Fractal Talk

laxu said:
While I can understand if most of your presets are IN1->OUT2 or something you would wnat the first point, but why would you want the default cab to be the 1x4 Pig? Unless you use template presets then you have to change that every time you slap a cab block in, so I'd rather have some of the work done for me.
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For the signal path, it would mean every time I create a new preset I have to first delete a bunch of stuff I don’t want before I can start adding what I do want.

For the cab, I think it would be nice if I could choose a cab setting to be my own default that comes up when I add a cab block, but I don’t want it to try to choose one for me based on what amp I choose. 90% of the time it’s going to choose wrong and I’ll just have to change it anyway, so there is nothing gained.

Think about DynaCabs. Is it going to try to pick mics and settings for me too? If so it will most likely pick something different from what I want and that means I’ll have even more I have to change to get it to what I want than if it had just left everything alone and let me change what I want.
 
metropolis_4 said:
For the signal path, it would mean every time I create a new preset I have to first delete a bunch of stuff I don’t want before I can start adding what I do want.

For the cab, I think it would be nice if I could choose a cab setting to be my own default that comes up when I add a cab block, but I don’t want it to try to choose one for me based on what amp I choose. 90% of the time it’s going to choose wrong and I’ll just have to change it anyway, so there is nothing gained.

Think about DynaCabs. Is it going to try to pick mics and settings for me too? If so it will most likely pick something different from what I want and that means I’ll have even more I have to change to get it to what I want than if it had just left everything alone and let me change what I want.
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It's a COMPLEX piece of equipment. I am all for making it easier to use but I honestly don't know where to even start. Learn it by using it.
 
metropolis_4 said:
For the signal path, it would mean every time I create a new preset I have to first delete a bunch of stuff I don’t want before I can start adding what I do want.

For the cab, I think it would be nice if I could choose a cab setting to be my own default that comes up when I add a cab block, but I don’t want it to try to choose one for me based on what amp I choose. 90% of the time it’s going to choose wrong and I’ll just have to change it anyway, so there is nothing gained.

Think about DynaCabs. Is it going to try to pick mics and settings for me too? If so it will most likely pick something different from what I want and that means I’ll have even more I have to change to get it to what I want than if it had just left everything alone and let me change what I want.
Click to expand...
We're talking about starting points here. There's never going to be something that pleases everyone, but you can try to cover most users just to make it easier for them to get going. Most Fractal time effects for example come with a sensible starting setting where you only have to adjust mix a bit to get a good sound.

Think that you are someone who just bought the FM3 and wants to get started making their own presets. I'd say most users are going to have some form of IN1 - Amp - Cab - OUT1 preset, with a variety of fx around it. To me the whole adding shunts and adding utility blocks is rather unnecessary.

The Hotone Ampero 2 offers templates for routing which you can quickly swap and it will rearrange whatever blocks are in the preset into that routing. That's most routing scenarios covered with a couple of taps, instead of painstakingly adding shunts, or having to reconnect things if you move a block. Granted, the Hotone, like Helix, is way more fixed in its routing options.

The Hotone also has a toggle in its options for making the cab block track the amp block. If I pick a Marshall, it picks a suitable 4x12 Check cab for it. Pick a Mesa? 4x12 Recto and so on. This works more than well enough if people just want to quickly find a "works pretty well for this amp" cab to go with it. Prefer something else? Just turn off the option. While I wish this feature was part of the Cab block for easy toggling (instead of a global option which is a bit buried), it's an alright way to do it.

Like Henning said, most newcomers won't know what cab goes well with what, so having some curated suggestions coming from the maker of the modeler is not a bad thing to have.

Obviously being able to pick your own defaults when just loading in the effect is something that would be nice. I'd e.g load the Plexi 100 Jump at my favorite settings when I add an Amp block, a 4x12 1960TV cab with a good mic placement when I add a Cab block, a London Plate when adding Reverb etc. Atm you have to load those separately from saved favorites. Fine, it's just a few clicks on the editor...but impossible on the onboard UI.
 
