In case it’s useful to anyone, here’s my fractal journey & lessons especially focusing on FW 8.00 to FW10.
Background:
I have been a Fractal owner for around 8 years.
I had an AF2 but am now running an AX8 which is the perfect format for my use case.
I nearly always run my own PA so I run the AX8 into my Allen & Heath QU PAC which runs to some DB Subs and Dynacord D12-3A 3 way tops. My guitar and vocal mix is then sent to two Mackie DLM8 monitors in front of me on the floor.
I gig most weeks (1-2 gigs per week, 2-3 rehearsals per week) and use the AX8 for 3 different bands. 1 traditional rock, 1 * acoustic (Country/Nashville flavor) and 1 * modern acoustic ‘with a twist’ style.
I use 4 main presets (CLEAN, CRUNCH, HEAVY, LEAD) with a number of scenes and spot effects/AMP X/Y type of things to get most of the sounds I need. This is all based on the Mesa Collection to get a consistent basis as I find these tweakable to most genres.
I also have a number (8) per preset songs that cover certain styles where the specifc amp makes a difference but I ‘nearly’ always use the same cab which is one of the TV Mixes.
My experience:
I used to update to every FW and go very deep into the settings in order to get the sounds I’m looking for but with each new FW it became more difficult to work out whether I was improving things or just making things sound different.
The issue was that I was never tweaking from a consistent platform because I rarely reset the amp block because I’d spent years crafting the advanced tweaks.
I eventually started screen grabbing all the advanced pages for every block and then after an amp block reset, I’d blindly put all those advanced parameters back and then listen to the tone and tweak form there.
So…my tone was mostly really good but not perfect and it was all my own fault because I didn’t think about what I was doing logically. I wanted to change all that so I decided to do things differently…
FW 8.00 to FW 10
Firstly, I recorded my main 4 presets and the various scenes as a benchmark. Project studio with decent Adam speakers etc.
I then updated to FW10 and immediately recorded the same riffs for those 4 presets to check for any difference.
RESULT: Yes there was a difference in tone and perceived volume (.5db overall) although I feel that may also be more of a tonal change. Immediately I preferred FW 8.00 as it was right in my comfort zone.
So…I decided to reset the amp block and instantly the majority of things sounded….worse! – now worse actually means ‘different’ or ‘not to my taste’ or ‘not what I’d spent years tweaking’.
I had a few issues to deal with where the volume had dropped drastically in a couple of presets – this seemed to be to do with the saturation setting (which was on a scene controller).
Seeing as I no longer needed that function (it was just one of those things that I didn’t use over the various FW tweaks), so I removed it.
Now…what I did was start from that position as my basis and tweaked the sounds so that they were the best version of what I wanted in my head. I did this without A/Bing against my control recording.
CONSULSION:
Overall, I was able to tweak 12 patches in around 6 hours over two days and obtain sounds far superior to that which I had before. This is mostly without additional deep tweaking which I think is a clear testament to the evolution of the product. The only tweaks I made were to the power source 50hz/60hz etc. which I find really helps with certain sounds.
Lessons:
A) Start from a clear benchmark – Open your preset, reset the blocks and re-create from that point fixing any issues as you go.
B) Don’t chase making the new FW sound the same as your old tones – Expect it to be different otherwise you just go round and round again each time and you miss out on what the FW is trying to deliver to you.
C) Embrace new tone & evolve your sound with the unit – trying to stand still with a new FW is pointless.
D) If you like your patches as they are and things are working for you then don’t update. You’re already not missing out on anything are you! – Resist the urge but if you do update, follow points A-C above.
Finally – FW10 has completed this product for me. The switching between presets, scenes and amp X/Y was very significant on FW 8.00 and it is all but eliminated on FW 10.
I gigged FW10 on Saturday – it’s the best I’ve ever had from any unit (amp of fractal). Our audience seemed to agree with a number venturing up to simply take pictures of the gear.
Background:
I have been a Fractal owner for around 8 years.
I had an AF2 but am now running an AX8 which is the perfect format for my use case.
I nearly always run my own PA so I run the AX8 into my Allen & Heath QU PAC which runs to some DB Subs and Dynacord D12-3A 3 way tops. My guitar and vocal mix is then sent to two Mackie DLM8 monitors in front of me on the floor.
I gig most weeks (1-2 gigs per week, 2-3 rehearsals per week) and use the AX8 for 3 different bands. 1 traditional rock, 1 * acoustic (Country/Nashville flavor) and 1 * modern acoustic ‘with a twist’ style.
I use 4 main presets (CLEAN, CRUNCH, HEAVY, LEAD) with a number of scenes and spot effects/AMP X/Y type of things to get most of the sounds I need. This is all based on the Mesa Collection to get a consistent basis as I find these tweakable to most genres.
I also have a number (8) per preset songs that cover certain styles where the specifc amp makes a difference but I ‘nearly’ always use the same cab which is one of the TV Mixes.
My experience:
I used to update to every FW and go very deep into the settings in order to get the sounds I’m looking for but with each new FW it became more difficult to work out whether I was improving things or just making things sound different.
The issue was that I was never tweaking from a consistent platform because I rarely reset the amp block because I’d spent years crafting the advanced tweaks.
I eventually started screen grabbing all the advanced pages for every block and then after an amp block reset, I’d blindly put all those advanced parameters back and then listen to the tone and tweak form there.
So…my tone was mostly really good but not perfect and it was all my own fault because I didn’t think about what I was doing logically. I wanted to change all that so I decided to do things differently…
FW 8.00 to FW 10
Firstly, I recorded my main 4 presets and the various scenes as a benchmark. Project studio with decent Adam speakers etc.
I then updated to FW10 and immediately recorded the same riffs for those 4 presets to check for any difference.
RESULT: Yes there was a difference in tone and perceived volume (.5db overall) although I feel that may also be more of a tonal change. Immediately I preferred FW 8.00 as it was right in my comfort zone.
So…I decided to reset the amp block and instantly the majority of things sounded….worse! – now worse actually means ‘different’ or ‘not to my taste’ or ‘not what I’d spent years tweaking’.
I had a few issues to deal with where the volume had dropped drastically in a couple of presets – this seemed to be to do with the saturation setting (which was on a scene controller).
Seeing as I no longer needed that function (it was just one of those things that I didn’t use over the various FW tweaks), so I removed it.
Now…what I did was start from that position as my basis and tweaked the sounds so that they were the best version of what I wanted in my head. I did this without A/Bing against my control recording.
CONSULSION:
Overall, I was able to tweak 12 patches in around 6 hours over two days and obtain sounds far superior to that which I had before. This is mostly without additional deep tweaking which I think is a clear testament to the evolution of the product. The only tweaks I made were to the power source 50hz/60hz etc. which I find really helps with certain sounds.
Lessons:
A) Start from a clear benchmark – Open your preset, reset the blocks and re-create from that point fixing any issues as you go.
B) Don’t chase making the new FW sound the same as your old tones – Expect it to be different otherwise you just go round and round again each time and you miss out on what the FW is trying to deliver to you.
C) Embrace new tone & evolve your sound with the unit – trying to stand still with a new FW is pointless.
D) If you like your patches as they are and things are working for you then don’t update. You’re already not missing out on anything are you! – Resist the urge but if you do update, follow points A-C above.
Finally – FW10 has completed this product for me. The switching between presets, scenes and amp X/Y was very significant on FW 8.00 and it is all but eliminated on FW 10.
I gigged FW10 on Saturday – it’s the best I’ve ever had from any unit (amp of fractal). Our audience seemed to agree with a number venturing up to simply take pictures of the gear.
