Always consult the official Owners Manuals first

RJM Mastermind MIDI foot controller

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UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

Contents

Gt.png

About the RJM Mastermind GT

The Mastermind GT is a powerful MIDI controller with a dedicated graphical display for each switch (a.k.a. scribble strip). The Mastermind GT is available with 10, 16 or 22 buttons.

More information about the RJM Mastermind GT on the website, in the manual and in RJM’s wiki.

Connecting the GT and supplying power

The Mastermind GT requires a 12VDC supply with at least 2A of current capacity.

A 5-pin MIDI cable is required for bidirectional communications, meaning that the GT can send and receive data via a single MIDI cable connected to its MIDI Output port and the MIDI Input port on the Axe-Fx.

Supplying the GT with "phantom power" through the same MIDI cable requires RJM's phantom power box. The box connects to the GT with a 7-pin MIDI cable, and to the Axe-Fx with a 5-pin MIDI cable. Important: Always connect RJM's power supply directly to the phantom power box! Do NOT connect it to the phantom power port at the rear of the Axe-Fx II.

Visit RJM's webshop.

Adding expression pedals, external switches and pedals

SP1-RJM expression pedal from Mission Engineering

GT-compatible expression pedals are available from RJM, made by Mission Engineering. The pedal's LED is synchronized and powered by the GT through a single TRS cable. Another TRS cable connects the switch on the pedal to a switch input on the GT.

Visit RJM's webshop.

2-button external switch from RJM

Additional dual footswitches with a LED are available from RJM. These behave just like the GT's onboard switches, without the button displays. The LED is synchronized and powered by the GT through a single TRS cable.

Visit RJM's webshop.

Powering effects pedals

The RJM has two ports which can supply 9VDC power to pedals, such as a tuner and low-power effects pedal. The ports are not isolated. The maximum capacity (both ports together) is 100mA.

Setting up the GT with an Axe-Fx II or Axe-Fx III

The GT is an extemely flexible and capable controller. You can decide yourself how to set it up, based on your preferred workflow. Many possibilities exist.

The walkthrough below helps you set up the RJM. Use the software editor for easy editing. Some of the settings are based on the author's (Yek) personal preference.

Before you start

Verify the following:

  • The GT connects to the Axe-Fx.
  • You have the most recent version of the software editor on your computer.
  • The GT connects to the software editor.
  • The GT has the most recent firmware installed.

Settings on the Axe-Fx

Axe-Fx II

Verify these settings in I/O > MIDI:

MIDI Channel = "1" (default).
Program Change = "On". This makes sure that the Axe-Fx processes incoming MIDI Program Changes from the GT.
Display Offset = "0". If set to "1", set the parameter 1st Preset is 0 on the GT to "On".
Ignore Redundant Program Changes = "On". When set to "On", the Axe-Fx will not reload a preset when receiving a Program Change which is the equivalent of the currently selected preset. This avoids the audio gap that comes with preset changes. However, the Axe-Fx will reset effect blocks in the preset to their saved states (if Send CC on Preset Change is turned on, on the GT) .
Send Realtime Sysex = "All". This makes sure that the GT receives tempo ands tuner information from the Axe-Fx.
MIDI PC Offset = "0".

Axe-Fx III

To be added.

Perform a factory reset

First step is to perform a factory reset of the GT in Setup > System Functions.

Settings on the GT

Selecting the device

After a factory reset, select your Axe-Fx as the device which the RJM should control. This is done in Setup. Replace Device 1 (default: "Rack Gizmo") with your Axe-Fx model.

Make sure to select the correct model to prevent issues. Do not select a "(slave)" device, unless you want the GT to determine which effects are on/off instead of the Axe-Fx.

Other device-specific parameters

In the Edit Devices screen, verify the following settings.

Name. Keep the default device name or change to your liking.
MIDI Ch = "1". Change this when the Axe-Fx is set to another MIDI channel.
Direct Send = "Off". When set to “Off”, the GT will make attempts to reduce the number of MIDI messages sent to the Axe-Fx. It will gather up CC and PC messages and eliminate duplicate messages. It will also sort CC messages into numerical order before sending. When set to “On”, the GT will send messages in the order requested by each action list, and it will not try to filter out duplicate message. Use this when solving issues.
Sync Names = "Off". Set this to "On" if you want preset and bank names to be synced with the Axe-Fx dynamically in real time.
Port = "MIDI Output".
Preset Offset = "0". Adjust this if MIDI PC Offset on the Axe-Fx has a non-default setting.
Max PC Number = "127".
Number of presets. Depends on the Axe-Fx model.
Bank Type = "MSB".
Flat Numbering = "Off". When set to “Off”, the GT will make attempts to reduce the number of MIDI messages sent to the Axe-Fx. It will gather up CC and PC messages and eliminate duplicate messages. It will also sort CC messages into numerical order before sending. When set to “On”, the GT will send messages in the order requested by each action list, and it will not try to filter out duplicate message
Init PCs - None. Do not execute.
Init PCs All 0. Do not execute.
Init PCs Sequential. Do not execute.
Send CC on Preset Change = "On". When set to "On", the Axe-Fx will receive CC messages every time the preset changes, and when an IA button is pressed. When set to "Off", the Axe-Fx will only receive CC messages when an IA button is pressed.
Send PC = "On". This makes sure that the GT transmits Program Changes to the Axe-Fx.
Send Redundant PC = "On". When set to "Off", the same PC message will never be sent to the Axe-Fx more than once in a row., to avoid audio gaps. Setting this to "On" causes the GT to send a PC message to the Axe-Fx when requested, whether it’s a duplicate or not. Note: you might think that turning this off is the better option here, but it's on for a reason: re-sending a duplicate Program Message message from the GT will not cause the Axe-Fx to reload the preset (because Ignore Redundant Program Changes is set to On on the Axe-Fx), but effects will return to their saved states. This provides an easy way to reset the current preset without an audio gap.
Ignore Incoming PC = "Off". This makes sure that the GT will respond to incoming Program Changes. Which is required when using a tablet with an app, like BandHelper, that switches presets.
Ignore Incoming CC = "Off". This makes sure that the GT will respond to incoming MIDI Control Changes. Which is required when using a tablet with an app, like BandHelper, that switches stuff on/off.
Delete Device. When you want to change your configuration.

MIDI settings

MIDI Rx (Receiving) Ch = "1". Set this to the same MIDI channel as the device connected to the GT's MIDI Input. Any program and/or bank changes received on this channel will cause the GT to jump to the selected preset and send all of the MIDI messages corresponding to that preset. This parameter defaults to “None”, which means that the GT will NOT respond to incoming bank or program change messages. There's no need to set this parameter for bidirectional communications.
Bank = Song = "Off". This setting affects what MIDI bank and Program Change messages do in Song And Setlist Mode.
MIDI bidirectional = "On". The Axe-Fx and GT support bidirectional communication, allowing two-way communication with a single 5 pin or 7 pin MIDI cable. Bidirectional MIDI only works with the first device in your MIDI chain. Turn this off when using unidirectional communication.
Remote = "Off". Set this to "On" to enable the GT's Remote Mode, which allows more than one GT to be connected together and have them all synchronized together.
MIDI Merge = "Off". When set to "On", all MIDI messages that are received through the Remote In or USB B ports are retransmitted through the MIDI Out port.
MIDI Clock = "None". Determines whether the Mastermind GT acts as a MIDI clock Master or Slave. "None" (default) disables MIDI clock support.

System functions

Init Preset Names. Initializes all of the preset names in the system to their default names: “Preset 001”, “Preset 002”, etc. The numbering of these names starts with 0 or 1, depending on the 1st Prst is 0 setting.
Reset Pedal Groups. Resets the Pedal Groups.
System Info.
Debug Log.
System Test.
Factory Reset.

Display settings

Enter the Display Settings menu.

Bright and Contrast settings for the displays.
Bold = "On". Use or not use a bold font on the buttons.
Show Page Name = "Off". Determines if the name of the page is displayed at the top on the main display. Note: When only the bottom row of the main display is displaying titles, and the top row stays empty, check this setting.
Reverse Menus = "On". This reverses the order of items displayed in the Preset Menu, Song Menu etc.
Song Name Only = "On". Set this to "On" if you don't need to see preset titles in Song Mode and make the song title use the entire main display.

Other settings in the main menu

Max Pages. Sets the maximum number of button pages, to limit unnecesary scrolling.
Preset 2nd. This determines what happens when you press a Preset button a 2nd time. Choose between:
"Same": no action.
"Previous": recalls the previously selected preset.
"Global": recalls the Global preset.
"Reload": recalls the current preset.
SysEx messages. Here you can define custom SysEx messages which can be assigned to buttons.
Edit Macros. Create and edit button macros.
Pedal Group. Create Pedal Groups to make a single pedal perform multiple tasks.
Start Last Preset. This determines whether the GT will switch to the last loaded preset after powering on.
Startup Macro = "None".
Auto Taps = "0".
AutoTap Macro = "0".
Show Tempo = "Off". When set to "On", the tempo is displayed briefly on the main display every time the tempo changes by more than 2 BPM. When set to "Off", the tempo is never displayed on the main screen, only on any tap tempo buttons you’ve defined.
Calc Tempo ... = "Off".
1st Preset is 0 = "On". Set this to "On", when Display Offset is set to 1 instead of 0 on the Axe-Fx. It determines the number of the first preset in the system, either 1 (the default) or 0. This can be used to adjust the GT’s numbering scheme to match the Axe-Fx. This parameter only changes the preset numbers, not the name, so the default GT names (Preset 001, Preset 002, ...) will not change.
Hold mSec. Try "350". This determines the time for the button's Hold function to engage.
1st Repeat mSec. Try "1000". This determines how long it takes for a button to start repeating. Use this to finetune Bank Up/Down behavior.
Repeat mSec. Try "400". This determines how long it takes for a button to continue repeating. Use this to finetune Bank Up/Down behavior.
Auto Page = "On". When set to "On" (default), selecting a new preset will cause the button page to change. When set to "Off", the current button page will not change unless you press a Page button or execute a Page action.
Instant Bank = "Off". When set to "On", the GT will automatically switch presets when you press the Bank Up or Bank Down buttons. Instead of flashing the preset buttons, asking you to select a preset in the new bank, the GT will switch banks and load the preset that appears on the currently selected preset button. For example, if you are on preset 3, and there are 6 presets per bank, pressing bank up will automatically switch to preset 9.
Page Preview = "On". When set to "Off", the visible button page does not change until you select a new preset. When set to "On", the visible button page changes as you move up and down through the banks. The button page associated with the first preset in a bank is the one that will be displayed for that bank.

Creating and editing buttons

Pages

Depending on the hardware, there are 10, 16 or 22 buttons available. The user can switch between multiple layouts, referred to as Pages, which increases the number of available buttons with a magnitude. Max. 16 pages are available. Page Up, Page Down and Page Menu buttons let you navigate between pages.

The parameter Max Pages in the main menu lets you limit the number of available pages to prevent unnecessary scrolling.

To make a button appear on each page, mark it as "Global".

Each preset can also have a single preset-specific page: "Local'. This is especially handy for programming song-specific scene buttons, with names.

Normal and Hold modes

Each button has a Normal and a Hold mode.

The period of time for the assigned Hold function to kick in is set with the Hold mSec parameter in the main menu. Try "350" for quick response. If the editor doesn't allow this value, set it on the hardware itself.

Hold is especially handy for secondary functions, such as switching an effect between X/Y or two channels, or changing an effect's Rate, etc.

Button names

Special characters in button names:

  • \ forces a line break.
  • ^ forces a line break and displays the 2nd line inverted.
  • | hides subsequent characters.

Button types

Off. Disables the button.
Preset. Selects a preset.
IA (instant access). General purpose button that can execute a list of button actions, see below.
Bank Up/Down. Next/previous bank of presets.
Page Up/Down:. Next/previous button page.
Page Menu. Pops up a menu of all pages so you can quickly select one.
Preset +/–:. Moves up/down one preset.
Page/IA Store:. Selects the next button page, or, when held for 2 seconds, stores the current IA state to the current preset (important for buttons which have Update On Preset Change enabled.
IA Mode. see below.
Pedal 1 or 3:. Shifts the function of expression pedal 1 or 3 to the next pedal in its group (see Expression Pedal Grouping).
Label. No function except to display text.
Page Menu.
Preset Menu. Pops up a menu of all presets.
Song Menu. Pops up a menu of all songs.
Setlist Menu. Pops up a menu of all setlists.
Preset Number. Pops up a number keypad, allowing you to directly type in a preset number.
Setup Mode. Activates Setup Mode.
Previous Preset. Switches back to the last selected preset.
Device PC -/+. Decrements/increments the current program number of a specific device. This allows you to scroll through the list of presets on a specific device without affecting the other connected devices. The button will always display the device’s current PC number (and bank number if appropriate).

IA Mode

When turned on, this reveals the IA buttons hidden “underneath” non-IA buttons. This is similar to the MFC-101's Reveal function. Especially handy when you want to make Preset Buttons do double duty: to select presets and to act as scene buttons after pressing IA Mode.

