Fractal Talk

[2112]

Today I have played with the VOX AC30 models with a Rangemaster box.
The AC30 has a very unique distortion characteristic, I've heard it plenty of times listening to Queen but dialing the amp myself let me have a better 'feel' for the range of this amp.
When pushed it is less crunchy than a Marshall but also gainier, rounder, rawer, buzzier and harder to control, a completely different sound than preamp based distortion I am so used to, hmm... almost sounds like it wasn't designed to sound musical when pushed.
I need more time with the AC30, humbuckers didn't do it justice at all, next time I will use my strat.

The AC30 Brilliant model is outrageously great.

 

[James Freeman]

The AC30 Brilliant model is outrageously great.

Yeah, it's the chimiest out of the available AC30 models, I believe it is the Top Boost channel in the standard non-handwired AC30C2 or 70s sound, while the TB model is the sounds of a 60s Top Boost channel found in the Handwired or the separate modification they did in the 60s.
Bright channel is just the Normal channel with a smaller 500pF coupling cap in some 60s AC30 before the Top Boost modification existed.
At least that's what I'm figuring from schematics and Fractals wiki.

I will play with the AC30 model some with my Strat, I think it is a more suitable for this amp.

 

[Piing]

The AC30 Brilliant model is outrageously great.

Yeah, it's the chimiest out of the available AC30 models, I believe it is the Top Boost channel in the standard non-handwired AC30C2 or 70s sound, while the TB model is the sounds of a 60s Top Boost channel found in the Handwired or the separate modification they did in the 60s.
Bright channel is just the Normal channel with a smaller 500pF coupling cap in some 60s AC30 before the Top Boost modification existed.
At least that's what I'm figuring from schematics and Fractals wiki.

I will play with the AC30 model some with my Strat, I think it is a more suitable for this amp.

What IR or DynaCab are you using?

 

[yek]

Yeah, it's the chimiest out of the available AC30 models, I believe it is the Top Boost channel in the standard non-handwired AC30C2 or 70s sound, while the TB model is the sounds of a 60s Top Boost channel found in the Handwired or the separate modification they did in the 60s.
Bright channel is just the Normal channel with a smaller 500pF coupling cap in some 60s AC30 before the Top Boost modification existed.
At least that's what I'm figuring from schematics and Fractals wiki.

The "Class-A 30W Bright" model indeed seems to be modeled after a different amp.


The Class-A models are (mostly) based on a AC30HW head. So the controls are:

The "Class-A 30W" model is the Normal channel. In the GUI it has Volume, Bright switch and Tone Cut, like the real amp.


The "Class-A 30W Bright" model GUI has Volume and Tone only, no Bright switch, no Tone Cut and different Bright Cap.

 

[iaresee]

I will play with the AC30 model some with my Strat, I think it is a more suitable for this amp.

Yea, I love that model with single coils. Or TV Jones PUs.

 

[James Freeman]

The "Class-A 30W Bright" model indeed seems to be modeled after a different amp.


The Class-A models are (mostly) based on a AC30HW head. So the controls are:

View attachment 60048

The "Class-A 30W" model is the Normal channel. In the GUI it has Volume, Bright switch and Tone Cut, like the real amp.


The "Class-A 30W Bright" model GUI has Volume and Tone only, no Bright switch, no Tone Cut and different Bright Cap.

The Normal channel of the AC30HW has a 220pF bright cap over a 500k pot with a divider limiting resistor of 330k.
The Normal model has a 10pF bright cap.... is that an error? @FractalAudio

In the real amp a 830k pot (500k pot + 330k divider limiter) has a 220pF bright cap over them, then a 1M pot will need a 180pF cap to be equal in sound? If everything is linear.
Also, a 500k/830k (60%) divider which is when volume (gain) on 10 in the real AC30HW, will be equal to about 8.5 on a 1M log pot.

AC30 HW preamp for reference:

Source:
https://www.musiker-board.de/threads/ac30hw-filter-cap-mod.728250/

 

[James Freeman]

While I'm at it, the "Bright" channel in some 60's AC30 has a 500pF coupling cap with the 330k(limiter)+500k(pot) and permanent 220pF bright cap over this network, it's the 60s Bright channel that predates the Top Boost circuit.
The current production Handwired amp tries to have both on the Normal channel but not quite because it has a large 100nF coupling cap with the 60s Bright gain network with the bright cap on a switch.

