Here is how to share XL and XL+ Presets with Mark I and II

GotMetalBoy

Power User
I wrote this post before FracTool was created. For more info about FracTool and converting Presets to other FAS gear go to: https://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/fractool-ultimate-multitool-for-fas-devices.112538/

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There is a hidden feature in Axe-Edit that exports a preset as a CSV file spreadsheet, so Axe-Fx II Mark I and II owners can manually program a preset.

Open Axe-Edit
  • Click Settings menu at the top
  • Click Refresh after new FW, so all the blocks will export the correct info
  • Select the Preset you want to export
  • Windows OS: Hold down SHIFT+CTRL+ALT + Click the Export button in the upper right
    • Mac OS: Hold down COMMAND+SHIFT+OPTION + Click the Export button in the upper right
  • The Export Preset as CSV window will open, Click Save in lower right
  • Make a screenshot of the Axe-Edit Layout Grid and save it as a PNG or JPG file
    • Windows OS: Select the Axe-Edit window and press ALT+PRINT_SCREEN (Upper right of keyboard)
    • Paste into MS Paint and save as PNG file
  • Share the CSV file and Layout Grid Screenshot with all us Vintage Axe-Fx II Mark I and II owners :)
  • UPDATE: XL owners could also share saved Block files along with the CSV file and Layout Grid Screenshot, so it's not as time consuming for us vintage users to reconstruct an XL preset :D

I also use this process to backup my presets and to quickly compare changes made by Firmware updates.

You can open the CSV file Spreadsheet with one of the apps below:

Here's the original posts this info came from:
 
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  • Share the CSV file and Layout Grid Screenshot with all us Vintage Axe-Fx II Mark I and II owners :)
  • Great idea! Now we just have to wait for kind-hearted XL users to share.

Maybe one of the forum mods will sticky this, so XL users will see how easy it is to share with us vintage users. I created this post because I see so many vintage users upset when they can't open an XL preset and some of the XL users are nice enough to share a ton of Axe-Edit screenshots. This process will make it much faster for XL users to share presets.

I also use this process to backup my presets and to quickly compare changes made by Firmware updates.
 
thanks for the info.
It seems like a very elaborate and time consuming way of sharing presets though. I know it is probably the only way right now but not very practical or apealing to share presets this way if you ask me.

Hope one day Fractal will address this. Many people want to share presets with XL users.
 
Aren't saved blocks compatible between units? If so then wouldn't it be much easier to save a screenshot of the layout grid in Axe-Edit, and then save all the blocks using "Save as Blocks in Library" in the Preset menu? This would also allow easy porting of presets to AX8 and FX8 users as well right?
 
Most blocks are compatible, but IIRC there are some that have x/y on the XL that don't have x/y on the Mark I/II. I've been using the Save Blocks command to port from my Mark I to the AX8 (and from 8 > AFX) w/ no problems so far.

Regardless, any and all helpful ideas are welcome! Different people will have different workflows.
 
Aren't saved blocks compatible between units? If so then wouldn't it be much easier to save a screenshot of the layout grid in Axe-Edit, and then save all the blocks using "Save as Blocks in Library" in the Preset menu? This would also allow easy porting of presets to AX8 and FX8 users as well right?

I don't have an XL to test this but it would be cool if someone who has access to an XL and Mark I or II could test it and let us know if XL blocks with X/Y that aren't in the Mark I or II can be opened in the Mark I or II and if it does work, what happens to the Y section of the Block.

I haven't done much with saved Blocks but do they save Controller and Modifier settings? The Spreadsheets save the Controller and Modifier settings.

XL users could share the Spreadsheet, Screenshot and Saved Blocks and that would be a lot faster to manually input than to have to go thru the entire spreadsheet.
 
thanks for the info.
It seems like a very elaborate and time consuming way of sharing presets though. I know it is probably the only way right now but not very practical or apealing to share presets this way if you ask me.

Hope one day Fractal will address this. Many people want to share presets with XL users.

I agree, it's very time consuming but some people have replied to this post and mentioned sharing Saved Blocks, so that could make this a little faster. I really hope that FAS will create a converter.
 
I haven't done much with saved Blocks but do they save Controller and Modifier settings? The Spreadsheets save the Controller and Modifier settings.
When you save the blocks from a preset, it includes Controller, Input Noise Gate, and Output blocks. You can drop those into the grid just like any other block (of course they don't show up in the grid itself).
 
When you save the blocks from a preset, it includes Controller, Input Noise Gate, and Output blocks. You can drop those into the grid just like any other block (of course they don't show up in the grid itself).

Not sure exactly what you are saying and how this works. Does it mean XL owners have to save each block one by one and share it and then the mkI or mkII owner has to load in each of the blocks one by one? Or can all the blocks be loaded in at once? would save much time.....

In any case a XL- to MkI/II converter will be the only really good solution. Not sure what Fractal says about this or if this is possible in the first place?...hope they join in since there are so many topics about this already and people keep asking.
 
Not sure exactly what you are saying and how this works. Does it mean XL owners have to save each block one by one and share it and then the mkI or mkII owner has to load in each of the blocks one by one? Or can all the blocks be loaded in at once? would save much time.....

In any case a XL- to MkI/II converter will be the only really good solution. Not sure what Fractal says about this or if this is possible in the first place?...hope they join in since there are so many topics about this already and people keep asking.

No, you don't have to save one by one. In Axe Edit there is a save preset as blocks function that creates a folder with the preset name in your block library folder and exports the blocks to there. The signal path is not saved so you have to manually place the blocks in the destination preset. This is why a screenshot of the original preset is useful. I used this method to transfer presets from my AX8 to my XL+. I doubt there will ever be an automatic method since all the units involved don't have the same amount of horsepower.
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Austin
 
No, you don't have to save one by one. In Axe Edit there is a save preset as blocks function that creates a folder with the preset name in your block library folder and exports the blocks to there. The signal path is not saved so you have to manually place the blocks in the destination preset. This is why a screenshot of the original preset is useful. I used this method to transfer presets from my AX8 to my XL+. I doubt there will ever be an automatic method since all the units involved don't have the same amount of horsepower.

Sounds easy enough.
 
It seems like a very elaborate and time consuming way of sharing presets though. I know it is probably the only way right now but not very practical or apealing to share presets this way if you ask me.

This autoHotKey script should speed it up, it saves the CSV and JPG to the folder c:\AxeFX_CSV on your hard drive.
It evens creates the folder if you haven't used it before.

script raw:
http://mikeymoore.co.uk/AxeFX_SavePatch.ahk.txt

Compiled Executable:
http://mikeymoore.co.uk/AxeFX_SavePatch.exe

Zipped Executable:
http://mikeymoore.co.uk/AxeFX_SavePatch.zip

If someone can test and report back, that would be good!
 
No, you don't have to save one by one. In Axe Edit there is a save preset as blocks function that creates a folder with the preset name in your block library folder and exports the blocks to there. The signal path is not saved so you have to manually place the blocks in the destination preset. This is why a screenshot of the original preset is useful. I used this method to transfer presets from my AX8 to my XL+. I doubt there will ever be an automatic method since all the units involved don't have the same amount of horsepower.

ok thanks. But when the XL owner has 'saved preset as blocks' and the mk1 owner has created the right signal path in the grid he still has to manually import every saved block one by one, right? or is there a function to import all the saved blocks of that specific preset at once?
 
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ok thanks. But when the XL owner has 'saved preset as blocks' and the mk1 owner has created the right signal in the grid he still has to manually import every saved block one by one, right? or is there a function to import all the saved blocks of that specific preset at once?

So far I imported them block by block.

I don't know what happens if you select all block files and drop them in one go in Axe-Edit. You can try yourself.
If that doesn't work, you can put a post in the Wishlist section.

Of course, Axe-Edit can't know in what order the blocks should be placed.
 
ok thanks. But when the XL owner has 'saved preset as blocks' and the mk1 owner has created the right signal path in the grid he still has to manually import every saved block one by one, right? or is there a function to import all the saved blocks of that specific preset at once?

It is manual. But you don't have to import; you can just drag and drop the blocks you want. It's pretty quick.
-
Austin
 
There is a hidden feature in Axe-Edit that exports a preset as a CSV file spreadsheet, so Axe-Fx II Mark I and II owners can manually program a preset.

Open Axe-Edit
  • Click Settings menu at the top
  • Click Refresh after new FW, so all the blocks will export the correct info
  • Select the Preset you want to export
  • Windows OS: Hold down SHIFT+CTRL+ALT + Click the Export button in the upper right
    • Mac OS: Hold down COMMAND+SHIFT+OPTION + Click the Export button in the upper right
  • The Export Preset as CSV window will open, Click Save in lower right
  • Make a screenshot of the Axe-Edit Layout Grid and save it as a PNG or JPG file
    • Windows OS: Select the Axe-Edit window and press ALT+PRINT_SCREEN (Upper right of keyboard)
    • Paste into MS Paint and save as PNG file
  • Share the CSV file and Layout Grid Screenshot with all us Vintage Axe-Fx II Mark I and II owners :)
  • UPDATE: XL owners could also share saved Block files along with the CSV file and Layout Grid Screenshot, so it's not as time consuming for us vintage users to reconstruct an XL preset :D

I also use this process to backup my presets and to quickly compare changes made by Firmware updates.

You can open the CSV file Spreadsheet with one of the apps below:

Here's the original posts this info came from:
I am surprised that only six people have liked this post so far. This is the only known tool for backward compatibility of presets. I knew the feature was there, but did not really know the method. When I owned my Mk II, this would have been a godsend.
 
I am surprised that only six people have liked this post so far. This is the only known tool for backward compatibility of presets. I knew the feature was there, but did not really know the method. When I owned my Mk II, this would have been a godsend.

Perhaps because this is a 50% solution, as it requires XL users goodwill. Well, at least it exists, and I like it!
 
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