Q10 Firmware for the AX8?

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Just curious if anyone here buys a product that doesn't need or receive updates anymore. It seems by reading a lot of comments here, as well as other threads in the forum, if a product can't be updated regularly it simply isn't worth buying or owning anymore.
 
Just curious if anyone here buys a product that doesn't need or receive updates anymore. It seems by reading a lot of comments here, as well as other threads in the forum, if a product can't be updated regularly it simply isn't worth buying or owning anymore.

I know it's stupid but I wouldn't buy it if there aren't any updates anymore. Not because I need the updates but because I don't want to spend money on something that has a diminishing community to exchange patches and information with.
 
I know it's stupid but I wouldn't buy it if there aren't any updates anymore. Not because I need the updates but because I don't want to spend money on something that has a diminishing community to exchange patches and information with.
To each their own I suppose. With that criteria for purchasing a piece of gear though, there's really not a whole lot out there. Relying on other users to provide fulfillment or enjoyment of a product though is just a bit peculiar.

The AX8 is not too complex or the learning curve is too steep that anyone can't figure out. If someone can tweak and setup 'real' amps and effects, they can create their own presets easily with the AX8. To be perfectly frank, those who look for others to tell them how to do something or give them presets that sound like so and so are just lazy. Not trying to sound like a tool but when someone purchases a piece of gear it's their responsibility to learn to use it. Everything that's necessary for the operation of the AX8 can be found in the manual or on Axe Wiki.

Not saying users won't get stuck or not understand something in the manual. And I'm not saying that people can't use other's presets, none of the ones I've tried though have worked without tweaking anyway so I don't bother with them anymore. It's not like Fractal is going anywhere soon and the forum is going strong. In the Ultra/Standard forum you have to go almost to the end of page 2 to find a thread that wasn't created this year and the Ultra has been out of production since 2011. To be specific with the AX8, the Axe Change has over 650 presets for it, not to mention the Preset Exchange within the forum.

There has been and I would imagine always will be some form of support for any of the Fractal products by their users. Heck, even the Line 6 POD and Eleven Rack forums are still active so I don't believe there should be any concern finding a place for AX8 users to hang out once it becomes obsolete.
 
When you buy Fractal, you also buy into their (well-deserved) reputation for fantastic customer support and continued improvements of your product. I have had my AX8 since FW1 (I think FW2 was released the day after I got it). The AX8 has seen many improvements since the early firmwares. The non-modelling updates have been the most important to me.

Seen from that perspective, I am actually a little disappointed (only a little). There have been quite few AX8 specific updates. Most of the currently 8 major firmware updates, we have had, have been ported modelling code from AFII (and then there was FW3.5, which was a major AX8 specific update).

Unfortunately, it seems like all AX8 (mkI) specific development has stopped. This is a shame, since the wishlist is full of very good suggestions that would make the AX8 an even better tool in live situations - I am not a firmware specialist (although I am an electronics engineer), but it seems to me that many of the suggested improvements should be possible to implement. From the top of my head, I am thinking of a "Page" feature for the footswitches, the ability to change the 3-letter acronyms for footswitches on the screen, the ability to split the FX loop into four independent ins/outs (might not be possible), Cliff also mentioned a single global block might be possible at some point, and that they would look into it.

I love my AX8, it has performed fantastically for me, but I hope FAS will either start working on AX8 specific functionality updates or release a MkII very soon. Actually, I hope most for the MkII, because there are a few hardware limitations on the AX8 that limit the possibilities for user interface improvements. (mainly monochrome screen and push button layout - I would also love spdif input for re-amping).
 
Mate I'm telling ya. When you buy Fractal, the internet could explode tomorrow and you'll never need another multi effect ever. The whole update thing is down to FAS attention to detail, but truth is. The unit is ready and set forever. Forget the bugs which are microscopic, updated amps, effects. ONLY update which smacked me in the face, was the Flanger. Aside dude don't stress. Half people on here have barely tweaked and want the amp to sound like they want. If you've tweaked for six years like me and not satisfied, then join the gang. I'm the same. Love it 99 but want 100, when it's just a tweak away. I just don't get some of the requests on here. I hink people forget it's a piece of kit for making music, which it does plenty.

I want update to split it into a microwave and through my tv set, with the parametric tube to be a Hendrix Marshall Super...but want it with more DJ Gent and to sound great through my phone!!!! Good grief. We play music, guitar. For that, forget updates practice and play
 
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I was actually surprised that in the nearly year since I last had a Fractal product that there were only a few updates and really no new features or models. But given the release of Axe FX III it makes total sense. The product needed to be developed, the new modeling engine created, models needed to be ported or recreated, testing, etc.

So the question "will Q10 come to the AX8" is important. Q10 from what I can tell incorporates Ares modeling and could potentially delineate the old vs new product development. I wouldn't expect Fractal to continue developing an old product but if they can port aspects of the new product (i.e. new models) to the old devices, that would be great. Otherwise, we'd have to wait for the new AX8 with updated processors and capabilities to run the new Ares modeling and what not.

The reason I think it's coming up is there's been a shift for Fractal users who have been used to a steady stream of updates. It seems about once a month or so there were updates released, new models, new effects, modeling tweaks, etc. Users grew to expect that. Now there's very few updates so the expectations have to change. And people are antsy in the interim.
 
So the question "will Q10 come to the AX8" is important. Q10 from what I can tell incorporates Ares modeling and could potentially delineate the old vs new product development. I wouldn't expect Fractal to continue developing an old product but if they can port aspects of the new product (i.e. new models) to the old devices, that would be great.
Fractal says the AX8 is still a current product. So it should get update priority over the legacy Axe II. However, Fractals tight lips on AX8 updates makes me think it will also be put down soon.
 
So the question "will Q10 come to the AX8" is important. Q10 from what I can tell incorporates Ares modeling and could potentially delineate the old vs new product development. I wouldn't expect Fractal to continue developing an old product but if they can port aspects of the new product (i.e. new models) to the old devices, that would be great. Otherwise, we'd have to wait for the new AX8 with updated processors and capabilities to run the new Ares modeling and what not.

The Q10 update includes "some" Ares modelling that could be ported to the Axe Fx 2 with it's relatively weaker CPU, not the full Ares that's in the Axe Fx 3. The Ax8 uses the same CPU type as the Axe Fx 2 (but weaker still, hence no 2 amp blocks and similar). The Ax8 has always had the same base firmware as the Axe Fx 2. Porting Q10 to Ax8 when it's already in the Axe Fx 2 would not "delineate the old vs new product development". It's just how updates to the Ax8 has always happened.


I don't think anyone outside of FAS knows how many production runs they usually order in a year. This may well be the last batch to ever be ordered, which will see them through the next few months. I still think (and hope) that we'll see an announcement of an Ax8 replacement this year. I think @Smittefar is right on the money. Look at all the seemingly simple things that could be added to the Ax8 but hasn't. With all the firmware updates for the Ax8, there's only really been one that's addressed specific Ax8 improvements. The rest has just been porting the latest Axe Fx 2 firmware fixes to the Ax8.
 
It's going to be a few weeks. I've got a few other things that take priority right now but then I'll get onto this.

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