Midi foot
The MIDI footswitch is an awesome device that can be thought of as a channel switcher on steroids. Gone are the days of the Channel A or B amp now with the Axe-FX and a MIDI footswitch you can have the equivalent of 128 presets on the fly or a 128 channel amp.
Each MIDI footswitch varies in style and function. Let's look at the simplest of these. It will have 10 preset buttons and 2 bank buttons. These simple controllers usually give you access to the first 128 presets only. For future reference please note that the Axe-FX allows 'MIDI Mapping' to the first 128 presets only.
The Axe-FX preset structure is as follows: 3 Banks of 128 preset slots for a total of 384.
Bank A = 000 ~ 127 Factory Presets
Bank B = 128 ~ 255 Factory Presets (duplicate of A)
Bank C = 256 ~ 383 User Preset Area
Some MIDI devices label their patches starting at 0 and some starting at 1. It is a good idea to always note what scheme your hardware uses.
Note: The Axe-FX default is 'start at zero' however for your convenience it can be changed to 'start at one' depending on your complimentary gear.
Note: The Axe-FX editor 'starts at one'. It is totally acceptable to mix schemes but attention must be paid to avoid preset overwrite mistakes.
Tip - Creating your own custom presets is rewarding. The Axe-FX offers more preset locations than most devices on the market. It is a good idea to come up with your own personal preset strategy to avoid overwriting your favorite preset, a desired factory preset or just plain getting lost.
Example:
Bank A ~ MIDI Mappable ~ Good 'Working Bank'.
Bank B ~ Not MIDI Mappable ~ Good 'Factory Preset Backup' location.
Bank C ~ Not MIDI Mappable ~ Good 'Preset Scratchpad' area.
Since your MIDI pedal is only going to be able to access Bank A this is your best bet for your 'Working Bank'. Once you get a custom preset created in Bank C you can copy it to a location in Bank A for pedal use. By maintaining Bank B as your untouched Factory Presets you maintain the power to copy to Bank A to return original status or to Bank C for modification.
Hook Er' Up:
