I don't think I've ever seen such a great demo on a product. There are so many really great ones out there and lots of hard work being done by so many people. But this one? Blew my fricking mind!! Fantastic!!!
If they think most people would integrate this into their tube amp rig, they should add: - a channel switch out to control amp channel switching; - an internal load box, IR loader and headphone out for silent playing; These two features would need additional space and about 400$ more, but they would make this thing the perfect all-round interface for a hybrid rig. This would be an innovative tool and sell thousands of these. They could also make a second version replacing the load box a solid state power amp for people using it with preamp pedals. Again, it would be a convenient, all-round solution. The way the VP4 is now, it just seems a replacement for a few pedals, and the price tag is fine (4 good pedals can't be bought for 699$), but I expect Fractal to have greater ambitions.
One thing I think fractal missed here is the addition of the steel bar that protects the knobs when switching on the fly. I’ve been a FX eight owner for a number of years and I know for a fact that bar has saved those knobs on many occasions. I love these tones you’re getting and I’m very tempted, but my FX eight is a tank and it held up so well over all these years.
Man it’s sounding really good. Just like Fractal FX! I really could see me getting this along with my FM3 to take away any concern about CPU limitations.
It's cool that this has 4cm support, but i really wish it had stereo output for 4cm mode. for me it almost seems to be a good competitor to the eventide h90 but with better preset/scene management and more effects at a time
@@poulwinther yeah, the eventide h90 still has a bit over this with the I/O options if you like stereo stuff and want to have some effects before and after the preamp
@@inzanestrings It's also more money, can't do a ping pong (the stereo delays are just panned duals), only two effects at a time (which makes the extra routing pretty obsolete if you need reverb and delay anyway) and it's a nightmare to program. I think I'd take the VP4 any day and just keep the drives analogue. I know it's probably sacrilege to some, but I really think Fractal effects sound better. The tape delays sound just like a less grainy BBD and even the verbs seem lusher to me.
Dude, you have to do or not do a video with this and the Friedman IR-J..I am positive that it will get a billion views whatever you decide I and many others will be watching 🤟🏻
Given that there's no latency when switching channels and presets, I'm shocked that people are mad about it only having four blocks. You can have as many blocks as you like spread over different presets, but you can only ever have four active effects at once. It's extremely rare that I find myself needing 5 effects. Even ambient clean tones, it'll typically be compression, modulation, delay, and reverb. I think this is a really smart little unit. I love that they stripped the UI down for usability sake, the FM3 can be pretty overwhelming for a new user.
I think some people don’t understand who these products are for. This is for someone who just wants the fractal effects and not the amp modeling. It’s “competion” is Strymon and Eventide. Not other modelers. You’d have to go with TWO H90’s to replicate what this does. If you need to use more than 4 effects at once, your band mates probably hate you….
I'll stick with my Strymon pedals until the king of the Virtual PB is released. That will be a very special day for sure. All the best to Fractal with the new VP4.
Cool video as always Leon! Unfortunately it will be a pass for me. This would have been a great option for my FM3 but since I got the FM9T with the bigger screens, it's hard to go back. I'm really hoping for a second Pitch block in the FM9. Don't know if it'll ever happen but I have my fingers crossed. Also, thank you for not going full "game changer" on this lol
ah man idk. even the weakest FM3 can do more. why not like 12 effects? or 8 like the FX8? did everybody forget about that one? this is just 4. they better sell it for $400 tops. the fm3 mk2 turbo is $1100 and it can do, let's say 3 times as much. heck, even the hx stomp is around $650. this unit shouldn't be more expensive than that. I also realized that you can't really organize one set of effects to go in front of the amp and put the others into the effects loop. I also realized that there are no deep menus. sorry to be a negative nancy, Leon, but people at Fractal are capable of so much more.
@@cunjoz Agree... Too pricey for a unit that can only use 4 blocks at the same time? And as you say, how many people use drives together with delay and reverb in the signal chain. More ins and outs for flexibility would have been nice. Otherwise you need to choose between using it before the amp or in the loop... Doesn't make sense to me. Or maybe they hope people will buy 2...?
@@ztevie.j At the top tier of the effects market, it isn’t a game of quantity over quality. The H90 costs more than the VP4 and runs two effects. The Strymon Big Sky MX runs two reverbs and is the same price as the VP4. The VP4’s price and feature set is actually ridiculously good, given the quality of effects we are talking about. Fractal competes with Eventide, Strymon, Meris etc. in effects quality.
