Reflections on the Fractal community

tysonlt

Power User
"Folks may call it a bromance but I agree with Chris. This forum has gone above and beyond..."
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...-good-as-expected.149078/page-27#post-1771714

I know that thread is closed, but I would like to make an unabashed "bromance" post. Sorry if it's off-topic or sounds like 'sucking up', but I feel it needs to be said:

Buying an AxeFX 3 was a big jump for me. Not because of the price - I honestly would feel totally satisfied if I had paid twice as much. It was a big jump because I've been playing the same tube amp for about 15 years, and it took a lot of time and effort to get it that way. I was nervous about going to a modeller. I went through a modelling phase with the Boss GT-6 some years ago. It was a phase that lasted exactly 3 days. I was not keen to repeat the experience, but I could not ignore the Axe reviews. Being in Aus I had no way to try one, so I took a leap of faith and got my Axe thanks to the excellent service of Andrew at Independent Music.

Coming to the AFX, I found tones that I had been trying to achieve for nigh on 20 years. I've found tones I had just resigned to the fact that I would probably never achieve (eg AC-30 sounds, big Marshall, etc.) I have found effect and routing options that I always dreamed of doing, and even tried, that just didn't work with pedals and wire.

But most of all, I have felt extremely well-supported by this community. The first things I read about this community (I always do negative research on new gear) was that it was prickly, condescending, and unfriendly to newcomers. Nothing could be further from the truth! I laugh at that now. I feel completely safe to post questions with no fear of feeling silly, and I am thrilled to get excellent advice from folks with ten times my experience who are happy to help. What a blessing.

I still have a long way to go with the AFX3. There are things I can't get sounding right, things I don't know how to do, things that make me feel overwhelmed. But I am absolutely confident that I have made the best gear purchase I will ever make, because with Cliff's constant pursuit of excellence with the firmware, and the ocean of experience on the forum, I feel like I will be able to achieve anything I want.

I know this might come across as sycophantic fanboying, but that's ok. I feel it is important to state explicitly how much I appreciate the Fractal family, because when a rare hostile post comes, new people might not realise the depth of what this community has to offer. I hope Cliff, the mods, and the very helpful members of the community know what an impact you are having on so many guitarist. I would hate for the odd negative post to make you folk feel unappreciated.

OK. Soppy bromance post over. You may now throw tomatoes.
 
Well said tysonit !!

No need to throw tomatoes here either. I agree .

The Professionalism of "Fractal Audio" in name product , customer service, tech support , is top notch, A plus++++

A model of the < American Dream> in real time , in the world of the Manufacturing Industry .

It is a proven fact that - Cliff and company have got it "Goin on"

I am a Very Happy Customer .

Hoosier Daddy
 
As a brand-new (my III is still unopened) member of this community, I will say that some of the conventions here seem a bit...unusual, particularly this thing:

- "Firmware 11.09 sounded like somebody dumped a bunch of rack screws into a garbage disposal."
- "Firmware 11.10 made me better than Guthrie Govan before I even downloaded it."

--THREE DAYS LATER--

- "I would rather throw my Les Paul off a bridge than use Firmware 11.10"
- "Firmware 11.11 is like a combination of spiritual enlightenment and finding $20 in your sport coat pocket."

...as an occasional IT guy, I can say sincerely that I have never seen a user community so engaged with incremental software releases. I would imagine this forum is pretty inspiring (if occasionally exasperating) for the creative minds at FAS.
 
