Fractal Talk

[Frodebro]

am I missing something or is the max line output level of the FM3 relatively low?

I found I was having to run the class A/B Crown that I was using for a power amp louder than I thought I would to get a good rehearsal volume, but I chalked that up to putting it thru an 8ohm cab and my unfamiliarity with the amp. I was pretty happy with the sound and feel in the room though it really needs a 4x12 to feel real. Then I came across a Mesa Fifty-Fifty at a very decent price and jumped on it, but I'm pretty unsatisfied with how it's working - even with the FM3 turned up to levels where I'm getting output clip indicators, I'm having to run the Mesa at a much higher volume than I expected and it doesn't even seem to have the thump and dynamics that the Crown does. Turning off power amp modeling in the FM3 helps with the latter but the presets lose a lot of individual character. On both amps I've tried goosing the FM3s signal with an ART mic pre I had lying around and it seems to help with the slightly anemic feel of the output, but otherwise it's a pretty non-ideal solution.

So, that. Am I missing a magic button in the FM3 output stage, is it really kind of low-output, is this a problem with me trying to use 30-year-old power amp designs that want hot inputs...?

Go to settings and check to see if the output is set to -10 or +4. This will make a huge difference in the output. Also, check your gain staging through your signal chain. Make sure your preset isn’t attenuating the signal before it hits the output block.

 

[Tenebris]

Go to settings and check to see if the output is set to -10 or +4. This will make a huge difference in the output. Also, check your gain staging through your signal chain. Make sure your preset isn’t attenuating the signal before it hits the output block.

Just checking - by attenuating in this context, you mean I have one gain stage set rrrreeeaaallly low and then I have another cranked later, so that even though my overall output signal is high that's all headroom? That's what I think you're saying, I just want to make sure.

 

[AlbertA]

Didn’t sound very different to me - did a reamp and compared between 29 and 29.01 beta - it still warbles the same way in my small test case.

Actually, there's a slight improvement I noticed.

See the comparison I did here:
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...-29-01-public-beta.214695/page-7#post-2696458

 

[Frodebro]

Just checking - by attenuating in this context, you mean I have one gain stage set rrrreeeaaallly low and then I have another cranked later, so that even though my overall output signal is high that's all headroom? That's what I think you're saying, I just want to make sure.

Gain staging, in very simple terms, just means making sure the signal stays consistent through the chain. If you have your output set to line, +4dB and the signal is still weak, that means that it is being dropped (attenuated) in one of the blocks in your chain. Most people set the overall volume of the chain at the amp block output, which typically defaults to -12dB. You might want to start there and see if it solves your volume issue. I typically use -6dB as a starting point.

 

[unix-guy]

Go to settings and check to see if the output is set to -10 or +4. This will make a huge difference in the output. Also, check your gain staging through your signal chain. Make sure your preset isn’t attenuating the signal before it hits the output block.

And use Output 1 or change Output from Unity Gain to Line Level.