What will be Fractal's next product?

Wizard9BR said:
I agree with you as a consumer, but not as a developer/content maker. DRM works. It could help lower prices and guarantee revenue streams. DRM is not the problem. The problem is how you as a vendor will implement it. After all, it is common sense that copyright infringements do not hurt the consumers, right? Only the content providers, right? WRONG! Anway... We disagree on this one. Fair enough.
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DRM DOES NOT WORK! You are dead wrong about that one. All of the piracy sites should show you that!

And as far as your piracy argument, you sound like the RIAA! For years they tried and tried to sue people out of exsistance...then they tried to get DRM implimented on places like the apple store. You know what? IT DID NOT WORK! So today you can buy your tracks DRM free. Why? Because it does not work. Period. Oh and as far as the RIAA? They had to start laying off people because the labels did not want to support them like in the past. And it WAS THE CONTENT PROVIDERS like apple that gave up on DRM.

Wizard9BR said:
All I am saying when we talk about using x86 instead of DSP is that what really matters is horse power. The Axe-Fx is an appliance and maybe that is why FAS is using DSP (more cost effective, I presume). I am talking about a different thing. I am not talking about an appliance (HW), but only SW. Something you can install on your PC, just like Guitar Rig and AmpliTube. Quality aside (the Axe-Fx is superior by far), these two products work on x86.

BTW, why is the PS4 and the XBox One architecture now x86 oriented? Two appliances, right? ;)
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Like I stated before...even the CPU of a computer you are talking about is different BECAUSE it is made to do many things at once. The DSP of the axe fx is not that way, it is made to do only one thing and it puts all of it's horsepower twords that. Thus making it DIFFERENT from a computer CPU! They are two different things...one is for multitasking...the computer CPU and one is for doing o0ne thing...the axec fx DSP. Two totally different components doing two totally different things.

And if you think the axe fx is going to be based as a software? Dream on! I do not think that will happen. But even if it DID the software to even match the capabilities of the axe fx II would be huge and require a lot of CPU useage. Then how much would be left to run your computer?

Again, you are talking about two totally different things when you talk about PS4 and xbox one! Those are not even in the same ballpark with the axe fx!

johna156 said:
What I would like to see sometime in the future is a complete FAS package for pc/mac:
A PCI xpress soundcard with the DSPs needed for delivering the full axe II performance
An external I/O module with all the I/Os you could use in a pro studio (both digital and analogue, eg a pair of mic ins with phantom power, a couple of line ins, optical out and in, midi in, out thru, ethernet etc ) that connects to the soundcard
Software implementing Axe edit, fractal bot and a nice DAW with VST support all in one, with pop-up windows for the amps, effects, cabs, (ala guitar rig)
It could run the same firmware as the axe and used in conjuction with an Axe II (more amps at once, more cabs, huge effect chains + more ins and outs)
Yeah... I think I'd buy that...

P.s. That would also take care of the piracy problems. Cost wise... that's another story.
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Well I think it is a pipe dream. One day maybe we will see it happen, but to afford all the things you are talking about to basically place the axe fx II into your computer? That would be very expensive! There is a reason the axe fx II costs $2,200!And the PCI Express sound card with the chips needed does not exsist that I know of, so it would have to be designed and built. And who knows how long that would take?
 
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LOL how about the Fractal version of a variax? You know... a modeling guitar.

And a way of tone matching your own guitars into the Fractal Axe(no Fx)?

That could be a game changer... Hmm... I could start working with this since I do have a few ideas on how it would work. FAS PM me if you think it's proper. :)
 
Jack Napalm said:
Another half decent thread ruined. Thanks guys.
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You are right and I am really sorry. The conversation should have ended when I read "Don't know where you have been....". This is just not the right way to talk to someone just because you don't agree with that person.
 
For me it's pretty obvious the pro market is waiting an effects only product (like Vai, Petruti, etc. uses the FX2 already). Would have just one processor and simplified connections.

US$1.500 (US$1.299 street) would be fine. Instant success.

Second most obvious would be a more accessible floor unit for the people that could not afford the flagship (a lot of people, bythe way).

A bit of simplification here and there (including simpler conversion, lower resolution IR's, etc.) and could do something between an Ultra and an FX2 with less effects at the same time (1 processor). More than the enough to this public (few units below US$ 1000 has free routing and that consistency in everything). Mono input.

An unit like this, with 4 patches per bank plus 8 instant IA's (14 switches) and a nice alphanumeric visor, for U$ 999 would be an instant success too.

The third option would be a plugin, of course.

Let's see.

