*NEW* Custom Master MIDI Foot Controller for Axe-Fx III

Ill admit...I'm kind of stuck in option paralysis since this could go so many directions...i am focused on the hardware aspect...but the firmware is still open although I do need one of these for myself as an AXE III controller...that will probably be my initial focus. This could also be an open hardware platform for an open source community to do with as they please.
Overall dimensions are about 13” by 17”
 
Fair enough... But people tend to like real knobs. ;)

Anyway, it's your project - just offering some input and ideas.
I pushed the internal micro controller just about as far as i could. However there are still about 8 more GPIOs available for 8 more input devices. So...options like you suggest are available : )
 
I have rewrote/refactored and optimized the firmware significantly. Here is a new image of some default presets. Row 3 is powered off in the image as I have not decided what to use those displays/buttons for yet(possibly effects and channels). When in scene mode the presets on the bottom section will be replaced with the scene specific images for the footswitches, the displays are a bit concave in the center as they are not 100% attached to the enclosure yet which is why some of the graphic borders are not visble. I have been doing some calculations and if I do decide to make a batch...I beleive the price-point for early adopters can be significantly less than the comparable competition.
 

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I have rewrote/refactored and optimized the firmware significantly. Here is a new image of some default presets. Row 3 is powered off in the image as I have not decided what to use those displays/buttons for yet(possibly effects and channels). When in scene mode the presets on the bottom section will be replaced with the scene specific images for the footswitches, the displays are a bit concave in the center as they are not 100% attached to the enclosure yet which is why some of the graphic borders are not visble. I have been doing some calculations and if I do decide to make a batch...I beleive the price-point for early adopters can be significantly less than the comparable competition.
Looks great. What would you estimate dimensions would be if you removed the bottom row and the last column on the right?
 
Looks great. What would you estimate dimensions would be if you removed the bottom row and the last column on the right?
Removing a row is easy, removing a column would require a new PCB or cutting the ones I have. There is no hand wiring; it is all designed around PCBs for durability and reliability for high speed communications to the TFTs. Unlike the columns, the rows are completely modular in design.

Removing a row would take overall height to about 11" and the width with removing a colum to about 14.5".
Any reconfigurations however would also require custom firmware.
 
Removing a row is easy, removing a column would require a new PCB or cutting the ones I have. There is no hand wiring; it is all designed around PCBs for durability and reliability for high speed communications to the TFTs. Unlike the columns, the rows are completely modular in design.

Removing a row would take overall height to about 11" and the width with removing a colum to about 14.5".
Any reconfigurations however would also require custom firmware.
Thanks - that's significantly larger than what I use now which just fits on my pedalboard. That said, thanks for progress report. I think you'll have a compelling and competitive product when you're done. Keep up the great work!
 
Thanks - that's significantly larger than what I use now which just fits on my pedalboard. That said, thanks for progress report. I think you'll have a compelling and competitive product when you're done. Keep up the great work!
Once I get this Mother Ship version done....reducing the size for a LITE version will be easy ;)
 
Amazing. In addition to controlling an axe III, how many lines of midi can be sent with a preset in your system?
The short answer: The 15 remaining MIDI channels are all available with no practical limitation on what gets sent.

The long answer: Any of the remaining 15 MIDI channels can be fired off from this foot controller and routed through the AXE FX's MIDI thru to any external devices. The number of commands per channel is only limited by the RAM to store them and there are Gigs of RAM available.

I have the idea to list/display all the saved MIDI commands on either the main TFT or possibly on the preset buttons TFT so you know exactly what and where the preset will send data over MIDI when engaged. There can be friendly names for the devices and with a loaded mapping per device each command can have a friendly name as well.
 
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The short answer: The 15 remaining MIDI channels are all available with no practical limitation on what gets sent.

The long answer: Any of the remaining 15 MIDI channels can be fired off from this foot controller and routed through the AXE FX's MIDI thru to any external devices. The number of commands per channel is only limited by the RAM to store them and there are Gigs of RAM available.

I have the idea to list/display all the saved MIDI commands on either the main TFT or possibly on the preset buttons TFT so you know exactly what and where the preset will send data over MIDI when engaged. There can be friendly names for the devices and with a loaded mapping per device each command can have a friendly name as well.

Very exciting!!!

I'm controlling many devices and need to send PC/CC messages. One thing that has been helpful with other pedals I've used is having a system messages "delay" in milliseconds so that devices receiving many midi messages, have the time to properly digest the messages, without being overrun. So, for example, I intend to send 20 midi messages to one device, I can maybe send 4, and then a 5ms delay, then the next 4, with a delay, and so on, so that I am not overwhelming the device. Some devices handle commands better than others, and the ability to pause has been helpful.

The next feature is one that allows me to make a preset momentary, and then dictate the next preset that would be sent when I release the momentary button. So, for example, I have created 20 songs, and require 100 presets (5 per song). I have them named "verse, chorus, bridge, solo, outro" for example, Song 1 uses system presets 10, 11, 54, 75, and 80, again, I've entitled those presets verse, chorus, bridge, solo, outro, but they are specific to that particular song, by virtue of the effects that are turned on and off, scene number used, and pc/cc messages sent to other devices in my rack. If the bridge preset (song preset 3) is momentary, when I release it, I can dictate whether the "verse" preset is the next thing it jumps to upon release or whether the solo presets is the next preset it jumps to..........This is song specific - so, in other words, instead of setting a command in the bridge preset 54, to make it jump to preset 10, I am telling it to jump to song preset #1 because preset 10 is the first preset in this song bank.

Will it do that?
 
Very exciting!!!

I'm controlling many devices and need to send PC/CC messages. One thing that has been helpful with other pedals I've used is having a system messages "delay" in milliseconds so that devices receiving many midi messages, have the time to properly digest the messages, without being overrun. So, for example, I intend to send 20 midi messages to one device, I can maybe send 4, and then a 5ms delay, then the next 4, with a delay, and so on, so that I am not overwhelming the device. Some devices handle commands better than others, and the ability to pause has been helpful.

The next feature is one that allows me to make a preset momentary, and then dictate the next preset that would be sent when I release the momentary button. So, for example, I have created 20 songs, and require 100 presets (5 per song). I have them named "verse, chorus, bridge, solo, outro" for example, Song 1 uses system presets 10, 11, 54, 75, and 80, again, I've entitled those presets verse, chorus, bridge, solo, outro, but they are specific to that particular song, by virtue of the effects that are turned on and off, scene number used, and pc/cc messages sent to other devices in my rack. If the bridge preset (song preset 3) is momentary, when I release it, I can dictate whether the "verse" preset is the next thing it jumps to upon release or whether the solo presets is the next preset it jumps to..........This is song specific - so, in other words, instead of setting a command in the bridge preset 54, to make it jump to preset 10, I am telling it to jump to song preset #1 because preset 10 is the first preset in this song bank.

Will it do that?
Yes, MIDI pre delays can be assigned to commands.
Yes, I can be coded to essentially do anything that a physical button can translate to it. Something along the lines of triggering an event to store a configured button preset hold/up(redirect) command. This kind of setup may require a careful forweard progression. But think of the possibilities...if you hold the button and it has a "hold release up command stored" the TFT display can then display notification that a triggered button up event will occur on release, and what that event will be(midi command, set list or song bank advance, preset change, scene change etc). The only caveot is that I need to be able to query the data from the AXE FX. I do not beleive commands to get song bank details are part of the 3rd party MIDI spec. You may need to manually configure a set list and song bank on a setup screen on my system to match each defined item to a preset/scene etc.

In the near future I will have a web enabled interface to download all sorts of mappings and setup info over WiFi to the controller, including and not limited to set lists, song part preset/scene mappings, master presets which could permutate into the 1000's, chord progressions and even lyrics.
 
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I would like to see the editor if it is available online or in an app for OSX Catalina.

I would like to view the programming hierarchy for controlling non-fractal, standard midi gear. I'm primarily relying on programming song names and preset names in the midi controller, each with their own set of midi programming to send to my gear, rather than relying on querying names or settings from a piece of gear (fractal or otherwise) to inform my midi controller of what the piece of gear's preset name or settings are.

I want my midi controller to be the Captain, and steering wheel, and tell the rack gear where to go and what to do.

Using the Fractal concept of what a Scene is, I'm using my midi controller to recall Rack-wide scenes to use all of the gear as I perform an Intro, Verse, Chorus, Solo, Bridge, Outro of a song. Whereas, I might send PC messages to all my rack gear to correspond to a song I'm going to perform, once the gear has changed to the right presets, I will then send CC messages to turn on and off individual effects or control certain pieces of gear in real-time while performing that particular song, from beginning to end. And then, repeat the process when I go to the next song in the setlist - the controller's song will send PC messages, and then the controller's song presets will send messages to help me navigate through verse, chorus, solo, etc.

By doing it this way, I can minimize audio dropouts that happen during PC changes in digital gear.
 
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