PART 2 HERE - ruclips.net/video/4AxVQZPscYM/видео.html When I'm not cultivating a single eyebrow I make music and you can listen to it here - ragdollrock.bandcamp.com/track/skies-limit
Nevermind... I went to your main bandcamp page and I was able to listen. Guitars on "Skies Limit" sound great! 🤟🏼 I guess they're recorded with a Fractal?
I hope fender send you out two of the new FRFR-12 powered cabinets keen to hear your opinion on a stereo setup with axefx3 as I’m looking on upgrading mine to something better than the two headrush 112 that I have for my axefx3
Like every video you drop, this one has content that matters to players. I had already written this off as a NO...but after watching (and hearing) you demonstrate the flexibility of the signal chain, the ability to move and choose the mics on the speakers, and the overall excellence (IMO) of the UI I'm reconsidering. Frankly, as an old guy who plays in the worship band at my church I can see this unit working great for me. I've been on Fractal for 3yrs and love my FM3. But I can see where this could really shorten my build time on presets. Plus, I love Fender amps. And as you said they seem to have done a great job with them. I'll be watching to see what Fender does around support. Thank you for another great vid. Worth every minute.
Sounds decent - at least through laptop speakers... and the UI looks great - it appears you don't really need a computer interface to get deep into editing. Using the foot switches as rotary knobs is brilliant (hopefully they're durable). I am a bit surprised at the $1700 USD price. For some reason I was expecting it to be less expensive, or at least to undercut the FM3.
Agreed. Sounds are merely decent imho (all seem to tend towards being dark/very dark), and those combination knob/dials seem like a big potential liability … imagine trying to get them replaced … lol. The pretty look/interface (and several loops?) seem like its standout features … I honestly can’t see this lasting long (especially not with the Tonex around), unless Fender makes it sound a lot better, pretty quickly … The sounds are not top-dollar, which is what they’re charging … Ongoing support from Fender?!?! I see this tanking, and Fender cutting and running …
The Tone Master Pro is much more friendly and for cleans and Fender tones will have the market once they get going and continue firmware updates. Being a songwriter and contemporary jazz artist I dislike modelers until now. If Fender does it right they will make bank. Great job Fender!
The UI and the footswitch setup really impressed me. The tones... well, just don't sell your Fractal, and I don't plan to sell my Helix. But I very much enjoyed the demo.
I have an Axe FX III. It’s been fantastic. There’s nothing wrong with these tones at all. And dang that interface and form factor slays. If it said Fractal FM4 in the corner instead of Fender, everybody would be preaching game over, everywhere. All of these modelers need tweaking and time to learn the nuances. Adding IR’s is key. Fender will add to this over time I’m sure. But LT was hammering sounds out of this that were studio worthy already. You can see he was inspired. As an unofficial/official Fractal spokesman you can only go so far in your praise I would imagine. But you can’t say that Headrush didn’t change the game with touchscreens, that Fender hasnt developed an awesome one, and that Fractal now has their work cut out for them if they want to stay top dog. If Fender priced this a couple hundred lower, they could score major market share immediately. And start building a base of their own if they were forward looking enough.
Thanks for this Leon. The hardware looks really good, but not convinced about the sounds honestly. I don’t think fractal have anything to worry about as those units have so much more tweak ability and generally appeal to a different type of player.(like me) Once the price falls however both Helix and Headrush have a serious competitor. At the present price though I don’t think it sits well in the market place.
It’s awesome, but the one thing missing is the ability to capture and share captures. I have some old classic amps and pedals that do not come in the unit, that I want to add in. That’s the one feature holding it back from passing the Quad Cortex. If they add that in, I would buy one in a second.
Interesting. QC interface, Boss GT routing, Helix like for live use. Not hearing QC/Fractal level of tones, especially on the Brit amps but will wait and see how opinions develop. I want to love it but I'm not sure. It sounds like it can sound great but will need a more post processing than some others to get there.
You're comments on firmware updates for me is the reason I'll go for the FM9, for smaller gigs, additionally if one has the Axe Fx3 they can capture amps and pedals to create presets that can then be downloaded to the FM9.
The touch screen on this is large and very easy to use. The Line 6 Pod Go I use is a similar size, but much less user friendly. This is somewhat pricey, but for the ease of use, I believe it's worth the money and I'll probably buy one because of informative and superb video. Your video making skills are nearly at the level of your guitar skills, which is f*cking high. Thank you.
well, I'm not getting rid of my FM9, but if i have some extra cash i'm not opposed to adding this to the collection. Looks and sounds amazing. Also, if i were a new purchaser and had the choice between this, or QC, i'd take a spin on a new product from Fender before going back to a company that still hasn't fully delivered on release day touted features nearly two years later.
Thanks for your videos, Leon! You are one of the best Guitar chanels of all RUclips. You, Leo Gibson, John Nathan inspired me to start my own RUclips Chanel about Amp Modelers in Spanish. Cheers from Mexico!
FM3 user here. Love the layout, and really not too knob-heavy. Didn't hear one bad tone! I appreciate Leon sticking to rhythm give us the tone landscape. My knock on the FM3 is they tend to be lopsided with metal-ish presets etc and not a ton of edge of satisfactory break-up choices or tones like the Black Keys. Dig metal tones but like more rock n roll options. Still NOT selling my FM3!
