Last night, thinking of this thread, I created a new all-in-one patch to cover 95% of what I play. This will be my go-to to practice and not tweak.
Outside of clearing the existing blocks, I did it all on the AX8 interface itself. It took about 15-20 minutes or so. Using the amp knobs made it much quicker and easier to tweak the tone, more like an amp, less like a plugin. I used my ears more than my eyes.
Useful shortcuts:
Double-click Edit to X/Y current block
Shift + Edit to bypass the current block
Shift + double-click Edit to reset the current block
Edit to toggle through blocks
Page and Shift + Page to change pages
For the patch itself, I first picked a fairly neutral ML Creamback Mix cab, then picked a JTM45 to do my cleans, turned up just to the point it starts to get pushed when hitting the strings hard. Added some output compression in the amp block otherwise didn't play with the advanced settings at all. Afterwards, I went to the cab and changed it to Greenback M.
Then for the Y Amp, I picked the Friedman HBE. Again, dialed in the knobs based on what I was hearing rather than seeing. Depth way down, bass up a bit, mids up a bit, treble up a bit, presence way down.
Then I went through each effect, turned them on one at a time, auditioned models, and then made my adjustments. Used a BB Pre for a crunchy classic rock tone. Filter with a midrange boost for leads. Dimension chorus with the mix turned down a bit. Tremolo with the rate turned down a bit. BBD delay with more modulation dialed in (both rate and depth) plus tweaking the EQ (changed the slopes and frequencies for a bit more high end). Enhancer for a wider stereo. Reverb is Studio C with a touch lower mix.
Finally, I assigned the footswitches: Bottom row S1, S2, S3, and Filter for boosts. Top row Trem, Chorus, Delay, and Enhancer. Went to the layout page and adjusted my blocks for each scene. S1 is X amp and Reverb. S2 is X amp with Drive and Reverb. S3 is Y amp with Reverb.
I think this is how the AX8 is meant to be used, and honestly I really liked it. Sure the computer interface is easier to use but this kept me more focused on listening to the adjustments rather than typing them in or being tempted to make other changes. Felt more like dialing in pedals and an amp.