Axe Fx II, It's not Hype (IMO)

Tough crowd here.

I've found if you give some professional courtesy, take the time to dig a bit deeper and get a little more info, you get more in return.

I haven't had any experience with the Axe-Fx yet, so I'm all ears and open to all opinions. I didn't find kenjf's post overtly negative, but more of an overall impression about his experience that particular day, in that room, at that time.

It's all just information, you decide what to do with it.
 
What is a pity is that a current owner started a thread that gave his opinions and those opinions would be relevant to other current owners. Then a person specifically creates an account on this forum to sh*t all over the product based on listening to the synth block for a few minutes.
 
I think it was the timing, on the cusp of a much anticipated (in this forum!!) release, plus the low post count that came off as trollish.

But after the thread meandered on, the OP seemed legit, albiet full of arrows from this thread! :)
Richard
 
It has been said "you shouldn't announce your presence by taking a dump in the pool." Someone with a very low post count throwing out negative opinions is most likely going to get attacked. Takes a while to build credibility anywhere.
 
FractalAudio said:
What is a pity is that a current owner started a thread that gave his opinions and those opinions would be relevant to other current owners. Then a person specifically creates an account on this forum to sh*t all over the product based on listening to the synth block for a few minutes.
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I'm on a roll today. Here's one for Cliff --
 
DADA said:
Well indeed terrorists suck! And I put it on the Al Qaeda forum if there was one. If it is Apple, Axe-Fx, christians, moslims or klu klux klan. On the moment its followers turn extreme and narrow minded any conversation or discussion turns in to harmfull and dangerous persuation. And I do not like the idea being part of an extremist group! Nor do I like any scrutany or threads by anyone.
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Right on! Kill all extremists!
 
Organist comparison

kenjf said:
I understand that. What I am saying is that some simulations or recordings cannot capture the live sound. For example, if you think that listening to a B3 and Leslie speaker have EVER been equaled in recording, then there's really no conversation to have. EX: Dr. Lonnie Smith, Too Damn Hot, THE premier B3 player of the McDuff school has fantastic recordings, however, as former B3 owner, they do not sound the same as a live Leslie. Don't know why. But it's not the same.
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I agree that Leslie recorded never sounds the same, nor does guitar. I'm not sure what calling Lonnie Smith "THE premier B3 player of the McDuff school" accomplishes. I live in the town where Jack McDuff spent his last years and I've heard both he and Lonnie Smith several times live. They're both great, but Lonnie Smith strikes me as much more atmospheric, sound texture player on the whole while Jack McDuff was more of a swinging, burn the house down guy. Lonnie can groove like mad, too, but I never heard Jack go for some of the spacier/textural stuff that Lonnie does. Just heard Lonnie in New Orleans and he was astounding.
 
guittarzzan said:
Jay, no disrespect meant for your contribution to the forum,
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I love it when a remark begins with qualifiers like, "maybe this is none of my business," "I don't mean to be a jerk," etc. That qualifier always means that what follows is going to do exactly what the person says (s)he does not intend to do. ;)

or trying to explain how there might be a one in million chance that you MAY have been wrong...
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If I am wrong in this case, and the poster ends up making a worthwhile contribution to this forum, I will happily admit my mistake. Such an admission at this juncture would be premature. As I said, time will tell....
 
I am of the opinion that kenjf is playing the role of a troll, even though he may not see himself that way. Some people are trolls by design, others are simply naturals.

Leading off with a description of his “credentials” tells me right of the bat that his following critique is probably going to lack substance. Have nothing to say? Tell us you’re an expert first and it won’t matter as much. Being an EE doesn’t mean you are capable of evaluating the unit’s quality any more than a bum off the street. I know dozens of EEs. Most are smart guys that don’t know great tone from a reboot beep. I also know several “professional sound guys”. Craigslist is full of them as well.

He then states that his review is “unbiased”. Um….ok. Sure.

He then states his point of comparison was an Eventide product.

He then inexplicably reveals the fact that he considers a trade show to be the “ultimate setting for a presentation”. All I can do is sit, still, silent, stunned in amazement, wondering if he has ever been to a trade show of any kind.

He then states that “you can really hear the difference between this and the real thing”, “the effects lacked depth and sounded thin compared to the Eventide”, “It was flat and thin”, “Lots of digital stuff in there”, etc. All this was concluded from a few minutes at a trade show. I’ve used both Fractal and Eventide units extensively. Both companies make excellent products. My experience tells me that the poster’s “unbiased” opinions are nothing but troll droppings. Of course, my opinion may be no more valid than his or anyone else’s, but at least it is based on months (years in the case of Eventide) of in-depth use. To use his terms to describe either company’s products on either forum is, in my opinion, to reveal yourself as a troll.

He then uses the responses any troll would expect to receive, and uses them to attack the existing community as “immature”, “non-productive”, “fanatics”, “not intelligent individuals”, “violating their own rules of interaction”, etc. He then paints his original message in a strictly positive light (like the best trolls do); “I’m being nice and just voicing my opinion”, “I was polite”, “I was very open minded”, etc. He goes on to reiterate not only his “credentials”, but those of his IEEE chairmen friends. Like this validates his four minutes of evaluation or lends any credibility to his diatribe. And of course, there is the backhanded reaching out; “I was hoping to have an open discussion of the flaws I heard”.

Finally, the fact that he was compelled to sign up just to post this tells me that he has an agenda. I believe he is a troll, intentional or not. Perhaps he is a shill as well. If so, I think Eventide would be better served without help from people like him.
 
