Yep. Sounds amazing but the UI operates as if an engineer or coder who isn’t experienced in UI designed it.
With that said (and I’ve preached for years) I can dial in a tone from the front panel more than twice as fast as I can from the editor. Once you develop the muscle memory, it’s actually very intuitive, especially with the recent updates to the front panel UI.
His whole point about option-paralysis with the deep-editing is real for many users. IMO, all deep-editing options should be able to be hidden from the user, if they so choose to, with only the authentic amp controls shown. This would allow a users to dumb-down the unit for those who want a more authentic experience.
A review with the purpose of selling his own presets. ;-)
Meh, it's not like he's shoving it down our throats. There's probably a minute or so of it that is talking about his presets, while the rest of it is actually insightful for those looking for more info on the thing.
He also praises the stock presets.
I just said exactly the same thing in a comment on one of the Fractal FB Group pages. Absolutely no need to be deep diving on a gig. You’d think after 2.5 years, he would know his way around the front panel a bit better.I feel like he needed to come up with a negative in order to have a review that looks "unbiased". If the negative is that the Axe-Fx III sounds so good that he's spent his time playing guitar and not learning how to navigate the front panel, then bring it on!
Instead of filming himself stumbling through the front-panel, he could have spent a few minutes learning how to navigate it, as well as learning about the Performance Controls.
The scenario of deep-diving into edits prior to a gig doesn't make a lot of sense to me - you should have all of your patches ready to go when you get to the gig. At the gig, you may need to make some tweaks to overall I/O levels or global EQ, but that's all easily accessible.
UI complexity is an issue for me on stage and when I record in other people's studios. Basically for stage I have to program everything in advance and rarely use the front panel except for very simple operations. Even 15 seconds between songs isn't a luxury I always have! When I am someone else's studio and using my AXE, and the studio clock $$ is going, I need my laptop connected to make quick changes.Given how many modern digital pedals have hidden functions and parameters that you'd never even know about unless you take a deep dive into the manual, I'd say the Fractal grid is just fine- it's all there in the menus. Don't want to mess with deep parameters? Just stay on the first menu or two.
I mean, easier is always better, but I have no experience with advanced equipment, and I had it up and running in ten minutes or so the first time... and frankly, I ain't that smart.
But, well ... selling modified factory presets? Meh.
Making edits on-stage between songs would be...a terrible process. Plus, no one wants to see you fiddling with a device on stage (unless that's your gimmick). I'd expect for a studio gig where you needed to adjust sounds quickly, using Axe-Edit would be a must.UI complexity is an issue for me on stage and when I record in other people's studios. Basically for stage I have to program everything in advance and rarely use the front panel except for very simple operations. Even 15 seconds between songs isn't a luxury I always have! When I am someone else's studio and using my AXE, and the studio clock $$ is going, I need my laptop connected to make quick changes.
Same issue with my FM3, which is what I gig and bring to other people's recording sessions when i'm asked. Not complaining, and it is what I expected when I bought the unit, but it is a fair thing to point out in a review.Making edits on-stage between songs would be...a terrible process. Plus, no one wants to see you fiddling with a device on stage (unless that's your gimmick). I'd expect for a studio gig where you needed to adjust sounds quickly, using Axe-Edit would be a must.
I wouldn't expect otherwise from a rack unit device. I think the front panel UI is really fantastic for its size - but you are limited by the reality of the box in what you can do with a 19" rack space and a 4" screen.
I agree. But perhaps some of those shortcomings are due to the platform itself rather than the implementation in the product. I can't slag a rack unit for not having footswitches for instance. I wouldn't expect it to - it's not the device for that use. I don't expect a 4" screen to have a better editing experience than my computer monitor. If front panel editing were easier than using Axe-Edit, then that would point to major shortcomings in Axe-Edit I think.Same issue with my FM3, which is what I gig and bring to other people's recording sessions when i'm asked. Not complaining, and it is what I expected when I bought the unit, but it is a fair thing to point out in a review.
Agreed, it IS a good review, with valid real-world points.But if these are the main problems, that's a pretty good review. To his point, there is always room for improvement.
A review with the purpose of selling his own presets. ;-)