Glenn - Thanks for the link to your article.

The setup I'm working on is a bit similar to yours

Guitar (could be Stick) with a Roland GK-3 pickup into a Roland GI-20 MIDI interface

Audio guitar signal into Boss VF-1

MIDI signal into M-Audio MIDIsport 8x8 - I'm using this as a MIDI patchbay...but not really...it can be used as a patchbay, but the only way to program specific inputs to outputs it is to use a piece of software that only works on Win XP . So, I'm forced to use it in "thru mode" - all MIDI inputs are routed to all MIDI outputs.

MIDI signal emerges from the MIDIsport and is routed to two synths - Alesis QSR and Yamaha MU100R. The Yamaha is cool because it actually has 2 MIDI ports, its like two synths in one. The Alesis is pretty powerful with additional voices on SRAM cards. There is also a way to download voices that you have created.

All of the audio nonsense that escapes from these boxes gets mixed to an ART MX822 8-channel mixer.

Finally, I want to add a looper to the end of this, but I haven't got one yet (any advice would be awesome). I have bought a MOD Dwarf from Kickstarter https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/modduo/mod-dwarf. This is a cool box - It runs VST type plugins (not quite VSTs, but kinda like that), but it apparently can also execute code written in MAX which I'm trying to learn in the spare time I have from my already full allocation of spare time. I was going to code a looper that emulates a Robert Fripp reel-to-reel "Frippertronics" type system...but I'll try to work with any looper until

...and all of this is jammed into a nice little rack set-up, that I built out of an old IKEA bookcase

Now you might see why a pedal board has to send MIDI messages on different channels. Its all important, but the pedal board is something that needs to integrate all of this stuff. I'd like it to be as simple as possible...and while I'm digging into different boards, the FC300 is still out there on top. I really like the "MIDI Streams" feature - if I understand it correctly a stream of multiple MIDI messages can be sent with one footswitch. Seems to me if it is done right - one foot-press and the whole system can be changed:

1) Tell GI-20 to transmit on a different channel
2) Tell receiving synth to load up XYZ voice
3) Tell loop machine to do something
4) Send pedal data anywhere
5)....

I promise, I don't have anything against computers, and all of this could be easily done through a laptop. I have collected all this gear over the years and wanted to cobble things together.

Phew....

I gotta say, the exp pedals on the FC300 are my favorite of the few I've tried, but part of it is the huge base that holds them steady. Built very sturdy. I use the toe switches as dead-man's-switches for solo boost or that kinda thing.

But not worth the money and hassle if single MIDI channel output is a problem. I set mine up by plugging it into a VG-99. I can't imagine how tedious it'd be to set this pedal up without an interface. Not worth it if it won't even deliver that basic need.

For a 3rd exp pedal, I use a HoTone SoulPress. It lives in the backpack next to the practice guitar. It's fine. Doesn't have a useful toe switch. Isn't as adjustable. Very small. Made of some kind of actual metal.

I have an update, in case anyone is interested in the continuing FC300 drama...

I reached back out to Roland via e-mail, including some images clipped from the user manual to better explain my question - and that worked - so-called "MIDI Streams" in Patch Mode can in fact transmit MIDI messages to different channels from within the same patch...that was the right answer

...and if that wasn't enough, in parallel I found an FC300 for sale on Reverb.com (seriously great website by the way) and asked the seller the same question - he was kind enough to actually give it a try as were were messaging each other and he confirmed.

It was a good day...

Congrats! Good for me to know, too.