Fractal FM9 - First Sunday Setup, Impressions & Review
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- čas přidán 15. 07. 2024
- Update: After spending substantial time with the FM9, I’ve begun to develop my own base template that I’ve been using at church weekly. To download some free presets, visit my website at thetoneshepherd.com
In the near future I’ll be releasing an FM9 toolkit providing a base preset with multiple favorites for each block. Stay tuned!
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Original description:
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I know, I know...this video is too long...so please use the chapter markers and scrub around to find the parts that interest you the most.
In this video I walk you through my journey through the FM9. I set out to learn the FM9, having never touched a Fractal product before this, and make presets for 4 songs to have them "Sunday ready" in just one day! Although I did it, the learning curve was steep and I missed a LOT of things along the way. As of the date of publishing this video, it's been almost 4 weeks since I got my hands on the FM9 and I've never looked back. This unit is flat out insane. Love it love it love it!
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Guitar:
90’s MIM Strat Body
Warmoth Roasted Maple Neck (Jazzmaster Headstock)
Lambertones Crema Pickups (Neck & Bridge)
Obsidian Wire Wireless HH Harness
Bladerunner Super-Vee Tremolo
Gotoh SG381-05 HAP Tuners
GraphTech TUSQ XL Nut
00:00 Introduction & Goals
01:11 Learning Layouts
02:20 Learning Scenes
04:21 Resetting Layout to Default
05:40 Choosing a Base Preset
06:05 Worship Tutorials '64 AC30 TM Preset
08:11 David Hislop FM9 Preset
10:35 Comparing WT and DH Presets
13:03 Exploring WT Other Amp Models (Tone King Imperial)
14:49 Worship Tutorials TK IMPRL TM Preset
17:00 Status Update
17:14 Making a Stereo Amp Base Preset
18:33 Song 1 - I Thank God
20:22 Song 2 - Good Good Father
21:18 Song 3 - Firm Foundation
22:12 Status Update
22:56 Song 4 - This I Believe
24:07 Status Update
25:10 SUNDAY REVIEW
25:35 LIVE SAMPLE - Good Good Father
28:00 LIVE SAMPLE - This I Believe
30:42 LIVE SAMPLE - Firm Foundation
33:40 BROADCAST TEMPLATE
35:50 FM9 REVIEW - Things I Loved
42:39 FM9 REVIEW - Things I Disliked
55:33 Final Thoughts - Hudba
I enjoyed this one! Your tone/playing sounds great Thanks for using WT presets :). The Fractal units have a pretty big learning curve for sure, but they are crazy powerful. One note - if you want to adjust individual effect parameters with scenes, you can definitely do that, but it's quite a bit different than how Line 6 does it. With Fractal you have to use the Control Switch functionality. You can assign a parameter to a Control Switch and give it a min/max value, and then turn it on/off per scene. Once you get them set up you can easily see what is on/off in the 'Controllers' menu under the 'CS Per Scene' tab (which is also an example of both how powerful but how complicated using Fractal products can be). With presets where we do wet effects after an amp block, we often use a scene controller to gain up the amp for bigger driven tones.
We do have a handful of dual amp presets at WT - my personal favorite is the 'WT Supreme' patch. We'd like to make a few more, but at the moment we are kind of focussing on individual amps with our Tone Match stuff. But it's pretty fun to grab different presets and copy/paste the amp settings into dual amp setups.
I'll have to check out our swells scenes - the idea with that scene is to use channels in the reverb/delay blocks to get bigger sounds, but it didn't sound like that scene was working properly in your video, so maybe we didn't get those channels switched in the '64 AC30 preset.
And yes - FM3 needs those 3 extra buttons. Bad. There are some good options out there by companies like Otter Custom designs who make two-button controllers that integrate with the FM9 and FM3 (like the DUO+).
Thanks a ton for this insight. I did end up looking into scene controllers a bit more and, I do appreciate that it’s there, but it’s not quite comprehensive enough to do exactly what I want it to do. Mostly because it only has four parameters that you can control. It’s good to know that it’s there in the event I need it though. I’ll be playing around with that in the future a bit.
Thanks again for all the content you guys make!
@@thetoneshepherd - Curious if there were any improvements in swell on the ‘64 AC30 preset based on WT’s response?
@@sboy1955 Not that I’m currently aware of.
@@thetoneshepherd - did you redownload it?
This is perfect. Mine gets here on Monday. I had a helix in the past and have been with kemper for the past few years. Went with the fm9 cuz I’m looking for an all in one but I was really frustrated with all the dancing I’d have to do on helix to get the verbs where I want em. Keep the content flowing!
Thanks Brandon. I've grown to absolutely love the FM9. It's my weapon of choice at the moment and I think I've literally owned every top name modeler there is. The Fractal stuff is insanely good. You'll love it!!
Came here from your tonex pedalboard video. Loving your content, dude! It’s top notch. I’ve been using Fractal stuff for about 8 years and I agree with a lot of your assessment. Best amps and effects out of the different modelers, but not always intuitive and has some silly/clunky UX stuff you have to learn to tolerate or work around, but it’s worth it in the end if you stick with it!
Thanks so much! Yes, after spending some time with it, I was able to get used to the workflow and it's great!
Excellent video Sir!!!
Thank you! 🙏🏼
Mine gets delivered March 1st. Thanks for the video.
How are you liking it now that you've had some time with it???
Ive already read the FM9 manual and even did a series on the AX8 when I had the unit to get my feet wet in the Fractal world. You can tell a lot about a company by how well their manual is presented.
For sure! I really appreciate how thorough Fractal is.
Devan, thanks so much for this comprehensive and honest walk through! It has really helped me a LOT. I just got my FM9 (turbo... ooooo...) and just going through the presets I can really tell the sounds are top level (previously used pedals with a Peavey Classic 30, have used Helix). I would say another "wish they would have done" is incorporated (like helix) an expression/volume pedal. Soooo, I ordered a Fractal pedal (waitlist for that too...). I know I could get a 3rd party, but, that is just me. Again, it is a bit daunting, but I will be referring often to this video for help getting my FM9 tweaked!
Sooo glad it was helpful!!! The FM9 truly is an amazing piece of gear! But yes, I would have been super happy with a built in volume/expression pedal too!
I’m the opposite. I’m glad it doesn’t have a pedal. I like to have the choice to use a pedal that feels good to my liking. I tried a Helix for a short while and didn’t like the feel of the pedal, but was stuck with it.
Thanks for taking the time to put this together. There really is a lot to think about should I need to replace my 7 year old Helix.
Possibly the biggest hassle in replacing any device you’ve used that long is building back up your preset library! It’s hard to start from scratch. I was an all-in-one Kemper user for several years and designed a hundred or more song-specific presets. Then I went to analog and programmed presets with the PBC6X…and now I’m starting all over again with the FM9. It’s both a pain but also fun to see how things have changed and grown over the years.
Yep, that is one downside. I don’t use many presets, no more than 2 or 3 per guitar types (bass, acoustic, single coil, humbucker).. I received my invite from FAS and ordered an FM9 a few days ago.
@@sboy1955 Awesome Alex! I think it’s worth it!
Yeah I hear you. Brewster was a great example! Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t talking about you personally. You got it down right. Lincoln even said you’re only as good as your sound man and the P. A. They are using. I was fortunate to have both. But great videos regardless. Keep plugging away. Sound great and keep the Fractal for sure! You’re way ahead of most of the stuff that people even care about, buts that’s great!!!
Thanks a ton my friend
Thanks for this vid! I sold my pedal board to buy the FM9, so I have no experience with the modeling world. A friend came over for a visit and saw my FM9 out on my desk. He was amazed with it. Turns out he had his Quad Cortex in his backpack, but he didn't even get it out! He told me over the phone a couple days after. I would have liked to see his Quad Cortex.😊
Having owned both, I prefer the FM9. Maybe in a few months/years, once the quad cortex has had some time to be fully updated, it may compete better. But at the moment, the FM9 is a much more robust and developed unit with fantastic effects and amp models.
Great video! I have been using the FM9 for a year and I love it for church stuff. This might be crazy but never use scenes, I set it up to act like a pedal board with individual effects. I like the control to add what I want when I want 😂. I was going to start making content for the FM9 in a church context but seems like ya got it dialed! See ya out there
Thanks Rodger! I love that there are so many ways to use this. Running it like a pedalboard is awesome too!
Do you ever experience any sound dropout?
@@trentletzkus3928 I do occasionally when switching scenes. But I’m getting better at learning what causes the dropouts.
What you're looking for are modifiers, scene controllers, control switches etc. Lot's of ways to change settings between scenes similar to snaphots. It takes a little bit more work - but it's worth it. Re: cabs, they are coming out with 'dyna cab' which will be a similar interface as helix.
Yes, so awesome. I've been messing with that some. Although its really nice to "sort of" have the option that the Helix gave me, I'll still give Helix the leg up on this feature. I've been ok without it though, to be honest.
Great video, I enjoyed it very much, especially how you structured the presentation. Pls, make more of these kind of video's.
I was on the FM9 list since 2022 and got mine (FM9 Turbo) in January 2023. I am still in the process of learning the unit. Up to now, I have been using mainly WT patches / IR's. I have requested ToneJunkie to make presets for FM9 too. Hope he does some day. Is there a way to test your presets too?
Btw, I have subscribed to your channel.
Thanks for subscribing and for the kind words. More of these videos to come for sure. I do plan on making some of my presets available soon so stay tuned to the channel!
Thanks for this video!!! I think it was soooo helpful!! I'm thinking of getting an FM9 to replace my hx stomp. I've seen a lot of videos with the Dyna-Cab feature, have you tried it yet?? I would love to see like a 6 month update using the FM9 and with the Dyna feature.
Absolutely! I've been meaning to make an update video and YES, I just tried the dyna cabs! Amazing. I'll be using those from now on I'm sure. I've been a bit tied up with finishing my hybrid analog board but things are leveling out there so I should be able to make some more content for the FM9 soon. Stay in touch!
Great video! By far, the most useful preset set AND layout IMO is Audtin Buddy. It’s pricey but simplifies the workflow so much.
His layout is the best I’ve seen allowing access to everything plus a page for amp setting tweaks using foot switches. An example is let’s say your sound is boomy in a band context, you have a bass cut button. Each amp he dials have a saturation mode and boost mode (again all accessible easily through foot switches.)
Yeah there are so many ways to do this. Love the flexibility.
Where do you find his layouts? Are they in all the packs? His website is so bad it's impossible to get through all the clutter
@@JGorg8 His layouts are with the presets you buy, yes. Check out tonefactor.com, where Hislop has migrated his stuff to.
I’ve had my fm9 for about 2 weeks now, and I actually find the foot controls to be a positive over the cortex, and is partially why I’m making the switch. The initial reason I wanted to switch is because the stomp buttons on the cortex are just too close together for me and I was hitting the wrong button every once in a while. On top of that, I find the hold functionality to give me even more options than the cortex despite less buttons, and the cortex forces you to a specific number of scenes/effects controls in hybrid mode. My Layout has every button being a scene, with effect controls as the hold function behind each button for more specific on-the-fly adjustments which the cortex just can’t compete with. Sounds way better too.
You nailed it! After several weeks now with the FM9, I agree with you fully. The layouts are wonderful once you get to know them.
I did a test with the tuner and passed a Sine wave to see if it was accurate cause I also had the same feeling and I can say it tuned every note in it's perfect frequency, so I now I am more secure about it.
Maybe it’s accurate, but the speed of the interface still doesn’t hold up to the ST-300. But it’s a perfectly fine tuner at the end of the day 🤙🏼
@@thetoneshepherd I have been thinking about what you say and testing the tuner being more aware of that, and it's true, it is superslow. I will think on another alternative, I hope the change that in future firmware updates.
Yeah, I'm learning that if I'm not getting it to do what I want, someone else already has...and the info is out there.
Right? So many helpful people out there. Thanks Community!
I'm looking at that exact Duesenberg Starplayer TV model that a fellow P&W friend owns. What do you think about that guitar? Specifically, the middle pickup position. Thanks!
There’s something super special about that guitar. Pickups in every position are clear and articulate but still warm. I doubt you’ll be disappointed!
I’m building a dual tonex stereo board into my fm9 but I’m wondering how the best way to hook it all together and set it up. Have you tried this and if so, can you make a video on how you did it? There’s not any videos on how to connect and set this up but a lot of people are using 2 tonex to run in stereo. Thanks God bless.
I’ve not tried it since I’m mostly interested in building sounds all within the FM9 itself. But I imagine just taking a stereo FX loop out of the FM9 and into the ToneXs would work great, just like you would any other stereo FX.
After almost a decade of constantly rotating pedals and modelers, I got an FM9 on the initial release and haven’t poked back. Two years in and haven’t even considered pedals!
So amazing!! It really is fantastic.
Been using the Helix lt for the last few years at church and its starting to wear down, footswitches are not working all the time. I just got my order in for the new FM9 turbo and researching everything before it comes. Thanks for the video!
The Helix is still awesome for what it is. But I feel Fractal has an edge on modeling technology and the resulting tone is a bit more realistic. I’m a fan!! I’ll definitely be making more content on the FM9 in the coming months so keep a look out. 🤙🏼
@@thetoneshepherd That is great news! I am subbing now! I have gone through a few hours of tutorials and feel like I finally understand scenes and channels. It blew my helix mind. I can't wait to dial in a matchless/Fender stereo rig in a few days!
I agree with most all of your analysis having had the Helix and the QC myself. The button limitation isn’t an issue for me, and the one thing I completely disagree with is the Tuner. IMO, the fractal tuner is better than anything short of a Peterson strobe.
Thanks! And yeah, I’ve gotten over the button limitation now understanding how to manage layouts better. But on the tuner…I have a Peterson HD strobe and an ST-300. I stand by my assessment…haha. The ST-300 is in a league of its own. The Fractal tuner is slow and weird in comparison. Just my opinion I guess!
@@thetoneshepherd did you see the tuner update in the latest release? If so did that get it closer to what you prefer?
@@Ozman77 haven’t done it yet but will soon. Is the update out of beta yet?
@@thetoneshepherd for the FM3 it is. My FM9 arrives tomorrow so I’ll find out :)
@@Ozman77 Yeah it’s not out of beta quite yet. I’m sure it’ll be out very soon though. I’m not one to try out betas. I’ve got enough technical junk to sort through each Sunday as is 😂
When you play at your church do you monitor your guitar through and FRFR speaker?
In-ear monitors 👍🏼
When you're here playing around, are you going guitar>FM9>interface>Then just studio monitors?
Correct!
Can you please tell me how to quickly access the controls of a Fractal Stomp pedal (i.e.overdrive) without having to go through menus on the units screen. With helix, I just touch the switch and the pedals control's shows up on the screen. On the FM9, I had to scroll, and there is no time for that when playing live. Thanks
To be perfectly honest, I never try to control anything live. I do it all in the editor on the computer. I find the onscreen controls very counterintuitive and so I never even bothered learning!
@thetoneshepherd thanks for the response. I know what you mean, and I feel that it should be easier in the case that I need to quickly change the mix of delays, or add more bass on an overdrive etc. Thanks again.
For sure. I really should take the time to learn it. It would be helpful as you mention.
Great video! I have the axe fx 3. I love it but I’d much rather have the FM9.
The FM9 is so convenient and powerful. Do the swap!
@@thetoneshepherd you convinced me to do it lol. FM9 arrives hopefully by Saturday 🙌🏻
@@thetoneshepherd so glad I made the swap.. makes life so much easier lol. Now I’m trying to dial in Lincoln Brewsters plexi tone.. 😅
Thoughts on FM9 vs. Quad Cortex?
