it sounds like it boosts the input block output? Can I hook a expression pedal to this CC somehow? thanks
"Added Output 1 Volume Increment and ... Decrement CC assignments."
it says "Output" not Input. this is the Output block, not the Input output.
this allows the Output 1 Block to be increased or decreased using a button on a midi controller.
I maxed the global setup input for input 1 and still find myself boosting output on the Input Block at least 5db on every preset just to get a little breakup going on.
i haven't read the entire thread, but raising the output level of the Input block isn't the way to get break up on an amp. you wouldn't really do that with real gear, assuming you can indefinitely increase the output of your guitar which is the most congruent comparison.
there are many, many ways to get breakup from an amp. the first is to choose an appropriate amp. make sure the amp itself can do that.
next is to simply increase the Amp Gain. that's probably the #1 way that everyone gets "breakup" from any amp, real or modeled. from there you can add a drive pedal of various types, or increase the Input Trim in the amp block (increasing gain without changing tone). and there's still many more ways to do this.
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i see that the original issue is dealing with different guitars. comparing to the Axe Standard and the physical Input knob, i can see how this is different and possibly confusing.
however, the Input stage has been different since 2011 and the Axe-Fx II. it's now a digital setting that adjusts the Signal to Noise ratio, as has been explained a few times earlier in the thread.
i think first the comparison between how the Standard worked vs the how the Axe3 works needs to be understood - they are not the same.
as far as setting the Instrument Input volume in the SETUP menu on the Axe3, set it for your highest guitar and leave it there. that's the recommended way. as mentioned, changing this specific setting does NOT increase gain to the grid/layout/amp. it's a signal to noise ratio. it is different than how the Axe Standard worked.
from there, most people use different presets for different guitars so you can optimize whatever you want. i know some who instead use a physical volume/boost pedal of some sort before the Axe to boost the output of their lower output guitars.
the Axe-Fx III is designed to use Presets. a real amp, you could say, is more of a "global" device, as the settings are just "there" and you change what you need. but you don't change amps with a real amp like you do with the Axe, and if you do change amps, you change Presets to the settings you have previously set.
it's been said that at some point the home screen of the Axe3 will have a "performance mode" or something that has assignable controls right on the main screen. when this does happen, if you do only use 1 preset during a performance, you can set one of those knobs to Amp Gain or something similar and turn that when you change guitars - this is exactly what you'd do on a real amp.
until then, the best solution really is to have presets for each guitar so you can adjust everything exactly how you want per guitar.