FM3 as audio interface?

[GuitarJon]

I've used my Axe Fx III as my main audio interface for years. It's not perfect as it has some flaws like a lack of latency reporting to the daw so I have to manually insert an offset in my daw to compensate and the USB has occasional dropouts. Aside from that it's pretty solid.

I have been building a new laptop setup with my new Kreative Devices laptop and I want to use my FM3 MKII Turbo as the audio interface. I'm expecting it to function the same as my Axe Fx III. Just curious if anybody in here uses their FM3 as audio interface and if you've run into any issues? When I tried it with my desktop it had the same latency issues as my Axe Fx III so I'm aware of that already.

Thanks!

 

[GuitarJon]

Update: connected it just now. I had to adjust the offset again manually. So weird that this isn't the case with other interfaces. Even my Axe Fx IIs didn't have this. Oh well, as long as I don't change the buffer settings in the FM3 I guess it's "set and forget".

 

[duzie]

@GuitarJon
What is this offset you are talking about?
I have very limited knowledge and don’t believe I’ve heard or read anything about this before.

 

[DrewJD82]

Didn't they fix that latency reporting a while ago?

I had the dropout issue with my III up until about 2 years ago or so? They put out an update and it stopped happening entirely for me. I started recording the other night and thought I was experiencing a latency issue but I did the I/O Ping test in Logic, turns out it was just me playing shitty.

 

[GuitarJon]

@GuitarJon
What is this offset you are talking about?
I have very limited knowledge and don’t believe I’ve heard or read anything about this before.

So, when you record with your fractal there's a good chance the audio won't be properly aligned in the daw, so there's probably a delay. What you can do to test is record some parts (clean guitar tone, staccato playing preferably), also record the dry track and then reamp the DI track with the same preset over the old audio, then see if they are aligned or if there is a delay and the audio is shifted backwards. If there is a delay you have to enter an offset manually in your daw so that any time you record with the Fractal the files are aligned. I believe with the FM3 the delay also changes if you change the buffer settings inside the FM3 itself.

Didn't they fix that latency reporting a while ago?

I had the dropout issue with my III up until about 2 years ago or so? They put out an update and it stopped happening entirely for me. I started recording the other night and thought I was experiencing a latency issue but I did the I/O Ping test in Logic, turns out it was just me playing shitty.

It's not fixed for my Axe Fx III nor FM3...

 

[duzie]

Thanks for the reply @GuitarJon

I think I need more coffee then I’ll reread this
I’ll check this out later today

 

[GuitarJon]

Thanks for the reply @GuitarJon

I think I need more coffee then I’ll reread this
I’ll check this out later today

I also need more coffee so I'm sorry if I didn't word everything perfectly. I hope it helps though!

 

[Whizzinby]

So, when you record with your fractal there's a good chance the audio won't be properly aligned in the daw, so there's probably a delay. What you can do to test is record some parts (clean guitar tone, staccato playing preferably), also record the dry track and then reamp the DI track with the same preset over the old audio, then see if they are aligned or if there is a delay and the audio is shifted backwards. If there is a delay you have to enter an offset manually in your daw so that any time you record with the Fractal the files are aligned. I believe with the FM3 the delay also changes if you change the buffer settings inside the FM3 itself.



It's not fixed for my Axe Fx III nor FM3...

Yep, I ran into this a couple weeks ago. I was trying to reamp some DI’s on an old project and the audio mismatch was bad and I gave up.

But it doesn’t seem universal. I have recorded new stuff with the AxeIII without an issue, I’ve just had issues reamping some old projects. (Though I’m not ruling out user error)

 

[GuitarJon]

Yep, I ran into this a couple weeks ago. I was trying to reamp some DI’s on an old project and the audio mismatch was bad and I gave up.

