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Fractal FX8 what's good and what's bad?

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  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10339
    But it sucks balls :-p
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7802
    But it sucks balls :-p
    You really hated it that much? Did you up date firmware? the first one I had sucked.

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  • John_AJohn_A Frets: 3775
    meltedbuzzbox said:
    But it sucks balls :-p

    It absolutely doesn't
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  • RolandRoland Frets: 8713
    meltedbuzzbox said:
    But it sucks balls :-p
    Can we kill this thought? It's an FX box. It only sucks tone if you get the impedences wrong. It's studio quality effects, so they only sound naff if you don't know how to use them.
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7802
    edited July 2016
    Roland said:
    But it sucks balls :-p
    Can we kill this thought? It's an FX box. It only sucks tone if you get the impedences wrong. It's studio quality effects, so they only sound naff if you don't know how to use them.
    He means the helix, I think, and I'm pretty sure he knows his way around FX.
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  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10339
    Yes to clarify my derogatory remarks are towards the helix. I haven't tried a fx8 so I can't comment on that
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 28317
    Teetonetal said:
    Roland said:
    But it sucks balls :-p
    Can we kill this thought? It's an FX box. It only sucks tone if you get the impedences wrong. It's studio quality effects, so they only sound naff if you don't know how to use them.
    He means the helix, I think, and I'm pretty sure he knows his way around FX.
    The same is true of the Helix - I'm not making any claims for sound quality either way regarding the Helix vs the FX8, but the Helix is not a bad-sounding unit unless you set it up so to be.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10339
    It's not bad but it's not great...
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9543
    meltedbuzzbox said:
    It's not bad but it's not great...
    X2
    Feedback here - http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/57555/
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 28317
    meltedbuzzbox said:
    It's not bad but it's not great...
    Didn't you only have it for three hours?
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10339
    Sporky said:
    meltedbuzzbox said:
    It's not bad but it's not great...
    Didn't you only have it for three hours?
    I had it for 12 days in total
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • professorbenprofessorben Frets: 5105
    BintyTwanger77 said:
    I've just settled on this magnificent configuration and here I am, dragged into an FX8 thread. Dammit!

    https://imgur.com/a/KeFlm
    That H9 looks nice..... Sniff. 
    " Why does it smell of bum?" Mrs Professorben.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 28317
    meltedbuzzbox said:
    Sporky said:
    meltedbuzzbox said:
    It's not bad but it's not great...
    Didn't you only have it for three hours?
    I had it for 12 days in total
    Ah - you said something about three hours in another thread, I thought.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • MoltisantiMoltisanti Frets: 1133
    FX8 is the best piece of effect kit i've ever bought by a mile. It's what i always wanted a multi FX to be but it's taken until now for someone to produce it 

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  • octatonicoctatonic Frets: 33799
    Moltisanti said:
    FX8 is the best piece of effect kit i've ever bought by a mile. It's what i always wanted a multi FX to be but it's taken until now for someone to produce it 
    +1.
    It is a box I've wanted for the last 20+ years.
    it is the first device that I feel I don't have to compromise with.
    James Richmond
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  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10339
    Sporky said:
    meltedbuzzbox said:
    Sporky said:
    meltedbuzzbox said:
    It's not bad but it's not great...
    Didn't you only have it for three hours?
    I had it for 12 days in total
    Ah - you said something about three hours in another thread, I thought.
    I did. My initial first go on it was for 3 hours.
    It went round the houses and I travelled to friends with it. I wanted additional in the room opinions to see if I was missing something, its been given a lot of hype. It was compared against matching real life pedals and amps where possible and the conclusion from all of us was the same, not good. 
    Even moving away from the comparison the sounds generally weren't pleasing, I dont think a single effect shone above stompbox. From my £40 nobels to my moogerfoogers and everything inbetween there was no contest
    I tried it through monitors, headphones, FRFR... It just didnt work for me
    The effects should have been glorious through my hiwatt, that amplifier will flatter the shitest of pedals.
    The Helix seemed to lack the amount of effects that the M series has (I could be wrong, I didnt sit there counting them all)
    Drives still managed to sound shockingly shit so Line 6 have been consistent there.
    The helix seems to lack the fun that the m9 had with all the filter/synth effects and the wah wahs on the helix are viciously shrill. The expression pedal did feel great though
    Mods were generally OK, nothing special, again much like the M series
    I also felt the delays were better on the M series

