Has anyone tried the new Atomic FR's with their AxeFx?

[tweed]

Reading about the new FR's on another site and was wondering if anyone here has had any experience with them?

TIA.

 

[Gainiac]

Whadda U care??!??

 

[mentoneman]

is tweedskie about to take le plunge???

i finally got around to making a few quick clips of my axe just a few minutes ago so i'll be YT'bing up some initial patches i've dialed in...i'm plugged straight in from my tyler, and out to a mackie studio monitor that i miced with a condenser on the tweeter and a 58 on the low freq cone. i dialed these patches in mono for the stagemonitors we use, but they sound better through my full range monitor. maybe i'll bring this monitor for live use??????


patches:
bling bling clean johnson delay/verb

a plexi/vox hybrid

a srv tone that is a bit too distorted but twangy

a dumbleesque sound that is also a little too hairy but in certain spots on the neck it's close

and a sloppy snarly dusty plexi hard rock sound with a modern twist i am enjoying



the clean and srv patches need more of a glassy bounce that i am having a hard time finding and adding to the mix

the dumble patch could be better with less gain but if i don't have enough the notes wanna die so i have to find a way to hide the gnarl

 

[Meathead]

i
the dumble patch could be better with less gain but if i don't have enough the notes wanna die so i have to find a way to hide the gnarl

How does it sound if you lower the gain and add more compression?
I managed to dial in a few nice low gain, almost clean, patches on my Tonelab LE that work great by adding a good amount of compression in front and a power amp, sag type of compression in the back. Tame the highs, stronger mids.

 

[mentoneman]

i
the dumble patch could be better with less gain but if i don't have enough the notes wanna die so i have to find a way to hide the gnarl

How does it sound if you lower the gain and add more compression?
I managed to dial in a few nice low gain, almost clean, patches on my Tonelab LE that work great by adding a good amount of compression in front and a power amp, sag type of compression in the back. Tame the highs, stronger mids.

that's exactly what i initially did to try to achieve that sound...compress the front end, reduce gain, push mids, lower treble...but it's not responding how i have been able to dial in other amps/devices in that manner. this is where i really miss having a tube in the equation to smooth things and add feel and warm nuances around the edges.

and with many dumble clones the gain control is more of a tone and attack shaping dial than a sustain increaser which i love!! holdsworth, johnson, and ford seem to chase the same deal...touch sensitivity and sustain while trying to balance with as little obvious, distorted sawtooth gain as possible.

ive also been messing with the eqs (para and graphic) to hide the buzz but i find the less you stick in the chain the closer it responds and sounds to an amp.

dumble tone amps are often heavily dependant on the speaker as the final filter in the deal so that's my next frontier with the axe.

 

[degenaro]

i
the dumble patch could be better with less gain but if i don't have enough the notes wanna die so i have to find a way to hide the gnarl

How does it sound if you lower the gain and add more compression?
I managed to dial in a few nice low gain, almost clean, patches on my Tonelab LE that work great by adding a good amount of compression in front and a power amp, sag type of compression in the back. Tame the highs, stronger mids.

that's exactly what i initially did to try to achieve that sound...compress the front end, reduce gain, push mids, lower treble...but it's not responding how i have been able to dial in other amps/devices in that manner. this is where i really miss having a tube in the equation to smooth things and add feel and warm nuances around the edges.

and with many dumble clones the gain control is more of a tone and attack shaping dial than a sustain increaser which i love!! holdsworth, johnson, and ford seem to chase the same deal...touch sensitivity and sustain while trying to balance with as little obvious, distorted sawtooth gain as possible.

ive also been messing with the eqs (para and graphic) to hide the buzz but i find the less you stick in the chain the closer it responds and sounds to an amp.

dumble tone amps are often heavily dependant on the speaker as the final filter in the deal so that's my next frontier with the axe.

Did turn down down or better turn off the global gate when the notes died when lowering the gain?

 

[Meathead]

Has ole Clifford modeled this?

 

[mentoneman]

i
the dumble patch could be better with less gain but if i don't have enough the notes wanna die so i have to find a way to hide the gnarl

How does it sound if you lower the gain and add more compression?
I managed to dial in a few nice low gain, almost clean, patches on my Tonelab LE that work great by adding a good amount of compression in front and a power amp, sag type of compression in the back. Tame the highs, stronger mids.

that's exactly what i initially did to try to achieve that sound...compress the front end, reduce gain, push mids, lower treble...but it's not responding how i have been able to dial in other amps/devices in that manner. this is where i really miss having a tube in the equation to smooth things and add feel and warm nuances around the edges.

and with many dumble clones the gain control is more of a tone and attack shaping dial than a sustain increaser which i love!! holdsworth, johnson, and ford seem to chase the same deal...touch sensitivity and sustain while trying to balance with as little obvious, distorted sawtooth gain as possible.

ive also been messing with the eqs (para and graphic) to hide the buzz but i find the less you stick in the chain the closer it responds and sounds to an amp.

dumble tone amps are often heavily dependant on the speaker as the final filter in the deal so that's my next frontier with the axe.

Did turn down down or better turn off the global gate when the notes died when lowering the gain?

yeah...i'll mess with it more. and i am able to get a cool tone with a dumble model using my zendrive or dual boost pedal in front.

 

[mentoneman]

Has ole Clifford modeled this?

pretty sure that's what the intention was behind one of the pedal models in there.
and pound for pound the pedal models are all pretty cool and useable and much better sounding than line 6 pedal models, although the one compressor pedal could use way more spank than it has.

here's my new clips:

recorded at pretty low volumes off the mackie monitor.

the dumble is the harshest..i had a better version and i wrote over it
i like adding the zendrive to that patch to smooth it while making it chirpier, and getting really touch sensitive.

 

[Zer0th]

Thread drift alert... Ultra Firmware Version 9.00 just released
http://www.fractalaudio.com/Documents/V ... ra9_00.zip

Improved preset switching times.

Changed log tapers in Volume block to more accurately model actual audio taper pots. Also changed Amp block tone control tapers accordingly.

Improved power amp modeling. Power amp compression is now more apparent but also more natural, especially with high Master and/or Sag settings. Improves note clarity and touch sensitivity.

New pre-amp modeling accurately simulates “cold-biased” stages. Models using this will now have much more “crunch”. Even when playing light an underlying crunch will be evident. This also has the desirable side-effect of making some high-gain models feel “tighter”.

Euro 1 & 2 models have been totally reworked.

Tweaked Depth frequency of Fryette models.

Corrected incorrect coupling capacitor value in Plexi 1 and Plexi 2 models.

Reworked CAA models and corrected incorrect bright cap value in CAA 3+ LD model.

Reworked X99 models and corrected math mistake on bright cap for Rhy model.

Fixed incorrect treble peaker value on Boutique 1&2 models. Also tweaked tone-stack for these models.

New Rotary Cabinet algorithm. New algorithm has independent motors for LF and HF rotors along with separate time constants. The LF rotor will change speed slower than the HF rotor. Rate control now goes to 0.0 allowing “braking” of the rotors. Virtual microphone positions have been changed to 90 degrees (previously 180 degrees). The new algorithm results in a more realistic and intense effect.

Added Horn Length control to Rotary block. This parameter adjusts the length of the virtual HF horn. Larger values increase the amount of doppler shift and result in a more intense effect.

Added ability to chose realtime sysex messages sent: None, All, Tuner Only or Tempo Only.

Reverb block has been reworked. Separate pre-delay and tail delay controls now allow precise control over the delay of the initial reflections and tail portions of the reverb. The reverb “tank” algortihm has been rewritten to provide a more natural sound. The new reverb algorithm has also been ported to the standard Axe-Fx.

The following parameter changes have been made to the reverb block:
-
“Early Delay” parameter has been removed.
-
“Pre Delay” now controls time to initial reflections and is adjustable from 0 to 250 ms. Default value varies with type
-
“Reverb Delay” sets the start of the decay portion of the reverb relative to the initial reflections. Range is 0 to 250 ms. Default value varies with type.
-
“Echo Density” sets the density of the decay portion of the reverb. Range is 2 to 8. Lower values result in a more sparse and coarse sounding tail. Higher values give a smoother sound.

The Spring type has been removed and replaced with a “Cathedral” type. The Vintage type has been renamed to Spring.

Fixed bug in Vintage (now Spring) reverb corrupting global vector.

***NOTE***: Presets created with firmware prior to 9.00 are incompatible with the new algorithm so the reverb block is reset upon recall. The preset will sound similar but many of the parameters will be reset by necessity. You should audition your presets carefully after upgrading as unexpected changes can occur.

Reworked Phaser block and particularly the Vibe mode. The Freq. control in the Phaser block now controls the center frequency of the sweep range (as opposed to the start frequency previously). The range of this parameter has been changed accordingly. Existing presets will probably sound the same but auditioning them is reccomended.

