After many hours of time wasted trying to get my m-vave working, I finally tried a different USB cable – doh! I then checked out the primitive software (you can’t save settings!) and have it programmed. So it’s now in my board, controlling 4 snapshots via midi. Snapshots are such a key to using the HX properly, it’s well worth having a direct selection option. I built my own, but the m-vave is so small and, well, downright purdy compared to my Frankenstein creations. The midi message is CC69, values 0-3.

I’ve tried snapshots in many ways, currently it controls the depth of reverb/echo, ambient snapshots. However, I use these quite rarely and it’s easer to create a matching bank with more “depth”. So, and in the light of the HX having no amp models, I’m trying some of the distortions to create a basic amp simand the snapshots will control the levels of compression, distortion, EQ etc. and switch on fuzz/ TS etc so I have clean through to flithy. It may not be a perfect sim, but I think going into a clean valve combo, it should do the job.

All this is a further example of how flexible the HX is – there are so many ways to control it. Next on my list is a double footwitch to plug into one of the exp inputs on the HX, to control two further effects. I’m probably going to have “stop loop” (a personal gripe about double pressing a loop to stop!) and “level boost”. This will allow me to change the “amp” and have an overall boost button.