Are there ANY limitations with Axe-Fx 3?

Thomas Obester

Experienced
I expect to get responses like "yeah, it can´t make a latte for me,yet" etc.. feel free to share that, but I want to read your opinions.

Is there anything that AX3 can´t do ?

I ask because I would like to upgrade from my ax8, as there are many limitations for my use and I feel like there is big leap in sound difference vs current fw in ax3.

I feel like sound in fw 15.01. is already better than most of my boutique tube amps (even in ax8 there are already AMAZINGLY GOOD models, like my favourite - the cameron ccv 2c, this one with fryette PS-2 and Friedman 4x12 cab sounds even better than my real modded friedman JJ 100...IMO ).

I am not that type of a guy, who would like to change stuff all the time.

Would like to invest in AX3 and be done with it, at least for 5-7 years, hell, maybe even for much longer time.

But I would really like to know, if you feel like "yeah, I would really love to have in my AX3 ...... or ..... (insert your wish or need).

Something like missing new algorithm for nice tracking pitch shifter in fm3, which I am sure many of us would love to have...

sorry for my language.
 
If you're happy then be happy and play until your fingers fall off.
Axe 3 is effectively two ax8's with a lot more effects and routing options and a color lcd.
With your rig, you aren't missing the power amp updates, the cab resonance updates or anything on that side.
The latest update is pretty massive overall with Cameron and Friedman (an amp I hate to admit sounds awesome now), but since you have a real JJ 100 and power station, why bother with amp modeling?
I only got an Axe Fx 3 because I had some spending money but I wasn't impressed with the amps at all up to fw 12, (bought around fw 6?) they needed a lot of eq, but the effects are awesome. FW 14 though? FW 15 holy cow. Cygnus? Forget it, real amps are done for.
Just avoid listening to Cygnus or you'll get really bad GAS.
 
I have a 3 but then again my Ultra still kicks ass. At some point I feel ‘we’ become the limitation because I hear awesome music come from cheaper, less quality guitars than I play over amps that don’t even register on the Fractal scale of quality and service.

The one thing I wish the III, in combination with the editing software, could do is copy scenes from one preset to another or merge two presets in a more click-n-go manner. That said over the years we have seen such an advancement of this product that it is at least a possibility in the future. IMHO you will have zero regrets purchasing the III. It will grow with you, unlikely ever obsolete, have excellent resale if need be.
 
I’d love the Freqout pedal effect. But it’s not as though my playing is experience feels shortchanged by not having it. The Axe III is such a joy to play.
 
AX8 was my first FAS product, after owning many modelers since around the time the POD 2.0 was introduced. I sold it and purchased the AXE III in 2019. There is no way I would go back - no regrets at all. Like @NeoSound mentioned, portability is a consideration. And I recommend a FC. Even when playing in front of a computer using Axe Edit, I use the FC to switch scenes / effects, etc., sort of like I did with the AX8.
 
The only short comings I could find are:

* Lack of classic bass amps to the degree that guitar amps are represented. You can use a lot of the guitar amps as bass amps to get those sounds, but you need to know your amp history to do it.

* Lack of solid state or tube+SS hybrid amps. The pre-1990 amps of this sort are a real gap in the amp library in terms of sonic territory.

* User loadable .zma impedance curve files so that you can get the impedance curve of your specific cab to use in presets. I would take a reduction in IR slots if there was a way to save and use these 12 kb files.

Everything else that I asked for, Cliff has implemented at some point.

It's a really great unit.
 
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People will always push the capabilities of a device and claim they are limitations. I came from the AX8 as well and there were things I needed to do in order to make some presets work within the AX8's capability. With the Axe III, there's absolutely nothing I want or need that it hasn't allowed me to do.
 
Started with the FX8, then moved to the AX8, and in February 2020, I upgraded to the Axe-Fx III with the FC-12. The only thing I miss is the portability of AX8. I play at church on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, so the ambient sounds are very important to me. I play my AX8 Saturday nights while my Axe-Fx III gear is packed up. Last weekend was the first time I felt like it was a night and day difference.
 
The main thing that comes to mind is that the Axe-FX III can't do MIDI to USB like the Axe-FX II could. Hopefully that changes with a firmware update down the line because that was seriously useful to me for a number of situations. Other than that, there are tons of functions that I'd dream of having that many (especially Fractal) would consider unreasonable to implement due to the scope of this kind of device.
 
Started with the FX8, then moved to the AX8, and in February 2020, I upgraded to the Axe-Fx III with the FC-12. The only thing I miss is the portability of AX8. I play at church on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings, so the ambient sounds are very important to me. I play my AX8 Saturday nights while my Axe-Fx III gear is packed up. Last weekend was the first time I felt like it was a night and day difference.

This was my progression to the AFX3 too. I switched as I was occasionally running out of CPU and couldn't always build the rigs I ideally wanted to on the AX8. That has never been a problem with the 3 and in truth I'm probably only scratching the surface of its capabilities. The only time I'll ever change it is if and when they put all that power into a floor unit
 
It doesn't make any sound when not plugged... Except if you throw it through the window, but it's not an option for me...
 
Is there difference in ax3 vs fm3 in amp block when playing live and switching amp models ?

I think I have read some posts on this forum that ax3 is faster in this regard and when using live, you can hear the difference.. true or false ?

that could be for sure a game changer for me.
Switching speed is important to me as well. I have no issues with switching amp models using scenes in the FM3.
 
In my ax8 I have all my presets around 80-84% and there is always gap when changing amp models in amp block.

I would love to upgrade if that’s not a problem anymore.. still thinking that ax3 will be better for my needs, but if fm3 can pull seemless amp switching, I will be very interested to buy it as a backup.

in fact I am on a waitlist and could get fm3 in about 2 weeks, but would like to see if folks here agree, that fm3 can pull that without sweating too much..
 
I agree with everyone's comments, the sky is the limit with the AxeFx III... however, as a music producer one thing I would love to see @FractalAudio include is a feature in the tremolo block similar to Sound Toys tremolator plugin. Where you can sorta draw in all sorts of rhythmic tremolo patterns using a sort of step sequencer. I love this effect when the tremolo is a square (on/off) shape, full depth and the guitar sorta cuts in and out to a cool pattern.

Would be awesome to save various rhythmic patterns and then just tap any tempo in and the pattern adjusts to the new tempo.
 
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