Ive had one for three months, I run it through a 5150-power amp and a 4x12, I'm a bit of a snob so I was pretty skeptical, but I figured I could send it back for a full refund if I didn't like it. It's amazing, the hype is real. Having one of these is like being a kid in a candy store. The simple fact of having so many amps that sound so great is literal guitar porn.
Welcome!! FAS World is incredible! The continued updates from FAS are what takes the cake on these units. I've had mine for a couple of years and still "scratching" the surface. I also need to set up the "library". The latest update for the FM3 with Cygnus X- 3 and "gapless" has really opened this up. I could go on and on. Congrats on your FM3!! I love mine!
Had an Ax 2, had a FM3 now have a FM9. I like that I can change the capacitor and transformer in my digital JCM 800 but at some point you have to think: maybe I should just select a different amp? I find that when I dive into the cab world and mike placement I get much more interesting results, tonewise. The cool thing about Fractal is stuff like "the gift of tone" where last december a bunch of presets were gifted to us be Dweezel, Neil Schon, Leon Todd etc. Super cool. And the updates keep improving the experience. I can't comment on the QC, Kemper or Helix but I guarantee zero people in any crowd will care. If the sound out of your amp or monitors inspires you, that's the rub. And if you can use it easily, even better.
great to see you discover the unit 🙌 i'd heartily recommend Leon Todd's block library that you can get online if you're after some block library stuff, and his channel of course, great community over on the fractal forum otherwise and facebook enjoy the ride, and i think you'll really enjoy the Multiband compressor for the heavy tones, i've got some content on speaker impedance curves coming soon, you might dig that for use with IRs =)
Thanks for stopping by Paul! I checked out your new low-tuned preset and really enjoyed it, I'm normally playing VIs in Drop E. Leon's block library sounds like a smart move, I'll look into that for sure. His channel (as well as his offerings on the G66 channel) have been near crucial to my enjoyment of the FM3. So many quick tips and tricks adding up and smoothing the experience out nicely.
Great video ,this does sound incredible ,my problem is my indecisiveness, so many options , Fractal , Line 6 , Quad , Fender TMZ , I like all of them, the FM3 seems like a great option , most people don’t need all the options on the FM.9 , anyway great playing , and I think you play out at some point , you’ll gain confidence a better player and you’ll enjoy it ,subscribed 👍
Welcome to the fam Kai! Fractal makes the best shit for one reason.. they support it THOROUGHLY. I think this gen has had like 3 or 4 major updates that redo all the algorithms for the amplifiers. Kinda nuts.
Yeah that level of support is a huge reason I wanted to check out the Fractal ecosystem - just a constant barrage of updates. Super excited to see where it goes from here, because I’m already 100% sold
Sounds really good and for recording is maybe one of the best options for tone but the UI is ancient and cumbersome. For live use is not idea as at the end, you will be at the mercy of the local "sound guy" regardless of what modeller you have.
They really nailed the form factor - it’s super easy to switch through presets, scenes, effects etc using the layouts. I don’t think I’d have any problems using it. I would probably still lean towards the FC-6 just to simplify things, but the FM3 standalone is no slouch
@user-zv7lm8uk7h Are you saying Fractal has bought Boss? I really doubt it! They would announce such a thing, unless you sit on inside information, in which case you would be under NDA.
Welcome to the Fractal Family! Hope you'll enjoy your unit, it's a really nice unit. FYI, names were purposely renamed or non-explicit; Cliff's philosophy on the matter is that it's better to train our ears, not our eyes ;) If it's sound good, then it's good. You'll be very surprised on how you can acheive great results on a totally different block that you might have chosen initially. Go wild with settings (bass on 10 or 0 for exemple). Nice tones on your presets by the way!
Thank you! I do understand that aspect of it - it's pretty daunting, because that workflow requires you to try out every single effect in the unit to fully understand it. I've got a great frame of reference in terms of real-world gear (though obviously the downside is I'd pick known favourites over hidden gems), but when it comes to the Fractal models I get stuck pretty quick. I appreciate the insight!
@KaiDown I got a routine that you could like/try. Every week I'm taking an hour or two to go "block shopping". Guitar, beer, Fractal edit, and your Fractal product. I try a preset or a block that I like, and then save it in you library folder. You load a new preset with those blocks, but try to recreate it from memory or what you think it is. Then, you validate yourself in a A/B manner, and you go see after that what was the parameters that wasn't the same. Then, you max out that parameter, and set it to none. Play with it. Make it yours. I was able to tame the monster quite fast and to my taste too. Bit by bit. That's the key!
Get the Fractal. At least that's the advice I've gotten from a couple of my longer term gigging and daily playing friends. I'd also say the same. In terms of modelling quality, latency, responsiveness, Fractal is better. Closest to an "amp in the room" sound. It's all subjective but looks at the Fractal roster and you'll know what the pros prefer. Seen internals live all using fractal two months back. Sounded unreal. QC is a bit more of a hype machine. End of the day research for yourself and choose what sounds and feel better to you. My vote blindly goes to Fractal.
@@ehsanhaq155 Yes, Fractals artist line up is quite something. I’ve been researching and still on the fence, edging toward the fractal though. Thanks for your comment :)
I think it's exactly as techy as you want it to be, which is a really nice way of running a digital modeller. I'd much prefer a slow and smooth learning curve over a short but steep one.
after they got gapless switching nailed down, I've decided it will be my next piece of hardware. I hate snapshots. I mean, snapshots are better than no snapshots, but I just want to change presets. Helix still has the better pitch shifter in my opinion. I'm still going fractal though.
Gapless is where it’s at, Fractal absolutely killed it with that update and I hopped on the FM3 at the perfect time. Swapping between presets is a breeze. Helix pitch shifter is definitely a lot better
I've been trying the FM3 with the HX One and they seem to pair really nicely! Still need to grab a MIDI cable so that I can have the FM3 scenes change presets in the HX One
Hi Kai, thanks for that great video. I'm thinking about buying a FM3. How do you amplify your FM3 signal in a live situation? Via an active FRFR box, power amp and cab, guitar box and amplifier. Or just via the FOH and monitor? I would be happy to hear your feedback. Pete
Hey Pete! I actually don’t play live any more, but my preferred method would be a poweramp+cab on stage, with a split in the FM3 chain so that I can send a direct feed to FOH
It’s not as powerful as Helix Floor which can accommodate 32 blocks, but I’d say it’s powerful enough if you don’t need complicated signal chains. But it you enable power amp transformer and put it on high, plus ultrares IRs, you can barely squeeze 6 blocks on the FM3.That said, once I got the FM3, I kinda stopped looking elsewhere.
There are definitely ways you can make the FM3 choke (delay+plexdelay+high quality reverb) but I’ve found that in my normal patch creation workflow, I really struggle to hit those upper bounds. As for the Helix comparison, the Helix can only run 16 blocks on gapless, and there’s only one effect per block (while the FM3 can run four effects per block). It’s not an apples to apples comparison because the general workflow is extremely different, but the FM3 feels more powerful
@@tarkgundogdu8940 Yes! good point, FM9 has 2 - duel core analog DSP's just like the Helix floor but its still got more DSP power. I believe the A/D-D/A converters and oversampling in the FM9 are better quality converters as well. To me the FM9 is the superior to the Helix floor and I would purchase it before a Helix floor. It's not just DSP power, people forget and don't realize your "audio converters analog to digital" and correct oversampling matter too. Fractal uses the best digital audio converters in the industry. No way Helix uses same converters. however I don't get the FM3 at all, to me FM3 its a waste of money since its not amp & cab integrated, perhaps they allow a few slots but then you're incurring more latency. FM3 it's more of a stand alone unit with 1 analog DSP 3 core floating point . Its exactly same DSP power as the AX8. The FM9 is 50% power of the Axe III, that makes it better than the Helix floor amigos. In Helix floor defense its a better modeler compared to FM3 and Axe8 as far as DSP/latency in my opinion., it only shines over those 2 devices. Again, FM3 is too much money with too little DSP power packed into it, they did include the same high quality A/D-D/A converters though.
