Fractal Audio AXE-FX II User manual

Owner’s Manual

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Legal Notices
Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx II Owner’s Manual. Contents Copyright © 2011 -2012. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the permission of Fractal Audio Systems.
Fractal Audio Systems, Axe-Fx, Axe-Fx II, G2 Modeling Technology (“G2”), Virtual Vacuum Tube (“VVT”) are
trademarks of Fractal Audio Systems. Manufacturer names and product names mentioned herein are trademarks
or registered trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated with or affiliated with Fractal
Audio Systems. The names are used only to illustrate sonic and performance characteristics.
Important Safety Instructions
WARNING: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not expose
this appliance to rain or moisture.
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of fire or electric shock, do not remove
screws. There are no user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to
qualified service personnel.
1. Obey all warnings on the Axe-Fx II and in this User Guide.
2. Keep away from sources of heat such as heat ducts, registers or appliances which produce heat.
3. Connect only to a proper AC outlet of 100–240V, 47–63 Hz.
4. Keep the power cord in good condition. Do not kink, bend, or pinch. If the cord becomes
damaged, discard and replace it.
5. If not using your Axe-Fx II for extended periods of time, disconnect from AC mains.
6. Protect the unit from rain and excessive moisture.
7. Refer servicing to qualified personnel only.
8. Do not operate the unit and obtain service if:
a. Liquids or excessive moisture enter the unit.
b. The unit operates incorrectly or performance is inconsistent or erratic.
c. The unit has been dropped and/or the enclosure damaged.
9. Prolonged exposure to high volume levels can cause hearing damage and/or loss. The use of
hearing protection in high volume situations is recommended.
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Certificate of Conformity
Fractal Audio Systems, USA, hereby declares on its own responsibility that the following product:
Axe-Fx II Digital Guitar Preamplifier and Effects Processor
- that is covered by this certificate and marked with CE label conforms to following standards:
EN60065
(IEC 60065)
Safety requirement for mains operated electronic and related apparatus for household and
similar use.
EN 55103-1
Product family standard for audio, video, audio-visual, and entertainment lighting control
apparatus for professional use. Part 1: Emission.
EN 55103-2
Product family standard for audio, video, audio-visual, and entertainment lighting control
apparatus for professional use. Part 2: Immunity.
with reference to regulations in following directives: 73/23/EEC, 89/336/EEC.
Issued in May 2011
Clifford Chase, President
Fractal Audio Systems
EMC / EMI
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B Digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC
rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in residential installations. This
equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. There is no guarantee that interference will not occur in
a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be
determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of
the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment to an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
About the Author
Matt Picone is a music technology product specialist, sound designer, creative director, and musician with over 25 years of
experience spanning guitars, amps, effects, synthesizers, software, and beyond. He also works as a consultant to many greats
including Dweezil Zappa, Adrian Belew, Steve Vai, Dream Theater, the Edge, Peter Frampton, Neal Schon, King’s X, Scott
Appleton (Def Leppard/Rush/etc.) and more. This work is based extensively on the original Axe-Fx manual by Fractal Audio
founder and Axe-Fx creator Cliff Chase.
Many thanks to our team of awesome beta-testers, preset creators, copy-editors and proofreaders.
You may report manual corrections or suggestions in our forum at http://forum.fractalaudio.com

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Foreword
Thank you for purchasing an Axe-Fx II, one of the most powerful musical instrument processors
ever produced. Please take the time to read through this manual to become acquainted with
the Axe-Fx II.
Thinking back to a date when the first Axe-Fx units rolled off the line back in 2006, it would
have been a challenge to predict the scale of what was to follow… that the product would be
such a worldwide success that we would have a hard time keeping it in stock; that musicians
would rally around the unit, from online “Axe-evangelists”to the world’s most celebrated pro
players; that we’d soon be writing the foreword to a manual for the sequel: the Axe-Fx II.
Nevertheless, the Axe-Fx II is here. Advances in technology and knowledge, along with the
shared insights of our community, have allowed us to design and produce a next-generation
product that represents a giant step forward. If you owned a Standard or an Ultra, we think
you’ll be very impressed with all the updates, additions and improvements. If you’re new to the
Axe-Fx family, this is an incredible place to start.
It has been said that the Axe-Fx “restored digital to its rightful place as the superior solution to
musical effects processing.” Every aspect of the Axe-Fx II has been designed to deliver the latest
word in this commentary. It has twice the power of the Axe-Fx Ultra (while even the older
“Standard”still has more horsepower under the hood than the closest competitor). For the
player, this means better sound, smarter features, and improved performance.
We think that a time traveler from that date back in 2006 would be quite impressed with how
things turned out. We are, and we hope you will be too. And now, on to the show…
—Fractal Audio Systems, May 2011

TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Table of Contents
Foreword ..........................................................................................iii
Table of Contents..............................................................................iv
What’s New .......................................................................................1
1Introduction ..................................................................................4
1.1 What is the Axe FX II? ..............................................................................4
1.2 The Inventory/Grid Concept.....................................................................6
1.3 Connectivity and More.............................................................................7
My Head Hertz… ....................................................................................................................................71.3.1
2Overview ......................................................................................8
2.1 The Front Panel........................................................................................8
2.2 The Rear Panel .......................................................................................10
2.3 Computer Integration ............................................................................12
Minimum Requirements ......................................................................................................................122.3.1
Software Installation............................................................................................................................122.3.2
Capabilities...........................................................................................................................................132.3.3
3Connections ................................................................................15
3.1 Setting Levels .........................................................................................15
3.2 The PEDAL Jack ......................................................................................16
3.3 System Parameters ................................................................................16
3.4 Connection Diagrams .............................................................................17
Axe-Fx II into Self-Powered Full-Range Speakers.................................................................................183.4.1
Axe-Fx II into Studio Monitors .............................................................................................................183.4.2
Axe-Fx II with Power Amp and Guitar Speakers ..................................................................................193.4.3
Axe-Fx II Effects Loop...........................................................................................................................203.4.4
Axe-Fx II Digital Audio Interconnection ...............................................................................................203.4.5
Axe-Fx II Four Cable Method (“4CM”) .................................................................................................213.4.6
Direct to FOH plus Real Amps on Stage ...............................................................................................223.4.7

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Axe-Fx II as Effects Processor Only (with Guitar Amps) .......................................................................23
3.4.8
Axe-Fx II as a Computer Audio Interface .............................................................................................243.4.9
Axe-Fx II and MFC-101 .........................................................................................................................253.4.10
Axe-Fx II: One Possible “Big Rig”..........................................................................................................263.4.11
4Basic Operation and Editing.........................................................27
4.1 Presets ...................................................................................................27
4.2 The Grid .................................................................................................28
Inserting and Removing Blocks ............................................................................................................284.2.1
Shunts ..................................................................................................................................................294.2.2
Connector Cables.................................................................................................................................304.2.3
Moving Blocks on the Grid...................................................................................................................324.2.4
Example Presets on the Grid................................................................................................................334.2.5
4.3 Editing Sounds .......................................................................................35
Quick Control .......................................................................................................................................364.3.1
4.4 X/Y Switching.........................................................................................36
X/Y Quick Jump ....................................................................................................................................374.4.1
4.5 Bypassing a Block...................................................................................37
4.6 Loading Effects from another Preset ......................................................37
4.7 Saving Changes ......................................................................................38
Swapping the Locations of Two Presets ..............................................................................................384.7.1
5Effects Guide ...............................................................................39
5.1 Amplifier [AMP] .....................................................................................39
Basic Amp Parameters .........................................................................................................................415.1.1
Amp Dynamics Parameters..................................................................................................................445.1.2
Advanced Amp Parameters .................................................................................................................445.1.3
5.2 Cabinet [CAB].........................................................................................48
5.3 Chorus [CHO] .........................................................................................51
5.4 Compressor [CMP] .................................................................................53
5.5 Crossover [XVR] .....................................................................................55
5.6 Delay [DLY] ............................................................................................56
Mono Delay..........................................................................................................................................575.6.1

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Stereo Delay.........................................................................................................................................58
5.6.2
Dual Delay............................................................................................................................................595.6.3
Ping-Pong Delay ...................................................................................................................................605.6.4
Sweep Delay.........................................................................................................................................605.6.5
Reverse Delay ......................................................................................................................................605.6.6
Tape Delay ...........................................................................................................................................615.6.7
Delay Common Parameters .................................................................................................................625.6.8
5.7 Drive [DRV] ............................................................................................63
5.8 Effects Loop [FXL]...................................................................................66
5.9 Enhancer [ENH]......................................................................................67
5.10 Feedback Send [SND] & Return [RTN]..................................................67
5.11 Filter [FLT] ...........................................................................................67
5.12 Flanger [FLG] .......................................................................................69
5.13 Formant [FRM]....................................................................................72
5.14 Gate/Expander [GTE]...........................................................................73
5.15 Graphic Equalizer [GEQ] ......................................................................74
5.16 Looper [LPR]........................................................................................74
5.17 Megatap Delay [MGT] .........................................................................76
5.18 Mixer [MIX].........................................................................................77
5.19 Multiband Compressor [MBC] .............................................................78
5.20 Multi Delay [MTD]...............................................................................79
Quad Tap Delay....................................................................................................................................805.20.1
Plex Delay.............................................................................................................................................815.20.2
Plex Detune..........................................................................................................................................835.20.3
Plex Shift ..............................................................................................................................................835.20.4
Band Delay ...........................................................................................................................................83
5.20.5
Quad Series Delay ................................................................................................................................845.20.6
Ten-Tap Delay ......................................................................................................................................845.20.7
Rhythm Tap Delay................................................................................................................................855.20.8
Diffusor ................................................................................................................................................865.20.9
Quad Tape Delay..............................................................................................................................875.20.10
5.21 Tremolo/Panner [PAN]........................................................................87

