Help: using a MIDI expression pedal to create a volume pedal effect in Studio One

digitalkettle

Bit stuck...I just got a Boss EV-1-WL...nice and easy to configure...been controlling plugins standalone and within the DAW.

It's great when the plugin has a wah or whammy emulation but what I don't have is a nice simple volume pedal in software form.

Workaround at this point is to insert a Mixtool utility on the input:

• Mixtool gain is -24dB to +24dB so you have to set heel down value to 0 and toe down value to 63
• For some reason a value of 63 doesn't quite bring you back to 0dB (something like -0.19...bit annoying but liveable)
• Heel down at -24dB isn't enough for absolute silence...meh

I'm using a Neural DSP plugin and I can't think of a solution within the plugin (could control input gain but it's not always set to 0dB).

Anyone got a better idea?

stratman3142

Could you use midi learn on the volume knob on the amp in the Neural DSP plugin?

digitalkettle

stratman3142 said:

Could you use midi learn on the volume knob on the amp in the Neural DSP plugin?

That won’t work because you want ‘toe down’ to take you back to your optimal setting (which could be any value).

digitalkettle

Brainwave for tomorrow: use Splitter instead of Mixtool.

stratman3142

So do you want the volume pedal control to be independent of the setting you make in the ampsim? Also where in the chain do you want the volume pedal? For example, I like my volume pedal to be post compression and distortion, but pre reverb and delay.

digitalkettle

Splitter is out: it doesn't respond to MIDI control ;-/

stratman3142 said:

So do you want the volume pedal control to be independent of the setting you make in the ampsim? Also where in the chain do you want the volume pedal? For example, I like my volume pedal to be post compression and distortion, but pre reverb and delay.

Typically, I'd have the volume pedal immediately after the guitar (so, as a last resort, I could bung a physical one in-line before I hit the interface...I just wanted to achieve it with my new expression pedal in virtual terms). The EV-1-WL controls a range on CC#1 when activated (so there's your wah pedal position) and a range on CC#11 when deactivated (which is begging to control volume...like on a Boss GT-8).

If Mixtool dropped to -infinity, I'd be sorted.

This is the current setup:

digitalkettle

Okay...solved in a lumpy way:

• Realised that I needed to be targeting a fader to get -infinity...the range up to 0dB requires MIDI values of 0 to 97
• Studio One channel inserts are currently pre-fader only so I put the Neural DSP plugin on an FX Send
• Recorded a track with my expression pedal controlling the channel fader
• Bounced track to print the fader automation
• Discarded original recording and automation (optional)
• Moved plugin to process the bounced track

;-/