Fractal Talk

[timbuck3]

Guess it's just an expression pedal.

I need a tractor and my wife needs a vehicle....so I guess I just won't be one of the cool guys. Guess I will just go hide with my inferior unit.....like I normally do.

We need a new pool filter( sand one isn’t doing a good job so replacing with a cartridge filter) so I feel ya

 

[unix-guy]

I wouldn't use an FM3 for 4cm.

Curious why?

 

[Orvillain]

I spy a Laney, that vh100r is a beast!!!! Love those things!


Not going to lie, dig the sounds ...I can make all these sounds just like that now..... which is cool ...but also makes me gunshy....devil I know and all. But I just hate my current effects unit, for a long list of reasons....but I know I can make anything sound great, even though around here it is believed there are no good sounds in a HR unit...not being a dick, just surprised how similar our sounds are. It's eerie.

Not catching too much noise....but I have fans on.

Yeah the VH100R is a beast. Not this particular one, but the VH100R was my first proper valve amp back in 2007. I love them, and you can have them for dirt cheap these days. They're a proper sleeper amp. Kinda like a hotrodded JCM800 type of thing in many ways. The fact you can use them as a pseudo-4 channel amp literally guided how I think about music and guitar playing. If Laney offered me a signature amp, I'd just ask them to bring that amp back but make the PCB design a bit better so that the noise floor was a bit lower.

All I would say is, the Axe3 and FC12 I got are some of the best gear purchases I've made, and I've been around the houses with gear. You're talking to a guy who is twatty enough to have gone through 6 Kempers, and I still hate them!! lol.

The Axe3+FC12 combo cost me about £2600, which is around $3300 or so I guess. Definitely the most money I've spent on gear. I love it to bits and it is a joy to use at home in the studio. But I wouldn't say it completely killed my GAS.

When I look at other gear I own and compare the cost-to-value ratio, the Axe3 definitely punches above it's weight in that regard. If you were disciplined enough (I'm not!) it could easily be your only piece of gear. Just the other day I was running some software drums through it via AES/EBU digital connectivity, and using it as an outboard compressor. I was getting some truly great sounds from it.

At the end of the day, things cost what they cost and we all have to determine for ourselves whether it is worth it. But for me, there's a lot of gear I'd get rid of before getting rid of my Axe3. At some point I will definitely get a poweramp for it, so I can try going digital with the bands I'm in. I'm thinking one of those Fryette LXII poweramps, a Boogie 2:90, a Marshall 9200, or maybe even one of those KSR poweramps.

 

[Joshual-L]

See this is the issue.....that is more than I've spent on gear in the last 15 years ...that's not how I operate in life.

I have a very limited income, and I have other financial needs ...this is why I purchased the HR unit in the first place ...too good to be true and all that. At 300usd it did everything I needed and sounds great to me ...but I do have issues with it ...but they aren't sound related.

I don't know how you guys do it ....if I told you how little I've spent on ALL my gear....I would be laughed out of the forum....

I don't do credit and I have no real reason to spend that much when I don't earn a living by gigging or sessions.

In my professional and work life, I spend on plenty....and never buy junk anything, but this is just my hobby and stress relief.....and it's just too much. Thanks again everyone for the info and the recommendations.

Just be patient, save some money and buy an brand new fm3.
You won’t regret it.
If you need more switches (like me) there’s plenty of cheap options that works really well like xsonic Airstep.

Wait a little more and buy an fm3

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Yeah the VH100R is a beast. Not this particular one, but the VH100R was my first proper valve amp back in 2007. I love them, and you can have them for dirt cheap these days. They're a proper sleeper amp. Kinda like a hotrodded JCM800 type of thing in many ways. The fact you can use them as a pseudo-4 channel amp literally guided how I think about music and guitar playing. If Laney offered me a signature amp, I'd just ask them to bring that amp back but make the PCB design a bit better so that the noise floor was a bit lower.

All I would say is, the Axe3 and FC12 I got are some of the best gear purchases I've made, and I've been around the houses with gear. You're talking to a guy who is twatty enough to have gone through 6 Kempers, and I still hate them!! lol.

