Two Nice Surprises on New FM9 Turbo

gitapik

gitapik

Member
I received my FM9 (my first Fractal product) a few days ago after a five month wait (not so bad, really).

I was not surprised at all about the fantastic sounds that the unit offers. It’s excellent…as advertised.

But there were two things that came as very welcome surprises:

1) I hear people talk about the steep learning curve. While it’s not as easy to use as an HX Stomp or Quad Cortex; I’m definitely not scratching my head. And the factory presets are really good…so I’m not slummin’ it while I learn the ins and outs.

2) The mid to high gain amps clean up exceptionally well with all my guitars’ volume knobs. The 800 and Rectifier, for instance. Nothing fizzy. No sudden drop off. Tapers beautifully. Can’t tell you how big of a plus this is for me (you probably know, lol). I’m sooooo happy about this.

Awesome unit. I’m very happy. Thanks guys!
 
Congratulations!

gitapik said:
1) I hear people talk about the steep learning curve. While it’s not as easy to use as an HX Stomp or Quad Cortex; I’m definitely not scratching my head. And the factory presets are really good…so I’m not slummin’ it while I learn the ins and outs.
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Yup. The learning curve might be a little steep if you're coming from a traditional amp rig. But if you've used other modelers, it's not bad at all.

gitapik said:
2) The mid to high gain amps clean up exceptionally well with all my guitars’ volume knobs. The 800 and Rectifier, for instance. Nothing fizzy. No sudden drop off. Tapers beautifully. Can’t tell you how big of a plus this is for me (you probably know, lol). I’m sooooo happy about this.
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Accurate amp modeling is a wonderful thing, no? :)
 
The biggest problem I have with the FM9 is being spoilt with choice!

I do get that as a new user you'd be intimidated by the absolute massive-ness of the undertaking. It does become quite intuitive with use, but it's a VERY deep system. Thank God for the user support!
 
gitapik said:
2) The mid to high gain amps clean up exceptionally well with all my guitars’ volume knobs. The 800 and Rectifier, for instance. Nothing fizzy. No sudden drop off. Tapers beautifully. Can’t tell you how big of a plus this is for me (you probably know, lol). I’m sooooo happy about this.
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This is the thing that immediately convinced me that I wasn't going to need to use Fractal's money back return policy. I love dynamic amplifiers that can go from full on high gain to clean simply by adjusting your guitar's volume knob setting and altering pick attack. No other modeling unit that I had tried previously got anywhere close to that. Preset 01 demonstrates beautifully how dynamic and touch sensitive the FAS amp models are.
 
OrganicZed said:
This is the thing that immediately convinced me that I wasn't going to need to use Fractal's money back return policy. I love dynamic amplifiers that can go from full on high gain to clean simply by adjusting your guitar's volume knob setting and altering pick attack. No other modeling unit that I had tried previously got anywhere close to that. Preset 01 demonstrates beautifully how dynamic and touch sensitive the FAS amp models are.
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That’s exactly where I’m at. I put the box the unit came in down in the basement as soon as I caught this feature.
 
The interaction between the amps, drives, and compressors is really a beautiful thing. Best “feel” in modeling by a mile. Add in the absolutely stunning reverbs and delays and you can get lost playing for days on end. If you’re happy with your sound now, it’s only going to get better as you go deeper into the models, parameters, and features. Congrats and good luck!
 
Cam Heiliger said:
If you’re happy with your sound now, it’s only going to get better as you go deeper into the models, parameters, and features. Congrats and good luck!
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Actually; that was another surprise for me.

I tend to keep it simple on the electric. So I was concerned about being overwhelmed by all the choices. Thought they might end up being unnecessary distractions.

But not so. At all. Years ago I had billM do a full mod of my Blues Jr. One key change was replacing the EL34s with 6l6s. Loved it. Now I can do the same with any amp on the FM9. And not electrocute myself!

And I can ignore it all and just ride the volume knob with a few choice effects and an 800 if I want.

Very very cool.
 
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