Hi everyone,
I've been a heavy reader/lurker for about a year now. This is my first post with this thread - be gentle with me.
I have both an Axe-FX III MK2 Turbo (got it 1 year ago) and an FM9 Turbo (got it 2 months ago) and I'm coming from the Helix and Kemper worlds as my frame of reference. I'm trying to get simple gapless switching between scenes. I'll outline a worst-case scenario and hope to get clarity on how I can achieve this as easily as possible. I've read the other gapless switching threads and what I was reading was not what I'd consider easy and I've watched several YouTube videos on the topic also without success - so thus my query.
I like to setup a preset for each song in each setlist that my band plays. I assume this to be a pretty standard configuration. Within each preset, I'd like to use up to 8 scenes for the basic components for a song. For instance, scene 1 = Intro, scene 2 = verse, scene 3 = pre-chorus, scene 4 = chorus, scene 5 = bridge, scene 6 = solo, scene 7 = outro, scene 8 = whatever I could possibly need not included in 1-7. Depending upon the song and the needs, the worst-case scenario is that I'd need 8 completely different amps and cabinets/IRs (unlikely, but this extreme example really helps me understand the capabilities and where the difficulty/complexities set in).
Most importantly, I don't want to do any tap dancing. I want to step on 1 different pedal switch (I have an FC12) for each scene and that's it.
I've already experimented a bit and have determined that having 2 different rows with 2 different sets of Amp and Cab blocks seems to be the easy path with a multiplexer to bounce back and forth between amp and cab/block rows (could use a mixer also). What I quickly determined was that I cannot switch amps via channels within the same amp block without getting a gap. No problem, I'll just ping-pong back and forth between the two different amp blocks and plan ahead for the song structure of that particular song preset. As long as I keep both amp blocks on channel A, I have no problems and I can bounce back and forth between a clean amp on Amp block 1, Channel A and a high gain amp on Amp block 2, Channel A with no gaps back and forth to my heart's content.
The challenge happens when I go for preset #3 in the song (using the 3rd different amp) - let's say switching from amp block #2, channel A back to amp block #1, channel B. I'm hoping this is just user error and I'm missing something obvious. When I go from amp block 2 channel A to amp block 1 channel B, I get a gap - either because I'm having to proactively get setup for scene 4 at the same time as scene 3 switch time. Regardless, it appears as though the act of switching from Channel A to Channel B, C or D, regardless of which amp block results in a gap. I would like to do this with 1 button push for each scene.
Completely made up worst-case scenario I can think of is below - assume they all have corresponding cabs as well:
scene 1 = Intro (Amp block 1, Channel A - Twin)
scene 2 = verse (Amp block 2, Channel A - AC30)
scene 3 = pre-chorus (Amp block 1, Channel B - Plexi)
scene 4 = chorus (Amp block 2, Channel B - BE100)
scene 5 = bridge (Amp block 1, Channel C - Bassman)
scene 6 = solo (Amp block 2, Channel C - JC120)
scene 7 = outro (Amp block 1, Channel D - Archon)
scene 8 = whatever else I need (Amp block 2, Channel D - Tweed)
I realize, there are scene controllers and the ability to morph between different presets with an expression pedal, but I have no interest in doing any of that. I just want to be able to do what I have outlined above. Please let me know if that is possible (and how) or not possible (huge bummer for me). Gapless switching is essential to me.
Assuming there is a solution, we'll worry about what I do when the second verse or chorus lands in a place that is not conducive to reusing an already existing scene because it is in the "wrong" amp block that breaks the ping-pong needs of gapless switching. Please help me get over this first hill, then we'll worry about that part later.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.
I've been a heavy reader/lurker for about a year now. This is my first post with this thread - be gentle with me.
I have both an Axe-FX III MK2 Turbo (got it 1 year ago) and an FM9 Turbo (got it 2 months ago) and I'm coming from the Helix and Kemper worlds as my frame of reference. I'm trying to get simple gapless switching between scenes. I'll outline a worst-case scenario and hope to get clarity on how I can achieve this as easily as possible. I've read the other gapless switching threads and what I was reading was not what I'd consider easy and I've watched several YouTube videos on the topic also without success - so thus my query.
I like to setup a preset for each song in each setlist that my band plays. I assume this to be a pretty standard configuration. Within each preset, I'd like to use up to 8 scenes for the basic components for a song. For instance, scene 1 = Intro, scene 2 = verse, scene 3 = pre-chorus, scene 4 = chorus, scene 5 = bridge, scene 6 = solo, scene 7 = outro, scene 8 = whatever I could possibly need not included in 1-7. Depending upon the song and the needs, the worst-case scenario is that I'd need 8 completely different amps and cabinets/IRs (unlikely, but this extreme example really helps me understand the capabilities and where the difficulty/complexities set in).
Most importantly, I don't want to do any tap dancing. I want to step on 1 different pedal switch (I have an FC12) for each scene and that's it.
I've already experimented a bit and have determined that having 2 different rows with 2 different sets of Amp and Cab blocks seems to be the easy path with a multiplexer to bounce back and forth between amp and cab/block rows (could use a mixer also). What I quickly determined was that I cannot switch amps via channels within the same amp block without getting a gap. No problem, I'll just ping-pong back and forth between the two different amp blocks and plan ahead for the song structure of that particular song preset. As long as I keep both amp blocks on channel A, I have no problems and I can bounce back and forth between a clean amp on Amp block 1, Channel A and a high gain amp on Amp block 2, Channel A with no gaps back and forth to my heart's content.
The challenge happens when I go for preset #3 in the song (using the 3rd different amp) - let's say switching from amp block #2, channel A back to amp block #1, channel B. I'm hoping this is just user error and I'm missing something obvious. When I go from amp block 2 channel A to amp block 1 channel B, I get a gap - either because I'm having to proactively get setup for scene 4 at the same time as scene 3 switch time. Regardless, it appears as though the act of switching from Channel A to Channel B, C or D, regardless of which amp block results in a gap. I would like to do this with 1 button push for each scene.
Completely made up worst-case scenario I can think of is below - assume they all have corresponding cabs as well:
scene 1 = Intro (Amp block 1, Channel A - Twin)
scene 2 = verse (Amp block 2, Channel A - AC30)
scene 3 = pre-chorus (Amp block 1, Channel B - Plexi)
scene 4 = chorus (Amp block 2, Channel B - BE100)
scene 5 = bridge (Amp block 1, Channel C - Bassman)
scene 6 = solo (Amp block 2, Channel C - JC120)
scene 7 = outro (Amp block 1, Channel D - Archon)
scene 8 = whatever else I need (Amp block 2, Channel D - Tweed)
I realize, there are scene controllers and the ability to morph between different presets with an expression pedal, but I have no interest in doing any of that. I just want to be able to do what I have outlined above. Please let me know if that is possible (and how) or not possible (huge bummer for me). Gapless switching is essential to me.
Assuming there is a solution, we'll worry about what I do when the second verse or chorus lands in a place that is not conducive to reusing an already existing scene because it is in the "wrong" amp block that breaks the ping-pong needs of gapless switching. Please help me get over this first hill, then we'll worry about that part later.
Thank you in advance for your assistance.