Winter NAMM 2011 Prototype

rjmmusic

rjmmusic

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Since many people are asking on other forums, I'd like to give a little information on how the Mastermind GT prototype came about and why it is the way it is.

I decided "hey, let's do a big MIDI controller" last September, and ever since it's been a mad scramble to get something to show for NAMM. As a result, a lot of things were part finished and not a slick as we want the final product to be.

Displays: the displays were the best we could get in the short timeframe. I've got a lot of display shopping to do in the next month or two. I do want to make the upper display a bit larger if possible, and the button displays more contrasty and readable. As it is, they work out pretty well (I can read it on the floor, and my eyesight is not great) and they're sunlight viewable. But, if I can improve them further without sending the price into the stratosphere, I will.

Case: The case was a quickly conceived, unfinished aluminum prototype. The final product will look better, probably will be black, and will probably remain aluminum. I'm happy about how sturdy it turned out to be, and the weight isn't too bad.

Size: Some folks have asked for a smaller controller. At this point, I'm pretty set on the size (it's 19 inches wide, 14 inches deep / 48cm wide, 36cm deep). I wanted enough buttons to support 12 IA buttons, 6 presets, bank up/down plus two others. I don't want to make the buttons any less than 3 inches / 7.6cm apart, so that pretty much determines the size. The nice thing is that the design is very modular. Making a second, smaller model would be very easy to do once the original is done. Removing 1 or 2 rows of buttons is just a matter of making a new case and putting less circuit boards in the box. Reducing the number of columns requires new circuit boards, but is not too hard either. So, you can bet we will do a smaller version if there appears to be enough demand for it.

I'm back to work on it, so if you have any comments or suggestions, please let me know soon! There's still some time to tweak the design if I get some good ideas (in fact, I've already decided to incorporate some things that were discussed at NAMM!)

MMGT_proto.jpg
 
Brother please dont make it all black...

The stage is dark enough already...
I just sold my TC electronics G system, what a lesson in frustration...
About the only thing I liked about it was that it wasn't black and therefore visible on stage I especially liked the huge oversized "lighted foot switches" . but ın my opinion the unit was internally designed by software guys who dont play guitar so I really couldnt relate to it and sold it.. but once again I like the visibility of a stage footboard that wasnt black..

I strongly suggest you dont make your unit all black.

anyway I was looking for an alternative foot control and internet searches brought me here,
this is my first post... I look forward to being a customer of your in the future when you release this new unit.. one last thing "for me personally banks of 5 dont cut it for me... I dont want to touch the footpedal too many times during a show... a bank of ten presets is more suited for most "touring professionals"..

also some nice female screws inserts mounted underneath the unit so it can be mounted on a pedal board etc...

good luck brother God Bless and stay well
warmest regards
Awesome John
 
my 2 yen....
make it expandable for those that like each and every effect available via instant access like a 2 column expansion unit giving 8 more instant access switches. like the old axess units used to have.
4 expression pedal jacks.
USB port / software that you can control set up the controller... even better if the software could not only set up the foot controller but discover other midi items on the chain and you can set up other devices like the rg-16, effects gizmo with stuff like the CC ranges. bascialy manage all your RJM stuff with one software app.

is this going to be the competing unit to the CAE announced rs tv? any idea on how they will compare price wise? (gut feeling I already know the answer to that one)
 
Any chance for a pic of the back of the connections. I would love to see another midi out to connect to say a whammy pedal on the board and change those via the GT. The Whammy pedal functions are great but it is a pain to bend over to try to change the settings. Can you fit loops for pedals in this thing, that would be the ulimate, 6 - 8 loops with a set of 4, 2 and 2 so you can run pedals in front and in a loop separately and control them with a tap of a button.
 
If you connect to your rack or whatever with the MIDI-over-XLR connector, there's a separate MIDI out you could connect to a Whammy pedal. No room for loops though - the case is pretty crammed as it is.
 
XLR??? THe Whammy is on the board so a short cable over to it would be the easiest.


MartinCliffe said:
If you connect to your rack or whatever with the MIDI-over-XLR connector, there's a separate MIDI out you could connect to a Whammy pedal. No room for loops though - the case is pretty crammed as it is.
Click to expand...
 
The rear panel currently has:

Power in
USB
2 ports for external switch inputs (each capable of handling two switches on a TRS plug)
4 expression pedal ports
MIDI In
MIDI Out
MIDI 5-pin XLR output
Expander port

This is likely to change a bit - the spec is ever changing! However, two outputs (XLR and DIN) will likely remain on the rear panel.

And Martin's right, not a lot of room for loops in there.
 
We can certainly make an adapter cable. The reason for the XLR is that it's a better, more sturdy connector than a DIN. XLRs have been used in other companies' switchers, and you'll see the XLR popping up in other products of ours.
 
I have to say that is one very nice foot controller and should my Roland FC300 die I know what I would be looking to replace it with
 
Instead of rebuilding a new expander, how about using the Mastermind instead, it would be great as people would have access to either using as another 5 Preset/5cc or 10cc. It would also be more beneficial for those who already have the Mastermind too.
 
All I know for sure is that I have a whole lot of work to do. :) We told people at NAMM that it will probably be out in the fall, and that should still be a reasonable target. (I hope!) I'm changing nearly all of the hardware from the prototype, so pricing is completely up in the air right now.

More details as they become available...
 
I would like support for the Boss GT-Pro, Eventide (H800FW and Eclipse), besides Fractal Axe-FX (sysex communication).
Another idea would be to add a SD card slot to be able to back up rack fx thru sysex if you don't have use of a computer when away from home. (Like Alesis Data Disk)
 
I'd love to add support for those devices, too. I hope we can get some documentation for them (and that they have some substantial sysex support).

Good idea on the Sysex backup - that's one of the best arguments I've heard for adding an SD slot. Not yet sure how much an SD card slot would cost to add...
 
Talking of communicating with units, the TC Electronic G-Major II supports sending the tuner info to the discontinued G-Minor pedal, so should presumably also be able to talk to other units. I would very much like integral G-Major II support if I ever upgrade to a MMGT from my standard Mastermind(s) :)
 
Yes, we need to get a G-Major and G-Minor in here to test. I asked TC, but they never responded with any info. :(

Hey Martin, do you have a PC or Mac with a MIDI interface (I probably have asked in the past, but have forgotten)? If so, can you see what messages, if any, come out of the G-Major's MIDI output when the tuner is active? That might be all I need.

It would probably be easy to add it to the original Mastermind (since we already have support for the Axe-Fx tuner), and of course we'd put it in the GT as well.
 
rjmmusic said:
Hey Martin, do you have a PC or Mac with a MIDI interface (I probably have asked in the past, but have forgotten)? If so, can you see what messages, if any, come out of the G-Major's MIDI output when the tuner is active? That might be all I need.
Click to expand...
Yeah, sure, I'll investigate. Need to put my rack and PC in the same room first though :) The tuner's permanently active on the G-Major. I've been meaning to try out the PC editor anyway.
 
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