Fractal Axe FX III

Gear Aquisition Syndrome is a serious disorder.... FX etc

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Zaulkin
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Re: Fractal Axe FX III

Post by Zaulkin »

SimpleSi wrote:
Zaulkin wrote:
Molly wrote:I think you need a mindset that doesn't care about these things being superseded. If you're happy to be at the forefront regardless of cost and depreciation then more power to ya!
I don't think it can get much better than a II. The Ultra was really close but just needed a bit more definition. I can't tell the difference between a II into poweramp and cab vs the real thing. My guess is that the III may be better but only by a few %.

...Or I might try it and find that it's the best piece of kit in the world and have to have it. :)
Cliff on the Fractal forums has said it actually "sounds better" because of all the extra processing power.

His words were something along the lines of , he had to make compromises with the algorithms on the axeii because of limitations, so it would still process properly.

This new system is fairly limitless at this current time until new hardware
That's exactly what he said when he brought out the II though, and that will always be said about each new product. I have no doubt that it is probably a bit better, but by how much? As you know I use fairly simple tones so I can use the highest resolution on those models. Might be useful for someone like yourself who has a lot more effects in the chain.

I'm sure the III will be better but I already can't tell the difference between my Axe II and the Mark V.

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Re: Fractal Axe FX III

Post by SimpleSi »

Totally. Just means the AxeII will be that much cheaper now.

While Kemper refuse to release any new hardware lol
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Re: Fractal Axe FX III

Post by Olderama »

Lol could be worse DV Mark have released a Smart Multiamp thus dropping the many owners of the present including moi
Seems it's all about the ability to edit from your iPad device type thing
:mental:

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Re: Fractal Axe FX III

Post by Kloppsta »

Cliff isn't exactly going to come out and say "Oh, the new Axe 3 sounds the same as the Axe 2, it just has improved UI/UX and IO".

That would just be bad business and marketing. Of course he is going to say the Axe 3 "Picks up where Quantum left off". He doesn't actually say that it sounds and feels better than the Axe II and before the Axe 3 was announced, Quantum and the Axe II were the BE ALL AND END ALL. So its really easy to forget how the company touted its previous gen product as the best thing since sliced bread, until the new one comes along. Its the new model. He wants to sell bucket loads of them. In real world practical terms i would highly doubt anyone would be able to tell an Axe II and Axe III apart in a live and/or recorded/mix situation. Even in A/B tests its likely to be impossible to pick them apart.

At what point do you get diminishing returns? Having owned every modeler other than a Kemper, i feel qualified enough to say that in my experience we have already reached that point.

Where to from here? Even better UX/UI, more IO, better SNR and THD, more ancillary features like BT / Wireless, better USB audio. etc.

The appeal of the Axe 3 for me is the ability to run extremely processor hungry signal chains with tons of heavy duty effects without running out of CPU which was actually quite easy to do on the Axe 2 if you had 2 reverbs and 2 delays in a preset.

The biggest win however is that ability to do gapless switching using their new "channels" feature. That is WELL overdue imo.

As for why Kemper haven't released any new hardware, I personally dont think they will. Their parent company is Access Music. The brains behind the Virus line of synthesizers. The Virus synth which is still in production today is essentially unchanged since its release almost 21 years ago! It has had variations over the years but all they did was increase DSP (for more effects and layers) and improve IO and UX/UI. The sound engine is almost unchanged. Even the new versions include the original patch library from the original virus. the current model is the access virus ti2 which was released in 2009.

They tend to do one thing really well and stick to it. Just my 2c.
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Re: Fractal Axe FX III

Post by xCaptainx »

Standard: 2006.
Ultra: 2008.
II: 2011.
II XL: 2014.
III 2018.

Axe FX 2 has been out for 7 years. This is a pretty long life cycle for a digital device.

This looks like it will REALLY shine in studios, especially with the four inputs and outputs.

I used to max out DPS on the II doing two full signal paths when we toured with one Axe FX II powering both guitarists. I had to get quite smart with our effects options to limit DPS.

This looks like it would blow that concern out of the water.

Would be amazing for reamping. Recording multiple amp options at once? Neat.

TOTALLY overkill for 90% of the players who would purchase it, but when did that ever stop anyone?

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Re: Fractal Axe FX III

Post by Eruera »

If it doesn’t have real-time guitar impedance monitoring to allow fuzz rollback then I’m not interested :lol:

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Re: Fractal Axe FX III

Post by Zaulkin »

xCaptainx wrote:TOTALLY overkill for 90% of the players who would purchase it, but when did that ever stop anyone?
Well I wasn't going to buy one, but now that you've said it... I'll take 3.

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