What's the difference between X/Y and channels?
X/Y gives every block two complete sets of settings. The current generation replaced it with four channels, A to D. If something you read mentions channels, it is not describing an Axe-Fx II.
Reference
Reference
Questions and answers
The things people actually ask about the Axe-Fx II, answered in a sentence or two, with a link to the detail.
Can an Axe-Fx II run Cygnus?
No. Its firmware line ended at Ares. Cygnus is the current generation's modelling and cannot be installed, and presets do not move between the two.
Is the Axe-Fx II still worth using?
It is still gigged widely, still runs Ares, and has the Tone Match block the newer devices do not. What you give up is Cygnus modelling, four channels per block, and current support.
I plugged into the front jack and got nothing
INPUT 1 LEFT SELECT is set to REAR. It is a menu setting in the I/O page, not a physical switch.
How do I change scenes without a foot controller?
Turn Quick Control knob A on the recall screen. It doubles as the scene selector.
What is Tone Match?
A block that compares your rig against a reference tone and builds a corrective curve so one sounds like the other. It exists on this generation and not on the current one.
How many presets does an Axe-Fx II hold?
768 on the XL and XL+, 384 on the original and Mark II. User cabinets are 1024 and 100 respectively.
How does the MFC-101 connect?
On the XL, XL+ and Mark II, over an EtherCON port using FASLINK. The original Axe-Fx II has a plain Ethernet port instead.
How do I get rid of hum going into my amp?
Use a Humbuster cable from a quarter-inch output — TRS at the Axe-Fx end, TS at the amp.