The Fractal Thread

DavusPG

Ok, I'm back in the fold. 

Spent a bit of time yesterday afternoon setting up 3 kitchen sink presets, each based around one of the amps I've had the most success with over the past year or so

1) ODS
2) Tweed
3) Plexi

Each preset was super basic with 3 channels of the same amp with varying settings from edge of breakup to full crunch, with the option of amp boost, drive blocks, delay boosts etc. Gapless switching is my favourite Fractal update in years as this is such a doddle to set up.

Off to our gig I went. Tried the 3 presets at sound check & the ODS rig sounded best to my ears, cut through nicely, made the odd tweak with the performance controls I'd set up and I played preset that for most of the gig.

Very happy, and a good reminder that the FM9 has everything I need. I think with the last firmware update and gapless switching I started making more changes than I normally would, which combined with a serious lack of rehearsal time with the band led to a bunch of presets I wasn't completely happy with. 

This also means the money I was prepared to throw at an amp can go towards another guitar 

Nerine

DavusPG said:

Ok, I'm back in the fold. 

Spent a bit of time yesterday afternoon setting up 3 kitchen sink presets, each based around one of the amps I've had the most success with over the past year or so

1) ODS
2) Tweed
3) Plexi

Each preset was super basic with 3 channels of the same amp with varying settings from edge of breakup to full crunch, with the option of amp boost, drive blocks, delay boosts etc. Gapless switching is my favourite Fractal update in years as this is such a doddle to set up.

Off to our gig I went. Tried the 3 presets at sound check & the ODS rig sounded best to my ears, cut through nicely, made the odd tweak with the performance controls I'd set up and I played preset that for most of the gig.

Very happy, and a good reminder that the FM9 has everything I need. I think with the last firmware update and gapless switching I started making more changes than I normally would, which combined with a serious lack of rehearsal time with the band led to a bunch of presets I wasn't completely happy with. 

This also means the money I was prepared to throw at an amp can go towards another guitar 

I don’t really like throwing around the “game changer” tag as I think it’s overused, but the gapless switching is *chef’s kiss*. 

The whole thing feels so snappy and responsive. 

Less blocks to do more stuff. 

nero1701

Just picked up the Laney 2x12 frfr, 

Having a bit of trouble dialing it in, 

Sounds quite artificial, anybody got any tips?

AndyJP

Have you done a high cut in the cab block? I like mine low about 4500hz

nero1701

AndyJP said:

Have you done a high cut in the cab block? I like mine low about 4500hz

Thats helped a lot, thanks

AndyJP

Fractal and Line 6 seem to default their cab block pretty open up to 20kz. To me that just sounds artificial. 

Roland

I’m happy to reduce the high cut for cabinet simulation, but I want it a lot higher for acoustic guitar simulation.

Roland

Anyone tried firmware 26 yet?

AndyJP

Fair enough with acoustic. 

I wonder if they lowered it in the presets would guitarists find it easier to dial in? 

nero1701

I usually play patch 059, deluxe tweed, with a couple of tweaks.

Sounded much better after the high cut was at 4.5k, thanks for that.

FarleyUK

Roland said:

Anyone tried firmware 26 yet?

Yep - sounds..... just like it always has done IMO.

Roland

FarleyUK said:

Roland said:

Anyone tried firmware 26 yet?

Yep - sounds..... just like it always has done IMO.

For the cleanish settings I use the update makes the sound clearer, and the effect of Room settings in the Cab block more noticeable.

I’m having to re-load globally linked Dyna-Cabs in every preset. The change to the Dyna-Cab library has thrown the linking haywire. 

DavusPG

FM9 Firmware 8.0 beta is up....

Not sure I can be bothered with this one. Rather than tiny tweaks to the amp modelling I'm more interested in new functionality

Nerine

DavusPG said:

FM9 Firmware 8.0 beta is up. 

Here’s the changelog:

NEW FEATURES & UPDATES
• Two new DynaCab types added, 2x12 5153 Stealth and 4x12 5153 Stealth.
• Improved optical types in Tremolo block. Additionally, the LFO Type, Duty Cycle and Shape are now set to
the most appropriate values when selecting the Tremolo Type but may then be changed freely.
• Added “1x12 Friedman” speaker impedance curve to the amp block.
• Improved phase inverter modeling in Amp block. This yields more “weight” and a more open tone when
driving the virtual power amp hard (i.e. non-MV amps or MV turned up high).
Updated phase inverter parameters for many models.
• Improved cathode follower algorithm. This results in a more open and dynamic response for models that
use a cathode follower.
• Updated Plexi 100W and 1959SLP models. A soft reset of the Amp block is required to load the new values.

FIXES
• Cabinet Dyna-Cab Mic position default values updated to match Axe FX III. Double-click on mic position
controls in FM9-Edit now successfully resets to default.
• Fixed pops/clicks that could occur when changing Preamp Type in Cabinet block.
• Fixed pops/clicks when using Stack/Hold in Plex Delay.
• Fixed clicks and pops when adjusting the Rat Distortion drive level.
• Layout links will now execute properly for per-preset switches that change the current preset.
• Fixed stand-in switch Tap functions not working in some cases

Nerine

Pro tip.
Experiment with flipping the phase of your outputs if you’re running multiple. I realised this evening that my monitors that are connected to my SSL BiG SiX may not be in phase with my power amp/cab setup that runs simultaneously. 

If you’re out live, and you’re sending a feed behind you to an amp and to FOH, it’d definitely be worth doing a phase check/flip to see which sounds the best. 

If you’re using an FRFR wedge and going to FOH, I’d say it’s less likely you’ll encounter phase issues, but some guitar amps and whatnot aren’t in phase with other ones so it’s worth checking. 

I got tons more depth/weight/solidity out of my rig this evening by adjusting phase on the FOH outputs (I actually used the buttons on the SSL channel strips but appreciate some devices aren’t going to allow you such easy access). I’ll also check it at gigs going forward when I’m plugged into our gigging PA etc. 

It’s something that I feel may get overlooked. 

sweepy

Having a really bizarre issue with my FM9, sounds stunning through a 400w amp and 2x 2x12 guitar cabs but bloody dreadful in my DAW ( Logic ) using the USB , harsh, thin and spiky, tried Dynacabs etc,any tips greatly relieved 

AndyJP

@sweepy do you have the cab block disabled for playing through the real cabs? You’d  need to enable it for the daw.

sweepy

AndyJP said:

@sweepy do you have the cab block disabled for playing through the real cabs? You’d  need to enable it for the daw.

Yes,, cab enabled, tried Dynacabs , you name it, seems bizarre tbh, monitoring is via Adam monitors and Sub and also headphones, 

AndyJP

Hmm. Are you using the same fractal output jack? Maybe there’s a different global eq set for each output?

Roland

How does it sound with headphones straight out of the FM9?