Peak FCB8N

I have one coming in hopefully sometime this week. Will let you know how it works. Seemed easy to program from looking at the manual, but we will see. Was quite a bit cheaper than the MFC-101 as well as being smaller and lighter. Anyway, will post again after I get it.
 
For under $300 it looks like a solid tool. The MFC-101 is cool, but definitely more than I need. The Peak looks to be an exact fit for simpletons such as myself.

As far as I can tell, the only complaint I can see right off the bat is the display.
 
Hey, hadn't heard about this one before. Interesting, certainly at that price!. Thanks for mentioning it.
 
Oh my word, this is really frustrating. I took too long writing my post, so I had to log in again and lost my message. Grrr. Here goes again...

So I got my FCB8N yesterday. Initial impressions: this thing is nice and light and compact, yet has enough spacing between the foot-switches for even my size 15s. Best part, it fits perfectly in my laptop bag with room for my expression pedal on the side. YES!

The front right corner wasn't bent quite all the way, but I am not super picky about cosmetics. I am going to be stepping on this thing. It was packed very well, double boxed and padded, so no shipping damage to speak of.

After plugging in some random wall wart that happened to fit the jack on the back of the axe and plugging a 7 pin midi cable from the axe to the board, it powered right up. The lights are nice and bright, but not blinding. Changed patches on the axe right from the get-go.

It only took a few minutes with the manual to figure out how to change it from 12 preset mode to 4 preset mode (32 banks of 4 presets with 8 IA switches). I do need to turn on the IA switches and expression pedal for each patch and assign the pedal from its default of ch 15 to ch 1. That will take a little time, but is not difficult and should be a one time thing.

On the expression pedal, I am using a Mission Engineering EP-1. Upon first using it with the Peak, it only gave me a sweep of something like 0 - 110. After realizing the board had no calibration feature, I looked to see what I could do with the pedal. Mission has a document for adjusting the rack and pinion in the pedal, but no matter how I adjusted it, I was short about 20 on one end or the other.

I realized that there are bumpers that stop the pedal at the toe position, and if I removed those, I might have enough travel to get the full sweep. So I took them out and that did the trick. However, now the rack traveled too far down in the pedal, and would hit the bottom plate when re-attached. So I filed off the length of one tooth on the rack so it would clear.

After putting it back together, I added a couple little rubber bumpers I had under the side of the pedal, to stop it just before the metal hit in the toe postion, yet giving it perfect range from exactly 0 - 127.

Overall I am happy with my purchase. Did take a bit of tweaking on my pedal, but that is all solved now, and I can use just one 7 pin cable run from my foot controls to the axe. Just got to go through and turn everything on for each patch.

Oh, and I love how simple it is to set which effects are on for each patch. Just hit the appropriate IA switches, then hold the blinking patch footswitch for 3 seconds, and you're done. Simple as that.
 
worshipriffs said:
Oh my word, this is really frustrating. I took too long writing my post, so I had to log in again and lost my message. Grrr. Here goes again...
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I've never been logged off for inactivity. What browser are you using!
 
looks great. Apparent downside: only 1 exp pedal input (a second would add much value IMO). Only MIDI OUT, no THRU or IN. As mentioned above, no pedal calibration feature? Hmmm. A quick scan of the owner's manual, and I saw nothing about bulk data dumps for backup, and this would seem to be the case as there is no MIDI INPUT or other data communication port. So, how do you back this thing up? Buy TWO?

PS: if you get "timed-out" while composing a post and get kicked back to the log-in screen, just log in again and you should be redirected to where you just left off with no loss of information.
 
I'm using Safari. Apparently it logs me out every 10 minutes or so. Yeah, I realized my mistake. I hit the back button as soon as I saw the login screen, hoping to get back to my message and cmd-c it. Got the login in screen again though, and when I logged in my message was blank. Did it again the second time and I just logged in like you said, and it posted the message (though I had copied it to the clipboard just in case).

I didn't even think about backing up the board. Doesn't worry me too much as I rarely play out. I think I did notice the lack of calibration before purchasing but hadn't put much thought into it until it didn't work right with my pedal right away. And a second input would be a plus, but for me, one pedal is what fits in my bag, and I will just use a switch to toggle between volume and wah.
 
Thanks for the review and pointing out the issues with the calibration and back up. That's the kind of info that's useful in making an informed decision.
 
I use phantom power with a 9V AC adapter plugged into the jack on the back of the axe. Just a random wall wart I found in a drawer we have of them. You can use a range of voltages, either AC or DC, just don't go over 9V AC or 12V DC.
 
Right, I just ordered a 1spot 9V adapter with the 1spot L6 converter, which I believe has the required 2.5mm barrel to fit the axe's phantom power jack.
 
jimfist said:
looks great. Apparent downside: only 1 exp pedal input (a second would add much value IMO). Only MIDI OUT, no THRU or IN. As mentioned above, no pedal calibration feature? Hmmm. A quick scan of the owner's manual, and I saw nothing about bulk data dumps for backup, and this would seem to be the case as there is no MIDI INPUT or other data communication port. So, how do you back this thing up? Buy TWO?

PS: if you get "timed-out" while composing a post and get kicked back to the log-in screen, just log in again and you should be redirected to where you just left off with no loss of information.
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Sorry to bump from the grave..

Im a MIDI newb, so could someone possibly go into more detail on what this poster means by this?? How do most people "back up" their MIDI boards?? do they bring a 2nd one along and keep two on the same pedalboard?? I mean; what my initial plan was, is to have this PEAK FCB8N as the only midi board, but have something like a 3-switch in my guitar case or so, in the case that if something did happen to the PEAK, I could run and get this and at least control my presets..
 
Skyze said:
Sorry to bump from the grave..

Im a MIDI newb, so could someone possibly go into more detail on what this poster means by this?? How do most people "back up" their MIDI boards?? do they bring a 2nd one along and keep two on the same pedalboard?? I mean; what my initial plan was, is to have this PEAK FCB8N as the only midi board, but have something like a 3-switch in my guitar case or so, in the case that if something did happen to the PEAK, I could run and get this and at least control my presets..
Click to expand...

Regarding a "backup" plan: this depends on how you'd like to play out your "worst case scenario". If you're a professional who relies heavily on a MIDI pedal to control more than just simple preset changes (i.e. multiple expression pedals and swithches that act as "instant access" or IA switches - for "stomp box" layout on your MIDI pedal), then you may want to have a fully functioning backup on a gig-by-gig basis. On the other extreme, for the home hobbyist or someone who uses just a few presets that need to be controlled by a MIDI pedal, then this is less of an issue, and carrying a "ready-to-go" backup may not be necessary. Or, you're somewhere in between.

Regading "backup" of a MIDI footcontroller, this is important for those who have programmed their pedals in a significant way to do many more things than simple preset changes (see above). MIDI is used to create backup files of the pedal's programming using dedicated software programs, or - in the old days - MIDI data "filers" that create backup files from a "dump" of the MIDI piece's system exclusive data, which may be retrieved for any reason at a later date by reversing the process (bulk load) in order to restore the desired programming of that MIDI piece of gear.

If you are purchasing redundant "backup" equipment, MIDI backups files (.syx files) help to lessen the hassle of programming this equipment to match the current state of the "gig-ready A Rig" equipment's programming, so that it doesn't need to be done manually from scratch.

For reference, check out the Behringer FCB1010, which has an active user forum, as well as a few computer editors that are used to program the pedal and provide backup files.

This is pertinent to the OP since in order for a MIDI pedalboard to have "backup" capabilities via MIDI sysex (.syx files), it needs to not only TRANSMIT (MIDI out) but also RECEIVE (MIDI IN) MIDI data. Since the MIDI pedal being discussed has no MIDI input, we can only assume that restoration of a typically created MIDI backup file is not possible.
 
Alright thanks,

so with the FCB8N, can you at least program it so that everytime you plug into it (like going from gig to gig) it will maintain its programmed setup?? Or do you have to set it up every time you turn it on??

While I realize it cant save the backup .syx file so you can load it onto other devices, do you feel my plan where I would use the FCB8N (with presets + stompbox changes) and if it did happen to malfunction during a show, keeping a small midi like the T21 MIDI Mouse in my guitar case or so which just has preset changes.. Do you feel that would be a suitable, cheap backup plan for a live gig?? Obviously I wouldnt be able to toggle thru specific effects, but hopefully it'd be enough to get me thru the show.

(while I do play often when I am in a band, Im fresh out of college and dont have a huge ass car / enough money and space to lug around like 3 separate fractal MFC-101's and Axe-FX's like some people. its one of each, and pray it gets me thru the show.)
 
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If you feel you can get by in an emergency situation with just incremental preset up/down functions, then your plan should work fine. My best advice is to exercise your backup plan at rehearsals to make sure the overall performance is not substantially hindered by the use of your backup equipment. Only you and your bandmates can really be the judge of how well this works in real life.

Plan for the worst, and if it happens, you're good to go. If it doesn't happen, you're still good to go. I applaud your efforts here. You'd be surprised how many players don't take the extra time and effort to think along these terms.
 
Yea. I played a show once and had my tube amp bust a tube during the first song along with frying some insides.. granted it was a cheap amp (a Kustom or Traynor, i forget) thankfully had a loner amp to play thru for the rest of it, but since then I really try to work in a backup contingency plan just incase..

Least in terms of the controller, that should be a usable backup plan. Im somewhat worried about going with solely an Axe-FX though, as my plan is to have it by itself (instead of with a tube amp + pod HD as im running right now), if it malfunctions I'd basically be screwed.

maybe I'll carry a small tech 21 sansamp or pocket pod? also in my gigbag, and run it DI for a backup. Of course, these solutions may not make the show as smooth obviously, but if its good enough to get through one night then thats all I can hope for.
 
The Peak FCB8N Controller will soon have more expression pedal jacks, the electronics are already on the board, they are just making a few more changes before updating the chassis.

Cheers S ( o )===:::
 
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