FM9 v1.0 vs FM3 v5.0

Chiguete

Chiguete

Experienced
How would these to firmware "generations" compare to one an the other in the modelling sound wise? Forget about the bugs and issues that they might have, I'm talking about the core sound of their tone. Is FM9 v1.0 is up to date with the upgrade in the amp tones that the FM9 v5.0 had or is the FM9 v1.0 more like the FM9 v4.0? I ask because when I updated my FM3 to the v5.0 gen I did noticed an improvement vs the FM3 v4.0 firmware so I'm wondering if the FM9 v2.0 gen will have that same tonal improvement or is it just added features that are involved in the new firmware?
 
I haven’t been keeping up with FM3 update specifications but my understanding is the FM3 is up to date with effects and amp models whereas FM9 isn’t. FM9 v1 is tonally more equal to fm3 v4.0 . FM9 2.0 is being optimized to its full potential so when it releases it’ll have the same tonal improvement + more features.
 
Chiguete said:
How would these to firmware "generations" compare to one an the other in the modelling sound wise? Forget about the bugs and issues that they might have, I'm talking about the core sound of their tone. Is FM9 v1.0 is up to date with the upgrade in the amp tones that the FM9 v5.0 had or is the FM9 v1.0 more like the FM9 v4.0? I ask because when I updated my FM3 to the v5.0 gen I did noticed an improvement vs the FM3 v4.0 firmware so I'm wondering if the FM9 v2.0 gen will have that same tonal improvement or is it just added features that are involved in the new firmware?
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Your question is confusing because you interchangeably use FM9 and FM3.

The FM9 is running Cygnus, which is the modeling part of Fractal's current generation, as is the FM3. If I remember right, the FM3 got Cygnus after its first update. They sound identical using the same presets and the same modeling version.

Cliff is always working on new algorithms to improve the sound. He writes for the FX3, gets the code working there, then pushes it to the FM3 and FM9 teams who port it. Currently, we're waiting on the FM9 update, so it's lagging a bit behind the FM3 which has the edge right now, but should be on par with it when it finally drops, and at that point they should generate the same sound given the same preset. So, given the difference between when the teams release their updates, the units should have short windows where there are minor differences, but for the most part they're running the same algorithms and generating the same waveforms because the underlying code is the same.

For instance, I was just updating/syncing some presets between my FM3, FM9 and FX3, and was A/B-ing between the FM3 and FX3 and couldn't tell a difference. That's Fractal's intent.
PS - The Wiki has a number of pages that compare the units and their capabilities, the progress of modeling, etc. They're worth reading because Cliff is quoted as he discusses this sort of stuff.
 
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With all this being said; not to derail the thread 🙏🏻, how does the FM9 modeling compare to the current Axe iii 19.05 firmware?
I am actually on 16.04 on my Axe iii, but I admittedly am giving the edge to the FM9 2.0 beta! REALLY fun to play!

And back to the question, what are the differences in modeling/sound from the Axe iii 19.05 (or 16.04 in my case) vs the FM9 2.0 Beta?
 
Greg Ferguson said:
Your question is confusing because you interchangeably use FM9 and FM3.

The FM9 is running Cygnus, which is the modeling part of Fractal's current generation, as is the FM3. If I remember right, the FM3 got Cygnus after its first update. They sound identical using the same presets and the same modeling version.

Cliff is always working on new algorithms to improve the sound. He writes for the FX3, gets the code working there, then pushes it to the FM3 and FM9 teams who port it. Currently, we're waiting on the FM9 update, so it's lagging a bit behind the FM3 which has the edge right now, but should be on par with it when it finally drops, and at that point they should generate the same sound given the same preset. So, given the difference between when the teams release their updates, the units should have short windows where there are minor differences, but for the most part they're running the same algorithms and generating the same waveforms because the underlying code is the same.

For instance, I was just updating/syncing some presets between my FM3, FM9 and FX3, and was A/B-ing between the FM3 and FX3 and couldn't tell a difference. That's Fractal's intent.
PS - The Wiki has a number of pages that compare the units and their capabilities, the progress of modeling, etc. They're worth reading because Cliff is quoted as he discusses this sort of stuff.
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I know it was confusing... heck, it was for me too writing it! LOL. What I ment to ask is that if by the FM9 came out if it's v1 firmware was better than the v4 firmare that the FM3 had at the moment making it more like the v5 that the FM3 has now or was is comparable to v4 of the FM3?
 
Thenewexhibit said:
With all this being said; not to derail the thread 🙏🏻, how does the FM9 modeling compare to the current Axe iii 19.05 firmware?
I am actually on 16.04 on my Axe iii, but I admittedly am giving the edge to the FM9 2.0 beta! REALLY fun to play!

And back to the question, what are the differences in modeling/sound from the Axe iii 19.05 (or 16.04 in my case) vs the FM9 2.0 Beta?
Click to expand...
You can compare and contrast the various firmware revisions on the different modelers in Firmware release notes.

The sound quality in 19.05 is better because Cliff implemented additional tweaks that haven't been release for the FM9 yet. Yes, the FM9 sounds good, but it'll sound "more good" when the firmware catches up to the FX3. That said, the differences are subtle, not like the change when Cygnus was released.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
You can compare and contrast the various firmware revisions on the different modelers in Firmware release notes.

The sound quality in 19.05 is better because Cliff implemented additional tweaks that haven't been release for the FM9 yet. Yes, the FM9 sounds good, but it'll sound "more good" when the firmware catches up to the FX3. That said, the differences are subtle, not like the change when Cygnus was released.
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Got ya! Man, and to think the FM9 is not up to par with the other units (and I say that lightly with NO disrespect), I am really enjoying the FM9, so I can’t wait to hear it when a new update comes out! I assume it will be like 19.05 of the Axe iii, which I am going to update to shortly!
 
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