Firmware Releases

bkc

bkc

Member
Hello to all my fellow Fractal users! A question.......is it advisable to update all new Firmware Releases regardless of how small the updates are, or is it OK to wait for a more major one? I apologize if this has already been covered in past comments of which I'm unaware. Wishing safety and good health to all members, especially to those in tornado or hurricane prone areas. Here in Japan, typhoon season has almost arrived and along with it the almost unbearable heat and unbelievable humidity. This is my 35th summer here, and I'm still not anymore used to the summers here! - Brian Cooper, Shinkai Studio, Japan
 
Well..... it's not inadvisable... it's really up to you. You never have to update if you don't want to, it's not like a computer that needs security updates. I update every time no matter what, but others who are touring and don't want anything to change probably don't.
 
Thanks ever so much, tysonlt, for getting back to me. You make a good point about people out on tour who most probably wouldn't want to do a lot of patch resetting. I always update when the Firmware Releases are on a major scale. While any update from Mr. Chase and team is much appreciated, the last two have been incremental and don't affect any presets which I'm currently using. I suppose I'll wait for the next big Release. Thanks again for taking the time to answer me.
 
bkc said:
Hello to all my fellow Fractal users! A question.......is it advisable to update all new Firmware Releases regardless of how small the updates are, or is it OK to wait for a more major one? I apologize if this has already been covered in past comments of which I'm unaware. Wishing safety and good health to all members, especially to those in tornado or hurricane prone areas. Here in Japan, typhoon season has almost arrived and along with it the almost unbearable heat and unbelievable humidity. This is my 35th summer here, and I'm still not anymore used to the summers here! - Brian Cooper, Shinkai Studio, Japan
Click to expand...
Hi Brian. I’m from Florida and totally understand your concerns about hurricanes and typhoons…the hurricane season here is just beginning too. Luckily, where I am in Florida, Tampa Bay, we have not had any extreme hurricanes hit us directly for many years. However, we have had a couple close near misses that scared my family and me! I was married to a lady from Guam for many years until she passed away fifteen years ago. I was amazed at how ferocious and dangerous the typhoons were that hit Guam…they were much worse and damaging than anything we ever experienced here in Florida. So, I echo your wish that the hurricanes and typhoons are mild and infrequent this year for everyone.
 
I’ll echo both sentiments already shared: firmware updates are always at your discretion, and we here on the Gulf Coast in Texas add our wishes for a mild hurricane season.

While it seems to me that there is always something worthwhile in every update, I’ve waited months to apply some of them because I didn’t want to “rock the boat” in the midst of a project. One way to look at it is that your unit will never work worse for missing an update, it just might not offer some things it could that were added or corrected. So, if you’re happy with what you’re getting, it’s ok to wait until you’re ready to update.
 
Up to you but personally I like to stay up to date to ensure I have the latest features / bug fixes. Just make sure to follow some rigor when updating:
  • take a full backup before upgrading and know how to restore it if needed.
  • give yourself time to test the new release and make patch adjustments if needed (ie don't upgrade the day before a performance).
 
I also will wait and read the comments of other members on new FW updates but then I can’t wait to check out the new updates after reading about all the new things and always look forward to exploring the new sounds.
Also here on the gulf coast of Florida hoping this storm season isn’t as bad as it is being predicted. Hope everyone stays safe this storm season.
 
Personally, I don't have the time to chase weirdness or in-progress changes in beta releases, so I don't do those, but when a final release is out, I usually update to it within a few days, time permitting.

