Nektar Pacer

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MIDI Footswitch Controller

Robust metal housing
Track and transport control with Nektar DAW integration
Support for e.g. Bitwig, Cubase, GarageBand, Logic, Nuendo, Reason, Reaper and Studio One
MCU for all common DAWs and Pro Tools Setup
Fully programmable MIDI controller
24 Presets - banks A-D per memory 6 presets
Up to 16 MIDI commands can be sent per Preset
10 Programmable footswitches
4 Programmable external footswitches (optional)
2 Programmable external expression pedals (optional)
4 Programmable relays
1 Programmable encoders
The footswitches can be programmed to send up to 6 commands when activated or in sequence (one after the other)
RGB LEDs offer multicolour status displays (freely programmable)
Dedicated icons for Nektar DAW integration
MIDI Machine Control (MMC)
MIDI output for external hardware control or for use as USB-MIDI interface
USB Class Compliant (no driver needed)
Powered by USB host or USB power adapter
Connection for external 9 V power supply (middle negative)
Presets for popular guitar MIDI devices such as Line6 Pod and Helix, Avid Eleven, Kemper Profiler and AxefX
MAC (OS X 10.5 or higher) and PC (Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 or higher) and Linux (Ubuntu)
Nektar DAW integration on Windows Vista, 7, 8, 10 and Mac OS X 10.7 or higher

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

3-Year Thomann Warranty

Available since May 2018

Item number 436177

Sales Unit 1 piece(s)

Amount Of Switches 10

Number Of Pedals 0

Display Yes

Connector For Expression Pedal Yes

USB 1

5-pole DIN MIDI 1

Pads 10

Diplay 1

Rotary Knobs 0

Fader(s) 0

B-Stock from $169 available

$185

The shipping costs are calculated on the checkout page.

Sales Rank

in MIDI Footswitches

Bundles & offers

Nektar Pacer B-Stock
May have slight traces of use

$169

Hands-free DAW and MIDI controller

Dedicated external DAW and MIDI controllers are now commonplace, and the vast majority of them, as one would expect, fall into the “hands-on” category (i.e. include potentiometers, faders, scrub wheels, etc). This is all very well for users who operate their DAW (or trigger sample loops) while sitting at a desk – options are much more limited for musicians who are looking for advanced remote control options and also want to keep their hands free, however. Enter the Nektar Pacer. Like all pedal boards, the Nektar Pacer was initially developed with guitarists and bassists in mind, however its ability to control up to 16 MIDI parameters via its array of assignable footswitches, versatile inputs/outputs, and the possibility to add yet more foot controllers (such as extra switches and expression pedals) has certainly broadened its appeal to a much wider range of musicians, including vocalists, keyboardists, etc. The Pacer is 100% programmable and allows an entire setup to be reconfigured at the touch of a toe. This might include changing the effects on your favourite rack, pulling up transport controls, and triggering audio channels inside your favourite DAW, piloting your favourite plug-ins, while even changing the input channel of your favourite amp. The exhaustive collection of factory presets is an excellent place to get started.

A complete control centre at your feet

The Nektar Pacer features 11 footswitches (10 of which are programmable) that allow you to navigate between the presents and select the appropriate configuration. Additional inputs are provided, allowing two expression pedals and a further four footswitches to be connected. The Pacer stores 24 presets, each of which can recall up to 16 MIDI messages or switch states instantaneously, and each footswitch can be configured to control up to six steps or actions which can also be sent simultaneously or in a sequence of “presses”. Control commands are sent via MIDI and USB, and the four relay outputs can also be used to select channels or effects in non-MIDI equipment (such as an amp, for example). Nektar DAW integration supports Bitwig, Cubase, GarageBand, Logic, Nuendo, Reason, Reaper, and Studio One – and also includes presets for common equipment such as the Kemper Profiler, Helix, POD Pro, Axe FX, and Avid Eleven.

(Not only) for guitarists

While the Nektar Pacer is aimed primarily at guitarists and bassists – who will already be familiar with the workings of pedalboards on the one hand and benefit greatly from the relay outputs to control their favourite analogue amps on the other – the ability to control one’s entire digital recording and performance environment seamlessly via a single MIDI-programmable pedalboard will doubtless appeal to a much wider range of musicians, whether in the recording studio or on stage. Vocalists and players of wind and string instruments can thus also control their DAW without any further assistance and work in a calm and concentrated manner. The Pacer allows for extensive and complex parameter settings and system messages, and it can be incorporated into any DAW environment and easily adapted to individual requirements.

About Nektar

Since its creation in 2009, California-based Nektar Technology Inc. has made it its mission to produce transparent and intuitive controllers with clearly defined functions that allow music software to be controlled and operated as if it were hardware. In 2012, they introduced the legendary Panorama P4 USB MIDI controller keyboard, which supports the Propellerhead Reason software. The keyboard’s deep integration with Reason has for the first time allowed users to completely disengage from the computer during their work sessions. Panorama P1 and P6 followed in 2013 with support for Steinberg Cubase. In the same year, the Impact LX49 saw the light of day, enabling integration with no less than 10 different DAWs. Other significant products from the manufacturer include the MIDIFLEX 4, a USB interface with merge and split functions, the Pacer, a MIDI foot controller, and the Bolt, a virtual harmonics synthesizer with its own characteristic sounds.

DAW control and amp switching

Depending on personal preferences, a typical modern guitarist’s setup might consist of a combination of modelling amps, analogue outboard gear such as a physical amp, and maybe some additional external MIDI effects processors. Whether on stage or in the studio, the Pacer can greatly simplify and streamline all the operations necessary to synchronise this whole setup and dramatically change its parameter settings at the press of a switch. Digital amps or multi-effects unit settings can be recalled in the appropriate song order while activating the tremolo of a vintage amp. The addition of a couple of expression pedals allows effects such as wah-wahs and phasers to be used in real time and while recording them into a DAW using the transport functions. Artists can thus work without stress or interruptions – and focus fully on the task at hand: Making music.

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49 Customer ratings

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4.8 / 5

handling

features

quality

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37 Reviews

Very Impressed!

Woiperdinger 13.03.2020

I use this foot controller for controlling Ableton Live primarily. For launching clips, guitar looping and playing notes with my feet (synth bass etc...).

The build quality is excellent. It feels great, you know when you have depressed one of the buttons and the chassis seems like it is built to last on the road. I can not tell if the buttons/keys themselves are plastic, they are solid and do not feel like plastic, more like aluminium. Either way, they are very robust and have a solid feel when depressed.
The only thing I would worry about is the large data encoder, it is also well built, but seems like it could handle less abuse than the rest of the controller.
Programming it was a bit tedious but straightforward. Not difficult, just repetitive.
I would say it is a huge improvement over the standard foot controller everyone is using (you know the one).
The ability to colour code the pedals is great for knowing what everything does and what preset you are in.
There are enough presets (26) that you can control a wide variety of devices without having 100 presets you forgot about.
Great for studio and live use!!!

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SŁ

Great for controlling software synthesizers

Szymon Łukowski 26.09.2019

Overall, this is a great product, I use it as a footswitch controller for software synths in MainStage. Works flawlessly with various expression pedals. Recently the editor became available ( it really helps getting desired results MUCH faster. I've tried various MIDI footswitches including Behringer FCB1010, Roland FC300 and this is most versatile controller I've used. Highly recommended.

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excellent buy.

Thomas O. 713 09.03.2022

Easy to use , I mainly use it to control my daw so worked straight out of the box for reaper , I will use it for midi switching as well , which I believe it is excellent at and a lot easier to program etc. pedals seem like good quality. very happy.

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Best Price / Quality

donfredu 19.09.2020

Best Price / Quality
Strong case build
Good touch pedals
With self-intuition to program to other devices
Universal pedal for beginners as well as professional use.

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Nektar Pacer

MIDI Footswitch Controller