Fractal Axe Fx 3

  • 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. :)

  • But in their hardcore fan base there's a group that was encouraged by owners of Fractal to basically attack anyone who ever had a negative experience with the AXE FX. I've seen and confirmed that the geapage banned many users for no other reasons but posting less than favorable experience with the AXE. I know this for a fact because I know some of these people personally..

    Visit the The Gear Page today and you'll see quite a few members who aren't shy about critiquing the Axe FX for one reason or another. Maybe banning users was an issue years ago, but it's certainly not an issue today. Neither is it an issue on the FAS forums, or at least it hasn't been for a couple of years now.


    As far as cult-like elitist attitudes are concerned, there's always some in every group of hardware enthusiasts, whether it's FAS, Kemper, or Line 6.


    With that in mind, the AXE FX III promises to be much of the same all, including the kitchen sink, do it all convoluted product that can be more suited for an electrical engineer more than a guitar player.


    It's been said virtually a million times; the Axe FX can be as simple or as deep as you want to make it. That's one of its assets. The Basic tab of the Amp block contains all of the controls you'd find on the front of a typical amp. You don't need to go farther than that tab in order to create something that sounds great. The advanced controls in the other tabs are for people who are interested in tweaking the innards of an amp. Why would you start tinkering with the virtual equivalent of an amps electronics if you're not the type who's interested in doing that sort of thing with an actual, physical amp?

  • Let's face it, Kemper absolutely leapfrogged Fractal (and everybody else) at pure tone delivery with the profiling method right from the get go and Fractal (and everybody else) has been trying to play catch up since.


    All these new bells and whistles are just ways to market to the extremely naive and fiscally irresponsible guitarist market who is always tone searching in the same way a crackhead searches for that same high as when they took their first hit.

  • For me the problem with the axe is that it doesn’t have a “killer feature”, there’s nothing it can do that I must have. Yes it has an editor and I want that for the Kemper, but not $4k want. More horsepower only means more horsepower (and maybe more power draw), it’s a measure of processing potential not sound quality of the algorithms.

  • Let's face it, Kemper absolutely leapfrogged Fractal (and everybody else) at pure tone delivery with the profiling method right from the get go and Fractal (and everybody else) has been trying to play catch up since.

    The KPA simply represents a different approach to amp tone reproduction. Some people like that approach, some are more fond of the Axe FX's versatile, tweak everything approach. And some people, like me, are a fan of both.


    All these new bells and whistles are just ways to market to the extremely naive and fiscally irresponsible guitarist market who is always tone searching in the same way a crackhead searches for that same high as when they took their first hit.

    What bells and whistles are you talking about specifically? There are guitarists, like myself, who actually benefit from and find many of those features useful, otherwise they wouldn't make the investment. I visit The Gear Page frequently and guitarists who post there are notorious for abandoning gear that doesn't actually serve a purpose with respect to their workflow.

  • For me the problem with the axe is that it doesn’t have a “killer feature”, there’s nothing it can do that I must have. Yes it has an editor and I want that for the Kemper, but not $4k want.

    In my opinion, Tone Matching is an awesome feature that's not available in any other modeler. Is it the same as profiling? No, but your comment didn't pertain to profiling, it pertained to a 'killer feature'. As has been mentioned previously, the Axe's horsepower is used to process numerous CPU intensive algorithms. Like I said in a previous post, there's a reason the Kemper is limited to a specific number of effects slots. While I love the KPA, I'd gladly stack the Axe's reverb against the Kemper's any day of the week, and I can run more than one instance in the Axe FX.


    More horsepower only means more horsepower (and maybe more power draw), it’s a measure of processing potential not sound quality of the algorithms.

    And you think it's mere coincidence that every high quality VST today that sounds superior to effects on PC's 20 years ago don't require more powerful hardware to run than effects algorithms did back then? Do you really think many of today's high quality effects algorithms would run in real-time on 20 year old hardware, assuming compatibility weren't an issue? If not, why not? Because at the end of the day, more horsepower can and often does translate to higher quality effects. Certainly not in every case, but in many cases.

  • @ColdFrixion

    Quote

    I'm not really sure what you're trying to say.


