I'm Just Going to Leave This Here

For shows where we're traveling by truck / van, I always want to use my full Fractal rig with stereo FRFR speakers, and my MFC101 "big board" setup. But we sometimes play one-off shows where I need something that can be carried onto the plane. having a briefcase-size unit with footswitches makes it much simpler for those events. I can just go direct to the board and put guitar in the monitors. I do this now by using a Line6 M9, which doesn't have any amp modeling, so I request a neutral-sounding backline amp (Twin or JC120).

I think the AX8 might really be a big step forward for this kind of application. I also acknowledge that it's another investment on top of the money I already put into my AxeFX rig. It'll depend on the price point, but I am interested enough to at least consider this as an upgrade for the "small" rig.
 
Sixstring said:
I know it's all speculation but lets not get nuts here! For the sake of sanity how does $1,899 or $1,999 fit into the words "Aggressively priced" ? I don't know about you but even a $1,349 price tag is a tad steep. A $999 price tag would cement this unit into the hands of thousands if not tens of thousands of guitar players not to mention it would most likely slay anything remotely close to it.

Not trying to take money out of FAS's bottom line here but if QC and production are kept high it's possible to make it up on the back end in volume. Seriously let's try to be a little more positive and friendly with the money side of the speculating ;).
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Well it appears that the FX-8 is $1349 and it has only FX, no amps, and only 1 processor. The AX-8 will have 2 processors and include both FX and amp models. I think that naturally the extra power and absolutely insanely killer amp modeling features would warrant a healthy bump in price compared to the FX-8. I certainly hope you are right that it would be cheaper than my speculatory ramblings, but I do expect it to be substantially higher then the FX-8 price.

One thing I hadn't noticed is how Fractal has offered better deals lately on pricing for the Axe-FX models. This could be a sign that these prices will be lower than I expected. I certainly hope so. Either way I expect this will be a great product that will immediately be seen as the best floor based modeler available.

Anyway, that's enough random price speculation from me. I don't want to take away from the general discussion about features etc. for this exciting new unit. Cheers!
 
sam said:
Well it appears that the FX-8 is $1349 and it has only FX, no amps, and only 1 processor. The AX-8 will have 2 processors and include both FX and amp models. I think that naturally the extra power and absolutely insanely killer amp modeling features would warrant a healthy bump in price compared to the FX-8. I certainly hope you are right that it would be cheaper than my speculatory ramblings, but I do expect it to be substantially higher then the FX-8 price.

One thing I hadn't noticed is how Fractal has offered better deals lately on pricing for the Axe-FX models. This could be a sign that these prices will be lower than I expected. I certainly hope so. Either way I expect this will be a great product that will immediately be seen as the best floor based modeler available.

Anyway, that's enough random price speculation from me. I don't want to take away from the general discussion about features etc. for this exciting new unit. Cheers!
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AX8 has 2 less powerful processors, and it has stripped down effects section, so my guess it should not be more expensive than FX8.
 
I agree with an earlier post. It's a photoshop to keep the forums busy so Cliff can finish up FW18 in peace. :)
 
For a quick price reality check, this thing costs $500 bucks:

pod_hd500_rugged_red_led_lighting_enclosure-1024x512.jpeg


Nice sturdy-looking board, amp control knobs, even has a built in expression pedal that the AX8 lacks.

As far as I can gather, it has a single one of these DSPs: ADSP-21369 | datasheet and product info High-Performance 32-bit Floating-Point SHARC Processor for General Purpose Applications | Analog Devices.

Yes, you could say this is a poor comparison. We've come to expect higher quality from Fractal in every way, so L6 is apples to oranges. But still!

We still don't have enough real info about costs, but If the AX8 has DSP similar to the HD500x (two of them), and the AX8 is made in China to save costs (unlike the Axe-Fx), then you factor in economies of scale (if Cliff commits to ordering large numbers of units) then...

IMO. AX8 for $999 is quite possible. Also IMO, I think $999 is the magic number where everyone will go "WOW.. sold!".
 
I have a 2-location gig tomorrow. My full rig at location one, electric & acoustic, and then grab acoustic and DI into a provided system at location 2. Governor and mayor will be there.

AX8 would be perfect for that gig except it needs a built in expression/volume pedal and better protection for knobs and screen.

