F. A. Q. - Frequently Asked Questions

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Overview of questions...

Question 1:
What makes the AXON so fast at identifying pitches?

Question 2:
What equipment do I need in addition to the AXON AX 50 USB?

Question 3:
Is it possible to use GK-ready guitars such as those made by Ibanez, Godin and Fender with the AXON?

Question 4:
Which instruments will work with the AXON?

Question 5:
Can the AXON also control or play other MIDI sound modules?

Question 6:
Do typical guitar techniques such as bending, hammer-on and pull-off work with the AXON AX 50 USB?

Question 7:
I can't get any output to an external MIDI sound module. What's the problem?

Question 8:
I hear the right note when I pick a string, but hammer-on, pull-off and bending does not work.

Question 9:
One or more strings are too loud or soft in relation to the others.

Question 10:
The notes I hear are not the ones I played.

Question 11:
There is no hold pedal connector on the AX 50 USB. Is it altough possible to simulate a damper pedal?

What makes the AXON so fast at identifying pitches?

Answer 1:

The AXON AX 50 USB features a unique pitch identification system. It detects the harmonics that sound first when a string is picked, compares them to a neural network and assigns the correct pitch. The AXON therefore already "knows" the pitch before the actual note even sounds and can convert that information into a MIDI signal. 

y

Question 2:

What equipment do I need in addition to the AXON AX 50 USB?

Answer 2:

·         You need a guitar or bass equipped with a hexaphonic pickup. These pickups are available in magnetic versions, such as the AXON AIX 101/103 and Roland GK-3/GK-3B, or as piezo pickups to be installed in the bridge of the guitar. Graph Tech (www.graphtech.com) and RMC (www.rmcpickup.com) are making excellent piezo pickup systems.

·         You also need a special cable (AXON AXK 100) to connect your guitar or bass to the AXON.  

y

Question 3:

Is it possible to use GK-ready guitars such as those made by Ibanez, Godin and Fender with the AXON?

Answer 3:

All GK-ready guitars are compatible with the AXON.

y

Question 4:

Which instruments will work with the AXON?

Answer 4:

The AXON can be played with the following instruments:

·        electric guitar (6-string)

·        acoustic guitar (6-string) (a piezo pickup is required when using nylon strings)

·        electric bass (up to 6 strings)

·        acoustic bass (up to 6 strings)

y

Question 5:

Can the AXON also control or play other MIDI sound modules?

Answer 5:

Any sound module that understands MIDI, i.e. that has a MIDI input, can be connected to the MIDI output.

y

Question 6:

Do typical guitar techniques such as bending, hammer-on and pull-off work with the AXON AX 50 USB?

Answer 6:

All of these techniques are translated into MIDI information by the AXON. However, they may not be appropriate for the instrument you are using – bending while using a piano sound, for example. If you would like to "bend" a piano anyway, you can store this in the presets.

y

Question 7:

I can't get any output to an external MIDI sound module. What's the problem?

Answer 7:

·         Ensure that the MIDI cables are correctly connected (from the MIDI OUT of your AXON to the MIDI IN of your synthesizer).

·         The MIDI channels of both instruments must be set correctly.

·         When using the AXON in separate-mode make sure to set the synthesizer to multi-mode (receiving data on all channels).

·         Don’t set MIDI volume to “0”.

·         If your pickup system doesn’t have a wheel controller for volume, deactivate the wheel controller button on the global page.

·         Please check if the three-way-switch on the pickup isn’t set to “guitar”, otherwise the MIDI volume will be set to “0”.

·         Also ensure that the audio cable from your synthesizer to the amplifier is intact and correctly connected.

y

Question 8:

I hear the right note when I pick a string, but hammer-on, pull-off and bending does not work.

Answer 8:

Possible problem: the pitchbend settings of the AXON and the external device may not match, or quantize is enabled.

·         Check whether the pitchbend range settings of the external MIDI device match those of the AXON (Global page).

·         Ensure that the QUANTIZE value in the preset split is set to AUTO or OFF.

y

Question 9:

One or more strings are too loud or soft in relation to the others.

Answer 9:

Possible problem: the sensitivity of the individual strings is not set correctly.  Adjust the sensitivity of the affected string(s) in the AXON. (-> Global page)

y

Question 10:

The notes I hear are not the ones I played.

Answer 10:

Possible problem: the tuning setting of the AXON doesn’t match with your instrument.

·         Tune your instrument with the integrated tuner of the AXON. If you would like to tune the AXON to your instrument use the “Autotune” function on the global page.

·         Make sure that you are using the correct instrument tuning and check the MIDI tuning (preset page).

·         Check the transpose function in the preset of the AXON.

·         Also your external sound module could be tuned differently. Set the tuning to the correct settings.

y

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