Wireless Midi scenes - use case

Tplesko

Tplesko

Inspired
This might be a rare use case, but here goes - I play in cover bands and often during a solo I will go out front, mingle with the dancers, show off, etc. So I typically wait until the solo begins, hit the solo scene, go do my thing, and then need to get back to the pedalboard to go to the verse or bridge scene. Sometimes I will ask my singer to hit a scene for me when the solo ends, but they don't like to do that (and aren't reliable to remember). So my question is - when I am away from the FM9, is there a reasonable solution for me to change scenes wirelessly? I know the Fractals can change scenes via midi, no problem there, but does anyone have a clever way of doing without using your feet nor being at the pedalboard? I was thinking some simple wireless midi CC send device on my belt with 4 buttons corresponding to 4 scenes via CC that I could change with my finger. Could be interesting. Some may think it is silly and maybe it is. Anyone have ideas? Thanks in advance,
 
linshunghuang said:
Certainly possible. Luminite (https://luminitefx.com/) has a tiny XY controller that can be paired wirelessly with their M1/M2 midi controller, which you could use to control the FM9.
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Interesting. This could do it, I think. Thank you so much for this info - truly appreciated!
XY Controllers can be wirelessly paired with Graviton Series Pedals. They can be attached to your instruments with nano pads on the bottom. These pads work like geckos' feet without any adhesives, remaining sticky after being attached and removed multiple times, and are safe for all kinds of guitar finishes.

Each XY Controller feature two 5-way directional switches, providing a total of 10 switches that can be fully programmed for tasks such as sending MIDI, switching banks, and more. The intuitive design of the XY Controllers allows for easy and hands-free operation, similar to using a pickup selector switch. This eliminates the need for tap dancing and allows you to move freely on stage while performing.
 
Do you bring an iPad to gigs? This may require more setup but I use an app called Bandhelper. It’s even got its own wiki entry on the fractal wiki: https://wiki.fractalaudio.com/wiki/index.php?title=BandHelper

Basically, the app can send midi messages on a per song basis (among lots of other things). You have to connect your fm9 to your iPad. You can do that wired or wireless with a wireless midi adapter.

However, for what you want to do, you would also want something like this: https://flic.io/shop/flic-2-single-pack
It’s a little remote control button that you can use to remote control the app. You can literally attach it to your guitar strap and press it to advance to your next midi command for the song your on.

The app Bandhelper has been an absolute game changer so even though it’s more than what you need, I can’t help but recommend it. It’s especially for a cover band where you probably need manage a large repertoire of songs. Search the forum to see what other uses say about it
 
I second Bandhelper. I play to a click track for video syncing in one of my projects, and we use BandHelper to run everything all off an iPad (track, video, midi FM9 changes). All perfectly synced together. I created midi files in my DAW then attached that file to the "track file" in Bandhelper. To make it all work, I use a WidiMaster connected to my FM9. It's a tiny midi bluetooth in/out jacks, that receives wireless midi messages sent from the iPad via Bandhelper. I never have to touch my FM9 for an entire 90-120min show...except to turn on the tuner. When making the midi files, I found some songs I was making 30+ pedal board changes PER SONG. Stupid, I know. But I can be at any part of the stage and everything is fully automated. I even program things that I really wouldn't be able to do on the fly by pressing buttons on the FM9. And the biggest plus is, less live mistakes because I can concentrate on actually playing and not pressing buttons.

If you don't play to tracks/click, you can set up Bandhelper to have midi presets per song, then trigger the solo change you need with something like the IK iRig BlueTurn switcher.
 
I'm using the Luminite system regularly as part of my Ax3 and Fm3 rigs (actually same M1 Graviton that I move back and forth between rigs) since they came out a few years ago (my M1 is serial #15). Primarily I use it to engage individual fx blocks, but more recently have started to use scenes in song-specific patches to trigger solo effects while away from my pedalboard. For the most part it has worked well, though I'm always a little shy about the distance I can actually use the Xy controllers reliably. 15-20 feet is usually fine, but I've had some missed triggers in the heat of the moment. The XY triggers communicate to the M1/M2 units via a 2.4ghz connection, so interference might be the cause.

You could use something like an Airturn device as well, though it would require more configuration (midi mode) to trigger

Side note: there are quite a few "wishes" asking for song section selection detail via midi, which would make this even better in my opinion.
 
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