Axe fx 3 midi compatibility problem

NOGALOSH

Member
Hi everyone
I recently bought an Axe fx 3 v1 for use in my home studio. I've upgraded from the Boss GX-100 I've been using.
Not wishing for extra outlay, it seems a good idea to me, to use the Boss as a MIDI controller for the Axe fx 3. It has an expression pedal, 8 footswitches and 2 extra control switch options via jack.
I don't need anything complicated, just the option to switch sounds via programs or scenes during a recording, really.
Let me say first that I have a Digitech GNX-3000 that I have connected via midi to the Axe fx 3, and it changes programmes and banks on the Axe perfectly well, if a bit slow.
Apparently, the GNX does not output CC commands, so it must be doing this via PC program change. I have not had to alter any settings.
My studio is small, and the GNX is big. I would like to keep the Boss for alternative sounds and backup, but don't have room for loads of pedalboards. But the Boss WILL NOT work for me.. I've been trying for 3 days.
I have set the parameters according to my best logic, and the instructions in the parameters manual
( downloadable at Boss website ) but no matter what I try, and I have tried a lot of options, the best I can get is the Axe fx jumping between 2 presets on 2 buttons, often many numbers apart, but mainly nothing at all..
Surely the standard MIDI program changes should be sent by the Boss, just as the GNX is doing.? What's wrong.?
Can anyone help please.?
It's very frustrating..
Thanks.
 
There is a MIDI settings page in the AxeFX, might be worth looking there to make sure everything is ready to go
 
Quite often getting different devices to “play nicely with each other” requires some additional “translation” work. The AFX has an adequate amount of MIDI support, but NONE of it is automatic — it requires assigning incoming MIDI messages to map to certain AFX actions. The wiki has loads of info re: same. Have fun!

BTW — if you bought your AF3 second-hand the previous owner may have mapped things already, which might be why you’re getting only partial responses. If you haven’t already done so, you may need to wipe the previous settings so you can start with a clean slate.

Also BTW: RJM sells a number of relatively inexpensive and small midi controllers, and Ron The Owner has already done much of the midi mapping to support AFX gear.
 
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You can take RJMs playbook and send Sysex to control the Axe, then no mapping required. Otherwise, as mentioned by others, you need to map your Axe to receive incoming CC or PC. There is a spreadsheet floating around the forum someplace that calculates sysex commands for you if so interested. Either way, there is no plug and play unless you want to go with an RJM unit.
 
You can take RJMs playbook and send Sysex to control the Axe, then no mapping required. Otherwise, as mentioned by others, you need to map your Axe to receive incoming CC or PC. There is a spreadsheet floating around the forum someplace that calculates sysex commands for you if so interested. Either way, there is no plug and play unless you want to go with an RJM unit.
There isn't a spec of Sysex commands for the Axe-Fx 3 out there beyond a simple one that lets you get/set bypass/channel/scene states, all of which you can toggle via MIDI anyway. In any case it's not something OP should need to do.

OP should make sure that the mapping on the Axe-Fx looks right. For preset changes just sending the right PC messages on the Axe-Fx 3 MIDI channel should work unless the mapping settings are not set right. It might be a good idea to reset it to factory settings.
 
Boss/Roland MIDI implementations are amongst the best out there. I've been using them to control the gear on my rack since many years ago. (e.g.: VG8 + Axe-FX Standard, VG99 + Axe-FX Ultra, GP-10 + Axe-FX II, SY-1000 + Axe-FX III) Double-check the settings of your GX-100 and Axe-FX
 
Make sure PC Mapping on the Axe Fx is OFF to start.

Otherwise simple PC should "just work".

I would also suggest resetting system parameters if you bought it used.
 
Make sure PC Mapping on the Axe Fx is OFF to start.

Otherwise simple PC should "just work".

I would also suggest resetting system parameters if you bought it used.
Hi, thanks, I have reset the system parameters on the Boss, and the AXF.
It seems to me that I must have the AFX set up correctly, as the Digitech GNX controls it correctly with PC messages, so it must be receiving them, and reacting correctly.
I have set midi mapping to 'off' on the AFX, contrary to my logic, my initial thought being that I would want that 'on' as I am trying to make use of what appears to me, to be a program change midi map on the AFX. Can you explain why that should be 'off' please.? Perhaps I could grasp the logic better..
In any case, the problem seems to be with the Boss, which does appear to have quite comprehensive MIDI settings, mainly concerning CC messages, which are set to off. MIDI OUT is set to 'on' , clock to auto, I've also tried just about every option by trial and error to no avail or just sometimes making the AXF jump to a different preset on random buttons - not all of them.
Either I'm missing something pretty obvious, or there is a problem with the Boss IMO. I'm amazed that this simple operation is causing so much trouble. This should work by default.
The GNX is an old device, but works perfectly and immediately with no setup adjustments.
I will try connecting the Boss to the GNX and see if it can manage to control that..
I might get some clues.
 
Hi, thanks, I have reset the system parameters on the Boss, and the AXF.
It seems to me that I must have the AFX set up correctly, as the Digitech GNX controls it correctly with PC messages, so it must be receiving them, and reacting correctly.
I have set midi mapping to 'off' on the AFX, contrary to my logic, my initial thought being that I would want that 'on' as I am trying to make use of what appears to me, to be a program change midi map on the AFX. Can you explain why that should be 'off' please.? Perhaps I could grasp the logic better..
In any case, the problem seems to be with the Boss, which does appear to have quite comprehensive MIDI settings, mainly concerning CC messages, which are set to off. MIDI OUT is set to 'on' , clock to auto, I've also tried just about every option by trial and error to no avail or just sometimes making the AXF jump to a different preset on random buttons - not all of them.
Either I'm missing something pretty obvious, or there is a problem with the Boss IMO. I'm amazed that this simple operation is causing so much trouble. This should work by default.
The GNX is an old device, but works perfectly and immediately with no setup adjustments.
I will try connecting the Boss to the GNX and see if it can manage to control that..
I might get some clues.
It's ok to use PC Mapping but that's not default behavior and it should be used when you know what you're doing.

By default, when you send PC#1 you want it to go to preset 1.

The main reasons to use PC Mapping is if you specifically want to map specific PCs from the controller to different presets on the Fractal... OR in the case where you want to use a PC to select a specific preset+scene combination.

The latter case is typically when your controller can't do the "magic" required to select scenes in the "native" way.

I don't know the expected switch behavior of the GX-100 but I think that's what you need to look into.
If you want to do Scenes you'll need to make sure the GX-100 supports specifying both the CC# and the CC data value. Many older devices only allow specifying the CC# and then they just send CC data values for "off" and "on".

Edited to correct device names.
 
Ok - I just did a review of the GX-100 manual:

https://static.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/GX-100_Reference_eng01_W.pdf

It can send a PC from a "memory" (a preset, as far as I can tell) via the 1-4 buttons.

It can also send CC with the C1 or C2 buttons (or pass the expression pedal midi).

Only the "from" section on the below page is relevant:
IMG_5744.jpeg

Also the section starting on page 49 seems to indicate that the switches 1-4 can be programmed to send CCs, including min/max values (which should allow scene selection) and PCs.

The Midi part at the end of page 52 details the settings for CCs and PCs.

IMG_5745.jpeg

Make sure to send on the correct midi channel (I think Fractal defaults to channel 1, but you can check in the global menu).

Hopefully this helps get you going.

