Stef and I are friends through Fractal. I totally get where he's coming from. He worked hard. He brought in people (including yours truly) to help him dial in what he wanted, with VERY fine attention to detail. He was satisfied. For whatever presumably good reasons (see below) he'd then update to a major new firmware version and find he needed to revisit tones -- probably because he is in a very demanding situation where things are expected to work and sound a specific way. This "revisiting" cycle happened several times over the years. I think he has now realized that it's OK to stay where you are and that even a Fractal owner can be happy with that. Hey, maybe he'll keep an extra Axe-Fx to play with on the latest version while your touring gear stays parked.. ;-) Scratch the itch!
About this "itch", I'll share some more thoughts.
The truth is, I recommend to any pro that they should not upgrade firmware mid-tour, or during rehearsals, or unless they've really got the time to re-visit what they need. (Sometimes even being between tours does not constitute a "break." Gear will be stowed. Time will be tight. etc.) For different people, the amount of time required will vary considerably. As for why things need to be consistent, how we play is affected by how we sound. Also, a band's sound can depend on a very specific guitar sound. There's often no reason or desire to make changes--which have ripple effects through an organization. (Have you read FOH engineer "Big Mick's" quote on the Fractal home page? His opinion probably mattered as much as or more than those of the band members, who'd gotten onboard first.) It's the same with other tours I've worked on over the years. Could things sound "better?" Sure! Would it be fun to try all those new amps, cabs, and effects? Sure! But is not being on the latest firmware the only compromise that professional musicians make? Hehehehe. Not by a mile. (A talk for another day.)
So... that itch... the itch to upgrade. On one hand you have the objective fact that firmware updates bring improvements. Sound evolution. New features. Fixes. It's a real temptation!!! If you have the "juice" (meaning the energy, the time, and the desire to bring in new features, resolve problems caused by things like retired factory cabs, changes in amp level, etc.) then nothing should prevent you from enjoying the benefits of updates. In fact, due to features like RESET AMPS (which I pair with screen captures of Axe-Edit) very little skill is required and MOST of us are probably in a position to take advantage of most updates. Example: I play all the time, and I never take anything less than the very latest firmware with me (even beta!). A few hours of prep and I know I'll have my basics: some forms of clean, crunch, heavy, lead, ambient sounds, a few outliers. Heck, there are pros all over the world who play on rented backline or borrowed gear and face greater challenges than what comes with a firmware update. As for me, I embrace that leading/bleeding edge. It's the notes that matter. It's the communication between the musicians on stage. (On the flip side, if I'm feeling crummy, no tone however perfect is going to make me think I didn't suck.) Therefore, I embrace the Zen of firmware updating. (We could have the same basic conversation about the "rabbit hole" of tone).
I'd also like to talk about seeking change for the sake of change. This is actually a two-edged sword. For many of us—top pros included—that ever-changing aspect of our sound is not tedium, but fun. We love to tinker. Pedalboard players often swap pedals in and out. Sound techs the world over are driven mad by ever-moving amp settings (like between soundcheck and curtain). But we NEED to do it. We need it to be RIGHT. I am reminded of a story I tell about comedian George Burns making "tweaks" to his punchlines. It became like a pseudo-science of small variables. Even within the small space his career carved out for change, he drove "his people" crazy by obsessing over the details, always thinking and talking about whether "psoriasis" or "eczema" might get the bigger laugh on a given night. The truth was, it would probably never have mattered to anyone except him. But if this obsession excited him to perform, then it mattered to everyone!
At the same time though, "dissatisfaction" can become an obsession, taking the focus away from our looking more closely at ourselves, our musicianship, our circumstances. Knowing where to put your energy, picking the right battle, having the foresight to stick with a good thing... these represent a discipline. Mastering the satisfaction of stasis, understanding the factors that push and pull you to want to change... these things can be just as important as mastery of your instrument, or having the right band mates. I see people OWN this challenge. I likewise see it DESTROY people. Maybe ask yourself: why update?
So, to change course a little, I want to disagree with the comment about Axe-Change being obsolete. I think this isn't true at all for several reasons.
Have fun,
About this "itch", I'll share some more thoughts.
