Fender Tone Master Pro: Episode IV - A New Hope

[Iron1]

I have a live rig and a recording rig. Haven’t been on a stage or in a studio in years. Now I’m questioning everything… #TheMatrix

 

[nicolasrivera]

If tone accuracy is not important, then this unit is ok.

 

[DrewJD82]

Also, it's interesting (and telling) that I can ask a legitimate question (what's a typical signal chain on the TMP that causes it to finally choke on DSP?) and yet receive no answer amongst enthusiasts. Maybe eventually that can be answered here instead.

And that’s why I offered what I did in regards to roadmaps and what it’s like when that gets out from under your fingers. For all we know, Fender could have figured something out during the beta process where they want to revamp all that stuff behind the scenes and what’s in place right now may not be in place down the road. But alluding to that now or disclosing the way they’re currently do something then takes the discussion down a whole other road and becomes the focus.

Hahahha and for all we know, they could have an employee there saying “I told ya so. I told ya guys for a straight year that people would raise hell about the SICs so we just should have done it that way from the start” and then if that employee is a customer facing one, they aren’t going to come to here or TGP and say “Yeah, I told them that was going to happen but they didn’t listen. We’ll get to it down the road”, because that’s just not how shit works.

I don’t know if I’m defending as much as playing Devil’s Advocate, but the biggest reason for me doing so is because I don’t get the idea the TMP is being sold as something it’s not or is incapable of doing, regardless if it’s the modeling consumer‘s preference as to how it’s being done.

 

[paisleywookiee]

I posted one in the big TMP thread.

So, the Helix is stronger and/or more efficient?

 

[Gearzilla]

Impossibility of reason…

hmm…

Could be some synchronicity at play here this morning.

 

[KHAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!]

Mensa Quiz:

Which one do you not pick for value?

A) Fender Tone Master Pro $1699.99 USD

B) Fractal Audio FM3 MKII Turbo $999.99 USD

C) Line 6 HX Stomp $649.99 USD

Not a Mensa quiz. A false equivelency. I wish comparisons like this wouldn't be made. It should be Helix floor, FM9 TMP.

The answer is still the same for me. But earlier someone posted a comparison of Axe-FX 3 vs. HX stomp like they were the same thing because the the 2203 with a cab and reverb sounded very similar clearly showing that the Axe is way over priced.

 

[Foxmeister]

So, the Helix is stronger and/or more efficient?

The TMP does have gapless preset switching - the Helix can do this only by sacrificing a DSP chip.

I'd imagine that the TMP keeps some "DSP" (i.e. ARM cores) in reserve to achieve the same thing, so theoretically is probably at least twice as powerful as the Helix from a raw processing power perspective.

 

[Gearzilla]

Not a Mensa quiz. A false equivelency. I wish comparisons like this wouldn't be made. It should be Helix floor, FM9 TMP.

The answer is still the same for me. But earlier someone posted a comparison of Axe-FX 3 vs. HX stomp like they were the same thing because the the 2203 with a cab and reverb sounded very similar clearly showing that the Axe is way over priced.

Of course it’s not actually a Mensa quiz, however it is not an example of a false equivalency.

 

[Lysander]

I'd imagine that the TMP keeps some "DSP" (i.e. ARM cores) in reserve to achieve the same thing, so theoretically is probably at least twice as powerful as the Helix from a raw processing power perspective.

Not sure how the TMP compares to Helix DSP-wise, but IIRC this is mostly a result of having fixed signal paths per preset. See also Boss' GT1000 and the Headrush line.

 

[timbuck3]

I think they’ll get there eventually. It’s still very early days for the TMP, and not too late for some of the rough edges at launch to get cleaned up. Updating the power amp models to handle SICs internally could very well be part of that.

But would it happen if not for all of our groveling and Cliff shining a spotlight on it? Maybe not. All of us complainers keeping the frying pan at a low simmer help the problem areas get improved. The best companies are the ones who incorporate that feedback (just look at how well Line 6 has done this!), and I think Fender deserves a chance to show us what they’re made of here.

Eventually is the issue...By the time they play catchup other companies will have set the bar even higher: even the chinese companies like nux/mooer/ etc. Hec even hr and zoom may. And by that time fender will likely abandon the tmp to the next product. Its their M.O

 

[Iron1]

Now I'm sold on the Shure he starts out talking about. Thanks for giving me GAS for something I never knew I needed til today, @DrewJD82

 

[JiveTurkey]

Now I'm sold on the Shure he starts out talking about. Thanks for giving me GAS for something I never knew I needed til today, @DrewJD82

That Shure is KILLER \m/

 

[paisleywookiee]

Eventually is the issue...By the time they play catchup other companies will have set the bar even higher: even the chinese companies like nux/mooer/ etc. Hec even hr and zoom may. And by that time fender will likely abandon the tmp to the next product. Its their M.O

So no one should ever try to compete? I agree there’s to be a significant amount of cynicism, but at least Fender has the resources.

 

[SwirlyMaple]

Now I'm sold on the Shure he starts out talking about. Thanks for giving me GAS for something I never knew I needed til today, @DrewJD82

At the risk of stating the obvious, that entire video was an ad for that Shure wireless system, which he “got from Sweetwater sound, who sponsored this video.”

 

[timbuck3]

So no one should ever try to compete? I agree there’s to be a significant amount of cynicism, but at least Fender has the resources.

Thats not what i meant. Everyone should and will compete at various pricepoints of course.My point was that fender dropped this in at the TOP pricepoint when its clear its lacking compared to whats avail. By the time fender gets caught up to others in the pricepoint-the others will still be ahead. So Alll i can say is good luck. That shiney slick gui will only take it so far and fade like the qc has. Of course its just my view so others may/will not see it that way; oh well its a free country ...kinda

 

[timbuck3]

 

[Frodebro]

Thats not what i meant. Everyone should and will compete at various pricepoints of course.My point was that fender dropped this in at the TOP pricepoint when its clear its lacking compared to whats avail. By the time fender gets caught up to others in the pricepoint-the others will still be ahead. So Alll i can say is good luck. That shiney slick gui will only take it so far and fade like the qc has. Of course its just my view so others may/will not see it that way; oh well its a free country ...kinda

I agree. Fender needs to sort a couple of major issues before they will be in a position to attract the type of user that typically represents that price point. There will be those who buy it based on the brand recognition thing (which is what I think we’re seeing represented in those few people who are getting really defensive about the discussions around those issues), but if they want to go head to head with Line6 and Fractal they need to really hit the updates hard and fast.

 

[Byrdman]

At the risk of stating the obvious, that entire video was an ad for that Shure wireless system, which he “got from Sweetwater sound, who sponsored this video.”

SHILL-tastic!

 

[Gearzilla]

Spoiler

 

[jay mitchell]

OEM specific SIC static EQ printing on the IR

I would hope not, as a speaker's impedance vs. frequency behavior affects an amps' nonlinear behavior as well as its linear response. Baking the impedance into a speaker sim can only ever account for the linear part.