Just a few more thoughts from the Zuma concert: did anyone happen to listen to the concert on a really great stereo or set of earphones? The sound quality was stunningly good. And a huge part of this was Guthrie's use of the FM9. His selection of tones and effects worked amazingly well in that context, especially the color changes between dry tones and heavy reverb. At one point I was thinking his tones were poorly mixed (kind of dry and no stereo spread), then he hit a cavernous reverb wash that just transformed the stereo dimension and depth of the mix. What a tonal magician that fellow is.
If I didn't have a Fractal, I would be trying to get one just on the basis of how wonderfully clean and precise all Guthrie's tones were in the Zuma concert. He's getting into the realm of possibilities from modern modelers that cannot be replicated by any tube amp rig unless it is recorded in a great studio. Of course the venue PA and talents of the mixer comes into play here, but now the mixer can have the amazing tonal source at the gig and not just the studio.
BTW Guthrie used to use Kempers in some gigs (not Aristocrats to my knowledge), and certainly did in the past with Hans Zimmer. Some pics of a Zimmer stage look like a Kemper warehouse. Guthrie said he used them because of volume issues; him changing to a FM9 with the Aristocrats begs a more in depth interview IMHO. Was it any displeasure or lack of function with the Kemper? Or did he like the latest Fractal tones more? The FM9 finally presented the form factor that allows its use with the travel required with the Aristocrats? Did he have enough time during the pandemic shutdowns to mine the Fractal magic, and the motivation to do so on the Dune soundtrack? Inquiring minds and all that...
