Generic question on midi controllers in general for the staff

[aquataur]

Hi Mixcraft Staff,

I have watched the videos you made on MIDI controllers like the novation series.
I note that (for example in the performance panel video) there is a button lit on the controller where there is a corresponding slot loaded with a clip.

How do those controllers know about that fact? Is there a MIDI command written to the launchpad that turns on a button LED?

Or other, on a controller like the Korg nanoKontrol, is there a mechanism available that can turn on a LED in the device, such as writing a MIDI command to the device?

As you probably know, those button´s LEDs can be configured to be toggled by a button push itself, or by the host program.

If the LED management is subject to a button press, this can lead to the ambiguous situation that the corresponding button (such as a MUTE button) in the DAW is lit, while the button on the device is not lit, if inadvertently the function is toggled by a mouse click.

I have requested this in a previous thread, but it probably got lost.

Thanks,

-helmut

[Acoustica Greg]

Hi,

That's not supported for generic MIDI controllers. If you go into Preferences / Control Surfaces, you can find a list of the button controllers that we currently support. If it's not on the list, then there's no support to light up buttons at this time.

If the controller is supported, the button will reflect what you do in the software.

Greg

[aquataur]

Thanks, that clears some ambiguities.

I just found out that the nanoKontrol2 supports Mackie protocol and thus Mixcraft can flash its buttons.

I will make a litte write-up on how I got this working.

-helmut

[gypsy101]

speaking of controllers,I'm looking for a budget controller w/ faders.
so far I've found the Nanakontrol 2 & Akai APC Mini-
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/APCmini
it says specifically for Ableton Live but I wonder if it will work w/ Mixcraft. I want to use only the faders.

[aquataur]

By their looks, the faders on the AKAI will have the same problem as the ones on the nano:

they are cheesy. Depends on what you want to do with them. Those are not high quality oil dampened faders as you would find them on a good console. Can´t be for the price. For a mixdown, their travel is too small to make sensitive adjustments.

Also, as mentioned in my write-up, you´d have to stir all faders before starting so as to synchronize the device faders with the DAW faders. And don´t move the DAW faders with the mouse. Next time you move the device faders, they´ll be back to where they were. This is the penalty for the price.

If you can dial in a Mackie compatible mode, at least the buttons are sync´ed.

Those devices are great for recording and performance, not for mixdown.

-helmut

[gypsy101]

I just want them for fade-in's/outs & panning for certain tracks as opposed to mouse automation/dots.
I'm on Windows 7 PRO if that matters.
I guess I'll probably hold out for a wuality digital board.

[Rolling Estonian]

So I tried the Mackie Control and despite the lights going on and off with MC, it wasn't nearly as responsive as when I set the controls myself, it's MUCH better. Yeah the lights don't work as well (they turn off and on but take two presses to turn the light off), but the faders and the knobs are much more accurate and responsive.

You should definitely try the manual route (Mix > Midi Control Surface > Midi Learn) then set the Editor to set the LED's to 'Internal'.

It's certainly not an amazing controller but it's just what I need for what I'm doing.

M

[aquataur]

, it wasn't nearly as responsive as when I set the controls myself, it's MUCH better.

I don´t know what your needs are, but I do not feel this setup is slow.

(they turn off and on but take two presses to turn the light off)

I had them working on "CC" rather than "Note" and on "down" in the MIDI learning section. If you change this it will work with a single button push.

[Rolling Estonian]

(they turn off and on but take two presses to turn the light off)

I had them working on "CC" rather than "Note" and on "down" in the MIDI learning section. If you change this it will work with a single button push.

Thanks, I'll give that a shot. It's not a big deal but enough to notice.

When I tried the Mackie the panning knobs were weird, sort of slow by the center, then normal speed after that..... Maybe I didn't set it up properly.......

M

[aquataur]

When I tried the Mackie the panning knobs were weird, sort of slow by the center, then normal speed after that

Yes I observed the same thing.

[Rolling Estonian]

When I tried the Mackie the panning knobs were weird, sort of slow by the center, then normal speed after that

Yes I observed the same thing.

Not when programmed through midi learn.

M

[aquataur]

Either the board does not cohere to Mackie standard 100% or Mixcraft does not emulate Mackie protocol 100%.
Can anyone using a real Mackie mixer with Mixcraft check this?

-helmut

[aquataur]

Staff

Please can somebody from the staff verify this with a real Mackie device:

The nano Kontrol2 in Mackie mode does everything as expected, except the pan pots have a funny behaviour:

They do little around the center and then jump rapidly to the sides. On the way back, there seems to be an offset, so that when you go back to center, the device´s pot indicator ends up off-center.

One of the Mackie emulations is wrong here.

-helmut