I was wondering if two FS-5U pedals are connected to that input

How do you connect two pedals to a single input? The footswitch input only supports a single switch. Even if you managed to connect two switches to the footswitch input - the keyboard only supports assigning one function to the footswitch. So having multiple switches would not benefit you.

The sustain pedal port is a second switch input - but its function cannot be reassigned.

If you really want multiple footswitches to send MIDI messages, investment in a MIDI footswitch would need to be made. Yamaha MFC10 or Behringer FCB1010 among others.

can I trigger both a previous patch and next patch command within MainStage?

No. What is done in situation where you’ve concluded (as you have) that you need to move backward and the only way the system works is to advance... simply place the program in the chain a second time or repeat it, as necessary, so you can simply advance to the next program you need.

Say you need to go from Piano to Organ then back to Piano... you’re thinking is to have the chain
1 Piano
advance
2 Organ
retreat
1 Piano

That’s not going to happen. Typically, the program chains work in one direction, forward or backward, not both. I’m not familiar with all the options available in MainStage, but likely it can advance through your setups...

The solution is
1 Piano
advance
2 Organ
advance
3 Piano

Back in the day when Keyboards had just 8 programs, or 16 program, or 32 programs... your solution would be needed.
Today keyboards have so many slots (steps) in the chain as to accommodate you. The way these Program chains are handled in the MONTAGE, for example, is you can advance (Live Set+) or retreat (Live Set-)

The MONTAGE has a 256 steps in each Live Set chain. And you can have 8 USER chains...

[UTILITY] > “Settings” > “MIDI I/O” > Set your (one foot switch) FS ASSIGN = LIVE SET+ This will allow you to advance with each press.

You activate a LIVE SET by selecting it. Once activated you can be on *any* screen in the MONTAGE when you step on the FS to advance to your next step...

As mentioned there are 256 steps in each continuous LIVE SET chain.
There are 8 User LIVE SETs (each containing 256 Steps) in the User Bank.
That’s 2048 steps for the 640 User Performances... it is designed for repeats!

Additionally, there are 8 Libraries... (a LIBRARY represents an entire User Bank) each Library can have its own 8 LIVE SETs, each with 256 steps in them.

With each Set containing 256 slots don’t be afraid of repeating an entry. Even if you need to return to the acoustic piano 50 times in a Set, you are given so many slots so it invites this workflow. Simply place the program as the next step in the chain, each time you need it Each step can store a different Volume.

If you typically use more than 256 Program Changes in a single set, let us know... there are alternate solutions.
What does MainStage offer in terms of number of steps?

Hi Alastair,
I think I understand what you want to achieve, although I do not use a computer but have the settings all programmed in my synth. This is how I do this.
1) BOSS does have a dual foot switch, the FS7. 2 signals, 1 jack. I use it on my Boss RC202 looping station. I have no experience with that switch on the Montage.
2) On the Yamaha Genos I use your setup. I have 2 Yamaha FC3 foot switches attached to input 2 and 3. In Genos you can define a workflow of 20 steps of subsequent scenes. I use my right FC3 to advance and (when accidentally too far, or on rehearsal occasions to rewind) the left switch to go back a single step. Works perfect and 20 is sufficient to me.
3) On the Montage, the suggested LIVE+ system doesn't work for me. The load-time of a new set, more specifically the latch time, is unacceptable. So I stick to scenes (only 8) and I have to remember which number to jump to. Usually I set up my scenes in an advancing order from 1-start to 8-end. And indeed, sometimes I have to jump from 5 to 2 and then back to 6. I accomplish that using the Behringer FCB1010 where I directly can address a specific scene number. When I have to switch live-sets I prefer the hardware buttons over the touch screen, due to response time and trigger accuracy.

Hi,

Thanks for all the replies. These MIDI pedals really started to get confusing.

Bad Mister, I’m not sure how many steps MainStage has, but I think it’s a lot. Definitely, more than I will need. Thanks for the advice, I’m already using the steps you advised, but I was thinking that a previous patch command might be handy incase I by accident press the next patch pedal twice. It’s happened to me a few times. I also run all my patch changes from within MainStage by sending program change messages to the Montage. It makes it easier, because I use a lot of sounds from VST synths.

If I understand correctly from Jason and Jan’s posts the footswitch input acts as a switch, which means I can only connect one Yamaha FC3 or a Boss FS-5U to it?

Does this mean that I can connect a multi-pedal, such as the Behringer FCB1010, to the assignable foot-switch input and send multiple MIDI CC commands to the MacBook, or is even a multi pedal still limited to just one CC message through the assignable footswitch input?

If so, then I’ll connect my second Boss FS-5U pedal to my other MIDI keyboard and send the Previous Patch change message through that keyboard.

Btw, that a nice looking pedal board Jan. Anyway thanks for all the help.

You cannot multiple anything to assignable footswitch inputs. All it accepts is a simple switch. On and Off is all that port can deal with. Your light switch on the wall can only do on and off. You cannot have two people with two fingers flick the light switch and somehow anything different than on/off of the light is going to happen. You cannot expect somehow having two people flick a light switch is going to set the temperature on your air conditioning. Montage has but one light switch port (foot switch port) - so it can only do one thing -- the one one thing you assign to it.

You can't connect a network cable to your light switch and expect to get the internet through the light switch. This is similar to your thought that somehow the FCB1010 would send CC through the footswitch port. It doesn't work that way. The ports aren't the same size/shape as what's available on the FCB - and again simple "on and off" is NOT MIDI.

The FCB1010 is a MIDI device. You would connect it to Montage's MIDI port (5-pin DIN - the circle pattern connectors on the back of Montage labeled IN OUT and THRU). The Behringer (or similar MIDI pedal) would have its MIDI OUT port connected to Montage's MIDI IN port with a MIDI cable.

Does this mean that I can connect a multi-pedal, such as the Behringer FCB1010, to the assignable foot-switch input and send multiple MIDI CC commands to the MacBook, or is even a multi pedal still limited to just one CC message through the assignable footswitch input?

Sorry, I cannot answer for the Behringer, I simply don’t know it, but I’m pretty sure to use a pedal board with multiple pedals it would have to connect to the keyboard via MIDI IN, and certainly NOT via the Assignable Foot Switch jack— of that you can be assured.

A Foot Switch jack has limited intelligence...while MIDI IN has tons of commands that can be differentiated.

Which would mean to use a control board you’d probably need to set MIDI I/O = MIDI for it to work. To communicate with you Mac you need MIDI I/O = USB so that suggestion will likely not work for you. But you’d better check into it. But I’m sure it doesn’t connect to the synth via the Assignable Foot Switch jack!

Hi Alastair,
I use my right FC3 to advance and (when accidentally too far, or on rehearsal occasions to rewind) the left switch to go back a single step. Works perfect and 20 is sufficient to me.

Can you say how you make a rewind function on Boss RC-202? I also need it for rehearsal, but there is no rewind function for an external pedal in manual