Help with Axefx, MFC and GCX functions needed

N

Newbie

New Member
Hi everyone. Axefx newbie here.. in fact newbie with anything except a valve amp and pedals!

I have been using my axe fx for quite some time at home and I always gig with amp and pedal setups. However, I want to incorporate the Axefx into my live rig but with some GCX functions.

Hoping some of you can lend some advice or recommend any threads that push me in the right direction. I use a bogner ecstacy and the GCX plus the ground control always worked the channel and function switching. Just want to know if I can still have that but controlled by the MFC instead using scenes? For my presets? Plus have a few overdrive etc pedals as well in there (maybe using instant access buttons as well as scene presets? Hope you guts can help. Not delved into the forums much and a lot of the technical stuff can baffle me. It has taken me a long time to get further into the axefx and somedays I still find some new stuff that this beast can do!! God only knows what I will be like if I get upgraded to the axe3 haha

Amazing piece of kit though and certainly worth every penny
 
You can definitely control the GCX with the MFC. You'll have to check the GCX manual to determine the CC values for the loop controls - I have a vague memory of them being 80-87, but it's been about 5 years since I used one (and not with MFC). Also, I think the GCX has a specific midi channel (not changeable), but I can't remember.

Edit: I checked the manual and confirmed both, CC# 80-87, midi channel 16.

http://www.voodoolab.com/manuals/gcx_manual.pdf

Also, please read the warning in the manual about connecting midi! You could damage your Axe Fx or MFC if you don't. The GCX has powered midi...

The challenges you will face are more around using it and controlling loops via Scenes. Instead of using the "Axe Fx" mode for your buttons, you'll need to set them up as "general use" buttons.

You would need to program the buttons as IAs that send 2 midi commands: 1 on the Axe Fx midi channel to do the scene selection, and 1 on the GCX to do the loop selection. However, you can only send two midi commands per button, which means you can send 1 for scene change and 1 to enable or disable 1 loop only, or you can set up IA buttons to control the GCX loops individually.

You'd also need to enable "link groups" for these scene + loop buttons because scenes are all mutually exclusive.

The other way to do things without scenes is to use general use IAs for the GCX loops (as mentioned previously), but use MFC Preset changes to select loop states. This is similar to the way the Ground Control works... But you can still have other buttons in Axe Fx mode.

See section 5.1.3 in the MFC manual:

http://www.fractalaudio.com/downloads/manuals/mfc-101/MFC-101-Owners-Manual.pdf

Unfortunately due to the GCX implementation, controlling it is a bit limited unless your midi controller can send 8+ message streams per button.

If you're not very comfortable with midi, this could be a big challenge for you...:(
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom