I made Fractal GPT (Update: you can use it too)

Exploring the potential applications is where this starts to get cool.

Alex Kolund said:
augmented with the FM9 manual, Blocks Guide, and other Fractal resources
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Did you also include the Fractal wiki as a source? The data would need some cleaning for consistency however building on the manuals, wiki, and @yek guides could make a powerful tool for people navigating a potentially complicated platform
 
One trick with this is that the wiki and maybe some other resources have info about multiple different releases, not necessarily tagged as such in any standardized way.
 
unix-guy said:
Written like a true teacher, Matt!

Did you actually teach second graders before?

After reading this, I actually think this could be a really, really cool approach to take for all the effects. Think "The Fractal Audio Blocks Guide for the Second Grader"!

Many people struggle with understanding effects and this approach could be seriously helpful.
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You know, this really would be helpful for folks who have little or no background in technology.

You could call the Guide, "The Simplified Fractal Audio Blocks Guide." It would more respectful and less demeaning to folks who might be put off by a guide for kids with brief attention spans. :cool:
 
bleujazz3 said:
You know, this really would be helpful for folks who have little or no background in technology.

You could call the Guide, "The Simplified Fractal Audio Blocks Guide." It would more respectful and less demeaning to folks who might be put off by a guide for kids with brief attention spans. :cool:
Click to expand...

yyz67 said:
@Alex Kolund, can you ask it to compare them in detail in a table format (not for a child)?
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1700316636196.png
 
pros/cons of putting the compressor after in 1 vs after the cab?

Fractal-GPT

Placing a compressor in your signal chain can significantly affect your tone and dynamics. In the context of Fractal Audio's FM9 or similar devices, the positioning of the compressor either before the amp (in "Input 1" which is typically before amp and cab blocks) or after the cab block yields different results. Here's a breakdown of the pros and cons of each placement:

Compressor Before Amp (In Input 1)​

Pros:
  1. Dynamic Control: Compressing before the amp can help even out the guitar's dynamics, leading to a smoother input signal for the amp. This is particularly useful for clean tones or when playing rhythm parts.
  2. Enhanced Sustain and Feel: A compressor before the amp can increase sustain and give a more responsive feel to your playing, which is great for lead lines and solos.
  3. Natural Interaction with Amp: The compressor interacts more naturally with the amp's gain structure, emulating how a physical compressor pedal would work in a traditional guitar setup.
Cons:
  1. Potential for Added Noise: If the amp model is set to high gain, placing the compressor before it can amplify the noise floor, leading to a potentially noisier signal.
  2. Less Effective on Amp Distortion: The compressor won't control the dynamics of the amp's distortion as effectively, since it's placed before the amp's gain stages.

Compressor After Cab​

Pros:
  1. Control of Overall Dynamics: Placing the compressor post-cab allows you to control the overall dynamics of the entire signal chain, including any effects and the amp's distortion character.
  2. Smooths Out Effects: It's effective for smoothing out any volume spikes or dynamic discrepancies that may occur due to effects placed before the amp.
  3. Studio-Style Compression: This placement emulates a studio production technique where compression is applied during mixing, offering a more polished, "produced" sound.
Cons:
  1. Less Responsive to Playing Dynamics: Since the compression is applied after the amp and cab, it may feel less responsive to your playing dynamics compared to a compressor placed before the amp.
  2. Potential Loss of Amp Character: The natural characteristics and dynamics of the amp's distortion might be somewhat tamed or altered, which may not always be desirable.
  3. Alters Effect Response: If you have modulation or delay/reverb effects between the amp and cab, a post-cab compressor might change their perceived response or intensity.

Conclusion​

The choice between these two placements depends on the desired outcome and the context of use. For a more natural guitar-playing feel and to even out the guitar's input signal, place the compressor before the amp. For a controlled, studio-mixed sound that tames the overall dynamics of the complete signal chain, place it after the cab. Experimentation is key, and in a versatile system like the FM9, you can easily try both to see which suits your playing style and tonal preference best.
 
Here’s a recent forum question that, understandably, got a RTFM response from a forum member. Imagine if instead of posting on the forum, the question was directed to ChatGPT.

You:
I'll start by saying that I'm an old-school player, and in the past, I've used walls of Marshall stacks and rack-mounted signal processing gear like the TC-2290 when playing live gigs. I've now spent many hours watching videos and hearing the awesome tone being produced by the Axe-FX, but no one explains how to hook one of these things up.

