My Axe is broken. Something is wrong with the USB connectivity

A

Abboehm

Member
Hi.
Ok, so I have been using the Axe FX 2 with Reaper for almost 6 months now, and I have never had a problem.

Today I was recording and editing a track, when all of a sudden there was this loud noise. I then exited Reaper, opened the program again, and everything was fine, so I didn't think much about it.

Later however the sound came back, and no matter how many times I turned off reaper, The axe or my computer, the sound would'nt go away (it is only there when I open Reaper though.)
I tryied using Axe-Edit, but even thought it read "connected” and the light is green, the preset wont open, and it says, that there is a communication error every time I try to do anything.

Then I followed the troubleshooting from Axe Edit 3.0. I also decided to delete Reaper and Axe Edit from my computer, and while I was at it, I used Fractal Bot to send a "FW 11 System clean". I then downloaded and installed the FW 13 again. So everything should be "as new", but the sound was still there when I open Reaper.

I was just about the quit trying, but then I went trough my I/O, and in the Midi settings, I noticed that the USB adapter mode was turned to "off". I thus turned it to "on", and everything worked again instantly. The preset was immidiatly found in Axe Edit, and there was no noise in Reaper - Splendid!

But just 10 minutes ago, I was sitting and listening to the track in Reaper, not touching a single button, when the noise came back again. This time I am not able to send the clean system file through the Fractral Bot, and in the I/O menu, the USB adapter mode is still turned "on".

I just don't understand what is going on?!

Here is a video with the sound:

Axe FX 2 and Reaper ... USB problems - YouTube


I hope you guys can help me

Thx
 
Last edited:
What system are you on?

Mac
Windows

Plattform?

OS X, Leopard, Snow L, Lion?
Windows: 3.1, 95, 98, 2000 etc

Tried another USB cable?
 
I am using a Macbook medio 2009 - I just switched a month ago from Windows. It is version 10.9.1 - I think it is called Maverick

I should mention that I recorded all day yesterday without any problems

I just ordered a new cable. But I doubt it will change anything. My cable is high quality and as mentioned, everything suddently worked fine when I a turned USB Adapter from "off" to "on"
 
USB adapter mode has to be set to "off". USB adapter mode simply makes the Axe work like a midi interface and shuts down all communication.

Sounds like there is a bad cross-communication between reaper and Axe-Edit. Why do you use Axe-Edit anyway if you can use Reaper to send PC messages aswell?

Try to take Axe Edit out of the equation and try again!
 
Hi. The reason why I opened Axe Edit is because the Troubleshooting guide makes you go to preferences and turn the ports to "none" before opening them again.
Anyway. Closing Axe Edit doesn't change anything unfortunately.
 
When you reboot the Axe and your mac, does it run stable for like 30 minutes and then crash, or does it crash immediately?
 
Immediately. It's like it remembers the settings from when it crashed. But when I choose a new project in Reaper, the sound goes away. Then when I recall my track the sound is back ...
 
I guess then the devil is in the I/O settings of reaper (and your project in particular). Maybe it's sending some midi data the Axe can not interpret and freezes it. Try to find the options in reaper to make it silent midi-wise. Especially the midi clock setting, which is known for causing unwanted bugs with the Axe!
 
I'm having similar problems too, see my thread on crackling sounds made while recording.

I've been doing a lot of research on this and the most I can surmise at this point is that something is definitely up with USB audio connectivity with the latest drivers/firmware. I'm going to try to downgrade to OSX Lion and see if OSX Mavericks may be a factor.
 
Hi. Still having problems. How do I silent Reaper "Midi-wise"?

The noise is there every time I open Reaper regardless of the project. If I open a new one project, close reaper and start it again, the noise is there all the time. It seems as though the Axe is saving the output of the USB signal, even when rebooted - is this even possible?

BTW: When I do not have anything connected other then the guitar, there is not a single light turned on besides the tempo flashing. Does the Midi not usually stay green?

I should mention, that even if I do not turn on Reaper at all, the Axe is not functioning correctly, since I cannot use it in Axe Edit . It reads connected but it times out and can't even find the preset

Best regards Anders
 
And another thing I just noticed:
When I reboot the Axe. The input signal is displaying correctly. I play the guitar, and the light flashes. Great. But then when I insert the USB cable, and Axe Edit is trying to communicate, trying to find the preset, the light disappear, and I the presets volume are turned down. Also now the output level knobs don't work ...

If I remove the USB cable. It still doesn't work. I have to reboot to get it working once more.
 
I don't recommend downgrading from Mavericks to Lion; Apple actually did an audio driver fix in Mavericks.
I predict you'll have worse or different problems with Lion.
 
Admin M@ said:
I don't recommend downgrading from Mavericks to Lion; Apple actually did an audio driver fix in Mavericks.
I predict you'll have worse or different problems with Lion.
Click to expand...

Actually the fix that addresses the USB recording bug, at least for me anyway, is Mavericks 10.9.2. It is currently in Beta (I managed to get hold of a copy) but will hopefully be out soon.

In the meantime, if you have extra hard drive space, you may want to look into setting up a Windows partition in Boot Camp and recording through Windows until the Mavericks patch comes out. That's what I did.
 
Admin M@ said:
I don't recommend downgrading from Mavericks to Lion; Apple actually did an audio driver fix in Mavericks.
I predict you'll have worse or different problems with Lion.
Click to expand...

Uh oh ... my 2007 MacBook Pro is running Lion OS X 10.7.5 with no option to upgrade to Mavericks ... :(

Matt - Do I need to buy a new laptop to maximize my FAS Tone Capturing AXEperience ("FASTC-AXE")? :encouragement:
 
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