RTFM - Read The FINE Manual!

My thoughts on this topic.
I have a difficult time sitting down to read. I can’t sit still long enough to absorb complex information. So, if you do not have the patience to read the manual or attempt to solve your issue with by searching manual, try taking a few seconds and search for Threads related to your query in this Forum.

Most issues that most users experience are somewhere already in the pages of the Forum. I think when referring to newer members the RTFM might be a bit too much.
 
GlennO said:
What's spiking is a change in the Fractal Audio customer demographic.

Original devotees of the AxeFX, as evidenced by the community on the forum here, are disproportionately tech, engineer, IT, and other left-brain types. The Fractal Audio aesthetic of function over all else appeals to many of us. That's why we were early adopters. The idea of reading a reference manual makes sense to us. But it's easy to forget the vast majority of people don't absorb information very well when doing that.

The popularity of the AxeFX and the lower price point of the FM3 has brought in a number of people who think differently and are more right-brain oriented. The idea of reading a reference manual cover to cover is preposterous to them. For these people, intuitive graphical user interfaces, tutorial videos, FAQs, and user guides oriented around problem-solving instead of reference details are more appropriate forms of instruction.

There is a lot of good AxeFX information out there in various forms. However....it's not from Fractal Audio, so it's not centralized or indexed or organized in a way that a new customer can find it easily. Hence, the inevitable consequence of people coming here with questions that are confounding to many of us who don't see things the way they do.

I reply to questions with RTFM myself from time to time, but I believe there's more going on here than that.
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I must be a right brain user myself because the idea of reading a tech manual beforehand when there's tutorials and the other stuff when you have the actual product at hand is incomprehensible to me. And I agree, Fractal needs go with this, find the best youtube tutorials and problem solving vids and keep a proper index of it.

skunc said:
My thoughts on this topic.
I have a difficult time sitting down to read. I can’t sit still long enough to absorb complex information. So, if you do not have the patience to read the manual or attempt to solve your issue with by searching manual, try taking a few seconds and search for Threads related to your query in this Forum.

Most issues that most users experience are somewhere already in the pages of the Forum. I think when referring to newer members the RTFM might be a bit too much.
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Not just that, as part of the demographic change, when you grow up with books and mags and manuals, your first instinct will be to RTFM. You don't know any better, even when you're right brained. When you grow up with all the world's information at your fingertips, because Google is your manual you will never reach for the manual in a million years. Not unless Google comes up empty.
 
I always played with my new toy until it did what I wanted or I broke it ... I'm choosing different path these days.
 
Speaking as someone who definitely has asked questions that provoked polite RTFMs...

a) I AM a tech user. Programmer for decades, still more or less gainfully employed as such. Doesn't mean I memorized the manual, or Yek's guides, or Cooper's course, or Cliff's comments.

b) I work on several systems that are quite complex at work, built over a number of years by a lot of different people. If I tried to find, read, and absorb all relevant info about everything before I started, I never would. You learn what you need to know to tackle the job at hand, plus a hunk more 'cause I'm like that, but consciously trying to stay blindered and not explore every sidetrack in sight. Later you go back and dig into some subsystem's docs and internals when you need to.
That's exactly how I treat the Axe. I read a bunch at first, went through 90% of Cooper's course, lots of Leon Todd and other vids, etc. I get around pretty well for my purposes now, but the first time I use some capability I know exists, or something isn't acting like I expect, I'll often ask questions.
I don't really feel bad about that, so that part of this thread is a bit weird to me.

c) The Axe isn't my job, it's recreational. I have limited time to put into music, and though I enjoy creating presets and layouts, I want to spend some of that actually playing too, as a guitar player for well over 50 years.

All of which leads me to head for the quickest path I can to find a way to do what I want to do.
Which sometimes is just to ask this wonderfully knowledgeable and helpful community.
I also go back to the manual, and Cooper's course, and search here, but I do ask too.
I also answer other people's questions when I think I can be helpful, part of the cosmic balance, but there are many people here with more Axe experience.
 
I'm guilty of not reading the manual. Other platforms are easy to learn as you go and assemble your knowledge just by "doing". Fractal experience can build up in this way as well; but it is by far the DEEPEST platform there is. By a long shot, imo.

Easy to pick an amp and sound good but all bets are off beyond that. Terminology and configuration methodologies get difficult very quickly. Food for thought for those of you who've been around since the beginning. Thanks for any and all help you give and for tolerating questions that might be a little, um; strange (remedial) :D
 
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It's difficult for a company to satisfy all: the (often new) customers who want a turn-key product, as well as the customers who keep asking for new advanced features. And that last list keeps growing, just take a look at the length of the master wish lists for the III and FM3....

It's not uncommon for a new owner to complain about the complexity at first, and then post requests for advanced features within two weeks. :)

That doesn't mean that the target shouldn't always be to make the product as easy to use as possible.
 
unix-guy said:
As a fairly active user and contributor here since 2013 when my Fractal Journey began, I've noticed a recurring theme: people don't read the manuals provided by Fractal for the products they create.

Very fine manuals that have answers to many, many things. I'd wager that probably 80% or more of "newbie" questions could be answered in a few minutes by checking the manual.

I would personally recommended that at the time you place your order for a Fractal device that you immediately download and begin reading the related manual(s) for the device. Some things won't make sense yet BUT you will have an awareness of what the features and capabilities are as well as where in the manual (generally speaking) things are located.

When I purchased the Axe Fx II back in late Spring of 2013 I was about to head to Manila, Philippines for 2 weeks. I loaded the Axe Fx manual into my Kindle and read it cover to cover during the flight (I actually read it twice). I ended up having to have an emergency appendectomy while I was there (another story!) and that ended up delaying my actual ability to use my Axe Fx by several weeks... But I was prepared!

I know everyone doesn't learn the same, but please take the time to RTFM(s)... You won't regret it!

I also know many are "non-technical" but you bought a technical device - you'll need to become technical to some degree IMO.

With all of that said:

Axe Fx III:
https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/axe-fx-3/Axe-Fx-III-Owners-Manual.pdf

FCs:
https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/FC-X/FC6+12-Owners-Manual.pdf

FM3:
https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/FM3/FM3-Owners-Manual.pdf

Blocks (Axe Fx III / FM3):
https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/fas-guides/Fractal-Audio-Blocks-Guide.pdf

Switches (FC / FM3):
https://www.fractalaudio.com/downlo.../Fractal-Audio-Footswitch-Functions-Guide.pdf

Axe Fx II:
https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/axe-fx-2/Axe-Fx-II-Owners-Manual.pdf

MFC-101:
https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/mfc-101/MFC-101-Owners-Manual.pdf

AX8:
https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/AX8/AX8-Owners-Manual.pdf

FX8:
https://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/FX8/FX8-Owners-Manual.pdf

Good reading and good luck :)
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Alright, Alright - You win.
Thx for the motivational speech - it’s effective.
 
skunc said:
My thoughts on this topic.
I have a difficult time sitting down to read. I can’t sit still long enough to absorb complex information. So, if you do not have the patience to read the manual or attempt to solve your issue with by searching manual, try taking a few seconds and search for Threads related to your query in this Forum.

Most issues that most users experience are somewhere already in the pages of the Forum. I think when referring to newer members the RTFM might be a bit too much.
Click to expand...

That's right. The acronym should be changed to RTFMOSTCFAAW (Read the Fine Manual or Search the Cool Forum and Amazing Wiki)
 
We need a mantra to be recited with every new question and request that consists of:
  • What did you try? If not, why? If so, what did you do and what happened and why was that not what you expected?
  • If your problem involves a preset, did you attach it to your message? If not, why? If so, reread the first bullet. Did you attach the system and fc backup? If not, why?
  • Did you include your OS and system level and the firmware version of the modeler?
 
Greg Ferguson said:
We need a mantra to be recited with every new question and request that consists of:
  • What did you try? If not, why? If so, what did you do and what happened and why was that not what you expected?
  • If your problem involves a preset, did you attach it to your message? If not, why? If so, reread the first bullet. Did you attach the system and fc backup? If not, why?
  • Did you include your OS and system level and the firmware version of the modeler?
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The only issue with this is that it assumes people will read it.

"We'll make a sign" - not everyone will actually read the sign haha.
 
Budda said:
The only issue with this is that it assumes people will read it.

"We'll make a sign" - not everyone will actually read the sign haha.
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Even if they don’t, if it’s the first thing we tell them to do instead of starting the usual game of twenty questions, we’ll be able to help them more consistently.

I was very involved in a prominent programming site for years where that was the expectation and new people quickly learned to supply the necessary information to save everyone a lot of time.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
Even if they don’t, if it’s the first thing we tell them to do instead of starting the usual game of twenty questions, we’ll be able to help them more consistently.

I was very involved in a prominent programming site for years where that was the expectation and new people quickly learned to supply the necessary information to save everyone a lot of time.
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That + rtfm, might work.
 
la noise said:
If new folks didn't ask dumb questions so frequently---like me---then the pros on here
wouldn't get to impress with their superior knowledge and experience. ;)

I kid. I kid. Mostly. :)
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I understand the humor; the problem is the members of the forum are often too eager to help without knowing how to systematically rule out a problem, like puppies falling over themselves, and they ignore the very first tactic of starting from a known spot, such as the preset and system settings. Get everyone working from the same starting point and the problem will be solved more quickly and the thrashing and ensuing frustration for the person asking will be reduced.

A lot of the "pros" have backgrounds in programming, system support, or various other IT related fields, where diagnosing a problem systematically is really important, so we take that approach. Others, not so much, and they seem to take a "shoot the shotgun into the night and it might go away" approach.
 
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