# AXE FX-III



## tuttermuts (Jan 29, 2018)

Don't know if this has been posted yet

http://www.fractalaudio.com/iii/


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## pylyo (Jan 29, 2018)

Wow, that time again


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

I'm so happy to see that they're working on the interface on the device itself! 

Even if it's guts were identical to the IIXL I'd be great.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

Interesting. Somehow...... this is the first time I have seen this! It will be interesting to see where this goes! Not surprising though after all of the holiday sales.


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## lewis (Jan 29, 2018)

looks amazing.

But, this is the reason I went Kemper. I hate spunking huge money on something then 6 months later its been replaced and feels like a paperweight compared to the hype and GAS for the replacement etc.

my Kemper still has no replacements etc. I think If I had an Axe FX !! I would not upgrade personally.


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## SnowfaLL (Jan 29, 2018)

i wonder if the FC6 can be used with the II.. I dont see myself upgrading anytime soon from my AX8, but hopefully this means lots of II's going for sale so I can snag one under $1500.. 

Doesn't sound like any actual amp modelling/effects improvements yet, just future proofing the hardware. hmm.


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## Lorcan Ward (Jan 29, 2018)

Finally!! Now if Kemper could hurry up and release the Mk2 version. 

I sold my Axe-FX 2 cause there was a bunch of things I didn't like, mostly the DI track was poor compared to using a dedicated interface and had a microsecond lag which completely ruined a studio session I did. If they've improved that then I'd be very interested in this. 

They said they also improved the tone match block which definitely needed some work and added in 2,048 user cabs which was sorely needed in the early II model.


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## Genome (Jan 29, 2018)

Haha, imagine how annoyed you'd be if you just bought an Axe FX II...


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

lewis said:


> looks amazing.
> 
> But, this is the reason I went Kemper. I hate spunking huge money on something then 6 months later its been replaced and feels like a paperweight compared to the hype and GAS for the replacement etc.
> 
> my Kemper still has no replacements etc. I think If I had an Axe FX !! I would not upgrade personally.


There will be a Kemper 2 some day. It is the destiny of all digital gear eventually.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

SnowfaLL said:


> i wonder if the FC6 can be used with the II.. I dont see myself upgrading anytime soon from my AX8, but hopefully this means lots of II's going for sale so I can snag one under $1500..
> 
> Doesn't sound like any actual amp modelling/effects improvements yet, just future proofing the hardware. hmm.


When the Axe-FX II first came out it was pretty much equivalent to the old Ultra. It just started at the last version of the Ultra and kept going.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

Genome said:


> Haha, imagine how annoyed you'd be if you just bought an Axe FX II...


This dont surprise me because there have been massive sales all during the holiday season. Many people figured they were clearing out inventory.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

Genome said:


> Haha, imagine how annoyed you'd be if you just bought an Axe FX II...



Buying year plus old gear around NAMM is never a good idea.


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## TedEH (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> It is the destiny of all digital gear


I am very much not excited for music gear (and so many other things) to adopt the life cycle of cell phones and game consoles.


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## cwhitey2 (Jan 29, 2018)

Genome said:


> Haha, imagine how annoyed you'd be if you just bought an Axe FX II...



I might just grab one because all the fanboys will selling to get this!


I was wondering when they were going to release something new. I wonder what the price will be 


Over double the power then the mkII, that's cray cray.


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## lewis (Jan 29, 2018)

Genome said:


> Haha, imagine how annoyed you'd be if you just bought an Axe FX II...


*cough my bands 2nd guitarist cough*


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## lewis (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> There will be a Kemper 2 some day. It is the destiny of all digital gear eventually.


yes of course.
But YEARS later I can accept. These other companies seem to do yearly upgrades (or so it feels)

Just abit of a bummer really.


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## Selkoid (Jan 29, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I'm so happy to see that they're working on the interface on the device itself!
> 
> Even if it's guts were identical to the IIXL I'd be great.



Looks very line 6 helix haha. How many people actually use the interface on the actual unit though? I just use axe edit...


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

TedEH said:


> I am very much not excited for music gear (and so many other things) to adopt the life cycle of cell phones and game consoles.



I don't think we're going to hit that point too soon. 

Fractal, Kemper and even Line 6 still need to compete with a massive, entrenched analog music industry and it's products. Having world class support is what has kept Fractal and Kemper going at the pace they have. 

The cellphone makers know that they have limited competition on an essential product in a market driven by having the latest and greatest.



lewis said:


> yes of course.
> But YEARS later I can accept. These other companies seem to do yearly upgrades (or so it feels)
> 
> Just abit of a bummer really.



The Axe-Fx IIXL came out in 2014. It is now 2018. 



Selkoid said:


> Looks very line 6 helix haha. How many people actually use the interface on the actual unit though? I just use axe edit...



At home, I'll fire up Axe Edit, if I'm at a friend's house or jamming I'll use the interface on the unit.


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## Mathemagician (Jan 29, 2018)

You don’t HAVE to “upgrade”. If your fender twin gives you the sound you want, why buy a $4k boutique that’s voiced to sound like a twin? 

If a Kemper or Axe or whatever has an update and yours is exactly what you’re looking for then there’s no reason to sell. The audio isn’t going to be able to change THAT drastically in the next few years, given how good it is just right now. 

Same thing with physical amps. A new “best high gain head ever” comes out every 6 months. Few are selling their whole rig and buying the newest thing every year.


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## lewis (Jan 29, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I don't think we're going to hit that point too soon.
> 
> Fractal, Kemper and even Line 6 still need to compete with a massive, entrenched analog music industry and it's products. Having world class support is what has kept Fractal and Kemper going at the pace they have.
> 
> ...



holy shit its been that long already?. Jeez thats gone quick.
In which case thats about right then.

As I said in my first post, it looks amazing. But im hearing double the price of the II XL ? is that right?

because thats starting to get silly money imo.


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## Lorcan Ward (Jan 29, 2018)

The Axe-Fx was first released in 2006(with the Ultra in 2008)

5 years later the Axe-Fx II was released in 2011(Mk2 version in 2014)

Its 2018 now so they got 7 years out of the Axe-Fx II and it got an update a week or so ago. The site boasts 29 major updates. Thats a no brainer for upgrading early. 

You will get at least 5 years out of it and thats only if you want to upgrade to the 4. The II is still going to receive updates for a year or so until all the focus is on the III.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

lewis said:


> holy shit its been that long already?. Jeez thats gone quick.
> In which case thats about right then.
> 
> As I said in my first post, it looks amazing. But im hearing double the price of the II XL ? is that right?
> ...



It's double the power, I haven't seen anything official on price. 

This will be expensive when it first comes out, but like the other units the price will stabilize in the market once they build enough of them.


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## lewis (Jan 29, 2018)

Mathemagician said:


> You don’t HAVE to “upgrade”. If your fender twin gives you the sound you want, why buy a $4k boutique that’s voiced to sound like a twin?
> 
> If a Kemper or Axe or whatever has an update and yours is exactly what you’re looking for then there’s no reason to sell. The audio isn’t going to be able to change THAT drastically in the next few years, given how good it is just right now.
> 
> Same thing with physical amps. A new “best high gain head ever” comes out every 6 months. Few are selling their whole rig and buying the newest thing every year.


this is so logical....

but Ive only just started having this attitude. For years I would jump on the next best thing hype thanks to GAS. My entire band is basically using gear I have bought before and no longer use because I went out and got the next thing etc etc haha.

Its taken me years to reach this point when FINALLY I have no desire to change a thing about my setup.
I was speaking hypothetically earlier i.e when you buy something new for big bucks, and a short while later something newer and "better" appears, it does bum me out a little bit.
My bands 2nd guitarist just got an Axe FX II and literally 2 weeks later this is announced so in his instance, it will be a little frustrating.


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## technomancer (Jan 29, 2018)

I've read development on the TigerSHARC is done so the upgrade was going to happen sooner or later just to give a path forward. That plus the months long sale to clear inventory were sort of flashing neon signs a new model would be out


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## Lemonbaby (Jan 29, 2018)

I assumed that the performance would go up to 11 - in fact, it's even 21433! 

Just kidding, always good to have some buffer for the next firmwares to come. I like that forward-oriented thinking at Fractal of not picking a processor that's just good enough for the current firmware. Also: comes with 8x8 USB interface...


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## Lorcan Ward (Jan 29, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> It's double the power, I haven't seen anything official on price.
> 
> This will be expensive when it first comes out, but like the other units the price will stabilize in the market once they build enough of them.









$2500 is pretty good, not sure what that will cost in the EU now with conversion and Import Duty etc.

Edit: Could be looking at around €2600 when buying from G66.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

Lorcan Ward said:


> $2500 is pretty good, not sure what that will cost in the EU now with conversion and Import Duty etc.



That's great actually. 

Though, prepare for those early in the order queue to hock them for $5k on eBay/Reverb.


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## Ericjutsu (Jan 29, 2018)

Oh shit. I of course can't afford it and already have a Helix, but I always get excited when I see new top of the line amp modeling. It seems super powerful.


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## diagrammatiks (Jan 29, 2018)

it's so big. i'm hoping the ax8 II comes out a year or two later.


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## Genome (Jan 29, 2018)

Lorcan Ward said:


> $2500 is pretty good, not sure what that will cost in the EU now with conversion and Import Duty etc.



Usually it's around the same in £'s, in my experience


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 29, 2018)

I knew once I got my AX8 shit was gonna go down.  

Also for those interested, the Axe II is on sale on their website.


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## diagrammatiks (Jan 29, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I knew once I got my AX8 shit was gonna go down.
> 
> Also for those interested, the Axe II is on sale on their website.



whatever, everyone that got one now got a great discount. Same as any other piece of electronics.


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## Axiom451 (Jan 29, 2018)

Got a Helix LT earlier last year which I'm happy with but I gotta admit that FXIII looks sexy af.
Will def check out some demos


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

You're never going to get a good interface from a company whose waitlist instructions are copying a particular message into the subject line on an email to them. Which I just joined. But still, I was expecting the III to have a seriously upgraded _interface_, not an updated set of visualizations.


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## mnemonic (Jan 29, 2018)

Can this play Fallout 4


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

lewis said:


> yes of course.
> But YEARS later I can accept. These other companies seem to do yearly upgrades (or so it feels)
> 
> Just abit of a bummer really.


The Axe-FX II came out in 2011, so 7 years is a good run on something digital.


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## ddtonfire (Jan 29, 2018)

Genome said:


> Haha, imagine how annoyed you'd be if you just bought an Axe FX II...



I literally just bought an AX8 last night.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

technomancer said:


> I've read development on the TigerSHARC is done so the upgrade was going to happen sooner or later just to give a path forward. That plus the months long sale to clear inventory were sort of flashing neon signs a new model would be out



I have always been curious about this.... since the TigerSharc is EOL, where would the next Axe go?.... this says it uses "Keystone" DSPs. What is that? lol. Never heard of that. Did they have something proprietary made?


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 29, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> Can this play Fallout 4



I messaged Cliff about that. He said can play Crysis on medium settings.


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## laxu (Jan 29, 2018)

Mathemagician said:


> You don’t HAVE to “upgrade”. If your fender twin gives you the sound you want, why buy a $4k boutique that’s voiced to sound like a twin?
> 
> If a Kemper or Axe or whatever has an update and yours is exactly what you’re looking for then there’s no reason to sell. The audio isn’t going to be able to change THAT drastically in the next few years, given how good it is just right now.
> 
> Same thing with physical amps. A new “best high gain head ever” comes out every 6 months. Few are selling their whole rig and buying the newest thing every year.



Exactly. As a long time Axe-Fx 2 user all I wanted from an Axe 3 was an improved front panel user interface. The one on the 3 is not enough of an improvement for me. Still has those awkward navigation etc button placements etc.


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## laxu (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> I have always been curious about this.... since the TigerSharc is EOL, where would the next Axe go?.... this says it uses "Keystone" DSPs. What is that? lol. Never heard of that. Did they have something proprietary made?



No, it's just some other vendor providing them with better processors. It was apparently a major undertaking to adapt all the modeling algorithms to work on the new processors.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

TedEH said:


> I am very much not excited for music gear (and so many other things) to adopt the life cycle of cell phones and game consoles.



People are still using top of the line Eventide units from the 80's today, and they are still better than a ton of units that are new. I am sure it will be OK.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

laxu said:


> No, it's just some other vendor providing them with better processors. It was apparently a major undertaking to adapt all the modeling algorithms to work on the new processors.


Yes, each Brand of DSP has it's own language. If you ever switch brand of DSPs, you have to completely re-write the code in a different language.


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## technomancer (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> I have always been curious about this.... since the TigerSharc is EOL, where would the next Axe go?.... this says it uses "Keystone" DSPs. What is that? lol. Never heard of that. Did they have something proprietary made?



From a quick google it looks like it is a TI chip that is DSP + ARM architecture.


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## KingAenarion (Jan 29, 2018)

Yea, I'm happy with the XL+ It does everything I need it to in one patch. Like with X/Y switch I can have distorted and clean amps and effects and cabs etc.

What I think would make me eventually upgrade to this or its successors (keeping the XL+ as a spare) is that the channels function allows HUGE patches with instant switching with no lag. So you could do an entire Prog set on 1 patch, or even a song with like 8 absurdly unique tones could easily be done, including amps and whatnot.

But for now I'll wait a few more years until they catch up to the UI of Helix.


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## lewis (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> The Axe-FX II came out in 2011, so 7 years is a good run on something digital.


already responded to this earlier and agreed.


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## Genome (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> this says it uses "Keystone" DSPs. What is that? lol. Never heard of that. Did they have something proprietary made?



It means if you take the Axe-FX III to the Temple of the Ancients, you'll be able to get inside to stop Sephiroth summoning the Black Materia.
mildly obscure references ftw


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## Lemonbaby (Jan 29, 2018)

Keystone is a TI DSP+ARM device family. As are those "Burr-Brown" op-amps Fractal keeps talking about - TI acquired BurrBrown back in 2000...


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

Genome said:


> It means if you take the Axe-FX III to the Temple of the Ancients, you'll be able to get inside to stop Sephiroth summoning the Black Materia.
> mildly obscure references ftw



Can I finally bring Aeris back with this?!


