Dr. Dipwad
Experienced
I think there's a market for a small FAS product focusing only on the 2 Amp Blocks of the Axe III, plus 2 Cab Blocks.
It could be 1 rack space, possibly with removable ears and a tiltable front face so you can mount it on your pedalboard;
or,
It could be a pure-electronics package small enough to fit into 1 rack space, but less than that in width, with a detachable set of footswitches;
or,
It could be a stompbox sized in such a way that it isn't awkward to rack, and the controls can still be used from rack-front. (Probably that last is the most-popular option, if I'm honest about it, even though I myself prefer to keep everything in the rack.)
There would be a small screen (as large as would fit in 1 rack space) plus several knobs and a power switch on the front, plus a couple of buttons for navigation.
The knobs would be soft-knobs (rotary encoders) to allow quick access to the usual Amp Block settings (Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Gain, Volume, etc.), but, using the buttons, one could select a different page on the screen, and those knobs would instead modify different Amp settings, or Cab settings, as desired.
On the back there would be MIDI ports, an Expression Pedal jack, a Footswitch jack, 2 inputs, 2 pre-Cab-Block outputs, and 2 post-Cab-Block outputs.
The simplified "grid" in this unit would allow some basic routing and mixing options, plus the usual full-featured Continuous Controller/Expression/Modifier capabilities of the Axe FX III. The routing and mixing would allow you to run the signal chains as entirely independent, or to blend them, as desired.
Usage Example #1:
You plug your pedalboard into only 1 of the input jacks; you send a pre-Cab output to your on-stage power amp and cabinet, and you send a post-Cab output to the house mix. You use the expression pedal to "morph" from one Amp/Cab signal chain to the other.
Usage Example #2:
The guitarist uses one of the parallel signal paths; the bassist uses the other. Or, you use the two paths for two different guitarists.
Usage Example #3:
By plugging this unit into the FX Loop send and returns of your Axe FX III, you suddenly have a rig with 4 Amps and Cabs able to run simultaneously.
Usage Example #4:
By plugging this unit into the FX Loop send and returns of your FM3, you suddenly have a rig with 3 Amps and Cabs able to run simultaneously.
...and obviously there might be more use-cases I haven't thought of.
It could be 1 rack space, possibly with removable ears and a tiltable front face so you can mount it on your pedalboard;
or,
It could be a pure-electronics package small enough to fit into 1 rack space, but less than that in width, with a detachable set of footswitches;
or,
It could be a stompbox sized in such a way that it isn't awkward to rack, and the controls can still be used from rack-front. (Probably that last is the most-popular option, if I'm honest about it, even though I myself prefer to keep everything in the rack.)
There would be a small screen (as large as would fit in 1 rack space) plus several knobs and a power switch on the front, plus a couple of buttons for navigation.
The knobs would be soft-knobs (rotary encoders) to allow quick access to the usual Amp Block settings (Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Gain, Volume, etc.), but, using the buttons, one could select a different page on the screen, and those knobs would instead modify different Amp settings, or Cab settings, as desired.
On the back there would be MIDI ports, an Expression Pedal jack, a Footswitch jack, 2 inputs, 2 pre-Cab-Block outputs, and 2 post-Cab-Block outputs.
The simplified "grid" in this unit would allow some basic routing and mixing options, plus the usual full-featured Continuous Controller/Expression/Modifier capabilities of the Axe FX III. The routing and mixing would allow you to run the signal chains as entirely independent, or to blend them, as desired.
Usage Example #1:
You plug your pedalboard into only 1 of the input jacks; you send a pre-Cab output to your on-stage power amp and cabinet, and you send a post-Cab output to the house mix. You use the expression pedal to "morph" from one Amp/Cab signal chain to the other.
Usage Example #2:
The guitarist uses one of the parallel signal paths; the bassist uses the other. Or, you use the two paths for two different guitarists.
Usage Example #3:
By plugging this unit into the FX Loop send and returns of your Axe FX III, you suddenly have a rig with 4 Amps and Cabs able to run simultaneously.
Usage Example #4:
By plugging this unit into the FX Loop send and returns of your FM3, you suddenly have a rig with 3 Amps and Cabs able to run simultaneously.
...and obviously there might be more use-cases I haven't thought of.
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