I might be getting off the Axe-Fx train

laxu

laxu

Fractal Fanatic
I was eagerly waiting for the Axe-Fx 3 to see if it would improve on the one thing I've mentioned several times as my only issue with the Axe-Fx 2: the front panel. Reading thru the promo page for the Axe 2 I can tell that it's not what I had hoped.

While putting the 5 knobs underneath the display makes it a lot easier to operate, I'm not sold on the rest. The navigation and page layout is just as cumbersome as it was on the Axe-Fx 2, the placement of the buttons around the value wheel (which IMO should not even exist on the unit) is also not ideal as at least on the Axe I tend to bump my hands into the wheel when trying to reach the Enter and Exit buttons.

In terms of on-screen UI to me this seems to be just Axe-Fx 2 UI in color with more stuff fitting on a single screen. Not that there is anything particularly wrong with this, but it could certainly be improved with small changes like showing the exact value above each knob.

For the rest of the features...it's just too much for me. I'm not a power user. All my patches have a pretty simple grid layout and the most complex thing I have is a few dual amp patches. I don't need this many inputs, outputs, grid blocks, simultaneous channels, user IRs etc. I'm sure others will find them to be exactly what they want.

Sound- and feelwise I am already perfectly happy with the Axe-Fx 2 and I expect initially the 3 won't sound much different but a few years later Cliff has again come up with something that makes everything even more realistic.

I might give this another try if an "AX9" comes to market that is a pared down, simplified version of all this. At the moment I will either stick with my Axe-Fx 2 or sell it while I can still get good returns for it and look for something else.
 
You can’t have a box that simulates 29 stomp boxes, provides a quality audio interface, mimics 200 amps and 150 cabs and be globally simple to everyone. It actually is as simple as it gets. Critically deep complex editing is not totally necessary as it is also plug and play. You make it as complex as you want it.
 
I am a little like you, and I may understand your point of view.

Like you I am not a power user, and the learning curve is becoming steeper with the time.

I had a pod HD500, and I was really happy with it.
I made the choice of AXE FX II (Mark II) , and I have been disapointed at all. It is a great improvment and it was a great decision to purchase the Axe FX II.
I love it for my needs as bedroom player.
I didn't purchase an MFC 101 because, once again, it was too big and complicated for my needs.

Now comes the Axe III, and I have the feeling that it is more dedicated to professional touring players who made the switch to Fractal (U2, Metallica, all the others) as people like me.
I really don't needs thousands of IRs, presets, channels and so on.
And I do all on Axe Edit, so the GUI is not really relevant for me, even if probably very useful. (I long thought about purchasing a RAC 12, but once again I thought I really don't need it as bedroom player).
It is just a point of view. I will make the switch now, of course I will purchase the Axe III.
 
mwd said:
You can’t have a box that simulates 29 stomp boxes, provides a quality audio interface, mimics 200 amps and 150 cabs and be globally simple to everyone. It actually is as simple as it gets. Critically deep complex editing is not totally necessary as it is also plug and play. You make it as complex as you want it.
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I feel like Line6 has done a much, much better job at this overall. Their UI makes a lot more sense to me even if it has some of its own quirks. Hopefully the Axe-Fx 3 has some things that are not immediately apparent that make it easier to use than the 2.

Nothing gets around that the front panel controls excluding the knobs are poorly laid out. There are literally tons of implementations that would work better, from joysticks ala Line6 to game controller style D-pads for navigation but Fractal decided to go with the bare minimum if you ask me. Before you say that the controls I mentioned are not reliable, just consider the fact that your average Playstation 4 controller gets probably hundreds more button presses daily than an Axe-Fx 2.
 
iaresee said:
@laxu so are we placing bets on when you'll post your "OMG! MY III ARRIVED AND IT'S AMAZING!" post? :D
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We will see. I said I would not be getting the Axe 2 back when I had the Axe-Fx Standard but then found a good deal on a used one maybe a year after 2's release... ;)
 
laxu said:
...the placement of the buttons around the value wheel (which IMO should not even exist on the unit) ...
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Don’t be so quick to dismiss the Value knob. When you’re dialing in a tone, and you’re concentrating on a single parameter, that big ol’ knob is a godsend. It’s precise, easy to grab, and by far the easiest thing to find on the front panel. If you go to tweak a different parameter with a different control, the Value wheel follows along. Too handy.
 
Me too... With the same sample rate and bit depth I don't need four drives, four delays,512 presets, a billion of cabs,BLA,BLA,BLA.... And the colour screen...For me the axe3 is the promise for the never ending story firmware updates that are incredible until the next one appears..
 
LucasLeCompte said:
I much rather make my patches on a computer so that way I can see everything and have full control over everything. The new front panel looks great and seems to give more functionally than the older units.
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I find that the "mouse -> adjust virtual knob -> guitar -> mouse -> adjust virtual knob" is a bit annoying when you are adjusting a lot of things. That's why I prefer having good front panel control so I can just reach slightly to my side or sit in front of the Axe and adjust there. I hope that better integration with MIDI knob controllers is on the cards for the Axe-Fx 3 as that would solve a lot of issues with operation.
 
I reckon the only time I ever used the front user interface was when there were a few deep values that I had to access that I couldn't do via Axe-Edit. Other then that, if they allow for full user software control of also the deep values they might as well have made this unit a 1U unit with only an on/off button on the front, for my needs that is.
 
laxu said:
Before you say that the controls I mentioned are not reliable, just consider the fact that your average Playstation 4 controller gets probably hundreds more button presses daily than an Axe-Fx 2.
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I go through PS controllers every 4-5 months, and I don't even play it that much. My bass player hands do a lot of damage to them when the adrenaline is pumping.

I imagine the issues would pop up trying to emergency edit at a gig. In this case I like exactly what they did just for the reliability for those like me.
 
laxu said:
Nothing gets around that the front panel controls excluding the knobs are poorly laid out. There are literally tons of implementations that would work better, from joysticks ala Line6 to game controller style D-pads for navigation but Fractal decided to go with the bare minimum if you ask me. Before you say that the controls I mentioned are not reliable, just consider the fact that your average Playstation 4 controller gets probably hundreds more button presses daily than an Axe-Fx 2.
Click to expand...
I don't prefer the Line 6 rotate/d-pad/click knob. You always have to keep in mind to stop it from rotating when you use it for d-pad or click. Different strokes for different folks, I wouldn't assume one is inherently better than the other.
 
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