New FM3 ordered - questions.

T

thepacifist20130

Inspired
Hi Folks,
I just order a new FM3. I used to own a standard and an AX8 - both stellar units. Can’t wait to try the FM3 (my gripe with the AX8 was that it was there on the tone but not on the feel and immediacy of a real amp)

I”for the AX8, the standard presets that came with the unit did not come close. I bought some preset packs which made it sound right.

Does the FM3 also require third party presets or do you guys think the standard presets do a nice job? I am a amp, cab (and maybe drive, reverbs and delay) kind of guy and really hoping there are presets in there which make the amp modeling shine.
 
Hi I've had my FM3 for about a month and it is nothing less than amazing.
The factory presets a good, and you can get other ideas from AxeChange, purchase from the web, lots of options.
I've found the unit very easy to work and set up like any other amp / pedal board by tweaking and testing.
The biggest hurdle for me has been getting used to creating unique Scenes and not tweaking the sound for one scene when using the same block channel for another....Gotta pay attention.
You're gonna love it !!!
 
I am new to moddlers and purchased my FM3 last July after a friend let me borrow his and I was blown away.

It has gotten better and better since then. I tend to find presets that will work with the style of music I am writing and tweak them a bit to my liking. There are many presets that are great right out of the box!

It's an incredible unit that has sparked a creative explosion in me. I have been writing, recording, mixing, mastering songs since the 90's. Since I purchased the FM3 I have written 18 in less than a year. Thanks Fractal!
 
thepacifist20130 said:
Hi Folks,
I just order a new FM3. I used to own a standard and an AX8 - both stellar units. Can’t wait to try the FM3 (my gripe with the AX8 was that it was there on the tone but not on the feel and immediacy of a real amp)

I”for the AX8, the standard presets that came with the unit did not come close. I bought some preset packs which made it sound right.

Does the FM3 also require third party presets or do you guys think the standard presets do a nice job? I am a amp, cab (and maybe drive, reverbs and delay) kind of guy and really hoping there are presets in there which make the amp modeling shine.
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Plenty of great tones in the stock presets. I have used the stock presets for various recordings, or based my preset on the stock preset amps.
 
While there are definitely some cool 3rd party IRs and presets, I'd really encourage you to start with what's in the box. It's really easy to get overwhelmed by choice and spend a lot of time messing around and not actually playing, and this is made worse by adding more variables to the mix.

I was a modeling skeptic and a lot of the stock presets really shocked me at how good they were with very little to in some cases no tweaks at all. I think to some extent you need to tune the preset for the guitar you're using (ie for a single coil guitar versus a humbucker at a macro level), but it should be minor EQ stuff.
 
Admin M@ said:
What are you connecting it to for monitoring?
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I have a couple of options. The one that is m trying to go with is a line6 powercab. It sounded decent with my ax8.

I am also in the process of building a celestial specced cab with the F12-X200.

The third option that I may pursue is a mission engineering 1. There are a couple of used ones on guitar center that are priced decently.
 
I've never used the stock presets or bought third party presets. Just make your own - it takes just a few minutes with FM3-Edit. Then save your favourite block settings in the library so when you create a new preset you're not starting from scratch - for example, load the amp block, then for each scene load in your favourite amp block settings that you've previously saved in the library. Once you have a bunch of core presets that you love, you can copy those and modify them when needed but your core blocks, routings, controller assignments, etc. are already there as a starting point.
 
Definitely go thru the presets. Learn the machine. Then Tweak some presets to your liking. Plenty of time to create your own. The "dreaded presets" are one of the biggest debates on this forum-forever. Personally I have always found them excellent, especially since the FM3, FM9 and the AXFXIII..
Be your own judge-..................
One of the reasons I say "go thru the presets is: You now have a zillion delays, drive pedals, choruses, flanges, reverbs, etc, etc, etc. You hear a delay you like, look and see which delay it is and how it's setup. etc, etc, etc................
 
Never played an AX-8, but have owned several different modelers. I immediately knew this thing was on a different level. That was the Aries FW; we're now onto Cygnus. I'm going to say that there is a factory preset that will get you close to almost any tone you need. These are hands down the best factory presets I've ever experienced. You'll love it.
 
Stratman68 said:
Definitely go thru the presets. Learn the machine. Then Tweak some presets to your liking. Plenty of time to create your own. The "dreaded presets" are one of the biggest debates on this forum-forever. Personally I have always found them excellent, especially since the FM3, FM9 and the AXFXIII..
Be your own judge-..................
One of the reasons I say "go thru the presets is: You now have a zillion delays, drive pedals, choruses, flanges, reverbs, etc, etc, etc. You hear a delay you like, look and see which delay it is and how it's setup. etc, etc, etc................
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The factory presets are like a class in how to use the modeler. I've been through the presets several times and each time I see/learn something new. It's pretty amazing how much control they give us over our sound.
 
Ajegwu said:
I find Austin Buddy’s Live Gold pack to be indispensable.
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+1 to this comment. He seems to have a knack for making all (or nearly all) of the amp models sound great. Austin Buddy has saved me so much time.

That being said, the stock presets do provide some really great tones (esp on the effects) and I regularly "data mine" them and consign blocks to my block library (as already suggested by @Rumbletone).

There are also a lot of great video resources on YT - I highly recommend Leon Todd (@2112) and Cooper Carters'.
 
Actually there are a few sample presets from Austin Buddy available. I would recommend OP try them out.
 
There's also at least one (?) in the factory presets - Bogner XTC, towards the very end; I think Austin Buddy worked on the factory preset levelling too.

There are also a couple (?) by Leon Todd, Cooper Carter (including an awesome JP2C+ preset) and Burgs (Brett Kingman).
 
I loved Austinbuddy’s presets for my AX8. I think it’s time to look into the ones he has for the FM3.

I am not much of a tinkerer - especially when it comes to guitar. I understand that Fractalaudio’s product philosophy is to provide the end user with as much flexibility as can be offered. However that’s not my cup of tea. I simply like to sit down with a guitar plugged in to an amp, and either practice or noodle. I’m finding that the FM3 allows me to do exactly that. I’m on a clean amp preset, and 5-10 mins into playing, apart from my ears not bleeding, I forget that I’m plugged into a processor and not a real amp.
 
thepacifist20130 said:
I loved Austinbuddy’s presets for my AX8. I think it’s time to look into the ones he has for the FM3.

I am not much of a tinkerer - especially when it comes to guitar. I understand that Fractalaudio’s product philosophy is to provide the end user with as much flexibility as can be offered. However that’s not my cup of tea. I simply like to sit down with a guitar plugged in to an amp, and either practice or noodle. I’m finding that the FM3 allows me to do exactly that. I’m on a clean amp preset, and 5-10 mins into playing, apart from my ears not bleeding, I forget that I’m plugged into a processor and not a real amp.
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I think you have answered your own question.
 
FM3 was the first Fractal product I bought. From day one, I've never used much those factory presets but directly started crafting my own.

I can't think any situation where I would buy a preset, it is just too much fun to do them myself.
 
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