AX8 Takes a Different Way of Thinking.... How do you set switches for live use?

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DavidE

Power User
I'm old school. Too many years with pedals and a tube amp. I'm making the leap to amp and effect modeling for numerous reasons. See the end for the question. Thanks!

I was never good with presets. Too much to memorize and the more presets I have, the more difficult it becomes to remember.

I'm having no problems with the Helix because of the scribble strips and easy to read big screen. 8 presets in a bank, each preset with a unique name in the scribble strip next to the button to choose it. Pick the preset, hit the mode switch and I have 10 scribble strips with custom labels reminding me of what each one does.

With the AX8, it's a totally different story. S1, S2, AXY etc.. don't mean squat to me unless I have it memorized for every preset. DLY is better, but also not really helpful since I can't tell if it's a tape, a dual delay, a dotted 8th, a modulated delay etc....

I'm looking at the magnetic labels and would appreciate any advice on which to get.

FOR THOSE OF YOU USING YOUR AX8 WITH MULTIPLE PRESETS AT A LIVE GIG, please share how you're setting it up so that you remember consistently what each of the 8 footswitches does in each patch.
 
I use one preset per song. I don't have my AX8 yet but I have been using an MFC which suffers from the same labeling "issue." How I set it up (and my AX8 will be) -

- the four lower switches are scenes. The scenes are in order of the song (intro, verse tone, chorus tone, etc)

- the four top switches are instant access to my most used effects - delay, MultiDelay, reverb and then a wildcard. Since I'm now used to the MFC keeping IA switches constant across presets, I'll be implementing the same concept on the AX8.

- preset (song) changing will be with long presses on F2 and F3.
 
yek said:
4 'global' scene switches (bottom row), and 4 'per preset' switches (top row). F-switches: default.

Labels: KickTags!
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I won't use 1 preset per song. It's just not me. I'm not trying to duplicate the original recordings except where really needed.

I've been thinking about the 4 scenes and four per preset blocks. Except that I would probably put the blocks on the bottom row. But which four? Switch 4 would always be lead boost with two levels using X/Y. Maybe switch 1 would be a drive block with two different drives x being lower gain and y being high gain. One modulation with x/y and one for delay with x/y. Top row clean, light drive, higher drive and high gain/solo with appropriate delay setting and boost.

Why KickTags over the other? (Feel free to PM me...)

Thanks
 
UpscaleBlight said:
I am just staying in "Sticky Preset" mode. Not using scenes, X/Y or toggling the individual blocks at all.
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I need to read up on Sticky Scenes. I play to read the manual cover to cover either in the hospital or while recovering from surgery at home. That ordeal starts in a week.
 
I use scenes on the bottom 4 rows. I have a separate preset for each song, but if you don't want to go there you could get away with most of your songs on one preset, then a second or third for odd songs that need different sounds. It's easy to remember what is what because no matter the preset, scene 1 is clean, 2 rhythm, 3 harmony or low lead, four full lead. I use the foot switch above to trigger alternate sounds if needed, example scene six is directly above scene two which is rhythm, so it's an alternate rhythm.
 
DavidE said:
I'm having no problems with the Helix because of the scribble strips and easy to read big screen. 8 presets in a bank, each preset with a unique name in the scribble strip next to the button to choose it. Pick the preset, hit the mode switch and I have 10 scribble strips with custom labels reminding me of what each one does.
Click to expand...

IMO this is your problem, you're trying to learn two systems at once. If you are going to use one as your main rig and the other as a back up, make presets enough to get by on with the back up and turn your focus to the other unit. or buy a liquid foot pro+ and control your AX8 with that?
 
Footswitches are set up like an analog pedal board. Because I'm coming from (and will continue to use) the FX8, I've arranged them like I had that:

Top row (before amp): volume pedal, auto wah or modulation (Vibe/Phaser), Drive 1, Drive 2
Bottom row (after amp): modulation (chorus/flanger), delay, empty, Boost (Filter block)

Mission SP-1 cc pedal is set to switch between volume and whammy or volume and wah.

99% of the time I'm using a drive pedal and volume in front to control gain. For solos I usually use a little delay and boost.

