First Fractal - FM9 would work, but temped to go for flagship

[fallowsun]

I know this is hard to give advice on and comes down to budget and needs. But I’m torn between the FM9T (mkii) vs going all in for Axe FX III MKii turbo for my first fractal unit. Looking for any advice. I’ll try to give some context -

I’m definitely set on Fractal as an upgrade from Helix. Selling my helix floor and maybe a couple pedals makes the FM9 a wash for me cost wise. What I hear in all the demos is a real improvement in sound between the two, plus the deeper customizations. And Fractal has my main tube amp, a brown Concert Amp (sounds pretty spot on from what I heard so far). I want foot switches but don’t Need them at least at first. I’m playing and recording at home…looking for a “big sound”.

But making the jump, it is pretty tempting to go all in for the axe fx 3 mk2 turbo, with the fc 12 (mkii for bigger screens). 2x the power, can do crazier things, more IO that I Might use. I don’t have any rack gear or a rack (more cost), but a rack unit is somehow appealing. But it’s almost 2x the price with the fc12. A real investment that I can theoretically afford but gets pretty far into “I need to justify this” territory.

I can definitely see myself making crazy presets. But I also know it won’t be necessary. I don’t Need to do anything crazy. But do want dual amp blocks and generally don’t want to think about dsp or have regrets. I’m sure I’ll move away from them over time but I also have some pretty great physical pedals that I can use into the unit / send returns that take some pressure off dsp. I like the knobs…and it’s particular stuff like Sunfaces / fuzz faces, mutron / qtron, univibe that I imagine are the toughest things to sound natural or just how I like in the box.

Going for Turbo and mkii fc units pretty much means buying new, which is good for warranty but avoids used saving I often go for. I don’t know. That some context. What do you all think?

 

[OrganicZed]

People rarely regret going all in for the flagship model. If you have the finances to support that purchase that is what I would suggest. More is more.

The FM9 is a great compromise if you need to be more cost conscious. It is a very powerful unit. The recently introduced gapless switching allows you to have scenes spread out between multiple presets.

 

[jamongrande]

I vote III if only for the updates. I learned my lesson w that way back with an Ax8, as I waited while the II got all sorts of updates. If you really need something light/space saving then the Fm’s would be ideal.

 

[bchulse]

The FM9 MkII Turbo was just announced. Same specs as reg Turbo
but with larger displays. May appeal to you...

 

[Admin M@]

For me, the Axe-Fx III is the most fun. Life is too short for me to need to justify it beyond that.

 

[tobafett]

Like many here, I own, or have owned, the FM3, FM9 and the FX III. If you want to do crazy presets, and use it for home recording, I'd suggest the FX III. It gives you the most flexibility in terms of I/O and capability. The FM9, and FM3, are great as well, but if you can swing it, go for the fences I say! Best of luck!

 

[fallowsun]

I vote III if only for the updates. I learned my lesson w that way back with an Ax8, as I waited while the II got all sorts of updates. If you really need something light/space saving then the Fm’s would be ideal.

I’ve seen people say this but don’t have a great understanding of what kind of updates are getting put out. Can you speak to the kind of updates you were waiting for in the past or have been beneficial lately? I know I can look up all the update notes and dates… On the helix side, I’ve had the floor for several years and largely ignored the updates. It was usually a couple new amps I wasn’t concerned about and bug fixes. The meaningful upgrades seemed to be pretty rare.

For me, the Axe-Fx III is the most fun. Life is too short for me to need to justify it any more than that.

Yeah I hear that. Time is flying. I just lost someone close too young to cancer which gives a general no time to lose vibe…

…

One thing I’ll add regarding Axe vs FM9 is I frigging hurt my back recently. When I’m dealing with my helix floor I’m often looking down at the unit and my pedals, and bending over tweaking stuff. I should heal up, but getting a nice desk setup and sitting looking upward at a monitor or standing looking fairly straight on at a monitor is probably what I should be doing. Looking at software instead of knobs will probably help me focus on creating coherent music in the daw too instead of just jamming.

 

[tobafett]

I’ve seen people say this but don’t have a great understanding of what kind up updates are getting put out. Can you speak to the kind of updates you were waiting for in the past or have been beneficial lately? I know I can look up all the update notes and dates… On the helix side, I’ve had the floor for several years are largely ignored the updates. It was usually a couple new amps I wasn’t concerned about and bug fixes. The meaningful upgrades seemed to be pretty rare.



Yeah I hear that. Time is flying. I just lost someone close too young to cancer which gives a general no time to lose vibe…

…

One thing I’ll add regarding Axe vs FM9 is I frigging hurt my back recently. When I’m dealing with my helix floor I’m often looking down at the unit and my pedals, and bending over tweaking stuff. I should heal up, but getting a nice desk setup and sitting looking upward at a monitor or standing looking fairly straight on at a monitor is probably what I should be doing. Looking at software instead of knobs will probably help me focus on creating coherent music in the daw too instead of just jamming.

For item #1. Often, but not always, new features come to the FX III first. The firmware updates in the Fractalverse are pretty frequent and have great additions in them.

For item #2. Using AXE EDIT you will not need to touch the FM9 or the AXE FX III directly, unless you want to. This is how I use them in my home studio. It works well. That being said, I really need to force myself to get better at using the UI on the units themselves.

 

[giantslayer]

Aside from cost, the only downside to the III is more stuff to lug to a gig. I occasionally remind myself that my rack with the III is a lot lighter than a tube amp, but I do sometimes think it would be nice to have one less thing to carry.

 

[gitfruit]

another vote for the III. It will always receive Cliff´s newest epiphanies first. I own or owned almost all the iterations of Fractal products. FM3 is sitting on the desk in my homeoffice for a quick jam, FM9 is more or less collecting dust under the desk, too bulky for desktop use. I used it on a gig last weekend, but gigged my III earlier which I thought would never happen. But its just so convenient since I have the III in the rehearsal studio, so I don´t have to think what is different on the FM9.

 

[giantslayer]

There are all kinds of goodies in the updates! New amps, improvements to the modeling, gapless switching, dyna-cabs… the new stuff usually makes its way to the FM units eventually, but sometimes takes several months.

 

[strabes]

I originally had the full AxeFX III and switched to the FM9 turbo. I wasn't using all of the AX3's capabilities and the FM9 runs my huge "kitchen sink" presets just fine (comp, 2 drives, pitch, 2 amps, 2 IRs, 2 delays, verb, plex verb, trem, chorus, enhancer - each one with 4 channels, all on max quality).

Much happier with the smaller footprint, lighter weight, and lower cost of the FM9. It lives on the floor so it doesn't take up any space on my desk or in my rack. If I weren't playing live I would probably just have the FM3 since when recording I'm almost always double tracking anyway so I'd have no need for stereo amps etc.

 

[Rock Chalk]

If you want the flagship model, and can afford the flagship model, I think I would go for the flagship model........

 

[withfoam]

I have the Axe-FX III in a road case and I'm on the waitlist for the FM9. I really want to get my live rig down to an FRFR in one hand, FM9 in the other, and guitar on my back. I know the Axe-FX III is the same as lugging around a real amp, but I don't wanna.
Depends on how you'll use it. I'll be keeping my Axe-FX III at home from now on.

 

[scarbodave]

I originally wanted the FM9 but was on a waiting list for so long that I decided that life is too short and I had so much time to play guitar during the pandemic and I went for the AxeFX3. Soon after I added a FC-6. I don't regret having the flagship but I am sure I would be completely happy with the FM9.

I use it on my own at my home but the goal is to start playing live with others again soon and that is the reason I wanted the FM9 as it is less to lug around.

It is nice not to have to even think about CPU limits when creating a preset. When I ordered the AxeFX3 I thought I would be building big kitchen sink presets with dual amps and cabs etc. and an expression pedal to blend them seamlessly. I started that way but it turns out I prefer a single amp and cab with just a few different settings and effects (using Scenes) so I am sure I would have no issues on the FM9.

 

[rnjscooter]

or you could buy all of them, like me!

 

[fcs101]

...I’m playing and recording at home…

I can definitely see myself making crazy presets. But I also know it won’t be necessary. I don’t Need to do anything crazy. But do want dual amp blocks and generally don’t want to think about dsp or have regrets. I’m sure I’ll move away from them over time but I also have some pretty great physical pedals that I can use into the unit / send returns that take some pressure off dsp. I like the knobs…and it’s particular stuff like Sunfaces / fuzz faces, mutron / qtron, univibe that I imagine are the toughest things to sound natural or just how I like in the box.

You've answered your own question. Go with the III. The only argument (in your case) for the 9 aside from $ is that it's easier to transport.

 

[Roland]

The challenges of playing in a pub band include beer and drunken punters tripping over your pedal board. The Axe FX III and FC12 combination reduces the risk. It means that there’s only one cable to run to the front of stage. With the FM9 there’s also power, instrument, and one or two XLRs to the PA.

Something else I find useful is having an output volume behind me, where it would be on an amp.

 

[fallowsun]

I originally had the full AxeFX III and switched to the FM9 turbo. I wasn't using all of the AX3's capabilities and the FM9 runs my huge "kitchen sink" presets just fine (comp, 2 drives, 2 amps, 2 IRs, 2 delays, verb, plex verb, trem, chorus, enhancer - each one with 4 channels, all on max quality).

Much happier with the smaller footprint, lighter weight, and lower cost of the FM9. It lives on the floor so it doesn't take up any space on my desk or in my rack. If I weren't playing live I would probably just have the FM3 since when recording I'm almost always double tracking anyway so I'd have no need for stereo amps etc.

That’s good info. I can “imagine” creating some complicated routing whacky presets. But what you listed there, especially at max quality…that’s plenty. That’s probably exactly what I would lay out most of the time. And the FM9T is cheaper, foot switches, and a form factor I don’t need to think about / mount.

The only other thing that comes to mind when looking at that list of effects is pitch shifting. Not something I’ve ever used much, but knowing Fractal can detune stuff well is interesting. I’m mainly thinking about the ‘capo’ to go from E to C. I guess I would try out whatever harmonizing stuff is in there. Any huge DSP considerations there?

I’ve seen some comments that the axe tracks better on that front. Right now I’ve got two main guitars, one in E and one D. I can keep using those.. I might go down to C occasionally and not needing to worry about intonation and whatnot would be cool.

 

[strabes]

That’s good info. I can “imagine” creating some complicated routing whacky presets. But what you listed there, especially at max quality…that’s plenty. And cheaper, foot switches, and a form factor I don’t need to think about / mount.

The only other thing that comes to mind when looking at that list of effects is pitch shifting. Not something I’ve ever used much, but knowing Fractal can detune stuff well is interesting. I’m mainly thinking about the ‘capo’ to go from E to C. I guess I would try out whatever harmonizing stuff is in there. Any huge DSP considerations there?

I’ve seen some comments that the axe tracks better on that front. Right now I’ve got two main guitars, one in E and one D. I can keep using those.. I might go down to C occasionally and not needing to worry about intonation and whatnot would be cool.

I forgot to include the pitch block in my list, most of my presets have that as well, also with 4 channels. Here's a screenshot of my average kitchen sink preset, CPU usage is 82% here which is as high as you want to go before you're risking the UI freezing up. The virtual capo works well for detuning and it has a knob that allows you to dial in your preference for the tradeoff between tracking accuracy and latency that all pitch shifters have.