Line 6 Helix Stadium

Peace Grow GIF by jayjay_illustration
That is NOT it.
 
Fractal complexity doesn't fit within a Stadium-like UI, but it doesn't need to.
Axe-Edit isn't that far away from the Helix UI, and the only additional complexity is how much more there is to footswitch programming and how many more exposed parameters are available. All that would mean is more pages, but a better system would be the VP4 style "easy" vs "advanced" views because most people don't touch e.g advanced amp, delay or reverb options at all.

Cliff could just make an FM9 where the push encoders do what you expect them to, block libraries are live on the device and easily selectable and creating patches from scratch is much easier.

Just those simple things would move mountains for people who've used the platform and left.
Absolutely. There's tons of low hanging fruit on the existing platform, it just seems to be hard to get Fractal to address any of them.

I think the VP4 would have been way better if it just had dedicated buttons (or encoder push buttons) that would simply open each block slot instead of that Select knob for scrolling blocks/params. At least to me that seems like an obvious way to use it when you see it the first time. That's why initially I was hoping Fractal could maybe add that kind of behavior to the knob push functions...but of course they chose to use non-pushable encoders...

Fractal's challenge for next gen is how to make things so fast to use that users can really fly on the onboard UI.
 
vp4 is only effects and far less complicated sub menu wise though
I’ve owned Axe 3, Fm9 and VP4. It has nothing to do with that. It’s the workflow in general, it’s much better. There are many effect blocks that have way more complicated parameters than an amp . It’s about getting to things quickly and efficiently. Hitting the edit button a bunch of times to get to the effect near the end of your signal chain in 2025 is ludicrous. Have fun when you go past it and have to loop back around to the start and do it again, which I do about 25% of the time, along with an expletive.
 
Axe-Edit isn't that far away from the Helix UI, and the only additional complexity is how much more there is to footswitch programming and how many more exposed parameters are available. All that would mean is more pages, but a better system would be the VP4 style "easy" vs "advanced" views because most people don't touch e.g advanced amp, delay or reverb options at all.
The biggest downfall is the horrible view of the signal chain on device. Line 6 got it right, Neural ripped it off, and fender went with a more realistic view. They need to figure that out.
 
I’ve owned Axe 3, Fm9 and VP4. It has nothing to do with that. It’s the workflow in general, it’s much better. There are many effect blocks that have way more complicated parameters than an amp . It’s about getting to things quickly and efficiently. Hitting the edit button a bunch of times to get to the effect near the end of your signal chain in 2025 is ludicrous. Have fun when you go past it and have to loop back around to the start and do it again, which I do about 25% of the time, along with an expletive.
OK, thanks for that. I haven’t played the unit, but I will guess that the next fractal will probably have an interface similar to what you describe with the VP 4 . But likely not a touchscreen like the TMP or the helix Stadium.
 
OK, thanks for that. I haven’t played the unit, but I will guess that the next fractal will probably have an interface similar to what you describe with the VP 4 . But likely not a touchscreen like the TMP or the helix Stadium.
Honest question Tim because I can’t recall but have you owned a Fractal ? The AX8 the AXe3 or FM3 or FM9
I am just curious
 
I think the next Fractal product will probably be embedded in a small/medium sized Hotub, perfect for folks like @timbuck3 to dial in all their favourite tones AND get their bubbles right, at the same time. Of course it'll have a touch screen too, that way there's no menu diving in the heat of the moment and you wanna impress your guests by tweaking all the tones and bubble settings.
 
touchscreens aren't a complete showstopper as long as there is a viable quality bluetooth app and stable connectivity. IMO. although if my ipad died I'd be changing my tune. If it comes with it already all the better.
 
We don't say such things in Germany. We hate people. We hate ourselves. We hate life.
This!
Just returned from a short rehab, severe depression much better, looking forward to long-time-therapy in a couple of weeks, resuming my mainly lurking existence in this wonderful forum:

Shit! Over 40 new pages!!!

I hate my life.

Frankfurt am Main, den 5. Oktober 2025
 
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