Why use Control Switches vs. Scenes

jamn4jc

Experienced
@Glenn DeLaune has mentioned Control Switches a couple of times. I wasn't familiar with this feature, so I reviewed the user manual. Now, I'm wondering what the use case is for using a Control Switch vs. a Scene. It seems that they have pretty much the same functionality. Is it a way to get more than just X/Y settings (i.e. X/Y + something else)?
 
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Yes. Expanding on yek's comment, they're similar to scenes in that they are a way to change multiple things at once, but you aren't "locked in" to the on/off x/y states of any other blocks like you are with scenes. So for example, I can have a CS that turns on a Drive and boosts the amount of Reverb, but doesn't affect whether or not I have the Chorus on or off. With a scene, the Chorus would turn on or off depending on whichever way you had it originally set.
 
Plus: Controls Switches let you control stuff that you can't control with scenes.

not to be forward.. such as? I've been using scenes forever in a day, and this is the first time control switches has been highlighted as a good (if not better) substitute to scenes.. Can you give an example or two of how someone could use and benefit from using CS vs scenes?
 
not to be forward.. such as? I've been using scenes forever in a day, and this is the first time control switches has been highlighted as a good (if not better) substitute to scenes.. Can you give an example or two of how someone could use and benefit from using CS vs scenes?
OK say you have a patch that has in Scene 1 a Clean sound. kinda a Country Spank sound. You use that for a song or two and you need a lead boost. You can use a Control switch to add a delay and an EQ boost for your Lead and assign them to switch 4 on the bottom row. So that's yous control switch. It's set up with a Lead Delay and an EQ to boost the db and give you a mid boost to cut through the mix on your leads.

Now lets say on that same patch, scene 2 might be a slightly over driven sound. You may want to have a lead section while using that scene. You would use your Control switch. Now let's say you're on scene 3 which is a really over driven high gain sound and you want a lead boost for that scene, you would use your Control switch. That's how I have my patches set up. That way I can play almost an entire set with just 1 patch. The switching is seamless and I have everything I need. 3 different sounds all with a lead boost that can be activated at any time.

That's just the bottom row. The top row 4 switches I use for effects toggle on and off. Like a Chorus, and extra drive pedal if I need, a Phaser and an extra delay for some spacial passages. I don't know if that makes any sense to you guys but it makes perfect sense to me. I only use about 2 or 3 patches for an entire 3 hour show this way. It's alot easier to dial them in too instead of using a different patch for every song. I know everybody has their own way of doing things but you asked so there ya go.
 
OK say you have a patch that has in Scene 1 a Clean sound. kinda a Country Spank sound. You use that for a song or two and you need a lead boost. You can use a Control switch to add a delay and an EQ boost for your Lead and assign them to switch 4 on the bottom row. So that's yous control switch. It's set up with a Lead Delay and an EQ to boost the db and give you a mid boost to cut through the mix on your leads.

Now lets say on that same patch, scene 2 might be a slightly over driven sound. You may want to have a lead section while using that scene. You would use your Control switch. Now let's say you're on scene 3 which is a really over driven high gain sound and you want a lead boost for that scene, you would use your Control switch. That's how I have my patches set up. That way I can play almost an entire set with just 1 patch. The switching is seamless and I have everything I need. 3 different sounds all with a lead boost that can be activated at any time.

That's just the bottom row. The top row 4 switches I use for effects toggle on and off. Like a Chorus, and extra drive pedal if I need, a Phaser and an extra delay for some spacial passages. I don't know if that makes any sense to you guys but it makes perfect sense to me. I only use about 2 or 3 patches for an entire 3 hour show this way. It's alot easier to dial them in too instead of using a different patch for every song. I know everybody has their own way of doing things but you asked so there ya go.

Well Glenn.. best you hurry up and start selling some of your patches like you've done with the Helix! I bought a few of your Helix bundles which were pretty cool, but I must say, I'm more intrigued by your AX8 patches as the AX8 is, in my humble opinion, has better amp/cab sims compared to the Helix. Either way, when I get one of your patches that has this type of setup, I will give that a try and see how it goes. If it works for me, happy days.

Thanks for the response.. I never knew CS could do that, and I often wondered how some players have managed to have a setup, within the one patch, where a guitar tone can go from clean, to break up, the slightly over-driven, to over-driven +, then to total mayhem!
Question answered :D

One more question.. what FRFR setup do you mainly use? Do you bring your own when on stage as opposed to what you would use at home, where you make your patches?
 
One more question.. what FRFR setup do you mainly use? Do you bring your own when on stage as opposed to what you would use at home, where you make your patches?
I use either a Line 6 Firehawk 1500 or a Marshall JCM 900 (going into the FX Return of the amp) and 4x12 cab or two Marshall JCM 900's and two 4x12 cabs for big gigs. Mostly the Firehawk 1500 and those are just for stage sound. My AX8 always runs XLR stereo Direct to FOH.
 
