MFC101 - What to do with all those buttons...?

Stringtheorist

Stringtheorist

Fractal Fanatic
OK, so I'm sold on the new footcontroller even though my FCB1010 is adequate for the way I run my presets. However, all those buttons are still overkill for me. Given that I access most of my presets' control features (amp crossfading, level boost, wah, modulation, harmonizer) using expression pedals, can anyone offer cool suggestions as to what I might use the push-switches for?

And one more question... Will I be able to set up the MFC to bank up/down one preset at a time? ie. Each bank containing 1 preset. (I couldn't find the info on preset/bank configuration.)
 
Easy. Just like my All Access with an extra 2 buttons.

Bottom row - patch access buttons - banks of 5.

Middle row - gain based on/off toggles, so compression, 2 drives, gain boost and volume boost.
Top Row - Modulation on/off toggles, so Reverb, Chorus, Delay, Rotory/Trem and Phaser/Flanger
Top 2 buttons - Tuner and Tap Tempo.

Wah on an Auto engage CC pedal.

If you dont need 2 drives per patch, you can use that one for either special FX (one offs etc) OR an EQ in/out.

I could actually do with another 2 buttons so I could have the EQ and Special FX on TOP of my normal 10 IAs plust tt and tuner.
 
It would be nice if the tuner button could be programmed so that holding it down activates the tuner, freeing up on more IA..
 
Before I buy I'd like to see the manual. It would need to support sending midi commands on more than 1 midi channel, preferably from one IA switch. Otherwise I would have a lot of unused buttons.
 
Is it possible to have all the buttons as IAs? I would prefer to change presets by simply banking up between every song rather than having to remember to do it every five and then engage the correct preset button. What happens if I get the wrong bank as well? I'd spend half the song trying to find the right bank and the right preset within the bank. When I'm playing guitar my feet take on a life of their own and I'm likely to engage the wrong preset during the performance if I have to reach past the first row with my size 11s. This used to happen all the time when I used an All Access. That's why I now have the FCB. I change presets on the Axe-FX manually. If I could just make one toe-tap to go to the next preset instead of having to reach for the control knob, that would be ideal.
 
dirtypurple said:
Before I buy I'd like to see the manual. It would need to support sending midi commands on more than 1 midi channel, preferably from one IA switch. Otherwise I would have a lot of unused buttons.
Click to expand...
Hmm.. I already took this as read. I too need to be able to control multiple devices on one switch. This could be a deal breaker. Can anyone confirm?
 
I'll do the same as Paul

Same as I do with My GCP now, but means I can have all my main patches with the same structure and not have to share an IA for stuff like Wah and Pitch (different patches of course), or Chorus and Compressor. And I have an extra patch change per bank.

Not sure about the Tap being at the top though, I like to tap with my heel on the floor, I find it more accurate - I'll have to think about that one.


I'm hoping it being stepped allows accurate quick stomps in the heat of battle with not too many mis-hits
 
The row of switches on the bottom can be toggled from IA's to presets with a quick tap of the reveal switch located in the upper right corner of the controller.

Very ingenious if you ask me....this feature takes the controller from only having 12 IA's to having 17 !!!
 
Here's a bigger one:

MFC_101.JPG
Click to expand...
 
I'm also looking forward to seeing how others use this controller. I'm getting one but this type of controller is new to me. I've had a 2 bank, 5 patch per bank controller for years.

So many possibilities....... where do I start?
 
I have a hunch that the clever Mr Cliff has a few surprises in store for us.

It wouldn't surprise me if there are some real clever features in here never before seen in a foot controller, which maybe why he's kept quiet about it so some of the bigger players don't beat him to market.

After all he has got a brain the size of a planet.
 
Stringtheorist said:
Is it possible to have all the buttons as IAs? I would prefer to change presets by simply banking up between every song rather than having to remember to do it every five and then engage the correct preset button. What happens if I get the wrong bank as well? I'd spend half the song trying to find the right bank and the right preset within the bank. When I'm playing guitar my feet take on a life of their own and I'm likely to engage the wrong preset during the performance if I have to reach past the first row with my size 11s. This used to happen all the time when I used an All Access. That's why I now have the FCB. I change presets on the Axe-FX manually. If I could just make one toe-tap to go to the next preset instead of having to reach for the control knob, that would be ideal.
Click to expand...

This is was song/setlist mode is for!

