Fender Mustang Amplifiers?

Started by Atros, August 28, 2012, 01:30:22 AM

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Toby Krebs

Quote from: SuperNiCd on November 12, 2013, 10:27:05 AM
I have yet to notice anything I'd describe as fizz, or any unmusical sound for that matter...  Hoping that maybe Fender got this sorted out on the later production runs.

Just curious, if you remember, is there a certain thing you can do to get it to reproduce it?  I.e. is it only on certain amp models or with certain effects, or only at very high volumes?  I have a few days left that I could return it.  I don't really want to return it - but I would hate to find out past the return period that it has a serious flaw that I can't live with.

If your amp has it you would have already noticed it especially as notes trail off and die away using a clean patch. Your amp is probably fine. All guitar modelling devices have some of these weird sounding artifacts especially the Line 6 stuff. I just couldn't live with having to play Wes Montgomery/George Benson clean type tones and having any artifact type noises coming from my Mustang amp set to a Fender twin clean setting. Rolands engineers are the best at getting the filtering etc...right in the modellers they make and so very rarely will you notice any of it when using the GR55/GT-10/100 etc...

Toby Krebs

#26
Quote from: Elantric on November 12, 2013, 10:36:11 AM
I recall most complaints regarding Fender Mustang Fizz would occur as follows

1) Set the amp at a loud live performance volume , and play a preset with a medium to high distortion 

2) Strum One Ac/DC type Power Chord  - let it ring for 30 seconds

3) at the 15 second mark  - listen closely for any fizz, breakup, anomalies - yes these will be at reduced volume - but some Mustang Rev1 amps suffer more "Fizz" than others


4) My understanding is many blamed the power amp and some Mustang Rev1 amps would exhibit Fizz sound at the .0001 second mark! - but its my observation that many factory presets have the noise gate turned off. (use Fender Fuse Editor to enable the Noise Gate with settings for your preference to help tame the Fizz) For my Playing style I prefer playing with No Noise gate, as I like to have the full Dynamic Range available at any time - from  "Whisper" (by playing lightly with my fingers) to "Scream" (by Pete Townsend style Windmill Strums with a Pick/Plectrum)   on every patch - 



Townsend Rules! Read his last book it's great!

supernicd

Thanks guys.  When I get back in town I'll double check it listening closely in these two scenarios, but hopefully I just happened to get one with minimal to no fizz issues!

I wouldn't want to have to gate a clean or mildly overdriven tone.  That would take away too much nuance.  With high gain tones I don't mind gating.  I'm never trying to "whisper" then anyway.
Strat w/ GK-3, Godin LGXT
VG-99, GR-55, GP-10
---------------------------------------------------------------

Toby Krebs

I forgot to add to my tube amp list a Vox AC-15 that sounds pretty good but is crappy build quality wise. I will probably sell it as I don't use it much anymore.

supernicd

Just wanted to circle back and close the loop here for future reference.  If there is any fizz in this Mustang IV amp, I am unable to locate it, so seems like I got lucky.

I also used it at a live show, as my only amp.  This was a multi-band show, so minimizing gear and set up/tear down time was important.  I used it for one of its own internal amp models (Supersonic Burn), as an amp for the GR-55, and as a keyboard amp.  The keyboard was also DI'd to the sound board, so the Mustang really just served as my personal monitor for that, but for the internal sounds and the GR-55 output the cab was mic'd.

For traditional electric and acoustic guitar sounds, I thought it did very well.  And also for the majority of synth-added GR-55 tones.  As a keyboard monitor, it was not bad, but not great either.  The frequeny response was not quite as flat as I'd hoped, tapering off a bit on the highs and lows.  It was really mainly on a piano sound I noticed this.

It did have plenty of volume.  I thought the stage volume was pretty loud that night and I had the master at around 4, so plenty of room to spare.  And due to the compressed set up time and the fact that the house provided the bass amp, I ended up standing in front of the bass amp and the bass player in front of mine, so I had to add some volume to compensate that.

