Midi Forward-Strymon

C

cgscotto

Well-Known Member
Hello,
I updated the firmware on my LT to 4.01. Everything is fine. I read the following passage in your release notes:
  • MIDI Forwarding setting allows you to use the Mastermind as a USB MIDI interface for other MIDI devices. Works well with Strymon pedals and the Nixie software on a PC or Mac.
If this means what I think it means, it will be a great feature. Does this mean that I can launch the Nixie software and communicate with my Strymon pedals with the LT acting as a midi interface? In the Audio/Midi setup page on my Mac, I see that the LT appears just like any other midi device. On the Midi tab of the Mastermind editor, I checked Midi Forward and Bidirectional midi. When I start Nixie, the Mastermind LT appears in Nixie's list of midi adapters. However, Nixie cannot detect the Strymon pedals (Timeline, Mobius).
I have all the pedals correctly connected to the Mastermind LT since I can use the LT to control all aspects of the pedals.

So, what am I doing wrong? How can I get Nixie to detect the Strymon pedals using the LT as a midi interface?
Thanks in advance.

UPDATE: I realized one thing, I had to hook up a midi cable from the midi out at the end of the chain back to the Mastermind LT midi in. When I hook up the cable, Nixie says it found one device (even though I have two connected), but seems to get hung up never getting past the "connecting" stage.
 
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That should be all that's required. Try disconnecting one pedal so it's LT Output -> Pedal Input and LT Input -> Pedal output and see if that works any better.
 
OK, I figured out the problem. While the Mastermind LT is perfectly happy being plugged into a USB hub, the Nixie software does not like USB hubs. I found this out by using my laptop. Once, I connected the Mastermind LT directly to a USB port on my desktop, Nixie detected my Timeline and Mobius. In Nixie, the midi device is listed as Mastermind LT. This is very cool. One USB cable from the Mastermind LT and I can edit everything except the H9. Any plans to get the H9 in the mix?

UPDATE: The connection is not 100% reliable. After making a successful connection, the next time I connect, the pedals are not recognized. For the hell of it, I tried setting the midi receive channel on the LT, which fixed the problem. However, the next I attempt a connection, I get the device not detected message. Now I set the midi channel to none, and I can connect.
 
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A far as I know, the H9 does not support being connected in this way. It might work if it was the only device connected to the LT's MIDI ports, but I don't think it can do the selective MIDI Out / MIDI Thru switching like the Strymon pedals do. That's required to allow editing in a multiple pedal chain. But, you always have the Bluetooth option with the H9, right?

I'll have to look into the issues you mention. It's weird that the hub would cause a problem. Same with the MIDI receive channel setting.
 
First, yes, I use Bluetooth and my ipad to edit the H9.

OK, I did a lot more research on the issue I mentioned in my previous post. First, the hub turns out not to be an issue. It was just a coincidence with the midi settings issue of the MIDI receive channel.

I can duplicate the issue consistently and resolve it the same way each time it happens. To rule out possible secondary causes, I checked the firmware on the Timeline and Mobius, and both are current. Next, I removed the Timeline and Morbius from the larger MIDI network, so the chain is simply Mastermind LT->Moribus->Timeline->Masermind LT (MIDI in).

After initially powering up the pedals, I start the Nixie software, which says it cannot find the pedals. I open the Mastermind editor and simply change the midi receive channel to anything different than channel was stored on the pedal. I write the changes to the Mastermind, and relaunch the Nixie software, which now recognizes both the Timeline and Mobius. As long as I don't turn off the power to the pedals, I can close the software and relaunch it, and it will always recognize the pedals. If I turn off the power to the pedals, but leave the Mastermind LT powered up, I don't experience the problem. That is, once I power up the pedals and launch Nixie, it will recognize the pedals. However, If I leave the Timeline and Morbius powered up, but turn off the power to the Mastermind LT, then I experience the problem. That is, once power up the Mastermind LT and launch the Nixie software, Nixie does not recognize the pedals, and I have to go through the procedure of switching the MIDI receive channel to get Nixie software to recognize the pedals.

I hope this helps in tracking down the problem. Let me know if there is anything else I can do.

The Mastermind LT is really an elegant piece of equipment that is extremely powerful for its size. It has made working/playing my rig immensely more enjoyable.
 
Ok, thanks for the detailed post, that will make it easier to debug. I'll figure it out!
 
I just updated to firmware 4.0.2, and it fixed the problem. It now works perfectly. Thank you so much for your quick attention to the problem. I am really amazed by the power of this small midi pedal. I finally feel I have the control of my rig that allows me to be creative. Thanks again.
 
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