Function switches: Single Preset Bank, Tuner, Sticky Scenes

Sticky Scenes is great of course for controlling 2 or more pedals at once. Besides solos, I don't use that a lot.
 
I use the bottom 4 switches as Presets, to match what I want to hear. 1=Clean, 2=Mid-Gain, edge of breakup, 3=Marshall type drive, 4=Lead Tone, normally Soldano 100. The top 4 buttons are always the same: 5=Filter for boost (this allows me a solo sound from each of the 4 lower buttons, just a louder version of the base sound), 6=Drive, 7=Chorus, 8=Delay

That's my basic settings for the setup I am gigging now. I expand that by having scenes available to switch other less used effects in/out.

Not saying it is "the best," just that it is how I have it set now and it works for me live. It is a lot like the setup I used with my Road King pedalboard, so that's likely why it is comfortable for me. This is footswitch version 20 or so since I started. :)
 
I use 4 global on bottom row but have the first switch set to scene 1/2. Switch 2 is scene 3, switch 3 scene 4 and switch 4 is my filter block set for a boost. Top row are the IA switches I use most in my presets but they're set to per preset for the occasional preset where I need access to something else itll be available. For those presets I look down at the screen. It's simple enough to make out which block is which. For the most part though it's drive 1,rotary,delay 1 and Multidelay.

My second drive block and second delay blocks are attached to scene 3 and 4 for crunch and lead work so I have no need to mess with the xy's with those tones which allows me to keep things simple for live use.
 
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NeoSound said:
IMO this is your problem, you're trying to learn two systems at once. If you are going to use one as your main rig and the other as a back up, make presets enough to get by on with the back up and turn your focus to the other unit. or buy a liquid foot pro+ and control your AX8 with that?
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No, I'm trying to move from the way I've done things since 1978. Helix mimics what I've done for all that time plus adds a lot more power since one switch can do many things at once. AX8 requires a new way of doing things. It's not a problem. It's a learning experience.
 
macfly said:
Footswitches are set up like an analog pedal board. Because I'm coming from (and will continue to use) the FX8, I've arranged them like I had that:

Top row (before amp): volume pedal, auto wah or modulation (Vibe/Phaser), Drive 1, Drive 2
Bottom row (after amp): modulation (chorus/flanger), delay, empty, Boost (Filter block)

Mission SP-1 cc pedal is set to switch between volume and whammy or volume and wah.

99% of the time I'm using a drive pedal and volume in front to control gain. For solos I usually use a little delay and boost.

Function switches: Single Preset Bank, Tuner, Sticky Scenes

Sticky Scenes is great of course for controlling 2 or more pedals at once. Besides solos, I don't use that a lot.
Click to expand...

Yeah, when I used the FX8 with a tube amp, I set it up with one main scene I was able to use for almost anything. Small footswitch to control 3 channels of my Tubemeister 36. Here we have the same number of switches but much more to do.
 
DavidE said:
No, I'm trying to move from the way I've done things since 1978. Helix mimics what I've done for all that time plus adds a lot more power since one switch can do many things at once. AX8 requires a new way of doing things. It's not a problem. It's a learning experience.
Click to expand...

You had LED scribble strips in '78?

(Totally kidding, REALLY not trying to start a flame. I saw an opportunity and I took it.)
 
Rick said:
I use the bottom 4 switches as Presets, to match what I want to hear. 1=Clean, 2=Mid-Gain, edge of breakup, 3=Marshall type drive, 4=Lead Tone, normally Soldano 100. The top 4 buttons are always the same: 5=Filter for boost (this allows me a solo sound from each of the 4 lower buttons, just a louder version of the base sound), 6=Drive, 7=Chorus, 8=Delay

That's my basic settings for the setup I am gigging now. I expand that by having scenes available to switch other less used effects in/out.

Not saying it is "the best," just that it is how I have it set now and it works for me live. It is a lot like the setup I used with my Road King pedalboard, so that's likely why it is comfortable for me. This is footswitch version 20 or so since I started. :)
Click to expand...

That sounds similar to what I was thinking. I'm just thinking I'll have more success if the lead boost is on the bottom row....
 
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