Foot Pedal MIDI on/off mapping

[tboydva]

I am new to MIDI controller mapping but have been through the Ableton guide and quite a few youtube videos... Nobody seems to present an example of what I'd like to do. Searching here hasn't helped (although I don't know what terms to search best...).

I have some effects on my audio track and I'd like to engage one or more (using the yellow on/off button at the top left of the device title bar. I have a Line6 FBV MKII foot pedal. I have set the switch mode(s) to Toggle, Momentary, and Single - all with the same result(s).

What I want to do it press the A button for instance and turn on the Device - then on the second press - turn it off. When I map it, it only allows me to turn it on. If I try to map another pedal (B for instance) to turn it off, it has the same functionality (only turns on - not off). I've tried having it on when I map and having it off - same results. Here is a screenshot:

Is this not possible? It seems like it should be, but perhaps I'm thinking this through incorrectly. Hopefully this makes sense.

[zsazsa]

If you put one footswitch in toggle mode then you should be able to toggle the FX button on and off with that one footswitch button.

But that is not the case?

Can you check what midi commands the footswitch is sending?
You can use midiOx to see the commands that are coming from the pedalboard. (do close Ableton when you do that, or else the midi connections are already 'in use')

From https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/artic ... ns-in-Live :
A Toggle MIDI message means the pedal or button sends out a value of 127 when pressed once. This does not constitute a 'complete' message for certain parameters until it is pressed a second time and a value of 0 is sent. Most footswitches usually send "Toggle" by default.

[tboydva]

Thanks so much for the reply... It seems I have it set up correctly? Here's the data to make sure (I'm obviously rather new to this). I have the controller set up for Toggle and each button is assigned a different value:



If I press pedal A, I get 127 (0x7H) sent (I think - it's called Data2 in midiOX):



When I press pedal A again, I get 0 (0x00) sent on Data2:



Same occurs for Pedal B:



Sorry - when I preview, the images don't show - but the link(s) are there. The "Data1" values do not match the MIDI "value" from the FBV Control software (foot pedals A-D are 016-019 in FBV but midiOx shows DATA1 from 10-13...). I wonder if that could be the issue???

Thanks again. It seems like it has to be something simple....

-Tom

[zsazsa]

I think the DATA1 is ok. I think MidiOX shows it in hex and starts counting at 0.
So that 15 would be A and 16 would be 10.

But to toggle you only need one button on your controller. I hope this is the issue now.

OK, to check:
Use only ONE button to control the on/ off status of your ableton device.

Go to midi mapping mode, select the mapped button, click delete.

Make sure that you select the device button you want to map, click the stompbutton A on your controller.
Exit midi map mode in Ableton.

You should be able to switch the button on AND off with the button A on your controller.

[tboydva]

zsazsa, thanks again. So - I think I'm doing it according to the instructions... I made a screen capture video. Sound is pretty lousy (webcam speaker), but you can hear my exaggerated foot presses on the toggle switch. It will either turn the device on (when off) and it stays on - or once it turned it off when it was on... No toggle functionality? Maybe I should initiate a support inquiry? Maybe it's my installation? I do have other midi devices.

[zsazsa]

ok,

can you send a note in stead of a cc message?
I just tried with my old fcb1010 which does not support toggles on the switches of the floorboard but I can toggle a switch in Ableton when I assign a note to the footswitch (and no cc).

I can switch a button in Ableton with the footpedal and a cc (sending cc between 0 and 127). So it can work.
But I think that when you can send a note it is simpler and more robust.

[tboydva]

I have a Novation keyboard and if I hit a note, it toggles (when set u the same way). Not sure how I can get my footswitch to emulate a note, but I'm going through all the options in the FBV software... Thanks for the suggestion!

[zsazsa]

the manual for the Line6 software says:

If the MIDI Command is MIDI CC, you can choose a value of 0 through 127, or Custom. If
Custom is selected, the Toggle 1/Up and Toggle 2/Down options in this control row become
selectable, so that the each Toggle action can be defined with its own separate MIDI CC value

Is there a 'Custom' value available in the midi command option column?


good luck!

[tboydva]

Thanks again. My initial try did not prove fruitful. Perhaps you see something incongruent in what I'm attempting? Here, I changed the Toggle 1/Up to have a CC or 0 and Val of 0 and I did Toggle 2/Down to CC:1, Val:1. I tried leaving both CCs at 0 as well (just changed the value). I tried 0 and 127 for the values as well...



That's the default as I previously had it set...



One "odd" thing is that when I press the A pedal trying to set it up as on/off toggle, Live always interprets it to have a minimum of 64 and max of 127 (instead of 0 and 127). I have tried to manually put 0 in, but perhaps there is something making Live not "see" a 0 and thus toggling off??? Reaching here, but it seems like there has to be something a bit off....



Thanks again. Will continue mulling this over...

[zsazsa]

Hi,

The value in Live from 64 to 127 is to indicate that the button is 'on'.
That would mean if the value is < 64 the button should be off.

Sorry, I'm out of ideas...

[tboydva]

Your ideas saved the day! Got me thinking that if it considers 64 off, maybe upping that value closer to 127 would help. Indeed! Set at 100, it now toggles on and off! Thank you so much!!! You stuck it out (better than I as I was ready to give up a few times). I don't see a successful career with $millions coming in from music production, so I can't share wealth, but I will share a virtual toast for all you effort! Thanks again.

[zsazsa]

Hahaha, wow, just as I gave up, you got the solution!
Cheers man and enjoy playing!