Fractal Audio Systems mystery product speculation

[Whizzinby]

Was VP4 prepping this evening (full dork mode)

Reverb 1 (Medium Spring) >
Mega Tap (Decepticons) >
Multi-Delay (LT’s Doorknock library, which is a Quad Parallel Delay) >
Reverb 2 (Stratocumulus)
=

Scene 2 - MegaTap flips to Reverse Reverb Echo
Scene 3 - Multi-Delay flips to Pealing Bells
Scene 4 - Reverb 2 flips to the Blackhole (LT) variant, Multi Delay back to Doorknock

 

[paisleywookiee]

Was VP4 prepping this evening (full dork mode)

Reverb 1 (Medium Spring) >
Mega Tap (Decepticons) >
Multi-Delay (LT’s Doorknock library, which is a Quad Parallel Delay) >
Reverb 2 (Stratocumulus)
=

Scene 2 - MegaTap flips to Reverse Reverb Echo
Scene 3 - Multi-Delay flips to Pealing Bells
Scene 4 - Reverb 2 flips to the Blackhole (LT) variant, Multi Delay back to Doorknock

Is the patch called “Sean Bean Always Dies Because Julie Andrews Lives”?

 

[dk_ace]

Little bit of a spanner in the works for me today yknow....

It turns out that I really love my MercuryX, and I will definitely want to keep it alongside the VP4.

The LVX, I'm actually less fussed about. I'm not doing anything with it that I can't do with the Fractal DM2, Carbon Copy, Tape Delay, and Digital delay.... but the MercuryX.... there's some really tasty stuff in there, particularly when you crank the mix and the decay on the 78 Hall algorithm, and then swell some chords into it.... makes very moist noises, I don't think I can give it up.

I'll be selling my Flashback II X4, my Timeline, and possibly my LVX.... but I'll be keeping the MercuryX. Tis too good.

I would have expected the opposite. I thought it would be harder to cover the LVX, I’ve heard some wild stuff from those. I would have thought copping the Mercury would have been pretty straightforward. Interesting…

D

 

[Antipodes]

No. The analog input has to be buffered as well. In most (all?) processors you buffer data up in frames. A typical frame size is, say, 32 samples. You can't start processing that frame until it is full. When it is full you ping-pong and start filling the opposite buffer.

The physical latency of SPDIF is usually no more than a sample or two. A typical A/D converter has a latency of 10-20 samples.

The same thing happens at the output. You read from an output buffer and when it's empty you ping-pong to the opposite buffer.

A typical D/A has a latency of, again, 10-20 samples. A SPDIF output has only a sample or two.

So, in the case where you use a frame size of 32 you get a total buffer latency of 64 samples. If we assume the A/D and D/A are 16 samples each the total latency is 96 samples. If you use SPDIF you'd have about 30 samples less latency.

Thanks for the info on that. The case where SPDIF was worse than expected was with another product - users were expecting less latency but it was in that case no better.

 

[Aleksi]

I would have expected the opposite. I thought it would be harder to cover the LVX, I’ve heard some wild stuff from those. I would have thought copping the Mercury would have been pretty straightforward. Interesting…

D

As I understood it, he meant that he doesn't use the stuff that the other delays maybe can't do. The Mercury X reverbs are simply reallllly good and as silly as it sounds, I have no regrets paying nearly 50% of the price of my FM3 for just a reverb pedal.

 

[yek]

No. The analog input has to be buffered as well. In most (all?) processors you buffer data up in frames. A typical frame size is, say, 32 samples. You can't start processing that frame until it is full. When it is full you ping-pong and start filling the opposite buffer.

The physical latency of SPDIF is usually no more than a sample or two. A typical A/D converter has a latency of 10-20 samples.

The same thing happens at the output. You read from an output buffer and when it's empty you ping-pong to the opposite buffer.

A typical D/A has a latency of, again, 10-20 samples. A SPDIF output has only a sample or two.

So, in the case where you use a frame size of 32 you get a total buffer latency of 64 samples. If we assume the A/D and D/A are 16 samples each the total latency is 96 samples. If you use SPDIF you'd have about 30 samples less latency.

Translated:

96 samples @48kHz = 2 ms
66 samples @48kHz = 1.38 ms

 

[Coolstorybro]

Is there a new fractal product coming out??

 

[deepskyone]

Is there a new fractal product coming out??

SOON Tomorrow!

 

[HotRats]

At the end of the day I feel "bad" for Cliff and their team. To put work in on a product and just hear how bad it is before it's even announced must be rough.

Guess it can go for any new product these days to be honest. Not sure what people expect anymore

Maybe the fact that this product leaked didn't help.

The name "virtual pedalboard" might have lead to think that the VP4 was a generic multi fx floor unit aimed to replace a full pedalboard, a sort of new FX8.
That's what I thought for sure and looking at it that way made me see it as underwhelming.

We've discovered that is a different product with different goals, aimed to a different public.

 

[Orvillain]

I would have expected the opposite. I thought it would be harder to cover the LVX, I’ve heard some wild stuff from those. I would have thought copping the Mercury would have been pretty straightforward. Interesting…

D

It is more the non-reverb paddy background wash stuff.... the MercuryX has a certain character to a lot of it that the Fractal can also do... but just sounds different enough to where it is probably still worth keeping the pedal. Whereas the LVX can also do super deep character stuff... but I don't really use any of it. Although it has a granular effect which is awesome, but more of a studio tool than a "live in a two guitarist band" kind of thing... it gets washed out very easily.

 

[Piing]

Is there a new fractal product coming out??

There are rumors that it is a hoax

 

[dk_ace]

It is more the non-reverb paddy background wash stuff.... the MercuryX has a certain character to a lot of it that the Fractal can also do... but just sounds different enough to where it is probably still worth keeping the pedal. Whereas the LVX can also do super deep character stuff... but I don't really use any of it. Although it has a granular effect which is awesome, but more of a studio tool than a "live in a two guitarist band" kind of thing... it gets washed out very easily.

Ah, ok that makes sense.

D

 

[paisleywookiee]

Is there a new fractal product coming out??

Clearly you've not gone through the "Welcome to TGF" training.

 

[JiveTurkey]

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Is there a new fractal product coming out??

 

[KHAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!]

Clearly you've not gone through the "Welcome to TGF" training waterboarding.

FIFY

 

[deepskyone]

Clearly you've not gone through the "Welcome to TGF" training.

 

[Orvillain]

Ah, ok that makes sense.

D

I tell you what else ... if it were confirmed that the HX One noise issues were resolved or mitigated, I'd grab one of those for access to Line6 effects. There's NOTHING like Glitch Delay in Fractal land, and it is amazing!

But I think having a HX Stomp, MercuryX, and VP4 all on a board along side my GigRig G3, volume pedal, and wah pedal, might be a tad overkill!

 

[paisleywookiee]

FIFY

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I tell you what else ... if it were confirmed that the HX One noise issues were resolved or mitigated, I'd grab one of those for access to Line6 effects. There's NOTHING like Glitch Delay in Fractal land, and it is amazing!

But I think having a HX Stomp, MercuryX, and VP4 all on a board along side my GigRig G3, volume pedal, and wah pedal, might be a tad overkill!

Leaving aside normal delays like transistor tape and the adriatic delay, glitch and euclidean are my faves in helix land. Another reason not to sell my stomp I suppose.