On the Fractal we can have both.
The Normal model has a large 47nF or 100nF coupling cap, and the Bright model has a small 500pF coupling cap.
I'm not quite sure Fractal nailed the bright cap size though, 10pF is an error in my opinion.

Source:

webpage

The history of the Vox AC30, 1957-1973. Pictures of surviving amps, schematics; material on components, suppliers and manufacture. Images of bands using the amp on stage and in the studio

www.voxac30.org.uk

 

[Frodebro]

Interesting, as much as I’m a history fanatic and was fascinated with how WWII went down for many years, I’ve never heard Holocaust Survivors referred to as ‘camp survivors’ without a specific title of ‘concentration camp survivor’ or ‘death camp survivor’ as there are multiple ‘camps’ in relation to the military that would leave ‘camp survivor’ completely ambiguous.

If you’ve got any evidence of the contrary that doesn’t come from a Reddit quote, I’m all eyes and ears.

My grandfather was in the 42nd Infantry Division, and was there when they entered and subsequently liberated Dachau. He never said a word about it, I found out from my mom in the late eighties and that triggered a near obsession with WWII history, particularly the European Theater.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

My grandfather was in the 42nd Infantry Division, and was there when they entered and subsequently liberated Dachau. He never said a word about it, I found out from my mom in the late eighties and that triggered a near obsession with WWII history, particularly the European Theater.

Without people like your father, who risked their lives to fight fascism, my life today would most likely be very different (in a negative way).

 

[Orvillain]

Hilariously, in the UK right now, even passing compliments for Churchill get you labelled a fascist by certain types of people.

 

[Frodebro]

Hilariously, in the UK right now, even passing compliments for Churchill get you labelled a fascist by certain types of people.

That's going on all over the place. Hopefully rational thinking and common sense will return sooner rather than later.

 

[saarangnarayan]

Hopefully rational thinking and common sense will return

Maybe what we need is a separate thread about fascism™

 

[Frodebro]

Maybe what we need is a separate thread about fascism™

Or we just leave it alone, as it wouldn't go well.

 

[Dom Mcsweeney]

Hilariously, in the UK right now, even passing compliments for Churchill get you labelled a fascist by certain types of people.

There are many people, be they at home or abroad, who have very good and right reasons to contend his attitudes and actions - be that his reactions to the welsh coal minors striking, or about the wilful neglect of the Bengal famines.

I think something like 3 million people died as a direct result of his inaction.

Meh.

 

[yek]

There are many people, be they at home or abroad, who have very good and right reasons to contend his attitudes and actions - be that his reactions to the welsh coal minors striking, or about the wilful neglect of the Bengal famines.

I think something like 3 million people died as a direct result of his inaction.

Meh.

That’s a rather gross oversimplification of the extremely difficult Bengal situation during wartime. Not saying that it couldn’t or shouldn’t have been handled differently, with later knowledge. But it’s far from the meaning of the label “fascist”.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

That’s a rather gross oversimplification of the extremely difficult Bengal situation during wartime. Not saying that it couldn’t or shouldn’t have been handled differently, with later knowledge. But it’s far from the meaning of the label “fascist”.

Bring up British Trading company to Indians from the north East especially..

 

[Orvillain]

Not getting into it. But Churchill is a legend. Nuff said.

 

[Frodebro]

That’s a rather gross oversimplification of the extremely difficult Bengal situation during wartime. Not saying that it couldn’t or shouldn’t have been handled differently, with later knowledge. But it’s far from the meaning of the label “fascist”.

There are always multiple layers and plot lines involved in major conflicts, especially leading up to the actual first shots fired. Very rarely is anything simple and easily explained.

 

[Dom Mcsweeney]

That’s a rather gross oversimplification of the extremely difficult Bengal situation during wartime. Not saying that it couldn’t or shouldn’t have been handled differently, with later knowledge. But it’s far from the meaning of the label “fascist”.

Sure, nothing is ever clear in these regards, especially when it happened so long ago.

 

[2112]

Anyone tried the new delay block dry diffusion? I've been on the road since the middle of Feb and won't be home until April, getting firmware update FOMO