I use either a Line 6 Firehawk 1500 or a Marshall JCM 900 (going into the FX Return of the amp) and 4x12 cab or two Marshall JCM 900's and two 4x12 cabs for big gigs. Mostly the Firehawk 1500 and those are just for stage sound. My AX8 always runs XLR stereo Direct to FOH.

Great to know mate, appreciate the response
 
OK say you have a patch that has in Scene 1 a Clean sound. kinda a Country Spank sound. You use that for a song or two and you need a lead boost. You can use a Control switch to add a delay and an EQ boost for your Lead and assign them to switch 4 on the bottom row. So that's yous control switch. It's set up with a Lead Delay and an EQ to boost the db and give you a mid boost to cut through the mix on your leads.

Now lets say on that same patch, scene 2 might be a slightly over driven sound. You may want to have a lead section while using that scene. You would use your Control switch. Now let's say you're on scene 3 which is a really over driven high gain sound and you want a lead boost for that scene, you would use your Control switch. That's how I have my patches set up. That way I can play almost an entire set with just 1 patch. The switching is seamless and I have everything I need. 3 different sounds all with a lead boost that can be activated at any time.

That's just the bottom row. The top row 4 switches I use for effects toggle on and off. Like a Chorus, and extra drive pedal if I need, a Phaser and an extra delay for some spacial passages. I don't know if that makes any sense to you guys but it makes perfect sense to me. I only use about 2 or 3 patches for an entire 3 hour show this way. It's alot easier to dial them in too instead of using a different patch for every song. I know everybody has their own way of doing things but you asked so there ya go.
Why is this better than making is 4 a lead scene?
 
Why is this better than making is 4 a lead scene?
Depending on how you achieve your lead boost tone, one advantage is that the lead boost is available across all scenes and thus gives more options compared to a single dedicated lead scene.

E.g. if you have a clean, crunch and driven tone available via scenes you can get a lead boost on each scene that will be slightly more or less driven depending on which scene you are boosting.

As a kitchen sink preset this may work better as you can get more variety within the preset.

I haven't really looked into this much, but reading through the thread I am definitely going to check it out. I currently have a dedicated boost scene, but I would much rather have this setup as a CS and then have the option of boosting any scene.
 
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OK say you have a patch that has in Scene 1 a Clean sound. kinda a Country Spank sound. You use that for a song or two and you need a lead boost. You can use a Control switch to add a delay and an EQ boost for your Lead and assign them to switch 4 on the bottom row. So that's yous control switch. It's set up with a Lead Delay and an EQ to boost the db and give you a mid boost to cut through the mix on your leads.

Now lets say on that same patch, scene 2 might be a slightly over driven sound. You may want to have a lead section while using that scene. You would use your Control switch. Now let's say you're on scene 3 which is a really over driven high gain sound and you want a lead boost for that scene, you would use your Control switch. That's how I have my patches set up. That way I can play almost an entire set with just 1 patch. The switching is seamless and I have everything I need. 3 different sounds all with a lead boost that can be activated at any time.

That's just the bottom row. The top row 4 switches I use for effects toggle on and off. Like a Chorus, and extra drive pedal if I need, a Phaser and an extra delay for some spacial passages. I don't know if that makes any sense to you guys but it makes perfect sense to me. I only use about 2 or 3 patches for an entire 3 hour show this way. It's alot easier to dial them in too instead of using a different patch for every song. I know everybody has their own way of doing things but you asked so there ya go.
If you ever get a spare moment I would live to hear see/hear this. Scene 1 then kick in control. Scene 2 then kick and control and scene 3 then kick in control.
 
Why is this better than making is 4 a lead scene?

Because a scene involves pre-programming. And that's not always what a players wants.

Example: you're in scene one, which is a clean tone, and you've also pressed the Chorus switch. Now you want a simple boost, with that Chorus engaged. A Control Switch can be assigned to an effect, or to Input Trim etc., to provide that boost.

If you wanted to use a scene for that, you would have to programmed a scene for that, with Chorus.
Now say you're in scene one, with Chorus bypassed, and you want that boost. When depending on scenes, you would to have programmed a separate scene of that.
 
If you ever get a spare moment I would live to hear see/hear this. Scene 1 then kick in control. Scene 2 then kick and control and scene 3 then kick in control.
You can try it for yourself right now if you want to. I've already uploaded several patches to the AxeChange that are set up like this. Go there and search my name and get my GD MATCHLESS patch. It's set up in this exact way.
 
Lol.. I still don't quite get it but I'll try your patch Glenn over the next day or two.. hopefully I'll have a light bulb 'Aaaahh, that's what he meant' moment..
 
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