Fractal Talk

[Tanax]

Yeah. I got tired of the constant complaining about the Fractal UI/UX more than a decade ago.

Of course things could be better. And a lot of good and warranted suggestions over the years have not been implemented. I get it! But the constant complaining? As if it is impossible to use Fractal products without a PhD in both signal processing and software development? Fuck off!

I loved my (supposedly difficult, close to impossible) Axe-FX Ultra and I still have my (supposedly difficult, close to impossible ) Axe-FX II. And when I recently got my VP4? Major leaps forward in simple usability. Nice! I think it is perfectly fine to use! Haven't even used the editor yet! Compared to fucking around with my UAFX pedals and their Blutooth apps? Heaven!

The improvements are nice and appreciated. But in a critical situation, I'd rather use Fractal products (with their UI/UX as is) than any of the competitors.

I don't think people complain just because it's fun to complain. They are probably genuinely frustrated with how things work.

Also, I don't think people think it's difficult (or impossible) to use, as in that it's difficult to learn. I think most people complain that it's unnecessarily complicated to do things that could be achieved much easier, quicker and more intuitive. I also think that people have been frustrated that Fractal company (and some fans) have largely ignored these requests in the past, saying that "if you don't like it, get something else" or "it's a professional tool, it's meant to be complicated because it's such a capable device".

Lately however, I feel like this has started to shift. So I am at least cautiously hopeful for the next gen Fractal to improve upon this.
The VP4 for instance was a great step in the right direction.

 

[laxu]

View attachment 51123

FM9 takes other pedals?

We have a power supply coming out soon for pedal users. The DCPS-80. 80W with eight 9V @ 500mA output and three 9/12/18V @ 1.5/1/0/75A outputs. All outputs are fully isolated to prevent ground loops and fully regulated. An optional expander module provides an additional eight 9V @ 500mA...

forum.fractalaudio.com

The thing I see vs CIOKS DC7 here is the huge number of outputs.

CIOKS can be a little bit problematic when your board is full of Strymons (typically 250-300 mA power draw each) like mine. Anything more complex needs the 4 or 8 Expander to power everything if you want all pedals to be isolated.

I think the limited number of 18/12/9V outs on the Fractal is less of an issue for most users.

Definitely not on my bingo card either!

 

[laxu]

Yeah. I got tired of the constant complaining about the Fractal UI/UX more than a decade ago.

Of course things could be better. And a lot of good and warranted suggestions over the years have not been implemented. I get it! But the constant complaining? As if it is impossible to use Fractal products without a PhD in both signal processing and software development? Fuck off!

I loved my (supposedly difficult, close to impossible) Axe-FX Ultra and I still have my (supposedly difficult, close to impossible ) Axe-FX II. And when I recently got my VP4? Major leaps forward in simple usability. Nice! I think it is perfectly fine to use! Haven't even used the editor yet! Compared to fucking around with my UAFX pedals and their Blutooth apps? Heaven!

The improvements are nice and appreciated. But in a critical situation, I'd rather use Fractal products (with their UI/UX as is) than any of the competitors.

I see a lot of dishonest opinions when it comes to Fractal usability, like:

• "If you can't figure it out you are too stupid". Nobody said they can't use it, just that it's inconvenient to work with.
• "You don't need a PhD to use it". No, but you get to be regularly annoyed by many aspects of it.
• "It's impossible to use". No it is not, but try doing anything quickly on your 1st/2nd gen Axe-Fx without Axe-Edit. It's a genuine pain in the ass because everything is behind a few menus, the control placement on the front panel sucks and so on.

I've been harping about Fractal usability for years not because I can't use it, but because I see so many ways it could be better even by just tweaking the existing user interface. Fractal has largely just chosen to ignore every UI improvement request, even very simple ones like "sort the impedance curve list alphabetically".

So I just gave up. Even the VP4 is only marginally better but it still has a lot of the same baggage as Axe-Fx 3. Can you learn to program it? Of course. Will you have fun building your presets? Not so much.

I don't see myself buying anything from Fractal until they overhaul their user interfaces. I love how they sound, and what they can do, but I'm tired that the only things that get better are how they sound.

