AX8 + FX8 the "the killer app"??

holdenhinkle

Inspired
Hello!

I have an ax8 and love it.

I read that @Admin M@ said the ax8 + fx8 is "the killer app". That was a while ago. Do you still think it is? Why not by an AXEII instead? Is anyone else using the AX8 and FX8 together?
 
Axe FX and FX 8.....more better...AX8 and FX8..also great...this combination makes up for each other's perceived shortcomings, for those who can't get enough effects, but most folks can get what they need from the axefx or AX8 alone.
 
I have both, but I have to admit I've never considered using them together. Seems like it would be a pretty clunky setup.
It isn't..surprisingly versatile, you should try the two in a 4cm config. Or ax8 for all pre FX and amp/cab, and FX8 for all post fx
 
It isn't..surprisingly versatile, you should try the two in a 4cm config. Or ax8 for all pre FX and amp/cab, and FX8 for all post fx

I'm thinking the latter would be easier to configure. But still, by clunky I meant now I'd have to lug around two units, a bunch of cabling I don't normally have, etc, and all for what? When I can already get 99% of what I need just by being careful on the AX8? Seems like a game of diminishing returns.
 
I'm thinking the latter would be easier to configure. But still, by clunky I meant now I'd have to lug around two units, a bunch of cabling I don't normally have, etc, and all for what? When I can already get 99% of what I need just by being careful on the AX8? Seems like a game of diminishing returns.

Fair nuff.
 
I have both, but I have to admit I've never considered using them together. Seems like it would be a pretty clunky setup.

Me too. My AX8 is tied to my FRFR rig and my FX8 is tied to my amp (Mesa TA30). For me, they serve different uses at different times.

Trying to put both on one pedal board would seem to be overkill IMO.
 
The IDEAL for me would be:
1. AX8 hardware layout as it is, but with a screw plate exposed to upgrade memory, DSP, etc. for more simultaneous effects, longer loop times and multiple undos, etc.
2. Separate MIDI expansion module with an extra row of footswitch buttons, so can use 4 expression pedals and extra effect toggle buttons (don't need all buttons at once, but it avoids memory issues of which effect under which button- easier to develop muscle memory like in a legacy pedal board).

This would simplify the product line with AX8 next-gen being the flagship/only HW processor product with expansion options. And it would resolve the market positioning issues of flagship vs. junior product, studio vs more portable, etc... You sell the cheap version with a limited memory and DSP, then charge for memory and DSP upgrades (only a modest convenience premium on price, because must be sensitive to customers procuring direct from source and bypassing Fractal). Maybe put a sticker with a Fractal serial number on each DSP or memory module, tied to individual orders to avoid customers procuring cheaply and buying counterfit or incorrect products that are a hassle to troubleshoot. This would also give you more space to charge a hardware premium, but some customers would still take the risk and procure outside of Fractal- so what. The revenue model at some point should include a software subscription to pay for firmware upgrades, with new purchases getting a 1, 2, or 3 year entitlement etc. This also gives you a way to continue making money when people buy used units.

I'm sure some here would gripe like crazy about losing a perceived entitlement of free firmware updates... but at some point aligning the revenue model to where your effort is placed will enable greater customer satisfaction related to cheaper upgradeable hardware. When computers become easier to use by a wide audience and more stable for music applications, that is a major threat to the hardware market. Having a shift in customer expectation to pay for where the value is added- the intelligence embedded in the firmware- that makes an easier transition to a pure software business with commodity hardware parts. That will entail an anti-software-piracy strategy that must be cryptographically strong, tying hardware serial numbers to software license keys, and that creates it's own hassles... But your margins will be higher in that type of business too, but might have more headaches with hardware permutations in an open hardware market. You can take an intermediate approach to have a limited set of approved hardware permutations to manage dev/test and quality control.

Alright, enough rambling. Ex-product manager taking off his product manager hat. Time to go play guitar.
 
