My 1st World Issue... Pedals or FX8???

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JerEvil

JerEvil

Well-known member
So I have quite a few pedals I really like but am looking at a new setup.

I can go individual pedals and the Boss ES8 for about $1400 or the FX8 for $1349. I am having a real problem nailing down which way to go. I'd most likely go with the Source Audio One Series pedals which are cool because they are midi controllable and say you have the Chorus pedal, you can load flanger or phaser sounds to it so still as versatile as you could ever want. With the Source hub you can store 128 presets.

I've never used any of the Fractal stuff but I know the effects are highly regarded.

What the heck would YOU do???
 
i feel like individual pedals still have the edge when it comes to sound, mojo , and ease of tweaking. The fx8 looks amazing though. I just pull the trigger on an es8 and got a great deal on it from the "Hoff" so im hoping it works out! Listen to Brett kingmans videos of the fx8 vs his es8 pedalboard.
 
mniel8195":1qwdjgsp said:
i feel like individual pedals still have the edge when it comes to sound, mojo , and ease of tweaking. The fx8 looks amazing though. I just pull the trigger on an es8 and got a great deal on it from the "Hoff" so im hoping it works out! Listen to Brett kingmans videos of the fx8 vs his es8 pedalboard.
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Ahhh, will do.

I know this is the least important part of decision making but I LOVE the look of a kick ass pedal board.
 
IMO the benefit of individual pedals is simplicity and ease of on-the-fly tweaking. If your chorus is too heavy for some reason you just reach down and back off a bit. With a patch-based system that's tougher to do. I also think single pedals have the edge with effects like polyphonic pitch shifting and boost/od. That said, its really tough to beat the appeal of an all-in-one setup that has fewer patch cables to fail and no knobs to accidentally kick out of place.
 
Well as you probably know I dumped my pedalboard for an FX8. I do agree about tweaking on the fly but to be honest, once I get my fx set I don't do much of that. And now that I know how the system works I could tweak in a matter of seconds if I really needed to. Other than that I don't think I'd ever go back to pedals again. The quality of fx in the FX8 are as good as I'd ever need and they're much more tweekable than the originals that they emulate too. Maybe you love what a TS does to boost the front of your amp but don't like the mid hump...no problem here.
 
LP Freak":38dhugav said:
Well as you probably know I dumped my pedalboard for an FX8. I do agree about tweaking on the fly but to be honest, once I get my fx set I don't do much of that. And now that I know how the system works I could tweak in a matter of seconds if I really needed to. Other than that I don't think I'd ever go back to pedals again. The quality of fx in the FX8 are as good as I'd ever need and they're much more tweekable than the originals that they emulate too. Maybe you love what a TS does to boost the front of your amp but don't like the mid hump...no problem here.
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I wish there were a place to check out the FX8. I know they have a solid return period but I'd feel crappy sending it back.
 
LP Freak":1u786nt7 said:
I didn't steer you wrong with the power station :D
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Lol! That's very true.

I'll just have to start asking "WWLPFD"
 
The FX8 is probably excellent. I recently posted a similar question. There are arguments that support each solution. For the money, you get so much with the FX8. But on the other hand, when a new cool pedal comes out, you want to be able to throw it on your board and test it. I ended up sticking with pedals and will get a Boss ES-5 when they ship. Just picked up the MXR 5150 OD pedal too. I have the Strymon Timeline and Mobius. And while the FX8 would be cheaper overall, those pedals are unique in their own way. You can't make a mistake with either solution IMO.
 
dfrattaroli":13adt2of said:
The FX8 is probably excellent. I recently posted a similar question. There are arguments that support each solution. For the money, you get so much with the FX8. But on the other hand, when a new cool pedal comes out, you want to be able to throw it on your board and test it. I ended up sticking with pedals and will get a Boss ES-5 when they ship. Just picked up the MXR 5150 OD pedal too. I have the Strymon Timeline and Mobius. And while the FX8 would be cheaper overall, those pedals are unique in their own way. You can't make a mistake with either solution IMO.
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My concern with the ES5 is that you will have to lose a loop to do 4CM. That is the biggest reason I'd need the ES8. I can not abide Phaser, Flange or Vibe in the loop. Source Audio makes a midi switcher as well but it will not switch amp functions without something like the Voodoo or RJM hardware.
 
I have three boards full of pedals. I now onlhy use about 3 pedals in front of my Smallbox and a Line 6 M9 in the loop for time/modulation-based FX. I don't want to scroll through a bunch of menus and I don't want to carry a ton of pedals around. The M9 has been so great for me (and I never thought I'd say that about ANY Line 6 product). In fact, I much prefer the Line 6 to FX boards like the TC G-System and Nova System that I used to run. Haven't tried the FX8, and my try one eventually. But the M9 is such a great bargain for a very good sounding FX unit.
 
I'm facing the same decision. I have a bunch of pedals but it's always a "grass is greener" thing and I'm constantly looking to sell or trade for other pedals. I've been looking to add the ES-8 and trade for some midi stuff but honestly, sometimes I think the FX8 or AX8 might be the way to go.

I used my pod HD as a pedalboard for years and it worked great. Instead of endlessly trying to redesign a pedalboard I actually wrote music and I never felt like I didn't have something I needed. The Fractal stuff would probably be a huge step up from that.
 
