Should you buy a Fractal Axe-FX iii (FM3/FM9)? // The Ultimate Guide to Buying a Guitar Modeler

This is our guide to help you decide which guitar modeling unit you should buy in 2022.
See the full 52 minute guide here: • The Ultimate Guide to ...
In this video we are talking specifically about the Fractal units (Axe-FX III, FM3, FM9) and we'll be uploading videos specific to other modeling platforms very soon.
We break down all the popular units that we have had experience with, giving you each of their strengths and weaknesses.
We also break down which unit might be best suited to you based on what your criteria and desires are.
We have lots more content and presets available for each unit:
Helix: worshiptutorials.com/helix/
HX Stomp: worshiptutorials.com/hx-stomp/
POD Go: worshiptutorials.com/line-6-p...
Axe-FX III: worshiptutorials.com/fractal-...
FM3: worshiptutorials.com/fractal-...
FM9: worshiptutorials.com/fractal-...
Kemper: worshiptutorials.com/kemper-p...
Quad Cortex: neuraldsp.com/cloud/u/Worship...
Table of Contents:
00:00 - Introduction
00:28 - Fractal playing sample
01:23 - Let's talk Fractal
01:51 - Fractal Pros
02:05 - Pro: Best sounding effects you can get in a modeling unit
02:38 - Pro: Amp modeling tones
03:32 - Pro: Very, very powerful and flexible (especially Axe-FX III and FM9)
05:06 - Pro: The editor is great
05:30 - Pro: Tone Match (Axe-FX III only)
06:16 - Cons: price (Axe-FX III and FC-12)
07:54 - Cons: Option paralysis (Brian thinks this is actually a pro)
10:53 - Cons: Can be difficult to edit on the fly (without the editor)
11:40 - FM3 and FM9 discussion
11:54 - FM9 Pros
14:44 - FM9 Cons
16:47 - FM3 Pros
17:58 - FM3 Cons
19:04 - Where to watch the rest of the videos in this series
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Join our Facebook group for worship leaders and worship team members: / 297108460822183
Join our Facebook P&W Gear group: / 2113165795376666
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Our vision is that every church in the world would experience worship that is both excellent and authentic. We are here to help you make that happen.
CURRENT GEAR (this is the stuff I currently use to create videos)
Cameras:
Blackmagic Pocket 4k Cinema Camera: amzn.to/2OfsvIR
Canon EOS R5: amzn.to/36rvKHo
Canon EOS R: amzn.to/3ctwSxY
Lenses:
For the Blackmagic Pocket 4k:
Panasonic 12-35 f/2.8: amzn.to/2Yao9qZ
Olympus 25mm f/1.8: amzn.to/2OfaYk2
Panasonic Leica 42.5 f/1.2: amzn.to/2tcM1iU
For the EOS R:
Canon RF 24-70 f/2.8: amzn.to/380yPfV
Canon RF 15-35 f/2.8: amzn.to/381j0FO
Canon RF 24-105 f/4: amzn.to/2TjTOGr
Drones:
DJI Mavic Air: amzn.to/2IBuMLw
DJI Phantom 4 Pro: amzn.to/2NkGHht
Lighting:
The Sun :)
Aputure 120d + Light Dome (my main light): www.adorama.com/apulsc120dva....
FotodioX Flapjack lights // amzn.to/2rVPrAd
Acoustic Guitars:
McPherson Carbon Fiber Guitar (Sable): mcphersonguitars.com/carbon-s...
McPherson Camrielle: mcphersonguitars.com
Martin D-35 // amzn.to/2sWkvUV
LR Baggs Anthem Pickup (in both) // amzn.to/2tOenus
In-Ear Monitors:
Alclair: alclair.com/
Capos:
G7th Performance Capos
Cables:
Sinasoid Cables: www.sinasoid.com
Amps/Pedals:
Line 6 Helix // amzn.to/2sU5P8Z
Bass Guitar:
Music Man Sterling S.U.B. Ray4 // amzn.to/2rCNp8r
Recording Interface:
Universal Audio Apollo 8
Microphones:
Shure SM7b (vocals) // amzn.to/2rVGIxP
AKG C214 (vocals and everything else) // amzn.to/2tO5eCr
Software & Virtual Instruments
Recording software: Apple Logic Pro X
Video editing software: Adobe Premiere CC
Video editing - color correction: Davinci Resolve
Omnisphere (Pads, synths, etc) // amzn.to/2sU3ta7
Native Instruments Komplete (strings, pianos, etc) // amzn.to/2sUemJ0
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Web: www.worshiptutorials.com
Facebook: / worshiptutorials
Instagram: / worshiptutorials
Twitter: / wrshptutorials