I'm not gigging or doing paid session work, so I'm ok adjusting my patches if they need it, no pressure.
 
bkc said:
Thanks ever so much, tysonlt, for getting back to me. You make a good point about people out on tour who most probably wouldn't want to do a lot of patch resetting. I always update when the Firmware Releases are on a major scale. While any update from Mr. Chase and team is much appreciated, the last two have been incremental and don't affect any presets which I'm currently using. I suppose I'll wait for the next big Release. Thanks again for taking the time to answer me.
Click to expand...
Just a note that there are often bug fixes after the major release, as is the current case... You can always decide that you don't need the particular bug fixed if it doesn't affect you.
 
bkc said:
Hello to all my fellow Fractal users! A question.......is it advisable to update all new Firmware Releases regardless of how small the updates are, or is it OK to wait for a more major one? I apologize if this has already been covered in past comments of which I'm unaware. Wishing safety and good health to all members, especially to those in tornado or hurricane prone areas. Here in Japan, typhoon season has almost arrived and along with it the almost unbearable heat and unbelievable humidity. This is my 35th summer here, and I'm still not anymore used to the summers here! - Brian Cooper, Shinkai Studio, Japan
Click to expand...

My opinion is if you have custom presets and are gigging, or in the middle of a recording session - don't update, or at least back everything up before updating so you can restore everything to previous firmware.

Updates bring bug fixes, new additions and sometimes improvements on existing things. Sometimes things sound a little different after updating. I always update but check things for consistency. It's really up to you.
 
Boy, I can’t imagine myself not loading a Fractal Audio update! But that’s just me.

There are just two updates in my amplifier experiences that I did not like:
1. Fender Twin and Showman distortion reduction with the advent of Silverface models. I converted them back (my first impetus to learn how to work on amplifiers).

2. (a lot of you won’t agree with me here) The circuit change between Mesa’s Mark I and the subsequent Mark series models.
 
Last edited:
bkc said:
Hello to all my fellow Fractal users! A question.......is it advisable to update all new Firmware Releases regardless of how small the updates are, or is it OK to wait for a more major one? I apologize if this has already been covered in past comments of which I'm unaware. Wishing safety and good health to all members, especially to those in tornado or hurricane prone areas. Here in Japan, typhoon season has almost arrived and along with it the almost unbearable heat and unbelievable humidity. This is my 35th summer here, and I'm still not anymore used to the summers here! - Brian Cooper, Shinkai Studio, Japan
Click to expand...
Fractal is very clear in its description of what is being flxed, updated and or added. You have the choice to decide if its the right moment for you to update.
 
bkc said:
is it advisable to update all new Firmware Releases regardless of how small the updates are, or is it OK to wait for a more major one?
Click to expand...
I'd say you better update, cause sometimes in major releases there are small faults which are fixed by minor releases. So if you want major releases to be their best selves, you better get those minor ones too.

And with how easy it is to fully backup and restore the settings and presets, the risk of all going south is quite low. Just make it a habit - backup, update, enjoy.
 
Addendum:

- As others have said, back up before updating. That way you can roll back out anything goes sideways.

- IMO there's no point in holding off on an update because you think some things might "sound worse", or even if you've tried the update and think that's definitely true. There's no way I'm going to freeze my Axe at some non-current version and never update beyond there. There are too many improvements and new features, all the time, to opt out of updating forever, so you might as well get on with it.
I suppose it's theoretically possible I might change my mind about that someday, but nearly 5 years in, nothing remotely like that has ever happened. Quite the opposite, things just keep getting better. I've never heard anyone else say they stopped upgrading permanently either.
Of course you may want to wait to update if you're on tour, have a big show coming up, or are auditioning for something you care a lot about, but you'll probably want to do it when you've got some running room.
 
You don't have to unless there is something in the fix that affects you. Not that anyone cares but I wait a couple unless it's a major release. Even after a major release there is usually a bug fix in a few days following, so I'll wait a bit.
 
Thanks very much to all who took the time to give me advice! Frodebro / dpeterson / Dave Merrill / Chromatizm / nicolasrivera / skydog / My name is mud / touch33 / NeoSound / unix-guy / Freds55 / sprint / Rick / Daveporter33765 / Budda and tysonlt. I'll consider the matter closed. Thanks again!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom