jimfist
Fractal Fanatic
I finally, after 2 years of owning the FM9 Turbo, got a chance to air it out at a show this past weekend. The gig is a straightforward rock/hard rock/metal show, from Buck Cherry to Iron Maiden to STP. Feed was DI to the mixer with stage wedge providing amplification. From front to back, the sound was great, very satisfying. Having come from the AxeFxII with outboard MIDI pedal for control, I have to say that the programmable switching made things a breeze, and thrilled to FINALLY have an all-in-one modeler that ticks all the boxes.
I split my incoming signal into dual path high and low feeds. Hi feed is HPF at ±100hz, gets a drive block before SV Bass 2 amp model, a chorus, tremolo, and rejoined with the low path before (mono) output. EQ tone shaping, no cab block! The low feed is LPF at ±100hz, compressed, sent to a drive block, and then joins back with the high feed. I have to say that this is the first time I've tried a split-path routing scheme that actually worked to my satisfaction. The consistency of the low end feed keeps everything glued together while the high feed sans low-end makes dialing in overdrive and effects so much easier, and clearer to hear on stage. I have my drive block switch set up to scroll between the ABCD Channels for varying amounts of dirt from clean to nasty distorted. I can get some tweener dirt levels with my exp pedal set to control the drive amount/mix/output.
Also want to mention the Output Dynamics page in the Amp Block as being key to getting the feel of the amp where I prefer it. The Output Compression & Compressor Clarity parameters allow for taking the bass feel from a tight-and-narrow, to big-and-open. This also provides a natural sounding compression so that I don't need to eat up a Comp block, though I do really like the Opto Comp. These features may be the biggest improvement IMO to getting satisfying results for bass amp models. I also feel like the true character of the Ampeg models is improved vs. AxeFXII vintage models, when I used to struggle for a tone that sounded TO ME like the Ampeg amps I've used in the past.
So, happy to report excellent results, well worth the wait. Now our guitarist, who uses my old AxeFXII setup, is chomping at the bit to check out the FM9, simply due to appeal of streamlining his setup and the fact that the FM9 is so much easier to program, and sounds great.
I split my incoming signal into dual path high and low feeds. Hi feed is HPF at ±100hz, gets a drive block before SV Bass 2 amp model, a chorus, tremolo, and rejoined with the low path before (mono) output. EQ tone shaping, no cab block! The low feed is LPF at ±100hz, compressed, sent to a drive block, and then joins back with the high feed. I have to say that this is the first time I've tried a split-path routing scheme that actually worked to my satisfaction. The consistency of the low end feed keeps everything glued together while the high feed sans low-end makes dialing in overdrive and effects so much easier, and clearer to hear on stage. I have my drive block switch set up to scroll between the ABCD Channels for varying amounts of dirt from clean to nasty distorted. I can get some tweener dirt levels with my exp pedal set to control the drive amount/mix/output.
Also want to mention the Output Dynamics page in the Amp Block as being key to getting the feel of the amp where I prefer it. The Output Compression & Compressor Clarity parameters allow for taking the bass feel from a tight-and-narrow, to big-and-open. This also provides a natural sounding compression so that I don't need to eat up a Comp block, though I do really like the Opto Comp. These features may be the biggest improvement IMO to getting satisfying results for bass amp models. I also feel like the true character of the Ampeg models is improved vs. AxeFXII vintage models, when I used to struggle for a tone that sounded TO ME like the Ampeg amps I've used in the past.
So, happy to report excellent results, well worth the wait. Now our guitarist, who uses my old AxeFXII setup, is chomping at the bit to check out the FM9, simply due to appeal of streamlining his setup and the fact that the FM9 is so much easier to program, and sounds great.