A new Vibe algorithm has been written and accurately models the classic Univibe sound. A new parameter, BULB BIAS, has been added to the Advanced menu. This parameter allows you to control the quiescent current of the virtual light bulb used in the algorithm. Real Univive pedals have an internal poteniometer to control the quiescent bulb current. Varying this parameter controls how “lumpy” the frequency sweep beahves. Unlike a real Univibe, the Axe-Fx compensates so that the center frequency doesn’t change with the bias (the bias affect on the center frequency parameter is calculated and removed) allowing easier control of the sweep range. This parameter has no effect in the normal phaser modes.

***NOTE***: Existing presets will need to be auditioned as the sound of the Vibe mode has changed significantly. Furthermore, the LFO type is required to be SINE for the vibe mode (previously it was EXP). You can use other LFO types for the vibe mode but it will not replicate the vintage effect then. When selecting the Vibe type the LFO is automatically changed to SINE. You can override the LFO type afterwards, if desired.

 

[mentoneman]

does this new version mean all pre-existing presets with reverb will change significantly when updating?

i'd love to hear the new univibe, and i guess i won't be devastated if my presets get nuked since i'm not that far along, but it sure would be nice if updates didn't mean having to mess with pre-existing presets.

 

[Zer0th]

The price of progress, sometimes patches need to be reworked a little after major firmware changes. As do the the factory banks...

A, B & C have been updated for the new firmware, here:
http://www.fractalaudio.com/Documents/Version9_00/

 

[stratotone]

Hey Pat, regarding the sustain loss on the dumble... have you tried running a compressor in different places in the chain, or even running the compressor in parallel with your signal chain?

Pete

 

[Shark Diver]

To the OP:

I hear them a few times a week down at Tone Merchants - they sound awesome. Running them in stereo and it is pretty sweet. Low end doesn't mush out and the high end has a treble roll off to suit to taste. Very portable, but plenty of volume for the stage. Adds a little of that tube warmth as well. All around a great choice for anyone going FRFR.

 

[roodboy]

I've been running the Atomics for a few weeks now and to me they are the missing link for the in room tone that I had been chasing.
I think they are better than the FBT verve 12ma but cant say for sure because I didn't own them at the same time with the same firmware.

 

[ctoddrun]

Thread drift alert... Ultra Firmware Version 9.00 just released
http://www.fractalaudio.com/Documents/V ... ra9_00.zip

Improved preset switching times.

COOL!


Has anyone done this update? Any idea what the lag is now?

The switching lag makes me so crazy that I have load up one patch and use my controller in CC mode to bypass that.

I'd love to use separate patches.

 

[Sixstring]

I have and they sound killer the MoJo is there in spades, I'm not keeping it though as I need a wedge so I'm going Verve 12ma. A few have posted over at the Fractal site that the Verves sound real close with the Reactor having the edge. So untill Tom makes a wedge version I will have to stay SS for now.

Here is a demo from one of the board members with Cam corder mic, not the greatest

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmL780fzgZs

 

[mentoneman]

Hey Pat, regarding the sustain loss on the dumble... have you tried running a compressor in different places in the chain, or even running the compressor in parallel with your signal chain?

Pete

yup...stereo or pedal comp in front, in back, in front of a drive box, behind a drive box, multiband after amp to smooth out high and lows seperately...different speakers and mics and how they are driven, delay to smear the attack a bit ala robben....

i know what i want to hear and have heard it in other dumble amps like fuchs and two rock...bounce, pop, breathy blowing sensation according to pick attack, and sustain at virtually any gain level. then the gain just becomes a control to add sharpness to the attack and aggression, and not a mandatory thing.


i left this dumble clip like this because it has some of the qualities up high in the single notes, but the chords are way too gnarly and fuzzed out, but even after posting this i was getting back to what i had originally before erasing it...smoother tone and the low E was more clean and controlled like a horn instead of splashy and rock guitar like.

i have another clip of a zendrive 2 into my fender superchamp xd and it is way more dumbleesque top my ears and touch, and dead simple.

 

[mortega76]

Thread drift alert... Ultra Firmware Version 9.00 just released
http://www.fractalaudio.com/Documents/V ... ra9_00.zip

Improved preset switching times.

COOL!


Has anyone done this update? Any idea what the lag is now?

The switching lag makes me so crazy that I have load up one patch and use my controller in CC mode to bypass that.

I'd love to use separate patches.

Someone on the Axe-fx forum did a test and found that 8.09 patches changed at about 30ms... with 9.00 the same patch changed at about 20ms... Cliff chimmed in and said that if you have spillover enabled it, patch change would be about 10ms... JavaJunkie posted that his patch changes are around 16ms with spillover. Either way... stupid fast!!!!