FM3 Firmware Version 6.00 beta 4

[JD Elliott]

I was thinking of buffer settings. I had removed all the Fractal drivers and reinstalled cleanly. I'll take a close a look of the settings but nothing had changed, only the firmware update and I installed the latest USB drivers, I was using a previous version. So maybe not the firmware, I certainly dont get any issues with the operation of my FM3, all good on that front. I had increased the buffer settings too. I will download another free/trial DAW and see (good suggestion) thank you ! I will also try using the ASIO4ALL driver as well, just to rule in our out the Fractal Driver.

Following on from this issue I was getting with USB Audio, it looks to be an issue with my actual laptop's USB ports. When I connect my FM3 with the either of the two USB ports on the right hand side of my laptop, the audio is instantly popping, crackling and audio drop outs despite what audio buffer setting there are. Then I plug the FM3 into the single powered USB port on the left hand side and audio is way more stable (at any buffer setting) no issues except every so often the audio will go to the right hand side as if I've panned the audio hard right even though the sound of my guitar is fine. I have a port replicator for my laptop so will test connecting the FM3 to that and see what happens.
I've tried with Reaper and Sound Forge and same issue happens so not a Cakewalk issue either.

 

[DennG]

I have beta3 USB interfaced w reaper. Did the loop back measurement for output manual offset. Put in 2048 lined right up.
Made a preset guitar in1 & out1 AND also a stereo input from vocal processor in2 & out2. Direct monitoring out of FM3 Out2. Effects monitor in reaper on the USB 3,4 track (input2fm3.) Drum tracks from reaper, recording inputs guitar (usb1,2)& vocals(usb3,4) all cranked through FM3 interface direct monitor/pa system. With da Mackie thump pumped!
I had to...

But da ultra rez be just hogging up cpu too much to use it.
My jamz be good w out ultra bs rez though really.

 

[seclusion]

I like that optimizing term, lookin forward to the final, but no issues with beta 4 in my small world use.

 

[unix-guy]

Thanks for all the great work on these lovely little units!
I dont know if this has been reported but when using the value wheel to scroll presets it gets stuck at 394 and the unit freezes indefinitely until power cycle. I can reproduce the issue every time, if I select a preset in the list everything is fine

EDIT: It freezes when going PAST 394, and I can't clear patch 395 in Fm3-edit, the unit freezes. That patch is pretty standard, I've used it live on previous firmware. Any Ideas?

Go to another preset (preferably an empty one, but doesn't really matter).

Select Save Preset to New Number (I think that's what the menu option is, but you'll know it when you see it).

Select 395 as destination.

Save.

That will overwrite the bad preset.

 

[unix-guy]

I have beta3 USB interfaced w reaper. Did the loop back measurement for output manual offset. Put in 2048 lined right up.
Made a preset guitar in1 & out1 AND also a stereo input from vocal processor in2 & out2. Direct monitoring out of FM3 Out2. Effects monitor in reaper on the USB 3,4 track (input2fm3.) Drum tracks from reaper, recording inputs guitar (usb1,2)& vocals(usb3,4) all cranked through FM3 interface direct monitor/pa system. With da Mackie thump pumped!
I had to...

But da ultra rez be just hogging up cpu too much to use it.
My jamz be good w out ultra bs rez though really.

This thread is about beta 4

 

[Telecosta]

A weird thing happened in the last couple days, i was on Beta 6.00 3 and one of my guitar started to acting out.
It's a Prs Hollowbody spruce, with a piezo system (maybe the piezo part is relevant to this story?).

It started to get this weird volume drops and also volume increases (insane really) out of nowhere. At first i tought it was a pickup problem, i tested various diferent cables but the problem presisted, my other guitars seemed fine tough (but they are more classic style in terms of pickup system and wiring). So it must be the guitar right?

But then i pluged the guitar on my usb interface, used an amp sim and the guitar worked flawlessly.

So i did a reset system on the unit, but it still displayed the same problems. And in a last resort i did a downgrade to the firmware to 5.03...and that solved the problem. Fortunately and unfortunately, since i was enjoying the new firmware.

Now i don't know if i should try beta 4 or wait for a more stable firmware.

 

[millman]

A weird thing happened in the last couple days, i was on Beta 6.00 3 and one of my guitar started to acting out.
It's a Prs Hollowbody spruce, with a piezo system (maybe the piezo part is relevant to this story?).

It started to get this weird volume drops and also volume increases (insane really) out of nowhere. At first i tought it was a pickup problem, i tested various diferent cables but the problem presisted, my other guitars seemed fine tough (but they are more classic style in terms of pickup system and wiring). So it must be the guitar right?

But then i pluged the guitar on my usb interface, used an amp sim and the guitar worked flawlessly.

So i did a reset system on the unit, but it still displayed the same problems. And in a last resort i did a downgrade to the firmware to 5.03...and that solved the problem. Fortunately and unfortunately, since i was enjoying the new firmware.

Now i don't know if i should try beta 4 or wait for a more stable firmware.

At this point you can’t really say the firmware has a problem if you are on an older version of the beta. It is easy enough to revert. Some individuals have had their problems sure but it has been flawless for me. Try the latest beta and see if you can reproduce it. If you can then post the preset here.

A comment about how you are afraid to use the newer beta version because you had issue with an older version of the beta serves no one…

 

[Greg Ferguson]

I did all of those steps. Now the FM3 edit says fw 6.00 - Beta and the FM3 itself says fw 6.00 beta 4. thats the only questionable aspect at the moment.

