Boss VF-1 Effect Processor

Ok, a reply to my own reply, kinda lame but I've got more midi foot 
board facts.

After reading the FCB1010 and VF1 docs, and playing with 'em some 
more, here's a couple more tidbits of info.

First, some more differences between the FCB1010 and Roland FC200:

The CTL pedal of the FC200 acts like a shift key, in that, when it's 
pressed the unit sends Control Change message instead of Program 
Change (see pg. 129 in VF1 manual). In other words, when CTL is 
pressed you can use the numbered pedals to change patch parameters 
real-time instead of just for changing to another patch. The FCB1010 
does not have such a pedal...you will have to program a patch in the 
FCB1010 to send the Control Change instead.

Score one for the FC200.

Also from pg. 129 in the VF1 manual, it looks like you can attach up 
to six more foot pedals/expression pedals to the FC200. Roland 
expression pedals are pretty cheap, so you could easily get one, plug 
it in, and have the same number of exp. pedals as the FCB1010. More if 
you really wanted.

Score another one for the FC200.


Second, a recipe for using the UP/DOWN pedals of the FCB1010 to 
scroll up and down thru VF1 patches:

1) In the global config for the FCB1010, enable DIRECT SELECT and 
UP/DOWN  to control SWITCH 1/SWITCH 2, respectively.

2) Connect a stereo 1/4" cable between the FCB1010 SWITCH 1 jack and 
the VF1 EXP/CTL JACK.

3) In the system section of the VF1 utilities you set CONTROL 
1/CONTROL 2 to NUMBER UP/DOWN, respectively.

4) Double punching UP or DOWN on the FCB1010 now scrolls thru VF1 
patches one at a time. Note I said _double_ punching, appearantly the 
VF1 expects the controls to be momentary pedals, not latch pedals 
(that's what the VF1 manual calls these things). I found this less 
than optimal.

As a test, I plugged the 1/4" cable from the FCB1010 into the channel 
switching jack of one of my old crate amps (it has four channels 
tube/ss, lead/rhythm.) and I could control channel switching just 
fine. PRETTY COOL! If only I liked the sound of that old crate!

S