No Global Blocks ?

ethomas1013 said:
I agree with NeoSound. The AX8 is a very cool unit that sounds great. I'm learning to work within it's parameters and there's no way I would go back to the AxeII/Rack/midi controller setup over this despite the reduced feature set. There's also no way I would cancel my order over the lack of global blocks. I'd definitely advise the OP to go through with the purchase and work with the unit before deciding whether the lack of global blocks is a show stopper.
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Same here. I don't think I would go back to the AxeFX and MFC either. The AX8 has everything I need and much more....
 
Admin M@ said:
Here's a possible solution: add an FX8. Use the AX8 as your GLOBAL AMP.
The two units work amazingly well together in 4CM. The total cost will be less than an Axe-Fx and MFC.
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I'm looking for the smiley face....

For sheer size, weight and cost, it might make more sense to mix an FX8 with an Amplifire. But I haven't heard one myself.

I also don't need global blocks.
 
Smittefar said:
Without global blocks, the whole "one song - one preset" strategy is really difficult to maintain.

We have 50-100 songs in our repertoire. I plan to base 90% of my presets on ONE amp block and ONE cab block. It will not be a deal breaker to me, but I will be annoyed by this every time I use Ax8.

I would most likely revert to using one preset for everything and then just tap dance like crazy on the IA buttons.
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It's not ideal since you'd still have to import it into every patch, but can an amp block be saved into the block library?

But does it really make sense to have a separate preset for each song, especially if you're using one amp/cab for 90% of the tunes? I imagine you could cover the effects in less than a bank's worth of presets.
 
DavidE said:
It's not ideal since you'd still have to import it into every patch, but can an amp block be saved into the block library?

But does it really make sense to have a separate preset for each song, especially if you're using one amp/cab for 90% of the tunes? I imagine you could cover the effects in less than a bank's worth of presets.
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Well unfortunately one of the caveats of the AX8 is less CPU so that require more presets to change fx and what not. The AX8 has made me realize I most likely could have utilitized one preset on the AXE FX II to do everything. Since you can't do that on the AX8 you end up needing multiple presets and yes this is where Global Blocks helps a bit.

Now I realize there are work arounds to this and we AXE II users aren't going to get everything we had. Fact is many of us are deciding whether to ditch our II setups for the convenience of the AX8 or not. Had we never had an AXE II prior we might not know what we're missing. I'm having hard time myself. Right now my core amp tone sounds a bit different on the II for whatever reason, most likely some setting I'm overlooking. None the less its a tough decision for those who are only keeping with one or the other.
 
DavidE said:
It's not ideal since you'd still have to import it into every patch, but can an amp block be saved into the block library?

But does it really make sense to have a separate preset for each song, especially if you're using one amp/cab for 90% of the tunes? I imagine you could cover the effects in less than a bank's worth of presets.
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Yes I need the preset per song even though all my songs as based on one template. Each song required it's on combination of blks on and off so I set up the scenes to cover the sections of the songs. I could never do all the tap dancing needed to make those changes smoothly
 
brokenvail said:
Yes I need the preset per song even though all my songs as based on one template. Each song required it's on combination of blks on and off so I set up the scenes to cover the sections of the songs. I could never do all the tap dancing needed to make those changes smoothly
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I'd love to see your song list! It sounds like you're more concerned with duplicating the original songs than I am.
 
Keg8605 said:
Right now my core amp tone sounds a bit different on the II for whatever reason, most likely some setting I'm overlooking.
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The AX8 FW 1.0 is not the same version of Quantum as the AxeFX II 1.06. The AX8 came out before 1.06 was released. Cliff confirmed this in a post somewhere but did not specifially say what version of Quantum was used for the AX8.
 
DavidE said:
I'd love to see your song list! It sounds like you're more concerned with duplicating the original songs than I am.
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Lol no not at all actually. I don't care at all about nailing the record tones. Thing is since I use one mega template I have 2 amp blks, 2 drive blks 1 cab, 1 delay, 1 rotary, 1 reverb all the with both x and y programmed. I also have a pitch blk with just x programmed. So depending on tune I use 1 of 4 amps (most of the time it is really just 1 of 2) with the right cab and any combo of the programmed fx. Nothing crazy fx wise either
 
One preset per song is also just to be able to set up scenes properly. With I/A combined with x/y switching, it is simply too much tap dancing. Also, there are FX that I like to tweak per song - I love compressors, but I find it difficult to find a setting that fits all types of playing.

