X-Y Midi Foot Controller
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- KVRer
- 6 posts since 25 Aug, 2006
Ok, this is something I have wanted for a long time, and I note that Zoom have one on a guitar multi effects unit: http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/g92tt/index.php
Basically I'm a guitarist and I would like an X-Y controller that you can operate with your foot. This would be really handy when controlling multiple plugins or even just say a filter (cutoff on the x axis, resonance on the y).
Does anyone know of a product that will do this? I would prefer it to be standalone so that I can integrate it with my existing setup. It would be nice if it outputs midi, however not essential.
Thanks
Alex
Basically I'm a guitarist and I would like an X-Y controller that you can operate with your foot. This would be really handy when controlling multiple plugins or even just say a filter (cutoff on the x axis, resonance on the y).
Does anyone know of a product that will do this? I would prefer it to be standalone so that I can integrate it with my existing setup. It would be nice if it outputs midi, however not essential.
Thanks
Alex
- KVRAF
- 16866 posts since 8 Mar, 2005 from Utrecht, Holland
Alas, no... Even simple foot pedals that talk Midi are very hard to find!
We are the KVR collective. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated. 
My MusicCalc is served over https!!
My MusicCalc is served over https!!
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- KVRAF
- 3386 posts since 21 May, 2004 from Deep in the Heartlessness of Texas
I don't know for sure, but I suspect that the Behringer FCB-1010 could be tweaked to do this. It has two foot-pedals, and the parameters are assignable.
The documentation is almost incomprehensible, but there's a Yahoo group dedicated to it, with lots of helpful people in it. My experience was that it took a week to wrap my head around how to program it, but it was easy thereafter.
It's built like a tank, and gets frequent recommendations as the best foot-controller out there. It's also cheap; I got mine for $125 at Guitar Center a couple of years ago.
The documentation is almost incomprehensible, but there's a Yahoo group dedicated to it, with lots of helpful people in it. My experience was that it took a week to wrap my head around how to program it, but it was easy thereafter.
It's built like a tank, and gets frequent recommendations as the best foot-controller out there. It's also cheap; I got mine for $125 at Guitar Center a couple of years ago.
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 6 posts since 25 Aug, 2006
This would work, however the problem is that the x-y is "bound" to each other, and there for is not really an x-y, but just an x 
The problem with this approach is that you can't control each one independently.
For instance, with a separated X-Y controller you can send the following values:
Ie, they have no correlation to each other.
This I imagine would not be possible with the FCB1010 although you could set up the X on one pedal and the Y on another and control with one foot, but again, they would be bound, although you could of course operate each one independently, but not really ideal or that easy to operate while playing live...
The problem with this approach is that you can't control each one independently.
For instance, with a separated X-Y controller you can send the following values:
Code: Select all
X Y
0 45
45 20
127 85
This I imagine would not be possible with the FCB1010 although you could set up the X on one pedal and the Y on another and control with one foot, but again, they would be bound, although you could of course operate each one independently, but not really ideal or that easy to operate while playing live...
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- KVRAF
- 3386 posts since 21 May, 2004 from Deep in the Heartlessness of Texas
Hmmmm.... I think I may understand what you're getting at....
From a quick look at the description of the Zoom's controller, it seems that it can be set to send messages to different parameters, but all the control is just up and down. Bound, as you put it.
You could do that in a host or sequencer that has MIDI learn, by having them have more than one parameter react to the same MIDI CC. I think...
For a real x-y, though, you'd need a pedal that could rock from side-to-side, though.
Maybe you could get a Kaoss Pad, put it on the floor, and play gigs barefoot. Control it with a toe.
From a quick look at the description of the Zoom's controller, it seems that it can be set to send messages to different parameters, but all the control is just up and down. Bound, as you put it.
You could do that in a host or sequencer that has MIDI learn, by having them have more than one parameter react to the same MIDI CC. I think...
For a real x-y, though, you'd need a pedal that could rock from side-to-side, though.
Maybe you could get a Kaoss Pad, put it on the floor, and play gigs barefoot. Control it with a toe.
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- KVRAF
- 3386 posts since 21 May, 2004 from Deep in the Heartlessness of Texas
Yeah... It ain't exactly a stompbox.
There may be a foot-pedal out there that rocks in four directions, but I've never heard of it. Good luck...
There may be a foot-pedal out there that rocks in four directions, but I've never heard of it. Good luck...