Heres the thing... Ive watched a TON of your videos. You playing through real amps. Every modeler or profiler. Amp plugins.... all of it and in every single one of those examples you sound like YOU, and you just sound awesome. I legitimately couldnt tell the difference between any of them at any time unless maybe you were giving a direct A/B comparison back to back. They all sound great these days and with a great player, the modeler you choose will not be your limiting factor.
I agree! All the modern guitar processors sound great, may be a little bit different but they're great! I know a lot of examples, when some great guitar players were using old Boss or Digitech modellers and their sound was great!
Sound is a category of amp performance, but so is feel. I play live, on the road, in all kinds of environments. I carry a modded vintage twin head, McIntosh power amp, and JBL cab. If modeling could replace it for me, I’d use it. In fact, it’s far less forgiving to play through. Sound? Maybe.. but feel affects my note choice and the music choices me and my band mates respond to and make, and it’s also (maybe a little less importantly) detectable to the audience. After a live experience I had of another guitarist playing a really great sounding modeling rig, the feel in the air simply was not there, it was like a beautiful corpse in a live environment, power amps and speakers control air molecules differently and allow something to come through into human perception (I couldn’t see rig, but I instantly knew, and later confirmed) I’d rather hear/feel a real amp live, even if it doesn’t “sound” as good! I personally think there may even be a metaphysical factor at play with the electrons behaving in a magnetic situation with magnets etc.. anyway.. I’ve been able to empirically feel the difference, albeit on recordings the situation changes and anything goes! Modeling and profiling are amazing, an incredible tool. A different tool than an amplifier. recorded sounds.
I tend to fall into the blackhole of tweaking when it's there so I left the Fractal world years ago. FWIW - my favorite modeler is (was) the Eleven Rack - meat-and-potatoes options w/o endless tweakability. Great tones in the beginning song!
I was a bit like that, back from my BOSS GT-6 days, my experience with fractal has been creating simple rigs or pedalboards on my AX8, it's been almost 5 years and I haven't scratched the surface of what this thing can do, what I mean is that IMO it's possible to get good sounds with minimal tweaking but it's nice to have the deep editing stuff in case you need it.
Those of us who haunt RUclips tend to focus on the sound, particularly the guitar sound in isolation. Most people will agree that once you get into a band mix the top modeller’s sounds are virtually indistinguishable. Where Fractal score for me is in the workflow of playing on stage. Set lists and scenes allow me to change between intro, verse, chorus, solo, and outro without having to remember which FX settings each uses, and knowing that our lighting rig will use the correct colourway for the song, and follow the scene changes.
I did until I tried the quad cortex. I immediately sold my fm3. I love the layout so much better. The fm3 was a little better than good but it was so clunky. The quad is great but I think when the update finally roles out, it will be excellent.
@@nomadicexplorers THe price difference between them isn't a fair comparison. The FM9 Turbo blows away the quad in tone and effects and is cheaper still. The layout you could argue is better but that is a personal preference thing. I love editing my FM9 Turbo with the PC Editor.
@@inspiringminds7284 disagree completely. The price is a tad cheaper but the tone is not better. Sure it has more effects. Fractal has been out far longer
@@nomadicexplorers So you disagree on tone only. The rest you agree with. Anyways the tones are way better I have both, getting ready to sell my quad, do you want it? I'm worried it will break btw built like a toy. FM9 has a much better build for longevity.
Beautiful playing...as always. I do agree that the outside efx stuff in the Line 6 world is great, was just thinking about that yesterday. But, with about 6 months of using the FM9 I'm totally in their camp. Recording with the FM9 is inspiring and SUPER easy. The amp selection is over the top, the efx are so great. I'm like you, I don't get under the hood very much, (not my cup of tea) and don't feel the need to.
I use the Quad Cortex to profile my amps. The amps in the Fractal do not sound like my amps. I have amps you've heard of and amps you've almost certainly never heard of. I have a late 68 Marshall Superlead, a 68 Superbass, and a 74 Superlead. They sound vastly different one to the other. Fractal or Quad Cortex or Helix do not have amps that sound like my amps. My captures in the Quad Cortex sound like my amps. That's really all that matters to me.
I've been using modelers since the original POD bean in the mid/late 90s. For many years, just as a practice tool. I bought the Helix right when it came out at gigged it with a tube amp & cab for several years. Before Helix I had a huge pedalboard with Eventides, Strymons, and lots of cool drives etc on it, all wired up with a GigRig G2 switcher. It was an amazing board, albeit heavy, complicated and stupid heavy. After getting the Helix, I parted out that board and kept the H9Max for pitch effects and reverbs, which took a while to mature within Helix. Then I got the FM3 when announced, and realized that the pitch effects and reverbs where good enough to finally say goodbye to the H9. After some time getting used to the Fractal workflow, I have grown to love it. I love the grid layout, and the depth at which everything is modeled. I was fortunate to get an FM9 early on, and its been my main rig since. There's really nothing that I can't think of in my head, and recreate with the unit. I combine that with a Seymour Duncan Powerstage and cab, or Freidman FRFR depending on the gig. Very happy. It's really az great time to be a guitarist. There are really no BAD choices. Just get what works best for you and make music.
After a lot of deliberation, I decided on the FM9. The recent list of artists include Tim Pierce, Guthrie Govan, and many many more which really sold it to me. I’m very fussy about my tone, so love the ability to tweak if I need to. It’s being delivered today, so fingers crossed I love it. Definitely keeping my tube amps for now though. Thanks for the video, it’s kept me excited
Fractal - Upside: Great tones, incredible amount of options, steady flow of firmware updates. Tweakers paradise. Downside: you can get bogged down with options and 'oasis-chasing'. Kemper - Upside: More natural sound and feel than the Fractal stuff. Great 3rd-party packs available (Choptones). Downside: clunky UI Quad Cortex - Upside: Great tones. Simple to use. best for quickly dialing in a great tone. Downside: Limited options and slow rollout of firmware updates, temperamental WIFI, no desktop editor.
no doubt Fractal are the best. Cliff Chase has the best algorithms and system architecture. then there's the switching options, Layout Links, tap and hold.. it's truly next level.. I love my FM3. coupled with the FC6 it does everything I need, and the sound..
I came to FM9 from a 20ish pedalboard and I am not going back- the sound possibilities, scene s, and Setlist are amazing to gig with. Joy to play with at home
Fractal is direct to consumer which makes them harder to get (especially with the waitlist) and I think that exclusivity adds to its ‘cool factor’ - I think if we’re being honest the real professional applications seem to be more around the switching capabilities etc but the tone is undeniably good - I have an fm9 and can confidently say that the tone is superior but I often miss the simplicity of the helix, especially on the fly
I've been a Fractal user since I had an FX8 and the II XL+. Currently using an FM9 Turbo. The tones are amazing and the sheer number of amp and effect models (and IRs) is staggering. The only area I think they're lagging behind is probably UI. With that said, with the amount of tweakability on tap, it has to be incredibly difficult to streamline the UI. I'd bet they're working on that though. The flexibility of the grid and the ability to configure, tweak, and EQ the individual outputs is also top of the mountain imo. It feels like the Fractal stuff is kiiiinda the best at everything except UI. You could also say they're not the best at profiling/capturing but as you mentioned if you can dial in the tone of anything in a different way, you're meeting the same intent--produce THAT tone on THIS unit. From that perspective it *might* be as good as anything else. So from my own perspective it's the best out there. I can learn the UI and I can get any tone I want out of it. I can tweak it in many ways and go super deep if I want to, or I can kee it super simple and just load up a factory preset and have a perfectly usable tone. Incredible and brilliant stuff imo.
I really really want to upgrade to the Quad Cortex period. Right now, I’ve had the Boss GT1000 for 3yrs, I love the aesthetic and interface of the Quad Cortex above the others 😊
I switched from the AXE-3 to the QC and I'm so happy I did. I had better sounding presets with the QC within a day than I had with the Axe after 3 years. I'm not saying the AXE can't do it (it can probably sound even better) but you have to spend a lot of time and take some deep dives. You are either this type of person or you are not. The other thing is the navigation and the usability of the AXE. It feels like you need a PhD to use it without the pc editor. I always had to start my computer dial or edit sounds and lost myself in the possibilities instead of playing guitar. I did tutorials on how to use it on it's own and after a few weeks I forgot most of it and had to start the computer again. In my opinion it wasn't intuitive and it wasn't fun to use. For me (!) the QC is easier to use and I can get better results in less time. If that means I am getting 5-10% less authentic sounds (which I don't hear) thats fine by me. I think everyone has to find "their" modeller. The AXE taught me, that the "best" modeller doesn't have to be the "best" for me, which was a very important lesson and I'm very grateful for that. I still think the AXE is the king but I wasn't able to get the sounds I was hearing from others. In the end I'm happy these companies are trying to push the limits, outperform the others and as users we get products that get better and better. We are at a point where every modeller sounds really good and if we were honest we would stop comparing them and instead would invest more time in practicing because that's what really counts. But nobody wants to heart that. Me neither. ;-)
I had a helix a few years ago, and I couldn't get the sound I wanted out of it. Since then, I've had a kemper stage and a neural dsp quad cortex that I played a lot of shows with and used to record 2 albums. I recently sold the quad cortex because I needed money, and then picked up a used helix rack. Honestly, I don't know what kind of updates there have been for helix, but this thing sounds amazing now. I can't imagine needing to try another modeler, tbh
The main one was probably the update where they remade all the cabs recently. They were kinda bad before, and now are on the same level as OwnHammer, MLSoundLabs and York Audio IRs (cause, well, they just are very well-shot IRs in a neatly tied package this time around)
Great and timely video sir! I currently have a Kemper Profiler and the Kemper Remote. It's fine and I have some great rigs for it... lots of great rigs! But, I ultimately only use a relatively small handful of them. But, I've switched over to a Two-Rock Bloomfield now and UA Ox Top Box. I never really got into the Kemper Remote foot controller and all the insanely deep settings of every parameter. With that in mind, I'm going to sell the Kemper system, stick with my Two-Rock and add the Fractal FM3 since it takes up less space and does at least everything the Kemper will do. Thanks for posting this video!
@@Arthur_My_Dear For every line6 update fractal releases 40 updates...he isnt afraid of improving the modeling itself while line6 only update modeling when they release a new cycle of new products (a.k.a. helix 2)
@@MarkHysteria OK thanks for extra info. I’m thankful though that the Helix is a far more capable and better sounding modeler than it was when it was released due to large updates
I think they are all good. Depends on your needs. I needes something portable, powerful, with lots of switches, so I went for the QC. Even though is behind the Fractal in terms of quality of effects, the other factors were more important in my particular situation.
I kind of ended up with Fractal around the time of the Axe FX II and never really looked back. Not that the other units out there are worse but I kind of like the tweakability which might turn off a lot of people. Some things that I rarely hear people talk about when it comes to these units is tooling. The Axe FX III has amazing tooling building a preset. I can take a look at all the individual I/O meters on the grid at the same time on the "Meters" page which it super useful. The "Real Time Analyzer" Block is also an amazing tool which helps me to trouble shoot issues when I'm unhappy with my tone. I get a visual representation of what the compressor is doing. The tones are amazing but the Axe FX also gives me a lot of tools to really get there in the same unit. This is certainly something that matters to me. I'm not entirely sure how other units compare to this so that might be an interesting topic to cover in the future.
In one word yes .. I've had almost all the others and this is the one I keep going back to ..You must also remember that a capture is the amp/pedal at that particular setting . After capturing the adjustment of the controls on say the Kemper does not have the same effect as that of the pedal/amp.. The Fractal does seem to mimic all positions of the controls as it has been modelled to do so .. When Capturing if you could do more complex modelling techniques in adjusting the controls while capturing would give a better result.
I love my helix floor. I sold one and got another one. I wanted to get a quadcortex but it was just out of my price range but that was to just try it for myself. I am totally happy and content with my helix. It sounds good as can be. I am sure the kemper and axe fx and neural all sound great maybe even better but I am so good with what I got.
I have been gigging regularly with my AxeFx II+ for 9 years. Never had one single issue the it. It is in a rolling case with the Mark 5 foot controller that has been dragged around from rehearsal to gigs. Not a single issue, except for a screw that vibrated out lol. Love Fractal so much I bought an FX8 and FM9 (waited 14 months).
That’s why I love tube amps, even being a digital technologies lover, but the turn amps are great always while digital emulators are great until the next and improved one comes out, in fact I love the idea of amp 1
You dont have to upgrade. I still use a 20 year old PODXt live use and rehearsals. Still works and sounds great. I also do own a HX Stomp/Helix Native, but it is only for recording use.
