And so it is done....

C

Chrose1201

Inspired
After all the hemming and hawing and asking anyone and everyone (including the dog) I have sent in my payment and with any luck it will be here next week. I will have the entire Xmas week to learn. I am planning on taking the Cooper Carter Masterclass for the FM3 as well. I wonder if I can figure out a way to expense it for work..... :D
Thanks to all for your opinions and comments.
With any luck this summers gigs I will be shining!
 
Chrose1201 said:
After all the hemming and hawing and asking anyone and everyone (including the dog) I have sent in my payment and with any luck it will be here next week. I will have the entire Xmas week to learn. I am planning on taking the Cooper Carter Masterclass for the FM3 as well. I wonder if I can figure out a way to expense it for work..... :D
Thanks to all for your opinions and comments.
With any luck this summers gigs I will be shining!
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Good luck, and starting with @Cooper Carter is a sure fire way to get off on the right foot! I’m very sure you’ll consider this a great Christmas for years to come.
 
CONGRATS!!!! After multiple pedalboard configurations and setups that seem to change with every gig, the unit does not cease to amaze.
 
If you are used to modeling devices, you more than likely won't need to take any courses to program the unit. Things are far, far more intuitive these days than the reputation Fractal has gotten over the years.
 
Will Chen said:
If you are used to modeling devices, you more than likely won't need to take any courses to program the unit. Things are far, far more intuitive these days than the reputation Fractal has gotten over the years.
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I didn’t take any paid courses, but the many tips and trick that are freely available takes time to hash through. I do agree the best thing is to just dig in and start making presets and reading the manual and the Wiki when getting stuck. However if I could swing the money I think Cooper’s class probably could have saved me a good bit of time and some frustration. I’m the type that while I hate getting stuck will try to figure out myself before asking for help. Even if I go grey in the process.😉

P.S.
While I understand the primary technology getting the FM3 18 months ago was my first real foray into modeling. So yeah having experience is going to be a big help.
 
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GitGuy513 said:
the many tips and trick that are freely available takes time to hash through
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GitGuy513 said:
having experience is going to be a big help.
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I've been menu diving in MFX of one form or another since the Digitech RP1, so maybe I'm minimizing the complexity or am just used to it. But really it feels the further forward we've come the fewer and fewer tricks are really needed to get great tones. Like, on the FM3 one can load up an amp and cab with nothing else and have a very, very good tone. Now that last little percent, tuning input EQ, dynamic response, cab advanced parameters...sure that takes a little more time, but personally I don't really think anyone should be messing with those types of things until they feel they need to even after owning the AX8 and the FM3 for some time, I just skip over most the advanced parameter and don't feel my tone is lacking in any way. Like...one can certainly take a 800 model and apply the "Jose mod" by tweaking things, or just load up the model with those tweaks already applied.
 
Will Chen said:
But really it feels the further forward we've come the fewer and fewer tricks are really needed to get great tones. Like, on the FM3 one can load up an amp and cab with nothing else and have a very, very good tone.
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This is a very good point. Even in the small time I’ve been on board things are way more “plug and play” so to speak.

The truth is I weighed the course back and forth a few times and always decided I will figure it out myself. I’m much older and getting up and running for a band or doing gigs is not my main focus anymore. Mostly at home recording or just make awesome sounds that I only ever dreamed of doing.

I’m making myself seem less experienced than I am. I’ve had early Digitech, TC Electronic GForce, still have a TC2290. Have experienced with early Digital Synths DX7, SY77, EX5, etc.. I’ve had my share of menu diving. The thing most overwhelming at first with the Fractal was getting straight the exact nature or IR’s vs The Cab Block. Also the insane amount of Amp models and Cabs to sort through. However that’s really not a bad thing.
 