[@alexledford4747]

I'm still running the Axe-Fx II, and it's amazing.

[@nathanpickett202]

Same here. I’ve been gigging regularly with my II XL for almost 8 years. Never had a single issue. Sounds great. Super portable. I have a rolling 6 space rack that it and the Mark 3 foot controller fit into.

[@michaelhubbell1260]

I bought the FM3 recently and it is by far the best gear purchase I have made, it sounds killer and all of the adjustable parameters means that you can get any effect that may be absent in the unit. Like the Klon isn't in the axe fx (at least to my knowledge), but on a forum I read there is a way to recreate the Klon with the parameters available on a different drive pedal. Also the ability to turn off the power amp modeling on an amp block means that it can be ran into a power amp with a cab to get the best of both worlds. At this point I think there are too many pro's for people not to take notice especially when it is the priced the same as a helix lt

[@777strat]

Thanks guys...I always appreciate your dedication to educating us on matters pertaining to guitar tone, specifically in a worship environment! From the other side of the camera one thing I've learned from watching KZbin influencers is that unless you have the same outboard gear i.e. interface, monitors, guitars and pickups etc... you might be disappointed after purchasing a certain piece of gear based off of a on-line demo you've seen. Believe me and my worship team compadres can attest...I have literally tried it all between stage and studio - in the pursuit of better tone. What I believe it boils down to is how complex or simplistic do you want your rig to be and what do you hope to achieve tonally. For me and although I recently purchased the incredible UA Ruby '63 and Dream '65, the best tool for the trade is my captured Kingsley tube Constable, Jester Custom v2 preamps into my Quad Cortex (QC) without using cabinet IRs, I instead use my Strymon Big Sky's Cab Sim feature and it sounds fantastic! There's just a realism here that makes me feel as though I'm indeed playing through a tube amp. On occasion I'll add my Big Sky and H9 into the effects loop on my QC to enhance it's capabilities and to dial-in specific/unique effects. Your video's help us get a sense of what's out there and available and how it can be used in different rig setups...thanks again for all you both do at WT!

[@danpfeifer7618]

If you want the best modeling system that money can buy, the simple answer is YES!!! Thanks for keeping the Fractal content coming guys!

[@curlzwalk]

Really enjoyed this!! Blessing to you all!!

[@MoXyiD]

Nice looking content guys! I love the axe fx 3 unit! I do lots of tutorials on it, too! Hope to hear about your uses for it as well! Take care fellas.

[@tdz69]

Great video. I have an FM3 and it’s great. If I could go back in time, lol, I would have gone with the axefx3

[@rbjamn4jc]

Fair. Objective. Accurate. Thanks, guys!

[@bmitchellmusic]

We tried! Thanks, Rick!

[@guittimmusic]

finaly got an axefxII and so glad to have waited for it instead of buying an alternative product 🤩

[@guittimmusic]

axefx III of course 😃

[@DoseOfRiffs27]

I just ordered mine today on the fractal audio site. Does anyone know how fast they usually get delivered?

[@shredding51]

Little off subject, but what is better for home use? Frfr, studio monitors or power amp with cab

[@jimmywilliams3972]

I have an Axe Fx III, a FC6 and 2 Fractal expression pedals. Itis wort every penny I spent, and it is the best option by far.

[@richardputman3506]

Brian, the FM9 seems to be in the sweet spot for playing live, but wouldn’t another con be that the words on the screen (like preset and scene) are too small to be useful for playing live? If you are going to be in stomp mode, then they need to be at least as big as on the FC12/6, right?

