I'm with
@RifferMcDuck regarding the lack of understanding the terminology to describe certain sounds. Sounds are difficult to describe using words and those unfamiliar with the technical terms attempt to convey what we are hearing only to fall back on "it sounds digital".
Case in point, I was close to getting a Helix a number of years ago but there was something in the gain structure that reminded me of the XT line that sounded/felt "digital". The reason is probably going to be "aliasing" or some other technical term, but unless I know what these terms sound like, it's going to continue to be called "digital" sounding while trying to explain what I'm hearing. I'm not one to use words to describe something without knowing what they mean.
I've spent a little time to try to understand the different aspects of great vs good vs poor modeling and trying to hear their associated sounds. I don't spend much time on it anymore because there are things I'd rather do. Speaking of which, time to go harrass the grandkids.
I think it’s fair to call the sound description “digital” because as far as I know, tube amps don’t have aliasing. Tube amps generate natural harmonics and harmonic and intermodulation distortions, dynamic sag and transient responses, but they’re not artifacts, they’re part of the tone.
Saying something “sounds digital” in a modeling context is kind of like saying a painting “looks CGI.” It doesn’t necessarily mean it was made by a computer, but that it feels like it lacks some of the imperfections or quirks we associate with something hand-made or organic. It’s shorthand. A vibe. A flag we throw when something doesn’t feel right, even if we can’t always define why.
“Wooly” for bloated mids, “Chimey” for sparkling highs, “Honky” for that nasal midrange, “Flubby” for low-end fartiness. “Digital” just joined the weird lexicon of tone-speak.
Let’s not pretend the Axe-Fx III is perfect. it’s pretty dang close to it, but 1:1. Even Cliff knows it, hence the constant stream of firmware updates, many of which exist because of users on this forum pointing things out. We’re basically part of a massive, unpaid R&D team. It’s kind of the deal: buy the unit, help finish it. It’s fun.
And every time there’s a new firmware, like clockwork, here comes the chorus, “highs are silkier,” “lows thumpier,” “mids more organic,” “amp feel is more alive,” etc. I think at this point we’ve collectively written a million variations of the same post. Meanwhile, if someone dares to point out that something sounds off, the hive swarms in to tell them they’re nuts, their ears are broken, or they just “need to reset the block.”
But funny how often those “crazy” posts end up being right in a lot of cases. Remember the guy who noticed the Triode Plate Frequency was off on the Mark IV model? Last week maybe? He got dogpiled, then a few pages later, oh look, Cliff drops in to basically say, “Yeah, good catch.”
So yeah, it can sound digital sometimes. It’s not heresy to say that. It’s part of the process. We’re not just end-users, we’re the beta testers, too.
