FM3 on the way!!

[Jchrisf]

i had an HX Stomp, couldnt get a good tone out of it, of course i like high gain plexi tones and fractal is best for that

I've tried to like the Stomp and Helix Native I own but just can't.. it's not bad but it is my least favorite. Looking forward to hearing the FM3

 

[TNJ]

Well...?

Updates?

Sj

 

[kimos55]

I gigged with the FM3 for 3 weeks then I went back to my amp pedal board rig.
I just didn't have the time to mess around at the time for my live gigs, I went back to my standard rig set up.

What I learned:
Every mistake you make is out in front, I don't make many but if you do when your in the house PA ( WOW )
Great clean sounds on a live gigs. Difficult through house PA's that had funky sound systems.
Difficult to find the right presets sometimes ( I had too many pages of presets for songs, some needed clean some heavy rock settings) On the fly if the band takes off your kinda suck. Using a regular amp set up is just so easy.
Setting levels is important : if going through a mixer don't let other people touch your Volume, ( if you have a level set when you back off on the volume it cleans up your tone and then your level gets changed it changes everything.
Use the FM3 edit utility on your computer when building presets ( very easy once you start using it ) but lean to edit on the fly too just in case.

Great for playing at home at low volumes.
I Will gig with the FM3 again soon,

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

Every mistake you make is out in front, I don't make many but if you do when your in the house PA ( WOW )

Does this mean that when you use your amp rig, you're not in the FOH?

 

[dmock66]

I got on the FM3 waitlist in early December figuring I would have a few months to sort out (sell off) a few other things - my invite came within a week. I've had it since mid-December but haven't had a good chance to fully dive into it yet as I got sick (fortunately not COVID) then visited with family over the holidays.

For reference - I've been playing the Helix (LT/Floor/Stomp) for about 3 years and really like it. I've got a few amps dialed in for my needs, as well as effects. I've always wanted to try a Fractal, just to see what all the fuss was about.

So far, it's a learning curve, but hopefully shorter than in the past with other devices, as I can apply some of the concepts.

The Dr Z Rte 66 has been my go-to Helix amp for a couple years - and I've spent almost all my time on the FM3 with that amp as well - seeing if I can "replicate the magic" I've found in the Helix. So far, although I've done it in different ways - I've found success. I still need to get my head around some of the delay parameters to get those dialed in better - but with the core amp tone I've gotten where I'm quite happy with both.

The FM3 is a cool piece of gear... but I wouldn't say (at least thus far) that I'm absolutely blown away with it - or that it's head and shoulders above the Helix. I've not really experimented across a lot of amps yet - so I may feel differently once I start perusing the nearly 300 amp models... but so far, it seems to me that I'd be splitting hairs with respect to the difference between the Helix/FM3. Both have strengths and weaknesses and both are really awesome. After having them side by side for a few weeks now - I'd be content with either if I could only have one - and not feel like "I'm missing out" on anything.

 

[kimos55]

Does this mean that when you use your amp rig, you're not in the FOH?

No I only used it through a house PA systems when I gigged

Never used it as a stand alone efx

 

[stratzrus]

What I learned:
Every mistake you make is out in front, I don't make many but if you do when your in the house PA ( WOW )

Setting levels is important: if going through a mixer don't let other people touch your Volume, (if you have a level set when you back off on the volume it cleans up your tone and then your level gets changed it changes everything.

Use the FM3 edit utility on your computer when building presets ( very easy once you start using it ) but learn to edit on the fly too just in case.

Great for playing at home at low volumes.
I Will gig with the FM3 again soon,

You're right about hitting clams. It's always an embarrassment. I play in a quartet with a keyboard player so every note I play can be clearly heard no matter what amplification I use.

I run my modeler (previously a FX8) into a George Benson Hot Rod Deluxe using the four cable method. That way I can use the amp's volume knob for changes if necessary.

I've only been editing using the modelers controls and they're the same as on my III so I'm well familiar with them. No problems if I absolutely have to make changes on a gig.

So far I've only used the FM3 for, as you said, "playing at home at low volumes" and it's been excellent. That's really how I'll use it most of the time. It's still to be determined if I'll use it instead of the FX8 on stage but if the drive pedals see a dramatic increase in quality I probably will, not that I use distortion on stage that frequently anyway.

 

[Jchrisf]

I got mine yesterday. It is awesome. I loved the presets... even the funky FX ones.

I played a little of EVH's Eruption.. the little that I know.. with the Eruption preset and actually sounded like Eddie. I've never had tone that made me sound like Eddie before. There are a lot of cool amps that sound and feel like the amp and don't sound all the same.

Moving around on the FM3 itself was pretty easy to figure out, though, there is a lot to learn (in a good way). I've had my Stomp for 2 years and still can't use the device itself to do anything. I have to use HXEdit because I've never taken the time to try to figure it out but with the FX3 it was easy without the manual. I also love FM3 Edit.

I love it, it is my favorite modeler and I will be selling all my other modelers.. I should have started with Fractal and saved some time and money in the long run.

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

I have to say that the new 3.1 firmware is a huge improvement for the FM3. I spent a few hours with it last night. The CPU utilization problems that I had before, pre 1.6 are much improved. I probably don't need external reverb to offload any processor power. In the small amount of patches where I'll need both a room type and cloud type at separate times in the song, I can use the Plex Verb setting of the Plex Delay in conjunction with the regular reverb block and still have trails from the cloud when I switch back to room or plate.

And it pains me a bit to say this, but the 3.1 amps to me do have an edge on the Helix in some areas. That wasn't always true before. The Matchless EF86 channel is currently blowing my mind with how much ground it covers. I can't say quite the same of the Helix model of that channel. Something really great happened to that amp model since it was introduced in the III. It used to be too dark, but it's bright in all the right places and so crunchy now.

Lots of the other models I went through also seem to be improved. Chalking that up to the improved power amp modeling. The FM3 modeling compared to the III previously was a little flat. Now it's FAT. I'm a pretty happy camper. Now if I can just get myself and the family vaccinated, I can get back to playing out.

 

[rublalup]

I have to say that the new 3.1 firmware is a huge improvement for the FM3. I spent a few hours with it last night. The CPU utilization problems that I had before, pre 1.6 are much improved. I probably don't need external reverb to offload any processor power. In the small amount of patches where I'll need both a room type and cloud type at separate times in the song, I can use the Plex Verb setting of the Plex Delay in conjunction with the regular reverb block and still have trails from the cloud when I switch back to room or plate.

And it pains me a bit to say this, but the 3.1 amps to me do have an edge on the Helix in some areas. That wasn't always true before. The Matchless EF86 channel is currently blowing my mind with how much ground it covers. I can't say quite the same of the Helix model of that channel. Something really great happened to that amp model since it was introduced in the III. It used to be too dark, but it's bright in all the right places and so crunchy now.

Lots of the other models I went through also seem to be improved. Chalking that up to the improved power amp modeling. The FM3 modeling compared to the III previously was a little flat. Now it's FAT. I'm a pretty happy camper. Now if I can just get myself and the family vaccinated, I can get back to playing out.

Welcome back Karl