Any tips on hooking up Morningstar MC8 to FM9?

bshaw92 said:
Whatever you have (CC#) programmed into the MC8 > go to the FM9 Midi and choose your block for mapping. Hit the bottom learn button and then hit the MC8 switch to tie them together. Very quick and easy.
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Tried this. No luck. Midi channels are both 1. I have MC8 midi Out to In on FM9 and then midi going other way with another cable. I go to midi in menu and go to Bypass and select Multi Delay. I press learn and then press Morningstar button I want to use. Nothing.
 
Also, how the freak do you do darkmode on the MC8? The instructions seem to mention NOTHING ON THIS yet I see so many online with this ability. Please advise. Thanks!
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
This is where my setup is going the opposite direction. I am using the FM9 and the FX3 together, primarily, and the one thing the FC devices don't do very well is share control capabilities between two Fractal devices.
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That’s to be expected.

FC controller, Axe-Fx III, FM3, editor:
The FC controller and the editor are both clients to the Axe-Fx III, FM3 or FM9. Switching stuff on one client will automatically update all other connected clients (and the Axe-Fx III, FM3 or FM9 itself).

"We rewrote everything using a client-server approach. You can have any number of clients attached, even multiple editors, and they all update automatically when something changes (even if changed from the front panel). The foot controllers are essentially clients as well." [11]
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"The FC's are clients. They request data, they do not get data pushed." [12]
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The modelers are designed to act like standalone computers, not as networked peers. Going against the intended design, the “flow”, is always more difficult. Because the modelers aren’t designed to talk to each other and cooperate as if one is a client, like an FC or editor, we assume the burden of doing more programming ourselves. It can be made to work but when we go down a different path we’re sometimes going to need to do some bushwhacking; You’ve learned that I’m sure.

MIDI and its implementation on the FX3/FM3/FM9 and competition almost seems to be an afterthought, it’s not integrated into everything like it would be in a keyboard-instrument-driven system that can spew control information for every action that the player makes. It’s possible that the implementation will mature but, given that guitars haven’t shifted to universally acting as MIDI controllers, we may never see modelers act that way fully.

Fractal could work on a system that lets the modelers daisy-chain and share the digital signal path and automatically allocate blocks between themselves to optimize their rendering of sound based on a shared preset, perhaps using USB or SPDIF, or an optical link like the internet backbones, with a two-way, bidirectional MIDI acting as glue, as a control layer. Ares, underneath it all, is an interesting design and might be powerful and flexible enough to do it.

"The Axe-Fx III, FM3 and the other products in development all use the "Ares" architecture. This is a portable client-server architecture that allows easy porting of effects and models between hardware platforms. When we ported the Axe-Fx III models to the FM3 it involved nothing more than copying the file. We created the Ares architecture three years ago and all new products use it. It's a comprehensive hardware and software paradigm that allows any number of clients to communicate with a DSP server. The architecture supports multiple DSP cores. Clients can be located on the same core, a different core on the same IC, a different IC on the same board or on completely different hardware, i.e. an editor running on a PC or a foot controller. For example on the FM3 the UI is a client running on the ARM core. The Ares architecture is even processor agnostic. The Axe-Fx III uses TI DSPs while the FM3 uses Analog Devices. The Ares architecture was a huge undertaking with the ultimate goal of faster product development and easy synchronization of multiple product lines. It allows me to work on algorithms and new models and the engineers can then easily port those to the other products." [1]
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I’m imagining a future device that starts out looking like an FC6 or FC12 that has snap in modules underneath, each module is an additional core of the modeler, with A/D and all the backplane connections on the controller. One module in the FC6-like controller would be the equivalent of an FM3+FC6. Two modules in the FC6* or FC12* would be the equivalent power of a FM9, four in the FC12* would be the FX3, etc. Of course they’d be a lot more powerful and ran cool because time, and technology, marches on. And, of course, they’d sync wirelessly to the FRFR rig as they powered on… I have that part figured out already.

Super computers link their CPUs to perform their calculations. Fractal might be working on something already. You might have been the impetus for that.
 
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Tremonti said:
Also, how the freak do you do darkmode on the MC8? The instructions seem to mention NOTHING ON THIS yet I see so many online with this ability. Please advise. Thanks!
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i’m nearly positive the dark mode devices you are referring to actually use different screens. there isn’t a mode setting to achieve this on the morningstar controllers, it’s a different version of the hardware.
 
Casimir said:
I think he was saying that if something besides your midi controller toggles the Multi Delay on or off, then the change won't be reflected on your MC-8. You MC-8 should have no problem setting up a toggle for the Multi Delay though.

For my application, since I am only sending midi from the MC-6 to the FM-3, and not sending anything from the FM-3 to the MC-6, if I change presets on the FM-3, the scene indicated as active on the Morningstar might not be the active scene until I actually select it on the Morningstar.
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This is fine for me keeping the morningstar if it will allow me to set the on/off state per preset and scene. I only used a handful of presets and utilize scenes on those. Let me know....thanks!
 
I am now on hour 3 trying to get this Morningstar to work with the FM9. I have scoured the net trying to find videos. None work for me.
 
Can you take some photos of the FM9 midi page for settings? If used someone may have put some funky setting in? As long as the midi channels match and the settings allow in (check thru) you should be seeing the interaction. The learn button is the quick way to see that there is interaction.
 
Also, make sure you only have out from the MC8 to the in on the FM9 (unless you are using the newest firmware and scenes/presets whcih changes the other stuff we have been talking about because they have two-way settings for the MC8/Axe in the newest firmware and you no longer have to use CC#'s. If using it for blocks, etc. then one cable only and cc#'s)
 
Tremonti said:
I am now on hour 3 trying to get this Morningstar to work with the FM9. I have scoured the net trying to find videos. None work for me.
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Have you looked at the External Controllers section on the user manual? This was helpful for me.

