Yet another "Should I Take The Plunge" Post

Lucien2

Member
Greetings,

For the better part of 25 years I have hewn to the "Just plug into the amp and go" sort of player, playing single coils through Fender amps and using the amp's reverb and "vibrato" (Which is really tremolo but anyways) and maybe a TS9 and a RAT on the floor.

COVID killed most of my gigs and I have turned to recording more, bought a 15w Orange Terror lunchbox, and have begun to expand my pedal collection- Empress Reverb, a harmonic trem, a fuzz, and a chorus. But as a home studio recordist who does not have a dedicated room to transform into an ideal sonically neutral space, I'm wondering if I need to hold up and consider the FM3. For live practice and if I ever play out again, I could disable the amp/cab blocks and run it as a multieffects processor in the loop of my Orange or HRD. And then use the modeling power to get fool-proof tones in the studio.

I'm like a cat, constantly thinking about the jump, wiggling and positioning myself on the ledge....but not quite able to leap due to fear of the unknown. Selling my digital effects plus some other surplus would get me more than halfway there; the pedals I was eyeing next would get me almost all the way there.

SO in a nutshell, I welcome any insight or sage advice from any FM3 folks!
 
If you don't mind spending time tweaking stuff and reading manuals/guides, then 100% go for it. If there's a sound you are going for it's almost certainly attainable, and the overall sonic quality is startlingly good. If you hate complexity, then it's hit or miss. You might find something that's perfect for you right away or not depending how closely your tastes align with the stock amp models.

The FM3 is a DEEP unit. Just scrolling through and auditioning all the presets can take many hours. Learning what all the advanced parameters do can take weeks. Then again, many people just turn it on, plug in, pick a model of their favorite real-world amp, adjust the knobs on the "Authentic" tab and are in bliss.

-Aaron
 
I'm not afraid of the complexity- I'm teaching myself how to engineer and master, so I might as well add this to the list LOL

I'm just sitting here thinking about adding an EQ pedal, some more modulation effects and a couple of drives and then I'm like "wait a minute, that's $5-600 over time. at $1100 the FM3 is something like 200+ pedals PLUS the studio power of the modeling and IRs" yea I think I would be motivated to dive deep :)
 
Do it. I think you're a great candidate for a Fractal device based on your description.

You're likely to get better recorded sounds than you'd get with a traditional rig, and you can "crank" the Amps inside the box while keeping real world audio levels at conversation level.

Plus you get access to hundreds of amps and thousands of cabs / speakers, world class effects, etc.

Also, you could consider buying used and save $200-300...
 
25 years? You're back will thank you.

Do it.

Even if you're only an "amp" guy, this thing is so much fun. You'll have an entire arsenal of amps to check out. Some may surprise you.
 
Greetings,

For the better part of 25 years I have hewn to the "Just plug into the amp and go" sort of player, playing single coils through Fender amps and using the amp's reverb and "vibrato" (Which is really tremolo but anyways) and maybe a TS9 and a RAT on the floor.

COVID killed most of my gigs and I have turned to recording more, bought a 15w Orange Terror lunchbox, and have begun to expand my pedal collection- Empress Reverb, a harmonic trem, a fuzz, and a chorus. But as a home studio recordist who does not have a dedicated room to transform into an ideal sonically neutral space, I'm wondering if I need to hold up and consider the FM3. For live practice and if I ever play out again, I could disable the amp/cab blocks and run it as a multieffects processor in the loop of my Orange or HRD. And then use the modeling power to get fool-proof tones in the studio.

I'm like a cat, constantly thinking about the jump, wiggling and positioning myself on the ledge....but not quite able to leap due to fear of the unknown. Selling my digital effects plus some other surplus would get me more than halfway there; the pedals I was eyeing next would get me almost all the way there.

SO in a nutshell, I welcome any insight or sage advice from any FM3 folks!


Just do it!

cat-leap.gif
 
I'm just sitting here thinking about adding an EQ pedal, some more modulation effects and a couple of drives and then I'm like "wait a minute, that's $5-600 over time. at $1100 the FM3 is something like 200+ pedals...
This is exactly where I was a couple years ago. Had just bought my dream amp, and wanted some high-quality effects to go with it. After looking at the high-end brands, I quickly figured I'd get more for my money going with a Fractal unit. Plus, with the modulation effects, I couldn't figure out if they'd be capable of doing Chorus, Delay, and Reverb at the same time, but with Fractal, it was obvious. The effects are fantastic, so just going in for those alone is a great way to get started, and imo, the value is most definitely there. And then you can explore the modelling side of things as you grow.
 
