Behringer FBC1010 Foot Controller

I'm not sure how to rate this on ease of use. I bought it used off of the bay and I think it had an UNO chip in it. I also picked up an AdrenaPROM chip from EurekaSound so I can use it with my Adrenalinn III. With the AdrenaPROM chip and Sound Tower editing software, it is easy to use straight away and also easy to make changes.

Some people complain that this unit does not have footswitches on the expression pedal toes. However, it does turn off the expression pedals when the pedals are in the toe-down position. So it's at least functional, and for the price, it's hard to beat.

I give it a 7 simply because I've been told that straight away this thing is difficult to program, but there are tons of options from online firmware upgrades to software programs to different EPROM chips that you can associate with it and make it easier to program, all of which can be done at a fraction of the cost of other MIDI boards.

No sound quality, it is a controller.

It feels pretty solid. Took it apart to change EPROM chips, and the insides have a lot of empty space, but everything looks well-built. There was some hot glue holding in a few chips, wires, and sockets that didn't need to be there, but that's not a big deal.

Bang for buck this can't be beat. EurekaSound, the makers of the AdrenaPROM chip are exploring other EPROM chips to make, and UNO has their aftermarket chip too, so there are other options out there if you have a hard time with MIDI but can't afford to swing $400 on a Roland MIDI board. Toe buttons on the expression pedals and less hot glue on the inside would be nice, but the price point on this makes it hardly an issue.

Well, is not a Epiece of cake " but is not "impossible", "rubbish" or "a travel straight to hell", like i have seen on previous reviews, its simple: the manual its so badly translated, i tried in both english and spanish, and its confusing, dont expect: A) plug your unit, B) turn it on...

heres a very useful link about how to setup your FBC on DAW programs

http://forum.ableton.com//viewtopic.php?t=55557&highlight=fcb1010


when you get the logic of how this unit works, its pretty easy IN SHORT STEPS and its impresively flexible, ideal for workin on different assignable ways to perform on live or in your studio


and i last 2 HOURS!! setting this up and understanding this machine

well its a controller, don??t expect getting any sound from it. But it has a pretty good response on midi (i??m using an m-audio firewire 1814)

i gig all alone with several controllers, so i need a good responsive controller to get it working live.

its pretty good on gigs, its made mostly on metal, the switches on hardened plastic, im pretty die hard with floor switches, and i usually wear combat boots, so i hit-em hard, with no problems.

The switches doesn??t have too much space between them, i can say... but u can addapt yourself without sacrifice (but for someones can be a pain in the *** if they are used to stomp boxes).


The pedals are somewhat soft, and somewhat hard, they are not the top notch of good feeling, but they work fine.

i havent deal with behringer, but they must need to change their manuals (i have a behringer mixer and the manual was really bad too).

A pretty good WORKING unit, its flexible as heaven, and pretty solid for gigs.

i??m really glad of it.


I play, mostly Industrial Rock, Ambient, Electronica.

i wish they could make a better manual for the newbies... but...

Ease of use.......let's see........it took me 3 weeks and hours of downloading information and studying it until I was able to program the FCB1010 and slave it to my Behringer DSP2024P effects unit. Now, these items are related and come from the same manufacturer, and, it would seem, that they'd be easy to connect, but nooooooo! This is not a convenient and easy to use foot controller board, .....but once you understand how it works it is AWESOME.
Here's a downside. EVERY TIME YOU TURN ON YOUR FCB1010 YOU HAVE TO REPROGRAM IT - IT HAS NO MEMORY. Don't let this hold you back, it's just a routine you have to get used to before you use it.
Here is the answer to another mystery of this pedal board - WHEN LINKED TO THE BEHRINGER DSP2024P THE EXPRESSION PEDALS DO NOT FUNCTION! For whatever reason you have these two beautiful expression pedals that could be used for say, volume, or say, intensity, and when used with the Virtualizer DSP2024P they are entirely useless. I actually place my mic preamp on them to hide them from my visual disappointment.

The FCB1010 is not a sound making device, so, therefore it shouldn't be in this category, except to say that it switches your effects box from program to program and does it smoothly, efficiently, and with all the information you need to let you know where you are within your pre-programmed presets, without a sound or delay. Bear with me here, I'll explain a simple program connection for the FCB1010 to the DSP 2024. 1)Reset the DSP2024 to factory settings. Explained in the manual. 2)Set up the 2024 to accept midi commands. This is also explained in the manual. 3) Reset the FCB1010 to factory settings, also in the manual. ---now we're at a zero starting point. 4)with both units on and the DSP2024 midi light on, press the FCB 10 pedal, then press the DOWN pedal until you see a green light, press UP once, press the 6 pedal..it should be blinking now, press UP 3 times, press and hold the DOWN pedal for 4 seconds. NOW THE TWO SYSTEMS ARE LINKED! If you want to program some presets do this: Pres the FCB #1 pedal, on the DSP dial to the preset you want (edit it all you want, instructions in the manual) and press save on the DSP once - it will flash - make sure it says 001 (if not, turn the FCB Dial to say 001) and push save - it will stop flashing. Now your #1 pedal is set for the preset you have selected. You can do this for each pedal, on each FCB bank, meaning 00, 01, 02, etc on the FCB. You can program 100 foot touch presets (if you can remember what and where they are without a computer!)

The FCB1010 is rugged and uses well spaced microswitches that are labeled and numbered in high contrast so you can see them in dim light. I've never had a problem with the unit not accepting the commands (as long as I knew what they were and what sequence to use them in). I use it all of the time for live gigs and have come to rely on it for effects.

I've contacted Behringer for programming issues and they've always gotten back to me. This unit is hard to comprehend, but once you've got it, it becomes an invaluable tool in your musician's tool box. Remember, the folks giving you help are German, and expect you to know the unit and understand the concept of their hardware. If you don't understand it in the first place, it will be impossible to understand their explanations.

I'm a pro player, have lots of gear and have many Behringer components. I really like them all, and would have to be convinced that there is something better, on my level, for the money, that would get my ideas across. The learning curve for the FCB1010 is pretty steep, but it eliminates a lot of wires and crap onstage, and has the toughness and reliability that I need on the road.

LOL EASE OF USE.. LOL.. let me see its not easy to use its a peace of crap. I am a sound engineer I have programed some of the most advanced processors/consoles in the world. And this thing is so cryptic its not funny.. I have version 2.1 firmware and it has a huge bug in it. The company should be ashamed of them selves by not providing FREE UPGRADES + THE FIRMWARE CHIP for this crap product. I understand that the newer version firmware fixes these bugs. But lets face it how many people can reprogram an eprom? ITS A JOKE BERRINGER DO THE RIGHT THING HERE AND SEND FREE CHIPS TO THE CUSTOMERS THAT NEED THEM TO FIX YOUR CRAP PRODUCT.

make sure you get a new one with the new firmware or you will want to smash this trust me.

Its built well but man fix the firmware for free.

HAHA customer support.. Yes we have a firmware update.. No we dont give you the chip with the firmware on it lol.....

Listen its cheap and when its got the new firmware its great but if you buy a used one with the old firmware be prepaired to wait a week or more before you can get the new firmware update that you will have to pay $15.00 for... NOT COOL

It's 3 weeks later and I've been on every forum I can find, still without answer or suggestion to how this product can be used/programmed with Mainstage or Logic 8 on the Mac...I know roughly what I want it to do but am struggling in implementing this...the manual may as well be written in Swahili...

Any second now my head is going to explode.

I'm a musician and what behringer don't seem to realise is that we're creative people, not tech heads...no-one on any of the forums I've visited seems interested in the slightest in explaining things to me in simple terms, they're too busy not getting laid and solving problems like "how can I get my FCB to work the toaster..." or something else that shows off how fantastically intelligent they are...

It's a MIDI controller...

I can depend on it not to work...in those terms, it's very reliable...at NOT working...

Still waiting...

If you're a musician and not a nuclear physicist, I'd recommend something else...ANYTHING else...Hell, I'd even recommend a ton of chopped pork - you'd have more chance getting that to control Mainstage...

Worked straight out of the box changing preset patches when plugged into my Line6 PodXT. After a scan of the Yahoo group for this controller and reading the manual provided I easily programmed Bank #0 to control all amp settings and Bank #9 to act like stomp boxes for Modulation, Delay, Wah, Reverb etc. Took a couple of hours to set it all up just using the controller pedals but it works like a charm.

Doesn't produce sounds, it simply controls the sounds from my PodXT. Expressions could have a little wider range but not complaining.

Seems pretty robust. Solid metal case. Feels like it will hold together for a long time.

Haven't had to call Behringer support.

As a Pod user, I was limited to either paying the high price for the Line6 foot controllers or buying a 3rd party product like the FCB1010. This product does everything I want it to. I can switch between all the preset patches and also use the manual mode and control the individual effects and amps. The FCB1010 provides me with a greater degree of control than the Line6 boards at a fraction of the cost.

easy to use if you understand midi... even easier if you know how to setup what this will be controlling. since I use channel 1 only and set everything in my rack based on prgm 1,2,3 etc. this worked out of the box.

seems built tough, my only reservation is that switch one has to be depressed a little harder than the rest.... will it get worse???

for the price, it cant be beat. I used this as a replacement for my digitech 2112 foot controller. since I set my rack units to use program 1,2,3 etc. this unit worked out of the box. for my use, it is more important you know how to setup midi on each device, not this unit.
example (all on channel 1)
2112 is set so that midi pgm 1 = program 48
dhp 55 is set that midi pgm 1 = program 18
tuner is set to pgm 1 = bypass
etc...
I am very happy with how it works and just hope it stays reliable

I use this thing with my V-ampire guitar head. I only use it to controle the peramiters on the V-amp. I've never used it with anything else. for what I use it for, it is great. Still, the manual is no good. Go to the Behringer web sight and get the better instructions. then , join the yahoo group. it helps a lot. Mine has the latest Firmware as of the writing of this.

It's made of steel and heavy plastic. I don't anticipate any problems. It is used exclusively for gigging with my v-amp.

Don't deal with Behringer. Don't even fill out the waranty card. If it needs fixing, go to a qualified tech head. same thing for upgrades. with this price, its a do it yourselfer.

This thing is great with the v-amp. with my midi, my v-amp, and two guitars I can make about any sound that out there ampwise. I have a custom strat w/ overwound single coils and a drop top hardtail bridge, a tele with a SD JB in the brige, and a SD little 59 in the neck. I use my V-ampire head with a B-52 strait 4-12(AWSOME CAB!!!). If I lost it, or whatever, I think I would get it again, Just cause you can't beat the price. It's a great combo with the v-amp. These two together rock. It's more user friendly then Line 6. I really like it.

i teach music technology and i find proggramming this thing manually a pain in the &^%. recently i found a few software editors like 'FCB1010 PC Editor' that let you do it all on a computer screen then transfer the presets to the pedal, ive used far more of the functions after i got the software editor. once programed this thing is simple to use.
also the uno firmware is the go.

rating with software 10, rating with manual editing 3.

?

i just bent the little bit of bendy plastic that works the light sensor in the expression pedal, if your expression pedal stops working this is probably the reason. the good news is i straightened it out and all is working again. i have been lugging this everywhere for live gigs and jams so its to be expected eventually, we all know why behringer gear is so cheap...

no experiance with them but free firmware upgrades is pretty sweet. (even though i use uno)

wonderfull unit. i use it to control video, audio looping and lots of my own software stuff. there is really nothing else as versatile and configurable that does the same job, and it comes at a behringer price. the only reason it doesnt get a 10 is the build quality and lack of usb connection.

Well it took me about 3 weeks to find out how to programm this unit. With the help of an useful manual it isn't a big problem, the FCB has a logical way of programming, but the manual is rubbish. Its just confusing and nonsence. I still cannot believe why a manufactorer like Behringer isnt able to compose a useful manual!
I've never dealt with MIDI, so it was impossible to understand it all. I had to contact forums and so on.
So if youre a MIDI newbee like me, check out forums or yahoo groups.

160 ? for that crap? My first FCB couldn't save settings (after several trials of resetting), the second FCB witch I got from a friend of mine didn't work either.
Ive opened the FCB and found out that Behringer is unbeatable in producing products with the lowest quality ever build in human history.

Well I get answers after a few days, but only those which were quotations of the useless manual. Not very helpful! A very funny thing is that I have a problem to save the settings. So I contacted Behringer. One guy told me to change the memory battery, the other guy told me that there isnt a memory battery!! Crazy world!

Well I wont ever buy a Behringer unit again. I cant understand how people pay 160 ? (here in germany) for a 20 years old MIDI technique in times of Firewire and USB, combined with a low quality product.
I use the Behringer FCB1010 to controll my Gmajor. I could tolerate this product and give a better rating if there were a
a) acceptable manual
b) acceptable quality for 160 ?

But without that this unit is just a farce. I will definitely buy another unit to controll my Gmajor.

Some here say they rad the manual and STILL couldn't get it working...I read only HALF the manual, and it's been working perfectly right from day 1! Maybe it's because you have to actually READ the manual, and go step-by-step when you're first figuring out how to program it, but after the first time programming, it was super easy and made much more sense.

No sound out...controller only

Use it for gigging, use it for studio, never had a problem after 6-8 months CONSTANT use!! The patch-change buttons change every time, the CC pedals control the right thing every time! What more could you ask for? The only reason this gets an 9 and not a 10 is that there is a little bit of latency when changing from some patches to others. Not entirely sure if it's the amp receiving slowly or the controller sending slowly, but I've had to work around it for live use...not that bad, less than 1 second delay to switch to some patches.

Never had to deal with them for this, but was able to get all info (manuals, etc.) online BEFORE I made the purchase...that's sweet!!

I teach guitar and bass for a living. I use it in lessons with my Behringer v-ampire to instantly call up the appropriate tone for the songs I'm working on with students. I also record and gig fairly regularly. Never had a problem onstage, never had it change patches on me when I wasn't changing them intentionally, never had it lose settings...in short- it does what it's supposed to do with no problems! For the money, you can't get a better foot controller...and it's programmable to do what YOU want it to do, and control the parameters YOU want to control!

After having read a lot of reviews here, it seemed to me as if you'd need a degree in rocket engineering before you could understand half of the programming of this unit... So I downloaded the manual from Behringer's site before purchasing the unit. Read it thoroughly, and no longer understood what all that fuzz was good for. I think programming is pretty straightforward once you get the hang of it. People complaining that you can't assign what you want just haven't read the manual, I guess. So after I purchased the unit, I got it out of the box and programmed it to do what it should in about an hour time for ALL my presets. (I use it to control my G-Major)

Here's the problem. Came home from the store, programmed the unit, started to use it for about half an hour. Hey strange, the expression pedals aren't sending ANY MIDI signals in the first third of their range of movement. After that third, they do what they're supposed to do. Probably a calibration problem. So I run the calibration procedure once. Still the same. Twice... D*mn, it doesn't make a difference at all ! Mailed their online support, got an answer the same day to take the unit back to the store and pick up a new one. So I did today, just got home: the unit I have now shows the SAME problem !!! And on top of that, it changes presets when it feels like it without even touching the pedals !!! So this one's even worse than the first one. They have a serious software problem with this unit... Called the store, and tomorrow I can go pick up another new one :-) This time I'm gonna test it over there, and not leave before I get a decent working unit. They have five in the store at the moment, I hope at least one does the trick :)

Must say that I got a real quick response from the online support team.

Based on the features I saw in the first unit, this thing is exactly what I was looking for. Powerful control over all parameters that I need to work with. I guess I'd give it a higher score if I'd got a fully working FCB 1010 :-)

The manual isnt so hot, but it's still understandable. I did have to look on Yahoo groups to calibrate my pedals (which the company SHOULD have done for me.) Despite that I got it to do everything I wanted. I'm switching to different patches, on multiple processors simultaneously with one switch. Both pedals work fine, as does tap temp, midi notes, ect. I don't have any idea why so many people are bitching about this unit. I'm NOT at all experienced with midi, and I got everything I wanted working in a day. I read these reviews about people who have had "X years experience with MIDI" and they can't work this board. Makes ya wonder huh?

makes no sound

Behringer gear seems to be pretty dependable for gigging despite what some snobby ass techs think. This particular unit is pretty solid.

don't know.

It was the cheapest pedal board with 2 expression pedals that I saw on musiciansfriend.com. I didnt want to spend $300 on that ground control pro , and have to buy additional pedals.

The manual wasn't great to say the least but from information on yahoo groups I was able to figure out how to program it. It was my fist step into the world of midi stuff so that probably didn't help much. It definitely isn't plug and pay but once you figure it out its not too difficult to program, especially if you use one of the editors which are available.
Initially I was very disappointed with this unit because I wanted to set it up in stomp box mode with pedals 1-5 selecting patch's and pedals 6-10 toggling on and off effects on my Gmajor. While I was able to set it up to do this, the way the leds worked was really annoying. With the stock firmware the leds were effectively useless, I wanted the patch I had selected to stay light but also for the top row to indicate what parameters were on or off on the gmajor. I put up with this for a while but just when I was considering selling it I heard about the uno firmware, and for a couple of euros I now have the fcb1010 doing exactly what I wanted it to do.


Stock fcb1010 - 5
Fcb1010 with Uno Eprom - 8

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The chassis seems pretty solid and so do the buttons, however the expression pedals seem a little flimsy. I would have been better if they were metal.

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I use the Fcb1010 to control my Marshall Jmp1 and Tc Gmajor, and while initially I wasn't very happy with it, since switching to the uno firmware I am delighted with it. It would have preferred if i worked the way I wanted out of the box and didn't need to be upgraded with 3rd party eproms but for the price it is excellent.

Check out the yahoo groups, I think there are two. Anyway theyre full of really useful information and very helpful.

The manual was not terrible. I had to rely on other sources, however. I bought this unit to control a TC G major, and the combination has high PITA factor. The 1010 seems mostly to blame. I relied on several sources, including TC's helpful support page and Yahoo groups. I spent several hours getting these two to talk to each other properly on functions like tap tempo, boost, and fx bypass. Maybe it's me, but it took me several times to assign a cc # and value to pedals 6 and 7, and I'm almost positive I followed the instructions each time.

I'm pretty midi savvy. I've been using fx processors and midi since the 80's.
Do you know the firmware revision number? This was not obvious from the display, and I had to follow a manual procedure to figure out the revision number. That's kind of weak.

The sound of the buttons and gas pedals being pressed indicates sturdy construction and durability.

I'd gig with no backup.

Never dealt with 'em. Decent website, but TC does a better job of providing info on the combination of these two than Behringer does.

I play Van Halen to Van Morrison to jazz. I've been playing for 24 years. I plan to return this, unfortunately. I had high hopes. I got this and a G major to replace a huge pedal board (MKS) with stomp boxes. I'm going with the stomp boxes.

See a companion review under TC Electronic G major.

Had this board for 3 month now. It was my first midi flor board so i cant really compare, but I think over all its a goos board.
The programing is quiet hard in the begining and you have to put some time in to it... But when figuerd out the possibilitys are endless...
You will find that after you worked the thing out the programing is quick and easy.
I think its ok but its defenatly not plug and play!!!!!!

so it say a (3) in the begining a (9) after about 6h

Its not high quality but it is solid. all the kobs work ok. once calibrated the two effektpedals work ok too.
I personaly think a bit more visual feetback on the state of the board wouldent hurt, cause often its hard to tell what is actualy switched on or off.

have a few minor lock ups every now and then. Dont really know if its the amp or the board...
I would not use it for a gig, for recording its perfect tough

so i dont rate it...

Quick replays, on a couple of questions...
If its tru that the board is programable with the pc then they gave me the wrong info.
Manual is quiet shity, a bit more information on general midi stuff would be good.

As I said not for giging, perfect for practice, recording etc.
use the board to controll most of my gear (AMP,Loopplayer, drummachine etc...) I think its the only option u have if you dont wana pay big monny for a factory board for all your gear...

Very good value that board...

The manual is of almost no help at all. The configuration setup is just plane UNintuitive !!
I have a lots of midi gear and i know very well how midi works but this thing is just a nighmare!! so if you don't know midi at all, forget it!! you won't learn with this peice of shit !!
I tried using it with my Rocktron voodu valve(thinking i could save a buck insted of buying a Rocktron controller)then i dicover i can't switch individual fx's on and off, i have to change patch every time!! big dissapointment !
Then i calibrate and try out the expression pedals... unusable !!!!!! max volume is low, the low is low, middle position is high and max is mute??? I tried calibrating many time, nothing worked..still random controller data !!
Then i found out you could upgrade your eprom !!!
What kind of company can sell you a product that's worth shit and then say: ho! It's cause you don't have the right software version !!!
Well if it's not the right fucking version why did you sell it in the FIRTS PLACE !!
I see guys that hade to make ther own Eprom software to make it work good!
Great for them, but personnaly i don't have the patience to fuck around with Eprom's when i just bought a 200$ product !!
This is the second time behringer gives me a shitty product!! cause, yes they do have inexpensive products but there is a price to pay for that.

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looks sturdy enough

The music store Archambalut in Montreal and Boucherville won't take it back !! But for behringer i dont know and i don't care, i don't even want to start with them !!

Your probably better off with anything els but this. pay a little more and save your selvs the trouble !

First off if you are planning on using this to control a rack effects unit be aware of the following. 1. It is difficult to configure especially if you are not familiar with midi code (There is a midi editor on the web to edit the board which really helps). 2. If you are planning to use it in a stomp box mode (I used it with a G-Major) i.e. one pedal controls the Chorus one the Reverb etc. be aware when you turn off an effect the pedal LED will remain light. This to me was annoying and just one of the reasons I returned the unit. 3. The pedals were to close together (To easy to hit and activate the one next to it) not high enough quality switches for me and were prone to not working consistently. Not really a good enough pedal board for a serious guitar player IMO. But very cheap at $150 I guess you get what you pay for.

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I did not have it for enough time nor giged with it so I can't say. Just a pridiction though I don't think it would hold up for an extended period of time.

Stinks.. Manual is virtually worthless, very little on the website. Be prepared to canvas the forums and ask? Just to get this thing working. No sysex downloads to speak of! All the sysex downloads are for Behringer vamps ect. FAQ suck and are useless there are only about 20? Even addressed and very little with regards to use with another manufactures product.

Mostly play Rock music and if this was a better designed board it could be alright to get by till you have more $. Axess sells a MFC5 5 switch Midi controller that although is a little more $225 would be a much better choice if you dont have $399 for the Ground Control or $700 for the Rocktron all access IMO.

I recently purchased the V-amp 2 and after a few gigs decided to purchase the FBC1010. I also ordered the Vampire lX112 and will use the amp as my monitor and L2 mode for direct outs. I joined the yahoo newsgroup "FBC1010" and within 2 hours had replicated all functionality of my previous Digitech product. (Not knocking Digitech in any way, matter of fact the document as you will see followed the same pattern as the RP-5).

Here is how I have programmed bank 00 of the FBC1010

Switch #1 Drive = on/off
Switch #2 Effects = on/off
Switch #3 Delay = on/off
Switch #4 Reverb = on/off
Switch #5 Compressor =on/off
Switch #6 Bank 1 Preset A
Switch #7 Bank 1 Preset B
Switch #8 Bank 1 Preset C
Switch #9 Bank 1 Preset D
Switch#10 Bank 1 Preset E
Wah
Volume

As you can see Switch #1-4 are equal to the Digitech RP-5 in program mode. Switch #5 is an added compressor (the document shows you how to make this a tap delay) and switch #6-10 is equal to Bank mode of the RP-5 or other related Digitech processors. I could have never achieved this from the manual.

But, if you combine the Yahoo news group, the manual and a little knowledge of midi (control changes and values) then this pedal is very easy to program. I will include a quicklist just as I done for my v-amp 2 rating.

I am currently using the FBC1010 midi out to the V-amp 2 midi in. From the left channel of the V-amp2 (balanced cable) to the pa. From the right channel to the effects return of my amp. I currently play a Les Paul Studio and use a Peavey Transtube. My wireless rig is a audio technicica piece of crap I bought at GC.

I do not mic my amp as the direct signal (I use L1 mode) feeds the house mix. I also use my original pod bracket to hold my V-amp2. I will use the V-amp2 for small gigs that we play sometimes just through a power mixer. I love the carry on suitcase.

I have ordered the Behringer Vampire LX112 and will soon run my rig just like the schematic in the manual. I will run balanced cables for both left and right channels to the house, and according to the schematic I will run the output of my wireless to the pre dsp input on the back of the amp. I will also connect the midi out of the FBC1010 to the midi in of the Vampire LX112. This will consolidate my rig and setup time should be less than 5 minutes. Oh, yes, I will also transfer my patches from the V-amp2 via midi to the Vampire LX112. Within minutes, my amp should be ready to go.

I purchases a no name brand pedal board off of Ebay several years back. This pedal board has seen stomp boxes, an RP-5 for about 2 years and now with about a half an inch on each side the FBC1010.

After I completed programming, I peeled off the feet, took out my trusty 2" velcro strips that I purchased from WalMart's craft section and wala, a custom case for my controller.

The pedals are plastic though. The housing is built like a tank.

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I play in a variety band (cover band) from the 50's to today. I am one that needs to tap dance over choices of effects but wanted to simplify my setup time and still deliver a qood quality sound.

I've been playing for over 25 years. If it was lost or stolen I would purchase another immediately as I now will own two of Behringer's vamp products. And still may purchase the V-amp pro.

I love the versatility. I am tempted to program bank 01 to add every effect at the touch of a button.

Now for the quick tips

You don't need to worry about any global settings. Direct select is off by the factory. So here goes.

Select the switch you wish to edit (1-10)
Hold the Bank Down switch for 3 seconds
Press the Enter/Up switch once. (The green select led lites)
Make sure switch#1-5 led's are off. If any press until they go off
Make switch #6 led come on. If on press briefly until it blinks.
Press Enter/up and enter the control change number you wish to use(The chart is in the V-amp manual)
Press Enter/up
now enter the low value (00)
Press Enter/up
now enter the high value (127)
Press Enter/up
Repeat the entire process for switch#7 (controller#2)
and Switch#8/9 (Wah/Volume) was already set at the factory
Press down switch for 3 seconds. You should now see bank 00

These steps are how I programmed my first 5 switches as stomp boxes. Email me if you have any questions. The yahoo newsgroup document gives you all the values and several options. Also see my review of the V-amp2. I wrote the review before I purchased the midi controller. It's like night and day.

All features are already captured here. I'm sure it's the cheapest and the most advanced MIDI Controller at the price. Sending on five MIDI channels from one preset, two relay switches, two expression pedals, sending notes, CCs etc. gives you a huge potential to controll all your computer software/rack gears, guitar amps etc.

It's not easy to program if you're not in MIDI programming. But if you understand how MIDI works and know your other gears it looks that programming FCB1010 is simple but needs a lot of foot-dancing ;-) That's why I wrote a PC program for editing FCB1010 presets. If you need it please contact me. It's free and works in Polish/English/Dutch.

I give it 8 because it's not so simple for beginers and the manual doesn't help them. Some "real" preset programming examples could do it...

No sound of course ;-) But I used it with many processors like TC G-Major, TC G-Force, Line 6 modellers, amps (channel switching) and with Nuendo (PC) - I controlled transport, monitoring, "undo". It was very usefull when I recorded guitars myself, without any help, so I was able to control Nuendo from studio (PC was in control room). On the stage I used it to start/stop my MD player (backing tracks) using relay switches, tap tempo on G-Major, on/off tuner mute, controll MIDI line switch/looper and always without any problem.

I've never had any problem with my FCB1010. I have it for 5 years. It needs pedal calibration for time to time. All switches, pedals, relays works very well.

When I bought FCB1010 it had old ROM. Behringer sent me newer version each time I asked. I've never had problems with FCB1010 so I cannot say anything about their technical/repair support.

Cheap and good. Sometimes it's impossible but this time it's true ;-)

Very poorly laid out front panel. The manual is useless. Understanding the thinking behind its' layout is an exercise in futility.Who designed this thing? A simple interface that tells the user what is going on would be preferrabel to the blinking mickey mouse christmas tree lights.
Also, previous firmware versions are meant to be even worse. The pedal boasts features of units twice the price, but this has been done at the expense of convenience and user friendliness. To use it, you have to be very well educated in MIDI..ive only used MIDI for 10 years...other pedals are more or less 'plug n' play', forget it with this thing.

n/a

Looks sturdy enough.

Couldnt find the right help on the web site, and the tech support team although well meaning, just wrote to me, and quoted sections of the useless manual.
Ive looked around on the net, and visited the forums, opinion is well divided about this device..you either love it, or absolutely hate it!

If you are a budget, first check all the user groups and decide if you think its worht the inevitable hassle.Unless you are very well versed in MIDI, expect to have several days of fury trying to get it to work. Id you have low cost units , you might stand a better chance of getting them to work.

Here is the problem: The guide interchanges the words switch and pedals for setting it up. And listen: it's not an "ISSUE" it's a fucking PROBLEM.Quit saying issues when you have an actual problem.Took a couple of months to get it right. Went to the yahoo group for some help.You may need to plug it into itself like the calibration instructions tell you. I THINK that's how I got mine to work.Has the newest upgrade chip.

Using it with a Rocktron Voodu Valve.I only use the switches to access the first ten presets, then assign the footcontrollers for whatever parameter I want to control in real time. It works awesome.

