fbv control application basic user guide (rev b) - english

8/6/2019 FBV Control Application Basic User Guide (Rev B) - English

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FBV Shortboard & Express MkII Controllers

MacOS X & Windows

Line 6 FBV ControL AppLiCAtion

BAsiC User GUide


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Line 6 FBV Control: Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Getting Started ........................................................................................11

System Requirements ..................................................................................................... 11

The Line 6 FBV Control Installer .................................................................................. 11Connect Your FBV MkII ................................................................................................ 12

Take Control ................................................................................................................... 14

Line 6 FBV Control Overview ................................................................21

Whats in it or Me? ....................................................................................................... 21

Graphical User Interace ................................................................................................ 21

Opening and Saving FBV Presets ................................................................................... 25

Preerences ...................................................................................................................... 26

Using Your FBV with Software Applications .........................................31

About USB MIDI Ports & Channels ............................................................................. 31

Line 6 POD Farm 2 Standalone Application Control ............................................... 32

Line 6 POD Farm 2 Plug-In Control .............................................................................. 34

Line 6 GearBox Control ................................................................................................. 34

Controlling 3rd Party MIDI/DAW Sotware .................................................................. 35

Line 6 Monkey & Additional Resources .................................................41

Login Account ................................................................................................................ 41

Register Your Hardware .................................................................................................. 41

Grab Those Updates ....................................................................................................... 42

Additional Resources ...................................................................................................... 42

Line 6, FBV, FBV Shortboard, FBV Express, POD, POD Studio, POD Farm, TonePort, GearBox, GuitarPort,Spider, Spider Valve, Line 6 Monkey, are trademarks o Line 6, Inc. All other product names, trademarks, and

artists names are the property o their respective owners, which are in no way associated or afliated with Line 6.

Copyright 2010 Line 6, Inc.


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Line 6 FBV Control: Getting Started

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GettinG Started

Congratulations i youve purchased one o the Line 6 FBV Shortboard MkII or FBV Express MkIISeries Controller devices! The Line 6 FBV Control application is designed to run on your Mac orWindows computer to provide you the ability to create and customize your FBV MkII devices USBMIDI sotware control capabilities. This document will walk you through the basics or downloading,installing and confguring the Line 6 FBV Control sotware on your Mac or Windows computer.Lets get started.

ThisBasic User Guide is designed to get you up and running in a snap. For more details on using your Line6 FBV MkII device as a USB MIDI software controller, or with Line 6 POD X3 hardware, Spider IV

or Spider Valve MkII amps, please be sure to go to the FBV MkII Online Help site and download theFBV MkII and Spider IV or Spider Valve MkIIAdvanced User Guides!

System Requirements

We recommend that you read the separate,Line 6 FBV Control Release Notes document or the ull,detailed System Requirements, as well as up-to-date ino on compatibility with other hardware andsotware. This document can be ound within the Line 6 Support Community, or on the FBV MkIIOnline Help page.

Line 6 FBV Control supports the ollowing computer operating systems:

Windows XP Home or Proessional, with Service Pack 3, 32 and 64 bit versions

WindowsVista Home, Business or Ultimate Edition, with Service Pack 2, 32 and 64 bit versions

Windows 7 Home, Proessional or Ultimate Edition, 32 and 64 bit versions

Mac OS X 10.4.11 (Tiger)

Mac OS

X 10.5.x (Leopard

) Mac OS X 10.6.x (Snow Leopard)

Note to Windows 7 & Windows Vista users: It is not recommended that you exit Windows using theSleep mode while you have the Line 6 FBV Control application running, or with your FBV connected to

your USB port. Due to the inherent behavior of the Windows USB Class Compliant driver, some USBdevices (such as FBV) will not properly initialize when resuming from Sleep mode.

Line 6 Software Compatibility

The Line 6 POD Farm 2 standalone application, POD Farm 2 Plug-In, and GearBox 3.7 (and later)

standalone application all support MIDI control or the majority o their parameters - and your FBVMkII device is the perect MIDI controller or the task! Be sure to get the latest updates or POD Farm2, GearBox (version 3.7 or later is required) and or your Line 6 USB audio device and FBV MkII. Youcan use Line 6 Monkey, or go directly to the Line 6 Sotware Downloads page to obtain all the latestupdates.

The Line 6 FBV Control Installer

I you have not already installed the Line 6 FBV Control application, you can get the ree installer byusing Line 6 Monkey, or directly rom the Line 6 Sotware Downloads site.
http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/support/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/software/http://line6.com/software/http://line6.com/software/http://line6.com/software/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/support/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/


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For more details on Line 6 Monkey, check out Line 6 Monkey & Additional Resources on page 41.

If you already have Line 6 Monkey software utility installed on your computer

Connect your Line 6 FBV MkII device to your Mac or Windows computers USB port and launch

Line 6 Monkey. This will scan your system and point you to the latest Line 6 FBV Control installer(as well as any other recommended updates). Select the Line 6 FBV Control application within Line6 Monkeys Updates page and it will walk you through downloading the sotware, and launching theinstaller. Simply ollow the steps in the Line 6 FBV Control installer.

If you do not have Line 6 Monkey software utility installed on your computer

You can get the latest Line 6 FBV Control application installer or ree by going to www.line6.com/sotware/. Be sure to choose your specifc FBV MkII device rom the Product selector, Line 6 FBVControl rom the Software selector, and the specifc Macor Windows operating system versionyour computer uses rom the OS selector. Once downloaded, just run the installer, ollowing the stepsalong the way.

