Scenes...really?

pamisano

Inspired
I finally have my rig the way I want it. AxeFx 2, MFC-101 with a momentary switch and a couple of expression pedals. I even have the extension module for the MFC on the way. So now that I have my rig set up the way I want, I am starting to look at using scenes instead of presets. I have created a preset for country tunes, it has a clean scene, dirty scene, crunch scene and a lead scene. Works great, not much to the preset, amp, cab, a few effects...works nicely.

Then I tried putting together a single preset for No Doubt's Just a Girl. Currently I have a preset for the rhythm and one for the synth lead. The single preset would require amp, cab, formant, delay and reverb and then the contents of the synth preset. However, I didn't even get half way through adding blocks to this single preset before I started getting CPU errors. So, how is one to create a preset with potentially 8 different scenes if you can't add everything you need for that preset?

I have multiple songs like this that have a variety of clean, rhythm, lead and synth "scenes" but it doesn't appear I can put them all in one preset.

Any help guidance would be appreciated.

Pete

PS: the synth preset is the G300 preset from AxeChange so you can see all the blocks it contains.
 
I guess that shows how differently we all use the Axe II... I've never even seen the CPU maxed out in 2 years of using it.
 
Fire up Axe Edit and post a pic of your patch.

Also, when you say " the contents of the synth preset" what exactly does that mean?
 
Be creative and you can put a lot of stuff in a single preset. To save CPU, use a LoRes Cab, decrease Reverb density and Spring Reverb, disable the Gate, etc etc etc
 
I finally have my rig the way I want it. AxeFx 2, MFC-101 with a momentary switch and a couple of expression pedals. I even have the extension module for the MFC on the way. So now that I have my rig set up the way I want, I am starting to look at using scenes instead of presets. I have created a preset for country tunes, it has a clean scene, dirty scene, crunch scene and a lead scene. Works great, not much to the preset, amp, cab, a few effects...works nicely.

Then I tried putting together a single preset for No Doubt's Just a Girl. Currently I have a preset for the rhythm and one for the synth lead. The single preset would require amp, cab, formant, delay and reverb and then the contents of the synth preset. However, I didn't even get half way through adding blocks to this single preset before I started getting CPU errors. So, how is one to create a preset with potentially 8 different scenes if you can't add everything you need for that preset?

I have multiple songs like this that have a variety of clean, rhythm, lead and synth "scenes" but it doesn't appear I can put them all in one preset.

Any help guidance would be appreciated.

Pete

PS: the synth preset is the G300 preset from AxeChange so you can see all the blocks it contains.

I have presets that tickle the crashing point. If you unplug the USB and just use the front panel, you can salvage the high CPU presets and still use them in some cases. eliminate compression and gating and see if that helps.
 
you can save some cpu by sharing fx between the synth part and the guitar part, like sharing delays and reverbs etc

you can save cpu on the gr300 preset by replacing the amp block with a drive. in fact you only need the following chain...

drive > synth > GEQ > drive

if you need a drive for the guitar part of the preset, then keep the amp

run that chain into the delay and reverb you have set up for the guitar part of the preset

if you're running a high res cab for the guitar, change to a low res and you'll claw back a ton of cpu

i made the gr300 preset, so if you'd like a hand, let me know
 
Also, don't forget about extraneous effects clogging everything up and killing efficiency. There was another guy a few weeks ago who complained about not having enough CPU to make "basic sounds" and when he posted his patch, it turns out he could have had literally the exact same sound with about a quarter as many blocks as he was trying to use. His tone was great, but the patch had stuff like unnecessary multiple paths and routing and extra mixers and panners and just crap everywhere that either just didn't do anything at all or that could have been accomplished easier in other blocks already in the grid, like he'd put a mixer block after an amp block just to alter to overall level, when he could have just used the level control already built into the amp block, etc.

This isn't meant to be insulting, it's just that the Axe has a pretty significant learning curve, and a lot of people just don't know all the best practices right off the bat. Post your patch and we can all help you figure out if there's anything you can trim off without losing any actual tone generating components.
 
Scenes were not created to replace presets.

That said, there are limitations to how much stuff you can add - that's all there is to it.

I always use my Cab block in Mono LoRes. It's actually "normal" resolution, not low or inadequate in any way. This saves a bunch of CPU.
 
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So if putting a clean, crunch and lead preset into one preset and using scenes isn't replacing presets, I don't know what is :)

Attached are the two presets I am trying to combine. Any and all suggestions are welcome.

Simeon, sorry I thought is was the G300, but it was the rebel yell synth lead.

Thanks guys for all the help.

Pete
 

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You may already know this, but bypassed blocks also use precious CPU, so if your not using the Wah or Drive, by all means take them out of the patch.
 
I have multiple songs like this that have a variety of clean, rhythm, lead and synth "scenes" but it doesn't appear I can put them all in one preset.

So don't put them all in one preset.

:)

Preset switching, while not instantaneous, is still pretty darn fast compared to some of the crap I have had to deal with over the years...
 
Attached are the two presets I am trying to combine. Any and all suggestions are welcome.
I see you've got a Drive near the front of each presets. If you set up your scenes right, you can get rid of one of those Drives and make the other do double duty. In the same way, you could make the Amp block serve as the second Drive in your synth patch. Doing both of those things will free up 20% of your CPU horsepower.

Same thing for Delay and Reverb. You could free up another 15% there.
 
yes, have both lines share the delay and reverb and also ditch the multicomp. i get 91% with the usb connected. and the cab is high res. if you use X/Y for the drive, delay and reverb, you should be able to recreate both patches

edit: attached a screengrab
 

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