Firmware comparison video - 1.71 vs 2.21

[pugdealer]

Well, some people have been talking about rolling back and not being satisfied with the latest firmware. Many revert to 1.9, but I thought I'd do a video comparison with my favourite, the 1.71

Check it out

 

[Palico]

With the JTV 89F, on Monkey it only let me go back to 1.9.  It's it possible to go to 1.71 on the 89F or you do that with a different JTV?

[snhirsch]

SteveKC (aka Elantric on the Vguitar Forum) has posted detailed instructions.  They worked fine for me when I wanted to roll back from 2.21 to 1.9.

[MAMBOJV]

Hey pugdealer !!

 

You were spot on when you said that Line 6 got so Obsessed with the acoustic that they destroyed it.

I totally agree with you!! Further more to my ears all the electric guitars on 1.71 sound exact what they supposed to be!

The jazz bank on 1.71 sounds excellent just out of the box even plugged into the mixer directly. Now the HD 2.21 jazz .....I don't want to be rude....so will not comment here......but curious to know what kind of jazz guitar is that supposed to be ???? j

 

 

 

I am a big advocate for the following: Line 6 should now release a New line 6 monkey that provides a NEW PAID firmware and workbench version !! Shall we call it SHD 3.0? Once purchased users will be allowed do pick ,choose, mix,match and further tweak any sound from previews and current firmware (1.71,1.82,1.90.2.21) and transfer to the JTV accordingly to their needs.

The new paid firmware/workbench could also provide users with the much requested feature of plain/raw piezo( of coarse no alt tuning will be possible here) for those wishing that raw sound or wanting to further tweak , blend with mags etc.

 

It would be an awesome window for the company to super-expand and most important make money!! They could release new packages/sounds such as nylon strings, synth bass (the Sitar is a BIG hint that Yes it can be possible), high gain, ukulele, bass, (lol I know I am exaggerating here) and it could all be controlled by the company through a dongle or individual registration copy protection in order to avoid illegal downloading sharing etc.

People like myself would haply pay for it. And f coarse we only have 60 banks And the dsp would not hold hundreds of guitars at once OF COARSE!! Like I said, let users decide what is best for them and load whichever 60 sounds suits their gig and voila the company will also make good money from it. Thast is very fair!

For those who disagree and are happy with the current HD or for those whinging and expecting everything for free I say........well nothing... you know what is best in your world.

 

Here is another comparison between firmware I found

https://soundcloud.c...ware-comparison

 

pugdealer check out these banks I downloaded for the 1.71. It has even more improved acoustics for struming on Custom banks, also check out the telecaster tone knobs tweakes

• Zedopeido_Variax_96s_bundle.zip 3.13KB

[pugdealer]

I used a jtv-59 but I guess it would work the same with any other of my jtv's. I just rolled back with the monkey in the most standard way. 1.71 was the oldest firmware on the list when I clicked "rollback".

 

I'll check today if the same thing happens with my 89F

[Beagle1]

Thanks for doing that video! I agree with much of what you are saying and have reverted many, many times to 1.71 myself. In particular, I too find that the HD acoustics have far too much ambience built in to the raw tone. Sometimes this works OK, especially in very exposed sections of a song when there is not much else in the mix. But a lot of times I find that the drier sound of the 1.71 acoustics works better.

 

I wish Line6 could give us a way to control the amount of ambient vs direct tone for the acoustics. In addition, I prefer the raw tone of most of the 1.71 electric guitars over the HD guitars. Yes, MAMBOJV, I really like the jazz bank in 1.71 -- it is almost useless to me in 2.21. Same thing with the 335 models. I almost feel that Line6 tried to model vintage instruments for the HD release and may have in the process captured all the idiosyncracies of these instruments. I'd rather have the basic tone of an off-the-shelf modern Strat, Tele, LP, 335, etc -- to me that's what the 1.71 models sound like.

 

However, the tuning stability and palm muting on 2.21 are so much better that I have stuck with HD. In addition, being a Mac user, if I want to do any editing I am stuck using HD because the non-HD Workbench doesn't run on current versions of Mac OS. 

 

Here's to hoping that Line6 is hard at work on a big Variax update for 2016 -- it's been a long wait!

[pugdealer]

I checked if I had the same option to rollback my 89F and I got the same thing as with my 59!

I don't think I did or have any special condition to enable me to rollback to 1.71...the 89F is brand new, the 59 is a little over a year old, I'm running the latest monkey on a macbook running el capitan.

[radatats]

I noticed that on the download page for JTV Win 10 it only goes back to 1.9 but Win 7 goes back further and you can get 1.71.  You may have to download the update to your computer and use Monkey to install it from the file if it won't load normally.

[Palico]

Yea I'm windows 10 so used Monkey for Win 10. I might try downloading the file directly, had not tried that. I had a Variax 500 which I think was around 1.7 or 1.5 or so and it was my favorite modelling sound-wise. The JTV 89F gives me the locking Tremolo and the playability is so much better. 1.9 for me is pretty good but I've when away from using the modelling a lot because some of them just are not as good to my ears.