[@worshiptutorials]

That hasn't been an issue for me when using it. The scribble strips are the same size as the FC6/12, and those are what display the scenes (depending on what mode I'm running it in). Basically I set a button to switch the scribble strips to go between scenes and individual effects - just like how I use Helix. I honestly prefer having the main screen on the floor in front of me because it allows me to see a lot more detail and make any changes on the fly, which you can't do if you have an FC 12 in front of you and an Axe-FX III backstage.

[@AmericaWhatsup]

I am switching (at least going to try) from the Axe Fx III to a FM9 for a lighter carry.

[@eanroad]

Fellas, my FM9 Turbo is on its way! Out of your packs, which one would you recommend as a workhorse that will work for most worship scenarios? I'm a player that loves dynamics and using my volume knob to control gain.

[@Rrouthmusic]

Get the MRGN-20 base preset or the AC30. Both are great.

[@kevinp_25]

Great video. Solid on the pros and cons. It's interesting how "option paralysis" gets mentioned so often as a con. That's not a problem with the units. That's a personal problem for *people.* It's like saying a restaurant shouldn't have a liquor license because you don't want to be tempted to drink.

[@absolutewarband]

ampero stomp 2. try it! I had many of these modelers and the ampero 2 just hits the spot.

[@LivinginLosAngeles-re5yx]

I marvel at what an exquisitely designed product my FM3 is, wow. Small & compact, but powerful and great sounds. Home run. ⚾

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

Started on tube amps, got HX Stomp, sold for Fractal, sold my FM3 to go back to HRD tube amp and pedals.

[@TheCodeMonk]

What this video has done is convince me that I need a quad cortex.

[@worshiptutorials]

Ha why is that? Our QC video that’s part of this series is uploading next week.

[@TheCodeMonk]

@@worshiptutorials all the comparisons to the quad cortex early in the video and the mention of the amazing reverbs on it! That and it seems like the QC seems like it has an easier on board UI. Having a hard time displacing my rv-500 for an all in one.

[@eddysel10]

Great video. If you have $1,800 right now and you don’t have any fx, based on the knowledge you have about all the units, would you buy the FM9+EV 1 or the Helix? And why? (Consider that both are available).

[@AmericaWhatsup]

Having owned all of the above. Buy a Fractal unit that fits your budget. Best all around firmware upgrades/updates alone crush the others.

[@eddysel10]

@@AmericaWhatsup Thanks for the advice. I am on the waiting list for the FM9. After watching this video, I decide to send Fractal an update mail to check about the status. I even got a reply from them the next day. It seems like day have a lot of people on the list. The wait currently stretches into 2023. Hope to get mine before x-mas.

[@craig.encinitas]

@@eddysel10 Are you still waiting? I have an FM3 on the way.

[@eddysel10]

@@craig.encinitas Yes, I am still waiting for the FM9 🙏.

[@weenchops]

All fractal foot switches are press/hold function giving you 2 functions per switch... So an FM9 has 18 switches at your feet

[@KaoticPotato]

Bradford got to start the video!? Nice!

[@bmitchellmusic]

😂😂

[@altonreid9726]

So we need an FM12

[@joewrightmusic790]

Guys I'm new to Fractal. To import one of your patches do I need to prep the FM3 to receive the patch? Thank you.

[@The_resurrected1887]

Congratulations

[@masterreif]

I bought the b-stock and got the fm9 immediatly

[@danbjornson6799]

The FM9 are now being released - I received my invite to purchase 4 weeks ago..........

[@1975cdub]

My FM9 invite came 2 weeks ago and after much debate and talking it over with my wife I purchased an FM9 yesterday. Now I have cold feet. Will I regret getting an FM9 instead of a Helix?

[@worshiptutorials]

I don’t think you’ll regret it at all. 👌🏻

[@1975cdub]

@@worshiptutorials Thanks. Over the last few months I've been using my church's Helix when I play and have been liking it, and am pretty familiar with how it works since I've had an HX Effects as the brain of my pedal board for a few years. I had put my name in over a year ago and had pretty much forgotten about it. But, feet first here I go into Fractal World!

