What do you have midi-ed to your 4000?

I'm using a Triton Studio, MP-7, K2600, Fantom X7, Proteus 2000, Motif 8, Motif ES rack, A-station, QS8, VP9000, S3000xl, Access Virus KC, ASR-X all connected to a midi timepiece AV USB and a midi express XT. I use Pro Tools, so the midi I/O's allows me access to all of the sound modules and key boards. But I can only use 4 units at a time with the 4000. If you are using more than 4 units, how are you doing it.

Do you want to sequence with your computer, MPC or both? Right now you have the chain set up for the computer. You would need to do some patching, rewiring, splitting and/or merging for the MPC to have access to all the same gear. Right now you are using 2 cables for every piece of gear, you will need to condense that into fewer streams to work with the MPC.

Remember that each MIDI path has 16 channels. Gear can use anything from 1 to all 16 channels, but chances are you don't NEED to be using more than a few for each peice of gear if you have a lot stuff. So by optimizing MIDI thrus, splitters and/or patchbays, you can easily share one path with many pieces of gear if you are sure to set each piece to its own MIDI channel. Your timepeices should be able to function just like a patchbay, so you may have a lot of luck with your current wiring.

For example, my MIDI out A goes to an 8x8 patchbay set to send on 7 of the outs (same concept as a splitter). So all of these devices stem from one cable:

patchbay out port | midi channel(s) | device
2 | 1-2 | JP-8080
3 | 3-6 | Nord 3
4 | 7-10 | Q
5 | 11 | MKS-50
...and so on.

Similarly I have keyboards on a stand all sharing MIDI out C by using their thru ports. This isn't so tricky so long as you are able to set dedicated ports/channels for each piece of gear. In the 4k you can permanently name your MIDI ports so its easy! Also keep in mind that a tiny bit of latency gets added each time you chain (some gear is worse than others), so don't use too many thrus or keep gear that doesn't need the best timing at the end.

The tougher part is if you need the outs of each device back to the MPC ins. Usually you only need a keyboard or MIDI controller to go into the MPC since that is what is being recorded or sent back to the synths. But if you want to automate knob movements or send sysex dumps with gear, you need to rewire each time or merge their outs together. To do this, you use a MIDI merger or patchbay.

My example above works well for this since the patchbay in ports are not accounted for. I simply route needed outs to those ports, then with the touch of a button have access to the piece needed to record (one of the outs routes back to an MPC in). In this example I am manually selecting/patching rather than merging. Merging all means everything is live, so you would want to watch out for MIDI loops on gear that has both in and out connected.

I understand. I was thinking, I'm going to have use only a few midi channels from each unit to make it work. Or, just use my 4 best sound modules or keyboards. Then some days I want to use the 60II, or the 3000! ?? If I didn't have these midi I/O's, I'd go crazy.

the answer was in your question...



a midi timepiece AV USB

nice tip, smooth!

how do u manage the setup in your 4k?
you said u named each midi gear with its name?
how do you store this and the assigned midi channels?

i am not in front of my mpc so i cant try it now?

Midi timepiece AV USB
MAC Computer
Pro Tools
Korg Karma
Motif Rack
DX 7II
EMU ESI 32
Kurzwiel PC88
Proteus World
JP 8000
VL70m
2 Yamaho 02r's
Alesis HD 24
Alesis Q2


and a few other things....

renegadebliss wrote:the answer was in your question...



a midi timepiece AV USB

Same here.

I'd be interested to see some of the more complex setups.
My midi knowledge is very rudimentary.
I've just got 4 rompler keyboards, 1 each on A, B, C, D.
I never learned if it's possible/how so, to route additional keyboards/modules thru the existing keyboards, and have the MPC transmit a full 16 channels into 2 boards off of one of its MIDI outs.

Also, is there a way to hook an additional MIDI cable out of one of the romplers I rarely use more than 4 channels of during composition, into the 2nd MIDI input on my Roland XV-5080, to get up to 32 channels of MIDI into the XV? (I use 16 channels on the XV frequently)

If some of the advanced users could assist me I'd be grateful.
And I know I should RTFM to see how to go about this, but Lehman's terms always help.
BTW, I'm also interested in sequencing VI's from the MPC as well.
THanks for any advice.

my personal setup (I've bought and sold a tons of gear) is rather small but I've keept the essential kit for my type of production...
the 4k (the royalty
TR808(midi)
TEEBEE303(mk3)
Wladorf Microwave 1 with access programmer
rebought ASRX 10outs & FX (used too free up mpc layers and outs)
Crest XR20 (great sounding compact desk)
Dynoaudio BM5a's monitors
DP4 (4xFX)
MFC42
Spectralis (the newest member on the block, a dance music production megastar!!
Rane, dbx and drawner compression,
patchbay
and some computers are hanging around ..

might add a sun-syn and a 999 one day..

My studio is not up and running, Nothing really hoocked up, just playing around with the spectralis these day's, been on a long break from music, and usually just working in others studio's,.. but when I do hoock it all up I have a midi patchbay and a midi merger + the merger I have on the teebee.. the MPC keeps it tight..

