Sigh - Still On The Fence

I’m not a smart man and I can use it just fine.
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Isn’t this the same guy who was selling rebranded stock presets??



Caveat: I know it is but feel it’s worth the mention to show both credibility and context.

The guy has a review unit for years, plural, years and has the balls to ding the unit because he couldn’t find the time to read the manual.

Back in the real world, the axefxIII is as complicated as you want it to be or as simple as you want it to be. Buy with complete confidence. You have a community here that are all happy to help.
 
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Rolf1 said:
OP here:

As I wait for my FX to be shipped, there is one question (for the moment) I do have for modeler's in general regarding "headroom".
I know I mentioned that my intention for the FX is to be used strictly in the studio, but IF I did play out with it, can it be heard and felt the same as a good-ol' analog hand wired tube amp? Or will I be steamrollered by the Ampeg driven bass guy?
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Without question, yes. You will do just fine vs your analog playing band mates.
 
For a home studio or bedroom player application I don’t think there is anything more ideal than the Axe FX III.

People say it is expensive but I disagree - it costs about the same as a decent amp head. The value you get from the unit is far greater than the price IMO. For non-stage-volume playing it is exceptional. I don’t think I will ever be in a position to run a tube amp flat out, but with the III I can get the same tone and feel at any volume. I also get more amps than I could ever explore fully and every effect, at the highest quality, and routing I could ever want. And Cliff updates the damn thing with exceptional advances seemingly every week. The whole package is insane.

I also don’t think it is that complicated. It is actually very logical, and if you use Axe Edit (which I strongly recommend) it is all in front of you with amazing tone just clicks away. Axe Edit is actually a huge draw card for me personally. I never use the front panel.

You can dive in as deep or as shallow as you like as well and not sacrifice great tone either way. You may never need to go further than the factory presets. Or like I posted recently on the 5153, you can craft a professional tone in under 3 minutes you could use the rest of your life. OR you could spend hours, climb down every rabbit hole and dial in insane presets which would be practically impossible in the real world. It’s all there for the taking.

Anyways, just my 2 cents added to this long thread. If you think it might be good for you and you have the $$, I suggest buying it. I just can’t see how you could regret it.
 
I think the main factor should be whether or not you're comfortable editing on a computer. For whatever reason these reviews make it sound like it's impossible to edit the sounds. No, but it is a lengthy process that the manual tactile controls take a minute to learn and to navigate the interface. It's much easier on a computer. They also act like you will be making 10,000 adjustments - which you might in a live setting but when you're recording you can "set it and forget it" most of the time if you want to have the same tones and results for different tracks.

I actually started doing all my setups on the unit itself and realized that because I was recording with it I can just constantly use it on my computer which made it way easier. The helix interface is kind of the same, except their interface lacks in software GUI (I think it's ugly)

Bottom line: It's not that hard to learn, especially if you find a preset or two and study them.
 
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I work a lot with Logic and PS on the computer so I can see where editing on the computer will be the way to go.

I received my FXIII and new Genelec monitors the other day so I'm ready to take the deep dive into the unit. I just need to free up enough of my time to do that.

I retired four years ago and my days are anything but a life of leisure. Funny how that works...

Thanks again for all the great input!
 
jellodog said:
Having owned a Helix LT and HX Stomp for years, I put off buying a FAS modeller because of people like Rhett saying that the UI wasn't as easy to use; and I have to admit that whilst I am a tech nerd, I remained mildly intimidated by the idea of how complex I imagined the Fractal UI was going to be.

Well, I've got to tell you that having finally taken the plunge with an FM3 earlier this year, I really don't know what all the fuss was about.

I'm totally comfortable with the UI on the device - I often make tweaks to patches on the fly and it's easy. I did take the time to read the manual though, which helped a great deal.

I also decided when buying the FM3 that I was only going to stick to the "authentic" tab of real amp controls and keep it simple. That personal decision lasted all of 20 minutes! - It's great being able to drill down to tweak details, but only if you really want to. You get to decide how deep (or not) you want to go with FAS gear.

