FM3 or FX3

MGW said:
I just got the FM3 yesterday. The only issue I'm having is CPU limits...and that's not terrible. Kitchen sink presets are iffy. As for the tone and feel...I can't tell the difference. You tend to stay away from stuff like the preamp in the cab block. The shimmer verb is a cpu hog.
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Helps me too. Rec'd invite... but as an at home only player, I want the ability to use Freemen's synths/pads etc... I fear not enough CPU..
 
That is my fear. I would prefer to spend a little more and never need it than purchase FM3 only to now need more processing power. It is definitely something to consider.

Rod
 
Roddie said:
That is my fear. I would prefer to spend a little more and never need it than purchase FM3 only to now need more processing power. It is definitely something to consider.

Rod
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If you want to do etherial type sounds with a lot of effects such as complex reverbs and delays then I would definitely recommend the AXE3.
 
I do have to say this...the switching was well thought out in my opinion. You can get a lot done with 3 buttons!
 
Roddie said:
That is my fear. I would prefer to spend a little more and never need it than purchase FM3 only to now need more processing power. It is definitely something to consider.

Rod
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What do you envision placing in you signal chain? Post it here and I’ll make a preset using your choices on both the Axe3 and FM3 and let you know how much CPU it uses on each.
 
ethomas1013 said:
What do you envision placing in you signal chain? Post it here and I’ll make a preset using your choices on both the Axe3 and FM3 and let you know how much CPU it uses on each.
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I would imagine that it would be a drive an amp, eq, cab, reverb, delay and a chorus. I am not sure if a noise gate and a compressor should be added. I really appreciate this.

Thanks Rod
 
You can get more than that in a preset with the FM3 let alone the Axe3!

With your list, you are at about 43% on the Axe3 including the noise gate (the Input block has a gate, I did not add a separate noise gate block) and a compressor. Adding a Wah, Phaser, and Rotary and it's at about 47%. A second drive block puts you to about 55%. Still have room for lots more...

On the FM3, your chain with the compressor it's at about 66%. Adding a Wah, Phaser, and Rotary is at about 78%. That's about it. You cannot run it up to 100%. The CPU on the FM is full at about 84%. This is with the Reverb set to Normal quality (it was set to Ultra-High on the AxeIII). If I change to a Medium Spring reverb, that uses less CPU and I could fit in a Send, Return, (those were necessary to extend the blocks to a second row), Looper, Volume, and Filter block (I use the filter for an output boost). That's hitting about 80%. Also note that some of the different effect types within a block use more CPU. For example, changing the drive to the Tone of Kings increased the CPU usage by a couple percentage points.

So, you can see that you can fit quite a bit into an FM3 preset. If Spring Reverb works for you, you can squeeze in a few more blocks like the example below.

Screen Shot 2020-04-14 at 9.09.34 PM.png
 
I have both and the FM3 does sound and feel the same which is a plus. That said, I initially thought I would use the FM3 for gigs by simply exporting existing presets from my Axe3 and that is not going to work because of the CPU limitations and the complexity of some of my presets. I am not anticipating giging anytime soon but when I do I will create separate presets on the FM3 or streamline some of my existing ones from the Axe3 to make them fit. In my home studio however I don't want my creative process to be limited by processing power so if I was not gigging I would just go with an Axe3. I am also getting into the USB/reamping features which is incredibly powerful for writing and recording!
 
Thank you ethomas1013 for taking the time to run both of those chains through each unit. I think the best course of action will be to spend a little more and ensure that as I start to learn and experiment I will always have the ability to create the chains that I wish.

Rod
 
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ethomas1013 said:
You can get more than that in a preset with the FM3 let alone the Axe3!

With your list, you are at about 43% on the Axe3 including the noise gate (the Input block has a gate, I did not add a separate noise gate block) and a compressor. Adding a Wah, Phaser, and Rotary and it's at about 47%. A second drive block puts you to about 55%. Still have room for lots more...

On the FM3, your chain with the compressor it's at about 66%. Adding a Wah, Phaser, and Rotary is at about 78%. That's about it. You cannot run it up to 100%. The CPU on the FM is full at about 84%. This is with the Reverb set to Normal quality (it was set to Ultra-High on the AxeIII). If I change to a Medium Spring reverb, that uses less CPU and I could fit in a Send, Return, (those were necessary to extend the blocks to a second row), Looper, Volume, and Filter block (I use the filter for an output boost). That's hitting about 80%. Also note that some of the different effect types within a block use more CPU. For example, changing the drive to the Tone of Kings increased the CPU usage by a couple percentage points.

So, you can see that you can fit quite a bit into an FM3 preset. If Spring Reverb works for you, you can squeeze in a few more blocks like the example below.

View attachment 66327
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Are the loopers in the 2 units the same, or does the FX3 have a longer looper in it?
 
I have both. Since I need portability the FM3 will be great. I play at a few of my church campuses so I need those verbs lol. I’ve considered offloading that to a midi capable pedal. Not sure I want to spend the money on the big sky so I’ve looked at the Specular Tempus which has both delay and reverb for less money. Just another idea for some folks. Reverbs eat your cpu for lunch.
 
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