Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

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RuthlessWobbles
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Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by RuthlessWobbles » Sun May 15, 2011 10:03 pm

I've recently bought a Behringer FCB1010 to use in live lets for triggering samples etc, so far I've managed to program buttons 6 - 10 to output a MIDI cc of 1 - 5 respectively. The big problem is that's all I've managed to do! I've tried all sorts of different ways and I can't seem to get any other pedal to output a MIDI cc value. Even when I change the bank number to 2 or 3 etc... the pedals 6 through 10 still output the same cc numbers.
Any help on this would be greatly appreciated as you can imagine there's not a lot I can do with only 5 cc values!
One final thing, I'm using Mountian's MIDI editor to program it, which can be found here: https://secure.mtnsys.com/faq-fcb/pceditorbeta.htm

Cheers! :D

Stevejaz
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by Stevejaz » Mon Jun 06, 2011 8:16 am

Hmmmmmmm
I am in exactly the same situation and it's a bit dissapointing to find you have no response here. I have the same software and have managed to achive nothing with it except to confirm the firmwire number.
Have you got any further with it?
Problem is I just don't know enough about midi and consequently when I do RTFM I just don't understand what I'm reading.
At least I can now get creative with 5 CC numbers and that's a lot more than I could do a whille ago.
I do feel like I'm getting close to knowing how to use this thing and feel sure it will be great once I get it sussed, but man it's a handful to learn. I feel there is probably just 1 point I'm missing, probably to do with the reason changing banks does nothing and I suspect it has something to do with the difference between PC and CC numbers.
I hope you have got further with it. Please post if you have.
Cheers Steve.

mojofunk
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by mojofunk » Mon Jun 06, 2011 2:06 pm

I am unfamiliar with the editor you are using, but the FCB can do quite a lot with midi. Most guitar related midi pedals do only PC, which is not terribly useful in Ableton Live, but can be used to change patches on vst's. CC's are good for continuously variable things, like volume or wah - you probably want to assign them to the pedals on the FCB. The awesome thing that the FCB can do, and which makes it very useful for Live, is midi notes. Try assigning your button type pedals (10 banks of 10) to 100 different midi notes, then you can set up 100 different things inside Live with Ableton's midi learn. Put it all on a midi channel that is unused by other gear - if your keyboard controller is on midi ch 1, put the FCB on midi ch 2, etc. Then have fun!

mojofunk
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by mojofunk » Mon Jun 06, 2011 2:12 pm

RuthlessWobbles, as far as your banks keeping assignment across the top in all banks, is it possible that yours has been modified with the Uno firmware chip https://secure.mtnsys.com/faq-fcb/UnO%20Firmware.htm - people do this to enable "stompbox mode", and I believe it can be disabled.

mojofunk
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by mojofunk » Mon Jun 06, 2011 2:18 pm

Actually, I have seen that software (Mountian's MIDI editor), and I remember it being really buggy with my set up, I ended up using the Ripwerx soft to better effect. here's more info and a screenshot, and link: http://www.voes.be/fcb1010/software.htm

Stevejaz
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by Stevejaz » Mon Jun 06, 2011 8:01 pm

Thanks heaps for the input Mojufunk. I found the idea about midi notes last night and have started working with it.I think I may have the wrong midi chanels or something because now I get the midi message light flashing in Live and just the audio notes coming through the headphones. ( I have soooooo much to learn )
Early morning here, I'll look into it again tonight. Any tips on where to find and how to set up midi chanels in Live?
By the way, if I forgot to mention before I'm using PC not Mac and FCB1010 does not have UNO chip. I have also checked and Direct select is deactivated.

RuthlessWobbles
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by RuthlessWobbles » Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:45 pm

Thanks for all you help guys! Sorry for the late reply, I thought this thread was abandoned for a second.
To answer mojofunk; yes my fcb has been modified with the uno firmware chip! Now that you mention it, this stompbox mode does look like it may be the cause of some of the frustration. I'm currently trying to figure out how to turn it off! I've also tried using the mentioned ripwerx software on my mac as well, however this software just kept on crashing every time I tried to make a change (which is a shame because it looks a lot easier to work with than the mountain one.) I'm current;y trying to figure out how to use these midi notes, but not much joy on this front yet either!

I'll be sure to post back if I find anything extra, cheers!

