Tech 21 MIDI Mongoose

mferrand

mferrand

Inspired
Hey All,

Is anyone using the Mongoose to control a Fractal product? I have an FM3 and just picked you the MIDI Mongoose
Except for preset and scene changes, is there anything else that you can do with this unit?

Cheers, Mike
 
Unless you're using PC Mapping (which is pretty limiting) you cannot do scene changes (based on reading the manual) because the device doesn't even send CCs except for the expression pedals.

So, that's pretty much the limit: presets, scenes via PC Mapping and 2 possible continuous controllers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: JTI
Here is how you would do Presets & Scenes.
Setup -> MIDI/Remote -> Mapping

To Preset To Scene
PC0 511 1
PC1 511 2
PC2 511 3
PC3 511 4

etc, etc....
 
Last edited:
mferrand said:
Here is how you would do Presets & Scenes.
Setup -> MIDI/Remote -> Mapping

To Preset To Scene
PC0 511 1
PC1 511 2
PC2 511 3
PC3 511 4

etc, etc....
Click to expand...
Sure... But there's only mapping from 0-127... So if you map 8 scenes per preset that's 16 presets.
 
Scene selection should be done with PC, not CC. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of incentive for FAS to improve midi controller support when they sell the FC-12 and FC-6 :).
 
GlennO said:
Scene selection should be done with PC, not CC. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of incentive for FAS to improve midi controller support when they sell the FC-12 and FC-6 :).
Click to expand...
Don't understand this. You can change scenes on axe fx and fm3 with any DECENT midi controller.
 
lauke-lux said:
Don't understand this. You can change scenes on axe fx and fm3 with any DECENT midi controller.
Click to expand...
You can change scenes with a some midi controllers, but not others. Even with those that would work with CC, it's complicated. It's not easy to get the button assigned to a scene to illuminate mutually exclusively. In other words, pressing one button should light up, but the others should have their lights go out when you do so. However, this is trivial using PC instead of CC, and would work with any midi controller.

The simple fact is scenes are like mini presets, and the correct midi message to use for selecting presets is PC, not CC. If you could (optionally) assign a range of PC's for scene selection (you only need to reserve 8 for this purpose), the number of midi controllers that would work for scene selection would be significantly expanded, including very nice foot controllers like the Roland FC-300.
 
GlennO said:
You can change scenes with a some midi controllers, but not others. Even with those that would work with CC, it's complicated. It's not easy to get the button assigned to a scene to illuminate mutually exclusively. In other words, pressing one button should light up, but the others should have their lights go out when you do so. However, this is trivial using PC instead of CC, and would work with any midi controller.

The simple fact is scenes are like mini presets, and the correct midi message to use for selecting presets is PC, not CC. If you could (optionally) assign a range of PC's for scene selection (you only need to reserve 8 for this purpose), the number of midi controllers that would work for scene selection would be significantly expanded, including very nice foot controllers like the Roland FC-300.
Click to expand...

GlennO said:
You can change scenes with a some midi controllers, but not others. Even with those that would work with CC, it's complicated. It's not easy to get the button assigned to a scene to illuminate mutually exclusively. In other words, pressing one button should light up, but the others should have their lights go out when you do so. However, this is trivial using PC instead of CC, and would work with any midi controller.

The simple fact is scenes are like mini presets, and the correct midi message to use for selecting presets is PC, not CC. If you could (optionally) assign a range of PC's for scene selection (you only need to reserve 8 for this purpose), the number of midi controllers that would work for scene selection would be significantly expanded, including very nice foot controllers like the Roland FC-300.
Click to expand...
I permit myself to insist. The FC300 is dated from 2007 when guitarists were happy just being able to adress patches to midi equiped devices. Keynoard players would use CC controlers only.

The problem is the midi standard, not FAS who were so kind to allow using scenes by using intelligently CC controls. You should buy a DECENT controller. A Voes, an MC6 an FCB1010, a Gordius LG controller and even the cheapo Thomann thing with the right firmware will do what is required.
 
That’s exactly my point :). PC already perfectly does what is needed for scene selection. There was no need to resort to using CC. This case is exactly the kind of thing PC was designed to do. No special firmware or controller or programming is needed.
 
GlennO said:
That’s exactly my point :). PC already perfectly does what is needed for scene selection. There was no need to resort to using CC. This case is exactly the kind of thing PC was designed to do. No special firmware or controller or programming is needed.
Click to expand...
Sigh....
 
I use my FC-300 to change patches, & to change scenes within a patch. Also I can control effect on/off in addition to many multiple modifier parameters using up to 5 expression pedals if I want, including controlling my VG-99 and any other processor I want simultaneously. I use a combination of PC & CC's to accomplish this. It just takes a little time & creativity and can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it. It sure would help if there were an editor like the fabulous MC-8. I can do everything I need to do on the FC-300 that I can on the MC-8. What I found though is that I was making my setup too complicated with the MC-8 trying to remember all the press, double press, press hold, toggle page functions, etc. Doing as much of a pedal board dance on 8 switches in a tight space as I was trying to get away from on a big pedal board. I've become very adept in programming the fc-300. I think on the surface the FC-300 may be misunderstood as too simple or conversely too complicated, but it can handle much more than pc changes. But I have to admit the MC-8 is a great controller & has a great editor making programming a breeze.
 
The FC300 is a great controller and is quite popular because of its high quality construction. But, no, there's no mutual exclusive lighting capability on the FC300 for CC's. That's true of most midi controllers.

The simple fact is PC would have been the better message to use for scene selection, but I can understand how changing that is not high priority when FAS sells their own foot controllers :).
 
I just got an FM3 a few days ago. I already have a tech 21 midi mongoose that I was using with a Bias Head that I'll be selling since I now have a Fractal and I was just wondering how useful the midi mongoose would be and what all i might be able to use it for since I am not in a position to be able to invest in a FC6 anytime soon at all so I googled it and saw this thread. I read what you all said here about changing scenes with it being a headache, not worth it for me, could I just use it to turn certain effects on/off within scenes or is that too complicated for that thing as well? Any tips at all by anyone who's used something like this for anything worth using it for? Total noob here btw I've started watching some videos on YT but I've only got a chance to even plug into it a couple times, I'm trying to arm myself with knowledge first and not go in and set things up for what sounds good here cause I want to be able to hear it on the different PAs that my church has and see how I'm going to want the switches mapped out for live use that was my primary drive to invest in this in the first place, I'm super psyched! Hope you all are well and thanks for any helpful knowledge that you may choose to take the time to share with me here.
 
Brian Dean-O said:
I just got an FM3 a few days ago. I already have a tech 21 midi mongoose that I was using with a Bias Head that I'll be selling since I now have a Fractal and I was just wondering how useful the midi mongoose would be and what all i might be able to use it for since I am not in a position to be able to invest in a FC6 anytime soon at all so I googled it and saw this thread. I read what you all said here about changing scenes with it being a headache, not worth it for me, could I just use it to turn certain effects on/off within scenes or is that too complicated for that thing as well? Any tips at all by anyone who's used something like this for anything worth using it for? Total noob here btw I've started watching some videos on YT but I've only got a chance to even plug into it a couple times, I'm trying to arm myself with knowledge first and not go in and set things up for what sounds good here cause I want to be able to hear it on the different PAs that my church has and see how I'm going to want the switches mapped out for live use that was my primary drive to invest in this in the first place, I'm super psyched! Hope you all are well and thanks for any helpful knowledge that you may choose to take the time to share with me here.
Click to expand...
Nope... You can use it for preset changes or scene changes via PC Mapping (as mentioned previously).
 
unix-guy said:
Nope... You can use it for preset changes or scene changes via PC Mapping (as mentioned previously).
Click to expand...
I'll have to lookup what PC Mapping is. I guess since I don't know what that means I misunderstood what people were saying. Is PC mapping just going in the FM3 edit and telling it what you want the switches to do?
 
Brian Dean-O said:
I'll have to lookup what PC Mapping is. I guess since I don't know what that means I misunderstood what people were saying. Is PC mapping just going in the FM3 edit and telling it what you want the switches to do?
Click to expand...
No.

It is a way to map an incoming midi PC to a specific preset+scene combination on the Fractal.

Your controller can only send PCs (Program Change aka Preset Change).

You can use PC Mapping to get limited ability for scene changes.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom