3rd party Dyna-Cab packs = Axe IV is coming?

iaresee said:
There are no compelling developments in the hardware space to drive a IV. Those are my thoughts.
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Bluetooth for mobile app, USB A for thumb drive, selectable I/O sample rate, mic pre with phantom power, I/O routing matrix, independent headphone level, send midi clock, midi through between din to usb,.... "Compelling" is in the eye of the beholder, but there is no shortage of features people have been asking for that would require a new gen of hardware :).
 
GlennO said:
Bluetooth for mobile app, USB A for thumb drive, selectable I/O sample rate, mic pre with phantom power, I/O routing matrix, independent headphone level, send midi clock, midi through between din to usb,.... "Compelling" is in the eye of the beholder, but there is no shortage of features people have been asking for that would require a new gen of hardware :).
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None of that revolves around the central processing unit though. And that's what (historically) drives hardware revisions. Compelling here is only what matters to Fractal Audio.

And to be clear: I know as much as the rest of you all.
 
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GlennO said:
Bluetooth for mobile app, USB A for thumb drive, selectable I/O sample rate, mic pre with phantom power, I/O routing matrix, independent headphone level, send midi clock, midi through between din to usb,.... "Compelling" is in the eye of the beholder, but there is no shortage of features people have been asking for that would require a new gen of hardware :).
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You and I would upgrade to get those features in a heartbeat. I'm not convinced a significant portion of the customer base would see those as critical enough to upgrade and ultimately the base drives sales. As Iaresee pointed out, I think you have to see processing improvements to drive hardware upgrades and right now the hardware vendors present a less than convincing case that processing improvement is readily on the horizon.
 
HereToday said:
You and I would upgrade to get those features in a heartbeat. I'm not convinced a significant portion of the customer base would see those as critical enough to upgrade and ultimately the base drives sales. As Iaresee pointed out, I think you have to see processing improvements to drive hardware upgrades and right now the hardware vendors present a less than convincing case that processing improvement is readily on the horizon.
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All of that is true, but IMHO the days of driving new sales from processor performance improvement are over. The same goes for amp modeling fidelity. Even if you wanted to improve performance, as I mentioned above, it's becoming ever more difficult to find that in a dsp processor. A general purpose CPU would probably be a more fruitful place to look for performance improvement these days. Amp modeling fidelity is so good now that it's in a stage of rapidly diminishing returns for the effort expended.

IMHO the drivers for sales in the future lie in a new direction: user experience. New features along the lines of DynaCab are more likely to draw in new customers than a boost in cpu performance.
 
GlennO said:
All of that is true, but IMHO the days of driving new sales from processor performance improvement are over. The same goes for amp modeling fidelity. Even if you wanted to improve performance, as I mentioned above, it's becoming ever more difficult to find that in a dsp processor. A general purpose CPU would probably be a more fruitful place to look for performance improvement these days. Amp modeling fidelity is so good now that it's in a stage of rapidly diminishing returns for the effort expended.

IMHO the drivers for sales in the future lie in a new direction: user experience. New features along the lines of DynaCab are more likely to draw in new customers than a boost in cpu performance.
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I completely ignore CPU performance. If my preset gets me 99% cpu usage or 1%, it’s the same to me as long as it works. The fact I can pull up 19,349 blocks and only be running at 5% usage means nothing to me. Even on the FM9 I’m good. I can write pretty much whatever I need and not hit a limit. So in short, current CPUs are good enough and that’s good enough for me.
 
HereToday said:
You and I would upgrade to get those features in a heartbeat. I'm not convinced a significant portion of the customer base would see those as critical enough to upgrade and ultimately the base drives sales. As Iaresee pointed out, I think you have to see processing improvements to drive hardware upgrades and right now the hardware vendors present a less than convincing case that processing improvement is readily on the horizon.
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This is just my opinion, but I think people grossly misunderstand the primary market for Fractal. Bedroom guitarists/enthusiasts/regular consumers are not what these things are designed for.

These are tools for professionals. People who are accountable for their performances, people with deadlines and clients and fans and others who pay their bills depending on how they perform.

They are designed around one thing: getting the desired sound for a professional performance, whether that's in the studio or on the stage. Pretty UX and touch screens and all that is basically feel-good value add for people that aren't making their living using these tools.

The sound, the song, that's the goal. That's the reason these things exist. Not the "experience" of using them. You don't even think about Fractal gear if it's doing its job well, because you're focused on the performance.
 
GlennO said:
A general purpose CPU would probably be a more fruitful place to look for performance improvement these days.
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A run-of-the-mill CPU does not necessarily have the inherent parallelism that I would suggest is required, which means you then move to multi-core CPUs which again may not have the efficiencies in their architecture to deal with real-time audio processing or have other aspects which are undesirable (e.g. power consumption, heat etc.)

I could be wrong in all of this, but guaranteeing a continued supply of a DSP chip for the entire production lifetime is probably easier than a GPCPU which are updated almost as often as the news.
 
