Any luck using Boss ES-5 or ES-8 with DSL40CR or DSL100CR?

All Questions

I can use a Boss ES-5 to switch between Clean/Crunch/OD1/OD2 using program changes but sending MIDI CC#13 for the loop state works sometimes and CC#14 for the master volume select never works. Is anybody able to use Boss ES-5 or ES-8 MIDI to control the master volume select and loop state?

asked 07 Nov 2018 at 10:15 PM

I'm using a Fractal FX8 and I have the SAME problem. This appears to be a somewhat common problem in the DSL40CR owner community. - 16 Jan 2019 at 03:41 PM

Answers: 1

Hi JK

On the DSL each of the 4 channels clean, crunch, OD1, OD2 are assigned in a loop to every four MIDI program change messages and can’t be changed e.g.

PC 00 = CLEAN

PC 01 = CRUNCH

PC 02 = OD1

PC 03 = OD2

PC 04 = CLEAN

PC 05 = CRUNCH

PC 06 = OD1

PC 07 = OD2

PC 08 = CLEAN etc.

Sending a program change message is the same as pushing a channel button on the 6-way, or pushing the channel button on the front of the amp.

As the channel will remember the state of the Master and FX switches, and the customer may wish them to be set differently, you can then alter the state of the individual switches by sending MIDI CC commands.

CC13 = LOOP

CC14 = MASTER

CC Values sent after the CC command allows their state to change.

0 = OFF

1 = ON

2-127 = Toggle

Marshall Support

answered 12 Nov 2018 at 12:09 PM

It's a real problem in the DSL40CR owner community. No only the 40. I have a DSL 100HR and it's the same. I can change the modes and channels, turn the loop on and off, but when it comes to change the master volume, it doesn't work. I'm trying to set MV1 everytime I use the clean channel of Classic gain and MV2 for the others, in order to compensate the volume difference, but it just doesn't work. As we can't turn MV on and off, how could we program our switchers to create patches than can change this parameter?
Thank you. - 17 Oct 2023 at 10:23 PM