*BRAND NEW* AX8 Labelling System imminent!! Next gen KickTags launching in September!!!

Hey folks! Right-o, here's the skinny on what I've been working on for a little while now, which is about to be the latest generation of KickTags labels. I've been incredibly fortunate to have had none other than Steve Vai using the new system on his Passion and Warfare 25th Anniversary world tour, and reports from the road are that the labels have been flawless.


The last generation of KickTags were a huge success. I released my modular system in October last year, featuring low-reflection laser-cut solid acrylic components and neodymium magnets for maximum adhesion to the board. I was really pleased to finally have worked out a viable and sturdy way to realise my 'modular' label design, which I first came up with in 2010.


They were sleek, were totally unobtrusive and were rock solid. I loved how they looked (I always design these for me and my needs first and foremost, and had really gravitated towards a cleaner looking board with stylish graphic and colour options that didn't detract from the pro look of the board). They worked great, looked great and were extremely popular, with batches selling out almost as fast as I could make them. I had lots of positive feedback and reviews from around the world and the glow-aspect of the labels were regarded as the best out there among pro musicians for live stage use. All good stuff!! So what was the problem?.....


(part 2 in a bit!)
 
One word. 'Wonkers'!


As strong as the magnets were in the labels (the strongest in the market by far - with each magnet capable of lifting 0.6kg of vertical steel weight each), with use and in the heat of a gig, they'd get knocked about and would inevitably move. Although this wasn't the end of the world (I mean, just straighten them up again, right?), it used to wind me up to see pictures of boards with bent labels (sometimes even before they had been gigged, as some folks are thankfully a little less OCD than me and just throw them on!), and the straight line freak in me wanted to personally visit every one and straighten them up :)


So, using the same materials and mega-strong magnets in the previous gen of KickTags, I set about coming up with a design that would eliminate Wonky Label Syndrome, keep labels straight, keep them securely stuck to the board and keep everything looking awesome, no matter what....


And here's the result. I'm really excited to share with you the next gen of KickTags labels. They're still KickTags, but they no longer wonk :)
Introducing .... the Uni-Surround!

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All Uni-Surrounds feature spaces for Text Labels and Graphic Tiles. All Surrounds take the same Text Labels and Tiles as the previous generation (but there's a new option for AX8/FX8, which is detailed below) and are interchangeable between boards. This is great if you have an MFC as well as an AX8 or FX8 as you can share labels between boards!


The system is still modular, giving you the greatest flexibility to set your board up exactly as you want, and still feature the same great glow-in-the-dark labels. Basically, it's the same great system, with the added bonus that it's now even more secure on your board, and everything stays perfectly lined up all the time!!


MFC ones are identical in layout to the previous gen Dual Windows, but the AX8/FX8 ones are an entirely new design that provide the most flexibility of any labels I've ever made.


I'll post more pics of the MFC ones on a controller later, but here are some details of the AX8 ones...
 
Here are the AX8/FX8 uni-surrounds on a board...

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You'll notice the nice big window available for labels against each switch. This is awesome for a few reasons.... Firstly, you can put a text label in it....

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In fact, you can put TWO text labels in it...

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With blank labels to separate things, this gives you the flexibility to easily label multi-function switches.

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And if you're feeling really saucy, you can actually put THREE text labels into it!

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Now, with all that lovely space available, it would be rude not to have designed some great new Tiles to add some graphic and colour association for switch functions. Tiles worked GREAT on the previous generation of KickTags, and I've now updated the designs to take advantage of the new AX8/FX8 Big Tile. Here's a peek at how they look!

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And when you start to put it all together, it starts to look pretty funky, yet is totally designed for practicality, and (importantly) never goes out of line! More pics and details tomorrow, as it's late here now, but here are a couple of shots to give you an idea for now...

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Bed time folks... back tomorrow with more info, videos and details!!

Sukh
 
The labels have never appealed to me, but I have to admit, I am really liking the look of this version, Good job!

I see you modeled one of the images after a POG...
If only we could make the AX8 sound anything like a POG (hint hint, FAS).
 
I'm glad I didn't order yet! I love my MFC tags you made but still haven't decided on my Ax8 tags and now these are coming, outstanding!
 
hmm.... I love the look of my Kick Tags but I had to stop using them as they fell apart constantly during gigs. This would surely clear up my issue. Maybe I'll get lucky and only have to buy the black skeleton part as I already own all the tiles. I wouldn't want to start all over again thats for sure, too much of an investment already. Not trying to say anything bad, as Sukh and I had this conversation at the time I received them, and I have never spoken out about this on the forum or anywhere, as this was my issue and I am not the kinda guy to trash people. But if the new system works it would make me want to try them again. Ss much as I love the glow in the dark look, I had to go back to using a label maker as I couldn't have the Kicktags fall apart during a show anymore as it was too distracting.
 