Axe FX and FX 8.....more better...AX8 and FX8..also great...this combination makes up for each other's perceived shortcomings, for those who can't get enough effects, but most folks can get what they need from the axefx or AX8 alone.

@bradlake Are you running an AX8 & FX8 together??? I am wanting to do the same setup and wanted to pick someones brain who is running that setup.
 
I totally still think this combination is "a" killer app (not the ONLY killer app.)
I would not do 4CM though. I'd run PRE effects, AMP and CAB in the AX8, and POST effects in the FX8. You could also run PRE effects in the FX8, followed by AMP, CAB, and POST FX in the AX8.
 
I totally still think this combination is "a" killer app (not the ONLY killer app.)
I would not do 4CM though. I'd run PRE effects, AMP and CAB in the AX8, and POST effects in the FX8. You could also run PRE effects in the FX8, followed by AMP, CAB, and POST FX in the AX8.

How easy is it to make them sync up via Midi @Admin M@ ? I want to run Pre fx in the FX8 and run that into Amp/Cab/Post fx in the AX8. In my head I feel that it is an easy thing to do, but I am not a Midi master by any means. I just want to be able to, say, make my Preset selection on the FX8 or AX8(whichever I am running Midi out of) and have the other unit go straight to that Preset as well. Also, I still want to be able to program IA's 1-4 as Scene selection on one unit and have the other unit jump to that Scene as well. That's about as complicated as I want to make things. I know that I will have to end up making 2 sets of Presets(one for each unit) and they need to correspond, but I honestly use mostly the same Pre FX for all my Presets. It's generally the Post FX's that do the changing for me.....and that's just based on my ambient needs on a per song basis. I just can't pull off what I want to all the time out of the AX8 and need something to ease up on the CPU load from it so I can make my ambient tones I want. I would also like to have access to more than 1 Comp and be able to use more than 1 Drive block........

DANGIT!!!! Now I am buying a FX8......
 
Ummmm, an AX8 & FX8 sitting side by side??? Nothing too extrodinary. Maybe an expression pedal or 2 on one side. Ya know, just your average 42"x12" pedal board.....
 
have you ever tried doing a BigSky Cloud emulation with the AX8 for a swirling type reverb effect? Once you have it programed about all you can add to the preset is an Amp and a Cab. I am a church player and need some ambient, atmosphere effects during songs that I play, but then also need to switch to lead type sounds with drives and different delay settings. Sure, I could program 2 presets next to each other, but then I have to worry about the signal drop between the 2. It would be much easier and much more seamless to do a Scene change on the same preset....
 
I'm using a PCM-81 for reverb/delay with my AX-8. Not hard to program via the panel.

Never found a comparable reverb in the AX-8 and it offloads a lot of CPU that could be used for other things.
 
I totally still think this combination is "a" killer app (not the ONLY killer app.)
I would not do 4CM though. I'd run PRE effects, AMP and CAB in the AX8, and POST effects in the FX8. You could also run PRE effects in the FX8, followed by AMP, CAB, and POST FX in the AX8.

How would you use the FX8/AX8-Edit?
 
Revisiting this older thread. Anyone have any recent thoughts on this setup. I'm strongly considering doing this. Really for no other reason than because it sounds like it'd be fun and interesting. I'm thinking either AX8 for amp/cab (if used) and pre effects, FX8 for post effects. Either that or some kind of dual rig setup with a couple of real amps (Mesa TC-50 and Mark 5:25 or Peavey Invective when it arrives).
 
I just bought a BigSky reverb to offload the most CPU-intensive part of the Ax8. This is a more compact and less expensive approach than Ax8 + FX8. I think as a bonus, it comes with many instantly dialed reverb/echo sounds to choose from, and can be midi-sync'd to the Ax8 to change along with scene changes.

Last night I did a show mostly using the simplest spring reverb settings in Ax8 and it got the job done. So the external reverb is not really necessary for my immediate needs, but it will add a lot when I get it set up.
 
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