Using an external footswitch as a "play once" controller for looper in HX Effects

[n-k-f]

Hi there. First time poster, long time lurker. I have an odd question about a very specific use case for the HX effects and using an external switch.

 

But first, some context. Before the HX came into my life, there was the DL4. Well, lots of DL4s. I've long been in a love/hate relationship with the DL4 looper, and I've definitely driven a few into the ground.

 

I love the looper because it's one of the few out there that has a dedicated "play once" function and that has other helpful, easy-to-access functions, like half/2x speed and reverse. I use my DL4 very much like an instrument itself. A sampler, if you will, where I'm able to "play" a short loop I've recorded in a rhythmic way. However, those foot switches are prone to breaking, and so I modded my DL4 so that I could plug in an external foot switch and use it to trigger the "play once" function. That way, if I destroy the switch with my frantic rhythmic tapping, all I have to do is swap out the cheaper switch instead of doing a big repair to or replacing the whole DL4. But even that system's not reliable, and the DL4 looper itself is pretty limited.

 

Which brings me to the HX Effects. I was so excited to grab one, because it has the same DL4 looper algorithm and then some. The problem is, I've really struggled to find a way to hook up an external, easily replaceable foot switch to the HX to be able to trigger "play once". 

First, it doesn't seem that you can just plug any ol' external foot switch into the 1/4" external pedal jacks, because there's no way to configure the jack to control "play once". 

Second, I tried finagling something with midi, where I could use a Disaster Area DMC 3XL with an external foot switch plugged into that. The idea was that I'd be able to stomp on my "beater" external switch, which would trigger the specific midi message of my choosing to be sent to the HX, to control "play once". However, that failed when I realized that the firmware for the DMC 3XL won't allow me to customize to get the exact message I need (CC 62, value between 64-127).

 

So, I'm kind of stuck. I really want to preserve the life of my HX Effects, and the simplest thing seems to be to hook up an external switch to trigger "play once" so I don't have to stomp directly on the HX. But something this simple currently seems impossible to do.

 

Anyone have any thoughts? Any and all creative ideas welcome. Help! And thanks.