FC18 and FC21

Do you want a larger Foot Controller?

  • No, I'll be fine with a FC6 or FC12

    Votes: 87 47.5%
  • No, I'll be fine with multiple FC6 and/or FC12

    Votes: 12 6.6%
  • Yes, give me a FC18 (3x6 switches)

    Votes: 32 17.5%
  • Yes, give me a FC21 (3x7 switches)

    Votes: 52 28.4%

  • Total voters
    183
I do have to switch pages with the Helix and it's totally annoying live. Missing the page back button once and you get in a hurry when you need to change scenes. Sorry but copying Line6 design from the Helix was not the best idea here.
I'm not saying the new footpedals are bad but I would have loved to see it as an addition to the MFC 101 form-factor.
 
Don't even know how these things work yet, but I'm hoping there can be some expanded functionality to the "load layout on preset change" behavior. I like to have access to 10+ IA's in a given patch (2 delays, 4 mods, 2-3 gain/drive boosts, then special/pitch effects) , but only need 2-3 within a given scene.

It would be great to be able to load layouts on scene change too. It seems that so much work has been done to help those of us who use the one patch per gig approach. It would be a shame to have to make a bunch of presets just to get different FC layouts to autoload.
 
I agree with most but I don't think it will happen soon if at all. Utilizing the 4 ext. switches or a voes/morningstar will probably be the way to go. We shall see.
 
Truth is, I like the flexibility of the way I have configurations with my AXE II and the MFC101.

Bottom 5 patches, Top are IA, Right side bank up/down, Tap & Tuner at the top.
2 ext pedals (one for vol/wah and the other for various effects)

I may be somewhat a loner on this with a bunch of other FA users, but anything outside of this capability AND this type of configuration/control will make me very unhappy and uncomfortable live. I bought the AX8 and honestly I'm was not a fan. I sold it. I'm happier with the other approach. It was a great box, but for control - i did not like it one bit.

I'd like to see the III and the new controllers (FC6, 12, 18, 21, whatever) have that same capability mentioned above. Even if others are moving forward and doing it differently (scenes), some prefer it this way, as previously mentioned. I know a great many that I've talked to use the controller and system the same as me. Just for control. Scenes are cool, but I rarely have ever used them. I did it for studio work, but that's about it.

Please keep this capability alive....
 
Don't forget that Cliff mentioned 12 "layouts" per preset... That adds a LOT of possibilities!

Well, that depends on how these work. We’ll need to see. If it’s “long press a switch, press a switch to enter layout menu, select layout” kind of thing, it will still be useful, but not quite for selecting effects live, I’m afraid. Except for the most gifted tap dancers out there.
 
Even if it's just a long press at all... no thanks. I personally want direct access with enough switches, and nothing else. My 2¢
 
Well, that depends on how these work. We’ll need to see. If it’s “long press a switch, press a switch to enter layout menu, select layout” kind of thing, it will still be useful, but not quite for selecting effects live, I’m afraid. Except for the most gifted tap dancers out there.
I found a post from Cliff... That's essentially what it is. :(

As far as I remember, it was this:

Long press one button (bottom left, I think). This enters Layout mode.

Press the button associated with the layout you want to switch to.

Not horrible, but probably still not something I'm going to like.

Although, with the scribble strips, it will likely be more easy to know "where you're at".
 
I found a post from Cliff... That's essentially what it is. :(

As far as I remember, it was this:

Long press one button (bottom left, I think). This enters Layout mode.

Press the button associated with the layout you want to switch to.

Not horrible, but probably still not something I'm going to like.

Although, with the scribble strips, it will likely be more easy to know "where you're at".

That's only one possibility. You can actually assign a button to Layout so you can get there with a tap. You can also assign a button to bring up a specific layout so you could have two layouts each with a button that switches to the other layout.

And the way the Layout press-and-hold works is that you press one button and while holding it tap the button above. IOW, you press the bottom button with your heal and then tap the button above. Each tap (while holding the bottom button) brings up a new layout.
 
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I'm not sure what post you are referring to but that's not correct. You can actually assign a button to Layout so you can get there with a tap. You can also assign a button to bring up a specific layout so you could have two layouts each with a button that switches to the other layout.
Well, that's what I was hoping for at a minimum, so great!

I'm pretty sure I read what I wrote above a couple days ago (because it made me a bit disappointed), but I'm happy to be wrong! :)

Any chance we can also select a specific layout via a preset or scene change button press?
 
That's only one possibility. You can actually assign a button to Layout so you can get there with a tap. You can also assign a button to bring up a specific layout so you could have two layouts each with a button that switches to the other layout.

And the way the Layout press-and-hold works is that you press one button and while holding it tap the button above. IOW, you press the bottom button with your heal and then tap the button above. Each tap (while holding the bottom button) brings up a new layout.
Ok, I see your answer "expanded" answer has more detail.

To be honest, the press and hold sounds even less appealing to me now - at least for use while performing. I can see it being usable between songs.

Anyway, thanks for the details.
 
