Nektar Pacer Discussion

Hardware
1

I just picked up one of these and I’m finding it extremely flexible, with lots of possibilities to control GP. Finding a few quirks as well, but I seem to be able to work around those.

Syncing footswitch LEDs with GP widgets
I got this working for the Pacer footswitch LEDs, but strangely it doesn’t change/sync the CC value in the Pacer. For example, the widget and footswitch are set as a toggle, and so the Pacer will alternately send values 0 and 127. However if you change the widget state in GP, it will update the LED on the Pacer, but it won’t update the CC value in the Pacer, so you still need to press the Pacer footswitch twice to get things back in sync. Seems a bizarre choice to sync the LED but not the stored CC value (I will contact them about this).
Solution though is to change the Pacer to send value 127 only and activate the widget setting ‘Momentary to Latching’. Now it all works correctly.

Using multiple Pacer Presets for different GP functions
I want to maximise the use of the Pacer and plan to use multiple of its ‘Presets’ e.g. some for PC messages to move rackspaces/variations, others for CC messages to control widgets/plugin settings - possibly using them for specific plugins e.g. one for looper duties, one for amp/fx switches.
One nice thing with the Pacer Presets is that you can send midi messages when you change to a particular preset. This can be used to do things like open a plugin window with GPScript when you go to a particular preset e.g. open the looper plugin when you switch to your ‘Looper’ preset. It’s nice that you can name the presets - that appear in the Pacer LED display (5 character limit).

Keeping Pacer LEDs in sync with GP for non-active Presets
My first test was to use one Pacer preset for PC messages to change rackspaces/variations, and a second Pacer preset for CC messages to control a few common fx on/bypass widgets. But I quickly noticed that the CC ‘sync’ between GP and the Pacer only works for the active Pacer preset. So if I change to the PC message preset and change to a different rackspace/variation, and then go back to the CC message preset, the footswitches did not correctly reflect their state in GP.
Solution to this was to use the same Preset midi messages that you can send out when you switch to a particular Preset. That way, when I switch back to the CC Preset, GPScript can detect that I’ve changed to this preset and ‘touch’ the widgets, which syncs them up with the Pacer. I’ve only done a quick test, but it seems to work well.

Using a footswitch to cycle through different expression pedal CC’s
Although each Pacer ‘Preset’ can have a different CC mapped to the expression pedal, there are some other nice options within a single preset. For example, you can set a footswitch to step through different CC mappings for the expression pedal, and assign them different colours. So press 1 (green) would be CC to control volume, press 2 (blue) would be CC for the wah, press 3 (purple) would be the CC for an effect gain etc.

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Interesting unit. Its footprint is identical to the footswitch portion of a Behringer FCB1010 (without the 2 pedals). They added USB MIDI out, and 2 more amp switch ports than the FCB1010, so its far more useful in that realm. Nektar made a mistake in not copying the footswitch layout though. The FCB1010 staggers the top and bottom rows, which lessens the chance that your foot accidentally steps on a switch in the wrong row. The Nektar unit has the top and bottom row aligned, so for people with big feet like me, it pretty much rules this unit out. Too many accidental presses.

It’s a cool looking unit though, and I like the size of it. I’ve considered making the modification on one of my FCB1010’s to remove the 2 pedals to reduce the overall footprint of the unit to the size of this Nektar unit. It’s a pain since, in addition to cutting off the end with the 2 pedals, you have to move and drill new holes for the power.

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I had the same issue with my Icon Platform M+ control surface, but Icon fixed this on my request. Perhaps your could ask Nektar to modify this.

Can you define/modify the pedal labels and icons dynamically from GP using a SysEx ?

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No, they’re not displays but just an LED under a fixed template image/label.

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Too bad, in the picture they looked like OLED displays…

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You can choose to only use the LED strips if you want, and customise colours. OLED would have been nice, but probably a whole other price bracket.

