Future Impact now available!! WAS: deep impact reissue!!! interested?

[Quatschmacher]

someone should put together a series of tutorial videos. I'd pay for it

I’ve helped people out in person and over video chat with the FI and am happy to do so.

 

[SirTarquin]

I agree though with @fivestringgecko, that's not the same as attack and decay for the VCA section. I believe if you didn't use the filter (VCF) section, then those controls wouldn't do anything. Right...?

The saw waves have a decay setting, that's for sure.

No, I agree, it’s not the same at all. My initial comparison was in regards to how both handled controlling the envelope of the filter. Which one still provides more straightforward control over the other. You are correct, if you turned off the filter then those controls wouldn’t matter, but you wouldn’t be able to set the cutoff frequency either.

Although, I suppose you could say the same for the VCA, as you have two individual controls for attack and release on the FI and the exact same envelopes that control the filter on the C4.

I will clarify, my initial statement of ADSR control was in regards to how both pedals handled it, despite neither having full ASDR (as of right now).

I guess this discussion just proves the idea that the UI on the FI editor (and manual?) could be better.

5sg.

I am not going to argue with that.

 

[maisbass]

I have both. I switched out the FI for the C4 after owning the C4 for a week. I agree with people above that they both have their strengths, and I don't see myself selling the FI. But, for what I've been using the FI for, I found the C4 equivalent patches that I programmed myself to be fatter and the tracking to be a lot better, at least for my technique.

I would wait to judge the sounds of any pedal until you try it for yourself. Youtube, etc is never going to be fully representative of what something truly sounds like to you.

I'm not using the Soleman, nor do I own one. Many different MIDI controllers have screens. In my case I'm using an HX Effects to send CC preset changes to the hub/C4. I've labeled my switches so that I know what preset I'm recalling. I agree it'd be nice to have some sort of visual reference on the C4, but not a big deal for me. Knowing the HX is preprogrammed and knowing what to expect is enough for me.

FWIW, if one goes the C4 and Hub route (as I did), the 2 together are roughly the same footprint size as an FI. Granted they are separate units and don't have to be mounted right next to each other. But keep that in mind, you're not necessarily saving any space with a C4 if you also want to be able to use MIDI with it.

Super excited to see what the new FI firmware and editing software will offer. I personally am not a big fan of the current FI editor. As a non-synth savvy person, I haven't found it to be nearly as intuitive as the C4's editor is, and has been a big reason why I didn't integrate the FI more fully into my rig. Just having to keep a compatible MIDI interface and 2 MIDI cables handy just to program it was enough for me to rarely hook it up for experimentation and programming. With the C4, it's a USB cable straight to the computer. Or, for programming on the go, the Neuro editor on a phone with the provided cable (and dongle since more and more phones don't have headphone jacks anymore).

Thanks for the reply and yeah I get it. I have an elaborate setup too where I could see the patch I'm using on my Boss ES5... But with that being said, my OCD needs to see the patch numbers on the pedals I'm accessing myself for many reasons. One my OCD LOL. Two, sometimes I use my FI on smaller pedal boards and need to know what patch I'm on without using a midi interface to change it. This scenario would be a problem for me with the C4 since it doesn't have a screen.

Yeah and you're spot on about Youtube demos. Obviously the audio is compressed so definitely not sampling all the characteristics of what the pedal sounds like over an internet connection. With that being said many of us don't have the talent of a Nathan Navarro either and most cases will not sound like that with any pedal he uses LOL. I remember a while back people complaining that the FI tracked terribly. But if you watch the demo that Nathan did with the FI it is clear that it tracks extremely well. You just need to have clean technique and know how to "play" the pedal, and program the patch for your technique. Control of string vibration is key for sure. A fretwrap is really useful for those that have a problem with string control.

Glad the C4 is working out for you. It's great to have options, especially synth bass options! We are all very lucky!

my main live setup... Oh and it's changed from this since I took this pic two weeks ago! Always evolving... Never satisfied... LOL!!