GlennO said:
All of that is true, but IMHO the days of driving new sales from processor performance improvement are over. The same goes for amp modeling fidelity. Even if you wanted to improve performance, as I mentioned above, it's becoming ever more difficult to find that in a dsp processor. A general purpose CPU would probably be a more fruitful place to look for performance improvement these days. Amp modeling fidelity is so good now that it's in a stage of rapidly diminishing returns for the effort expended.

IMHO the drivers for sales in the future lie in a new direction: user experience. New features along the lines of DynaCab are more likely to draw in new customers than a boost in cpu performance.
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Well, I guess you are starting to convince me. Lol. Although changing gears a bit, I will say I am one that could make use of increased cpu. My live rig not so much, but I run wet/dry and/or double-tracked in the studio and that's when I can max out an Axe Turbo in no time at all. I still utlize a lot of outboard gear in the studio, but often consider yet a third turbo just to make life a little simpler.
 
rossipedia said:
This is just my opinion, but I think people grossly misunderstand the primary market for Fractal. Bedroom guitarists/enthusiasts/regular consumers are not what these things are designed for.

These are tools for professionals. People who are accountable for their performances, people with deadlines and clients and fans and others who pay their bills depending on how they perform.

They are designed around one thing: getting the desired sound for a professional performance, whether that's in the studio or on the stage. Pretty UX and touch screens and all that is basically feel-good value add for people that aren't making their living using these tools.

The sound, the song, that's the goal. That's the reason these things exist. Not the "experience" of using them. You don't even think about Fractal gear if it's doing its job well, because you're focused on the performance.
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I've got a fair bit of experience serving the software needs of professional musicians and, while I get what you're saying, I would humbly disagree on two points.

First, pros are very concerned with the efficient workflow that comes from a good user experience. I agree that sound is paramount, but "time is money" is a serious matter for these folks and they want tools that make their workflow efficient and smooth. The idea that good user experience is merely superficial aesthetics misses the entire point of what UX is about. I seriously doubt there is anybody who likes DynaCabs simply because it is prettier than a long list of IR names. They like DynaCab because it shortens the distance between desiring a tone and finding it.

Second, the idea that there is a wide gulf between the needs of pros and amateur musicians doesn't hold much water these days. With the exception of super high end acts, the typical pro who uses an Axe-FX now works in an environment that is pretty similar to the high end hobbyist who owns an Axe-FX, both in the studio and on stage. The great democratization of the music industry that technology like the Axe-FX has brought about has served to blend these two segments until the dividing line between them has disappeared.
 
Even if a new one came out tomorrow, what would it do?
Unless it has a 'talent enhancer" or a "free time creator" it wouldn't do me any good.
I rarely get mine above 50% CPU as it is.
 
Zedhed said:
I'd wager a bet that as far as Fractal is concerned as a company, this is their bread & butter, so this demographic has to factored into any decisions made about what & who these things are designed for.
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However, don’t discount the number in the bedroom guitarist demographic that want a pro-level/highly tweakable device.

In regards to the Dyna-Cab libraries. I’m sure Cliff and the team have a plan already to integrate the 3rd Party Dyna-Cabs into the system. My guess is there just need to be 3rd party ones to test with.

Also on the sale, someone says “Axe 4?” every year at holiday and summer sales
 
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Zedhed said:
I'd wager a bet that as far as Fractal is concerned as a company, this is their bread & butter, so this demographic has to factored into any decisions made about what & who "these things are designed for."
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You make a good point, but idunno... I still kinda think that the bedroom player isn't the target demographic, regardless of mindset. A huge selling point for Fractal is just how many big names and touring professionals use and rely on Fractal products, which in turn makes them appealing to bedroom guitarists. As long as that demographic continues to use and endorse Fractal products, I think the "bedroom" market will follow suit.

"Using the same gear as your heroes" has been a fundamental part of the electric guitar world practically since it was invented :sweatsmile:
 
rossipedia said:
You make a good point, but idunno... I still kinda think that the bedroom player isn't the target demographic, regardless of mindset. A huge selling point for Fractal is just how many big names and touring professionals use and rely on Fractal products, which in turn makes them appealing to bedroom guitarists. As long as that demographic continues to use and endorse Fractal products, I think the "bedroom" market will follow suit.

"Using the same gear as your heroes" has been a fundamental part of the electric guitar world practically since it was invented :sweatsmile:
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I think we'll have to agree, to disagree.

IMHO, if Cliff were aiming for big names to sell product, he'd be endorsing big name artists by giving them free gear like other brands do.
Yet Fractal does not do that.

I don't disagree that big names help sales though.
 
rossipedia said:
You make a good point, but idunno... I still kinda think that the bedroom player isn't the target demographic, regardless of mindset. A huge selling point for Fractal is just how many big names and touring professionals use and rely on Fractal products, which in turn makes them appealing to bedroom guitarists. As long as that demographic continues to use and endorse Fractal products, I think the "bedroom" market will follow suit.

"Using the same gear as your heroes" has been a fundamental part of the electric guitar world practically since it was invented :sweatsmile:
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There’s no way this industry could survive on touring or even gigging semi professionals. There are hundreds of hobbyists who will never do more than play for beer money, most of the time never leaving the house for every musician who takes the craft seriously.
It’s great seeing the gear on stadium stages, but I’m betting that’s a small fraction of sales.
 
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