Everything you've always wanted to know about: Resetting an Amp

Thanks for your efforts, Alex! You’ve been an incredible resource over the years. I second the above motion to sticky this one in the III and FM3 forums… it’s a constant “first question” seen in both with each firmware release!
 
you mention several times in the OP about both "hidden and visible" parameters. Are these hidden parameters in addition to the under-the-hood algorithm changes? What's the difference between "hidden" parameters that require an amp block reset and overall algorithm changes, which are also "hidden," yet, apparently, are not affected by resetting the amp block (or don't need to be reset)?

Effects such the Amps consist -in short- of algorithms and adjustable parameters.

Algorithms are the "programs" that create an effect. They are are hidden and protected. Changes to algorithms are always translated in friendly explanations, like "improved amp modeling".

Some of the functions of these algorithms can be tweaked through adjustable parameters. Some of them are accessible to users (hardware GUI / editor). And some are hidden, so that only FAS can adjust these. Resetting a block or a channel does not only reset the user-accessible parameters of a block, but also the hidden ones (under the hood). A reset is always the best way to start from scratch. As a matter of fact, I have the habit of always resetting a block immediately after adding it to the grid (not that it is necessary, most of the times).
 
I backed up. Then used "manage presets " as Yek eludes to ,and since I still haven't settled on my "keeper presets", I just used the Window's trick of "select first on list you wan't to hard reset", then hold "shift button on keyboard while selecting last on list you want to reset. then hit reset button bottom of page . All the selected presets are then hard reset. This take's a while and you can watch you progress on bottom of page ,then when done hit save button and that's it. remember back up first. This method Is my opinion ,but I have used it multiple time ,as the new firmware just keeps coming....
 
You may think that double-clicking a control in the software editor resets it to its default value but that’s not the case: that value is just a generic default value, not necessarily the correct value for the specific parameter and amp type.

Imho it would be reasonable if double clicking a parameter resets to the amp specific default. As the data is there it shouldn't be too hard.
A generic default does make sense for values with a somewhat generic meaning like effect mix though.
 
The brute force method:

1). Prior to updating to the newest firmware effecting the amp block.
Copy your favorite preset’s amp block to an empty block within your preset
and save the preset.
2). Upgrade to the newest firmware. Soft reset the amp block.

3). Go through every amp block menu item comparing the saved block original with the current changed firmware updated amp block.

4). Reset your parameters that you had dialed in with the previous firmware from the saved amp block. If it sounds good or better your done. If it sounds worse, you probably need to craft a new preset from scratch.

note this method only works for a preset with one exsisting amp block.
 
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Yek, really helpful, thank you!

Just got to playing with the Axe FX III again after a couple of months down time building a studio. I like having the "reset" feature available in Axe Edit (and someone's going to kill me for this...), but I kind of wished it was hard rather than soft reset. This is only because I'm finally getting ready to use the Axe FX III in my "playing out" rig, so I need to start from scratch again anyway (presets fine tuned through Adam A5Xs in my old music room are sometimes pretty wayward sounding through Matrix GT1000 and 15" FRFR cab in a bigger live room. Lots of bottom end that little speakers didn't reproduce in the same way!)

No massive hardship in going through each channel and hard resetting, but this evening would have been great to just do everything use in one batch.

Not quite a veteran yet, so really helpful to have the thorough explanation.

Liam
 
May I understand "Reset in the editor’s Manage Preset tool" as a tool of
"modifying amp block as closest as it was, corresponding this time firmware upgrade for user convenience (not only for cygnus)"?
 
Now I wish double clicking on a single parameter in edit would set it back to its default value setting, instead of a random value like it always has as mentioned.
 
The brute force method:

1). Prior to updating to the newest firmware effecting the amp block.
Copy your favorite preset’s amp block to an empty block within your preset
and save the preset.
2). Upgrade to the newest firmware. Soft reset the amp block.

3). Go through every amp block menu item comparing the saved block original with the current changed firmware updated amp block.

4). Reset your parameters that you had dialed in with the previous firmware from the saved amp block. If it sounds good or better your done. If it sounds worse, you probably need to craft a new preset from scratch.

note this method only works for a preset with one exsisting amp block.

Instead, I'd recommend looking at the Snapshot tool. It lets you do this same sort of comparison, switching back and forth, without needing to copy the amp block, because the FM3 can only have one amp block.

Upgrading the firmware doesn't change the preset's captured settings. It does change the way those settings are interpreted by the modeling algorithm which is why we hear the difference between two firmware levels if they affect a particular block.

