Axe Fx for my mac

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parlopower said:
I just saw this on the Gearslutz forum:
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/12393532-post9.html
Quote: "cliff said they have a working pc version already, but they are reluctant to release it"
Is that true??? When and where did he say that??? And if it is true - pleeeaaaaaase release that thing and revolutionize the world of amp sim plugins! (And release it before Helix Native comes out at a price point under $600 and lean back, open a beer and grin...)
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http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37376#p439470

That was in 2008. It actually spawned a ginormous thread here:
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-pc.16908/

So it was AxeFx Standard/Ultra. There have been rumors off and on ever since but no confirmation of a commercial product or formal announcement; they have clearly done R&D but it is a business decision whether to push forward on it, I am sure... Do not hold your breath.
 
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zenaxe said:
http://www.rig-talk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37376#p439470

That was in 2008. It actually spawned a ginormous thread here:
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-pc.16908/

So it was AxeFx Standard/Ultra. There have been rumors off and on ever since but no confirmation of a commercial product or formal announcement; they have clearly done R&D but it is a business decision whether to push forward on it, I am sure... Do not hold your breath.
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Oh, ok, that long ago. Wasn't aware of that. Totally different story, then. Thanks for the clarification!
 
parlopower said:
Oh, ok, that long ago. Wasn't aware of that. Totally different story, then. Thanks for the clarification!
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Well not a totally different story at all if you think about it, in fact I think is the SAME story, it never happened and I doubt very much it would happen someday.
This seems the longest history of vaporware ever seen, 9 years and counting
 
lovejazz said:
Well not a totally different story at all if you think about it, in fact I think is the SAME story, it never happened and I doubt very much it would happen someday.
This seems the longest history of vaporware ever seen, 9 years and counting
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Not sure. I don't think Cliff Chase would have dropped the mysterious "soon..." comment in this section of the forum about one year ago if it was still the same nine year old story and mere vapourware. I assume something is still cooking, or cooking again, but who knows when they will spill any beans, what and when and how and why and where and who and goatfarmingismorefunthankeepingupwiththekardashiansorwhateverfloatsyourboatwhenthetideishighandthenightisyoung.
 
parlopower said:
Not sure. I don't think Cliff Chase would have dropped the mysterious "soon..." comment in this section of the forum about one year ago if it was still the same nine year old story and mere vapourware. I assume something is still cooking, or cooking again, but who knows when they will spill any beans, what and when and how and why and where and who and goatfarmingismorefunthankeepingupwiththekardashiansorwhateverfloatsyourboatwhenthetideishighandthenightisyoung.
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So what I don't understand is why would he do this? What is his advantage? Weigh that against his disadvantages. His technology is safe the way it is now. Less safe and more prone to piracy. Digital technology is MOST vulnerable to piracy. A company than can find a solution has a serious leg up. Why would he?
 
Advantages:

- Able to sell a product to a market that he does not currently reach (people willing to spend $500 or whatever, but not $2250)
- Able to reach people who don't buy hardware due to lack of space
- Able to reach people who don't buy hardware because it's a pain in the ass to service if it breaks and expensive to fix if out of warranty
- Able to reach people who don't buy hardware because 5-10-20 years from now it will be an obsolete paperweight (there are exceptions, but it is rare for a legacy product to remain relevant)
- Presumably higher potential profit margins; I don't know for sure but would think that individual copies of a software product are cheaper to produce than individual instances of hardware. Like CD sales Vs mp3 sales.
- Able to increase market share in high-end modelling, currently Line6 is encroaching on this with their various Helix offerings (two different floorboards, one rack and one plugin).

As for the disadvantages, I understand the problem of piracy, but then other companies manage to sell plugins very well. I'm sure Native Instruments makes lots of money despite the occasional person stealing their product. I tend to think that the people who pirate films/music/software/etc. probably wouldn't have bought it anyway, and those who would have bought it wouldn't pirate it.
 
Yeah, I don't know. I think his profit margin is probably ok. He's still making new products and can pay for staff, manufacturing and not worry about others stealing his technology. It's not only people stealing software but it's hackers being able to reverse engineer easier, I would think.

Right now he can control the CPU and doesn't have to worry about compatibility issues between various OSes and software. He's got the perfect dongle. When it's working, don't change.
 
Just checked again... yesterday it was exactly one year ago that Cliff made his "Soon..." comment on vertibration's thread where he wished for an Axe Fx II plugin. I see why some are debating if it would make sense or not for Fractal Audio to sell the Axe modeling as a plugin, but at the end of the day, the Master himself made a comment that can hardly be misinterpreted, it was not "maybe...", or "noted...", but it was "soon...".

