Bug? Virtual Capo Block With Modifier Strange Behaviour

[Ugly Bunny]

BLUF: The initial value of an external controller seems to be being ignored after a value that differs from that initial value is sent.

FW 4.00b5

My setup is having the virtual capo in a preset called "Downtune." The intent is to have a preset that defaults to 1 half step down. Unfortunately, I have one song that needs to be 2 half steps down that I wish to use the same preset for. The pitch block's Virtual Capo's "Shift" parameter is attached to a modifier (modifier 2, if it matters), attached to External 4, which is assigned to a MIDI CC. The External Control 4's initial value is 47% (which is 1 half step down). So the expected behaviour is that anytime the preset is called up WITHOUT any additional commands to shift the pitch, it will be exactly 1 half step down. Anytime I call up the preset with additional MIDI commands to shift the pitch, it will do so, and then the next song without any additional pitch-shifitng commands means it will be back at 1 half step down. But that's not what's happening.

SCENARIO:

1. Song A Simply goes to the preset which is defaulted to 1 half step down.
2. Song B goes to the preset but tells the Virtual Capo to drop 2 half steps using the CC attached to the external controller that modifies the VC.
3. Song C goes to a different preset altogether. Let's forget song C.
4. Song D goes to the downtuned preset, no additional commands to control the pitch, yet the pitch block is still dropped by 2 half steps, even though the default is set up so it only drops by 1 half step.
5. Song A (remember him?) now goes to the preset and it's again still dropped by 2 half steps.
6. Song E goes to the preset and specifies to drop only 1 half step and it works (even though this should be the default)
7. Song A goes to the preset again and it's back to being only a half step down.

• I never save the preset after dropping 2 half steps.
• As it sits, I currently have to manually tell the preset to drop 1 half step anytime after I go to the song that drops it 2 half steps.
• The External Controller is defaulted to 47% (1 half step down).
• Any song that specifies via CC to drop only 1 half step works after the 2 half step down song; any song that simply gos to that preset (assuming the default to be 1 half step down) is now 2 half steps down.
• I could always make a separate preset just for this song so I wouldn't have to worry about the MIDI/External Controller/Modifier wonkiness, but this works flawlessly in my Axe Fx III.

Is this a bug that should be reported? Can anyone think of what I may be doing wrong?

 

[Bakerman]

External Control init. values only apply until a CC value is received. After that they're irrelevant until you restart the FM3 (or possibly adjust the init. value although I'm only sure this works on the Axe II).

The only* real solution is to send the CC value needed for each song.

*PC Reset in the modifier settings allows recalling a preset with a certain parameter value, but you might run into the problem of commands not having an effect when the latest CC value matches the previous one sent. So instead of just sending CC value 54 or whatever it is for 2 steps down, you'd have to program 2 values like 127 & 54 so the FM3 sees sufficient change in the controller value to let it take control. Because of this, it's probably easier to just send one value for every preset.

 

[Ugly Bunny]

Thanks for your insight; the weird thing is, as I mentioned, this was never an issue on my Axe Fx III. I could go to my 2 half step down preset, then return to something else, then go to another song that just recalled the downtuned (half step) preset and it would only be a half-step down. Weird.

 

[Bakerman]

I think that was a bug on the Axe III that's fixed now. Not reloading the init. value on preset change seems to be the intended operation, since PC Reset accomplishes the same thing (with slight quirk mentioned above) with per preset/parameter starting values.