I’m having a brain meltdown on this one, guys. I bought a midi controller/switch foot pedal. I just want to use it to allow my guitarist to turn off and on his solo/boost/reverb stack that I run when he is soloing on songs like comfortably numb. It adds 5db and some stereo delay and verb effects. I can control the plugs or stack via automation - but is there a way to use the various midi signals to turn that stack on and off at the guitarist’s leisure? I tried adding a midi track but I don’t see how I could route that. I don’t see the ability to monitor the inputs on automation channels so not sure that would work. Can anyone assist? Thank you!!!
actions and shortcuts under devices dropdown menu:
but actually I think you need only to adjust Inserts or volume of the Stack, not the stack itself.
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Also note the invert setting in actions+shortcuts. You may define the same MIDI action twice, for instance enable stack insert 1 and enable stack insert 2, then set the 2nd to invert, so that you can “swap” those inserts for accompanying and solo.
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Thanks you two. I’m looking at the Actions and Shortcuts menu trying to comprehend how I would do this. I have a separate song stack in each song for guitar FX/boost. I use loopback and route a global stack signal to a song stack for non-effected sound and another song stack for effects (which is routed to a separate stereo mixer output). All I really need to be able to do is mute the effects song stack unless they click the footswitch to unmute it. Similarly, I do the same thing for vocals but there I just want a switch to engage or bypass a plugin insert (waves harmony).
I see I can navigate to “stack” in actions and shortcuts. I can mute/unmute or change volume it appears. I’m not following the choice of stack issue. I can choose selected stack or stack 1-8. Not sure what 1-8 designate? Song stacks in the order they were created? Do I set a separate action and shortcut for each song or is it global? It looks like it stays the same from song to song. Does that mean I have to have the song stacks in the same place (1-8) in each song? I have 25 songs at this point and need this functionality in about half of them.
I’m also not quite following the invert situation. I’m assuming that addresses the toggle on and off button situation. I really don’t need to control more than one variable. Really just want to mute and unmute the FX channels each time the footswitch is pressed.
Any further guidance on this would be VERY appreciated, as always. Thanks!!
1st, 2nd, 3rd etc, top to bottom.
Actions are always global, never Song or Part related.
You wanted to switch to solo and back, one way to do it is enabling a stack insert (solo amp) while disabling another (“accompany amp”).
Yes.
Another way of doing it would be to use Global Stacks (Part/Create Global Part), which would possibly make more sense if you have the same setup throughout the entire show anyway.
while gave me a great tip, thank you @musicullum 
Thank you both. I’ll just move that effects stack to the top in every song.
If I want to do a volume change on that particular stack and enable the reverb, I’m assuming I could do two actions. Can I preprogram a set number of dB’s for it to toggle between on volume? Do I have to create the inverse for when the toggle is hit again to disable the verb and reduce the volume?
This is so cool!!
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Or put there a compressor e.g
w.o. compression but some gain, etc
Just for versability, you can even use reverb as insert or by sent to group (reverb-fx) track.
All is about how is the structure see es you better
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That was what I was thinking. May throw in an eq with a touch of high end boost and +4dbs plus the reverb plug. Lots of possibilities!
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Although, now that I think about it, if I add 5db through the verb output I’m changing the gain structure to potentially clip the output (or it gets closer anyhow). I’d rather be able to toggle the stack volume up and down by 5db. Is it possible to do this with a footswitch? @musicullum any tips on this?
or simple toggling 2 inserts, one for drop 5dB, another is the reverb…
Meanwhile the question is a bit theoretical, isn’t it? I mean if you give more, there must be more… but only you know where is your end with loud… (before -0.0dB… meanwhile loud is not equal to loudness)… and all other levels might be set levelled to the maximum (I mean you can do anyhow you do, but absolutely talking about theoretically…) because whatever you do, no tape-like clipping exists with digital audio.
Any of the two solution you do (add 5dB for some, drop 5dB for all others) you need to do the gain/sound-check with the loudest part, song, thing, whatever.
Great point, I’ll reduce by 5db ahead of the reverb plug that adds 5 back!
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Alright, I’m dense. Footpedal works and midi messages show as:
Looks like I can use program change to trigger the insert being on or off, but I’m having trouble with the settings:
I tried “toggle” and “button” (I think it is a button).
I’ve moved the stack up to the top of the list, assuming top stack is channel one. (Although I have hidden the global stacks and I’m not sure if that changes anything?)
Nothing seems to be working. Can anyone help sort this? Sorry, midi is my weak point.
are you going to control (toggle) channel1’s insert, or the STACK’s insert?
Now you set this MIDI command -as I see- for mixer channel, not for stack
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Whoops - I missed the top menu. It’s been a long day…
Got it to work as a toggle function. Epic!
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So I bought a nicer bluetooth footpedal, the boss FS-1-WL. I wanted an LED to show the status of each pedal (on latched mode). But when I try to use this pedal in latch mode it only allows me to use CC 1 through 95. It will allow program change but that won’t do a latch mode. When I try to program the action using CC’s VST live doesn’t start until CC 128 for note on. Does that mean I cannot program the action using CC’s 1 through 95? Thanks in advance, MIDI is confusing to me.
@musicullum do you mind commenting on the above? Can I only use cc 124 and higher for actions in VST live? Thank you!
Don’t understand what that means.
Note on is a seperate message, there is no Note On with Controllers.
MIDI mesages are mainly Note On/Off, Program Change, and Controllers.
Maybe explain exactly what you want to acheive, " I wanted an LED to show the status of each pedal (on latched mode)." - don’t understand that either.
I’m sorry, my midi knowledge is lacking. I will try to explain more clearly. I have a footpedal from Boss. The default value it transmits is cc #80 on the pedal. The pedal has a latch mode that is set for an off value of “0” and an on value of “127”. I would like the “on” value to engage the second insert on my first stack in each song. The second insert is a reverb that also adds 5db in volume. I don’t see how to set that up in the actions menu because I cannot see where I can select CC #80. Is that more clear?