So assuming Fender has made fizz a non-issue in the v2 models, I think these could make pretty good amps for a GR-55, especially if you want to add some of Fender's modeling without adding another floor board.  And it has the bonus of not really needing the GR-55 to be a good sounding solid state guitar amp.  I think that's nice in a more spontaneous situation.  You can dial in sounds pretty quickly on the Mustang whereas the GR-55 usually requires some pre-planning.
Strat w/ GK-3, Godin LGXT
VG-99, GR-55, GP-10
---------------------------------------------------------------

Toby Krebs

The older Mustangs had 100 watt celestions in them. Great clean speaker with not much coloration. The newer ones must have that too. I have one of those speakers in my 50 watt 1982 JCM 1x12 combo and it kills!

supernicd

Yep, the one I have has 100W Celestions as well.  Definitely a top selling point as I was looking at this as more of a powered cabinet with the Fender modeling as a bonus.  I'm not sure what they are doing with the v2s.  Hopefully they've kept this!
Strat w/ GK-3, Godin LGXT
VG-99, GR-55, GP-10
---------------------------------------------------------------

Elantric

#32
Fender Mustang DSP Amp Advanced Owners Manual
http://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10002/Mustang_I-IV_(V.2)_gamp_manual_all_revA.pdf


Finally  -

Fender has posted schematics for Mustang DSP Amplifiers
http://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/2300400_gamp_schematic.pdf





Elantric

#33
REMUDA - Android Editor for Fender Mustang Amps
http://forums.fender.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=99804&start=30

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tritoninteractive.remuda

est to contact the REMUDA developer
http://tritonsw.com/

Triton Interactive
Email support@tritonsw.com






A FREE Lite version is available for compatibility testing. Look for "Remuda Lite" in the Play Store.
A complete editing and control application for your Fender Mustang amplifier. Provides complete "deep" editing of all Presets, Effects, and Amplifiers. Direct mode allows drag and drop re-ordering of presets. Performance mode lets you build a complete "set list" of song-by-song Presets, with multiple presets per song. Requires Android version 3.0 or later and a USB OTG (On-The-Go) adapter/cable to connect your Tablet or Smartphone to the amplifier.

- FREE Lite Version available for no-risk compatibility testing. Look for Remuda Lite.
- For all Fender Mustang I, II,III, IV, V amplifiers plus and Mustang Floor.
- Supports original and V2 series amplifiers.
- Support EXP-1 on Mustang III,IV,V, and Floor.
- Requires USB OTG adapter/cable for connection to amplifier.
- Drag & Drop preset re-ordering.
- Preset deep editing. Edit all parameters of all effects and amplifier simulations.
- Edit the Preset Signal Chain using Drag & Drop
- Performance Mode designed for gigging musicians. Set up complete "sets" of multiple Presets.
- Dynamic mapping of Quick Access presets in performance mode.
- Backup/Restore function creates files that can be "shared" between devices.
- Performance Mode and Direct modes can be "locked" to avoid "fat finger" errors.
- Effect "Memory" remembers how you like your effects and amplifiers to be set when added to a Preset.
- Works well with 7" (or larger) Tablet and newer Smartphones (1080x1920).


http://tritonsw.com/


http://fender-mustang-amps-and-fuse.wikia.com/wiki/Fender_Mustang_Amps_and_Fuse_Wiki

Elantric

#34
http://vinic.blog.free.fr/index.php?post/2014/04/29/Fender-Mustang-II-adding-a-Line-Out

Fender Mustang II - adding a "real" Line Out
By vinic on April 29 - 2014, 11:01 - Permalink
Fender mods Mustang transistor-amp
I've been asked to add a Line Out jack to a Fender Mustang II amplifier.


This amp already has a kind of Line Out as you can use the Phones output, but it mutes the speaker...

Let's open the amp.



Not much to see!!! The amp is very light and cheap and you can easily understand why!

