Do the 6.0 factory presets sound bad to anyone else?

[yek]

The output of factory presets are too high and get over-driven easily for me. I don't really care since I can just lower the level on one of the blocks.
Maybe that's what other people experience as well.

Hi Levi,

None of the factory are clipping (that is: digital output clipping) here. Which ones do on your rig?

Getting overdriven tones is a different matter. Depends a lot on the guitar being used. Using humbuckers on the Fender sims will probably distort a little. That's normal.

 

[Thomas Larsson]

I think I read somewhere that they used JBL speakers when doing the settings. I guess those speaker are probably midrangy-er than most celestions. That might explain some part of something.
I guess It´s good idea anyway, to have cleaner speakers for tuning stuff . I think there is more to the sound than eq-ing.Easy fixed.

 

[levipeto]

Hi Yek,

Yes, it was clipping, after a few strum. I will tell you exactly which ones, when I get home, but the first few presets for sure. I think I used humbucker at the time, but it' wasn't the input. it was the output clipping.
Maybe, I should start from fresh.

 

[luke]

I find the new presets to be brighter overall and the cleans overdrive more easily. I tend to use the presets as a launching pad only, so it's OK. However, if these presets are the closest to reality thus far, then the older ones were pretty far off. I bring this up because there have always been those that claim the Axe didn't mimic as well as the resident fanboys would suggest, and perhaps they had a point. I haven't used a tube amp in four years so I can't be sure anymore.

 

[shemihazazel]

I haven't used a tube amp in four years so I can't be sure anymore.

Haha! I'm in the same boat. Although in my case it's more like 9 years :?

 

[funny_polymath]

Yeah, its by a pretty large margin as well for me.

But that could be part of just personal taste because I never cared for the stock ones that much before. What I didn't like could be exactly what someone else loved about them.

Shasha, I value your brains and ears, so: have you noticed any high-end hyping?

The reason I ask: I use an Ultra. Until recently, I was on 5.something. I had to upgrade to FW 11.0 on it - and it's just harsher and more... digital. The warm smoothness has been replaced by a grainy harshness that I can't fix with EQ - it's like my analog device suddenly became digital.

I also own a II, but I haven't had time to set it up in my rack, and haven't wanted to, since I'm waiting for a Matrix 1000 2U. Seems silly to tweak if I'm about to replace my amp. I am on 5.something on that too - haven't pulled the trigger on 6.0 yet. I am worried that the 'high gain obession' of most of the Frax users may have indeed somehow skewed development towards razor blades and rumbles too. I *hope* Cliff is just modeling as close to the amps as possible, but there seems to be a divide here between people who love 6.0 and people who hear a harshness coupled with a boominess. Do you hear *any* of that? And do you run a cab or FRFR?

Thanks.

 

[chris]

fractal's mission with all of this is to get it to sound as close to a real mic'd amp as possible. and he gets closer and closer every update (which still amazes me!).

that said, i wonder how much of this "digital" sound some people describe... is actually more of what it sounds like to mic up a real amp? i hope people have actually mic'd one up in a studio environment, because it's not like you just stick a mic on it and BAM it's perfect... there is a ton of fizz and stuff going on depending on what mic you use and where on the cone and how far away and how loud the amp is, yadda yadda, many people know this.

but 6.0 has that real amp sound. maybe some are just used to how modeling devices sound haven't been in a studio environment? lots of the more well-known pros that i've talked to who use the axe don't have many complaints.

 

[shemihazazel]

I am worried that the 'high gain obession' of most of the Frax users may have indeed somehow skewed development towards razor blades and rumbles too. I *hope* Cliff is just modeling as close to the amps as possible, but there seems to be a divide here between people who love 6.0 and people who hear a harshness coupled with a boominess?

