Do you mind if I pick your brain about programming the controls?

Question

Since this layout won't wo with the DX27, I've gone about making my own. The layou is different, for obvious reasons, but I'd like to know where you started in programming the controls, as I've never really done anything like this before.

Comments

Hey there, welcome aboard.

Please use the "comment" function instead of posting a new question here. Unfortunately, I cannot convert this question into a comment, but it'll be hidden shortly (and EZB probably won't see it anyway). Just go ahead and shoot him any questions you have as comments on either of the other two questions about the DX27 layout.

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Or just ask your questions here and we'll see if we can get you sorted, or if we can get the user who created the DX7 layout to chime in. Thanks!

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Let's see if I can get you started.

Normally when you want to create a Midi Designer (MD) layout you need to find out if your synth accepts midi CC, midi sysex or NRPNs. Most often any synth will have a few standard midi CC messages it responds to and then it can be either sysex or NRPNs.

If it's sysex you need to find the paramater change sysex command. If the manufacturer isn't lazy you will find a midi specification in your manual.

If you have a DX27 manual, page 48 contains the parameter change sysex command.

The parameter change sysex command is

F0 43 10 12

The third value 10 is only 10 if your synth is set to midi channel 1. If your synth is set to midi channel 2 the value will be 11 instead of 10. Midi channel 3 will result in value  12 etc etc. I recommend for the time being to keep your midi channel on your synth to 1. So in this case your sysex command is

F0 43 10 12

Fortunately Midi Designer doesn't need the F0 so that one is ommitted.
Your sysex string results in

43 10 12

This is just the first part. Now you have to define the parameter you want to change and the data you want to send.

Say, you want to control the Algorithm Select.
On page 55 the parameter number for Algorithm Select is 52.
However, this is a decimal value and should be changed to a hexadecimal value. If you don't know about hex use the Midi Byte Calculator.

http://mididesigner.com/help/midi-byte-calculator/?sum=12&number_of_bytes=1

Enter 52 in the Value To Bytes field and press Submit Query button.

The result will appear in the Bytes To Value field.

The result is 34.

So now you know the parameter number.

Your parameter change sysex command for Algorithm Select is now :

43 10 12 34

However, Midi Designer also expects a value that your knob will send when you turn it. You will always enter V for that value.

This results in your final sysex command string.

43 10 12 34 V

Now comes the Midi Designer part.

- You create a knob in Midi Designer.
- Double tap the knob to get its properties screen.
- Go to the Midi tab.
- Choose Message Type to be sysex
- Now enter the resulting string I described above
      43 10 12 34 V

- Press apply.

- Set midi min and midi max of your knob.

- Done.

- Now make sure in your DX27 Midi Sys Info is set to on otherwise your DX27 will not receive the command.

- Now test your knob.

If it works you can continue with the rest of the knobs and buttons.

Now it gets more simple. You only need to copy the sysex command string and substitute the parameter number (the value before the V)

43 10 12 34 V

Let me know how it goes.

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Friend, you just saved me hours of blind research. Thank you. I will now start to move forward in programming and keep you posted of my results, and if I get stuck, I'm sure I'll have more questions. Thank you for that education on sysex.

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Cool. Looking forward to your layout. If you have questions let us know.
Don't know if I can react right away, but at least it's in the pipeline.

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It appears I've missed something. I've followed all the instructions you've provided to the letter, but The DX27 isn't responding. I've turned on system info and made sure MD was sending and receiving data. Not sure what I've missed.

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Hi there, how are you connecting to the synth? Thanks.

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I'm using an M Audio UNO to the camera connection kit.

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I am not familiar with how the M Audio Uno works. I use an iRig midi cable or an ESI nTour midi cable.

Can you confirm your midi connection works? Ways to check are:

- MD's log window. Turn a knob on your synth and see if your log window receives information. This only works of course if your synth can send out messages and often you need to switch that message sending on in your synth. The log window helped me out once because I had a synth of which the sysex specification was not up-to-date. I saw in the log window what the sysex structure was and therefore I could fix the problem.

- Create a knob  that sends Control Change (CC) message 7. This is the universal CC for the volume of any synth. If that functions you know your connection is ok. Then there might be something in the sysex and we need to figure that out.

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Apparently, it was the way I had it hooked up, because everything works now. I'm still far from finished, but the help you've given  me has been much appreciated. I still have a lot of controls to map and to tweak their functions, but I'm seeing progress. One thing I did notice was, my attack rate control will go most of the way with no effect and then the last 5 ticks or so, the attack rate changes, how can I spread that more evenly across the range?

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This is awesome news! Glad to see you're moving ahead. Thanks for your persistence, and a HUGE thanks to EZB for helping out and teaching all of us a little about MIDI and MD.

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Great to read that the connection is ok. Now the next step.

Looking at the Dx27 manual attack rate has a range of 0(midi min) through 31(midi max). I think you already set that in the Midi tab.

Now, whenever you set the midi min and max of a knob, slider or crossfader you need to determine how many ticks a range is. In your case the range 0 through 31 is 32 ticks(1 through 31 is 31 ticks plus 0 is one tick extra and that makes 32 ticks). Ticks mean the number of possible settings you can do in your midi range, which is 32 in this case.

After you determine the number of ticks set them in the Properties tab (numOfTicks). Now you are done. Your number of ticks complies to your midi min midi max range.

Let me know how it goes.

Oh, and by the way. It is awesome that you are doing this and putting effort into this.

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Thanks. I did make the adjustments and now the faders work smoothly. I think I may have plugged in some wrong values, but nothing to difficult to fix, things like my D1L level fader is currently controlling the portamento rate. All in all, it's coming along nicely. Once I finish this, I'll see if it'll also work on the FB01, and if it does, that would be great. Thanks again for your guidance.

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Awesome. Keep up the good work.

As for the FB-01, it has a different sysex structure than your DX27, so your DX27 layout won't work on it.