All we need is to pick the signal sent to the Phones jack and to bring it to the back of the amp with a comfortable capacitor, electrolytic 470µF 40V here.





Job done!



Just curious... the amp spec tells :

1/8" headphone jack (doubles as a speaker-emulated line out)

Let's see what the emulation does by feeding a pink noise in the amp.



The amp detects when a jack is plugged in the Phones socket and automatically adds filters to the outgoing sound (and mutes speaker). As you can see, it cuts low and high frequencies and boosts a few dB around 3kHz as a standard guitar amp speaker does. My "quick" Line Out does not provide this emulated signal but it is an easy job to achieve on a mixing console.

Hope this helps!

Comments


http://www.tdpri.com/threads/fender-mustang-ms4-footswitch-and-the-exp-1-expression-pedal.492094/


Elantric

#36
QuoteFender did their homework when designing the Mustang III v2 and, while not perfect, it has few digital artifacts. 

I agree, Ive been playing around with one for a few days, and this specific model is capable of many great sounds. But start adding external distortion pedals and just like the DSP channel on the SuperChamp XD/X2, the  tone goes south rather swiftly (the signal starts choking and the noise goes rather high.

I still think the Cube 80XL/GX takes external distortion pedals better, and the Cube 80XL with its sealed closed back 12" cab delivers more low end oomph and has less noise and higher headroom to handle  GR-55 PCM synths that would clobber and flubb the Mustang  III v2' or Vypyr's  open back 12" Guitar speaker. 

But for most guitarists, many useable sounds are all built into the current Mustang III v2 amp, in a  light weight easy to grab plug and play package for blues jams that can go loud or feed the FOH PA in Stereo with its Stereo XLR Outputs, and the re-routable FX Loop and Android tablet editor make for a wining combination.


Although the Vypyr VIP 2 does have those those "Instrument simulations" that work reasonably well and need to be explored.

Side note, Ive been playing a new Cube 80GX with my Les Paul, and with the Roland 6 button foot controller and two EV-5 pedals you can dynamically change the gain, distortion  and volume  using the two EV-5 pedals - rather like the GA-212 and this Cube 80GX amp  has a decent Acoustic Simulator, that allowed my stock Les Paul to deliver convincing acoustic tones 

Too many choices these days. But I can understand why the Fender Mustang Amps are so popular - because they sound pretty good right out of the box at a great price here in USA. and most models have an FX loop ( missing on the Vypyr and Cube 80.

But feed a GP-10 / GR-55 into the "JC Clean channel or feed MP3 / Aux input on the Cube 80, and you have a good small amplification system for the DSP Modeling gear we talk about. I still use my older Cube 80XL live, mostly because  compared to the new Cube 80GX, the speaker in the older model has a bit wider frequency response with more high frequency clarity for use with Synths.   

Elantric

#37
Roland  / Boss still have very few IOS apps and no Android apps
http://www.roland.com/categories/apps/

Since Roland / Boss failed to provide us Guitar FX gear with USB Class compliant MIDI, there will be roadblocks and hurdles

But the concept is certainly possible if the Boss Guitar Product Managers get their head out of past, and talk to the Roland Aira Synth group - its a bit like Roland's left hand does not know what its right hand is doing, Splintering the Boss products and and Cube amps groups away from Roland Corp, has a net result of making me feel that they might sell these divisions off ( like they did with Cakewalk) 


But ask 10 programmers if BOSS Tone Studio Editor / Librarian is feasible, and 8 will tell you its impossible because lack of USB Drivers for IOS and Android. Its a boneheaded gap in knowledge about the current state of the art of Mobile Tablet USB Host  / OTG ports on IOS and Android, and how USB Class compliant MIDI works on IOS and Android.   