Hey, this is so awesome. I just ordered one recently and it's supposed to arrive on Monday! I am so stoked to try it out, glad to see you like it. Also - What is the sound dampener you have on your door?
Awesome video, your sound seems to be very fine and hard worked on, i mean, it sounds like a pro! can you tell me how you get it? Like what daw are you using? eq or compression? Thank you very much!
Thank you ever so much! There’s not that much to it at all. No post-processing, the DAW won’t affect the sound, and I didn’t mess with any of the EQs in the FM3. The sounds here are really about picking the right amp + cab
@@KaiDown Thank you very much i have a Fractal Axe Fx II Xl and i cant get your awesome sound! It is fantastic, Thank you ! Go on with your great work! Cheers from México City!
@Kai I loved preset 2 so here’s my question how do you mic a cab or headrush , when my mic is too close for singing I get feedback so I’m flipping confused. I truly need a video so basic as to I go out back of this into then out to thst to get this cool studio sound, I have Valeton gp 200 and FRFr HeadRush 112. Think you did video. Also a very and I mean very basic for idiots IR video how to download then how to creat a file to place it in because if you don’t have a file, you can download IRS all day long but you cannot use them in windows. I need to know out of make that file after I download the IR I don’t see anywhere after Raich clicking on anything to do so very instructions.
Headrush guy, thinking about a Kemper Profiler Player or this beast? I am a IT techy nerd so.. not scared of a 200 page manual LOL. I do want it for a gig / band practice rig versus just at home use.
I personally don’t really like the workflow of profilers in general - I like being able to dial in the amps authentically. If you’re not scared of a learning curve, Fractal is absolutely top class
Ive had one for three months, I run it through a 5150-power amp and a 4x12, I'm a bit of a snob so I was pretty skeptical, but I figured I could send it back for a full refund if I didn't like it. It's amazing, the hype is real. Having one of these is like being a kid in a candy store. The simple fact of having so many amps that sound so great is literal guitar porn.
Welcome!! FAS World is incredible! The continued updates from FAS are what takes the cake on these units. I've had mine for a couple of years and still "scratching" the surface. I also need to set up the "library". The latest update for the FM3 with Cygnus X- 3 and "gapless" has really opened this up. I could go on and on. Congrats on your FM3!! I love mine!
Had an Ax 2, had a FM3 now have a FM9. I like that I can change the capacitor and transformer in my digital JCM 800 but at some point you have to think: maybe I should just select a different amp? I find that when I dive into the cab world and mike placement I get much more interesting results, tonewise. The cool thing about Fractal is stuff like "the gift of tone" where last december a bunch of presets were gifted to us be Dweezel, Neil Schon, Leon Todd etc. Super cool. And the updates keep improving the experience. I can't comment on the QC, Kemper or Helix but I guarantee zero people in any crowd will care. If the sound out of your amp or monitors inspires you, that's the rub. And if you can use it easily, even better.
great to see you discover the unit 🙌 i'd heartily recommend Leon Todd's block library that you can get online if you're after some block library stuff, and his channel of course, great community over on the fractal forum otherwise and facebook
enjoy the ride, and i think you'll really enjoy the Multiband compressor for the heavy tones, i've got some content on speaker impedance curves coming soon, you might dig that for use with IRs =)
Thanks for stopping by Paul! I checked out your new low-tuned preset and really enjoyed it, I'm normally playing VIs in Drop E. Leon's block library sounds like a smart move, I'll look into that for sure. His channel (as well as his offerings on the G66 channel) have been near crucial to my enjoyment of the FM3. So many quick tips and tricks adding up and smoothing the experience out nicely.
