Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III

The Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III is a rackmount guitar amp and effects modeler, a preamp and FX processor for guitar, bass and other instruments, built by Fractal Audio Systems, LLC of Plaistow, New Hampshire¹². Announced in January 2018 as the successor to the Axe-Fx II, it replaces an amplifier, speaker cabinet and pedal collection with one digital processor in a 3U steel chassis²³. Two 1.0 GHz digital signal processors power the audio engine, giving the unit more than twice the processing power of the other models in the Fractal Audio roster at launch⁴.

Fractal Audio describes the current Mark II version as the latest in the line, and the platform has stayed current through free firmware updates that add functionality, effects, amps and cabs after purchase¹⁵.

What it models

Guitar World's review counted more than 260 amps, 2,200 cabinets and 220 effects in the unit⁹. The Mark II's Amp block offers 290+ amp types, with two Amp blocks per preset and four channels each, and its Drive block offers 59 types with four instances per preset¹.

The original Axe-Fx III stored up to 512 presets, and each preset could contain up to eight Scenes, with up to four Channels per effect block, so one preset can hold far more than a single basic sound⁸⁶. The Mark II doubles that memory to 1024 presets¹.

On how the amp models behave, Guitar World's reviewer wrote:

MusicPlayers.com's reviewers went further in their verdict: "when pressed to identify the absolute best overall amp and effects modeler (from a tone perspective), we think the Axe-Fx III gets to wear the crown, for the time being"⁸.

Inputs, outputs and MIDI

The Axe-Fx III is a digital processor with extensive analog and digital I/O. On the Mark II, there are two instrument inputs, front and rear with auto-switching, plus one pair of balanced XLR/1/4" combo jacks and two pairs of balanced 1/4" analog inputs, alongside AES and SPDIF digital inputs¹.

Analog output is handled by four fully independent stereo pairs¹:

• Output 1: XLR and 1/4" jacks
• Output 2: a second set of XLR jacks
• Outputs 3 and 4: a pair of Humbuster 1/4" jacks each
• Digital: AES and SPDIF outputs

Premier Guitar noted this was four stereo outputs instead of the two on earlier units, and the launch press material described the two sets of XLR outputs as one pair for front-of-house and another for local monitoring⁶³. Two 1/4" stereo inputs and outputs can be used as auxiliary I/O or as effect loops³. A 16-core, 500 MHz microcontroller provides 16 channels of USB audio, 8 in and 8 out, which Guitar.com's news coverage called 8x8 USB capabilities that make the unit an excellent audio interface¹⁴.

MIDI In, Out and a dedicated Thru provide integration with other gear in large stage rigs, and extensive MIDI support with a dedicated MIDI block lets the unit serve as the central hub of a MIDI-based setup¹¹⁰. For players wiring up MIDI controllers, the setup path is SETUP, then MIDI/REMOTE, and there are no fixed CC numbers: you assign the MIDI CC numbers on the Fractal device itself¹¹. The assignable CC functions cover:

• Bypass: CC for bypassing any FX block, value 0-63 Off, 64-127 On
• Channel: CC to select channel for all FX blocks, value 0=A, 1=B, 2=C, 3=D
• External: CC for External Control 1-16
• Looper: CC for all looper related commands
• Other: CC for Tempo Tap, Tuner, Scene Select and more, with Scene Select values 0=Scene 1, 1=Scene 2, 2=Scene 3, and so on¹¹

Controls, chassis and the Mark II

The front panel centers on an 800x480 color display with five endless rotary push encoders, plus home, edit, store, tempo, enter and page buttons, four arrow buttons, eight LED meters, a value rotary and four output level knobs¹⁰. The launch material described the color LCD with five "soft knobs" and a main input encoder as providing the smooth workflow needed when using a product of this depth³.

The unit is housed in a rugged 3U steel chassis with an anodized aluminum front panel and, on the Mark II, an illuminated Axe-Fx III logo¹. Mark II dimensions are 19.00in wide, 5.16in high and 11.530in deep including front handles and rear jacks, at 15 lbs 2.4 oz (6.87 kg)¹. Premier Guitar described the original chassis as occupying three rack spaces and weighing a bit over 15 pounds⁶.

The Mark II also adds a Turbo DSP option providing a 25 percent higher clock speed, allowing for more complex presets¹. Two expression pedal inputs on 1/4" jacks allow real-time control of parameters¹¹⁰.

Where it came from

Fractal Audio Systems, LLC announced the Axe-Fx III on January 31, 2018². MusicRadar reported the announcement with no confirmed release date or price at that time, and introductory pricing was then set at $2499.99 USD with availability anticipated in early March 2018³[12 is not cited; see Sources]. Guitar.com reported the unit would be available in March⁴. The Axe-Fx III followed the Axe-Fx II line, whose first unit was released in 2011⁹. An industry standard one-year warranty is included with purchase⁸.

One user review collected on Fractal's own site summed up the appeal in practical terms: "The Axe-FX III replaced all my other guitar electronics with one convenient rackmount unit"⁵. Another asked, "Why spend thousands of dollars on a tube amplifier when you can spend twenty-five hundred dollars on an Axe-Fx III"⁵.

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