Scenes or Presets?

LerxstFan

Inspired
As I learn more about how to set up the global functions for the 1-8 and F footswitches, I'm trying to figure out the best layout for me...I'm used to having switches 1-4 on my old Ground Control Pro set for individual presets for songs and then using the other four switches for adding drive, delay, mod, etc.

I play in an all 80's over band, and don't need many effects or a whole scene with 8 individual sounds for many of the songs. For most tunes it's just the amp, cab, a little reverb, and a clean boost or adding some mod here and there for a part - that's it.

I could set up my AX8 this way, but now that I have some of the great custom artist/song presets that use scenes from a few members of the community, I can't have it both ways with the switching - though I tried. I set up switches 1-4 for individual presets, and switches 5-8 to access scenes and was not able to get the full access to some of the custom scenes that I have - but I had to try.

For people in cover bands that play a wide range of songs, what do you find works better where you don't have to tap dance as much - individual presets for songs, one per 1-8 switch, or using scenes for songs?

When I don't use full scenes and just assign one preset/song to each 1-8 switch, I feel like I'm not using the full potential of the unit - funny the things I never knew I would want from what seemed to work so well with my old GCP : )

I hope I'm making sense - I still doubt how much of a grasp I have on the AX8. The wiki and owner's manual, and simple trial and error are helping a lot.

Any feedback or advice would be great - thank you!
 
The short answer is both. I set a bank with 8 presets. Each preset has 2 scenes (normal and lead) assigned to Footswitch 1 and 5. I set up the bank with the presets I always use. I use sticky mode when I want to use multiple presets in a given song. I take it out of sticky mode when I want to deep dive in a given preset.
 
There's more than one way to skin the cat on the AX8. Whether you use scenes or prefer preset is more or less a matter of personal preference. I do use mostly scenes because being in a cover band I want one preset per song.
 
I have a pretty flexable set up that allows me to basically live on one preset. Sometime for certain events I will use a one preset per song set up and when that happens I use my one preset as the template and just adjust the scenes to the songs.

I have my Ax set up so all 8 buttons are IA's with x and y programmed (one of them is amp xy). F1 will give me the next preset up and F2 the next preset down. Here is where the power comes in. F1 hold put's me in sticky scene. I actually live in sticky scene. I have 8 scenes set up for with sounds I know I will pull on all the time. Doing this I always have 8 scene and always have access to IA's. If I have a song that I want a pitch shift for chorus type effect on a clean sound I select that scene. Tap F1 to get to IA mode, active the ia the hold F1 and I am back in Sticky scene. This was in moments I can customize scenes as needed for the tune on the fly
 
The short answer is both. I set a bank with 8 presets. Each preset has 2 scenes (normal and lead) assigned to Footswitch 1 and 5. I set up the bank with the presets I always use. I use sticky mode when I want to use multiple presets in a given song. I take it out of sticky mode when I want to deep dive in a given preset.
So the sticky mode is something I don't understand - how does that mode apply to scenes or presets? I know I use the F switches to set it up.
 
So the sticky mode is something I don't understand - how does that mode apply to scenes or presets? I know I use the F switches to set it up.

In sticky preset mode your 8 footswitches switch to presets 1 - 8 in the same bank. In sticky scene mode the footswitches switch to the 8 scenes of the current preset. More details are available in the manual.
 
In sticky preset mode your 8 footswitches switch to presets 1 - 8 in the same bank. In sticky scene mode the footswitches switch to the 8 scenes of the current preset. More details are available in the manual.
So is that the default mode for switches 1-8? I think that's what my AX8 is doing. I'll check this theory out after work - thank you!
 
I run 5 presets on buttons 1-5 (clean, crunchy, dirty, lead and acoustic sim) switches 6-8 control individual effects for each preset. For example, on my dirty channel (switch 3), I have 6 as a formant (Living on a prayer), 7 as a flanger and 8 as delay, on my clean channel (switch 1), 6 is chorus, 7 is a GEQ that gives a slight lead boost and 8 is an auto wah. I've just set 6-8 as things I really need for certain songs that use that preset. By doing this I'm able to get through 40 or so songs a night and pretty much hit the sound and feel of each song. Never have to change banks.
 
So is that the default mode for switches 1-8? I think that's what my AX8 is doing. I'll check this theory out after work - thank you!

No. Afaik the default is the pedal mode (?) where every footswitch is assigned an individual function in AX8-Edit.
 
Same situation... I will add a caution... I learned the hard way....Not knowing exactly how the F2 hold button worked, I accidentally selected an empty scene during my first gig and walla, all blocks will turn on..... so i"ve programmed scenes just in case...It will come in handy at some point...
 
That’s a good one to know - I’m nervous and excited for the gigs this weekend, nervous with not knowing all I need to know and excited to hear people's and the band’s reaction to the AX8!
 
I run both! I find I can squeeze in more flexibility by using them. If I'm covering a a tone that has more than one use, scenes coupled with X/Y make it simple to add specific effects cover that ground. Change to the next preset and do the same thing or setup for a very specific sound.
 
