The Gear Forum designs a next-gen digital modeler!

[Digital Igloo]

Okay, here's a potential rabbit hole question: What's the ideal number of switches for a flagship processor?

 

[JiveTurkey]

Okay, here's a potential rabbit hole question: What's the ideal number of switches for a flagship processor?

0

 

[Sascha Franck]

Okay, here's a potential rabbit hole question: What's the ideal number of switches for a flagship processor?

Make it scalable.
I think 5-8 switches per row, then let the user add row modules - and if you think your users aren't clever enough to play with LEGO, pre-configure units on order.
And defenitely don't place the switches as close together as on the QC, because that just s***s.

 

[Sascha Franck]

The Fractal approach actually isn't too bad already, as you can either add 6 or 12 switches to the basic unit. I think they're too huge, though.

 

[James Freeman]

Okay, here's a potential rabbit hole question: What's the ideal number of switches for a flagship processor?

High end flagship where money is not an issue, yes 0 is the correct answer, a powerful rack unit with modular controllers.
A band without personal guitar techs, crew, rack units, etc. I say the current all-in-one with 10-12 footswitches is plenty, especially if you have 'Pages'.

I think that a rack unit can and should be more powerful that a floor unit(s), it should not be compromised in any way to accommodate the less powerful floor unit(s), possibly a different architecture and branch altogether, nothing should hold a flagship back.

I think Fractal has the most 'logical' direction with their SKUs after the addition of FM9.

 

[Gearzilla]

Two...

One to turn it on, and one to turn it off.



6-12-18 as modulars.

18 with an upper 1/4 quadrant as a touchscreen(that can be mirrored as an app). A smart controller.

 

[Foxmeister]

Okay, here's a potential rabbit hole question: What's the ideal number of switches for a flagship processor?

In a floor unit, my personal opinion is 12, but all 12 need to be freely assignable.

 

[Sascha Franck]

but all 12 need to be freely assignable.

Yeah, that's another important point. There should be a bunch of pre-defined conditions but also a "switching playground".
Same goes for all encoders, btw.

 

[laxu]

Okay, here's a potential rabbit hole question: What's the ideal number of switches for a flagship processor?

4-6 if it's a compact unit.
8-10 for a rack+floor controller or big floor unit.

• 4 will cover clean-rhythm-lead snapshots with something extra.
• 6 will add maybe a few fx toggles to it or whatever use you might have for them.
• 8 is "8 snapshots" or "4 snapshots, 4 fx toggles".
• 10 is "10 snapshots", "5 snapshots, 5 fx toggles" or maybe "4 snapshots, 4 fx toggles, preset up/down".

I have a FC-12 with 12 footswitches with my Axe-Fx 3 and it feels a bit large and often has a couple of footswitches that end up as "let's figure out what to do with these".

My most disliked number is 3. That's always one short for pretty much anything you'd like to do. That 4th switch could be a tuner, tap tempo, another snapshot, channel switch etc.

 

[GTR37]

I would say for me 8 freely assignable switches would more than do it and keep it compact

 

[dronerstone]

Personally, I don't like footswitches that can't be assigned to effects or parameters.

Hence, no fixed "bank up/down", "tap/tuner", and "mode". Switches should be freely assignable.

How many? Between 8 and 12 should do the trick.

Or, like some said, make it modular. Wouldn't hurt being able to play guitar and switch stuff right in the control room, with the rest of the rig in the booth. One guy buys the 4-switch module, while the next prefers the one with 16.
Probably complicated and prone to bad stuff, though. I'm clearly no tech.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Probably complicated and prone to bad stuff, though.

Nah, if done properly (solid connections and such), adding another row of switches should be no deal at all. And well, if you look at FAS, they're doing it already, at least pretty much. Their additional controllers integrate seamlessly, both in terms of form and function (I'd prefer a smaller sized approach in general, though).

 

[Foxmeister]

And well, if you look at FAS, they're doing it already, at least pretty much.

Their additional controllers cost more than most modellers... an FC6 costs 20% more than an HX Stomp XL here in the UK.

I'm all for modular, but not at the expense of a cheaper all-in-one, which will suit the vast majority of most people's needs.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Their additional controllers cost more than most modellers... an FC6 costs 20% more than an HX Stomp XL here in the UK.

Yeah, I know, same here.

I'm all for modular, but not at the expense of a cheaper all-in-one, which will suit the vast majority of most people's needs.

Again: Same here.
Doesn't have to be all that expensive, too. I mean, most people likely wouldn't need the extra display and the scribble strips of the FAS offerings, same goes for the connectivity options. Make it a row of 5-6 multi-LED switches and one single connector (ideally a dock-alike thing so the form factor is kept pleasantly as well) and you should be able to save at least 50% compared to the FAS offerings.

 

[laxu]

Their additional controllers cost more than most modellers... an FC6 costs 20% more than an HX Stomp XL here in the UK.

I'm all for modular, but not at the expense of a cheaper all-in-one, which will suit the vast majority of most people's needs.

Yeah the Fractal controller prices are nuts in EU. I got the FC-12 used before all these inflation etc shenanigans so it was a fair price but I would never buy one used when it costs almost as much as a Helix LT in EU. All the heavy lifting is done by the Fractal modeler itself and the controllers are basically just displays and footswitches.

I'm firmly in team modular though. Helix Control for example is more like what I expect the price to be - 349 euros for 12 footswitches etc.

 

[Lysander]

Okay, here's a potential rabbit hole question: What's the ideal number of switches for a flagship processor?

Honestly, Helix and HX Stomp XL are pretty much ideal on this end, for their respective goals (main floorboard unit, mfx/flyrig).

 

[Stone]

Okay, here's a potential rabbit hole question: What's the ideal number of switches for a flagship processor?

12 either Integrated or modular and dont forget the OLED scribble strips :)

 

[zib]

Another game changer for me would be a Fractal or Helix version of the Zoom MS-70CDR.

Yes, just presets. And profile reader

 

[Bob Zaod]

Okay, here's a potential rabbit hole question: What's the ideal number of switches for a flagship processor?

24

 

[signalpath]

I would love to see a digital modeler work as a USB MIDI host!

That would be a great feature to have with all the excellent USB MIDI controllers out there

Yes, Yes, Yes. Knobs, Knobs, Knobs.