Neural DSP - Cortex Control beta, CorOS 2.2 released

Gave this a bit more thought, and even R'dTFM. It is a bit of an Achilles' Heel after all. I no longer believe there's "a workaround for whatever I need here", unfortunately. And I suspect it needn't be this way.

The fundamental problem is that there are only 2 differentiated Input blocks and 2 differentiated Output blocks, even though the USB I/O comprises more. What Fractal does is essentially overload these I/O blocks, by globally changing or mirroring their functionality. For instance, if I want to send audio to USB, it has to be USB3/4, and it can only be a dry input signal, or whatever's routed to the Output 2 block. The latter sounds reasonably flexible, until you consider that we've just used the Output 2 block. So effectively, I no longer have a physical FX loop, or an extra output to use for a guitar cab tap, or whatever. There are similar issues if I want to monitor audio from USB: the only way to get audio back onto the Grid for further processing (with these amazing Fractal effects :love) is to steal the Input 1 block. It would be so much more powerful if there were just generic Input and Output blocks that allowed you to select whatever I/O was actually available, i.e. from the physical inputs and outputs and the USB channels.

The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that this is all dictated by global settings. I can't pick my battles in one preset that's going to run a synth via USB and then choose another preset that needs the FX loop. It's all or nothing. The USB routing was clearly designed as an afterthought to facilitate DAW integration and reamping. There's a lot of room for improvement here.

I took a look at the FM9 manual, and things are somewhat improved on account of an extra input and SPDIF, but it's mostly the same deal.
Can you do anything splitting the ins and outs to stereo? I am guessing for what you want to do; probably not. That's certainly the thing with something like the Stomp. I may not every be satisfied for longer than a day with how it sounds but easy peasy is not something to be ashamed of.
 
Can you do anything splitting the ins and outs to stereo? I am guessing for what you want to do; probably not. That's certainly the thing with something like the Stomp. I may not every be satisfied for longer than a day with how it sounds but easy peasy is not something to be ashamed of.
No dice on the stereo splits. The actual I/O is certainly adequate that this should be possible, but the UI elements and options exposed are just broad strokes.

HX Stomp has limitations of its own (which I can't entirely recall anymore), but there are at least independent options for USB channels in the I/O blocks (if not the Send/Return/Loop blocks, alas.) This is more than merely "easy peasy"; it's a granularity that better represents the underlying hardware, and it's legitimately more powerful.

Helix Floor/LT/Rack and QC take this further, by offering that same granularity, and also having a lot more I/O (and more CPU lanes) to begin with. I wish FM3 would at least split the difference.

As I said, FM9 isn't substantially better, so I can't assume AxeFX III is either. Off to RanotherFM lol.
 
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No dice on the stereo splits. The actual I/O is certainly adequate that this should be possible, but the UI elements and options exposed are just broad strokes.

HX Stomp has limitations of its own (which I can't entirely recall anymore), but there are at least independent options for USB channels in the I/O blocks (if not the Send/Return/Loop blocks, alas.) This is more than merely "easy peasy"; it's a granularity that better represents the underlying hardware, and it's legitimately more powerful.

Helix Floor/LT/Rack and QC take this further, by offering that same granularity, and also having a lot more I/O to begin with. I wish FM3 would at least split the difference.

As I said, FM9 isn't substantially better, so I can't assume AxeFX III is either. Off to RanotherFM lol.
 
This is pretty much as I expected: the additional analog FX loop adds Input and Output blocks 3 and 4, which frees things up. But it still sucks that you can't route USB independent of those inputs and outputs. In many cases, using USB I/O will obviate the functionality of some of the analog I/O. (And again, this is global - not per preset.) Piling on more I/O is really just a brute force solution to an inelegant design, versus letting the user better leverage the I/O that's actually there.

I appreciate that this wouldn't matter to 98.5% of potential customers, of course. And the thing does sound f***ing monumental, so it is what it is. :D
 
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If I had to hazard a very early guess: the QC is going to stay because it offers the most utility (and captures for good measure); the FM3 will probably replace my HX Stomp.
A-a-a-a-nd therefore... Line 6 drops HX 3.7 literally two days later.

just-when-i-thought-i-was-out-they-pull-me-back-in.gif
 
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