Multi Effects with Channel Switching

Hey guys, I've had a gmd40 for a little over a year and a half now. I'm looking for something that will combine/replace my amp's footswitch as well as my pedal board. More specifically, I'm looking for a multi fx that can switch channels/presets on my amp, but also has footswitches to use for stombox functionality.

I'm thinking a helix or headrush would be the way to go, as they both have midi capabilities and plenty of footswitches for assigning presets and effects.

That being said, I've also stumbled across the Boss MS3. It's got over 100 effects, 3 loops for my current pedals, as well as midi. My only complaint is the lack of footswitches; I'd be relying on presets for fx rather than being able to turn them on and off at will.

This has me wondering if I'd be able to combine the Boss MS3 with my stock footswitch or possibly a tech 21 midi mongoose.

For reference, I'd like at least 4 footswitches besides my channel/preset switches(delay, flanged, pitch shift and reverb) although having more than that wouldn't be a disappointment. Any input you guys can offer would be greatly appreciated.

Hi SickPup. I can't advise you in any depth on most of what you want, I don't use too many extras in the sense of the MIDI controllers you talk about. My own classic rock is not so dependent on effects as more modern genres. I would only suggest you could at least consider the FSM432 for its simplicity if you haven't ruled it out already, (and my guess is that you have actually decided it isn't flexible enough for you). I have one myself and do find it is not too much of a chore to set up "families" of presets, banks of up to four, which work together to give me not only the channel setting I want but various selections of effects for use within a number too, which means a single stomp to select/deselect a number of pedal combinations. There is also Stompbox Mode where the switches choose Channels direct, each holding onto their own current settings, with On/Off control of the effects via the Bank switches.

I'm sure someone else will step in here with their own take on this as I am not a very demanding user in this area so my knowledge of what is available is limited. Keep us up to date with what you eventually decide to run with as it may definitely help others.

bordonbert wrote:Hi SickPup. I can't advise you in any depth on most of what you want, I don't use too many extras in the sense of the MIDI controllers you talk about. My own classic rock is not so dependent on effects as more modern genres. I would only suggest you could at least consider the FSM432 for its simplicity if you haven't ruled it out already, (and my guess is that you have actually decided it isn't flexible enough for you). I have one myself and do find it is not too much of a chore to set up "families" of presets, banks of up to four, which work together to give me not only the channel setting I want but various selections of effects for use within a number too, which means a single stomp to select/deselect a number of pedal combinations. There is also Stompbox Mode where the switches choose Channels direct, each holding onto their own current settings, with On/Off control of the effects via the Bank switches.

I'm sure someone else will step in here with their own take on this as I am not a very demanding user in this area so my knowledge of what is available is limited. Keep us up to date with what you eventually decide to run with as it may definitely help others.

I've already got the FSM432 and am aware of preset and stombox mode. I dont like relying on presets for effects and am not happy with how the onboard effects sound either.

I want a multi effects that can switch channels for me. To elaborate I want at least 8 footswitches. 4 to switch my channels(clean,crunch,high again and lead all without effects) and another 4 or more to turn effects on and off. I know the headrush and helix are capable of this. I was just curious if anyone had experience with the ms3 and an accessory controller to see how it might compare to other units.

Got you SP. You're absolutely right, the FSM432 is limited in its flexibility and doesn't offer what you obviously need. That's all clear and sensible. Good to see you have actually thought out what you want. Not everyone does. Let's hope others can offer some experience of the units you need.

I have a H&K Tubemeister Deluxe 20 and I use a Line 6 Helix LT to control the channels. On the Helix, the Exp2 pedal jack can also be used as a control for an amp. It uses a TRS cable so it can switch between clean and lead channels, and also engage the boost. Hope this helps.

Depends how fancy you want to get with MIDI control, and I'd compare the multi-effects unit MIDI implementation to that of the GMD40 to make sure it will work for you without compromise. I use a BOSS GT-100 to control the GMD40 and was bummed to find that the GT-100 reserves many of the MIDI CC parameters that the amp uses, so I can't do things such as switch amp channels from within a single patch. I get around that by setting up multiple adjacent GT-100 patches, each of which sends MIDI PC messages to tell the amp to switch presets (each of which I've programmed with the desired amp channel settings), but still there is a down side--I can't use certain GT-100 effects that don't carry across patches. A big annoyance but not a show stopper.