FM3 @Bass

Herr Mosa

Herr Mosa

Member
Hi there
I‘m new to the Fractal World and therefore here 😉

I'm a bass player and I'm getting my FM3 on Monday. So I'm off to this forum, however. You don't read too many posts about the specialties with bass here.

That's why I'm interested if the bass players avoid the FM3 or are all completely happy so that all posts are superfluous?

I'd love to hear from FM3 experienced bass users - what are your bread and butter setups, what tips and tricks to consider?

Basic first question:
What about input matching for level-heavy and quieter instruments, or active and passive basses?

More will most likely follow ...
😎✌🏼
 
Welcome, @Herr Mosa!

I play bass only rarely, so serious bass players can answer some of your questions, but I can answer some of them, too.

Herr Mosa said:
That's why I'm interested if the bass players avoid the FM3...
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There are bass players who use the FM3. By necessity, they must not avoid the fm3. :)


Herr Mosa said:
...or are all completely happy so that all posts are superfluous?
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This describes no one, ever. As @FractalAudio says, there is always room for improvement. And remember that unhappiness is not the only reason to post. ;)


Herr Mosa said:
Basic first question:
What about input matching for level-heavy and quieter instruments, or active and passive basses?
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That is not just a bass question. It's a question for bass and guitar and all instruments that you might use with the FM3.

You have choices here. You can use the global Input 1 Gain parameter. Adjust it every time you change your bass. Or you can set up different presets for high-output and low-output basses. Or you could turn down the volume knob on the hotter bass, Or...
 
Rex said:
You can use the global Input 1 Gain parameter. Adjust it every time you change your bass
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Thank you Rex for your kind reply.

Is the global Input1 Gain storable per Preset / Scene?

Sorry if I'm prophylactically curious - I'll find out soon anyway....
 
Herr Mosa said:
Is the global Input1 Gain storable per Preset / Scene?
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The global Input 1 Gain is... well... global. It affects all presets.

There are many other parameters that allow you to adjust levels within individual presets and scenes.
 
Mate, we were all rookies once, and will be again I’m sure, so don’t let that worry you.
I’m not 100% sure if @austinbuddy s bass presets are available for the fm3, but if they are, I highly recommend them. I spent a long time chasing the bass sound in my head, but didn’t really get close until I got his bass presets for my axe fx 3.
Keep us posted!
Thanks
Pauly

Herr Mosa said:
Rookie question… 🥴
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pauly said:
Mate, we were all rookies once, and will be again I’m sure, so don’t let that worry you.
I’m not 100% sure if @austinbuddy s bass presets are available for the fm3, but if they are, I highly recommend them. I spent a long time chasing the bass sound in my head, but didn’t really get close until I got his bass presets for my axe fx 3.
Keep us posted!
Thanks
Pauly
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Yep 200+ BassTonePack is available for FM3 and works on latest firmware fine. Cheers Pauly!
 
Herr Mosa said:
Hi there
I‘m new to the Fractal World and therefore here 😉

I'm a bass player and I'm getting my FM3 on Monday. So I'm off to this forum, however. You don't read too many posts about the specialties with bass here.

That's why I'm interested if the bass players avoid the FM3 or are all completely happy so that all posts are superfluous?

I'd love to hear from FM3 experienced bass users - what are your bread and butter setups, what tips and tricks to consider?

Basic first question:
What about input matching for level-heavy and quieter instruments, or active and passive basses?

More will most likely follow ...
😎✌🏼
Click to expand...

Learn how to use the preset leveling meter in the editor - that is your friend. If you switch from active to passive bass a lot you will have to adjust to make sure the active bass does not hit the amp so hard it crushes the sound to distortion unpleasantly.
 
One of the reasons I originally got an FM3 was to record, and also play multiple instruments with the same rig: electric, acoustic and bass guitar. Honestly I rarely use the FM3 for playing bass live anymore, because it really screams out to be paired with a high end powered cab. My bass amp rules the day over my Fractal for my purposes, though any occasion where I am completely DI, the Fractal gets the nod.
 
austinbuddy said:
Learn how to use the preset leveling meter in the editor - that is your friend. If you switch from active to passive bass a lot you will have to adjust to make sure the active bass does not hit the amp so hard it crushes the sound to distortion unpleasantly.
Click to expand...
This is helpful - thank you!
Since I get the FM3 almost new from a bass colleague, the Austinbuddy Bass TonePack is actually also included - there is probably no way around it 😎
I am very excited about the first tones of this ‚Bass-Buddy‘

Kelleys Heroes said:
it really screams out to be paired with a high end powered cab
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This is probably one of the peculiarities of modeling - linear reproduction of even low tones with the appropriate volume and dynamic reserve.

