Scenes, Snapshots, Presets, etc...

C

ChiroVette

Inspired
Okay, not sure where this would go, but I am getting ready to fire up my brand new FM9 Turbo for the first time this weekend, and I am really at a loss as to what these terms are. I read some of the links on Google, but for some reason, I am not really understanding what any of it means. Something about a snapshot being like a picture of something or other at any particular time? Sounds really nebulous to me. I'm not getting what any of this means, and would like to understand it at least a little conceptually before getting started working with it.

If someone can explain this to me like I am a 7 year old, I would really appreciate it!
 
Please read the owners manual, not google.

Snapshots are specifically a FM9-Edit feature that saves a preset quickly.

The rest are covered in depth in the manual.
 
Preset

A preset is basically like a pedal board or rig: It's how all the blocks are arranged and wired together. A preset's "wiring" is fixed and cannot be changed on the fly (certain blocks can affect this like the Multiplexer block, but it still follows the same rules, it just chooses what signal path to route).

Scene

A scene is basically a specific combination of on/off and channel assignments of all those blocks in your preset. Each block has multiple channels, and you can assign any one of those channels to a scene, but you can also turn off blocks per-scene as well.

Channel

A specific combination of settings for a block. You can assign any single channel to a block, for a given scene. All the various settings of a block are set per-channel, so you can have wildly different settings for different channels, and then use Scenes to switch between them.

Snapshot

I don't think we really use that term here in the Fractal world, as it tends to be a bit ambiguous.

---

There are things that can alter the rules here (Control Switches, Scene Ignore, etc), but for the most part that's how things are put together. Definitely read the manual, it explains all this stuff (also the Wiki is a good read too, but the Manual is definitely the definitive source of truth).
 
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I am reading the manual, and it's mostly making my eyes gloss over a little. I am not used to devices like this. So, for example, I get what the banks do and what the 1 through 5 pedals do (sort of). It kind of sort of seems like the same as my way-old GT-3, where banks held groups of I think 5 different setups or whatever Boss calls them. So I could have, say one bank where pedal 1 was clean, pedal 2 had some overdrive, pedal 3 had whatever other effects I had there, pedal 4 was delay, and 5 was whatever I put in that um whatever it's called.

So I had 5 different setups or something, and if I went up or down a bank that would load 5 more.

But I'm not sure that that's even called here.

So, since this isn't just an effects board, if I am in the first "bank" I have 5 different combinations of effects/amp/cab on each of the bottom-left five foot-switches? Do I have to have all of the "entities" (whatever they are called) in that bank of 5 the same amp/cabs and can only change effects? Or can I have all of the 5 things in a bank assigned whatever effects, cabs, amps, etc. I want?

It is all extremely confusing.

Luckily, my needs are VERY VERY simple, I think.

Edit: I truly don't understand what blocks are, nor am I really comprehending exactly what scenes, channels, and presets are. I will try watching some more videos.
 
rossipedia said:
Preset

A preset is basically like a pedal board or rig: It's how all the blocks are arranged and wired together. A preset's "wiring" is fixed and cannot be changed on the fly (certain blocks can affect this like the Multiplexer block, but it still follows the same rules, it just chooses what signal path to route).

Scene

A scene is basically a specific combination of settings of all those blocks in your preset. Each block has multiple channels, and you can assign any one of those channels to a scene, but you can also turn off blocks per-scene as well.

Channel

A specific combination of settings for a block. You can assign any single channel to a block, for a given scene. All the various settings of a block are set per-channel, so you can have wildly different settings for different channels, and then use Scenes to switch between them.

Snapshot

I don't think we really use that term here in the Fractal world, as it tends to be a bit ambiguous.

---

There are things that can alter the rules here (Control Switches, Scene Ignore, etc), but for the most part that's how things are put together. Definitely read the manual, it explains all this stuff (also the Wiki is a good read too, but the Manual is definitely the definitive source of truth).
Click to expand...
I'd amend that just a bit.

Scenes aren't really "a specific combination of settings of all those blocks in your preset". They're just the on/off and channel settings of each block. The actual settings for each block are separate per block channel, not per scene.

That has the advantage that you can just choose the same channel for several scenes to reuse those settings, without having to copy them.

It has the disadvantage that blocks don't have completely independent settings for each scene.

it's a different model from, for instance, Helix, but it's very powerful, and it's also just how it is in Fractal-land.

it's super important to understand that distinction, to avoid lots of frustration and confusion.
 
Dave Merrill said:
I'd amend that just a bit.

Scenes aren't really "a specific combination of settings of all those blocks in your preset". They're just the on/off and channel settings of each block. The actual settings for each block are separate per block channel, not per scene.

That has the advantage that you can just choose the same channel for several scenes to reuse those settings, without having to copy them.

It has the disadvantage that blocks don't have completely independent settings for each scene.
Click to expand...

I swear to God, I read that three times, and I truly feel like you are speaking a language I don't understand. I think I really am not getting conceptually what any of this means, and neither the manual or anything else I am reading is helping me to grasp it. It's like I see a bunch of words on my screen, like blocks, channels, scenes, and don't really know what they mean applied to this device, or this tech.
 
Sorry about the double-post, but I wanted this separate. I just read @Dave Merrill's post again, and I have this crazy sense that it's like you guys (and the manual) are sort of trying to explain advanced concepts in relativity to a chimpanzee. Because all I see is a bunch of words on my screen, like that Star Trek episode (DS9) where a virus caused the entire crew to have aphasia and speak/comprehend everything in word salad.

Obviously, this is on me and my addled brain.

Edit: Okay, I think what I need to do when I get home from my errands tonight is to start out NOT trying to create anything new. If I can suss out how to copy and paste (whatever they are called...presets, I think?) to convenient places, I am just going to run through all the presets, find ones that I like that are close and just try and bunch them all together or something into one place, and just use whatever already comes preloaded from the factory for my gig next weekend.
 
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So what are your needs for the FM9? How do you want to use it? Lots information being thrown at you but you haven't explained what you need.
 
Habuman said:
So what are your needs for the FM9? How do you want to use it? Lots information being thrown at you but you haven't explained what you need.
Click to expand...

Well, okay, here goes!

I play a lot of Grateful Dead, and other cover band stuff. I play the Garcia parts, so for those tunes, I need a really super clean, hot Fender Blackface sound, as well as the same amp configuration with various effects. So one (whatever it's called) would have a clean sound, and ONLY reverb. I use reverb for everything, by the way, even my "clean" sound. So whenever I say clean I mean clean + verb. Then using that same amp setting, I would like one (whatever it's called) plus a good envelope filter (like my MUTRON III). Same Twin sound with an octaver, same adding various degrees of OD and Distortion. Same Twin with a digital delay only, and yet another with just a little chorus or flange as the only effect. Again, this would ALL be different (whatever they're called) within the sub category of my "Jerry Garcia" sounds. I would prefer for now not to turn individual effects on or off with the pedals, and would rather cycle through like 10 or 12 different sounds within whatever grouping that Blackface amp would be in.

Then I would like to also have a good Santana distortion sound. He uses PRS + Mesa Boogie. Maybe a Santana clean sound, too? Probably not, though.

Then, whatever amp Lukather uses, I would like to have at least one sound for the Toto version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.


Eventually, I will expand my usage and have more and more sounds when I learn what the hell I am doing lol

So I can see in the future having ten different santana sounds, say five different Mark Knophler sounds, five different Lukather sounds, etc, etc.

Again, from what I am reading in this forum, I really think my needs are a lot simpler than most of the people here. I am not ready to even think about looping, pitch changing, harmonizing and all the other awesome stuff the FM9 can do. Later, yes, definitely. But right now all I want is to replace my amp and all my effects, and do it seamlessly for different guitar styles and genres.
 
Ha ha, you're not alone, believe me, this is a really common conversation :)
But honest, once you get the concepts it's actually pretty simple.
Let me try once more.

A scene just says which blocks are turned on, and which channel each block is set to.
That's all.
It doesn't say what the actual settings of each block are, that's up to the channels in each block.

Each block has channels, usually 4, which have the actual settings for that block -- gain, bass, treble, volume, delay time and mix, etc.
So for example, in one preset's amp block you could set channel A to be clean, B edge of breakup, C gained-up rhythm, D lead.
Then for each scene, you choose which of those channels you want.

Say you have a dry-ish lead scene and you want to make a wetter one.
You don't have to copy the amp settings from the dry one, just choose amp channel D for both scenes, and turn on a delay block for the wet one.
Same deal if you want wet and dry clean tones -- use amp channel A for both, delay on in one, off in the other.

Does that help?
 
Dave Merrill said:
Ha ha, you're not alone, believe me, this is a really common conversation :)
But honest, once you get the concepts it's actually pretty simple.
Let me try once more.

A scene just says which blocks are turned on, and which channel each block is set to.
That's all.
It doesn't say what the actual settings of each block are, that's up to the channels in each block.

Each block has channels, usually 4, which have the actual settings for that block -- gain, bass, treble, volume, delay time and mix, etc.
So for example, in one preset's amp block you could set channel A to be clean, B edge of breakup, C gained-up rhythm, D lead.
Then for each scene, you choose which of those channels you want.

Say you have a dry-ish lead scene and you want to make a wetter one.
You don't have to copy the amp settings from the dry one, just choose amp channel D for both scenes, and turn on a delay block for the wet one.
Same deal if you want wet and dry clean tones -- use amp channel A for both, delay on in one, off in the other.

Does that help?
Click to expand...

