Firmware v2.01-beta - Quick Observations - Major CPU Savings!!

Stratoblaster

Stratoblaster

Fractal Fanatic
I've loaded v2.01-beta up and here are a couple of quick observations:

-FM9-Edit is very fast and responsive; it's a joy to work with. A workflow with heavy editing is now in 'real time'...nice
-the momentary footswitch issue I was having is definitely fixed; I can now enable/disable effect bypassing with just a press and hold/release
-the tuner, wow, the tuner...buttery, silky smooth and super responsive...a big improvement and I love the additional info now displayed
-the display on the FM9 now immediately reflects status changes (FX bypassed, Channel selection, Scene changes, etc.)
-overall, the entire eco-system is immensely satisfying to work with. I have a fair bit of programming to do to commission the unit for live use and I'm very pleased that this will be pretty much effortless and efficient going forward

A big, and very unexpected, surprise is the CPU savings on all my presets and particularly on my main, kitchen-sink preset! It went from 75% to 67% instantly after booting into v2.01...fantastic...that is awesome.

Wasn't able to demo the new CNFB modeling at volume as planned today, but a deep dive is forthcoming with that this weekend....as well as the new amps, FX, and parsing the release notes to see what new features will make life easier to manage all of this.

Kudos to the entire FAS team....you all rock...
 
Greg Ferguson said:
I’ve spent too much time going down rabbit holes just listening to presets I made prior to this beta, and being enthralled by how much better they now sound. It’s like a whole different sounding machine.
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I can't wait to unleash the new CNFB modeling at a live/full band rehearsal volume level...anticipating later today/tonight hopefully.

That's cool...I love to hear when new modeling inspires dives rabbit holes for users. Traditionally, when there are new and/or big upgrades to modeling I fall into that hole too, just re-discovering my go-to amps and eventually auditioning every amp/channel in the box. New discoveries await I'm sure...

dicXjonesify said:
Agreed on all counts! Very exciting 👏👏👏
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Yes indeed.....!

The instant CPU saving of ~11% is still making me smile...
 
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Stratoblaster said:
I can't wait to unleash the new CNFB modeling at a live/full band rehearsal volume level...anticipating later today/tonight hopefully.
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Agreed. I haven't had a chance to turn it up with speakers, only with the headphones, but even so, it's been glorious.

Stratoblaster said:
That's cool...I love to hear when new modeling inspires dives rabbit holes for users. Traditionally, when there is new and/or big upgrades to modeling I fall into that hole too, just re-discovering my go-to amps and eventually auditioning every amp/channel in the box. New discoveries await I'm sure...
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I have a Trainwreck preset that I've gone back to several times, and a Mesa Mk IV that sounds like it's going into feedback, even with headphones on. Both sound massive. The cleans sound gorgeous too.

IMO, this firmware shows the FM9 at its full potential.
 
unix-guy said:
I hope I see the same improvement... I'm on the razor's edge :)
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Crossing my fingers for you man....heh.

I had to delete my Pitch block from my main preset to get the CPU down to ~75% on beta 2.00.

With v2.01 I've re-added the Pitch block back and the CPU is now running ~75%, so, essentially, a 'free' block...!
 
Chiguete said:
So how are you going to test it? Just want to know if the re is a "proper" way to notice the differences.
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I'm not sure there is a 'proper' way to test but I generally use the following methodology:

I reset the amp block on all channels and start with an amp that I know well and use a lot...starting completely from scratch. I find starting from scratch is always easier and quicker overall vs wrestling with existing settings/tweaks, some of which are the deep/advanced parameters. Many times the modeling has changed enough that some tweaks/settings don't need to be performed anymore, and/or the values don't need to be as 'aggressive'. Again, I find it easier to reset and go from there.

I also raise the volume levels on my CLR monitors so they are moving some air and are at gig/live rehearsal level so any differences/nuances can actually be revealed. Auditioning at gig levels is paramount to wrapping your ears around what the modeling can really do.

I spend some time with the main amp working through the various settings, mainly the Input Gain and Master Volume controls to judge the overall tone, character, and feel. I'm mainly a rock player so I start with an amp like the 5150, or the 6150, etc.

I then try out some Fender-type/Vox-type amps on more bluesy/mild overdrive tones. I find many times those types and amps reveal a lot more of any modeling changes/improvements vs a more distorted higher gain amp, particularly when there are changes to the power amp algorithms.

I tend to spend a fair amount of time with only a small sampling of amps and really working with them to dig deep into what new modeling will bring. As time progresses, I go through every amp/channel in the device to look for new tones, and to see if any amps I've not bonded with previously now make me go ohhhhh, nice....I'm liking that. That's happened many, many times over my years of using Fractal gear.

The main thing, IMO, is to audition through a speaker at the levels you'd play with a band/live. So many nuances in tone and the feel are lost at quieter levels.
 
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