MIDI

The information on this page supplements the official manuals.

FX8 and MIDI

• The FX8 can send a single MIDI Program Change when switching to a scene. The PC and the MIDI channel can vary per scene.
• The FX8 can send a single MIDI Control Change when switching to a scene (firmware 3.0 and later). The CC and the MIDI channel can vary per scene.
• The FX8 can also send MIDI data using a footswitch which is assigned to a MIDI footswitch block. It can send a PC and a CC, when turning the switch ON or OFF. This is configured on the Footswitch page. The block supports X/Y.
• The FX8 supports "soft" MIDI Thru. There's no hardware MIDI THRU port.
• The FX8 does not have a MIDI IN LED. When it detects incoming MIDI data, an indicator appears at the top of the LCD screen.

AX8 and MIDI

• The AX8 can send a single MIDI Progam Change when loading a preset scene. The PC (and the MIDI channel) can very per scene.
• The AX8 supports "soft" MIDI Thru, there's no hardware MIDI THRU port.
• Like the Axe-Fx II, the AX8 has a MIDI IN LED.
• Fractal Audio's comments:
  • "There is a known issue with Chrome seizing MIDI ports (both physical and virtual MIDI-over-USB ports) as part of some misguided MIDI over the internet idea. Since the AX-8 is USB 1.1 it only allows one connection so if Chrome grabs it then AX-8 Edit won't be able to use it. Unfortunately Google seems uninterested in fixing it." source
  • "Chrome definitely can hijack the MIDI over USB port on the AX8. When that happens, it's not enough to just close the browser, you have to ensure that it is not running in the background. Fractal Audio has tested and confirmed this." source

MIDI ground issue

• Cliff (about MIDI corruption with certain amps): "On MIDI devices the MIDI Out jack should be grounded but the MIDI In jack should not be. MIDI devices powered by wall-warts aren't grounded. The AX-8 uses AC power and is therefore grounded. So a simple solution would be to cut the ground pin (pin 2) at the MIDI In (amp) side. Pin 2 is the important one. Pin 1 is often not wired and even if it is it's not-connected on the AX-8 end. The AX-8 uses pins 2, 4 and 5. The rest are not connected. Pin 2 is ground, 4 and 5 are the data. If the pin 2 is grounded at the amp side then current will flow in the ground which could corrupt the data." source

Send Realtime SysEx on the Axe-Fx II

• MIDI data can be sent continuously from the Axe-Fx II. This allows the controller to display tuner data on a floor controller's display and make a tempo LED on the floor controller blink in time with the device's tempo. Transferring this data requires a 5-pin MIDI cable to the floor controller, or a CAT5/Ethercon/XLR/FASLINK connection between Axe-Fx II and MFC-101.
• Realtime SysEx is always disabled when entering the Utility > Preset menu.
• Cliff: "Sysex data doesn't have a channel. It is not a voice message. All equipment should ignore any sysex data that does not contain its manufacturer's ID. If you gear is responding to Fractal Audio sysex messages then it is violating the spec." source

Display Offset on the Axe-Fx II

• The Axe-Fx II starts numbering presets at 0. This parameter lets you change the displayed number. This is particularly useful to improve compatibility with MIDI devices that start numbering at 1, or when configuring a floor controller such as the MFC-101.
• When adjusting this parameter, don't forget to configure the Display Offset parameter in the MIDI controller such as the MFC-101 accordingly.

Ignore Redundant PCs on the Axe-Fx II

• If set to ON (default), this parameter tells the Axe-Fx II to ignore an incoming PC (MIDI Program Change mesage) if the corresponding preset is already active. This prevents unnecessary reloading of the preset and the audio gap that comes with that.
• When using Scenes, you'll want to set it to ON.

Scene Revert

• See Scenes.

MIDI transfers

• MIDI THRU Guide.
• Cliff's comments regarding MIDI data transfers on the Axe-Fx II Mark I/II models:
  • "The Axe-Fx II is not designed to be a general-purpose MIDI I/O. It can handle most things but not large sysex dumps." source
  • "The Axe-Fx simply passes the data. It doesn't parse messages. If a message is arriving altered then the fault is in the monitoring software or the OS." source
  • "MIDI Thru is a "soft" thru. It the delay is problematic for you then you need to change the order of things or use a MIDI splitter." Source
• The comments above do not apply to the Axe-Fx II XL and XL+. The XL and XL+ have dedicated MIDI IN, OUT, and THRU jacks, versus shared OUT/THRU connections.
• Cliff's comments about using multiple MIDI devices to control the Axe-Fx:
  • "The Axe-Fx was never designed to support multiple MIDI inputs simultaneously." source
• FASLINK and Ethernet/Ethercon: with the MFC­‐101 at the FASLINK port, do not use the MIDI THRU port. Instead, connect downstream devices to the MIDI OUT port and set MFC ECHO TO MIDI OUT to “ON” in the I/O > MIDI menu of the Axe­‐Fx. This turns MIDI OUT into a “soft thru".
• 5-pin or 7-pin MIDI: "When your MFC-101 or other controller is connected to the Axe­‐Fx II's MIDI IN port — whether using 5-­ or 7‐pin — use the standard 5‐pin MIDI THRU port. No special settings are required.
• The "MFC ECHO TO MIDI OUT” option in I/O > MIDI (Axe-Fx II XL and XL+ only) echoes all MIDI data from the MFC to MIDI Out. This can be used to send MIDI PC and CC messages to other equipment connected to MIDI Out.
• More information about the MIDI THRU functionality of the XL can be found in the MIDI THRU Guide.

MIDI Clock

• The Axe-Fx II, FX8 and AX8 can't be used as a MIDI Clock source to other devices. source

MIDI phantom power on the Axe-Fx II

• The Axe-Fx II can provide power to a floor controller through a MIDI cable, also known as "MIDI phantom power". This requires a 7-pin MIDI cable (pin definitions) and the power supply for the floor controller (to be plugged in at the rear of the Axe-Fx II).
• Looking for the right cable? Read this: Cables and adapters for Fractal Audio devices.
• If you have a MFC-101, it's easier to use a CAT, Ethercon or FASLINK XLR cable instead of MIDI.
• Warning: do not connect a power supply to the phantom power input on the Axe-Fx II that has a load of more than 1A! Such as power supplies that come with a Liquid-Foot 12+ or RJM foot controller. More information
• Cliff: "2.1mm is the standard for DC. 2.5mm is the standard for AC. The phantom power jack is designed for AC, hence the 2.5mm jack." source
• The MIDI phantom power connection can be used for DC as well as AC power. source

List of MIDI CCs

• All CCs are listed in the I/O > CTRL menu. There's also a list in the owner's manuals.
• CCs on the XL+:
  • INPUT VOLUME 10
  • OUT1 VOLUME 11
  • OUT2 VOLUME 12
  • BYPASS 13
  • TEMPO TAP 14
  • TUNER 15
  • EXTERNAL 1 16
  • EXTERNAL 2 17
  • EXTERNAL 3 18
  • EXTERNAL 4 19
  • EXTERNAL 5 20
  • EXTERNAL 6 21
  • EXTERNAL 7 22
  • EXTERNAL 8 23
  • EXTERNAL 9 24
  • EXTERNAL 10 25
  • EXTERNAL 11 26
  • EXTERNAL 12 27
  • LOOPER1 REC 28
  • LOOPER1 PLAY 29
  • LOOPER1 ONCE 30
  • LOOPER1 DUB 31
  • LOOPER1 REV 32
  • LOOPER2 BYP 33
  • LOOPER2 HALF 120
  • LOOPER2 UNDO 121
  • METRONOME 122
  • SCENE SELECT 34
  • SCENE INCR 123
  • SCENE DECR 124
  • VOLUME INCR 35
  • VOLUME DECR 36
  • AMP1 BYPASS 37
  • AMP2 BYPASS 38
  • CABINET1 BYP 39
  • CABINET2 BYP 40
  • CHORUS1 BYP 41
  • CHORUS2 BYP 42
  • COMPRESS1 BYP 43
  • COMPRESS2 BYP 44
  • CROSSOVER 1 BYP 45
  • CROSSOVER 2 BYP 46
  • DELAY1 BYP 47
  • DELAY2 BYP 48
  • DRIVE1 BYP 49
  • DRIVE2 BYP 50
  • ENHANCER BYP 51
  • FILTER1 BYP 52
  • FILTER2 BYP 53
  • FILTER3 BYP 54
  • FILTER4 BYP 55
  • FLANGER1 BYP 56
  • FLANGER2 BYP 57
  • FORMANT BYP 58
  • FXLOOP BYP 59
  • GATE1 BYP 60
  • GATE2 BYP 61
  • GRAPHEQ1 BYP 62
  • GRAPHEQ2 BYP 63
  • GRAPHEQ3 BYP 64
  • GRAPHEQ4 BYP 65
  • MEGATAP1 BYP 66
  • MULTICOMP1 BYP 67
  • MULTICOMP2 BYP 68
  • MULTIDLY1 BYP 69
  • MULTIDLY2 BYP 70
  • PARAEQ1 BYP 71
  • PARAEQ2 BYP 72
  • PARAEQ3 BYP 73
  • PARAEQ4 BYP 74
  • PHASER1 BYP 75
  • PHASER2 BYP 76
  • PITCH1 BYP 77
  • PITCH2 BYP 78
  • QDCHORUS1 BYP 79
  • QDCHORUS2 BYP 80
  • RESONATR1 BYP 81
  • RESONATR2 BYP 82
  • REVERB1 BYP 83
  • REVERB2 BYP 84
  • RINGMOD BYP 85
  • ROTARY1 BYP 86
  • ROTARY2 BYP 87
  • SYNTH1 BYP 88
  • SYNTH2 BYP 89
  • TREMOLO1 BYP 90
  • TREMOLO2 BYP 91
  • VOCODER BYP 92
  • VOLUME1 BYP 93
  • VOLUME2 BYP 94
  • VOLUME3 BYP 95
  • VOLUME4 BYP 96
  • WAHWAH1 BYP 97
  • WAHWAH2 BYP 98
  • TONEMATCH BYP 99
  • AMP1 X/Y 100
  • AMP2 X/Y 101
  • CABINET1 X/Y 102
  • CABINET2 X/Y 103
  • CHORUS1 X/Y 104
  • CHORUS2 X/Y 105
  • DELAY1 X/Y 106
  • DELAY2 X/Y 107
  • DRIVE1 X/Y 108
  • DRIVE2 X/Y 109
  • FLANGER1 X/Y 110
  • FLANGER2 X/Y 111
  • PHASER1 X/Y 112
  • PHASER2 X/Y 113
  • PITCH1 X/Y 114
  • PITCH2 X/Y 115
  • REVERB1 X/Y 116
  • REVERB2 X/Y 117
  • ROTARY1 X/Y 125
  • ROTARY2 X/Y 126
  • WAHWAH1 X/Y 118
  • WAHWAH2 X/Y 119