Looks pretty sturdy. I take care of my stuff, so I'd use it without a backup. Take a point off cuz the footpedals are plastic.Thick,though.

Every question I've had on my Behringer stuff has been handled in a quick,professional manner.Also, I'm very proud to own 4 Behringer products.(mixer,compressor,X-V amp, and this.)I've had no probs with any of them.Anyone who says owning Behringer stuff is "uncool" would probably pay 3 grand for a used Fender Jaguar.Idiots.

Keep in mind that ANY company can have a bad batch of products.This footcontroller is just killer.It actually does help me make music.Been playing 25 years. Playing Charvels and a Gibson Flying V.Compared it to almost all footcontrollers. This beat them all, hands down. The value is awesome.

the unit is not easy to program, and you need to understand the way it is setup and the options you have. It took me a lot of research and study of the manual to fully understand it, and to grab the concepts of it's design. Now that I DO understand, the flexibility is great and programming is do-able , even standing up ..

Not applicable

Very reliable, well built.

I never dealth with their c.s. However the support/info on the Behringer site is outstanding.

I have used this controller to midicontrol many different effect units, software programs, etc. The versatility and flexibility is outstanding. I use it now with my bassrig, se-70 and sx-700, can assign one exp pedal to each unit and have a lot of control over my gear.

After extensive research and advice for programming this thing, please get in touch with Yahoo user groups, where you might be able to glean some info on the unit. Another resource is www.ripwerx.com where there is an editing program to download (free) for your PC, Mac or Linux computer.(the unit is so poor that editing via a computer and connecting it up via an external midi interface is the only real viable option..particularly if you want to access its full capabilities.

Apparently if you have an early version (Pre.v.2.3) you are wasting your time and the thing is basically junk.
You have to buy a software upgrade.HOW SHODDY IS THAT?? DO SOME R&D BEHRINGER YOU IDIOTS.
You find the software version in yours by:

A) Opening up the back of your unit (about 10 different screws of various sizes...dont mix them up)..this will allow to...

B)Invalidate the manufacturers warranty and..

C) See the sticker on the rear of the chip inside, thus telling you which version you have.

By the way, mines version 2.4 and its still a pile of crap.

The problem is that although its a very capable unit it has a non-existent interface, so no info is relayed back to the poor hapless user (you and me)in any coherent manner.
Oh, and it helps if you have a very good grasp of Midi procedures and protocols.If you dont, there are again various tutorials for download..Dont be naive enough to think that you can 'just play about with it'.You cant. You MIGHT get it to change a couple of patches (if you have a very basic device such as a pod etc), but forget anything else.

Upon contacting Eventide and Mesa, scouring user groups and forums i discovered that..THE BEHRINGER FCB1010 IS NOTORIOUSLY DIFFICULT TO SET UP. Most users only realise a fraction of its potential...if they can get it to work.
This to me says that it is inherently badly designed.
ive used my Eventide DSP 7500 processor, which is acknowledged as one of the very best, most comprehensive pieces of gear in the world PERIOD,and I learnt more in one afternonn and reached far greater levels of complexity thani have in weeks of owning this appaling piece of designed rubbish.Ditto my triaxis.
By the way, ive had 14 years of working with midi and have a Mac based studio running Logic with various outboard devices..so dont talk to me about MIDI !

NA

I would think very reliable because most people cant use it.

Behringer have a very limited support service for this device.Try the user groups and forums.

you know what i think.
Get one second hand off ebay cheap.If you can get it to work, great.You have a wonderful, versalitle midi foot controller.If not, get it back on Ebay, give someone else a chance, and get yourself something perhaps not as 'all singing and dancing', but something that will get u up and running and PLAYING (remember that?) in about 5 minutes.

Ive used many controllers down the years but i have to say that this unit has been an absolute nightmare to get up and running from the start! Ive literally wasted an entire day just trying to get it to work and transmit with my other gear (Eventide DSP7500 an Mesa Boogie Triaxis)..result...NOTHING. Emails to all companies concerned....reset everything to factory defaults etc etc..NOTHING.Returned pedal to store but no faults with it..Its just a bastard to programme.The guy in the shop coul;dnt get it to work, and as for the support from Behringer...They HAVE tried but their support iterature is less than useless.
The manulas are utter rubbish and written by an uttter cretin.it assumes you ahev a Bsc in electronic schematics, a photographic memory, and three hands.

N/A But my Boggie and Eventide sound great when cranked with my CS 60 Strat!!

Built very well with a nice reassuring feel from the pedals/Shame I'll never gig it, because its soooooo frustrating to get to communicate.(might work with Behringers own gear but crap with anybody elses)..Oh...and im not gonna bin my stuff to use thier other crap....(resentful?..Me?)

Reply after a couple of days.Sent varous links (their site is totally rubbish for support i found with NO relevant info), but the support guy was helpful.Unfortunately the resulting attachments and links werre of no real use.Shall i just call it off and go back to stomp boxes??
remeber when you could plug and play???
Who cares about my 64bit sigma-delt conversions and christ knows what when the bitch cant change channels??

Ive been a pro guitarist for 14 years, with loads of tours, recordings and magazine work.my styles are mainly Fusion, Jazz and Rock, Funk.
I wouldnt use any of behringers other gear because i dont like it.This thing is well built but just too fiddly and awkward to set up.After i graduate from University with my electronics degree i MIGHT be able to get it to change channels on my amp..
Other fott controllers (IM thinkgin Digitech, Roland here) are up and running in 5 minutes. I havent got time to waste on an accessory that is more counter intuitive than an eventide processor...have i got to get a tech???....or a life?

THE FIRST MODEL I PURCHASED WAS A 2.2.1 FIRMWARE MODEL & I NEVER COULD GET TO GRIPS WITH IT. ALL I COULD EVER DO WAS CONTROL THE VOLUME & CHANGE PATCHES. UNFORTUNATELY THE UNSCRUPULIOUS FUCKWITS IN THE SO CALLED "MUSIC SHOP" WHICH SOLD ME IT NEGLECTED TO TELL ME IT HAD BEEN RETURNED AFTER THE TWAT WHO OWNED IT HAD OPENED IT & FUCKED IT UP.....THEY THEN TOLD ME I WAS ONLY ENTITLED TO 75% REFUND(AFTER A FEW REPORTS TO BEHRINGER & THE TRADING STANDARDS AGENGY I GOT MY MONEY BACK FROM THESE FUCKERS)I THEN BOUGHT A NEW ONE IN BELFAST & HEY PRESTO WORKED 1ST TIME I WAS THEN ABLE TO GET THE FREE UPDATE FROM BEHRINGER. THE MANUAL DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THAT MOST OF US ARE NOT MIDI TECHNICIONS (HOPE I SPELT THAT RIGHT). BUT ONCE YOU GET TO UNDERSTAND THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF PEDAL CALIBRATON & PATCH PROGRAMMING, ITS A BREEZE

THE SOUND QUALITY ISSUE IS NOT APPLICABLE HERE, BUT I WILL MENTION ONE VERY IMPORTANT FACT...YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS UNIT IS A DEDICATED MIDI CONTROLLER... NOT A STANDARD MIDI BOARD AS IN THE ART X15 OR THE NOBELS MF1/2, SO IT WONT AFFECT YOUR SOUND UNLESS U TELL IT TOO.... THIS BOARD NEEDS TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO. SO U MUST ALSO PROGRAMME EACH PATCH ON THE BOARD (ESPECIALLY YOUR PEDALS!) WITH THE APPROPRIATE MIDI CONTROLLER NUMBER INSTEAD OF JUST ON YOUR FX UNIT. ONCE U GET YOUR HEAD ROUND THIS CONCEPT THE SKY'S THE LIMIT!...IF I CAN DO I ANYONE CAN

BUILT LIKE A BRICK SHIT HOUSE...BUT NOT WATERPROOF ...BUT THEN WHAT ELECTRICAL UNIT IS?.........WHOOPS. I HAVE 2 OF THESE NOW JUST IN CASE ...STABLE DOOR, HORSE BOLTING ETC ETC............

VERY GOOD INDEED, THEY SENT ME THE UPGRADE CHIP STRAIGHT AWAY AND THE TECH DIRECTOR MAILED ME WITH SOME DOCS I FOUND REALLY USEFUL FOR PROGRAMMING!

MAIN RIG.....
IM USING IT WITH A KORG DRT1->POD XT LIVE ->BOSS GX700->BEHINGER DEQ2496-> MARSHALL 9200 POWER AMP->(ALL CONTROLLED BY MIDI)...CUSTOM BUILT JCM 2004 SLANTED LEAD CAB & 1960B BASE CAB

SMALLER RIG....
KORG DRT2->BOSS GX700->PEAVEY RACK 31 BAND STEREO EQ->MARSHALL EL34 20/20 POWER AMP.........MARSHALL 1922 2X12 & MARSHALL 1936 2X12

FOR PUB GIGS I JUST USE A BEHRINGER V-AMPIRE & THE FCB 1010 AND D.I. IT....

GUITARS..........TOO MANY TO MENTION BUT THE MAIN ONES ARE
GODIN LGX-T, CUSTOM BUILT FENDER PLEXI STRAT(WITH ROSE WOOD NECK), PRS 10 TOP & 1973 LES PAUL GOLD TOP.

I LOVE THIS UNIT TO BITS. I DO WISH IT WENT ABOVE PATCH 100 BUT WHO IS EVER GOING TO USE MORE THAN 100 PATCHES IN 1 SHOW? .ONCE YOU GET YOUR HEAD ROUND THE MORE TECHNICAL ISSUES, YOU'LL WONDER HOW U EVER DID WITHOUT IT...AS I DID & I'M NO MIDI WIZARD!..MORE OF A HOMER SIMPSON!!. THIS UNIT WORKS WITH ANY MIDI UNIT, NOT JUST FX UNITS. PROGRAMMING SOMETIMES DOES TAKE A WHILE, BUT I USE MINE FOR 3 DIFFERENT AMP SET-UPS AND IT WORKS GREAT. THERE ARE ALSO GREAT SOFTWARE EDITORS ON YAHOO GROUPS SOMEWHERE (SEE OTHE REVIEWS) WHICH IS GREAT AS YOU CAN NOW PROGRAM ALL YOUR PATCHES ON THE PC & THEN TRANSFER THEM TO THE FCB 1010.

Once I'd got to grips with some basic midi terms (I'd never used midi before) it was actually surprisingly simple to set this up to work with my gear. Editing patches can be done via PC, but to be honest, tapping in the settings manually is no great hardship, and helps me remember where I've set everything! The manual is okay, but it assumes a degree of knowledge which I didn't have at the time. SOme very patient people at the yahoo group sorted me out with the basics, and it wasn't long before I was answering other peoples questions. I'm running the 2.4.1 firmware, which is fine for my needs. 2.5 fixed a couple of bugs, but none which affected me in the first place. I'm scoring it an 8 because it's about as simple as midi can be once you know what you're meant to be doing!

I originally bought this to control a Behringer V-amp. That was great because virtually every parameter of hte V-amp was controllable, so I had presets designed to alter gain, eq, reverb, delay, fx.... not to mention actually switching patches. Now I run a Vox Tonelab, which is less flexible on the fly although sounds 10 times better. The FCB is now running patch change and fx toggle functions, as well as volume level. It's a fantastic combination, which as set up currently gives me 8 Tonelab patches (FCB presets 1,2,3,4, 6,7,8,9) plus "distortion" on/off on 5, delay on/off on 10, modulation on/off via one expression pedal, and volume control via the other. Multiply that by 10 banks and you'll see it's massively flexible!

The only actual sound I get from this is a slight humming from the mains transformer, but as this doesn't appear in the speakers I've not bothered to get it fixed.

I've gigged with it, outdoors, supported on a wobbly plank over rain-sodden grass next to a canal. No problems. It's built like a tank. The only precauctions are to fix some velcro tapes over the power lead and midi cables (I use angled cables so that I can fix the velcro from under the FCB1010, over the cable, and then down on the top of hte unit to stop them coming out accidentally).

I've never bothered Behringer (Although when I had the V-amp I contacted them with some questions and got good, quick answers, so I've no reason to think they're not great).

Like I said, there's an excellent yahoo community dedicated to this unit, where you can find answers to all your FCB and general midi questions.

I play in covers bands. Whilst this doesn't generate or affect my sound in any way, it makes it a whole lot easier to get to my sounds, and it's a lot simpler than setting up a bunch of pedals like I used to. Tonelab on the table, FCB on the floor, join them together and run a line to the PA. Consistent, quality sounds and performance from the gear. It's all I need, with the added benefit that I can add more gear to my setup and still control it from the FCB1010.

Editing patches is easy once you get the hang of it. I am no programmer of any nature, so it took a while before it sank in. The manual is not very elaborate, explaining next to nothing. I needed a yahoo group to understand what I had on the floor. I have firmware 2.4. So I had a rough start, but now I am happy.

I use this unit to control a TC G-major.

The unit itself is built like a tank. No need for any back-up.

A few things that would improve reliability are:
IEC powerconnector should be a Neutrik Powercon.
MIDI chassisparts should be all metal Neutriks.
I am contemplating replacing these with to priority to the IEC connector that failed me 4 times during a gig.
Maybe keyboard players have no problems with it, but I stand up front where (drunk) ignorant people tread on your stuff like it's their own turf and stumble all over your mic stand.

No customer support needed, no upgrade needed.

I play top 100 and my own material. I love bands like Rush, Marillion and The Fixx. This is a great addition to my gear.
I have been playing since 1977. I use the FCB-1010 with a TC G-major, ENGL 570 tube preamp and ENGL Z9 footswitch, my guitar is a Fender American 1991 Pewter grey Stratocaster.
If it is stolen or lost, I hope Behringer has an upgrade model ready, because there are some features on my wishlist.
I love the price and what it can do, the two exp pedals are great.
I hate nothing about it, just would like to add and change a few things.
My favorite feature is sending CC messages, not Program Change.
I compared it with every other MIDI floorboard around, but you can't have the features of an FCB-1010 for any less or somethimes even not twice its price in another unit.
I wish the LEDs could display the status when using it to send CC messages. More expensive units like the Skrydstrup SC1 will do this and they cost around EUR 1000. When programming, several leds can stay on at the same time, so it looks like just a firmware thing to me. For power I rather have a powercon connector instead of the IEC that is not roadworthy. Also I would like a different working of the relays: dedication to a few switches and a few extra switches.
It helps a great deal controlling the TC G-major. Any better alternative would be at least twice as expensive. I would love to have the Skrydstrup, but that doesn't even feature the two expression pedals. If Behringer ever grants my wishes and price it like 300 euros I will not look at anything else.

editing is not really difficult, but some parts of the manual were difficult to understand. "playing" with the unit solved the difficulty. i upgraded to EPROM version 2.5.1E a week after buying it. i did the upgrade myself and it was rather easy.

i've only owned it for 1 month, but i would use it w/o backup (like everything else i own HA!)

when i bought it, the EPROM version was 2.4.1. i emailed jim savery at behringer and within 2 days i had the latest EPROM free of charge. i got it free because they were advertising one version when i bought my FCB1010, but the unit had an older one installed.

i play rock. it's a good match in-so-far as i made compromises price-wise and feature-wise. i wanted something with expression pedals and didn't want to spend more than $200. i'm not able to do everything i want with this pedal. i need more CC switches to send messages to the gcx switcher, it only accepts CC messages to turn on/off the loops. there are only 2 CC switches on the fcb1010 and i need one of those to control effects parameters in the g-major. the only solution was to spend several hundred dollars more on separate expression pedals and a foot controller like the Ground Control Pro. i had to make the compromise

i've been playing a long time, so what?!

i have a strat, tech 21 TM 120 with ARMD midi converter, t.c. g-major, digitech gnx2, ibanez smash box, digital music gcx audio switcher and furman power conditioner.