The truth is, I recommend to any pro that they should not upgrade firmware mid-tour, or during rehearsals, or unless they've really got the time to re-visit what they need. (Sometimes even being between tours does not constitute a "break." Gear will be stowed. Time will be tight. etc.) For different people, the amount of time required will vary considerably. As for why things need to be consistent, how we play is affected by how we sound. Also, a band's sound can depend on a very specific guitar sound. There's often no reason or desire to make changes--which have ripple effects through an organization. (Have you read FOH engineer "Big Mick's" quote on the Fractal home page? His opinion probably mattered as much as or more than those of the band members, who'd gotten onboard first.) It's the same with other tours I've worked on over the years. Could things sound "better?" Sure! Would it be fun to try all those new amps, cabs, and effects? Sure! But is not being on the latest firmware the only compromise that professional musicians make? Hehehehe. Not by a mile. (A talk for another day.)
So... that itch... the itch to upgrade. On one hand you have the objective fact that firmware updates bring improvements. Sound evolution. New features. Fixes. It's a real temptation!!! If you have the "juice" (meaning the energy, the time, and the desire to bring in new features, resolve problems caused by things like retired factory cabs, changes in amp level, etc.) then nothing should prevent you from enjoying the benefits of updates. In fact, due to features like RESET AMPS (which I pair with screen captures of Axe-Edit) very little skill is required and MOST of us are probably in a position to take advantage of most updates. Example: I play all the time, and I never take anything less than the very latest firmware with me (even beta!). A few hours of prep and I know I'll have my basics: some forms of clean, crunch, heavy, lead, ambient sounds, a few outliers. Heck, there are pros all over the world who play on rented backline or borrowed gear and face greater challenges than what comes with a firmware update. As for me, I embrace that leading/bleeding edge. It's the notes that matter. It's the communication between the musicians on stage. (On the flip side, if I'm feeling crummy, no tone however perfect is going to make me think I didn't suck.) Therefore, I embrace the Zen of firmware updating. (We could have the same basic conversation about the "rabbit hole" of tone).
I'd also like to talk about seeking change for the sake of change. This is actually a two-edged sword. For many of us—top pros included—that ever-changing aspect of our sound is not tedium, but fun. We love to tinker. Pedalboard players often swap pedals in and out. Sound techs the world over are driven mad by ever-moving amp settings (like between soundcheck and curtain). But we NEED to do it. We need it to be RIGHT. I am reminded of a story I tell about comedian George Burns making "tweaks" to his punchlines. It became like a pseudo-science of small variables. Even within the small space his career carved out for change, he drove "his people" crazy by obsessing over the details, always thinking and talking about whether "psoriasis" or "eczema" might get the bigger laugh on a given night. The truth was, it would probably never have mattered to anyone except him. But if this obsession excited him to perform, then it mattered to everyone!
At the same time though, "dissatisfaction" can become an obsession, taking the focus away from our looking more closely at ourselves, our musicianship, our circumstances. Knowing where to put your energy, picking the right battle, having the foresight to stick with a good thing... these represent a discipline. Mastering the satisfaction of stasis, understanding the factors that push and pull you to want to change... these things can be just as important as mastery of your instrument, or having the right band mates. I see people OWN this challenge. I likewise see it DESTROY people. Maybe ask yourself: why update?
So, to change course a little, I want to disagree with the comment about Axe-Change being obsolete. I think this isn't true at all for several reasons.
- Every Axe-Change upload ALSO includes information on which firmware version was used to create the preset in question.
- In my experience, no firmware update has ever "destroyed" a preset beyond simple tweaking.
- Individual presets don't necessarily shift in the same way members of a set might diverge from each other.
- If the IR hasn't changed you can recover the basic underlying tone incredibly easily.
- Most presets represent a starting point anyway. You're already going to tweak to taste.
- The differences between guitars and players account for more disparateness that the differences between firmware versions.
- Many presets are mostly about effects, most of which have grown but never changed.
- Axe-Change is just as much of a learning tool as it is a grab-and-go. One learns by "vivisecting" other people's presets.
- Presets for the most recent major version always sound exactly as intended!
Have fun,
Last edited:
