Fractal Audio AM4
Compact amp and effects modeller
After much annoyance with carrying a very large and heavy rig with me to rehearsals and gigs, I decided it was time to look into getting a modeller. When Fractal Audio announced the AM4, I was excited to see a modeller that was compact and just straight to the point. 4 blocks, and 4 footswitches is all I ever need for the style I play, and the unit was priced perfectly. Fractal is known for their quality and innovation so I knew I would have this modeller for a long time and that I would see improvements via software updates.
My appeal to modellers is simply the portability and convenience factor. I don’t care much for having hundreds of amps and FX at my disposal as I tend to work hard on a sound I like, then stick with it. My goal when getting the AM4 was simply to emulate my real rig based around a Mesa Boogie JP-2C and Xotic BB Preamp, as closely as possible. I used my first album as a reference point when dialling in my tones. I am using the Scott Henderson IR pack from York Audio for my cab. If anyone is interested in my preset, feel free to get in touch!
I like to pair my AM4 with a volume pedal for live use. It helps me to easily change levels depending on the section and piece. To carry the AM4 around, I like to use a generic hard shell pull foam case. These can be found in many places, just make sure the dimensions are sufficient.
I have found that using footswitch toppers is particularly useful on the AM4, especially for certain actions involving pressing 2 side by side footswitches simultaneously. These can also be found for cheap via Amazon.
To protect the screen, I purchased an old iPhone screen protector and cut it to size. It is seemingly more difficult to find the traditional screen protectors these days with everything being tempered glass. It would have been great to get tempered glass but I was unsuccessful in finding one even remotely close to the AM4’s screen size.