There is also a footswitch limitation: 1) Amp x/y, 2) Scn 1/2 (for the scene controller on the amp), 3) comp, 4) drive, 5) (auto)wah, 6) chorus, 7) delay, 8) boost

And then I still need different presets for those songs, where I need to add a pitch block or the formant filter. Maybe I would even want some reverb or a second drive block.

1 preset per song where everything is controlled by scenes and a few IA just makes sooooo much more sense.

I do not need ten global blocks like the Axe. I would be very happy with 2-4

Let me put it this way: If FAS offered an upgrade to Ax8 allowing a small number of global blocks, I would pay $50-100 for it without hesitation.

PS: From what I understand, Ax8 is running Quantum 1.0 or 1.1 based on the fact that FAS boost and memory mind guy are not included.
 
brokenvail said:
Lol no not at all actually. I don't care at all about nailing the record tones. Thing is since I use one mega template I have 2 amp blks, 2 drive blks 1 cab, 1 delay, 1 rotary, 1 reverb all the with both x and y programmed. I also have a pitch blk with just x programmed. So depending on tune I use 1 of 4 amps (most of the time it is really just 1 of 2) with the right cab and any combo of the programmed fx. Nothing crazy fx wise either
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For me this begs the question of how can you remember what each switch does in each patch? I can barely see the name of the patch when standing and the cryptic block names are no help to me. It's difficult for me to tell from the screen which blocks are on and I don't know if there's a way to tell whether a particular block has a y.
 
Admin M@ said:
Nah... only AX8 gives you Fractal amp modeling, and that's really the critical point.
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The funny thing in all this time of owning an AX-FX Ultra, II and XL, I never used Global blocks ever. I really enjoyed the process of using a lot of amps and making them have their own sound. Same amp can sound so different with small tweaking, as we all know.
 
DavidE said:
For me this begs the question of how can you remember what each switch does in each patch? I can barely see the name of the patch when standing and the cryptic block names are no help to me. It's difficult for me to tell from the screen which blocks are on and I don't know if there's a way to tell whether a particular block has a y.
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I currently use an ii and mfc. My delay, verb and rotary xy switching is on an IA so I just have to look down and know which state each is on. As for drives, amps and cabs. I just have to trust that I programmed it right. Honestly have made very few mistakes (like less than 5) in the last 1.5 years that I started using global blocks and doing a preset per song. The Ax8 in some ways will make it a bit more fool proof for me. I will run 4 scenes and 4 ia. Scene 4 will always be a lead. IA 1 and 2 are drives 3 will be rotary and 4 will be delay. Since the IA's dbl as xy I will always know if it is on or off and it if it is x or y. That leaves only verb and pitch with no is and I rarely use the pitch and can make the verb come on and off with a scene.

Truth be told if I were to hit CPU issues that verb goes bye bye. I only use it for volume swells
 
scottburrow said:
The funny thing in all this time of owning an AX-FX Ultra, II and XL, I never used Global blocks ever. I really enjoyed the process of using a lot of amps and making them have their own sound. Same amp can sound so different with small tweaking, as we all know.
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If you were t switch to the consistent amp and if like is being talked about in that other thread you would have prob started using global. That is what happened to me. I have over 6 years with fractal and only switched to global usage like 1.5 years ago
 
yek said:
Try a Multi Delay instead of verb. Less CPU and much nicer. Check Larry Mitchell's Life Pad preset.
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I was noticing this while I was working on recreating the Post-Rock Shimmer preset I did. You can get some very cool spacious sounds with the MTD. If you want to actually simulate a room, it won't necessarily get it done. But using spring reverbs for "boingy reverb" (cpu cheap) and MTD for atmospheric stuff seems like a good way to go.
-
Austin
 
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Admin M@ said:
But using spring reverbs for "boingy reverb" (cpu cheap) and MTD for atmospheric stuff seems like a good way to go.
-
Austin
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That is exactly what I do. Even with the AxeII where CPU usage was not as much of an issue I preferred to do it that way and have been doing it that way for years.
 
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