Soft synths sending midi data?????

[MILLSY5]

Hi all,

I am having a few problems getting my head around a midi situation. I am using the microtonic synth with a behringer midi controller. I have set everything up and it all appears to work properly however i was wondering if it is possible to record midi data into the machine from the microtonic. It offers a function from which it sends midi data via the pattern sequencer to enable conrol of other drum machines etc and if i set it as the input in cubase sx, cubase will record this midi data however it will not record any movements i create using the faders (ie filter cut off). My confusion lies in the fact that i set up the behringer midi controller using its learn function where by you pick a fader and then move a fader on the microtonic with the mouse and the behringer learns this. Surely this means the micortonic is sending some kind of midi data so why cant i record it directly into cubase using only the micro tonic controls???

The reason i want to do this is the when i change to a new preset on the micro tonic i would like it to send the messages out to the Behringer so that its motorised faders move to the same position as the microtonics to enable me to fine tune presets. If there is another way of doing this to the above please could someone put me out of my misery and let me know.

Thanks in advance for any help i really appreciate it.


Keith

[mikemorgan]

As far as I know softsynths do not creat any midi data. They only read the midi data generated by controllers/sequencers. They changes you are talking about sound like they might be saved to a sysex file that can be loaded at a particular time through your sequencing program. When you send this sysex, your Behringer would instantly re-learn the mapping you require. I think?

[ssscientist]

Originally Posted by MILLSY5

Surely this means the micortonic is sending some kind of midi data so why cant i record it directly into cubase using only the micro tonic controls???

Yes, the Microtonic does send SOME midi data - like program changes to control other drum machines within Cubase.

But that doesn't mean it sends every concievable midi message. It would need to send Behringer-specific sysex messages for it to do what you want it to do without putting a strain on the host sequencer, and that's a tall order.

I own the Microtonic too and especially with the new browser and other updates in version 2 it just quite simply rules!

[Atterion]

Sounds like you are trying to record and automate the synth via the MIDI channel that is playing it. Try arming the VST output channel (the one that is created when adding a new VST instrument), this is where all the automation data for the instrument should be.

[MILLSY5]

Thanks for the help.

Just to reiterate though i am not sure the microtonic is sending syssex data. The midi learn is very simple. I set which fader i want to receive data on the behringer then i move the control on the microtonic and the behringer changes its settings to that midi message. There is no special sending of data or anything. Obviously i do have to set the microtonic as the midi input and the behringer as the output but thats it. So the microtonic must be sending something, which i assume is the cc data as thats what the behringer learns.


I have a fairly good grasp of midi and soft synths but its only since i got the behringer i have started to wonder if ive missed something.

Cheers

Keith

[ssscientist]

Originally Posted by MILLSY5

So the microtonic must be sending something, which i assume is the cc data as thats what the behringer learns.

Yes. That's what the Behringer learns and that's how you can control the Microtonic with the Behringer faders.

You are taking it a step further and expecting the process to work in reverse too, and that's what I was trying to say wouldn't work. You are expecting the faders on the Behringer unit to find their way to the current settings on the Microtonic just because you've set them to send the appropriate midi controllers. That would require the Behringer unit to have two midi processers, one for output --- which we know it does have --- and one for input, which I'm pretty sure it doesn't have.

I have a Peavey PC1600x which is very similar to the Behringer except with 16 non-motorised faders, and know it to be an output-only device except for special cases like scene change over midi.