Re: Loopers-Delight-d Digest V03 #823

[DialaThos@aol.com]

In a message dated 12/4/03 11:50:37 PM, 
Loopers-Delight-d-request@loopers-delight.com writes:

<< thank's for that Tom, that sort of
info is actually pretty hard to come by.
(because Roland don't put manuals on-line)

any chance you could give a quick run down
of how that device deals with sending to different MIDI channels?
( the other question we always ask is, how much time
between pressing the switch and getting a response) >>

For MIDI channels... everything just goes out one channel which you select 
of 
course.  I guess I've had to get a little clever about this, but it works 
fine for me.  Details:

My rig (like Glenn's ;) is a Chapman Stick setup, complete with stereo 
melody 
fx (2 units), bass fx, stereo synth, an EDP and a Repeater.  The MIDI out 
from the FC-200 first goes to a 1x4 Thru (to guard against signal 
degredation).  
the 3 FX units are setup with MIDI tables.  So... while all three may see 
"patch 5" coming at them, they can change to whatever I set in the tables. 
 
Essentially I work with groups of sounds.  Patch 1 is just reverb on both 
gtr and 
bass sides of the Stick.  Patch 9 is distortion, volume swell, filters on 
gtr, 
chorus on bass, etc... 

I "could" have the synth patches changing with this too, but I like the 
idea 
of them not changing everytime I change Stick sounds.  For example, 
sometimes 
I might want synth patch 9 with Stick sounds 1.. sometimes I might want it 
with Stick sounds 5, or 9.  Rather than have a scarry number of FC-200 
patches to 
remember, I just keep the synth in it's own world.  

While two MIDI outs of the Thru box feed the FX units, another goes to a 
1x2 
MIDI solutions MIDI router (programmable to send incoming MIDI messages to 
one, both or neither of it's outs).  One Out of this is programmed to send 
everything except patch changes to the sound module.  So my FC-200 CTL 
pedal 
(sustain) and Expression pedal (volume) as well as the FC-200 note mode 
notes all get 
to the synth, but the patch changes meant only for the FX units don't.  

The other Router MIDI out goes to the loopers.  It filters out MIDI notes, 
and patch changes.  (The Repeater unfortunately responds to everything 
under the 
sun and has no internal way to not respond to everything, so I filter 
stuff 
out).  thanks to the EDP's ability to change what CC#'s control what 
functions 
(source number) I found a gap in the Repeaters CC# structure where I could 
fit 
in the main EDP functions.  

The final big MIDI step I guess is that the output from the FC-200, 
(having 
gone through the "synth" output of the Router) goes to a MIDI merge, where 
it 
joins up with a signal from the Stick's GK2 pickup.  Traditionally I've 
used a 
GI-10 interface, and used the S1,S2 buttons on the pickup to switch synth 
patches.  I recently bought a GI-20 which has some additional features 
that I 
"think" will allow me to get synth patch changes under my feet fairly 
easily (and 
without a second MIDI controller.. also an option thanks to the FC-200's 
MIDI 
in jack).  

phew... hope this was actually of inteest to some.  

Oh.. and the pedals on the FC-200 feel fine.  I haven't really noticed a 
difference between that and the EDP pedal.

--Tom