UAFX Control Manual

Updated January 22, 2024 23:08

The UAFX Control mobile app is the companion for UAFX pedals. To get UAFX Control, go here.

Use UAFX Control to get free bonus effects, speaker cabinets, and voicings, and to configure global settings such as footswitch modes and EQ settings. You can also manage presets on supported pedals with UAFX Control.

Tip: You may need to update your pedal's firmware to get the latest UAFX Control app features. To update your firmware, use the UA Connect app. To learn how to use UA Connect, go here.

Note: UA Connect replaces the UAFX Control desktop app, which has been discontinued.

This article includes:

Installing the UAFX Control Mobile App
Logging in and Connecting to your UAFX Pedals
Registering your UAFX Pedal
Using UAFX Control
Managing Presets
Managing Pedal Settings
Live/Preset Switch
4-Cable Mode (UAFX amp emulators only)

Installing the UAFX Control Mobile App

iOS

Search for and install “UAFX Control” from the App Store, or go here for direct links.

Important: When you open UAFX Control for the first time, iOS prompts you to allow Bluetooth. You must tap OK and allow Bluetooth to use UAFX Control. If you don’t, UAFX Control cannot connect to your UAFX pedals. To manually allow the app to use Bluetooth (if you choose Don’t Allow when prompted), open the Settings app, choose UAFX Control from the list, and enable Bluetooth.

Android

Search for and install “UAFX Control” from the Google Play Store, or go here for direct links.

Important: When Android prompts you to access the device’s location, you must allow the device location. If you deny the location, UAFX Control cannot use Bluetooth, and will not be able to connect to your UAFX pedals.

Android Device Location Notes

Device location is an Android requirement that allows an app to use Bluetooth. Universal Audio does not use UAFX Control to track location in any way.
If you deny app access to the device location, you will need to remove and reinstall the app.
Your Android device may present a different dialog to allow location information.

Logging in and Connecting to your UAFX Pedals

Note: Connecting a UAFX pedal to more than one device at the same time is not supported.

Confirm your UAFX pedal is powered on.
Open UAFX Control on your mobile phone. The Log In screen appears.
Log in to your UA account, or create a new account if you don’t already have one. The app screen opens, and any unpaired UAFX pedals in range appear.
Tap the tile for a UAFX pedal to open its configuration screen. The Bluetooth pairing request appears on your screen.
Accept the pairing request to pair your phone with the UAFX pedal.

After the UAFX pedal is paired

If the pedal is not registered to your account, the pedal registration screen opens. See Registering your UAFX Pedal below.
If the pedal is already registered to your account, its presets, voicings, or settings screen opens.

Note: You may be prompted to pair your pedal with Bluetooth again if you update the pedal’s firmware using the UA Connect app.

Logging out of UAFX Control

If you log out of UAFX Control, the app removes your pedals. If you log back in to the app, tap Add New at upper left of the app and press the Pair button on the pedal to reconnect.

Log out of UAFX Control

At the top of the UAFX Control app screen, tap •••, then near the bottom of the screen tap Log Out.

UAFX Control returns to the Log In screen.

Registering your UAFX Pedal

If your pedal is not registered to your UA account, you can register it with UAFX Control.

Note: Any time the pedal is registered, any bonus effect(s), voicings, or speaker cabinets are added to your pedal, if applicable. If the pedal is subsequently registered by a different user, registration is transferred automatically.

Tap the pedal tile on the home screen to open your pedal’s configuration. The tile animates while the app connects, and the Register Pedal screen appears if the pedal is not currently registered to your UA account.

Tap the Register Pedal button to register your UAFX pedal. After the pedal is registered, the app shows the Registration Complete screen and information about how to select the bonus effect(s) or speaker cabinets. Tap OK to see the pedal’s User Presets screen (if available).

Using UAFX Control

Note: Global settings apply to all UAFX pedals. Preset management features are available only with Astra, Dream ‘65, Golden, OX Stomp, Ruby ‘63, Starlight, and Woodrow ‘55. 4-cable mode settings apply only to UAFX amp emulators (Dream '65, Ruby '63, Woodrow '55). Settings that are unique to individual pedals are described in the respective pedal manuals.

Presets/Rigs screen

Note: On OX Stomp, preset sounds are called Rigs. Rigs are managed slightly differently than presets, and those differences are noted in this article.

The pedal’s User Presets screen is displayed after registration on all pedals that include presets (except OX Stomp, which shows the Rig Assignments screen). The User Presets screen shows every preset you have stored on your UAFX pedal. If you do not have any user presets stored, the screen explains how to add one. If the app is on the Settings screen, tap the Presets area at the bottom left of the pedal's main screen to open the Presets screen.

Settings screen

Tap Settings at the bottom right of the screen to access the settings for a pedal. You may need to scroll down on this screen to see all available settings.

Settings and preset screens (Starlight)

Managing Presets

The UAFX Control app allows you to view, audition, and manage the presets on your Astra, Dream ‘65, Golden, Lion '68, Ruby ‘63, Starlight, or Woodrow ‘55 pedal. In addition to the UA factory and artist presets that are added to your pedal by the app, every user preset on the pedal can be recalled and managed. Presets you select in the app are moved to the preset slot on your pedal so they can be heard.

Note: Presets are available only on Astra, Dream ‘65, Golden, Lion '68, Ruby ‘63, Starlight, and Woodrow ‘55.

For information on Del-Verb Voicings, see Selecting Del-Verb Voicings.

For information on managing OX Stomp Rigs, see Managing OX Stomp Rigs in the OX Stomp Dynamic Speaker Emulator Manual.

Viewing the preset management screen

To open the preset management screen, first tap your pedal’s tile on the app’s initial view. If the app is in Settings view, tap the Presets area at the bottom left of the pedal’s main screen to switch into Presets view.

Viewing Rigs (OX Stomp)

To open the Rigs screen, first tap your pedal’s tile on the app’s initial view. The app opens on the Rig Assignments screen. Tap the selection triangle to the right of any Rig to open the Rigs screen.

Important Preset/Rig and Backup Notes

Pedal presets - Individual presets you see in the app are stored on the pedal, not in the app. If UAFX Control is disconnected from your mobile device, or if you delete the app, all presets remain on the pedal.
Pedal backups - Backups created in the mobile app are stored in the app, not on the pedal. If UAFX Control is deleted from your mobile device, the preset backups in the app are permanently lost.

Factory and artist presets

The first time you connect your pedal to UAFX Control, the app installs UA factory and artist presets onto the pedal. The factory and artist presets are read-only and cannot be modified, but after loading an artist or factory preset, you can adjust the pedal’s settings, then store it (using the pedal’s Store switch) as your own user preset.

Special features in factory and artist presets

Some factory and artist presets include features that are not accessible with the pedal controls. These features may include speaker cabinets, microphones, room changes, and effect configurations. These presets can also include custom control mappings, so knobs and switches might not work as expected.

Preset and voicing descriptions are available here. To see a description of each factory or artist preset and any custom settings within the UAFX Control app, tap ••• to view preset info.

You can edit a custom factory or artist preset and save it as your own preset by holding down the pedal’s Store switch to make use of these custom settings. You can also save a copy from the preset info overlay, then edit the sound with the knobs and switches, and save it on the pedal by holding down the Store switch.

To configure a new sound with available, non-custom sounds and knob settings, switch to Live mode and save a new preset.

Viewing and selecting presets

To view and select presets, tap a category at the top of the screen (User, Factory, Artist, or Favorite).

User includes all presets you have stored on the pedal. Note that there are no user presets until you store them.
Factory includes presets made by UA sound designers as useful tonal starting points.
Artist includes presets made by select UA artists.
Favorite includes presets that you have swiped as favorites. Note that there are no Favorite presets until you favorite them.

To select a preset and load it into the Preset slot on the pedal, tap on a preset. The preset is immediately loaded and you can play through it to hear the sound.

Note: If the pedal is in Live mode when a preset is loaded, the pedal switches to Preset mode. If the pedal is bypassed, the pedal is unbypassed by the app.

To favorite a preset

Swipe a preset to the right to make it a favorite. To unfavorite a preset, swipe the preset to the right again. The preset is starred when it is a favorite.

Tip: You can also favorite a preset by opening preset options, then tapping Favorite.

To delete a preset

Swipe to the left to delete a User preset, then tap the X.

To store a preset

To store a sound as a preset on the pedal, hold down the Store toggle switch on the pedal until the Preset LED blinks rapidly.

Preset options

Tap ••• next to the active preset to open the preset options.
To change the name of the preset, tap the pencil next to the name, and type the name for the preset, then tap Save. Note that factory and artist presets cannot be renamed.
To favorite or unfavorite a preset, tap Favorite or Unfavorite.
After you load a preset, you can edit it by changing the knob and switch settings. When a preset has been changed, the EDITED label appears next to the name in the preset list.
To save the preset, hold down the pedal’s Store switch until the Preset LED blinks rapidly. The preset is saved with a generic name (for example, “Dream 5”) to the User Presets list.
To save a copy of the preset, tap Save A Copy. A preset with the same name, and “Copy” appended, is saved to the top of the User list.
To delete a preset tap Delete, then tap Confirm Delete when prompted. You can also swipe a user preset in the User and Favorite lists to the left to delete. Note that factory and artist presets cannot be individually deleted.
Deleted user presets can be restored using the app’s backup/restore features.

Preset Notes

You can only save a new preset to a pedal by holding down the Store switch on the pedal, until the Preset LED blinks rapidly.
The following global settings can make presets on your UAFX pedal appear as edited, if the global settings are different than when the preset was saved:
- 4-cable mode (Dream '65, Ruby '63, Woodrow '55)
- Preamp coloration mode on/off (Starlight)
- Tap tempo on/off (Astra, Starlight)

Backing up Presets and Rigs

Presets/Rigs Backup retrieves all user presets from the UAFX pedal and saves them as a single batch in the UAFX Control app. You might want to do this before you reset your pedal or before you delete presets or Rigs to maintain a copy of the current state. The backup is retained in the app even after you reset your pedal, so you can restore presets or Rigs at a later time.

Important: If you delete the UAFX Control app from your mobile device, your backups are permanently lost.

To back up your presets/Rigs

At the bottom of the UAFX Control app, tap Settings.
Scroll down if needed, then tap Save New Backup.

The backup is stored in the UAFX Control app.

Updating the backup

You can update the backup before you apply a firmware update or reset your pedal, or after you have changed presets or Rigs (storing, adding, deleting, and renaming) and you want to replace your backup to store the current state of your pedal presets or Rigs.

Important: When you update the backup, the pedal’s previously saved backup in the app is overwritten and permanently lost.

To update your backup

Tap Update Backup.
In the warning popup, tap Update.

The backup in UAFX Control is replaced with the presets or Rigs from the pedal.

Restore Backup

When you restore a backup from the app to the pedal, you have the option to either Replace Presets/Rigs or Merge Presets/Rigs.

Replace Presets/Rigs – All presets or Rigs on the pedal are deleted and replaced with all presets in the backup.
Important: User presets or Rigs on the pedal that are not in the UAFX Control backup are permanently lost
Merge Presets/Rigs – All presets or Rigs in the UAFX Control backup are added to the presets or Rigs on the pedal. Note that merge can result in duplicate user presets and Rigs, because presets or Rigs with the same name are added and not replaced.

To restore your presets/Rigs

In the Preset Backups section, tap Restore. The Restore options appear.
Tap Replace Presets/Rigs or Merge Presets/Rigs.

