Fractal Audio AX8: X/Y Tutorial [X/Y Switching; Benefits; How to; Uses]

[@cliffordwacha3531]

Thanks for the help Joshua! I sent a support question to the guys at Fractal and they sent me a link to your video. That tells me your content is excellent. I appreciate the work you put into these.

[@nbnguitar]

You're welcome Clifford. I didn't even know that Fractal guys knew that my videos existed. I guess I must've got something right if they're recommending my videos to watch! Thanks for letting me know man!

[@uskypg]

great video! I think it would have been helpful to also show how you switch from X to Y on the hardware unit (using it without the Axe edit) and how you have to assign that block to the preset footswitch if you wanna use live this X/Y function :)

[@nbnguitar]

Cheers Paolo! Yeah it's a tough one trying to fit everything into a single video. I've kinda been saving showing how things are done on the hardware for separate videos otherwise the tutorials can become sooooo long. People are also asking me to include actual sound examples of the parameter adjustments too....It's a tough world trying to get it all done mate. There's just so many possible tutorial subjects. I'd planned to do a video totally devoted to footswitches after I'd covered more of the blocks themselves. I'm starting to get quite a backlog of requests hahahaha.

[@nbnguitar]

If this video has helped you in some way or provided you with some valuable information please hit the thumbs up button, leave a comment with any suggestions for future video ideas, and subscribe so you don't have to worry about missing out on any of my future videos!

[@gurlerium]

great video . awesome work. do you have some good presets to share. thnx

[@nbnguitar]

Thank you. Unfortunately, I never got that far because I ended up selling the AX8 and going back to old school styles i.e. amp + guitar with no fx at all

[@cnutella9947]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@beanchops8299]

yes big time thanks,I think I knew that but wasn't 100% ,I should have tried 1st and maybe then asked..I appologize..I see you have spent a great deal of time creating very good tutorial videos..will continue to check for more..great job..people like you make the world a better place..this is a very complex pedal so I greatly appreciate it..Rock on Joshua

[@nbnguitar]

You're welcome my friend. I'm happy to do it. It helps me too hahaha. It is nice to be appreciated that's for sure. May I suggest that you subscribe to my channel? That way you'll always be informed of what I'm up to. My next AX8 video is going to be on Reverb then Digital Delay. They're both huge topics so preparing for them is taking quite some time.

[@beanchops8299]

I actually have decent knowledge in reverb and delays,I'm an old school guy and been a deadly fan for years...the ax8 seems a little different with the mix seeming not as wet as some of the delays I've used,so that's interesting..but it's easy to get the mix right regardless,knowing what a good delay is matters most...316ms one or 2 repeats, a 20% mix..sounds real good for distorted leads

[@nbnguitar]

That's awesome. You're so right. It's hard to replace real world knowledge. A lot of what you hear in my videos is real world old school knowledge combined with experimenting and research into the Axe Fx and AX8. It's so tweakable and what I love is that you can tweak to your hearts' content. I'm gonna try your setting too btw.

[@ClaudioGiraud]

Hello Joshua; i noticed that x/y function have gaps in ax8; do you know any tips to solve this?

[@nbnguitar]

Hi Claudio, there isn't really a way around it. You could try switching scenes instead. Lag (latency) is just a fact of life when using X/Y on the AX8.

[@aodiebold9787]

Hello.Thanks for that video. I have still have a problem : switching between X&Y works when I'm am using the computer (with the compuer screen, as you deed). But when I use the AX8 footswithes there is no change : X&Y have the same sound ..... If you have a solution, it would be very helpfull. Thanks again

[@killerratz]

Josh do you share any of your settings? Can you make a metal tone and use the X/Y for a clean tone and share with me? Thank you.. I'm new to the AX8 and having a hard time lol

[@nbnguitar]

PATRICK VIDAL I don't actually have any settings. I just use the presets with minor tweaking to suit venues. Honestly the best way is trial and error. You really need to make it suit your setup. All the best man!

[@Guilhermefreitas5]

it is possible change amp and cab in the same time an in the same foot? on x/y ?

[@nbnguitar]

X/Y only unless you use scenes.

[@beanchops8299]

no I saw that in the video you made..2 thumbs up by the way..I just don't know own where to assign the amp to the x/y ..do you set that up.on the footswitch page?

[@nbnguitar]

2 thumbs up! Haha cheers. Ok, here we go: 1. Click on the 'Footswitches' tab between the 'Controllers' and 'MIDI' tabs. 2. Go back up to the Grid and drag your amp block down to whichever footswitch you want to assign (the choice is yours) 3. Right click over the footswitch block that you've just dragged your amp to to open up a dropdown menu. 4. Scroll through to X/Y toggle, select it and you're good to go! Phew! Does that help?

[@DigitalViperGaming]

I was just coming here to ask that same question, but BeanChop S beat me to it! :) Wes

[@mikebrennan9633]

I feel like such an idiot that I have not figured this out prior to watching this video. I was getting frustrated with having to switch from Clean sounds to heavy and using 2 totally different presets for each. Then I couldn't get the toggle timing down between them and it sounded terrible in live shows. I tried Scenes but you can't change amps in the scenes, and the presets lag a touch. I am going to go set this up and hopefully it'll fix my issue:) Thanks so much!

[@nbnguitar]

Don't worry about it man. Fractal Audio gear isn't exactly íntuitive'. It'll fix your issue for sure :)

[@charlesfick729]

If I have my amp set to x/y toggle, why doesn’t it toggle when I hold the button down??

[@Guilhermefreitas5]

josh if I use x/y to amp block the cabs will be change as well?.if not. how can I change amp and cabs trough x/y in the same time?

[@nbnguitar]

Depends on the original cab configuration you've chosen.

[@beanchops8299]

thanks for posting..I like the info..so if I wanted to use x/y to add more gain in an amp or switch amps I need to assign the amp block to x/y on one of the scene switches for a particular preset of choice?

[@nbnguitar]

Hi! You're welcome. I'm happy to post these videos. Good question. Here's the best answer I can give you: In the X setting: 1. Choose your amp 2. Adjust your parameters to suit yourself (X setting) In the Y setting: 3. Choose another amp (or keep the same one) 4. Adjust your parameters to suit yourself (Y setting) If you combine X/Y switching with scenes as you've mentioned then you may find that there is less of a 'gap' between X and Y. Some people note that there is an audible gap when using X/Y (within the same preset; same scene) whereas switching X/Y states between scenes is less gappy and relatively seamless. Does that help?

[@nbnguitar]

I have another video that shows you 12 ways to adjust gain inside the amp block. Check it out if you haven't already.

[@PliskenShadow]

Thanks for this video! You help me a lot.

[@nbnguitar]

You're welcome buddy. Plenty more videos coming over the next few months. I upload between one and two Fractal AX8 videos each week. I'm glad the video helped you!

[@charlesfick729]

Right, but I tried this and even though it works with the computer controls, I can’t get the foot switches won’t work.

[@nbnguitar]

Truth is I’ve forgotten a lot about this unit. From memory I think this only works with comp controls.

[@aodiebold9787]

Here is my solution : switching between X&Y didin't work for me because the block amp was not assigned to a footswitch. Now it is and now it works. I hope it is clear for everybody bacause my English is quite poor.

[@nbnguitar]

Thanks for sharing man!

[@puppylinuxer]

How to switch X/y on the controller itself?

[@67brittman]

Thank you for the simple and very informative tutorial.

[@nbnguitar]

+67brittman Thank you. Glad it helped.

[@aodiebold9787]

I found the solution !

[@nbnguitar]

Please share it here so that others may benefit from your experience :)

[@rampage222555]

"melt-facing drive" xD

[@nbnguitar]

Did I actually say that? If I did I probably meant face-melting drive.