Roland MX-1 MIDI program template with correcly named CC

After Jamos taught me that sending CC is just MIDI program automation and after testing that successfully on my Roland MX-1, my compatriot Calcaire opened my eyes on the fact that Program Edit on a MIDI program let the user rename CC... Nice ! Now I want that for the MX-1 - nothing too fancy: mute toggle, level, filter, master FX toggle and beat FX toggle for each of the 12 tracks... Sixty names to enter just for that - not fun.

Has anyone here done that before to save me the tedium ? Otherwise, I'll eventually do it and share it here.

The TR-8 and now this - I'm on a slippery slope...

Jean-Marc Liotier wrote:After Jamos taught me that sending CC is just MIDI program automation and after testing that successfully on my Roland MX-1, my compatriot Calcaire opened my eyes on the fact that Program Edit on a MIDI program let the user rename CC... Nice ! Now I want that for the MX-1 - nothing too fancy: mute toggle, level, filter, master FX toggle and beat FX toggle for each of the 12 tracks... Sixty names to enter just for that - not fun.

Has anyone here done that before to save me the tedium ? Otherwise, I'll eventually do it and share it here.

The TR-8 and now this - I'm on a slippery slope...

I don't know about all that, but I was just pleased as peaches to be able to use my Roland MX-1 as a "class compliant" USB audio interface with my MPC/Force and have it work flawlessly, despite Roland making no mention of it having USB Class Compliance support.

I took the other approach: since I already have an audio interface (Native Instruments Komplete Audio 6 MK2) for my MPC One in sedentary configuration, the MPC is just one of the instruments going into the MX-1: one mono channel (often a Mini-D bass) through TRS jack, a couple of TRS jacks to a stereo channel, another stereo channel through SPDIF (that one limits the whole MX-1 to 44.1 kHz). Also, a TRS jack sends a mono channel to the VT4 (microphone on the audio interface, for MPC-driven MIDI vocoding) that outputs both USB to the MX-1 and a mono channel back to the MPC for resampling - at this point I'm just fooling around, but it is mighty fun.

The MPC was my everything studio in a box, but I felt its studio leanings as a limitation: jamming live (or, let's be honest: noodling) or explaining to my young kids (actually the first reason why I wanted a TR-8) doesn't vibe well with pages and menus - hence acquiring cheap one-knob-per function devices for a "live fun" setup: TR-8, TB-3 and MX-1 (System-1 coming because I'm a complete sucker for Roland's Aira strategy, though at today's flea market prices) - with the MPC clock master (the rumor is true: the MPC doesn't like not running the show)... But I also still use the MPC alone with just a small external keyboard - running the whole pipe dream is unashamedly fun, but in terms of actual musical making I'm not sure it increases productivity at all: the MPC's integration is seriously powerful.

The MX-1's "PC" USB port goes to an actual PC (Debian) that runs Vital (gratuitous extra synth, MPC MIDI driven), Audacity (to record the master out) and Open Broadcast Studio (because I enjoy fooling myself that me making things go honk might actually entertain anyone someday).

And by the way, for such an incompetent as me, the MX-1's mastering chains are very nice: pretty sure that the MPC could pile master effects similarly (with 3-band compressor à la YA Mastering Template), but choosing a chain and obtaining enhanced sound in such a brain-dead way is nice - I like n°2.

Unfortunately the laughably bad noise that the MX-1 has on all the inputs/outputs (which are unbalanced) is a sore point for me. Really wish Roland would have done a proper follow up.

I have seen that noise mentioned, but I have not experienced it... Maybe I just have tin ears (likely hypothesis) but also I have read just as many reports of users happy with the sound. Might it be an issue of noisy power supply ? It is surprisingly often the root cause of such noise.

Jean-Marc Liotier wrote:I have seen that noise mentioned, but I have not experienced it... Maybe I just have tin ears (likely hypothesis) but also I have read just as many reports of users happy with the sound. Might it be an issue of noisy power supply ? It is surprisingly often the root cause of such noise.

The Roland MX-1 is notoriously noisy - I can guarantee you that it’s on yours as well. On literally every MX-1 group we’ve talked about it for years. But your threshold of what you consider acceptable may just be different. Compare the MX-1 to an even cheap digital mixer that has balanced inputs, and you’ll see what I mean. To be fair, Roland designed the MX-1 to be a “performance mixer”, never meant for studio use. Don’t get me wrong - I love mine. Still use it today.

Does the reported noise issue affect all channels or are the USB and SPDIF exempt ? I imagined that the full digital paths don't have that problem.

Anyway, I suppose I'll worry about that when the number of persons who positively enjoy my music gets into the double digits !

Also, my one meter wide music counter is literally in the boiler room (no, not that one) - my apartment's former kitchen and now my home office with computer fan noises on top of the boiler's burner & pump... So the room's noise floor isn't exactly anechoic chamber levels and that may affect my expectations.

Jean-Marc Liotier wrote:Does the reported noise issue affect all channels or are the USB and SPDIF exempt ? I imagined that the full digital paths don't have that problem.

The Aria USB-Audio and Digital COAX ports are much cleaner, so if all you're using is those then you may not notice the noise. All of the analog inputs (and the main output) is crazy noisy though. It's like someone kicked a bag of pissed off snakes.

With that, I just had to do a test. With the room's ambient noise, it can only be a casual test but, as the viewers of the following video will hear, amply sufficient to conclude that the MX-1's analog side produces significant noise - and that the VT-4's analog output is ludicrously bad (but it's USB output is fine).

So, while great for live fun, the MX-1's analog side should not be used if production quality is a critical requirement. The MX-1's digital side is just fine though !

Yeah, that’s… what I’ve been saying the whole thread. That noise has long been known in the MX-1 community. Which is maddening and sad that Roland never did a follow-up to address these issues.

EnochLight wrote:Yeah, that’s… what I’ve been saying the whole thread. That noise has long been known in the MX-1 community. Which is maddening and sad that Roland never did a follow-up to address these issues.

LOLand is a funny ass company. They took the time & cash to build this whole Aria system & then make the mixer to connect the devices together with all the noise & as of yet hasn't made a mk2 to correct the problem even tho there a know demand for it...

Anyway I got the Force, MC707 & the TR8S. If I get the MX-1 & connect everything to it can I use all the outputs via USB as inputs coming into the Force to be able to use the Force's input FX?

B-Wise wrote:Anyway I got the Force, MC707 & the TR8S. If I get the MX-1 & connect everything to it can I use all the outputs via USB as inputs coming into the Force to be able to use the Force's input FX?

You’re asking if the MC707 and TR8S works over the MX-1’s “Aria” USB-Audio inputs? If so, I can’t answer. Originally it was designed specifically for Aria stuff (think TB-3 and the System 1 and 8 ), but they did add some updates supporting later gear as well.

EnochLight wrote:

B-Wise wrote:Anyway I got the Force, MC707 & the TR8S. If I get the MX-1 & connect everything to it can I use all the outputs via USB as inputs coming into the Force to be able to use the Force's input FX?

You’re asking if the MC707 and TR8S works over the MX-1’s “Aria” USB-Audio inputs? If so, I can’t answer. Originally it was designed specifically for Aria stuff (think TB-3 and the System 1 and 8 ), but they did add some updates supporting later gear as well.

To my knowledge the 707 & TR8S is part of the Aria line. But I'm asking is if you can connect them 2 plus the Force to the MX once you make it the Audio-interface for the Force, can you have all the devices output come into the Force as individual inputs to use the Force’s input FX. This would eliminate all the TRS cables & make the mx a USB mixer for the Force. I that makes sense. I may just need to buy it & find out for myself, but I like to do my homework first. I think some my a YT video on this so I'll try to find that later.

B-Wise wrote:To my knowledge the 707 & TR8S is part of the Aria line. But I'm asking is if you can connect them 2 plus the Force to the MX once you make it the Audio-interface for the Force, can you have all the devices output come into the Force as individual inputs to use the Force’s input FX. This would eliminate all the TRS cables & make the mx a USB mixer for the Force. I that makes sense. I may just need to buy it & find out for myself, but I like to do my homework first. I think some my a YT video on this so I'll try to find that later.

I use my MX-1 as an external USB-Audio interface with my Force. I have a Roland TB-3 and a System-8 running on the MX-1’s USB-audio ports and they show up in Force as expected. I also use a Roland Torino effects box in one of the USB ports, converting it to an analog input. I run my Dreadbox Typhon into that one.

EnochLight wrote:

B-Wise wrote:To my knowledge the 707 & TR8S is part of the Aria line. But I'm asking is if you can connect them 2 plus the Force to the MX once you make it the Audio-interface for the Force, can you have all the devices output come into the Force as individual inputs to use the Force’s input FX. This would eliminate all the TRS cables & make the mx a USB mixer for the Force. I that makes sense. I may just need to buy it & find out for myself, but I like to do my homework first. I think some my a YT video on this so I'll try to find that later.

I use my MX-1 as an external USB-Audio interface with my Force. I have a Roland TB-3 and a System-8 running on the MX-1’s USB-audio ports and they show up in Force as expected. I also use a Roland Torino effects box in one of the USB ports, converting it to an analog input. I run my Dreadbox Typhon into that one.

What I'm was trying to figure out is since the 707 has analog 6 outputs, TR8S has 8 outs & the Force has 4, is once I connect them via USB to the MX & make that the Force audio-interface can I then bring all 18 outs via USB into the Force as 18 individual inputs so I can used the Force input FXs for each of the 18 outs at the same time?