Playing iTunes and your guitar through the Axe-Fx III at the same time

trancegodz

trancegodz

Fractal Fanatic
I have the Axe FXIII hooked up by usb to an iMac 10.13.3. I have two powered PA speakers hooked up to the Axe FXIII L+R balanced output #1. Everything is set for 48k. The Axe FXIII usb is set for audio input and audio output in system preferences.

I was trying to listen to iTunes while playing my guitar through the Axe FXIII firmware 12.14 to compare and dial in some sounds. iTunes will play for 5 seconds through the Axe FXIII then the sound from iTunes stops, both through the speakers or Axe FX headphone jack. It happens every time. (The guitar sound keeps going).

Is there a setting I need to change in the Axe FXIII or is this a bug? I used to be able to do this with the Axe FXII no problem.

Update:
I usually never turn off my computer, but later last night I rebooted my iMac then turned on the Axe FXIII and it worked again.
 
Last edited:
I'm not experiencing that on my 2018 MacMini. I assume this does not change after you reboot your Mac?
 
I think this is a known problem and it's Apple related. I get the same issue with mine as well and I'm running a late 2019 MBP. A few forum members get the same problem and others don't.

iTunes plays for a few seconds and then stops, rebooting both the Axe and Mac does fix the problem temporarily but the same thing happens again. The iTunes play bar does stop when this happens I seem to remember. I don't get this issue with my FM3 though which is strange. I'm not sure what the actual problem is but I think Cliff was looking into it and getting in touch with Apple.
 
Not only an apple issue: the same on windows 10 for me. Play back on all apps stucks at exactly 0.13 seconds.
 
Last edited:
I had the same issue. I found that if I unplugged the USB from the back of the iMac, waited a few seconds, then plugged it back in, it would work for a while. Sometimes a few minutes; sometimes a few hours.

I eventually got tired of that. Now I use a separate USB interface, which works great.
 
I'm not sure about Apple specifically, but this issue might be similar to what happens when an application tries to takes exclusive access to an audio interface. This is usually most commonly with DAWs.
 
Just to be clear, there are times where I'll come back to my MacMini - AxeFX3, and the computer fed sounds will have ceased. This hasn't normally occurred in the short time constraints mentioned in the original post, which is why I just mentioned the reboot potential. Cheers all.

Lee
 
I know this is zero help and probably an unwanted comment, but this is precisely why I chose to not use my AXEFXIII as an interface. A 60 dollar berringer stereo cheap interface would probably solve this problem.
 
I'm love to set up my system to play YouTube videos through my monitors/USB. I've looked through the user manual and it's not clear how to do this - I haven't been able to find System Preferences. Is it accessed through Axe Edit? I have Windows 10 on my pc. Any guidance is appreciated
 
Just connect your PC with the usb cable to the AF-III, select play and both your guitar and YT sound will come through.
At least, this is how it worked / still works for me; plug & play.
 
Yep. Install the Axe III drivers, plug in the USB cable, and select the Axe III as your audio playback device in Windows (click on the speaker icon by the clock and select it in the drop down menu above the volume slider).

If you don't get any playback sound, check the USB input levels in the Setup > I/O > USB/AES menu on the Axe III. Set it to 0 dB.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom