Using a recent MPC for MIDI thru.

The current MPC stable (MPC One, Live, KEY 61, X) is an amazing box but the OS is somewhat inscrutable and clunky? Perhaps spending hours and hours trying to use it will fix this problem!

I want to use a single midi controller keyboard to control multiple seperate outboard synths and/or internal plugins? So how do I configure it to easily control any specific device?

In this brief guide I will assume some basic knowledge, I will also be taking random  but approrpiate screenshots from the internets and the manual, so while they should demonstrate appropriate knowledge they may also be slightly off.

Start with an easy setup featuring 2 external synths.

MIDI controller keyboard > MPC MIDI In 1

MPC MIDI OUT A > MIDI synth 1

MPC MIDI OUT B > MIDI synth 2

First need to setup a MIDI track so select a MIDI track, then press the MIDI plug button to set this to use send MIDI (use this even when using USB devices).

   

Set MIDI Channel and MIDI Output Port appropriately.

Now, if you're keyboard is configured correctly :) you should be able to play the external synth.

Next, make a second track configured to Synth 2.

This is only the basic configuration, either synth will NOT play unless you have currently selected the track. 

So we need to set them to a MIDI THRU scenario.

Open the MIDI channel strip by tapping on the eye icon near top left of the track page, then select the track view.

We need to configure 5 options here. MIDI INPUT and CHANNEL, MIDI OUTPUT and CHANNEL,  Input Monitor (see below).

MIDI INPUT will match the controller physical input, but the CHANNEL should match the Synth assigned to this track.

MIDI OUTPUT will match the Synth MIDI plug and channel.

Input Monitor in this pic is currently set to AUTO, set this to MERGE (see image below below for description of each state).

OK, that's pretty much it. Now by changing MIDI Channel on the controller you can control either of the two synths.

The process will work with more outboard gear as long as the correct Output Port and Channel is selected.

If you use the same Channel on two different Output Ports, both synths will play at the same time.

GG

thanks to -

https://www.mpc-tutor.com/mpc-midi-tutorial-connecting-midi-controllers/

 I'm a professional it's all ok. ---

I am currently building up a small music setup featuring the Elektron Machinedrum (MD), Arturia Minibrute (MB), E-MU Mo'Phatt (MP).

Mixer is a PreSonus StudioLive 16.0.2 USB connected to a 2009 iMac(*) running Ableton Live.

Also because this is new, I have no idea of the limitations of the StudioLive over USB, so using an Edirol FA-101 for Midi.

My initial thoughts for setup are -

imac >usb studiolive

imac >firewire fa-101 midi >mo'phatt thru >machinedrum out >minibrute

This will enable sequencing the MP from the iMac, syncing the MD while sequencing internally and ALSO sequencing the MB.

I have spent more than a few hours using the MD, but honestly, there are still many dark corners mostly undisturbed, so today is the day to find out IF my memory is correct and explore using the MD to sequence an external synth.

As I seem to recall there is a MIDI machine which certainly sounds promising, but I have never used it - is it appropriate? and how do I set MIDI output channel on the MD?

Now all the gear is setup, time to try and make synth noises by using the MD.

Firstly, try matching midi channels - the MB is set to channel#9 so setting the MD base channel #9-13. Now each drumpad plays a note on the synth, great work!

Ok, let's just jump in and set track 12 to a MIDI machine.

Now looking at the machine edit pages, can see all the good stuff, note number, velocity etc. following pages sending CC etc, this all looks promising but ... no sound from the MB!?

Either the pads are not sending midi notes or the channel is different ... guess i'm going to have to open the manual after all.

Aha! page A-12, "There are 16 MIDI machines in total, each connected to the corresponding MIDI channel." Makes perfect sense, maybe if i'd spent more time staring at the MD!

Set the MIDI machine to match the channel number and success! Mission succesful! 

Ok, now i've spent a few minutes playing with it, the MB is not the most MIDI happy synth and has very limited CC useability. Mod Wheel, Pitch Bend, but After Touch seems interesting to explore.

With this minimal setup, the StudioLive supplies basic FX, now I'm wondering how the StudioLive responds to MIDI.

GG

Some time ago I collected a few firewire devices to use with a 2011 MacBook Pro The MacBook is dead but my unconscious connection with firewire is still alive, hence a 2009 iMac with native firewire.

hello visual asp3cts

http://www.henrygwiazda.com

http://www.mjleach.com/EastmanScores.htm

perspectives in chaos

Tom Johnson

http://www.tom.johnson.org/
www.kalvos.org

mathematical minimalism
___________________

John Zorn

set of rules/ game
evolving rule sets over time - through usage
defines authentic works as those conducted by him - related to Cobra

George Lewis "compose through behaviours and potentials"

Ikue Mori - laptop musician

La Monte Young

Michael Harrison

Pierre Henry



structure of sound :?

PLOGUE FUN

I got inspired to try a couple of things in plogue. These are more in the line of signal processing rather than composing_ but they do give rise to dramatic results !!!

My first idea was to break an incoming audio signal up into dynamic ranges, for each cycle that is. So different sections of the same cycle can be routed differently :)
I have really only tried this with bit and sample rate modification.



It does work well though !! Interesting results with sample rate, a lower rate for the lower thresholds, moving up to a higher rate for the higher..


The next, was to replicate a complex wave with a sine wave :)
The idea was to use zero crossings as points to determine the freq of the sine wave. This itself has been not particularly succesful - this may because Plogue does not do good maths :(

the idea is, when the wave crosses zero, the accum will split out the length of samples since last crossing - this gets converted into the freq of the lower oscillator.
The delay line is to make sure the freq's exist for appropriate lengths - this bit is wrong - needs more work !!

The next part of this one, is to get some sort of average amplitude for individual cycles.

music

as a long standing creator of electronic music. I have, in the course of the last number of years put an amount of my own tracks scattered around the internet..

mmm.. so...in no particular order..

Edward Kelly. art
http://www.centralstation.com.au/mp3/artist.asp?id=23918
http://www.last.fm/music/edward+kelly

Double Happiness (Surveillance Systems). ambience
http://www.centralstation.com.au/mp3/artist.asp?id=22298
also on this compilation
http://www.archive.org/details/SampledSynthesis02

KK Komputor. art meets pop
http://www.centralstation.com.au/MP3/artist.asp?id=27311
http://www.last.fm/music/k+k+komputor

Positive Space. pop
http://www.centralstation.com.au/mp3/artist.asp?id=12741

Captains of Industry. apocalyptic pop :)
http://www.mp3.com.au/captainsofindustry
http://www.archive.org/details/gonesoftLP

Fluffy t. Bunny. pop
http://www.mp3.com.au/fluffyt.bunny
http://www.myspace.com/fluffytbunny
http://www.archive.org/details/fluffyt._eat
http://www.archive.org/details/ConflictResolutionInAStateOfDenial

los angelos dos penetratos. metal
http://www.mp3.com.au/losangelosdospenetratos

I also had sporadic input into the band Melatonin. dub
http://www.mp3.com.au/artist.asp?id=5263


EDIT
there is also a list at ed.growerscollective.com that may or not match this one very well :)
but it may have more up to date linx
______________________________________________________

modular synthesis

synth edit is a Modular Synthesiser for Windows.
it has a shareware version, with more featurables if you register $50US..
http://www.synthedit.com/

and once you've done you're work.. you can export them as VST's. this program accounts for a number of VST download pages out there...

eg http://rekkerd.org/dsk-vsti

Plogue Bidule is another modular synthesiser.
it has a time limited free version.
We are using this at University so I've been enjoying it - and will be using it to control a suite of feedback devices in a few days...
http://www.plogue.com/

vst links

just decided to put links to software sites i n-joy,

this one be 4 vst plug-ins. Windows only but that's ok 4 me ...
http://www.delamancha.co.uk/plugins.htm

an ensoniq sq80 emulator. I used an esq-m for years, and was sad to let it go :(
http://www.buchty.net/ensoniq/

odo synth's makes all sorts of funny things, they're a bit hit and miss, but i likes sweepie - a two filter sweeping effect. and oddly organ - a drawbar organ emulator.
http://odosynths.com/
th drum synths are a bit silly though. at least th one's i tried.

this be too many stuff to count - under synth's is the 4front piano module which i've been using a bit.
http://www.freesoundeditor.com/incageneng.html?VSTPlugInseng.htm~main


A VST of the Mixturtrautonium, Oskar Sala used the real thing for his music...
http://extra.schematron.com/Neumixturtrautonium.html
also other instruments


http://www.tweakbench.com/ __ vsti and fx

more on multiple tempi

have been trying to manifest a version of 'study for multiple tempoes' (should be tempi).

mmm, interesting task trying to decide how to approach it. the short approach is that i just discovered this site
http://www.greschak.com/polytempo/ptperf.htm#introduction
Facilitating the Performance of Polytempo Music as that page is called.

Some interesting stuff, of usefullness is this table

C:C C:C# C:D C:Eb C:E C:F C:Gb C:G C:Ab C:A C:Bb C:B C:C

= = = = = = = = = = = = =

1:1 14:15 (C:Db = 15:16) 8:9 5:6 4:5 3:4 5:7 2:3 5:8 3:5 4:7 8:15 1:2

showing ratio's of pitches in the diatonic scale based on the overtone series.

I am about to attempt to use these ratio's as the basis for whether two parts are 'in sync' or not.

Other information contained on that site includes tempo scales of various format, eg the equal tempered one created by Stockhausen
Equal Tempered Scale
(MM whole note =)
60
63.6
67.4
71.4
75.6
80.1
84.9
89.9
95.2
100.9
106.9
113.3
120

these are an ascending scale of tempi of equal variation, just put that in for cred =)

mulitple simultaneous tempos

I have been considering the options of multiple tempos as played simultaneously by multiple persons... all well and good, here is my first real example thereof.


The idea is that many potential variations on the same theme will happen throughout the course of the piece. If player 1 is playing their crotchets in time with player2's quaver then that is one possibility.
I imagine the possibilities depend on the players and what they consider 'syncronicity' to be.

As a variation on this theme I have been considering how to acheive this with electronic material. Using say 6 sequenced parts manipulated by 6 performers.
So far I have considered using the bpm control for this, possible problems with this are
- if two parts were say .5bpm apart, they could well sound in sync, but not for long. A real musician would inadvertently lock in and change their exact tempo for the appropriate approximation.
- the performer may have problem identifying their unique output. A real musician has a very obvious feedback mechanism.
- loops would be problematic for tempo changes, sequences would be easilier manipulated.

So perhaps a more stricter definition of starting tempo eg strict ratios of tempo. Then adjusting playback in a more limited way eg phrase length/ time signature (depending on software this could affect playback in a more straightforward way than tempo).

This has led me to a completely automated process, user inputs performance data (all sequence information).
Upon the start of the performance all parts would be (quite likely) unsyncronised.
Each part could compare it's trigger information with each other part individually, if it finds itself in sync with another part, both parts then consider themselves in sync and stay that way until all are syncronised ( there may be some sort of need for constant communication to create a space where the syncronised parts are still syncronised when they decide they are ie so they don't inadvertantly decide they've synced just after one has changed).

Possible methods of determining syncronisation are through trigger pulses, eg if a certain ratio are syncronised then das ist good.
Or actual audio analysis - this could be tricky :) perhaps some serious band-pass filtering and then considering beat frequencies. Again this probably would be best acheived comparing individual parts with each other.

Now to work out how to do it.