NEW QUESTION: Safe? Temporary Midi Control for New VH4S

[btstratman]

This amp is immedeiately the true measure of all modern tone and I I haven't yet scratched the surface of it's possibilities as I haven't programmed it. My camp includes members of Dark New Day and Skrape so I was familiar with the tone I was seeking and got it immediately in the first 30 seconds of this amps life as the EL34's fired up for their first time on American soil. Incredible. Sick. Brilliant. Congratulations Peter, you win. Now, I win.... so thank you!!

Fortunately I can take my time as I fall in love with all the features on this VH4S amp. I have an older Digitech Control One foot controller and its technical manual says it is only for use with Digitech2101 or 2112 processors and that its not a midi output...QUESTION: is it safe for me to use a Digitech "Control One" (5 pin) foot controller to get some midi scenes happening on my VH4S? I don't want to damage any circuitry...has anyone used this pedal successfully?

 

[Me]

No, the Control 1 is NOT a midi controller so I wouldn't plug it in as something might pop! IF you have the 2101 or 2112/2120 though, you can plug the control 1 into that by it's special port, then take the midi out of the 2101/2120 to the diezel. Obviously the midi out of the 2120/2101 IS a midi out, and the C1 can control the 21xx, which will then send MIDI patch change messages out it's MIDI port!

If you turn off the 21xx preamp section you can then try it in your loops! They're not the most tonally transparent FX units though so it might suck a bit of tone if you leave it permanently in a serial loop. IF you set all the FX to 100% wet (0% dry) you could stick it in your parallel loop for nice wide stereo delays since you have the S version of the VH4!

 

[Peter Diezel]

Thanks for the kind words, Stratman

I think the guys know more than me about midi pedals.

 

[btstratman]

No, the Control 1 is NOT a midi controller so I wouldn't plug it in as something might pop! IF you have the 2101 or 2112/2120 though, you can plug the control 1 into that by it's special port, then take the midi out of the 2101/2120 to the diezel. Obviously the midi out of the 2120/2101 IS a midi out, and the C1 can control the 21xx, which will then send MIDI patch change messages out it's MIDI port!

If you turn off the 21xx preamp section you can then try it in your loops! They're not the most tonally transparent FX units though so it might suck a bit of tone if you leave it permanently in a serial loop. IF you set all the FX to 100% wet (0% dry) you could stick it in your parallel loop for nice wide stereo delays since you have the S version of the VH4!

Exactly what I need to know. I'll give the 2112 a try until I can decide on TC/Ground Control options. Thank you!

 

[Me]

I used to use a 2120 in a rack with a Triaxis and some other rack stuff, with the C1 controlling the 2120, and the 2120 controlling the rest of the rack. It was really handy and very flexible and there's a lot of useful MIDI stuff with the 2120, but because the Triaxis doesn't have a parallel loop I ended up changing the 2120 for a G-major and FCB1010 for sound quality reasons. The MIDI control was definitely easier using that than at present and I had patch names and stuff. I'd imagine you can get a lot of mileage out of a 2120 set 100% wet in a VH4S parallel loop! Then you can save for the fancier MIDI stuff in good time!

I used to like the fact I could have 10 buttons set to 8 patch buttons, a tap tempo, and a delay on/off button, with a MIDI CC pedal, and didn't have to have a bigger board. I could also have different numbers of FX on/off or patch change buttons per bank, unlike most MIDI controllers where you have to have 5 patch and 5 FX, or 10 patch and no FX, or buy a bigger 25 button controller or whatever. The FCB1010 lets me have 8 patch change buttons per bank, with a tap tempo and other CC toggle switch. It won't do different button arrangements per bank though, and won't store patch names...