By the way, I'm almost putting the trigger in a Eventide H9 for time based effects and Strymon Mobius for modulation and some drive pedals in MIDI controlled loops, this plus a controller is still under under US$ 1.500 for the complete pedalboard (cables and power supply and some extra algorithms for H9 included) , powerful, portable and sounds good. I'll wait until may, or so for something new.
 
I had lunch with Cliff today and he told me what it was. But, I am sworn to secrecy via a NDA Agreement. Let's just say it is pretty mind boggling in scope and design and will allow us all to achieve the musical dreams we each have inside our hearts!

On a secondary not, I too, Just got my MFC-101 Mark III on the 26th of December and a pair of CLR active wedges a week before that so I am content and with the set up I have.

I can't wait until the rest of you guys know what the new roll out is going to be. I feel almost Bad to my fellow Fractal Forum Buddies that I have unlocked the mystery and can not share it.

As the Go Go's said back in the 80's. My Lips Are Sealed, actually it was OUR, but you get the idea.

Happy New Year to all my Fellow Fracers!

TEX (Pinochio)
 
TexasAxeSlinger said:
I had lunch with Cliff today and he told me what it was. But, I am sworn to secrecy via a NDA Agreement. Let's just say it is pretty mind boggling in scope and design and will allow us all to achieve the musical dreams we each have inside our hearts!

On a secondary not, I too, Just got my MFC-101 Mark III on the 26th of December and a pair of CLR active wedges a week before that so I am content and with the set up I have.

I can't wait until the rest of you guys know what the new roll out is going to be. I feel almost Bad to my fellow Fractal Forum Buddies that I have unlocked the mystery and can not share it.

As the Go Go's said back in the 80's. My Lips Are Sealed, actually it was OUR, but you get the idea.

Happy New Year to all my Fellow Fracers!

TEX (Pinochio)
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Hmm I wonder if it will be a companion to the Axe Fx II or a replacement? Cliff hinted in an interview a year or so ago that it might be a more compact/budget solution but now I'm really curious!
 
Aceshighhhh said:
Hmm I wonder if it will be a companion to the Axe Fx II or a replacement?
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I wonder if Cliff will ever have lunch with him again, or if he does, if he'll be foolish enough to relate sensitive information. I mean, doesn't telling someone a secret, even if they're sworn to secrecy, preclude running around and saying "nyah, nyah, nay-nyah - I know something you don't know! Muahahaha!"
 
I think I guessed it!

Here is an interesting thought that I did not see in the thread:

What if Cliff and Co. were to take the MIMIC technology as well as the lessons learned making the AF STD/ULT/II and apply it to a "pro-sumer" recording solution?

  • We know already that MIMIC can handle capturing the timbre and character of mics pretty well as well as cap, op amps, tubes, and circuit boards.
  • The technology can also handle time based effects, pitch, and dynamics processing pretty well.
  • The dev team can also handle real time MIDI manipulation of parameters.
  • The dev team also make killer interfaces/apps for making products pretty future-proof.


Suppose FAS was coming out with a "studio killer" with the ability to emulate a signal chain from mic preamp through to final track mix processing?

It could be the front end and insert for your favorite DAW.

Perhaps it even has 2-4 digital encoders and 8-16 motorized faders to assist in mix applications.

Imagine that all that horsepower is in a unit with the same footprint size of an AF2.

To me this seems like the next logical step in diversifying their market to others while helping the original Axe customers get one step closer to achieving their musical vision.

If they made such a unit in the $3K-$5K range, it would make people think seriously about getting such a unit as a recording hardware solution.

Am I getting warm?

I hope so!

Best,
Bonkers
 
TexasAxeSlinger said:
I had lunch with Cliff today and he told me what it was. But, I am sworn to secrecy via a NDA Agreement. Let's just say it is pretty mind boggling in scope and design and will allow us all to achieve the musical dreams we each have inside our hearts!

On a secondary not, I too, Just got my MFC-101 Mark III on the 26th of December and a pair of CLR active wedges a week before that so I am content and with the set up I have.

I can't wait until the rest of you guys know what the new roll out is going to be. I feel almost Bad to my fellow Fractal Forum Buddies that I have unlocked the mystery and can not share it.

As the Go Go's said back in the 80's. My Lips Are Sealed, actually it was OUR, but you get the idea.

Happy New Year to all my Fellow Fracers!

TEX (Pinochio)
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I smell BS.
 
sprada said:
That would surely render your AXE completely useless :D
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I know right? I doubt it's a new flagship unit. I believe the manual said Axe 2 was in development for 3 or 4 years. I doubt he developed an Axe 3 in 2 plus years especially with all his hard work on firmware updates.
 
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