Roland FC-200 questions

[Kingkong]

Can you program roland FC-200 for example like this:

Switches 1-5 sends program change messages
Switches 6-10 sends Effect block messages (CC?). i.e. pressing 6 will put compresor on, 7= reverb,8=delay etc.
Control button = volume boost for solo
Expression pedal=depending on patch. sometimes controlling delay feedback, sometimes volume etc. etc.

Anyone know?

I have behringer fcb1010, but It's expression pedals got burned by stage lights!! They are now smelt.. otherwise working fine..

I am considering buying this FC-200.

[Mincer]

dunno, but id buy another FCB- it will do what you want cheaper and with another exp pedal too (and control your other gear too!)

[1923ford]

i just got my FC200 so i can't answer that for sure. i also have the FCB1010 and find it too difficult to program for the GT Pro. if you get the FC200 from music123.com, you get a free EV-5 expression pedal.

[Kingkong]

yes fcb is definetly too hard to program. I have very first versions of it's eeprom / sowtware I believe..
And the price difference in europe is about 40eur.

Does FC-200 reguire external power like FCB?? or can it use phantom..

[mharris]

i just got my FC200 so i can't answer that for sure. i also have the FCB1010 and find it too difficult to program for the GT Pro. if you get the FC200 from music123.com, you get a free EV-5 expression pedal.

Too difficult to program manually perhaps, but there is free software to program the
FCB1010 with in the Yahoo Groups FCB1010 forum, which allegedly makes
programming it a total breeze.

I don't own one myself, and so have never done this personally, but I've read
many posts on the Boss GT Central forums from people who have, and it sounds
quite trivial from what I have read.

Hope this helps...

[aerial7]

Try the GT-Pro manual (available online or in the box); the section on the FC-200 should give you a good sense for whether your specific needs will be met. Also, keep in mind that as a different unit with perhaps a different set of design points, the FC-200 may meet your needs but not in the ways you currently expect.....

[Mincer]

Id stick with the FCB...if you ever want to add to the rack, the FCB, with updated firmware and the computer editor does more than the Roland pedal and is cheaper. Learn all about MIDI, so you can control the GTPro any way you want.

[Matt_B]

I've been looking into both the FC200 and FCB1010 and the FC200 cannot do what you're asking. The pedal either operates in Program Change Mode (1o pedals for presets and the CTR and EXP pedals for sending CC data) or CC Mode (13 pedals and the EXP pedal send CC#. You cannot mix the two.

The best you can do is in CC mode, assigns pedals to increment or decrement the patch number by 1. This will allow you to step up or down from the current preset but you cannot jump between them.

[rcknrllmn]

I've been looking into both the FC200 and FCB1010 and the FC200 cannot do what you're asking. The pedal either operates in Program Change Mode (1o pedals for presets and the CTR and EXP pedals for sending CC data) or CC Mode (13 pedals and the EXP pedal send CC#. You cannot mix the two.

Actually you can (you just need extra footswitches) have 10 pedals for presets + CTR & EXP. plus the extra jacks on the back of the FC-200 for CC assignments (about six or seven I can't remember).
:wink:

See link-
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y281/rcknrllmn/DSC00140.jpg

[Matt_B]

You are of course correct but that's assuming you want to spend the extra cash and deal with all the external footswitches and cables. Most folks don't want to go that route since a MIDI foot controller should simplify things.

[rcknrllmn]

Yes, just simply stating that it can be done if you want. I didn't want to mislead the fact that it was said it cannot be done. Lucklily for me I have lots of extra Boss footswitches from other uses over the years, no extra expense for me.

[Matt_B]

You are again correct and I should have qualified my statement by including "without external pedals". I never thought of it myself but I ruled out ever using external pedals. I wrote that off as an option long ago. I'm leaning towards the FCB1010 now.

[rcknrllmn]

Cool, :wink: - it certainly seems alot more versatile.

[Matt_B]

Eh, only to a point. If I get one, I have to upgrade the firmware immediately to a third party version. I'm still trying to find out if I can send MMC messages for my PC based sequencer for recording. The FC200 will do that.

[Mincer]

the FCB will not send MMC commands, but most sequencers these days can be configured so any CC command will stop or start recording- you just need to set up the sequencer so it will listen to a specific midi command to start/stop recording. Note-on commands will also work, which the FCB does.

one of the big reasons against the Roland pedal is the expense for what you get- it is designed to control 1 unit, and that is it. Sure, you can use external pedals (the FCB can too) but the floor real estate and setup time are a factor too.

[rcknrllmn]

Some of these issues are really what you make of it. To some it is an issue, others not so big of a deal. After I placed my pieces into a fixed pedalboard there really is no extra setup & takes up about the same space as the GT-8. FC-200 is about 3 & 11/16" wider/longer (24") than GT-8 & depth is the same with the extra switches. FCB1010 is 27" but also has the extra expression pedal.

[Matt_B]

Thanks for the info Mincer. I should have said "recorder" and not sequencer. Old habit. :) I downloaded the manual for the FCB1010 and have not had a chance to thoroughly read through it. Now I only need to determine if my recording software (Cakewalk Home Studio 4XL) will allow me to map CCs to transport controls. I know I can map mixer controls to CCs but I don't know about the transport control...yet. :)

I've been researching both the FC200 and the FCB1010 and I'm still undecided. With the UnO firmware, the FCB1010 is much better. I really want the LEDs on the pedals to indicate their status accurately (Stomp Box mode). However, Stomp Box mode only allows (5) pedals to function as described. I really don't care about having pedals assigned to patches since I'm not gigging. With the FC200, I can assigned (2) pedals for Patch Increment and Patch Decrement and that'll work for me. The 2nd expression pedal on the FCB1010 is very tempting though. I also think the Roland is built a little better too.

Decisions, decisions, decisions. :)

[rarj60]

I have the FC-200 and GT-Pro. When I change patches on the FC-200 the CTL LED does not change states. Is there a way to turn off the CTL Pedal, like the GT-8 does, when it changes patches?

[aerial7]

I have the FC-200 and GT-Pro. When I change patches on the FC-200 the CTL LED does not change states. Is there a way to turn off the CTL Pedal, like the GT-8 does, when it changes patches?

I really don't know -- so I probly shouldn't be replying! -- but I don't think so. Maybe check the -200's manual to see if the CC# for the CTL pedal can be assigned. (I think you can control whether it acts a momentary or latching pedal, but I don't think that helps here....)

For what it's worth, the CTL pedal on mine is used to toggle the Pro's manual mode, so I don't care about the LED. Maybe I should cover up the light so it doesn't confuse me....