Axe-Fx III or FM3 for effects only users?

Bodde

Bodde

Fractal Fanatic
I am still on Axe fx II. Wasn’t really planning on upgrading as I can still do what I want with the Axe II but the recent effect improvements got me thinking.

I only use a few amp models. Maybe 10 at the most. I almost never use dual amps. I am more interested in effects and effect routings than in amp modeling. If I decide to upgrade will the FM3 be sufficient or is it better to buy the Axe fx III? What are the main effect things that the FM3 is missing over the III?

I am still undecided if I want to upgrade. Until now I thought the III didn’t add too much to the effect section compared to the II. At least not enough reason for me to upgrade. But the recent improvements in the pitch shifter and synth blocks made me doubt.

Curious about your thoughts....
 
IMHO, level of professionalism aside, the simple equation is one of ease of portability.

The AxeIII is typically carried around in a rack whereas the FM3 could be put on the ground and plugged into a PA system.

Having said that, an AxeIII setup can be pretty basic as far as carrying gear around is concerned, so then the next question is; How complex are ones presets and requirements?....since CPU power is a differentiating factor between the two.

I'v e got a AxeIII, but I'm contemplating getting an FM3 as well purely for ease of turning up at a gig or jam with little fuss.

From what you've described, I'd say get an FM3.
 
Zedhed said:
Having said that, an AxeIII setup can be pretty basic as far as carrying gear around is concerned, so then the next question is; How complex are ones presets and requirements?....since CPU power is a differentiating factor between the two.
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That’s a good thing to consider the CPU power. Not sure if it is enough on the FM3. How is the CPU compared to the Axe II?

One thing I don’t like about the Axe fx III is that it is three units high. I don’t use the front panel much for editing. If you have to carry the Axe fx III around in a case and also your foot controllers you still have a fairly weighty pack. I also don’t like the looks of the three units and big screen that much. I hope someday they come with with a two or better yet one unit format.
 
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Bodde said:
That’s a good thing to consider the CPU power. Not sure if it is enough on the FM3. How is the CPU compared to the Axe II?

One thing I don’t like about the Axe fx III is that it is three units high. I don’t use the front panel much for editing. If you have to carry the Axe fx III around in a case and also your foot controllers you still have a fairly weighty pack. I also don’t like the looks of the three units and big screen that much. I hope someday they come with with a two or better yet one unit format.
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My two cents: I think the 3u form factor is rather cool and the front panel is a huge improvement over the II; even though I use axe-edit 99.99% of the time, I would hate not having the ability to quickly and easily make changes or dial up a rig without a computer attached!
On another note, if you're only going to be using it for effects, I would suggest the FM3. I don't realistically see how you could run into CPU power issues without an amp and cab block even with all the effects you could possibly want in your rig!
 
Bodde said:
Thanks! is there also such a comparison between the Axe fx II mk 1vs FM3? Or Axe II mk1vs Axe fx III?
I am really curious if the FM3 has more CPU then the Axe fx II mk1?
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That’s not really a good comparison because the effects and modeling are different. You can probably put more blocks on the 2 than the FM3, but the quality might be better on the FM3.

Amp and cab don’t increase the CPU meter on the FM3 due to dedicated CPU. So you’re roughly the same using amp blocks or not.
 
chris said:
That’s not really a good comparison because the effects and modeling are different. You can probably put more blocks on the 2 than the FM3, but the quality might be better on the FM3.
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So you are saying the effect blocks on the FM3 use more CPU power than the Axe fx II because the quality of the FM3 effects is higher?

What I want to know is if I can use approximately the same amount of (effect) blocks on the FM3 as on the Axe fx II?
 
FM3 has similar processing power to AX8 if I recall, I thought theres a bar chart somewhere comparing the products. But the 4 channels vs X/Y makes a difference in flexibility. Im surprised the reverb block can take 1/3 of the processing power though. Im going to map out my usual AX8 block chain and see what that adds upto in the FM3 CPU usage, looks like it might be very similar.
 

