Q's for folks who've come from an AX8 to the III

ak301

Power User
After three very happy years with my AX8 I've taken the plunge with the III

I've a couple of queries, is Cooper Carter's course still worth getting if I'm familiar with the Fractal way of doing things?

I know I can convert my AX8 presets over to the three, but did anyone find any big changes in the way they do things. Such as any changes in their work flow, how they set up presets and scenes, etc.

Ive already got an FC6, so though I'd intend on gigging with the III down the line I'll spend time with it at home before worrying about the fancier things the FC6 can do

I want to get one of the Gator 3u rack bags, I don't tour or do vast amounts of gigs, so even though I want something that gonna give it some protection so don't need anything too solid. Portability is very important to me

It's a second hand unit, so I'll do a full reset and make sure the latest firmware is installed, but is there anything else I should be doing/considering

I know there'll be many hours spend with this thing considering how much my AX8 gets used
 
After three very happy years with my AX8 I've taken the plunge with the III

I've a couple of queries, is Cooper Carter's course still worth getting if I'm familiar with the Fractal way of doing things?

I thought it was useful but not essential. He did a great job of collecting and demonstrating all kinds of things that you can find if you search. Just a matter if you want to take the time to do so or not. I think also if you were going to try to incorporate to a larger physical rig or do more complex things it would be more useful than if you're just dialing in patches to play through.

I know I can convert my AX8 presets over to the three, but did anyone find any big changes in the way they do things. Such as any changes in their work flow, how they set up presets and scenes, etc.

Yeah there are a few big things. One is the 4-channel paradigm which makes for more flexibility in a patch. Another is global blocks which aren't available in AX8 and are incredibly useful. And another is the new cab block which you can use as a mixer which makes life a lot easier.
 
I thought it was useful but not essential. He did a great job of collecting and demonstrating all kinds of things that you can find if you search. Just a matter if you want to take the time to do so or not. I think also if you were going to try to incorporate to a larger physical rig or do more complex things it would be more useful than if you're just dialing in patches to play through.



Yeah there are a few big things. One is the 4-channel paradigm which makes for more flexibility in a patch. Another is global blocks which aren't available in AX8 and are incredibly useful. And another is the new cab block which you can use as a mixer which makes life a lot easier.

Thanks
 
I came from the Axe Fx II, but even so there are still changes.

As mentioned already you have channels vs X/Y (basically just an extension of the concept) and the Cab block has 4 IR slots to mix IRs. Note that the IR mix is "relative" volume...

In addition:
  • Multiple Input/Output blocks the can be placed on the grid where you want
  • The controllers also have channels (don't see this used much)
  • Meter view - helpful to track down level issues
  • Modifiers have an option to affect ONE channel or ALL channels
  • Amp block has a number of built-in Boost types
  • Amp block has several built-in compression types including the new Gain Enhancer mode
  • Drive blocks allow defining the number and type of diodes used (for diode based models)
  • Reverb added "cloud" types
  • Multiplexer block
  • IR Player block
  • The ability to sort and/or filter the IRs and Presets on the unit when selecting them

It's been a while since I switched and some things start to blur together... Those are things that came to me off the top of my head.

I would suggest downloading and reading (not skimming, but actually reading) the entire manual for both the Axe Fx III and the FCs.

I didn't buy Cooper's class since I'd been quite familiar with the II (I did get that class!) and had been using the III for quite a while before the class was put out... But it would probably be worth it for you.
 
I spent a lot of time in the manual and researching to make sure the III was really what I wanted. Before it arrived I had the whole preset planned out so when it arrived I didn’t even touch the factory presets I just used the quick drag and drop function on the new Axe FX iii edit and had a preset up and running in about an hour.
The only thing that was more confusing than the Ax8 was the foot switch setup.
 
I came from the Axe Fx II, but even so there are still changes.

