Axe-Fx 3 Seamless No Gap Scene Switching

[State of Epicicity]

And for anyone who’d like to see my gapless spreadsheet and detailed description, here is the thread:

Thread 'My construction of Gapless Presets'
https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/my-construction-of-gapless-presets.176655/

 

[GuitarGuy316]

I just don’t understand how it has this much power but can’t be gapless between two amps within the same preset. I’m talking about scene changes not changing presets.

 

[State of Epicicity]

I just don’t understand how it has this much power but can’t be gapless between two amps within the same preset. I’m talking about scene changes not changing presets.

It totally can be gapless between two amps in the same preset; you set them up in parallel and use the Multiplexer to switch between them. If you want to get more complicated, you can add Scene Controllers for eight gaplessly switching tones between two amps in the same preset. You can get even crazier and throw in four different drives in front of another Multiplexer and have eight very different tones that switch gaplessly in the same preset.

Two keys to it are: do not switch amp or drive channels, and do not use bypass states for blocks. Essentially everything runs all the time, and you're just using a Multiplexer to switch between which tone is current audible. Further, if you Scene Controllers, you have to set three parameters in every modifier to their fastest setting, which I've detailed in the thread I've linked.

If you need any help in setting it up, just ask away.

 

[GuitarGuy316]

It totally can be gapless between two amps in the same preset; you set them up in parallel and use the Multiplexer to switch between them. If you want to get more complicated, you can add Scene Controllers for eight gaplessly switching tones between two amps in the same preset. You can get even crazier and throw in four different drives in front of another Multiplexer and have eight very different tones that switch gaplessly in the same preset.

Two keys to it are: do not switch amp or drive channels, and do not use bypass states for blocks. Essentially everything runs all the time, and you're just using a Multiplexer to switch between which tone is current audible. Further, if you Scene Controllers, you have to set three parameters in every modifier to their fastest setting, which I've detailed in the thread I've linked.

If you need any help in setting it up, just ask away.

Maybe I need to see an example preset in Axe Edit.

 

[orion32773]

Leon has a good video overview of FW20 and I believe he shows the setup in there.

 

[State of Epicicity]

Maybe I need to see an example preset in Axe Edit.

No problem. Here's a more simple preset, where you've got gapless switching between eight tones in two amps. To really see what I've done in Axe-Edit, other than the layout itself, click Controllers in the upper left area of the window, then click Modifiers at the very bottom. You'll see how I've assigned particular Scene Controllers to particular modifiers for each Amp Block. You can then click Scene Ctrl 1+2 and 3+4 to see how I've laid out the Scene Controller values. Then I recommend looking at the individual modifiers in the Amp Blocks to see how I've set the curves. Setting up Scene Controllers really makes it so you can have one amp with eight different gapless tones without even using a Multiplexer.

The three parameters in any Scene Controller Modifier Menu you need to change to make the parameter gapless are:

Set Attack to 0.0 ms.

Set Release to 0.0 ms.

Set Update Rate to Fast.

Everything else is a matter of how you want the parameter change in relation to the Scene Controller percentages you set under the Controllers menu. That's where my spreadsheet comes in, where I've mapped it out ahead of time. That's in the post I linked.

 

[is9582]

No problem. Here's a more simple preset, where you've got gapless switching between eight tones in two amps. To really see what I've done in Axe-Edit, other than the layout itself, click Controllers in the upper left area of the window, then click Modifiers at the very bottom. You'll see how I've assigned particular Scene Controllers to particular modifiers for each Amp Block. You can then click Scene Ctrl 1+2 and 3+4 to see how I've laid out the Scene Controller values. Then I recommend looking at the individual modifiers in the Amp Blocks to see how I've set the curves. Setting up Scene Controllers really makes it so you can have one amp with eight different gapless tones without even using a Multiplexer.

The three parameters in any Scene Controller Modifier Menu you need to change to make the parameter gapless are:

Set Attack to 0.0 ms.

Set Release to 0.0 ms.

Set Update Rate to Fast.

Everything else is a matter of how you want the parameter change in relation to the Scene Controller percentages you set under the Controllers menu. That's where my spreadsheet comes in, where I've mapped it out ahead of time. That's in the post I linked.

Excellent! I look forward to giving this a try, and maybe even trying your deeper ideas. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Lee

 

[State of Epicicity]

Excellent! I look forward to giving this a try, and maybe even trying your deeper ideas. Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Lee

Oh Awesome! This is something most people don't care about, so I'm curious to see how it hits you. Enjoy the preset, and of course, if you have trouble with anything or you have any questions, please let me know!

 

[Honken]

I love gapless presets! This is my obsession with programming the Axe-FX III. I like having four Drive Blocks in parallel, then a Multiplexer, then two amps, then another Multiplexer. I also do not bypass anything, and I do not switch Channels for Drives or Amps; instead of Channels I use Scene Controllers, which can also be gapless, if you set each modifier for maximum speed (three settings to watch there). I create a spreadsheet for the settings that change between eight Scenes, calculating the Scene Controller settings for different values. You can then use altered modifier curves to assign multiple parameters to the same Scene Controller, up to 32 modifiers. It’s a son of a bitch to program, but totally with it, and utterly gapless.

If you search the forum for the term gapless in the title with my username, I’ve posted my spreadsheet calculations (Input Gain took some figuring). If you have any questions, let me know!

I'll check it out. I have been working on a similar project, without the spreadsheet, but certainly with notes. I feel like the axe 3 is a fantastic playground for my nerdy needs. Never had anything like it, and i really love it. And just the fact that it keeps getting better are quite insane! (In the best possible way)

The magic with this box is that it's kind of endless. People coming up with great sounds and solutions! I just got to love it!

 

[State of Epicicity]

I'll check it out. I have been working on a similar project, without the spreadsheet, but certainly with notes. I feel like the axe 3 is a fantastic playground for my nerdy needs. Never had anything like it, and i really love it. And just the fact that it keeps getting better are quite insane! (In the best possible way)

The magic with this box is that it's kind of endless. People coming up with great sounds and solutions! I just got to love it!

The power and flexibility in the box are really quite astounding. I use a very small fraction of what it can do, and I'm still amazed. It truly is just a dedicated full fledged tone machine / Bob Bradshaw in a box.

 

[Honken]

The power and flexibility in the box are really quite astounding. I use a very small fraction of what it can do, and I'm still amazed. It truly is just a dedicated full fledged tone machine / Bob Bradshaw in a box.

Yes! It truly is an amazing piece of gear! I've checked your posts! This is what it's all about. Your contribution by this spreadsheet, and the fact that you are willing to share makes it even more awesome. Thank you! Great to have a place like this! Almost every user use the axe differently, and I got so much to learn! Got to love it!

 

[State of Epicicity]

Yes! It truly is an amazing piece of gear! I've checked your posts! This is what it's all about. Your contribution by this spreadsheet, and the fact that you are willing to share makes it even more awesome. Thank you! Great to have a place like this! Almost every user use the axe differently, and I got so much to learn! Got to love it!

No problem, Man! Hope you get some good use out of it, and hopefully it'll save you some time in working out your presets if you start to incorporate Scene Controllers too. But if you run into any snags, just let me know.