Fractal Talk

All roads lead to the III if you have FOMO or want the current firmware at all times

It wasn’t the firmware that lured me in, it was the fact that I have absolutely zero self control with building presets and wound up banging into the redline on the FM3 just one time too many. So I did the reasonable, responsible, and completely sane thing and bought an Axe3 MkII and an FC12.

 
It wasn’t the firmware that lured me in, it was the fact that I have absolutely zero self control with building presets and wound up banging into the redline on the FM3 just one time too many. So I did the reasonable, responsible, and completely sane thing and bought an Axe3 MkII and an FC12.



Lol I think I'll be ok! My blues and shred and jazz guitar stuff is pretty simple... usually drive - amp/cab - delay - reverb etc

However for my ambient / experimental stuff i'll have vp4 in the fx loop of fm3 along with eventide h90 / zoia in the fx loop of my vg-800 for more weird stuff if needed.

If i feel like im addicted i think fm9 will be next step obviously, so I'll get rid of the fm3 turbo and vp4 to go that route if needed, i don't feel like i'll want axefx III rack, never been a rack person really.
 
Lol I think I'll be ok! My blues and shred and jazz guitar stuff is pretty simple... usually drive - amp/cab - delay - reverb etc

However for my ambient / experimental stuff i'll have vp4 in the fx loop of fm3 along with eventide h90 / zoia in the fx loop of my vg-800 for more weird stuff if needed.

If i feel like im addicted i think fm9 will be next step obviously, so I'll get rid of the fm3 turbo and vp4 to go that route if needed, i don't feel like i'll want axefx III rack, never been a rack person really.

The FM9 is definitely the sweet spot in the lineup.
 
But does it have to be?

Well yes as it would be my only audio interface since i won't be using helix for guitar stuff if i like the fm3 as helix was my main audio interface.... HOWEVER I just realized duh the vp4 is also a audio interface "The VP4 is also a high quality, 2×2, 24-bit/48kHz audio interfacefor Mac and Windows computers".

I'll be routing that into the fx loop of the fm3, so maybe I could use that since people here don't seem to have good thoughts about the fm3 audio interface lol.
 
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Thing is, it seems like you want the VP4 in the FM3 loop so you can put its effects wherever you want. If you're using it as an interface it's probably going to be last in the chain. Just something else to consider I guess. It might be worth considering a decent dedicated interface. Maybe something used if you do end up looking into it as that could be relatively inexpensive.
 
Thing is, it seems like you want the VP4 in the FM3 loop so you can put its effects wherever you want. If you're using it as an interface it's probably going to be last in the chain. Just something else to consider I guess. It might be worth considering a decent dedicated interface. Maybe something used if you do end up looking into it as that could be relatively inexpensive.
You'd probably want to connect the FM3 SPDIF out to the VP4 SPDIF in. Maybe use analog for 4CM since the FM3 doesn't have an SPDIF input?
 
I was considering picking up another FM3 at one point (since it does a lot and sounds great), but y'all in the last few pages have made me remember a bunch of the caveats.

I don't think Fractal has also ever officially acknowledged or fixed the issue with powering MIDI devices from the FM3 MIDI out port. Because of a missing resistor, the FM3 port can make some devices get hot by providing too high voltages. This is only an issue with MIDI devices that are powered purely from the MIDI out port instead of externally.

CME WIDI Master for example did this, so I built a little adapter cable with a resistor in it to set the voltage correctly and that fixed it. The FM9 or Axe-Fx 3 don't have this issue and I can't understand why Fractal hasn't fixed it in newer units.
 
LOL. I’ve had an FM3 for years now and I always thought it was awesome. :P Sounding like an Axe III is enough for me, I guess… I’ve used it in 4CM some, zero issues, would like it to have multiple loops, etc.. I’ve never cared about audio interface functionality on modelers. I don’t use the Axe III as an interface, either.
 
Ok sorry for annoying you all again :P

I am trying to figure out a complete stereo rig as I have always wanted to do one and now with this new change happening with the fm3 coming soon and rearranging things, I have the option to do it right for once.

So how do I make a complete stereo rig out of all of this?

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This is my idea, is this right and will work as a stereo rig? PLEASE HELP lol. I don't care if the vg-800 guitar modelling unit is mono. I just want the gm-800 and the other effects all stereo into fm3.

Guitar with gk-5 hex pickup into Boss VG-800 guitar modelling unit via serial in cable. Another serial cable goes from serial output of vg-800 to serial input on the Boss GM-800 guitar synth unit.

Take the mono output of the vg-800 with a cable into the input of the FM3, as this will mainly be used just for guitar and bass modelling along with alternate tunings etc. and bypassing effects/amps/cabs.

Take the outputs of the Boss GM-800 guitar synth into Empress Effects Zoia inputs, take Zoia outputs into Eventide H90 inputs, take Eventide H90 outputs into Fractal VP4 inputs, take Fractal VP4 outputs into Singular Sound Aeros Loop Studio inputs, take Aeros Loop Studio outputs into fractal FM3 fx loop.

Outputs from FM3 via xlr cables to JBL studio monitors.
 
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I don't think Fractal has also ever officially acknowledged or fixed the issue with powering MIDI devices from the FM3 MIDI out port. Because of a missing resistor, the FM3 port can make some devices get hot by providing too high voltages. This is only an issue with MIDI devices that are powered purely from the MIDI out port instead of externally.
The MIDI ports are not missing a resistor. They are designed according to the MIDI Specification. The MIDI Spec. does not include powering devices from a MIDI port. Any device that tries to draw power from the current loop is violating the specification. Some devices might work depending upon the voltage used to power the loop. Others might get too hot but that is because they are not adhering to the spec in the first place.
 
The MIDI ports are not missing a resistor. They are designed according to the MIDI Specification. The MIDI Spec. does not include powering devices from a MIDI port. Any device that tries to draw power from the current loop is violating the specification. Some devices might work depending upon the voltage used to power the loop. Others might get too hot but that is because they are not adhering to the spec in the first place.
Then why is this behavior only an issue on the FM3?

Axe-Fx 3 would power the CME WIDI Master without issue from the MIDI out port. The CME never got hot. But on the FM3 it would get very hot unless I used an adapter with a resistor.

I've tried it with multiple other devices, and none of them have had that problem. Only the FM3.
 
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