Yeah who needs more than that get your perfect amp tone and then just start in your four different effects simple maybe it has an out if you wanted to add your favorite freaky t r e m a verb p e d e l or Wawa or whatever you like
Best demo I've seen of any brand new product. Thorough investigation and clear explanation, with excellent sound examples of some of the best current effects in the industry, Fractal Audio have the reputation for. 14:33 and 15:00 were like post cards from a friend. What was your signal chain for your demo Leon? Amp sound? Was the VP4 just placed directly in front of your amp/amp modeler? Love the melody of your intro jam. You should definitely put out an instrumental guitar EP. "Leon Todd - Over Here!"
That means a lot coming from you brother! A bunch of it was "pre" some stereo amps on the Axe-Fx, the really wet stuff and driven tones were "post" the FM3. I've got an FM3/VP4 setup vid coming later this week.
Love this as an option for EFFECTS - its NOT a modeler! And I think for folks that don't want to model amps this is a great option at less than 200$ per effect.
Great review as always and great product by Fractal. I'm sure it will open a new market for them. I'm extremely happy with my FM9 and may not buy the VP4 at the moment (maybe in the future). I hope we (AXE FX3 / FM9 and FM3 users) can get a firmware upgrade soon that looks like the one of the VP4 so we can maneuver the parameters of the blocks with such ease and faster. There is max of 2x 8 parameters that you can control via the perform page.
Cool but not quite what I had hoped for. Would be cool to get a hx stomp sized fm3. :) The lack of analog dry through is also a bit of a shame for using it with an analog rig. Not for me but a cool product none the less. Great demo as always.
Huge Fractal fan, this product is not for me (I'm on FM9) but hopefully they have success with it. They deserve it. IDK why they couldn't use the scribble strips on the buttons from the other products. If I wanted this I'd just buy a used FM3.
Love the video. The product maybe not really for most users but I'm sure it will find a niche group. If it were a VP8 with expression pedal and routing options, it could be a more worthwhile purchase. Or do it manually by buying to VP4s if money is no problem
While it is absolutely a nice unit with high-quality effects, I really would have liked a built-in power supply and maybe some external switching controls. And while 4 effect blocks aren't bad at all, 5 or 6 would have also been nice. I have no need for the unit atm and still own the FX8 anyway, so objectively I'm a bit torn. But I guess it will find it's market and I wouldn't be surprised if a VP6 or VP8 will see the light of the day down the road...
Eager to see the price point. With the HX stomp coming in around $600, and the FM3 at $1100, I would imagine to be competitive this would have to be under $400 seeing that is has half the blocks of the Stomp and no amp sims. I had my fingers crossed for a Fractal Amp sim pedal with no other effects - Hopefully that's next.
A minor complaint but I really wish Fractal would start making the Selector wheel clickable to use as Enter, instead of a dedicated button for Enter. It's MUCH more intuitive. Minor stuff like that would help the overall UI experience (which is Fractal's weakest link imho).
This is cool but I wish it did atleast 8 fx then I'd probably be upgrading my hx fx wich in honesty is still killer in its own right. The price point will be a deciding factor on if I still nab one or not
😳amazing does it come out of the box with your matched SPX-90 and Eventide H3000 etc. or do you have to download them? Awesome stuff bro killer demo as always 🤟🏻
This could take the place of home built pedal boards No wires or power supplies, etc. Everything in one clean unit (and top notch tones.) Four effects isn't really a lot but it would work for great many players. Will there be a VP8 ??
You let every Box Song, Leon. Great Tone, VP4 is the Addition in the Fractal Series, but i Don Don’t Need it, cause i use the flagship. Imo 200€ to expensive compared to other brands ❤
Fractal's website is listing the price as $699. Making the argument that your so close to the FM3, you may as well purchase that. A little surprised that it seems like it would go "before the amp" in the signal chain, if you were going to use a real amp (or even an amp emulator). Doesn't seem to have a way to get things like delay and reverb after the "amp", but I could be missing something.
Well if you don’t need amp modeling but want fractal effects and you don’t want the size of an FM3 you can save yourself $400. I wouldn’t consider that a “might as well” option.
Great demo Leon, just wondering what you were using as your clean amp for the Grab and Go Rig? Have been wanting to see a demo of the VP4 into the front of a tube amp to see how it could go for all the basic effects. Keep up all the good work! Cheers
What is that nice natural sounding amp sound you are getting from the FM3 throughout this demo? It really sounds excellent when for example you were demoing the compressor alone.
I’m so confused by this. Why not just reintroduce the FX8? Obviously an updated version. This just doesn’t make sense to me. I mean i guess there are guys who only use 4 or less effects that are excited about this.