 

[Chace90]

No, I agree, it’s not the same at all. My initial comparison was in regards to how both handled controlling the envelope of the filter. Which one still provides more straightforward control over the other. You are correct, if you turned off the filter then those controls would matter, but you wouldn’t be able to set the cutoff frequency either.

Although, I suppose you could say the same for the VCA, as you have two individual controls for attack and release on the FI and the exact same envelopes that control the filter on the C4.

I will clarify, my initial statement of ADSR control was in regards to how both pedals handled it, despite neither having full ASDR (as of right now).



I am not going to argue with that.

I think the C4's ADSR controls (control, as it were) would be a lot easier to use it were more obvious what each choice from the drop down does. Some sort of say what you're adjusting, but there's a lot of non-obvious repetition in those labels. And I suspect they'll put out some documentation for that.

 

[maisbass]

So much this...
...and the fact that I can no longer get my FI to connect to the editor (yet) has not helped.

Ugh!! So sorry to read this..

 

[Chace90]

Thanks for the reply and yeah I get it. I have an elaborate setup too where I could see the patch I'm using on my Boss ES5... But with that being said, my OCD needs to see the patch numbers on the pedals I'm accessing myself for many reasons. One my OCD LOL. Two, sometimes I use my FI on smaller pedal boards and need to know what patch I'm on without using a midi interface to change it. This scenario would be a problem for me with the C4 since it doesn't have a screen.

Yeah and you're spot on about Youtube demos. Obviously the audio is compressed so definitely not sampling all the characteristics of what the pedal sounds like over an internet connection. With that being said many of us don't have the talent of a Nathan Navarro either and most cases will not sound like that with any pedal he uses LOL. I remember a while back people complaining that the FI tracked terribly. But if you watch the demo that Nathan did with the FI it is clear that it tracks extremely well. You just need to have clean technique and know how to "play" the pedal, and program the patch for your technique. Control of string vibration is key for sure. A fretwrap is really useful for those that have a problem with string control.

Glad the C4 is working out for you. It's great to have options, especially synth bass options! We are all very lucky!

my main live setup... Oh and it's changed from this since I took this pic two weeks ago! Always evolving... Never satisfied... LOL!!

View attachment 3502349

That looks super fun to play with and super-not-fun to transport from gig to gig. How long does it take to setup/tear down all that?

 

[SirTarquin]

I think the C4's ADSR controls (control, as it were) would be a lot easier to use it were more obvious what each choice from the drop down does. Some sort of say what you're adjusting, but there's a lot of non-obvious repetition in those labels. And I suspect they'll put out some documentation for that.

Maybe. I still prefer to have individual control over both of those setting on the filter. And this all really does come down to personal preference. Again, one is not better than the other. It all comes down to what you personally like, or want, or what makes you happy.

 

[BurningSkies]

I have both. I switched out the FI for the C4 after owning the C4 for a week. I agree with people above that they both have their strengths, and I don't see myself selling the FI. But, for what I've been using the FI for, I found the C4 equivalent patches that I programmed myself to be fatter and the tracking to be a lot better, at least for my technique.

I would wait to judge the sounds of any pedal until you try it for yourself. Youtube, etc is never going to be fully representative of what something truly sounds like to you.

I'm not using the Soleman, nor do I own one. Many different MIDI controllers have screens. In my case I'm using an HX Effects to send CC preset changes to the hub/C4. I've labeled my switches so that I know what preset I'm recalling. I agree it'd be nice to have some sort of visual reference on the C4, but not a big deal for me. Knowing the HX is preprogrammed and knowing what to expect is enough for me.

FWIW, if one goes the C4 and Hub route (as I did), the 2 together are roughly the same footprint size as an FI. Granted they are separate units and don't have to be mounted right next to each other. But keep that in mind, you're not necessarily saving any space with a C4 if you also want to be able to use MIDI with it.

Super excited to see what the new FI firmware and editing software will offer. I personally am not a big fan of the current FI editor. As a non-synth savvy person, I haven't found it to be nearly as intuitive as the C4's editor is, and has been a big reason why I didn't integrate the FI more fully into my rig. Just having to keep a compatible MIDI interface and 2 MIDI cables handy just to program it was enough for me to rarely hook it up for experimentation and programming. With the C4, it's a USB cable straight to the computer. Or, for programming on the go, the Neuro editor on a phone with the provided cable (and dongle since more and more phones don't have headphone jacks anymore).

