Introduction
This page title is a snowclone, based on an ancient Computer Science
paper named something like "Goto considered Harmful".
Like that original paper, which was somewhat controversial at the time, I am proposing
a radically different approach to pedal presets.
Current State
Pedals almost always allow presets, and usually hundreds of them. You fiddle and tweak
and when you are happy with your sound, you save it as a preset on the pedal. Later,
when you want to use that same sound, you go to preset 49 and it is there.
Current State Drawbacks
- Creating and tweaking presets requires you to use the pedal interface (the controls
on the pedal). This is rarely intuitive.
- Usually you will create a tone involving several pedals. Each pedal then has
its own preset, with no structure tying the various pedal presets together.
- Pedals refer to presets as numbers, and provide very limited or no librarian tools. You
keep track of what presets are at what number yourself.
- If you lose your pedal or it is stolen or dies, it is very difficult to restore the state.
You may have created a backup (if that is possible) and if so, you can restore it.
- It is hard to share presets with friends.
Future State
I am proposing that a preset be stored externally, such as in a FootSmart configuration
file. Selecting a preset is done by sending the MIDI CC messages stored in the configuration
file to the pedal. MIDI PC messages are not used, as presets are not stored on the device,
and PC is the method for selecting them. A preset can logically cover several devices,
describing the setup required to get the tone, not just one pedal's settings. This has
the advantages:
- Creating the preset is done on a computer, with hopefully a much clearer interface
than that provided by a small number of knobs and sliders on a pedal.
- A preset can describe several pedals in one logical unit.
- As FootSmart shows, presets can be logically named.
- Presets are stored in a config file. If this file is stored in the cloud, it is
backed up for free, without you worring about it. If you lose your pedal, just get a new
one and your preset still works. You didn't lose it with the device.
- You can send presets (select lines from a config file) to your friends to try.
Future State Challenges
There are several challenges that will have to be overcome:
- Most pedals do not allow MIDI
- Even pedals that allow MIDI may require some configuration on the pedal. For example,
the Eventide H9 lets you control all parameters of an algorithm with MIDI, but has no CC
code to choose an algorithm. You must use a PC message with an on-pedal preset to load
a preset with that algorithm.
- Loading a preset can involve tens of messages, even considering a preset for a single
pedal. The Eventide H9 has 10 parameters controlled by MIDI. To send a preset would require
10 MIDI CC messages. The MC6Pro only has 32 messages per preset. Using
scroll
presets you will quickly run out of messages. There are workarounds for now.
