wouldn't it be super cool if Fractal Audio would..

B

brandon9271

Member
wouldn't it be super cool if Fractal Audio would put out a beta/experimental firmware that included just ONE G2 amp modeling block from the FXII? Just a teaser.. sure it would probably consume 95% of the Cpu power by itself but the whole point would be just so we could get a sample of what we are missing. It would probably cause a surge of FX1s to go up for sale on Ebay. :))
 
Never say never! :) It could be done. I'm not saying they would do it.. but it'd be neat and i do think it would cause a lot of people to "upgrade" to the Fx2.. IF it really is as good as folks are saying.
 
well, this is more a dream than anything. in all seriousness, I don't believe that this is possible due to inherent limitations of the gen 1 design.
 
In an interview Cliff basically said the G2 modelling would max out the ultra but it didn't sound impossible.. it just sounded like it wouldn't do anything else BUT the amp block and maybe one effect. They could add an Fx2 "showcase" preset or something that was locked or read only at patch 385 just for a little taste.


"(G2 modelling, tube triodes, etc) ..is a very CPU intensive process. It requires a lot of steps to simulate that. Simulating just one triode is almost as much horsepower as the entire modeling in the old Axe-Fx. When you start stringing together three or four triodes the algorithm is much more CPU intensive. You couldn’t run that on an Ultra and have any horsepower left for anything else, maybe just a basic delay and a reverb and something. Customers wouldn’t be very happy if they had an inventory of fifty effects and they could only use an amp, a cab, and one effect at a time. So the only way around that for the Axe-Fx II, given that we’re kind of at a plateau in DSP processing speeds right now, is to put two of them in there. One of them is dedicated to just the amp modeling and the other one does all the other stuff."

http://www.guitarmessenger.com/interviews/cliff-chase-interview-fractal-audio/
 
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So... it is likely possible but you couldnt really add much else as far as effects.. so it would really only be practical for demonstrating to ultra owners how awesome G2 modelling is.. :)
 
Perhaps technically possible, what do I know... BUT, they wont put out a beta/exprimental FW to general public.
Beta versions are for a small group of people to test things out. That said if the beta FW ruins anyone in the beta teams unit FAS fix it or replace the unit.

That wont happen for the general public. You will download the beta FW at your own risk, and if/when it ruins your standard/ultra unit, it will leave you high and dry. And to mend it at your own cost (and of course whine about it here) ;)

perhaps technically possible, def not practically possible
 
Ok.. so add it to the regular firmware. Cliff said that basically the fx2 was two ultra cpus.. one for amps and the other for effects. So there could be a "JCM800 G2" for example, thrown in the firmware update just the hell of it. So we could A/B it with the Jcm800 G1. I think its a great idea :)
 
Your thread title intrigued me. But this idea is not new. There were heaps of these threads around when the axe II dropped

Its not gonna happen man. Besides, ONE amp sim..... which sim would that be? and how could I enjoy it if I can't run a cab sim (or even complete the row with shunts to make sounds for that matter)?

Isn't there a trial period for the axe II anyway?
 
In the above quote cliff said a G2 amp, cab and effect would max out the ultra. And seriously do you think the SHUNT requires CPU power? Lol
 
You guys are forgetting that the Standard (and probably the Ultra) are already maxed out as far as ROM space is concerned... So there isn't enough space for the G1 and G2 code...
 
Axe Edit can send presets directly to the unit to "audition" so maybe even if the Rom was full a little app could send a G2 amp to the ultra temporarily. ;P Look,, I'm completely satisfied with the Ultra so i dont care at this point if its that much better and I cant really afford the FxII anyway.. but what better way could FAS show off the power of the Fx2? Imagine loading one amp into the ultra that blew away the best G1 Amp and maxed out the Cpu. It might change the minds of some ultra owners who say "meh, the ultra is all I need." Which is what i tell myself now. :)
 
It would be cool if Cliff release a "G2+cab" firmware only. Every amp model, no shunt, no stereo. Just pure "preamp/poweramp heaven tone".
There could be some hardware the Ultra/STD is missing, givin different flavour.
No fx at all. Sorry, folks. ;)
 
It doesn't look like Fractal is having any problems selling Axe II's. Some special "super cool" firmware preview, much like this thread, would be a waste of time.
 
My guess is that there are hundreds of "super cool" things that Cliff and Co. could toss into the old gen 1 units....but the question is "why?". FAS is still a pretty small company with limited human resources. Until they've done the analysis which tells them it is a sound business move to re-address firmware on the gen 1 units, my guess is that FAS will continue to forge ahead blazing the trail of the capabilities of the AFXII and MFC pedal, and possibly develop other products in order to further establish FAS as a market leader.
 
mworkman said:
It doesn't look like Fractal is having any problems selling Axe II's. Some special "super cool" firmware preview, much like this thread, would be a waste of time.
Click to expand...

well then by all means go waste YOUR time elsewhere.. k, thanks.


Granted its wouldnt make much business sense to put resources in a product that's no longer in production. BUT its not like they are drastically different or even mutually exclusive. Aside from having more DRAM the processors in the FX2 (ADSP-TS201s) and the one in the Ultra (ADSP-TS203s) are pretty much the same. The Tigersharc Ts20x series of chips came out about 7-8 years ago. The DSP in the FX2 isn't some drastic departure but it has TWO of them. However, from what I've read one is dedicated to Amp sims and the other effects.. so having a Gen2 amp sim running on the Ultra would likely be a trivial matter. As a matter of fact, I would be willing to bet that G2 amp modelling was probably tested/developed at some point on the Ultra at FAS before the FX2 was even finalized. So yeah, adding one or two of the less CPU intensive G2 amp sims to a future Ultra firmware update would probably take FAS a day or two to do and it would get Ultra owners a sample of the "new drug" and probably create even more sales. Will they do it? probably not.. but is it technically possible? Absolutely.
 
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And by the way.. who's to say that FAS is complete done with the Ultra? Cliff mentioned FAS working on an effects only floor-based unit and who knows.. they might would make a smaller cheaper single spaced Standard/Ultra at some point to tap a lower end market. Hell, Line 6 STILL makes the Pod 2.0 because there is a market for it. Its possible that developments with other products couldn't "trickle down" to the Ultra at some later date. You never know. I was simply speculating and saying "wouldn't it be cool"

The could always SELL a future firmware update as an "expansion pack" Line 6 has done this for years and Avid did this with the Eleven Rack.
 
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