So far I'm not entirely sold on the Axe Fx 3....

Ant Music said:
Crazy I know but..... Fan boys, please hold your fire.

So far my take on the new Axe FX flagship (whilst this may change and I hope it does) is that it is pretty much an Axe Fx 2 with way more CPU and better ins and outs plus a couple more delays (no doubt there is more to it than merely that but you get the drift). There seems to be (as far as I know) little to really distinguish them as far as tones go.

I've managed to squeeze as much out of my Axe Fx 2 as I can and I just barely scrape through with CPU. I think the Axe 3 would definitely allow me to do the things I currently do easier but would not allow me to do things I am not already currently doing.

I am running guitar direct mono to the desk, a power amp into a live cab, a vocal mic (for talk box) plus synth block drones on a separate output direct to the desk. This does requires some very creative and elaborate routing and a hunk of CPU but it is possible on the Axe Fx 2.

I'd prefer to have some kind of an idea on where Fractal wants to take this new device before I throw down the $$$ but I don't expect them to make something like this public for obvious reasons. I was kinda frustrated with the lack of development in areas other than Amp tones in the Axe Fx 2 so I'd rather not throw down a bunch of money if I am likely to be similarly disappointed in the long run.

If an Axe FX 3 were to land on my lap I'm sure I'd be happier with it no doubt and it would make my programming easier but I don't feel like I know enough about what it will become as time goes on to justify spending more money (as yet). I'm more than happy enough with the tones I am capable of creating on the Axe Fx 2 but I'd just prefer to see more of the effects and application wish list from the Axe Fx 2 come to fruition.

Your thoughts?
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I think if you even just put "guitar tone" aside and delays aside, the new cab block alone can improve tone so much. You can blend up to four cab IR's. Also, I can't emphasize how much in LOVE I am with the "Channels" feature. You can have so many different sounds within one preset now because of that. Channels and Scenes together can really take you a looooooong way. Now, the reverb and the new delay blocks, I understand that's subjective if you're not someone that's big into modulation effects, but I just thought it would be fair to mention those things. I'm just getting into the new Pitch block now and it's pretty intense.
 
I can totally relate to the OP's post. I am also waiting to see in which direction Fractal is going in the (near) future myself also. Since almost all updates on the Axe fx II for the last two years or so were on amp modelling and cabs and not Fx. So you can tell from that where their priority lies. If they continue this direction I will not buy the Axe fx III and stay with my Axe II.

By this I don't say they didn't add a few Fx improvements in the III. It's more about what their priority and main attention is and that was clearly amp modelling for the last two years. If they happen to change that direction I will buy the III eventually but not now.
 
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scarr said:
You just listed a bunch of newer things.

The iPhone 5 I'd been using for work (until very recently) wasn't able to get OS updates, or app updates that required the new OS. That doesn't mean the apps I had on there or the older OS "stopped working".
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Actually, for me that is very much the case with iOS. I have an original iPad Mini that basically nothing works on. There is not a single app I use that can run on it - Chrome doesn’t even run without crashing constantly. So Safari and the builtin E-mail is about it. And the Internet has left those clients behind.
 
Yeah...I have abandoned iPads altogether. They are cool...but a big phone. I sucked it up and use my macbook. Yeah, sure its more to have but so much more reliable and just a lot of options especially if I need Edit for something, etc. I also run Protools live and midi sync with it so.....
 
Bodde said:
I can totally relate to the OP's post. I am also waiting to see in which direction Fractal is going in the (near) future myself also. Since almost all updates on the Axe fx II for the last two years or so were on amp modelling and cabs and not Fx. So you can tell from that where their priority lies. If they continue this direction I will not buy the Axe fx III and stay with my Axe II.

By this I don't say they didn't add a few Fx improvements in the III. It's more about what their priority and main attention is and that was clearly amp modelling for the last two years. If they happen to change that direction I will buy the III eventually but not now.
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While the emphasis has often been on amp modeling, I would encourage you to take a scan through the change history. I think you’ll find that Fractal did more non amp modeling updates than you think and I’m pretty sure that even without any amp modeling updates, the updates have been more significant than the competition until now.
 
I still have original iPad, and while it’s true I can’t add many new apps since they require a newer os to run, the stuff I have on my iPad, like Touchable for Ableton and OSC both still run perfectly. I can’t get some updates for those programs but the versions installed still continue to work. Given how much dust the thing gathers I’m in no hurry to upgrade them since a new one would as well, just with more apps
 
@Ant Music and @Bodde - I am curious what specifically you are looking for in effects that are not there now?

I think the biggest complaint I have seen over the last 5+ years I've been using the Axe Fx III is around two things:

  1. How do I get effect X to sound like product Y (e.g. make the phaser sound like a Small Stone)
  2. Ability to easily achieve effect X which is really a combination of effects that is a "preset" sound on some other device (e.g. Strymon)
 
unix-guy said:
@Ant Music and @Bodde - I am curious what specifically you are looking for in effects that are not there now?

