of Amp A defaults, do I get an Amp A sim?
 
oacikgoz said:
Might be a stupid question....

Is an amp sim a collection of all the specific parameter choices under amp block? Or are there hidden parameters which users don't have access to that gives an amp sim its unique character?

Simply put, if I take Amp B, tweak all parameters to that of Amp A defaults, do I get an Amp A sim?
Click to expand...
Every component is modelled and exactly as per the circuitry of that particular amp ,there are alot of things which we can not see or control with in amp model and the entire circuit. The parameters are too many for tweaking but tweaking those parameters would lead to result thats similar more or less to the result you'd get if you'd mod a particular amp to have those parameters in real life.

Thats the beauty of this platform!
 
As @jin1995x stated, it is modeled at the component level. The first time I heard that I was blown away. What an idea! However extremely difficult it may be.

Each model most definitely contains it's own unique code. Regulating your signal through each component in the circuit, just as it does in the "real" reference amp.

It's why we can switch tubes, change diodes, and raise or lower certain capacitor values (e.g. bright switch)

It's not just a universal standard model with shifted values and EQ that stands in for every other amp model. I'm sure there's some out there who do that - FAS ain't one of them.

The best part is that the code is constantly updated. Always improving, always pushing the envelope striving for indistinguishable tone and feel.

Honestly one of the coolest advances in guitar playing in my lifetime. Aside from maybe Guthrie Govan? 😉
 
oacikgoz said:
Might be a stupid question....

Is an amp sim a collection of all the specific parameter choices under amp block? Or are there hidden parameters which users don't have access to that gives an amp sim its unique character?

Simply put, if I take Amp B, tweak all parameters to that of Amp A defaults, do I get an Amp A sim?
Click to expand...
It's modeling.
Meaning you have an electrical schematic and an actual amp to use as your guide to create a software model of.
The schematic shows what the components should measure and the way they are all wired together. The physical amp is needed because some components such as the transformers and choke don't have all their properties listed on the schematic. So Phil has to take measurements of those and write them into his software model. Upgrades to the firmware can include more detailed modeling as Phil gets new ideas/ knowledge to improve the models. The latest firmware does just that.
 
That said... Many actual amps sound very similar through the same cab (with the same exact mic on EXACTLY the same spot). So probably many modeled amps may sound similar as well. Through the EXACT same IR... As they do. Cab/speaker and mic/placement (and thus IR) have a much greater influence than they're usually given credit for...
 
That gives me an idea.

As we all know, most electronic components have a tolerance, ie they are usually within x% of the nominal value. For example, a 100 ohm resistor with a 10% tolerance may have a value of 90 ohms…or 110 ohms. Same with capacitors, inductors etc.

I’ve played amps that were ok, but a different amp of the same make and model that was amazing - I always thought it was the air density, different room etc, but component tolerances also play their part.

Please excuse this stupid idea, but (in my little mind) I can actually see benefits…

What if there was a knob or a button that randomized the LCRs (and other components that have varying quality) in a modeled amp to somewhere within their rated tolerances, and (when the user loves it) can be left at that value.

For example, I creat a preset with a 65 fender bassman, and it’s the “standard” amp block… then I enable randomized tolerances, and click a “randomize component tolerances” button. …. The amp sounds ok but a little different. I click the button again and it suddenly sounds like exactly what I want, so I (somehow) in the ui, lock it in for the current preset.

This would give us a whole bunch of unique amps within the current modeling environment.

Just a thought, and may not be worth doing, but certainly worthy of thinking about.

Thanks
Pauly
 
pauly said:
That gives me an idea.

As we all know, most electronic components have a tolerance, ie they are usually within x% of the nominal value. For example, a 100 ohm resistor with a 10% tolerance may have a value of 90 ohms…or 110 ohms. Same with capacitors, inductors etc.

I’ve played amps that were ok, but a different amp of the same make and model that was amazing - I always thought it was the air density, different room etc, but component tolerances also play their part.

Please excuse this stupid idea, but (in my little mind) I can actually see benefits…

What if there was a knob or a button that randomized the LCRs (and other components that have varying quality) in a modeled amp to somewhere within their rated tolerances, and (when the user loves it) can be left at that value.

For example, I creat a preset with a 65 fender bassman, and it’s the “standard” amp block… then I enable randomized tolerances, and click a “randomize component tolerances” button. …. The amp sounds ok but a little different. I click the button again and it suddenly sounds like exactly what I want, so I (somehow) in the ui, lock it in for the current preset.

This would give us a whole bunch of unique amps within the current modeling environment.

Just a thought, and may not be worth doing, but certainly worthy of thinking about.

Thanks
Pauly
Click to expand...
There are more than a couple components that affect tone a randomized button probably wouldn’t be the best way to get it done. I could see a generic randomize button taking many many many presses to get something useable. But maybe your luck is better than mine. It would be easier to have a few values that we know affect certain aspects of the tone that you could dial in. The Fractal products do allow that sort of by changing the different sections of an amp build but to get to component level at a end users level might be quite involved.
 
We have all these amps and settings already nobody can care about all of it. I don't think I also need all these variants of an single amp additionally. Forget about the idea.
 
I'll jump on this thread to share how frankly amazing it is to me that someone figured out how to turn computer code into convincing guitar tones. Isn't that wild when you stop to think about it?

I don't know the first thing about coding so it really is just magic to me. I simultaneously wish I better understood how the hell it happens while also wanting it to remain mysterious.
 
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