I run 5 presets on buttons 1-5 (clean, crunchy, dirty, lead and acoustic sim) switches 6-8 control individual effects for each preset. For example, on my dirty channel (switch 3), I have 6 as a formant (Living on a prayer), 7 as a flanger and 8 as delay, on my clean channel (switch 1), 6 is chorus, 7 is a GEQ that gives a slight lead boost and 8 is an auto wah. I've just set 6-8 as things I really need for certain songs that use that preset. By doing this I'm able to get through 40 or so songs a night and pretty much hit the sound and feel of each song. Never have to change banks.

I like this set up. With FW 10, the preset change lag has been reduced as well, so I think I am going to switch from Scene to this!
 
David's switching layout is cool and I'm going with something similar. I'm going to check out the X/Y switching to get even more out each preset. The AX8 is my first Fractal gear and I don't know what the earlier FW was like, but FW 10 is wicked good, and sounds better than any other modelers I've played.
 
I run both! I find I can squeeze in more flexibility by using them. If I'm covering a a tone that has more than one use, scenes coupled with X/Y make it simple to add specific effects cover that ground. Change to the next preset and do the same thing or setup for a very specific sound.
So you can run scenes and presets in different banks? That would open up some new possibilities! I thought I could only lay out the global switches for one format or the other for all the banks - scene or preset. So you can have a single scene in one bank, and then in the next bank have four or more individual presets on the 1-8 switches, and then go back to a scene in another bank?
 
So you can run scenes and presets in different banks? That would open up some new possibilities! I thought I could only lay out the global switches for one format or the other for all the banks - scene or preset. So you can have a single scene in one bank, and then in the next bank have four or more individual presets on the 1-8 switches, and then go back to a scene in another bank?

Yes you can do that but what I ment is that you can build a preset with scenes with a specific song in mind or use it to cover multiple songs using X/Y switching within the preset ie: One preset with 8 scenes and X/Y switching! I wasn't even referring to global settings.

Though it sound like we are talking about the same thing, Just to be clear you know that you have 8 presets per bank and each preset has 8 scenes! combine that X/Y switching and you have quite a few options in just one bank depending on how many blocks you are using.
 
I have a pretty flexable set up that allows me to basically live on one preset. Sometime for certain events I will use a one preset per song set up and when that happens I use my one preset as the template and just adjust the scenes to the songs.

I have my Ax set up so all 8 buttons are IA's with x and y programmed (one of them is amp xy). F1 will give me the next preset up and F2 the next preset down. Here is where the power comes in. F1 hold put's me in sticky scene. I actually live in sticky scene. I have 8 scenes set up for with sounds I know I will pull on all the time. Doing this I always have 8 scene and always have access to IA's. If I have a song that I want a pitch shift for chorus type effect on a clean sound I select that scene. Tap F1 to get to IA mode, active the ia the hold F1 and I am back in Sticky scene. This was in moments I can customize scenes as needed for the tune on the fly

This is what I've been doing for a bit too.

Seeing quite a few guys using preset switching. Is preset switching quicker than Amp X/Y switching within a preset? I generally have a clean amp, and a dirty amp, and my scenes switch between them, but I'm thinking that with preset switching, I could actually have an inbetween amp, like a Plexi. Hmm.
 
i do it via scenes. I'll tell you why.

With scenes, each preset is a song, and each 'scene' is the intro verse, chorus, outro, solo, whatever it is within that song. Verses are usually quieter than choruses, solos are obviously boosted etc. So i'll have the verse be a -2 or -3db against the chorus, and the solo be a +2 or 3db for example. Not including the fact that some certain songs have effects in certain verses only and/or clean vs distorted and so on, so you're able to X/Y amps between scenes.

I have disabled sticky ANYTHING. The reason for this is, as dumb as this sounds, if i slip, or if i'm wearing heavy boots etc. And i step on the wrong switch at the wrong time or for too long...even worse, if your SINGER STEPS ON A SWITCH ON YOUR AX8 AS LONG AS THE HIGH NOTE HE'S SINGING! it's a nightmare to switch that back! Sad..but true..this has happened....

It is true though preset switching is faster and I have tried many times to make it work, haven't come up with a solution as of yet.
 
i do it via scenes. I'll tell you why.

With scenes, each preset is a song, and each 'scene' is the intro verse, chorus, outro, solo, whatever it is within that song. Verses are usually quieter than choruses, solos are obviously boosted etc. So i'll have the verse be a -2 or -3db against the chorus, and the solo be a +2 or 3db for example. Not including the fact that some certain songs have effects in certain verses only and/or clean vs distorted and so on, so you're able to X/Y amps between scenes.

I have disabled sticky ANYTHING. The reason for this is, as dumb as this sounds, if i slip, or if i'm wearing heavy boots etc. And i step on the wrong switch at the wrong time or for too long...even worse, if your SINGER STEPS ON A SWITCH ON YOUR AX8 AS LONG AS THE HIGH NOTE HE'S SINGING! it's a nightmare to switch that back! Sad..but true..this has happened....

It is true though preset switching is faster and I have tried many times to make it work, haven't come up with a solution as of yet.
xy switching has improved with this last FW. I wonder if preset switching is still "fast"
 
I set up my board on FW10 to be PRESET based and I am getting all sorts of bizarre level jumps and noises when I switch presets. I gather I did something wrong!
 
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