A Go-Fund-Me for Another AX8 Firmware Update

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I can understand why there has been no responses to any posts regarding requests for an update since it is just not worth their time to do one.

The AX8 sounds great in the current Q10 firmware but I believe it would benefit enough of us to have the Ares firmware (or a version of it) since I have enjoyed going back and forth between the Q10 and Ares 2 firmware versions on my XL+.

Can we start a Go-Fund me for a firmware update? :)

Or maybe we can pay the person who had done the AX8 firmware updates to come up with one for us?

How much would we have to raise to make it worth their time? :)
 
I can understand why there has been no responses to any posts regarding requests for an update since it is just not worth their time to do one.

The AX8 sounds great in the current Q10 firmware but I believe it would benefit enough of us to have the Ares firmware (or a version of it) since I have enjoyed going back and forth between the Q10 and Ares 2 firmware versions on my XL+.

Can we start a Go-Fund me for a firmware update? :)

Or maybe we can pay the person who had done the AX8 firmware updates to come up with one for us?

How much would we have to raise to make it worth their time? :)
I can't say for sure about the Ax8 but I know that firmware development for the Axe II stopped because there was no more memory available. Cliff crammed as much Ares into it as he could. My guess is the Ax8 is already out of memory & can't be updated since it had less than the Axe II.
 
I think the fella (or the team) that had primarily worked on the AX8 are gone? Think i remember reading something about that....
 
Cool idea. Hopefully someone can do this job. I'd be happy to spend some cash for this purpose.
 
I'm fairly certain the issue is that it reached it's capacity to be updated/developed for. If Cliff can't do it no one can....and if he could he would have a long time ago.
 
I'm fairly certain the issue is that it reached it's capacity to be updated/developed for. If Cliff can't do it no one can....and if he could he would have a long time ago.

Actually the very last update on it from Cliff was that he couldn't make the algorithms run in the alloted time and he was sick and needed to rest... So, yeah, he tried and sadly couldn't make it happen, or else we already had it now.
 
I'm fairly certain the issue is that it reached it's capacity to be updated/developed for. If Cliff can't do it no one can....and if he could he would have a long time ago.

Well, he might have simply chosen not to provide an additional firmware update since an update could have lost some FM3 sales if the AX8 was updated to the Ares firmware.

I am basing this last statement on my own experience with updating my XL+ the other night from Q10 to the Ares 2 since it definitely made it become something very different from the previous version.

I have been playing the XL+ non-stop since I did the firmware update and I think that I have finally found a GREAT live sound through my stereo tube power amp and cabs with a Fractal product (many have been close but never truly a "live" replacement for a tube amp for me).

The Q10 sounded pretty good and I had many presets dialed in to taste so there might be some presets/amps that I prefer the Q10 on the XL+ right now and if a person could afford to have two units with a different firmware version on it then I believe they would appreciate the differences.

I like both firmware versions so if an update never happens then my AX8 with Q10 that I just purchased would be a firmware replacement for another XL+ and an MFC-101.
 
Also, I would have been fine to have received a firmware update where we are limited on the number of effects we can use along with a much better amp "if" the AX8 was limited due to memory.

I could always live with a GREAT sounding amp BUT limited to a single reverb, delay, equalizer, chorus, drive, and a wah.

I think there would be many people that could live with it and they could always go back to the Q10 if they really needed that one or two extra effects.

Maybe a disclaimer could have been made saying "If you update the firmware then you will have the Ares amp tones but a limited number of effects ...."

It was hinted that there is ways to make it work with the Ares firmware but understandably it would most likely limit the number of effects.

Based upon my XL+ tone now with the Ares 2 firmware, I would say it is really worth having a few less effects in order to get that Ares amp tone plus I keep it simple anyways :)
 
then who will buy FM3? business model are always like this

Yeah, I said the same thing in a few of my above posts/replies.

There is no real financial incentive to make a firmware for an older discontinued model that would take away sales from a newer unit.

The reason for suggesting the Go-Fund Me for a firmware update and I would be one of the ones that would pay for an update or donate to the cause plus there would be a lot of others who would do it as well :)

Also, the AX8 that I just purchased will be used to replace the Q10 tones/presets that would have been kept on a second XL+ (the other with Ares 2).
 
then who will buy FM3? business model are always like this

I would be one of those people who would purchase an FM3 and keep an AX8 so no loss of sales from me.

They are two different sounding devices and I can benefit from having both tones/amps from each of them as well as there is advantages to having both of them based upon their layouts.
 
The choice fractal made in regards to the fm 3 is not so hard to understand. The ax8 was a competitor for the axe 2. As a company you do not want to be your own competitor. The new 2 products differ more from each other. Combine that with the choice of the new footcontrollers and the discarding of the mfc101. This way they sell more axe 3 devices and the footcontrollers are sold in higher volumes. From a business point of view it is a smart move I think.
 
I was thinking this exact thing though. It's fine that Fractal wants to move on from the product, but Fractal has entirely shut out the AX8 userbase. There are a number of wishes & bugs that would help tremendously with the AX8. I know the buzz around Ares is one thing, but honestly I just wanted a bit more robust midi control thru this unit. I would absolutely want to pay for another update to the AX8 if it listened to some of the user's needs.
 