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5.22 Parametric EQ [PEQ]............................................................................88
5.23 Phaser [PHA] .......................................................................................89
5.24 Pitch Shifter [PIT] ................................................................................91
Detune .................................................................................................................................................935.24.1
Fixed Harmony.....................................................................................................................................945.24.2
Intelligent Harmony .............................................................................................................................945.24.3
Classic Whammy ..................................................................................................................................975.24.4
Octave Divider .....................................................................................................................................975.24.5
Crystals.................................................................................................................................................985.24.6
Advanced Whammy.............................................................................................................................99
5.24.7
Arpeggiator ........................................................................................................................................1005.24.8
Custom Shifter ...................................................................................................................................1015.24.9
5.25 Quad Chorus [QCH] ...........................................................................102
5.26 Resonator [RES].................................................................................104
5.27 Reverb [REV] .....................................................................................105
5.28 Ring Modulator [RNG].......................................................................108
5.29 Rotary Speaker [ROT] ........................................................................108
5.30 Synth [SYN] .......................................................................................110
5.31 Tone Match [TMA] ............................................................................111
5.32 Vocoder [VOC]...................................................................................112
5.33 Volume/Pan [VOL] ............................................................................113
5.34 Wahwah [WAH] ................................................................................114
5.35 Input Noise Gate ...............................................................................115
Input Impedance................................................................................................................................1155.35.1
5.36 Output Mixer ....................................................................................116
5.37 Common Mix Parameters..................................................................117
6Global Blocks.............................................................................119
6.1 Introduction.........................................................................................119
6.2 Using Global Blocks..............................................................................119
Saving to a Global Block.....................................................................................................................1206.2.1

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Loading and Linking a Global Block....................................................................................................121
6.2.2
Loading Global Blocks without Linking ..............................................................................................1226.2.3
Unlinking Preset and Global Blocks ...................................................................................................1226.2.4
7Modifiers & Controllers .............................................................124
7.1 Introduction.........................................................................................124
7.2 Creating a Modifier ..............................................................................124
Transformations.................................................................................................................................1267.2.1
Damping.............................................................................................................................................1277.2.2
Auto Engage.......................................................................................................................................1287.2.3
Program Change Reset ......................................................................................................................1287.2.4
7.3 Control Sources....................................................................................129
LFO1 & 2 ............................................................................................................................................1297.3.1
ADSR 1 & 2 .........................................................................................................................................1307.3.2
Sequencer ..........................................................................................................................................1307.3.3
Envelope Follower .............................................................................................................................1317.3.4
Pitch Detector ....................................................................................................................................1317.3.5
Manual Knobs ....................................................................................................................................1317.3.6
External Controllers ...........................................................................................................................1327.3.7
Modifier Power!.................................................................................................................................1327.3.8
8Global Parameters.....................................................................133
8.1 Configuration Parameters ....................................................................133
8.2 Output Parameters ..............................................................................134
8.3 Custom Scales ......................................................................................134
9Input/Output Parameters..........................................................135
9.1 Input Parameters .................................................................................135
9.2 Audio Parameters ................................................................................135
9.3 MIDI Parameters..................................................................................137
9.4 Control Parameters..............................................................................139
9.5 Pedal Parameters.................................................................................141
9.6 X/Y Quick-Jump Assign.........................................................................141
10 Utilities ...................................................................................142

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10.1 LCD Contrast......................................................................................142
10.2 Preset Utilities...................................................................................142
10.3 Status Meters....................................................................................142
10.4 Reset System.....................................................................................142
10.5 IR Capture .........................................................................................143
10.6 Firmware...........................................................................................144
11 Tuner ......................................................................................145
12 Tempo ....................................................................................146
12.1 Setting the Tempo.............................................................................146
12.2 Synchronizing Sound Parameters ......................................................146
12.3 Tempo to Use ....................................................................................147
12.4 Auto Delay ........................................................................................147
12.5 Metronome.......................................................................................147
13 Backing Up and Restoring........................................................148
13.1 MIDI/SysEx Backup and Restore........................................................148
Dumping to a computer.....................................................................................................................14813.1.1
Restoring from a Computer ...............................................................................................................14913.1.2
13.2 Onboard ROM Backup and Restore ...................................................149
13.3 Machine-to-Machine Transfers..........................................................150
14 Firmware Updates...................................................................151
14.1 Firmware...........................................................................................151
15 Troubleshooting......................................................................152
16 Appendix ................................................................................154
16.1 Shortcuts Overview ...........................................................................154
16.2 60-Second Edit Guide ........................................................................155
16.3 Understanding Preset Size Limits.......................................................156
16.4 Signal Flow, Global, and I/O Parameters ...........................................156