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Custom Electronic neoface voltage MIDI adapter

The neoface is the original 'voltage MIDI' adapter for Alexander Neo series pedals.

About effect pedals with Voltage MIDI

Alexander Neo series effect pedals offer many control capabilities including a complete MIDI implementation. The Neo can store 16 patch memories, but only 4 can be accessed by a long hold on the bypass button. One limitation of their MIDI implementation on Alexander Neo pedals (also on some effect pedals from Meris, Disaster Area, Chase Bliss, Empress and others) comes from the small space available for the control jack. Instead of standard MIDI 5-pin DIN jacks, the control input is on a 1/4" TRS jack. Unlike the standardized MIDI TRS jack (which come in two flavors: Type A and Type B), some effect pedals implement 'voltage MIDI' which is easier to implement than standard MIDI, requires fewer expensive components, but this interface is less standardized. Voltage MIDI requires a special adapter like neoface to convert from standard MIDI (opto-isolated 5 volt current loop signals) to the 3.3 volt unbalanced 'voltage MIDI' and from 'voltage MIDI' back to standard MIDI. Since Voltage MIDI is a low voltage unbalanced signal, and not opto-isolated, the length of cables carrying the signal are very limited. But in a situation like a pedal board this is not likely to cause any problems as long as the control cables are only a few inches long.

The neoface provides 3 standard MIDI 5-pin connections for your Voltage MIDI effects device. It comes in a hand-made bamboo case with laser etched nomenclature. First you should program the pedal's control jack for MIDI operation instead of footswitch or expression pedal operation. The power cable for neoface is the same standard 9 volt minus tip found on most effect pedals. You simply remove the power cable from the effect pedal and plug it into neoface, and a pass-through power connector makes it easy to accomodate neoface without any additional power cables. The neoface is designed to match the screw spacing on Alexander Neo pedals, you remove two screws, position the neoface over the screw holes, and thread the screws back into the pedal through the neoface. The provided control cable plugs into the pedal's 1/4" control jack, with the other end plugged into neoface. For use with Alexander Neo pedals, the red wire goes on the bottom which puts the Voltage MIDI out from neoface on the Tip (some other manufacturers put the Voltage MIDI in on the Ring).

The neoface has three MIDI jacks: one optoisolated MIDI input, and two 5v MIDI outputs. Each output can be set to; MIDI output (a standard MIDI signal converted from the Voltage MIDI output coming from the processor inside the Alexander Neo pedal, which copies the received MIDI input and adds some controller messages), MIDI thru (a bit accurate copy of the MIDI input signal without the inherent delay from passing though the processor), or Power Only (the output provides power to any connected device while muting all MIDI message transmission).

$75 plus tax and shipping on eBay

Custom Electronic neoface 2 Bluetooth (WIDI) voltage MIDI adapter

The neoface 2 is the exciting new wireless Bluetooth MIDI transceiver including the Voltage MIDI adapter for effect pedals. The neoface 2 provides a Bluetooth MIDI transceiver in addition to a standard MIDI input jack. Like the original neoface, it comes in a hand-made bamboo case with laser etched nomenclature. First you should program the pedal's control jack for MIDI operation instead of footswitch or expression pedal operation. The power cable for neoface is the same standard 9 volt minus tip found on most effect pedals. You simply remove the power cable from the effect pedal and plug it into neoface, and a pass-through power connector makes it easy to accomodate neoface without any additional power cables. The neoface is designed to match the screw spacing on Alexander Neo pedals, you remove two screws, position the neoface over the screw holes, and thread the screws back into the pedal through the neoface. The provided control cable plugs into the pedal's 1/4" control jack, with the other end plugged into neoface. For use with Alexander Neo pedals, the red wire goes on the bottom which puts the Voltage MIDI out from neoface on the Tip (some other manufacturers put the Voltage MIDI in on the Ring).

The Bluetooth transceiver implements standard MIDI over BLE protocol, sometimes called WIDI (for Wireless MIDI). The WIDI app can be downloaded from the Google Play store or Apple App store in order to control settings, but in many cases this is not necessary because the WIDI adaptor will automatically connect to other Bluetooth MIDI devices. The neoface 2 has three MIDI jacks: one optoisolated MIDI input, and two 5v MIDI outputs. There are two switches on neoface 2: one selects the source from either the MIDI input jack or the WIDI receiver (the middle position mutes the WIDI/MIDI input signals while still providing power from the middle MIDI jack), the other switch controls the out/thru MIDI jack. The middle MIDI output jack provides the selected source (either WIDI input or MIDI input), which is also converted to Voltage MIDI and connects to the effects pedal's control jack input. The out/thru MIDI jack provides either the MIDI out converted from the Voltage MIDI output coming from the processor inside the effects pedal (which copies the received MIDI input and adds some controller messages), or the MIDI signal from the selected source (a bit accurate copy of the MIDI/WIDI input signal without the inherent delay from passing though the processor), or Power Only (the output provides power to any connected device while muting all MIDI message transmission). The MIDI input jack is permanently routed to the WIDI transceiver's input and these signals are sent out via Bluetooth MIDI.

$150 plus tax and shipping on eBay In the video a Genki Wave ring is used to send Bluetooth MIDI patch commands to neoface 2 attached to Syntax Error distortion pedal, with the MIDI out connected to a neoface attached to Colour Theory modulation pedal.

About midibim

I have been a college professor starting in 1990, teaching at 10 universities in Oregon, Indiana, Arizona, California, New York, Hawaii, and The Kingdom of Tonga. I am also an experienced electronic design engineer and repair technician, previously operating my repair service in Lahina Maui, Waimea and Hilo on the Big Island (Hawaii), and in Nuku'alofa Tonga. I have done warranty repair work for Roland, Yamaha, and other music manufacturers. I designed many products for 360 Systems, midimix, and the WED division of Disney. I have worked in digital and analog circuit design since 1973. My specialty is in music products, but I have also worked in many other areas. I am especially comfortable working across the hardware/software divide and across the analog/digital divide. I can write for embedded processors and SOC, and I have developed special techniques of optimization to squeeze high performance from low cost components.

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