NAM support announced by Fractal Audio

I think they are still great amps, but they are kind of their own thing rather than "the ultimate Marshall".

They have just become commoditized similar to how 5153s are now boring and commonplace.
Yeah I don't know what it is? Agreed with the 5153s. The OG 5150 is as ubiquitous as can be but it still stands out as an icon? The 5153 to me is as generic as you can get. Super usable and great tones when you are playing one but nothing I would actively pick when it's not here in my hands.

The Friedman stuff is like 2 tiers down on that for me. Super expensive and boring as fuck. The amp models and the associated "we don't have that amp in the box so just use the Friedman" in modelers is worse. I don't want to use the real thing here in 2025 so I am sure as fuck not thinking it's a huge add to have a model of it in the box.
 
Yeah I don't know what it is? Agreed with the 5153s. The OG 5150 is as ubiquitous as can be but it still stands out as an icon? The 5153 to me is as generic as you can get. Super usable and great tones when you are playing one but nothing I would actively pick when it's not here in my hands.

The Friedman stuff is like 2 tiers down on that for me. Super expensive and boring as fuck. The amp models and the associated "we don't have that amp in the box so just use the Friedman" in modelers is worse. I don't want to use the real thing here in 2025 so I am sure as fuck not thinking it's a huge add to have a model of it in the box.

Well, it looks like going forward that no platform will have the problem of "We don't have that in the box, so use the Friedman model". They'll have all the models and/or captures going forward.
 
1. More is more. So STFU if you don't like it.
How about no?

Turns out other people can say what they think about a potential gear feature on a gear forum. If you don't like that, there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. But it'll be ok, I promise. On the upside for you, there's absolutely nothing those meanies can do about Cliff adding NAM captures to his next gen products, either. I don't like it, and I know that.

We're agreed on the 'Fractalverse' term, though.
 
This is actually a huge deal for me. The main reason I have a QC right now is because of PCOM. If there had been a reasonable avenue to be able to quickly integrate sounds directly from my plugins into my FM9, I’d still have that instead. Integration of NAM into the Fractalverse means I could profile my favorite sounds from the plugins into a Fractal device. So instead of capturing Fractal sounds into a QC, people will be profiling NDSP sounds into a Fractal…AND with even better quality (oh how the tables have turned with that dynamic).

I’ve said I’ll be getting the next generation Fractal device and though I still thought that was true, I think I was maybe starting to lean away from that due to some reliance on PCOM and due to form factor and ease of use. I don’t know what Fractal has planned for those last two aspects but regardless, I’m excited again.
You are probably one of the few people who truly cared about plugin compatibility on NDSP.

To me capturing your plugin sounds to use on Fractal seems like going through a lot of work instead of just taking a bit of time to dial the Fractal to your liking. If you end up changing your plugin settings, do you go through the trouble to make more captures? Wouldn't it be just easier to use the Fractal in the first place and avoid the plugins altogether?

I don't know, maybe I'm just easy to please but I dial pretty much any modeler to do the same damn thing. I recently picked up a Tonex One and when going through captures to use on it...I always just end up on ones that sound very close to what I'd dial on my BluGuitar amps, my Mesa Mark V, the Hotone Ampero 2 Stomp models.

It's downright laughable how specific tone I have in mind that I subconsciously make everything do the same thing.
 
I don't know, maybe I'm just easy to please but I dial pretty much any modeler to do the same damn thing. I recently picked up a Tonex One and when going through captures to use on it...I always just end up on ones that sound very close to what I'd dial on my BluGuitar amps, my Mesa Mark V, the Hotone Ampero 2 Stomp models.
I tend to dial in similar tones from unit to unit. But there's also cases where I don't seem able to dial in one unit to sound and feel quite like another.

For example, I love VH4 style tones and been mostly using the fractal silver sims for that. Sounds good, feels good. But when I had tonex captures made of the real thing, it pretty much outclassed the fractal sims.

I've been trying to get the fractal to sound and feel like that. Not much success so far. Maybe it gets better with more effort. I had compared the fractal silver sims with another VH4 before and had them dialed in almost identical for sound, but for whatever reason it's not the case in this instance.

