Always consult the official Owners Manuals first!
March 2024: all pages have been checked and are up-to-date

Volume/Panner block

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Available on which products

  • Axe-Fx III: 4 blocks
  • FM3: yes @@
  • Axe-Fx II: 4 blocks
  • AX8: 2 blocks
  • FX8: 2 blocks

Channels or X/Y switching

  • Axe-Fx III and FM3: 4 channels
  • Axe-Fx II: no
  • AX8: no
  • FX8: no

Purposes

Volume pedal

Assign an expression pedal to the Volume parameter to create a volume pedal.

Automated volume swells

Guitar players can fade in notes and chords by using their pinky to operate the volume knob on their guitars. BOSS automated this method in their discontinued Slow Gear pedal.

Axe-Fx II, AX8, FX8:

Attach the Envelope internal controller to the Volume parameter, to Input Gain in a Delay block or another effect block's Level or Input Gain parameter. Fine-tune the effect by adjusting the modifier settings, selecting the Taper in the Volume block and the Envelope settings. The Envelope's Attack and Gain parameters and the Volume block's Taper parameter determine the swell rate.

Example settings: Volume block at default with Log30 taper, modifier settings at default, Envelope: Threshold -36, Attack 290, Release 1, Gain 1.75.

Or simply copy the effect and Envelope settings from a factory preset which features volume swells.

Firmware Ares:

Firmware Ares 2.01 added the Auto-Swell type to the Volume block.

"Added “Auto-Swell” type to Volume block. This simulates “pinky swells” using the guitar volume knob. Threshold sets the input power to start the volume swell. When the input power drops below the threshold the swell circuit is reset and the volume drops to zero. Attack sets the rate at which the volume increases."

Also, some effect types in firmware Ares, such as the Multitap Delay, have a dedicated Envelope controller of their own, allowing swells without the need to use the internal Envelope controller in the Controllers block. From the Axe-Fx III Owner's Manual:

"For a basic volume “roll up” setting, try Threshold: -70.0 dB; Attack: About 400 ms; Release: about 15 ms. Increase Attack Time for a slower fade in."

Noise gate

Read this: Gate/Expander block

Routing

The Volume block doesn't require much CPU. This makes it a handy tool for routing. Set its Bypass parameter to Mute and put it at the start of a split signal to enable or disable a certain routing within a preset, depending on the bypass state of the block. You can engage or bypass the block per scene.

Lead boost

Put the Volume block at the end of the signal chain and tweak its Level to turn it into a clean boost. Engage it through scenes or an assigned switch.

Parameters

Parameters table

Parameter Axe-Fx III / FM3 Axe-Fx II AX8 / FX8
Type yes no no
Taper yes yes yes
Volume yes yes yes
Balance yes yes yes
Output Level yes yes yes
Input Select yes yes yes
Pan Left, Pan Right yes yes yes

Taper

The Volume block offers various audio tapers. The taper determines the curve.

"The number is the percentage at the halfway point. I.e. Log 20A means that the resistance is 20% at the halfway point in the travel. So if you put the knob at noon, the volume would be 20% of maximum (about -14 dB)." source

To simulate a Log taper in a Modifier menu, set "Mid" in the modifier menu to the log number, i.e. 20%. Adjust Slope to avoid the dead zone.

Tapers.png

Input Select

Like the Amp and Drive blocks, the Input Select parameter determines if the block processes only the left or right input signal, or both (stereo). It can send the processed signal to either side using the Balance parameter, or keep it stereo.