First of all I hope they will keep the same form factor as the current version. And then to the wish list:
Assign looper functions to footswitches outside of "Looper Control Mode"
Looper functions (like Looper Record, Looper Play, etc) should be available as footswitch blocks. This would be a major improvement for those of us who use the Looper in a live situation. This could actually be solved by simply adding internal Midi CC routing.
Make function switches completely customizable
The function switches are limited to a specific set of functions in the current version. If you don't want/need those functions, the switches are basically useless. It should be possible to 'convert' a function footswitch into becoming a normal footswitch.
At least F2 and F3 should have that possibility so you could have access to 10 stomps or whatever you need.
Side-chain gating
...or something else that would automatically trigger once Looper playback starts. The use-case here is simple: a) Record a loop with a rhythm guitar sound, b) change to a lead guitar sound when playback starts. A side-chain gate connected to the Looper's playback output could for instance open a delay and/or boost somewhere else in the signal chain.
More CPU power to allow gapless amp switching
Ideally, I would like the AX8 to be able to handle at least three amp models in an XYZ amp block with gapless switching between them. This would simulate a three-channel amp in the real world.
...and some nice-to-haves:
- Separate output 2 and fx loop
- 7-pin MIDI-connectors (to power external MIDI controllers)
The first three items on my wishlist I suspect could be fixed with a firmware update on the current hardware, while the rest would be hardware changes.
My ideal layout of footswitches would then be something like this:
Lower row:
FS1 - Looper Record
FS2 - Looper Play (+alternatively switch scene to a lead sound)
FS3 - Scene 1 (with amp X)
FS4 - Scene 2 (with amp Y)
F3 - Scene 3 (with amp Z) this would be my "main" sound
Upper row:
FS5 - Looper Once
FS6-8: Patches/stomps, whatever I need
F2 - Stomp (possibly delay or boost)
F1 - Whatever (tuner, maybe)