How to get preset changes to update CC status on All Access?

H

hyperion

Member
Hey there,

I'm a new Axe-Fx Ultra owner. I have a Rocktron All Access pedal board with 5 presets and 10 instant access that control effects like delay, reverb, etc.

With my old setup (a TC Electronic G-Force) the MIDI out would send updates to the All Access whenever a preset was changed. This would update the LEDs showing which effects were active in each patch.

How do I do this on the Axe-Fx? I looked through the MIDI configuration but there wasn't anything obvious about broadcasting MIDI CC messages when the preset is changed--which is of course critical to using the pedalboard in "stompbox" mode.

Thanks in advance,

-ch
 
I didn't think this was possible with the TC, and I know it isn't possible with the Axe....



The controller would need to be able to communicate with the device and this isn't possible. Only the Liquidfoot is capable of this currently.
(maybe the Gordius too, but I amnot sure about this)
 
I think you may have misunderstood what was going on before. You have to program your midi controller's presets to send messages that activate the desired effects on patch change.
 
I've been using this feature with my G-Force for the past three years. It was included in the 1.13 software release back in 1998. The feature is called Block Status, and it's described below:

"Block status On/Off is a feature included from software version 1.13 that will send out the G-Force's block status (i.e. if an effect block is bypassed or not) at preset changes, in case your board cannot check this by itself. An extra MIDI cable from the G-Force MIDI Out to the MIDI board's MIDI In is needed. See the manual addendum for more details."

I'm frankly aghast that this feature isn't included in the Axe-Fx. This is the single most valuable feature for any pedalboard user. The idea of programming your pedalboard to sync it with your rack equipment when this can be done automatically through MIDI is quite silly.

I'm really hoping that someone can tell me that this feature actually does exist. Programming the pedalboard is only for masochists. TC has been doing it with MIDI out for over 10 years...

-ch
 
hyperion said:
I've been using this feature with my G-Force for the past three years. It was included in the 1.13 software release back in 1998. The feature is called Block Status, and it's described below:

"Block status On/Off is a feature included from software version 1.13 that will send out the G-Force's block status (i.e. if an effect block is bypassed or not) at preset changes, in case your board cannot check this by itself. An extra MIDI cable from the G-Force MIDI Out to the MIDI board's MIDI In is needed. See the manual addendum for more details."

I'm frankly aghast that this feature isn't included in the Axe-Fx. This is the single most valuable feature for any pedalboard user. The idea of programming your pedalboard to sync it with your rack equipment when this can be done automatically through MIDI is quite silly.

I'm really hoping that someone can tell me that this feature actually does exist. Programming the pedalboard is only for masochists. TC has been doing it with MIDI out for over 10 years...

-ch
Click to expand...


Not on the liquid foot, it is a breeze. You auto-load it one time it syncs the effects for you and pulls down the patch name. If you want to change the state it takes just a couple of seconds


No it does not exist on the Axe-fx at this time.
 
Thanks for the responses. Just so I'm totally clear about this, All Access owners do the following to get the status information on each patch:

1) They build the patch in their Axe-Fx
2) They edit the same patch number in their All Access and make sure all the active blocks are turned on
3) If they make changes in the Axe-Fx patch, they have to edit the All Access patch to keep them in sync

Right?

-ch
-If the answer is "yes", what are my chances that having preset changes broadcast CC status added to the next firmware release? This would make the Axe-Fx so much more usable with a lot of MIDI footboards...especially for those of us who tweak our presets often.
 
This may not be what you're after but any CC commands you assign to one of the 8 External Controllers in the Axe, rather than via the I/O pages' global bypass via CC functions, will re-read the position of the CC switch or pedal on your footcontroller when you switch Axe Presets.

Example 1:
If, within your Presets, you've assigned the Level parameter of a Volume Block to be controlled by External Controller #1 and you've assigned Ext Cntr #1 to CC command #7; then when you change Presets (via a PC command from your footcontroller) the Axe will re-read the position of your footcontroller's CC pedal and keep the volume the same between Presets (assuming the 2 Presets have similar levels to begin with).

Example 2:
If, within your Presets, you've assigned the Byp Mode parameter of the Compressor Block to Ext Cntr #2 and you've assigned Ext Cntr #2 to CC command #65, and you've also assigned #65 to one of the the IA switches of your footcontroller; then when you change Axe Presets the Axe will re-read the state of that CC switch.
This assumes that your footcontroller does not reset the IA switches when you do a PC command.
I do this on my Axe with the FCB1010 footcontroller with the UnO eprom, set to stomp-box mode.
In this mode switches 1-5 are used for PC commands. Switches 6-0 are IA switches.
The state of the IA switches can be set to not change when a PC command is sent on a patch-by-patch basis.
So, if I turn on my compressor in one Axe Preset (via FCB switch #6) and then call up another Axe Preset that was stored with the Compressor Block in a bypassed state, the Axe will read the state of the stomp switch and turn the Compressor block on within the new Axe Preset.
It means that I can use the Axe's Compressor Block much like I'd use a non-programmable compressor pedal at the front of my signal chain.

So, although the Axe won't issue any CC commands to your footcontroller when a Preset is recalled, it can re-read whatever the state of your footcontrollers IA switches are set to.

It would be nice IMO if there were more than 8 External Controllers available, but so far it's fit my needs as is.
 
hyperion said:
Thanks for the responses. Just so I'm totally clear about this, All Access owners do the following to get the status information on each patch:

1) They build the patch in their Axe-Fx
2) They edit the same patch number in their All Access and make sure all the active blocks are turned on
3) If they make changes in the Axe-Fx patch, they have to edit the All Access patch to keep them in sync

Right?

-ch
-If the answer is "yes", what are my chances that having preset changes broadcast CC status added to the next firmware release? This would make the Axe-Fx so much more usable with a lot of MIDI footboards...especially for those of us who tweak our presets often.
Click to expand...

Correct. But actually, you don't have to worry about the state changes. The Axe-fx will adhere to what ever you have the all access set to. So if you have an effect block set to off on the all access, it will send and off command to the axe-fx. Your foot controller controls the axe-fx not the reverse. That is the way the vast majority of them work.

You can put in a request at the wish list area here. Who know what the chances are, but the foot controller would also have to be able to respond to it.
 
Know this is an old thread, but the AA can recieve CC (actually just about any) messages, and will respond to them whether of not "Remote Title" operation is selected(the function that allows the AA to midi handshake with Intellifex's, Prophesy's and like via a 7-pin midi cord).

So how does the AxeFX talk to a liquid foot? Does it use CC's or SysEx(I'm sure tuning info is done via sys)?

I know the AA had a chip update at one point that allowed it to "handshake" with the Eventide Eclipse, aside from the Rocktron stuff-it might just work out of the box with an AFX ;). I'm not sure the AA responds in realtime to sysex.

Just talkin'

Sold my AA a couple of months back to buy a LiquidF, just can't decide between the big footprint of the pro(bigger than my FX1 and that's big enough) or burying preset detail in the squish of the jnr(remembering where you put everything might make it not fun) :?

Need more info on how to exploit the LF features-they are a little bit of brain basher if you are used to more traditional RS10/GCP/AA/FX1 style controllers.

Chris....
 
I am coming to this thread from a slightly different angle. Having read through the manual of the Rocktron All Access and several competitors, the Rocktron All Access is the only MIDI controller I have found that broadcasts the current state of each continuous controller for every patch change. Is there any other MIDI controller that will do this? On the whole, I find the Rocktron All Access to be a bit overkill, and, especially for the price, I wish it had primitive footswitch ports like the Roland FC-300, but the CC broadcast feature is so essential that I can't imagine obtaining anything without it.

Are there any MIDI controllers besides the Rocktron All Access that broadcast CC states on every patch change?
 
hyperion said:
Thanks for the responses. Just so I'm totally clear about this, All Access owners do the following to get the status information on each patch:

1) They build the patch in their Axe-Fx
2) They edit the same patch number in their All Access and make sure all the active blocks are turned on
3) If they make changes in the Axe-Fx patch, they have to edit the All Access patch to keep them in sync

Right?

-ch
-If the answer is "yes", what are my chances that having preset changes broadcast CC status added to the next firmware release? This would make the Axe-Fx so much more usable with a lot of MIDI footboards...especially for those of us who tweak our presets often.
Click to expand...

This is how I do it at any rate. I dont find it a problem as I very rarely edit my patches once there created. Sure Ill play with the settings in the block - BUT thats not affected because the AA is turning blocks on/off only. If I want to change which blocks are on/off on patch recall it takes seconds. Just toggle on/off the blocks you want to change, press 2nd then store. I really dont find it an issue.
 
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