Q: What is the polarity switch? Do I need it?
A: Expression pedal inputs can be wired one of several ways. The polarity switch allows you to toggle the internal wiring in the Mission pedal between the two most common methods ensuring that you can use the pedal with a large range of devices. Without the polarity switch installed, the Mission pedals are wired tip to wiper. This is the more common method. If you know for sure that the device you are connecting to has it’s expression port wired ‘tip to wiper’, then you will not need the polarity switch. If your device is wired ring to wiper or you do not know, then the polarity switch option is highly recommended. The compatibility matrix on the support page also makes note of cases where we know the polarity switch is required.
Q: Where is the polarity switch located? How do I use it?
A: The polarity switch is a small, silver mini toggle switch located in the middle of the pedal underneath the rocker. Push the toggle towards the back of the pedal for ‘tip to wiper’. Push the toggle toward the front of the pedal for ‘ring to wiper’. If you are not sure which setting to use, try the pedal with both the settings to see which one works best. Early versions of the Mission pedals had the polarity switch located on the side of the pedal, but all currently shipping versions have the polarity switch under the rocker where it is less likely to be switched by accident.
Q: What type of cables do I need to connect the expression pedal?
A: Most of the Mission expression pedals require 1/4″ TRS-TRS instrument cables. TRS cables are also sometimes called ‘Stereo’ or ‘Balanced’ cables. Wikipedia has a very helpful and detailed explanation of TRS connectors. The exception is the Mission EP1-L6 Line 6 expression pedal which requires only a regular, mono (TS) guitar cable. Mission volume and effect pedals also work with regular mono guitar cables. Mission pro audio cables are specifically designed for use with Mission pedals.
Q: Does the rocker stay in position or does it return to toe down or heel down when you take your foot off?
A: On most Mission pedals the rocker will remain in position when you remove your foot so you can use it to set a particular setting such as half volume or parked wah. It will remain at that setting until you move it again. A tension adjuster allows you to adjust the degree of resistance from the pedal and to compensate for environmental conditions such as hot or cold weather. A spring loaded option that will return to heel down is also available.
Q: How does the spring load option work?
A: This option adds a spring load function that ensures the rocker always returns to the heel down position when you remove your foot. This option is particularly useful with auto on/off functions such as the Fractal Audio Axe-Fx auto-engage feature. The spring returns the pedal to heel down, turning the effect off and keeping it there to avoid accidental engaging of the effect. This option is also useful for players who wish to mimic the feel of certain spring loaded wah pedals. Since the spring load option causes the pedal to always return to heel down, this option is not recommended when you need to leave a pedal in an in-between position such as a volume pedal or a parked wah. If you need a set it and stay position, then the standard Mission pedal will work better.
Q: Can I fit the spring load option myself?
A: The spring load option has to be fitted in the factory. It is installed in place of the standard torsion block assembly and it’s not possible to switch between them in the field. Different parts are needed, and retro-fitting requires the castings to be separated from each other which requires special tools. Pedals can be returned to Mission for fitting or removal of the spring load for a small charge.
Q: The rocker drops forward to toe down position when I remove my foot. How do I adjust this?
A: There is a tension adjustment screw on the rear of the pedal between the rocker and the base. Use the hex key provided to tighten the adjustment screw until the pedal remains in place. It maybe necessary to adjust this screw every once in a while to compensate for use and environmental conditions such as very hot or cold weather, when the pedal has been stored for a long period, or after shipping. Replacement hex keys are available from the Mission store.
Q: What type of potentiometer is used in the pedals?
A: Most Mission Expression Pedals use a 10k Ohm potentiometer custom designed by Mission and purpose built for use in our expression pedals. These pots work very well with most of the devices we have tried so far. Expression pedal inputs typically look for somewhere in the range of 10k Ohm to 50k Ohm. The taper is primarily linear and will turn through it’s full rotation. The careful design of the custom Mission pots is one of the reasons Mission pedals are known to provide excellent response and feel. Certain product specific Mission expression pedals may use different value potentiometers, for example, the EP1-TC designed for use with the TC Electronic G-System uses a 250K pot. The Mission VM-0 and VM-1 volume pedals use a 470K custom taper pot. The Mission Rewah’s use a 100K ICAR taper pot. All potentiometers in Mission pedals are maintenance free, sealed units rated for at least 1,000,000 operations.
Q: What is different about the SP1-LF?
A: The Mission SP1-LF is fitted with a momentary switch in place of the latching switch in the regular SP-1 pedals. The Liquid Foot controllers are specifically designed to support external momentary switches for best performance. We also calibrate and test the SP1-LF pedals with actual Liquid Foot controllers before shipping. There is no polarity switch option for the SP1-LF since we wire it specifically to be compatible with the Liquid Foot controllers and polarity reversal is not required.
Q: What is different about the EP1-L6?
A: The Mission EP1-L6 Pedals are designed explicitly to support Line 6 devices. They are wired Tip and Sleeve as opposed to Tip, Ring and Sleeve in most other expression pedals. The Line 6 expression interface is different to most others in this regard. The EP1-L6 requires only a regular mono guitar cable in place of the stereo TRS cables required by other pedals. The EP1-L6 uses a 10k linear potentiometer for accurate tracking on the Line 6 processors. Since the EP1-L6 is wired TS, it is not polarity sensitive and so no polarity switch option is available.
Q: Can I use other expression pedals with Line 6?
A: No. Most Line 6 equipment will work correctly only with expression pedals specifically designed for the purpose. Line 6 supports the Mission EP1-L6 and the Line 6 EX-1. Other Mission pedals such as the EP-1 will not work with most Line 6 equipment. Likewise, the EP1-L6 will work only with Line 6 gear and not with products from most other manufacturers.
Q: How do I fix a Mission pedal to a pedal board?
A: There are two supported options to velcro your pedal to a pedal board. The first option is to use a Mission SK-1 screw kit. This contains 4 short screws that allow you to fix the baseplate to the pedal without the rubber feet. You can then affix velcro to the base plate. The second option is to use an additional base plate purpose built for pedal board mounting. The Mission PR-1 Pedal Riser kit contains everything you need, and is the perfect solution for fixing your pedals to a board. The metal baseplate should always be used to ensure proper screening. The use of screws other than genuine Mission screw kits is not recommended. These screws are of an exact size and specially hardened for this purpose. The use of incorrect screws can result in damage to the pedal.
Q: What are the best Mission pedals for use with the Fractal Audio Axe-FX?
A: The Mission SP-1 and the Mission EP-1 are both designed for use with the Fractal Audio Axe-FX and the MFC-101 MIDI Controller. A very common configuration is to use two pedals; an SP-1 and an EP-1. The SP-1 can be used as a general purpose expression pedal and switch between various different effects within a patch as needed. The EP-1 is typically dedicated to a commonly used effect such as wah or volume. Players who make use of the Axe-Fx’s auto-engage facility for wah or whammy, frequently select the spring load option for one pedal, which guarantees to return the pedal to heel down when your foot is removed, thus disabling the effect via auto-engage. The -R polarity switch option is not required when plugging the Mission pedals direct into the Axe-FX or MFC-101.
Q: Can you explain more about the color options?
A: One of the many unique features of Mission pedals, is the option to choose from an array of different colors and finishes to color code the pedals for different uses, or just to suit your own style and taste. Mission uses a multi stage paint process that includes blasting, cleaning, priming, powder coating, and baking. This produces an extremely high quality, resilient, and attractive finish. Black is our standard color which is hard wearing and matches well with most audio gear. Green is a matt color with a very fine black flake and is our most resilient finish to showing marks. Red is a bright gloss finish which looks great on the front of a stage. It’s also ideal for quickly identifying a go to pedal if you have several on your pedal board. Metal is the natural bare aluminum, it’s unpainted and receives a light hand polish. It’s a hard wearing ‘industrial’ look which ages naturally making every one slightly different. Pearl is our ultimate finish. Its a steel grey pearlescent color and has a truly high end appearance . Mission pedals may occasionally need to be polished with a soft cloth and a small spray of glass cleaner.
Q: What are the dimensions of a Mission pedal?
A: The dimensions are listed in the Expression Pedal Specification sheet.
Q: Can you build me a custom pedal?
A: The Mission Custom Shop can accomodate certain custom requests. Please contact info@mission-engineering.com.
