The MFC-101 was designed as the ideal foot
controller for the Fractal Audio Systems Axe-Fx Standard,
Axe-Fx Ultra, and Axe-Fx II Pre-Amp/Effects Processors—
or as a highly versatile controller for other MIDI devices.
The relatively compact unit is constructed of 16-gauge
steel and sports 21 metal footswitches. A 20-character
transflective LCD either transmits or reflects light depending
on the lighting conditions, making it easy to read in
any situation. There are also jacks for four external footswitches
and four expression pedals (all optional), along
with MIDI In and Out jacks. The MFC-101 may be powered
with the included adapter, either directly or phantom-
style via a 7-pin MIDI cable when the adapter is
connected to an Axe-Fx Standard or Ultra. When
used with an Axe-Fx II, the MFC-101 receives
power and transmits data over a standard Ethernet
cable rather than a MIDI cable, and no
AC adapter is necessary.
The MFC-101 is essentially “plug-andplay”
when connected to any of the three
Axe-Fx models and set to operate in the proprietary
Axe-Fx Mode (though there are still lots
of customization options to meet specific needs).
Preset names, parameter names and values, and other
information is automatically ported over from an Axe-Fx
to the MFC-101, and displayed in its LCD. And if an Axe-
Fx’s onboard Tuner and Tap Tempo functions are active,
the Tuner will appear in the LCD and an LED will flash
in time with the current tempo. The MFC-101’s LEDs
also change color to indicate the status of effects assigned
to the individual footswitches (red when bypassed and
green when active). When not set to Axe-Fx Mode, the
MFC-101 functions as a general-purpose MIDI controller—
but a very robust and sophisticated one, capable of
being configured to handle nearly every conceivable task.
The MFC-101 contains 384 internal Presets, which
may be organized into Banks, Songs (100), and Set Lists
(ten with as many as 50 Songs each). Each Preset can
transmit multiple Program, Bank, and/or other Control
Change messages, as well as custom MIDI information,
with the press of a single switch. Tapping a Preset switch
a second time can load an alternate preset, a global preset,
back track, or do nothing depending on the setting. Alternatively,
the 17 programmable switches may be configured
to function as Instant Access (IA) switches, and used for
tasks such as switching individual effects in and out as
on a conventional pedalboard, and toggling between two
settings, as well as simultaneously transmitting a variety
of MIDI messages.
You can organize the MFC-101’s programmable switches
into any division of Preset and IA switches. The default
setting is five Preset switches (1-5) and 12 IA switches
(6-17), resulting in five Presets per Bank. There’s
also an ingenious Reveal switch that toggles
all of the Preset switches to
“hidden” IA switches collectively,
resulting in even more programmable
switches. Further, the on/off status of
each IA switch is stored and recalled
in Presets, so that only the effects you
want on initially are active when the
Preset is loaded.
I tested the MFC-101 with an Axe-Fx
Ultra running in Axe-Fx Mode—and
thanks to the one-page Quick Start Guide
and the clearly written Owner’s Manual,
modifying the default settings to suit my
own preferences was a breeze. I wanted to
have lots of IA switches, and I typically don’t
use more than one Preset per song, so I configured
the MFC-101 to have 0 Preset switches and 17
IA switches per Bank. That meant that I would have
to step through Presets incrementally using the Bank
Up and Bank Down switches—one Preset per Bank—
but in return I’d get enough IA switches to control 17 different
types of effects, which is like having a conventional
pedalboard loaded with stompboxes for each song. The
process required navigating several Edit menus using the
MFC-101’s switches to select and alter parameters—but
it mostly involved selecting the effects I wanted to assign
to particular IA switches from a list, so it only took a few
minutes. (A software editor, however, would make things
considerably easier, and Fractal Audio has confirmed that
one is in development for release in 2012.)
I also tested the MFC-101 as a standard MIDI controller
with a Looperlative LP1 looping delay by configuring
switches 1-5 to control five of the LP1’s basic functions
(Record, Play/Stop, Erase, Reverse, and Half-Speed),
which was nearly as easy as programming the IA switches
in Axe-Fx Mode.
Organizing Presets into Songs and Songs into Set Lists
was also a relatively simple process, as was assigning expression
pedals and external footswitches to various Axe-Fx
functions—and the Copy feature saved a lot of time by letting
me use existing Presets, Songs, and Set Lists as templates
when creating new Presets, Songs, and Set Lists, as
many of the settings were identical.
This short review obviously can’t address
more than a few of the MFC-101’s myriad
capabilities, but suffice to say that the unit
can handle just about anything you throw
at it, including controlling multiple processors
simultaneously, and there is no better
foot controller for use with any of the three
Axe-Fx processors. It is likely overkill and
somewhat pricey for those whose needs are
relatively simple, but professional musicians
seeking an ultra-versatile and fully roadworthy
MIDI foot controller that is continually
being updated via firmware, the MFC-101
is an excellent choice and a good value.
Contact Fractal Audio Systems;
fractalaudio.com
Price $749 direct
Kudos Intelligently designed. Ruggedly built.
Extraordinarily flexible.
Concerns Too pricey for some users.
Pedalboardlabels.com Labels
Once you have the footswitches on the MFC-101 assigned to Presets or Effects you’ll either need
to remember those assignments or label them. U.K.-based Pedalboardlabels.com provides two-part
stock and custom labels for the MFC-101 (and several other MIDI controllers) that consist of magnetic
surrounds that fit over each switch, and labels that are inserted into them, making it easy to
swap them out. The surrounds have graphic themes such as Fractal Art, Tufnel, and Grunge, and the
labels come in regular or Glow-In-the-Dark versions. We tested Custom Glow-In-the-Dark labels
inserted into Fractal Art Surrounds (approximately $78 direct total). The labels look great, glowed
in the dark, and didn’t come off—but I would have preferred that they grip the metal a little tighter.
Fortunately, versions with stronger magnets are in the works, and should be available by the time
you read this. —BC