Fender "gets it"  -  there is an independent Fender Mustang Amp Editor for Android called Remuda,
http://tritonsw.com/
possible because Fender Understands the value of providing all Fender Mustang Amps with USB Class Compliant interface.
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=6879.msg129821#msg129821




Third parties use MIDI Designer (IOS) for GR-55  / VG-99 - using a third party iPad / iPhone MIDI adapter
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=7156.msg49910#msg49910




but Boss GP-10 / GT-100 / SY-300 - no support for USB Class compliant MIDI is extremely frustrating, and stuck in the past.

Designing a "Guitar to MIDI box" (Boss GP-10)  with no MIDI Jacks was a boldly dumb move.

vtgearhead

#38
Quote from:  Elantric on June 06, 2016, 10:58:16 AM
Fender "gets it"  -  there is an independent Fender Mustang Amp Editor for Android called Remuda, possible because Fender Understands the value of providing all Fender Mustang Amps with USB Class Compliant Interface !

I didn't even realize the Mustang spoke or understood MIDI - had it in my head that it was a proprietary protocol.  Do you have any links to the MIDI spec?  Being able to control my Mustang III v2 via MIDI would be the Holy Grail for this boy...

admin

#39
QuoteI didn't even realize the Mustang spoke or understood MIDI - had it in my head that it was a proprietary protocol.  Do you have any links to the MIDI spec?  Being able to control my Mustang III v2 via MIDI would be the Holy Grail for this boy...

need a USB packet sniffer

REMUDA - Android Editor for Fender Mustang Amps
http://forums.fender.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=99804&start=30

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tritoninteractive.remuda

Best to contact the REMUDA developer
http://tritonsw.com/

Triton Interactive
Email support@tritonsw.com




also read
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=6879.msg130492#msg130492
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/plug-and-fender-mustang


The Goal is creating a small USB Host <>MIDI I/O hardware box for remote MIDI control of the excellent sounding Mustang III/IV/V (V2) Amps using typical MIDI foot pedal ( FCB-1010)

The Remuda developer has reverse engineered the Mustang Amp's USB command / control serial data stream.

So has the Linux PLUG developer

But what remains missing is a

* Mustang Amp Command / Control Serial data <> MIDI Interpreter

Its possible it might be created to run on a $35 Raspberry PI (Linux), and then we can use JACK AUDIO/MIDI extension and a common USB Class Compliant MIDI cable



Or beg Fender to release a "Fender Mustang Floor V2"


admin

#40
PLUG: Mustang Amp control under Linux
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/plug-and-fender-mustang



PLUG And The Fender Mustang

Mar 14, 2011    By Dave Phillips
inaudio guitar Hardware linux Music Software sound

Recently I decided I needed a new guitar amplifier for my studio. Its sole employment would be studio work, so I looked for a small lightweight amp with a good sound, high-quality digital effects, and amplifier/cabinet modeling. Of course I'm always on the look-out for hardware that can be edited from a computer running Linux, and did I mention that a low cost would be nice ? Well, thanks to a timely tip from an on-line friend I discovered that Fender manufactures an amplifier that meets - and exceeds - my expectations. Read on to learn how a Fender Mustang amplifier found a home here at Studio Dave.

The Fender Mustang Amplifiers

I learned about the Mustang thanks to a post from fellow user glokraw on KVRaudio. His enthusiasm was irresistible, so I checked out the amp's specifications on the Fender site and started looking for the best deal.




Figure 1. The Fender Mustang I



As of March 2011 Fender has produced five models of the Mustang amplifer. The versions differ in price, output power, and added features, but they all share the same basic design. I decided to purchase the Mustang I (Figure 1), a 20-watt amplifier with an 8-inch speaker, 24 amp/cabinet presets, 32 built-in effects, aux and headphone jacks, and a class-compliant USB audio output port. For all that goodness Fender suggests a retail list price of $149 (US), but the typical sale price was closer to $99 when I bought mine, a nice bargain for a combined amplifier/effects processor/digital audio interface. However, potential buyers should be advised that the Mustang's USB port is not a general purpose audio connection - it performs best with its originally intended input device, i.e. your electric guitar.