@@Art-zs6sl There are upgrades for real Amps as well. There are folks who may need tons of amps and effects. The upgrade is mostly for them. If you do not use 300 amps or effects, you don't need to upgrade. And in this Digital world, we need to keep our systems up to date...i hate doing so...but it is what it is. I still have a old Windows XP laptop to run some old Software synth which I occasionally use.
I still have an Axe FX II XL - and I still think its great, especially for recording. The thing I have realized about modelers is that however great they are, they are not a forever product. They are a computer thats constantly evolving like computer products do. So now that my Axe Fx is 10 years old or so, it hasn't been supported in years. The screen is failing and so light that I have to use the desktop editor for everything - which is great because I love the desktop editor - except that if I get a new computer, they have stopped supporting older versions of axe edit for newer IOS. So I have to basically hold on to my macbook from 2012 and hope everything still works. I think modelers are great but will continue to be a constant expense - I would rather find my tone through some pedals and an amp in a box pedal like the new UA ones . I don't worry about things failing or the unit locking up and still have a compact pedal board I can take anywhere. Thanks for the video !
I find it interesting learning about the creators of the effects and what they had in mind when creating it. I see you reference it on and off again in your videos. Where do you learn about this or is it’s pieces here and there from forums?
Fractal is probably the best....given the amount of tweakability and amp models/effects, it is still ahead of all the modelers out there. For those who simply need basic reverbs, delays, effects, amps/cabs, the POD/Helix or any decent modeler can fill the gap now. Technology has come so far. What I love about the helix is the Software Plugin (Axe FX does not have one yet). I can import/export the same patches on my HX stomps from my studio PC. It saves me a lot of time. I would love to try the Fractal someday, but it would be an overkill. Gigging professionals definitely could use the flexibility Axe-Fx comes with you, no doubt!
I'm a Quad Cortex user at the moment, converted from an Axe FX3 - but at the moment I'd still prefer to be using the Axe FX3. I think the Quad Cortex has a lot of potential and i purchased it as most of my shows are on ships/travelling, so it's much easier to take with me than a rack unit but it doesn't quite hit the spot for me just yet. (Though nobody in the audience seems to notice). So Fractal are still king for me, from both a tonal and UI perspective!
I'm in a bad mood today. I just discovered the very first electric guitar I bought (my parents bought) was a 'Watkins Rapier.' Saw one for sale yesterday for $1000. I won't mention my 1969 Les Paul Custom. 😭 Your playing usually cheers me up though 👍.
I still think Profiling is better than modelling and that Kemper has the best ecosystem.... having the power amp inbuilt, kemper kone/cabinet (so you dont have to worry about FRFR problems), years of great professional profiles, great effects (above QC at least).
Tone capture is critical because of artists who made recordings of long ago, with pedals of long ago, and those sounds could not be recreated without tone capture recreations. Ask Steve Lukather. That said, every artist's style is probably more predominant to their sound. The amount of IR modeling of everything ever created on this planet is overwhelming. How many more pedals do we need? How many more IR of those pedals do we need? The amount of investment in time and money to learn these modelers is in the extreme. I say, choose a Fractal. There is nothing more you could ask for. Long live Fractal!
I wish Fractal had a cab block option more like Helix 3.5, or even Boss AIRD. I don’t always wanna browse IRs. Picking a cab and “placing” the mic is just more intuitive. I think I get why they don’t go this route but it’d be nice to have the option.
I’ve had a few Fractal products and I always get overwhelmed by the endless possibilities as well as the labyrinthine user interfaces I could spend days tweaking this and that and trying out this amp with that cab etc etc and although the sounds are incomparable the ultimate experience was frustrating How I wish Fractal would bring out a paired back version on a floor board Why on earth does any one need 568 amps ultimately all you need is one really good one to build your sound around
Thomas Blug is about to change the game with the AmpX in July, totally analog amps in a box with analog and digital effects built in with cabs, this should be interesting
Based on what I've seen and heard on RUclips, the Fractal Modelers are the most powerful, and sophisticated Modelers available. They are particularly well-suited for musicians and sound designers that cannot afford to compromise in any way on sound and flexibility, and need the very best gear available, and who can afford the price. I have an HX Stomp, and since the 3.50 Update, the differences in tones between a Fractal and Line 6 Helix Modelers have narrowed substantially. Where I still here a noticeable difference is that the Fractal Overdrives/Distortions sound a bit smoother/silkier than similar tones on the Line 6 Helix Presets. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, as it is may simply be an aesthetic decision or a generally characteristic of a particular Modeler which could possibly be tweaked to sound smoother if desired. You can hear that smoother sound in this video. One thing I wish Line 6 Helix would do is to Update the HX Editor so a User could combine existing Parameters/components from different Blocks of the same Family/Type, to create their own unique Blocks. For instance, perhaps there are some Parameters from three different Reverbs or Distortions I like. It would be great to combine the key Parameters from those Blocks into my own unique Reverb or Distortion Block. That would open up a whole new range of new sounds and creative results and possibilities to the Line 6 Helix ecosystem, and Marketplace. What was appropriately called a Modeler in the recent past, is now capable of so much more simply by modifying and updating the software, and still use the existing hardware.
Depending on the type of music you play, I've seen a lot of pro guitarists using BOSS GT products in live situations. from small venues all the way to large music festivals. Especially since last year. The BOSS GT products are great, maybe not the most user friendly, but they seem to be always overlooked in these conversations.
I think when all you do is play bare minimal rhythm, and tons of lead, it doesn’t matter.. it would matter more to someone who’s playing chords all the time, someone whose playing riffs. To guys who noodle and play lead all modelers sound good enough
It’s mad really I’ve got a Helix but live I mostly use either a Fender Bassbreaker or a Blackstar EL34 with my pedal board which has various drives eq, comp and delay. In my opinion the Fender does the twang thing better and the Blackstar is better suited to classic rock sounds. My point is the Helix has so much more variation on offer as have all the top modellers and they are all far more capable than valve amps, is it not really at this point about the player and finding a sound or 3 that works for you. As mentioned before John you make everything sound great because you are a class player. Who says the Fractal is better than the Helix or a valve amp and why ? Surely if you get the sound you want that’s all that matters.
Fractal is way so advanced and better come on!! The level of variables you have is just from another level! And Kemper is a profiler not a modeler, you can’t change the sound too much👌🏻…
I would argue Fractal isn’t really “expensive”. Their most expensive unit is the price of one good AMP head. But models hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment. No other modeler comes closer to the sound, and just as importantly the feel of, the modeled devices. Now they have more budget friendly devices that produce the same quality sounds. If you want captured you can do it with their most expensive device if you have a specific setup that isn’t modeled in the device. Best investment I ever made in my setup outside of my guitars!