If it were stolen or lost i'd consider saving up to meet my needs for more CC switches. otherwise i'd buy another fcb1010.

i love the fact that i don't have to stomp all over the place to get my sounds. i hate the fact that there are only 2 CC switches. my favorite feature is the combination of 2 expression pedals with 10
footswitches in a single unit.

i compared it to other foot controllers that cost a lot more like the Ground Control Pro which is more versatile but doesn't have expression pedals.

i just wish (you guessed it) it had more CC switches. but it does help me make music without having to tap dance at the same time.

IMPORTANT NOTE: i am one of many for whom the expression pedals only worked on about the last 30% of the full heel to toe range. i had to open up the unit and adjust the mechanism by which the pedals work. this was very tedious as it involved many trys to get it right. the fcb1010 yahoo group provided the info for how to do this.

I heard a lot of people talking about the problems they are having working out how to make the FCB1010 communicate with their other stuff. A lot of people seem to have trouble getting the expression pedals to work properly too. But to be honest, I don't really see how.

I had absolutely no problems working out how to hook this thing up with my Pod. It literally took 30 minutes of reading the manual, trial and error, before I pretty much knew how to do everything. I have some experience with programming, but nothing of this kind. It's fairly logical once you understand the terms involved, and that can be obtained simply by messing around with the device.

I use a Gibson SG, a Pod 2.0 and the FCB1010.
The speaker/amp I use varies. My Amp at home sucks, I usually gig through the in-house PA (ahhhh the Pod, sweet sweet Pod).

I was expecting some kind of slight delay when I change channels, put wah on and off, etc. However, if there is a delay it is extremely minor. Less than half a second, and it's not going to effect anything in the grand scheme of things. If you really need something that changes to the accuracy of greater than half a second, then you probably have the money to buy something that does that.

Although I have noted that the Pod has this delay even when changes channels on it's own (if I play and someone else presses the channel switch).

It's a beast, and it looks as sturdy as a rock. I'd be more worried about my guitar or pod fucking up to be honest.

The manual is a bit cacky in places. But Behringer seem like a friendly company.

I was apprehensive about buying this at first. But I'm extremely happy with it now that I have it. Brilliant piece of kit, wouldn't leave home without it. It's brought my Pod to life, and if I ever get some other gear that can be midi-controlled than I can use it for that too.

The only drawback, perhaps, is that it'd be nice if it had more expression pedals. Although I have no idea why, it'd just be gluttonous really.

I use my Behringer V-AMP PRO with the recomended footswitch controller BEHRINGER FCB1010.

Bad, very bad, i bought it in Spain, and the translation of the user manual was not right, i had to go to my behringer dealer, and they gave me an internet actualization. Its not easy to setup and configure it, i have it once one year ago, and I still havn't used the expression pedals A and B for Wah and Volume.

I use a japanese Les Paul style guitar, Epiphone explorer and fender mustang with an Marshall 6100 30th Annyversary with V AMP PRO.
It's easy to switch the effects in the A B C D E channels, and 25 banks. But when I change the effects there are a less-second retard, thats not useful for live concerts.

Hard as fuck, metal chasis, hard pedals, and it doesnt slide thru the floor. no problem. I take away and there is no problem. Its very big, so behringer could think in a transportable safe case.

I play Hardcore music, buy often i play soft rock and other musics, its really versatile.
So if i have to buy other footswitch, i will buy other.
I like the midi interfaz, i like that its really hard. I hate that is fucking difficult to setup with VAMP.

My FCB1010 came with firmware 2.4. My biggest problem after purchasing the FCB1010 was getting my head around MIDI, and the concept of controlling the patches on my Yamaha DG80-112 via the patches on the FCB1010. I'm a prototypical guitar player: twiddle the knobs and stomp on a switch. The light finally came on after reading the manual over and over and checking out MIDI info on the Internet. In my opinion the manual is geared more towards someone with previous MIDI experience. It could use a "Setup for Dummies" section with examples and diagrams. One reviewer commented that the FCB1010 only had 100 patch bays, while his device had 128 patches. I, too, wondered about this. Even in "direct select" mode I was only able to select patches 1-100 on my amp. In reality it's not that big a deal for me ... I only commonly use about half a dozen patches live, and I grouped them together in bank 9 and marked the switches with masking tape and a marker. This is not to say you can't access patches above 100 on your device, but you need to assign them to a patch between 1-100 on the FCB1010. As far as editing goes, there is a couple of editors available on the Internet so you can avoid the patch setup tap dance.

As I mentioned above, I'm controlling my Yamaha DG80-112 guitar amp with the FCB1010. I have the "A" revision model and so far I've never experienced the E1 error, even if I power up the foot controller after the amp.

It seems to be well built. It has a metal case, two heavy plastic expression pedals on metal flanges, and plastic switches. I like the built-in power supply, and the power cable is one of those universal three prong cables that your computer, printer, etc uses. It should be very easy to replace. I'm not rough on my equipment, so I'm not expecting any problems, but I'm not making an opinion on reliability until I've used it for a while.

Never dealt with Behringer.

I've been gigging since I was in high school back in the mid 60s, but it's not my real job. However, I do play live, not in my bedroom, so I need equipment that's reliable. I'm not a pro; I can't afford to waste my money on gear that doesn't work. I wanted a floor controller that would change the patches on my DG80, and hopefully allow me to toggle effects on and off in a given patch. The Yamaha MFC10 would have cost me $450CAD, which at the time (2000) was almost half again the cost of the amp! I initially set up the FCB1010 in "direct select" mode, but although the DG80 recognizes MIDI program changes from 0-127, the display on the amp shows the program change number + 1. In a live situation I knew that having to select '54' on my FCB1010 to get patch '55' on my amp wasn't going to work. I decided to stick with "bank select" ... select bank "5" with the up/down switches, step on "5" and voila: patch 55 on my amp. And as I mentioned above, I have all my commonly used patches grouped on bank 9. Each patch is one stomp away. I even experimented with effects toggling by repeatedly selecting the same patch. All in all, considering the simplistic MIDI implementation of my DG80, this pedal does everything I want, plus should I get something more complex like a POD or a V-Amp, I have two expression pedals to assign... bonus!

Frankly, it didn't live up to my hopes, but that may be entirely my own fault...i appear to be simply too stupid to get the thing to do what i had dreamed of; having two pedals with continuous controller capabilities...i could never get it to work, and i was bummed by this...also, it has a 100 program limit, as in, you have 10 banks of 10 and that's all...i was using mine with a v-amp 2, and the v-amp has (i think....i don't remember cuz i sold it) 120 programs, so you're gettin' chopped off some there...that sorta bugged me....

it worked as far as program changes went

frankly, i was pretty disappointed with it...i got this new, off of ebay, but i think it was a second or something....the first row of footswitches that number 1-5 were set up 12354....someone was drunk that day at the behringer plant...also, the pedals were a little crooked in relation to each other...just sloppy...as to reliability, no i didn't trust it...you know how you can "feel" solid, like when you heft something and it just reeks of quality build?...this thing doesn't have that...

i don't recall having any contact with them, but i wouldn't expect too much thses days.....

i play all sorts of stuff, but mostly rockish, bluesy, pop/this and that...you know...music stew...i've been playing now for 35 years, and i've seen a lot of things come and go...the prices that are getting paid now for the crappy old pedals i had when i was a kid just makes me laugh....anyway, midi foot controllers are a real cool idea, and a good powerful tool in the right hands...uh, feet...i did not realize my dreams with this one, and as i said, that could be more my fault...still, the slop in the build, and the general puss-like-ness of the whole unit causes me to withhold praise...in most cases, behringer gives you a chance to pick up something pretty cool and useful on the cheap, but this item could use some work.....


i did not use it much live, mostly tried to get it happening in my living room...i gigged with it a 1/2 dozen times, and it changed programs.....

i was using it with a v-amp2....sounded great, but the v-amp went away, as it was the desktop type, and too wussy for live work....anybody got a v-amp pro they wanna sell cheap?



ps....i do not any longer own this device, nor will i purchase another...........

takes a little while to get the hang of it, and reprogramming can be a bit of a pain.

Its really straitforward, but this makes reprogramming a lot slower than it can be. But it is possible to program.

The manual is pretty useless as well.

doesn't affect sound quality, its just a bunch of switches.

The chassis seems solid, as do the buttons. however, Im a little concerned about expression pedals, they're a little flimsy

haven't dealt with the company, but the yahoo group for this piece is very helpful.

if this where stolen or lost, Id buy it again if I were in the same financial situation Im in now. This thing is priced to move. If, however, I were somewhat wealthier, Id probably buy something I little more high end.

The best thing about this product is it's price. Almost as cheap as half the price for it's nearest competor, and still works great. Hell, when I saw King's X play, Ty Tabor was using this, so its got to at least be ok.

Once having read the manual and having understood the concept it's very easy to program the FCB1010. Can be made even simpler by using a Software Program Editor.

Sends Data from 0 - 127, so what can I say ... internal PSU doesn't affect midi signal quality.

As long as it's not raining :)

Website offers very detailed information. Never ran into trouble.

Experimental stuff
Best Price/Usage Midi Pedal for NI's Guitar Rag.
Check out http://scifi.pages.at/xpeace/FCB1010.htm

This unit is pretty easy to use. I would say that the manual is not particularly good. If I were new to this sort of thing I probably would have found it confusing.

Had this for a few weeks and haven't had any problems with it so far...

Since I haven't had any problems with it I haven't had to deal with customer service.

Overall its a very nice unit. Two realtime controllers and a good MIDI implementation for sending program changes and parameter changes. If you are planning to purchase one of these amps with built in effects it's almost mandatory to get a good MIDI foot controller and this one really fits the bill.

Oh one more thing thats pretty important. When I was trying to use the expression pedals to change parameters and setup the wah effect on my Behringer GMX210, it didn't work. If this happens to you calibrate the expression pedals (something they don't mention in the manual other than telling you how to do it). Once calibrated they work like a charm. Now I can wah pedal my arse off!

I just bought one, new, for EUR150. I found it difficult to connect to my midi-equipment (Behringer V-Amp Pro, DPS2024P, Roland GR-20) so I first made a little software MIDI-monitor that shows me what midi commands are sent by the FCB. This showed that there were "strange" presets, so I reset the board to factory defaults. Next I found out that I had to calibrate the pedals, (Yahoo fcb1010 group, it is a must!) now it is working like sunshine! With the shareware software (also from the yahoo group) programming is really easy. Still do not have all functions of the 2024P working though, I can't get the user presets to function.
Mine has firmware revision 2.4, that is the current version I think.

no sound quality

R U kidding ? This thing is built to last another WW...

Excelent board, best buy

Midi controlling this review...

Basicly this unit has 10 footswitches and 2 expression pedals. You can program them to control whatever midi-functions your other gear is cabable of transmitting. This is controller, it has not sounds or effects of it own. Look after your gear manuals ?Implementation charts? for midi-functions. Up to 5 units can be controlled thru this one.

I ordered mine recently and while waiting it to travel, I found out how to deal with this one... Like said more than once, the manual isn`t the best around. Still, if you know what you`re doing its worth reading, but if you`re not so familiar with MIDI you really can find it hard to swallow. In the other hand, it isn`t always manuals fault if one can`t program this unit... it just isn`t as easy as one-two-three. Fact is, that you have to do some studying to understand how Midi programming works. So there is a learning curve, I`m afraid.

So here`s what I did too: Yahoo has groups (links around in the earlier posts) for both Vamp and FCB users. In those sites there is lots of good information. Thanks to those guys, you can learn to use this unit very easily actually. I printed out (comes with manual too) table of two pages showing ?preset config and global config?. This is the most important piece of paper if you want to learn to use this unit, GET IT! So with it in another hand I read through other programming information and thats it, no huge problems!

Imo its good to learn about your gear before you have it, if possible, because when you got it, you just want it to work straight away and if it doesn`t, frustration strikes. I could see something like that happened to some earlier reviewers...What comes to programming this one, it takes time for sure, but now afterwards it`s rewarding. And with PC-program (downloadable from yahoo fcb-1010 group or from behringer.com) programming is much faster. I suggest that you learn to use this unit without shortcuts thou, you don`t always have PC around when programming needed, do you?

My fcb1010 has latest 2.4 chip (activates 100 vamp presets easily), but in need of it Behringer seems to send FREE EPROMs to users, at least if you`re in big need and you act polite in the phone...

This unit is the best midi-controller around in price-range under ?200. Or under... The main thing is the need. Do you really need a controller? Because you`re reading this, you probably need or already have one. Buying this one you`ll never ever gonna regret. It`s convincingly well made and it stands your normal and gig use for sure. Bigger LED screen could have been better (and more expensive). Theres midi in/out-thru connections and 2 mono or stereo plugs for not-midi connections. I have vamp2, Technics kn2600 keyboard and Vox pathfinder 15exr. These all can be controlled via fcb1010. I also have a Yamaha pac 604w and acoustic fgx-412c guitars.

In Yahoo fcb1010 group its adviced how to build Phantom power adaptor if you don`t like to deal with all needed cables, I hate cables! I wish I had a room only for playing so I could leave all the wires after me. FCB1010-group also advices how to do other things if needed, like calibrating pedals (my fcb1010 needed calibration). It seems like it really can`t harm you if there is a user-group (with over 2000 users) around!

Patches are very easy to edit, even to someone like myself who has never encountered MIDI before. Found the manual maybe took some peoples knowledge (such as myself) to be greater than it actually was, but after looking on the Behringer web site, where I found some very useful programming examples and the Yahoo FCB1010 user group FAQ section, everything fell swiftly into place.