So, my question is, how do you hook one of these things up? What is the signal chain? Is the Axe-FX like a Marshall 100 Watt head that you just plug your guitar into and then take the output of the Axe-FX III into a speaker cabinet? If yes, then what is the output wattage of the Axe-FX. If not, then where does the output of the FX III go? Does it go to the input jack of a Marshall (or similar) head? Do I need to somehow bypass the preamp section of the Marshall head and insert the Axe-FX there?


ChatGPT:
The Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III is a powerful digital guitar processor that emulates a wide range of amplifiers, cabinets, and effects. It's a versatile unit that can be used in various ways, including direct to a mixer or audio interface, into a power amp and guitar cabinet, or in combination with a traditional amplifier.

Here's a basic guide on how to set up the Axe-Fx III in different scenarios:

1. Direct to Mixer or Audio Interface:​

  • Connection: Guitar -> Axe-Fx III -> Mixer or Audio Interface
  • Output: Use the main left/right outputs or send individual outputs for different processed signals.
  • Monitor: If you're playing through studio monitors, powered speakers, or headphones, connect them to the mixer or audio interface.
This setup is suitable for recording, home practice, or playing through a PA system.

2. Into a Power Amp and Guitar Cabinet:​

  • Connection: Guitar -> Axe-Fx III -> Power Amp -> Guitar Cabinet
  • Output: Use the "Mono" or "Stereo" output(s) from the Axe-Fx III into the power amp, then connect the power amp to your guitar cabinet(s).
  • Monitor: The guitar cabinet will be your main source of sound.
This setup is similar to the traditional guitar amp setup but replaces the physical amplifier head with the digital processing power of the Axe-Fx III.

3. Combining with a Traditional Amplifier:​

  • Connection: Guitar -> Axe-Fx III -> Effects Loop of Amp
  • Output: Connect the output of the Axe-Fx III to the effects loop return of your amplifier.
  • Monitor: Set the amplifier to a clean setting, and the Axe-Fx III will handle the preamp and effects processing.
This setup allows you to utilize the preamp and effects of the Axe-Fx III while using the power amp and speakers of your traditional amplifier.

Tips:​

  • Preamp Bypass:If using the Axe-Fx III into the effects loop return of an amplifier, you may want to bypass the preamp section of the amp. This depends on the specific setup and personal preference.
  • Output Wattage:The Axe-Fx III itself doesn't have a power amp section. If you're using it into a power amp, the power amp's wattage will determine the volume. If you're using it direct to a mixer or audio interface, there's no traditional power amp involved.
  • Global EQ:Consider using the Global EQ in the Axe-Fx III to match the output to different scenarios (studio monitors, live PA, guitar cabinet, etc.).
Always consult the manuals for your specific gear and experiment to find the setup that works best for your preferences and playing situations. The Axe-Fx III provides a lot of flexibility, and there's often no one "correct" way to use it—it depends on your needs and sonic preferences.
 
GlennO said:
Here’s a recent forum question that, understandably, got a RTFM response from a forum member. Imagine if instead of posting on the forum, the question was directed to ChatGPT.

You:
I'll start by saying that I'm an old-school player, and in the past, I've used walls of Marshall stacks and rack-mounted signal processing gear like the TC-2290 when playing live gigs. I've now spent many hours watching videos and hearing the awesome tone being produced by the Axe-FX, but no one explains how to hook one of these things up.

So, my question is, how do you hook one of these things up? What is the signal chain? Is the Axe-FX like a Marshall 100 Watt head that you just plug your guitar into and then take the output of the Axe-FX III into a speaker cabinet? If yes, then what is the output wattage of the Axe-FX. If not, then where does the output of the FX III go? Does it go to the input jack of a Marshall (or similar) head? Do I need to somehow bypass the preamp section of the Marshall head and insert the Axe-FX there?


ChatGPT:
The Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III is a powerful digital guitar processor that emulates a wide range of amplifiers, cabinets, and effects. It's a versatile unit that can be used in various ways, including direct to a mixer or audio interface, into a power amp and guitar cabinet, or in combination with a traditional amplifier.

Here's a basic guide on how to set up the Axe-Fx III in different scenarios:

1. Direct to Mixer or Audio Interface:​

  • Connection: Guitar -> Axe-Fx III -> Mixer or Audio Interface
  • Output: Use the main left/right outputs or send individual outputs for different processed signals.
  • Monitor: If you're playing through studio monitors, powered speakers, or headphones, connect them to the mixer or audio interface.
This setup is suitable for recording, home practice, or playing through a PA system.

2. Into a Power Amp and Guitar Cabinet:​

  • Connection: Guitar -> Axe-Fx III -> Power Amp -> Guitar Cabinet
  • Output: Use the "Mono" or "Stereo" output(s) from the Axe-Fx III into the power amp, then connect the power amp to your guitar cabinet(s).
  • Monitor: The guitar cabinet will be your main source of sound.
This setup is similar to the traditional guitar amp setup but replaces the physical amplifier head with the digital processing power of the Axe-Fx III.

