FM3 audio drops out unexpectedly. Requires restart to restore

adinel.berehorschi

adinel.berehorschi

New Member
Hi,

My FM3 (which is about 4 years old now) has started having some issues during playing.

I first encountered this problem during rehearsal, and then it happened again in the middle of a gig, which was quite bad to be honest.
While playing, the Output block suddenly stops producing any sound. After restarting the unit, everything works fine again.
This does not happen when changing Scenes, but rather randomly while using it. It is not very frequent. For example, during a one-hour gig, it happened once, and during a 2–3 hour rehearsal, it also happened once.

The CPU is not overloaded. It usually stays around 75% and never exceeds 80%.

I should mention that I updated the firmware to version 11.0 before the last rehearsal, when this issue first occurred. I am not sure if this is a coincidence or not, but as far as I know, this is considered a stable release.

Are there any known issues with this firmware version? Should I consider replacing the unit? Has anyone else experienced something similar? Is it possible to replace just the main board inside the unit instead of the entire unit?

Thank you!
 
There have been reports regarding disappearing audio. I don't have any analysis of this but as far as I recall this seems to be related to a block crashing (compressor, IIRC?).

Probably a bug, but I'm not sure.
 
adinel.berehorschi said:
The CPU is not overloaded. It usually stays around 75% and never exceeds 80%.
Click to expand...

Cliff says:
[5] CPU usage is not a static quantity. It bounces around a bit. The displayed value is the average.
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Because it's the average, the actual value could be much higher than 80%. We, many of us in the tribe, recommend staying at or below 75% to avoid those spikes.

The sound suddenly stopping, but the preset returning to "normal" behavior after a reboot, is a common symptom of a CPU overage. It could be something else, but reducing the CPU % often helps.

CPU usage in the Wiki is useful reading.
 
Next time it happens page over to the block levels on the UI and you’ll be able to see where it crashed if it was a block. As mentioned above I consider 75% to be the limit. Running that way I have no issues with crashes. I used to get close to 80% and had occasional crashes. My average preset is around 72-73% cpu. It’s tempting to add something in but I don’t do it. Gapless preset switching is your friend by allowing you to use 2 or more presets to give you everything you need in a roundabout fashion.
 
It seems I'm not the only one who has encountered this kind of issue.

It appears that presets which worked fine on firmware 10.00 may be causing CPU-related problems or limitations after updating to version 11.00.

Either way, I’ve ordered the FM9 Turbo, since I can’t afford for something like this to happen during live shows. I needed a backup unit anyway, so I’ll use the FM3 as the backup.
 
adinel.berehorschi said:
It appears that presets which worked fine on firmware 10.00 may be causing CPU-related problems or limitations after updating to version 11.00.
Click to expand...
Firmware upgrades can increase CPU % as new features are added. At the same time they can also reduce CPU % as the features are optimized which is why walking too close to the edge is risky. The release notes will say.

adinel.berehorschi said:
Either way, I’ve ordered the FM9 Turbo, since I can’t afford for something like this to happen during live shows. I needed a backup unit anyway, so I’ll use the FM3 as the backup.
Click to expand...
I'd recommend building your presets on the FM3 then pushing them to the FM9. That way you're guaranteed to have plenty of CPU available on the FM9, and in case you need it they'll still run on the FM3.

I have all three units but I still build my presets to fit the FM3 and push to the other two. After a short while you'll be able to build on the bigger sibling and stay within the grid and CPU % constraints of the FM3. But remember to test, never assume.

Because the FM9 has 2x the CPU power you'll be tempted to add blocks to the presets or increase the resolution of reverb or cabs but that can break your FM3 as a backup strategy.
 
Same problem here. I lost the sound three times during rehearsal for a musical show today. I had to restart my FM3. Very unfortunate, and I’m now wondering if I can even use it for these gigs. CPU usage is low, 50–60% but I removed a reverb block in the chain anyway and hope that will help.
If this continues during rehearsal tomorrow i can’t use it and will end up selling the whole thing. I need to be able to trust my gear. Very disappointed.
 
Jotto said:
Same problem here. I lost the sound three times during rehearsal for a musical show today. I had to restart my FM3. Very unfortunate, and I’m now wondering if I can even use it for these gigs. CPU usage is low, 50–60% but I removed a reverb block in the chain anyway and hope that will help.
If this continues during rehearsal tomorrow i can’t use it and will end up selling the whole thing. I need to be able to trust my gear. Very disappointed.
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Post the preset.

Selling your unit because a non-permanent issue most likely related to the firmware is silly...

This isn't a common issue.
 
unix-guy said:
This isn't a common issue.
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While I would agree that selling the device is a bit too extreme, the fact that it’s not a common issue isn’t a consolation, it makes matters worse for the user as it decreases the chances that the issue will be addressed fast if its firmware related.
 
It's too bad these devices can't detect that a preset can exceed cpu capacity if you switch things a certain way, then automatically disable some things and warn you before that actually happens.
 
You can call it silly if you want, but I can’t tolerate crap like this at a show in front of hundreds of people. It’s completely unacceptable that expensive gear like the Axe-FX is this unreliable, regardless of the reason.
 
Jotto said:
You can call it silly if you want, but I can’t tolerate crap like this at a show in front of hundreds of people. It’s completely unacceptable that expensive gear like the Axe-FX is this unreliable, regardless of the reason.
Click to expand...
The FM3 isn't the Axe Fx...

Nothing is perfect. Issues occur.
Use the previous firmware.
 
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