The presets or Rigs are restored to the pedal.

Viewing and restoring presets/Rigs from another pedal

If you connect two pedals of the same type to UAFX Control on the same mobile device, and save backups from both pedals in the app, UAFX Control allows you to restore the user presets or Rigs from one pedal to another.

To restore presets/Rigs from another pedal

In the Preset/Rigs Backups section, tap the pedal backup from which you want to restore.
Tap Restore. The Restore options appear.
Tap Replace Presets/Rigs or Merge Presets/Rigs.

The presets or Rigs are restored to the pedal.

Managing Pedal Settings

Tap Settings at the bottom right of the screen to access the settings for a pedal. You may need to scroll down on this screen to see all available settings.

Renaming a pedal

You can type a custom name for your pedal. This name appears in the pedal’s tile in the UAFX Control app and in the device’s Bluetooth settings so you can easily identify your pedal.

Tap the pencil to the right of the name to edit the pedal name. Tap done when you have typed the name.

Removing a pedal

You can remove a pedal from the tile display in the UAFX Control app. Removing a pedal does not delete any information on the pedal, remove the registration, or change any Bluetooth settings.

To remove a pedal from UAFX Control:

Swipe the pedal tile to the left. The red Remove area appears.
Tap Remove to delete the pedal from the UAFX Control app.

Adding a previously removed pedal

When a pedal has been removed, you can add it back to the UAFX Control app.

To add a previously removed pedal:

Press the PAIR button on the back of the UAFX pedal once.
Tap the Add New button in UAFX Control.

The pedal tile appears in UAFX Control.

Getting Context Help

You can get contextual help in UAFX Control by tapping the ⓘ symbol next to a section. The context help is built into the app and doesn’t require an internet connection.

Getting Online Help

To access the UAFX pedal manuals and get other details such as individual effect control maps, tap the Online Help button at the bottom of the screen to visit the UAFX Knowledge Base. Online help requires an internet connection.

Resetting your UAFX Pedal

Reset your pedal to restore your UAFX pedal to the factory defaults.

Important Notes:

You must remove the pedal tile from UAFX control, and remove the pedal from your phone’s Bluetooth settings if you want to reconnect your mobile device after you reset the pedal defaults.
Resetting your pedal deletes any user presets, bonus speaker cabinets, bonus effect(s), and registration. Customized preset settings are permanently lost. (You can backup and restore your presets after you reset the pedal).
To get the bonus speaker cabinets or bonus effect(s) after resetting the pedal, register the pedal again with UAFX Control software.

To reset the pedal:

Tap the Reset Pedal button at the bottom of the UAFX Control screen.
Read the warnings, then tap Reset Pedal to continue. The pedal restarts.
Remove the pedal tile from the UAFX Control app.
Remove the pedal from your phone’s Bluetooth settings.

Live/Preset Switch

Note: Live and Preset modes are available only on Astra, Dream ‘65, Golden, Ruby ‘63, Starlight, and Woodrow ‘55.

You can choose to listen to the preset sound or the live sound with the app, instead of using the pedal’s footswitch. After you use the app to change to any footswitch mode except the default Live | Preset mode (in any mode that requires the pedal sound to be always on), you can choose whether the Live sound or the Preset sound is active.

Assigning the preset or live sound

At the bottom of the app, tap the Live/Preset buttons to switch between the live and preset sounds. Your choice will persist on the pedal until you switch to another sound, either with a footswitch on the pedal or with this switch in the app.

Important: This setting is retained when the pedal is powered off. This means that, when the active footswitch mode doesn’t allow switching between Live and Preset modes:

You won’t be able to switch between Live mode and Preset mode without the mobile app, and
You won’t be able to tell by looking at the pedal whether you’re in Live mode or Preset mode.

