Frustrated still with CPU limits

bjjp2

Power User
I'm sure I'll get flamed, first world problems, etc. but let me premise it by saying I'm a huge Fractal fan--have owned original Axe-Fx, Axe II, Ax 8, Axe III and now FM9. I've sung the praises of the units, gotten other people to buy them etc. I also recognize the limits of technology. So just really venting. Was hoping I could replace Axe III with FM9 for gigs (which are admittedly rarer for me these days). But I wish we had a floor unit that could duplicate all the elements of what I would consider a typical pedalboard without crashing. I can't seem to run a patch that has what I would like to access from a typical board of pedals i.e. Reverb, Delay (maybe two delays), two drives, a boost, an array of mod effects (Trem, Phaser, Flanger, Chorus), Fuzz, Wah, an envelope filter and an EQ pedal. This is before even talking about all the other cool stuff the FM9 can do--i.e. dual amps, pitch effects like a whammy or formant, multi and megatap delays etc. So, not selling the FM9 but for my needs sticking with the III for now. (And it's only 14 lbs so . . .)
 
Are you trying to do a kitchen sink approach to presets? If you decide to stay with the FM9 you may want to split up some of the blocks across several presets and use multiple presets per show. That is what I do. Even with the AXE3.
 
Are you trying to do a kitchen sink approach to presets? If you decide to stay with the FM9 you may want to split up some of the blocks across several presets and use multiple presets per show. That is what I do. Even with the AXE3.

See I don't consider it "kitchen sink" to have access in one preset to the basic effects I'd have in front of me if I brought a clean amp and pedalboard. But I realize everybody's use case is different.
 
Are you trying to do a kitchen sink approach to presets? If you decide to stay with the FM9 you may want to split up some of the blocks across several presets and use multiple presets per show. That is what I do. Even with the AXE3.
I do the same thing and have really only used two to three presets for years. Also, a lot of different combinations can be accomplished using scenes and channels. Whenever you have one thing doing the job of many, there will be tradeoffs, you just need to get creative.
 
Fractal floor units have well known trade-offs to accomplish footprint vs performance goals. So, not trying to flame you, but do not see the point of a "venting" post when you are trying to run a kitchen sink on a floor unit. Either trim down your presets to run in a unit that fits in a backpack, or by a 3U case and lug around the Axe-Fx. I do both BTW, depending on my needs for playing out. Honestly, I don't have an issue taking the Axe to a gig/practice. Still beats what I used to haul around by a few hundred pounds. Lol.
 
I think it comes down to how many effects you need, and whether they can be combined as blocks.

For instance, a boost and two drives can be configured as one block with three channels.

If you really need a chorus, phaser, and flanger... those will use more CPU as separate blocks. I don't mean to be critical--some players require all three of those pedals for a show. It makes for a pretty big pedalboard when combined with all the other stuff: multiple delays, etc. Personally, I wouldn't bother bringing that many mod effects to a gig, but tastes vary.

You can probably get everything you need with 2-3 presets. I get why that's not as appealing, but it might work out if you get creative. Good luck!
 
The purpose of a large pedalboard is usually because you need/want each individual effect at some point in time. I don't think most people have all their pedals on at once. You need them all there because in that one song you need a flanger so there's a flanger on your board.

In digital you don't need all pedals accessible at all times. That's what scenes and patches are for. I still struggle with this as I used big pedalboards for a long time. I have to remind myself I don't have to put every possible effect in every patch.

I suggest approaching the problem from a different direction. Instead of using the FM9 to recreate a big pedalboard, create several smaller ones in different patches or scenes with pedals you typically use together. Embrace the digital workflow.
 
I think it comes down to how many effects you need, and whether they can be combined as blocks.

For instance, a boost and two drives can be configured as one block with three channels.

If you really need a chorus, phaser, and flanger... those will use more CPU as separate blocks. I don't mean to be critical--some players require all three of those pedals for a show. It makes for a pretty big pedalboard when combined with all the other stuff: multiple delays, etc. Personally, I wouldn't bother bringing that many mod effects to a gig, but tastes vary.

You can probably get everything you need with 2-3 presets. I get why that's not as appealing, but it might work out if you get creative. Good luck!
I think you are on to something here. I think he is trying to do too much in one preset. I for one, run a preset per song even on the Axe. Never, have I run chorus, phaser and flanger on one song and I play in a church band. :) The buttons on the floor are there for a reason. There certainly isn't any shortage of them on an FM9.
 
I think you are on to something here. I think he is trying to do too much in one preset. I for one, run a preset per song even on the Axe. Never, have I run chorus, phaser and flanger on one song and I play in a church band. :) The buttons on the floor are there for a reason. There certainly isn't any shortage of them on an FM9.
Makes sense to me. I get that some folks are trying to replicate very specific tones per song. For that kind of use, having song-based presets makes a ton of sense.

Personally, I find in a live situation, most modulation effects fall into similar categories. Rotary, chorus, phaser, flanger... they all just make the sound swirl a little. I can take the time to program a half dozen modulation effects, and when I try them out at soundcheck, usually one sounds the best and it's the only one I end up using anyway.

There are a bunch of different use cases for different styles. Folks who want a wide assortment of tones probably need song-based presets. The one-preset-for-a-gig approach works better for players trying to base their show around a signature sound.
 
See I don't consider it "kitchen sink" to have access in one preset to the basic effects I'd have in front of me if I brought a clean amp and pedalboard. But I realize everybody's use case is different.
My approach is that I have a preset that contains the basic things I use for most songs (quasi kitchen sink if you will). Songs that require special things like harmony lines for instance I will dedicate a preset for that. Or maybe some ethereal delay, I may create a new preset for. Do realize that there are channels for all blocks. So if you need 2 different drives you can have one type on channel A and another on channel B instead of having 2 drive blocks. Most blocks have 4 channels. You just need to find a way to access the channels you want.
 
