Boss VF-1 Effect Processor

--- In BossVF1@y..., matthew.gallagher@b... wrote:

> I'll let you know how I get on with it in a week or so, when I've 
>had good chance to try it out.

Not exactly a very live group are we... never mind - here's the 
update I promised.

First off cosmetics - the thing looks great - solid metal chassis, 
nice plastic feet and decent experssion pedals. Initial impression 
(based on looks alone) was that I'd really got value for money.

Secondly the manual - it's very, very basic. Tells you how to program 
the unit, but not really how it operates, so here's what I wished the 
manual had spelled out for me. The memory of the FCB1010 is laid out 
in patches (10 banks of 10 patches) and you can program the unit with 
up to 5 progam change and 2 control changes per patch - however all 
these messages are sent as soon as you select the patch. Since each 
MIDI message can be assigned to a different MIDI channel I assume 
this is so that you can control multiple units with one foot press 
(although for someone like me who 'only' wants to use the unit to 
control one unit - my VF1 of course - this is redundant). In addition 
you can program, for each patch, parameters for the two expression 
pedals. The unit has 'Up' and 'Down' bank pedals which can be 
programmed for a second function (however it's either or - they're 
either bank up and down or they're both 'something else') and this 
second function is to act as 'remote control' footswitches (such as 
you might have on your amplifier to change channels. In theory these 
could be conntected to the 'Exp Pedal / Ctl 1,2' input on the VF1, 
however I haven't tried this as I don't want to have to run the extra 
cables each time I set up for gig.

And that's about it folks.

I had to reprogram all the default program change messages as the 
unit arrives sending program change message '2' when you select 
bank '0' patch '1' which the VF1 translates as patch UA02 but I 
realised later that I don't need to arrange the patches in the VF1 so 
that they mirror the patches in the FCB1010 (or vice versa) since I 
can program the FCB1010 to select any patch I like (between UA01 and 
UA0127 - OS V1.12) for FCB1010 bank 0 patch 1...

I didn't have to reprogram the expression pedals at all - just tell 
the VF1 to expect expression pedal messages from MIDI channel 7 (left 
hand pedal) and 14 (right hand pedal) - the FCB1010 transmits changes 
in the range 0 to 127 which the VF1 seems happy with.

So how did I set them - expression pedal 1 is assigned to foot volume 
(giving me overall volume control) and expression pedal 2 is assigned 
to whatever parameter I think I'm most likely to want real-time 
control of - for example Chorus depth, or T-wah sensitivity etc.

Other things to watch out for - when you change patches the the 
FCB1010 does not send any MIDI messages telling the VF1 the current 
position of the expression pedals - so the VF1 sets the values to the 
maximum value. You need to either move the pedals to maximum before 
you select the patch, or remember to move the pedals once you select 
the patch so their current (new) position is transmitted. I seem to 
remember reading in the FCB1010 'manual' that the unit does not 
continually transmit the MIDI equivalent of a 'I'm still here and 
these are my current settings' message it just sends messages when 
something changes - and only then to report exactly what has changed -
 I think this can be switched off, so I may give that a try....

Anyone else out there tried this unit and have any thoughts / 
comments?

Anyone else out there for that matter....