    Why not;I just said that I dont like Fractals policies and that there are many,many people who dont like them either and for that reason sold their AFs..I have difficulties to understand why this is not easy to comprehend..



    Quote

    I don't base my buying decisions on the personality of owner(s) / developer(s).

    Who said you do;



    Quote

    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.

    Thanks for the insight.Nevertheless it does not change the fact that the Factals "updates" are a lot,following each in a short period of time and also affecting a lots of work done by the customers in the time between each "update".Which ofcourse is not a bad thing if their customers obviously love this "update policy"..I just said that for me personally (and maybe a lot of other people) this policy is not what I am looking for.I believe that this is something everyone can understand and respect.For me personally..I believe that this policy has more to do of what I described above with the guru and his disciples than anything else.Allthough I mean this with a healthy (at least I hope so and nobody is insulted) dose of humour but nevertheless for me this kind of "updatepolicy" has nothing to do with "making seriously music" using tools which are "safe to use everywhere and anytime"..I would not like to update my tool becazuse all my rigs "have changed" again while I got the call for any kind of job.


    I understand that for you it is "good to have both" products..actually I have thought about to do the same as you more than a couple of times.Guess what,.this "update policy" is the only reason I did not.And the option "just dont upgrade" is none.Not in my book.


    Anyway..I am not one of those who says that Fractal products are "not good"..it is just that I beleieve that this is not for me.Or people "like me"..


    Btw,I have a friend who makes music at the east coast and is all his life active with the afroamerican community there (knows all the big names,religious guy,involved a lot with R&B VIPs & the harlem gospel singers etc) and some months ago he told me very interesting things about the "gear used" in his area..he said that the Fractal is "church gear" and used mostly by guys who play every sunday in the church.People with money (he told me something like "top line PRS & AxeFx") while most live musicians and also "any size of producers" use more of the KPA lately.At least for me this wouold "fit" into the impression I have for what to use the different products and most of all what "kind of characters" choose which product to be happy.Some "tweaking vs plug & play" kind of thing.Fine.


    All good.

  • @ColdFrixion

    I just said that I dont like Fractals policies and that there are many,many people who dont like them either and for that reason sold their AFs..I have difficulties to understand why this is not easy to comprehend.


    Well, why not just say that? You can't understand why your comments weren't easy to comprehend because you're the one who wrote them. Anyway, who cares? Let's move on.


    Who said you do;

    I was taking a stab at what I thought you were trying to say because I didn't understand your point.


    Thanks for the insight.Nevertheless it does not change the fact that the Factals "updates" are a lot,following each in a short period of time and also affecting a lots of work done by the customers in the time between each "update".Which ofcourse is not a bad thing if their customers obviously love this "update policy"..I just said that for me personally (and maybe a lot of other people) this policy is not what I am looking for.I believe that this is something everyone can understand and respect.


    You don't like frequent updates and don't care for Fractal Audio's update policy, and that's fine with me. It's no skin off my nose. However, just because some people don't share your opinion doesn't mean they don't understand or respect it. That said, respect and understanding is a two-way street.


    For me personally..I believe that this policy has more to do of what I described above with the guru and his disciples than anything else. Allthough I mean this with a healthy (at least I hope so and nobody is insulted) dose of humour but nevertheless for me this kind of "update policy" has nothing to do with "making seriously music" using tools which are "safe to use everywhere and anytime"..I would not like to update my tool becazuse all my rigs "have changed" again while I got the call for any kind of job.

    I'm not particularly crazy about the idea of re-tweaking presets after a firmware upgrade, but not all updates change the sound of presets. There are many times when changes are so negligible that I don't feel the need to re-tweak them, and more often than not I don't bother because the firmware update makes the preset sound better. If you want your presets to sound exactly the way they did when you dialed them in originally then yes, you'll probably need to re-tweak them at some point if you update on a regular basis, and yes, it can be a pain. But the reason a lot of Axe FX owners are excited about updates is because they often make things sound better. That's kind of the point. From the perspective of many users, Fractal Audio is providing free improvements. Yes, sometimes you need to re-tweak a preset to hear those improvements, but most users feel it's generally worth it. Maybe it's too much of a hassle for some people. I can understand and respect that, but considering the sonic flexibility and quality of the modeling, it's a price a lot of users are gladly willing to pay, and I'm sure you can understand and respect that, as well.