I make tracks every day for film & TV world and need to work fast and have a ton of options/sounds. I had Pod Farm 2 for years... and I was able to DL close to 1000 presets from the users forum. It was SO easy to quickly search for anything... like U2... Fuzz.... Octaves... Stones etc etc... and get to work with the next layer. New Mac OS is forcing me to look for another company that offers something like that. I own the Kemper and love it, but it's not made to have complete chains in tons of styles. Although I have made & DL'd some. Would still like to find the next level hardware or software that allows that. Helix Native can only load up so many presets and I don't think I can even search!! Any ideas? Thanks!
I think the next iteration of Fractal will catch up in terms of their outdated on unit interface. It will def. have bigger scribble strips. One of the team members already stated that he designed them already but they didn't make it in on time for the FM9- but they are coming. I think a smaller FM6 with a touchscreen would be fire. And bring back the grab handles. The FM9 is big and heavy and has no handles. The tone is unmatched IMO at the price point- really for any modeler on the market today. Neural dropped the ball by not putting their PI in their QC.
Having owned the helix stuff and fractal. I ended up in the fractal universe for the sheer sound. I miss the ability to have like space echos and other prebuilt kind of fun effects
I use the amps from the FM3 and strymon effects. Strymon pedals like Bigsky or Timeline still sound a little bit better than Fractal effects. In a mix you cannot feel the difference anymore.
Fractal is the best for me, but Helix and QC and Kemper are awesome too. It’s like coke and pepsi. Also as noted above, you sound great on any of these devices. None of these devices will make you into a great player, only time and practice will do that. You can get just about any sound you want on any of these devices.
Hey John! I have all the top tier modelers (NO Quad Cortex) and several forms of modeling software/plugins. I switch back and forth between the FM3 and the Kemper, occasionally hitting the Helix LT and Synergy Modules on the way. I have factory presets I like, I have purchased presets/profiles I like. Somedays I think the Kemper sounds really great, some days I think the FM3 sounds really great, and alas somedays I think the Helix sounds great. Hmmmmm....Could it be that they all sound great? YES. Handled by a user that is familiar with modelers. They can all sound great and in a produced mix you would be hard pressed to even tell the difference. Have fun with whatever you like. Just stay inspired and passionate about the whole thing, don't go broke from it. Great tone, Playing, and Video Content. ❤ Cheers!
Is an Axe Fx III really that expensive of a piece of gear? It seems to me like it’s an incredible bargain. It isn’t much more expensive than a Made in US or Japan guitar and compared to what rack effects cost in the past, it’s insane what you get.
You are really hurting yourself by not utilizing the AXE EDIT editor. Not only is it super easy to use but you can also have available the block libraries. I think the capture/profile thing will fall a slow death. I had owned a Kemper prior to the Axe FX III. It did a good job at getting about 85% there. I originally thought that profiling would be the way to go until I stepped into the Fractal world. It is so much better. The key to the Fractal concerning amp models is that first it is very accurate and secondly, you can mod that amp model almost as much as you can in the real world. Nothing else comes anywhere close to that.
That guy cliff from fractal is very intriguing to me. How one guy could single handedly make the most complex modellers out of nowhere, and whole companies like L6 can't keep up with him. This dude could probably make a time machine if he wanted to.
@@alien4422 Cliff is the one that literally compiles and writes the code, decides what gear to model, basically directs the development of the platform. While he has a team behind him, Fractal Audio is the brain child of and driven by Cliff.
Is that the only part of my comment you actually read?? If so that’s fine. Not going to argue with a numbskull. Without Cliff, there would be no AxeFX. That’s common knowledge for anybody even remotely in touch with the modeling community. Without him, the ship sinks. The man is single handedly ahead of the game which is why these products are so good.
I have axe fx 3 and use the sw for config totally as it is so easy and intuitive plus Leon and Burgs are such a source for tweaking. I use Martin Millers presets as I love hos tones.
Fractal sounds are amazing - no doubt! But that user interface is abysmal! In this day and age anything less than a touchscreen is pathetic. If you could get Fractal sounds with an Ampero2 interface you’d have the holy grail!
Videos would be a lot better if you worked on all the "I think... kind of... sort of... essentially... stuff... uhhh... ummm... can't remember exactly... not sure... you know..."
I dig your channel bro and totally respect your opinion but you’re regurgitating the same stuff over and over…and we all know you can play - there’s no need for 2mins of jamming for every video…
![The Best Guitar Amp In The World [And Tips On Using Pedals With It]](/img/1.gif)
Heres the thing... Ive watched a TON of your videos. You playing through real amps. Every modeler or profiler. Amp plugins.... all of it and in every single one of those examples you sound like YOU, and you just sound awesome. I legitimately couldnt tell the difference between any of them at any time unless maybe you were giving a direct A/B comparison back to back. They all sound great these days and with a great player, the modeler you choose will not be your limiting factor.
Truth.
John is an amazing musician
I agree! All the modern guitar processors sound great, may be a little bit different but they're great! I know a lot of examples, when some great guitar players were using old Boss or Digitech modellers and their sound was great!
I get you are trying to be nice, and I get what you are saying.. but listen to the tones already.
Sound is a category of amp performance, but so is feel. I play live, on the road, in all kinds of environments. I carry a modded vintage twin head, McIntosh power amp, and JBL cab. If modeling could replace it for me, I’d use it. In fact, it’s far less forgiving to play through. Sound? Maybe.. but feel affects my note choice and the music choices me and my band mates respond to and make, and it’s also (maybe a little less importantly) detectable to the audience. After a live experience I had of another guitarist playing a really great sounding modeling rig, the feel in the air simply was not there, it was like a beautiful corpse in a live environment, power amps and speakers control air molecules differently and allow something to come through into human perception (I couldn’t see rig, but I instantly knew, and later confirmed) I’d rather hear/feel a real amp live, even if it doesn’t “sound” as good! I personally think there may even be a metaphysical factor at play with the electrons behaving in a magnetic situation with magnets etc.. anyway.. I’ve been able to empirically feel the difference, albeit on recordings the situation changes and anything goes! Modeling and profiling are amazing, an incredible tool. A different tool than an amplifier. recorded sounds.