The Line 6 FBV Control installer will also install the Line 6 Monkey sotware - it is not necessaryor you to download these items separately. Note that there is no special USB device driver sotwareneeded to be installed or your FBV MkII hardware - Just connect the USB cable to your Mac orWindows computer and your operating system will automatically detect it as a new USB device.

Note to Windows XP users: You may see that Windows XP recognizes your FBV MkII as USB Audio

Device. This is normal behavior inherent to the Windows Class Compliant USB driver. No worries -Your FBV will work just ne as a USB MIDI device!

To Uninstall Line 6 FBV ControlShould you ever need to remove the application rom your computer, just ollow these steps:

Mac - Open the Finder and browse to the Applications > Line 6 directory. Just drag the Line 6FBV Control application to your Trash to remove it.

Windows - Go to Start > Programs > Line 6 > Tools and select the Line 6 Uninstaller utility.This handy application walks you through removing several Line 6 applications and devicedrivers. Youll have the option to choose to Line 6 FBV Control in the process.

Connect Your FBV MkII

The frst time you connect your FBV Shortboard/Express MkII device to your computers USB port,your Mac or Windows operating system needs to install a device driver to allow your FBV to workwith other hardware and sotware on your computer. On a Mac or Windows 7 or Windows Vistacomputer, this process is done automatically, and you can skip to the next section to put your FBV touse.

On Windows XP, youll need to click through a ew dialogs to install the device driver. Once youconnect the USB cable, youll see Windows XP detect the device at the bottom right o your screen:
http://line6.com/software/http://line6.com/software/http://line6.com/software/http://line6.com/software/


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Next, the Windows Hardware Wizard will launch. Select No, not this time then click Next.

In the ollowing screen, select the Install automatically option and click Next.

Note that Windows XP recognizes FBV

MkII as a USB Audio Device. This

is correct behavior since it is using theWindows Class Compliant USB driver.


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Next you should see the fnal dialog telling the installation is complete - clickFinish. Your FBV is nowready to rock!

Take Control

With your FBV MkII device connected to your computers USB port, launch the Line 6 FBV Controlapplication. You can launch it rom the desktop shortcut, or fnd the program here:

Mac- /Applications/Line 6/Line 6 FBV Control

Windows - Start menu\Programs\Line 6\FBV\Line 6 FBV Control

Once launched, youll be presented with the ollowing inormational dialog:

This is an important Line 6 FBV Control application behavior for you to be aware of, so please readthe message in this dialog! Your FBV MkII device stores one FBV preset within its internal memoryat all times, and this internal FBV memory is automatically updated whenever you edit any setting inthe Line 6 FBV Control application with your FBV connected. This makes it super easy to change aew settings to customize your FBV MkII controller behaviors. You can also backup your current preset,or create as many additional customized FBV presets as you like, and store them on your computershard drive. Please see Opening and Saving FBV Presets on page 25 or details. Click OKto proceed.


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The Line 6 FBV Control application will now automatically load the FBV preset rom the internalmemory o your connected FBV Shortboard MkII or Express MkII device. The Control assignmentsthat make up this FBV patch will be displayed in the applications interace. Your FBV MkII deviceunctions as a standard USB - MIDI external controller device to communicate with any sotwareon your computer that responds to the common types o MIDI control messages (MIDI CC, Bank &Program Change, MIDI Machine Control or Mackie Control message types). No need to go learn all

about the intricate workings o MIDI to get things working though - you can simply start o with yourcurrent FBV settings, or by loading an FBV preset... Read on.

FBV Presets

Your FBV MkII device comes pre-loaded with a ull set o MIDI assignments, and youll see thesesettings load into the FBV Control applications Control Properties list when you launch it. You canget started controlling your sotware with these settings, or select one o the FBV preset patchesweve provided. An FBV preset consists o a set o controller assignments or your FBV Shortboardor Express MkII device, each o which can be a MIDI message assigned to any individual controlon your hardware. Just selectFile > Open within the Line 6 FBV Control application and select anexisting FBV Preset (.bv) fle. These presets are ound here:

Mac

- /Documents/Line 6/FBV/Presets Windows - \My Documents\Line 6\FBV\Presets

The FBV-Deault.bv preset that youll see in the above directories is actually the same set oassignments that your FBV comes loaded with new. So, should you ever want to return your FBV backto these settings, simply load this preset.

When you launch the actual sotware you want to control, typically youll need go to that applicationsOptions or Preerences and choose the Line 6 FBV MIDI Out Port that your device is transmitting to orthe applications external MIDI controller device input. For example, in the POD Farm 2 standaloneapplication, just go to the Preerences > MIDI page and select your desired FBV MkII Out Port as theMIDI Input option or POD Farm 2.

Most MIDI and DAW sotware applications utilize the types o MIDI commands supported by yourFBV and Line FBV Control application. However, most applications confgure their own specifcMIDI assignments to access their parameters, banks and programs. Youll want to consult your MIDI/DAW sotwares documentation to fnd its specifc MIDI Control settings. The Using Your FBV withSotware Applications on page 31 provides more tips or confguring your FBV or controlling 3rd partysotware.

Please proceed to the next chapter or an overview o the Line 6 FBV Control User Interace andeatures. For more details, be sure to also grab the FBV MkII Advanced User Guide and otherdocumentation ound on the FBV MkII Online Help page.
http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/


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Line 6 FBV Control: Overview

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Line 6 FBV ControL oVerView

The previous Getting Started Chapter should have already gotten you up and running with your FBVMkII controller. In this chapter, well provide you with an overview o the eatures and unctions oundin the Line 6 FBV Control applications user interace.

Whats in it for Me?

