What's wrong with my MIDI setup? (Roland Synth/MFC/Axe-II)

Stringtheorist

Stringtheorist

Fractal Fanatic
I want to set my MFC to send PC messages to my Roland Synth. Currently, when I plug the 5-pin MIDI cable into the MFC's MIDI Out, my Axe-II preset information disappears from the MFC display, and the PC messages are not picked up by the Roland. Here is my routing:

MFC MIDI Out -> Axe-II MIDI In -> Axe-II MIDI Out -> Roland GR-33 MIDI In

MFC to Axe-II via Expansion.

I have Axe-II on MIDI channel 1 and the GR-33 on MIDI channel 2

Any idea what might be wrong? Why is the Axe-II preset info disappearing?
 
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Do you have the expansion cable and midi cables between the MFC and the Axe ?

I think this is all that you should need cabling wise.

MFC to Axe-II via Expansion, > Axe-II MIDI Out -> Roland GR-33 MIDI In
 
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Really have not played much with this but MFC to afx via cat5 and midi is duplicating part of connection and may be issue and causing some type of loop? Try MFC out directly to Roland in. Or use just midi in/out between MFC and afx (no cat5) then afx midi through to Roland... Or If using cat5 on mfc don't hook up midi between mfc/afx and try midi through from afx to Roland.
 
stratamania said:
Do you have the expansion cable and midi cables between the MFC and the Axe ?

I think this is all that you should need cabling wise.

MFC to Axe-II via Expansion, > Axe-II MIDI Out -> Roland GR-33 MIDI In
Click to expand...

Yes, I had a MIDI cable between MFC and Axe. Removing this fixes the MFC issues, thanks. But my MFC still isn't sending the PC messages to my Roland. Here's my setup:
IA02 pOF PC#011 Ch02
IA02 pON PC#012 Ch02

No bank change because the Roland presets are in bank A.
 
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Do you have the midi out set to send ?

Front of Axe FX, I/O, page right to midi, arrow down to Midi Thru, and set to on.
 
I don't have a GR 33 but I think the midi isn't mapped directly to PC number. Bank in this case seems to be different to the meaning of Bank in the Axe FX

A11 on the GR33 is group A, Bank 1, preset 1. Would be PC1

A12 on the GR33 is group A, Bank 1, preset 2 Would be PC2

To PC4 for that bank then

PC 5 to 8 would change A21 to 24

PC 9 to 12 would change A31 to 34

And so on... Give it a try but if the above isn't correct there will be something similar.
 
stratamania said:
I don't have a GR 33 but I think the midi isn't mapped directly to PC number. Bank in this case seems to be different to the meaning of Bank in the Axe FX

A11 on the GR33 is group A, Bank 1, preset 1. Would be PC1

A12 on the GR33 is group A, Bank 1, preset 2 Would be PC2

To PC4 for that bank then

PC 5 to 8 would change A21 to 24

PC 9 to 12 would change A31 to 34

And so on... Give it a try but if the above isn't correct there will be something similar.
Click to expand...

That's it... Cheers!
A11=PC00, A12=PC01, etc.

:)
 
On the Axe FX to MFC part just remembered it either expansion or midi cables but not both. I just got a liquid foot a couple of days ago but prior to it arriving I read the MFC manual when looking at what to buy, I also looked at it for scenes to figure out the changes needed to trigger stuff from Cubase.

On the Roland part of it I used to have a Roland guitar synth but its so long ago I don't remember anymore which one it was, I used to use it and a Roland GP8, back in the early nineties when I last played in a cover band. So a quick google search on the GR33 I found some similar info to what I suspected.
 
Do you have any idea why unwanted PC messages are being sent to my Roland each time I change presets on my Axe? The channel numbers it is sending start at 641 for Axe preset 001, 642 for Axe preset 002, etc. Why would it be sending messages on MIDI channel 2 that I haven't programmed it to do?
 
I'm not sure if this explains the high preset number, but at defaults the MFC will send a PC (PC# matching the MFC preset #) on all 16 channels when you select a preset.
 
I think its because to get this to work Midi Thru, is set to on. The Axe then forwards what it receives on Midi In to Midi Thru, whatever the channel. As far as I am aware there is not a parameter to set to say only forward out of thru midi channel 2. Thru is either on or off.
 
stratamania said:
I think its because to get this to work Midi Thru, is set to on. The Axe then forwards what it receives on Midi In to Midi Thru, whatever the channel. As far as I am aware there is not a parameter to set to say only forward out of thru midi channel 2. Thru is either on or off.
Click to expand...

But if I don't set MIDI Thru to On, no messages are sent at all.
 
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