Recommend me the best solution to run the FM3 through?

R

Rock72

Member
Years ago I had an Axe FxIi, but solded it as was overwhelmed. Went back to tube amps. Now I just got an FM3, and want to ask for some advice:

For home use where volume is an issue (appartmenr), would you go for studio monitors or an FRFR cab? I run in through my amp now, but have to turn the volume way down and it sounds «thin» and « weak» Through it. So which of the two above would work best in a low - volume situation?
 
Rock72 said:
Years ago I had an Axe FxIi, but solded it as was overwhelmed. Went back to tube amps. Now I just got an FM3, and want to ask for some advice:

For home use where volume is an issue (appartmenr), would you go for studio monitors or an FRFR cab? I run in through my amp now, but have to turn the volume way down and it sounds «thin» and « weak» Through it. So which of the two above would work best in a low - volume situation?
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A pair of good 5 or 6” studio monitors are my suggestion, the more $$ you can spend the better, hopefully.. stereo is a big part of FM3 enjoyment. I have been enjoying various flavors of Focal monitors these days, they vary wildly in price range.
 
I use studio monitors or headphones personally. Presonus Eris 3.5 or Sennheiser HD6XX. Works for me. I live in an apartment.
 
Genelec 8010A sound very well at low volume. I am using them at my small condo with the Axe-FX III.

Good manufacturers have a table recommending the appropriate monitor for the distance from the speaker to your head. The 8010A is the one that Genelec recommendes for my case: 80~110cm

Acoustic treatment is crucial for a good sound. I am using Auralex Studiofoam Wedges and Lenrd Bass Traps
 
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studio monitors. Cheaper, and you can have stereo. I dont feel you need to spend a lot either. I have a set of M-Audio Bx8's that i have been using for years since i had the Ultra.
 
Yes, near field studio monitors are a good option. They are generally flat response, you get the stereo field, they’re easier to place in your space than a big FRFR speaker, and you can use them for monitoring other things if you want (a DAW, or even your TV or stereo). Mine are hooked up to a mixer, so it’s simple to hook up and mix everything as needed.

For the money, it’s hard to beat the Presonus Eris series. I’d suggest one of the larger ones to get more bottom, perhaps the 6. I have a set of Presonus Scepter S8s with the 10” Presonus Temblor sub, and the Fractal gear sounds great through it. That just depends on your budget and space.
 
Definitely studio monitors for home use. I have Kali LP6s and a Headrush 108. I’m going to sell the Headrush speaker as there is no comparison to the studio monitors.
 
I just bought a pair of the Focal Alpha 65 from sweet water they are running them $100 off each great monitors they also have demos for $255 same warranty
 
Same here, get a pair of nearfield studio monitors and headphones that meet your taste in terms of sound. Had 4cm with ax8 and mini rectifier, was always way toooo loud for home use.
 
Our house needs to stay pretty quiet so I bounce between Sennheiser HD 650 headphones and Shure SE535 earphones. When checking the tone for presets I'll drop in a GEQ block that flattens the headphone sound just before the Out block. I trust my FRFR cabinets to reproduce the sound as faithfully as possible when I get a chance to plug them in. I've liked what I've heard from this combination so far.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
Our house needs to stay pretty quiet so I bounce between Sennheiser HD 650 headphones and Shure SE535 earphones. When checking the tone for presets I'll drop in a GEQ block that flattens the headphone sound just before the Out block. I trust my FRFR cabinets to reproduce the sound as faithfully as possible when I get a chance to plug them in. I've liked what I've heard from this combination so far.
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There is also a video in the forum from leon todd on how to tweak sound for headphone usage.
 
Frischerl said:
There is also a video in the forum from leon todd on how to tweak sound for headphone usage.
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...for headphone usage where you want to adjust the sound to make it sound more like amp in the room "for listening pleasure."

I wouldn't use his tweaks in that video when setting up a preset for live or recording use; I want to hear the sound exactly as it'd come out of a FRFR or the FOH.
 
Greg Ferguson said:
...for headphone usage where you want to adjust the sound to make it sound more like amp in the room "for listening pleasure."

I wouldn't use his tweaks in that video when setting up a preset for live or recording use; I want to hear the sound exactly as it'd come out of a FRFR or the FOH.
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Fair point, this video is for adjusting sound for home use. For recording and live use this will not be the right source off course.
for,myself i also use 1 preset, differently in terms of adjusting to specific type of guitar, live use, home use & headphone. As im am not recording yet cannot say anything to this specific topic in terms of adjusting sound.
 
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Unfortunately though - volume is important. This is true regardless what you play through, a tube amp at apartment levels is never going to sound as good as a tube amp at stage volume and a studio monitor at really low volume is not going to sound as good as a studio monitor turned up. There's a reason why Spotify and all streaming services have a volume limit that you cannot exceed when publishing a song (and one of the goals of mastering is to take it as close as possible there) because if you play the same thing twice and one of them slightly louder - almost everyone will perceive the louder one to sound better. If you listen to a playlist with say metal classics from the 70s to the 90s and you first hear something from the 90s followed by some early Black Sabbath that was mastered in the 70s, it's easy to perceive the Black Sabbath one to sound pretty dull. But turn the Black Sabbath up to the same level and you will perceive that it sounds a lot better.

So if you bring your Marshall Plexi with a 4x12 greenback cab to a rehearsal studio, dial it in and loving the sound, and then go home to your studio, dial up a Marshall plexi model with a 4x12 greenback IR you're almost certainly going to think that the real Plexi is going to sound better eventhough they would have sounded the same (or very close) if you mic up the plexi and play at the same volume through the same studio monitors as the plexi model. This is also why time and time again you will hear people say "tweak at gig volume" for the exact same reason. Volume makes a different to how we hear things and something that sound overly dark at home will likely sound balanced at gig volume.

All of this is a journey. Get the best studio monitors you can afford and listen to a lot of different music through them so you get to know the sound and the speakers. Try to keep the volume the same so you know that your perception doesn't change because of the volume. Find some good reference tones - like isolated guitar tracks from albums you like and then compare how your guitar sounds compared to the record.

And if you want it to sound better for your own enjoyment - just turn up the volume. It always works.
 
I use headphones if I need to play really quiet. Sennheiser HD6XX works great and the FM3 can drive them easily.

Otherwise studio monitors are more fun and work very well for that purpose. I use a pair of Genelec M040 speakers.
 
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