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Fractal FM9


Paulzx
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Anyone checked this out yet? Looks like fractals attempt at a direct helix competitor to me.

It looks amazing in the demo video but they all do don't they!

 

Have to admit I'm intrigued but I doubt it will knock helix off the top spot, which I firmly believe it does occupy because you simply can't buy anything as good as a helix for the same money, and knowing fractal gear, it will be top notch but it will be expensive.

 

Has anyone tried one yet?

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Yep - the price will be interesting to know.

I'm sure it's a serious competitor - but I'm invested in the Helix world, so it will have to do something fantastic to make me think about what I expect to be substantial dollars.

For new digital take up and people wanting to upgrade from a pod Go or something else lower spec'd if the dollars are competitive, it might start to take significant market share.

Competition is good for us all - sooner or later there will be a device that's enough of a step forward we will all find we start to get GA$!!

Is this it?

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27 minutes ago, rvroberts said:

Yep - the price will be interesting to know.

I'm sure it's a serious competitor - but I'm invested in the Helix world, so it will have to do something fantastic to make me think about what I expect to be substantial dollars.

For new digital take up and people wanting to upgrade from a pod Go or something else lower spec'd if the dollars are competitive, it might start to take significant market share.

Competition is good for us all - sooner or later there will be a device that's enough of a step forward we will all find we start to get GA$!!

Is this it?

 

Agree..just seen the price though.. 1600 dollars or 1100 pounds, which makes it cheaper than a Helix! How the he'll did that happen. Since when does fractal beat line 6 on price?

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Had a deeper look at this fractal, so it's a floor unit very similar to helix, they've obviously tried to copy it. It does all the same stuff from what I can see. My question now is, if this thing is bringing axe fx 3 quality tones with it, it could be too good to ignore.

 

It's so new that I don't think anyone knows much about it yet. I hope line 6 have got another good update for helix soon though. Better tones straight out of the box would be good. That is the one criticism I have of the Helix, it does require a bit of tweaking to get anything really good. We're all used to it by now but new comers may be underwhelmed at first.

 

I still think helix is the best thing out there right now though, at this price point. The fractal would have to be a decent step up to challenge it in my opinion.

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Very interesting conversations going on in the gear page forums about this vs. The Helix. Seems a lot of folks are expecting line 6 to come in with something good to counter fractal.
What we do know about the fm9 is that it has the built in auto wah we want on the Helix and you can change guitar pitch properly. It doesn't have an expression pedal though. Tones do sounds epic but I don't know how much I trust these pro demo videos. My Helix never sounded like any demo video I ever saw, I had to learn how to extract those tones to suit my gear, so I'm sceptical
 
 
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Helix is more user-friendly for me.  Both processors have the same capabilities.  At this point as a Helix user, there are no sounds that the Helix does not have, which I need. 

 

Which one is better?  It's just about the capabilities, processing power, etc.  Even though as far as I'm concerned, the Helix is doing just fine with processing power, maybe except poly shift -- there's a slight lag.  There's a song where I transpose my whole guitar a step down and it is is noticeably "not together" with my picking.  

 

One more thing...  Fractal just has a reputation of being professional touring gear.  Line 6 does not for most.  I used to scoff when I saw somebody using a Line 6 Spider amp, for example.  Now obviously, I'm a Line 6 Helix fan and don't plan on switching to anything.  With any guitar processor, once you start using it and spend 100s of hours dialing in your presets, it'd be crazy to abandon it all and start from scratch.  Unless of course you just use a pedalboard approach, then it's not so bad.  I have 55 presets that I spent countless hours perfecting and am planning on continuing to use them for a long time. 

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4 hours ago, rvroberts said:

Yep - the price will be interesting to know.

I'm sure it's a serious competitor - but I'm invested in the Helix world, so it will have to do something fantastic to make me think about what I expect to be substantial dollars.

For new digital take up and people wanting to upgrade from a pod Go or something else lower spec'd if the dollars are competitive, it might start to take significant market share.

Competition is good for us all - sooner or later there will be a device that's enough of a step forward we will all find we start to get GA$!!

Is this it?

The price is $1599 as far as I know, so exactly the same as the Helix floor.  But it's got no pedal :) and has one fewer FS....

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3 hours ago, theElevators said:

The price is $1599 as far as I know, so exactly the same as the Helix floor.  But it's got no pedal :) and has one fewer FS....


Not to be nit-picky, but the Helix Floor is selling for $1499 in the US now. They moved some production from China, so they were able to avoid the tariffs that had raised the price since the initial introduction.

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Meh. In this day and age I think it’s splitting hairs.  The Helix is just fine, thanks and I seriously doubt that the Fractal is going to be ‘night and day’ better than the Helix. It’ll be a very subtle difference no matter which one is better.  All the hassle of learning a new system, recreating all the patches that I use on the Fractal plus the  financial hit? Not worth all the bother. 

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1 hour ago, SaschaFranck said:

In case it's got the global blocks functionality (which the Helix will likely never will see) from the Axe FX, I might be in one day. Better hardware, better visibility on stage and an iOS editor, too. Hence, many things I'm missing from the Helix.


I’ll bite… What makes it more visible on stage? The Fractal scribble strips are actually quite a bit smaller than the Helix ones. As far as the iOS editor, that’s a third party app, isn’t it?

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13 hours ago, phil_m said:

What makes it more visible on stage?

 

Quality LED rings. Compared the FM3 to the Helix already. The display has better readability as well. No idea about the scribble strips (didn't pay attention) but the bad visibility hasn't got anything to do with the size but with the lack of brightness and the rather pointless idea of making the text slightly more bold on active ones rather than inverting everything (which would immensely help already but L6 doesn't give a damn - would be a 5 minute job for any decent programmer).
 

13 hours ago, phil_m said:

As far as the iOS editor, that’s a third party app, isn’t it?

 

Sure - but it exists. Nothing like it for the Helix. And right now, no programmer outside of Line 6 could even come up with one for the Helix. A touchscreen optimized editor would be dope but L6 doesn't seem to understand that.

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18 hours ago, theElevators said:

Helix is more user-friendly for me.  Both processors have the same capabilities.  At this point as a Helix user, there are no sounds that the Helix does not have, which I need. 

 

Which one is better?  It's just about the capabilities, processing power, etc.  Even though as far as I'm concerned, the Helix is doing just fine with processing power, maybe except poly shift -- there's a slight lag.  There's a song where I transpose my whole guitar a step down and it is is noticeably "not together" with my picking.  

 

One more thing...  Fractal just has a reputation of being professional touring gear.  Line 6 does not for most.  I used to scoff when I saw somebody using a Line 6 Spider amp, for example.  Now obviously, I'm a Line 6 Helix fan and don't plan on switching to anything.  With any guitar processor, once you start using it and spend 100s of hours dialing in your presets, it'd be crazy to abandon it all and start from scratch.  Unless of course you just use a pedalboard approach, then it's not so bad.  I have 55 presets that I spent countless hours perfecting and am planning on continuing to use them for a long time. 

 

I think in your position as a gigging player, that is the only way to go, you've obviously got helix set up perfectly for what you're doing. I'm not playing live so it's different for me but you are right, at the end of the day we all have a time investment with helix one way or another

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14 hours ago, phil_m said:


Not to be nit-picky, but the Helix Floor is selling for $1499 in the US now. They moved some production from China, so they were able to avoid the tariffs that had raised the price since the initial introduction.

 

In the UK though, the fractal works out a bit cheaper than a new Helix at the moment. Fractal have obviously targeted the Helix this time around. I think Helix must dominate the market share for floor processors and fractal now want a piece of that

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1 hour ago, Paulzx said:

In the UK though, the fractal works out a bit cheaper than a new Helix at the moment.


From the G66.eu website:

 

“The price in Europe should be about EUR 1899-1999 (GBP 1599-1699) including VAT and 3-years' warranty.” 

 

but remember there is a waiting list, they’re not available yet, so maybe the price will change when it hits the streets. 

 

Meanwhile a Helix floor model is available now in the U.K. for £1,149.00.

 

Check here:

 

https://www.peachguitars.com/line-6-helix-floor-tour-grade-guitar-processor.htm?opt=11321

 

Gear 4 Music are slightly more expensive at £1,299, but they have 4 available in stock now.

 

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Line-6-Helix/1AFI

 

Just saying…

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Let alone you can always get a Helix in pretty much mint condition used (even with some warranty left, I have seen them selling for around €900 not too long ago). Not at all possible for an FM9 for a very long time to come. Add to this that you'll likely want an expression pedal, too.
Still, looks like a unit that could check many of my boxes - unfortunately, the global block functionality still seems to be something exclusive to to Axe FX. But they may have it added when I'm ready for a new unit (no need to spend any money for a modeler during a pandemic still killing pretty much all gigs for at least another half a year).

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12 hours ago, SaschaFranck said:

 

No idea about the scribble strips (didn't pay attention) but the bad visibility hasn't got anything to do with the size but with the lack of brightness and the rather pointless idea of making the text slightly more bold on active ones rather than inverting everything (which would immensely help already but L6 doesn't give a damn - would be a 5 minute job for any decent programmer).

Right?!?  Since they are inverting black/white for the pedalboard mode.  If it were my call, I'd also have the same snapshot name view as the Helix LT.  To me my signal chain view is absolutely freaking USELESS!  I am playing a show, and I don't care about the order of my blocks.  So it's just a huge waste of a huge screen to display all these blocks.  When playing an outdoor show during daytime, Helix LT has better visibility than the floor.  Good thing I have both :) -- LT is my workhorse, practice tool and the Floor is what I take to [dark] gigs.  On a dark stage, the scribble strips absolutely saved my lollipop last time -- no way I'd be able to see anything, unless I changed the ring lights setting. 

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16 minutes ago, theElevators said:

Since they are inverting black/white for the pedalboard mode.

 

The Helix Floor is also inverting snapshot numbers on the scribble strips- which already helps a *lot* when it comes to visibility, and it's really just the small numbers, not even the text.
 

18 minutes ago, theElevators said:

If it were my call, I'd also have the same snapshot name view as the Helix LT.

 

Yeah, but not only that. They could give us a 1:1 representation of what each switch is doing on the screen, regardless of the mode. Just give me 2 rows of 5 equally sized squares, ideally in monochrome coloration for even better visualisation (as soon as something is colored, the display shows it's subpar quality, just try to read, say, some orange colored amp parameter values in sunlight, it's barely possible at all).
And yeah, I apart from some last minute parameter adjustments during soundcheck, I never need any signal flow display, either.

My guess however would be that they won't add that screen mode to the Floor as that'd be like admitting they didn't get the rest of the visibility related things right. Same for inverted scribble strip displays - which would very likely not even take half a day of programming manpower.

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On 8/30/2021 at 10:55 AM, datacommando said:


From the G66.eu website:

 

“The price in Europe should be about EUR 1899-1999 (GBP 1599-1699) including VAT and 3-years' warranty.” 

 

but remember there is a waiting list, they’re not available yet, so maybe the price will change when it hits the streets. 

 

Meanwhile a Helix floor model is available now in the U.K. for £1,149.00.

 

Check here:

 

https://www.peachguitars.com/line-6-helix-floor-tour-grade-guitar-processor.htm?opt=11321

 

Gear 4 Music are slightly more expensive at £1,299, but they have 4 available in stock now.

 

https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Line-6-Helix/1AFI

 

Just saying…

 

Helix was around £1400 over here when I looked before but either way, they've tried to put it in the same price point as Helix obviously,

as I said before though, it would have to be A LOT better than a Helix to tempt me. Be interesting if someone here can get a demo on one

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3 hours ago, Paulzx said:

 

Helix was around £1400 over here when I looked before but either way, they've tried to put it in the same price point as Helix obviously,

as I said before though, it would have to be A LOT better than a Helix to tempt me. Be interesting if someone here can get a demo on one

 

Hi,

 

There's a whole bunch of people over on the Farcebuck Helix Family Group spitting venom about other people posting the demo of this Fractal gizmo in the Helix threads. It's going along the lines of "Burn the Witch"!

 

Anyhow if you want to hear it - it's no secret - there is an almost 10 minute video on Uchoob, by Brett Kingsman down in Melbourne AU. Search for "Fractal Audio: FM9 Amp Modeler / FX Processor" and you will find it. Also a longer, almost half hour demo from Leon Todd.