I purchased the FX8 ( an older effects only Fractal model) when I was looking to get a high quality delay pedal for my tube amp rig. Like you, I realized that for the cost of a few quality pedals I could have a device that could replace a bunch of stuff that I was using and add new functionality to my setup. I was initially skeptical because I was a tubes / pedals only player and I thought that digital might be a compromise.

I was so impressed with the quality of the FX8 I decided to get the Axe-FX III. That remains the best gear purchase I have ever made. Get the FM3. You will not be disappointed.
 
I’ll add to the chorus of “do it!”

Having said that, although the FM3 is a bargain at $1000, you do need to get have something high quality to listen through. A good FRFR speaker will run close to another $1000, and if you want stereo there’s another grand.

Still worth it!
 
I’ll add to the chorus of “do it!”

Having said that, although the FM3 is a bargain at $1000, you do need to get have something high quality to listen through. A good FRFR speaker will run close to another $1000, and if you want stereo there’s another grand.

Still worth it!
at the beginning I will be skipping the modeling for live practice/writing sessions and running it as a multi-effects unit. It will be a learning curve but it sounds like a 4-cable approach places the drive blocks in front of the preamp and the other effects in the amp's effects loop. (Orange Rocker Terror, 1996 Corona-built HRD)

Then for recording I will run the modelers and IRs as well.

If I get to the point where I am playing out a lot again, I will dig into FRFR/stereo rigs.
 
My AXE III has become my dream gear and the dream keeps getting better as my skills in using it improves, and the firmware keeps getting better. I'm on team Fractal and I suspect you'll be delighted after you join the team.
 
I just got my FM3 in the mail on Saturday, so maybe I'm still in the honeymoon phase but I really cant get over how awesome the sound is coming out of this guy. I'm similar to you in that I usually relatively simple setups in general, so I wanted to still pair the sound with a regular cab to get that room feel you get out of a standard tube head. I grabbed a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 170 and have been blown away by this combo. Running the FM3 -> PS170 -> Orange 2x12 cab is an absolute beast of a rig for my needs.
 
I would say do it. IU may say get the fm9, but the 3 is good. I still use amps and then I cam use my AX as an effects unit.
 
I just got my FM3 in the mail on Saturday, so maybe I'm still in the honeymoon phase but I really cant get over how awesome the sound is coming out of this guy. I'm similar to you in that I usually relatively simple setups in general, so I wanted to still pair the sound with a regular cab to get that room feel you get out of a standard tube head. I grabbed a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 170 and have been blown away by this combo. Running the FM3 -> PS170 -> Orange 2x12 cab is an absolute beast of a rig for my needs.
I have a nice 1x12 with a Scumback in it. You have a point there.... Enable Amp modeling, pick up something like an Orange Pedal Baby and run the modeler without an Cab IR into the 1x12
 
I have a nice 1x12 with a Scumback in it. You have a point there.... Enable Amp modeling, pick up something like an Orange Pedal Baby and run the modeler without an Cab IR into the 1x12
You don't need an amp like the Pedal Baby, start with the amp(s) you have and go from there. I tried a couple of power amps and amp effects loops but got better tones into the front of an amp. At the time I had the AX8 and set the amp to a bold clean tone, needless to say I was very impressed with the tones I was able to get. From there, it was taking the time to learn the Fractal ecosystem and figuring out how IRs work and which ones I preferred. After 6-9 months of learning and tweaking I was going direct for everything, even at home. Upgraded to the Axe III and my amps no longer see any action.
 
You don't need an amp like the Pedal Baby, start with the amp(s) you have and go from there. I tried a couple of power amps and amp effects loops but got better tones into the front of an amp. At the time I had the AX8 and set the amp to a bold clean tone, needless to say I was very impressed with the tones I was able to get. From there, it was taking the time to learn the Fractal ecosystem and figuring out how IRs work and which ones I preferred. After 6-9 months of learning and tweaking I was going direct for everything, even at home. Upgraded to the Axe III and my amps no longer see any action.
100%...I'm looking forward to experimenting with running at an effects unit and letting the amps speak, and also running the modelers through them to see what that sounds like. Heck, there are all kinds of amp emulating analog pedals out there now and folks put them through their own tube amps all the time.

I'll be ordering next week. I'm already reading the online PDF of the manual just for fun LOL
 
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