Fractal fm3/fm9 or Neural DSP Quadcortex

[TedEH]

My first FM3 went back and was replaced. The second one had the same issue (USB port). I still have my Axe FX 2 and think it's great. But my experience with the FM3 really put me off.

That's honestly the only mark on Fractal on my mind - is their handling of the FM3 usb issue and their attitude about support. It's very clearly a known issue, there's tons of talk of it on their own forum, so many people have complained about it, and they've never publicly acknowledged it being a defect, or offered solutions, etc. And if you don't have a warranty, say because you bought it used, then you're just boned.

It's a fantastic machine that sounds good and gets great updates but they seem to never acknowledge their problems. I also fell victim to the bug that wipes out your global settings - and when I complained, I was told that I was whining about a company that has "world class support" and is "professional quality" so clearly wouldn't have those kinds of issues - just for them to fix it in the next FW and call it out in a patch note.

At the same time their support was really helpful when I attempted some repairs myself - they sent me the part numbers and so on. But just no offer to make things right on their end, or acknowledgement that maybe these shouldn't have been such big issues in the first place on a "world class" device.

I just wish they'd take some ownership of the fact that their devices do sometimes have defects just like any other product out there. I expect the other modellers have their flaws and lemons too, but I've yet to come across the same kinda of story of obvious defects escaping into the wild without taking some amount of responsibility.

 

[Shask]

Kinda already has it but no one really does many deep dives into it afaik. Maybe not as hands-off/simple as with the other stuff though. I'm not too sure.

The Tone Match is more of an EQ Match than an actual profile. It just EQ matches the IR basically. It doesn't copy the gain structure and dynamics like a profiler will.

 

[Deadpool_25]

The Tone Match is more of an EQ Match than an actual profile. It just EQ matches the IR basically. It doesn't copy the gain structure and dynamics like a profiler will.

Yeah that makes sense I guess. Iirc you are supposed to start by choosing an amp model that you feel is closest. I'm not sure at all about just how close you can get to the tone-matched amp's character.

As I've said before I'm super curious where they go with Gen 4. No idea if they'll evolve, maintain, or delete their tone matching stuff but I'm damned curious what the next units will be like.

 

[Shask]

Yeah that makes sense I guess. Iirc you are supposed to start by choosing an amp model that you feel is closest. I'm not sure at all about just how close you can get to the tone-matched amp's character.

As I've said before I'm super curious where they go with Gen 4. No idea if they'll evolve, maintain, or delete their tone matching stuff but I'm damned curious what the next units will be like.

People used to do it on the PC before he added it to the Axe II. That is one reason why he added it. People would use the Axe for the amp model, and then EQ match in software to guitar track stems. The Tone Match block basically just builds that into the Axe.

I doubt he would delete it since it already exists and works. Since there are so many complaints about UI, I would assume he would work on changing that. I am not sure how, as I am sure the core would stay the same, just like the Axe II -> Axe III was an improvement, but still kind of the same structure overall. Maybe an easy mode, lol. I also think smaller units would be ideal. Many people complain about the huge size of the current units.

 

[narad]

Fractal: Metallica
QC: Megadeth

That's true but you know Dave would only go with them because he couldn't knowingly choose gear that James is using.

 

[SpinalTap]

I don't know how other devices handle this, but one of the biggest advantages I found when switching to the Fractal is how flexible the routing can be.

The QC is similarly flexible. There's 4 'lanes' to use, so you can have 1 input 4 outputs, or 4 inputs (each with discrete signal chains) and 4 outputs, or 4 inputs and 1 output etc. Using 4 inputs sacrifices the 2 FX loops though, as you need to use the FX returns. Otherwise there are 4 outputs without needing to use the FX sends (although they can be used if you need 4 x 1/4" rather than using XLR outs)

 

[EliasFriedl]

I love my FM9. It's damn near perfect for me.

There are a few things that are attractive about the QC to me. The primary one is form factor--it's relatively small and light. I also dig its onboard UI (although I can navigate the FM9's well enough).

I don't care much about capturing but it does mean your selection of amps is basically limitless. The AxeFX has a Tone Match thing that, while very under the radar, seems to work pretty well. I have a couple times built with Tone Matches that sound great imo.

The other thing attractive about the QC is the impending (finally) Plugin integration. I have a bunch of those things and like the idea of having that stuff in the box--it's the main reason I initially preordered one. It's also the main reason I canceled my original preorder.

If you leave out how annoying some of the stuff the NDSP has done (and is understand not being able to get past that), the QC seems pretty good on its own merit. The Fractal effects are top of the class imo, but the QCs seem "good enough" in general if one isn't very picky (I'm overly picky though).

Yeah but for about 1700€ I expect more than just good enough. I thought they had already included plugin support for a few of them but if that‘s still not the case the biggest pro of the QC is gone for me

 

[Deadpool_25]

Yeah but for about 1700€ I expect more than just good enough.

Agreed.

I thought they had already included plugin support for a few of them but if that‘s still not the case the biggest pro of the QC is gone for me

Not yet. Should be in the next week or two but we'll see. Fractal is legit though. Amazing products. Maybe a little short of perfect but it's the best of the modelers imo.

Lots of people love the QC though. I've tried it and it's really good. Just falls short of Fractal in some significant ways for me.

 

[Emperoff]

If dead stuck on those two, Fractal hands down. You're guaranteed free updates and continued support for a very long time. Neural DSP is pretty shitty in that regard.

The form factor of the Fractal units is a huge turnoff for me. I was shocked when I saw the FM3 in person, as it is HUGE for a 3-switch floor unit. The QC is more compact and lighter, but the switches are too damn close together for me to even consider it. I hope new gen of modellers take form factor more seriously. I haven't seen anything top the Boss GT-1000 on this yet.

Sound-wise, i just don't care. Every multi-FX sounds great nowadays, and we won't get much improvement until the IR bottleneck gets replaced by new tech.

 

[crushingpetal]

I've enjoyed the FM3 and the summer sale of $999, to me, is a great deal. Honestly, I can't imagine not having a the tweakability of the Fractal.

Here's an example: I've been thinking about bias-mod stuff for a (real) 5150 block, so I went into the Fractal and started adjusting the Power Tube Grid Bias settings to hear the difference.

Edit: also, honestly, the Fractal forum is super active and really (usually) helpful. That's a great resource, don't forget about that part.

 

[MoistTowelette]

I had both. Stuck with the fm3 mkii. I liked the tones I was getting from the fractal quite a bit more than the quad cortex

 

[Jon Pearson]

The QC is trendier and it's like having training wheels on. The Fractal requires that you may, on occasion, have to read at an 8th grade level.

Both are cool, both sound good, both have downsides.

Major issues with QC: that dumb ass power supply. Why on Earth they didn't find a way to put an IEC plug on that and keep the power supply internal, I cannot imagine. Also, Neural has been bullshitting for years on the promised features.

Major issues with Fractal: no captures/profiling. Again, requires 8th grade reading comprehension. The USB thing on the FM3 is a bummer (just buy an FM9 instead).

 

[EliasFriedl]

The QC is trendier and it's like having training wheels on. The Fractal requires that you may, on occasion, have to read at an 8th grade level.

Both are cool, both sound good, both have downsides.

Major issues with QC: that dumb ass power supply. Why on Earth they didn't find a way to put an IEC plug on that and keep the power supply internal, I cannot imagine. Also, Neural has been bullshitting for years on the promised features.

Major issues with Fractal: no captures/profiling. Again, requires 8th grade reading comprehension. The USB thing on the FM3 is a bummer (just buy an FM9 instead).

Yeah I mean I primarily want a modeler. Profiling is nice to have but i guess I‘d have to spend extra on profiles right? Has the USB thing not been fixed with the release of the mkii Turbo?

 

[Jon Pearson]

Yeah I mean I primarily want a modeler. Profiling is nice to have but i guess I‘d have to spend extra on profiles right? Has the USB thing not been fixed with the release of the mkii Turbo?

Honestly? Not sure. I've had a Axe FX III since 2020, that's my Fractal of choice, so I'm not tuned in to the FM3. I'm sure someone here knows though if it's still an issue with ths updated models.

 

[Emperoff]

Unsurprisingly, despite internet hate the Quad Cortex seems to be a hit in Europe and plenty of bands are touring with it already. The reason? The same old one. Fractal's availability in EU sucks donkey balls.

 

[EliasFriedl]

Unsurprisingly, despite internet hate the Quad Cortex seems to be a hit in Europe and plenty of bands are touring with it already. The reason? The same old one. Fractal's availability in EU sucks donkey balls.

Yeah I haven‘t really looked into that but there is an official retailer in germany called g66 as far as i know. No summer sales though

 

[Emperoff]

Yeah I haven‘t really looked into that but there is an official retailer in germany called g66 as far as i know. No summer sales though

That's the ONLY retailer in EU. So when something gets out of stock or has a waitlist, you're screwed. Not optimal if you're in a touring band.

The QC also has like 4 times more footswitches at pretty much the same price as the FM3.

Fractal needs to release a goddamn FM5 of sorts

 

[EliasFriedl]

That's the ONLY retailer in EU. So when something gets out of stock or has a waitlist, you're screwed. Not optimal if you're in a touring band.

The QC also has like 4 times more footswitches at pretty much the same price as the FM3.

Okay yeah I didn’t know that but I thought the QC was more in the price range of the fm9 but yeah then it makes sense why the QC is so big in europe

 

[budda]

Yeah I mean I primarily want a modeler. Profiling is nice to have but i guess I‘d have to spend extra on profiles right? Has the USB thing not been fixed with the release of the mkii Turbo?

If you want a modeller buy fractal.

 

[TedEH]

Has the USB thing not been fixed with the release of the mkii Turbo?

I haven't heard anything about it - which I thiiiiiiiiink is good news? But since Fractal doesn't acknowledge it as a flaw in the original, they don't call out whether or not they've corrected it in the newest one, so who knows. At one point I would have been willing to literally just buy a new one if I knew for sure they had worked that out, but the lack of acknowledgement and the lack of certainty that it's been fixed has kept me just living with the broken one. Seems likely that it's fine, I just wish they'd own up to it.