See if you can get PCs working first. After that, scenes would be next - they are more complicated.
 
thanks for taking the time to look at the Boss manual..
That information at the end of page 52 looks hopeful. I will have a closer look at that and hope for the best.
I'm wondering if the target may be set to cc rather than pc. I have not seen that option mentioned until now.
If I have success, I will post the solution, in case others have the same problem.
Thanks again to everyone
 
thanks for taking the time to look at the Boss manual..
That information at the end of page 52 looks hopeful. I will have a closer look at that and hope for the best.
I'm wondering if the target may be set to cc rather than pc. I have not seen that option mentioned until now.
If I have success, I will post the solution, in case others have the same problem.
Thanks again to everyone
The screenshot I included shows the target can be PC or CC...
 
Thanks again.. I have continued to try, by modifying the pc targets with no success..
After having made my modifications, and exiting the menus, the AFX does not respond, and if I then go back to the MIDI menus, all my new settings have been lost.
I feel that they disappear as soon as I exit the menus, but there is no save option.
I give up.. I guess I really should be on a Boss forum with this problem.. I'm amazed that it doesn't output PC messages by default. Maybe it's faulty.?
I do notice that there is an effects block on the AFX 3 that gives options for scene changes via CC messages. This could be a better way to go, so I'll give it a try, and get back with the results sometime soon.!
 
Maybe if you uploaded a backup of your Axe-FX III settings, that might help pinpoint a problem. Also, putting up a video of your settings on both units might help too. Sorry you're having trouble. My first thought was simply that there was a mismatch with the MIDI channel, as Unix mentioned.

Also, maybe contacting Fractal support would help if none of the suggestions here end up solving the problem. Those guys are very quick to respond and extremely helpful.
 
What you really need to do is SEE what's going on with your Boss MIDI messages.

I would highly recommend connecting your GX-100 to your computer and using MIDI-OX to actually know what messages are being sent. This will immediately tell you if it's an AFX or GX-100 issue.

Speaking of which, that might be something for the wishlist! Display incomming midi messages on the axefx for troubleshooting.
 
What you really need to do is SEE what's going on with your Boss MIDI messages.

I would highly recommend connecting your GX-100 to your computer and using MIDI-OX to actually know what messages are being sent. This will immediately tell you if it's an AFX or GX-100 issue.

Speaking of which, that might be something for the wishlist! Display incomming midi messages on the axefx for troubleshooting.
+1 - I could not
live without a midi monitor to show me what's being sent thru when doing similar stuff. Without it, you're driving blind when debugging or setting up new midi processes.
 
I do notice that there is an effects block on the AFX 3 that gives options for scene changes via CC messages.
I think you're confusing things.

Changing scenes on the Axe Fx doesn't happen via a block on the Axe Fx. It's done by FC controllers or external midi CCs.

I suspect you're talking about the Scene Midi block which is for sending midi OUT from the Axe Fx to control other midi devices.
 
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Maybe if you uploaded a backup of your Axe-FX III settings, that might help pinpoint a problem. Also, putting up a video of your settings on both units might help too. Sorry you're having trouble. My first thought was simply that there was a mismatch with the MIDI channel, as Unix mentioned.

Also, maybe contacting Fractal support would help if none of the suggestions here end up solving the problem. Those guys are very quick to respond and extremely helpful.
Thanks, I'll try and make a video of the settings on the Boss. I don't think it can be a problem with the AFX settings, as the Digitech GNX3000 controls the program changes perfectly via PC output. It's not capable of sending CC messages.
I'll film the AFX settings too though..
 
What you really need to do is SEE what's going on with your Boss MIDI messages.

I would highly recommend connecting your GX-100 to your computer and using MIDI-OX to actually know what messages are being sent. This will immediately tell you if it's an AFX or GX-100 issue.

Speaking of which, that might be something for the wishlist! Display incomming midi messages on the axefx for troubleshooting.
Thanks. I'm not familiar with MIDI-OX, but it sounds like a downloadable programme, so I'll try and find that, as it sounds very useful.
I'll upload some screenshots if I can manage it.
I do hope I can get the MIDI working, as the Boss GX-100 would make quite a nice MIDI pedal, and is a pretty good unit in itself.
Sounds warm and sweet, with plenty of nice effects. It would be a shame to get rid of it..
 
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