🎸 Sierpinski Workbench

Formerly AxeFXIIControl — a free Windows MIDI control and setlist app for the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II, XL and XL+ (also written Axe FX 2 or AxeFX II), built for playing live.

Free Software

Your Axe-Fx II, your stage, your control!

Sierpinski Workbench brings your Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II, XL or XL+ onto your computer screen, so the features buried behind front-panel buttons and menu pages are a click away. It is built for two kinds of players: the home-studio guitarist who wants to find a preset, switch scenes or bypass a block without hunting through pages, and the stage performer who needs setlists, a big Stage Monitor and foot-pedal control they can rely on in the middle of a song. It adds what the Axe-Fx II never had (setlists with songs and sections, instant preset search and a scene matrix) and lists every front-panel function, numbered and searchable, with step-by-step button instructions and, wherever MIDI allows, a control that does it for you.

Complements Axe-Edit, never replaces it. Sierpinski Workbench works alongside Fractal Audio's Axe-Edit; it is not a replacement. Keep using Axe-Edit to build and fine-tune your tones, and use Sierpinski Workbench to find, organize and play them. One click hands the Axe-Fx II over to Axe-Edit, and Sierpinski Workbench reconnects when Axe-Edit closes.

  • Live control — preset list by number and name, ▲ / ▼ next and previous, 8 scene buttons, every block's engage / bypass and X / Y, tap and set tempo, tuner readout and looper
  • Two-way sync — follows changes made on the Axe-Fx II front panel; connects automatically and keeps trying for 5 minutes if the unit is switched on later
  • Presets — a local list of all 768 presets with names, amps, cabs, drives and blocks; instant search; ships with the XL / XL+ factory list; Resync All, Selected or Range
  • Setlists — songs with named sections (each a scene, and optionally its own preset), tempo and notes; drag presets in; print and export; full-screen Perform view
  • Stage Monitor — a big display for a second monitor or TV, readable from 10 feet: song, section, next, preset, stage banners (DROP D), tuner strip, setlist view and browse-then-Go
  • Foot Control — Behringer FCB1010, MFC-101 or any MIDI pedal; MIDI Learn with Bank + Program Change, latching / momentary switches, pedal calibration, long press and profiles
  • Scene Matrix — all 8 scenes of a preset against every block on one screen; click to change a block in a scene
  • Settings — 98 Axe-Fx II functions numbered by importance and searchable, each with front-panel button steps and, where possible, a MIDI control that does it for you
  • Controllers — External Controllers 1–12 as faders; CC Map with MIDI Learn-friendly defaults; Test MIDI finds the unit's MIDI channel
  • Axe-Edit hand-over — one button starts Axe-Edit and reconnects when it closes
  • Standalone — Axe-Fx II USB or any USB-MIDI / DIN-MIDI interface · 100% offline · no license key

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📦 GitHub Repository PDF Sierpinski Workbench Help Guide 🔽 Download Sierpinski Workbench Version 1.0 installer (.exe)
Sierpinski Workbench installer's digital fingerprint / SHA-256 hash: 6E8436ECDF77839D1DCC0484066843C70D1797D3943C3A8E678F1896640CDF50
What is a SHA-256 hash? A unique 64-character digital fingerprint calculated from the installer file. If even one byte is altered — by corruption or tampering — the hash changes completely. Comparing it to this value confirms you have a safe, unmodified copy. How to verify (Windows PowerShell): Get-FileHash setupAxeFXIIControl-V1.0.exe -Algorithm SHA256 Compare the Hash value in the output to the fingerprint above — they should match exactly.

Fractal Audio, Axe-Fx and Axe-Edit are trademarks of Fractal Audio Systems. Sierra Digital Audio is not affiliated with Fractal Audio Systems.

Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL+ front panel
Live Control (click to view)
Presets, scenes, blocks, tempo, tuner and looper Sierpinski Workbench main window — preset list, scenes, blocks, tempo, tuner and looper for the Axe-Fx II
Presets (click to view)
Every preset with amps, cab and drive; search and resync Sierpinski Workbench Presets — local list of all presets with amps, cabs, drives and blocks, search and resync
Scene Matrix (click to view)
Every block across all 8 scenes, bypass and X / Y Sierpinski Workbench Scene Matrix — every block against all 8 scenes, engaged / bypassed and X / Y
Setlists (click to view)
Setlists, songs and presets with drag and drop Sierpinski Workbench Setlists — setlists, songs and all presets side by side with drag and drop
Stage Monitor Settings (click to view)
Screen, text size, theme, tuner and messages Sierpinski Workbench Stage Monitor control window — screen, text size, theme, tuner and messages to the stage
Stage Monitor (click to view)
Song, section and preset in big type for a second screen or TV Sierpinski Workbench Stage Monitor — song, section, next song, preset and block tiles in big type for the stage
Foot Control (click to view)
MIDI Learn for an FCB1010 or any MIDI pedal Sierpinski Workbench Foot Control — FCB1010 / MIDI pedal MIDI Learn for setlist navigation and Axe management
External Controllers (click to view)
Twelve faders sending CC 16-27 Sierpinski Workbench External Controllers — twelve faders sending CC 16-27

🎛️ Sierpinski VST3 & AUv2

A free DAW plugin that lets your Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II, Axe-Fx III, FM9 or FM3 follow your DAW — VST3 for Windows now, AUv2 for Mac coming soon.