[@danbjornson6799]

I've owned the FM3 and FX3 Rack (1 and Turbo) - they destroy the HELIX by a LOOONG MIIIILE - you will not regret a thing!!!

[@felixsegarra1523]

I wish i can afford so many guitar pedals like you guys goodness

[@worshiptutorials]

We get that. But it is our job and how we make a living. We use all this stuff to that end.

[@felixsegarra1523]

@@worshiptutorials god bless you guys always looking at the videos really help 🙏🙏💯

[@Worship4LifeGuitar]

You can't have the same layout as the Helix presets where you can turn on and off pedals with dedicated footswitches for each effect you to have 3 delays, 3 reverbs, & 3 drives plus your tempo/tuner ftswitch. Cause you only have 9 switches on the Fm9 vs 12 on the Helix

[@worshiptutorials]

That’s true. But you can have 8 different layers, and each layer can be any combination of switches/functions (Scenes, Stomps 1, Stomps 2, etc).

[@Roger-il8iw]

I prefer the helix when using better cab emulation

[@mtguitar5150]

Is the axeFX 3 still superior to the new UAFX modelers?

[@lemzilee6061]

yes probably

[@ottobakai]

Absolutely!

[@danpfeifer7618]

No question. Completely different products.

[@mtguitar5150]

Lol you guys are absolutely hilarious,

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

@@mtguitar5150 UAFX is for simps. Sorry, $imp$$$.

[@GuitarsAndSynths]

I use an HX Stomp and will look at the Fractal once my HX Stomp dies.

[@SweetcornTA]

100% they need to make a smaller version for pedalboards.

[@iwillnevergetone5]

Fractals aim is to be an alternative to the full pedalboard. While they definitely make their products (AxeIII, FM9, FM3) play nicely with pedals coming into the front end, make no mistake: they want their units to be used *instead of the array of pedals, hence the size not being smaller to fit on a board

[@AmericaWhatsup]

I do disagree the Quad Cortex was the biggest let down gear wise of anything I have purchased.

[@kyran4238]

Helix amp tones are on par, they are just a bit more difficult to dial in.

[@phillipsouthard8285]

Unfortunately that just isn’t true. I have both and almost never play the helix now. It’s solid, but it’s not even close to “on par”.

[@tincupmike32]

I feel like the helix is on par or better than fractal now with the last update 3.5. The new cabs are unreal

[@jimmynorris]

FM3 has one dual core 1 ghz cpu, FM9 has 2 dual core 1 ghz cpus, Axefx 3 has 4 dual core 1 ghz cpu, the mkii turbo has 4 dual core 1.25 ghz cpu. Big difference.

[@worshiptutorials]

According to Fractal, Axe-FX III has two chips and FM9 has ‘four DSP cores’. But Axe3 is more powerful. In our experience, it’s not that much more powerful, though, given how FM9 allocates specific processing to reverbs.

[@AmericaWhatsup]

The FM9 was just upgraded to a more powerful DSP chip with 10% more power.

[@jongonzalez6917]

Which would you get of the three (fm3, fm9, or axe fx iii? I’m coming from a mark v 90 head, but have since fallen in love with the tones and simplicity of a little 40 watt Spark..so I have decided to go digital.

[@jimmynorris]

I have the Axe-fx 3 mkii turbo for my main rig, and the FM9 turbo for my blow and go or rehearsal rig.@@jongonzalez6917

[@Palvader]

15:45 "Today is April 20th"

[@worshiptutorials]

Ha that’s when we filmed the video

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

@@worshiptutorials Greetings from the future. I can tell you the FM3 is still your quoted price. But in July of '22 they released the FM4, with four swtiches- the Bradford Signature edition... it changed the world.

[@fivefingerfullprice3403]

@@worshiptutorials It's weird I read that comment right at 15:45 when you said it.

[@jjc75019]

You can't call this the Ultimate modeler guide without looking at others than Fractal.

