EHX - Desired feature: Midi-control for EHX effects boxes

Started by carlb, October 28, 2016, 04:14:57 PM

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carlb

Has anyone looked into or tried the following MIDI add-on for EXH pedals that can save presets?

http://www.microdesignum.cz/EN/Products/MIDI-Modules/MIDI-Controller-for-Electro-Harmonix-POG2

For the POG2, the Ravish, the Ring Thing, and possibly others, this mod should allow you to select among the saved patches using MIDI control.

Not sure this could work for the Key 9, C 9, B 9 or Mel 9 though. The switch selector on the "9" series isn't an encoder ...
ES Les Paul, internal Roland GK
Boss SY-1000, Valeton Coral Amp pedal
Morningstar MC8 & MC6
QSC CP8 powered speaker

carlb

#1
Even if EHX does not want to sell an effects box where multiple effects modules could be downloaded into it ...

It would still be great if the next generation of EHX effects boxes were to have a MIDI-In and/or a USB-MIDI connection. The idea would be to use an external controller to store patches for various settings of the boxes, along with controlling settings for other boxes in a particular audio chain.

Having "knob-only" access to EHX boxes seriously limits them for live use. Each EHX box is capable of so many different sound modulations, it would make so much sense for that to be controllable automatically - versus having to tweak by hand between songs and hope you got it right.

"Hello EHX. Paging EHX. Come-in, EHX ..."
ES Les Paul, internal Roland GK
Boss SY-1000, Valeton Coral Amp pedal
Morningstar MC8 & MC6
QSC CP8 powered speaker

ttk

Hello dear fellow musicians,

I 'm thinking about starting a little buisiness of modifying standard mainstream pedals to make them Midi controlable.
It would by standard 5-pin midi or USB-midi.

But I think it will be a lot of work and some investement, and as anyone else, my time is precious.

So : How much would you be interested in a Midi mod for your EHX pedal?
And subsidiary question : how much are you willing to pay?

lumena

This is something you may want to ask at ilovefuzz.com as well,  their are quite a few serious pedal guys there too.
Sounds like a good idea.



GuitarBuilder

"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973

chlorinemist

Pedals that I think could use a MIDI mod:

Montreal Assembly Count to five
Empress ParaEQ
EHX Pitch Fork
80Tape In Limbo III (or ANY analog delay)
Zvex Fuzz Factory
Moogerfooger MF-101 Low Pass Filter
Moogerfooger 12 Stage Phaser
Minifoogers

ttk

Quote from:  GuitarBuilder on August 25, 2017, 02:12:07 PM
You would have competition:

http://www.moltenvoltage.com/index.html


Yes the thing, is as a musician myself, whenever I tried to find a simple solution, or at least something plug-and-play for my pedals, it was or:
- DIY like solutions (great stuff, btw) but complicated and a bit geeky
- Pro industrial one, only for specific pedals (ex: Muff)

So I imagined there might be just musicians out there who don't want to invest time to investigate-develop-tryout technical solutions, and just want something that works.

ttk

Quote from:  admsustainiac on August 25, 2017, 01:43:21 PM
http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=480635.0

Nice stuff, although if you don't know a bit about electronics, programming, etc...
The time you invest in discover all that stuff is the time you don't make music.

chlorinemist

There's absolutely a market for this, even if it's not on this forum. There's a reason Chase Bliss are one of the best-selling boutique pedal builders around. MIDI-controlled analog is all the rage these days. If you provided this service you could definitely make money and get plenty of customers. Ignore the naysayers :)

GuitarBuilder

Quote from:  chlorinemist on August 28, 2017, 03:15:26 AM
MIDI-controlled analog is all the rage these days. If you provided this service you could definitely make money and get plenty of customers. Ignore the naysayers :)
I agree!  I have a collection of MIDI-controlled analog guitar processors (SR&D Rockman, A/DA, Lexicon, Nobels in 19" rack format from the 90s that are a joy to play through and control.  Having modern, lower-noise analog circuitry with MIDI control either in pedal or rack format is a real plus!
"There's no-one left alive, it must be a draw"  Peter Gabriel 1973


abhijitnath

#13
So the hog2 does have midi control, but I only see a midi in. How do I daisy chain midi effects with it? There's no thru or out. Does this mean I have to have it last in the midi chain always?

admin

Here is the satock EHX HOG2 - no MIDI 
https://www.ehx.com/products/pog2


Here is a link to the firm in Czechloslovokia  that modifies then and adds MIDI Input

https://www.microdesignum.cz/EN/Products/MIDI-Modules/MIDI-Controller-for-Electro-Harmonix-POG2

MIDI Controller for Electro Harmonix POG2

MIDI controller for EHX POG2 facilitates to control this guitar effect to musicians on four continents - in the USA, Canada, Australia, Japan, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, France, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic.

A guitar effect POG2 from Electro Harmonix is a polyphonic octave generator which can make the sound similar to synth, organ or twelve-string guitar from guitar signal using digital signal processing. The resulting sound is so excellent that any attempt to resynthesis using multieffects from various reputable companies can't be compared. Unfortunately, it has not got any MIDI control.

admin

#15
https://www.microdesignum.cz/EN/Products/MIDI-Modules/MIDI-Controller-for-Electro-Harmonix-POG2

https://www.microdesignum.cz/EN/Products/MIDI-Modules/MIDI-Controller-for-Electro-Harmonix-Cathedral-Stereo-Reverb


https://www.microdesignum.cz/EN/Products/MIDI-Modules/MIDI-Controller-for-EHX-Ravish-Sitar



https://www.microdesignum.cz/EN/Products/MIDI-Modules/MIDI-contoller-for-EHX-x9

MIDI contoller for EHX x9


We are preparing the development of built-in MIDI Controller for Electro Harmonix B9/C9/Key9/Mel9/Synth9 guitar effects. We have launched a crowdfunding project on Indiegogo.com. Please support us and contribute or share this project! (click the banner on the right→)

Many musicians ask us about the controller for EHX x9 guitar effects. These pedals have another control principle than POG2-type pedals and thus another HW module and firmware has to be developed. We need $3000 USD for such development. The new MIDI module will allow to musicians to entirely control the x9 guitar effects including the ON footswitch, the program selector (1-9) and the control knobs (Dry, Organ, Mod, Click in case of C9 pedal).







admin

#16
Only 2 days left for this Indiegogo campaign
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/midi-control-for-ehx-x9-pedals#/

MIDI Control for EHX x9 pedals
Development of MIDI control module for Electro Harmonix B9/C9/Key9/Mel9/Synth9 guitar effects




Will EHX x9 guitar pedals have MIDI control? Help us to realize this idea!
We have already developed MIDI modules for EHX POG2, Cathedral, Ravish Sitar and Ring Thing pedals that are used by musicians worldwide. Many musicians ask us about the control module for EHX x9 pedals. They have another control principle and thus another HW module and firmware  has to be developed.
CONCEPT STAGE
STORY UPDATES (1) COMMENTS BACKERS (5)
MIDI controllers
Our company Microdesignum s.r.o. produces MIDI controllers for guitarists and we also focus on MIDI modules for Electro Harmonix guitar pedals that have no MIDI control. We have already developed MIDI modules for EHX POG2, Cathedral, Ravish Sitar and Ring Thing pedals that are used by musicians worldwide. We have developed the MIDI modules that a musician is able to simply build into his pedal by himself, or we also offer the new pedals with the built-in MIDI control.

MIDI controller for x9 pedals
Many musicians ask us about the control module for EHX x9 guitar effects. These pedals have another control principle and thus another HW module and firmware has to be developed. We need $3000 USD for such development.

The new MIDI module will allow to musicians to entirely control the x9 guitar effects including the ON footswitch, the program selector (1-9) and the control knobs (Dry, Organ, Mod, Click in case of C9 pedal).

Advantages of remote MIDI control
The x9 pedals with MIDI control can be mounted in rack and they can be controlled remotely by a MIDI foot controller or by a computer. The program number (instrument type) and its parameters can be changed by single pressing a footswitch on a MIDI controler. No manual turning the knobs during live playing is necessary.

Moreover, the parameters such as MOD or CLICK can be controlled in real-time by an expression pedal or by control data from a computer.

Variants
1. Compact variant: can be mounted on the top of the x9 pedal.



2. Rack variant: the x9 pedal is screwed at the rear side of the 1U rack panel.




Other our MIDI controllers for EHX guitar effects
POG2 with our MIDI control:


Cathedral Stereo Reverb with our MIDI control (controlled by our MIDI Grande 8F1D):


Ravish Sitar with our MIDI control (controlled by our MIDI Grande 6F1D):


Ring Thing with our MIDI Control (controlled by our MIDI Grande 10F1D):




How to support this project
Contribute to this project.
Share this project on social media.
Tell your friends on discussion forums.
About us
Our company is based in the Czech Republic, Central Europe, European Union. We have many experiences with building MIDI controllers, MIDI switchers and other custom-build MIDI and audio devices. We have customers in 32 countries and on 5 continets. We produce final products or standalone modules that users build into their gear. Our MIDI modules are easy to use and safe for the device that they are being built in.



https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/midi-control-for-ehx-x9-pedals#/

admin

#17
QuoteHello dear fellow musicians,

I 'm thinking about starting a little buisiness of modifying standard mainstream pedals to make them Midi controlable.
It would by standard 5-pin midi or USB-midi.

But I think it will be a lot of work and some investement, and as anyone else, my time is precious.

So : How much would you be interested in a Midi mod for your EHX pedal?
And subsidiary question : how much are you willing to pay?


Only 5 backers = this indicates adding MIDI to EHX pedals is not as popular as we imagine

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/midi-control-for-ehx-x9-pedals#/



Smash

A crowd funding site? Well if that's the kind of "market research" you'd base business decisions on nothing would ever get made...

That said midi on a single pedal I guess isn't cost effective or really worth it BUT if EHX ever made a Multi 9 FX with stereo fx - think sy300 but with traditional keyboard sounds (how cool would that be?) - then midi would be a must.

Elantric

#19
If you need a MIDI programmable distortion pedal and can DIY  / Mod  - this is good platform $99

Convert this into a MIDI Muff
(or use as is)


https://decibel11.com/products_dirt_clod.aspx

The Decibel Eleven Dirt Clod guitar effects pedal is a fully analog overdrive distortion pedal featuring 10 memory presets. Whatever music you play, the Dirt Clod provides a wide range of distortion sounds with two styles of clipping in addition to variable mid and high controls. You may easily save presets and recall as needed by accessing two different presets side by side —or use the Dirt Clod bank mode to scroll and select your preferred presets.

Full MIDI capabilities allow the Dirt Clod pedal to be used with the simplest MIDI controller for automatically recalling presets or bypassing the pedal. MIDI expression pedal data can control any of the Dirt Clod parameters in real-time, allowing you to adjust your distortion while playing and giving you ultimate control.
https://decibel11.com/pdf/support/Dirt_Clod_Manual_01.pdf


---
3
CONNECTIONS
Input and Output
Connect your instrument to the input and connect the output to the amplifier. The Dirt Clod is true bypass, which means that when it is off, there are no active components in the signal path.
Power
The Dirt Clod can be powered from any regulated 9VDC or 12VDC power supply capable of providing a minimum of 65mA. The rear panel POWER jack is a standard 2.1mm DC power jack, center negative connection.
MIDI
Connect the MIDI IN of the Dirt Clod to the MIDI OUT of your MIDI controller, or to the MIDI OUT of the last device in the MIDI chain. Additional MIDI devices can be connected from the MIDI THRU of the Dirt Clod.
QUICK START
The Dirt Clod default operating mode is PRESET mode. In this mode the 'A' footswitch is used to scroll through the presets, and the 'B' footswitch is used to enable or bypass the effect. (see Operating Modes on page 5 for more details)
Because the Dirt Clod uses presets, there are some differences between its operation and the operation of typical effect pedals. When the Dirt Clod gets enabled, it loads a preset from memory. It does not immediately load the settings of the knobs as you see them. The loaded preset may not have the same settings as that of the current knobs.
Once the Dirt Clod is enabled, turning a control knob will not modify its parameter until the knob becomes aligned with the same setting as that of the loaded preset. Once a knob has been aligned with the preset setting, it becomes "engaged", at which point it will function as a typical pedal knob.
As you turn the knobs, you may see the display change to a horizontal line. These lines can be used to locate the positions of knobs as they were saved in the current preset. The displayed line indicates where the current position of the knob is relative to the preset, either too high or too low, similar to the way a guitar tuner works.
If the middle line is displayed, then the knob is at the same position as that of the preset setting. If the top line is displayed, the current knob position is higher than the
4
preset setting. Turn the knob counter-clockwise to lower the value until the middle line is displayed. If the bottom line is displayed, the knob position is lower than the preset setting. Turn the knob clockwise to raise the value until the middle line is displayed.
Once the middle line is displayed, the knob is effectively "engaged" and will operate as a typical real-time control knob.
See the section "Working with Presets" for more details on saving presets.
TONE CONTROLS
DIRT
The DIRT knob controls the input gain. Turn the knob counter-clockwise for cleaner tones and clockwise for more drive and sustain. The Dirt Clod is capable of clean boost by turning this knob down, while turning up the MASS control.
FORM
Pressing on the DIRT knob toggles the FORM, which changes the clipping characteristics. With the LED off, the clipping is thicker and heavier. When the clip LED is on, the clipping will sound slightly compressed and more focused.
CORE
The CORE knob defines the body of the distortion. When set fully clockwise, you get a thick, full midrange. This is great for thick leads and blues tones. As you start to turn the knob counter-clockwise, you begin to thin out some of the midrange, giving more articulation to notes and chords. Turning further counter-clockwise begins to scoop some lower midrange, which can be great for removing low-mid mud.
CRYSTAL
The CRYSTAL knob controls the high frequencies. Turn clockwise for brighter grit and counterclockwise for a darker, more rolled off sound.
MASS
The MASS knob controls the output level. Turn clockwise for more volume and counter-clockwise for less volume. Use this knob in conjunction with the DIRT knob to distort before the amp or turn it up to overdrive a tube amp input.
A quick way to immediately enable the Dirt Clod and play with its settings is to press the footswitch and then sweep each knob down and up through its range.
5
WORKING WITH PRESETS
The 10 user presets can be selected using the footswitches in either PRESET mode or BANK mode. Please see the following section on Operating Modes for more details.
Loading a Preset
When the Dirt Clod gets enabled, a preset is loaded from memory. The control settings are taken from the saved preset and not from the physical position of the control knobs. Therefore, the position of the knobs may not be aligned with the settings of the loaded preset. For example, the loaded preset may have DIRT set at 11 o'clock, but the physical DIRT knob is set to 3 o'clock.
In order to quickly find the current preset's settings, the display is used to indicate knob position. Once a knob starts to rotate, the display will show whether the knob is set too high or too low, similar to the way an electronic tuner works. The upper line of the display is lighted if the current knob position is higher than the preset setting, and the lower line of the display is lighted if the current knob position is lower than the preset setting. Once the knob position is aligned with the preset setting, the middle line of the display will light.
Editing a Preset
When turning knobs, the control will not engage until the knob position reaches the setting of the currently loaded preset. For instance, in the previous example, turning the DIRT knob will not change the sound until the knob reaches the 11 o'clock position. Once the DIRT control is engaged, it will behave like an ordinary pedal knob. Once changes are made to the knob settings from that of the loaded preset, the yellow PRESET EDITED LED will light.
Saving a Preset
All knob settings can be saved to the current preset number at any time by simply pressing and holding the DIRT knob for 5 seconds. All of the LEDs will flash to indicate the preset has been saved.
OPERATING MODES
The top panel footswitches can function in two different modes to access presets.
BANK Mode
In BANK mode, the two switches act like two independent preset switches. Pressing the 'A' switch will toggle the A preset, and pressing the 'B' switch will toggle the B
6
preset. Pressing 'A' while 'B' is active will switch 'A' on and switch 'B' off, and vice-versa. In BANK mode, the 10 user presets are accessed in 5 banks of 2 presets, and the current bank number will be displayed. In order to change banks, press and hold the DIRT knob and then press 'B' to increment the bank, and 'A' to decrement the bank.
PRESET Mode
In PRESET mode, the 'B' footswitch is used to enable or bypass the preset, and the 'A' footswitch is used to scroll through the available preset numbers. When the Dirt Clod is bypassed, the display will show the pending preset number. Press the 'A' footswitch to change the pending preset until the desired preset number is displayed. Press the 'B' footswitch to enable the displayed preset.
Once a preset is enabled, you can use the 'A' footswitch to go directly to another preset without bypassing. Use the 'A' footswitch to select the next desired preset number. Notice that the decimal point will be displayed to indicate that the displayed preset number is pending (not active). Press the 'B' footswitch to activate the displayed preset.
In order to more effectively manage scrolling in PRESET mode, it is possible to set a limit on the number of presets used. This cuts down on the need to scroll through unused presets. For example, if you are only using 3 presets, then in preset mode you can use the 'A' footswitch to scroll 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, etc. See the section below for setting the preset limit.
Setting the operating mode
The Dirt Clod is initially set to PRESET mode. To change the mode settings, disconnect the power from the pedal. Press and hold the 'B' footswitch while applying power to the pedal. The display will indicate the current mode setting, 'P' (PRESET) or 'b'.(BANK). Use the 'A' and 'B' footswitches to change this setting as desired.
To change the preset limit when using PRESET mode, first select PRESET mode such that the display shows 'P'. Then, press the DIRT knob to display current preset limit. Turn the DIRT knob to change the limit from 2 to 0 (0=10). For example, setting the preset limit to 4 will limit PRESET mode access to only presets 1-4.
Exit by disconnecting power. Your settings will be saved.
MIDI
There are two ways that the Dirt Clod can be controlled via MIDI.
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Dirt Clod presets can be recalled using any or all of 128 MIDI Program Changes. Each MIDI Program Change received by the Dirt Clod can be mapped to one of its 10 presets or to bypass. See "Mapping Presets" section below for details.
Real-time control of each of the Dirt Clod's parameters can be achieved using MIDI Continuous Controller messages. MIDI Expression Pedal data can be assigned to any of the 4 Dirt Clod knobs as well as the FORM switch (clip style). See "MIDI Continuous Controllers" section below.
Setting the MIDI Channel
The Dirt Clod defaults to receiving MIDI data on MIDI Channel 1. To change the MIDI channel for receiving MIDI data, first disconnect power from the pedal. Then, press and hold the 'A' footswitch while applying power to the pedal. The current MIDI Channel will be displayed. Use the 'A' and 'B' footswitches to change the channel. Available channels are 1-16 (channels 10-16 are indicated as 0-6 with the center yellow LED lighted). To save and exit, simply disconnect power to the pedal. Your MIDI Channel will be saved.
Mapping Presets
Any MIDI Program Change can be used to load any preset, or to bypass the pedal.
First, send any MIDI Program Change to the Dirt Clod on its set MIDI Channel. The Dirt Clod should respond by loading a preset or bypassing. If the Dirt Clod is not on the preset you would like, simply use the controls on the Dirt Clod to select the desired preset (or bypass it) just as you normally would. However, when making the selection, continue to hold the footswitch until the LEDs flash, indicating the MIDI change has been mapped. The Dirt Clod will now make this selected change each time that this MIDI Program Change is received.
MIDI Continuous Controllers
Any of the Dirt Clod's knob settings can be controlled in real time using MIDI Continuous Controllers. The following chart shows the CC#s for the various controls:
Function CC# Value
DIRT 34 0-127
CORE 35 0-127
CRYSTAL 36 0-127
MASS 37 0-127
FORM 38 0-63:OFF, 64-127:ON
So as not to cause a jump in parameter value when receiving MIDI CC data, the Dirt Clod will not begin to respond to MIDI CC data until the received CC value is the same as the current value of the corresponding control.


