Firmware upgrade

H

Hawkins

New Member
Hello all,

I've had my FX II since they first came out and I've basicly done nothing but use it out of the box.

I'd like to do a Firmware upgrade but I'm a bit afraid to download the latest version as it might change all the work I've put into the patches. Should I worry about this? Can I download an earlyer version? I've noticed that some are having problems with there patches being modified. I don't want to have anything happen to my beloved Holdsworth lead patches!!!

Thanks!
 
If you're happy with what you have, then don't change anything. You will have to rework your presets as a lot changed since then. Amps sound better now, but if you're happy with them in your version, why change.
 
I'm still on my original FW 14.03. I'm scared to upgrade, plus I don't own a computer at the moment.

I read about others problems with error messages, bugs, timeouts, freezes, bricks... I know myself and I'm afraid I'll get frustrated and lose faith in my Fractal gear if something "bad" happened to my now seemingly perfect rig!

I know eventually I'll catch up with you guys! First I need to decide between PC or Mac.:roll (sigh)
 
Wow, the Axe has gotten SO much better with firmware updates I can't imagine staying on an old firmware. It's like a completely different product today. But with that said, your old patches will be useless in 15.xx. So much has changed you would be best to reset everything and start over. Well worth it IMO!
 
Hawkins said:
Hello all,

I've had my FX II since they first came out and I've basicly done nothing but use it out of the box.

I'd like to do a Firmware upgrade but I'm a bit afraid to download the latest version as it might change all the work I've put into the patches. Should I worry about this? Can I download an earlyer version? I've noticed that some are having problems with there patches being modified. I don't want to have anything happen to my beloved Holdsworth lead patches!!!

Thanks!
Click to expand...

What firmware version are you on? I got my Axe II at firmware 1 and I have updated every time a new version was available. I could not imagine staying on one of the earlier firmwares, but if it works for you...
 
for every one issue you hear about someone having while upgrading there are hundreds if not thousands that go flawlessly....I can't imagine not upgrading due to that kind of fear.

as for the OP, it will change your presets for sure...but you have no idea what you are missing out on. It's like a different box from just 13 to 15...not even mentioning what it was like when I got mine (on 8 or 9).
 
Instead of worrying about how a FW update might make your patches sound worse, why not think positive and consider how much more amazing your axe could sound with all the new amps and other improvements from the latest firmwares ?

Back up what you've got, and if for some strange reason your in the 0.01% that doesn't like the new firmware, go back to the old one and your saved patches. Simple as that

Personally, I find that older stuff I did doesn't even sound that good, because as I improve my tweaking ability with the unit, and the FW improves, I'm getting better tones.

Stuff I did last year that I thought was good at the time, sounds pretty poor to me now. Sometimes hanging onto those old patches is a crutch and best thing you can do is just start from scratch with fresh ears and dial in some new tones. That isn't to suggest your old tones aren't good, but simply that you may love new stuff you create and not have a desire to even play the old patches
 
Well, you could always backup your presets and settings before you try the latest firmware. That way if you don't like it, you can change back to what you had fairly hassle-free.
 
Do a full backup, then update and see what you can get. I've only had my Axe II since about FW 11 (I think it shipped with 10.x but 11.x was out by the time it arrived.) but I have never had an issue with having to do any serious reworking on my patches. I update any time a new version is released and each firware has sounded better than the last and usually added amazing new models and features. I mean probably at least 20 new amp models, cool effects like the dimension chorus, improved reverb algorithms, improved power amp modeling, Ultrarez cabs.

If you don't love all the new features and managed to back up everything properly you can roll back to your happy place.
 
Imagine that all you've ever had for breakfast are Cheerios with a little milk.

Your friends, however, keep telling you about eggs and bacon. BACON. “Oh, man," they say, “you've just GOT to try the BACON! You won't believe how great it is!" And they all seem to be very enthusiastic and sincere in what they're saying.

But you're still hesitant. The Cheerios have been working for you, and change can be a hassle… but you go ahead and give it a shot.

