Fractal FM3 / FC12 / EV-1s / Temple Audio Duo 17 & 34

[László]

They’re also good to dispose bodies with.
Allegedly.

Hahaha!

 

[Clashcityrocker]

I got one of these to power my Kemper if I want to play through a cabinet. It's not bad at all for being the size of a deck of cards

 

[CandidPicker]

You could always smuggle Cleopatra in it to see Caesar.

At least it would get some use.

You might need a time machine.

Les, the truth with the Fractal is that I used to visit a little coffee house some years ago named Peaberry's Cafe. I was hosted by a kindly old guy who kind of took me under his wing and acclimated me to the open-mic scene. I learned to socialize with fellow musicians and improve my ear-training so I could hang with the house band and sit in on some shared charts and improvs. I didn't possess a lot of repertoire or ability, but it was an enjoyable time.

For some reason, the old guy was affectionately dubbed "Mr. Whoopie" after the Saturday morning cartoon with Tennessee Tuxedo and Sherman and Mr. Peabody. "Peabody" is also the name of a dinosaur museum located downstate, and would be certainly a trip back in time with a time machine. It was more of a local joke than anything really serious. Sometimes we all get a little sentimental over the times we had in the not-so-distant past, even though it reminds us of when we were newbs to the music scene ourselves.

They’re also good to dispose bodies with.
Allegedly.

Thanks, but no. I'd have no place to lay my head down because the law would be always after me. TBH, I'm law-abiding like most folks. Free rugs are almost rare as hen's teeth, but a potential recipient has spoken up for the rug. We'll exchange pleasantries tomorrow and the rug won't be cluttering my room.

I got one of these to power my Kemper if I want to play through a cabinet. It's not bad at all for being the size of a deck of cards.

CCR,

Thanks for chiming in. I once considered using a Seymour Duncan Powerblock with my former effects board as an alternative to my fancy boutique Brunetti amp, but that idea got shelved pretty quick. At the time, I didn't own any powered FRFRs or passive PA speakers, so I didn't see any need. I've gotten much better mileage from my HeadRush/FRFRs because of its ease of use/simplicity factor.

My new Fractal is comparatively compact, has a ton of presets one can retro-engineer and make your own, and much more. I can't even begin to tell you how versatile and useful this thing is. TBH, my hands are already pretty full with this gear. Did I tell you it cleans up like a pro?

My Dad once described a lot of the things I used to research and follow "as about as useful as teats on a boar hog." Dad had a way with words. I learned pretty quickly that if I needed something and wanted to own it, I'd better save up for it. And yep, that included using a pair of scissors on food coupons for quite a while. I also learned that I be cautious about desiring what others had.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I try to make a promise with my eyes to not be persuaded by just any item. It prevents me from wasting money on something I'd only need to sell again at a loss sooner than later.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I got one of these to power my Kemper if I want to play through a cabinet. It's not bad at all for being the size of a deck of cards

How loud does it get? I know the class D amps don't have anywhere near the power they're rated at, not in the real world, anyway. But I've thought that one of those might be cool with my Atomic devices into a small cab.

 

[CandidPicker]

How loud does it get? I know the class D amps don't have anywhere near the power they're rated at, not in the real world, anyway. But I've thought that one of those might be cool with my Atomic devices into a small cab.

Yeah, I agree that might be a deal-breaker. I recall that the Seymour Duncan unit was 200W solid state power, but you gotta remember that 200W solid state in comparison to tube wattage output varies widely, dependent on the amp and output. Not even close. I think it would be more wise if I put my money into something I can adjust more easily. 3 knobs is, well, even a kindergartener can work with that. Try something that is part of the "journey," can make better use of your skills, and still isn't "a long shot" you might not be able to appreciate later on.

 

[CandidPicker]

You could always smuggle Cleopatra in it to see Caesar.

At least it would get some use.

You might need a time machine.

I might need better wi-fi reception, Les, but I know that wasn't what you were saying!

 

[Deleted member 5962]

Not even close.

Yeah, you've probably heard me say this before, but my QSC CP8 (1000 watts) is not as loud as my Bogner ATMA (18 watts) into a 2x12.

 

[Clashcityrocker]

How loud does it get? I know the class D amps don't have anywhere near the power they're rated at, not in the real world, anyway. But I've thought that one of those might be cool with my Atomic devices into a small cab.

It's pretty loud here in my basement. I haven't brought to play with a drummer because my friend had to sell his drum kit over losing his job over the shutdown!

 

[László]

I might need better wi-fi reception, Les, but I know that wasn't what you were saying!

No, actually, it was exactly what I was saying.