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## sakeido (Jan 29, 2018)

I wonder if the AD/DA will get better... Don't use my Axe 2 for shit anymore, hard to get good tone when the converters are such crap. If you aren't picky it's pretty boss but that digital sound will suck the life out of everything... it was funny seeing so many guys switch from tubes to Axe FX, then go back to tubes and pedals. People would rather haul a hundred pound amp & flight case and a pedalboard than play Axe, and I'm bettin money it's cuz the converters are so shit they couldn't even hang on as effects units

it's kind of a bummer they spent so much money on a color display and whatnot when a smartphone app or something similar would have let them keep the cost of the device down and still offer an interface improvement


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## teqnick (Jan 29, 2018)

more clarity, tightness, and picking dynamics than the II. Also has built in precision drive, so you dont need to carry the bulky pedal! Sounds best with Jackson HT6. Boom, axe III on backorder. 

Jokes aside, i'm glad I haven't pulled the trigger on an Axe II. This will be a significant upgrade from my previous standard.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jan 29, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> I messaged Cliff about that. He said can play Crysis on medium settings.


boooo I need to be able to play Witcher 3 on Ultra. 
On topic though, I'm curious to see if the modeling has vastly improved or if we're starting to hit a wall where basic modeling will still only get you so far without good IRs/tone tweaking.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

I don't get why everyone wants to drag a computer or tablet or need a phone to adjust thier amp. That sounds like hell.


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## KnightBrolaire (Jan 29, 2018)




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## diagrammatiks (Jan 29, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I don't get why everyone wants to drag a computer or tablet or need a phone to adjust thier amp. That sounds like hell.



everyone has a phone tho. as long as the software isn't glitchy why wouldn't you prefer a 6 inch full featured touchscreen though.


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## Genome (Jan 29, 2018)




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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

diagrammatiks said:


> everyone has a phone tho. as long as the software isn't glitchy why wouldn't you prefer a 6 inch full featured touchscreen though.



I rather that be part of the unit.

Fractal is in last place on user interfaces on thier devices. Kemper is better and the greater majority of Line 6 products are better.

Having an app would be cool, but as an extra. Just like Axe Edit.

I'd happily pay more for it. Heck, make it an "upgrade" tier.


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## diagrammatiks (Jan 29, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I rather that be part of the unit.



Sure, it could be. touchscreens are dirt cheap now.


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

teqnick said:


> more clarity, tightness, and picking dynamics than the II. Also has built in precision drive, so you dont need to carry the bulky pedal! Sounds best with Jackson HT6. Boom, axe III on backorder.
> 
> Jokes aside, i'm glad I haven't pulled the trigger on an Axe II. This will be a significant upgrade from my previous standard.



It's even satin finish.


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## laxu (Jan 29, 2018)

sakeido said:


> I wonder if the AD/DA will get better... Don't use my Axe 2 for shit anymore, hard to get good tone when the converters are such crap. If you aren't picky it's pretty boss but that digital sound will suck the life out of everything... it was funny seeing so many guys switch from tubes to Axe FX, then go back to tubes and pedals. People would rather haul a hundred pound amp & flight case and a pedalboard than play Axe, and I'm bettin money it's cuz the converters are so shit they couldn't even hang on as effects units
> 
> it's kind of a bummer they spent so much money on a color display and whatnot when a smartphone app or something similar would have let them keep the cost of the device down and still offer an interface improvement



You are the first I've read complain about the converters. I have gotten nothing but perfect sound out of my unit. I think the primary reason why some go back to tube amps and pedals is that they want something simple to operate and have realized they don't need hundreds of amp models and parameters.

I agree that it would have been a better move to double down on external controller support, whether in the form of an iPad, phone, desktop controller or a MIDI knob controller. My ideal Axe-Fx 3 would have been a simple 1u rack device with lots of peripheral connectivity instead.


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## Lemonbaby (Jan 29, 2018)

sakeido said:


> I wonder if the AD/DA will get better... Don't use my Axe 2 for shit anymore, hard to get good tone when the converters are such crap. If you aren't picky it's pretty boss but that digital sound will suck the life out of everything...


Fully agree - bought an Otari MX-80 last weekend. That digital stuff's just a short-term trend and won't be on the market five years from now...


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

diagrammatiks said:


> everyone has a phone tho. as long as the software isn't glitchy why wouldn't you prefer a 6 inch full featured touchscreen though.



I like to use my phone more or less simultaneously and supporting bugs and issues on both Android and iOS is like the last thing Cliff would ever do. It requires people to have decent phones. Honestly given the prices of touch screens this just isn't a good idea for a 2k+ device.


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

diagrammatiks said:


> everyone has a phone tho. as long as the software isn't glitchy why wouldn't you prefer a 6 inch full featured touchscreen though.



I like to use my phone more or less simultaneously and supporting bugs and issues on both Android and iOS is like the last thing Cliff would ever do. It requires people to have decent phones. Honestly given the prices of touch screens this just isn't a good idea for a 2k+ device.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

For what it's worth, I'm not asking for an iPhone in the front end of my Axe, just a better interface in general, which seems to be what they're working on now, thankfully. 

You can pile on the sound of Line 6 all day, but they have interfaces down.


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## diagrammatiks (Jan 29, 2018)

narad said:


> I like to use my phone more or less simultaneously and supporting bugs and issues on both Android and iOS is like the last thing Cliff would ever do. It requires people to have decent phones. Honestly given the prices of touch screens this just isn't a good idea for a 2k+ device.



but like max said you could just run a touchscreen on the front of the device.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I rather that be part of the unit.



Yup. 10 years from now when we are on Windows 27, and the editor is long obsolete, you will still be able to use the unit because you can get to every control on the unit itself.

I am always leery of units that do not have access to everything on the unit, because I have seen several cool units get left behind because of the dead editor.


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## TheShreddinHand (Jan 29, 2018)

Was just toying with the idea in my head of moving to either AX8, AXII, or Helix from my EVH this weekend. Put myself on the waitlist immeidately this morning. Will see what other info comes out. I really want to know how much those foot controllers will be.


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> Yup. 10 years from now when we are on Windows 27, and the editor is long obsolete, you will still be able to use the unit because you can get to every control on the unit itself.
> 
> I am always leery of units that do not have access to everything on the unit, because I have seen several cool units get left behind because of the dead editor.



It's wishful thinking that ten years down the road you'd want to use the Axe III for anything.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

narad said:


> It's wishful thinking that ten years down the road you'd want to use the Axe III for anything.



There are still tons of guys out there who bought new $4000 Eventide units back in the 80's that still use them today. Almost 40 years later..... 10 years seems like a pretty small goal....


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> There are still tons of guys out there who bought new $4000 Eventide units back in the 80's that still use them today. Almost 40 years later..... 10 years seems like a pretty small goal....



I don't view this as a sound analogy. How many people are still using Axe Is? And the rate in this space is only speeding up. In 10 years something twice as good as the Axe III will be on your phone.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

narad said:


> I don't view this as a sound analogy. How many people are still using Axe Is? And the rate in this space is only speeding up. In 10 years something twice as good as the Axe III will be on your phone.



Tons of people are using the Axe Standard. Do you think everyone just threw them away? 

I still see folks fight for used Standards and Ultras on eBay and Reverb and they last minutes on CL. 

They're still great sounding and flexible pieces of gear, only now they can be bought for LTD/Schecter money.


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## mnemonic (Jan 29, 2018)

Technically only 3 years until the Axe Fx II is 10 years old. I’m sure some people will have them in 2021.


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Tons of people are using the Axe Standard. Do you think everyone just threw them away?
> 
> I still see folks fight for used Standards and Ultras on eBay and Reverb and they last minutes on CL.
> 
> They're still great sounding and flexible pieces of gear, only now they can be bought for LTD/Schecter money.



I mean, we'll have to see what these Axe III sims are like, but I'd strongly bet against them being useful in 10 years for a number of factors that would need their own thread to be sussed out, mostly having to do with the move toward standalone software solutions / apps, changes in the way signal processes are modeled and the types of operations future DSPs will use.

Being useful is I guess too broadly defined to itself be useful as a criterion...I guess one could say the Zoom 505 pedal is still useful. Certainly not anything I would kick myself over if I now had no way of interacting with it though.


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## sakeido (Jan 29, 2018)

laxu said:


> You are the first I've read complain about the converters. I have gotten nothing but perfect sound out of my unit. I think the primary reason why some go back to tube amps and pedals is that they want something simple to operate and have realized they don't need hundreds of amp models and parameters.
> 
> I agree that it would have been a better move to double down on external controller support, whether in the form of an iPad, phone, desktop controller or a MIDI knob controller. My ideal Axe-Fx 3 would have been a simple 1u rack device with lots of peripheral connectivity instead.



if you run just the Axe you won't notice because the converters just become part of the sound. but I've been comparing my DI tracks that I took as an analog output from the Axe vs ones kept analog using a Littlelabs DI, and the Littlelabs DI tracks turn out better and there is an audible difference after re-amping. slight but for the cost of an Axe pretty disappointing

I hooked my Axe up using the 4 cable method so the Axe was before the amp & in the loop... it sucked so much out of the tone that experiment was over in about 5 minutes

in the end people go back because tubes are still better. I've had my Axe 2 for 5 years, been tweaking it all the while, and I can pull a better tone out of a tube head in 5 minutes than I can get in a couple hours of Axe tweaking. it'd be nice if they changed the amp models in the next version to reflect the amp's actual faceplate, with the amp controls only, in a way that works the same as the amp. like most other modelers have started doing these days


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## ihunda (Jan 29, 2018)

7 years out of the Axe-Fx II, not bad for digital stuff, much better than any phone!
To people complaining, your existing Axe Fx will continue to sound just as good then the III is out 

I for one, welcome our new modeling overlord.


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## zarg (Jan 29, 2018)

very interesting news.... I might go AxeFX now (from my pod xt pro rig)


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

narad said:


> I mean, we'll have to see what these Axe III sims are like, but I'd strongly bet against them being useful in 10 years for a number of factors that would need their own thread to be sussed out, mostly having to do with the move toward standalone software solutions / apps, changes in the way signal processes are modeled and the types of operations future DSPs will use.
> 
> Being useful is I guess too broadly defined to itself be useful as a criterion...I guess one could say the Zoom 505 pedal is still useful. Certainly not anything I would kick myself over if I now had no way of interacting with it though.



It's been over a decade and the Standard is still useful. Is it the best? Not anymore. But I'd still take it over most other things under a certain budget.


----------



## bulb (Jan 29, 2018)

sakeido said:


> if you run just the Axe you won't notice because the converters just become part of the sound. but I've been comparing my DI tracks that I took as an analog output from the Axe vs ones kept analog using a Littlelabs DI, and the Littlelabs DI tracks turn out better and there is an audible difference after re-amping. slight but for the cost of an Axe pretty disappointing
> 
> I hooked my Axe up using the 4 cable method so the Axe was before the amp & in the loop... it sucked so much out of the tone that experiment was over in about 5 minutes
> 
> in the end people go back because tubes are still better. I've had my Axe 2 for 5 years, been tweaking it all the while, and I can pull a better tone out of a tube head in 5 minutes than I can get in a couple hours of Axe tweaking. it'd be nice if they changed the amp models in the next version to reflect the amp's actual faceplate, with the amp controls only, in a way that works the same as the amp. like most other modelers have started doing these days



The converters are fine on the Axefx II. The DI path sucks, but that's why you use a dedicated DI box (as you should with anything else) and problem solved, and to this day I'm not aware of a unit that doesn't have tone suck and become noisy with 4CM. As I understand it, it's more the nature of 4CM than it is the nature of the unit itself.

With that said, apparently the signal path and conversion on the III is a noticeable step up. But modelers aren't for everyone. If you have such an easy time getting good tone out of tube heads and have this much trouble after 5 years with an Axefx, I have to wonder why you would even bother with it at this point haha?


----------



## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> It's been over a decade and the Standard is still useful. Is it the best? Not anymore. But I'd still take it over most other things under a certain budget.



I would too, but how useful would it be if Bias actually sounded good? That's where we're headed. Budget options that sound really good.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Jan 29, 2018)

narad said:


> I would too, but how useful would it be if Bias actually sounded good? That's where we're headed. Budget options that sound really good.



But we're not there yet and there's no saying when we will be. Bias has been around for what, three or four years now? Have you played the Bias Head that came out more recently? Yeah, it'll probably get better sooner or later, but it's not a guarantee. 

I can't think of a single standalone device that is better than the Axe Standard that's not at least $1k. I'm seeing the Standard dropping to as little $500 since folks are going to shift upwards.


----------



## bulb (Jan 29, 2018)

narad said:


> I would too, but how useful would it be if Bias actually sounded good? That's where we're headed. Budget options that sound really good.


I'm workin on a few things hehe


----------



## sakeido (Jan 29, 2018)

bulb said:


> The converters are fine on the Axefx II. The DI path sucks, but that's why you use a dedicated DI box (as you should with anything else) and problem solved, and to this day I'm not aware of a unit that doesn't have tone suck and become noisy with 4CM. As I understand it, it's more the nature of 4CM than it is the nature of the unit itself.
> 
> With that said, apparently the signal path and conversion on the III is a noticeable step up. But modelers aren't for everyone. If you have such an easy time getting good tone out of tube heads and have this much trouble after 5 years with an Axefx, I have to wonder why you would even bother with it at this point haha?



if the converters were fine, they wouldn't be able to make a noticeable step up with the III

the Axe was my quiet/silent option until I finally tried a tube preamp pedal and found out how awesome those things have gotten.. I'd recommend 9 out of 10 people mess with those rather than fork out the cash for an Axe these days. most people would be happy with my Axe tones, I think, but the real amps are always better, sometimes way better. the 5153 models are a joke even on newer firmwares. Kemper comes much closer and is almost $1k cheaper


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

bulb said:


> I'm workin on a few things hehe



Ha, with Bias?


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## MrYakob (Jan 29, 2018)

narad said:


> Ha, with Bias?


Based on the teaser pics I saw come out of NAMM, I think it's going to be Toneforge


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## Ericjutsu (Jan 29, 2018)

bulb said:


> I'm workin on a few things hehe


yeah you should be working on buying me an Axe FX III.


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## narad (Jan 29, 2018)

Ericjutsu said:


> yeah you should be working on buying me an Axe FX III.



Is this the SSO comment equivalent of "Go make me a sandwich"?


----------



## boogie2 (Jan 29, 2018)

tuttermuts said:


> Don't know if this has been posted yet
> 
> http://www.fractalaudio.com/iii/



I suspect the bigger issue is that the Tigersharc DSP that is used by Fractal (and line 6 too if I'm not mistaken) is going "end of life" (meaning they're going to discontinue the chip). If they want to keep selling units, they have to redesign around a new processor. I think this will effect the Helix as well. Not sure what Kemper uses. 

I waited almost 2 years after the launch of the AxeII before upgrading my Ultra. It still sounded good and was a reliable piece of gear. I'll probably wait a year or 2 before replacing my XL (maybe when they come out with the Axe-fx III XL .

No worries. It's just part of the business.


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## 4Eyes (Jan 29, 2018)

Ugrade FX8 with new tech and I'll probably switch over from my Eventide pedals


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## Ericjutsu (Jan 29, 2018)

narad said:


> Is this the SSO comment equivalent of "Go make me a sandwich"?


I would eat a sandwich made by Misha


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## Paul McAleer (Jan 29, 2018)

Pretty glad I didn't upgrade to the II, still have the ultra on my rack since 2010.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

My phone is like 4 years old, and it was 3 years old when I bought it. I guess I am REALLY out of touch with the "shiny new thing" disease most have.


----------



## Curt (Jan 29, 2018)

Damn... Cool that they're working on the interface. But I still cant afford it. Maybe I can get a used 2 now instead of the helix though.


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## xzacx (Jan 29, 2018)

I was excited when I saw this, thinking that maybe a new interface would be implemented. Unfortunately, I don't think the PS2-level graphics are going to add much to the user experience for me. I assume it will sound better than ever, but I was more or less happy with the tones from the last one considering it's not a amp and never will be. Actually using the thing though? I know some of you guys have a good grasp on it and have no issues, but I'm not as smart as some of you either.


----------



## JoeyBTL (Jan 29, 2018)

Its pretty funny seeing how many Axe IIs are going up for sale today. Luckily I'm really happy with my II right now because of their recent FW updates, so I don't have extreme gas for the III and can certainly wait until they go down in price or at least a Black Friday sale.


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## Sang-Drax (Jan 29, 2018)

Genome said:


> Haha, imagine how annoyed you'd be if you just bought an Axe FX II...



That would me. Mine arrived literally three days ago.


----------



## ESPImperium (Jan 29, 2018)

Im still waiting on a effects only, no amp or cab sims unit that is ideally in a 2 or 3U rack unit, but would accept a floor units like the new Line 6 HX Effects.


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## Sephiroth952 (Jan 29, 2018)

ESPImperium said:


> Im still waiting on a effects only, no amp or cab sims unit that is ideally in a 2 or 3U rack unit, but would accept a floor units like the new Line 6 HX Effects.


https://www.fractalaudio.com/p-fx8-multieffects-pedalboard/ ?


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## Lemonbaby (Jan 29, 2018)

boogie2 said:


> I suspect the bigger issue is that the Tigersharc DSP that is used by Fractal (and line 6 too if I'm not mistaken) is going "end of life" (meaning they're going to discontinue the chip). If they want to keep selling units, they have to redesign around a new processor. I think this will effect the Helix as well. Not sure what Kemper uses.


AxeFX II uses the discontinued ADSP-TS201, Helix is based on the newer ADSP-21469. Both aren't close to the performance possible with TI's Keystone which is available with core frequencies up to 1.2GHz. No idea which exact DSP is used, but the most powerful devices from this family integrate 8 DSP cores and 4 ARM cores while the devices in Helix/AxeFX2 have two DSP cores running at “only“ 450/600MHz.

Whatever, I'm happy with my Helix and somewhat relieved that Fractal didn't manage to come up with a nice user interface. They might catch up with their next gen hardware in five years though...


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

Sang-Drax said:


> That would me. Mine arrived literally three days ago.


At least they have been cheaper recently. They have been about $500 cheaper than in the past.


----------



## blacai (Jan 29, 2018)




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## Paul McAleer (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> My phone is like 4 years old, and it was 3 years old when I bought it. I guess I am REALLY out of touch with the "shiny new thing" disease most have.



I just upgraded my iPhone 4 recently I never really felt the need to upgrade something if it's not broken. 'Tis be an exception though. Seeing how I'm sure the ultra will crap out on me sooner or later.


----------



## angl2k (Jan 29, 2018)

BRB selling my first unborn child to afford this.. probably gonna cost 2500-2800 euro in Europe :|

I wish there was a 'lite' version with the basics since I'm tempted by the digital rig option but won't be using 90% of the features.


----------



## mikah912 (Jan 29, 2018)

MrYakob said:


> Based on the teaser pics I saw come out of NAMM, I think it's going to be Toneforge



JST Bulb-asaur?


----------



## mnemonic (Jan 29, 2018)

I picked a hell of a time to buy a real amp and transition away from the axe fx II. 

Welp, I guess I’ll just have to keep the axe fx also. Boom, justified it to myself, thanks cliff.


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## Tisca (Jan 29, 2018)

This is a GAS trap. You should wait for the III XL+.


----------



## Genome (Jan 29, 2018)

Sang-Drax said:


> That would me. Mine arrived literally three days ago.



Maybe contact Fractal. If it's that new, they might give you a bit of leeway and allow you to return it.


----------



## TheWarAgainstTime (Jan 29, 2018)

This is pretty cool to see. I remember years back when the MKII version of the Axe II came out that Cliff said not to worry about an Axe III for several more years until a change in hardware/processing was large enough to justify an entirely new unit. That was 2014 IIRC, so his statement ended up being pretty accurate  

I love my Axe FX II (mkI) to death and it works great in 4CM, but I barely even scratch the surface of what I know the unit is capable of. I definitely don't need the upgrade, but I'll at least be able to get a cheaper replacement II if mine ever gives out


----------



## curlyvice (Jan 29, 2018)

I signed up for the wait list first thing this morning. I'm still using a Mark I Axe FX II and I won't be selling it but I'm definitely going to get the III. I'm really excited about the possibilities of the new unit and the new footswitch in particular. I only really have about 8 sounds I use live so the FC-6 looks like a winner for me.


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## Andromalia (Jan 29, 2018)

And here I go again, got on the G66 waiting list. Soundwise I4m perfectly fine with the "basic" II I own, but the 8X8 USB is a big seller for me, removing the need to use an external sound card entirely for dialing in the mix.
With the added input/outputs I guess it can be used as a studio effects unit for mixing/mastering pretty easily too. (it can already be done but you have to manually switch whenever you want to record/edit)



> But YEARS later I can accept. These other companies seem to do yearly upgrades (or so it feels)


I bought my axe II at release in 2011, that's money well spend and used.


----------



## Cheap (Jan 29, 2018)

oh good more option paralysis for me! 

i like the idea of this being an all in one tone solution/soundcard for those of us who only ever track guitar or bass remotely, but will definitely be waiting for this to be out in the wild for a bit. wet/dry/wet + DI thru USB and volume control for all on the front panel? that's pretty sick


----------



## Albake21 (Jan 29, 2018)

I just really want to know if the new foot controllers work with Axe FXII. I'm super happy with my AX8, but I wouldn't mind upgrading to an Axe FXII XL+ and getting one of the new, smaller FC with it. I'm sure the II's are going to sell used pretty cheap soon.


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## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

Albake21 said:


> I just really want to know if the new foot controllers work with Axe FXII. I'm super happy with my AX8, but I wouldn't mind upgrading to an Axe FXII XL+ and getting one of the new, smaller FC with it. I'm sure the II's are going to sell used pretty cheap soon.



I have read no on their forum. They are not compatible.


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## Albake21 (Jan 29, 2018)

Shask said:


> I have read no on their forum. They are not compatible.


Damn... I will stick with my AX8 for a while then. Thank you.


----------



## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

Albake21 said:


> Damn... I will stick with my AX8 for a while then. Thank you.



Well, I think they will work if you use MIDI, and power it with an adapter, but I don't think the 1-cable FASlink will work.


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## teqnick (Jan 29, 2018)

All the axe II's posted for sale today at lower than before prices is making my nether regions engorge


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## Jake (Jan 29, 2018)

Tisca said:


> This is a GAS trap. You should wait for the III XL+.


This 

I waited for the II XL+ and I'll wait again damnit. I'm actually super happy with my II but this could be cool in a few years when the price comes down a bit.


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## Spinedriver (Jan 29, 2018)

zarg said:


> very interesting news.... I might go AxeFX now (from my pod xt pro rig)



I'm still rockin' an X3 & a GSP1101. If/when the GSP ever dies, that's when I'll probably look into getting either an Axe Ultra/Helix or maybe even an Axe II if I can find one cheap enough.


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## Andromalia (Jan 29, 2018)

Tisca said:


> This is a GAS trap. You should wait for the III XL+.



I know it was intended as a joke, but as a long time Fractal user, I actually advise to jump on the first models: the XL, XL+ or whatever they'll call them aren't different tonewise, I absolutely felt 0 need to upgrade my unit. I'll get a III not for the sound but for the extra in/outs and the USBx8 which will allow me to actually get rid of my sound card in the rack. There's a good chance I can even plug my Mini Korg in without having to unplug it ever. Upgrading to the Ultra from standard made sense because it had different blocks, but there is a very good chance you won't get anything from an axe III XXL++² if you don't have a very specific need. The only case where I found the II to lack CPU power was when I tried to do some reaaaaaaaally stupid stuff that nobody ever uses, except maybe a cross between The Edge and Devin Townsend on an LSD trip.


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## Shoeless_jose (Jan 29, 2018)

Wonder if Cliff has some blue ones being made for Bulb and company.

Looks very cool, I am quite happy with my Helix and tube amps, if anything I am gassing more for different tube amps like that new Tremonti amp, or Brent Hinds amp, or maybe a Mesa TC-50. 

Even with the Helix I barely scratch the surface, and honestly prefer the clean tone of my 5153 to any of the old twins and stuff like that. but who knows I am likely just doing it wrong.


----------



## Shask (Jan 29, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> I picked a hell of a time to buy a real amp and transition away from the axe fx II.
> 
> Welp, I guess I’ll just have to keep the axe fx also. Boom, justified it to myself, thanks cliff.



Lol, that is kind of how I feel also. I have had my Axe II for years, but have always had that feeling in the back of my head that I wondered if I should sell it, because I probably use 10% of what it can do. It was just a lot of money in so much I dont use. However, as the value is dropping, the less I feel bad about it... I would rather not lose $1000, so I might as well keep it.

That being said, I think the presets I created this week on 9.04 are the best it has ever sounded. That low end thump has finally improved after all these years.


----------



## mongey (Jan 29, 2018)

I liked the XL while I had it . in the end wasn't for me and sold it . if I still owned it today I'd def be a little jealous of the III . but that's the nature of technology.


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## odibrom (Jan 29, 2018)

Explain me this, please. I bought a G-Force last year by dirty cheap. I can have lots of different sounds per patch, either dynamic (with modifiers) or more conventional (on/off). I have access to all FXs at each preset (as long as they are in the preset's FX chain) which means way more than 8 sounds per preset/patch. How come you only have 8 sounds per patch with AXE FX II? What are the _MIDI CONTROL CHANGE_ messages for? Doesn't the Axe has those?

Oh, yes, I know, the G-Force is vintage already, but it is still working properly and sounds awesome, even with all the digital developments through out the years. Axe I and II will still be rocking big time along the road if taken care of.


----------



## Dayn (Jan 29, 2018)

Mmm! I was only recently lamenting how I was pushing my POD HD500 to its limit over the past 4-5 years or however long I've had it.

Maybe it's finally time...


----------



## JP Universe (Jan 29, 2018)

I'll be jumping on board - Might look for a used one here in Oz maybe in 6 months when (Hopefully) someone grabs one and it's not for them. Sure, there's a lot of stuff I won't need and I get more than enough out of my 2XL+ but based on my previous upgrade from the Ultra it will be more than worth it. What can I say I like my toys  Happy to go through that honeymoon period and the process of working all new patches for band stuff and at home. Previously I was working with presets only with 2 banks but with channel switching I might try and work on a setup with scenes this time around


----------



## Paul McAleer (Jan 29, 2018)

Tisca said:


> This is a GAS trap. You should wait for the III XL+.



It will feature a built in poweramp.


----------



## Elric (Jan 29, 2018)

Genome said:


> Maybe contact Fractal. If it's that new, they might give you a bit of leeway and allow you to return it.


Three days? They have to. They have a 15 day money back satisfaction policy.


----------



## FireInside (Jan 29, 2018)

All this is doing is fueling my GAS to get a II XL. I love my Ultra but now with prices dropping on the II I may need to feed the GAS monster!


----------



## Zalbu (Jan 30, 2018)

Shask said:


> Yup. 10 years from now when we are on Windows 27, and the editor is long obsolete, you will still be able to use the unit because you can get to every control on the unit itself.
> 
> I am always leery of units that do not have access to everything on the unit, because I have seen several cool units get left behind because of the dead editor.


The Digitech GSP1101 is 11 years old at this point and the desktop editor still works fine on Windows 10, I doubt the Axe Edit would be any different.


----------



## blacai (Jan 30, 2018)

I really don't know that much about these things.
How big would the difference soundwise between the II/XL and the new one? Or it is just a matter of power and editor features?


