Nektar Pacer....thoughts?

Hadn’t seen that before. Nektar makes some very cool keyboard and fader/knob controllers for computer midi gear.
What makes them different from a lot of others is how many custom mapped templates they have for different DAWs and VSTs. This looks like a pretty cool option for the price.
 
This is what I received from Nektar:
Update for Case 15164 - "Pacer"



Hi there,

Thanks for your interest in Pacer.

Three of Pacer's presets are dedicated to controlling AxeFXII hardware. 2 of which are setup to turn specific effects on and off and the third is setup control the looper functions. These are presets B5, B6 and C4, respectively.

The first 4 of Pacer's presets are configured to send program change messages, which can be used to select presets on any MIDI compatible device, including AxeFX. Preset B6 has Stomp Switches 5 configured to select the previous scene and Stompe Switch 6 will select the next scene.

In any case, Pacer is completely configurable and most of the functions of the AxeFX are controllable via simple MIDI CCs or program change messages. So you are free to customize the AxeFX presets to function as you would like.

You can activate the Tuner by connecting a Footswitch to the third FS input, when the presets listed above are active. The Tuner will appear on the AxeFX display not on Pacer's display.

Here is a list of the AxeFX functions which are mapped to Pacer's stomp switches, in presets B5, B6 and C4.

B5 - Axe FXII preset 1

  • Stomp Switch 1 - Chorus 1 On/Off
  • Stomp Switch 2 - Comp 1 On/Off
  • Stomp Switch 3 - Delay 1 On/Off
  • Stomp Switch 4 - Drive 1 On/Off
  • Stomp Switch 5 - Phaser 1 On/Off
  • Stomp Switch 6 - Reverb 1 On/Off
  • FS Input 1 - Wah 1 On/Off (also changes the function of EXP1)
  • FS Input 2 - FX Loop On/Off
  • FS Input 3 - Tuner On/Off
  • FS Input 4 - Tap Tempo
  • EXP1 - Controls Input Volume when Wah is off, controls Wah position when Wah is on
  • EXP2 - Output Volume


B6 - Axe FXII preset 2

  • Stomp Switch 1 - Amp 1 On/Off
  • Stomp Switch 2 - Amp 2 On/Off
  • Stomp Switch 3 - Cab 1 On/Off
  • Stomp Switch 4 - Cab 2 On/Off
  • Stomp Switch 5 - Previous Scene
  • Stomp Switch 6 - Next Scene
  • FS Input 1 - Wah 1 On/Off (also changes the function of EXP1)
  • FS Input 2 - FX Loop On/Off
  • FS Input 3 - Tuner On/Off
  • FS Input 4 - Tap Tempo
  • EXP1 - Controls Input Volume when Wah is off, controls Wah position when Wah is on
  • EXP2 - Output Volume
C4 - Axe FXII Looper

  • Stomp Switch 1 - Loop Record
  • Stomp Switch 2 - Loop Play
  • Stomp Switch 3 - Loop Dub
  • Stomp Switch 4 - Loop Reverse
  • Stomp Switch 5 - Loop Bypass
  • Stomp Switch 6 - Loop Undo
  • FS Input 1 - Wah 1 On/Off (also changes the function of EXP1)
  • FS Input 2 - FX Loop On/Off
  • FS Input 3 - Tuner On/Off
  • FS Input 4 - Tap Tempo
  • EXP1 - Controls Input Volume when Wah is off, controls Wah position when Wah is on
  • EXP2 - Output Volume
 
This should be releasing soon. I believe i'll be picking one of these up to hold me over until the FC12 comes out.
 
Hi all,

This is Justin from Nektar. I'm very excited to see the first Pacer units finally hitting store shelves.

I want to mention, for folks who are running their guitar setup through a DAW, that the Track and Transport modes are completely separate from the User Presets, so you can switch seamlessly from controlling your DAW to controlling outboard gear. The DAW control functions have their own MIDI port which is separate from the User Presets. Its like having two controllers in one.

If you have any specific questions let me know! I may not post here often but you can always get in touch with me via the Nektar support page.
 
Hi all,

This is Justin from Nektar. I'm very excited to see the first Pacer units finally hitting store shelves.

I want to mention, for folks who are running their guitar setup through a DAW, that the Track and Transport modes are completely separate from the User Presets, so you can switch seamlessly from controlling your DAW to controlling outboard gear. The DAW control functions have their own MIDI port which is separate from the User Presets. Its like having two controllers in one.

If you have any specific questions let me know! I may not post here often but you can always get in touch with me via the Nektar support page.

I just got mine in today. Pretty excited. Build quality looks pretty solid. It's slim but pretty sturdy and heavy feeling. I was a little disappointed that there isn't a windows editor for it, and that it doesn't come with a power supply. HOWEVER, so far it seems very easy to program. I'm in the process of making a preset for AxeFX3 and will report back on here after I've had enough time to test and give it solid review. Looks to be a very nice unit. Hope it sells well.
 
Looks nice and affordable (Sweetwater has it). If I didn't have two FCB 1010 already I would definitely consider this.
 
Hi all,

If you have any specific questions let me know! I may not post here often but you can always get in touch with me via the Nektar support page.

Bump!

Anything in the pipeline for an editor? The Pacer would be a real winner if if came with a software editor. I currently use iFCB for my Behringer but the Pacer is way more impressive on paper...
 
Bump!

Anything in the pipeline for an editor? The Pacer would be a real winner if if came with a software editor. I currently use iFCB for my Behringer but the Pacer is way more impressive on paper...

I'm afraid I can't say. It's something we are currently planning but I don't have any kind of ETA. I will say that lots of the people I have talked to, who use Pacer, say that it's very easy to program. I have a lot of experience with the FCB1010 (I used one for more than 10 years) and Pacer is much easier to setup.
 
I'm afraid I can't say. It's something we are currently planning but I don't have any kind of ETA.

Thanks so much for the response and honesty. I use iFCB to program my Behringer so it's really a breeze. But the Pacer looks like the future so I'm almost on board. The editor would truly be the clincher for me.
 
Interested to know if the pacer can do linked switches (a series of switches that when 1 is turned on the others turn off) - Anyone know?
 
I'm afraid I can't say. It's something we are currently planning but I don't have any kind of ETA. I will say that lots of the people I have talked to, who use Pacer, say that it's very easy to program. I have a lot of experience with the FCB1010 (I used one for more than 10 years) and Pacer is much easier to setup.



This part needs an editor as fast as possible, because you could then copy and paste the settings of the individual Pacer-Presets among each other faster and better!

Otherwise I can say that the Nectar Pacer really works very well with my Axe-FX III... only the features mentioned above are difficult to handle without an editor.
 
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I just got mine in today. Pretty excited. Build quality looks pretty solid. It's slim but pretty sturdy and heavy feeling. I was a little disappointed that there isn't a windows editor for it, and that it doesn't come with a power supply. HOWEVER, so far it seems very easy to program. I'm in the process of making a preset for AxeFX3 and will report back on here after I've had enough time to test and give it solid review. Looks to be a very nice unit. Hope it sells well.

I just bought one of these and didn’t realize it didn’t come with a power supply. Did you buy one? If you did where did you get it?
 
For those that need a power supply for the Nectar Pacer any one with these specs seems to work perfectly.

Specs: 9V DC, 670 mA, Negative Center/Tip
 
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