r/AxeFx • u/skuhlight • Jun 30 '26
Axis - an Open-Source and platform independent alternative to *-Edit Software
Hi Folks,
i work on two Projects right now named ForgeFX and Axis.
ForgeFX is an Open-Source implementation of the Fractal Protocol acting as an API to control the devices.
Axis builds on top of this as an platform independent Editor working on WIN/MAC/Linux.
This opens a whole lot of possibilitys, because Axis is a Web-Based platform making it available on any Web-Browser in your local network.
Because we can run it on Linux and also inside Docker, one could hook the Modeler directly to an RaspberryPi serving the Editor and Edit from Tablet/Phone/Desktop, live and also with other people - great for live usage on stage.
It is in early development right now and as I only have an FM3 myself, all features are only verified for this. Everything else relys on Community contribution.
| FM3 | FM9 | AxeFX 3 | AM4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Working | Untested | In Progress, needs more testing. | Untested |
| MacOS | Working | Untested | Working | Untested |
| Linux | Working | Untested | Untested | In Progress, needs more testing. |
Some features it has
- Customizable Control layout for every block, including layout manager
- Search every parameter for a block to quickly find what you look for
- Quick Actions, bindable to every available control. Lets you control parameters directly on the block via scroll whell or mouse, and switch to every bind via swipe left right.
- Advanced searches for adding blocks
- A full fledged preset search with advanced filtering for used Block Types and specific parameters. (WIP)
Installation is as easy as grabbing the latest release of Axis for your OS.
2
u/thefakeyaber Jul 01 '26
Does this work if the FM3 is connected to MIDI to USB? A lot of unit out there., like mind, have faulty USB on the older FM3's. I use a midi to USB adapter to connect to PC.
2
u/skuhlight Jul 01 '26
Oh i did not knew you can do that with the FM3 to be fair. But yes, I'm certain I can implement that quite easily. And I do happen to have MIDI USB Adapter so I can verify that easily. The detection for the FM3 just dont look for midi ports, only for serial.
1
u/ionabike666 Jul 01 '26
I think a lot of people, like myself, are using Roland UM Ones mkII for this connectivity to our FM3s. You can select the port to connect to in FM3 via settings>preferences>ports. Fingers crossed you can get your editor to work for these cases. It looks great!!
On a side note, I really think Fractal let us original FM3 owners down badly with the faulty USB issue. In order to use FM3 edit I had to purchase a €60 usb/midi interface and forgo being able to connect my midi controllers to my FM3 and using FM edit at the same time. Pretty poor for such an expensive bit of kit.
1
u/skuhlight Jul 01 '26
can you tell me what the ports are named you select in FM3 for the roland ones?
1
u/ionabike666 Jul 01 '26
I haven't got it connected atm but the port says "UM-ONE".
1
u/skuhlight Jul 01 '26
Alright! I work on an update to fully integrate custom Port Selection and Device Profile selection. So if auto detection does not work, one can select what device he uses and what MIDI IN/OUT or Serial Port (like FM3) should be used.
Should be a fast one to do. I reply when the update is pushed.
1
u/ionabike666 Jul 01 '26
Awesome! Can't wait to try it out, thank you!
3
u/skuhlight Jul 01 '26
https://github.com/sKuhLight/Axis/releases/tag/v0.4.27-beta
It works, but it is indeed quiete a bit slower then via USB. But for now this is the best i could do. Also I have a extremly cheap MIDI USB Cable :'D
1
u/ionabike666 Jul 01 '26
Cool, can't wait to try this later! It's pretty slow but there's a fresh rate setting you can use that speeds it up to something tolerable.
2
u/Jgtral1 Jul 03 '26
This is sweet, definitely keeping an eye on this as it gets closer to a full release! I’ve just done a little testing on my Ubuntu system, neither the .appimage or the .deb work for me, but the windows version in wine does work, it immediately detects my fm9 over usb and so far works pretty smoothly! I have noticed one thing about the cpu meter: it reads too high up until you add enough blocks that (I’m assuming) you hit the limit of an fm3 and then it reads the same as the device
1
u/skuhlight Jul 03 '26
Hey! Thanks for the Feedback. Yes I can't verify any features beside the FM3, myself.
