Fractal AXE-FX III User manual

Current as of Axe-Fx III Firmware 19.x
Original, Mark II, Standard and TURBO versions
March 2022

Inside Front Cover

i
Declaration of Conformity
Manufacturer’s Name: Fractal Audio Systems, LLC
Manufacturer’s Address: 4 Wilder Drive, Plaistow, NH 03865 USA
Declares that the product:
Product name: Axe-Fx III Product option: None
Conforms to the following Product Specications:
Safety: EN60065:2014
EMC: EN55013:2013
EN55020:2007+A11:2011
EN55024:2010
EN61000-3-2:2014
EN61000-3-3:2013
Supplementary Information:
The product herewith complies with the requirements of
the Low Voltage Directive 2006/95/EC
and the EMC Directive 2004/108/EC.
Clifford Chase
President / CEO
January 22, 2018
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.

ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION .....................1
Welcome to the Axe-Fx III .............. 1
Feature Summary .................... 2
The Setup menu...................... 3
Quick Connect Guide .................. 4
Setting Levels ....................... 5
Humbuster™ Cables................... 6
Mono vs. Stereo ..................... 6
The Home Page: Presets............... 7
Intro to the Layout Grid ................ 8
Intro to Scenes and Channels ........... 9
Grid Editing: Quick start............... 10
Block Editing: Quick start ............. 10
USB Overview ...................... 11
Fractal-Bot & Axe-Edit III .............. 11
Connecting Pedals Directly ............ 12
Global Expression Pedal Setup ......... 13
Global Volume Pedal Setup ............ 13
2 HARDWARE OVERVIEW ..............15
The Front Panel ..................... 15
The Rear Panel ..................... 17
3 USB .............................19
Computer Integration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
USB Inputs and Outputs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Mac OS X System Audio .............. 21
USB Re-Amping ..................... 22
4 SETTING UP.......................23
General Principles ................... 23
FRFR/Direct ........................ 24
FRFR monitor & FRFR to Front-of-House .. 25
Power Amp & Guitar Speakers.......... 26
Power Amp & Cab & FRFR/Direct ....... 27
Four-Cable Method (“4CM”) ........... 28
FX Processor only (“Post”) ............ 29
FX Processor only (“Pre”) ............. 30
Inserting Outboard Gear .............. 31
Multi I/O Setups. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5 PRESETS .........................33
Overview .......................... 33
The Layout Grid .................... 34
Working with Blocks ................. 34
Connector Cables ................... 36
Block Inventory ..................... 38
Example Preset Grids ................ 39
Editing Effect Blocks ................. 40
Saving Changes..................... 41
Preset CPU Limits ................... 42
6 SCENES & CHANNELS ...............43
Overview .......................... 43
Changing Channels .................. 44
Setting Up Channels ................. 44
Selecting Scenes .................... 45
Setting Up Scenes .................. 45
Selecting Scenes & Channels Remotely .. 46
Program Change Mapping............. 47
Sending MIDI with Scenes............. 47
Scene levels........................ 48
The Default Scene ................... 48
Scenes, Channels & Modiers .......... 48
Scene Revert ....................... 49
Scene Ignore ....................... 50

iii
7 LEVELING PRESETS .................51
A Method for Leveling ................ 52
Block Bypass Levels ................. 53
8 BLOCKS GUIDE.....................54
The Fractal Audio Blocks Guide......... 54
9 MODIFIERS .......................55
Creating a Modier .................. 55
Modier Tutorial: Wah Pedal ........... 56
Modier Sources Overview ............ 57
Modier Parameters ................. 58
Internal Controllers .................. 61
Metronome ........................ 63
External Controllers.................. 63
Modiers List....................... 63
Dual Source Modiers ................ 64
Tutorial: Scene Controllers ............ 65
Modier Tips And Tricks .............. 66
10 TEMPO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Synchronizing Sound Parameters ....... 68
11 THE TUNER ......................69
Advanced Tuner Functions ............ 69
Mini Tuners ........................ 70
12 SETUP MENU .....................71
The Foot Controllers Menu ............ 71
The Global Settings Menu ............. 71
The I/O Menu....................... 74
The MIDI/Remote Menu............... 77
The Utilities Menu ................... 82
13 FC CONTROLLERS .................83
14 IR CAPTURE......................85
Setup 1: Mic Only.................... 86
Setup 2: Mic + Di .................... 87
Capturing Impulse Responses.......... 88
15 ADDITIONAL TOPICS ...............91
Fractal-Bot ......................... 91
Backing Up & Restoring ............... 91
Firmware Updates ................... 92
Recovery .......................... 93
Getting Help........................ 93
Global Blocks....................... 94
Performance Control Pages ........... 96
Loading User Cabs .................. 98
Axe-Change ........................ 99
Input Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
Spillover.......................... 101
Sending MIDI ...................... 102
Shortcuts......................... 104
Frequently Asked Questions .......... 106
MIDI Reference Tables...............108
16 SPECIFICATIONS .................113
MIDI Implementation................ 115
WARRANTY .......................116
EULA ............................117

