Midi Controller

[MattyD]

Hi all,

I'd say this is about 80% there at the moment - but its functional and I'm tired of looking at it for now.
So here's a sneak preview of my new midi controller!.

I'm anticipating there may be a few things that people may get stuck on. So a few notes...

Spoiler

Soft synths are laggy

This is to be expected  for the most part. If you're using professional software like Reason I'd image the experience would be better.
If there are buffer settings in the synth, try lowering them. Otherwise plug in a real instrument if possible - the latency should be negligible!

Most of the buttons/sliders don't do anything!

Are you using the built in Microsoft Synth?

If yes then yep, it doesn't respond to much.  Try installing this one - then you'll also need a sound font such as this. Or better still, if you have a real instrument plug that in ,

If no, then try different "Methods" from the dropdown in the settings menu. If you have a real instrument have a poke around the menus too. For instance the Kawai that I've been using has a "Multi Timbreal Mode 2" which turns out to be a quasi-GM2 mode,

What is the point of the keyboard on the GUI?

You can sortof play it, but its not built for that purpose.  Its works well as a visual feedback for incoming midi messages.

What about the GP sliders, foot switch etc.

These probably don't do too much out of the box. The messages from these controls are assignable on some devices - so they're there if you need them!

Real instrument is "double playing"

If you're routing midi messages back to it, you'll want to turn off "local control". If the button on the GUI doesn't work, check through the instrument's menus.

Input device causes the synth to sound, but there's nothing moving on the GUI.

You're probably on the wrong midi channel. Set this using the control in the top right corner.
There's also an option in the settings to route all incoming midi messages to the channel that you're currently on.

Choosing a patch mutes the synth.

The sound set on your device might not be stored in the GM2 bank . Try this:
Manually set a patch to get back to bank 0: i.e. Bank (0, 0) PGM(1).  Then increment the program and send - did something change??
When you're on bank 0, disable bank messages from patch dialog. Does the instrument picker now work?

How do I play drums?

Channel 10 is your best bet for getting rhythm instruments playing! If CH10 doesn't "just work", try loading the standard Rhythm Set on it.

MidiController v1.1.zip

Edited December 22, 2024 by MattyD

[MattyD]

A small update today.

Added:

• Reverb and Chorus Engine controls - this is the new "setup" button sitting in the FX Send section.
  These settings aren't channel specific and should apply across the instrument (if supported).

Fixed:

• The Reverb and Chorus sliders weren't resetting when required.
• the pitch indicator in Key-Based percussion dialog was not always displaying correctly.