MIDI Mapping with MC6 Controller - Cannot Learn

[craigd]

I am wondering whether anyone has had any success sending a CC message from a Morningstar MC6 (or similar) to control the Voicemeeter Potato Tape Recorder. With the MC6, you tell it what MIDI message you want to send when a button is pushed and to which MIDI channel. You can also send Sysex messages.

I've arbitrarily decided to use channel 5 (as I have other devices on channels 1-4) and decided on sending a MIDI CC 10 with a value of 127 for start record, and a value of 0 for stop record. This is basically the same way (different codes) other pedals do it (ie my FM3 or Aeros Looper).

I've updated to the latest firmware (v3.9.8) which provides multiple virtual MIDI ports, so I connect to the MC6 editor interface on port 1, leaving 3 other ports available. I have also disconnected my MC6 from the pedalboard, and just using the USB connection so that there is no other interference.

So when I start up the MIDI Mapping on VM Potato (x64), I selected port 2 of the MC6 as the input MIDI device, navigate to page 5, and hit the [LEARN] button on the record, then hit the designated button which should be sending CC 10 127 on channel 5. Problem is, nothing shows up in VM.

I tried changing to output on channel 1, and also tried outputting to all channels (well, that is a PC, but I assumed VM would learn it just the same?), still nothing.

I have also had a look at the raw xml file that it created if you save the mappings, but as I don't have a controller that can actually set a value, it is hard to know how to read the values in the xml file to see what to manually change it to...ie what are b1..b6 etc..

Code: Select all

<MidiMapItem id='TapeRec' b1='00' b2='00' b3='00' b4='00' b5='00' b6='00' coder='0' ptt='0' feed1='0' feed2='0' omni='0' disabled='0' />

I resorted to using the API to control it from an external program I wrote in c# to trigger the recording (and in this case, also hit space bar in the Ultimate-Guitar browser window to begin playback of a backing track ) but I'd rather just drive it from the footswitch!

Code: Select all

	    try
            {
                vmrApi.SetParameter("recorder.FileType", 1);
                vmrApi.SetParameter("Recorder.samplerate", 48000);
                Process p = Process.GetProcesses().Where(x => x.MainWindowTitle == comboBox1.Text).FirstOrDefault();
                if (p != null)
                {
                    IntPtr h = p.MainWindowHandle;
                    SetForegroundWindow(h);
                    vmrApi.SetParameter("Recorder.bitResolution", 24);
                    vmrApi.SetParameter("recorder.record", 1);
                    SendKeys.SendWait(" ");
                }
            }
            catch(Exception ex)
            {
                MessageBox.Show(ex.Message);
            }

Any thoughts on what I'm doing wrong would be greatly appreciated!

Craig

[Vincent Burel]

please , let me know what is your Voicemeeter version
and post a screenshot of the MIDI mapping Dialog box.

[craigd]

Thanks Vincent, and apologies for the delay but had a couple of goes at writing this up but Edge crashed while dragging and dropping files.

Currently using Potato x64 v3.02.2.

Here is the setup of the MC6, Bank 9 Button A.

MC6-2.png (133.19 KiB) Viewed 8210 times

And here is the MID Mapping Page

Potato-2.jpg (128.77 KiB) Viewed 8210 times

I had to cut out the middle half of the page otherwise the image file would be too big.

I hit Learn, took the screen grab, then hit Button A on the MC 6, and nothing shows up as it does in the youtube videos suggest it should.

[Vincent Burel]

ok, did you see other MC6 control working with our MIDI mapping ?

[craigd]

Hi Vincent and thanks for getting back to me. I have not been able to find any references on the internet to MC6 working with Voicemeeter. Are you able to recommend where to find that ?

[Vincent Burel]

i mean , are you able to make a Learn with any other controls of your remote surface , or the problem is just for this control button in particular ?

[craigd]

Ok... none of the midi mapping buttons are responding to any messages from the MC6. I have also tried sending PC, and tried sending to different channels and all channels.

[Vincent Burel]

or Voicemeeter audio engine is not running (you have not selected any audio device as output A1).
or there is a problem with your MIDI device. Does it work with another application handling MIDI ?

[craigd]

Hi Vincent - thanks for your time. In the interests of anyone else who wants to know how to get this working, I wanted to post this solution.

Firstly, the MC6 does not seem to send its MIDI signal over USB. In the most recent firmware (v3.9.8 as of today) they introduced a setting to send MIDI to up to 4 virtual outputs, but that still doesn't seem to work. I'll do some more research on this and work on the Morningstar forum on that.

Because of that, I ordered a USB MIDI HUB (DOREMIDI USB HUB-8 if anyone's interested) and sent the DIN OUT from MC6 to the HUB INPUT. With the "TO HOST" USB connection to the computer, it happily shows up as a control surface on Voicemeeter and control message can be learned. For anyone trying this, be sure to select the HUB device, and not the device that is presented directly by the MC6, or any of the virtual devices presented directly.

Since the primary use case for the MC6 is as a foot pedal, my goal was to use it to control the Tape Recorder. I was wondering whether I could be so bold as to ask for a setting to allow the audio file to be released (ie Eject) that can also be controlled by a MIDI message?

Thanks again for taking the time to work this through with me.