Hacking Reason for MIDI madness!

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Catblack
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20 Oct 2018

syncanonymous wrote:
20 Oct 2018
well, baby steps for me with Ctrlr...lots of them

Lack of documentation leads right into a minefield...gotta be persistent and not get derailed easily.
Every day I think it isn't going to work...and I spend a day on it and find solutions.
Recording SysEx into Reason? I don't have any idea about that yet...Maybe Catblack's "Wall" is looming. I also want to record GSP2101 footcontroller toggles (midi CCs). So might need to make a Cntrlr fer that too.

In standalone mode, the mapped CCs do control my CyberTwins. I turned on TouchOSC just for a look see and that worked controlling my standalone Ctrlr panel doing nothing to Ctrlr...awesome! And got me re-inspired.

When I started (past 2 weeks), I was using the latest version 5.5.2 and "built" (placed modulators and formatted, no Lua) a basic midi cc controller. But that 5.5.2 version doesn't load in a VST host (shows up an empty VST. You need it load in you VST host to save a dll version of a panel). I've been working in standalone only, whoops. I installed Ctrlr version 5.3.201 and thar she blows, I can save my panel as a dll. My dll doesn't work on first load, tho :-/ Likely, I gonna hafta make my panel in 5.3.201 as described here. Not a huge problem....I only have 18 sliders so far. I keep all my settings in a separate doc, so it's a copy and paste fest.
Your project sounds pretty cool.

I've been picking up a couple of of my old projects now that my kid has started daycare. Just in the planning stages, but I've identified the platform(s) I'm going to use for the frontend. The goal of the main project is to display on screen what your other controllers are mapped to in Reason, with the ability to have some flexibility in the front end design for different setups, as well as flexibility in the backend telling Remote via sysex what the various items are. I have the architecture sorted out and some promising tests completed. But the frontend has to be Javascript, (React, maybe?) and that's not my strongest language.

So if you had a say, BCR2000 you'd have a window that showed the layout of it and it'd update the labels to show what device has focus in Reason at the moment. I've been thinking about the problem for a few years now, and I think it'll solve a problem many people have. (I do love the little screen on my Nektar P4, but imagine a configurable window for each of your midi controllers!)
If you ain't hip to the rare Housequake, shut up already.

Damn.

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syncanonymous
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20 Oct 2018

thanks for the encouragement, Catblack :-)

Your idea sounds great. I'd love to be able to implement current settings displays of external hardware into my scenario, altho I am pretty sure these preamp/ multiFX I am using do not support much feedback.

I didn't really understand how to use footcontroller toggles before this past summer, Back in the day (late 80s and 90s) all I remember being able to do was program changes and a couple of expression pedals. Otherwise we were manipulating front panel controls or introducing pedals. Using the GSP2101 in a stompbox fashion creates a better element of control without program change dropout. Sysex control of Cyber Twins via TouchOSC is a game changer with that amp. Now, I'd like to find a way to record those controller events as well as send sysex. Inevitably having me need to get into lua for the 2101 FC toggles. So, it's more than one project :roll:
I wish I had more sysex info on the CyberTwins as I don't know the commands for some key front panel controls like EXIT (to program screen) or SAVE. I have been digging, but not found.

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syncanonymous
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20 Oct 2018

jimmyklane wrote:
22 Jul 2018
...What I really want is to have bar 1 have the SysEx for all my synths lines up on their tracks and therefore have recall when i hit play.
Ahornberg wrote:
22 Jul 2018
On a per-song-base this is not possible in Reason.
What jimmyklane is talking about is kinda what I have in mind to start. With Ctrlr, one should be able to create a single panel to cover all of their devices. I was thinking to stagger the timings of all those midi messages in the "first song bar" so multiple messages do not happen at the same time code. In my case, I currently only have 3 or 4 external midi devices. I do not know how many VST instances of Ctrlr are possible per Reason song.

I am looking forward to diving in further with Ctrlr.

jimmyklane
Posts: 740
Joined: 16 Apr 2018

23 Oct 2018

I’ve used ctlr to great effect in Nuendo, but have never tried it inside of Reason. To the best of my knowledge you absolutely CANNOT trick Reason into sending SYSEX or NRPN messages no matter if it’s via a plugin or naturally.

I’ve got about 18 external midi devices, several of which will use up multiple i/o having 32 or 64 channels to them. I connect what I can via USB and have never experienced the timing problems that others have had, but I’m still left controlling the remainder with 2x MOTU MIDIexpress devices so as to have each instrument with it’s own port. I HAVE experienced significant MIDI-thru delays....I can hear them and they bother me so I’ve eliminated them.

Interested to hear what’s happened with CTLR while I’ve been away!!!
DAW: Reason 12

SAMPLERS: Akai MPC 2000, E-mu SP1200, E-Mu e5000Ultra, Ensoniq EPS 16+, Akai S950, Maschine

SYNTHS: Mostly classic Polysynths and more modern Monosynths. All are mostly food for my samplers!

www.soundcloud.com/jimmyklane

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syncanonymous
Posts: 477
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23 Oct 2018

jimmyklane wrote:
23 Oct 2018
I’ve used ctlr to great effect in Nuendo, but have never tried it inside of Reason. To the best of my knowledge you absolutely CANNOT trick Reason into sending SYSEX or NRPN messages no matter if it’s via a plugin or naturally....

...Interested to hear what’s happened with CTLR while I’ve been away!!!
bummer...so Rewire it will have to be for SysEx...I'll give 'er a try and keep expectations at bay...I am a guitar guy, I don't have any real synths...that might have to change...I am struggling with in the box sounds at the mo

ctrlr is a minefield, different versions where the syntax for modulator attributes is inconsistent...lack of documentation is the biggest issue with ctrlr, tho

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syncanonymous
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25 Oct 2018

there is Stream Byter for SysEx to CC translation
https://audeonic.com/mb_sbyter.shtml

my application is using ipad as a controller
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rmtcvolte
Posts: 205
Joined: 15 Nov 2018

27 Dec 2018

Catblack wrote:
20 Oct 2018

I've been picking up a couple of of my old projects now that my kid has started daycare. Just in the planning stages, but I've identified the platform(s) I'm going to use for the frontend. The goal of the main project is to display on screen what your other controllers are mapped to in Reason, with the ability to have some flexibility in the front end design for different setups, as well as flexibility in the backend telling Remote via sysex what the various items are. I have the architecture sorted out and some promising tests completed. But the frontend has to be Javascript, (React, maybe?) and that's not my strongest language.

So if you had a say, BCR2000 you'd have a window that showed the layout of it and it'd update the labels to show what device has focus in Reason at the moment. I've been thinking about the problem for a few years now, and I think it'll solve a problem many people have. (I do love the little screen on my Nektar P4, but imagine a configurable window for each of your midi controllers!)
Do you have a BCR still laying around? I am working on the window/display thing with ctrlr and codec. but it is not ready to publish it - would like to have the mapping for the stock devices (at least) first.

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AttenuationHz
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Location: Back of the Rack-1

27 Dec 2018

Ahornberg wrote:
17 Oct 2018
I do not understand why Players only support MIDI notes.
Players supporting MIDI CC would be more powerful.
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Catblack
Posts: 1020
Joined: 15 Apr 2016
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27 Dec 2018

rmtcvolte wrote:
27 Dec 2018
Catblack wrote:
20 Oct 2018

I've been picking up a couple of of my old projects now that my kid has started daycare. Just in the planning stages, but I've identified the platform(s) I'm going to use for the frontend. The goal of the main project is to display on screen what your other controllers are mapped to in Reason, with the ability to have some flexibility in the front end design for different setups, as well as flexibility in the backend telling Remote via sysex what the various items are. I have the architecture sorted out and some promising tests completed. But the frontend has to be Javascript, (React, maybe?) and that's not my strongest language.

So if you had a say, BCR2000 you'd have a window that showed the layout of it and it'd update the labels to show what device has focus in Reason at the moment. I've been thinking about the problem for a few years now, and I think it'll solve a problem many people have. (I do love the little screen on my Nektar P4, but imagine a configurable window for each of your midi controllers!)
Do you have a BCR still laying around? I am working on the window/display thing with ctrlr and codec. but it is not ready to publish it - would like to have the mapping for the stock devices (at least) first.
I have one sitting here plugged in and working. And a second under my desk in the original box. I had one die, and I found they seem quite rare nowadays, so i got two on auctions from Japan. (I've also got wooden rails on order to stack them.) Feel free to pm or email me.
If you ain't hip to the rare Housequake, shut up already.

Damn.

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