devices · FM3 · reference · Scenes and channels
scenes and channels
The idea
Scenes and channels are two different axes
A scene stores which blocks are bypassed and which channel each block is on. A channel is a preset within a block: up to four per block, A to D, each with fully independent settings. One Drive block can be a clean boost on channel A, a screamer on B, a distortion on C and a fuzz on D, and a scene picks which one is live without loading anything.
Axe-Fx III Owner's ManualPreset
Small gapA whole rig—the grid, every block, every setting.
Use for A different song, or a different setup.
Axe-Fx III Owner's ManualScene
No gapA saved position of the loaded preset: what is bypassed, and which channel each block is on. There are eight per preset.
Use for Verse, chorus, solo—anything inside one song.
Axe-Fx III Owner's ManualChannel
No gapA variation inside one block. Four per block, each with its own settings.
Use for Four different drives in one Drive block, or four amp voicings in one Amp block.
Axe-Fx III Owner's ManualWhy it matters
One preset per song, one scene per section
Nothing loads when a scene changes, so the switch is seamless and delay and reverb tails carry through. A preset change reloads the whole grid and cannot do that. The rule is the same as on any modeler: one preset per song, one scene per section. Channels add a second axis underneath it, so one preset covers far more ground before you need another.
Axe-Fx III Owner's Manual