AX8 users moving to FM3

Sixstring

Legend!
Just trying to get a sense of what others are planning on doing? This is aimed at guys that are primarily AX8 users that have chosen to move to the FM3. I have looked at it pretty hard and it seems if you need total flexibility an FC is a must. I have replotted my current Ax8 board dims and it does have room for the foot switch, CC pedal and wireless. It doesn't look as tidy but it will work without having to buy a new board and case.
 
Brother, you've been around long enough to know that you might not get a response in the first hour or so to a post made on a weekday night. :) Also, it would help if you could be a bit more clear about what your question is.
 
I'm planning on getting the NDSP QC at this stage and i will keep it if its amazing, and sell it if its not to my liking. Not enough reason for me to switch from AX8 to the FM3 just yet.
 
Brother, you've been around long enough to know that you might not get a response in the first hour or so to a post made on a weekday night. :) Also, it would help if you could be a bit more clear about what your question is.
I know I know... It's been awhile since I have been actively posting I just needed a break. So I have not been paying attention to what has been going on in the FAS world. I just thought with all the cooped up Covid 19 vomit and FM3 hoopla it would be pretty active!

As to clarification I guess I'm just looking to see how people are coping with not just 3 buttons but fewer external switching options as well.
 
I’ve had an AX8 since 2016. I got my invite for fm3, added it to the cart a few times, went to purchase, annnnnndddddd

Bought an axe fx III w/FC6 instead. I liked having all the buttons on AX8. Loved the size. Loved the sound. I had modified plenty of presets to get around cpu limitations, but I kept wondering what I could do with a III and the increased horsepower. I couldn’t see myself buying an fm3 to replace my AX8 because it didn’t provide me any tangible benefit for my use, where as a III I could see as an upgrade with not as much hassle.
 
you can use the FM3 with 2 additional "simple" external switches and an expression pedal (or 4 switches if you don't use an expression).

those external switches can be set to do anything the built-in switches can do. but you can also use them simply to change Layouts or Views which change what the on-board FM3 switches do. this is just like changing to Preset Mode, Looper Mode, etc on the AX8.

when i have a simple gig without looping, i use just the 3 on-board switches in 1 Layout and View. that's 6 functions with the 3 switches with tap and hold functions. further, one function can be a "Scene Toggle" giving me 2 Scenes per switch. put another one on the Hold function of the same switch and i now have 4 Scenes with 1 switch (with a bit of "priority" in how you change to all 4 scenes). then i put 2 different effect on/off on switch 2, and Tap and Tuner on the 3rd.

when i need to loop, i plug in 2 external switches. the left external does Tap and Tune, which frees up that 3rd switch described above. the right external switch changes between 2 Views (or Layouts) so it becomes a Toggle. View 1 is what i described above. View 2 is Looper Rec Play and Once, with Scene 1/2 Toggle as a Hold on the Once switch.

that right there gets me through any gig with 4 Scenes. much better workflow i think vs the AX8, since i can now change Scenes on the Looper View, which you couldn't do on the AX8.

i've also experimented with adding Scene Toggles on the External instead, giving me up to all 8 Scenes there if needed (4 per switch) leaving the on-board for other things like more effect on/off or channel selections.

just those 5 switches give me so much control over things without diving through modes/Layouts/Views.

i'll have a video soon with Definitions, Default Layouts, Custom Layouts and more soon. it's all really simple once you understand what each thing does. then you just choose what you need and put it there.

3 or 5 switches compared to 11 of the AX8 are way more powerful and sometimes less confusing. it all depends on how you set it up.

on really involved gigs, i'll bring the FC6 for even more switches, but that's been rare.
 
For smaller gigs, the FM3 is all I need. If you want, you can add a couple of external switches for bank up/down or whatever you like. As you say, for ultimate flexibility, get an FC.

Read up on Views. They make the the rig much more flexible.
 
I had an AX8 for three years, loved it to death, when the FM3 was announced I was on the G66 list straight away. I'd always fancied a III, but could never justify it.
Thanks to the wait for the FM3 I ended it getting a III at the back end of last year second hand. I'd already picked up an FC6 second hand during the summer whilst waiting for the FM3

I will say, if you've never used the Views, Per-preset and tap/hold features you'll be amazed at how versatile they can be. These functions give me total control over the III with a small footprint.

I'm still going to get an FM3, so I can use the FM3 on it's own, with the FC6 or the III with the FC6

It all depends on your requirements, but my overall point is you'll be amazed at what Fractal have programmed these switches to be able to do
 
Just trying to get a sense of what others are planning on doing? This is aimed at guys that are primarily AX8 users that have chosen to move to the FM3. I have looked at it pretty hard and it seems if you need total flexibility an FC is a must. I have replotted my current Ax8 board dims and it does have room for the foot switch, CC pedal and wireless. It doesn't look as tidy but it will work without having to buy a new board and case.
Nice problem to have. I have a glance at FM3 footswich, I think it fits my current need (I use only one patch, mostly switch scenes, hardly single fx). When it will land I'll test it and if needs arise I think I'll go with external switch... or any midi pedalboard.
 
I went from the AX8 to the AxeIII/FC6. I just got my FM3 last week and have been evaluating how I'll use it. I tried the FM3 with the FC6 and the OMG9 configuration, and it's really nice, but to me it's not worth the extra bulk of the FC6 which definitely takes away from the portability of the FM3. I'll use the FM3 on it's own with two Boss FS-5U switches to change views (tap) and access my Master Layout Menu and Effects page (hold functions) and one expression pedal.

