If everyone on this forum will all allow, I would like to give my perspective on this brouhaha that seems to have developed with some of the comments I have seen with the AFX III Mk I, M II, Mk II Turbo, FW 17, and FullRes support.
Before I give this view of things, I would like to give some background and caveats so that I my perspective isn't outright dismissed as a "fan boy" or "shill":
- I am a proud Axe-FX II Mark II owner since 2013 (the XL version was released I believe 90 days after I purchased my unit).
- I own both iterations of Cab Lab.
- I am a vendor who has supported the Fractal ecosystem as vendor of cab IR files and presets that highlight non-traditional amp pairings with those IRs since 2016 (First on Fractal's site then on my own site since 2017).
- I am a proud owner of a AFX III Mk I since October 2019
- I have been using amp simulations including, Digitech GSP-21, VSTs since 1995, Johnson Amplification JM-150, Line 6 Helix, Atomic Bass Box & Fire-Box, as well as casually using other units in sessions such as the Kemper and others over the years.
@FractalAudio & co. give a level of support that's second to none in the industry and they always look to push things forward both in their firmware and hardware.
If Cliff says the only way he could get FullRes to be supported on the AFX III Mk I is via the scratchpad, you can bank on the fact that it's not a money grab.
He and I have had spirited conversations regarding longer length IR files over the years when I was proposing that 500 ms IR files sounded more real than shorter length IR files.
The fact that he has come around and even supported longer length IR files than that for certain applications because he has taken in the feedback from the AITR critics should be applauded and yet some use that opportunity to bash him.
To me it's a sad state of affairs that people do this.
When you create a product there are always two conflicting pressures at play:
- Pushing the envelope to see what you can do to make your product better.
- Preserving value for those that invested in your current and past products.
This is not a cash grab offering the Turbo or having the Mark II be able to load more FullRes files than the Mark I, it's just the reality of hardware and firmware progress.
There is a healthy market and appetite for the Mark I if you feel the need to have more horsepower and more FullRes storage, so you can always sell your Mark I and upgrade to the Mk II or Turbo if you absolutely need more FullRes slots and processor speed.
If you really don't need it, be content with your Mark I as it really is an incredible sounding unit and can do things that no other modeler on the market can do.
If you look at other forums and see how the competitive units are supported with Firmware updates, routing, ability to fine tune effects, etc., then you will see the grass really is not greener in other ecosystems. Many manufacturers are content to keep putting out the same unit and not being able to implement eureka moments every couple of months because their hardware is frozen in time on their flagship units. I don't mean that as a slight against those competitors either, because everyone has different goals as businesses.
It's easy to Monday morning quarterback a business if you have never been in this space doing it yourself. It's an adventure and you have to be really thick skinned, because there will always be critics who are not where you are making things happen.
Once you know how much goes into making a hardware product like this or even software like my fellow IR producers do, then you understand the decisions one has to make as a business while pursuing what you feel is "the good" while knowing there is always going to be a population of people who will not be happy with that pursuit of "the good" because you didn't come up with it 2 or 5 years ago, or worse, those people who ascribe a negative slant to your pursuit of "the good" for one reason or another.
Hats off to you Cliff for pushing the envelope and never resting on "good enough".