Edit isn't aware of the actual beta number, just that it's beta.

 

[Greg Ferguson]

Following on from this issue I was getting with USB Audio, it looks to be an issue with my actual laptop's USB ports. When I connect my FM3 with the either of the two USB ports on the right hand side of my laptop, the audio is instantly popping, crackling and audio drop outs despite what audio buffer setting there are. Then I plug the FM3 into the single powered USB port on the left hand side and audio is way more stable (at any buffer setting) no issues except every so often the audio will go to the right hand side as if I've panned the audio hard right even though the sound of my guitar is fine. I have a port replicator for my laptop so will test connecting the FM3 to that and see what happens.
I've tried with Reaper and Sound Forge and same issue happens so not a Cakewalk issue either.

It always helps if you state the OS and its version, along with the USB driver version if you're on Windows.

 

[Greg Ferguson]

A comment about how you are afraid to use the newer beta version because you had issue with an older version of the beta serves no one…

Correct.

Betas are made to help reveal bugs, and the updates to the betas are to correct the reported bugs. It's an iterative cycle where we rinse and repeat.

 

[Greg Ferguson]

It started to get this weird volume drops and also volume increases (insane really) out of nowhere. At first i tought it was a pickup problem, i tested various diferent cables but the problem presisted, my other guitars seemed fine tough (but they are more classic style in terms of pickup system and wiring). So it must be the guitar right?

But then i pluged the guitar on my usb interface, used an amp sim and the guitar worked flawlessly.

That's the correct way to triangulate a problem, switch to another cable, guitar, or input device and compare. If it was the guitar the problem would follow the guitar when you plugged into some other "amp" which the interface can act as, unless it's an intermittent problem, but only time will tell about that.

So i did a reset system on the unit, but it still displayed the same problems. And in a last resort i did a downgrade to the firmware to 5.03...and that solved the problem. Fortunately and unfortunately, since i was enjoying the new firmware.

Now i don't know if i should try beta 4 or wait for a more stable firmware.

Or try it again and see if you can duplicate it reliably and then report it as a bug.

 

[Floge]

This is insane! So many new features/updates and fixes and I didn't even think I'd need anything new. Holy smoke, FAS just keeps on delivering! What a time to be alive. Thanks so much!

 

[Will Schut]

Four studio jobs with 6.04b so far (and counting) and no issues whatsoever. If anything, I think that I can “feel” some new overall smoothness to anything gain-related. Might be true, might be the placebo effect, don’t really care, I’m dialing in new sounds with unfamiliar amps in a matter of minutes….. job done, buck made, next…..

 

[LanceZ]

i don't know if i should try beta 4 or wait for a more stable firmware

Don't wait... try, try, try!

 

[Fredlos120]

Hey! I was waiting until you said that! Seriously, I’m moving up today.

 

[Greg Ferguson]

It started to get this weird volume drops and also volume increases (insane really) out of nowhere. At first i tought it was a pickup problem, i tested various diferent cables but the problem presisted, my other guitars seemed fine tough (but they are more classic style in terms of pickup system and wiring). So it must be the guitar right?

But then i pluged the guitar on my usb interface, used an amp sim and the guitar worked flawlessly.

So i did a reset system on the unit, but it still displayed the same problems. And in a last resort i did a downgrade to the firmware to 5.03...and that solved the problem. Fortunately and unfortunately, since i was enjoying the new firmware.

Are you able to recreate this?

If you can provide the steps and an example preset then the developers can fix the problem.

 

[aflynt]

I'm finally messing around with the Setlist feature. It all seems to work fairly well (within the limitations of unit memory). One thing I can't find a way to do though is the ability to Bank through songs like you can Bank through presets in the FC functions. Is there some way to do this that I'm missing? Increment song doesn't do anything useful for me personally since I've never actually been in a band that follows a setlist 100%. I really need to see things as more of a menu. I can just set buttons to hit specific song numbers for the 4 views, but that limits me to 12 songs at a time.

-Aaron

Never mind. Found this discussion which I'm guessing applies here as well:
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/bank-up-down-songs-within-a-set.186908/

 

[gitfruit]

Gigged with beta 4 yesterday, no problems except me hitting the wrong button once , everything sounded fantastic. I only had to reduce bass on one of my presets beforehand.

 

[Telecosta]

Don't wait... try, try, try!

I did.

It was exhibiting the same problems as before.
The guitar played well trough an usb interface and Sgear (my absolute favortive computer amp sim btw), but was still geting volume spikes and volume drops in the FM3.

I was getting kinda worry, either the guitar or the Fm3 being the culprit it would mean spending money on fixing either (plus being kept apart from them for a while).

But then i tought i should take out the battery from the piezo compartment...and the problem seemed to disapear.

It's weird that this didn't seemed to be a problem while playing on the computer, but it really interfered with the Fm3. I supose it has something to do with how each input on each unit works.

I need to do some more extensive playing time to see if this really solved the problem, fortunately i did backed up everything in the FM3 so i didn't lose anything trough this process.

 

[LanceZ]

But then i tought i should take out the battery from the piezo compartment...and the problem seemed to disapear.

I was going to ask/suggest regarding active pickups earlier... should have! You didn't mention them (or I didn't catch it if you did), but it sorta/kinda reminded me of weird problems I've had before that I finally figured out was battery- or charge-related on the guitar side of the equation.