500's Midi Controller Functionality

[clay-man]

Hi, how many of the switches can you assign to be midi controllers? Does that also include the expression pedal? I wanted to use an expression pedal with something like Amplitube for a long time but I always thought any lone solution was overpriced.

 

 

[Rewolf48]

Page B•5 of http://line6.com/data/6/0a06434dc1a55085c5d6532bf/application/pdf/POD%20HD500%20Advanced%20Guide%20v2.10%20-%20English%20(%20Rev%20A%20).pdf

 

FS 1-8, Looper, Tap and Exp1 Toe can be configured to send definable MIDI messages when pressed - so could send patch change etc to Amplitube

 

Exp 1 and 2 can be configured to send CC information

 

To connect to Amplitube you have to be aware that the HD500 doesn't send MIDI over USB, so you need to have a MIDI interface that the Computer can see and connect the HD500 MIDI out to it.

[clay-man]

Page B•5 of http://line6.com/data/6/0a06434dc1a55085c5d6532bf/application/pdf/POD%20HD500%20Advanced%20Guide%20v2.10%20-%20English%20(%20Rev%20A%20).pdf

 

FS 1-8, Looper, Tap and Exp1 Toe can be configured to send definable MIDI messages when pressed - so could send patch change etc to Amplitube

 

Exp 1 and 2 can be configured to send CC information

 

To connect to Amplitube you have to be aware that the HD500 doesn't send MIDI over USB, so you need to have a MIDI interface that the Computer can see and connect the HD500 MIDI out to it.

 

I am aware. I have an M-Audio Fast Track Pro with Midi In. I think CC information will do fine. Thanks. I guess I just need to buy a MIDI cable when I get my 500.

[clay-man]

Oh I totally forgot to ask, can you use assigned midi footswitches and effects assigned footswitches at the same time?

 

Example: 1 footswitch sends midi while another footswitch turns an HD500 amp's distortion on and off?

[Rewolf48]

Better than that - the internal effects/amp assignment of the switches and the MIDI assignments are completely independent, so the same footswitch can do both at the same time

[clay-man]

Better than that - the internal effects/amp assignment of the switches and the MIDI assignments are completely independent, so the same footswitch can do both at the same time

 

That's it. The HD500 is my goal then. I'm going to hit so many birds with one stone it's not even funny. New audio interface device, been looking for a MIDI footswitch with a MIDI expression pedal to control VSTs, and something nice to extend my Variax functionality with. I'm also getting some killer modeling stuff that I'd be happy to use.

[rebolleda]

Hi folks, 

 

Somewhat related to this topic, and particularly after Rewolf48's comment:

 

Better than that - the internal effects/amp assignment of the switches and the MIDI assignments are completely independent, so the same footswitch can do both at the same time

 

Is there a list of the *internal* MIDI assignments? For example, what would be the MIDI messages to change, say, a fuzz treble parameter, or an amp's drive value? I've seen the Advanced Manual, and I know I can assign the expression pedals or the Variax volume and tone controls, but I'm actually looking for something different.

 

Say I've got a Distortion pedal and I've assigned FS1 to toggle it on and off. I'd like to have FS2 (or any other FS, obviously) to send MIDI messages to that particular effect so as to have, say, the drive values change from 40 (FS2 off) to 80 (FS2 on). Same idea with the amp: can I have a FS change the Drive parameter of the amp? Not in a continuous fashion like the expression pedal, but between two fixed values?

 

I used to own a VG-99 and although it was limited to two messages per FS (of a FC-300 in my case), it was super flexible and I dearly miss it. To follow the example, in the VG-99 I could do both the fuzz and the amp's drive (but it wouldn't be independent of the switching functionality like it is on the Pod).

 

Thanks!

[Rewolf48]

Yes there is in Appendix B of the Advanced Guide http://line6.com/data/6/0a06434dfb244f7b7f489af64/application/pdf/POD%20HD500%20Advanced%20Guide%20v2.0%20-%20English%20(%20Rev%20A%20).pdf

 

But it doesn't quite work as you want - the HD500 will respond to Program Change (PC) and a limited range of CC assignments all of which change the state of the physical controls (switches and expression pedals) - whatever is assigned to those controls can then be controlled remotely.  So yes you can switch on effects or change values, and you can change as many of those values at once because the assignment is on the controlled item end, so you could vary Amp, Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Volume (all on both Amps), plus Reverb level, Chorus level etc all at the same time from a single Expression pedal.

 

One problem is that there are only 2 Expression controls that can do this over MIDI - there actually are two more within the HD500 because a JTV Variax Volume and Tone controls can also be assigned if connected over VDI, but these cannot be addressed over MIDI.  

 

When I said "state" of the physical controls that means that the switches while controlled via a MIDI CC are still On/Off switches, so you cannot use a switch to vary a continuous parameter such as Drive only to turn things on or off, but (and I haven't tried this) you might be able to use switches custom MIDI definitions and a MIDI loop (output connected to input) to change the state of the 2 Expression Pedals (even if you don't have anything plugged into Exp2) which might get part of the way.

 

There are several suggestions on ideascale about this - one of which if I recall right is about being able to define "scenes" within a Patch which is a state of everything and then a Switch would be able to jump to a predefined scene, but if Line 6 are working on enhancing any of this then they aren't saying. 

[rebolleda]

Thanks for the answer, Rewolf48 :) I don't know why I wasn't notified by email :\

 

I have seen the Appendix you mention, but it isn't particularly useful in terms of depth of information. I understand what you're saying, but as you mention it isn't really what I'd like to achieve.

 

I don't know... Maybe I spend some time just playing around with CCs, see if some change something, although I doubt it.

 

Thanks anyway! Appreciate your taking the time to answer.

r.

[TweakGeek]

Rebolleda it's probably too late now to answer, but what you want can't be achieved internally in the POD HD.

 

It can however be done with a computer, and a MIDI interface, connected to the MIDI in of the POD HD. You would have to program the drive values to change both values that you want abruptly (no in-between), using a DAW such as Ableton Live or Reason or any other.