Probably the VP8 is in the works but they want the feedback of consumers before releasing a more powerful version. Since the VP4 being more affordable, it can reach more consumers, new consumers that love the FX but prefer actual amps. Marketing wise, it's better to have an inventory that is less valued if it comes down to less anticipated sales.
Yeah... Only 4 blocks at the same time? I'd also like to see more ins/outs so you can use maybe drive and compressor before the amp and delay/reverb in the loop? How often would you use drives plus modulation fx together in the signal chain?
@@ztevie.j i do a lot atually. I do post rock and indie stuff. two separate projects. For the indie stuff, i really like using modulation and octave stuff on my "lead" playing. I also always have some level of delay reverb on. From super subtle to full blown chaos. lol.
I second some opinions here. Only 4 blocks or scenes, while the HX Effects offers 9 and I only hear a difference in the rotary and cleanest digital delays that sound better in the fractal. Other than those 2, hx smokes this joint.
Rather go to Line6 Stomp XL at the same price which mounts a pair of SEND/RETURN jacks as well as possible allocation of FX block at any place in a signal chain. Only good sales point seems like to be a prevailing Fractal effects..however do you need more prominent effects over those embodied in the Stomp XL?... A serious doubt crops up to me why Fractal release this kind of device on the market for which purposes?...
Different products for different users. Stomp is a pedal board friendly version of Helix. Whereas the VP4 is an HX Effects with MUCH better onboard effects . Its competion are the boutique pedals like Strymon, Meris and Eventide.
Leon, you are amazing as always! As for the VP4, I seriously think they missed the market on this one… Yes, fractal effects are great, but four blocks… No amps, cabs, or looper… For $700+ USD??!?! In light of what ToneX is about to do… I think they will find this was a mistake.
It's both cheaper and more powerful than something like an Eventide H90, and it gives you access to the full library of fractal effects (with multiple instances of each per preset). It's also a similar price to the Strymon bigsky MX and it will do 2 high quality reverbs plus any 2 extra FX . It's priced pretty well considering the quality and flexibility considering.
Does it have a metalzone? Very enjoyable demo in any case! I think the parallel routing is an easily overlooked feature that you can't do with a traditional pedalboard.
Would love to see how this would work with a JCM 800 2203 in 4 cable method and the amp it self is set to a slight distorted , I actually just ordered my VP4 tonight lol. I am new to this Fractile thing. I have alway been useing old fashion pedals etc... like th 80's / 90's. So again if you can do a video as with the topics above that would help out alot. Thanks and Keep Rocking dude !!
thanks Leon for this video. how well does the vp4 communicate with the fm3 and fm9? will it change settings according to scene changes on the fm 3/9? I think proprietary, non midi communication with master+slave should be obvious, what do you guys think?
I see a lot of people bashing this thing but, to me, it's OBVIOUS exactly who this is for: All the "bUt mUh tOoB aMp fEeL" guys. This gives all those guys the part of Fractal that's missing...the AMAZING effects. Could also be awesome for a dude that already has an FM3/FM9 and just wanted to add to it. If this is 350-400 bucks? Sure. Pretty cool!
So this thing is like a high end floor fx processor from the 90s, no amp models ? I can see a lot of old heads easing into fractal hardware with this unit. It would be cool with a Blu Iridium for a rig that would fit in a backpack.
hey Leon, I got lost when you explained channels... from scene 4, you stated 4 channels per scene? but then you went back to scene 2... I thought you would switch channels from 1 to 2 to 3 etc on scene4 ? sorry, I got lost on that !! excellent demo as usual and looks like a home run tool !!
The Boss ME-90 costs half as much as this thing. (My B-Stock example cost me $278 USD + tax.) For that, I get up to seven simultaneous effects (including some respectable AIRD amp models), a multi on/off CTRL function, a built-in assignable expression pedal and a 38 second looper - all with actual, tactile knobs for each effect, which I can tweak in real time with zero menu diving. I understand that Fractal Audio represents the "mana from processing Heaven", but I refuse to believe that the VP4 - given how limited the user/functionality experience is before investing in MIDI/expression controllers and only four blocks max - is *twice the value* of something like the Boss ME-90.
@@HootieHootie And I guarantee you that unless you’re playing ultra-shoegaze solo gigs through a line-array system, no one out in FOH is going to hear the difference in 95% of these effects. Obviously the Boss stomp box market is different than the Fractal market, I get that - but I simply fail to see a “double value” proposition in the comparison.
@@LeonTodd ooh…must admit I don’t like that. I could see using it through, say, my ES8 and determining pre/post with that, but it would be one or the other….I’m running my FM3 into the return of one of my ENGL’s loops, and that gives me so much more. I think the lack of effects, plus that lack of usability in the pre/post, when compared to other things is a bit of a dropped ball for me.
Hi! Thx for the informativ video! But I've got one question: how does the drives/distortions sounds and FEELS versus analog devices? Digitaly or naturaly/analog? Maybe You could make a video only with the drives/distorions without to much other effects? Thx, Jenno
You can use 4 of most fx - pitch and reverb are the exceptions. However each effect block has 4 channels that can be setup anyway you like, so it's more like 4x4 fx
Get my VP4 blocks library here - ♫ My VP4 Blocks - leontodd.gumroad.com/l/VP4
I don't think I've ever seen such a great demo on a product. There are so many really great ones out there and lots of hard work being done by so many people. But this one? Blew my fricking mind!! Fantastic!!!
I hope Fractal is paying you well. What a demo!!!! I have an IR-D and wow this is fantastic.
Just the idea of this unit has given me a subtle fattening effect!!
It truly is a magical time to be a guitar player✌
The best!
That is true!
Not really.....all this stuff has taken the focus away from music....
Your best tone I've heard so far. Great playing as well.wow!
Damn Leon!
You got inspired here.
Sounds so great I had to leave a comment!
Really creative sounds and ideas.
Always a fun one to work with!
If they think most people would integrate this into their tube amp rig, they should add:
- a channel switch out to control amp channel switching;
- an internal load box, IR loader and headphone out for silent playing;
These two features would need additional space and about 400$ more, but they would make this thing the perfect all-round interface for a hybrid rig. This would be an innovative tool and sell thousands of these. They could also make a second version replacing the load box a solid state power amp for people using it with preamp pedals. Again, it would be a convenient, all-round solution.
The way the VP4 is now, it just seems a replacement for a few pedals, and the price tag is fine (4 good pedals can't be bought for 699$), but I expect Fractal to have greater ambitions.
Exactly the extra features I want for my Mesa rig.
So good sounding! Great playing!
Thanks man! Really appreciate you checking it out!
One thing I think fractal missed here is the addition of the steel bar that protects the knobs when switching on the fly. I’ve been a FX eight owner for a number of years and I know for a fact that bar has saved those knobs on many occasions. I love these tones you’re getting and I’m very tempted, but my FX eight is a tank and it held up so well over all these years.
AAAAAAAnd there it is 😸 Been waiting to take a look at it since it first got mentioned in the Fractal forum :D
Best demo I’ve seen you do yet Leon!
@@paulwilliams3041 thanks mate! This one was particularly fun to do.
Man it’s sounding really good. Just like Fractal FX! I really could see me getting this along with my FM3 to take away any concern about CPU limitations.
Seems like the perfect companion to the Friedman IR series and the like. Smart move by Fractal.
Absolutely. Would happily gig the IR-J + VP4
It's cool that this has 4cm support, but i really wish it had stereo output for 4cm mode. for me it almost seems to be a good competitor to the eventide h90 but with better preset/scene management and more effects at a time
We will have to keep our gates, drives and boosts and just use the rest of it - which is still a lot. (By "us" I mean stereo riggers).
@@poulwinther yeah, the eventide h90 still has a bit over this with the I/O options if you like stereo stuff and want to have some effects before and after the preamp
@@inzanestrings It's also more money, can't do a ping pong (the stereo delays are just panned duals), only two effects at a time (which makes the extra routing pretty obsolete if you need reverb and delay anyway) and it's a nightmare to program.
I think I'd take the VP4 any day and just keep the drives analogue.
I know it's probably sacrilege to some, but I really think Fractal effects sound better. The tape delays sound just like a less grainy BBD and even the verbs seem lusher to me.
this plus an IR-J would be a righteous little rig
Dude, you have to do or not do a video with this and the Friedman IR-J..I am positive that it will get a billion views whatever you decide I and many others will be watching 🤟🏻
🫨
Leon, thanks for being so great at this!
Thank you so much. Everything I wanted to know about this unit.
Glad it was helpful!
Given that there's no latency when switching channels and presets, I'm shocked that people are mad about it only having four blocks. You can have as many blocks as you like spread over different presets, but you can only ever have four active effects at once.
It's extremely rare that I find myself needing 5 effects. Even ambient clean tones, it'll typically be compression, modulation, delay, and reverb. I think this is a really smart little unit. I love that they stripped the UI down for usability sake, the FM3 can be pretty overwhelming for a new user.
Exactly
I think some people don’t understand who these products are for. This is for someone who just wants the fractal effects and not the amp modeling.
It’s “competion” is Strymon and Eventide. Not other modelers. You’d have to go with TWO H90’s to replicate what this does.
If you need to use more than 4 effects at once, your band mates probably hate you….
'Please Me, Tease Me' reference.....absolute banger! ✌🏻🔥
I'll stick with my Strymon pedals until the king of the Virtual PB is released. That will be a very special day for sure. All the best to Fractal with the new VP4.
A fractal "vp8" in a rack format would be AWESOME. Hope the x88ir will make other companies release rack gear with digital goodies (IRs etc)
Yes to all of this
I was a little skeptical when I first saw it, but this is awesome.
This with a good clean amp and you're off to the races
Cool video as always Leon! Unfortunately it will be a pass for me. This would have been a great option for my FM3 but since I got the FM9T with the bigger screens, it's hard to go back. I'm really hoping for a second Pitch block in the FM9. Don't know if it'll ever happen but I have my fingers crossed. Also, thank you for not going full "game changer" on this lol
Did someone say game changer?!?!
@@LeonTodd @LeonTodd not for fractal, but a certain group of youtubers that made videos for a recent product that captures.... 😅
Damn you AGAIN Leon… 🤘🏼You’re killin’ me buddy!!!
This thing gets greasy!
@@LeonTodd AW GEEEZ! As if I wasn’t jonesing enough already… 😂 I’m already scanning my studio for stuff to sell haha
Wish it was a rack unit. But would be nice with my Kemper. Killer review.
Just gonna add this to my existing pedalbord chain
ah man idk. even the weakest FM3 can do more. why not like 12 effects? or 8 like the FX8? did everybody forget about that one? this is just 4. they better sell it for $400 tops. the fm3 mk2 turbo is $1100 and it can do, let's say 3 times as much. heck, even the hx stomp is around $650. this unit shouldn't be more expensive than that.
I also realized that you can't really organize one set of effects to go in front of the amp and put the others into the effects loop. I also realized that there are no deep menus. sorry to be a negative nancy, Leon, but people at Fractal are capable of so much more.
Fm3 can absolutely not run 2 reverbs in ultra high quality or 2 pitch etc etc. No the same product, not the same use
VP4 works great in front of an amp or in the effects loop, but if it had pre-post effects loop routing, I would have switched from the H90😅
@@cunjoz Agree... Too pricey for a unit that can only use 4 blocks at the same time? And as you say, how many people use drives together with delay and reverb in the signal chain. More ins and outs for flexibility would have been nice. Otherwise you need to choose between using it before the amp or in the loop... Doesn't make sense to me. Or maybe they hope people will buy 2...?
@@ztevie.j At the top tier of the effects market, it isn’t a game of quantity over quality. The H90 costs more than the VP4 and runs two effects. The Strymon Big Sky MX runs two reverbs and is the same price as the VP4. The VP4’s price and feature set is actually ridiculously good, given the quality of effects we are talking about. Fractal competes with Eventide, Strymon, Meris etc. in effects quality.
Dual reverbs. Dual pitch blocks. FOUR multitap delays. Cheaper. Smaller.
If you don't need amp modelling it's a great option.
Can’t wait to get mine! This is going to be really great for my tube amps! 🤘🎩
Yeah who needs more than that get your perfect amp tone and then just start in your four different effects simple maybe it has an out if you wanted to add your favorite freaky t r e m a verb p e d e l or Wawa or whatever you like
Just before my birthday! How lucky I am! 😅
Look forward to the VP8
Best demo I've seen of any brand new product. Thorough investigation and clear explanation, with excellent sound examples of some of the best current effects in the industry, Fractal Audio have the reputation for. 14:33 and 15:00 were like post cards from a friend. What was your signal chain for your demo Leon? Amp sound? Was the VP4 just placed directly in front of your amp/amp modeler? Love the melody of your intro jam. You should definitely put out an instrumental guitar EP.
"Leon Todd - Over Here!"
That means a lot coming from you brother! A bunch of it was "pre" some stereo amps on the Axe-Fx, the really wet stuff and driven tones were "post" the FM3. I've got an FM3/VP4 setup vid coming later this week.
@@LeonTodd Thanks Leon. Looking forward to seeing videos on how you integrate VP4 in different setups!
Love this as an option for EFFECTS - its NOT a modeler! And I think for folks that don't want to model amps this is a great option at less than 200$ per effect.
It has 24 effects (even if you consider the 63 drives as ONE effect) so it's more like less than $30.
@@poulwinthertrue! Didn’t think about how there’s multiples of each
What I find most fascinating about this product is that it essentially gives us a dollar value on fractal amp modeling: $400
How is that? FM3 can certainly not run the effects this can.
Great review as always and great product by Fractal. I'm sure it will open a new market for them. I'm extremely happy with my FM9 and may not buy the VP4 at the moment (maybe in the future). I hope we (AXE FX3 / FM9 and FM3 users) can get a firmware upgrade soon that looks like the one of the VP4 so we can maneuver the parameters of the blocks with such ease and faster. There is max of 2x 8 parameters that you can control via the perform page.
Cool but not quite what I had hoped for. Would be cool to get a hx stomp sized fm3. :) The lack of analog dry through is also a bit of a shame for using it with an analog rig. Not for me but a cool product none the less. Great demo as always.
Thanks for the great review Leon! Would love to see how you would use this in the four cable method in a future video.
had to do it and hit the buy now button
This is the way
It would be cool to see and hear this set up with a Friedman IR-D. Maybe a future video?
Nice job Leon.
Perfect for pairing with nano cortex or ToneX❤
It would be perfect if it had a stereo output for the 4CM
@@diguns Agree thats a deal breaker... A shame...
Demo masterclass. Per usual. 🎉
Thanks! I really enjoy getting to show these off.
Looks amazing!!!!
Best vid Leon, you looked like you had a great time with unit. At some point I would love to see how this would play with the FM3 over spdif.
Video on SPDIF is scheduled for Friday!
Huge Fractal fan, this product is not for me (I'm on FM9) but hopefully they have success with it. They deserve it.
IDK why they couldn't use the scribble strips on the buttons from the other products. If I wanted this I'd just buy a used FM3.
Usb interface is cool. Wish it had headphone out. With an irx or something like that, its a nice ampless rig + silent practice.
Love the video. The product maybe not really for most users but I'm sure it will find a niche group. If it were a VP8 with expression pedal and routing options, it could be a more worthwhile purchase.
Or do it manually by buying to VP4s if money is no problem
While it is absolutely a nice unit with high-quality effects, I really would have liked a built-in power supply and maybe some external switching controls. And while 4 effect blocks aren't bad at all, 5 or 6 would have also been nice. I have no need for the unit atm and still own the FX8 anyway, so objectively I'm a bit torn. But I guess it will find it's market and I wouldn't be surprised if a VP6 or VP8 will see the light of the day down the road...
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Eager to see the price point. With the HX stomp coming in around $600, and the FM3 at $1100, I would imagine to be competitive this would have to be under $400 seeing that is has half the blocks of the Stomp and no amp sims. I had my fingers crossed for a Fractal Amp sim pedal with no other effects - Hopefully that's next.
$700usd
@@TheBillMurrray that's real close to a used FM3... It would be hard to justify picking the VP4 over that.
😮 OMG, another killer unit! This could be the fractal I might be able to get! Very dam cool!
A minor complaint but I really wish Fractal would start making the Selector wheel clickable to use as Enter, instead of a dedicated button for Enter. It's MUCH more intuitive. Minor stuff like that would help the overall UI experience (which is Fractal's weakest link imho).
Fantastic demo & playing Leon!
This is cool but I wish it did atleast 8 fx then I'd probably be upgrading my hx fx wich in honesty is still killer in its own right. The price point will be a deciding factor on if I still nab one or not
😳amazing does it come out of the box with your matched SPX-90 and Eventide H3000 etc. or do you have to download them? Awesome stuff bro killer demo as always 🤟🏻
They should be there as factory presets with slightly different names 😁
Please do a video on using this in 4CM w a real amp.
Many vids to come
a 1U format woulda been cool
YESSSSSSSSS
No stereo with 4CM?? That kills my plan to use with an amp pedal.... :(
Surely it's a TRS stereo out??? Please Fractal....
This could take the place of home built pedal boards No wires or power supplies, etc. Everything in one clean unit (and top notch tones.) Four effects isn't really a lot but it would work for great many players. Will there be a VP8 ??
You let every Box Song, Leon. Great Tone, VP4 is the Addition in the Fractal Series, but i Don Don’t Need it, cause i use the flagship. Imo 200€ to expensive compared to other brands ❤
Fractal's website is listing the price as $699. Making the argument that your so close to the FM3, you may as well purchase that. A little surprised that it seems like it would go "before the amp" in the signal chain, if you were going to use a real amp (or even an amp emulator). Doesn't seem to have a way to get things like delay and reverb after the "amp", but I could be missing something.
