OK, What's the Key Difference in FW11?

Phostenix

Phostenix

Power User
Once 11.01 dropped yesterday, I finally upgraded (from 10.11) and spent about 6 hours playing today. I started with the Axe on FW5.04. Every firmware update has been a noticeable improvement in some area or other, but this one seems to be really noticeable on every amp I've tried yet I can't put my finger on exactly how it's different. It "feels" different and every amp I've tried sound fantastic will just basic EQ & gain tweaking. It's never been easier to use the Axe, but I can't really describe "why".

Has anyone been able to quantize what changed?
 
While I can't answer your question in technical verbiage, here's my take.

The highs and the cabs took another leap in realism. Maybe the improved highs helped the cabs. Dunno. I'm not an engineer. Oddly enough the first thing I noticed in FW11 was an amp that I've never liked the real world counterpart of.

I know I'm not normal, but it's the JCM 800 series. I liked it when other's played it. But I never liked playing one. I grew up on a 71 Marshall that had a plexi circuit and never liked the mid scoop and loose bottom of a JCM 800. So I'm flipping from preset to preset after the update and hit a preset with this amp and it rung my bell. Amazing how it took me back to the first time I had tried a JCM 800. Scary actually (I've since grown to like these for some things).

The thing that strikes me most about FW11 is the realness of the cabs. Here's another adj for ya. Everything has that "woody" sound to it. And I'm not referring to the excitement of playing FW11 either. The cabs have a characteristic that I've not noticed before. As the matter of fact, so much so that I bought both Fractal IR packs as well as both Ownhammer packs.
 
Yep. New cabs+FW11 is bliss.

Better balance in eq. And the feeling of hitting the strings is just amazing.

I could not possible get this with my Mesa Roadking II at the volume i play at home.
Great at HIGH volum though. And twice the price of the AXII here in Norway 8(


The only thing that makes this better now is to play louder :D
 
The b from 11b was removed & the clouds(& fanbois legs) parted.............

I kid......I definitely feel that everything is better. I actually noticed a big improvement starting with FW10 with the introduction of the 4x12 Basketweave TV Mix IR + MIMIC. The Marshall 50 & 100w Plexis sounded very good to me from that moment. The fact that everything has gotten even better since then is amazing to me.

Vastly improved IRs (both Fractal & OH) have a great deal to do with this for sure......
 
Narzugon said:
While I can't answer your question in technical verbiage, here's my take.

The highs and the cabs took another leap in realism. Maybe the improved highs helped the cabs. Dunno. I'm not an engineer. Oddly enough the first thing I noticed in FW11 was an amp that I've never liked the real world counterpart of.

I know I'm not normal, but it's the JCM 800 series. I liked it when other's played it. But I never liked playing one. I grew up on a 71 Marshall that had a plexi circuit and never liked the mid scoop and loose bottom of a JCM 800. So I'm flipping from preset to preset after the update and hit a preset with this amp and it rung my bell. Amazing how it took me back to the first time I had tried a JCM 800. Scary actually (I've since grown to like these for some things).

The thing that strikes me most about FW11 is the realness of the cabs. Here's another adj for ya. Everything has that "woody" sound to it. And I'm not referring to the excitement of playing FW11 either. The cabs have a characteristic that I've not noticed before. As the matter of fact, so much so that I bought both Fractal IR packs as well as both Ownhammer packs.
Click to expand...

I agree !!!
 
I've been an Axe user since firmware 3.x on the Standard. Last night, I was just going through presets and the same word "woody" came to me as well. All the amps and i mean "all" the amps just sounds "woody" similar to how a real Leslie speaker sounds "throaty." I finally feel that the Axe has reached the level of hyperbole that people have claimed it had supposedly achieved over the years. I have never been critical of these boffins that chime praises after every firmware update, but I have to say, the Axe is IT now. I'm really blown away by it. Each amp really sounds unique and different, just like the real ones. I've been wanting a real AC-30 for years, but now, no need, why bother? I have a great sounding one in the Axe. Kudos to Cliff and his team.


Narzugon said:
While I can't answer your question in technical verbiage, here's my take.

The highs and the cabs took another leap in realism. Maybe the improved highs helped the cabs. Dunno. I'm not an engineer. Oddly enough the first thing I noticed in FW11 was an amp that I've never liked the real world counterpart of.

I know I'm not normal, but it's the JCM 800 series. I liked it when other's played it. But I never liked playing one. I grew up on a 71 Marshall that had a plexi circuit and never liked the mid scoop and loose bottom of a JCM 800. So I'm flipping from preset to preset after the update and hit a preset with this amp and it rung my bell. Amazing how it took me back to the first time I had tried a JCM 800. Scary actually (I've since grown to like these for some things).

The thing that strikes me most about FW11 is the realness of the cabs. Here's another adj for ya. Everything has that "woody" sound to it. And I'm not referring to the excitement of playing FW11 either. The cabs have a characteristic that I've not noticed before. As the matter of fact, so much so that I bought both Fractal IR packs as well as both Ownhammer packs.
Click to expand...
 