Your new FBV Shortboard MkII or Express MkII is a pretty sophisticated piece o gear, capable ocontrolling not only Line 6 Amp and POD devices (via an RJ45 cable connection), but also capableo controlling any sotware on your computer that receives common MIDI control messages (via astandard USB connection). The Line 6 FBV Control application is specifcally or the latter unction- It provides a simple yet powerul set o eatures to allow you create and customize specifcally whattype o MIDI message is sent rom each o the ootswitch and pedal controls to your desired sotware.Further, you can then store these control assignments as FBV Preset fles, stored on your computeror recall anytime. Go ahead and tweak all you like to allow your FBV MkII hardware to do all thosenaughty MIDI controller things you always wanted to try!

Graphical User Interface

In sotware speak, the main window o the Line 6 FBV Control application is reerred to as theGraphical User Interace (or GUI i you want to sound hip around your sotware buddies). Hereweve laid out descriptions or all the important things you need to know as you start clicking aroundin there. Reer to the numbered descriptions below or details.


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Device Controls

1 - FBV Image: A graphical image o your selected FBV MkII device is displayed here. To edit theMIDI assignment or any control on your FBV, click directly on the ootswitch or pedal in this image,or on the corresponding row in the Control Properties list below to select it. See the Control PropertiesList description or edit options.

Note: The FBV Control application will automatically detect and select your USB-connected FBV device

(Shortboard or Express MkII). However, you have some other options when launching with no FBVdevice or multiple FBV devices connected. See the Preerences section for details.

2 - Footswitches: Click directly on any ootswitch here to select it and its related row in the ControlProperties List, where you can edit its MIDI assignment. All ootswitches on your FBV MkII hardwarecan be set to send any type o MIDI settings available in the Control Parameter lists columns, regardlesso how the ootswitch is labeled on your FBV hardware chassis. Youll see the LED on the top portiono each ootswitch on your FBV light up as you press it to indicate the MIDI Command is being sent.When the Switch Mode option or the ootswitch is set to Toggle youll see the LED alternatebetween staying lit and unlit, corresponding to the alternating two switch behaviors that are sent on

each successive press.

Note: These LED behaviors are based strictly on the footswitch control settings, as congured in theControl Properties list. The FBV MkII device does not respond to MIDI data from your MIDI or DAW

software.

3 - Pedal Wah and Vol: These provide you with two assignable unctions or your FBV on-boardpedal (reerred to as Pedal 1). To edit the assignments or these Pedal 1 unctions, click directly onthe WAH or VOL indicator items in the image, respectively (or directly on their rows in the ControlProperties list). You can assign each o these Pedal 1 unctions to send any MIDI CC value you like soyou can toggle between controlling two dierent parameters in your sotware by pressing the pedal ullorward and clicking the Toe Switch. Also see the next description about the Toe Switch or related

unctions. When the WAH LED is lit on your FBV hardware, this indicates that the Pedal 1 Wahassignment is in use. When VOL LED is lit, this indicates Pedal 1 Vol assignment is in use.

4 - Pedal 1 Toe Switch: Click here to select the Toe Switch that is located beneath the on-boardpedal. This switch actually has two unctions:

The Toe Switch can be assigned with any MIDI command, just like any other FBV Footswitch.This can be especially handy or some related Pedal-based eect parameters.

Additionally, as a fxed, non-editable behavior, the Toe Switch will toggle Pedal 1 to utilizeeither the Pedal Wah or Pedal Vol assignment, as confgured in the Control Properties list.The WAH and VOL LED lights on your FBV unit will indicate which unction is currently inuse. The Toe Switch always perorms this action, regardless o the settings made to the ToeSwitch options in the Control Properties list.

Also see the 3 - Pedal Wah and Vol description above or more about pedal settings.

5 - Pedal 2 (Shortboard only): FBV Shortboard MkII oers an Expression Pedal jack on the backwhere you can connect an optional expression pedal (such as the Line 6 EX-1). To edit the assignmentor the expression pedal, click directly on this Pedal 2 area in the image, or directly on the Pedal 2 rowin the Control Parameter list below. You can confgure Pedal 2 to send any MIDI CC and value rangeto continuously control a knob or slider parameter in your sotware.


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6 - Control Properties List: This list displays all editable Footswitch and Pedal controllers or yourselected FBV Shortboard/Express MkII device. As mentioned in the above descriptions, you can clickdirectly on a switch on the Device Controls - FBV Image, or click on any row here in the ControlProperties List to select it and edit its MIDI settings. To ollow are descriptions or each column andthe options provided.

Control: The static name o the physical Footswitch or Pedal, as labeled on your FBV MkIIdevice.

MIDI Command: The type o MIDI message the Control will transmit when pressed. You canchoose between the ollowing types o MIDI commands or all Footswitches (note that PedalWah, Pedal Vol, and Pedal 2 Controls oer only the MIDI CC and Unassigned options):

Unassigned: Sends no MIDI data. Basically, this is to disable the Control.

Bank Change: A numerical value typically used to switch through Preset Banks.

Note: Any FBV Bank Change command always also transmits a Program Change as part of its MIDI

message. This provides the behavior where the rst preset is automatically recalled within the new, selectedBank. For example, if your software is currently on Bank #1 and preset #23, if your FBV Control iscongured to send a Bank Change, Increment, Value 1, this results in recalling Bank #2 and preset #1 in

your target software.

Program Change: A numerical value typically used to switch through Presets within aselected Bank.

MIDI Continuous Controller (MIDI CC): A set o Value and Range numbers commonlyused by MIDI sotware and hardware to provide access to parameters.

MIDI Machine Control (MMC): Specifc commands or commonly used or controllingthings such as transport parameters and mechanical unctions (Play, Stop, Record, etc.)