Understanding Views is key. It's a really cleaver implementation and makes the switching very powerful. Personally, I find the FM3 switching much more flexible than the AX8 was. But I tend to use scenes and occasionally access individual effects. If you prefer to run in more of a stomp-box approach, there will be some tap-dancing and adding an FC6 may be the best option.
 
Very interesting thread! I am going to wait and see about the switching. I know I can replicate the ax8 switching setup that I am used to with an fc12. Very sceptical about all this ‘press and hold’, double tapor pressing more than one switch at once stuff that adds all of the functions, That’s exactly what I don’t want to think about while playing , but I was sceptical about fractal in general until I got my axe fx and was convinced so I will remain open minded. Each to their own I suppose. I’m not going to sell the ax8 either. Keep it as a backup just in case. I have had so many compliments from foh engineers about the guitar sound it seems crazy to get rid of it...
 
aside from functionality of the switches, would you say the tone/feel of FM3 is better than AX8?

what else about FM3 are you enjoying more?

i have AX8 and am patiently waiting for my FM3 invite.
 
aside from functionality of the switches, would you say the tone/feel of FM3 is better than AX8?

what else about FM3 are you enjoying more?

i have AX8 and am patiently waiting for my FM3 invite.

I have had the AX2 the AX8
the AX3 and now the FM3

the FM3 so far is my favourite for its portability and its sound

its does a ton of stuff the AX8 does not tri chorus , cloud verbs
new flangers , phaser new drive block
the list goes on and on

if we talk about basic amp tones the FM3 is much more in line with the AX3
the FEEL to me is one of the first things you notice as well as being
more dynamic and more articulate
on the high gain stuff

the prior version had this great
recorded studio sound , to my ears the new Fractal stuff takes that but also is a lot more raw amp
obviously its not the anp in the room but it gets closer to that IMO
 
aside from functionality of the switches, would you say the tone/feel of FM3 is better than AX8?

what else about FM3 are you enjoying more?

i have AX8 and am patiently waiting for my FM3 invite.

I suppose this is somewhat subjective, but I know that moving from the AX8 to the AxeFX III, I immediately noticed a significant improvement in the feel and touch responsiveness. And I made that switch two years ago. Since then, the AxeFX III has gone through numerous FW updates and improvements. Amp modeling aside, the improvements to the Reverb, Drive, Phase, and Flanger blocks have been dramatic.
 
This is the kind of response I am looking for, Thanks guys! I didn't want to go back to a rack unit. I had determined after the Axe II that it was the wrong application for me. I like the AX8 and all that it offers with function and portability but the FM3 does changes things just a bit that has an attraction to it over the AX8!

I see that that some are also talking about the feel and response! this is something I thought might be worth moving to the FM3 as well. How much of a change is it and is it really noticeable or is it just a subtlety?
 
So after powering up the AXE FX III, it was instant in recognizing the feel of the unit. I was pretty blown away. Some presets that were not dialed in didn't sound good. But the ones that were on, felt so amp like with dynamics, touch, response, etc. This was all through headphones even. I got fairly lost in just exploring some presets that I forgot to mess with the FC6.

After looking at the OMG9 layout, comparing it to the size of my AX8, its option anxiety now....

Once either is dialed in and set up I am sure an AXE III or FM3 w/FC6 will work just fine.

@chris Have you found the FM3 uses the same CPU as the AX8 when building similar presets?
 
I tried the FM3 with the FC6 and the OMG9 configuration, and it's really nice, but to me it's not worth the extra bulk of the FC6 which definitely takes away from the portability of the FM3. I'll use the FM3 on it's own with two Boss FS-5U switches to change views (tap) and access my Master Layout Menu and Effects page (hold functions) and one expression pedal.
+1
For my use the OMG9 is way more functionality than I need. I can have access to all the scenes I need using the FM3 switches and a Roland FS7.
 
@chris Have you found the FM3 uses the same CPU as the AX8 when building similar presets?

I'm not Chris, and it's been two years since I sold the AX8, but it seems that the number of blocks I can get in a preset are about the same, and maybe a little better with the FM3 than it was with the AX8. The AX8 ran the amp block in a lower resolution than the AxeFX II and did not have enough processing power to run the Ares amp modeling. So, the FM3 CPU has to be more powerful than the AX8 to run Ares at full resolution and still fit in reverb and basically the same number of effects blocks as the AX8.

If you are going to make kitchen sink presets, reverb is a CPU hog so using some of the same tricks you would use on the AX8 (Spring Reverb or using normal quality with a lower Echo Density number) helps free up some CPU for another effect, depending on what you want to insert.

I'm at roughly 81% CPU on this preset using the Studio reverb in Normal quality with Echo Density at 8. Changing it to Medium Spring, I'm at 74% and can add in a Flanger block or a Chorus block, either of which brings me up to about 80%.
 

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After thinking about it for a while this morning, I'm pretty convinced as to the way I'm going to go. FM3 and FC-6 coupled with the db Instrument CC pedal and T1M 2 button that I already have! This will give me all of the options I will ever need given my gigging and noodling requirements.

I'm going to build my board so I can remove the FM3 from the board for a small grab and go. This is what I really liked about the FM3... it's modular nature makes it very versatile. I can be out the door with 2 pieces of gear in one gig bag or 2 pieces of gear with one in each hand, guitar and pedal board!
 
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