Fractal Audio Systems AM4 - Amp Modeler

[RGB]

Just broke down and did it...first new modeling I've tried since the first Atomic Amplifire came out. Been content not to upgrade until Fractal did this at this price point.

Very smart move on their part...hope I love it!

...and thanks for the information, Brock...this thread has probably sold a few, I'll bet.

 

[metallica86]

The AM4 is 1.1 inches narrower than the FM3. How small are those stages that an inch matters?

AM4 - 10” x 6.3”
FM3 - 11.1” x 9.3”

The floor space difference is negligible. 1 inch in width and 3 inches of depth. Won’t you also need a direct box or two for the AM4?

MY FM3 board is much taller than my VP4 board, with VP4 it has extra footswitch and all I need is to add a Wah in front- Also I'm tinkering with some Dirt pedal.
As another poster said- the biggest win for me is auto link cab- I don't need to spend more time to audition or tweak the Cab block or IRs- it's auto sound as it should.
Again it's your money whatever you want to spend- for me it's a win to have both AM4 and FM3- different tools for different jobs

 

[Lysander]

Funny. I’ve done the math several times, and I’d still take FM3 over the AM4 any day. The only thing that gives me a slight bet of AM4 envy is the consolidation of some amp models that have multiple models for switch positions on the earlier hardware.

Have you factored UX and form factor into the equation? Because 4 Fractal blocks can do a lot... in a package way smaller and lighter than the FM3, without fans, and with a UI that won't have you begging for a PC every time you want to change something from the front panel.

The AM4 is 1.1 inches narrower than the FM3. How small are those stages that an inch matters?

AM4 - 10” x 6.3”
FM3 - 11.1” x 9.3”

Note the FM3 is also taller (by over an inch) than the AM4, and weights three times as much. It's built like a tank, but it is a chunky boy.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

4 Fractal blocks can do a lot...

Just make sure you are aware of footswitch configurability in the AM4 -- a lot less open-ended than FC approach (not a bad thing -- figuring out how to configure the FCs is typically much more work for me than laying out the signal path in a Full-Frac-Fat preset.

 

[Karl Houseknecht]

Note the FM3 is also taller (by over an inch) than the AM4, and weights three times as much. It's built like a tank, but it is a chunky boy.

Yeah, that extra inch in height is going to be a complete deal breaker in the low-ceilinged venues I frequent. I get why someone would want this for a pedalboard with other effects. I just don't understand how it somehow competes with the FM3.

 

[Altho]

Yeah, that extra inch in height is going to be a complete deal breaker in the low-ceilinged venues I frequent. I get why someone would want this for a pedalboard with other effects. I just don't understand how it somehow competes with the FM3.

It doesn't compete with the FM3. The FM3 is $1100, the AM4 $700 , that's a pretty big difference. It's being advertised as a modeler with some effect capability, while the FM3 is a complete platform. It's pretty obvious they're targeting people who like hybrid setups. There is been a lot of people who use a NAM box/nano cortex/ToneX + pedals and I think fractal wants to corner that market.

 

[dean701]

Yeah, that extra inch in height is going to be a complete deal breaker in the low-ceilinged venues I frequent. I get why someone would want this for a pedalboard with other effects. I just don't understand how it somehow competes with the FM3.

Fractal are very strategic on their boundaries between devices. The AM4 would seem for the most part to be a streamlined FM3 but little things like having 'SPIDF in' keep things interesting. From the block comparison side, the pitch block and multiband compressors are a big deal for me. I like the AM4 a lot but without already having the fm9, I probably would not have went for it.

 

[ian_dissonance]

The extra inch on the FM3 is so there’s room for a full wave cycle for the pitch shifter.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Yeah, that extra inch in height is going to be a complete deal breaker in the low-ceilinged venues I frequent. I get why someone would want this for a pedalboard with other effects. I just don't understand how it somehow competes with the FM3.

I don't think it "competes" with the FM3. You like the FM3 -- a lot of folks don't/didn't for various usability reasons.

The difference between 3 buttons and 4 buttons is a bigger deal for a lot of folks than the difference between 4-frac-blocks and full-grid in a package this size.

 

[Richard_G]

For me, it definitely competes with the FM3, and I chose the AM4. I was actually pretty close to buying a used FM3 as late as the week before I ordered a new AM4. It’s not a price issue for me; it’s about the specifics of the two products.

 

[Ed DeGenaro]

I don't think it "competes" with the FM3. You like the FM3 -- a lot of folks don't/didn't for various usability reasons.

The difference between 3 buttons and 4 buttons is a bigger deal for a lot of folks than the difference between 4-frac-blocks and full-grid in a package this size.

I’m one of them. I love the AM4, I had no interest in the FM3.

 

[PorcinePicker]

with a UI that won't have you begging for a PC every time you want to change something from the front panel.

YMMV, but for me….if you put an amp with 16 knobs and 5 switches (2 FM3 perform pages, 2 button passive switch added on) in front of me, I’m good.

i can make patches from scratch on the unit, but I never need to.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Had the AM4 been available a while back, I absolutely would have picked one up instead of the FM-3, and I think it would have likely stopped me getting an Axe FX III. As far as doing the what I need from the AxeFX, I think the AM4 would more than suffice. The only reason I’m keeping the AxeFX (aside from laziness to sell it) is the form factor as I like having it racked up. The AM4 is basically everything I wanted the FM-3 to be, and the fact it’s a good bit cheaper is a big win.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I don't think it "competes" with the FM3. You like the FM3 -- a lot of folks don't/didn't for various usability reasons.

The difference between 3 buttons and 4 buttons is a bigger deal for a lot of folks than the difference between 4-frac-blocks and full-grid in a package this size.

Pull of the smaller (no matter how little of a 'gain' it is) and especially that 4th footswitch is HUGE.

 

[paisleywookiee]

The only thing with the AM4 that I wish it had was…..five blocks. Just to be able to get OD/Amp+Cab/modulation/delay/reverb in one shot. But I understand there’s gotta be sacrifices made for what it is.

 

[dean701]

The only thing with the AM4 that I wish it had was…..five blocks. Just to be able to get OD/Amp+Cab/modulation/delay/reverb in one shot. But I understand there’s gotta be sacrifices made for what it is.

they do have an 'echo plate/echo hall' block that enables the possibility of having reverb and delay in one block. It's not perfect though but very decent

 

[JiveTurkey]

The only thing with the AM4 that I wish it had was…..five blocks. Just to be able to get OD/Amp+Cab/modulation/delay/reverb in one shot. But I understand there’s gotta be sacrifices made for what it is.

I'm grabbing LT's block library when I grab it. IIRC there are some "double duty" block favorites in there.

 

[metallica86]

As I mentioned earlier, AM4 might be the best selling Fractal product. Few another guitarist I know just ordered their AM4 after they played with mine for few hours. The UI on AM4 is dead simple and easy to tweak. I spent exactly like 2 minutes to create a good preset to practice these songs ( each of them has pretty unique fx)
1. Young lust
2. Blvd broken dreams
3. Run to you

 

[paisleywookiee]

I guess I could read the manual, but does the amp block still have the boost section, with various styles of OD boosts?