[fr0sty]

Good video and I agree with you on the acoustics, for the most part.  One question for you, who position did you have the tone control set for the acoustics?  I found the least amount of ambiance with the tone on 10, with more being rolled in as the tone control is turned down.

[wheelnut]

Great video. I agree, the older models sound like piezo outputs from onboard preamps, the new models sound like miked acoustics. And yes, the ambience in the new models is overpowering, like an acoustic recorded in a bathroom.

 

But. You forgot to demo the best sounding acoustic model on the new firmware - the hidden Martin D-28 on position 2. Just switch off 'Parallel Pitch' for the D12-28 (on position 2) in the workbench and you gain an extra 6 string Martin model. This hidden model is less boxy sounding than the D-28/O-18 on positions 1 & 3, and is nicely balanced for both strumming & fingerpicking. I feel it sits better in a mix than the other models with a little bass cut.

 

(To be honest, if it were not for this hidden gem I would have flipped my Variax Standard by now, as I can't roll back the Standard to the old firmware)

[clay-man]

HD acoustics definitely are harder to mix because they're a bit more muddy than the older ones. They sound good alone, but as a music project, it's frustrating to EQ.

[pugdealer]

Good video and I agree with you on the acoustics, for the most part.  One question for you, who position did you have the tone control set for the acoustics?  I found the least amount of ambiance with the tone on 10, with more being rolled in as the tone control is turned down.

Everything was recorded with tone knob on 100%....or clockwise, whatever you prefer.

[Palico]

FYI. I was able to download and reflash to 1.71 with no issue. One side note 1.71 doesn't not support controlling tunings from a POD directly. Tuning knobs etc... all work properly just can't set directly on the POD. I'm in love again. This sounds more like I expect my Variax to sound, no odd quacks. I know it's up to individuals but this to me is the pinnacle. Just missing some minor stuff.

[cruisinon2]

FYI. I was able to download and reflash to 1.71 with no issue. One side note 1.71 doesn't not support controlling tunings from a POD directly. Tuning knobs etc... all work properly just can't set directly on the POD. I'm in love again. This sounds more like I expect my Variax to sound, no odd quacks. I know it's up to individuals but this to me is the pinnacle. Just missing some minor stuff.

I'd probably roll back too, if it didn't mean losing HD Workbench. It took me forever to adjust individual string volumes on the models I use most, and they're not all the same. Not willing to trade that for only the global adjustment string volume control.

[pugdealer]

FYI. I was able to download and reflash to 1.71 with no issue. One side note 1.71 doesn't not support controlling tunings from a POD directly. Tuning knobs etc... all work properly just can't set directly on the POD. I'm in love again. This sounds more like I expect my Variax to sound, no odd quacks. I know it's up to individuals but this to me is the pinnacle. Just missing some minor stuff.

Yes, I explained that on the video. You also cannot turn on or off the modelling from the pod on a preset basis. That's what basically sucks about 1.71, other than that I love it. I really don't care much for workbench

[Topaz]

Can some pressure be applied to Line 6 to 'fix' these crappy acoustic tones? These latest acoustic models are depressing.

[fr0sty]

Never thought to try that. Thanks for the tip.

 

 

But. You forgot to demo the best sounding acoustic model on the new firmware - the hidden Martin D-28 on position 2. Just switch off 'Parallel Pitch' for the D12-28 (on position 2) in the workbench and you gain an extra 6 string Martin model. This hidden model is less boxy sounding than the D-28/O-18 on positions 1 & 3, and is nicely balanced for both strumming & fingerpicking. I feel it sits better in a mix than the other models with a little bass cut.

 

(To be honest, if it were not for this hidden gem I would have flipped my Variax Standard by now, as I can't roll back the Standard to the old firmware)

[thorneven]

How does one get the 1.71 firmware for a JTV59?  The oldest I have is 1.9.  Thanks.

[silverhead]

I can see/get JTV firmware v1.71 in the Downloads section. Can you not?

[CipherHost]

I believe you can also use the drop down list in Monkey.

[thorneven]

I can see/get JTV firmware v1.71 in the Downloads section. Can you not?

Downloads section of what? A link would be helpful. All I get in the Downloads section of the Line6 web site is Linke6 Monkey installs and there is no selection in the "All Software" pulldown menu for firmware.

[arislaf]

Open monket with the jtv, and go to rolle back section. Choose the 1.71 for your fw.

[silverhead]

Downloads section of what? A link would be helpful. All I get in the Downloads section of the Line6 web site is Linke6 Monkey installs and there is no selection in the "All Software" pulldown menu for firmware.

As mentioned above you should just be able to use Line 6 Monkey with your JTV connected to your computer via the hardware interface that came with your JTV, or with a supporting POD device, to install the firmware.

