So I am giving the FM3 another chance

R

rrhoads17

Inspired
I sold my AxeFx III to pay some debt and I have enough left over so I got an FM3. I had an FM3 in the past but the CPU issues got on my nerves pretty bad to where some basic AxeFx III presets were making the FM3 beg for mercy. Granted this was over a year ago. The FM3 also doesn't have the tonematch feature which I really like. I can only use Windows based software so what is a program that I can use to tonematch audio files and convert that EQ into a usable IR on the FM3. I am willing to do that workaround. Also, what is the current CPU situation on the FM3? Has it improved a lot since the original units were shipped?
 
Fabfilter Pro Q to tone/eq match. The cpu has gotten better and I expect it to improve even more in the next beta update.
 
rrhoads17 said:
I sold my AxeFx III to pay some debt and I have enough left over so I got an FM3. I had an FM3 in the past but the CPU issues got on my nerves pretty bad to where some basic AxeFx III presets were making the FM3 beg for mercy. Granted this was over a year ago. The FM3 also doesn't have the tonematch feature which I really like. I can only use Windows based software so what is a program that I can use to tonematch audio files and convert that EQ into a usable IR on the FM3. I am willing to do that workaround. Also, what is the current CPU situation on the FM3? Has it improved a lot since the original units were shipped?
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I can confirm that the FM3 has come a long way since it was released. Not in terms of DSP or added blocks or really any of your concerns/needs, unfortunately. I was in the same boat. I ordered my first one in May of 2020, and sold it immediately for the exact reasons you mention; not enough DSP. But I picked a new one up last May and now I love it. It has 100% (well, perhaps 99.9%) replaced my Axe Fx III for anything. Literally the ONLY thing I do with my III at this point is keep it up to date. I use my FM3 in my band (so basically every time I'm playing guitar) and it kills now that I'm using more - but smaller - presets.
 
My guess is a big solution to the CPU issue is getting an external Reverb pedal or maybe an H9 and putting it in the loop. And using channels would probably greatly help with multiple blocks, only problem with that is you can't stack certain effects unless something has changed but that is whwre something like an H9 would be a life saver. I got the FM3 a little bit after it was released and it looks like it has made leaps and bounds when it comes to matching the III's. features. The addition of the multitap presets was a big deal to me cause they are already dialed in perfectly.
 
IMHO, you can't expect a revolution. At most a delicate evolution. The CPU hasn't changed and is still a problem (at least for some).
 
It will do quite a lot as is. I’m happy with it. But for some stuff, like plex which can use a lot of juice, I’m having to make variations of my fav presets. Removing blocks to make room etc. So I can’t have a kitchen sink preset but have a few mini kitchen sinks. I’m ok with that though. It’s a very capable unit. Pretty amazing what it can do.
 
rrhoads17 said:
My guess is a big solution to the CPU issue is getting an external Reverb pedal or maybe an H9 and putting it in the loop. And using channels would probably greatly help with multiple blocks, only problem with that is you can't stack certain effects unless something has changed but that is whwre something like an H9 would be a life saver. I got the FM3 a little bit after it was released and it looks like it has made leaps and bounds when it comes to matching the III's. features. The addition of the multitap presets was a big deal to me cause they are already dialed in perfectly.
Click to expand...
I had an H9 before getting the FM3 and saw Larry Mitchell implementing this setup which helped reduce the worrying about processing power and pull the trigger. It does really help for a “kitchen sink” preset, but I find the FM3 to be sufficient for most things. It has helped with things like synth presets and flexibility.
 
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