AX8 Firmware Version 10.01

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vinnyburns said:
Outside of being on stage, I have had my global settings reset for no reason twice on my AX8’s. So, all my custom harmonies were gone. All my switching setups gone. The size the song is displayed on the screen had changed. No assumptions here. What is your horse in this race? Why do you try and belittle anything anyone says here that is not 100% praise?
No fear mongering either, just a touring musician making sure what he uses is as painless as can be. Why would I want it any other way?
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I'm truly sorry that's been your experience. Have you contacted Fractal Support to see if there's a solution or simply given up because the product is "abandoned"? As to who I am or "what is (my) horse in this race"? I'm not a big deal like you touring guys, I'm just a nobody who gigs weekly and needs the most reliable setup which is why I chose and used the AX8 over amps and pedals. As far as "belittling" anyone or being a fanboi? You can take whatever I say to mean whatever you want.

There seems to be a rhetoric in this discussion that the problems or issues people experience are the norm rather than the exception which is simply untrue. Again, I'm sorry that you've experienced issues and that makes them a very real problem for you. Yes, other users have had issues, most of which are found to be caused by things other than the AX8 itself. Are there bugs? Yes, no denying that and of course it would be nice to have FAS fix them in a "final" firmware update.

As someone who uses forums to research gear, I use comments from users who have had both good and bad experiences with a product. This is a public forum and as such should represent the whole of everyone's experience. Wouldn't you agree that it's only fair to offer an experience that differs from what the theme of a particular thread seems to be stating?
 
it would make sense for those who have generally or 100% positive experiences with a line of gear to speak positively of that gear.

someone speaking positively of gear does not mean the gear does not have any faults at all. it's not all or nothing.

someone speaking positively of the company also does not trivialize the fact that there may be issues with their gear as well.

on a forum, if someone says a glitch or problem happened with the gear, it's commonplace for someone else who's not had that issue to say "i haven't had that issue." this helps to confirm that it's not a widespread or common issue, and also provides perspective for myriad different points of view (doesn't have the gear, has the gear, has the problem, doesn't have the problem, etc.).

it's interesting that there's usually a completely knee-jerk negative response to those who provide information that they don't have the issue. it's data. data helps solve problems.

the AX8 isn't being sold directly by FAS anymore. they know how many they've sold, and know people are still using it. there are some issues for some users. but currently, FAS, a small company, is focusing on another project. of course we can comment on the free updates the AX8 has enjoyed over the years (i personally do not see those as included in the cost; what you buy today is what you pay for, not what could be tomorrow). but many people frown upon that as well as a "too positive view" about the company. (which i never understand.)

will things on the AX8 be fixed? maybe. probably. i just think for the most part that the AX8 functions reliably for most users. i think that most people would rather the FM3 be focused on and released, so they're probably focusing on the FM3 now.

i use the AX8 several times a week, weekly. i personally have had zero issues with anything. that's at least 84 gigs just this year averaged. zero issues. it sounds great, does exactly what i want, and i'm usually adjusting and adding things along the way to try different things. the way i use it isn't the way everyone uses it, and sure, issues can pop up with specific use cases.

FAS as a company generally gives more than it receives, in my opinion. i think we'll be ok.
 
chris said:
it would make sense for those who have generally or 100% positive experiences with a line of gear to speak positively of that gear.

someone speaking positively of gear does not mean the gear does not have any faults at all. it's not all or nothing.

someone speaking positively of the company also does not trivialize the fact that there may be issues with their gear as well.

on a forum, if someone says a glitch or problem happened with the gear, it's commonplace for someone else who's not had that issue to say "i haven't had that issue." this helps to confirm that it's not a widespread or common issue, and also provides perspective for myriad different points of view (doesn't have the gear, has the gear, has the problem, doesn't have the problem, etc.).

it's interesting that there's usually a completely knee-jerk negative response to those who provide information that they don't have the issue. it's data. data helps solve problems.

the AX8 isn't being sold directly by FAS anymore. they know how many they've sold, and know people are still using it. there are some issues for some users. but currently, FAS, a small company, is focusing on another project. of course we can comment on the free updates the AX8 has enjoyed over the years (i personally do not see those as included in the cost; what you buy today is what you pay for, not what could be tomorrow). but many people frown upon that as well as a "too positive view" about the company. (which i never understand.)

will things on the AX8 be fixed? maybe. probably. i just think for the most part that the AX8 functions reliably for most users. i think that most people would rather the FM3 be focused on and released, so they're probably focusing on the FM3 now.

i use the AX8 several times a week, weekly. i personally have had zero issues with anything. that's at least 84 gigs just this year averaged. zero issues. it sounds great, does exactly what i want, and i'm usually adjusting and adding things along the way to try different things. the way i use it isn't the way everyone uses it, and sure, issues can pop up with specific use cases.