The Axe3+FC12 combo cost me about £2600, which is around $3300 or so I guess. Definitely the most money I've spent on gear. I love it to bits and it is a joy to use at home in the studio. But I wouldn't say it completely killed my GAS.

When I look at other gear I own and compare the cost-to-value ratio, the Axe3 definitely punches above it's weight in that regard. If you were disciplined enough (I'm not!) it could easily be your only piece of gear. Just the other day I was running some software drums through it via AES/EBU digital connectivity, and using it as an outboard compressor. I was getting some truly great sounds from it.

At the end of the day, things cost what they cost and we all have to determine for ourselves whether it is worth it. But for me, there's a lot of gear I'd get rid of before getting rid of my Axe3. At some point I will definitely get a poweramp for it, so I can try going digital with the bands I'm in. I'm thinking one of those Fryette LXII poweramps, a Boogie 2:90, a Marshall 9200, or maybe even one of those KSR poweramps.

This would be perfect. Miss this type of ambition from Laney.

 

[likitlikeyoulikeit]

Found this in my search, might be something someone else will jump on. Great price here.

Fractal Axe-Fx III & FC-12 - musical instruments - by owner - sale - craigslist

Putting feelers out for my Axe-Fx III and FC-12 footswitch! I purchased these at the end of 2020 and have really enjoyed using them. I am beginning to gig out a little more frequently and would like...

cincinnati.craigslist.org

Also. I was just being silly....I don't care ...
I've decided I'm gonna save for this ...or the same.... but later....

 

[la szum]

This whole deal with plucking an Amp and Cab out of the Fractal-verse and just
treating it all like the simplest of simple rigs is so much fucking fun.

Bogner Blue with the 1960TV Dyna Cab last night.

Tonight I am either going Mesa Mark V and/or Fryette D(eliverance)60--having had
a good bit of experience with both, and still owning one of them.

 

[Whizzinby]

This whole deal with plucking an Amp and Cab out of the Fractal-verse and just
treating it all like the simplest of simple rigs is so much fucking fun.

Bogner Blue with the 1960TV Dyna Cab last night.

Tonight I am either going Mesa Mark V and/or Fryette D(eliverance)60--having had
a good bit of experience with both, and still owning one of them.

I stumbled on the Big Hair amp last night. Really awesome.

 

[hemmelight]

Bogner Blue with the 1960TV Dyna Cab last night.

Love that combo!

Try the Blue Modern with Treble up around 3 o'clock and the gain at full.
Sounds big and chewy but not too mushy IME.

 

[deadpool_25]

I wouldn't use an FM3 for 4cm.

Curious why?

Me too. I used mine in 4CM and it worked great. I did end up using a hum eliminator to kill some ground hum but other than that it was great.

 

[la szum]

Love that combo!

Try the Blue Modern with Treble up around 3 o'clock and the gain at full.
Sounds big and chewy but not too mushy IME.

Thanks! I'll try that. I currently like the Blue for more of a Plexi thang with
less gain and more responsiveness and dynamics.

I haven't even put a Drive in the Chain yet.

I do expect my minimalist phase to be very minimalistic, though.

 

[norminal]

Comparing the UA amp pedals to the Fractal, Helix, and QC, Henning states, “They all offer a lot for the money and a lot of stuff in it, but it’s impossible to out the attention to detail into the models when you’re throwing everything in the kitchen sink at it.”



I’ve never tried the UA pedal, but I don’t believe one bit that Santiago puts the same amount of attention to detail into their models that Cliff does.

 

[Millman]

Since it’s not my money, I’d vote FM9 just so you get a bunch of the badass footswitches, which give you a ridiculous amount of programming options.

My journey with FM3 ended with an AxeFx and FC12.

I started with the FM3 because the FM9 was on waitlist. Added an FC6 because 3 switches just wasn’t enough. When my place in the waitlist came up I got an FM9 Turbo. Very happy with it to this day! However, I had severe FOMO and got the AxeIII Turbo and FC12 summer sale bundle this year.

The AxeFX stays mounted in a rack in my home office/studio. The FM units go with me. I get to experience the changes now as soon as Cliff releases a public beta and I do hear a difference between the AxeFX and the floor units. Sound is a little fuller and bass thumps more. Only thing I can figure is the IR lengths. Will anyone hear it in a mix? Not likely… However, isolated guitar sounds even more amazing through it!