iv
Legal Notices
Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx III Owner’s Manual. Contents Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Fractal Audio Systems.
Fractal Audio, the Fractal Audio Systems logo, Axe-Fx, Humbuster, UltraRes, FullRes, FASLINK 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 afliated with Fractal Audio Systems, LLC. The names are used only to illustrate sonic
and performance characteristics.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock, do not expose this
appliance to rain or moisture.
CAUTION: To reduce the risk of re or electric shock, do not remove screws.
There are no user serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualied service
personnel.
Important Safety Instructions
1. Obey all warnings on the Axe-Fx III chassis and in this User Guide.
2. Keep away from sources of heat such as ducts, registers or appliances that produce heat.
3. Connect only to a standard grounded AC outlet of 100–240V, 47–63 Hz.
4. Keep the power cord in good condition. Do not kink, bend, or pinch.
5. If the cord becomes damaged, discard and replace it.
6. If not using your Axe-Fx III for extended periods of time, disconnect from AC power.
7. Protect the unit from rain and excessive moisture.
8. Refer servicing to qualied personnel only.
9. Stop operation of the unit and obtain service if:
- Liquids or excessive moisture enter the unit.
- The unit operates incorrectly or performance is inconsistent or erratic.
- The unit has been dropped and/or the enclosure damaged.
10. Prolonged exposure to high volume levels can cause hearing damage and/or loss. The use of
hearing protection in high volume situations is recommended.
A Manual for Online and Print Use
This manual is intended for use in desktop, tablet, and smart phone readers. It includes clickable links and bookmarks to make
navigation and cross-reference easy. We generally recommend against printing, because rmware updates tend to make older
manual versions out of date. That said, considerations have been taken for those who prefer paper. You are granted permission
to print this PDF for personal use only. A copy center or online printer can print and bind a book for you from the PDF le.
Hopefully those with screen readers can forgive the changes made herein to accommodate the print version: all links also
include a page or section numbers, page spreads have extra margins towards the binding edge, and blank pages have been
included to preserve page and chapter flow.

1
1 INTRODUCTION
The Axe-Fx III is the current flagship product in our long line of industry-leading guitar processors, and the world’s
most powerful unit of its kind, with signicantly more raw power than anything we’ve offered before. Our vision for
this platform was to create a product that sounds better, does more, and is easier to use than ever before, with all
of the best and room for more. It features our newest “Cygnus” amp modeling technology, UltraRes™ and FullRes™
speaker cab simulations, our legendary effect algorithms, and much more.
Fractal Audio Systems is known for accurate amp models with the sound and feel of real tube amps. The
Axe-FxIII carries this torch high. “Cygnus” picks up where “Ares” left off, with improvements and upgrades to the
accuracy, sound, and feel. Some may ask: “how can it still be getting better after all these years?” We maintain
that there is always room for improvement and innovation and submit the Axe-Fx III as proof.
The hardware has been completely re-designed around a streamlined workflow. The centerpiece is a dazzling
high-contrast full-color display with 30x the resolution of previous products. This display works alongside ve
endless-rotary push encoders (“push-knobs”). These do different things on different pages, with labels to show
dynamic functions. The end result is a user experience that’s immediately more intuitive. The display also excels
at animation for meters, modiers, and more.
Power and resources are vastly expanded. Two 1-GHz “Keystone” DSPs benchmark at 2.8x the power of the Axe-
Fx II, and there are two additional processors dedicated to graphics and USB. Peripherals include 4Gb of blazing
fast PC1600 DDR3 memory, hundreds of Mb of FLASH memory, a proprietary FPGA and more. The number of
inputs and outputs has more than doubled in comparison to previous products. Routing capabilities have also
been upgraded with dedicated blocks for each Input and Output allowing for highly flexible preset and rig design.
All 1/4" outputs feature our Humbuster™ technology to help reduce the noise caused by ground loops.
Better sound quality has been achieved through an audiophile-grade signal path. The difference is heard as a
lower noise floor, pristine clarity, and USB audio performance that’s even better than most dedicated pro audio
interfaces. As a 24-bit/48k 8×8 interface, the Axe-Fx III allows you to record multiple tracks of processed audio
at the same time, plus a DI. You can playback computer backing tracks or process incoming signals from the
computer. The re-amping workflow is improved with independent monitoring of backing tracks and re-processed
guitar tones while you dial in a sound.
Physically, the Axe-Fx III combines extraordinary design with manufacturing quality rugged enough to withstand
the rigors of life on the road. The unit is housed in a steel enclosure with a one-piece anodized aluminum
faceplate/bezel featuring a glowing Axe-Fx III logo.
Axe-Edit™ III, a fully re-tooled version of our editor for Mac or PC, is packed with great new features including
Quickbuild mode, a Scene Manager, and window scaling on monitors up to 5k and beyond.
Of course the unit features upgradeable rmware, meaning we can offer new features and xes through free
rmware updates—something that our customers greatly enjoy.
This manual also covers the “Mark II” version of the Axe-Fx III, introduced in 2020.
We hope you will enjoy using the Axe-Fx III as much as we’ve enjoyed creating (and playing) it.
WELCOME TO THE AXE-FX III
1 INTRODUCTION

