The Moog MP-201 Multi-Pedal is a CV/MIDI foot controller: a floor unit that turns your foot movement into control voltage (CV) and MIDI messages rather than processing your guitar signal. MusicRadar's review calls it "a high quality CV/MIDI controller with a truly unique set of features that puts it in a class of its own"1. It sits alongside Moog's MIDI-equipped effects such as the MF-105M MIDI MuRF, and belongs to the wider family of MIDI pedals.
Connections: CV, MIDI and USB
The MP-201 offers four CV outputs on 1/4" TS jacks, so it can control voltage-controlled parameters on synths, Moogerfooger-style effects and other CV-equipped gear1. On the digital side, it sends and receives MIDI through MIDI In/Out sockets, and it also carries a USB connection so the MP-201 can be plugged directly into a computer as a MIDI device1. That combination means one pedal can drive both hardware over CV and MIDI, and software instruments or DAW setups over USB.
Firmware can be upgraded via MIDI SysEx, so Moog can issue updates that load over the MIDI connection1.
Controls and the three modes
The pedal has four channels assigned to its four footswitches, and each channel can run in one of three control modes1. The first mode is Expression, which sends the footpedal's value as CV (Control Voltage) to the associated CV output and also as MIDI CC, so a single pedal movement can drive both a CV parameter and a MIDI parameter at once1.
The built-in expression pedal itself gets praise for its feel: MusicRadar describes it as "large and sturdy, staying firmly in place once it has been set"1.
Build and design
The MP-201 has a simple angled top with a large silver/gray footpedal carrying the Moog emblem, a monochrome paint scheme, and four footswitch LED surrounds that pulsate in yellow and red1. On build quality, MusicRadar's reviewer wrote that "the build is up to the sturdy, well-crafted spec one expects from the synth giant of North Carolina"1.
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Questions
What are the three control modes on the Moog MP-201?
The MP-201 has four channels assigned to its four footswitches, and each channel can work in one of three control modes. The first is Expression mode, which sends the footpedal's value as CV (Control Voltage) to the associated CV output and also as MIDI CC. The MusicRadar review describes the pedal as a CV/MIDI controller with a unique set of features, and notes the expression pedal itself is large and sturdy, staying firmly in place once it has been set.
Can the MP-201 connect to a computer over USB?
Yes. As well as sending and receiving MIDI information through the MIDI In/Out sockets, the MP-201 has a USB connection so it can be plugged directly into a computer as a MIDI device. That makes it usable with computer-based instruments and recording setups without a separate MIDI interface, while the MIDI In/Out sockets cover hardware such as Moog's own MIDI-equipped pedals.
How do I update the MP-201 firmware?
Firmware for the MP-201 can be upgraded via MIDI SysEx (system exclusive messages). Since the pedal also connects to a computer directly over USB as a MIDI device, SysEx updates can be sent to it from a computer without additional hardware. MusicRadar's review notes the upgrade path as part of the pedal's MIDI implementation.
Sources (1)
- Moog MP-201 Multi-Pedal review, MusicRadar, 2009-02-25
