Fractal Talk

[Orvillain]

I had a couple of thoughts in response...

You may have been happier using it in the loop instead of in front of the JVM.

Did you try that configuration at home with satisfactory results and didn't like it at rehearsal or was that the first time you tried it that way at concert volume?

Are you used to doing your tweaking with Axe Edit rather than on the UI?

Is the JVM with the accompanying speakers the ideal amplification for using with the Axe FX?

I can certainly see how Boss pedals would have been simpler and don't know why you had better results with the Helix.

If you want to give it a second chance I'd dial it in at home using the 4CM or time based effects only in the loop. Build presets specifically for that amp. Dedicate an hour or so for tweaking them at sound check.

If all of that sounds like too much of a PITA and you're committed to using the JVM, a Helix may be a better choice for you since you were happier with the results you had with it.

It aint really anything to do with the sounds to be honest dude. The AxeIII sounded really really REALLY good. It just took me a lot longer to get to where I wanted to get.

Maybe Axe Edit has made me complacent!

I didn't have a laptop with me to have access to Axe Edit.

 

[Orvillain]

I'll go to bed super happy with some tones, wake up, plug back in and hate everything about what I fell asleep loving.

Life is strange.

Yeah I get you on that! This is why I own so many different things. Coz I'm a fickle unreliable narrator! Never listen to me when it comes to gear!

 

[James Freeman]

Anyone else finds the default LF Reso parameter overbearing and too resonant?
I have to lower it to 1.5 to match my amps with the x-load.

 

[Baba]

What I can't figure out is .... why did this never come up with Helix in 8 years of owning it? I never really found myself struggling with that in the same way.

The workflow is probably better for you, that's all, and that's fair.

 

[State of Epicicity]

I do not blame anyone for feeling uninspired using the front panel; it's an adjustment to get around quickly. I mostly use the front panel, so I'm used to it and really like it, but if I hadn't have made myself acclimate to its logic, and memorized the shortcuts I often use, I'd be in the same boat.

Now if you take your laptop to your rehearsal and still can't get what you need, then it's probably time to figure out why.

But to me in the end the quality of the algorithms is worth everything.

 

[Stratzrus]

It aint really anything to do with the sounds to be honest dude. The AxeIII sounded really really REALLY good. It just took me a lot longer to get to where I wanted to get.

Maybe Axe Edit has made me complacent!

I didn't have a laptop with me to have access to Axe Edit.

I hear you. While the reverbs and delays are great, I really struggled with dialing them in.

I'm going to update firmware on my III and FM9 soon and when I do I'll rebuild all of my presets.

I'm planning to use some of Leon Todd's reverbs and delays. Hopefully that will save me a lot of time and only require minor tweaking to taste instead of trial and error with multiple in depth parameters that I'm only marginally familiar with.

Many many people say using Axe Edit is easier than using the UI. I've only used the UI so I can't say but if you're used to it and had to make significant adjustments using the UI at rehearsal I can see how it might be frustrating.

 

[JiveTurkey]

*gulp*

Bit afraid to admit this. But I took the Axe3 + FC12 to rehearsal yesterday.

I just wasn't vibing with it. We're working on completely new material, and none of the tones are set in stone, nor the parts... so I was wanting to switch stuff around and experiment a lot more than your typical rehearsal... and I just found the whole thing really draining and uninspiring.

<ducks>

Are you whinging?

 

[Orvillain]

Are you whinging?

No, I'm whining.

 

[Whizzinby]

That's the weakest part of the current Fractal UX to me - experimenting and concocting stuff on the fly. I just...can't seem to do it. Hooked up to FM9-Edit....sure. But just using the buttons and knobs? Agony. Just moving blocks around requires waaaaaaay too many menus and screens.

I guess I've been fortunate that the factory presets + @2112's great multiscene presets scratch most of my itches, so if one type of amp preset is bothering me, I just find another somewhat related one that usually gets the job done.

This is where a tablet editor will be a major leap forward imo.

