FM9 as “analog” pedalboard?

T

Thenewexhibit

Experienced
I’m not very familiar with doing this with the axe fx, but how are you guys finding this to work out? The idea was to have scenes for a direct IEM type setup like I normally do with the Axe iii, but in a situation where I show up to do a few songs in church where it’s a live amp and mic, switch scenes to the one that has the amp and cab disabled and use the FM9 as a pedalboard.

Does this work well and sound as if I was using analog pedals? Any differences with the output or impedance or anything like that, or would it sound just like an analog board and nobody would know the wiser? What would you set the output level to on the FM9 to get unity or a proper level to the input of a guitar amp?
 
I'd recommend reading ch. 4 in the manual, which covers many different uses and configurations. p.34-36 are probably useful.

A common practice is to copy the presets to a separate area in the bank, and then tweak those to disable the amp and cab, or remove the amp and cab entirely from the layout. Output might change if the amp or cab blocks are not at 0db level. Impedance will be the same.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
I'd recommend reading ch. 4 in the manual, which covers many different uses and configurations. p.34-36 are probably useful.
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Cool! Thanks for the heads up! I don’t have an FM9, but am on the waiting list and know it would probably be a while before I got one, but just kind of curious how that works. Thanks!
 
Thenewexhibit said:
Cool! Thanks for the heads up! I don’t have an FM9, but am on the waiting list and know it would probably be a while before I got one, but just kind of curious how that works. Thanks!
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Fractal deals with touring pros down to bedroom players, and has thought out a bunch of "normal" situations people will use their equipment in, and all are discussed in ch. 4.

They're much more flexible than a standard pedalboard with effects and can be used like a regular pedalboard, but that ends up ignoring the unit's main strength of amp and cab modeling.

For the sort of situation you're talking about, in church, if you have access to a monitor feed then leave the amp and cab modeling on, and send your signal directly to FOH and monitor your sound through floor monitors or IEM. Using a separate guitar amp and feeding its normal guitar in from the modeler will work but, in my experience, you will lose the flexibility of the FM9 and EQ can get weird. Talk to the FOH sound-guy about your options.

A friend of mine uses his Kemper Floor into a Twin Reverb and insists he has to do it that way, and constantly fights the combination when he adjusts the volume in a new venue. His frustration with the system almost matches our frustration repeatedly explaining to him that he's doing it wrong. Disabling the amp and cab in the modeler will help, but, again, letting the modeler handle it all is the best path.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
Fractal deals with touring pros down to bedroom players, and has thought out a bunch of "normal" situations people will use their equipment in, and all are discussed in ch. 4.

They're much more flexible than a standard pedalboard with effects and can be used like a regular pedalboard, but that ends up ignoring the unit's main strength of amp and cab modeling.

For the sort of situation you're talking about, in church, if you have access to a monitor feed then leave the amp and cab modeling on, and send your signal directly to FOH and monitor your sound through floor monitors or IEM. Using a separate guitar amp and feeding its normal guitar in from the modeler will work but, in my experience, you will lose the flexibility of the FM9 and EQ can get weird. Talk to the FOH sound-guy about your options.

A friend of mine uses his Kemper Floor into a Twin Reverb and insists he has to do it that way, and constantly fights the combination when he adjusts the volume in a new venue. His frustration with the system almost matches our frustration repeatedly explaining to him that he's doing it wrong. Disabling the amp and cab in the modeler will help, but, again, letting the modeler handle it all is the best path.
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Got ya! I checked out the manual, and it seems pretty straight forward in regards to using a guitar amp, so that’s cool!

I currently use my Axe iii at church (or any church/situation that goes direct and uses in ears) with amp and cab 100% of the time
to it’s full potential. It sounds great and I love it! There are however certain times where you get invited to a church to do a few praise and worship songs with other artists and doing changeovers almost on the fly without interruption. In those situations, most of the time, you never know what you’re gonna get equipment wise. Sometimes it could be going direct on ears, in which case, would be easy. However, sometimes it’s a house amp setup with wedges (or maybe not even wedges), so the FM9 intrigued me in the sense that if it works like an analog pedalboard, I could leave my Axe iii permanently racked up at home, and then have the FM9 for doing church services or session work, and in the event I’m on in ears, I just use the FM9’s full capability like I would the Axe iii; amp, cab, and all. And then on a certain services that requires a quick “in and out” praise and worship set where say the setup isn’t on ears, but the guitarist there has a guitar amp (usually some sort of fender in my experiences), I can just bring the FM9, and use it as an “analog” pedalboard using ONLY say volume, compression, drives, delays, verbs, and nothing else (no amp or cab blocks).

Do you know if people are having good results using it that way? (Think essentially being required to plug in to a house amp, and I have my “analog board” with a volume pedal, compressor, “KOT”, “TS808”, a “Timeline” and “Big Sky”.)
 
Thenewexhibit said:
Got ya! I checked out the manual, and it seems pretty straight forward in regards to using a guitar amp, so that’s cool!