EXTERNAL CONTROLLERS:
External Controllers are modifier sources that must in turn be controlled by MIDI or a connected pedal or switch. For example, if the modifier source of a Wah effect is set to “External 1” and External 1 is set to “MIDI CC#16”, a connected MIDI expression pedal transmitting CC#16 then operates the Wah.

If External 1 is set to “PEDAL 1” then an expression pedal connected to the PDL1 jack will operate the wah. External Controllers are a great “universal” choice for shared presets, because different people will want to use different controllers in different setups. Many of the Factory Presets use External controllers.

Choosing an External Controller as the source of a modifier is the same as assigning any other source (see “To Create a Modifier...” on p. 59). The global assignments for External Controllers are set in SETUP: MIDI/Remote: External. You can assign a MIDI CC#, an onboard pedal jack, or a Pedal or Switch from an FC controller. To change which CC# or pedal/switch operates an External Controller:

1. Open SETUP: MIDI/Remote: External
2. Use NAV to select the External Controller you want to change (ex: “External Control 1”).
3. Use VALUE to change the assignment. You can also select “NONE” to disable the selected controller.
TIP: You can also press ENTER to enter LEARN mode. Do so and then move the pedal/ switch or send any valid MIDI message to learn the assignment automatically.
4. EXIT when finished.
 
Casimir said:
Have you looked at the External Controllers section on the user manual? This was helpful for me.

EXTERNAL CONTROLLERS:
External Controllers are modifier sources that must in turn be controlled by MIDI or a connected pedal or switch. For example, if the modifier source of a Wah effect is set to “External 1” and External 1 is set to “MIDI CC#16”, a connected MIDI expression pedal transmitting CC#16 then operates the Wah.

If External 1 is set to “PEDAL 1” then an expression pedal connected to the PDL1 jack will operate the wah. External Controllers are a great “universal” choice for shared presets, because different people will want to use different controllers in different setups. Many of the Factory Presets use External controllers.

Choosing an External Controller as the source of a modifier is the same as assigning any other source (see “To Create a Modifier...” on p. 59). The global assignments for External Controllers are set in SETUP: MIDI/Remote: External. You can assign a MIDI CC#, an onboard pedal jack, or a Pedal or Switch from an FC controller. To change which CC# or pedal/switch operates an External Controller:

1. Open SETUP: MIDI/Remote: External
2. Use NAV to select the External Controller you want to change (ex: “External Control 1”).
3. Use VALUE to change the assignment. You can also select “NONE” to disable the selected controller.
TIP: You can also press ENTER to enter LEARN mode. Do so and then move the pedal/ switch or send any valid MIDI message to learn the assignment automatically.
4. EXIT when finished.
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I will check this out when I get a chance. Thanks!
 
bshaw92 said:
Can you take some photos of the FM9 midi page for settings? If used someone may have put some funky setting in? As long as the midi channels match and the settings allow in (check thru) you should be seeing the interaction. The learn button is the quick way to see that there is interaction.
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I will when I can. Thanks!
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
This is where my setup is going the opposite direction. I am using the FM9 and the FX3 together, primarily, and the one thing the FC devices don't do very well is share control capabilities between two Fractal devices.

I ended up offloading the control pedals onto an ExpressionIO (and their own board), and splitting up the button-controlled stuff between the FM9 and the FX3/FC6. The way I have the CS MIDI set on the two devices lets me share the pool of 12 CS between the two. I have a few presets where there is crossover between them (i.e., an FM9 CS controlling something in the FX3, or vice-versa), but the line between the two units, conceptually, is a thing. FM9 does my "pedals and amps", and FX3 does my "rack FX", for the most part. I did figure a way to integrate them a little more tightly by splitting the SPDIF between input mirroring on one side and full amp/cab on the other, so the possibility of a 4-amp preset is there for the doing.

What I found is that the FC6 doesn't really add much that I can really dig into to the FC9 with my setup, since my FM9 presets are, necessarily, a bit leaner and simpler. I just got a second ExpressionIO, and have plans to use it for two sliders (my F/M compensator, and one for Wet/Dry on the delays) and four switches under the board like I did on the FC6 board. That will be plenty for the FM9, and save me taking the FC6 board when using the FM9 alone. I am sure it will present some interesting extras for the FM9/FX3 rig as well....
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The newer ones are metal \m/....
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Beautiful dog!!
 
People are quick to blast the Morningstar here but bulk of the blame lies on Fractal. They do not release documentation for Sysex communication which is needed for syncing e.g. preset/scene changes so any Morningstar integration with the Fractal devices is because they themselves have reverse engineered the communication.
 
Tremonti said:
Also, how the freak do you do darkmode on the MC8? The instructions seem to mention NOTHING ON THIS yet I see so many online with this ability. Please advise. Thanks!
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It’s a different hardware: they no longer use white on black. There are internal trims that adjust the brightness and contrast though.
 
Boogyin1979 said:
It’s a different hardware: they no longer use white on black. There are internal trims that adjust the brightness and contrast though.
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Its an old display they claim has a high failure rate so they stopped using it. I suspect it is the reason they have an unmentioned 7 day only return policy ;-).
 
Xcdchdchjjf said:
Its an old display they claim has a high failure rate so they stopped using it. I suspect it is the reason they have an unmentioned 7 day only return policy ;-).
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They have very good customer service. I don’t believe they have a short return policy to try and leave someone saddled with a broken screen haha.
 
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