The real-life bass amplifier may have the power amp saturation and the impulse behavior of the loudspeaker as tone-forming elements and can therefore be driven more in the limit range, if you want to...


Apart from exploring the full presets, I'd like to use it to replace my "analog" pedalboard for now. That includes at least once a preamp that feeds my amp as before, that's my intention. Later I can always continue with the cabinet simulation and rely on the complete transmission chain. Two 12" fullrange coax with 500W each are already in place.
 
Herr Mosa said:
This is helpful - thank you!
Since I get the FM3 almost new from a bass colleague, the Austinbuddy Bass TonePack is actually also included - there is probably no way around it 😎
I am very excited about the first tones of this ‚Bass-Buddy‘


This is probably one of the peculiarities of modeling - linear reproduction of even low tones with the appropriate volume and dynamic reserve.

The real-life bass amplifier may have the power amp saturation and the impulse behavior of the loudspeaker as tone-forming elements and can therefore be driven more in the limit range, if you want to...


Apart from exploring the full presets, I'd like to use it to replace my "analog" pedalboard for now. That includes at least once a preamp that feeds my amp as before, that's my intention. Later I can always continue with the cabinet simulation and rely on the complete transmission chain. Two 12" fullrange coax with 500W each are already in place.
Click to expand...
The modeling accounts for power amp and speaker response... ;)
 
Herr Mosa said:
This is helpful - thank you!
Since I get the FM3 almost new from a bass colleague, the Austinbuddy Bass TonePack is actually also included - there is probably no way around it 😎
I am very excited about the first tones of this ‚Bass-Buddy‘


This is probably one of the peculiarities of modeling - linear reproduction of even low tones with the appropriate volume and dynamic reserve.

The real-life bass amplifier may have the power amp saturation and the impulse behavior of the loudspeaker as tone-forming elements and can therefore be driven more in the limit range, if you want to...


Apart from exploring the full presets, I'd like to use it to replace my "analog" pedalboard for now. That includes at least once a preamp that feeds my amp as before, that's my intention. Later I can always continue with the cabinet simulation and rely on the complete transmission chain. Two 12" fullrange coax with 500W each are already in place.
Click to expand...
I would still buy from austinbuddy because if you buy it from him you’ll get access to his updates as Fractal updates the firmware
 
Kelleys Heroes said:
True, yet even with my decent Atomic CLR, my Fractal bass rig doesn't really have the commanding feel for me like a traditional bass rig. The tone is great though.
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Ah. Your Atomic CLR has a cut off at 70Hz/slope (per manual) — and as a bass player you may be are missing hearing those low E string notes that run 45 Hz to 70Hz power notes - because the CLR is doing a Hi pass slope cut around 70Hz.

Go direct into the band PA and see what happens then?
 
austinbuddy said:
Ah. Your Atomic CLR has a cut off at 70Hz/slope (per manual) — and as a bass player you may be are missing hearing those low E string notes that run 45 Hz to 70Hz power notes - because the CLR is doing a Hi pass slope cut around 70Hz.
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You beat me to it. The CLR is a great speaker, but it's not really cut out to reproduce low bass.
 
austinbuddy said:
Ah. Your Atomic CLR has a cut off at 70Hz/slope (per manual) — and as a bass player you may be are missing hearing those low E string notes that run 45 Hz to 70Hz power notes - because the CLR is doing a Hi pass slope cut around 70Hz.

Go direct into the band PA and see what happens then?
Click to expand...
makes complete sense. I play through a variety of PAs and have to rely on my stage volume being the main component of my sound more often than not 🤷‍♂️
 
Rex said:
You beat me to it. The CLR is a great speaker, but it's not really cut out to reproduce low bass.
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No doubt. I mainly play guitar, so the Atomic is perfect, but this underscores my earlier point that Fractal Bass live screams out for a high end powered speaker. Like the Accugroove maybe? My bass amp is not going anywhere, and Fractal still for ALL bass recording. In fact I think I use an AB preset for most of my bass playing, Brauer Recording or something like that. Is that @austinbuddy ?
 
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I mostly play through a bass amp, and very rarely use overdrive kinds of tones.

The FM3 is quite possibly the best possible bass multi-fx you can buy. The compression, EQ, FX, reverbs are all best-in-class. Some bass players want full dynamics with a clean tone, so tube amp sims are not ideal. This is virtually no selection for solid state bass amps.

Not an issue for me, but if I wanted a bass amp sim, I'd probably just mock one up using EQ.
 
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