I noticed, in people's Rig Photos... (footcontroller diversity)

D

Dr. Dipwad

Experienced
I noticed, in people's Rig Photos, that there weren't a lot of MFC-101s in them.

I was kinda surprised by that. Sometimes a Ground Control, sometimes an All Access, sometimes something else.

Any particular reason? The MFC has all the right specs from what I can tell. Is it just because Footcontroller X is one you already had, and it made more sense to keep it rather than sell it and buy the MFC? Or some other reason?

Would you prefer the MFC over other controllers, if there wasn't a monetary issue?

(In case you're wondering why I posted this here, it's because (a.) the Rig Photos were in this part of the Forum, and (b.) I wasn't sure whether this question properly belonged under the MFC-101 section, or the "Other Footcontrollers" section.)
 
I would love a MFC for the things it can do like display the tuner etc. This is how my Digitech 2120 and ControlOne used to work. However, I think $750 is just way too much for a pedal. I already have a GCP because I was using it with a GCX to switch amp channels and pedals in a rack drawer before I got the Axe. Even if I didn't already have the GCP, I'd still consider it instead of the MFC due to price.
 
Really, it's more of an 'MFC' forum kind of thing.

It's borderline...I'll leave a link.

And my opinion is that people already own and are more familiar with their footcontrollers, so the transition is easier. The other obvious one is money.

I, personally, would prefer an MFC over others, as the integration is one last think I have to %^&$ with.

Ron
 
I would prefer to have the mfc vs my gcp for the 2 extra expression pedal inputs, but $750 for a midi floor controller is just too much $ for me as a home recording guy and occassional live player.
 
I got the MFC when it first came out, in my case I wanted the convince of flying over titles from the AF and also being able to see what IA’s are available on any given preset and if available are they on or off. The tuner was nice but at the time I did not care about that feature. Also programming is so easy (for me) with the MFC, the way I use it. I never doing mappings through the controller any more. I just use Axe Edit and arrange the programs on the AF the way I want and the controller will just follow and IA’s will stay in the same state as per patch.

The All Access on the other hand, Great controller!!
But cannot load titles from the AF, you also have to program your IA’s from the board per patch on the AF. I usually use mapping with the All Access any other midi controller really, I can do what I stated above just rearrange them on the AF but will have to go back and still program all the IA’s on the board.

John
 
I agree with the $$$ being a common issue though two guys (javajunkie & solo-act) have functional requirements that led them to other controllers (that were comparable in cost to the MFC).

I moved up to the MFC from a LF Jr when I upgraded from my Ultra to the II. When I got my Ultra, the LF stuff was the most compatible but I couldn't afford the LF Pro. When I got the AxeFx II, I'd sold off a bunch of gear so I had the budget to get a new foot controller as well.
 
I used the Ground Control Pro with my Ultra and it was completely workable, but the integration with the MFC and Axe II is off the chart, right out of the box. Being able to send/receive data and power the unit on one CAT5e cable is really nice too.

It isn't cheap, at about double the cost of the GCP. But, for me, it easily does twice as much so the price is fair. Also factor in that firmware development continues to keep pace with the Axe Fx, and it is clear that it's a superior unit to what I had. If your dollars are tight, a GCP will get you a lot of versatility for the money. But if you can at all afford it, the MFC is a better option.
 
I too had a hard time with the price difference. I had gone as far as purchasing the GCP a couple of weeks back, which is around the same time I had bought my Axe-FX II. Hooked it up and used it. Worked fine, but then....

I saw this video




I was sold. I called and got an RMA on the GCP but not before I put my order in for the MFC. It does so much more than instant access to the tuner. From a config standpoint alone. Wow! great pedal. Worth every penny if you can swing it. I gave up a couple of other items just to swing the price difference and it was worth it.

The point is that most people are not likely to read the manual prior to purchasing this (or any item in most cases). I understand that all of this is covered in the manual and I think this is why some have a hard time trying to justify the cost. That and lack of funds! They don't get to see the potential at their feet.
 
The price is what stopped me. I have 2 Roland FC-200's, so I decided to try it with my existing controller(s). So far, I'm happy with what I've got & haven't felt a need to upgrade.
 
I need 3 separate foot controllers to do what I need for synths etc.. The Behringers are skinny. i like the MFC's and what i could do with them, but for me its a space constraint thing.
I have 4 FBC1010's now and an old ADA. They all get work.
 
In the early days of the Axe-Fx there was of course no floor controller and it seemed to take an age for this to appear. People had various solutions and preferences and in my case I plumped for a Gordius LG. When the MFC finally appeared I had invested so much time and money in the LG the MFC just didn't offer any significant advantage. I would have bought an MFC if they had been available at the time but I'm very happy with my LG as it does everything I need. Maybe other members feel the same.
 
a "PS" to my earlier post...

It matters most what you intend to do with it, really. If all you ever intend on doing is dialing up 3 or 4 presets, and a stomp box effect or two, there are many many cheap solutions for that. If you want to get a lot deeper, want a tuner on your controller, need several expression pedal controllers, etc, an MFC becomes more and more worth it.

Match it to your needs!
 
Apart from the struggle to get an Fractal Audio MFC (took an eternity to become available and I was afraid, there would be another endless waiting list on top), which would have forced me to use the Behringer FCB1010 even longer, the MFC did and does not fit my needs.

For me, it:
- is to big
- has lots more switches than I need
- lacks a multi function display (= graphical display)
- lacks (or lacked, I don't follow its feature progression) features and overall flexibility
- costs considerably more than my favored foot controller

If it would have been available when I needed to upgrade from the Behringer and if it would have been on par regarding software features/programability, I'd given it a second thought.

I think, choosing a footcontroller is a very personal thing, less because of pure "which is better by numbers". How you setup your patches and organize the whole thing for gigs is what makes or breaks this or that controller. And we sure are lucky to have a few great options to choose from - advanced midi controllers is not a market share to make big money from.
 
I've got an MFC, but to be honest I could manage with something much smaller. The large majority of my playing with the band is done on one preset, sound changes are from volume/tone control twiddling, pickup selection, coil splitting, etc. Mostly I use the MFC to irritate my band members: kick in a wah and wank mercilessly, my "synth" button that is just a momentary switch that brings in a horribly off-pitch combination of synth notes until I take my foot off it, looper functions so I can play a riff once and then just stand there scratching my nuts while they have to keep playing, etc. etc.
 
The Fractal MFC would be the ideal one for me to use, but I still haven't bought one and it's not because of the price, I think the price is right for what it does, it's only because i have to do lot's of fly gigs and I'm already at the limit with weight, bringing my main guitar + AXE 2 etc, so I manage to just do with any Midi Controller (MIDI MOUSE many times) and plug in the expression pedal on the AXE's pedal input, it gets the job done..if all my gigs were driving gigs I'd buy and use the MFC, I could use it for some gigs but then I'd get spoiled and i'm afraid I could never do a gig without it .. :)
 
aleclee said:
I agree with the $$$ being a common issue though two guys (javajunkie & solo-act) have functional requirements that led them to other controllers (that were comparable in cost to the MFC).
Click to expand...
Yep - I needed instant random access to any patch in my show. I requested this from Fractal and waited and waited. After it looked like MFC would be released without it, I contacted Gordius and requested it. He added it in 24 hours, and I think MFC still doesn't have that. So I bought the Gordius. Plus the Gordius does other weird things I need like sending midi pitch wheel data, showing expression CC pedal output on display, and long command macros that run at launch of a preset.

MFC sync is smoking and lots of buttons.
Gordius Little Giant is too small for some, but it's perfect for my pedalboard and setup.
6992890478_cfbfedbc67.jpg
 
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I'm a casual bedroom player, so the MFC is waaaay overkill for me....but I have one anyway because I like to support FAS. Plus I love the way it integrates with the Axe FX. Makes things a lot simpler for a midiot like me.
 
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