MIDI Foot Controller Recommendation

Hi, first post here!
I’d like to extend my Duo X with the Mod Devices Footswitch for live rigs. But there is not much documentation on how it works and what you can do with it.
Question is : can you set it to navigate through pedalboards?
Can it control plugins such as midi and audio routers (to switch between several signal paths for instance)?
Can you access more than 4 actions (maybe with button combinations or long presses…)?
Anyone had a chance to try it?

Hi. I will just answer those quickly.

No

Yes

Not at the moment, though it is possible to create sorta macro controls with CV plugins.

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Thanks for your answer, I bought one anyway.
Works pretty well, and very easy to set up.

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I just got a Tech 21 Midi Mongoose and a Boss type A midi cable (5-pin to TRS male) but nothing at all is happening. I keep hitting “save” and pushing any of the buttons. Total newbie here at using midi, so please be kind, but any help is much appreciated!

if you have a usb midi interface for pc or a soundcard with midi try plugging the mongoose to that and download midiox or similar to monitor what the 'goose is sending out when you click switches. You never know it might be programmed to do something other than pc/cc etc

If not see if you can plug in to something else via Din plug to see if it works.

Also always check Midi out on the goose goes to Midi in on the dwarf - seems a no brainer but everyone one of us on here has got that mixed up at least once ; )

Hitting save shouldnt do anything by the way on either unit. You might have ended up saving a blank preset.

Also if you are a complete Midi newbie check out what midi commands do what and get a feel of what you want to achieve.

PC or program change messages normally send preset changes and CC or control change normally need to be set on both units and have to ve defined a bit more ie are they a switch or is it a pedal / knob and range.

Have a google around then jump back in later with more questions. I don’t have my dwarrf yet so can’t help further than general stuff but plenty of boffins on here will help you

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Thanks so much for the on-ramp @Austin73 !! I did as you said: found a midi2usb cable I had at home, plugged it into my Mac, loaded midi monitor, and saw that the Tech 21 Midi Mongoose only sent program change messages, not control change messages. If I understood @unbracketed from this post, the Dwarf needs control change messages to assign pedal parameters, so the Tech 21 unit has to be returned. Now I’m looking for alternatives… and very much appreciate your helping me learn. Thank you again!

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By the way, the Midi Mongoose’s PC messages worked perfectly with changing snapshots, but I really wanted to have a foot controller that allowed me to use the SooperLooper, as the Dwarf normally sits on my desk when not gigging. Any alternative suggestions I may not have considered are always appreciated!

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The manual was dreadful for the mongoose but I thought it sent CC - it even has pedal inputs so maybe give it one more day. I’m busy tonight but can see what I can find tomorrow if you hold on.

My experience with Midi controllers is as follows

Behringer FBC1010 with UNO if poss. Massive floor space required - pain to program but good pc/mac editors around but crap pedals. Plenty of hacks and mods for it though.

Nektar Pacer - does everything - not that easy to program but I migrated to it for Ableton and my Helix etc with good results. Solid and cheap ish. Bit smaller than FCB1010 and takes 2 pedals plus 4 more switches, so plenty of scope. PC editor a bit rubbish but does the job.

NI RigKontrol 3 - I have one as a spare audio card. Easy to program and small footprint but doubt it would work without a PC attached. Takes 2 exp pedals

Lake Butler MidiMitigator - cool 80’s kit but dreadful footswitches and does not do cc toggle. Takes a impossibly hard to find power supply and exp has to be 25k off hand.

Could even go down the Arduino route - check out Notes and Volts its pretty easy to follow to roll your own.

Hope that helps

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Actually sack the mongoose - its pc sends only. Its the expression pedals that send cc so pretty useless as its too static

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Thanks @Austin73, yes, I saw that also. FWIW, the expression pedal feature works really nicely, but the rest of that Mongoose pedal is useless. I’m going to get the Hotone Midi pedal and see how it goes. Looks pretty programmable, so am hoping that works. I’ll also check out the Arduino route. Will report back.

Thanks again for your help.

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Actually I have 3 Mod Footswitch, so 12 footswitch
They are just perfect, with a lot of possibilities that a midi footswitch will never offer.
But in fact there are a lot of issue with 3 Mod footswitch and I only use two. With two Mod Footswitch it’s more stable. That give me 8 footswitch
So if you don’t need more than 8 footswitches you should only consider Mod footswitch because it’s very well implemented with Mod Devices. You can can change snapshot, navigate in plugin preset, assign a tap tempo and control any plugin.
But because I want more than 8 footswitches with my Mod Duo X I’m planning to buy a Morningstar MC8. Those midi footswitch look fabulous with a lot of possibilities and have a looper mode. So I’m planning to use it to recall snapshot with program change and to control the Mod looper.
As soon I have it I’ll give to Mod users my opinion.

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Julien - what do the Mod Footswitches offer that MIDI controllers don’t?

Apart from the addition of a screen which with my eyesight is not a bonus : ( ?

Just curious as we all lusted after your set up but you then were having some issues too. I presume its still booting out the footswitches randomly?

Tempted to pull the trigger on one but just not feeling it, what is it that you like the most about them?

Sorry lots of questions

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They have resolve the issue when footswitches were booting randomly.
But only with two mod footswitches. I always have the issue with 3 mod footswitch.
Features that midi footswitch haven’t:
Mod footswitch have screen, which important I think to have different visual feedback like plugin’s names that you can edit, Beat par minutes for tap function, plugin preset with names, snapshot preset with name.
Footswitch leds have different colors to make visual feedback to differenciate preset for example, or for plugin like switchbox which have green or red light.
You can select different mode for footswitch : latch, Momentary on, momentary off. You can do it on midi footswitch too but here it’s fastest and the setting is saved with your pedal board and for me that’s very importatnt.
I hope there will be more updates, because they can add more features which is something you won’t have with midi.
What Mod footswitch haven’t and which is really missing is to be able to assign one snapshot to one footswitch, like you can do with midi program change.
Actually you can only navigate thru snapshot and only in one way because only one footswitch is assign. That would be good to have two footswitch to navigate thru snapshot.
But it could be a future update, I hope.
But some midi switch like Morningstar product are probably game changer, that’s why I want to try one.

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Your setup was quite uncommon for us before you built in. Anyway, we are starting to plan some reworks/fixes/improvements among the Control Chain - the idea is to use the release of the Expression Pedal for this - so maybe your input will be really useful for us :wink:

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I would be happy to help.

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So I got a new footswitch in, but haven’t set anything up yet.

This looks like it will be pretty useful. But, until I get some time to install it, I won’t know if it is worth the kickstarter price I paid.

This model is the Bridge 6 by PirateMidi

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Crikey Elk is it always Christmas at your house - new tech daily almost :wink: Looks cool did you have to wait 2 years for it?

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Well…the new strega was indeed a Christmas gift from my lovely wife lol

The MDX was paid for a while back but was waiting on stock.

The Bridge 6 was surprisingly only slightly delayed, due to covid travel restrictions, it was one poor guy soldering everything together in New Zealand by himself.

The rest of my gear is largely due to poor money management, lack of impulse control, and bad GAS lmao

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this footswitch looks cool. Prehaps better than the Morningstars Mc8. I’'l look at that more attentively.
But it’s not in stocj before May 2022 :sleepy:

having 17 guitars and around 50 pedals I sort of know where you are coming from ; )

Nice to know its not just me with this afflication

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