Wah block

Wah types

• Types:
  • FAS Standard – equivalent to the “Bandpass” setting in earlier firmware.
  • Clyde – based on an original Vox Clyde McCoy wah.
  • Cry Babe – based on a Dunlop Cry Baby.
  • VX846 – based on a Vox V846-HW handwired wah.
  • Color-Tone – based on a Colorsound wah.
  • Funk – modeled after the “Shaft” sound.
  • Mortal – based on a Morley wah/wolume pedal.
  • VX485 - based on a Vox V845.

Pictures of the real Wah pedals (by MDProd)

• Pedal pictures.

X/Y switching

• Axe-Fx II: yes.
• AX8: yes.
• FX8: yes.

Position on the grid

• Wah usually goes before Amp. Unless you want to be Tom Morello, then it should be placed after Amp.

Preventing "thump" when engaging the Wah

• Cliff (answering a question about hearing a thump when auto-engaging a wah): "The thump isn't the wah, it's the Input Impedance changing. If your preset is set to Auto for the Input Z, when you engage the wah the impedance switches. This causes a slight thump if you are playing since the load on your guitar changes. If you want to avoid this, turn Input Impedance to 1M OHM." source
• Cliff: "Set the Input-Z on the preset to 1M rather than Auto. The reason the Wah engages abruptly is because it switches the input impedance. Setting Input-Z to 1M overrides the impedance switch (and, frankly, sounds better IMO)." source
• The AX8's Input Impedance is fixed at 1 MOhm.

Tracking

• Cliff: "Tracking controls how much the Q changes with the Control knob. The Q in a wah is not constant. The amount of Q change varies from brand-to-brand and model-to-model. It even varies between identical models due to component tolerances." source
• Cry Baby model: decrease Tracking to make the wah type sound more "vowel". source

Auto-engaging the Wah

• Just like an optical wah pedal, you can engage the Wah automatically when moving the pedal. This is especially handy when using a spring-loaded pedal. To accomplish this, set Auto-Engage in the modifier menu to ON. Read more.
• If you want the Wah to be bypassed automatically at toe-down position (simulating a virtual toe switch), set OFF VAL in the modifier menu to 95%.

Creating a "Seek Wah"

• The "random wah" effect is also referred to as "Seek Wah", a Z.VEX pedal. For a more pronounced "seek wah" effect, add a Formant filter, attched to the same controller.

Creating an Auto Wah

• See Envelope filter effect.

Various tips

• Decrease MAX FREQ to make a high gain wah tone cut better through the mix.
• Cliff: ""FAT" is actually a mix control. It adds dry signal so you can't ever get 100% dry. At max FAT it's 50/50." source
• Copying frequency range settings, as found in maufacturer's manuals, helps emulating further various wah pedal models known today.