Fractal FM3 Thread , tips to rock ! ? @

the4thlast1

the4thlast1

Well-known member
Good morning fellas ! I have a FM3 on the way. Who on here has one and loves it , likes it , wants to throw it out the window ? Maybe we can share do's and dont's, tricks and tips. Thanks to all.
 
I use an AFXIII and love it. I run through various 4x12s.

Quickly, my advice would (1) if you're new to modelers and using IRs/monitors, I'd really start off using a neutral SS power amp into a real cab. That takes all the guess work out of the IR stuff, which has its own learning curve. Using a tube power amp presents some odd difficulties too.

2) Adjust the virtual master volumes very carefully. IMHO if you find yourself reaching for advanced parameters and additional EQ to get it sounding right, something already has gone wrong, and it's most likely that the master volume is set too high or too low.

That said, the impedance curve is an advanced parameter and is critical to get it sounding right. It's not difficult. Just try the various curves similar to your cab and pick the one that sound right and avoid the ones that don't.

Having the real amp with you is extremely helpful in figuring out how to set the master volume and which impedance curve best matches the cab.

And here's the issue with using a tube power amp: the tube amp/cabinet will create its own, real impedance curve. Layering the Fractal virtual impedance curve over it can sound awkward. But if you are using a tube power amp, try to flatten the virtual impedance curve and just let the real power amp/cab do its thing. (Or get an inexpensive solid state PA amp for it).
 
I have one and love it...use it with my cover band. I've gone from a 100watt Marsha with a small rack to just the FM3 and an SD Powerstage 170 mounted on a pedal train. Sounds great, CONSISTENT and I can carry everything in one trip. Does it equal the old big rig in pure tone? No, but it works perfectly for my needs.

I agree with above about about monitors...I've tried several FRFR speaks (CLR, Headrush, QSC) and much prefer the familiar feel and tone from a guitar cab.

For tips, I'd cruise Leon Todds Youtube channel, tons of great stuff on there. Download FM3 Edit to tweak from your computer, much easier.

Seems like the first thing everybody does is freak out about having only three buttons and how to add more, but if you learn the switching logic and how to modify/make your own layouts, it's very powerful. Adding a 2 button "stand-in"switch is the cheapest way to add a couple more buttons, but I even quit using that once I made my own layouts.

While there's some decent factory presets, just pick an amp and create one from scratch...tweak the ideal page...and you should be smiling. Don't get bogged down with all the options out of the gate.
 
Rule #1
Resist doing any deep diving into menus or IR rabbit holes until you've
got all of the basics down pat. Along with Leon Todd check out:



I agree 100%. Learn to use the unit without the aid of editor.

 
I had the FM3 for a minute and then traded it towards an AXEIII because I wanted two amp blocks... I found the FM3 really easy to use and easy to get a good tone out of very quickly. Of course you can start with the presets which are good tones, but I'm talking building a new preset and tweaking the amp block to my tastes, took no more time to do than setting up a real amp. I honestly started playing more once I got the FM3 because I no longer had to worry about volume, I could play at any point I had a few minutes free.
 
GOHOINC said:
I had the FM3 for a minute and then traded it towards an AXEIII because I wanted two amp blocks... I found the FM3 really easy to use and easy to get a good tone out of very quickly. Of course you can start with the presets which are good tones, but I'm talking building a new preset and tweaking the amp block to my tastes, took no more time to do than setting up a real amp. I honestly started playing more once I got the FM3 because I no longer had to worry about volume, I could play at any point I had a few minutes free.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm playing more now than I have in years because it's just so convenient to flip it on and play at whatever volume. I'd never turn on a tube amp if I thought I'd only play for 15 minutes or I just couldn't get to an acceptable volume, for example, but I don't worry with this thing.
 
cardinal said:
Quickly, my advice would (1) if you're new to modelers and using IRs/monitors, I'd really start off using a neutral SS power amp into a real cab. That takes all the guess work out of the IR stuff, which has its own learning curve. Using a tube power amp presents some odd difficulties too.
Click to expand...

I'll second this. I use a SS power amp into the same cabs I use for my tube heads. For those of us who've spent most of our lives dialing things in via amp-in-the-room, the jump to IR/FRFR is a bigger shift than from tubes to digital. With a flat power amp and traditional guitar cab, I can dial things in on the Fractal stuff just as easily as I do with my tube amps and pedals.
 
