MIDI controller question

July 1, 2015 5:01 PM

Question posted on behalf of Mr. Killian. My husband is using a MIDI controller (ART X-15 Ultrafoot) to control a multi-effects signal processor (ART SGX2000) for his guitar. But he can't seem to figure out how to make the expression pedal perform an octave sweep. He can get it to turn on/off the effect, but no luck trying to get it to sweep (a la Tom Morello in Killing In The name Of and Like a Stone). Any MIDI masters out there can help?
posted by PussKillian to Technology (7 answers total)

Maybe this might help?
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:59 PM on July 1, 2015

I wonder if you can actually do that with the setup mentioned. The SGX2000 has a pitch shifter, but the Ultrafoot can't sweep through the base key with a MIDI CC. For that you need MIDI note input to dynamically set the base key of the pitch shifter and the Ultrafoot doesn't output notes (only MIDI CC's). If he also has MIDI keyboard he could try to output notes to the SGX and see if he can change the pitch shifter's base key that way. If this is something he really wants to accomplish, it could certainly be done. Buy him a Boss PS-6:

http://www.bossus.com/products/ps-6/
posted by hz37 at 5:11 AM on July 2, 2015 [1 favorite]

I can't link because I'm on my phone, but the manuals for both can be easily Googled. They'd be your best bet for working this out, unless someone here owns both units and can walk you through what is likely a cryptic set of proprietary menus.
posted by STFUDonnie at 5:15 AM on July 2, 2015

Best answer: Read page 25 of the fx unit manual and Appendix A of the controller manual. The settings listed in the manual are for pitching down, but can be adjusted to whatever range he wants.
posted by bradf at 8:55 AM on July 2, 2015

Response by poster: He's managed to get it working, thanks everybody. It's not smooth, though - seems to stutter a bit, apparently?
posted by PussKillian at 4:21 PM on July 2, 2015

Best answer: Try setting it up to use the other expression pedal, and if the stuttering goes away it's probably a dirty potentiometer.
posted by bradf at 5:42 PM on July 2, 2015

Response by poster: Results are in after the board was disassembled and cleaned - it works a lot better and he has a successful octave sweep! Thanks, all!
posted by PussKillian at 5:51 PM on July 5, 2015