Here’s where you can find the button layout of the floor modelers as it’s quite difficult to glean this information from the manuals . The one thing I would say right now though, like the good old Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, is Don’t panic. You’re not going to be using most of these buttons most of the time.
The foot switches
Place your modeler in front of you with the foot switches nearest you. whether you have the 3 switch FM3 or the 9 switch FM9, you’ll find that these switches are amazingly functional as you’ll find out in the next section.
The A B C D and E knobs
Beyond the first 2 foot switches and just below the screen you’ve got the A B C D and E knobs. These 5 knobs turn endlessly in either direction and are graduated. They also can be pressed as well as turned. These knobs are context sensitive and do different things depending on which screen your in.
The Value knob
Beyond the A B C D and e knobs is the screen and just to the right of that is a big graduated knob. On the FM9, this knob can also be pressed. this is the value knob and, again, this does different things in different places, but it’s mainly used to change the value of something, for example, when you first turn the machine on, this knob will move you through the factory presets.
The Home Edit Store and Tempo buttons
Beyond the value knob and to the right of the screen, you’ve got the Home Edit Store and tempo buttons.
The home button always takes you back to the initial screen and we’ll talk about that briefly in the next section.
Edit enables you to change an effect or an amp setting.
Store enables you to save the current preset.
Tempo is among other things a handy tap tempo button.
The Nav buttons
Just to the right of the Value knob and below the Home edit Store and Tempo buttons, there are 4 buttons in the shape of a cross. These are the Nav buttons and they are most often used to take you to the thing that you want to adjust with the Value knob. But they have other uses as well, for example, when you turn the machine on, instead of using the Value knob, you can use Nav right or Nav Left to change the current preset if you prefer.
Enter Exit Page left and Page right
You’ll find these buttons directly below the Value knob.
Enter and Exit, performs a similar function to enter and escape in a dialog box on a computer. Page left and right takes you to different tabs of a given screen.
The output level knobs
The FM3 has 2 outputs and the FM9 has 3 outputs. If you have the FM9, you’ll find the knobs that control the volume of these outputs just to the right of the a b c d and e knobs below the screen.
If you have the FM3 then, Beyond the screen , the metal slopes away at an angle. on this “slope” on the left hand side, you’ll find 2 knobs which control the volume of output 1 and output 2.
Regardless of which modeler you have, the most important of these knobs is the one on the left which controls your main output and the volume of your headphones if you’re using any.
Plugging in and getting sound out of the FM3
If you’re using the FM3, with the footswitches toward you, reach round the back on the right hand side. the 2 jacks nearest the right hand edge are headphones at the top and guitar input at the bottom. You can also output via XLR cables just to the left of these sockets. If you want to output via regular jack cables, you use the 2 vertical jack sockets to the left of the XLR sockets.