What am I doing wrong?

RosettaStoned

RosettaStoned

Member
So I just got my FM3 a few days ago and I have to say I am extremely disappointed. Now I'm not doubting that this thing is amazing but every stock high gain preset and custom preset that I have tried (including ones I've bought) has just sounded awful. Clean sounds are fantastic and all of the amp models, but whenever I add a little bit of gain it starts to sound extremely flubby and I get a very booming bass resonance. I'm primarily a metal player so this is a problem for me.

I am playing in a small 12x10 ft untreated room and using a pair of Presonus Eris E5 XT's. I'm beginning to think that even these 5 inch speakers are just too big for my room situation as the bass really ruins everything and there is zero articulation when gain is introduced. I'm wondering if a FRFR like the Friedman ASC 10 or a CLR would be better for me as I've heard room treatment is not as important when using those options? Or even getting a pair of small Genelec 3.5 in monitors? Hopefully I can figure something out or going to have to send this back, I'm literally getting better tones out of my little yamaha practice amp (not hating fractal, I know this is due solely to my own situation/ignorance. I am using a Les Paul with a seymour duncan distortion SH-6b pickup.
 
la noise said:
Try adjusting the Lo Cut in the Cab Block and upping it from the stock 20hz up to the
65hz to 100hz range.

Also, how are your monitors set up. Away from the wall? Up off the floor?
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I've already tried that, even turn the knob all the way to the right is still sounds bad. Hard to explain everything just sounds like there is a mattress in front of the speaker, but only when gain is introduced, sounds beautiful clean. Monitors are on my desk a foot away from the wall, at ear level
 
Room treatment is everything! I wouldn't be surprised if you were sitting in a bass point or null spot. Move away from corners and walls if you can, build bass traps and put things on the walls, make sure there's lots of absorption if you can't do proper treatment. Put down a rug if you have hard floors.

I can almost guarantee this will be the biggest improvement.
 
I use 6.5" monitors in an untreated 18'x12' room and the FM3/Axe III sound great. My initial thought is the monitors you're using. Played an AX8 through Rokit 5" monitors and was less than impressed, haven't heard Presonus monitors so I can't compare. I can vouch for the Behringer B2030a and Focal Alpha 65 monitors as being great sounding with Fractal products.
 
RosettaStoned said:
I've already tried that, even turn the knob all the way to the right is still sounds bad. Hard to explain everything just sounds like there is a mattress in front of the speaker, but only when gain is introduced, sounds beautiful clean. Monitors are on my desk a foot away from the wall, at ear level
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Did you buy the unit new? Maybe post a recording? Something doesn’t add up.
 
Being more specific might help us diagnose what's happening. Bad, in what way? If it's possible to describe this in musical terms (EQ, distortion, compression, frequency response, etc) we might be able to help you.

Regards high gain, use the speaker's hi and low cut, the amp's tone, EQ, drive and overdrive settings . Lo Cut: 120 Hz. Hi Cut 6500 Hz. Reduce your master volume, and boost output level slightly. Reduce your drive and overdrive levels.

Cooper Carter (FAS tech wizard) once suggested to try dialing in perfect tone by inserting a looper block into the signal path after IN and before the amp block, playing a few chords, and allowing the loop to repeat while he dialed in his settings. This is vastly easier than trying to play a riff and check your settings afterwards. This will help walk you through the process rather than stumble through it.

If possible, use FM3 Edit to accomplish all of this, instead of trying this with the FM3 navigation buttons. FM3 Edit provides better tracking of FM3's parameters...
 
rockstarjazzcat said:
You’ll need to combine ouputs into 1/8” stereo. I’d use the 1/4 outs or run to a mixer first. Or just get a headphone adapter and run the headphone out to the THR line in…

Was the unit purchased new?
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Yes it was new, came with cygnus. I've attached a short clip shuffling through some of the first 15 stock presets, idk how it sounds for you guys but through my monitors when playing it sounds extremely muffled, it's night and day compared to my THR

 
RosettaStoned said:
Yes it was new, came with cygnus. I've attached a short clip shuffling through some of the first 15 stock presets, idk how it sounds for you guys but through my monitors when playing it sounds extremely muffled, it's night and day compared to my THR

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Okay, so can you provide an example of the THR sounding better to you?
 
RosettaStoned said:
Yes it was new, came with cygnus. I've attached a short clip shuffling through some of the first 15 stock presets, idk how it sounds for you guys but through my monitors when playing it sounds extremely muffled, it's night and day compared to my THR

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Sounds like a dark LP. But not muffled at all.

Here are reference clips you can refer to:

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/soundclips-for-reference-purpose.174944/

You can re-amp those guitar signals through your FM3 and the factory presets and they should sound identical to the reference recordings. If they do, the issue isn’t the FM3.
 
RosettaStoned said:


First stock preset on THR, sounds MUCH better even through my yamaha speakers
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Must be a THR10X? Which amp is modeled in preset 1? Sounds like other elements are in play, like gating and eq. As the moderator mentioned, the first recordings sound dark, but certainly not muffled per se. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison to reach a conclusion upon, yes?
 
rockstarjazzcat said:
Must be a THR10X? Which amp is modeled in preset 1? Sounds like other elements are in play, like gating and eq. As the moderator mentioned, the first recordings sound dark, but certainly not muffled per se. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison to reach a conclusion upon, yes?
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Its the regular THR10II, its a Van Halen preset but not sure what amp they model it after. I know the FM3 takes time to dial in and I'm willing to invest in it but just suprised how much better the THR sounds when comparing both factory presets out of the box. Is there anything in the global EQ that may be causing such a dark sound?
 
RosettaStoned said:
Its the regular THR10II, its a Van Halen preset but not sure what amp they model it after. I know the FM3 takes time to dial in and I'm willing to invest in it but just suprised how much better the THR sounds when comparing both factory presets out of the box. Is there anything in the global EQ that may be causing such a dark sound?
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Check with this https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/soundclips-for-reference-purpose.174944/

Try headphones, car stereo, any speakers you have. Take variables out of the equation.
 
RosettaStoned said:
Its the regular THR10II, its a Van Halen preset but not sure what amp they model it after. I know the FM3 takes time to dial in and I'm willing to invest in it but just suprised how much better the THR sounds when comparing both factory presets out of the box. Is there anything in the global EQ that may be causing such a dark sound?
Click to expand...
That one has all three onboard and I’m less familiar with it… I don’t know man, I think you should enjoy getting to know the unit. Follow some recipes presented out there on YouTube and elsewhere. Stepping up from plugins or practice amps, there’s a lot a unit like the FM3 can teach a person about real world amps.
 
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