Quick praises from a returning Fractalite. I used the Ultra for years, then alternating between Kemper and amps/pedals, as I felt the Kemper (with my own profiles) had the upper hand in terms of tone and feel.
Well, no more. I had the Kemper, Helix and FM3 for a few weeks for comparison live and in the studio, and kept the FM3, realizing that a lot has happened in the Fractal modeling camp over the years.
To me the proof is in the live pudding, so I waited to review this after a few live gigs (a few smaller venues + a couple of medium sized (600 ppl) concerts). The amp models I use are amps I know (Friedman H/BE + Shiva cleans), and the FM3 delivers extremely pleasing tones. I've tested FRFR (I like that for what it is) and various power amp + cab solutions (Matrix -> 212; Seymor Duncan Powerstage -> 212; clean Fender combo), and settled on 2 small, clean Fender combos for stage noise and response in addition to cab sims to FOH. The tone, feel, stability throughout the gig + from gig to gig is STELLAR. I love the Kemper, but the FM3 surpasses it in tone and ease of use, and crushes it in terms of separating the chain into amp/cab on stage plus direct to FOH.
My only wish is quicker switching between scenes. Using the FM3 + FS6 with the OMG9 configuration, the small gap and pedalling around still bugs me. It's nothing I can't live with or even remedy with a few extra switches, but here's to hoping for smaller gaps between scenes
Getting spoiled, though; I can't imagine how this would be with 2-3 amps + a pedalboards on stage.
All in all: the honeymoon is over, and I'm increasingly impressed. Waiting for the FM9, but I'll keep the FM3 anyway.
Well, no more. I had the Kemper, Helix and FM3 for a few weeks for comparison live and in the studio, and kept the FM3, realizing that a lot has happened in the Fractal modeling camp over the years.
To me the proof is in the live pudding, so I waited to review this after a few live gigs (a few smaller venues + a couple of medium sized (600 ppl) concerts). The amp models I use are amps I know (Friedman H/BE + Shiva cleans), and the FM3 delivers extremely pleasing tones. I've tested FRFR (I like that for what it is) and various power amp + cab solutions (Matrix -> 212; Seymor Duncan Powerstage -> 212; clean Fender combo), and settled on 2 small, clean Fender combos for stage noise and response in addition to cab sims to FOH. The tone, feel, stability throughout the gig + from gig to gig is STELLAR. I love the Kemper, but the FM3 surpasses it in tone and ease of use, and crushes it in terms of separating the chain into amp/cab on stage plus direct to FOH.
My only wish is quicker switching between scenes. Using the FM3 + FS6 with the OMG9 configuration, the small gap and pedalling around still bugs me. It's nothing I can't live with or even remedy with a few extra switches, but here's to hoping for smaller gaps between scenes
Getting spoiled, though; I can't imagine how this would be with 2-3 amps + a pedalboards on stage. All in all: the honeymoon is over, and I'm increasingly impressed. Waiting for the FM9, but I'll keep the FM3 anyway.