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Jeries’ Cuz posted a new thread to a forum you are watching at Fractal Audio Systems Forum.

Should FAS make a sticky for rollback/downgrading back to Ares and Pre-Cygnus software?

I don’t mean to start my tenure here with a retro/“backward” question (and I pray this doesn’t automatically stigmatize me as persona non grata, especially because the Alfreih family has invested so many thousands of dollars and hours in fractal audio systems without kickbacks or monetary compensation for such staunch commitment to Cliff when there are so many options these days in comparison to when it was just the 11r and Axe I, no one I know supported and loved FAS more than my beloved cousin, RIP cuz)*, however with that said, I noticed the most common, current and recurrent topic that arises now is the desire to revert to the most updated and current version of the FW and software [Axe edit v15 (pre 16/Cygnus)] back to Ares and Axe Edit v15.

The reason being, most presets have lost their magic, and they certainly lost all noticeably discernible preset qualities and characteristics to the end user. Now one member (who awaits incoming “flaming” to his response) actually defended fractal [blindly] and in reply to the xxxth member to request help and assisting to reverting or rolling back the “upgrades” because we do NOT like the changes and do NOT want them affecting our livliehood as professional or semi pro performers, said something (and I’m paraphrasing) to the effect of “well progress is progress, and Cygnus and v19.1 may not sound the same, or how you want, but it is still the same evolution going forward, so just get on board and enjoy what you have - no, what you are given. It’s still better than the rest of the competition”

This unchecked reply caused me to see the most recognizable pattern and that is, end users who aren’t huge forum posters, who are simply active members to update their products and know about necessary changes (such as compatibility issues with macOS upgrades for example), do not like Cygnus and the changes. When one of us voices this opinion, “power users” or “axe masters” will go on a PSA to say “no, your ears are wrong, FAS is the best and Cliff Chase is an infallible god - March!”

Sorry, it doesn’t work that way, and my cousin and I last spoke about not really digging the “changes” going on lately, so it wasn’t just me and a few others who don’t actively post or engage in Lounge convos. Some of us here are here simply FOR the Axe/FM modeler. We don’t care about merch and we don’t care about neural plug ins.

So to take that defensive position and dig in for no reason other than to quell public sentiments of disapproval or dismay on forums, and then to add, “look you spent $3k in the worst economy to support [the best] FAS we’ve ever seen, so if you don’t like it, either fix your hearing, or just be satisfied we keep getting updates.”

Absolutely not.

The entire argument is self-effacing from that foolish “organic” perspective. We didn’t pay $3k for an axe and foot control and pedals to turn on our amps (call them modelers or amps, whatever, who cares, tubes are dead and gone and modeling is the new and forever normal, no one will ever revert to tube amps, like we won’t see a tube amp vintage revival company in 30 years that resurrects the old tech Just for the nostalgic 60 year old metal heads who still remember how a triple rectifier on 10 will curdle the contents of your sack) to find our presets that were either bought for hundreds of dollars or hundred of hours spent on making presets and amps, to find your entire sonic world that YOU YOURSELF created has been irrevocably changed, all due to “upgrading”

Clearly a limit (for example to you mathematically inclined tone heads, such as a limit in calculus, may not exist ) has been reached. You can’t make a Mesa rectifier preset or IR sound better than it sounds. This is almost like polishing polish to ensure the polish polishes properly. I personally would rather beat myself to death with my own shoes. We’ve hit that limit: if you have an axe 3 and a CLR neo, you know it won’t/can’t improve. What FAS proved with the past year is indeed, you can’t make something that’s already perfect more perfect, but you CAN [needlessly] change it into another “perfect form.”

It feels like that’s what’s going on here. It’s a false sense of competitive superiority to the industry (call it “industrial propaganda”) so I need to address for myself and on behalf of the many many people who aren’t happy and are dissatisfied with each “upgrade” begging the question:

Should FAS make a sticky thread on how to Revert and rollback to Ares or whatever it takes to get to what we paid for back?

I, for one, didn’t spend $5k+ to make a FAS based studio (meaning everything is centered on my Axe, from practice/jam playing to full studio recording) “good enough” for others.

*(That’s my spiel. No offense intended to anyone, but I think I’m speaking for many other fractal users who are too afraid to voice this for fear or reprisal or even being banned.)