Picked Up Another Modeler While Waiting

MrCrossroads83 said:
No competitors for the FM 3 on this photo 🤷‍♂️😀
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I gotta say I am VERY impressed with the Kemper. It is super versatile and the tones you get out of it are amazing (they’re virtually indistinguishable from the real thing) Initially getting acclimated to the user interface is a challenge (Helix really nails this aspect) but ounce you do it’s well worth the effort. The whole approach to dialing in a “performance” in the Kemper is so completely different than the Helix. The FM3 will be my first Fractal product so I’m really curious to see what that experience will be like.
 
CCOLE74 said:
I gotta say I am VERY impressed with the Kemper. It is super versatile and the tones you get out of it are amazing (they’re virtually indistinguishable from the real thing) Initially getting acclimated to the user interface is a challenge (Helix really nails this aspect) but ounce you do it’s well worth the effort. The whole approach to dialing in a “performance” in the Kemper is so completely different than the Helix. The FM3 will be my first Fractal product so I’m really curious to see what that experience will be like.
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Yes, the sounds are good but I tried the Kemper Stage and as I wrote before in this forum the sounds felt like "snapshots" of good sounds.
These might work for recording but I did not feel comfortable while playing as it was not as dynamic and "elastic" as FAS amp modeling.
Hard to describe... but I can understand why so much guitarist with high gain sounds stick to Kemper -> if you play Heavy Metal or really high distortion you wanna have that wall of sound but just listen to the Vox AC 20 model in the new FM 3 clips of Keven and Cooper.....it is just fantastic how reactive it is on low gain....the Kemper does not do the same in my oppinion ;)

But at the end of the day everyone has to find the unit that works well for him :)
 
MrCrossroads83 said:
Yes, the sounds are good but I tried the Kemper Stage and as I wrote before in this forum the sounds felt like "snapshots" of good sounds.
These might work for recording but I did not feel comfortable while playing as it was not as dynamic and "elastic" as FAS amp modeling.
Hard to describe... but I can understand why so much guitarist with high gain sounds stick to Kemper -> if you play Heavy Metal or really high distortion you wanna have that wall of sound but just listen to the Vox AC 20 model in the new FM 3 clips of Keven and Cooper.....it is just fantastic how reactive it is on low gain....the Kemper does not do the same in my oppinion ;)

But at the end of the day everyone has to find the unit that works well for him :)
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Ya I here guys say Kemper is the best for “Metal” or “Djent” but few of my favorite “djent” bands I’ve seen live actually use fractal (Teseract is one example) I only do the Sunday morning worship thing with the Kemper. Just gig’d it yesterday morning for the first time and I’ve never heard any modeler sound better in the mix straight to front of house (haven’t had the opportunity to try a fractal yet though so....) all I play is low gain edge of break up with verbs and delays occasionally hitting medium gain tones, also lots of modern worship tunes use chorus and pitch shifters. The Kempers effects sound amazing as well. I’m more impressed with the ways you can subtle control “pushing” the gain on amps from a pristine clean to edge of break up tone by simply pressing the patch button a second time to “morph” the tone. It feels so natural. I’m not a fanboy of any product so I’m completely open minded and really expect to be blown away by fractal when I finally get my hands on one. For now Kemper beats Helix by a mile in my book.
 
Ya I here guys say Kemper is the best for “Metal” or “Djent” but few of my favorite “djent” bands I’ve seen live actually use fractal (Teseract is one example) I only do the Sunday morning worship thing with the Kemper. Just gig’d it yesterday morning for the first time and I’ve never heard any modeler sound better in the mix straight to front of house (haven’t had the opportunity to try a fractal yet though so....) all I play is low gain edge of break up with verbs and delays occasionally hitting medium gain tones, also lots of modern worship tunes use chorus and pitch shifters. The Kempers effects sound amazing as well. I’m more impressed with the ways you can subtle control “pushing” the gain on amps from a pristine clean to edge of break up tone by simply pressing the patch button a second time to “morph” the tone. It feels so natural. I’m not a fanboy of any product so I’m completely open minded and really expect to be blown away by fractal when I finally get my hands on one. For now Kemper beats Helix by a mile in my book.

Helix is a different ballpark than Fractal Audio and Kemper, Line 6 was never on the same level even when they really improved their modeling with the Helix.
If Kemper works great for you at sunday morning worship :-D (I did sunday morning worship gigs too at the end of the 90s as a young boy with a woman and her daughter, three acoustic guitars singing songs in the church one day each month :-D) then it is the best unit for you.

But as you wrote: You never „heard“ better sounding guitar tone through PA and Kemper is legendary for accurate copies of great sound and even tweaking them and the profile of Tonejunkies „John Mayer No. 1 amp“ made me purchase the Kemper Profiler stage but when I played it I realised a big difference to Fractal Audio in terms of translating picking dynamics.
I was so happy with the AX 8 ampmodeling that I can only dream of the FM 3 when people say it is even better and more realistic :)
If you ever have the chance to try Fractal Audio ampmodeling just do it but don`t blame me for not wanting the Kemper after that experience anymore ;-)
 
MrCrossroads83 said:
Ya I here guys say Kemper is the best for “Metal” or “Djent” but few of my favorite “djent” bands I’ve seen live actually use fractal (Teseract is one example) I only do the Sunday morning worship thing with the Kemper. Just gig’d it yesterday morning for the first time and I’ve never heard any modeler sound better in the mix straight to front of house (haven’t had the opportunity to try a fractal yet though so....) all I play is low gain edge of break up with verbs and delays occasionally hitting medium gain tones, also lots of modern worship tunes use chorus and pitch shifters. The Kempers effects sound amazing as well. I’m more impressed with the ways you can subtle control “pushing” the gain on amps from a pristine clean to edge of break up tone by simply pressing the patch button a second time to “morph” the tone. It feels so natural. I’m not a fanboy of any product so I’m completely open minded and really expect to be blown away by fractal when I finally get my hands on one. For now Kemper beats Helix by a mile in my book.

Helix is a different ballpark than Fractal Audio and Kemper, Line 6 was never on the same level even when they really improved their modeling with the Helix.
If Kemper works great for you at sunday morning worship :-D (I did sunday morning worship gigs too at the end of the 90s as a young boy with a woman and her daughter, three acoustic guitars singing songs in the church one day each month :-D) then it is the best unit for you.

But as you wrote: You never „heard“ better sounding guitar tone through PA and Kemper is legendary for accurate copies of great sound and even tweaking them and the profile of Tonejunkies „John Mayer No. 1 amp“ made me purchase the Kemper Profiler stage but when I played it I realised a big difference to Fractal Audio in terms of translating picking dynamics.
I was so happy with the AX 8 ampmodeling that I can only dream of the FM 3 when people say it is even better and more realistic :)
If you ever have the chance to try Fractal Audio ampmodeling just do it but don`t blame me for not wanting the Kemper after that experience anymore ;-)
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Oh I’m definitely grabbing the FM3 when my number comes up so I’ll have my chance, can’t wait. I’m 41, been playing in live acts for about 25 yrs. Played everything from Punk Rock to Prog Rock to Heavy Rock (you can check out the last band I was in here https://www.youtube.com/user/SignsOfReason if your interested) but everything was pretty high gain. Settled into family life with kids and the touring rock band thing just didn’t fit into my lifestyle anymore. But I’ve got to say playing Sunday mornings here in TX I’ve played to the biggest crowds of my life with some of the most professional front of house guys with the best gear and best musicians I’ve ever played with. It’s funny how things turn out. Anyway the low gain blues/country/modern worship edge of break up tones have been the most elusive sounds to find that are actually convincing. Really looking forward to hearing Fractal for myself in real life situations to see how it stacks up.
 
Ah ok, I thought that you ment gigs in a church with „sunday morning worship“... :-D
Here in germany there a not so many options to play live on sunday morning, I wish it would be different ;-)
Ok, I am 36 but my live playing period in different live bands was kind of the same thing....kids and family is a big difference and I can tell you that playing with my Fractal Audio AX 8 with good studio headphones (AKG) is a real pleasure even the days when my son was very young and playing had be to quiet in the evening.
You hear every nuance of your playing dynamics.
I only wished I had FAS gear back in those days....when there was no space or time to dial in with a tube amp I took Line 6 gear and it was always a compromise.
Playing with professional FOH guys is always a big fun as you can concentrate on your playing instead of dealing with technical issues or bad on stage sound.

Good times in general for all of us guitarists now....when I started playing electric guitar in 1995 everything at the size of the FM 3 sounded like a bag filled with shellfish :-D
 
MrCrossroads83 said:
Helix is a different ballpark than Fractal Audio and Kemper, Line 6 was never on the same level even when they really improved their modeling with the Helix.
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I have to disagree here. I heard LRB (Little River Band) the other day here in Phoenix. Both guitarists were using Helix Floor units and the sound was just amazing. I own both a Helix LT and AXE3. I have had a Kemper Power Rack Previously. I think they are all great units and any one of them can get you where you want to go as far as great sounds. That said I am looking forward to receiving my FM3 as I have chosen Fractal as my main gigging solution. I feel their combination of sound and functionality work best for my current situation.
 
So I’ve had my Axe-FX III for a little over two weeks now and I am just absolutely floored by this thing. If it’s any indication of what the FM3 will be like, I’m sold.

I find myself tweaking amp models that I’d typically never even bother auditioning. Many of these models have given my guitars a new life and the tones I’ve been playing with have been inspiring my to go out of my comfort zone and think outside of the box when writing material.

The “feel” and how the amp models respond to the dynamics of picking is something you just don’t find in most modern modelerselieve me when I say I’ve tried them all.

I can’t wait to have all of this in a compact floor model. Well done Cliff and FAS team!
 
lyricbread said:
Sorry if this is off topic...

I tried a Line 6 HX Stomp. I thought it would hold me over until I got my hands on an FM3, but I just wasn’t connecting with it. I sold it the very next day.

So I decided to try something else. I guess you could say it’s ok. 😂
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Haha, I saw the topic and thought it was a troll starting shit... Nice job lol. The Axe FX III is an amazing piece of technology. Plus it supports two amp blocks for stereo blends of two different amp tone... yummy!!!
 
lyricbread said:
So I’ve had my Axe-FX III for a little over two weeks now and I am just absolutely floored by this thing. If it’s any indication of what the FM3 will be like, I’m sold.

I find myself tweaking amp models that I’d typically never even bother auditioning. Many of these models have given my guitars a new life and the tones I’ve been playing with have been inspiring my to go out of my comfort zone and think outside of the box when writing material.

The “feel” and how the amp models respond to the dynamics of picking is something you just don’t find in most modern modelerselieve me when I say I’ve tried them all.

I can’t wait to have all of this in a compact floor model. Well done Cliff and FAS team!
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It just sounds really really good, doesn't it! Congrats!
 
lyricbread said:
Yes. Coming from an AX8, I wasn’t sure it would be that big of a difference. The difference is huge.
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I have nothing to compare to, other than tube amps. I only started using Fractal products a year ago from last December. I was going crazy experimenting with dual amps in stereo, massive pedal boards and PBC units. Then I was frustrated because I wanted delay effects in front of the preamp on some songs, but after on other. Not easily done with an analog/stereo system. Then I read about the Axe FX III, saw what it was capable of and the rest is history.
 
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