Mackie: Specifc commands in the Mackie Universal Controller ormat, commonly usedor transport parameters and mechanical unctions (Play, Stop, Record, etc.), on MIDI

sotware that supports the Mackie Control ormat.

Value: Allows you to select a MIDI Value or the selected MIDI Command. These options dierdepending on the type o MIDI Command selected (see the MIDI Command descriptions above).

I theMIDI Command is Bank Change or Program Change, with either Increment or Decrementas the Switch Mode, you can select a value o 1 thru 10* to provide switching through Banks/Presets by this amount per click.

*Note: It is actually possible to select a value of 0 for the Bank or Program Change command type whenset to the Increment/Decrement Switch Modes, however, this is not recommended since this is not a valid

option for most MIDI applications to receive.

I the MIDI Command is Bank Change or Program Change, withFixed as the Switch Mode,you can select any value o 0 thru 127 to switch directly to this numbered Bank/Preset.

I the MIDI Command is MIDI CC, you can choose a value o 0 through 127, or Custom. ICustom is selected, the Toggle 1/Up and Toggle 2/Down options in this control row becomeselectable, so that the each Toggle action can be defned with its own separate MIDI CC value.

I the MIDI Command is MMC, you can choose between the options Play, Stop, Play/Stop,Record Punch-Pro Tools, Pause,Fast Forward, or Rewind.


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I the MIDI Command is Mackie, you can choose between the options Play, Stop, Play/Stop,Record Punch, Pause,Fast Forward, or Rewind.

Toggle1/Up Toggle2/Dn CC/Val Columns: These columns become selectable when the MIDICommand is set to MIDI CC and Value is set to Custom. Individual values can be then be enteredmanually here to speciy the Toggle 1/Up and Toggle 2/Down alternating switch behaviors.

Port: The FBV Control sotware MIDI Out port the data is to be sent out. The FBV MkII device oersour independent USB MIDI Out Ports that are selectable by other MIDI sotware on your computer toreceive the MIDI Commands FBV is transmitting. You can choose Port 1, 2, 3, 4 or All independentlyor any Control.

Channel: The MIDI Channel that the data is transmitted out on or the selected Port(s). You canchoose any single channel, 1 thru 16. I the you have selected All in the Ports column or theControl, the current MIDI Channel setting is used or all our MIDI Ports. (To change the channelnumber, click directly on the value and drag up/down, or use your mouse wheel!)

Switch Mode: The options available here are dependent on the currently selected MIDI Command.(There are no Switch Mode options or the Pedal Wah, Pedal Vol, or Pedal 2 controls.)

I the MIDI Command is Bank Change or Program Change, the options available here areIncrement, Decrement, orFixed:

Increment: Sets the ootswitch to increment thru Banks/Programs by the amount o 1 to127*, as set in the Value column.

Decrement: Sets the ootswitch to decrement thru Banks/Programs by the amount o 1 to127*, as set in the Value column.

*Note: It is actually possible to select a value of 0 for the Bank or Program Change command type whenset to the Increment/Decrement Switch Modes, however, this is not recommended since this is not a valid

option for most MIDI applications to receive.

Fixed: Sets the Footswitch action to jump to a specifc Bank/Program number 0 through127, as set in the Value column.

I the MIDI Command is MIDI CC, the options are Single, Momentary, or Toggle to providethese types o ootswitch behaviors.

I the MIDI Command is MMC or Mackie, there are no selectable Switch Mode options.

TIP for FBV Shortboard MkII: Whenever you press a footswitch or move a pedal, the LCD display onyour FBV device shows abbreviated text indicating the MIDI message sent (e.g. CH 1 CC 63 VAL 127 tells

you the message was sent on MIDI Channel 1, MIDI CC 63 Command, with a CC Value of 127).

7 - No Device Connection Status Indicator: I no FBV MkII device is detected when you launch theLine 6 FBV Control application, youll see this alert at the bottom o the application window, meaningthat you either neglected to connect the FBV units USB cable, or there is a problem detecting thedevice:

TIP: Try connecting the USB cable directly to one of your computers on-board USB ports rather than intoa USB hub for the best connectivity.


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Opening and Saving FBV Presets

The Line 6 FBV Control application allows you to create, edit and save all the current settings withinthe application GUI as a patch, orFBV preset fle stored on your computer hard drive. This meansyou can backup the complete settings currently loaded in your FBV Shortboard or Express MkIIhardwares internal memory, or numerous customized versions o those settings, as individual FBV

presets and load any one o them into your FBVs memory at any time. Additionally, weve included aew FBV presets or you already. To ollow are some details on how to manage FBV presets.

As mentioned earlier, whenever your FBV MkII device is USB-connected to your computer, and theLine 6 FBV Control application is launched with the device selected, the contents o the devicesinternal memory is automatically loaded into the FBV Control applications GUI. Additionally,whenever you edit any single setting in the FBV Control application, the changes are automaticallywritten to the FBV MkII devices internal memory. (Your FBV MkII devices internal memory holdsone complete .bv preset fle at a time.)

TIP: Even though all the settings within the Line 6 FBV Control application GUI are automatically

stored on your connected FBV device, it is a good idea to always do a Save or Save As of all your FBVdevices settings as an FBV preset on your computer once youve completed editing the settings using the

Line 6 FBV Control application. This ensures you always have a backup of all these current settings asan .fbv preset le to return to as you edit and create other settings!

Open an Existing FBV Preset

With your FBV Shortboard or Express MkII device connected to your computers USB port,launch the Line 6 FBV Control application.

Go to the File > Open menu within the application.

By deault, this should open to these olders:

Mac - /Documents/Line 6/FBV/Presets

Windows - \My Documents\Line 6\FBV\Presets

In the above directories you will fnd the actory FBV Presets weve included (e.g. - FBV-Deault.bv).

