Ed DeGenaro
Shredder
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Wo in Deutschland? Aus Neugierde
Fractal Audio Systems AM4 - Amp Modeler
- Thread starter BROCKSTAR
- Start date
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Bünde in Ostwestfalen.
guyonthefox
Groupie
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- 43
Question for the experts here. If on a preset I wanted just to use effects (this would be part of my board /amp), I'd have to choose all the effects either before or after the amp?
I couldn't say have (only AM4 stuff) a delay -> amp -> chorus -> delay ->reverb?
I couldn't say have (only AM4 stuff) a delay -> amp -> chorus -> delay ->reverb?
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- 1,701
You can't use 2 instances of delay. The only effect that can do more than 1 block is the drive block. It can do 2. All of the other effects can only do 1 at a time.
Ed DeGenaro
Shredder
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- 1,997
1 delay only as Brockstar pointed out. Plus no 4CM iirc.
Why not get the Vp4 for that?
guyonthefox
Groupie
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- 43
I like the idea of all those amps :)
So even if it was another effect, not 2nd delay, it wouldn't work? Not the end of the world, since I have other effects just thinking what if be able to do.
Sascha Franck
Goatlord
- Messages
- 10,747
Fwiw, I'm afraid I'll timbuck out on this thing. There's just too many things that would require workarounds. Some of them actually making me wonder why it's like that.
The main showstopper most certainly being the switching options. They're just not great. You are at the mercy of what FAS is offering and that involves a lot of dual-switch or hold-press actions. I don't want that live.
No way to freely configure any switches but external ones - which don't give you visual feedback. Let alone that ideally I wanted a wah/vol pedal, which would already need both external inputs.
All of my potential issues could easily be solved in case I could configure the switches freely, but that's not a thing. It's actually baffling because this is a unit coming from a company also offering some of the most complexed foot switching options there are in their other offerings. But on the AM4 they decided to completely dumb them down.
Another thing that would require a workaround is not being able to send an independent volume locked signal the FOH way while still being able to control my monitor volume. I would need an extra split/DI box and an extra level control to get there. Nothing I wanted from an all-in-one unit.
Then - and I actually didn't even think about it until a little earler on (maybe I just had it engraved in my memory that this would be a standard anyway): There's no looper. While I'm not using loopers for live purposes too often (well, in fact, I do with a little bass/git duo), I do very regularly use them to kill some time. And ever since 2010 (or so), when I got an M13, each and every of my setups had a looper. Not having one available is a pretty noticeable drawback. Let alone I sometimes use pre-everything loopers to adjust tones, which is an incredibly great thing.
Further, there's no global EQ. Now, these days I very rarely need them, but whenever I feel like reaching for them, it's for very good reasons (most typically when playing through bad rental wedges).
And while I don't want to get into this yet again, just for sake of completeness: The lack of a programmable insert point doesn't help, either.
All of these (but maybe the programmable loop) are things I expect from a modeler in that price range released today. In a nutshell, featurewise (note: not soundwise) this thing is as rudimentary as it gets. It's almost as if if wasn't made to be used as an all-in-one unit. Which it possibly indeed isn't. But it could easily be because adding most of the mentioned things wouldn't cost FAS a dime.
The main showstopper most certainly being the switching options. They're just not great. You are at the mercy of what FAS is offering and that involves a lot of dual-switch or hold-press actions. I don't want that live.
No way to freely configure any switches but external ones - which don't give you visual feedback. Let alone that ideally I wanted a wah/vol pedal, which would already need both external inputs.
All of my potential issues could easily be solved in case I could configure the switches freely, but that's not a thing. It's actually baffling because this is a unit coming from a company also offering some of the most complexed foot switching options there are in their other offerings. But on the AM4 they decided to completely dumb them down.
Another thing that would require a workaround is not being able to send an independent volume locked signal the FOH way while still being able to control my monitor volume. I would need an extra split/DI box and an extra level control to get there. Nothing I wanted from an all-in-one unit.
Then - and I actually didn't even think about it until a little earler on (maybe I just had it engraved in my memory that this would be a standard anyway): There's no looper. While I'm not using loopers for live purposes too often (well, in fact, I do with a little bass/git duo), I do very regularly use them to kill some time. And ever since 2010 (or so), when I got an M13, each and every of my setups had a looper. Not having one available is a pretty noticeable drawback. Let alone I sometimes use pre-everything loopers to adjust tones, which is an incredibly great thing.
Further, there's no global EQ. Now, these days I very rarely need them, but whenever I feel like reaching for them, it's for very good reasons (most typically when playing through bad rental wedges).
And while I don't want to get into this yet again, just for sake of completeness: The lack of a programmable insert point doesn't help, either.
All of these (but maybe the programmable loop) are things I expect from a modeler in that price range released today. In a nutshell, featurewise (note: not soundwise) this thing is as rudimentary as it gets. It's almost as if if wasn't made to be used as an all-in-one unit. Which it possibly indeed isn't. But it could easily be because adding most of the mentioned things wouldn't cost FAS a dime.
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Ed DeGenaro
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,997
It can’t. It has mono in, stereo/dual mono out and a mono insert after averything, so any fx that come after that aren’t balanced will be.
guyonthefox
Groupie
- Messages
- 43
Not sure what you mean in this part?
- Messages
- 1,701
The inserts can be stereo. Just need to use cables like these. I use these with my VP4 in the insert of the AM4.
Boudoir Guitar
Rock Star
- Messages
- 5,157
Routing is fixed as Input - Block1 - Block2 - Block3 - Block4 - InsertLoop - Output with the only adjustment being whether they are connected in series or parallel
iaresee
Roadie
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- 815
Where are you getting this from?
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- 2,859
AM4 Questions from happy Axe-Fx III owner
AM4 Questions from happy AX FX III owner. 1. Can AM4 presets be loaded into AX FX III? 2. Are the amp modeled identical to the AX FX III or an optimized "Lite" version that take less CPU processing power? 3. Is the analog section of the pre-digital preamp the same audiophile specs as the AX FX...
iaresee
Roadie
- Messages
- 815
You are misunderstanding what he is saying with that post.AM4 Questions from happy Axe-Fx III owner
AM4 Questions from happy AX FX III owner. 1. Can AM4 presets be loaded into AX FX III? 2. Are the amp modeled identical to the AX FX III or an optimized "Lite" version that take less CPU processing power? 3. Is the analog section of the pre-digital preamp the same audiophile specs as the AX FX...forum.fractalaudio.com
iaresee
Roadie
- Messages
- 815
You don't have a device capable of running as many blocks as an FM9 sitting at your feet with an AM4. It can't even run as many blocks as an FM3. It's very hard to tell a layman how "powerful" a SOC chip (which is what you have in an AM4) is. It's not multiples, especially when comparing between a SOC-based design and something that uses discrete DSPs and co-processing chips. It's not linear.
"I can't make a chart" is the important part of that quote -- it's not that straightforward.
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I get it. However, it should also have been clear that a statement such as ‘[...] it has half the power of a standard Axe-Fx III’ would cause confusion among us lowly laymen.
EOengineer
Rock Star
- Messages
- 4,106
It’s a great device. At it’s price point I see it as a more compelling option than Hx Stomp for those who want deeper parameter controls and better sounding/feeling amps.
It feels like a lot for the money and without much trade off. 4 blocks is my sweet spot though.
2dor
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,642
I echo that but only if you compare US prices.
