Wish Rack version of the AX8

Spidouz

Spidouz

Member
Hi everyone,

I've been following the Fractal Axe evolutions for many years now. And lately, due to many changes in my life, I came to the wish to finally move to digital (as a keyboard guy, I've always been a huge believer in digital, I just didn't had the opportunity since guitar was (maybe still is) more a hobby for me and not my main instrument).

I fully understand there's a reason for having a Axe FX in a rack format, and an AX8 in a pedalboard format... So I was not sure if I'd need to post this "wish" here as a rack version of the AX8, or in the Axe forum as a Axe "Light" version.

What am I hoping for?
Simply a rack version of the AX8. Same display, same pots with the LEDs, same DSP power, and pretty much same I/O... but in a rack version (some kind of smaller/cheaper Axe FX rack if you want).

Why?
Of course, the price, obviously... but not only. I've been watching many videos, tutos, reviews, demos, etc... and from what I see, the AX8 has everything I need... I only wish it would be in a rack version, because I'm a rack kind of guy and don't want to have half a dozen pedalboard on the floor. Indeed, since I'm fully moving to digital, the Fractal won't be the only unit in my new rig. I will build some kind of dual 4-cable method amps rig for a stereo wet/dry setup with also other racks from other companies such Kemper Rack and Helix Rack (Please, I'm not here for the A vs B kind of discussion, I absolutely know what I'm doing and why I'm doing, and I'm not trying to convince anyone about my choices... to each his own),

So, having everything in a rack format would be great and would make things easier... and also because I'm doing more studio work, having everything in rack help for my back, and would avoid to lay a "floor unit" on the desk just to have easier access (I know there's the editor to easily tweak, but I still like the tactile experience to turn knobs). And worse case scenario, I could even run two AX8-Rack instead of one Axe FX2 XL+... and it would be some kind of redundancy.

I just see plenty of advantages to have it on a rack format, and unless for some magical reasons, tomorrow the Axe FX2 XL+ price drops to the AX8 price range, I think there's some room in the product line for a Rack version with the power of the AX8.

Sorry for the long post for an easy wish, but since it's my first comment, I wanted to explain more in detail to also provide some background behind the product wish.

Cheers!
 
barhrecords said:
(My wish is for the AX8 XL+... in other words, the power of the XL+ in an all-in-one floor unit.)
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I think I saw in another post out here that a floor version with that much power wouldn't be possible because of the cooling needed for the processors. At least not possible yet anyway.
 
unix-guy said:
Mount it in a rack drawer or sliding rack shelf?
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Has anyone tried this? How many spaces did you need? I'd like to have a small rack for my Power Station and be able to put my AX8 in there for transport. Maybe a shelf would work but it would be tougher to secure it. The point would be to take it out so switching to an AxeFx isn't really what I'd be looking for.
 
If you can afford an ax8, helix and kemper in one rig, then the price for an axe fx2 shouldn't be bothering you:dizzy:

I would like to see a rig like that. So much shiny leds glowing together.:p
 
If only Fractal made a rack unit with all the capabilities of the AX8 and stuffed it all in, say, a nice 2U enclosure... a little extra horsepower and I/O would just be icing on the cake if they could somehow manage it... No, that would be crazy... Oh well, we can always dream I suppose.

I would pay like $2000 for something like that.
 
zenaxe said:
If only Fractal made a rack unit with all the capabilities of the AX8 and stuffed it all in, say, a nice 2U enclosure... a little extra horsepower and I/O would just be icing on the cake if they could somehow manage it... No, that would be crazy... Oh well, we can always dream I suppose.

I would pay like $2000 for something like that.
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Actually, even with the same horsepower, it would already be find. Since I read that apparently Fractal is facing a problem with the Sharc DSP used for the Axe FX being discontinued, I wouldn't mind to have a rack that would have the same DSP chip from the AX8, or maybe have an additional chip for IR Cab and/or Reverb IR, etc... But for all fx, amps, etc... the AX8 horsepower would already be great. And by removing the footswitches and have a regular rack form factor, it could probably even be cheaper... or even the exact same price of the AX8, I wouldn't even care.

Because right now, the AX8 is a definitely no go because of its form factor (the same reason I haven't bought the Headrush yet... the day they will release a rack version they will get my order immediately), and the AXE FX XL+ is also a no go for me because I have no faith in the future since it definitely like a product that is going to get discontinued (because of the DSP issue) and also because I don't like the frontpanel ergonomic/UI...

