MRCC, NDLR, and MIDI channels

[dreg]

Hello there, new member and new owner of both NDLR and MRCC. 

I would love some help with my configuration. 

I have set up my synths midi inputs to be played by the NDLR. 

Polybrute channel 1
Minifreak channel 2
Volca FM 2 channel 3
Roland JV-1080 channel 5

NDLR settings sends sequences to these 4 midi channels (MIDI all.)


NDLR is plugged into input 2 of my MRCC. Polybrute is used as a controller for my rack synths, and is plugged into input 1 of MRCC.

However, because of the channel settings I made for the NDLR, the Polybrute can only play JV-1080 if it is set to output on midi channel 5.

I thought that having the MRCC would allow me to route any input to any output without having to play with the channels. The NDLR needs to send to different channels for the sequences to be received by only one synth, but I thought I could also control any synth with my Polybrute via the MRCC. 

Is there something I'm not seeing in the MRCC settings that would help me do this? This seems like the exact sort of thing the MRCC is made for. I want to select the destination for the controller via the MRCC, and not by changing the midi output channel on the controller (being the Polybrute in this scenario.)

Thanks for the help! 
Dre

[House de Kris]

It's been about two weeks since you posted this, so perhaps you've already arrived at a solution, but if not I will offer some thoughts. Everything you write makes sense, until this:

"However, because of the channel settings I made for the NDLR, the Polybrute can only play JV-1080 if it is set to output on midi channel 5."

Since the JV-1080 is 16 part multi-timbrel, if you can play channel 5 on the 1080 from the Polybrute (which implies routing in the MRCC is functional), it would seem that you should be able to play all channels of the 1080 by simply changing the MIDI TX (transmit) channel of the Polybrute. Unless you are using some sort of channel filtering on the MRCC, or have not setup sounds on other channels of the 1080, it is perplexing why you cannot access other channels of the 1080. But, the channel setting you made in the NDLR should not be a cause of this.

"I thought that having the MRCC would allow me to route any input to any output without having to play with the channels."

The MRCC does allow you to route any input port to any output port, but you still have the freedom to use whatever channels within those ports you wish to use. The MRCC has one mode that translates Input Port Channels to Output Ports on ch1 ("Channel to Port Mapping" page 34 of the manual), but I've never used that option.

"The NDLR needs to send to different channels for the sequences to be received by only one synth"

The NDLR sends on different channels for the four different parts it generates, and this data can be used by one, two, three, or four synths.

"I thought I could also control any synth with my Polybrute via the MRCC"

Yes, you should be able to accomplish what you say here. Routing the Polybrute's output port to all the MRCC output ports where the synths are hooked up will allow the Polybrute to talk to the Minifreak and Volca as well.

In summary, it should work. But, I may have misunderstood your situation and question. If you are still having issues, please add more detail, and I or others can take another stab at it.

Good luck!

[Jesse Johannesen]

To follow up on this It does sound like a good use case for the Channel to Port Mapping modifier. You can place an instance of the mod in each of the routings to the 4 outputs you mentioned, then set each listening device to listen on CH1. The Mod will look for any MIDI sent to that port on the channel that shares its number, (so if it's output 3, it will only pass MIDI sent to it on CH3), then shifts it to CH1 and sends it out.
To switch which device you are playing from the Polybrute, you would change it to send on the MIDI channel you want to play (ie CH3), and it will be routed to that port (Port 3), and come out on CH1 to the listening device.

If you are still having trouble with the setup send me an email at Support@conductivelabs.com and I can give you a hand.