Switching between 2 identical knobsets without using presets?

Question

MIDI Target Manufacturer(s): Original, Generic

Hi, inspired by the Through the fog column (A> B, 2 sounds) and being a guitar player I ask the question how to switch between 2 identical sets of controls: preamp A and B. Guitar players are used to A and B and simple controls. Stompboxes. Amps. Clean and dirty. Dry and wet. Rhythm and boost. Etc.

A preset is one thing but switching between two visual knob settings another. Dan mentions a channelswitcher, didn’t see that coming.

Let’s say I have 2 sets of dynamic controls, 2x 5 knobs: bass, mid, treble, gain, volume.

How do I set this up?

Comments

Yes: everything works now and this is a great way to clean up code and go easy on midi buffers.

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Coincidence: the amp has 2 fx blocks that look a lot alike. The sysex adress is different. Let say I want to use slider 1 fxblock 1 also for fxblock 2 by altering the sysex adress with a channelchanger.

For example: 41 00 00 00 33 12 60 00 01 70 V must become
41 00 00 00 33 12 60 00 03 7C V.

I then use 2 channelchanger? 41 00 00 00 33 12 60 00 L L V?
With one L being 01-03 and the other L 70-7C?

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No, one channel changer per control for now

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though I think you can use bit changers in the same way...

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You shouldn’t have mentioned that... I tried it! Of course!
But the only values I got changed till now where the V values in the roland sysex messages. Staring now at a interesting mididesigner thread from Brett thedood: https://mididesigner.com/qa/6775/14bit-signed-and-unsigned-midi-data-packets?show=6775#q6775 . Interesting. Anyway, I will edit my answer to this question with the channelchanger update.

Answer 1

A matter of relative supercontrol

MIDI Target Manufacturer(s): Roland

Set it up:

- 2 sets of knobs (subs) and one supercontrol toggle button for each set with Supercontrol option set to ‘send current value’ + ‘send on only’;
- one relative (knob) control that is a super control of the 2 toggle buttons;
- one toggle button as a supercontrol of the relative knob.

Setup The channel changers;

- create 2 channelchanger knobs, both are a new super control for each row of sub controls;

- create for each channelchanger 2 ticks, 2 midi values (0-1);

- The toggle supercontrol (which also controls the relative control) becomes a supercontrol for the two channel changers;

- in menu relation --> 'options as a sub',  make one channelchanger 'inverted'.

When you hit the supercontrol you can see both channel changers switch, one from 0 -->1, the other from 1--->0;

Then edit the sysex of each subcontrol, choose a 00 value and replace it with L. Recommended: the first 00 value in the Roland sysex message.

So: 41 00 00 00 33 12 60 00 01 70 V (for example) becomes 41 L 00 00 33 12 60 00 01 70 V.

What does this do: the sysex of the row knobs that does NOT need to be active becomes incompatible with the amp. 

How: the channelchanger alters the L byte. In this case the channelchanger has 00 or 01 (midi channel 1 or 2). When the value 01 is active the Roland sysex message becomes incompatible with the device, the amp.

So when switching between A and B there is a risk of overlapping messages because they address the same values. This is a solution for it.

Then some icing on the cake: add a streambyter output rule (config --> connections) to block this incompatible message so it isn/t even send:

F0 41 01 = XX +B 

# block messages that start with F0 41 01, the last byte is the modified L byte that gets changed by the channelchanger, the F0 41 00 will come through.

This way the amp gets less data to process.

I will upload the updated layout soon.

Downloads: 286
2 preamps - This is the final layout with the channel changer integrated. You will need: - Boss Katana Amp; - Yamaha UD-BT 01 Bluetooth USB-midi host; - an iPad Air 1 and above; - the sensational midi designer pro app. Let me know if you dig this.
Downloads: 286

Images

56898974-6D72-4B99-838C-29DE1A81AFF5.png

Answer 2

A matter of relative supercontrol

MIDI Target Manufacturer(s): Roland

Set it up:

- 2 sets of knobs (subs) and one supercontrol toggle button for each set with Supercontrol option set to ‘send current value’ + ‘send on only’;
- one relative (knob) control that is a super control of the 2 toggle buttons;
- one toggle button as a supercontrol of the relative knob.

Setup The channel changers;

- create 2 channelchanger knobs, both are a new super control for each row of sub controls;

- create for each channelchanger 2 ticks, 2 midi values (0-1);

- The toggle supercontrol (which also controls the relative control) becomes a supercontrol for the two channel changers;

- in menu relation --> 'options as a sub',  make one channelchanger 'inverted'.

When you hit the supercontrol you can see both channel changers switch, one from 0 -->1, the other from 1--->0;

Then edit the sysex of each subcontrol, choose a 00 value and replace it with L. Recommended: the first 00 value in the Roland sysex message.

So: 41 00 00 00 33 12 60 00 01 70 V (for example) becomes 41 L 00 00 33 12 60 00 01 70 V.

What does this do: the sysex of the row knobs that does NOT need to be active becomes incompatible with the amp. 

How: the channelchanger alters the L byte. In this case the channelchanger has 00 or 01 (midi channel 1 or 2). When the value 01 is active the Roland sysex message becomes incompatible with the device, the amp.

So when switching between A and B there is a risk of overlapping messages because they address the same values. This is a solution for it.

Then some icing on the cake: add a streambyter output rule (config --> connections) to block this incompatible message so it isn/t even send:

F0 41 01 = XX +B 

# block messages that start with F0 41 01, the last byte is the modified L byte that gets changed by the channelchanger, the F0 41 00 will come through.

This way the amp gets less data to process.

I will upload the updated layout soon.

Downloads: 286
2 preamps - This is the final layout with the channel changer integrated. You will need: - Boss Katana Amp; - Yamaha UD-BT 01 Bluetooth USB-midi host; - an iPad Air 1 and above; - the sensational midi designer pro app. Let me know if you dig this.
Downloads: 286

Images

56898974-6D72-4B99-838C-29DE1A81AFF5.png