National Enquirer: Fractal Fatswitch Fiasco!

Lighten up guys - 'Fat switch fiasco' was simply a typically overblown 'National Enquirer' headline! (sorry if I'm the only one who found it funny) :) My problem last night was simple operator error - I was try all the different amps within the same preset and somehow had engaged a post filter that was making the Fat boosts on some amps sound *way* over the top. I found the problem this morning and am by all means a happy camper! This new Fat boost is a feature that will come in very handy for programming gainy presets - sometimes after I engage it, I bring down the amp's mid setting a bit for a totally different sound, while still maintaining a nice balance of highs, mids and lows.

Again, sincere thanks to Cliff and the Fractal Team for such an awesome update! :)
 
Radley said:
I was try all the different amps within the same preset and somehow had engaged a post filter that was making the Fat boosts on some amps sound *way* over the top.
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After resolving this issue, is your opinion of the ODS Lead and Mesa MK 2 & 3 high gains any better now?
 
Phostenix said:
After resolving this issue, is your opinion of the ODS Lead and Mesa MK 2 & 3 high gains any better now?
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Better now, yet I still feel that the ODS is sub-par to most of the new models, but this is also true with other modelers, including the KPA. I wish the AFX had a direct mix parameter (similar the KPA Clarity control), as this seems to help amps that sound a bit too loose or undefined... it seems like the ODS model could benefit from this, imho. :) But I still stand amazed at the sheer amount of control over tone we have with 6.0.
 
Does the new Definition control help? What exactly is lacking in the ODS & Mesa models (I've never owned either)?
 
Phostenix said:
Does the new Definition control help? What exactly is lacking in the ODS & Mesa models (I've never owned either)?
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Obviously Cliff can answer the first part much better than me, but I understand the Definition control is a type of pre EQ that emphasizes either more of the lower or upper frequencies - the Clarity control would basically just mix in a bit of direct signal after the preamp section, to be processed together in the power amp section.

To my ears the ODS is lacking a certain lower mid response and clarity - it seems a bit 'scattered' sounding compared to the real thing. Having said that, it is still *quite* usable - just not one of my faves.
 
Radley said:
But that direct signal is taken after the Amp, so it's affect is only on the Cab - funny, but I guess what we're discussing is similar to an 'air' parameter for the amp block :) :)
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Sure it is. What are you asking for? A portion of the preamp signal that bypasses the power amp? Or what do you mean by "processed together in the power amp section"?
Both variants sound strange to me when the aim is to replicate the genuine inner workings of a tube amp.
 
Sebastian said:
Sure it is. What are you asking for? A portion of the preamp signal that bypasses the power amp? Or what do you mean by "processed together in the power amp section"?
Both variants sound strange to me when the aim is to replicate the genuine inner workings of a tube amp.
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Sure, but now we want to go beyond the inner workings.

Also, in some amps you actually can get some leakage from other channels mixing in. For example, the SLO100 is notorious for the Clean/Crunch channel mixing (out-of-phase no less) into the lead channel. It's generally considered to be detrimental to the tone so I didn't model that.
 
Phostenix said:
Does the new Definition control help? What exactly is lacking in the ODS & Mesa models (I've never owned either)?
Click to expand...

I was a little surprised at this, but I am chalking it up to different tastes. I've never owned a ODS-100 (very few have), but I completely bypassed it in 5.07 and it really grabbed my attention in 6. I played Mesas for decades prior to the Axe Fx, and think the Mesa Lead tones sounded more Boogie-like in character. That's the Mark Boogies, I mean. I didn't have a lot of Recto amp experience. Tone is so subjective, so I respect others feeling these tones don't float their boat. I like them, though.
 
Sebastian said:
Sure it is. What are you asking for? A portion of the preamp signal that bypasses the power amp? Or what do you mean by "processed together in the power amp section"?
Both variants sound strange to me when the aim is to replicate the genuine inner workings of a tube amp.
Click to expand...

For me, the aim is to not only to sound like certain amps, but to sound great period, and possibly create some new sounds never heard from a tube amp. Specifically, I am talking about taking a very small adjustable amount of direct signal from the Amp block's input and injecting it before the Amp block's Power Section. For example, a Tube Screamer overdrive contains a fair amount of direct signal automatically because of it's design. Other units such as the Sparkle Drive and certain Maxons include a dedicated control for adding some direct signal to the result.

Why would we want this? Because sometimes when re-creating amp distortion, the results can get a bit 'bloated and overblown' if you will, and they lose a bit of the urgency and definition that a touch of direct signal can restore (some hear this as 'overprocessed distortion'). Even some of the Marshall and ADA (MP-1, etc) designs included circuitry allowing some undistorted signal to be mixed into the equation. It would be hard to reproduce this result without a dedicated parameter.
 
so a feature similar to the "air" parameter in the cab block.... in the amp block somewhere?
 
That's one way of describing it, and I like the parameter name 'Air' :)

Obviously Cliff will do what he deems best.... I'm just expressing what I think would be a helpful addition to the package! :)
 
Meh. Different strokes, different folks.

If you don't like the model, then just get a good clean recording of the amp in question and Tone Match it.

Easy. Everyone is happy then. :D
 
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