Ok guys, I got fed up waiting for the QC. So I cancelled.
Of course I still want one but will now wait until they are readily available. This has led to me watching ending Youtube videos about my options.
The FM3 is now competing in my mind. It does not have the power of the QC, it is harder to use. But it does seem to be a long way ahead in terms of tone and options.
Do you have any thought that you wish to share?
G
Currently of you want to use the “Virtual Capo” feature to tune up or down, the FM3 sucks at it, but is allegedly being updated “Soon”
I cannot tell you if the Quad Cortex does this well or not as I’m just on a recent Sweetwater PreOrder. Helix PolyCapo rocks it.
I was on the waitlist for FM3 and purchased it when it was available. I also have had an AxeFx III for a couple of years. Had Kemper before that. I sold FM3 about 30 days after I got it. I had a number of issues with usb, midi, and that presets are not really easily transferable between the Fractal units. The tone is great, but usability not ideal for me. I no have QC and it is a keeper. Will likely sell Axe III in about a month. Much easier to use. Does modeling and capture. There are some shortcomings as it is still very new, but tone is great.
this is the info i keep searching for because these 2 are what it comes down to for me: QC vs Axe FX III. will you be doing a video shootout?
Doing a video is not for me, but I am sure that there will be many of those soon. I agree that the best choice is QC or Axe III. I can get very good tones out of both right now, But if you need very in depth tweaking or all the bells and whistles right now, Axe is the choice. If you want a simple interface, the ability to do captures and are willing to wait for the platform to mature a bit, then I think the QC is preferable. I have a second one on order. Plan is to have one at home and one in the studio. Keep them in sync over wifi. We will see if that works out…
Having two (or multiple units) sync’d via WiFi is an excellent idea!
not sure this is even a relevant… but do you have the AF3 Mark II?
No, first version of AF3. To my understanding, they sound the same, but Mark II has more memory. Also more flash memory, so I suppose that there could be different functionality in the future.
And it still isn’t easier to use the AXFX3 mk2. I played with one some. I don’t get it. Why add the bigger color screen and still leave it a pain in the ass to make changes in the unit. It sounds fantastic but I can make a working patch in five minutes with Helix (and hopefully when I finally get my QC). The channel feature is very cool but there are so many adjustments on amps it’s crazy. I just couldn’t catch in. I sold an AX8 for the same reason. Plus you have a minimum of $3000 in an AXFX3 to play live by the tine you buy a controller, rack, and cabling (and maybe an expression). If you are a pro or only use it in studio it makes sense. So far this reminds me of the initial release of the Helix. Some loved it to pieces and others bitched it didn’t do this or that and this sucked and that sucked. Some bailed and sold quickly only to buy one again a year later as more and more things got refined, Amps and effects added and improved and even memory usage got optimized. I suspect this will be much the same.
I’m an 80’s kind of guy so rack gear is still pretty cool to me… and tweaking settings endlessly is okay as long as it pays off… I’ve got expression pedals and racks… I have my pair of FRFRs… so $1600 for the QC or $2700 for the AF3M2 + FC-12… that’s what it boils down to… either way it’s a significant amount… so no hurry.
Or more if you have to buy the rack and hen the cost of cable to the controller and an expression pedal adds to both. Another issue with the AXFX 3 could be your back line. Do you have room for a rack? Can you safely run the cables? Weight in and out. And a biggie for me is that the AXFX3 is not noiseless. It has a fan that runs. A lot of people had to replace them in the mk2 because they were too noisy. And I was a fractal guy for awhile. Hours of tweaking could be days. In fact it was a pain in the ass. And changes on the fly were impossible. My thoughts are this. If you are a pro musician and normally have a road crew no mater how small and can have the AXFX at the mix in a rack and your controller in stage the AXFX is a no brainer. Or if you are going to permanently mount it in a studio and have the cash again it’s a no brainer. For the average Joe or the guy that does a four song set in Sunday morning thexQC just makes more sense (or Helix or Kemper). They are all good.
I get where you’re coming from… but I’ve been a cover musician forever… and my stage rigs have run the gamut… 4x12s, 2x12s and 1x12s… tube amps… solid state amps… virtual amps with Two Notes gear… very simple DIY pedalboards made of plywood to sophisticated pedalboard rigs with switching systems and MIDI controlled rack gear… so as I envision the AF3M2 with F-12… a couple exp pedals… a couple lite weight FRFRs… it all sounds like an easy setup & teardown… plus I’ll spend an extra $1K to get something that’s “tits” right now… I’m still on the fence though. 
the QC still might be the answer.
That has actually been my dilemma. I have a Helix snd it does what I need at the moment. I have the money to get a AXFx3 mk2 if I want. So do I spend the cash on an already great established product or do I save the cash and rely on Neural to fulfill everything they are saying. I could run the Helix for now. I really don’t know if I want to deal with all the options of AXFX. I found it such a pain before. Amazing tone and it’s gotten better, but no one at a gig would know what you are playing so is it enough to put up with weight and all the extra load in and out. I did live sound in the 80s for a living. I did my share of truck and even aircraft loading and unloading. Even the idea of a van hurts my back just thinking about it now.
haha… I here that!