Stevejaz
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by Stevejaz » Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:14 pm

Good to see you're stil following this Ruthless.
atm I've given up on software editing and midi notes. What seems to be working better for me is just doing a 'dump' from the midi setup page in Live and then programing the midi setup from within Live.So far I have only got it working using the 'Clips' presets and have not saved any changes I have made but I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to set up some saved templates with midi control set up as I want it.
I just upgraded to Live 8 from 6 (Box Suite) and am looking forward to the box turning up with the printed manual. I have not used Live enough to be very familiar with it. I have more experience with 'Reason' but I want it for live looping and triggering prerecorded loops and samples etc. A simmilar use to the Youtube 'Wayside Drive' Video.
One big question guys;
I have found midi chanel selection instructions in the FCB manual, but they only aply to each and every function of each patch, not how to run the FCB on anything other than the default midi chanel 1. I can find no info on midi chanels at all in the 'Live' manual, and wouldn't know where to start with the Keyboard (Novation Remote 25 SL)
Do I need to download 'Midiox' or some such program and learn yet more software?
life was so simple when I played a $100 nylon guitar....LOL
Cheers Steve.

RuthlessWobbles
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by RuthlessWobbles » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:31 pm

I'm still trying to soldier on down this midi notes route. According to the software editor, the first 10 presets (01 - 10) are configured to send midi notes 21 - 30 (A0 - F#1.) When I press any of the pedals my audio interface's MIDI in LED lights up, so I know it's connected right. However Ableton still doesn't map any of the commands to MIDI map, does this mean I don't have something in ableton configured right?
I've spent another three hours trying to program this thing this evening, and have only managed to go backwards (the 5 pedals I originally had working have now ceased to function!) I'm starting to think throwing the thing in the bin and just standing on my MIDI keyboard is a good idea!

RuthlessWobbles
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by RuthlessWobbles » Thu Sep 01, 2011 9:06 am

Any ideas?

mbira
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by mbira » Thu Sep 01, 2011 7:22 pm

If you have the stompbox mode, then you will get the same messages from 5 of the pedals no matter what bank you are in-that's the point.

You need to take things from the opposite direction:

Decide what messages exactly you want to send and then program them in-one pedal at a time.
You need to be reading the manual for the uno upgrade to learn how to program the unit. It's a pain in the ass but is doable.
The fcb1010 is very powerful-basically it will send whatever message you want-so that means you need to know exactly what you want to send. Again: choose one pedal to do one function and get that working, then move on to the next pedal.

You need to be looking at your midi monotior (on a mac) or midi ox (on pc) to see exactly what is coming out of the box.

Stevejaz
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by Stevejaz » Fri Sep 02, 2011 8:23 pm

Damm!
Just when I thought I was over ever thinking I would ever get this thing to ever do anything useful.
I have not found a way to make it do anything since getting it last Christmas.
Seams to me that the only people who have been able to tame the beast are those using the Uno chip. At least most of the resorses on the Yahoo user group relate to units fitted with it.
Think it might be an idea to look into the manual for the chip, assuming it is available online.

RuthlessWobbles
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by RuthlessWobbles » Sat Sep 03, 2011 6:21 pm

mbira wrote: you need to know exactly what you want to send. Again: choose one pedal to do one function and get that working, then move on to the next pedal.

You need to be looking at your midi monotior (on a mac) or midi ox (on pc) to see exactly what is coming out of the box.
What i basically want to send is any sort of signal that that can be read by ableton (CC numbers or MIDI notes.) The reason being all I want the FCB1010 to do is to trigger audio scenes when i hit a pedal. And also, what is this MIDI monitor on the mac? is it a part of ableton? Sorry if i'm sounding a bit simple but i'm very new to ableton!

Cheers

wheat
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by wheat » Tue Sep 06, 2011 5:20 pm

RuthlessWobbles wrote:And also, what is this MIDI monitor on the mac? is it a part of ableton? Sorry if i'm sounding a bit simple but i'm very new to ableton!
MIDI Monitor (http://www.snoize.com/MIDIMonitor/) is a great freeware app that you can use to see what sort of data your FCB1010 is sending in real time, which goes a long way toward helping you debug whatever you're programming it to do.

RuthlessWobbles
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Re: Behringer FCB1010 limited usage

Post by RuthlessWobbles » Wed Sep 07, 2011 4:04 pm

And finally, after 4 months of confusion, the FCB1010 is finally working how I want it to!

In the end it was a case of programming on the fcb itself rather than using any software, just how mbira suggested. The midi monitor for mac also helped me to determine just what exactly the fcb was trying to tell ableton, which made it so much quicker to correct any issues.

Thanks a lot!

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