Jose Balbuena

New Member
Hello, I recently got my fx8 a few days ago and I'm having trouble setting up midi control with my amp. My goal was to create a preset and have my amp switch channels with the scenes. I've looked thru the manual but I'm a complete noob and still can't get it to work :cry:. If anyone has the time to help me set this up step by step it would be very much appreciated! Thanks :blush:
 
Make sure you connect a midi cable FROM the FX8 MIDI OUT port TO the ENGL MIDI IN port. I don't believe there's any point to patching the ENGL MIDI OUT port to the FX MIDI IN port.

For reference:
  • MIDI Program Change (PC) messages are used to change presets (at least, that's all they're used for on the ENGL amp).
  • MIDI Continuous Control (CC) messages are used to control certain functions on the ENGL amp.
  • There are 16 MIDI channels, which kinda work like different phone lines, but a device set to OMNI mode will listen to messages from any MIDI channel.
The MIDI channel that the ENGL amp is set to listen on is determined by DIP switches on the back of the amp, they're labeled 1 through 6. If all you want to do is to change presets on the ENGL from the FX8, then just set all of the switches to OFF. This forces the ENGL to listen in OMNI mode, which means that it'll listen to messages coming from any MIDI channel. If you also want to control ENGL amp functions from the FX8 (listed on page 21 of the ENGL manual), then set switch 6 to ON. This forces the ENGL amp to listen for MIDI Continuous Control messages in addition to MIDI Program Change message.
  • I recommend that you set DIP switches 1 through 5 to OFF and only set DIP switch 6 to ON.
To send MIDI messages to the ENGL using any of the eight numbered FX8 footswitches, check page 48 in the FX8 manual that describes the MIDI Footswitch Block. You have to assign this block to a footswitch that you want to send MIDI messages to the ENGL head. After you insert this block then you need to edit its settings.

If you want the footswitch to change presets on the ENGL amp, then first you have to set the PROGRAM CHANGE parameter to ENABLE and the CONTROL CHANGE parameter to DISABLE. If you have the ENGL head set to OMNI mode (per above), then you can set the MIDI CHANNEL value to anything you want, but just set it to 1 (because you have to set it to something). Then you can set the PC# ON parameter to a single program change value (0-127) and the PC# OFF value to another program change value, and you can switch between two ENGL presets with one footswitch. Bear in mind that it some devices number the presets from 0 to 127 and other devices number the presets from 1 to 128. I think the ENGL numbers the presets from 1 to 128, so if you set a PC# to 0 for an FX8 footswitch then that will select preset 1 on the ENGL amp.

If you want to control other ENGL amp functions (like Master A/B, High Gain on/off, Noise Gate on/off, Amp Mute on/off, Sound on/off, or FX Loop I/II) then you have to set different parameters in the MIDI Footswitch Block to make it send MIDI Continuous Control messages instead of MIDI Program Change messages. First, set the PROGRAM CHANGE parameter to DISABLE and the CONTROL CHANGE parameter to ENABLE. Check out page 21 in the ENGL manual, which tells you which MIDI Continuous Control messages control which amp functions. Set the CC# parameter to the controller # corresponding to the amp function that you want the footswitch to control. All of the amp functions listed on page 21 of the ENGL manual are on/off functions, so you'll want to assign the corresponding CC numbers to the ON VALUE and OFF VALUE in the FX8 MIDI Footswitch Block.

For example, to configure an FX8 footswitch to control the ENGL Amp Mute function, you'll want to:
  1. Assign a MIDI Footswitch Block to the FX8 footswitch in question.
  2. Set PROGRAM CHANGE to DISABLE and CONTROL CHANGE to ENABLE.
  3. Set the CC# parameter to 7 (you can also set this value to 28 too, for some reason, both should work).
  4. Set the ON VALUE parameter to any number between 5 and 127 (suggestion: just set it to 127).
  5. Set the OFF VALUE parameter to any number between 0 and 4 (suggestion: just set it to 0).
  6. Save the changes.
And in the spirit of 'Teach a man to fish', here's a Google search that should give you a lot of places to start reading (check videos too).

Good luck and have fun!
 
hi spaceranger
with regards to using midi with an engl when you have set up the midi control on the amp how do you make it work on and off with scene changes
from
the Sinner
 
Not sure what you're asking, exactly. It sounds like you want to select a Scene on the FX8 and turn something on or off on the ENGL. What is it exactly that you want to turn on and off?
 
Not sure what you're asking, exactly. It sounds like you want to select a Scene on the FX8 and turn something on or off on the ENGL. What is it exactly that you want to turn on and off?
Hello Spaceranger thanks for getting back to me. First of all i have an Engl 670 special amplifier and its got a unique feature in that you have the ability to set 127 presets in the amp to work via midi control . I have been playing around with this all weekend after i read your previous thread on midi and Engl amps, what i have managed to do is set up amp changes via the scenes block (Purely by Accident) so that each scene as a number value placed against it in the Footswitch section of the FX8 and then i have programmed the amp to have its own preset loaded against that number and then saved so as i change scenes a programme change changes the amp . However i do not need a midi block to allow this to happen so on that basis what is the midi block for ?
Regards
The Sinner
 
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