This is also the deault older where you will be prompted to Save your own custom .bv presets.

Opening one o these .bv preset fles loads all the assignments into the FBV Control applicationsGUI and automatically loads the ull preset into the internal memory o your FBV MkII device.

Note that your FBV Shortboard/Express MkII device holds one complete FBV preset at a time. Whenopening a new preset le as described in these steps, it will REPLACE all the USB MIDI Controlassignments in your FBV devices internal memory with those from the newly opened .fbv preset le.

Before opening a new preset le, you may want to do a Save or Save As of the current preset to yourcomputer if you want to be able to recall these settings again later.


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Saving an FBV Preset

While working in the Line 6 FBV Control application, at any time you can save all the current settingswithin the Control applications GUI as an FBV preset fle to your computers hard drive. It is a goodidea to do so whenever you have a set o commands you dont want to orget so you can load them intoyour FBV device later on (remember the mantra - Save early and Save oten!).

The FBV Control application ollows the typical Mac and Windows sotware conventions:

To Save the changes made to the current FBV Preset, overwriting the previous settings o thisfle, chooseFile > Save orm the applications menu.

To Save the changes made to the current FBV Preset as anew FBV Preset fle, chooseFile > SaveAs rom the applications menu. Youll then be prompted to name the fle, and where to save it.To keep your FBV Preset fles tidy and easy to fnd, you probably want to always save them in thedirectory where we already stored the actory presets during installation:

Mac - Documents/Line 6/FBV/Presets

Windows - My Documents\Line 6\FBV\Presets

TIP: Youll see the name of your currently loaded preset appear with an asterisk following its title (e.g. -My Preset.fbv*) at the top of the application window whenever the preset is in an unsaved state.

Editing and Saving FBV Presets with No Connected FBV Device

Another possibility worth mention here is that you actually do not need to have your FBV Shortboard/Express MkII device USB-connected to run the Line 6 FBV Control application to edit or save presetfles. You can still use the above steps to Open, Save or Save As FBV presets on your computer. Youmight fnd this handy i you just want to do some edits or look over the settings o the FBV preset flesstored on your computerwithout also loading the Preset into your FBV devices internal memory. Toload any o these presets into the internal memory o your FBV MkII device, youll need to connect

the FBV to your computers USB port, and then open a saved FBV preset as described above to have itauto-load into your FBV devices memory.

When you launch the Line 6 FBV Control application without an FBV MkII device connected, youwill need to instruct the application what type o device model ormat (Shortboard or Express MkII)to work in. This provides the perect segue to the next section, where well look at these options in theapplication Preerences!

Preferences

As is the case with most other sotware applications, weve placed a ew o those more geeky settingsaway in the Preerences. To get to the Line 6 FBV Control applications Preerences dialog:

Mac - Line 6 FBV Control > Preerences

Windows- File > Preerences


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FBV Device Type Prompt

When no Line 6 FBV device is detected at startup, the Line 6 FBV application has the option odisplaying either an FBV Shortboard or Express MkII device confguration or its GUI. By deault,youll always be prompted on startup with a dialog to choose which you preer. I you do not want tobe prompted, select the preerred device here. Alternatively, you can check that little Do this everytime box at the bottom o the prompt dialog itsel to set this behavior, and you can change it here inthe Preerences any time.

Note that this does not aect how the Line 6 FBV application launches when your FBV MkII deviceis connected - it will automatically show the GUI or the connected FBV device type. Further, i youhave more than one FBV MkII device type connected to your computer at the same time, (such asboth a Shortboard and Express MkII), then youll be prompted to select which you want the Line 6FBV Control application to work with.

Show Warning Dialog at Startup

This checkbox reers to that dialog that pops up when Line 6 FBV Control application starts, inormingyou about the important, automatic behavior where the changes you make within the sotware haveinstant eect on the memory stored within your connected FBV device (sorry to nag, but it reallyis important!). I you dont want to see this warning, then you can uncheck this box here in thePreerences. Or, i youve hastily checked that Dont show again box in the prompt dialog itselbut want to the reminder back, you can come to the Preerences and check this box here to have theprompt appear again. Just promise youll read the message beore turning this o, OK?


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Line 6 FBV Control: Using Your FBV with Software Applications

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USinG YoUr FBV with SoFtware appLiCationS

Following the inormation in the previous chapters, you should now be ready to put your FBVShortboard MkII or FBV Express MkII device to work to remotely control your avorite sotwareapplications! Well cover just a ew tips on how to confgure other sotware applications to communicatewith your FBV MkII device.

About USB MIDI Ports & Channels

When connected to the USB port o your Mac or Windows computer, your FBV MkII deviceestablishes one USB MIDI In port and our USB MIDI Out ports on your computer.* These arenot physical hardware ports that require you to use a mess o MIDI cables - your FBV communicatesall its MIDI data across your USB cable to these virtual sotware MIDI ports. Youll be able to accessthese FBV MIDI Ports within the Options or Preerences settings o any sotware on your computerthat supports MIDI communication.

*Note that these FBV USB MIDI In and MIDI Out port names appear differently in your MIDI software

depending on your computers operating system - See the following Ableton Live setup for an example.

Setting your Software to Receive Communication from your FBV MkII MIDI Port

Typically, youll just want to set the sotware application that you want to control via your FBV toreceive MIDI control data rom the MIDI Out port and MIDI channel to which your FBV deviceis transmitting its data. For example, in the Ableton Live or Live Lite sotware, the Preerences >MIDI/Sync dialog oers options to choose one or more MIDI controller devices. In your MIDI/DAWsotware, youll see FBV MIDI Ports 1 through 4 rom which to receive MIDI Control data.

Note: Exactly how these four ports are titled is slightly different under Mac OS X, Windows 7/Vista

and Windows XP - Please see the setup example in the following GearBox software section for anexample.

By deault, all your FBV MkII Control assignments are transmitted to the FBV MIDI Out Port 1.However, you can set any individual FBV Control to transmit its MIDI control data to any FBV MIDIOut port 1 through 4 (see the Control Properties List section page 23).

Windows MIDI Port Communication

It is important to note that the Windows USB Class Compliant driver, which is used or your FBVMkII device on Windows 7, Vista and XP, inherently will not allow more than one applicationutilize one USB MIDI port at a time. The Line 6 FBV Control application, when open, uses the FBV

MIDI In port and the MIDI Out port 4 or communication with your FBV device. Thereore, i youhave another MIDI/DAW sotware application also currently running on your Windows computerthat is confgured to also use these same FBV MIDI ports, only one application will be permitted todo so.

I you already have your MIDI/DAW sotware running, and it has the FBV MIDI In port enabled,trying to then launch the Line 6 FBV Control application will typically result in the FBV Controlapplication ailing to detect the connected FBV device, since it is in use already by the other sotware.One possible solution is to disable the use o the FBV MIDI In port and FBV MIDI Out 4 port withinyour MIDI/DAW sotware to permit you to still use it while also using the FBV Control application.


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(You should be OK keeping the MIDI/DAW sotware enabled or receiving rom the FBV MIDI Outports 1 through 3, which allows you to still send MIDI Control commands rom FBV to your sotware.)Otherwise, you should exit all other MIDI/DAW applications when using the FBV Control sotwareto provide ull MIDI port access to the FBV Control sotware or editing your FBV control settings.

Note: The Line 6 Monkey application also utilizes the FBV MIDI ports for its ability to detect and

update your connected FBV device. It is always recommended that you exit the Line 6 FBV Control, aswell as any MIDI/DAW software, before launching Line 6 Monkey.

MIDI Channels

Each USB MIDI Port carries 16 MIDI channels. You can think o MIDI channels just like channelson your TV - your TV is capable o receiving many channels, but youll only be able to see theprogram you want to watch i you tune your TV set to the specifc channel. Same thing here in theworld o MIDI. By deault, your FBV MkII device will transmit its MIDI data to Channel 1 on theselected MIDI Port or each Control. However, you can set any individual FBV Control to transmitits MIDI control data to any MIDI Channel (see the Control Properties List section on page 23). Youmay fnd that your sotware oers options to receive only on a specifc MIDI channel rom the selectedMIDI port, so you will want to be sure to confgure any such MIDI Channel options to match thoseon which your FBV Controls are transmitting. Consult your sotwares documentation or ino on itsMIDI Channel options.

Line 6 POD Farm 2 Standalone Application Control

I you own the POD Farm 2 license or your Line 6 POD Studio, TonePort or GuitarPort device,then you can use your FBV MkII as an external MIDI controller device to remotely access practicallyany unction within the POD Farm 2 standalone application!

Note: The POD Farm 2 standalone application requires the use of a Line 6 POD Studio, TonePort or

GuitarPort device. POD Farm 2 Plug-In can be purchased as an Add-On license for Line 6 POD X3,PODxt and iLok USB software key devices - see the following section for POD Farm 2 Plug-In Control.

MIDI Input Device Conguration

You frst need to confgure the POD Farm 2 standalone application to receive MIDI communicationrom your connected FBV MkII device. Be sure to connect your FBV MkII to your computer beorelaunching POD Farm 2, then make the ollowing settings.

Launch the POD Farm 2 Preerences dialog and go to the MIDI tab. Here you will be able toselect any connected MIDI controller device or port. Note that youll see the our FBV MIDIOut ports named dierently, depending on your computers operating system:

Preferences - MIDI dialog on Mac OS X


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Preferences - MIDI dialog on Windows 7 & Windows Vista

Preferences - MIDI dialog on Windows XP

As the initial deault, youll see all ports or all Line 6 MIDI devices already selected. You maywant to de-select all except the ones you want to use. Your settings will then be remembered onsubsequent uses o the POD Farm 2 application.

In the above example you can see that weve chosen to receive MIDI rom only the Port 1 outputo the connected Line 6 FBV Shortboard MkII controller. (Note that our connected Line 6 UX2device is also an option, since its Footswitch 1 & 2 connections can be confgured to send MIDIcommands.)

The next step is to confgure your FBV MkII to transmit whatever MIDI commands are desired toaccess the POD Farm 2 unctions. To make this easy, weve created POD Farm 2 FBV control (.bvfle) presets that can be loaded on your device. These presets are available or download rom the POD

Farm Online Help site:

For FBV Shortboard MkII - Download the fle named POD Farm 2-Shortboard.bv.

For FBV Express MkII - Download the fle named POD Farm 2-Express.bv.

Once youve downloaded the FBV Control preset fle or your device, use the Line 6 FBV Controlapplication to load the preset into the internal memory o your FBV MkII device. (Note that youllprobably want to Save this preset with all your other FBV control presets so you can fnd it easily later!)