After this amazing intro of almost 4 minutes of excellent playing and amazing sound, I've been compelled to say yes! 😂
This opening is just fantastic this is a single. Please don't stop the playing and recording of it.
I tend to fall into the blackhole of tweaking when it's there so I left the Fractal world years ago. FWIW - my favorite modeler is (was) the Eleven Rack - meat-and-potatoes options w/o endless tweakability. Great tones in the beginning song!
I was a bit like that, back from my BOSS GT-6 days, my experience with fractal has been creating simple rigs or pedalboards on my AX8, it's been almost 5 years and I haven't scratched the surface of what this thing can do, what I mean is that IMO it's possible to get good sounds with minimal tweaking but it's nice to have the deep editing stuff in case you need it.
Those of us who haunt RUclips tend to focus on the sound, particularly the guitar sound in isolation. Most people will agree that once you get into a band mix the top modeller’s sounds are virtually indistinguishable. Where Fractal score for me is in the workflow of playing on stage. Set lists and scenes allow me to change between intro, verse, chorus, solo, and outro without having to remember which FX settings each uses, and knowing that our lighting rig will use the correct colourway for the song, and follow the scene changes.
Love my FM3, I do minimal tweaking and get great tones!
x2
I did until I tried the quad cortex. I immediately sold my fm3. I love the layout so much better. The fm3 was a little better than good but it was so clunky. The quad is great but I think when the update finally roles out, it will be excellent.
@@nomadicexplorers THe price difference between them isn't a fair comparison. The FM9 Turbo blows away the quad in tone and effects and is cheaper still.
The layout you could argue is better but that is a personal preference thing. I love editing my FM9 Turbo with the PC Editor.
@@inspiringminds7284 disagree completely. The price is a tad cheaper but the tone is not better. Sure it has more effects. Fractal has been out far longer
@@nomadicexplorers So you disagree on tone only. The rest you agree with. Anyways the tones are way better I have both, getting ready to sell my quad, do you want it? I'm worried it will break btw built like a toy. FM9 has a much better build for longevity.
Beautiful playing...as always. I do agree that the outside efx stuff in the Line 6 world is great, was just thinking about that yesterday. But, with about 6 months of using the FM9 I'm totally in their camp. Recording with the FM9 is inspiring and SUPER easy. The amp selection is over the top, the efx are so great. I'm like you, I don't get under the hood very much, (not my cup of tea) and don't feel the need to.
Thanks John I enjoyed the video, for some reason particularly near the end it looked like some was behind you doing the hands, it made me smile anyway
Looking at the line of top artists using fractal gear I would have to say yes. They are right at the top.
10 min with Fractal and that was it.
I got my sound. Every tone I could think of and dream of was available in the Fractal
I use the Quad Cortex to profile my amps. The amps in the Fractal do not sound like my amps. I have amps you've heard of and amps you've almost certainly never heard of. I have a late 68 Marshall Superlead, a 68 Superbass, and a 74 Superlead. They sound vastly different one to the other. Fractal or Quad Cortex or Helix do not have amps that sound like my amps. My captures in the Quad Cortex sound like my amps. That's really all that matters to me.
I've been using modelers since the original POD bean in the mid/late 90s. For many years, just as a practice tool. I bought the Helix right when it came out at gigged it with a tube amp & cab for several years. Before Helix I had a huge pedalboard with Eventides, Strymons, and lots of cool drives etc on it, all wired up with a GigRig G2 switcher. It was an amazing board, albeit heavy, complicated and stupid heavy. After getting the Helix, I parted out that board and kept the H9Max for pitch effects and reverbs, which took a while to mature within Helix. Then I got the FM3 when announced, and realized that the pitch effects and reverbs where good enough to finally say goodbye to the H9. After some time getting used to the Fractal workflow, I have grown to love it. I love the grid layout, and the depth at which everything is modeled. I was fortunate to get an FM9 early on, and its been my main rig since. There's really nothing that I can't think of in my head, and recreate with the unit. I combine that with a Seymour Duncan Powerstage and cab, or Freidman FRFR depending on the gig. Very happy. It's really az great time to be a guitarist. There are really no BAD choices. Just get what works best for you and make music.
After a lot of deliberation, I decided on the FM9. The recent list of artists include Tim Pierce, Guthrie Govan, and many many more which really sold it to me. I’m very fussy about my tone, so love the ability to tweak if I need to. It’s being delivered today, so fingers crossed I love it.
Definitely keeping my tube amps for now though. Thanks for the video, it’s kept me excited
Fractal - Upside: Great tones, incredible amount of options, steady flow of firmware updates. Tweakers paradise. Downside: you can get bogged down with options and 'oasis-chasing'.
Kemper - Upside: More natural sound and feel than the Fractal stuff. Great 3rd-party packs available (Choptones). Downside: clunky UI
Quad Cortex - Upside: Great tones. Simple to use. best for quickly dialing in a great tone. Downside: Limited options and slow rollout of firmware updates, temperamental WIFI, no desktop editor.
no doubt Fractal are the best. Cliff Chase has the best algorithms and system architecture. then there's the switching options, Layout Links, tap and hold.. it's truly next level.. I love my FM3. coupled with the FC6 it does everything I need, and the sound..
Holy CRAP I wish I could get a strat bridge pickup to sound like that! Nice playing man!!!
Simple answer - YES
I agree.
I came to FM9 from a 20ish pedalboard and I am not going back- the sound possibilities, scene s, and Setlist are amazing to gig with. Joy to play with at home
That intro piece is awesome. Thanks for all the great videos.
Fractal is direct to consumer which makes them harder to get (especially with the waitlist) and I think that exclusivity adds to its ‘cool factor’ - I think if we’re being honest the real professional applications seem to be more around the switching capabilities etc but the tone is undeniably good - I have an fm9 and can confidently say that the tone is superior but I often miss the simplicity of the helix, especially on the fly
I've been a Fractal user since I had an FX8 and the II XL+. Currently using an FM9 Turbo. The tones are amazing and the sheer number of amp and effect models (and IRs) is staggering.
The only area I think they're lagging behind is probably UI. With that said, with the amount of tweakability on tap, it has to be incredibly difficult to streamline the UI. I'd bet they're working on that though.
The flexibility of the grid and the ability to configure, tweak, and EQ the individual outputs is also top of the mountain imo.
It feels like the Fractal stuff is kiiiinda the best at everything except UI.