I think that Cliff is going for accuracy and not trying to skew to one side or the other. Some people might not ever hear harshness/boominess at all because their pickups attenuate it. Instead they simply here a little added low end and high end. There are just too many influencing factors. To me, the Axe-Ultra and II don't sound digital at all. My old Boss BR-8 recorder, now the sims in THAT thing sounded digital :lol

 

[Craig Walker]

My first thought of the new update was "man that sounds harsh in the high end". Tweaking seems to fix it though...

 

[prog_head]

Yeah, I've got the updated presets loaded. And yeah, I know that tweaking is always required, but the factory presets have just never sounded so "off" before. I dunno. I'm just a little paranoid with some users reporting harsh highs and boomy low end in 6.0, and then having it go away when they load 6.0 again. That of course doesn't explain why my own presets sound great. *takes chill pill*

On my system, using Atomics, they have never sounded better. What is your system?

 

[Stratman68]

Yeah, I've got the updated presets loaded. And yeah, I know that tweaking is always required, but the factory presets have just never sounded so "off" before. I dunno. I'm just a little paranoid with some users reporting harsh highs and boomy low end in 6.0, and then having it go away when they load 6.0 again. That of course doesn't explain why my own presets sound great. *takes chill pill*

Hmmm-Sound great to me.

 

[Rick]

Sounds great to me, using an Atomic and FOH mixture. I did have to tweak my former presets, but not dramatically. The new presets sounded fine, with a lot more "non-metal" sounding options. Nothing against high gain, just enjoying the spread of tones.

Sorry to hear you're no having the same experience.

 

[kush]

I think most of the V6 presets sound great. For the ones that they put effort into, like the first 50, they sound phenomenal. I'm using both Tannoy Reveal monitors and 4CM into a THD Flexi and Marshall 4x12 w/greenbacks.

Presets are presets though, they're a guide or starting point for getting a great tone. Some of them don't work for me, but if I build my own patch using the same amp I can get a killer tone. The Fryette D50(more) preset is an example. The preset sounds really shrill and hollow through both of my setups, but if I build my own very basic preset with that amp with master cranked, some gain, bass off a bit, mids up, it sounds abso-effin-lutely amazing. I love the D50s!

 

[romanianreaper]

My Axe-FX II sounds great after the upgrade and I'm able to easily find great tones but I noticed that the unit is noticeably louder than before the upgrade and I'm getting the red flashing button on alot of presets, telling me that I'm overloading. I did the 6.0 firmware install AND the 6.0 presets.

 

[thehydeout]

I've primarily been using a Mesa 2:90 into guitar cabs (2x12 EVM12L) and mostly high gain type tones. With every firmware update I reset everything. System reset, new patches, etc. The first thing I do after that is audition the first 40+ patches running through my KRK8 monitors. I know these aren't top of the line monitors, but they don't suck and I'm used to them and know what to expect.

My V6 experience thus far:

1. Stock presets through the KRK's are better than ever. So much so I sat and really enjoyed playing through quite a few patches tweaking very little and just basic drive, TMB, MV controls. Even the higher gain patches were so much smoother and 3D sounding to me.

2. Load one of my presets (sag control off so just preamp of USA Lead 2), reset the amp block and switch to the 2:90 and cabs. Tweaking, tweaking... Not so much fun. Very dull and lifeless compared to what it was.

3. Back to the KRK's. Spent a little time tweaking a few presets and was liking it so well I thought this may actually finally convert me to being an FRFR guy .

4. Trip to GC to pickup an EV ELX112P. Beautiful clean tones for sure, not so much with mid to high gain stuff. Stuffy, boxey tones. After some testing and running some music through the EV it just seems to lack the midrange punch for quality gain tones. Kind of "DJ-ish" sounding. I might fiddle with it more but I'll probably return it and try a K12 which I read somewhere has more mids to it.

Overall it seems the high end harshness some are describing may actually be due to the tamed down high-mid (2-3k) frequencies I found that came with 5.07, making the higher frequencies more prevelant.