And, MAN! Everything they were saying was true! You can't believe how great the bacon is… and you could have been eating bacon ALL THIS TIME and now there doesn't seem like there was ever any reason for not trying it.

So next time, when you start hearing them talking about pancakes with REAL MAPLE SYRUP, you know, why not just jump in and check it out? It's on the house!
 
If you love your presets, you should proceed with caution. Your presets - all of them - will definitely be seriously changed and, you may / may not ever get them back exactly the way you had them. We all know that older versions of firmware were very capable of delivering amazing tones. Truth be told, that hasn't changed all that much. If there's some functionality you need, then update. If you're updating because you think you're going to find an even holier tonal grail, that's a crap shoot.

A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.
 
Hawkins said:
I've had my FX II since they first came out and I've basicly done nothing but use it out of the box.
Click to expand...

All I can say is: congrats, you have saved yourself a lot of valuable time! I you have spend all that saved FW upgrade tweaking time on practicing guitar I am sure you will be a better guitar player by now! :)
 
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Bodde said:
All I can say is: congrats, you have saved yourself a lot of valuable time! I you have spend all that saved FW upgrade tweaking time on practicing guitar I am sure you will be a better guitar player by now! :)
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And you've missed out on a ton of fun from playing with and exploring all the new features that have come along in different firmwares.

Practicing guitar is fine and good but its pretty boring. We could all just use $89 Gorilla amps if we merely wanted something to make the guitar audible. New amps to check out, new choruses etc are fun and exciting. Getting a new FW is just like when the brown UPS truck pulls up dropping off a new pedal or amp we ordered off the internet.

The whole reason most guitarist have always has such big pedal boards, collections of amps, cabs etc, is that its a fun part of the hobby.

Again, playing and practicing is important too, but I'd hardly call time spent tweaking the axe, or time spent modding pedals, et al., wasted time. I wouldn't trade any of those moments for sitting there doing scale runs.
 
lqdsnddist said:
And you've missed out on a ton of fun from playing with and exploring all the new features that have come along in different firmwares.

Practicing guitar is fine and good but its pretty boring. We could all just use $89 Gorilla amps if we merely wanted something to make the guitar audible. New amps to check out, new choruses etc are fun and exciting. Getting a new FW is just like when the brown UPS truck pulls up dropping off a new pedal or amp we ordered off the internet.

The whole reason most guitarist have always has such big pedal boards, collections of amps, cabs etc, is that its a fun part of the hobby.

Again, playing and practicing is important too, but I'd hardly call time spent tweaking the axe, or time spent modding pedals, et al., wasted time. I wouldn't trade any of those moments for sitting there doing scale runs.
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Unless, instead if doing scales, you're trying to write new material, learn a part for this weekends show, practice for an audition or eke out a living playing guitar with the millions of possible combinations you haven't tried from the previous firmware. If you don't have those pressures, tweaking is a blast.
 
As Cliff has said, the ultimate goal is "realism". Some of the guys pushed for those "ideal" modes of modeling, so they could have the firm 9 polished sound, or the more real, firm 10 sounds. Which meant, some people liked their glossy tones, and when they heard something that was actually more realistic to a real amp, they didn't care for that as much.

To each their own, but I'm with the majority. My Axe II arrived with firmware 4, and I've only missed those updates where a revision came out 3 hours later to fix some oversight.

This is a completely different box than I received in the mail 2 years ago.

On the other hand, I listened to things I recorded back then, and they are still amazing.

Do what works for you. To answer your question, you can actually back up your presets and system settings, and upgrade the firmware, and if you don't like it, or can't deal with the work of "fixing" your presets, you can revert back to the firmware you are on right now, and restore your settings and presets to the way they were before you upgraded.

Good luck.
 
bigbrown2056 said:
Why not just record some tracks with your current patches and tone match them on the new firmware? You could have your old sounds and build new ones.
Click to expand...

That's actually a really good idea. Keep those old tones as TMA blocks, then see how much you'll not bother with them over what I'm sure will be a very brief period of time.
 
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