After not having played my gear for almost two months (!), I decided to update the FM3 today.
Here are the process and my findings.
First, I took a note of the CPU usage of my main preset: 78,7%.
I wrote down the values of the following Amp block parameters: Power Tube Grid Bas, Supply Sag and Cathode Follower (all set to default). I did this for the Deluxe Verb and 195SLP amp models.
I exported the preset to disk.
I recorded simple audio snippets (no DI), using my Steinberger Spirit's not-so-pretty middle pup, fw 7. Soundcloud probably normalizes the audio.
I updated to fw 8 beta fw, installed the updated editor and refreshed its effects definitions.
With the new fw installed, I imported the aforementioned preset.
The preset's CPU usage is now 77.8%. That's a one percent point less, nice.
At this point I did NOT reset the Amp block in any way, and did NOT save it under the new fw, and did NOT not execute Upgrade All Presets in the Utility menu.
I checked the Amp block parameters, mentioned above. They are now different.
This indicates that the new fw
does apply the new default values in the Amp block automatically upon loading an 'old' preset , not needing any kind of Amp block reset.
So, the release notes are somewhat confusing in this regard, because they mention a soft or hard reset requirement.
@rglr
I recorded audio again, using the same preset, without resetting the Amp block or other changes. Soundcloud probably normalizes the audio.
I applied the three required system changes to enable gapless preset switching.
It took about 15 minutes to finish the "Upgrade All Presets" process (2-3 seconds per preset).
I tested gapless switching of presets, scenes and channels and it works perfectly.
I executed "Reset AMP Blocks" in Manage Presets in the editor to reset the amp block channels in the preset (except authentic controls).
And saved the preset.
These actions did not change the aforementioned Amp block parameters again, because they already had been defaulted, as described above.
N.B. The reset process defaulted a couple of parameters that I tweaked away from default: Speaker Drive, Speaker Thump and Output Compression. This is exactly as expected. I adjusted those to match the old settings.
Suggestions:
- Rename "Upgrade All Presets" in the Utility menu to a title that indicates its function more clearly. See post 374
- Make "Reset AMP Blocks" available in the main menu of the editor.
Possible bugs:
- The Startup Preset parameter is missing in the Setup dialog of FM3-Edit. @Michael Pickens
- The two Optical tremolos do not sound right to my ears. I don't have a III or FM9 here to compare.
Testing to be continued.