Hey everyone,

Yesterday I ran across a product from Fractal that I didn't know about. The FX8 is an FX only floor unit that is basically a massive pedal board in one unit. It seems it is geared for folks who like the FX of the AX FX but are not really interested in the amp modeling. I was only able to find a handful of demos and reviews but most of what I am hearing sounds positive. One thing I thought was handy is that you can set it up to for channel switching on your amp or whatever else is switchable. It also has options to put some FX in front of the amp (overdrive, crybaby etc) and other FX into the FX loop of an amp (delays reverbs etc). Or you can just run the unit in front of an amp like an overdrive stomp.
I thought it might compliment the Orange Rockerverb I just ordered nicely. Anyone here own one of these or have any info on the unit hat they could share? Or even comparisons to similar units? Any info or opinions you could add are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

http://www.fractalaudio.com/p-fx8-multi-ef...-pedalboard.php

FX8 Manual: http://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manu...ners-Manual.pdf



This post has been edited by AK Rich: Mar 19 2016, 05:53 PM

Hi

i'm thinking about replacing my BOSS GT100, os i take a look at the line 6 HELIX and to this FX8....

is it really a good idea ? did these two pedalboard are better than my GT ?

Laurent

There's a good thread comparing the Helix and the AX8 on the Line 6 forum which may help.

http://line6.com/support/topic/19199-helix-vs-ax8/

Personally I have been using Line 6 for nearly 10 years and I think they finally got it right with the Helix - I love mine!

I don't know much about the GT 100 but if I had to guess I would think that either the Helix or the FX8 would have superior quality to it.
One thing to consider is that the Helix I believe is an amp modeler as well as an FX processor so if that's what you are looking for it might be better to compare the Helix to the AX8 or the AX FX or a Kemper as these are amp modelers and the FX8 is not.

http://www.fractalaudio.com/ax8-amp-modele...lti-effects.php

The Fx8 has really stepped up the game when it comes to being suited for 4 cable method, it has lowered the noise floor that is the usual problem with this set up.

I think Andrew and fzalfa are confusing the AX8 with the FX8. Those are two very different things. The AX8 is comparable to a Helix, the FX8 is not. I have not used an FX8, but it has the effects from an AxeFXII, which I do have, and can tell you those effects are uniformly excellent.

this is a tough call. I"d say buy from a vendor you can return from and try both.The AX8 offers amp models as well as fx so it's really an axe fx just in a floor unit (with a bit more limited DSP e.g. one AMP block instead of two) which means you don't have to spent and extra thousand bux on a axe fx foot controller and wah /volume controller.

The more I read the more I'd like one myself The ax8 does have a bit more limited hardware dsp than the flagship axefxII but it will has all the great amps/fx etc. from the rack unit flag ship and it's only 50 bux more than the fx8 which is fx only. Also, it's a recording interface via usb. Not to mention the massive patch bay on the back.

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Mar 19 2016, 08:01 PM

Yeah, I know they are different but I didn't really call it out in my post, you are right. The link does go into details about ease of use and other stuff which still should be relevant but I have never used any Fractal Audio gear myself.

This post has been edited by Andrew Cockburn: Mar 19 2016, 08:06 PM

Fractal offers a 15 day money back guarantee, which is the only vendor for the US and Canada as far as I can tell. There is a list of international dealers which I assume offer something similar.

http://www.fractalaudio.com/purchase.php

I have never used any Fractal Audio gear either. Probably the biggest reason for this imo is that you can't try one , unless you buy one (As far as I know) Unless you are lucky enough to know someone that has one already, it's probably rare to even see one in the wild unless you are at a concert maybe.
It's hard on a guy like me who likes to try everything like guitars, amps and processors before I buy them.

Alas, no. There is no usb audio interface on the AX8. And it does not have all the effects from the AxeFX.

Everyone keeps mentioning the AX8 when AKRich is asking about the FX8 .

This is something I found impressive. Being able to place the fx in front of the amp, or in the loop using the 4 cable method and keep the noise down as well. Very cool

This post has been edited by AK Rich: Mar 19 2016, 11:39 PM

Yep, that's the deal. You buy it, try it for two weeks, and either send it back for a refund or keep it.

