Fractal Talk

[SillyOctpuss]

Not gonna lie; I’ve got FM3 on my watch list. It’d be a nice addition to my man-purse. Either that or the requisite HX Stomp.

I was looking at FM3s too but realised the new vp4 will suit me better. If I like the VP4 then a FM3 might be my next purchase.

 

[la szum]

I've never purchased a piece of gear in my entire lifetime that continued to be improved
and get better and better over time. I have enjoyed gear and it has grown on me over
time.... but this is different. You get more features and new tools and it costs the 3 minutes
it takes to update the firmware.

I am a fan and supporter based on how the entire enterprise is run. Toanz are pretty good, too.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I've never purchased a piece of gear in my entire lifetime that continued to be improved
and get better and better over time. I have enjoyed gear and it has grown on me over
time.... but this is different. You get more features and new tools and it costs the 3 minutes
it takes to update the firmware.

I am a fan and supporter based on how the entire enterprise is run. Toanz are pretty good, too.

That's been my experience with helix as well. Fractal and line 6 have definitely led the way with updates vs the rest of the pack.

 

[paisleywookiee]

I was looking at FM3s too but realised the new vp4 will suit me better. If I like the VP4 then a FM3 might be my next purchase.

I'd love a reason for the VP4 for me, but I don't have an amp anymore, and I don't need more than what the FM9 already has.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I'd love a reason for the VP4 for me, but I don't have an amp anymore, and I don't need more than what the FM9 already has.

That makes total sense. I play through a jvm 90% of the time with a wah and analogue drives/fuzzes in the front. My stomp is basically only doing reverb and delay these days.

A VP4 in theory is the perfect fractal device for me. If I like it I might pick up a FM3 though next year for recording, portable rig for jam nights and taking with me when I travel - I use the stomp for that now but I've had it since 2019 and fancy a change now. I'll probably still hold onto the stomp though.

#neversellyourstomp

 

[KHAAAAAAANNNNNNN!!!!!!!!]

Damn, the gap between updates on all 3 units has gotten considerably smaller in the last several updates.

I was thinking this too. But looking back, most of the time the lag was pretty short. I think the gapless switching update was took a long time compared to previous updates. Especially on the FM3. The FOMO created a lot of speculation that the other devices were going to start falling behind permanently.

 

[Whizzinby]

That makes total sense. I play through a jvm 90% of the time with a wah and analogue drives/fuzzes in the front. My stomp is basically only doing reverb and delay these days.

A VP4 in theory is the perfect fractal device for me. If I like it I might pick up a FM3 though next year for recording, portable rig for jam nights and taking with me when I travel - I use the stomp for that now but I've had it since 2019 and fancy a change now. I'll probably still hold onto the stomp though.

#neversellyourstomp

Have you never used a FAS device before?

The FAS reverbs and delays are seriously amazing.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Have you never used a FAS device before?

The FAS reverbs and delays are seriously amazing.

No, I've never used one and anyone I know who has one lives on the Internet. I've seen entirely too many videos though where they do sound amazing and I'm really excited to check out a VP4 at gig volumes with my JVM.

I love my stomp and as a digital recording/gigging device it's great. Into my amp, however, there's definitely better options out there for me. I've been trying to decide for a while between a Source Audio collider or some strymon units to use on my pedalboard instead but couldn't find one I was totally happy with.

I'd have been super happy with a Fractal delay/reverb unit but to get one with their drives, mods etc and to be able to run any 4 algorithms at once is a giant home run as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Whizzinby]

No, I've never used one and anyone I know who has one lives on the Internet. I've seen entirely too many videos though where they do sound amazing and I'm really excited to check out a VP4 at gig volumes with my JVM.

I love my stomp and as a digital recording/gigging device it's great. Into my amp, however, there's definitely better options out there for me. I've been trying to decide for a while between a Source Audio collider or some strymon units to use on my pedalboard instead but couldn't find one I was totally happy with.

I'd have been super happy with a Fractal delay/reverb unit but to get one with their drives, mods etc and to be able to run any 4 algorithms at once is a giant home run as far as I'm concerned.

That’s cool man. When I got mine, believe it or not it was not the amps that immediately jumped out to me, (that came later, lol) it was the effects. You could remove all the amps and cabs from the AxeFx, and you’d still need to pry it from my cold dead hands as an FX processor.