Yes I read that. But you said probably. I want to know for sure. :) And also know how much less blocks you can approximately use on the FM3 compared to the Axe fx II. I don't want to downgrade as for the CPU goes.
 
I think in your case, since you say you use 2 amps once in a while, plus you are worried about the amount of blocks, just get the III. The III is really no more trouble to cart around than the II, and at 1999 it’s a steal. The only way I could see moving to the FM3 is if you have to fly with it.
 
I just got the III and it is a beast. You'd for sure have enough processing power with the III. From what I have seen the FM3 is about half as powerful as the III but I don't know how it compares to the II in terms of number of blocks.
 
Axe FX III. Rack under your amp if a head or on top if a combo. If you ever want to use it solo without an amp, it
has more horsepower and is so much more flexible!
 
Bodde said:
So you are saying the effect blocks on the FM3 use more CPU power than the Axe fx II because the quality of the FM3 effects is higher?

What I want to know is if I can use approximately the same amount of (effect) blocks on the FM3 as on the Axe fx II?
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Check the presets you use and see which CPU% they use at most. If they're above 60-65% I don't think you'll be able to create the same presets on the fm3, but there could be exceptions thanks to new features like 4 channels vs X/Y, or cab and delays running on a dedicated cpu on the fm3.

Your best bet is to pick one of your presets with the highest cpu, check which blocks and types are in there and manually sum the values on that chart. If you end up below 80% you're good to go
 
DLC86 said:
Check the presets you use and see which CPU% they use at most. If they're above 60-65% I don't think you'll be able to create the same presets on the fm3, but there could be exceptions thanks to new features like 4 channels vs X/Y, or cab and delays running on a dedicated cpu on the fm3.

Your best bet is to pick one of your presets with the highest cpu, check which blocks and types are in there and manually sum the values on that chart. If you end up below 80% you're good to go
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That is a very good suggestion. My Axe fx II presets are mostly around 80% or so (sometimes less sometimes more). So I guess that will not be sufficient for the FM3?
 
randyvanmartini said:
I think in your case, since you say you use 2 amps once in a while, plus you are worried about the amount of blocks, just get the III. The III is really no more trouble to cart around than the II, and at 1999 it’s a steal. The only way I could see moving to the FM3 is if you have to fly with it.
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Yes the Axe III is more flexible. I don't need two amps at once though. In Europe the Axe fx III costs 2600 euros by the way. I don't know the euro price of the FM3? The thing that holds me back on the III though is the three units space. And that I have to buy a new foot controller as well if I want to keep the same advantages of my MFC combined with the Axe fx II. I think I want to keep my Axe fx II as well and maybe use that for my recordings at home and use the FM3 for gigs or so.

A FM3 plus FC-6 would be much lighter than an Axe fx III plus FC-6 with rack case. Or maybe I can even manage with just the FM3 and two expression pedals. Hard to make a choice.
 
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Post a screenshot of your highest CPU Axe-Fx II preset, and maybe someone with an FM3 can check if it will all fit. Be aware that there are a few concessions that can usually be made to save on CPU% with minimal impact on the sound quality?
 
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DLC86 said:
https://www.axefxtutorials.com/cros...xe-fx-iii-block-cpu-usage-estimates-compared/
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Interesting chart... Nice to see a comparison and it makes me glad that I have a III. There does seem to be one error in the chart though. The CPU usage is consistently HIGHER on the FM3 (approx. 2:1 or 3:2 on average?) however, the chart shows that the CPU usage for the Delay block is LOWER on the FM3. Considering that none of the other blocks work like that and that even the Multi-Tap delay shows a clear advantage for the III, this seems odd. Anyone want to venture a guess as to whether or not this is correct or take a stab at a technical explanation for why this might be. Just doesn't seem right...
 
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