 

I'm not impressed, it's got less footwswitches than the Helix and no built in EX Pedal. 

 

As noted by "cruisinon2" in the post above, - "Something new to specu-whine about...;)"

 

Hmm... yawn... here we go again.

 

EDIT: Re pricing. Considering the current state of the world, I would imaging the Fractal "should be about" price will go up. It's got a hundred quid variable in the guesstimate price anyhow.

 

Hope this helps/makes sense

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I'm sure it will be a great sounding unit... I'm happy for Fractal on their latest release. 

My thoughts, just in case anyone really cares :) 

  • Those so interested in price need to factor in an expression pedal... if that is something you use. 
  • With 3 less "useable" footswitches (than a Helix) it limits the live control. Maybe not for everyone, but it would for me. 
  • Competition is good.... it keeps both Fractal and Line 6 progressing. For that reason, I fully embrace this product even if I don't believe I will ever buy/use one. 
  • Modeling matured over the last decade. IMO, the sounds are already great.... it's now just down to variations and features. 
    • The Amp World and Pedal world are NO DIFFERENT! Everything matured long ago so now it's just variation upon variation with the odd new feature (and sometimes a "killer feature") rolled in. 
    • The Keyboard world went through this by 1990 or shortly after. I think watching that happen in real time has helped me recognize that point has already arrived with modeling. 
    • Some people will not be able to live without the new features, and some will be happy with what they have. Just like some need a Boogie Mark V and a massive pedal board while others are more than happy with a Fender '65 Deluxe with no effects. 

It's a great time to be a guitar player.... EMBRACE IT! 

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Fwiw, I think there's *plenty* of room for improvements in the land of modeling. But less so in terms of sounds (especially regarding the basic amp and pedal sounds we all may want) but mainly in terms of useability.

Unfortunately, Fractal doesn't push that aspect much further - I would actually welcome it a lot if they did, as others would pretty likely try to follow.

 

For example, what I'd really love to see is a mobile device editor, ideally (and hence obviously) connecting wirelessly. At the moment, only Boss offers that - and it's one of the main reasons why I might get a 2nd hand GT-1000 one day (even if it might end up being sold again). Fracpad is a third party app and from all I know, it requires a cabled connection, plus it's only available for iOS.

 

Personally, I'd also like to see a device with more knobs and switches (the knobs however could likely be replaced by a mobile editing app). Fractal at least allows you to integrate an additional FC seamlessly, the other competitors don't (and I'm constantly running into a switch limit on the Helix).

 

I also think that each and every modeler should offer a feature such as global blocks - which would be tremendously useful in a whole number of scenarios. Just as one example regarding the Helix: Instead of slamming lots of things into one patch to achieve seamless switching, one could simply use the seamless patch switching option and distribute the overall DSP load to two patches while still not having to adjust multiple patches (as the important things could be set to be globally adjustable). For me, this would likely work absolutely great for anything I do. It'd possibly also make patch programming a lot easier as you wouldn't have to think about how to distribute things to paths 1 and 2. The resulting patches would offer a better overview, too. Another reason why I'm keeping an eye on the GT-1000 because apart from the Axe FX it's the only other device offering such a functionality.

 

Another thing that's constantly bothering me with the Helix is the absurdly yesteryear-ish organisation of IRs. Come on, it's 2021 and each computing device (or application) dealing with file storage in one way or the other should have a search function. With the Helix, all you get is some alert that the IR is missing. Yeah, right.

 

And when it comes to sonic improvements, I'm absolutely wondering why there's still no modeler allowing us to load longer IRs (for reverbs and experimental purposes). I mean, the Logidy EPSI was introduced in 2014 and could already load IRs up to 5 seconds in a box selling for 200 bucks. I can as well load a whole lot of IRs parallely on my 2008 Macbook. And now there's Fractal and Neural DSP coming along, telling us they'd offer the most powerful modeling devices ever, yet IR lengths aren't even covering more than 2048 or 4096 samples at best? In mono?

 

Oh, and I wish there would be something like an experimental playground, allowing you to, say, construct some new FX by combining a few basic blocks into a "container" (if you will). This is sort of possible in some modular hosts.