The Inside Report

The overall sound quality is excellent to my ears. Fender claims that the Mustang's speaker is "specially designed", and it does bear up well under heavy distortion and overdrive settings. Clean settings have good presence and definition at high or low volumes, with or without effects. The effects modules are familiar - reverb, delay, flange, chorus, tremolo, distortion, et cetera - and guitarists should find most of their favorite processors here. The amplifier models include some of Fender's famous units, as well as some "British" amplifiers and a couple of less identifiable models. Each amplifier has sets of basic and advanced parameters, among which you'll find twelve cabinet types, also modeled after famous hardware originals.



Figure 2. The Mustang control panel. The USB port is in the lower right corner.

The first sixteen presets can be redefined by the user. Programming a new preset isn't difficult from the amplifier itself - some knobs are dedicated to single parameters while others are multifunctional (see Figure 2) - but the task is made much simpler with editing software. I'll get into the software side after a quick detour to some information likely to be needed by Ubuntu users.

USB Voodoo For Ubuntu

I tested the Mustang's connection to a system running 32-bit Ubuntu 10.04. When I connected the Mustang's USB port to my computer I immediately had a verifiable hook-up between the amplifier and the machine. Running cat /proc/asound/cards revealed that the Mustang was recognized as a full-speed USB audio device known as "FMIC Mustang Amplifier" (Figure 3).





Figure 3. The Mustang/Linux USB connection.

I configured a connections patch in QJackCtl with input from the reported "Mustang Amplifier" and output to my M-Audio Delta 66, but unfortunately that configuration can't achieve low latency without xruns in JACK. In the hope that someone might suggest better settings, here's my command for starting JACK :

  $ /usr/bin/jackd -t5000 -dalsa -r44100 -p512 -n2 -Xseq -D -Chw:4 -Phw:0

where hw:4 is the Mustang and hw:0 is the Delta 66. Despite the relatively high latency - 23.2 msecs - produced by those settings I had no troubles with xruns when recording in Ardour2.

[NB:] See AutoStatic's recommendations in the Comments below. His solution is much better, thanks to the alsa_in utility.

Alas, when I tried to run the PLUG software (see below) I received an error message regarding the USB port. Apparently Ubuntu 10.04 restricts access to USB ports, but the developer quickly posted a simple fix. First I created this file :

  $ sudo gedit /etc/udev/rules.d/50-mustang.rules

which contained the following text :



SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ENV{DEVTYPE}=="usb_device", SYSFS{idVendor}=="1ed8", SYSFS{idProduct}=="0004", GROUP="plugdev"


Then I ran this command :

  $ sudo service udev restart

And now I have no problems connecting PLUG to my Mustang as a normal user.

On The Software Side

After purchasing the amplifier I was eligible for connection to Fender's FUSE Web site. We have a spare desktop machine that runs Microsoft's Vista, so I used that box to establish my account with Fender. The FUSE site provides access to firmware updates, patch collections from other users, and a software editor for the amplifier's settings. The editor is nicely done, but alas, it doesn't work with Linux. It requires a .NET environment and Microsoft's Silverlight, both of which requirements might be met by available Linux tools, but - according to Fender - the native Linux versions are not so feature-complete as their Microsoft counterparts. Those requirements also make it difficult to run the FUSE software under Wine or a virtual Windows session.

I must note here that Fender has shown no hostility towards Linux. In fact, the lead developer of the FUSE software is a Linux user himself, and I had hopes that Fender might develop a Linux version of their editor for the Mustang. However, instead of waiting for that happy day one Linux user began his own software project to access and control the Mustang's many features. Enter the PLUG.

The PLUG Project

PLUG is a simple Qt4-based application (Figure 4) that provides full control of the amplifier and effects stages of the Mustang I and II amps. It's not as flashy as Fender's software, but it weighs about 50 kilos less - no .NET or Silverlight required - and it does what it's designed to do without complications or crashes.





