Behringer FBC1010 Foot Controller

yup, it's a little difficult to program. yup, the manual is a little terse. but programming this thing really does assume you have some basic MIDI chops. considering the interface I think they've done a substantial job.

I'm using the FBC to control three MIDI devices simultaneously. how cool is it to press two buttons and your whole rack is automagically reconfigured. very cool. so although the unit itself makes no noise, it certainly helps making noise a lot simpler.

haven't had any problems. very solid unit.

the web site needs lots of work.
otherwise, they have been very helpful. I've talked with a number of reps and they've always done well for me.

overall, given the price, reliability, functionality, tech support... 10

Well I won't say it's hard to use it because it's working now. But it took me 4 hours to figure it out and if you ask me to do it again, I wouldn't know what to do. I just randomly pressed buttons on the rack and the pedalboard. I was about to give up and next thing I know, it's working.

I use it with my V-Amp Pro. this is just a controller so there is no sound. But the V-Amp sounds good.

Looks very rugged. I think I can gig without a backup. Just bought it yesterday so I don't really know. But looks very well made so I will give it a 10.

The website took so long to load it. I sent an email to the company asking for help but I figure it out before I got a response. I sent the email this afternoon and no one responded so far, I am sure they will though. However, I will give them a low score because if they truly care about their customer they NEED to re-write this manual. It came in 5 or 6 languages, I can read 3 of the languages and it didn't make sense in any of them.

Very good unit now that is working. It does everything I need(swicth presets, and control volume/wha) on the V-Amp Pro. I am sure it is capable of a lot more but I dont feel like going too deep into it. As long as it is doing the basic stuff, It's good.

it took me half an hour, just to get this thing to let me change the patches on my BOSS GX700. even then, it only changes half of my user ones. that means there is a spare 250 patches that i cannot reach. i havent been bothered to get the 2 expression pedals working, because i already have a wah and volume pedal. im not saying anything is bad about the actual product, it is tough as a mutha, and it can stand up to anything. live use is perfect. but the manual...... now theres something ull never get to understand. is till dont!

im running a Line 6 Spyder 112, a Line 6 floorboard which controls the channels on my amp. a Boss GX700 rackmount pre-amp/multi effects unit. a Boss MT-2, a marshall GV-2. guitar wise i use an iBANEX AX-7221 and a custom iBANEZ GRX-20 which i have changed the oickups and bodywork myself. the actual product does not effect the sound.

i do depend on it. i have to depend on it, i have nothing else to change the patches on my rackmount. it is reliable thats forsure, the amount of times i have dropped it by just being clumsy and if it werent made of such good qualty would hav just shattered. i wouldnt get another one for backup, no need. the Behringer FCB1010 isnt going to cut out one me. its awesome because it has its own powersupply (3 pin plug) which means no messy adaptors etc. perfect for the stage.

no need

i play a kind of metal which is slow, heavy and melodic. remiscient of STAIND. this is perfect. i just need a bigger amp to handle the power!!!!! if it was stolen id run to my mother and cry like a little kid. i need this, and i would definitly purchase another one. i love the reliability of it, and the fact that there is no gap in time taken with the patch changing. the bit i hate, is the manual that came with it. its soo fucking complicated!

The Behringer FCB1010 is one of the best floorboard MIDI controllers around -- especially for the price! Everything you need to do is either already factory set up, or is completely stand-up editable. Editing patches is kind of a pain, with having to scroll through configuration "pages" each time you make a change, and the change can only impact the currently active preset. Once you've done the steps a few times, it will become next to second nature, and take virtually no time at all.

The manual is pretty vague, but that is true for most (if not all) Behringer products. The online references on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fcb1010 are excellent, completely accurate and very useful.

The firmware that ships is rev 2.1. The latest rev is 2.4.1B (I believe). This is a FREE upgrade, if you are within your warranty period. Contact Behringer support by e-mail, including your serial number, purchase date/location, postal address and request the latest EPROM version.

The sales brochures and whatnot state that it can control up to 3 MIDI devices simultaneously. This is actually not true, to our benefit. If you put several MIDI devices on the same channel, just set their user preferences to the same number, and when you call up a patch number, you'll get that patch number for both devices. Because of this, you can literally control many more devicies than 3. I do, and it works flawlessly!