2
1 INTRODUCTION
FEATURE SUMMARY
Rugged 3U steel chassis with a sleek anodized
aluminum front panel and illuminated “Axe-Fx III”
logo. On the Axe-Fx III Mark II, the logo can color
cycle, or you can choose your own color.
Two 1.25 GHz (“Turbo”) or two 1.0 GHz
(“Standard”) Keystone DSPs benchmark
at 2.8x the power of the Axe-Fx II.
4Gb blazing fast PC1600 DDR3 memory, hundreds
of Mb of FLASH memory, proprietary FPGA.
Dedicated processors for graphics and USB.
VALUE knob optical encoder lifespan
rated for 1,000,000+ rotations.
Audiophile-quality signal path yields superior sound quality
and a far lower noise floor and THD than previous products.
Auto-switching front/rear instrument
inputs, both with “Secret Sauce IV”.
Three stereo inputs: 1 with XLR/1/4" combo
jacks, two with balanced 1/4" inputs.
Four stereo outputs: one pair with XLR outs, one pair with
both XLR and 1/4" outs, and two pairs with 1/4" outs.
Humbuster technology on all 1/4" outputs
helps reduce ground loop noise.
Front panel headphones output.
Front panel LED meter bridge for instant visibility of levels.
Easy-to-use interface allows intuitive and efcient editing.
Stunning color display with 30x the resolution of previous
products. On the Axe-Fx III Mark II, the display is improved
even further, with enhanced clarity, color, and contrast.
Animated on-screen metering for every
block, input, output, and more.
5 soft-knobs with on-screen labels
for turn and push functions.
512 Preset memories (1024 on the Mark II), each
an entire rig with amp(s), cab(s) and effects.
14×6 grid layout allows larger presets
than Axe-Fx II, AX8, FX8, and FM3.
New “Zoom” view shows the entire grid on one page.
8 nameable “Scenes” per preset store
settings like “presets within a preset”.
Revolutionary new “Channels” concept for fast,
seamless switching of up to four channels per block.
Built-in tools to copy Channels and Scenes within a preset.
Hundreds of accurate amp models with real tube
amp sound and equally-important feel.
New Cabinet block features a “Cab-Lab” style
multichannel mixer to load up to four IRs at once.
2,048 Factory cabs, 189 “Legacy” Cabs (from Axe-Fx
II), 2,048 User Cabs and 16 Scratchpad memories.
Factory IRs by Fractal Audio and the
best of 3rd party creators.
Presets can now contain up to four instances
of Compressor, Drive, and Delay blocks.
New blocks: Plex Delay, Ten-Tap Delay,
Multiplexer, Realtime Analyzer and more.
Effect “Types” create classic sounds at the
turn of a knob. Types include 40+ drives, 50+
reverbs, 30+ delays, and many more.
New effect models include analog Tri-stereo Chorus,
deep modeled Phaser and Flanger blocks.
Improved Reverb is even richer and smoother than ever.
Improved Pitch block with faster detection and tracking.
New fully parametric “Input EQ” in Amp block.
Fully revamped 5.8 minute stereo Looper with undo.
Tone Matching to clone any tone, now in UltraRes.
Built-in IR Capture Utility allows you to
create your own speaker cab IRs.
New Input and Output blocks make
routing more flexible than ever.
Improved and faster Tuner featuring a new interface.
8×8 USB Audio with better audio performance
than most dedicated pro audio interfaces.
Dedicated USB Input block for reamping/processing tracks.
MIDI-over-USB between Axe-Fx III and a computer is
10× faster than the same connection on Axe-Fx II.
MIDI IN, OUT and THRU ports.
Rich MIDI implementation allows extensive remote control.
The new “Scene MIDI” block enables each scene to
transmit up to 8 PC/CC messages when loaded.
Optional MIDI PC/Bank transmission
when a new preset is loaded.
Two on-board PEDAL jacks for expression
pedals like the Fractal Audio EV-1 and EV-2.
FASLINK 2 connector for connecting up to four of
our next-gen Foot Controllers, FC-6 and FC-12.
Daisy-chain FC series foot controllers for more pedal
board “real estate” or to allow player and tech to share
switching responsibilities on “cloned” systems.
Future proof: as ever, fully upgradeable rmware means
the Axe-Fx III has the capability for free updates.
Built-in backup rmware allows recovery in the
event of complications during update.
And much more.

