Do you prefer stomb box or patch switching approach live?

Do you have the MCF-101? And are you using Axe fx Mode?
So your IA function change from one patch to the other?
I think this is not possible in Axe Fx Mode? I also think it is not possible to have multiple functions/changes under one IA switch in Axe fx Mode?
So far I have used only Axe fx mode on the MCF for convenience but maybe it is limiting too or maybe I am not ware of all the possibilities of it (?).
(I am not using Scenes either)

In Axe-Fx Mode IAs assigned to Axe-Fx functions (f.e. AMP 1, or PHA X/Y) stay the same across presets.

But if you assign an IA to an external controller (CC) instead, the switch functionality can be different per preset.
Because in one preset you can assign that external controller to Chorus Bypass, in another preset to QuadChorus Bypass etc. etc.
And you can still make use of the Axe-Fx Mode functionality (such as tuner display, preset name display).
 
Do you have the MCF-101? And are you using Axe fx Mode?
So your IA function change from one patch to the other?
I think this is not possible in Axe Fx Mode? I also think it is not possible to have multiple functions/changes under one IA switch in Axe fx Mode?
So far I have used only Axe fx mode on the MCF for convenience but maybe it is limiting too or maybe I am not ware of all the possibilities of it (?).
(I am not using Scenes either)

i'm not using the FAS MFC-101, i'm using a Yamaha MFC-10. my IA switches are attached to external controllers in the axe fx. which means they're not tied to a specific effect. i can use any switch to turn any effect on and off and also use the same switch to adjust other parameters like reverb level, at the same time. i just tend to have them set up the same in each patch, so i can remember what they do, but they don't have to be. in some patches the second switch bypasses the rotary block instead of the chorus block.

in my ambient patches, the switches do completely different things, like bypass pitch shifters, delays, ring modulators, whammy's etc. using external modifiers gives you the freedom to do this
 
ok, thank you both for explaining. If you are using multiple presets it might be hard to remember where every IA is for when you are using a different function for the same IA in different presets.
That's why I stayed with normal Axe fx mode where each IA turns off/on one effect. And I am using 3 expression pedal for volume, delay, and clean/drive morph or wah etc.
And I use one external Boss 2 way switch (FU6) for delay tempo and delay X Y (quarter, dotted note choice).

But it might be nice to use one IA to change several parameters at once.
 
If you are using multiple presets it might be hard to remember where every IA is for when you are using a different function for the same IA in different presets.

yes, it's potentially a problem and i do occasionally forget what a switch does in patches that i don't use very much, but the covers band patches are all set up pretty much the same, so i don't have to think too hard :)
 
FCB1010, presets on top row (6-10), scenes and tuner on bottom row (1-5) until I can figure out something better.
 
I only use presets (perhaps because I am used to play with Synths and Sound Modules). I don't even use scenes or X/Y
Same here. Never even had a pedalboard in the old days (had a nice rack with a looper as soon as I could afford it).
Beauty of the Axe is that everyone can use it their own way, right?8)
B.
 
I use a combination of patches, stompbox type and scenes.

I only have about 15 patches 3 of them cover 90% of the 240+ songs we do and a few are specific to a song, like Money for Nothng or another Brick in the Wall etc.

Each non song specific patch is built identically with IA's for:
DRV 1&2 (drive 1 has lower drive than drive 2)
PEQ 3 dB boost with a mid hump
PEQ 6 dB boost with a mid hump
Pitch (down half step)
Chorus
Delay
Reverb
Auto wah
Amp X/Y amp Y generally more drive than X

Then each has the following scenes using the preset switches but after hitting Reveal.
1: only amp and Cab on, default
2: amp X 3db boost and delay on
3: amp X 6 dB boost and delay on
4: amp Y 3db boost and delay on
5: amp Y 6 dB boost and delay on
Then I can use the IA's as required within each scene, it has certainly minimised my tap dancing.

Works for me
 
BTW. This analog pedal input control feels more accurate than going over MIDI, but theres only one pedal jack on the Axe box. I guess it must be that the effect processing resolution inside the Axe is higher than MIDI's 128 steps? :)


Use the damping parameter to smooth out the midi expression pedal control. Works great.
 
Both.
I use 4 patches, each one has the same setup: [drive]...[wha]...[chorus]... amp...cabs... [delay & verb] in parallel.
[] means linked to IA switch.

The gordius take care of last setting per patch: if I set drive off on patch 1, go to patch 2, return to patch 1, drive stay off. Very clever way to minimize tap switching during a song.
 
I use five presets each with I/As for effects/boost/etc. About to upgrade firmware(s) and check out scenes though.
 
Presets for me, but I want to give scenes a try tho. It may just change my way of thinking.
 
Depends.

For pre-determined sets, its patches/scenes. if Im doing a Jam type thing its the stompbox route as i want the flexibilty to change sound and FX on the fly to something not pre-determined.

Consequently I have a set of patches/Scenes for band use and a set of 5/10 amp based patches with a stomp style FX chain for Jams.
 
When you play live with the AxeFx, do you prefer the stomp box approach (staying within one, or a few, preset while using pedals to bypass block) or do you prefer to use the pedals to rather switch between your presets? Or maybe you have a reason for combining both methods in a certain way?