Welcome to the world of wizardly tone! My recommendation for getting started is
  • While you're waiting for the unit to arrive, read the manual
  • Definitely go through Cooper Carter's video series
  • Once you have the unit, connect it to the editor
  • Plug in your instrument, and scroll through the presets and their scenes. While you're doing this, look at the editor to get a sense of how the signal is routed for that particular preset, along with the amp / cabinet choices and effects.
  • Find a few presets that you especially like, and copy them to empty locations. Use them as experimental platforms, seeing what happens when you change the amp / cab model, tweak parameters, and so on. Save your work in case you accidentally spin straw into gold.
  • Go back and watch the Cooper Carter videos, and see how he recommends building presets.
  • Once you've gotten comfortable with adjusting existing presets, start creating some presets from scratch. Grab a good sounding amp and cab combo, and tune them to your liking. Explore the effects options (and routing options!).
  • Compare some of your creations to the factory presets for reference. You will discover some new inspiration in the presets, and it's likely you'll have already created some new presets that are very good too.
  • Dig the magic. Fractal Audio tone is truly incredible.
  • Dig the community. This forum is home to some really great folks who are happy to help.
  • Dig a pony. I don't know why The Beatles want us to do this, but who are we to question their wisdom?
 
I would also second/third/fourth that you don’t pay for any classes unless you need it. CC is a great dude and expert in his field, but the FM3 isn’t that hard to use. His classes are designed for absolute noobs. If you have even a basic understanding of gear, you’ll be fine Without it.
 
Ugly Bunny said:
I would also second/third/fourth that you don’t pay for any classes unless you need it. CC is a great dude and expert in his field, but the FM3 isn’t that hard to use. His classes are designed for absolute noobs. If you have even a basic understanding of gear, you’ll be fine Without it.
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The fact is I had a brain injury years ago and the older I get the more I need to really beat things into my head. I need to hear a song a hundred times before it commits to memory, but eventually it gets there. I also find it easier to learn (for me) by watching, more so than reading. So with a dedicated syllabus rather than going down the rabbit hole of Youtube videos (as much as I like doing that) I think for me the CC route may work best. Plus he looks a lot like my kid, so I have to be a fan :D
 
Congrats and welcome! If you feel like spending the money then yes a class will speed up the process. Not necessary imo as there is a ton of freely available information on the net. And you have joined this forum already which is the best resource. If you have a question posted here it will be answered in a short time frame. It is expected that you attempt to figure things out since that’s how to learn. But it’s also understood that people will need help, and the people here are happy to do that.
 
Chrose1201 said:
The fact is I had a brain injury years ago and the older I get the more I need to really beat things into my head. I need to hear a song a hundred times before it commits to memory, but eventually it gets there. I also find it easier to learn (for me) by watching, more so than reading. So with a dedicated syllabus rather than going down the rabbit hole of Youtube videos (as much as I like doing that) I think for me the CC route may work best. Plus he looks a lot like my kid, so I have to be a fan :D
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Congrats on your purchase!

I have been enjoying the gift of tone presets….. They are a lesson in themselves and it makes me want to try some of the vendor preset packs. I have been getting lost in the fabulous gifts of tones and simply enjoying my guitars.

Thank you Fractal for all the updates and to the contributing artists.
 
Hell if I find the presets that work for me then I will use them. I always use that analogy that I have a decent car to drive to the store, but I bought an 18 gear semi. So even though it's highly unlikely that I'll ever need 14 of those gears, I should know how to use them all and also how the vehicle works just in case I need to change gears in a hurry! :D
 
Ugly Bunny said:
I would also second/third/fourth that you don’t pay for any classes unless you need it. CC is a great dude and expert in his field, but the FM3 isn’t that hard to use. His classes are designed for absolute noobs. If you have even a basic understanding of gear, you’ll be fine Without it.
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Yeah totally fair. I think the FM3 is very well adapted to suiting an absolute beginner with all the "ideal" settings and basic routings, yet also having the ability to be incredibly advanced. I'd owned an axe2 for ages and had the FM3 for at least 6 months before I picked up the CC course. It filled so many knowledge gaps when I was watching it that all I could think was... yeah this should be mandatory viewing... but I guess the path I took is totally valid, explore everything at your own pace and if you feel like you want to finally dominate the FM3, then thats a good time to grab the course.
 
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