Midi Controllers with Individual Displays per Button: Are they worth the added expens

K

Kingjimmi

Inspired
I've been looking at Midi Controllers for the AFX and have come to the conclusion in my mind that I would benefit the most from having a foot controller with displays over the individual buttons. I was hoping that any of you guys that have used option #1 or #4 below could give me real-world feedback on whether having the individual displays is as advantageous as I think it would be?

1. FAMC Liquid Foot 12+ - Discontinued, so only option would be to source used, which I would think would be fairly impossible to do.
2. FAMC X-16 - Seems awesome, gen2 with full graphic display. Problem is, no release date or pricing has been released yet, so could be a long wait followed by dissapointment at pricing.
3. MFC-101 - Obviously, awesome integration w/ the AFX, but way too large for my wants/needs and lacking what I'm guessing is the killer feature of the displays.
4. RJM - This just seems absurdly overpriced compared to the competition.

Just a note, my intentions for the AFX is to use it as a giant preset box with tons of different rigs depending on how I'm feeling/playing at the time, so having the button displays just makes good sense to me. So, my question is for those that have used the new wave of midi controllers with displays, would you go back to an old school midi controller without displays for the buttons? Do they truly help as much as I think they would or are they just added expense and complication integrating with AFX? Do you think FAS will ever produce a footswitch with displays/button? Thanks for any input!
 
I have a reflection on it actually but I do not want the same thing as what is currently available on the market to meet the existing brands and models. Are there other features that would be interesting to add as part of a new style of footcontroler?
 
I'm still on my lfpro 1st gen old school model. It's pretty bullet proof, but would like the screens.. sad the LF+ is gone already, seems like a crappy business model, release a product and it's always on a wait list, rare as hens teeth then discontinue it, and re-do everything to another model. New one looks nice but good god I bet it's 2k.
 
I have no idea how long the LF+ has been on the market. It only came to my attention while searching for controllers for the AFX, so I was not aware of the short life-cycle of the LF+. But, you bring up a worrying point in their business model. It is strange that in FAMC's forum they say that the LF+ series has not been discontinued, but when I emailed inquiring about purchasing an LF12+ they said it was discontinued, but that they still had stock left of their other models. $899 was about the most I wanted to pay for a Midi controller, so here's hoping that the X-series comes in at a good price point.
 
I have the MMGT 16 by RJM. It is definitely expensive. But he quality and feature set and ease of use makes the price justified. I feel like I can do anything with it, and I'm doing so much more than I could with my MFC. Of course the screens are great - color coded button types, easy indication of what's on and off and what each button is. But the biggest feature is multiple pages of buttons, meaning 1 button can do multiple things on different pages! Also the fact that any button can be set to do anything - so system buttons like edit, bank up, etc aren't stuck in one place.

They are expensive. But if you really need that functionality it's worth it. I'm controlling up to 3 devices now all with discreet buttons mixed in multiple pages. Easy to program.
 
I've had the LF+ 12+ for almost a year now and and I'm happy that I went with it. I've used many foot controllers over the years and although you need to spend time programming it, it is extremely flexible in tailoring it to your needs. At first I needed help from a few on this forum to get things going, when you have no idea at first what you're doing, it wasn't very user friendly. But once you've grasped the concept it becomes very easy to program.

There have been ups and downs with speed of support when issues arise but they do follow up. One nice story to share, last month two of my screens had pixels that died and the company replaced both for free, post warranty, which was nice of them to do. I'm guessing from what you mentioned that they're discontinuing my model for a new generation of models, and perhaps 16-button will replace th 12-button. Not necessarily a bad thing, but i didin't necessarily want to go bigger than this 12-button a year ago.

Good luck with your decision!
 
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For those with the RJM, I'm thinking about the GT10. My main thought being small stage footprint.

I see Chris got the GT16 and Yek has the mothership GT22, what are your thoughts guys about the GT10? Would you consider that as an option now that you own the bigger boards?
 
Depends on your needs. Buttons can do double duty (HOLD functionality) and you've got IA Mode (similar to Reveal). Plus pages, as Chris explained.
And great features such as Preset Menu

I just like having immediate access to everything I want. And the 22 delivers.

You can also connect two additional dual-switches. With LEDs, they operate like onboard switches.
 
yek said:
Depends on your needs. Buttons can do double duty (HOLD functionality) and you've got IA Mode (similar to Reveal). Plus pages, as Chris explained.
And great features such as Preset Menu

I just like having immediate access to everything I want. And the 22 delivers.

You can also connect two additional dual-switches. With LEDs, they operate like onboard switches.
Click to expand...