 

If that doesn't work, go here

http://line6.com/software/

 

Choose James Tyler Variax on the Products field. Choose Flash Memory in the Software field (that's the firmware). You should be presented with a list of all JTV firmware releases. Pick the one you want and download it. Then use Line 6 Monkey to install 'From File'.

[thorneven]

When I select Flash Memory, 1.9 is the oldest firmware displayed. I've tried all the OS versions but still no 1.71.

 

UPDATE - Hmm, when I select OS = Windows 7, now I get 1.71. Last night, nada.  Thanks, Guys.  Hopefully 1.71 works with Windows 10, the OS on my computer.

[Violavide]

Allow me an observation taking as an example the detraction of the recorded sound.

An effect (name x FX) initially recorded and inserted the - equal effect (R) with the same or different dosage - on the initial, most of the time, generate detraction of the recorded sound. In the firmware 1.71 workbench there is an inserted effect (FX x), which in the recordings when applied, superimposed, results in a loss of control of the final result in the recording. Generating, if not, the detraction an isertion of something that in the equalization and then in the mastering need to be adjusted (an insane job and no guaranteed result). It's worse than adding up and then subtracting the same number. Thus. Imagine that I prefer to choose my clean sound that will remain until the end only with the characteristic effects that identify me. To do so, the FIRMEWARE HD 2.0 is more neutral, allowing greater customization without the inconvenience of overwork correction - which is not always possible where detraction is only an example in the complex recording process.

As for the package of options I agree that the representatives of nylon guitars are missing among other possible instruments.

Forgive my English.
Thank you all for your attention.
From this young veteran Cesar Violavide
In Rio - Brazil

[ssiowi]

Hi from Spokane, WA:

 

I'm a guitar newb and with hardware and software engineering chops.  For the many folks--me included until this morning--struggling with pushing firmware to their JTV; here's the secret sauce for my successful push.

 

1. Fully-charged battery, all 4 green LEDs.

2. JTV cabled to a powered amp.

3. JTV volume POT above 0.

4. USB / CAT cable direct to the laptop and JTV. (Note: I tried the push and failed several times through the Helix and a 'known too long', 25' VDI cable.)

5. Line 6 Monkey v.1.77.

 

That configuration pushed the v2.23 firmware with the Monkey posting a successful push.  See the attached screen capture of the Monkey post-push.

 

Good luck to all.  Hope this helps a bit.  

 

Love y'all Line 6!

 

d.

JTV Firmware Push.docx

[phil_m]

24 minutes ago, ssiowi said:

Hi from Spokane, WA:

 

I'm a guitar newb and with hardware and software engineering chops.  For the many folks--me included until this morning--struggling with pushing firmware to their JTV; here's the secret sauce for my successful push.

 

1. Fully-charged battery, all 4 green LEDs.

2. JTV cabled to a powered amp.

3. JTV volume POT above 0.

4. USB / CAT cable direct to the laptop and JTV. (Note: I tried the push and failed several times through the Helix and a 'known too long', 25' VDI cable.)

5. Line 6 Monkey v.1.77.

 

That configuration pushed the v2.23 firmware with the Monkey posting a successful push.  See the attached screen capture of the Monkey post-push.

 

Good luck to all.  Hope this helps a bit.  

 

Love y'all Line 6!

 

d.

JTV Firmware Push.docx

 

The Helix isn't compatible with Monkey, so the JTV can't be updated with the Helix. You need to use either the little VDI interface that comes with the JTV or some other Monkey-compatible VDI-enabled device (like the HD500 or HD500X).

[yuriamorim]

I'm still on 1.71 up to this date. I remember trying newer firmware - for some reason I'd recalled it as being 1.90, but checking previous posts of mine it might actually have been 2.21 - and been very impressed by the Tele sounds. But the Strat and the Acoustic models were the culprit for staying on 1.71. For me the only downside to it is the unusable Position 4 Tele. But I can live with(out) it.

For me the biggest frustration is not being able to mess with Workbench HD. I'd love to experiment with it and see what sounds I could come with - something I never got to do even with the non-HD version (which nowadays won't run in my current OS). I REALLY wish Line 6 would think of a way that we could have the best of both worlds, getting to customize the guitar by saving your favorite models from whatever firmware you want. I understand it's two completely different architectures. But that would be much appreciated. 

Other kind of "let down" was that there was never other kinds of guitars modelled. The newer firmwares just updated (and sometimes not improving it at all, like demonstrated here) the existing ones, or in some cases replaced it with similar ones. There could have been SG's, Jaguars, Mustang, Jazzmasters, you name it... It seems like there was this piece of tech with lots of room for expanding (like they do with the Helix platform nowadays) but somehow it got abandoned nobody quite knows why. Don't take me wrong: I love my JTV 69. It just seemed at the time that it could deliver even further, but that never got to happen. 

Anyway, I'm sticking with the sounds I love the most - even that means missing out on Workbench. And that's definitely on 1.71.