MIDI basics

• The explanation below is written by forum member Clarky. Original thread.

What is MIDI

• MIDI = Musical Instrument Digital Interface. If I turned that little lot into more friendly English, I’d end up with something like this: MIDI is a means of “interfacing” [connecting] “Musical Instruments” together using a “digitally” encoded protocol [essentially a language]. It is a method of connecting together MIDI capable musical instruments / devices so that they can use a ‘language’ to communicate with each other.
• A key thing often misunderstood about MIDI is that it does not actually contain audio or sound, so you can’t actually ‘hear’ MIDI. It’s simply a stream of information or instructions from one device to another. Essentially:
  • “turn this ‘thing’ on in that keyboard”
  • “change the value of this parameter in that effect”
  • “play this note on that keyboard using this patch”

What is MIDI used for

• MIDI is basically all about control - one device being able to control another. Back in the 70’s it’d not be unusual to see a prog rock band with a keys player completely surrounded by all kinds of synthesizers and keyboards. Just take a look at pictures of Keith Emerson or Rick Wakeman from around the 1972 to 1978 era. Sometimes they’d want to play a musical phrase but use more than one sound at the same time and blend them together. In the early days they have to play the part with each hand playing a different synth. It was recognised that some sort of ‘remote control’ was needed. In the early days control was achieved via analogue signals but that had limitations of its own. The thing that really unlocked the door for control was MIDI because:
  • it was standardized, enabling devices made by different manufacturers to communicate
  • it could communicate much more information that simple ‘on / off’ and pitch information
• So think of MIDI as being the language used for a music specific ‘remote control’. With MIDI I can connect several synths together and use one of them to ‘play’ all of the others. I can use a floor controller [like the MFC] to control a keyboard or FX unit [like the Axe] to make it change preset [program] or to take control of some effect’s parameters enabling control in real-time via switches or expression pedals. I can use a Digital Audio Workstation [like Logic or Ableton] to control effects units [like the Axe] or play synths and keys. I can use a MIDI control surface to control a DAW remotely so that I can ‘play’, ‘stop’, ‘record’, use real faders [just like on a mixing desk] to control the software faders in the DAW’s mixer.
• MIDI can also be used to synchronize tape machines to a DAW or sequencer and provide a clock source.