 

[Rock Chalk]

I see a lot of dishonest opinions when it comes to Fractal usability, like:

• "If you can't figure it out you are too stupid". Nobody said they can't use it, just that it's inconvenient to work with.
• "You don't need a PhD to use it". No, but you get to be regularly annoyed by many aspects of it.
• "It's impossible to use". No it is not, but try doing anything quickly on your 1st/2nd gen Axe-Fx without Axe-Edit. It's a genuine pain in the ass because everything is behind a few menus, the control placement on the front panel sucks and so on.

I've been harping about Fractal usability for years not because I can't use it, but because I see so many ways it could be better even by just tweaking the existing user interface. Fractal has largely just chosen to ignore every UI improvement request, even very simple ones like "sort the impedance curve list alphabetically".

So I just gave up. Even the VP4 is only marginally better but it still has a lot of the same baggage as Axe-Fx 3. Can you learn to program it? Of course. Will you have fun building your presets? Not so much.

I don't see myself buying anything from Fractal until they overhaul their user interfaces. I love how they sound, and what they can do, but I'm tired that the only things that get better are how they sound.

 

[Stone]

While true about the GUI, the editor is the best in the business, and really for those who dont like the way the GUI works as it is awkward and not very intuitive, there are other modelers that are more intuitive if one requires or relies on programming the unit on the actual hardware.

 

[KHAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!]

While true about the GUI, the editor is the best in the business, and really for those who dont like the way the GUI works as it is awkward and not very intuitive, there are other modelers that are more intuitive if one requires or relies on programming the unit on the actual hardware.

For this gen I think it is what it is.

 

[laxu]

While true about the GUI, the editor is the best in the business, and really for those who dont like the way the GUI works as it is awkward and not very intuitive, there are other modelers that are more intuitive if one requires or relies on programming the unit on the actual hardware.

Yeah I don't have a whole lot of complaints about Axe-Edit, except that it can't be set up to work well with a MIDI controller for physical knobs. But every other modeler on the market has that same issue.

I sit in front of the computer so much already that I just prefer not having to do that with my guitar gear. Real knobs > virtual knobs. Real controls just make it fun to experiment and find sounds, and using a computer editor, while practical, is never the same thing.

I think this is another area where all modelers could be better as there's not really a good "computer editor + hardware controls" paradigm on any of them.

 

[Rock Chalk]

The modeler is a computer though…….

 

[KingsXJJ]

On Thursday I had the house to myself for a few hours and decided to play my tube rig for a change. It has been probably six months since I had played it last. I had the master volumes set to 1 o’clock, so it was giving me all of the beautiful singing feedback and chest pounding palm mutes you could ask for. It was fun.

I came away from the experience questioning why I even bother owning it anymore. It was great, but in no way revelatory or in any way more amazing than playing the Axe-FX through the same cab. I can honestly say that I would not miss it if I had to move it on. The Axe-FX is just astoundingly good.

Which amp?

 

[OrganicZed]

Which amp?

Fryette Sig:X with a Fryette 4x12 cab and the Fractal FX8 for effects.

Today I played the Fractal model of the Cameron CCV into a QSC PLX3402 power amp and a pair of Fryette 4x12 cabs for stereo. It was just as satisfyingly visceral as playing the Sig:X.

 

[Richard_G]

I loved my (supposedly difficult, close to impossible) Axe-FX Ultra and I still have my (supposedly difficult, close to impossible ) Axe-FX II

How do you fell these are holding up compared to more recent units? Genuinely curious…

I sold the Ultra in 2011, so I'm not gonna pretend I can give precise comments now on how it sounded compared to my gear now.

But with regards to the the Axe-FX II:

I have the latest/final firmware installed (Ares 2.0 from September 2019). Of course the current generation of Fractal products is better, in many ways. But let me put it this way: If the Axe-FX II with Ares 2.0 was a current product a from a competitor to Fractal, I honestly believe we would hear a lot about it and that many people would use it and be very happy. Both as an all-in-one-solution and as a FX-only unit. And remember; the Axe-FX II has been used on records and on tours by big names for a long time - and not that long time ago. It's still a great product.

One can probably get a used Axe-FX II really cheap. That would be a lotta bang for the buck. I've occasionally put mine up for sale locally - but I can't seem to fetch anything close to what I think it is worth to me.

 

[deathbyguitar]

How do you fell these are holding up compared to more recent units? Genuinely curious…

I recently compared an Ultra to my III. The ultra still sounds and feels great although it's not nearly as realistic. But the synth sounds are still dreamy as ever. I'm sure it can can still do things today that budget level modelers can't even touch can't even touch