Sort of. I am on page 14 of the .pdf manual, as @chris suggested. But if I am understanding it, a block is a unit of...um something (I think it could be an amp model, a cabinet model, and effect model, and maybe other stuff?) and that each block now has the settings like EQ, volume, gain, and not sure about, which are called, but seem like they are settings for that block or something?
A lot of this still sounds like word-salad, but I will try reading page 14 now. But I think what you're saying is that if I pick an amp block and say add reverb to it, that I can now branch out somehow, and have that same amp block, same amp/cabinet settings, and now in some way have different um...somethings that have various effects configurations? Still not clear on it. lol

Edit: Okay, so on page 14, it says a block is a "virtual piece of gear" which I assume can be an amp, cabinet, effect, or whatever, which you can then act on its own internal settings? I think I understand that, at least conceptually.
 
ChiroVette said:
I swear to God, I read that three times, and I truly feel like you are speaking a language I don't understand. I think I really am not getting conceptually what any of this means, and neither the manual or anything else I am reading is helping me to grasp it. It's like I see a bunch of words on my screen, like blocks, channels, scenes, and don't really know what they mean applied to this device, or this tech.
Click to expand...

It's important to recognize the Axe-FX/FM9/FM3 are geared towards people who are technically adept. There are exceptions of course, but the typical Axe-FX owner, and especially the typical forum member here, is comfortable with technology and learning things by reading manuals. That means you'll probably have a hard time finding someone here who can understand your dilemma, let alone help you with it.

That doesn't necessarily mean your efforts to learn the FM9 are hopeless. If reading the manual isn't helping you feel more comfortable with the FM9, you might trying watching tutorial videos. There are many good Axe-FX tutorial videos on the internet, but unfortunately it's hard to assemble the large number of videos out there into a coherent graduated sequence of videos to help you master the FM9. Your best bet for learning from videos might be Cooper Carter's master class.
 
ChiroVette said:
Well, okay, here goes!

I play a lot of Grateful Dead, and other cover band stuff. I play the Garcia parts, so for those tunes, I need a really super clean, hot Fender Blackface sound, as well as the same amp configuration with various effects. So one (whatever it's called) would have a clean sound, and ONLY reverb. I use reverb for everything, by the way, even my "clean" sound. So whenever I say clean I mean clean + verb. Then using that same amp setting, I would like one (whatever it's called) plus a good envelope filter (like my MUTRON III). Same Twin sound with an octaver, same adding various degrees of OD and Distortion. Same Twin with a digital delay only, and yet another with just a little chorus or flange as the only effect. Again, this would ALL be different (whatever they're called) within the sub category of my "Jerry Garcia" sounds. I would prefer for now not to turn individual effects on or off with the pedals, and would rather cycle through like 10 or 12 different sounds within whatever grouping that Blackface amp would be in.

Then I would like to also have a good Santana distortion sound. He uses PRS + Mesa Boogie. Maybe a Santana clean sound, too? Probably not, though.

Then, whatever amp Lukather uses, I would like to have at least one sound for the Toto version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps.


Eventually, I will expand my usage and have more and more sounds when I learn what the hell I am doing lol

So I can see in the future having ten different santana sounds, say five different Mark Knophler sounds, five different Lukather sounds, etc, etc.

Again, from what I am reading in this forum, I really think my needs are a lot simpler than most of the people here. I am not ready to even think about looping, pitch changing, harmonizing and all the other awesome stuff the FM9 can do. Later, yes, definitely. But right now all I want is to replace my amp and all my effects, and do it seamlessly for different guitar styles and genres.
Click to expand...
From your description scenes will be your friend. With the FM9 you can have one preset with eight different scenes. Lots of very informative videos on YouTube or linked above that will guide you in setting up the FM9.

Although you can cycle through the stock presets until you find something you like I recommend you download the Kitchen Sink Preset by Mark Wein from the Axechange. This will give you an idea of how to setup your own preset. You can then adjust to your preference from there. Ensure you read the entire thread so you understand how to load a preset and cab.

https://forum.fractalaudio.com/thre...ng-gigs-with-the-free-preset-included.192458/
 
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Think of a simple traditional guitar rig:

Guitar -> drive pedal -> amp -> speaker cabinet

Aside from the guitar, each of the components above is represented by a block.

In simplest terms, one preset is a one guitar rig.

A preset contains the blocks and the "cables" connecting them:

Input block -> Drive block -> Amp block -> Cab block -> Output block.

The Input / Output blocks are there to allow you to choose where the input signal comes from and where the output signal goes.

Each block has multiple channels. That allows you to have different sets of settings for that block. For example channel A of your Drive block might be a Tube Driver and channel B might be a Fuzz Face.

The next level is Scenes. A scene is just a saved setting within a given preset of the on/off state as well as the channel selection of each block.

To extend the previous example, within your preset you might have the following:

Scene 1 has Input, Amp, Cab, Output engaged (active) with each on block on channel A.

Scene 2, everything is the same but the Drive on channel A is also engaged (Tube Screamer).

Scene 3 is the same as Scene 2 except the Drive block is now on channel B (Fuzz Face).
 
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