It's the iFractal... User interface over customization. This will appeal to everyone who hates deep diving into menus and loves Fender and Fender licensed amps.
The price should be close to headrush prime, Helix LT and FM3 if Fender wants to have a chance. Otherwise it will be a complete failure. Now you can buy an FM9 without a waiting list.
Holy Swiss cheese batman!! Is it me? But your demo Leon has me convinced that fender has pulled a rabbit from its hat! Love the look and layout, and maybe I'm a noob ...but it sound pretty dam good to me 😮
Great demo, thank you! I’m always amazed not only by the tones you manage to get from the modelers you demo, but also by how quickly you learn to use them. Hope to see the EL34 get added to this unit as well.
Totally agree with your point in relation to support and evolution over the lifespan of the product That has been a major factor in keeping me on the Helix to date. 7 years old now which is an eternity in tech years especially in guitar tech years, but it has been continually and regularly updated. It's also an area where Boss have failed with the GT-1000 IMO
Had a heads up on this one before it was released and then someone went and leaked it and now you’ve got your hands on one. Nice. Let’s hope fender can do fender amp models well
@@LeonToddagree, those were the tones they have done best. The Marshall tones need work IMO from what I’ve heard so hopefully that can be a firmware update sometime soon 😊
This unit doesn’t sound so good here. The Fenders sound good, but the high gain amps all have that Aliasing artifact character. Maybe a hi cut filter can fix it, but that’s a bit surprising that they released the unit sounding like that.
Shouldn’t be a tough fix I imagine. There’re enough resources available to implement decent anti aliasing filtering, and the hardware should be well appointed at this price point.
Great video.. I had a feeling you might be doing this one soon since I saw someone else do a preview of this.. It sounds great, but the price is like the price of an FM3 which I would buy personally instead.. I'd get more amps with an fm3 and more effects and better tone.. Nothing wrong with this, especially if you are interested in Fender clean tones.. Like you though, I live mostly in the high gain world.. More is more.. 😛 Great video / demo sir as always on this channel.. Oh, sorry I had to leave on your live stream a couple days ago.. I actually fell asleep as I had been really busy and worked hard so I had to go to bed and get up early for work. Have a great day my brother and be safe and well sir! Tim
Hey there Tim. Sweetwater lists this on sale today for the same price as an FM9 in the Fractal shop, $1699. Totally agreed on better value in an FM3mkII Turbo, $1099 new. Can’t tell if the folks trying to crack the market are dealing with high development cost or just trying to insert their shiny objects in next to the leaders.
Ooh, that interface is more than sexy…it’s practical! When you want to adjust the knobs on an amp it is much easier to turn the knobs that double as foot switches than using the touchscreen. Great idea!
My biggest question is about routing whether it's capable of running w/d/w with three FRFRs. Especially so with multiple wet effects in parallel with each other.
Thanks for doing a proper demo, great stuff as always. Looks cool, but I don't think I'm part of the target demo for this thing - I've never minded getting in the weeds to edits a great preset
Thanks for watching. The UI and workflow in this is really well thought out. I'll be interested to see how the effects and modelling develop over time.
Looks and sounds good and a reasonable price point 2.5k ish, for the features(multiple amps, thats FM9 territory , but less so in other areas). Would take me a lot to move from Fractal but some people would certainly do well using one of these with its ease of use and its solid build .. 👍
For me sounds between units can get close to each other across brands BUT the big thing is support over the lifetime of the hardware/software. Big names tend to abandon stuff after two or so years unlike say Fractal who support and update well past expectations.
I remember when modeling amps first started coming out, and Fender entered the category with the Cyber Twin. It was decent at the time. Motorized pots were cool. But I think I'm good with the XL+. I will complement Fender for working to stay relevant to the modern market, though!
thanks for detailed review , leon. i was pretty wonder about this thing since while 1 week ago. i can feel like somewhat sound of my software plugin amp simulations in my pc. maybe i'm wrong. anyway this FTMP is just born. They have potential in the future.🤘🤘
Great video, and I love Fender, but what is the benefit over every version of this made by every other maker? This thing is still $1700. I have had the Fractal and LOVE it. Like you said, you wouldn't replace your Fractal. Kind of puzzling that they come out with this, this far into the game when Fractal and others have much more they have learned already.
Give me a Fractal FMx with this size factor, this size screen (don’t care about touchscreen) and this extensive I/O incl. Bluetooth and amp switching and I’ll buy two immediately. I’m hoping fractal will release that sometime in the near future. They would own the market.
Fender is known for its incredible clean tones. Glad that you took the dirt off and demoed the clean channels. My opinion, Fender should have stuck to their own tones and not try to mimic other manufacturers.😊
I always enjoy your video reviews and demos, as you take the units through a wide variety of sound examples and you seem very fair and unbiased about what your hear. You got some really nice tones out of it. Do you have any impressions on how the unit "feels"? Does it feel like a real Amp, is it similar to other Modelers as far as "feel" goes? I look forward to some blind tests comparing it to Amps found on other Modelers. Thanks
Sounds pretty good and the UI looks very simple, which I like. Nothing sounds or feels quite like a real amp and cabinet pushing air in the room, but let’s be honest, you probably aren’t gonna get that onstage unless you’re playing un-mic’d at a small club or something like that.
Love the I/O options. Couldn’t ask for more for my uses… Don’t like the preset signal chains. Tap dancing would be hard with spacing. Sounds good overall. A little $$!
Some great sounds, one of the standouts was British. I think it's great that a founding amp maker like Fender has a box. I like the touchscreen, like HeadRush. Sticking with my Kemper as it is amazing, and every time Christoph Kemper does an update and upgrade, it is new tech without being charged and pushed into buying version II, II, Core or whatever. This box looks great though, and whatever works for someone is what matters.
@Leon Todd Hey Leon, this device is incredible! I can create amp and effects combinations I only dreamed of before. I made a 70s hard rock patch for my les paul. I used instrument series split routing. On the top I have a plexi with a close sm7b and on the bottom line a silver jubilee with the sm7b backed off a bit more. Low to moderate gain for the amps. I have them going to the DAW and panned hard L and R. I am driving it with the blues breaker. For ambience, I have the large plate reverb after each amp. This is the sound of hard rock! A plexi and a silver jub cranking, what a sound, man. For my tele, I made a blues patch with similar routing. However, the amps and effects are different. I have the Bassman on the top row and the Super Reverb on the bottom. I am driving them with my Wampler Pantheon in the loop. For ambience, I have the memory man after the Bassman and have the Super Reverb's tank at 5.5. Eric Clapton city, baby.
Hi Leon, a great demo video as always! I watched this when you released this video a month ago, but I've refrained from commenting for a couple of reasons. One of them being tied into your comment in your closing thoughts about how it would be interesting to see if Fender is still supporting the software for this modeler. In reflection of how Fender has been with their product line over the last few decades, they seem to come out with a great product, and 4 or 5 years later, they discontinue it. What replaces it has been less than stellar IMHO. For example, The Cyber series amps. The Twin and Deluxe were very good sounding amps, and I have both of them. They were replaced with the Mustang series, which really don't sound nearly as good. The other reason I didn't comment until now is because by next year, there will be updates and tweaks to fix the little bugs in it that weren't caught prior to the release. Would I get one? More than likely, my answer would be YES. I've been a huge fan of Fender since my early teens, and that pre-dates my affinity with my ADA gear. I love the maximum versatility I can get from the least amount of gear, and I like it to have the simplest interface to get all those sounds. This seems to check all those boxes. So yes, this does seem to offer a better quality sound than their modeling amps of the past decade, and I'll definitely acquire one of these with all of the attachments and accessories, and that includes all the software updates on a dedicated laptop, just like I have with the Cyber-amps I own. Whether I take one, or three Cyber-amps to a gig, it replaces all my racks and amps that I used to use, and is a lot less fuss to set up and use. This can take that one step further for me.
Yano my first initial concern is, does fender not have a vested interest in making this thing sound not QUITE as good as their own amps.... or is it more a case if people are buying digital versions of their amps it mightaswell be from fender..... Second concern is.... it's fender a company infamous for not really looking after their products with support into the future and general top value etc..... All that said based on day 1 videos it seems like a good unit at face value.
Glad to see this release from Fender. With their footprint in the music industry, I'd be surprised if they didn't overtake the modeling market. Their GTX series of Mustang amps sound awesome.
totally agree. It may sound good at first but never WOW like you get plugging into the real thing. The sound really grates on me after a while and just has no soul in it. The many times I've gigged with modellers its the same horrible, lifeless feeling. @@0megalul309
It seems great but I think you can make changes a lot quicker on a Helix LT. That being said I am playing with the idea of bringing back my Helix LT for this just not sure it is worth $600 more.
Factual and Neural are generally considered the Ferrari of the modelers and Fender wants the same price. Add to that if it doesn't sell to Fenders expectations they will drop it and instantly not support it. They have a very long record of leaving guys stuck with bug ridden product with zero resale value. I think Fender users are really looking for a preset product. A pro will never get past the Fractal, Neural options and like our host wisely want to stay there. Maybe they should have called it The Fender Tone Master Custom Shop, lol. That would be more to the point when they want to sell a product with no value for money.
This looks like a small step down from all of the other premium tier devices like the FM9, Helix, or Quad Cortex. It will be interesting to see how they continue to develop it moving forward.
Looks to be a lot more user friendly than all those other modelers to be fair. And it sounds at leas on par. Price is also very competitive compared to others that do not offer a touchscreen and such a vast I/O capabilities.
@@claudiopax74The Helix sounds great with the last few generations of firmware releases. Ever since they increased the internal oversampling it’s been a different device. The new IR-based stock cabs are great too. So great that Fractal copied Helix’s implementation whole-hog with their new “DynaCabs.”
Slick. One of these years I'll have to upgrade the AX8. Would probably go FM9 but this is an interesting option. I wonder how durable touch screens are? I gig a lot.
FM9 improved pretty much everything about the AX8 IMO so if you like the Fractal tones it's pretty awesome. This is really well thought out layout wise but the tonal options aren't as broad or deep as Fractal. Depends what you need when gigging.
Nice toy, but for a home studio it looks dated and too much fiddling with menus. I've real amps/load box/Kemper but now exclusively use UA preamp/interface/computer and amp/cab sim and a bunch of effects and stompboxes. Super convenient and flexible, it also sounds great and saves money. What I find fun today is designing my own cabs, using different developers such as GGD/Bogren/MIKKO/ML Soundlab and others. It goes fast and sounds really good, it becomes something of its own than turning away with the cab that comes with it. The speaker is such a big part of the sound I think. Otherwise a very good demo.