Saying this, next gen fractal units supporting NAM is pretty cool, for such cases. They'd be the odd one out if they offered no such functionalities. Captures can be useful, especially if I'm making my own.

Most of all, I hope the hardware UI gets better. I always dread having to deal with that currently, no matter how long I've used these units for.
 
Well, it looks like going forward that no platform will have the problem of "We don't have that in the box, so use the Friedman model". They'll have all the models and/or captures going forward.
And I think there in lies the strength oh I want a Mezzabarber , Badlander
ADA , fill in the blank model
You will now be able to have it
And as others have said much like other features I think it has become table stakes and will become a reason your product might not be as popular
 
Woah woah woah…this a family forum!

andrew dice clay hickory dickory dock GIF
 
You are probably one of the few people who truly cared about plugin compatibility on NDSP.

Few? Maybe people around here don’t care much now, and perhaps interest has waned a bit lately, but PCOM was a huge deal going all the way back to the official announcement. The wailing across the internet when it took so long was loud and persistent. There were (and likely still are) many more people calling for it than people who are saying it’s a waste of time.

To me capturing your plugin sounds to use on Fractal seems like going through a lot of work instead of just taking a bit of time to dial the Fractal to your liking. If you end up changing your plugin settings, do you go through the trouble to make more captures? Wouldn't it be just easier to use the Fractal in the first place and avoid the plugins altogether?

It’s nice to have choices. Maybe for other people they’d prefer to just profile their plugin tones. Personally I think it would be cool to have the multiple options. Your preferences don’t have to match others’ preferences, and theirs not matching yours doesn’t make them wrong.

I don't know, maybe I'm just easy to please but I dial pretty much any modeler to do the same damn thing. I recently picked up a Tonex One and when going through captures to use on it...I always just end up on ones that sound very close to what I'd dial on my BluGuitar amps, my Mesa Mark V, the Hotone Ampero 2 Stomp models.

Why do you have a variety of tools? Why’d you even bother with the Tonex? To have multiple options suited to your needs?

ETA: Why do you keep going on about Fractal’s UI? Why not just learn to use it as so many other people have and as so many people like to say on the various forums? Surely if it works for them it should work for you? Obviously that’s sarcasm. I think almost as obviously, I’m just making the point that them (and plenty of others) being able to adapt to the Fractal UI is just as acceptable as you (and plenty of others) not wanting to. This is no different.
 
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I think they are still great amps, but they are kind of their own thing rather than "the ultimate Marshall".

They have just become commoditized similar to how 5153s are now boring and commonplace.
Yes, Friedman amps are absolutely awesome and the BE is a modern Classic, just like the 5150 is. But everyone’s played one and some realize they are not for them and others find them to be just their thing. And there are like 50 models, then they are available as 20 watters, annd micro anmps, annd IR-XX pedals, annd SS pedals, annd digital models, etc.

Victim of their own success. Once something gets pervasively popular like that it’s hip to not like it on some level.

Back when you had to call Dave and send him an old Marshall and two months to get one, they were being hyped like the grail.

Nature of hype cycles.
 
Few? Maybe people around here don’t care much now, and perhaps interest has waned a bit lately, but PCOM was a huge deal going all the way back to the official announcement. The wailing across the internet when it took so long was loud and persistent. There were (and likely still are) many more people calling for it than people who are saying it’s a waste of time.
IMO people cared more about being able to use the plugin amps, fx and whatnot and less about being able to put the plugin presets on their QC. If NDSP had not sold the device partly based on having plugin compatibility, you'd more likely see "Hey can we have a <plugin amp model> on the QC, we know you have it on the plugin!" requests.

It’s nice to have choices. Maybe for other people they’d prefer to just profile their plugin tones. Personally I think it would be cool to have the multiple options. Your preferences don’t have to match others’ preferences, and theirs not matching yours doesn’t make them wrong.
Never said it did.

I'm merely questioning if your approach of "make sounds I like on a plugin -> capture plugin -> put capture on another modeler" is putting the cart before the horse. You could figure out how to make the modeler do the same thing with the tools it has, and that might be a much faster way to go get to where you want to be.

It'd probably take you a good chunk of time to set it all up to get accurate captures, and if you change something you need to do it all over again, whereas you could otherwise just reflect the adjustments on the other modeler. But if it makes sense to you, then by all means do it.

Why do you have a variety of tools? Why’d you even bother with the Tonex? To have multiple options suited to your needs?
Tonex was really a "the IK Groupbuy deal was too good to pass" type thing. It's still pretty neat to have a limited, but almost entire guitar rig fit into my pocket. At this point I'm trying to find a good usecase for it in my rigs.

ETA: Why do you keep going on about Fractal’s UI? Why not just learn to use it as so many other people have and as so many people like to say on the various forums? Surely if it works for them it should work for you? Obviously that’s sarcasm. I think almost as obviously, I’m just making the point that them (and plenty of others) being able to adapt to the Fractal UI is just as acceptable as you (and plenty of others) not wanting to. This is no different.
You've read my posts - I will complain about literally every piece of tech I own. It's not because I want to be difficult, but because I want the gear I like to be even better.

Fractal's issue has never been how it sounds, or the features it has. It's great for that. So obviously I'm going to complain that using it is more cumbersome than it needs to be. Since Fractal didn't want to do anything about that, I moved on and sold my Axe-Fx 3.

I'm not going to mind that Fractal offers NAM support, but with over 300 amp models on the unit already...does it truly change anything?
 
I totally disagree. And even if you hate captures, NAM has been a contributing factor in forcing every white box modeling tech company to up their game.

Absolutely. NAM (and Tonex as well, even more so in case you also need gigging hardware) are putting some pressure on pretty much anyone.
Seeing what I'm getting out of a setup worth around 1k (and being kinda perfectly happy with it), the big guns better come up with something quite outstanding to even make me consider switching. And I'm sure it's similar for a lot of folks.
And tbh, whatever Fractal device doesn't get one bit more of my interest just because NAM support will be added.
 
IMO people cared more about being able to use the plugin amps, fx and whatnot and less about being able to put the plugin presets on their QC. If NDSP had not sold the device partly based on having plugin compatibility, you'd more likely see "Hey can we have a <plugin amp model> on the QC, we know you have it on the plugin!" requests.
I agree it’s the plugin devices that were the initial allure. At least it was for me. The presets are a cool addition for some people I’m sure. Including those who have used the plugins to record and who can now (or will eventually be able to) very easily take those exact tones on the road.

I'm merely questioning if your approach of "make sounds I like on a plugin -> capture plugin -> put capture on another modeler" is putting the cart before the horse. You could figure out how to make the modeler do the same thing with the tools it has, and that might be a much faster way to go get to where you want to be.
For the record, it’s not my approach—it’s an approach. One that’s already been adopted by others. One specific example is Erra captured the plugin they used in the studio into their QCs for touring. And im positive I’ve heard of other bands/artists doing the same thing. I think that’s becoming at least somewhat common—build a sound in the studio then capture it for live use.

In fairness I just think it will be cool to have the option. Just sitting at home playing as I do, it’ll be just another potentially fun toy.

It'd probably take you a good chunk of time to set it all up to get accurate captures, and if you change something you need to do it all over again, whereas you could otherwise just reflect the adjustments on the other modeler. But if it makes sense to you, then by all means do it.

For me specifically, it could be a fun process so I could definitely see giving it a shot.

I'm not going to mind that Fractal offers NAM support, but with over 300 amp models on the unit already...does it truly change anything?

Does bringing an actual capturing/profiling feature to Fractal stuff change anything? Yeah I’d say it definitely changes some things.
 
How could a new, improved iteration of a technology that’s proved useful for over a decade be described as a “fad”?

As for the subsequent posts describing it as “new and different”, I hadn’t yet considered it to be “different” enough (post KPA, QC, ToneX, et al) to bother trying it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But some variation of profiling is certainly a useful option.

It’s a refinement of existing technology, but that’s it. The way some people carry on about it, you would think it’s the cure for cancer.
 
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