Wish Consolidate channels / switches to make amp list more usable

moerker said:
And then maybe the Hook is scattered all over again :)
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We are talking about tags... and UI that filter the models by tags, ie search [Hook] and ([3 stage preamp] or [2 stage preamp]). [Marsha] and ([vintage] or [no master volume]). Multiple selection (and/or/not) could narrow or expand result. Think about [cold-stage preamp]. You can search for them (soldano, mesa, peavey...] or search not[cold-stage preamp].
The UI should have a way to store, share an name our search.
 
Rex said:
That would help some people and confuse others. Categorization is personal.
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You could save "Rex clean amps" with your selected tag... someone will complain it's sterile, other too gainy. I could think of objective tag (brand, model, preamp stage 2/3/4/5..., watt, no master volume, no CF, no feedback) and less objetcive (vintage, clean, hi gain, blues, metal, snappy, smooth...). With a warning: settings is more important then choosing a model!
 
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What I would really like to see is that at least all the Marshalls and Fenders are together in the list order instead of being all over. For example, all the Marshalls could start w/ "Brit" instead of some Brit, some Plexi, some JM or JS, and some start w/ the model #. All Fenders could start with "Cal" or "F" or something. This would make it a lot easier to quickly select different models to compare instead of having to scroll (especially on the hardware).

If the models were grouped into submenus, the way that would make sense to me would be to group them by the channels available on the actual physical amp. So for example, all the channels of the Hook go into a submenu under Hook; the normal/bright/jump channels of a plexi go under Plexi 100, the 3 Triptik models go together, the Normal and Vibrato channels of the Deluxe (or Twin), etc. This should make sense to anyone coming to the AFX.

Anything that involves individual intepretation - what's clean, what's low gain, what's high gain, etc - could be handled by each person with their own custom tags. Ideal would be to have multiple tags so you could put an amp into more than one category if you wanted.
 
jefferski said:
What I would really like to see is that at least all the Marshalls and Fenders are together in the list order instead of being all over. For example, all the Marshalls could start w/ "Brit" instead of some Brit, some Plexi, some JM or JS, and some start w/ the model #. All Fenders could start with "Cal" or "F" or something. This would make it a lot easier to quickly select different models to compare instead of having to scroll (especially on the hardware).

If the models were grouped into submenus, the way that would make sense to me would be to group them by the channels available on the actual physical amp. So for example, all the channels of the Hook go into a submenu under Hook; the normal/bright/jump channels of a plexi go under Plexi 100, the 3 Triptik models go together, the Normal and Vibrato channels of the Deluxe (or Twin), etc. This should make sense to anyone coming to the AFX.

Anything that involves individual intepretation - what's clean, what's low gain, what's high gain, etc - could be handled by each person with their own custom tags. Ideal would be to have multiple tags so you could put an amp into more than one category if you wanted.
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Yes, multiple tags is the way to go. User-assignable tags is a good idea, too.
 
The least complex version of this to implement would just to make the amp list navigate a little more like folders. You pick the amp then the channel/mode instead of them all being in a flat list. Though now you've got to do a lot of in and out navigation to change between models, so it's easy to see why there's some pros and cons to both.
 
I think of the available amp models in the Axe-Fx the same way I think of the available ingredients in a kitchen. You have your insoluble powders, such as flour and corn starch; your soluble granules, such as sugar and salt; your green leafy herbs, such as oregano and sage... all of these different categories that do nothing to help you use the ingredients.

Either the recipe calls for a specific ingredient (in which case category doesn’t matter), or you’re creating a recipe from scratch (in which case you better know what a specific ingredient tastes like and how it affects the dish, and category still doesn’t matter — you don’t say “I want a green leafy herb here;” you say “I want to use oregano here.”). Either that, or you’re experimenting to learn what an ingredient does, and category still doesn’t matter.

Amp categories can seem like a good idea when you’re new to the gear and you feel overwhelmed by the choices available. But as you gain familiarity with the gear and the ingredients in the kitchen, you start to realize that the effort you put into creating categories just doesn’t pay off.
 
Rex said:
Either the recipe calls for a specific ingredient (in which case category doesn’t matter), or you’re creating a recipe from scratch (in which case you better know what a specific ingredient tastes like and how it affects the dish, and category still doesn’t matter — you don’t say “I want a green leafy herb here;” you say “I want to use oregano here.”).
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I get it. But you have to recall the herb with the name: is it called Horegan, or Reegain, or Ganeone?... and you have 277 nickname... and you're gettin old and don't remember all of them? Scrolling thru 20 ingredient is easy...
 
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Smilzo said:
I get it. But you have to recall the herb with the name: is it called Horegan, or Reegain, or Ganeone?... and you have 277 nickname... and you're gettin old and don't remember all of them? Scrolling thru 20 ingredient is easy...
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Yes, it’s not trivial to become familiar with all the amp models available. Fortunately, it’s not necessary, either. And pulling up a green, leafy herb from the ingredient list still leaves you with the task of learning what that particular herb can do.
 
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Rex said:
Yes, it’s not trivial to become familiar with all the amp models available. Fortunately, it’s not necessary, either. And pulling up a green, leafy herb from the ingredient list still leaves you with the task to f learning what that particular herb can do.
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And they have different flavors depending on whether you roast them, fry them, simmer in butter, bake them, marinate, etc. ;-)
 
A folder scheme might satisfy some but would irritate others who don't want to drill down or do extra clicks to get to the model they want.

Agree with @Joe Bfstplk & @Smilzo that a tagging scheme would be the most flexible in Axe-Edit, especially if the tag dictionary could be customized and shared among users, e.g., say Dale has tags by mfr and channel type (clean,crunch,lead) that I could drop in as my tags and customize further.

Then FAS/AlGrenadine, wouldn't have to manage any particular organization scheme but only provide a generic sorting/filtering tool.
 
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