Over here I use a Gordius Little Giant MIDI pedalboard to control my AxeFx. This has banks of ten step-on switches and jacks for four analog expression pedals that gets converted to MIDI that is sent into the AxeFx (and other gear). I like to use the Axe's own analog pedal input for an expression pedal handling delicate functions like "volume pedal" or "freeze reverb" and I want that as a "stomp box" feature to have that pedal instantly playable.
I do neither. I insert all muting/unmuting of blocks and X/Y changes into my backing tracks, and keep a cloned backup laptop. I cue the backing tracks with the Gordius "keypad mode". This gives me instant random access to any axe-fx patch and any backing track, something the MFC doesn't do.

Since you have a gordius, you might like this. For my New Years gig I wanted to run my lights without bringing another footswitch. So I set it up like this.
- Click 0 to activate Gordius "keypad"
- enter the patch/song number
- Click 4 to start the song
- When 4 is clicked, the Gordius goes to work:
1 - it engages "conditional" mode IF/THEN logic
2 - it checks to see IF my vocal effects are muted
3 - IF they are, THEN the gordius unmutes them and turns off the LED on that switch
4 - Immediately after, the gordius engages a "navigate" command and navigates to the bank for lights
5 - All the switches re-map to the light bank so I can cue up different light scenes

All of the above happen instantly without me needing to do anything, and I can bail out if anything goes wrong. You can see some of this in this video.


During the song I change to another light scene. At the end of the song I activate "keypad" to select another song (at random), in this case Devo. Using Gordius "keypad" means I'm not tied down to next-or-previous (stepping up or down) in a list of patches, banks or songs. I have instant random access to everything. AFAIK, only the Gordius can do that, and that's why I bought it.

Something else you'll notice: "Blister" is an acoustic song and "Devo" is an electric song. Axe-Fx routing options let me switch guitars without changing cables or stepping on an a/b switch.

Bottom line? Thanks to Gordius functions of "keypad", "conditional" and "navigate", and thanks to the Axe-Fx rear input 2 and FX loop block, I can run lights, start the next song, and switch guitars fast enough that no one leaves the dance floor.

Now I have two Gordius setups: the one I use all the time, and now this one with added functions to run lights. All I do is hook Gordius to USB and dump down the setup I want - takes a few seconds.
 
I currently use 5 presets, and the rest used for stomp type FX. I am seriously considering going to setting the MFC up for 5 amps, 5 scenes, and 5 additional FX IAs per bank. I'm not sure how that will go but it sounds like a great way to incorporate more variation without getting too drastically different tonally within a song. If I do, I'll post something on how it comes out.
 
Presets for me, but I want to give scenes a try tho. It may just change my way of thinking.

It changed mine. I prefer to use scenes and then squeeze as much out of IA switches and external controllers as I can. I went from 5 presets per bank to a Bank Size of 0 and 5 scenes assigned to those same MFC switches. My original presets weren't wildly different, so I can use 5 scenes within 1 preset to achieve all I was doing before. I keep all the same functionality but have eliminated the audio drop out that comes with switching presets. Since I max out the CPU, the drop outs were audible and made me hesitant to switch patches in the middle of a song. I even got to a point where I would tap dance to engage/disengage multiple effects rather than just switch the preset. I did my last gig with 1 preset. I'm moving in a direction where I have 1 preset for each style that I play with maybe 1 or 2 extras to handle very specific effects.

I keep a null filter before the drive pedal for a gain boost and another at the end of the chain for an overall volume boost. So, even though I can cover 90% of the ground I need to cover with those 5 scenes, within any given scene I use IA's for the drive pedal and 2 filter blocks to get the desired gain/volume. It's generally set up like this:

Scene 1 - Rhythm (Amp X, drive pedal on, null filter boost before drive pedal on)
Scene 2 - Dirty (Amp X, drive pedal off, null filter boost before drive pedal on)
Scene 3 - Clean (Amp Y, drive pedal off, null filter boost before drive pedal off)
Scene 4 - Misc (Generally the same as Scene 1 with most of the effects disengaged but "flipped" to their Y state, for those songs that may need a one-off special effect)
Scene 5 - Lead (Same as Scene 1 but with delay engaged and a null filter volume boost at the end of the chain on as well)

In addition to the scenes, I have the remainder of the switches set up to engage drive, 5 or so modulations set up on a mutually exclusive switch link, both filter boosts, delay, delay x/y, pitch, and ringmod.

Scene 4 is cool because I can "hide" less-used effects here. Most of my go-to effects all reside in the X blocks. Scene 4 flips them to Y, but turned off. If I need a weird effect for a specific part of a song, I can get to it here without too much tap dancing.

Also, since my modulations are mutually exclusive, I can use one expression pedal to control different aspects of those blocks. For example, Exp 2 may control the rate on the rotary block, but feedback on a chorus, etc. I just wish we could get max/min modifiers for musical note values instead of just tempo.

I have also experimented with the toe switch on one of my expression pedals set up as a poor man's X/Y (on top of the existing functionality). For most of my modulation effects, I have a tame setting and a "deep" setting. The toe switch on that pedal will modify depth/feedback/etc to give the engaged modulation effect some extra flavor.
 
I set up my MFC-101 with 10 presets on switches 1 - 10. Top 5 are set up as IA's. I usually use the same "stomp boxes" when playing so that works well for me. I also use volume pedal, and two expression pedals. I have 2 Boss switches in in 1/2 and 3/4. I use the as additional "on/off" switches. One switch is always set to turn Filter 1 on off. I use it as a boost in all of my presets. That way I can vary the amount of gain from a little to a lot, depending on the patch.
 
Guitarist9891;777177 On top of that I like splitting my signal out 1 to foh out 2 to backline for stage monitoring. Scenes dont leave room for that. [/QUOTE said:
Why is that?
 
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