    my opinion is that its not good and I would be reluctant to put my hand in my pocket for one again
    The other thing that annoys me is delivering a grands worth of product that needs firmware updates to improve/make it sound right. If its the ultimate modelling machine it should have been right out of the box
    It could also do with 3 global eq dials smack on the chassis. Menu diving to sort out some eq issues in a venue whilst playing live, no thank you
    Its a shame because I would have loved the light carry and simplicity of the helix but it fell short. 
    I haven't used it for a long old time but I honestly think the helix didn't offer much over my £80 Zoom G9.2tt
    All that money, all that hype and none of the delivery. 

    I wanted to like it, hell I coughed up over a grand for it

    I've since purchased a H9 and for me on the effects only route has delivered what I wanted from the helix.

    anyway... sorry for derailing a thread about FX8


    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7802
    @meltedbuzzbox real shame you didn't get on with the helix. I can honestly say it has revolutionized my playing. I don't recall ever buying a product a product that has made me want to play and create music so much. It's just endlessly configurable and I really don't think it sound anything less than very good?

    I honestly can't wait to get home and play these days... it's made life so easy.
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  • SporkySporky Frets: 28317
    meltedbuzzbox said:

    The Helix seemed to lack the amount of effects that the M series has (I could be wrong, I didnt sit there counting them all)
    It was short to begin with, certainly - much better now.

    Still as you say, let's not overly derail this - ta for the detail.
    "[Sporky] brings a certain vibe and dignity to the forum."
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  • BintyTwanger77BintyTwanger77 Frets: 2220
    Sporky said:
    Sporky said:
    It's not bad but it's not great...
    Didn't you only have it for three hours?
    I had it for 12 days in total
    Ah - you said something about three hours in another thread, I thought.
    I did. My initial first go on it was for 3 hours.
    It went round the houses and I travelled to friends with it. I wanted additional in the room opinions to see if I was missing something, its been given a lot of hype. It was compared against matching real life pedals and amps where possible and the conclusion from all of us was the same, not good. 
    Even moving away from the comparison the sounds generally weren't pleasing, I dont think a single effect shone above stompbox. From my £40 nobels to my moogerfoogers and everything inbetween there was no contest
    I tried it through monitors, headphones, FRFR... It just didnt work for me
    The effects should have been glorious through my hiwatt, that amplifier will flatter the shitest of pedals.
    The Helix seemed to lack the amount of effects that the M series has (I could be wrong, I didnt sit there counting them all)
    Drives still managed to sound shockingly shit so Line 6 have been consistent there.
    The helix seems to lack the fun that the m9 had with all the filter/synth effects and the wah wahs on the helix are viciously shrill. The expression pedal did feel great though
    Mods were generally OK, nothing special, again much like the M series
    I also felt the delays were better on the M series

    my opinion is that its not good and I would be reluctant to put my hand in my pocket for one again
    The other thing that annoys me is delivering a grands worth of product that needs firmware updates to improve/make it sound right. If its the ultimate modelling machine it should have been right out of the box
    It could also do with 3 global eq dials smack on the chassis. Menu diving to sort out some eq issues in a venue whilst playing live, no thank you
    Its a shame because I would have loved the light carry and simplicity of the helix but it fell short. 
    I haven't used it for a long old time but I honestly think the helix didn't offer much over my £80 Zoom G9.2tt
    All that money, all that hype and none of the delivery. 

    I wanted to like it, hell I coughed up over a grand for it

    I've since purchased a H9 and for me on the effects only route has delivered what I wanted from the helix.

    anyway... sorry for derailing a thread about FX



    Very glad I stuck with my H9 as well. That with a Big Sky and Timeline, it's incredibly versatile.
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