System Update: October 13
This week brings three major advancements: Deep NAM captures, an onboard DAW for backing tracks, midi and stems, several new devices, and a ton of user interface improvements.
Here’s the rundown:
Deep NAM
Unlike traditional NAM models which only capture one specific setting or gain level, Axion adds a new type of parametric model called “Deep NAM”. Deep NAM models capture and learn the entire range of the controls on an amp, so that you no longer need to load different captures for different gain levels or settings.
Axion has a “Deep NAM Capture” workflow, allowing you to put in the number of knobs, switches, and controls on your gear, and the range of those controls. Then Axion will plan the optimal number, type, and length of captures to accurately model the entire device.
At the end of the capture workflow, Axion will send your captures to a cloud service for training and generating the model, which will automatically load into your device when it is finished. When a deep model is loaded, the power light on the NAM device turns purple and the model name display shows “Deep”.
Onboard DAW
Axion now has an onboard DAW with its own main view mode which can be cycled like stomp, scene, and rig view modes. Add backing tracks and route audio to physical outputs or audio chains within Axion for re-amping or FX processing. Midi tracks are slated for next week’s release.
iLok Support
iLok has been tested and is verified to be working.
Full Release Notes
New devices and sounds
- Aether: a new spectral texture reverb.
- Custom panel UIs: Double Take, Copper Crest, Facemelt, Limiter and Transpose now have panels drawn from their artwork.
- Copper Crest now accurately models how a guitar pickup loads the input.
- Limiter: Input gain now also acts as makeup gain and drives the Output Gain knob.
- Several new factory rigs
Neural Amp Modeler
- Deep NAM capture now supports switch knobs (for example a bright switch or channel switch).
- Capture counts scale to each knob’s grid.
- Capture projects can now be deleted from the start screen.
- Rig engine is silenced during NAM calibration and capture, to avoid audio bleed.
- Captures can now be routed to any inputs/outputs.
- Added cloud service for training NAM models directly from the device.
Inputs, routing and the DAW
- Stereo pairs are now saved with the rig. “Song Input” device has been removed.
- New input block user interface.
- DAW: Added sample-accurate loop region with draggable loop band. Transport stops when the last track ends.
- The DAW now opens from the Main Menu (with new tile artwork) and is hidden from the top bar by default.
Mixer and audio engine
- On Stage switch now works: it adds a click-free tilt after the Global EQ (low shelf −6 dB at 140 Hz, high shelf −4 dB at 5 kHz).
- Low-Power Mode (Audio Engine settings): caps the CPU clock at 70% for a quieter fan, and holds NAM tube animations still while on.
- ll audio defaults are now 64 frames.
- Fixed periodic 1.6 ms stalls across all CPU cores on AMD APUs by turning off iGPU GFXOFF.
- Rig device versions are now optional, and a version mismatch no longer skips a device.
Presets and plugins
- Presets now use a fixed tag vocabulary. All first-party presets have been retagged.
USB bridge and hardware
- The USB bridge now resamples (may require a hardware reset) instead of fixed at 48khz.
- RP2040 bridge firmware: sample-rate and latency improvements.
Desktop app
- Now has record and screenshot controls, device status (build, engine state, sample rate and buffer, DSP load, xruns), a Disconnect button and a link to Updates & recovery.
- Set lists have an Import rigs button for exported rig JSON files. Bad files are listed without stopping the rest.
System and UI
- System settings are versioned, and one-time migrations run at startup.
- The SMB share is advertised once, as “Axion”.
- Settings keeps checking Wi-Fi until the unit gets an address.
- The footswitch assignment screen was restyled. Stomp view tile images preload.
- The screen recorder is now included in the image.
- Manual: content updates, plus a PDF version in the dark rack theme.