What would the new-gen even have that the current gen doesn’t?

[fuzzydude]

Coddle....LOL!

People that dislike technology evolution truly baffle me.
Reminds me of my wife (who is 12yrs younger than me) saying she would never get a cell phone that didn't have a physical keypad. "I'm never moving to a full touch screen!".

The evolution is great, until it isn't. If anyone can make a touchscreen that lasts as long as knobs and switches do, then I'd be all for it.
Pushing for technology without understanding its problems and limitations is what baffles me.

 

[Daveporter33765]

The evolution is great, until it isn't. If anyone can make a touchscreen that lasts as long as knobs and switches do, then I'd be all for it.
Pushing for technology without understanding its problems and limitations is what baffles me.

I have owned modelers and other gear that had touchscreens and/or Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity. I found touchscreens totally useless during a gig or session due to the need to bend down for extended periods to make any preset changes. It is much better to have presets ready for the gig/session when one arrives. If any minor changes are needed at the gig or session the Axe Fx III operating system provides all the control necessary to allow one to make changes quickly just as it is. I would never develop a preset via a touchscreen. Regarding WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, I have not found it very reliable in the past...dropouts occur way too frequently. So, I find the existing Axe Fx unit perfect just as it is.

 

[MaVo]

I'd be wary of doing that with the hardware, seems like it'd just be adding one more point of failure. A software option would be great though! But I wouldn't blame Fractal for not wanting to deal with people like "MY OUTPUT KNOBS SUDDENLY STOPPED WORKING????" bc they changed the setting and forgot.

Good points. I wouldn‘t blame them for continuing with the output level potentiometers, which they had since the early products. I just find them to be very sensitive in the stage environment. Having a storage space under the Axe FX 3 in the rack, I hit them occasionally and levels/gain at the FOH and In-Ears need to be adjusted. One time I hit the pot accidentally and wasn’t aware of it, suddenly my guitar was silent. Just thought I’d mention it here when the new hardware might still be in design phase and hope that this point might get covered somehow.

 

[km 202257]

I guess, even the next gen comes with touchscreen, it don't take much Cliff Chase to put a on/off switch for touch features

 

[Chewie5150]

This is more about Axe Edit. Personally , I care less about touch screen as I have axe edit always on while playing nearby. I love Axe edit. Its great. stable as hell. If i were to indulge...i'd love some more eye candy GUI. Not sure where it'd fit but I do like seeing images of actual amps being displayed. Its a small thing....

 

[LucasLeCompte]

I thought more about this while taking a pee today. The best thing to do is to make an official axe edit for android and iOS. Its the best of both worlds: Touch screen users get what they want and people who dont want a touch screen on the unit itself (me) get what they want too. Bluetooth would have to be added into the new units for it work. I legit think this is the best way to handle it.

 

[Chewie5150]

I thought more about this while taking a pee today. The best thing to do is to make an official axe edit for android and iOS. Its the best of both worlds: Touch screen users get what they want and people who dont want a touch screen on the unit itself (me) get what they want too. Bluetooth would have to be added into the new units for it work. I legit think this is the best way to handle it.

+1

 

[DLC86]

I thought more about this while taking a pee today. The best thing to do is to make an official axe edit for android and iOS. Its the best of both worlds: Touch screen users get what they want and people who dont want a touch screen on the unit itself (me) get what they want too. Bluetooth would have to be added into the new units for it work. I legit think this is the best way to handle it.

100% agree... I won't mind if there's a touchscreen, I might even find it useful sometimes, but an Android/iOS editor is a must these days. Recently I've been using a couple devices with built-in wifi or bluetooth and on-the-fly edits while playing with a tablet attached to my mic stand is a breeze, almost as good as having an analog pedalboard at my feet (well, actually better for my back).

 

[BBN]

The evolution is great, until it isn't. If anyone can make a touchscreen that lasts as long as knobs and switches do, then I'd be all for it.
Pushing for technology without understanding its problems and limitations is what baffles me.

