Plan-B Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Hi all, I'm trying to figure out my options for footswitches that can send midi note-on commands and not just the standard program and control changes. As I understand it the Behringer FCB1010 can send midi note but I'd like to find another option as it's the size of a battleship and the expression pedals would be useless in my application. I've heard the Yamaha MFC10 and Roland FC300 can possibly do it but again they are large pedals with useless expression pedals. I've found another two (Rocktron Midi Mate and Tech21 Midi Moose) which would be perfect for my situation if they do indeed send midi note on. Unfortunate I haven't been able to find confirmation in the manuals or anywhere online that they can. If anyone can confirm that the Rocktron can send note commands please let me know. Some other pedals that look promising are the G Lab and ENGL but I haven't discerned it they have midi note capability yet. I also have heard of the Midi Solutions Event Processor but don't like the idea of shelling out for it AND a pedal. Although if there are no other options that might be the route I go. If anyone can shed some light on this and maybe list out a few pedals that do support note on commands I would really appreciate it. Cheers, Chris. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassnote Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Hello Chris, Just wondering what you need a pedal that sends a note-one message for? As depending on end purpose, this answer could be very different... The way round it that I would go is to use an Arduino development board, connect up a sustain pedal to one of its inputs and program it do send a midi not output each time it receives the input. Check out http://arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/Midi, this is only an option if you fancy a bit of programming and soldering though, but parts would cost a max of around £35 then as many pedals as you require. Hope this helps, Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan-B Posted October 10, 2009 Author Share Posted October 10, 2009 Thanks for the post Peter. I'm hoping to hook it up to a Elation DMX Operator 192 light board so I can manually control lights from stage. While the option you posted might be possible for me with a lot of research it also could be far beyond my ability to DIY a midi footswitch. I've never had any type of experience in such things. I'll look into it a see what I can't figure out. Preferably I think I'd like to go with a brand name midi footswitch with note on capability and ideally the Rocktron. p.s. I guess now that I've explained my final goal with the pedal it doesn't really fit in the sound section. I was originally thinking that midi pedals are more often used in a sound application then they are in lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomHoward Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 From MIDISolutions, you shouldn't need the Event processor, you should get away with the Footswitch Controller - there's a single channel one which will output MIDI (inc Note according to the brief description) from open contact, and there's an eight-contact rackmount version as well. I've used the eight-contact version in a similar setup (MIDI control of a playback system from switch contacts) but the single channel one should suit your needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teb335 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 From MIDISolutions, you shouldn't need the Event processor, you should get away with the Footswitch Controller - there's a single channel one which will output MIDI (inc Note according to the brief description) from open contact, and there's an eight-contact rackmount version as well. I've used the eight-contact version in a similar setup (MIDI control of a playback system from switch contacts) but the single channel one should suit your needs. I looked into this a while back to work my ELation magic 260 from a foorpedal, and ended up going th pedal + midi solutions event processor route - works well ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I've found another two (Rocktron Midi Mate and Tech21 Midi Moose) which would be perfect for my situation if they do indeed send midi note on. Unfortunate I haven't been able to find confirmation in the manuals or anywhere online that they can. If anyone can confirm that the Rocktron can send note commands please let me know.I have a Midi Mate, and am pretty sure it cant send note on/offs. If you can find a MIDI Mitigator, it definitely does. http://www.synthony.com/vintage/vintage.images/LBmitigator.jpg Sad that these vanished, one of the best foot controllers ever made... Editied to note - I think the DIgitech PMC-10 can do this too - another discontinued beauty. Edited to note: You can make the FCB1010 smaller by attacking it with metalworking tools. Join this Yahoo group. Chellist and looper Zoe Keating had one made modified by Bob Charest, and I'm sure theres a picture of it on the web, but I've failed to find it. Bob uses a shrunken FCB1010 along with a LANBox to control his band's lighting rig from