Going to buy either the Fractal FM3 or the Helix

WhiteShadow said:
I think I'm sold on the FM3.

The only hangup I still have is whether the FM3 is basically the same thing as the Axe FX or not? Same platform? Same sounds? Or different? Does it use the same software, or does it have its own thing going on?

Also, what does it mean to be "less powerful"? What does that equate to?? Just fewer options to adjust? I'm still fuzzy on that.
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Powerful basically means how much stuff it can run at once. They have the same sounds, but for example, if the Axe FX III can run 30 things at once, the FM3 can run 10 things at once.

If you run an OD, Amp, Cab, Chorus, Flanger, Delay, Reverb, etc... that all takes a certain amount of processor power.
 
WhiteShadow said:
I think I'm sold on the FM3.

The only hangup I still have is whether the FM3 is basically the same thing as the Axe FX or not? Same platform? Same sounds? Or different? Does it use the same software, or does it have its own thing going on?

Also, what does it mean to be "less powerful"? What does that equate to?? Just fewer options to adjust? I'm still fuzzy on that.
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Also, you can check out the Helix for free. You can download Helix Native for a free 15 day trial. Run it as a VST on your computer to check it out. I am doing the same right now, but decided to order a FM3. I have had an Axe FX II for like 10 years though, so I am very used to Fractal.
 
I can't compare as I've only had the fm3 and now the axe fx III. The fm3 was awesome, the axe fx is just more awesome. With the fm3 you can run 1 amp block but access 4 different amps in one patch using the amp channels. With the big boy you can run two amp blocks, 4 channels each and have access to 8 different amps in one patch. I don't know if the amp models are spot on, I run very different settings on the axe fx than the real amps I have. But it still sounds fantastic and with the options is a lot of fun to play.
 
Fractal products are not a nightmare to use. I learned how to do everything from the hardware unit itself. The software editor makes it a lot easier to tweak, naturally. You can decide how deep you want to tweak in either case.
 
I had the Helix for a while. I spent a lot of time with it but at the end of the day, every preset despite the “amp” sounded the same.
 
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