Set up is Fender Strat Plus Deluxe, Columbus Les Paul Copy, Zoom 9150 Valve DSP, Marshall 8008 Valvestate Power Amp and Behringer FCB1010.
Without the MIDI control that the 1010 gives me over the Zoom the set up would be no use for live work, but the power and flexibility that the 1010 gives me now is marvellous. After using a Digitech RP7 for several years and getting used to one expression pedal, now having 2 expression pedals at my fingertips so to speak is fantastic, and there is also plenty of room for future expansion such as changing Keyboard Settings and other MIDI effects units.

Built like the proverbial Brick S*******e. Would give an A10 tankbuster a near impossible task. Cannot comment on sound quality because this only contols my effects processor (which it does superbly) and does not benerate the sounds

Excellent. With the rapid response to any issues that I had and also free Firmware upgrades it is unbeatable value for money.

I would recommend it to any Guitarist who wants to get the utmost flexibility out of their MIDI based effects Rig at an unbelievable price. Compared it with ART, Roland/Boss and Zoom MIDI controllers, but they all seem to fade into insignificance along side this!!!!!

I read the manual, and was lost. This is my first MIDI controller, so I needed more details. I got absolutely none. After being walked through it, it's pretty easy, but out of the box... I was afraid I'd never get it.

expression pedals are a bit on the flimsy side. I could see myself tripping over one when it's up, and breaking it. the rest of it looks very solid.

I couldn't figure out how to work this, so I emailed their support. Within 2 hours I had an email in my inbox with about 15 text documents walking through various programming methods. I got it working right away after reading those documents.

This is a great MIDI controller, I control 2 units simultaneously with it, and am having a lot of fun learning more about the midi features of some of my devices. It helps me be more creative, I can now switch my V-amp from dirty to clean on the fly, or enable some wiggy effect. I hadn't compared this to anything else, so something else could be better, I don't know.

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!).

n/a

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

n/a

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.

Ease of use you ask? Well it's pretty asy to use. I believe folks go making it harder than it should... the bottom line is: MAKE SURE THE THING THE FOOTBOARD IS CONNECTED TO KNOWS THE FOOTBOARD IS THERE.
I'm connecting it to a behringer Blue Devil. Well I hooked it up with the cable exoecting it to function flawlessly just by installing the midi cable..Well fat chance fella. Not being the midi guru that I possibly should before getting this. I was frustrated with it for about 2 hours.. Well I went and started pushing buttons on the amp, and low and behold it worked. No programming necesary. I probably will re-program some of the switches..

It's just a midi switch box.. Doesn't mess with your tone
My only beef with this thing is they call the pedals expression pedals, they shouldn't call them that they don't express anything. Calling them that makes me think they are some kind of volume pedal or wah pedal.

Heck yeah it's reliable... It's built really solid.

Emailed them their website says a response within the hour I didn't get one in that tilmframe I'm still waiting...

I think it's a pretty good deal for the bread.

Don't believe the other reviewers,because they will put you off this thing and they will make you think it's complicated to use,BUT IT'S NOT!!!
Yes the manual is very confusing but you hardly need it to make the unit work.
I use a rocktron intellifex and it's the perfect match.
JUST PLUG AND PLAY STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX,YOU ONLY NEED -ONE- MIDI CABLE,don't make a loop,just use the send from the behringer to the in of your rack and that's it.
Only one bad point: there are only 5 programm change 'midi-things' which means that you will need to reassign above number 50 because it will count from 1 again,but it's a piece of cake,just follow the manual (don't try to understand why though,just follow it!)
For those who would thing I'm an expert in midi you are wrong,I know nothing about it!

the 2 expression pedals are so easy to use and with the intellifex they are great,you can control a lot of parameters from them,just assign,for example,the decay of the reverb on the first pedal and the level of the delay on the other one,it's just so convenient!

It's so versatile,u can have 100 fx at your feet,all accessible straight away and you still have control on them via the 2 expression pedals.I'm still surprised how easy this thing is to use.

this thing is heavy and seems to be reliable,only the 2 expression pedals look cheap,the rest is build in a rigid metal chassis.Time will tell,should handle the stage environment very easily

#100 for it is a bargain,it's very well build.I'm ver happy with this thing,I nearly didn't buy it because of the other reviews here,it would have been a massive mistake.
Just ignore them and enjoy this floorboard,save #100 compared to other brands.

This is where the unit gets the most flack. Due to the nature of the unit, it is a bit difficult to use. If you have little experience with midi programing it will be hard to use. I use it for patch switches in my rack; i have been using midi controllers for about 3 years, and i had mine fully programmed in two hours.

If you want a super flexible midi controller- it is not going to be user-friendly, and do things for you.

-N/A-

just bought it.

used

Great pedal in terms of flexibility, i have been able to do EVERYTHING i want with this pedal. However, the expression pedals are really bad. This is the first midi expression pedal ive used, so i have no frame of reference, but if you want to do continious pitch change- forget it. for the money it is a 10- what could you expect for less than 100 bucks?! overall i am very satisfied though.

I own a Boss GX-700 and I searched the web for weeks trying to see how well the FCB1010 would fit it, but I found nothing, so now that I have used it I thought I'd save other people lots of frustration and give a basic overview of how this pedal and the GX-700 go together. (Hope it's helpful!)

Ease of use...hmmm...

First of all, my pedal came without a manual. Sucked. I downloaded one, read it, checked that were were both speaking about the same piece of equipment, read it again, put it down, and decided to figure it out myself. I guess I just don't speak 'Behringer'. Worstmanual I have ever read. However, once I had been through the sweat and bleed of configuring one patch, the rest were a breeze. All we need is a little patience...

Each patch has lots of options. I found I could configure each patch to send a patch change message to the GX-700, two analog switches for amp channel distortions (if you use the loop option in the GX) as well as a couple of other midi messages. This is useful since the GX 'listens' for a further 4 midi messages which can be used to control any adjustable parameter in the patch. For example, with one patch change on the midi pedal I can tell the GX-700 to go to patch 7, switch my amp's channel distortion off, turn the patch distortion on, use the one expression pedal to control the drive level and the other expression pedal to control volume. Very useful if you're willing to spend the time programming the patches. Email me if you want more info on how to do this.

It doesn't affect the sound of the setup at all. I have heard that the pedal emits a high-frequency sound which can be sorted out by using a seperate power supply, but I haven't experiences this. So, no comments.

Solid metal casing, good pedals, I can't see a problem with it. I only have one, so a backup is out of the question anyway, but I feel pretty confident. (famous last words... ;)

I phoned the Behringer distributors for the country to ask questions about it, and they told me that they just sell the things and that I probably know more about it than they did. I questioned them further, and it turns out that thery were right. They wre very friendly, but not much use. Er...hello?!?!?!?

Various styles, but that makes no difference in the purpose of this review. Basically this guy controls my Boss GX-700, and after using for (and comparing it to the FC-200) I see no reason whatsoever why I sould pay twice the price for the FC-200. I'm not putting the FC-200 down, it's an excellent pedal, but then so is the FCB1010. I'm very happy with it.

Let's face it, folks. . . right off the bat, this is called "flexible" right on the box. How do you make it flexible without making it infinitely complex? So it's not the easiest thing to program, and requires (in my case, up to 47 buttons pressed to program one button) a lot of time and patience.
The manual is pretty much useless, so my suggestion is to go online and browse people's manuals ... Yahoo! Groups has a good one, and it's for connecting to everything.

Last thought, i connect this to a V-amp2, and it worked (recalled banks, not a stomppad) with my amp straight out of the box)

This does not affect sound quality.
The only thing I have to say about this, is with the V-amp2 turn off the cabinet or have everything on the same cab. Otherwise, when you recall one of the banks, it WILL make a short noise.

Holy crap this thing is built like a tank. I'm sure this thing will outlive the processor it's being used for!!!

Behringer does not respond to emails as fast as people would like. Well, they are a large, international company who receives thousands of emails a day....
Nevertheless, if you want support, call them. The response is curteous and instant, and their tech support and upgrades are good and free, respectively.

Behringer comes out with quality performance products at a low price. Their cost-cutting measures in this one, as far as i can tell, is that it has no display to tell you what you're sending, and that it does not come with a carry case or bag (like the v-amps). This is a good product, and does everything it claims ... albeit it is a little tricky to program it to do that.

I use the top 5 pads to recall banks, the bottom 5 as a stomp pad w/ tap button (so i can change the speed of my trem, chorus, etc), and the 2 expression pedals mainly for wah and volume. I couldn't ask for much more from this thing! --- except for a better manual.

This category is two-fold for me. I bought it to switch between presets on my Alesis Midiverb4 (acoustic guitar rack setup). The night before I played...I opened the box...read through the manual and worked with it and the Alesis for my first real midi experience. The manual has GREAT examples...they do work.

However, I really wish that both Alesis and Behringer would have done a small midi primer. I was confused on the reasoning behind the examples even though they worked. I have a lot to learn to max the potential of this pedal. The more I use it...the easier it gets! :-)

I've only had this a week, but, I own other Behringer products...very classy equipment...ESPECIALLY for the money! (I also own the Magician and a EuroMixer)

Don't know....have never needed them.

As others have commented...and I did a lot of research...you cannot touch these features anywhere for this price...for a new product. I only wish a small midi primer was part of the manual.

If you're experienced in programming and configuring digital equipment it won't be hard to figure out how this thing works once you have read the manual. This buddy is not the self-explaining gizmo you could wish for and I'd bet that if you're a novice you may have troubles in configuring it as the procedures are a little complicated (no chance for guesswork, you definitely gotta know what you have to do) and the manual is a little too easy-going for my tastes. Anyway once you've learned the secrets of this pedalboard it's a real trick to configure it on the fly and just by using your feet (awesome feature).

I don't think this may apply here, anyway it sounds comfortably solid when I kick it :D

I have owned it for 4 months and gigged it just 3 or 4 times so I really have no clue, anyway it looks pretty solid and I'd bet it'll last a lifetime.

GREAT!!!!!!!!! I emailed (in my native language!) the italian customer support centre for an issue I've had with the expression pedals (the pedalboard did not send any CC variation) and they were back with the solution ONE HOUR LATER!!! It ended up being a miscalibration problem, I was able to fix it by myself just performing the procedure described in the email. Geez, this is customer support!!

For my needs it is perfect! I just wish it had an alphanumeric display to see the name of the preset you're actually running. Other than this it has more than what I need feature-wise. If it were somehow lost I'd buy another one in a heartbeat. It takes you a little to understand how it works (anyway it is not a digital multiFX unit, it's not that difficult) but once you're ready it gives you total control over your equipment, no matter what your rig is. I love the embedded power supply! No more AC adapters cables getting disconnected or broken and it is darn easy to build a custom AC cable to the length you wish!!

well, once you know how it works its easy. but the manual sucks! with the help of the yahoo group and some try&error attemps I finally got the clue.

I am using the FCB1010 to control my GX112 amp (also a Behringer product). the presets work. but do not fit playing at all (who needs a bank full of reverbs?!). so you need to edit the patches. overall, I wont't give a rating in this category because there is no sound quality.

built like a tank (at least it looks like). you won't stomp on the wrong pedal unless you are bigfoot.

I emailed them and got a reply within a day. it helped me to fix my problem. behringer support is great!

best midi pedal for that price! considering that a Boss controller is more than twice expensive this is a great flooboard! I would buy it again if it got lost. 10 points - 1 for the manual. so 9 pts at all.

Coming from an experienced MIDI guy as far as guitar players are concerned, i admit that that i was a bit befuddled with this thing. But in retrospect, it's really as easy as pie, just give the poorly written instructions a little undivided attention and you'll get the handg of it in no time.

This thing has NO tone! I don't know what i'm doing wrong!!! (just kidding...)

see my setup notes at:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fcb1010/message/1979

C'mon. I'm not a pro with oodles of money. I can barely afford one of anything good, let alone a spare for the "just in case" doomsday scenario. First, buy good quality gear. Do it right the first time and you won't need a backup. Secondly, always be prepared and take care of your stuff. Third, know how to use the gear you own and milk it for all it's worth. More gear is never the answer!

I just called Behringer tech support today and spoke with Richard about sending me the latest EPROM free-of-charge. I don't even know what the latest is, maybe v2.3.12? He said, "no problem". He took my name and address and said he'd ship one right out. THANK YOU!!!! You can call him to (425) 672-0816. Ask for tech support.

Please see my application and use of the FCB1010 and G-Force as described in my message to the user group:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fcb1010/message/1979

This is money well spent. I was trying to figure out if there was such thing as a MIDI controllable amp switch when i discovered this bad boy. My Rocktron MIDI Mate is on eBay as i wrtie this message!

I bought it because another guitarist using Roland gear suggested it for setting up my programs for each song. He made it sound like child's play, but then again - he's a computer programmer and I'm NOT!!! I gave up. The manul even stated you didn't need to be familiar with a whole other language, but they were dead wrong.

Why can't they write a simple step by step process for the average guitar player who doesn't really program anything? Write a page specifically for controlling a guitar synth? Give us common midi channels for Roland products, Korg products, etc..

Never got this far. I'm an idiot!

Hey - it sure looked solid. I was impressed considering the low price.

Again - I never got this far. Boxed it back up the first day of digging into the manual and all my other gear manuals.

See my review below

After going through the programing numerous times you eventually get the hang of it, some silk screening of how to get in to global or other programing option on the top of the FBC would be useful.

Sheet medal with lots of screws and inside lots of heat gun glue to keep everyting in place.

The switches are mounted directly on the PCB so long term reliabity may or may not be a factor,, I'm really not uptodate on current manufaturing and reliabiltiy info so do your own research.

OK so I really dis'ed Behringer support for not repling to my emails and I still stand by what I said about the email address and why post one if you don't respond to it.

I go my upgrade to V2.3, however it required three long distance phone calls on my tab,, once I got hold of them they were very nice and plesant to deal with.

So a bit of advise,,call them don't email them as it is a long and frustrating affair. I work in the hightech industry where we live or die (you chose) by email. So this really doesn't make sence to me. Anyway I got the upgrade at no cost so I will give them a 10 to avarage my score to 5.5...

This is a good value, compaired to the Line6 Floorboard its no contest. The programing challanges are easily addressed by going to the Yahoo board. And with the new firmware the capabilities are second to none,,,very flexable.

I have been playing for a ong time really seriouly for about the last 15 years, I would definitely buy again (theres a change) I can now use my POD2 to its fullest capablities jump from channel to channel turn effects on and off use the wah (which is great on the POD) etc.

I'll upgrade my rating to a 10 averaging out at 6.5 I would really give this a 10 for overall value.

Depend on how good you are at reading between the lines. There are a number of options that need to be set up correctly in Global config before you can get this to work at all. Unfortunatly the manual is not clear on this. Go to the Yahoo users group for this, just do a search on FCB1010.

