FX-Tracker Frequently Asked Questions
Why does nothing happen when I turn the unit on?
When you first turn FX-Tracker on, the two LEDs will be yellow and the display will be blank. It takes about 10 seconds for the firmware to run a complete self-test. After that, data is loaded from memory as the display cycles through the preset numbers (0-99) followed by the arpeggio patterns (0-19). Once this is complete, it is ready to use.
Why does the external footswitch not work?
The external footswitch is in parallel with the internal footswitch. Both are latching type footswitches, so if either footswitch is engaged, the other footswitch will not work. Simply press the internal footswitch once to disengage it. Now the external footswitch should work fine.
What is the input impedance?
FX-Tracker has an input impedance of about 200K ohms. You can drive it from a low or high impedance source but make sure to adjust the input level if the decimal point indicates audio clipping.
How do I set my input level?
You should make sure the decimal point on the display does not blink during your highest volume playing. For example, if you are using a volume pedal before FX-Tracker, make sure to adjust the input level for the highest volume you plan to use. See the users manual for ways to adjust the global input level for all presets.
How does FX-Tracker recognize the notes or chords that I play?
FX-Tracker examines the incoming audio to identify several changes in the signal that represent a new note or chord that is being played. The left and right input channels recognize notes independently. For example, this allows you to use a clean signal to trigger effects with the right channel, and use the left input and output to process a high gain signal (where notes may be hard to recognize).
What is the best threshold setting to use?
This depends on what you are playing. You may notice that you get false triggering if the threshold is set too low when you play chords. For single note passages, lower settings are best. For typical rhythm or double-stop playing along with single notes, a mid-range setting may work best for you. For power chords, use one of the higher settings. If you set FX-Tracker into the learn mode, you can see the effect of the threshold setting on the number of events recognized.
The delay, chorus, flanger and filter effects have feedback or depth values that can depend on your playing. If you set Tweak 1 to a value between 1 and 10, the feedback or depth will increase as you play slower. A value between 11-20 will increase the feedback or depth as you play faster. In both cases, a higher value of Tweak 1 requires a larger change in the speed of your playing for a larger change in feedback or depth. If you set Tweak 1 to a value between 21-30, the feedback or depth will increase as you play softer. A value between 31-40 will increase the feedback or depth as you play louder. In both cases, a higher value of Tweak 1 requires a larger change in the input level for a larger change in feedback or depth. After you make the unit active by pressing the footswitch, your minimum and maximum volume levels are learned by FX-Tracker. To reset these values when you start a new playing style, disable and then re-enable the unit by pressing the footswitch or change the preset number. For all these effects, a Tweak 1 value above 40 will provide fixed feedback or depth values that are independent of your playing speed or volume. You can override Tweak 1 completely by using a MIDI expression pedal to control depth.
Make sure to use lower threshold values when playing single notes and higher threshold values when playing chords. Even with low threshold values, there is a limit on how fast FX-Tracker can follow your playing. Also keep in mind that your playing speed depends on the last two notes that you played and each effect has a limit on how long or short the distance between the two notes can be. For example, most modulation effects are limited to a maximum period of 10 seconds.
For the chorus, tremolo, flanger, filter and pitch shifter, there are effect types where the modulation period or envelope period can be timed to your playing speed. For these effects, Tweak 2 sets the length of the period to be a fraction of the period between each note that you play, or in some cases, up to a multiple of the period between each note that you play. You can also select effects with fixed length periods.
When should I use a remote footswitch?
To operate FX-Tracker, you can use the built-in footswitch, a remote footswitch or a MIDI controller. You can use the built-in footswitch if you want to place FX-Tracker on the floor along with your other effects pedals. If you want to use FX-Tracker in the effects loop of your amp, you can place it next to the amp, and operate it using a remote footswitch. Of course using MIDI, you have many more ways of controlling FX-Tracker.
What MIDI channel should I use?
This depends on your MIDI setup and how many MIDI devices that you may be operating from a MIDI controller. The MIDI channel in FX-Tracker must match the controller MIDI channel. When FX-Tracker is set to MIDI channel 1-8, MIDI program change messages are recognized on the specified MIDI channel and MIDI continuous controller messages are recognized on the next higher MIDI channel. This is because you may wish to use MIDI program change messages from an effects pedal to control FX-Tracker presets, but you don’t want MIDI continuous controller messages (which are also output from the effects pedal) to change parameters within FX-Tracker. For example, if FX-Tracker used the same MIDI channel for both message types, changing the bass control on the effects pedal could also change input volume of FX-Tracker. If you do wish to receive both MIDI program change messages and MIDI CC messages on the same MIDI channel, set FX-Tracker to MIDI channel 9-16.
When should I use MIDI program change messages?
Many effects pedals and guitar amps have MIDI outputs that send MIDI program change messages when you press a preset button on the floorboard. You can send these MIDI PC messages to FX-Tracker to control its preset number. This means that you can use the same footswitches that you use to change your other effects or amp settings. See the FX-Tracker Users Manual for more information.
When should I use MIDI continuous controller messages?
MIDI continuous controller messages can be used to control many of the functions in FX-Tracker. You could use a MIDI control surface to set many of the FX-Tracker parameters. You could use a MIDI expression pedal to control several parameters such as output volume, depth, mix or pitch. These are only some of the examples.