General button settings

Global. This makes a button appear on each button page.
On/Off color. Choose your colors wisely. Names of bypassed effects and non-current presets should still be visible, while engaged buttons should jump out. Example:
Presets: Off = dark red, On = green.
Scenes: Off = dark purple, On = purple.
Effects: Off = dark aqua, On = green.
Group. Button groups allow you to set up your buttons so that only one button in a group is allowed to be turned on at a time. Activating one button will turn off the other buttons in this group. General groups setting cabs be set in Edit Groups in the main menu.
SndOffMsg (Send Off Messages). When set to “On”, any button in the group will send its message(s) when turned on and when it’s turned off. When set to “Off”, a button will send its message(s) only when it is turned on, and never when it is turned off. The preferred value depends on the button function.
Allow Off. When set to “On”, it is possible to turn off all buttons in the group. Pressing a button that’s already selected will turn if off. When set to “Off”, one button in the group will always be turned on. Pressing a button that’s already selected will have no effect. The preferred value depends on the button function.
Group Actions. Each group can have its own actions. These actions only work when Allow Off is turned on. When all buttons in the group are turned off, the actions are executed using their Off values. When any button in the group is turned on, the actions are executed using their On values.
Button Actions. For buttons set to "IA", the following actions are available.
CC Toggle. Switch an effect on/off, or send a specific CC value.
Momentary. Turn a button into a momentary switch, instead of latching.
PC. Transmit a Program Change.
Note. Send a MIDI note.
Sysex. Transmit MIDI SysEx commands, defined in the SysEx entry in the main menu.
System. This provides additional actions:
IA Mode. Turns on IA Mode.
Macro. Activates a macro.
Page. Switches to a specific page.
Preset. Switches to a specific preset.
Setlist. Switches to a specific setlist.
Step. Executes a step in an IA Cycle.
Tuner. Turns on the GT's Tuner display mode.
IA Mode. Available only for buttons which are not set to "IA".
IA Cycle. Lets you use a single button to step between 4 effect settings, or switch multiple effects in 4 steps, etc.
IA Link. When duplicating functionality through multiple buttons (for example: scene buttons on multiple pages), this parameter makes sure that the states of both buttons are synchronized.
Send on preset change. When set to “On”, this button will send its messages every time the preset changes. When set to “Off”, this button will only send its messages when it is pressed. For regular operation keep this off! Use this only when assigning a button to an External Controller on the Axe-Fx, to keep things synchronized.
Update on preset change. When set to “Off”, this button only changes state when it receives a MIDI message from the device it is associated with, or when the button is pressed. When set to “On”, the button can also change state when a new preset is selected. For regular operation keep this off! Use this only to fix button synchronizing issues.
Tempo. When set to “On”, this button is marked as a tap tempo button. These buttons flash with the currently set tempo. If UpdOnPrst is also turned on, this button will flash in time with the internal tempo clock. If UpdOnPrst is turned off, this button will only flash when instructed by the connected device.
Momentary. Turns on when pressed and turns off when released.
OnMsgOnly = "Off". When set to “On”, this button will only send messages when it is turned on by a preset. When a preset turns this button off, this button will not send any messages. This setting does not affect what happens when the user actually presses the button.

Preset buttons

Preset buttons select presets on the GT, which in turn select presets on the Axe-Fx.

These buttons can be used in more ways:

  1. "IA Mode" (see above).
  1. Hold function.
  1. Pressing the button a 2nd time. See below.

An alternative way to select presets, is to assign the button action of an IA button to System > Preset.

Global Preset

The Global Preset is a preset that can be recalled at any time by pressing a Preset button a 2nd time (if configured as such).

Previous Preset

By assigning a button to "Previous Preset", you can return to the last selected preset.

Preset Number

By assigning a button to "Preset Number", you can turn the GT into a number keypad, allowing you to directly type in a preset number.

Scene buttons

= IA

@

No grouping

names

IA <> Hold <> IA Mode

Effect buttons

= IA

On/Off, change param values (like Rate)

@

Tuner button

2 actions

realtime sysex

Tap Tempo button

2 actions

realtime sysex

If UpdOnPrst is also turned on, this button will flash in time with the internal tempo clock. If UpdOnPrst is turned off, this button will only flash when instructed by the connected device.

AMP select buttons

@

GT presets

GT presets link to Axe-Fx presets.

How to order: use Songs.

Syncing preset names between the Axe-Fx and GT

The GT interacts dynamically with the Axe-Fx, but this doesn't include preset names.

Two methods are provided to sync preset names on the Axe-Fx with the GT:

  1. Use Get Preset Names in Edit Device. This downloads the names of all presets, or a defined subset.
  1. Turn on Sync Names in Edit Device. This downloads a preset name in real time.

