Fractal Audio Systems VP4 - Virtual Pedalboard

Whilst I use and am am very happy with my FM3 ... this is probably not going to be a popular take.

Its US $50 more than the HXFX and the HXFX has an absolute sh*t-ton more of everything - except for not having a variable Input Impedance which is an issue for some.

I've spent a lot of time with the HX line and the Axe line ... I find the "but its Fractal level EFX" to be irrelevant in terms of gigging .... for home recording purposes ... maybe (?)

But that's just me.

I do expect though that Fractal will sell *a f*ck-ton* of these to traditional Strymon buyers / users ... especially at the US $699 price point.

Strymon has got to be looking at this and thinking this is a very big potential problem for them - I can see a lot of Strymon units hitting Reverb etc... in the coming weeks.

Anyway ... that's how I see it.

Regardless of my opinion .. its great to see Fractal grow and add to their line of hardware .... awesome for everyone !
 
Wouldn't it have been better with a send and return so that you could put an amp modeler or profiler in between drive and time-based effects? What am I missing here, because greater minds have not brought this up...
 
TubeStack said:
Second one looks way better, to me.
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TubeStack said:
That’s the one on the website sale page.
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TubeStack said:
Why are you taking to yourself.
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deadpool_25 said:
I only showed up to see who would create the official thread. @laxu ?? Really??

You aren't allowed to bitch about the UI then! Those are the rules!
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laxu said:
Thoughts watching @2112's great video.

Like:​

  • To nobody's surprise, fx sound great!
  • Using the knob to select between "layers" is a clever way to simplify what you are doing.
  • Adding fx, and getting to the new fx parameters is pretty easy.
  • The simplified parameters for fx is a very welcome feature that I hope ends up in the other Fractal products too.
  • Being able to activate another effect with a footswitch while you are editing a different one is good.
  • Showing the list of scenes when changing them is good, easy to find another one if you hit the wrong footswitch.
  • Preset/mix routing page is a nice way to easily set the mix of fx and series/parallel.
  • It has USB interface capabilities! Not sure how I'd use these, might work for reamping tracks?
  • VP4-Edit looks really nice, a good simplified version of Axe-Edit.

Dislike:​

  • Selecting the fx category is the Axe-Fx style cumbersome "cycle type one by one". I think having a list pop up like on Helix would be nice to get to what you want faster.
  • With a long list of fx, like on the reverb, getting to the end of the list might be a bit of a pain in the ass.
  • Getting to editing of fx could be faster. I think you now need to scroll to the block and press Enter. This works, but is not super fast for adjusting.
  • When editing an effect, I think the onscreen knobs could be a bit bigger? Hard to say.

Wishlist (getting in my UI ideas early!):​


1. When in Effects layer, let me press the button on the knobs to go to edit that effect, even if I am currently editing another one.

Example, with active fx in bold: I have CMP - DRV - DLY - REV. I adjust my DRV to a higher volume, but find my DLY time is too high. I press knob C, and delay settings pop up. Ok, now I find that maybe I should also tweak my DRV again, so I press knob B to go back to DRV.

This would greatly enhance editing presets where the combination of effects makes a cohesive sound, e.g that Pog style preset Leon demoed.
The current functionality seems to be that knob press = choose fx type. I'd rather have the option to reverse this so that Enter = change type.

I find that when I have settled on the fx types, the thing I want to do most is edit the block, not change its type.

2. Indicator on the home page for parallel routing.

I find that on my SA Collider I often don't remember if the delay and reverb are in series or parallel. Would be neat if Fractal could cram in some indicator for this. Maybe a little bar on the block that says "parallel", or a little P in the corner or something?

Depending on EU prices, might have to buy this and see how it works for me.
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Desertdweller said:
The audience won't know, but I will. I buy gear for my own joy and inspiration, and there is a massive difference between Helix effects and Fractal ones.
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I totally %100 agree with your first point and am the same ...... not sure sure though I would describe the difference as "massive" .... but that's just me/my ears.

Each to their own, as it should be.
 
paisleywookiee said:
@nicolasrivera wheres the app for controlling this over Bluetooth? I can’t find it in the App Store. Also, why isn’t anyone making use of the touchscreen in any of these videos? Weird.
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I asked Cliff if there was a Bluetooth chip inside but haven’t gotten a response. Makes sense. Letting that out of the bag before a mobile app was available would cause a Nerual DSP level extinction event.
 
TSJMajesty said:
Speaking of BT, there's an ad for a senior software engineer on Fractals' website that mentions BT & WIFI, as well as Android in the skills requirements section. :unsure:

Time to start a new speculation thread? :facepalm
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