Front panel poll

Is the front panel fine how it is or could it use some improvement?

  • Fine How it is

    Votes: 94 37.2%

  • Needs improvement

    Votes: 77 30.4%

  • rats behind, don't use it enough to have an opinion either way

    Votes: 82 32.4%
  • Total voters
    253
  • Poll closed .
i think the poll options are a bit leading.

"needs improvement" is so general that even someone who thinks it's fine as it is could vote it needs improvement, because what couldn't use a little improvement?

just my opinion. probably leads to a skewed result.
 
Seriously, the few time I tried to do something with the front panel 🤦😅, just moving a block, changing a cab or whatever 🤦. I push “enter”? No . I push this ? No … with luck there is axe edit . I m sure when you know how to use it it’s ok, but there is something that make it complicated . With all the contain it’s not easy for sure, but just with a joystick and a “enter” when you click on the button and exit, normally it goes . But here many time it goes back, don’t do what I wanted to do …. I don’t spent a lot of time with it , I m 99% with axe edit . I use the page thing to select a very far preset sometimes but that’s all
 
I use Axe-Edit III most of the time and really haven't spent a lot of time 'learning' how to use the UI. I have used it on occasion, mainly the Performance Pages, without any real hurdles or frustration. With all of the discussion about it over the past month and the creation of this thread, I thought I'd try to do what I do in AE using the front panel on the Axe III.

I discovered that the UI is actually very easy to use and anyone with experience using Axe Edit will find there are more similarities than there are differences. There are things like arranging presets that AE makes much more simple and easier with the Preset Manager and choosing/auditioning different IRs is more time consuming without the Cab Manager, but everything is laid out quite well and is much more intuitive than I expected, especially after watching the video that started all of this.
 
I vote rats ass. The editor is so good it just doesnt matter to me. Even with the units current capabilities of hard wired only Id still have opted to save a few hundred and gotten a blank faceplate.
I also understand I’m a case study of one and many/most may not feel the same.
 
I use Axe-Edit almost exclusively since my Axe-FX never leaves the house.

When I need to use the front panel, it’s not bad because I RTFM. And the manual is well written. For example, yesterday I connected a switch box I built to my FC12 and had to set the switches to virtual toggle. Took about 3 minutes, including looking up the procedure.

If I had to do it without the manual, it would take a while…
 
My name is mud said:
Seriously, the few time I tried to do something with the front panel 🤦😅, just moving a block, changing a cab or whatever 🤦. I push “enter”? No . I push this ? No … with luck there is axe edit . I m sure when you know how to use it it’s ok, but there is something that make it complicated . With all the contain it’s not easy for sure, but just with a joystick and a “enter” when you click on the button and exit, normally it goes . But here many time it goes back, don’t do what I wanted to do …. I don’t spent a lot of time with it , I m 99% with axe edit . I use the page thing to select a very far preset sometimes but that’s all
Click to expand...

And therein lies your problem. You haven't spent much time with it so it seems foreign and weird. Jump behind the wheel of a BMW for the first time and it feels pretty weird too

Spend about 15 minutes on only learning the panel for like ONE day alone and I'm sure you'll be happy to use it and nothing else

If you only use axe edit it will obviously seem like it's hard to use. But spend some time with it and you'll be flying, just as with anything.
 
I'm not sure what the thread is about really.... the front panel.... or the micro interactions contained within...??

I think it's more or less easy to understand everything, once you know what you're looking at. I think navigating the layout could be easier, and require less paging. I think some macro commands to perform certain actions could help.
 
AndyTNBD said:
I'm not sure what the thread is about really.... the front panel.... or the micro interactions contained within...??

I think it's more or less easy to understand everything, once you know what you're looking at. I think navigating the layout could be easier, and require less paging. I think some macro commands to perform certain actions could help.
Click to expand...
It’s pretty clearly a thread about the front panel.

Unless you’re referring to my mommy not holding me enough as a baby. We can talk about that, too.
 
I had to use it once at a gig to make some non-trivial changes to my layout (forgot the multiple inputs/outputs for our live setup in a new patch). After stressing for about two seconds, I figured it out by (believe it or not) reading the cues given on screen. It was quite empowering! 🤣

I really don’t see how it could be done much differently. The available knobs and buttons on the unit aren’t going to change. I think it’s done in the most straightforward and logical way it could be.
 
Have only had my FXIII for about a month, but I would rather do my edits in Axe Edit because larger display, easier to read, touch screen options for most stuff, etc. In the short time that I have spent with the front panel, my one gripe was (and the reason I voted "needs improvement) when using the arrow keys, when it got to the end of the scenes list in a preset, it did not cycle back up to the top when I hit the down arrow. So if I want to go from 8 to 1, I have to click 7 times (on up arrow) rather than clicking once on down arrow to take me back to the top. Seems to me it would be fairly straight forward to modify this, but at the same time, considering they are constantly improving the models and algorithms, FOR FREE, tough to really complain. Other than that one gripe, I thought the front panel was reasonably well done for a piece of this complexity, but that is the one improvement I would point to for the front panel. I am building a pull out shelf for my rack that will have a tray for my laptop so they (laptop and FXIII) will roll together as a package. If I ever need to rely on front panel, I can work with it but will take me longer to accomplish the same goals (in large part because I will be squinting and craning to read what I need to) ;~))
 
I use the front panel about 95% of the time. I can get most jobs done with relative ease (except assinging perf page functions). That said, the overall software UI could use some love and optimization (e.g. optional wrapping in a range of places like scenes and the grid).

I'm delighted with the recent reverse edit and double-push quick access improvements (although it doesn't work in all views). Other ideas: Rapid access to preset list (say to the left of home instead of 3 page rights); Option in list view to immediately change presets while navigating; Option to show Home page when selecting preset from list view; Display preset metadata like the fw version of the loaded preset or a list view with that info.

Separately for the next platform, a friendlier hardware interface would also help (e.g. joystick with middle button, more soft knobs, easy nav as a priority).
 
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The Axe III is a pro audio piece of gear... unlike some others. Therefore I would tend to think the UI will be more ‘involved’ than a consumer piece of gear. I’m no ‘tech head’ but, it’s really not so hard to learn. The front panel is pretty self explanatory. And at a gig, why be editing? That for home and rehearsals. If needed... just RTFM.
 
Bruce Sokolovic said:
It’s pretty clearly a thread about the front panel.

Unless you’re referring to my mommy not holding me enough as a baby. We can talk about that, too.
Click to expand...

Okay, well I think the front panel is fine. Nice colours. Nice knobs. Rack layout. Is good.

You should think yourself lucky. My mummy held me too tightly as a baby.

Mummy11.jpg
 
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