 

[jellodog]

I started with the FM3 because the FM9 was on waitlist. Added an FC6 because 3 switches just wasn’t enough. When my place in the waitlist came up I got an FM9 Turbo. Very happy with it to this day! However, I had severe FOMO and got the AxeIII Turbo and FC12 summer sale bundle this year.

When did I write this? Why don't I remember creating an alt?

 

[Millman]

Found this in my search, might be something someone else will jump on. Great price here.

I’d say if you aren’t interested in the Amp modeling that is a great option. Heck, many are even satisfied with the Amp modeling with those units and you’ll have it at your disposal if you want. However, Ares wasn’t sufficient for Amp modeling for me. I’d go with the FM3. Also, the MFC is hard to find to replace if you need to in the future.

As long as 3 foot switches is enough. If you think you’ll need more and want to add an FC6 in the future you may as well save for an FM9 because it is basically the same price of FM3+FC6.

You’ll find over time you will use fewer and fewer of your real pedals and may end up feeling the FM is enough. My pedalboard is in various states of disrepair. I haven’t fired up my real Amp in almost a year. My entire signal chain is in device.

 

[Lysander]

Comparing the UA amp pedals to the Fractal, Helix, and QC, Henning states, “They all offer a lot for the money and a lot of stuff in it, but it’s impossible to out the attention to detail into the models when you’re throwing everything in the kitchen sink at it.”

Those clips sounded fine, but with UA i think there's a lot of "i paid a lot for this one thing, so it's good" going on.

 

[aflynt]

Comparing the UA amp pedals to the Fractal, Helix, and QC, Henning states, “They all offer a lot for the money and a lot of stuff in it, but it’s impossible to out the attention to detail into the models when you’re throwing everything in the kitchen sink at it.”



I’ve never tried the UA pedal, but I don’t believe one bit that Santiago puts the same amount of attention to detail into their models that Cliff does.

Henning's statement only makes sense if it's a completely level playing field between companies wrt efficiency of the approach to modeling the amp and skill of the team doing it. I think there's still enough of an art to this that precludes that kind of assumption.

-Aaron

 

[unix-guy]

I’d say if you aren’t interested in the Amp modeling that is a great option. Heck, many are even satisfied with the Amp modeling with those units and you’ll have it at your disposal if you want. However, Ares wasn’t sufficient for Amp modeling for me. I’d go with the FM3. Also, the MFC is hard to find to replace if you need to in the future.

As long as 3 foot switches is enough. If you think you’ll need more and want to add an FC6 in the future you may as well save for an FM9 because it is basically the same price of FM3+FC6.

You’ll find over time you will use fewer and fewer of your real pedals and may end up feeling the FM is enough. My pedalboard is in various states of disrepair. I haven’t fired up my real Amp in almost a year. My entire signal chain is in device.

The amp modeling in the Axe Fx II was still great... But it's definitely much improved now.

I've seen many people add a cheap and/or compact midi controller for additional switches and functions.

You could even use an AudioFront Expression IO underneath a pedalboard and add up to 8 switches directly mounted thru the board.

Here's my FM9 with 3 external switches mounted thru:

The red box is the Expression IO. I'm using it with 4 expression pedals but it gives the concept:

 

[ᛗᛜᛜᚺDᛜᎶ Ꮤᛨᚳᚴ]

This whole deal with plucking an Amp and Cab out of the Fractal-verse and just
treating it all like the simplest of simple rigs is so much fucking fun.

Bogner Blue with the 1960TV Dyna Cab last night.

Tonight I am either going Mesa Mark V and/or Fryette D(eliverance)60--having had
a good bit of experience with both, and still owning one of them.

SLUT!

 

[the swede]

This whole deal with plucking an Amp and Cab out of the Fractal-verse and just
treating it all like the simplest of simple rigs is so much fucking fun.

Bogner Blue with the 1960TV Dyna Cab last night.

Tonight I am either going Mesa Mark V and/or Fryette D(eliverance)60--having had
a good bit of experience with both, and still owning one of them.

You nasty you nasty tweaker you