Cleopatra's husband was her brother (don't ask; ancient Egyptian rulers believed they were too exalted to marry anyone but royal family members, though it should be noted that Cleo was a Ptolemy, who was actually a Macedonian Alexander The Great general). Her brother was apparently plotting to kill her (another royal Egyptian thing, and many historians feel that she had both her brother and her sister Arsinoe IV killed so they couldn't threaten her grip on the throne).

So according to historical legend, she smuggled herself out of Alexandria to Caesar's HQ wrapped in a rug to ask for his help. Whether the legend is true, or has a grain of truth, who knows? It was first mentioned many years later.

It was a good use of a rug, from her perspective. For better or worse, it also resulted in Roman control of Egypt. That probably would have happened anyway, as it did in other ancient countries like Gaul, Britain and Judea, who called the Romans in to settle dynastic disputes, but it makes for an interesting story, regardless.

 

[InTooDeep]

I got my FM3 I think in September last year. It's been a ton of fun! I sold my Boogie MKIV and I don't regret it. 8m getting the best tones I have had, at any volume level. I run it either with a pair of studio monitors or an ALTO ts212. The ALTO needs some eq, mostly a low cut and sounds very good. Firmware updates are fun, it's like getting new stuff for free!

It's very cool how amps are modeled down to the component level and react and behave like their analog counterparts. I feel like the profiling thing would lead to endless searching for profiles vs being able to turn a few digital knobs (ok maybe a ton if you really want to dig into things!) to get the sound you are after.

 

[CandidPicker]

No, actually, it was exactly what I was saying.

Cleopatra's husband was her brother (don't ask; ancient Egyptian rulers believed they were too exalted to marry anyone but royal family members, though it should be noted that Cleo was a Ptolemy, who was actually a Macedonian Alexander The Great general). Her brother was apparently plotting to kill her (another royal Egyptian thing, and many historians feel that she had both her brother and her sister Arsinoe IV killed so they couldn't threaten her grip on the throne).

So according to historical legend, she smuggled herself out of Alexandria to Caesar's HQ wrapped in a rug to ask for his help. Whether the legend is true, or has a grain of truth, who knows? It was first mentioned many years later.

It was a good use of a rug, from her perspective. For better or worse, it also resulted in Roman control of Egypt. That probably would have happened anyway, as it did in other ancient countries like Gaul, Britain and Judea, who called the Romans in to settle dynastic disputes, but it makes for an interesting story, regardless.

I recall the history from school days.

But back to the FM3....

I listened to what I had put together several days ago with the FM3, and TBH, it sucked pretty badly. Fast-forward to this evening...at 7 PM I chanced upon a YT video by Leon Todd from his G66 channel...FM3 Basics Channels & Scenes. Leon walks his viewers through the process of building scenes with one preset and using one of several channels for each scene.

Essentially, what I've built, without even playing through the FM3, is 1 MAIN RIG (soon to be renamed MC RIG, for use with my McCarty) with 4 scenes. I used 2 scenes with a clean amp (one with a touch of Zen overdrive) and reverb, the last 2 scenes with a 1987X Marshall with Pre-Rola GBs. The 3rd scene is pure amp, reverb and a 2290 w/ Mod delay. The 4th scene is the same, but I put a Fuzz Face before the amp.

All of this with FM3 Edit software. I then tuned up my McCarty and plugged her in. Clean channel, hmm, not bad! Tweaked a little and got it where it needed to be. 2nd scene: Louder, a tad harsh top end. Dialed back on the Zen drive and treble, lowered the output. Sweeter, milder tones, less noisy. 3rd scene: Tweaked some EQ and dialed in the delay repeat time with output EQ. Nice! Lastly (hold my beer) 4th scene: Fuzz face. Holy Crow. Guitar dimed it was uber loud. Had to lower some output, EQ, and tweak the drive, boosted some bass frequencies.

All told, 1 preset for my McCarty with 4 scenes. Later this week, will try constructing preset # 2 for my HBII Piezo. Maybe later next week, a 3rd preset for HBII acoustic tones.

Will see. Will be recharging my batteries this evening and resting up for doings later this week. Had I not found the G66 video, I would have been "driving around without knowing where home was." But now, I've made it safely and can relax. More of the journey tomorrow.

 

[CandidPicker]

I got my FM3 I think in September last year. It's been a ton of fun! I sold my Boogie MKIV and I don't regret it. Am getting the best tones I have had, at any volume level. I run it either with a pair of studio monitors or an ALTO ts212. The ALTO needs some eq, mostly a low cut and sounds very good. Firmware updates are fun, it's like getting new stuff for free!

It's very cool how amps are modeled down to the component level and react and behave like their analog counterparts. I feel like the profiling thing would lead to endless searching for profiles vs being able to turn a few digital knobs (ok maybe a ton if you really want to dig into things!) to get the sound you are after.

Gotta ask, how did you l earn to work with the FM3? Were Leon Todd's videos where you picked up some tips? I've signed onto the Fractal Forum, but don't have posting privileges yet.

Am guessing they're waiting to hear that the FM3 initial phase of being overwhelmed was replaced by a more learned hand. And yup, the FM3 is a tweaker's delight. So much happening with that. I'd hazard to say, like @11top (Steve) and his Kemper, I just adjust drive, level, output, EQ, tempo, and don't mess with this infinitely involved details of amp modeling.

Anything that cleans up at lower volumes is what I'd be aiming for. It's a workhorse piece of equipment for sure.

And like Einstein once said, can "take you from point A to B. My imagination will take me anywhere."

 

[InTooDeep]

Gotta ask, how did you l earn to work with the FM3? Were Leon Todd's videos where you picked up some tips? I've signed onto the Fractal Forum, but don't have posting privileges yet.

Yeah, it was a mix of things. I watched a lot of Leon's videos while I was waiting on the wait list prior to release, so I had a decent idea of how to navigate FM3 edit. I also spend a good bit of time on a digital mixing console, so a lot of the EQ and signal routing options made sense to me as well.

My first preset was to recreate my amp and pedalboard that I sold to buy the FM3, so it was good knowing what all went together and the order it went so I could quickly rebuild my old setup.
Then I went through a bunch of the factory presets to find sounds I liked. 2 that stuck out to me were the Plexpressor and the Mark Day Recto, so I combined my favorite elements of those into a preset that would have great cleans and heavy overdrive.
I used a lot of Leon Todd's tips for low cuts, delay types and reverb types to get really lush and fun lead tones too.
I also went online searching for what some musicians I admire use and recreated their setups with the rig info online then tweaked to taste. Example: old Creed tones, SRV tones, John Mayer tones, Allman Brothers tones. Nothing like turning a knob and going between excellent examples of very different tones!

I dont normally go into IR's too heavily, its a bit much, I just try and find a cab that the original amp would have been paired with, and sometimes do a SM57 and a 121 mix.
I dont get too far into the deep settings at this point, however:
I do like add the gain enhancer on the amp block which simulates excitation of the strings at loud volumes and adds some extra dynamics
I do sometimes adjust things on the ideal page
I do sometimes change the impedance curve
I do sometimes adjust the negative feedback setting i.e. see what some amps sound like with low to no negative feedback, which is part of a dual rectifier's signature sound from what I understand.

I'm still pretty slow at on-device editing. But the performance pages have REALLY helped to get at common settings quickly.

 

[CandidPicker]

No, actually, it was exactly what I was saying.

Cleopatra's husband was her brother (don't ask; ancient Egyptian rulers believed they were too exalted to marry anyone but royal family members, though it should be noted that Cleo was a Ptolemy, who was actually a Macedonian Alexander The Great general). Her brother was apparently plotting to kill her (another royal Egyptian thing, and many historians feel that she had both her brother and her sister Arsinoe IV killed so they couldn't threaten her grip on the throne).

So according to historical legend, she smuggled herself out of Alexandria to Caesar's HQ wrapped in a rug to ask for his help. Whether the legend is true, or has a grain of truth, who knows? It was first mentioned many years later.

It was a good use of a rug, from her perspective. For better or worse, it also resulted in Roman control of Egypt. That probably would have happened anyway, as it did in other ancient countries like Gaul, Britain and Judea, who called the Romans in to settle dynastic disputes, but it makes for an interesting story, regardless.

I gotta laugh, but when I read this, I think, "Chip's Room." LOL.

 

[CandidPicker]

Yeah, it was a mix of things. I watched a lot of Leon's videos while I was waiting on the wait list prior to release, so I had a decent idea of how to navigate FM3 edit. I also spend a good bit of time on a digital mixing console, so a lot of the EQ and signal routing options made sense to me as well.

My first preset was to recreate my amp and pedalboard that I sold to buy the FM3, so it was good knowing what all went together and the order it went so I could quickly rebuild my old setup.
Then I went through a bunch of the factory presets to find sounds I liked. 2 that stuck out to me were the Plexpressor and the Mark Day Recto, so I combined my favorite elements of those into a preset that would have great cleans and heavy overdrive.
I used a lot of Leon Todd's tips for low cuts, delay types and reverb types to get really lush and fun lead tones too.
I also went online searching for what some musicians I admire use and recreated their setups with the rig info online then tweaked to taste. Example: old Creed tones, SRV tones, John Mayer tones, Allman Brothers tones. Nothing like turning a knob and going between excellent examples of very different tones!

I dont normally go into IR's too heavily, its a bit much, I just try and find a cab that the original amp would have been paired with, and sometimes do a SM57 and a 121 mix.
I dont get too far into the deep settings at this point, however:
I do like add the gain enhancer on the amp block which simulates excitation of the strings at loud volumes and adds some extra dynamics
I do sometimes adjust things on the ideal page
I do sometimes change the impedance curve
I do sometimes adjust the negative feedback setting i.e. see what some amps sound like with low to no negative feedback, which is part of a dual rectifier's signature sound from what I understand.

I'm still pretty slow at on-device editing. But the performance pages have REALLY helped to get at common settings quickly.

Thanks for your input. I had a cathartic moment after viewing Leon's FM3 Basics Channels & Scenes. Building presets and scenes with channels made sense now. Although I've got only 1 user preset currently stored, it's got 4 scenes that would be enough for any live gig with 1 guitar. In essence, it does what my former HeadRush did but with better quality tone and sound. And, it replaces my former Brunetti 30W Singleman and P&P effects.

What was even more amazing was I selected 2 separate amps and cabs, and only added toggled effects in each A/B channel of the 4 scenes, without listening to the blocks while I selected. It was only after plugging in and playing did I realize what was created! It was pretty awesome! The ideal page, as well as the I/O hi/low cut & EQ played an important role while dialing in "my tone."

The only thing I need to do now is set up my expression pedal for either wah or volume. The EV-1 is plugged into the TRS jack, so I'm sure there will need to be some calibration and tweaks before it will be usable.

Heading over to YT and Leon's G66 now for wah tips. See ya this afternoon.

 

[CandidPicker]

UPDATE:

Have got the EV-1 installed and calibrated as a Cry Babe wah with a formant for better vowel recognition of Ooo to Aaa. Adding the formant in parallel with same sweep activation improves the wah's quality only subtly, but still can be heard as one sweeps through the range of the wah. I've yet to tweak my Face Fuzz and the wah together, but will try Wednesday to work with it then.

Leon Todd's Wah Block Tips & Tricks YT vid made it so simple. Will try to research his YT channel for additional suggestions in my spare time.

 

[RickP]

UPDATE:

Have got the EV-1 installed and calibrated as a Cry Babe wah with a formant for better vowel recognition of Ooo to Aaa. Adding the formant in parallel with same sweep activation improves the wah's quality only subtly, but still can be heard as one sweeps through the range of the wah. I've yet to tweak my Face Fuzz and the wah together, but will try Wednesday to work with it then.

Leon Todd's Wah Block Tips & Tricks YT vid made it so simple. Will try to research his YT channel for additional suggestions in my spare time.

The expression pedal(s) really open up control possibilities. For “later down the road” tweaking, you can also adjust the curve of any wah pedal to get the opening place and width where you want them. Like you said, the water’s as deep as you feel like swimming. Works great with no tweaks, as well.

 

[CandidPicker]

The expression pedal(s) really open up control possibilities. For “later down the road” tweaking, you can also adjust the curve of any wah pedal to get the opening place and width where you want them. Like you said, the water’s as deep as you feel like swimming. Works great with no tweaks, as well.

Here's what I've discovered regards instructional videos:

Each time I listened to correct instructions and followed direction, it was easier to build each preset, scene, and block quicker. Whenever I tried doing things against what "rules" existed at the time, I lost time, and my efforts weren't rewarded.

I'd guess that was the "rebel" in me that likes doing things my way. I've never had any problems when I followed the "rules" that were previously taught.

Sometimes I wonder if instructions weren't made for experimentation, but it's likely best for me to stick to tried and true ways of working according to instructions instead of "rebelling" and losing valuable time and effort.

 

[RickP]

Here's what I've discovered regards instructional videos:

Each time I listened to correct instructions and followed direction, it was easier to build each preset, scene, and block quicker. Whenever I tried doing things against what "rules" existed at the time, I lost time, and my efforts weren't rewarded.

I'd guess that was the "rebel" in me that likes doing things my way. I've never had any problems when I followed the "rules" that were previously taught.

Sometimes I wonder if instructions weren't made for experimentation, but it's likely best for me to stick to tried and true ways of working according to instructions instead of "rebelling" and losing valuable time and effort.

You’ll find a way of looking at it, a workflow, that works in your mind. There are many, many ways in there but once you find a way that makes sense to you, hang with it. Leon does have a sensible working-player approach that I like. He’s into getting a good sound and getting on with the playing.

 

[CandidPicker]

You’ll find a way of looking at it, a workflow, that works in your mind. There are many, many ways in there but once you find a way that makes sense to you, hang with it. Leon does have a sensible working-player approach that I like. He’s into getting a good sound and getting on with the playing.

I agree with you. Although some of you talk about his heavier tones, IMHO, they seem a bit bright and harsh. Perhaps it's YT, or my computer interface, but most of his results are spot on when you try them with your own FAS.