I'm afraid almost all of these tones sound harsh and fizzy to me. Maybe too much input at the source or the interface? Maybe it's just Fender's modeling algorythms? IDK. Seems like an inout gain level would be in order here. I own an early Fender Mustang II and a IV, both suffer the same crackliness beyond 2k that is really hard to mitigate.
Excellent review mate 🤘 Is there any chance you could do a 4CM set-up with fender TMP and a real peavey 5150 or 6505+ amp and cab with V30s and set up the usual effects to run before pre amp and delay reverb in the FX loop and mic the cab to demostrate how this sounds through a real valve head. Also the set up and addition of an expression pedal would be cool too see. The ultimate rock metal rig set up. The fender TMP looks liks a stout unit. The EVH 5150 sounded killer.. I run a 6505+ so alittle bias to that tone 🤌
The UI is spectacular… but it needs many more model options in both amps and effects to make it worth the asking price. If they keep up with firmware updates, and keep adding features, models, and functionality, this thing will be a real contender. At the moment, it’s a bit underwhelming for the cost. If priced lower than a Helix, I’d consider it. But at the moment, I just can’t see it. I hope Line 6 is making notes on Helix mark 2, though. 😉
wow this looks fun and easy to use. I hope they bring smaller sized units tot the market with "just" fender stuff onboard. I honestly don't care about mucht other stuff than plain combo amp simulation.
Cool video man, thanks for walking us through. Seems pricey but it’s quite a powerful modeller… Would be great to hear side by side (same amp models) this vs FM9 vs QC vs ToneX… any plans? Hope you’re really well😎👍
I does look like it's maybe easier to get going / less of a learning curve. The FM9 is about 33% more expensive but at this price point I'm not sure that's really an issue. If you're shopping with that money, why not go all out.
EXACTLY what I said...I don't see why ANYONE would buy this over an FM9 or Quad Cortex, both of which have been out for literally years at this point (getting all the kinks and bugs ironed out) and cost the same.
PART 2 HERE - ruclips.net/video/4AxVQZPscYM/видео.html
When I'm not cultivating a single eyebrow I make music and you can listen to it here - ragdollrock.bandcamp.com/track/skies-limit
Did Fender buy Quad Cortex?
That link doesn't work for me
Nevermind... I went to your main bandcamp page and I was able to listen. Guitars on "Skies Limit" sound great! 🤟🏼
I guess they're recorded with a Fractal?
thanks for taking the time to check it out! yeah used the fractal Recto for those @@carmelodl8407
I hope fender send you out two of the new FRFR-12 powered cabinets keen to hear your opinion on a stereo setup with axefx3 as I’m looking on upgrading mine to something better than the two headrush 112 that I have for my axefx3
Best demo/feedback of this I've seen. I watched 5 other channels, you gave a positive,honest and realistic representation, thanks .
I appreciate that!
Sounds bloody good. Modelling has come a long way in the last 15 years. Good simple demo too
Great video Leon. You have a fantastic approach that is eminently watchable!
Thanks mate, that means a lot! You are also eminently watchable:)
The great Gaz is in the house! ☺️
Like every video you drop, this one has content that matters to players. I had already written this off as a NO...but after watching (and hearing) you demonstrate the flexibility of the signal chain, the ability to move and choose the mics on the speakers, and the overall excellence (IMO) of the UI I'm reconsidering. Frankly, as an old guy who plays in the worship band at my church I can see this unit working great for me. I've been on Fractal for 3yrs and love my FM3. But I can see where this could really shorten my build time on presets. Plus, I love Fender amps. And as you said they seem to have done a great job with them. I'll be watching to see what Fender does around support. Thank you for another great vid. Worth every minute.
I appreciate that. I always try to make videos I'd personally want to watch.
I'm actually quite interested in their cabinets. The 10" is 500 USD compared to the Friedman ASC-10 at 1200 USD.
yeah those look pretty decent hey!
Can you please demo them
Sounds decent - at least through laptop speakers... and the UI looks great - it appears you don't really need a computer interface to get deep into editing. Using the foot switches as rotary knobs is brilliant (hopefully they're durable). I am a bit surprised at the $1700 USD price. For some reason I was expecting it to be less expensive, or at least to undercut the FM3.
Agreed. Sounds are merely decent imho (all seem to tend towards being dark/very dark), and those combination knob/dials seem like a big potential liability … imagine trying to get them replaced … lol. The pretty look/interface (and several loops?) seem like its standout features … I honestly can’t see this lasting long (especially not with the Tonex around), unless Fender makes it sound a lot better, pretty quickly … The sounds are not top-dollar, which is what they’re charging … Ongoing support from Fender?!?! I see this tanking, and Fender cutting and running …
The Tone Master Pro is much more friendly and for cleans and Fender tones will have the market once they get going and continue firmware updates. Being a songwriter and contemporary jazz artist I dislike modelers until now. If Fender does it right they will make bank. Great job Fender!
The UI and the footswitch setup really impressed me. The tones... well, just don't sell your Fractal, and I don't plan to sell my Helix. But I very much enjoyed the demo.
