Unofficial First Impressions Thread

deakle

deakle

Experienced
Since it looks like some of us lucky Fractalites will be receiving their III’s in the next day or so I thought it would be good to start a “First Impressions” thread. Post what you think about this new amazing tool while the rest of us patiently await our invitation emails!
 
To start things off, here are my first impressions, written when I received my beta test unit. This was back when there was no manual, no documentation...not even pictures available. It was truly a “Hey, what’s in this box?” moment. And there have been significant improvements from the 0.01 firmware that I received.

Rex said:
Ares arrived today. Only time to unbox her (him, I guess) and noodle around with headphones.

Fresh out of the box, I see options I've wished for since Standard/Ultra days: Tons of I/O...soft knobs in proximity to their labels...

The front panel is sexy and modern, but still all business. Bright, crisp, colorful (helps a lot!) display, with plenty of info crammed into it; it's not too tight for old-man eyes to read, but it's approaching that. No more lower-case ascenders! Thick reinforcing panel, with the handles pushed as far out of the way as they'll go. I'll deal with the extra RU, though I predict some animated forum discussions about that (@FractalAudio , be prepared for all kinds of advice on what you should have done :)). I get why, though—if only from an external perspective.

Backlit logo. Instant rack cred!

The interface is very intuitive. I was able to navigate to lots of goodies with only a minute to figure it out.

The fan is quieter than the one in my XL+. It seems like the audible airflow is mostly gone, leaving just the whine of the motor.

Amps got channels!

Sounds lovely through cans, with more than enough poop to push my 70-ohm Sennheisers (Mo-Fi is out for repair).


I know what I'm doing tonight.

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I like how you've made channels and modifiers obvious and easily accessible.

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Power transients are very subdued. I like how it gives a disappointed sigh when you turn it off.

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I/O all day. Put it where you want it. (EDIT: This fulfills a years-old wish for me. You can copy Out1 to another output for stage monitoring and still have independently-placeable ins and outs wherever you want them; they don't have to function as effects loops unless you want them to.)

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I like the way the Reverb EQ page highlights the last parameter you touched, to allow control by the big knob. Thoughtful design. (EDIT: This feature is widely implemented. It's great for when you're messing with a particular parameter. You generally get there with the five soft knobs under the screen. But when you're going back and forth between your guitar and that parameter, you can just reach for the big knob—every time.)

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Guys, if you haven't checked out Layout>Meters yet...check it out.

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The new tuner slays. Big, bold, and easy to read at a glance.

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Having fun with scene naming...

20171105_035747-1-jpg.42580


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So tonight I recorded a little clip with my AX8 using a patch that I thought sounded pretty massive. I decided to duplicate the patch on the AXE III just to see if I could hear any difference. ... just... wow... to me, it’s like the difference between streaming a song you love vs listening to an actual CD of the same song. The basic sound is still there (which sounds great), but the III gives you this added tonal depth that feels nonlinear, three dimensional, and extremely responsive. It compresses when you dig in and stays crystal clear and articulate when you play lighter. Holding out a big chord gives you this swirling harmonic movement that’s just fantastic. Simply put, it feels more alive.
 
York Audio said:
So tonight I recorded a little clip with my AX8 using a patch that I thought sounded pretty massive. I decided to duplicate the patch on the AXE III just to see if I could hear any difference. ... just... wow... to me, it’s like the difference between streaming a song you love vs listening to an actual CD of the same song. The basic sound is still there (which sounds great), but the III gives you this added tonal depth that feels nonlinear, three dimensional, and extremely responsive. It compresses when you dig in and stays crystal clear and articulate when you play lighter. Holding out a big chord gives you this swirling harmonic movement that’s just fantastic. Simply put, it feels more alive.
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This. Ares just speaks with a clearer voice. It's hard to describe, but you'll know it when you hear it. And feel it.
 
Rex and Justin have done a nice articulation of what I have first heard in my initial noodling , I can add that the improved noise floor really seems to help that open , clearer thing, There are just a few new surprises I’ve discovered so far in the factory presets, most of which are from the earlier FW with some tweaks, but not as many examples of multiple scenes/channels as I would have hoped, but then Again I’m at the very start of my investigation . I did importvia fractalbot the several presets in the new thread started by @austinbuddy for New user III presets, and the 3 by him and one by @Mark Day are well worth checking out, with more to come I’m sure..the aXe change is not yet ready to accommodate the new presets apparently. I haven’t tried to build one of my own yet, prolly tomorrow . Navigation isn’t bad but not the best for aging eyes and fingers ..I am anxious for the Edit to be certain. All in all , pretty cool box so far....
 
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Yes I was comparing my Naked Amp TonePack presets on my XL 8.02 to Ares 1.03 in Axe III and it is definitely different kind of sound than Quantum firmware.

Learning and digging it.
 
York Audio said:
So tonight I recorded a little clip with my AX8 using a patch that I thought sounded pretty massive. I decided to duplicate the patch on the AXE III just to see if I could hear any difference. ... just... wow... to me, it’s like the difference between streaming a song you love vs listening to an actual CD of the same song. The basic sound is still there (which sounds great), but the III gives you this added tonal depth that feels nonlinear, three dimensional, and extremely responsive. It compresses when you dig in and stays crystal clear and articulate when you play lighter. Holding out a big chord gives you this swirling harmonic movement that’s just fantastic. Simply put, it feels more alive.
Click to expand...
Should definitely post the clips so we can hear the differences :)
 
bradlake said:
Rex and Justin have done a nice articulation of what I have first heard in my initial noodling , I can add that the improved noise floor really seems to help that open , clearer thing, There are just a few new surprises I’ve discovered so far in the factory presets, most of which are from the earlier FW with some tweaks, but not as many examples of multiple scenes/channels as I would have hoped, but then Again I’m at the very start of my investigation . I did importvia fractalbot the several presets in the new thread started by @austinbuddy for New user III presets, and the 3 by him and one by @Mark Day are well worth checking out, with more to come I’m sure..the aXe change is not yet ready to accommodate the new presets apparently. I haven’t tried to build one of my own yet, prolly tomorrow . Navigation isn’t bad but not the best for aging eyes and fingers ..I am anxious for the Edit to be certain. All in all , pretty cool box so far....
Click to expand...
Allow me to amend a couple things..I started to audition presets from the last one backwards.,,as in the earlier models, the last banks are very FX heavy, and many of these remain basically unchanged (but sounding HUUGE) but as I got into the earlier stuff, there are a fair amount of newish presets that do have an interesting assortment of scenes and amp channel changes...
and the color screen, when not looking at it thru semi drunk eyes (perhaps one should not do an initial setup on expensive gear on St. Patricks Day..) is really sweet, and navigation is fairly easy to master. What I have most learned this morning has already been mentioned by @York Audio (congrats again brotha on the new arrival(s),) but it is really profound how the volume knob on your guitar can now be used across its full range in a clean to mean fashion, no scene controllers necessary ...with amazing clarity throughout. nice. And the new IR mixing option in CAB block is sick, and the cab variety shockingly great. now to try create My First III Preset........
 
First impressions...clearly better audio quality on the presets I have gone into. As far as the reverbs and delays...well spectacular doesn't even touch it...

Pretty much worth the coin if you have any thoughts about upgrading. I've used the II, IIXL and AX8 as well, but this is, for sure, a powerhouse. Once the FC comes out it will be my main live rig.
 
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