First Time Fractal Customer

Joel.Brown333

Joel.Brown333

Inspired
I've used Line6 products for over a dozen years. My rig is a pair of Marshall JCM900s into a pair of Marshall 1936 2x12 cabs. Before switching to the FM3 I used the PODHD Desktop into the effects return of the Marshalls using a 20ms delay between the two for stereo effect. I play in a Sabbath tribute band and the tone I had was actually pretty decent. For years I wanted a Fractal product and when the FM3 came out at the price point I wanted plus the format I liked, I jumped on it. When I first hooked it up, I was disappointed. I tried a bunch of different settings to get it to work with my rig and it wasn't sounding right; thin and fizzy. I couldn't believe this since I know that Fractal is the best, so it must be something I'm doing wrong. Fortunately, I have a friend who has owned Fractal products for years and he came over and helped me get it going. I've had a chance to read, learn, and work with the product and can now dial in tones fairly quickly.

Bottom line:
Fractal is head and shoulders better than everything else. Not only in tone and note distinction, but also feel. I like how I can dial in the tone exactly the way I want then dial in the feel I'm looking using compression, drive, saturation, etc. without effecting the tone. This is extremely important, at least to me. If it sounds great but I have to work my butt off to do pull offs or hammer ons then I don't like it. Conversely, if I can't control the sustain or feedback to get the sound I want, it's worthless too. Fractal nails all these things so well it's scary. I'm getting spoiled really quick.
 
Mostly it was Speaker Impedance, Saturation, turning off Power Amp modeling, and some EQ. Plus, and most importantly, selecting the proper amp model for what I was looking for. When you have 280+ amp models to choose from its kind'a overwhelming at first. The Euro Uber and 1959SLP Jumped ended up being the ones I used. The 1959SLP is very authentic to the original Sabbath recordings using a Treble Booster. The Euro Uber is just friggin' nice and gives me a modern Sabbath type tone.

One thing I re-learned very quickly, I already knew this from working with Line6 and other modelers, most amp modelers can work in a variety of rigs. FRFR, SS+Speaker Cab, Tube Power Amp+Speaker Cab, 4CM, or even some combination. Building a template of settings that work for your rig is the first thing to accomplish. Once that's done, it's a lot simpler to try out different amps and settings.

Being brand new to Fractal it was learning curve that I only had 15 days to overcome if I decided it wasn't for me. I also read where Fractal only lets you return something once. My advice to someone buying their first Fractal product is: "Yes it's the best. It might take a little time to learn it and get the tone and feel you're looking for but it's in there".
 
I have owned a POD 500x and then a Boss GT100 and now FM3 which is quite an upgrade in case of sound, feel and everything else a modeller has to offer.
 
Well, if you are anything like me, you will swear to anyone who listens that you will never sell the Marshall amps and cabs. You may even punch a a friend in the mouth for a suggestion one too many. And...then...one day....
 
I may never sell the Marshall amps and cabs, but I will eventually switch to FRFR. I tried going SS Power amp and cab over 30 years ago. The technology just wasn't there at the time. I also still own that rig from 30 years ago too. It's gathering dust and the SS amp runs the horns in my PA.
 
I was partially kidding, of course. Still have quite a few tube amps and cabs around, but only ones that I built myself, now. Their value is in the memories I have with them.

+1 on the FRFR. It really opens up all your possibilities with the FM3.
 
Here's my one-month review of my first Fractal product.

So far, I have only one complaint. The more I learn about how to adjust settings and the more amp models I try, the better I get at finding the tone I really like. It's like a never-ending cycle of "Hmmm, let's try this on that amp model... oh yeah that's better". Then it just keeps repeating...

On other products I've owned, you have a much more limited set of adjustments and amps, but you get a tone you can live with but are never truly happy. To me this is the difference between professional versus consumer level equipment. Next time anyone asks if Fractal is worth the extra money for their products I'll tell them flat out "Yes, and the competition is over-charging for what they give you".
 
Joel.Brown333 said:
Here's my one-month review of my first Fractal product.

So far, I have only one complaint. The more I learn about how to adjust settings and the more amp models I try, the better I get at finding the tone I really like. It's like a never-ending cycle of "Hmmm, let's try this on that amp model... oh yeah that's better". Then it just keeps repeating...

On other products I've owned, you have a much more limited set of adjustments and amps, but you get a tone you can live with but are never truly happy. To me this is the difference between professional versus consumer level equipment. Next time anyone asks if Fractal is worth the extra money for their products I'll tell them flat out "Yes, and the competition is over-charging for what they give you".
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Sounds more like a 1st world problem than an complaint to me :), i know what you mean Joe
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I think I'm finally done trying different amp models and have found the one I'm going to use. I don't care if there's something else that's better or not. I've never had anything sound and feel this good, not even close. The Atomica High for me and my rig, hits every check mark. I play in both standard and C# tuning. When I plugged in the C# tuned guitar it was like prehistoric, caveman, heavy metal. I think I'm going to write a song called Gink, Gink, Raaah, because that's what it sounded liked when I chugged the guitar. I just kept playing it over and over with a goofy grin on my face thinking "Holy Crap that's heavy".
 
Joel.Brown333 said:
I've used Line6 products for over a dozen years. My rig is a pair of Marshall JCM900s into a pair of Marshall 1936 2x12 cabs. Before switching to the FM3 I used the PODHD Desktop into the effects return of the Marshalls using a 20ms delay between the two for stereo effect. I play in a Sabbath tribute band and the tone I had was actually pretty decent. For years I wanted a Fractal product and when the FM3 came out at the price point I wanted plus the format I liked, I jumped on it. When I first hooked it up, I was disappointed. I tried a bunch of different settings to get it to work with my rig and it wasn't sounding right; thin and fizzy. I couldn't believe this since I know that Fractal is the best, so it must be something I'm doing wrong. Fortunately, I have a friend who has owned Fractal products for years and he came over and helped me get it going. I've had a chance to read, learn, and work with the product and can now dial in tones fairly quickly.

Bottom line:
Fractal is head and shoulders better than everything else. Not only in tone and note distinction, but also feel. I like how I can dial in the tone exactly the way I want then dial in the feel I'm looking using compression, drive, saturation, etc. without effecting the tone. This is extremely important, at least to me. If it sounds great but I have to work my butt off to do pull offs or hammer ons then I don't like it. Conversely, if I can't control the sustain or feedback to get the sound I want, it's worthless too. Fractal nails all these things so well it's scary. I'm getting spoiled Fractal smokes Line 6.
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Joel.Brown333 said:
I've used Line6 products for over a dozen years. My rig is a pair of Marshall JCM900s into a pair of Marshall 1936 2x12 cabs. Before switching to the FM3 I used the PODHD Desktop into the effects return of the Marshalls using a 20ms delay between the two for stereo effect. I play in a Sabbath tribute band and the tone I had was actually pretty decent. For years I wanted a Fractal product and when the FM3 came out at the price point I wanted plus the format I liked, I jumped on it. When I first hooked it up, I was disappointed. I tried a bunch of different settings to get it to work with my rig and it wasn't sounding right; thin and fizzy. I couldn't believe this since I know that Fractal is the best, so it must be something I'm doing wrong. Fortunately, I have a friend who has owned Fractal products for years and he came over and helped me get it going. I've had a chance to read, learn, and work with the product and can now dial in tones fairly quickly.

Bottom line:
Fractal is head and shoulders better than everything else. Not only in tone and note distinction, but also feel. I like how I can dial in the tone exactly the way I want then dial in the feel I'm looking using compression, drive, saturation, etc. without effecting the tone. This is extremely important, at least to me. If it sounds great but I have to work my butt off to do pull offs or hammer ons then I don't like it. Conversely, if I can't control the sustain or feedback to get the sound I want, it's worthless too. Fractal nails all these things so well it's scary. I'm getting spoiled really quick.
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Fractal kills Line 6, it is like comparing an upright Baldwin piano to a Steinway or Yamaha grand piano. Not to be mean or offend Line 6 fans, but the Helix sounds like garbage to me. You might can get a decent tone out of it if you use some external IR, apply EQ and tinker with the amp parameters for about 2 hours. I think I am kinda biased because I grew up playing during a time where you were made fun of for using Line 6 gear.
 
Joel.Brown333 said:
I think I'm finally done trying different amp models and have found the one I'm going to use. I don't care if there's something else that's better or not. I've never had anything sound and feel this good, not even close. The Atomica High for me and my rig, hits every check mark. I play in both standard and C# tuning. When I plugged in the C# tuned guitar it was like prehistoric, caveman, heavy metal. I think I'm going to write a song called Gink, Gink, Raaah, because that's what it sounded liked when I chugged the guitar. I just kept playing it over and over with a goofy grin on my face thinking "Holy Crap that's heavy".
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Great choice!
 
Finally got to do our first live rehearsal last night using the FM3. It sat in the mix really well, the leads cut through great, the drop C# tunes were much better defined, and the chugs were amazing.

What was really noticeable to me is the guitar was easier to play. Meaning I didn't have to try so hard to make every note distinct when playing chords, the FM3 had plenty of note distinction. Also leads were easier to play when you have the gain, compression, saturation, and clarity all tuned to your own personal feel. It sure made it more fun to play with less effort. Gee, maybe now I can concentrate more on being a better player instead of fighting my tone and feel.
 
Isn't Even My Final Form said:
So what did you do to get it to sound right?
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@Joel.Brown333 hit a problem that I imagine others have hit as well - he plugged the FM3 into a pair of JCM900 returns (basically using them as power amps), turned off amp and cab simulation, and then try to use presets. Some of the factory presets translate pretty good to using the FM3 as a preamp, others not so much.

The solution was really to just start creating a preset from scratch.

Joel plays loud as hell so it was fun to dial in tones with him :)
 
ok, now I'm really impressed. On a couple songs I do some pull offs that are kind'a tricky for me. I didn't want to use a compressor per se, I just needed some of the softer notes to be a little bit louder. I looked in the effects blocks guide of the Fractal and read up on their compressors, not knowing what else I could do. I never knew there was a compressor that made the softer notes louder while leaving the louder notes alone, but Fractal has it. I clicked on the FF 2 Compressor and never even had to adjust anything; it was perfect.

Damn, this thing does everything and almost plays the guitar for you too.
 
alex1fly said:
The literature accompanying the FM3 is a game-changer. Between the manuals and the Wikis and Yek's guides there's an unreal amount of truly helpful information.
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Couldn't agree more, Leon Todds Tuesday Tone Tips are great also. Had my FM3 for @ 3 months now the more I learn about it, the more in awe of it I am!
 
Had mine 2 months now and every time I record with it I smile. It is a joy to use. Now for the silly question, how many of you took the took the protective plastic off the screen (the stuff it ships with)? :rolleyes:
 
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