I've owned them all and the FM9 wins out easily in my opinion. I recently sold my QC in favor of the FM9.
I never dial in sounds per song or based on the record. All guitar sounds fall into different categories. Clean, Crunch, Lead and Ambient. Those will cover most any song you would ever play. For that reason a single preset with some scenes to switch between sounds should be more than enough. IMO
I think there is merit to that approach, no doubt. I simply believe the best sonic results can be had with a song by song approach, but to each his own! That being said, I do believe that users should seek to find a base tone that they stick with, and that sounds good with their band, through their system, at their church, with their guitar- then build presets based on that base template. If you’re switching amps and other things that affect your core tone for every song, that may begin to get out of hand real quick. I’m right in the middle of refining my base template and once that’s done, programming each song will take far less time.
@@thetoneshepherd yeah I like your approach as well as long as the base tone is there to work off of. If you were playing through an actual amp then you wouldn’t be changing amps every song anyways. Keep it simple and sprinkle on the fx when needed. I like your guitar BTW.
I do both. Some songs require specific sounds, but I have catch-all patches that I run if I don't have time to do song specific patches
Can you edit preset from IPAD?
Evidently there’s an app called FracPad III that may work with the FM9. I haven’t tried it myself though.
They just updated the tuner on the FM9 have you checked it out?
Yeah. Still slow and clunky to me compared to my ST-300. The Fractal one will do in a pinch, but most Sundays I use a separate tuner and enjoy it much more.
@@thetoneshepherd Nice. Sounds like you're using your FM9 over other units, is it your favorite?
@@inspiringminds7284 The FM9 is definitely my favorite all-in-one modeler hands down. I’m still hanging onto the Quad Cortex just hoping for some better effects, midi implementation, desktop editor, etc. I think the QC may one day compete with Fractal, but Fractal at this moment is so much more mature.
So Scenes only affect bypass states and channels within a block. Scene controllers are what change parameters however you’re limited to four within a preset. Personally I’ve found a way to deal with it and rarely use scene controllers. Amp gain would be the best use for this however either reverbs in front, it wouldn’t be ideal. If used with delays or reverbs, you hear strange beeps and boops when parameters change.
In regards to “undo”, I agree. However, with cab/IR selection, there’s a little “tac” icon that you can select to stay within the menu while picking what you want.
Great long form video! Love this style!
Thanks Erik! Yes, I’ve since discovered Scene Controllers but I, too, find only having 4 to be too limiting for what I’d ideally use them for. But yes, amp gain is something to try out. That’s helpful, thanks.
I'm not sure if it is what you are both talking about, but I understood that one scene controller can have many, many parameters attached to it. So it can change multiple parameters for (say) the amp, a delay block, a reverb block, and a drive block, all using scene controller 1, then change them all for scene controller 2. And at the same time, the scene can be turning a block on or off. Am I correct?
HELP ME!!!! I work in stereo at home and when I plugged in Thursday night it was awful. FOH either has EQ'd me to death or Gain structures are bad coming back to my Ears. I was struggling to even enjoy playing and wanted to sell the FM9 by next day.
Before you give up, check out some of my free presets on my website: thetoneshepherd.com
But yes, make sure FOH is not aggressively EQing your guitar. Only subtle tweaks at FOH should be necessary if using my presets. Gain structuring wouldn’t completely destroy your tone. But possibly are your monitors mono? If you’re hearing stereo at home and mono at church then that could be an issue.
@@thetoneshepherd I use 2 Avantone Cubes for playback at home. I need to buy a cheap mixer to simulate the Midas board at church. I do not like telling FOH who to dial a sound in but they a(e)ffecting the overall tone of the presets drastically. I have bass at 0 mids at 10 and treb at 8 to make it sound playable in my ears on my P16 console. I had amazing results with FM3 and the new TONEX sofar but the FM9 dual amp presets sound like a bad profile of a bad profile. I am going to bail for tomorrow but try again next week. I have every gizmo and gadget so im really just having privileged guy issues. I can cope. !! ill try your presets tonight, thanks
@@wolvesandguitars That’s so frustrating. You should never have to tweak your EQ so much to compensate. It’s worth having as peaceful of a conversation with your sound tech as possible. Just approach him like, “Hey, so I want to make sure I’m helping you get the best tone you can out to the church. Help me understand what you’re hearing so that I can design patches that don’t require as much EQ on your end. Let’s fix it at the source.” But at the same time, help him understand what great tone sounds like. Send him some examples of your recorded tone at home maybe?