It would be very nice if there was at least one simple, single word again about it, just stating if that "Soon..." can continue to excite those of us wishing for a plugin version with expectation, or if they decided otherwise and we can give up waiting. On the Gearslutz forum, a user wondered if he should buy the new Seventh Heaven reverb plugin from Liquidsonics, which tries to recreate the Bricasti M7 Hardware reverb with Fusion IR technology. That user was insecure since he wondered if Bricasti would enter the market with a plugin version of the actual M7 algos in the future. Casey, the designer of the M7 himself, chimed in and told him to "pull the trigger already", because "that is just not going to happen". Clear Statement, case closed. Would be nice to get more clarity on Fractal's approach here. This one word "Soon..." can stir up a lot of excitement, I think we all agree that Cliff's words and announcements carry quite some weight for us, so I hope Cliff understands how some of us feel about this comment and has pity on our curiosity and impatience! :)
 
I would get the plugin in a heartbeat. I'm also eyeing the Helix Native. I suspect if I go down the Native path, I may end up eventually selling the Axe FX II simply because the Helix is "good enough" for me and streamlines my workflow across recording/live in a single laptop. In an ideal world I'd know if the Fractal plugin was in the pipeline (a question if when rather than if), so I could wait for it. But alas... we have to make decisions with the best information we have and live with the consequences.
 
Im in a similar position....

Looking to upgrade the tones in my DAW from GR5 since Ive been so spoiled with the sounds from my ultra but love the flexibility of recording direct and reamping with GR5. Helix Native is starting to really look like a serious tool that could compete with my ultra's tones and give me the flexibility I desire. Plus the added bonus of the bass love its been getting.

Being around fractal since before the ii, i understand how Cliff works and stuff..... buuuuuut just a short update/word would be the proverbial bone to us hungry fractal tone hounds.

Heck even a plugin based on the ultra would be a serious contender lol.

Cheers all!
 
This is what I mean by market share concerns.

If people buy Helix Native because they want a good amp-sim plugin... then it starts to make sense to them to buy the Helix floorboard or rack too, since it would result in a more integrated workflow and studio-to-stage transition. People even considering selling their Axe to make that happen.

If Fractal said something like, "It's coming out 2018"... then that would be enough. I'd wait. I really think they're risking people jumping ship here.
 
the axe fx hardware isn't alien tech,no matter what anyone says . fractal could release a plug in version.sure they already have 1 at least in alpha stage

problem with launching a software platform is the amount of support you need to provide. piracy is a thing of course but many companies manage to do well in the same market.

I sold my xl cause as much as I thought it sounded great, I still liked playing my recto with pedals live ,and for just home stuff it was overkill $ wise .

. I do miss it at times and would pick up a reasonably priced vst version for sure , and I will be trying the helix demo to see if it stands up with looking to purchase. there is a huge market for home players and plug ins and fractal knows that . guessing they just don't want to deal with the issues
 
Hey guys, I think this is a dead deal. I called Fractal to order my AX8, and the dude said the plugin was not on their agenda at this time. Not to say it wont happen, but that was not promising answer. Time to move on
 
That's a gigantic bummer.
Will demo that Helix software when it's coming out...
(...and already suspect that I will buy an AX8 or Axe Fx II instead anyway.)
 
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parlopower said:
That's a gigantic bummer.
Will demo that Helix software when it's coming out...
(...and already suspect that I will buy an AX8 or Axe Fx II instead anyway.)
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...as of yesterday, according to Line 6's main internet shill, mr. Digital Igloo, Helix Native will not be released by the promised End Of Spring, and is not yet in beta, but he reiterates their commitment to it is strong and the eventual total integration of all Helix functions , which will be incremental over some time... ...but I agree that clarification on @FractalAudio 's use of that Soon buzzwordlast year regarding a FAS plugin would be welcome . I would love for it to happen, but I would imagine the resources needed to do it-properly -may be challenging to a development team as intimate as FAS has. hopefully we will all find out...soon....
 
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Helix will prolly drop end of July. They started beta testing this week.

Everyone needs to give up on the fractal plugin. Its not gunna happen. I was told specifically that it is not in their agenda.

Helix Native will drop this summer, and its a fantastic option for people who dont wanna drop a lot of money on a good modeler.
 
Helix if setup well can sound really great IMO, and as for software, S-Gear is IMO capable of fantastic tones, I find that I prefer it to the AxeFx in many cases, Looking forward to S-Gear V3, and on top of that there is something else in the pipeline that is still some way off that I am unable to talk about that will blow your minds, it covers all bases and the tone is out off this world, Better than AxeFx? Yes IMO, but it's real plus is it's versatility, and layout, it's super simple to get great tones, and it covers studio and live and all options in between.

I hope Fractal have a plan for the future, and they understand the way the market is going, and realise that the competition is going to be tougher than it has been so far, it's very obvious they need to have a software version that works alongside the hardware at some point, if they don't prepare for that they will get left behind, because what is coming is better than what has been so far and way better thought out for all needs and use, I still believe Fractal must know this and have a plan, I hope so because the more options the better for us all.
 
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