Ideas for expression pedal #4 ... creativity welcome

∞Fractals

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OK, so I just got another FAS EV1 ... now I have 4 XPs (and 1-3 control Volume, Wah, and Delay (mix and repeats) respectively.

Now, what to do? I have played with controlling the following since I plugged it in about an hour ago:

  1. Input Drive :D (some amps require decreasing level too on the inverse slope to manage SPLs - haven't figured out why some do and some don't (MV types?) Love this, but can also do it w Scene controllers.
  2. Rotary :) - just understanding this one - played with rate only so far; open to solid rotary suggestions.
  3. Morph 2 Amps :cool: - super cool feature!
What else does the hive-mind think? Open to creative suggestions! TIA!

Oh, STUPID QUESTION - how do you calibrate other EXP pedals beyond #1&2? I just see those 2 options.
 
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I also just added a 4th Mission pedal that I haven't yet decided on.

The first 3 are: Wah, Whammy and Rotary.

I control the rate on the Rotary with a limited range...
 
Besides the obvious ones like level, gain, rate, depth, and mix for various effects:

1. Intelligent Harmony notes to change intervals on the fly. For example, assign the pedal to the Voice 1 Harmony parameter and set min to +3 and max to +4 in the modifier. Heel down would be a third up harmony (major or minor depends on key and scale chosen) and toe down would be a perfect fourth up. Lets you create more complex harmony passages on the fly by rocking the pedal back or forth for certain notes. Set max to +5 and you'd get three choices. Heel down is still a third, half way would be a fourth, and toe down would be a fifth. You will get discrete steps for each interval, not a smooth bend like with the whammy. Use the Glide Time parameter to set how quickly the chosen intervals transition from one to the next. Set the Glide Time a bit higher for slower pedal steel type harmony bends between intervals.

2. Manual filter sweeps. Similar to wah (a type of band pass or peaking filter) but with any filter type (high pass, low pass, notch, band pass, peaking, whatever). You can even layer multiple filter sweeps (series or parallel) and have them sweep in different directions if you want for some crazy synth style filter sweep sounds.

3. Delay Runaway. Recreate the craziness of analog delay pedal oscillations without bending over to fiddle with pedal knobs. Assign a pedal to the delay mix, feedback, and time parameters (all three to the same pedal). Use the modifier settings for each to overlap and control their individual responses. Basically you want heel down (Min modifier settings) to be normal settings for all three so you can play normally. Set the mix and feedback curves so they ramp up high quickly, pushing the delay into oscillation. Set the time curve so it ramps up later in the pedal travel so you can get oscillation before changing the pitch. Set the max time above the chosen min setting to make it pitch bend down or set it below to make it bend up as you move to toe down. Somewhere in the 10:1 range works pretty well. The wider the time change range and the faster you sweep the pedal, the more it bends the pitch. Sweeping the pedal back to heel down will make the oscillation die down and go back to normal delays. It takes a little trial and error to get the modifiers all setup right, but it's fun to fart around with. You might also want to put a compressor block setup as a limiter (ratio and threshold both set very high) after the delay block too keep the delay oscillation level from getting too high and making things clip.

Calibrate the other expression pedals on the MFC-101 or whatever MIDI controller you are using. The Axe II pedal calibration is only for expression pedals connected directly to the back of the unit (MK1 and MK2 support one pedal and the XL and XL+ support two pedals).
 
I can't even fathom using 4 expression pedals. I have two and I mostly use only one. I can only use one at a time anyway and it seems far easier to just assign whatever function I want to use to that single pedal then to use dedicated pedals for dedicated functions. I can sorta see the point that if you want to use whammy or wah you always know which pedal to step on every time. But it is additional pedal board real estate and weight that you would have to haul along for gigs..
 
I can't even fathom using 4 expression pedals. I have two and I mostly use only one. I can only use one at a time anyway and it seems far easier to just assign whatever function I want to use to that single pedal then to use dedicated pedals for dedicated functions. I can sorta see the point that if you want to use whammy or wah you always know which pedal to step on every time. But it is additional pedal board real estate and weight that you would have to haul along for gigs..
It is entirely workflow dependant. All of my presets have Wah, Whammy and Rotary. Therefore, this is what I prefer... Others have different needs and different use cases.
 