 

[Tamerz]

Something is very wrong. Just tried updating firmware again and Axe edit still thinks it didn't finish. Reset system settings, created new preset, and it sounds terrible.

Where can I download the last firmware until I get this sorted out?

 

[scruffydoo]

1. Stock presets through the KRK's are better than ever. So much so I sat and really enjoyed playing through quite a few patches.

2. switch to the 2:90 and cabs. Tweaking, tweaking... Not so much fun. Very dull and lifeless compared to what it was.

very similar to my experience, I also thought the stock patches were a bit dull with a matrix and cab but sprang back to life and are very good through my KRK's

 

[trancegodz]

Something is very wrong. Just tried updating firmware again and Axe edit still thinks it didn't finish.

This happens every time I update to new firmware with Axe Edit. It freaked me out when it first happened, but the firmware is actually installed fine. After installing the firmware with Axe Edit you just have to turn the Axe II off, wait for 5 seconds, and turn it back on. You can then check the utility page and you will see that it has been updated to 6.0.

I've never used any of the stock presets. I always create my own. You can make the Axe II pretty much sound like anything you want to if you really know how to program your own presets. This Axe II Wiki page helped me a lot. In particular the page called Amp Block: Parameters and Dialing In.

I have found that presets sound very different depending on what I am using to listen to them through. What sounds great on one brand of monitors may not sound very good at all on another, same goes for different amps and cabs. Decide what you want to use for your rig and create your own presets while monitoring from what you are going to be using.

 

[jesussaddle]

This happens every time I update to new firmware with Axe Edit. It freaked me out when it first happened, but the firmware is actually installed fine. After installing the firmware with Axe Edit you just have to turn the Axe II off, wait for 5 seconds, and turn it back on. You can then check the utility page and you will see that it has been updated to 6.0.

I've never used any of the stock presets. I always create my own. You can make the Axe II pretty much sound like anything you want to if you really know how to program your own presets. This Axe II Wiki page helped me a lot. In particular the page called Amp Block: Parameters and Dialing In.

I have found that presets sound very different depending on what I am using to listen to them through. What sounds great on one brand of monitors may not sound very good at all on another, same goes for different amps and cabs. Decide what you want to use for your rig and create your own presets while monitoring from what you are going to be using.

I'm really satisfied with the presets in V.6 through my Tannoy Reveals, but I downloaded the firmware to my Axe via MIDI OX. Every time I've used Axe Edit, the transfer is unsuccessful, and lately the error comes up, and when I reboot the Axe II, the firmware tab shows that the new firmware was not successfully installed. I didn't even bother to try Axe Edit with Firmware 6.0, just went straight to MIDI OX.

I suspect my Axe Edit transfer issue has to do with something in my Vista O/S and with the MIDI adapter driver. However MIDI Ox always works, which makes me wonder. At this time, until I check with Fractal and make sure others are using my MIDI adapter with Axe Edit on Vista 64 Bit, I am avoiding trying Axe Edit to load firmware, and my suggestion is if you've had issues, try MIDI Ox, it may take longer, but I've never had any of the issues and it works every time.

 

[Tamerz]

This happens every time I update to new firmware with Axe Edit. It freaked me out when it first happened, but the firmware is actually installed fine. After installing the firmware with Axe Edit you just have to turn the Axe II off, wait for 5 seconds, and turn it back on. You can then check the utility page and you will see that it has been updated to 6.0.

OK thanks, this makes me feel better. So the firmware is probably not a problem at all then. The Axe-FX itself reports the firmware version fine. Axe-Edit just gets confused.

I switched over from my Mesa 50/50 to the power section of my Mark IV and the problem seemed significantly less. My GT1000FX should be here tomorrow. Hopefully Thursday I will have time to hook it up and get things tweaked correctly. I was just freaking out a little because we had practice today and it was sounding awful. I was able to bump the mids and get through though once on the Mark IV.