3. Combining with a Traditional Amplifier:​

  • Connection: Guitar -> Axe-Fx III -> Effects Loop of Amp
  • Output: Connect the output of the Axe-Fx III to the effects loop return of your amplifier.
  • Monitor: Set the amplifier to a clean setting, and the Axe-Fx III will handle the preamp and effects processing.
This setup allows you to utilize the preamp and effects of the Axe-Fx III while using the power amp and speakers of your traditional amplifier.

Tips:​

  • Preamp Bypass:If using the Axe-Fx III into the effects loop return of an amplifier, you may want to bypass the preamp section of the amp. This depends on the specific setup and personal preference.
  • Output Wattage:The Axe-Fx III itself doesn't have a power amp section. If you're using it into a power amp, the power amp's wattage will determine the volume. If you're using it direct to a mixer or audio interface, there's no traditional power amp involved.
  • Global EQ:Consider using the Global EQ in the Axe-Fx III to match the output to different scenarios (studio monitors, live PA, guitar cabinet, etc.).
Always consult the manuals for your specific gear and experiment to find the setup that works best for your preferences and playing situations. The Axe-Fx III provides a lot of flexibility, and there's often no one "correct" way to use it—it depends on your needs and sonic preferences.
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Why did you consider the RTFM response understandable?
 
It does a good job with many questions and obviously has much potential, but here’s one where it overlooked the global cab disable as a good/best solution that was in the response they got on the forum. It also overlooked a second solution that was provided on the forum regarding dual output routings in the preset.


You
1. When playing out, I use a poweramp & cab, and therefore don't want cab sim enabled in the unit.
2. Practicing at home is via headphones, and therefore needs cab sim.
3. If at all possible, want to use same setup for #1 and #2 so don't have to duplicate work when changing presets.

What's the best way to accomplish this "simply"?



ChatGPT
Achieving a setup that works for both live performances with a power amp and cab and home practice with headphones and cab simulation can be accomplished with some strategic planning in your presets. Here's a simple approach to set this up using the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III:

1. Create Dual Cab and No Cab Presets:​

Preset for Live Performances:​

  • Connection: Guitar -> Axe-Fx III -> Power Amp -> Guitar Cabinet
  • Cab Sim: Disable the cab simulation on the Cab Block (or remove the Cab Block entirely).
  • Output: Set the output mode to Mono or Stereo, depending on your live setup.

Preset for Home Practice:​

  • Connection: Guitar -> Axe-Fx III -> Headphones
  • Cab Sim: Enable the cab simulation on the Cab Block.
  • Output: Use the headphone output of the Axe-Fx III.

2. Shared Effects and Amp Blocks:​

In both presets, you can share the same effects and amp settings to avoid duplicating work. Here's how:
  • Common Effects and Amp Settings:
    • Create a preset with all your common effects and amp settings.
    • Save this preset as a template or a starting point.
  • Copy Effects and Amp to Live and Home Presets:
    • For each specific live or home preset, copy the desired effects and amp settings from the template.
    • Adjust the cab sim settings based on whether it's a live or home preset.

3. Global EQ for Output Matching:​

If you find that there are tonal differences between playing through a cab and using headphones, you can use the Global EQ to help match the output. This can be useful for compensating for differences in frequency response.
  • Global EQ:
    • In the Global menu, go to the EQ tab.
    • Adjust the EQ settings to match the tonal characteristics you prefer for both live and home scenarios.

4. Scene Switching:​

Utilize scenes within a preset to make seamless transitions between the live and home setups. For example:
  • Scene 1 (Live):
    • Cab sim off.
    • Power amp and cab used.
  • Scene 2 (Home):
    • Cab sim on.
    • Headphones used.

5. Bypassing Blocks:​

If you want a more straightforward solution and don't mind the transition being a bit less seamless, you can also manually bypass the Cab Block when playing live and enable it when practicing at home.
Remember to save your presets regularly as you make changes, and consider documenting your setup for future reference. With this approach, you can easily switch between live performances and home practice without duplicating work in every preset.
 
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Alex Kolund said:
Why did you consider the RTFM response understandable?
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I can’t speak for @GlennO, but here’s one possible reason:

After typing out the same responses to the same questions for years on end, it can become tedious and frustrating to read the feckin’ manual (RTFM) to people over and over again. At that point, you’re inclined to encourage them to read it to themselves. It’s the same amount of work for the people asking the question, but significantly less work for the people typing out the answers over and over.
 