Question for those who understand amp gain structures ( I know next to zero) so this might be everyone ... perhaps @Admin M@ can help too?

I'm playing with driving the "input drive" of the amp block but most times this naturally causes a increase in the volume, so I tie an inverse slope to the "level" parameter and try to align so that the cleasns are similar SPL to the full on grit of driving the input harder.

Funny enough I can get close with the min and max CC parameters, but I find that the slope isn't linear (meaning I get a volume boost in the middle) so I've played with the mid-point and offsets, but was wondering if there is a more "fact-based" or dependable scientific answer/formula approach versus trial and error?

I imagine this could very well be amp dependent ... but thought it worth asking. TIA!
 
It is entirely workflow dependant. All of my presets have Wah, Whammy and Rotary. Therefore, this is what I prefer... Others have different needs and different use cases.

Off topic a bit but.... Do you use your Whammy often? I've noticed a lot of artists have a Whammy on their pedal boards but I struggle to hear how/when they use them.
 
Off topic a bit but.... Do you use your Whammy often? I've noticed a lot of artists have a Whammy on their pedal boards but I struggle to hear how/when they use them.


Not Unix-guy, but I'll say when I'm playing a lead, (and then perhaps only ~15% of the time) it get's used. I leave it there because 1: default patches have it already set up in the chain, seems natural to me to have it there, and occasionally I go for the "cocked-wah" sound in a few tunes. Further, I like consistency, and so I want most of my exp. pedals to be "dedicated"; although I'm using #4 as a wildcard so to speak, currently.
 
Off topic a bit but.... Do you use your Whammy often? I've noticed a lot of artists have a Whammy on their pedal boards but I struggle to hear how/when they use them.
To be honest, it's there because I have 1 song where I use it in my solo.

My preset "template" allows me to play 3 hours of original tunes on a single preset, but it might be a different preset on any night depending on how I feel.

I do use it sometimes if I'm improvising, too.
 
#4 could pan between 2 amps. Really clean Amp1 and really dirty Amp2. I do do this and I can get some really cool mixtures. The slope needs to be changed drastically though. 2 controllers set to 1 pedal with a 100-85-00 slope on the clean and a 00-15-100 slope on the dirty. So pedal up is full clean and pedal down is full dirty.
 
Which expression pedals have you decided to go with for all 4? I'm looking to get one

If you are asking me, the best expression pedals I've used are the FAS EV1s. Super smooth, perfect taper with the right amount of pressure friction/resistance and very precise. I own 2 now. :)

I also own some Boss 500Ls (2 on the board) that I'd like to replace (eventually). They seem like toys in comparison; seriously.
 
Yeah. I can't really fathom four pedals either. It'd be more just cool to have a bunch of pedals to do random, esoteric things. I have a few presets I use wah on occasionally. Volume yes, of course. Then it gets pretty random. Not worth it to bring three or more to gigs. I suppose I could get used to, if I design presets with variable delay modulation, EQ, strange sweeps, drive. But it all gets too complicated and makes me have to think too much!! Lol.
 
If you are asking me, the best expression pedals I've used are the FAS EV1s. Super smooth, perfect taper with the right amount of pressure friction/resistance and very precise. I own 2 now. :)

I also own some Boss 500Ls (2 on the board) that I'd like to replace (eventually). They seem like toys in comparison; seriously.

I've got a couple of Boss FV-500's as well that I am considering selling to put towards some FAS EV1's. It looks like they're not even selling on eBay. They were a hot item for a while.
 
Yeah. I can't really fathom four pedals either. It'd be more just cool to have a bunch of pedals to do random, esoteric things. I have a few presets I use wah on occasionally. Volume yes, of course. Then it gets pretty random. Not worth it to bring three or more to gigs. I suppose I could get used to, if I design presets with variable delay modulation, EQ, strange sweeps, drive. But it all gets too complicated and makes me have to think too much!! Lol.

I find myself in the position of trying to make uses for the pedals I have. I hate to have all this power at my feet and not use it. But like you said..... sometimes it's just too much to think about.

I keep listening for how some use theirs so I might get that "Aha" moment.
 
Ha! I have two on my board and only one of them is ever used! I don't even have the second one programmed to anything yet...LOL! Wait, I think ONE patch has the second pedal programmed to whammy, haha.
 
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