I've opened the back cover of this tank several times. The wiring, mounts and components used are very solid. After being dropped several times, slid around in a truck, and stomped on for hours, it's as if it were brand new! I would (and do) use this without a backup.

Several reviews have really dinged Behringer support. After reading them, I had to try it for myself. So, I requested an EPROM upgrade by going to www.behringer.com, and contacting their support using the provided web form. I recommend this instead of just using e-mail. I got a HUMAN RESPONSE in under 3 hours with everything I needed to know, confirmation that the upgrade was ordered for me, and how to benefit from it.

As with any company, timing and method are everything. Contact as early in the work day as possible (not before hours, those e-mails tend to get queued,) and use the web whenever possible -- the mail agent is likely notifying more people than just the one address you would send a simple e-mail to.

If you are looking for an affordable, rugged and all-purpose MIDI controller, this is it! I play bass for a Contemporary Christian band, as well as a hard rock band, and I rely on rapid patch changes -- for each song, and even for each part of a song. This controller handles all 5 of my MIDI rack gear flawlessly.

I have had this floor controller for a little under a year, and would buy another if were stolen. For the price, nothing with this level of flexability can touch the FCB1010!

I give it a 5. This is because I grew up with Midi but as a guitar player ignored it mostly and never liked keyboard midi controllers being a guitar player that is. I am a software development manager as well as an in the trenches developer and I had trouble and that is saying a lot. I had to correlate the manual and 4 other web resources before my first attempt worked. Total time including pre-research two hours and now works fully with my Line 6 Guitar Port device. Turns stomp and modulation effects on and off and selects differing effects within those however most effective as wah wah

That which it can cause and effect in is good as this is a controller and does nothing to shape sound and only controls other devices that shape sound.

Looks good, should hold up. Hope the expression peddles don't start to squeek as I have obeserved happens on some older Zoom guitar exp peddle DSP effects.

Have not used but they should have a non-technical, non-midi person rewrite the manual in flow chart form or improve otherwise.
I should rate them low just because there is still nothing helpful to ease the pain of programming the FCB1010 or at least I havn't found anything better than this or that fragments of web info which did help. Entry for Global settings gells right into Presets in the device manual and serves to confuse the user. Even better information delimiting in the manual in and of itself would help greatly.

Play rock, hard rock and blues via guitar port mostly.
Went to the PODxt but octave device stinks so went back to my Guitar Port and RM Octavia. Still no holy grail out there. Seeking RPx400 like device with great Octavia built in and up to date software that works as well as Sonar. It is possible .Net framwork missing is causing RPx400 owners to experience software problems but I am not taking a chance on the RPx400 with envelope filter but no Octavia. This FCB1010 + Guitar Port combo and external stomp Roger Mayer Octavia frontending GP will have to do for now until someone events the holy grail device with software I seek. I am sure I am not alone in this quest. Since I have not heard word of any other success with FCB1010+Guitar Port I could be the first to pull this off I don't know....
FOR THOSE POOR SOLES LIKE ME TRYING TO INQUIRE ABOUT THIS TYPE OF USE AND EVEN DESPITE THE UNANSWERED EMAILS SENT TO LINE6 (WHO WOULD PROBABLY RATHER I KEPT THE PODxt) THE WORLD SHOULD KNOW THIS WORKS.
I HAVE DOCUMENTED MY OWN HOW-TO TO REPLACE THE FCB1010 MANUAL AND MAY MAKE AVAILABLE AS I AM MIFFED LINE 6 NEVER RESPONDED TO MY EMAIL ABOUT MIDI SUPPORTED DEVICES FOR GUITAR PORT. Guitar Center rocks. They took back my PODxt no questions and would take back the FCB1010 too if it didn't work, but it does! Guitar Port + FCB1010 is still less than the price of a PODxt, sure you need a computer, no denying that fact. My glue for all of this is an M-Audio 410 fireware interface and I have nothing but good things to say about it.
Assuming you have a comp and USB & Midi interface screw the PODxt and get a Guitar Port + FCB1010, you will still be under $300.
I hope this review causes line 6 to lose PODxt sales.
HOW-TO post will appear soon somewhere on the web.

