How Long Until III’s Amp Modeling Definitively Surpasses the II?

I think in practical applications it won’t be “night and day”, however one could likely build a crazy patch in the III which does things the II simply doesn’t have the power to match due to sheer number of effects, channels etc

If one is just using a basic single amp, cab and a little reverb then I think it wouldn’t sound worlds apart since the current offerings already sound great.
 
As somebody who has pushed the boundaries of high gain tube amp tone in my never ending quest for more heft, clarity and detail while playing chords with intervals other than octaves, fifths and fourths, the latest iteration of the Axe 2 is incredibly impressive in terms of realism and level of detail. Not to mention that there are many things possible with the Axe 2's which are impossible in a real amp!

There is always room for improvement, but unfortunately improvement is much easier to come by in the beginning. It's the last 10-20% that's the hardest. I have no doubt the 3 will improve on an already amazing unit, even if it's just a little, I will be glad for any % above amazing..:)
 
I'm sure the OP was referring to sound quality, but it seems to me that this also has to do with reaching the sound you're going for with the level of quality you want. It took some doing, but you could run out of processing power on the II. It looks like the III will do quite a bit more heavy lifting without breaking a sweat. That ought to count as increased sound quality, or at least increased quality of experiencing the sound.

The XL+ kicks some serious butt. I'm expecting I will be as dumbfounded as I was with the last three Axe FXs I've owned when the III arrives. This ride seems never ending... in the best way. :)
 
Perhaps it will take us into that last 1% of elusive Dumble territory of tone, while also having enough horsepower number crunching ability leftover for convolution verbs & no latency perfect pitch shifting & all the other effects wishlist stuff.
 
WRT night and day, I think it is possible, given that there are like a thousand aspects of an amp model that can be revised, and when this occurs incrementally, eventually comparing an Axe III to an Axe II using the same amp sim settings will just sound different. It's not to say that it will sound better, it just will require different knob turns to get the same or similar dynamics/tone.
 
RKF said:
I feel the same way. I have no idea how much Fractal's 50w Plexi nails the real thing and I never will because I'll never buy the real amp and do an a/b test. No need to. What's in the box sounds so awesome that comparisons are no longer relevant. They sound, record and feel great. That's all that matters.
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Exactly, same boat as you, and it would actually require more effort for me to do research and check if the tone I get from the axe is true to the real amp, so I don't bother, I'd rather just be content.
 
RKF said:
I feel the same way. I have no idea how much Fractal's 50w Plexi nails the real thing and I never will because I'll never buy the real amp and do an a/b test. No need to. What's in the box sounds so awesome that comparisons are no longer relevant. They sound, record and feel great. That's all that matters.
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I am a Marshall junkie and I have owned (still have a JTM45 and a JCM800) many of the classic models. A few folks slagged me for stating a few months ago that the Marshalls in the II sound better than my real Marshall’s. I still stand behind that statement because the II has allowed me to get cranked tones at manageable volumes and it has allowed me to fine tune the core amp tone quickly (and for less money than continually experimenting with amp mods).

I think the potential for tone improvement may lie more with what the the extra processing power will make possible with IRs , but I am not a DSP engineer. However, as I patiently wait for my order of hash browns at the low counter of the local Waffle House and sip my fourth cup of coffee, new realms for IRs seems like a natural place to go with the new power.
 
How long? Right out of the box from what Cliff is hinting at.
But it's not just that and the future firmware updates for me... it's the large CPU headroom that I'm looking forward to. And the channels! The ins and outs are great too. I could put a whole band through there if I wanted!
I'm also looking forward to the easier front panel editing.
 
Essentially, amp sims will never stop to evolve. When you find a new way to formulate an idea, it's hard to keep using the old phrases and images. Same case with algos. Even if you don't hear the difference, Cliff will keep optimizing them for another reason than the sensorial product itself but how it is produced, as his understanding of production evolves and becomes the ultimate challenge.. To get one big picture of the whole thing and turn it into the most synthetic algo.
 
It'd be cool to have different MODES for operating the III , based on how it's used.


Star mode - supports big stage artists , with off-stage tech control

Band mode - supports multiple musicians , performing in clubs.

Studio mode - routing and front panel designed for recording and tweaking.
 
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