Hey, everybody. Query for the GPers who use the Behringer FCB1010 as their MIDI foot controller.
I play guitar and keys at my church, and I’ve recently made the switch to a fully digital live rig; my desire is to combine minimal hardware with maximum tonal flexibility. To that end, I just purchased the FCB with the intention of using it as an all-in-one foot controller for both instruments: the MIDI keyboard plugs directly into my laptop via USB, the guitar plugs into an audio interface that likewise connects to the laptop via USB, and both instrument signals are wired through the same output of my audio interface to front-of-house. Now the FCB’s been thrown into the mix by connecting directly to the laptop via a MIDI-to-USB cable.
The current layout in my head of how I’d like the FCB to function is for switches 1 and 2 to be my Next and Previous Variation changes, switch 3 to be my tap tempo for time-based effects, switch 4 to be my keyboard sustain, and the expression pedals to be for keyboard filter sweeps, guitar swells, etc.
Two problems currently stand in the way of actualizing my plan. First, GP doesn’t appear to recognize that the FCB is plugged in. I say “appear” because the Rig Manager recognizes when I plug and unplug a “Usb midi,” but when I, for example, map an expression pedal widget to my rackspace in Edit mode and then attempt to Learn one of the expression pedals to it, nothing happens; likewise, when I go into the Global MIDI Assignments and attempt to Learn the switches to various functions, nothing happens. Have I missed something? Is getting GP and the FCB to talk to each other a more complicated process than just plug-and-play?
The second problem is more centered in the FCB itself, not necessarily in how it interfaces with GP. I’m new to the world of MIDI, but as I understand it, foot controllers like the FCB can accomplish one of two broad tasks: program changes (PCs) and control changes (CCs). PCs are what I would use if I were assigning each switch to an individual patch. Using PCs, I would, for example, assign a basic distorted guitar patch to switch 1, that same patch plus delay and reverb to switch 2, a Hammond B3 sound on the keyboard to switch 3, and so on. CCs, on the other hand, have to do more with global MIDI functions like tap tempo, sustain, mute, and so forth, so in order to accomplish the tasks that I described above, I should probably prefer to use CCs.
Assuming that I got the previous paragraph more-or-less right–and my inexperience in this entire area might well be the cause of all my issues–the FCB’s infamous complexity has thrown me another curveball. Based on the instructions provided in the user’s manual, I hold the Down button while turning on the unit, press the Up button to assign MIDI function, press 1 to indicate that that’s the switch I want to edit, press up again to confirm, but then the snag hits: I had planned to assign switches 1 and 2 to the blank MIDI CC #s 21 and 22, but the MIDI Channel Selection in the FCB only allows me to select from channels 01-15; what happened to the other 112 #s above and beyond that? Am I going about this entirely the wrong way? (In case it’s relevant, I purchased my FCB used on eBay, and I think the chip it has is the official Behringer chip, though I’ve also purchased an UnO to install later, because I’ve heard it makes Learning certain functions like sustain easier.)
My apologies for the length of this post. As you can probably tell, I’m simultaneously excited by the possibilities that are nearly within my grasp, yet frustrated by the untimely appearance of Murphy’s Law. Any help or clarification on these issues would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