I will say though, I’ve found with Frac that the thing sounds dope AF at most stock settings. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve loaded a block and not tweaked much at all beyond gain/treble on amps or just mix on delay/reverb.

Tablet editor + block library import = LFG

 

[iaresee]

Yeah I get you on that! This is why I own so many different things. Coz I'm a fickle unreliable narrator! Never listen to me when it comes to gear!

I have way more gear than talent!

 

[mikah912]

This is where a tablet editor will be a major leap forward imo.

I will say though, I’ve found with Frac that the thing sounds dope AF at most stock settings. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve loaded a block and not tweaked much at all beyond gain/treble on amps or just mix on delay/reverb.

Tablet editor + block library import = LFG

Agreed. It's not so much the stock settings not doing it as it is just wanting to try different routing or just building scenes/presets of any decent signal chain from scratch just using the unit. That's always a bummer.

You wanna plan ahead of time and get it done in FM9-Edit? No prob. Get a crazy idea in the room.....it's gotta wait.

 

[djd100]

Anyone else finds the default LF Reso parameter overbearing and too resonant?
I have to lower it to 1.5 to match my amps with the x-load.

Yes, but smaller increments downwards for me (DI'd with a UA OX Stomp = 5.25 - 6 typically vs 7 for most 4X12's).

 

[djd100]

This is where a tablet editor will be a major leap forward imo.

+1 for live, otherwise a laptop is fine.

 

[Orvillain]

I have way more gear than talent!

Ditto!

 

[KHAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!]

I have way more gear than talent!

I don't!!!!!!









...I have very little gear.

 

[laxu]

Just found myself wishing I had a stack of Boss pedals at my feet.

What I can't figure out is .... why did this never come up with Helix in 8 years of owning it? I never really found myself struggling with that in the same way.

This is why I own a bunch of pedals. It's just more fun to experiment with them when you have so much immediate control. I then might try replicating some combination of fx on Fractal when I know what I need to do.

Helix is halfway there just because those capacitive switches make it easy to flip between blocks and there's a more curated set of parameters in the first place.

 

[CoreToneCapture]

What features would you like to see?

For me the lack of WAV export and support for stereo IRs (and the needed panning) is a miss, even if it would have to export them as separate L/R files for Axe-Fx to use.

In an ideal world this would be kind of like a combination of IR loader and ML Sound Lab MIKKO, with Fractal's cabs. But now it doesn't quite get there.

Also makes me wonder what this means for Dyna-Cabs on Fractal since it has half the cone, half the mics for each cab. Which to be fair is enough, just makes me wonder if it will get more mics or if it is starting to be tapped out on firmware space for this.

would pay for an export to wav option

 

[eggpl@nt]

would pay for an export to wav option

The inability to export a WAV through CabLab and the Axe IR Capture tool is a major bummer.

However, I've been told there are ways to capture IRs on the Axe. One could, hypothetically, mix an IR in CabLab, upload it to their Axe or FMx, then capture the IR hosted in the Cab block or IR Loader block. Hypothetically. It sounds like it could be extra steps, but it could be possible. Maybe.

 

[laxu]

The inability to export a WAV through CabLab and the Axe IR Capture tool is a major bummer.

However, I've been told there are ways to capture IRs on the Axe. One could, hypothetically, mix an IR in CabLab, upload it to their Axe or FMx, then capture the IR hosted in the Cab block or IR Loader block. Hypothetically. It sounds like it could be extra steps, but it could be possible. Maybe.

Yes you could do this but it's just a pain in the ass compared to "export in whatever format your modeler uses". It took me no time at all to export my IR mixes from MIKKO 2 to formats compatible with Fractal, Strymon etc.

The cabs are great, but Fractal is IMO overprotective of them.

 

[eggpl@nt]

Yes you could do this but it's just a pain in the ass compared to "export in whatever format your modeler uses". It took me no time at all to export my IR mixes from MIKKO 2 to formats compatible with Fractal, Strymon etc.

The cabs are great, but Fractal is IMO overprotective of them.

Sure, and I acknowledged that "it could be extra steps." I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just saying where there's a will, there's a way.