onstage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plan-B Posted October 13, 2009 Author Share Posted October 13, 2009 Thanks for all the input guys! As I understand it the midiSolutions foot switch controller can be programed to send only one midi note-on message. This would not work as I would only be able to access one function on the light controller. The midiSolutions event processor can be programed to send 10 different midi note-on commands (32 with the event processor plus). The event processor plus is a possible solution but would still leave many of the light controller functions not accessible from the footswitch. I emailed Rocktron and asked about the midi note-on capability of their pedals. According to tech support, none of their products are capable of sending note-on. I also emailed Digitect regarding their discontinued RP1 and RP10 pedals as someone suggested they might work. They replied that the only pedal they have ever produced that sends midi note-on messages is the PMC-10. An extensive google search has me thinking this might be a difficult item to find. Same problem with the MIDI Mitigator. I'm still searching for an alternative but it's starting to look like the FCB1010 is going to be my best option. I joined the Yahoo group you suggested Buckly and had a look at the mod jobs. While the final out come is what I'm looking for I'm not sure I have the tools or ability to preform such a mod. Thanks again for all the input everyone. If anyone has any other thoughts on the matter I would love to hear about it. Also if anyone can A: sell me a Digitech PMC-10 / MIDI Mitigator or B: mod the FCB1010 for me please let me know. Cheers,Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 On the loopers delight board, there is this posting, the interesting bit of which I've quoted below: it still amazes me that these companies go to all the trouble to design and manufacture a midi footpedal controller and don't bother to implement 95% of the available midi commands. For them to do the additional programming would be simple. I once asked the owner of a particular well-known midi pedal manufacturer why he did that, and he indicated that his pedal was for guitar players who are too stupid to understand anything more complicated than program change messages. Maybe that's true for the average stratocastor-and-marshall guy, but I suspect the ones playing around with midi are bright enough to figure out what a note-on message does. especially now when it is so common for samplers and synths to be standard gear in the average band. Sad, but true I guess, despite the fact that this guitar player does want those extra functions :) Back to modding FCB1010s - as I noted above Zoe Keating had her's done by someone, and I think it was Bob Charest himself. Try asking him, and if that draws a blank, email Zoe, her website has the obvious name, or ask on the loopers delight forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackerr Posted October 15, 2009 Share Posted October 15, 2009 Thanks for all the input guys! As I understand it the midiSolutions foot switch controller can be programed to send only one midi note-on message. This would not work as I would only be able to access one function on the light controller. The midiSolutions event processor can be programed to send 10 different midi note-on commands (32 with the event processor plus). The event processor plus is a possible solution but would still leave many of the light controller functions not accessible from the footswitch.How do you plan to distinguish between those 32 commands on a single pedal? If you are using a different pedal for each command the Midi solutions devices work fine. There are both a single channel version where you daisy chain the midi, or the 8 channel one where you can also daisy chain for more channels. I am not familiar with the Event Processor, but it looks like it turns simple midi commands into more complex commands, but you still need a way to get multiple commands into it. More information about exactly what you are trying to do would make it easier to offer solutions. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teb335 Posted October 17, 2009 Share Posted October 17, 2009 Maybe worth having a look at how the midi solutions pedal works - I have one and its easy to use just one of the 32 commands to simply convert any program number you send (eg 1-127) from your pedal to the corresponding note on number Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davekobliska Posted November 3, 2009 Share Posted November 3, 2009 If you can find a MIDI Mitigator, it definitely does. http://www.synthony.com/vintage/vintage.images/LBmitigator.jpg Sad that these vanished, one of the best foot controllers ever made... I have a Midi Mitigator I would sell. Mint condition. Manuals and expression pedal included. I am the original owner and I only played out a few times with it. PLUS I'll include a 25-foot extension to the power cord and a 25-foot midi cable so you can be that far away from your rack and power supply. If I'm misusing this message board, please forgive. I was just looking for interested parties to this rare device. Davedavekobliska@comcast.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EHeath Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Hi there, I just noticed this thread even though it seems to have stopped being used a while ago, but it seems similar to what I'm looking at. Basically, I have a Roland SP-404 sampler, I use it in a band along with a midi keyboard to trigger some samples. The keyboard has a midi in and out, but there is a song where I have to trigger a bunch of loops then play bass shortly afterwards. Annoyingly, the last note I play on the bass is at exactly the same time I need to cancel one of the samples playing on the sampler. Every midi footswitch/pedal I've seen either works on control information or is huge, far too big for what I need. I need to be able to select a midi note (say D2) beforehand then press a button on the switch to turn it on or off. This would effectively tell the keyboard (in turn telling the sampler) that note D2 is being played (for a split second) and the sampler would then stop playing the loop on the pad that note D2 triggers. Of course it would be useful to be able to trigger D2 (or another note, it would be great to be able to select a different midi note for different songs) to turn the sampler on. SP-404 samplers respond to a midi keyboard by just turning the loop on when you press the note assigned to the pad the sample is on, and turning it off when you press that note again, so it should be "note on" each time. As I said, nothing seems to be on the market for that, except something called a Midi Mouse but I'm not sure if it sends note on information. So I was wondering how I would go about making one? I have a friend who is very technically minded, if I gave him the way to do it, he would make it. Has anyone attempted this? I just need one note per song, something that isn't huge (I wouldn't be able to carry most of those foot switches on a plane!) and doesn't cost hundreds! Hope someone can help me! Eric Heath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 Get a Highly Liquid MIDI CPU and stuff it in a box with a footswitch socket, and use a standard momentary action footswitch. An sustain pedal off a keyboard woudl do just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EHeath Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Get a Highly Liquid MIDI CPU and stuff it in a box with a footswitch socket, and use a standard momentary action footswitch. An sustain pedal off a keyboard woudl do just fine. Hi, that MIDI CPU looks very capable but after looking at the firmware I'm not really sure how it is supposed to be programmed. Also it talks about MIDI ports but then says it does not come with MIDI connectors. Very strange. Basically, I just need a 3 switch pedal, which transmits MIDI note on information when the central momentary switch is pressed, and MIDI note off (not velocity 0 as some people have done) when released. The velocity has to be 127 otherwise the sampler takes that as volume and plays the sample at a lower volume. The pedal needs to start at MIDI note 46 and end at 118 (does the HL MIDI CPU work via Hex?). When the left switch is pressed it would need to go down a MIDI note, when the right one is pressed it would need to go up a MIDI note, sequentially. It would be good to have a display to show which note number it will be playing (46-118). That CPU looks good as it is designed to be battery operated and controlled by switches, but I am very confused by the programming side of it. Most people program their foot pedals to just play one note per switch, but space (and a lack of time to re-program between gigs) means it would need to be small and able to play any of the MIDI notes in range. The sampler is not as adaptable as Ableton and cannot re-assign pads to different notes, it is sequential. Would this be possible with this board? Also what language is the code written in? Thanks for your help. Eric Heath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 There is no "programming language" for the liquid CPU; you instruct it what you want it to do by sending it MIDI SysEx messages using a sequencer or MidiOx or something. It is a self assembly kit; you need to do the physicals of adding the box, the footswitches, and the connectors yourself. I think the Highly Liquid controller can do what you want, certainly it is more capable (and cheaper!) than my other favorite controller board. The centre footswitch is programmed to send the note on velocity 127 on make (3.2.2 mm=45), and note off message for break (3.2.1 mm=41). A multipurpose register is used for the note number. Two other footswitches are connected and programmed to increment (3.2.19) and decrement (3.2.20) the chosen multipurpose register. A 3 digit 7 segment display should be connected, and configured so that the LED state register is the multipurpose register used above. The manual is less clear on this part of the puzzle, but I think this is the way it works. If you have decent electronic and mechanical skills you should be able to complete this project in a weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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