FM3 to replace a complex pedalboard for full-range instrument

JES

Member
Greetings. Get ready for some N00b questions. I run a complex pedalboard and am wondering how much of it I could replace with the FM8. I have a few specific questions.

I play a full range instrument (touch guitar) that goes from low Bb of a bass to high D on the 22nd fret of the top string on a guitar. I have found bass effects work best for this instrument -- perhaps because I'm originally a bassist and want to keep my low end and low mids intact.

1. How are bassists liking the pedal models? Right now I run an Xotic BB bass pre for overdrive, an Idiotbox Blower Box (Rat modded for bass with EQ), and a VFE Woodchipper fuzz (gated brassmaster-y) for distortion tones. I know there are guitar versions of these available in the FX8 but I'm wondering about pedals that go "all the way down" -- one of the things I like about these specific pedals is precisely that they work on the low end. I've tried with Line6, and while I like the Teemah as an OD, the Rat and fuzz models all need clean lows to work which is a PITA and does not sound right to my ears. I'm not looking for absolute 1:1 fidelity, but just something that I and my bandmates think sounds good.

2. I do a lot with weird reverbs. One reverb I love is the Neunaber Wet, and I also like using an expression pedal to build up predelay feedback in a big reverb. Think Eventide Black Hole or Source Audio Ventris. How are those kinds of sounds on the FM3? Relatedly, is it possible to high-pass the reverb send for a reverb? Both the Neunaber and the Source Audio do this. I find I like to filter out everything under 200hz on the wet side of reverbs for a decent low end.

Gain staging at gigs:

3. I know that the FM3 does presets and scenes and get how that works. Not that I'll be gigging for the next 4-8 months, but let's say you need to use multiple presets at a show because you like to program weird sounds and 8 scenes won't get you through a setlist. On a normal pedalboard with separate pedals, I can tweak things a little (too much boom or not enough on the Woodchipper, for instance, or needing a bit more or less push from the Blower Box), and then use my H9 and Ventris for the weird preset stuff. Takes 10 seconds at a soundcheck and the sound engineer is happy. This is impossible and a PITA with the Line 6 because there is no way to adjust settings across presets. How would you deal with this on the FM3?

TIA!
 
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Pretty much all of that is doable. You can tweak the EQ in the drive pedals quite extensively. It might be helpful to know what's actually different about the Rat/etc in the real world that makes it better for bass so you'll know what to cue in on to tweak in the FM3. Also, there's a mix knob for just about every effect to let the dry signal through.

Compressors are great in the FM3. Several different types, all with HPF. For reverb, there's an input EQ section that you can adjust HP, LP, and BP. You can attach modifiers to many parameters, such as predelay, and control them with expression pedals.

The one thing it can't do (yet) is adjust effects across presets. The Axe II did this with global blocks, and I think the Axe III has it. It's on the list to be implemented for the FM3, but it hasn't been yet, which is very annoying. I have several duplicate patches with different effects dialed in and if I adjust the amp controls on one, I have to copy and paste that across all my presets at the moment. Hopefully, that gets added sooner than later, but it is something that is available on other Fractal products and will eventually be added to the FM3.
 
Thanks. Global blocks would be the thing to push me over the edge to trying one. Without it, I just don’t see how it would work for a show especially if it’s just a short sound check.
 
The one thing it can't do (yet) is adjust effects across presets. The Axe II did this with global blocks, and I think the Axe III has it.
The Axe-Fx III has global blocks.

It's on the list to be implemented for the FM3, but it hasn't been yet, which is very annoying.
To the best of my knowledge (which is pretty good, but not perfect) this has never been stated by anyone at Fractal Audio. If you have a canonical source for this claim, can you link to it here?
 
Global blocks would be badass. IIRC, There is global output EQ - graphic, I think 7-band. If that had the option to swap to parametric, it would hugely beneficial - otherwise, for me it will go unused. i'm doing a hybrid of electric gtr and acoustic instruments (guitar, mando, etc..), and mainly just need to do tiny amounts of damage/feedback control.
 
Greetings. Get ready for some N00b questions. I run a complex pedalboard and am wondering how much of it I could replace with the FM8. I have a few specific questions.

I play a full range instrument (touch guitar) that goes from low Bb of a bass to high D on the 22nd fret of the top string on a guitar. I have found bass effects work best for this instrument -- perhaps because I'm originally a bassist and want to keep my low end and low mids intact.

1. How are bassists liking the pedal models? Right now I run an Xotic BB bass pre for overdrive, an Idiotbox Blower Box (Rat modded for bass with EQ), and a VFE Woodchipper fuzz (gated brassmaster-y) for distortion tones. I know there are guitar versions of these available in the FX8 but I'm wondering about pedals that go "all the way down" -- one of the things I like about these specific pedals is precisely that they work on the low end. I've tried with Line6, and while I like the Teemah as an OD, the Rat and fuzz models all need clean lows to work which is a PITA and does not sound right to my ears. I'm not looking for absolute 1:1 fidelity, but just something that I and my bandmates think sounds good.

2. I do a lot with weird reverbs. One reverb I love is the Neunaber Wet, and I also like using an expression pedal to build up predelay feedback in a big reverb. Think Eventide Black Hole or Source Audio Ventris. How are those kinds of sounds on the FM3? Relatedly, is it possible to high-pass the reverb send for a reverb? Both the Neunaber and the Source Audio do this. I find I like to filter out everything under 200hz on the wet side of reverbs for a decent low end.

Gain staging at gigs:

3. I know that the FM3 does presets and scenes and get how that works. Not that I'll be gigging for the next 4-8 months, but let's say you need to use multiple presets at a show because you like to program weird sounds and 8 scenes won't get you through a setlist. On a normal pedalboard with separate pedals, I can tweak things a little (too much boom or not enough on the Woodchipper, for instance, or needing a bit more or less push from the Blower Box), and then use my H9 and Ventris for the weird preset stuff. Takes 10 seconds at a soundcheck and the sound engineer is happy. This is impossible and a PITA with the Line 6 because there is no way to adjust settings across presets. How would you deal with this on the FM3?

TIA!
One thing I found for using the drive blocks with a bass guitar is to run them in parallel to keep the low end. Technically you could do the same thing with the mix level on the drive block, too. You didn't mention what type of speaker\amp you are using, as that will factor in on how much low end you can put out.
 
thanks @chrisjnyc . I use an Orange TB 500 and Barefaced Super Compact. Not FRFR. Not concerned about 40hz, but 80-120 is important for me. I’m not a huge fan of running overdrive in parallel but I do it with fuzz (the clean signal isn’t exactly clean, tho).

I just wrote sales and told them global blocks would sell a unit. We will see what they say.

what do people do for workarounds without global blocks? You need more than 8 snapshots in a show, you get to sound check and need to tweak drive levels across presets?

also, are people happy with the weirdo delays, reverbs and pitch shifting on the FM3 or would I still want to use it with a H9? I realize it’s more build your own and am fine with that.
 
Global blocks would be badass. IIRC, There is global output EQ - graphic, I think 7-band. If that had the option to swap to parametric, it would hugely beneficial - otherwise, for me it will go unused. i'm doing a hybrid of electric gtr and acoustic instruments (guitar, mando, etc..), and mainly just need to do tiny amounts of damage/feedback control.
It's a 10-band according to the manual. The Axe Fx III recently added ability to switch to parametric, so maybe this will make its way to the FM3.
 
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