Fractal AX8! Wow!

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Chris6542

New member
Having accumulated alot of high end gear, I hadn't had a Fractal product yet, so I picked up an AX8, not expecting to be blown away. Wow! I've never heard such consistently gorgeous tones from a modeler, and in the presets no less (presets on all units usually suck). It's so rare something floors me, but wow, the AX8 is stunning in it's tones. There is a depth, fidelity, and balance that is hard to describe. All tones are so rich and balanced, it's really something. I'm hard to impress with an SLO, Ecstacy, Headrush, 69 Superbass, Legacy 3, etc, but wow, these AX8 tones and effects are truly gorgeous! I was not expecting to be floored like this. And the all metal AX8 is the perfect size, not huge like the Headrush (which I have and do like) or Helix, it's a medium size floor unit with 11 foot switches. Now, the interface, and ease of use is not real great, just be prepared to spend many, many hours learning this machine, which you should do with any unit to reap the full rewards. Something like the Headrush is kinda the opposite, quick and easy interface, and "very good" tones, the AX8, great tones with a clunky interface, though the software for the computer is terrific. But as someone who cares about tone, esp in songwriting and recording, damn this thing is good. I don't see how the Axe 3 or FM3/9 could be any better honestly. For the $700ish you can get these for used, and for the stunning quality of tones it offers, the AX8 is a steal. When you find yourself staring at your speakers, you know you've been wowed! I hear that owner dude of Fractal is cranky and difficult, but damn he knows what he's doing!
 

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While I have an FM3, I wish I had kept my AX8. The layouts are intelligently designed, and the amps and effects I used on the AX8 sounded fantastic.
 
Yeah Mincer, they are terrific. I was eyeballing the FM3, and may one day pick one up, but for now, my AX8 does me very well.
 
I remember jolly digging on his and haven't heard many negatives. The size of the fm3 is much more appealing to me, as is the reduced amount of footswitches I'd never use. The price of this one is nearing my budget tho.
 
Chris6542 said:
Yeah Mincer, they are terrific. I was eyeballing the FM3, and may one day pick one up, but for now, my AX8 does me very well.
Click to expand...

While the FM3 is more powerful, and (for now) is still being updated, the layout of the AX8 is certainly better, and for the models I use (usually cleaner Fender ones), they sound about equal.
 
I've been super impressed with my FM3 (after trying Boss, Helix, etc.etc.). The models sound amazing at stock settings, the presets vary from good to amazing, and you can tweak as little or as much as your heart desires. The parameters are incredibly deep, but if you're not into that, the main tabs for the amp and cab blocks are all you really need to dial in amazing tones.

On top of that, the effects are great, to the point where I don't really use pedals anymore. I paid about 1K from my FM3--not couch change for me--but it was worth every penny. I do wish I have a more extensive footswitch layout like the AX8 or FM9, though. The AX8 front panel looks like it's pretty intuitive.

Glad you're enjoying your unit!
 
Chris6542 said:
Having accumulated alot of high end gear, I hadn't had a Fractal product yet, so I picked up an AX8, not expecting to be blown away. Wow! I've never heard such consistently gorgeous tones from a modeler, and in the presets no less (presets on all units usually suck). It's so rare something floors me, but wow, the AX8 is stunning in it's tones. There is a depth, fidelity, and balance that is hard to describe. All tones are so rich and balanced, it's really something. I'm hard to impress with an SLO, Ecstacy, Headrush, 69 Superbass, Legacy 3, etc, but wow, these AX8 tones and effects are truly gorgeous! I was not expecting to be floored like this. And the all metal AX8 is the perfect size, not huge like the Headrush (which I have and do like) or Helix, it's a medium size floor unit with 11 foot switches. Now, the interface, and ease of use is not real great, just be prepared to spend many, many hours learning this machine, which you should do with any unit to reap the full rewards. Something like the Headrush is kinda the opposite, quick and easy interface, and "very good" tones, the AX8, great tones with a clunky interface, though the software for the computer is terrific. But as someone who cares about tone, esp in songwriting and recording, damn this thing is good. I don't see how the Axe 3 or FM3/9 could be any better honestly. For the $700ish you can get these for used, and for the stunning quality of tones it offers, the AX8 is a steal. When you find yourself staring at your speakers, you know you've been wowed! I hear that owner dude of Fractal is cranky and difficult, but damn he knows what he's doing!
Click to expand...

Mincer said:
While I have an FM3, I wish I had kept my AX8. The layouts are intelligently designed, and the amps and effects I used on the AX8 sounded fantastic.
Click to expand...

Mononoaware said:
I've been super impressed with my FM3 (after trying Boss, Helix, etc.etc.). The models sound amazing at stock settings, the presets vary from good to amazing, and you can tweak as little or as much as your heart desires. The parameters are incredibly deep, but if you're not into that, the main tabs for the amp and cab blocks are all you really need to dial in amazing tones.

On top of that, the effects are great, to the point where I don't really use pedals anymore. I paid about 1K from my FM3--not couch change for me--but it was worth every penny. I do wish I have a more extensive footswitch layout like the AX8 or FM9, though. The AX8 front panel looks like it's pretty intuitive.

Glad you're enjoying your unit!
Click to expand...

I'm not familiar with Fractal, other than the name. In order to sound so good, I have to ask: what power amps, cabinets and speakers are all of you using to hear the Fractal with?
 
beaubrummels said:
I'm not familiar with Fractal, other than the name. In order to sound so good, I have to ask: what power amps, cabinets and speakers are all of you using to hear the Fractal with?
Click to expand...

I'm using mine in a direct-to-PC studio setup. So it's essentially Fractal>audio interface>monitors. Super simple. The result is a mic'd amp sound, which works great for my limited space.

Should be noted: Both power amp and cab simulation are optional, just like on the Helix or most other modern hardware. The cab emulation is IR-driven, and the unit ships with a huge library of hand-selected name-brand IRs (Ownhammer, York Audio, Redwirez, ML Audio, etc.).
 
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beaubrummels said:
I'm not familiar with Fractal, other than the name. In order to sound so good, I have to ask: what power amps, cabinets and speakers are all of you using to hear the Fractal with?
Click to expand...

In my studio, it is going direct to a Steinberg interface. Live, I go into a QSC K8.2 powered speaker, and send a direct feed to the PA. Each feed has its own volume control.
 
I have love-hate relationship with the Fractal AX8. I used one for about two years here at the house while playing and recording. I always liked the clean sounds, but it seems like I was constantly fighting with it for good heavy rock distorted sounds. I'd play it one day and get a great sound out of it, and the next day I would play it, and I swear, it wouldn't sound like it did the day before. Hell, I could go play it an hour later and it would sound different to me. It was weird. I never could understand that. It just seemed like I was constantly tweaking it. I thought about 95% of the stock presets sounded like crap, and I thought the same about the IRs as well. Everything just always sounded so dark to me. I always had to bump the highs on the graphic EQ. Another thing that I didn't like was that you could listen to someone's preset they had come up with, and then when you'd download it or buy it, it didn't sound anything like what it did on their video or mp3. Mind you, I'm speaking about distorted rock tones here. I just got sick of constantly fighting with it. It also gave me ear fatigue. I've never had any type of amp or modeler do that to me. However, I do think the AX8-Edit and the effects are great.

I ended up buying a Kemper, and I'm blown away by it every single time I play through it. It is sooooooo much more amp-like in its responsiveness and sound. It just sounds so much more real. When you buy or download someone's rig profile, what you heard is pretty much what it's going to sound like when you play it. The AX8 just wasn't like that for me. No ear fatigue with it either. I can sit and play through my Kemper all day long, and it is consistent the entire time. It's such a great piece of gear. I do however wish the Kemper Rig Manager was more like the AX8-Edit.
 
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Kempers have certainly earned their respect. I think just with tube amps, it's greatly depends on personal taste. Voicing that I may love, nobody else here may, and vice versa. Line 6 stuff to me, which I like well enough, is usually voiced brighter and mid-high, whereas Headrush stuff tends to be more big and round, not as bright, which ironically is the voicing story of Soldano vs Bogner. Guys who love Helix and Line 6 stuff usually don't like Headrush stuff for this difference in voicing, same with Soldano players and Bogner players, little crossover. Personal preference. The Kemper floor looks like a real nice unit, will probably be in my future at some point. Btw my AX8, Headrush original, and my tube amps, I'm pretty set. Time to focus on songwriting!
 
I think I might be interested in a Kemper, but honestly, I kinda dig one kind of amp. I picked Fractal because of the effects (and their amp models sound great).
 
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