This article describes the construction of my new MIDI floor control setup. With a bit of tinkering, you can get a pretty solid rack-style board for a rather cheap price (nota bene: the devices are expensive, the board is not). You can click on the pictures below to get a larger view.

The 10 steps

Step 1

1.JPGLet's start with the pieces: the board's brain is a Gordius Little Giant Module. There's going to be a Behringer FCB-1010 MIDI foot controller attached to it, plus one Boss FS-6 dual footswtch and 3 Boss FS-500H expression pedals. The devices will be fixated on a plywood board, covered with Skaï and consolidated with U-shaped aluminium bars. The plywood board is only 8mm thick, but that's more than enough because rigidity will come from both the devices screwed on the board, and the aluminium bars riveted around it.

Step 2

3.JPGFirst, we need to remove the rubber skates from some of the devices. The whole thing will already be high enough without them. Next, we need to position the devices at their exact place and put down some markings.

Step 3

4.JPGHere's the clever step. Some people do complicated things with velcro straps and what not to fix their foot pedals in some way or another. My idea is to simply use 4 already existing screw holes under each device, and simply screw them back through the board itself (with longer screws). The only difficulty is to drill the board in a very precise manner. The trick is simple: put some fresh ink on the 4 appropriate screws under each device, put the device back into place and press it slightly on the board. You'll get the exact markings where you need to drill on the board !

Step 4

5.JPGNext step: prepare to cut the Skaï for both sides of the board. Note that the board has already been drilled.

Step 5

6.JPGIn order to stick the Skaï onto the board, you can buy a special glue for this in spray. This is very convenient to use and also much faster to do.

Step 6

7.JPGYou need to put some weight on the board and wait for some time in order for the Skaï to be firmly sticked to it. Do it on both sides, by the way. And while we wait, be sure to take a good look at the new building that is being constructed right in front of my apartment.

Step 7

10.JPGOK. Now that the glue is dry, it's time to saw the U-shaped bars, put them around the board and rivet them once and for all. This thing is beginning to look nice...

Step 8

11.JPGLet's leave the board alone for a while. Before fixating the gear on top of it, we have some work to do. The first thing is to turn the FCB-1010 into a dumb slave for the Gordius Little Giant Module (as if the FCB-1010 wasn't dumb enough already). This is done by replacing the original ship with the one supplied with the LGM.

Step 9

12.JPGWe also need to mount the FS-6 on a couple of flat angle brackets. That is because it is going to be positioned behind the FCB-1010 (on top of the power plug) so it needs to be raised a little.

Step 10

16.JPGAnd voilà! Cherry on the cake: let's install a couple of black handles on both sides of the board, for easy grabbing and transporting.

Some final pictures

Here are some final pictures of the whole thing. I enjoyed myself like a little boy !

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