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The vertical height difference between the buttons on the top and bottom rows is pretty comparable between the two units. But I agree that the horizontal offset on the FCB1010 would reduce missteps.

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Look at the RJM Mastermind GT pedalboards.

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I just received my Pacer. I expected to connect it up to GP with some default config, have some GP Widgets learn the default MIDI messages, and start playing around. Turns out the Pacer over complicates things and the manual is, well, not very good. I have no doubt that I will be able to get it working as I want, but it’s not very user friendly. It has USB, but it seems that the app for programming it is from a 3rd party.

My first impression is that DAW control (rather than live gigging) is the focus. At first blush, I’m a bit concerned that an unexpected press could put the unit in an unwanted preset when playing live. Hopefully, I can deprogram some of that. The last thing I want is it to go into Cubase or Kemper mode in the middle of a set.

I envision two modes of operation: Performance and Stompbox. In Stompbox mode, I would have it switch between a small number of favorite rackspaces and have some consistent switches for tremolo, chorus, reverb, etc. The expression pedals would be volume and wah. Perfect for just jamming with whatever might come up.

In performance mode, I’ll assign some switches for prev/next song and song parts, play etc. The remaining switches would be context dependent, depending on the rackspace and variation. One expression pedal would always be for volume, and the other would depend on the song. I’ve also got an Arturia KeyLab MkII, so I can add those buttons, knobs, faders, and more switches and continuous pedal to the floor, if needed.

Speaking of the KeyLab, it’s so much more user friendly than the Pacer. Super intuitive with three easy to understand, well-integrated modes, and a factory supplied app that makes customization easy. Super inviting for a new user.

By contrast, I’ve hooked up the Pacer, updated the firmware, tried to run the configuration software for Logic Pro (Apple rejected it due to security concerns), played with some buttons, read enough of the manual to get frustrated (the second sentence in one paragraph is, “Sounds confusing?”), watched a couple of YouTube tutorials, and turned it off. I’ve got music to make!

BTW, Gig Performer is awesome in the new user experience area. Plug it in, load an example gig for Guitar, Keyboard, or Voice, get the inputs connected properly, and play, Watch a video and easily make your first Gig from scratch. Cool. It all builds from there. Yes, it can get complex as you did deeper, but it’s immediately inviting.

So much for first impressions. I expect that the Pacer will get easier after I get over the hump…

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I used to use a Pacer. The trick with these pedal boards is to just set up a bank with each “button” to be a CC message (with value of either 0 or 127)

Then do everything else form gig performer.

3 Likes
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Perfect. That’s exactly what I will do. GP has that perfect combination of power, flexibility, organization, and ease of use. I want the pedalboard to be set-and-forget.

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My experience with Nektar is limited to the P6 keyboard. It was a fine piece of hardware. Unfortunately, the software for it was not “fine”. I did some professional coding (assembler and C) back in the day, so I had pretty good architecture design and troubleshooting skills. Nektar seemed to revel in doing things in the most complicated way possible, while still getting things to work. Sort of.

I identified a couple of easily reproducible bugs that borked the control surface use in Studio One and passed those on to Nektar’s tech support.

Their response?

It works OK in with our existing test suite.

They made no attempt to reproduce the bugs using the steps that I provided. Those showstopper bugs were never addressed nor corrected.

I used the P6 as a MIDI keyboard, but had to buy a different control surface. I eventually landfilled the P6 and purchased elsewhere.

Later, when the Pacer came out, I almost bought one…until I remembered my experience with the P6. I passed.

It seems they haven’t changed a bit. As @dhj mentioned, if you treat their gear a simple hardware, it’s pretty good. Just don’t plan on taking advantage of the more ‘advanced’ bits driven by their software.

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Fortunately, with Gig Performer, we don’t need the Pacer to do anything complicated.