I don't regret my purchase at all, and I prefer the FAS device to the other modellers that I've owned and it sounds excellent.
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I am amazed after playing guitar for 30 years and owning everything you can imagine, how damn impressed I am with the FXiii. The factory presets alone covered any sound I could ever want without creating my own. Which by the way is really simple if you have a computer and download FXiii edit.
 
baby dracula said:
I think the main factor should be whether or not you're comfortable editing on a computer. For whatever reason these reviews make it sound like it's impossible to edit the sounds. No, but it is a lengthy process that the manual tactile controls take a minute to learn and to navigate the interface. It's much easier on a computer. They also act like you will be making 10,000 adjustments - which you might in a live setting but when you're recording you can "set it and forget it" most of the time if you want to have the same tones and results for different tracks.

I actually started doing all my setups on the unit itself and realized that because I was recording with it I can just constantly use it on my computer which made it way easier. The helix interface is kind of the same, except their interface lacks in software GUI (I think it's ugly)

Bottom line: It's not that hard to learn, especially if you find a preset or two and study them.
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Just click away and turn knobs as you wish like I did. You will figure it out. If your not sure you like what you’ve done, simply click to the next preset and back to the preset you want to edit. As long as you don’t save, the preset will revert back.
 
We're guitarists. Aside from playing guitar, the single biggest thing we spend our time on is fiddling with knobs. The Fractal interface is a piece of cake. It just doesn't baby you and hold your hand like some other units do.

Which is fine, because I'd rather Fractal spend their time making it sound better (which they do, thankfully).
 
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rossipedia said:
We're guitarists. Aside from playing guitar, the single biggest thing we spend our time on is fiddling with knobs. The Fractal interface is a piece of cake. It just doesn't baby you and hold your hand like some other units do.
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Well, I'm a guitarist and Fractal convert, and "We" don't include "Me". Excuse me, baby want some cake....
 
Every one of the most popular modelers have a bit of a learning curve. If you're not willing to put any time in, you won't get the best results no matter what your choice is. The Axe FX III will give you back whatever you put into it. You can turn it on and use the existing presets and be happy or get into the minutiae of its operation and take advantage of the best modeler on the planet. It's completely up to you
 
I'm 59, still working full time, still helping on the family farm, have a wife and kid...AND, I still am able to work through the AxeFXIII MkII Turbo I just bought. I find it less troublesome in some aspects than my FM3. I use Edit because I sit at my office desk to play BUT after using the stock OMG9 with the FM3 I dove in and set the FC-6 for the III in no time. Besides, I like (and brag to the wife) when I learn something new about a Fractal product, it's half the fun.
Just a comment about Rhett (who is a better player than I'll ever be) - You watch his videos and he's one of those guys who always shakes the neck...for as much as you pay for the Novo they couldn't put a Floyd on one for you? He's always messing with the Tone and Volume on his Novo...don't like fiddling with knobs? He has a wall of amps going through a switching system...I guess for different amp sounds? I step on a few FC-6 buttons and viola, all the amps/sounds I'll ever want.
I went from a Line6 PODxt, into Carvin TS-100 into a Carvin 2X12 and EVH 2x12 to FM3/Fc-6 into Mission Engineering Gemini II, now the III MkII Turbo...anyone need to ask which makes me happier?
 
Severed said:
I dunno man, when I was researching to buy, I looked at the what the actual people using the product were doing with it, not what an influencer review video for clicks thought about it, and there were lots in 2013 too.

I see you decided to buy, but if I can pass along any advice at all, imho, avoid the influencer reviews lol.
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Agree 100%................
 
Rolf1 said:
Just so y'all know, this is what pushed me off the fence.

I'm a Jazz guy and Larry Carlton is one of my favorites. To me, this sounds very close to it.

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Brings back memories. I am a Blues\rock mostly type of player\vocalist. Had Boss GT8 I think at the time. I hear a jazzy type tone, SoCal Drivin I believe was it and that sold me and I bought my first fractal-A brand new Standard! No, I am NOT a jazz player by any means! The tome just got me.
 
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