rnjscooter said:
hmm.... I love the look of my Kick Tags but I had to stop using them as they fell apart constantly during gigs. This would surely clear up my issue. Maybe I'll get lucky and only have to buy the black skeleton part as I already own all the tiles. I wouldn't want to start all over again thats for sure, too much of an investment already. Not trying to say anything bad, as Sukh and I had this conversation at the time I received them, and I have never spoken out about this on the forum or anywhere, as this was my issue and I am not the kinda guy to trash people. But if the new system works it would make me want to try them again. Ss much as I love the glow in the dark look, I had to go back to using a label maker as I couldn't have the Kicktags fall apart during a show anymore as it was too distracting.
Click to expand...


As strong as the previous gen were, the reality is that magnets will move. The only way to stop something moving altogether is to either tape/glue it down, or design the label such that there is no way for it to rotate, which is what I've now done.

I've watched Vai boot the hell out of his MFC during a gig with these new labels on and they didn't move an inch. Having said that, Thomas (his tech) said that even with the previous gen, it was no big deal - they'd get wonky during a show, but he just straightened them out after a gig - but this just keeps everything looking straight all the time. Now, if you kick at your MFC in a way that you're booting and scraping up the front edge and actually kicking it, then there's no way anything is going to stay on unless you nail it down!!
 
Question: how come not a single vertical block for the F1 and F2 switches? Seems like those would still move (and, in fact, those are often the ones that move the most for me due to foot movement). Otherwise they look great. I also hope I can just buy the surrounds and blank spacers, though I'd probably also buy a few more labels now that I've settled into mine a bit.
 
mbrown3 said:
Question: how come not a single vertical block for the F1 and F2 switches? Seems like those would still move (and, in fact, those are often the ones that move the most for me due to foot movement). Otherwise they look great. I also hope I can just buy the surrounds and blank spacers, though I'd probably also buy a few more labels now that I've settled into mine a bit.
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Hey mate,

honestly? I made a 1-piece prototype design for the top 2 F-Switches (you can't do all 3, as they're on different tiers) and I hated the look of it. It looked clunky, as there's a large dead space between the two. The other issue then is that, even with a uni-surround for those two, the bottom one is still a single label, which could still move...

The next question then (I've been through this entire thought process, as you can probably tell!) is to make a single uni-surround that covers the ENTIRE row, including the F-Switch. The problem with that is that I'm then forcing people to buy F-Switch labels (not everyone wants them) and you would STILL have a single label for the top F-Switch, which is not part of a row of switches.

So.... I made the new version of the F-Switch Surrounds slightly wider so they can't move as much, as they are closer to the Uni-Surround. My advice though, once you have your F-switches set up as you want, is to put a tiny piece of double sided tape on the back of the surround to stop any movement whatsoever. I've been doing it for ages, and it works perfectly.

Sukh
 
Toadfish said:
Hey mate,

honestly? I made a 1-piece prototype design for the top 2 F-Switches (you can't do all 3, as they're on different tiers) and I hated the look of it. It looked clunky, as there's a large dead space between the two. The other issue then is that, even with a uni-surround for those two, the bottom one is still a single label, which could still move...

The next question then (I've been through this entire thought process, as you can probably tell!) is to make a single uni-surround that covers the ENTIRE row, including the F-Switch. The problem with that is that I'm then forcing people to buy F-Switch labels (not everyone wants them) and you would STILL have a single label for the top F-Switch, which is not part of a row of switches.

So.... I made the new version of the F-Switch Surrounds slightly wider so they can't move as much, as they are closer to the Uni-Surround. My advice though, once you have your F-switches set up as you want, is to put a tiny piece of double sided tape on the back of the surround to stop any movement whatsoever. I've been doing it for ages, and it works perfectly.

Sukh
Click to expand...

Cool, thanks for the update. Looking forward to seeing the new design in action.
 
Good work. I hate that I just bought the old one, I would have waited had I known. If cost allows, I will update to the new ones and re-use the labels I have. How about a discount for those of us that just bought the old ones!?! :)
 
Tj Davis said:
Good work. I hate that I just bought the old one, I would have waited had I known. If cost allows, I will update to the new ones and re-use the labels I have. How about a discount for those of us that just bought the old ones!?! :)
Click to expand...


Hey mate - something new is *always* in the works. The great labels u had yesterday are still great labels today. I had been mentioning on Facebook and on and off here that something new was in the works, but the reality is that business has to move on - today's new is always going to become tomorrow's old - and if I tell people I'm always working on *something* then nobody would ever buy *anything*! I hope you understand.

The good news is that your text labels and tiles will still work with the new surrounds if you wanted to get them - no need to start from scratch.

Thanks so much for being a customer - I really do appreciate it :)

Sukh
 
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