Also, in general, the experimental side of things is horrendously lacking. Where's some LFOs, envelopes, input level modifiers and what not? The Axe FX has some of that stuff, the rest of the hardware modeling world however doesn't even seem to know of the existence of any such things. Anyone who ever fiddled around with, say, Guitar Rig, will likely know what kinda crazy things are possible with just a handful of modulators.

I do absolutely agree that for any kind of bog standard amp/pedal sounds of highest quality (as in "good enough to even fool some analog afficionados"), we're already into option paralysis. Personally, I'd be absolutely fine to never play any other amp model but the ones that are in the Helix already ever again. And I guess it's similar for quite some more people.

But as far as some more "adventurous" sounds go, we haven't even seen any serious efforts yet (ok, maybe something like the SY-300/1000). Just have a look at the synth world (and even more so at the plugin world) and you'll instantly know that modeler makers have barely scratched the surface yet.

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17 hours ago, codamedia said:

I'm sure it will be a great sounding unit... I'm happy for Fractal on their latest release. 

My thoughts, just in case anyone really cares :) 

  • Those so interested in price need to factor in an expression pedal... if that is something you use. 
  • With 3 less "useable" footswitches (than a Helix) it limits the live control. Maybe not for everyone, but it would for me. 
  • Competition is good.... it keeps both Fractal and Line 6 progressing. For that reason, I fully embrace this product even if I don't believe I will ever buy/use one. 
  • Modeling matured over the last decade. IMO, the sounds are already great.... it's now just down to variations and features. 
    • The Amp World and Pedal world are NO DIFFERENT! Everything matured long ago so now it's just variation upon variation with the odd new feature (and sometimes a "killer feature") rolled in. 
    • The Keyboard world went through this by 1990 or shortly after. I think watching that happen in real time has helped me recognize that point has already arrived with modeling. 
    • Some people will not be able to live without the new features, and some will be happy with what they have. Just like some need a Boogie Mark V and a massive pedal board while others are more than happy with a Fender '65 Deluxe with no effects. 

It's a great time to be a guitar player.... EMBRACE IT! 

 

Agree with this really. I always find it a bit odd when people bash the competition in an effort to defend their own loyalty or purchase, when in the case of the Helix, 

let's be honest, you need to hit it out of the park to beat that, but it's good to know what the competition is doing.

 

As others have mentioned, value for money cannot be beaten on the Helix right now and I for one wouldn't even consider changing to a vaguely similar unit just

because it's new. literally the only thing that interests me about Fractal gear, is the quality of the tones it produces. If the FM9 turns out to be vastly better in terms

of the guitar sound it produces, then I want to know about it because as most guitar players, we want the best sounding stuff within a realistic budget.

 

It's interesting to see how the FM9 goes down once more people have bought it. Initially on some Fractal forums, I've seen conversations where people

were comparing it unfavourably to the Helix! It's just interesting to know that's all.

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1 hour ago, Paulzx said:

It's interesting to see how the FM9 goes down once more people have bought it. Initially on some Fractal forums, I've seen conversations where people

were comparing it unfavourably to the Helix! It's just interesting to know that's all.

 

It could become even more interesting when Helix firmware v.3.2 lands.

 

Don't know what is in it but over on TGP, Digital Igloo made this comment on Aug 22, 2021

 

"A few big (and small) things are coming, but they're not what you expect and they're not going to upset any Helix/HX users."

 

Mmm... D.I. being enigmatic as ever.

 

Don't ya just luv intriguing comments like that one.

 

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1 hour ago, datacommando said:

"...and they're not going to upset any Helix/HX users."

 

 

 

Oh, I think we've all been hanging around here long enough to know that even if the update came with free $100 bills, once a week for life, plus a backstage pass to the Victoria's Secret fashion show, the Cranky Contingent would still whine that everything on their personal wish list wasn't included...;)

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  • 5 weeks later...

I have Helix LT and an Axe FM3.  When I “upgraded” from Amplutube 5 to Helix I was underwhelmed.  Don’t get me wrong, I love them both they’re absolutely awesome, but I felt like the sounds were comparable to AT5 quality.  Then I got my FM3 and the first chord I played…. sounded absolutely amazing, so organic.  I’ll be selling my FM3 soon to get the FM9 (because only three foot switches isn’t enough and it’s global, not per preset, which was a turn off after I bought it, the FM9 fixes that issue).  Helix/Fractal both have their purposes.  I still often use my Helix LT though with my Variax, that setup is so incredibly awesome and I love Line6 for that!  I think Fractal wins on tones, but Helix wins on versatility and possibilities.