I was thinking this exact thing though. It's fine that Fractal wants to move on from the product, but Fractal has entirely shut out the AX8 userbase. There are a number of wishes & bugs that would help tremendously with the AX8. I know the buzz around Ares is one thing, but honestly I just wanted a bit more robust midi control thru this unit. I would absolutely want to pay for another update to the AX8 if it listened to some of the user's needs.

I believe that the majority of AX8 users would pay for a firmware update.

I have considered contacting Cliff directly through here and just ask if we could convince him to do the Ares update for a "group" fee.

He would not be able to provide a fee per individual since the firmware would be shared among many people very quickly and it would be too much of a headache and inconvenience to even try to figure out how to prevent it.

I had seriously suggested the Go-Fund-Me (and this was before I even had an AX8) so that it would not have to be individuals paying a fee each time and it would prevent sharing issues.

I believe the AX8 is pretty damn cool based upon using it last night and it sounds pretty close to my XL+ before I did the Ares 2 update.
 
To me the Go fund me thing, while I totally understand the desire behind it, kills the FAS spirit of bringing updates for free to the community. Cliff in fact said that Ares was a thank you gift for the Axe FX II community. What exactly happened to the AX8? We will not know, but I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a matter of Cliff not wanting to do it.

For the last year and half (maybe 2 years?) I was an active poster in the now closed FW 10.01 thread about bringing Ares to the AX8. Tried many times to bring some reasonable expectations, ideas and arguments to the conversation and as there were many fellows who were supportive, there were also a couple guys who just said "It's not gonna happen, you guys are overly optimistic" and out of nowhere Cliff posted about working on it (around september 2019 IIRC), followed by "Having trouble running the algorithms in the alloted time" post and then... radio silence.

Trust me when I say that I was convinced it was just a matter of time before I opened the forum and saw the "AX8 firmware update Ares 2.00" thread until sometime around june/july (IIRC) I asked Cliff if there was a chance for the new pitch block algorithms to make its way to the long overdue AX8 Ares port and his response was "The AX8 is now a legacy product, we don't sell them anymore", to me, that crushed all hopes once had.

On december '19 I got an Axe-FX III and had the chance to compare both units head to head and the results only left me craving for my AX8 to have a little of that Ares juice, it is that good... But once I got that response from Cliff himself I just thought "Well, I'm not playing live right now, I have the Axe... Might as well put the AX8 for sale and let's see if the right offer comes" and by the end of august I had to let it go...

I completely agree with folks saying the AX8 isn't broken or that it suddenly sounds bad because it doesn't got Ares. If anything it's still a stellar piece of gear above similar units (some flagships too) from the competition. Only it was my choice to move on (and by a series of fortituous events I got the chance to buy a FM3 as soon as the dealer in my country got their first shipment), and I'm not trying to be condescending at all and tell you "you should too", I'm merely talking about my experience, the expectations I had and the events that convinced me to put the matter to rest.


Cheers.
 
Yeah, I totally hear everything you are saying and I am now one of those "hopeful" ones since I had recently updated my XL+ to the Ares and I was really digging the new tones there BUT I was also missing all of my dialed in Q10 tones.

They are just two different sounding beasts and I don't really believe the Ares is better but I would like to have the option of installing Ares in the AX8.

I never had an AX8 until Monday and I just found there is a LOT of super cool things about the AX8 and reasons why I can see myself using the AX8 instead of my XL+ and an MFC-101 :)

I agree with your other statements as well especially about having to pay for any updates (none of us would want to start that idea, lol) but I can understand having to pay for a firmware update to a discontinued device after a certain period of time.

I had posted the Go-Fund-Me as a partial joke but also with hopes of maybe Cliff saying something about it and showing a little interest.

Personally, I believe that it would actually "financially" benefit Cliff to add the Ares amp tones to the AX8.

If people were loving it that much on an AX8 like on the AXE FX II's then it would generate even more interest/desire to get the latest product with it "fully" integrated into the system (and get the FM3) and there would be a lot of people really happy with their AX8 for live playing (but want to purchase the AXE FX III for recording).

I have owned the AXE FX III (twice) but I didn't feel it was really better than my XL+ since my XL+ had my dialed in tones based upon the Q10, however, I have come to really like the Ares for certain things (I could totally see myself going back and forth between the two versions of the firmware), so I just purchased another AXE FX III.

I know that the AX8 can be the replacement for those Q10 XL+ tones that I am missing but I think it could still be pretty cool to have a choice between Q10 and Ares for it just like my XL+.

If I was the programmer behind the AX8 then I would want to give that option to my customers and really let it go out on a high note.

Also, if there was an issue with the Ares limiting the number of effects then I would just provide a disclaimer saying "You got the Ares amp tones but it will limit the number of effects and ......." and a lot of people would still be grateful for it.

Many of us frequent this forum hoping that Cliff will stop by and read something about it and decide to say "I'll do it" and blow us all away :)
 
I love my Ax8, held hope for a few more updates, then watched as the other devices excelled at what they can do.
I'd much rather see Fractal efforts in bringing new devices and updates to the latest devices.
I'm looking forward to the Fm3 updates to see the direction that takes.
No regrets in holding onto the Ax8 and hope I see an Fm3 in 2021.
 
All this ever needed was for the great man himself to state 'folks, this isn't gonna happen' .
That's not hard is it?

Cliff......by all means copy n paste that bit......put these peeps out of their misery ffs!
 
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