Figure 4. The PLUG Mustang presets editor.



You won't find PLUG in your distribution's repos yet, but the PLUG site offers prepackaged 32-bit and 64-bit binaries that should work on any Linux distribution. If you choose to compile the program from its source code you'll need a development environment that includes the Qt4-dev and libusb-dev packages. When the required components are in place the build process is uncomplicated :

  $ qmake plug.pro
  $ make
  $ sudo make install

As of version 0.5 no icon is installed to launch the program. You can add one of your own - the binary sits at /usr/local/bin/plug - or you can open a terminal and enter plug at the command prompt. When the program starts go to the Connection menu to connect PLUG to the Mustang. If all goes well you'll see the display shown in Figure 4. If the connection fails make sure that the Mustang is turned on and its USB cable is plugged in. Further failure indicates a greater problem that likely needs the attention of PLUG's developer (see below for contact details).

Programming PLUG

PLUG's GUI reveals the Mustang's internal architecture as described above. The main panel is divided into an amplifier editor and an editor for the amplifier's four effects modules. Click the Amplifier or Effect labels to open the settings editors, then adjust the controls with the knobs or by entering values directly into the scrollbox. PLUG's control isn't realtime, but its workflow is fast and efficient - you make your settings, click the Set button to send them to your amp, test the sound and repeat as necessary. Amplifier and effects settings can be retrieved from and loaded to the Mustang together or separately.

If you know nothing about programming a modern guitar amplifier, here are a few tips to get started with PLUG :

Fender likes hot gain stages. Adjust the various gain controls - yes, there may be multiple gain stages in a preset - to suit your amplitude preference.
Changing the amplifier and/or cabinet type can make a dramatic difference in the sound. The originals were designed as matched components in specific systems, but you may mismatch at will.
Load a factory preset. Turn off all effects, then change the amp and cabinet parameter settings one at a time, testing each parameter at various levels. Listen and note the results. Now switch on each effect, one at a time to note how the specific effect changes the sound.
Make a clean setting without effects as a neutral preset for creating your sounds from scratch.
Use a neutral patch to test each effect, one by one, then in various combinations. Edit parameters one at a time. Test the effects pre- and post-amp.

Modern amplifiers are typically organized into three main stages. The pre-amp conditions the input signal for further processing, the main amplifier powers the signal, and the effects processor add special characteristics to the input, before or after the main amplifier. For brevity I've oversimplified this design, and of course each stage may have complex internal characteristics.

For my initial project with PLUG I replaced the first sixteen preset slots with my own settings (the Mustang's default gain stages were set too high for my needs). I had already used Fender's nice editor, but I found that I preferred PLUG's easier operation. I quickly filled the presets with my custom sounds, and thanks to the latest PLUG's support for loading and saving preset files I'm now building a handy library of my own sound designs. The PLUG file format is identical to Fender's FUSE preset file format (thanks to Fender's decision to use XML), so I can now share my presets with other Mustang users, regardless of their computer's operating system.

Incidentally, friend glokraw came up with a neat trick. He discovered that he could record from the USB interface and at the same time use the Mustang's headphone output as a second audio source from the amplifier. As he suggested, this configuration makes one "rethink the creative process". His own experiments included driving three patches in the Yoshimi synthesizer
http://yoshimi.sourceforge.net/
with a guitar signal from the Mustang's USB port - MIDIfied via the libaubio tools
http://aubio.org/
- while sending the headphone output to a patch in the Rakarrack multi-effects processor.
http://rakarrack.sourceforge.net/
Now that's just crazy cool.

Documentation

User-level documentation consists of a single Web page that describes the basic operation of the program. As usual, you'll learn the most by playing around with it, but if you get stuck you can reach the developer by leaving a message on his site or by checking in on the #linfuse channel at irc.freenode.net. The PLUG site also includes technical information for developers interested in accessing the Mustang's software capabilities.