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I get where the OP is coming from tho. I typically live on one preset through a whole gig and just bring things in and out effects wise, as needed. I have some scenes for bringing multiple effects on/off at once but that’s about it. I can run MY kitchen sink preset and it lingers around 73% so there’s even room for a little more, and I have a LOT going on.

Signal chain:
Pitch (Oct down, whammy, VC) wah, drive (Octavia & zen drive), phaser, flanger, chorus, trem, amp block (3 amps, but one at a time), cab, boost, delay, reverb. I have an expression pedal to control wah, whammy, and trem rate. I can quickly switch between scenes and 2 effects pages so that I can bring things in/out just like an old school board if I want to.

I’m really pleased with the power of the FM9. And like the above posts, if I ever ran into some limits, I could easily separate things into different presets.

Good luck
 
I'm sure I'll get flamed, first world problems, etc. but let me premise it by saying I'm a huge Fractal fan--have owned original Axe-Fx, Axe II, Ax 8, Axe III and now FM9. I've sung the praises of the units, gotten other people to buy them etc. I also recognize the limits of technology. So just really venting. Was hoping I could replace Axe III with FM9 for gigs (which are admittedly rarer for me these days). But I wish we had a floor unit that could duplicate all the elements of what I would consider a typical pedalboard without crashing. I can't seem to run a patch that has what I would like to access from a typical board of pedals i.e. Reverb, Delay (maybe two delays), two drives, a boost, an array of mod effects (Trem, Phaser, Flanger, Chorus), Fuzz, Wah, an envelope filter and an EQ pedal. This is before even talking about all the other cool stuff the FM9 can do--i.e. dual amps, pitch effects like a whammy or formant, multi and megatap delays etc. So, not selling the FM9 but for my needs sticking with the III for now. (And it's only 14 lbs so . . .)

Are you trying to do a kitchen sink approach to presets? If you decide to stay with the FM9 you may want to split up some of the blocks across several presets and use multiple presets per show. That is what I do. Even with the AXE3.
Simple answer: Select several scenes with various channels running similar blocks in each; some bypassed. You might not approach kitchen sink, but the variety might float your boat. (Sry, well-meaning pun intended)
 
This is why I ditched the FM3 the first time I bought it. It took me a year: I bought the QC hoping it would replace the Axe III for stage use. It didn't. I realized the FM3 is the only one for me so I started to make simpler presets and more of them to keep within the DSP limits. I bought the FM3 again and now I love it. All it's missing is the update pitch block from the Axe III.

In short, it's just something you'll have to either accept or move on. It won't get better if you insist on using your kitchen sink presets. Just like me: I may just have to accept that the FM3 won't ever get the update pitch block, so I may have to either accept the subpar one in the FM3 (that I've been gigging for the last 8 months) or go back to using the Axe Fx III (and give up the convenience of just the FM3).

Good luck!
 
The limitations in CPU on the FM9 have resulted in several improvements in my presets as I have been going through the FX3 presets and shrinking them just enough to fit into the FM9 - to the point that I am "back-porting" a fair amount of stuff from my FM9-only presets into my FM9+FX3 preset pairs (I use them in combination for wide-open possibilities)....
1112211149a_HDR.jpg
 
The limitations in CPU on the FM9 have resulted in several improvements in my presets as I have been going through the FX3 presets and shrinking them just enough to fit into the FM9 - to the point that I am "back-porting" a fair amount of stuff from my FM9-only presets into my FM9+FX3 preset pairs (I use them in combination for wide-open possibilities)....
1112211149a_HDR.jpg
Yeah; it makes you really think about the best way and most efficient way to do things. It's too easy with the Axe Fx III to just throw blocks in there "in case" or whatever when, for 99% of case uses, you're not going to touch that phaser you put in or that EQ that you have set up for the megaphone sound. And every preset must have a pitch block and a looper for good measure lol.

I've enjoyed the process of working within the FM3's limitations once I accepted it for what it was and stopped trying to think of it as an Axe Fx III in the for of the FC6 (although, it largely is just that).
 
See I don't consider it "kitchen sink" to have access in one preset to the basic effects I'd have in front of me if I brought a clean amp and pedalboard. But I realize everybody's use case is different.
That’s got to be some pedalboard.
 
I'm sure I'll get flamed, first world problems, etc. but let me premise it by saying I'm a huge Fractal fan--have owned original Axe-Fx, Axe II, Ax 8, Axe III and now FM9. I've sung the praises of the units, gotten other people to buy them etc. I also recognize the limits of technology. So just really venting. Was hoping I could replace Axe III with FM9 for gigs (which are admittedly rarer for me these days). But I wish we had a floor unit that could duplicate all the elements of what I would consider a typical pedalboard without crashing. I can't seem to run a patch that has what I would like to access from a typical board of pedals i.e. Reverb, Delay (maybe two delays), two drives, a boost, an array of mod effects (Trem, Phaser, Flanger, Chorus), Fuzz, Wah, an envelope filter and an EQ pedal. This is before even talking about all the other cool stuff the FM9 can do--i.e. dual amps, pitch effects like a whammy or formant, multi and megatap delays etc. So, not selling the FM9 but for my needs sticking with the III for now. (And it's only 14 lbs so . . .)

Two delays and two reverbs are not an issue, because they run on separate CPUs.
The FM9 is very capable of running an amp (or two, doesn't require much more CPU) + 2 drives + modul fx.
Be smart, use channels.

Example:
Schermafbeelding 2021-12-17 om 14.20.24.png


Pitch, Plex and some other stuff will require substantial CPU.

You can always combine an FM9 + FM3 (connected through SPDIF)) for more power.
 
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