Fractal can't and they won't create something comparable. They know their lane and they'll stay in it. That lane is quality amp modeling and effects. User experience will never be a strong suit for them. Not only do they not have expertise in that area, they have no interest in it. There's a niche for what they do well and they'll be ok. But it will become just that, a niche.
There's no longer as big a "I use Fractal because it's simply better than the competition for amps and fx modeling" incentive. Cheap capture boxes are nipping at the heels for amps, cheap multifx are at "these fx are pretty solid!" level for effects now, and I expect Helix Stadium will raise its delay/reverb/pitch/mod effects quality to Fractal level. Amps will probably take a bit longer since Fractal has over 100 unique amps (if we consider all the channels and mode models as one amp).
Fractal's big issue for all its products to date has been usability, so that's the #1 issue they need to solve for a next gen. They need at minimum an onboard user interface as good as Axe-Edit.
While Line6 has gone above and beyond with their "virtual roadies" in the Showcase system etc, I still think Fractal needs to go back to the drawing board after this announcement.
Line6 have put a lot of work into reducing the barrier to entry to modelers:
- Sound clips for presets so you can understand what it is meant for. This has been a big issue with lots of user and factory presets, having a reference will help a lot. I can see people saying "Hey, I made this preset based on what you are looking for, check my clip and see what you think!" on forums and FB groups because it seems like it's just very easy to do.
- Ability to easily add a sound clip to help you dial in the sound. Looper blocks can do this now but it seems Line6 has made this really straightforward where it goes from "pull up the looper controls" to "just hit record".
- Fingerpaint quick tone adjustments, that can even be user defined no less! This is probably my favorite new feature.
- Integrated parameter manual on-unit.
- Hype knob to take you from "accurate" to "sounds nicer to my ear". This can be a quick route to "behaves how I think it should sound".
- Due to the increased number of footswitches even on the smaller non-XL model, access to all your favorite blocks is just a finger tap away.
Ok, so Fractal might focus their product for the professionals only. The only things they truly need from that list are quick access to blocks (hardware design), and the integrated manual, which has been requested at least for Axe-Edit years ago. But people will appreciate things that make it easier to play with sounds whether you are a seasoned pro or a newcomer.
I expect Fractal's wishlists for their next gen product will have a number of "hey Helix Stadium has this cool feature, can you do something like that?" requests.
I just have a hard time finding the unique selling point that would make me say "You know what, I'll go for the Axe-Fx IV instead of the Helix Stadium". I hope Fractal surprises us.