    Btw,I have a friend who makes music at the west coast and is all his life active with the afroamerican community there (knows all the big names,religious guy,involved a lot with R&B VIPs & the harlem gospel singers etc) and some months ago he told me very interesting things about the "gear used" in his area..he said that the Fractal is "church gear" and used mostly by guys who play every sunday in the church.People with money (he told me something like "top line PRS & AxeFx") while most live musicians and also "any size of producers" use more of the KPA lately.

    Check out Fractal Audio's artist list. The suggestion that the Axe FX is primarily church gear doesn't really conform to reality.

  • I wonder how many of their endorsers just use them for their great effects in conjunction with real tube amps or KPAs (eg: Devin Townsend).

    Many I'm sure, and then there are artists like Metallica who go in whole hog. Devin in particular uses the Axe FX for amps and effects, at least according to this years rig rundown.

  • @ColdFrixion


    Man,really..let us go "straight" here..


    You really think that the update policy (which is unique ie "speed") is not somewhat weird;I mean..I always feel quilty of sounding like a "fanboy" but let us be honest here.Look at the time period of "updates"..why so many and why so fast;


    For me (and many others I would like to claim) it is "just to much"..and now we see Fractal coming closer to the "quick tweak" kind of things with their biger display and the knowbs..what else to say;


    Again.Me personally thinks that the Fractal stuff is very good.Nevertheless most pros in the "artist list" I like use the Fractal stuff solely as effects board.I guess you will no deny that simple fact (Vai,Satriani,Petrucci etc) but again there are few guys which really use it as amp-sim(Lifeson,Fripp and Dweezil ofcourse) but these guys also are very,very "experimental" so using top class FX is essential for them.


    Again:I still think the Fractal stuff is great and the only reason I mentioned my buddy in the states was to describe what I think about gear and the opinions from guys who also "know their stuff" from their world around them which has nothing to do with "my reality"..
    Anyway..regards

  • @ColdFrixion


    Man,really..let us go "straight" here..


    You really think that the update policy (which is unique ie "speed") is not somewhat weird;I mean..I always feel quilty of sounding like a "fanboy" but let us be honest here.Look at the time period of "updates"..why so many and why so fast

    No, I don't think it's weird at all. In fact, I wish more developers were as attentive with respect to improving their product. I'm exceedingly thankful that the the developers are so committed to improvement. For anyone who doesn't appreciate the frequency of updates they have the option of not updating. It's that simple. No one's forcing anyone to download and install the latest firmware. Don't want to update? Don't.


    most pros in the "artist list" I like use the Fractal stuff solely as effects board. I guess you will no deny that simple fact (Vai,Satriani,Petrucci etc) but again there are few guys which really use it as amp-sim(Lifeson,Fripp and Dweezil ofcourse) but these guys also are very,very "experimental" so using top class FX is essential for them.

    Certainly there are artists who prefer to use amps in conjunction with the Axe FX's effects. There are also artists like Metallica and Devin Townsend who use it as their entire rig(ie. amps, cabs and effects).


    Again:I still think the Fractal stuff is great and the only reason I mentioned my buddy in the states was to describe what I think about gear and the opinions from guys who also "know their stuff" from their world around them which has nothing to do with "my reality"

    I never said 'your reality'. I said, "the suggestion that the Axe FX is primarily church gear doesn't really conform to reality". There are plenty of opinions from people who "know their stuff" and don't view the Axe FX as primarily church gear. I certainly don't. Of all the people who participate in many of the forums I frequent, the number of players who use an Axe FX at their church makes up a fairly small percentage in my experience.

  • In my opinion, Tone Matching is an awesome feature that's not available in any other modeler. Is it the same as profiling? No, but your comment didn't pertain to profiling, it pertained to a 'killer feature'. As has been mentioned previously, the Axe's horsepower is used to process numerous CPU intensive algorithms. Like I said in a previous post, there's a reason the Kemper is limited to a specific number of effects slots. While I love the KPA, I'd gladly stack the Axe's reverb against the Kemper's any day of the week, and I can run more than one instance in the Axe FX.

    And you think it's mere coincidence that every high quality VST today that sounds superior to effects on PC's 20 years ago don't require more powerful hardware to run than effects algorithms did back then? Do you really think many of today's high quality effects algorithms would run in real-time on 20 year old hardware, assuming compatibility weren't an issue? If not, why not? Because at the end of the day, more horsepower can and often does translate to higher quality effects. Certainly not in every case, but in many cases.

    Well, firstly Match EQ has been around for almost twenty years, you can do it in any DAW, so no it's not a unique feature of the AxeFX. Even with hardware there are other units out there that have this built in, Bias Head and Mooer pedals. On top of all of that it's vastly inferior to Profiling, which I also already have. So yup, it's not a "killer feature".


    Secondly, what on earth has 20 year old HW got to do with modern processing? There was a time when DSP's were better at stream processing and not just because they weren't running as many processes, but modern processors and OS' don't have any such problem. Moreover if we follow your line of logic a VST should sound worse on a lower clocked older CPU, which is demonstrably not the case. At a certain point Moar power != Better tones.


    You haven't convinced me one iota that the AxeFX has any "killer feature" that makes it a must have item. It's possible that the term "killer feature" isn't a universal one, if so here is one definition :


    "In marketing terminology, a killer feature is any attribute of a product that proves so useful as to become the main attraction of the product. Examples include spreadsheets as a feature of the PC, or pornography as a feature of the Internet."


    In essence a "Killer Feature" is a feature that makes the product a prerequisite for working in the field. A "must have", something that is unique and cannot be found elsewhere, or that is implemented so well as to render all competition obsolete.


    I'm not saying the AxeFX is bad, that would be ridiculous to say, it's a great unit. But the AxeFX has no killer feature. There are lots of hardware based amp sims. Lots of them now sound nice, even as floorboard units. The Kemper does a better job of raw amp tone, the AxeFX FX section is nice but there are cheaper options of equal quality (not that the Kemper FX are bad either).


    For any normal person on the street the AxeFX doesn't stand out from the crowd anymore, once upon a time it was the king of the hill and sounded (and played) the best, not any more. For a Kemper user from a practical standpoint it's really hard to justify having both units. From a previous generation AxeFX user it does have at least one killer feature over your existing unit though - which is continued support and updates.


    That's why I have difficulty with this products value proposition.

  • Quote

    No, I don't think it's weird at all. In fact, I wish more developers were as attentive with respect to improving their product. I'm exceedingly thankful that the the developers are so committed to improvement. For anyone who doesn't appreciate the frequency of updates they have the option of not updating. It's that simple. No one's forcing anyone to download and install the latest firmware. Don't want to update? Don't.

    Ofcourse I will not upgrade.I will not even buy.But this is not the point..



    Quote

    Certainly there are artists who prefer to use amps in conjunction with the Axe FX's effects. There are also artists like Metallica and Devin Townsend who use it as their entire rig(ie. amps, cabs and effects).


    Really I will not depend my decision to spend close to 3000 euros for a modeller on what any famous artist says and does with gear..again,this was not my point..



    Quote

    I never said 'your reality'. I said, "the suggestion that the Axe FX is primarily church gear doesn't really conform to reality". There are plenty of opinions from people who "know their stuff" and don't view the Axe FX as primarily church gear. I certainly don't. Of all the people who participate in many of the forums I frequent, the number of players who use an Axe FX at their church makes up a fairly small percentage in my experience.

    I am also quite sure about that.I just wanted to give one opinion out there which is similiar to mine ie who will prefer what tool.I said it already.This "tweakers vs plug & play" seems like a plausible "pattern" (if you like) to me to explain why should one go with which product.Nothing else.


    So:AxeFx for tweakers and KPA for guys who line it "more simple" would be a thesis I would support.It should maybe not to difficult to agree on this..

  • Well, firstly Match EQ has been around for almost twenty years, you can do it in any DAW, so no it's not a unique feature of the AxeFX.


    I never said it was unique to the Axe FX. I've been using EQ matching for over 15 years, before the Axe FX was on the market. I said it's not available in any other modeler, and I'm specifically referring to hardware modelers. I've yet to see EQ matching in any other external hardware, in fact. Bias Head doesn't have EQ matching built-in. That requires Bias Desktop, and Mooer's Preamp Live hasn't been released.


    Even with hardware there are other units out there that have this built in, Bias Head and Mooer pedals.


    Like I said, it's not built-in to Bias Head. You have to use the Bias software, and the Mooer Preamp Live isn't available yet.


    On top of all of that it's vastly inferior to Profiling, which I also already have. So yup, it's not a "killer feature".


    Did you not read my reply? I specifically said it's not the same as profiling, but that your comment didn't pertain to profiling, it pertained to a 'killer feature'.


    Secondly, what on earth has 20 year old HW got to do with modern processing?


    Within the context of the discussion? Everything. If you're trying to say that processing power has nothing to do with sound quality, then try running modern effects plugins on some outdated, 20 year old hardware in real-time. The fact is, the specs to run most modern effects plugins generally require hardware that wasn't available 20 years ago. Intel had just released the Pentium II Xeon 400 in 1998. The point is, it wouldn't be possible to run most high end plugins with the sound quality we're accustomed to today in real-time using antiquated hardware... so, obviously horsepower does ultimately translate to better sound quality. I mean, if a piece of software won't run because it needs more horsepower, well, you figure it out.


    You haven't convinced me one iota that the AxeFX has any "killer feature" that makes it a must have item.


    You never phrased your question within the context of "convincing you', thus it's of no consequence to me either way.


    It's possible that the term "killer feature" isn't a universal one, if so here is one definition :


    "In marketing terminology, a killer feature is any attribute of a product that proves so useful as to become the main attraction of the product. Examples include spreadsheets as a feature of the PC, or pornography as a feature of the Internet."


    I ascribe to the dictionary definition of killer, which means "strikingly impressive or effective". Thus, a killer feature would, by definition, be one which is strikingly impressive or effective.


    the AxeFX has no killer feature.


    In other words, it doesn't have a feature you consider strikingly impressive or effective. Great. There are people who feel the Kemper doesn't accurately reproduce the sound of tube amps, too. Does that change how you or I feel about it? Not one bit. Killer features aren't based on facts, they're obviously subjective. You have your opinion, others have theirs. I could name things I think are killer about the Axe FX such as Axe-Edit, Tone Matching and the IR capture utility for starters. Editors, EQ matching and IR capture utilities aren't unique, but how the editor and IR capture utility are implemented in the Axe FX makes them killer, in my opinion. The Tone Matching feature is killer because I can save Tone Matches on a per profile basis, call them up instantly and use them in real-time. Of course Bias has Amp Matching(ie. EQ matching), as do a lot of plugins, but using it in conjunction with the Axe FX's amp models and incorporating them into my presets would be a pain in the ass by comparison. To have it built-in to the unit makes it killer in my book.


    The Kemper does a better job of raw amp tone, the AxeFX FX section is nice but there are cheaper options of equal quality (not that the Kemper FX are bad either).

    I've already proven to myself (and others on TGP) that you can duplicate practically any profile that uses an amp with an equivalent model in the Axe FX, so I'm not a believer in the whole 'the Kemper is uniquely able to produce the most authentic raw amp tones of any unit' anymore. The Kemper sounds great, and I love that it can capture the sound of an actual, physical rig but using an equivalent amp accompanied by an IR captured from the Kemper's cab section in the Axe has yielded results that are indistinguishable from the profile to my ears, but I've said this ad nauseam.


    For any normal person on the street the AxeFX doesn't stand out from the crowd anymore, once upon a time it was the king of the hill and sounded (and played) the best, not any more. For a Kemper user from a practical standpoint it's really hard to justify having both units.

    Well, aside from the Kemper, the only other real competition is Line 6's Helix. By and large, the Amplifier, HeadRush, S-Gear, Bias, Amplitube and others aren't considered on par with the Kemper, Axe FX or Helix by and large, and in a recent poll on TGP the Axe FX was favored by a landslide over the Helix in terms of sound quality and effects. Based on my experience with other users, I have every reason to believe it stands out as one of the 3 top tier units on the market today to most users.

