FracTone FAQ

What is FracTone?

  • A website that turns a description of a guitar tone into an FM9 preset (.syx). Every block setting stays editable, and you can match the result to a recording.
  • An MCP server and skills that let an AI agent work with the presets on your own FM9. See MCP server and skills.
  • A probe tool (coming soon) to help add support for more devices. See Probe tool.

Settings start from the gear the artist used on that recording, adapted for the FM9, and take your pickups into account.

Is FracTone made by Fractal Audio?

No. FracTone is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed or supported by Fractal Audio Systems. Fractal Audio, FM9, FM3, Axe-Fx and FM9-Edit are their trademarks.

Which devices are supported?

  • FM9 on firmware 12: supported.
  • FM3 and Axe-Fx III: planned. The probe tool will help owners contribute what we need.
  • Other firmware: the MCP server reads presets but refuses to write them.

Is it safe for my device and presets?

  • The website never talks to your device. It gives you a file; you choose whether and where to load it.
  • The MCP server checks the FM9's copy before storing, reports what each store replaced, and undoes a failed import. Offline edits always write a new file.
  • Turn on the safeguards: limit writes to scratch slots (for example 500-505), back up before every store, verify after, and require your confirmation. See Safeguards.
  • Keep your own backups. Writing to hardware always carries some risk.

What happens to my data?

  • Prompts go to the AI provider to design the preset. Only the checked preset is saved, not the raw AI reply.
  • Saved jobs (prompt, rig settings, preset and file) are kept for 30 days by default; you can shorten this in My jobs. Administrators can see jobs; other users can't.
  • Uploaded audio for tone matching isn't kept.
  • Logs record job IDs and progress, not prompts, passwords or files.
  • The MCP server runs on your PC and sends nothing to FracTone. Your AI agent's own provider sees what you ask it.
  • Probe reports (coming soon) are anonymised and sent only when you choose to.

Full details: Privacy.

How do I get an account?

Accounts are invite-only for now. If you have an invitation, use it on the sign-up page. There are no recovery emails: an administrator gives you a reset code if you forget your password.

What does it cost?

  • The website: free for invited accounts, with a daily limit on new presets per account.
  • The MCP server and skills: free and open source (MIT). You need your own AI agent, such as Claude Code, and any subscription it requires.
  • The probe tool: free.

Which AI does the website use?

An OpenAI GPT model, run through Microsoft's Azure OpenAI Service in the UK. Every reply then goes through FracTone's own checks: values are clamped to the FM9's ranges, model names come from the FM9's own catalogue, and gear choices are labelled as inferred or substituted.

The MCP server uses whichever AI agent you run it with.

Do I need FM9-Edit?

For the MCP server, yes: it reads FM9-Edit's parameter dictionary from your PC. For the website, no; you'll want FM9-Edit or Fractal-Bot to load the preset onto your FM9.

How do I report a problem?

Open an issue on GitHub. Say what you did, what you expected and what happened, with your device and firmware. Don't post passwords or upload codes.