I have assigned InsA-Wah:Pedal to the mod wheel and I have set the depth parameter to + 63, but moving the mod wheel does nothing. The pedal is definitely turned on in the effect, so I really have no clue what's going on here.

I’m sorry it is not clear from your post what you want to do. Let me know if I am understanding what you want to accomplish.

Rather than concluding it doesn’t work, lets start by stating what you want to happen. What is not clear is which INSERT EFFECT type you are working with. Initially you mention “InsA-Wah:Pedal” ? Do you mean that Insert A is set to “VCM Pedal Wah”

If you are using INSERT A as VCM PEDAL WAH, then typically, you would need to plug in a Yamaha FC7 into the Foot Controller 2 jack.

It is called PEDAL WAH - okay, perhaps you are saying that have assigned the MW as SOURCE and the “InsA-PdlCtl” as the DESTINATION parameter; otherwise, the MW will do nothing because it is not assigned to do anything to the Wah Effect.

If that is the case then here is some critically important information:

The MW and the Foot Controller both Send values of 0~127
But the MW defaults always to 0, while the Foot Controller always defaults to 127.

The MW and Foot Controller are similar, in that they move values in just one direction. As you apply the physical control, you can change the parameter value in one direction and then back to the originally stored value. Consider this, if the parameter it is assigned to control is already set maximum, then the MW will not be able to change that value since it can only send increasing values, by default - you simply cannot increase a parameter value beyond the maximum. The converse is true for the FC.

Set the DEPTH value to a NEGATIVE value if you are substituting the MW for FC, this way when you move the MW you are reducing the value from the stored MAXIMUM. Otherwise the application of the MW will not change the assigned parameter value.

Is it possible to change the parameters for this effect in real time at all?

Insertion Effects can be controlled in real-time. The Assignable parameters are listed in the Data List Booklet.

Then you mention “Multi FX effect”, sorry we are not familiar with this Effect Type.

For help with this issue, rather than reporting what you think is a bug (please report that to John Melas if you think the program is not reacting properly) however, we don’t think it is a bug. Let us know.

Hello Phil and thanks for your assistance.
You got it correctly - my aim is to make the mod wheel work like a wah pedal. I have the mod wheel set as source and as for the destination and depth parameters, those should be OK too.
Thanks for the detailed explanation as well - I'll keep it in mind should I start experimenting with a foot controller.
To make it clear, the insertion effect I'm trying to work with is not called "VCM Pedal Wah" but "Multi FX". To be honest I'm quite surprised that you don't know what I mean, but maybe it's my English or something. I'm talking about one of the insertion effects added in the v1.50 OS update. Here's the relevant quote from http://yamahasynth.com/blog/motif-xf-what-s-new , just to make sure that we understand one another. But before the quote itself, let me say that I have successfully used VCM Pedal Wah in this scenario in the past. With that insertion effect everything behaved as expected, but I wanted to create a more complex sound and that gave me the idea to replace it with the MULTI FX insertion effect instead. Sadly I haven't managed to get it to work and that's the reason why I wondered if the parameters of this effect are controllable in real time at all. So now there are only 4 possibilities why this might be:

1. My effect and controller parameters are set up incorrectly after all.
2. The parameters of this insertion effect can not be changed in real time (either by limitation or design).
3. It is a bug in the XF operating system.
4. There is some kind of bug in the John Melas Voice Editor that prevents this from working properly.

   Sorry for the rant. Finally that quote I promised: 🙂

   New Functions in MOTIF XF Version 1.50
   Yamaha has upgraded the MOTIF XF firmware to Version 1.50, adding a new function.
   Additional New Effect Types

   The MOTIF XF offers following new effect types:

   Reverb
   The following new Reverb types are now available.

   HD HALL Reverb emulating the acoustics of a concert hall with high-density sound.
   HD ROOM Reverb emulating the acoustics of a room with high-density sound.
   HD PLATE Reverb emulating the acoustics of a metal plate reverb unit with high-density sound.

   Insertion
   The following new Insertion guitar effect types (in the Guitar Efx category) are now available. The basic parameters are common
   with the existing Distortion effect types, but these new effect types reproduce more realistic and characteristic amplifier sounds.

   US COMBO A simulation of an American combo amp.
   JAZZ COMBO A simulation of a famous combo amp.
   US HIGH GAIN A simulation of a famous American high gain amp.
   BRITISH LEAD A simulation of a famous British stack amp.
   MULTI FX A simulation of multiple effect devices for guitar sounds.
   SMALL STEREO Stereo distortion effect for guitar sounds.
   BRITISH COMBO A simulation of a famous British combo amp.
   BRITISH LEGEND A simulation of another famous British legend amp.

    

To make it clear, the insertion effect I'm trying to work with is not called "VCM Pedal Wah" but "Multi FX". To be honest I'm quite surprised that you don't know what I mean, but maybe it's my English or something.

Don’t be surprised, once a product is discontinued my personal recollection of every detail naturally starts to fade. So I need to go by memory and/or manuals. While the version 1.50 did add a GUITAR EFX called “Multi EFX” (it is also referred to as “Multi FX” in some places). It is in the Supplemental Manual (I searched the DATA LIST with what you wrote “Multi FX” and found nothing). Okay, here’s what’s up with the Guitar EFX, “Multi EFX”

Multi EFX - There are no user Assignable parameters in this Compressor/AutoWah/Distortion/AmpSimulator/Tremolo/Delay, sorry. Ha, ha, (what do you expect?) with that many effects, you sacrifice real time control.

If you need to manually work the Wah-Wah, Don’t select one that is fixed as AutoWah, instead I recommend one of the Insertion type that allows you to assign control. When an Insertion block is focused on one Effect Type you’re usually offered real time control.

In the MULTI EFX type, you are trading versatility for real-time adjustability, it’s that simple... either way, no bug.

Just FYI: The Multi FX as implemented in the MONTAGE, allows for real-time Control. The Effect was being developed for use in MONTAGE and was made available in the form you see for Motif XF owners... in MONTAGE you can assign the MW to Control the Wah... just checked. Thanks for the question... I would not have discovered this otherwise.

OK, thank you for the clarification. I hereby declare this issue solved. 🙂
All the best.