Nomad 100 and Axess CFX4 help please!

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andysjunkymusic

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Sorry if this has been covered in previous post...tried searching but could find a clear answer.


I recently purchased a Nomad 100 head that I'd like to control with my HX Effects. Based on what my searches turned up I pulled the trigger on a used Axess CFX4.

My question for all you current and past users is: Do I literally just hook up midi out of the HX to the CFX4 and footswitch cable out of the CFX4 to the Nomad and assign PC/CC changes?

If so, does the manual tell me which messages the HX needs to send to the CFX4 for it to operate the Nomad?


Thanks in advance for any help and if this has been covered feel free to PM me the thread where it's covered and delete this post!
 
I can only speak to doing this via an Axe FX FM3 and a Mesa Boogie MIDI Matrix, but that seems similar to what you're trying to do. The MIDI Matrix has a bunch of dipswitches that need to be engaged to match up with your specific Mesa amp, but once this and an initialization is done, each of the MIDI control relays then correspond to the various footswitch buttons.

It looks like the CFX4 only has 4 of these relays so you'll probably have to do without solo or reverb buttons, whereas the midi matrix has enough deal with every function on the Nomad. The initialization process automatically mapped the footswitch buttons to each of the relays, so I imagine your unit has something like that which needs to happen first so you get the functions you need and not the ones you have to omit (Reverb/Solo). This should be in the documentation for the CFX4.

Once that is setup you'll have relay buttons that should change the channels on your amp when you press them manually. If that is working correctly you'll just need to set it to whatever MIDI channel you want to use for this (your HX probably does stuff on it's own via channel 1), and then make some midi blocks that send PC midi to the CFX4 inside HX Edit. Your HX only needs to send new messages that you then store a state with on the CFX4 and that state is then associated with the message you just sent.

For instance:
#1 the HX sends PC 1 via channel 2 to the CFX4, you then toggle Red + EQ relays to make a Lead preset
#2 the HX sends PC 2 via channel 2 to the CFX4, you then toggle Orange to make a Crunch preset

But it could be literally anything on any number or any MIDI channel with any stored relay state. Just create what you need and assign it to some numbers. Nothing on the Nomad will use CC though, so this will all be PC midi messages.
 
I'm not sure this will work.

I used to have a Nomad 100 and it has a custom switching matrix built in to the foot switch. I don't think it's simply opening and closing switches, I think there are some voltage sensitive switches that come into play.

I found a custom break out box on eBay that Mesa had built for someone that had a DIN out to plug into the amp and 4 1/4" jacks to control the footswitch functions via latching switches. You might need something like that to make this work. Maybe contact mesa and see if they can still make the breakout box?
 
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