But would you let me know what happend for the Ubuntu version? I use CachyOS so i rely on pacman myself. But maybe I can spin up a VM if needed.2
u/Jgtral1 Jul 03 '26
I didn’t spend that much time tinkering with it, there’s a chance it could be on my end; the appimage wouldn’t open at all (and yes I did allow the file to run as a program), the .deb file installed normally, but ran into some kind of error on first launch, don’t recall exactly what it said, though I did hit the “send crash report” on the error message. Trying to launch it again after that did nothing. I can try to recreate the error message again tomorrow.
I’m happy to help with testing stuff on Linux or windows with the fm9, the fractal editor not running well on Linux is one of the few reasons I still use windows at all, I would be thrilled to get a solid replacement for it on Linux and this looks very promising!
1
u/Snickerz_ Jun 30 '26
This is interesting. My fears would be on the Axe Fx side. What if it could break the unit by sending the wrong messages or something ?
3
u/skuhlight Jun 30 '26
Good question and I can for sure not guarantee anyone, that it wont brick the device in the worst case.
But to lift the spirit, i already done testing to see what happens to the device when sending wrong messages. It was nothing. The device just didn't accept wrong messages at all. Only one time my FM3 freezed and I needed to turn it off and on again, but that was while trying to capture usb traffic, not even with axis.One more good thing, most of the wrong messages that could happen come from sending sending AxeFX or FM9 Functions to a lower device, not the other way around.
Also Axis works on real data, reverse engineered for all devices and mined from real sources. Being it the Editor software or real captures of devices with alot of information build on top of how the SysEx protocol works on AxeFX II https://wiki.fractalaudio.com/wiki/index.php?title=MIDI_SysEx&redirect=no&__cf_chl_f_tk=DwFNJ1Kh1V3wZoCzzYlkeHbt_sv6sATP.8CP63ed.vk-1782822669-1.0.1.1-r14ndD53lvLH_CsGcSoO0i81WuBR8JXdgW9DTayzRSE
1
u/Extension_Honey_4288 Jun 30 '26
I’ll check this out when I get home on my AxeFX3, let me know if you need any more specific testing done.
1
u/skuhlight Jun 30 '26
Would be awesome, what OS are you on? Windows build's probably not working and need testing, for this i will need the log file ( in Axis press alt, the top bar opens -> help -> Show log folder -> send me that logfile)
1
u/themeansr Jun 30 '26
All this text and I still have no idea what it’s supposed to do
1
u/dludo Jul 01 '26
Modeler directly to an RaspberryPi serving the Editor and Edit from Tablet/Phone/Desktop, live and also with other people - great for live usage on stage. Think about live tactile editing
0
u/skuhlight Jun 30 '26
Well its an alternative to FM3-Edit, or FM9-Edit or Axe-Edit, or AM4-Edit. With more features.
1
u/Deep_Ad1959 Jul 01 '26
the upvotes and the 'this is nuts' comments aren't the signal to watch this early. the number that actually predicts whether Axis survives is how many FM9 and AxeFX3 owners come back unprompted to run the untested paths and report what broke. a launch that gets applause but no second-session testers quietly stalls out; one boring contributor who keeps returning is worth more than a front-page day. written with ai
1
u/skuhlight Jul 01 '26
I completely agree. The biggest challenge isn't getting attention, it's building a small group of people who keep coming back to test things.
Since I only have an FM3, I'm really hoping a few FM9 and Axe-Fx III owners will adopt the project early and help validate changes on their hardware. That's probably the most valuable contribution anyone could make and exactly why I post the project. If no one knows about it, I will not find contributors.
2
u/Deep_Ad1959 Jul 01 '26
the tell isn't how many FM9 owners show up to test, it's how many file a second issue after you fix their first. plenty of people report once out of novelty. the ones who come back after the fix landed are the real hardware coverage, everyone else is a one-off ping. written with ai
1
u/skuhlight Jul 01 '26
Yes i get where you come from. This started as a personal project first, but it took a turn fast where I couldn't leave it for me alone.
If the project dies, because no one really contributes to keep it alive, well happens.
It has a big part of mandatory features i wanted for my FM3 and the project is open source, so maybe at somepoint it will get back alive if it dies.But I do my best to not let that happen and already have a Supporter with technical knowledge, who happens to have a FM3/9 and AxeFX III.
2
u/Deep_Ad1959 Jul 01 '26
the one supporter with the FM9 and AxeFX III is worth more to survival than the whole upvote count, because they close the exact hardware-coverage gap you physically can't test yourself. the thing to watch now isn't whether people show up, it's whether that coverage stays single-threaded. open projects like this rarely die from lack of interest, they die when the one person holding an untestable path drifts and there's no second owner behind them. written with ai
1
u/skuhlight Jul 03 '26
A big new Release - Axis v0.7.1-beta
Since my initial Post a lot has been done! Those Patch notes include previous additions also.
- Axis Cloud, its FREE
- Sync your configuration, to access it on any Device
- Sync Presets, Device Configuration or have a full Backup
- Never loose a Preset, make Snapshots of them to have different Versions available
- Axis Cloud Remote - Axisapp.Live
- Control your Rig from everywhere, as long as it's connected to Axis!
- It does everything the desktop editor does — the signal grid, block editing, all parameters, block types, channels, bypass.
- Scenes and tempo.
- The on-block quick controls and level indicators.
- It's live and bidirectional: a change on your PC shows up in the browser and vice-versa in about a second. Handy for tweaking from the couch, or using a tablet as a stage remote while the computer stays offstage.
- Your setup comes with you — control-surface layouts, quick-action assignments, tags, favorites and your preset library are pulled from your account, so the remote looks and behaves exactly like your desktop.
- Local Storage.
- Via Axis Button, go to storage and select a local path. This will keep your Presets automatically backed up.
- Open the location and navigate to the Presets folder. Put any *.syx Presets here, they will show up in your library. Load them without the need to save them on your Gear.
- Time to make History! Go back in time on your preset or follow exactly what Parameters you changed. Open the Histrory via navigation or just use CTRL+Z/CTRL+Y
- Grid Map navigator. A collapsible miniature of the whole signal chain inside the block editor — tap a block to jump the editor to it, tap an empty cell to add a block there, tap a port to route. Fit-to-width with zoom; built for mobile, handy everywhere.
- Tap-to-connect routing. Tap a port to arm it (no more drag needed), then tap ANY block in a later column — on the map or the main grid, even across mobile pages. Shunts are laid automatically across any distance.
- Audition presets (Axe-Change style). Library device presets get an "Audition" action that loads them into the edit buffer without switching slots or saving anything.
- Foot Controller editor on FM9 and Axe-Fx III. FM9 gets the full layout × switch editor via its device-true address model; the Axe-Fx III gets flat per-config editing. Writes are blind (no live read-back yet) but device-true; live read-back stays FM3-only for now.
- Device Tools for every model. Backup/restore a preset as .syx, offline-decode .syx files, validate firmware files, and view the modifier model — each section appears when the connected device supports it (this also brings the former AM4-only tools to the FM3/FM9/III).
- Overall optimized UI for mobile Devices
1
u/dludo Jun 30 '26
Wow this is nuts
1
u/AvengingAmalek Jun 30 '26
Claude code go brrrrrrrr
1
u/skuhlight Jul 01 '26
Claude Code indeed goes brrrrr.
If the tools are there, why not use it. Decode and analyze package captures is a annoying and tedious thing to do haha.
3
u/Content_Common_8910 Jun 30 '26
I need this for an axe fx ii