You could also say they're not the best at profiling/capturing but as you mentioned if you can dial in the tone of anything in a different way, you're meeting the same intent--produce THAT tone on THIS unit. From that perspective it *might* be as good as anything else.
So from my own perspective it's the best out there. I can learn the UI and I can get any tone I want out of it. I can tweak it in many ways and go super deep if I want to, or I can kee it super simple and just load up a factory preset and have a perfectly usable tone.
Incredible and brilliant stuff imo.
I really really want to upgrade to the Quad Cortex period. Right now, I’ve had the Boss GT1000 for 3yrs, I love the aesthetic and interface of the Quad Cortex above the others 😊
I switched from the AXE-3 to the QC and I'm so happy I did. I had better sounding presets with the QC within a day than I had with the Axe after 3 years. I'm not saying the AXE can't do it (it can probably sound even better) but you have to spend a lot of time and take some deep dives. You are either this type of person or you are not.
The other thing is the navigation and the usability of the AXE. It feels like you need a PhD to use it without the pc editor. I always had to start my computer dial or edit sounds and lost myself in the possibilities instead of playing guitar. I did tutorials on how to use it on it's own and after a few weeks I forgot most of it and had to start the computer again. In my opinion it wasn't intuitive and it wasn't fun to use. For me (!) the QC is easier to use and I can get better results in less time. If that means I am getting 5-10% less authentic sounds (which I don't hear) thats fine by me. I think everyone has to find "their" modeller. The AXE taught me, that the "best" modeller doesn't have to be the "best" for me, which was a very important lesson and I'm very grateful for that. I still think the AXE is the king but I wasn't able to get the sounds I was hearing from others.
In the end I'm happy these companies are trying to push the limits, outperform the others and as users we get products that get better and better. We are at a point where every modeller sounds really good and if we were honest we would stop comparing them and instead would invest more time in practicing because that's what really counts. But nobody wants to heart that. Me neither. ;-)
💯
I had a helix a few years ago, and I couldn't get the sound I wanted out of it. Since then, I've had a kemper stage and a neural dsp quad cortex that I played a lot of shows with and used to record 2 albums. I recently sold the quad cortex because I needed money, and then picked up a used helix rack. Honestly, I don't know what kind of updates there have been for helix, but this thing sounds amazing now. I can't imagine needing to try another modeler, tbh
The main one was probably the update where they remade all the cabs recently. They were kinda bad before, and now are on the same level as OwnHammer, MLSoundLabs and York Audio IRs (cause, well, they just are very well-shot IRs in a neatly tied package this time around)
Great and timely video sir! I currently have a Kemper Profiler and the Kemper Remote. It's fine and I have some great rigs for it... lots of great rigs! But, I ultimately only use a relatively small handful of them. But, I've switched over to a Two-Rock Bloomfield now and UA Ox Top Box. I never really got into the Kemper Remote foot controller and all the insanely deep settings of every parameter. With that in mind, I'm going to sell the Kemper system, stick with my Two-Rock and add the Fractal FM3 since it takes up less space and does at least everything the Kemper will do. Thanks for posting this video!
Very good analysis John. Thanks for your insight. Really look forward to your videos.
The undeniable advantage of the fractal is that these guys are constantly improving and adding new features to the firmware.
I think it’s fair to say Line 6 also do this
@@Arthur_My_Dear For every line6 update fractal releases 40 updates...he isnt afraid of improving the modeling itself while line6 only update modeling when they release a new cycle of new products (a.k.a. helix 2)
@@MarkHysteria OK thanks for extra info. I’m thankful though that the Helix is a far more capable and better sounding modeler than it was when it was released due to large updates
Had FM3 for a while. Sounds amazing. Just wish i was good enough and smart enough to keep it.
🤣 know the feeling. Trust me. I USED to own a 1969 Gibson Les Paul custom. 😭
I think they are all good. Depends on your needs. I needes something portable, powerful, with lots of switches, so I went for the QC. Even though is behind the Fractal in terms of quality of effects, the other factors were more important in my particular situation.
I kind of ended up with Fractal around the time of the Axe FX II and never really looked back. Not that the other units out there are worse but I kind of like the tweakability which might turn off a lot of people. Some things that I rarely hear people talk about when it comes to these units is tooling. The Axe FX III has amazing tooling building a preset.
I can take a look at all the individual I/O meters on the grid at the same time on the "Meters" page which it super useful. The "Real Time Analyzer" Block is also an amazing tool which helps me to trouble shoot issues when I'm unhappy with my tone. I get a visual representation of what the compressor is doing. The tones are amazing but the Axe FX also gives me a lot of tools to really get there in the same unit.
This is certainly something that matters to me. I'm not entirely sure how other units compare to this so that might be an interesting topic to cover in the future.
In one word yes .. I've had almost all the others and this is the one I keep going back to ..You must also remember that a capture is the amp/pedal at that particular setting . After capturing the adjustment of the controls on say the Kemper does not have the same effect as that of the pedal/amp.. The Fractal does seem to mimic all positions of the controls as it has been modelled to do so .. When Capturing if you could do more complex modelling techniques in adjusting the controls while capturing would give a better result.
Firmware update for the Cortex is days away from release. Looking forward to seeing what it brings.
I love my helix floor. I sold one and got another one. I wanted to get a quadcortex but it was just out of my price range but that was to just try it for myself. I am totally happy and content with my helix. It sounds good as can be. I am sure the kemper and axe fx and neural all sound great maybe even better but I am so good with what I got.
I have been gigging regularly with my AxeFx II+ for 9 years. Never had one single issue the it. It is in a rolling case with the Mark 5 foot controller that has been dragged around from rehearsal to gigs. Not a single issue, except for a screw that vibrated out lol. Love Fractal so much I bought an FX8 and FM9 (waited 14 months).
Still using my AX8. For my line of work it works great... even without going deep on the editing. It's very easy to get great sounds.
I love the Suhr Badger 18 model btw
That’s why I love tube amps, even being a digital technologies lover, but the turn amps are great always while digital emulators are great until the next and improved one comes out, in fact I love the idea of amp 1
You dont have to upgrade. I still use a 20 year old PODXt live use and rehearsals. Still works and sounds great. I also do own a HX Stomp/Helix Native, but it is only for recording use.
@@SonnetGomes The point is there are upgrades, whereas the amp remains.
@@Art-zs6sl There are upgrades for real Amps as well. There are folks who may need tons of amps and effects. The upgrade is mostly for them. If you do not use 300 amps or effects, you don't need to upgrade.