I currently use my Axe iii at church (or any church/situation that goes direct and uses in ears) with amp and cab 100% of the time
to it’s full potential. It sounds great and I love it! There are however certain times where you get invited to a church to do a few praise and worship songs with other artists and doing changeovers almost on the fly without interruption. In those situations, most of the time, you never know what you’re gonna get equipment wise. Sometimes it could be going direct on ears, in which case, would be easy. However, sometimes it’s a house amp setup with wedges (or maybe not even wedges), so the FM9 intrigued me in the sense that if it works like an analog pedalboard, I could leave my Axe iii permanently racked up at home, and then have the FM9 for doing church services or session work, and in the event I’m on in ears, I just use the FM9’s full capability like I would the Axe iii; amp, cab, and all. And then on a certain services that requires a quick “in and out” praise and worship set where say the setup isn’t on ears, but the guitarist there has a guitar amp (usually some sort of fender in my experiences), I can just bring the FM9, and use it as an “analog” pedalboard using ONLY say volume, compression, drives, delays, verbs, and nothing else (no amp or cab blocks).

Do you know if people are having good results using it that way? (Think essentially being required to plug in to a house amp, and I have my “analog board” with a volume pedal, compressor, “KOT”, “TS808”, a “Timeline” and “Big Sky”.)
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As long as the Amp and Cab blocks are off the unit will act exactly like a regular pedalboard. Try it ahead of time to see.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
As long as the Amp and Cab blocks are off the unit will act exactly like a regular pedalboard. Try it ahead of time to see.
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Cool! That’s good to hear! I was just planning ahead a bit and asking questions to see the flexibility and sound in those situations in the event I get a notification email to buy one. However, I imagine it will be a while before more are available.
 
echoman224 said:
You don't even need to turn off the amp and cab blocks. Just branch the effect chain to out 3 before it hits the amp+cab block going to out 1.I've found setting the out 3 volume knob halfway is about equal to going straight guitar into amp.
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Oh, wow! I didn’t even think of that! I wouldn’t even have to switch presets! Thanks for that idea! I was wondering about the level too; the manual mentioned that Out 3 was at unity gain, but I didn’t think about the volume level.
 
I have been using Fractal Gear since the Ultra Days. Normal everyday situation for me is 100% fractal to FOH. because I travel by plane to almost all of my gigs. I don't even take an FRFR with me. I just rely on stage monitors. I do have nears but they are not always practical, but I always have a "PEDALBOARD" preset that has no amp no cab all effects laid out like I would going into a real amp. I find the drive settings and sometimes the drives I use need to be different with out the amp and cab blocks in the signal path. as in most places you can not push a (house amp)- twin reverb amp to the edge of break up with out being to loud. :)
I check the Pedalboard preset at home plugged into a Real Amp(Hot rod deville and or Pro Junior amp) and make sure it dials in right.

I also have the same pedalboards preset stored in another slot with a Fractal Twin reverb and one with a Pro Junior at the end of the chain along with Cab block. If there is only an amp on stage and no access to direct to PA, I can roll with that first version. No amp no cab block. if there is an amp and kind of okay PA system I can roll with the second preset breaking off before the amp and cab block and go to the PA and still connect the real amp stage. Helps when in a bar or club and the monitors are not quite good and the drummer other players are wailing away. :)

99% of the time I use my normal presets with everything. Full on Fractal to Front of house. It's just that years of touring with it has taught me to be prepared for anything. I would do my show in a nice venue and after or on days off people would invite me to a blues jam or something and on a Monday night in a "BAR" the PA system would usually be ah.... unique and monitors would be....... non existent. but there would always be someones twin or Hotrod deville or something like that. And I would not have any other pedals. Thats started me on making a dedicated pedalboard from my fractal units years ago.

a Wah- Comp- Light Drive- Heavy Drive- delay 1 Chorus- Flange- Rotary- Vol- Plex Delay- Delay 2- Verb- Looper

I have this on my Axe Fx 3, Fm3, Fm9. Ax8, Axe Fx 2

Now days the Effects and drives are so good its a GREAT pedalboard!! I do have scenes set up with this but often use the Effectspage to turn things on an off. But I do use scene 1 straight guitar scene 6 full on lead and specialty scenes with the Plex Delay and bigger verb combos :) etc.

The world is big. options are plenty. preset slots can be yours, have fun make noise smile when you make a mistake and keep playing and making music. :)
 
Thenewexhibit said:
I’m not very familiar with doing this with the axe fx, but how are you guys finding this to work out? The idea was to have scenes for a direct IEM type setup like I normally do with the Axe iii, but in a situation where I show up to do a few songs in church where it’s a live amp and mic, switch scenes to the one that has the amp and cab disabled and use the FM9 as a pedalboard.

Does this work well and sound as if I was using analog pedals? Any differences with the output or impedance or anything like that, or would it sound just like an analog board and nobody would know the wiser? What would you set the output level to on the FM9 to get unity or a proper level to the input of a guitar amp?
Click to expand...
I have presets where I go out of output 1 straight amp bypassing the modeled amp a cab and output 1 still has the modeled amp and cab. Works great
 
JoelMcCreight said:
I have presets where I go out of output 1 straight amp bypassing the modeled amp a cab and output 1 still has the modeled amp and cab. Works great
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May works but you should connect OUT3 with volume knob maxed out to get unity gain level (as stated in the manual).
 
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