As much as I respect Fractal products for their quality but I can understand competely that there are many guys who just cant get along with their policies.
It is definitly "weird" how they handle their "updates"..it is something..well..you cant say it is just "unusual" because it affects everything.In many hours crafted and tweaked presets to use for your live-gigs,studio work..every Fractal customer has to live in Cliffs rythm..this is not much different than a guru and his "disciples"..and has nothing to do with "serious behaviour".I dont have any issue with weird people (being myself everything else than an "easy person") and if all the Fractal customers are happy depending soundwise on the moods of a talented but obviousoy unsteady and hyperactive developer..so be it..good for them.Have fun.What we call "music industry" (better said whatever is left of this) was always and will be always nothing else than comedy..in the best case.Some say "monkey buisness" I call it "circus" and all talk about "industry standards" and even "professionalism" in this job cant be taken really serious..anyway..
I'm not really sure what you're trying to say. I don't base my buying decisions on the personality of owner(s) / developer(s). As far as updates are concerned and how they affect the sound of presets, this was originally solved by providing a firmware version parameter in the Amp block, however Cliff eventually removed it because it required too much memory from the MK I/II models to maintain a repository of previous firmware versions, the end result of which would've ultimately forced him to stop providing updates for those models. Based on a huge outcry from the community, he ultimately decided it was better to remove the feature and continue providing firmware updates than to keep it and effectively discontinue firmware support for MK I/II users.
In the end this whole issue depends on the personality of each and single customer who decides to go for a certain product.Do you like to create "from the scratch" and tweak for hours or are you the "fire & forget" & "plug and play" type of guy comming directly and after decades from the tube rig world..choose your product.I actually like this. Good times to have GAS..maybe the best ever.
Some users like a little of both. That's precisely why I own a KPA and Axe FX II.
After reading some threads about the AF3 in their forums it becomes more clear that even Cliff does not even want to hide that the amp models will sound more or less the same as in the AF2xl whatever and only the "specs" side of things will be increased with a lots of room for "future updates"..
Why not mention the entirety of his comments? He also said that the Axe FX III had lots of room to grow and develop over time, which is exactly the way the Axe FX II evolved. Do you think the Axe FX II sounded significantly better than the Axe FX Ultra when it was released? A lot of long time Axe FX users understand that the Axe FX III is a long term investment and will eventually eclipse the quality of the Axe FX II significantly. They're buying into significant improvements over time. That said, for those who don't appreciate that development road map, that's fine. No one's twisting anyone's arm to buy the new Axe FX.
so everything will stay the same.Cliff will continue to realease every two weeks barrages of "more real sounding updates" which will devastate a lots of work have being done by their customers at home/rehearsal room/studio while the core of their cutomers will continue to rave about it..perfectly fine for me.I am very happy for these guys.
Users aren't forced to upgrade, but for users who decide to it's not as if they can't tweak their presets and change whatever parameters were affected back to their previous values in most cases. I'm not suggesting it can't be a pain in the ass if you've got a lot of presets to re-tweak. It can be a lot of work, and that's why some users choose to wait several months or longer before upgrading. Anyway, that's a price some users are willing to pay for what they perceive as fantastic modeling with unmatched flexibility. If you're not the type who wants or appreciates that level of versatility and sonic control, that's fine, however there are a lot of people who do. What difference does it really make to someone who's not planning on buying an Axe FX, though? It's fine to share opinions, but if you don't plan on buying one, does it really matter?
As long as both adults (or as many as involved adults) agree on what to do with each other and really, really like it I will not say a word.
Too late for that. You've already spoken a lot of words about it.