Cool

Do you run your expression pedals into the RJM or directly to the Fractal?
 
yek said:
RJM GT/22. State-of-the-art design for a corresponding price. Worth every penny, if you seek a controller which lets you do everything.
Support is outstanding too.
Click to expand...

In Germany the price for an GT 22 is 2.325 Euro. The price for an Axe Fx II is 2.399 Euro. This proportion is more than absurd, if you ask me :D
(yes, I know, you didn't ask me)
 
I bought a gt/16, by the time it got to Australia it costs about $2000, a friend of mine picked up one of the most powerful Roland synths for the same amount
It was stupidly expensive (all things considered), but i cant imagine it doing any more, and what can i say, i like the pretty colors, and names for my patches
 
barhrecords said:
Cool

Do you run your expression pedals into the RJM or directly to the Fractal?
Click to expand...

Into the RJM.

The RJM can make a pedal do double duty (or more). By pressing a switch you switch the pedal from Ext1 to Ext2, for example.
Without needing to create complex routings on the Axe-Fx.
That's why I use a single pedal.
 
yek said:
Into the RJM.

The RJM can make a pedal do double duty (or more). By pressing a switch you switch the pedal from Ext1 to Ext2, for example.
Without needing to create complex routings on the Axe-Fx.
That's why I use a single pedal.
Click to expand...

Well that is way cool.

Do you use XLR for the GT22 or conventional midi cables?
 
Midi Controllers with Individual Displays per Button: Are they worth the adde...

7 or 8 I think with light and dark variants. The screen also inverts when an effect is engaged. I use blue for my Axe functions, aqua for my Infinity Looper functions, yellow for any vocal FX functions, red for system, purple for tap and tuner, and white for Scenes. Green is presets by default but I don't use preset switches in my setups. I think there are 1 or 2 more colors.

The Hold function of each switch (on/off tap, x/y hold) saves a ton of space. I also use the XP function where it normally is Volume on XP1, but I press a button and now the same single pedal is transmitting XP2 loop volume control. XP3 is Wah. Genius.
 
Midi Controllers with Individual Displays per Button: Are they worth the adde...

Another chime in for the MMGT. I have the MMGT 16. I've had it for about two weeks now and my MFC is on eBay. The MMGT is what I always wanted in terms of functionality. My favourite feature that I haven't seen mentioned above is "local pages" that I use to name scenes. A local page is a page that is specifically loaded for a preset. I have a couple of go to presets and on them the scene buttons are named Rhythm, Boost, Clean, Lead and Lead + Delay. This is how I had my MFC labeled before with printed labels. And then I have a few songs we play that I have a preset for that song, and on that preset, using a local page, I have named the scene buttons for one song: Intro, Verse, Verse + Drive, Lead, and on another I have: Intro, Clean Delay, Lead, Lead Autowah. Whatever the song or preset calls for I can name them as I want, and have as many or few scenes as I need for that preset. And even though I'm not a big effects guy I like to play around with factory preset, and I have a "factory preset page" with lots of buttons with dual functionality Phaser (main)/Flanger (hold), Tremolo (main)/Rotary(hold) and with just with 5 buttons I can reach 10 effects and have access to pretty much all different effects on the factory presets.

Is it worth it? For me it definitely was. But playing guitar is my hobby and I don't mind paying good money to have the greatest "toys" to play with. If I was making a living and had to calculate a return on investment, might be a tough call. And for me, the MMGT makes playing the Axe Fx 2 a lot more fun and actually feels more like an Axe Fx 2 controller than the MFC. What I mean by that is that the Axe Fx 2 to me is this wonder box with seemingly I infinite possibilities. And with the MMGT, you have pared it up with a foot controller with seemingly infinite possibilities. The MFC just felt like any other foot controller with severe limitations - why would I always want to use a button for Flanger even if the preset doesn't have a flanger? Why can't I have modulation button 1 and 2 and switch the modulation effect I want between Phaser, Flanger, Vibe, Rotary, Tremolo,... and switch them per preset? Feels very limited and not very Axe Fx 2 like by comparison. Again, with the MMGT I can do things I've always wanted to be able to do.
 
I really enjoy the MFC, it does a great job but wanted displays ever since I first saw them (and more). Picked up a MMGT 22 (go big or go home) and had initial concerns about size, weight, overkill, etc. but to be honest after spending a day programming it and exploring things never considered before was very happy went all out and would have been disappointed if I had went with a smaller version. For me I immediately appreciated the following and have barely scratched the surface...
-displays
-field replaceable switches (this should be mandatory in any foot controller)
-song names > 7 characters and more of them
-access to more than 384 presets
-lightning quick edits via USB
-firmware updates and backup/restore via thumb drive
-pages and pages and pages
-hold functions, 22 buttons is huge when pulling double duty
-insane flexibility, put anything anywhere
 
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