Anyone still using a Behringer FCB1010 with their Kemper?

  • I'm not a fan of the FCB1010 .. to much plastic not reliable.
    I'm using a Nektar Pacer also as my 2nd board because its free programmable also for the DAW / Studio.

    Be the force with you ;)

  • In simple terms yes, with the Unochip ( which I had), not sure without it. I think so but its a more involved set up.


    The FCb1010 is not bad and I ran it for about 6 months live BUT the remote for me is perfect - plug and play and more important deals with accidental presses better - often my FCB1010 would get confused if you hit more than one button but the remote doesn't.


    If playing live I would seriously consider the remote...

  • TBH I'm a pretty big fan of the FCB units, in particular when used in combination with specialized Uno chips. I've got three units, all of them second hand and have played at least one of them for around 10 years both live and in rehearsal with my KPA (yes, I've had my KPA for a while).


    True, they are kind of plasticky, ugly monsters but I've never actually had any part break off. I 've had to fix two switches though but considering the wear and tear over 10 years on a unit that was already second hand I consider it to be in the green. I've also modded two of the units (have one at the rehearsal space, one at home) so they have integrated footswitches that connect to the switch inputs at the Kemper's rear. Gives me a lot of additional control possibilities. I believe you can find instructions to these mods either here in the forum or online.


    I can't speak much on the issue of accidental presses on the pedals though as I do have quite a small foot... ^^


    Anyway, as you can take from the responses above your choice will depend a lot on your personal needs and preferences. If you do go for the FCB I would generally recommend you to get one second hand as they can be generally found pretty cheap. You can spend the price difference on the chip/mods/wireless midi connector etc. ;)


    Cheers!

  • I would definitely look for one with the Unochip.


    If you can't justify the cost of the remote then I think this is one of the best and most cost effective alternatives.

    I've been looking at the foot controller more, and it seems like it offers more functionality than the FCB1010+chip setup (of course), e.g., morphing, and obviously the looper.

  • yes to all. No for the looper (but it's not a good looper so, it's not important)
    i use a fcb with original ep-rom

  • I used the FCB1010 for 2 years for gigging with the Uno4Kemper chip. It was a very good solution for me, but I bought the Kemper FC when it came out. I already owned the FCB1010 and for the purchase of a Uno4Kemper, the solution was a no brainer for me.


    As far as durability, I never had an issue in 2 years with durability. My bigger issue with the setup was the additional cable mess around my gig area (Power cable, 2 MIDI cables). The Kemper FC only needs a single ruggedized cable which makes the setup faster and cleaner .... but of course, it is a more expensive solution.


    If you look around on ebay and reverb, you can snag a FCB1010 with an Uno4Kemper chip in it for around $150 (or less if you are lucky). A Kemper FC will cost you around $500.


    What I would say is that anyone who is running a Kemper has already paid 2K or more for their rig. While I agree that $500 is steep for a foot controller, you should at least put it on your Christmas list since it is such a cool tool for the gigging Kemper musician. Another plus for me was that I don't use the volume or Wah in my live performances (don't play lead). I use a pure boost for any leads I do play for exact volume increments in my performance.


    My FCB is now controlling a friends AxeIII Fx for his live use :). It has been put back with the stock chip and has been running for 7 years in my friends rig. I think it is more than durable enough.

  • Agree. FCB1010 is good, remote is better. Plug and play, smaller footprint, less cables etc. as mentioned big thing for me was the positive switching i.e. if I miss hit something on the remote it doesn't get confused...

  • ...

    kemper remote vs fcb 1010 :

    - price : fcb, 3fcb = 1remote
    - plug n play : remote but ......you can find sys file with the good programmation for the fcb. it's like to learn how to play guitar, if you want, you learn, if you learn, you can do every thing you want.
    - can be use with other gear : fcb
    - expression pedals : fcb, 2 times.
    - looper : remote but the looper isn't a good looper so, it's not very important.
    - bugs : fcb = no bug

    the only con for the fcb is the 10banks limitation.

  • Just a couple of corrections/additions:


    • Power source - FCB needs power source, remote is powered via ethernet. This is very useful live so you don;t have to run a power source to front of stage unless you run other pedals
    • Cables - FCB needs 2 midi for full functionality. Remote only needs single ethernet cable
    • expression pedals - FCB 2 built in but limited to 2 ( I think). Remote has up to 4 available. Plus makes the foot print bigger if you don;t need 2 expression pedals so limits optionality. Given my expression pedals were £30 each, for me its a negative for the FCB to not have the optionality.
    • Display - FCB limited to numbers. Tuner especially not clear
    • Bugs - No bugs with the remote either. Had mine 7 years and no issues so not sure what is meant by this. In fact as mentioned I changed my FCB mine because its easily confused. Hit 2 buttons by mistake and it hangs. Remote will at least positively select. Had this issue a few times live and very irritating.

    Only con for the remote is price.

  • If I've had the Kemper for awhile and was already used to it, I would've gotten the FCB since then I would've had more time to learn it (I'm a geek so that was not the problem). Right now I want more time dedicated for the Kemper itself, which is days old to me.

  • Just a couple of corrections/additions:


    • Power source - FCB needs power source, remote is powered via ethernet. This is very useful live so you don;t have to run a power source to front of stage unless you run other pedals
    • Cables - FCB needs 2 midi for full functionality. Remote only needs single ethernet cable
    • expression pedals - FCB 2 built in but limited to 2 ( I think). Remote has up to 4 available. Plus makes the foot print bigger if you don;t need 2 expression pedals so limits optionality. Given my expression pedals were £30 each, for me its a negative for the FCB to not have the optionality.
    • Display - FCB limited to numbers. Tuner especially not clear
    • Bugs - No bugs with the remote either. Had mine 7 years and no issues so not sure what is meant by this. In fact as mentioned I changed my FCB mine because its easily confused. Hit 2 buttons by mistake and it hangs. Remote will at least positively select. Had this issue a few times live and very irritating.

    Only con for the remote is price.

    Yep. The reason I switched and paid 3x the price of an FCB (that I already owned) was the setup and tear down time and the smaller footprint. For me, it was just "nice to have" a readable LCD, looper, graphical tuner, and more flexible control.


    There is one other CON for the remote. It can't be used for anything but the KPA. I gifted my FCB to a friend that bought one of the very first produced AxeIII Fx units and it is working great for him still. Couldn't do that with the remote :).

  • There is one other CON for the remote. It can't be used for anything but the KPA. I gifted my FCB to a friend that bought one of the very first produced AxeIII Fx units and it is working great for him still. Couldn't do that with the remote :).

    Good point. I guess that is limited if you use the Unochip ( then you have to remove and replace with the original one). Plus its second hand value is low so for me its not a big con.


    Don't get me wrong, I did like the FCB, it is a good option, just for me the remote is better and worth the money.

  • Good point. I guess that is limited if you use the Unochip ( then you have to remove and replace with the original one). Plus its second hand value is low so for me its not a big con.


    Don't get me wrong, I did like the FCB, it is a good option, just for me the remote is better and worth the money.

    Yea, I kept the original chip and put it back in for my friend. I think you can sell them used for a bit over $100 if you keep the box (which I always do). There are also several upgrade ROM's that are more flexible and programmable out there for the FCB1010 so it can easily be made into a pretty powerful MIDI controller. It is a pretty nice design (but as you say, for controlling the KPA, the remote is better .... especially for live situations where ease of setup and usability are paramount).


    I think I bought it used for around $110 btw. New they run $150. They are considerably less expensive than the KPA remote for those who are broke after paying for the KPA :).