Free VST3 / AUv2 Plugin

Your Fractal unit, following your DAW

Sierpinski is a free plugin that puts your Fractal Audio unit on your guitar track. Presets, scenes, block bypasses and block channels become automation lanes on the DAW's timeline, and changes you make on the unit itself show up in the plugin, so your DAW can record them. When you open a project, Sierpinski sends the unit the preset and scene saved with it, and the unit's tempo can follow the project tempo. Audio passes through Sierpinski unchanged — it only sends and receives MIDI. It works with the Axe-Fx II, XL and XL+, and in beta with the Axe-Fx III, FM9 and FM3.

Made for recording; the Workbench is made for the stage. Use the Sierpinski plugin for automation, project recall and the DAW's tempo, and Sierpinski Workbench above for setlists, the Stage Monitor, the Scene Matrix and foot control without a DAW. With a USB-to-MIDI adapter, Axe-Edit and Sierpinski run side by side.

  • Units — Axe-Fx II, XL and XL+; Axe-Fx III, FM9 and FM3 (beta) · USB or 5-pin MIDI · Detect finds the model and keeps trying until the unit is on
  • Stage View — preset number and name, scene (and scene name on Gen 3 units), the unit's EDITED light and its name
  • Scenes 1–8 and < > previous / next preset; the lit button follows the unit
  • Eight assignable block slots — engage / bypass and X / Y (Axe-Fx II) or A–D (Gen 3) channels
  • Automation lanes for Preset, Scene, Slot 1–8 Bypass, Slot 1–8 Channel and Tuner; record changes made on the unit in Touch, Latch or Write mode
  • Project recall — the saved preset and scene are sent when the project opens, or use the unit's state, or ask each time
  • Protect unsaved edits — automation preset changes are skipped while the unit's EDITED light is on
  • Follow host tempo — MIDI Beat Clock from the project tempo; safe during offline renders
  • Foot controllers — MIDI Learn through the DAW track (e.g. Behringer FCB1010), latching or toggle switches
  • Searchable preset list; Read all names from the unit, or Import from Sierpinski Workbench
  • Strip, Compact and Full views, plus Big View readable across the room; four colour schemes
  • Release / Reconnect hands the USB port to Axe-Edit; Diagnostics shows every MIDI message in and out
  • Works in any DAW that loads VST3 effect plugins — tested in REAPER; Cubase, Studio One, Ableton Live, Bitwig, FL Studio, Cakewalk Sonar, Waveform, Digital Performer, Mixbus, Reason and Mixcraft listed in the Help guide (Pro Tools is AAX-only and not supported)
  • 64-bit VST3 for Windows 10 and 11 · AUv2 for macOS (including Logic Pro and GarageBand) coming soon · 100% offline · no license key

Installing (Windows): download Sierpinski.vst3.zip, unblock it if Windows marks it as blocked (right-click → Properties → tick Unblock), unzip it, and copy Sierpinski.vst3 to C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3. Before you load the plugin, turn off the unit's MIDI ports in your DAW's MIDI settings (in REAPER: Options → Preferences → MIDI Devices, both inputs and outputs), because Sierpinski opens them itself. Section 2 of the Help guide has the step-by-step instructions.

⏸ Downloads are paused while this page is being updated — please check back soon.

🔽 Windows 11 Sierpinski VST3 (.zip) 🔽 macOS Sierpinski AUv2 (.zip) — coming soon PDF Sierpinski VST3 & AUv2 Help Guide
Windows Sierpinski VST3 zip fingerprint / SHA-256 hash: pending
What is a SHA-256 hash? A unique 64-character digital fingerprint calculated from the zip file. If even one byte is altered — by corruption or tampering — the hash changes completely. Comparing it to this value confirms you have a safe, unmodified copy. How to verify (Windows PowerShell): Get-FileHash Sierpinski.vst3.zip -Algorithm SHA256 Compare the Hash value in the output to the fingerprint above — they should match exactly.
macOS Sierpinski AUv2 zip fingerprint / SHA-256 hash: not yet available
What is a SHA-256 hash? A unique 64-character digital fingerprint calculated from the zip file. If even one byte is altered — by corruption or tampering — the hash changes completely. Comparing it to this value confirms you have a safe, unmodified copy. How to verify (macOS Terminal): shasum -a 256 Sierpinski_AUv2.zip Compare the value in the output to the fingerprint above — they should match exactly.

Axe-Fx, FM9, FM3, Axe-Edit and Fractal Audio are trademarks of Fractal Audio Systems. Sierra Digital Audio is not affiliated with Fractal Audio Systems. VST is a registered trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH.