I much prefer the computer editor vs editing on the actual machine. I run an AxeFx III into an HH V800 out to two Mesa Thiele 1x12’s each loaded with Celestion F12-X200 speakers. I ended up coving the ports since they throw a lot of bottom end.
 
Great info so far guys thanks very much. I play live and rehearse on a regular basis, I am in two bands at the moment. In one situation I am going direct to front of house only. In the other I am using a Revv 100P mkIII , I go direct with the two notes out and I have stage volume with the amp. If I really love how the FM3 sounds there is a chance I will use it for both projects. So I guess for the time being what's most important is to set it up as a stand alone unit going direct only with no real cab and no real power amp. I want the Fm3 to be portable and easy to set up rig for that situation because there is no stage volume, we use in ears for that project.
 
psychodave said:
I much prefer the computer editor vs editing on the actual machine.
Click to expand...

For sure.
I do think you should be able to at least do the basics
on the thing itself.

I did it backwards when I had the AX8 - had AxEdit down right off the bat.
Then my laptop crashed and after having the thing for almost
two years I had to learn how to use all the hardware.
 
if you are going frfr you may wanna use low cut and hight cut in speaker page @80 and 8000
do yourself a favor and buy the $1 sample york audio v30 boogie ir
check out cooper carter 60 second tones and rosh roslin you tube along with leon todd
the wiki is also very useful
 
roodboy said:
if you are going frfr you may wanna use low cut and hight cut in speaker page @80 and 8000
do yourself a favor and buy the $1 sample york audio v30 boogie ir
check out cooper carter 60 second tones and rosh roslin you tube along with leon todd
the wiki is also very useful
Click to expand...
I use some of Leon’s cabs and patches. His SLO patches are cool.
 
I'm another big fan of running through a power amp & real cab, FWIW. For running direct, I found Austin Buddy's Live Gold pack to be really useful - he gets everything dialled in and sounding great as a base, then it's just a matter of small tweaks to taste.
 
Big fan of using a quality solidstate power amp and cab also. I went though a couple cheap SS power amps and ended up on an older Matrix mosfet amp with a big heavy toroid power transformer in it. some of the cheaper options I found seemed to roll off highs and/or lows.

I also tried tube for a while with my axe FX ii (a fryette 2/50/2 as well as various tube amp FX returns) and they can be made to work but take longer to dial in, and don’t work with every amp type. A lot more fiddly to work with and the axe FX is fiddly enough as it is.


Cardinal is right about keeping things simple at first, stick to basic controls if you can. And keep an eye on the master volume setting, for high gain stuff it usually defaults way too high in my opinion. My recto patch, which is tone-matched to my actual recto, has the master set at 0.80, whereas on my real recto, I usually run it at like 9:00 to 10:00 (into a reactive load box and reamped), which is about where the top end smooths out but before the bottom end looses punch.

the recto model is maybe a special case though as it’s power amp design gets very loose if turned up too high (in modern mode).
 
mnemonic said:
Big fan of using a quality solidstate power amp and cab also. I went though a couple cheap SS power amps and ended up on an older Matrix mosfet amp with a big heavy toroid power transformer in it. some of the cheaper options I found seemed to roll off highs and/or lows.

I also tried tube for a while with my axe FX ii (a fryette 2/50/2 as well as various tube amp FX returns) and they can be made to work but take longer to dial in, and don’t work with every amp type. A lot more fiddly to work with and the axe FX is fiddly enough as it is.


Cardinal is right about keeping things simple at first, stick to basic controls if you can. And keep an eye on the master volume setting, for high gain stuff it usually defaults way too high in my opinion. My recto patch, which is tone-matched to my actual recto, has the master set at 0.80, whereas on my real recto, I usually run it at like 9:00 to 10:00 (into a reactive load box and reamped), which is about where the top end smooths out but before the bottom end looses punch.

the recto model is maybe a special case though as it’s power amp design gets very loose if turned up too high (in modern mode).
Click to expand...
Yeah I have the Fractal Recto with the master around .75 to match up with my Tremoverb. That one seems the most extreme. No idea why the sim was designed like that.
 
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