----------



## mnemonic (Jan 30, 2018)

Shask said:


> Lol, that is kind of how I feel also. I have had my Axe II for years, but have always had that feeling in the back of my head that I wondered if I should sell it, because I probably use 10% of what it can do. It was just a lot of money in so much I dont use. However, as the value is dropping, the less I feel bad about it... I would rather not lose $1000, so I might as well keep it.
> 
> That being said, I think the presets I created this week on 9.04 are the best it has ever sounded. That low end thump has finally improved after all these years.



yep, this has helped justify keeping it. Maybe I’ll just sell my fryette 2/50/2 (as I really don’t need two tube rigs) and either run the axe fx into the recto when I want it loud, and eventually pick up a small SS poweramp when I find one cheap. I wonder how long until people start selling those Seymour Duncan Powerstages. Especially since you say the most recent firmware helps with the thump, I may not mind going back to SS (especially as I could just go tube as well if I want).



blacai said:


> I really don't know that much about these things.
> How big would the difference soundwise between the II/XL and the new one? Or it is just a matter of power and editor features?



Probably no sound difference at first. From what I remember when the II came out, it sounded the same as the ultra until the ultra ran out of memory, at which point it’s support ended.

The axe fx ii just kept going and is very different and more advanced at this point. I imagine it will be the same thing again.


----------



## downburst82 (Jan 30, 2018)

I might actually wind up with this.

Ive been doing pedals (Lots of pedals...) and tube amps the past several years but now that im actually doing more home recording I finally find myself wishing I had something like this to make getting great tones at home easier. Also I have a 9 string and none of my gear can really get me the sounds I want with it.

I had been considering the Helix but I will be taking a very long look at this now as well.


----------



## laxu (Jan 30, 2018)

Shask said:


> Lol, that is kind of how I feel also. I have had my Axe II for years, but have always had that feeling in the back of my head that I wondered if I should sell it, because I probably use 10% of what it can do. It was just a lot of money in so much I dont use. However, as the value is dropping, the less I feel bad about it... I would rather not lose $1000, so I might as well keep it.



I've had my Axe-Fx 2 MK I for 5 years now. The way I see it, it has paid itself off so I'm not too concerned I take a hit if I decide to sell it. I also use a fairly limited amount of its capabilities but it has kept me from buying more guitar gear for years. The situation would have been very different if the Axe-Fx 3 had been a massive UI overhaul I was hoping for but now I'll just keep making the 2 work for me.


----------



## laxu (Jan 30, 2018)

odibrom said:


> Explain me this, please. I bought a G-Force last year by dirty cheap. I can have lots of different sounds per patch, either dynamic (with modifiers) or more conventional (on/off). I have access to all FXs at each preset (as long as they are in the preset's FX chain) which means way more than 8 sounds per preset/patch. How come you only have 8 sounds per patch with AXE FX II? What are the _MIDI CONTROL CHANGE_ messages for? Doesn't the Axe has those?
> 
> Oh, yes, I know, the G-Force is vintage already, but it is still working properly and sounds awesome, even with all the digital developments through out the years. Axe I and II will still be rocking big time along the road if taken care of.



The 8 scenes in each preset allow you to turn on/off any fx blocks per scene as well as have two completely different sets of parameters for each block (e.g. two different amp models with their own gain and EQ settings). So they are kind of like a preset within a preset for faster switching. Alternatively you can configure MIDI CCs to turn specific fx blocks on or off so they work like stompboxes. You can also attach modifiers to some but not all parameters to control them with LFOs or a pedal if you want.

Before the scenes feature, I would set one row on my foot controller to switch presets and one row to turn fx on/off. With scenes I instead have one row to switch scenes and the other to switch presets because it's nicer to be able to turn multiple fx on and off if I want. On all my patches I use the scenes as both channel switches by changing amp models as well as applying different effects on those channels.


----------



## Genome (Jan 30, 2018)

Elric said:


> Three days? They have to. They have a 15 day money back satisfaction policy.



Problem solved then


----------



## tuttermuts (Jan 30, 2018)

I wonder if down the line they're going to upgrade the AX8 as well.


----------



## Albake21 (Jan 30, 2018)

tuttermuts said:


> I wonder if down the line they're going to upgrade the AX8 as well.


I really hope so because it's pretty easy to push it's limits, plus the lack of dual amps on one patch is a real bummer. Makes me want to upgrade to an II XL+


----------



## Sang-Drax (Jan 30, 2018)

Genome said:


> Maybe contact Fractal. If it's that new, they might give you a bit of leeway and allow you to return it.



Thanks for the tip, but I bought mine used, at least. I just happened to decide to upgrade from the Ultra in the worst possible moment


----------



## Furtive Glance (Jan 30, 2018)

Was just in the process of maybe pulling the trigger on a II XL+. MISSION ABORT. *signs up to waitlist instead.


----------



## Lorcan Ward (Jan 30, 2018)

I have to admire Fractal's marketing. They didn't have a booth at NAMM and waited until Monday where everyone would have still been talking about products unveiled there, my whole feed is Axe-Fx III now and very little about anything else at NAMM. They also managed to keep the whole process secret which is quite a feat with so many programmers, builders, beta testers, artists etc working on it. 

Me and countless others were waiting on Kemper to release the Mk2 model so come Monday we were extremely disappointed, a 25 page thread had to be closed on the Kemper forums cause it descended into childish bickering. One day later and the Axe-Fx III is announced out of nowhere, with a waiting list, price and estimated to be in US customers hands in 5-6 weeks.


----------



## Shask (Jan 30, 2018)

laxu said:


> I've had my Axe-Fx 2 MK I for 5 years now. The way I see it, it has paid itself off so I'm not too concerned I take a hit if I decide to sell it. I also use a fairly limited amount of its capabilities but it has kept me from buying more guitar gear for years. The situation would have been very different if the Axe-Fx 3 had been a massive UI overhaul I was hoping for but now I'll just keep making the 2 work for me.


Yeah, I got my Mark II in 2013. I didn't buy any gear for years... actually until recently as I have gotten more into pedals, just for the fun of it.... not really because I needed them. I don't feel bad, or psychotic like some out there, lol... I feel like it has had a good run.

I think one reason why I never used much on it is because I never had a footcontroller for it. Maybe I should find a MarkII MFC on a good deal now. 

I dont mind the UI. I use it more than Axe-Edit, and I am pretty good at it. However, I do hope the software works for years to come. There would be no other way to load IRs and such.


----------



## Shask (Jan 30, 2018)

laxu said:


> I've had my Axe-Fx 2 MK I for 5 years now. The way I see it, it has paid itself off so I'm not too concerned I take a hit if I decide to sell it. I also use a fairly limited amount of its capabilities but it has kept me from buying more guitar gear for years. The situation would have been very different if the Axe-Fx 3 had been a massive UI overhaul I was hoping for but now I'll just keep making the 2 work for me.


Also, interesting enough, I almost feel like I have seen way more people say the II is good enough for them and don't plan on upgrading. I kind of wonder how many people will move up to the III. I wonder if it will be as popular as people think at first.....


----------



## Shask (Jan 30, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> yep, this has helped justify keeping it. Maybe I’ll just sell my fryette 2/50/2 (as I really don’t need two tube rigs) and either run the axe fx into the recto when I want it loud, and eventually pick up a small SS poweramp when I find one cheap. I wonder how long until people start selling those Seymour Duncan Powerstages. Especially since you say the most recent firmware helps with the thump, I may not mind going back to SS (especially as I could just go tube as well if I want).
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yeah, I think I would feel different if I ran complete FRFR, but using it with guitar cabs I am not using a big part of it..... the cab blocks and IRs. I think the big improvements will come to the cab / IR blocks in the future.

Yes, when the II came out it sounded exactly the same as the Standard/Ultra. It took 7 years of updates to get where it is now. I don't expect the III to sound massively different for 2-3 years. I feel like most of the upgrade would be for the features, for those who need those extra switching and configuration abilities.


----------



## Lemonbaby (Jan 30, 2018)

tuttermuts said:


> I wonder if down the line they're going to upgrade the AX8 as well.


I'd assume so, but who knows when exactly "down the line" is? Fractal will try to keep the firmware maintenance low and not support too many platforms in parallel, but they're generally really user-friendly so I wouldn't worry about the AX8 being outdated any time soon.


----------



## Genome (Jan 30, 2018)

I love the fact that Fractal Audio won NAMM without even going.


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## thraxil (Jan 30, 2018)

Shask said:


> Also, interesting enough, I almost feel like I have seen way more people say the II is good enough for them and don't plan on upgrading. I kind of wonder how many people will move up to the III. I wonder if it will be as popular as people think at first.....



I guess I'm pretty much in that category. I've had a II mk2 for a few years now and feel like I've barely scratched the surface of what it can do. I mostly stick with pretty meat and potatoes tones though: one or two amp blocks, maybe a drive, delay, and a bit of reverb on each patch. Not coming close to the CPU limits.

The UI improvements look nice though. I mostly use Axe-Edit so it's not that important to me, but it looks like direct editing on the III is going to be quite a bit nicer.

I'll likely skip the III and try to get a few more years of use out of mine. Maybe when the IV is released, I'll be ready to upgrade.


----------



## Andromalia (Jan 30, 2018)

Shask said:


> Also, interesting enough, I almost feel like I have seen way more people say the II is good enough for them and don't plan on upgrading. I kind of wonder how many people will move up to the III. I wonder if it will be as popular as people think at first.....



I'll buy it for the added I/O and the 8X8 USB, which will make using the AXEIII as studio outboard gear much easier. Soundwise, I'm plenty satisfied with the II.


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## lewstherin006 (Jan 30, 2018)

I did a video trying to explaining everything that is new!


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## Andromalia (Jan 30, 2018)

I did it: 

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...miku-pedal-in-that-thing.134829/#post-1594010


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## Tisca (Jan 30, 2018)

Lorcan Ward said:


> I have to admire Fractal's marketing. They didn't have a booth at NAMM and waited until Monday where everyone would have still been talking about products unveiled there, my whole feed is Axe-Fx III now and very little about anything else at NAMM...



Or more likely waited to check out the competition to see how high they could jack up the prices. No new Kemper, Boss entering the game with meh. If they had a booth at NAMM everyone would be asking "how much?". They knew exactly how much the production costs since some are already built. Misha had a unit all along.

Remember back when the first and only Axe-Fx unit was out and there was a long waiting list, months. Only artists got their right away. The day the Kemper was announced they were like "what waiting list, we have tons of inventory".


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## Lemonbaby (Jan 30, 2018)

Tisca said:


> Remember back when the first and only Axe-Fx unit was out and there was a long waiting list, months. Only artists got their right away. The day the Kemper was announced they were like "what waiting list, we have tons of inventory".


Also not a big fan of their Rolex-strategy, this is obviously done on purpose. 

Before I went the Helix way, I wanted to purchase the AX8 and got on the waiting list (at G66). However, after almost four months I still hadn't received a notification and saw that it's on stock in their shop. Got me thinking how the service will be once they have my money if going through their waiting list is already too much to ask for.


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## tuttermuts (Jan 30, 2018)

Andromalia said:


> I did it:
> 
> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...miku-pedal-in-that-thing.134829/#post-1594010



Well now here I was trying to save up for possibly an ax8 but I guess I'll go sell a kidney now...XD good job, would be hilarious if they actually did it.


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## diagrammatiks (Jan 30, 2018)

Lorcan Ward said:


> I have to admire Fractal's marketing. They didn't have a booth at NAMM and waited until Monday where everyone would have still been talking about products unveiled there, my whole feed is Axe-Fx III now and very little about anything else at NAMM. They also managed to keep the whole process secret which is quite a feat with so many programmers, builders, beta testers, artists etc working on it.
> 
> Me and countless others were waiting on Kemper to release the Mk2 model so come Monday we were extremely disappointed, a 25 page thread had to be closed on the Kemper forums cause it descended into childish bickering. One day later and the Axe-Fx III is announced out of nowhere, with a waiting list, price and estimated to be in US customers hands in 5-6 weeks.



my entire feed is AxeFX III announcements, Tube vs Modeling Memes, and AxeFx II's for sale. 

I'm not even sure other gear even came out at namm anymore. I think it did? But there's no way to check.


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## btbg (Jan 30, 2018)

lewstherin006 said:


> I did a video trying to explaining everything that is new!




Why?


----------



## MASS DEFECT (Jan 30, 2018)

Man, local craigslist has two XL IIs going for 1.3K. Not good. Not good at all.


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## narad (Jan 30, 2018)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Man, local craigslist has two XL IIs going for 1.3K. Not good. Not good at all.



Actually this happened right at the Axe II announcement -- Ultras went super low. Then a few months later they were up a couple hundred. You know, case by case, but at least in that instance the prices were lowest right at the time of announcement.


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## MASS DEFECT (Jan 30, 2018)

fractal fans are crazy!


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## Shask (Jan 30, 2018)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Man, local craigslist has two XL IIs going for 1.3K. Not good. Not good at all.



I saw one for $999. People just panic. It will even out over time. I think XL+s will probably settle around $1400-$1500, and MKI/II at $1200-$1300 after a few months.


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## mnemonic (Jan 30, 2018)

Why sell now though? They won’t get a III for a couple months minimum.


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## Genome (Jan 30, 2018)

Shask said:


> I saw one for $999. People just panic. It will even out over time. I think XL+s will probably settle around $1400-$1500, and MKI/II at $1200-$1300 after a few months.



I think that's the best thing about the announcement, for me... I don't have a II anymore, but would quite like one again for the studio while keeping my Mark V for live duties (the Axe never felt right in a live context for me).

The III is probably out of my price range/little bit overkill for my needs but I can now pick up a II for a good price.


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## diagrammatiks (Jan 30, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> Why sell now though? They won’t get a III for a couple months minimum.



How would you feel as a fractal-fanboy knowing that the gear in front of you wasn't the best anymore. 

shit bro you'd be selling that thing yesterday.


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## Andromalia (Jan 30, 2018)

> Also not a big fan of their Rolex-strategy, this is obviously done on purpose.



They're still a small operation all things considered, which Rolex certainly isn't. Besides, I'm not an artist and I got my axe II preeetty fast.


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## mnemonic (Jan 30, 2018)

diagrammatiks said:


> How would you feel as a fractal-fanboy knowing that the gear in front of you wasn't the best anymore.
> 
> shit bro you'd be selling that thing yesterday.



Well, I guess there are multiple people on the fractal forum who have admitted to owning every single version, having updated each time.


