Roland FC-200 MIDI Foot Controller

I use this with my Roland VGA-5 modeling guitar amp. Plugged it in, and it just worked. Only 40 of the 120 channels can be used with the amp, but that's the amp's limitation. The pedal controls the volume by default, or if the wah-wah effect is selected, it controls that instead.

N/A -- It's a controller and has nothing to do with sound.

Seems sturdy, but I've only had it for 1 day so I'll update my opinion once it's been in use for a while.

N/A - Never had to deal with Roland, and I hope I never will.

A really great compliment to my VGA-5. Should've bought it a long time ago.

Very easy for the way I use it. I'm using the FC-200 to trigger loops in Ableton Live. I just use the Mode switch to go into Note mode and I'm good to go. I assign individual notes to loops and the expression pedal to master volume and off I go. I realize most loopers use the Behringer FCB-1010, but the FC-200 works great.

N/A

Built tough, steel, heavy, love that Roland reliability!

Never needed it

Roland did a terrific job making these and you can still pick them up used on eBay. If you don't need some of the fancy features of the FC-300, I would think this is a good choice for a number of applications.

This is a straight forward mid-level midi pedal for guitar players... It has 13 individual foot switches (1-10, bank up & down, and cntl) and an expression pedal built in. In addition, 6 other switches or expression pedals can be added to the FC200, in addition to the external "mode" switch, which is more-or-less required if you're going to use the FC200 live. My biggest gripe about the FC200 is that this mode switch isn't built into the pedal proper - there's a tiny recessed button you use to switch from Program Change to Control Change mode and you have to scroll through two other modes to move from one two the other, so this is useless if you want to find it mid-song. I bought a little Roland switch to do the job, and it works fine, but it really should have been built into the pedal. The manual is typical Roland - poorly organized and only half-comprehensible; you can't read the manual on the bus and use the pedal later - it's a sit down with the manual in front of the pedal and work out what they're trying to tell you deal... oh well, I'm used to it from these guys... Still, the pedal's easy to use and understand, and highly configurable - great stuff over all!

It doesn't have anything to do with Sound Quality - it's a midi pedal...

Some people have criticized it because you can't use Sysex messages to do Program and Control Changes simultaneously "like you can using the Rocktron All Access"... It should be noted that afaik, no midi pedal in the FC200's price range - including the Rocktron Midi Mate or Art X-15 - allows complex sysex programming and the All Access costs about three times as much as an FC200... Another criticism is that the limited display doesn't "receive" the patch name from the midi gear you're controlling, which of course would require an additional midi cable to work anyway... I only use about twenty different patches, and I know them well enough to pull them up by number at this point - and I think I'm pretty much typical of most guitarists in this regard...

This thing is very solidly built! I've owned the Art X-15 and the FC200 is a much sturdier unit in terms of switch and pedal quality... It's also far more expandable. I also own a Rocktron Midi Mate, which is another great mid-level midi pedal for guitarists, but the FC200 is more flexible, and allows for a greater number of CC pedal assignments, so it's my main pedal. You can't use phantom power with this pedal, but phantom power can be problematic over long cable runs (heat!!) so that's probably for the best anyway. The FC200 will run on batteries as a backup if you can't find a power outlet near the front of the stage and don't want to tape down an extension cord. I have a little TC Electronics G-Minor midi pedal I keep in my gig bag as an emergency backup, but I've never needed it... This pedal is very well built!

hahaha... ya, like the time I called Roland US and asked to buy the GP-100 video tutorial, and they called me back two days later and said "We can't ship to you. You're in CANADA!!" {gasp!!} So I ask, "Well, where can you buy it in Canada?" and the answer was "No where!" because their Canadian Distributer didn't have any in stock, and Roland US wouldn't send him one... I got a copy of an original from a friend eventually, but these guys really PO'd me with their steadfast refusal to be the least bit helpful... The gear may be good, but last time I had to deal with the company they were pretty much useless! Fortunately, I've never had to deal with them on repair/warranty issues, so I don't know in that regard... We'll give them the benifit of the doubt tho'...

This is a killer piece of gear! The one I'm using now is actually my second, because I foolishly sold the first with my GP100 and regretted it, so had to find another. I use mine to control a rack setup that includes a Marshall JMP-1, a Mesa Formula Pre and a TC Electronics G-Major (among other things) all handled through a Peavey MidiPro switching system. Works like a charm! Not the cheapest pedal out there, but the best in it's price range!

This is an update of my previous review. Turns out that tere is no way to alter the sysex commands, because the ones installed are in a ROM, and only work with other roland stuff. If i had know i probably wouldn't have bought it.

Still does it's job...

It took forever to get a reply about my sysex question and only after i started sending reminders...

it's pretty easy to use. However, i would like a better explination
on how to program sysex messages into the fc-200. (that way i could still send a program and a control change at the same time using just 1 button) If someone has an idea how to do this please e-mail me!

This unit does not support phantom power, so you'll get an extra wire on the stage. At least you can attach the power cable to the device so you won't yank out the powercable by accident.

This thing hasn't got an effect on your sound quality. I am using this with a line6 pod, which is the reason i bought this thing in the first place. Just connect the FC-200 to the pod and it works!! (well, you can switch between amps, which is the most important i.m.h.o.)
I have to figure out how i can program other features of the pod into this footcontroller. The problem is that the pod uses fixed program and control numbers for each parameter (i.e. amp switching uses control# 12, and programnumbers 1-36). Again if someone has an idea how to do this, email me!! It gets a 6 because you can't send program and control changes at the same time. If this were possible using sysex messages, then it would get an 7.5

the unit seems sturdy. I don't expect failure of the switches any time soon.

never dealt with them.

if i can get it to work as i want it to (send a program and a control message at the same time using sysexmessages) then this is a good buy for the money. If not then it's overpriced. If it were lost i would probably save for something better which can do wat i want without extensive programming.

I am a complete stranger to MIDI and programming... Still, I had this thing up and running in less than 10 minutes, and found myself enjoying outrageous, continuous control of my GP-100.

N/A.

It's very sturdy. Solid metal. No mushy pedals. Built to stand the test of time, it's a Roland after all.

Too new to know.

This makes my GP-100 about 100 times more exciting.
It is awesome?and fun to play with. Plus, since Roland seems to be on the verge of discontinuing it, it's cheap as hell.

There are several common things that it's hard or impossible to do with the FC-200. You can't send patch names to it; all you get is a 2-digit LED. To foot-switch between patch selection mode and individual effects on/off mode (e.g., for my Boss GX-700), you have to plug in an external pedal, because the builtin switch to do so is a recessed button. And you have to cycle past at least one other mode in between. That makes it a little awkward for stage work. You can't phantom power the unit over the MIDI cable. You can't program a switch to send an arbitrary combination of MIDI messages; only one at a time, unlike Rocktron's All Access. On the plus side, every function of every switch is adjustable (which MIDI controller or note message it sends, latching vs. momentary, etc.) You can plug in up to 6 external switches or expression pedals, if you don't mind the clutter. Occasionally I find out that I didn't step on a switch hard enough for it to trigger. There isn't the degree of tactile feedback found in many stomp boxes' switches, though it's also not totally mushy as on some other manufacturers' multieffects pedalboards. The spacing between the switches is good; I don't hit nearby switches accidentally.

A week after the warranty ran out, the AC adaptor jack stopped working. I could continue to use it with batteries, but it takes 6 AA's, and I don't like to rely on batteries and worry about when they need replacing. Cleaning the jack's contacts and refreshing its solder joints didn't help, so I replaced it myself rather than incur the downtime and expense of sending it to Roland. Overall, though, the FC-200 seems to be pretty sturdy.

It's a pretty good unit for controlling a single rack processor, fairly compact yet expandable. For a more complicated rig, a Rocktron/Bradshaw system would be more suitable.