FC Wishlist : Automated Switch Effect Selection Chains

[creativespiral]

I know with per-preset overrides for effects, you can customize everything on a preset-by-preset basis. I've been doing that, but it is time consuming.. especially, as I keep getting distracted with playing the presets.

This idea would just be meant to automate some of that process and create some "intelligent defaults" that just work right out of the box with all factory presets, third party presets, or custom built ones.

With effects blocks in a layout, it would be nice IF that SPECIFIC EFFECT block DOESN'T EXIST in a preset, it would select another "similar block" that does exist for that switch.

For instance, if I've got a switch set to bypass for Delay 1, but the current preset doesn't have a"Delay 1" block, it would check for Delay 2, Delay 3, or Delay 4 and instead switch that... It could even have a longer "selection chain" like:
Delay 1 > Delay 2 > Delay 3 > Delay 4 > MultiDelay 1 > MultiDelay 2 > Megatap 1 > Megatap 2 > Plex 1 > Plex 2 > etc

For drive:
Drive 1 > Drive 2 > Drive 3 > Drive 4

An EQ selection chain:
Graphic EQ 1 > Graphic EQ 2 > Graphic EQ 3 > Graphic EQ 4 > Parametric 1 > Parametric 2 > Parametric 3 > Parametric 4

A Mod FX selection chain:
Phaser 1 > Phaser 2 > Flanger 1 > Flanger 2 > Chorus 1 > Chorus 2 > etc..

A Special FX selection chain:
Synth 1 > Synth 2 > Filter 1 > Filter 2 > Ring Mod > etc..

It would always default to the actual selected block if it exists, or if not, then the next available block that exists in the selection chain.

What I'm imagining is that if you had this sort of intelligent logic of selection chains, it would reduce the need to program in per-preset maps... You could setup like five switches for general effect types (drive, eq, delay, mod, fx) and the FC would automatically adjust to the setup of each particular preset, based on the chain of possible related blocks for that effect type. All factory presets and 3rd party presets would have good effect selections right out of the box... and you wouldn't get lots of empty effect switches.

 

[plyall]

Sounds like a great idea! I wonder how much work that would be on the developer's side though...

 

[SASouth]

What happens when you have Delay 1 and Delay 2 or all four Drives in the same preset?

 

[lqdsnddist]

Problem with “intelligent logic” of a machine is that users don’t always have intelligent logic, so I could see this causing confusion and issues as often as it proves helpful.

If everyone always designed presets exactly the same way, and in the same block order it would work great, but given people use different numbers of blocks, put them in different orders, use block C before B on drive 3 and then 1 etc, I can’t see this working smoothly in all cases.

Likewise, what if someone does something like a linked feature where when chorus is on flanger is off etc, how would the software figure that out?

It’s not a bad idea per say, but I think it would require everyone to use the same “logic” when creating presets, and that probably just isn’t likely

 

[creativespiral]

The idea would be that it would always select the chosen block if it exists in the preset. So you if you setup a switch as Delay 1, it will always control the Delay 1 block if it exists in the preset you have selected. BUT, if the current preset doesn't have a Delay 1 block, the FC/AXE3 would then check for if there's another Delay block that that switch should control... ie: quickly scan through the blocks used after loading the preset,.. and if a Delay 2,3,4 block exists, control that block instead, or if the preset doesn't use a standard delay, but instead uses a MultiDelay block, it would control that.

It would always control the chosen switch if exists in the preset, but have some "intelligent logic" to check for other similar blocks that the switch should control, if it would otherwise just be an empty/blank switch. You would just have to decide on some fallback chains for each effect block type, like I listed in first post, and then run a quick block scan after switching to a given preset. Scan which blocks are used and compare vs what the switches are set to control, then for switches that would otherwise be "empty", set them to control a similar block to the one setup by the user.

I've just found that in the factory presets, in third party sets, and in my own custom sets, there is a lot of variation to which blocks get used. One peculiarity is that sometimes you end up with presets where for some reason, the Delay 1 block isn't used, but instead there is a Delay 2 or 3... because during setup of the preset, another delay was used at some point, then deleted out. Or a preset might use one of the other delay types instead of "standard delay"... It would just be nice if the preset switches could quickly scan used blocks after loading a preset, and reassign switches that way... so you don't have a bunch of empty switches with default settings.

It would just be a convenience improvement, and make the first impressions with FC / Axe3 to be a bit more intuitive and "auto-setup" by default. You can of course set everything with the per-preset mapping... The FC is extremely flexible... its just time consuming if you want all presets to have good effect mappings on the FC.