I have an Axe FX III. It’s been fantastic. There’s nothing wrong with these tones at all. And dang that interface and form factor slays. If it said Fractal FM4 in the corner instead of Fender, everybody would be preaching game over, everywhere. All of these modelers need tweaking and time to learn the nuances. Adding IR’s is key. Fender will add to this over time I’m sure. But LT was hammering sounds out of this that were studio worthy already. You can see he was inspired. As an unofficial/official Fractal spokesman you can only go so far in your praise I would imagine. But you can’t say that Headrush didn’t change the game with touchscreens, that Fender hasnt developed an awesome one, and that Fractal now has their work cut out for them if they want to stay top dog. If Fender priced this a couple hundred lower, they could score major market share immediately. And start building a base of their own if they were forward looking enough.
😂I know my Headrush sounds way way way better than this modern fender tone made.
Love the workflow and it sounds as good as anything else. Impressed by the artist presets. What I really want is a tweed FR-12!
Thanks for this Leon. The hardware looks really good, but not convinced about the sounds honestly. I don’t think fractal have anything to worry about as those units have so much more tweak ability and generally appeal to a different type of player.(like me) Once the price falls however both Helix and Headrush have a serious competitor. At the present price though I don’t think it sits well in the market place.
I'm genuinely impressed! I didn't even know this was coming out tbh
It’s awesome, but the one thing missing is the ability to capture and share captures. I have some old classic amps and pedals that do not come in the unit, that I want to add in. That’s the one feature holding it back from passing the Quad Cortex. If they add that in, I would buy one in a second.
Great review brother, you really do a good job covering all the aspects of the device.
Thanks so much!
Nice Presentation. I was going to buy the DSP quad Cortex Neural tomorrow, and now I am going to reconsider that purchase for this one.
Thank You
Great Demo Leon. I hope they eventually come out with a Little Brother/Junior model of this Tone Master Pro
I think the Fractal still edges it out for sound. And by far for flexibility. But looks like a nice and modern take on a modeling box.
My AX8 is hell to use. This is much simpler.
And my AX8 makes a noise I can't kill without cranking the noise gate, killing the sustain and tone
@@michaelwilson2497Your AX8 is old technology. You can’t compare previous generations with current generation.
My initial thoughts are that it’s more inline with what I wanted from a quad cortex…. It’s a mix between a headrush and cortex
I want
Interesting. QC interface, Boss GT routing, Helix like for live use. Not hearing QC/Fractal level of tones, especially on the Brit amps but will wait and see how opinions develop. I want to love it but I'm not sure. It sounds like it can sound great but will need a more post processing than some others to get there.
You're comments on firmware updates for me is the reason I'll go for the FM9, for smaller gigs, additionally if one has the Axe Fx3 they can capture amps and pedals to create presets that can then be downloaded to the FM9.
Great vid Leon, thanks. Rocking the Liam Gallagher monobrow! Fender are entering a very contested market, but more competition is always better.
wow those sounds are freakin nice sounding and very bright, dig the playing man you are versatile with your styles.
Much appreciated!
Reminds me of the introduction of the fender cyber twin back in the early 2000s.
Yes. Expensive and not as good as the competition
The touch screen on this is large and very easy to use. The Line 6 Pod Go I use is a similar size, but much less user friendly. This is somewhat pricey, but for the ease of use, I believe it's worth the money and I'll probably buy one because of informative and superb video. Your video making skills are nearly at the level of your guitar skills, which is f*cking high. Thank you.
I really appreciate that mate!
Fender has been doing modeling for a while now. They started with the Cybertwin amps and then the Mustang amps and floorboard.
And it will be interesting to see what updates will do fr it, too.
@@StratsRUsyeah, its cool but I think for now I will stick with my Synergy, H9 and CabM+.
Which all sucked
idk, I wanted to like it because the UI looks phenominal, but tone-wise, NDSP, fractal, and Helix crush what I've heard between you and Ola.
well, I'm not getting rid of my FM9, but if i have some extra cash i'm not opposed to adding this to the collection. Looks and sounds amazing. Also, if i were a new purchaser and had the choice between this, or QC, i'd take a spin on a new product from Fender before going back to a company that still hasn't fully delivered on release day touted features nearly two years later.
It even launched with a plate reverb!
Good to see new stuff. I’ll keep my QC, is not perfect but sounds great and is super easy to dial in.
Great video mate, really balanced perspectives and great sounds going!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks for your videos, Leon! You are one of the best Guitar chanels of all RUclips. You, Leo Gibson, John Nathan inspired me to start my own RUclips Chanel about Amp Modelers in Spanish. Cheers from Mexico!
That's awesome! John and Leo are legends.
FM3 user here. Love the layout, and really not too knob-heavy. Didn't hear one bad tone! I appreciate Leon sticking to rhythm give us the tone landscape. My knock on the FM3 is they tend to be lopsided with metal-ish presets etc and not a ton of edge of satisfactory break-up choices or tones like the Black Keys. Dig metal tones but like more rock n roll options. Still NOT selling my FM3!
It's the iFractal... User interface over customization. This will appeal to everyone who hates deep diving into menus and loves Fender and Fender licensed amps.
The price should be close to headrush prime, Helix LT and FM3 if Fender wants to have a chance. Otherwise it will be a complete failure. Now you can buy an FM9 without a waiting list.
