Accessing Bank D on the XL with MFC-101 MK1

ocaptainjr2

Experienced
I hope I am missing something obvious, but I am unable to access preset in Bank D on my Axe-fx II XL via the MFC-101 MK1. Everything is working great up until preset 383, but I can't select anything higher than than. If I select a preset higher than that using the front panel, the MFC will display the preset and the name, but I can't enable/disable any effects and if I try to change presets, it does nothing but stay on the preset I selected from the front panel.

I have updated the firmware, selected XL as the model and checked to see if it was an issue with the bank/song limit but it will not let me change to any value higher than 77. Any ideas?
 
I am a new XL and MFC Mk III user and my setup has the same behavior. The MFC documentation references presets 0 to 383 only. I haven't found how to reference bank D yet but I am early in my learning curve. I am also hoping that it is something simple I have missed... looking for that 'duh' moment.
 
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I figure I'll wait until the end of the week and then shoot them an email and see if they have any info.

Sent from Moto X
 
If true, this would be very disappointing. I specifically checked the website prior to ordering my XL and there was no mention of the MK I not being compatible.

Sent from Moto X
 
I got a second note from fractal support that clarifies the matter:

"To be clear, an update will be forthcoming that makes access Bank D on the Axe-fx II XL possible, but the MFC-101 can only have 384 presets which equates to three banks on the Axe-fx."

So we will be able to control bank D just not all four banks.
 
That's fine with me. Not ideal, but i really can't see needing to control 4 banks. As far as I can control Bank D, I'll be a happy camper.

Sent from Moto X
 
If it is indeed a limitation of Midi, I would assume midi is midi, regardless of version of the MFC, but my professional experience is in networking and engineering, not DSP and Midi. You could shoot an email to Fractal, or standby until the update is released.

Sent from Moto X
 
If it is indeed a limitation of Midi, I would assume midi is midi, regardless of version of the MFC, but my professional experience is in networking and engineering, not DSP and Midi. You could shoot an email to Fractal, or standby until the update is released.

Sent from Moto X

It not a limitation of MIDI. It is a limitation of the memory available in the MFC-101. It can only store 384 presets. This is true of the Mk III as well. By default the MFC-101 is set to scroll through the presets in numerical order. That equates to the first three banks. The program change messages are stored in the MFC-101 preset.
 
Same problem just noticed with my brand new XL and brand new MFC III.

I have not seen a warning about this anywhere - surely there is an obligation to let purchasers know the limitations of what they are buying? When spending this much money on pro gear, you expect the two pieces to be 100% compatible (not 90% or 98%), or see a clear statement of incompatibility so you can make an informed choice.

Would knowing this have affected my choice to buy and Axe-FX II XL? Probably not, but I would have at least paused for thought. But it's pretty lame that I had to find this limitation myself.

If it truly is a hardware limitation, Fractal will eventually release an MFC that can control all banks. Will Fractal then retro-fit the MFC's that were shipped to people who weren't informed of the limitation?


Bullet item number 1 under the features section on the product purchase page.

  • The MFC-101 stores 384 internal presets, each of which may be recalled by a single stomp to send a variety of MIDI commands: Up to 16 bank/program changes, 17 CCs, 16 bytes of custom MIDI (hex code), and more.
 
The MFC-101 stores 384 presets. The Axe-Fx II Mark I/II also store 384 presets. The XL stores 512 presets and maybe someday 1024. Many MIDI controllers only store 128 presets. There is no correlation between the number of presets on a MIDI controller and the device being controlled. This is not a bug, mistake or deception.
 
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