11R live issues

[ameristos]

hey all...

i had intentions of using the 11R live, but continually run into so many problems, that i believe it will have to be kept at home.

i will attempt to describe what happens:

to start, i use a rocktron all access (limited edition) midi foot controller with its own midi pedal and then i hook up a boss EV-5 into the expression pedal input. the rocktron pedal controls all volume and allows me to swell into distortions without affecting the amount. the boss is used only for wah.

if i was just in a bar band, i'd have few complaints, but i play for musical theater. i need a lot of separate patches and seamless transitions, and i need to be able to rely on what is about to happen next.

the first problem, let's say, i'm using a distorted tone on A1, the song ends, and i use the midi pedal to bring my level down to almost off with the conductor's cue. when switching to A2, either clean or distorted, with the pedal completely pressed from A1, i switch patches and the volume is 100% full on again. UGH.

this happens, i don't know, about 80% of the time. the other 20% is this odd anomaly that happens in the same scenario. i press the pedal to decrease volume, change patches, and this time, i lose ability to control anything with my pedal. on my new patch, i have practically no sound, and i can't get anything back unless i go back to the previous patch, press the pedal completely back to 100% then switch patches.

this kills me in a fast theater setting. i don't have the time to switch back and forth, rock a pedal backwards and forwards, and then move on. the cues i need to hit are quick and there is no chance to wait. a cast of 20-40 people are like a freight train and you just try to keep up.

the other major problem i have is when i switch patches, some go completely dead. midi pedal back or forwards, expression pedal back or forwards, rock them back or forward, go into the previous patch, and then to the one i need.

nothing. the clean patches are dead.

i literally have two options. if i'm using my laptop, i can adjust the pedal to the on position using the user interface, or if no laptop, i have to restart the 11R. this just baffles me.

i have all the latest updates for the 11R and for pro tools LE (mac).

any suggestions? anyone else have any pedal interface issues?

maybe this is a midi programming issue... i have to admit i need to learn a lot about midi and how to program the pedal.

[blewis]

First, can you confirm you have enabled "Persistant VolControl" in the User Options menu?

The behavior you describe sounds bizarre and unpredictable. Have you tried using your expression pedal through the expression input of the 11R and bypassing your MIDI board?

Try bypassing your MIDI board with your volume pedal to confirm that the board isn't randomly encoding an expression pedal value when it switches patches. If it does, that would also be very bizarre, but it's worth trying to debug.

[ameristos]

you know what? looks like i'm behind on a firmware update. avid says, "Eleven Rack Firmware Update v1.0.3 Release Notes — August 5, 2010"

i believe i'm running v1.0.2. i will have to check tonight because my rack is at the theater...

i will try the new update and post my findings.

(thanks for such a speedy response. would you be able to tell me where the option is for persistent volume control? or will it be obvious once the update has installed?)

[blewis]

Press and hold the Edit/Back (Hold for Options) button. That will take you to the User Options menu. Use the Scroll knob to scroll through various options.

Persistant Vol Pedal is on the third page.

[59tweed]

Through a Rocktron Midi Mate, I couldn't get my expression pedal to work reliably, and had to plug it into the 11R where, for 2 months now, it has worked perfectly. I am also guilty of being quite ignorant to midi programming and have wondered if this might be my own misunderstanding about programming the pedal and footswitch to work together.

As it works now, the patch will represent the setting of the expression pedal with the correct amount of that corresponding parameter. Basically, the patch will sound like it should for the position of the expression pedal, and instantly too, as I switch patches. I don't know if it is strictly having the current firmware, or having the expression pedal plugged straight into the 11R, or both, but I am no longer having those same issues with the expression pedal and patch changes anymore.

[Stratus]

@ameristos - You should be fixed with the firmware upgrade and Persistant Volume as blewis described. Works great on my rig.

Originally Posted by 59tweed

Through a Rocktron Midi Mate, I couldn't get my expression pedal to work reliably, and had to plug it into the 11R where, for 2 months now, it has worked perfectly. I am also guilty of being quite ignorant to midi programming and have wondered if this might be my own misunderstanding about programming the pedal and footswitch to work together.

As it works now, the patch will represent the setting of the expression pedal with the correct amount of that corresponding parameter. Basically, the patch will sound like it should for the position of the expression pedal, and instantly too, as I switch patches. I don't know if it is strictly having the current firmware, or having the expression pedal plugged straight into the 11R, or both, but I am no longer having those same issues with the expression pedal and patch changes anymore.

@59tweed - My expression pedal works great plugged into the 11R. However, I've also got a MidiMate and could never fiigure out how to get the pedal to work through the midi interface pedal -> midimate -> 11R Are you working OK with the pedal into the MidiMate? If so, how? Thanks.

[ameristos]

well, my worst nightmare came true. i guess it was my own fault, but i just HAD to install the firmware update to 1.0.3 hours before a show, in the pit for a musical, with time crunching away & becoming my nemesis.

my midi pedalboard completely stopped working, and no matter what i did, it wouldn't return. all this two hours before the show opened. i had to literally change my presets by hand. i was so pissed.

ya know, guitarist switching presets with his hand means one of them can't be on the guitar. it was brutal!!!

i guess i will try to reinstall the firmware v1.0.2 (backwards) and hope my pedal comes back for the remainder of the shows this weekend, and then figure it out monday when i have the night off.

to clarify, the boss pedal plugged into the expression port worked like a charm. it was my rocktron all access that wouldn't change presets.

any help??? is it even possible to go backwards installing firmware? i'm desperate.

[muziqman]

I can tell you were very pissed and I would be too in that situation. I don't think the issue is with the 11r but with your midi controller. Unfortunately I can't give you any advice on fixing the Rocktron All Access, maybe someone else on the forum can. I can recommend the FCB1010 thou, changes rigs fine and has two built in expression pedals for volume and wah. Sorry I can't be more help. Hope you get things working.

[blewis]

Doube check your MIDI channel in User Options. It may have been reset when you upgraded.

[59tweed]

Originally Posted by Stratus

@ameristos - You should be fixed with the firmware upgrade and Persistant Volume as blewis described. Works great on my rig.



@59tweed - My expression pedal works great plugged into the 11R. However, I've also got a MidiMate and could never fiigure out how to get the pedal to work through the midi interface pedal -> midimate -> 11R Are you working OK with the pedal into the MidiMate? If so, how? Thanks.

No, I am not using the expression pedal plugged into the Midi Mate. Sorry that was confusing. I would like to learn how to get them to work together, but maybe not so badly that I have put much effort into it. For now, the pedal works great directly into the 11R. Let us know if you get it figured out, and I promise to do the same.