Have only had it for about a month, but it looks solid enough

Forget about service.
I purchased this thing new and it came with old firmware. All I wanted was the upgrade, so I could use the copy function.
Emailed their support 5 times NO REPLY!
Emailed their international and US support NO REPLY!!!!
This is a joke,
Why would they even post an email address for support is beyond me
If you need support,,,,,FORGET BEHRINGER!!!!!
I am!!!

This is a good bang for the buck, but as I said support is critical for any product that you purchase. You just want to know that the company stands behind their products. behringer Does NOT!

I will never consider another Behringer product ever. There are just to may other products out there.

I found this unit quite easy to use given the possibilities it offers. You'll spend some time to get the hang of programing, but this is more due to the lame documentation supplied with the product than the product conception itself.
I suggest you go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fcb1010/
If you use a TC G-Major with it, I created a document supposed to help you to optimize your settings... Download it and take a look...
I bought mine with Firmware 2.3 (the lattest), and COULDN'T LIVE with any anterior version. You NEED to upgrade if you want to use it with the G-Major.
After a little while, programing is a breathe...
This gives 10 for the product, minus 2 for the documentation...

Well, I use it with a TC G-Major sitting in the fx loop of a Peavey Classic 30 retubed with JJs. The G-Major is set to switch the channels of my amp (Clean - Dist) AND to remote control my Vox ValveTone overdrive (via a home made hardwired remote-controllable loop box... Schematics available on request, though I may end up by selling them ;) )
Obviously, the FCB1010 opens the way to many possibilities in the real-time control of the G-Major, and allows for wah effects, whammy effects, volume swells... Great combination of gear...

It seems rugged but I haven't had it for long enough to judge.
I liked the external fuse and the integrated power supply...

It seems liked they're very serviceable, and supply free upgrades and support. I just miss a good manual (well, I used to, now I'm fine...).

Very good piece of gear once you got the hang of it... And for an excellent price. I'd buy another one IN A MINUTE if I lost it, though I can't imagine loosing such a huge piece of gear. Anybody who'd steal it would immediatly be caught because you'd see the FCB1010 under his sweater just like you see the bone stuck across the cat's throat in a Disney cartoon ! I'm not sure he could even walk thru a door !!!
Sincerely, I think the excellent - but human - ingeeniers at TC Interactive Support should change their minds about this product and stop "not recommending" it... Added to the ease of use 10 banks of 10 can give, I have 3 fully adjustable real-time controls for each patch under my feet (2 pedals and 1 switch, read my advice at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fcb1010/) ... What else could I ask ?

The manual for the FCB-1010 isn't quite the most user friendly. I use mine with my Yamaha DG Stomp (a really excellent preamp, by the way), and I was able to use all functions after a bit of experimenting. This was my first MIDI interface experience, and I didn't find it extremely difficult.

This was what I wrote to comment on. Both my expression pedals were emitting a very audible nasty mechanical scratch when rocked. I called Behringer's service line, absolutely no help, had no idea what could have cause it. So I took to the message boards (there's a FCB-1010 Yahoo! board with a very strong user community), and eventually determined that the Behringer transmits a high-amount of RF signal. This can easily be picked up by anything: other effects, guitar pickups, even your amp(as was my case). The instant remedy for this, is to plug the midi controller into a separate power source, away from the rest of your signal path. This cured it right away for me (phew!).

Otherwise, the unit has no effect on the sound, which is a good thing.

This is a very sturdy product, I do use it onstage regularly with no problems, once the RF nuisance was solved.

You shouldn't experience any difficulties with it in terms of reliability, pretty sturdy build.

There is a system upgrade now available for the Behringer. Even better, it's free. If you call them up they'll send one out to you. I'm not quite clear what advantages the upgrade provides, but I've read that it's a great aid for some folks.

2 negative points about Behringer:

1) Their techs didn't seem to be extremely knowledgable gearheads. When I presented a problem that was new to them, they had absolutely no solutions for me... they offered to send me an upgrade card, and couldn't give me anything else short of "best of luck figuring the noise out".

2) NO 1-800 Number!? I had to wait on hold on my own time/money calling them long-distance just to have their technical shmuck tell me that he had no idea what the problem could be. Quite an unprofessional experience.

This is really the best deal out there for MIDI. I can only hope Behringer will force other companies to release models competitive in price and features to this model. As of now, it's pretty much the stand-alone for budget-level MIDI controllers. I couldn't see any reason to buy anything else for $100+ more, this pedal covers my needs.

I use the controller with a Rocktron Voodu Valve unit - this has a comprehensive MIDI implementation so this may influence my experience of this product. Having read the reviews below on this product, I am surprised that so many people experienced problems with setting it up. I read the manual and simply followed the steps, I haven't been back to the manual since.
To set up the pedal controller with a preset or in either direction (up/down) simply choose which parameter values you want - for up, set lo value to 0 and hi value to 127 to go the other way set it at lo 127 to hi 0 - couldn't be simpler. I found that with the ability to send controller information with the patch select switches, you can send a MIDI controller number for tap tempo and then simply tap the switch in time with the tempo, the patch selector then becomes tap tempo as well; this allows you to set up tap tempo for all or none of the patches.
the display is not as clear or as useful as it might be hence the ease of use rating

n/a

no problems whatsoever

I have been warned by dealers about Behringers attitude towards technical help, but I have been able to find a wealth of backup from their website and also http://www.altrion.org/fcb1010/index.html which is an unofficial website for the product.

Excellent product, dirt cheap for what it is, very sturdily built and does exactly what it says on the box. The only drawbacks are the size and usefulness of the display.

This is a follow-up to my previous review.
I've been working with this thing for months now with my VF-1 and have been really happy with its performance.

There are some things I've tried to do by going step-by-step through the manual and coulnd't figure out. I agree with another reviewer that there is a learning curve, but once you get the basic idea of how the programming works (select, UP, select, UP, save DOWN...) it all falls into place. The manual writers assume familiarity with programming MIDI devices and some procedures just aren't explained clearly enough. There are resources available online, however, including:
-- Downloadable documentation on the Behringer site (the "Quick Start Manual" is an OK supplement to the bundled manual) http://www.behringer.com/02_products/prodindex.cfm?id=FCB1010&lang=eng
-- The Yahoo FCB1010 users group

Programming with the VF-1 is so easy. Just match up the numbers, set your parameters, and you've turned your VF-1 from an amazing multi-FX unit into a killer machine with every parameter under your control. I have not upgraded the ROM yet, but will do so soon so that I can make global preset changes.

I've been carting this thing from my home to my rehearsal space 3x/week for over six months and have used it in a few gigs. Surprisingly, it's held up well. I expected Behringer gear to be flimsy for the price but have been proven wrong. I am very careful with it, though, and carry it around in either a gig bag for a Fender Cyber foot controller (took me forever to find a bag that'd fit) or a hard case for a Hohner copy of a Steinberger GL guitar.

I have had to recalibrate the expression pedals twice. The instructions are not in the manual but are available online here:
http://www.patchwizard.com/pw_mig_FCB1010.htm

The support reviews are so bad, I never even tried. The Yahoo group is excellent. Full of friendly people who respond quickly and intelligently.

It's like the FCB1010 were made for the VF-1. Even the Roland controller isn't as good because it only has one expression pedal, though I've seen a Roland in a store and it felt much sturdier than the FCB1010 and the pedal action was smoother.

The only weird thing is that, out of the box, the program changes were off one between the two units; I'd stomp in 14 on the FCB and it'd bring up 15 on the VF-1. This was fixed by re-programming the presets on the FCB1010.

As my first foray into MIDI, the FCB1010 and VF-1 combination has been a huge success.

ATTENTION BEHRINGER FCB-1010 AND TC ELECTRONICS G-MAJOR USERS!!! If you are having trouble getting these units to work together, come and check out my website.

http://www.mjriley.com

Since I originally posted my review below, I've easily had 20-30 folks email me with questions. Instead of re-typing the answers for everyone, I thought I might post my suggestions on my website. This way, you don't have to wait for my email response. I will be updating it quite a bit over the next few weeks, so check back often.

Why am I doing this? I don't work for Behringer or TC Electronics. I'm just a semi-pro guitar player that wants to help his fellow musician enjoy this gear. I believe in passing along helpful information and positive vibes...and maybe Behringer or TC Electronics will send me an extra-large T-Shirt (Ha Ha!).

Mike Riley, Omaha, Nebraska
mjriley@cox.net

See Above

See Above

See Above

See Above

I am using it with my POD 2.3. Providing that you match the MIDI channels of the POD to the FCB, you will find that the FCB footswitches will call up your POD presets (1A, 2B, ect.). So, to get started with just basic functioning, it works well with the POD. Beyond this is the magical, mysterious world of programming this thing in order to take advantage of all its capabilities. I have had it now for a week and would've expected a bit more progress than I've had. (Sigh) More work, I'm sure, will yield more results.
Manual: Sheesh! I rate it a 2.5. The learning curve on the FCB is steep for those of us with slight exposure to MIDI, but the manual makes that learning curve even more steep!.
As it stands, though, from what I have so far it has given me more than I ever had before.

This is a controller, not an effector. Although, I believe the patches seem to switch a tad bit quicker when I compare it to the POD FB4 footswitch (could be my imagination, though).

Personally, I cannot comment on past "reliability" after owning it one week. The construction seems more than sufficient for my needs (90% at home, 10% carting it around to practices and the odd gig).

Other reviews have been more favourable. I had sent an email to Behringer's Canadian support group, along with a request for information during my online owner's registration input. This has all been to find out more info about firmware upgrades. After one week of submitting these two requests I have not heard back from them.
The Behringer website seems adequate.

This is my first introduction into MIDI control of my gear. I have found lots of somewhat helpful information on the net (Official POD forum and the Yahoo unofficial FCB1010 forum). I am hopeful that my continued efforts will yield favourable results. Rome was not built in a day, right? BTW, if you are a POD user, track down information on those websites by Ed Dixon. He is well-informed and pretty generous with his information. Perhaps I will submit a another review posting to share my progress down the road.

I have a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, and have been
a Systems Programmer for 20 years now. Having programmed in Assembler, Fortran and other such machine languages, I've experienced plenty of frustration. This Behringer Foot Controller takes the cake though. All I wanted was to control my Yamaha DG-Stomp via external controller. I have no problems doing this with my old Digitech controller, but after trying (unsuccesfully) for 3 hours with the Behringer, I gave up. It's going back to the store for a refund.

I sure it works admirably......Assuming you can decipher the manual and get past the initial set-up.

Seems solidly built. Unfortunately, I'll never know.

Don't know.

This seems like it COULD be a pretty nice controller, but again, I never had the chance to use it. I was set to fork out $100 for a Tech 21 Midi Mouse, until I saw the Behringer for $125. It seems really well built, but a LOT can be said for simplicity too. It's going back tomorrow and exchanged for the Tech 21.

I've had this foot controller for 7 months now and I'm very impressed with it. I was completely inexperienced with MIDI but I managed to get this thing working almost instantly. I use it to control most of my rack setup: my 3 Line 6 Studio Modelers and the Tech 21 Sansamp PSA-1 preamp. What I love is that I can use one footswitch to change program, and use the same switch to tap tempo. Having two built-in expression pedals is fantastic aswell.... I leave one of them set to control volume most of the time. I'd love to have a longer dispay and the ability to give names to the different programs and banks (that was the best thing about the Digitech Control 1 foot controller) because remembering which program does what can take a while to get used to. And I know it's picky, but I wish they'd put the power socket next to the MIDI ports and not at opposite ends... I'm a compulsive cable tidier! I've recently upgraded it to version 2.3.

Since it is a MIDI controller this section is kind of irrelevant but I should say something about the slight hum that comes from the unit that others have mentioned in their reviews: I don't think the hum will be problematic in the studio so much as the sound of a guitarist stamping their feet all over it........

It's an incredibly rugged design so it's able to take a beating. I've had problems with the brains of the unit though.... recently the edit mode started going crazy and I couldn't change a thing. Since upgrading to the latest firmware everything is fine again.

I had to get in touch when the edit mode went crazy. I got the number of the UK service centre from the Behringer website, and they told me to call someone called Andy at Behringer in Germany, which I did. I was surprised that I had to do this, but the help I got from Andy was brilliant. First he took me through a recalibration process, and when that didn't work he sent a new EPROM which reached me after 3 days. I changed the EPROM and everything works nicely, plus I now have the upgrade.

At the end of the day, I've got an incredibly versatile, well-built and easy-to-use MIDI controller that, in relative terms, cost hardly anything. I had some problems with the software but I don't hold it against them, since the customer service was brilliant. I do wish it had a longer display, the option to save program and bank names, and I'd like it if the power socket was on the same side as the MIDI ports. Other than that, i think the design is perfect. It works for me!!

Very easy to use, manual well written but they could have divided the subjects a little better so underscore the layered approach to programming. I drew out a flow chart and it all made sense to me then. This thing opened up my boss vf-1!! I've programmed half a dozen original sounds since yesterday, it's a blast! you could control a very large rig with this thing.

Using with a boss vf-1 (for guitar and bass) and for a remote to start my sequencer for recording. I can see a place for it in putting down CC's as I play synths also.

owned it for 6 hours.

no wall wart!!!

I'm very happy. If anything changes, I'll be back here.

The manual sux (very confusing). I had to take it back to the shop where i bought it from and even they couldn't get it to work until the guy from behringer guided us (over the phone) step by step on how to set it up. Apparently all midi channel was set to 0 making the expression pedals useless (we set it to 1).

there is a bit of a circuit noise which could be quite loud if used in the studio

I got it brand new (2 days old) but it seems robust

I use it to control my V-amp and it's a perfect match for it. It's robust, ergonomically designed although the 2 expression pedals might be to close together which might be a problem if you have feet. The real low down here is the manual as anyone with little or no midi knowledge will find it a little hard to program.

First I want to say a word about the previous review: I'm not sure there's any foot controller that will do what he's asking this thing to do--the Triaxis value can't go lower, via a continuous controller, than the preset has saved the value. Lower the Triaxis value to 0, and you can heel it back to 0. But I understand that changing to a preset with volume at 0 isn't really practical. I understand this guy's frustration, but I believe he's asking the impossible. Also, the fact is you can reverse the continous controller values. Check out this web site to make sure your pedals are calibrated: http://www.altrion.org/fcb1010/post.html. Then READ THE MANUAL about how to set controller values (see p.13).

FWIW, I've got this controller working just fine with my Triaxis. It's a blast.

Now, for Ease of Use: It's about as good as it can get for something where you're editing multiple settings via a small interface (led's and a two-digit digital readout). If you spend a small amount of time with the manual, you can get all of your programming done and then move on to playing--which is the point, after all. I had it up and running in a matter of minutes, using it to control the Triaxis and a couple of effects units.

As others have said, it doesn't make sound; it controls the other stuff that makes sound.

It's still new, so it's hard to rate reliability. But the build quality is very good.

behringer.com is relatively helpful (although the url above has even more info.) I haven't had a need to test out their support/service, so I'm giving them a 10 for having built quality into the thing in the first place--that's the best kind of customer support.

