Fractal Audio Systems AM4 - Amp Modeler

[ChordInversion]

Miracle of miracles, I got my AM4 just now. I'm going to finish my work for the day, but I gave it a quick run through and I really like it. Very straightforward, IMO, though I admit that being used to a FM9 is a considerable advantage.

 

[Chocol8]

I am nowhere near as hardline as some are about it. There are some hilarious NSFW songs all AI that have had me cracking up, as well as funk versions of thrash stuff that actually worked great. Beyond that; you don't always have Steve Perry or Michael Kiske at your disposal 3 blocks away


Sorry @Mongillo19

That's using it for comedy not art though. At least in my world. I am sure some comedians think what they do is art. Obviously they are wrong, but they might think that.

 

[dean701]

Things sounded much better in headphones so I had to do a little work to get what I want for my direct live rig...which I've yet to gig. Always preferred amp/cab so I may still end up there, but I'm getting some great stuff with the GNR IRs so I may figure it out yet.

So many variables...my brain hurts a little. Really fun though.

If you are new to Fractal, I'll give you a few pointers that I have learned to use over the past 10 years that work for me. There are so many parameters but these are my go to's:

-chugs are muddy, go to the amp block, go to eq. It can be used for both as an input or output eq. I usually choose input and cut the lows so they don't get amplifited by the amp. Tons of amps can be changed dramatically just by using this eq function in the amp.
- need more meat, I use the amp proximity knob on the cab block. sometimes I add 1 to 3db on the GNR IRs at the default 120 Hz setting. Gives more of a moving air feeling and can be cut out later for mix purposes
- high frequencies, I first go to the high treble and bright switch/freq. in the amp block before I ever touch an EQ block.
- I sometimes add a chorus and pitch block to make it less dry. Even if the mix knob is at 1%, it sounds like it's doing some polishing.
- The enhance block is underrated.

 

[Mongillo19]

I am nowhere near as hardline as some are about it. There are some hilarious NSFW songs all AI that have had me cracking up, as well as funk versions of thrash stuff that actually worked great. Beyond that; you don't always have Steve Perry or Michael Kiske at your disposal 3 blocks away


Sorry @Mongillo19

Oh I'm not going to debate this *shocker*

I just figured there would be one

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

These sound great! Sounds like you're having a lot of fun with the AM4.

I said this here before I’m beyond embarrassed that I got off Fractal about some 5 years ago.
Because the only other gear I have that doesn’t get in the way of my workflow is my weird cobbled together MkV, x88, Fryette Gpdi thing.

But the first two tunes I recorded guitar straight on fractal no reamping.
The others I reamped existing tracks with the AM4.

It’s not playing nice with ProTools but I’ll live.

And the fact that laptop, that and my IK travel monitors make for a hell if a mobile set up that sounds this way.
Love it

And here’s the “band” being me and AI add for video, choir and orchestral.

 

[OctalSocket]

Things sounded much better in headphones so I had to do a little work to get what I want for my direct live rig...which I've yet to gig. Always preferred amp/cab so I may still end up there, but I'm getting some great stuff with the GNR IRs so I may figure it out yet.

So many variables...my brain hurts a little. Really fun though.

New guy to this site - I bought the AM4 on a whim, basically a few days after it came out. I own the Kemper Player, the Tonex, a Helix Stomp, and even smaller and less popular stuff like the Boss Ir-2 and the Two Notes Opus. I was curious about Fractal.

Two things I noticed right away - the general presets are not to my taste, and when an amp model comes up in its default settings, they seem bright to me. Even so, just the simple amp models sound (and feel) so much more like an actual amp, I was blown away.

With a few weeks of use, I’m learning what my general preferences are, and I can dial things in pretty quickly. It’s not like this thing is short on adjustable parameters, and I’ve had no problem getting what I’m after.

It has really made me appreciate modeling as an approach, rather than captures, where I feel like I’m constantly searching for something just a little better.

 

[Cactusprick]

New guy to this site - I bought the AM4 on a whim, basically a few days after it came out. I own the Kemper Player, the Tonex, a Helix Stomp, and even smaller and less popular stuff like the Boss Ir-2 and the Two Notes Opus. I was curious about Fractal.

Two things I noticed right away - the general presets are not to my taste, and when an amp model comes up in its default settings, they seem bright to me. Even so, just the simple amp models sound (and feel) so much more like an actual amp, I was blown away.

With a few weeks of use, I’m learning what my general preferences are, and I can dial things in pretty quickly. It’s not like this thing is short on adjustable parameters, and I’ve had no problem getting what I’m after.

It has really made me appreciate modeling as an approach, rather than captures, where I feel like I’m constantly searching for something just a little better.

your experience aligns exactly with mine, and hence my opinion about these as well. currently going in between Kemper rack (sold Player) and AM4.

Kemper to me is like ready-to-eat 3 minute meals that need little touch here and there. I find a profile that I like, then adjust definition and eq to taste.

AM4 (or any Fractal unit) is like a whole top quality ingredients at your finger tips, you gotta do some prep and cooking but a little patience will reward you with a beautiful dish as you like. The stock presets are really good IMHO and are good starting point to tweak from.

At the end I find peace in both units, that's all that matters to me.

 

[Enchilada Jones]

Freaking great music Ed, as always!
And the animated Ed is awesome, I hope you keep exploring that outlet from time to time.

Regarding the evil of AI, in the spirit of playing Devils advocate to all the hate it gets, I’d love to know if there is an AI drum app or plug in that takes what Logic Drummer does to new level.

Im guessing it has some way to prompt it to generate grooves per specified measures/ tracks and then you can tweak it more to alter characteristics of what it comes up with initially? Anyone have recommendations?

I usually come up with a guitar part and think ‘this could be a song’ and then try to use Superior Drummer and have played around with JamStix too but I’m too impatient and/or ignorant to get much satisfaction from it. Too tedious.

I’m not going to publish anything so I don’t think I would be hurting the world by using AI for this. And I’ve bought plenty of Drum machines, both hardware and ‘digital’ so my conscious is clear if AI ends up curbing that portion of my spending.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Freaking great music Ed, as always!
And the animated Ed is awesome, I hope you keep exploring that outlet from time to time.

Regarding the evil of AI, in the spirit of playing Devils advocate to all the hate it gets, I’d love to know if there is an AI drum app or plug in that takes what Logic Drummer does to new level.

Im guessing it has some way to prompt it to generate grooves per specified measures/ tracks and then you can tweak it more to alter characteristics of what it comes up with initially? Anyone have recommendations?

I usually come up with a guitar part and think ‘this could be a song’ and then try to use Superior Drummer and have played around with JamStix too but I’m too impatient and/or ignorant to get much satisfaction from it. Too tedious.

I’m not going to publish anything so I don’t think I would be hurting the world by using AI for this. And I’ve bought plenty of Drum machines, both hardware and ‘digital’ so my conscious is clear if AI ends up curbing that portion of my spending.

Thanks!
After I started messing with AI a few months back my GF got into it.
She uses it as a way to deal with unresolved issues.
Where she writes a lyric and then gets AI built her a track.

Anyways, while seeing her workflow that’s way different from mine I came up with a few things to try.
Using finished tracks of mine, using tracks missing an instruments, recording riffs/chords or melodies straight in, and my fave mumbling a melody in.
I have no idea if the free version does it. But with the paid version it lets you vary not just the style level (how close to the prompts it stays), but also the weird level (self explanatory) and the level of how close to the original you stay.

For my taste the drums you get out of Suno have too much verb. But the “performance” is way above the the drummer tracks in logic.

Plus you can always sample replace or stack in Logic.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

[…] Where she writes a lyric and then gets AI built her a track.

Anyways, while seeing her workflow […]

I‘m not sure if I would call it „workflow“ to have AI write a song.

 

[2112]

just did this with the AM4 for guitar and bass.
at 1:30 ish there are 5 seconds that NSFW

"

Dude

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I‘m not sure if I would call it „workflow“ to have AI write a song.

I know my typing is rather cryptic at times, that said I thought I was clear.

But lemme spell it out. I said she writes lyrics.
Writing a song is defined by melody and lyric. Riffs and chord progressions have FA to do with songwriting.
That’s arrangement.