[@tonymarinelli7304]

Before I was hires to play worship music many years ago, I would plug in and play pretty much straight to an amp. Delay, compression, wah and boost. Never liked all of the edge delays and bs.

[@XxSypherxX91]

Objectively....Objectively.

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

Con: NO analog dry though at all. Not cool Fractal.

[@robertsimpson5801]

I am one of the few, the fortunate, blessed FM 9 owners. Here is my take on the fractal world from the lens of someone who has only experienced it through the FM 9. Pros: The sound quality is absolutely top-tier, the effect selection is the most comprehensive out all of the modelers On the market, the form factor and foot switch design is very well thought out (and it is lighter than the helix floor), and the computer editor makes it fairly easy to program. Cons: I can only think of one major con… The user interface on the unit itself is absolutely horrible. I am Magine that it is something like the controls to a space shuttle in the 1970s. Layers and layers of menus obscure the ability to tweak presets from the unit. Trying to navigate around the grid from that little screen, select a item, and change parameters is virtually impossible in a live environment. Yes, I understand that there is the hot list of parameters that you can assign to the knobs under the screen for performances, but what if your band throws you a curve ball for a song that wasn’t on the Setlist, and you need to add a device how do you specific point in the chain, like a whammy pedal, or a specific sounding delay, etc.? It is virtually impossible. This is the reason why I have not used my FM nine live in months. My go to has been the QC, because it has great amp tones, decent affects, a very small and light form factor, and it is incredibly easy to edit and change presets from the unit itself (which is good, because it does not have a computer editor at this point…).

[@cunjoz]

Idk, I got used to the menu system on the interface itself on Axe-Fx II because I run Linux and I can't run Axe Edit so I had to use the interface itself.

[@alvarofelipe_sepu]

Yeah, UI is really from the 80’s, but you should learn how to use it. It takes some time, but after that you’re ready to use it live. I love my FM9. Actually I sold my QC.

[@robertsimpson5801]

@@MOAB-UT I am explaining the cons from my first hand experience with the unit. I praise it for what it did well, and I am willing to be honest about what it does not do well. Unlike you, I don't lug around a 18"+ inch laptop to gigs to make edits on the fly. I make plenty of presets, and yet, I did not have one with a whammy pedal dialed in for this gig because we play very few songs that call for a whammy pedal, and I had only had the unit for a month. All of your rebuttal points were dealt with in the original post. You don't believe me and you are calling "BS!?" OH NO! It's a good think that in all of the many bands you played with, you brought along your 18" laptop to program patches on stage. The ladies must have just been flinging themselves at you! I am not here to convince you... You sound like the kind of person who is convinced that you know better that everyone else, anyway. You do you, big guy. I am sure you are a joy to be around... 18" laptop and all. 😂

[@yyzpro9460]

How old are the FPGAs (/DSPs) in AXE FX 3 - maybe ten years old - correct me if I'm wrong !! This would make it a great killer dinosaur. If fractal doesn't wake up, Line6 and similar will eat them for lunch. My AX8 got only 3 updates and now it's dead in the water - with its bugs and limitations. Looks like Fractal is following IBM - I think they are losing their lead and will not come back.

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

Uhh... you are talking about the Ax8? From HOW LONG AGO???? Look up the FM3 dude, the sound quality is headlining Multimillion dollar tours, by mayjor artists. Nightly. NONE of them are using "line 6" toys.

[@yyzpro9460]

Life of AX8 was short - roughly 2015 - 2018. I hit the CPU limit with very little effort - it's a lot less configurable than anyone would guess because of this. I wish Fractal more success in the future.

[@user-zv7lm8uk7h]

@@yyzpro9460 Well try the Fm3, I have 19 pedals (lot of strymons) on my real board, and the FM3 never chocked when I loaded it up with ambient presets. Its a little beast. Far from the AX8...

[@garyh1296]

If you like that tone at the beginning, save yourself a ton of cash and just get a pod go. That tone was so drenched it didn't show off the quality of a Fractal. 😢

[@fathomrum]

Kempers are shit if you want to edit your tone.