Behringer FBC1010 Foot Controller

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!).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Behringer and their products are tops in my book!

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

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

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