BTW, the chrome "protection" bar ain't gonna cut it. You need liquids and impact protection while you're gigging. Anything less and knobs and circuitry are guaranteed to get damaged.
 
Robboman said:
For a quick price reality check, this thing costs $500 bucks:

pod_hd500_rugged_red_led_lighting_enclosure-1024x512.jpeg


Nice sturdy-looking board, amp control knobs, even has a built in expression pedal that the AX8 lacks.

As far as I can gather, it has a single one of these DSPs: ADSP-21369 | datasheet and product info High-Performance 32-bit Floating-Point SHARC Processor for General Purpose Applications | Analog Devices.

Yes, you could say this is a poor comparison. We've come to expect higher quality from Fractal in every way, so L6 is apples to oranges. But still!

We still don't have enough real info about costs, but If the AX8 has DSP similar to the HD500x (two of them), and the AX8 is made in China to save costs (unlike the Axe-Fx), then you factor in economies of scale (if Cliff commits to ordering large numbers of units) then...

IMO. AX8 for $999 is quite possible. Also IMO, I think $999 is the magic number where everyone will go "WOW.. sold!".
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that thing can't touch the axe. Not even close. I plugged into it, and thought my headphones were busted.... The software interface is terrible compared to axe-edit. The onboard controls (excluding the amp control knobs) are unintuitive and needlessly complicated.
When i unboxed my XL, the front panel just made sense. It was usable without even reading the manual.
It's a useful poor man's MFC though.
 
solo-act said:
I have a 2-location gig tomorrow. My full rig at location one, electric & acoustic, and then grab acoustic and DI into a provided system at location 2. Governor and mayor will be there.

AX8 would be perfect for that gig except it needs a built in expression/volume pedal and better protection for knobs and screen.

BTW, the chrome "protection" bar ain't gonna cut it. You need liquids and impact protection while you're gigging. Anything less and knobs and circuitry are guaranteed to get damaged.
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Do any current floor boards have all of that?
 
Chris@AxeFxTutorials said:
Do any current floor boards have all of that?
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I haven't researched if any do (thanks to the axe-fx), but I've seen more than a few musicians replace their knobs/screen floor units because the knobs and circuitry get damaged long before a switch is damaged. The ones I've seen have been Digitech, Line6, Vox, Roland and Boss. The boss was surprisingly tough compared to others, but you can only dry out a rain-flooded unit so many times before it fails completely.

Manufacturers making floor units with unprotected knobs/circuitry aren't designing for liquids and impact. Maybe that's intentional, but from what I've seen the customer moves to another brand (hoping it's more rugged) and that can't be good for biz.
 
FractalAudio said:
It has more powerful DSPs than that. Two of them. That said, we can't touch Line6's economies of scale. The sell probably 100 times what we do.
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Perhaps. However, if there's one recurring theme I've observed over a couple of decades in playing/pro audio, it's that quality (good quality) usually doesn't come cheap. There have been a few exceptions in my experience but, generally, the old adage about getting what you pay for still applies. I've played thru the various Pods over the years - had even resigned myself to probably getting one before I learned of FAS. Having used both the Line 6's and now the Axe.......no comparison.
 
solo-act said:
I have a 2-location gig tomorrow. My full rig at location one, electric & acoustic, and then grab acoustic and DI into a provided system at location 2. Governor and mayor will be there.

AX8 would be perfect for that gig except it needs a built in expression/volume pedal and better protection for knobs and screen.

BTW, the chrome "protection" bar ain't gonna cut it. You need liquids and impact protection while you're gigging. Anything less and knobs and circuitry are guaranteed to get damaged.
Click to expand...
Governor and mayor gonna spill their beer all over it :D sorry, couldn't resist.
 
they'd sell like hotcakes if you add the following default presets in the first 5 banks of a demo unit (no editing, fixed presets)

Stairway to heaven
sweet child of mine
welcome to the jungle
master of puppets
back in black
 
IMO, there is no "comparable product" to the AX8. The closest thing would be the AxeFx II and the MFC together.

If you find Line6's products "comparable", then you should go buy one, since they're cheaper.

Since there is no comparable product, it doesn't make any sense to compare prices. It's like saying, "I can buy an orange for $0.50, therefore I should be able to buy a Ferrari for $0.50".
 
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