Holy Swiss cheese batman!! Is it me? But your demo Leon has me convinced that fender has pulled a rabbit from its hat! Love the look and layout, and maybe I'm a noob ...but it sound pretty dam good to me 😮
Great demo, thank you! I’m always amazed not only by the tones you manage to get from the modelers you demo, but also by how quickly you learn to use them. Hope to see the EL34 get added to this unit as well.
I appreciate that mate :)
Totally agree with your point in relation to support and evolution over the lifespan of the product
That has been a major factor in keeping me on the Helix to date.
7 years old now which is an eternity in tech years especially in guitar tech years, but it has been continually and regularly updated.
It's also an area where Boss have failed with the GT-1000 IMO
Had a heads up on this one before it was released and then someone went and leaked it and now you’ve got your hands on one. Nice. Let’s hope fender can do fender amp models well
I think the Fender and 5150 models are definitely the highlight here!
@@LeonToddagree, those were the tones they have done best. The Marshall tones need work IMO from what I’ve heard so hopefully that can be a firmware update sometime soon 😊
This unit doesn’t sound so good here. The Fenders sound good, but the high gain amps all have that Aliasing artifact character. Maybe a hi cut filter can fix it, but that’s a bit surprising that they released the unit sounding like that.
Yeah I wonder what's going on with their oversampling and anti aliasing filters
Shouldn’t be a tough fix I imagine. There’re enough resources available to implement decent anti aliasing filtering, and the hardware should be well appointed at this price point.
Great video.. I had a feeling you might be doing this one soon since I saw someone else do a preview of this.. It sounds great, but the price is like the price of an FM3 which I would buy personally instead.. I'd get more amps with an fm3 and more effects and better tone.. Nothing wrong with this, especially if you are interested in Fender clean tones.. Like you though, I live mostly in the high gain world.. More is more.. 😛 Great video / demo sir as always on this channel..
Oh, sorry I had to leave on your live stream a couple days ago.. I actually fell asleep as I had been really busy and worked hard so I had to go to bed and get up early for work.
Have a great day my brother and be safe and well sir!
Tim
Hey there Tim. Sweetwater lists this on sale today for the same price as an FM9 in the Fractal shop, $1699. Totally agreed on better value in an FM3mkII Turbo, $1099 new. Can’t tell if the folks trying to crack the market are dealing with high development cost or just trying to insert their shiny objects in next to the leaders.
@@rockstarjazzcat Yeah.. It sure seems over priced to me....
Ooh, that interface is more than sexy…it’s practical! When you want to adjust the knobs on an amp it is much easier to turn the knobs that double as foot switches than using the touchscreen. Great idea!
Yeah that's probably my favourite aspect of the UI
My biggest question is about routing whether it's capable of running w/d/w with three FRFRs. Especially so with multiple wet effects in parallel with each other.
Just what the world needs. Another amp modeler. Great Video as always. I still love my Atomic.
Thanks for doing a proper demo, great stuff as always. Looks cool, but I don't think I'm part of the target demo for this thing - I've never minded getting in the weeds to edits a great preset
Nice review Leon. A good bit of kit and looks easier to use than some other units.
FM9's tonesand system + Tone Master Pro's UI = the perfect weapon of mass awesomeness
I have been a Fractal person now for 3 years. This thing has got my attention. Great video Leon. Thanks for the info!!!
This is the FM4 Markll, which Fractal will never release.
Thanks for watching. The UI and workflow in this is really well thought out. I'll be interested to see how the effects and modelling develop over time.
Love the screen! Cool unit!
Looks and sounds good and a reasonable price point 2.5k ish, for the features(multiple amps, thats FM9 territory , but less so in other areas). Would take me a lot to move from Fractal but some people would certainly do well using one of these with its ease of use and its solid build .. 👍
For me sounds between units can get close to each other across brands BUT the big thing is support over the lifetime of the hardware/software. Big names tend to abandon stuff after two or so years unlike say Fractal who support and update well past expectations.
Whoa junior, the Cyber series of amp at the turn of this century were excellent modelling amp.
This thing is so cool! I am going to have to get onboard with this.
I remember when modeling amps first started coming out, and Fender entered the category with the Cyber Twin. It was decent at the time. Motorized pots were cool. But I think I'm good with the XL+. I will complement Fender for working to stay relevant to the modern market, though!
thanks for detailed review , leon. i was pretty wonder about this thing since while 1 week ago. i can feel like somewhat sound of my software plugin amp simulations in my pc. maybe i'm wrong. anyway this FTMP is just born. They have potential in the future.🤘🤘
Great video, and I love Fender, but what is the benefit over every version of this made by every other maker? This thing is still $1700. I have had the Fractal and LOVE it. Like you said, you wouldn't replace your Fractal. Kind of puzzling that they come out with this, this far into the game when Fractal and others have much more they have learned already.
Love the UI, to me it sounds fantastic.
Excellent review Leon! Mahalo
My pleasure!
Man, Leon, you do great videos.
Thanks
I appreciate that!
Such a great demo, thanks mate!
My pleasure!
Give me a Fractal FMx with this size factor, this size screen (don’t care about touchscreen) and this extensive I/O incl. Bluetooth and amp switching and I’ll buy two immediately. I’m hoping fractal will release that sometime in the near future. They would own the market.