Editing GT presets

  • Name
  • Page
  • Tempo
  • Pedals
  • Switches
  • Local Button
  • Edit local button page name
  • Preset actions

Setting up GT presets with specific buttons

@

local button page

preset actions

Switching presets

Preset button

@

Pressing a Preset button a 2nd time

Preset 2nd. This determines what happens when you press a Preset button a 2nd time. Choose between:
"Same": no action.
"Previous": recalls the previously selected preset.
"Global": recalls the Global preset.
"Reload": recalls the current preset.


Global Preset

@

Previous Preset

@

Preset Number

@

Make an IA button switch a preset

@ (Hold)

Expression pedals and external switches

Configuring and calibrating expression pedals

The Edit Expression Pedals menu lets you configure and calibrate pedals.

  • Name: a pedal can be assigned a specific name.
  • CC: assign the MIDI CC through which the pedal communicates with the Axe-Fx. Commonly CC 16 is used for External 1 on the Axe-Fx II, and CC 17 for External 2.
  • CC Num. 2: assigning a 2nd CC lets you control two settings at the same time, enabling crossfading for example.
  • Send on Preset = Off: You can make the GT poll and process the pedal's position upon preset changes, or leave that to the Axe-Fx.
  • Switch Group: see Pedal Group.
  • Calibrate: this calibrates a connected pedal.
  • Min/Max Value =: these let you adjust the operational the range of the pedal.
  • Switch actions =: this lets you define specific actions for the expression pedal.

Switching a single pedal between multiple tasks (Pedal Group)

By assigning a single pedal to a Pedal Group, a single pedal can act as multiple pedals, performing different tasks. A Pedal Switch button lets you switch between the pedals.

To clear all Pedal Groups, use Clear Pedal Groups in the System Functions menu.

Configuring external switches

The Edit External Switches menu lets you configure and calibrate external switches.

See editing buttons above.

Songs and sets

@

Other functionality

... Macros, MIDI Clock, SysEx (127 msg) ...


    • If "Get Preset Names" doesn't work and you have a XL, make sure you added the "Axe-Fx II XL" and not the "Axe-Fx II" as device.
    • If "Preset-to-Scene mapping" is enabled on the Axe-Fx (I/O > MIDI > Mapping Mode = Custom), the process will fail.
    • If the process stall/freezes somewhere during the process, check the Axe-Fx for a corrupt preset.
    • If you switch presets on the Axe-Fx and want to have the GT to change accordingly, turn off "Ignore incoming PC".
    • If you're using buttons to control external controllers on the Axe-Fx, turn on "Send CCs on preset change" to keep them sync'd.
  • Configuring expression pedals:
    • To set up a single expression pedal: disable the other pedal entries in "System > Expression Pedals" (set CCs to None). Calibrated Pedal 1 and assign it to the desired external controller's CC on the Axe-Fx (CC16 for External 1). You can assign a 2nd CC to the same pedal. You can also program specific actions, depending on the position of the pedal and the switch state.
  • To make a single pedal do double duty, within a single Axe-Fx preset: configure Pedal 2 (same as Pedal 1, use the CC of another external controller), and use "Pedal Grouping". This enables switching pedal functionality within the same preset.). You can then asign an IA switch to switch the pedal between two duties.
  • Scenes: the MMGT offers native support for Axe-Fx preset scenes. Switch to IA Mode to see them in the same position as the preset buttons. The default settings in "Setup > Edit Groups" ("SndOffMsg"=ON and "Allow Off"=OFF) are fine.
  • Assign a preset to an IA switch by selecting "IA" > System > Preset. All options are OFF except for "UpdOnPrst".
  • Some effects need adjustable rates. Like Tremolo. I use the button's HOLD function to switch between slow and fast rates. This requires assigning an external controller to the effect's "Rate" parameter on the Axe-Fx, and specifying Min and Max values. On the GT I assigned the HOLD function to the external controller's CC. Note that buttons assigned to external controllers on the Axe-Fx require "CCOnPRST" in System to be ON, and "SndOnPrst" and "UpdOnPrst" must also be ON for those buttons to function correctly and stay sync'd to the Axe-Fx.
  • To program a Tempo button: set "Tempo" to ON and assign the button to the Tempo CC (#14). Other OFF/ON button parameters are OFF.
  • To program a Tuner button: set the IA to "Tuner" ("Button Action > IA > System > Tuner"), and assign the Tuner CC. All ON/OFF fields are OFF except UpdOnPrst = ON. The tuner display on the GT works very well.
  • Preset buttons: UpdOnPrst should be tuned on and the switches should be grouped.
  • You can name scenes and configure switches per preset by using local pages on the GT, insteed of a global page layout.

Demos of setups

Setting up the GT, Axe-Fx and BandHelper

Read more about syncing the app BandHelper with the Axe-Fx and GT.

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