Correcting my own note, the fractal website says the unit can split "pre & post" effects. It's not obvious to me how, but they say it can.
A better comparison would be the Eventide H90 and the popular Strymon pedals. This let's you run more FX and is cheaper.
Well if you don’t need amp modeling but want fractal effects and you don’t want the size of an FM3 you can save yourself $400. I wouldn’t consider that a “might as well” option.
Great demo Leon, just wondering what you were using as your clean amp for the Grab and Go Rig? Have been wanting to see a demo of the VP4 into the front of a tube amp to see how it could go for all the basic effects. Keep up all the good work! Cheers
What is that nice natural sounding amp sound you are getting from the FM3 throughout this demo? It really sounds excellent when for example you were demoing the compressor alone.
Looks to be a really good mate for the FM3, to make for a really nice mobile rig. Thanks for the demo, Leon.
I've got a video with both coming later this week.
I’m so confused by this. Why not just reintroduce the FX8? Obviously an updated version. This just doesn’t make sense to me. I mean i guess there are guys who only use 4 or less effects that are excited about this.
Probably the VP8 is in the works but they want the feedback of consumers before releasing a more powerful version. Since the VP4 being more affordable, it can reach more consumers, new consumers that love the FX but prefer actual amps. Marketing wise, it's better to have an inventory that is less valued if it comes down to less anticipated sales.
@@benoitquinton thats true.
Yeah... Only 4 blocks at the same time? I'd also like to see more ins/outs so you can use maybe drive and compressor before the amp and delay/reverb in the loop? How often would you use drives plus modulation fx together in the signal chain?
Maybe, but how pissed the people that bought the 4 will be. If they come out with a “better” one after
@@ztevie.j i do a lot atually. I do post rock and indie stuff. two separate projects. For the indie stuff, i really like using modulation and octave stuff on my "lead" playing. I also always have some level of delay reverb on. From super subtle to full blown chaos. lol.
I second some opinions here. Only 4 blocks or scenes, while the HX Effects offers 9 and I only hear a difference in the rotary and cleanest digital delays that sound better in the fractal. Other than those 2, hx smokes this joint.
Great job Leon! Wondering what you're running through? Studio speakers?
$700...much cheaper than the H90. I use UAFX Ruby/Enigmatic for my amp. This sitting right behind them with an expression pedal would be amazing.
Great rig!
Rather go to Line6 Stomp XL at the same price which mounts a pair of SEND/RETURN jacks as well as possible allocation of FX block at any place in a signal chain. Only good sales point seems like to be a prevailing Fractal effects..however do you need more prominent effects over those embodied in the Stomp XL?... A serious doubt crops up to me why Fractal release this kind of device on the market for which purposes?...
Different products for different users. Stomp is a pedal board friendly version of Helix.
Whereas the VP4 is an HX Effects with MUCH better onboard effects . Its competion are the boutique pedals like Strymon, Meris and Eventide.
Leon, you are amazing as always! As for the VP4, I seriously think they missed the market on this one… Yes, fractal effects are great, but four blocks… No amps, cabs, or looper… For $700+ USD??!?! In light of what ToneX is about to do… I think they will find this was a mistake.
It's both cheaper and more powerful than something like an Eventide H90, and it gives you access to the full library of fractal effects (with multiple instances of each per preset). It's also a similar price to the Strymon bigsky MX and it will do 2 high quality reverbs plus any 2 extra FX . It's priced pretty well considering the quality and flexibility considering.
@@LeonTodd I suppose that’s a fair point.
@@LeonTodd however, I think my point was that the FM three is not much bigger… For a few hundred extra bucks why not go all the way?
Hi ever great effect fractal Amazing.
Cool
So pretty
Does it have a metalzone?
Very enjoyable demo in any case! I think the parallel routing is an easily overlooked feature that you can't do with a traditional pedalboard.
It does!!!
Fractal fx are so good!!! You had me at 9volt power supply…lol
Yes! The effects are so good that this has been a long time coming. As a FM3 user this would be great to add to help offload cpu usage.
Would be cheaper to just upgrade to an FM9 and we have two amp blocks and two cabs and way Way way more FX and 9 switches.
Fm9 won't do dual pitch or multiple Plex/MTD blocks
Would love to see how this would work with a JCM 800 2203 in 4 cable method and the amp it self is set to a slight distorted , I actually just ordered my VP4 tonight lol. I am new to this Fractile thing. I have alway been useing old fashion pedals etc... like th 80's / 90's. So again if you can do a video as with the topics above that would help out alot. Thanks and Keep Rocking dude !!
