Fractal Audio Systems AM4 - Amp Modeler

[TheTrueZoltan!]

It's a little bit ironic, isn't it? Sascha spent years complaining about minor details in Line 6's user interface, and now he's considering purchasing an FAS device of all things.

 

[BROCKSTAR]

It's a little bit ironic, isn't it? Sascha spent years complaining about minor details in Line 6's user interface, and now he's considering purchasing an FAS device of all things.

Don't scare them away Be supportive lol.

 

[[Nathan]]

It's a little bit ironic, isn't it? Sascha spent years complaining about minor details in Line 6's user interface, and now he's considering purchasing an FAS device of all things.

 

[Sascha Franck]

It's a little bit ironic, isn't it? Sascha spent years complaining about minor details in Line 6's user interface, and now he's considering purchasing an FAS device of all things.

I don't even remotely see any ironic things here. I could go into the details - but I doubt it'd be of much interest.
Just so much: There's different UI aspects.
As one pretty stupid example: Just one more onboard switch can make up for massive difference in user interface experience - so much that one might be willing to sacrifice other things.

And fwiw: No, I didn't complain about minor details. They might be minor details for home players, though.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

It's a little bit ironic, isn't it? Sascha spent years complaining about minor details in Line 6's user interface, and now he's considering purchasing an FAS device of all things.

What is ironic here? One must pledge to never be interested in something because for a long time they weren’t?

I’m still no fan of BAD, but I liked the Soldano X88 enough to get the Tone King pre.

I endorsed fractal for over a decade.
Had set ups in the US and Asia and got tired of it. And went back to amps.
Now I’m on the wait list for the AM4.

The only thing that strikes me as weird is guys that take product loyalty to the next level.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Goodness, I'm not the jolliest person on the planet either, but what must life be like if you really have no sense of humour at all?

 

[JiveTurkey]

YOU SEE, PEOPLE OF TGF WHO DIDN'T GET IT; ZOLTAN WAS SIMPLY POINTING OUT THAT SASCHA, ONE OF OUR MOST NOTORIOUS UI CRITICIZERS; WAS CONSIDERING A DEVICE ***FROM A MANUFACTURER*** THAT HAS HISTORICALLY HAD ONE OF THE MOST NOTORIOUSLY CRITICIZED UI'S. IT WAS NOT AN INDICTMENT OF ANY SORT OF MR. FRANCK. IN A WAY; IT WAS, IN FACT; A SORT OF PARALLEL JOKE TO EOE'S FRACTAL LESS IS MORE CONUNDRUM.

 

[JiveTurkey]

Someone else can now make the inevitable GT1000 interface joke

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Someone else can now make the inevitable GT1000 interface joke

I'm out.

 

[EOengineer]

It's a little bit ironic, isn't it? Sascha spent years complaining about minor details in Line 6's user interface, and now he's considering purchasing an FAS device of all things.

If he ever gets his hands on a III we ought to let the mods know to go ahead and up the database storage. That’s gonna be a ride.

 

[Sascha Franck]

but what must life be like if you really have no sense of humour at all?

It's just plain wonderful.

 

[Sascha Franck]

If he ever gets his hands on a III

Oh, I had one borrowed for a while already. But that was before this forum existed. So just be happy.

 

[Jarick]

Had time to actually play it tonight. Was in a bit of a foul mood for reasons so was just in room with lights out, pitch black but for AM4 screen. Was able to use this thing, building presets from scratch, going in and editing as I played, in total dark working only by feel.

Granted, I'm not knew to Fractal. But I don't think I could do that on my III and I've been using an FM or III as my daily driver for over five years.

That’s what gives me some excitement for the next generation. Rethinking the UI.

After our last convo I put the axe 3 up and programmed a handful of presets all by hand. For these I just had one core amp and cab sound and made different scenes to enable different effects. So think clean, clean with reverb, clean with chorus, clean with chorus and delay, etc.

It’s not the worst but there’s definitely pain points. That’s where I’m really intrigued by the new workflow. It’s so stripped down and clean. I’d still love a KISS setting on the axe 3 to mimic that.

AM4 is too limited for me to switch from the axe 3 but it’s really intriguing.

 

[FuzzyAce]

@Sascha Franck
Did you order one? Hope so, because it's a lovely unit. It could settle your nerves for a good while.
For me it was a no-brainer. Cost, features, FAS amp modeling. Granted, price is higher for you oversea guys.

At this point I need to be content for a while and just hone in this rig --- VP4>AM4>2 FR-10s. I already have a few expression pedals and even midi switchers.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

Goodness, I'm not the jolliest person on the planet either, but what must life be like if you really have no sense of humour at all?

Well it beats having to try getting a laugh at others cost.

 

[EOengineer]

It’s always nice to see people resolve their disputes in a civilized, rational manner.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Well it beats having to try getting a laugh at others cost.

Scroll to JT's post above. Think again.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Did you order one?

No. I prefer to make educated purchases, hence my questions in this thread.

Hope so, because it's a lovely unit.

I actually have no doubt about that. But if I bought one, it'd have to replace my current small board (otherwise there'd be no real reason to buy anything atm) - and as that very board is doing some things pretty much exactly the way I like it, I need to find out about some things beforehand.

There's defenitely a part of me drooling over possibly getting my hands on some Fractal modeling (which I defenitely think of as being the best there is), but any unit I buy still needs to suit some plain practical demands, otherwise it'd be wasted money in my book.

 

[Sascha Franck]

And while we're at it, here's a question regarding output settings. There's a split mode setting, allowing you to send one signal for DI usage and another "un-cab'ed" one to an amp's return or whatever. Fine...

But: Is there any other kind of split mode allowing me to send one (DI/FR) output the FOH way and the other (also DI/FR) to my monitor with the output level control only being active for the monitor feed while the level of the FOH feed stays the same? This is what I'm doing with all my setups since year's and I'd prefer not having to bring any extra tools for that to work.

 

[FuzzyAce]

No. I prefer to make educated purchases, hence my questions in this thread.



I actually have no doubt about that. But if I bought one, it'd have to replace my current small board (otherwise there'd be no real reason to buy anything atm) - and as that very board is doing some things pretty much exactly the way I like it, I need to find out about some things beforehand.

There's defenitely a part of me drooling over possibly getting my hands on some Fractal modeling (which I defenitely think of as being the best there is), but any unit I buy still needs to suit some plain practical demands, otherwise it'd be wasted money in my book.

I get that. I didn't really need it, it was definitely a want thing. I feel that FAS deserved a try from me and the price point suited that risk/reward in my head. Having the VP4 made the decision easier too.
In a way, I've hit a plateau with gear. A good plateau though. Nothing to complain about, just need to be a bit more disciplined in a setup I can nail down and enjoy for years.