RE: Nobels MF-1

["Dean, Hal " <HDEAN@wcupa.edu>]

I have an MF-1. They are no longer distributed in the US. The build
quality is reportedly not very good inside, but mine seems pretty solid,
though I have not gigged with it. The manual is a tough slog;
understanding how to program the MF-1 makes deciphering the FCB-1-10
manual seem like child's play.

It's feature set is very robust and I loved using it, but the
programming is stored via battery-power, and the battery is notoriously
soldered in place and hard to replace. When the "battery replace"
indicator light came on... well, that is when I discovered the
Tennessee-based distributor no longer supported the unit, and I got a
worthless email from Nobels in Europe.

I wound up with an FCB-1010 a few weeks later. The MF-1 is in a closet
awaiting a day when I elect to track down a battery and find a tech
person to install it.

Of course if you're more techie that might not be an issue, but the
utter lack of support for the product makes it an unwise choice, despite
the feature set.

I posted a lengthier explanation awhile back if you want to search the
archive.

Hal Dean

-----Original Message-----
From: Ken_H [mailto:KHL2005@topic.net] 
Sent: Sunday, July 02, 2006 12:08 AM
To: Loopers-Delight@loopers-delight.com
Subject: Re: Nobels MF-1


Hey, something I know about!

><Kris asked about the Roland FC-200>
>
>It says it is battery powered, and I believe it sends notes too,
>from the descrption. Looks interesting.
>
>Kris
>

Yes, I had an FC-200.

I liked it pretty well and used it with a pair of EDPs and either a 
GX-700 or an SE-70/VF-1.  I'd like to get another one, actually; I 
really liked the ergonomics of the big foot-switches.  Pretty 
durable... another Stick player I respect tremendously uses one, he's 
toured with it internationally for a looong time and it has worked 
well for him.  In terms of build quality and 'feel' it beats the heck 
out of the Behringer FCB1010 (IMHO) for not too much more money. 
Well, not big money like an All Access or something like that.  It's 
not quite as programmable as the Behringer, but my brain works with 
it better.  It would probably work well for your laptop-setup, but it 
might feel a bit limited for your rack-setup.  I'm now on a Rocktron 
MIDI-Mate, which is merely okay (switches are too small).

Physically, sending Note-ons seemed... 'easier' with this unit.  My 
timing was somehow better than any other pedal I've tried (sort of 
like new shoes that feel great from day one).  Weird, but true.  You 
do need an external switch like the FS-5U or some such to switch 
modes.  I also used a small forest of EV-5 pedals to control lots of 
effect parameters in real time.  Great fun!

Yes, batteries work; I'd suggest 2300/2400+ mAH NiMH batteries and 
just keep 'em charged.  You'll get a lot of runtime out of them... 
definitely buy the AC adapter for home use, though.

I saw the Nobels when Steve Lawson was here in the US earlier this 
year, controlling a Looperlative.  Maybe he could chime in with where 
to get one.  Seemed nice enough, but smallish.  Different design 
philosophy.  It at least had footswitches which were bigger than the 
MIDI-Mate's.

Here's the manual for the Roland:
 
http://www.roland.com/products/en/_support/om.cfm?ln=en&dsp=0&iCncd=271

Ken