Lake Butler

Lake Butler

Also known as: Lake Butler Sound, Lake Butler Sound Co., Lake Butler Sound Company, Midi Mitigator

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Lake Butler Sound Co. is a music electronics company best known for producing the MIDI Mitigator RFC-1, a programmable MIDI foot controller introduced in the late 1980s. The RFC-1 was notable as one of the first foot controllers that allowed performers to organize their rig by song titles displayed on a 16-character alphanumeric screen, with eight footswitches, a 32-key membrane editing keyboar...

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Lake Butler Sound Co. is a music electronics company best known for producing the MIDI Mitigator RFC-1, a programmable MIDI foot controller introduced in the late 1980s. The RFC-1 was notable as one of the first foot controllers that allowed performers to organize their rig by song titles displayed on a 16-character alphanumeric screen, with eight footswitches, a 32-key membrane editing keyboard, and 128 memory locations capable of storing up to 640 command strings of arbitrary MIDI data.

The company also produced the CFC-4, a self-contained four-pedal continuous controller designed to pair with the RFC-1, where each expression pedal could be programmed to transmit up to 16 CC commands. Built into rugged metal enclosures, Lake Butler Sound's controllers earned a reputation among guitarists and keyboardists running complex MIDI rigs for their depth of programmability at a time when most competing controllers were limited to bank-and-preset paradigms.

The RFC-1 found its way into a number of high-profile rigs during the late 1980s and 1990s, most famously serving Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, who used it to navigate a large library of MIDI-triggered sounds on stage. Original units remain sought-after on the secondhand market among players researching vintage MIDI switching systems and Garcia-era Grateful Dead rig recreations.

Lake Butler has 3 products cataloged on Equipboard, including MIDI Foot Controllers. Their gear is featured by 1 artist, with the strongest followings in Rock. Notable users include Gustavo Cerati.

Artists Who Use Lake Butler

Gustavo Cerati uses 1 Lake Butler product

Gustavo Cerati

Singer, Guitarist · Soda Stereo

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