News of the MidyAX2 - Pilot the AXE-FX with MIDI controllers (X-Touch, BCR2000, Guitar Wing, ...)

PALYGAP

PALYGAP

Experienced
About a year ago I posted a preview of the MidyAX on the forum (http://forum.fractalaudio.com/other...idyax-new-tool-enhance-axe-fx-experience.html). Since I got a lot of positive feedbacks that led me to carry on with the project. Thanks to all the guys that gave me this early support.

Today, after quite a bit of hard work, I’m glad to announce that I’ve got to a new stage with the MidyAX project:

  • the first two production prototypes of the MidyAX are made and operational
  • I have finish the first stable version of the software that I am satisfied with

The MidyAX project is about:

  • making it possible to use a physical interface with lots of knobs and buttons (BCR2000) to provide an easier access to the many parameters inside the AXE-FX
  • using a VGA screen to give a much visual feedbacks as possible and to allow for advanced functionalities
  • providing a MIDI tool that can orchestrate in an efficient way the commands of several MIDI devices to pilot the AXE-FX
  • providing a tool that will make it easier to tap into the whole potential of the AXE-FX

Here’s how the inside of the MidyAX looks like:
crbst_20130415_065749.jpg


and 2 of the current screens :

AMP screen

crbst_AMP.jpg



CAB screen

crbst_CABINET.jpg



and the BCR2000 with the VGA screen:

crbst_CHORUS.jpg
 
The main idea of the MidyAX is to use the BCR2000 to provide the knobs (32 encoders) and buttons (16 + 8 + 14) to make it possible to use physical controls to adjust the value of the AXE Effects’ parameters. A VGA screen will display all the necessary information to allow for easy tweaking of the parameter and will allow more advanced functionalities

To provide an easy and structured access to all the parameter inside the AXE, the band of 16 buttons are used to get direct access to 32 Effect (with SHIFT key).

The 16 buttons used to select the Effect Control Pages:
crbst_20130426_211604.jpg


So the mapping of all the 32 encoders (and 8 switch buttons on the encoder) changes each time a different Effect is selected . If the AMP effect is selected encoder #2 controls the DRIVE, if the CAB effect is selected the encoder #2 controls the RIGHT CAB TYPE.

The buttons on the right side of the BCR2000 are used to perform specific function :
crbst_Side_20Buttons.jpg



The screen displays:

  • the mapping of the 16 buttons to the Effects
  • the mapping of the 32 encoder (+ 8 switches) to the controlled parameter
  • The current values of the parameters.
 
The MidyAx hardware is essentially:

  • a ARDUINO MEGA board
  • a uVGA board from 4D Systems
  • the MidyAX board which provide the MIDI ports + Power + Memory

The main features of the MidyAX:

  • 4 MIDI ports (IN +OUT) to connect to:
- the AXE-FX (II for now)
- a MIDI control surface, for now the full-featured BCR2000 and in the future others like the BCF2000 the CODE 2
- a MIDI foot controller (MFC-101, FCB-1010, …)
- other MIDI devices like BCF2000 or Quneo​

  • a VGA output to connect to most screens
  • 2 foot pedal inputs

The software of the MidyAX will be OPEN SOURCE.


What’s next:
  • the website will be updated in the next few weeks with:
- a detailed presentation of the functionalities of the MidyAX
​
- demos of the prototype and the software as more features are added.​

  • the software of the MidyAX will be updated with a lot of new functionalities like
- customization of the mapping
​
- general control pages that control parameters from several effects
- and much more …​

  • a crowdfunding campaign will be run to fund the first production batch of the MidyAX. The aim is to run it before end of September (2013).
 
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Excellent work Eric - I know this has taken you a LOT of work to accomplish, and I hope it turns out a success for you.
 
Wow great project!
I'll happily participate to the crowdfunding campaign.
Keep up the good work.
 
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Hi guys,

There has not been much news on the project latelly, so I just thought I'ld update you on what's going on. Right now the only news is that I did stall on the project (a motivation fealure I'm afraid) for about the last two months while I did get back into shape (a bit) and did quite a lot of mountaineering. Last week I managed to get back into it and things are moving forward on the software side.

Right now, I havn't finished the project, especially the software side. The hardware is nearly complete but need more testing.

I'll try to keep you posted a bit more regularly as things move forward.
 
I'll try.

Right now I am working on the software side. Building a program that will put all the parameters (list of AXE-FX Effect types, Effect block, Effect param ...) in the right format so that they can be "injected" in the memory of the MidyAX.
 
By all means use it. I have been very busy with other things in the past month or so, but when time permits I'll do updates etc.
There are tools in there to generate C++ types and names for blocks and parameters from xml so that you don't have to. Feel free to use them.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
 
@gpz
Thanks for reminding me. True I forgot it a bit, but I had already quite a few month back programmed a soft to read the defaults.axeml. I used TinyXML library. I should make that available as soon at as get to finish it (and clean the code).

@tgunn
Thanks for offering. I will try to take the time to look a bit more into the code you've shared with us.

Actually I had a question on the Gordius Little Giant (that will save me dig in the manual). Can it be configured to control individual parameters of the AXE's effects that are not mapped to CC in the AXE (like AMP bias)? For these params one needs to use SYSEX to control them.
 
Actually I had a question on the Gordius Little Giant (that will save me dig in the manual). Can it be configured to control individual parameters of the AXE's effects that are not mapped to CC in the AXE (like AMP bias)? For these params one needs to use SYSEX to control them.
Click to expand...

Yes it can
 
Here is a "LIVE" tweaking demo of the AXE-FX with the MidyAX.



The main point of this video, is to show that it is quite easy to access EFFECTs and tweak PARAMETERs.

The 2 horizontal band of 8 buttons of the BCR2000 allow to change the EFFECT Control Page (AMP, DRIVE, REVERB). On each EFFECT Control Page the encoders (POTs) are mapped to parameters specific to that effect.

Here is the parameters mapping of the AMP Control Page
crbst_AMP.png


and parameters mapping of the REVERB Control Page
crbst_Reverb.png
 
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Amazing work!
Did you manage to get your software features complete as far as blocks parameters are concerned? It seems pretty well advanced.

Bon courage!
 
Merci,

I am finishing the soft that will deal with all the block parameter. Should be done by newt week.

After that I will move on to include quite a few featutes that I have "dreamed" off:

  • - Customization of the Mapping Encoder --> Parameter on each Control Pages.
  • - "general" Control Pages with control on "main" parameters from several effects
  • - Special functions
    • - FootSwitch Config/Mapping
    • - Expression pedal config
    • - Display of the 4x16
    • - Configuration of the MidyAX (MIDI channel, back to factory MidyAX config, footSwitch Mapping BCR2000/BCF2000 ...)
    • - set-up of the Modifier / Controller
    • - Access to cutom set-up of effects
  • - quite a few other features.
 
Thanks for asking.

Actually, it's been nearly 6 months that the project is on hold. I've had to change job at the beginning of 2014 and I've moved from Grasse to Marseille in the same timing. So I have been quite busy with all those changes. Now I feel a bit more settled and actually this week-end I had time to open the MidyAX box and got it to work again. With my son we actually fixed a few bugs/glitches in the program.

I am planning to restart the project in 1 or 2 week, with the "minimal" aim to be able to published the code I have produced so far on an OPEN SOURCE basis. Right now the challenge for the projet is in the programming as the hardware is more or less OK (I still have a few tests to do).

I'll try to update more regularly this thread.

I am still enjoying this marvelous gear that is the AXE-FX 2 and the improvements that keeps coming in with each version of the firmware. That should motivate me to finish the project.:D

Cheers

ERIC
 
Last WE I actually managed to get back into the project. I fixed a few things that had been working before but were not working anymore with the latest firmware version. I had missed out on the fact that a new parameter type INTXL had been introduced. AFAIK, before there only was the INT parameter type to say that a parameter had non-continuous values (list of labels like NONE RIGHT LEFT BOTH). I also updated the procedure that configure the BCR2000 according to which parameter is present on each control page.

I also realized that I will need to change the way the MidyAX handle changing the AMP TYPE of the current preset. In the current version, it is limited to 128 different type of amp ( MIDI protocol limitation) and there are now 173 amp types in the AXE-FX. Conclusion : Too many AMP TYPE in the AXE-FX :lol . Also true with the CABs : 132 Factory + 100 User.

Don't know how long it has been but AXE-EDIT can now set the effect block that is being displayed on the AXE-FX. So when one clicks on the CHORUS block in AXE-EDIT, instantly the CHORUS block is shown on the AXE-FX. I implemented that feature on the MidyAX, so now when I select the CHORUS control page on the MidyAX the CHORUS block he show on the AXE-FX. That has made me happy :D cause for a long time that feature was not available and was hoping for it to be implemented.

Next thing I will work on is putting the code on GitHub. But I first have to work out how GitHub works.
 
Browsing the web, I found those BC*2000++ and ++++++

BCR2000 + BCF2000
143688d1257918092-poor-mans-icon-big-box-bcf-bcr-2000s-bcf-bcr-joined-02.jpg
143690d1257918092t-poor-mans-icon-big-box-bcf-bcr-2000s-bcf-bcr-joined-04.jpg



2 BCR2000 + 4 BCF2000
images


and the "wooden" version BCR2000 + BCF2000

101889d1227874926t-behringer-bcf2000-user-questions-gearslutzdemo.jpg-via-joat.jpg


Could be fun to use one of these to have full and instant access to all the parameters in the AXE-FX

They're my next targets for future developments :lol
 
Amazing project Palygap, i recall people here discussing the desire for a single row of encoders to match those on your average amp for a quick way to tweak amp settings.. yours is mind boggling.. bravo
 
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