@ steadystate

"I’ve used both Fractal and Eventide units extensively. (years in the case of Eventide) of in-depth use."

After all that, how do Eventide and the Axe fx compare, out of interest, effects-wise?
 
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FractalAudio said:
What is a pity is that a current owner started a thread that gave his opinions and those opinions would be relevant to other current owners. Then a person specifically creates an account on this forum to sh*t all over the product based on listening to the synth block for a few minutes.
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No doubt. This thread was hijacked to the point that no one remembers who the Original Poster was and that he thought the Axe-fx II was great (in his opinion).
 
Troll or not I can tell u simply what worked for me. I stalked the fractal room (lol) on saturday for over an hour listening to anything from wankers to an awesomely gifted 16 yr old. To me the ii is it. For what I want, need and desire it fits my use perfectly. So I'll be picking one up hopefully soon. I can say this given the conditions of the show... (players, noise from door being open, different set ups, different guitars, some guys not being to serious) cliff and Matt did a helluva job making presets for guys and showing what this can do in a short amount of time. Yes some guys just heard stock stuff but if u stood long enough you could def hear the potential that we as future users can dial in with the ii. From not just the tones from the unit itself but the use of axe edit, latency issues, etc. I mean Matt even spoke to me about an awesome app for my iPhone to read the manual easier... Thx btw Matt lol. That room was a revolving door and I was there from 12-5pm. Cliff gave some insight as to future products, spoke about the chasis issue and alot of other stuff. And def had a chuckle regarding some of the nonsense that goes on various forums. To each there own.... As for me I made the trip to talk to cliff, an Matt but mainly to listen. And I'm sold

Just my opinion.
 
Jay Mitchell said:
I love it when a remark begins with qualifiers like, "maybe this is none of my business," "I don't mean to be a jerk," etc. That qualifier always means that what follows is going to do exactly what the person says (s)he does not intend to do. ;)
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Actually, what that qualifier means, (since I'm the one who said it), is, "Hey Jay, thank you for your contribution here, but would it be possible for you to be less condescending in your approach and to put a little less effort into proving how right you are and how wrong others are? ...Would that be possible?"

Jay Mitchell said:
If I am wrong in this case, and the poster ends up making a worthwhile contribution to this forum, I will happily admit my mistake. Such an admission at this juncture would be premature. As I said, time will tell....
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I'm actually laughing as I'm typing this next bit. Although I DO agree that the person who you pretty much called a troll DID have the right ingredients for one, from reading the many posts of yours over the years, I can, with great confidence say that in the one in a million chance that you were to ever admit you were wrong about something...about anything...it would NOT be done "happily" as you so stated. It would be a barely audible grumble at best. lol :)

I usually don't jump in on your poop flinging competitions, but I guess I was feeling frisky today and flung a little myself I guess.

I wish you well and may you have a great day!!

Your buddy,
Steve
 
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redburst21 said:
Troll or not I can tell u simply what worked for me. I stalked the fractal room (lol) on saturday for over an hour listening to anything from wankers to an awesomely gifted 16 yr old. To me the ii is it. For what I want, need and desire it fits my use perfectly. So I'll be picking one up hopefully soon. I can say this given the conditions of the show... (players, noise from door being open, different set ups, different guitars, some guys not being to serious) cliff and Matt did a helluva job making presets for guys and showing what this can do in a short amount of time. Yes some guys just heard stock stuff but if u stood long enough you could def hear the potential that we as future users can dial in with the ii. From not just the tones from the unit itself but the use of axe edit, latency issues, etc. I mean Matt even spoke to me about an awesome app for my iPhone to read the manual easier... Thx btw Matt lol. That room was a revolving door and I was there from 12-5pm. Cliff gave some insight as to future products, spoke about the chasis issue and alot of other stuff. And def had a chuckle regarding some of the nonsense that goes on various forums. To each there own.... As for me I made the trip to talk to cliff, an Matt but mainly to listen. And I'm sold

Just my opinion.
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And this was the OP´s intention for this tread. Keep this up and forget about trolls and gremlins!!
 
6L6C said:
Went to the NY Amp Show today (in New Jersey, go figure?) and went with one thing on the agenda, “Axe Fx II”.
I like what I’m seeing on YouTube, but as you guys know nothing like being in front of it yourself. Keep in mind had said pretty much right after the announcement of the AF II, that I would get one of the new units. Pretty much on faith for at the time I never heard one, like everyone else. So I could be considered biased.

Anyway, how do I feel now that I have been in front of one? Want it more than ever! And for those who are on the fence about an upgrade, if you can, I feel it’s worth it. Without writing a novel about a piece of gear, you can already tell I like, and spent a short amount of time with. Some quick highlights, yes the effects sound stellar, the new modeling tech stands out with the amp models, but the new cab models are really outstanding! The USB is really nice also; editor works way faster which means everything can be manipulated faster.

That’s it really just a quick observation, you were also given the opportunity to either play through a real cab or for the FRFR people a pair of Atomics or a set of JBL’s monitors as you can see in the photo, each setup sounded great! Also there was alot of great gear at the show not just Fractal, great tones everywhere and for every style!!. But the Fractal room really did it for me. Not meaning to sound smug after the Fractal room pretty much lost motivation for everything else, but of course went anyway.
John
P6032224.jpg
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Thanks for your take and the pics
 
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