X/Y switching

X/Y switching: in the owner's manual

• Axe-Fx II: 4.4 X/Y Switching
• Axe-Fx II: 9.6 X/Y Quick-Jump Assign
• FX8: 5 Creating presets

X/Y switching: supported by which Fractal Audio products?

• Axe-Fx II: yes.
• MFC-101: yes.
• FX8: yes.

X/Y switching: basics

• Cliff: "The idea behind X/Y is that people often have multiple distortion/chorus/delay/etc. pedals on their board but they rarely have more than one on at a time. So rather than creating more instances of effects, which sucks up CPU, have each instance capable of more than one sound."
• X/Y-switching occurs at block level, not on preset level.
• There's no crossfading when switching between X and Y. If you want crossfading, use scene controllers as an alternative to X/Y switching.

X/Y switching: CPU usage

• CPU usage is calculated using the current state of a block (X or Y). When switching an effect between X and Y, CPU usage can change.

X/Y switching: preset scenes

• The X/Y state of an effect can vary per preset scene. This is one of the advantages of using preset scenes.

X/Y switching: using the X/Y buttons as Quick-Jump buttons (Axe-Fx II)

• See Axe-Fx II: X/Y Quick-Jump keys.

X/Y switching: on the FX8

• On the FX8 you hold an effect switch (1-8) to alternate between X and Y. If the LED is amber lit, Y is active.
• You can adjust the switch "hold" time in the Global menu.

X/Y switching: in the software editors

• Press the "X" key on the keyboard to switch a block between X and Y.
• The X/Y-states of the blocks are displayed in the software editor, without needing to select the block first.

X/Y switching: copying and swapping X/Y settings

• X and Y states can be copied using the hardware. To swap them, the software editor must be used.

X/Y switching: when using controllers

• An assigned modifier always applies to X and Y block states. It's not possible to have different modifier settings for X and Y. The architecture doesn't allow for this. source

X/Y switching: when using Recall Effect on the Axe-Fx II

• Using Axe-Fx II: Recall Effect will always import the entire effect block settings: X and Y. You can't use Recall Effect for X or Y only. Use the software editor instead to copy and paste the X-only or Y-only settings.

X/Y switching: as a handy tool to compare sounds and check settings

• X/Y offers an easy way to compare sounds when tweaking. Example:
  1. Go to the effect block, state "X".
  2. Double-click the "Y" knob on the front panel, to copy the "X" settings to "Y".
  3. Select "Y" and change settings. Or doubleclick Bypass to reset the block entirely.
  4. Now alternate between X and Y to see and hear the differences.
• You can also do this in the software editor.
• An alternative approach to comparing sounds, on the Axe-Fx II: save a preset as a Snapshot in Axe-Edit. Select Revert to get the original sound back. Then drag and drop the snapshot file into Axe-Edit.

X/Y switching: on the MFC-101 and other MIDI controllers

• There's a specific MIDI CC for most blocks which feature X/Y switching. Assign this to a switch alternate between X and Y.
• You can configure X/Y effect blocks to engage the effect in either X or Y mode. Example: (source)
  1. IA Switch 1, ON message: DELAY 1 ON, DELAY 1 X (CC#47:127, CC#106: 127)
  2. IA Switch 1, OFF message: DELAY 1 OFF, DELAY 1 X (CC#47:0, CC#106: 127)
  3. IA Switch 2, OFF message: DELAY 1 ON, DELAY 1 Y (CC#47:127, CC#106: 0)
  4. IA Switch 2, OFF message: DELAY 1 OFF, DELAY 1 Y (CC#47:0, CC#106: 0)
• Or use the controller's group/switch-link functionality.
• On the MFC-101 X is green, Y is red. If you prefer the default state to be green, use Y as the default state.