You should take a glance at the blocks guide in advance. The Delay and Reverb blocks are obviously great, but then you can delve into other blocks like Pitch, (Dual Detune and Dual Detune Delay!) Plex Delay, (Epic reverb pads and ambient washes) Multi/Mega Taps etc.

The sky is the limit when it comes to delay and verbs tones in the Fractalverse, and when you throw a modulation in front of them…. epic

 

[Frodebro]

That makes total sense. I play through a jvm 90% of the time with a wah and analogue drives/fuzzes in the front. My stomp is basically only doing reverb and delay these days.

A VP4 in theory is the perfect fractal device for me. If I like it I might pick up a FM3 though next year for recording, portable rig for jam nights and taking with me when I travel - I use the stomp for that now but I've had it since 2019 and fancy a change now. I'll probably still hold onto the stomp though.

#neversellyourstomp

I keep my JVM 205C at our other guitar player's house (we rehearse there), and the VP4 is enticing to me for the same reason it is for you. I tend to use minimal effects, with certain songs requiring the oddball thing. The VP4 is the perfect solution for having everything I need, and compact enough to fit in the front pocket of my gig bag.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I keep my JVM 205C at our other guitar player's house (we rehearse there), and the VP4 is enticing to me for the same reason it is for you. I tend to use minimal effects, with certain songs requiring the oddball thing. The VP4 is the perfect solution for having everything I need, and compact enough to fit in the front pocket of my gig bag.

Do you use the OD channel much on your 205c? It's absolutely worth having it modded to od1 specs, it's only two caps and a resistor. I found it fixed the weird shift that happened when I switched from crunch orange to the OD channel.

 

[jellodog]

... and when you throw a modulation in front of them…. epic

I usually bake a touch of modulation into my delay effects and rarely put anything in front.

But now you've got me curious - what's your favourite FAS modulation in front then?

Any suggested settings to help me cosplay Whizzinby?

 

[Frodebro]

Do you use the OD channel much on your 205c? It's absolutely worth having it modded to od1 specs, it's only two caps and a resistor. I found it fixed the weird shift that happened when I switched from crunch orange to the OD channel.

I actually don’t use that channel often, and have considered doing the mod because it would suit me much better.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I actually don’t use that channel often, and have considered doing the mod because it would suit me much better.

Here's the deets in case you don't have it.

I bought my jvm used so sent it in for a checkup, service and got the mod done at the same time. It was really cheap and the amp sounds much better than before.

 

[laxu]

Here's the deets in case you don't have it.

I bought my jvm used so sent it in for a checkup, service and got the mod done at the same time. It was really cheap and the amp sounds much better than before.

View attachment 30842

I've honestly considered buying a JVM410 a few times just to try my hand at modding it. There seem to be so many easy mods for it.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I've honestly considered buying a JVM410 a few times just to try my hand at modding it. There seem to be so many easy mods for it.

The mod list is pretty big. I'll pick another one up at some point to try other stuff. I love the one I've got just the way it is and don't want to muck about with it anymore but there's some other mods I would like to try.

I'll wait until I find a deal I can't pass up and then have a go at some more.

 

[Orvillain]

The main thing I hated about the original JVM was the gap of silence when switching channels. Really got on my nerves. It is WAY less noticeable on the Satriani JVM because they ditched the built in reverb, which I think meant the pop reduction didn't need to be as extreme.

Awesome amp otherwise.

 

[paisleywookiee]

The 50w JVM sounds killer, but it's noisy AF. They're so damn "cheap" for a British made head though.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

The main thing I hated about the original JVM was the gap of silence when switching channels. Really got on my nerves. It is WAY less noticeable on the Satriani JVM because they ditched the built in reverb, which I think meant the pop reduction didn't need to be as extreme.

Awesome amp otherwise.

The Satriani is damn near perfect. It was an excellent choice to ditch the reverb in favor of a noise gate, because the regular JVM is noisy AF. They should do a reissue. I guess it would sell really well.

 

[Orvillain]

The Satriani is damn near perfect. It was an excellent choice to ditch the reverb in favor of a noise gate, because the regular JVM is noisy AF. They should do a reissue. I guess it would sell really well.

They should just replace the original model with this one, and make it a standard production model! Change the name to like.. I dunno... 6506+ ^ 2 or something.