Voodoo Lab Ground Control Owner's Manual

GROUND CONTROL

Programmable MIDI Foot Controller

Owner's Manual

DIGITAL MUSIC CORPORATION

Please visit our web site at:

www.voodoolab.com

Copyright 1998 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.

Ground Control, System Mix, GCX, and Ground Link are
trademarks of Digital Music Corporation.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 3

Overview . . . . . 3

About this Manual . . . . 4

CONNECTIONS 5

Power . . . . . 5

MIDI . . . . . 5

Expression Pedals . . . . 6

QUICK START 7
SETUP MODE 9

Entering Setup Mode . . . . 9

Device Names & MIDI Channels . . 9

Expression Pedals . . . . 11

Expanders . . . . . 13

Utility . . . . . 16

Exiting Setup Mode . . . . 18

PROGRAM DEVICES 19

Entering Program Devices . . . 19
Assigning MIDI Program Changes . . 20
Using Expression Pedals . . . 21
Controlling the System Mix Plus VCA . 22
Controlling the GCX Guitar Audio Switcher . 23

Naming Presets . . . . 24

Saving Presets . . . . 24

PRESET MODE 26

Preset Access: Bank . . . . 26

Preset Access: Bank4 . . . 27
Preset Access: Direct . . . 27

ABOUT MIDI 28
WARRANTY 30

3

Introduction

Overview
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The Ground Control is a programmable MIDI foot controller
which allows you to control up to eight MIDI devices at once.
It will also control our System Mix Plus and up to four GCX
Guitar Audio Switchers.

The Ground Control lets you use standard guitar volume pedals
to add real-time control of your sound with MIDI continuous
controller messages.

You can create presets which will select programs on each of
your devices and specify the function of the two expression
pedals. With the addition of the GCX Guitar Audio Switcher
your presets can also turn pedal effects on or off, select amp
channels, plus many other functions.

You can name each of your presets on the Ground Control's
bright, stage-friendly alphanumeric display. Presets can then be
recalled instantly with a single button to completely redefine
your sound.

The Ground Control has three basic modes: Setup mode,
Program Devices mode and Preset mode.

Setup Mode

Setup mode lets you configure the Ground Control for your
system. This is done only once when you start using the
Ground Control, and then only when you add or change
devices.

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Program Devices Mode

You use Program Devices to actually create your presets. This
is where you:

• Select Programs for each MIDI device.

• Specify the function of the two Expression Pedals.

• Set the System Mix Plus volume.

• Turn loops on or off in the GCX Guitar Audio Switcher.

When you have finished creating your sound, you can name
and save it as a preset. You can store up to 100 different
presets, or 360 with the optional expanded memory.

Preset Mode

This is how you use the Ground Control when you are playing.
You simply select the preset, and the Ground Control recalls
the information you specified in Program Devices mode.

About This Manual
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If you only want to quickly use your Ground Control to call up
the programs on one MIDI device, just read "Connections" and
"Quick Start".

To get the maximum use and flexibility from your Ground
Control, skip "Quick Start" and proceed to "Setup Mode". If
you are not familiar with MIDI, you may want to read
Appendix A: About MIDI first.

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Connections

Power
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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.

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 through a standard 5-pin MIDI cable.

If you are not using the GCX, but have a device that supports
phantom power via a 7-pin MIDI cable, this device can power
the Ground Control. Connect the 7-pin MIDI cable from your
Ground Control's MIDI Out to the 7-pin MIDI In on the
device. Then connect the Ground Control's Power Adaptor to
the phantom power jack on the device.

MIDI
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Connect a 5-pin MIDI cable from the Ground Control MIDI
Out to the MIDI In of your first device. If you are using the
GCX, it should always be your first device.

If you have additional devices, connect the MIDI Thru of the
first device to the MIDI In of the next device. If the device has
no MIDI Thru, then use its MIDI Out. Continue to chain your
devices until they are all connected. If you are chaining more
than three devices, using a MIDI Thru box like the Digital
Music MX-28S will eliminate possible data errors.

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Expression Pedals
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There are two Pedal inputs on the back of the Ground Control.
Many devices allow you to change parameters in "real-time" via
MIDI Continuous Controllers.

Any passive guitar volume pedal can be used. Guitar volume
pedals always have high impedance pots, typically 250K.

To connect your pedal, simply plug a guitar cord between Pedal
jacks 1 and 2 on the Ground Control and the AMP or OUT jack
of your volume pedal(s).

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Quick Start

Quick Start lets you use your Ground Control in a very limited
manner. It is provided for those users who want to just plug it
in and use it as quickly as possible. It is highly recommended
that you proceed to the following section, SETUP MODE.

To use Quick Start, the Ground Control must have its original
factory settings. To restore to factory settings, see Initialize
Memory on page 18.

Changing MIDI Programs
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Your device must be set to respond to MIDI channel 1 or
"omni", which means that it will respond to any MIDI channel.

To call up a program on your device, choose a BANK for the
first digit by pressing [SELECT ∧ or ∨], and press [0-9] to
choose the second digit.

For example, to call up program #21:

1. Press [SELECT ∧] until you reach BANK 2. (The BANK
number is the leftmost digit in the display).

2. Press [1] to Load (activate) Preset 21; the display says:

21. INIT

Your device should change to #21.

Note:

If you press [SELECT ∨] from BANK 0, nothing will

happen. If you press and hold [SELECT ∨] for a few
seconds, you will enter PROGRAM DEVICES. You can
return to Preset mode by pressing [SELECT ∧].

Expression Pedals

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If you plugged a volume pedal into the Ground Control to use
as an Expression Pedal, set your device to respond to MIDI
Continuous Controller 007. If you don't know how to do this,
see the owner's manual for your device.

Your volume pedal must be plugged into the Ground Control's
"PEDAL 1" jack. Enable the Expression Pedal from Setup
mode. Here's how:

1. Press both [SETUP MODE] buttons (numbers 5 and 0) at
the same time to enter Setup mode.

2. Press [LEARN PEDAL] (button 7).

3. The Ground Control will display "P1 IS OFF". Press
[+/YES] to turn Pedal #1 ON.

4. Exit Setup mode by pressing either [SETUP MODE]
button, then press [+/YES].

If Program Numbers Don't Match
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Some devices number their programs starting at 0 instead of 1.
If your programs are off by 1 you can correct it as follows:

1. Press both [SETUP MODE] buttons at the same time.

2. Press [DEVICE NAME/MIDI CHANNEL].

3. The Ground Control displays "1.DEVICE /01". Press and
hold [CURSOR >] until the display says "STARTS AT 01"

4. Press [-/NO] to set the start number to 00.

5. Exit SETUP MODE by pressing either [SETUP MODE]
button, then press [+/YES].

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SETUP MODE

Setup mode is used to tell the Ground Control about your
system. In Setup mode you will:

• Assign names and channels to each of your MIDI

controlled devices.

• Enable and calibrate any guitar volume pedals being used

as MIDI expression pedals.

• Enable control of the GCX Guitar Audio Switcher(s) and

the System Mix Plus.

• Define the function of each Ground Link button.

• Select other options or restore factory settings.

Entering SETUP MODE
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To enter Setup mode, press both [SETUP MODE] buttons at
the same time. The Ground Control will display:

SETUP MODE SELECT 6-9

Setup mode is divided into the following functions:

• DEVICE NAME/MIDI CHANNEL [6]

• LEARN PEDAL [7]

• EXPANDERS [8]

• UTILITY [9]

You will access each of these functions by pressing its
corresponding button.

Device Names & MIDI Channels
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You must specify a name and channel for each MIDI device in
your system.

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