This circumstance applies to Ruby '63 and Dream '65 in the following modes:

Boost | Vibrato (Dream '65, Ruby '63)
Reverb | Vibrato (Dream '65)
Reverb | Boost (Dream '65)

Example 1

The footswitch mode is set to Boost | Vibrato and the app’s Live/Preset switch is set to Preset when the pedal is powered off. When the pedal is powered back on: the stored preset loads, the pedal is in Preset mode, and you can’t switch to Live mode without the app. This example allows your favorite sound (the stored preset) to always load as soon as the pedal is powered, but controls may not match the sound initially.

Example 2

The footswitch mode is set to Boost | Vibrato and the app’s Live/Preset switch is set to Live when the pedal is powered off. When the pedal is powered back on: the pedal is in Live mode, and you can’t switch to Preset mode without the app. This example ensures your knob and switch settings are heard when initially powered, but you can’t load the stored preset without the app.

Tip: To retain the ability to switch between Live mode and Preset mode without the app, set the footswitch mode to one of these values before powering off:

Live | Preset
Boost | Live/Preset
Vibrato | Live/Preset
Reverb | Live/Preset

4-Cable Mode (UAFX amp emulators only)

4-cable mode with Dream '65, Lion '68, Ruby '63, and Woodrow '55 amp pedals let you add another switchable channel to any real guitar amplifier that has an effects loop. This special mode lets you switch between your guitar amplifier’s built-in preamp section and the sounds in your pedal.

Warning: Turn off your amplifier before wiring the pedal and enabling 4-cable mode. If you enable 4-cable mode with incorrect wiring, you can cause extreme feedback.

How 4-cable mode works

When a UAFX amp pedal is on, the amp emulation is heard, and the real amp’s preamp section is bypassed.
When a UAFX amp pedal is off, the real amp’s preamp section is heard, and the pedal is bypassed with analog dry-through.

4-cable mode notes

4-cable mode is only available on UAFX amp pedals (Dream '65, Lion '68, Ruby '63, and Woodrow '55).
If the pedal is not already in Live | Preset mode when you enable 4-cable mode, a confirmation appears, and the pedal automatically switches switches to Live | Preset mode after you confirm.
When you’re playing through a real guitar amplifier and speaker cabinet, you might want to disable the pedal’s speaker cabinet emulation by pressing the pedal's Speaker switch until its LED is unlit.
You may need to adjust the UAFX pedal’s Output knob lower than you normally would, because the effects loop return on your amp is unattenuated.
If you are using other pedals in your effects loop, place them between the first UAFX amp pedal’s 2/Stereo output and the Return input on your amp’s effects loop. With this wiring, the other pedals in the effects loop still process audio, even when the pedals are bypassed.
Front-of-amplifier effects, such as distortion and overdrive pedals, should be placed between the instrument and the first pedal’s 1/Mono input.
On Lion '68, Ruby '63 and Woodrow '55, the Room control does not have any effect in 4-cable mode.

Multiple UAFX amp pedals

To use multiple UAFX amp pedals in 4-cable mode, see the examples below. With multiple pedals configured in 4-cable mode, you can switch between preset and live sounds on the amp pedals and the sounds in your real amplifier for even more available sounds. When you use multiple amp pedals in 4-cable mode, the earliest amp pedal enabled in the chain is the amp pedal you hear.

Tip: To switch between sounds on different UAFX amp pedals with multiple pedals in 4-cable mode, enable sounds on multiple pedals. The first pedal that is enabled is the pedal you hear. When you bypass a pedal that is earlier than another enabled pedal, you will hear the next enabled pedal. In this way you can switch between sounds on multiple pedals.

To enable 4-cable mode

Power off your real amplifier.
Configure the cables as illustrated and described below.
Connect to the pedal with the UAFX Control app, and open the pedal Settings screen.
In the UAFX Control app, under 4-Cable Mode, tap On. A confirmation is displayed.
Tap Enable 4-Cable Mode in UAFX Control. The pedal enters 4-cable mode.
Turn your amplifier on.

You can now hear the UAFX amp pedal when Live mode or Preset mode is enabled, and your real amplifier’s preamp channel when the pedal is disabled.

4-cable mode connections

See the diagrams and sections below for 4-cable mode connections with one, two, or three UAFX amp pedals.

One UAFX amp pedal

Use 4-cable mode with one UAFX amp pedal to add another switchable channel to your real effects-loop equipped guitar amplifier.

Connect your instrument to the 1/Mono input on your UAFX amp pedal.
Connect the 1/Mono output from the UAFX amp pedal to the main input on your amplifier.
Connect the effects loop Send output on your amplifier to the 2/Stereo input on your UAFX amp pedal.
Connect the 2/Stereo output from the pedal to the effects loop Return input on your amplifier.
Place any front-of-amplifier effects between your instrument and the UAFX amp pedal, and place any other effects loop effects between the pedal’s 2/Stereo output and the effects loop return input on your amplifier.

UAFX amp pedal enabled

This diagram shows the signal flow when the UAFX amp pedal is enabled. Your signal is colored with the full amp tone from the pedal and routed to your real amplifier’s effects loop return, bypassing your real amplifier’s input jack and preamplifier section. Any effects placed in your amplifier’s effects loop return are heard.

UAFX amp pedal bypassed

This diagram shows the signal flow when the UAFX amp pedal is bypassed. Note that your signal passes through the pedal with no pedal amp tone, and into the main input on your real amplifier. Any effects placed before your amplifier’s effects loop return are heard.

Two UAFX amp pedals

To connect two UAFX amp pedals in 4-cable mode, you need a total of six cables. Wire the pedals as described and shown in the diagram below. In this mode, the earliest enabled UAFX amp pedal is the one you hear, even when the other UAFX amp pedal is enabled. Looking at your pedals from the top, this would be the UAFX amp pedal furthest to the right. Any effects placed before your amplifier’s effects loop return are heard.

Connect your instrument to the 1/Mono input on your first UAFX amp pedal.
Connect the 1/Mono output from the first pedal to the 1/Mono input on the second pedal.
Connect the 2/Stereo output from the first pedal to the effects loop Return input on your amplifier.
Connect the 1/Mono output from the second pedal to the main input on your amplifier.
Connect the 2/Stereo output from the second pedal to the 2/Stereo input on the first pedal.
Connect the effects loop Send output on your amplifier to the 2/Stereo input on the second pedal.
Place any front-of-amplifier effects between your instrument and the first UAFX amp pedal, and place any other effects loop effects between the first pedal’s 2/Stereo output and the effects loop return input on your amplifier.

Three UAFX amp pedals

To connect three UAFX amp pedals in 4-cable mode, you need a total of eight cables. Wire the pedals as described and shown in the diagram below. In this mode, the earliest enabled pedal is the one you hear, even when one or both of the other two pedals are enabled. Looking at your pedals from the top, this would be the pedal furthest to the right. Any effects placed before your amplifier’s effects loop return are heard.

Connect your instrument to the 1/Mono input on your first UAFX amp pedal.
Connect the 1/Mono output from the first pedal to the 1/Mono input on the second pedal.
Connect the 1/Mono output from the second pedal to the 1/Mono input on the third pedal.
Connect the 2/Stereo output from the first pedal to the effects loop Return input on your amplifier.
Connect the 2/Stereo output from the second pedal to the 2/Stereo input on the first pedal.
Connect the 2/Stereo output from the third pedal to the 2/Stereo input on the second pedal.
Connect the 1/Mono output from the third pedal to the main input on your amplifier.
Connect the effects loop Send output on your amplifier to the 2/Stereo input on the third pedal.
Place any front-of-amplifier effects between your instrument and the first UAFX amp pedal, and place any other effects loop effects between the first pedal’s 2/Stereo output and the effects loop return input on your amplifier.