Change is coming to live performance because of the FC.
First reaction is to come up with a way to copy what you have been doing accept on the new FC instead.
Second reaction is to think of what you can physically add to the FC to at least come close to what you have been doing.
Third reaction is to hope the new functionality will allow you to somehow do what you have been doing because it's the prescribed option.
Forth reaction should be to realize that with the expanded functionality and a good dose of your creativity minus preconceptions, you will be able to do way more using way less effort than you used to do.
Fifth possible reaction might be- I don't have the time or inclination to figure this out but others will and I can copy the strategies that fit me.
Sixth reaction = how did I ever perform without the FC.
 
Change is coming to live performance because of the FC.
First reaction is to come up with a way to copy what you have been doing accept on the new FC instead.
Second reaction is to think of what you can physically add to the FC to at least come close to what you have been doing.
Third reaction is to hope the new functionality will allow you to somehow do what you have been doing because it's the prescribed option.
Forth reaction should be to realize that with the expanded functionality and a good dose of your creativity minus preconceptions, you will be able to do way more using way less effort than you used to do.
Fifth possible reaction might be- I don't have the time or inclination to figure this out but others will and I can copy the strategies that fit me.
Sixth reaction = how did I ever perform without the FC.
7th reaction, it's about time they made a controller that fits my needs.
 
Layouts, however they are implemented, will certainly be useful between songs. I could never use Reveal mode on the MFC as that was too distracting. Scribble strips, while cool and all, only partially help, as staring down to see where I am is a huge distraction. Plus, I’ve never see scribble strips which I can read easily. Will need to see how these work, but don’t have my hopes up much.

What could really help in my case would be per-preset (or better yet, per song, with a proper song mode) assignments. I can easily work with 7 buttons for guitar, 2 for vocals, and 3 for control as long as those buttons can be different for every song. That wasn’t an option on the MFC, so for each preset I had buttons I didn’t use, but I had to keep them because I needed them for others.
 
...That wasn’t an option on the MFC, so for each preset I had buttons I didn’t use, but I had to keep them because I needed them for others.
This was a big part of why I never decided to get an MFC, the other was that it was too big for my needs.
 
Per preset, and especially per scene layouts will make more buttons unnecessary. Imagine when you switch to your clean scene you have your clean specific IA's all lined up with scribble strips to remind you where they are.. Compression, chorus, delay, dirt, etc

Then switch to your lead scene, now your layout changes and your IAs are short delay, long delay, octave, etc

Then another layout for a rhythym scene.. Etc
 
I'm kind of with you but sometimes you just have to adapt and then you'll be fine. They can only offer so much. Lots of MFC users wished for a smaller mfc. At least they have two options now.
this is what cracks me up. When it was only the MFC everybody wanted smaller. Now we'll be able to get small AND smaller (which BTW can also be configure to insanely larger too) and people are complaining. geez...
 
brianv4:

this is what cracks me up. When it was only the MFC everybody wanted smaller. Now we'll be able to get small AND smaller (which BTW can also be configure to insanely larger too) and people are complaining. geez...

I know what you're saying, but I think both sides are true.

It's not that the same group of people complained both times. It's two groups.

THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD...
For any given number of switches, some folks would prefer their footcontroller to be multiple rows "tall"; others prefer it to be many columns "wide."

Format Option 1
I'm in the latter group myself. I have no practical limitations on the width of my pedalboard, but whenever I try to reach my foot over more than one row of footswitches I end up brushing one of the ones I'm reaching over either before or after I stomp my target. So I prefer having a footcontroller that's only 2 rows "tall."

Format Option 2
Other people are trying to keep their pedalboard sized small. For them, they want the controller only 3 columns "wide" like an FC-6, or at most 6 columns wide like the FC-12, but they want lots of switches so they need it 3 or 4 rows "tall."

WHO'S CRYIN' NOW?
When all we had was the MFC-101, the latter group was happy so they didn't complain. But the first group complained.

Now Fractal is proposing a switch to the fewer-rows format. So the former group is happy and the latter group is complaining.

WHAT'S A COMPANY TO DO?
Probably Fractal's best bet is to offer one footcontroller that's several rows deep, but with a column-width between that of the FC-6 and the FC-12. Maybe this (hypothetical) FC unit might be called the FC-16 (if it was 4x4).

Whatever exact size it is, Fractal can offer that, in addition to the FC-6 and the FC-12. Keep them daisy-chainable and inexpensive-enough that it won't break the bank to combine 2 units.

By doing that, everybody gets exactly what they want:
- Those who prefer more column-width but less row-depth can use the FC-12.
- Those who want more row-depth but less column-width can use the (hypothetical) FC-16.
- Those who want it really small in both dimensions can use the FC-6.
- And for those who want it (ahem) "deep and wide," they can daisy-chain two (hypothetical) FC-16s.

* At Chris' request I've put "(hypothetical)" in orange in front of each mention of the (hypothetical) 4x4 FC unit which I've here labeled the "FC-16." This is to prevent confusion among readers. To clarify: At this time Fractal has only given indications of there being an FC-12 and an FC-6; my mention of an FC-16 as a third possible option is mere speculation and suggestion.
 
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