I'm less concerned about the footprint of the hub plus C4, assuming I can mount the hub underneath my board, though apparently the underside of my board is getting crowded too. I just can't afford the real-estate on my board for two different synths...right now I'm cool with the 'compact' casing on the FI, even if I don't have any material I'm using the pedal for. In the end the real test will be how it integrates in a live situation gracefully.

I know a lot of guys are using their FI for a library of 80's and 90's synth bass cover tones and it makes sense in that context. But that's not my gig. I'd be more willing to use it on stage for some of our more chaotic and noisy contexts, but so far when I've tried its been lost in the mix and kind of flat. In the meantime I've been going back and forth between my Mantic Flex-Pro (PLL Synth with a bunch of filtering 'options') and my setup with vol-swell/fuzz/xerograph(swept)/pitched-delay. I have a feeling that the FI will really be viable if I layer it in with a bunch of stuff, which is where some of the additional filter/effect related components of the C4 are pretty attractive to me.

 

[maisbass]

That looks super fun to play with and super-not-fun to transport from gig to gig. How long does it take to setup/tear down all that?

You hit the nail on the head my friend! I agree 1000 % on all points!

It's a PITA! If I'm doing an IEM gig it takes me about 45 minutes to setup, program, and troubleshoot/confirm all is good. If it's a gig where I have to bring my amp, cabs and powered monitor, add another 10 minutes to it. The part of the night I'm always questioning and cursing myself is breakdown of course!! UGH!!

I always have to make sure that I arrive to gigs two hours before so I have enough time for setup, loosening up, and then just relaxing a bit for playing. Btw, my typical travel time to a gig is about 2.5 - 4 hours. Thanks NYC and Long Island traffic! I know, I'm crazy, but I do get compensated very well.

The troubleshooting part only comes into play when setting up the iPads with Audiobus 3, beatmaker 3, virtual synths, etc, everything synced with Abelton sync (not the program, just iPad sync). For some reason the setup process on this is a bit glitchy and the audio buffers sometimes link out of sync for some unknown reason and I would experience crackle in the audio in beatmaker 3. I would then have to reset the buffer in BM3 to make sure it's the same as Audiobus. I used to have to start BM3 first then Audiobus, otherwise it would crash. Just recently Audiobus had an update and it seems everything is launching nicely now with just starting Audiobus. But I still have to make sure DerVoco has the right eq curve for the vocoder. Sometimes the preset doesn't load properly. It can get hairy... Yeah I know I'm going deep off the original question lol.

Besides my bass, Korg R3, and pedal board I'm running the following off of iPads which are controlled by a few Bluetooth pedals... and soon the Morningstar MC6 MKII pedal...

iPad apps:

Unreal Book
Audiobus 3
AUM
Beatmaker 3 (basically use this as a sampler)
Syntronik
Dervoco
ChordPoly (I have pre-programmed chords to trigger with vocoder)
Future Drummer
Quantiloop Pro
PPG Infinite
Korg Module Pro
Digital D1

So basically what takes the most time is confirming that all of the iPad nonsense is working. It's pretty elaborate.

And I thought I was just a bass player. I created a monster LOL. And now the people I gig with expect it, and they pay me for it, but I must say it is a lot of fun for sure, especially on one particular gig I do. There is a lot of improv and I'll just feel it out throwing in loops, perhaps loop a bass line, play some synth with my mediocre skills, etc. It's almost like live producing. It's a blast because it's challenging, fresh, and you never know whats going to happen next. For sure there are some trainwrecks LOL, but the front man that leads the project is a total pro entertainer and can sell anything, even when we are sucking LOL.

 

[Flabzilla]

You hit the nail on the head my friend! I agree 1000 % on all points!

It's a PITA! If I'm doing an IEM gig it takes me about 45 minutes to setup, program, and troubleshoot/confirm all is good. If it's a gig where I have to bring my amp, cabs and powered monitor, add another 10 minutes to it. The part of the night I'm always questioning and cursing myself is breakdown of course!! UGH!!

I always have to make sure that I arrive to gigs two hours before so I have enough time for setup, loosening up, and then just relaxing a bit for playing. Btw, my typical travel time to a gig is about 2.5 - 4 hours. Thanks NYC and Long Island traffic! I know, I'm crazy, but I do get compensated very well.

The troubleshooting part only comes into play when setting up the iPads with Audiobus 3, beatmaker 3, virtual synths, etc, everything synced with Abelton sync (not the program, just iPad sync). For some reason the setup process on this is a bit glitchy and the audio buffers sometimes link out of sync for some unknown reason and I would experience crackle in the audio in beatmaker 3. I would then have to reset the buffer in BM3 to make sure it's the same as Audiobus. I used to have to start BM3 first then Audiobus, otherwise it would crash. Just recently Audiobus had an update and it seems everything is launching nicely now with just starting Audiobus. But I still have to make sure DerVoco has the right eq curve for the vocoder. Sometimes the preset doesn't load properly. It can get hairy... Yeah I know I'm going deep off the original question lol.

Besides my bass, Korg R3, and pedal board I'm running the following off of iPads which are controlled by a few Bluetooth pedals... and soon the Morningstar MC6 MKII pedal...

iPad apps:

Unreal Book
Audiobus 3
AUM
Beatmaker 3 (basically use this as a sampler)
Syntronik
Dervoco
ChordPoly (I have pre-programmed chords to trigger with vocoder)
Future Drummer
Quantiloop Pro
PPG Infinite
Korg Module Pro
Digital D1

So basically what takes the most time is confirming that all of the iPad nonsense is working. It's pretty elaborate.

And I thought I was just a bass player. I created a monster LOL. And now the people I gig with expect it, and they pay me for it, but I must say it is a lot of fun for sure, especially on one particular gig I do. There is a lot of improv and I'll just feel it out throwing in loops, perhaps loop a bass line, play some synth with my mediocre skills, etc. It's almost like live producing. It's a blast because it's challenging, fresh, and you never know whats going to happen next. For sure there are some trainwrecks LOL, but the front man that leads the project is a total pro entertainer and can sell anything, even when we are sucking LOL.

Damn...

 

[cosmicevan]

Ugh!! So sorry to read this..

I have not given up just yet. In fact, had a major breakthrough with my setup last night that was making me want to throw in the towell on the FI.

I used to use the FI as a standalone pedal and had a source audio reflex allowing me to do CC filter sweeps via MIDI. After upgrading my setup to include a Boss ES-8 and trimming down the FI to the Future Compact rehouse, I was controlling the FI with the ES and no expression. When I recently added in MIDI between so it would go ES-8 > Reflex > FI was also around the time I decided to try and upgrade the FI and work on patches -- and discovered that my MIDI setup (iRIG DUO) was not as plug and play on my new work laptop (running windows 10) as was my previous laptop. It kinda felt like I screwed up the MIDI ports on the FI and NOTHING was working.

Last night I decided to trouble shoot and figured out that things work fine when I go Reflex controller into FI or when I got ES-8 into FI, the issue is with the MIDI thru on the Reflex. Whew. Now the question becomes how do I get that to work, but it was a huge relief to be able to change patches again w the ES-8 even if I no longer have MIDI filter sweeps (for now). I still need to figure out how to get MIDI to function on this new laptop, I can get the iRIG DUO to work as an interface for using JamKazam, but can't seem to figure out how to get MIDI flowing...but that's not the fault of the FI. I will get it working and I will get back to leveraging the editor. I've been investing a lot of time in understanding how synthesis works so that I can be deliberate with my patches and tweaks. I've also looked kinda closely at the C4 vs the FI and I think that the FI is kinda like the varsity team whereas the C4 feels a little bit like the JV squad...no knock on the C4 (and I haven't tried in person to really make the call) - but it feels like the C4 was designed more with the user in mind whereas the FI was designed more with an eye on making as much functionality available, not necessarily with a focus on intuitiveness...if you want to get the most out of the FI you need to know what you are doing, the C4 seems more like a twist some knobs and listen kind of situation.

