I just bought the hotone ampero control together with an Moog ep3 pedal. I want to send midi information for the moog pedal via the ampero control to GP. This is working although when using the pedal in wah-wah style the cc values jump quickly and are not gradual or sluggish. Feels like the output from the ampero is too slow to do it right. When using the pedal like a volume/swell for hammond it works correctly.
I have calibrated the pedal and also tested it using my Roland RD88 and it sends the midi information correctly.
I have sent a message to HoTone as well but had no response so far.
Anyone experienced the same issue with this foot controller?
Open up the Global Midi Monitor in GP (Window) menu, and see what the incoming flow of midi messages looks like. Does the Ampero connect directly to the computer via usb?
You can also rule out GP by confirming you see the same issue in another DAW or via a standalone MIDI monitor like Protokol.
Thanks forbyour reply. I checked the global midi monitor and this confirmed that with the ampero the midi stutters and with the rd88 as ‘midi device’ the midi sent constant messages as expected.
I have connected the ampero via usb and via midi out which gave similar results.
You can try this. Hotone told me to use a TRS cable (which I got with the pedal, so that was not the issue). It probably was a compatibility issue regarding impedances. I did not get it to work so I am now using a standard expression midi block as favorite where my RD88 sends expression messages to wherever I want.
I’m using an Ampero Control with an Ampero Press II via TRS (MXR cable), and like you, I noticed that the MIDI CC values are jumpy or sluggish when using the pedal for wah-type effects. It works fine for slow swells though.
I tested it primarily with Neural DSP plugins, where the latency was very noticeable. But to be sure it wasn’t a plugin-specific issue, I also monitored the MIDI data using MIDI-OX on Windows, and saw the same delayed or inconsistent CC messages there too — so the issue clearly comes from the controller itself.
I reached out to Hotone support and they did reply. They said they’d try to replicate the issue and would let me know if a fix becomes available. But honestly, since this seems to be a long-standing issue without resolution, I’ve decided to return the controller.
It’s a shame because the Ampero Control has great potential, but smooth expression input is essential for my use case. I’ll be looking into other MIDI controllers that offer better expression performance.
I’m confident the pedal (Hotone Ampero Press II) isn’t the issue, as I tested it with other devices. I also tried a friend’s Dunlop Volume (X) Mini Pedal with the Ampero Control, and it showed the exact same behavior.
Regarding pedal calibration — unlike other controllers such as the Morningstar, the Ampero Control does not offer a calibration feature.
You can see here that the configuration screen doesn’t include a calibration option, and also shows the latency in action:
There are a few other examples that clearly show the latency, but I can’t embed them because I’m a new user.
I think the unit works fine for controlling parameters that don’t require immediate precision — like adjusting gain. But if you’re trying to control something like a Whammy or wah-wah effect, the latency becomes very noticeable.
Mini Pedal with the Ampero Control, and it showed the exact same behavior.