  • Ofcourse I will not upgrade.I will not even buy.But this is not the point.

    It was never a question whether you planned to buy an Axe FX. I was explaining why I don't think the frequency with which FAS releases updates is weird and also why I think the entire issue is somewhat irrelevant; users aren't forced to update.


    Really I will not depend my decision to spend close to 3000 euros for a modeller on what any famous artist says and does with gear..again,this was not my point..

    Who suggested you should buy an Axe FX because a lot of artists use it? My point was that I don't think the Axe FX is widely considered church gear due to the number of artists and non-christian guitarists who use it.


    This "tweakers vs plug & play" seems like a plausible "pattern" (if you like) to me to explain why should one go with which product.Nothing else. So:AxeFx for tweakers and KPA for guys who line it "more simple" would be a thesis I would support. It should maybe not to difficult to agree on this..

    Sure, I think the Kemper is more plug and play and the Axe FX is more tweakable. Absolutely.

  • I'm more inclined to trust my own experience and / or listen to opinions from professionals I respect than someone who has a contrary opinion that I don't know from Adam.

    Probably the main reason why I sometimes frequent internet message boards is because I want to hear from some stranger that I don't know from Adam rather than listen or read some professional review for obvious reasons and those reason are not because I don't trust or respect famous pros, but the stranger will give their opinion unhinged and that's what I like.


    The first time I read from someone who said the AXE FX II was harsh and had unusable mid gain amp models.before he got banned, I pin pointed a major problem with AXE FX II modeling that was proven right when I tried it firsts hand. The mid gains setting were truly unusable a they're not easy to mask with EQ like Metal or clean tones. I know some professionals are using the AXE and getting decent results, but I haven't heard of any mid gain clips, it's like it never existed.

    The KPA simply represents a different approach to amp tone reproduction. Some people like that approach, some are more fond of the Axe FX's versatile, tweak everything approach. And some people, like me, are a fan of both.

    Getting back to trusting some stranger that you don't know from Adam, I'm assuring you whether you believe it or not, that when I used frequent and read the gear page, I read a post from CLiff Chase himself where he said, he knew very well before Kemper came into the scene that using audio convolution (The Kemper approach) would certainly result in more accurate modeling but he decided to go with the algorithmic approach anyway.


    He didn't say why, but as a reader I presumed that he had faith in his programming and electrical engineering skills. For amp modeling, my personal opinion, however , is that S-Gear is more realistic or natural modeling then all the rest. If few amps under a handful is all a guitarist needs, S-Gear beats AXE FX II, Helix or any other algorithmic amp modeling. and it does mid gain way better.

    Edited 3 times, last by Dean_R ().

  • Probably the main reason why I sometimes frequent internet message boards is because I want to hear from some stranger that I don't know from Adam rather than listen or read some professional review for obvious reasons and those reason are not because I don't trust or respect famous pros, but the stranger will give their opinion unhinged and that's what I like.

    Who's talking about professional reviewers? While I enjoy reading reviews from every day people, I give a lot more credit to people who are actually producing the results I want over people I don't know who are spouting off assertions that sound ludicrous to me. Thus, I'm far more inclined to listen to artists who are actually getting the results I want than someone who's just shooting off their mouth on a forum.


    The first time I read from someone who said the AXE FX II was harsh and had unusable mid gain amp models.before he got banned, I pin pointed a major problem with AXE FX II modeling that was proven right when I tried it firsts hand. The mid gains setting were truly unusable a they're not easy to mask with EQ like Metal or clean tones. I know some professionals are using the AXE and getting decent results, but I haven't heard of any mid gain clips, it's like it never existed.


    Well, there's this thing called confirmation bias. Suggestion is a powerful thing. People hear all sorts of stuff yet often can't validate their perception in blind A/B tests.


    Getting back to trusting some stranger that you don't know from Adam, I'm assuring you whether you believe it or not, that when I used frequent and used to read the gear page, I read a post from CLiff Chase himself where he said, he knew very well before Kemper came into the scene that using audio convolution (The Kemper approach) would certainly result in more accurate modeling but he decided to go with the algorithmic anyway.


    Source?