FM3 Firmware 1.06 Public Beta 3

2112 said:
It's not that the FM3 is underpowered, it's more the case that the Axe-Fx III is an absolute monster. I can do more with the FM3 than I could ever do with the AX8, and the tones are GLORIOUS.
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Agree with this. I have my "kitchen sink" preset with a MultiTap delay, regular delay, Plex Delay, plus a pitch block, wah, 3 amp models, etc. I'm only at about 73%. My AX8 - which I still love - would have never allowed me to do that. GLORIOUS indeed.
 
I’m loving the FM3. It’s done everything I’ve asked of it, and allowed me to create some great, inspiring tones. Thanks Fractal for putting in the extra work behind the scenes. It’s a fantastic unit as is, and will only get better. That’s the exciting part.
 
I still don’t see how something 1/2 the price could possibly be expected to do everything the expensive one can. People even complain that the Axe3 can’t do 500 blocks at a time and doesn’t have every amp ever created in it. If there’s something more out there, nothing will ever be enough.

Choose the gear that allows you to do what you need to create music. These aren’t “firmware collection tools.” They’re gear for creating music. The FM3 was made as a more portable unit with the same quality sound as the Axe3. Every piece of gear has limitations. My 7 string guitar doesn’t have 8 strings, but I’m not surprised by that.
 
2112 said:
It's not that the FM3 is underpowered, it's more the case that the Axe-Fx III is an absolute monster. I can do more with the FM3 than I could ever do with the AX8, and the tones are GLORIOUS.
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Well said Leon! Couldn't agree more.
 
Also considering the FM3 is cheaper than the AX8, you can just add an external reverb and your CPU limitations will mostly be gone. My BigSky is working beautifully with the FM3 :)
 
I'm running the latest editor v 1.01.10 and firmware 1.06b. When the default scene for all presets is set to 1 in global settings (or any other number) and you edit a preset with the editor on a Windows PC, the preset will from then be loaded with the last saved scene, ignoring the global setting. This is irrespective of whether the unit is connected to the editor on PC or not. Disconnecting was suggested as a solution in an earlier post. That is not my experience. Makes it a real pain when you have a lot of presets to edit on your new FM3. The Global setting remains as Scene 1 and there is no PC mapping going on.

Cheers,

Allan
 
bigkid said:
I'm running the latest editor v 1.01.10 and firmware 1.06b. When the default scene for all presets is set to 1 in global settings (or any other number) and you edit a preset with the editor on a Windows PC, the preset will from then be loaded with the last saved scene, ignoring the global setting. This is irrespective of whether the unit is connected to the editor on PC or not. Disconnecting was suggested as a solution in an earlier post. That is not my experience. Makes it a real pain when you have a lot of presets to edit on your new FM3. The Global setting remains as Scene 1 and there is no PC mapping going on.

Cheers,

Allan
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This is a bug in the editor and has already been reported.
 
Hi, I'm using the FM3 only for live / rehearsal and my presets are never above 50% CPU. I never used more, since I'm not Metallica and don't use all the stereo effects ... But I'd like to see the improvements in the amp and drive block in the next firmware. The delays etc. can be skipped from it :D:D :p ... actually the FM3 taught me to keep my chain simple and stupid and use it as a great portable live tool.
 
Comparing CPU speeds has always been more of a marketing distortion field than a real world usability metric. This was and still is true with computers and it is definitely true with modelers. There is a lot more to hardware than the speed at which it runs its instructions. It isn't completely useless information, but it probably should not be a deciding factor in a units worth.
 
GravityWell said:
Comparing CPU speeds has always been more of a marketing distortion field than a real world usability metric. This was and still is true with computers and it is definitely true with modelers. There is a lot more to hardware than the speed at which it runs its instructions. It isn't completely useless information, but it probably should not be a deciding factor in a units worth.
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Hmm, well speed ist crucial imho.

I have an Apollo X4 connected to my iMac.
From time to time I use a plugin instead of my FM3 or AXE FX 3
The first time i did use the plugin ( a Pete Thorn Suhr model) iit felt a bit strange.
Well, the sound was good but I felt that I had to "work to hard" when i play.

Then I found out, that the roundtrip latency was 9.2 ms. So I maxed the sample rate to 128 khz.
The roundtrip latency dropped to 1.2 ms (reduced buffers as well).

Now, it's totally different. The feeling is way better.Butt i can only run one plugin ;-)

So, I want an FM 3 with 192 kHz sample rate.:p:D:D
 
Keybi said:
Hmm, well speed ist crucial imho.

I have an Apollo X4 connected to my iMac.
From time to time I use a plugin instead of my FM3 or AXE FX 3
The first time i did use the plugin ( a Pete Thorn Suhr model) iit felt a bit strange.
Well, the sound was good but I felt that I had to "work to hard" when i play.

Then I found out, that the roundtrip latency was 9.2 ms. So I maxed the sample rate to 128 khz.
The roundtrip latency dropped to 1.2 ms (reduced buffers as well).