But it doesn’t seem universal. I have recorded new stuff with the AxeIII without an issue, I’ve just had issues reamping some old projects. (Though I’m not ruling out user error)

With my own setups it has always been the same and consistent.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

For the stuff you do Jon, I’d totally recommend a dedicated high quality interface and possibly a patchbay to keep all your gear and load boxes hooked up to. The quality of your productions, and for the work you do, it’s well worth having a dedicated interface for it.

The thought of running my studio off a guitar modeller fills me with serious anxiety.

 

[duzie]

I also need more coffee so I'm sorry if I didn't word everything perfectly. I hope it helps though!

The more I can learn the better!
With repetition I’m able to retain some things.

 

[GuitarJon]

For the stuff you do Jon, I’d totally recommend a dedicated high quality interface and possibly a patchbay to keep all your gear and load boxes hooked up to. The quality of your productions, and for the work you do, it’s well worth having a dedicated interface for it.

The thought of running my studio off a guitar modeller fills me with serious anxiety.

I appreciate that man but I've been doing it this way for many years without a lot of issues. It's just a great workflow for me as I do guitar recording primarily.

 

[bikescene]

I think the Axe FX was updated sometime in the last year to take care of this issue. The FM3 hasn’t been updated yet.

Witha 128 sample ASIO buffer with my FM3, my manual offset is somewhere between 2100 and 2200 samples with the chain I normally use. And on iOS devices, it’s somewhere between 45 and 50ms.

 

[aflynt]

I don't even bother with the AI on my FM3. I just use the SPDIF out into my standalone AI. One of the few areas of the FM3 that needs improvement IME.

-Aaron

 

[GuitarJon]

I think the Axe FX was updated sometime in the last year to take care of this issue. The FM3 hasn’t been updated yet.

Witha 128 sample ASIO buffer with my FM3, my manual offset is somewhere between 2100 and 2200 samples with the chain I normally use. And on iOS devices, it’s somewhere between 45 and 50ms.

It hasn't fixed it for me

 

[Lysander]

Didn't they fix that latency reporting a while ago?

I used the FM3 as an interface a couple times back when i had one. It worked fine, but latency was way too high for monitoring. Higher than Helix, IIRC.

 

[Whizzinby]

With my own setups it has always been the same and consistent.

Interestingly I ran into it again this morning. I was using the Play to record into Logic via USB audio, and the Axe to monitor playback. Big time latency. At first I thought it was just possibly latency with the Play, but even after it recorded the tracks from the Play and I was solely monitoring, I was getting some latency just on playback. It’s odd because when I’m recording with the Axe I haven’t had any issues, and theoretically it should function the same, especially dealing with already processed sounds that shouldn’t have to run back through any sim processing.

 

[bikescene]

It hasn't fixed it for me

Is your Axe-FX using the latest USB firmware? It looks like it’s an item separate from the DSP firmware, and it’s now up to version 1.15. 1.14 from last year had a bunch of latency improvements.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

So, when you record with your fractal there's a good chance the audio won't be properly aligned in the daw, so there's probably a delay. What you can do to test is record some parts (clean guitar tone, staccato playing preferably), also record the dry track and then reamp the DI track with the same preset over the old audio, then see if they are aligned or if there is a delay and the audio is shifted backwards. If there is a delay you have to enter an offset manually in your daw so that any time you record with the Fractal the files are aligned. I believe with the FM3 the delay also changes if you change the buffer settings inside the FM3 itself.



It's not fixed for my Axe Fx III nor FM3...

Are you sure they aren’t fixed? It required an update of USB driver or something (even on Mac I think(, not just a standard firmware update.

 

[GuitarJon]

Is your Axe-FX using the latest USB firmware? It looks like it’s an item separate from the DSP firmware, and it’s now up to version 1.15. 1.14 from last year had a bunch of latency improvements.

Are you sure they aren’t fixed? It required an update of USB driver or something (even on Mac I think(, not just a standard firmware update.

Yes, I installed all the latest stuff. I think the latency is less, but it's still there.