Are most of you gigging with your FM9's?

Yes - I bought it to gig & record with. I gig mine around 4 to 6 times a month on average. It's easily the most reliable piece of gear I've ever owned. To include going back to when I gigged my AX8. The latest firmware is excellent and if what's on the horizon comes to pass with the next firmware update (gapless switching and more), I'd say the whole Fractal line holds the crown when it comes to all in one, digital guitar rigs. For my money there's nothing better. Period.
 
dsouza said:
If you use the Songs and Setlists layout you will have an even easier time with performance.
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Understood. I actually pursued that route early on but had a feeling of duplication of effort with all the list-making and (re)arranging.

By way of explanation, this is a close-covers act so presets are rather exacting - and rather plentiful. I'd say 20 presets for 40 songs with a few presets used 3-4 times, the rest just once.

And, as singers are wont to do, ours shuffles the setlist with every gig and changes out about 10% of the material.

So...I'm not only juggling presets, I'm occasionally creating them from scratch based on new material that week.

My strategy, such as it is, is to keep a master list (alpha sorted) in one block of the memory bank (eg presets 150-200) and keep the current setlist in another block (50-100) by copying in presets from the master. Having some empty space also allows 'bulk movement' as I have occasionally been flummoxed by 'hey you haven't got enough room to paste this here.' This allows me to have a block/preset for every song in the setlist, in order, even if there are duplicates that are a few doors down from each others. Footswitches are configured to hold, then tap for next preset (right switch) or previous (left) although I occasionally simply reach down and move with the knob.

And...you might say (again) this is what the setlist function is meant to do and I fully understand (again) but from a minimize-variables keep-sane perspective this is the method I've arrived at - even if this method may go out the window with the FM9. Last but not least, we occasionally/frequently will start doing songs out of setlist order, playing requests etc. so quickly finding the appropriate preset in the 'setlist block' or the 'master block' is necessary and relatively easy.
 
Yes, I play out with 2 bands currently. Was gigging a non-turbo AX3+FC-12, and got on the waitlist for a FM9-T when they became available. I switched to the FM9 for gigs to reduce cartage and setup time. I'm anxiously awaiting the gapless switching support to trickle down to the FM9 so I can go back to running 2 amp blocks simultaneously.

I've run into the non-responsive footswitch issue several times at home, but I don't recall that ever impacting a gig. I've been suspicious of ESD exacerbating the footswitch lockup problem, but I have zero actual scientific evidence to support that theory.

Going direct to FOH makes most sound techs very happy.
 
DUC said:
Yes and no problems. I use it for guitar, pedal steel, mandolin & dobro gigs.
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Wow, I would love to se a pic of your presets for The mandy and dobro. I have wanted to try my uke's, mandy's and acoustics thru it but have been slammed.....
 
I have used it for a couple gigs. The switching is far too slow compared to the af3, so I only use it when I have to. If it gets gapless, that may change.
 
Gigging with mine an no problems so far - the AX8 worked flawlessly for me for years, so hoping for a similar experience with the FM9. I have a good case for it and never gig with beta versions.
 
Gig every other week pretty much, plus it's on every week for band practice along with a couple times a week at home for personal practice/tweaking/goofing around.

Knock on wood.... I've not had any major issue with FAS units (Axe 2 XL+, FX8, AX8 and now FM9) other than the normal firmware bugs. I still use my Axe 2 XL+ at home when practicing or learning new stuff.
 
dsouza said:
Just wondering what percentage of people on this forum are gigging with their FM9's and how many are using it recreationally at home or in the studio?

If you have been gigging with it do you find it very reliable? How solid is the latest FW update 5.1? Does your FM9 act up at gigs or do your gigs go smoothly with it?
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All the time for gigs and rehearsals, really only use it at home to dial in sounds. I have had to reboot at a gig once, which has become a bigger deal with the addition of dynacab. I had one event where my setup was corrupt and I had to restore from a backup. If that had been at a gig rather than a rehearsal, I suspect I might have sold it, and come up with a different plan for live use. Love Fractal, and I would always keep my AXE3, but the lack of a USB restore feature is a lingering issue for me.
 
I gig with my FM9 Turbo several times a month - no issues (except for a misaligned USB port - be careful when you attach/detach your USB cord from the unit), and very happy with the results!
 
8 Months indoor and outdoor shows with zero issues (other than Duh moments early on). Love the setlist feature and my band mates constantly comment on how good my guitar sound is. I don't have gaps while switching, I found a work-around that works well (for me).
 
I've regularly practiced, rehearsed and gigged with every Fractal product I've owned (FX8, AX8, FX3 & now FM9)

Never had anything go wrong with any of the units. I've always invested in good cases to transport them and treat them as I would a tube amplifier or any other high end piece of gear.

The build quality of Fractal units is super solid - they're made to be played!
 
I gig mine for both acoustic solo shows and full band gigs. I run vocals through it for acoustic gigs and have had no issues in either situation. Fantastic unit. Extremely durable and reliable so far. My AX8 and FM3 both served me very well with no problems for many years prior.
 
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