Experienced Fractal User FM3 Review

Dino334

Inspired
Ok here it goes….the FM3 is a great little unit but it is definitely not the AxeFx3. I was hoping the dsp limits would not be as drastic as the Ax8 was to the AxeFx2, but it is. I created several “ go to” patches from my Ax3 and loaded them into the FM3. I still had to ditch a block or two to make them work. With that being said, the tones were on par with the Axe3. Sounds amazing and responsive!

The foot switches weren’t difficult to understand and after tweaking a couple of layouts, the FM3 has its own and the connected FC 12 has its own to mirror my AxeFx3. Needless to say I really dig the FM3 and will totally use this as a backup, or for a quick trip to the studio/jam session/smaller venue gig.

Bottom line…..call me spoiled but the AxeFx3 can’t be beat! (I know they are 2 different units and the fm3 isn’t supposed to be ”better” than the axe3 nor be a replacement/upgrade….it is a great little unit, just not as robust…and I knew that going into it. One last thing, I am bummed that the edit on the fm3 is almost as slow as it was with the ax8. I was hoping it would be as quick and responsive as it is on the axe3. It’s not. And yea, I’m using a powerful new Mac so theres that.

UPDATE: The more I play with this the more I’m loving it! Paired with the FC12, this is one helluva portable rig!!
 
Last edited:
Bottom line…..call me spoiled but the AxeFx3 can’t be beat! (I know they are 2 different units and the fm3 isn’t supposed to be ”better” than the axe3 nor be a replacement/upgrade….it is a great little unit, just not as robust…and I knew that going into it. One last thing, I am bummed that the edit on the fm3 is almost as slow as it was with the ax8. I was hoping it would be as quick and responsive as it is on the axe3. It’s not. And yea, I’m using a powerful new Mac so theres that.

UPDATE: The more I play with this the more I’m loving it! Paired with the FC12, this is one helluva portable rig!!
Yes. You are correct. They are two separate platforms. If Fractal can ever package the power of the III in a floor unit, I'll buy one (and not even ask the wife first:p!). The III is just too big and bulky to haul around for me.

I know everyone has different desires, but the FM3 is awesome. I used to consider myself an "effects" guy, but Cygnus is just killing it and I'm really getting back to basics, so much so that I can afford to utilize "ultra" (or whatever it's called) reverb in my presets.
 
I have both units, and I find that with awareness of the limitations of the FM3, and after thinking about what I want in a preset, I can get the sounds I want.

I bought the FX3 to be my "at home" unit, but I'm finding lately that I'm doing more with the FM3. Partly that's because it's an amazing piece of technology, and partly because I love a good challenge. Everyone differs in their goals, and there are often many ways to get the various models to combine to create the desired sound, but with judicious tweaking and knowledge of how the sounds are created, it's possible to put together the sound we want without using all the blocks we think we need which ends up saving CPU. For instance, this afternoon, I was tweaking an ambient-type sound that needed a lot of delay and good chorus, but after thinking about it, and by turning up the tape delay model's modulation, I got rid of the chorus block entirely, which is a decent CPU savings.

Yeah, there are some sounds that exceed the limitations of the FM3, but it's surprising how far it can go.

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/fractal-friday-with-cooper-carter.176793/post-2163945 and https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/fractal-friday-with-cooper-carter.176793/post-2160215
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom