GM Arts Firmware for BJ Devices TB-12
User Guide

Tips
Welcome Quick Start Basic Operation MFC Setup About Effects Advanced Options Overrides Library • Tips	TB-12 Emulator You can click on the image of the TB-12 at the top right of the editor to open the TB-12 emulator. Select your Axe-FX MIDI out device if you have it connected, or you can still view MIDI messages if you leave it as "Microsoft MIDI Mapper". The emulator shows a visual interface similar to the TB-12 and sends MIDI messages. It also shows what messages are being sent with a text description. It does not receive MIDI, so it won't retrieve Axe-FX information like the actual MFC. It is a useful tool to test your settings, and designed short and wide to fit under your Axe-Edit screen! MFC Tips The MFC automatically disables functions under some circumstances. For example: Effects 1 to 9 won't do anything if they have no message types (ie they're not set to send a CC message, send a library message, or set relay states) If you use the editor to make Advanced settings such as overrides and library messages, but save it in Basic mode, the MFC will ignore advanced settings. If you have the same settings for a 1st and 2nd patch on the same footswitch, the 2nd patch will be ignored If you select 2nd patches in Shift mode, then selecting a patch will not reset Shift to off Tips for Axe-FX II Owners This section will help Axe-FX II owners get the most from their unit with the GM Arts MFC firmware. Also, the Axe-FX is able to do many of the same things that the MFC does, so it's important to choose one method or the other. For example, both the MFC and the Axe-FX can automatically turn on delay effects when tap tempo is set, so you don't need to use both methods at the same time. Firstly, we need to make settings so that the MFC and your Axe-FX can "talk" to each other. To do this you'll need to match some settings between both units. MIDI channel The MFC sets its MIDI channel on the Editor MIDI tab. The Axe-FX sets MIDI channel: I/O button > MIDI tab > MIDI Channel Axe-FX Banks While you're on the Editor MIDI page, you can also set the MIDI MSB Bank to choose the Axe-FX bank. The Axe-FX II has banks A, B and C, each with 128 patches. These banks correspond to MSB numbers 0, 1 and 2. The Axe-FX II XL models have 3 additional banks D, E and F, which correspond to MSB numbers 3, 4 and 5. You can use overrides in the editor to allow any MFC patch to select any Axe-FX patch in any bank. Display Offset The MFC sets its MIDI program as 0-based or 1-based on the Editor MFC Patches tab. The Axe-FX sets this as display offset here: I/O button > MIDI tab > Display Offset CC numbers MFC sets CC numbers on the Effects tab. You need to match these to the Axe-FX effects you want to control, and this is done here: I/O button > CTRL tab then scroll down to match effect block CC numbers to your MFC effects. Controllers & Patch Changes You may use a pedal that you want to control an Axe-FX parameter such volume or wah. You might even have an effect that switches a setting between different values (such as switching between a small amount of reverb and a high reverb level). This is a 2 step process on the Axe-FX: Set your CC number to any one the External Controllers under: I/O button > CTRL tab Attach a modifier to the Axe-FX setting you want to control, using the same External Controller When you attach a modifier using an external controller, there is an option to set Program Change Reset (PC RST) off or on. PC RST = OFF keeps the setting from the previous patch. This is good for a volume pedal so you don't have any unexpected volume changes between patches. PC RST = ON uses the saved setting from the Axe-FX patch. This is good to get consistent behaviour when you select a patch. The Axe-FX also allows you to attach a modifier (controlled by the MFC via an external controller) to effect block bypass parameters. Combined with the above options, this gives you a lot of flexibility in controlling effect states and whether they retain their settings from the previous patch or not. The MFC has similar options, so use either approach and make sure they're not working against each other. Axe-FX II Model & Settings All of the above settings make sure the MFC can send messages to your Axe-FX via MIDI OUT from the MFC connected to MIDI IN on the Axe-FX. If you wish to view information such as tuner and tap tempo from the Axe-FX MIDI OUT to the MFC MIDI IN, you will need to check the following settings. To get started, select your Axe-FX II Model from the dropdown list on the Editor Other tab. Displaying the Tuner & Tap Tempo To display the Axe-FX tuner and/or Tap Tempo on the MFC, you will need to make sure those messages are being sent from your Axe-FX: I/O button > MIDI tab > Send Realtime SysEx You can set this to None, Tuner, Tempo or All (recommended). Tap Effects and Auto-Delay The MFC can switch on Tap Effects after a preset number of tap presses after a patch change. The number of presses is set on the Editor Other page, and of course Tap Effect settings are on the Effects page. You can disable tap Effects on the Editor Other page by setting the number of tap presses to "Off". The Axe-FX has a similar feature where it will set tap tempo here: Global button > Config tab > Tap Tempo: You can choose the "Last Two" tap presses or an "Average" of recent tap presses. Likewise, you can set the Axe-FX to automatically turn on delay effects when a tap tempo is set: Tempo button > Auto Delay (OFF or ON) Using the MFC to control Tap Effects has an advantage in being able to turn on 2 (or more with library messages) specific effects. You also have the ability to set CC values to have Tap Effects set effect levels and other parameters. The Axe-FX is simpler to set up and turns on all delay effects in the patch. So just use the method that suits you best. Scenes and Seamless Patch Resets The MFC has a useful feature of flashing the patch LED when effects have been changed. This makes it easy to see when you can press the patch footswitch to reset the patch and is seamless, with no audio dropout or effect switching glitches. The Axe-FX has a feature of being able to select any scene in any patch by using custom mapping: I/O button > MIDI tab > Mapping Mode = CUSTOM Then use the next 3 lines to set which MIDI program (Map From Preset) maps to which Axe-FX patch (Map To Preset) with which scene (Map To Scene). For example, you can set it so that if you send MIDI patch number 120, it will select scene 3 of patch 27. To get seamless resets using the Axe-FX's patch and scene mapping, you will need to make some settings that are not intuitive: I/O button > MIDI tab > Ignore Redundant PC = ON I/O button > MIDI tab > Scene Revert = ON Scene Revert = ON recalls saved scene states between scene changes, and setting "Ignore Redundant PC" ON does NOT ignore redundant (repeated) PCs when Scene Revert is ON. Reverb & Delay Trails This tip really has nothing to do with the MFC. It's just general advice that if you want natural reverb and delay trails when switching them off an on, you should use the Axe-FX bypass option that turns their INPUT off and on. Likewise, a volume pedal should be placed BEFORE these effects for the same reason. Bugs There are no known bugs with the settings I use, but I don't use all features. There are hundreds of settings (which means millions of combinations) and there's only one of me, so I can't make any guarantees. I'm keen to make sure the firmware and editor work as described, so please let me know if you find any problems at Back to top