More than likely this review is unfair because I'm a complete MIDI moron. But I bought this FCB1010 two months ago to use with my DSP2024P. I've read the useless manual 100 times and still can't get anything accomplished. I decided to take the entire weekend and devote it strictly to figuring this stuff out. Myself, my wife, and my sister-in-law have spent hours reading and trying this and that. Either I bought a faulty product or we all have faulty brains. I'm leaning towards the later. I have several other Behringer products, and once I get them figured out I love em. I'm hoping that'll be the case with this thing too.

If I hold it up into the wind just right, the sound quality of the breeze wooshing over the wedge shaped board is very soothing. Other than that I can't comment.

I can depend on the fact that in a couple of days when I pick up the manual again, I won't understand it any more than I did the last 100 times. I use it to keep my set list from blowing away during gigs, and there are always plenty of beer bottles, cables, or ash trays to use as back-ups.

Hmmmmmm. Haven't tried that approach.

Overall it's sturdy, well built, looks awesome, and based on all the other Behringer stuff I own, I'm sure it's professional quality gear. My review is tainted by my frustration. Although admittedly I am as frustrated with my ignorance about this stuff as I am with Behringers inability to write instruction manuals in English using layman terminology.

there's no denying that the manual is really bad, but lot's of people buy lots of gear and never touch the manual, so I won't deduct too much for that. I've had my FCB1010 for about 7 months now and it has worked perfectly. the key to being successful with the FCB1010 is to go to the Yahoo Group's FAQ page:

http://www.mtnsys.com/faq-fcb/showfaqs.asp

and then go to the Yahoo Group itself:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fcb1010

firmware version is 2.4.1B

While the FCB1010 is only a MIDI controller and doesn't actually produce sounds, it does give me access to every sound under the sun. since the FCB1010 does not adversely effect my sound I will give this catagory a 10 (even though the FCB1010 doesn't produce it's own sound) here's how I use it:

6 space rack -
Samson Concert IV guitar wireless
Shure PSM400 wireless In Ear monitor (with Shure 4 channel mixer)
Boss VF-1
Tech 21 PSA-1 preamp
TC Electronic G-Major
Roland SRA-200E, Single space, 300 watt (@ 8 ohms) power amp

here's how it's wired:

guitar (wireless)> Boss VF-1> Tech21 PSA-1 preamp> G-Major (in the effects loop of the PSA-1)> Roland SRA-200E single space, 300 watt power amp> ADA 2x12 cab with Tech21 full range speakers

rig is controlled by the FCB1010

on the FCB, it has 10 preset buttons and 2 expression pedals. I have pedals 1-4 to select my basic tone:

1 - Acoustic Simulator (from the VF-1)
2 - Clean (PSA-1)
3 - Not-So-Clean (PSA-1)
4 - Crunch (PSA-1)

button 5 for Tap Tempo

buttons 6-10 are for stomp box selections:

6 - Chorus (G-Major)
7 - Delay (G-Major)
8 - EQ (VF-1. used in front of the preamp for a little "extra")
9 - Pitch (G-Major)
10 - Reverb (G-Major)

The expression pedals control Wah (VF-1. in front of the preamp, where a Wah belongs) and Boost (G-Major has a setup for this that works well for me).

The cool thing about this setup is that I only bring a MIDI cable, a power cable (for the FCB) and a mic cable for vocals, to the front of the stage (I use wireless for guitar and In-Ear monitors). I can setup my guitar rig in less than 5 minutes (and that's if I'm taking my time)!

Been working great for 7 months. I do bring a backup to gigs, but only because you never know when someone will spill their drink on it or something unforseen will happen to it. I'm really not worried about the FCB1010 failing.

Customer support was very good. it takes a little effort to reach them but other than that, they were very supportive.