Oh Chuck, just wait til you open it!! :) When I first ran it, it sounded thin and tinny. I played it to my band-mate and he was not impressed, and commented that my HRD that he was used to sounded much better. I was a bit deflated, but persisted knowing that it needed some work. A few months in, and now the band loves hearing me play with the Axe in FRFR monitors and PA. I don't get compliments on my tone though, because in the places we play people are usually drunk!! :)
 
I have owned the Axe2, AX8, and now the Axe3, and I must say, if it weren't for the members of this forum it would have been an impossible task for me to navigate such sophisticated pieces of gear. In fact, I can't imagine what would have happened in the several "emergency" pre-show situations I've had, if it weren't for the lighting fast responses I received from members of this forum, giving time out their crazy lives to save mine. Members like @chris, @2112, @AlGrenadine and @unix-guy, just to name a few, have gone WAY above the call of duty, simply to help someone they'll likely never meet in their time of need. Fractal Audio is simply the best company, best piece of gear, best post purchase updating, best online forum help, and I could go on and on, in the business, period.

The problem with the invention of the computer is this....... Anyone can find the chi chi's to troll and hate behind the wicked mask of a keyboard. It just is what it is, and it may very well be the downfall of our society that people no longer learn the skill "disagree" face to face. Thus, those of us who "love" have had to learn the skill of letting the "hate" just roll off, and not allow said hate to rob us of the power to continue in our love of helping others.

My sincerest thanks to all who have helped me in my Fractal journey over the past 5 years. Without all your help I could have never accomplished what I have using the best piece of gear in the business:cool:
 
I have owned the Axe2, AX8, and now the Axe3, and I must say, if it weren't for the members of this forum it would have been an impossible task for me to navigate such sophisticated pieces of gear. In fact, I can't imagine what would have happened in the several "emergency" pre-show situations I've had, if it weren't for the lighting fast responses I received from members of this forum, giving time out their crazy lives to save mine. Members like @chris, @2112, @AlGrenadine and @unix-guy, just to name a few, have gone WAY above the call of duty, simply to help someone they'll likely never meet in their time of need. Fractal Audio is simply the best company, best piece of gear, best post purchase updating, best online forum help, and I could go on and on, in the business, period.

The problem with the invention of the computer is this....... Anyone can find the chi chi's to troll and hate behind the wicked mask of a keyboard. It just is what it is, and it may very well be the downfall of our society that people no longer learn the skill "disagree" face to face. Thus, those of us who "love" have had to learn the skill of letting the "hate" just roll off, and not allow said hate to rob us of the power to continue in our love of helping others.

My sincerest thanks to all who have helped me in my Fractal journey over the past 5 years. Without all your help I could have never accomplished what I have using the best piece of gear in the business:cool:

Love this. I've had help from a few of those guys as well, sometimes it feels like I am getting one-on-one consulting.
 
The first things I read about this community (I always do negative research on new gear) was that it was prickly, condescending, and unfriendly to newcomers.
I’ve been around long enough and gathered enough data now to say the forum is highly reflective of the person making the post. Come to the forum with humility and some willingness to learn from others and the experience will be warm and friendly. Come to the forum with arrogance and a closed mind and you’ll find the forum pretty intolerant of you and your posts.
 
...The first things I read about this community (I always do negative research on new gear) was that it was prickly, condescending, and unfriendly to newcomers. Nothing could be further from the truth!...

I did essentially no research before I bought my first Axe-Fx II. I'd read about them, looked up the price, and then figured there was no way I could justify the price. But then I heard a local band where the rhythm guitar used a Fractal rig into a power amp and 4x12 (I think it might have been an Ultra, even) and the lead guy was playing a conventional tube amp and 4x12. Even though they had a great soundman (a local guy who was on break from his regular job running FOH for Alice Cooper), the Fractal rig killed the conventional rig. I was using a POD XT Live at the time; I simply HAD to get a Fractal.

It was only after I owned and loved my AFX II that I started reading bad reviews about the community here on this forum (mostly on Facebook). It didn't take me long to figure out that the guys who were complaining the loudest were simply asshats who'd likely get a chilly reception on any forum they visited. With only a few exceptions, everyone here is helpful, mature, has a good sense of humor, and more than willing to share experience and suggestions. And the involvement here from the Fractal team (especially Cliff and Matt) is unlike any I've seen anywhere. I'm a Fractalite for life!
 
Without this forum I would never have been able to use my Fractal products to the extent that I do now.

