Did a comparison between my FM3 and a Quad Cortex

[MrPond]

I think to be fair to @MrPond, not every update needs to be a complete revamping of tone algorithms. I can see the frustration into wanting new models and minor features (as I am myself patiently awaiting the new 5153 Stealth) without worrying that your other presets will be compromised in the process.

One of the well-known cons of the Fractal products is needing a PhD in order to get the most out of them, which in contrast highlights the ease-of-use pro of the QC. Thus, Fractal presets by nature, especially in the hands of long-term experienced FAS users, tend to have far more hours put into them overall.

So I suppose my point is that it's indeed a pros/cons tradeoff. One product you get constant updates and improvements, but you'll have to put more work into maintaining your presets. And the other gets one update every 17 years or whatever they have planned for the QC.

Sometimes, it's not possible to have a normal discussion here in the forum.
No product is perfect, the QC is miles away from being a perfect unit (missing or bad effects, plugin compatibility after years ... yikes!) but again, a few points are great (UI/UX, cloud/mobile compatibility, stock models, capture function).
But yeah, many people are getting offended when you say something "against" Fractal (or just talk about things that are just not great) ...

 

[jetdriver1775]

One of the well-known cons of the Fractal products is needing a PhD in order to get the most out of them, which in contrast highlights the ease-of-use pro of the QC. Thus, Fractal presets by nature, especially in the hands of long-term experienced FAS users, tend to have far more hours put into them overall.

I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. Fractal comes with hundreds of factory presets that are useable right out of the box, if nothing else as a starting point/guide to making a preset. Building a preset isn't any more difficult than on something like a Helix. You choose an input, amp, cab, and output. Start with that. There are YouTube demos of guys building a great sounding preset in minutes. Sure, if you want to deep dive and go messing with amp parameters most people have no idea what they mean or do, go ahead, but there's no NEED to. As far as assigning switches and all that, it's straightforward if you take a few mins to read the manual. Any new modeler will have its own proprietary way of doing this.

I've never really understood this 'difficult learning curve' stigma people claim re: Fractal gear. At least, not when I consider the depth of features and power the unit has, there's gonna be a bit of a curve. But need a PhD...hardly. I guess that's the beauty of choice within the marketplace. Like building a model airplane... some guys want (or need) Duplo blocks, others Legos, and still there are those that want a Tamiya or Eduard level of detail. Fractal makes pro level gear, with a pro level feature set. I for one am glad that they haven't decided to dumb it down for people who can't be bothered to spend a little time learning a new skill and/or referencing a manual. Still, even for some who make the effort, it won't be the right fit and that's ok. But it's not the hardware's fault. Full disclosure, I'm the kind of guy who will read the manual a couple times while waiting for my unit to arrive. So there's that. I enjoy the process of learning a piece of gear, and some guys don't. They just wanna make music without effort. I get that.

Sorry for the old man shaking fist at sky rant LOL. Not meaning to attack. Just annoying to see guys like Rhett Schull who's an 'industry pro' whining about how the Axe FX is hard. C'mon dude... it's not rocket science.

 

[RifferMcDuck]

I'm gonna have to disagree with you there. Fractal comes with hundreds of factory presets that are useable right out of the box, if nothing else as a starting point/guide to making a preset. Building a preset isn't any more difficult than on something like a Helix. You choose an input, amp, cab, and output. Start with that. There are YouTube demos of guys building a great sounding preset in minutes. Sure, if you want to deep dive and go messing with amp parameters most people have no idea what they mean or do, go ahead, but there's no NEED to. As far as assigning switches and all that, it's straightforward if you take a few mins to read the manual. Any new modeler will have its own proprietary way of doing this.

I've never really understood this 'difficult learning curve' stigma people claim re: Fractal gear. At least, not when I consider the depth of features and power the unit has, there's gonna be a bit of a curve. But need a PhD...hardly. I guess that's the beauty of choice within the marketplace. Like building a model airplane... some guys want (or need) Duplo blocks, others Legos, and still there are those that want a Tamiya or Eduard level of detail. Fractal makes pro level gear, with a pro level feature set. I for one am glad that they haven't decided to dumb it down for people who can't be bothered to spend a little time learning a new skill and/or referencing a manual. Still, even for some who make the effort, it won't be the right fit and that's ok. But it's not the hardware's fault. Full disclosure, I'm the kind of guy who will read the manual a couple times while waiting for my unit to arrive. So there's that. I enjoy the process of learning a piece of gear, and some guys don't. They just wanna make music without effort. I get that.

Sorry for the old man shaking fist at sky rant LOL. Not meaning to attack. Just annoying to see guys like Rhett Schull who's an 'industry pro' whining about how the Axe FX is hard. C'mon dude... it's not rocket science.

I think this is a reasonable response with fair points all around! But I think a lot of this is subjective and will vary from user to user. You claim that you've never understood the reputation of a steep learning curve, yet that reputation persists outside of this forum, so it's clear there's some element of truth to it, whether it applied to you specifically or not. I don't personally find the FM3 to be difficult to navigate and achieve good results with, but I still found the QC to be even easier. That is likely a combination of the hardware/software, as well as my own personality and experience with amps/modeling.

But I do loosely stand by my PhD analogy, even though I was speaking in hyperbole. But at the same time, that too can be subjective. I said one was required "to get the most out of it" - the definition of which will also drastically vary depending on the person.

 

[jetdriver1775]

I think this is a reasonable response with fair points all around! But I think a lot of this is subjective and will vary from user to user. You claim that you've never understood the reputation of a steep learning curve, yet that reputation persists outside of this forum, so it's clear there's some element of truth to it, whether it applied to you specifically or not. I don't personally find the FM3 to be difficult to navigate and achieve good results with, but I still found the QC to be even easier. That is likely a combination of the hardware/software, as well as my own personality and experience with amps/modeling.

But I do loosely stand by my PhD analogy, even though I was speaking in hyperbole. But at the same time, that too can be subjective. I said one was required "to get the most out of it" - the definition of which will also drastically vary depending on the person.

Good point! I admit, I am a tech minded person. It's just the nature of me as a person, and my job. My best friend and bandmate would probably hate it - form a standpoint of learning curve LOL. I desperately want to bring him into the Fractal fold, but I think even tho he would love the tones, he would dread the learning curve. He'd be better off with a Helix, which I used for 5 years before going with Fractal. That was a great entry into the modeling world, IMO.

I was Tier 1 preorder on the QC back in the day. But I backed out and bought an FM3 right when it was announced. Now I have an FM9, and FM3 MkII Turbo. I really bought into the hype of Neural QC when it was first advertised. I got to check it out at NAMM, and it seemed really undercooked LOL. One of the many things I love about Fractal is the maturity of the firmware. So many amps and world class effects on tap. Everything is so well thought out, and the editor is amazing. I like the form factor of QC, if perhaps it was just about 10% bigger, to accommodate a little more switch spacing (size 12 shoes), and scribble strips. Also, the fact that it was lacking a proper IEC power jack was kinda weak IMO.

 

[millman]

I think this is a reasonable response with fair points all around! But I think a lot of this is subjective and will vary from user to user. You claim that you've never understood the reputation of a steep learning curve, yet that reputation persists outside of this forum, so it's clear there's some element of truth to it, whether it applied to you specifically or not. I don't personally find the FM3 to be difficult to navigate and achieve good results with, but I still found the QC to be even easier. That is likely a combination of the hardware/software, as well as my own personality and experience with amps/modeling.

But I do loosely stand by my PhD analogy, even though I was speaking in hyperbole. But at the same time, that too can be subjective. I said one was required "to get the most out of it" - the definition of which will also drastically vary depending on the person.

I think “getting the most out of something” is simply that something solving your needs. You certainly don’t need to change grid bias, Cathode Resistance, or any number of advanced parameters to get the most out of it.

If the sound in your head is a stock AC30 with a 2x12 Celestion Blue and a harmonic tremolo then you can get that. If it is a modded Marshall and you know the parameters to change to get the modded sound then you can get that too.

In either use case I’d say the user is getting the most out of it. You don’t need to be an expert in Amps and their respective mods, common or otherwise, to get the most out of it. That is a very personal thing. The beauty is the potential is infinitely more available in the FAS devices over the competitors. The issue is many see the advanced parameters and think they HAVE to touch them or understand their implications. The reality is, they don’t. Just focus on the controls on the Amp or the Overdrive or the enter_effect_here that are authentic. Until you need to dive deeper.

 

[IronSean]

I will say, it was cool that the QC just connected to my Wifi then let me install the firmware update wirelessly.

 

[jetdriver1775]

I will say, it was cool that the QC just connected to my Wifi then let me install the firmware update wirelessly.

That is cool. Definitely a feature I'd like to see in a future Fractal product. I do like the screen too. Perhaps not to the level of some skeuomorphic screens with pics of amps and pedals. To me that feels a bit gimmicky, like a toy. But having something about that size, with the Fractal detail and contrast could be easier to see the grid etc. and the UI to make easier edits on the hardware would be nice. It seems like the original idea was simply to take the face of the rack and add footswitches, for parts commonality if nothing else, which makes sense. But since the FM units have proven so successful, perhaps the next iteration will have a screen/UI more fitting for a floor unit on the go, no laptop required. I do love the resolution of the Fractal screen, it make Helix look pretty basic.

I'm sure they will come up with something rugged, and functional. I'm excited to see what that is.

 

[knwlnd]

I still regularly count my blessings that I was able to return the QC I bought and picked up an FM3 in time for 6 months without my AXE-FX III.

The QC concept is good, and full of potential but it’s let down by poor execution, a lot of missed opportunities and broken promises.

I genuinely hope they get it together and deliver what they marketed it as. Good competition in a sector generally drives excellence so having worthy competition is good for all.

 

[John Deschain]

I'm an old school tube amp guy, but needed a solution for silent playing. I had a helix years ago and hated it. Bought a FM3 and couldn't be happier. I find the FM3 fairly easy to dial in a good tone from scratch. Where it gets granular is when you start deep diving the fractal options. I'm happy they are there and play with them quite a bit, but more out of being inspired by a Leon Todd, JNC, or Cooper video

 

[cmath]

I use an FM3 Mk2 Turbo at home for now until I learn it enough to gig with.
The audio quality and level of detail alone surpassed my expectations.
The biggest problem I have is choice paralysis and Axe edit is essential to get around.BFD.
I have a Quad Cortex stuffed into a gig bag.
I was sold on the form factor first over everything else.
Never used NDSP plug ins..HAD ZERO expectations of promised cross platform plug ins
The QC is a collection of many compromises and I'm not sure if I'm going to stick with it