And I just see it as - they must use quality parts.
I have iPads that outlived my old AX8 (that had failing components).
Point is - any parts can fail. Touchscreens are not a limitation, and they are going to become standard in years to come.
But Fractal will have to use parts that are on par (quality wise) as the other components in their units.

Great example of similar product evolution - Behringer X32 rack....difficult to navigate the front panel controls, but hey you can connect an Ipad and mix from there....AWESOME. Next Gen product - Behringer Wing rack....hasa built in 10" touchscreen in a 4 space rack size.
In this case - Behringer already had touchscreen connectivity (via iPad), but still added a built in touchscreen built on to their next Gen mixers.

This is where all music tech is going.

 

[Dixiethedog]

I would like to have a cup holder added to the unit.
Does anybody think that we will see an FM4 and an FM10 in the near future??

 

[unix-guy]

Does anybody think that we will see an FM4 and an FM10 in the near future??

Given that FM3 and FM9 names reference the number of switches on the units, I don't...

If you mean next generation iterations then I'm sure we will at some point.

The term "near future" is a bit loose, though

 

[fuzzydude]

And I just see it as - they must use quality parts.
I have iPads that outlived my old AX8 (that had failing components).
Point is - any parts can fail. Touchscreens are not a limitation, and they are going to become standard in years to come.
But Fractal will have to use parts that are on par (quality wise) as the other components in their units.

They may become a new standard, but one we might regret. Like cell phones with batteries you can't remove.
What we need are tougher, longer lasting touchscreens. Those don't exist right now.
You need something tough if you plan on gigging with it.
Do you expect to find touchscreens on Marshall tube amps soon? I bet most would never buy one.

Great example of similar product evolution - Behringer X32 rack....difficult to navigate the front panel controls, but hey you can connect an Ipad and mix from there....AWESOME. Next Gen product - Behringer Wing rack....hasa built in 10" touchscreen in a 4 space rack size.
In this case - Behringer already had touchscreen connectivity (via iPad), but still added a built in touchscreen built on to their next Gen mixers.

This is where all music tech is going.

I've had some Behringer products and it's been cheap crap. They've proven to cut corners on products and are definitely the ones to throw in a semi-serviceable touchscreen. But how long will it last?
We should be grateful for the manufacturers who know better than to slap on a delicate touchscreen for an environment where it doesn't make sense.

 

[Zedhed]

We should be grateful for the manufacturers who know better than to slap on a delicate touchscreen for an environment where it doesn't make sense.

There must be thousands of units that don't ever move from inside a studio or bedroom and never see 'The Road', so you're really only speaking about one environment no?

 

[JLane]

I remember thinking that with my II. Then I plugged into the III for the first time...

This is the correct answer. It can always be better. As we have seen from previous generations.

 

[Rex]

Ever been buried in your phone and you wind up doing something you didn't intend? Maybe a wrong letter on the keyboard, or the wrong icon kicks off an app, or you find out you're adjusting the next control over instead of the one you thought you were adjusting? Or your hands are damp, and the screen is useless? Or something spills on it, and who knows what happens next?

Ever been mixing from out in the house with a tablet? Sometimes your finger fails to "grab" the screen and nothing happens — especially if there are calluses on your fingertips. Or your other hand grabs the tablet the wrong way, and now you're mixing Aux 7 instead of the mains. Or anything at all brushes the wrong part of the screen, and now you've muted the lead singer or bumped the kick by 15 dB.


I don't want any of that stuff to happen to me while I'm occupied with playing my guitar. Especially during a performance. Give me tactile controls I can trust. When the day comes that there's an installed base of touchscreens that have solved these problems, then I might reconsider. But not until.

 

[mr_fender]

What we need are tougher, longer lasting touchscreens. Those don't exist right now.

