Ground Control

Fractal offers Axe-Fx III flavour in an eminently giggable compact floor unit

- Trevor Curwen

FRACTAL FM3 AMP MODELER/FX PROCESSOR €1,266

What You Need To Know

Fractal? They make the Axe-Fx rackmount modellers, don’t they?

That’s right. The Axe-Fx III is the flagship of the range but this offers Fractal sound in a stage-ready and relatively compact floor unit.

So, is it a cut-down version?

Well, it has less processing power and fewer blocks to build a preset but it runs the same algorithms so sounds the same when identical settings are used.

Are three footswitches going to be enough?

Maybe. Fractal has gone out of its way to accommodate different types of use: there is a series of ‘Layouts’ that are basically preset bringing in different functions for the footswitches.

Fractal Audio’s take on amp and effects modelling has plenty of admirers but when its flagship Axe-Fx III rackmount unit is combined with one of the FC-6 or FC-12 controllers for a fully functional stage/studio rig it doesn’t come cheap. If you fancy some of that, though, the new FM3 offers a more affordable option.