FM3 Firmware Version 5.02

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I tried 5.02, but had to roll back to 5.01 because the hold functions of my stand in switches weren't working. I'm back on 5.01 and it's working perfectly now. Any advice on what I should do? Any help appreciated. Thanks for the update and all the work you do!
 
Hmmm, I had to roll-back to 5.01 as the two reasons below made 5.02 unusable for me (too slow responding to external MIDI commands).

NOTE: My show is automated, so everything below is via receiving MIDI via the 5 PIN DIN from Ableton LIVE. CPU is running on average at 78%, and with peaks up to 82% when the Pitch Block set to Dual Diatonic is doing smart harmony.

a) Pan/Tremolo Block set to Tremolo doubles tremolo tempo.

Tap Tempo = Average.

One bar of MIDI CC# 14's are sent to the FM3 at every tempo change, and FW 5.01 and earlier play the tremolo at the correct tempo, while FW 5.02 doubles it (still musical and usable in this case, but wrong!).

b) Pitch Block too slow to change the Pitch Block's channels via MIDI CC# 19 (both channels set to Dual Diatonic). FW 5.01 and earlier fine, FW 5.02 too slow with Channel B set to Dorian, and Channel C set to Aeolian for major minor change in melody etc). This is the deal killer!

I've also noted very sluggish behavior of the Editor with 5.02, though that's not a deal breaker for performance etc.
 
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EsteeANieves said:
I tried 5.02, but had to roll back to 5.01 because the hold functions of my stand in switches weren't working. I'm back on 5.01 and it's working perfectly now. Any advice on what I should do? Any help appreciated. Thanks for the update and all the work you do!
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Are you using per-preset placeholders? There was a bug in 5.02b, but (at least for me), it is fixed now.
 
EsteeANieves said:
I tried 5.02, but had to roll back to 5.01 because the hold functions of my stand in switches weren't working. I'm back on 5.01 and it's working perfectly now. Any advice on what I should do? Any help appreciated. Thanks for the update and all the work you do!
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If have a moment to upload your "System + FC" backup (from 5.01 if you're still running that), that would be much appreciated!
 
First, thank you Fractal for the fantastic work! It's Unbelievable how you keep improving your products!

I updated my FM3 to 5.02 these days and found that the behavior with the Delay- and -Mix level knobs on the Performance Page I described in the Bugs forum still persists. See topic 'Delay Level on Performance Page' (sorry I'm not allowed to put links in my posts).

Is it just me having this issue or has anyone else encountered this problem?
 
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I sent up my FM3 into the return of my Amp1 and then into my Nano cab, I have a switch that allows me to switch between two amps into the same cab. The fm3 into the amp1 on one side and my Marshall JVM1 on the other.

I stepped on the switch a bunch of times so I wouldn't know which amp it was and started playing still with eyes closed.

The fm3 was on JCM800 mod amp and the JVM1 was dialed in to sound like a JCM800 and the cab modeling turned off on the fm3.

I could not tell with eyes closed which was the real amp.

I couldn't feel any difference. I turned the guitar volume way down, nope still struggled to figure out which was which. Added some pedals, didn't help.

The FM3 for my old ears and fingers is indistinguishable from my JVM1.

Did they sound exactly alike? No, but I couldn't find a tell that would tip me off to which was the modeler.
 
madbanjoman said:
I sent up my FM3 into the return of my Amp1 and then into my Nano cab, I have a switch that allows me to switch between two amps into the same cab. The fm3 into the amp1 on one side and my Marshall JVM1 on the other.

I stepped on the switch a bunch of times so I wouldn't know which amp it was and started playing still with eyes closed.

The fm3 was on JCM800 mod amp and the JVM1 was dialed in to sound like a JCM800 and the cab modeling turned off on the fm3.

I could not tell with eyes closed which was the real amp.

I couldn't feel any difference. I turned the guitar volume way down, nope still struggled to figure out which was which. Added some pedals, didn't help.

The FM3 for my old ears and fingers is indistinguishable from my JVM1.

Did they sound exactly alike? No, but I couldn't find a tell that would tip me off to which was the modeler.
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That’s a pretty good way to test.