One barrier to making this work is graphics. On both ends.

A lot of good information about the Axe-FX (or anything for that matter) is in graphics. For example diagrams in the user manual or on the forum, or in youtube videos. That information is unavailable to be incorporated into the model.

Many answers to questions require a diagram to clearly explain the solution. While the answer above about connecting to a cabinet is technically correct, it would be far better to explain it with diagrams. ChatGPT cannot do that.
 
GlennO said:
One barrier to making this work is graphics. On both ends.

A lot of good information about the Axe-FX (or anything for that matter) is in graphics. For example diagrams in the user manual or on the forum, or in youtube videos. That information is unavailable to be incorporated into the model.

Many answers to questions require a diagram to clearly explain the solution. While the answer above about connecting to a cabinet is technically correct, it would be far better to explain it with diagrams. ChatGPT cannot do that.
Click to expand...

Good point. The default version of ChatGPT 4 can produce images - they're more pretty than helpful - but custom GPTs can't do that, yet.
 
Alex Kolund said:
View attachment 129881
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I asked it explicitly about CPU usage for different blocks and the docs in the GPT don't contain this info. I know it's somewhere. I tried searching the wiki but couldn't find the CPU usage tables.

This info (and the wiki info) would be great to incorporate. I think the playground version can be configured look at links as needed or requested.
 
I think it is awesome that the OP is applying AI tech to provide an alternate method to access the knowledge-base currently available for Fractal products. So what if it is not perfect yet. Although it is important to know where the information is flawed or incomplete, there is real potential here. It doesn't need to replace the indispensable institutional knowledge of experienced forum members. It can just be a valuable additional resource. Keep it up @Alex Kolund, really impressive effort so far. This could be a fantastic method for consolidating and cross-referencing information from multiple manuals and even authoritative posts from the forum and providing a unified method for getting questions answered instantly. Wouldn't be surprised to see this maturing into a very robust way to get assistance within the next few years if not sooner. Just don't give it the nuclear codes :grin:
 
Uhhhhh..

You
What is the longest delay I can set from these blocks: delay, plex, multidelay? Give references

Fractal-GPT
The Fractal Audio FM9 is a highly versatile and feature-rich guitar modeler and effects processor. It offers a wide range of capabilities for guitarists seeking a comprehensive solution for both live performance and studio work. Here are some key features and functionalities of the FM9:
  1. Amp Modeling: The FM9 boasts advanced amp modeling technology, providing users with a vast array of authentic-sounding guitar amp simulations. This includes models of classic and modern amplifiers, allowing users to achieve a wide variety of tones.
  2. Effects Processing: The unit comes loaded with a multitude of effects, ranging from basic stompbox-style effects to complex studio-grade processors. This includes delays, reverbs, modulations, distortions, and more.
  3. User Interface: The FM9 features a user-friendly interface with a large display for easy navigation. It allows for deep editing of parameters, making it possible to fine-tune every aspect of the sound.
  4. Preset Management: Users can store and recall a large number of presets, with easy switching between them. This is particularly useful for live performances where quick changes are needed.
  5. Connectivity: The FM9 offers various connectivity options, including USB for direct recording and software integration, MIDI for external control, and traditional guitar input/output jacks.
  6. Integration with Fractal-Bot: The FM9 can be integrated with Fractal-Bot, a utility for managing firmware updates and backups. This makes it easy to keep the unit updated with the latest features and improvements.
  7. Footswitch Functionality: The FM9 supports extensive footswitch functionality, allowing users to control various aspects of their sound in real-time. This includes switching presets, toggling effects, and controlling parameters.
  8. Looper Function: The FM9 includes a looper function, which is useful for creating layered sounds or practicing.
  9. Customizable Signal Chain: Users can customize the signal chain, placing effects and amp models in any order. This flexibility allows for creative sound design and tailoring the unit to specific needs.
  10. Firmware Updates: Fractal Audio regularly releases firmware updates for the FM9, adding new features, improving existing ones, and fixing any known issues. Users are encouraged to keep their units updated for optimal performance.
These features make the FM9 a comprehensive solution for guitarists seeking high-quality amp modeling and effects processing in a single unit. Its combination of sound quality, flexibility, and user-friendly design has made it a popular choice among both amateur and professional guitarists.


You
you didn't answer my question

Fractal-GPT
I apologize for the inconvenience. Please restate your specific question about Fractal's guitar modelers, and I will provide you with the most accurate and detailed answer based on my knowledge source.


You
What is the longest delay I can set in these blocks: delay, plex, multidelay? Give references

Fractal-GPT
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