Fractal Audio’s Axe-Fx III is getting NAM support and a built-in TONE 3000 browser
Over the last few months, the open-source Neural Amp Modeler amp capture technology has radically redrawn the landscape of digital modelling, and now one of the OGs of the game, Fractal Audio, has announced users will be able to use NAM captures on their hardware.
READ MORE: Here’s every current modeller pedal that offers NAM A2 support
In a press release, Tone3000 – the online community that acts as a database for NAM captures – announced that it has partnered with Fractal Audio to bring NAM’s highest fidelity A2 captures to the Axe-Fx III, with the feature arriving on Fractal’s upcoming firmware 33 update.
The news caps off a remarkable few months for the open-source NAM technology. While previously bringing high-fidelity captures to affordable practice from the likes of Blackstar, Valeton and Lava Music, the A2 technology – which offered a significant improvement in sound and feel – has become a phenomenon that is rapidly rewriting the book of high-end modelling.
Headrush got the ball rolling by adding full A2 support to all of its current gen modeller pedals, and that was followed on by the Darkglass Anagram becoming the first dedicated NAM A2 product at launch.
Tone 3000 has since launched its own plugin to work with most DAWs, while Two Notes’ Genome amp software updated with NAM A2 support in version 2.0. Zoom announced a brand new NAM A2-powered pedal, the Neurig, just a few weeks ago, while its also emerged that Fender is trying to integrate A2 captures into its Tone Master workstation.
Image: Adam Gasson
Fractal being the first of the Big Four high-end modeller brands (alongside Neural DSP, Kemper and Line 6) to add NAM functionality to their hardware feels like another significant moment for the concept.
With the new firmware, Fractal owners will be able to load NAM A2 captures through a new NAM Player block. They can also search and install tones directly through the TONE3000 library inside Axe-Edit III, the processor’s free editor software, so there’s no need to download files and transfer them by hand. Firmware 33 will be a free update for all Axe-Fx III owners.
Using the library will require firmware 33.0 or newer and Axe-Edit III version 1.15.03 or later. Users can sign in with a TONE3000 account and search by sound or gear type, browse popular captures and creators and install straight into the unit. Existing TONE3000 users will find their previous downloads and favourites under “Your Tones”. The integrations runs on the TONE3000 API, so new community uploads should appear as soon as they are shared.
What the NAM Player block does is let NAM captures sit alongside the rest of the Axe-Fx III’s toolset. A capture can be paired with DynaCab speaker simulation or a cab IR, then combined with Fractal’s drive, modulation and other effects. The block also includes modelled analogue tone stacks with Bass, Mid and Treble controls, plus adjustable Bright and Bright Cap parameters.
With firmware 33, a preset can run two NAM Player blocks in A2 Full mode. Each block has four channels, allowing up to eight captures per preset. A preset using NAM Player blocks can also inclue one conventional Amp block. On non-Turbo units, the second NAM Player drops to Lite mode in that configuration. The units can store 256 captures or 128 on original Mark I models.
Image: Adam Gasson
Mark I owners should be aware that firmware 33 repurposes User Cab Bank 2 for NAM storage, so any IRs saved there should be backed up before updating. Fractal has also teamed up with Amalgram Audio to supply a free starter bank of captures.
Capture utility on the way
The companies say they’re working on a NAM capture utility within Axe-Edit for the Axe-Fx III, though no timeframe has been given. In the meantime, owners can use the unit as an audio interface and follow TONE3000’s existing capture process.
The update also brings a new Cygnus X-4 amp model, a reworked Drive block with remastered pedal modes and 13 new DynaCabs, including two “Pre-Rola” cabinets. The Pitch block has been upgraded with new Formant controls to improve Virtual Capo performance and the Flanger, Reverb, Plex, Filter and Megatap blocks have also been refined.
Background
Fractal Audio was founded in 2006 by Cliff Chase and made its name with the original Axe-Fx. Over the past two decades it has become a favourite among some of the most celebrated guitarists including Steve Vai, John Petrucci, John Mayer, Metallica and The Edge. The company’s own modelling recreates amp circuits component by component, whereas NAM uses a neural network to learn the responses of specific amp, pedal or signal chain at fixed settings.
TONE3000, formerly known as ToneHunt, says NAM A2 scored closest to real gear in a blind listening test of more than 1,000 participants using the MUSHRA (Multiple Stimuli with Hidden Reference and Anchor) method. The announcement follows TONE3000’s recent integrations with Zoom’s NEURIG multi-effects pedal and Moises Studio.
Learn more at tone3000.com
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