Regarding the hardware, it seems to be quite good. The body is metal and feels solid. The foot switches might be plastic, but they seem to have nice quality, and unlike the little, metal, old-school foot switches, they are comfortable to use when rehearsing with bare feet. The lights are bright, colorful and look good. Having just received it today, I can’t speak to longevity, but the hardware has exceeded expectations. (Would have been nice to have the pedal offset, but oh well.) The software might grow on me, but the out-of-box experience was disappointing.

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I finally got back to the Pacer, and programming it was simple and intuitive. Just connect the Pacer to your computer, burn the manual, and go to this 3rd party link: Nektar Pacer Editor by StudioCode.dev

As @dhj suggested, I just set each pedal to a Trigger (momentary) with a CC# and values of 127/0. Based on the available labels, I set the top row of switches for Next Song, Play(/Stop), Next Song Part, and Prev Song Part. By lighting the middle row of LEDs, it shows “Track” (for Next Song), Transport Controls (square, right-pointing triangle, circle), a down triangle, and an up triangle. For the bottom six switches, I just lit the bars as these are all context dependent.

You know the switches that they use in military vehicles with the safety covers? I might want covers like that for the Preset Switch and the Press-Knob. I don’t ever want to go into another preset or mode by accident. When no-look triggering things with the feet, it’s all too easy to bump something. Hopefully, I can do some more programming to make it idiot pruuf.

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I’ve successfully dumbed it down. Using the webapp above, I stored the sysex file, so I can retrieve the factory settings (well, it has my personal, A1 preset.) I then did “turn, press, press, turn, press” something like 23 times and wrote my personal preset into every slot. No bomb door switch covers needed - I hope. It seems that if I inadvertently turn the wheel, I just need to press the Preset footswitch to get back “home.”

Still, I could accidentally turn the knob and press it before hitting preset. I might need that bomb door switch cover after all…

Oooh, given its location, my custom cover could also cover the power switch and make a harness for the USB cable while I’m at it.

I used to work for a company that made TV broadcasting equipment. Much of it was built specifically without a power switch and with a built-in latch for the power cord. Signal cables use (captive) BNC connectors. No broom handle is going to take the Super Bowl off air!

Old habits die hard.

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You may have seen a pic of my “Nektar Pacer” project, which I have been trying to complete and create a representation that I place on a monitor in front of my Pacer pedal. Also my Pacer pedal has some custom magnetic labels I created and cut to fit between the pedals, that was done in MS Publisher. It is a work in progress for me, and I apologize for any confusion that all things were possible, or any misrepresentation of the Pacer pedal. I was only looking for help with my project when these were posted. Always open for ideas.My Nektar Pacer project

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Well, I was not reacting to the pictures of your project, which are not posted here, but to the pictures of the original Nektar Pacer. However, when seing the size of your screen and the representation of the Nektar Pacer on it, I wonder if we could not put this kind of screen, in touch version, directly on the floor, instead of the pedal board itself… :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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That might not be a bad idea for someone like K.D. Lang, who performs barefoot. But then she doesn’t run her own sound. lol and if she steps to hard on the monitor, it will certainly be a Hendrix or Who moment. :slight_smile:

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Love my Pacer which I use to control my Eleven Rack. But I am beating my head over this. I use the online program mentioned above for most of my programming but also on the unit itself. I also have Mission Engineering EP-11-S as EXP1 FS1 which is set as Latching

When I load a patch I send certain Midi presets including turn on the EXP1 as a volume pedal. I would like to then have the FS1 toggle between the Vol and Wah with each press. I can’t get it right and end up with various after a cycle they turn on and off together, or the Wah turns off and on but Volume remains on.

Help!

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Confirming: you’re trying to have the Pacer change the CC message it uses for the expression pedal (when you press the toe switch on the EP-11-S)? Or handle everything in GP?

How do you deal with moving between wah and volume patches? Do you use the ‘catch’ widget behaviour so that your volume doesn’t jump as soon as you move the expression pedal?