Now, it's totally different. The feeling is way better.Butt i can only run one plugin ;-)

So, I want an FM 3 with 192 kHz sample rate.:p:D:D
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Recording/output sample rate has nothing to do with the internal used. Just search for "Oversampling", that's it basically what reduces the internal latency.
 
Keybi said:
Hmm, well speed ist crucial imho.

I have an Apollo X4 connected to my iMac.
From time to time I use a plugin instead of my FM3 or AXE FX 3
The first time i did use the plugin ( a Pete Thorn Suhr model) iit felt a bit strange.
Well, the sound was good but I felt that I had to "work to hard" when i play.

Then I found out, that the roundtrip latency was 9.2 ms. So I maxed the sample rate to 128 khz.
The roundtrip latency dropped to 1.2 ms (reduced buffers as well).

Now, it's totally different. The feeling is way better.Butt i can only run one plugin ;-)

So, I want an FM 3 with 192 kHz sample rate.:p:D:D
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When running software, of course speed is crucial. Everything I've gathered indicates the modeling platform from the Axe III has been optimized to run on the FM3. That's how I interpret Fractal saying that the Ares platform makes it easier to port from the Axe III to the FM3. It has the same result, just doesn't require the speed and power available in the Axe III. The "cost" is paring down and/or removing the adjustability of some parameters.
 
Love my FM3, great for a grab n go solution.

I'll quote this from Wiki: "The pipeline in the SHARC+ is a lot longer and there's an extra cycle of instruction latency for many operations which slows things down if you don't code around it. We had to rewrite all our assembly libraries to compensate for this. Pain in the rear."

I'm not a programmer but am wondering if this "code around" statement is something that could be alleviated down the road, essentially making things less of a pain in the rear or is it just the way it is.
 
brianv4 said:
Love my FM3, great for a grab n go solution.

I'll quote this from Wiki: "The pipeline in the SHARC+ is a lot longer and there's an extra cycle of instruction latency for many operations which slows things down if you don't code around it. We had to rewrite all our assembly libraries to compensate for this. Pain in the rear."

I'm not a programmer but am wondering if this "code around" statement is something that could be alleviated down the road, essentially making things less of a pain in the rear or is it just the way it is.
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They've already coded around the slowness... If they did it in their libraries as mentioned, then other code will just use those libraries. Likely that means the pain has already been endured.

The slowness is related to CPU architecture, so not likely they would undo this.
 
peteri said:
Experimented with a blank preset today -

Two IRs, no reverb in the Cab block

Fuzz PI Drive block
Phase 90 Script
Studio Compressor
HiWatt Amp
Stereo Tri-Chorus
2290 Delay
London Plate Reverb at normal Setting

Looper, filter, volume block

I think there's enough power there for us!
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I think Leon was right on the spot. The AxeFx III at this point is so ridiculously overpowered regarding the amount of simultaneous blocks it is able to run that it has set a new standard. For instance, seamless and almost instant preset changes could only be achieved with huge racks with many redundant devices not so long ago.

It's difficult for me to understand the expectations of people approaching the FM3 as their first Fractal device since I've been playing only Fractals since 2009. I can't compare with Line6 or Kemper products for instance, but initially I would think the amount of simultaneous blocks in the FM3 is quite impressive. If at any point I've felt frustration, I am fully aware that in my case it only comes from the fact that I am used to the FXIII... and it is absolutelly not the device's fault. Portability and an aggressive price point are features too.

That being said, I already mentioned before that in the particular case of this firmware update, the problem could be the (temporary) removal of a (marginal) feature that allowed some of us to deal with device limitations. "Slow" bugfixing pace is probably another point people have a hard time dealing with ("slow" by Fractal standards, I mean).

LONG STORY SHORT... A personal story: After a couple of hours tweaking, I was finally capable of squeezing the plex verb in my presets to substitute delay difussion. BTW, that reminded me of the importance of revisiting manuals, since I was able to save a couple of % by zeroing the room control of the cab block.

...And that gave me the chance to spend a couple of hours more fine tuning my presets, so currently I am also more satisfied with my tone than before. Heck! Some of my FM3 presets now sound better than their AFIII equivalents using the full-fledged reverb block!
 
There will always be those who will look at what a product can't do rather than what it can do. Most are wanting the Axe III for half the price rather than taking the FM3 at face value and accept it for what it is; a device that sounds the same as the Axe III but in a floor unit, much more portable, and much less expensive. The cost is allowing a lot of those who thought Fractal modeling was far out of reach financially to purchase the best modeling platform on the planet with the best product support and customer service. Apparently that's not good enough.

As FractalAudio said, there are other products out there if the FM3 isn't what you want or are looking for. The FM3 is still a 'young' product using a new modeling platform. There have been bumps in the road, which Fractal has been as forthcoming as they feel they can about them. Cut them a little slack and temper expectations. You won't find anything else in the price point that comes close to what the FM3 can do with the quality of effects and tones. That said, have a little patience, things are bound to get better.
 
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