jefferski
Fractal Fanatic
Just picked up one of these about 10 days ago and have used it for two practices and a jam session at a local bar. I've been running an Atomic Reactor (their older model, not a CLR) powered by a Matrix GT800 which has done me well for a few years now, but I was looking to downsize from a 4U rack and ~35 lb cab, especially for practice where I don't need my wireless, or for quick gigs like this weekend where I didn't want to bring the rig. At 25 lbs I sure enjoyed loading to and from my car in one trip!
So far, I'm liking the Alto. The overall tone is full and balanced; if anything there's too much bass since it's a PA and not specifically designed for guitar, but that's easily compensated for and by the 2nd practice tonight I didn't notice it at all. It does feel very "present" or maybe stiff, but that makes sense. I'm also not playing through the Matrix, which may have a bit of compression in it as well. It reminds me of when I first got the AFX many years ago, some of the cleaner amps like Fenders often felt stiff to me so I would turn up one of the dynamics controls just a bit to soften the attack (which I don't need to do any more, and I think that particular parameter has been removed or renamed anyway...). It also may be because the Alto is brand new and needs to break in a bit (if that's even a thing?). It feels well-built, especially for such a lightweight cab; you wouldn't want to throw it around like you can some of the stage monitors I've used, but I'm also not afraid it's gonna fall apart.
I did a side by side shootout w/ my Atomic rig and was surprised how midrangy (almost nasal) the Atomic sounded in comparison, which I never noticed before (again, not the CLR). But the Alto was a bit too scooped sounding (and the only tone switch actually cuts even more of the mids) so I ran a line from Output 2 and tweaked the Global EQ to bump the mids, which will cut better in a mix. It sounded great by itself but we know how that goes... ;-). And I don't really notice the scooped sound anyway, only in contrast. I'm not trying to totally match the Atomic, but I want the tone and levels to be close enough to be compatible if I'm practicing with one and gigging with the other.
I haven't compared it to any of the other PA contenders, or any of the popular FR units (Matrix, CLR, Xitone, etc) so I can't say how it would hold up, but for $249 it looks like it's going to be a good purchase, and having 45 days to work with it is nice.
Hope this is helpful for anyone else considering.
So far, I'm liking the Alto. The overall tone is full and balanced; if anything there's too much bass since it's a PA and not specifically designed for guitar, but that's easily compensated for and by the 2nd practice tonight I didn't notice it at all. It does feel very "present" or maybe stiff, but that makes sense. I'm also not playing through the Matrix, which may have a bit of compression in it as well. It reminds me of when I first got the AFX many years ago, some of the cleaner amps like Fenders often felt stiff to me so I would turn up one of the dynamics controls just a bit to soften the attack (which I don't need to do any more, and I think that particular parameter has been removed or renamed anyway...). It also may be because the Alto is brand new and needs to break in a bit (if that's even a thing?). It feels well-built, especially for such a lightweight cab; you wouldn't want to throw it around like you can some of the stage monitors I've used, but I'm also not afraid it's gonna fall apart.
I did a side by side shootout w/ my Atomic rig and was surprised how midrangy (almost nasal) the Atomic sounded in comparison, which I never noticed before (again, not the CLR). But the Alto was a bit too scooped sounding (and the only tone switch actually cuts even more of the mids) so I ran a line from Output 2 and tweaked the Global EQ to bump the mids, which will cut better in a mix. It sounded great by itself but we know how that goes... ;-). And I don't really notice the scooped sound anyway, only in contrast. I'm not trying to totally match the Atomic, but I want the tone and levels to be close enough to be compatible if I'm practicing with one and gigging with the other.
I haven't compared it to any of the other PA contenders, or any of the popular FR units (Matrix, CLR, Xitone, etc) so I can't say how it would hold up, but for $249 it looks like it's going to be a good purchase, and having 45 days to work with it is nice.
Hope this is helpful for anyone else considering.