----------



## HeHasTheJazzHands (Jan 30, 2018)

Shask said:


> Also, interesting enough, I almost feel like I have seen way more people say the II is good enough for them and don't plan on upgrading. I kind of wonder how many people will move up to the III. I wonder if it will be as popular as people think at first.....



My mind is a bit hazy around the Axe II announcement, but was it the same thing there? Did people feel satisfied enough with their Axe Standards/Ultras to stay with them?


----------



## Rich5150 (Jan 30, 2018)

id love to get the III will i lose sleep if i don't no. I have had my AxeFX II MkI for around 5 or 6 years now (bought used) i also wouldn't mind an XL+ for the preset and cab storage. If they no longer offer updates for the II's (I think there will still be a couple more) i wouldn't lose sleep over it it still sounds awesome to me.


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## Andromalia (Jan 30, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> My mind is a bit hazy around the Axe II announcement, but was it the same thing there? Did people feel satisfied enough with their Axe Standards/Ultras to stay with them?



It's been a few years, but the situation wasn't the same: the original axe was a POS to program and get a good sound out of. It still took a few firmware upgrades for the axe II to become plug and play but its ease of use was mich better.
Additionally, it had higher def impulses (cabs) and included a sound card, making it a studio and home recording tool the axe 1 wasn't.

There was much more progress to be had to come closer to "true" guitar sounds. Honestly at this point Fractal is maybe 99% there and the progress left is minimal. To be honest I expected the next unit to actually be smaller than the II, 1U maybe, but Fractal went the way of adding I/O and a large screen, that latter probably prompted by the Helix success and its acclaimed interface.

The axe 1 did very high gain and cleans very well, but the middle of the road overdiven sound was lacking imho (Think 80es hair metal or something like the Staus Quo rythm tones)

People aren't so much running after the tones because, today, with an axe II, you pick an amp, a cab and voila. The axe II itself has come a long way, but so have the impulse makers. Overall the need for "better" is much less than 7 years ago.


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## narad (Jan 30, 2018)

Andromalia said:


> There was much more progress to be had to come closer to "true" guitar sounds. Honestly at this point Fractal is maybe 99% there and the progress left is minimal.



I'm guessing you don't play a lot of mid-gain types of sounds.


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## Shask (Jan 30, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> My mind is a bit hazy around the Axe II announcement, but was it the same thing there? Did people feel satisfied enough with their Axe Standards/Ultras to stay with them?


I think some people were satisfied with the tones, but there was a bigger jump because the II had USB audio, and the Standard/Ultra didn't. Most people wanted to update so they didn't have to have a separate recording interface.


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## Avedas (Jan 30, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> Well, I guess there are multiple people on the fractal forum who have admitted to owning every single version, having updated each time.


Considering you can sell them for really good value, I feel like the actual cost of upgrading each time probably isn't all that crazy.


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## Krucifixtion (Jan 30, 2018)

I don't really have too much interest upgrading to a III immediately. I honestly feel like my II (Mark I) is still under-utilized for what I do. Even if I decided to use it solely with my amp for FX only it would provide way more than I would ever need. I will probably way for the III to be out for a while and go through some updates before I consider. If my Axe-Fx was my sole rig I would possibly consider this sooner, but seeing as I still use my ENGL for live and am actually looking to reamp this time around with a real tube head and cab sim like an Ox Box instead of purely Axe-Fx I think I will wait a bit.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 30, 2018)

narad said:


> I'm guessing you don't play a lot of mid-gain types of sounds.



I find those types of tones are far more susceptible to how you have the Axe setup, more specifically what you're actually listening with. 

Have you tried it through studio monitors or through a real (nice) guitar cab? Solid state power is fine.

The mid gain stuff really needs to fill the room to sound right and not all setups will do that.


----------



## narad (Jan 30, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I find those types of tones are far more susceptible to how you have the Axe setup, more specifically what you're actually listening with.
> 
> Have you tried it through studio monitors or through a real (nice) guitar cab? Solid state power is fine.
> 
> The mid gain stuff really needs to fill the room to sound right and not all setups will do that.



I usually run it through the power amp of some actual head and then through a 4x12, I'm even getting some tubes in the pipeline. I could be guilty of not trying to tweak the thing to death too, but I also choose a lot of amps specifically for their not-clean, not-high-gain stuff, often class A. On the hunt for a Komet Concorde right now, for instance.

Judging from demos I'd give the mid-gain upper hand to the Kemper, but I still find it paling in comparison to like... anything a Bogner 20th XTC will spit out.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jan 30, 2018)

narad said:


> I usually run it through the power amp of some actual head and then through a 4x12, I'm even getting some tubes in the pipeline. I could be guilty of not trying to tweak the thing to death too, but I also choose a lot of amps specifically for their not-clean, not-high-gain stuff, often class A. On the hunt for a Komet Concorde right now, for instance.
> 
> Judging from demos I'd give the mid-gain upper hand to the Kemper, but I still find it paling in comparison to like... anything a Bogner 20th XTC will spit out.



I agree with you on the Kemper, and it's one of the reasons I've considered ditching the Axe as I'm not a big effects user and try to stick to raw amps/cabs. 

I think you're in a unique position as you have, at hand, amps that will plug-n-play what you need and an Axe. I haven't turned on an actual tube amp in probably two years. 

I still think it's worth playing with the setup over deep tweaking in the unit itself. I've never been a fan of putting the Axe through another amp's power section.


----------



## lewstherin006 (Jan 30, 2018)




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## laxu (Jan 31, 2018)

HeHasTheJazzHands said:


> My mind is a bit hazy around the Axe II announcement, but was it the same thing there? Did people feel satisfied enough with their Axe Standards/Ultras to stay with them?



I went about a year before moving to the Axe-Fx 2 and mostly because I got a decent deal on a used one. At the time of release I could not tell any difference in sound.

There will always be people who have to have the latest and greatest as well as others who find that some specific feature is exactly the thing they need so they are the first to upgrade.


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## DarthV (Jan 31, 2018)

Be interesting to see what trickles down to eventually replace the AX8. Really wish Kemper would come out for a floorboard unit!


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## TedEH (Jan 31, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I don't think we're going to hit that point too soon.


I'm a bit late to respond, but I disagree. I think we're already there. AxeFx is essentially the iPhone of amps. You don't NEED to upgrade, and lots of people won't, but lots of people will- because it's a status symbol, an upgrade, cool new tech, etc. You don't need the new Axe any more than anyone needs a new phone.

I mean you could also make the comparison that they're both just a fancier hardware platform/box to deliver more or less the same experience.

There's an element of that with traditional amps as well, but I think the sentiment is different between the idea that a new amp will sound a bit different but be a whole distinct thing- even if you upgrade you'd likely keep them both in order to have two flavors of the same thing (or at least I would), whereas these have established a sort of platform where an upgrade in theory completely replaces the previous one. There's no reason to hold onto the old one if you upgrade because it's obsolete in the presence of the new one (unless you need two units for some reason).

It's the difference between two distinct products and a platform that sort of makes up or delivers one overall product.

Edit: Maybe another way to look at it is that the 3 basically destroys the value of the 2. If you had a 2 and 3 in front of you and have to pick one, why would you ever pick the 2? And if you already have a 2- there's that element of "if only I just had the extra features of the 3" driving you to want to upgrade.
That doesn't translate to older amps, since we tend to go the other way - presented with an amp from the 90s vs a amp made now, in a lot of cases I'd take the amp from the 90s. I prefer my Mark IV to the Mark V. I'd only buy a V if I needed a new amp and couldn't find a IV at a reasonable price.


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## lewis (Jan 31, 2018)

is it true that this can load upto 4 amp chains at once? And therefore could power an entire band at once?
because if so, then I can really see the idea of upgrading to this.
One Axe FX III could run an entire bands guitar/bass sounds out of 1 unit and if a band all went 1/3rds on one etc, suddenly it seems a very very good deal.


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## Albake21 (Jan 31, 2018)

lewis said:


> is it true that this can load upto 4 amp chains at once? And therefore could power an entire band at once?
> because if so, then I can really see the idea of upgrading to this.
> One Axe FX III could run an entire bands guitar/bass sounds out of 1 unit and if a band all went 1/3rds on one etc, suddenly it seems a very very good deal.


Man that's really crazy to think about. But in order to properly use that with changing amp settings mid song would have to be automatically setup through midi commands in a DAW like how some live musicians use them now. You couldn't properly use a foot controller unless you only had one guy controlling three members.


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## lewis (Jan 31, 2018)

Albake21 said:


> Man that's really crazy to think about. But in order to properly use that with changing amp settings mid song would have to be automatically setup through midi commands in a DAW like how some live musicians use them now. You couldn't properly use a foot controller unless you only had one guy controlling three members.


yeah literally just midi commands.
My band use macbook/backing tracks for our songs and I know most bands probably are these days too right?.
So surely easily implemented.

my god imagine the possibilities. Before I thought about this, I was more in the camp of "do we need upgrades with how good the II XL is" but if bands could use the III like this, then jesus its one hell of an upgrade.

1 macbook/laptop with midi commands set up for patch switching + 1 Axe III = touring rig for an entire band...

absolute madness


----------



## Shask (Jan 31, 2018)

lewis said:


> is it true that this can load upto 4 amp chains at once? And therefore could power an entire band at once?
> because if so, then I can really see the idea of upgrading to this.
> One Axe FX III could run an entire bands guitar/bass sounds out of 1 unit and if a band all went 1/3rds on one etc, suddenly it seems a very very good deal.


Only 2 amp blocks (with 4 channels each), so you could do 2 guitars, and a bass, where the bass doesn't use an amp model (Compressor+DI). You cannot do 3 different amps at once.


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## Albake21 (Jan 31, 2018)

Shask said:


> Only 2 amp blocks (with 4 channels each), so you could do 2 guitars, and a bass, where the bass doesn't use an amp model (Compressor+DI). You cannot do 3 different amps at once.


Damn, that's already a possibility with the Axe FX2 right?


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## Shask (Jan 31, 2018)

Albake21 said:


> Damn, that's already a possibility with the Axe FX2 right?


I am not sure if you could do the bass because the Axe II doesn't have as many inputs. You could easily do 2 guitars though (as long as not complex effects routing), and let the bass fend for themselves with a Bass DI.


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## lewis (Jan 31, 2018)

Shask said:


> Only 2 amp blocks (with 4 channels each), so you could do 2 guitars, and a bass, where the bass doesn't use an amp model (Compressor+DI). You cannot do 3 different amps at once.


thats good to know.
Most metal bassists have the Darkglass anyway right. So still feasable to an extent.
I wonder how many bands will think to do this then.


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## lewis (Jan 31, 2018)

Albake21 said:


> Damn, that's already a possibility with the Axe FX2 right?


wait I did NOT know that... 

damn.


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## Shask (Jan 31, 2018)

lewis said:


> thats good to know.
> Most metal bassists have the Darkglass anyway right. So still feasable to an extent.
> I wonder how many bands will think to do this then.


There is a Darkglass drive model on the Axe II, but you couldn't use it with an amp or cab along with 2 guitars. You could easily do one guitar and a bass though.


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## Genome (Feb 1, 2018)

I asked G66 how much it's likely to be over in Europe, and they think it will be about 2800 Euros / £2400 with a 3-year warranty, depending on the dollar.


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## lewis (Feb 1, 2018)

Genome said:


> I asked G66 how much it's likely to be over in Europe, and they think it will be about 2800 Euros / £2400 with a 3-year warranty, depending on the dollar.


isnt that what Axe FX IIs were new?
thats aloooooot cheaper than I was expecting if so. I was hearing "double the price" and "$4900" etc.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 1, 2018)

lewis said:


> isnt that what Axe FX IIs were new?
> thats aloooooot cheaper than I was expecting if so. I was hearing "double the price" and "$4900" etc.



Fractal has always been good about not squeezing folks on the next generation of thier product.

Every iteration the rumor mill says that the price is going to be multiple times the price as the last one and they're always wrong.

If you're an early adopter it's even better because you can usually unload your old unit for 70%+ of the price of the new one until availability catches up.


----------



## Andromalia (Feb 1, 2018)

2304€ on the 5th of January 2012, still have my gmail receipt. I hope there isn't as much wait this time, as G66 was visibly not receiving many units at release.

About the mid-gain stuff, I indeed don't use a lot of it, but I'm still satisfied of what I get when I'm trying. I did a Parfitt patch whern he passed away and it works pretty well.


----------



## UltimaWeapon (Feb 2, 2018)

Still waiting for some cheap knock off from NUX or MOOER or whatever... it has to be called Old Spice Classic or Rexona Men+Care


----------



## iron blast (Feb 2, 2018)

Shask said:


> Only 2 amp blocks (with 4 channels each), so you could do 2 guitars, and a bass, where the bass doesn't use an amp model (Compressor+DI). You cannot do 3 different amps at once.


This needs to get fixed in a firmware update imho. If fractal change this all a band would need is a axe3, ipad/ laptop with midi, a qsc 4.3 pld. 4 channel power amp, cabs , wireless, and iems pretty much the whole band done in a 10 space rack then add a pearl mimic pro drum module as it is like the axe fx for drums lol. This whole idea has my wheels turning.


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## lewis (Feb 2, 2018)

iron blast said:


> This needs to get fixed in a firmware update imho. If fractal change this all a band would need is a axe3, ipad/ laptop with midi, a qsc 4.3 pld. 4 channel power amp, cabs , wireless, and iems pretty much the whole band done in a 10 space rack then add a pearl mimic pro drum module as it is like the axe fx for drums lol. This whole idea has my wheels turning.


/\ this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## mnemonic (Feb 2, 2018)

iron blast said:


> This needs to get fixed in a firmware update imho. If fractal change this all a band would need is a axe3, ipad/ laptop with midi, a qsc 4.3 pld. 4 channel power amp, cabs , wireless, and iems pretty much the whole band done in a 10 space rack then add a pearl mimic pro drum module as it is like the axe fx for drums lol. This whole idea has my wheels turning.



There’s a thread discussing exactly this on the axe fx forum

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/only-2-amps.134889/

Judging from Cliff’s comments I doubt it’s gonna happen.


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## lewis (Feb 2, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> There’s a thread discussing exactly this on the axe fx forum
> 
> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/only-2-amps.134889/
> 
> Judging from Cliff’s comments I doubt it’s gonna happen.


well yeah, from a business sense it doesnt make sense.

goes from the idea of a band possibly buying 3, to just 1 so it would hurt his profits.


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## Shask (Feb 2, 2018)

iron blast said:


> This needs to get fixed in a firmware update imho. If fractal change this all a band would need is a axe3, ipad/ laptop with midi, a qsc 4.3 pld. 4 channel power amp, cabs , wireless, and iems pretty much the whole band done in a 10 space rack then add a pearl mimic pro drum module as it is like the axe fx for drums lol. This whole idea has my wheels turning.



Not sure if this will change or not. You can read a current discussion on this, and what Cliff had to say...

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/only-2-amps.134889/page-2#post-1595797


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## Shask (Feb 2, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> There’s a thread discussing exactly this on the axe fx forum
> 
> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/only-2-amps.134889/
> 
> Judging from Cliff’s comments I doubt it’s gonna happen.



Dammit... should have read more of this before thread-dropping, lol


----------



## Shoeless_jose (Feb 2, 2018)

who gets the axe fx when the band breaks up?? This seems like a recipe for trouble, Cliff is saving you guys from yourselves.


----------



## AxeHappy (Feb 2, 2018)

Who gets it when you go home from rehearsal to practice at home?


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## mnemonic (Feb 2, 2018)

The axe fx shall be cut into three


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## lewis (Feb 2, 2018)

Dineley said:


> who gets the axe fx when the band breaks up?? This seems like a recipe for trouble, Cliff is saving you guys from yourselves.





AxeHappy said:


> Who gets it when you go home from rehearsal to practice at home?



I presume this was more a jokey reply rather than a serious one, however if not.

You sign a contract that states if the band split you either sell the item and split it equally, or you are afforded the right to buy out the other guys 3rds etc.

And to answer the second comment, my band has its own specific secure practice/recording studio so would have no reason to need to take it home with anyone.


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## schwiz (Feb 2, 2018)

Loving all the IO on this thing!


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## Shoeless_jose (Feb 2, 2018)

lewis said:


> I presume this was more a jokey reply rather than a serious one, however if not.
> 
> You sign a contract that states if the band split you either sell the item and split it equally, or you are afforded the right to buy out the other guys 3rds etc.
> 
> And to answer the second comment, my band has its own specific secure practice/recording studio so would have no reason to need to take it home with anyone.




May seem like a joke but people get attached to their rigs, and even though you are putting less into it when splitting it three ways having to sell off your axe fx and lose all your sounds when you're already in a shitty situation of band breaking up sucks balls.

Also having your own jam space is cool and all, but the Axe is such an incredible tool for home use that im it would be wanted in multiple places at once.

and unless someone is going to stay at your own specific secure practice/recording studio constantly when do you guys get time to endlessly tweak the endless settings!?!?!?!?!?!?


----------



## lewis (Feb 2, 2018)

Dineley said:


> May seem like a joke but people get attached to their rigs, and even though you are putting less into it when splitting it three ways having to sell off your axe fx and lose all your sounds when you're already in a shitty situation of band breaking up sucks balls.
> 
> Also having your own jam space is cool and all, but the Axe is such an incredible tool for home use that im it would be wanted in multiple places at once.
> 
> and unless someone is going to stay at your own specific secure practice/recording studio constantly when do you guys get time to endlessly tweak the endless settings!?!?!?!?!?!?


well how we get around that issue would be, just buy more gear right?. Which we all love to do haha

our Touring rig could be the suggested Axe III setup, whilst we have our Kempers/Axe IIs and HD Pros respectively, sat on our desks at home haha.

everyone loves just buying more gear (im so guilty haha)


----------



## EarlWellington (Feb 3, 2018)

I note they're bringing out new MFC's for it, will the older MFC-101 still work with it?


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## beavis2306 (Feb 3, 2018)

Midi functionality only. No faslink. I'm a bit disappointed by this as i like having all the buttons that the mfc has. I get the impression the new ones will be cheaper and do have some cool features ie coloured lights and 'scribble strips' and supposed to be fully programmable but have less buttons. Wait and see i guess


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## lewis (Feb 4, 2018)

are we at a stage with these modern processors where they are already so so good, you can basically buy one "older generation" model the second a new one is announced, for alot less. And Keep that for like 2 generations worth of new models, then do the same again.
Even off the used market if you wanted to save extra $$$ although that is harsh on the company.

rinse repeat?


----------



## Lemons (Feb 4, 2018)

lewis said:


> are we at a stage with these modern processors where they are already so so good, you can basically buy one "older generation" model the second a new one is announced, for alot less. And Keep that for like 2 generations worth of new models, then do the same again.
> Even off the used market if you wanted to save extra $$$ although that is harsh on the company.
> 
> rinse repeat?



Exactly this. My Axe-fxII still sounds just as good as it did the day before they unveiled the axe-fxIII, and since there's no new "must have" features I'd be hard pressed to upgrade anytime soon.


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## lewis (Feb 4, 2018)

Lemons said:


> Exactly this. My Axe-fxII still sounds just as good as it did the day before they unveiled the axe-fxIII, and since there's no new "must have" features I'd be hard pressed to upgrade anytime soon.


especially in a mix right?

Like just how "close" to a "real" amp can we get? the Axe II and the Kemper already sounds exactly the same in a mix and they feel pretty darn convincing too. Other than even MORE effects on chains or much much more I/o, I dont see the rush to upgrade.


----------



## laxu (Feb 4, 2018)

lewis said:


> are we at a stage with these modern processors where they are already so so good, you can basically buy one "older generation" model the second a new one is announced, for alot less. And Keep that for like 2 generations worth of new models, then do the same again.
> Even off the used market if you wanted to save extra $$$ although that is harsh on the company.
> 
> rinse repeat?



Absolutely. Yesterday I spent some time with my Axe-Fx 2 and tried comparing a few things like how tube types affect the sound and how the different quality levels of cab sims (normal 1024 sample vs ultrares) change the tone. With the preamp tubes the differences were minor, with the power tubes depending on the amp model there were more significant changes in feel and response if going from say EL84 to 6L6. Using a VOX AC30 sim going to 6L6 tubes cut the mids, made the feel stiffer and removed some of the jangle from the highs.

With the cab sims, I swear I could hear something more with Ultrares but to be honest I would be fine with the 1024 sample versions like you find on many cheaper boxes like Atomic Amplifirebox or Mooer Radar these days. It was one of those things where you would not notice without a comparison.

I'm perfectly happy with the way the Axe-Fx 2 sounds and feels and that's without touching any of the advanced settings. At the moment the Axe-Fx 3 is most likely not going to sound much different, maybe in future updates they will make it better (like what happened with Axe-Fx Std/Ultra vs Axe-Fx 2) but even then I'm going to wonder how much further they can go. I'd rather Fractal concentrated on improving the usability of their devices rather than adding more of everything.


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## iron blast (Feb 5, 2018)

Seems more of an excuse to get customers to have to buy more then one imho. Oh well I cant afford one atm anyway it looks like im gettting a few hx effects boxes and engl e530 pres for guitars. I just cant swing 2.5k atm sadly it looks killer though


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## Lorcan Ward (Feb 5, 2018)

If Fractal wanted their customers to buy a new device they would have dropped the Axe-Fx III with the Quantum update. I'm really surprised they didn't since it would have been the perfect push for customers to drop their IIs but they squeezed 9 more big updates before bringing out a new device. They even said its the same software on the the III on release and that it basically sounds the same apart from the higher quality input and converters now. The III is mostly future proofing but I don't see Cliff bringing out a 4th version of his amp models anytime soon. If anything Fractal have done a terrible job trying to market the III but the community has done all the work and the products reputation will have the waiting lists full for years to come.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 5, 2018)

Lorcan Ward said:


> If Fractal wanted their customers to buy a new device they would have dropped the Axe-Fx III with the Quantum update. I'm really surprised they didn't since it would have been the perfect push for customers to drop their IIs but they squeezed 9 more big updates before bringing out a new device. They even said its the same software on the the III on release and that it basically sounds the same apart from the higher quality input and converters now. The III is mostly future proofing but I don't see Cliff bringing out a 4th version of his amp models anytime soon. If anything Fractal have done a terrible job trying to market the III but the community has done all the work and the products reputation will have the waiting lists full for years to come.



The future proofing is the selling point, just ask Standard and Ultra users.


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## laxu (Feb 5, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> The future proofing is the selling point, just ask Standard and Ultra users.



As a former Standard user, current Axe-Fx 2 owner..if I hadn't found a decent deal on the Axe-Fx 2 used I would still probably rock the Standard. I bought the 2 mostly with the hopes of slightly easier adjustability (which it has by not requiring as much tweaking as the Standard) and the future proofing. But when I bought mine about 1 year after the 2's release they were only starting to break away from the Standard. At release I could not find much reason to get the 2.

With the 3 out, I have even less reason because I don't know how much further the modeling can improve when it already sounds stellar on the 2. Going from Axe-Fx Standard to current gen Axe-Fx 2 was a marked improvement so maybe we will see something like that in a few years but right now, the 3 is just a device that offers more of everything if you need it.


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## AkiraSpectrum (Feb 5, 2018)

Found this demo today scouring youtube. Thought all us gear-nerds would like it:


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## MASS DEFECT (Feb 5, 2018)

Is it true that the screen has built in axe edit?


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## laxu (Feb 6, 2018)

MASS DEFECT said:


> Is it true that the screen has built in axe edit?



The workflow has always been similar on the hardware and Axe-Edit. The main difference is that it's a lot easier to do things with a mouse than with the navigation controls offered by the Axe.


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## Shask (Feb 6, 2018)

Yeah, Axe-Edit and the UI on the Axe-FX has always been kind of similar, it is just easier to see everything on the computer screen. I have always thought the Axe-FX was easy to use. The Axe-FX just has a ton of parameters either way. I don't think the III has "built in Axe-Edit", but I think the larger color screen makes the experience a little closer to a computer screen.


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## Lorcan Ward (Feb 6, 2018)

This had to be done 



laxu said:


> With the 3 out, I have even less reason because I don't know how much further the modeling can improve when it already sounds stellar on the 2.



Thats one of the biggest pros for getting a II now, its near the end of its cycle bar a few minor updates and sounds great. You can dial in all your tones and just be done. Maybe Cliff will surprise us with a bunch of new things.


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## gujukal (Feb 6, 2018)

Any reason why Axe FX III cost so much? I saw the specs and it has 4 1 GHz processors and 4 GB of old DDR3 ram, thats kinda the specs of a budget smartphone these days. I guess most of the cost comes from the time actually modelling all the amps and effects and so on, as well as the pre amps. It seems like they would be able to compete with a bigger audience if the price was more in the $1500 range rather than $2500.


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## CerealKiller (Feb 6, 2018)

gujukal said:


> Any reason why Axe FX III cost so much? I saw the specs and it has 4 1 GHz processors and 4 GB of old DDR3 ram, thats kinda the specs of a budget smartphone these days. I guess most of the cost comes from the time actually modelling all the amps and effects and so on, as well as the pre amps. It seems like they would be able to compete with a bigger audience if the price was more in the $1500 range rather than $2500.



Because DSPs =/= smartphone processors. They are deliberately going for the pro audio audience.


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## budda (Feb 6, 2018)

gujukal said:


> Any reason why Axe FX III cost so much? I saw the specs and it has 4 1 GHz processors and 4 GB of old DDR3 ram, thats kinda the specs of a budget smartphone these days. I guess most of the cost comes from the time actually modelling all the amps and effects and so on, as well as the pre amps. It seems like they would be able to compete with a bigger audience if the price was more in the $1500 range rather than $2500.



R&d aint free. Also why should it magically cost the same as a used II?


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## Shask (Feb 6, 2018)

gujukal said:


> Any reason why Axe FX III cost so much? I saw the specs and it has 4 1 GHz processors and 4 GB of old DDR3 ram, thats kinda the specs of a budget smartphone these days. I guess most of the cost comes from the time actually modelling all the amps and effects and so on, as well as the pre amps. It seems like they would be able to compete with a bigger audience if the price was more in the $1500 range rather than $2500.



The II actually cost about the same amount until recently when they went on sale.

There is MANY more parts in there than processor and RAM. For example, most units use $.70 Opamps, but Fractal uses Opamps that are about $5 each for more clarity in tone.


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## Albake21 (Feb 6, 2018)

gujukal said:


> Any reason why Axe FX III cost so much? I saw the specs and it has 4 1 GHz processors and 4 GB of old DDR3 ram, thats kinda the specs of a budget smartphone these days. I guess most of the cost comes from the time actually modelling all the amps and effects and so on, as well as the pre amps. It seems like they would be able to compete with a bigger audience if the price was more in the $1500 range rather than $2500.


Isn't that the same price as the Axe FXII when it came out? Also that's the point of the AX8. A stripped down, cheaper version of it's bigger siblings.


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## gujukal (Feb 6, 2018)

CerealKiller said:


> Because DSPs =/= smartphone processors. They are deliberately going for the pro audio audience.


From what I've found, DSP's are quite a lot faster than a normal CPU at the same clock speed. Still a i7 CPU for $300 probably outclass the DSP in the Axe Fx III several times over. I'm not bashing the Axe fx I just want to know why it's so expensive when the hardware is mediocre. AX8 seems to be good bang for the buck though if you live in the states.


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## Shask (Feb 6, 2018)

gujukal said:


> From what I've found, DSP's are quite a lot faster than a normal CPU at the same clock speed. Still a i7 CPU for $300 probably outclass the DSP in the Axe Fx III several times over. I'm not bashing the Axe fx I just want to know why it's so expensive when the hardware is mediocre. AX8 seems to be good bang for the buck though if you live in the states.



You can't compare DSP with general purpose Microprocessors. Microprocessors are built to multitask and complete many different things.... like... having 20 tabs open in your browser while virus scanning. A DSP is built for one thing. A DSP can do in one clock cycle what takes a Microprocessor like 100 clock cycles to do. They work completely different, and it always annoys me when people try to compare them. They are not even in the same ballpark of comparison. Also, high powered DSPs are not as common, and therefore, MUCH more expensive because not as many are being sold.