Looking Forward

On the FUSE user's forum I wrote that a software editor doubles the worth of the hardware. PLUG reconfirms that opinion and has proven its value at Studio Dave. Developer piorekf continues to add useful features to his software.
https://bitbucket.org/piorekf/plug/wiki/Home
As I completed this review the latest codebase introduced the support for the FUSE file format, and the developer has issued a call for help polishing the GUI. I'd like to see a mechanism to automate firmware updates from Fender (work on this feature has already begun) and it would be cool if PLUG included library functions for collections of presets. Otherwise the program is near feature-complete and definitely stable in its current release.
https://bitbucket.org/piorekf/plug/issues/34/support-for-mustang-ii-v2

Outro

A lot of work is going on in the Linux audio world, and I'll do my best to keep up with it. Upcoming articles include profiles of Harrison's Mixbus for Linux, the Open Octave Project's OOM2 sequencer, updated plugins from Loomer, two new native Linux synthesizers, and more. I'm kept pretty busy these days, so stop by again soon to catch up on the latest activities.

vtgearhead

Unfortunately, I cannot find any means to contact the developer.  Am I missing something obvious?  The second link you provided leads to a restricted page for which I have no login account. 

Elantric

#42
Triton Interactive
Email support@tritonsw.com

I contacted Robert Heitman (Remuda Developer)


turns out the Mustang amp uses a proprietary serial communication - not standard MIDI  - but he's open to suggestions:

A recent dialogue

Elantric wrote>
I purchased Remuda recently,and still getting my feet wet using an NVidia Shield K1 tablet + USB OTG adapter to control my Mustang III V2 - but I wanted to congratulate you on your Remuda app - and all your efforts for remote control of the Fender Mustang Amplifiers on Android. Must have required many hours with a USB data packet sniffer!

I own the following Mustang DSP modelers

* Mustang Floor
* Mustang III V2 Amp+4 button foot switch +2 button foot switch +Expression pedal
* Mustang Mini

But IMHO - Whats missing is a USB Host to 5 pin MIDI jack interface adapter to control  Mustang Amps using standard MIDI floor controllers  - like a Behringer FCB-1010 .

Is there a path to expose MIDI NRPN data or remap to standard MIDI Patch Change, and MIDI CC#  commands? We do similar on Rasperry Pi +USB MIDI cable to add the missing 5 pin DIN MIDI I/O connections to  Boss GP-10
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=11998.0

Robert Heitman wrote>

QuoteAre people looking to embed Mustang control (Presets, effects, volume, and the like) into a MIDI stream?

Has someone in your group created any sort of 5 Pin MIDI receiver on a PI? From the link you provided it appears that someone has BUT it isn't clear on a quick skim.

I myself have considered building a Bluetooth/USB device bridge so that an Android device could use a Bluetooth connection to connect to the AMP (to eliminate the USB cable). I have considered using the PI among others and it sounds like the sort of thing that you need to do (with the obvious exception of using a MIDI cable to the bridge device instead of blue tooth). Part of this of course would be the BlueTooth transmission of the desired preset data and parameters. Easily within the bandwidth of BlueTooth given that an entire Mustang preset is under 768 Bytes.

I would always be happy to share my understanding of the communication protocol and packet structure required to control the Mustang BUT my ability to provide any leverage towards your goal with the existing Remuda app is very limited. The existing code is VERY tied into the Android UI. At best I can tease out the preset  parameters but they would still be bound into the implementation details of the program itself.

So all of this being said, I'd love to hear what sort of help I could be to the project.

Robert Heitman

I'm thinking contact Robert (CodeSmart) and consider creating a Primova "MIDX-30" USB Host to MIDI adapter that supports Fender Mustang Amps and provides them with the missing MIDI I/O for Mustang amp remote control.

But i know Robert Fransson (CodeSmart's)  schedule is already overworked / overextended  as it is!


Trust me, Fender has sold 100 times more Fender Mustang Amps than Roland has Boss GP-10's

Links:

Primova "MIDX-20" USB Host to MIDI adapter
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=17561.0


GP-10 Raspberry Pi USB Host to MIDI I/O
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=11998.0


Zivix PUC+ Wireless MIDI <> Bluetooth adapter
https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=15697.msg112015#msg112015


Quote"And now that Android 6.0 supports Bluetooth MIDI connections your Android gear can also support your existing MIDI controllers wirelessly with the Zivix PUC+ "
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Bluetooth-interface-musicians-iPhone/dp/B016PHN7CO?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0




vtgearhead

Quote from: Elantric on June 08, 2016, 03:47:51 PM

Trust me, Fender has sold 100 times more Fender Mustang Amps than Roland has Boss GP-10's


That's a safe bet. 

I independently sent Robert a note (finally found address on the Android app page) that read almost exactly like yours.  If I could talk to the amp from my FCB1010 it would solve a lot of problems.  Currently I'm using Fender 2-button and 4-button momentary pedals plus the EXP-1.  2-button is patch Down/Up, with 4-button locked to EFX on/off.  No matter how I arrange things, it seems like I'm always 5 clicks away from the preset I want to arrive at by the end of the measure.  Having a bank available for direct-select on the FCB1010 would be wonderful for taking a load off my toes...

CodeSmart

When possible I'll take a look and see how tricky it would be.
I'm on the road right now.

If having to limit to a basic set of CC# PC# to Mustang command translations,
what would the most interesting features be (from a MIDI foot controller standpoint)?
But I got more gear than I need...and I like it!

Elantric

#45
Id want a " USB Host to 5pin DIN MIDI I/O box that can deliver to Mustang Amps the same MIDI Implementation as already exists in Mustang Floor, or as close as possible.

I believe controls for these are lurking inside all Mustang Amp Modeler DSP boards 

http://support.fender.com/manuals/guitar_amplifiers/Mustang_Floor_advanced_manual_English_rev-B.pdf





CodeSmart

So...the dirt cheap Mustang I V2 would do fine from a USB development standpoint?
But I got more gear than I need...and I like it!

Elantric

#47
Yes

Although a gently used Mustang Floor might be a better choice, since it already has working MIDI I/O for debug 

First reaction might be,  a potential buyer of PrimovaSound MIDX-30 Mustang Amp USB Host to MIDI adapter is  :

"Why not just buy a Mustang Floor?"

Because the newer Mustang "V2" Amps use  faster DSP's that feature faster patch change time (no drop out) and superior "V2" Amp modeling, compared to older Mustang Floor.

Here in USA since 2014 , i see more  Mustang III "V2"s being used by many bands - but everyone wants to have a better floor controller for them, I figure a new PrimovaSound box that allowed a FCB-1010 to control the amp via MIDI Patch Change commands, and control the Mustang Amps DSP FX (Stomp boxes, Delays, Reverbs, Tap Tempo) via MIDI CC# commands from FCB-1010 would have a huge demand 

And my contacts at Fender reflect nothing is coming down the pipe to implement  5 pin MIDI jacks on a future 2017 Mustang amp anytime soon (too many managers who remain happy they killed the 5 pin MIDI jacks from the feature list.)     

Elantric

#48
Also note that Embeded Linux platforms support "Jack Audio" - which we know already has hooks for Roland/Boss USB MIDI I/O

https://www.vguitarforums.com/smf/index.php?topic=18357.0


and we note there already exists an open source Linux control for Fender Mustang Amps using "PLUG"



Time to google:
"Fender mustang and Raspberry Pi"



sixeight

My fourteen year old son has saved up his pocket money and tonight we went out and bought a second hand Fender Mustang iii v2. Very nice amp. I was surprised to find an excellent tracking harmonizer among the effects. Also the drop C tuning is great. And it is loud enough to compete with a drummer. He will have to keep his levels down for practice at home...