4-knob expression controller for AX8

philipacamaniac

philipacamaniac

Fractal Fanatic
I haven't been able to find a compact MIDI knob controller in pedal format, and I really find myself wanting to twiddle with knobs - especially with verbs and delays.

So I'm making one myself. For now, I'm going the analog expression route rather than MIDI to keep it simple.

4 knobs, 1 footswitch. TRS expression outputs for each knob. Those will connect to the 4 AX8 pedal ports. I also added an expression input. The footswitch is a toggle between Knob 1 and the expression input, which I'll have connected to my expression pedal.

This will be a really flexible setup. Normally, I'll have it set so I have 3 knob controllers and a pedal.

I can use the footswitch to toggle between two different values. Or I can just use the footswitch for moments when I feel like twiddling 4 knobs instead of using a pedal.

Still deciding between a jet black or lime green paint job.

IMG_1315.JPG
 
Smittefar said:
Clever :)

Is it just 100k pots directly connected to TRS jacks?
Click to expand...

Yes, other than one knob which will be wired directly to the 3PDT footswitch along with the pedal input, and then wired to a TRS jack.

Alpha linear B100K 16mm smooth shaft pots. They've got a nice linear response on the multimeter, but I haven't hooked them up to the AX8 since it is packed up for the weekend. I won't start the final soldering until I have a chance to test with the AX8. I don't want to goof up the polarity. :)
 
A good little project would be an arduino board with midi out and a handful of pots or sliders, all in a sturdy pedal case. Or a row/strip like the Tech1 MIDI Moose, but skinnier to sit along the bottom as a new first row for AX8, and get rid of the display. Just need the buttons and a computer interface to Arduino to change the assignment of what MIDI CCs are sent for each hardware button. Typically that wouldn't change often- rely on programming in AX8 to change what functions are assigned to different MIDI CCs.
 
6stringscott said:
A good little project would be an arduino board with midi out and a handful of pots or sliders, all in a sturdy pedal case. Or a row/strip like the Tech1 MIDI Moose, but skinnier to sit along the bottom as a new first row for AX8, and get rid of the display. Just need the buttons and a computer interface to Arduino to change the assignment of what MIDI CCs are sent for each hardware button. Typically that wouldn't change often- rely on programming in AX8 to change what functions are assigned to different MIDI CCs.
Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking of for the MIDI version but I need to get more comfortable with working with Arduinos.
 
My first and only Arduino project was connecting a Korg Kontrol (USB MIDI slider/knob box) to the Arduino, then standard MIDI cable out to AxeFX II. My goal was to emulate the Pink Floyd "On the Run" weirdness with square waves with different duty cycles... I got it working and spent a few days geeking out and giggling with it while my wife looked at me funny. From that same period I have an old Nintendo Wii controller that I intended to wire up for more funky control options. I kind of let that stuff slide onto the back burner and more focused on learning songs for classic rock cover band that's not into Pink Floyd or experimental stuff. I'll get back to it some day.

Here are some pointers- this is a great first Arduino project I think:
http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=205078.0

Making the unit envisioned on this thread wouldn't be very hard either- if you have any computer programming experience at all, this would be a viable project. So much info online these days to make it easier to figure out anything.
 
She ain't pretty , she just looks that way.

Given the features in the AX8 already ; from the looks of the extras on your board , there's a good chance you could initiate the launch of a space exploration vessel.
Your new 4 knob box should have been pie shaped , to create a more disorganized look.
 
Smittefar said:
That's a lot of pedals B-)
Do you really need it, or do you just like it that way
Click to expand...

Need is a subjective word! My method for saving CPU is to offload drive pedals. When I first got the AX8, this made perfect sense - there was no Timmy or Klon model. I already had the PT-Pro and the other pedals; the AX8 was replacing an M13.

Now that there's a Timmy model and the drive block has been greatly improved, things make less sense, so I went ahead and added a BB Preamp to keep you guessing.

The Empress Compressor has a flavor I can't replicate with the compressor block (Studio type is the closest but not quite there). The Empress ParaEQ is totally redundant and filling up empty space.

The drives and compressor are in a loop switcher that I control with AX8 scenes.
 
Cool, I just sold the last of my drive pedals. I hang on to my compressors (Carl Martin Comp/Lim and Analogman CompRossor) though. I don't use them live, but I agree both of them add something, I cannot get in AX8.
I rarely use reverb and pitch, so I don't have big issues with CPU.
 
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