S4 - Fx tricks in midi mode (new user video)

[Paulo]

I cant get my head around any of this, I'm able to map the effects and their parameters to the hot cue buttons, but I can only select it as a direct so when i hit the button to go from say 0 to 1 and then hit the 0 to .25 i have to hit the 0 to 1 twice to make the parameter change...Dont know if that makes any sense! :/ Also when i go into Midi Mode, the browse button doesnt stay lit, the loop length screen says "on" dont know if thats supposed to happen either! :/

[Yul]

Did you set up your buttons within the controller editor (not the "manager" inside your preferences). There you can change all midi messages from the S4. I had to do this as all buttons within were configured as control change messages.

Open TS4 and open the controller editor
Press the chosen button, it will lit on the controller editor: for each button on the right you have three tabs: templates, pages, assign
Within the assign tab, change type to 'note' (instead of control change) and below set your button as 'gater'. Your button should now be set up correctly.
Do the same for the buttons you intend to use.
You may want to save your template once done.

Go back to your mapping (remember in this case, you're adding a generic midi device, not a user S4 mapping).
Depending on how your work with FX ('restore parameters when switching FX' options), you may need to call an FX preset first so everything's ready when you want to act on your buttons.

- Create a shift (hold) modifier set as hold for a value of 1

As an example I'll take here a beatslicer in advanced mode and we'll consider that's the only FX you're going to set up:
In your drop down menu ("add in") where you choose the functions you're going to map:
- go to global> Fx panel mode> learn your button, assign to the correct FX unit, set to direct to advanced mode (single). add the modifier condition=1
- "add in" all the parameters from the drop down menu from ' Fx single' so that should be: Fx select (beatslicer), Fx on (set to 0), effect button 1, effect button 2, D/W single (set to 0), effect param 1, effect param 2, effect param 3... at least (you may choose to add a LFO reset but that's your call and don't bother with the 'reset'). Learn all those to your button. All those shall be assigned correctly to the Fx unit you chose. All those shall have the modifier condition=1 added.

So you set up a modifier that when pressed and when you press (usually you have to press twice) your chosen button to call your beatslicer it should transform the fx unit to single mode, call your beatslicer, make sure the fx is set to 0, make sure all parameters are at a 'safety' level (hence the D/W to 0).


Now you can create the direct action for your button by creating all the needed functions as you may see fit (and don't forget to add your modifier =0).
Personally speaking, even if that's a bit of work, I tend to recreate all the fx functions so I never have any surprises (ie all settings from the change of the fx unit to single mode, to all parameters and buttons). I usually for instant action set the 'effect on' function to an 'hold' type.

Create accordingly for the other buttons, following the same method.

Don't forget also to have a way of assigning the Fx unit(s) to your decks on this midi mapping, that could be handy to not to have to switch to get back to the controls.


Hope that helps (a bit).


ps:
- when switching to midi mode, I think the browse button's led should be and stay blue but I may be mistaken.
- the led display cant' really be set up in midi mode, usually it says 00 on both display, sometimes it keeps some other led lit inside. Don't really bother. Just know it doesn't work in midi mode.

[VanGogo]

Thanks for the info. I haven't dug around in the controller editor yet, but that will get me started.

[padi_04]

Browse button doesn't stay lit to indicate MIDI mode, it just does because you pressed it when entering it (and hasn't been mapped yet), you can click it and it will turn on/off.

the indicator is having the loop displays showing "ON" or "00"

[Paulo]

Thanks very much Yul, that has been a great help...Just one more query while i'm here. If I set up Effect Parameters of Beatslicer on say "Hotcue 1-4" i.e. HC1 - 0, HC2 - .25, HC3 - .75, HC4 - 1 and then I create a modifier to use those same buttons for another set of effects parameters, i.e. Shift 2 + HC1 = Gater .5, Shift 2 + HC2 = Gater .75 and so on, why does the Beatslicer parameters also change? And how can I stop it doing so?

I dont think that makes too much sense so I'll try again...

What I want:

No Shift + Hotcue 1-4 = Beatslicer effects parameter 3 increments (Fx unit 1)
Shift + Hotcue 1-4 = Gater parameter increments (Fx unit 2)

What I have:

No Shift + Hotcue 1-4 = Beatslicer effects parameter 3 increments (Fx unit 1)
Shift + Hotcue 1-4 = Beatslicer effects parameter 3 increments (Fx unit 1) PLUS Gater increments (Fx unit 2)

Thanks again, you're a great help!

[Paulo]

Sorry, got that sorted! :P

[Paulo]

Actually any chance you could go a bit more in depth with the LED mappings?

When i got to Add Out>Output>Beatphase Moniter and input your values, where do i go from there?

[Paulo]

Ok so i sorted every thing i needed to know about the LEDs and the mapping...

Cheers Paulo,

No problem glad to help,

See what you can do if you just read a little and experiment?

Yes sir!



I'm not slightly schizophrenic

<.<

[Yul]

Good man! That's the spirit!

It's good you found the solution by yourself and you probably learned more this way. Congrats.

[Paulo]

Well not so much by myself, i trawled through various DJTT articles and found what i was looking for and applied what i learnt...But yea, I got a PM today if I would share my mapping, its no where near finished(yet) but i'll gladly help out anyone who wants to try and D.I.Y. it via PM or this forum...So I probably wont be uploading the .tsi either, however you never know! :P

Thanks again Yul, you're the one qho ispired me to carry this out and I'm about 200 times more knowledgeable on mapping as a whole now!

Sound!