carlb

One of a few reasons why this idea didn't catch on: metal working.

With the proposed solution as-was, users had to drill their own $250 EHX to house the new MIDI jacks, etc.

For someone wanting to move this forward, here's how to provide a solution that's easily adopted by your customers:

Along with the electronics, cables, and jacks, supply a replacement bottom for the EHX box. The new bottom has a wedge side-profile: thin at the front, thick enough for MIDI jacks in the back.

Pre-mount the MIDI jacks in the new bottom: provide a solution that is as turn-key as possible.

Preferred would be the MIDI built into new EHX pedals, of course. EHX could even Hide the MIDI jacks with "service-only" cover-plugs to pacify the Luddite demographic.
ES Les Paul, internal Roland GK
Boss SY-1000, Valeton Coral Amp pedal
Morningstar MC8 & MC6
QSC CP8 powered speaker

Smash

Microdesignum have released after market retro fit Midi module for all EHX #9 pedals:

128 memories, full MIDI control of all parameters - retrofit without drilling - this is a permanent mod!

Surely opens up some interesting possibilities...but a fair bit of soldering. Or buy and #9 pedal with it pre-installed - cheaper than the used Eurorack C9 on ebay...

Your warranty may be invalidated :D

https://www.microdesignum.cz/EN/Products/MIDI-Modules/MIDI-Control-for-Electro-Harmonix-x9



chrish

Smash, Just saw your utube link and clicked on it. That Derwentwater acoustic piece is incredible. Hard to believe it only has 163 views.



Do you have any concrete WWII bunkers nearby that are open to the public? If so, maybe check it with your acoustic guitar. The natural reverb in those bunkers can easily replace midi triggered pads.

Smash

Thanks man. No bunkers but I have Eventide Black Hole  :)

carlb

Seriously looking into the C9 box version of this. Use a hammond patch and a rhodes patch for different tunes, hate having to change patch, tweak knobs, never really know if I got the sound just right again.

If it give me the presets for the switching knob and the control of the pots, it sounds perfect.

I'll check first with Codesmart that my preferred MIDI cabling to the MIDX-20 will work - USB out to the MC6, MIDX-20 MIDI up to the C9 ...

Kudos to the designer here!

Oh yah Smash, great acoustic tune sir!
ES Les Paul, internal Roland GK
Boss SY-1000, Valeton Coral Amp pedal
Morningstar MC8 & MC6
QSC CP8 powered speaker