@@thetoneshepherd I like that, its random which vol is on each week. we do not have any full time sound team and I am the only EG so I want to be clear have big chords ring so when I go high for a chimey inversion its just maximum effect while building. We are still hurting on sign ups for
worship team leaders and players from covid times.
@@wolvesandguitars I understand that and sorry you’re struggling with volunteers. 🙏🏼 Maybe take the issue to the worship pastor too. Maybe he/she can take lead on the overall vision for sound at the church.
How many months were you on the waiting list?
I waited 7 months. But the waitlist at the moment is nearly gone. As of today it’s only about 5 WEEKS long! Very soon the waitlist will be over.
@@thetoneshepherd Cool thanks. I’m waiting to see if a new Helix comes out around NAMM or just going to go back to Fractal. Just wondering how long the list was at the moment.
@@schlagdog Yeah, I haven’t been following Line 6 rumors, but I have to imagine they’re going to want to take a crack at the capturing game at some point. I’m sure whatever they come up with next will be great. That being said, at the moment I’d take the Fractal over the Helix any day. Just for the sake of tone.
@@thetoneshepherd The Fractal 100% tone wise is far superior. I just love the Helix unit form wise. I love the buttons, scribble strips and expression pedal. It’s just easy to use. I hated the quad cortex. Didn’t like the touch screen, missed the scribble strips and just traded for a Kemper Powerrack and controller. While I still had a helix. Then sold that now just waiting to see about a HelixX or something like that.
@@schlagdog Totally understand and respect that! The Helix is still an amazing unit!
What's a sunday ready?
I’m referring to getting it ready for a church service-essentially get 4 cover songs fully dialed in and ready to go.
Fm9 or QC?
FM9….but I’m happy to see Neural finally making steps to release better software for the QC. Both can get great tones!
@@thetoneshepherd i hear delay and reverb can suck on QC
Hillsong! I thought they got run off . . .
Too deep of a topic to get into here. But many of the artists are doing their own things individually now.
Uh not talking about you personally. Think your great! I played for ten years in the worship field, with one of the biggest churches in America. Guys brought their $5k pedal boards, 2k guitars, 3k amps and I used a $200 guitar and a 15yr. old line 6. And all of the people wanted my sound. Just saying. This stuff is important. But at the end of the day, it’s you. And nobody that hears you gives a crap about the sound and time you put in it. I Think your great. Fractal is the best period. But I bought one way after I quit playing live which is funny really. Thanks
I hear ya. Lincoln Brewster used to RIP on a very early Line 6 floorboard and everyone wanted his sound too. But…it takes a good ear to craft good tone. Someone with a good ear can make a lesser piece of gear shine and someone with an untrained ear can have a hard time dialing in a high quality piece of gear. I feel that’s what many on CZcams are trying to do-help give people who may not have the best ear training access to patches and products that sound great without much fuss. That’s what I’m trying to do at least, for better or for worse! Haha. But I hear you loud and clear. Thanks for your encouragement 🫶🏻
Constructive criticism, please stop the beeping, it’s annoying…I’m 5 minutes in and I would like to watch the rest but I won’t make it if the beeping continues.
Haha! The beeping does not go through the rest of the video, just that beginning part. Thanks for the pro tip 😆 Sorry it was distracting to ya
Dude whatever…all the things you didn’t like can be done… uh first with being able to play. Period. While your looking at this and that all the rest of us are smoking with Fractal products. No matter what your issues are at the end of the day, turn all your reverb and delays off and tell me the tone is not better than your miked up amps being mixed by a subpar sound guy. Uh
👍🏻