This is how I do it on the FX3 and the FM3:
  1. Upgrade the firmware.
  2. Switch to the preset I want to tweak.
  3. Click the down arrow below the Snapshot tool and "Clear Snapshot List" if it's enabled.
  4. Click the Snapshot tool to save the current settings to the preset.
  5. Click the Amp block.
  6. Do a soft reset.
  7. Click the Snapshot tool again to save the reset settings.
The Snapshot tool will now have two entries, the original amp settings and the settings after the soft reset.

I select the first Snapshot entry to return to the original settings, and select the first of the Amp block panels, then select the second Snapshot entry to see if anything changed. I bounce back and forth and rotate through the various panels and note what changed, then return to the first setting I want to change, tweak it until I'm happy, then immediately click the Snapshot tool to remember the change. I slowly work through the tweaks, one by one, saving each setting when I like it, and I can step, from the original, through the reset, through my tweaks, and, when done, save the preset.
 
Thanks Yek for all your hard work, good tutorial.

On my FM3 it came to my attention that reseting the amp block still sounded off,
so thought I'll reset the drive block , guess what all clicked into place !

any thoughts or am I going mad
G
 
Snapshots are great except for one thing:
Thanks Yek for all your hard work, good tutorial.

On my FM3 it came to my attention that reseting the amp block still sounded off,
so thought I'll reset the drive block , guess what all clicked into place !

any thoughts or am I going mad
G

Yes, worthwhile to check the Drive block. Also, because there was a bug with Low Cut in the drives in previous FM3 firmware.
 
Instead, I'd recommend looking at the Snapshot tool. It lets you do this same sort of comparison, switching back and forth, without needing to copy the amp block, because the FM3 can only have one amp block.

Upgrading the firmware doesn't change the preset's captured settings. It does change the way those settings are interpreted by the modeling algorithm which is why we hear the difference between two firmware levels if they affect a particular block.

This is how I do it on the FX3 and the FM3:
  1. Upgrade the firmware.
  2. Switch to the preset I want to tweak.
  3. Click the down arrow below the Snapshot tool and "Clear Snapshot List" if it's enabled.
  4. Click the Snapshot tool to save the current settings to the preset.
  5. Click the Amp block.
  6. Do a soft reset.
  7. Click the Snapshot tool again to save the reset settings.
The Snapshot tool will now have two entries, the original amp settings and the settings after the soft reset.

I select the first Snapshot entry to return to the original settings, and select the first of the Amp block panels, then select the second Snapshot entry to see if anything changed. I bounce back and forth and rotate through the various panels and note what changed, then return to the first setting I want to change, tweak it until I'm happy, then immediately click the Snapshot tool to remember the change. I slowly work through the tweaks, one by one, saving each setting when I like it, and I can step, from the original, through the reset, through my tweaks, and, when done, save the preset.
Thanks, I will give your method a try👍
 
Snapshots are great except for one thing:


Yes, worthwhile to check the Drive block. Also, because there was a bug with Low Cut in the drives in previous FM3 firmware.
Yes, the drive and other blocks that were modified can generate different sound after a firmware change, but the Snapshot tool can help there too by working methodically through the blocks. I save the preset when I'm done with a particular block, but taking another snapshot and noting which it was when switching blocks, accomplishes much the same thing.

The downside is that I can get quite a list of snapshots and I forget which was taken when I started on another block, but they're non-destructive revision changes, so saving often helps keep the deltas small. It's like writing software, commit the revisions often.
 
Snapshots are great except for one thing:

Ah, I didn't finish that sentence..... I meant to say: except for Globals Blocks. In the ideal scenario, snapshots would also contain a copy of the global data.
 
Effects such the Amps consist -in short- of algorithms and adjustable parameters.

Algorithms are the "programs" that create an effect. They are are hidden and protected. Changes to algorithms are always translated in friendly explanations, like "improved amp modeling".

Some of the functions of these algorithms can be tweaked through adjustable parameters. Some of them are accessible to users (hardware GUI / editor). And some are hidden, so that only FAS can adjust these. Resetting a block or a channel does not only reset the user-accessible parameters of a block, but also the hidden ones (under the hood). A reset is always the best way to start from scratch. As a matter of fact, I have the habit of always resetting a block immediately after adding it to the grid (not that it is necessary, most of the times).

@yek are you saying that if I have never reset my delay2 block, It doesn't have the latest sound and functionality?
 
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