sOFTSTEP + fcb1010 uNO...... Looks Promising.

Velle

Velle

Member
Howdee Guys. Just got my Softstep.....

MidiNightmare.
The Softstep is Still BETA on the software editor. It's a mess and quite diffuclt and different from the other midi controlelrs I've used. I'm still figuring how to do what I want to do with it.

Some Light.
I've been using the Pressure Pads, they are simply amazing and allow a level of expresiveness which I have never had before. I'm modifying my pedalboard to house it with the FCB1010 uNo. Need some extra midi cables.
I'm thinking on using the FCB1010 as a program changer and the 5 pedals as stomp boxes. The Softstep is used to vary the degree and control some of the parameters of those pedals, and as 4 extra Pedal botttons.

I'll Keep posting.
 
Please keep us posted, sounds like a cool pedal in theory. Will you merge it with the VCB1010 or does one of them have a MIDI in?
 
Ok.......
Configuring the little bastard is quite tricky at the begining. Still figuring out a few things......

THE BAD.
1)The Leds on the keys, make a lot of noise on the guitar (even with Humbuckers). I probably have a grounding issue at home, and am looking around to see if the lights can be turned off.

2)Apparently the Midi Expander is not Midi Through Capable, so I had to connect the FCB1010 to another Midi Input in my midi Express XT. (I still need to look it up clearly or hope that a new firmware solves the issue).

3)Just 10 Keys.

THE GOOD.
1)There are different modes to control a Key. I normally am using Latched and Pressure Live Modes in only one axis.
The Latched mode is like an expression pedal, although I still haven't figured out how to do some things.
The Pressure Mode is great. You just step on the pedal and the value goes up, incredibly smooth. When you step off, the effect dissapears. Let's say you are hitting a long sustained note a la Santana. You assign one of the keys of the softstep to the Amp gain and when you hit the note on the guitar, you step on the gain key with the softstep and make it ring. You step down the key, and your gain gets to the level you normally play.

2)10 Extra Keys to be used with the FCB1010!


HOW I'M USING THEM.
1)I got the FCB1010 with uNo firmware as a Program Change Controller. I make 5 banks for each of my guitars, 1)Lead, 2)Heavy Rythm, 3)Crunch, 4)Special Sound, 5)Clean.
2)Keys 6,7,8,9, and 10 on the FCB1010 are assigned to controls CC 1,2,3,4,5 on the Axe FX, and the Expression pedals go to 7 and 8 CCs on the axe. The FCB1010 is used to turn on/off individual efects on the Axe. Key 6=Overdrive, 7=Phaser/Pitch, 8=Modulation, 9=Delays, 10=Reverbs.
3)The Softstep Keys 6,7,8,9,10, act as Expression Latched pedals for the 6,7,8,9,10 efects on the FCB1010. Key 5 on the Softstep controlls Gain in Pressure Mode, and am still figuring out what to assign keys 1,2,3, and 4.
 
Turning on/off SoftStep lights

Blue Backlight
The blue backlight can be turned off:
open settings(button)-click->EL ON/OFF(radio button)-click->

Green/Red lights
If you mean the green/red leds, they can also be turned off using the greenLED and redLED in each keys modulation window but I don't think these are causing interference at all.

LED
The fewer the characters the less the noise... The current software isn't letting me specify empty or spaces but I confirmed that having a single character (probably one with the fewest lines like 1, L, or Y all of which have 3 segments) causes the least amount of noise.
 
I'm not sure if this reference exists elsewhere but here are all of the corresponding CC numbers for the AxeFX Ultra. I found this table handy when programming the SoftStep. In general these settings CC's are for bypassing the effect listed in the description. The meaning of "bypass" for an effect is determined by the bypass mode of the effect.