When I first bought my II and joined the forum in 2013 I had no clue what I was doing. Knew nothing about IR's and the Flechter Munson Curve. I just plugged in got a great sounding tone (I thought) at bedroom volume. Took it to our rehearsal studio, plugged it into our JBL club sized PA system and it sounded like garbage. Could not figure out what was going on.

So I dived in real deep on this forum and did my homework. Such a wealth of friendly and helpful knowledge. I couldn't be happier with my guitar rig. And it just keeps getting better.
 
"Folks may call it a bromance but I agree with Chris. This forum has gone above and beyond..."
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...-good-as-expected.149078/page-27#post-1771714

I know that thread is closed, but I would like to make an unabashed "bromance" post. Sorry if it's off-topic or sounds like 'sucking up', but I feel it needs to be said:

Buying an AxeFX 3 was a big jump for me. Not because of the price - I honestly would feel totally satisfied if I had paid twice as much. It was a big jump because I've been playing the same tube amp for about 15 years, and it took a lot of time and effort to get it that way. I was nervous about going to a modeller. I went through a modelling phase with the Boss GT-6 some years ago. It was a phase that lasted exactly 3 days. I was not keen to repeat the experience, but I could not ignore the Axe reviews. Being in Aus I had no way to try one, so I took a leap of faith and got my Axe thanks to the excellent service of Andrew at Independent Music.

Coming to the AFX, I found tones that I had been trying to achieve for nigh on 20 years. I've found tones I had just resigned to the fact that I would probably never achieve (eg AC-30 sounds, big Marshall, etc.) I have found effect and routing options that I always dreamed of doing, and even tried, that just didn't work with pedals and wire.

But most of all, I have felt extremely well-supported by this community. The first things I read about this community (I always do negative research on new gear) was that it was prickly, condescending, and unfriendly to newcomers. Nothing could be further from the truth! I laugh at that now. I feel completely safe to post questions with no fear of feeling silly, and I am thrilled to get excellent advice from folks with ten times my experience who are happy to help. What a blessing.

I still have a long way to go with the AFX3. There are things I can't get sounding right, things I don't know how to do, things that make me feel overwhelmed. But I am absolutely confident that I have made the best gear purchase I will ever make, because with Cliff's constant pursuit of excellence with the firmware, and the ocean of experience on the forum, I feel like I will be able to achieve anything I want.

I know this might come across as sycophantic fanboying, but that's ok. I feel it is important to state explicitly how much I appreciate the Fractal family, because when a rare hostile post comes, new people might not realise the depth of what this community has to offer. I hope Cliff, the mods, and the very helpful members of the community know what an impact you are having on so many guitarist. I would hate for the odd negative post to make you folk feel unappreciated.

OK. Soppy bromance post over. You may now throw tomatoes.

The members here are incredibly helpful. IMHO this is one of the best guitar/gear related forums. No worries about being a fanboy! The discussions here go well beyond talking about FAS-related topics. I learned more about stage sound, stage monitoring, Fletcher Munson, and (ironically) how tube amps work right here than in my entire life prior to joining. People here are very willing to help, and without any condescension.

Without this forum I would never have been able to use my Fractal products to the extent that I do now.

When I first bought my II and joined the forum in 2013 I had no clue what I was doing. Knew nothing about IR's and the Flechter Munson Curve. I just plugged in got a great sounding tone (I thought) at bedroom volume. Took it to our rehearsal studio, plugged it into our JBL club sized PA system and it sounded like garbage. Could not figure out what was going on.

So I dived in real deep on this forum and did my homework. Such a wealth of friendly and helpful knowledge. I couldn't be happier with my guitar rig. And it just keeps getting better.
This is exactly what I'm talking about! Despite having played many years prior, I actually knew very little about how stage sound worked, and how volume affects human perception of tone. The gear was really only a tiny part of the equation. This forum is like taking a free technical course at your own pace.
 
Thing is, we all want each other to get the most from these wonderful units so we're not precious with information
 
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