First night with an FC-6

[James Nash]

In a word: outstanding! The FC-6 is without a doubt both the most powerful and easiest to program foot pedal I've used.

I've been using my Axe III for about six months on stage with a Rocktron All-Access (17 switches). It took me maybe an hour to adapt three FC default layouts to accomplish everything I was doing with the much larger MIDI pedal. I'm glad I had a night off to play with this thing, but really, it's so easy to program (with Axe Edit) I could have done it during a soundcheck. I had high expectations, and I'm still impressed!

A tip:

If you're switching from another MIDI pedal, keep in mind the FC-6 will NOT override existing controllers/modifiers. So, if your MIDI pedal controls bypass on Drive 1, when you first connect your FC, even if the FC switch says "Drive 1," it will do nothing -- you need to remove the modifier to allow the FC to take over. I suspect this will be the primary preset change most uses will need to make for the FC: removing their existing MIDI controls.

And a wish:

The hold function is awesome! For instance, I use a compressor frequently, and seldom use a rotary effect but like to have it available just in case I'm feeling it. So, it's perfect to assign the tap bypass to the compressor, and use the same switch to turn on the rotary with a hold.

The only downside: there is currently no way to see the state of the hold function (this isn't always important, but particularly applies if both are set to a bypass function). It would be AMAZING if there were some way for the ring display to show the state of both the tap and hold functions, maybe by splitting in half ? For now, I'll just have to use my ears to know if the rotary effect is on

This foot controller is a serious upgrade from anything I've ever had before -- love it!

-James

 

[chris]

A tip:

If you're switching from another MIDI pedal, keep in mind the FC-6 will NOT override existing controllers/modifiers. So, if your MIDI pedal controls bypass on Drive 1, when you first connect your FC, even if the FC switch says "Drive 1," it will do nothing -- you need to remove the modifier to allow the FC to take over. I suspect this will be the primary preset change most uses will need to make for the FC: removing their existing MIDI controls.

for those new to controlling the Axe, not too many people assign a Modifier to the Bypass parameter. this means you right-clicked on Bypass in a block, and set a Source to something specific. usually people just match the CC# of the switch to the MIDI menu in the Axe. for that normal usage, you won't need to change anything as the FC communicates directly to the Axe.

so i don't think too many people will need to consider this as it's a specific thing. but it's good to mention.

It would be AMAZING if there were some way for the ring display to show the state of both the tap and hold functions, maybe by splitting in half ? For now, I'll just have to use my ears to know if the rotary effect is on

it's just one light under each switch, it can't show half/half or anything like that. most similar controllers don't show status of the "hold" function, as the screen typically shows the tap function only. so yes, you'll have to remember or listen for these situations.

 

[James Nash]

Thanks, Chris! When I got my III, I immediately dug in thinking of MIDI control as per-preset... never considered using the global assignments, and now that you mention it, that might have been a better way to go...

Happy to have the FC, which is easier in all respects!

And good to know re: the LED abilities -- I was hoping the 4 segments might be individually controlled, but no worries. (Although I guess that also puts the kibosh on the fantasy of having a spinning ring display the strobe tuner...)

Best!

-James

 

[Hooligan]

In a word: outstanding! The FC-6 is without a doubt both the most powerful and easiest to program foot pedal I've used.

I've been using my Axe III for about six months on stage with a Rocktron All-Access (17 switches). It took me maybe an hour to adapt three FC default layouts to accomplish everything I was doing with the much larger MIDI pedal. I'm glad I had a night off to play with this thing, but really, it's so easy to program (with Axe Edit) I could have done it during a soundcheck. I had high expectations, and I'm still impressed!

A tip:

If you're switching from another MIDI pedal, keep in mind the FC-6 will NOT override existing controllers/modifiers. So, if your MIDI pedal controls bypass on Drive 1, when you first connect your FC, even if the FC switch says "Drive 1," it will do nothing -- you need to remove the modifier to allow the FC to take over. I suspect this will be the primary preset change most uses will need to make for the FC: removing their existing MIDI controls.

And a wish:

The hold function is awesome! For instance, I use a compressor frequently, and seldom use a rotary effect but like to have it available just in case I'm feeling it. So, it's perfect to assign the tap bypass to the compressor, and use the same switch to turn on the rotary with a hold.

The only downside: there is currently no way to see the state of the hold function (this isn't always important, but particularly applies if both are set to a bypass function). It would be AMAZING if there were some way for the ring display to show the state of both the tap and hold functions, maybe by splitting in half ? For now, I'll just have to use my ears to know if the rotary effect is on

This foot controller is a serious upgrade from anything I've ever had before -- love it!

-James

To achieve this I’ve been using custom labels with abbreviations separated by a “/“ to indicate both the tap and hold functions. In your case for example, I would label it “Comp/Roto”.

 

[James Nash]

Thanks, Hooligan! Personally, I don't have much trouble remembering *what* the switches do (and there's always the hold reveal function). I'm more interested in a visual indication of whether they're on or off. Maybe a future upgrade will offer ability to show hold status in the scribble strip ?

And I'm just getting started with the FC... very well may work out better ways to lay things out, anyway.

The flexibility of the FC is off the hook--so much ability to customize to fit the way an individual thinks and plays

Cheers!

 

[Hooligan]

Thanks, Hooligan! Personally, I don't have much trouble remembering *what* the switches do (and there's always the hold reveal function). I'm more interested in a visual indication of whether they're on or off. Maybe a future upgrade will offer ability to show hold status in the scribble strip ?

And I'm just getting started with the FC... very well may work out better ways to lay things out, anyway.

The flexibility of the FC is off the hook--so much ability to customize to fit the way an individual thinks and plays

Cheers!

Ah, I see... Maybe someday they’ll allow the programming of another color for the hold function result. That would be pretty great actually.

 

[TG3K]

...And I'm just getting started with the FC... very well may work out better ways to lay things out, anyway...

For my first week or two with the FC-6, I was changing things around a lot as I discovered new tricks or thought of new ways to streamline my workflow. The beauty is that those changes are very easy to implement (with Axe-Edit) and save (with Fractal-Bot), so experimentation is simple and non-destructive.