If you get FracPad 3 you can have an iPad or windows editor that can give you the real amp and drive pedal names.. I recommend it. From Al grenadine.
Great video ,this does sound incredible ,my problem is my indecisiveness, so many options , Fractal , Line 6 , Quad , Fender TMZ , I like all of them, the FM3 seems like a great option , most people don’t need all the options on the FM.9 , anyway great playing , and I think you play out at some point , you’ll gain confidence a better player and you’ll enjoy it ,subscribed 👍
Welcome to the fam Kai! Fractal makes the best shit for one reason.. they support it THOROUGHLY. I think this gen has had like 3 or 4 major updates that redo all the algorithms for the amplifiers. Kinda nuts.
Yeah that level of support is a huge reason I wanted to check out the Fractal ecosystem - just a constant barrage of updates. Super excited to see where it goes from here, because I’m already 100% sold
I have got axe fx ultra there is no support
@@gizemkayhan9245That’s a 16-year old unit mate. No duh.
ive just ordered one coming tomorrow hopefully! almost welcome to the family? haha
Sounds really good and for recording is maybe one of the best options for tone but the UI is ancient and cumbersome. For live use is not idea as at the end, you will be at the mercy of the local "sound guy" regardless of what modeller you have.
Got one too, and this isi the vest explaination of, well.. evereything. . Nice job brother, I really appreciate this.
Parisienne walkways is one of my faves!
Even better when you run it through a real cab, but just alone straight to PC and monitors is sweet!
That theee button formfactor is actually really nice for live use, you don’t want to have more opinions on stage and it’s small and light to carry 🔥
They really nailed the form factor - it’s super easy to switch through presets, scenes, effects etc using the layouts. I don’t think I’d have any problems using it. I would probably still lean towards the FC-6 just to simplify things, but the FM3 standalone is no slouch
Sounds great Kai ! Love your videos btw. Well done
The pitch shift on the unit sucks though. Cliff needs to take a look at the pitch block and bring it up to par with the other effects.
I agree so much... the lag is making it useless to play fast triplets. My only gripe with the fm9... everything else just worth the money!!!
I prefer the quad cortex, but the fm3 is a great device too 🔥
QC really has a worlds better UX than any of the Fractal devices!
Toddler iPad toy
@user-zv7lm8uk7h Are you saying Fractal has bought Boss? I really doubt it! They would announce such a thing, unless you sit on inside information, in which case you would be under NDA.
@user-zv7lm8uk7h The fender tone master pro is great too. Can't go wrong with either tbh
@@Tanax13 Nah it really doesnt.
Welcome to the Fractal Family! Hope you'll enjoy your unit, it's a really nice unit. FYI, names were purposely renamed or non-explicit; Cliff's philosophy on the matter is that it's better to train our ears, not our eyes ;) If it's sound good, then it's good. You'll be very surprised on how you can acheive great results on a totally different block that you might have chosen initially. Go wild with settings (bass on 10 or 0 for exemple).
Nice tones on your presets by the way!
Thank you! I do understand that aspect of it - it's pretty daunting, because that workflow requires you to try out every single effect in the unit to fully understand it. I've got a great frame of reference in terms of real-world gear (though obviously the downside is I'd pick known favourites over hidden gems), but when it comes to the Fractal models I get stuck pretty quick. I appreciate the insight!
@KaiDown I got a routine that you could like/try. Every week I'm taking an hour or two to go "block shopping". Guitar, beer, Fractal edit, and your Fractal product. I try a preset or a block that I like, and then save it in you library folder. You load a new preset with those blocks, but try to recreate it from memory or what you think it is. Then, you validate yourself in a A/B manner, and you go see after that what was the parameters that wasn't the same. Then, you max out that parameter, and set it to none. Play with it. Make it yours. I was able to tame the monster quite fast and to my taste too. Bit by bit. That's the key!
I’m like a week away from pulling the trigger on a quad cortex and I see this 😂 any commenters got experience with both and can give me some tips?
Get the Fractal. At least that's the advice I've gotten from a couple of my longer term gigging and daily playing friends. I'd also say the same. In terms of modelling quality, latency, responsiveness, Fractal is better. Closest to an "amp in the room" sound. It's all subjective but looks at the Fractal roster and you'll know what the pros prefer. Seen internals live all using fractal two months back. Sounded unreal. QC is a bit more of a hype machine.
End of the day research for yourself and choose what sounds and feel better to you. My vote blindly goes to Fractal.
@@ehsanhaq155 Yes, Fractals artist line up is quite something. I’ve been researching and still on the fence, edging toward the fractal though. Thanks for your comment :)
The fractal bro. I’ve watched videos and this seems much better. Plus patches etc are free. Seems neural pay influencers to shill hard
I got an FM3--zero regrets. It is not that techy.
I think it's exactly as techy as you want it to be, which is a really nice way of running a digital modeller. I'd much prefer a slow and smooth learning curve over a short but steep one.
What do you think of it versus an hx stomp ?😊
I think I prefer knobs and switches. Touchscreens shouldn’t be a selling point considering they’re very dated feeling in the hands.
Sounds amazing! Aaaaaand now i want one…. Goddamnit
after they got gapless switching nailed down, I've decided it will be my next piece of hardware. I hate snapshots. I mean, snapshots are better than no snapshots, but I just want to change presets.
Helix still has the better pitch shifter in my opinion. I'm still going fractal though.
Gapless is where it’s at, Fractal absolutely killed it with that update and I hopped on the FM3 at the perfect time. Swapping between presets is a breeze. Helix pitch shifter is definitely a lot better
@@KaiDown guess we could get an HX One just for the damn pitch effects 🤣
I've been trying the FM3 with the HX One and they seem to pair really nicely! Still need to grab a MIDI cable so that I can have the FM3 scenes change presets in the HX One
Hi Kai,
thanks for that great video. I'm thinking about buying a FM3.
How do you amplify your FM3 signal in a live situation? Via an active FRFR box, power amp and cab, guitar box and amplifier. Or just via the FOH and monitor?
I would be happy to hear your feedback.
Pete
Hey Pete! I actually don’t play live any more, but my preferred method would be a poweramp+cab on stage, with a split in the FM3 chain so that I can send a direct feed to FOH
It’s not as powerful as Helix Floor which can accommodate 32 blocks, but I’d say it’s powerful enough if you don’t need complicated signal chains. But it you enable power amp transformer and put it on high, plus ultrares IRs, you can barely squeeze 6 blocks on the FM3.That said, once I got the FM3, I kinda stopped looking elsewhere.
There are definitely ways you can make the FM3 choke (delay+plexdelay+high quality reverb) but I’ve found that in my normal patch creation workflow, I really struggle to hit those upper bounds. As for the Helix comparison, the Helix can only run 16 blocks on gapless, and there’s only one effect per block (while the FM3 can run four effects per block). It’s not an apples to apples comparison because the general workflow is extremely different, but the FM3 feels more powerful
Then I'm getting Fractal Axe FX III! I want the most power on the fucking planet, I won't settle for less when I piss excellence.
there is also FM9.
@@tarkgundogdu8940 Yes! good point, FM9 has 2 - duel core analog DSP's just like the Helix floor but its still got more DSP power. I believe the A/D-D/A converters and oversampling in the FM9 are better quality converters as well. To me the FM9 is the superior to the Helix floor and I would purchase it before a Helix floor. It's not just DSP power, people forget and don't realize your "audio converters analog to digital" and correct oversampling matter too. Fractal uses the best digital audio converters in the industry. No way Helix uses same converters. however I don't get the FM3 at all, to me FM3 its a waste of money since its not amp & cab integrated, perhaps they allow a few slots but then you're incurring more latency. FM3 it's more of a stand alone unit with 1 analog DSP 3 core floating point . Its exactly same DSP power as the AX8. The FM9 is 50% power of the Axe III, that makes it better than the Helix floor amigos. In Helix floor defense its a better modeler compared to FM3 and Axe8 as far as DSP/latency in my opinion., it only shines over those 2 devices. Again, FM3 is too much money with too little DSP power packed into it, they did include the same high quality A/D-D/A converters though.
Cool video mate!
Thanks dude! 💪
Hey, this is so awesome. I just ordered one recently and it's supposed to arrive on Monday! I am so stoked to try it out, glad to see you like it. Also - What is the sound dampener you have on your door?
Killer! I've got a set of GIK acoustic panels up around the room - 244s on the walls, and 242s on the doors
I don't need another modeler. When has that ever stopped me though? 🤣🤣
It’s been too long since you last treated yourself to a shiny new pedal, I can tell 😇
@@KaiDown 🤣🤣🤣 you sound just like that little voice in my head. If you're both saying it, it must be true
3:20 nice playing 😎
The British tones of FM3 are the best in the world!
So I’m thinking about getting the fm3 mkii turbo.
I’m from uk also, where did you buy yours from? They seem hard to get hold of.
I regret buying mine used since I had no warranty - but yours new from G66 and they’ll take great care of you, they’re awesome
@@KaiDown I just bought one from g66
@@lordPix3lUK Nice! You're in good hands, and you're sure to love the FM3
is the first riff was Boards of Canada - Dayvan Cowboy?
I suggest checking out Fractal’s artist gift of tone presets!
I've had a few people say this, I'll check it out!
Awesome video, your sound seems to be very fine and hard worked on, i mean, it sounds like a pro! can you tell me how you get it? Like what daw are you using? eq or compression? Thank you very much!
Thank you ever so much! There’s not that much to it at all. No post-processing, the DAW won’t affect the sound, and I didn’t mess with any of the EQs in the FM3. The sounds here are really about picking the right amp + cab
@@KaiDown Thank you very much i have a Fractal Axe Fx II Xl and i cant get your awesome sound! It is fantastic, Thank you ! Go on with your great work! Cheers from México City!
Sick scratch plate
3:31 you might even say it was… barely an inconvenience!
@Kai I loved preset 2 so here’s my question how do you mic a cab or headrush , when my mic is too close for singing I get feedback so I’m flipping confused. I truly need a video so basic as to I go out back of this into then out to thst to get this cool studio sound, I have Valeton gp 200 and FRFr HeadRush 112. Think you did video. Also a very and I mean very basic for idiots IR video how to download then how to creat a file to place it in because if you don’t have a file, you can download IRS all day long but you cannot use them in windows. I need to know out of make that file after I download the IR I don’t see anywhere after Raich clicking on anything to do so very instructions.
Loving the videos boss. Very polished. I'm a salesman's dream though so having to work hard not to buy everything you review 😂😂
Headrush guy, thinking about a Kemper Profiler Player or this beast? I am a IT techy nerd so.. not scared of a 200 page manual LOL. I do want it for a gig / band practice rig versus just at home use.
I personally don’t really like the workflow of profilers in general - I like being able to dial in the amps authentically. If you’re not scared of a learning curve, Fractal is absolutely top class
@@KaiDown After a good buy popped up I have an FM9 Turbo coming.. Am looking forward to deep diving into Fractal stuff!
where did u buy it from in the uk ?
I bought mine used on Reverb, but I’d recommend purchasing through G66 instead, they have a UK store
@KaiDown cheers mate 👍
How can i get your custom presets?
My bank account is starring at me angrily...🤘
What a beautiful guitar. What is it? :)
Thank you! This is the Balaguer Synthwave Espada, it's a limited production run from a few years ago
did you update to latest firmware?
I did!
sick and on the trot... hmm ;)
It’s a sin to talk so much when the guitar is in your hands 😃
All my videos are timestamped so that you can quickly jump around to the playing sections if that’s what you’re here for!
Sounds HARSH!
no it doesn't