Fender is known for its incredible clean tones. Glad that you took the dirt off and demoed the clean channels. My opinion, Fender should have stuck to their own tones and not try to mimic other manufacturers.😊
I always enjoy your video reviews and demos, as you take the units through a wide variety of sound examples and you seem very fair and unbiased about what your hear. You got some really nice tones out of it. Do you have any impressions on how the unit "feels"? Does it feel like a real Amp, is it similar to other Modelers as far as "feel" goes? I look forward to some blind tests comparing it to Amps found on other Modelers. Thanks
That’s sweet but what I really want is just a TM Deluxe reverb modeler pedal with cab IRs and works great with my current pedals.
this sounds great :D
Sounds pretty good and the UI looks very simple, which I like.
Nothing sounds or feels quite like a real amp and cabinet pushing air in the room, but let’s be honest, you probably aren’t gonna get that onstage unless you’re playing un-mic’d at a small club or something like that.
Love the I/O options. Couldn’t ask for more for my uses… Don’t like the preset signal chains. Tap dancing would be hard with spacing. Sounds good overall. A little $$!
This is the modeling rig I’ve been imagining. Skeuomorphic and easy to use.
Reminds me of Amplitube or similar plugins.
Thank you for your time.
Some great sounds, one of the standouts was British. I think it's great that a founding amp maker like Fender has a box. I like the touchscreen, like HeadRush. Sticking with my Kemper as it is amazing, and every time Christoph Kemper does an update and upgrade, it is new tech without being charged and pushed into buying version II, II, Core or whatever. This box looks great though, and whatever works for someone is what matters.
Amazing that Kemper continues to release new updates absolutely free hey
@Leon Todd
Hey Leon, this device is incredible! I can create amp and effects combinations I only dreamed of before.
I made a 70s hard rock patch for my les paul. I used instrument series split routing. On the top I have a plexi with a close sm7b and on the bottom line a silver jubilee with the sm7b backed off a bit more. Low to moderate gain for the amps. I have them going to the DAW and panned hard L and R. I am driving it with the blues breaker. For ambience, I have the large plate reverb after each amp. This is the sound of hard rock! A plexi and a silver jub cranking, what a sound, man.
For my tele, I made a blues patch with similar routing. However, the amps and effects are different. I have the Bassman on the top row and the Super Reverb on the bottom. I am driving them with my Wampler Pantheon in the loop. For ambience, I have the memory man after the Bassman and have the Super Reverb's tank at 5.5. Eric Clapton city, baby.
Hi Leon, a great demo video as always!
I watched this when you released this video a month ago, but I've refrained from commenting for a couple of reasons. One of them being tied into your comment in your closing thoughts about how it would be interesting to see if Fender is still supporting the software for this modeler. In reflection of how Fender has been with their product line over the last few decades, they seem to come out with a great product, and 4 or 5 years later, they discontinue it. What replaces it has been less than stellar IMHO. For example, The Cyber series amps. The Twin and Deluxe were very good sounding amps, and I have both of them. They were replaced with the Mustang series, which really don't sound nearly as good.
The other reason I didn't comment until now is because by next year, there will be updates and tweaks to fix the little bugs in it that weren't caught prior to the release.
Would I get one? More than likely, my answer would be YES. I've been a huge fan of Fender since my early teens, and that pre-dates my affinity with my ADA gear. I love the maximum versatility I can get from the least amount of gear, and I like it to have the simplest interface to get all those sounds. This seems to check all those boxes. So yes, this does seem to offer a better quality sound than their modeling amps of the past decade, and I'll definitely acquire one of these with all of the attachments and accessories, and that includes all the software updates on a dedicated laptop, just like I have with the Cyber-amps I own. Whether I take one, or three Cyber-amps to a gig, it replaces all my racks and amps that I used to use, and is a lot less fuss to set up and use. This can take that one step further for me.
Great job as usual Leon!
Thanks mate :)
Listening in my car, Leon fantastic recording quality!
Glad you enjoyed it mate!
Yano my first initial concern is, does fender not have a vested interest in making this thing sound not QUITE as good as their own amps.... or is it more a case if people are buying digital versions of their amps it mightaswell be from fender.....
Second concern is.... it's fender a company infamous for not really looking after their products with support into the future and general top value etc.....
All that said based on day 1 videos it seems like a good unit at face value.
Glad to see this release from Fender. With their footprint in the music industry, I'd be surprised if they didn't overtake the modeling market. Their GTX series of Mustang amps sound awesome.
they can't beat fractal, esp at 1700 usd.
The inherent harshness of their amp modelling hurts my ears
totally agree. It may sound good at first but never WOW like you get plugging into the real thing. The sound really grates on me after a while and just has no soul in it. The many times I've gigged with modellers its the same horrible, lifeless feeling. @@0megalul309
GREAT DEMO. i may have missed it but were you running straight into an audio interface, headphones, or some type of FR cabinet?
Straight into an audio interface
It seems great but I think you can make changes a lot quicker on a Helix LT. That being said I am playing with the idea of bringing back my Helix LT for this just not sure it is worth $600 more.
Factual and Neural are generally considered the Ferrari of the modelers and Fender wants the same price. Add to that if it doesn't sell to Fenders expectations they will drop it and instantly not support it. They have a very long record of leaving guys stuck with bug ridden product with zero resale value. I think Fender users are really looking for a preset product. A pro will never get past the Fractal, Neural options and like our host wisely want to stay there. Maybe they should have called it The Fender Tone Master Custom Shop, lol. That would be more to the point when they want to sell a product with no value for money.
Fractal is King.
Lovely piece of kit
I feel like the heavy tones have a blanket over them. It doesn’t hold a torch to the Fractal stuff.
This looks like a small step down from all of the other premium tier devices like the FM9, Helix, or Quad Cortex. It will be interesting to see how they continue to develop it moving forward.
Ok Fractal and QC, but Helix? Helix has great effects and user friendly features but the raw amp tones are the worst in "high end priced" modelers.
Looks to be a lot more user friendly than all those other modelers to be fair. And it sounds at leas on par. Price is also very competitive compared to others that do not offer a touchscreen and such a vast I/O capabilities.
@@claudiopax74The Helix sounds great with the last few generations of firmware releases. Ever since they increased the internal oversampling it’s been a different device. The new IR-based stock cabs are great too. So great that Fractal copied Helix’s implementation whole-hog with their new “DynaCabs.”
Slick. One of these years I'll have to upgrade the AX8. Would probably go FM9 but this is an interesting option.
I wonder how durable touch screens are? I gig a lot.
My neural qc has been rock solid and I gig almost every other day. I know this is a different touch screen but still thought I’d put it out there
FM9 improved pretty much everything about the AX8 IMO so if you like the Fractal tones it's pretty awesome. This is really well thought out layout wise but the tonal options aren't as broad or deep as Fractal. Depends what you need when gigging.
Nice toy, but for a home studio it looks dated and too much fiddling with menus. I've real amps/load box/Kemper but now exclusively use UA preamp/interface/computer and amp/cab sim and a bunch of effects and stompboxes. Super convenient and flexible, it also sounds great and saves money. What I find fun today is designing my own cabs, using different developers such as GGD/Bogren/MIKKO/ML Soundlab and others. It goes fast and sounds really good, it becomes something of its own than turning away with the cab that comes with it. The speaker is such a big part of the sound I think. Otherwise a very good demo.
Great demo
I'm afraid almost all of these tones sound harsh and fizzy to me. Maybe too much input at the source or the interface? Maybe it's just Fender's modeling algorythms? IDK. Seems like an inout gain level would be in order here. I own an early Fender Mustang II and a IV, both suffer the same crackliness beyond 2k that is really hard to mitigate.
Same guitars and gain staging as every other unit you see on this channel.
Excellent review mate 🤘
Is there any chance you could do a 4CM set-up with fender TMP and a real peavey 5150 or 6505+ amp and cab with V30s and set up the usual effects to run before pre amp and delay reverb in the FX loop and mic the cab to demostrate how this sounds through a real valve head.
Also the set up and addition of an expression pedal would be cool too see.
The ultimate rock metal rig set up.
The fender TMP looks liks a stout unit. The EVH 5150 sounded killer..
I run a 6505+ so alittle bias to that tone 🤌
I was most interested in hearing the IIc+ model. Not sure if it can be tweaked out, but it sounded too bassy and smooth here.
I really like the layout as a live performer.
GREAT souns, and love the screen. Hated everything else. Fractal or Helix are still better though.
21:24 You got me sold!
The UI is spectacular… but it needs many more model options in both amps and effects to make it worth the asking price.
If they keep up with firmware updates, and keep adding features, models, and functionality, this thing will be a real contender.
At the moment, it’s a bit underwhelming for the cost.
If priced lower than a Helix, I’d consider it. But at the moment, I just can’t see it.
I hope Line 6 is making notes on Helix mark 2, though. 😉
Fender needs a SuperSonic 22 model in this. Their own "hard rock" amp with the Fender name would be a big up in my book.
wow this looks fun and easy to use. I hope they bring smaller sized units tot the market with "just" fender stuff onboard. I honestly don't care about mucht other stuff than plain combo amp simulation.
That would be pretty interesting - something like the UA modeling pedals
The Tone Master Sounds great. Excellent review
Cool video man, thanks for walking us through. Seems pricey but it’s quite a powerful modeller… Would be great to hear side by side (same amp models) this vs FM9 vs QC vs ToneX… any plans?
Hope you’re really well😎👍
I think I need to do a modeler round up video soon
@@LeonTodd yes please!!! 🙏
Yes, definitely!
I'm wondering if it is possible to plug in two separate instrument signals? For parallel invidual processing that is.
Great video and first of many which says how manny effects can be loaded in a bloc-chain
"i haven't even opened the box yet" - don't you lie to me, mr Todd! LOL
Is it possible to programm the toe switch from my expression pedal to the splitter at the from of a parallelrouting? Greats Alex
I have yet to see anything that would compel someone to say “this is worth more of my money than an FM9”
I does look like it's maybe easier to get going / less of a learning curve. The FM9 is about 33% more expensive but at this price point I'm not sure that's really an issue. If you're shopping with that money, why not go all out.
Last I knew FM9 didn’t do stereo amps and cabs?
@@tele4tonethe FM9 can do dual amps/cabs since its release... maybe you're confusing it with the FM3
Facts
EXACTLY what I said...I don't see why ANYONE would buy this over an FM9 or Quad Cortex, both of which have been out for literally years at this point (getting all the kinks and bugs ironed out) and cost the same.
Well, I now must turn on the notifications, so I’m ready when that unibrow video hits. Thank you sir we’re going through this with us.
I appreciate that! :p