Take Control

With POD Farm 2 confgured to receive MIDI rom your FBV MkII, and with your FBV MkII loadedwith MIDI commands or POD Farm 2, you are now ready to take control o the majority o the PODFarm 2 parameters! The POD Farm 2 - FBV control preset settings allow you to instantly access manyuseul pre-confgured MIDI control assignments that already exist within POD Farm 2. MIDI Bank& Program Change settings are also included in the POD Farm 2 FBV Control preset to allowootswitches to navigate POD Farm 2 Setlists and their Tone Presets.
http://line6.com/manuals/PODFARM/http://line6.com/manuals/PODFARM/http://line6.com/manuals/PODFARM/http://line6.com/manuals/PODFARM/


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It is also possible to easily change the MIDI assignments o the POD Farm 2 parameters using theirMIDI Learn eature. POD Farm 2 parameters that support MIDI Learn can be assigned MIDI CC,Note-On or Pitch Bend commands. Beore using MIDI Learn, you must thereore assign these MIDImessage types to the FBV MkII controls using the FBV Control application. Also note that most on/o switch parameters within POD Farm 2 require that you set your controls MIDI CC switch modesto Toggle (to toggle the parameter between on and o) or to Momentary (to set the parameter to

on only when the switch is held).

For details on these POD Farm 2 MIDI control capabilities, please see theFBV MkII Advanced UserGuide and the POD Farm 2 User Guides, available rom the POD Farm Online Help site.

Line 6 POD Farm 2 Plug-In Control

Just like the POD Farm 2 standalone application, you can use your FBV MkII as an external MIDIcontroller device to remotely access parameters within the POD Farm 2 Plug-In! Youll need toconfgure your DAW sotware to receive MIDI rom your FBV MkII device to eed it to the audio trackwhere POD Farm 2 Plug-In is inserted. This is typically accomplished by setting up a MIDI tracks

Input to receive rom your FBV MkII port, the MIDI tracks Output to the audio track & Plug-In, andarming the track to receive MIDI. Please see your DAW applications Help or confguring these MIDIInput options - weve also added some helpul tutorials or this type o DAW application MIDI routingin the POD Farm 2 Advanced User Guide and POD Farm 2 Recording Setup Guide.

Once youve successully confgured your DAW to eed MIDI input to POD Farm 2 Plug-In, the PODFarm 2 - FBV control preset settings allow you to instantly access many useul pre-confgured MIDIcontrol assignments that already exist within POD Farm 2. MIDI Bank & Program Change settingsare also included in the POD Farm 2- FBV control preset to allow ootswitches to navigate POD Farm2 Setlists and their Tone Presets.

Also, as covered in the POD Farm 2 standalone application section above, you can customize yourcontrol capabilities by using the POD Farm 2 Plug-In MIDI Learn eature to easily map your FBV

MkII ootswitch and pedal controls to the desired POD Farm 2 parameters.

Note: The POD Farm Elements Plug-Ins that are included with POD Farm 2 do not directly support MIDIInput, therefore, do not support external MIDI control. However, most DAW applications do offer their

own features for MIDI control of most any track parameters, often including access to any audio Plug-Inparameters as well. Please see your DAW applications Help for conguring your FBV MkII device to

access DAW parameters this way. Also see Controlling 3rd Party MIDI/DAW Sotware on page 35.

Line 6 GearBox Control

I you use GearBox, youll be happy to know that most amp and eects parameters in the sotware arecapable o responding to MIDI messages rom an external MIDI controller. This means your FBV MkIIis just the hardware to take control!

Note: It is recommended that you have GearBox 3.7 version (or later) installed for use with FBV MkII.

To get the latest version, just run Line 6 Monkey with your Line 6 USB audio hardware connected(POD Studio, TonePort, GuitarPort, POD X3, PODxt) and allow Monkey to point you to the necessary

download.
http://line6.com/manuals/PODFARM/http://line6.com/manuals/PODFARM/


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To confgure GearBox to receive MIDI Control data rom your FBV MkII device, go to the GearBoxPreerences > MIDI/Control dialog and set the MIDI Input option to receive rom the desired FBVMIDI Out Port, as shown here. Note that youll see the our FBV MIDI Out ports named dierently,depending on your computers operating system:

Mac OS X Windows Vista

WindowsXP

As shown above, there are our FBV MIDI Ports to choose rom, so youll want to be sure to select thesame FBV MIDI Out port that your FBV is transmitting to. By deault this is the frst selectable portin the list. You can check and edit your current FBV Control MIDI port assignments using the Line 6FBV Control application.

Note: On Windows XP, the FBV MIDI ports appear as USB Audio Device - This is normal and justa function of the Windows Class Compliant USB device driver. These are indeed the FBV USB MIDI

Out ports 1 thru 4.

GearBox always receives MIDI data on Channel 1, so youll also want to set your FBV Controls to alltransmit on this MIDI Channel. As mentioned in the Getting Started chapter, just load the GearBoxFBV Preset onto your FBV MkII device by way o the FBV Control applications File>Open menu andthis will confgure a very useul set o Control assignments or use with GearBox!

TIP: For a handy reference of all the MIDI CC assignments for GearBox parameters, please download theLine 6 MIDI CC Reference document from the FBV MkII Online Help page.

Controlling 3rd Party MIDI/DAW SoftwareMost popular music-oriented sotware these days includes some level o support or controlling itsparameters remotely via MIDI control messages, just like those your FBV MkII device is capable osending. The frst step is to confgure your sotware to receive communication rom your connectedFBV MkII devices USB MIDI port - see the above USB MIDI Ports & Channels section. The nextstep is to confgure your FBV MkII to send the necessary MIDI commands to control the desiredsotware parameters. Some MIDI and DAW applications make this all pretty easy, while others requiremore manual settings to access their parameters via MIDI.
http://line6.com/dispatch/?appid=2097217558&page=manualshttp://line6.com/dispatch/?appid=2097217558&page=manuals


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MIDI Learn Functionality

Many applications now oer a handy MIDI Learn unctionality, where you click on the desiredknob/slider/switch in the GUI o the sotware to place it in a Learn mode and then simply access thecontrol on your FBV MkII device and the sotware instantly maps the FBV switch/pedal to controlthe selected parameter. For example, POD Farm 2, Propellerhead Reason and Ableton Liveapplications provide exactly this type o unctionality or most o their parameters - including theirtransport buttons, track options, and even their synth & eects parameters!