IMG_3077.gif
 
Saw a recent Henning vid where he said he filmed a ton of Fractal content and listed off every device, so I’d anticipate some more from him.
 
OrganicZed said:
You beat me to the punch!

In all seriousness, I have read the Axe-Fx III manual and blocks guide cover to cover around five times each. They contain a wealth of good information.
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The thing is, even though I know the manual holds the keys to everything, I only look at it when I'm stuck......
big grin.png
 
metropolis_4 said:
Honestly, these two changes would annoy the crap out of me. I don’t want either of these
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Me too.

metropolis_4 said:
Think about DynaCabs. Is it going to try to pick mics and settings for me too? If so it will most likely pick something different from what I want and that means I’ll have even more I have to change to get it to what I want than if it had just left everything alone and let me change what I want.
Click to expand...

This^^^. 100% this^^^.
Thankfully, you can set the auto picking to 'Off'.

For the Legacy IRs, it'd be nice if -Edit maintained a couple of small tables of metadata about the amp models and Factory IRs, which could be msny->many linked so when you pick an amp, the IR picker window could have a 'Suggested' filter you could switch on that would narrow down the list to good choices for that amp....
 
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JoeBfstplk said:
For the Legacy IRs, it'd be nice if -Edit maintained a couple of small tables of metadata about the amp models and Factory IRs, which could be many->many linked so when you pick an amp, the IR picker window could have a 'Suggested' filter you could switch on that would narrow down the list to good choices for that amp....
Click to expand...
That would be a good feature. The filters on the onboard UI suck when they can't even determine if the bank of IRs contains a particular cab type (e.g lets you filter by 1x10 when there are only 4x12s in the bank...), so not expecting much from Fractal here.

Lots of data to assemble and test drive tho.

I expect for next gen it'll be Dyna-Cabs only with only user IR banks, so it could suggest different Dyna-Cabs.
 
laxu said:
We're talking about starting points here. There's never going to be something that pleases everyone, but you can try to cover most users just to make it easier for them to get going. Most Fractal time effects for example come with a sensible starting setting where you only have to adjust mix a bit to get a good sound.

Think that you are someone who just bought the FM3 and wants to get started making their own presets. I'd say most users are going to have some form of IN1 - Amp - Cab - OUT1 preset, with a variety of fx around it. To me the whole adding shunts and adding utility blocks is rather unnecessary.

The Hotone Ampero 2 offers templates for routing which you can quickly swap and it will rearrange whatever blocks are in the preset into that routing. That's most routing scenarios covered with a couple of taps, instead of painstakingly adding shunts, or having to reconnect things if you move a block. Granted, the Hotone, like Helix, is way more fixed in its routing options.

The Hotone also has a toggle in its options for making the cab block track the amp block. If I pick a Marshall, it picks a suitable 4x12 Check cab for it. Pick a Mesa? 4x12 Recto and so on. This works more than well enough if people just want to quickly find a "works pretty well for this amp" cab to go with it. Prefer something else? Just turn off the option. While I wish this feature was part of the Cab block for easy toggling (instead of a global option which is a bit buried), it's an alright way to do it.

Like Henning said, most newcomers won't know what cab goes well with what, so having some curated suggestions coming from the maker of the modeler is not a bad thing to have.

Obviously being able to pick your own defaults when just loading in the effect is something that would be nice. I'd e.g load the Plexi 100 Jump at my favorite settings when I add an Amp block, a 4x12 1960TV cab with a good mic placement when I add a Cab block, a London Plate when adding Reverb etc. Atm you have to load those separately from saved favorites. Fine, it's just a few clicks on the editor...but impossible on the onboard UI.
Click to expand...

The problem with that is it’s going to annoy experienced users for the sake of hand-holding new users.

Think about a website where after creating your account and logging in the first time you see a tour of site functionality.

That’s going to be really helpful the first time, but imagine how annoying it would be if it keeps showing it to you every single time you log in
 
laxu said:
We're talking about starting points here. There's never going to be something that pleases everyone, but you can try to cover most users just to make it easier for them to get going. Most Fractal time effects for example come with a sensible starting setting where you only have to adjust mix a bit to get a good sound.

