Touch-screen: IMO not a wish in FM9

Status
Not open for further replies.
I prefer a tablet to an FMx without a touchscreen but with more connectivity options like Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth.

I had a rehearsal this Sunday with a musician friend who bought a Fender Tone Master; the screen is fun but not big enough, so a tablet next to it would be much more productive.
 
Touch screen is table stakes at this point.

This feels so similar to the threads before the Axe 3 came out - some folks were 'happy with the green screen and didn't need/want it to change' vs. 'color screen is a must'.
 
BBN said:
Touch screen is table stakes at this point.

This feels so similar to the threads before the Axe 3 came out - some folks were 'happy with the green screen and didn't need/want it to change' vs. 'color screen is a must'.
Click to expand...

I agree for the future AXEs, but I will appreciate them even without that feature.

On the other side the OP considers the durability of a touch panel on the floor for the FM9 successor.
 
BobXX said:
I agree for the future AXEs, but I will appreciate them even without that feature.

On the other side the OP considers the durability of a touch panel on the floor for the FM9 successor.
Click to expand...
I agree, it's something to ensure is built to Fractal standards (and durability).
The Quad Cortex has been out 5 years now, and no major failure trends....so seems like it can certainly be done.
I'd be happy with a phone app to (via BT), but a touch screen on the floor seems like fun (and doesn't scare me at all)

Someone let me play with their Ampero Hotone II a month ago. Within 5 minutes, I was able to edit any parameter on that device via the touch screen.
Thankfully, ONLY 5 minutes was wasted....coming up with a tone that was meh. LOL

Of course we all want the Fractal tone (with our preferred hardware package and UI experience)
 
BobXX said:
I’ve been using Korg since the days of the Trinity, and I can say the same.
Obviously, we’re talking about devices that don’t sit on the floor:
in that case, the touch screen is the most intuitive user interface, as an additional interface.

You know? I use a Roland Fantom XR (rack-mounted) connected to my AXE FXIII 😉

View attachment 163073
Click to expand...
Oh, I meant the synths/keyboards! I didn't know Roland had other stuff called Fantom as well... Sorry for any confusion.
 
I think the Wi-Fi connected pad is a much more useful feature than a touchscreen on any of the fractal units. It can be held on a mic stand (where it is actually useful to someone who is playing a show) and performance tabs can be left open and customized to the stuff you actually use. I personally do not want to have to walk over to the rack or squat down on the floor like an animal to make minor adjustments to a touch screen when I am trying to focus on playing.
 
I'm all for touchscreens. They make the UI much quicker and easier. Digging thru menus and submenus with knobs and buttons is a bit annoying. I'm a fractal user (ultra, III and now fm9) but I've always struggled with the UI for quick tweaks. I will not bother making a tweak at practice bc it takes too long. Bring on them Touch screens Fractal. I'm here for it.
 
Damn kids. 🤣

clint eastwood kids GIF
 
Touch screen combined with knobs and an "FM12" - 12 footswitches. The MIDI capabilities and the assignability of the switches on the FM9 is crazy flexible but having an extra three footswitches on the top row would up Fractal's floor modeler game.
 
hi
BobXX said:
I recently came across a comparison between the LINE6 HELIX STADIUM XL and the AXE FX3.

Regardless of the fact that the comparison should be made with the FM9 instead, a great part of it were to explain the advantages of having a touch-screen.
I have the following considerations:

Having a touch screen can give a sense of modernity and appeal to many users, especially entry-level ones. For example, it's nice to see images of the amplifiers to be click on instead of a list of their names to selected from... :rolleyes:... ... If this is way to make the things easier: thumbs down.

I'm absolutely pro-touch screen in nearly every context: I use them in PCs, my watch, my Korg keyboards and they are very useful and faster than any other UI.

I know I might be going against the grain here, but... in my opinion, for serious/professional live use, a touch screen on a floor unit is a significant weakness — regardless of whether it’s capacitive or resistive.:
  • It's mechanically and electrically fragile, more environmentally sensitive
  • Floor units are often protected by plexiglass covers, mainly in the screen, which makes the touch screen unusable
I'd much rather see BT/WiFi added, allowing use of "FMxEdit" from a tablet/smartphone:
  • You can adjust sounds while standing upright, without having to constantly bend down (I consider it a part of UI approach)
  • Your touch UI stays away from possible knocks and spills of beer...
  • It can be the same tablet/smartphone used to adjust your IEM settings
  • You can choose the best display size for your use
  • If you break your "touch screen" it's easy to replace in just a few minutes
On the contrary, I would like to have a touch screen in the AXE :) but only as an additional interface and not an exclusive one, keeping the possibility to do everything with buttons and knobs.
Click to expand...
I think you hit a really good point. It would would be far more feasible and forward looking to add a BT/Wifi interface for an external device than try to stuff this into the unit.

Adds significant size, cost, point of failure and if it’s on the floor is essentially useless.

If you’re paying attention, Line 6 Stadium’s full pitch is on gimmicks, not tone.

Most of the folks buying these products (myself included) will never take them out of their house - they’re hobbies/toys. Which means touch/no touch screen means very little as it’s hooked to your computer.

For someone that has played out in my earlier years, dropping down to tweak patches onstage is ridiculous. Tweaking via my phone or iPad on a stand is … absolutely brilliant and best of all worlds.

😎
 
Peavey Herman said:
Oh, I meant the synths/keyboards! I didn't know Roland had other stuff called Fantom as well... Sorry for any confusion.
Click to expand...
I understood you correctly. The same goes for my Korg synths with keyboard (and touchscreen).

That Fantom XR is a special (and rare) rackmount version with the same features as the standard keyboard versions. I mentioned it just because of the coincidence that we're using the same synth. :cool:
 
BBN said:
Touch screen is table stakes at this point.

This feels so similar to the threads before the Axe 3 came out - some folks were 'happy with the green screen and didn't need/want it to change' vs. 'color screen is a must'.
Click to expand...

As in the real world, the people who scream the loudest and the most often present the appearance that they are the majority. But actual numbers don't lie-if a touchscreen is a legitimate "need to have," this would be reflected in a noticeable tanking of sales in units without this feature.

Obviously we don't know the actual sales numbers for any company or product (and the few here who do are never going to divulge them), but it's a pretty good bet that sales of units without a touchscreen have not been decimated due to this projected "shortcoming."
 
Touchscreen and Bluetooth are a MUST to keep the Fractal products competitive and/or ahead of the game in relation to other available offerings on the market. Regardless of whether or not a handful of forum members like it or not, it's about features vs. competition.

If you don't like the idea of a touchscreen on the next generation products, don't use the touchscreen.
 
BobXX said:
I understood you correctly. The same goes for my Korg synths with keyboard (and touchscreen).

That Fantom XR is a special (and rare) rackmount version with the same features as the standard keyboard versions. I mentioned it just because of the coincidence that we're using the same synth. :cool:
Click to expand...
I'm so behind on things... I was under the impression Roland stopped making rack mount synths after the Integra 7. 😊 Good to see they still do.
 
SinglecutGuy said:
Touchscreen and Bluetooth are a MUST to keep the Fractal products competitive and/or ahead of the game in relation to other available offerings on the market. Regardless of whether or not a handful of forum members like it or not, it's about features vs. competition.

If you don't like the idea of a touchscreen on the next generation products, don't use the touchscreen.
Click to expand...

I'm unofficially married to Fractal 👰‍♂️, so I'll follow them regardless of the screen they choose.
My OP was focused on reliability of professional floor devices.

For me, the sound quality and routing flexibility are paramount— my ears are far more important than my eyes. 🤓
.
 
Last edited:
Apparently the next gen hardware is finalized and they're working on the software, so the question is moot. They're doin' what they're doin'.

I like the idea of a phone/tablet app....but that could be a huge drain on resources that could be focused on, you know, sound.
 
I for one would be on the BT/WIFI bandwagon, but really, if you know the floor units (I have FM3T and FM9T) you can change any parameters within seconds. It truly is very fast and tweaking at a gig is usually not or rarely needed if you have setup your units properly for live performances. Except maybe for stage/venue sizes where stage sound might need tweaking with output eq, still pretty fast. The soundman can take care of the rest. IMHO
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom