Build 22 — faders in dB, a tidier header, Send by Mail
Faders
• Scene-level and EQ-band faders show the unit's real value in dB while you drag. They were showing the wrong number.
• Tap a fader to type a value, the same as a knob.
Header
• Setlists has its name, like the other buttons.
• TAP shows the tempo inside the button: "TAP 120". Tap to tap tempo, press and hold to type one.
• Perform's mark is a guitar now, not a letter A.
• Copy and Paste are in the header next to the output meter.
Calibration Capture
• The card on the home screen offers Send by Mail only, and it opens the Mail window again. It was coming up as a blank card. If your device has no Mail account set up, it opens the share sheet instead so the capture still gets to me.
AxeBlock EDIT
October 2026 — iPhone header, a PERFORM screen that tells you what happened, Calibration Capture
iPhone
• The header is a row of icon buttons now: EDIT, GRID, PERFORM, tuner, setlists, tap tempo, connection, help. No more hamburger menu.
• On Pro-size phones the knob names aren't clipped any more, and the collapsed rail summary wraps to two lines.
PERFORM
• Step a preset and you see it pending. If the unit doesn't change, the screen says PRESET DID NOT CHANGE for three seconds.
• With no unit connected it reads NO UNIT · TAP TO CONNECT and opens Connection. Scene buttons dim when there's no unit.
• On a phone the preset name fills the space, and BROWSE PRESETS wraps to two lines.
Every unit
• Channel chips, bypass pills, selectors, integer knobs and fader banks look the same on the Axe-Fx III, VP4 and AM4.
• Fader rows fill the height they have: Amp Output EQ, Drive graphic EQ, the II's Output Mixer and Scenes.
• The modifier sheet uses the app's own selector chips and knobs instead of the system pickers and sliders.
• The block picker fits a phone on iOS 17.
Calibration Capture
• Own an FM9, FM3 or AM4? One tap reads the parameters I still can't confirm and mails the capture to me. It only reads, it never writes. This is how those units get confirmed. Their editing is still not confirmed on a real unit.
Accessibility
• The Preferences toggles are named for VoiceOver, the grid-bar buttons are labelled, and the VP4 preset cells meet the 44 pt touch size.
• High Contrast: accent colors, the header and the block color strip keep their glow, fewer labels are dimmed, and hairlines are drawn at a true 1-pixel width.
Performance
• The header level meter is cheaper to draw on the iPad, and the app stops polling the unit when it goes to the background.
AxeBlock EDIT
VP4 verified on hardware; FM9, FM3, AM4 editing built; Apple Watch companion
I checked VP4 editing on a real VP4 (firmware 4.04). FM9, FM3 and AM4 editing moves forward, and stays unconfirmed until I've checked it on each unit.
VP4 — verified on hardware
• Add Modifier: assign a modifier to any control (Pedal, LFO and the rest).
• Output Preset Balance.
• Gate Knee.
• NoAmp Bass Drive.
• Drive Type on every drive type.
• Controllers: Tempo.
• Chain slot replace.
Each of these was read back from the unit after the change.
AM4 — not yet confirmed on a real AM4
• Amp and Cab controls are now the same knobs, menus and switches as every other unit.
• A dial shows "—" until you set it, because the AM4 can't report its values back yet.
• Drive and Reverb bypass use the standard bypass button.
• 14 more Amp and Cab controls.
• Four mis-scaled controls corrected: Low/Hi Reso, Speaker Drive, Definition.
• Tubes is an On/Off switch.
• DynaCab cab names shown.
FM3 — not yet confirmed on a real FM3
• The FM3's own parameter map, checked against FM3-Edit's own parameter cache.
• Amp, Delay and Reverb type lists are the FM3's own.
• The grid is view-only, and some FM3 parameters stay hidden until they're confirmed.
• Connects by Bluetooth (WIDI Master) or 5-pin MIDI. The FM3 has no USB-MIDI.
FM9 — not yet confirmed, no write confirmed on a real FM9 yet
• Modifier and controller sources follow the FM9's own map.
• The grid is view-only.
iPhone and iPad, plus Apple Watch
• AxeBlock EDIT runs on iPhone and iPad.
• New Apple Watch companion, not yet tested on a real Watch: current preset, scene, tempo and connection at a glance; previous / next preset; and a haptic tuner that buzzes your wrist when you're in tune. Everything relays through the app on your paired iPhone. The Watch never talks to the unit itself.
Axe-Fx III
• Re-checked live on a real III (firmware 32.06): Multitap Diffusor, Auto-Wah and the MIDI block.
Every unit
• Knobs, buttons and switches look and behave the same on every Fractal unit. The AM4 now matches.
High Contrast
• Every color in the app now has a High Contrast version.
Bug reports
• A bug report goes out by Mail or the share sheet, only when you send it. The app makes no network calls of its own.
Mac
• Grid "Add Block" picker fixed.
• Larger Assign button.
Coming to the App Store
• $9.99, no subscription, no in-app purchases.
Coming soon
• AxeBlock EDIT for Android.
• LegacyBlock EDIT for Mac and Windows.
Your presets are safe: edits go to the unit's edit buffer, and nothing is stored until you tap Save and confirm.
Vocabberv0.1.0 (5)
Build 5 — Vocabulator is now Vocabber
New name, new wordmark, throughout the app. Nothing about how it works changed.
Vocabberv0.1.0 (4)
Build 4 — 23 new terms, and a way to report a problem
New
- 23 new terms, concentrated in the deck's thinnest disciplines. 668 terms across 16 disciplines.
- "Something wrong here?" on any word's detail screen, and Settings → Report a problem. Both open an email pre-filled with device info — sent from your own Mail app, nothing collected.
Fixed
- The Reference tab's example search now finds its own answer.
Vocabberv0.1.0 (3)
Build 3 — One name per discipline, one intro
Each discipline now goes by a single name everywhere it appears, and the app has one intro instead of two. iPad layout audits are stable.
Vocabberv0.1.0 (2)
Build 2 — Trivia Mode, and “You got it”
New
- Trivia Mode: ten questions from the whole deck, at your own pace. Practice only — it never touches your schedule.
Changed
- Every answer now says plainly whether you got it, in words and in color. The level quiz finally says "You got it."
Vocabberv0.1.0 (1)
Build 1 — First TestFlight build
The first build, shipped under the working name Vocabulator. 645 terms across 16 disciplines, SM-2 spaced repetition, a plain-English question with four choices, and what each wrong answer is not. Adapted for iPad, audited for accessibility, and nothing leaves the device.
AxeBlock EDITv1.1 (14)
Build 14 — VP4 beta, 160 knob fixes
Big jump. You're coming from build 12 — this is everything since 2026-07-27, in one build.
New
• VP4 editing enters beta. Knobs, bypass, scenes, channels, and a Quick Build palette with drag-to-slot. All 25 effects mapped. Every write is verified by read-back — if the unit doesn't confirm a change, the app tells you instead of pretending it stuck.
• Save As for presets, behind an explicit confirmation.
• Preset browser rebuilt: 4-column layout, quick-jump, color tools.
• Value-entry modal has a Set button now. Type a value, hit Set. Tapping outside cancels — it no longer commits. Same for the Tempo sheet.
• Runs on more iPads: deployment floor lowered to iOS 17, adding the 2017–18 models.
• Device selector on the greeting screen for multi-unit rigs.
Fixed
• 160 wrong knob tapers — 63 on the II, 97 on the III. The pointer, the readout, and the value on the wire now agree. Fitted against the units' own display strings, zero free parameters.
• Cab block: Scene Ignore is back; the phantom "Preamp Enable" is gone. Dyna-Cab layout, mic controls, and speaker indicator corrected.
• Knobs going blank on tab switch or scroll, value jumps on first touch, and the invisible keyboard in the value-entry modal.
• II XL: Input/Gate and Output blocks reachable, Delay tempo lock works, LFO2 controllers driven, cab favorites persist.
• Crash hardening: all app state is now main-actor-locked — the mechanism behind the Catalyst crash reported 2026-07-30 is a compile error now.
Changed
• One knob style app-wide. 1,241 labels moved to Title Case. Delay tabs follow the II XL's own order.
• Demo mode serves real data — 102 wire-captured III preset names. The invented ones are gone.
What to test
Turn knobs on your III or II XL and check the readout against the front panel. If you have a VP4, try the chain — and tell us what doesn't stick.
There was no build 13 on TestFlight — testers go from 12 straight to 14.
AxeBlock EDITv1.1 (12)
Build 12 — Live on TestFlight
Live on TestFlight
Highlights
• Editor and Grid surfaces at parity with Axe-Edit III for core operations
• EDIT page (parameter editing), GRID page (routing/connections), CONTROLLERS (modifier mapping)
AxeBlock EDITv1.1 (11)
Build 11 — Live on TestFlight
Live on TestFlight
Fixed
• Type-change re-seed now includes selector controls — both re-read sites had filtered to knobs and faders only, so Cab's Legacy-only bank selectors now populate on a type switch
• Cold-open re-seed — type-change re-seed was suppressed on first block open; Cab type-specific controls now populate immediately
• GEQ Zero All — one frame instead of ten; uses the correct parameter (19, not 20) and a plain 0.0 value
• Tempo popover sizing on Mac Catalyst — sheet opens with correct bounds; added explicit frame sizing for the fitted layout
• Xcode 26.6 project corruption reverted — App Category now declared in project.yml; fixed a SWIFT_COMPILATION_MODE regression back to singlefile
Investigated
• Real-device black screen was initially suspected to come from the corruption above; confirmed Debug-config only. Release and TestFlight builds were unaffected.
AxeBlock EDITv1.0 (10)
Build 10 — Live on TestFlight
Live on TestFlight
Added
• SETLISTS — a read-only performance tab for Sets and Songs data. Tap a section to jump to its preset and scene. It never writes to block 1, so there is no edit buffer to lose.
Fixed
• Channel switching re-reads parameters — the context bar and GRID now reflect the new channel's knobs after a switch. The fix applies to every caller.
• Removed shipped debug logging — stray FileHandle debug writes are gone from release builds.
Build
• Version-shadow fix — a duplicate CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION at the target level was shadowing project-level bumps, so every archive was stamped build 8 while labelled build 10.
AxeBlock EDITv1.0 (9)
Build 9 — Does not exist
No build 9 was ever cut. Some pull request titles reference a build 9 bump, but those commits were reset before reaching main, and archive inspection confirms the binary was stamped build 8.
Testers went from build 7 straight to build 10.
Builds 6 and 7 shipped to TestFlight; build 8 stayed in git and was never uploaded. The three are grouped here because no per-build notes were written at the time.
Added
• Offline .syx file inspector, plus a Preferences and Setup screen
• Preset export failure reasons — export no longer fails silently. It explains why, and refuses up front over Bluetooth.
Fixed
• Stopped re-reading TYPE on every block re-seed — the passive read was reinitializing the block and discarding uncommitted edits
• FM3 connection copy — every user-facing string now correctly says Bluetooth (WIDI) or 5-pin DIN. The FM3 has no USB-MIDI on any platform.
Changed
• VP4 and AM4 identify-only enforcement — both units gate to fn 0x08 only. Everything else is dropped and logged.
AxeBlock EDITv1.0 (5)
Build 5 — Graphite faceplate, mega menu, tuner removal
Live on TestFlight · Jul 15–16, 2026
Added
• CONNECT card gear links cleaned up and VoiceOver-labelled
• Tour: CONTROLLERS step — the guided tour now covers all three surfaces, and step numbers derive from visible steps so there are no "1, 2, 4, 5" gaps
• Modifier transfer-curve graph in both modifier sheets
• ThemeContrastTests — every ink token measured against every surface token for WCAG 2.1 contrast of at least 4.5:1. Worst pairing came in at 9.40:1.
• README hero image asset
Changed
• Theme: graphite faceplate — every surface brightened by roughly 16, all ink tokens now pure white, knobs stay black
• App display name is now "AxeBlock EDIT" (CFBundleDisplayName locked; bundle id unchanged)
• Add Block is a mega menu — one tile per effect family with a grid glyph and swatch, alphabetical, placing the lowest free instance automatically
• Shunts render as a cable passing through the cell rather than a solid black box
• Help chip sized to btnHeight — raised to Apple's 44pt minimum
• Accessibility audit dropped .contrast — too many false positives on anti-aliased type. Contrast is now measured exactly in a unit test instead.
• Pricing: $9.99 USD, flat. No subscriptions.
Removed
• On-device microphone tuner — the only tuner is the hardware's own, polling block 35 via 0x19 USB. This removed the app's only AVAudioEngine and AVAudioSession use, and dropped NSMicrophoneUsageDescription.
• Black chip behind the nav label — invisible on the graphite theme and protecting nothing
• 60s reseed backstop — it was self-labelled "NOT live-verified"
Fixed
• Duplicate "High Cut" on the Amp Tone tab — when amp Type was unread the resolver skipped its type-aware branch and rendered the raw superset, showing both the generic Hz control (prm11) and the Vox-only one (prm133). It now takes the conservative path.
• TYPE chip showed "Amp" instead of the model — it was cleared on preset change but never re-read on a same-block reload, so EDIT and GRID disagreed. It now re-requests when missing.
• Accessibility audit red on main — a false positive from two fixes interacting; resolved by signature match instead of a Y-band magic number
• Stale tuner copy — removed references to buying a WIDI adapter
• False microphone permission in the App Store Connect paste copy — it would have declared a permission the binary does not have
• Audio glitch work — disabled a malformed 0x19 meter poll, cancelled concurrent seed bursts, and moved requestCurrentScene out of the idle poll. The header is floored at 44pt for the TAP hit target.
AxeBlock EDITv1.0 (4)
Build 4 — Release archive unblocked
Live on TestFlight
Fixed
• Release archive hang — a COWArrayOptPass compiler issue pinned swift-frontend at 99% CPU indefinitely under -O. Worked around with -Onone on the generated tables plus SWIFT_COMPILATION_MODE: singlefile.
Known issue: the CLI override is not fully in config, so an archive started from the Xcode UI may still hang.
AxeBlock EDITv1.0 (3)
Build 3 — Beta goes iPad-only
Internal build. Not uploaded.
Changed
• The beta is iPad-only (TARGETED_DEVICE_FAMILY = "2") — a deliberate pre-launch decision, because the landscape-iPhone header and context-bar accessibility frames are broken. The phone-layout code stays in the tree and returns once that is fixed.
• Accessibility audit green on iPad Pro 11"
• White readouts with a 17pt em-dash placeholder; the VU meter is now non-interactive
AxeBlock EDITv1.0 (2)
Build 2 — PERFORM pulled from the shipping app
Live on TestFlight
Removed
• PERFORM (the XY pad) is out of the shipping app and returns as a separate BlockPerform target. The shipping surfaces are EDIT, GRID, and CONTROLLERS.
AxeBlock EDITv0.9.0-beta
Build 1 — Pre-beta
Everything up to and including v0.9.0-beta. History lives in the git log and Docs/HANDOFF.md.