Axe fx3, fm9, or fm3?

V

Vinasa

New Member
Hello, I just want to know which one should I get I been really interested in the sound and tweakability of the axe fx 3, fm9 and fm3. I want to know what the differences between them are and what you feel is more worth from your experiences. I know the axe fx 3 will need a foot controller so I'm willing to spend if worth. I mainly play progressive metal so I'm interested to on how the effects and amps sound is between them.
 
The sound is pretty much identical...

There are a couple effects that don't exist on the FM9 and FM3.

The FM3 is missing some types of the Reverbs.

Check the Fractal Audio Blocks Guide to see a list of all the block types and how many of each is allowed per unit.

Mostly it's down to processing power.

The FM9 has 2x the power of the FM3.

The Axe Fx III has 2x the power of the FM9.

But the FM9 runs Reverb on a dedicated core, Delays on a dedicated core and Amps on a dedicated core... So sometimes the FM9 can actually use less CPU than the Axe Fx III, or be very close to the same.
 
If money is not an issue then the FM9 if you need portable and Axe if not. FM3 is excellent but if you plan on buying a foot switch unit to go with it, may as well buy the FM9.
 
Vinasa said:
Hello, I just want to know which one should I get I been really interested in the sound and tweakability of the axe fx 3, fm9 and fm3. I want to know what the differences between them are and what you feel is more worth from your experiences. I know the axe fx 3 will need a foot controller so I'm willing to spend if worth. I mainly play progressive metal so I'm interested to on how the effects and amps sound is between them.
Click to expand...
Fm3 can have latency issues when using it as an interface for recording.

I had an original fm3 but sold it to get an fm9. I don’t do anything too complex (one amp multiple effects, high quality) and have never had an issue with processing power on the fm9. I often had to think about processing limits with the fm3. The fm9 is certainly bigger but the 9 buttons are so useful.
 
If money/size/weight is not an issue, get the III. I've run out of processing power on my fm9. That's never happened with the three. I need two pitch blocks. The fm9 only has one. Only the three has tone matching capabilities. And crucially for me, the fm9 lacks a smoothing parameter in the cab block. This alone would incline me towards the three. I also think the amp modeling on the three edges out the fm9, but that is always subject to change with firmware updates. If you need a cheaper or lighter weight and more compact format that will fit into a checked bag of 62 linear inches or less and 50 lb or less, while leaving room and weight for other essentials, the fm9 is the way to go.
 
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I would buy a used fm9 to see if it works for you. The fm3 is fine for just amp and cab but once you start wanting all kinds of effects it becomes quickly apparent that it won't work.
Even if you think you won't use lots of effects, they will call out to you and taunt you to try them.
The ax3 is a big price jump (double the fm9 with a controller). I have both an fm9 and an ax3 and the fm9 can do about 90%.
There are a few extra blocks on the 3 plus some of the blocks use a lot of cpu. (multiband comp, chorus, plex)
Like I said, try the fm9 out and it may fit all your needs. Sound wise, they are close enough.
 
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