devices · Axe-Fx II · reference · firmware and backups
firmware and backups
What an update does
it does not erase your presets
Customized presets survive a firmware update.
it can change how they sound
Updates revise amp models. A preset is a list of settings, so a preset built on a model that changed will sound like the new model afterwards. The release notes say which models changed. Read them before you update.
saving after an update can lock a preset to that version
Once you re-save a preset on new firmware, it may no longer load on the old firmware. A backup taken before the update is the only route back, so back up every time you update.
it does not update the factory presets
New factory presets sometimes ship as a separate download. Install them yourself through Fractal-Bot, the same way as firmware. A firmware update on its own leaves them where they were.
presets saved before 15.0 need a stop on the way
Presets are forward compatible: an old preset loads under newer firmware, though it may not sound as intended. There is one documented exception, common on used modelers. Because of space in the Mark I/II boot ROM, firmware newer than Quantum 3.03 will not load presets that were last saved before firmware 15.0. The route through is to load and re-save those presets under an intermediate version such as Quantum 3.0 first.
Back up first
What to back up
Fractal-Bot handles the computer route, and the Axe-Fx II has a second route the newer modelers do not: an internal FLASH ROM that stores banks and settings on the Axe-Fx II itself.
- step 01
back up the presets and the SYSTEM with Fractal-Bot
The SYSTEM backup carries your global parameters and your Global Blocks along with the Setup menu's settings. If you use either, you need it.
- step 02
and use the onboard backup, which needs no computer
UTILITY : PRESET has BACKUP and RESTORE entries writing to internal FLASH ROM. Every model can store SYSTEM settings this way. The original and Mark II can also store preset banks (A is 0–127, B is 128–255, C is 256–383), and a bank takes under 10 seconds. The XL and XL+ do the SYSTEM only.
- step 03
firmware updates do not touch it
The contents of that FLASH ROM are not overwritten or modified by a firmware update, or by loading presets, banks or a system file from a computer backup. Only a deliberate overwrite changes it.
- step 04
name the folder by date
Fractal-Bot asks where to put the files, so decide in advance. The convention Fractal recommend, and that touring techs use, is yymmdd (260829), then the modeler's name. Sorting by name then sorts by date.
- step 05
write down the firmware version
Keep a text file next to the backup saying which firmware was installed when it was made. Presets saved on newer firmware may not open on older, so you need the version to know whether a backup will load.
Then update
Doing the update
Fractal-Bot, and a backup before any major update.
- step 01
quit everything else first
Close the editor, any DAW, and anything else touching audio or MIDI. They will fight Fractal-Bot for the connection.
- step 02
download and unzip, but do not double-click the firmware
The archive holds documents as well as the firmware itself, which is a SysEx (.syx) file. Extract it somewhere you can find again and leave it there. Double-clicking a .syx hands it to whatever else on your machine claims that extension. Fractal-Bot asks you where the file is.
- step 03
read the release notes
They say what changed and warn you about anything you need to know first. You can update from any version to any version. If you skip several, read the notes for the versions in between too. They ship with every release.
- step 04
then run Fractal-Bot
Fractal-Bot walks you through three steps, with the instructions built into the app. Windows needs a driver first, from the downloads page for your modeler. macOS does not.
What goes wrong
restoring is one file at a time
Backing up is automated. To restore, you send each file from the backup set individually, waiting for one to finish before starting the next. If a System file is one of them, reboot the modeler immediately afterwards. Fractal-Bot reminds you.
use USB, not 5-pin MIDI
Backing up and dumping are not supported over MIDI at all. You can send files to the modeler that way, but the transfer rate is too slow to be practical, so use USB.
if an update fails, run it again
If the modeler still boots, repeat the update. If it keeps failing, delete the download and fetch it again. A truncated file looks exactly like broken hardware. A different USB port or cable is the next thing to try.
the onboard backup has no undo
Both BACKUP and RESTORE to FLASH ROM are permanent. Backing up irrevocably overwrites whatever was in that slot. Restoring irrevocably overwrites what is on the modeler. Never interrupt either one: unplugging or powering off mid-operation can corrupt the data you were protecting.
the XL and XL+ can recover from a failed update
If an XL or XL+ will not boot after a failed update, hold both Page buttons while powering off and on. It boots into a failsafe update mode showing "Version 0.00", and you update normally from Fractal-Bot. Do not run any of the ENTER functions on that page: they can lose data. The original and Mark II have no equivalent, and need support.