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10 hours ago, ThisIsFunk said:

I have Helix LT and an Axe FM3.  When I “upgraded” from Amplutube 5 to Helix I was underwhelmed.  Don’t get me wrong, I love them both they’re absolutely awesome, but I felt like the sounds were comparable to AT5 quality.  Then I got my FM3 and the first chord I played…. sounded absolutely amazing, so organic.  I’ll be selling my FM3 soon to get the FM9 (because only three foot switches isn’t enough and it’s global, not per preset, which was a turn off after I bought it, the FM9 fixes that issue).  Helix/Fractal both have their purposes.  I still often use my Helix LT though with my Variax, that setup is so incredibly awesome and I love Line6 for that!  I think Fractal wins on tones, but Helix wins on versatility and possibilities.

I agree.  I have the Helix Floor and FM3.  Helix is more user friendly - FM3 sounds more realistic.  I think I'll actually sell both, get the FM9 and await the next Helix model.  

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On 10/1/2021 at 8:22 AM, ThisIsFunk said:

I have Helix LT and an Axe FM3.  When I “upgraded” from Amplutube 5 to Helix I was underwhelmed.  Don’t get me wrong, I love them both they’re absolutely awesome, but I felt like the sounds were comparable to AT5 quality.  Then I got my FM3 and the first chord I played…. sounded absolutely amazing, so organic.  I’ll be selling my FM3 soon to get the FM9 (because only three foot switches isn’t enough and it’s global, not per preset, which was a turn off after I bought it, the FM9 fixes that issue).  Helix/Fractal both have their purposes.  I still often use my Helix LT though with my Variax, that setup is so incredibly awesome and I love Line6 for that!  I think Fractal wins on tones, but Helix wins on versatility and possibilities.

This is interesting. Looking at the fm9 has actually steered me towards the fm3 for a number of reasons and I do believe the fm3 is a better sounding unit particularly for high gain tones, than the Helix. I'm going to order one and do a direct comparison.

 

My requirement is a bit different because although I like the versatility of the Helix, it's not more important than the tones and I'm on a mission to get the best high gain tones, I've never been fully happy with the Helix on this front but that's just me, I realise others get what they need out of it.

 

To further muddy that issue, I've also discovered there are ways to make the Helix sound better and it all comes down to the output device.

Sadly, I had been using Alto TS212 speakers which although recommended at the time, are in fact lollipop for using with helix. Having swapped to smaller yamaha monitor speakers, the Helix has come alive more, so at the moment I'm looking at getting the Helix to sound as good as it can.

 

Thats a warning to anyone using these alto speakers.. they're great for music play back but not guitar. Way too much bottom end and way too muddy, it kills your tone

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1 hour ago, Paulzx said:

This is interesting. Looking at the fm9 has actually steered me towards the fm3 for a number of reasons and I do believe the fm3 is a better sounding unit particularly for high gain tones, than the Helix. I'm going to order one and do a direct comparison.

 

Yeah, you gotta find what works best for you.  I would just say consider two things about the FM3 before buying.  I thought three foot switches on the FM3 would be enough if you can control different pedals in different presets in stomp mode, set per preset (programmable like Helix)….  You can’t (at least no way I can find)!!!!!! THEY ARE GLOBAL meaning when you set Stomp 1 to “drive 1” in stomp mode it is always drive 1, even if you don’t have a drive pedal on that preset… that stomp then becomes useless when in Stomp mode for some presets.   With the FM9 many people set it so the top right three stomps jump between presets, stomp mode, and scenes with the bottom six then controlling variables in each each (very similar to Helix setup which is awesome).  


Also, FM9 can do two amps.  Just one amp on the FM3 absolutely sounds amazing with the quality  and is truly enough, but a two amp setup sometimes can work wonders for tone and sound.  I find that on the Helix, all of the best preset files I’ve downloaded from others online all had a two amp setup, with each amp panned hard to the opposite side.  I’m looking forward to trying that on theFM9.

