FC-12 vs. RJM MMGT series (functionality comparisons)

RJM seems to be a fantastic company. Their approach to controllers is more like what I have in mind. The only down side I can see is that it won't work with Fas-link. It says on the site that it can be powered via a midi cable. We lost the ability to plug power into the Axe-FX for a controller. How can that be accomplished now?
 
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I have mental issues with the Midi DIN connector itself. The ones I have just don't seem as robust on either the cable or socket side. I feel like I'm saying a prayer whenever I have to use it. Am I delusional in feeling this way? I must be.
 
biskitboy said:
I have mental issues with the Midi DIN connector itself. The ones I have just don't seem as robust on either the cable or socket side. I feel like I'm saying a prayer whenever I have to use it. Am I delusional in feeling this way? I must be.
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As I mentioned before, RJM sells a converter that essentially lets you send the midi and power to the unit via an XLR cable. So a bit more equipment is needed than with the MFC or FC, but the result is the same except the pedal will always be on when it is plugged in as opposed to the MFC/FC which (conveniently), power down when you power down the Axe.
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Austin
 
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dpeterson said:
Thanks I can read. Button count is a feature, and when price keeps getting thrown up it is even more relevant.
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I don't want to get in an argument over it, but you're missing the point.

Obviously the number of buttons is a difference (and may be a feature), but the OP is trying to compare other features in the hypothetical case where both had the same number of buttons.
 
atquinn said:
As I mentioned before, RJM sells a converter that essentially lets you send the midi and power to the unit via an XLR cable. So a bit more equipment is needed than with the MFC or FC, but the result is the same except the pedal will always be on when it is plugged in as opposed to the MFC/FC which (conveniently), power down when you power down the Axe.
-
Austin
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Thanks @atquinn. I have seen that, but it appears to only be a feature on their GT/22 platform. The GT/16-10 don't have the XLR (6?-pin) connector unfortunately. Not a super big deal, I just was mentioning my issues with MIDI in general. Most of which appear to only be in my head. :eek:
 
biskitboy said:
Thanks @atquinn. I have seen that, but it appears to only be a feature on their GT/22 platform. The GT/16-10 don't have the XLR (6?-pin) connector unfortunately. Not a super big deal, I just was mentioning my issues with MIDI in general. Most of which appear to only be in my head. :eek:
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Doh! I had foolishly assumed all the GTs had the same connectors in the back :sweat:

Austin
 
biskitboy said:
I have mental issues with the Midi DIN connector itself. The ones I have just don't seem as robust on either the cable or socket side. I feel like I'm saying a prayer whenever I have to use it. Am I delusional in feeling this way? I must be.
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Nope. I have a breakout box under my pedalboard that converts the MIDI DIN connectors to 7pin XLR. I like those much better.
 
Many midi connectors look pretty flimsy. The Rocktron 7 to 5 midi cable looks like this, and has a pretty thin cable to boot. It worked, but didn't inspire much confidence. I use the RJM phantom power box (1 x 5 pin and power input on one side, 1 x 7 pin connector on the other, and is the one in that link) that is mounted in my rack and connected to the III with a short 5 pin cable, and then the 7 pin is connected to my Vafam rack panel to give front of rack access. This also keeps the midi sockets on the III and phantom connector protected. The 30 ft 7 pin cable going to the MMGT is made by BTPA and has heavy connectors, and heavier cable. I think that setup would sort your mental issues, @biskitboy ! It is easily as robust as an XLR cable between the two, and will handle two-way communications perfectly. All of the MMGT series has a 7 pin midi connector to interface with it.

As for the midi socket itself, I have yet to wear one out, on any midi device. They must be a lot tougher than they look. I feel confident that FAS and RJM are using the best available. On my GT/22 I could always go with the bigger connectors, but didn't see a reason. I think the midi cable will do just fine, if you have a proper one to begin with.

Interesting posts here. I'm coming to the conclusion it's really going to come down to personal preferences in the end. Seems it always does!
 
Great thread. I am in the same boat looking at an FC12 and MM GT16 and the over riding situation is that I don't want two separate controllers for my Axe-Fx II and Axe-Fx III. Would there be any problem switching between them? Could you have separate setups ready to go and just plug in the MM GT16 with minimal changes. I hope it can be that simple or close but nothing ever is that simple.... LOL....
 
I'd lean towards the rjm.

Sure the FC would be more streamlined due to axe edit.. but the board is huge and the scribble strips are tiny and look very hard to read.

Something like the rjm mmgt 10 would be great, besides having to use a wall wart.
Bigger screens, bigger strips, and once the midi spec is out, just as easy to configure.
 
AminorZmajor said:
Great thread. I am in the same boat looking at an FC12 and MM GT16 and the over riding situation is that I don't want two separate controllers for my Axe-Fx II and Axe-Fx III. Would there be any problem switching between them? Could you have separate setups ready to go and just plug in the MM GT16 with minimal changes. I hope it can be that simple or close but nothing ever is that simple.... LOL....
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You can load setups from the usb stick. When the 3 support comes out might be way diff from the 2 so you could have 2 separate configurations and could switch easily before gigs. Or you might be able to control both at the same time :)
 
dpeterson said:
You can load setups from the usb stick. When the 3 support comes out might be way diff from the 2 so you could have 2 separate configurations and could switch easily before gigs. Or you might be able to control both at the same time :)
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Ahhh.... Very cool. Thanks. That is what would push me in the direction of the MM GT16.
 
I'm not sure what the functionality of Fractal's controller is going to be, but I do know that with the Mastermind, you can basically issue as many individual MIDI commands per button as you want. There's a limit I'm sure, but I haven't found it and I've made quite a few complex switches with it.

With the Mastermind, you can think of every button as an entire macro of commands that can be issued immediately, like this:

z7aaclx.png


The explanation of this screenshot is me creating a "Kill FX" button. It's just a bunch of CC commands I crammed into a single button press. It's a tiny bit confusing though. I made the switch a Momentary one, but then turned off the "Off" settings for each button, so nothing happens when I let go of the button. But when I press it (activating the "on" state of the button), it sends a bunch of MIDI CC# = 0 messages, turning off all the effects listed. I left out drive and comp pedals and instead included just the effects I normally use that I'd classify as "wet."

The basic idea is that I'll I'll use this button when I want to revert to a blank effects slate while keeping the Amp/Drive pedal/Comp settings untouched. It's basically a "Scene 1" button (The default Scene 1 format in all my patches is dry everything) that doesn't affect the "dry" part of my sound.

I have no idea how complex the Fractal foot pedal can get with single switches, so I can't compare the functionality directly though.
 
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