MIDI footswitch for guitar plugin - Two-way communication possible?

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I’m looking to transition from a Line6 Helix to using Cantabile with guitar plugins live. So in doing that, I need a foot controller for controlling guitar plugins (primarily Helix Native).

I’m sure I can find any number of foot controllers that will let me send messages to Cantabile, but does anyone know if two-way communication is possible, and what devices support it?

With a regular MIDI footswitch, the switch controller will have no idea what the state of the plugin is, so any status lights and LED displays will quickly get out of sync with the plugin and with Cantabile. So is it possible for Cantabile to send messages about all state changes to an external controller, and if so does anyone know of a MIDI footswitch that will support it?

I need 8-10 fully programmable switches (at the very least I need to be able to send any CC from any switch). Momentary switch support would be really nice to have as well.

Thanks for any and all assistance. I’m somewhat familiar with MIDI and pedal controllers, the communication between physical and virtual stuff is still a bit of a mystery.

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Take a look at the EurekaPROM for Behringer FCB1010. In simple I/O mode it transmits CC messages for every button and pedal, as well as send CC messages to turn on and off the LEDs.

Additionally, check out this Cantabile thread:

https://community.cantabilesoftware.com/t/behringer-fcb1010-improved-rom/

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I use a Morningstar MC8 (alongside my Helix).

Morningstar MC8

This is a powerful MIDI control pedal station, with USB, ‘normal’ DIN MIDI ports and ‘omniports’, to which you can add MIDI, switch, or continuous control pedals. Personally I use the omni ports for additional control pedals. Each switch can send up to 16 MIDI messages. You can allocate messages to press, release, hold, double-press, etc. It will power from USB, or from a 9V PSU.

Setting up the MC8 can be a bit mind-bending, depending on how sophisticated you want to get, but the editor software does a good job of helping.

There’s one slight catch in your scenario… The pedals don’t respond one-to-one to the same commands they are set to send, So to set an MC8 switch ‘on’, for example, there’s a specific message required. This has to be handled in Cantabile. As long as you are aware of this, and can create the conversions, then all is well. I found it a bit tough at first, but once I had some examples down I got it all working fine and I can keep Cantabile and my MC8 in sync. When looping, for example, I have the ‘record’ switch flash its screen label while recording is taking place.

With a bit of planning I see no reason why you couldn’t create a ‘pseudo-Helix’, with Helix Native running inside Cantabile and the MC8 exposing the controls. That way you could just port your current Helix presets from the hardware to the software and save a lot of conversion work. I keep my Helix, Stomp XL and Helix Native in step this way.

Morningstar do other models with fewer switches, and the colour MC6 ‘Pro’. All of them are well worth a look. Not cheap, but definitely something I’d re-buy in a heartbeat.

(P.S. Add a CME WIDI Bud Pro and CME Master and you’d be wireless too)