3
1 INTRODUCTION
Throughout this manual, you will be directed to the Setup menu, which includes the following sections:
The FC Controllers menu includes all settings for a connected FC Series controller.
The Global Settings menu includes options which govern the overall behavior of the Axe-Fx III.
The I/O menu contains settings for inputs and outputs, levels, audio, USB, and switches or expression
pedals connected directly to the Axe-Fx III.
The IR Capture utility can be used to create your own “User Cab” impulse responses.
The MIDI/Remote menu contains MIDI settings, plus several pages of assignments for the many
remote-controllable functions of the Axe-Fx III.
The Utilities menu contains informative readouts plus a control to adjust screen brightness, and
tools to reset or erase the Axe-Fx III.
To access the Setup menu:
Press HOME.
Push the “E” knob for the SETUP main menu.
Use the NAV buttons or “A” knob to select a sub-menu and press ENTER to make a selection.
Use PAGE and NAV buttons to get around the menus. Use VALUE and knobs A–Eto make changes.
Press HOME at any time to return home.
NOTE: Changes in the SETUP take effect immediately and never need to be stored
Use these links for instant access to the Setup menu topics in this manual:
THE SETUP MENU
SETUP
FC Controllers Section 13
Global Settings Page 71
I/O Page 73
IR Capture Section 14
MIDI/Remote Page 77
Utilities Page 82

4
1 INTRODUCTION
INPUT
1
OUTPUT
1
Use
Out 1 L
for
Mono
FRFR speakers, Studio Monitors
Audio Interface or Mixer
Add
Out 1 R
for
Stereo
The most popular and flexible way to enjoy the Axe-Fx III is through a full-range system such as studio monitors,
a high-quality PA, or full-range cabinets designed specically for guitar. All of the factory presets are designed
for this type of setup.
Of course you can use the unit in many other types of setups, including those which integrate with tube amps,
USB recording, guitar speakers, 3rd-party outboard equipment, and more. You can nd over ten examples in
Section 4 of this manual.
Basic setup instructions for a typical direct/full-range rig appear below:
FAQ: WHY FULL RANGE?
A Full-Range Flat Response (“FRFR”) system aims to reproduce the entire audio spectrum without any tonal
coloration. In comparison, most traditional guitar speakers are sonically limited, with tonal coloration and
limited low and high response. Each speaker cabinet has its own effect on your sound, and a 1×12 open-back
combo is never going to sound like a 4×12 stack. In comparison, full-range flat-response studio monitors,
PA speakers, and FRFR speakers designed specically for guitar are designed to reproduce anything you play
through them. The output of a fully modeled signal path is in fact closer to what you’d hear in a nished mix
or recording, so it sounds best when played through a system that is designed for full range. Of course, many
other setup types exist, as demonstrated in the many examples shown in Section 4 of this manual.
qBegin with all level knobs turned down.
Connect your guitar to the front or
rear Instrument input (Input 1).
The Axe-Fx III is also perfect for
bass and other instruments.
wConnect Output 1 to your mixer, studio
monitors, audio interface, PA system, full-
range speakers, power amp inputs, etc.
• For a mono rig, use Out 1 Left.
• For stereo, also connect Out 1 Right.
• Use XLR outputs to connect to balanced
inputs, or use the 1/4" outputs when
connecting to unbalanced inputs.
• Use Humbuster cables with 1/4" outputs
to reduce hum from ground loops.
eTurn up the front panel OUT 1 knob and adjust the
level on your monitors as desired.
Explore factory presets by turning the VALUE wheel.
Select Scenes within a preset by using NAV Up/Down.
QUICK CONNECT GUIDE