Always consult the official Owners Manuals first

MIDI

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Manual

User contributions

MIDI: MIDI Clock

  • The Axe-Fx II cannot be used as a source for MIDI Clock to other devices. Source

MIDI: Send Realtime SysEx

  • The Axe-Fx II can send MIDI data continuously to a MIDI floor controller. This allows the controller to display tuner data on the floor controller's display and make a tempo LED on the floor controller blink in time with the Axe-Fx II tempo. Transferring this data requires a 5-pin MIDI cable between the Axe-Fx II and the floor controller, or the CAT5/Ethercon/XLR cable to the MFC-101.
  • Realtime sysex is disabled when entering the Utility > Preset menu. This is useful when using the Dump commands.

MIDI: Display Offset

  • 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 parameters in the MFC-101 accordingly.
  • Note that using Utility > Fetch doesn't take a non-default Display Offset value into account.

MIDI: Ignore Redundant PCs

  • Default: ON.
  • If set to ON, 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 preset scenes, you'll want to set it to ON.

MIDI: Scene Revert

MIDI: connecting a keyboard

  • Firmware 4.00 introduced MIDI support for connecting a keyboard and other devices than floor controllers to the MIDI ports.

MIDI: MIDI Thru and MIDI Out

  • Cliff: "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
  • Cliff: "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
  • Cliff: "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
  • Note that the comments above do not apply to the Axe-Fx II XL. The XL has dedicated MIDI IN, OUT, and THRU jacks (vs. shared OUT/THRU connections).
  • Firmware 15: "Added “MFC ECHO TO MIDI OUT” option for Axe-Fx II XL (I/O->MIDI). Turning this to On 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."

MIDI: phantom power

  • The Axe-Fx II can provide power to a floor controller through a MIDI cable, also known as "MIDI phantom power". This requires:
  1. 7-pin MIDI cable (pin definitions) and
  2. 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.
  • If you have a MFC-101, it's easier to use a CAT, Ethercon or 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! E.g. the power supply that comes with a Liquid-Foot 12+. 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

MIDI: list of MIDI CCs

  • All CCs are listed in I/O > Ctrl on the Axe-Fx.
  • There's also a list in the owner's manual.

MIDI: basics

  • The explanation below is written by forum member Clarky. You can find the original thread here.

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: MIDI SysEx details

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