FM9 vs VP4 + FM3

ConstantM said:
The 4cm is defacto mono in the vp4 so unless you want all the delays and reverbs to be mono you have to put it in the end
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If you want your effects to be 4CM then you have to live with that anyway. 4CM is mono... Otherwise there's more than 4 cables required.
 
unix-guy said:
Why would it have a headphone output?

It's an effects unit, not a modeler... It doesn't make sense.
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But it has multiple uses and ways to connect it.
I only use my fm3 with headphones.
I could use the fm3 for pre effects and amp modelling - connect to vp4 via spdif for post effects but how would I listen to the output?

There is also talk of adding some blocks such as an IR player. So I could use VP4 for pre effects 4cm to amp and load box, back into vp4 for ir player and some post effects.
 
ggarriso said:
Is there any sense in going VP4 + FM3 over a straight FM9?
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How about the advantage of being able to split the expenses up over time?
You might be surprised at the number of people who really need to stretch to afford an FM3 in one go. They buy gift certificates across a few birthdays or graduations, then splurge. Adding a VP4 to that rig is SWEET and it's less of a rock to swallow all at once.
 
Aivoryuk said:
But it has multiple uses and ways to connect it.
I only use my fm3 with headphones.
I could use the fm3 for pre effects and amp modelling - connect to vp4 via spdif for post effects but how would I listen to the output?

There is also talk of adding some blocks such as an IR player. So I could use VP4 for pre effects 4cm to amp and load box, back into vp4 for ir player and some post effects.
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But what other effects only boxes have a headphone output? It's just not something typical...

If you need to use headphones then connect it with analog.
 
unix-guy said:
But what other effects only boxes have a headphone output? It's just not something typical...

If you need to use headphones then connect it with analog.
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So more connections and more expense?

It also acts as a USB audio device which I assume is enabled for recording - how many of those devices in this price category don't have headphone outputs?

It may not be conventional but if Fractal want to view this as modular and if as suggested they may be other products that can be connected then flexibility should be considered.
 
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unix-guy said:
Why would it have a headphone output?

It's an effects unit, not a modeler... It doesn't make sense.
Click to expand...

While it is an effects unit, it's perfectly viable to use standalone for direct tones with bass and acoustic guitars. Don't forget, some of the most classic electric guitar tones out there were recorded with the guitar plugged in direct. I'm not a headphone guy so I don't miss it but I can see where it'd be useful.
 
ggarriso said:
Is there any sense in going VP4 + FM3 over a straight FM9?
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It just depends on how many ways you use your gear.

If you play gigs with an acoustic or a bass - you can more than likely get by just fine with either the FM3 or the VP4.

If you're already gigging with an FM3, a VP4 is a very sweet way to augment your capabilities.

If you're solely using an FM9 today and are making good use of the footswitching and additional blocks then I'd stick with that.

If you sometimes play with an amp and sometimes play with a modeler, the FM3 and VP4 combination is great. This way you program your effects with the VP4 so you can easily have the same effects and just swap out the amp and FM3 depending on the situation.
 
During VP4 beta testing, I used the FM3 a LOT. It's so easy to work through all the routing options and see how things work in different positions and such. Then I found myself using this setup for day-to-day stuff. Basically, I used a very simple FM3 preset with the VP4 in the loop (and later 4CM when that was available). And the VP4 is right in front of me and optimized for editing 4 effects rapidly. So it was super easy to have a Pitch block readily accessible and use the Virtual Capo mode to work on material that's in dropped tuning or like some stuff is 30 cents +/- and never retune my guitar. My gig rig is the FM9 but it's usually not handy to my main computer so I'd also take a quick pass at how I might dial in specific effects settings later on the FM9.
 
One more thing I found compelling about the FM3 with the VP4 is the fact that there is independent presets and switching. I realize how that would be a negative to many folks. But I don't really use scenes much live. And I only use a handful of presets - I never change presets in a song. And I don't really use channels. I'd say that 95% of the time I use the FM9 as a pedalboard and just turn effects on/off directly. But while testing the VP4 I found it super handy that I could just use a very basic Plexi preset on the FM3 with amp/cab and reverb with the VP4 in 4CM. So I do all the effects with the VP4. This mode of operation is so familiar to me since I use to just play single channel Marshall type amps with some stomp boxes. And I really like using channels on the VP4 - the switching is so intuitive.
 
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