Congrats! I'll have a 4CM video up soon
great unit, sadly 1500 AUD for us down here, a bit more than I'd hoped for honestly. Will have to wait a minute longer
I like it
Tasty.
thanks Leon for this video. how well does the vp4 communicate with the fm3 and fm9? will it change settings according to scene changes on the fm 3/9?
I think proprietary, non midi communication with master+slave should be obvious, what do you guys think?
I see a lot of people bashing this thing but, to me, it's OBVIOUS exactly who this is for: All the "bUt mUh tOoB aMp fEeL" guys. This gives all those guys the part of Fractal that's missing...the AMAZING effects. Could also be awesome for a dude that already has an FM3/FM9 and just wanted to add to it. If this is 350-400 bucks? Sure. Pretty cool!
So this thing is like a high end floor fx processor from the 90s, no amp models ? I can see a lot of old heads easing into fractal hardware with this unit. It would be cool with a Blu Iridium for a rig that would fit in a backpack.
Exactly!
hey Leon, I got lost when you explained channels... from scene 4, you stated 4 channels per scene? but then you went back to scene 2... I thought you would switch channels from 1 to 2 to 3 etc on scene4 ? sorry, I got lost on that !! excellent demo as usual and looks like a home run tool !!
4 channels per block. Each block can be set to any channel per scene
Hi leon when it released in italy? ❤❤❤In the store of g66 there is not
They have updated the g66 shop with an option to wait list. Price will be about 850 euros.
The Boss ME-90 costs half as much as this thing. (My B-Stock example cost me $278 USD + tax.) For that, I get up to seven simultaneous effects (including some respectable AIRD amp models), a multi on/off CTRL function, a built-in assignable expression pedal and a 38 second looper - all with actual, tactile knobs for each effect, which I can tweak in real time with zero menu diving.
I understand that Fractal Audio represents the "mana from processing Heaven", but I refuse to believe that the VP4 - given how limited the user/functionality experience is before investing in MIDI/expression controllers and only four blocks max - is *twice the value* of something like the Boss ME-90.
Depends on what you want. The ME90 reverb/pitch/delays don't hold a candle to this IMO. And I LOVE Boss gear.
This is for the Eventide H90/Meris/etc crowd - not the lower end Boss crowd. Different market.
@@HootieHootie And I guarantee you that unless you’re playing ultra-shoegaze solo gigs through a line-array system, no one out in FOH is going to hear the difference in 95% of these effects. Obviously the Boss stomp box market is different than the Fractal market, I get that - but I simply fail to see a “double value” proposition in the comparison.
@@JazzzRockFuzion man I can't even guarantee the trash man shows up. I wish I could guarantee things like that.
@LeonTodd Which one sounds better, Before or after an amp modeller like a Tonex ?
Still no touchscreen at the end of 2024 ?
Damned.. That's the only thing I don't like in my FM3 and it still not change..
Leon! Is there a way to get the RackGods preset setup on the AxeFx3? Or a guide to create?
Ampero stage 2 would give you 10 times the flexibility for the same price.
Nice as always LT .... any chance of sharing that backing track? It is awesome!
If fractal would just come out with an fm6. That would be fantastic.
Nice vid. Sounds intriguing... What the price?
Yep, but. But because it’s like fm3 / fm9. The first one is to small. To replace a good pedalboard 4 buttons is not enough.
Have I missed the bit where you can place FX both pre and post?
You can run 4CM
@@LeonTodd ooh…must admit I don’t like that. I could see using it through, say, my ES8 and determining pre/post with that, but it would be one or the other….I’m running my FM3 into the return of one of my ENGL’s loops, and that gives me so much more. I think the lack of effects, plus that lack of usability in the pre/post, when compared to other things is a bit of a dropped ball for me.
@@LeonTodd I really like that Friedman, though…that sounds God-like🤘
The manual says you can run however many of the four blocks pre or post in 4cm
Hi! Thx for the informativ video! But I've got one question: how does the drives/distortions sounds and FEELS versus analog devices? Digitaly or naturaly/analog? Maybe You could make a video only with the drives/distorions without to much other effects? Thx, Jenno
Can you theoretically use the pedal jacks to change amp channels... ? I've never really understood how momentary/latching switches work.
Good question, I'll look into it.
No
To make it clear. You can use the software editor and download any 4 effects the axe 3 uses? Can you use 4 of the same effect?
You can use 4 of most fx - pitch and reverb are the exceptions. However each effect block has 4 channels that can be setup anyway you like, so it's more like 4x4 fx