@maisbass I'd love to come check out what you do with that setup some time. Where can I find details about gigs (I live on LI)? If nothing else, I think it would be a good learning experience for me to just see your setup and watch you use it live. It seems I am after similar mangling of sound in a live setting. I'd also be down to jam sometime and make weird noise if you want...even though we are both bassists, I have a feeling that filling the sonic space with more than just bass would not be a problem

 

[cosmicevan]

I know a lot of guys are using their FI for a library of 80's and 90's synth bass cover tones and it makes sense in that context. But that's not my gig. I'd be more willing to use it on stage for some of our more chaotic and noisy contexts, but so far when I've tried its been lost in the mix and kind of flat. In the meantime I've been going back and forth between my Mantic Flex-Pro (PLL Synth with a bunch of filtering 'options') and my setup with vol-swell/fuzz/xerograph(swept)/pitched-delay. I have a feeling that the FI will really be viable if I layer it in with a bunch of stuff, which is where some of the additional filter/effect related components of the C4 are pretty attractive to me.

I'm using the FI as a box of 99 voices. Although I play with other musicians, my focus on my rig tends to be aimed at making music without others so the FI is amazing since I have so many unique customizable voices at a footswitch click. I'm looking to build out patches that I can use to emulate EDM drums through mutes on my instrument and I toggle in and out of voices constantly. When using it live with others, I have a few bass synth patches that are go tos, but I also use some leads (love leads with a MF101 sweeping on them) and some what I call "landscape" patches. It's such a powerful tool. The presets and easy access to them and library of sounds makes the FI the go-to for me. I agree w @maisbass on the importance of the screen confirming my patch selections too since I do toggle so much, my use case isn't such that I click on the patch before a song, play one note to audibly confirm my selection and then off I go...can't really do that when toggling live, you need to be able to have the quick visual confirmation.

 

[BurningSkies]

I have not given up just yet. In fact, had a major breakthrough with my setup last night that was making me want to throw in the towell on the FI.

I used to use the FI as a standalone pedal and had a source audio reflex allowing me to do CC filter sweeps via MIDI. After upgrading my setup to include a Boss ES-8 and trimming down the FI to the Future Compact rehouse, I was controlling the FI with the ES and no expression. When I recently added in MIDI between so it would go ES-8 > Reflex > FI was also around the time I decided to try and upgrade the FI and work on patches -- and discovered that my MIDI setup (iRIG DUO) was not as plug and play on my new work laptop (running windows 10) as was my previous laptop. It kinda felt like I screwed up the MIDI ports on the FI and NOTHING was working.

Last night I decided to trouble shoot and figured out that things work fine when I go Reflex controller into FI or when I got ES-8 into FI, the issue is with the MIDI thru on the Reflex. Whew. Now the question becomes how do I get that to work, but it was a huge relief to be able to change patches again w the ES-8 even if I no longer have MIDI filter sweeps (for now). I still need to figure out how to get MIDI to function on this new laptop, I can get the iRIG DUO to work as an interface for using JamKazam, but can't seem to figure out how to get MIDI flowing...but that's not the fault of the FI. I will get it working and I will get back to leveraging the editor. I've been investing a lot of time in understanding how synthesis works so that I can be deliberate with my patches and tweaks. I've also looked kinda closely at the C4 vs the FI and I think that the FI is kinda like the varsity team whereas the C4 feels a little bit like the JV squad...no knock on the C4 (and I haven't tried in person to really make the call) - but it feels like the C4 was designed more with the user in mind whereas the FI was designed more with an eye on making as much functionality available, not necessarily with a focus on intuitiveness...if you want to get the most out of the FI you need to know what you are doing, the C4 seems more like a twist some knobs and listen kind of situation.

@maisbass I'd love to come check out what you do with that setup some time. Where can I find details about gigs (I live on LI)? If nothing else, I think it would be a good learning experience for me to just see your setup and watch you use it live. It seems I am after similar mangling of sound in a live setting. I'd also be down to jam sometime and make weird noise if you want...even though we are both bassists, I have a feeling that filling the sonic space with more than just bass would not be a problem

Whenever I do MIDI by laptop-interface with any of my pedals I pull the connections and go right from computer to pedal. Interfacing with my MBP is always a little wonky (sometimes takes a re-start or two)...but simple is the best option.

 

[maisbass]

I have not given up just yet. In fact, had a major breakthrough with my setup last night that was making me want to throw in the towell on the FI.

I used to use the FI as a standalone pedal and had a source audio reflex allowing me to do CC filter sweeps via MIDI. After upgrading my setup to include a Boss ES-8 and trimming down the FI to the Future Compact rehouse, I was controlling the FI with the ES and no expression. When I recently added in MIDI between so it would go ES-8 > Reflex > FI was also around the time I decided to try and upgrade the FI and work on patches -- and discovered that my MIDI setup (iRIG DUO) was not as plug and play on my new work laptop (running windows 10) as was my previous laptop. It kinda felt like I screwed up the MIDI ports on the FI and NOTHING was working.

Last night I decided to trouble shoot and figured out that things work fine when I go Reflex controller into FI or when I got ES-8 into FI, the issue is with the MIDI thru on the Reflex. Whew. Now the question becomes how do I get that to work, but it was a huge relief to be able to change patches again w the ES-8 even if I no longer have MIDI filter sweeps (for now). I still need to figure out how to get MIDI to function on this new laptop, I can get the iRIG DUO to work as an interface for using JamKazam, but can't seem to figure out how to get MIDI flowing...but that's not the fault of the FI. I will get it working and I will get back to leveraging the editor. I've been investing a lot of time in understanding how synthesis works so that I can be deliberate with my patches and tweaks. I've also looked kinda closely at the C4 vs the FI and I think that the FI is kinda like the varsity team whereas the C4 feels a little bit like the JV squad...no knock on the C4 (and I haven't tried in person to really make the call) - but it feels like the C4 was designed more with the user in mind whereas the FI was designed more with an eye on making as much functionality available, not necessarily with a focus on intuitiveness...if you want to get the most out of the FI you need to know what you are doing, the C4 seems more like a twist some knobs and listen kind of situation.

@maisbass I'd love to come check out what you do with that setup some time. Where can I find details about gigs (I live on LI)? If nothing else, I think it would be a good learning experience for me to just see your setup and watch you use it live. It seems I am after similar mangling of sound in a live setting. I'd also be down to jam sometime and make weird noise if you want...even though we are both bassists, I have a feeling that filling the sonic space with more than just bass would not be a problem

Glad you’re on your way to working the midi issue out. I’m a PC idiot. Not my thang. Been Mac based for so long.

I play all over Long Island with two different cover bands. The Touch and New Life Crisis. I also do some stuff out in Jersey as well. Gotta run now... doing a gig at Maliblue in Lido Beach.

My summer is really busy but I agree it Would be great to connect. Would love to see your setup as well. Let’s talk via Pm.

 

[SirTarquin]

Would anyone happen to know more about the virtual keyboard in the editor? Is there a way to test and listen to programed sound through the computer's speakers, or must it be hooked up to some sort of amp in order to hear anything? I'm using a Roland UM-One Mk2. My desktop is currently confined to an area where I can't get a bass or amp in, so about the only way I can test sounds before saving them to the FI would be with the keyboard running the programed sound through the computer. I've tried MIDI device settings Input Device: UM-One/Output Device: UM-One, Input Device: UM-One/Output Device: Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, Input device: off/Output Deivce: UM-One, and Input device: UM-One/Output Device: off.

Process for hooking FI to computer ->
Power supply plugged into FI
FI bypass switch pressed so pedal is engaged (red "on" light is on)
Midi in and midi out from UM-One are connected to respected ports on FI
USB from UM-One is plugged into computer
Digital display screen on FI reads --5 (or --S)
Editor is started up

EDIT: Currently using Editor 2.20 with firmware 2.22

 

[Chace90]

Would anyone happen to know more about the virtual keyboard in the editor? Is there a way to test and listen to programed sound through the computer's speakers, or must it be hooked up to some sort of amp in order to hear anything? I'm using a Roland UM-One Mk2. My desktop is currently confined to an area where I can't get a bass or amp in, so about the only way I can test sounds before saving them to the FI would be with the keyboard running the programed sound through the computer. I've tried MIDI device settings Input Device: UM-One/Output Device: UM-One, Input Device: UM-One/Output Device: Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, Input device: off/Output Deivce: UM-One, and Input device: UM-One/Output Device: off.

Process for hooking FI to computer ->
Power supply plugged into FI
FI bypass switch pressed so pedal is engaged (red "on" light is on)
Midi in and midi out from UM-One are connected to respected ports on FI
USB from UM-One is plugged into computer
Digital display screen on FI reads --5 (or --S)
Editor is started up

EDIT: Currently using Editor 2.20 with firmware 2.22

Pedal makes the sound. Need to connect its output to an amp, speaker, headphones, DAW, etc one way or another

 

[Chace90]

Pedal makes the sound. Need to connect its output to an amp, speaker, headphones, DAW, etc one way or another

To further clarify, you can test sounds with the virtual or real keyboard hooked up via midi, no bass input required. But you still need to connect the pedals' output to some sort of speaker

 

[Quatschmacher]

Would anyone happen to know more about the virtual keyboard in the editor? Is there a way to test and listen to programed sound through the computer's speakers, or must it be hooked up to some sort of amp in order to hear anything? I'm using a Roland UM-One Mk2. My desktop is currently confined to an area where I can't get a bass or amp in, so about the only way I can test sounds before saving them to the FI would be with the keyboard running the programed sound through the computer. I've tried MIDI device settings Input Device: UM-One/Output Device: UM-One, Input Device: UM-One/Output Device: Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, Input device: off/Output Deivce: UM-One, and Input device: UM-One/Output Device: off.

Process for hooking FI to computer ->
Power supply plugged into FI
FI bypass switch pressed so pedal is engaged (red "on" light is on)
Midi in and midi out from UM-One are connected to respected ports on FI
USB from UM-One is plugged into computer
Digital display screen on FI reads --5 (or --S)
Editor is started up

EDIT: Currently using Editor 2.20 with firmware 2.22

You can plug headphones straight into the FI; if you pull the stereo connector out slightly, you’ll get sound in both ears. It’s not ideal though.

Or get an audio interface with midi ports (Focusrite 2i2).

 

[SirTarquin]

I just figured out plugging headphones into the FI works last night. No, it’s not ideal, but it’s at least a solution that works until I’m able to invest some time/effort/money into something better. Thank you to everyone who pointed me in that direction!

 

[BurningSkies]

Ended up using the FI at Saturday's festival set...the second time I've used it live in it's 8 month life on my board. I spent Friday night doing some pedal patch programming and MIDI programming on my Boss ES-5 and laid in a full bank on the ES-5 (5 patches) for possible use for one song. Two of those were non-MIDI (my all-clean, trigger all MIDI Pedals to bypass goes into the same slot on every bank, then another that's Mantic Flex-Pro Parallel with clean for noise/freakout sounds)...then 3 that are based on Zach Rizer's Blade Runner Vangelis synth tone.

Setting up the MIDI for the FI wasn't hard (CC to turn it on, PC to the right patch); then it was a matter of picking delays and reverbs to go with it of slightly different flavors to give it more body, breadth and atmosphere. So, one patch that does a patterned delay, one that has a tremolo delay then one that's a bigger atmospheric delay that I then layered in with a reverb that has ring-modulated filter on the verb set to a medium width LFO with a fairly low BPM...with the LFO wave form set to random...which leads to the trails on the synth and delay having interesting pitched artifacts.

That FI patch is really nice because it tracks well...and also both tracks and sounds good in the deep lows. So I could work out the feel for the part in Dm mid-neck then end the part's vibe down in D-below-E and it really ended up feeling epic.