Fractal Talk

[Orvillain]

This is the way.

(Though I have a VP4+FM9 for my live rig now and it's just...MORE BETTER)

Super greedy!

 

[dk_ace]

I'm gonna get one. I don't think the VP4 will be enough for me. FM9 for rehearsals and shows, and Axe3 for home. That's where I'm heading.

 

[dk_ace]

(Though I have a VP4+FM9 for my live rig now and it's just...MORE BETTER)

 

[Stratzrus]

I'm gonna get one. I don't think the VP4 will be enough for me. FM9 for rehearsals and shows, and Axe3 for home. That's where I'm heading.

I have a III and a FM9 with the studio/to go idea in mind but truth be told I tend to just use the FM9 these days.

I've considered getting a VP4 to use with my Rivera Jazz amp but is there anything the VP4 does better than the FM9?

 

[iaresee]

is there anything the VP4 does better than the FM9

It's good at being smaller.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

I've considered getting a VP4 to use with my Rivera Jazz amp but is there anything the VP4 does better than the FM9?

It empties your wallet a bit less.

 

[blandified]

Got to test my FM9 for a couple days and I am really liking it!

I bought John Cordy's presets and most of his stuff sound like it has a blanket over the sound, definitely not how it sounds in the videos. Overall not a fan but like with most modelers/profilers, I have to trial a bunch of stuff to find what works for me.

I have been really liking the bassman 65, those are the profiles I had in my dual tonex ones, and I think it sounds and feels absolutely fantastic.

One issue: apparently this is something other people have talked about, but when you switch channels in reverb, the spillover isn't good. Weird jumps up or down in volume if the channels are very different. Disappointed in that, any one have ideas to circumvent this?

I like have an all in one kitchen preset, and using a switch to change channels on the reverb, going from a subtle hall reverb all the way to big ambient lush reverbs. But switching the channels on a single reverb block has that weird switching sound/bad spillover.

 

[iaresee]

One issue: apparently this is something other people have talked about, but when you switch channels in reverb, the spillover isn't good. Weird jumps up or down in volume if the channels are very different. Disappointed in that, any one have ideas to circumvent this?

Don't change the reverb algorithm in cases where you need spillover to work well.

 

[blandified]

Don't change the reverb algorithm in cases where you need spillover to work well.

Honestly I am loving the FM9 a lot, I already want to sell my tonex pedalboard (lol).

However, I think that is incredible goofy. I am sure there are complicated technical reasons above my head why they haven't circumvented this issue, but with as smart as the people at Fractal are, I would have imagined a way to address this would have been implemented.

Obviously I'm a new user, and I need to learn the strengths/weaknesses of each unit I use, just a weird issue to run into on the 2nd day.

With all that said, I still like the FM9. Someone else mentioned using 2 reverb blocks to avoid this issue. Will give that a shot.

 

[FracKing]

However, I think that is incredible goofy.

Even if that was "fixed" it could sound weird too :)
AFAIK, spillover (with many brands) has always required the same or similar effect.
It think the only way to solve this 100% would take twice the CPU according to Cliff (and maybe a bunch more RAM too).
Other companies are doing this fine you say, and may use some in-between technique? (I don't have other brands muchl)

 

[blandified]

Question on scene switching while retaining effects:

I have switch 1 to toggle between scene 1 and scene 2. They are exactly the same but scene 2 has the amp gain pushed to breakup.

The rest of my switches are set for effects: delay, trem, rotary, drive, etc.

Obviously when I switch from scene 1 to scene 2, those effects turn off because I have those effects off in scene 2. But I want those effects to stay on/off whether I am switching between scene 1 and 2.

Should I be using a control switch instead of scene toggle for switch 1?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Apparently SCENE IGNORE is what I'm looking for. Maybe control switch modifiers as well. I will test this when I get home.

 

[iaresee]

Should I be using a control switch instead of scene toggle for switch 1?

For this case, I would prefer a control switch, yes. I often have a control switch that toggles the AMP block channel to do this kind of thing -- add more gain to the AMP.

I use scenes when I want many things to change at the same time.

 

[Orvillain]

Honestly I am loving the FM9 a lot, I already want to sell my tonex pedalboard (lol).

However, I think that is incredible goofy. I am sure there are complicated technical reasons above my head why they haven't circumvented this issue, but with as smart as the people at Fractal are, I would have imagined a way to address this would have been implemented.

Obviously I'm a new user, and I need to learn the strengths/weaknesses of each unit I use, just a weird issue to run into on the 2nd day.

With all that said, I still like the FM9. Someone else mentioned using 2 reverb blocks to avoid this issue. Will give that a shot.

Yeah 2 reverb blocks. I use one for my regular/typical hall sounds... and another for the huge ambient stuff.

 

[sashimi]

It doesn't really have a direct equivalent. The Retro Reel is a lot like the Strymon Deco. You could use Fractal's Tape Distortion drive to emulate the tape drive and use tape delay, chorus or flanger blocks for the rest.

One thing Fractal doesn't really do is "multifx blocks" emulating a specific pedal. Like sure, you have modulation in delays and reverbs, but that's about where it ends.

The realization that I won’t be able to get something like retro reel in fractal has sent me down a hole reading about how fractal effects blocks work. I like the way helix models specific effects units and they can be arranged like a virtual pedalboard. I don’t know if I like the idea of having to build an effect from scratch using a generic effect type block and tweaking it. Retro reel goes on most of the presets I build in helix and it’s become a part of my sound. Is there some way to get that sort of asymmetrical wobble I want? Am I making something out of nothing?

 

[FractalAudio]

Honestly I am loving the FM9 a lot, I already want to sell my tonex pedalboard (lol).

However, I think that is incredible goofy. I am sure there are complicated technical reasons above my head why they haven't circumvented this issue, but with as smart as the people at Fractal are, I would have imagined a way to address this would have been implemented.

Obviously I'm a new user, and I need to learn the strengths/weaknesses of each unit I use, just a weird issue to run into on the 2nd day.

With all that said, I still like the FM9. Someone else mentioned using 2 reverb blocks to avoid this issue. Will give that a shot.

Yup, use two blocks and switch between them.

 

[Orvillain]

@blandified - you can get quite a lot of mileage out of using the same algorithm too, but using scene controllers to adjust the parameters. So if you tweak the time/decay and mix for a chorus hall for example, you can make it subtle in some scenes and then right in yer face in some other scenes.

 

[laxu]

The realization that I won’t be able to get something like retro reel in fractal has sent me down a hole reading about how fractal effects blocks work. I like the way helix models specific effects units and they can be arranged like a virtual pedalboard. I don’t know if I like the idea of having to build an effect from scratch using a generic effect type block and tweaking it. Retro reel goes on most of the presets I build in helix and it’s become a part of my sound. Is there some way to get that sort of asymmetrical wobble I want? Am I making something out of nothing?

A Strymon Deco or Retro Reel, are basically one side that does flanging, chorus and then transitions to tape delay. The other side is tape distortion.

You can use the tape delay to replicate the delay. Tape delay -> Tape Distortion.
Then replace the Tape delay with some of the simpler chorus and flanger options.

I don't know if there's any modulation on Fractal that does random pattern modulation though?

 

[sashimi]

A Strymon Deco or Retro Reel, are basically one side that does flanging, chorus and then transitions to tape delay. The other side is tape distortion.

You can use the tape delay to replicate the delay. Tape delay -> Tape Distortion.
Then replace the Tape delay with some of the simpler chorus and flanger options.

I don't know if there's any modulation on Fractal that does random pattern modulation though?

Thanks; actually I don’t think retro reel even does a delay, it’s just the wobble itself, with some optional tape saturation.. you have to put it on a parallel path with a simple delay to get a deco like sound out if it, which I have done also.

Sounds like it would be possible to get something I like in fractal but not exactly the tape wobble like retro reel.

 

[blandified]

Okay I think I'm missing something.

I tried using 2 reverb blocks, but when I switch scenes to turn one off and the other on, the spillover is pretty bad.

I tried going back to swapping channels BUT with the same algorithm, same spillover issue.

So now I just tried scene controllers AND control switches, same issue. When I switch from the HIGH reverb to the LOW reverb, the spillover cuts off.

What am I missing? My global setting has spillover on ALL.

EDIT: I do have my reverb block in series with bypass set at "Mute FX In"

 

[OrganicZed]

@blandified I’d suggest posting this issue and a copy of the preset over on the FAS forum.