I think the biggest complaint I have seen over the last 5+ years I've been using the Axe Fx III is around two things:

  1. How do I get effect X to sound like product Y (e.g. make the phaser sound like a Small Stone)
  2. Ability to easily achieve effect X which is really a combination of effects that is a "preset" sound on some other device (e.g. Strymon)
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When I transitioned from the Kemper to the Axe FX II, they ONLY thing I felt I was missing was the feel/responsiveness/tone of the pitch transposing. I had some reservations about upgrading to the III (obviously they didn't matter too much, since I ordered a III when I got the chance). But, if there had been two announcements I would have had no reservations at all:

Better/Faster/More polyphonic pitch detection
More than 2 amp blocks simultaneously

With all of that, it seems possible that the pitch improvements are already in the III and the issues I had are better handled by the new DSP. I'm still hoping for a future update allowing additional amp blocks, though I think I will enjoy the Axe FX III somewhere between 99.9% and 100% as much as I would have with or without these two features.

I'm hoping for more attention on FX and utility because I can already dial in my Axe FX II to sound better than I can dial in my tube amps. I assume FAS will be able to improve amp modeling and sound quality, but I can't imagine what those changes will be since I'm already at 'better than my tube amps'.

I ended up deciding on the III, because I'm satisfied with my II. It is what it is now. I want to go along for the ride and be surprised by all of the new things FAS discovers that I didn't even know I needed, be they FX, features, or modeling accuracy. It seems like it will be a fun adventure.
 
The Axe-Fx (all generations) is marketed as a “preamp/effects processor”. The effects-side has seen enormous progress over the years. To me, the focus on attention for amp modeling in past years is simply caused by the fact that the provided effects in most cases are pretty much already “complete” and state-of-the-art. Sure, new stuff is always welcome, but there’s never been a promise that the Axe-Fx offers a complete inventory of all available effects today (which would be pretty ridiculous).
 
I agree, don’t know how much more some effects blocks can go. Take chorus for example, how many more chorus pedals are there to model? Most of them are just copies of the same old bbd circuits with different paint jobs so there isn’t really a need for a DOD Version of the ce2 when we’ve already got a ce2 model, so having a fx80 or whatever it was is redundant
 
In regards to effects, it seems to me that a lot whom are saying they want a bigger focus on fx development, actually want FAS to model real life pedals, complete with settings so it's like using the real thing, instead of giving a blank slate base line of the effect with default settings leaving the end user to figure it out on thier own.

This gets especially difficult when the effect pedal in question is actually a combination of different effects working together with real time mods to produce the signature effect, and the end user is unable to reproduce it.

I don't live on the forums, but this is what I've observed most of the time.
 
Severed said:
In regards to effects, it seems to me that a lot whom are saying they want a bigger focus on fx development, actually want FAS to model real life pedals, complete with settings so it's like using the real thing, instead of giving a blank slate base line of the effect with default settings leaving the end user to figure it out on thier own.

This gets especially difficult when the effect pedal in question is actually a combination of different effects working together with real time mods to produce the signature effect, and the end user is unable to reproduce it.
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There are quite a few popular drive pedals that are not represented in the Axe-Fx so I think there is still room to add new fx. For the other effects, I think the amount of parameters can make them daunting to figure out compared to a pedal with a far more limited feature set. That's where presets help and another thing that would be useful is just a built-in help in Axe-Edit that would tell what each control does so you don't have to find it in the manual.
 
Severed said:
In regards to effects, it seems to me that a lot whom are saying they want a bigger focus on fx development, actually want FAS to model real life pedals, complete with settings so it's like using the real thing, instead of giving a blank slate base line of the effect with default settings leaving the end user to figure it out on thier own.

This gets especially difficult when the effect pedal in question is actually a combination of different effects working together with real time mods to produce the signature effect, and the end user is unable to reproduce it.

I don't live on the forums, but this is what I've observed most of the time.
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Basically what I was saying in my last post.
 
laxu said:
There are quite a few popular drive pedals that are not represented in the Axe-Fx so I think there is still room to add new fx. For the other effects, I think the amount of parameters can make them daunting to figure out compared to a pedal with a far more limited feature set. That's where presets help and another thing that would be useful is just a built-in help in Axe-Edit that would tell what each control does so you don't have to find it in the manual.
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I suspect that most people clamoring for focus on effects are not asking for more Drive types... ;)
 
yek said:
The effects-side has seen enormous progress over the years. To me, the focus on attention for amp modeling in past years is simply caused by the fact that the provided effects in most cases are pretty much already “complete” and state-of-the-art. .
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I don't say that the effect are not good or anything. Also not saying that I am not happy with my Axe fx II. I but I definitely see some room for improvement in the fx section and I don't consider it completely developed or finished. I guess you could say that from modelling too.
I don't want clones of pedals as some say here above.

A few things I would like:
- Polyphonic pitch detection for pitch block.
- Better synth block, especially better tracking
- More looper functions, like replace function and some more things
- better fuzz sounds.
- More new specific and experimental effects.

I goes to far to sum up all my wishes here....
 
To me there is alredy a noticeable difference in tone between the 2 and 3 based on YouTube comparisons, the 3 sounding even more real/ organic while at the same time seeming to have more definition.
I bet in a mix the 3 will cut through much better even with these earlier FW versions on the 3. Can't wait do my own shootout of the 2 vs 3.
I got the waitlist email back on January 29th at 11:54am. I hope I haven't been skipped! Hurry up fractal! (Please)
I know the 3 will be incredible but I'm keeping my 2's.
 
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