Advice needed for Tracker+ ext. MIDI to trigger/control synth(engines)

[edruskin]

Hi, I’ve read a lot but can not find a answer/solution.

I have a Beatstep Pro and try to control the synth engines (PERC for example) with external MIDI notes/cc. I’ve read about an ominous MIDI synth mode but I can not find a similar option in the Tracker+ UI.

If I have a sample assigned to a track, I can trigger notes with the Beatstep, when I select the synth track, I was expecting the notes would now trigger the current selected ‘instrument’ but it just triggers the last selected sample.

I miss the option to assign a MIDI channel to the synth track/instrument. The manual states:

”Select [Instrument Parameters] page 1/2.
Screen Button [More] then Press [Instrument Synthesizer]”

but there is no such option, what am I missing?

Also tried to set the note in ch. to channel 5 as well as the cc in ch., this lead to not even playing the sample anymore, so MIDI ch. 1/ALL seems the only working option.

As the MIDI sync is still so horrible on Tracker + and Mini (unfortunately) and I’m not able to sync it up to any of my gear in sequencer mode, I now at least want to use it as an instrument. Now it’s just two expensive toys with no real use.

Any help appreciated.

[Dann]

Hi there @edruskin. I can see where this can be a bit confusing. The MIDI instrument is for when you’re going the otherway around, sending MIDI out of the Tracker to a MIDI device.

For your scenario, you setup your MIDI Channels in the Tracker’s Config→ MIDI menu.

After that, assign PERCs to a Synth Engine and load that as an instrument into a track (the engines are options 1-3 in the instrument list).

[edruskin]

I think I already tried that but with no luck.

Just to clarify, maybe I have misunderstood this:

When you refer to MIDI instrument which I guess you mean a selected M01-M016 as instrument instead?

I meant the Instrument MIDI Mapping page for CC values that is visible in UI when I selected a sample or a tracker instrument/kit) but is NOT available for PERC or VAP or whatever engine is selected.
So The CC values listed there are then NOT for incoming MIDI to control the instrument track?
Why is there a CC# assigned to for example granularity when this is a also a setting for the active instrument?

Also the manual states:
”The MIDI synthesizer mode is a feature that allows integration when
controlling Tracker+ from an external MIDI device and by controlling up to 8
voices across MIDI. Tracker+ will operate as a secondary follower to an
external controller which will be able to play and control Tracker+
instruments.

[Sandroid]

Hey there @edruskin, the “MIDI Synth Mode” works exclusively for samples based instruments.

If you want to use it for the internal synth engines, you have to use it slightly differently:

• Make sure you have one of the synth engines selected as the active instrument
• At that point note input via MIDI should play the synth engine
• To control synth parameters, you have to use the six Macro Slots (M1 - M6)
• In order to send CC to those, you have to setup performance mode:
  • Map the performance slots to S(1-3) macro (1 - 6)
  • You can map up to 12 of these (CC 51 - 62)

Hope that helps.

[Dann]

Yeah I was focusing on first getting MIDI note in working because if that would confirm that it’s receiving MIDI then we could move to the more complicated stuff

To use CC with the internal Synths, you need to assign the parameter(s) you want to control to a Marco and then assign that Macro to a Performance FX lane which have designated CC values (The values are listed in the Tracker’s Config→MIDI CC options)

EDIT; @Sandroid beat me by a couple of minutes, and explained much better

[edruskin]

Thanks to both of you.

I now have notes incoming, I had to reset to defaults and start a new project, maybe something was carried over from older firmware version or settings.

But I noticed something else, when experimenting with clock correction and saving the project while Transport was still running and notes came in, it completely crashed/froze the Tracker+ multiple times, so I had to remove the power to turn it off. Is this a known problem?

Are there plans to increase the number of instruments you can play at the same time by assigning different MIDI channels?
In theory it should be possible to trigger all 8 sample tracks plus the synths from external MIDI, just to be able to play one channel like it is right now, sounds like a limitation that doesn’t need to be in place at all.

And another question, I noticed that one Beatstep Pro encoder (step 9) seems already to be mapped to I guess “cutoff frequency”. When I look at the edit patch screen at the same time, I was expecting to see values changing but you can only hear the changes.

Is the CC value change not displayed in the UI when adjusting it?

thanks

[edruskin]

Many hours later of testing, I have to come to the conclusion that this doesn’t work reliably at all.

Both Trackers stop receiving notes completely after what seems a random amount of time or a random amount of transport messages.

Long notes send from ext. sequencer stop playing when switching from master screen to the performance screen on the tracker and start playing with later notes (dropping x amount of it)

Sometimes when it’s working for a few minutes, it stops receiving notes completely after transport stop / start messages and I have to restart the devices to receive notes again.

Imagine this happens in a live situation…

[edruskin]

Is there a good resource on how to do this, especially the mapping part?
I struggle to find any info that’s addressing the internal synths with ext. MIDI cc.

Thanks

[Sandroid]

i‘ll see if i can make you a short video tomorrow how i go about doing this

[Sandroid]

My apologies. My week is a bit crazy. I have not forgotten about you
I’ll be able to create a video for you tomorrow (Friday).

[edruskin]

No hurry, I’m patient