I'm a bedroom player with the following goals, what gear would you recommend?

Anything that inspires you to play more whether it's due to ease of use (flip a switch, plug in your favorite axe etc) or the quality of the sounds you hear then it's worth it IMO. In January of 2020 I had some ankle/tendon surgery which put me on the couch for 2wks so I bought a used Helix Stomp while I waited (and waited) for my FM3 pre-order thinking since I had "free time" I might pick up and play more/again after not doing so in a serious manner for a couple years.. Well, the simpleness of the HX Stomp definitely reinvigorated my interesting in playing and getting better through practice and when my FM3 arrived a couple months later I was hooked.. I still play and buy tube amps from time to time and buy pedals to have the "real thing" at my disposal, but man, if I don't spend 90% of my time playing through modelers/digital stuff I don't think I'd ever have become the bedroom/basement virtuoso that I am today! ;) To me, $1000 is worth every penny even if I never play out in front of real people or anyone ever hears me by accident.
I use Rokit 5 monitors and a couple different headphone setups that are both wireless/lag free.. Sennheiser HD130s and SteelSeries Arctic Pros.. Lag/latency is a buzz kill so I am pretty happy with this setup. FWIW, I also use NeuralDSP plugins, UAD and after all is spent and done the Fractal stuff just IS better quality for one and variety per $1 spent!
 
I guess it depends on how you view overkill. I'd venture a guess and say it's overkill for 95% of it's users (myself included) if the criteria is using it up to it's potential. The way I look at it, it's a bargain. For example, I've always wanted a dual rectifier. For that and cab, I'd be paying ~2k used (already double the cost of the FM3) and then another few hundred on a reactive load box because it's not exactly practical to crank an amp like that at home, and then I would still need studio monitors or something anyway. Can't have a dual rec without an OD, so there's another $100. I also discovered the Cameron Atomica, which is my favourite amp in the FM3. I would have probably never even known this amp existed if it wasn't for Fractal and Leon Todd (FYI if you haven't already, check out Leon's videos) If I wanted one of those, I'd have to first find one, and then throw 3-4K into that rig. If those were the only 2 amps I'd ever use, it would be well worth the money. But those aren't the only 2 I use. I choose something different for my clean sounds, so one of the fender or Vox or Marshall JTM flavours, depending on what I want to play. Can you get a single amp with good gain and decent clean, sure. Why not get the best of both worlds and mix and match with the help of the channels feature? When you look at it from that perspective, it's a massive bargain.

You can get similar options from plug-ins, but then you're likely buying more than one plug in for variety. Then you have the issue of foot switches if you want to do any switching between clean/gain sounds and on/off for effects. You then need to figure out how to set that all up to work properly (not always easy) Once you through in a wireless midi controller or something that's capable of doing that, you're starting to approach the cost of the FM3 anyway and you have a much less user friendly and portable rig to do a fraction of what the FM3 can do.
 
The FM3 is the greatest guitar gadget ever made, aside from it's big brothers. Buy a decent monitoring solution and you now have more amps than you will ever use, and all the effects you would need. All for the price of one good tube amplifier.
 
Coming from an AX8 I got an AX3. Not because I needed it, but because I could grow into it. That's the thing with Fractal stuff. Nobody NEEEEEDS all the stuff that they cram into these little units. But all that stuff? it's there for you if or when the day comes you want to change, or, if you need to change.

Overkill today is just headroom to allow that change and growth tomorrow.

My way of thinking would be .. I have spent the money. If it turns out that it's more than I need today, I won't need to worry about upgrading - spending more money - on something similar, anytime soon.

Don't get me wrong, I'll ALWAYS find stuff to spend money on! :0) ...But a new rack guitar processor isn't in the cards for a good long while! :0)

Whatever you decide: All the best.
 
The POD was introduced in 1998. At that time PCs were running Windows 98 and Macs were using PowerPC chips. Today my PowerPC Mac Mini doesn’t work, even as a doorstop, and for some unknown reason my PC of that vintage just kept getting slower and slower to the point where it was unusable - I think it’s called software bloat :eek:

On the other hand, despite current generation of modellers having evolved dramatically, due in no small part to Cliff’s innovations, the POD 1.0* stored in my cupboard still does exactly what it was designed to do.

* My experience with the POD had me believe I would never try modelling again. But after reading about the latest generation of devices I decided to retest the waters. It has still been a bit of an uphill battle and the previous 3 devices I bought continued to leave me with a general sense of doubt and unease. But the FM3, and specifically the introduction of Cygnus, finally has my ears and fingers convinced.
 
Guitarzan5150 said:
I'd venture a guess and say it's overkill for 95% of it's users (myself included) if the criteria is using it up to it's potential.
Click to expand...