Full View (click to view)
Connection, Stage View, scenes, block slots and the preset list Sierpinski VST3 Full View — connection panel, preset 766 Space Verb 2 on scene 2, eight block slots and the preset list for the Axe-Fx II

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

  • OS Windows 10 or Windows 11
  • Runtime .NET Framework 4.8 (built into current Windows)
  • Disk 15 MB free space
  • MIDI Axe-Fx II USB (Fractal Audio USB driver) or a USB-MIDI / DIN-MIDI interface
  • Hardware Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II, XL or XL+
  • Optional Second monitor or TV for the Stage Monitor; MIDI foot controller (e.g. Behringer FCB1010)
  • Net No internet connection required

Version History

  • v1.0 First release — built from my list of Axe FXII 'nice to have' notes
  • Live control, setlists, Stage Monitor, preset list, scene matrix
  • Foot Control with MIDI Learn, 98-function Settings guide, CC Map

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about Sierpinski Workbench and the Sierpinski VST3 & AUv2 plugin.

Sierpinski Workbench brings your Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II, XL or XL+ onto your computer screen, so the features buried behind front-panel buttons and menu pages are a click away. It is built for two kinds of players: the home-studio guitarist who wants to find a preset, switch scenes or bypass a block without hunting through pages, and the stage performer who needs setlists, a big Stage Monitor and foot-pedal control they can rely on in the middle of a song. It adds what the Axe-Fx II never had (setlists with songs and sections, instant preset search and a scene matrix) and lists every front-panel function, numbered and searchable, with step-by-step button instructions and, wherever MIDI allows, a control that does it for you. Sierpinski Workbench works alongside Fractal Audio's Axe-Edit; it is not a replacement. Keep using Axe-Edit to build and fine-tune your tones, and use Sierpinski Workbench to find, organize and play them. One click hands the Axe-Fx II over to Axe-Edit, and Sierpinski Workbench reconnects when Axe-Edit closes.
No. Axe-Edit is Fractal Audio's preset editor; Sierpinski Workbench is for playing and organising - setlists, the Stage Monitor, foot control, scenes and presets. They work side by side: the Axe-Edit button hands the Axe-Fx II's MIDI ports to Axe-Edit and reconnects when Axe-Edit closes.
The Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II (Mark I / II), Axe-Fx II XL and Axe-Fx II XL+. It was developed and tested on an Axe-Fx II XL+.
Over the Axe-Fx II's own USB port (with the Fractal Audio USB driver installed), or through any USB-MIDI or DIN-MIDI interface. It connects automatically and keeps trying for five minutes if the unit is switched on later.
Yes. Foot Control maps FCB1010 (or MFC-101, or any MIDI pedal) switches and expression pedals to songs, sections, scenes, presets, tap tempo, tuner, blocks and the looper, with MIDI Learn - including Bank + Program Change, latching / momentary switches and pedal calibration.
Yes - completely free for personal and professional use. No license key, no activation, no subscription and no internet connection required.
AxeFXIIControl is now called Sierpinski Workbench. It is the same free Windows app, and the version 1.0 download and Help guide on this page are unchanged.
The Sierpinski VST3 & AUv2 plugin runs inside your DAW and is made for recording: automation lanes for presets, scenes and blocks, project recall and the DAW's tempo. Sierpinski Workbench is a stand-alone Windows app made for the stage and the bench: setlists, the full-screen Stage Monitor, the Scene Matrix and foot control without a DAW. Use whichever fits the job, or both.
The Axe-Fx II, XL and XL+, and in beta the Axe-Fx III, FM9 and FM3, connected by USB or a 5-pin MIDI interface (the FM3 always uses a MIDI interface). The Windows version is a 64-bit VST3 for Windows 10 and 11 and should work in any DAW that loads VST3 effect plugins; it was tested in REAPER, and the Help guide lists Cubase / Nuendo, Studio One, Ableton Live, Bitwig, FL Studio, Cakewalk Sonar, Waveform, Digital Performer, Mixbus, Reason and Mixcraft. Pro Tools uses only its own AAX format and can't load it. The AUv2 version for macOS, which Logic Pro and GarageBand need, is coming soon. Foot-controller MIDI Learn needs a DAW that sends track MIDI to effect plugins (REAPER does). Turn off the unit's MIDI ports in your DAW's MIDI settings before loading the plugin, because Sierpinski opens them itself.
Yes, with a USB-to-MIDI adapter: Axe-Edit keeps the unit's USB port and Sierpinski connects through the adapter to the unit's MIDI IN and MIDI OUT. With USB only, press Release in the plugin before opening Axe-Edit and Reconnect after closing it. Appendix A of the Help guide shows the setups.
Windows 10 or Windows 11, the .NET Framework 4.8 (built into current Windows 10 and 11), and an Axe-Fx II, XL or XL+ connected by USB or a MIDI interface. A second monitor or TV and a MIDI foot controller are optional.