The Fractal Audio Systems FM9 Mark II Turbo is a floor-based amp modeler and effects processor for guitar and bass, built around a quartet of DSP processing cores. It is a 9-footswitch, 3-input/3-output unit that also works as an audio interface and a looper, and Bass Gear Magazine's reviewer called it "arguably the most powerful floor processor ever produced"1. It lists at $1,799 USD1.
The Mark II Turbo sits at the top of Fractal's floor-unit line, above the smaller Fractal Audio FM3 and the compact VP4, and it carries the same modeling engine approach as the company's rack units in a pedalboard format.
The controls: nine footswitches, presets and scenes
The FM9's front panel carries 12 buttons and 9 knobs, six of which have push functions1. The nine footswitches each have their own vari-color LED ring, and a mini LCD above each one shows the current assignment2. The footswitches are tap/hold switches, customizable through the Layouts feature, which provides nine different sets of tap and hold functions2.
Preset and scene handling is where the FM9's switching system gets deep:
- 1024 presets in total, each containing eight different scenes, which are combinations of effect on/off states and channel selections1
- Scenes can switch channels for you, so one preset can hold a full song's worth of amp and effect changes1
- A dedicated Scenes switch in the Layout 1 switch map, labeled PRESETS in Layout 2, puts the unit into scene selection mode1
- A desktop editor, FM9-Edit, is provided for graphical setup of the unit1
For a player coming from a conventional pedalboard, the scene system is the main conceptual shift: instead of tapping individual stompboxes, you step through eight preconfigured states inside one preset, and the mini LCDs above the footswitches show you what each switch is doing at that moment2.
Power and connections
The FM9 runs on mains power, not a pedalboard supply: it accepts 90 to 264 VAC at 47 to 63 Hz, a universal input that covers US and European wall power without switching1. It has an onboard fan with side and bottom venting, and the maker warns not to block the vent holes1.
The FM9 has an onboard fan and vent holes on the side and bottom. Do not block them. The unit is rated to operate from 32 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (0 to 50 degrees Celsius), with storage from -22 to 167 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 to 70 degrees Celsius) and humidity up to 90 percent non-condensing1.
The rear panel I/O covers analog, digital and control connections2:
| Connection | Details |
|---|---|
| Instrument input | Rear 1/4" phone jack, unbalanced, with "Secret Sauce"; 1 MΩ impedance; max input level +16 dBu and +20 dBu1 |
| Analog Output 1 | (2) XLR balanced with Ground Lift, selectable -10 dBV or +4 dBu in software, plus (2) 1/4" unbalanced Humbuster jacks; 600 Ω; max +20 dBu1 |
| Analog Output 2 | (2) XLR balanced with Ground Lift, selectable -10 dBV or +4 dBu in software1 |
| Analog Output 3 | (2) 1/4" unbalanced Humbuster jacks; unity gain with the Out 3 knob turned fully clockwise1 |
| Headphones | 1/4" stereo phone jack, 35 Ω1 |
| Pedal interface | (3) 1/4" TRS jacks; pedal 10 to 100 kΩ max, or SPST switch, momentary or latching1 |
| Digital I/O | RCA coaxial S/PDIF, uncompressed PCM, 48 kHz fixed1 |
| MIDI | (1) 5-pin DIN input, (1) 5-pin DIN Out/Thru, MIDI over USB1 |
| FASLINK II | (1) XLR-F; connect only to the FASLINK II connector on a Fractal Audio FC controller1 |
The FASLINK II jack is the expansion path for Fractal's FC foot controllers, and the maker's warning is explicit: connect it only to the FASLINK II connector on a Fractal Audio FC controller1.
As an audio interface
The FM9 doubles as a USB audio interface. It is USB Audio Class 2.0 compliant with 8 input and 8 output channels, and the audio clock is fixed at 48 kHz1. That 8-in/8-out arrangement gives a player enough channels to record and play back multiple paths at once straight into a computer, with no separate interface needed.
History and versions: the Mark II Turbo
The FM9 line began with the original Fractal Audio FM9, announced in 2021 as a nine-footswitch floor modeler with the Layouts customization system and per-switch mini LCDs2. The Mark II Turbo is the current revision, distinguished by its quartet of DSP processing cores, which Bass Gear Magazine's reviewer judged makes it "arguably the most powerful floor processor ever produced"1.
Fractal Audio Systems develops the firmware in the USA and has the hardware built in China1. The unit keeps a CR-2032 backup battery with a life of more than 10 years1. The Mark II Turbo iteration carries a quartet of DSP processing cores, the revision Fractal Audio currently ships1.
On the review side, Bass Gear Magazine's Sean Fairchild tested the Mark II Turbo in March 2025 and concluded:
The Mark II Turbo is the version the press has reviewed most recently. It pairs the FM9's floor format with a quartet of DSP processing cores, and the reviewer at Premier Guitar called it arguably the most powerful floor processor ever produced, while noting that Fractal Audio's complexity is the tradeoff overall1.
with complexity as the tradeoff overall1. In other words, the reviewer found the power on tap to be exceptional, but the depth of the system is something a player has to be willing to learn.
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Questions
Can the FM9 Mark II Turbo be used as an audio interface?
Yes. The FM9 has a built-in USB audio interface with 8-channel recording and 8-channel playback. It is USB Audio Class 2.0 compliant, with the audio clock fixed at 48 kHz, and a Windows USB driver covering USB Audio and MIDI-over-USB is available from Fractal Audio. It also has S/PDIF digital input and output at 48 kHz.
Does the FM9 work for bass?
Yes. The FM9 is described as a guitar and bass amp modeler and effects processor, and it was reviewed in full by Bass Gear Magazine. It has three inputs and three outputs, so a bass player can run a stereo rig or feed separate outputs to a stage amp and front of house.
How many scenes does each FM9 preset have?
Each of the FM9's 1024 presets contains eight different scenes, which are combinations of effect on/off states and channel selections. Scenes can switch channels for you, and the unit has a dedicated Scenes switch in the Layout 1 switch map, labeled PRESETS in Layout 2.
Can I connect a Fractal FC controller to the FM9?
Yes, through the FASLINK II connector, an XLR-F jack on the FM9. Fractal Audio's warning is to connect it only to the FASLINK II connector on a Fractal Audio FC controller, not to any other device or a standard audio connection.
Does the FM9 have a fan?
Yes. The FM9 Mark II Turbo has an onboard fan with side and bottom venting, and Fractal Audio warns not to block the vent holes. The unit operates from 32 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit (0 to 50 degrees Celsius), so airflow matters in a hot rack or tightly packed pedalboard setup.
Sources (2)
- Fractal Audio Systems FM9 Mark II Turbo, Bass Gear Magazine, 2025-03-06
- Fractal Audio FM9: Can the new mega-modeller get Fractal back in the game?, gearnews.com, 2021-08-27