Think that you are someone who just bought the FM3 and wants to get started making their own presets. I'd say most users are going to have some form of IN1 - Amp - Cab - OUT1 preset, with a variety of fx around it. To me the whole adding shunts and adding utility blocks is rather unnecessary.
Click to expand...

What would really help is being able to insert a block in a row in `-Edit`, and lasso or `Cmd-Click` a group of blocs and move them as a group. If `-Edit` gave us those capabilities, I could get behind presets having the optional capability of being pre-filled with the basic `Input 1->Amp 1->Cab 1->Output 1` starting point.

laxu said:
The Hotone Ampero 2 offers templates for routing which you can quickly swap and it will rearrange whatever blocks are in the preset into that routing. That's most routing scenarios covered with a couple of taps, instead of painstakingly adding shunts, or having to reconnect things if you move a block. Granted, the Hotone, like Helix, is way more fixed in its routing options.

The Hotone also has a toggle in its options for making the cab block track the amp block. If I pick a Marshall, it picks a suitable 4x12 Check cab for it. Pick a Mesa? 4x12 Recto and so on. This works more than well enough if people just want to quickly find a "works pretty well for this amp" cab to go with it. Prefer something else? Just turn off the option. While I wish this feature was part of the Cab block for easy toggling (instead of a global option which is a bit buried), it's an alright way to do it.
Click to expand...

This would be great in `-Edit` as a "pull" feature instead of a "push" feature. I don't know anyone who likes pushy people or pushy 'nanny' applications. Offer help, don't force it on them. This is ground into folks who work with the disabled (I did years ago), so that you don't takecaway their dignity, offer help but don't force it except in an obvious emergency situation (person about to fall, or otherwise come into harm's way).

Put a "Suggestions" button to have `-Edit` filter the IR picker window and give some good ideas, based on the amp feeding the cab. If two Amp blocks precede a single Cab block, make the filter do a union join on the suggestions from the two amp blocks' chosen models....
 
I’ve been using the fm9 for months and didn’t know you could move through models with the edit button and I have no clue what the “knob double click shortcuts” are…. Sounds like I can learn a few things that will make it easier to navigate…

D
 
metropolis_4 said:
The problem with that is it’s going to annoy experienced users for the sake of hand-holding new users.
Click to expand...

That’s why you offer help rather than just give it. Pull vs. Push. Opt-in as much as possible (i.e., a button with the help/suggestions), and a global Opt-out where necessary (i.e., a setting to start with a bare preset or one pre-filled with input, amp, cab, and output blocks).

metropolis_4 said:
Think about a website where after creating your account and logging in the first time you see a tour of site functionality.
Click to expand...

Great example. Even the first time, those are frequently annoying AF. :D
 
dk_ace said:
I’ve been using the fm9 for months and didn’t know you could move through models with the edit button and I have no clue what the “knob double click shortcuts” are…. Sounds like I can learn a few things that will make it easier to navigate…

D
Click to expand...
I use -Edit as much as possible.

The FM-9 is all the way down there on the floor. I'm 59 and I don't get down on the floor without a solid plan in place for getting back up. :D
 
JoeBfstplk said:
I use -Edit as much as possible.

The FM-9 is all the way down there on the floor. I'm 59 and I don't get down on the floor without a solid plan in place for getting back up. :D
Click to expand...

I only edit on the unit at a gig or rehearsal, but thats when time is especially valuable so if I can find ways to do it faster that would be great.

I get around the clunkiness of editing on the unit by taking advantage of the awesome foot switching. I’ve got a couple levels of volume boost available on switches instead of needing to turn a patch or scene up. Lots of delay and reverb options on switches, lots of gain options, mods, etc all footswitchable. The goal is to never need to touch the unit other than quickly saving something I changed in a preset scene with footswitches.

For the most part, this works. I do occasionally find myself needing to adjust something using the menus and buttons though. I’m not very fast at it though and it’s usually a little stressful…

D
 
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