I'll warn you right now, that's an indication of how different/odd Fractal Audio is. It's not like the usual experience of buying a polished, finished product at Guitar Center. Instead, it's like you have a friend who tinkers with an audio processor. You can't buy your friend's product in a store, you have to put your name on a waiting list when you want one, it looks like somebody made it in their garage, and he's constantly improving it and giving you firmware updates .

It's hard to say what waitlist time is right now for an FX8, but it's probably in the neighborhood of two months.

Good one! Yeah, this is something I am not at all used to so it kind of goes into the con list since for me it's uncharted waters. Good God I hope it doesn't look like it was made in somebodies garage! Thanks Rammikin

This post has been edited by AK Rich: Mar 19 2016, 09:11 PM

Hey guys, I can only speak from my experience. Over a period of 25 years, I have bought lots and lots of gear, Always searching for the ultimate (could be a nice tread : the search for the ultimate tone...). Anyway, a couple of years ago I ordered an Axe FX II and had to wait for it for 7 months. That was a mighty long time but I have never regrated that decision afterwords. Fractal delivers BIG TIME equipement and I'm proud to have one. So, I don't know about the floorboard, but if it is in the same league as the FX II, then it's pure quality !!!

The superficial things on the outside like the enclosure and graphics are utilitarian and all business, especially the AxeFX. No fancy graphics. No fancy multicolored display. Inside the box though, it's all top-notch components and workmanship.

Yeah, the Fractal products look like they are built for professionals while a lot of their competitors gear looks like toys (graphics for people with short attention spans).

Fractal products are hard to try ahead of time due to their factory-direct policy. But on the other hand, I have never seen another product with as good a resale price. Quite often, the used ones on EBay go for slightly more than new price.

Fractal has very good quality in their products. They have good factory help and a large (if sometimes overly loyal) forum with usually good support.

The learning curve on the Axe FX can be somewhat long (I don't know about the FX8 from personal experience) but I was able to get sound quality that far exceeded anything I could get from my Line 6 or plug-ins right out of the box. Then, by playing with it further, it got better.

That's not to say that other people are not doing phenomenal things with other brands of equipment.

Whatever works for you.

Thanks a lot for weighing in with your experience with Fractal, Nikeman. It appears the FX8 has all the quality of the Axe Fx II but with a bit less of the processing power. So far from what I have read, this is only a problem if you are really heavy on the fx. I don't think it should be a problem for me since I usually keep the fx down to things like overdrive, compression,delay and reverb in most cases. Man, I sure hope I don't have to wait that long. I went ahead and put myself on the waiting list yesterday. let the waiting begin.



Now that makes me feel much better and sounds like it is as it should be. Thanks again Rammikin



Thanks Greg. I remember you got yourself an Axe Fx a little while back. I am happy to hear that you are still digging it and it sounds like they age like fine wine. It only gets better.

This post has been edited by AK Rich: Mar 20 2016, 05:44 PM

The AXE FX is a boutique piece of kit. The line 6 is a mass produced bit of kit. So as far as resale, it's axe fx all the way. They just make great stuff and people are willing to pay top dollar for it. The line 6 stuff drops quite a bit in price on the used market as it's made in mass quantity.

The axe fx is used by pros all over the world. I"m sure the line 6 is a nice unit and it sounds great in the vids. But it would probably take a bigger hit on resale if you ever did resell and the axe does seem to go with the orange amp pretty well as I've seen that combination more times than I can count. Orange is one of the few amps/cabs that has enough low frequency response to handle full range signals. Maybe thats why

The orange amps are along the boutique vibe as well despite being prolific, they are no where near as mass produced as say, line 6 amps. You may be happier with the axe fx.

This post has been edited by Todd Simpson: Mar 21 2016, 06:14 PM

Glad to hear it! Next, you'll have to start thinking about getting an AxeFX .

i agree

but what is the cost of an AXE FX II + pedalboard (volume and/or wah)......

Laurent