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        MIDI-OX >> Mapping Questions >> 3 midi ports to 1 midi port?
        
(Message started by: renjian212 on Jan 17^th, 2008, 10:20am)

Title: 3 midi ports to 1 midi port?
Post by renjian212 on Jan 17^th, 2008, 10:20am

Hi everyone!

I am thinking to use my Tascam US 2400 with SAWstudio (not very popular but powerful DAW, www.sawstudio.com). The problem is, there is only one midi port in SAWstudio while 3 ports for US2400, each controls 8 channels and there are 24 faders + 1 master fader on US 2400.

Currently I can only make 8 faders work, ie 1 port out of the 3 can be connected to SAWstudio. Is there anyway that the MIDI OX can map 3 ports into one at midi in, and seperate 1 port into 3 ports for midi out? And can someone help me with the mapping?

Thank you very much

Ricky

Title: Re: 3 midi ports to 1 midi port?
Post by Peter L Jones on Jan 17^th, 2008, 1:32pm

Let's get one thing clear up front:

3 MIDI ports gives you 3 * 16 = 48 channels. You can't get 48 channels into a single MIDI port (without loss somewhere).

Next, you'll need more than MIDI OX to make this work: you'll need MIDI Yoke, too. Get that installed.

Let's walk this through from simple to advanced.

A "simple merge"
That is, take a message on any input port and put that message on the output port.

1) In MIDI OX, go to Options->MIDI Devices...
2) At the bottom, make sure "Automatically connect Inputs to Outputs during selection" is checked (on).
3) Select "Out To MIDI Yoke: 1" under "MIDI Outputs"
-- this is where MIDI OX will send data out; the MIDI Yoke virtual MIDI cable will transport the messages to "In From MIDI Yoke: 1"; we'll come back to this shortly.
4) Under "MIDI Inputs", as I'm sure you'll guess, you select the US2400 input ports.
5) On the upper right of this window, you'll see "Port Mapping" and the MIDI Yoke port. If you expand this, you'll see your input ports.
6) If the port mapping doesn't also contain "MIDI-OX Events", drag one from "Port Map Objects" (lower right) onto the MIDI Yoke output in "Port Mapping".
7) In the "Presets" box type a name ("simple merge") and hit the "save" icon (the rather quaint 3.5" floppy), then OK to close the window.
8) Make sure you have both "Input Monitor" and "Output Monitor" windows up (second group of tool bar icons, first and second buttons).
9) Slide some sliders and watch the data.

I don't know how your US2400 is set up. The above might just be all it takes. Give it a go.

<edit>
Whoops! Nearly forgot.

In SawStudio, open "In From MIDI Yoke: 1", rather than the US2400.
</edit>

Title: Re: 3 midi ports to 1 midi port?
Post by renjian212 on Jan 17^th, 2008, 1:58pm

Thanks Peter!

I have done exactly what you told me and now all 24 faders can work.

But... they only control 8 tracks in the DAW, ie channel 1, 9 and 17 control track 1, and 2, 10, 18 to track 2 and so on.

Can MIDI OX "translate" the MIDI signals such as port 2 controls 8 tracks after port 1, and port 3 also 8 tracks behind 2?

In addition, since these faders can move according to the changes in DAW, how can I seperate the MIDI signals from 1 port to all 3?

Thanks for your help!

Ricky

Title: Re: 3 midi ports to 1 midi port?
Post by Peter L Jones on Jan 17^th, 2008, 5:01pm

Unless you can reconfigure something to use an identifier other than MIDI Channel Number, then I think you're going to hit a limit of 16 faders.

To get those working, you'll need to use MIDI OX's Data Mapping facility on one of the sets of faders to shift the channel number up by 8.

1) Open up the data mapping form: Options->Data Mapping...
2) Click the Insert... button
3) In the "When Input Matches", set the values to "1", "Any", "-1", "-1", "-1", "-1". Leave "Clone" turned off.
4) In the "Set Output To", set the values to "9", "Match Input", "-1", "-1", "-1", "-1". Leave "Delay" at zero and the two pull thru options off.
5) Click "OK"
6) Repeat steps 2 to 5 to map Channels 2-8 to 10-16.
7) Click "Save..." and save the mapping somewhere you'll be able to find it later (and preferably somewhere you regularly back up). Then "Save..." another copy in ...\Program Files\MIDIOX (as that seems to be the only place they'll load from below). Call it "Ch1-8 to Ch9-16.oxm" or something.
8) Now you can cancel out of the Data Mapping page.
9) Use "View->Port Routings" to bring up the pictorial routings window. You'll see the coloured lines with a grey square connecting from the Inputs to your Output.
10) Right-click the grey square on the line from your second US2400 port and select Properties...
11) In the "Map File:" drop down, select the "Ch1-8 to Ch9-16.oxm" map.

Take a look in the US2400 manual to see whether there are other configurations for the faders. (For example, NRPNs or something.)

Title: Re: 3 midi ports to 1 midi port?
Post by Peter L Jones on Jan 17^th, 2008, 5:05pm

on 01/17/08 at 13:58:39, renjian212 wrote:

In addition, since these faders can move according to the changes in DAW, how can I seperate the MIDI signals from 1 port to all 3?

You need to identify something on which to split the MIDI messages first.
(You'd use a second MIDI Yoke port set up the opposite way around to my first reply and then a map file set up the opposite way around to my second reply -- but that can only work for up to 16 channels, as that's all a single MIDI port supports.)

Title: Re: 3 midi ports to 1 midi port?
Post by renjian212 on Jan 17^th, 2008, 7:17pm

Hi Peter

I kind of understand the logic, to assign the 1st channel of port 2 to 9th channel in port 1 and so on, but it just doesn't work out...

Interestingly I found out this mapping actually works since I map 2 to 8 by mistake, the fader No. 10 (which is 2nd channel in port 2) can control track 8, but it can not move any further above 8.....

I am using Mackie Control template in SAWStudio, does it matter with what's in this template?

Ricky

Title: Re: 3 midi ports to 1 midi port?
Post by Peter L Jones on Jan 18^th, 2008, 1:55pm

Quote:

I kind of understand the logic, to assign the 1st channel of port 2 to 9th channel in port 1 and so on, but it just doesn't work out...

Can you see anything happening on the monitor displays to explain what's actually happening?

Quote:

I am using Mackie Control template in SAWStudio, does it matter with what's in this template?

I'm sorry, I've no knowledge of either of those.

Title: Re: 3 midi ports to 1 midi port?
Post by renjian212 on Jan 18^th, 2008, 3:55pm

Sorry these just my guesses on what you told me, I am trying to explain in my term but seems stupid...I have no knowledge on MIDI and really appreciated your help.

Let me try some other settings see if can find out more information.

Cheers

Ricky