And in this Digital world, we need to keep our systems up to date...i hate doing so...but it is what it is. I still have a old Windows XP laptop to run some old Software synth which I occasionally use.
I still have an Axe FX II XL - and I still think its great, especially for recording. The thing I have realized about modelers is that however great they are, they are not a forever product. They are a computer thats constantly evolving like computer products do. So now that my Axe Fx is 10 years old or so, it hasn't been supported in years. The screen is failing and so light that I have to use the desktop editor for everything - which is great because I love the desktop editor - except that if I get a new computer, they have stopped supporting older versions of axe edit for newer IOS. So I have to basically hold on to my macbook from 2012 and hope everything still works. I think modelers are great but will continue to be a constant expense - I would rather find my tone through some pedals and an amp in a box pedal like the new UA ones . I don't worry about things failing or the unit locking up and still have a compact pedal board I can take anywhere. Thanks for the video !
I find it interesting learning about the creators of the effects and what they had in mind when creating it. I see you reference it on and off again in your videos. Where do you learn about this or is it’s pieces here and there from forums?
Sounds really good mate 👍, from Pacoima California....
Fractal is probably the best....given the amount of tweakability and amp models/effects, it is still ahead of all the modelers out there. For those who simply need basic reverbs, delays, effects, amps/cabs, the POD/Helix or any decent modeler can fill the gap now. Technology has come so far. What I love about the helix is the Software Plugin (Axe FX does not have one yet). I can import/export the same patches on my HX stomps from my studio PC. It saves me a lot of time. I would love to try the Fractal someday, but it would be an overkill. Gigging professionals definitely could use the flexibility Axe-Fx comes with you, no doubt!
And thanks for letting us know which patch your using, I got the bundle and I'll experiment asap, 🙂
at 10:00 I thought you might just continue listing the amp models for the rest of the video. Would have been a good bit.
I'm a Quad Cortex user at the moment, converted from an Axe FX3 - but at the moment I'd still prefer to be using the Axe FX3. I think the Quad Cortex has a lot of potential and i purchased it as most of my shows are on ships/travelling, so it's much easier to take with me than a rack unit but it doesn't quite hit the spot for me just yet. (Though nobody in the audience seems to notice). So Fractal are still king for me, from both a tonal and UI perspective!
Coming from Helix, now Fractal FM9 and loving it!
I'm in a bad mood today. I just discovered the very first electric guitar I bought (my parents bought) was a 'Watkins Rapier.' Saw one for sale yesterday for $1000. I won't mention my 1969 Les Paul Custom. 😭 Your playing usually cheers me up though 👍.
Just sold my FM3. Various plug ins are actually getting me better tones…for me. If I play out I always bring an amp.
I still think Profiling is better than modelling and that Kemper has the best ecosystem.... having the power amp inbuilt, kemper kone/cabinet (so you dont have to worry about FRFR problems), years of great professional profiles, great effects (above QC at least).
Tone capture is critical because of artists who made recordings of long ago, with pedals of long ago, and those sounds could not be recreated without tone capture recreations. Ask Steve Lukather. That said, every artist's style is probably more predominant to their sound. The amount of IR modeling of everything ever created on this planet is overwhelming. How many more pedals do we need? How many more IR of those pedals do we need? The amount of investment in time and money to learn these modelers is in the extreme. I say, choose a Fractal. There is nothing more you could ask for. Long live Fractal!
I wish Fractal had a cab block option more like Helix 3.5, or even Boss AIRD.
I don’t always wanna browse IRs. Picking a cab and “placing” the mic is just more intuitive.
I think I get why they don’t go this route but it’d be nice to have the option.
Ax3 user , One great thing is the presets are actually usable.
I’ve had a few Fractal products and I always get overwhelmed by the endless possibilities as well as the labyrinthine user interfaces I could spend days tweaking this and that and trying out this amp with that cab etc etc and although the sounds are incomparable the ultimate experience was frustrating
How I wish Fractal would bring out a paired back version on a floor board
Why on earth does any one need 568 amps ultimately all you need is one really good one to build your sound around
Thomas Blug is about to change the game with the AmpX in July, totally analog amps in a box with analog and digital effects built in with cabs, this should be interesting
Based on what I've seen and heard on RUclips, the Fractal Modelers are the most powerful, and sophisticated Modelers available. They are particularly well-suited for musicians and sound designers that cannot afford to compromise in any way on sound and flexibility, and need the very best gear available, and who can afford the price.
I have an HX Stomp, and since the 3.50 Update, the differences in tones between a Fractal and Line 6 Helix Modelers have narrowed substantially. Where I still here a noticeable difference is that the Fractal Overdrives/Distortions sound a bit smoother/silkier than similar tones on the Line 6 Helix Presets. I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not, as it is may simply be an aesthetic decision or a generally characteristic of a particular Modeler which could possibly be tweaked to sound smoother if desired. You can hear that smoother sound in this video.
One thing I wish Line 6 Helix would do is to Update the HX Editor so a User could combine existing Parameters/components from different Blocks of the same Family/Type, to create their own unique Blocks. For instance, perhaps there are some Parameters from three different Reverbs or Distortions I like. It would be great to combine the key Parameters from those Blocks into my own unique Reverb or Distortion Block. That would open up a whole new range of new sounds and creative results and possibilities to the Line 6 Helix ecosystem, and Marketplace. What was appropriately called a Modeler in the recent past, is now capable of so much more simply by modifying and updating the software, and still use the existing hardware.
Depending on the type of music you play, I've seen a lot of pro guitarists using BOSS GT products in live situations. from small venues all the way to large music festivals. Especially since last year. The BOSS GT products are great, maybe not the most user friendly, but they seem to be always overlooked in these conversations.
I think when all you do is play bare minimal rhythm, and tons of lead, it doesn’t matter.. it would matter more to someone who’s playing chords all the time, someone whose playing riffs. To guys who noodle and play lead all modelers sound good enough
That intro 🔥
I love my Helix floor.
Without a doubt it still is yeah
Nice playing. Fractal is good.
It’s mad really I’ve got a Helix but live I mostly use either a Fender Bassbreaker or a Blackstar EL34 with my pedal board which has various drives eq, comp and delay.
In my opinion the Fender does the twang thing better and the Blackstar is better suited to classic rock sounds.
My point is the Helix has so much more variation on offer as have all the top modellers and they are all far more capable than valve amps, is it not really at this point about the player and finding a sound or 3 that works for you. As mentioned before John you make everything sound great because you are a class player. Who says the Fractal is better than the Helix or a valve amp and why ? Surely if you get the sound you want that’s all that matters.
I’m still using the AX8 and will upgrade to FM9 as soon as I’m given an opportunity to buy one. I have no interest in switching brands.
Yes.
John, what is your thoughts on how close the amero 2 stomp gets to an fm3?
Fractal is way so advanced and better come on!! The level of variables you have is just from another level! And Kemper is a profiler not a modeler, you can’t change the sound too much👌🏻…
I would argue Fractal isn’t really “expensive”. Their most expensive unit is the price of one good AMP head. But models hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment.
No other modeler comes closer to the sound, and just as importantly the feel of, the modeled devices.
Now they have more budget friendly devices that produce the same quality sounds. If you want captured you can do it with their most expensive device if you have a specific setup that isn’t modeled in the device.
Best investment I ever made in my setup outside of my guitars!
I make tracks every day for film & TV world and need to work fast and have a ton of options/sounds. I had Pod Farm 2 for years... and I was able to DL close to 1000 presets from the users forum. It was SO easy to quickly search for anything... like U2... Fuzz.... Octaves... Stones etc etc... and get to work with the next layer. New Mac OS is forcing me to look for another company that offers something like that. I own the Kemper and love it, but it's not made to have complete chains in tons of styles. Although I have made & DL'd some. Would still like to find the next level hardware or software that allows that. Helix Native can only load up so many presets and I don't think I can even search!! Any ideas? Thanks!
I think the next iteration of Fractal will catch up in terms of their outdated on unit interface. It will def. have bigger scribble strips. One of the team members already stated that he designed them already but they didn't make it in on time for the FM9- but they are coming. I think a smaller FM6 with a touchscreen would be fire. And bring back the grab handles. The FM9 is big and heavy and has no handles. The tone is unmatched IMO at the price point- really for any modeler on the market today. Neural dropped the ball by not putting their PI in their QC.
Having owned the helix stuff and fractal. I ended up in the fractal universe for the sheer sound. I miss the ability to have like space echos and other prebuilt kind of fun effects
does axe fx not have space echoes?
@@chrisloren9363 it has all the tools to build one but not like button click space echo
I use the amps from the FM3 and strymon effects. Strymon pedals like Bigsky or Timeline still sound a little bit better than Fractal effects. In a mix you cannot feel the difference anymore.
Yes
Fractal is the best for me, but Helix and QC and Kemper are awesome too. It’s like coke and pepsi. Also as noted above, you sound great on any of these devices. None of these devices will make you into a great player, only time and practice will do that. You can get just about any sound you want on any of these devices.
Hey John! I have all the top tier modelers (NO Quad Cortex) and several forms of modeling software/plugins. I switch back and forth between the FM3 and the Kemper, occasionally hitting the Helix LT and Synergy Modules on the way. I have factory presets I like, I have purchased presets/profiles I like. Somedays I think the Kemper sounds really great, some days I think the FM3 sounds really great, and alas somedays I think the Helix sounds great.
Hmmmmm....Could it be that they all sound great?
YES. Handled by a user that is familiar with modelers. They can all sound great and in a produced mix you would be hard pressed to even tell the difference.
Have fun with whatever you like. Just stay inspired and passionate about the whole thing, don't go broke from it.
Great tone, Playing, and Video Content. ❤ Cheers!
They're top tier regardless. Best is an opinion and tone is personal taste though.
Is an Axe Fx III really that expensive of a piece of gear? It seems to me like it’s an incredible bargain. It isn’t much more expensive than a Made in US or Japan guitar and compared to what rack effects cost in the past, it’s insane what you get.
You are really hurting yourself by not utilizing the AXE EDIT editor. Not only is it super easy to use but you can also have available the block libraries. I think the capture/profile thing will fall a slow death. I had owned a Kemper prior to the Axe FX III. It did a good job at getting about 85% there. I originally thought that profiling would be the way to go until I stepped into the Fractal world. It is so much better. The key to the Fractal concerning amp models is that first it is very accurate and secondly, you can mod that amp model almost as much as you can in the real world. Nothing else comes anywhere close to that.
And the FM3 I had was continually running out of CPU
That guy cliff from fractal is very intriguing to me. How one guy could single handedly make the most complex modellers out of nowhere, and whole companies like L6 can't keep up with him. This dude could probably make a time machine if he wanted to.
single handedly? 🤣🤣🤣
@@alien4422 Cliff is the one that literally compiles and writes the code, decides what gear to model, basically directs the development of the platform. While he has a team behind him, Fractal Audio is the brain child of and driven by Cliff.
@@strat002 You just admitted that he has a team. Case closed!
Is that the only part of my comment you actually read?? If so that’s fine. Not going to argue with a numbskull.
Without Cliff, there would be no AxeFX. That’s common knowledge for anybody even remotely in touch with the modeling community. Without him, the ship sinks. The man is single handedly ahead of the game which is why these products are so good.
@@strat002 Also, the Fractal forum is very hostile unless you are a Fractal faanboy.
Not sure they’ve ever been “the king” of modelers
Not for me! after i owned it ultra and axe 2. I was never happy with sounds. Sold it and bought Kemper it sounds just as good as analog tube amps.
I had axe fx 2 xl+ and it was too good. Too much of everything. But good it was for sure!
I have axe fx 3 and use the sw for config totally as it is so easy and intuitive plus Leon and Burgs are such a source for tweaking. I use Martin Millers presets as I love hos tones.
@John_Nathan_Cordy. scammer alert
Fractal editor is awesome,Helix editor is a pain in your eyes…
Fractal sounds are amazing - no doubt! But that user interface is abysmal! In this day and age anything less than a touchscreen is pathetic. If you could get Fractal sounds with an Ampero2 interface you’d have the holy grail!
You trying to steal Keith's gig?? Short Histoof Fractal Audio?? 😂 Actually...tell Keith to get on that.
No.
Of course Fractal are still the King! Any criticisms are illogical and mostly internet echo chamber BS.
Yarp
Wat
Videos would be a lot better if you worked on all the "I think... kind of... sort of... essentially... stuff... uhhh... ummm... can't remember exactly... not sure... you know..."
I dig your channel bro and totally respect your opinion but you’re regurgitating the same stuff over and over…and we all know you can play - there’s no need for 2mins of jamming for every video…
Neural DSP plugins are better imo
Fractal is the best