FM3 vs Quad Cortex

H

hallissyc

Member
I’ve had a Helix Floor, GT1000 CORE, HX Stomp, various plugins and now the Quad Cortex. Fractal is the one company I haven’t had on my desk yet, and I’m curious to try it but I just never have.

I’m decently happy with the QC, but it’s hard to ignore the criticism of the company. They just haven’t done well by themselves in many ways.

So I’m asking, in all reverence; would I be happier with the FM3 as the overall unit, given that it’s largely less powerful?

I understand that this is subjective, and that this forum is an echo chamber, but figured I’d ask anyways.

Thanks!
 
As you said... here everyone will just say YES.
Once you try a Fractal product is very difficult to go back.

hallissyc said:
would I be happier with the FM3 as the overall unit, given that it’s largely less powerful?
Click to expand...
That's the main point...
FM3 is powerful (you can just hear great presets on youtube from @2112 @Marco Fanton @Cooper Carter @Burgs... just to name a few) but that's depending on how you build your rig..

My current live rig chain is:
Input - comp - drive - amp - cab - eq - volumePedal - delay - plex delay - reverb - out
and I'm at 70% of the cpu. Gapless switching.

Screenshot 2023-12-01 at 16.23.32.png

If this is enough you will be happy, if you need more you'll be disappointed!
Effects and Amp simulation are stellar, endless routing possibilities and powerful controllers... you should try
 
Do you have amps you want to capture or the need for? If so, perhaps yes? Otherwise no all the way.
 
I seriously considered getting a QC when it first came out, but ultimately got the FM3. The QC had issues that I did not like, including: overpriced unit; barrel-ended, brick style power supply; cheap stick-on pads to protect the bottom; lack of FX, amps, etc. The hype around the QC was incredible though and people bought them up like hot cakes. Since then, however, the halo wore off.
 
I think the main downside of the FM3 is you can´t run 2 amp blocks in parallel (somebody correct me if this has changed since the Turbo). And it only has 3 knobs. If you need more you have to buy a FC6 or whatever.
I´m a Fractal guy since 2009 so I´m certainly biased. Nonetheless I bought one of the first run´s QCs and sold it after a year of it collecting dust. It just isn´t on par with Fractal when it comes to sound quality and modelling accuracy. That´s all.
 
The main downsides are right as @gitfruit said:
3 switches makes you be strategic about how you use it live. On a desk it won't matter.
Only 1 amp block, so no blending amps inside the unit (although blending an amp and a dI or drive pedal can happen)
The CPU can do most full featured rigs, but if you want the highest quiality reverb settings or the most complex effects laden sounds you might start to cap out the CPU.
No capturing capability.

There's also the FM9 if you don't mind a chonky boi on your desk to get a bit more CPU headroom and two amp blocks, but I've done a lot of complex stuff on the FM3 without issues.
 
hallissyc said:
given that it’s largely less powerful?
Click to expand...
I can't think of a reason to call FM3 "less powerful", leave alone "largely". Less switches? Ok, but how about 4 views per layout 2 to 4 options per each switch (you can do the math), and 12 layouts - all available on same switches - how many things you can do with it? By experience - almost endless possibilities.
You will be astonished by its capabilities, available options, flexibility and most of all, quality of every sound of every effect you can get out of it.
There is no reason for second guessing your decision, ditch QC, get FM3.
 
I had an AX8 and was considering getting the QC but decided to go with the FM3 - From the videos I've heard I think the FM3 sounds better. If you are going to be using the FM3 for recording via the USB then that is not so great at the moment.
 
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The Quad Cortex sounds good, that is all I need to know. + the QC can capture any amp or boost, drive pedal.
 
hallissyc said:
I’ve had a Helix Floor, GT1000 CORE, HX Stomp, various plugins and now the Quad Cortex. Fractal is the one company I haven’t had on my desk yet, and I’m curious to try it but I just never have.

I’m decently happy with the QC, but it’s hard to ignore the criticism of the company. They just haven’t done well by themselves in many ways.

So I’m asking, in all reverence; would I be happier with the FM3 as the overall unit, given that it’s largely less powerful?

I understand that this is subjective, and that this forum is an echo chamber, but figured I’d ask anyways.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
I've owned both. I was drawn to the QC for the form-factor, plugin support and profiling.
Profiling on the QC is hit/miss with how I like to dial in my amps (NAM does a MUCH, MUCH better job), the amps in the unit are meh, the unit is noisy as hell, the Wi-Fi connectivity is a pain and there was no desktop editor when I had it. I did like the routing flexibility, touch support and form-factor. That said, the quality of the amps, pedals, effects etc. are more satisfying / convincing in the Fractal.
At the moment, I'm without both lol (sold the FM3 to get the QC, then sold the QC after I decided I don't like it that much to justify keeping that amount of $$ invested in a box that "may" / "could" deliver) just using NAM mostly with profiles of my real amps BUUUT will most likely jump back head-first to Fractal when the next gen comes out.
 
Fractal will sound and feel better. The only question is FM3, FM9, or AXEFX III. All the units sound the same but with less CPU you may have to give up a bell or whistle if you have a complex signal chain. For me personally, the FM3 does great with CPU to spare.
 
I have both AXE III and FM3. I have gotten the best results when I used models I am familier with and have used in the real world. If you know how to setup and record a real amp, {Dyna Cabs) and setup a real efx chain, you will have stellar results. I bought the FM3 to use on throw and go gigs and it it works wonderfully. No over the top kitchen sink presets, but you can always create separate presets if that is needed. On a side note, I recently added a Fender FR12 to fill in the stage and not blast out the monitor mix. If I am fortunate to have a run with a regular sound man,/system, I would use the AX3 to get just that bit extra. Played a QC, and it left me cold, but I did not capture any of my own amps. I think that could be the main deal breaker if you have your own amps that are a must have, although I have no problem duplicating my own amps in Fractal world.
As noted Fractal support, both from the company and forums/video is beyond reproach.
 
@Whizzinby should be able to offer you some useful thoughts on this subject. He has the QC and has had the FM3. I believe that he recently sold the FM3 and bought the Axe-FX III turbo.
 
I owned both until last week. Sold my QC. (Again lol) Upgraded my FM3 to the AxeFX.

This is not an easy comparison imo.

The QC’s amp modeling is actually not that far behind the Fractals in direct comparison, but the Fractal has a massive amp list that Neural will never catch up to, and the deep tweaking will never be there given Neurals modeling approach. So the amp advantage largely is in the sheer amount of tones and tweaking available in Frac.

Where the QC gets absolutely and soundly destroyed is in effects. Not even in the same league. Half of the QC delays and reverbs are trash. They have some functional effects and good drives, but the Fractal unit is the best effect unit I’ve ever played. If you are a big effect player, this will be a massive upgrade.

That said, the FM3 has some notable CPU constraints. I ran into the CPU cap on several occasions with not all that complex of presets (relatively) so I don’t think the FM3 should be seen as a direct parallel to the QC. You may find it limiting depending on your use case and the type of presets you want to build. Personally the better comp is the FM9. Once I was convinced of the tones, I upgraded quickly from the FM3 for this reason.

UI is going to be soundly in favor of the QC, but it just comes down to how much will you tolerate to get the epic toanz, or are you a desktop editor type of person, in which case the FMEdit software is great.
 
hallissyc said:
would I be happier with the FM3 as the overall unit, given that it’s largely less powerful?
Click to expand...
Less powerful than what? Its siblings or the competition?

Fractal’s hardware and processor choices are great, but it’s the firmware that makes it powerful. The FM3 is 3-ish years old but it was designed using a very powerful processor then. The speed-bump to 500MHz gave it an 11% boost which I see as a bit more icing on the cake, but it was plenty capable before. The firmware keeps improving, we see updates often that tighten the code and speed it up so the system does more with less than previously, and the sound quality improves. In three years we are on a whole new level than we were at its introduction and that is going to continue, just as its siblings have done.

To me, where it shines in its family is its flexibility as far as its form-factor. The base unit is small enough to fit in luggage, but easily expanded with the FC6 to allow easier switching and additional pedals. Sure, it doesn’t have the same capacity for the number of blocks as the larger units but they generate the same sound and run the same. I build my presets on one and move them between my units, and because I’m aware of their capabilities the presets work fine.

I expect that the majority of users/owners here arrived after having used other brand’s units. And I also expect that the majority are very satisfied with their decisions. This is a very rare company whose behavior engenders strong user support in return, so ask away, we’re happy to ‘splain.
 
hallissyc said:
I’ve had a Helix Floor, GT1000 CORE, HX Stomp, various plugins and now the Quad Cortex. Fractal is the one company I haven’t had on my desk yet...
So I’m asking, in all reverence; would I be happier with the FM3
Click to expand...

I say this as someone who loved the AX8 and now loves the FM3...maybe. I bought and sold too many modelers (and pedals and amps) for years chasing...something. Given your list of things you tried out and still left you wanting, you may not be in the right head space to end your journey. Don't mean to be a downer, when you are ready to give up the gear chase I think the Fractal ecosystem is an absolutely great place to retire as honestly there's not a tone I've ever heard they can't do and the effects are top notch.
 
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