Remotely triggering Presets?

go2ldook

Active Member
I am in the process of automating my pedalboard with MIDI, running a MIDI file from Bandhelper.
I would like to send CC messages to select Presets in the bank I have selected for the song, but I could not find CC's for Presets, only for Loops. Is this not possible?
 
Presets are selected using PC messages - I haven't used Bandhelper, but it should be able to do that, I imagine?

All you have to do on the PBC side is to set MIDI Receive Channel to something other than None, and make sure Bandhelper is sending PC messages on that channel.
 
Presets are selected using PC messages - I haven't used Bandhelper, but it should be able to do that, I imagine?

All you have to do on the PBC side is to set MIDI Receive Channel to something other than None, and make sure Bandhelper is sending PC messages on that channel.


So I have been sending Presets for a while from Bandhelper to PBC, which I have set on Channel 8, and that all works fine. I basically learned that you cannot create Bank change message in a .mid file that change during the song....all bank messages are sent at the beginning only. A work around in Bandhelper is to automate Preset changes, but that is a little painful, and I would prefer to manage this in my sequencer, as it is more precise in terms of timing, and creat a .mid file (I am successfully triggering my phrase looper this way, using CC's which can be changed in a song using an automation for each CC).

After a bit of trial and error I was able to get this to work. I create CC automation for each Loop on the Mastermind and turn them on/off remotely with the .mid file. I have them all set on Channel 8.

The problem I now note that is despite repeated attempts I get issue with PBC recognizing the CC commands. It is as if the Mastermind is finicky about the commands. I got it to work fine for one song, but on another it is a mess. I think the issue comes down to when I issue CC's together, for example if I want to turn Loop 4 ON at the same time I turn Loop 7 OFF. I Have a template I have created with all the correct settings (Channel 8 enabled for all Loops, Range 0-127, and an automation available for each one). In the scenario I just described it seems to be hit or miss. On the other hand, If I create a MIDI file with that template where I sequentially turn Loop 1 ON then OFF, followed by Loop2 ON/OFF, then 3, etc..., I can run the MIDI file and it behaves exactly as programmed.

Is there something I can adjust to fix this? Having spacing between CC's is just not a great option, and not something I thought was necessary for MIDI to work.
 
Do you have any way to record the MIDI messages that are being sent? If you have a Mac, MIDI Monitor will definitely do the job. You might be able to use MIDI-OX on a PC depending on the circumstances. If I have the MIDI stream, I can try it here and see what's going on.
 
I figured it out. I was creating automation loops for each effect Loop. The issue is that CC's in MIDI are serial commands, they cannot overlap, or you get problems. The best solution was to create a very short automation loop with basically a single data point, not a running line of ON/OFF setting like I had been doing. Then when you want Loop 4 Off and Loop 7 On for a measure, you make sure the commands are spaced apart by the smallest increment possible. This cleans up the MIDI signal.

This has been a ton of trial and error, and yes, using MIDI-Ox does help with the troubleshooting. As a guitarist I waded into this knowing little about MIDI and have learned quite a bit. If anyone wants to explore this it is a great way to automate your pedal changes, as long as you either are playing to backing tracks or willing to commit your drummer to a click track.

Here is my set-up and how it now works:

Bandhelper App on iPad> Mastermind PBC> MIDI Capable Guitar Pedals (including a MIDI capable Infinity Looper)> Roland Basspedals> Kronos Keyboard

When I select a song on Bandhelper it can either play a click track or a Backing track, depending on my preference (one setting in Bandhelper can be changed to choose between the Backing Track or a second recording with a custom click. Bandhelper does provide its own click track, but the custom click recording allows better options such as a different click to cue when to start the song, or perhaps a louder click on the "one")

The MIDI file is attached to each recording and automates changes in loop settings. Unfortunately PC changes, which would change Presets within a song, are only one time things for MIDI files at the beginning, so You cannot automate changing Presets during the song with a MIDI file, but you can turn loops on and off, which involved CC commands. I create the Automation loops to control these changes in FL Studio and export the MIDI file into Bandhelper. In addition to controlling my Mastermind and automating it, I can control my Infinity Looper pedal to get absolute Loop accuracy. This was the MAIN reason i went to MIDI file automation. I had already gone to MIDI SYNC with a click track, but there was still instances of occasional Looping erros...millisecond delay in hitting Start or Stop on the looper can result in the loop not triggering until the next measure and being off. By programming the CC in on a sequencer I no longer have to worry about trying to hit the buttons just a moment early, which is very distracting to performance.

I cannot issue Preset cahnges to the other MIDI enabled pedals using the MIDI File, as again these are PC messages, though I could send CC's for changing individual parameters. An alternative that Bandhelper offers is its own Automation, which you can set up to change Presets within Bandhelper automatically. The reason I skipped on that for everything else is that it is time based, and while you can tweak it to milli seconds within the app, using a sequencer is WAY more accurate for CC's, especially with looping.

Finally, I also play my Basspedals for backing Bass and synth stuff. Automating the Preset changes has made that job a LOT easier. Technically I could automate the notes for the Basspedals or just reocrd that into backing tracks, but I am trying to maintain some "real" aspects of the performance on principle.
 
So learned more about MIDI: you CAN Trigger Preset changes within a MIDI file, there was just no way to do it by creating MIDI files in FLStudio. I downloaded the free MidiEditor program and can add CC's and PC's at will. No more need to change individual loops manually unless I want to.

This. Is. Awesome.

I may later do a video Tutorial and post a link on this forum, as I suspect a lot of people would love this info.
 
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