GROUND CONTROL Pro PRO GRAMMABL E MIDI FO OT CON TROLL ER OWNER’S MANUAL
Please visit our web site at: www.voodoolab.com Copyright 1991-2007 by Digital Music Corporation. This publication is protected by copyright and all rights are reserved. No part of it may be reproduced or transmitted by any means or in any form without the express prior consent in writing from Digital Music Corporation. Voodoo Lab, Ground Control Pro, System Mix, and GCX are trademarks of Digital Music Corporation. REV.
TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 CONNECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Power . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Expression Pedals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 QUICK START . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
INTRODUCTION Thank you for buying the Ground Control Pro, the finest full-featured MIDI foot controller available. The Ground Control Pro is compatible with all MIDI controlled devices. It provides the flexibility, ease-of-use, and rugged reliability necessary to meet the needs of the most demanding professional players. The Ground Control Pro allows you to simultaneously control up to eight different devices, each on their own MIDI channel.
CONNECTIONS POWER To use the supplied power adaptor, plug the body of the adaptor into a suitable power receptacle. Then plug the cable into the jack marked “Power” on the Ground Control Pro. If you have the GCX Guitar Audio Switcher, you don’t need to use the supplied power adapter. The GCX will phantom power the Ground Control Pro through a standard 5-pin MIDI cable.
which breaks out a stereo plug to 2 mono plugs. These are often called “insert point” cables. Connect the “ring” end to the volume pedal input (sometimes labeled “instrument”) and the “tip” end to the volume pedal output (sometimes labeled “amp”). To use an expression pedal, you need a stereo 1⁄4" patch cord. For detailed information on how to setup and use expression pedals, please refer to the section titled “Expression Pedals”.
QUICK START You can use your Ground Control Pro right out of the box to select programs on any MIDI controlled device. To do this, the Ground Control Pro must have its factory settings. If you’re not sure, here’s how to restore them: 1. Enter Setup mode by pressing both [SETUP] buttons (the upper left and right) at the same time. 2. Press [UTILITY]. 3. Press [SELECT 2] twice, it says “INIT MEM Y/N”. 4. Press [+/YES]. It says “YOU SURE Y/N” and press [+/YES] again.
SETUP MODE Setup mode is used to configure the Ground Control Pro to properly control your system. Setup mode is divided into the following categories: DEVICE NAME/CHANNEL: Assign names and channels to each of your MIDI controlled devices. PEDAL: Enable any volume/expression pedals being used as MIDI expression pedals. EXPANDERS: Enable up to 4 GCX Guitar Audio Switchers and the System Mix Plus Remote Volume (VCA). MIDI: Enable MIDI IN to receive program changes.
Note: You don’t have to enter anything here for the GCX or any non-MIDI devices (like stompboxes) which will be switched through the GCX audio loops. Enter Setup mode by pressing both [SETUP MODE] buttons at the same time. Then select this category by pressing [DEVICE NAME/CHANNEL]. The display will read something like: 1. DEVICE /01 Number Name Channel Number The Ground Control Pro can control eight MIDI devices. This number tells you which of the eight devices you are entering.
on the Ground Control Pro. You can fix this by telling the Ground Control Pro that it should “start at 0”. Here’s how: 1. Press [SELECT 1 or 2] to choose the device 1-8 that you need to change. 2. Press and hold [CURSOR4] until the channel is flashing. Then press [CURSOR 4] one more time. The display will read: STARTS AT 01 3. Press [-/NO] to select “STARTS AT 00” or press [+/YES] for “STARTS AT 01”.
LOOP4=NORMAL Press [+/YES] to select “MOM SW” for momentary switch operation. Press [-/NO] to return to normal. System Mix Plus If your rig includes our System Mix Plus and you’d like to use its MIDI volume feature (VCA), you must enable it here. From the “Expanders” category, press [SELECT 2] until you see: VCA IS OFF Press [+/YES] to turn the VCA function on. Note: When the VCA is enabled (“VCA IS ON”), you can only use devices 1 through 7. Memory for device #8 is used to store volume levels.
XMIT MEM Y/N Press [+/YES] and you will see the message “SENDING MIDI” while the data is being sent from the MIDI OUT jack. The Ground Control Pro can have its memory loaded, either from a computer or from another Ground Control Pro. To receive memory, enter Setup mode by pressing both [SETUP MODE] buttons at the same time, then select this category by pressing [MIDI]. Press [SELECT 2] twice until the display says: RECEIVE MEM Once you see this message, you can load the memory back into the MIDI IN jack.
1. GCX-1 LOOP1 The first number “1” tells you which instant access button you are setting up. Pressing [BANK 2] will select buttons 1 through 8. GCX Loops Setting an instant access button to control a GCX loop means that you can simply press that button to directly turn the loop on or off. This allows you to be more spontaneous rather than having to create a whole new preset in anticipation of which loops you’ll want on and off.
NORMAL. The CC message is only sent when you press the instant access button. You press it once to turn it on, then again to turn it off. XMIT W/PRSET. This stands for “Transmit with Preset”. When you call up a preset on the Ground Control Pro, it will send out the current state (on or off) of this instant access button. Of course it turns on and off when you press the button too. MOMENTARY.