CC# Description
13 Bypass
14 Tap Tempo
15 Tuner
16 External 1?
17 External 2?
18 External 3
19 External 4
20 External 5
21 External 6
22 External 7
23 External 8
24 Looper1 Rec
25 Looper1 Play
26 Looper1 Once
27 Looper1 Dub
28 Looper1 Rev
29 Looper2 Rec
30 Looper2 Play
31 Looper2 Once
32 Looper2 Dub
33 Looper2 Rev
34 Global Bypass (all bypassed effects will toggle or change according to their bypass setting)
35 Volume Inc
36 Volume Dec
37 Amp1 Byp
38 Amp2 Byp
39 Cabinet1
40 Cabinet2
41 Chorus1
42 Chorus2
43 Compressor1
44 Compressor2
45 Crossover1
46 Crossover2
47 Delay1
48 Delay2
49 Drive1
50 Drive2
51 Enhancer1
52 Enhancer2
52 Filter1
53 Filter2
54 Filter3
55 Filter4
56 Flanger1
57 Flanger2
58 Formant
59 FX Loop
60 Gate1
61 Gate2
62 Graphic EQ1
63 Graphic EQ2
64 Graphic EQ3
65 Graphic EQ4
66 Megatap
67 Multicomp1
68 Multicomp2
69 Multidly1
70 Multidly2
71 ParamEq1
72 ParamEq2
73 ParamEq3
74 ParamEq4
75 Phaser1
76 Phaser2
77 Pitch1
78 Pitch2
79 QChorus1
80 QChorus2
81 Resonator1
82 Resonator2
83 Reverb1
84 Reverb2
85 RingMod
86 Rotary1
87 Rotary2
88 Synth1
89 Synth2
90 Tremolo1
91 Tremolo2
92 Vocoder
93 Volume
94 Volume
95 Volume
96 Volume
97 Wah1 Byp
98 Wah2 Byp
 
Last edited:
grape said:
Blue Backlight
The blue backlight can be turned off:
open settings(button)-click->EL ON/OFF(radio button)-click->

Green/Red lights
If you mean the green/red leds, they can also be turned off using the greenLED and redLED in each keys modulation window but I don't think these are causing interference at all.

LED
The fewer the characters the less the noise... The current software isn't letting me specify empty or spaces but I confirmed that having a single character (probably one with the fewest lines like 1, L, or Y all of which have 3 segments) causes the least amount of noise.
Click to expand...


Thanks grape... you have earned yourself a good Mexican Beer, although you'd need to come down here.


Regarding the CC numbers I prefer to assign them to the External Controllers and reasign them in individual patches.
 
Velle said:
Can't find this options. I'm using the PC editor. Are you using a Mac Grape?
Click to expand...

Yes, Mac V1.1 Build 916. On page 30 of the manual under Settings there is an image with the EL ON/OFF radio button. Also, page 54 has a section titled "Noise Trouble".
 
hhjh.de said:
You have twice the number 52, for Enhancer2 and Filter1 - that's probably not correct, I guess.

Am just trying to put this into the wiki.
Click to expand...

Wikification appreciated!
(There is no Enhancer 2 Bypass control. It goes Drive2, Enhancer, Filter1, Filter2, etc. in the list.)

Also, that list leaves off Input Volume, Out1Volume, and Out2Volume.
Without default CCs (before they existed), here's the list I made quite a while back on the Wiki...
http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/index.php?title=Control_configuration
The page title was inspired by its heading in the manual. Looking back, it's probably not the best choice.
 
Last edited:
I missed the first few cc numbers and Enhancer2 Byp doesn't exist here's an updated list. Also to be accurate you could add " Byp" to all of the bypass defaults such as "52 Filter1 Byp" since that's literally how it reads. Lastly, the cc numbers are defaults and can be changed. That's probably worth noting:

AxeFX Ultra 10.03
IO > CTRL (tab)

10 Input Volume
11 Out1 Volume
12 Out2 Volume
13 Bypass
14 Tempo Tap
15 Tuner
16 - (Pedal 1 is set to External 1)
17 - (Pedal 2 is set to External 2)
...
51 Enhancer Byp
52 Filter1 Byp
....

The list that I provided (thanks for adding this!):
MIDI CC numbers for the AxeFX - Fractal Audio Systems Wiki

The list from the manual that also shows which are Ultra Only but does not include the default cc numbers which is critical when programming something like the softstep:
Control configuration - Fractal Audio Systems Wiki




hhjh.de said:
You have twice the number 52, for Enhancer2 and Filter1 - that's probably not correct, I guess.

Am just trying to put this into the wiki.
Click to expand...
 
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