I know everyone will say there's the best Editor on Earth, and I'd agree that the Fractal Editor looks great, but I don't want to spend my time using editors, or even carrying a computer all the time with me just to use an editor. That's the exact same reason I hate the way Kemper handle profiles with their whole Rig Manager. And that's also why I like the Headrush and Helix UI more right now. And still, I'd be kind of ok with the AX8 because there's already some improvement with the V-Pots.

Back in April I wanted to buy a new modeller system and I waited until Summer NAMM... but with nothing in that perspective, I finally abandon the Fractal hope and just bought an additional new valve Amp instead (Two-Rock Studio Pro 35 Plus). It's just too bad when it could actually be a very simple job to put the AX8 electronics in a rack enclosure and call it the day... and then Fractal would have received an order from me. I'm just sayin'

My 2¢
 
Spidouz said:
...the AXE FX XL+ is also a no go for me because I have no faith in the future since it definitely like a product that is going to get discontinued (because of the DSP issue)...
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If you're waiting for a product that won't be discontinued, you'll never buy another piece of gear again. All products get discontinued. It's always been like that.


Spidouz said:
...it could actually be a very simple job to put the AX8 electronics in a rack enclosure and call it the day... and then Fractal would have received an order from me. I'm just sayin'
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Why not take a sliding rack shelf, mount the AX8 on that, and call it half an hour? Just sayin'... :)
 
Rex said:
If you're waiting for a product that won't be discontinued, you'll never buy another piece of gear again. All products get discontinued. It's always been like that.
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Except the DSP for the AXE FX is discontinued and from everything I read so far, there's no real solution because it can't be replaced that easy, can't be rebuilt by someone else, can't multiple smaller DSP because of the code, and can't port the whole code to another platfom since it was optimized for this particular kind of chip, and why the Axe works so great with a low latency. Which means, it's not even a matter of getting discontinued "sooner or later", it's a matter of investing in a product with no future at all.

When you know that the European prices are INSANE (very bad choice of distribution BTW) and an AXE FX XL+ cost over $3,200 (without anything else), it's not worth... mainly when an AX8 would be powerful enough in most case. And even if I would want more power, I'd prefer then two AX8 Rack to have both more power and redundancy... and it would still be cheaper than buying an AXE FX XL+.... I could even buy an Helix, and Headrush and a Positive Grid Rack and still be cheaper than an Axe FX XL+

So investing that kind of money on a product that the main component (DSP) is discontinued doesn't make too much sense for me... sorry!
And that's why the best move for Fractal would actually to release the AX8 in rack as a "cheaper/lighter" version of the AXE FX XL+


Why not buy a sliding rack shelf, put the AX8 on that, and call it half an hour? Just sayin'... :)
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Because I want to have access to the front panel... that's the whole point of a rack. Having a unit that doesn't take much room, can be easily mounted in a rack, and have a front panel where we can just access to buttons and knobs to tweak sounds. I don't know what's really difficult in that...

But hey, you just reminded me why I wasn't coming here more often... so, yeah, nevermind!
 
Spidouz said:
Except the DSP for the AXE FX is discontinued
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And Fractal has a huge stockpile... And other vendors may also still have years worth of inventory.

This issue has been discussed in other "panic" threads...

Fractal has stated that they have not begun development on the next generation AND the Axe Fx is the flagship product.

Don't worry... Buy an Axe Fx and love it!
 
unix-guy said:
Fractal has stated that they have not begun development on the next generation AND the Axe Fx is the flagship product.

Don't worry... Buy an Axe Fx and love it!
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And then it goes back to my initial problem is that the Axe FX front-panel ergonomic is not practical at all.
I don't want to spend my time in menu to tweak effects and amp settings. As said, at least the AX8 as the V-Pot that make the tweaking a little bit more comfortable and quick.

And again, European prices for the Axe FX XL+ are just insane and don't make any sense (and surely don't add up)... mainly right now when the USD/EUR exchange (1.19/1) is heavily in favor of the EUR. So even with 20% VAT, the Axe FX XL+ should be pretty much 2,000 Euros ($2,400) not 2,700 Euros ($3,200). The AX8 that is what... $1,299 in the US? is 1,600 Euros ($1,900), when you have Helix and Headrush under 1,000.

As said, as is... AX8 or Axe FX XL+ are both a no go!
So if Fractal doesn't plan to release anything... well, I guess I will spend my money somewhere else!
 