There are lots of MIDI controllers on the market, but the best overall bang-for-the-buck is the FCB1010. It would be great if it had a text display like the Rocktron All Access, but I don't want to pay 3-4 times the price just for a text display. like I said before, the key to being successful with the FCB1010 is to go to the Yahoo Group's FAQ page:

http://www.mtnsys.com/faq-fcb/showfaqs.asp

and then go to the Yahoo Group itself:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fcb1010

make sure you update your firmware!!!!!!!!

latest firmware version is 2.4.1B

At first, it's a tricky device to program. It's great to be able to program the device with just your feet, but be prepared to do some tapdancing (push a button here or there... hold that button for about 2 seconds... wiggle around with the continuous controler pedals etcetera...). People may find this way of programming awkward, though I doubt that there is an easier way. Maybe it's possible to connect it to your computer and program it using some kind of software or something like that... thing is, I don't have a computer in my rehearsal room :) and want to be able to program it anywhere, anytime. Anyway, I got used to programming this device very quickly.

I use this device to change patches on my Digitech 2112 preamp, but also to send note numbers to a sampler. Maybe some readers have heard and seen the American death metal band Nile. They use a laptop set up like a sampler, and a midi organ bass pedal to send out note numbers to the laptop, so that certain samples are triggered (like some sampled synthesizers, spoken words or whacky computer processed sounds). The organ bass pedalboard takes up a lot of space on stage, even worse; Karl Sanders (the guy who has to control all this) also needs a separate pedalboard to change the settings on his amp and fx-unit.

One big advice for Karl and other people interested in doing such a thing: go to the shop and get this unit! It's cheap, reliable and eliminates the need for a separate midi organ bass pedal. This unit can do it all; send your program changes and note numbers, even both at the same time if necessary.

This is my setup:

Behringer FBC1010 Foot Controller --> 2112 --midi thru--> sampler (Roland MS-1). I use sampled synthesizer chords, beats, voices, noises, even additional guitar tracks I did on my band's cd (www.izegrim.nl), that could otherwise not be played (I've only got two hands, you know!).

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I've jumped on it a couple of times. It still works! I guess it's true what they say about German equipment!

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Overall, this unit deserves a 9. It's cheap, reliable and is able to do more than the regular patch changing.

I've considered the Roland FC-200, which is basically the same stuff but with just one controller and less banks, plus it costs over 2 times more than the Behringer. Also checked out some of the bass pedals (inspired by Karl Sanders of Nile), but that was before I learned about this device :)

I'm useing this with a V-Amp Pro.
The Ease Of Use depends on the program version of the chip in it. When I got mine it had a ver. 2.1 chip in it and there were many problems and hair pulling sessions. I finally contacted Behringer, which is what I should have done at the beginning. They supplied an upgrade chip to their latest version, 2.4.1b now, and everything worked without any trouble, and custom programing was a snap. So, based on my experience with both chips, it loses 2 points for ease of use. It would have been a 10 if it had come with the latest chip in it.

As was said in another review, it's a pedal board of switches, and therefore doesn't effect the sound. It's use doesn't cause any noise or lose of sound quality.

This thing is built like a tank! If it isn't tough enough for you, then nothing is!

In my experience, this is an excellent company to deal with. Their USA representative, Chris Gomez, was very nice, took care of my problem FAST, and followed up on it to make sure the problem was taken care of. The upgrade eprom chip was supplied free, since the FCB1010 was brand new. Couldn't ask for better!

Listen up companies!! There are MANY (most!) companies that could take some leasons from Behringer on customer support and PR.

In view of the FANTASTIC customer support after I finally contacted them. And that they supplied a free upgrade. and that they got it to me in ONE DAY! (maybe I was just fortunate - but that's how it happened) And that it now works flawlessly. It really deserves the 10 rating.

Behringer and their products are tops in my book!

After a bit of confusion in trying to read the manual, I figured it out. Very simple, now that I understand their lingo. I know MIDI fairly well, but there is something about the manual that makes it mor econfusiong than it needs to be. It is a very versatile unit. I use it to control my Yamaha DG Stomp and my Line6 Echo pro. I programmed the expression pedals to do volume and modulation speed, and I programmed a whole bank to do nothing but run the looper function on the Echo Pro. Works like a charm! I am going to set up each program change to also send a tap tempo command, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.

Seems very reliable. The expression pedals seem to not be as strurdy as the rest of the unit, but they seem OK.

This product is a great value. It does everything I need it to do, and more. It even will switch amp channels if you need it to (I don't need this at this time). I highly recommend it to those who need a good quality and versatile MIDI foot-switcher.