FCB 1010 MIDI Controller Configuration

Did you do the setup in the configuration page? You have to see the Tascam MIDI output/input in the MIDI devices page, and set the input (and sometimes output) to active. Make also sure you configured the MIDI ports on the Tascam as MIDI controller in the Control Surfaces page. If you do not see the device you may have to install some kind of driver (I am not sure because you do not say what version of windows you are using, or if you have installed the Tascam drivers).

I'm a long time user of the FCB & it's great, but WAY hard to get your head around. The manuals are also kinda wacky. The good news is there are lots of other people who also own this & there are lots of free gizmos to help you too.

First, I'd suggest going here:
http://www.behringer.com/EN/Products/FCB1010.aspx

If you haven't already done so & read & download all you can from the Behringer site.  Then do a few Google searches & find some other cool gizmos. There are a couple of editors. One is written in Java. More info is here:
                http://ripwerxcom.ipage.c...werxFcb1010Editor.html

One is written specially for Windows & has an .EXE & installer. More info is here:
               http://home.kpn.nl/f2hmjvandenberg281/fcb1010.html

That should be enough to melt your brain, but just in case your brain has a high melting point, there are also a couple of SIMPLE Mods that can be done to make the FCB a lot more user friendly. There's one main chip that's in a socket & that can be replaced VERY simply if one is careful. The good news is that the replacement chip is only about $30 US. Depending on which chip you get. They come from different people in different countries.

Also, it's a good time to mention that NONE of these things come from Behringer, although if memory serves me correctly (sadly it seldom does though), Behringer does look fondly at those modes. The first link above is on the Behringer website & the download there is an updated firmware revision for the socketed chip I mentioned. So, check your current revision of the chip (it tells you how), then download the firmware & update your current chip.

Read the other things about the Mod chips & see if you want one of them. If you decide to go with the Mod version, then you'll be replacing the chip you just updated, but that's a big deal.

Also, if you don't already have this tool, EVERYONE that does MIDI should have it. It's called "MIDI OX" & strangely enough you can find that here:
       http://www.midiox.com
MIDI-OX was created by Jamie O'Connell and Jerry Jorgenrud &  The software is absolutely a MUST have & it's free. You can donate to them & I suggest everyone does. Jamie also makes some other great software that's free too. I used several of them. He makes one that saves the icons on your Windows desktop that is also a MUST have. 

Anyway, you'll need MIDI OX to see what MIDI in & out stuff is going on, plus you'll need a way to send & receive SysEx (System Exclusive info) so that you don't have to press the buttons on the FCB a million times to program it correctly.

OK. Now, this is a good time to tell you that I make NO commissions on any of this stuff, so I have no vested interest in if anyone uses it or not. I use it & have found these tools to be great. Simple to use. Free. They just work.

Also, once you get into working with the FCB, there are users groups on Yahoo! that you may want to check out. There are people on there that REALLY know how to use this pedal. I've found that once I got the MOD chip & the Editor & a couple of decent manuals, I only had to spend time setting the pedal up once. Then I just modified things every once in a while.

I'll add one more things about what the Mod chip does. Actually they each do something a little different, so make sure you check them BOTH out before you buy either of them.

The FCB normally has 10 banks of 10 buttons that all do the same thing; they're all preset buttons. Handy? not really. Unless you really DO have 100 settings that you need to use. Who REALLY has 100 presets? Who could remember 100 presets? It's just not handy. It's ALMOST handy though. So what the Mod does is makes either the top or bottom row of pedals (buttons) work like stomp boxes & the other row of pedals work like they normally did; as presets.

That's enough of me Shanghaiing your question, but hopefully this will help you &/or anyone else who has the FCB1010. I love mine now. Good luck!

SteveGriffiths


The UNO Chip is Great, and will allow you to set up the two rows so tha tone row acts as stomp - with alternating messages e.g. on / off. and the other row in a toggle mode e.g. program changes.  As far as Sonar goes, I mainly use it with the Matrix to move between columns. I recommend Ripwerx.  Once you have mapped your pedals to where you want them, then Sonar can just learn what you want.  As well as the Matrix control, I keep one bank for Play / Stop / Record.

Cheers

Grif
 

Hey Grif -
I've always wondered if that would be a good way to fire the Matrix.  Are you doing this live?  Everytime I thought it out, I thought that it may be smarter to just pattern out the whole project.
 
Thoughts?
 
Brian

Unless you really DO have 100 settings that you need to use. Who REALLY has 100 presets? Who could remember 100 presets?

It really depends on your approach.  One tactic is to treat a bank of 10 as a single "preset", with each switch being a unique variation.  As one example, I have several banks dedicated to an Eventide PitchFactor on my pedalboard.  Five or all ten switches may send the same set of program changes, but each switch toggles between two CC values.  The generated harmonies at every interval [3rds, fifths, octaves, etc.] are all available within a single bank of 10 switches.
 
It's fairly easy (easier with an editor) to copy one of the 100 presets to nine other switches, and only vary what's necessary.  Two CC's per-switch plus the two expression pedals for each variation.  When you gobble up 10 FCB-1010 presets per "virtual preset", 100 doesn't seem like that many.  Backup via .syx becomes a necessity.
 

I just don't know what to set the values in it to to make it work with Sonar.

 
MIDI is an open-ended system, to a large extent.  There are some CC numbers "reserved" for certain functions, and some CC numbers more commonly used than others (in practice).  The FCB-1010 allows you to send any CC 0-127.  Most software (and a lot of hardware) allows you to receive most any CC number, or program a function to respond to any given CC number.
 
Of course, there are always exceptions (ex. - "hardwired" CC7 to a volume function, or CC11 to expression).  The key is to match the transmitting CC number [FCB-1010] to the receiving CC number [Sonar, softsynth, effects, hardware].  ACT is supposed to make the receiving end process a little easier [YMMV].  Pick a function that you want to control, learn as much about the MIDI Implementation of that function as you can, and match the XMIT & RCV CC messages together.
 
I don't know that there are any real shortcuts to learning MIDI control.  A good paper on the MIDI basics, and one successful "connection" between MIDI units will go a long way towards transferable skills on the next MIDI configuration.