Actually using a general Microprocessor like an i7 would most likely suck in a device like a Axe-FX, and slow the whole thing down.


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## jephjacques (Feb 6, 2018)

I'm very angry this is out because I just put a deposit in on an Abasi


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## Exit Existence (Feb 6, 2018)

Meh. A lot of extra features that I don't need. I still think the Ax8 is their best all around platform and way better suited for my needs (one amp, one instance of each effect, integrated foot switching, and basic tone controls right on the unit)

I'm still surprised we haven't seen a power amp equipped fractal model yet. Even if it had a lower wattage power section that you could enable it would still be useful.


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## Krucifixtion (Feb 6, 2018)

laxu said:


> The workflow has always been similar on the hardware and Axe-Edit. The main difference is that it's a lot easier to do things with a mouse than with the navigation controls offered by the Axe.



I do use Axe Edit from time to time, but after many years of navigating just with the front screen I can actually cruise through menus and setup almost faster that way minus a few little things.


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## Shask (Feb 6, 2018)

Krucifixtion said:


> I do use Axe Edit from time to time, but after many years of navigating just with the front screen I can actually cruise through menus and setup almost faster that way minus a few little things.



That is how I am also.... I edit right on the unit like 99% of the time because it is just there, and it is easier than dragging the laptop upstairs, plugging in the USB cable, etc..... I usually only bust out Axe-Edit when I am going to do something major, like set up multiple blocks or something.


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## Veldar (Feb 7, 2018)

Is anyone annoyed that it's now a 3u, I could see touring bands annoyed and not upgrade because if that.


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## Shask (Feb 7, 2018)

Veldar said:


> Is anyone annoyed that it's now a 3u, I could see touring bands annoyed and not upgrade because if that.



I have seen many posts of people saying they are not happy about that.... I think more people are mad that the old MFC footswitch is not compatible. That is an $800 extra charge they didn't expect.


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## KnightBrolaire (Feb 7, 2018)

Totally worth the upgrade


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## Andromalia (Feb 7, 2018)

Veldar said:


> Is anyone annoyed that it's now a 3u, I could see touring bands annoyed and not upgrade because if that.



I didn't expect it. Not bothered myself as this will serve for home and studio use 99% of the time anyway. I can still gig with the II if 3U become a pain


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 7, 2018)

Veldar said:


> Is anyone annoyed that it's now a 3u, I could see touring bands annoyed and not upgrade because if that.



Not buying over a single rack space? 

I don't see that being an issue, cases are relatively cheap and most are smart enough to buy cases with an extra couple of spaces. 

I'm sure folks will use it as an excuse to not spend the money, but I don't see it being an actual issue.


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## Veldar (Feb 8, 2018)

Hmmm okay, if it's a 3u unit it'll be heavier though and most peos have a redundancy one, suddenly it's two more rack spaces and a significant weight increase, that'd suck for some like Devin Townsend for example.


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## GXPO (Feb 8, 2018)

I honestly can see no negatives for either this update or fractals method of releasing it. 

I just bought a helix as I can't quite justify the expense, but one day I will be an Axe FX guy for sure.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 8, 2018)

Veldar said:


> Hmmm okay, if it's a 3u unit it'll be heavier though and most peos have a redundancy one, suddenly it's two more rack spaces and a significant weight increase, that'd suck for some like Devin Townsend for example.



Devin Townsend carries his own rack onto the stage? 

If you're at the point of buying $2500 pieces of gear for simple redundancy you're not going to worry about a couple extra pounds and a small increase in rack height, and especially not cost of such. 

Even if it weighs 50% more, which it most likely doesn't, that's only about 20lbs total. The added height is only 1.75". That's added to giant 150lbs+ rigs that stand almost 5' tall. The gain is negligible. 

Heck, it's still significantly lighter and smaller than most real amps.


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## Veldar (Feb 8, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Devin Townsend carries his own rack onto the stage?
> 
> If you're at the point of buying $2500 pieces of gear for simple redundancy you're not going to worry about a couple extra pounds and a small increase in rack height, and especially not cost of such.
> 
> ...



I guess my concerns are for weight limits on planes when doing international tours.

Tbh I've never owned a fractal just a curious bystander ☺


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 8, 2018)

Veldar said:


> I guess my concerns are for weight limits on planes when doing international tours.
> 
> Tbh I've never owned a fractal just a curious bystander ☺



An extra few pounds and a couple inches aren't going to matter, even in cargo on an aircraft.

It's a non-issue.


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## 4Eyes (Feb 8, 2018)

Veldar said:


> I guess my concerns are for weight limits on planes when doing international tours.
> 
> Tbh I've never owned a fractal just a curious bystander ☺


Size/Weight difference between Axe FX II and III is 1U rack unit and 0.17kg, so I guess you'll have to leave one pack of condoms at home, when you're concerned about weight limits at airport


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## lewis (Feb 8, 2018)

ok having thought more about this, I honestly think this only benefits people who are now starting out their touring rig build and have not bought anything yet.

If you already have an established Tour setup that includes the 2U Axe IIXl, i dont see what you gain by offloading the II to grab a III and cause disruption to your whole rack setup now that the III is 1U larger.

UNLESS it does pull off running a whole band at once and you all decide to move all your rack setups into just 1 rack setup using just 1 III for everything.

you know the sound will be basically the same, at least to begin with. The Axe II sounds phenomenal. 
Interesting tactic. Maybe he is aiming more at the people who havent bought or owned an Axe yet, rather than inticing people who have, to upgrade?.


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## diagrammatiks (Feb 8, 2018)

the quality of complaints by page 12 is just a straight drop off a steep cliff.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 8, 2018)

lewis said:


> ok having thought more about this, I honestly think this only benefits people who are now starting out their touring rig build and have not bought anything yet.
> 
> If you already have an established Tour setup that includes the 2U Axe IIXl, i dont see what you gain by offloading the II to grab a III and cause disruption to your whole rack setup now that the III is 1U larger.
> 
> ...



Do you guys cement your gear in place? Loktite? Weld?


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## lewis (Feb 8, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Do you guys cement your gear in place? Loktite? Weld?


No, Duct tape!


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## ImBCRichBitch (Feb 9, 2018)

Lorcan Ward said:


> This had to be done
> 
> 
> 
> Thats one of the biggest pros for getting a II now, its near the end of its cycle bar a few minor updates and sounds great. You can dial in all your tones and just be done. Maybe Cliff will surprise us with a bunch of new things.


If i can play doom 1 on it, time to ditch the bfg edition of doom 3. Im sold!


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## Andromalia (Feb 9, 2018)

lewis said:


> ok having thought more about this, I honestly think this only benefits people who are now starting out their touring rig build and have not bought anything yet.



I'm buying it for the 8x8 USB mostly, and I own an axe II. It's a pretty signigicant upgrade for studio use, it enables you to (mpre or less) use the axe as you would a plugin without needing other equipment to alter your tone in the mix.
If live was my only consideration I wouldn't buy it.


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## Type_R3387 (Feb 10, 2018)

ImBCRichBitch said:


> If i can play doom 1 on it, time to ditch the bfg edition of doom 3. Im sold!


Diggin' that new PRS Arch_vile_ amp. Doomguy would approve.


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## mongey (Feb 10, 2018)

lewis said:


> ok having thought more about this, I honestly think this only benefits people who are now starting out their touring rig build and have not bought anything yet.
> 
> If you already have an established Tour setup that includes the 2U Axe IIXl, i dont see what you gain by offloading the II to grab a III and cause disruption to your whole rack setup now that the III is 1U larger.
> 
> ...



You gain allot more processing power for 1. With that comes the seemless switching and the ability to make more complex patches without making out cpu which on the xl was pretty easy to do. 

To me The point of rack rigs is that individual components are easy to change out. Unless your are totally maxed out 1 u extra space really isn’t a big deal.


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## lewis (Feb 10, 2018)

mongey said:


> You gain allot more processing power for 1. With that comes the seemless switching and the ability to make more complex patches without making out cpu which on the xl was pretty easy to do.
> 
> To me The point of rack rigs is that individual components are easy to change out. Unless your are totally maxed out 1 u extra space really isn’t a big deal.


yeah to be fair, Im acting like its 10U hahaha

its more of an inconvenience to be larger, although I do think Rack cases are hugely overpriced. That may just be me though.


----------



## Kyle Jordan (Feb 11, 2018)

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/things-about-the-iii-you-may-have-missed.134852/

Some things that I took note of that I'm not sure have been mentioned here yet:

-Pre Parametric EQ built in to the Amp block. (This is huge. YUUUUUUUUUUGE!!!)

-Advanced Parameters Page 1 and new Page 2 in the Amp block.

-Built in CabLab

1 & 3 definitely have my attention and depending on how and what if any new parameters are available, 2 could be the deal sealer for me. 

This year may be REAL expensive for me.


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## MASS DEFECT (Feb 11, 2018)

what does a built in cab lab mean? you can "profile" your own cabs?


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## laxu (Feb 11, 2018)

MASS DEFECT said:


> what does a built in cab lab mean? you can "profile" your own cabs?



No, you can mix multiple IRs together. Previously you had to do this with the separate Cab Lab software but now can do it right from the Axe-Fx. Very handy for building your ideal IR sound.


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## mnemonic (Feb 11, 2018)

You can mix IR’s in the axe fx ii, but it requires using the stereo cab block (for two IR’s) or two stereo cab blocks if you want to blend 4 cabs. 

In that scenario you’re running up to four IR’s at once though which can use a lot of processing power. So using something like cablab to essentially mix all those IR’s down into a single IR sure does save on processing power.


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## Shask (Feb 11, 2018)

MASS DEFECT said:


> what does a built in cab lab mean? you can "profile" your own cabs?


Yup, as others have said, Cab Lab is their software that can mix several IRs together as one IR. You can use this to create custom IRs so that you dont have to load multiple IRs into the Axe at once. The Axe III has this built into the cab block, instead of requiring a separate offline program.


----------



## Shask (Feb 11, 2018)

Kyle Jordan said:


> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/things-about-the-iii-you-may-have-missed.134852/
> 
> Some things that I took note of that I'm not sure have been mentioned here yet:
> 
> ...



The Pre-Para EQ is cool, but then again, it wasn't hard to put a PEQ before the amp. Most of my presets look like PEQ->Drive->Amp->PEQ at their base. To be honest, for me, for dynamics, I find most amp models respond better with a 2-3db boost before the amp. The old Standard was like that also. For some reason, putting an EQ in front of the amp with the level boosted a few DB really seems to wake up the amps, even if you don't change the frequencies.

I figured the advanced parameters just got split into 2 pages. I will be surprised if there are new parameters. I figured they were split so the lists were shorter, because it is hard to find things on that page since there are so many parameters.

I really don't use the cab block much, but the ability to mix the cabs like CabLab is pretty cool. That will make it easy to fill up the user slots.


----------



## mnemonic (Feb 11, 2018)

Shask said:


> The Pre-Para EQ is cool, but then again, it wasn't hard to put a PEQ before the amp. Most of my presets look like PEQ->Drive->Amp->PEQ at their base. To be honest, for me, for dynamics, I find most amp models respond better with a 2-3db boost before the amp. The old Standard was like that also. For some reason, putting an EQ in front of the amp with the level boosted a few DB really seems to wake up the amps, even if you don't change the frequencies.
> 
> I figured the advanced parameters just got split into 2 pages. I will be surprised if there are new parameters. I figured they were split so the lists were shorter, because it is hard to find things on that page since there are so many parameters.
> 
> I really don't use the cab block much, but the ability to mix the cabs like CabLab is pretty cool. That will make it easy to fill up the user slots.



Do you find any difference between eq before amp for a boost versus just using the input trim on the amp model itself? 

I use the input trim a lot, but very rarely try the eq up front.


----------



## Shask (Feb 11, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> Do you find any difference between eq before amp for a boost versus just using the input trim on the amp model itself?
> 
> I use the input trim a lot, but very rarely try the eq up front.


Ya know, that is an interesting question. I have been experimenting lately with using a PEQ or FIL in front of the amp vs. using the input trim vs. using the Boost switch on.

I think a big reason why I use a PEQ is because that is what I am used to. I had to do the same on the old Axe Standard because it didn't have the trim options. I actually got the idea from old Axe Standard discussions back in the day about how using an EQ in front of the amp model really woke up the tones. Another reason is because I use multiple guitars, and it is pretty common that when I make a preset with one guitar, it sounds like crap with another. The PEQ is a good way to dial in the preset for temp use with different guitars without making multiple presets for each guitar.

I never used the trim much until recently I saw a post from Cliff that talked about how putting the trim on 1.5 was like using the hi input on an amp, and using it less (.75?) was like using the low input. That got me thinking about how I always preferred the hi input on amps like the 5150. I actually need to play with this more because I always forget about it. I bet I would prefer most sounds with the trim on 1.5. I tend to prefer a more compressed feel because I am a light picker. Actually, I will try this next time I mess with it. I have tried it in the past, but sometimes you get lost in settings with adjusting everything.

I use the boost on sometimes also with the gain lower. However, this can be tricky because if the bright control is on the sound will get brighter and twangier as you turn down the gain. The amount of treble is controlled by the bright cap. I mess with this on the actual JCM800 clone I built also. Next time I open it I am going to change a resistor because it has so much gain I have to turn it down, but then it gets twangy because of the bright cap. Anyways, this can work on some amps well, as long as they don't get too twangy with lower gain settings.


----------



## mnemonic (Feb 11, 2018)

Shask said:


> Ya know, that is an interesting question. I have been experimenting lately with using a PEQ or FIL in front of the amp vs. using the input trim vs. using the Boost switch on.
> 
> I think a big reason why I use a PEQ is because that is what I am used to. I had to do the same on the old Axe Standard because it didn't have the trim options. I actually got the idea from old Axe Standard discussions back in the day about how using an EQ in front of the amp model really woke up the tones. Another reason is because I use multiple guitars, and it is pretty common that when I make a preset with one guitar, it sounds like crap with another. The PEQ is a good way to dial in the preset for temp use with different guitars without making multiple presets for each guitar.
> 
> ...