FAS as a company generally gives more than it receives, in my opinion. i think we'll be ok.
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I agree with everything you say Chris. I also still love my AX8's. I have said many times that with the firmware I am on that they have been solid and never let me down at a gig. The only time I thought a switch had stopped working, I went to my backup and when I opened the flight cases once they had arrived back home, it was just a loose nut on the scene one switch. Tightened it and it is working perfectly. Understandable that with all the baggage handlers that throw these around that something might work a little loose and it's something I have checked for since then.
I have only mentioned once about the units losing their Global settings twice. It never happened at a gig thankfully (I have the backup AX8 there anyway. Unlikey to happen to both on the same day). It was not caused by turning off too soon after any editing though. I rarely edit the units unless new songs are added to the set. That is only a couple of times a year.
 
I've been keeping the AX8 at the rehearsal space and not lugging stuff back and forth. I don't feel, coming the III, when I plug in to the AX8 that my tone is suffering or diminished in any way. It's just as glorious as it ever was and I'm just as focused on the music because I'm not fretting about the sounds as always.
 
vinnyburns said:
The FM3 can’t even do what I needed my AX8’s to do. It would be a downgrade for me. I don’t have to justify or explain that to you either. It just is.
Let’s hope the FM3 you buy is discontinued with known verified bugs just as quickly as the AX8 was. We will see how smug your posts are then.
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No smug intended, just thinking that Cliff is in a bind and can’t fix the AX8 firmware since the programmer left and can’t really update it. So we are left with 10.01.
 
boz52 said:
No smug intended, just thinking that Cliff is in a bind and can’t fix the AX8 firmware since the programmer left and can’t really update it. So we are left with 10.01.
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FWIW Firmware 10.01 was made by Cliff. Sure thing, he stated is a pain in the ass to program, but it's not like Joe Rogers left and suddenly no one at FAS is capable of working on the AX8 platform. Just wanted to clarify that as I've seen many people thinking this...
 
JRFarmer said:
I hope that situation was a wake-up call for their software development team, and their software development process.
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It certainly was. As a result the AX8 was discontinued to be replaced by the FM3. One might not like it but it is a business decision.
 
JRFarmer said:
I hope that situation was a wake-up call for their software development team, and their software development process.
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Somewhere in this forum, or even the announcement of the FM3, it was stressed out that they are working on unified platform for all Ares related development. I actually think that the amount of work maintaining two different platforms was underestimated, and that's why they started with Ares also in the spirit of keeping everything together.

Let's hope that this helps that newer products are not the half loved child's of the flagship.

(And I would like a final update with solely bugfixes for the AX8)
 
Yes, if it's done right, compiling a new firmware would yield both a firmware for the III and FM3 at the same time.
 
AJ Vargas said:
FWIW Firmware 10.01 was made by Cliff. Sure thing, he stated is a pain in the ass to program, but it's not like Joe Rogers left and suddenly no one at FAS is capable of working on the AX8 platform. Just wanted to clarify that as I've seen many people thinking this...
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Yes, and far as I remember, Joe did not create the original FW for the AX8 either. I seem to remember an introduction to him on the AX8 forum well after the AX8 was released.
 
Guys, what i believe is this. We all know that AX8 is discontinued but noone said officially that there is not gonna be another firmware update. I think there will be one last at some point, but Cliff cannot say it because everyone will start to push him to release it and whine about the release being late, as it always happens, so he wants to have all things under control and manage his time and do it whenever he wants. I suppose he needs more time because now, as it is logical, his priority and maybe only focus is AxeFX III and FM3. I cannot know what the last firmware update will bring but i think we all agree that if it will bring only the fixes for the big, major and known bugs then we will all be ok. Nothing more is needed. I think the unit deserves it and we deserved, because we bought a 2-3 year old unit that got discontinued too soon.
 
In case you missed this post from Cliff back in early July :
I know he talks about the FX8, but I think the AX8 is in the same position.

Admin M@ said:
Hi Joe and others,

While I think it may have become unlikely that the FX8 will get another firmware update, I want to let you know in the same breath that we have made some deep changes to ensure that firmware updates for the FM3 shouldn't require anything near the level of "porting" that the AX8 and FX8 did. Some of these changes were architectural, others were procedural, and others were organizational. The "unified family" strategy is one of the hidden benefits to spill over from the Axe-Fx III redesign. Only time will prove what I'm saying, but FM3 owners will truly enjoy the updates we'll offer.

I also want to speak to the comment that FX8 or AX8 were "abandoned". Each of these products had a long "run" with plenty of firmware updates. Their widespread use around the world demonstrates that they sound great, work great, and will continue to be used by pros, semi-pros, hobbyist and bedroom players for years to come. A member here posted a stark comparison about a $1000 competing product which hasn't had a firmware update in over ten years.
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vinnyburns said:
Well, my possible replacement for my AX8’s arrives tomorrow. Ordered a Kemper Profiler Stage. If it works out, will be switching both my AX8 live pedal boards to the Stage. It is a current supported product and will continue to be as far as its firmware is concerned.
Also, the software for it will stay up to date with whatever MacOS I will be using at this time and in the future. I can’t be worried about being locked out of an unsupported device.
I have loved using my AX8’s live, They are still amazing units.
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I'm a longtime AX8 user myself and just bought the KPS as well and as a potential replacement for the now discontinued/unsupported AX8. I'm curious...how is the KPS working out for you and by comparison of the AX8? I also do not see myself moving to the FM3 as it seems to be a lesser version of the AX8...I feel we're in a similar predicament. Thanks!
 
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