Spidouz said:
Except the DSP for the AXE FX is discontinued and from everything I read so far, there's no real solution because it can't be replaced that easy, can't be rebuilt by someone else, can't multiple smaller DSP because of the code, and can't port the whole code to another platfom since it was optimized for this particular kind of chip, and why the Axe works so great with a low latency. Which means, it's not even a matter of getting discontinued "sooner or later", it's a matter of investing in a product with no future at all.
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Fractal has a long history of stocking parts for their gear. If you're worried about servicing what you buy today, they've got that covered. If you're worried about what you'll buy in the future, you can stop worrying, because no one knows what any gear manufacturer will sell in the future.


Spidouz said:
When you know that the European prices are INSANE (very bad choice of distribution BTW)...
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European prices are insane because that's what it costs to sell in Europe. Do the math on shipping, VAT and such, and you'll see that the distributor isn't to blame for the cost.


Spidouz said:
Because I want to have access to the front panel... that's the whole point of a rack. Having a unit that doesn't take much room, can be easily mounted in a rack, and have a front panel where we can just access to buttons and knobs to tweak sounds.
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That's why you use a sliding shelf. Slide it out, and all those controls are right there for you, at a much more convenient angle than a typical rack panel.


To make a long story short, life is short. Buy what you want.
 
@Spidouz Now the interface on the rack unit is a problem? First the silliness about the processor, now this... TBH, it sounds like you simply do not want a Fractal, you want some other, less capable but, maybe, user friendlier unit (and cheaper).

Adding another rack unit to the line up that is less capable than the main unit which will almost certainly have a razor thin profit margin is almost certainly a losing proposition financially for Fractal when they already have an amazing 2U box that sells well in that limited market. They would be much better off developing an entirely new product that covers a niche they do not yet serve or their next generation AxeFx tech.

Coming from 80s/90s processors with 7 segment LED displays, things like the AxeFx feel *dirt* simple to operate. :D But, even for folks used to smart phones... editing GBMT should be trivial from an Axe front panel.
 
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Rex said:
European prices are insane because that's what it costs to sell in Europe. Do the math on shipping, VAT and such, and you'll see that the distributor isn't to blame for the cost.
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Absolutely not! Sorry... but it was my job for over 4 years for a keyboard company in the US, so I definitely know how the whole import/export and shipping/customs/distribution work. And Fractal distribution doesn't add up. I know the math on that. And I've done many product development (in the Music Industry) and generally people listen my opinion. Here I share it for free because it's about a product that I'd like for myself... but free to you to listen or not, to believe me or not... I don't care.

That's why you use a sliding shelf. Slide it out, and all those controls are right there for you, at a much more convenient angle than a typical rack panel.
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Really? Having a slide to have access to buttons and knobs is more convenient to having them directly from the front panel?
There's a reason why some people want RACK.

To make a long story short, life is short. Buy what you want.
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Well, don't worry about that... that's what I do and why I'm not waiting for Fractal to spend my money somewhere else.
I'm just saying they're missing opportunities big time.

And for having this very discussion with many people in Europe that already use Kemper, Helix, and valve amps, we often all come to this very conclusion that if Fractal would release the equivalent of the AX8 in rack to be more affordable in Europe, they would have more customers. The AX8 could already reach more people because it's more affordable and powerful enough (and doesn't use an obsolete technology), but it doesn't match all need because it's a floor unit.

Now I shared my opinion, I have nothing else to add... and don't want to spend my time on forums!
Free to Fractal to listen it or not!

Bye
 
Don't forget that FAS runs or pays a separate european service and distribution org called g66.eu and gives you a longer warranty period than in the US. I don't know the math but I'm not feeling being ripped off badly.
 
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Funny how this works.....I bought the AX8 earlier this year because I was tired of hauling amps and pedal boards around. The more I learn how to tweak it the more I love it. Now I'm considering the rack unit not for more horsepower, but because I'm in a band were everything is driven off a click track and I can just throw it in the rack and let the sequencer drive my patch changes via MIDI. Of course I'd still need my AX8 for other gigs where everything isn't timed to perfection and driven off a click.

Gear - there is always a reason to by more.....
 
I would like a desktop (POD bean) sized version of the AX8. Prolly never get it, but I'd like it. I recently went on a trip and had evenings to play in my hotel room after business during the day. Not being one who can skimp on tone I brought my AX8, laptop, and interface (just for the headphones). Needless to say, a desktop sized unit with a headphone jack would have really done the trick for me.
 
I would like to know about this as well.
Buddy7168 said:
Has anyone tried this? How many spaces did you need? I'd like to have a small rack for my Power Station and be able to put my AX8 in there for transport. Maybe a shelf would work but it would be tougher to secure it. The point would be to take it out so switching to an AxeFx isn't really what I'd be looking for.
Click to expand...
 
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