I think that number is 100%.

It doesn't bother me that I only ever use about 4 amps. They're really good amps. And, really, I could only use one and still be happy with it.
 
My $0.2: I have spent a long time using headphones playing guitar in various university flats where I didn't have the luxury to even use Bluetooth speakers to listen to music. I started from BIAS FX, went over to a small hybrid amp (Orange Micro Dark), moved over to Neural DSP, and finally decided to get an FM3. In my experience, plugins like BIAS can be quite flexible (TH-3, Amplitube, etc.) can be VERY flexible and can be quite inspiring, but they aren't up to the mark and can give you ear fatigue very quickly. Hybrid amps involve convoluted logistics where you have to have the right PSUs, buy individual pedals for specific sounds, and in general can quickly add up, both in terms of money and space. Plugins like the Neural DSP stuff sound excellent and are right up there with the best modeling stuff for the large part. But I have two problems with Neural and other comparable brands: 1. they have very CPU intensive plugins and after a point, it is funny how much power they need to do very little stuff even when you have two instances of a plugin running; 2. their plugins don't have the diversity of a BIAS FX/TH-3/Amplitube and they keep offering similar amps/sound with each new plugin, which makes buying a whole new plugin for over a 100 bucks a bit of a ridiculous exercise just to have one or two extra features. The FM3 ticks all the right boxes and has almost no downsides when considering silent/low-volume playing. Not only will you be able to get the best tones at whisper-quiet volumes, but you also will never run out of inspiration as the unit is capable of producing almost every sound that you can think of. It has it all: versatility, choices, tones, volume, convenience. The FM3 is the best silent/low-volume/at-home guitar-playing solution at that price point. Makes me regret spending all that money on all the other stuff (some of which I have since sold off and funded my FM3 so win-win!)
 
I just copped one off the site too dude. Didn't know they were going for that price new with a warranty.

Upgrading from an ultra (2007?- ) Excited for it to come !🙃

Maybe Fractal will give you a finders fee ;)
 
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After receiving close to 30 responses, I will add one more point in favor of Fractal: the community is responsive, enthusiastic, and helpful(*). They should add that to the product description of the FM3.

My take aways from this thread:
  • The FM3 will keep getting more and more features. With a plugin, you get 1-4 excellent amps and cabs, with a modeler you get 300x-500x that amount with more on the way.
  • Dedicated hardware is a lot more long-lived than a computer, which are nowadays planned for obsolescence. It also shields you from everything your computer goes through -- if I update Firefox and that pegs my CPU, now I can't play. Also, my FM3 will get no viruses!
  • One doesn't need to use every knob and switch on a Fractal unit for it to be "worth it". Even using a single amp is already cheaper than buying one - that's what a plugin offers me as well, but again, my FM3 will see updates for years.
  • Latency is there anyways, even in a live band situation.
  • Reframe "overkill" to "potential".
  • Inspiration has no price.
At the end of the day, I wanted to play with the very best, and so I bought a Fractal unit.

Thank you everyone for talking me through this.

(*) Not that Neural's isn't, but I'm glad to have discovered that Fractal's is as well.
 
Glad you decided that Fractal Audio is best for you. I agree that it is the most inspirational way to play, without any of the distractions of a computer. We'll remain happy to help in any way as you enjoy the ride and get back into playing the guitar after your break!
 
My bedroom rig:

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Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.... ;)
 
I was just jamming some Boston, Blink 182, and Van Halen, and man had I massively underestimated the joy that playing with the correct tone gives. Previously I would have just used amp three on Archetype: Nolly for all three of those and call it a day, but as much as I love that amp(*), there was so much more inspiration and joy when playing with tone-accurate settings. I had no idea Tom DeLonge used to play Rectos?

Also, I got myself a pair of used Adam AX7s, and will be returning the Rokits. Can't have entry level monitors with the best digital unit out there. It turns out that I can't/shouldn't place mi monitors on my desk, and now I also need to buy a pair of monitor stands. This hobby is not cheap - I'm grateful for Reverb and second hand gear.

(*) Download Steven Ward's presets and try "Gojira Lead". It sounds huge.
 
I have PreSonus E5s for chrissakes and I always liked them with the ultra. Sure I'll stick with them with the FM3 upgrade. Idk, reviews were all over the place but I got 2 powered for $150 so kinda hard not to take that...

They end up being great, for my ears at least.
 
Yep. Good move. Night and day right? When it first came I plugged my headphones ins audio techincas, and didn't love it, but once I got done being lazy and turned on my E5s my first strum was like "holy shit, these units have really gotten MUCH better over the years
 
Another thing I like is the fm3 says "modeler" on it so after all these years of using a white lie about my ultra, now my conscience is clear 😁
 
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