NMD: Axe-Fx III MK II Turbo (J.F)

[Whizzinby]

Modeling in 2023:

NMD! 8 pages of graphs and controls analysis and not a single mention of:

DOES IT SOUND GOOD?

AM I HAVING FUN PLAYING IT?

I might just need another cup of coffee before attending the science fair this morning.

 

[laxu]

I guess part of the reason I scratch my head is because I can’t foresee running out of blank presets even as it arrives from the factory. How are people running through all these presets? Trying to keep writing sessions documented?

It's not that people are running out of preset space either - all but the "preset per song" cover band folks are generally going to have tons and tons of preset slots available.

Fractal doesn't have a separation between factory and user presets, or categorization features like folders, tags and so on that you might be used to using in your QC for example. So if you never use the factory presets, they are just clutter.

On top of that due to the rapid pace of the firmware development, the factory presets are regularly out of date so they won't necessarily sound their best either as they are tuned with an older fw version. I don't think we have factory presets that use the Dyna-Cabs for example?

 

[James Freeman]

Here's an example of why NFB compensation is implemented:

The first two clips are w/ NFB compensation off. The first clip is with NFB at zero, the second w/ NFB at max.

The second two clips are w/ NFB compensation on and the same settings of NFB as the first pair. Note how the volume doesn't change nearly as much with NFB compensation on.

https://www.fractalaudio.com/tmp/nfb_compensation.mp3

About 14dB, that's nothing, no compensation required and no speakers will be damaged.
But more importantly, both NFB and Master Volume will wok as they are on a real tube amp.

 

[FractalAudio]

About 14dB, that's nothing, no compensation required and no speakers will be damaged.
But more importantly, both NFB and Master Volume will wok as they are on a real tube amp.

Master Volume works as expected either way. The compensation is on the output of the block, not between the preamp and power amp.

 

[Achilles]

Maybe a really dumb question, but isn't girth the same as what's labeled on other amps as depth (Soldano), bottom (KSR), thump (Friedman), etc. ?

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

About 14dB, that's nothing, no compensation required and no speakers will be damaged.
But more importantly, both NFB and Master Volume will wok as they are on a real tube amp.

I think you've hit the end of the road of how "real" a modeler can be. At the end of the day, the OUTPUT level from the modeler can't drive a speaker. it is a line output that needs to be feeding something else to be at an audible volume level. EVERYTHING ABOUT A MODELER IS MEANT TO HAVE UNREALISTIC OUTPUT LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO WHERE KNOBS ARE SET. Indeed, its kind of the entire point for most folks. So...there's no way to have a more or less realistic scenario here imo?

 

[James Freeman]

Master Volume works as expected either way. The compensation is on the output of the block, not between the preamp and power amp.

I understand that, I mean the the actual volume range of the MV which IS reduced.
A switch will be lovely, default compensated of course to preserve current behavior.

 

[FractalAudio]

Maybe a really dumb question, but isn't girth the same as what's labeled on other amps as depth (Soldano), bottom (KSR), thump (Friedman), etc. ?

Maybe. There's really no accepted convention. It appears in this case that Girth might be just overall negative feedback and not frequency selective negative feedback like a Depth/Resonance/Thump/Bottom/Faloompaloomp control.

 

[duzie]

I’ve tried to memorize the real name, I just keep going back to “Mezzacabarbara”, I’m actually stunned now looking at the pic above and seeing there’s no ’C’ in the name.

Drew
Is this where the C is coming from?

 

[James Freeman]

I think you've hit the end of the road of how "real" a modeler can be. At the end of the day, the OUTPUT level from the modeler can't drive a speaker. it is a line output that needs to be feeding something else to be at an audible volume level. EVERYTHING ABOUT A MODELER IS MEANT TO HAVE UNREALISTIC OUTPUT LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO WHERE KNOBS ARE SET. Indeed, its kind of the entire point for most folks. So...there's no way to have a more or less realistic scenario here imo?

So what are you really saying?
Gatekeepers

 

[Gearzilla]

What real amps other than Mezzamarezzabarabarini has this control?

Think the new Uberschall has one.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

So what are you really saying?
Gatekeepers

I'm not gatekeeping. I'm just asking you to think about what you actually mean by "realism". You know what else isn't real? When I swap in a model of a 5 watt Fender champ for a Mesa Mark the output volume is about the same. You are asking for "realism" in the ONE area where the entire point of the modeler is to be unrealistic. I'm not saying you shouldn't get it. But I am saying it's really dumb that you want it.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Modeling in 2023:

NMD! 8 pages of graphs and controls analysis and not a single mention of:

DOES IT SOUND GOOD?

AM I HAVING FUN PLAYING IT?

I might just need another cup of coffee before attending the science fair this morning.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Drew
Is this where the C is coming from?
View attachment 14344

 

[Vic Winters]

Modeling in 2023:

NMD! 8 pages of graphs and controls analysis and not a single mention of:

DOES IT SOUND GOOD?

AM I HAVING FUN PLAYING IT?

I might just need another cup of coffee before attending the science fair this morning.

 

[Achilles]

You are asking for realism in the one area where the entire point of the modeler is to be unrealistic.

Sig-worthy!

 

[JiveTurkey]

This is a very common mod people added to classic Marshalls, a quick search will yield plenty of talk on the MarshallForum.

You didn't answer my second question though

 

[GTR37]

FAS dropping perhaps another hint

Adding the EVH Stealth in the next firmware would be a hilarious Fender troll.

It might have already been done.

 

[dk_ace]

If you put the NFB volume comp on a switch, I don’t see anyone complaining because they can just ignore it.

I don’t for the life of me understand why anyone would to turn it off though, it just makes you turn the level control up and down more dramatically. If you’re wanting to make charts plotting real amps against a modeler, maybe it’s useful for that. But for playing and dialing in your tones, the less the overall level changes when you change anything other than the “level” control, the better, IMO.

D

 

[FuzzyAce]

If you put the NFB volume comp on a switch, I don’t see anyone complaining because they can just ignore it.

I don’t for the life of me understand why anyone would to turn it off though, it just makes you turn the level control up and down more dramatically. If you’re wanting to make charts plotting real amps against a modeler, maybe it’s useful for that. But for playing and dialing in your tones, the less the overall level changes when you change anything other than the “level” control, the better, IMO.

D

I don't own a Fractal (yet), but wouldn't certain Vox models and others have no NFB built into the model, or turned off by default?