Axe-Fx III Firmware Version 1.15

1.15

Added (2) IR Player blocks. These are simple versions of the Cabinet block that can be used to process IRs for various purposes such as applying Tone Matches separate from the Tone Match block. For example, an IR Player block can be used to apply a Tone Match of a guitar at the beginning of a chain leaving the Tone Match block available for amp matching.

Added Output 1 Volume Increment and Output 1 Volume Decrement CC assignments. When the CC assigned to Volume Increment/Decrement is received the scene volume for Output 1 is incremented or decremented by 1 dB and the preset automatically saved.

Added Metronome function. To enable the metronome press the Tempo button and adjust the level for the desired output(s). Note: the metronome levels persist across presets and are reset to OFF at power on.

Improved Looper block:

  1. Added Record Threshold parameter. When set to a value greater than -80 dB recording will not

    start until the input signal exceeds the set value. The Record icon will blink when the Looper is armed for recording and will turn solid when recording starts. The meter at the bottom of the page can be used to help set the Threshold. Use the soft knob or main Value knob to adjust the threshold value (or use the Record Threshold parameter on the Config page).

  2. Added Trim Start and Trim End parameters to the Looper block. These parameters can be used to adjust the start and end points of the loop. The graph on the Control page provides visualization of the loop and the start/end points.

  3. Added Quantize parameter. When set to ON the loop length is quantized to the nearest beat.

  4. Added Record 2nd Press parameter. Choices are Overdub – existing behavior, second press of

    Record ends loop and enters overdub; Play – second press of Record ends loop and enters play;

    Stop – second press of Record ends loop.

  5. Added Speed parameter. When Speed is set to HALF the virtual tape runs at half the normal

    speed. The speed can be also be toggled via a MIDI CC message.

  6. Improved cross-fading at the start and end of the loop.
Added Mode parameter to Tone Match block. When set to OFF-LINE the processing is adjusted to better suit matching recorded sources such as guitar stems. When set to LIVE the processing is as before and better suited to matching a real-time source such as the output of a guitar amp.

Added Damping Time to Sequencer. This controls the time it takes to slew from the one value to the next.

Improved CPU usage for Synthesizer block when oscillator type is white or pink noise.

Improved Tuner.
Various GUI tweaks and improvements.

Changes/improvements to 3rd-Party MIDI device support (see AXE-FX III MIDI FOR THIRD-PARTY DEVICES document for details).

Fixed ADSR graphs not initializing properly on preset recall.

Fixed some parameter displays dependent on Tempo, i.e. Delay Time, not updating when new Tempo is entered.

Fixed Mixer and Multiplexer blocks shouldn’t be bypassable. Fixed Tremolo block bug when LFO Type set to SAW DOWN.
 
The big question: does the pitch change with looper speed change?!?! Lol I guess I'll find out (hint: I really hope it doesn't change) :D Can't wait to try this and see the new tuner. Thanks, Cliff!
 
Hint: "virtual tape"
So that would be a yes then.

Austin
Well, that's the wording that scared me a little, but hopefully pitch doesn't change... Unless you've already tried it out and you're telling me emphatically that pitch does indeed change. I don't understand how changing pitch in a looper could ever be useful to anyone. On the other hand, I can see countless times and ways that being able to adjust the tempo of a loop while maintaining a consistent pitch would be useful and practical.
 
I am getting the following Fractal-Bot error. Currently, I'm at 1.14 / usb 1.06:

A time-out has occurred while attempting to query the firmware version. Please verify the following:

1) The connected device matches the selected device.
2) The device is connected to the computer and powered on.
3) The device driver is properly installed.

If the device is an Axe-Fx II running firmware version 8.0 or earlier, you need to use Fractal-Bot version 1.2.7.

What to do?
 
Real-time audio stretching, “elastic” audio etc, ala what a program like Ableton Live can produce so that you can change the speed but not the pitch is pretty demanding in terms of audio processing. I don’t think we will see such a feature in a standard audio looper anytime soon.
 
"Added Mode parameter to Tone Match block. When set to OFF-LINE the processing is adjusted to better suit matching recorded sources such as guitar stems. When set to LIVE the processing is as before and better suited to matching a real-time source such as the output of a guitar amp."

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Real-time audio stretching, “elastic” audio etc, ala what a program like Ableton Live can produce so that you can change the speed but not the pitch is pretty demanding in terms of audio processing. I don’t think we will see such a feature in a standard audio looper anytime soon.
Well, you seem to know more about the tech than I do, but I have a JamMan Stereo that can do it that's many years old, as can my Trio+ (couple years old as well). Again, maybe it is too processor-intensive, but I still have my fingers crossed - because, again, what use is stretching the time if it also makes everything you play on top of it out of tune by changing pitch?
 