You setup a list of songs. And the five switches along the bottom let you access *any* five patches, not just 5 contiguous patches. And then the bank up/down buttons move you between songs. And you can have multiple setlists, which just tie together songs in particular order.

At least: that's how it works on the All Access and Liquid-Foot. I'm sure the MFC will do something similar.

That way, when you re-org your setlist, you don't need to reorg your patches, on the AxeFx or on the MFC.

And you can have patches on the AxeFx scattered all over a bank, but for one song you can have them all next to each other on the foot controller.

It really is a beautiful thing.
 
iaresee said:
This is was song/setlist mode is for!

You setup a list of songs. And the five switches along the bottom let you access *any* five patches, not just 5 contiguous patches. And then the bank up/down buttons move you between songs. And you can have multiple setlists, which just tie together songs in particular order.

At least: that's how it works on the All Access and Liquid-Foot. I'm sure the MFC will do something similar.

That way, when you re-org your setlist, you don't need to reorg your patches, on the AxeFx or on the MFC.

And you can have patches on the AxeFx scattered all over a bank, but for one song you can have them all next to each other on the foot controller.

It really is a beautiful thing.
Click to expand...
Well, yes... and no.

I started out programming my All Access in Song Mode but soon found it unwieldy to have five buttons set aside for every song when most only required one. I soon found myself running out of song slots and in the end I had no choice but to give up on Song mode just because of the lack of space. With three bands on the go I had to have access to well over 60 songs. :shock:

My preferred method now is to organize my sets using Preset Manager, since I have one preset only for each song. I'm done in five minutes. Programming a set with any footcontroller will take longer than that, guaranteed.
 
Stringtheorist said:
Well, yes... and no.

I started out programming my All Access in Song Mode but soon found it unwieldy to have five buttons set aside for every song when most only required one. I soon found myself running out of song slots and in the end I had no choice but to give up on Song mode just because of the lack of space. With three bands on the go I had to have access to well over 60 songs. :shock:
Click to expand...
The All Access lets you store 150 songs. With 15, 10 or 5 presets per song...that's pretty flexible.

You can run it a couple of different ways: you can have a song preset per song. Or a song preset per type-of-song and then a master list that lets you access them.

Anyways, I'm wandering off topic here...

Point is: using the All Access kind of sucks. You know. I know it. It's a bitch to reorg songs if your setlist changes order. I don't. Instead I write my setlist out with the song ID next to the title and keep that next to me. Like this:

12 - Rio
01 - Girls on Film
22 - Save a Prayer
...

And so on, so I know what the set list is an what song to pull up as we go through it.

My preferred method now is to organize my sets using Preset Manager, since I have one preset only for each song. I'm done in five minutes. Programming a set with any footcontroller will take longer than that, guaranteed.
Click to expand...
But...where the newer controls kick the All Access' butt is in PC interfaces for settings stuff up. I'd use song mode in the All Access more often if I could set up my songs and setlists with a keyboard and mouse and just sync them to the All Access.

And I'll bet good money Cliff and crew have a PC editor planned for the MFC. You just can't roll without it now. Maybe it'll even be part of the Axe-Editor?
 
:D we do actually end with Girls on Film -> Rio. Example was made up.

These days we open with an 8-bit version of Hungry Like a Wolf and in to Careless Memories.
 
Stringtheorist said:
OK, so I'm sold on the new footcontroller even though my FCB1010 is adequate for the way I run my presets. However, all those buttons are still overkill for me. Given that I access most of my presets' control features (amp crossfading, level boost, wah, modulation, harmonizer) using expression pedals, can anyone offer cool suggestions as to what I might use the push-switches for?
Click to expand...

Interesting. I have been wondering if I can down size to the Fractal Foot. It has less buttons than my Liquid Foot Pro.
 
MKeditor said:
Interesting. I have been wondering if I can down size to the Fractal Foot. It has less buttons than my Liquid Foot Pro.
Click to expand...
I'm clumsy. Pedals are easier to find with my feet when I'm playing. The fewer buttons it has the better, IMO. However, if the MFC can't send PC messages on a per-preset basis I will need all those extra buttons for synth presets and other stuff. Can anyone confirm whether this is the case?
 
Stringtheorist said:
However, if the MFC can't send PC messages on a per-preset basis I will need all those extra buttons for synth presets and other stuff. Can anyone confirm whether this is the case?
Click to expand...
PC stands for Preset Change. All midi controllers can send PC messages per preset by definition. Am I missing the point?
 
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