What MIDI basics do I need to know

• IN / OUT / THRU – these are the MIDI sockets [ports] you’ll see on any MIDI device and here is what they do:
  • IN – this contains the MIDI in-coming from the controlling instrument / device.
  • OUT – this contains MIDI that is being created by the instrument / device.
  • THRU – this is a copy of the MIDI that arrives from the MIDI IN and is sent outwards to other instruments/ devices.
  • OUT / THRU – as you’d expect, this contains both OUT and THRU MIDI information.
• Channels – MIDI uses to concept of channels to identify different devices. Example: I could have a Korg synth on channel 1, a Moog synth on channel 2, and could have a Roland to use as the ‘mother board’ [controller keyboard]. I would set the channels in the Korg and Moog myself manually. Roland OUT ----> IN Korg THRU ----> IN Moog. In the Roland I’d setup some presets to also send MIDI on channels 1 and / or 2. Imagine something like this: Roland preset 1 = piano in the Roland and also sends channel 1/pgm 20 [preset 20] which could be strings. I play the Roland preset 1 and hear piano. The MIDI sent from the Roland [MIDI OUT] arrives at the Korg [MIDI IN]. The Korg recognises that channel 1 means “it’s for me” and pgm 20 means “let’s use my strings sound that is stored in preset 20”. The outcome is that you hear piano and strings simultaneously and the Korg also sends a copy of the incoming MIDI IN to the MIDI THRU. The Korg’s MIDI THRU is connected to the Moog’s MIDI IN meaning that the Moog also receives the same MIDI information, but it will only react to anything that arrives on channel 2. So as this MIDI information is on channel 1 the Moog ignores it, and sends a copy of out to it’s MIDI THRU port.
• Some devices can be set to MIDI channel OMNI. This means “react to all in-coming MIDI messages from all channels”.
• Some examples of common MIDI messages that one device would send to another:
  • Note messages – this are used to tell keys / synths to turn on / off notes.
  • Program Change – this is a MIDI message that allows a device to make another device to change preset. This is exactly what the MFC does to the Axe.
  • Control Change – this enables a device to control another device’s parameters remotely.
  • System Exclusive [SysEx] – this allows manufacturers to add extra functions and capabilities to those found in regular MIDI. These ‘extras’ are bespoke / manufacturer specific, so you wouldn’t expect a Moog to be able to react to Korg SysEx. But two Korgs with SysEx would have some extra cool capabilities available.

How does MIDI relate to the Axe-II and MFC

• By default, the Axe, the MFC and Axe-Edit are all set to MIDI channel 1. When you stomp on a switch on the MFC, the MFC sends a ‘program change’ message out to the Axe. This message contains the MIDI channel [channel 1] and the program [preset] number. The Axe receives this message and changes preset corresponding to the received program number.

IA’s, Controllers and Modifiers

• MIDI Control Change [CC] is extremely flexible and enables configurable parameters within the Axe [or any MIDI device] to be controlled remotely. This opens up a vast range of tonal possibilities. These are the key pieces of information that sit within a CC message:
  • MIDI channel [so we know who this message is aimed at]
  • CC#: there are 128 control ‘numbers’ available that number from 0 to 127. Some of these numbers are standardized by the industry, for example CC# 7 = master volume (volume control for the whole box, after all effects etc), CC# 16 = ribbon controller / general purpose slide 1 (keys / synth stuff).
• Some CC values are ‘spare’. For example; values from 22 to 31 aren’t defined to you can assign them to anything you want.
• So now let’s talk about the Axe. The Axe is designed to have a one to one relationship with a controller [such as the MFC]. This being the case, Fractal has created it’s own assignments of MIDI CC numbers and they can be seen via the front panel in I/O > CTRL page. There are two columns in here:
  • Left col = the ‘thing’ in the Axe that can be controlled
  • Right col = the MIDI CC number that will control it

MIDI SysEx details

• See MIDI SysEx.

Working with other MIDI devices

• Contribution by HugoMack (Hugh McManners):
  • After a week of struggling, and much guess work, there are a few basics that I couldn't find anywhere on the forum. So this is intended to be what I needed to know... and I hope it's helpful! I'll add to this very basic entry as I develop what will be a sophisticated system: BeatBuddy drums, Axe-Fx II, Eventide Time and Modfactors, and a Tetra synth with McMillen 12 Step controller.
  • Essentials:
    • MFC: If you use the ethernet MFC connection to your Axe, the MFC's midi ins and outs won't work. This is a pain as you then have to use long midi cable runs to and from any on-the-floor devices to your Axe. The MFC transmits Patch changes to the Axe. I'll add more information when I've managed to add controlling data for other downstream midi devices generated by the MFC - particularly from expression pedals.
    • The Axe-Fx II doesn't allow tempo to pass Midi Thru, even though it responds to another device providing tempo via Midi In. Around firmware 6 or so, the Axe-Fx II was somehow scrambling the Midi Thru tempo, and so tempo was removed from the Midi Thru flow. The Axe-Fx II does nevertheless transmit the Patch and other changes generated by the MFC.
  • MIDI Routing Suggestions: I use the Axe as a one-off master device, and run my system using the midi data generated by the MFC.
  • Beat Clock: I pump beat clock time code into the Axe-Fx II from another device. But I split the beat clock supply before the Axe, and supply the rest of my system from this second line.
  • Axe-Fx / MFC Midi data: I take this from the Axe-Fx II Midi Out/Thru then run into a midi merge box so it's also transmitting beat clock down my midi chain.
  • Midi Power: you need midi power (5-9v) to run midi merge and splitter boxes. The Axe-Fx II provides this downstream from its Midi Out/Thru. Midi Solutions boxes seem to work really well.