Initialize Memory This function restores the Ground Control’s memory to the factory settings. To do this, enter Setup mode by pressing both [SETUP MODE] buttons at the same time, then press [UTILITY]. Press [SELECT 2] twice, so the display reads: INIT MEM Y/N Press [+/YES]. After the warning and “YOU SURE Y/N” message, press [+/YES] again. The initialization process can take up to 30 seconds. The display will say “WORKING…” and when it’s finished it will briefly say “DONE”.
SELECT PRESET The Ground Control Pro lets you create up to 200 presets. When you recall a preset, the Ground Control Pro will set all of your MIDI controlled devices to the correct programs. Plus, if you have one or more GCX Guitar Audio Switchers, it will switch all the loops too. This allows you to completely control your sound with the press of a single button. In the “Utility” section of Setup mode, you chose whether you wanted to access your presets in groups of 10 or groups of 4.
following the bank number will light until it finishes scrolling the directory. 4 PRESETS / BANK WITH INSTANT ACCESS Using 4 presets/bank allows you to select your presets using only buttons [1] through [4] on the bottom row. This frees the upper two rows to give you 8 instant access buttons. You can define the function of each instant access button in the “Instant Access” section of Setup mode. The default is for them to control the eight loops of your GCX Guitar Audio Switcher.
EDIT PRESET When the Ground Control Pro is shipped from the factory, it comes set up to control one MIDI device responding on MIDI channel #1. The default presets call up MIDI programs sequentially, meaning that Ground Control Pro preset ‘01’ calls up MIDI program #1, preset ‘02’ calls up program #2, and so on. This is the same way that any “dumb” MIDI foot controller works. The real flexibility of the Ground Control Pro is that you can edit the presets to make each one do whatever you want.
SAVE Y/N Press [+/YES] to save your changes, or press [-/NO] to exit Edit mode without saving. Note: If you exit Edit mode without saving, your changes will still be there until you select a new preset. So if you change your mind, just go back into Edit mode and save it. ASSIGNING MIDI PROGRAM CHANGES After selecting a preset, enter Edit mode by holding down [EDIT] until the edit LED comes on. You will see the name of the first device that you entered in Setup mode.
CONTROLLING THE SYSTEM MIX PLUS VCA Before controlling the System Mix Plus VCA, you need to enable the VCA from the Expanders category of Setup mode. For each Ground Control Pro preset, you can assign a specific volume level, or you can control the volume with expression pedals, or do both. Controlling the VCA with Preset Volume Levels Volume changes can be programmed for each preset.
CONTROLLING THE GCX GUITAR AUDIO SWITCHER The Ground Control Pro is capable of controlling four GCX Guitar Audio Switchers for up to 32 loops. Before you can control your GCX(s), you must enable them from the Expanders category of Setup mode. To program loops on a GCX, first select a preset and enter EDIT mode. Then press [SELECT 2] until you see: GCX-1 Now press [1] through [8] to turn on or off the appropriate loops. The LEDs above each button show the current status of the loop.
• • • • No output: “OFF” Pitch Bend: “PITCHB” Aftertouch: “AFTERT” Continuous Controllers 000 through 120: “CTL007” To choose the MIDI message type press (or press and hold) [-/NO] or [+/YES]. Some devices let you assign controller messages to whatever parameters you like. Others will have a list of what each controller does. You need to check the manual for the device you are controlling to see how it works. Tip: Controller #7 (‘CTL007’) is almost always volume.
Saving to a different location (Copy) Sometimes you may want to save your preset to a new location. This is useful when you want to start with an existing preset and just change one or two things. Also, it allows you to copy presets from one location to another. To copy a preset to a new location, first select the original preset. Then enter Edit mode by holding down [EDIT] until the Edit LED comes on. Then press [SELECT 2] until you see: SAVE TO 01 The first digit (bank#) will be flashing.
LINE6 POD & FLEXTONE II The Ground Control Pro is a perfect companion to any MIDI controlled digital modeling amps such as the Line6 POD and Flextone II. To make it even easier to use with these devices, we have provided some special setups already programmed in for you. First you need to initialize the Ground Control Pro’s memory with our special setup. To do this, enter Setup mode by pressing both [SETUP MODE] buttons at the same time, then press [SPECIAL].
SAVE Y/N Press [+/YES] to save. Now when you call up this preset, you will get the new settings for the effect state. VOLUME & WAH WITH EXPRESSION PEDALS You can use two expression pedals with these Line6 amps. Pedal #1 will control volume and pedal #2 is the wah. You can use either one or both. Plug expression or volume pedals into the Ground Control Pro according to the instructions in Connections. Then you must enable them in Setup mode.
ABOUT MIDI MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a universal language that allows electronic devices made by different manufacturers to communicate with one another. Although using your Ground Control Pro doesn’t require a thorough knowledge of MIDI, it is helpful to understand Channels, Program Changes, and Continuous Controllers. Channels MIDI Channels are like channels on your television. When you select a channel on your TV, you only receive the broadcast transmitted on that particular channel.
WARRANTY NORTH AMERICA ONLY Voodoo Lab warrants this product against any defects that are due to faulty material or workmanship for a period of five years from the date of original retail purchase. This warranty does not include damage to the product resulting from accident or misuse. This warranty is given to the original purchaser only and it is not assignable to any other person.
