Hardware Modeller as a Bedroom Player

sevenagn said:
UPDATE 2: After almost a week of playing and A/Bing with my FM3 non-stop, I have some thoughts on getting a modeler for home use (from the perspective of a plugin/bedroom player):

  • It sounds and feels the same as plugins to me. (Actually, I'm tweaking the FM3 more to achieve the sound I'm used to than I do with my plugins.)
  • The workflow difference isn't worth it, in my opinion. Turning on the FM3 versus waking up my Mac takes about the same amount of time.
  • I also discovered that I absolutely hate playing with headphones.
About the FM3/Fractal universe:

  • The effects are really good, but I can get similar results with plugins, except for the chorus/modulation (now I just need a better modulation plugin).
  • The drives sound fuzzy to me. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but the input boost on the amp block sounds much better than any of the drive pedals.
  • The Vox models are really special. After a good amount of time, I was able to match them with the Ruby plugin, but the Fractal ones have a 3D effect that I just couldn't get with Ruby.
  • All the high-gain amps sound... real? It's probably user error as well, but every high-gain model sounds like it has a mid-bump on it. It feels like I'm playing in an untreated room, if you know what I mean. They only sound "right" to me with this EQ curve applied afterward:

View attachment 59319
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Yeah, I have been scooping around 400hz - 500hz on Fractals for 15+ years for my high gain sounds. There is always a stiffness in the mids that stands out that the real amps dont have.
 
Shask said:
Yeah, I have been scooping around 400hz - 500hz on Fractals for 15+ years for my high gain sounds. There is always a stiffness in the mids that stands out that the real amps dont have.
Click to expand...
Interesting. After seeing Leon's video today, I tried the FAS amps and really liked. FAS modern does not need anything to sound "right" to me at all.
 
sevenagn said:
Interesting. After seeing Leon's video today, I tried the FAS amps and really liked. FAS modern does not need anything to sound "right" to me at all.
Click to expand...
Yeah, FAS Modern is one of my favorites. It still has that smooth pick attack that annoys me, but it is one of the best amp models on there for chug tones.
 
If you guys like FAS Modern, but want to go into a nastier direction, try FAS Brootalz. It sounds so good at stock settings alone. I like to lower the Presence to 2-3 (which really changes the mids) and Depth to 1-2 (depending on IR) and turn the bright switch on and adjust the bright cap frequency to suit the guitar/tuning I’m in, and done. No boost needed. To my ears, this sounds like a blended 5150 and JCM800 amp tone, with the best of both amps and none of the unwanted quirks.
 
sevenagn said:
  • All the high-gain amps sound... real? It's probably user error as well, but every high-gain model sounds like it has a mid-bump on it. It feels like I'm playing in an untreated room, if you know what I mean. They only sound "right" to me with this EQ curve applied afterward:
Click to expand...

Are you using the same IR with all of them? If so, that could be where that mid hump is coming from.
 
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