 

Again, everyone has different needs, so the FM3 could be the best for you, just things to consider…..  Best of luck on your choosing.

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17 hours ago, TRENDKILLCFH333 said:

I think I'll actually sell both, get the FM9 and await the next Helix model.  


That could be a very long wait.
Quote from Digital Igloo, over on TGP -

There will be no "Helix 2."

 

That followed on from his comment regarding firmware updates.

Well, we didn't spend all that time and energy building Helix Core just to extend the family's life by two or three updates.”

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22 hours ago, datacommando said:


That could be a very long wait.
Quote from Digital Igloo, over on TGP -

There will be no "Helix 2."

 

That followed on from his comment regarding firmware updates.

Well, we didn't spend all that time and energy building Helix Core just to extend the family's life by two or three updates.”

 

Interesting to know and to be fair line 6 do pretty well with updates so I think if they find a way of just improving some of the sounds now and then, it would be enough

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23 hours ago, ThisIsFunk said:

 

Yeah, you gotta find what works best for you.  I would just say consider two things about the FM3 before buying.  I thought three foot switches on the FM3 would be enough if you can control different pedals in different presets in stomp mode, set per preset (programmable like Helix)….  You can’t (at least no way I can find)!!!!!! THEY ARE GLOBAL meaning when you set Stomp 1 to “drive 1” in stomp mode it is always drive 1, even if you don’t have a drive pedal on that preset… that stomp then becomes useless when in Stomp mode for some presets.   With the FM9 many people set it so the top right three stomps jump between presets, stomp mode, and scenes with the bottom six then controlling variables in each each (very similar to Helix setup which is awesome).  


Also, FM9 can do two amps.  Just one amp on the FM3 absolutely sounds amazing with the quality  and is truly enough, but a two amp setup sometimes can work wonders for tone and sound.  I find that on the Helix, all of the best preset files I’ve downloaded from others online all had a two amp setup, with each amp panned hard to the opposite side.  I’m looking forward to trying that on theFM9.

 

Again, everyone has different needs, so the FM3 could be the best for you, just things to consider…..  Best of luck on your choosing.

 

I expect a lot of folks got the extra foot switch device to use with fm3, I would probably do the same eventually.

 

I was aware fm9 can do dual amps whereas fm3 can't, obviously Helix can do dual amps or IRs, but it's interesting you say your best downloaded tones were dual amp because I've never found any that I thought were any better than single amp, but I may try this again, can you recommend any?

 

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Line6 is pretty damn good avoiding oversaturated markets. They always nailed it.


Now market is really oversatured of "helix'ed" devices (we all have to be honest, after the helix floor success, everyone tried to copy the concept, for the worse or for the better, doesn't  matter), so imho they won't be doing a Helix 2, but just inventing something "new", and moving from there.

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4 hours ago, Paulzx said:

 

but I may try this again, can you recommend any?

 

I wish I could, but I changed the file names after I downloaded them from the forums so I can’t remember who’s they were, but the ones where I thought those people did better than my setups were Van Halen, Morley Crue etc, they seemed to be much more harmonically rich than what my end products are usually on Helix (although I usually use pretty basic setups and don’t do too much tweaking).

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On 10/2/2021 at 6:04 AM, datacommando said:


That could be a very long wait.
Quote from Digital Igloo, over on TGP -

There will be no "Helix 2."

 

That followed on from his comment regarding firmware updates.

Well, we didn't spend all that time and energy building Helix Core just to extend the family's life by two or three updates.”

 

 

That makes sense.  However, I'm sure there will be another flagship processor after Helix.    

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4 hours ago, TRENDKILLCFH333 said:

However, I'm sure there will be another flagship processor after Helix.


There is always something better further down the line - that’s how we got to this stage of digital modelling.

 

Note: Subsequent to making the “no Helix 2” comment, Digital Igloo also went on to say that he was currently engaged in working on designs for 23 (yes, count ‘em, 23) potential products. O.K. Many of those may never see the light of day, but others - well who knows?
 

It makes perfect sense that one of those could eventually be a potential successor to the current Helix, but as that was originally in development for many, many years I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for it to drop.

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