Adinfinitum said:
I've been an Axe user since firmware 3.x on the Standard. Last night, I was just going through presets and the same word "woody" came to me as well. All the amps and i mean "all" the amps just sounds "woody" similar to how a real Leslie speaker sounds "throaty." I finally feel that the Axe has reached the level of hyperbole that people have claimed it had supposedly achieved over the years. I have never been critical of these boffins that chime praises after every firmware update, but I have to say, the Axe is IT now. I'm really blown away by it. Each amp really sounds unique and different, just like the real ones. I've been wanting a real AC-30 for years, but now, no need, why bother? I have a great sounding one in the Axe. Kudos to Cliff and his team.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much where I'm at, too. I've seen enough new FW releases to recognize the predictable pattern of forum responses (and part of the reason I now wait for the .01 releases). Even my wife makes jokes about new firmware - "So, is it everything they said it would be?" :lol So, I've come to expect some improvements in this or that with each upgrade and some of the things that others talk about I don't really hear, but that's OK. But, FW11 seems genuinely different to me, yet the only way I can describe it is "feel" or "dynamics" or "responsiveness". Someone said it was easier to play. I felt that with the Mark IIC+ last night. The notes just sing effortlessly. It was a joy to play.

I like jsl2h's idea of reverting to 5.06 where I started to see how much different it really seems to me now (but I don't have the time for that in the near future). I really struggled with the Axe initially & I spent a ton of time with advanced parameters & IRs and felt like I was just going in circles much of the time. I don't have the experience with all of the real world amps that many here do & I don't have the ear that many others do, either. I knew the box was capable of great tones, but I wasn't able to get there. FW10 was certainly a big step in realism and the producer mix IRs helped me a ton, but FW11 has made it easy to just select an amp & cab, tweak the "normal" controls like you would on the real deal and get really satisfying tones that leads you to play.
 
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All I know is ,I haven't gotten anything done since v11 came out except play with it!!
Well not it!!! The Ax Fx and my guitar!!!!
 
Just noticed after loading v11 that my main 5153 rythm patch sounded a little more "sinister" in the lows, put a smile on my face.
 
If I could put it into words I would.

It's really embarrassing though because every firmware seems to be amazing and so much better than the last. I mean at some point it's like the little boy who cried wolf. I think that the thing is that he isn't just changing one thing here and there in some of these updates; it's like he's coming at it from a completely different direction which arrives at the same point, but the process to get from A to B is just better and it translates. Things like matching the values of the knobs to match the real amps are very measurable and easy to grasp and explain, but things where he has these frickin' out of body "ah-ha" moments where he disappears into his mad scientist lab and comes out with some of this stuff....well who the hell knows what's going on at that point.

MIMIC was definitely one of those moments and I think that we're still reaping the rewards from that one.

All I know is that for the last few releases I can pick an amp model and a cab and in about 5 minutes time I'm done tweaking. I may twist a knob here or there while I'm playing just like I would a real amp to mess with it, but if I want a vox or plexi I'm pretty much right there with two blocks.
 
Phostenix said:
That's pretty much where I'm at, too. I've seen enough new FW releases to recognize the predictable pattern of forum responses (and part of the reason I now wait for the .01 releases). Even my wife makes jokes about new firmware - "So, is it everything they said it would be?" :lol So, I've come to expect some improvements in this or that with each upgrade and some of the things that others talk about I don't really hear, but that's OK. But, FW11 seems genuinely different to me, yet the only way I can describe it is "feel" or "dynamics" or "responsiveness". Someone said it was easier to play. I felt that with the Mark IIC+ last night. The notes just sing effortlessly. It was a joy to play.

I like jsl2h's idea of reverting to 5.06 where I started to see how much different it really seems to me now (but I don't have the time for that in the near future). I really struggled with the Axe initially & I spent a ton of time with advanced parameters & IRs and felt like I was just going in circles much of the time. I don't have the experience with all of the real world amps that many here do & I don't have the ear that many others do, either. I knew the box was capable of great tones, but I wasn't able to get there. FW10 was certainly a big step in realism and the producer mix IRs helped me a ton, but FW11 has made it easy to just select an amp & cab, tweak the "normal" controls like you would on the real deal and get really satisfying tones that lead you to play.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree with you guys more.
I must admit, I like high gain amps and the words that come to kind are:
Openness, roar, dimension, sweet compression and warmth.
Just awesome!
 
I admit, it took me awhile to find a sound I liked in fw10 and I felt fw9 calling my name again. After awhile I came to terms with 10, but fw11 has been a MASSIVE improvement to my ears. It took me all of 2 minutes to dial in a perfect tone. So far all the presets I have scrolled though sound much better ( I was blown away by how much better the "Petrucci" preset got) and I think Cliff and the guys at FA outdid themselves this time. Great job!! My dream tone has been achieved.
 
willowdale said:
Make sure you don't say that the Axe is even "more IT" after the next update or you may become one of those buffoons!!!
Click to expand...
Or he might be right. :)

Anyway...boffins, buffoons...different words, different meanings.
 
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