And, basically, when you can tell something is different but you can’t tell which is which, then you are done, because that’s basically the same difference you get when comparing two heads or two cabinets, or combinations of them. There’s always something different but both sound good.

And with some judicious tweaking you could probably have gotten so you couldn’t tell them apart. That’s what is amazing to me, that numbers and math can do this? Get outta here!
 
I can't tell if the BandCommander was one of the amps that was impacted by some of the bug fixes ... But just upgraded to 5.02 and this preset really worked for me with my P90 Collings i30LC. Seemed to be a little more alive than with 5.0.
 

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When send and return blocks are removed from preset, sometimes presets stop working

Steps to (unreliably) reproduce:
  1. Load preset with send and return blocks (such as "[iaresee] AsIs - v2 - FM3.syx" preset available from the forum)
  2. Reshuffle blocks in a way that "send" and "return" blocks are removed (I usually remove some other blocks like "wah"), and the rest of the blocks use only one line, connect "in" and "out" as you'd normally do
  3. If the case is reproduced, all presets which have anything except for "in" and "out" blocks stop processing sound
  4. Step to validate p3.:
    1. create an empty preset, add "in" and "out", connect them, and hear the sound. Add any block between them and observe the sound disappear.
    2. If you remove or replace the block with a shunt, the sound will not return. You will need to remove all blocks, add "in" and "out" again and connect them for sound to return
    3. adding any block again with cut off the sound as described above
    4. restart of the device returns things back to normal

I was able to reproduce it at least three times on different FW versions and different presets. However, steps do not allow to reproduce this reliably 100%. Almost always what I do during this process is I swap "out" and "send" blocks by dragging one on top of another - maybe this is the key, but I'm not sure.
 
Chromatizm said:
When send and return blocks are removed from preset, sometimes presets stop working

Steps to (unreliably) reproduce:
  1. Load preset with send and return blocks (such as "[iaresee] AsIs - v2 - FM3.syx" preset available from the forum)
  2. Reshuffle blocks in a way that "send" and "return" blocks are removed (I usually remove some other blocks like "wah"), and the rest of the blocks use only one line, connect "in" and "out" as you'd normally do
  3. If the case is reproduced, all presets which have anything except for "in" and "out" blocks stop processing sound
  4. Step to validate p3.:
    1. create an empty preset, add "in" and "out", connect them, and hear the sound. Add any block between them and observe the sound disappear.
    2. If you remove or replace the block with a shunt, the sound will not return. You will need to remove all blocks, add "in" and "out" again and connect them for sound to return
    3. adding any block again with cut off the sound as described above
    4. restart of the device returns things back to normal

I was able to reproduce it at least three times on different FW versions and different presets. However, steps do not allow to reproduce this reliably 100%. Almost always what I do during this process is I swap "out" and "send" blocks by dragging one on top of another - maybe this is the key, but I'm not sure.
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I can’t reproduce the problem. It sounds like you are breaking one of the cardinal rules of working with the Feedback blocks.

You MUST be careful when moving Feedback Send or Receive blocks, especially if the Receive block is “armed”, i.e., its Return Level is turned up. If the Send and Return are connected it’s extremely easy to get true feedback EXTREMELY fast. The modelers will shut down their processing, the sound, so you can fix the problem and to try to avoid downstream equipment from being damaged.

In the preset you mentioned, if you swapped Out and Send you would instantly trigger the condition because you would set up Return > Filter > Delay > Send.

When we’re building a preset from scratch and drag in the Feedback Send block, its Return Level parameter is set to 0.0%, so there’s no chance of feedback. When we enable it we turn it up slowly and listen to make sure we haven’t set up a loop, and we can turn it down immediately to stop it. When we’re messing with an existing preset that takes advantage of the blocks, then turn it down first, until you are very aware of what can happen.

The documentation says:
WARNING: Use these blocks with caution, as you can easily program an unstable loop and cause internal clipping and/or dangerously high sound levels. Begin with the Return Level at 0% and bring it up slowly. If you start to hear squealing or runaway feedback, immediately bring the value to minimum and analyze your routing for possible causes of instability. Fractal Audio Systems cannot be held responsible for damage resulting from use or misuse.
Click to expand...
 
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