Tips

Welcome
Quick Start
Basic Operation
MFC Setup
About Effects
Advanced Options
Overrides
Library
• Tips

TB-12 Emulator

You can click on the image of the TB-12 at the top right of the editor to open the TB-12 emulator. Select your Axe-FX MIDI out device if you have it connected, or you can still view MIDI messages if you leave it as "Microsoft MIDI Mapper".

The emulator shows a visual interface similar to the TB-12 and sends MIDI messages. It also shows what messages are being sent with a text description. It does not receive MIDI, so it won't retrieve Axe-FX information like the actual MFC. It is a useful tool to test your settings, and designed short and wide to fit under your Axe-Edit screen!

MFC Tips

The MFC automatically disables functions under some circumstances. For example:

Effects 1 to 9 won't do anything if they have no message types (ie they're not set to send a CC message, send a library message, or set relay states)
If you use the editor to make Advanced settings such as overrides and library messages, but save it in Basic mode, the MFC will ignore advanced settings.
If you have the same settings for a 1st and 2nd patch on the same footswitch, the 2nd patch will be ignored
If you select 2nd patches in Shift mode, then selecting a patch will not reset Shift to off

Tips for Axe-FX II Owners

This section will help Axe-FX II owners get the most from their unit with the GM Arts MFC firmware. Also, the Axe-FX is able to do many of the same things that the MFC does, so it's important to choose one method or the other. For example, both the MFC and the Axe-FX can automatically turn on delay effects when tap tempo is set, so you don't need to use both methods at the same time.

Firstly, we need to make settings so that the MFC and your Axe-FX can "talk" to each other. To do this you'll need to match some settings between both units.

MIDI channel

The MFC sets its MIDI channel on the Editor MIDI tab. The Axe-FX sets MIDI channel:
I/O button > MIDI tab > MIDI Channel

Axe-FX Banks

While you're on the Editor MIDI page, you can also set the MIDI MSB Bank to choose the Axe-FX bank. The Axe-FX II has banks A, B and C, each with 128 patches. These banks correspond to MSB numbers 0, 1 and 2. The Axe-FX II XL models have 3 additional banks D, E and F, which correspond to MSB numbers 3, 4 and 5.

You can use overrides in the editor to allow any MFC patch to select any Axe-FX patch in any bank.

