Foot Controller Sensitivity Issue

Hi, everyone!

I have a Boss FS-7 dual footswitch (Compact version) plugged into my MIDI keyboard that I’ve been trying to use to move between Variations in my rackspace, but I’m having some control issues with it.

To illustrate, if I have 20 Variations loaded for a gig, I would reasonably expect to press the forward switch once on the FS-7 (without particular regard to pressure or duration) to move from Variation 1 to Variation 2, then press it again to go from 2 to 3, then push the backward switch to go from 3 to 2, etc. What ends up happening instead is that I attempt to skim the switch as quickly and lightly as I possibly can, and the program cycles from Variation 1 to somewhere around Variation 6 or 8. I use the word “cycles” purposefully, because I know that GP doesn’t skip Variations 2-5; I know this because, if I keep my eye on my laptop’s screen as I graze the switch, all of the intermediate Variations briefly light up and go dark again–all in a split second. This cycling through several variations happens every time too, rendering my attempt to even use a footswitch virtually pointless, since I have no control over where it lands.

Have any of you heard of such a phenomenon before? Is a sensitivity setting somewhere set too high? Is GP just not compatible with the FS-7? If so, I was thinking of purchasing a Behringer FCB1010 sometime soon anyway (primarily for the expression pedals, although the additional switches don’t hurt either); would that fare any better than the FS-7? How would you suggest that I address this issue?

Thanks for your time!

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More info needed:

  • what keyboard?
  • what midi/audio interface?
  • what version, Mac ? Or win?

Not sure what you mean by “skim” but it sounds like you’re just trying to position the switch so that it’s at the “edge” between up and down and it’s sending the same message multiple times. Open the global MIDI monitor and you’ll be able to see the incoming messages. That should give you a clue

First thing I would do is check the Global MIDI Monitor to see what messages you are actually getting from the pedal. Then check the pedal manual to see what the choices are for the switches on the side of the pedal.

I use the FCB1010 and it’s very useful. Also, I highly recommend the UnO chip replacement. It provides the ability to have switch 4 or 5 as a sustain pedal (if you need that).

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From another forum:

Bought an FS-7 today and it just kept scrolling even though it was set to momentary. Inverting the tip and ring polarity in the settings is the trick.

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Thank you, friends! The Global MIDI Monitor was indeed the issue. It’s working perfectly now.

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