As mentioned already you have channels vs X/Y (basically just an extension of the concept) and the Cab block has 4 IR slots to mix IRs. Note that the IR mix is "relative" volume...

In addition:
  • Multiple Input/Output blocks the can be placed on the grid where you want
  • The controllers also have channels (don't see this used much)
  • Meter view - helpful to track down level issues
  • Modifiers have an option to affect ONE channel or ALL channels
  • Amp block has a number of built-in Boost types
  • Amp block has several built-in compression types including the new Gain Enhancer mode
  • Drive blocks allow defining the number and type of diodes used (for diode based models)
  • Reverb added "cloud" types
  • Multiplexer block
  • IR Player block
  • The ability to sort and/or filter the IRs and Presets on the unit when selecting them

It's been a while since I switched and some things start to blur together... Those are things that came to me off the top of my head.

I would suggest downloading and reading (not skimming, but actually reading) the entire manual for both the Axe Fx III and the FCs.

I didn't buy Cooper's class since I'd been quite familiar with the II (I did get that class!) and had been using the III for quite a while before the class was put out... But it would probably be worth it for you.

Oh, this thing sounds even better

I've already got the manual downloaded on my phone and tablet, and am working my way through it.

Will be painful at first, but strongly suggest you not just convert presets from AX8, but make new ones.

I've been thinking about a fresh start, but there're are a few favourites I want to use as starting points, but equally I'm really fond of them - but, time will tell

Thanks for the replies guys
 
Will be painful at first, but strongly suggest you not just convert presets from AX8, but make new ones.
I'll second this. Copy your old presets across with fractool and use them for reference, but spend the time to create new presets for live use.
It's a great way to get used to the unit, maybe take the time to revisit some amps and other effects too. Maybe even change your preset approach with so much extra power. (I did)
 
Will be painful at first, but strongly suggest you not just convert presets from AX8, but make new ones.
Can you explain your thought process here for us making the change?
I have a bunch of presets using largely the same two amps, but with several different IRs and a wealth of different drives and multiple delays. Seems like a real challenge to start from scratch when I have those as a starting point, but I’m willing to hear you out.
 
I came the same route, intended to port presets - didn't keep a single one.

The modelling is so much improved to my ears that I just started again, as you say the knowledge is in the bank. I got a lot from Coopers course, just different little ways of thinking and enjoyed his style a lot.

But the difference in power and as I said improvements in the modelling really meant that I really enjoyed the process of starting again.

Of course there's nothing to stop you recreating presets and I did that at first - year later, all gone
 
Yeah there are a few big things. One is the 4-channel paradigm which makes for more flexibility in a patch. Another is global blocks which aren't available in AX8 and are incredibly useful. And another is the new cab block which you can use as a mixer which makes life a lot easier.

These were the big differences for my transition from the AX8 too, other than everything just generally sounding better.

Channels along with being able to have 2 amp blocks really moved me in the direction of having fewer uniqe presets as I can have an entirely different amp or amp with different settings for each of the 8 scenes.

Other people have described the Axe FX III as a bottomless pit of DSP - I've genuinely never had to figure out how to work around DSP limits on any preset I've made on the III. It's incredibly liberating to be able to be able to slap down what your imagination desires in the grid without pesky processors limits getting in the way.

One last thing - the huge factory IR library on the device plus being able to mix 4 IRs leads to a different way of thinking about the IR block. Instead of finding a mixed IR that works for you you can choose a couple single mic IRs for the sane cab and mix them like you would with real physical cabs. Its a really useful and educational way to do it.
 
Can you explain your thought process here for us making the change?
I have a bunch of presets using largely the same two amps, but with several different IRs and a wealth of different drives and multiple delays. Seems like a real challenge to start from scratch when I have those as a starting point, but I’m willing to hear you out.

Think people have answered it above and below your post already better than I can. Certainly nothing wrong if you want to use your old ones as a starting point.
 
I came from the AX8 to a III. The III sounds, and importantly feels, much much better to me.

Cooper’s course is fantastic. Recommend it even for experienced tweakers.

I wouldn’t bother trying to port over presets - start again. It is a whole other thing. Very quick to get killer tones on the III.
 
I also went from the AX8 to the III.

First off, I found Cooper's class to be VERY helpful. There are differences in these systems, and there are a lot of things you can do that are not so obvious. Cooper's class was very useful in changing my workflow and thought process to be more in the III way of doing things. For me personally, I found it very worth the money (PS. there are a few videos on YouTube that discuss the FW updates... these are treasure-troves of what this new system can do too)

I made the transtion to the III because I was making a lot of compromises in my presets on the AX8 due to the CPU limitations. So, when I switched to the III, I did start over for my core-tones. But some of my AX8 presets had some pretty involved effects. I converted these over to the III, but still had to tweak them on the III to get them right (I tossed out the amp and cab blocks and replaced them with ones tuned on the III).
 
Thoughts on porting presets,

My two cents would be to flip through your presets and see if you can try to combine them into fewer presets. You have two amp blocks with 4 channels each, so there’s the chance to get a LOT of amps in one. If you can find cab settings that work well for multiple amps that is huge as well.

Another thing is to use the global blocks...if you use say the same delay across multiple presets, save it to a global block. This makes it a lot quicker to build new patches AND if you make a tweak in one it tweaks across the others.

Last thought on presets, once you set one up that you like, save it as a template and then you can create new ones with that template. If you dial in your global blocks and save to a template, you’ll be able to set up a new rig in just a couple minutes.
 
Thoughts on porting presets,

My two cents would be to flip through your presets and see if you can try to combine them into fewer presets. You have two amp blocks with 4 channels each, so there’s the chance to get a LOT of amps in one. If you can find cab settings that work well for multiple amps that is huge as well.

Another thing is to use the global blocks...if you use say the same delay across multiple presets, save it to a global block. This makes it a lot quicker to build new patches AND if you make a tweak in one it tweaks across the others.

Last thought on presets, once you set one up that you like, save it as a template and then you can create new ones with that template. If you dial in your global blocks and save to a template, you’ll be able to set up a new rig in just a couple minutes.

I think there's a good chance it'll be new presets across the board when I get the III, just thinking there're a few that I'm really fond of in the AX8, but they're pretty straightforward and no doubt just starting a fresh in the III will give me an even better set of presets.

Just had the shipping email come through, might need to clear the diary ony other commitments distractions
 
I made the transtion to the III because I was making a lot of compromises in my presets on the AX8 due to the CPU limitations. So, when I switched to the III, I did start over for my core-tones. But some of my AX8 presets had some pretty involved effects. I converted these over to the III, but still had to tweak them on the III to get them right (I tossed out the amp and cab blocks and replaced them with ones tuned on the III).
This makes sense to me. I can totally understand starting from scratch with the amps, as the III is a different, and better, animal. But I was hoping to keep all of my complicated multiple delay blocks and varying drive blocks and fine tune them, rather than starting all over again.
 
This makes sense to me. I can totally understand starting from scratch with the amps, as the III is a different, and better, animal. But I was hoping to keep all of my complicated multiple delay blocks and varying drive blocks and fine tune them, rather than starting all over again.
I am in the same boat. I have a TON of saved FX blocks for my AX8. I still need to convert all of them (these are my go-tos for building new presets). So far, I have only converted the ones I needed. But I really need to spend a day (or a week) converting them all over because this is how I build presets. These are my ingredients.
 
This makes sense to me. I can totally understand starting from scratch with the amps, as the III is a different, and better, animal. But I was hoping to keep all of my complicated multiple delay blocks and varying drive blocks and fine tune them, rather than starting all over again.
You can easily use FracTool to convert them and maintain the "structure" of your presets.

Almost certainly you will need to adjust the Amp and Drive blocks at a minimum.
 
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