Well, you seem to know more about the tech than I do, but I have a JamMan Stereo that can do it that's many years old, as can my Trio+ (couple years old as well). Again, maybe it is too processor-intensive, but I still have my fingers crossed - because, again, what use is stretching the time if it also makes everything you play on top of it out of tune by changing pitch?
It's not stretching time, is playing at half speed... Which will be 1 octave lower and in tune.

Also can be cool to overdub in half speed mode and switch to normal speed to get octave up.
 
It's not stretching time, is playing at half speed... Which will be 1 octave lower and in tune.
Also can be cool to overdub in half speed mode and switch to normal speed to get octave up.

Love it. Great as an effect for ambient music. This function has been on every Axe FX product to date. Glad it's back.

I kept my Axe FXII+ because this feature wasn't on the Axe FXIII until now, and it was something I used a lot for ambient music.
Now it's on the AxeFXIII I can finally sell my Axe FXII+ and buy an extra Axe FXIII and FC12 for backup.

I personally would never use a half speed function that didn't change the pitch. I can just play faster or slower. If it was an additional function you could choose or still use the half speed function as it is now that would be ok. As long as they don't change one for the other. I like the new half speed function just as it is. Thanks!
 
Love it. Great as an effect for ambient music. This function has been on every Axe FX product to date. Glad it's back.

I kept my Axe FXII+ because this feature wasn't on the Axe FXIII until now, and it was something I used a lot for ambient music.
Now it's on the AxeFXIII I can finally sell my Axe FXII+ and buy an extra Axe FXIII and FC12 for backup.

I personally would never use a half speed function that didn't change the pitch. I can just play faster or slower. If it was an additional function you could choose or still use the half speed function as it is now that would be ok. As long as they don't change one for the other. I like the new half speed function just as it is. Thanks!

I think it would be great to have both options (especially if you could tie a non-pitch-shifting tempo change to an expression pedal), but I'm a big fan of the tape-simulation half speed.

Austin
 
Well, you seem to know more about the tech than I do, but I have a JamMan Stereo that can do it that's many years old, as can my Trio+ (couple years old as well). Again, maybe it is too processor-intensive, but I still have my fingers crossed - because, again, what use is stretching the time if it also makes everything you play on top of it out of tune by changing pitch?

It’s certainly not new tech, Ableton has been doing it since day one, though surprisingly a lot of software is only now getting around to it, like my NI Maschine finally started to have real time audio time stretch, so you can adjust audio loops to tempo.

I think it’s essentially just chopping the audio up into little slices and adding gaps of time, keeping the pitch, transients, etc. The “complicated” part is where to add gaps of time since you can’t just evenly space it or you’d lose the rhythm. Ableton etc looks at the loop, defects the beats, and adds markers which it uses to determine the bpm, then can use that into to sync to another bmp.

That’s how you can do it well, with a very natural sound quality, doesn’t seem processed.

Other software, like a lot of dj software can do tempo adjustment while trying to keep the key of the track sounding natural, but all it does is kind of a crude pitch shift effect. Play the track faster to match bmp, vocals start to sound like chipmunks, so it can pitch it down a bit to sound more natural, but then it just sounds synthetic, it’s the right bmp and pitch, but often not very pleasant sounding, imo

I think the Axe could adjust looper speed and then run a pitch block to account for the change in loop speed, but it’s not going to sound quite “right” to the picky ears of most guitarist.

If you can take the loop, analyze it, chop up the audio, and then play those slices back in real-time with a different tempo it would work, but I don’t know if the Axe software really is able to handle that type of algorithm. Some stuff that’s easy to do in a PC environment with a DAW can be tricky to do in a dedicated DSP environment.

Again, I’m not saying it’s not possible, but I think it would take a lot of processing resources and probably a good bit of coding, to make it work well and sound natural.

I think it would be sweet too to have a bank of loops stored in the unit and you could recall those on the fly, have them match the tempo your playing at etc, but the Axe certainly can get an added storage ability, short of the USB port being able to read a flash drive, which again while easy in a PC environment may not have the framework needed for usb mass storage.

“Best” solution I’ve found is simply using Ableton via a laptop. Then you can do looping, time stretch, trigger clips on the fly etc. Way more powerful than a simple looper block.

The Axe looper is pretty good, but does just a basic job. Dedicated hardware or software with a controller is more what you need to really do those one man band, lots of loops and layers. I think Ed Sheeran uses Ableton with a custom midi foot controller. Interesting setup with way more control than using just a simple pedal.
 
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