By what metric? My current phone is an ancient Samsung Galaxy S9. I've used it quite a bit texting, playing games, surfing the web, etc. every single day for about 7 years so far along with beating round in my pocket everywhere I've gone in that time, never with a screen protector on it. The touchscreen still works flawlessly. Gorilla glass is tough stuff. The phone I had before that one, also a Samsung, still had a perfectly fine touchscreen after several years of use as well when I swapped it for this phone. I've also had a couple of Samsung tablets for years with lots of use and zero touchscreen issues. It's always the batteries that crap out on such devices.

Modern touchscreen technology is more than up to the task. That said, I still prefer a good old knobs and buttons style UI on many devices.

 

[MOTTOSTAR]

I'm on FM9 Turbo MKI (firmware 10) and I'm still at 55% with a pitch, synth, two amps, a drive and modulation up front, and Dynacab, two EQs, a delay and the enhancer in the back (half of which is just turned on to experiment with what I can get away with), so I'm GOOD with processing power. Coming from another great modeler that I really love and defend, my only gripe with it was processing and not really being able to use multi-amp model setups for my cleans and dirty, plus have an IR and all the goodies if I wanted to go all-out, as I'm able to do with the FM9.

Everything I'd actually want to be updated could probably be done with what we have, so I'm not really pining after new hardware, the main thing being more 4x12s and mic models in Dynacab.

 

[Dixiethedog]

I love my Fractal gear. I am always amazed with some of the new firm ware updates. So I am in on it all.
But, does anybody ever think back how in the olden days you had the likes of (insert your fave guitarist) the likes of Paul Kossoff, J Beck, Gary Moore etc etc etc when they would simply plug their Les Paul's (or Strats) into a big tube amp connected to a (usually) 4x12 cabs and create some of the most iconic guitar sounds that some of us have heard? And I am sure that we can do the same types of tones with our Fractal units.
So, in all honesty do we need more?
My answer to that for myself would be no. But, (as an FM3 owner) I spotted a nice used Axe FX3 set up for sale this weekend and I am having sleepless nights thinking about it, and wanting it. I can afford it but if I go for it you can bet your bottom dollar (or pound in my case) that the Axe FX4 will be released and I will have an "old" model. An old model that is far more capable for anything than I am.
But I am in on the hype and I want an Axe FX4. I think?

 

[Dave Merrill]

I love my Fractal gear. I am always amazed with some of the new firm ware updates. So I am in on it all.
But, does anybody ever think back how in the olden days you had the likes of (insert your fave guitarist) the likes of Paul Kossoff, J Beck, Gary Moore etc etc etc when they would simply plug their Les Paul's (or Strats) into a big tube amp connected to a (usually) 4x12 cabs and create some of the most iconic guitar sounds that some of us have heard? And I am sure that we can do the same types of tones with our Fractal units.
So, in all honesty do we need more?
My answer to that for myself would be no. But, (as an FM3 owner) I spotted a nice used Axe FX3 set up for sale this weekend and I am having sleepless nights thinking about it, and wanting it. I can afford it but if I go for it you can bet your bottom dollar (or pound in my case) that the Axe FX4 will be released and I will have an "old" model. An old model that is far more capable for anything than I am.
But I am in on the hype and I want an Axe FX4. I think?

If the Axe 4 comes out tomorrow, your Axe 3 and FM3 won't suddenly suck or stop working!

 

[jimfist]

+1

If the Axe 4 comes out tomorrow, your Axe 3 and FM3 won't suddenly suck or stop working!

In 2015, I sold my AxeFxII to my guitarist and he's been happily using it ever since. I use the FM9 Turbo and plan on getting whatever next gen Fractal pedal suits my needs, whenever they become available, and selling my current FM9T to that same guitarist. Though he's perfectly happy with the AFXII sound-wise, it's the clunkiness of using the external MIDI pedal - a well-beaten Behringer FCB1010 - that has him wanting the FM9T for ease of programming and footswitching.

The only reason I'm considering the next gen products is for the NAM compatibility (to broaden selections for bass-specific sounds), and that alone. I could otherwise easily use my FM9T into the foreseeable future with zero desire to upgrade.