Global blocks

The information on this page supplements the official manuals.

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Global Blocks: supported by which Fractal Audio products

• Axe-Fx III: to be added.
• Axe-Fx II: yes.
• FX8: no.
• AX8: no.

AX8 and FX8: no Global Blocks

"The AX8 was not designed for use with Global Block, and there are no plans to add them." source

"The FX8 was not designed for use with Global Block, and there are no plans to add them." source

Axe-Fx III and Global Blocks

Not supported.

Export or back up Global Blocks

When backing up an Axe-Fx II preset with Global Blocks, you also always need to backup the System data too, to be able to restore the stored data.

Global Blocks and controllers/modifiers

Modifier settings are not saved within global blocks. The same goes for controllers settings. You can use the Recall Effect function to copy controller settings from one preset to another, or use the editor.

How to set the bypass state of a Global Block across all presets

The state (On/Off) of a Global Block is saved per preset. This means you can set Global Block #1 Off in one preset, and On in another.

If you want global control of the bypass state of an effect block, here's a solution:

1. Attach the Bypass parameter of the effect block to an External controller.
2. In the I/O menu, switch the External controller between 0% or 100% to change the effect's Bypass state. Or assign a switch on your foot controller to the MIDI CC of the External Controller to switch the block.
3. This works with global and non-global blocks, and across all presets with the same effect block.

Noise gate and input level in the Input block as a Global Block

The Noise Gate in the GTE/IN menu, including the Level control on that page, can be saved as a Global Block.

Unlink a Global Block

You can unlink a Global Block in the following ways:

• In the Global Block menu.
• Use STRIP ALL GLOBAL DATA in the Utility menu.
• Press Enter in the Recall menu.
• Use Axe-Edit.

Remove all Global Block data

You can't empty or reset individual Global Block slots.

There's no authorized method to clean your Axe-Fx II from all Global Block data, stored somewhere in the system data memory area.

More information about Global Blocks

• Wicked Wiki.
• Tutorial by AxeFxTutorials.

Troubleshooting

Repair broken Global Blocks

New firmware can sometimes break global blocks unfortunately. This can happen when the firmware brings changes to a block, such as extending the number of factory cabs. This leads to a new preset revision which can break the link between the global blocks. To restore the global link, each preset that contains that global blocks need to be re-saved in order to update the preset to the latest revision. Luckily, FracTool makes this easier; it allows you to automatically re-save presets (all, or a specified number).