It's simplified my setup, and it streamlines working through the almost endless number of sounds the Triaxis delivers. Anything that frees you up to spend more time getting into the music deserves a 10 in my book. Thanks, Behringer.

Pretty easy to use i just bought it had it about 2 month.Found out it will not work with a Mesa Triaxis. You can not set the volume at a preset and then make it go to zero when you heal it down, only works that way if you toe it over.So it really want do what i need it to do

No sound

Talked to Behringer nothing i can do about it, kinda says hey you are stuck with it Tough luck,Well screw you Behringer

O they will talk to you for sure but will not help you get a return on it or my money back. They said they called overseas to get a answer and that;s just the way it is.

Never can you reverse the pedals to go the other directions. Will work with the Triaxis only if you set the preset to zero than go up and that;s not worth a dam so Behringer tell the people before you sell them something if they ask i know you want offer to tell .If you dont understand any of the stuff i wrote please email me i will tell you or call and tell you

This pedal took me an afternoon and a few reads of the manual before I figured it out. It has a LOT of features that I'll never use, but it works great for my purposes. I use it to control a TC Electronics G-Major and it works fine. I know TC Electronics didn't recommended this foot controller as it didn't take full advantage of the G-Major's features, but neither will I, so it suits my purposes perfectly.

I haven't messed with MIDI in several years, so there was a bit of a learning curve for me. Essentially, I have this pedal set up in a very basic way. I DO NOT use the Direct Select feature, as I only use about 10 presets with my current band. The amp switching relays are a big reason I bought this, but it turns out that the G-Major has a switched relay out which I use instead (less cabling) so it's a moot point.

This pedal is designed to control EVERYTHING within your MIDI rig and could do it very well. I opted to let my G-Major control switch parameters and I use this controller to simply change presets and
I have the two expression pedals set up as volume and modulation speed controllers. These pedals work great and appear to be very heavy duty.

No sound, no ground hums, no problem....

It appears to be very reliable. I'm currently looking for a nice road case for this and my wireless to fit in, so I'm using the original box to transport it in. Regardless, I think it's a very heavy duty unit.

I think the web page leaves a lot to be desired. I couldn't find any support documents for this thing, althought there were a few 3rd-party web pages out there. Fortunately I was able to figure this thing out, but it might be tough for somebody just getting into MIDI.

Overall, this is a great pedal. I'm very happy with its features, size and durability. I play out every weekend and practice every night. My only complaint is the web page, which is not a real big issue. I doubt you're going to find a better foot controller for the money.

Works very well. The manual is well-written, but if you've never programmed any midi devices before, it may take a little trial and error to get things right, but it is definitely very worthwhile.

No noise. AND NO WALL WART! EXCELLENT!

Very sturdy build. Again... no wall wart! Very reliable.

Their website could use a little work. They didn't put calibration information up (I had to find it from a third-party). However, they were quick to release upgrade information... all manuals are available, as well as corrections and changes to manuals.

I use this simply to control and Electrix Repeater. For that purpose... it's really smooth. However, this controller appears to be wide open to customize to fit in your particular rig. Definitely a worthwhile purchase.

The manual is short and to the point. I never used Midi before this and it only took me about 3 hours to start programming patches to control my POD. I must say that I am technically inclined and a Computer professional. The logic behind programmin this thing may escape those who are not as technically inclined.. Please note that even if you are not you will learn to use it by trial and error.

It is a controller no sounds are produced.

I have only had it for about a month. But this this is built like most stuff built in Germany, Its' a Tank!!! All steel casing the foot switches are made of strong plastic and the 2 expression pedals are strong. I pretty mutch stand on the expression pedals and I weigh about 270lbs. I would gig with this without a second thought.

Never dealt withe them.

I have a POD 2.0 and was considering getting the Line 6 flooboard. But at $250.00 I was not convinced. I started looking around and decided to get the FBC1010. This thing is amazing for the price. It is very versatile and I can control all the functions and paramters of the POD. Not only that but if you have an amplifier that has a footswitch for channel switching you can just plug a regular guitar cable from the footswitch jack on the amp to the FBC1010 (it has 2 footswitch jacks) and you can control the channel switching from the FBC1010.

I like this device mostly because of it flexiblity, it has a great price and it is built to last. I highly recommend this item for anyone using a POD or a Vamp. Buy it!

I am astounded that in this day and age of intuitive
interfaces and pull doun menus, etc etc that any engineer could still make something for a musician that is so ridiculously complicated you need to study a course to learn how to do anything with it! I have a gig tomorrow night and still can't figure out how to do the most basic midi commands between this device and my Roland sp505 sampler. Admitedly, I only want to enough about midi commands to drive trigger my sampler while I play guitar and sing. But after reading all these glowing reviews I am compelled to speak up for artists as opposed to gearheads. Shoot me for expecting my gear to work for me not the other way around. Looks like I made a big mistake not just getting another Boss fc200 which did this fine and took me all of an hour to learn. Whoever made this is not a working musician. This is harder than Protools and sp505 but at least they are worth the headache, this is just a footpedal! Doing my taxes is less complicated !!!!!!!!!!!

OK Richard at Beringer was very helpfull and in fact emailed me an
online course he had written on how to operate this thing but there, that is the point.

easy to use , well written manual,update avaliable on behringer web only you need is a proomer( eeprom programer to "burn " the eeprom), a little confusing about cc comands , depending of your gear type could be a time consuming to find the rigth channel of cc command ( at least on my case whit rocktron chameleon )

its a controller man

very well build ,stable and reliable , performance x price its awesome,

behringer support respect the consumer , fast and friendly access

like a said its a breeze to program after one read on manual, the fcb1010 work on my rig whit a chameleon on-line after some trouble to find the rigth cc command works like a clock , the butons its like the boss controller and the expression pedals are opticals and very precise ( at least whit upgrade 2.3 v )

Either beginners or experts in MIDI world will find it easy to use.
Manual is short, but precise. You can set up programs with just one foot, in two or three movements.
May be the EPROM upgrade could be easier (you must open the equipment), a built in flash utility or something. Anyway I give it a 9.

N/A, unless you want to talk about the click of the pedal.

The 2 expression pedals seems fragile, but overall is well constructed: Metal case, hard plastic pedals.

Other important issue is about the calibration of this expression pedals. I wouldn't use them for pitch shifting. It seems there is a bug in this. And is not a matter of how long do you use it.

Never deal with behringer. I registered the controller and that's it.

Price/perfomance-Flexibility, period. give it a 10.

Besides some calibration bugs (sure this is fixed in the next software release that you can download from behringer site), you must evaluate this:
-Flexible (upgrades available, easy programming)
-Reliability (hard metal case)
-Price (far the cheapest controller ever, and I guess the most complete in programming/functions, if you compare other controllers)

I've read other reviews (here in Harmony Central) far more technical, and I took the decision reading them. My review is more like an "ignorant user review", because I'm a beginner in MIDI world. Hope this help you.

By the way, sorry about my "precarious" english.

The manual for the FCB1010 MIDI controller is very helpful; it's written in a very easy-to-understand language. You do have to know a little about the unit you're trying to control with the FCB1010, but you don't have to have a large resource of MIDI knowledge! I do have one complaint about the manual. Behringer left out a section about calibrating the expression pedals. This is vital!! I don't know why they left it out, but you can find instructions to do it if you surf around the 'net. The only other complaint that I have about the unit is that you cannot access preprogrammed controllers on the fly. What I mean is that you can't access a controller to, say, turn off the delay or turn on the chorus. You have to program a separate preset on the board with the new information. This is good and bad at the same time. Most MIDI boards have a mode for accessing preprogrammed controllers (such as the ART X-15). It's good because you can program multiple versions of one processor's preset without programming multiple presets on the processor (does that sound like Dr. Suess or what?!). I'm quite unsure of which version of the board I have, but I just purchased it in early July.

The unit has no effect on the sound.

It seems very reliable; however, the expression pedals are not quite as rugged as the ART X-15's or the Johnson's metal expression pedals. Otherwise, it's built like a big tank!

I haven't ever dealt with Behringer, but they seem very helpful from an outside glance. Their website is quite friendly. It looks as though it would be easy to contact the company and receive service if I needed it.

Regardless of music style, the FCB1010 footcontroller is a great match for almost any MIDI rig. You can program multiple program changes on different MIDI channels, allowing you to control several (at least five, I'm sure!) devices at the stomp of one switch. It's even got jacks to switch your amp channels for you. If you need to simplify your rig, this is the ticket! There are very few downsides of this product, and, for the price, you can't get a better controller.

Of course, this device hasn't got a large intuitive graphic screen, for easy programming, but once you've read the 20 page manual you'll know exactly what you're doing and how this thing works. Programming this thing is very easy, which is remarkable considering the fact that this device has only one 2-charachter LED and a few small indicators. Behringer did a good job on making the device easy for programming.

This doesn't produce sound, except for the clicking noises when you step on one of the buttons...

As with most German stuff, it's build like a tank.

I had some questions before I bought the FCB1010, so I emailed Behringer. 4 hours later, I got a reply which answered all my questions (and made me decide to buy this thing).

A lot of people here use this device as a controller for their guitar rig. Actually, I'm a guitarplayer myself, but lately my band is experimenting with samples in our music. We use a Roland MS-1 sampler onstage. All the samples are assigned to midi notes, so we can trigger each sample using the Behringer FCB1010. We programmed it so that it transmits note numbers. Works exellent, there's no latency so we can accurately trigger samples on, for example, the beat of the music.

If it were stolen, I'd buy a new one. There is no cheaper sollution!

Very easy to use once you've run through things a couple of times - editing patches is a doddle.

The manual is well written and easy enough to understand, but I found geared towards those who already have an understanding of basic MIDI. This in itself isn't too much of a problem of course (as it is probably assumed that anyone buying this unit will have some MIDI knowledge) BUT, the keen price will also direct it towards those entering into the MIDI market for the first time.

Not possible to rate it for sound quality as it isn't in the sound chain and thus doesn't do anything to colour the signal, but it does operate silently.

Solid as a rock - pedals and controllers are well made, and the whole unit is formed from robust metal. Well built and very little to go wrong - should last a long time.

Never had to contact Behringer for support, so can't really comment.

I never received any acknowledgment from them after I sent my warranty registration however.

I play pop/rock covers in a busy local band. The FCB1010 is the answer to my prayers as it is capable of controlling my entire rig.

I've been playing ten years and have now found what I consider to be the holy grail of cover band set ups. I use a Parker Fly P38V - the electric signal runs into a Zoom 9050S signal processor (for modulation and delay effects only) then the left output channel passes in my Hughes & Kettner Tube 50 combo. I have an MSM1 MIDI witching module fitted to the H&K and this receives MIDI messages from the Zoom, which in turn receives them from the Behringer.

All very versatile as it allows me to switch effects simultaneously with the channels, FX mix and reverb on the H&K.

The right output channel of the Zoom runs into the 'electric' channel on my Laney GC80A Electric/Acoustic combo. I use the relais switching facility of the Behringer to switch channels on the Laney - switch 1 alternates between the Electric & Acoustic channels and switch 2 alternates between overdrive & clean on the electric channel.

All of these options can be preset to the Behringer & Zoom's patches so I have any number of various permutations available.

I don't think there is any other MIDI switching unit on the market that can offer me this kind of flexibility, especially with the relais switching to change channels on the Laney.

If anything happened to the Behringer I would replace it in an instant, and am even thinking about buying another as a back up - the current price of these units makes them an absolute steal.

Easy as can be given the comprehensive feature set and price.

As a MIDI Foot controller has no sound but I love the price / quality I'll give it a 10 anyway!

Built like a tank, I can't imagine it being better given the price.

Web site is superlative so I'll give them a 10 here too!

You will not find anything like this at anything like the price.
Period. It will nicely control your MIDI toys.

Stunning value for money !
It's less than half the UK cost of a Roland FC200 and is considerably more flexible.
Programming is easy once you've been through the procedure a couple of times.
I've used various midi controllers in the past and this is easily the best and most versatile....at any price.

N/A

Build quality appears to be at least on par with Roland and better than Digitech.....but I guess only time will tell.

Not used them but their website looks impressive and informative.

I have been playing for 25 years (mostly pop/rock/blues)and use the FCB1010 with a Roland GP-100 in both studio and live environments.
The FC200 is the dedicated controller for the GP-100 but in my opinion the FCB1010 is much better ..regardless of price.

Quiet easy. A "Copy"-Function would be helpful, but it is part of the update.

N/A

The pedals seem to be not very reliable. I fear they could break on extensive use. All other parts seem to be great.

I haven't contacted them

Great thing espacially when you think of its price! I told you about the pedals. The one thing is their mechanical reliability. The other is the electronical reliability. Others wrote about the problems relating on calibration. I wish the pedals had an On/Off-Function like a Wah. I use my FCB1010 mainly as a Wah-pedal for my POD. I programmed the FCB1010 that it switches the Wah off when I select the sound program. When I step on the pedal the Wah switches on. I step on the same preset to switch the Wah off. So far so good. But due to the calibrating problem it may happen that the wah turns on without kicking the pedal(s). That sucks! An On/off-function would be very helpful!

The display is very limited.

No sound on this unit. But the pedals are smoth and feels good.

Good for the price I think.

One thing realy sucks about it. The midichannel is not stored
in the patches. That makes it difficult to control more that one device.

The FCB1010 is extremely easy to use. The manual is very well written and is short and to the point, making it wasy to follow. Editing and saving patches is a breeze, even with your feet!

I am using the FCB1010 with a Fender Cyber Deluze amp. Since the FCB1010 itself doesn't produce any sounds, I'll leave this one blank.

It's built to last. All metal case with heavy-duty plastic pedals and ends. I'd use this at every gig without hesitation.

I've never tried to call Behringer, but they have a great web site. All the info you could possibly want is right there. Roland should use Behringer's site as an example.

I compared the FCB1010 with the Fender Cyber Foot Controller. Even if the FCB1010 was $249 like the Fender, I'd STILL buy the Behringer! My favorite feature is the internal power supply. One less power brick to lug around. I also really like the overall feel of the programming on the FCB1010. This controller pedal is extremely easy to program, is inexpensive, and is built to last! BUY IT NOW!!!

I'm a MIDIphobic. I'm just a caveman. Your scientists thawed me out and I don't understand your world. This MIDI frightens me. But this thing is really, really easy to use. Once I read the manual, it all made sense.

I'm using it to control a Boss VF-1, and after a few hours of tinkering around, I can easilly get around patches and I'm using the two expression pedals to control two different parameters (like pitch shift and volume).

There is a software upgrade, but I have no idea how to apply it.

It seems really solid. Why does the Roland FC200 cost three times as much? What's up with that? Is it made out of gold or something? I've owned a lot of gear and this thing is build solidly--inside and out.