JerEvil":8paxab7t said:
dfrattaroli":8paxab7t said:
The FX8 is probably excellent. I recently posted a similar question. There are arguments that support each solution. For the money, you get so much with the FX8. But on the other hand, when a new cool pedal comes out, you want to be able to throw it on your board and test it. I ended up sticking with pedals and will get a Boss ES-5 when they ship. Just picked up the MXR 5150 OD pedal too. I have the Strymon Timeline and Mobius. And while the FX8 would be cheaper overall, those pedals are unique in their own way. You can't make a mistake with either solution IMO.
Click to expand...
My concern with the ES5 is that you will have to lose a loop to do 4CM. That is the biggest reason I'd need the ES8. I can not abide Phaser, Flange or Vibe in the loop. Source Audio makes a midi switcher as well but it will not switch amp functions without something like the Voodoo or RJM hardware.
Click to expand...

I was considering an ES-8 as well. But I'll be using a Mark V:25 so the ES-5 will control the amp and I will only have the Timeline and Mobius in the loop of the amp so the ES-5 will control those via MIDI without having to use a loop on the ES-5. In fact, the Mobius will be in one of the ES-5 loops when I want to use it in front of the amp for the Phaser for example. So the Mobius will be in the loop of the Mark V 25 and in front of it as well.
 
I just got the strymon big sky and love it.
I thought of getting something like an fx8 but:
how much effects do i use
whats it worth after 4/5 years
how less play time do i have because of all the tweaking

Why i would get it:
dont have to fire my amp all the time
1 box for everything
fun times for getting it set up

In the end, look at what you want and need. Also try before you buy if posible.
 
Hmmm... I've gone around the houses when it comes to pedals versus multi-fx... honestly I think it's worth having both in your arsenal. But from my perspective there are pros and cons to each approach:

Pedals - Pros:
Wider variety of sound.
No limitations of DSP.
Most digital delay and reverb pedals now offer trails functionality.
Not tied to one manufacturer.
Instant access to parameters in most cases.

Pedals - Cons:
Typically higher noise floor.
No presets or scenes.
Tap dancing.
Higher chance of a cable or pedal dying and you lose a particular sound for a while.
Limitation on how many delays you can stack up - limited by the number of physical pedals you have!

Multi-FX - Pros:
Presets, and often scenes too.
You can reduce the tap dancing down to a single switch in most cases.
Depending on the model, the noise-floor is often a lot lower than a full pedalboard.
Often you can have as many delays as you want (Line 6 M13 for instance)
Gives you access to midi in most cases.

Multi-FX - Cons:
Stuck to a single manufacturer.
Can't easily add new algorithms to it - have to wait for the company to release firmware updates.
Very often when switching presets you will lose delay and reverb trails.
Very often when switching presets you will experience a small silent gap or latency when changing.
Not all multi-fx treat tap tempo sensibly when it comes to delays.
 
Hello guys!

I'm not familiar with this device (FX8), so please help me to understand.
In recent years, I have only worked with standard MIDI foot controllers (currently Digitech 1101 GSP + Rocktron All Access). I'm used to the fact that each switch performs only one function, it is very convenient and simple. The scheme was as follows: using the switches 1-5 I switch channels only my Egnater M4 preamp. On switches 6-10 I appointed only the effects of my GSP 1101. On the switches 11-15, I appointed managing RJM mini effect gizmo with 5 pedals (overdrive, fuzz, booster etc.). So I have 15 assignable switches.
However FX8 has (X/Y) function, where each switch can perform two functions. So I can have 16 assignable switches, right? If so, I ask to explain to me, if I can manage all my settings via FX8?
Can the 1-4 switches to switch my M4 channels and control my RJM mini effect gizmo)?
Can the 5-8 switches to control 8 effects (modulation, distortion, delay, reverb, etc.) at the same time?

And most importantly ... Will is comfortable in my situation for a live performance? I do not have to dance the way I've done it before, when I used a lot of analog pedals?


Sorry for my english...


Thank you!

Max
 
Amberience":d3wzfus4 said:
Hmmm... I've gone around the houses when it comes to pedals versus multi-fx... honestly I think it's worth having both in your arsenal. But from my perspective there are pros and cons to each approach:

Pedals - Pros:
Wider variety of sound.
No limitations of DSP.
Most digital delay and reverb pedals now offer trails functionality.
Not tied to one manufacturer.
Instant access to parameters in most cases.

Pedals - Cons:
Typically higher noise floor.
No presets or scenes.
Tap dancing.
Higher chance of a cable or pedal dying and you lose a particular sound for a while.
Limitation on how many delays you can stack up - limited by the number of physical pedals you have!

Multi-FX - Pros:
Presets, and often scenes too.
You can reduce the tap dancing down to a single switch in most cases.
Depending on the model, the noise-floor is often a lot lower than a full pedalboard.
Often you can have as many delays as you want (Line 6 M13 for instance)
Gives you access to midi in most cases.

Multi-FX - Cons:
Stuck to a single manufacturer.
Can't easily add new algorithms to it - have to wait for the company to release firmware updates.
Very often when switching presets you will lose delay and reverb trails.
Very often when switching presets you will experience a small silent gap or latency when changing.
Not all multi-fx treat tap tempo sensibly when it comes to delays.
Click to expand...

Good summary. I will say on multi effects, I can't say how many times I have seen someone show up that doesn't know how to use their gear. With pedals I have a good chance of helping, but with multi effects it is tough.

I have two pedalboards and could see replacing the one I use with my multichannel amps with an fx8 easily. However for my vintage amp board, I prefer the on the fly switchability of my drive pedals. So for me the answer would depend on if I am getting my dirt from the amp or from pedals.
 
Another vote for the FX8. I love the flexibility of presets.
 
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