FM9 Firmware Version 8.01

is it my imagination or is the new tune much quicker/more responsive? I live the cyan - last night on stage it was nicer to look at and very legible! Not sure how it'll be on those sunny festival stages.

I noticed the tuner was better. Still not quite as good as the tuner on my Shure GLXD16+ but close. I also like the cyan better.
 
Tuner is more accurate and I think so much more useful now. It used to be that often the strobe was not always moving in the correct direction (i.e. strobe going counter-clockwise when the note was sharp). I feel like the engineered the confusion out of the tuner with this update!
 
Added a Touch Wah type to the Filter block. This is similar to the Envelope Filter but uses a different type of detector and voltage-to-frequency converter. This type can be used to create interesting touch-sensitive filter sounds. It can also be used to replicate the Korg A3 Touch Wah sound as follows:
  • Set Mode to MIX
  • Set Start Freq to maximum. Set Stop Frequency to minimum.
  • Start with a fairly high Attack Time, around 500ms.
  • Set Release Time to around 200ms.
  • Adjust Sensitivity to taste.
After listening to the record and several Youtube demos, I'm almost certain that the Korg A3 preset operates on an ADSR rather than the guitar envelope. On the Korg, the filter stays closed on the strong second strum on the bass strings, and always opens/closes at the same rate. I have never found a way to make the envelope detector behave properly for this effect. Perhaps allowing the new Mutron filter to be controlled by the ADSR would yield a more accurate result. if there's a way to get the envelope detector to do this properly, I'm all ears.
 
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is it my imagination or is the new tuner much quicker/more responsive? I like the cyan - last night on stage it was nicer to look at and very legible! Not sure how it'll be on those sunny festival stages.
+1 It seems to jump/track very quickly now, to the point where my usual tuning routine makes it look like I'm smashing the strings (maybe I am...). This was a little unnerving at first but I have aimed for "best effort" and as long as it sounds good when I'm tuned, everyone's happy.

I love the variety of colour choices too!
 
Hoping someone can help with this one.

I'm looking to transition some of my sounds to be based on the Justin Derrico GoT presets (based on the Shiva). I have FM 8.01 loaded but i haven't yet re-saved this preset.

It sounds great as it is but if I save it with the new firmware it loses something. It's almost smoother and likely more accurate but not what i'm after.

Can anyone indicate what amp changes I can revert back to in order to retain this original sound and feel?

Some of my other main presets have a similar change in tone which I'd like to revert back to as well.

I know I could stay on an old firmware and if that's the actual answer then so be it, but I like the other new improvements so I thought i'd reach out and ask the question.

Thanks for any help
 
I'd be curious to hear your findings! There are a few things I noticed that now happen on the FM9 that did not happen previously on firmware 8, nor on the Axe iii (firmware 27 beta in my case for the axe iii):

1) Screen flickers when changing channels (on my drives; maybe other blocks do it too, but noticed on drives; I think cabs too which brings me to point #2).

2) Dyna Cabs don't default to the same positions as the Axe iii when they previously did on FM9 firmware 8.

3) Used to be able to change the impedance curve for a static IR in the amp block, but then turn on auto dynacab match. This resulted in changing channels on the cab block, and if it uses a Dynacab, it will use the appropriate impedance curve in the amp block, but upon switching back to the cab channel with a static IR, goes back to the previous impedance curve selected in the amp block. This doesn't happen anymore with the FM9 firmware v8.01 as it does on the Axe iii, but once it changes to the Dynacab impedance curve, it stays there regardless of if you go back to a channel with legacy IRs or Dynacabs.
Has anyone else experienced any of this? What would be a good way to address this stuff? Do a reinstall or something?
 
Can anyone indicate what amp changes I can revert back to in order to retain this original sound and feel?
There may be much more, but maybe this can help...

Cliff: "If you want a clearer sound you can achieve that by turning down Master Bias Excursion. This will reduce the rumble and sizzle and snarl and all the other nasty stuff. But be aware it’s all this nasty stuff that makes amps sound 'organic.'"
 
There may be much more, but maybe this can help...

Cliff: "If you want a clearer sound you can achieve that by turning down Master Bias Excursion. This will reduce the rumble and sizzle and snarl and all the other nasty stuff. But be aware it’s all this nasty stuff that makes amps sound 'organic.'"
Thanks, it gives me a starting point to play with. Its quite subtle but it reacts different and makes my guitar sing in the original patch.
 
are you going from fw7 to 8.01 or from 8.0 to 8.01 when you notice the difference?
This patch was on FM7 but I was on 8.00beta for a while and hadn't listened to this preset for a long time. On FW 8.01 as soon as i saved my regular presets, there are obviously some have slight differences. Whether you like those or not is just preference and usually its my opportunity to rework my patches from scratch, which is where I'm heading.

I completely support the 100% accurate modelling goal which means FW changes along the way, however as a musicians we should recognise that we've spent decades making mods to real tube amps to dial out the things we don't like.
 
This patch was on FM7 but I was on 8.00beta for a while and hadn't listened to this preset for a long time. On FW 8.01 as soon as i saved my regular presets, there are obviously some have slight differences. Whether you like those or not is just preference and usually its my opportunity to rework my patches from scratch, which is where I'm heading.

I completely support the 100% accurate modelling goal which means FW changes along the way, however as a musicians we should recognise that we've spent decades making mods to real tube amps to dial out the things we don't like.
No explanation needed. I find a lot different between 7 and 8. Adjusting the SIC seems to have less bearing as well. 8 has thicker but tighter mids with less highs. I'm on the fence on which I like more but I did have to adjust on 8. Different ir even.
 
Has anyone else experienced any of this? What would be a good way to address this stuff? Do a reinstall or something?
I have had a screen flicker in the pitch block since day one, when changing channels from Dual Detune (default) to a Virtual Capo. Could never figure it out and posting here it was never addressed either. It was like the controls didn't change even when the model and channels changed.

Your point about the auto SIC is interesting - I noticed that too but convinced myself that once you set Auto Dyna Cab impedance, it was always stuck. That would be very useful if it respected your cab block the way you describe!
 
I have had a screen flicker in the pitch block since day one, when changing channels from Dual Detune (default) to a Virtual Capo. Could never figure it out and posting here it was never addressed either. It was like the controls didn't change even when the model and channels changed.

Your point about the auto SIC is interesting - I noticed that too but convinced myself that once you set Auto Dyna Cab impedance, it was always stuck. That would be very useful if it respected your cab block the way you describe!
That’s interesting about the screen flicker! I noticed it happen after the update.

With regards to the SIC, it actually does behave the way I describe it with the Axe Fx iii! I can have channel A on a cab block be a Dynacab and the amp block follows with auto dynacab on, but if I switch to channel B in the cab block with a legacy cab, then the amp block follows to the SIC I previously had selected for it. You just turn off auto dynacab and select the SIC you want with the legacy can, then turn auto dynacab back on and it will follow appropriately based on the cab channel.

The FM9 doesn’t behave like the Axe Fx iii does though (on firmware 27 beta). It also doesn’t have the default mic positions with dynacabs like the Axe Fx iii has. It was the same with firmware 8 though, meaning the default positions like the Axe iii were there.
 
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Hoping someone can help with this one.

I'm looking to transition some of my sounds to be based on the Justin Derrico GoT presets (based on the Shiva). I have FM 8.01 loaded but i haven't yet re-saved this preset.

It sounds great as it is but if I save it with the new firmware it loses something. It's almost smoother and likely more accurate but not what i'm after.

Can anyone indicate what amp changes I can revert back to in order to retain this original sound and feel?

Some of my other main presets have a similar change in tone which I'd like to revert back to as well.

I know I could stay on an old firmware and if that's the actual answer then so be it, but I like the other new improvements so I thought i'd reach out and ask the question.

Thanks for any help
Just to save people some time, I think the clear message, that I really should know by now is "don't chase a Unicorn".

TLDR: After various tests the outcome is I tweaked some settings and found something I like just as much and its really close.

Long version:

1. To make sure i wasn't imagining anything I created a guitar loop as the input to the FM9
2. I recorded the 'good, non re-saved' JD patch into my DAW
3. I recorded the 'bad, saved' JD patch into my DAW
4. I aligned them and phase reversed one of them.
5. Result is essentially 'what's missing or added' which was some complex high end artifacts amongst other things.
6. I looked back through the previous firmware and highlighted items to try and change.
7. All the key ones were in the Cygnus X3 update including Preamp Bias, Triode plate Frequency and Negative feedback.
8. I played with those a little bit, to see which helped (and the master bias control which was mentioned previously to me) and I found a combination that I think is great.
9. One observation was that i also reduced the master volume and the preamp gain by a very small amount which cleared things up.

So that's my result, pretty happy and it does now interact and make the guitar sing like the original patch and so I will put the effort in to do the same with my other patches that have changed.

Lesson 'finally' learned - I've only been a fractal user for 15 years :laughing: - I'm my own worst enemy sometimes.

Thanks for all responses.
 
FWIW, I fought it for a few months...upgraded to FW7 and didn't like what I was hearing, so I dropped back to FW6 which I'd spent a lot of time tweaking. When I finally couldn't hold out any longer I loaded up FW8, reset my amps and started over with DynaCabs. End result is magnificent and it didn't take me very long to get there. Really pleased with sounds now and enjoying 8.1
 
#1 I figured it out which is why I quoted the process here.
#2 every other firm ware update has been 5 minutes. This one was a bit longer to get the weird yellow box off the number, that's really all I was trying to do.

Seriously there is a ton of condescending attitude from people in this thread when I was simply saying there should be a simpler option as I was not even the first one in this thread posing the issue.
Unless you perform with factory presets, there's no need to resave them all. If you find it burdensome, don't do it. Most users either build presets from scratch, or copy a factory preset to a user location and tweak from there. I too missed the release note, and spent all of 5 minutes wondering what it was, but once you figure it out it's a very useful indicator.
 
I'm going to troubleshoot some glitches on this firmware that I've been noticing and wanted to reinstall everything, firmware and dynacabs included just to do it. Is the procedure literally just going into Fractal Bot and reinstalling everything right over the same firmware and dynacabs; just running everything again?
 
I'm going to troubleshoot some glitches on this firmware that I've been noticing and wanted to reinstall everything, firmware and dynacabs included just to do it. Is the procedure literally just going into Fractal Bot and reinstalling everything right over the same firmware and dynacabs; just running everything again?
Yes.
 
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