I have not dealt with Behringer.

I play in weird experimental bands. I've always used stompboxes and have been a real sphincter-boy about my tone. But when it comes down to it, no one's going to notice in a live situation whether I'm using a vintage Ross distortion or a Dunlop Distortion Plus, so I'm using the VF1 and one distortion pedal into my Boogie Mark I. The FCB1010 was really easy to program, it's comfortable to use, and it's ruggedly built. Once I learned how to assign the two expression pedals, I was totally pumped.

I've been playing for 21 years and have owned tons of analog gear and digital stompboxes. If a regulah guy like me can figure it out, anyone can.

If someone stole this or I lost it, I'd definitely get another. The price is right.

I love that it's programmable. I like that it's built solidly and intuitively. I wish it had an expanded display.

I compared it to a Roland FC200, but in price and features only. The FCB1010 won.

Maybe someone can tell me why Behringer stuff is so cheap.

This is an amazing MIDI controller. I bought it to control my effects processor (Roland GP-100) and pre-amps (ADA MP-1, Rocktron Piranha.) Do not be fooled by the price: This is a FULLY PROGRAMMABLE pedal with few limitations. It beats the Rocktron "All Access" and Roland FC-200 on both features and price.

The FCB1010 can send up to 5 PCs (Program Changes), 2CCs (Continuous Controllers), one MIDI NOTE (?), and 2 EXPRESSION Pedal values for each physical pedal selection.

Take a few moments to think what this means. Unlike a standard midi controller where you push a buton and all your gear just changes channels, with the FCB1010 you can assign *any* pedal to change a unit's channel, change its settings, or both. The choice is yours.

Within a given bank, I use the first row (of 5 pedals) to send PCs to my FX processor and preamps. The GP100 listens on channel 1, the MP-1 and Piranha listen on channel 2. I have the first 5 pedals programmed to send PC=1 to the GP100, whereas they transmit PC=1,2,3,4,or 5 (respectively) to my preamps.

The top row of pedals I use to send MIDI CC's to the GP100 to turn on-off effects. because the GP100 has a "toggle" feature, it will selectively on/off a parameter (or series of parameters) when it receives the same CC. The first pedal transmits a CC which toggles between the GP100s effect loops -- this lets me choose either the MP-1 or the Piranha. The other four switches are used to toggle delay on/off, reverb level, chorus, and flanger. The first expression pedal by default maps to "foot vlume", I havent programmed the other expression pedal, but I will probably assign it to wah.

So what I've got is a custom board with 10 pedals and two expression pedals. The first five pedals (in conjunction with the 6th) allow me to choose from 10 amp presets on 2 different pre-amps. The other CCs let me toggle individual effects on/off. The pedals are se to control volume (and soon to be wah).

This is just an example of what you can do with this board. I plan to use other banks as alternative "views" to the same (and other) FX algorithm.

I have had this unit for a few days, and this unit would get a "10" in ease of use except for a small bug incorporated in this release of the pedal. The factory settings have the pedal transmit PC + 1, so if I step on Bank/Patch 01, it should send PC 01 (default) but instead sends 02. Annoying. I returned the first unit for another one at another store and the replacement does the same thing!!! Once I started programming the pedal, I realized that this "feature" is irrelevant to me, because I programmed in custom PCs and CCs. It might however frustrate someone just buying the unit who wants to use it for simple switching of a single piece of gear without any programming. Beware! It seems there are a batch that shipped with a glitch in the software. (If your wondering, this *is* a glitch in the software and not a result of someone playing in the store. I followed the procedure for reinitialization and it still transmitted PC+1. Go figure!) On the bright side, the unit boasts the ability to have its software upgraded so I'm not too concerned about this problem.

The manual is good. Once you force yourself through the programming procedure a few times, programming it becomes second nature. This is no small feat considering the flexibility of this pedal.

All pedals and programming functions are represented by LEDs, which would make operation from a dark stage easier. The LCD indicates which bank/patch you are in.

Ergonomically, the unit is excellent. The switches are laid out in two offset rows. The second row is raised to facilitate easier access. This pedal bears a striking resemblance to the Roland FC-200. . .

The unit also has a midi in so you could use it with another FBB1010. I might get a second one to use for all CCs and use the first one for PCs. That would be coo

Metal chassis. The pedals are rubber/plastic which probably isnt a problem, but I have this feeling that you cant stand on them with all of your weight.

I've been holding off buying a new midi pedal for years. I have a simple ART pedal with only 5 buttons that transmits simple PCs. This pedals cost as much as the FCB1010, and that was 7-8 years ago! I couldnt justify the price of the all access or roland FC200.

This pedal totally hits home with value and features. I'll probably get another one to control my sequencer.

I'm an studio engineer and a dedicated software/hardware "tweeker" so I may have an advantage in the programming arena, but MIDI footcontrollers are in my experience extremely simple pieces of gear that are a breeze to program and edit once you read the manual. This one is no exception, and is an improvement over many (like the Digicrap Control series) by not requiring you to step on two switches/pedal simultaneously to access most features (also keeps you from inadvertently switching your MIDI channel transmit # or some other parameter when your big foot accidentally hits two adjacent switches). Very intelligent and well-implemented design. Manual is written in good English and is short and to the point. Nothing missing or confusing, and new features have already been posted on their site with concise instructions.

NA - it's a controller, and has no effect on audio quality, signal flow, etc.

OK, there's a major issue here that is common to all of these MIDI footcontrollers that I've bought over the last couple years (incl most of the Digitech series, the ART X-15,etc.), and this pedal is no exception. Problem is that the relatively short distance the sensor connected to the inside of the expression pedal has to be calibrated into 127 increments for the MIDI spec. This is easily enough accomplished in a "stable" circuit, but unfortunately the expression pedals live in a highly fluid "analog" world where even tiny changes in a variety of factors(like force applied to the pedal, angle of impact, loosening of nuts) affect the extremities this sensor will travel to. And if these extremities are decreased by even 1% then you will no longer be returning to MIDI CC# value 0 in the heel position but instead will be at MIDI CC# value 1, which is unacceptable if you're using the expression pedal for pitch control. In the cases of every other pedal I've used there is an included "calibration procedure" for just this eventuality, but not so in the Behringer manual. However, as it turns out a calibration procedure was built into the OS, they just didn't see fit to include it in the manual. Luckily enough users complained about this shortcoming that Behringer offered the fix on the uk.music.guitar group, which I found through the link in the review below. Incidentally, my pedal worked perfectly for the first 3 weeks before the pedals started registering this shift, and if this calibration procedure works properly than I have nothing but praise for this unit. I don't understand why builders of these MIDI footcontrollers with expression pedals don't incorporate a very simple circuit into them that would provide for this eventuality by activating whenever the pedal made contact with the top or bottom extremity and automatically registering a 0 or 127 respectively, as these are the only areas where most of us (in most applications, like pitch control) will able to discern the difference between a 1 number change in CC#. (As most of us will not be able to hear the difference if our chorus depth is at 56 or 57, but WILL be hear a 20cent pitch differential as out of tune). At any rate, as far as pure "build quality" this unit is built ALOT sturdier than the Digitech Control pedals I've gone through. Not quite as sturdy as the heavy duty ART X-15, but the ergonomic design of the FCB1010 (with offset row switches and a raised second row - very smart, and the switch design itself, which is easier than the ART buttons to activate but not so sensitive that an inadvertent brush with the side of your foot will activate them, like the Digicrap) makes it far more "reliable" in terms of actual use. So if the calibration procedure works correctly (and only needs to be performed once a month as opposed to every other day like "some" pedals) I give this a 10. If not, a 5. So I'll average the difference.

Haven't dealt with them directly yet, although I just posted my recalibration question on their site (before discovering the answer in the review below - which BTW I searched the whole web for and came up with nothing before I went through these reviews - this is why I love harmony-central!) However, due to the fact that they've already posted several upgraded features that users were complaining about and responded to the calibration complaints on the uk.music.guitar group leads me to believe they're doing an excellent job in this category. So an 8

This is by far the best MIDI footcontroller I've found yet, and I use ALL my gear to the fullest extreme it is programmed to accomplish. I don't even want to go into how I program this to simultaneously switch patches on my G-major and Triaxis while sending CC#s to an Electrix FilterFactory to set its Filter Type and LFO type while simultaneously providing me real-time control (via the expression pedals, set to different MIDI channels so the G-major MOD CC#s don't affect the Electrix and vice versa) over the Electrix Filter Frequency, Resonance and at least 5 different FX parameters on the G-major, all with the press of one switch... and all these parameters can be changed for every preset. Incredible amount of control, and implemented superbly. I bought this unit specifically because I needed something that sent out numerous CC#s to control gear like the FilterFActory, which doesn't store presets (thus program changes) but has MIDI implementation. This is the only pedal currently on the market that accomplishes this. However, I'd really like to see it transmit MORE CC#s (at least 8, like Axess' new controller that's still in pre-production). Sending 5 program changes is really unnecessary as most current MIDI gear has MIDI-mapping capabilities and can thus accomplish this on its own, so maybe some of these switches could be reconfigured to send CC#s instead of PC#s. Then this pedal would get a 11. All told, however, this pedal has MORE features than any combination switch/expression pedal MIDI footcontroller currently on the market, and its CHEAPER than most of them to boot! My congrats to Behringer for an excellent product at an excellent price point.

This unit is very easy to program. It does get tedious to go through and edit every preset. My biggest problem was trying to figure out how to send control change messages. I eventually realized that it doesn't send control change messages. After figuring out it's functions it is a breez to program.

The relay switching and midi messages are sent as soon as you step on the footswitch, no delay. This really helps out with sound.

The expression pedals seem a little flimsy. But I haven't had any problems. I have had it for less than a week.

They are very helpful and friendly. I have contacted them about setups and such and they have helped out.

I use this to control a Peavey Rock Master preamp and a TC Electronic G-Force. The G-Force accepts control change messages for a lot of functions but the FCB1010 only sends a control value, not a change. I had to work around this and use program change messages for stuff like tapping in the tempo of a song. I loose some available presets like this but I have heard that Behringer is developing a software update for it to send control change messages.
The two relay switches are a big plus. They are the main reason I bought this unit. Each of the two relay switches have stereo jacks and can send the other jack's switching pulse also. This helps out a lot since my preamp uses a stereo jack. I can select any of the three channels with just one cable and one of the FCB1010's jacks being used.
One thing I don't like is that the expression pedals are kinda springy. If you press it all the way forward and release it, it comes back up a little. This interferes with controlling pitch shifter and such. Also if you move it a little, not just all the way forward, and release it the value changes.
Overall though I am very satisfied with this unit.

Extremely easy to use...the manual is also perfect...walks you through anything you might want to do.

Sounds great just sitting there...no complaints :)

Haven't had it that long, but it is a heavy, metal and durable rubber build badass, just like everything else behringer makes

No clue

Ok, I'm gonna explain my midi setup for those of you who want a good example of the capabilities of this thing. Before the FCB1010, I used an Alesis QS-8 for its sounds and to midicontrol a Korg MS-2000R. I basically wanted the FCB1010 for instant program changes. Also, the expression pedals are a nice feature. So, I just had a midi cable going out from the QS-8 to the MS-2000. Now, I want to be able to use the FCB1010 to change programs on the QS-8 and the MS-2000, but with the FCB1010 going into the "MIDI IN" on the Alesis, you can't just use the "midi out" to go to the ms2000 or the FCB won't control the MS2000. If you use the "MIDI THRU" to go from the Alesis to the MS2000, then the FCB won't control the Alesis. Therefore, I have the FCB going into the Alesis and then a midi cable going from the "MIDI OUT" and the "MIDI THRU" into a Midiman 2x2 merger, and out of the merger into the MS2000. With this setup, the FCB affects both synths. Now, it gets even more complicated. With my bands setup, someone else is using the MS2000 from an Alesis QS-6. Unfortunately, the person not using it has to be on a different channel on the Alesis than the setting for the MS2000 so that they aren't affecting the MS2000 while the other person is playing (this only matters if both people are playing at the same time, one playing on the MS2000 and the other on their respective Alesis. So while one person uses the MS2000 on channel 1, the other person changes to channel 2. Now, for the same reason, you don't always want the FCB to affect both the QS-8 and MS2000. Now, as you may know the FCB is capable of sending 5 program change commands simultaneously. The trick is, you should globally set all program changes from slot 1 (of 5) to always happen on channel 1 and all program changes from slot 2 on channel 2. That way, whenever I'm on channel 2, I can have the program change affect the Alesis but not the MS2000. Now, for fun I'm going to try and diagram the cable setup...hope this works...
FCB1010(out)---(in)Alesis QS-8(out)----(in)Midiman
(thru)----(in)Merger(out)----
|
(in)
Alesis QS-6(out)---(in)Midiman
Merger
(out)
|
(in)
Korg MS-2000R

Not really applicable, Its a midi foot controller.

This foor controller is the cheapest around. It has 10 preset foot switches and 2 expression pedals. I bought it mainly because I need something for my j-station. I knew that it was too good to be true. Unfortunately it is. Well.... Part of it. I had the choise between a new FCB 1010 and a used boss FC-50.. well here is the deal: FCB: 10 patches, 2 switches (To switch amp channels by midi) 2 expression pedals for only 350 dutch guilders (160 euro) including power adapter (Built in) against a Roland FC-50, no Expression pedals, no power adaptor and only 5 presets accessible at one time, used. How hard can it be?

It is made of metal, the well known sturdy buttons. nothing to complain.. The only problem: the expression pedals, abit how to say this, NOT solid.. In fact mine dont work. The switching part is great though..

Crap... the expression pedals dont work.. I dont want it any more.. What if this thing breaks during a gig?

I havent called them.. I'l;l go back to my dealer for the FC-50 + singe expression pedal

Well, I need a Midicontroller for my J-Station and the fc 200 by roland or other things like it are WAY to expensive.. so i am going with the FC 50

I had a V-twin for 5 hours and brought that one back also... Behringer is exit for me.. Sorry.

Very easy to use. Patch editing can be done standing up. Manual excellent, clear (as usual for Behringer).

A few of the more esoteric options need the manual handy before you can set 'em, but they're mostly fire-once-and-forget settings.

N/A: it's a MIDI controller!

Built like the proverbial brick outhouse.

One problem: some seem to ship with the expression pedal not quite calibrated properly (or knocked out of calibration in transit). Behringer have provided a recalibration procedure for this - see my webpage below.

Absolutely a 10. Followed up to the one problem by email AND to the newsgroup thread concerned with a fix.

I'd buy another like a shot: I own a JMP-1 and JFX-1 rack rig, and it works a treat with them.

No comparision, in terms of features for the price.

See http://www.altrion.org/fcb1010.html for my FCB1010 resources page.