MIDI Through and MIDI Monitoring, or "I'm going slightly Mad"™ Queen ...

plyall

plyall

Power User
Folks -

I am attempting to see what messages are being transmitted by the MFC-101 and its controllers up to the Axe-FX II.

I am running a Mac (Mac Pro), OSX 10.05, Axe-FX II 10.05, MFC-101 2.16, and I am using the Mac/OSX 'Midi Monitor' program.


I have MIDI through enabled in the IO menu/MIDI. I have the Axe-FX II connected to the computer using USB, and I have my MFC-101 connected to the Axe-FX II via Cat5 cable.

At this point, I have the USB Adapter Mode set to off.

If I leave just MIDI THRU enabled, all I see is the SYSEX burst that is supposedly supplying the Tempo. Okay fine.

Now, if I set the USB ADAPTER MODE to ON, if I move a controller pedal attached to the MFC-101 I get a single byte INVALID message showing on my MIDI monitor.

If I press an IA switch (that has an actual assignment - like DIST1 - I get 2 single byte invalid messages.

Unfortunately, I can't tell exactly what HEX bytes are being sent as the program is a bit too helpful in trying to decode the messages.

This behavior persists even if I deselect MIDI THROUGH to OFF.

Hmmmm.

Does anyone see a method to the madness? Is there a way to view the actual controllers and messages as sent by the MFC-101? It would be useful to be able to decode these so that MIDI commands can be inserted in sequences so that effects can be toggled, scenes changed, and controllers tweaked by the computer/sequencer.

Thanks!
 
I think you'd need a midi-USB interface and hook the MFC directly to your computer/midi monitor.

Are you looking for SysEx messages or midi?
 
(disclaimer: I was a Editor/Librarian/MIDI programmer back in the 80's/90's, so my MIDI chops are fair...)

SYSEX is MIDI, fwiw. But I'll take what I can find.

I also did a little experiment just now - may deserve a separate thread. You're the perfect guy to bounce this off of as well...


I have a patch that uses EXT3 (a switch on one of my mission pedals) to kick in COMP, GEQ1, and DELAY1 . I had been using an IA switch on the MFC-101 to turn on DIST1. I got to thinking - since I'm almost always going to use all of these together, why not just assign them ALL to EXT3. Fair enough - done.

Now, when I step on EXT3, all 4 effects come on together. Bully! Ooops - the MFC-101 IA switch still toggle green/red, but no longer does anything, regardless of the actual state of DIST1.

Now if I DEASSIGN EXT3 from switching DIST1 on/off, the IA on the MFC-101 regains control of the state of DIST1. Uh-huh... okay... hmm.


In effect, the behavior of EXT3 being assigned to BYPASS mode of DIST1 appears to override the IA entirely (which I assume sends a SYSEX to the Axe-FX II).

Some thoughts:

1. If the EXT3 state overrides the IA state - okay - but don't toggle the MFC-101 LED for that IA - show the true state of the parameter - stuck in the ON state... better yet ...
2. The likely reasonable behavior is not an override, but a LILO type response - who ever gets there most recently affects the state of the parameter
3. The MFC should receive a SYSEX/status message that keeps it informed of the state of the parameter (in this case DIST1 ON/OFF [bypass]) and update the LED's appropriately
 
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