Reset types and applications

[stereotactic]

Hello, I know this overlaps some of the other threads right now, but after reading all I can find in the manual, forum and wiki, I thought it might be a good idea to start a reset thread. There is some ambiguity, at least in my mind, about everything each type of reset does and when is best to do them. My main concern is work flow efficiency after a firmware update, and making sure I’ve gotten all new improvements implemented. I’ll start with this from the wiki regarding system reset, which raises some questions for me:

“When things do not sound like they should or do not work as expected, and you can't find a cause, execute the Reset menu command in the Utility menu. This will restore all Setup parameters in the Global, I/O (including MIDI) and Tuner menus to their factory defaults.

Resetting the system parameters does NOT change or delete presets, nor user cabs, nor Global Blocks data.

"Doing a system reset and having that "fix" things does not surprise me at all. There are a variety of parameters that affect the overall sound that could be set incorrectly either by accident or by a bug in previous firmware. A system reset gives you a clean slate and ensures that the unit sounds as intended. The only drawback is that any changes you've made to I/O and MIDI control assignments will be lost. source
The Axe-Fx III lets you start the unit and bypass all Setup parameters by holding EDIT while powering on.

Some owners always perform a system reset after updating the firmware, to ensure a clean start.

WARNING: before resetting, take a note of every non-factory setting that's required to operate your rig.”

-First question: aside from any personal midi and I/O settings, is a system reset a good place to start after a firmware update, before any soft resets required in the firmware notes?

-Second question: some people have suggested soft resets be done to make sure all aspects of the firmware updates are implemented, even when not mentioned in the notes. Is this a good idea in case the notes are accidentally incomplete, or for any other possible reason?

 

[h.c.e.]

First, let me say that I think there’s generally waaaay too much tumault regarding block resetting for firmware updates. Resetting or not resetting is never gonna cause complete protonic reversal or ruin your unit or the experience of using it.

Reasons to reset: it might help solve an issue, if you’re having an issue, or, you want to. Reasons not to reset: it’s effort.

-First question: aside from any personal midi and I/O settings, is a system reset a good place to start after a firmware update, before any soft resets required in the firmware notes?

Personally I would never do a full system reset unless you’re having a startup issue, or maybe a communication issue with something external, and you’ve ruled out all other causes. This to me represents maximal effort, as you’d have to reset and set everything back the way you like it every time, and, at the rate of firmware development, this could be a weekly prospect with no real efficacy. I’d liken this to deleting everything on your computer’s hard drive for every software/OS update. Madness.

-Second question: some people have suggested soft resets be done to make sure all aspects of the firmware updates are implemented, even when not mentioned in the notes. Is this a good idea in case the notes are accidentally incomplete, or for any other possible reason?

Again, this to me is a “sure, if you want, but don’t feel like you have to do it,” sort of thing. If in doubt, copy the channel to another channel temporarily, reset the first channel, set back the basic controls to match, now check the “advanced” controls. Did they change? If so, did you change them originally? If not, defaults have changed between firmwares. Regardless, time to do an A/B comparison play through your reset “A” channel, now switch to your copied “B” channel and play through that. Does “B” sound better to you? If so, you prefer the old values, don’t bother resetting, switch to a new preset to reset any of your temporary testing, and go about your day. If “A” sounds better, then the reset is worth the effort. Again switch to a new preset, and then switch back to revert your temp changes (that being said if you were never using the block’s “B” channel, don’t bother), and then go through the time and effort of resetting the block and dialing back in the changes you want. Lather, rinse, repeat, for as many presets as you have the patience, or need, to reset.

All that being said if you ever have a preset that sounds “bad” or “broken”, then yes, definitely start by resetting the block to see if that solves the problem.

Yek, as ever, had a good write up covering the why’s and wherefore’s behind the theory and methods for various types of resets awhile back.... It was written about the II if I recall correctly, but should be broadly applicable to both III (and Ax-8) as well:

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/wicked-wiki-19-defaulting-the-amp-block.125454/

 

[chris]

if the Firmware Release Notes say to reset then reset.

a Firmware update doesn't change preset parameter values. if Gain was set to 5.00, an update won't change that from 5.00. however, what 5.00 "means" might have changed. 5.00 now may be more or less gain due to the update.

a Firmware update can sometimes add new parameters to various blocks. lately, these new parameters appear in current Presets with a value that doesn't change anything. however, if you create a new Preset (add blocks, change types, etc), that new parameter has a different Default value.

so case in point: if you update firmware, play your current preset(s). if you like what you hear, you don't have to do anything. if you want to hear new defaults or start over, then reset the block and dial it in again.

reset if you want or if it tells you to specifically. that's pretty much it.

what confuses people is that they want to reset yet also have it sound exactly the same. that cannot happen, which is logical if you think about it.

 

[stereotactic]

First, let me say that I think there’s generally waaaay too much tumault regarding block resetting for firmware updates. Resetting or not resetting is never gonna cause complete protonic reversal or ruin your unit of the experience of using it.

Reasons to reset: it might help solve an issue, if you’re having an issue, or, you want to. Reasons not to reset: it’s effort.



Personally I would never do a full system reset unless you’re having a startup issue or maybe a communication issue with something external and you’ve ruled out all other causes. This to me represents maximal effort, as you’d have to reset and set everything back the way you like it every time, and at the rate of firmware development this could be a weekly prospect with no real efficacy. I’d liken this to deleting everything on your computer’s hard drive for every software/OS update, madness.



Again, this to me is a “sure, if you want, but don’t feel like you have to do it,” sort of thing. If in doubt, copy the channel to another channel temporarily, reset the first channel, set back the basic controls to match, now check the “advanced” controls. Did they change? If so, did you change them originally? If not, defaults have changed between firmwares. Regardless, time to do an A/B comparison play through you’re reset “A” channel, now switch to your copied “B” channel and play through that. Does “B” sound better to you, if so you prefer the old values, don’t bother resetting, switch to a new preset to reset any of your temporary testing, go about your day. If “A” sounds better, then the reset is worth the effort. Again switch to a new preset, and then switch back to revert your temp changes (that being said if you were never using the block’s “B” channel, don’t bother), and then go through the time and effort of resetting the block and dialing back in the changes you want. Lather, rinse, repeat, for as many presets as you have the patience, or need, to reset.

All that being said if you ever have a preset that sounds “bad” or “broken”, then yes, definitely start by resetting the block to see if that solves the problem.

Yek, as ever, had a good write up covering the why’s and wherefore’s behind the theory and methods for various types of resets awhile back.... It was written about the II if I recall correctly, but should be brodlt applicable to both III (and Ax-8) as well:

http://forum.fractalaudio.com/threads/wicked-wiki-19-defaulting-the-amp-block.125454/

Thanks for the detailed info/response, I was looking for something a bit more definitive after looking at multiple sources, that was the point of starting the thread.

 

[stereotactic]

if the Firmware Release Notes say to reset then reset.

a Firmware update doesn't change preset parameter values. if Gain was set to 5.00, an update won't change that from 5.00. however, what 5.00 "means" might have changed. 5.00 now may be more or less gain due to the update.

a Firmware update can sometimes add new parameters to various blocks. lately, these new parameters appear in current Presets with a value that doesn't change anything. however, if you create a new Preset (add blocks, change types, etc), that new parameter has a different Default value.

so case in point: if you update firmware, play your current preset(s). if you like what you hear, you don't have to do anything. if you want to hear new defaults or start over, then reset the block and dial it in again.

reset if you want or if it tells you to specifically. that's pretty much it.

what confuses people is that they want to reset yet also have it sound exactly the same. that cannot happen, which is logical if you think about it.

Thanks for the breakdown, I understand the basic ideas of a firmware update and it’s not changing preset values, except that’s exactly what happened to my Drive Block clip type setting reverting to the default when I updated to 4.01, after deliberately waiting till after the Beta 4.

Never mind that, it’s not a big deal, nor am I complaining about having to make adjustments after an update. I’m just looking for some definite guidelines and definitions so I can settle on an efficient workflow for each update. The knowledge of reset types and purposes is spread around various official and semi official sources, which is not surprising given the speed with which the Axe has progressed.

I guess it’s not that big a deal, but it would be nice to at least know for sure exactly what changes and why when updating, why some parameters require a soft reset and others don’t.

One idea would be to release a list of all existing parameters which are affected by each update in the notes. That way, we could compare which of the parameters we most recently adjusted before the update to the new values. Or better yet, maybe Axe Edit could display a window with the old values above the new updated ones? That would be totally rad and give us a definite starting point from which to begin finessing the updated firmware.