Also, is there a way to hook an additional MIDI cable out of one of the romplers I rarely use more than 4 channels of during composition, into the 2nd MIDI input on my Roland XV-5080, to get up to 32 channels of MIDI into the XV? (I use 16 channels on the XV frequently)

you use midi chainging via midi though and turn off midi channels one each module in the chain to bypass conflict between modules...

you can have 16 channels per midi chain

if you have 3x synths hoocked up to that chain .. mpc out> in synth 1> through synth1 in synth2> through synth2 in synth3...

go into each synth and set up the channels, the 3 synths have to share the 16 midi cahnnels in the chain..

sample:
so synth 1 (channel 1-4 on 5-16 off
synth 2 (((1-4 off 5-10 on, 11-16 off
synth 3 (((1 -10 off 11- 16 on

the MPC playes on the same midi port> synth 1 on channel 1-4 ..synth2 on channle 5-10 and synth3 on 11-16..
you might have to set up sound banks per channel inside your synths in order to access these banks via pgm in the mpc> to change presets on the synths inside the mpc and save them with your mpc sessions, or call up the multi (might be on a midi master channel on the synth) but it depends on you synths ...

So it is possible to have MIDI output A controlling the 1st 16 channels on the XV, and a thru coming off any other MIDI output routed to MIDI input 2 on the XV-5080, controlling it's other 16 channels?

But I must set this up in a menu inside the XV ?
Seems simple enough.

Also, when I get all 5 of my keyboards/modules(2 Ensoniq, 3 roland) setup exactly how I like, I assume each one will be able to save this setup as default ? And will boot up this way thereon after ? Likewise for VI's inside PTLE ?

So it is possible to have MIDI output A controlling the 1st 16 channels on the XV, and a thru coming off any other MIDI output routed to MIDI input 2 on the XV-5080, controlling it's other 16 channels?

No,... there can only be 16 channels per port .. its the limit of midi ... hence 4x midi outs 64 midi channels (4x16)

so you have to decide what units will have what channels, if a synth 1 & 2 have an intrument on the same channel in the same midi chain (say ch 1) they will both trigger their sound assigned to ch 1 ..

cool thing is, you can use this as a layering effect, say layer a bass tone from your synth 1 and synth 2, but the 4k has dual midi channel per track ability, so this effect can be done in more simple ways, you could also do like multiple midi channels playing the same track .. in any case you should try to separate the midi channels on each module if they share the same midi chain..

Also, when I get all 5 of my keyboards/modules(2 Ensoniq, 3 roland) setup exactly how I like, I assume each one will be able to save this setup as default ? And will boot up this way thereon after ? Likewise for VI's inside PTLE ?

yes they will, usually you have somekind of global master setting for these, but it should aslo be saved within a session file (multi setting of your workstation, synth patch on your vsi),.. look into the use program change, if your going up this road,.. its very convenient and you can make dif sounds play the same track via pattern simply by coping that pattern and use a diff pgm number (main screen mpc)...

dreadnutz wrote:how do u manage the setup in your 4k?
you said u named each midi gear with its name?
how do you store this and the assigned midi channels?

It's pretty easy, you just select a MIDI port for your Out assignment, then you should be able to move the cursor over the device name and open window. This brings up a chart for all 16 channels on each port and you can rename each one of them. It is stored in flash so the next time you power up and start cycling through midi channels, you will see the name of each device pop up. So if you are stoned out of your mind and have no idea how you wired everything, you should still have no problem finding everything

This does require your external gear to be set to the respective MIDI channels in the MPC. From my experience, gear usually has either a) 1 midi channel (ex: monotimbral synths) b) multiple independent voices with their own midi channels and c) performance modes where the midi assignments are stored in each patch. Usually synths that can do b) also do c), but many multitimbral sound modules (like a roland XV) force you into a multi mode if you want to use more than one sound whereas a Nord rack gives you 4 independent banks of single sounds to change freely. a) and b) are always easy to set up in your synths global options or midi settings, but c) usually has its midi settings per patch and requires more work. I just let my XV use an entire MIDI path for now since it is my only rompler. If you ever run General MIDI files through it, its best to leave it that way.

So if you are stoned out of your mind and have no idea how you wired everything, you should still have no problem finding everything

you know me?

thx, great!

Got 2 Emagic Midi interfaces installed as midi thru ports
got the fist one connected to MPC out a
Connected to that one.

Roland JV2080
Korg Triton Rack
EMU E5000 Ultra
Alesis QSR
Ensoniq ASR10R
Kurzweil PC88
Yamaha Motif XS rack

Second Emagic is connected to midi out B
Connected to that one

2 Se1x's
EMU Proteus2000
EMU Vintage Pro
EMU Virtuoso2000
Korg TR Rack
Korg WSAD
AKAI S5000
Korg Prophecy

On out C I got a Fast PC connected just for VSTi's
(Ivory, Elektrik Piano, Rob Papen Blue etc)

On D I got my Akai S950 and other MPC's that I have laying here at the moment (1000 and 2000 right now,3000 still needs to get fixed)