How accurate is Fractal's amp modeling?

York Audio said:
All I gotta say is that there's magic in FW15. So far I've been able to match all of my high gain amps, but yesterday I wanted to see how Fractal's AC30 compared to a '94 Korg Era Vox AC30 I recently picked up for a gritty Voxy tone with a tube screamer in front of it. The test was more about determining accuracy rather than dialing in a perfect tone, so I just threw a 57 in front of a cab to see how comparable the amp and the model were.

For anyone questioning the accuracy of Fractal's amp modeling, rest easy... you'll save yourself a lot of time and money. Maybe some of you can hear a difference, but if someone played me either of these clips on their own, I'd have no idea if I was hearing a real amp or a modeler.

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I used my beyerdynamics DT 770. There's a difference really in the low mids of the first sample against the first clip! It like have a really really similar character but the second sample is with much much clarity against the bloom and the low mids of the first sample. But who cares? if it sounds feels right. fork everything
 
FractalAudio said:
I don't nitpick minor deviations in frequency response because no two amps the same. People listen to clips and it's always the same types of comments: "Clip A has more lower mids" or "Clip B has less high treble". Yawn.
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Omri Bazelet said:
I used my beyerdynamics DT 770. There's a difference really in the low mids of the first sample against the first clip! It like have a really really similar character but the second sample is with much much clarity against the bloom and the low mids of the first sample. But who cares? if it sounds feels right. fork everything
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Q.E.D.
 
The 15.xx firmware added a noticeable dynamic feel to the Marshalls, which are really all I've been playing with lately. You just know it when you play, can't really describe it more than that. It's all about the thump, bloom, note dynamics, how the palm mutes sound through the transient, string separation, growl, and how it makes your gut feel when you play. Yes, I made minor EQ tweaks vs previous firmware, but that was easy and took no time for me to do, and well worth the resulting amp bliss.
 
I agree the first part of the clip has a bit more low mids. Someone else mentioned that in a mix who cares.

I also have a 94 Korg era AC-30. Very special amp for sure and it’s my only tube amp I have hung on to. Years ago I also had a 95 purple Korg AC-30. Gorgeous amp but sold it because it did not sound as nice as the 94. It was a bit more dull. I even swapped the amp section across the cabinets. 94 into 95 and 95 into 94. Even after swapping the 94 still ruled so there is something special about the cabinet construction with the 94.

Hang onto that Korg.
 
79_limited said:
I agree the first part of the clip has a bit more low mids. Someone else mentioned that in a mix who cares.

I also have a 94 Korg era AC-30. Very special amp for sure and it’s my only tube amp I have hung on to. Years ago I also had a 95 purple Korg AC-30. Gorgeous amp but sold it because it did not sound as nice as the 94. It was a bit more dull. I even swapped the amp section across the cabinets. 94 into 95 and 95 into 94. Even after swapping the 94 still ruled so there is something special about the cabinet construction with the 94.

Hang onto that Korg.
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Totally agree on the Korg era AC30, and especially the ‘94. Both of mine are from ‘94... a red one with Alnico blues and a black one with Greenbacks. They’re a little noisy, but they sound absurdly good in the room when you give ‘em some juice.
 
deakle said:
I agree on the 15.xx firmware update. It really made a leap forward in my humble opinion. If I may ask @FractalAudio Cliff, do you have any recommendations on resources to learn more about the inner workings of some of the more popular amplifiers? I am an electrical engineer working from home due to covid and have been trying to gather as much knowledge as I can.
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You might find these links/books/resources helpful as well:

https://londonpower.com/tut-selection/

http://www.aikenamps.com/index.php/white-papers

Good general tube amp/tech FAQ:
http://www.aikenamps.com/index.php/technical-q-a
 
York Audio said:
Totally agree on the Korg era AC30, and especially the ‘94. Both of mine are from ‘94... a red one with Alnico blues and a black one with Greenbacks. They’re a little noisy, but they sound absurdly good in the room when you give ‘em some juice.
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Just want to say that your AC30 IR’s are the best Vox IR’s I’ve ever used. I didn’t really jive with your AC15 ones, but your AC30 ones which I’m guessing are from that Korg era Vox are incredible.
 
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