Molten Voltage SIMI

The Molten Voltage SIMI is a modular MIDI display for the pedalboard. It is not an audio effect at all: it sits in your MIDI chain and shows your own custom text on 16 large bright red alphanumeric LEDs, so you can label what each of your 128 MIDI programs actually is¹. If your MIDI controller has no screen, or a screen too small to read on a dark stage, the SIMI gives you a big, bright readout of patch names you write yourself. RockBoard's PedalPedia describes it as "a nice device to use if you don't have a display on your midi controller but would like to label settings for different" programs².

You can store and recall custom text for each of 128 MIDI programs¹, and the unit is hand built in Oregon, USA by Molten Voltage¹. Firmware version 1.0 is documented in the 2014 owner's manual³.

Controls and MIDI connections

The SIMI has two MIDI jacks on its riveted steel connectors: a MIDI IN jack (marked C in the manual) that receives data from your controller, and a MIDI THRU jack (marked A) that passes data on to the next device in the chain³. Editing text is done with a single control, a push-turn knob (marked E): turn the knob to select the character for the segment you are on, and press the button to advance to the next segment³. You work through the display one character position at a time until your message is spelled out.

The SIMI accepts and passes Program Change messages, and Program Change data must be on the same MIDI channel as the SIMI for the stored text to appear³. Out of the box the factory preset MIDI channel is OMNI, so the unit responds on every channel until you change it³. Molten Voltage also notes that the primary MIDI channel for its wider MIDI system is MIDI Channel 15³. Beyond Program Change, the SIMI has RealTime message capability for use with Cakewalk, Sonar, and similar software³.

MIDI Thru and daisy-chaining

The MIDI Thru jack is buffered, so you can daisy-chain additional MIDI devices, or even another SIMI, after it in the chain³. The thru jack repeats all MIDI messages received at the input, irrespective of MIDI channel³, which means downstream gear keeps receiving its own data even when the SIMI is set to a specific channel.

The SIMI-SYSEX format

Custom text can also be pushed to the display over SysEx using Molten Voltage's proprietary SIMI-SYSEX protocol. The message format is fixed: F0 77, then a message of 1 to 16 characters, then 75 F7³. This is what lets a computer or controller label the display automatically rather than spelling messages out by hand with the knob.

One display quirk worth knowing: shorter messages, and those with more blank segments, are brighter than longer ones³.

Power: 9-volt DC, 200mA, tip negative

The SIMI runs on a standard "BOSS" type 9-volt DC, 2.1mm, tip negative power supply rated at 200mA minimum, sold separately¹. Its current draw is approximately 200mA¹, so it needs a supply that can deliver that on its own.

In the Molten Voltage system

The manual lists the SIMI alongside the Molten Voltage MASTER CONTROL MV-58B and MV-58 pedalboard MIDI controllers, and the MIDI Splitty MIDI pedalboard splitter/repeater³. Paired with a MASTER CONTROL, the SIMI serves as the readable front panel the controller itself lacks, showing the patch name you stored for each program as you step through them.

The unit carries a two-year warranty from the date of purchase against defects in materials and workmanship under normal use and service, as long as it is used with an approved power supply³. Any user repair attempts void the warranty, and proof of purchase is required for warranty repairs³. Questions go to questions@MoltenVoltage.com, and repairs are handled through Service@MoltenVoltage.com³.

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