For applications that oer this MIDI Learn capability, youll want to be sure that your FBV MkIIootswitch and pedal controls have MIDI commands assigned so that the target sotware has somethingto learn. You can typically set each FBV MkII control to send a dierent MIDI CC command and thesotware will utilize this communication with FBV. To confgure these settings, you can o course use theLine 6 FBV Control applications Control Properties List options (see page 23), or try loading the FBV-Deault.bv preset weve provided as a starting point. Please reer to your MIDI or DAW sotwaresdocumentation or specifcs on confguring MIDI Control devices and parameter assignments.

Manual MIDI Control Assignment

For applications that do not oer a MIDI Learn eature, then the process is more o a manual one,where youll need to acquire MIDI reerence documentation rom the sotware manuacturer that listsspecifcally what MIDI Commands and Values are already set or the parameters within the sotware.Most oten, applications utilize MIDI CC commands or their parameters, Program Change commandsor switching patches, and sometimes MMC or Mackie commands or transport buttons. With themanuacturers MIDI reerence documentation in hand, you can then use the Line 6 FBV Controlapplications to map your desired FBV Footswitch/Pedal controls to match those that your sotwaresparameter MIDI assignments.

Please also see theFBV MkII Advanced User Guide and other MIDI documentation available on the Line6 FBV Online Help page for more about setting up MIDI Control with 3rd party software.
http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/


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Line 6 FBV Control: Line 6 Monkey & Additional Resources

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Line 6 MonkeY & additionaL reSoUrCeS

Line 6 Monkey is the intelligent updater utility automatically installed with your Line 6 FBVControl application. It is highly recommended that you run Line 6 Monkey at the end o your Line 6FBV Control application installation, and to do so oten to be sure you have the latest updates or allyour Line 6 sotware and hardware products. Registering your Line 6 hardware is also very importantbecause it ensures that youre dialed in or warranty service and makes it possible or us to contact youi new sotware versions or other cool enhancements are oered - cutting edge technology and such!So dont put this o any longer.

Once youve installed the Line 6 Monkey sotware, connect your FBV MkII to your computersUSB port (and please disconnect any other Line 6 USB devices or now since we only want Line 6Monkey to check your FBV). Be sure to exit the FBV Control application as well as any MIDI/DAWapplications that might be running. With your computers Internet connection active, ollow thesesteps to launch Line 6 Monkey:

On Mac, go to Applications > Line 6 > Line 6 Monkey

On Windows, go to the Start button menu > Programs > Line 6 > Tools > Line 6 Monkey

Login Account

Youll need to Login so that Line 6 Monkey can communicate with the online Line 6 server andprovide you with exactly what you need. Its just a ew clicks, and its ree!

I you have a Line 6 account, then type in your User Name and Password at the top o theMonkey dialog.

I you have not yet created an account, click the New User button and youll be walked rightthrough the steps.

Register Your Hardware

I you have not already done so, youll be prompted to Register your connected Line 6 hardware. Youmay be required to register your FBV MkII to be able to perorm some upgrades or product activations.Its a painless process really, so click that Register Now button and fll in the blanks on the Web page.This page will list all your registered Line 6 gear in one place.


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Line 6 FBV Control: Line 6 Monkey & Additional Resources

Grab Those Updates

Once Line 6 Monkey launches, it will automatically detect your connected FBV MkII device. Onthe Updates page in Line 6 Monkey, i you see any items where a newer version is available, then youshould click on that item and let the little monkey ellow walk you through the installation steps. Thisis the easiest way to stay current on the latest Line 6 sotware and hardware updates.

Flash Memory Update

I Monkey tells you there is a newer Flash Memory version available then it is important that youinstall it or the best perormance and product compatibility. Just ollow the steps as Monkey instructs,including these important tasks:

Exit any Line 6 or 3rd party MIDI/DAW applications that might be using your FBV MkII device.

Be sure not to press the buttons, move the pedal, or change any cable connections on your FBVdevice until the update process completes.

Once Line 6 Monkey tells you the update was successully completed, exit Line 6 Monkey andlaunch it again to see i any additional updates might still be available.

Additional Resources

Hungry for more info? Weve got plenty of helpful resources just a click away.

Additional Help documentation covering the latest FBV MkII product & MIDI Reerence ino:

FBV MkII Online Help

For ino on POD Farm 2 Plug-In & POD Farm 2 standalone applications MIDI controlunctionality, please see the detailed User Guides rom the ofcial Line 6 POD Farm source:

POD Farm Online Help

For Line 6 Support, including the searchable Knowledgebase:

Line 6 Support

Cant get enough o that Line 6 Gear & accessories? Head on over to the Line 6 Store!

Line 6 Online Store

Join the Community! Pay a visit to the Line 6 Communities page, where you can fnd:

Free loops or GarageBand, Acid, Reason and more.

Free guitar lessons rom LA session pros.

Free chord and scale practice tools.

Inormation about contests and special oers.

Access to discussion orums, sotware updates and more.

Line 6 Communities
http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/http://line6.com/manuals/PODFARM/http://line6.com/support/http://www.line6.com/store/storefront.htmlhttp://line6.com/community/http://line6.com/community/http://www.line6.com/store/storefront.htmlhttp://line6.com/support/http://line6.com/manuals/PODFARM/http://line6.com/manuals/footcontrollers/