That’s a good point on the bright cap, it’s a good way to balance the sound of the distortion which I often do, compare gain up with input trim at default (or lower), vs gain lower with input trim up. 

From what I remember the boost button is just a volume boost and is like putting the input trim at like 4 (or something close to that), and with the boost now being off in the advanced tab, I usually don’t bother with it (I don’t often plug my axe fx into a computer). 

I was just curious if you had noticed a difference since my understanding is the input trim is supposed to be the same as just a clean volume boost into the front of the amp block, but I hadn’t actually done any comparisons.


----------



## cyril v (Feb 12, 2018)

It's probably already been asked but, is Axe FX II getting the updated amp simulation progress that's going into Axe FX III going forward?


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## mnemonic (Feb 12, 2018)

cyril v said:


> It's probably already been asked but, is Axe FX II getting the updated amp simulation progress that's going into Axe FX III going forward?



Cliff said yes 

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-xl-support.134798/#post-1595165

But who knows for how long, really.


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## laxu (Feb 12, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> Cliff said yes
> 
> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-xl-support.134798/#post-1595165
> 
> But who knows for how long, really.



Probably until they run into firmware space and processing power limitations. Most likely is that for quite a while you will only see Axe-Fx 3 updates, depends if there are dedicated firmware programmers for handling the Axe-Fx 2/AX8 updating.

If you have a 2 or are planning to buy one then just get it and enjoy it. It sounds fantastic at the moment. It really doesn't matter if the next gen product sounds even better in a year, the 2 will keep sounding just as great as it does today.


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## crg123 (Feb 13, 2018)

http://shop.fractalaudio.com/Axe_Fx_II_XL_Preamp_Effects_Processor_p/fas-020.htm

XL+ marked down to $1699 new for close out w/ one year warranty.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 13, 2018)

crg123 said:


> http://shop.fractalaudio.com/Axe_Fx_II_XL_Preamp_Effects_Processor_p/fas-020.htm
> 
> XL+ marked down to $1699 new for close out w/ one year warranty.



Talk about fucking the folks trying like mad to sell thier used ones.


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## MASS DEFECT (Feb 13, 2018)

WOW. Just think about the people who bought them at 1.9K during Xmas. lol


----------



## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Feb 14, 2018)

_“There are no returns on close-out merchandise.”_

Speaking as someone who purchased a unit during the previous sale - fully intending to return it if it failed to impress me - I don’t feel slighted by the clearance price. Nobody without that kind of disposable income should be buying these toys, anyway.

If that number is as low as Cliff’s profit margins can allow without room for return-shipping costs, then I have a hunch it will be fewer than four years before I snag a used III for that price.


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## cyril v (Feb 14, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> Cliff said yes
> 
> https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/axe-fx-ii-xl-support.134798/#post-1595165
> 
> But who knows for how long, really.



Very cool, thanks for the details.

I'm just glad to see he's continuing the tradition and letting the hardwares spec limitation dictate when the units are totally obsolete as opposed to forcing people to upgrade to enjoy relevant support.


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## diagrammatiks (Feb 14, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> Talk about fucking the folks trying like mad to sell thier used ones.



people are still trying to sell ax8s for like 1500...they've been 1199 on the website since november.


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## MaxOfMetal (Feb 14, 2018)

diagrammatiks said:


> people are still trying to sell ax8s for like 1500...they've been 1199 on the website since november.



What's the availability like now? I remember even some months ago them going in and out of stock almost daily. I can see asking for more if there is an availability issue.


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## diagrammatiks (Feb 14, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


> What's the availability like now? I remember even some months ago them going in and out of stock almost daily. I can see asking for more if there is an availability issue.



1099. no way to verify but the website says in stock.


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## Andromalia (Feb 14, 2018)

I'll probably sell my axe II at some point, as I did my axe standard, but I certainly won't try do do it at the same time as everybody else, that's the worst time ever to do so. Proces will go up again when all that's available new is 3K5.


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## moshwitz (Apr 1, 2018)

Sup? 

So,,, this arrived and so far,,, Hell yeah I'm diggin it.  


[url=https://ibb.co/mQCwC7]

[/URL]

MOSHON
DAVE


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## narad (Apr 1, 2018)

moshwitz said:


> Sup?
> 
> So,,, this arrived and so far,,, Hell yeah I'm diggin it.
> 
> ...



I like that they added the sleeze bar flourescent light style LED logo.


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## Mullet (Apr 2, 2018)

G66 in the EU don't appear to be offering the 2 XL+ at this reduced clear down price.


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## ZombieLloyd (Apr 2, 2018)

Mullet said:


> G66 in the EU don't appear to be offering the 2 XL+ at this reduced clear down price.



The AX8 hasn't changed in price, either.


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## Mullet (Apr 2, 2018)

Had some comms with Sussi at G66 earlier... they (AXE FX 2 XL+) are now coming in at 1800 GBP ish, but their default “package” includes the 3 yr warranty. I’m seriously tempted as the AXE 3 is well out of my price range!


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## ZombieLloyd (Apr 2, 2018)

Mullet said:


> Had some comms with Sussi at G66 earlier... they (AXE FX 2 XL+) are now coming in at 1800 GBP ish, but their default “package” includes the 3 yr warranty. I’m seriously tempted as the AXE 3 is well out of my price range!


Oh, that's interesting. I've been considering finally getting an Axe FX, maybe saving up for the 3 but I'd gladly save up for the Axe 2 if it's still in stock by the time I can afford it.


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## ZombieLloyd (Apr 3, 2018)

Someone just uploaded a video of the Axe FX III versus the Kemper. Some tones I prefer the Axe FX, some tones I prefer the Kemper. I'd say they're both still pretty good.


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## hvdh (Apr 3, 2018)

Both the Kremper and the Snax II are doing their job more then fine. There is realy no need for another stupid contest.
Snax III is just a utterly giant waste of time and talent.


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## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Apr 3, 2018)

hvdh said:


> Both the Kremper and the Snax II are doing their job more then fine. There is realy no need for another stupid contest.
> Snax III is just a utterly giant waste of time and talent.


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## lewstherin006 (Apr 3, 2018)

Since the SNAX III is a waste of time, I did an unboxing and I played through some of the patches when I got mine. Feel free curse me out and tell me to stop doing youtube videos in the comments


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## Shoeless_jose (Apr 3, 2018)

lewstherin006 said:


> Since the SNAX III is a waste of time, I did an unboxing and I played through some of the patches when I got mine. Feel free curse me out and tell me to stop doing youtube videos in the comments




I'm going to assume that there isn't much noticeable difference in sound quality at this point, most of the upgrades seemed to be features and other hardware stuff giving it more flexibility and potential but not drastically improving current sound.

And unboxings can just go straight to hell, hope you enjoy your unit though.


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## mnemonic (Apr 3, 2018)

Dineley said:


> And unboxings can just go straight to hell



Dat ad revenue tho


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## Rev2010 (Apr 3, 2018)

Forgive my ignorance, but what does the moniker SNAX stand for in regard to Fractal stuff?


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## Shoeless_jose (Apr 3, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> Dat ad revenue tho




Yeah the same guy had like a total clickbait video he posted up here recently. So i know he just wants views lol


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## ZombieLloyd (Apr 3, 2018)

Dineley said:


> I'm going to assume that there isn't much noticeable difference in sound quality at this point, most of the upgrades seemed to be features and other hardware stuff giving it more flexibility and potential but not drastically improving current sound.
> 
> And unboxings can just go straight to hell, hope you enjoy your unit though.



I watched the video earlier today and yeah, aside from a slight bump in the bass, there wasn't any difference at all. I'm glad I've set my mind on getting the AX8 because I'm not missing anything by not spending another £1,100ish.


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## NateFalcon (Apr 3, 2018)

Meh...have fun getting strapped over a barrel guys...


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## ZombieLloyd (Apr 3, 2018)

NateFalcon said:


> Meh...have fun getting strapped over a barrel for minimal gain



I said I'm NOT going to spend the extra cash and sticking with my decision to buy the AX8.


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## NateFalcon (Apr 3, 2018)

That wasn’t a response to you but the AxeIII in general...


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## ZombieLloyd (Apr 3, 2018)

NateFalcon said:


> That wasn’t a response to you but the AxeIII in general...


Ah, sorry.


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## hvdh (Apr 3, 2018)

Had great donuts last night. What do you think of the colours?


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## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Apr 3, 2018)

Mmm...just looking at those rainbow-glaze donuts makes me want to buy an Axe FX III.


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## hvdh (Apr 3, 2018)

You are not alone. There are more that prefer nice looking Donuts
http://www.guitarampboard.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=41448


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## technomancer (Apr 3, 2018)

hvdh said:


> Both the Kremper and the Snax II are doing their job more then fine. There is realy no need for another stupid contest.
> Snax III is just a utterly giant waste of time and talent.



Yeah Fractal should just close up shop and stop selling stuff when the TigerSHARC stops production. Or did you miss that the CPU in the Axe II / AX8 / FX8 was end of lifed by the manufacturer.

That said the skip the waitlist pricing bit really is complete bullshit.


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## Seabeast2000 (Apr 3, 2018)

hvdh said:


> Had great donuts last night. What do you think of the colours?


Option 50, beware!


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## hvdh (Apr 3, 2018)

Once you have been on the moon you have achieved your goal.

Its achieved, its done end of story. And if Tigersharc are out get a Intel or whatever. It was better if they made a product with a longer lifecycle now they now how ;-)

Warning option 50 understand


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## narad (Apr 3, 2018)

technomancer said:


> That said the skip the waitlist pricing bit really is complete bullshit.



Yea, but the flipping when the II came out was an even higher pile of bullshit. The skip price is... the lesser of two evils?


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## lewstherin006 (Apr 3, 2018)

mnemonic said:


> Dat ad revenue tho



LOL My channel doesnt even have ads on it, so im not getting any ad rev at all. The skip the waitlist price is combat the people who are selling their axe fx IIIs for 3.5k on reverb. The person who is willing to pay 3.5k can actually get a warranty with the III if they dont feel like waiting.


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## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Apr 4, 2018)

lewstherin006 said:


> LOL My channel doesnt even have ads on it, so im not getting any ad rev at all.



Spamming for nothing? I like it.



lewstherin006 said:


> The skip the waitlist price is combat the people who are selling their axe fx IIIs for 3.5k on reverb.



Call me a cynic, but I suspect the “skip the waitlist” price of being for the sake of paying to skip the waitlist.



lewstherin006 said:


> The person who is willing to pay 3.5k can actually get a warranty with the III



*Oh*?


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## MaxOfMetal (Apr 4, 2018)

lewstherin006 said:


> If you read what the text I put in my actual post, I did say that I tried them and the video was about me giving my thoughts on it. The title is click batey yes, but that is just for youtube. Youtube is about to murder my channel ( I wont be able to schedule videos or even have ending scenes because im under what they require to be part of the youtube partner program) so Im trying to drive as much traffic as I can.





lewstherin006 said:


> LOL My channel doesnt even have ads on it, so im not getting any ad rev at all. The skip the waitlist price is combat the people who are selling their axe fx IIIs for 3.5k on reverb. The person who is willing to pay 3.5k can actually get a warranty with the III if they dont feel like waiting.


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## lewstherin006 (Apr 4, 2018)

MaxOfMetal said:


>



Hows your coffee?


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## mongey (Apr 4, 2018)

even if the unit always sounds the same as the xl , a better interface and more CPU for presets is always a step up IMHO and worth the $ if you have it to spend


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## Andromalia (Apr 4, 2018)

I don't know, what's to stop the scalpers to skip the waitlist too and jack the prices by that much ?

About the sound difference, again, it doesn't really matter. Current top modelers are 99.99% there already, the axe III just makes the jump from guitar preamp to studio tool. The mulltiway USB will make usung the axe FX effects in a DAW much easier than it is tomorrow (you have to use a third party sound card and switch inputs which is a pain if you want to do it today)
It's like a complete all-in-one studio box. For people like me who remembered what it cost before the computer age, it's nothing short of magic. I have 4 songs written that I'll record with it when I get one, I have saved the money, I'm waiting on G66 now. I think it's actually the best value proposition got anyone wanting a home studio who can't access real studios or is a one man band.

The next step I want Fractal to go is to make small form factor stuff. Like the old Zoom 9002 I had in the 90es.


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## Shoeless_jose (Apr 4, 2018)

lewstherin006 said:


> Hows your coffee?



I think it's tea


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## mnemonic (Apr 5, 2018)

Iirc the II started out very similar to the Ultra and wasn’t it like a year or two before it really differentiated itself with noticeably more features, amps, and sound improvements? 

Probably the same will happen again. Maybe sound improvements will be less. Then again, people said the Ultra was 99% there. Four years ago when I got my II, it was said it’s 99% there. And right now it’s apparently 99% there. 

There are significant sound and feel differences at all of those points, so I wonder how much more “99% there” we can get...


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## Andromalia (Apr 5, 2018)

Well, the II had a sound card and USB from the beginning, I still remember the problems with the standards and ultras and MIDI...


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## hvdh (Apr 5, 2018)

Dineley said:


> I think it's tea



Tea with Donuts. So nice!


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## lewstherin006 (Apr 5, 2018)

Dineley said:


> I think it's tea



No its not, the emote is literary called "coffee"


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## Shoeless_jose (Apr 5, 2018)

lewstherin006 said:


> No its not, the emote is literary called "coffee"



I know nothing of emotes.... Good to know though. However it seemed like the emote was conveying the same idea as the kermit meme which is what i was getting at.


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## Andrew Lloyd Webber (Apr 5, 2018)

lewstherin006 said:


> No its not, the emote is literary called "coffee"



That’s why we publish unboxing videos for coffee _and_ tea, just to be sure. Parts 2 and 3 on podcast day, next week!


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## ZombieLloyd (Apr 6, 2018)

Andrew Lloyd Webber said:


> That’s why we publish unboxing videos for coffee _and_ tea, just to be sure. Parts 2 and 3 on podcast day, next week!



My nephew has watched "unboxings" of Ben & Jerry's ice cream so an unboxing of coffee or tea wouldnt surprise me.


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