Display Offset

The MFC sets its MIDI program as 0-based or 1-based on the Editor MFC Patches tab. The Axe-FX sets this as display offset here:
I/O button > MIDI tab > Display Offset

CC numbers

MFC sets CC numbers on the Effects tab. You need to match these to the Axe-FX effects you want to control, and this is done here:
I/O button > CTRL tab
then scroll down to match effect block CC numbers to your MFC effects.

Controllers & Patch Changes

You may use a pedal that you want to control an Axe-FX parameter such volume or wah. You might even have an effect that switches a setting between different values (such as switching between a small amount of reverb and a high reverb level). This is a 2 step process on the Axe-FX:

Set your CC number to any one the External Controllers under: I/O button > CTRL tab
Attach a modifier to the Axe-FX setting you want to control, using the same External Controller

When you attach a modifier using an external controller, there is an option to set Program Change Reset (PC RST) off or on.

PC RST = OFF keeps the setting from the previous patch. This is good for a volume pedal so you don't have any unexpected volume changes between patches.
PC RST = ON uses the saved setting from the Axe-FX patch. This is good to get consistent behaviour when you select a patch.

The Axe-FX also allows you to attach a modifier (controlled by the MFC via an external controller) to effect block bypass parameters. Combined with the above options, this gives you a lot of flexibility in controlling effect states and whether they retain their settings from the previous patch or not. The MFC has similar options, so use either approach and make sure they're not working against each other.

Axe-FX II Model & Settings

All of the above settings make sure the MFC can send messages to your Axe-FX via MIDI OUT from the MFC connected to MIDI IN on the Axe-FX. If you wish to view information such as tuner and tap tempo from the Axe-FX MIDI OUT to the MFC MIDI IN, you will need to check the following settings.

To get started, select your Axe-FX II Model from the dropdown list on the Editor Other tab.

Displaying the Tuner & Tap Tempo

To display the Axe-FX tuner and/or Tap Tempo on the MFC, you will need to make sure those messages are being sent from your Axe-FX:
I/O button > MIDI tab > Send Realtime SysEx
You can set this to None, Tuner, Tempo or All (recommended).

Tap Effects and Auto-Delay

The MFC can switch on Tap Effects after a preset number of tap presses after a patch change. The number of presses is set on the Editor Other page, and of course Tap Effect settings are on the Effects page. You can disable tap Effects on the Editor Other page by setting the number of tap presses to "Off".

The Axe-FX has a similar feature where it will set tap tempo here:
Global button > Config tab > Tap Tempo:
You can choose the "Last Two" tap presses or an "Average" of recent tap presses.

Likewise, you can set the Axe-FX to automatically turn on delay effects when a tap tempo is set:
Tempo button > Auto Delay (OFF or ON)

Using the MFC to control Tap Effects has an advantage in being able to turn on 2 (or more with library messages) specific effects. You also have the ability to set CC values to have Tap Effects set effect levels and other parameters.

The Axe-FX is simpler to set up and turns on all delay effects in the patch. So just use the method that suits you best.

Scenes and Seamless Patch Resets

The MFC has a useful feature of flashing the patch LED when effects have been changed. This makes it easy to see when you can press the patch footswitch to reset the patch and is seamless, with no audio dropout or effect switching glitches.

The Axe-FX has a feature of being able to select any scene in any patch by using custom mapping:
I/O button > MIDI tab > Mapping Mode = CUSTOM
Then use the next 3 lines to set which MIDI program (Map From Preset) maps to which Axe-FX patch (Map To Preset) with which scene (Map To Scene). For example, you can set it so that if you send MIDI patch number 120, it will select scene 3 of patch 27.

To get seamless resets using the Axe-FX's patch and scene mapping, you will need to make some settings that are not intuitive:
I/O button > MIDI tab > Ignore Redundant PC = ON
I/O button > MIDI tab > Scene Revert = ON
Scene Revert = ON recalls saved scene states between scene changes, and setting "Ignore Redundant PC" ON does NOT ignore redundant (repeated) PCs when Scene Revert is ON.

Reverb & Delay Trails

This tip really has nothing to do with the MFC. It's just general advice that if you want natural reverb and delay trails when switching them off an on, you should use the Axe-FX bypass option that turns their INPUT off and on. Likewise, a volume pedal should be placed BEFORE these effects for the same reason.

Bugs

There are no known bugs with the settings I use, but I don't use all features. There are hundreds of settings (which means millions of combinations) and there's only one of me, so I can't make any guarantees. I'm keen to make sure the firmware and editor work as described, so please let me know if you find any problems at

GM Arts Firmware for BJ Devices TB-12 User Guide